Just a reminder to me to not FOCUS on the bad things.  This is not saying that bad things don’t exist.  They do.   This is not choosing to ignore them.   Sometimes we can’t.   But this is a reminder that we don’t have to think & dwell  on these things.  I know this verse can be taken in lots of different ways.  But it hit me this week that this is also so very true when it comes to negativity.  Ever noticed how when you are negative how down you get, how irritable you are, how you then begin to just be depressed?  Somebody mentioned in Bible Study how sin starts with ungratefulness … and that is SO true.  

What in my situation is good?  Not the bad things, but the GOOD things (again, not saying that there aren’t bad things).  It is not just being optimistic.  But it is CHOOSING to think on the good things, on the pure things, on the lovely things, on the excellence things.  Look for the things worthy of praise and think on these things.   

This is a huge reminder to me.  God isn’t praised in our negativity.  We are constantly complaining about our circumstances, when we are constantly complaining about others, when we are just constantly complaining — how is He getting the glory?  When we complain, do we draw others to Him in that? When we are looking at others and seeing the bad in them and focusing on their faults, is that causing us to love them more  – or less?   

I love January.  I love the new beginnings. I love the “freshness” of it.  A chance to start over again, to recommit yourself to whatever, to reevaluate.  I just love it.

I love where I am right now in my life, on all levels.   Sure there are niggling “worries”, but the future looks very bright.  God is good ALL the time.   Iam thankful for the hard times.  I am thankful for the good times. I am thankful right now that I am in one of those good times, though I know it won’t always be like this. 

I have learned in whatever state I am in, therewith to be content.     I am enjoying this state right now very much. I don’t want to rush it.  I don’t want to be looking at the past. I don’t want to worry about the future.

I just want to be content.  

Life is good.  Life is crazy.  :)  I should maybe do a life update soon.   I am doing well on my “diet” of sorts.   I have decided that having food allergies is a lot like living in the Garden of Eden.  I should not focus on what I can’t have.   I should focus on what I can have.    Because really, there is a lot that I can have!  The world isn’t quite my oyster, but it’s at least my clam!  or…something! haha!    and it really helps my attitude when I approach it THAT way.

I’ve been thinking about posting a weekly menu just so people can see what I do eat .. because a lot of people just don’t even know what to feed me (or people like me  )  And really …..I eat pretty inexpensively.  :)  So keep your eyes posted for my boring food updates!  (doesn’t that just thrill you to your TOES???)

And with that, I need to bring this to a close and finish up on housework in preparations for guests!  :)

Let’s see … the past month, what have I done?  I have housesat in four different houses.  I have joined pinterest and google plus. I have taken depositions. I have jumped a car. I have done a lot of laundry.  I have cleaned a lot.  I have ordered & received a bridesmaid dress. I have made a lot of coffee. I have drunk a lot of coffee.  I have rejoiced over the pregnancy of a friend.  I have babysat.  I have met friends from out of state.  I have gone a picnic.  I have gone to a fancy schmancy dinner (though no race drivers were seen) I have been to a German place that I had never been to before.  I have mourned over the death of a friend.  I have discovered new bands and new music.  (needtobreathe & kip moore — christian and country) I have NOT gone to a Josh Groban concert.   I have thrown a surprise birthday party for my dad’s 75th birthday.  I have attempted and pretty much failed at starting a garden (see the above housesitting at four different houses.)  I have gotten my hair cut.   I have read .. and not read books.  

And that is life.  It is amazing how quickly time passes. 

As a side note, I am seriously thinking of making a decree that nobody else is allowed to leave Indiana.  So far my friends have refused to listen to my pleas, so maybe a decree will do it. 

In other news, I cut my hair today.  It is SHORT. Well, I mean, not like crew cut short, but it is short. I can still flip it though.  You gotta have hair that you can flip. I’m told that’s the key to a lot of things, the flipping of the hair. (HAH)

My car is almost all the way fixed, bless it’s little heart.   It still needs an oil change and an alignment and then it will be as good as new!  Well, as new as a car with 210,000 miles on it can be.

Kitties are SO MUCH FUN to play with.   They might call it annoying them, but I call it playing with them.  Tomato, Tomahto.  Lasers and cats=hours of fun for everyone. 

This makes me want to dance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWYZ3Zy1Ri8

(I really enjoy Peter Furler.   It is rocky though…so if you don’t prefer that type of music….DON”T CLICK ON IT)  I heard him on K Love this radio. I just REALLY appreciate him.  He was talking about how you don’t rely on emotions and how you FEEL.  You rely on the word of God.   If I lived my life by my emotions, oh good grief I would be a wreck.   But you live your life by the one thing that NEVER changes, the Word of God.  The living and breathing Word of God that speaks into all of our situations.  The challenge is DOING that….knowing it, but then the challenge is taking up the word of God and studying it daily. You get the quality time in the quantity time.   (the last part was me..Not Peter Furler.  But since he is so kewl I am sure that he would agree with it.  Plus,  y’all…he has an Australian accent!)

Now excuse me…I’m going to go get my exercise by dancing this out! =D

All these years I thought I knew sooo much about the covenants,  being around all these covenanting people.  Never knew that.  Yup.   Look at the covenant He made with Noah, and find out for yourself.   (Read Genesis 9)

In other news, I am becoming a gardener.  I have this fear, though, that I have pulled up all the right plants and I am merely loving and caring for weeds.  I thought I had it all figured out and now I am not so sure. I also have to garden “my” way.  Meaning, little by little.  15 minutes a day.  So my garden is not pretty and pretty much looks uninhabited by humans. BUT I LOVE IT so DO NOT MOCK IT!

I planted a lot of zuchinni plants.  <3 <3 I do so love zucchini.   I found even MORE great zuchinni recipes that I cannot wait to try.

I finally am able to sit down again.  I did an exercise DVD on Thursday (I have big plans for this summer, I tell you, BIG plans).  The DVD involved a lot of squats.   If you want to know the definition of pain …. do a bunch of squats, when you haven’t done any exercise in a while, then wake up the next morning and go to sit on the toilet.   It’s a special kind of pain.   Also, try dropping something like pills that scatter, and get down to get them….and then not be able to move…as in get back up or move to get the other pills.  I had to get Karsten to get the rest.  He’s such a good big brother.  Even though he might have mocked me….really, who could blame him?

I am very happy to report that Puddleglum, my fish, is still alive. He hasn’t been eating the past two days.  So today I sat down and I talked with him and spent time with the little fellow.  And he ate!    So if you ever wonder, FISH HAVE FEELINGS TOO!

I am very seriously considering auditioning for a Shakespeare play.   Mostly not because I think I would get a part (because I don’t think I would…it’s a large audition) but I want to have the auditioning experience.  Why?  Well, why NOT, I ask you, why NOT?

Please be praying for Aimee still.   She has entered the hospice program.   She has been on my mind a lot recently, and I know that her family would covet your prayers.    <3 <3 <3

I am asking praying for a childhood friend of mine, Aimee.   She is married and the mother of a five year old boy.  She has been battling cancer for at least two years now.  It just keeps coming back…..She just got the news that she might only have weeks to live, at the most.  I’m tearing up just writing this.

Please please please pray.  She has four tumors right now, and surgery and radiation are not an option.  That leaves our mighty God.   He is capable and able, I believe that with my whole heart.

Treat others as you would want them to be treated.  Do you ever just want to beat people over the head with that?   I must admit I do.  But then I myself do not want to be hit in the head with a 2 by 4, so I don’t.   But I mean….really.

Who actually WANTS to be judged?  I know I don’t.  I just want to be loved.     I mean, who REALLY wants to be judged by people?  “Oh, i just WISH somebody would come into my house and think snarky thoughts about it and let others know how bad of a housekeeper I am!”    You would think that people would treat others how they want to be treated and NOT make snarky comments about other people.  But….they DO.   Sadly.  Thus everyone lives in fear of what others might say……..Well not everyone.  The smart people don’t. hah.

I mean, I know, I know…..Most often people make the snarky comments because they themselves are insecure so they feel that they have to put others down in order to make themselves feel better about themselves.  I can almost guarantee that when someone makes a rude comment and puts somebody down there is some area in their life where they are feeling insecure.  A jerky person at work is probably having issues at home.  A jerky person at home is probably being put down at work or simply feeling inadequate.

But don’t you wish you could just let EVERYBODY know that they don’t need to do that, and just…STOP the cycle?

Maybe this is where being secure in Christ really helps.  If you are secure in Christ, you don’t feel the need to put others down to puff yourself up.  You know who you are.  You don’t need to “make others see” because it’s only Christ who matters.  You don’t need to make others feel stupid for not knowing things because you realize nobody knows all things.  I’m sure the person knows more about certain things then you do.

Anyways…….This is the reason why I shouldn’t think too deep of thoughts after 10 pm.  It becomes swirling vortex…………….hah.:)

So I am very serious about finding THE best white chocolate mocha in Indianapolis.  After I figure that out, I will go on to Skinny Vanilla Lattes, and after that, the best brewed coffee.  So I go out armed with my handy (though not always trustworthy GPS) and google to find that “best coffee place”.   I think I may have found it already, but I continue trying. Hint: It’s not Starbucks.

Most of the time I am going alone because — well, not a lot of my friends have the freedom that I have or the other ones don’t have the passion for coffee that I have and would find it boring (and I don’t want to listen to complaining about coffee shops — they are my happy place)     As a side note, I am finding it interesting to see how people react to the single person coming in and that is definitely a factor in how I rate them.  Though,  still, if any of my friends would like to join me in my quest, I shall welcome it.

The other day I tried out Monon Coffee Company located in Broad Ripple.  The first strike against it was parking.   There was only street parking. I happened across as one person was leaving.  I parallel parked, which I’m okay not. I am not great, but I am okay at.   I like ease of parking.    I did go around 6:30 pm, though, and it was Broad Ripple so perhaps at other times it’s not so bad.

Once inside, it was largish, but not overwhelming, and there were a fair amount of people.  It was your typical “Broad Ripple” fare.    The gentleman at the counter was very nice and friendly.  They were having issues with the espresso machine, but that’s okay. I seem to have that affect on espresso machines, for some reason.

The price was decent. $3.67 (?) for a large WC mocha.  The downside to that,though, is unlike all of the other coffee shops that I have tried, they only provide one shot for that price.  I did end up getting another shot for free this time because of the machine not working quite right, but I am glad that I asked.  For this quest of mine, I am getting all of them large and those generally are two shots, if not three.   So if you choose to have another shot added, it would be more.

BONUSES:  They have a “frequent shopper” card. I am not sure why more places do not do this. .   If I’m going to be spending money on coffee, why not have it adding up to a free one?  They also have gluten-free snacks.  Granted, they were completely out of every.single. one. BUT…they had options of four different things, if they were in stock. I meant to ask when they would be re-stocked, but I forgot.  The prices on the gluten-free was very reasonable (for gluten-free things!)

So overall, I don’t know that I will be going back, simply because it wasn’t that easy to get to for me and sadly they did not have the best WC Mocha.  So far I would rate it 7th out of the ones that I have tried.  If I were walking on the Monon with a friend though, I can definitely see myself going there or perhaps if I ever got a bike.    The barista was friendly.  It was clean.  They have funky coffee shop humourous comics. (I like places that make me laugh.) Plus, they are doing what — ever since I became gluten-free — have thought that funky coffee shops should do, and that is provide allergen-free things to eat. I have been surprised that I have not seen this at any of the other shops. So that is a definite plus in their favor.