A Breath Of Fresh Air

I have spent a lot of time in the past week driving. Like 7 hours. All by my lonesome. A "Me" party if you will. A party just for one, in my Honda "Lolovievie" or Lolo for short. I picked the name out of a baby name book when I first got my car. It means "the sweetness of love" or "surrounded by love". To me it symbolized the love that surrounded me as I gave up my car for my brother when he needed one, how my dad chipped in most of the money for me to buy a new car, and how all good things stem from love.

I love how one good deed can start a perpetual cycle of nice actions. I like that when I am driving, I get to be outside in the great big beautiful world. Where everywhere you look you are surrounded by love. By the birds in the air, and the flowing fields of grass, everything is so peaceful, it helps me feel God's love because I see it. God's love. For me. For all of us. To make such a perfect beautiful place to live.

The salty mist of the ocean. The majesty of a thunderstorm rolling in. The way it makes you feel so small under such a big boisterous cloud. I love it. Rain. Trees. The sweet, sticky humidity of a Virginia summer. The way it makes you want to die it's so hot, yet somehow you can't help but love it because you feel like you are five again chasing lightening bugs and catching them in jars.

I miss the outdoors. I miss the way the outdoors make me feel like God is just a stone's throw away. I miss Idaho bike rides by the canal. And naps in the hammock. I miss seeing the sky and only getting glimpses of it through an office window or my car.

I need a trip to Australia. To be outside again. To breathe fresh air. To be away. August, you're welcome any time now :) I'm waiting.

Let the good times roll!

I've been terrible at blogging lately. I've been a bad friend to my blog followers! Life has been busy! I am late on my blog post so all I can do is say I will do better!

Last week was sort of a tough week. I didn't see Nate other than an hour a day, and with all the crazy weather we've been having, it was nearly impossible to spend time together. It was a stressful week.

But then everything changed on Saturday afternoon. Like a bright beacon of light after a dark and gloomy week,  Nate and I got to go to Daryl and Rasheema's wedding! It was awesome. And it reminded me about something bigger than all the craziness in the news, at work, or everyday life.

LOVE!

I truly believe marriage and family life teaches us more about love than any other circumstance. Not only about love, but about Christ-like love. About charity and how real love transcends all things. When I am with Nate, I know he loves me unconditionally. Not because I am perfect. Or we have the perfect relationship, but because we are committed to each other and we promised to always love and protect one another.

God's best gift to me was Nate. And I could see that same feeling between Daryl and Rasheema on Saturday. I could just look and tell that with Gods help, they will continue to enjoy a lifetime of love and happiness together.

I will write again soon, but I had to document what a happy occasion it was to be able to join our friends on such a special day!