Happy Monday, friends! I’m mere minutes away from starting another week of work here, but thought that I’d write a few words as I sit here, peppermint mocha in hand. My mocha is shockingly a venti today – even though I usually try and limit myself to grande, Katie talked me into it(and by talked me into it, I mean she just mentioned it and I crumbled immediately and said yes). I am going to be sad when I move…I love all my Starbucks people and will miss them! Jake, Kelli and Katie were there today, and although I can’t say I know any of them super well(save Jake since he comes to Bethel now and again!), they are simply lovely people and my random interactions with them brighten my sleepy mornings. Alas, I’ll just have to come back and visit this Starbucks from time to time and visit. And oh yes, I’m weird. Again – when I write early in the morning like this, I tend to be a bit less…focused…in my writings. Also – the moon tonight shone brilliantly. Yesterday was the full moon I think, so this morning the light of the moon simply filled the sky with its grandeur. And thinking of the One who placed the moon in the sky – His lovingkindness endures forever!! Now, I’m off – have a wonderful Monday, my friends – may the joy of the Lord be your strength(per Nehemiah…as I read today…the law was being read to all the people and it was stunning to see the people’s response. Grieving and weeping as they heard the words of God. A very natural response, I feel. Yet Nehemiah and the priests told them – do not weep. The joy of the Lord is your strength!! Thus should we remember. Yes, at times as we ponder and think on God’s commands and His words and how we fail so utterly to keep them, our heart breaks and our tears do flow. But ultimately, even through our tears, we rejoice. Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou my God shouldst die for me!?!)
Tag: coffeeshop
Rupp
Happy Saturday, friends!! Quick dash of an entry here. I’m at Starbucks – shock! – and about to leave to go to Jared’s place for some college football watching action! (Even though it’s to watch Texas A&M and Tennessee…neither of whom I have any sort of fond feeling for. But – shall be worth it to hang out with Jared!) Anyway, this is really just that mandatory kind of Saturday post. I’m drinking my mocha and enjoying the feeling that comes with having had a productive morning. Five mile run first thing this morning and then I got to go home and shower and drink a nice cup of tea with a luxurious long reading time…bliss. Tonight, going to Abby and Claire’s to celebrate Earnie and Mandy’s engagement. SO EXCITED.
Now, my friends, seeing as my fingers have decided they really would rather be lazy this early afternoon and not write much of anything…I shall sign off. Peace and love – be full of the joy that comes with knowing and being known by our most glorious God.
Bohemia
Happy Sunday, dear friends!! I really need to get some work done this afternoon(and by work, I mean prep for community group on Tuesday night. Ecclesiastes chapter 3…some great words contained therein!). But firstly, as I begin sipping on my peppermint mocha frap(yes, it is one of those very rare occasions I’m actually getting a chilled drink…since summer is stubbornly continuing to exert its influence upon us and it is far too hot outside to even consider drinking a hot drink. And I have to say…a drink made of milk, peppermint syrup, chocolate and espresso is a pretty fine lunch. Just saying), thought I’d write something quickly. This morning, got some quality worship time in. And because the word quality does not quite convey the meaning I wish it to…I suppose I will just say that I was able to stand in church with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and lift my voice in purest song to the God of the universe as I thought on the mercies and lovingkindnesses and grandeur and sovereign power and most perfect wisdom of our God. It was a humbling and most awesome morning – to worship the living God.
And now, while I need to write my study notes(fueled by this beautiful caffeine contained in my mocha!)…I’ll tarry yet a little longer. Yesterday was also a wonderful day, even though I did burn myself out rather too quickly!! I meant to wake up early for a run, but sadly that waking up early part was a distinct failure. Once I did manage to drag my lazy self out of bed though, I went to Buffalo Grille and met Earnie for breakfast!! So a few cups of coffee and a fine egg and hash-browns and beans breakfast later…we had enjoyed a most fine catch up. We hadn’t talked properly since well before my Scotland trip!! It was so good to talk to him…such a dear friend and brother to me. Following that, did a few random errands before making my way down to Sugar Land to meet Lea for lunch! We hadn’t had a proper in person chat in quite some time…and as I knew it would, a most enlivening and encouraging conversation over lunch was had!! Lea…another dear friend – and sister!! Again…I am far too blessed to have such good friends that my God has given me.
Now – I’m going to end this entry and buckle down and actually study for my community group upcoming time. Have a most joyous afternoon, my friends!!!
Peace and love.
A Most Profound Loss of Place
Hello friends!! It’s Saturday morning here at Starbucks and I’m just about to leave…I actually am forced to leave, because I need to go pick up my car from its annual inspection. Here’s to hoping it passed! (It better have…) Anyway, this Saturday is set to be a very productive one(I hope), since I plan on doing a bunch of cleaning at my place and following that…some solid writing time just needs to happen. I’ve been meaning to write something substantial for some time now, and I swear, I shall force myself to do so. Since Starbucks writing clearly isn’t working, going to just ensconce myself in my living room at home and hope my couch isn’t too comfortable to keep me from writing something properly beautiful. We shall see – I must at least experiment and get myself out of this extremely bad habit of not writing! (Oh and as always…if any of you have some writing ideas/prompts you would like to share, I would be ever so grateful. Truly) Now, I must fly. Peace my friends – have a most glorious Saturday!!!
A Hint of Cinnamon
Hello friends!! It’s a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon here in Houston – I currently sit in Starbucks, as is my custom many a Saturday. I have been doing random things of an internet nature and have spent far too much time on crafting my next two mix CDs. One is a standard indie/alt/folk mix…still doesn’t quite flow right, but it’s getting there. Lots of Oh Hellos, Josh Garrels and Beach House!! The second CD is a dance mix…something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but just haven’t got around to it. I’m not quite sure who else will like it besides me, but it’s coming together nicely. David Guetta, deadmau5, Laura Izibor…it’s a very interesting and peppy mix thus far!
Anyways, I’m also looking at random flights to Aberdeen…I really don’t know if I should travel there, but I miss people and I’m very tempted and the prices are actually decently reasonable. So we’ll see. Would flying out there in September be too rash of a decision?? Don’t answer that.
I’m also feeling rather tired and sick lately(not fun)…not sure if it’s allergy related or just some other random sickness, but I’m just extremely low on energy lately. Hence today, after having breakfast with Brandon and Chase, came back to my place and almost fell asleep again on my couch!! Well, today’s going to be a quiet day, so hopefully I regain some of my energy. Have leftover lasagna in the fridge…thinking I’ll have that with a fresh tomato salad for dinner. If anything will cheer me up, that’ll do it!
Now I really wanted to write something creative and inspiring today, but I’m really not feeling it now. Sadly. Even with multiple cups of coffee today. Alas, my muse, why do you leave me all alone??
I’m going to sign off and drink the rest of my coffee and just sit and think and pray here. Maybe I shall write something else too, maybe not. But whatever I do, thanking the Lord my God for who He is and what He has done for me – I owe all to Him. He is my Lord. He is my God!!!
Tears of Grace
Hello friends!! I write this from Starbucks this happy Saturday afternoon and while I shall not write long, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to put a few words to page. Today has been a somewhat productive day so far(got my car’s oil changed, some errands, etc!) and it will continue once I get back home – need to do some cleaning of my apartment! Fun times eh? Now though, just been reading a bit in preparation for Tuesday night’s study(“Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord.” How often do I fail at that. How much do I need to be reminded!) and also sending a few emails out. Also a very nice benefit to having internet access here…downloaded a bunch of Dominic’s sermons from SermonAudio and I shall later on burn these to CDs for commute listening. I am very pleased with my many new sermons and the much encouragement and conviction I’m sure they will provide. Again from Colossians – may the Word of Christ richly dwell within us.
Now, I’m off, mostly because I want to get home and start my chores. Also need to start dinner at some point – tonight’s a chicken parm night…just been craving that this morning, so suppose I shall make it(complete with tomato salad *of course*). I have far more I could write about, but for now, just grateful for a day of rest that my God has granted me. May I spend it pondering the goodness and glories of my God and meditating on the beauties and wonders of knowing Christ. I do not want to waste this day or this life thinking about that which does not matter. Peace and love, my friends – hope you have a beautiful day and are as encouraged as I am!
Our Love
Hello friends!! A quick post here…just making the most of the opportunity as I sit in Starbucks this relaxing Saturday evening. I really do mean to leave soon so I can go to the store and then go home and make some delicious tomato sauce! Thinking tonight sounds like a night for homemade sauce complete with Italian sausages, peppers and onions(and plenteous spices). Y’know. Delicious? Yes. I’m also thinking I might put on some Ben Hur for cooking accompaniment, but we shall see.
Anyways! Today has been a delightful Saturday, especially after a long and crazy week. This morning after a sweet reading and coffee time, went over to help Chase and Sarah move!! We had a good group of guys as manual labor(Jared! Peter! Donnie!) So the move was efficient and relatively pain free! Afterwards, came back and…well, I really meant to come here to Starbucks right away(needed to catch up on bill-paying, work emails…such fun!), but it’s so gorgeous outside, I couldn’t help myself. Ended up outside by the pool with my book(Lord of Chaos, book six of Wheel of Time!) enjoying the radiant sun and picturesque blue sky. God is good to me. Truly.
And now it’s going on six o’clock, so I really should be off. Store to grab the necessary supplies, then dinner-making time.
Peace, my friends. Peace and love.
Agora
Happy Saturday y’all!! I’m sitting here in Agora coffeehouse in Houston enjoying a beautiful day…and I really have been trying to write something semi-creative, but alas – my muse has fled me(at least for the time being). Anyways, I’ve successfully gotten some other tasks done and so I thought I’d write a quick post here. I woke up a bit later than normal today, but I have a good reason for that…yesterday didn’t get to bed until past one o’clock! That was totally my fault though. Got home about midnight, and then instead of smartly going to bed, I read for an hour. Ah well. My book(current one – Worthing Saga by O.S. Card. Classic) was worth it and I still got enough sleep. Oh and I forgot to explain why I was up so late last night! Me and Daniel went to the movies – met up with a bunch of other people(Matias, Jonathan, et. al…) and then had a time of awesomeness watching Furious 7.
So – I must confess – I’ve never seen any of the previous “Fast and Furious” movies, so I’m a novice to this world, as it were. And it didn’t matter. I much enjoyed!! Was the movie moderately ridiculous, full of physically impossible and logistically ridiculous stunts? Yes. A thousand times yes. Was the movie exhilarating and awesome and just really super fun? A million times yes. Watch the trailer and you’ll get a sense of how ridiculous(ly awesome) this movie is. The characters were all well played, by actors that seem to have a lot of fun just hanging out together. The movie was very well shot, in that all the action and stunt scenes, I could actually follow every bit of it, never being confused by what was on screen. Classic lines of dialogue and great combat scenes and…a lot of heart. That was what maybe surprised me the most. One of the main actors(Paul Walker) died last year in an unrelated car accident, and so this movie is is his final film. And truly, it was a tribute to him in a lot of ways. Movingly so. I actually got close to tears at the end, as they had a scene with Walker’s character and family playing on the beach as the rest of the cast looked on. It was beautiful. So as much as this movie was full of fast cars and big muscles and sweet hand-to-hand combat…it was really a movie about family. And that your truest friends are truly family. And you can’t ever let that go. Good film.
And after – we all just hang out for a while outside the cinema and acted goofy and chatted and enjoyed the beauty of the night. (Actually…there were a ridiculous amount of people there, so it wasn’t that quiet or beautiful. So. Many. People. All there to see F7 too, apparently!!) Eventually it started raining so me and Daniel headed home. But that’s why I didn’t get home ’til midnight. I say it’s a good reason. Don’t dispute me on that.
Now Hotel California is playing in here…it’s really hard not to sing along. Really hard. I have to say, this place is awesome. This has to be the first ever coffeeshop I’ve been in…with a jukebox!! I’m now going to attempt to write a little more…if no piece of poetry shows up here later, you’ll know my muse is indeed hiding well. Peace y’all, have a day of awesomeness.
Spaced
Happy Saturday, yo! I’m sitting in Beans with John, having enjoyed a very proper morning here. Drank a mocha…and maybe an extra shot of espresso too. Don’t judge. I’ve read a bit but really spent most of my time doing some quality Christmas shopping(i.e., browsing Amazon and placing several different orders…so now, Christmas presents…sorted! Mostly. Still debating on a couple more possible presents for Maryanne and Laura…) John joined me about an hour or so ago, and we’ve had some sweet times chilling here(i.e., looking at our separate computer screens and speaking to each other every once in a while). I’ve wanted to do some writing, but sadly, I think my writing here will have to suffice for today. At least this morning. It’s now past noon and I should probably do my errands and head back home eventually. Anyways, I wanted to write because I felt I’ve been pretty absent lately. This past week has been another hectic work week, but joyous moments have been liberally sprinkled throughout, so I cannot complain. Never ever. Lots of quality time spent with Daniel either having deep talks about life or being silly watching the best shows ever(the ARROW or the FLASH…I am being totally serious as to their being the best shows ever. Maybe with a very slight tinge of sarcasm. Y’know)…lots of moments at work realising that despite the stress and the weariness, God has used me to encourage and help people as I work…moments hanging out with friends and watching silly movies(like the terribly silly and romantic yet wondrous About Time at Erica/Emily/Michelle/Meagan’s place or last night watching Star Trek Into Darkness with John and Daniel as we heartily enjoyed watching Kirk being awesome and Spock beat up on Khan…)…and really, this whole week…just relishing the goodness and love and wonder of being a child of God. Each and every moment I am alive, I exist to bring glory to the Most High God. This brings joy to my heart and a song to my lips. And now, I must let my espresso-fueled fingers rest, as I fear this paragraph is terribly unwieldy. Yet, I feel oh so blessed. And I long to share these moments with you all. My friends.
Peace and love.
Changes Pt. 2
Happy Saturday!!
Shan’t write too much today but I do have a few minutes…and I noticed it had been quite a while since I last posted. The last time, I was in Amsterdam, posting in the middle of my grand Hungary/Scotland tour! Now, I sit here at Beans, just having enjoyed my delicious mocha while getting some work done(end of the month fun times, yo!)…and soon enough, I need to get going, since today is officially moving day!! I’m leaving my nice little flat on Augusta…and moving in with the guys! Daniel and John and Chase will be my roommates and it will be awesome. Sort of weird, since I haven’t had this many roommates since college days. Also, I still miss John…but what can I say – things never stay the same. And changes are good.
Anyways, enough musing – I’m off. Pardon the brief post, friends! As always, peace and love.
(And a rare edit – this is post number 600. Whoa)
Something Weird 