See Something More

"Your dress is ready!" said a high-pitched voice when I listened to my messages. So I excitedly went to David's Bridal and picked up my beautiful blue bridesmaid dress and pearl necklace. Jessica is going to be a beautiful bride, and I am honored to be a part of her special day in September.  Just a few days later, Jennifer, another friend of mine from out-of-town called me and we caught up on life. I talked mainly about my job and new church home, and she talked mainly about her upcoming wedding and all her exciting plans. She asked me if I would consider being one of her bridesmaids, and I was once again highly honored to be a part of another wedding for a beautiful bride.  That same day, I happily placed my order for a light-blue, flowered dress that my sweet friend, Anna, picked out for her bridesmaids. Those dresses will be perfect for her  river-front wedding in August, but we won't be nearly as stunningly beautiful as she will be when she says "I do"

To some people, this might seem to be an unusual way to spend a Saturday night. But my heart was beating a million miles an hour with excitement because there was nothing else I would rather do more. As I watched all the people around this circle in which I sat, I saw some sitting and some standing, some talking quietly and others laughing loudly. All seemed quite comfortable and at home. I hated to break up the conversation, but I started strumming my guitar in order to bring everyone in. To some people, this might seem to be an unusual way to spend a Saturday night, but to us, it was perfectly normal. "This reminds me a little bit of Africa," I said. Of course it was a lot cooler, a lot less dusty. We had fluorescent lights instead of the blaring sun and carpet instead of red dirt, but it was the hearts that were the same. We all wanted to worship. "When I went to Africa this summer," I explained, "it was a mission trip unlike any other I have ever be

"What should I write about?" I asked myself as I tied my shoes for a stroll outside. Spring is in the air, and I thought a little walk might help clear my head. Sometimes, when I sit down to blog, I know exactly what I am going to write about. Other times, like today, I procrastinate, hoping that something will spontaneously happen and inspire me to write. But nothing was coming to me today. In fact, I kept getting distracted by the wind. I made sure no cars were passing by and then I stretched out my arms high and wide, trying to catch the wind like the wings of a plane. I wish I had a kite, I thought to myself, and then pictured myself letting the string all the out before the wind blew the kite right off the string and it floated away to space. I loved the wind today. I found it magical and enticing, welcoming and exhilarating even. I love it because you cannot see where it comes from or where it is going, yet it is a powerful and moving force. Instantly, I was re

I slipped on my new dress and checked my hair in the mirror one last time before grabbing my keys and heading to the car. I was tempted to text my mom and say, "Guess who has a hot date for valentine's day tonight?", but I decided that might get her unnecessarily excited. The truth is, I did have a date, just not the typical type. Instead of moping around on "singles awareness day", me and a fellow single friend of mine had a girls' night out.                                 We dressed up and went to a lantern festival - complete with live music, entertainment, food, light displays, and campfires. It was quite romantic for some, but for us it was just plain fun. We didn't have to worry about impressing any boys, so I played in the campfire and sang along to the Jamaican band while Melanie ate chicken legs like a boss.                                 We celebrated our friendship, and we celebrated love - God's love as a banner over us as single women.

For two weeks, the nations of the world gather in one place and engage in friendly competition. Flags fly high and people become unusually proud of their heritage and history. Some people have trained for years just for these moments. Other people spend thousands of dollars and travel thousands of miles just to stand on the sidelines. Others move their family dinners into the living room and turn on the television every evening just to watch the representatives of the places we call home. Individual athletes' stories are told and their victories and losses shared by all their viewers. I love the Olympics.  Tonight during the men's figure skating, I saw a special feature on one of the competitors - the Russian favorite. They said he's a hero in Russia. As they showed him walking into the Olympic arena, he looked too preoccupied to even smile and wave at the cameras. He was in the zone. In an interview later, he commented, "I'm just focused on myself right now. I apo

You might say I didn't quite know what I was getting into. And that's probably true. Late one evening, when I was feeling adventurous and slightly spontaneous, I signed up for the Little Rock half marathon. Originally, I thought it would just be something to check off my bucket list. Little did I realize what a commitment and challenge it was going to be.  I started the same way any rooky would. Naturally, I googled "how to train for a half marathon", and I quickly learned that you don't just wake up one day and run thirteen miles. Training programs begin two to four months in advance. At the beginning of December when I registered, that put me at beginning my training...um, that same week. So I got up and ran four miles, and thought I was going to die. I guess you could say that I simply did not know what I was getting into. In just a few short weeks after that initial run, I ran six miles, which was the furthest I have ever run in my entire life wi

I will never forget the first time I put on my pair of glasses when I was in the first grade. "Mom, I can see all the leaves on the trees!" I exclaimed. The slow process of nearsightedness "blinded" me, in a sense, to my own impairment. As much as I love my glasses and contact lenses, my vision is still impaired. To this day, I sometimes forget how bad my nearsightedness is until I take off my glasses or contact lenses. I can't recognize people across the room, and I can't even read a book in front of me on my lap. This got me thinking, what I really need is a laser surgery! That would correct the inner problem - the real problem - not just temporarily fix my nearsightedness with a set of lenses that can put on or taken off or put in and taken out. Because in reality, even with my lenses and glasses on, I am still nearsighted. But with a laser surgery, my eyes could be corrected and made whole again. How cool would it be to have a new pair of eyes that can