New Year=New Hair

In celebration of a  new year, I decided to get a little hair cut.
Yes the decision was bangs.
I joined the cloud of women who sport bangs.
Yes, to answer your question, they do hang in your eyes a bit, and may cause impairment to the vision.
But they are trendy and cute.
and why not?

love,

jocelyn elizabeth

Vacation is Such a Refining Experience

All I can say is Christmas Vacation has been very refining for me.

-I never want to step foot in a mall again. I am burnt out on sales and grouchy, materialistic people.

-Shoplifting is the trashiest thing that people do.

-I will probably never get mad or give someone the "bird" for taking my parking spot. It doesn't matter in the end. (I will probably get a nice up front spot in heaven, because I gave no way to anger, jk).

-I am always reminded its the holidays with the increase of: engagement announcements, pregnancy announcements, and iphone announcements on people's facebook statuses.

-I have eaten a whole year's worth of sweets in the justification of "its Christmas, why not?"

-And I have cried my eyes out watching one of the greatest love stories of all time, Bright Star.

-I have been the most reclusive in my whole life, wanting to only drink coffee, stare at the snow, and be in my home.

However in the end, I have learned this:

The satisfaction of God can never be measured by how many clothes I have or what new electronic I own.
I will never be seen different in His eyes with how trendy I am or how much money I can lay down on a purse.
It doesn't matter to Him.

What matters is, what have I done for the Kingdom?
What have I done? Where am I going? What am I doing?

All questions that this vacation has brought to the surface and started to refine in my heart.


One thing I can say is that I am so glad Salvation came to earth.
I was saved from a life headed for misery and despair.
He had grace on my life. He was true to His Word, He takes care of His own.
I, first hand, have experienced His fulfillment of a promise.
He saved me, and my heart feels overwhelmed by the beauty of being Redeemed.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's (I can feel its going to be a great one)!

love,
jocelyn elizabeth

Love is Such a Reckless Thing.

I wish you could just love and never be fearful of hurt. It would be so great. To love, and not experience heartbreak.

Love has such a heavy exchange. In order to deeply love someone, there needs to be the exchange, a piece of the human heart. And in the exchange, there is a risk of heartache.

I don't think heartache can be limited to a boyfriend, but rather any person in general.

Love is the biggest risk taker in my life. There is this part in me to simply not love deeply at all. I want to have shallow relationships, that come and go, with no risk involved. It would be so simple, yet so lonely.

Then there is this part of my heart that wants to love so deeply and selflessly. I want to love a person regardless of how they react, treat or acknowledge me. This kind of love is unrelenting.

I wish I could say I act out in the latter more than the previous. However, the fear of a broken heart holds me back. It creates this self-preservation. I want to preserve rather than give anything away. I would rather save myself, than show love to another. How grosse, yet honest. 

C.S. Lewis puts it so much better,
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

I think currently I am going through the process of  loving deeply.
No matter how I feel, I will love.
I will love enough to forgive.
I will love enough to selflessly serve.
I will love no matter how I feel.

I know Jesus is teaching me. He is teaching me to be like Him. Nothing could be any sweeter yet refining.

1 Corinthians 13:13
"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

love,
jocelyn elizabeth

Need advice on Climbing A Mountain Attire?

I climbed this mountain in Colorado called Hallet's Peak a few years ago.

I stumbled upon a picture today that made me remember that good time in my life.

If you ever need tips on attire for mountain climbing, I am your "go to girl."

Guess which one I am? 

(hint: I had a hard time breathing while climbing)

Obviously, I was the person in the group who was less seasoned in "how to look good when taking a photo while climbing a mountain."

love,

jocelyn elizabeth

A Golden Moment from being a Nanny

I was nannying for a family last night.
And there are three kids, five year old, three year old, and a newborn.
The five year old and three year old are probably some of the most creative kids. The oldest little girl has the same first name as me, which is pretty special!


I feel like the best part of my job is that you can just be as weird as you want around kids, and they love it.
The more weird and funny you are, the more they love you. There is no fear of man with little kids. They just like you for who you are.


So last night, me and the little girl were talking about our favorite Disney princesses.

This is how the conversation went:

Me: "My favorite Disney princess is Ariel."

Little girl: "That's MY favorite Disney princess."

Me: "WHAT? Your favorite Disney princess is MY favorite Disney princess, and we have the same name! I think we are going to be best friends."

Little girl: (leans in and whispers) "We already were."


And my heart melted.

love,
jocelyn elizabeth