Tomorrow, New Year’s Day, I leave for Nashville. This is by far the best way I have ever started a new year. Here’s why….
            A short time ago, I was allowed to endure pain that I still don't have answers for. I struggle with it everyday. I learned that people are not always who they say they are. These days I have become far more cautious.  Don’t get me wrong; I love my family and where I’m from. But, the further away my mind goes from my pre-college years, the more I realize why God has allowed me to endure and come in contact with people for a reason. Coming home takes me back to my past-nothing earth shattering- but definitely many letdowns.  

            Over the past three semesters I have met new friends who truly believe in the word family. They see life as an opportunity to help, love, give, and stand for each other. Competition is rare and forgiveness never ceases.  Nashville is basically a safe-haven for me.  Any kind of pain or disappointment I experienced back at home suddenly does not matter anymore.

            So what does this all have to do with 2012? Well, I pray God will continue to remind me of the blessings He has provided. Some people don’t like change.  I embrace it. I want every day to be a new learning experience I can pass on to the people who really matter the most. That includes the family back home. I want them to know how grateful I am for their continual support, love, and care, for the new life I have been blessed with.  I pray someday I will be able to come home and feel genuinely happy to visit without any stepping back in time. 

            Finally, I wish you a safe, prosperous, and Happy New Year. To all the smiles I see, and even the crooked smile I do not see anymore…Many blessings to you in 2012. Remember every year as a step forward. Not just a number. 

<3 Lib.
Jeremiah 29:11- "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

"Don't hog your journey. It's not just for you. Think of how many people you could have helped on the plane ride home. You can take your business, shove it deep in your pockets, and take it to your grave. Or you can help someone. It's your choice."~  Hoda (Hoda Kotb biography)

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         Within four weeks, I have adopted three leadership positions, joined a strong group of Panhellenic women, and crossed the finish line of my first half marathon. Not to mention I will also be 20 in three weeks. Days go by so fast, and I rarely have time to sit down and take it all in. I have always felt God was with me, pushing me through both obstacles and peaks in my life. Yet, the stage I am in right now, He is closer than ever. I cannot explain to you how overwhelmed I am of His faithfulness. As I reached mile two, I kept asking myself, “Why in the world am I running 13 miles?” “This is insane?!”  Feet hitting the pavement, I was reaching for a practical answer.  Finally, it clicked. I became distracted by the beautiful city view, friendly waves from locals raising their coffee cups, mothers holding their children, and musicians serving as my  ipod. I was running for all of those things. One of my dearest friends recently shared the Runner’s prayer with me:

  “Run by my side; live in my heartbeat; give strength to my step. As the cold surrounds, as the wind pushes me, I know you surround me. As the sun warms me, as the rain cleanses me, I know you are touching me, challenging me, loving me. And so I give you this run. Thank you for matching my stride.” Amen. 

          I am convinced Jesus matches his pace with our own. Sometimes it may seem too slow and other times, too fast. Regardless, He knows exactly what we need to feel at home. And as I reached miles 11, 12, and finally 13, I knew it was my duty on this earth to run to the place where God wants me to be. 

I run so I can reach my goal. I run to enjoy every moment. I run to become a better woman. I run to match my steps with Him.
Philippians 3:12-14
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

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        As I sat on the edge of the fence, facing a valley of blue ridge peaks and still, cold, white smoke, for once I felt lightweight. The heaviness I was experiencing was lifted only for a moment. Sipping the Starbucks ready brew I picked up from the camping lodge, my mind drifted into memories of camping trips to Carolina with some family friends. It’s amazing the ease at which nature can have on the soul even in the darkest times. Leaves, shades of green, brown, and maple caught my eye and my thoughts from drifting back to hidden fear. So deep in thought, I hardly recognized one of my peers walking over to enjoy the view along side me. 

“You mind if I sit here? Hope I am not interrupting something.” 

“Oh, uh... no your fine, go right ahead,” I replied.

I waited a moment to assure she would not be offended by my leave and slowly collected my things to join some of my peers. It was my high school senior retreat at Camp Cedar Cliff in North Carolina. I don’t even remember how long that trip was, but the experience and mix of emotions are still imprinted in my head to this day. I remember it being the most painful yet beautiful memories of my entire high school career. I almost didn’t go, but something was telling me to board that bus. From the time our bus left the gravel of the school parking lot until the time I rode home with my mother, my love for writing began to bloom. I wrote every bit of feeling that haunted me. For the rest of that year, I wrote every bit of feeling I could put into words. On the first night of retreat, I wrote the following entry:

August 15, 2009
        I just climbed a mountain. Probably three miles both up and down. And I thought about how it relates to my life now. I thought about how this past summer and before then, I have been climbing all along. I just couldn’t and still can’t see the top. Where is it? How much longer? These are the questions I continue to ask myself. My only answer is to keep going. For a while the trail has been unclear and tiring but I am taking one step at a time. Climbing one rock at a time. “My feet are on even ground, have mercy on me?” Psalm 24. I found that once I get to the top its all downhill from there. The scenery becomes more beautiful each step. Despite the times I may slip and fall, I become a bit stronger, more determined, and focused on my passion in life. The hike I travel alone is all worth it at the end of the day, and God’s purpose is waiting at the top. 
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      This morning, I am reflecting back on my first year of college and getting ready to head home in the next two weeks. For those of you who do not know, I have been nannying for a couple living down the street from the Belmont campus. They are absolutely a joy to know, and I am eternally blessed to be able to live with them for part of my summer. For one, I am grateful to have been able to stay in Nashville a little longer than I expected, and two, I will miss seeing their 10 month daughter, Briar every morning. She brightens my day with all smiles. I must say she is quite the speedy traveler, crawling EVERYWHERE around the house she can get to. I am learning how to look at life in a simple way again, which is far opposite from the unpredictable life I live. I watched a sermon online this morning from the local church I attend here. Crosspoint Community church pastor, Pete Wilson, discussed the meaning of the Beatitudes, and how they are “values,” rather than, “instruction.” In the first verse, Jesus quotes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Wilson explained the term, “poor in spirit,” to be by no means a characteristic we should strive for. But rather, a recognition of our own sinful nature, being undeserving of the life God has given us. He said quote, “The way you were made righteous is to admit you are not righteous.”  Everyone who has been created on this earth by God has or will experience troubles and pains that are unexplainable. Often, through the stages of grief, we feel we deserve entitlement to a certain blessing. What we want. The Beatitudes is not about what we have done or what we are, but what we are not. Admitting we are all the same and are empty without Jesus is righteousness. Admitting we are wrong and can never be perfect like Him is a blessing. After listening to the message, I opened my Daily Light devotional book. Like most days, the scripture presented fits perfectly with the day’s events. 


June 5th: Morning & Evening Passages
       When you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, “We unprofitable servants.”Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. What do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? By grace you have been save through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. For of Him and though Him and to Him are all things. All things come from You, of Your own we have given You. Do not enter into judgement with your servant, for in Your sight no one living is righteous.He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; and man became a living being. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? In Him we live and move and have our being. As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath; for He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away does not come again. 

*Luke 17:10, Rom. 3:27, 1 Cor. 4:7, Eph. 2:8-10, 1 Cor. 15:10, Rom. 11:36, 1 Chron. 29:14, Ps. 143:2, Ps. 103:14, Gen.2:7, Ps. 139:14-16, Mal. 2:10, Acts 17:28, Ps. 103:13, Ps. 78:38-39
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   Recognizing our life to be a continual growth of our faith, allows us stay humbled and even more compassionate towards every person we come in contact with.   As a result, forgiveness and mercy towards others is a reciprocate of our admittance to our undeserving mercy from God. 
    Here is a challenge I have set for myself and for you. Each day, write down a a blessing you do not deserve. It can be on a notecard, in a letter to someone else, or sticky note on your fridge. The more we are thankful for what we do not deserve, the more we can be content with our circumstances. 

      I thought it would be appropriate to end this post with some thank you’s: 
    Thank you Dad and Mom for raising me in a home where Christ is the center. My childhood has kept me grounded and has opened my eyes to a world where Christian homes are scarce. Thank you for loving me even when I was not grateful enough or was working too much to see the big picture. Thank you Ava and Lonnie for continuing to teach me attributes I can learn from. 
     Thank you to the Augusta Christian Schools faculty for teaching me the importance of perseverance. 
     Thank you to the professors and counselors at Belmont University for pushing me to go farther than I think I can go. I know still have many semesters to come and way more to learn, but I believe the past year has really helped me decide what direction I want to go in my career.
     Thank you Maple Hall fourth floor. Freshman year will be remembered for its" sunshiny" days:) I love all of you and have been blessed to meet so many friends who possess such huge hearts. 
     Thank you to those who encouraged me to continue this website. Times when I was experiencing writer’s block or was unsure of how my writing would be taken, I knew by giving it time, each entry would come together and be of enjoyment to one person out there. 
     Thank you Jesus. For a lifetime of blessings I must never take for granted or feel entitled to. 
~ <3 Lib
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Clap your hands. Do the wave. Take a car ride. Sport those aviators. Spike a volleyball. Take a morning jog. Oh and did I mention sing at the top of your lungs? Ready. Set. Play. :) Click here to check out my picks for best summer tunes. 
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 Dear Reader, 
     Despite my tardiness to followup on the last post, I have finally made the time to sit down and serve you a list of some of the best local ground coffee creations. Nashville locals have a way of making their breweries the ideal place to study, relax, or catch up with an old friend over a tasty cup a’ Jo. 

Frothy Monkey:

The “White Monkey Mocha,” is my personal favorite, especially during the long winter months. The white chocolate adds the right amount of sweetness without overshadowing the espresso taste. Located on 12th Ave. South, FM’s atmosphere takes one out of the workplace to his or her front porch or favorite vacation spot. 
http://www.frothymonkeynashville.com/
Edgehill Cafe:
    HIYAAAH! is the name. It’s also the jolt of energy from the mix of cinnamon, hazelnut, caffeine, and more caffeine. What I love about Edgehill is the open space and LOTS of seating, which can be hard to find in most coffee shops. Edgehill provides their customers with the cultural history and urban style of Nashville.
http://edgehillcafe.com/

Fido:
   If you are looking for a coffee dessert, the Dalmatian will satisfy the strongest sweets craving. Freshly made espresso is added to creamy white chocolate, frothy milk, and topped with milk chocolate shavings. Located in Hillsboro Village, Fido attracts both students and locals alike. 
http://www.bongojava.com/fido.php

Dose Coffee & Tea:
    Sometimes you just need a freshly made regular coffee. Take your pick. Mocha. Chai. Americano. Each cup is made from a barista who knows their coffee stuff. :)
  http://www. dosecoffeeandtea.com
~ <3 Lib



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   6:00 p.m. is a special time of day for me. A cup of coffee is next to a serene vacation. If you are wondering whether I am a coffee addict, you are not far off.  The other day, I was riding in the car with two of my friends with a Starbucks grande in hand. All of a sudden the most fabulous idea popped into my head! Each week in April, I will try a signature drink from a different coffeehouse. Challenging my caffeine tolerance will be just as epic as the taste testing.  I’ve decided Starbucks will not be included in my espresso extravaganza. I want to go beyond the standard, “Tall Caramel Macchiato,” embracing the locals’ recipes. At the end of the month, I will recap my experience and name my discoveries of some of the most eclectic, relaxing, and urban coffee shops in Nashville! Bring it on baristas!!!

Oh and fun fact of the day: Con Pana is Italian for, “espresso with whipped cream.” A Solo is single shot. A Doppio is double shot. 

~ <3 Lib
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    To my sister who I love dearly, here is a Red Umbrella post just for you. All week I have been searching my brain for something to write about. I gave my thoughts some time, and it finally clicked. I encourage you to keep singing your heart out. It's a God-given gift you should never hold back :)  

    We have all lived in the world of tree houses, sandboxes, and red swing sets. The simpler times when nothing could knock us down. Yet we grow, hurt, and learn from experiences we do not understand. Being a Christian is not a short cut. People are going to disagree with you, make assumptions about you, and see the Christian way as a tight rope. You may get a little frustrated and let down. And unlike your preschool days, band aides may not always be enough. I’ve been around the corner and hit those low notes several times. I feel every bit of sting that comes with following Christ. Sometimes it takes only one person to throw a rock and shatter the window of your heart. And you know what happens?  Your heart glows a little brighter, welcoming the love of those who matter.:)
   I will leave you and those reading this post with a passage I received today from a friend and a quote close to my heart. I think we all need to read this from time to time. 

~<3 Lib

Psalm 145:14-21
14 The LORD upholds all who fall 
   and lifts up all who are bowed down. 
15 The eyes of all look to you, 
   and you give them their food at the proper time. 
16 You open your hand 
   and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways 
   and faithful in all he does. 
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, 
   to all who call on him in truth. 
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; 
   he hears their cry and saves them. 
20 The LORD watches over all who love him, 
   but all the wicked he will destroy.

 21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. 
   Let every creature praise his holy name 
   for ever and ever.

"The crowd challenges, "Follow me and you will fit in." Jesus promises, "Follow me and you will stand out." ~ Max Lucado

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       I’m pretty lucky. Actually I am lucky. I’ll tell you why. 

      I usually get up around 7 a.m. every morning and have my cup of coffee before class. Sometimes a random event happens during the day and throws me off. I’m lucky because as much as I try, things don’t always go normally. I’m lucky because I can walk within two miles and hear someone singing their heart out or jamming on a guitar. Or Guitar Hero. I can step outside and it can be snowing one day and sunny the next. I pass the most wonderful people I have ever met on these sidewalks. I pass the most wonderful people I have yet to meet. I have learned in the past to continue to love those who may or may not love me back. I am currently writing for a school magazine for one of my classes. I’m learning how to write news style which is definitely different from what I am used to. But I love it. I recently got involved in an organization called Girls on the Run. We mentor young girls, building their self esteem, teaching them how to live a healthy lifestyle while training them to run a 5k. To see those girls cross the finish line with a smile makes me feel lucky.
      I am sitting on a bench in front of the double doors of the practice rooms. I can play the piano a bit. I’m not great but I can pick out the simple chords and intro refs to my favorite feel-good songs. I like to have those moments where I can block every bit of stress hanging off my shoulder and just mess around. I can write this blog post and be honest. I am alive and God has given me the freedom to be honest; with myself, those around me, and most importantly with Him. I have the freedom to smile when I want, laugh when I want, sing when I want. (Not to say I’m good. I only belt it out when I’m keeping myself awake while driving.) I can be who I am and not care what others think. There are times when my soul longs to know what’s going to happen next. It drives me crazy. Then I stop. Wait. Write some more. Sing some more, laugh some more, smile more, and it doesn’t matter. I can choose what affects my day and what doesn’t. If I can smile, laugh, cry and see God play his song in my life, I have no reason to complain. 

Oh and one more thing, I’m not lucky, just blessed. :)

~ <3 Lib

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            Over the last three days to the start of 2011, a series of epiphanies have led me to making three New Year’s resolutions. I rarely make New Year’s resolutions because one, it takes too long for me to rack my brain New Year’s Eve for a practical goal, and secondly, I usually forget about them later. So here are three different yet exciting (at least I think they are:)) experiences I have planned to brighten up my 2011 :)

Take More Pictures:

            I have already reached my second semester of college and the photo wall in my dorm does not live up to how much fun I have actually had...So I plan to capture the quirky moments with my friends and the jaw dropping, “I have never seen anything like this so maybe I should photoshop it in my brain and post it on a collage,” moments. I want more days in the park, coffee shops, and art museums. Challenging myself to take more polaroids (which by the way I have a perfectly good one but have yet to use it....) will force me to take time away from the stress of school and allow me the discover most diverse places in Nashville. 
Save Up for a Trip to Europe:

           For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to take a trip to Europe, mainly Greece, Italy, London, and Scotland. This desire has resulted from watching way to much Samantha Brown and Giada De Laurentiis. What sparked my interest into saving for a trip was singer songwriter Brooke White’s blog post about her trip to Europe. Brookie Babble is the name and if you choose to read, you just might end up dragging out an old mason jar yourself. $15 a week is my goal. It might increase later. I’ll let you know when I’m booking my flight. 

Make “Life is Good,” One of My Everyday Cliches :

This video is just darling, it makes me laugh, and it screams motivation with a touch of humor. 

Colossians 4:5-6
"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." 

Wishing Everyone a peaceful and memorable 2011!!

~ <3 Lib
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               If you are looking for a good read to keep you from getting seasonal affective disorder , check out NBC correspondent, Hoda Kotb's biography. From experiencing almost every life-threatening hurdle, this woman has literally done it all to climb to where she is today. I adore her sense of humor during the fourth hour of Today and in this inspirational page turner. About three fourths into the novel, Hoda describes a life changing encounter with a man on a plane ride, quoting this man's wise reminder: "Don't hog your journey. It's not just for you. Think of how many people you could have helped on the plane ride home. You can take your business, shove it deep in your pockets, and take it to your grave. Or you can help someone. It's your choice." 
              I won't say much more about the novel to avoid making it a spoiler. What I will say is that it will touch your heart, make you laugh out loud, excite your reading experience, and motivate you to let God use your life to make the world a little brighter. 

~ <3 Lib

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