Meet with God

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Yesterday night the take home message at Bible study for me was meeting or making the initiation to seek God more.  One of our brothers shared how we exhaust all other means, all possible places to go, all people to talk to before coming to God.  So very true!  I have been guilty of this very same thing.  God simple wants to be a part of everything. He wants to be a part of my to do list, my daily errands, and daily thoughts.  He wants to be a part of my life-altering decision on what stroller to buy.<— Who knew? lol Never realized how hard of a time I would have picking a stroller!

God longs to be part of my schedule. my plans.  He desires all of me.  <— Surrendering ALL of me is where it’s at.

You see I have the nature to do things myself or try to work out something according to my way.  Hey we do live in a (DIY) do it yourself generation.  But regardless of what other’s do I know that I don’t want to do it myself.  I want to do life with GOD!  And I know he is waiting for me to draw near to him and just meet with him.. always and whenever.  I resolve to be an initiator. and hope this blog can keep me to my word.  Do more of renewing my mind by picking up the Bible, calming my mind by just getting away into the quietness of nature, and singing my heart out whether driving in the car or washing dishes.

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There is a cute kid’s song I heard recently and fell in love with called “I’m here to meet with you” by Shout Praises Kids! If I was a sunday school teacher  I would sing this song before every class! ;)

 

God is here to meet with YOU! :) To make you strong, and draw you into his arms. Have you met with him lately?

Beauty from ashes

Hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day! I was a bit emotional throughout the day! Expecting a babygirl in less than 7 weeks really hit it for me & with my mom 3000 miles away I let the tears come! Mothers are a gift from God and I was just overcome with gratitude this year especially for my mom & mother-in law! They are both great women of God and I am so honored to have them in my life.

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Mother’s Day was spent with these beautiful ladies from church! As I went to bed I reflected on how many blessings God has brought in my life. I thanked Him for all the mom’s and spiritual mom’s that have taught me so much more about God’s grace and love! I love you ladies and all the serving sisters out there!! #churchpic #showeredwithflowers #beautyfromashes

Happy Mother's Day to all our mama's out there! We love you! (after church pic)

Happy Mother’s Day to all our mama’s out there! We love you! (after church pic)

This song talks about laying everything down at the foot of the cross! It has been my song this week! Laying everything down before God. Where he alone makes beauty from ashes! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk7_SBxYSZs

Happy Mother’s Day

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I truly hope you all enjoyed this wonderful day! I personally believe that Mother’s Day should be everyday…but that’s just me. :)

I am extremely grateful for my two momma’s and the example they are to me. I love them both so very much!

We had both families over for lunch today. Lot’s of food, fun, and laughter ensued.

*Tangent: See those blueberry lemon scones in the photo below? You should totally make them. I’ve made them 7! times in 2 weeks. yeah. they were that good. America’s Test Kitchen tested the recipe 800 times to perfect it. They nailed it. The original recipe doesn’t call for a glaze but I just mixed together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, zest of 1 lemon, and 2 tbs half & half and just glazed the scones after they cooled.

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P.S. Sorry for being so MIA lately. Finals are upon me and I don’t do well with prioritizing time so the blog’s (sadly) taken a backseat. 1.5 weeks and I’ll be back in full swing! ;) Thanks for always coming back. You guys are awesome.

-Olviya

Giddy & overwhelmed!

Recently I have been busy with wrapping up this semester and feel extremely giddy for summer yet had been feeling a bit overwhelmed with the excess amount of homework/studying. Thank God the worst is over with as far as school!  The weekend was filled with some “me” time.  Stocking up the kitchen,  zeroing in on the baby crib of our choice, finding the most amazing deodorant at WF.  (It smells like the forest and reminds me of my my childhood mornings waking up in Sugar Pine while camping with the fam!) Here are some iphone snapshots : )

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Fear of the unknown

Hi! It’s been a while. No weekend recap today, just my heart. I’ve had so much on my mind lately, and wanted to write it all out, so here we are on this lovely Monday morning. Hope you have some coffee in hand. :)

I’m graduating in three weeks…Eeeek! While I am SO very excited for this next season in my life, whatever it may be, I am scared. I’ve been going to school for the past 18 years of my life, and now that I’m reaching the end of my journey I am faced with so many decisions that I had no idea how to face. Yet, God reminded me time and time again, that He is with me, and has great plans for me. I believed in that truth, I just had a really hard time letting go of my anxiety.

The other day I drove past a church sign  which said:

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That sign broke me. I was always praying for God to guide me wherever He wanted me to go, but fear kept me from taking any first steps. This closer I got to finishing school the more afraid I became of not being smart enough, or not being able to find a job that I would be happy doing. However, I’ve learned that when God wants you to do something specific for him, and places certain abilities and desires in you,  then He most definitely take you there and equip you with all that you need to do it well.

“Be strong and of good courage, and do it;do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God-my God-will be with you. he will not leave you nor forsake you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.              1 Chronicles 28:20 

Today, I am grateful for such a season as this. It is in these transitionary seasons of facing the unknown where we learn to trust and OBEY him completely. And so, my prayer for you all is that no matter where you may be in life, that you have complete peace in surrendering your fears and allowing Him to truly guide you.

-Olviya

Catching up on the weekends

Contrary to what the title may sound like, I don’t get to catch up on much during the weekend. Instead, I’m about to catch you up on what’s been going on these past two weekends.

Last last weekend, Andrey & I decided to take our parents out to celebrate his getting a new job. We drove to Chicago Fire in downtown, and were told that the wait would be and hour and a 1/2. Umm no thank you! My dad recommended we go to the place Andrey took him to ask for my hand in marriage, The Greek Village Inn. I called them up and they told us the wait would be a MINUTE and a 1/2. Um yeah, you can probably guess where we went that night. :)

On our way over, I remembered that the Greek Village Inn often had Groupons so I did a quick search and lo and behold, I saved $25! Gotta love technology, and coupons (<–No shame :) )

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We all enjoyed our food. The lamb/chicken kebabs were wonderful, as was the creamy mushroom soup. The service was great as well. Afterwards we all I wanted dessert, so we drove 2 minutes to Ettores for coffee and goodies.

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This is my FAVORITE picture ever of my dad and I. I love how his glasses are crooked. and the woman behind us…photobomb! lol

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‘Twas an evening well spent!

The next day, Andrey & I went to Tower Cafe with his coworkers for a goodbye brunch. And I wore the same dress. Again, no shame. :)

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Mmm I always order the Brazilian Chicken Salad at Tower. It never fails.

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I loved Tower’s fiesta ware plates. So colorful, and fun!

After brunch I babysat for a few hours. We took a walk around the Folsom reservoir, and picked some pretty flowers. The weather has been absolutely wonderful lately! I cannot sit inside.

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We ended our day with cupcakes from Sassy Sweets by Monique. Andrey wasn’t too impressed, but I loved my Raspberry Passionfruit cupcake.

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So LAST Saturday started with me going to Kids Club (apartment outreach), and Andrey playing in a volleyball tournament. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of either. We went out to see Oblivion on Saturday  night, and saw these hilarious car eyelashes that made us all laugh. The movie was interesting and thought provoking.

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On Sunday, we went to my in-laws house to spend some time with the family, as Vlad was in town. They decided to have a water balloon fight. We had a blast! I was soaked like 2.5 seconds into the fight so the rest of the time I spent hiding behind the car.! We uploaded the video to YouTube because it was too long to email. Check it out here. :)

And that is all my friends! As always, thanks for coming and reading.:)

Love,

Olviya

Oh Sweet Carolina ❀

This weekend we drove down to North Carolina for my birthday weekend! It is such a glorious state! I fell in love with the rolling hills & greenery!  We visited the 255 room Biltmore estate (the largest home in America).  Then spent some time with Roman’s family relatives and the next day headed to the Billy Graham Museum. The tulips were in bloom at the Estate and although it was sprinkling outside I managed to get some shots!

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We stopped at this Gourmet chip shop and tried some savory yummy goodness! I LOVE chips!

We stopped in downtown Asheville at this Gourmet chip place & tried some savory fresh cut potato chips! I LOVE chips!

Met some of Roman's family.

Met some of Roman’s family.

The Billy Graham Museum was my favorite! There was something about this museum that was unexplainable. I can’t really put it in words.  But I can’t wait to go back one day with kids!

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The end of the tour you walk through an illuminated cross! So beautiful

The end of the tour you walk through an illuminated cross! So beautiful

Walking through rooms and back into time was cool. The urge to spread the gospel was evident in Billy Graham’s life & through the walkthrough!  Ruth Graham’s room was my most favorite. Didn’t get a snapshot but we visited her grave and on her grave she has written. “End of Construction: thank you for your patience” lol She was a witty and funny wife from some of the interviews we saw!

Ruth Graham was so witty

Ruth Graham was so witty

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We had some amazing ice cream from the Graham dairy farm.

We ended the tour with some tasty ice cream from the Graham dairy farm and lunch at the stables! The restaurant is laid out like a horse stable!

If you are ever in the North Carolina side of the country I would totally recommend the Billy Graham Library as a must stop!

Happy 24th Natalie!

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Today is a very special day! Today is Natalie (the East sister)’s birthday. She turned a ripe old age of 24. :) I decided to save the sappy, heartfelt words for Natalie’s birthday card, and instead to share 24 things about her. (Idea taken from here)

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  1. She is extremely beautiful. But you all already knew that!
  2. She loves animal print. The more cheetah the better.:)
  3. She also loves white. She even had a white themed birthday party.
  4. She enjoys taking pictures..like a lot.It used to annoy me, but now I am thankful for all of the captured memories.:)
  5. She always makes things more exciting/fun.
  6. She is a fantastic dresser. Always. People would come up to me all the time and ask me where my sister shopped. #
  7. Her smile lights up the room.
  8. She is competitive.
  9. She loves volleyball, and will play any chance she gets.
  10. She has mastered the art of baking French Macarons.
  11.  She is SO very much like my dad, in all the best ways possible.
  12. Jalapeno Hot Cheetos are her weakness.
  13. She is a great encourager.
  14. She can make her way around town without directions/Mapquest unlike her heavily dependent on GPS, and STILL has a hard time getting to her location sister.
  15. She is crafty.
  16. She sometimes talks with her hands to emphasize her point.
  17. She has a giving heart.
  18. She also has the heart of a missionary (loves people), much like our dad. It is serving her well in New Jersey.
  19. She is bold.
  20. Sensual Amber is her scent always and forever.
  21. She cooks with her heart and the recipes she “throws” together are so delicious.
  22. She is spontaneous, and will always be. :)
  23. She can talk to anybody about anything.
  24. She is the queen of mulit-tasking

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I love you Nat! Thanks for being the best sister I could ever ask for! You are a huge part of who I am today.

Love,

Olviya

Take Home Message Monday

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This weekend was exhausting hence why I haven’t been blogging. I realized that I need to write smaller posts instead of piling it all in one post.<— I will work on that.. There was lots of driving but oh so rewarding & blessed! Friday I made the volcano roll from peasandcrayons recipe that she shared recently! Yummers such a spicy and delish roll.

Homemade volcano roll with Srirachi sauce. Mhhhh

Homemade volcano roll with Srirachi sauce. Mho

Friday night I went to SiSTERHood in NYC with a few girls from our church & had an amazing time meeting other girls and listening to Laura Lentz share!

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Saturday Roman & I went to a wedding in Philadelphia. Congratulations to the beautiful Tanya & Petrik on their big day! It was beautiful to hear so many people participate and see the impact that they have had on many people’s lives!

They were such a joyful couple

They were such a joyful couple

Sunday we woke up at 5:30 to drive to Delaware to Word of Life church.  Roman was translating for Ukrainian pastor that asked him.  He asked me if I wanted to stay home since it was a long drive, but I knew he was just testing the waters and secretly wanted me to go….So I did! I love being in the house of God and especially meeting other sisters & brothers in Christ!

Loved the backdrop in Pastor Chris's office! We were inspired by how is moving in their church:)

Loved the backdrop in Pastor Chris’s office! We were inspired by how God is moving in their church:)

I got to see my friend Mary Igwe again and she gifted me the beautiful Tshirt below: Thanks Mary!

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30 weeks! #baby bump

Sunday night we enjoyed a small service at home with just a few of our members.  Our friend Danielle was back from rehab and we were so glad to see her! It was such a peaceful time of worship and I enjoyed hearing Thiago share his word.

We are not entitled to anything in life. God gives and takes away! Everything we have is HIS!  It was a call to SERVANTHOOD & a reminder to keep going strong in our inner relationship with GOD! Afterwards we went out to Pizza at this amazing little place called Nunzio’s in Sayerville! On the way over us girls sang our hearts out to “My Redeemer lives” by Nicole Norman!  Cool car girl moment! I had a P&J sweet pizza & can’t wait to try to make it at home.

What was your take home message this weekend?