a few random thoughts

+ i have had very little time to blog lately let alone keep my place clean. but that's a good thing, right? that means i'm working hard, spending time with my people, exploring hobbies, and on and on. i apologize for the silence around here! hopefully i'll be able to be more consistent even though the full schedule is not going to let up soon. (i'm looking at you, june. aka, the month of a thousand showers, graduations, weddings, and festivities.)

+ two weekends ago i got to help one of my dearest students get ready for prom. i did her makeup and it was so fun seeing her get ready for her big night. i started discipling her when she was in 7th grade and i am just amazed at the young woman she has become!

+ my little sister graduates from college this friday. i'm sorry what? how is that possible? when did i become old? i'm so proud of her! and i truly cannot believe she'll be in the post-college category in a matter of days.

+ i've been covering for a woman at work who had to go on medical leave for several weeks. she does all the billings. man oh man i was stressed about it for awhile. i've been covering for her for about a week and a half. you guys, i have NEVER taken a business class, accounting class, or anything of the sort. give me a bible verse? i'm on it. a student in a crisis? difficult, but i feel comfortable. but all this MONEY stuff? completely new. so far so good, and doing that job makes me feel very professional and official. ;)

+ i am loving the new photo app from a beautiful mess. however, seeing almost every other photo in my theme with the word "yum!" on it..... not my favorite. haha

+ i became an honorary auntie to baby jed who was born last sunday! yay for more babies to love on.

+ i have been dying to travel lately. particularly europe. or the east coast. it's my favorite thing to daydream about.

+ speaking of dreaming... i have been having some weird ones lately. isn't it the weirdest thing when you dream about someone you know, and it kind of changes your opinion of them? for better or for worse. trippy!

+ i bought my first ever peonies at trader joes over the weekend. they are SO gorgeous and SO fragrant! i could not resist them.

+ my nephew's vocabulary is quickly expanding and it's pretty much my favorite thing. i have so much love for that little guy. being an auntie is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

wishing you all a peace-filled week. xo

20 things about me

I love reading posts that help you get to know the writer more. I thought I would do a standard "20 Thing about Me" post... and depending on how many things I can think of, maybe I will do a part 2!

Want to learn more about me? Read away!

+ I am obsessed with stationary and journals. It is hard for me to resist a good journal and I love collecting pretty cards. I would love to own a paper shop!

+ I am an introvert, but I love people. I am pretty much in the middle of the road of being an extrovert/introvert, but I lean towards introversion. All my life until seminary I thought I was an extrovert and people often affirmed that in me. Then I realized that I recharge by being alone, but I just love people. I also think I go through seasons where I feel more extroverted or introverted.

+ Going along with the one above, I became fascinated with personalities during seminary. This came from having a personality & spirituality class, and also being trained as a spiritual director requires understanding how different personalities relate to God (and themselves and others!). I feel like I "get" you if I know your Myers-Briggs and your Enneagram. Want to know about me? My Myers-Briggs is ISFP, my Enneagram is 2 (with a 3 wing), and my Strengths Finder top 5 are Harmony, Empathy, Woo, Positivity, and Belief. (If you want to talk more about personalities or need some help finding out what you are -- please email me! I love working through this with people and find it completely fascinating.)

+ I don't have a favorite color. Instead, I have favorite color pairings. For example: grey and yellow, red and light blue/mint, etc.

+ I hate mustard, olives, shrimp, and pickles.

+ I got a 3rd degree burn on my ankle a few years ago, after a minor motorbike accident in Romania. It didn't hurt at all (not kidding--it burned all my nerve endings off! haha). I have a scar and I kind of love it.

+ My Starbucks drink of choice is an iced coffee with white mocha. I order it all year long. On the rare chance I'm craving a hot drink, I get a soy chai latte.

+ I have a gift for getting on the jumbotron at sporting events. I once got on the big screen 4 times in one game! It was pretty ridiculous.

+ My best friend and I also have a knack for running into celebrities. People think it is this stereotype that if you live in LA you run into celebs all the time. For most people that's a total lie, but for some reason Christina and I always see people. Magic Johnson at the movie theater. Hilary Duff in a restaurant. CORY MATTHEWS and I had a full on conversation in a parking structure after a Bon Iver concert. I could go on and on. It is pretty fun and always makes us bust up laughing. Next time we need to get a photo so that people will believe me, especially after I fooled everyone that I was sitting behind Bruce Jenner last week at the Angels game--see the photo here, you would believe it too! It was too good to pass up.

photo by Debbie Huber

+ I paint my nails at least once a week.

+ I have supported a child through Compassion for years and years. My kiddo's name is Jacob and he lives in India. When I first started sponsoring him, he was little, maybe 9? He turns 17 this summer and I can't believe when I see his photos how big he is. He loves Jesus and always writes me the sweetest notes. Can't wait to meet him in heaven one day, if I don't get the chance to meet him on earth. I would show his picture so you could see his handsome face, but I'm not sure if that's allowed!

+ All my life (well once I finished growing, which was in like 7th grade) - I thought I was 5'9". Then recently we were measuring each other at work, turns out I am 5'10". Not sure how I feel about that! In other words, I'm tall.

+ I've never met anyone with my same birthday (October 25). Can't wait until I finally do!!

+ I have 8 piercings. 1 in my nose, 7 in my ears!

+ I love living close to the beach in southern California, and sunny days are nice and all, but nothing makes me happier than a rainy day.

+ I hate birds.

+ My spiritual gifts are encouragement and discernment.

+ I was a homecoming princess my senior year of high school (along with my 2 closest friends, it was the greatest thing, we were happy with whoever won queen!), and I was voted "Most Likely to Brighten your Day".

+ Romania will always be a place where I feel at home. I hope someday some of my Romanian family and friends come visit here, so that I can show them just a fraction of the love and hospitality they have shown me.

+ I have to see a movie SEVERAL times before I remember it. Which means it has to be good enough to watch again for me to really like it or remember it. Some of the ones I have seen endless times are You've Got Mail, We Bought a Zoo, and the Notebook, to name a few.


Happy Weekend! 

hooray! it's friday!

What a week! I'm so happy it's almost the weekend. Looking forward to resting up, doing some projects and organizing around the house, and enjoying the nice weather! After a crazy full & busy weekend last week, the introvert in me is thrilled to have nothing on the calendar for tomorrow.

:: A few highlights from this week ::
Saturday we hosted a baby shower for my dear friend Ellie! Their little guy is due end of May, can't wait to meet and love on him!!

My friend Andrea made these adorable owl cupcakes (their nursery theme has owls) -- aren't they cute?

Monday night I got to go to my first Angels game of this season! It was so fun. We lost, which was a bummer, but we had a fun time. (Excuse the extra white space -- it's from my phone since I wanted to put this panoramic on instagram. So it is part of the actual photo here... I promise I know how to space ;)

Funny story, the 4 of us were sitting in diamond club (I scored some tickets from my work--love these seats!). My little sister was at the game with her boyfriend sitting on the top level. And we BOTH got on the big screen within 5 minutes of each other! It was so funny. She had just gotten done texting me "LUCKY!" after seeing us, and then I saw her on the screen! I yelled, "There's Allison! No, that's not her. OH MY GOSH IT IS ALLISON!" Hahaha. A little known fact about me is that I have a knack for getting on big screens at sporting events!

 Me and my sister Kasey

Ok, this is hilarious. The guy in front of us from behind looked EXACTLY like Bruce Jenner. I pointed it out to my sister, and we were both dying. We got this photo, and I put it on instagram and facebook. Everyone believed that it was him. I felt a little guilty but it was too funny to pass up. I can't blame my friends for believing me because I have endless stories of running into celebrities, no joke. Hope they will forgive me :)

Bruce? I didn't know you were an Angels fan! Bahaha this photo STILL kills me.

Lastly, I am so excited to get to teach in the high school group this Sunday. We are doing Ephesians 3. I love any chance to speak. It used to terrify me but I have finally found my confidence and I only get itty bitty nerves before going up on stage.

Hope you all have a fantastic and restful weekend!

thoughts from a young leader

One of my biggest insecurities in ministry and leadership has always been my age.

I started in ministry at 17, and took my first paid job in ministry at 18. I was a baby.

Now, at 25, I am not currently in paid ministry, but I do work with the high schoolers at church as a ministry lead, as well as on a spiritual formation board.  My heart longs to be in full time ministry, whether teaching Bible, working for an organization, or in the church. I am totally open and only God knows where I will end up.

This insecurity doesn't always come up in working with youth, which is what I have mostly done. But the times and seasons I have worked with adults, and also during seminary, this fear came up a LOT.

Will they respect me?
Will they care about what I have to say?
Will they even give me the time of day?
Will they think, "What does she know, she is so young! She's barely experienced anything."
Can God really use me, a young person, to speak into the lives of people older than me?

These questions though, at the root, are selfish. They are dripping with pride, not humility. They show dependence on self and not on God.

I have wrestled with this heart issue many times. I don't want my age to keep someone from hearing my heart, which is for all to know God and love Him deeply. To help others hear from Him and live wholly for Him and His glory. But in allowing it to become a fear, I was giving it even more power than it would have had in the first place.

This verse is one I memorized way back in the day (Thank you, private Christian education with verse quizzes every week!)

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young,

but set an example for the believers

in speech, 

in conduct, 

in love,

in faith,

and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

This verse is incredibly inspiring for me.

My age is a non-issue, as long as I am a leader worth following. A leader worth following is ANYONE who is following after Christ. A leader worth following is someone who is humbly setting an example for others in these areas.

 

Speech: Are my words encouraging and life-giving? Do I speak truth in love?

Conduct: Are my actions Christ-like? Do I live in a way that glorifies Jesus?

Love: Do I love others well? Am I actively going out of my way to show love to people who are hard to love?

Faith: Is my faith strong? Do I believe God for big things?

Purity: Am I keeping a pure heart?

 

These questions keep me on track to be a leader who is both young, and wise. A leader who is worth following. It's not about me, it's about Jesus. He will use me if I am following Him, and that is all I need to focus on.

girl behind the blog

So... I made a vlog. My first one ever!

Watching it back I see all the grammatical mistakes I made because I was rushing to try to fit it all into the time limit so please don't judge me, I promise I know how to speak properly--haha :)

This is for the link up the Girl Behind the Blog -- I love watching these for bloggers that I follow (or meeting new ones through the videos) and I figured it was about time for me to join in. No fun to just be a spectator! The topic is your passions apart from blogging. I shared a fun one and a deep one!

If you also made a vlog for this link up, leave a comment so that I can be sure to go watch yours!

And if you are scared of making vlogs like I used to be (it may or may not still scare me), leave a comment sharing what you're passionate about.

Happy Thursday everyone -- and promise you'll still be my friend after seeing me awkwardly on video. ;)

recap of an amazing weekend!

It feels a little weird to write a post about a weekend that was so filled with joy after what happened in Boston. I am deeply saddened and unsettled by the bombs and deaths at the Boston marathon. An event that people aspire to for years, longing for victory and personal milestones, was met with destruction, devastation, and horror. I refuse to let whoever was behind those bombs to steal my joy, though. I am somber over the deaths, injuries, and the seriousness of the situation. But I refuse to let that person or group of people "win". They lose when we choose joy, life, and love. When we remember to love the people in our lives well, to share kindness to those we encounter, and to not take life for granted. So I'm choosing that today. My prayers all day have been for the victims and families affected. 


This weekend was SO. MUCH. FUN. It was so refreshing to be able to celebrate some awesome people who mean a lot to me. Friday was my nephew's 2nd birthday. Um, how is my nephew 2 years old?? I just love him so much!

We celebrated Saturday with brunch and presents & cake. I love being with my family so even when Owen decided he was not into all the attention, we still had a great time. He is my favorite. Below is Owen mid-meltdown while opening presents. :)

Saturday evening was WEDDING time!  My BFF Jake married his beautiful bride, Nadia. Let me tell you about Jake. Before I even met him, he bought me a Clippers jersey with my last name on it. This is particularly great because the reason he gave it to me, is because his brother Zach is the person I BEAT ON THE COURT during a time-out at our first Clippers game! He was so proud that I beat his brother (and won $50 no less!) that he gave me that gift. So nice, right? That's Jake for ya. (Click here to read about how seriously greatness always happens when I go to Clippers games! Seriously... these are great stories :) I have even more to add now, actually!)

Jake's friendship is one I treasure deeply and I think so highly of him. He is an amazing studier of God's word and such a faithful man who lives out God's grace and love. He is such a genuine man and a blast to be around. He has a knack for hiding things in my (large) purses, and once tried to get away with me stealing a hymnal from a graduation. Ha!

I am so happy for Jake and his faithfulness to wait for the right person God had for him. Their wedding was so fun, so joy-filled, and I am so happy that the Lord brought these two together!

my gorgeous sister and I

Another fun part of the wedding was getting to see SO many of my dearest friends! I was so blessed in college to meet some of the most incredible people. These friends had a huge impact on my spiritual growth and I wouldn't be who I am today without their influence.

Christina, Christy, Jamie, me, Amy

It was so fun to dance, chat, and catch up with old friends. I am not the best at keeping in contact with people, even if they are on my mind. I need to be better about sending a random text to check in or to initiate getting together. But these friends of mine from college will forever have a huge spot in my heart. I love weddings where you are 100% genuinely thrilled for the couple and you get to share the rejoicing with dear friends. This wedding was one of those. My heart was so full!

Sunday was my sister-in-law's 30th birthday (Owen's momma!). We are having dinner on Tuesday night with the family but Angie invited me and my sisters to dinner with a few of her high school friends. It was so much fun! I don't have any photos... but it was at this place: 

source

Seriously. How gorgeous is that view? This is the Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes which was about 30 minutes away. So pretty! I'd never been here but walking into the resort felt like we were in Hawaii! It is so beautiful. I am so blessed to live where I do! I will definitely be coming back here. It was a blast to celebrate my amazing sister and to get to know her friends from home better. We had so much fun.

It is weekends like this one that cause me to stop on Sunday night, exhausted and dreading work the next morning, and praise God for the people He has brought into my life. I went to bed last night with a big smile on my face after such a full, grace-filled weekend. 

cultivating stillness of the soul

This morning I was reading in Jesus Calling, and today's entry struck a chord within me.

"I meet you in the stillness of your soul. 

It is there that I seek to commune with you.

Stillness of soul is increasingly rare in this world addicted to speed and noise.

I am pleased with your desire to create a quiet space where you and I can meet."

I was instantly convicted. I am NOT afraid of silence, solitude, or stillness. I enjoy it and soak in every moment. 

Yet, I am so quick to fill my time with other things. It is hard to sit down for an intentional time of stillness with the Lord, because there is always something else beckoning my attention. Whether it be work, exhaustion, church involvement, cleaning, time with friends, catching up on DVR recordings, reading, the list goes on and on. There is always something else I can choose.

The times I do prioritize and make time for stillness, I am so blessed. I am refreshed, renewed, and encouraged by God's presence. So why is it so hard to choose that?

I have been really into goal-setting lately (thanks to the amazing Lara Casey) and one of my weekly goals is to make intentional time for stillness and solitude. Closeness and intimacy with God doesn't just happen. It takes work, intention, practice, and consistency. I don't want to only come to God when I feel like it or when it's convenient. That doesn't work with human relationships so why should I think it's okay to do that with the Lord? 

Something else that came to mind as I've been reflecting on this is that "stillness of the soul" does not require a "quiet time". Don't get me wrong, daily time with God is super important, and so vital. But I can cultivate stillness within me all times throughout the day. It is practicing God's presence. It is slowing down. It is doing things with purpose and not mindlessly. It is reflecting on the truth of God any moment of the day. It is regular conversation with God. 

Keep me accountable to continue making these things a priority. What helps you make space for stillness? I'd love to hear your thoughts.