there are so many good things going on in life right now, but i am having trouble finding inspiration to write!

This is my favorite song right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3CqR_m6NO0&feature=related

Valentines Day

I have never big a big fan of V-day...Not because I am a lonely single who hates to be single, but because I find it a day hard to make truly special when such force and pressure is behind it. Who loves a day filled with expectations and force? Not me.

Tomorrow, a big group of us are getting together. Mostly singles, one married, one dating (husband and bf are out of town), and just a big group of funny and kind people.

I think that tomorrow, might just be my favorite Valentines Day yet!

Presently My Favorite Quote:

Have faith. Breakdowns can create breakthroughs. Things falls apart, so that things can fall together. -Dan Zadra

Walla Walla Comes To Spokane!

To all you Walla Walla people...Thanks for brightening up Spokane this weekend. It was a TRUE blessing to have you here!

Connections

My favorite word right now is connections.

I really love people. I love the people who surround me every week, the people that let me see how real people are and how connected we can be.

When I was on vacation last week my family and I were SO connected. My sisters and I got a long so well. We shared secrets...Ah, I love secrets!

When we were growing up we never wanted to tell each other anything. We kept things from each other. Sometimes just because we could. Sometimes because we didn't want mom or dad finding out. And sometimes just to hold it over each other's heads that we knew something they didn't. Haha...

I've realized secrets are a big deal. They bring people together. Secrets are connections.

My sisters have all shared things with me that have ended with, "You are the only one I have told this to..."

I love that saying...It's like hearing, "I trust you more than anyone else, and right now I know that what I say is going to be so real, sometimes good sometimes bad, but real. And I know that whatever I tell you, you will treasure, you will listen, and that is all I need right now."

BOOM! Connected.

My best friend came back from a month in Peru on Monday. We have been inseparable all week. I just have so much fun with Annalise. She is so honest and down to earth. Everyone loves her. I could not be so thankful for such a strong connection with a friend.

Kara is in France. We write and skype often. Even though she is SO far away, I feel more connected to her than those I see everyday. God has given me a friend that I am so thankful for.

When I feel a new connection between a person and me, for whatever reason, it just feels like God has placed that person in my life for that exact moment.

These connections fill my moments with living.

Last year when I went to Mexico I met a girl named Selah. We became friends through the fact that we both went to India for mission work at some point in our lives. It was a good connection. Rare, but good. It's nice to know that somewhere in this world there is someone else you can relate to, even if it is just an interesting character you meet in a spa on vacation. I found comfort in the fact that Selah had seen the people I saw, loved the people I loved, and experienced the culture I chose to embrace.

I just got back from Mexico a couple days ago and my family and Selah's family have actually become quite good friends. Our moms are very much alike and our families just mix so well. Selah and her family talked about India and we compared and shared our experiences. She told me about the first time her group got into a taxi, and how the two taxi drivers split up the groups and took them to a parking lot to steal their things...It was so interesting hearing all her crazy stories...Soon I felt like Selah and I couldn't even relate in our experiences, that I once thought were so similar.

The whole time she was talking, I was thinking, "Did we REALLY go to the same place?"

I began to really reflect on my experience, and how safe and loved I was when I was there. I literally felt invincible. Kati and I were fearless, and it just felt so right to be there in living those precious moments.

That really shows me how much God was a part of that trip. I just have never thanked God for that. The safety and the love...Oh man, Selah does not even know!

How could I get so lucky in that crazy country?