I'm back...?

Well. It's been a while. Seriously. But I think I'm ready to come back to blogging.

I remember when I started it reading about how often one should post to her blog... then I thought, If I don't have anything worth saying, I'm not going to post - just for the sake of posting.

So I didn't.

The silence on here for the better part of 2 years isn't as simple as that. I'm not sure if I've had anything worth saying or not, but I know God has been speaking to me. Looking back over this blog, it's so easy and evident to see all that He's said and done in our lives and marriage over the years - all here in one place.

Blogging is such a snapshot of life for us and such an honest glimpse into into our lives - and years from now I want to be able to remember it all, or at least be reminded of what life was really like.

I remember in my early days of blogging getting upset about the number of comments - or lack thereof! - and thinking what's the point? Now I know better. You write because there's something creative that has to come out of you - not because it's perfect, not because it's finished, not because of the size or participation of your audience.

I'm coming up on a birthday - 29 on Saturday! - and it's really funny to think of the ways I feel older and more grown up. There is so much more to our life in London than I've written - more to our actual lives than I've written. But surprisingly (to me perhaps more than anyone) I have gotten good at listening.

Really listening.

Not listening, anticipating what she'll say so I can have a funny or witty retort.

Listening to her heart.

Silently, uninterruptedly listening to all things said and unspoken.

I love it.

So while there will be more writing and "speaking" on here, there is a much deeper, quieter listening happening here too.

Hopefully out of this quiet, pensive, meditative space something new will burst forth. That's why I think I'm coming back.

Write on.

A Day in the Life

Today was a day just like any other - and I don't want to forget it. Some days are pretty freaking great (even in, or especially in, their simplicity).

7:22: Wake up, turn on the shower, fall back asleep until the water heats up (it takes a while)
7:45: Shower
8:15: Check the weather, get ready
8:45: Skip out the door: purse, tube pass, keys, vaseline lip balm, hair tie, iPhone, headphones.
8:48: Walk through the door of my favorite local coffee shop. The 4'10" man behind the counter knows me by name and begins making my regular order. I am not lying when I say it is hands-down the best cup of coffee I've ever had. I will most certainly miss it. No one has ever worn a smile larger than Jum's - he is the smiliest Cambodian you'll ever meet and he makes me smile, too, as we make small talk waiting on the coffee. I ask about his wife who sometimes works with him in the shop; he asks about Grant and school. I grab my order (which I get half price because I'm a local) and head out the door cherishing that first sip of the world's greatest coffee.
8:50: Start an Andy Stanley podcast - awesome start to the day.
8:55: Scan my student pass Oyster Card through the gate at the Underground and wait on a train

9:00: Catch a southbound train and hop on the tube - I get a seat if I'm lucky... That's a very big if.

{Before the Jubilee empties}

{After the jubliee empties}

9:22: Emerge two stops later, cross the street toward the church building that is now a night club; walk the block to my building
9:30: Begin my work placement, which I absolutely love. Seriously. Very few people love what they do as much as I love working in a publishing house.
5:30: Bounce out the door of Hodder and Stoughton, iPhone bumping again
5:59: Get off the tube, stop by local grocery store to pick up a few things (either Waitrose or Sainsbury's). Call ahead and order a calzone from our favorite little Italian place, Oregano's.
6:17: Stop in as they pull my calzone out of the brick oven on a wooden plank. They also know me and Grant by name.

6:29: Fish for my keys - the pink Master's key chain that Rick and Janice gave me before we left "so you'll have a little piece of home over there;" I use it every single day and cherish that feeling of home. Time my entrance with the motion-activated-and-timed light on the stoop. Push the door open so that it automatically hits the overhead-light switch just inside the outer door. Yell hello to our neighbor, Genti. Let myself into our flat, throw everything down and de-layer at the door - hat, scarf, coat, purse, bags, shoes. Deep breath. I'm home.

These are the little conveniences - knowing just how long it'll talk in between things, weaving my day together perfectly because I now feel like a local, taking advantage of getting discounts and being a regular {insert: "Where everybody knows your name" here}. Seriously, though, it makes a difference. And on simple, uncomplicated days when this little routine works like a charm, life seems almost easy. And I don't want to forget what days like these are really like.

A Day in the Life by The Beatles

Paul McCartney once said that this was the song he was most proud of, the quintessential Beatles song.

Catch Up - Almost

Hey blog world. I will catch you up soon in pictures. But for now, my family's here and we're enjoying London at Christmastime. They embrace the whole 12 Days of Christmas thing, so the holiday spirit is still going strong! And we are loving it.

I'll leave you with this: 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2012!

The Jesus Story

Kids are the best. This rendition of Jesus's birth is both hilarious and cute.



Amen.

North Point Ministries

This is the church we left in Atlanta. So proud to have been a part of it.

North Point Ministries' Be Rich. Do More. Give More Campaign.

Be Rich 2011 Celebration from North Point Media on Vimeo.

5 Minute Friday: Grateful

From The Gypsy Mama Blog
For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just writewithout worrying if it’s just right or not.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most importantly: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!

Grateful

I am grateful for many tangible things on this earth. I have the best husband in the world, the sweetest most supportive family, and the kindest and steadfast friends a girl could hope for. Hugging their necks, holding their hands, sharing life over dinner, or grabbing a coffee together—these are the real ways I can love on these tangible people.

But I am grateful for intangibles, too. I am grateful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Godhead three-in-one, and the fellowship of believers.

I am also eternally grateful for music.

Where would I be without it? Very few things can change my mood as quickly and effectively as a song. Very few things can express the thoughts or yearnings of my heart the way a song can. Words can be so limiting—but words and melody can come together to compensate for the burden I sometimes feel stirring in my soul. 

Music is my muse. Music is my inspiration. Music makes ordinary things seem extraordinary—riding to school on the tube, doing the dishes, dinner with my sweetheart. Music can represent the best and worst of things simultaneously and still be beautiful. 

Music appeals to the dancer in me—the dancer that will exist long after the days of dancing, when I am stooped and arthritic. 

Music brings color to my world when circumstance threatens to bleed it dry, leaving only shades of gray.

                                 .

Music is incredible—its depth and its intricacies—and for it, I am grateful.