NEW things ...

OH MY WORD ... I'm not really sure what has happened to my life ... but I just can't seem to keep up.  I'm missing my blogging ... and my running ... and my friends.  I am ready for some "normalcy" ... butI look at my desk, my calendar, and my house and wonder what exactly that looks like anymore.  Let's just say I STILL haven't gotten my mojo back!!  But I'm still trying ... and I'm still hanging in there ... and I'm still loving my new Priscilla Shirer study ... you guys just aren't hearing about it cause I'm not on here so much.  Cause when I get home and stop, all I want to do it STOP.  I forget how bone tired I am by the time spring finals roll around ... and I think I'm kind of glad that Peru is not til June this year ... although that means the summer's half over before I'm done with all of that.  [sigh]  [BIG SIGH]

I got to spend some time in my yard this weekend.  Started the mulch project right before Mexico.  Why, I'm not sure cause I was too sore to live ... only got halfway done ... and then shelved it for two weeks.  But it kept me from being voted off the island, so I guess it paid off!  I had the bright idea that I needed to rake up and bag all the old mulch because it was yucky ... NEVER again!  I abandoned that plan this go around.  But, all of that to say, I LOVE this time of year, the gorgeous days, the cool nights, sleeping with the windows open and seeing NEW life around.  I LOVE bringing in fresh flowers out of the garden.  I LOVE sitting on the patio after I've mowed and marveling at how good it looks.  LOVE it!  It's soooo stinkin' tangible!

Funny story ... I think I wrote last week that I had a flat on my lawnmower that Gavin was being chivalrous about and volunteering to come fix.  Now, keep in mind that Gavin thinks one of his roles in life is to make me empower me to do things on my own (that is a nice way of saying he doesn't always come to my rescue ... but he ALWAYS tells me what to do!)  and I really only ask for help when I don't want to can't do it on my own.  I mean, I own my own drill, fire extinguisher, stubby wrench set and camos, so who really needs the boy, right??  Hmmmmmmmm ... yeh.  So, last Wednesday, Gavin came over to fix my flat tire.  And let's just say he's not quite as laid back as I am about such things.  He gets the tire off (finally) and about that time says, "Did you check the air in your tires?"  to which I said, "Seriously?  No.  Not in 5 years.  It's a lawnmower."  "It's a lawnmower with tires.  Do you check the air in your truck tires."  "Of course.  When the light comes on.  But I don't drive over nails with the lawnmower.  It can't just lose air on its own." "Karen, it's been sitting all winter {actually it's been sitting 4 winters!}.  I have to put air in my boat trailer tires every spring."  Feeling a TAD sheepish now ... "Oh.  huh??  So what are they supposed to be?  I have a tire gauge.  But how am I supposed to get it to the gas station to add air?" "You don't have a compressor" ... oh, for the love, let me get one quick or that will be my next Christmas gift!!  So, you get the gyst ... yep, the tire just needed air ... lots of it ... and as a matter of fact, so did the other THREE!  We DID laugh ... me more than him. 

But, back to loving spring ... these are some of the things I'm loving ...

flowers, veggies and herbs on the patio ... let's see if this black thumb can get some fruit!

Kind of fond of the new camera and lens (thanks Callie for the pointers!) ... now for time to play with it

loving that the perennials keep coming back bigger and bigger and bigger every year!

ahhhhhhhhhhhh ... love the look of fresh mulch ... all 30 bags of it! 

With all the NEW outside ... it was refreshing to be reminded of the new inside this morning.  This part of my study has been looking at obstacles to God changing us ... selfishness, pride, and today, comparison. 

"Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wasteland."

Isaiah 43:18-19

God's not concerned with the past ... not like we are!  Yes, He wants us to learn from our mistakes, but He's not dwelling on them .. or our past successes!  He's not reliving the glory days when we were passionate for Him and couldn't spend enough time with Him.  He's not pulling out the youth camp yearbooks and pining away for all we learned then.  NOPE.  Don't we see ... He is doing a NEW thing each new morning.  His mercies are new.  His plan is unfolding.  He wants us to keep walking forward with Him.  Not comparing where we are today and who we are today with anything in our past ... or with anyONE in our present. 

What is it with us gals???  We are sooo stinkin' comparison driven ... and we are constantly looking around at what others have and how they got it and why ... I was just talking to a sweet student going through a horrible break up ... and she said, "I look around at people who are not following God but He does not take their relationships from them ..."  Yep, we all do it.  And it gets in the way of God molding us into His image.  He's not comparing Himself with Jesus ... seeing who has more facebook friends ... He doesn't keep tabs on how many books are written about the Holy Spirit or how many prayers end "in Jesus' name" ... nope, being molded to His image has no room for comparison.  It's THIS is the day the Lord has made, being glad in it, and being different tomorrow than we were today. 

So, I took a little break from this entry ... went to add some "weed be gone" to the front weeds yard.  And look at what I found ...

Could it get any sweeter than this?  Plus, it's still light at 8:30 pm ... yeehaw!!

Yep, I LOVE spring.  I LOVE that God is in the business of new things.  I LOVE that He compares us to no one.  I LOVE that His mercies are new for tomorrow.  THIS was the day the Lord has made.  I DID rejoice and was glad in it!