the perfect gift

well, it's the day after Christmas Eve and all the chaos has died.

I got up this morning and started my Biblestudy.  It was so exciting because not only was I able to be in the Presence of God (wow...can we just pause and think about that for a second??) but I used my Christmas gift...logos which is AWESOME!  

I'm studying 2 Samuel and I had to do a word study.  Instead of hauling the HUGE Strong's concordance and hebrew lexicons and all that jazz, I simply opened up my mac (yes, mac=way better than pc) and typed in the word and *poof* the definition came up with cross references and EVERYTHING!  wow...so much fun!  The greatest thing is that I'm not at home so even if I wanted to do a word study I couldn't, cause there is no way that I'm hauling my Strong's concordance around everywhere I go.  I would have scoliosis if I did that.  This gift is so convenient! :)

In other news...I would just like to commend my parents for having the greatest stockings EVER.  First of all, my momma made them (since I was born, we have had them...talk about quality).  She cross stitched our names into them and other Christmas paraphernalia...such as a golden french horn with assorted foliage, a shepherd with his sheep...etc.  My parents also put the greatest stuff in there!  It's not like they put crazy expensive stuff in there but just the simple things that you look forward to every Christmas.  There are some staples that we always get: a mini bottle of martinelli's sparkling cider, gum, underwear, socks, a cool pen or pencil, chapstick (for John)/lip gloss (for the girls), and this year my parents put jelly bellys in our stockings!  So fun!  I would say that stockings are the favorite...but my new favorite is logos.  I am a believer:)

but the greatest thing about our stockings and logos is that it reminds me of the Perfect Gift and that is my Savior.  As great a gift as logos was, it will never top the gift that was given many years ago.  How gracious is our Heavenly Father to send part of Himself in human flesh, and to humble Himself (remember this is God we are talking about) to save us from our sins.  Wow...

christmas eve shopping extravaganza!!

this is a Merry Christmas Eve video for your entertainment from the strand family.:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IujCMHEplsA

fun with dave barnes

this will def get you in the Christmas mood:)...if you aren't already!

if you don't know who dave barnes is, then listen to his song Nothing Fancy.

snow globe

(Danielle and I being goofy at Buffalo Wild Wings...mmm...love those honey bbq cheap wing nights)

It is freezing here!  On the way to church we saw one of those signs at a bank that said it was 13 degrees!  It's still snowing pretty hard.  We saw Dr. Tackett at church this last morning that we will attend village 7.  Well, it was my last sunday there but at least Danielle will get to stay because she is moving here!  We went and saw her cute little townhouse that she and Ashlie and Amanda are going to live in for the next year.  It is so perfect.  God has totally blessed them in finding their cute place for them.

(roommate pic during our 'spirit week': Roommate Matching Day)

(pic on an axis trip.  these are my beautiful friends Brenda and Waverly)

I have no homework to do, so I finally get to update this thing:)  We are cleaning our apartment all day today so that we are ready for check out in the morning!  So crazy...I can't believe that we are already done with the semester!  

(here is a pic of my quest team.  We did group projects together and random activities all throughout the semester.  I think we were the one quest team that bonded the most.  We even did extra fun get togethers and game nights!  I LOVE quest team 8!!)

ok, so graduation is quickly approaching.  My parents are coming Monday and we will be flying out Wed afternoon to the good ol' central valley where there is no snow.  Then I will have the longest last semester of my life probably...although I am looking forward to an easier work load.  What am I doing with my life after that you say??  Well...there are a couple options.  I will be getting a job.  Hopefully substitute teaching...I know right???  Who would have thunk that I would be in school for the rest of my life?  I really would love to teach Bible.  Whether that is to a home school class or at a Christian school, it doesn't matter that much.  I just want to teach people how to study the Word.  I may be going to seminary if I the Lord calls me to teach at the college level.  We will see!!  It's such an adventure being a child of God:)  

(here is a pic of the beautiful girls in my small group.  Callie, Andrea, and Rachel.  We were in a hospitality group with two of the secretaries from the Focus Institute.  They were WONDERFUL a we had an entire Saturday of baking Christmas goodies!:)

Friday we had a time of sharing with our group about what the Lord has taught us all.  The biggest thing I learned this semester is how to serve God in the ways that He has gifted me.  Since the Lord took soccer away from me, I have been learning what other gift

s the Lord has given me.  It has been such a hard journey because I had placed my entire identity in soccer.  This semester I took way more personality tests than I've ever wanted to take in my lifetime!  My favorite was a strengths finder test that helped identify your top strengths in order to help your weaknesses.  I loved it because most personality tests can be really self centered...but this one helped you understand your weaknesses and helped you appreciate other people's gifts that I did not possess.  We talked about our strengths in class and then our professor had us work and identify how we worked in groups throughout the semester.  I learned that it was a good thing that I am competitive (which has had such a negative connotation to it).:)  I've learned that one of my strengths is communication which has helped confirm that the Lord has gifted me to teach in some sort of capacity.

It has been a freeing semester to understand how God has created me in order to make His name known.  It is really exciting!  I am sad to leave this community where we have eaten, slept, learned, studied, laughed, cried, played, and experienced life together with, but it makes me desire to go back home and find my own community and live the way Jesus desires us to.  I'm excited to go home and be in the world, (and by God's grace) showing Christ to everyone I come into contact with.  

(Fun in Fresno with some CBU friends: Ethan, Rissa, and Bryce)

The Lord has been so faithful and he continues to be my solid rock on which I stand.  He has never failed me and never would.  This semester He has blessed me in so many different ways, when I'm not even expecting it.  Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the blessings He has brought into my life.

(Bryce and I hiking with friends)

He is so good!