Our Daily Bread

Psalm 119:105-112 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
¹⁰⁶ I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
¹⁰⁷ I have suffered much;
preserve my life, LORD, according to your word.
¹⁰⁸ Accept, LORD, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.
¹⁰⁹ Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.
¹¹⁰ The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from your precepts.
¹¹¹ Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
¹¹² My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to the very end.

"I've always thought that I could get through just about anything if the Lord would tell me what the outcome would be. I believe that 'all things work together for good' in the end (Rom. 8:28), but I'd do a lot better in dark times if I knew exactly what the "good" would look like.

But God usually doesn't show us where He is taking us. He just asks us to trust Him. It's like driving a car at night. Our headlights never shine all the way to our destination; they illuminate only about 160 feet ahead. But that doesn't deter us from moving forward. We trust our headlights. All we really need is enough light to keep moving forward.

God's Word is like headlights in dark times. It is full of promises we need to keep us from driving our lives into the ditch of bitterness and despair. His word promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). His Word assures us that He knows the plans He has for us, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give us 'a future and a hope' (Jer. 29:11). And He tells us that our trials are there to make us better, not bitter (James 1:2-4).

So the next time you feel as if you're driving in the dark, remember to trust your headlights - God's Word will light your way." -- Joe Stowell

snow...

update: NECN said we officially got 18" here in framingham... and my car has now been re-plowed in.

it is being called the "january blizzard" and has dropped a few feet of snow all over the state. there was no way i was getting out of my apartment complex this morning - even if i could've gotten out of my parking space i wasn't going to brave the hill. the governor and the mayor both put out requests asking all non-essential employees to stay home, so i happily complied. though i am working remotely (technology is both a blessing and a curse).

warning: picture overload... but, i figured brock and brax could at least appreciate it.

note: as of this posting it is still snowing outside. or maybe the incredible wind just makes it seem like it is still snowing. either way, it is wet, but not nearly as bad as this morning.

my first attempt at pictures this morning was unsuccessful since i mostly just got snowflakes

a few hours later it had calmed down enough to take some from my balcony (i wasn't wanting to go outside yet).

i broke my screen door -- i opened it to take pictures and the snow got in the runners so it came off the tracks and won't close (fixable once the snow is gone).

opened the door and the snow came inside over the lip/step

they keep plowing and it keeps coming... the smaller plow puts it in piles and then a front loader comes by and pushes it to the end -- except now they're out of places to put it so the pile is still in the middle of the road
my car before:

my car after: clean(ish)- at least i can get out now if i need to... pending it doesn't snow more or they don't re-plow me back in
the rest are just scenery of my complex (kind of nice looking)


one of the snow piles:
kind of picturesque (would make a good postcard):

i get it from my momma

Obviously our parents influence how or why we do a lot of things. Often times I notice myself doing something and can’t figure out why and then I realize it’s because my mom did it that way. Don’t get me wrong, my dad has had a lot of influence on my habits (like the need to walk down the ice cream aisle at the grocery store every time I go). But there are some little quirky things that are definitely from my mom.

Two recent examples:

1. Drinking coffee and eating breakfast in the bathroom while getting ready for the day. This works a lot better for her than for me since I no longer have bathroom counter space and quite frequently spill on my white rug, but it is a habit I just can’t break. Even if I have plenty of extra time to eat breakfast elsewhere (which is a rarity) I always have coffee in the bathroom with me. Side note: my dad along with both Meg and Phil are sit at the table and read the paper while eating before getting ready for the day kind of people.
2. Chewing a half a piece of gum and putting the other half back in the box. This used to frustrate me as a kid because I’d reach for a piece to only pull out a half. Now it frustrates my friends when they go to pull out a piece and only get a half. Hahaha.

thanksgiving (part 2)

here is a smattering of pictures from thanksgiving (this was on thursday but i uploaded my photos out of order so the posts are out of order)...

breakfast bright and early (well, bright and early for my friends - i was up at 3:15 to take trupti to logan express)... tim, nicole, angela

ben was so excited to be going to work on thanksgiving
angela chopping onions for the traditional stuffing
peeling fifteen pounds of potatoes. yes, i sat on the floor - it was the least awkward position for my back
nicole chopping chorizo for the mexican stuffing
mmmm... appetizers... chex mix, veggie tray, green and black olives, amazing crab dip, and awesome spinach artichoke dip
tim sauteing the celery
angela's apple pie recipe made by nicole (for dessert we also had cheesecake by rachel, pecan pie by me, pumpkin pie by yoly, chocolate fudge pie by angela)
buttering up the turkey
poor rachel had her wisdom teeth removed on tuesday and her face was incredibly swollen and sore. a sweet kiss from her husband to make it feel better...
dinner for fourteen
lalo's contribution: making hot cocoa for chris
rusty carved the turkey

ready to eat! menu: two kinds of stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, chicken noodle dumplings, broccoli, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, baked mac and cheese, overnight layered salad, crescent rolls, cranberry orange chutney
family picture: tim, ben, nicole, yoly, lalo, jeremy, angela, me, rachel, randall
the boys had dish duty. since men are linear thinkers, they formed an assembly line (i was actually pretty impressed by how efficient they were and how quickly they got it done)

black friday

every year my friend, amber, has gone black friday shopping (she is seriously a master shopper). i've never felt the need to go. in fact, last year i worked on black friday. but this year i decided to go with her. she returned from baltimore at 3:30 friday morning after driving through the night to get her husband, alex, back in town so he could work. instead of going to bed she came and picked me up. crazy girl.

there weren't that many people out and we got some good deals (i got jeans, and two sweaters).

plus, i got my first of the season peppermint mocha (with whip) from starbucks!

this is her "it's 5:00 in the morning and i haven't been to bed yet so don't take my picture" face from old navy

modeling hats at khols
the steal of the century: denim and leather jacket from target. love it!

after five and a half hours of shopping we watched elf to officially kick of the christmas season. while amber looks lively in this picture, she was passed out ten minutes later. hahaha. of course, i can't say anything since i also slept through almost the whole movie.

thanksgiving (part 1)

Every year growing up we always had the same menu for thanksgiving where we all got to pick a dish in addition to the staple of turkey and stuffing (and every year we all chose the same thing): oysters for nate, peachy cream salad for jon, green bean casserole and sweet potatoes for meg, pie for phil, and overnight layered green salad for me.

Last year was my first thanksgiving in boston and it was…uuummmm… different. The green beans were organic string beans with slivered almonds instead of cream of mushroom soup. The sweet potatoes were real potatoes cut in perfect circles with cinnamon and cloves instead of out of a can topped with brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows.

This year I am doing Thanksgiving with my friends. And while it will be different than the traditions of my family, I am uniting the old with the new by making my overnight layered green salad (which just goes to prove you can call anything with lettuce in it salad no matter what the other ingredients are) and a pecan pie.

yes, that is cheese and a sour cream/mayonaise mixture on top of the greens (thanksgiving is about greatness not health)

cat at work told me yesterday that "anyone can make pecan pie... the trouble is cooking the darn thing." it can be difficult to find the perfect level of cookedness where your crust isn't burned but the middle isn't a pile of goop. My crust may be a little golden but the center will not require a spoon to eat, which with my pecan pies has happened in the past. yay!!

today promises to be a great day filled with fun times with friends... but it still isn't texas ;)

boy after my own heart

Sometimes I babysit my pastor’s youngest son, Joshua. Last night was one of those times I’m reminded of why I love him so much.

Here are just a few reasons:

1. He loves “sneakers” as much as I do and we discuss them every time I see him (whether I’m teaching Sunday School or babysitting) -- he has some really awesome “The Last Airbender” ones and I have Nike Lunar Glides
2. He thinks I’m smart – yes, he actually told me this last night after I explained all the pieces of an ambulance and its equipment which is a big deal in his world right now.
3. Entertaining him is easy – he appreciates the simplicity of running through a room and then sliding across the floor on your knees
4. He asks me to sing – I readily admit I have a terrible voice and usually when I sing people ask me to shut up, but Josh insists I sing him to sleep
5. The kid talks up until the very moment he is asleep – I was the exact same way (and probably would still be if I didn’t live by myself). I remember my first night of college when I didn’t have Megan to talk to and I wondered how in the world I would get to sleep because I was so used to talking until I couldn’t hold my eyes open anymore

But, my favorite conversation of the night happened to be our discussion regarding what pajamas he was going to wear to bed. It was twenty seven degrees outside. I’m one of those people who’s always cold and I have a tendency to wake up freezing in the middle of the night. So, in all my wisdom, I tried to convince Josh to wear pajamas that have long pants and a long sleeve shirt. However, he insisted that he wanted to wear shorts to bed. I tried rationalizing that it was chilly outside to which his response was “it isn’t in my house.” Ok. Then I tried compromising, telling him he could wear a short sleeve shirt with his long pants. No go. Finally, he looked at me with an exasperated expression and said “am I saying bbbrrrr?” I didn’t get it. When I asked what he meant he repeated “AM I SAYING BBBBRRRR??? Since I’m not saying bbbrrr I’m not cold so I can wear shorts to bed.” Bahahahaha. Good point, kid. Well played. You may wear shorts and a tshirt to bed.

In other news, I should have some new pictures soon… Thursday I’ll be spending Thanksgiving with a few of my church friends at Angela’s (there's about fifteen of us who don't have family here) and Friday I’m going shopping with Amber (she promised the experience would be “unforgettable” and her husband told me it would be like me taking her running).