choosing love.

Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least the risk of tragedy, is damnation.

C.S. Lewis

promises.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes, I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you home again to your own land."

Jeremiah 29:11-14, NLT

from Isaiah chapter 9

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be up on His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

"Not subjective wishful thinking but an objective, surprising joy breaking upon sinners through the grace of Christ."

from Isaiah chapter 8

"But the Lord of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary...."

"The holy God, who is the sanctuary for frightened human beings, is also the snare for those who do not fear Him. Judah and Jerusalem wring their hands over surface-level crises with little awareness of the grandeur of God. By disregarding God, they find him to be an obstacle they cannot evade."

today i love...

that i enjoyed quality time with husband and dachshund.

the fact that i got four loads of laundry done, ran to get groceries, cleaned our apartment, made tim's oatmeal for the week, and will cook some red meat tomorrow.

that i am going home in a few weeks to see my loved ones!

caramel apples. i can only find them at walgreens. and i'm aware that doesn't necessarily mean high quality. but they're all i've been dreaming of!!!

the fact that i feel like updating the blog.

i discovered pear juice. (medicinal purposes only, people.) and it is amazing.

i get to meet with my lovely mentor pam on thursday. she is coming here. we are sharing tea.

that i keep seeing God move and at work in my life.

that i've reached a point where i fear God, yet accept grace.

we get to move into our new condo in 2 months! (more on that later)

february is looking awful bright.

that i get 3 days off this week!

we'll be trying a barbeque place with some new friends on sunday...

i get to go to life group on sunday....

the windows have been open ALL DAY.

it totally felt like fall today. the sun was in & out and when it was overcast, it was beautiful too.

the sunset is making these clouds look crazy breathtaking.

i read harry potter for 2 hours, took a nap, then woke up to make my husband cinnamon sugar toast because his tummy hurt.

that i got to nurture the husband.

being content.

a list of good things.

1) Yesterday I made the best mashed potatoes. Now, they weren't restaurant style or anything, but they were a favorite that I have made. I have searched far and wide for a good mashed potato recipe, and the one that I threw together last night with red potatoes was by far the best. I didn't measure or anything... and they were awesome :) This is very helpful to a cook who has low kitchen self esteem. I'm normally checking recipes obsessively and frequently messing up our dinners. (ie: I forget we need rice or that pasta water takes quite awhile to boil so we have to wait an extra half an hour or we go without) The Internet has been a great resource for me in learning how to chop and cook, but sometimes I can go at it alone!

2) Julie's positivity. So proud of that girl. :)

3) My lovely mom and dad in law will be coming up this weekend just for a Sunday afternoon visit. Our schedules are impossible to coordinate sometimes, and I was thankful that my Sunday off and Tim's Sunday off happened to be together! They are taking us out for lunch and I can't wait to visit with two of my favorite people.

4) Fruit Salad! I'm sorry I'm still lame with the picture posting... I really can't stand doing it on Tim's laptop and his laptop is often not home.... plus, I'll admit, I feel silly taking pictures of things like fruit salad and mashed potatoes. hehe Anyway, Amber got us started with making fruit salads and whenever we can find some good fruit on sale, we go crazy. I found a huge carton of California strawberries for just $4 at the grocery store the other day, along with buy one, get one free ripe blueberries. We picked up a couple of kiwi from whole foods and some canned peaches and I make a snack that makes me thank God for berries being in season. It's so pretty and so fresh, which brings a summer smile to my face. :) p.s. I am headed to the grocery store now to see if the strawberries are still there so I can buy some more!

5) Just got a text from my sister last night saying that she and my mom were going to try and visit the weekend of the 5th, which just happens to be the weekend after my birthday! With my work schedule having me so down in the dumps these past couple of weeks, I am hoping that I'll be able to make this work... if it works out, I'll have something huge to look forward to!

6) I saw all of Lacey's wedding pictures and they are awesome! Especially the ones of she and Andy together after the ceremony. Those two have some envious photo chemistry together. So happy for her :)

7) I rediscovered teavana's arcadian apple iced tea this morning. I mourn the loss of that tea, but plan on enjoying the rest of my stash this summer before it loses its perfect flavor. Teavana reminds me of all sorts of beautiful times with friends and my mom and summertime is my favorite time to enjoy it!

dear husband,

this past week or so you have been an absolute saint.

thank you for discovering my new favorite place to walk by the lake

with the peaceful path overgrown with all sorts of wildflowers,

skimming past the gorgeous lake and the fort sheridan cemetery,

where i am overwhelmed with emotion for the sacrifices so many have made.

thank you for going out of your way to be my egg sandwich chef.

even after a long 10 hour day yesterday, you insisted on crafting the

best. sandwich. ever.

i don't know how you do it, but it's always amazing.

thank you for discovering our new favorite thai place in chicago

it reminds me of jasmine, which reminds me of home.

thanks for loving me even when i complained

all through our lunch date the other day.

you told me to go home and take a nap

"number one priority."

and didn't chastise me once for my cranky nature.

you just knew i needed something and was patient with me until i got it.

thanks for doing the dishes the other day.

i'd put them off for about 3 days straight.

coming home to a clean sink always speaks to a love language

(my high maintenance, one of many ;D)

as always, thank you for being a man that i compare all other men to

you give all you have to provide for your family

your integrity inspires me daily.

bottom line, i love you.

thanks for putting up with me.

relief.

Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for You created all things,

and by Your will they existed and were created.

Rev 4:11

truth.

"Where the future becomes hopeless,

the present becomes merciless."

Geiko Muller-Fahrenholz

i just saw this posted on facebook.

this is why i love facebook.

isaiah 41:10

fear not for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous hand.

bdpphoto.com

want to see a preview of sister's wedding pictures?

go here

amazing, right?!

so cool that we grew up knowing the photographer

and that he is an awesome guy

with an incredible talent.

can you spot the moment where gabrijel and i were making each other laugh over our fake laughs? out of control.

also, great picture taken of me and the soul mate

♥

focus.

facebook friends frequently share Scripture and quotes via status updates.

some days i am beyond thankful for these uplifting and realigning reminders.

today, amber's mom shared this:

the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you:

he will never leave you or forsake you.

do not be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:8

LISTEN...

if you want a realllllly good homemade salad dressing,

check out this post

okay, this is seriously the best salad dressing i have EVER. HAD.

i do everything she says,

except for the onion and avocado

i'm sure it's delicious....

i just haven't done it yet.

anyway, tonight i whipped this dressing up and then smothered it all over some red leaf lettuce. tim had 3/4 of a bowl of salad... and i had well over half a head of red leaf lettuce. i could not stop. needless to say, it knocks most dishes i cook out of the water... steals the show, i tell you! :) that's all for tonight. i just had to share my salad joy with you all.

happy saturday...

while i'm at it...

how about some birthday pictures?

for his birthday, tim wanted some chacos and to take a trip into the city to see a free concert in Millenium Park. our original intent was to eat at a mediterranean grill called Roti, but it was closed for Memorial Day.

(this is just our luck... we never check to see if things are open on important days... last year on tim's birthday we drove around to 5 different places trying to find a place open for his birthday dinner... same for mine last year too... although i can't remember why...)

sooo, we ended up eating at Giordarnos, which I was not that excited about. It was hot that day. Deep dish pizza and hot do not go together for me, but after a little pouting I realized I was being ridiculous and kind of enjoyed my food. ;)

the biggest highlight for me, aside from the city and my man, was Intelligentsia. this place has been recommended to me by many people and i now personally know why!

best (and possibly ugliest) shoes ever made, in my opinion :)

justin townes earle

this was who we came to see...

we were disappointed that there was no band at first, but it ended up being a great performance!

this band opened for justin townes earle. i am terrible for not knowing their name, i know. they were a hoot!

the lead singer is from chicago, and his daughter sat a few chairs down from us... he was hilarious!

the god of thunder.

last saturday, tim and i took nash over to andy and lacey's apartment to meet our nephew thor for the first time ever. andy cooked us french toast and baked bacon (bake it on parchment paper for 15-20 minutes at 425... mind blowing, i tell ya), we celebrated tim's 28th birthday, and enjoyed the company of our kids :) here are just a few photos from our morning.

by: lacey

take one attempt. couldn't resist posting... look how thor struggles :)

my little poser :)

love these plates... sister has the best taste!

yea. i'm awesome.

nash doing his best to get away from thor. here he was fussing at all of us for such an injustice.

the rest to come via facebook.

this morning...

stolen from the soul mate:

"The surest way of spoiling a pleasure is to start examining your satisfaction."

C.S. Lewis

spent the morning with Amber & Nora.

we had some Red Mango (duh).

went for a walk

and definitely enjoyed each other's company.

i commit to blogging more for the sake of

wanting her to blog as much as possible.

i will miss the Clements family dearly

and look forward to keeping up on their lives

and of course Nora's adventures. :)

i will copy some adjectives i posted on facebook,

attributes I admire deeply in Amber.

she has challenged me, helped me, and inspired me to be better

beautiful, kind, inspiring, gentle, generous, loving, full of life, and a great friend!

cannot wait for a Michigan visit.

much love to you, friend.

fitz and the tantrums

ceremony.

i've been meaning to share this with you for awhile. gabrijel, one of my sister's bridesmen, took a picture of my sister's ceremony site the day of the rehearsal. i know you've been able to see bits and pieces of the wedding so far via the facebook pics that are already up, but this is a wedding photo i believe you have yet to see!

isn't it magical??

of course, this is just a blackberry photo...

but you get the idea!!

:)

mega dose of cute.

a co worker of mine showed me this at work the other day....

it's the cutest thing i've ever seen!!!!!

on my heart, in my head

and there will come a time

you'll see

with no more tears

and love will not break your heart

but dismiss your fears

get over your hill and see

what you find there

with grace in your heart and

flowers in your hair

mumford & sons,

after the storm

i miss you, country.

I have been inspired to post after I had to cut a facebook status update in half in order to make it fit. I thought to myself, "Why don't I just blog about this?"

So here it is:

I. MISS. THE COUNTRY.

I'm not sure what it was that led me to believe I was looooved the city and at heart couldn't stand to live in the country forever. I remember, as I packed up all of our belongings in Jamestown, IN, telling Tim that I never wanted to move back. I wasn't referring to Indiana in general... it was more that never again did I want to live somewhere so remote. I didn't want to have to drive 45 minutes to get to a mall. I didn't want to drive 30 minutes to go to the grocery store or see a doctor. I was soooo excited to move to where there was a Whole Foods just 15 minutes away and one of the best cities in the United States so close by.

My husband has always been proud to be from Indiana. It's a state he loves and not one that I loathe, but I definitely did not appreciate what I had while I had it. Isn't that the story of our lives, though?

Things I miss about the Jamestown/Lebanon area:

Lebanon is actually a nice sized town with an amazing Walmart, a goodwill, a hospital. One thing that separates Lebanon from the suburbs of Chicago, however, is that there are parts of it that are actually in the country. You can buy a house in Lebanon amongst fields and also be relatively close to everything you need. I bring this up because I definitely could not live where I had to drive hours to get to the nearest gas station or church. I loved living in the country.... I never want to live in backwoods country.... I'm talking more like farmland and cornfields.

backwoods is a form of: back·woods noun (plural) /ˈbakˈwo͝odz/  backwoods, plural Remote uncleared forest land - backwoods homesteads A remote or sparsely inhabited region, esp. one considered backward

Nope, not for me. :)

I miss walking down the street with Tim & Nash, where we would end up in cornfields that were magical at dusk. (or even during the day, to be honest... just more magical at dusk!)

I miss the quiet.

I miss the local town stuff that went on.

I miss that when you'd stop at the gas station for a treat while on a walk in the evening, you would most likely see at least one person you recognized.

I also miss getting embarrassed that the same girl working at the gas station witnessed me buying myself a treat on a daily basis. :)

I MISS THE DAIRY BAR.

I miss a lack of traffic.

The country is peaceful!! Country people are my kind of people. There, I said it. There is simplicity and honesty in people from Jamestown and Lebanon that you don't see as often here (I don't include "the church" in this...) People are generally satisfied with being simple and don't need a lot of things or possessions to fill up their lives. I realize that this is an over generalization and that not all people from where I was living in Indiana are this way, but I do currently live in one of the wealthiest areas of the country... and it has given me much perspective.

Only thing I don't miss about where I used to live?

tornadoes!!!

We don't have as many of those where I'm at now and I've told Tim that if we ever moved back, my only requirement for our house is that it has a basement we can flee to.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure that we will ever go back for good. :(

As we sat in the backyard of Andy's parent's house, Gabrijel, a long time friend of my sister's and bridesman at her wedding, joked, "I feel closer to God out here!" Their house is quite literally in the middle of nowhere and I love everything about their surroundings (and them...) I'll leave you with an uploaded picture of his that I stole because I know he wouldn't mind :)

rejoice.

i refuse to let myself get caught up on the rhyme or reason

but perhaps this season will in fact bring about some perspective.

tomorrow i get to visit with a family i'm quite fond of,

a family that has blessed me greatly with their love and time

soon that family will move away

and although i am sad about it all,

the little time that we have left brings me great joy.

a morning separated from loneliness

is a morning for rejoicing.

100 ways to uncomplicate it.

hannah posted this today and i loved almost all of them!

have a happy day.

oh, and tomorrow tim and i will have been married for 3 years.

happy anniversary, my love.

let's set some goals.

my goals for the week*

less coffee. these past few weeks it's become a crutch and once again, i'm ready to wake up with some natural energy.

exercise. i am at a place in life where i absolutely cannot keep going without some endorphin action taking place.

read a lot. why not take advantage of all this extra time i've been so depressed about? i am by myself a lot and it's not going to be that way forever. it's time to be content with solitude and not take it for granted. if i don't start filling up the lonely times with activities that are actually edifying, the loneliness will only grow.

i am hoping this week will be a good one. lacey will be heading to chicago on tuesday evening with a few friends and we will spend the following day celebrating her last few weeks as a bachelor-ette. i just might take some pictures!

*it is now monday (i started this little note yesterday) and so far, i have exercised and consumed only a 1/3 caffeinated cup of coffee. i plan to read through my lunch, instead of farting around on the computer like i usually do. here's to goals that will help you out of a slump!

happy easter

‎"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are like crimson, they shall become like wool."

Isaiah 1:18

and then i read THIS.

don't read this first.

read the post below, then read this....

if the post below was too ridiculous for your time, ignore.

this follow up made me laugh out loud! i love this man!

But now back to the serious issue at hand...my mom's sock. Apparently
you have no end to ridiculing my mom. You want to give my mom socks
with the word 'princess' on them? My mom is a queen, and not just any
queen, she's THE queen. In fact, she'd be the king, if it weren't for
the fact that would be somewhat weird and awkward to call a girl king.
And I suggested the foot bath to her, and she just looked at me and
started crying. Her foot is in so much pain she can no longer lift her
foot high enough to soak it. She's been put in a wheelchair and will
not walk until she has a second sock. The ball's in your court on this
one...

Bloomington. You're coming. If you like Broad Ripple, you will be
blown away by Bloomington. Its so laid back and my kind of place.

Well I'm in out...time to go pretend to work.

in Christ

tim

p.s. On a positive note, my mom does in fact have all 10 toes. And
even better than that, she was never without all 10 toes. The whole
'no toes' thing was merely a ploy by me to get my mom's sock back. I
apologize for the confusion, and will from now on assume that you do
nto realize that I lie more than I tell the truth...

let's go back to the start.

this just might be a new tradition for me!

after a lovely afternoon walk with my little guy, i came home to an empty apartment, as husband is working tonight.

i was a little blah at first because it used to be that saturday was the one night my love and i had together.

but i was also encouraged because i will be visiting him at work later, where i will give myself a few generous hours to just read and sip on some tea.

looking to brighten my afternoon alone, i clicked on the "Tim" folder saved in my email. these emails go all the way back to just before we realized we were supposed to be together.

so back to tradition: i think that every year as we get closer to celebrating the day we started our family, i will allow myself to read through all of our emails... because they crack me up. (and also, some of the romantic things my boyfriend said while we were dating still causes weakness of the knees. :)

thought i'd share a snippet with you. the back story is pretty silly: after tim took me to one of my most favorite movies of all time (Little Miss Sunshine) to brighten my day, the car he'd been driving us around in (his mom's) apparently ate a sock because one came up missing. here is part of one email, followed by my response....

That said, this thing with my mom's sock has gone entirely too far. I
was willing to overlook your sin, as I have done so many times with
you, but no more. Misty, I'm giving you one more chance to give you my
mom's sock back before I am forced to unleash my wrath against you. I
love my mom, and I don't see that changing any time soon. My mom is
walking around with one sock on right now, blisters on the other foot,
praying that God would just provide her another sock. And here you
are, parading the sock around like a trophy to be proud of. And I
guess I should tell you this too. The fact that you offered my mom toe
socks is so offensive, because my mom does not have any toes. Stop
laughing. What would you do without toes? I'll tell you one thing you
wouldn't do...you wouldn't wear socks with toes! I'll be waiting for
the sock...

Well I'm out...

tim

p.s. you need to come to bloomington to hang out sometime. you would
love it...

Now, the sock thing.........I don't even know where to start. I refuse to ask you if you're lying or not because you can't just ask someone in an email if their mom really does not have toes and have the slightest confidence that they will answer you truthfullly. So we'll talk about this later. And I have others, not just toe socks. I have a r eally awesome pink pair that says "Princess" on them. My grandmother puts socks in my stocking at Christmas, I really don't know why. Oh, if your mom has blisters I can recommend a good foot soak. Haha. Wow, you make me laugh.

I don't know how I made it to 4 am yesterday morning. It's 12:30 and I'm falling asleep as we speak. So, I hope things are going well for you in the working world. :)

Misty

ps....I'd love to hang out in Bloomington sometime. If you say it's something I'd love, I'm sure I would.

God is my victory and He is here.

so a few of you know how hard this past week has been on tim and i.

to randomly share,

i want to say thank you for the kind messages and prayers.

amber,

for the trip to crust and gelato through chicago's nasty spring mess. for bringing the beautiful creature called Nora into this world. her smiles and joy always lift my spirits and she's just about the sweetest kid i've ever met.

julie,

for dropping everything and giving me three days to choose from for a visit long overdue... and pretty much asserting that you wouldn't take no for an answer. i really am looking forward to some time together. it's a comfort that friendship still prevails, despite distance and a crazy life.

tiffany,

for the text message i don't know i can ever delete about what your mom was doing in heaven. that brought me the greatest comfort because i love your mom and i know what kind of mom she was while here on this earth. i don't know exactly how that heaven thing works, but i was reminded how much love must be there.

mom & dad,

for spoiling me and leading me through normal life activities this past weekend. for love and support and compassion.

all the women who opened up to me,

for sharing your former struggles and reminding me i can get through and there will be a brighter day.

lacey,

for listening to a crying idiot, fed up with all of the expenses life has been throwing as of late. and for offering to pay yet again for dress alterations. i am blessed by your generosity.

husband,

for going through this with me. it has brought us closer and grown us stronger. we are about to celebrate 3 years and even though you never read this blog (;D) i want you to know i know i could not have chosen a better man to go through this life with.

comfort.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

THE MESSAGE

^1-3 God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.

⁴ Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I'm not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd's crook
makes me feel secure.

NLT

¹ The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
² He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
³ He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
⁴ Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.

you are a tourist.

via tiffany

i can't look away:

may 31.

sister in law

alicia is headed back to japan today

please keep her in your prayers

another posting i neglected

was the one about the coolest christmas present ever

chopsticks all the way from japan

(from sister in law, of course)

and little white dachshunds to rest them on

p.s.

how long will it take me to learn how to spell my dog's breed name without having to look it up on wikipedia?! oh well... i don't mind looking at all the little pictures of daCHSHund puppies that the search always pulls up for me :D

once upon a time...

my good friend amber & i had a wonderful day together.

the day was documented by camera

but due to my blog slump

and being forced to blog via laptop

of course, i put it off

after emptying the contents of my memory card,

i remembered this day with a smile

and thought i would pay homage to our fun

:)

that day we did a few fun things

one of them being trying a recipe for Oreo Balls

i would highly recommend them

they were cheap, easy, & delicious

some ingredients & supplies...

yes, i was crushing oreos with my lemon zester

and sneaking bites while amber made a trip to the bathroom...

final product

let's just say our husbands loved them

they were super rich but didn't last very long

if that tells you anything :)

later, we enjoyed a few episodes of one of my favorite shows, Wife Swap

and some Strawberry Paraiso Teavana tea,

which was a sweet gift ordered by mail for me from Amber

it is a fantastic blend that re-steeps well and actually contains popcorn!

see?!

these are my favorite tea mugs from Starbucks!

and last,

our attempt at getting a good picture with Nash

yes, i had some fun with editing... i like changing the color of things

since i have no talent when it comes to the realm of photography

look at nash's little tongue!

doesn't she have the prettiest eyes?!

this lady has meant a lot of me and helped me through one of the hardest seasons of my life (so far... i know i haven't lived and lost much yet at all....) she is a wonderful listener and encourager. she's lifted me up in prayer and been great company in a city where i still don't have a lot of solid friendships. love her! and i've loved looking back on happy days today :)