Be Utterly Amazed

My calendar's picture for August is a close-up of a blue dragonfly - a gorgeous shot of the colors of nature and the intricacies and details of God's creation. The picture includes a verse that reads:

"Look... and be utterly amazed." (Habakkuk 1:5)

What God does is amazing. His peace, His provision, His power - I am indeed utterly amazed.

Today I start classes as a senior in college. Just yesterday morning I was scared and nervous (and I'm not even a freshman!) of all that I had to get done and sad for the wonderful summer I was leaving behind. But as I write this, I feel so much better. Seeing some of my caring teachers again; realizing that I had plenty of time to buy textbooks, check-in and what-not; meeting up with old friends and meeting new ones - what was I worried about?

I know the days ahead won't always be easy. But I am so blessed, most of all in the knowing that God never leaves me and watches over my "going out" and my "coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore" (Psalm 121:8).

When my mom was here in Oregon with me for a couple of days before saying "good-bye," we went to Silver Falls State Park. If this place sounds familiar to you, it might be because I posted about it for a "Sunday by the Sea" post last year! In that post I talked about perspectives.

Perspective is so important, and something I still have so much to learn about. But looking back on some of the pictures I took of the falls this time, I am reminded again of how beautiful perspective can be:

To look ahead to the hope we have...

To look into the blessings we have been given...

To look above to the sovereignty of God...

To look back on the grace and love shown to us.

We are so blessed, are we not? So feel free to "look... and be utterly amazed."

(Want some help looking ahead to the hope we have? MaryLu Tyndall posted about hope this past Monday HERE!)

A New Beginning

This week is my first week back at school. It is a new semester, with new classes and a new schedule. A new beginning.

So the next few days will be a bit busy for me as I get caught up and settle into a new routine. I probably won't be posting as much for a little while as I adjust, and I probably won't be getting around to the "Sightseeing by the Seasons" giveaway this week. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I do appreciate your patience!

I'll still be around off and on, with book and movie reviews and such, and eventually I hope to find a good schedule for blog posting, as well. I'm trying to make some new author contacts for the "Mondays for the Military" feature, and plans for a progressive Valentine's Day blog party are in full swing! Until then, enjoy these pictures from the Murder Mystery Party my mom and I hosted over Christmas break:

This Murder Mystery Party kit was called "Honky Tonk Homicide." We had quite a few interesting suspects, including a T.V. evangelist (that's my honorary godmother in a wig!) and "his" wife (one of my friends). (And in case you were worried, that's just Root Beer!)

This is me and my mom. I was Sheriff Sissy Wesson, and my mom was the host of Karaoke night.

This is the whole gang (minus my godmother). The dummy on the chair (between the girls in the dresses) was the murdered man, and since he was supposed to have been killed in his office, we set him up in our downstairs office. The murdered man's name was Bubba, and the funny thing is that the dummy's name was Bubba long before we ever got this game!

As I'm sure you can tell, we had a great time! I always love hosting these parties, and my mom was so sweet about helping me bring it all together and even joining in and playing a man's role. ;)

Now, the question is: Who dunnit? Guess which person (in any of these three pictures) was the murderer, and if you guess correctly, I'll put your name into a drawing for a book! I'm not sure yet which one, but you can be certain it will be Christian fiction. I do realize that you don't know any of these person's motives, means, or opportunities, but this is just for fun, so go ahead and guess! (You must have a Canadian or U.S. mailing address in order to win.)

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Back to School

I had to say another goodbye today. My mom left this morning, and it was so hard to see her go. But she let me know that she made it home safely, and I've had a fun time today with my sweet friends. In fact, I just got back not too long ago from watching a movie with some of them! =)

This evening's dinner was my first meal back in the cafeteria (which boasts a new frozen yogurt machine!), and tomorrow is my first day of classes. For those of you who are interested, these are the classes I'm going to tomorrow:

• Christian Theology I
• Literary Criticism
• Life Science
• Poetry Writing

Should be interesting! ;)

Overall, this transition has been much easier in some ways than last year. This year I didn't have to go to orientation. This year (because I sent in some paperwork early) I got to do "express" check-in. And this year I had the added bonus of being familiar with the dorm, having friends on campus, and knowing the routine.

But the transition seemed harder in other ways. My family and I had such an amazing summer together--four wonderful months. Going away to college is no longer a novelty. And I miss my family and my home so very much.

I know what I really need, though. I've been so caught up in myself, in all that's going on in my life. And I've neglected truly spending time with God. It's amazing how much of a difference it makes in each day--each moment--when we focus on God rather ourselves.

I am so glad that God never leaves us and never stops loving us! I love knowing that no matter where I go, God will be right there beside me. Through His grace, through Jesus, I can be close to Him, no longer separated because of my sin. And the comfort of His eternal Presence is a tremendous, undeserved blessing I all too often take for granted.

I've neglected what my heart really needs, what I long for. I want--need--to spend time with the Lord of my life, my closest Friend and my caring heavenly Father. Oh, may we draw ever closer to Him and seek Him every day of our lives!

My Mom and Me

Today was a long day! Saying goodbyes this morning (and last night) was really hard. I love my family so much, and I'm going to miss them terribly while I'm away at school once again! But we'll keep in touch, and I have some wonderful memories that I made this summer which I can hold close in my heart.

Anyway, my mom drove me up to Oregon, and we had lots of fun together! We ate lunch at Hellgate in Grants Pass, at the River Rock Cafe, which we love. The decorations in there are so lovely, and after lunch we enjoyed a short walk near the river.

The drive was bittersweet, consisting of mother-daughter talks and listening to music for the most part. We arrived in Salem by early evening, and after checking into our hotel, we drove over to Corban University. My sweet roomie was not there at the time, but my mom and I were so proud that we were able to set up my half of the room already! ;) Now, tomorrow can be reserved for shopping together and having girl-time! (Again, hope I don't get too carried away, but it is nice to have new clothes and such!)

We ended up eating a late dinner at Olive Garden, which was great! These pictures are from there, and doesn't the food look good? My mom and I split a dish of Chicken Scampi for dinner and a slice of Black Tie Mousse Cake for dessert.

Well, now that you've heard all about my day, I hope you're not too bored! ;) May this post remind you of the delightful blessing of family--how grand it is to just spend time together and to know that loved ones are there for you to support you and help you--whether they are blood-relations or close friends that are just like family! I'm so blessed to have a dear "family" of blogging friends with all of you!