Pure Joy, and a Bowl of Yogurt and Granola

Pure joy.
Yeah. That's what it is to eat Strawberry Banana yogurt with amazing granola mixed in and have it stuck in your teeth for a good hour afterward.

Pure joy was also the only way to describe what I felt this weekend in CHICAGO with the best: Katy and Rachel. Fall Break started last Wednesday after class. We left at 3, got on the megabus at 5 and were on our way to the best Fall Break ever. The zoo, the Cheesecake Factory, getting lost downtown, Wheaton football game (absolute domination, by the way), carving pumpkins, piercing Katy's nose, and so many more fun memories that will last a lifetime. Katy and Rachel: i love you.

Yes, we did buy matching Chicago hats and T-shirts and wear them in public. Yes, we did take a holding-hands-walking-away-from-the-camera picture in Millenium Park. And Yes, we did carve those pumpkins with the cutest little girls ever.

Of course, after any vacation, I didn't want to return to reality. Or to Crown. But it happened. I'm here. And to be honest, I haven't died. I'm very alive and very well. Why? It's all about being thankful for every new day. Being confident. Wearing something nice. Doing your hair in the morning. Being kind without wanting favor in return.
Those are all things that have been getting me up in the morning, these days. And they carry me through the day with a smile...and with pure joy.

I've chosen to surround myself with people who push me to be all of those lovely things: confident, kind, joyful, determined. And in doing so, we've brought each other the pure joy I keep talking about. We've all got our issues, worries, troubles, and faults. But we look at each other in love and move forward, still smiling.

So as for today, I'll polish off my plastic Simba bowl full of yogurty, granola goodness, grab my backpack, learn a thing or two in class, do some homework with my favorites (Katy and Rachel, of course), and continue to keep this smile on my face and with my head held high. And it all started with this silly bowl of yogurt and granola.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24