Really, I'm still here

I promise. I am. I know that I haven't blogged in for.ev.er. I've been really crazy busy working on fabulous things like this and this for work. We (not as much me, but I've been helping with some of the admin stuff) have also been working on an App for Trinity and Community Bible Reading. {Available on Android right now and on iPhone soon!} We also just finished the October Newsletter!

In other news, Monday was Ben’s and my 2nd anniversary! {P.S. I hate trying to figure out the proper way to write that. I know that is the correct way, but it looks weird} Things are a little tight right now, as Ben hasn't had a job since the 23rd (*see below), so I tried to make an anniversary dinner at home for him. It didn't turn out so well. Thankfully, I knew that my parents were sending us some money for us to go out to dinner, so we did just that! Ben took me to Smokey Bones where we watched the Rays lose Game 3 of the ALDS. {Note: This is the other thing I've been spending time on - watching and cheering on my Rays!}

*Yeah, I forgot to mention that. The company that Ben was with since July didn't have enough work to support the employees, so they had to lay them off. It stinks, but God has been faithful in providing other opportunities for Ben to do small jobs (and some not-so-small jobs) here and there.

Moving on! My mom, my aunt Donna and I also went to The Barn for their Fall Opening on Saturday! The morning was absolutely gorgeous and when I left the house it was 57 degrees. In Florida. I know. We walked around and looked at beautiful things like this:


And when we got hungry, we stopped on The Back Porch for a little lunch.


It really was a fabulous day. I love getting the chance to hang out with my mom and my aunt.

And now comes the part where I say that I won't let it be a month before I post again. Really. I'll try really hard.

catching up or "a distraction"

So, it's been a month since I've written, as some people have pointed out. This has been a good month though. I've taken steps, leaps, bounds, if you will. I've started going dancing again. Remind me again why I stopped? I know, I know...it was called gas money, but once I started again I don't really care as much. So, I don't eat out as much. That's better for me anyway. And dancing, what a better way to exercise! Sure, you get sweaty, but you get to look really cute doing it! Everyone would look at me like I was crazy if I wore a cute dress to go run the lake! (Ok, everyone can stop laughing now picturing me running the lake. And I don't even mean with a dress on. Just the thought of me running is enough to invoke laughter!) But really, it's a great time and I've missed it. And I've missed the people. Other than that, life is good. Busy, but good. I'm singing more, which I love. I've been practicing my guitar some, which is therapeutic. The discontent that was so overshadowing in months past is still there from time to time, but I’m not letting it rule me. That’s not what I was made for. So, there is an update, a window looking into my world, a distraction for those not wanting to study for finals (karis”skins”medina), and hopefully a glimpse of things to come. Until next time, friends…

Grace & Peace.

following up

Ok, so my last post was a little bit melancholy. I admit it. It happens sometimes. But here's the thing, there really isn't anything wrong with being discontent. It all depends on what your discontent is focused on. When I first wrote the post I was feeling a general discontent with my life as it is: still single, at that point not doing something that I really loved, not really doing much with music. Basically, I was having a pity party. (As Lindy would say, "complete with decorations and a cake") What I have come to realize after writing that and really meditating on it (and have meant to write for several weeks now) is that I should be discontent, but not with those things. I should be discontent with how I spend my time. I should be discontent with the way that I spend my money. I should be discontent with the way that I sometimes treat my friends.

A restless longing for better circumstances

That is how I should feel about those kinds of things. And so, I am now going to leave my apartment on this beautiful spring day and ride my bike (and not waste gas) and enjoy the gift that God has given me today.

Grace & Peace.

fusion and change...

So, here we are again. It's been now almost 3 months since I've written this time. What is the deal? I have things to say! Why don't I write them? I guess I'm writing now because I need to process. This has been a roller-coaster week. (And not just because I rode the Triple Hurricane and the Okeechobee Rampage with Claire last Saturday at Cypress Gardens, although I did!) Doors have been shut, while other doors stand in front of me waiting to be knocked upon. The task at hand is discerning which doors are doors that I should knock on. That's the part that scares me. I'm not good at this part. Luckily, I won't be going through it alone, but still it seems daunting.

This weekend, I had the chance to go to the Fusion conference in Orlando. It was a last minute thing and a real blessing to me. I found out about it on Wednesday afternoon and decided to take my friend's ticket on Thursday. Then I found out that some guys from our church were going, which meant that I didn't have to just go and sit by myself. Oh, and the worship band? Yeah, that would be none other than the David Crowder Band!!! They were amazing, but that wasn't the point of the conference. Yes, it was the reason that I was coming to the conference, but luckily God had better ideas. He usually does. That's why I'm glad that He's in control and not me. After listening to the speakers, I have a lot of heart-searching to do. Now, I don't want to sound all cheesy and stuff, saying that I'm convicted of things now because I heard people talking about them. I've been processing this all day and I'm still not through with whole thought, but this is my response so far. It is one thing to latch onto what a speaker says for a short period of time and it's a whole other thing to have a speaker speak to something that has been on your heart and mind that you just hadn't completely worked out. I feel that the latter is where I am. I've been to conferences before. I went to Acquire the Fire my freshman year of college. It was a good conference. Did I feel convicted? Sure. Was it short-lived? Absolutely. I got back up to Greenville and went back to "daily life" and pretty much forgot about things. I don't think I can do that this time. My heart is involved this time. I can feel that He is working something in me, though I'm not sure what it is. It excites and scares me at the same time. Where does this leave me? For the time being, it leaves me here in Lakeland. But then what? Only He knows and in due time, He'll share that.

So, yeah. What a week. From a Wednesday that was horrendous to a Friday and Saturday that were completely blessed. God is good and faithful. I'm not going to promise to write more frequently, because every time I do that, I don't write for 2-3 months. I do feel like I need to write more, though, once I've processed some more of what this means for me. Until then,

Grace and peace,

Heather Irene