A Birthday to Remember: 16 Going on 17

What comes around, goes around, so they say. However, I was NOT expecting a surprise birthday party when I woke up this morning. My birthday isn't for two weeks after all. And I mean, a girl can hope and think how awesome it would be to have her friends plan a party for her, but normally its just a fun thought to entertain. However, today, that girl was me :) And I was blown away by what my amazing friends put together to celebrate... well, me! ESPECIALLY because it is practically impossible to plan something without me knowing about it. But plan they did. And I had no idea what was going on behind closed doors!

So the past couple weeks, my mom had been planning for her and I to go out to lunch with a dear friend of ours (Mrs. Diaz :) who had encouraged me and opened her home to me during a mini-crisis. In the back of my mind, I was feeling skeptical about the whole thing, since the whole thing seemed kind of out of the ordinary. I learned later it was an excuse to get me out of my sweats (literally. I worked out at the gym this morning!) Anyway, I went to lunch without anything peculiar. UNTIL.

My friends Lizzy and Kim show up out of NO where, and kidnap me. Seriously. Apparently, the whole thing was a set-up. So I hopped in the car (no idea where we were going). The girls ended up taking me on a shopping trip- no boys this time :) Then they took me back to my house to get ready to go "somewhere." All they would tell me is that I needed to be dressed up. 

  

Kim, me, and Lizzy before going "somewhere"

If I look overly ecstatic, its because I am :)

They brought me to Olive Garden after successfully confusing me to where we were going (special thanks to Kim for the extra turns in the car to throw me off while my eyes were closed :) The girls walked me past the lines of people waiting to be seated, telling me they had a reservation. However, the "reservation" was actually a table full of my dear friends, who had all gathered to celebrate my birth. I was shocked, to put it lightly. Lizzy told me later that all the planning was worth it to see the look on my face when I saw all those people. I couldn't keep my jaw from dropping and my lips from smiling. And it gets better :)

After an amazing dinner with great conversation, we said adios and headed back to my house, just the three of us. Until about 20 minutes later, when everyone surprised me again by showing up at my house while I was downstairs changing. Yeesh! So many unexpected activities today, yet I loved every minute of it!

 The last surprise of the day.

Kim and Lizzy compiled a photo scrapbook for me, filled with photographed memories with the people I care about and sweet, handcrafted notes alongside the smiling pictures.

 As I read through the beautiful words of encouragement and love, I knew God was reminding me of how much He cares for me. And He expressed it through these marvelous people.

My amazing friends whom I love so dearly, each from different walks of life yet all so important to me. 

And side note, the shirt/earrings I am wearing are the fruit of our shopping trip earlier in the day :)

Having a blast partying at my house :)

The fabulous guests (L to R)

Morgan, Sara, Liz, Kim, Eric, me, Ethan, Maggie, Ryan, Devon,  Lizzy, Sis, and Marissa (not pictured: Calloway, who came late after work)

Another miracle- my sister from Montana just happened to be in town the day of the party with her ministry team. Seriously, God has some wonderful plans up His sleeve!

 

My birthday cake, made by Kim. It was a volleyball with my number "16" on it. And 17 candles, of course!

 

Here is a small secret. I didn't even make a wish. What could I possibly wish for after such an amazing day? All I know is this: God is good. He poured His love onto me so powerfully today through this blessed experience. The only thing I missed was the people who couldn't be there today, for whatever reason. My dear friend and sister Stephanie (and her hubby too!) were unable to be with us at my special party. And also, my dear friend and sister Gabbie, whom I miss so very much. Please know I missed you all who couldn't attend, but I know that you love me even though you couldn't be with me.

And special thanks to all the people who put such hard work into making this the best day ever. Kim and Lizzy: You guys are the BEST party planners I ever met! Way to surprise me- sooo hard to do, but you guys managed. Ryan and Eric: Since Olive Garden doesn't actually do reservations on Fridays, thanks for spending the extra hour waiting and waiting and saving us the table. Mom: Thanks for all the housework and controlling my schedule (even though I was unhappy about that for a while :). And to all the people who showed up. You have no idea what an impact you've made on my life. I can't wait until the day when we all get to heaven, so you can see how much your love has meant to me. 

Thank you, God, that I was born.

Hits Deep in my hometown

Imagine having a dance party with Tobymac, Mandisa, Capital Kings, Matt Maher, Brandon Heath, Matthew West, and Ryan Stevenson. Ya. That's pretty much what happened Wednesday night at the Hits Deep tour concert in Tri-Cities. Me and my girlfriends (and guy friends) rocked out and broke it down to all of our favorite music (I'm surprised I didn't crack my back out, lol :) I literally knew every song except MAYBE one. Best night ever. It was a blast. I mean, how could you not LOVE the fact that Tobymac actually came onstage during the song "Good Morning"??? Or hearing Matt Maher rapping (he did!). Good times.

I posted some pictures of me with some of these awesome people. I didn't get to meet Toby or Mandisa, but I got to meet everyone else. I didn't get a pic with Matthew West, but I saw him in passing. I was like, "Hey, its Matthew West!" and he was all like, "Hey guys!" I feel slightly famous now, lol :)

 

Me and Kim with... MATT MAHER?!?!

Seriously, amazing to meet him! He is a huge inspiration to me because he is a Catholic in the contemporary Christian music scene. Plus his major involvement in the Lifeteen program and such. Definitely a moment I will never forget!

Justin, Esther, Me, Kim, Ethan, and Liz with Capital Kings.

When it was finally our turn to meet them, our group started singing their song "You'll Never be Alone" :)

We sounded pretty good too, so they say.

They tried to get one of us to rap, but none of us were brave enough to.

Overall, they were pretty cool guys and I know like, all their songs. So it was pretty awesome for me to meet them :)

 

  

Ok, so I just realized that Brandon Heath and I are matching again :) Look at our hats :)

And fyi, this was my FOURTH time meeting him. I don't think he knew that though.

 

Us with Ryan Stevenson. He was seriously amazing, and he's a homie (he lives in Boise)

He was so nice, and he told us he hoped to see us at Creation. I wonder if he'll remember us...?

A Single Valentine

I originally wrote this note for some single girlfriends of mine, but then I realized this wasn't just for my close friends. This is something I believe every single young woman should know this Valentines Day.

Dear girlies :)

I was thinking of how none of us have Valentine's this year, but that doesn't mean we are any less loved.... We will always have family, girlfriends (oh yes. What would we do without each other?!? :) and most importantly, Jesus Christ, to love us through thick and thin.

I can't help but think of how we have the best Valentine in the world. When I see the red roses, and the red balloons, and the red boxed chocolates, it reminds me of the blood that was shed because WE were loved SO much. Because we were worth it to Jesus. We are worth it to Him still. We are worth more than flowers and teddy bears one day a year, expensive dinners and candlelight romances (although those things are wonderful when they happen in right order). God loved us SO much that He gave up His only Son, whom He loved dearly, to pay the price for every sin that was ever committed, even though not one was committed by Jesus.

His love is so deep for us, so full that I do not regret not having a Valentine this year. I believe that waiting for His perfect timing will just FULFILL the greatness and intimacy that will come when we find the person God has created us to be with forever. When we look at our honeys, we should be reminded of the perfect love that doesn't just love us when we look put together, or when we are having a date night. A Love that in unconditional, lasting forever, faithful. God is full of this love, and I SO believe that we can find men who are soley devoted to becoming a vessel for this love. And a man like that is going to stick around a lot longer than Valentines day.

I hope that you guys are not becoming desperate because the wait is hard. Hold out! Don't give your heart away! Wait for God's best! It is coming, I promise. If we would only let God do His thing, there would be so much more fulfillment in our lives.

One last thing- Happy Valentine's Day. Eat chocolate. Paint your nails. Relax. And wait on the Lord. He will be your Valentine forever, even after you find the one :)

Love you all!

Dani

"But God showed His great love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Irreplaceable

It's funny how much you realize you still need your mom when she goes out of town.

Literally, the past three days since she's been gone, I feel like I needed her the most. Maybe I am just paranoid because I am in charge. Or maybe, in reality, I always need her this much, but I never realized it. I was so concerned with my independence that I forgot how nice it is to get the daily encouragement, constant reminders, and good advice.

On Thursday, after my mom left, I really started noticing myself making mistakes right and left. I believe in some instances, I rely on her too much. Sometimes I treat her as my conscience, like she should make all my decisions for me. In a way, I am using her so that I don't have to take responsibility for my actions. Yikes. That was a deep confession.

However, in other instances, I completely ignore her good advice because I want something badly. What I desire seems so much more appealing than listening to the wise counsel of my elders (not that my mom is old, lol :) My mom has always been there for me. But lately, I've been trying to find my own way, and kind of brushed her off as I tried things on my own.

No matter the circumstance, the answer is clear. I still need my mom in some areas. Ok, a lot of areas. Two days ago, I just wanted to talk to her about how I really messed up in the way I treated my brother. I was selfish and excluded him. I just wanted her to encourage me to apologize and learn from my mistake- and not do it again. Yesterday, I just wanted her advice on what to do when I was put in an uncomfortable position. Today, as I cried in the car for thirty minutes over the horribleness of my family situation, I just wanted my mommy to dry my tears, hold me, and remind me that God will take care of me, no matter what.

Literally, she hasn't even been gone that long, but I still miss her. And maybe its not just her physical presence I miss. My house feels so spiritually dry without my mom here. My mom is so strong in her faith that my house overflows with grace when she's here. And while she's gone, well. It just feels empty.

I know that it will all pass, and she'll be home on Tuesday. And I don't feel bad for missing her. In fact, I'm glad I miss her. That just means that we're becoming close friends again. And I didn't have the chance to realize how important and irreplaceable my momma is until I saw what life would be like without her.

"Well you only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love [your mot]her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you’re missin' home
Only know you love [your mot]her when you let her go
And you let her go." Passenger

GO HAWKS!!!

All I can say is, Seattle Seahawks KICKED BUTT! Sorry Broncos, but I'm not sorry :) It is finally the day where I can proudly say that my state has won a Super Bowl!

 

Yes, Lizzy's hair is spiked :) A perfect replica of a crazy fan! And you can't see it, but Devon's hair is braided into tiny little braids (she was going for a Lynch look). Annika has the infamous number "12" painted onto her face. And I am the crazy cheerleader with the pigtails :)

And by the way Russell Wilson... I love the way you openly glorify God :)

Go Hawks. Win many more Super Bowls. Make it loud (we have the record :) Make me proud. Let me be the 12th Man. (I feel like this should be a song :) LOL

Surprise, surprise

I believe that every person deserves a surprise party at least once in their life. Sometimes more than once. If I had my way, I would surprise myself every year on my birthday, just for the fun of it. Just saying.

Because I love surprise parties, how can I resist when one of my girlfriends tells me she "doesn't think she's doing anything for her birthday this year"?!? SO my friends Ryan, Eric, Jacob, and I all planned a small surprise bash for Lizzy which left her shocked and ultimately having the time of her life.

We started out by showing up at her house unexpectedly. Within the first thirty seconds, I though we were going to die. The neighbor spotted up tiptoeing through the yard and yelled "HEY! What are you guys doing?" to which we answered with deer-in-the-headlights expressions and a failed attempt at mouthing "We're trying to surprise her!" After the scary run-in, we eventually kidnapped her and drove her to the mall.

After many hours of shopping, trying on dresses and ugly hats, and tears (LONG story), we stopped at McDonalds for appetizer fries before splitting off to get ready for a nice dinner.

While clothes shopping may have been more difficult

with males, I think we did just fine :P

After (finally) deciding where to eat, we met up again and headed to Red Robin for dinner. Then we finished up the day back at Lizzy's house, where we relaxed with games and dessert. 

 

After a fun (and emotional) day celebrating Lizzy's birthday!

When all was said and done, I really just wanted Lizzy to know how much she is loved. I hoped that through this experience that she would remember how much she is cherished and valued, not only by her family and close friends, but by God.

Thankfully, I think the mission was accomplished. This is what Lizzy posted on Facebook after the day:

"Wow! That was once of the best days in my entire life! Started our pretty rough and crappy, but then my best friends came over, kidnapped me and took me shopping and out to dinner for a week early birthday present! Such a blast! Thanks guys!You are truly the best!"

In response to that, I just have to say that Jesus is the best. There were several instances that almost brought the whole plan crashes to pieces, but because we all were seeking the guidance of the Spirit, everything turned out just the way it was supposed to.

To Lizzy: Happy Birthday! I hope that the next year is filled with more surprises, and that your whole life will be filled with traces of God's goodness working in your life. Always remember how much He loves you. I love you girl <3