And we're off...

I'm so excited about this weekend! Casie and I are taking a road trip to Indiana, another state I can check off of my "states i've yet to visit" list! Yep, we're rollin' out of town this afternoon with the top down, the wind in our hair, and not a care in the world or a schedule to go by!! I'm leaving all 4 of my alarm clocks at home (sad, I know), and im not looking at my crackberry, palm pilot or laptop if it kills me. I sooo need this little break. We're going to visit Casie's hometown, which apparently has one stoplight, and a population of about 3,000. Small town as it may be, I have a feeling they're still going to make fun of my southern accent, haha. Oh yeah, we're just two wild and crazy gals itching to get outta the big city for some R & R and a little road adventure...Mayberry here we come! :o)

Weekend update with Tina Fey...

Well, as I predicted in my last blog, this weekend certainly did not disappoint. I think I got about 6 hours sleep total over the whole weekend, but it was well worth it. A low key Friday night was followed by a 'get up at the butt crack of dawn for a 3-mile walk in the pouring rain Saturday'. Sounds miserable huh? It was actually a blast! A few of us gals decided that our team was just a little too quiet, so we took it upon ourselves to wake them up with a little booty shakin' fun! Oh yeah, we busted out all the old school dance moves, and even started up a dance party with other teams at the end of the walk! There was no way that we were going to let a little rain ruin our good time, or let it get down the spirits of those who were there for a great cause! You've never done a 5K until you've done the entire thing dancing and singing!

After the walk/dance party, it was off to finish preparing for the evening's big event - Parker's Jimmy Buffett birthday party. An afternoon of hard work paid off with a successful party that was a ton of fun! The CG clubhouse was very festive, donning leis, tiki lights and even "cheeseburgers in paradise" complete with mini umbrellas! A good time was had by all. But the evening was far from over! Oh no, there was still yet even more booty shakin' fun to be had, as a ton of us headed off to Hole in the Wall to dance the night away. I think I rolled into bed about 3am, and one things for sure - 8am came waaay too early. It's mornings like that I remember why I love my coffee maker... :o)

After a Sunday afternoon spent lounging by the pool and reading the last of my small group study for the week, a little early evening nap helped me prepare for another anticipated long week ahead. Ahh, back to the grind, but I cant wait to see what fun adventures next weekend holds as the girls head off on an out-of-state road trip which is sure to bring about more fun filled memories!

Ahh...it IS still under there!

It's Friday afternoon, and im feelin' pretty darn good...for the first time in about 4 months, I can actually see my desk under the stack of stuff to do! Yes, it IS still there! I was beginning to wonder if my desk was constructed entirely of paperwork, and I had even forgotten that it was an ugly shade of "cubicle tan." I'm checking off one more thing on my to-do list, and then im gonna make like a tree and get the heck outta dodge! (too many cliches in one sentence? I think so, but hey its Friday, who cares?! haha) I am going to walk out the door today and breathe a sigh of relief that my task list for Monday morning is manageable (plus my boss will be out of town, and I always get more done when that is the case). Oh yes, it is going to be a good weekend...

Broken

I cant just post this song without giving the story behind the song, so consider this your “Behind the Music”…;o)

I started writing this song Sunday, during Andy’s sermon (I know that sounds like I wasn’t paying attention, but really I was). Andy gave us 8 words that he said tell the story of the bible, and one of the words kept ringing in my head…broken. I couldn’t get past it. As he repeatedly came back to that word, I read Psalm 51:17…

“The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God you will not despise.”

As I sat and thought on these words, God just completely poured this song out of me..I swear it’s the fastest I have ever written any song in my entire life. It was the coolest feeling. Anyways, I know its hard to read just lyrics on a screen and get the whole effect of the actual song I hear in my head, but you get the general idea. :o)

Broken
By: Jamie Waddy 4-9-06

Holy one
Tonight I come
I bow down before you
Righteous one
The perfect son
I surrender to you

Free me from all my sin
Lord let me live again
I desire to seek you from within

(Chorus)
I’m broken
Make me whole
Fill my soul with you
And I’m hopeless
All alone
Your mercy pulls me through
I surrender all ill ever be
and reach out for your hand
I’m broken
Jesus, make me whole again

Boundless one
You’ve just begun
To reveal your power
Faithful one
For all you’ve done
I’m forever thankful

Free me from all my sin
Lord let me live again
I desire to seek you from within

(Repeat Chorus)

(Bridge)
(I surrender all)
All I have is you
(I surrender all)
All I want is you
(I surrender all)
All my hope is you

(Repeat Chorus)

©2006 Jamie Leigh Music

My Prayer For Today...

Dear heavenly father, I thank you so much for today, and for allowing me to have such an amazing life surrounded by so many awesome opportunities to seek and serve you. Lord, you know the desires of my heart, and my prayer today is that if my desires align with your plan for my life, then they will be done. But God, if my desires are not those same desires that you have for me, I pray that you will change my heart. I want to seek YOU and follow YOUR plan for my life, not my own, and I ask for your strength to change my heart if it is not your will. Above all else, regardless of what it may look like, I pray that YOUR will not MINE be done!

:)

Lessons Learned

"Lessons Learned"
Carrie Underwood

There's some things that I regret,
Some words I wish had gone unsaid,
Some starts,
That had some better endings,
Been some bad times I've been through,
Damage I cannot undo,
Some things,
I wish I could do all all over again,
But it doesn't really matter,
Life gets that much harder,
It makes you that much stronger,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.

[Chorus:]
And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every start,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.

There's mistakes that I have made,
Some chances I just threw away,
Some roads,
I never should've taken,
Been some signs I didn't see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds,
That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don't make no difference,
The past can't be rewritten,
You get the life you're given,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.

[Chorus:]
And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every start,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.

And all the things that break you,
Are all the things that make you strong,
You can't change the past,
Cause it's gone,
And you just gotta move on,
Because it's all,
Lessons learned.

[Chorus:]
And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every start,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned,
Lessons learned.

Time flies when you're....busy?

It's 5:30 am on a typical weekday morning. I hear the faint beginnings of the first of many alarms start to go off across the room (a side effect of living by myself). After a few moments of sleepy haze, I hurl myself out of bed and drudgingly cross the room to hit snooze... and then I crawl right back into bed and halfway doze off until I hear the next sound in the round of attempts to wake my non-morning self up. This pattern continues for at least a good 30-45 minutes. The radio alarm next to my head goes off...it's now 6:15. I know I should be up already, and should be doing my quiet time, but my eyelids feel like I have small rocks holding them shut. I wrap myself up in the comforter even tighter, and convince myself that ill only snooze another 10 minutes. Submerged in sleepless oblivion, I try to decipher if the traffic report I hear and the celebrity gossip is really on the radio, or if im having another dream.

I look at the clock...dang. It's 6:50. What happened to the 10 minutes I was just going to "rest" through? Now I have 35 minutes until I need to leave. I scramble to jump out of bed and get ready for work. I dont have time to do my whole bible study (we're doing a Beth Moore series in small group). I decide that ill take my lunch break to complete today's lesson. I rush to get dressed with as little ironing as possible, and im out the door - squeaking into the office just in time.

Work is so busy that the morning seems to fly right by. I glance at the clock, it's 11:15. I decide that I will take lunch at around 12:30, go lock myself in the supply closet and do my lesson. The next thing I know I look at the clock again and its now 2:45, so much for lunch. I scarf down whatever snack I have in my desk or grab something out of the vending machine and keep plugging away. I make a mental note that ill do my quiet time when I get home. Ahh, but yet it's another typical busy weekday evening, and I find myself getting home late. I muster up enough energy to go check my email. I respond to about half, and save the rest for later...ive been staring at a computer screen all day, so by this point another computer screen just makes my eyes burn. I throw in a load of laundry, wash my face, and collapse sometime around 1am.
This is often my weekday trend...notice something I missed? Oh yeah, I never got around to reading my bible that day like I said I was going to. It's such an easy pattern to fall into. I had every intention of doing it, but it (like it often does when I get slammed) got pushed by the wayside. Sure, I talk to God all day - I pray constantly...that should count for something right?

Well, yes and no. Yes, God wants us to talk to Him on a continual basis, but he also gave us His word for a reason, we're supposed to LEARN it! I dont think I would feel very comfortable going in for surgery if my doctor said "yeah, I kind of skimmed the med. school books..I can wing it enough to figure out what im doing"...uh, no thanks - ill keep all my organs in tact please. Same principle applies to us - how are we supposed to display God's word to others and convey it to those who do not know Him, when we ourselves dont dive into it daily? I have been convicted about this for some time, but hearing David speak about it last night at 722 confirmed the convictions of my heart. It's so easy for me to get distracted with all the other things on my plate, and put reading the bible farther down on my list. But how am I supposed to be achieving His full potential for my life if im not doing the homework? I could slide by sometimes in high school without reading the chapter, but real life's a whole different ball game.

I went back and re-read Psalm 119:97-112...

"Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow you righteous laws,
I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.
Accept, O Lord, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.
Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.
The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts.
Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.
My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end."

Wow. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. God doesnt command us to read His word to punish us and make us feel like we're always in "class"...He loved us so much that he GAVE us His word so that we wont fall flat on our faces every time we try to make a decision on our own. I mean seriously, who tries to put together a bomb without reading instructions first? Not reading the bible on a consistent basis is like walking through a mine field blindfolded and without a map. If you could only see, and you could map out exactly where the explosives were buried, your chances of being blown into bits would be far less than if you just aimelessly tried to wander through it all by yourself.

So tonight I pray for discipline. Discipline, diligence and commitment to immerse myself in His word every day...I've hit enough mines of my own, and from experience, I prefer to have the map.

JW

Let's talk about investments...and no, I dont mean banking...

Ok so I know there's probably some cardinal rule that says you cant post two blogs in one day, but I just have a lot on my mind (and technically its after midnight, so its not the same day hehe), so im throwing caution to the wind! Wooo watch me go..(she says with heavy sarcasm) :o)

Tonight I had an amazing time getting to know two amazing women. In a social group that is so large such as the one my friends and I have, it is often pretty difficult to dig deep and truly invest in a lot of people. But this is my passion, and this is what I feel is key to friendships - investment. Sure, its easy to be that "superficial surface friend" who says hey in passing, maybe throws out a half-hearted 'how's life' when the opportunity strikes, but I strive NOT to be that person - to me its a waste of time. Why hang out with people you're not willing to invest in and grow with? It would be incredibly selfish of me to not reach out to those around me and share with them the joys, wisdom, trials and experiences God has clearly guided me through for a reason. If He wanted us to live our lives in solitude, and to endure good times and bad alone, He would have isolated us all. No, God puts us through some of the trials in our lives because He is inadvertedly using us (whether we know it or not) as vessels to reach out to others. So maybe the next time you're going through something tough that might even make you question God's faithfulness, take a moment and pause. Reflect on it and learn - seek out what He is trying to teach you in that situation, and use it to glorify Him in any way you can. I personally see it as an honor when I can look back on a situation that I went through, and see how God used it, not only to test and teach me, but to touch someone else as well. I am so thankful that He is willing to use me, and that I am able to be that vessel for His kingdom.

And that's what tonight was about. As I sat there listening to these ladies' amazing stories, it warmed my heart, as well as opened my eyes to things in my own life and walk that I might not have seen on my own. I only hope that they had the same experience. Because that's what we're here for - to sharpen each other, and to hold each other accountable to the potential that God has created us to be. Who else but a true friend can hold that mirror to our faces when we dont even want to look ourselves in the eye? If you're my friend and you're reading this...that's what I want. I want you to call me out when you see that im doing something stupid, or maybe not making a wise decision - whether you think it will hurt my feelings or not. Invest in me. I will invest in you. We all become stronger as individuals, and in Christ, and we then in turn share that with those around us, and His light will continue to embrace everything around us until His joy just becomes so darn contagious!

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
~John 15:13

JW

Head West young woman....er, I mean East

The times, they are a changin'! Yes that's right folks, im packing up and heading east...to Dunwoody (ha, ha), otherwise currently known as 'Fusion Social Central.' I will be gracing the ever-popular "CG" (as it is affectionately known) with my presence in just three short weeks. I think today the overwhelming feeling of how much stuff I need to accomplish before then actually hit me. For the past 4 months I have been shopping for a new place closer to work and church, but to no avail. Then randomly in the last two weeks, God just kind of lined everything up perfectly for me to move. I was even able to get out of the new year lease I just signed, without having to pay anything extra! (talk about divine intervention) It turns out that I wound up with a larger apartment, 5 minutes from work, cheaper than what im paying now, and right smack dab in the middle of all my best buds...talk about perfection!

I know it sounds weird, but even a move so small (it's about 15 minutes east of my current home) is a big deal to me. My current place is literally only the 4th place ive ever lived my entire life. I'm just not one who bounces all over the place, and I never lived in dorms, so "home" has always been one of those steady constants. But i'm incredibly excited about the new place, and having friends so close. I stay so busy now that I literally dont know a single person that lives in my complex, and ive been there a year! And for a social butterfly such as myself, that is rare - I thoroughly enjoy meeting new people and making new friendships!

So anyways, (are you keeping up here? I know my brain tends to wander to random topics...hence the title of my blog) I dont know if its the fact that my boss is out today, or maybe that ive just been so incredibly busy this week that my brain is on overload, but I have been a total slacker all day. I've spent a majority of my time making lists of what I need to do for the move, accounts I need to update, things I need to get, etc. (yes its the OCD in me) and trying to decipher how much packing im going to be able to cram in this weekend in between parties, haha. Do you ever have just so much on your mind, and so much to do that you kind of go kaput and dont get any of it done? You dont know which way is up, and where exactly to start. That's kind of how I feel right now. So ive chocked up today basically to a total loss of productivity for the things at work I need to get done...im going to have to hit the ground running in the morning to catch up for my brief moment of uncharacteristic slackness! (is that even a word?) Oh well, ill lather rince and repeat (much more effectively) in the morning. As Scarlett says, afterall, tomorrow is another day... ;o)

Welcome to my brain...

Hello!

Welcome to the innerworkings of my mind...readers beware! Haha, kidding! Ok, so ive been blogging on my myspace page, but I cant access it from work, and sometimes the mood just strikes me to write about something in the middle of the day, and so here I am...for your reading entertainment and my personal amusement. :o) I will confess...im a blog junkie - I love to write, so a blog is like the coolest invention ever to me...and I love to read all my friends blogs, it allows me to catch up on their lives and whats going on inside their heads, even when I may not have time to talk to them every day. I do lots of 2am blog reading, partially because im a night owl and never go to bed at a decent hour, and partially because im like every other 25 year old we know - my schedule is jam packed, im a workaholic, and 2am is the only time I have to myself to do some of the leisurely things I enjoy. My motto is "ill sleep when im dead." Heck, life is meant to be lived fearlessly and passionately, and I love to seize every amazing opportunity God puts in front of me!

So, anyways...hope that the musings of my mind dont bore you to tears, and I hope maybe they'll give you a little insight as to what im all about.

Hugs!
JW