blogging for bliss !

Well! I wish I would have started this as soon as I got the idea, because now I feel like I have so much ground to cover!

I brought in the New Year while at URBANA (a student missions conference) in St. Louis, and it was such an amazing time. I've never spent New Year's Eve with so many people before! Let alone so many like-minded college students. Definitely going down as one of the bests.

My week started off pretty rough. Traveling all day Sunday, riding the Metrolink through downtown (by myself!), and waiting in a three hour-long hotel check-in line wore me out. The first two days of the conference I was terribly exhausted both mentally and physically. It was weird having so many crazy emotions in such a short amount of time, but by Wednesday I was dancing in my seat. I couldn't keep still at all. I was just so energized and excited to learn. My mind was more alert than it had been in weeks!

Over the whole course of the week I got to sit in on so many incredible seminars, but one really hit home. Rev. Sunder Krishnan, who spoke about prayer, is a very gifted man--highly educated. He was able to get through to me like none of the others had before him. Equipped with my new found knowledge I was so ready when New Year's Eve rolled around. I'm excited and encouraged by the changes taking place in my life and I just can't wait to see the great things God has in store for 2010!

Traveling back to Texas the next day was relaxing. I spent all morning in the airport just journaling and reflecting over everything I had learned at URBANA, I didn't even pause to people watch! And I loveee people watching. When my mom picked me up from the airport I didn't really say much on the drive home, but when I walked through the doors and the comfort of being home hit me, my words just poured and poured and poured. I'm pretty sure my mom fell asleep about halfway through, but I didn't care. I just kept talking. I still really haven't had a chance to process everything completely, but I'm looking forward to doing that over the course of this month.

It's so weird being home. Before I left school I laughed at the thought of not having enough time to do everything I wanted to. I came home with the attitude of not really caring about catching up with old friends, and just really wanting to focus on myself. But now that I'm actually home, and actually waking up every morning with time on my hands--juggling family, friends and victoria is really hard!

I was able to get some painting done yesterday, and I hope to finish it before I leave to Dallas this weekend. Oh! Dallas! I'm super excited for the chance to escape for a little bit. Is it weird that I need a vacation from a vacation?? I guess if anyone would need it, it would be me. I'm going to pack a good book, yarn and crochet hooks, and my bible! I wanted to have lunch with Tyler while I was up there, but we'll see. I probably won't have any time! How typical.

Tonight I'm looking forward to going to a bible study with Carl, a guy I met in St. Louis. That was just another amazing part of URBANA, meeting so many people from so many different nations, and then meeting someone who lives just down the road and not even knowing it!

Okay, so I didn't really accomplish what I wanted to this afternoon but, I'll leave you with a couple christmas pictures to make up for the bombardment of text! At my house it's just my grandmother, my mother, and myself. and our dog, but she was not present for pictures (which is really not normal!). Our Christmases are traditionally simple. Minimal decorations, food preperations, etc.







I also added a couple pics from my very first snow fall ever! When I woke to a beautiful bed of white snow I was sososo excited! I played in it all day and now I'm just counting down the days to get back. Although, I know once I get there I'll be crying to come back to Texas haha