Seems to be a "list" kind of day...

I love to write lists in general... but I especially love to on days where I have about 10 ideas of what to write about. I'm learning so much I just can't hone in on a single thing to say. With that said, I'll just write about a little bit of everything.

1. This whole "blog everyday" goal for this summer is AWESOME. I knew I loved to write... and that passion has been growing the past couple of years... but just in the last few weeks, my desire to write has been bubbling over. I don't always write the most elegantly worded or wisdom-filled posts, but the goal is just to write. So that is what I will do.

2. Today is the first day it really feels like summer break. Woo hoooo! I have been traveling and working so much lately that this day is so incredibly relaxing. I slept in, did an intense workout with my new roommate - Sarah, went shopping for a Timbuk2 messenger bag - my next big purchase (they didn't have the right color/style... I'm going to wait until I find just the right one.), video chatted (chatted? hmm.. that can't be right.) with a dear friend from Texas and her adorable two year old daughter - Meghan and Emma, and now I'm enjoying the peacefulness of my favorite coffeeshop downtown planning on reading, writing, preparing for the ladies' Bible study starting this Saturday, fixing my budget, and working on some prep for Extreme Life worship (kids' ministry at church).... all while enjoying a tasty vanilla latte in a cute little mug.
This is the BEST kind of day. :)

3. Why do "they" make it SO hard to go to college?! I am in the process of officially becoming an Idaho resident - at least for BSU's records - so that my tuition will be a few thousand dollars less. I thought that that would mean that my financial aid would cover the tuition completely... or at least that's what I had hoped for. Yeah, it doesn't look like that's the case. LAME. I realize that I am still incredibly blessed with two years of free college in Texas and the amount of federal grants that I receive... but it's still not like I have a couple thousand dollars hidden under my bed to pay for classes. I really love being a student... but it makes me sick to think about how much it costs.... and at a state university nontheless! Ridiculous. I can't think about that much longer because it just gets overwhelming! I'll save that for another day.

4. The act of mentally and emotionally "processing" through a particular event is daunting, which is why I'm kind of avoiding it right now. It's hard to be vulnerable with yourself sometimes. (I'm also avoiding working on my budget... which is also daunting, but thankfully requires less vulnerability.) I know that I have learned a lot the past few months and I need to think on those things specifically and make them more concrete in my mind so I can move on and grow. I believe you can learn from just about anything... so I don't want to pass up this massive opportunity for growth.

5. I'm SUPER excited about starting the ladies' Bible study group this Saturday. We're going through a book by Shelley Beach called "The Silent Seduction of Self-Talk." It's mostly with women from my college life group at The Pursuit. Our life group has grown a LOT this last semester and I think it will be so beneficial to have some real-life accountability and be intentional in our growth. I'm very passionate about the subject of self-talk in general - knowing how it affects the way we think/act and what we believe. Understanding my self-talk (learning to take my thoughts captive) changed my life DRASTICALLY. I told everyone at life group that they should still come even if they don't have the book... which means I need to be ready to do a little teaching and really guide the discussion. I hope that people will be responsive and actually TALK. Pray that I will be confident and bold in stepping out in leadership and that hearts will be open to receive truth.

6. Lastly, a Dutch Bros. (coffee) just opened RIGHT by my house and tomorrow they're giving away free coffee. Pretty stoked about this. :)