if you know me and pay considerable enough attention to my life (as well as my IM profile), you should know that my birthday is coming up in approximately ONE week. yay for me…i’ll be on that for real grown person status as i turn 22. i won’t lament about being old, but i’ll just say that time flies when you’re having fun!

there are several things that i’ve been considering would be good birthday gifts. remembering that i’m casually unemployed, i’ve reminded everyone i know that gifts such as kroger gift cards, walmart/target gift cards, bp gift cards are all useful gifts. there’s no time for extravagance…gotta be practical about the things that you need (i guess that’s part of being grown and stuff). anyhow, i’m reconsidering what i would like…

in the traditional view of some material possession…i’d prolly say that i want money (i mean, i do need to be able to pay my bills) or some cute uga hoodie or a cute purse. however, this morning i had insight as to what i REALLY want for my birthday…so here goes…

for my birthday…i’d like to have the means to drive to louisiana (leaving on wednesday) so that i can go and participate in some type of hurricane relief effort. i’d like to be able to know that i can sufficiently gas up the honda (to travel there and back) and pack it with supplies for those who are needy. then upon getting there, i’d like to connect with a local church and do whatever is necessary to aid in the relief. that would be the perfect birthday gift.

and now…in traditional fashion, i’m out somewhere trying to figure how i can make my wishes for a birthday present a reality…

“the greatest among us are those who serve” ~upper room daily devotional

“everybody can be great. because anybody can serve. you don’t have to have a college degree to serve. you don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…you only need a heart full of grace. a soul generated by love.” ~ rev. martin luther king, jr.

peace and blessings…

so, i’ve been down here in georgia for almost 3 weeks and i’ve just finished my first 2 weeks of class. i’ve learned my way around (for the most part), which means i can get to school, downtown, the grocery store, the mall, the bank, etc. might not be able to get there quick, but i can get there. overall, things here are good and i think i’ve adjusted to the new place pretty well.

now that i’ve gotten into a routine of some sorts, i’m starting to feel like something is missing. at first i thought it was a little homesickness, but then i realized that there was something else that was missing…and so i’ve spent the last few days wondering exactly what that might be. i’m probably closer to my friends than i’ve been in a while because we talk more consistently than we did before…but it’s still something else…

lately i’ve decided that the best way to fill whatever void that i have was just by really getting into the word and reading lots of devotionals and things of that nature. it’s definitely made me feel better and i’ve gotten the reassurance that i might have been needing regarding my decision to come here. inspired by one of my girls, i just picked up “the 5 love languages” and it’s definitely been a good read. i think my next picks are “good to great” and/or “a people’s history of america” or something like that. i got a coupon to borders and i’m excited.

so yeah…i’m slowly getting back into the swing of things…and discovering where i fit into the scheme of life in athens, georgia.

definitely keep me in your prayers…i’m searching for a job, and i definitely need to maintain myself in all ways…emotionally, socially, spiritually, etc…

peace and blessings