bring me back.

So since graduation... I've been on so many wonderful adventures. My house went to Corolla, NC to stay with Whitney and her family- at the Sound Escape!!! (name of her house). it was such a great time to hang, get totally sunburned (being the ginger of the group), and relax. all of us had books we were reading, and it was a time to just eat lots of GREAT food, drink delicious wine, and enjoy being with one another. then i went to Yorktown, VA to stay with Sarah Powell (one of my absolute besties) and her fam for the weekend. we've realized that one of our favorite things is just living life with one another- whether doing errands, running, reading, trying new wine, or being grandmas and going to bed at 10- don't judge. then it was back to good old baltimore- where i've just been hangin with the fam and the neighbors. have i unpacked? not for a second. oops..

This is a picture of the Brick House! All except Egan who is painting and enjoying the French lifestyle in France for 3 weeks- no big! 

                               This is the sunset from Whitney's backyard! hellloooooo beautiful!

what else have i been up to? reading the hunger games!!! they are so good. i've purposely brought them up in conversation every day for the past week. if you haven't read them- READ them. worth it. promise.

I've gotten really into cooking- I've been doing all the grocery shopping, finding recipes, and trying new things out for the fam (whether they are lucky or just bearing with me is still to be decided haha). It's been so fun. Last night my brother and I got to make homemade pizza and a strawberry nutella dessert. see my page "Snacks N' Such" for some of the recipes!

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On a more serious note. I've been reminded of some pretty great truths about our walks with God since graduation- the reason for the title "bring me back." it's all about remembering- it's so important. It's remembering God's character- WHO He is. He is soverign, He is good,  He did come to rescue us, He is Creator, He is our encourager.. and He is on our side. It's about remembering what Jesus did on the cross- claiming it each day. It's about remembering what He has done in our lives- and it's remembering why we are here- to know Him and glorify Him.

Where did this come from? two things.

One. sitting on the boat docks in Yorktown. probably one of my favorite spots- on a dock, by the water, in the sun. boom. sarah and i went one morning to just spend some time with JC- and although we read two different things, we both were thinking through the same thing- it's about remembering.

That morning I read Psalm 143 and it really reminded me of the ability to be honest with the Lord, but also how remembering can change our perspective- and take our eyes off of our circumstances and ourselves.

How does the Psalm start? With David crying out for mercy, asking God to listen to him. He says he is losing hope, and paralyzed with fear. Do you ever feel that way? I definitely do. Okay so, we can relate. Then in verse 5, something changes- He remembers the days of old, he ponders God's works, and thinks about what He has done. That requires something of us- that requires actively remembering. Then, David calls on God to come and answer him, rescue him, but his voice turns into confident trust, into asking God to help him with confidence, and He begins to claim true characteristics of God.

I think he was onto something. When I have a situation where I don't think God is going to turn up, or I am forgetting that God is good, to sit back and remember His faithfulness or what He has done on a big scale and a small scale, it reminds me that He is for me. On those days when things might seem overwhelming- just remember. It helps. Spend some time in this Psalm- and claim with confidence that God is for you.


As Sarah and I both are in new circumstances, graduated, and getting ready to do big things where almost everything seems uncertain, it's been easy to be fearful. It's been easy to think I need to be a certain way before I can go to Oxford.. it's easy to think that dealing with anxiety will rule me forever. But when we actively sat and remembered how God had helped in college.. our hearts were restored.



The second thing that brought me to remembering purpose was at my cousin Michael's 13th bday party. All the men in his life came together and gave him a really great gift. They each wrote him a letter about good qualities that they saw in him, how God has worked, and advice for the future. It was awesome- and such a testament to the body of Christ. building one another up and encouraging them. One of the letters had a quote that Michael really liked "Aim to be different." boom. if we are sold out and following Jesus- we are going to be different. it was a challenge to me to not only accept it, but aim for it. strive for it. what if we were the people who believed enough in God's power and who He is that we wanted to live differently. we were willing to be a little different. to love differently. just a thought.


So this is literally a novel...guess that's what you get when your a verbal processor ;)