Shout out.

I'd like to refer to my friends at St. Cuthbert today.

For two weeks, friends, old and young, are traveling around Sri Lanka spreading the Good News and and loving on the country by building shelters.

You can follow them on their blog as they take on the 16-hour flight, see elephants at an orphanage and experience a Buddhist country halfway around the world.

Take a second to read about how this church is taking Jesus to a whole other level.

Happy Wednesday!

More than pen pals.

So here's why I bought stamps.
I adopted two kids through World Vision! One named Ajit. He's four and lives in North India, closer to Nepal and Bhutan. Twincle is one and she lives close to Hydrabad. They are the sweetest children and I'm excited to be part of their lives. I wrote them their first letters today and already bought things for their next package. I hope they think it's cool that I'm Indian AND have the same birthdays as they do. WOOO. Check out the letter writing process below.

When was the last time you wrote a letter?

Happy Weekend.

So I lost my keys this week. It's been upsetting since I have no idea how I can lose something I use everyday. Praying that they will just show up. How's that for bold faith?

Before leaving the key situation to the Big Man, I was scouring my room for where I might have left the spare (no, I don't know where those are either. How I get around in life, I do not know.). Here's just a couple things I found.

Yes. A CD Walkman. I don't think it works. 

You may be happy or sad that I have this. Letters from high school. Late night AIM conversations. Some really funny memories and others were pretty sad. Friends and Acquaintances, I'm sorry for the person I was then. I would have slapped me multiple times but you stayed strong.

A really old picture of people I do not know. But seeing that I found it in mint condition, they must be important people and possibly family. So cool. 

And here's a teaser. Expensive stamps. Wondering why I bought expensive stamps? I'll tell you tomorrow! 

It's funny what you can find when you're looking for something.

I am flawed.

On Sunday, I decided to detox from coffee.
I lasted two days.

Come to mama. As my friend, Caro, likes to say, "Would you like some coffee with that creamer?"

In other news, Jennifer Weiner (great fiction writer) has incredible advice for writers on her website. It's amazing stuff---I recommend all aspiring writers to read. She also answered questions on Twitter today. Find out what she said by searching #jenchat

Under Construction.

All of Dallas seems to be under construction lately. This weekend I spent way too much time in the car and not enough time at my final destination. It took all that I am to not be frustrated at the waste of time and gas. But as I sat in the cloud of carbon monoxide and tail smoke, I started thinking about jams in our own life.

Detours- 
I had an appointment at the hair salon at 4 (that makes me sound so high maintenance but I don't cut my hair that often! Cut me some slack.) and it was already 3:30. That wasn't a problem until I found myself detoured from my usual route. I was driving down an unknown road, uncertain I would make it to my destination in time or at all.

Life is full of these moments. You think you know how you're going to get to X, but then comes along an obstacle--be it loss, drama, conflict, or just a change of events. Take a breath. The detour may be a better way. There's a reason why it's there. And trust the one who created the alternate route-- they have the best intentions and know the way out.

Traffic-
You're jammed for hours with nowhere to go. Patience is draining, the clock keeps moving but you have no control. Oh, and there's a headache coming on. You just have to wait it out. This can be the worst feeling, especially for type A people (like me) that always need to be doing something. Refrain from pulling your hair out, please.
Sometimes we just need to slow down. We're in a rush to get things done but why?
(Read my friend's post about her detox from productivity here.)

There's a reason for the slowdown.

Closed Roads-
When you come across this sign, there is nowhere to go but back. At least, in traffic or with detours you're still moving--you can take the nearest exit and get out.
When you come across these, have you ever thought, "Maybe I wasn't going the right way to begin with?"

I take these as blessings. Maybe not right away but when I look back, I see that I didn't want to go through that closed door. Most oftentimes, it leads to unnecessary sadness, hurt, or regret.

It's all about perspective, friends. Take a moment and think about your own obstacles. Didn't they add character or teach you something about yourself? About God? About life? Choose to see those moments in a different light. 

He's got you covered through all the roadblocks of life.

Dad.

I am my Daddy's girl. As we've gotten older, our time together has gotten sweeter. Maybe its because he knows time is limited. All I know is I'm forever indebted to this man for his great sacrifices and faith in me, his daughter.

He's not a perfect father but he's a present father. My supportive, candid, quirky, loving Dad.

Nostalgia.

Slow day. Good jams.

The talk.

I came into the living room flaunting the new skirt I bought for India.


How naive of me. 
The next thing I know my dad throws out the ultimatum I've been fearing.
"Either you go back to school or find someone to marry."
I chuckle.
He doesn't. 

"Nincy, this is not a laughing matter. You need to do one or the other." 

Tantrum begins.

I'll be honest, I understand where my dad is coming from. He doesn't want me to live under his house forever. And I have been getting quite comfortable the 1.5 years I've been there. 

School is my choice though I'm dragging myself to take the GMAT. 

(Oh Managerial Accounting, why must you be a requirement for an MBA?) 

But if you don't mind, I'd like to talk about this pushing of the daughter down the aisle. 

At the moment, I'm happily single. 

I'm using this season of my life to accomplish God's work.  I've come to treasure this season as a gift; it's a priceless time to invest in myself and have some fun. 

Sure, I get lonely and a boyfriend would be helpful for wedding dates, holidays, formal events and movie nights. 

But I'm OK.


My life is not put on pause because I'm not married.  I have many of the same joys and heartbreaks as the girl who is married next to me. 

So I speak for the single. 

We are normal.

We are embracing this season of life. 

We have no problem with marriage, it's just not for now.

And that's OK.
In fact, it is good.

To my friends and acquaintances who are wondering how in the world I can be happy without getting my  MRS degree from the school that seems to give them out freely:

The source of happiness is skewed.
Proudly displaying a MRS degree does not mean happiness.
Happiness is not a boy.

I am normal.
A man does not fulfill nor complete me.
Nor does he define my future.
And don't set me up with your cousin. (Unless he really is my type, then fine.)


Instead, lets talk about politics, blogs, fashion, movies and all the other things that I enjoy... just like you.

Steadfast love.

This has been the theme of my life for the past several weeks. I've seen a friendship stay steady because of it and another friendship rekindled after five years for the same reason. 

It's awfully unique and is the best picture of the redeeming love of Christ in life. I sincerely believe you can't show this love without knowing God's love first. It's not in our own power to put aside selfishness and pride but the character of God pushing forth. 

We love because He first loved us. 

It's the most beautiful thing I've witnessed all week. 

What's opened your eyes? Have you seen the character of God in others? Try to notice it. It's the Gospel coming to life. 

Thanks Ray.

I had a crazy teacher my senior year of high school. Though she was eccentric, I learned so much from the books we read and conversations we had in that class. One of those books was Fahrenheit 451--a staple in every English classroom.

Ray Bradbury's book was the beginning of my love for fiction, narratives and science fiction. He gripped me with such a relevant theme-- the destruction of knowledge, of books.

Thankfully, I think we've regressed from trashing literature with the advent of the reading tablets. I read a statistic yesterday that said print magazines have seen increased readership because of millennials.

I leave with words from Bradbury that I keep close.

Most of us can't rush around, talk to everyone, know all the cities of the world, we haven't time, money or that many friends. The things you're looking for, Montag, are in the world, but the only way the average chap will ever see ninety-nine per cent of them is in a book. Don't ask for guarantees. And don't look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for shore.

Practicing my counting.

1. A weekend with family that can't keep their eyes open even if they tried. 

 2. Rich desserts that one cannot finish by themselves.

 3. Friends that just stop by.

 4. Dog naps.

 5. And hours that I could use to finish a good book (Mockingjay).

Count your many blessings. Name them one by one.