sweethearts' party.

i celebrated valentine's day evening with two lovely ladies, lauren & bandy. 

we had great conversation & yummy food. i am so thankful for these sisters in Christ!

here is my valentine's day, in pictures:

thankful notes.

be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

 1 thessalonians 5:18

i started a project life 365 blog for the new year. yesterday's theme was optimistic. i chose to capture this:

for each day of twenty13, i will be writing down one thing i am thankful for and putting it in a mason jar. at the end of the year, i will read each note and know (even more) just how blessed i am and give God the glory for all His mercies.

instead of focusing on the negative, this will keep me optimistic!

[free notes of thankfulness found here]

twenty13 goals.

instead of making resolutions for the new year, i set goals for myself. i checked off four of six goals from my twenty-twelve's list. i am excited for a new year of challenges. like i said in last year's post: in the end, the Lord gets all the glory because it's by His strength alone that i am able to accomplish all i set out to do.

[2013 goals]

- become a better servant.
- memorize 12 bible verses.
- take this blog in a new direction.
- create a budget and stick to it.
- go one week without makeup.
- read 20 books.
- pay for a stranger's meal.
- more blog networking.
- stay active. 
- crochet five new things.


the biggest goal i want to achieve for twenty13 is memorizing scripture.
if i know all of taylor swift's new album in a week, i can surely memorize a bible verse every month. i mean... seriously.

[twenty13] words.

the beautiful casey wiegand blogged about her word for 2013 here. it has inspired me to chose a word for myself as well. but in true amber fashion, i chose three. this is a new journey that i'm sure will challenge and change me, all while glorifying my heavenly Father. i made a pinterest board to keep me inspired.


my three words are:

fear: stepping out of my little comfort bubble is terrifying. but i want to break the chains of fear and pop that bubble. in doing so, i can live in the freedom of Christ, walking in His light, love, and grace. the weight of carrying around fear keeps me from living the way i was intended: john 10:10b, "...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Jesus didn't die on the cross so that i can walk around in fear; He came so that i may have life. an abundant life. i can't have an abundant life with fear holding me back.

perspective: everyone has a story. each one of us has a reason why we are the way we are or why we do the things we do. sometimes it's easy to form an automatic opinion based on someone's behavior or lifestyle. but we don't really know them. we see the homeless man with the cardboard sign, assuming he drank and gambled his way to life under a bridge. but what if the circumstances were out of his control? maybe you haven't ever thought this, but i have. i'm telling you this because it'a a flaw and i am human and i am wrong. i want to see people through God's eyes. in another sense of the word perspective, i want to be kingdom-minded. this world tries so hard to deter my mind from God to the temporary pleasures it so flamboyantly offers. He is my source of life. nothing in the world can satisfy my soul except Him. i want to keep my heart, eyes, and mind focused on Him. i want everything i do to be for His glory.

kindness: the other day, an older gentleman struck up a conversation with me while we were pumping gas in our vehicles. he was so nice. i pulled out of the gas station with so much joy and all we talked about was the weather! it's people like that sweet man in the toyota tundra who remind me that kindness is contagious. you know that commercial where one person does something and it starts a chain reaction of small acts of kindness? that's what i want to be: a chain of kindness. in return, i just want to reflect the love of Jesus. i feel i am always nice to others, but i want to go above and beyond.