And Yet She Stands Still: August 2013

Walks to Starbucks in your favorite jeans and happy shoes.

Supper on the Suburban, right before a huge thunderstorm -- just because.

Nephew and Uncle

Birthday cheesecake for Tear and Lucas

The terrible rash I got after my first bell choir practice.. :( sad night all around,

--everyone is beautiful, you just have to look--

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I found some words in me. The past few weeks my life has been consumed with giving and giving and giving of myself until there is nothing left. And yet, there are always more people who need me.

I'd started to get restless of this, of constantly running on empty. Until I realized one night as I was hearing testimonies of people who spent their summers giving. Of their time and resources. As I sat there, I came to the realization. These people, they weren't unhappy. They were filled with J.O.Y. They got restless sometimes, but they were happy to be empty, if that meant that someone else was full.

My life isn't how I imagined it would be. I'm in a totally different place than I ever imagined being. But I've started to like it. Because if I'm empty, that means there's room for God. And if I'm empty, that means others are full.

I think I like being empty too.

Because in the end.

I'm full too.

Full of Christ.

-Jyc-

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I have been SO busy lately. Like rush-rush-rush busy. It's a fun busy though. :)

Sunday. It poured all day. Again. I learned a ridiculous amount of great stuff that day. But that's a post for another day.

I don't even know. :) late nights out on the trampoline.

Strike a pose!

Forever friends. <3

Monday. My friend Heidi(and her three siblings) spent the night on Sunday night. In the afternoon, Janessa and I took our three younger siblings and Heidi and her three younger siblings to Rock River Rapids, the local water park. We spent a couple hours there running around, sliding down slides, chilling on the lazy river, deciding which life guards were best, getting sunburned. Ya know, a day in the life. Later, I hung out with Heidi at work. It was busy and tiring and fun. :)

Heidi-Lou and I after work. :)

Tuesday. Heidi spent the night again. And then we went out to lunch with the youth pastor's wife and their baby daughter. We went to Pizza John's, both the food and the fellowship was amazing. :) We went to my sister's apartment afterwards, hung out for awhile then headed home. By the time five o'clock rolled around it was time to head out for the Taylor Swift concert! It was incredible! I LOVE live music! Casey James was the first opening act, he is not only adorable but he has an amazing voice! Ed Sheeran came next, tears rolled down my face when he came out and said "'Ello, Wichita, it's nice to meet you." Why are British accents so stinkin' adorable?!?! He was so so amazing. Anyone who wasn't a fan of his before this concert, definitely was after! A friend that my sister and I went with had said before Ed came on, "I hate his music, he has no voice." Afterwards said, "whoa, I have a lot of respect for someone who can sing without a band and sound that great!" Ed did this amazing rap song, ahh, heart melted. Then it was Taylor's turn. I had always heard that she stinks at live singing, but she sounded incredible! I knew the words to most, okay, all of her songs, so I sang along. You could tell by the looks on her face that she loved performing. You could tell by the tears in her eyes that she meant what she was singing. During one of the songs, she could so emotional that she had to stop(it was All Too Well, the one that made me cry the first time I heard it, and I still get a little teary even now.) singing and playing the piano to compose herself. She is either a great actress or she really loved that guy. All in all, I enjoyed this concert immensely and wouldn't mind going again sometime. :)

Janessa and I at Intrust Bank Arena!! Before the concert began.

Ben, who is completely convinced that Taylor writes all her songs about him, they just didn't rhyme as well so she changed his name. ;)

This was right before Taylor came on, we were SO pumped!

Wednesday. I was up at seven and off to babysit. The two kids were adorable. We painted with water colors almost the entire time. It was just fun. :) I hadn't got very much sleep that night so I took a nap when I got home, then just kinda relaxed the rest of the day until prayer meeting. Then I watched kids in the nursery and went out with some friends afterwards.

Thursday. Up at six to go babysit. I was exhausted! So the kids and I just watched a movie and then read books and played a game. When I got home, I read some more, cleaned and helped my mom with school stuff. We all went to girls night at my sisters apartment around seven. We just watched TV, ate food, and took a walk. Just enjoyed each others company. :) after that we went shopping at Walmart. We have lots of fun in Walmart. We got there a little after ten and didn't leave until around 1am. Yeah, crazy redneck people we are. I just like shopping when there is no one around.

Mirror selfie. I'm so cruel. :P

Jonalee and I at girls night!

The girls at Walmart. :)

So. Much. Bored.

Friday. I spent the morning making brownies for a wedding I wasn't even going to. It was fun though. We spent the afternoon getting decorations ready for my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary dinner. We headed to Spears(where we were holding the party) around dinner time(duh.) once we got there we rushed getting everything ready. My uncles, aunts, siblings, and cousins all arrived, and then grandma and grandpa! Whoo! Sixty years people!

The big 6-0!!!

It was a ton of fun! I don't get to see my cousins that often so I was really happy to spend time with them! The food was amazing. :) when all us Rue's get together we can get pretty crazy. It wasn't long before my cousin George(okay, so here's the story. His real name is Talbot, like Tail-butt. Yeah we don't know what his parents were thinking either! But he always gets incredibly embarrassed around us, so a couple visits ago we just decided to call him George. It stuck.) had called all of the girl cousins fat(what even?!?!) and Janessa anorexic. When we called him out on it, he replied that my other cousin told Janessa that she was never getting married. Yeah, I don't really get it either. They also think I'm getting married tonight, secretly. It's not happening guys. After dinner we took family pictures.

My closest in age cousin Rebecca! Love her tons. :)

Then my whole family went to go see the Keeper of the plains! The river is flooded and it looks amazing! I love it. :) I walked a little bit on the flooded sidewalk(I know what you're thinking oh you rebel, you :))

The Keeper. :)

"I don't know why you won't take me downtown, like we have anywhere better to be" :)

Saturday. Babysat six boys and two of my siblings. Eight hours. Fun times. :D

From where I sit. Friends conversing. :)

Now enjoy some random pictures from this summer!!

These guys. Like what even? They steal my sister's iPod and take pictures of themselves. This was at Sonic a couple Wednesdays ago... From left to right. Nathan, Matthew, and Matt. :)