I woke up excited today...

Finally. Last night, I slept soundly. I am the biggest freak when it comes to beds, covers, etc., and Andy can attest to this. I love sheets. Seriously, they are the best part about beds. Without both a fitted and a cover sheet, there really is no point to sleep. There has to be at LEAST two blankets, and Andy and I have to be parallel to the wall. If Andy is laying even a little crooked...I just...ugh. Not a fan. Anyways, this really isn't what I feel like talking about. I just had to explain why I slept so well. Which probably attributed largely to why I woke up just so excited.

But also I think I'm excited because there are so many things to be excited about right now. I never really know how to convey my happiness accurately when people ask. I'm an enthusiastic person; if you've been around me for more than twenty minutes, you probably know this. I like to get loud. Passionate. I squeal. I do a number of things that portray me as a generally enthusiastic person. But here is the deal: I am even more excited, happy, and enthusiastic than I seem. It's true, I am.

Andy is a big part of that. I sound like any other newlywed when I say that he is the greatest person alive. But this time, it's for real. He truly is. I don't think I can even begin to describe how awesome he is in regular blog format. The best way, I think, is a bullet list.

• He loves Jesus. Not just...in this church-going kind of way. He wants to be like Jesus more than anything. That includes loving other people before himself. Andy actually DOES that. He does it with me every single day, even when I am being ridiculous.
  
• He is ridiculously goofy. I PITY people who haven't seem him like this. Andy is also shy, or reserved, or something. I can't quite put my finger on it. And it takes him awhile to feel comfortable around people. Like my family, for instance. It's always been a struggle for him to feel comfortable around them. And I just...it makes me sad. Because they don't know him like I want them to. I sometimes think that if people saw us in our apartment, they would be...shocked. We are just...ridiculous is really the only word that describes us. His goofiness is a big part of how awesome he is.
  
• He is musical. 'Nough said.
  
• He lets me read out loud to him. And he likes it, despite what he says to you about it. Reading together is seriously so fun. I realize that, to some people, this sounds ludicrous. We love it. Lucky for him, I have one billion books I want to read with him. Lucky for me, I have seventy years or so (hopefully) to get through all of them.
  
• He cooks all the time. And cleans. And does dishes. Not because he feels like he has to in order to be a "good husband," but because he is, again, a loving person. He just loves me. Crazy man.
• He makes up songs all the time. His most recent hit is "Oi, banana, what are you saying?" It's a good song, but a little racist. Not SERIOUSLY racist, but jokingly racist. It basically talks about a Jewish accent.
  

Anyways, enough with the bullet list. Bullet lists are beautiful things, and very effective, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

I am also excited because...we just have an amazing future. Can I say that, or is that too cocky? We. Have. A. Great. Future. We really do. I'll say it, and risk sounding egotistical. Andy is going to get his masters in Christian Counseling, and I am almost (sort of) done with my extended English major with a teaching option. And we will definitely use these skills...but it's the WAY we are going to use them that really excites me. We have felt since, oh, last January-February-March (sometime in there), that we were called to do full-time missions for at least a couple years. And that was scary at first. It's still scary. Mainly because...we have no idea exactly where we are supposed to go, or with what organization....so we are basically just waiting for God to open some doors for us. And we know He will. But the waiting. The waiting, people! Oh, for Pete's sake. It's like that song in "Fireproof," (not gonna lie, I love that movie, despite the cheesiness and horrible acting) that goes "while I'm waiting, I will serve you. While I'm waiting, I will worship," and etc. I feel like that's where we are at right now. Blah. What to do in the mean time? Be involved in a rockin' awesome college group, dedicated to change for Christ. That's what we are doing right now. Collegeage Movement, check us out! (Shameless plug.)


So I love orphans. Especially ones in Ethiopia. And I pray on a regular basis that God will send Andy and I there. There's a good chance of it, but I really want this to be about where He wants us, not where I want us. So we shall see. Also, I love Amharic, ET's national language. I just love language, period, and linguistics, and...culture. Travel. I LOVE travel. I'm so glad God gave me that passion, because it is the best passion of all time. But it is also expensive. Which is why we had such high hopes for Montana Millionaire, which let us down astronomically. I also love homeless people. I wish I was more active when it came to them; there are SO many homeless people in Billings. I want to start giving away our leftovers. Volunteering at the shelters is great, but there's got to be more....

Anyone wanna talk homeless people? Any ideas? Or if anyone lives in Billings and wants to set up a couple days a month where we go give away food to people on the streets...I'd love to do that with you.

So that is why I'm excited. I have this incredible husband, an even more incredible Savior, and we have this future. I used to feel pretty uninspired about the future. That was before I realized that Jesus really meant what he said about things. Then I got excited. I had to. "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12. WOW. Just wow. I want to do these "things" now, not just in the future. Because we serve such an incredible God, we get to be used by Him. Umm...isn't that the biggest honor ever? That He would use us idiots, failures, sinners, judgers, lame-wods, to fullfill His purpose? Jesus take the wheel! That is just...ridiculous. I love how radical Jesus was/is.

Oh, and I am excited about YOU, whoever you are. Jesus wants to use you for his glory. So that is exciting.

Be excited,
Me