so i listened.

let me preface this blog entry with: allelulia, allelulia.

it has been determined. a plan is made. a checklist constructed. moving date set in stone. knoxville, TN i have my cowboy boots ready and a smile on my face. savannah? i might see you later.



you know what i love about life is that you just keep on changing. your location maybe (peace DC!), your state of mind, your perspective, your feelings, your family. everything is alive and breathing, but that also means life can change in an instant. and it can also mean that change may hurt or even sting. change ain't always glorified, ya'll.

Isaiah 64:8:
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

whenever a huge change is looming in the distance or in the midst of a crisis i'm always reminded by this verse. i love the idea that we as a people were formed (first in the image of God. i will never get over how cool that is). But second, that we are continually remade. renewed. restored. rejuvenated. re-anythingelseyoucanthinkof. God is alive and present and is all about teaching us something new even if that means we're uncomfortable. where are you suppose to be learnin? and is your ass listenin?

its a funny thing positivity. many people tell me that i'm positive. but i sorta think about it as having hope. you have to see the good in something that you truly believe the good Lord is taking you through. because God is not a mean God and is not out to get us. no matter what logic tells you that, you've been hurt and bitterness has taken a toll (and probably rightfully so). being at the beach for a week while interviewing in Savannah made me realize that although i hate the damn sand, i'm so happy that God thinks about me and erryboday else more than the grands of sand on every beach in the world. thats a lot of sand.

Psalm 118:24 - "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (NIV)

It's funny to me that I hated this verse because my Dad would wake me up before school and sing this in his funny-dad-kinda-ways voice. And then he would sprinkle water on me. And then I loathed him during the rides to school. Now I love that this verse reminds me of being younger, but also how true it really is. Erryday is a gift from God and we gotta be happy that it's just occurring no matter how much shitty-Mc-shittersons are in it.

i also like that i say shit and God in the same sentence. just FYI: read the book Messy Spirituality and you'll understand many things about me.

anyway, this is a pure stream of consciousness. bottom-line is it was harder than hell to not choose Savannah for next year. I literally would give my first unborn child to live there (well maybe Charleston). I felt, Anni you'll love this, my stomach churning in knots as i was rationalizing how Savannah would be better than Knoxville. and then i threw that damn hat in (damn that hat) and was like ALRIGHT. i gotta listen to my gut/God and telling me no no no=Savannah, go go go=Knoxville.

so i listened. alleluia, alleluia.