oh march, you're such a treat

march is definitely one, if not the one, of my favorite months of the year.

1) march madness: it's not a secret that basketball is my favorite sport so it's obvious that once the calendar rolls in month 3 i get super excited. i can absolutely sit and watch any game even if the tide or tigers aren't playing. yes, i was bummed that the tide got left out of the big dance but my excitement over the program coach grant's building is definitely overshadowing my disappointment. i fill out a bracket(or 2) every year but this year i was very hesitant due to no one team or teams really dominating/standing out. i did cave and filled 2 out & much to my dismay they are both in the bottom of the pool. oh well, i'm still enjoying all the madness.

i found this article/dear abby letter yesterday to which i said to myself that this girl could be my friend. check her out: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/relationships/blog/

2) spring: i'm a fan of experiencing all the seasons but spring a fall provide us great visibility of God's creation & His creating more than just humans the ability to change & transform. the beauty of new life that comes with springtime is such a delight and a gentle reminder of the new life provided in the Easter season that just so happens to occur in spring. (yes, i give the allergies that came w/ the new blooms a pass despite the itchy eyes) daylight savings is rather nice despite having to "lose" an hour of sleep. there's just something refreshing to leaving work at 5pm & still seeing the sun. plus, springtime brings the start of farmer's markets! my last one: warmer temps in spring mean not having to wear 8 layers of clothes when running outside.

3) birthdays: i'm not gonna lie, i totally enjoy celebrating birthdays so the fact that mine & my brothers fall in this month is no mistake. this year, outside of the 2 different nights of celebrating w/ my sweet friends, my parents came down & we enjoyed a beautiful day in birmingham followed by a night in tuscaloosa watching alabama hoops play in the nit. and then to my brother's treat the tide played again on his birthday as well.

4) 31 days: we get 31 days of enjoying madness & beautiful spring time blooming & weather. who wouldn't want that?!!

terrible blogger

i must apologize on my lack of posts especially since the calendar has turned to 2011. i promise i'm not as boring as my lack of boring exhibits...i've just done a fantastic job of neglecting.

braving a northeast winter

well, i survived my little trek to new england during the middle of winter...not only did i survive but i totally enjoyed my experience and time w/ the holloways. i enjoyed seeing beautiful snow covered cities (including the big apple) from 30,000 ft before landing in snowy hartford. not since my one trip to colorado in the winter of '99 have i ever seen so much snow at one time. but the large amount of snow did not prevent us from exploring connecticut as if a gilmore, western mass and boston. i'll let the pictures tell the story of all i saw...

whether in small town connecticut, the town that inspired stars hollow home of the gilmore girls
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or big city boston, such a beautiful city while covered in snow






or pretending like i'm shopping for an ivy league college, harvard or yale, yale or harvard?!!

unfailing Soveriegnty

the past few months i've been learning and challenged with God's Sovereignty as a whole, not just in the big events and changes in my life or the world but every single activity, event, thought, etc that occurs 24/7 and then my responsibility and need to wholeheartedly trust in Him because of His Sovereignty...i don't have a lot of time to expand on this thought(i'll save it for another post) but i read this devotional this morning that absolutely touches on this subject and wanted to share:

God’s Sovereign Hand

The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.
—Isaiah 50:4 niv

God is sovereign, and he has a sovereign design for each of our lives. But knowing, believing, and having faith in God’s sovereign design does not necessarily mean we like the design. We may actually hate the design.

Do we dare tell God we aren’t crazy about his plan? Of course. He already knows our feelings anyway. He knew what we would be feeling long before we had the experience that produced those feelings. He knows the beginning from the end, including our emotions. So go ahead and boldly tell him what he already knows. And don’t worry, he will receive your emotions.

How do I know? The Bible tells me he knows that humans “are as frail as breath” (Isaiah 2:22). It also tells me, “All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 36:7).

A part of experiencing his shelter is trusting the one who provides that shelter. We can settle into the comfort of that sheltering promise. We can trust him and have faith in his character of love that a higher good is in the making and that one day, we will look back and say, “Ah, yes . . . God’s hand was in that.”

—Marilyn Meberg (God at Your Wits’ End)

coming soon: braving a northeast winter

in the morning, i'm heading on a little vacation to visit my friend jennifer & her husband andrew...in western massachusetts. while most folks vacation to warmer places in the middle of winter, i'm being daring and braving the weather to go visit the northeast (plus, southwest suckered me into an incredible deal for this time of year...i guess they know the northeast in the middle of winter isn't everyone's ideal vacation destination)

don't worry, i've got plenty of warm clothes and yes, i'm actually going to remember my camera and to seriously use it so be on the lookout for a post detailing my winter adventures.