Friday, May 28, 2010

the results are in...


Judging by that sweet face, I'd say the homemade pop tarts were a hit.

Is he not the sweetest 2 year old you've ever seen?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENTLEY!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

she's an american girl

Last night was a night of firsts for me. For the first time, on my own, I successfully made & grilled my own cheeseburgers - yum! And I also cranked out a few of these...

HOMEMADE POP TARTS! From L-R they are peanut butter banana, white chocolate raspberry, brown sugar cinnamon, apple butter with walnuts, and peanut butter banana with chocolate chips!

I am such an American. If I had sweet potatoes at my house I would have definitely slapped together some sweet potato fries to compliment my American cuisine. I love those things.

I made the pop tarts for my friend Andrea's son Bentley who turns 2 tomorrow and has already developed a pop tart addiction, I know exactly how he feels.


Wednesday, May 26, 2010

sister sister

My sister left today to serve all summer on staff at ASP's Summer Project where she will be building houses, laying shingles, and sharing the Gospel! I am SOOOO incredibly proud of her for the woman of God she has morphed into and the selfless heart she has for serving others, but I couldn't help bursting into tears when I had to say goodbye to her this morning. You see, my sister is my best friend. If someone had told me that my sister would be my best friend 10 years ago I would have laughed. The girl that spilt milk on our Playstation (there IS use crying over spilt milk), used up my favorite lipgloss, and stained my clothes would be my BEST friend? Yeah right! But its true. Through thick and thin my sister has been one constant in my life. She loves me when I'm broken, encourages me when I'm down, and lifts me up in prayer daily. She is my favorite person to shop with, a great listener, and an even better masseuse.

It seems like just yesterday we were playing Barbies in the hallway. We would spend hours setting up our Barbie homes, stretching all the way from my room, across the hallway (conveniently blocking the staircase) and well past the doorway to her room. We would just start to play when Mom would make us clean it all up! I even remember the summer before middle school when I wanted her to play with me and she wouldn't...I would always threaten her in efforts to convince her to play. It often went something like, "Well you know in the fall I'm going to be in 6th grade and I won't want to play Barbies when I'm 12." Little did she know then that I would play Barbies until oh, about 8th grade. We used to do everything together, its so weird how separate our lives are now...

We spent last night catching up (she stayed the night with me to break up her 8 hour drive out west) with Cotton Candy Shirley Temples and 48 Silly Bandz. I already miss her.


Tuesday, May 25, 2010

4 the foodies

So it was only a matter of time before I dedicated a post to the foods of Lynchburg. Keep in mind that while I have lived here I have been limited on what I can experience – I can assure you my post-grad budget mirrors my college one.

I will also admit that Lynchburg does have a wide variety for it's size, and even though it pales in comparison to my favorite city or even my hometown, I was still able to find some gems. For Lynchburg Living we recently compiled the “21 Tastes of LOCALLYNCHBURG” which showcases classic dishes around town that are popular/well-liked by the locals. I can’t recommend all of them (if the Cav has the best burger in Lynchburg then these people are seriously missing out) but here are my 5 favorites (in no particular order):

1. Warm Crab Dip from Waterstone

2. Blue Goo Ice Cream with Sprinkles from Mister Goodies

3. Sweet Potato Casserole at Neighbor's Place

4. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie and/or S'mores Ice Cream from Sundae Grill

5. Lemon Sugar Cookie from Bill's Pastry Shop

And I don’t know if this would count or not since technically it’s not a restaurant, but Wendy Coffey (of Coffey Cakes) makes some of the BEST cake I’ve ever had. She makes this almond cake with raspberry buttercream that I literally could lick the plate over. And if you are looking for cupcakes in Lynchburg the only place to go is City Place Food & Co. Any cupcake you try from anywhere else will result in a huge letdown, trust me on this one. That's all for now!

Friday, May 21, 2010

road runner

I'm signed up! Just baby steps on my way to running a half (whenever that may be). I hope those ice creams are not deceiving...part of the motivation for running this race was due to a sponsorship by Turkey Hill. Free ice cream? Please & thank you.

Monday, May 10, 2010

i love(d) college.

I can't believe it has been a year since I graduated college.

Here is a picture of us at our graduation party...
(Sarah, Allison, Brooke, me, Tim, Whitney, Kayla, Clay, Kerri, & Jen)

& here is the video we played...
(a 10-minute glimpse into what our 4 years of college looked like)












"Know what's weird? Day by day, nothing seems to change. But pretty soon, everything is different." - Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes


Sunday, May 9, 2010

be good.

Today is Mother's Day and I wish so bad that my mom were here so I could give her a big squeeze!

The best advice I've ever received came from my mom. In two simple words - "Be good." No further explanation needed. I must have heard these words a million times growing up. I know I at least heard it 5 times a week on my way out the door to school (might I preface this by saying I had a bad habit of getting into trouble at school). I just love that advice though - so simple, so straight-forward, so true. And even though my mom isn't here to remind me anymore I still think about those words often when I leave in the mornings.

I love you Mom.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

ask & you shall receive

Quick little life update for everyone...things are better! Truly! The Lord has really just worked on my heart here recently and I've learned so much in just a few days! One of the most important things I've learned is to ask God for what you need - Luke 11:9. I was just telling my friend Andrea how I could not believe how many blessings I have missed in my own life because I had been too prideful to ask for them. As soon as I finally broke down and asked God for what I needed - He did it. And almost instantly!

And you wanna know what made asking this time different? This time I actually believed He would provide. I've half heartedly asked God for things in the past (by the way God, I'm still hoping to find that retainer!) but I never believed they would truly happen. I was at a Bible study two weekends ago and we read about how Jesus would not do miracles in his home town because of their unbelief. God not only wants us to ask, but for us to believe!

This has been especially convicting when it comes to the Lily Girl's Magazine. My friend Jen reminded me recently that ministry doesn't have to be something huge or big. Ministry can be making a difference in the life of one person. I think I get so caught up in thinking of Lily Girl's Magazine as this distant vision that is on the brink of becoming something huge, something I haven't reached yet. But thats so untrue! I'm in ministry right here. Right now.

I love spending time with Jen. I love that our conversations are not self-centered, but always about what Christ is doing in our lives. I may not be able to tell you her favorite color, but I CAN tell you that her heart is for the Lord. And isn't that what's more important anyways?

I feel very blessed, in the past two weeks I have had some great godly role models placed in my life that have encouraged me and pointed me towards Christ. Even my "old" friends have showered me with blessings from surprise visits, to dinners, long walks, and even encouraging e-mails. Thank you.

"I thank my God every time I remember you." - Philippians 1:3 (NIV)