Los Ra :)

Another favorite sight is mexican restaurants ... 'cause I love mexican food!!! But more specifically, I love Los Rancheros. MMMM, YUMMY! It's got yummy cheese sauce and sweet tea! It's the only mexican place around that has sweet tea ... that alone, makes it mi favorito! :D I also like it 'cause it's my CCF date spot. Hannah Baker and I meet there at least once a month for a chicken burrito with cheese sauce (no red sauce) and refried beans and a Mr. Pibb (for Hannah) and either beef soft tacos and refried beans or a chicken quesadilla (with no onions and green peppers), rice, and beans and a sweet tea (for me). A a small order of queso - of course! :D We've had lots of great conversations - about our bucket lists, about being single, about our hopes and dreams, about our struggles, about our passions, about the Lord ...






... It has definitely become a cherished place in my life :)

Gosh, I love this place!

Look at that! Isn't that the greatest thing you've ever seen?? :D
Haha! Well, it is to me. Aww, my home. Gosh, I love this place. I am probably the most blessed person on the planet when it comes to my home. Not only is it a great building with a classroom/3-car garage and barn and 2 acres of land ... but it's a place where love and spiritual growth and faithfulness and godliness and encouragement and hope have been given and shown to me for the past 18 years of my life. As part of my home, I have the best parents in the world. They love me unconditionally ... they have helped me grow in my faith probably more than anyone else has - ever ... they are incredible examples of godliness and faithfulness in my life ... and they give me constant encouragement about God's plan for my life and about who I am to them and to Christ. And I have an incredible brother who inspires me probably more than anyone else I know. He is so determined and strong ... he is so disciplined and uplifting ... the positive energy he gives off nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is both convicting and encouraging ... and he is really beginning to grasp what's truly important in life - living his life all for Jesus and not for himself. My home has been all of these things with these people. It has been open to strangers and church members and other family members who needed a home for months and even years at a time. It has been a Sunday night/Wednesday night after church hang-out spot for Jack's frozen pizza and lots of laughs around our little kitchen table with the Cooks and the Dailys and the Stroups and others. It has been a place for basketball and go-carts and swimming and jumping on the trampoline and building tree houses with friends. It has been a school for me and my brother. It has been a safe place ... a refuge ... and a very dear place to my heart.

Ha! Sometimes, I just sit in my room and stare at my walls, thinking about how someday, I'm gonna have to leave this place. Someday, I'll have to move out and be an adult - either with a family of my own or a job or an apartment with friends. Someday, my parents will sell this place and move south. Someday, I won't be able to turn off of 36 onto our bumpy, gravel driveway and look up at this place and say, "gosh, I love this place." ... Wow, I am way to nostalgic for my own good, huh? :) I just love my home. What a gift from God.

Probably my favorite sight in the world ... now, do you know why? :D

Dance shoes in the rear view mirror ...

I've been wanting to start a new blog project for a while. My bosom buddy, Emily, over at "The Thought Spot ..." has been blogging a lot lately, and her posts are always so fun and creative. And I love keeping up with her life in Nashville. So in effort to help her keep up with my life in Indy (because she wants to know about it!), I need to start blogging again. So my new blog project is this ... posts (and pictures) about my favorite sights. Yes, I'm gonna start telling you about and showing you my favorite things to see.

And today's sight is my dance shoes. :)





I took these pictures several weeks back, thinking I would use 'em for this blog project. I had piled 4 or 5 of my kids into my car after a youth event, and they put my dance shoes in the window of my back seat to make more room for them to sit. I saw them in my rear view mirror everyday for a few weeks, and I always smiled when I saw them ... yes, dance really does bring me that much joy. Haha! Dancing has just been so fun and liberating and a self-esteem boost and a huge outlet for me, so just seeing my dance shoes gets me excited! I've told you about my incredible dance instructor, Randy ... and the other instructors are amazing ... and dancing is helping me stay away from loneliness. It's just been awesome. Everyone needs to find a hobby that they can pour themselves into ... 'cause it is so rewarding and really just plain helpful in life. I sure do love to dance!!!!