Saturday, December 29, 2007

2007 and 2008!

This past year was filled with the usual trials and big decisions. For me it was a change in lifestyle...jobs, move, back to school, etc. It was the Year of Change. Change is not something that comes easily in the Miyabe family. It's hard to deal with the hidden difficulties that come with change. In years past, I probably would have rated this as one of the toughest years I have gone through. But as I look back on the path I see God's finger in each instance.

I see Him in my decision to go back to school, I see Him in the reason I work where I work, I see Him in my struggle with Aimee, I see him in my relationship with Josh, I see Him in EVERYTHING.

I do not see this past year as the toughest year, I see that God has been changing me; changing my heart, my emotions, my desires, my thoughts, my needs, my selfishness.

As I look forward to 2008 I brace myself, put on my armor of God so that as each new life circumstance happens, I handle it with the Holy Spirit - I want to grow in Christ. I desire to seek His life in EVERYTHING I do. It has to be a conscious effort to put myself aside and to see what Christ is trying to do.

2008 The Year of CHRIST!
My goal, my focus, my desire is purposeful steps is to serve Him, to become more Christlike in every interaction, every situation, every public and private situation.

"What happens today - let us be assured of this - is meant, in the purpose of our loving Father, to make us Holy in every part. One of the things that slows us down is our tendency to react tot he happenings instead of responding to the Holder of the happenings. He is at work! He knows what he is doing. He asks us to believe in His thoroughly loving purpose." Elizabeth Elliot

God has those things happen in our lives on purpose. Are you missing what he is trying to teach you, by just dealing with the problems!? See it for what it is and join me in opening our eyes to what Christ is trying to do. Allow Him to make you holy and let us turn our ear to Him!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

In the Spirit of the Season

This year isn't an ordinary year. It feels different. It feels like Christmas to me, joyous - full of family, love, thanksgiving, and God. O, so much of God.

Every year doesn't always feel this way to me. This appreciative. This excited. Maybe it's because it's been a tough year, and I feel the fullness of God's grace and ultimate provisions for my life. Maybe it's because I'm where God wants me to be. Maybe it's because of Thailand. Maybe it's because I feel so safe and secure.

Whatever the reason, I am abundantly thankful for this season, this chance to celebrate the awesome birth and moreso the coming of a Savior - one who always forgives, always loves, and always wins.

I hope you too are experiencing the greatness of this season.

Snowing on Mainstreet in Disneyland.

Josh and I are determined to hit every ride/attraction D-land has to offer. Here's us checking out "Honey I Shrunk the Audience".

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Thailand

I wish i had time to REALLY go into detail but I'm so behind in school I can't. Here's a taste of the trip in picture form. God was amazing. I feel so blessed I was able to be apart of it. Between Aimee and I we had 1200 photos. The following is just a nibble. Enjoy!

The first village we visited we went to an elementary school to share the gospel. The kids saw us and all lined up, excited to see what the "foreigners" were here for. :p That day about 50 kids or so accepted Christ. Maybe even some of these precious boys here...


Our 5 Star accommodations for our overnight stay in the Hilltribe Village. Yes, those are mosquitos nets, yes, those are open windows, and yes, that is the ground. :) It was such a memorable experience that I wouldn't have traded that memory for anything.


In the village on Sunday mornings, there's an early prayer service before the real church service. Here are some children heading back home until church starts in a few minutes. It was a cold, beautiful morning. Mist and fog covered the mountains and a sense of peace rested on the place.

Some of the kids sang a song for us. This little boy carried the melody for the entire group! He was amazing! They are dressed up for service, wearing traditional clothing.


We also got to ride elephants! Here is Aimee and Cori on top of Poo Kau, a 37 year old male elephant. It was scary! :) It was a blessing to hang out with the Tang kids. They are amazing and I love each one for their special gifts and tender hearts.


More to come later. I've got to go back to work. Love, J

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Believe

Rooting for the underdog.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Countdown

Phew! One week to go till the Thailand team is on it's way to Thailand! I can't believe it's here. seems a bit surreal that we are leaving... In the meantime it seems a bit daunting to think about 2 book reports, a final paper, finishing preparations for the trip, and work all squeezed into 6 days.

6 days...

yikers!

:) Okay, enough bogging. :p time for that first paper.

Have a great night!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Mermaids, Eggs, Pooping, and Prizes!

Today Josh and I were sitting having a casual, run of the mill conversation about mermaids. This is how it went...

I said to Josh, "You kind of look like a mermaid."

After a slight pause (as is his norm) he asked, "Do mermaids lay eggs?"

I paused (as I am not in the normal habit of doing), looked to my right eyebrow and replied, "huh, I have no idea."

Drawing on all previous mermaid knowledge, Josh said, "Well, Aerial never had a mom."

Going deeper (as I'm usually prone to doing) I wondered aloud, "How do mermaids pee? poop?"

He too was utterly stumped.

This lead me to immediately want to post to see if someone would be able to answer the question, "How do mermaids reproduce?" and "How do they pee and poo?"

For anyone who can think of the best, most creative answer to the above mentioned questions, you will receive the most AMAZING high five you've ever experienced in your ENTIRE life!

-Rules of Mermaid Reproduction Contest are subject to change. See blogger for details.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Piano Anyone?

Lately I've found myself wanting to do new things...a bit restless I suppose, I'm not too sure. I just turned 26. I wonder if anyone suddenly wakes up and realizes where they are isn't where they want to be? And if that person has ever reached that point, if they do something about it? I wonder what percentage of people never do anything about it?
I don't want to become one of those people.
But I am feeling like I need something. Do you ever just feel like you need something to round out your life?

Yahooooo!

2nd Annual SoCal Midwinter '08 is on! Featuring Guest Speakers Kevin Wong and Katsuya Omine.

Where: Oak Glen Christian Conference Center
When: President's Day Weekend, February 15-18, 2008
Who: All Conference Middle High and High School

Theme: Just Do It: Carpe Diem

Registration will be available on or before December 1st. Registration will be first come first serve by gender.

Early Bird Registration (Due before December 21st) $150
Registration (Due before January 11th) $175

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Memories

One of the great perks of living in So Cal is Disneyland and friends with passes.
:) Some pics from yesterday with the Tangs.

Riding the Rapids. How I was convinced to ride a second time is unbeknownst to me.

Kelly and the ginormous turkey leg.

Cori piloting us away to...well, in circles!

Thank you Jesus for beauty in youth and lasting friendship.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

A little Song for Right Arm.

Sometimes I can sense things are going to happen before they happen. For example, yesterday I was driving and I was coming up on a red...I snapped my fingers and it turned green! I somehow knew that it was about to change (i know i'm freaking you out right now but please don't be scared of me, I'm still human).

Sometimes having this gift is a curse because you learn things you just don't want to know. For years I have known that one day I am going to lose my right arm. Yes, you read that right - lose my right arm. Believe it or not, I'll be the girl with one arm. I'm thinking (although admittedly still fuzzy on this part) that the stump will be somewhere right above my elbow. I'm not sure how it's going to happen I'm just pretty sure it will .

Anyway, for the past few years I've been trying to work up my left arm to take over some minimal duties such as writing, handling the hair straightener, brushing my teeth... It's been so frustrating! My left arm is like dead weight! Dead weight I tell you! It's useless and since my brain has already developed it's incredibly difficult to teach a left arm new tricks. It's like telling an old dog to fetch, when he has NEVER fetched before.

I have resigned myself to the fate of the right arm. My left still hasn't assumed the responsibility. In turn, I still mourn for this coming day. I appreciate Right for so many things, a killer serve in high school volleyball, shifting gears in my car, texting, raising both hands during a worship song. I will truly miss Right Arm. In lieu of this coming occasion i have written a short song to Right Arm...

(think Mary Had A Little Lamb soundtrack)

Oh Right Arm I miss you so,
miss you so,
miss you so.
Oh Right Arm I miss you so,
You were so good to me!

You fed me, brushed me, blew my nose,
blew my nose,
blew my nose.
You fed me, brushed me, blew my nose,
And turned on the T.V.

Right hand you have wiped my pee,
wiped my pee,
wiped my pee.
Right hand you have wiped my pee,
My left hand can't compare...to...thee!



**Special thanks to Melissa Tong in contributing to the lyrics of this song.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Odd numbers...letters...names...

I dislike odd numbers and numbers that are sharp. Like 7. yuck. just look at it jutting out. trying to make a statement. i do not like super overly round numbers either. like 8. whenever you see an 8 on a price tag it seems more expensive. yuck to the number. i guess i'm not a fan of numbers in general...i mean which number isnt' sharp and isn't round?

on to letters..or more importantly words....ok, names. I'm thinking of names. I like names that are long and do not go to high and low together. example: julianna. the j goes low and the l goes high. boo to the low high! the one saving grace is the length of the name. ideally a starter high and continuous long average and end high would be awesome. example: Savannah. Anyone with a W in their name...man, all i can say is sorry (please don't be offended). a cursive w is so ugly. Plus, the cursive W's lead into the next letter is so awkward. boo to the w. add a U to that as well. same story. yea to a lower case a and e and m and an extra high five to the lower case s.

let's all give a high five to the double s. it deserves it.


Shelley and Ray

Congratulations to Shelley and Ray on their engagement! I am so excited for Shelley...she's such an amazing person. I join everyone in wishing them God's blessings on their upcoming union and life together.

p.s. Ray's xanga is one of the best in the history of any myspace, facebook, blogs, etc. He ranks in my top three of "Most Awesome Bloggers Ever" (Along with Lisa and the amazing Mrs. Enniss).

p.s.s. This is not the reason I think he is so deserving of Shelley...

p.s.s.s. ....well, maybe a little bit.


Saturday, September 29, 2007

Baby Steps

This morning mom and I went on a bike ride to the beach. The coast was beautiful. So clear and calm. On the way we talked about pretty much everything underneath the sun. A few years ago we probably would have been fighting before we even started out - or at least annoyed with one another. I truly enjoyed her company - and was even willing to hear her criticism on some of my recent behavior.

If you've ever had problems getting along with your mom, then you understand how HUGE it is to actually listen to your mom's opinion - or even allow her to state her mind. I'm working on it. I think I'll always need to work on it. I'm not saying things are perfect, but there's been improvement. I'm thankful to God for working on my heart, to help me change my actions, thoughts, and responses to my mom. I pray that God would continue to work on our relationship...and on me.

She's worth it.

Friday, September 28, 2007

run-ons

I love run-on sentences. I was proofing my paper (see below) and I noticed within a span of three sentences I had inserted 7 commas. At first I thought, "man, i really do love commas" however, being in the thoughtful mood i was in, i realized it went deeper than that. i love run-ons. The fact that you can say soo much in one sentence is completely awesome. awesome (no that's not deja vu, a blip in the system, or a grammar error - it was worth a second awesome. ...apparently now a third). so for the three people who read this blog religiously, actually maybe two, including a stalker or two, here's a shout out to whoever invented the comma, which lead to the awesome (hello #4) runon.

Go run-ons.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Personal Rule of Life

I have a paper due tomorrow in my Foundations of Personal Leadership and Development class on Personal Rules of Life. A Rule of Life is, "an intentional pattern of spiritual disciplines that provide structure and direction for growth in holiness". We need to create 10 rules that are non-negotiable and timeless. One of my rules is to "Do what I say I'm going to do".What would your rules be?

a celebration in the world of Josh and J

I love google! everything they create or own I think is creative. I've landed on this as my new posting site. it's simple.

Yesterday was a big day in the world of Josh and J. It was officially our one year anniversary. :p I know it's so cheesy to be so excited about that, but the two of us are (I know we're lame, please bare with us). To celebrate we are going to finally
(and i mean that seriously because we have been trying to go since last year) go to the griffith observatory.

I thank Jesus for bringing him into my life. He's the calm and reason in a storm, he's the patient when I'm not so, he's the gentle and kind all the time, he's the supportive one and the ever present. Never has someone known or understood me more than this man. I never believed in "the one" until he came around. Thank you Jesus for Josh.