Moving to greener pastures

Hey everyone, I've decided to join the bandwagon and move my blog on over to Wordpress. It basically is just easier to operate with more fun features. So if you want to check my blog out, from now on the URL is: http://kalliesmiles.wordpress.com

Hope to see you there!

Snow Day!!!

I had my first Snow Day since first grade today. They are really beautiful things, especially when you think you're getting up at 5 for clinical and get sleep in til 9:30. I lounged around the house in the morning, reading my Bible and drinking coffee and taking care of some things that have been on the "to do" list for some time. I then got the call from that my nanny services were needed for a bored little girl, stuck at home while Dad did work. So I braved the roads to venture out and save the day. My roommates gave me lots of tips on handling snow and they watched on amused as I attempted to clean my car off with a teeny tiny ice scraper. After a few minutes one of them offered up a more appropriate tool :) After my car was de-iced and defrosted, I threw my snow gear in the passenger sear and headed out to play! And man, was it a blast. Olivia's friend Hayden came to join us and there's nothing quite like enchanted kids to make playing in the snow even better. We sledded, made snow angels, built forts and had snowball fights. And when our faces were frozen and our legs were too tired to keep going we went inside to eat homemade chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa with marshmallows. After our cozy snack we snuggled on the couch and played charades. All in all a very good day. Here are some pics so you can see some of our fun (taken with my new incredibly awesome camera!) Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!

The Cold "Snap"

I'm starting to learn about REAL cold weather. As the weather folks say, "we're experiencing a cold snap." I always thought of a snap as something quick. This is a biting, painful windy chill that came suddenly and seems to be hanging around. For those of you who blame this on my weak California constitution, I'd like to point out that all the born and raised East Coasters around me are at least as freezing as me. I have been the warmest of my roommates for the past week (albeit the one carrying the most body fat) and the only one not to complain about our apartment's lack of ability to heat itself. With 11-feels-like -10-with-windchill type temperatures, this doesn't seem surprising to me. I'm learning the value of appropriate dress and am starting to feel like Randy from "A Christmas Story" every time I leave the house. Today I actually screamed out, "I can't put my arms dowwwwwn!" as we walked to the exit of St. Mary's. But it works and even though we resemble puffy marshmallows at least I don't have to worry about losing my fingers, toes, ears, and nose.
But really, the persistent thoughts that have been on my mind for the past few days haven't been about my own chilliness. My heart is burdened for the homeless of this city, and really those without shelter in any of the places hit by the 'snap'. For me the cold is merely something to endure until I walk into the next heated building. I can fill my body with hot drinks, soups, chicken pot pie, and snuggle under warm blankets. But there are so many here who have much less appropriate dress than me that are bearing these cold days and even colder nights outdoors. Please join me in prayer for them. And if anyone knows of any ways I can help, or wants to join me in finding something, please let me know.

Dear God,
A lot of your children are cold tonight. My heart breaks for them, and yet Lord, I am not sure where to even begin to help. So I'm pleading for you God to deliver them. Help those who are outside to find comfort and warmth. Fill them from the inside out, taking care of not such their physiological needs, but their spiritual needs as well. Warm their bodies and their hearts. God I admit that I struggle to understand why such suffering still exists; why there are people out in the cold, harsh streets in a land of such wealth. Forgive me for not doing all I can to look out for my brothers and sisters Lord. Forgive me that even amidst all that you have given me in the world, I am not satisfied. I have done nothing to deserve the life of privilege you have given me. I so often look at the blessings in my life as things I have worked for and earned. But God, all of it is from you. Lord, help me to use all that you've given me to serve those in times of need. Guide my heart and show me how to love the world as you do. Amen