Good, Bad, and Ugly

For the past two weekends I have played tour guide. To my parents first...

And second to my dearest friend Jenna (the best friend title doesn't do her justice, she IS my sister)...

I had mapped out what we were going to do and where I was going to take these people... wanting them to get the full scope of what my new life is all about! It was slightly stressful,because I wanted all of them to have an amazing time. Looking back, I feel I put too much emphasis on doing, instead of emphasis on just enjoying the fact that we were together, after being apart for so long!

It seems silly to me that I put so much emphasis on making both these weekends "perfect"... especially since what God is currently teaching me is the exact opposite, that we are imperfect and flawed because we're humans, and without Him, we're useless! So if I'm imperfect, that means my family and my best friend are also imperfect. But in their imperfections, they are still loved and cherished by the same God who loves and cherishes me! I realized that the importance of being around family and friends is not to have perfect vacations, but to cherish the silly and imperfect quality time!! I mean perfection doesn't make for interesting memories anyway.

So the lessons learned from the past two weekends:
---expect nothing, God's going to surprise you anyway
---boredom is the only thing that would come from "perfect" friendships and family relationships
---perfection doesn't leave good memories.. silliness and craziness do!
---my family lives in a fallen world, and they deal with the same stupid "human issues" that I deal with.....just as they love my many, many, many imperfections, so I must love their's
---We are a family.... good, bad and ugly... and nothing could ever change that.
---I have the world's freaking greatest support system!!

Thank you Jenna, Mom, Dad, and JB for putting up with me and all my imperfections! You guys pretty much rock... just sayin'. :)

"And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with HIS ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD that he had believed in God." Acts 16:32-34

xoxo, va