lightning. affirmations. and aj mclean

By now the world knows I am absolutely in love with storms. No really, the world... my cousin who was living in Florida, told me that a friend of hers came up to her and said, "man your cousin Hali is so weird, wanting to see a tornado so badly..." She didn't even know how he knew who I was. But yes, any form of nature performing extreme acts of change excites me. Therefore tonight, when I got a text from my roommate telling me to come outside and watch the lightning storm, was a no-brainer. Cozy hoodie and sweats were donned and I curled up on our deck with Al and watching God's art work as we vented... well, mostly I vented, to each other. It's amazing how much I learn from just splatting out my emotions. Emotions come out that I didn't even know I had. It's a form of self discovery.

My love language is definitely giving gifts and words of affirmation. And God has been blessing me with gifts of these things throughout the week. I love when I am feeling insecure or unsure about things, and I get a text message from a friend, out of the blue, that says, "U know what I love most about u Halis? U never afraid to be U.. Ur always happy. And positive. And if U r sad I can't tell... Ur full of energy and life. I love being around u!" Or when I have been trying to focus on God and staying rooted in my convictions and morals, and a girl I just meet says, "I love that you have such a strong relationship with God, that He comes up casually in every topic you have talked about tonight. It's not like you are in the midst of a theological debate, but that He is just so much a part of your life that He slips out so easily." HOW ENCOURAGING IS THAT! I wanted to reach across the table and hug Hannah and cry (smiles).

Even today, seeing sitting on my counter a batch of homemade cookies from my wonderful friend Kristin, with a card on top speaking encouragement and life, and acceptance of my spunky carefree personality (smiles). Cookies and words of love? How can you go wrong? Throw in a little Aj Mclean and I am a goner....

SO my self discovery, as of late, is realizing that I am enjoying my time being an old lady. Spending time around the house or at a coffee shop, just listening to music, watching movies, and reading. The hype of going to karaoke and bars is fading. Mostly because I see the world seeping in so easily that I do not want to be torn or uprooted from my spiritual walk. I am enjoying my season of peace, however long it may last. (smiles) Not that I have anything against having a drink once in a while, cause I definitely drank a margarita but 3 hours ago haha. But the atmospheres we surround ourselves in will eventually become the atmospheres of our hearts if we aren't careful...