Survey the Beauty

In light of the holiday (and because sometimes I enjoy being cliche,) here's a list of 25 things I'm especially thankful for this year (not in any special order):

1. The salvation I have in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
2. My loving and committed church family.
3. My parents and siblings--living at home this semester has been anything but stressful!
4. LVOP--I love these beautiful ladies and singing with them is one of my favorite activities :)
5. RUF--What an answer to prayer and a blessing! I've loved getting to meet new people and study the Word with others who love Jesus.
6. CCAC--Never thought I'd say that. haha. But, thanks to CCAC, I have no debt right now.
7. Barnes & Noble--I'm thankful for a steady job and a pleasant working environment.
8. Coffee (and all of the coffee shops I now frequent as a college student--especially Niko's.)
9. Skype--Best invention ever. I love getting to see my friends that are away (for free.)
10. My MacBook--I can take online classes because I have it....and I just love it. :)
11. RTCS--My college classes seem easy because I was so well prepared in high school.
12. Music (both listening to and making)
13. Having time to read
14. A car to drive (and the freedom that comes with that)
15. Google Documents--keeps my schoolwork and life organized
16. Chick-fil-A
17. Indian summer days in Pittsburgh
18. Mail (both electronic and paper)
19. My cell phone
20. Ugg boots, scarves, hats, gloves and blankets--so I don't freeze :)
21. Twitter & Facebook--provides entertainment and the means to stay in touch (or stalk)
22. My camera
23. Joss Whedon--his genius has provided much joy for me.
24. Good conversation--Spending a lot of time alone definitely gives you an appreciation for good conversation with thoughtful people.
25. Life in general--I love it and I'm doing my best to live it to the fullest.

I recently purchased the new Sara Groves album (for $5 on amazon.com) and the last song on the album really stood out to me...here are the lyrics:

For those of you living in Pittsburgh, I hope you've already experienced the awesomeness that is Market District....for those of you not living in Pittsburgh (or you just haven't ever been to one,) allow me to enlighten you.

Market District is quite possibly the most amazing store I've ever been stepped foot in. (See the above photo. Sorry for the lame quality--it was the best I could do at night :/) It's essentially a new and very improved Giant Eagle with a whole lot of impressive quirks. When you first walk in the door, an employee is there to hand you a map. A map. For a grocery store. I found this highly amusing, but after about five minutes, I realized that I definitely needed it. This place is HUGE (as you can see from the photos.) When you walk in the main entrance, you're standing directly in front of the produce section of the store. This section alone is probably the size of a normal Giant Eagle. They literally have any fresh grown product you can think of--and in great abundance. Example: There was entire wall containing different types of mushrooms. To the left of the produce section is the standard grocery store side (although much larger than normal.) There is also an impressive Health & Beauty department that is unique to Market District. One of my favorite quirks of the grocery store side is the container of bread, milk and eggs right by the registers--just in case you need to make a quick stop for essentials. :) Oh, did I mention the ridiculously amazing cheese department? And the deli? And the bakery? And the candy shop? And the coffee shop? Yep. They're all inside.

The above photo was taken from the second floor cafe of the first floor "market area." To the left of the produce, is the international foods section and the "market." The international department is really fun--I even found some foods I had in Sweden! The market area is what really amazes me. There are all different sorts of stands offering freshly prepared food. For a complete look at everything Market District offers click here. My favorite stands include: Asian street food, the juice/smoothie bar, crepes and gelato.

I work in the cafe at Barnes & Noble. Most of the time, work is pretty regular and uneventful. Then sometimes, I have nights like tonight.....

4:00--Arrive at work
--We're really slow, so my fellow co-workers and I stand around for awhile and talk.
--Mr. Alouise comes in and I vent to him about my terrible online history class.
--Heather comes in and I make her a drink.
--Two of my fellow co-workers (who weren't working tonight) are sitting in the cafe, knitting. They decide to remove yarn from a skein and roll it into a ball instead. A GIANT knotted mess of yarn is created. Since there's nothing else to do, the other barista and I decide to help them untangle it. So, four B&N employees are spread out across the cafe, with clumps of knotted yarn between them, laughing hysterically and hoping we don't break anything.
--During this time, two of our regular customers walk in, shake their heads, chuckle and walk away. haha.
--The second regular returns and I spend about 15 minutes at the counter with her--attempting to make a drink the exact way she wants it. She changes her mind multiple times and I throw away one attempt before the second one is perfect.
--A random customer orders an extra dry cappuccino and compliments me on making it well (if you know anything about coffee, this is a great feat.) This just about makes my day.
--While sweeping the floor, I overhear a middle aged woman say to her two friends: "This guy I was dating, who was ten years younger than me, still lived with his parents. But, he had a Porsche." I find this highly amusing and giggle to myself.
--The regular customer (mentioned above,) who walked away, came back and while I was making his drink asks: "So, did Chandler's eye fall out?" (Chandler = another barista who recently cut her cornea with her contact lens.)
--Cleaning....stocking....more cleaning....mopping....
--Done with everything by 10:08 (8 minutes after the store closes)....22 minutes early. I punch out at 10:11 and head home.

I enjoy my job.

Last week, Steven Curtis Chapman released his much anticipated album, "Beauty Will Rise." Written after the tragic death of his young daughter, Maria (pictured above,) this album is immensely personal in nature. I have a great love and respect for the Chapman family (because they love China and orphans, too) but to be completely honest, I've never been a huge fan of SCC's music. It tends to be a little too far on the cheesy side of "Christian music" for my taste, but I have many friends that love his music. I heard many positive reviews of this new album, so I decided to give it a try. My first listen-through was in the car and it quickly became a driving hazard. Almost every single song made me cry (weep might actually be more accurate.) Musically, the album is primarily acoustic (guitar, piano, various strings.) The simplicity of the musical arrangements preserves the "raw" and personal nature of the lyrics. I read one review that compared the writing style of the album to the psalms and I readily agree with this assessment. This album is clearly the evidence of a believer working through intense grief and pain (think King David.)

Each song addresses different aspects of his grieving process--pain & tears, waiting on God, the hope of seeing Maria again in Heaven, healing within their family and trusting that God will bring beauty out of this tragedy. I have yet to listen to the song "February 20th" without crying. It's a beautiful retelling of the day that Maria asked Jesus to live in her heart and take her to his "big, big house with a lot of rooms." In another favorite of mine, "Heaven is the Face," he looks forward to a place without cancer, hunger, orphans or enemies--our Heavenly home that his daughter has already gone to.

This album is beautiful and a testament to the amazing faith of the Chapman family. Despite such a life-changing tragedy, they have placed their hearts in the care of their Heavenly Father. This album has set my mind on heavenly things and strengthened my trust that God's plans for my life are better than my own.

This past week I registered for my spring semester. It seems so crazy that I'm almost finished with my first semester of college! Thankfully, I was able to get (almost) all of the classes I wanted and even more importantly, ALL five of them are online. The online classes I'm taking this semester have worked out well and doing everything online next semester will allow me more time to work.

Here's what I'll be studying in the spring:
English Composition 2
Forensic Anthropology
Logic
Art Appreciation
Intro to Psychology

Sounds thrilling, right? {note sarcasm} I'm looking forward to Art and English....the others, not so much. Oh well. Gen Eds are part of life, I guess. :)