23…

1. cookie monster cookie cake

2. amazing gifts from friends :)

3. hour nap/read-a-thon

4. pieces of said cookie monster cookie cake

5. hours with a handsome little guy

6. fantastic roommates

7. laugh out loud moments watching Tangled.

8. awe inspiring dances at the dance concert

9. chapters of a book for class read

10. (million) Face*book wishes

11. sentences written for a paper

12. good pictures taken out of 200

13. th day of March

14. years since 4th grade

15. wobblers enjoying popsicles

16. days of remembering

17. uterus headed pregnant women :)

18. years since kindergarten

19. job applications

20. apartment hunting websites

21. baby kisses

22. happy moments

23. more to come until 46!

 

Surrender

A wise woman posted these words on her blog:

 

 

"What we are called to give up in Lent is control itself.  Deliberate efforts to impose discipline on our lives often serve only to lead us further away from the freedom that Jesus attained through surrender to the Spirit, and promised to give.  "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17)"

"Perhaps this word "surrender" should be enough for my prayer.  Not the surrender of submission to an enemy, but the opposite, the laying down of resistance to the One who loves me infinitely more than I can guess, the One who is more on my side than I am myself."

If you are reading this and are plagued by guilt and plagued by the fear of coming to God, release it.  God does not shame. God does not guilt us into truth.  God embraces us into freedom.  Be free and know you are loved.”

 

How blessed we are for a lent season and for the wisdom that others are willing to share.

One…

Happy Birthday

To You

Happy Birthday

To You

Happy Birthday

Dear

Isabella Esperanza Maria

Happy Birthday

To You

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” ~Jeremiah 29:11

So this one time in February ….

I kind of wrote a Novel!

Noveling

It is novel writing month for my novel class 50,000 words in 28 days! Yikes! So far so good with lots of encouragement and chocolate! 8272 words in 4 days!

JJ Heller kind of month

Stream of Conscious

God is moving… do you feel Him?

Classes are going ok

I am terrified and excited to be in my final semester of school

I am blessed to have such an amazing group of friends and a tight support system

I am filled and empty

surrounded and alone

broken and beautiful

awake and asleep

grace like rain falls down on me

Daily i am blessed…

Daily I cry

but it is well with my soul

whatever happens in the next few months

my Abba Father has it covered

He always has :)

the rough road be made smooth

Hills & Valleys from blaine hogan on Vimeo.

2011

Because I am terrible at resolutions I thought I would spread them out over the year…

January

• Begin the semester well
• begin habit of working out
• grow savings
• focus
• begin habit of spending 15-30 min in prayer room daily
• begin search to connect to a local Holland church

February

• Write a novel
• Read every verse that mentions “love” in the Bible
• work on loving deeply
• attend job fair

March

• Turn 23 and go to “On the Border” Restaurant to remember the beauty of friendship
• Celebrate and remember Guatemala
• read about serving in bible
• Go Up North for break

April

• have an idea for a job after graduation
• stay connected to friends
• have baby blanket finished

May

• Graduate
• have a place to live and be good with whatever and wherever it is
• Read about God as provider

June

• work hard and cheerfully at whatever job I have
• Begin saving to take in foster baby
• Begin Doula training

 

I think 6 months is enough for me for now… I am working on living in the moment and not worrying about the future too much… I don’t know where or what I will be doing after graduation, but I have figured out that as long as I remember that I am loved, valuable, worthy and created in the image of God I will have shalom.

2010

 

Adios to a year of… 

Exploring new places (Guatemala)

 

Adventures

 

Joy

 

Miracles

 

Friendship

Creativity

 

Love and painful loss

 

Fun

 

Pets old (RIP Peaches) and New

 

Gifts

  Learning and focus for the future