I think the monotonous cold of winter is finally catching up to me. It's really sad when 45 degrees makes you feel like spending the entire day outside playing games and reading books under trees. Sadly, the snow still covers the ground and what ground is not covered in snow, is covered in water and mud. What's worse, is when I came out of Tod's place tonight, snow was covering the parking lot and the cars.
I miss summer. I miss the chances I had to just drive around for hours with the windows down, discovering new places to just park my car and explore. I miss playing frisbee, sitting around outside reading terribly entertaining books, making plans and then switching them at the last minute to something less structured and more adventuresome. I miss swimming! Oh swimming. I miss the sun. I miss 60 degree days that feel rather chilly and 80 degree days that feel just right.
Spring break would be the perfect opportunity for me to catch up on some sun. To travel further south to enjoy the weather and to take a break from the crazy cold winters of Grand Valley. Florida. The Carolinas. Georgia. Oh warmth. How I long for you. You'd be so wonderful.
I hear it. Florida is calling my name. The beaches. The surf. The sun. I don't especially LIKE the ocean (the salt, the waves, the jellyfish)...but the warmth! Reading a good book under the sun! Being somewhere new and different! For a WEEK! uh. South. I long for you.
[Listening to: Without you - Mariah Carey - Music Box (03:36)]
You know, the italian word for "Bah!" is "Mah!" You would think that "Bah!" would be, for the most part, a universal term. But no, in Italian, it's "Mah!"
Step 1: Open your Winamp or other lesser MP3 player. Step 2: Put all of your music on random. Step 3: Write down the first 20 songs it plays, no matter how embarrassing.
1. Third Eye Blind - Camouflage 2. Third Day - Creed 3. Third Eye Blind - Wounded 4. Mandy Moore - Walk Me Home 5. Kutelss - Run 6. Natalie Imbruglia - Big Mistake 7. Sarah McLachlan - Witness 8. Matchbox 20 - Girl Like That 9. Third Day - The Everlasting 10. Third Day - You Are So Good To Me 11. Sarah McLachlan - Black & White 12. The Wallflowers - The Difference 13. Sarah McLachlan - I Love You 14. Relient K - Never Underestimate My Jesus 15. Third Eye Blind - The Red Summer Sun 16. Third Day - May Your Wonders Never Cease 17. The Wallflowers - Angel on my Bike 18. Evan & Jaron - Crazy For This Girl 19. Sarah McLachlan - Full of Grace 20. Howard Shore & Billy Boyd - The Steward of Gondor
So today is Monday and I must say that this week is going to be great. I am so excited about EVERYTHING! I've got a super busy day today including my first ECON exam, a STATS retake (which I actually just took and completely Aced praise God), Italiano...Business Law...and the ever fun and exciting DRAMA PRACTICE! WEEEE! It is our last practice before the big show! I am so excited! Tomorrow, Cook-DeWitt, 7:00PM BE THERE! It's going to be phenomenal! Ya know...I say that a lot! And I used to have trouble spelling it but now that I say it so much I don't!
Anyway, I think I'm mostly excited about this week because God has given me a list of things that I need to work on and get rid of in my life. The best part is that I know if I get through this week doing these things, I can do it for the rest of my life. And then, next week, God will give me more things I need to give up until I am completely dead to myself. YESSSS! Super awesome. The first thing on my list is to express my love and gratitude for others more openly. I tend to hold back a lot when it comes to expressing such powerful feelings to people. It's really strange actually because I am one of those people who just falls in love as soon as I get to know someone a little bit more. No, I don't mean romantic love. I've only got eyes for one person in that department and that will never change. But I am just now realizing that I seriously fall in love every time I make a new friend! It's so sad though because I am too scared to drop the "I love you" bomb! haha! Even when it's just someone who's a friend! I even have inhibitions about complimenting people on how great they are and what it is about them I love. I think it's mostly the world's view about these expressions that freaks me out. I mean, if I were to sit down with someone, especially a boy, and tell them how much I love them and what it is about them that is so great, other people would find out about it and then they'd say things like, "Oh my gosh, Liz is in love with so-and-so...I can't believe she'd say those things to anyone other than Craig." People are just so obsessed with relationships not working. They are so set on the fact that men and women cannot simply be best friends without letting sex get in the way. Society has portrayed this picture that you cannot be spiritually intimate to someone without feeling or being physically intimate with them too. I think that's where I get most of my fear. It's from all of the talk that people do. All of the stories they develop from a few words that do mean a lot, but not in a romantic way.
It's so hard to be in a relationship in this world sometimes because people come up with lies or stories to try and cause trouble or to try to break you up. I am so thankful that Craig and I are both respecting each other as spiritual beings and are living lives for God alone. I have no idea where we would be right now if we weren't both growing towards God rather than away from Him. Well, actually, we'd probably be broken up and most likely we'd hate each other. We probably wouldn't even be able to be friends. But man, the God factor is just so important to any relationship! How can any couple expect to make a relationship on their own?! "With men it is impossible but with God all things are possible."
People seem surprised that I am so happy without Craig here with me. That I can still have a totally awesome life and not be worried or scared for our relationship while he's over in England. Whenever I tell people he's over there their first question is "and how are you doing?" Me? I'm GREAT! I've found the love of my life and we are both moving full force towards the Lord! Craig is having the time of his life over there and he is moving so much closer to God because of it! He's making new friends in Christ and reading the word and spreading God's love! Why on earth would I be sad about that? This world emphasizes so much on the physical in the relationship. People expect that because Craig is not physically here with me, that our relationship is going to suffer because of it. That assumption is not even close to the truth. And no, the reason is not because "absence does not make the heart grow fonder." God makes the heart grow fonder.
Wow. This is so far from what I started about talking about...in any case, the Lord has called me to show people I love them each and every day. So be prepared for a love explosion coming out from Liz McKee! That's what I'm here to do!
I've added a link to a good daily devotional under my "stuff" menu...14forty. There's a good one for February 14 that I think applies well to this post. Enjoy!
[Listening to: I Need You - Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay and other Rockin' Jesus Music! (03:45)]