so apparently i'm a better wrestler than i thought i was... ;o)
Lombardi 2
Blakey nada
This week passed by really quickly, much faster than i thought it would. The beginning was pretty crummy, yet our gracious Father blessed me with an incredible friend who ministered to my heart all week. Friendships are interesting things; doing them right is pretty difficult too.
The Lord's sovereginity has encouraged me a lot this week. Seeing processes and purposes for things in my past unfold opens the door for refinement and wisdom, and also makes me eager for His divine future to become a present in my life..but knowing that i have to deal with a lot of stuff/sin before I can get there is a great challenge for me, and I'm ready.
I'm so very excited about this weekend :o)
grace & peace,
lish
man, i have had an intense couple of days-mentally/spiritually speaking.
The Spirits role in my life to convict and bless has been incredible-to see activeness and the needing to committ specific things to prayer that require immediate action and trust. Time and time again im blown away by this blessed hope and assurance we are guaranteed through Christ Jesus-i'm mean, i dont deserve this and screw up yet, He's always there, it might not always be smiles but to see Him tangibly at work in my life in the midst of a lot of vagueness and unclarity is a ginormous encouragement to me.
Purposefullness is the prayer of me heart these days. To be in pursuit of the glory and the will of the Lord with genuine motivation is the yearning in my soul.
goodnight friends
grace & peace,
lish
[author's note: this post is dedicated to Valerie M. Blakey aka the coolest junior I know, former roommate & currently shares my brain at times...]
Once upon a time, (actually March 7th, 2006) I was introduced to Valerie Blakey (pictured left). At the time, all i knew about this girl was that she was in the Corps of Cadets and did video stuff for Freedom at one time. Little did I know, that in less than a week, I would find out that we were possibly friends/twins in a former life.
Our story begins during Spring Break, on a mission trip to Grove City, PA. Early in the trip it is very obvious that Valerie is super cool and i immediately want to be her friend..so we become roommates for the duration of our stay in the Metroplex of SR, GC and Harrisville, and by roommates, I mean inseparable for the remainder of the trip, experimenting in the realms of telepathy(-not really).
Background: Valerie Marie (yup, we share a middle name) B. was born on June 12th, in some year after 1982.. Shes from Mississppi and enjoys playing outside, especially rock climbing. As I mentioned before, Valerie is in the Corps, so she is mostly familiar with things boy due to the fact the Corps is mostly guys. Which is fine, because like all of you know, I'm not a girly-girl [thus we get along fabulously....but it is quite funny that compared to Valerie...i'm pretty girly].
So we continue...
during our stay in PA, it was my job to prepare all the meals and its on Sunday that Valerie takes her first steps at learning girlness...She watched me make banana bread..and even helped a bit: melting the butter! But while she was becoming woman...i was learning boy-i wrestled for the first time in my life-and got my butt kicked. You should also take note that at this time, I had just recently learned how to knit and had my knitting needles going lickidy-split. [And secretly Val was watching every moved and stitch I made ;)] Another important step into womanhood, was the opening the canned food for me on Thursday when I made Taco Soup-she even helped give out the recipe to a lady when I was busy!
It was a the end of the week that Valerie finally bloomed...she made banana bread and even learned how to knit..contributing quite a bit to my scarf-that i will probably have done by next winter. Her training in womanhood has not come to an end, this is only the beginning! Hopefully by the end of the summer we will have mastered the arts of cooking/baking, frolicking, slumber parties and basketweaving....:o)
Valerie, I love you tons and cant believe we hadnt met and been friends before now. You are a delight and i love "taking care of ya"! I'm looking forward to camping and rock climbing and more wrestling..bring it on sista!
You can check out Valerie for yourself at http://vblakey.blogspot.com.
The dynamic duo
grace & peace, lish
Wednesday morning
Start Time: 7:15am
Temperature: really, really, ridiculously cold
Task: a morning run
Finish Time: 7:40am
Yes, we are Team X-treme. While the rest of our team, was snuggled up warmly in bed, under quilts, me, Betsy and Valerie were stretching for our run. [sidenote: my fellow runners (Valerie & Betsy were more extreme than me running in shorts, but I was the most warm!]
Its 930pm and i've just gotten home from eatting with the Grove City team at the coco loco, and wanted to share just a bit with yall from the trip. I admit, i didnt take very many pictures so once everyones' pics have been added to the site, I'll pull some more & tell some other great stories.
Spring Break turned out to be very restful and relaxing; I love how the Lord works, especially through the little things.
good night and sleep tight.
grace & peace,
lish
so, i love random trips.
like for instance, i decide the week of to go on the Grove City, PA trip, and little did i know i would be meeting the coolest, most incredible gal ever, the one and only Valerie M. Blakey (and yes we share a middle name), aka- my partner in crime, Capt. Crabby. I would post a picture of this dynamic duo, but alas i forgot my usb cable to the camera. so to my faithful readers, pictures will be posted in the next week (hopefully).
grace & peace,
lish
[aka sgt. sensitive]
is it borderline stalker-ish that my storage unit "landlord" sent me a Chilis giftcard?
i'm a little weirded out...but glad for a free meal ;)
things are still trucking along..i'm sure my readers arent too disappointed with the lack of posts..dont worry andrew, i'll get a good one out shortly.
grace & peace,
lish
yea for answered prayers...i'm the South Knoll Head Start Bilingual teaching assistant until March 10th!
for real..its the perfect job for me..the Lord is so good!
grace & peace,
lish
my posting hasnt been as much as i wouldve liked the past couple weeks...but i have some free time so its a good opp..
anyways, i've started subbing for College Station ISD and the Lord has really blessed it! i've landed a quasi-regular job in the head start bilingual class at south knoll elementary; which equals 19 little 4-5yr old hispanic kids running around and telling me i dont speak very good spanish..which is true because i'm a whole lot rusty. but its completely up my ally: kids and spanish all in one job!
half marathon training is going okay...ive gotten shin splints so its a couple days off for me, which the timing is kinda good with my allergies..with the cold weather and tree pollen at its hype, my head feels like its gonna explode, so i really dont feel like running. hopefully this weekend i'll get the big 10 mile in.
PTL-the Lord has provided a leaser for my apt in brenham starting march 1st...whoohoo! such a confirmation that i did make the "right" decision. i dont have to pay any extra rent!
i'm comtemplating plans for spring break...any suggestions? for real..i have a full week of nothing to do and i dont wanna be in CS for all of it....some sort of a road trip is an option
being back in cs is definitely different...i'm like the new kid in a place thats been my home for the past 10 yrs...i've joined a logos group that i'm really enjoying. getting into a routine and forming my "social network" has been harded than i thought it would be..plus the whole single-not in college-but dont wanna join the singles group.
thats about it on the homefront.
grace & peace,
lish
so what i was going to write in this post didnt happen, maybe the Spirit's conviction about my attitude; refining is such a good part of my life...cause without it, i'd be out of control...anyways; heres what i got..PTL that we are saved by grace through faith, and its not of ourselves, but a gift of God..
currently I am:
glad its friday in 45 minutes
really excited i'm going to DFW this weekend
letting the Lord really teach me and show me why i'm back at home
exhausted from my swim tonight
sad that the co-ed softball team didnt form
thankful that in the midst of lameness, i have purpose
learning how to walk with the Lord in ALL my steps, not just the big ones, but the ones that seem insignificant
grace & peace,
lish
well...
i'm officially residing at my house in CS
thinking about ecclesiastes 3
by grace,
lish
so to help Muffin, thats what we call my grandma...[Caley's pick] me, Caley & my mom met in Sealy to accompany her to BINGO in Wallis, TX (its 15 miles west of sealy on hwy 36). let me tell you quite the experience...i'll give you a full run down.
1. Mom calls Monday and tells me i'm to meet them in Sealy at 5:00pm
2. I arrive in Sealy at 5:04pm greeted by a "i thought your mom said 5 o'clock, where is she?"
3. 5:09 Mom and Caley arrive greeted by "i thought the plan was to meet at 5pm?"
4. We leave to go to Wal-mart & Subway; we have to be on the road headed to Wallis no later than 5:30pm
5. Due to poor management at Subway, there is no wheat bread so the Lombardi girls decide to go without, while we have to make a stop at the KFC/Taco Bell to get grandma mashed potatoes
6. 5:36pm we leave Sealy late & hungry..but we're big girls we can wait an hour or so, right?
7. so this whole time you're thinking Bingo starts at 6:00, get there a little early, find a seat, etc..oh no..we find out that Bingo doesnt start until 7:30..thats right 7:30!
8. Caley and I making faces in back seat about how hungry we are
9. 6:06 we find out Bingo lasts 2 hrs!
10. More disgruntled faces
11.Arrive at Wallis community center at 6:10, find seats, begin to pick out Bingo boards
From there the night continues with a lot of "you had to be there humor" that i could write about but just wouldnt be the same...i will mention the fun waiting game that Caley and I made "Find the old person that you think Mom & Dad will look like" . It was quite hilarious, and i was deemed the winner by Mom with my "classic sophisticated" choice of old lady.
Most exciting time of the night:
WHEN I BINGO-ED! yup, i won $50 bucks (47.50 when taxes were taken out), it was quite an amazing moment, full of anticipation & acheivement :)
Quote of the night:
Caley: "Check out that lady..she has a diaper on.."
Me: "How do you know?"
Caley: "All her junk in her trunk."
anyways,
bingo was fun, Muffin had fun, & i won some mulah
overall a good evening
ps-i'm done with my job in 2 days-whoop!
grace & peace,
lish
well..the prayers have been answered: I'm moving out of Brenham. The Lord provided an opportunity to leave, i prayed over it and am embarking on a huge journey of uncertainity that immediately includes finding a new job and moving back home to CS..all the way in the house, cause the garage apt is full.
Still pursuing the mission field, that process is still going; the Lord continues to open doors and bring great resources to me.
its really unbelievable to me how "well" i'm handling all this. i mean, i think i'm pretty freaked out on the insides, but i'm totally at peace and assured that this is what i'm suppose to be doing no matter how lame it is moving home to substitue or the lack of direction i have with my future.
so with all the insaneness of this, its only reasonable that i tell you my future plans look like they are going to include grad school. yup thats right, me who cared nothing about career and "higher education" wants to go back to school. you can be praying that, again, the Lord directs my steps and decisions as most of the programs that i'm looking into are out of state [which is totally ironic to me that Texas schools dont have strong Hispanic studies grad programs, you would think that Tx would have an abundant, but theres only a few that really dont suit me].
caley injured her leg in her tournament this weekend,
i chopped my hair off
thats about it
grace & peace,
lish
what to do with myself? sometimes, or most of the time, I feel like a fish living in a birdhouse. I hate making decisions, and not just a "i'm indecisive" but I flee from the slightest sight of confrontation. and yet, I constantly am seeking change-not in a running after it way, but the way in once making the decision, wondering if its the right decision i've made-which to change things means to ultimately make concise decisions.
This past Friday I was presented with a huge choice and I can say with cetainity that the decision I make will have huge consequences for the next year of my life; and i dont say that as a cliche, to be vauge and make it sound grand, but its completely freaked me out. The changes that will occur with whatever I choose will glofiry the Lord..but I've come to realize that the Lord is using this time in my life to really stretch my ears to His voice. Can I hear him over my fears, can I hear over my parents, can I hear Him in the midst of my financial responsibilities? Can I stop and listen? Can I hear the small, still voice saying "Be still and know that I am God, I am exalted over all the earth; I will never leave you or forsake you". I cried out to Him this weekend so much that my cheeks were rubbed raw from my sleeves-surrendering fears, confusion, pride, asking to clearly hear His voice, pouring out my motivation and desires and still I had no inkling of which choice was the best; and what scares me the most is that I might not know until I've made the decision-its the leap of faith you always have been told about...its not a fork in the road, a right or wrong choice (sometimes it is) but its Abraham on the mountain, with a knife, trusting the Lord's provision and plan, binding his only son to an altar, bringing the knife down and the Lord providing a ram, calling out "Abraham, Abraham!".
With either choice I make, the beautiful and wonderful love and provision of our Lord is shown, my faith and trust are put to extremes. What I do know, is that I dont want my choices to be made because its the responsible thing or be made out of duty or determiination, I dont want them to define who I am. I know who I am: i am a child of God, not alone, a light in the darkness. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. There is a perfect plan for my life and when I do make a "wrong" decision, the Lord will be there with me, picking me up, disciplining me and drawing me closer to Himself-cause you know, He's the Perfect Father. Decisions arent easy and we all fear mistakes, nobody wants to fail, or quit but we will fail, we will choose poorly, make mistakes but thats the beauty and power of grace.
So what am I going to do? I think I know, but ask me in a week.
Please keep me in your prayers.
grace & peace,
lish
I'm back in Brenham after a wonderful 4 day vacation with the family in the thriving metropolis of Bryan/College Station. Much of the vacation was spent relaxing and doing all the Lombardi family traditions that take place over the Christmas weekend. Going to the movies, last minute gifts, Christmas Eve service, wrapping presents, cooking and baking, sleeping in; two new additions this year were going to the nursing home to visit mom and dad's friends and laundry.
Christmas morning we all piled in Mom and Dad's bed [something that has never stopped since we were little, but i have to admit..it was kinda good Tony wasn't there cause I dont think we all wouldve fit!], then we made our way to the living room to read the Christmas story [we read Luke], next comes presents. After presents, we had lunch and then headed to Grandma's in Sealy. Grandma's was fun..we ended up staying a lot longer than expected and we had a lot of laughs with my Grandpa and aunts...one of the nicer Christmass' in a long time.
Monday I ran some errands with mom in the morning and then we met up with dad to pick out furniture. PTL we've decided on a couch and ottoman & the fabrics & pillows! Hopefully in the next week or so they will order it so they will have it by the big 2-5 anniversary. After furniture shopping, I chilled on the couch watching tv & reading, while mom and dad went TV shopping...i had no desire to participate!
Being at home for so long was such a blessing and it always makes me sad I have to come back here, I almost dread it. I'm always looking for a reason to go back to CS, ways to rearrange my schedule for more time at home.
I'm looking forward to this weekend..another fun weekend filled with fellowship & friends in Austin!
grace & peace,
lish
well..the Bethlehem Stroll has come and gone & my children's choir managed some pretty cute performances despite having half of them catch the nasty stomach bug going around..so 1/3 of my choir was missing or late tonight..but who says more is better? less is definitely more manageable! they were precious in the little shepherd costumes & singing Away in a Manger; it was great fun playing with them too..but i think i'm a little too easy on them sometimes, but I do remember how tough it is being a kid, and sometimes, you just can't keep your hands to yourself.
PTL-Im going home for Christmas! thats right, my first (and probably only) Sunday off! 4 complete days spent in College Station not even having to think about Mission Brenham..I can't wait..it is a much needed break and will hopefully provide some time to get my motivation going for the spring...my last leg-the home stretch! The Lord is faithful to answer my prayer..[thanks for all the prayers family!]
The time with my brother was good. We had some quality time together as siblings last friday night..we went and saw Narnia..I think it was maybe the first time the 3 of us saw a movie together...i enjoyed it tons. last night the fam came to Btown for the Stroll and to celebrate a mini Christmas with Tony...it was Lombardi Family History...breaking the deep rooted tradition of not opening any presents (except ones mailed) until Christmas morning. We had good laughs, yummy treats, & took many pictures. He will be missed; hopefully i'll be able to see him before he leaves again in May.
my favorite roomie Tracy came to see me tonight & was a huge blessing: helping out with the kids during the stroll. you see, tracy has an amazing gift..she works wonderfully with kids..they love her (and i do too!). it was great seeing her and hanging out with her for the time she was here in brenham...and i'm super glad she's in CS so i can hopefully see her more this spring!
thats all for now.
merry Christmas
grace & peace,
lish
so, its pretty lonely here in B-town most of the time..but I've got the best pet in the world: Alexander the Red Beta. He's good company, well behaved & doesn't make messes :)
the real world continues on here, getting ready for Christmas & really wanting the month long break that comes with being in school, but i've fallen into a routine thats nice, keeps me occupied.
making more progress about going overseas...I know the Lord's hand is on the situation and He's been faithful to provide me confirmation, but its still utterly scary and exciting all at the same time. Lots of unanswered questions and concerns that I need to surrender to him, but who knows maybe in 6 months i will actually be in Spain?? we'll see :o)
If I've learned anything from being in Brenham, its that the Lord doesn't forget or forsake-His plans are specific, His timing is perfect; a hard situation is supposed to bring forth stronger faith, more dependence. In a world thats so full of violence, hate, and bitterness my life has to stand out, especially when I want to throw in the towel.
I get to see Tony this weekend...the last time I saw him was in March. He's changed a lot from what i hear from the family..not for the better unfortunately, but I pray and hope for his spiritual light blub to go off. Its a pretty jam packed weekend with William, Ashley & Micah coming in for PJ Party 2005 at Eric's (WHOOP!), family portraits, doing fun familal things & then back to Brenham for church, Bethlehem Stroll practice and performances Monday & Tuesday AND the family is coming Monday to celebrate Christmas with Tony since he'll still be in town until Tuesday.
the Christmas party was fun...pictures around the tree, opening presents & dinner and desserts. in the "sitting down" group pic from left to right its april, jane, me & marissa. April and Jane go to blinn & Marissa is the BSM director at Blinn.
so i just had the most amazing night...marissa, my one close friend in Brenham, who lives 2 apts down from me, invited me to share in their Roommate Christmas. I was very honored and it turned out to be wonderful...they even got me presents! We took many pictures, had a lot of laughs, ate some delicious spaghetti & scrumptous holiday treats. I like having fun neighbors..pictures will be posted shortly..(ie-tomorra after lunch when i get the usb stick)
just thought i'd share-its been a long time since i've had a genuine fun time in Brenham :)
happy holidays,
lish