Sad day :(

It's our 2-month anniversary today.

Adrian and I had planned on spending the weekend together, complete with a Martina McBride concert Saturday and big church service on Sunday.

It's not happening now :(

Stupid sickness - destroying plans. Time to make new plans and enjoy this time the Lord has given me to myself, I suppose, right? Right.

Edit: My boyfriend is amazing, and whether he's here or there, I am blessed beyond belief by him. Thank you, God for such a gift.

Tagged: You're It!

1. What time did you get up this morning?
7:10 am
2. Diamonds or pearls?
I like both. It depends on the piece of jewelry :)
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
The Dark Knight and right before that was Mamma Mia!
4. What is your favorite TV show?
Hands down it would be LOST
5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Cup of coffee with 2 creams and 1 Equal, sometimes oatmeal
6. What is your middle name?
Ann
7. What food do you dislike?
Pork and nasty pieces of meat
8. What is your favorite CD at moment?
I have been listening to my “spiritual songs” playlist a lot when I’m at the computer. Does that count?
9. What kind of car do you drive?
Nissan XTerra
10. Favorite sandwich?
Hmm…When at home I make a turkey sandwich on fancy bread with cheese and hummus. At Subway I usually order a tuna sub with cheese and black olives.
11. What characteristic do you despise?
Honestly? It really bothers me when people take themselves too seriously, either in a really self-conscious way or an overly-cocky way.
12. Favorite item of clothing?
A good pair of jeans
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
I’m really itching to get to Europe right now!
14. Favorite brand of clothing?
I shop at Express a lot….Their clothes tend to fit well, hold up well and I almost always have coupons!
15. Where would you retire to?
Who knows if I’ll retire! That’s a long way off.
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
Probably my 21^st birthday. I went to Cheesecake Factory with friends and then spent time in the hot tub in the middle of December!
17. Favorite sport to watch?
I like football and basketball mostly, but if I’m rooting for a certain team, any sport can be fun!

18. When is your birthday?
December 16

19. Are you a morning person or a night person?
I’m more of a night owl. Mornings are….difficult.
20. What is your shoe size?
7 ½ - Abnormally small for my height!
21. Pets?

I have a crazy dog named Ben and 2 turtles named Splash and Scooter. I’m weird, I know.
22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
I am incredibly blessed. The Lord is soooo good to me! This isn’t new, but it’s very exciting!
23. What did you want to be when you were little?
A cheerleader and a waitress. I know, my ambitions were startling! Actually, I can remember “playing vet” as young as 9, and wanted to do the vet school route up until junior year of high school
24. How are you today?
Much better than I have been. Things feel right again, on many levels.
25. What is your favorite candy(lollie/chocolate)?
Peanut butter M&Ms and Reese’s
26. What is your favorite flower?
Lilies – Calla and Easter
27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
November 27 – Thanksgiving with my family and Adrian!
28. What is your full name?
Lauren Ann Crane
29. What are you listening to right now?
The noisy air conditioner….Surprisingly, I’m not hearing Courtney at the moment.
30. What was the last thing you ate?
A rice krispy treat
31. Do you wish on stars?
Nope. I look at them and think about how amazing my God is though!
32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Hmm....Maybe chocolate brown. I’m thinking it’s a beautiful, deep, rich color that is natural and goes with everything. Haha, wishful thinking!
33. How is the weather right now?
71 and cloudy. Is it sad I looked it up on weather.com because I didn’t feel like standing up and looking out the window?
34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today?
Shae about concert tickets!
35. Favorite soft drink?
Dr. Pepper
36. Favorite restaurant?
I do love Cheesecake Factory. Also, any good Hibachi restaurant is a very close second!
37. Real hair color?
Dark golden blonde.
38. What was your favorite toy as a child?
My stuffed animals and Barbies. They all were “friends” and acted out scenarios I had in my head. I was creative, I suppose.
39. Summer or winter?
How about the wonderful seasons known as fall and spring? I like the lack of extreme temperature during those times :)
40. Hugs or kisses?
I suppose it would depend on who it’s from…. ;)
41. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate, everytime!
42. Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Tea has yet to impress me in the slightest.
43. When was the last time you cried?

Umm… Last night.
44. What is under your bed?
Toys Ben has knocked under there and I can’t get out.
45. What did you do last night?
Talked on the phone, wrote a reading review, cried, prayed, took a bubble bath and talked more on the phone
46. What are you afraid of?
Not living in the Lord’s will for my life.
47. Salty or sweet?
Usually salty, although I have been gravitating toward brownies a lot lately!
48. How many keys on your key ring?
About 5. 2 of them are old and pointless, but I haven’t tossed ‘em yet.
49. How many years at your current job?
Just over a year now!
50. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday and Sunday, depending on the activities of the day.
51. How many places have you lived in?
4 – Florida, Tennessee, Ecuador (study abroad. It counts!), and North Carolina
52. Do you make friends easily?
I think so. I have been told though that I am intimidating when people first meet me, so maybe I’m not doing as good of a job as I thought!

*I tag Shae, Allison and Adam!

In sickness and in health....

I've had just enough of the spotlight
When it burns bright
To see how it gets in the blood
And I've tasted my share
Of the sweet life
And the wild ride
And found a little is not quite enough

I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change

Empty me
Of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition
And the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me
So I can be
Filled with you

I've seen just enough of the quick buys
Of the best lies
To know how broader goals can be drawn away

I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change
Empty me
Of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition
And the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me
So I can be
Filled with you

'Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you
Compared to you
'Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you
So I surrender all

Empty me
Of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition
And the poison of my pride

Empty me
Of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition
And the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me
So I can be
Lord empty me of me
So I can be
Filled with you
Filled with you
Empty me

That song, Empty Me by Chris Sligh, has been ringing in my head today. The lyrics are such a challenge to me and a reminder that the little things get in the way and cause me to lose my focus on the Lord. It has been my prayer that God would show me those things that get in the way of my relationship with Him, and then give me the strength to let go of them, so I can be emptied and filled with His sweet spirit.

Today and the last couple of days have shown me, once again, how easily I can stray and how much I rely on things of this world, when I should only rely on him. Even things that are good and natural to wish for - in particular good health - can shift my focus off of the surpassing greatness of the Lord and onto my own petty life.

Adrian has been sick the last few days, Ben is suffering from some kind of an itchiness that resulted in a huge, bloody spot on his shoulder (a hot spot) that makes him feel pretty crappy, and I had a migraine today, something that happens occasionally. All of these ailments, which are so minor in relation to the sickness of my heart, only drag me away from recognizing the goodness and grace found in Christ alone. I am coming to grips anew with the challenge: Is everything a lesser thing compared to Christ in my life? I'm ashamed to say it isn't.

I all-too-often place value on my sleep, my relationships, my health, my comfort, my self-esteem, my family...whatever, that isn't placed on the Lord. He alone is of surpassing value, and everything in my life is only in proper perspective when Christ is valued most highly.

Things get so out of whack when I take him off the "throne of my heart" and replace him with those lesser things. It's only when he has the proper place in my heart and in my life and in my thoughts that I will have a proper perspective on the value of other things in my life, which are all lesser compared to my Lord.

You got here HOW?

So, looking through my website's stats today, I noticed there are some really unique search terms people type in that bring them to my blog. Some of the more common (and understandable) ones are searches for:

-Lyrics to Natalie Grant's song "Held" (This is the #1 search phrase that brings people to my blog)
- heartbeat for the nations
-Lauren Crane
-Various names mentioned in the blog or in the blogroll links

Those I get, pretty easily. Some are a little more cryptic as to why it brought you to my blog, but then I understand after a little research....

-"my dog is my child"
-"advanced elements kayak"
-"how to break into car with wire" (Burglars on my site?? Yikes! I hope that doesn't make me an accomplice)
-"do wake forest dorms have dressers?"
-"within a yard of hell"

This last group I just find funny! Some I understand, some I have no idea why my site came up when this was searched for:

-"Strap on tanning goggles"
-"how can i turn back time in my marriage"
-"why does my female dog foam at the mouth when she goes outside?" and "my dog bit a toad's head and foam was in his mouth" and "my dog foams at his mouth when walking" (What the heck?? What is wrong with all these dogs??)
-"Lauren Crane dancing" (Did someone really want to see ME dancing, or were they searching for "Lauren Crane: This Summer's Hottest Club Banger..." whose blog is 1 letter off from mine. Oh sheesh.)
-"I'M NOT SUPPOSE TO GROW i'M NOT SUPPOSE TO BE THIS WAY" (I am curious what "way" this is....Do I want to know?)
-"dresses for fat people"
-"bachelorette jenga"
-"brian crane" pickles (Hmm....)
-"B.O.S.S. Pimps Nation"..... (Uh-huh.)
-"Spiritual" "kayak" "godly" (All great things. Not seeing how they are necessarily related.)

Anyways, I just got a kick out of reading those! If you're a visitor to my site, leave me a comment and tell me what you searched to get here!

Why today is a good day....

1) It's the first day of fall, which happens to be one of my favorite seasons
2) The weather is GORGEOUS, telling me -not only that it's fall- but that it's going to be a good fall!
3) I comfortably busted out a long-sleeved shirt today...Time to reverse the wardrobe again!
4) I ate Moe's for lunch
5) My incredible boyfriend was here for the weekend with me, and I'll see him again next week!
6) Bedtime came early the last 2 nights, praise the Lord! It felt so good.
7) I have been able to daydream about fun trips to take, which is always a nice mental vacay
8) My voice is back in a big way. No singing yet, but, boy, am I talking!
9) My Fantasy Football team whooped up on Jason's (my boss's) this week. Reminds me of the day I did my interview and beat everyone in the office at PIG...
10) Also, the gazing balls are back in full-force on the lawn. Not all of you will know what I am talking about, but some will. The world seems right again now that they have returned from a several week hiatus :)

Lastly, but certain not the least reason my day is good, is that I am being challenged today to love my Savior more. Seeing that he's the only certain good thing in my life, that's a pretty good place to be....