traditional thanksgiving day throwdown (bottle message six)

dear my beloved one,

not only has this week been a series of bipolar events (the weather here in austin is drastic), this thanksgiving "vacation" concludes the most miles driven by audrey and me to date. but the events that did unfold within the past thirty-six hours were well worth my lack of sleep and audreys too.

first order of events: getting a new bible!!! i have been meaning to get a new study bible, mainly because mine broke (the binding) and i kinda wanted to invest in a really good study bible. and guess how the Lord provided? well i was sitting in my gma's kitchen, going over spiritual gifts (we'll talk about that later) and she just asked me if i was needing a bible. and by gollie i did!

i am very thankful for the provisions of my Father, even ones just as small as giving me a bible.

now let's talk about the traditional thanksgiving day throwdown a.k.a. the aggie vs. longhorn game. i for one am extremely torn between the tow teams. on the one hand, i have always been a longhorn fan. on the other hand, i am an aggie. so for the sake of the texas throwdown, i am an aggie (for all intensive purposes) but my heart does have a little soft spot for the longhorns too. since i live in austin and the game on thursday was in austin, that meant aggie midnight yell practice was in austin.

this was my first midnight yell ever and it was awesome! a little sticky (bipolar weather) but the aggie spirit was present and ready to beat out the longhorns!

the first order of business on thanksgiving day was a nap :) followed by a plate full of wonderfully cooked yumminess by my gma

this was the first of two thanksgiving dinners the burns family had on thanksgiving, so indulging in all the gravy and stuffing was not an option. i digress, and alas we get to the real reason for this post. you ready?

B.T.H.O. T.U.!!!!

WHHHOOOPPPP!!!!!!

my beloved, there are a few things i will have bragging rights to. and when the aggies beat the longhorns, wherever we are in life, i will always brag about the aggies. this is another fair warning into the cult-like aggie traditions you will learn to love about me. as for how much of an aggie i actually am, well that percentage is yet to be determined.

overall, this thanksgiving was a tremendous blessing, filled with new memories and a time honored battle that ended well in my favor. for the next year the aggies have bragging rights and order is restored to the hearts of aggies everywhere. side note: i recorded the aggie band perform halftime and i thought i'd leave it here for you to watch in your spare time :)

pain and other things (bottle message five)

dear my beloved one,

okay recap from the past two weeks:

girl time with miss emily caldwell:

some major pain on my ribs, with words that look similar to this:

amazing show put on by some of my talented friends at antones,

lazy sunday in bed,

whirlwind week filled with new knowledge, laughter, and heart warming times with new and old friends,

dance party,

sunday afternoon at the zilker park:

week of thanksgiving celebrations at work with some minor character roles as customers playing crazy.

over all a very good time and more good times to come. :) 

singin' in the rain (bottle message four)

dear my beloved one,

it's pterry friday!!! which means emily and i go to pterry's! whoop :) it's also a sort of dreary day today at work. looking outside a window all day is somewhat nice, but not on a friday after a thursday you've had off. but sarah is playing some jams to keep our spirits up.

yesterday was quite a day! i biked to the gym. i now have a personal trainer. and i biked to urban outfitters. you should know never to let me enter urban outfitters. its a monetary disaster. we could go broke. so i'm warning you way in advance. because i buy way to many things that are on sale. but i'm sure you'll love me for my sense of "trying" to save money.

here are a few things to look forward to:

1. awesome house accessories (note the owl)

2. a more savvy grown up wife

3. and more posts about how my personal trainer is going to kick my butt into shape.

cry baby (bottle message three)

dear my beloved one,

good morning! today is my day off due to the fact it's veteran's day and i am very grateful to my grandfather and relatives and all of those who have and who do serve in the armed forces. 

on another topic, i am a cry baby. especially at missional community. last night i explained a little bit the story behind this blog and the "gift" i recently got for you. needless to say, i was a cry baby. i didn't plan on it. i really didn't even think i would ever be that emotional. but the girls in my missional community (i really hope you get to meet them. they are amazing!) are so sweet and genuine it's hard not to be vulnerable especially when the Lord is moving in that place. 

so with this said, i am working to complete my story about the gift i am giving you. and also trying to tell my story so i can be a light and a warrior for the Lord and His purpose in my life and in the lives of others. 

i'm going to leave you with the link that emily sent us yesterday at lunch, which made me cry in the middle of work and really feel convicted about being serious about my application to the world race. 

Hole In Her Throat

what really moved me the most about this story was the girl telling it. how she feels as though she let down this little girl who had a hole in her throat. i feel that way alot. that i might just not be enough. or believe in God enough to do things in my own life or in the lives of others. but the Lord is enough. and time and time again i need to be reminded of His grace and love and power. His mighty power that can move mountains and heal the sick, that power lives inside of us, inside of me. the Holy Spirit resides in us not to be our convictions but it is the reason why we as sons and daughters of Christ can move mountains, we can heal the sick, we can feed and clothe the homeless. we may not be able to save sinners, but we are the seed. and we can water the unbelievers, give them tools to grow in the love we hold so dear to our own hearts. 

so, beloved one, i pray for you as the head of our house, to lead not with fear of what we can not do, but in the strength the Lord our Father has given us through the Holy Spirit.

do you hear what i hear? (bottle message two)

dear my beloved one,

today was a glorious day! the sun was bright, the weather was nice, and i have a surprise for you! i will write more about the story behind the surprise once it heals (hint hint) but i want you to know that today, the ninth of november, two thousand and ten, today i am yours forever. as God as my witness, i will forever love you and cherish you, whatever path the Lord wants us to go on, i will be right beside you as your loving wife.

it's beginning to look alot like christmas (treasure chest one)

dear my beloved one,

my hands are covered in glitter, as is my floor. and my room smells like christmas! you will one day know that christmas time is my favorite time of the year! not because of presents, but because of the cold weather, wintery clothes (which i have alot of), and the general cheer that surrounds everyone this time of year.

my roommate (katie) has kindly reminded me that it indeed has not yet been thanksgiving, thus i cannot put the christmas wreath i have made on the front door. see today i went to buy fabric and come out of the store with a wreath and all the trimmings instead! thus this message is entitled treasure chest because i surely could never fit a wreath into a bottle.

above is a nice before and after picture for you to see my very first homemade wreath. this is just one of many crafty things i hope to become good at. because, as you will one day know, my dream is to be a wife and a home maker. enjoy!

love from above (bottle message one)

dear my beloved one,

as you will one day find out, i love hand written notes. but for the sake of trees, trash on the shore, and storage purposes, i have created this blog for you to read one day. 

just think of each post as a hand written note, in a bottle, sent out to sea. and one day you will be able to read each of these notes and know that i have loved you since before you knew me. just as our Father knew we would be together since before we were born.

there are many things i wish to tell you, but tonight i must rest. i will leave you with a verse to remind us both the bond we have with our Father.

Hosea 2:19-20 -- "And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord."