April Joy Project

My church (Capitol Hill Baptist Church) held an event for the ladies only. They “interviewed” an older lady who’s been a part of the church for over 60 years. It was such a delight to glean wisdom from a precious saint.

P.S. I gave up coffee….

APRIL FOOL’S 🙂

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Today was one of the hardest days I can remember. I found out some news that rocked my world. Read more about the lessons the Lord has been teaching me through this latest trial here. The joy of the day was found in sweet friends who insisted on spending time with me, even though I wasn’t cheerful. I was sad and my heart ached, but they still chose to be there for me.

3

Someone sent me flowers at work. I have no clue who they are from. The inscription on the card reads,

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” – Psalm 62:1-2. You are loved. Your friend in Christ.

This act of kindness meant so much to me, and the Lord used the flowers to remind me of His provision and care for me.

4

One of my roommates was an extra in the newest Captain America film. We rented a limo to surprise her! The limo took us to dinner and then to the movie! It was fun to make her feel like a celebrity!

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Saturdays in DC have become something I dearly look forward to. I played frisbee on the national mall with a group of people from church. Later that afternoon, I went on a Capitol tour with one of my friends who works on the Hill. I hadn’t been on an official tour yet, and it was fun to hear a lot of the history. (Nerd alert!)

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One of my sweet friends threw me and another girl a lunch party to officially welcome us to the church as members. About 20 people came and we spend a few hours together, breaking bread and enjoying one anothers fellowship. It meant the world to me, and was such a kind thing to do.

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This album…

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An evening in at home.

It’s the small things

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Some of my co-workers and I decided to eat lunch at our desk so that we could go on a stroll outside. My office is only 2 blocks from the White House, so we headed over there to snap a few pictures, enjoy the beautiful flowers and warmth of the sunshine.

10

Every Thursday, all I want to talk about is my precious babies I get to be with when I volunteer with the local crisis pregnancy center. This Thursday was no exception. Not that I have favorites – but, there are two boys that have completely stolen my heart. They are from Ethopia, and their story will break your heart. When I said goodbye this week, they clung to me and kept saying, “Don’t go, don’t go!” It was hard to leave, but I’m already looking forward to the next time I’ll see them!

My friends picked me up and we headed to the airport to surprise our friend Caitlyn who’d just returned from a two week vacation in Australia. Yes, I had to do many a heartchecks because I was tempted to be very jealous! We picked her up and headed to the National Mall, where we hung out eating apple pie. Such a fun evening!

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After work, I laced up my sneakers and headed out on a run through DC. My goal was to run to the Tidal Basin to see the Cherry Blossoms. After fighting through wayyy too many tourists, I finally reached the Cherry Blossoms. They were definitely worth braving the crowds to go see.

Dave Barnes was in town, and a group of us headed over to The Hamilton for dinner and a show. He is seriously one of the funniest people. Check out these videos of him. (Insert Christmas youtube videos). I’m not sure which one I enjoyed more – his music or his jokes.

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Frisbee. Friends. National Mall .Cherry Blossoms. Boat Cruise. Georgetown. That sums up my Saturday!

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I went to the Zoo with some friends. I’m not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed with the National Zoo. But my expectations were pretty high due to some of zoos I’ve previously visited. What do you expect from a government run zoo?! 😉

Nevertheless, I enjoyed walking around trying to catch glimpses of animals! We were able to see the baby Panda bear, and that was pretty special!

14

Today was another difficult day. After having dinner with some friends, I headed over to spend some time with the Lord in front of the Capitol building. It’s one of my favorite places to go at night, because there are always policemen there so I know I’m safe! Read all about what the Lord taught me that evening here.

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Ladies bible study – It’d had been almost a month since we’ve all met for various reasons, and it was refreshing to meet together again to study God’s word and encourage one another in our walks with the Lord.

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A letter in the mail 🙂

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All day, my heart beat a little bit faster, because I was headed home. After work, I headed for the airport with just enough time to grab a bite to eat with one of my co-workers who was flying out around the same time.

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Today was wonderful. It started off with coffee in my favorite mug and enjoying the beautiful North Carolina weather.

I spent the day with the family – we hung out, went to see a movie, and then I had froyo with my handsome brother!

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My brothers bring me such joy!

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My aunt, uncle and Ukrainian cousin drove up to spend the day together. We went to church, ate brunch, played frisbee outside, drank coffee, chatted, played board games. #PerfectDay

Happy Easter, love the Pattersons

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My flight left NC at 5:45 am. While I had a long day ahead of me, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to watch the sunrise from the window of an airplane.

Back safely in DC

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Read here to find out what one of the greatest joys of my week was.

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My sweet friend Anna is moving back to North Carolina. She moved to D.C. temporarily around the same time that I did. We both went to Liberty University together, but weren’t really friends there. The Lord blessed me abundantly by allowing us to grow close over our time together in D.C. I’m sad to see her go, but we met up for one last hurrah at a DC favorite – Founding Farmers. Oh, and I had chicken and waffles for the first time! #Incredible

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Waltzed with this cutie!

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Spring on the Hill

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Today was productive. Our house was in need of a good ‘ole spring cleaning, so I spent hours doing dishes, sweeping, organizing, etc. One of my roommates got home mid-afternoon and we were both starving, so we drove into the city for one of my favorite foods – fish tacos from District Taco! (Nom nom) After lunch, we did our weekly grocery shopping, then I headed home, showered and headed out to an evening birthday party.

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I helped a friend of a friend move. It was a great opportunity to get to bless someone else and show them the love of Christ

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The crisis pregnancy center where I volunteer asked me to share part of my adoption story as they train future volunteers. It was such a privilege to share how incredible adoption is, and how its a much better option that abortion.

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I’ve been feeling under the weather, but nothing that coffee can’t fix!

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A much needed hug!

I hope ya’ll enjoyed April’s edition of The Joy Project! I leave you with the following meme. It’s been a little overdone on social media, but I thought it was funny! 🙂