Soon

Not enough posting=too much working! Hopefully tomorrow I will get my pictures up from hiking. Until then, this will have to do.
For my birthday this year, my friends all wrote me sweet cards. They know how much I like words and they showed me they loved me in this special way.
Here is a photo of all of my sweet cards.

It is complete with hello kitty coloring pages, sweet messages, handmade cards and a large handmade card that has a drawing of Sawyer (from Lost) on the inside. So thankful for each of these friends in my life!

Growing up so fast

What? How has everything already gotten so big?

We only planted about 2 weeks ago and the sprouts have already started. The potatoes are going strong, but everything else we planted has baby sprouts. They are so cute.

I guess the constant Nashville rain is helping.
Oh and the blueberry bush we planted last year has flowers this year! They are also really cute if you can see them in this picture.

McKay's

Today started out as a reading/book store kind of day...rainy and cool and gross. It turned into a decent day, but I decided I would make a trip to McKay's. When Dad and I were hiking (pics to come soon) we were talking about great books and I decided I wanted to re-read a classic that I had enjoyed in high school. Which one?

Les Miserables. I thought about getting the unabridged version, but it is 1187 pages long. I am not usually one to turn something down based on length, but that is a bit much. And it may be abridged for a reason.
I picked up a few others...never read Prayer for Owen Meany so I thought I would give it a whirl and the book on the end was a last minute pick up...stories from several different children around the world, mainly Africa, and how their hope survives in the midst of tough situations (or so it says on the back cover). And yes, that is the Babysitter's Club. It is a gift, for my sister (who I don't think reads my blog, so the secret is safe). Adrienne picked one of these fine pieces of literature up for me a few weeks ago as a joke/gift...she never read them growing up but of course, I read almost all of them and had told her how wonderful they are (ha!). I actually did read the one she gave me and I will probably at least start this one to see if I remember the story. Best part is, they are selling them for only 35 cents down there...what? I know, don't everyone go and start a collection at once.

Happy Easter

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
   Hope everyone had a happy Easter!

My new friend

Here is my newest medicine friend:

It is called Humira and hopefully it is going to get my RA under control for me. It is essentially a Tumor Necrosis Factor blocker. What does that mean? Well, TNF is an inflammatory signal that helps mount an immune response in your body. In a normal person it helps fight an infection...to rally all the troops that need to come in and kill a bug. In my case it is running haywire and attacking the fluid around my joints. So this medicine will keep that TNF under control, thus hopefully stopping the joint attacking and the also the pain.
This medicine is called a biologic and there is a whole class like this. They are expensive because they are all injections and for whatever reason are expensive...I am not really sure I don't understand how insurance works, but I am thankful for it because it made this over $700 dollar medicine only $5. What?? I know, insane. Thankful that I don't have to pay a second mortgage for my monthly medicine. But how do people afford these things? Don't worry, I won't digress to health care issues.
My fun new medicine comes with this cool carrying case that you can fit an ice pack in as it is refrigerated. Woo! Got to get excited about something here when you are in the business of giving yourself shots.
Anyway, me and Humira have been friends for almost a month and hopefully it is starting to work its magic in there. Fingers crossed!

Palm Perspective

Sunday at church one of pastors preached about Palm Sunday. And I guess I have never really thought about it too much. Growing up this was just the day that somewhere during the service there were palm leaves waved.
But this week Russ walked us through all the events leading up to that day and eventually Easter. He brought a profound meaning to it for me: he said, Jesus is always doing more than you think. He knew so much more than all the people involved in the story and the details and how everything needed to happen at what time. All the people welcoming him with palm leaves wanted him to save them from the political situation of their time. And later in the week when he couldn't, they turned on him. The showy entrance Jesus made that day stirred up the people and as the people were believing and following, the priests and other authority figures were trying to figure out how to kill him. They were afraid of what he meant and how he would disrupt their world.
As I have been thinking about all this since then and reading more scripture about the week (or really mostly Sunday and today because the past 2 days at work I have mostly only thought about work and sleep) I have thought how much I am like all the people in the story. They are afraid and selfish and act out of those places...they want their situation to change or to follow the in person, or to kill him, or for their externals to be fixed, whatever it is, they are all acting out of fear and what they think they need. Fear and selfishness are the driving forces behind a lot of my thoughts and sadly actions.
But Jesus knew and was doing so much more than they thought or than I think. I like sitting in that hope.

Green Smoothie

I know I eat weird things and strange combos of foods. So I have decided to embrace it in a new way. I have tried to make green smoothies.

Mine did not look quite this green, mine have been more a purpl-ish color because I use strawberries too. However, they are pretty tasty, better than I thought they would be. And I (of all people) had my doubts.
I looked at a few recipes and websites before I journeyed down this trail and watched a video of some lady called the green smoothie lady make one. First of all, her blender has a horse power of 3. I am not sure my car has that much horse power, so it takes awhile to blend mine all up. But I think you can change it up and try different things in it and do less or more of the greens. But one of these guys is packed with most of the fruits and veggies you need for a day depending on what you put it with.
I have stuck with the basics: 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup water, 2 cups spinach, 1/2 banana. Not bad at all, but I plan on experimenting a little and perfecting it more. If you aren't a big fan or not sure about this, I would start with less spinach and more fruit and you can work your way up.
Yum!

Coming up

Dad and I will be returning to our hiking and camping together. In a few days we will be out on the trail and I can't wait! Hopefully the weather will hold for us. Today I got our specialty camping meal: rice sides with pasta and tuna. I can already taste how delicious it will be after a day of hiking!
Here we are a few years ago...that year it was really cold at night and in the morning.

Thought for my day

I desire to walk down this path of love each day, not my paths of ingratitude and expectation:
"The greatest honor we can give to God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love." (Julian of Norwich)

Planting Day

Today Leah and I planted our veggie seeds. Well, most of the veggie seeds. Potatoes were planted a few weeks ago and are already green sprouts.

This is pre any work this morning. In the middle is some spinach that got planted awhile back. I had it for lunch today...very delicious! And the potatoes are shooting up...still have a ways to go before we can eat them, but great progress none the less.

Post planting...I know it looks sooo different. We added a little of the good stuff to the soil (peat moss, manure, soil for veggies), stirred it up and planted away.
What did we plant?

Last year everything was too close together and some things, like carrots and squash, never had a chance at sunlight. So this year we spaced better (we think) and did less of everything. Potatoes, 2 different kinds of green beans, squash, cucs, snow peas, and lima beans. I'll plant some tomatoes too in a few weeks. And our blueberry bush is back and green, so we will see if this year it makes any blueberries.

Funny how these fellas will turn into green yummy things in a few months time. So excited!

Johnny Appleseed

Remember the Johnny Appleseed song? I grew up in a house where we sang blessings and then went to camps (and still do) where we sing blessings. And this was one we sang: "O the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the apple seed. The Lord is good to me"
Is it really this simple? I forget the Lord's goodness every day and become ungrateful and impatient and look at everyone around me and what they have that I don't have. Yet, if I did stop and look at my own life, I would see all the ways the Lord is good to me as well. Everyone's lives and blessings just look different. 
If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own son, but delivered him over us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things? Rom 8:31-32

One more week

One more week of school for the semester! Yay! Then a month off until the summer starts up. I am still glad I am doing school, just still very unsure of where I will end up when it is finished. But I guess we never really know where we will end up with anything. So on I will go.
Hoping to get outside and start doing some planting this weekend. I love love working in my yard and it is calling my name. Things are already blooming and getting greener, but there is always room for a few more things.
Oh and Adrienne and I have pulled out a classic to watch tonight: Return to Oz. If you have never seen it is a bizarre 80's sequel-esque addition to the Wizard of Oz. It is weird, but it is bringing back some classic memories. Why we ever thought it was good is beyond me. How many horrible movies did we put my parents through growing up?

Blurg

30 Rock has become one of my favorite shows. It is stupid humor, but just really funny too. Tina Fey is so creative and hilarious. I find myself laughing out loud and sometimes embarrassed by what I am laughing at. They definitely cross some lines in terms of things they make fun of. Still one of my favorite episodes is when they make fun of facebook calling it youface. If you watch, you know that Liz Lemon's go to phrase is "Blurg" (not sure if that is how you spell that sound). If something goes wrong she says blurg under her breath. The more I watch the show, the more I find myself mumbling or thinking blurg when something goes off track during the day.
I read yesterday that 30 Rock may be having it's final season, which would be really sad. I am hoping this is just a vicious rumor people.com has started.

Wedding Excitement

One of my closest gals is getting married in a little over a month. It has been really fun to be a part of the process and I have done more than I have so on any other wedding. Now to clarify, I am not making any decisions or things like that, just get to be around for the fun stuff like looking at ideas for the decorations, or picking things out, or giving opinions on shoes (ha ha!), stuffing invitations, etc. Today I got to go see her in her wedding dress while she got it altered. Mark...better look out buddy..she looks gorgeous in it!
It is especially fun because both of the betrothed are close friends and I have gotten to be a part of their lives together for awhile. I am so excited for the big day and for getting to be a part of the life that starts afterwards.

Beautiful Birthday Day

After a week plus of rain and cold the sun has finally come back out to play, just in time for my birthday. After our slumber party (yes, you read that right) Adrienne and I went out to Percy Warner to hike. This time in spring is one of my favorite times to be out there because of the ground cover. Before all the trees get outfitted in their leaves the ground gets all the sunlight and gets to show its beauty.

There are pink, purple and white flowers all over the ground all along the trail.
I will hopefully to get to chat with everyone in my family (minus John since he is in the Middle East), got to video chat with the Moyers and get to watch basketball. Fun day with friends and enjoying outside. Bring it on 31.