Splat!

Well I was in a car accident on Saturday night/Sunday morning. I'll spare all the details since I feel like I've told them enough that most people have already heard about it. But my car currently looks like this:

So, needless to say, it got towed. And the last 2 days have been spent on the phone with insurance companies- mine and the other driver's. But today I finally got a rental car! Thanks to the friends that have driven me around for the past few days!

Things I learned from all of this: Lesson #1- Life is short. I didn't have one of those "life flash before my eyes" kind of moments but I think I was just in too much shock and the impact of the airbag didn't really help. I immediately got out of my car and walked to the corner (because my car was smoking and I was sure it was going to blow up or something) so I walked to the corner and called my friend because I knew he could get there fast. Then I called the police and reported it and then my dad because it doesn't matter how old I get, I still want my dad there. (Side note: MPD's non-emergency number is 545-COPS. Go ahead, put in your phone. You may thank me later). My first thought was to get out of the car and get away from it. As people were driving by, they would pull over and ask me if I was okay. I thought they were being nice. Then I walked back over to my car and saw the damage for the first time. Yeah, I probably shouldn't have been okay. Lesson #2- God is merciful- like infinitely more than I deserve. Such a sweet reminder. And any time I need another reminder, I can look at the pictures of my car and thank God for his mercy and for life! Lesson #3- Material possessions are just that... things. It's just a car and there are so many more important things to focus on and care about. It definitely helped to put things into perspective for me.

So I walked away from the crash with seatbelt burn, a bruised nose, and a whole new perspective on life... Now off to get a rental!

**August 27 Update: I got a call from Enterprise on Thursday that my sweet Chevy Aveo rental car had been sold so today I had to return it and trade it out for another rental... a Hyundai Accent. His name is Miguel. He is from Florida and he recently quit smoking. Still no power locks or windows...


**September 2 Update: Another call today. From Farm Bureau's Insurance that they are going to total my car. So now I guess it's time to start looking for a new car...

How I Heard from God Through Pinterest

Thanks to Becky Morgan and my Monday Night Group (more on them later) I am learning to hear from God. And not just hear from Him in those times when you are supposed to hear from Him-like when you having your quiet time or praying-but looking for Him all the time. In everything. Just like this little kid. This is me, going through my day overturning rocks trying to find God in each moment.

Photo courtesy of: thesnailstrail.blogspot.com

But first... Pinterest! Ob.sessed. Seriously. If you're not on it, you're missing out. Or you're way more productive than me... either one. Basically it's a digital scrapbook. The days are over of going through a magazine and cutting pictures out and then collecting them in a shoebox or gluing them in a scrapbook. Now they are all online and all in one place... Pinterest. Seriously, go check it out. Now. I'll wait...

You're back? Okay so I'm sure you're in love now too! So the concept is genius! You find things you like on websites, blogs, whatev. and then pin them all in one spot. Get rid of the thousands of bookmarks you have stored. I have basically planned out my entire wedding and designed every room in my future house. Did I mention obsessed? It ties in nicely with my other obsession: blogs. I follow approximately 30 DIY/home improvement blogs and another 45 wedding blogs so pinning things from the blogs was just the icing on the cake! Katie and Sherry (yes, I am on a first name basis with them) just did a fun Pinterest challenge. You can find it here and here.

So enough with my love of Pinterest. Back to the real reason for this post... hearing from God. So I get emails anytime someone repins something that I have pinned or if someone likes one of my pins. Confession: little ego boost. It makes me happy that someone repinned something. In my mind, I'm thinking "oh, they must like it. They think I have good taste." And then the other day it hit me (and by "it" I mean I heard from God) I have nothing to do with these pins. I didn't create any of these ideas or even find an idea and turn it into my own. No, I simply saw something that I liked and moved it to a place that was convenient for me. And that's when God said, "Exactly!" God gave me all these talents and gifts to be used for His glory. I can't take credit for any of me! Nothing like a website to remind me of humility... It was my broken seashell moment ;)