Ah! I have so, so many things that I'm loving about my new home, from my new roommates, to the house I'm living in, to the city of DC, and to the town of Alexandria. This place is everything that I want! I'm not really sure where to begin, so for the moment I will just share this place that I visited tonight with one of my roommates, Kristy. http://www.stelmoscoffeepub.com/index.php So far it's one of my favorite things, and if you actually check out the website, you can see why. It's quaint, adorable, fun, creative, diverse in different ways…and it's a fun, neighborhood coffee shop! Every Thursday night there's this little "big band" style group of guys that play, from 7-10pm. They're stinkin' adorable! And there's a bunch of older people that are there to hear them…Kristy and I were definitely the youngest ones there in that half of the shop. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it here! Friends, come visit! You'll love it too:)
Author: rubyred110
Throw it Off
The "runner" that I am (insert chuckle), or at least the runner that I will be someday, wants to run a 5K this fall. I've gotten my brothers and sisters-in-law to agree to do it with me. So I've been trying to find a great location, between Philly and DC, on the right weekend. My mom had made the comment that it would start getting cold, and we should do it early. It makes sense, but I told her that runners do this all the time in chillier weather! We aren't real runners quite yet, but we can try to dress like them! I've known lots of runners and read a ton on running. Runners wear layers.
My friend, Suzanne, ran the Broad Street 10 Mile a couple of months back, and told me about this cool set up that they have. You can start in the morning with many layers, and then as you need to take them off, you drop them on the ground, to be picked up later as clothes for the homeless. I like that idea! Of course in the end you may have to wear a shower curtain, because you're just down to one layer of clothing (a shower curtain-that's what Suzanne's mom brought to wrap around her at the end of the race), but you do what you need to do to stay warm at that point…
This morning I woke up at 4:44am. To a handful of you, you understand the significance of that.
*Without going to much detail, a good friend of mine from Detroit, Alex, started waking up at 4:44am during a season of prayer and fasting in January. He shared the "this-in-not-coincidental" story of repeatedly waking up at this time to pray for different people/situations/etc. Then it has happened with a number of other people in our lives who have woken up at that exact time…so funny. One friend, Leah, was lead to Ezekial 44:4, which would actually make sense. (She did this after looking up Ezekial 4:44, which doesn't exist:) This whole waking up thing has happened to me a couple of times. When it has happened, my realization of the presence of God has become so much more real to me.*
I'm a skeptic though. I remember the first time it happened, I awakened with a desire to pray, but hadn't looked at the time. I'd said to myself, "Hah! I bet it's 4:44!" Then I kept my eyes shut until I couldn't take it anymore, and it was 4:45. Unreal. That's what happened again this morning, only for some reason I was even more skeptical and almost fell back asleep…then I looked at the clock….4:48. What do you do when you realize that God is waking you up? Well, I mean, you get up of course…but what does that mean for you? to you?
In those 4 minutes, between the time that I woke up and the time that I looked at the clock, I had this urge to throw off the covers. I wasn't too warm or anything, but I literally, with my legs, just threw off the covers. And at 4:48, when I looked at the clock, so many thoughts flooded my head, and one of them was this. It was a connection to me literally throwing off my covers, and for about 15 minutes I couldn't put the covers back on.
…let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…
What is it that I need to throw off? What is hindering me? I find it so inspiring that the author of Hebrews uses this metaphor of running a race, and throwing off the things that hinder us in running the race well. Physically, spiritually, emotionally…there are things that I wear or carry that keep me from running my race well. I could list several of them here! God woke me up this morning to speak to me about this-really, to remind me of this-it was very humbling. I'm so grateful that despite His BIGNESS, he spares a moment to wake me up and remind me that he is very aware of me.
Who Am I to be Brilliant?
Inspired by this thought today.
Who Am I To Be Brilliant?
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
~ Marianne Williamson
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
~ Marianne Williamson
For a lot of us, we tend to feel inadequate, and rightfully so! I mean…compared to an Almighty God, we are inadequate. But there's this verse in the Bible that we often forget about…here, in verse 13. Everything I need to do, I can do with Christ. Because I was made in God's image, I myself, am not the brilliant one (insert chuckle), but God is brilliant through me. Now, when I am acting/thinking/speaking not-so-brilliantly…well, that's the human side of me. Pride hinders us in this very moment to think about how brilliant we actually can be at times, but again…it's what Christ does through us that is this thing called 'brilliant'. Every good thing from God-whether you believe in Him or not. :)
Today I want to, as she said, "manifest the glory of God that is within [me]". Worship Him. Adore Him. Thank Him. Trust Him. Think about Him. Recognize Him. Smile.
If I Were a Twitterer
So I don't have anything against Twittering, but I'm not so sure that anyone would really care what I was doing ALL day long…
Yesterday as I was driving, I thought to myself, "If I were a Twitterer, I would Twitter this…", and I decided to make a list so you can pretend like you were getting updates all throughout the last couple of days.
- left the Braue house. it was a tough goodbye.
- said goodbye to a good friend for the 3rd time @ target today.
- stuck in construction traffic on southfield freeway; trying to get to pittsburgh!
- arrived at andrea and jason's house. can't wait to hang out with them.
- got a funky, tart-tasting frozen yogurt with andrea and jason. unique and tasty.
- jason made me a cool coffee drink with coffee and sweetened condensed milk.
- enjoyed breakfast with andrea and jason, then said goodbye!
- lots of construction on the route to dc.
- listening to crazy love-the audiobook…wrecklessly awesome book!
- lots of traffic just outside of dc-hope i make my 3:15 appointment!
- definitely not going to make my appt…not cool.
- just got denied my appt…i was 45 minutes late, after all! rescheduled for tomorrow morning.
- crap! just got a $100 parking ticket for parking at a meter on a street where apparently you can't park during rush hour. awesome. better yet-the tow truck was pulling up behind my car just as i walked over to it…
- met a couple of girls that i might get to live with. they're really cool.
- left to get a philly chicken cheesesteak (yum!); drove all around alexandria to check it out
- the girls i just met offered me a couch to sleep on tonight so i can go to my rescheduled appt in the morning! so grateful:)
- watching dancing with the stars for the first time ever. enjoyable!
- eating organic ice cream. very rich taste!
Two More Wake-Ups
My friend and former coworker, Dana, taught me about "wake-ups". As teachers, we like to count
down to the free days of summer just as much as the kiddos! So she taught me to count down with "wake-ups". Starting about 20 school days out, I start posting on the board, "20 more wake-ups!"…then "19 more wake ups!"…and so on.
This morning I woke up with more intense bittersweet emotions…only "2 more wake-ups here in Michigan".
For starters, today was my last Sunday at Church of the King. This made me sad, but I was deeply excited that I was going to be engulfed in a kids' gathering this morning, with worship lead by P 8:2 (Psalms 8.2) an inspiring group of kids that lead with JT. Then JT was preaching, and I hadn't heard her preach in years…so this was a definitely going to be a highlight of the day! (She did an INCREDIBLE job, by the way…and as a side note, her and her husband, Eddie, are THE BEST kids' pastors a parent could ask for, and I've already decided that when I have kids we will have to be at whatever church the Galindo's are at, because I want my kids to learn from them.:)
And as I've reflected on my last couple of weeks spent here, I am glad to have been able to spend as much time with people as I have. I got to go across the state to see my favorite Gocke's, Smiths, my very first teaching friend (Dana, from above….we're like Teaching Comrades for Life!), and the Waterman's-where I got to meet their new baby girl! Then there were so many other fun breakfasts, lunches, dinners, a Cedar Point road trip, coffee dates, get-togethers…I am selfish at any moment to think that for one second I am not valued by people.
Here I am, going into my last two "wake-ups"…tomorrow I will say "goodbye" to a few more friends, have lunch with a Grandma who inspires me EVERY time…the next morning say a few more "goodbye's", but then a couple more "hello's" to friends in Pittsburgh! Again, it's the bittersweet of it all. I am SO EXCITED to see Emily, Jason and Andrea in my travels! Then, it will be wonderful to meet two girls who are looking for a third roommate in Alexandria, Virginia (really hoping this works out!) on Wednesday, after which I will drive up to Roslyn, Pennsylvania and kiss my parents goodnight! The next day I will drive to see my sister-in-law, play with my nephew, Ryder, and scratch Ross' back.
All in all, at the end of this week, my life will have officially changed completely. My address will no longer end in a "48…" zip code, and there will be no more "mile roads" to help me figure out where I am:) No one will know how to spell "Hamtramck" where I'm going, nor will they even care to. I will not readily find a "coney island" on every other block, or "Michigan lefts", or hear about all the construction on I-75-heading towards the tunnel. There will be no more trips to Meijer, Canada, or "up North", and most will have never even heard of Frankenmuth, Traverse City, or even Mackinac. No one will even care that the Lions really stink, or that the Red Wings had a great run this year, or how the Tigers are doing, or what the Pistons will look like next season. (Well….who can REALLY neglect some of the great Detroit sports teams? Perhaps that's an exaggeration :0P) I highly doubt many will care about whether you're an MSU fan, vs. a UofM fan in D.C. 🙂
I will miss the familiarity that life has brought to me on a silver platter these past 7 years. I'm at home right now…in someone else's house, even! BUT I am on the edge of my seat, anticipating this new chapter in my life. I almost think it's a whole new book, and not just a new chapter, but at some point I'm sure there will be a great connection. I'm kind of done crying, and telling everyone about my story…I'm ready to live it. I'm actually ready to move! Imagine that. I'm not saying that I won't shed tears once I'm gone (or even pulling out of the driveway), but I am saying that my time here is done. And while that is hard to accept in moments of weakness, God makes my heart just a little bit stronger.
Oh, this adventure is just beginning…in just two more wake-ups! 🙂
My Job for the Summer
Typically you'll find me doing a mixture of things during the summertime months, since school's officially out. I will take some time to spend with people-do coffee, lunch, that sort of thing. I'll take some extra time to read, to catch up with folks on Facebook, relax…the usuals. But to be honest, although I would definitely not consider myself a workaholic (I'm too lazy for that!), I really do enjoy reading and learning about education/teaching, or working on a project for the school. It's something that I begrudgingly do at times, but deep down it's something that makes my heart beat fast.
This summer is a litte bit different. I am so excited to begin teaching 4th grade at Randle Highlands Elementary School, in Southeast D.C., (school starts in 2 months from tomorrow!). Because I'm excited (and because I'm such a "teacher nerd") I will delve into the DC Public Schools websites and sort through all the online calendars and materials laid out for teachers to follow. This is something that I can't wait to really dig into, but I'm forcing myself to wait.
Come July 6, I will be packing up my little blue Civic (and I mean packing it!) and I'll be heading East for good. I'm still trying to wrap my mind and my heart around leaving this home of mine. I don't even have a physical home right now, although the Braue family has done an amazing job at making their home my own this past month. But it's truly about the people you surround yourself with that make a place a home.
So when someone asked me what I was doing with my time, now that school was out, I responded that I still have a job-it's just to hang out with people! Isn't that a great job? It's surely not boring. Something new everyday…new people to spend time with…new people to love and to have a mutually blessed relationship with. I am so completely overwhelmed at the number of people God has so blatantly put into my life for this season of my 20's.
I think it's kind of ironic that I'm transitioning into an entirely new life, just before I turn decades here in a few months. At moments I am a little anxious, but I'm so excited to develop a whole new level of dependence on Jesus. As I sit and type, Jeremy Camp bellows out, "Empty me…I want more of you, Jesus!" Yes. Awesome.
The Heart
I HEART blogging, although you'd never know it these days! I HEART my family, my friends, Michigan, teaching and love. Our hearts are such strong organs, and they keep us going. When it stops, we stop. We do things to protect it from becoming diseased and to keep it from failing us. There are times that no matter what, it hurts though, both physically and spiritually. We take risks with it, and at times it becomes wounded…at no one's fault, really, except the enemy of our hearts. I see it, I experience it…I know it's true.
Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
that's where life starts.
Proverbs 4.23
I have to think that if it's where life starts, it's also where life ceases to exist. Being vigilant about protecting that wonderful part of me that is the reason behind all the relationships and missions in my life. Ugh…the thought of my heart becoming so spiritually diseased that it becomes virtually useless is a terrible, terrible idea to ponder, but ponder I must.
What makes a person go on a diet and decide to exercise? The threat of disease and death. What makes a person decide to guard over her heart in thought and action. The threat of ruthless loneliness.
Updates Galore!
- I said "Goodbye" to living with the friend that I've lived with for over 4 years a few weeks ago. She now lives in Indiana, and I am currently living with a great family from my church in the area.
- The Braue's (where I'm staying) have a gigantic dog, named Kaia-she's an Alaskan Malamute. I'm very bothered by the fact that I probably spelled that incorrectly.
- Around June 30th, I'll be driving to the Philadelphia area to stay with my parents until I move to Washington D.C., which will hopefully be around August 1st.
- Yesterday was my last day at Hanley International Academy. It was a bittersweet day. Our colors were blue and silver….and my blood will always bleed blue! I loved working there.
- I got to sleep in this morning. Oh, what a great morning it's been…made breakfast and everything!
- In August I will begin teaching 4th grade at Randle Highlands Elementary School, in Southeast D.C. I've only been able to check out the area online, and while that's helpful, I'm not sure where I'm going to live around there. I have options in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, so I need to check out what would be best for me.
- Really excited for the next season of my life…a little nervous too.
- Trying to spend my little bit of time left in Michigan wisely.
- Enjoying serving Jesus in this very different stage in life.:)
The Almost-30 Single Girl’s Nightmare
I'm really, REALLY glad that this is not how my family chooses to deal with my singleness:) I have nothing else to say on the matter.
Where’s Kim?
Let's play an afternoon game…
Can you find my lovely red locks in each of these pictures? :) I'm getting braver and braver about old pictures of myself, as I realize that I am turning 30 this year. 😉
Better yet, can you figure out which boys I had crushes on in each photo?
fun fact about the above picture…that dress is, indeed, pleather:) and i have Batman earrings on
above…5th grade, choir
above…5th grade…student council
Memoirs of a Redhead 