My entry into the blogosphere!

Well, I wasn't planning on beginning this whole blogging extravaganza until I left for España...but hey, I guess that was just another April Fool's joke to add to my book. Speaking of April Fool's, let's talk about my best joke today. I decided to play a little prankie-prank on my friend Caleb, who just happens to be the womb-mate of my out-of-this-world boyfriend (Hey Jakey! :) ). Womb-mate is my term for twin. Get it? I know..hilarious, right? So the twins being the burly farm boys that they are, decided to purchase a few chickens as their new pets to keep in their homemade backyard chicken coop. Not an everyday thing most college kids would think of doing, but with this whole go-green thing we've got goin on, you gotta get your organic eggs somewhere. Caleb is quite the protector of those chickies. So I called him and in my most serious, freak-out voice and told him that I saw one of the chickens on the loose while I was walking to class. I anxiously awaited his gasp when he found out the bad news but instead, he just wished me a happy April Fool's in return for the joke. FAIL. I almost shed a tear. It's the thought that counts, right?

Anyways, my whole reason for posting is due to my sister who pretty much threatened me to do so. I wanted to see if she like my layout and she barely commented on it because she told me twice in a one-minute span to do my first post. So here you go, Nat! While I'm on the subject of her, let me just give you a brief bio on Natalie. (She goes by Nat-Nat-the-big-fat-rat at home). Out of the 3 Dekle girls, I think we could all agree that Nat is the most thoughtful. She is always the one to mail out the homemade cards for every holiday. (Where is my April Fool's card by the way..?) She wants to be the next Betty Crocker, gone cupcake edition, and I fully believe that she will one day. Maybe one day I'll pick up on all of her crafty, creative and thoughtful ways if I get lucky. But in all seriousness, Nat is one of the most caring people I know and it doesn't hurt that she is so stinkin' cute! Just look at her. Don't even ask if she made that masterpiece of a cupcake.

Which brings me to my next point. My other awesome sister, Mindy, aka Supermom/sister/daughter/wife/friend. Let me just tell you, this girl knows how to get things done right. She has 3 of the cutest babies I have ever seen. (Will I even love my own kids as much as I love them??) Except you would never know that she's had 3 kids because she is a hottie. Min is definitely the oldest sister, the role model for Nat and I. Praise the Lord no little Dekle's have to follow after this Nancy Jane-crazy loon-girl. Mindy is the one who always makes sure you got home okay, will never let you slip by without going to the doctor if you're sick, and watch out everyone--she will probably beat you up if you mess with any of her peeps (Dekle word for fam). Mindy is the greatest role model and friend to me. Behind her protective side, she has such a gentle, caring heart. Let me show you a quick pic of Superwoman. (This pic was taken in NYC during Christmastime so that's why she is bundled up..it was about 2 degrees with a wind chill of about -100.) 

And here we are all together. To sum things up, I basically have the greatest sisters in the world. They are 2 of my biggest fans, role models, and my best friends. I consider myself quite a blessed girl to be their caboose. 

And now for a little come-to-Jesus time. 

Psalm 100:4 

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name."

Lately the Lord has been teaching me that the most intimate moments with Him are the ones where I come to Him with a thankful heart, just like this verse says. Sometimes when I just speak the name of Jesus and start to thank Him for loving me, I can't stop telling Him more of what I'm thankful for. Graham Cooke speaks this truth so perfectly in his awesome book that I'm reading.

"The place of worship is the place of truth and faith in God's presence. In the midst of our worship we are renewed in spirit and mind and can more easily access a deeper level of spiritual wisdom."

When we connect to God through worship, I feel like that's when He will reveal more of His heart and His goodness to us. And He is sure as heck one good guy.

Well people..it feels a little odd to be sharing my thoughts and whatnot in the blogosphere instead of in my nice little old-school paper journal. But hey, desperate calls for desperate measures, right? The desperate call is the fact that I will be living in Spain for 12 weeks this summer and need an easy way of communication with my peeps considering I am a lean toward the homebody side of the scale. So I better embrace this blog and make the most of it. (Is it sad that this is the first composition that I have edited in about 10 years? No wonder my Spanish papers get returned with red ink all over them.) 

To all 3 of you who read this, I hope that you have an awesome Friday and a relaxing & fun weekend! Don't fall for too many April Fool's jokes!