I’m leaving in 3 days! Really 2 1/2. As the time gets nearer, I’ve been thinking about all the places and things I will miss the most. I put together a compilation of my top favorite all time things to be/do in Rochester NY.

1. Javas

2. Public Market

3. Esan

4. Owl House

5. Lake Ontario

6. Little Theater

7. Garbage Plates

8. Abbots

9. Old Toad

10. Apples & Cider

11. My puppy

and Papa 🙂

This week is craziness! Trying to see everyone to say goodbye. Its bittersweet. I am so excited to be moving, but so sad that I won’t be seeing many of my closest family and friends for a long time!

Today we met my grandparents, aunt, and my mom’s cousins at Stoney Brook. We grilled tons of food (mostly fake meat ick), ate a lot, hiked a lot, and talked a lot. It was fun to spend time with everyone.

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I’m packing. And unpacking. And re-packing. I have no idea what things I want to take with me and what I want to leave behind. Every time I un-pack, I throw more things away or give more things to goodwill. It feels good to be purging, but I am overwhelmed! My room is a disaster of different piles, most of which I don’t know where they should go. Pray for me! Only 5 more days to go!

 

Wow. Moving is insane. I am a planner. I like things to be known. Certain. This deal, moving to Kansas, has been anything but predictable. I feel like I am doing my best to be wise and do what I feel like God is leading me to do, but I am having such a hard time trusting him and I am so stressed. I have a place to live. That is certain. I have no idea what to pack to bring. Today I got my transfer with Starbucks approved, but I haven’t been placed at a store yet, so I have a job, but I don’t know where. The District Manager wants to put me in one of the busiest stores to see how I do because she would like to promote me back to manager. Which is awesome. But also intimidating because their “busy” stores make about $36K/week and our “busy” stores here only do $24K soo…that seems insane to me. I have no idea how to work at a $36K store! Oh and one more crazy uncertainty, my car died today and I will be buying a new car this week to take with me to Kansas. Insane. So yeah, quick update on my life and the state of things pre-moving. I really just can’t wait to be in the car driving towards my next chapter. The time between now and then seems so daunting because there is so much to get done, figure out, pack, plan etc. Overwhelmed. But peacefully so. God has opened every door, wider than I imagined, so I know that He will somehow give me the strength to get everything done.

Patrick & Virginia’s wedding was beautiful and amazing. The weather was great. It was out on Canandaigua Lake. The wedding was perfect, the reception was fun and the after party was EPIC. We danced the night away and then laid on the dock watching the meteor shower, drinking wine, and smoking cigars. Perfect ending to a perfect day! Here are a few pics from the day.

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I deactivated my facebook so don’t freak out and think that I unfriended you. I didn’t. I’m just super busy and super stressed and I don’t need the added distraction/drama of facebook right now. I’ll start it up again once I move to Kansas City.

Today is a big day. I’m making a very important wedding cake for my beautiful friend Virginia. It is super artistic and something I have never done before so check again after this weekend for pics! The wedding is going to be amazing. She has put so much of her artistic amazingness into it and I can’t wait to see it all come together tomorrow!

 

Colton & Kim’s friend Jason made this video. It is awesome! It captures the whole wedding so perfectly. Love it!

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/47087239″>Kimberly & Colton – 7/7/12</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/jasongarris”>jason garris</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

This has been a cake week! I made 150 cupcakes, and 5 cakes. I have made Guinness Cake, Amaretto Cake, Tiramisu Cake, and Carrot Cake. I made Italian Meringue Buttercream for the first time, regular buttercream, chocolate buttercream, and whipped cream cheese frosting. Saturday at 2pm I realized I hadn’t eaten anything but frosting samples the entire day. Ick! Here are a few pictures of the end results. Keep checking for pictures of Virginia & Pat’s wedding cake. It is going to be SO COOL! I made a test cake today and I am excited to make the real thing! And my last hurrah in NY will be a wedding cake for Chris & Susan. I don’t even have that one planned yet, but I’ve been storing away ideas.

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I love when what I’m reading in the bible directly correlates with other books that I am reading. As I have said before, I’m always in the middle of 4-ish books and I flit back and forth depending on my mood. One of the books I am reading right now is Lord, Change My Attitude Before It’s Too Late by James MacDonald. I’ve read it before. But I still feel like my attitudes need adjustment! So I’m re-reading it for some reminders. Anywhoo…

Lamentations 3: 19-26

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. YET, this i call to mind, and therefore I have HOPE. Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 

James MacDonald is talking about contentment.
“Will we be grateful and satisfied with God and His provision for us? Or will we covet more and better and different?…at the root of my covetous attitude I am rejecting the sufficiency of God in my life…NOTHING is essential but God…God doesn’t want anything substituted for Him in our lives.”

So. What am I learning? I do feel like this keeps popping up again and again. And I must not be learning it well because the Lord keeps reminding me. Our only real hope is in the character and promises of God. We can not rely on anything else. We can not put our hope in anyone/anything else. The Lord never fails. And because of this when we put our hope in HIM, no matter how bitter and downcast we are, not matter how overwhelming our situation, we will be able to say I HAVE HOPE! The Lord is my portion! I will WAIT for Him. What do you need to hand over to Him? What are you hoping in that will fail you? I encourage you, turn your eyes to Jesus. He will never fail you.