It's been my pleasure falling in love with you.

I'm in love. 

And I'm ready to get it out in into the open.

Quote of the Day 2/9/14

“It is always the simple things that change our lives. And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen. Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. You feel like running, but life is on a stroll. This is how God does things.”   [Donald Miller]

Rat Race

     As I sit on my plushy queen size bed, stretch my legs and begin the oh so glamourous process of overnight teeth bleaching , I cannot help but reflect back on the conversations that took place 24 hours ago. My friend Christy had made a surprise appearance in Santa Barbara and it was only fitting and proper (for us former Southern Belles) to get together over tea and biscuits (okay... Coffee Bean and loud bar noises of downtown) and catch up on life. Christy and I were once just debate team acquaintances but after roughing the life of Knoxville, Tennessee, super sized Walmart, and fried chicken... well simply put, we were pretty much friends for life. 

     Our 5 hour long conversation started with the usual- the "how are you doing?", "aren't you glad its summer?,"how is he doing?" and "I can't believe he said that!", but 24 hours later, I kept reflecting on one simple phrase. So simple, but so, completely and utterly honest: "it's like a rat race."

     After getting through the surface issues of life: not enough sleep, not enough money and not enough sane men, we got to the nitty gritty. What is life and when does it actually start? Christy's words could not have hit the nail on the head more perfectly, for me, for her and probably most of the rest of the world. By dictionary terms, a rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit and in visual terms, its like a rat in a lab cage, who tries to escape by furiously running around in its wheel, but realistically for little purpose. 

     I know especially, that being a student, and a part of the rising work force, you really do get thrown into a rat race. In school you are pressured by yourself, or someone close to yourself ,to do more, to do better, to get internships which will get you better connections and jobs in the future. You have to take 19+ units and do 5 extracurriculars and be the homecoming queen and be ASB president and the fasted runner on the track team and volunteer for the animal shelter and raise 25,000 dollars a month for cancer research and score in the top percentile on the MKATs or LSATS and triple major and get at least a 3.8 gpa all while somehow maintaing your health, sanity, credit card bills and personal relationships. Somehow even writing that all out made me exhausted, let know trying to figure out how to fit that all into a 24 hour day. 

Jan/Feb/March/April Update?

I've been gone for a while and I wish it wasn't so. There has been so much I have wanted to write and share but frankly, theres just no enough hours in the day. Things have been so chaotic and busy that last time I checked, I was unwrapping Christmas presents and now I am 4 weeks away from being done with my second year of school. Crazy huh? 

Despite all the busyness life consistently entails, one thing has been present... every. single. day. Ready for it? Well, joy. Pure, unending, consistent joy. The greatest thing I have learned is to find yourself knee deep in the so many errands, assignments, and duties but to have a calm and joyful heart. Never in my life have I been happier or felt so fulfilled. Here's a brief example from today: I spent a few hours going to the bank, to the store, and other miscellaneous tasks and as I drove with my windows down, the 73 degree sun and breeze shinning down, the only thing I could do was smile and laugh. This is the day that the Lord has made, and it was just perfect.

Life Lessons With Lydia (and a Nov/Dec update)

The past few weeks have been exhausting, exhilarating, and educational:exhausting because you run on minimal sleep, exhilarating because life always throws a curveball or three and educational because well, you never stop learning. I have not written in a few weeks but in the meantime, I have been thinking and reflection about what I want to write. There is so much I have experienced and wrestled with the past few months but along the way I have discovered life lessons to abide by and things that naturally, I also struggle with. Ignore my cheesy title, I promise you will find these life lessons very applicable.

Quote of the Day 12/20/11

"Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be."    [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]

a personal update for october

     Life has been crazy... well a super good, amazing, hilarious, maturing, exhilarating type of crazy. Time is flying, literally flying by. It is flying by so quickly that even Mondays no longer upset me anymore because before I know it, it is Friday. They say time flies when you're having fun and that statement could not be any more applicable to me right now. I usually address general subjects in my blog so I have decided to switch it up a bit. I get so many calls, texts, messages and emails and I figured it would be nice to at least address some of the questions in this blog so that I can fill in the people I love a little bit of whats going on in my life. 
     I am finishing up my 6th week at school. This year is very different  from last year. Last year had its charm in its own unique way but this year... well it's only week 6 and I couldn't be happier. The people I interact with, the professors I am taught by and the picturesque scenery that I am surrounded by have completely, entirely, inspired me. This year, my goal is to be proactive and pursue the desires which Christ has placed within me. There have been so many things I have wanted to do and see and be and now is the time. I am surrounded by limitless opportunities and possibilities and I am eager to take them. Every day here is the greatest blessing. Every day is better than the one before it. Yes, my schedule is monotone during the school week: class, work, homework, gym, but I gladly do these things with joy and I spend the majority of my day in laughter. The kind of laughter where you lose your breath and your stomach hurts. I know it sounds so cliche but no matter what I do, it is so memorable. The people that have surrounded me see the good in everything; the most annoying or upsetting of tasks become hilarious unforgettable adventures. 
     I am finishing up my last polisci lower division class and it's a tough one. I love politics but I don't love science and  that is what this class is all about: the science of politics. In the past, I have given up on science and mathematics but this is no longer the case. I want to learn it all and love it and I accept the challenge. My professor has been so understanding and helpful and I thank God for professors like her, so gracious and willing to do whatever it takes to help. Also, my major requires that I study abroad, so in 10 months I will be a student in ROME (stay tuned for those adventures). I wish I could go now but based on how fast time is flying,I know that my italian adventures are right around the corner. 
     My days consist of one thing happening after another so it is crucial to stay focused and on track. So far I have been able to do things in a timely manner so pray for me to keep that pattern up since coffee no longer helps stimulate any energy in me whatsoever, and sleep is of the essence. 
     I wish that everyone could be experiencing what I am experiencing. To be surrounded with so much love, support and understanding; to be given limitless opportunity; to be cared for and sought out by professors; to spend the majority of your day in laughter; to feel God's presence surrounding you and inspiring you; to live in place resembling paradise; to fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves and wake up to ocean sunrises; and know that you are absolutely, 100% at the right place at the right time ... I am blessed. So blessed. 

the gift of friendship

i love point loma for many, many reasons. one being that I have made some of the best, most fulfilling, inspiring, honest friendships. these people have changed my life forever, i have truely learned the meaning of "lifelong friendship." my fellow friend and blogger gave me a little shout out the other day in her blog about friendship. here is what the ever so brilliant masey schrader wrote:


If we are, as I have heard the rumor, a combination of the five people that we spend the most time with, then I think it is safe to agree that who we befriend matters. Where we invest our time, who we invest our time in, is either beneficial or detrimental to our own spiritual growth.
Friends are not just companions. They are models of character.
I could not talk highly enough of a young woman who has become one of my closest friends in the past year. Lydia's person sort of just speaks for itself though: her unselfish and genuine manners, classy presentation, adventurous spirit and confident mind, quick wit, and a faith that is rooted deeply in the image of Christ. I strive to be a person of her likeness.
Without sounding like I have or girl crush or that I am campaigning for her presidency, I'm gonna say that she's one worth stalking in the blogging realm. We need more brutally-honest, Russian woman to speak from the depths of their convictions. To challenge the consideration of priorities. To motivate inward change that produces tangible results. To remind us to live in laughter and love.

One of these women just so happens to be a dear friend. And how strengthened I am by her companionship


i humbly accept your kind words and know that i cannot put into words how much our friendship has touched my life.


read the rest of her honest, candid look on life at:
http://maseykole.blogspot.com/