13.

"The more I love thee with a truly gracious love,

the more I desire to love thee,

and the more miserable I am at my want of love;

The more I hunger and thirst after thee,

the more I faint and fail in finding thee;

The more my heart is broken for sin,

the more I pray it may be far more broken." || The Valley of Vision

xoxo,

♥ Sara

12.

"Help me to delight more in what I receive from Christ,

more in that fullness which is in him,

the fountain of all his glory...

To this end, O God,

do thou establish me in Christ,

settle me, give me a being there,

assure me with certainty that all this is mine,

for this only will fill my heart with joy and peace." || The Valley of Vision

I worked at the restaurant from 8am-2-ish today. I woke up early so that I could have plenty of time to exercise + spend quiet-time with God + get ready for work...and be there early for once. :) Being down to one working vehicle for the family has made it a challenge to coordinate everyone's schedules. As my dad and I got in the car to leave...it wouldn't start. At all. Which left us then with no running vehicle, and a call in to work to tell them that I'd be late, yet again [they didn't mind at all, but I sure felt bad about it]. It all turned out okay, I was only 10 minutes late, and instead of being scolded, I was asked if I'd like more hours instead. Funny how that works.

My dress came today, and it fits like a glove. I don't have a full-length mirror, and the little upstairs bathroom mirror + lighting is dreadful, but here it is, and I love it. :)

xoxo,

♥ Sara

11.

"O thou, who hast the hearts of all men in thine hands,

form my heart according to the Word,

according to the image of thy Son...

May I read the meltings of thy heart to me...

Thou hast loved me everlastingly, unchangeably,

may I love thee as I am loved..." || The Valley of Vision

Suzi and I spent most of the day running errands and doing a little shopping in Erie... We were mostly looking for wedding-related things for my friend Kate's upcoming wedding [still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that she's getting married!]. I found some lovely bluebird clothes on sale for myself, but opted to buy sweaters for the boys instead...they needed the new clothing far more than I did. :)

I'm not really a coffee addict, but since our closest Starbucks is in Erie, no shopping trip is ever complete without a stop there. :) Of all the many Starbucks I've been in across the country [several dozen, probably?], the little Millcreek one makes the best white mochas, hands down. And I love that they always spell my name right. :)

xoxo,

♥ Sara

10.

I feel bad about not having much to write about for the day. I worked at the restaurant from 11:30am-9, and I honestly cannot remember a thing about my day. I hate that. I'm sure I did something productive, I hope? Maybe I helped some of the kiddos with their school work, or exercised, or did laundry, orrrr...I don't really know. But I did snap this photo this morning...as horrid as it is, it's all I have for the day. :)

xoxo,

♥ Sara

9.

"May I always be amongst those who not only

hear but know thee,

who walk with and rejoice in thee,

who take thee at thy word and find life there...

Help me to know continually

that there can be no true happiness,

no fulfilling of thy purpose for me,

apart from a life lived in and for

the Son of thy love." || The Valley of Vision

I worked quite a bit more on organizing my bedroom this morning...cleaning out the closet, emptying more boxes...that sort of thing. I found a handy nail in the wall to hang some necklaces on...and my stack of books continues to grow as I find more boxes of them. :) I think I put more on my to-do list for the day than I could possibly accomplish in a week...but I love to cross things off my list, so that in itself is motivation to get things done. :)

Abigail Miller's "I Can Go In" has been my playlist for the day. I love it, and I think I'm brought to tears every time I listen to it...

Oh, he thought there could be no hallelujahs and no cries,

For this lowly band of people by the world despised,

But as the scenes of heaven opened up before his eyes,

He saw the martyrs and the prophets, and the host of heaven rise,

And they sang, "I can go in.  For my heart is free from sin."

I've been washed in the blood, everlasting life to win,"

"I can rejoice, I can lift up my voice...I can sing...and I can go in."

|| words by Abigail Miller

xoxo,

♥ Sara