Name:Audra Country:United States State:Arizona Birthday:3/15/1982 Gender:Female
Interests:snow swirling into the night. sunsets. the innocence of children. laughter. hair blowing in the breeze. sand between my toes. running barefoot in the rain. thunderstorms. snuggling up by a fire. cotton candy. dangling my feet into the lake. long walks. ice cream. love. two-steppin'. castles. twinkling lights. campfires. smores. the roar of the ocean crashing against rocks. flip-flops. fireflies. foggy sunrises. pajamas. the sound of my name on the lips of little children. friends. family. picnics. bubble baths. crawling into bed at night. toe rings. shopping. the worshipful strum of an acoustic guitar. the wisdom of others. boardwalks. silver linings. sunshine. wildflowers. peter. Expertise:making a mess of things (thankfully God's is getting me out)
Feel a little kicked around today. I had a great conversation with Autumn P., which was nice! And Yvette's baby shower was today... dear little Princess Ellie will grace us soon. Jack will be here before we know it, too! All the precious little blessings. So those were all good things... but I was a little... [rankled?] by another incident this evening. I'm starting to feel better about it, esp. after my conversation with Autumn... and Autumn . There's still a small part of me that's just a little sad. Not sure what happened. I feel a little betrayed, which is probably silly of me to feel that way, but nonetheless. What will be, will be... because my life is in God's hands. All of it. So with that said, I'm going to sleep knowing that I will do what God whispers in my heart (thank you dear sister for help with that, too)... and what will be, will be. Love, Audra
P.S. Autumn P. and I are going to start texting five things we're thankful for or blessed by each day, so I'll try to remember to post them on here. And goals - getting a little better with that, but much still to do!
Funny that it's now nearly four and a half months later and again, I want to finish cleaning the house before Peter gets home tomorrow. All those days are gone... forever. Am I making the most of each of them? I was reminded tonight that I need to set my goals and evaluate each opportunity to see if it will help me reach them. I've never truly considered a long-term goal before now. Everything just sort of fell into place. I was just doing what I was doing. It's difficult to keep sight of them sometimes, to remember that the short-term goals are imperative steps I must take. I think it's high time, in my twenty-seven years, that I purposefully set my goal higher than what I think I can obtain and then persevere toward it. I know God's got something going on, and I don't want to miss out. It's hard for me to imagine what that may eventually be, but I'd better keep imagining. Am I only the only one who's only just now setting long-term goals that are not immediately achievable? I really can't remember anything. I mean, I've never even set a work-out goal. I've always been so impatient, and it's never really even occurred to me. Didn't I even post something within the last couple years about goals? Well, starting tomorrow...
It's been awhile... I guess that's an understatement. I was talking with my students about how much more accessible primary sources such as diaries and journals are now that people can write their thoughts in blogs, and I thought,"Wow, I should really write again."
It's been a really, really, really long time, and much has happened. Probably most interesting and life-changing for me is that I'm now married. It was a beautiful night, and I love my husband very much. He's out of town with a friend this weekend, and I miss him.
God's been really working in my life recently. I wonder at His goodness and faithfulness. "He'll never leave you nor forsake you" is so very true. I've learned a lesson or two with many more to learn. What I love most is the still, small way He fills your heart. And the way He directs you through life's circumstances. "Wow, so apparently you have plans for me in this way, so I'm going with you there..."
My favorite song, well... I have two, is "Roll With Me" by Montgomery Gentry. Just today I rolled the windows down (yes, in warm, sunny January) and threw the sunroof back as I turned up the volume, letting the wind whip strands of hair in my face. The lyrics coursed through me as I sang along... "Now I'm slowing it down and I'm looking around and I'm loving this town and I'm doing alright; aint' worried 'bout nothing 'cept for the man I wanna be; I'm thinking maybe it's time to be livin' the rhyme when I'm singing a song about nothing but right, and it'd sure be nice if you would roll with me..."
The other song that has made an impact on me recently is Casting Crown's "Slow Fade" -- "It's a slow fade when you give yourself away; it's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray; thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid when you give yourself away; people never crumble in a day..."
My class is wonderful this year! I love them so much. I'm learning as much or more than them, as always, but in a good way this year. I think I'm learning less from my mistakes, now, and more from my successes. I feel very blessed.
I should write more often, but for now I need to go to bed. I want the house to be clean and inviting when Peter comes home tomorrow. And I want to be ready. The best part about him leaving is that I get to meet him at the door with a warm embrace when he returns. Hmmmm... wow, I was just struck by that comment. I wonder...
proactivity (pro-ac-tiv-i-ty) n. driving to or calling every Target in town to find the storage boxes found in the spot bins that happen to be perfect for classroom storage, both in functionality and price: Audra's proactivity paid off when she found the only two Target stores in town that still stocked one dollar storage bins, perfect for her classroom.
. There's still a small part of me that's just a little sad. Not sure what happened. I feel a little betrayed, which is probably silly of me to feel that way, but nonetheless. What will be, will be... because my life is in God's hands. All of it. So with that said, I'm going to sleep knowing that I will do what God whispers in my heart (thank you dear sister for help with that, too)... and what will be, will be.