Summer...so far.

So once again it's been months since I last posted, but today I got the itch to write and so here I am writing.

Well first I should probably update you on my life. So about a month ago I GRADUATED COLLEGE! What?!? Ya pretty much the biggest event of my life besides getting married and having a baby. That pretty much out trumps everything else that happened before it so I'll just talk from here on out about post graduation life.

Since being out of school I have managed to spend one week in Colorado (so beautiful, wish I was back there!), move everything out of my house in Tucson (so glad I'm not back there!), see one of my greatest friends get married (so fun, with I was there again!) and apply for jobs and freak out about usually once a day now, some days more some days less. Yup, welcome to my life folks, it's like a spinning toronado of fear, anxiety, stress, sometimes excitement and overall just this sense that I wish I could go back in time and forever life in college life, or live in vacation life of colorado or celebration life of scott and grace's wedding. BUT as we all know life doesn't work this way. I'm starting to realize that any job I take, any interview I have is just going to be plain uncomfortable and scary which I hate!!! I look at job descriptions daily and always see something that I'm not quite comfortable with...but I'm starting to realize this time in my life is just going to be that way.

It also doesn't help that I've somehow seemed to have lost some sense of direction I once had...crazy huh? For Alycia to not have direction!? Seems like I've been plagued with this task all my life, just trying to answer the simple question of what am I supposed to be when I grow up? There's a dily toss up between adoption social worker, graphic designer, occupational therapist, sonographer, small business owner, travel agent...literally this is my head! This also has lead my job searching to whole new levels because I feel like you have to be so concentrated in some direction to land any of those jobs! You can't just be a FSHD major and be a graphic designer, you have to have a degree in graphic design to do that...and to be an OT requires a masters degree specialized in OT, so I can't go get a masters in Social Work and then decide I want to be an OT. I mean, it's not like I have to decide now, I just wish I could figure it out a little bit.

Ok sorry for my rant, it just helps getting it out! Enough of all the complaining....on a positive side what this being weird place in life is causing me to test my faith. One of my wise friends Sam just recently told me that if you're experiencing true faith then it shouldn't be easy. Welp, this ain't so easy and I'm not sure if it's because I'm exibiting true faith or no faith at all. The hope at least is this, that the Lord will provide for me, he is good to me and will provide. Jeremiah 29:11 "for 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." It is is teaching me a lesson in being content. I can't live my life constantly wishing I was back in time somewhere else or putting college days on a pedastal which only agonizes me more into wanting to be back to the way my old life was...nope that's not being content at all now is it?! Content, I'm learning, is being good with where you're at and trusting that the Lord has got you in his hands and has valleys and mountain tops set for a reason. If I'm constantly wishing I was out of the valley then how will I ever realize the goodness that the Lord made in those valleys. He'll lead me out of them in His perfect timing and that's way better than my timing!

Okay Lord, I'm going to have peace and rest in you today knowing that you have a future for me. Please Lord just be obvious...that's all I ask, be obvious in which jobs to apply for and which to interview and which one to take! Lead me to my next step Lord.

If You Never….

If You Never….

God Said…

If you never felt pain,

Then how would you know that I’m a Healer?

If you never went through difficulties,

Then how would you know that I’m a Deliverer?

If you never had a trial,

Then how could you call yourself an over-comer?

If you never felt sadness,

Then how would you know that I’m a Comforter?

If you never made a mistake,

Then how would you know that I’m forgiving?

If you knew all,

Then how would you know that I will answer your questions?

If you never were in trouble,

Then how would you know that I will come to your rescue?

If you never were broken,

Then how would know that I can make you whole?

If you never had a problem,

Then how would you know that I can solve them?

If I gave you all things,

Then how would you appreciate them?

If I never corrected you,

Then how would you know that I love you?

If you had all power,

Then how would you learn to depend on me?

If your life was perfect,

Then what would you need Me for?

AMEN!!

Songs on my mind....

In learning how the Lord speaks to me I've figured out lately that I often hear him through words...in songs, books, signs, etc.

Recently JJ Heller's song "Control" has been speaking to me and it is definitely hitting that little sore spot in me...the lyrics that hit me the most are these:

Oh, control

It’s time, time to let you go

Perfection has a price,

but I cannot afford to live that life

It always ends the same;

a fight I never win

Reminds me that this fight to be perfect won't get me anywhere...I gotta stop fighting for it, and instead be immensely thankful for every little tiny blessing God's given me!

Now here's another song that I am LOVING right now! Also I love pictures so I thought it would be fun to put the lyrics with pictures...see if you can figure out the song!

He is

for



Loves like a



I am a

(ing)

beneath the

of his

and mercy.

..................
We are his

and he is our

Drawn to redemption by the

in

eyes.

If grace is an


then we're all

........................

I admire this girl....

Man do I wish I could give myself pep talks like this girl does! Her affirmations are AWESOME! "I can do anything good, better than anyone!"

I think I need to take some clues from this youngster and start giving myself some daily affirmations. Today I seemed to get caught up in how I'm probably not being used in Young Life, recognition I may never get, just feeling jealousy of friends and overall feeling simply insecure. Here's my affirmations for the day: The Lord is using me! He can do anything with me, more than I can imagine! My value comes from him, not from earthly things or recognition! He loves me more than I can imagine! He thinks I'm beautiful both inside and out! His plans he's laying out for me are going to be GREAT!

What affirmations are you giving yourself today??

Something to be thankful for...today!

I have someone I want you to meet...this is my Grandma Joyce! She's the source for my "something to be thankful for today"! Every week she sends me and my cousins her words of wisdom and boy does this lady have awesome words to live by! She's one of my role models and biggest fans : )

So here are her words of wisdom for today...

If you are burning with desire, make sure you don't make an ash out of yourself.

Say "thank you" a lot. Say "please" a lot.

Be forgiving of yourself and others.

Hope you have a wonderful day : )

Being thankful...

Blaahhh I'm so bad at blogging!! I haven't posted in like 3 months...woopsies! Life somehow seems to creep in and steal all the time away...is anyone out there anyways?? Just wondering!

Anyways, being back at school today was a struggle because I was seeing the world through the world's eyes instead of seeing the world through Jesus's eyes. Sometimes I make the excuse that it's because I've grown up in this world for 21 years now, that's why it's so easy to listen to the world's view on life and what it should look like. Instead, I should be looking at how Jesus lived in this world, so that I may be a little bit more like him and adopt his perspective on life. It's a constant struggle to do this but somehow seems to be an even bigger nuisance when I'm at school...seems like you're only as good as your future plans, future occupation, graduate school plans, how many awards you've received or are going to receive, etc. All those lies in my head! Yikeseroni!

So I decided today to start looking at the things I'm thankful for instead of focusing on those things I'm stressed out about or worried about, hopefully then I can start to look more and more like Jesus. So here's my something to be thankful for today:

LOVE IT! I always joke with Fed telling him "just play with me buddy!" so that made me think of that but also just being a kid again...when I was a kid my biggest worry was if I had creamy or chunky peanut butter on my sandwich, oh gosh the problems I had huh?! Ha It's a good reminder to have child like faith that everything will work out and work out for the best and to get joy out of the simple things...like this picture! If you want a good laugh check out the blog it came from: http://www.hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

Her stories are hillarious and the illustrations are even better!