a wise friend bought me a journal for christmas...specifically (at least in part) to help prevent any future "oh crap, i wrote that on the blog, didn't i?!?" moments. and so, i think it's time to take her advice.

i'm actually sorta torn about the whole thing. not because i want to share too much. honestly, i think i've learned that lesson. (well, mostly...ha. i'm not gonna lie and say there aren't some things that i'm tempted to shout to the world...but that's not the point here, is it?) i think i feel a little torn moreso because it is cool to read back over posts from a year ago, even two years ago, and see how God has worked in my life. or see what things are just exactly the same as they were then. or see what stupid thing i said that i now kinda regret telling the world.

i don't think this self-imposed blog censorship means that i'm going to quit blogging altogether. we shall see. but it does mean there's a lot to me/my life that you won't be reading about on here. (and that's certainly not new, hopefully just to an even greater degree now.) maybe this explanation has been, in itself, too much information...but i felt the need to let you all in on this change, if for no other reason than to keep myself accountable to it.

so there you go.

(and i'm really just kidding about the secrets thing. i mean, it's about keeping personal things personal...right? you feeling me? whatev...it doesn't really matter either way.)

***
to end this thing, i thought i'd share a couple verses that are speaking to me. peace.

my dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. this is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. it's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. for God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
1 john 3:18-20
***

this makes me happy.

go check out newspring's brand spankin' new website...here. (it has streaming video!)

25 "to whom will you compare me?
or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26 lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
27 why do you say, o jacob,
and complain, o israel,
"my way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 do you not know?
have you not heard?
the LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
isaiah 40:25-31

hokay...here's the lowdown on yesterday's belated birthday surprise adventure:

karl, rayray, and taguba came and picked me and lili up at 10am. (we missed you lanna!) breakfast (minis, anyone?) at the chick. then on to the interstate. all i knew was we were headed north. hmmmmm. different than usual, since it seems we always end up in the atl somehow. anyway, we were on the road for a while. heading up into the moutains (thankfully i didn't have to put the blindfold on until we got close to the final destination). after some questions about the directions and reassurances that we were on the right track...we got close. cue the blindfold (actually one of lili's scarf thingies). cue lots of talk by others in the car about cute things that i could not see. cue me almost falling asleep. cue the car seeming to get hot. cue me almost puking in the rodeo. alright, enough of the cue-ing...that's sorta annoying. so, we get to the gate of where we're going...the girls cover my ears and make noises so that the gate attendant person won't give away where we are. she plays along and talks about how much i will enjoy disneyland. well played, gate attendant lady...well played. we proceed through what seemed like 47 miles of even more windy roads until we finally come to a stop and begin to walk. yep, i'm still blindfolded. karl guided me to the point of "the reveal." (by the way, all of the highlights were captured either by photo or video...so that should be coming sometime.)

so...where were we you ask? the biltmore house. saweeeeet. i hadn't been there since high school. so beautiful. all decorated for christmas. we walked. we oohed. we ahhed. we ate in a stable...trough and all. we took some really fun pictures. we enjoyed various kinds of chocolatey goodness. we walked some more. we saw all 4 floors and the basement. we checked out the terrace. we saw the for real annie (minus the red hair. seriously people, it was incredible. i wish i could explain it). we took more crazy pictures. we saw a couple (which included a girl karl went to high school with) in this super romantic spot...apparently breaking up. ouch. then, of course, we stopped at starbucks. peppermint mochas and such...yum.

and then we hit the road again. i basically slept the whole way home. wow, so tired...all the birthday greatness this week sorta caught up with me. all in all, a totally spectacular (new favorite word!) day. i know the greatest people in the world. thanks again to all of you who made this birth(week) really grand. i heart you.

so, this birth(week) has just been full of surprises.

tonight, some beautiful friends took me to p.f. chang's for dinner. then we were heading back to angela's to watch a movie and eat cake...just chill. yeah. then we pulled up and i saw all the cars belonging to all of my most favorites. surprise! people been keeping secrets all over the place...i was totally clueless. for reals. and it was awesome.

tomorrow will be another day of surprises. more beautiful friends are blindfolding me and taking me to an undisclosed location. it's become a tradition for us...one that i haven't been on the receiving end of until now. woohoo! i have no idea what we're doing...all i've been told is what to wear and what time i'm being picked up.

thanks friends...for the love. the laughter. the cake (both kinds). the smores. the egg nog. the all the other stuff that's tasty and wonderful. the cards. the sweet presents. the great conversations. the hugs when needed. the hugs when not needed, just wanted. the new tunes. the surprises. the unending support. the incredible encouragement. but most of all, thank you in advance for the many amazing things to come. as long as i've got you people to share it with, i'm good.

so, i got a $25 itunes gift card from a good friend...hit me up with some new music goodness. and make it pure awesomeness.

thanks.

yes, the b-day was spectacular.

seriously.

apostrophe
Originally uploaded by lbzy.

pet peeve revealed.

police never die...and merry christmas to all.

(it's not working for some peeps on the blog, so go here for the greatness. you're welcome.)

7 days.

i'm just sayin'.

is all.

i feel like this last week has been one super-undeserved blessing after another. it's been filled with amazing friends, gifts, and randomness. here are some highlights:

-i bought a new (to me) car. and it's saweeeeet. it was so cool to see how God worked out all the details...that may sound stupid. i mean, it's just a car. but seriously, He took care of me.
-i got to see marc broussard live in athens with some fantastic people. the man is a freak. for real. such soul and funk and other words like that. all i can really say is "jump on it..." ha. ha. ha.
-i spent some qt with the one and only mere this week. sushi...yum. and the jockey lot. (that would be on 2 separate occasions, just in case you were wondering.) oh, and ihop. and turkey. and carpenter's cellar, which leads to another blessing this week...
-tara leigh played last night in downtown g-vegas...we made it for most of her show and then got to spend hours chatting with her afterwards. you know you're having a spectacular time with people when it's 1am and you have no idea where the last 2 hours went.
-we got the most awesome parking spot in the whole world while in athens.
-somewhere amidst the broussard and cobble goodness, lee introduced me to the peppermint mocha from starbucks. usually i hate anything even remotely coffeeish, but i love this stuff. go. try it. and then thank lee.
-angela, kylie, and i had the special privilege of hearing the story (or beginning at least) of aretha and gregory fort dork. all you really need to know is that it involves care bears, unicorns, rainbows, and a man who grows hair opposite of everyone else. man, i love the "hey, you should tell us a story" experiences. they do not disappoint.
-did i mention i got a new car? yeah, i thought so. but did i tell you it has heated seats? perhaps the greatest invention ever.

truly, it's been a week full of great times with awesome people. that's what has made each day special and meaningful and grand. good music is always nice...pimped out cars make the road more fun...but it's the conversations, laughter, and pieces of life shared with people i love that has meant the world to me these last few days. as cliche as it may be...i can honestly say that i am a better person, that i see (and look for) Jesus more, and that my life is a million times sweeter because of the people He has placed around me. i am so thankful for friends who really want to know me and who really want me to know them. so thanks peeps...you know who you are.