What a wonderful fall week we have been having. People are saying the rain brought in the cold weather. Complainers of cold weather this time of year in this part of the country need to look into moving. Its the end of October. The leaves are officially changing and the crisp weather is here to stay. It got below freezing last night. I loved driving pass the frost over the park I now drive by on my way to my new work. I am loving my new job. It will feel weird going to the ‘Bucks tomorrow instead of the church. Im stilling settling, taking it all in and learning. Thursday I will actually get to met some of the kids I have seen and heard about. The staff has been wonderfully welcoming, though its hard that they all know my name but I have 40 (plus 200 kids) names to learn. Today I had a lady who I met before ask me if I could get my boss to email her someone’s email address. I had to ask her again who she was. I know they are understand and it keeps me humble I guess. Im slowly making my little space in the “party cube” my office area is called my own. I share a room that its in fourths with of course three other women. Really enjoy working with people around me, but also getting used to theres no real privacy like my old officey jobs had. As full as my week has been and is going to be, Im looking forward to the change. I just hope to find a good balance without too trouble along the way.

My church was talking about living simply last night. This could be about a few couples getting together and buying bulk at Costco together. It could be about managing your time better. Could be about just being instead of being busy all the time. Simple isnt so simple to me. I think being simple takes a lot of planning which at times can be far from simple. Maybe it just takes practice for it to become simple. I have a stack of Real Simple magazines and time managing websites bookmark to help me to simple. But then I find myself managing my time, then not leaving room for the spirit to just be. Usually those simple things happened when they are unplanned. Do you plan to go love on your neighbor? Do you plan to help someone out in a time of need? I cant think of a time I have planned for those things to happen. They just do, in a wonderfully unplanned matter.

Last week I had a meeting at my new job and was given the history and low-down of the current state of the youth group. My friend and boss came from the same church to where we are now. We both felt that our past church was good about just being – but thats it. There was no vision most of the time because we kept waiting to be sure it was Jesus calling us to do this thing. Where at this church, theres a lot of doing and not much waiting. Is there a balance to all of that? Id like to fool you all that I find the happy medium ground between doing and waiting on God’s voice on things in my life. Truthfully, I dont. I want to be that very organized girl who has her time managed well and does thing God has told me to and doing it well. Most of the time I just do things I think God is saying to do but not out of waiting on Him. Do I take the time to simply ask? Sometimes but not all times. Not in the daily things. Because well that takes time which we seem to run short on a lot of times. Excuses that make a wall to keep me boxed into this westernized Christian culture that frustrates me to no end.

Maybe planning a day of just being. Wait, a day of rest. This isnt a new idea of course. Its what God did after creating the world. One of my favorite books talks all about taking time out of the week, to plan around that day, of resting. Hard is it for us to do that. Really hard. We are called to such a life as Christ followers though. We called to stop, be still and listen. Jesus isnt going to shout at us, as much as I wish he would most of the time. I do think the road down this life of being simple will be in small steps. Instead of great leaps I think we want to take. Its sorta madding how those steps are easy at first then get hard in the middle of the journey. Or to feel defeated in if a few steps are backwards rather than forward. Im thankful for a Savior who is there, with open arms at all times. In the celebrating times and in the hard times of this not so simple of life we have created for ourselves.

There once was a tree that I drove by every time I came home from work.



This tree makes me very happy every time I drive by it. It doesnt care that there has been a really hot summer. No rain? This doesnt stop this little tree from producing wonderful colors of fall leaves.


And the sun was hitting it just perfect. As if, the sun was shinning down on the good little tree that turned towards the season of fall.



Then, THEN on the way to Jason’s there was this tree of orange in the middle of green trees.


And the sky was oh so blue.



You can only find that perfect color of the blue on a beautiful October day.

I think have pumpkin fever. Here are the items I have tired since the first of October:

Pumpkin Spice Latte: okay so I had this before the first, for the first time this year. It was still very warm out and it didnt taste as good. This morning I had a double tall pumpkin spice latte and it was delightful. A fall staple for coffee drinkers. For those of you people who think us latte drinkers are sissies, just put some in your black coffee for a day. Its fall after all.

Pumpkin Ale: DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE OTHER PUMPKIN ALES. World Market is the only place to get Pumpkin Ale. Last year I branched out and tired easier to find Pumpkin Ales that are out there, but they were no were nearly as good as this beer is. Over the past year Ive become much more of a beer drinker, but this is the only beer I had before my beer drinking days.

Pumpkin Ice Cream: My coworker told me she purchased pumpkin ice cream at the store. Every time I went grocery shopping I searched for it. None to be found. Finally, I checked a different store and I found this mysterious pumpkin ice cream. It is good, just really sweet so beware. Little bowls of this stuff is good. Bet chocolate poured over the top would be awesome.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese: I love this bagel place in town and grabbed breakfast there the other day. I saw they had pumpkin cream cheese! I switched at the last minute for that. This is the only pumpkin thing I was disappointed with. I was expecting sweet, but it was a pure pumpkin taste. It wasnt a bad taste, just not what I was expecting.

Pumpkin Donut: This is what Ive been waiting for that I have never tired before. Krispy Kreme apparently carries these, and I heard about them in September. I had to wait till October of course. So tasty. A very dangerous treat that will make you very round during the fall very quickly.

Kari’s Pumpkin Muffins: I havnt had any yet. For those of you who know the greatness of Kari’s muffins are probably disappointed that its mid-October and I havnt made any yet. I even have the supplies in my kitchen for them! I just havnt had the time till this weekend. I hope to bake some tonight and bring them to church tomorrow night to spread the goodness.

Jason and I went out to a pumpkin patch yesterday to get me a white pumpkin. We are going to get carving pumpkins at Wal-Mart (cheaper and just as good) but I hadnt seen white pumpkins anywhere else. And I love going to pumpkin patches. It would be nice to find a “real” one someday. Maybe a day of it with some friends or something. Maybe even take my first hay ride. Embrace the pumpkin love!

Ohi again. I have some news to share with you all. Some very exciting news. I got a new job! Long story short, my friend is a high school youth pastor and he created a job for me to come to do at his church. Its basically planning and coordinating the events/retreats and their youth group night. I also get to work with their student leadership team since its a student lead youth group. This means that I will be stepping down at Starbucks to twenty hours a week to keep my benefits. Finally, a full time job, it will just be in two different places. To help ease the pain that is me stepping down, I told my manger I would help train my replacement for two weeks. So, yay!

I dont listen to NPR nearly as often as I once did. My commute to pretty much everywhere these days is not as long as when I first moved to North Carolina. Only reason I miss the driving is spending more time with NPR. The day I love NPR the most is on Sundays. I have Car Talk in the mornings, then Wait Wait Don Tell Me, then A Prairie Home Companion in the afternoon. This evening I discovered a delightful program that played Irish music. Kinda wishing I didnt sell my Titanic soundtrack. Never thought I would say that!

What? Didnt you know that October means everything pumpkin?

Growing up in pretty much 72 and sunny weather, I didnt really change my wardrobe too much. Here in beautiful Carolina, I hear all the time about people having winter and summer wardrobe. This is the time of year where they move thier summer close into thier chest or box or whatever confines their other season wardrobe. This is sort of a mystery to me still. How does this really work? I have all my my wardrobe in my closet and a dresser. What if you have unseasonably warm day in December? Do you go and get down that box of tank tops? In California we had cool nights most of the year. Sweaters where a good thing to keep along side our tanks. When its warm here its warm, day and night. If I did this two wardrobe thing, I more than likely would buy more clothes. Right now, Im pretty much full as far as space goes in my closet. It could probably take a few more items and maybe even say good-bye to a few. But if my “winter” wardrobe, things I regular wear when its cooler out, were not in there all summer, Id have a closet full of tank tops. Not that I really believe having a closet full of tank tops is a bad thing. My pocket book on the other-hand would disagree with me. If I make this place, (land of where women tend to have two wardrobes they store and rotate) a long term dwelling place, am I going to have to learn this system?

Welcome October! What a wonderfully chilly weekend, too bad the week doesnt look like its the first week of October. I drove by a pumpking patch yesterday. A pumpkin patch! I must confess, couple weeks ago the store had mini pumpkins and I just couldnt help myself. Soon, I will be picking out my own pumpkin. I think Im going to make mum-pots this year. Or something else crafty besides craving, I leave that to Jason anyhow because he is so great at it. My roommate wants to take some photos with her boyfriend in a pumpkin patch soon. Should be a fun photo shoot to do. Hopefully I can take lots of couple photos this fall, I personally think its the perfect season to capture. Soon I will be making my friend Kari’s famous pumpkin muffins. There will be fall soups to be made and have. Its good to focus on fall food in till I can actually wear sweaters and cute closed toe shoes again.