Wait, you are engaged?

I'm not so good at this blogging thing. In case you didn't know, I'm engaged.:) And, I have an awesome slideshow of pics taken by the awesome Kelsey Tice Photography. Her info is below! Enjoy the slideshow!

Kelsey Tice Photography

www.kelseytice.com

kelsey@kelseytice.com

Song: Steal away by Jimmy Needham

The training wheels are off!

    Do you remember when you first learned to ride a bike? How about when your parents decided it was time to take the training wheels off and you had to learn to ride like a big kid? I remember that day quite vividly. My mom put the huge responsibility into my dads hands. I was about 5 or 6 at the time and was quite confident in riding with my training wheels. A part of me wanted to take them off but a huge part of me wanted to keep them on. After all, I could ride my bike with no hands with those puppies on!

    Finally, my dad began to take the training wheels off. He kept reassuring me that he would make sure I didn't fall and that I would be riding like a champ in no time. You can probably imagine what happened next. There I am, little blonde-bobbed-hair Liza crying on the pavement. Yes, gravity does have a way of getting a hold of you and the second my Dad let me go, I crashed.

    Of course my dad felt terrible and was struggling to come up with a way to rebuild my confidence. Next thing I know, he had put one training wheel back on and left the other one off. It was the perfect solution-just ride with one training wheel. Fail. I believe I crashed even harder the second time (okay so I don't remember all the details but enough). At this point, I thought I would be the only grown adult with training wheels on my bike.

    Never fear, I am 22 and do not ride my bike with training wheels (I can be quite dramatic at times...I think I missed my calling in life). Finally, my dad pushed me off and I didn't crash! And boy, did I love riding my bike; it was my new BFF.

No, this is not me but I thought this was presh!:)

   I would be lying if I said moving out to Colorado has been all roses. Has it been nice to see Jordan on a regular basis? Absolutely. Do I love the mountains and my new apartment? You bet I do. Is growing up hard? Hard is an understatement. Moving out to CO for the second time has felt a lot like it did when I took those training wheels off. It is not very comfortable. It is hard to be away from family and life long friends. Not to mention it is tough learning how to finance your money (I am learning to embrace Dave Ramsey).

  I think the hardest part is "feeling" like I don't have a community. When I went Liberty, I was surrounded by thousands of college students my age. Likewise, when I went to FLI , I met awesome people who I took classes with, did an internship with and lived with. However, when you move somewhere without having a guaranteed community, it is very different.

  Thankfully, I can always have confidence in God and His word. He has brought me comfort, security and assurance on days when I've doubted why I moved here. A decision made in faith has to be carried out in faith. I have seen God's faithfulness in providing my rent (to the dollar) the day before my rent was due, allowing me to become a part of Bible Study Fellowship and having Jordan and my roommates here to encourage me to cling to God's promises. I have food, shelter and clothing. I am abundantly blessed!

  Getting on that bike without training wheels was scary but boy, I am glad I took the risk. Mema sent me a excerpt before I moved that sums it all up, "When you're in a moment that has the potential to alter your future, trust God, step out in faith and move forward. Don't let your dream die inside you because of the risk involved. With God, risk is the bridge that gets you to where He wants you to be."

Change

Change–you do it everyday. You change your clothes, hair style (maybe), diapers, what you eat, the channel you are watching on T.V....you get the picture. Not only are we constantly changing but we are being bombarded with the promise of change. Do you ever use a word so much that it starts to look funny? That just happened to me...sorry, I am a little ADD.:)  Promise of change in the government, a city, a church, a relationship, just to name a few.

It seems to me that (and many of my friends) the college years are years of many changes. I personally have experienced a lot in 2010-2011. Many of those changes I was not anticipating according to Eliza's little planner (which I might as well throw out). However, they were necessary ones to make. In case you weren't aware, in the past year I have:

1. Left LU due to medical reasons
2. Moved back to Jax
3. Got a job with Brighton
3. Moved to Colorado Springs to do FLI
4. Moved back to Jax
5. Started dating Jordan
5. Started back at Brighton
6. Applied to finish school online (with LU)
7. Decided to move back to Colorado Springs in October
8. Will start and finish the 15 credits I have left in October
9. Transfer to the Brighton in Colorado

If you have been a little confused about where I am and what I am doing, it is ok because I have been too. Ironically, I thought that I would go to LU, finish, and start a job (possibly grad school). I mean, that is what our society tells us we are supposed to be doing at the age of 22. But is that really a mandate? Whose rules am I living by anyway?

Don't get me wrong, school is important. However, I am so thankful now for all the changes that have gone contrary to my plans. God has taught me a simple yet important lesson that HE directs my path. Not Eliza Harper. Gulp. Swallow pride. 


After a lot of prayer and counsel, I decided that God is calling me back to Colorado. When Jordan and my future roomies approached me with the idea, I didn't think it would be possible. I thought I was supposed to stay in Jacksonville until at least next summer. However, I knew my answer had to be yes to where ever God was calling me and that I must ask in faith knowing that He will answer.

God sure did answer! Within a week, Brighton agreed that they would transfer me to CO, I had roomies, and a set date to move out to Colorado (October 8th). I wish that Colorado and Florida could be neighboring states. I will miss my family and friends here immensely (also the south and water). Nevertheless, I know that I was called to go in faith.

Everyone and everything is constantly changing but it brings me comfort to know that God never changes. What a blessing!
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."- James 1:17

The most dangerous thing I could do...

It has been a blessing to be a part of a small group (we call it a gospel centered group) on Tuesday nights. This past week was only my second week but God has already begun to work in my heart through the scripture we have been studying.

This week, we discussed the judgment of God in Zephaniah 1 & 2. I'll be honest and tell you that #1, I have never studied Zephaniah and #2 it is hard for me to grasp the judgment of God. However, you cannot understand God's love and grace without God's law. By God giving us His law, He is gracious and loving.

In Zephaniah 1 God says,
 ⁴" And I will stretch out my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarim with the priests;    ⁵ and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, that swear to Jehovah and swear by Malcam;
   ⁶ and them that are turned back from following Jehovah; and those that have not sought Jehovah, nor inquired after him."
 Phew! Those are some pretty hard words to swallow. When we read this passage, our group talked about the saying that "God hates the sin but loves the sinner". However, after studying this passage can we say that is true? It seems to me that God hates the sin and the sinner. God is righteous and glorious. The fact is that a person won't understand grace until they understand their need for grace. 

Zephaniah 1:10-13 was what really struck me though. It says,

"On that day," declares the LORD,
   "a cry will be heard from^(T) the Fish Gate,
^(U) a wail from^(V) the Second Quarter,
   a loud crash from the hills.
^11(W) Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!
   For all the traders^[c] are no more;
   all who weigh out silver are cut off.
¹²At that time^(X) I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
   and I will punish the men
^(Y) who are complacent,^{[d]
   (Z)} those who say in their hearts,
'The LORD will not do good,
   nor will he do ill.'
¹³Their goods shall be^(AA) plundered,
   and their houses laid waste.
^(AB) Though they build houses,
   they shall not inhabit them;
^(AC) though they plant vineyards,
   they shall not drink wine from them."

He will punish people who are complacent  and those who say in their hearts, The LORD will not do good nor will he do ill. As a believer, we should continually be striving to conform more into the image of Christ. This does not mean we will reach perfection. At the end of Paul's life, he still claimed to be the "chief of all sinners". However, each day we should continually strive to be more like Christ (with His grace and help), refusing to be complacent.


The most dangerous thing that I could do is fall into complacency and rob God of the glory He deserves. It is a daily battle but should be one that I continually fight with God's help. At the end of our GCG, we were left with the statement, "If I didn't have __________ I wouldn't be content". What would fill that blank in your life? Can you be content in Christ alone or have idols formed in your heart that have caused you to fall into complacency?

Fav Friday

I thought I would branch out of my blog box and share a few of my fav things as of lately...


10. My new IPhone. Yes, I caved and got one. I'm not gonna lie...it is the bomb and was well worth the money spent!

9. Instagram. This Iphone app will rock your world if you are into taking pics on the digi. Actually, forget the digi...after discovering this app on my phone I hardly ever use my other camera. 


8. The Voice. This show aired in the Spring and its now one of my favs! The talent for the first season was remarkable. 

7. Pinterst. Thanks to my dear friend, Kels, I was introduced to pinterest. If you don't know about it, you need to. It is basically like a series of virtual corkboards of cool pictures, do yourself crafts and much more. I've already used several ideas on here. If you want to join this awesome site, let me know and I'll send you an invite!


6. Real Simple Magazine. I was introduced to Real Simple a couple years ago thanks to my friend, Hannah Swanson. I just love when the new one comes out! I believe my dream job would be to work for them. :)

5. St. Augustine. I rediscovered my love for St. Auggie when Jordan came in town. The history, shops and seafood are all wonderful! 

4. Sending packages/ letters and cards. I know one of my fav things is receiving packages and letters. However, even more than receiving...I love sending them! :)

3. Having all my friends back in J-ville! Brit and Kels are back from LU, Han just came back from Africa, Towny graduated and all of my other j-ville friends are here too. It was been such a blessing spending time with them! I'm so thankful for each one of them and the impact they have made on me over the years. ( Just wish Rach Dee and Rachel Stimler would move back!) 

2. Family coming to visit. Chad, Tina, Aunt Sassy and Hannah came down last weekend. It was so fun to catch up and of course to see sweet Hannah!

1. Ocean Isle Beach. It wasn't until recent years that I realized how rare and precious it is to be able to go to OIB every year with my family. I haven't missed a year since I was born! My grandparents always rent out a house for all of us and we have a blast. The highlights every year are relaxing, going out to eat at night, putt-putt (boys vs. girls) and Calabash Creamery (the best ice cream ever). I'm so thankful for Mema and D-daddy renting a house every summer for us!

Timing is everything

A Kansas boy. Never in a million years did I see myself dating a Kansas boy. As a matter of fact, I never saw myself dating an Air Force boy. God always has an unique way of bringing two people together and for Jordan and me, it was no different.

As many of you already know, Jordan and I met in Colorado Springs when I was out there attending Focus Leadership Institute. Ironically, he was not attending FLI but was at the Air Force Academy that happened to be 5 minutes away from our apartment. Jordan's best friend, Caleb started coming over to my neighbors/friends apartment because his roommates (Dan) girlfriend (Aimee...a dear friend) invited him over. After coming over a couple of times, Caleb went back and told Jordan, " you have to come over to Aimee's apartment...there are 8 beautiful Christian girls there and I have never seen anything like it...and they actually listen to me when I go on and on about space".  Naturally, it didn't take long for Jordan to come over.:)

So that is how we met. Jordan, Caleb, Dan and a couple other AFA guys would come over just about every weekend. We would make dinner, play games and look at nerdy space stuff. We always had such a great time hanging out.

Then, it came time to start asking girls to the AFA Ring Dance. Little did I know that being able to attend Ring Dance was a pretty big deal. I also didn't realize that Jordan had been waiting to ask me for a few weeks. He says I was intimidating which I think is crazy!

Finally, he called me before he left for Spring Break. After an hour long conversation, he asked me.:)  I came back at the end of May for the Ring Dance and along with some of my other friends who went as well. We all had a BLAST! Prior to Ring Dance, I began to pray that God would make it clear in my heart and in Jordan's as to if we should date. For the first time, I was more concerned about hurting the guys heart than anything else. The minute I saw him in the airport, I knew and had a complete peace that Jordan would lead me towards Christ and that I could trust him and allow him to pursue me.

That weekend it was evident that we both wanted more than a friendship. Although we knew long distance would be difficult, we knew it would be worth it. Jordan has far exceeded my expectations. His love for the Lord, faithfulness, hard work ethic and deep country roots are just a few things that I love about him. :)

Through my relationship with Jordan, God has reminded me that His timing is perfect. Jordan and I both know that our meeting was not luck or coincidence but rather the grace of God and His perfect sovereignty. I believe Solomon's words in Ecclesiastes 3:11 have been displayed in our lives in the past few months, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end". 

Here are some pictures of Jordan's first visit to FL in July.:)

In St. Augustine at the Fort

Jordan, my mom and me

 Jordan and me at the Shuttle Launch

Don't point your finger at me....

Attention: This is for all the nanny/baby-sitters/moms out there...


It is raining outside, the kids are getting antsy and time is crawling by. Don't know what to do?   Never fear...your finger puppet friends are here! Who said making finger puppets aren't fun? I decided to pull out some felt, glue, eyes and other crafty materials and get Matthew and Megan to join me in making some finger puppets. 


I wasn't sure if it would be a hit or a bust but thankfully, it was a hit! So, it is time to pull out your creativity,  your kindergarden education and your imagination and begin this fun craft!


Materials:
Felt (all different colors)
eyes
Glue (either the really hefty kind or a hot glue gun...just make sure not to let the kids use the hot glue gun :))
Feathers 
Pipe cleaners


Here is a picture of the finished product...

And here is just one of the 3 of us...

Just being silly:)