...until I found something beautiful

What better time to write a blog post than when you're supposed to be writing a 6-page paper?

I've been meaning to write a post for a while now, and now I feel like I have too much to say in just one post. I'll try to break it down for ya...

1.  6 weeks until Quito!
It's still hard for me to believe that I'll be boarding a flight to Ecuador in just 6 weeks and won't be back for 4 1/2 months. I'm feeling quite a range of emotions. Obviously, I'm ecstatic, and as it begins to feel more and more real [I've been assigned a homestay family, I'm registering for classes, etc.], I'm getting more and more excited. I can't wait to see a new country, be immersed in Spanish, and meet a ton of new people, but I also can't wait to have no commitments. I love all the things I do here in Chapel Hill, but it will be so nice to have a break from them for a few months. However, I'm also realizing that I'll be away from my roommates, my friends, and my family for a whole semester, and that makes me pretty sad. To the left, a sneak peek of the beautiful country that I'll call home spring [photo cred to Ashley Bowles, who is sure to be a BFF of mine there]

2. "BEST WEEKEND EVER."

This past weekend was quickly assigned the title of "best weekend ever." Perhaps the only thing that would have made it a little better would be a win against State, but it was pretty darn good without a victory. After the game, the Howell ladies cooked Thanksgiving dinner, complete with baked chicken, green bean casserole, stuffing, twice baked potatoes, deviled eggs, sweet potato casserole, crescent rolls, and apple pie and carrot cake for dessert.

The weekend just continued in awesome-ness when the Colborns cooked us another wonderful Thanksgiving meal on Sunday. Not only was the food absolutely amazing (I had three servings of sweet potato casserole), but it was great to spend the afternoon laughing and having a great time with my sisters in Christ.

[photo cred to Emily...actually Mama Colborn]

To finish off the weekend of excellence, we went to Durham last night to see Needtobreathe perform at Carolina Theatre. If you've never seen Needtobreathe in concert, you're missing out. They are by far the best band I've seen in concert. They sing with such joy and raw passion. And their set was amazing. I highly recommend all 3 of their CDs and seeing them perform live. It will change your life. Some of my favorites include:


"We Could Run Away"
"More Time"
"Shine On"
"Lay 'Em Down"
"Something Beautiful"
"Garden"
"The Outsiders"
"Washed By the Water"

...alright, I actually like ALL of their songs.



3. JOY
Joy has been the theme of my semester so far, or at least I've tried to make it that way. After a pretty crappy sophomore fall semester, I knew that I wanted a much more joyful junior year, but I knew that joy could not come from better circumstances or a "happier" attitude, but from letting Christ's love pour into me so that I could pour it out to others. A while ago, Kerry Mandulak (my B-stud leader from high school and a good friend) sent me this quote from Hammer William Webb-Reploe:

Joy is not gush; joy is not jolliness. Joy is simply perfect acquiescence in God's will, because the soul delights itself in God Himself. Rejoice in the will of God, and in nothing else. Bow down your heads and your hearts before God, and let the will, the blessed will of God, be done.

Peace, love, & turkeys