allow me to netflix it.

people. i just joined netflix. you may be wondering, "where have you been?" good question. i am wondering the same thing myself. how did i not know the brilliance of netflix before? so many movies AND tv shows available for such a small price to pay.

i'm supposed to be getting Away We Go tomorrow. i'll probably watch it about 20 times before i send it back (i love that movie. so much). and then i'll start on season 3 of Heroes, which i sadly missed most of last year. such sweet joy!

again, why did i not know how amazing netflix is before now?

me too.

i've been thinking a lot lately about those two little words. a while ago i read Rob Bell's book Jesus Wants To Save Christians. in it, there is a passage where he mentions that Anne Lamott (author of Traveling Mercies, a book which i am very intrigued by and interested in reading soon) once said the most powerful sermon in the world is "me too." i'm seeing the truth in that more and more.

in those two little words, friendships are born. masks are removed. struggles are made less powerful. lives are healed.

i love how Rob puts it:

When you aren't judged,
or lectured,
or looked down upon,
but somebody demonstrates that they get it,
that they know what it's like,
that you aren't alone,
that's "me too."

in anything, whether it's someone sharing their deepest fears and secrets or just their interests and favorite things, "me too" binds people together.

what amazing power there is in just two little words!

sunny sunday.

though it's a little warm for my liking today, i will admit it's beatiful outside. i'm thankful for some time to enjoy God's goodness, remembering that in a world of uncertainty, He is the same all the time, always loving and faithful. He is bigger than my problems and my fears, and through it all He is so, so good to me.

just call me susie homemaker.

lately i've had an intense desire to learn and do all things domestic.

julie & julia inspired me to learn to cook. how fun would it be to pick up a cookbook and learn at least one new recipe a week? i'm currently a terrible (yes, really terrible) cook, so i've decided this is a vital skill to learn. first thing i'd like to make: the very seasonal pumpkin bread! mmmm...

project runway inspires me to learn to sew and make fun things like dresses and pillows. i'm also kind of obsessed with fabric.com, although, nothing beats walking through aisles of fabric, eyeing the prints and coming up with ideas for projects in your head. i love it.

recent trips to hobby lobby and michaels have rekindled my love of scrapbooking and interest in knitting. i had to control my spending to save myself from going into debt for the sake of crafting.

only problem with this: instead of having the opportunity to be susie homemaker, right now i have to be susie speech path. hopefully, someday soon i'll trade the homework and studying for cooking and craft projects.

gleefully watching.

so, i really don't watch much tv these days. gossip girl and project runway are about the only shows left, now that pushing daisies was tragically canceled. and let's be honest, the glory days of grey's are over. the fall tv schedule is a wasteland of stupid comedies and reality tv. however, in the midst of it all is a joyful little gem called glee. you made have heard of it or seen the first few episodes. i have a feeling it's going to be a good one. take a look:

bad day, worse week.

have you ever had a bad day, which is then followed by a week that is much worse than that single day? that's the week i've had. i'll spare you the depressing details and instead enlighten you about the things that are bringing me joy this week.

pumpkin spice lattes. new gossip girl. rainy days. wearing my chucks. fall scents at bath & body works. no class today. having time to read. caramel apples. new music from regina spektor and ingrid michaelson.

reading is cool.

pretty sure i need these books:


as a lover of all things classic, i think they would look quite charming on my bookshelf.

they could go right next to these books:


which are still waiting patiently to be read. yes, those bottom three are books from the lovely public library. i have to thank my friend emily, who is a librarian and who has reminded me of my affinity for libraries. way to promote literacy (and help my bank account), elimee!

check it out.

abel musaka: this guy is a local artist who has done some work with my church. i'm a fan.

transformed.

God has been teaching me a lot recently about just how redemptive and powerful His love is. i've been thinking about where i was just a few short years ago and comparing it to where i am now. to me, it seems like my life is not even recognizable. many of the things once important to me are no longer. several of my struggles and insecurities have been removed of their controlling status. it hasn't been easy. there have been new struggles and insecurities and, at times, a lot of heartache. but it has been completely worth it to see where i am now.

i remember reading a passage in Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (if you've never read this book, read it. you won't regret it.) that spoke so powerfully to me about how God works in our lives, making us into something we couldn't even imagine. he describes a parable by a man named George MacDonald about human beings as a living house. He says:

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains on right and stopping leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."

sometimes i don't understand what God is doing in my life, and sometimes it hurts, and sometimes i don't want to move forward. i want to stay right where i am because it's comfortable. but when i look back and see the changes He's already made, it only helps spur me on to better things. and in turn, it makes me fall that much more in love with the God who made me and the God who has plans for my life that i can't even being to fathom.

i'm not who i once was, and that can't be attributed to anything of my own doing, but only to the transforming love of Christ.

i love this verse:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

i couldn't help but wonder...

...after watching (and re-watching) the seasons of Sex & the City featuring Carrie's boyfriend Aidan:

are there any men existing in the world like Aidan?

seriously, what more could a woman want? he has it all.

absolutely gorgeous? check.
great personality? check.
city boy with an outdoorsy side? check.
romantic? check.
creative? check.
mr. fix it? check.
goal-oriented? check.
athletic? check.

i need to find this man. i'll keep searching.

life lessons from dawson's creek

so, i've recently been reminded of a great quote from an old favorite TV show of mine, dawson's creek (don't laugh). i've been feeling like an idiot lately in clinic, however, i've realized that that is ok. after all, isn't school for learning?

anyway, to set up the scene, joey's professor gives her some advice:

"If you can feel comfortable not knowing, you can learn anything, anything. And if not, well, then you've stopped before you've begun."

how true that is. thank you, dawson's creek.