Remembering John...

Tonight I'm sad... I lost a friend who I never actually met.

John Breaux was a familiar face in our community. He was an older man who we'd see around town picking up trash, collecting carts, holding the doors at stores, and giving free smiles and hand shakes at my church. John was different... he was bold yet so quiet. I had never heard him speak, and I think all I've ever said to him was "hello". John let people know the best, yet simplest message by writing "Jesus Loves You" in the snow. I was intrigued by this man and who he was.

John was walking on the side of the road with his bike (a usual sight) when he got hit by a car this afternoon. Here's the article on the Daily Camera website.

This simple man touched my life, and I know that my life isn't the only one that was touched.

Compassion, humility, truth, love, kindness, friendship... thank you for being an incredible example, John Breaux.

I can only imagine how eager our God was to tell his son "well done, good and faithful servant" after John's step into Glory.

A dog roasting marshmallows? Awesome.

I put this sticker on the back of my car this afternoon. It reminds me of my dog, Anna. Anna isn't smart enough to roast marshmallows without burning them... but we'll just pretend. It also reminds me of the time my friends Ian and Michael roasted a marshmallow on the biggest stick they could find. Ohhh camp memories...

The cold weather can't keep us inside!

Bjorn and I were getting a little restless being cooped up in the house for 2 days. So, we went digging for layers... and more layers... and even more layers of clothing and walked to the library.




This proves that even the freezing temperatures won't keep us in!


Friends from my Bible study and I got together last night for a "fun night". Welp, the night lived up to its expectations... it was fun! Everyone brought pints of ice cream. I brought Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Dough. With all this ice cream talk... here's the recipe to an awesome hot fudge sauce. So good!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped (you can use morsel if you don't want to chop chocolate)
• 1/2 cup very strong black coffee (instant works, just add a rounded teaspoonfull of it to a half cup of hot water)
  
• 3 tablespoons salted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 tablespoons (three turns around the pan) heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional... but good!)

Directions

In a heavy saucepan over medium low heat melt the chocolate and the coffee; once melted remove pan from heat and stir in the butter, cream, and cinnamon.

Psalm 139:7-12

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, ^[a] you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

New Year, New Memories, New Belgium.

Don't you love weekends that are relaxing, spent with friends, and full of laughter? And don't you hate it when they're over? That's my current dilemma.

A bunch of good friends and I spent yesterday afternoon at New Belgium Brewery up in Fort Collins... We sat, talked, enjoyed each other, and sampled some free beer. Does it get any better? Really?

I was in an artsy "black and white photo" kind of a mood...

The Hula Hooping in front of the brewery was hilarious...

That wasn't it. Oh no, I got even MORE time with MORE good friends! I was simply... content.

That's right, count 'em... I got four different sauces with my dinner.
Completely unnecessary.

Happy Birthday, Audi!

My friend Andy... He calls me Annie...

Choose joy this week!

...I'm not pregnant...

I'm not pregnant. Which is good, considering my circumstances. But someone is pregnant... my sister in law!

That's right, Quincy is going to be a big sister and Roma is going to be a bigger sister!

Baby #3 is coming sometime in late September.

Be praying for Eric and Danielle as they celebrate and process this big surprise!

Thankful for the weekend...

...yep...

Kevin and I just saw Gran Torino, the Clint Eastwood movie. At first I was a little skeptical... I thought it was just a movie about some cynical old man hating his Asian neighbors. But I ended up liking it -- it was a neat story with a lot of heart. Go see it. Don't bring your kids... unless you want them saying bad words and racial comments.

Quite the week...

Mmm... Blueberries!

I don't know why, but I'm exhausted! Wait, I do know why... I went from doing hardly anything for 2 months to being busy all day, every day. But I'm really enjoying myself!

Walks to the park, walks around the block, walks to the coffee shop & library, walks around the house... Bjorn and I have gone on a lot of walks. I love being his nanny... it's taken a few days, but I've finally gotten into a "routine". Today after he ate a delicious lunch of baby food and more baby food, we joined my parents and Aunt Lori at Panera for a while. Bjorn loves watching all of the people and my mom got some much needed baby time, so it was a good deal!

I joined a Bible Study with other single people from the area. I'm definitely the youngest one there, but I like that we're all different ages, but we can all be friends. Next week is our fun week -- we're all bringing our favorite pint of ice cream (I'm thinking... what IS my favorite pint of ice cream?) and we'll play some games (Catchphrase is a must!). I'm excited about the new community I've found in this group of people.

I just thought more about the ice cream question, so I googled "quiz -- what's your favorite kind of ice cream?" and came up with this site about what your favorite ice cream says about you. I love anything chocolate, so...

Chocolate-lover,
you are a total flirt --- you love attention!
But at heart, you're really a hopeless romantic
waiting for your prince/princess to come along.

Oh gosh...

Hold on tight!

My friend Kevin and I went bouldering last night at a place in Boulder (fitting, huh) called The Spot. I've rock climbed a lot with ropes, but this was a totally different feeling because bouldering is without ropes. I'll admit, it kind of freaked me out to be climbing without ropes. But I'm getting used to it. It's a challenge for sure, but a lot of fun, too! By the end of the night, I'd try to climb and reach a hold, but my hands literally wouldn't hold on... In the words of my new friend Kevin, "you're shot." Yep, I was shot.

My sister in law and my niece, Quincy, are headed to D.C. right now for the inauguration. I hope they stay warm... It's 67 here today.

Jehovah-jireh

I want to be like my friends who blog. It's a neat way to keep track of what's going on in each others lives.... So here I go, I'm beginning this journey with my new blog.

I'm amazed at the Lord's provision. In fact, I'm quite blown away. Ever since I graduated back in May, He's shown me that He will indeed take care of me... not always in the ways that I want or expect, but in His perfect way.

I just started an awesome job as a nanny for a 10-month-old named Bjorn. He's a sweet baby who likes to show off his skills: clapping and saying "moo" when I say "Bjorn, a cow says....". I spend 9 hours a day with him, Monday through Thursday. We get to hang out, go for walks, go to the park, work on eating finger foods (Moms -- any ideas? He's getting a little bored with Cheerios). But what blessed me this morning was realizing that while he's napping in the morning, I get to spend time with the Lord. So, the Lord has provided for me a job where I'll get to know Him more intimately. Bjorn's parents are great, too... I'm glad they trust me with their baby!

Baby Bjorn

I'm not one to worry too much about money, but up until last week, I had been jobless since November. November 19, to be exact. I didn't know where I was going to come up with finances to last me til the middle of January (with Christmas and a vacation in Phoenix thrown in the mix). It's been such a treat to watch the Lord provide for me in tangible ways through a ton of odd jobs... House sitting, babysitting, heading to Downtown Denver to watch some kids, and even gracious parents who lovingly support me while still encouraging me to become completely independent.

I was discouraged about the lack of friends in my life. The Lord gave me a great roommate last fall (roommate by force) named Elise, and we've gotten to hang out and become closer since she lives just over in Boulder. She's living with her parents, too... Really, all the cool kids are doing it. We've gotten involved at our church, Flatirons, and have met some fun and neat friends there. We're going rock climbing with the guys tonight... The guys are great rock climbers, we are not. Wish us luck.

The weather today is awesome... I love love LOVE Colorado! I think it's going to get up to 65 degrees (and yes, it is January 19), so in a little bit, Bjorn and I are going to walk to the park.