“Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the [girl] who’ll decide where to go.”
Dr. Seuss | Oh! The Places You’ll Go
Well, I may have a grip on the steering wheel of my new car, Gatsby, [Ford Focus SE Hatchback] but I certainly can’t steer my own life any direction I choose. This summer has been just that. Realizing that I know “what I know”, but beyond what I don’t know, I must entrust to God – daily, joyfully and humbly.
Romans 11:33-36 says, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.“
This doxology is ripe with mystery. The mystery of God’s knowledge. Words like depth, unsearchable, and inscrutable remind me that I am a limited human being with limited knowledge and insight into the affairs and trials and relationships of my life. But, this doxology is also flavored with security. The security of God’s wisdom. His understanding is deep, rich and eternal. And, I can bring glory to Him by magnifying His omniscience.
But, back to Dr. Seuss.
This summer has, indeed, been full of “great places.”
In June, I headed West to Arizona see Travis, Nora and the kids for a week. We had a low key week of pool-time, nap-time, & play-time.
I got home in time to celebrate Peter’s 28th birthday with him and a bunch of his DC friends. This Pear-Walnut Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Cheese Frosting was a smashing success!
Having offices caddy-cornered to each other, one of the most fun parts of working in DC is the convenience of meeting up with each other for lunch every week or so. Most of the time, it’s only for 20-30 minutes, but these regular meet-ups have been a huge blessing in my life…
the carrot cake was not the only thing WICKED GOOD.
Here, my roommate and best friend, Britt and I are pictured at the Kennedy Center in late June for the Sunday night performance of the musical, WICKED. It was, as I like to say, fantabulous (fantastic + fabulous).
July was hot, fast and furious! 
A tropical, humid heat wave of sorts blazed through the MD/DC area. One day, the heat index reached 108! Despite the scorching days, I successfully kept my hydrangea bush watered and alive and the result has been some beautiful blooms this summer. I also went to the beach for a day, attended a folk concert, went kayaking on the Potomac, saw Michelle Bachmann speak at a local young Conservatives’ event in DC, made some new friends, and did a lot of yoga and Biking and Pilates. One night, I biked all the way home from work to Bethesda, MD, about 20 miles!
July was also my car-decision month. Yes, even indecisive people can make these big decisions :) On July 31, I settled on the Ford Focus SE Hatchback in white. I got an amazing deal, a great APR loan rate, and the color and style I wanted. The hatchback is great for all the road-biking I’ve been doing, and it gets up to 40 miles to the gallon. I am so grateful to have transportation after not having a car for 2 years!
And, here we are in August…how fun it was recently to meet up with my friend, Cassie Haywood, who I met at RVA last year. She was attending a music conference at our church last week, so we got to hang out a couple of nights in a row. 
Reminiscing was so fun! Seeing Cassie made me miss all of the RVA gang back in Kenya, but it was neat to see how God is at work in all of our lives, no matter which continent we are living on. I also had the joy of hosting my dear “surrogate parents,” Doug and Lisa Orner, for dinner back in June, when they were traveling through MD on their furlough back in the States.
What a blessing it was to have our paths cross again and to pick up right where we left off, a year ago last July.
And, now…there’s MORE places to go! In less than 10 days, our entire family will be off to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for our first family vacation in over 5 years! We are thrilled to have Travis, Nora and the kids flying in next week from Arizona to join us, and are looking forward to the sunshine, cooking together, playing Scrabble, making memories, and of course, the traditional Jansen family car-ride to and from the beach, which always takes longer than it is supposed to take :) We can’t wait for Olive Oil and Rosemary Bagels from the Corolla Bagel Shop, watching Kate and Grant have their first East Coast beach experience as little tots, and enjoying lots of down-time to just talk.
It’s always amazing to me how FULL life really is. We are so busy with schedules, that we barely have time stop and ponder the miracle of waking up each morning…alive, breathing, thinking and (sometimes) having the energy to walk through another day. Indeed, in HIM we live and move and have our being. And, while God is the only one who is fully wise and knowing of our futures – which are often hidden in the clouds – my prayer, according to Psalm 90:12, continues to be:
“So teach us to number our days,
that we may get a heart of wisdom.”