Central

Though this may not be wise or insightful, I thought of something to share here.

I want to tell you about one of the most lovely, beautiful, heartwarming place on the earth.

Central Market.

This is where I spend every Tuesday and Friday (and most saturdays too). I work at a stand called "Lettuce Toss Salad", where I make salads for business people. Its like subway where you get to pick what you want on it. I have an amazing boss and awesome co-workers. A few of my best friends work (or have worked) in the stand next to mine and across from mine.

Market is absolutely lovely. The people there are wonderful. In my corner of market, I have some of the best people anyone could ask to interact with. There is Jim from the Herb stand, Omar and his wife from their middle eastern stand, the German Deli couple, everyone who works at the fudge stand, everyone who works at the burrito stand, the Shenks at Shenk's poultry, the Mecks etc at Meck's Produce, the Barr's, and the Turkey Lady people. Its a wonderful community where everyone knows everyone. And with the weather so lovely everyone is in a good mood. haha!

I really wonder if anyone could ask for a better place to work. I know I couldn't. God has surely blessed me with a fun job and amazing people to be around.

I suggest to you that you stop by sometime. There is never a dull moment, and there is great food, flowers, and folk everywhere.

I love Central Market.

I love Lancaster.

{I'm sorry for my ramblings about something that might not be of any interest to you, But I love this place and I wanted to share that with you. xoxoC.A.}

ho hum

I'm in one of those moods where I wish I had something insightful to say, or something interesting and beautiful. But sadly I, like many other times in my life, have nothing to say right now. So instead of saying something wonderful (sigh) I'll give you a link.

http://jenbaltgalvis.com/

I am so excited about this photographer. My dear friend Marissa was photographed and the pictures were gorgeous, so I went on Jen's website and was amazed. I want to be able to take pictures like her. They are absolutely amazing. The colors are great, the pictures very crisp, and, if you look at the eyes, so sparkly! I Love It. I'm rather jealous actually. But I guess with time and training, hopefully I'll be as good.

Enjoy looking at her beautiful photos!!

to find beauty..

Let me tell you.. the weather here in Lancaster PA is very dull. No sunshine or blue sky. It's rainy and grey. This is somewhat depressing considering today is Monday, and mondays are somewhat depressing anyway since they're mondays. BUT I took a walk up to my friends house to drop something off. I decided, as I walked, that I wanted to find the Beauty in everything. This is my new goal. It seems to me that many people say the same thing, but whether its "typical" or not, this is my goal. So, in order to fulfill my goal, I put on my super cute plaid rainboots with my blue shorts and yellow and gray stripped shirt. I totally clashed but it made me happy. I had a huge umbrella and my ipod and thus was set to take a walk. I decided that to find the beauty in this rainy weather I must step in Every Puddle I Came Across. and I did.

And so besides the pretty drops on the trees, I found beauty in Puddle Hopping.

Happy Monday!

xoxoC.A.

quote

"Do not be angry with God for what he does to you; but feel it must be fit even though it should tear everything away from you, though it should leave you a window and houseless, though it should strip you, and though it should even slay you. God is God still; and the deeper your trouble, the greater are your possibilities of adoration; for, when you are brought to the very lowest, it is that, in extremis, you can raises the song in excelsis, out of the deepest depths you can praise the lord to the very highest. When we glorify God out of the firers of fiercest tribulation, there is probably more true adoration of Him in that melody than in the loftiest songs of cherubim and seraphim when they enjoy God, and sign out His praises in His presence above." -Charles Spurgeon

quote

"We must not cling to a sign itself, even though it be the most beautiful, mystical experience. We must fix our regard on what caused the sign, on what is shown us by it." -Jacques Ellul

quote

"And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves, and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists." -Sermon of Father Mapple in Herman Melville's Moby Dick

wowness

These ladies are my inspiration. They have two books out of their photography and I have one.

http://3191.visualblogging.com/

Their work is truly amazing and beautiful.

What happens when....

...you want to tell the world beautiful, intelligent things but you have nothing to say? I'll let you know when I find out. So far I think sadness happens. That is my take on the matter.

L'Engle

Isn't she lovely? I can't wait to meet her in Heaven. She is one of my heros.

Need?

Fear of Man, Making God small....

"When we fear the Lord, we stop thinking about ourselves..."

In my Youth Group we're talking about when people are big and God is small. On sunday we were talking about our "needs". and our discussion really got me to thinking and I wanted to post some of the notes and thoughts. They are going to be kinda scattered and very quote like, but this is how I think...heh.

: Our live proceed out of our theology.

: If we think sin is superficial then we don't understand sin.

: The Good news of Jesus is not intended to make us feel good about ourselves. The good news numbles us. If it was all about us than we wouldn't be able to fully worship God. The point of our existence is to glorify God, hence the Gospel--to help us worship God fully, thus it is not about us.

: To look to Christ with or for wants "christianizes" our lusts.

: If we are going to try to figure out who we are, we first have to find out who God is, since we are made in God's image and we have Him in us.

: God deserves praise simply because He Is God.

: God's greatest love is himself, and if we are images of him, we must love him too.

: Imaging God is loving him and our neighbor.

: We really need: TO LOVE. It's about what we do...

I made a list of things I think I need. I wont share everything on the list but here are two:

•A Car

•To have a better relationship with my sisters

but as we were talking I changed my list:

• TO LOVE

We need to love because he first loved us. Church=the body of Christ {because God gave us each other for a reason}

•OBEY

•Glorify God!!

We should praise God, not because we want to but because He Is God.

I hope this made sense and that I wasn't going off randomly. I hope this was helpful to you as it was helpful to me.

xoxo C.A.

Spring!

Its spring. Ok, it might not be "officially" spring, but here in Lancaster PA, the snow drops have come out, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the sky is blue, and lots and lots of people are downtown. I think I forgot how beautiful this time of year is. The snow has been here so longgggg. BUT, thank Jesus, I can now go outside without a coat! Here are some pictures I took yesterday of snowdrops (my favorite):

Madeleine L'Engle quote

"Today we live in a society that seems to be less and less concerned with reality. We drink instant coffee and reconstituted orange juice. We buy our vegetables on cardboard trays covered with plastic. But perhaps the most dehumanizing thing of all is that we have allowed the media to call us consumers--ugly. No! I don't want to be a consumer. Anger consumes. Forest fires consume. Cancer consumes." -Madeleine L'Engle [Two-Part Invention]

first lady of the world

I'm writing a paper on Eleanor Roosevelt. She was a truly amazing woman. here's a quote: Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

It may not be "right on" but I think that if you add Jesus to this it's so true.

I've been challenged by Eleanor by how I view the world. What a truly messed up god forsaken place we live in. Thank you Eleanor for everything you did to make this place a better place. May I do so too, in Jesus name.