Because I'm taking forever

You still get little tidbits of that Psalm 119 goodness ;)

Oh, to have this kind of reverence for the Word and longing for the Lord. Let me tell you, my discontented heart couldn't have heard something more sobering than these few verses at such a needed time.

"Your laws are wonderful.
      No wonder I obey them!
The teaching of your word gives light,
      so even the simple can understand.
I pant with expectation,
      longing for your commands.
Come and show me your mercy,
      as you do for all who love your name.
Guide my steps by your word,
      so I will not be overcome by evil.
Ransom me from the oppression of evil people;
      then I can obey your commandments.
Look upon me with love;
      teach me your decrees.
Rivers of tears gush from my eyes
      because people disobey your instructions."
Psalm 119: 129-136


Happy Friday!

Oh yes... This is marvelous.

I plan to make every single kind of muffin in here...even the gross-sounding ones. I'm not much for New Year's resolutions, but I'll go ahead and call dibs on that one. Truly an inspiring resolution, I know.

Did I mention I also got a cupcake kit? Well, I did (thanks to a giftcard I didn't know what to do with). Let the baking begin!

I dig it

Seriously awesome. The camera is not moving at all in this video. Whoa.

Thank you, Coldplay.

Last First Day of School

I began my last semester at UNM today and am on track to graduate in May! Fingers crossed, though, because this semester is going to be a doozie. I've decided to take on a hefty work load with my classes but I think it's going to be one of my favorite semesters. All my classes look like they're going to be pretty good. Very little mind-numbing busy work, hallelujah!

Although, it was only the first day back I am finding my self drifting toward exhaustion already. Not a good sign, but probably well worth it since I was able to go to a good friend's CD release show last night, Abraham the Poor. You can check out his music here. Another friend opened for him, his music project is called Lowercase Noises, and you can check out his stuff here. That's right, people, shameless plugs for my friends. I stand by my choices... but seriously, check it out. It's good stuff, let me tell ya!

Tortilla Soup

Super fast and super tasty, let me tell ya!

Ingredients:

2 cups tomato sauce/paste

1 cup salsa

1 can (12oz) chicken broth

1 1/2 cups black beans

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 tsp. minced garlic
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast

Mix first 6 ingredients together and bring to boil, then lower heat and add chicken allowing to simmer for 10-15 minutes and voila!
Topped with a little cheddar cheese and served with tortilla chips it's ready to go!

Chicago

Happy New Year!

The last 4ish days were spent traveling and walking and talking and laughing and then walking some more. 6 of us Namibia travelers from the summer (and one who is living in Chicago) were able to get together for few days in Chicago to catch up and hang out. It was fantastic!

We spent a ton of time walking in downtown Chicago, and since one of the group lives in Chicago we had a perfect tour guide! I've got to say, even though it was FREEZING while we were there it was a blast! I'd never been to Chicago and being able to see some of it was so fun. The never-really-been-to-a-big-city girl in me came out. I've spent a little time in Denver, LA, Portland, and few other places but not a lot of time in downtown areas with so many skyscrapers. I couldn't have looked more like a tourist, BUT I did get a few goodish pictures!

We walked through Millennium park, where I must say I would love to see a concert, and that lead us to the much talked about "Bean" (I confess, I'd never heard of it before).

 Here it is, the much anticipated "Bean"

So great to see them again and be able to, in a sense, pick up where we'd left off almost immediately. Aside from filling each other in on all that is happening in our lives, it was like we'd spent a week apart rather than 5 months. We talked about our lives, relationships, the things the Lord is teaching/doing, plans for the next summer and coming years, and a good portion of time reminiscing about Namibia. I know I've mentioned it before in my earlier Namibia posts just how much community the Lord blessed our team with while we were there, and it was still as strong while we were in Chicago. Our only complaint was that the whole team couldn't have been there.