Favorite Photo Friday!

The idea for the hit show "The Office" didn't come from nothing! I have moments on occasion when I think I'm living one of the episodes~

Oscar: What are you microwaving?

Phyllis: Popcorn.

Pam: Why don't you use the microwave in the kitchen, Phyllis?

Phyllis: Someone needs to clean it, it smells like popcorn.

Farewell to the Island ~ LOST Finale Night

*Disclaimer: Only food and character names are mentioned, none of which will give away crucial elements of the plot!

~~~

After all the fun we've had watching this last season of "LOST," it only seemed appropriate that we go out in character-like style. Our finale party was so much fun, and having everyone dress as the show's famed characters made it even better! Here is a brief rundown of the cast members and other snapshots from the party on Sunday night~

Some of the cast: Rousseau stealing baby Aaron, John Locke, Claire, Charlie, Ben as Henry Gale, "Smokey" (with his costume hanging on his shoulder), an island polar bear, Rose, Bernard, and Oceanic Flight 815 (also Kate the rest of the evening after the plane fell apart)


DHARMA Cola, Apollo chocolate bars, and fried chicken from Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack!


The message Charlie wore on his fingers~


That is one scary island polar bear - run for your life!!


Richard Alpert, his lovely wife Isabella, and...the Man in Black

The Man in Black giving a brief history of the island (or babbling about juice)~

Jack & Mikhail

Dr. Jack Shephard & John Locke

("man of science vs. man of faith")

The excellent trivia game we all played! Props to the guys for putting this together and on the TV for us! Do you know the answer to the trivia question?

Dr. Pierre Chang & the winners of the trivia game, Ben & Jack~

What a great evening with lots of fun memories! We have really enjoyed the past few months with this crew, and it's a little bittersweet that "LOST" has come to an end. We'll just need to think of something else to bring the gang together!

Favorite Photo(s) Friday & An Impromptu Blessing

My husband and I had a rather impromptu time of blessing and last night. To preface the evening, I went home early from work yesterday afternoon with the makings of a migraine, and went straight to bed until almost 7:00. Upon getting up and feeling drugged (well, I was) and not sleepy enough to stay in bed, I made my way downstairs knowing that I needed to think of something for dinner. Thankfully, there was a pitiful portion of soup in the fridge for my husband, and I swallowed down the leftovers from a less than impressive pasta dish. While swallowing down my food (I was just glad my husband was enjoying his soup!), he got a call from one of his best friends inviting us over for dessert ("Yesssssss," I thought to myself in relief).

~

Our friend (one of my husband's closest and dearest) grew up in Mexico before coming to college where we all met. His parents are missionaries in Oaxaca, and they are in town this week visiting as part of their overall summer travel in the States. Our friend has taken them to all the "must see" places in the area, including Huber's Orchard & Winery (I don't think you've truly lived in Louisville until you've experienced Huber's...hence my desire to go at least once before we move away from here!). So while we chatted and reminisced and heard stories of missionary experience and travel, we indulged:

My heart rejoiced when I saw this pile of heavenly strawberry delight in a pie pan! I think I ate about half the pie myself, complemented with a hot cup of coffee. I mean, really, it couldn't have been better - my best friend would have loooooved it, and I thought of her while we filled ourselves with strawberry goodness~

It was such a nice evening of conversation and being totally spoiled. Our friend's mother is truly gifted at making people feel at home, having welcomed us with immediate warmth and hospitality. I felt like I had known them for years even though I hadn't met them before last night. While she busied herself with food and coffee, her husband told us great stories of some of their experiences traveling and meeting different people. I especially enjoyed the story he told of a couple they met more than 30 years ago whom they will be visiting with again in the near future. Stories of how God crosses our paths with others on the journey always encourage my heart. Their stories and the experiences they have already had thus far reminded me, too, of how much I am looking forward to growing old with my own husband. So while it was extremely difficult dragging myself out of bed this morning in time for work, the sluggish morning was worth it for the sweet night we shared with good friends~

Song for Sunday

All Must Be Well

(Bowley-Peters & Smith)

~

1. Through the love of God our Savior, All will be well

Free and changeless is His favor, All is well

Precious is the blood that healed us

Perfect is the grace that sealed us

Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us, All must be well

~

2. Though we pass through tribulation, All will be well

Ours is such a full salvation, All is well

Happy still in God confiding

Fruitful if in Christ abiding

Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding, All must be well

~

3. We expect a bright tomorrow, All will be well

Faith can sing through days of sorrow, All is well

On our Father's love relying

Jesus every need supplying

Yes in living or in dying, All must be well

Perfect Peace

Do you ever have those times when it's so abundantly clear that the Lord is reminding you of a very specific truth, something your heart and mind need reminding of? That's where I've been these past few weeks. I have daily (at times hourly) asked that He would give me a very real sense of His nearness and peace that surpasses my own understanding as my husband and I continue in this holding pattern of a season. My attention has frequently come back to the promise given in one of my favorite books in Scripture:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. ~Isaiah 26:3-4

Yesterday morning during our church's worship service, our worship leader invited us to a time of open prayer and praise. My heart is encouraged by hearing the prayers and words from Scripture that have been placed on people's hearts. I kept hearing that same theme of praising Him for His goodness, trusting in Him as we wait patiently for Him, and was then compelled to proclaim the Isaiah passage aloud. Along with the passages others read, my husband was compelled to read this one:

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts Himself to show mercy to you.

For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. ~Isaiah 30:18

The theme has been frequent, profoundly evident, and I have been grateful for the ways (big and small) the Lord has reminded me of such wonderful and comforting promise. His peace is perfect, promised, and He is faithful to bless those who wait patiently for Him. To continue the theme even more, I came across this prayer on one of the blogs I read fairly often:

Most kind and trustworthy Father, you haven't promised me a storm-less, hassle-free disappointment-empty life. You offer me no formulas for decreasing the probability of sad things happening around me or disillusioning things happening to me. But you have promised me something that transcends the chaos and fear of uncertainty.

~
Father, you've promised to keep me in perfect peace, in the midst of whatever happens. O, how I treasure the promise of being kept by you. For there are times I simply cannot keep myself... I have no boot straps to pull up... no magic happy pill to take... no fix-it button to push. Thank you for being a Father who will never forget or abandon your children... who will never forget or abandon me.

~
And how I praise you for the promise of being kept, not just in peace... but in perfect peace... as I mind and mine your trustworthy-ness. For you are the LORD--the eternal Rock that is higher than me... the Rock of refuge... the Rock of ages! This leads me to cry out for greater steadfastness of mind... for more gospel-sanity... for more power to bring my wandering, distractible, unbelieving thoughts into captivity to you.

~
Yet I will not despair when I am weak in concentration and focus. Indeed, Father, you're not calling me to trust in my ability to trust, but to trust in you... in your trustworthy-ness, not in my trust-ability. For you've even promised your children a peace that passes... surpasses... even by-passes all understanding. Hallelujah!

~
What a God you are! There is none like you, Father, no not one! How great are your mercies... how profound your kindnesses... how more-than-sufficient your grace! So very Amen, I pray, in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace... the basis and bounty of all my peace.

(S. Smith, Quoted at challies.com)

Little did I know prior to graduation and this post-seminary season how much the Lord would be teaching me! On the most difficult days, I need those reminders of His goodness and promises to those who wait for Him. I look forward to the day when I look back at this season and see the evidence of His sustaining grace and peace~