Ready for bed?! BEFORE 11?!?!

Friends, I don't know what the mess is going on.... But I am ready for bed and it's only 10:32. This is craziness for me!

Well, I'll list some little excitements of the day:

• I got my engine coolant topped-off, and the guy said he wasn't going to charge me!
• SO kind of him! And now that silly little light in my car will STAY OFF!
• It's been coming on and off for about a month... Haha.
• My journal critique that was originally due this Thursday got pushed back to NEXT Thursday!
• Praise-worthy! I would have had a rough time having that done this week!
• My psyc test for next week has a study guide! Yay for those helpful "hints!"
• I made the Dean's List from last semester!
• My madre said she's proud of me :)

In other news, I've had Moulin Rouge songs stuck in my head for the past few days.... Aside from the song posted in my first "Moulin Rouge" post, this is another one of my favorites:



Well, I am going to read my Bible and get some sleep. Goodnight loves!

I am a Martha.

"³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!'

   ⁴¹ 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'”

{Luke 10:38-42}

Tonight, Nancy led myself and some other SAO sister's in a Bible study on Mary and Martha. Upon reading this particular passage, I realized that I am totally a Martha. In the past, it has been easy for me to read this story and say, "What the heck, Martha? That's JESUS! Why would you be running around the house when you could be spending time with JESUSSSS?!?!" Well, loves, insert the realization of hypocrisy here. When I had a house full of company two weekend ago, I spent almost the entire time (even when the movie was on) running back and forth between the kitchen, the living room, and my bedroom making sure that everyone had something to drink, snacks, pillows, blankets... the whole shoot and match. What I sacrificed was the ability to actually spend quality time with them because I was so preoccupied in making sure everyone was comfortable and that everything was still in order.

Now, I realize that this is a very secular instance, but bear with me. Nancy challenged us to take this passage and also apply it to our physical selves, the temple which houses the Holy Spirit. She talked about how Martha had not been prepared for having Jesus come into her house (which could have been for several reasons, but again, just tole with me....), and how that kept her from being able to spend time with and learn from Jesus. If we are to have quality time with God, we must prepare our hearts for it. We cannot be consumed with task lists or petty chores. If our focus is to be solely on the Lord, then we need to abandon the stresses and to-dos of our lives. Ultimately, what matters is God. What we need is Him. He is what is best for us. I am a Martha. I get caught up in the step-by-step process of my days and the work that needs to be done, often times neglecting that time that could be spent with my Father. He is right there, waiting for me to come to Him; He never leaves. But He also doesn't force Himself upon me, which means I need to take responsibility for myself. I cannot grow if I contribute nothing. Self, be more like Mary. Though it will be challenging, and likely take time, it is not impossible. After all, with God, all things are possible!

Run-down:

• Dance classes.
• Marley burn on the tops of my feet, ftw!
• I love feeling like a dancer again :)
• One of my classmates told me she couldn't tell I hadn't taken a class in over a year! Yay!
• Maybe I'm not sub-par after all!
• Lunch with Kristina.
• Mailed a package :)
• SAO PR meeting.
• Bible Study.

• Dinner with Nancy :)
• Once Upon a Time (after I proactively completed my science homework three days early)!
• Now I'm all caught up!

Goodnight, loves!

Many of my life's greatest joys...

come from rejoicing with my brothers and sisters in their times of great elation :)

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."
{Romans 12:15}


"If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." 
{1 Corinthians 12:26}

In other news, this picture is beautiful to me    not in aesthetics, but in the love it represents.

Goodnight loves.

Note to self: movies are not reality.

For real, I get extremely emotionally invested into movies that I really like. For example, I watched Moulin Rouge again tonight. (Yes, I know I just watched it, but now I own my own copy! Haha. Crazy? Maybe I am; it's plausible.) While I was watching it, and mind you this was only about 10 minutes in, Hannah and Jenn looked at me and asked me if I was okay. Apparently, I had an extremely concerned facial expression. And later on in the movie, towards the end, they kept looking at me and saying, "It's okay Steph! It's not real!" Okay, I know it's not, but I just get so sucked in! Bahhh. I have a problem, it's fine... By the way, those of you who haven't seen that movie before, make a date with me to get together and do so :)

As for the earlier chuck of my day, here it goes: I got brunch with Taylor, Brittany, and Hannah [my little]. We talked about the dramas and funnies of elementary school, and it was quite entertaining. Brittany lying about A.R. points in the third grade, my hair getting cut off in kindergarten, and various stories about the crazy little boys that Brittany worked with when se was in high school.... we were rolling. Haha. Hannah and I followed brunch up with some Mandarin Rooibos/Chai tea at Greenberry's :) I love my Big/Little time with Hannah; it makes me happy :) And I love being able to touch base with her and see how everything is going in her life, since I don't see her very much throughout the week.

After our tea time, I was not productive at all. Y'all, I am on board the struggle bus right now in regards to getting work done. It's rough... But anyways, later on, I ventured over to FYE where I found Moulin Rouge! (Walmart, Best Buy, and Target were all fails in that department... I checked.) Not only did I find it, but it was only $5! Holla! I also found pocky, which is also a bonus :) After that endeavor, Hannah (not my little) and I got dinner together at Dukes :) We talked about lots of things, but mostly our families. I love our heart-to-hearts because, even though we both have things to share, we take the time to listen to one another as well, which is important to both of us. We can be "me" talkers when appropriate, while also being "you" talkers :) That may not make sense if you weren't there.... But that was another topic we discussed! At any rate, we followed up our dinner date with an attempted homework session at the Fishbowl, which I failed at (at least Hannah and Brandi got work done though....). Luckily for me, it turned into a movie night :) Jenn came over and we took in the flick!

Now here I am, exactly 6 hours away from when I need to wake up, and I am a sleepy bear. Tomorrow morning might be a little rough.... Womp. Goodnight loves!

Be Love to someone else.

A quick run-down:

• Brandi's yoga class with some SAO sisters.
• Bad Day strikes.
• Lunch with Brittany (my long-lost hall-mate).
• Pick up the paycheck. Woop!
• Crash in TDU before I pass out.
• Cancel my booking for the hip hop class I was going to take.
• Take yet another nap in TDU. (That's 2 hours total)
• Go back to the room to get ready for large group.
• Dinner with my small group, then large group.
• Easy A at the Fishbowl.

And in closing, all I want to say is this: "You may be the only bible some people ever read." [-Author Unknown]. With that in mind, always be Love to those around you, whether you know them or not. Maybe your compassion for them is the greatest testament of God that they have ever experienced. They may not even initially recognize the motivation of your heart, but I guarantee you they will be curious. And more importantly, they will be touched-- not by us, but by the love, grace, and compassion that God has given us, so that we may give it to others. Embody Jesus. Be Love. And may His light shine through you for the world to see.

"Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

{Matthew 5:16}

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ."

{2 Corinthians 4:6}

Goodnight loves.

Moulin Rouge

I spent this evening with my darling Stephanie :) After work, she had me over for dinner, in which we enjoyed baked potatoes and salad complete with chicken :) We talked about some childhood things, some fun and some not, and we debated whether or not I am unfair in my playing of nose-goes. Haha. Soon after dinner, Lauren came home, and the three of us ended up lounging on the sofa in front of the television-- me with my giant mug of tea that apparently was equivalent to four cups. (I drank two mug-fulls before the night was over! Haha.) Then, after talking to my padre on the phone for a while, we decided to watch a movie.

Moulin Rouge. I had never seen this movie before, and it certainly was not what I expected! And although I was left empathetically heartbroken, I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline! I might go so far as to say that I like it better than the Notebook. (I know, such a statement is practically taboo for a girl, but I said it!) I'm a sucker for a good love story, but I guess I'm pretty picky about what I consider "good." Hmm... Is this going to carry over into real life, this trait? Oh dear, I may be in trouble. Haha. (It's funny because it's kind of not.... And also because it might be true. Haha.) Anywhoo, after the movie, Steph and Lauren proceeded to serenade me with this song, complete with movement and everything:

Twas a beautiful sight to behold, haha :) Those girls are so funny. I'm so happy that Steph had me over tonight. Not only do I miss my Steph-squared time, but I just love her a lot. Whether she's giving me advise, listening to me sob, dancing with me in the hallways of Wilson, or "slaving over" (:P) a home-prepared meal for the two of us, she is always there to lift me up and bring a smile to my face :) Who's thankful? This girl right here.

Goodnight loves!

The playlist on my sorority's website is my jam.

Check it out, if you so choose! (You have to click enter!)

I've been listening to it basically erryday.... while getting ready, winding down at night, right now... stuff like that! Haha.