Dreaming.......

My Perfect Day:

The weather: It’s cold, but not raining. The sun is shining, but there are clouds.

I would wake up at 8:30 with the heater on and music coming from the living room… Jim Brickman. One of his piano CD’s. I would walk out, wearing fuzzy socks and my favorite pj pants with the cool satin ribbon at the top… and my mom would have blueberry coffee cake just out of the oven. Our family would sit together at the table, talking sporadically… but not a lot. The silence is not awkward. In fact, it’s enjoyable. We laugh a lot when we do talk, and really enjoy just being together.
At 9:30, I head to take a shower, and find that my mom has just washed the towels. They still have the laundry soap scent on them, and are fluffy. 9:50, I hop out, and get ready. Doesn’t take me long… I just throw on my favorite pair of sweats and a sweatshirt, toss my hair up, and don’t put any make-up on. I head into my room, where I light a vanilla scented candle, and I read. For maybe an hour. No distractions at this time. Just me and the book. I blow out the candle, and the yummy smoke fills the air.
At eleven, I get into my parents car that they are letting me borrow for the day… and I head to be a nanny…. With ALL the kids I babysit. Ever. There are seventeen of them. I am totally able to handle them all on my own… and we have a party. We eat yummy food~ that the kids are able to help prepare, we watch a movie- Finding Nemo, snuggle, and laugh. A lot. The older kids perform a puppet show, while the younger ones are content to watch and sit with me. We are covered with warm cut-and-tie blankets, and everyone is enjoying their afternoon. No tears, meltdowns, or arguments. Just fun.
At four, the parents come to collect their children… and it is sad to see them go, because I’ve had so much fun. The kiddos all hug me goodbye, and I head home change into some “pretty” clothes. I put on a black dress with black kitten heels, and my mom curls my hair. It’s pulled back loosely. I do my make-up, and I finish the outfit off with a string of pearls. I head to the Cascade. At the cascade, there are people who are passionate about music and just want to play their instrument/sing/dance. I know them all. None of them are strangers, but I may know them very little. There is no agenda for the evening. It’s just a night of spontaneous worship through music and dance. Mrs. Zittel is in the corner, doing some type of fascinating modern contemporary routine… and I’m thankful to finally get to see her talent full force. Rachel and Lauren are doing a duet, harmonizing beautifully. There are some boys in the corner, younger… using their falsetto. Beautiful. Elyse is painting, I don’t know what, but that’s no surprise and I am just excited to see her heart in color. Mrs. Dummer is there, playing piano and singing. It’s breathtaking. There are various other groups that are there. I am there, too… although I know I don’t fit into any of these previously stated groups. And I am TOTALLY okay with that. So I start singing on my own. Out front and center… completely to Jesus. Doesn’t matter what song I sing, it could even be a mixture of songs… but I am unaware of everyone around me… singing as loud as I can. After a while, I stop. I look around me and everyone is smiling. Not at me. Just to themselves. They just had intense moments, too. Moments of passion and thankfulness, awe and reality. I am grateful.
Around seven, I head to Red Robin to meet up with the seniors. We eat together, completely enjoying each others company, no hindrances. No gossip takes place, instead, we ask about each other, genuinely interested in the lives of our friends. We laugh, eat, and are respectful to the waitress and the other diners. We discuss memories that have taken place over the last few years… but it’s not sad. We’re just reveling in the good times… taking in and cherishing the few moments we have left together.
At nine, I head home once again. I eat dessert with my family… warm cherry pie with vanilla ice cream slathered over the top…
At nine thirty, I crawl into bed… once again in the favorite pj’s (but they’ve been washed, so they smell awesome)… and the heater whirring. My dad comes in and tells me he loves me… followed by my mom. By ten o’clock… I’m asleep :)

This….. this would be my absolutely perfect day.

Quirks!

I love them, and certainly have quite a few of my own. I so appreciate people who realize that my quirks... they make me ME!

So whatever your quirks may be~ I love them.

L.O.V.E,
Poppins

Laughing ;)

Man, today was filled with laughter. Thanks for a new week, Jesus! :) I am ecstatic to glorify Your name! Work through me, and teach me what you will.

Love you!
~Poppins

The In-Between

Learning from people is one of my favorite things... Amy taught me the difference between real Mexican food and Tex-Mex. Caroline helped me be slightly more proficient in sending speedy text messages. Sarah shows me how genuine, meaningful, and fun being a mother can be. Nathan shows me the privileges of learning an instrument and how to bless people using that ability. Emmy is continually aware of the Sovereignty of God, and pursues Him with fervor. Jake teaches me to be a little wild, and let loose. Kim encourages me to love the time spent with my Savior, soaking up His presence. Rylee urges me to be spontaneous, and let the little things slide off my back. Jaxon taught me how to throw macaroni on homework and not cry because it looks ruined. The best part of being where I am right now... is learning from the amazing people surrounding me.

Last night, I was at Sarah's until midnight. One of my favorite thing about Sarah is that she listens. She talks and talks and talks some more... but so knows how to listen. And last night, after her and Nathan got home... she sat and talked to me for two hours. She told me story after story, letting me just soak up her desire for God's heart. She was telling me about the month before she graduated from high school. Fitting, since I am graduating soon! She was a month away from graduating. The moving date was set. She knew her roommate was going to be, and was ready for the change in atmosphere. She told me that it was no surprise that the word she spoke the most was "last." Her and her friends had grown up together, gone to the same school, and worshipped in the same youth group. Now life was about to split them into four different directions, and they were sad, excited, and hopeful all at the same time. Nothing can feel more bizarre than when the future you've dreamed of for years finally plops down in front of you.
Of the many traits I admire in Sarah, all the many things I've learned from her, there's one in particular I want to share with you. Though she was psyched about the future, she knew life didn't begin when they left for college.
She knew God was using her right then, right where she was, to be a bright example of His love. She led small groups full of younger girls. She was intentional about reaching out to new students. Every week, she prayed for her classmates, co-workers, family, and friends.
She had her friends hold her accountable in relationships they had. She was intentional about her time spent in God's Word, getting to know Him more.
Sometimes high school can feel like little more than an awkward spurt of "between time." But Sarah made that time matter, too.

David was like that too. When Samuel saw Eliab, he thought he'd found Israel's future king. But God said no. One by one. Samuel met the rest of Jesse's boys. None of them proved to be the guy Samuel was looking for. Finally somebody went out to find David, the handsome, outdoorsy youngest brother. Just like that, David's life changed completely. Samuel anointed him the future King of Israel.
Before David knew it, he was slaying giants, leading armies, and ruling a kingdom; but those are just bullet points in a much longer, more beautiful story. Every season of David's life mattered to God. David could have put all his hopes in a royal "someday." He could have assumed life didn't start until he was king. But he didn't. He didn't let his age or his fears be excuses to sit out life.
Not every season made sense to David, but every season was important. He messed up plenty of times. He was frustrated and angry. Time and time again, he brought God his most authentic self. Time and time again, God worked through him in big ways.
This season matters to you, too. You don't have to wait until college, grad school, married life, or summer for God to use you. Life doesn't begin when you get married, become a parent, set foot on a different continent, write books, or sell your first piece of art. "Someday" will be here before you know it. in fact, "someday" starts now in the decisions you make and the way you live.
So live in this moment. Dig into God's Word right now. Be brave enough to trust Him with this day, and the day after. I have a feeling you'll look back at this season in your life and see just how much it mattered. These crazy between times can be crazy beautiful. Watch and see.
I found a great verse in my quiet time this morning that I want to share with you! "My heart bursts at its banks overflowing with beauty and goodness. I pour it out in a poem to the King, shaping the river into words." Psalm 45:1
The rest of this year, and this summer~ pour your life out in a poem to your God. Live every day with bold compassion, integrity, and purpose. Worship loudly. Love until you're exhausted. Sneak away from all the chaos, and chase fireflies and watch the sunset. Get to know the people in your life~ really know them, not just their names. Be courageous and brave. In some ways, every moment is a "last." This exact school year, with these people, in this place, will never happen again.

So live it completely, and live it well.

I love you,
A

Random :)

Today is being spent memorizing lines that were supposed to be memorized ages ago. the play is in three weeks! Oh Jesus, help us!

In other news, I GOT A JOB! Hooray! :) Sarah and Nathan are so good to me, and I am so blessed to have them in my life.

I'm almost done with My Sister's Keeper. Such an amazing book.

I finally figured out a nickname for one of my friends. I was tired of going along with the crowd and calling her what everyone else does... and now I don't have to anymore!

I have to go back to school tomorrow. Ugh!

I had lots of fun at Game Night last night... and I have a new favorite thing. Fresh Cotton scented candles. They smell SOoooo yummy.

I must go now due to the first sentence.

Happy Sunday, sweet friends.

~poppins

Ah, Beauty

I am consistently aware of the beauty around me. The trees slightly swaying in the spring breeze, a small child that can't wait to see his Daddy, a teenager developing respect for her mom, an elderly couple holding hands... Jesus working in all things.

Oh man, God You are SO good. So so good.

My Love Song.

Imagine sitting in the dark caverns of a prison~ a prison you've been in for years. It's almost midnight, and usually at this time of the night there are only a few noises you hear: the clinking of someone's chains when he re-adjusts in the darkness. The sound of water drip-drip-dropping in the corner. The sound of a rat scurrying across the hard ground.
On this random night, you hear something unexpected break the inky silence: you hear singing. And the singing you hear is coming from the most unlikely source: Paul and Silas, two fellow prisoners who just spent most of the day being tortured.
Things started out great for these guys. On sailboats, on the beach, and throughout villages, they preached beautiful messages about the love of God. People responded in mass numbers. Then, rather suddenly, they were arrested, tortured, and thrown in jail.
Know what I love about Paul and Silas? They really lived the kind of life they preached. When Paul said he'd learned to be content and lean on God in every situation (Philippians 4:11-12), he wasn't just stringing together pretty words. He really lived that way! Acts 16 is proof: instead of wallowing in defeat, or having a giant cry fest, he and Silas started to sing and pray.
Those prayers and hymns threaded the deafening darkness, and according to Acts, the other prisoners were all ears. Imagine hearing about hope in a place so hopeless. Imagine hearing the way Paul and Silas spoke to their Lord and knowing maybe you too could have a relationship with Him.
They didn't give some flashy rock opera performance or dazzling sermon. they just sang and prayed. The Bible says an earthquake ripped through the jail's foundations after that. The doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. Not only did God not leave them during their inprisonment; He actually used the situation to minister to the jailer, who became a believer (Acts 16: 29-31)
I think when we're in one of those bizarre situations we never saw coming, praising Him with shaky voices, playing guitars with trembling fingers, praying and singing and asking questions (which is OK~ He's big enough for the questions), people are very likely to notice. Like Paul and Silas, we live the hope we always talk about. God is beside us in darkness, and He's working the situation out for our good. That kind of love is worth singing about.
I didn't see these situations coming, but I'm rolling with them. I'm still making funny jokes, enjoying life, and trusting in God's timing. In the past few months, I've been able to live out the hope I believe in. My life is a song back to my God.
I'm not losing heart through the unexpected. Even in the darkness, I'm letting the song in my heart, the worship anthem of my crazy beautiful life~ rock the world.

~Poppins