whoa!!!

My best friend in the whole wide world is ENGAGED!!!! That's right - Erin Mathis is getting married! I got the call this afternoon with the news...and haven't stopped smiling since! (seriously - my cheeks hurt). I couldn't be more excited for her....and in fact, I don't know if I've ever been more excited for anyone in my life...I even teared up I was so happy. I can't wait for this new stage in her life...she's going to have a husband...crazy! CONGRATULATIONS, ERIN...and Andy...you are marrying one of the most amazing women I have ever met.

oh, Mitch.

Mitch Hedberg is one of the funniest men to have ever lived.

click here

for some of his funnier bits.....excuse the language.

I guarantee you that these will make you laugh.

my favorite 4 year old in the world.

Tyler and I and the Koala we made on his birthday at "build-a-bear"

isn't he a stud?

a couple of cali pictures

I haven't had time to really post anything about my trip, but here are a few pictures. These are random ones at Newport Beach, Santa Barbara Pier, Malibu and Hollywood....perhaps more to come later. It was awesome. :-)

backhand.

This is good stuff. A slap in the face, if you will....but a good one that we, as Christ followers especially, need to get.

"It is much more comfortable to depersonlize the poor so we don't feel responsible for the human failure that results in someone sleeping on the street while people have spare bedorooms in thier homes. We can volunteer in a social program or distribute excess food and clothing through organizations and never have to open our homes, or beds, or dinner tables. I'm just not convinced Jesus is going to say, "When I was hungry you gave a check to the United Way and they fed me, or when I was naked you donated clothes to the Salvation Army and they clothed me." Jesus is not seeking distant acts of charity. He seeks concrete acts of love: 'you fed me...you visted me in prison, you welcomed me into your home...you clothed me.'"

shout out

My flight leaves for California in 8 hours...which means I have to get up very very soon...

but before I leave, I just want to give a shoutout to my parents and to my boyfriend for being so awesome. Both of whom are helping make this trip possible in big ways.

Y'all rock my world.

Until we meet again, I'll be gettin' my dose of sunshine on the other side of the country. PEACE!!!

me, in a nutshell.

I'm tired. I've had 2 tests in the past 2 days...both of which I didn't begin to truly study for until the night before. But, they are finished now, and aside from working on a project I am home free until I leave for LA.

Erin got me SUPER-EXCITED today about going to LA. I've been absolutely thrilled at the fact that I'm going out there to see her...but I haven't actually thought extensively about the fact that I'll be in California. I've just been excited to get to spend some time with she and Carla. Well, today she emailed me a list of options of things to do while I'm out there --- and well --- I'm pumped. Just a glimpse of the possibilities to wet your whistle (and mine again):

-wine tasting in Temecula or Santa Barbara

-Clippers game- Sunday at 12pm against Detroit or Lakers game at 6pm against another team

-Santa Barbara-kayaking, biking, shopping, wine, eating, fishing??

-Surfing or playing volleyball at my beach

-Comedy-The Laugh Factory, Jay Leno at my beach on Sunday, or The Comedy Store

-music club or concert

-Hollywood- sign, shopping and all, Chinese Theater, stars, hand prints…homeless and drug dealers…spiderman

-OC - beaches, shopping, food, and people watching

-San Diego - Coronado Island, Gas Lamp district, zoo, downtown, beach, pretty things, shopping

-Santa Monica and Venice Beach-crazies doing shows for money, shopping, Santa Monica pier (this is fun but not fantastic)

-Getty art museum-Katie, this will be a good one for you to do one day while I’m at work. It is beautifully landscaped and great place to just hang out and read and people watch…there are kids’ art classes too

-Hiking in Malibu (haven’t done this but I know there are great trails)

-Shopping in Melrose

-TV show filming of some sort (I’m sure we can find something)

-Just hanging out together and you don’t care what we do

-Game night where you all slaughter us in any game involving a brain



that's right...how AWESOME does that sound? ohhhh man, I'm excited. I'm ready for a break, that's for sure.


I got a haircut tonight.
I ate Zaxby's tonight (a brand new one that just opened) and it was SO GOOD.

Oh, a funny story: Rachel and I went to study on Sunday night...and we were like "let's go to the C of C library, that'd be a good place" -- so we meet, walk across the street and try to open the doors...and they're definitely locked. So we go to the revolving door and push, and it's definitely locked, so we're peering in the windows trying to figure it out, then we realize that they are on spring break. so, here we are, 2 girls with our backpacks on looking like we're trying to get into the library, at the intersection of a busy street downtown - where there are people probably thinking we are the biggest nerds in the whole world for wanting to go to the library on the 1st sunday of spring break. We got a good kick out of it. We end up going to our library, and it also posed some funny things. For instance: it is silent up there on the 4th floor and there are only like 4 of us up there...and some dude keeps burping out loud. kinda gross...but hillarious...because we have no idea if he realized he was even doing it or not. we were like, "seriously...is this happening?!?"

ok, I think that's all the updates for now....I'm really really tired. More to come later. Goodnight.

don't build your house on sand.

"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, beause it had its foundation on the rock."
Matthew 7:24-25

Expect the rain to come, the streams to rise, and the winds to blow in your life --- but have confidence that if you trust in the Lord, and follow his commands - that you will not fall. He is a rock upon which you can stand....even when the storms head your way.