Football

Football is one of those sports that you can really get into, even if you don't care for sports. Especially when it comes to Superbowl Sunday, which, we all know was yesterday. It's so funny when I think about how I must look while watching the game, or any game for that factor.  I mean, so many people who are watching the game are die-hard fans, they live and breathe football. Any call made has a response from these fans, good or bad.  And then there's me. I'm 5 foot 3, dressed in leggings, and a long shirt, with my boots, and purse.  Any fan would look at me and think, "What is she even doing watching the game?" 

They have a point, I am not much of a sports watcher. When I grew up all I played was soccer, and although I was good at it and enjoyed it, I was never the one to watch much of the game on T.V. I would rather be out there playing on the field, I guess. 

Whatever. 

My point is, I don't watch sports, and I don't look like I watch sports, but for some reason whenever a football game is on, I get totally into it! I mean, I am that girl that says, "what was that?!", "come on!", "really, guys? you can't be doing that", there's also the occasional, "oooh!!" And even though I may look silly, I am TOTALLY into the game! It's like a passion is created inside of me while watching football. I could care less about who won and what not, mostly I'm watching it so I know what people are talking about when the subject comes up; but in the moment, I totally care about what's going on in the game. Is anyone else with me on this?! I sound crazy, and sometimes I feel crazy when it's happening, but it's so true.

Well on Superbowl Sunday, I had a blast! My husband and I didn't have any plans, and we only know a few couples in our area, so our options were limited. When we found out the other couples didn't have plans either, we decided to go with the flow. We ended up watching the kick-off at our house, and then walking over to the Irvine Spectrum to watch the rest of the game.

 Side not: we live right across the street from the Irvine Spectrum, so it's VERY convenient to walk over and hang out for a few hours.  We love it there!

Anyways, we tried to find a seat in Dave n Busters, and Yard House, but of course, they were packed. We ended up walking over to Red Robin and watching the game there. 

It was an awesome game! It started out kind of boring, but when the half time show came, and then the stadium lights going out, and then the come back from the 49ers!!...It was all so exciting..my heart was bouncing up and down at that point. Well, the 49ers lost, but all in all it was a GREAT entertaining game, and I had fun with my hubs. 

I love him. <3

On a totally different subject:

I also discovered that I am not really creative when it comes to making my own recipes, but I love trying new "already made" recipes for baking, and regular food. I love adding different spices and ingredients to make it my own or decorating the food at the end. I'm realizing that cooking and baking is very therapeutic and fun! I love taking the time to make everything look nice, while trying out the different flavors. 

So, towards the end of the game I started baking chocolate cake, but of course, I couldn't just leave it in a typical square or circular baking pan, I had to make things more creative and time consuming.

My mini cake hearts didn't turn out as hearts, but none-the-less, by the end of the game, we were ready to munch on some sweet chocolaty goodness. And voila...

Overall, Superbowl Sunday was spectacularly relaxing and fun, and when there is another big game and I watch it, you can be sure I will be that girl looking ridiculous as she is jumping up and down or exclaiming things to the T.V. I hope you all enjoyed your Superbowl weekend as much as I did, until next time. 

Adios Amigos!

P.S. I am neither a Raven's fan nor 49er's fan, but my heart fluttered with joy when Ray Lewis (Raven's) gave thanks, and glory to the Lord for the big win! Such an awesome man of God. What a wonderful way to end the whole Superbowl event. <3

Night of Worship

It's kind of funny how I live in Southern California, yet, on a day like today when it's 70 degrees outside, I think it's too hot. I've definitely been spoiled with our colder temperatures and rain recently. If there were ever a time that I would move out of the state of California, I'd most likely move to an area with a colder climate. I tend to get more things done when it's cold outside, odd, I know...

ANYWAYS, that's not what I wanted to talk about. Last night my great friend, Camille, invited me to a worship night at Vanguard College in Costa Mesa. She goes to school there and they have a church that they host worship nights in every week on Wednesday nights. Jeff and I have been looking for a church or place like that for the last two years that we've lived in the Orange County area, so I was pretty excited to hear about it. You don't realize how hard it is to find a home church until you are married and looking for one. With marriage comes differences, with differences comes compromise, with compromise comes longer periods of discovery. My point is that it's a lot harder to find a church that you and your spouse agree upon, fulfilling both your needs in your relationship with the Lord. 

Okay so I was totally excited about worship night! I LOVE worshiping the Lord. I'd rather have a worship service than a teaching service, I feel so much more connected with the Lord, and it's an amazing experience to be touched by his presence. (Of course, I firmly believe in reading the Bible as well)

Camille had told me that the worship night was a great experience, so I was expecting it to be good, but of course, everyone has their differences, so I also expected it to be not-so-good. Basically, I was going into this worship night with a neutral stance on what to expect. When we first got there it was packed with students and young adults. I was amazed! I would say maybe 150-200 young adults were there to worship the Lord. It was so encouraging to see all those people around my age putting time aside to give glory to God.

((Side note, I've been really discouraged lately with trying to find friends around my age who have the same goals and ideas of a relationship with the Lord. It's so hard to find friends out there that you can share your ideas of the Bible, the Lord, heaven, etc with.))

(I have never seen such well-manicured nails on a man's hands..haha)

Once we sat down, we waited for the service to begin, and Camille told me that every night it's a different band that plays the worship music. I was kind of nervous about that because you never know when a band will play well together or not. Even if they play good together will they have the anointing to bring the presence of the Lord into the atmosphere? You just never know.

The band started playing and their voices, music, and confidence created the perfect atmosphere to join in with excitement. I was SO impressed! They were amazing! I hadn't heard a band that played that well together in a long time. We worshiped for 2 hours straight! It was beautiful. Every song brought a different anointing and the band did a great job leading into every song. About 30 minutes before we ended, the lead singer stopped and took a moment to pray. He said that he 'felt the Lord wasn't done with us and that if there was anyone who was hurting, confused, or thinking that they weren't worthy, to stand up.' About 1/3 to 1/2 of the young adults stood up. Then the leader said for 'everyone else around them to stand up, lay a hand on those people, and start praying for them.' WOW. The room started filling with voices of prayer and sobbing. Everyone was being touched by the Lord, and people were being healed of their pain and hurt. It was such an awesome experience to watch unfold. 

At another point the leader asked us all to get on our knees and humble ourselves before the Lord. Every single person in that room knelt down and worshiped, prayed, and spoke in tongues. The presence of the Lord permeated the entire place and his glory was resonating everywhere. I didn't want to get up from my knees! I just wanted to kneel their until I couldn't kneel anymore! I love the presence of the Lord. It's so fascinating and beautiful. [Remember, in the Bible, Jesus knelt and prayed.]

The last 30 minutes we continued worshiping and then the lead singer closed in prayer. It was such a beautiful experience, and it was so encouraging! To see so many young people coming together to bring glory to God, and to be freed to worship in their own way was amazing. I was and still am so thankful to have worship night. I'm hooked! I plan on going every Wednesday night, and thanks to Vanguard College, I now have a midweek service that I know I will enjoy going too. 

I encourage anyone and everyone who is struggling to find a home church or a place of worship to keep looking! Ask around, continue praying for the Lord to bring it to you. You can even make your own home your place of worship. Set aside a time to shut all other technologies off, turn the lights off, and just play worship music. Let the Lord speak to your heart. He LOVES to be loved by you. 

Wife turned student...

So as I wrote in my last blog, I signed up to start school this year. I'm a 23 year old married lady who is starting school for the first time ever...a little late, huh? Oh well, my whole perspective on this is that it's better to start late then to never start at all. I feel like if I had started when I was younger, I wouldn't have enjoyed it or appreciated it as much as I do now.

Anyways, the funny thing about me is I tend to be intimated by a group of people, or people in authority positions. I have to remind myself that I am just as much in authority as they are, and that I'm not a teenager anymore. Since today was my first day of "crashing" a class that I want to take this year, I found myself feeling like I was back in high school. Walking the halls, nervous of what people are thinking, wondering if the teacher will like me, etc. I have to laugh at myself sometimes...today was definitely a time to do so.

As I was driving to school, I started hitting every single red light. Mind you, my school is only 4 miles down the road from where I live, you'd think I'd get there fairly quick; nope, it took me 15 minutes to get to school! As I'm driving, I start stressing, thinking the teacher will notice or be mad, and all the students will be looking at me when I walk in, etc. "Oh Emerald," I thought, " You're married, at least 4 years older than most of the students, AND you are paying to take this class, relax." I prayed after that and realized that I didn't need to worry about any of that. I am a grown woman, I need to step up to the plate and allow myself to feel like one.

Yeah...like that.

I don't know why or how I allow myself to feel smaller or inferior to so many people or situations, I guess I just don't like stepping on people's toes...I don't know. Everything ended going great! I was only 2 minutes late and my teacher was still handing out papers. I was able to walk in with a new found confidence and have a seat in the front row! I was so glad. The class went great, I already started learning a lot and my teacher is hilarious. I'm so glad I didn't allow myself to be intimidated by the whole situation. 

At the end of the class, I walked up to the teacher and told her my name, and that I'd like to be added to the class. She recognized my name immediately because I had e-mailed her last week asking if I could join. She said, "Yes.", gave me my "add number", and joked about me being related to "Jack Sparrow". I told her I was married to Jeff Sparrow, and that somewhere down his family tree he had an uncle Jack...she laughed.

(like this)

Anyways, I am SO excited about school! I am crashing and taking classes that I actually WANT to learn about, and I am going to be challenging myself. I am so glad that I decided to start school this year, and even though I'm older than most, I'm glad I'm doing it now. I feel like I'm accomplishing something awesome, and that's a GREAT feeling. My wonderful husband is my support, and I am so thankful that I get to go home to him after classes, he is amazing.

My point is, don't let yourself be discouraged! I've signed up for school 5 other times in my life and NEVER finished a single class, but I'm doing it now and I am on my way to a better future! Remind yourself that you are valuable and you don't have to feel intimated or small, you are created to accomplish GREAT things. Don't believe me? Read this scripture:

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Catching up

Hahaha, I LOVE this photo. One: I love kitties no matter how ridiculous they are. Two: This photo has a lot of truth to it. Three: I can totally relate to how kitty is feeling. Four: It adds some smiles to your day <3

Okay, so I've definitely not been writing as much as I should be. It seems like every time I have a chance to write, I'm ready for a nap. Anyways, quick update on things...Christmas was amazing! Hectic and chaotic but amazing none-the-less. Jeff (my husband) and I traveled to Sacramento, and then drove an hour into the mountains of Nevada City, Ca.

It was BEAUTIFUL!!!

It had the perfect amount of snow, the perfect amount of cold, the perfect amount of nature, and the perfect amount of peace. We were only able to spend three days there because we had a total of 4 Christmas's to attend this last year, but it was worth the flight and drive.

That is my awesome husband. He created a HUGE snowball...

Oh, I bought my husband a BRIGHT, blue, military grade laser for Christmas this year...He was asking for 3 months straight! I had too...he loves it. (Wives...no I don't understand the point to the laser, but I've realized that my husband is cute like my future-children will be, and if my future-children wanted a toy, I'm pretty sure I would get it for them...I don't know...it's too late now. Haha!)

Look at that scenery!! It snowed for the first two days we were there and on the last day it all started melting. Can you say "Miracle!"? We were able to drive home safe and sound AND enjoy a beautiful walk together. <3

So, between Christmas, a house warming party, and New Years, Jeff and I traveled approximately 1,400 miles in 8 days. OH MY GOODNESS, that is A LOT of traveling. Totally tiring, but totally worth! It was so fun this past year, we were able to have 4 Christmas's, see most of our family on both sides, play in the snow, visit the Capitol in Sacramento for the first time ever, check out a family friend's new house, and enjoy New Years! God has truly blessed us and we are so thankful!

That is a beautiful, extravagant cathedral right across the street from the Capitol. It was breathtaking to walk through.

~ I recently started going back to school (I've never finished a semester) and I'm really excited! I can't wait to learn about everything that I've been interested in for so many years and I am determined to actually stick with it this year. 

~ Jeff's Company has been developing the product's they want to sell and changing their awesome website (SO proud of my hubby!!). He is working so hard on defining what he wants his company to accomplish and the people that are standing along side him are the most sweet, hard working people we could have ever asked for. The Lord really blessed us with great people to surround our lives. Check out his website: www.geocommerce.com

~ We've also been enjoying trying new recipes I find from Pinterest. Oh, that Pinterest...I could spend hours on there. 

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Holiday season this past year, and I hope that you've been sticking with your New Year's resolutions! It's hard to stick with them but when you get inspired, keep trying!

By the way, Jeff and I celebrate our 1 year anniversary as a married couple on February 10th! We are traveling to Seattle in about 10 days and we will be there for 5 days. I'm so excited! We LOVE exploring, so this is going to be an awesome anniversary for us. I will be sure to post pictures and write about what we get to experience while we are there. 

Don't forget to "follow my blog" if you enjoy reading the random life a a couple of Sparrow's. <3

I also started connecting my blog and other blogs with BlogLovin! I am a real blogger now.

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Tranquility

For the most part I am a pretty social person. I like to be around people, I like to talk, I like to tell stories, I like to hear people talk and tell stories, and I like to relate to those around me. However, I also have a quieter side of myself that I enjoy very much. There is something to be said about a person taking the time to be quiet in today's society. With so much hustle and bustle, upgrading, and discovery, it seems as though quiet is a rare find. The beauty about the quiet is that you have a moment to hear your thoughts and feel your emotions without an interruption.

A couple years ago I was living with my grandmother, who is a prophetic evangelist, on the Central Coast of California. Looking back on the time I lived in that area, I've come to really cherish it. When I lived on the Central Coast, I was alone a lot. I didn't know anyone in that area except for my grandma, aunt, and uncle, and I wasn't going to school so it was harder to make friends. Rather than allowing myself to get depressed, I found myself enjoying the journey of discovering myself and my relationship with the Lord on a much deeper level. It's a fascinating experience when you allow yourself to identify you more, and it's even more invigorating when you uncover your relationship with the Lord in a more intimate way.

Often, when I was alone on the Central Coast, I would drive to places that I found beauty, silence, and tranquility. I was usually lead to the ocean, the cliffs of Cambria, or the hills in San Luis Obispo. I figured out that the farther away from the city, the more peaceful the quiet was. I truly believe that nature, creation itself has a voice, but not everyone can hear it because it's a quiet whisper. But when we take a moment to listen to the conversing world around us, we'll find that we can and will hear what creation has to say.

I've looked up verses in the Bible that reference's nature, creation, the world, and our connection to it all. I hope you find time for yourself to embrace the world around you and what is has to offer. Enjoy!

Matthew 26:36- "Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and He said,'Sit here while I go over there to pray.'"

Zechariah 14:8-"On that day life-giving

 waters  will flow out from Jerusalem, 

half toward the Dead Sea and half 

toward the Mediterranean, flowing

 continuously in both summer and

 winter."

              Both photos taken by Josh Sparrow

 Romans 1:20- "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

 Photo taken by Josh Sparrow

 Photo taken by Josh Sparrow

Psalm 19:1-6

"The heavens proclaim the glory of

God, The skies display His

craftsmanship. Day after day they

continue to speak; night after night

they make Him known. They 

speak without a sound or word;

thier voice never heard. Yet

their message has gone throughout

the earth, and their words to all

the world. God has made a home

in the heavens for the sun. It

bursts forth like a radiant bride-

groom after his wedding. It 

rejoices like a great athlete eager

to run the race. The sun rises at

one end of the heavens and 

follows it's course to the other 

end. Nothing can hide from it's

heat."

Psalm 23:1-3- "The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His name."

Isaiah 44:3-4-"For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank."

Hebrews 12:22-"No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering."

Last but definitely not least I encourage you to read all of Psalm 65. it's a beautiful poem about the connection between, us, creation, the Lord and His blessings. 

Thanks for reading! <3