Being Grateful

I heard a sermon this past weekend on what it means to be grateful. Honestly, I don't remember exactly what the pastor said, but it got me thinking about what I am grateful for. I can get so caught up in so much else, that I often forget. So, I began to think about it in church and started to cry. I've been thinking a lot about it since and decided I needed to write a list. So, this is my abridged list, because today, I could go on forever and ever...

Jesus and his gift of free Life
God's unending forgiveness and sovereignty
The ability to pray freely and be heard unconditionally
That my parents are alive (two of them were caught in the Joplin tornado in May)
A loving family
Three wonderful parents
Mary and her powerful and unending prayers
Josh and his physical, emotional, and spiritual protection over me
Jackie and her unconditional truth, grace, and love
Julie and her pioneer ministry and determination to declare the Gospel with her life
Amazing friendships that transcend time and proximity
My family in Christ
A place to live and enough money to survive
Political and spiritual freedom
Those who have served to protect this country at all times, especially the last decade
Time to think today about what I am grateful for
People who have interest in possibly wanting to hire me
Sunshine, mountains, flowers, and a beautiful city
A place where I can fully relax
Books and my passion for reading
My education and training to write well
Getting to share my heart and thoughts with you through this blog
People willing and wanting to read my blog (Thanks!)
Music
Art
Intellect
Strength and weaknesses
Desire to live a legacy
My life, God's protection, and God's provision
Ability to see what God has saved me from and what He's saving me for

There's so much more, but for the sake of time and space, I'll leave it at this... for now...

Another Summary in Pictures

I have to give many heartfelt apologies for dropping off the face of the blogging world for so long. I have been in many transitions over the past few weeks, and things have been hectic. There has been lots of packing, unpacking, packing, driving, unpacking, driving, and packing, with quite a few fun adventures and "firsts" mixed in. So, per my style, I'll share what's been going on in pictures...

I had the opportunity to travel to Austin, TX to visit my mom for a few days. It was short, but so much fun to spend time with her!

My parents were in Joplin, MO when the massive tornado hit on May 22. I have a lot of family there, who are all thankfully safe, but this was where my cousin's house once stood. The destruction there is unreal. I was visiting my mom at the time, and so thankful my step-mom was able to get a line out to tell me they were okay!

When I got back from TX, I packed up my little Rav4 with everything I still owned and then left Portland to go to Seattle, where the big trek began. 

But while in the Seattle area, I was able to spend some great time with Josh's family and experienced first-hand the mad bball skills his 7 year-old brother has. Syals got it in the hoop just about every time from just about everywhere on the court! 

Then Josh and I left and began our big drive. But as we went over Snoqualmie Pass, we drove into a rainbow! It was a good way to start a 1700 mile road-trip over six states!

But on the way to Denver we stopped for a few days in SLC and the Three Musketeers had a chance to be together once again! And, as always, Josh and Jackie whispered to each other with their eyes in front of me. I never get to know their secrets...

Once we made it to Denver, we went up to Grand Lake, where my parents have a summer home. While there, Dad and Josh taught me how to shoot! It was so much fun and I even made perfect bulls-eye shots a few times! 

I also caught a fish! It was a pretty big Lake Trout. I hadn't been fishing since I was in middle school and never expected to catch anything. As soon as I reeled it in, I yelled at Josh to come take care of it for me ;)

My cheap dad has finally joined the ranks of Mountaineer members and finally bought a fishing boat! Okay, so maybe it's not quite sized for humans, but it trails a lure behind it and could potentially catch a fish! 

After dropping Josh off at the airport, I made my way up to Fort Collins where I will be spending the summer with Campus Crusade for Christ. As the details of our summer project start to come together, I am getting so excited to work with students here and for the staff conference at the end of the summer!

You can't go to Fort Collins without making a trip to Beau Jo's pizza. Just look at this crust... It's over 2 inches thick and drizzled with honey. Yummm... :)

And tonight, before we got rained and hailed out (golf balls started falling from the sky when we got home), I went to my FIRST drive-in movie! I highly recommend Kung-Fu Panda 2.

So, there's a brief summary about what's been going on in the world of Amie Lou. And now that I am starting to get settled, I should be blogging again regularly. But if it takes another week, please give me grace :)