unexpected

this piece is going to be a bit abstract. bear with me.

kinda of funny since I had a conversation with a close friend about that. how she can read my blog and know what i'm talking about even though i'm not directly addressing something or seem to not say much at all. cracks me up but its a good feeling to know i'm loved and known that well.

so plans changed...story of my life! i tend not to stress about these things because more than too often they tend to lead to some pretty incredible adventures. not to mention that this happens often. you think you're doing one thing to be thrown into a reverse direction. flexibility...its the running theme of the summer.

meeting with friends (new and old) has been such a huge blessing in my life. i've laughed so much over the course of this summer and have had so many great adventures...from the fiasco hotel in florence to change of plans on a boardwalk. its been neat to see God making connections to lessons from several months ago with revelation in recent weeks. its like the light bulb goes off and i say to myself...oh so now i get it. ok so i dont feel like the brightest cookie in the box about then...but sometimes it takes things a little while to soak in or to realize.

its like a john piper sermon...you hear it and now he's delivering an incredible message but sometimes it takes some life experiences to really know the application of his words. its only after time has passed and you've walked through whatever you needed to that you finally say...man, i get what he was saying.

that's been my whole summer. its a relief cause i felt like i had been wandering this barren desert with no relief in site. i mean i knew that was a lie about the "relief in site" part. but i thought when is this season gonna be over cause its not very comfortable. and just when i thought it was never going to end..poof...the new season was upon me.

and it had arrived prior to my realization. that's how i began my trip to italy/greece...walking into this new time in my life. it was kinda confusing kinda confounding...but i stayed the course to trust what i know best and that is that God is always with us, never leaves us, and always works things out for our good even when it may not seem so. (trust me on that one).

so yeah....all of the time i've spent with some of my fav people in the last few weeks has been just...beyond words. i cant even begin to describe what fellowship can do for the soul. hence all the crying, laughter, and potential peeing in my pants-ness...probably not something you want to know but hey...i also almost spewed drink out all over my friend. luckily i caught myself and its happened on more than one occassion. (aye!)

right down to time with bert, jenn, joey, and dawn. its been amazing to see so many old friends and to watch their families grow...or to see how they've changed for the better. like my bro Bert...who never stops making fun of me. love that kid...and still prayin for his son, Aaron, who's recovering from surgery. he has some of the strongest faith of people i know...and yet like the bro he is to me...he can still make wise cracks at my expense...glad i know that he loves me in Jesus otherwise...lol

i was glad Joey and Dawn joined us! super huge blessing and man...they crack me up (well Joey for sure). it was good to reminisce and laugh and joke...and yes lunch was good too. my girls breakfast rawked too. i mean nelda and kristy...that's all i gotta say! BRam thanks for the pizza! as always it was enlightening...there are a few other's i did not get to see...i'm sad but if i receive the news i'm hoping for in the next few days then that could quickly be alieviated. we will see...

just when i think things cant get any crazier...life changes things up. dont worry, its all good stuff just unexpected. but i'm looking forward to take some risks and delving into new stuff. in alot of ways i feel like im returning to my old self but in a newer light. life takes you through some interesting roads but all for the better.