whitney dziurawiec

The bad thing about actually praying about what (if anything) you should give up for Lent is that usually it's something that will be extremely messy (sanctification level: atomic) and give you a greater sense of your inherent sinful nature and general suckiness. I thought giving up something like sweets or coffee could be good...the classic no-Facebook-for-Lent one is always sanctifying. Maybe trying to fast more, that's really religious! Spend an hour a day in the Word. Those are all great options. Which one, which one. I know! I'll pray about it! That's religious too . And then I prayed about it. Shoot. What I am fasting for Lent: bad attitudes. Ughh I hate even typing it. I wanted it to be something that doesn't become legalistic or works-based, but really pushes my reliance further upon Christ, I came to the conclusion late last night that one of the biggest things that keeps me from relying upon Christ, looking to Him, trusting Him, and rejoici...

I'm bad at starting these things. I like to start with a humorous story and brilliantly tie it into my point, and that just isn't coming right now. Update from the last blog: I'm married, and I'm so happy. I've missed this blog. Jon and I have stayed in four hotels since we were married, and been in five different cities (none of these were a honeymoon). Thousands of miles are behind the gold minivan we borrowed from Jon's parents (for space purposes). Snacks have become meals, the radio our background music, and the interstate our view. We are unlike most married couples in that we are together about 97% of the day, 100% if we are in a one-room hotel like we have been for a third of our marriage, and like we are now.... in...a town in Missouri? idk. En route to Florida for CRU training. The past few weeks have been fun and I was looking forward to it because I love change. I have loved every minute with my husband and I'm not sick of him yet (not sure if ...

I'm sitting in my disastrous room, with teeth whitening strips on ...realizing that life is weird. Like, I get that it never fails to stun us with an awkward moment or happening (like the fact that my shirt just says "ho" in this picture), moments we simply cannot prepare for, that we are usually shocked by its sudden twists and turns and fakeouts. But seriously, life is weird right now.            Googling cake decor?                 Framed pictures of me in my home with other people besides my brothers?                   GIFTS ALL THE TIME                           what              this is no longer my definition of lingerie?                            future home and future husband?      ...

The miles flew behind my messy car and full heart as I drove back from Ames on Sunday night. Being the sappy engaged woman that I am, I swallowed the butterflies in my French press as I drove, daydreaming about the upcoming life that I had just tasted that weekend. Shamelessly, sappily, sentimentally. Full, happy, and utterly nauseating. A foreshadowing alarm of impending doom should be going off in the minds of my faithful readers who know this feeling could only possibly precede something terrifying or miserable or fatal. It did for me, but I muffled the internal siren with my giggles and sang with the radio, my cares about money and my car brakes acting up flew away to probably puke at my love gushing. I kept driving and kept smiling, though I remembered I would need to take Ludwig (my car) into the shop this week because his brakes were grinding. A small obstacle in my life of love and happiness. I sang loudly with the radio. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME AND WHY DON'T I CARE. Well, Lu...

Our Story:            I feel like I’m supposed to tell you a romantic tale of distress and bleakness, and how Jon rode in and saved my heart with his rippling muscles and enchanting blue eyes. I feel like I’m supposed to tell you how he turned it all around, how he made everything better. Unfortunately, that’s not the story I have for you. This story is one that shows much more glory than the romantic love between a crooked-nosed Iowan and a freckle-faced Nebraskan.      You see, when I first met Jon in October of 2011, he was everything but an answer to my prayers. My heart was confused and was at a point of crawling through piles and piles of mess and filth. My memory (thankfully) fails me when it comes to the details, but fragments of memories include desperately praying (which turned into rage-filled screams) in the car, taking an hour to get out of bed to face the hopelessness of the day, and being too exhausted to wipe the tears t...

"I want to write and blog a lot this summer," I said. Which, in retrospect, is just as hilarious as my other pre-summer self-promise: "I want to keep my room exceptionally clean this summer." Well it's almost August and I have blogged once (let's not talk about my room), but I have reasons!: 1. Previous stages of life have left me with copious reflection and writings thereof, while this summer has entailed more living than reflection. 2. My Dino-Computer heretically tests my patience beyond what I can bear. 3. I have spent most of my free time taking advantage of the fact that, for this short, sweet window of only two months, my boyfriend lives 10 minutes away instead of 2.5 hours away. Bliss. 4. My hippie-ish heart (which has, ever since a choir tour to the West Coast, magnified to dangerous levels where I daily dream about butt-length hair and gardens and nature living and makeupless, showerless days because trees don't care how I look or sm...