This is where I am this week. Hoping that a few cookies crumble the way I want them to- so if you don't mind, help her out and cross your fingers too! Happy Tuesday!

A Time to Dance

"And a time to dance." Ecclesiastes 3:4

It has been four months since I have blogged. FOUR. I owe an apology to any who might have read my blog in the past. Looking back, I blogged the most when I was experiencing a valley, and writing served in 2010 as an outlet for me. Yet, I fell off the blogging radar in 2011. To simply and selfishly put it, it was my time to dance and rarely found/sought out the time to blog. Therefore, I apologize to those of you who had to read all of my valley posts and never got the description of the view from the mountain. That is my new M.O.- give you my tales from the mountain. However, before I get to that- I also feel convicted because I have not been as grateful for my time to dance as I should have been. I heard a verse from Job once that said "Should we accept good from God and not trouble?" I used to think this was showing our impatience for hardships. However, it applies to my life in other ways. In my times of hardship, I grew even closer to God. As I wrote once, it was a season of my life where I became less and He became more. Yet, when my time to dance arrived, I went tearing across the dance floor without thanking the One who turned on the music. I was the naive child who was enthralled by the song and was oblivious to the loving parent watching from the side of the room. Therefore, thank you God for the "time to dance" and for being the gracious, forgiving Father who smiles from the corner.

Back to 2011- I literally could probably write about the past year all day long. It truly was such a wonderful year where I was blessed with so many amazing people, experiences, opportunities, and life lessons. Yet, in light of the fact that I missed a Thanksgiving post and in celebration of the new year, here are twelve aspects of 2011 I am thankful for.

1. My parents. Throughout the past year, they have taken the role of a Servant Heart to an all-new level and have never ceased to inspire me on a daily basis. They are two of the most selfless and God-trusting people I know. I did not deserve them, but I am so glad I have their guiding footsteps in my life.

2. My sister who I have literally watched venture out into the "real world" the past year. From getting her Doctorate after six years of school in May to her "big-girl" job and her new apartment, I am so proud of her and the fact that she keeps raising the totem pole a little higher every day for me to climb ;)

3. My Aunt- Laura Story said it best in her song Blessings when she said "What if your blessings come from raindrops?" Although it was not under the most ideal circumstances, I am so grateful that my aunt now lives with us which has given me more time to spend with her and soak in her unique pieces of wisdom:)

4. An emergency-room free year! Can I get an amen? Besides a small passing out spell in the middle of the DG hallway, Kate finding me in my towel, and Maidee setting off the fire alarm as she ran up the fire escape to get to my room, the year ran smoothly and no roller skates to be found.

5. Speaking of DG, 2011 started my junior year which also meant living in the DG house. I have absolutely loved it so far and am dreading the sad day in May when I have to move out.
6. My childhood friends- although I have written about them in my blog several times, I could never run out of words to say. They have and always will hold a special place in my heart.
7. My college friends- From people I met my first day at Ole Miss to ones I met this semester, I have been blessed with such wonderful friends in Oxford who make this season of my life all the more beautiful and worthwhile.

8. A new friend in March- From a rather comical meeting, I gained a new best friend last spring and every day since has been quite entertaining. :) Simply put, I am so thankful for meeting someone who can put me in my place and make me laugh simultaneously. (This is not an easy task folks)

9. Trips- From Spring Break in March to four beach get-aways this summer to New Orleans in July to three trips to Houston in the fall and day-trips to Memphis, I have had my fair share of wheel-time so to speak and am so grateful for these adventures because they hold some of my greatest memories from the past year.

10. Mr. Doler- He will have his own post soon, but I am thankful for my last year with my sweet friend. I love you and miss your smile already.

11. The fact that everything happens for a reason. This has been my mantra for over a year now as I have blogged about it before, and this allowed for my time to dance.

12. A God who never ceases to amaze me, who loves me despite all of my flaws, who always listens to my never-ending rambles, and who blessed me with the past 11 wonderful blessings and my time to dance in 2011.

Stormchasers

Once again, I have fallen off the radar for over a month after I pinky-promised not to, and once again, I have surrendered to my fickle ways and changed my blog name yet again. Yet, I think this one is here to stay. Because I honestly couldn't picture a better way to describe my life. Don't get me wrong- I am your typical imperfect human who makes countless mistakes on a daily basis. I am a college student who really has no clue what I am going to do with the so-called "real world" and future. I am your stereotypical girl who can be overdramatic, worry endlessly, and ride the roller coaster called Emotions. I have days where when it rains, it pours. HOWEVER, at the end of the day, when all of the chaos settles, I could not be more blessed. I have the most wonderful family in the world- still trying to figure out what I did to deserve them. I have the greatest friends I could ask for and who each make life all the more beautiful. Most importantly, I have a God who promises to hold my hand as I walk out onto the waves of life. At the end of the day, that is all that matters, and at the end of the day, I could not ask for more. THAT, my friends, is the abundant life, and oh, how sweet it really is.

So, now an update on my life would be good. School is kicking back in full swing, and over the past month, I have moved back to Oxford, traveled to Tuscaloosa, gave a speech, and helped with Alabama's recruitment, back to Oxford, transformed into a "big girl" with suit and all to attend my first "Meet the Firms," flown for the first time by myself, and biggest shock of all- actually woke up to eat breakfast one morning at the House.

Now back to the core of my post. This past weekend (Labor Day weekend) I flew out to Houston to see the boyfriend, and long story short, I had an absolutely wonderful weekend. Three highlights of the weekend 1) I found SMORES in a restaurant. S-M-O-R-E-S. (If you know me, you understand). 2). I struck a gold-mine of a negotiation with the boyfriend and told him that if he took me to a Forever 21 that I would watch the Arkansas football game that night (if that's not the real "Great Compromise," I'm not sure what is) and...

3).Let's just say I was one happy girl :)

Now after my continuous ramble, let's try once again to get to the point. So Saturday night, we were going to Vic and Anthony's in Houston, and when we pulled into the parking spot, it randomly starts raining. Being the girl, I wanted to wait it out, and being the boy, he just wanted to get out before it "got worse." So, in DRESS AND HEELS (new shoes at that), I start running in the rain towards this very nice restaurant. Right as I am passing the HUGE window display of the restaurant I am about to walk into, I trip and fall flat on my hands and knees, in a dress and heels, in the middle of the streets of Houston, in the middle of a rainstorm. Classic, right? Since this is my everyday life, I have learned to laugh, which is what I did on my hands and knees in the midst of a puddle in this street of Houston as a stranger offered me a helmet (no lie), Andrew grabbed my hand, pulled me to my feet, and we kept running yet again in the rain. To add to the comedy show, as we finally reach the restaurant door, it magically stops raining. Great, great timing. So needless to say with my wet-dog hairstyle and scraped knees and his shirt completely soaked to his body, we were a sight to see walking in for our reservation. (We literally laughed out loud about this at least five different times during the course of the dinner.)

So what's my point? My point is that in life, you need Stormchasers. You need people who are going to "run in the rain" with you and aren't detered by the thunder. You need people who are going to lift you to your feet during the storms of life and hold your hand through it all. You need people who are going to stay with you until the rain magically stops. You need to know that no storm is too large. Most importantly, you need to know that there is a Stormchaser who can calm every storm.
"And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be Still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." Mark 4:39.

What Goes Around Comes Around

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6

Does this sound like a saucy, spiteful blog title or what? Sorry to get anyone's dramatic hopes up, but I am not trying to be sassy and as Destiny's Child once said "bust ya out on the Internet" because as they also said "my mama (DEFINITELY) taught me better than that." Back to the point- I came across this verse earlier, and I couldn't help but remember an entertaining scenario from a few weeks ago.

A friend and I were just cruising through the Sonic drive-in as I was searching for an open parking spot when out of nowhere the Sonic worker just strolls out into the road. I stopped and waited for him to cross, but he still gave me one of the most venomous looks known to mankind. I was shocked and repulsed. I had politely stopped to let this chap pass, and he not only hesitates in the middle of the road but shoots me a death glare. WELL, if you know me and my quick-to-be-overdramatic-and-throw-a-fit self sometimes, my first instinct was to run the little punk over (ok, so not that crazy) but at least roll down my window and say whatever derogatory statement I found suitable or give him a raunchy look in return. Yet, I gained composure and casually pulled into my parking spot instead. Now to the "what goes around comes around" concept.

Would you like to know who had to come and personally deliver my food to me AFTER he had given me a death glare? OH YES, Mr. Punk himself. As I saw him coming in my rearview mirror, I pondered how I would react to this delivery and the rude boy himself. Yet, after I pushed aside the evil schemes I had rolling around in my head, I- for the first and most likely only time in my life- had a Frieda McKenzie moment and decided to take the "Kill them with Kindness" route. The boy reached my window, and you could tell he was embarrassed that he had just sent me to Purgatory and back with his eyes a few moments before. However, as he handed me my food, I smiled and gave him an extra large tip and wished him a good day. As he walked away looking a tad surprised, I couldn't help but smile. For nothing quite makes the medicine go down like a spoonful of sugar (Mary Poppins reference fully intended), and his medicine was hard to swallow.

Now, you may ask where the "what goes around comes around" concept comes into play because he was rude and still got a tip (miraculous, huh?). Well you see, he was rude then wound up having to come and deliver me my food- which is punishment in itself. He had to come face to face with someone he had mistreated and wait for the verdict. On the other hand, if I had acted out when he first gave me a rude glance, I would have had to feel ashamed when he came to my car window a few minutes later. Therefore be careful of how you treat people in life because what goes around comes around, and people that you encounter at one point in your life may come back around at some point (even less than three minutes later in a food line) when you're the server. Yet, I think that to truly "reap generously" as the verse says, we have to "sow generously" for not only ourselves but for others and others who do not "sow generously" for us in return. We cannot truly harvest life and life in its abundance until we love others fully and forgive those who do not sow for us. Luckily, the "what goes around comes around" concept is not in God's book. He sows generously for us daily when our most generous harvest could never compare to His glory. We received his graceful reap when we had done nothing to deserve it. Therefore, pass on your generous sows even when others don't deserve it.

Because do you want to know who really received the generous reap that day? It wasn't the worker with a few more cents in his pocket. It was me who had the bountiful harvest as I set aside my vengeful plow and purgatory glances and simply forgave.

Celebrations and New Beginnings

So, I do believe a little.....


... is in store. First of all, TODAY is my sweet Maidee Parker's 21st birthday. I would blog about her, but you see, I already have at least three posts about her that define her to her wonderful core, so I will let you read my multiple posts about the wonderful, supportive, beautiful, encouraging, hilarious, challenging, life-long best friend that I love so much! Happy Birthday Maidee Parker

Secondly, last month marked the 1st birthday of my sweet blog. I honestly cannot believe that I have been writing on here for over a year- besides the fact that I have been scarce during the past six months! I promise that is changing soon! I never pictured that this blog would turn into an outlet for me to pour out my ridiculous "Lucy" moments, my everyday thoughts and ramblings, the ups and downs of the past year, and ultimately part of my heart, but it has definitely served as that over the past year. Furthermore, I would like to thank each of you who have taken the time to read this and experiencing the past year with me so-to-speak!

However, I decided to change the blog up a little bit. I have changed the name- trust me, I will still have PLENTY of Lucy Moments for you in the future (including my most recent- calling the lady I babysit for to tell her that her stove wasn't working but I could smell the gas only for her to tell me that was impossible seeing that she had an electric stove... yikes)- but I thought it was time for a little remodeling because not all of my blogs deal with Lucy days. I found my new blog name from an ongoing joke among my boyfriend's family. Being a true Mississippi/Southern girl, they have poked fun of me for my so-called accent and constantly ask if I want "Sweet Tea and Grits." To be quite honest, I am not even that much of a grits fan despite my recent visit to the beach where I had cheese grits that where to die for! Back to the point, I started pondering over these two seemingly basic items and thought they fit well into the realm of my background and blog. Not only do they depict the Southern lifestyle that you will find in my blog, they also can depict the life that we all lead. In life, there is always going to be "grit" and days where things don't go as smoothly as we would wish. HOWEVER, there is always a glass of sweet tea waiting around the corner to help you swallow that grit. That is my goal in life and through this blog. I strive in life to always see the sweet tea around the corner, and through this blog, I hope I can serve you a sweet tea through my idiotic mishaps, life experiences, or any rambling on here that might be meaningful to you! So let's keep the sweet tea coming, shall we?

The Road that Led Home

(I just found this in my drafts. I meant to post this months ago, but I guess it never quite made it. So here's an easy blog to compose today :)

"The friends who grew up with you deserve a special respect. The ones who stuck by you, shoulder to shoulder, when nothing was certain, all of life lay ahead, and every road led home."- The Wonder Years

I absolutely love The Wonder Years- always have- and I especially love its quotes. (I even secretly put one into my high school annual my Senior year- oh, the perks of being an editor). Obviously, I love this quote above then, but it also goes along with some wise words I heard this past year during a weekend at home. My Uncle Rick was talking about friends, and he said that in life, you were lucky if you had two true friends. In the back of my mind, I smiled because this was the exact number that had been beside me throughout my childhood. Throughout elementary school, middle school, and especially high school, two friends were there for absolutely everything. We stood "shoulder to shoulder" in the midst of bad hair days, embarrassing days where one of us spit a carrot across a table and nailed the current boyfriend straight in the face or another hit a parked school van during the middle of the first soccer game, days of celebration when one of became Prom Queen and when another was becoming the next Sharapova, days of trials when we experienced death and loss and failure, days where boys broke our hearts and proved they had no heart themselves in the process, days where the sun couldn't shine brighter and days of learning to dance in the rain- basically days where nothing was certain, all of life lay ahead of us, and days when these girls WERE the road that led home. So without further ado, please let me introduce to you Dos and Tres (we will get to that later).

DOS. She is absolutely going to kill me when she sees this picture, but I can't help it. It sums up why I love her so much and what role she played in our friendship. If you can't tell, she is dressed as a tiger (isn't she adorable?), and this is what Maidee Parker has been for me throughout growing up. If you read my blog back in October, you read where I said Maidee Parker puts you in her box and fights for you when you can't fight for yourself. Likewise, Maidee Parker is a tiger for me in the sense that she is fierce in her life, and this strength permeates into the lives of those she surrounds. Maidee Parker has literally been that friend who has been around since Kindergarten, and she has always been a fighter. From pulling me up a THOUSAND times on a mountain in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, forcing me to not give up and learn how to snowboard as a thirteen year-old to literally sitting in the emergency room stretcher with me as a nineteen-year-old with TWO concussions, Maidee Parker has always been the magnet that held everything together. She was the tiger who wouldn't let you roam the "jungles" of life alone, and she made you strong in your moments of weakness. Looking back at all of the hard times in life, Maidee Parker was always there with an outstretched hand and a hand that taught you how to fight.As I also mentioned in the "Some Things Never Change" post, Maidee Parker has always been the one in the middle of Allison and me, shaking her head at all of the idiotic blunders that Al and I found our way into, not knowing if she should check on the clutz who fell flat on her face first or the one whose rolling in a bush screaming from laughing. I think Maidee's role can be perfectly portrayed through one of our favorite pasttimes- tubing- and as Allison and I would be flailing around about to fly off into the murky Reservoir waters, Maidee Parker would be in the center holding one of us down and reaching for the other idiot who was about to drown. On a serious note, Maidee Parker has been and will always be the tiger in my life. She has helped me find strength in times I couldn't imagine to find it and has helped me face life with a fierce passion. She's my fighter, and I am so blessed to have her in my "boxing ring" of life.

TRES. It is said that pictures say 1,000 words. This picture has one- ALLISON. If Maidee Parker helped me face the world and its obstacles with a fierce passion, Allison helped me laugh in the midst of its craziness. I can just look at the picture and hear her either laughing, screaming, singing (probably the infamous Boom Diggy at that), or a mixture of all three. If you have ever heard Allison's laugh, you know what I mean when I say that it is one of her hallmarks and that it could light the darkest room. No matter what kind of day I was having, if Allison started laughing, a smile instantaneously spread across my face. There are not many funny stories that line Memory Lane that do not incorporate Al in some way. In fact, the craziest stories ALL pretty much centralize around her. From dancing to "Pop, Lock, and Drop It" in broad daylight on the beach in front of a rather large condominium to endless calls from Meredith Minschew and L.A. Nails, Allison has always been the "noise/music" in my life. Whether it was her Spanish rendition of the Star Spangled Banner to her beloved Christmas music, Allison is always singing her own little tune. Furthermore, wherever she goes, Allison is definitely heard :), and there's something special about her that makes her song unforgettable. Allison does NOT meet strangers, and if she does, five minutes later they're automatically a "new best friend." Yet again, she spreads her "joyful noise," as she once called it, to someone else. Allison's "joyful noise" is contagious in that she brightens your day and encourages you to brighten others. Her "tune" is one that inspires and one that draws people to it. She has helped me laugh when I thought that was the last thing possible, and she has challenged me multiple times by the "tune" of her life. Although I am no longer able to hear that laugh on a daily basis, when I do, it still brings an automatic smile to my face, and I know that those who get to hear it are blessed by it.

I don't even remember how old we were when we came up with Uno, Dos, and Tres, and I am sure it was a moment of pure idiocy that we had and one of the multiple names we chose to call each other in high school. Yet, it was more than a ridiculous name. It was more than a pose that we did for every picture in high school. It was more than three best friends. It was growing together when "nothing was certain." It was "sticking together shoulder by shoulder." It was facing "all of life that lay ahead." It was "the road that lead home."

I love yall.

Update from the Waves

I ABSOLUTELY cannot believe that it has been TWO MONTHS since I have blogged. I am in shock. I am sorry to all of you who so kindly read my ramblings and crazy ideas, and I promise I will not neglect you again. Pinky promise, at that! First and foremost, Happy Mother's Day! I would dedicate this post to my mother, but if you scroll down two posts to "Shoulder Dusting Kind of Love" you can read all about the wonderful individual who I am beyond blessed to call my mother/best friend/cheerleader/backbone, (every other word that represents strength, grace, beauty, and kindness). Now, back to the present. SO much has happened since I blogged last. I could write novels about all that has mingled its way into the paths of my life, but I will try to give you all the nutshell version.

If you read my post in January about "Stepping Out of the Boat and Onto the Waves," you know that a few months ago I was dealing with letting go of my stubborn "control" over my life and the front of the boat and then stepping out onto the uncertainty of the waves and letting Him guide me. Well, here is my update from the waves. Letting go of the boat/my "perfect navigation"/stepping out onto the waves was the BEST thing. It's funny how when you try to paint your pretty, ideal picture of your life the way you want it, God laughs and hands you a Mona Lisa compared to what you helplessly and ignorantly tried to create. Since I have been out in the waves, God has truly taught me how to "ride the waves" and appreciate the tides He stretches out to your grasp and even the tides He pulls back in.

The past four months, I have truly seen God's presence in my life. He opened doors-which allowed me to serve and do something I love-that had been closed in the past. He has presented new and exciting opportunities in my life that I would never even imagine and could only dream of (i.e., I was asked to speak to a group of girls because someone actually liked my crazy ramblings on here- that was extremely humbling/a cherished compliment/ one of my ultimate dreams). He has also sent people into my life that have added their own unique hues and shades to the picture that I could have never created on my own and now couldn't imagine the picture of my life without them. All the while, He has blessed me with the irreplaceable family and friends that have stuck to my side from the very beginning. As this school year comes to an end, I look back on the previous year and all of its struggles, and as much as I tell myself I would never want to go through it again, I know that it was part of the journey to where I am today. It was the lesson that taught me to let go of the boat, have courage, and trust that I could ride the waves. It was a season where I became less and He became more. I became less in control and He became more real than I could have ever fathomed.

Therefore, here is my update from the waves.
The waves are amazing.
(I dare you to come out here and join me.)
Life is good.
God is better.