A few of my favorite things...

Just thought I'd share my "favorites" (as of today at least):

• I recently discovered Pandora's Box Radio...if you have never heard of it I highly recommend it! It's a free, online radio station that creates a playlist according to your favorite music. Today I am loving: Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Nat King Cole, Norah Jones and the like...
• Mexican food! I just love it...I eat it all the time...in fact more than half my meals this week have been Mexican.
• Pizza- see a theme here? I'm looking forward to eating at a great pizza place tonight with my friend Laura!
• Friends! This week and weekend I've seen a lot of great friends. I also work with some pretty great friends :o) I am blessed!
• Fridays!
• Sunshine! Today the sun is peeking out. It was only gone a day or so but I sure missed it.
• Fall...the cool mornings and evenings, pumpkin scented candles, holidays...
• My puppy...she bring me joy and lots of laughs.
• A clean house...I woke up this morning so glad my house is clean- it's just relaxing to me.
• Books...I went to our annual book sale and got 4 books for $3.50! Gotta get back into reading mode.
• Free clothes...my fashionable sister recently went through her closet and gave me clothes she is tired of. So nice!
• My job! I really am thankful for a job I enjoy, am challenged in, feel competent in, etc.

Well that's enough for now!

Appreciating each day...

This has been a crazy week. Usually my weeks are all about the weekend...I can't wait until the weekend and each day I think "I am one day closer...". I love my job, don't get me wrong, but there is just something about the freedom of a weekend. This week I had a different mindset. On Tuesday morning during chapel (I get the opportunity to go to chapel about once a week- so great) our President announced that an alumus (who's sister is a current student) had been killed the night before. Many of you have probably heard the story in the news- if not watch this video: http://www.katu.com/news/28491769.html?video=YHI&t=a After chapel I came back to my office and looked him up and sure enough I remembered him and his wife have some mutual friends though I am not personally friends with them. Also affecting a co-worker of mine is this story: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=11&articleID=20080910_11_A1_Doniva640424. Her cousins were the victims of a brutal shooting. They are good kids leaving church to have lunch with their family. They were followed by a car armed with AK-47's. 4 of the 5 guys were shot- one died, one is paralyzed and they all have injuries. (Good news is they have caught some of the suspects). Anyway, these 2 stories going around campus the past couple weeks have made me think about LIFE.

I am so "future focused" that I have always had a hard time appreciating each day. I look forward to the weekends, wonder what the future holds, make plans, etc. I am learning this week to live each day as if it's your last. It's a sobering thought but inspiring as well. I want each day to count in eternity. So how do we go about changing our mindset without becoming irresponsible, living in the moment people? I don't have all the answers but I am trying to make steps towards this...not wasting so much time- instead investing in people, my relationship with Christ, living a healthy and balanced life...at work treating it as a mission field- yes I work with Christians but there are still a lot of opportunities to encourage, support, exhort and help people...What would this mean for you?