Yellow Watches and Missions

This week is the 83rd Missions Conference at Biola. 

As lovely as it is to be without classes for the next three days, 

I feel even more blessed that I am in a place that 

seeks to focus our attention 

where God is focused.

The band United Pursuit is leading worship. 

This is my favorite song by them:

They played it this afternoon. 

So good. 

I love the image of climbing a mountain with hands wide open. 

I'm trying to learn what it means to open my hands more.

They pack a lot into this conference so I am trying to be intentional 

about making space to process what I am learning. 

When I am immersed in deepening my love and understanding of God, 

sometimes I forget that I am human,

that I have to stop

every now and then

to process. 

I love that God designed me to need space to 

process. 

The words intentional and process are two of my favorite words.

They're right up there with encouragement and joy.

I LOVE words. 

I love words that really really matter and make a difference. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night as I was falling asleep, I had a hankering for a creative idea. 

{Pre-sleep time is usually my most brilliant}

[Backstory] 

So I worked up at Hume Lake Christian Camps this summer. 

Besides being an incredible experience for my heart and soul and mind, 

I developed the habit of wearing a watch. 

There is no cell phone service up there and so 

watching it up

was the only way to get anywhere on time. 

After the summer ended, I kept the habit alive. 

I bought the CUTEST watch from Target. 

But then the band started to fall apart as I wore it ever so faithfully. 

[Flash-forward. ]

Last night, I decided to bring it back to life. 

I cut the watch head part 

{ummm anyone know the anatomy of watches?}

and then took a piece of yellow stringyish from

my favorite belt. 

And this is what happened

I'm pretty excited about it, 

as can be seen by my very expressive hand. 

I love yellow things. 

I love watches. 

I love Missions Conferences. 

I love Jesus. 

Because he first loved me. 

P.s. Do yourself a BIG favor and watch this,

she is one of my favorite people ever. 

I can't wait to hang out with her in heaven. 

{happy ears lead to a happy hearted Maddy}

Friendventures

What a week of friendventures!

On Wednesday I was blessed to spend the evening with my

dear friend Cari. 

We worked together up at Hume over the summer.

I started calling her "Cari-Lari"...

but now I mostly just call her Lari. 

{Isn't she lovely?}

She has such a sweet and beautiful and ever so spunky heart. 

She is such a ginormous blessing to me as she sits and listens and asks questions

 as I warble on about my life. 

We wandered to Starbucks and across my campus, exchanging words.

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing all about the big transitions in her life. 

She is definitely an example of strength and consistency in 

the face of change,

revealing such a heart of obedience to the Lord's direction for her life. 

She also hand-made this for me:

and I am thoroughly obsessed with it. 

It is a case for my laptop, hand sewn.

It's thick and cuddly and protective and I very nearly slept with it the first night. 

I am so thankful that my computer is going to be cozy and safe

for his daily nap times.

Oh Lari, what a lovely lady!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday was a day for another friendventure! 

The day started and ended with my sweet friend/coworker, Rebecca.

We had been planning a day for thrifting for weeks and this was the day. 

We only hit up two stores, but our time was well spent and produced good results. 

I picked up some epic items that I am stoked to wear.

{I love clothes that require a process to obtain!}

Then, we ventured to Carl's Jr for lunch. 

Rebecca had never.been.to.one.

In my family, this is a very big deal.

I told the cashier that it was her first time and the sweet lady

FLIPPED out.

She was really excited for Rebecca.

I had a good chuckle over that.

Rebecca was clearly WAY stoked too. 

{She was quite delighted by her lunch, lemmetellya.}

We polished off our lunch with the new yummy dessert at Carls.

It's the oreo cookie ice cream sandwich!

{I have consumed a copious amount of these sweet treats in the last week, it's bad.}

What a phenomenal sweet invention.

Just like friendship is a phenomenal sweet invention.

{Good one, God}

Simple Pleasures of a Summer Day

1. restful night of sleep ((into the midmorning:))

2. lunch with my mommy-moo

3. said lunch taking place at Deli News

(if I could live in a restaurant it would be there...or Mimi's Cafe because it's kinda already a house)

4. puppy kisses

5. fierce ping pong competition

6. packing for Hume this summer

6 1/2. being reminded of how BLESSED 

I am because I have so much stuff!

7. A Fine Frenzy.

 And Adele. 

And The Swell Season. 

And She & Him

8. Q-tips

9. pra(y)sing for people

10. excited to spend the evening celebrating my
amazing wonderful incredible
DAD

11. feeling all around stoked to spend my summer making coffee up at Hume Lake

and being able to encourage and bless people's bodies

 (with my gift of caffeine) 

and hearts 

(with the love that Jesus puts inside of my own)

!!!!

((delightfully content))