Turns out there are 31 days in August.

Not sure why I thought today would be SEPTEMBER 1st, but apparently I missed that kindergarden lesson where we memorized the number of days in each month.

(That's the entire reason for my blog title... no, I'm not kidding )

So tomorrow is SEPTEMBER and I'm going to do something different and intentional this month with my blog/life.

This idea was inspired by my annoyance with the generally whiney sounding tone in many of my recent *all of the last year's* entries.

In other words... I'd like to get refocused.

So my goal for SEPTEMBER is relatively simple: attempt to focus on the Lord throughout the month and see what I notice.

(Why do I have to "see what I notice"? Because if I'm not looking for what I notice than I won't bother to look at all).

I know what you are thinking... this focusing on God bit isn't a brand new concept for a Christian life.

Yes, you'd be correct.

However I tend to get distracted from this habit far FAR too easily. Which, let's be honest, is no real surprise because I get distracted from just about everything far too .... oh, wow!!, cool bird outside....

.....

ha.

On a more sincere note, with all the changes this past year I think I've become far too focused on the circumstances of life--potentially so much that my basic peace in the Lord can be absent in my heart.

Don't get me wrong, I think that lots of changes and challenges over the past year is bound to rock and test my sense of peace in the Lord--I am after all a fallen person.

The thing is, I don't mind rocking and testing of faith (how else does is grow??), I do mind when I feel as though my mind and heart are so focused on the circumstances, (past, present, and future), that I miss out on enjoying simply being God's.

The odd thing I have also noticed is that a distraction really can be ANYTHING going on around me or in my life, that can dominate my perspective.

Duh, right?

But what I'm saying is that even the exciting, new, and fun things in my life can also hold my attention to a degree that they shouldn't.

Frankly, God never tells us to focus on what's going on around us. He says focus on Him.

In my daily thoughts I tend to always thinking about how things were, what's going on, or what's next.

This quality has always irritated me because it's sort of exhausting.

But today I was thinking about it (proving my point...), and I realized that perhaps God can use the way I think and work to bless me with His presence.

What I have is a busy mind. A mind that frequently makes me feel overwhelmed by too much going on at once, problems that arise, or feelings I have. Because when you have a busy mind, it's like it doesn't stop. It's as though I have a hunger for more thought than I really need to have, so I look to whatever I can to keep myself occupied.

Sounds silly, I realize.

But I think... just maybe, if I can direct my attention on the Lord throughout my day this quality may not kick my butt all the time.

If I can focus on Him and therein see and think in the context of my fellowship with God, this quality may be something He can use for His glory rather than a burden that keeps me consistently moving, rarely content, and eventually overwhelmed by something-or-other.

So that's my theory.

Being that I am so easily distracted, I think this will take some conscious effort to seek Him throughout the day, as well as His help to do so.

I'm going to use what I know about myself to help motivate me in this goal. It's nothing earth shattering, just an attempt to seek God despite the ability to wander so easily.

If this entry bores you, don't bother reading the rest of SEPTEMBER. :)

Ugh...

The title pretty much sums up my thoughts about this week.

Saturday I turned my ankle playing tennis. Which is fascinating considering that I played sports and have run for YEARS and never had this happen.

I know what you are thinking... I must be the worst injured person of all time--given my hatred of all things related to being still and inactivity.

You would be wrong. I have loved it.

Okay... not really.

Yes, I am the worst injured person of all time.

Not to mention, I came down with a stupid cold/flu virus on Monday. Which I should have seen coming given that the kids I nanny and their parents all had it the week before. Somehow I didn't though.

Okay if you are male stop reading...

To top it all off, I also started my period this week. Twisted ankle + cold/flu virus + period starting... = kill me now (as well as a LOT of ibuprofen and water) . Talk about a long ass week.

I called my mom for sympathy and she replied "aww sweetie, just think of it as God cramming misery into one week instead of spreading it out to several weeks." (Yes, she thinks she is funny...).

In conclusion: I promise to never complain about anything again on a day when I feel healthy and can be physically active. Never.

:)

It's Richard's birthday weekend so I'm praying to be better by tomorrow!!! He has been so sweet in taking care of me all week long.... so REALLY hoping I didn't get him sick too : /

I'm accidentally morphing into a cleaning lady

I have been nannying all year long (or all life long depending on how you look at it...).

Although not my dream job, overall it's provided some income and not made me go crazy (well that's mostly true).

Back last December, when I realized I actually needed to make more than what I did for four hours of nannying each day, I offered to put in some hours cleaning the house of this family I work for. A brilliant offer and I'm extremely thankful they chose to take me up on it.

As time has gone by the kids have grown up some (crazy how that happens...), and have become fairly self-sufficient in the pre-school hours of the day. Great for the family and the kids, not so great for my pay check.

(Okay, I really am glad for the kids to have time just with their parents each morning!!)

Point being, starting two weeks ago my hours got cut down from 4-4.5 to 2.5-3.

This is not enough. Clearly.

So in light of this switch I began praying for some more work.

Sure enough God has provided two other people who have asked me to clean on a weekly basis. A TRUE blessing, for sure.

I realized however, that I officially clean as much or more than I nanny these days. Which to be honest, I really like! When I clean I can just put on my headphones and do my own thing... no kids, no meals, no questions, no homework, no fights, no arguments... just me and a simple task. (No wonder my mom liked when we went to school...).

Oh and it gets better.

Turns out I really do LOVE moving all day long (shocking, I know). My teachers used to complain to my parents about this--apparently it is true. I find it much more enjoyable to move around then to sit at a desk. MUCH MUCH more.

So this is my update: I'm accidentally morphing into a cleaning lady... and I think I'm okay with that ; )

Call me odd or lacking in ambition--but I got to listen to music all day while I moved around in paradise... pretty sure that's awesome:)

A Year Ago Today....

... I had NO idea what I was getting into.

The good.

The bad.

The ugly.

.... No idea.

A year ago today I moved to Hawaii, very in love and very excited to begin my island life.

And well, it's been a long ass year, but hands down one of the best.

I am thankful to live in Hawaii and seem to only like it more and more the longer I am here. It has stretched me, tested my faith, frustrated the crap out of me, made me feel more insecure and uncomfortable than ever before.... but also surprised me, humbled me, and taught me so much about God and life.

I am so thankful for this year. So thankful to have had the opportunity to live here at all.

I have certainly fallen even more in love with Richard since my arrival. All our adventures, talks, dinners, and so much more... He is a good man and a man I greatly respect. He has taken better care of me in our dating relationship than I think many woman ever experience in their lives. And I feel very blessed to love him:) (oh and he is really hot... :).

But, even more than that, I have fallen more in love with God than anything. Because as good as Richard is at providing, comforting, and protecting me, he couldn't and can't do it all the time (no person can). Not he, nor anyone else could do it as much as I needed, especially through transitioning.

But God could, did, and does.

... That's what I learned. And I would say learning that was worth the move in-and-of-itself .

So yeah, live a year in Hawaii..... check!

Cool Apartment

I was blessed to live with my good friend Brittany during my last two years of college. 

I really enjoy her company and was therefore thrilled to get to see her along my travels to weddings this month. She is such a joy--so easy going, so kind, and so freaking fun to be around. 

As I've mentioned before, I don't always bond with girls. Frankly, I think most take a lot of work (I'm sure I'm one of those ; )... So I really appreciate that my friend really is SO easy to be with. I feel blessed to know her.  In our time hanging out, I was quickly reminded of how much joy I get from her personality and sense-of-humor. 

On a completely unrelated note (well still Britt-related)... her apartment is AMAZING! She lives in South Carolina in this sweet apartment that has like a rustic old factory look... but really modern and very cool. She did a great job decorating it and I absolutely loved every part!! 

I Have The Same Issues Today As I Did In Kindergarden.

Crap.

It's official... I have come to realize that the same struggles I had when I entered kindergarden are still present in my life today.

Talk about a lack of progression.

I used to and still do....

- Loose things ALL the time; used to be my barbies, now its my keys (today, yes just today I have lost them) and my phone.

- Get myself into problems due to my lack of auditory processing; used to be my mom telling me to go do something and walking to my room having absolutely NO clue what she said... now it's asking directions to the same place a million times and calling people by the wrong names.

- Miss my mom; I used to miss her while I was at school, now I miss her across the ocean.

- Require color-coordinated clothes. (really no differentiation from before till now...)

- Tease people far too much. In kindergarden I made a boy cry by telling him he was using the wrong adjective to describe the weather that day (apparently relentlessly with the goal of making him cry...). Now I just overuse sarcasm. (In my defense... I think in a sarcastic tone and only say about a fifth of what I'm actually thinking... some might call that self-control (I would not though) :).

- Am oversensitive.

- Need more rest than I take... (aka right now... two weddings in a row, traveling back to hawaii, catching up with much missed handsome boyfriend, going back to work, and life not seeming to slow any time soon... = I am exhausted. :).

In conclusion... ha, oh well.... Who wants to change that much from childhood anyway?? Those are the good years right??

:)

A Quick Update...

Spent last weekend attending my friend Laura's wedding.

It was b-e-a-u-t-f-u-l.

Her venue was super cool--kinda artsy/fun/trendyish... (cool, I'll work on more accurate adjectives one of these days:). Think fun lights, cool walls, picture booth corner, fun cupcakes, popular dance floor, bridesmaids in a variety of colors that all went together great, groom in bright-colored toms, and sooooo on.

It was lots of fun to meet up with old friends, meet some new ones, have a little time with the bride and her groom, and just get a glimpse of her life the past two years.

(When you go a year or so without seeing close friends you'll be amazed how much they change and grow and become even more who they are)

I loved seeing her new apartment which she so sweetly decorated from the awesome shower curtain to the fun furniture. I loved getting to ride in the car with her groom Elliot and observe how well he cares for her and how very much in love the two of them are:).

What a gift!! Just to see places and meet people who all make up her life.. and what a blessing to have the joy of being a part of it all.

Congrats to Laura and Elliot!! Your wedding was so fun and you both made it all look practically effortless along the way.

Although I could have stayed with all my college buddies much longer than I was able to, I'm thankful to have had a few moments here-and-there to learn more about their lives and see how much they all have continued to become wonderful people.

Walking through the city...

Lingerie party... not sure what those faces were for:)

Cute crafty gifts!!

Catching up on life:) 

My two favorite new wedding buddies... at the photo booth:)

Lots of hugs:)

That was Laura's wedding:) 

.... Now I'm in Charleston preparing for Sarah's big day. Loved just getting to her house Saturday night:) Trying not to be her little shadow all week but it's pretty hard!! Sure do love her company:)