Favorite thing

I love that God still speaks!


I found this photo and quote on another person's blog.
I Thought it was great!!



“God speaks in the silence of the heart.
Listening is the beginning of prayer. ”
(Mother Teresa)



http://designldg.wordpress.com/

Trying not to forget

Lord, don't let me forget what You teach me.
Don't let me fear things You delivered me of.
Don't let me forget Your promises.
Don't let me forget what You show me.
Help me to fix my eyes upon the cross.
Don't let me lose focus on You and what You are doing.


-Hanna

I love simon and garfunkel

Wednesday morning 3am.



I can hear the soft breathing
Of the girl that i love,
As she lies here beside me
Asleep with the night,
And her hair, in a fine mist
Floats on my pillow,
Reflecting the glow
Of the winter moonlight.

She is soft, she is warm,
But my heart remains heavy,
And i watch as her breasts
Gently rise, gently fall,
For i know with the first light of dawn
I'll be leaving,
And tonight will be
All i have left to recall.

Oh, what have i done,
Why have i done it,
I've committed a crime,
I've broken the law.
For twenty-five dollars
And pieces of silver,
I held up and robbed
A hard liquor store.

My life seems unreal,
My crime an illusion,
A scene badly written
In which i must play.
Yet i know as i gaze
At my young love beside me,
The morning is just a few hours away.

Holy freaking cuteness!!!!!!!

I took some pics with the babies today. My grandparents are in town so we went over to Andy and Tehra's to see everyone. I broke out the camera and snapped some shots. I think I need to buy a new camera because this camera doesnt seem to be taking as crisp of photos lately. I should make up my mind so I can have the new one before I leave for Puerto Rico.


I love how bright our eyes are in these photos.







I have no idea how this happened, but I'm glad it did. Cutest picture!

all for the love of honey

Golden deliciousness!!



I have made the greatest discovery that I feel I must share.
This may not be important to anyone who reads this, but it is important to me. Pure honey is naturally so good in tea, but I also discovered that it is the best facial cleanser I have found. I had read about it being used and once I finally tried it, I decided I loved it. It clears up my face so quickly and keeps it clear. I use it only like every few days. It does the trick. I love that it is all natural so I don't worry about the effects of the chemicals that are in other face washes.

My glasses. I think 4 eyes may be more fun than 2.

I have so much to write about, but no desire at all to write anything.

So many things have been happening but I can't collect then and order all the events.
Aside from that, not an ounce of me wants to write.
Aubrey and I had a great work out tonight. Work itself was also really good. My beginner class is getting so good. I am so incredibly proud. 3 out of my 4 beg. students got their hip- pullover on bars today.

I'm going to go read my Psych homework. I have 30 more pages to read by tomorrow night.
Good night. perhaps I will find more time to blog tomorrow between classes.


Goodnight all!

Random song lyric, I can't remember what song now. Dangit!!!
"They say I'm lazy but it takes all my time."

Had a quiz in lab, my extensive note taking payed off. (open note quiz)
Forgot my lab manual today. Had to share with the guy next to me.
I love my bio class and lab.

I feel so stupid about it still. I really need to do well with classes this semester so messing up on little things bothers me. I noticed something funny about myself today. I don't feel like I get along with girls very well. I have like anxiety problems around them I get so nervous and like can't move very gracefully. I guess I just don't feel very feminine, It seems like the things that are feminine about me are thing that can be trained into a person. Grace can be trained into someone to some extent.

Goal for thur (Tomorrow I sit next to a guy in class so I'm not worried) Be graceful, the whole time, wear something cute.

Well I'm off to work.

verses to ponder.........

17 For the time is come for judgment to begin at the house of God: and if it begin first at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?

18 And if the righteous is scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?

19 Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful Creator.

1 peter 4:17-19



In a culture and lifestyle when judgment is looked on with a disapproving eye, it is hard to think about judgment at all.
It is hard to think of God as a judge. We think so much about Him as our savior, friend and Father. It is just a kind of hard thing to me.
I don't want to talk to people about Christ and have it sound like, "This is my Best Friend, Umm yeah He is pretty much judging you, like ALL THE TIME!"

Ha no thank you. I have had friends that judged alot and I would never have thought of telling people that my friend was judging them. I know I can't compare God and man. I just need a new way of looking at it I guess.
Lord change my mind set.

day one = succcess

Real quick post.
School today was great!
I think I am really going to love school this semester.
Work tonight was amazing also. I love my intermediate girls so much, I hate that I only get to coach them once a week now. :[
I promised some of them I would blog about them, so this is me blogging about them without using there names. hehe

We now have a Sharpe puppy here at our house for the next few days. I have never seen so many wrinkles, I don't even know what to think. Natty and Honey are really bothered by this other dog.



Other than that, Just thought I would share this pic which I think is so good. It is my favorite pic right now. (yes, right now, as I am typing.)

Just call me 4-eyes!

Well tomorrow is my first day of school since May. Oh man. I'm not sure if I am nervous or not, I mean it's not like i have never been to school here. I just have human bio, and bio lab tomorrow. I have never had a lab before not to mention I don't really know where my class is. I have never taken classes on this side of campus. HA!
Well it should be interesting. I need to go to bed. I just finished mounting the ink violin piece for Julia, come tomorrow I will not have to deal with those pieces any longer.
I had an eye app today. Guess who will have glasses in a week? you prob guessed right. (if you guessed me then yes you are right)
They are mostly for reading and watching tv and such. I am far sighted and have a slight astigmatism. I picked out some pretty cool black framed glasses and I'm thinking it should be an ok time. :]


Goodnight!

Finally finishing up my application. It will go in the mail TODAY!!!!!
I just have to find my other passport photo. I have no idea where it is now. GRR!!!
Hold on im gonna go look real quick.
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I cant find it!! How annoying

Just thought I should tell this story real quick before I forget.
Today I was in the city with Ania. It was a brilliant time. Tonight as we were walking back to the train station we were walking over the bridge and there was a guy playing the drums there on the bridge, and as we were walking past him he was all like "You go girl, you go girl, you go girl" (to the beat)
Then once we were past him we was all like "Baby got back!"
It was so funny. Ania and I busted out laughing.

A personal Psalm to my Lord

Lord, your beauty does not come in one common form,
but in many beautiful forms.
You're love meets Your children just where they need it.
You're presence is the best healing medicine we can ever find.
You provide laughter in the most trying times,
Comfort in the most vulnerable times,
Joy in the most depressing times,
And forgiveness for our heavy hearts.

Why we ever leave your presence is a mystery.
You're beauty is too much,
You're truth too much,
You're love is too much,
Creation is but a glimpse of You're never fading beauty.








"Where have I even stood but the shore along your ocean?" -Addison Road - What do I know of holy

oh man

I think I need to find a m id week church service to go to. Any ideas? Not like a small group where ppl just get together and chat alittle, but like a service with worship and a teaching.

forgive my tired and pointless thoughts.

Currently taking in: IHOP prayer room live feed.
http://ihop.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=1000058181

Last night I went to resonate. It was a local worship night that my friend Dan invited me to. At first I wasn't planning on going, but once I got home from the missions meeting in the city I just felt like I should go. I had been praying all day for God to really speak to me and make me sensitive to His voice and the leading of the spirit. I did end up going. I left me house with only a general idea of where it was taking place and thanks to Dan's help I made it there in time. It was so incredible.
The holy spirit really showed up. It was such a great an cleansing time. my friend Kimberly also really got touched, so got totally drunk in the spirit and was laughing for like a half hour after it was over. She is so cute!
It was great catching up again. I hadn't seen her in months. After we went to some friends house because some of Kimberly's friends from Elgin were there at the house. We didn't stay long. We got there too late and found everybody engaged in a game so we sat back and just chilled for a while.
I took Kimberly home and just hung out there until way to late. Dan pulled out this book on the Titanic to show me because there was a guy from Ireland mentioned in the book with my same last name. He thought maybe we were related.... It is very possible.
I didn't get home until after 1.

This morning I had CPR re-certification for work. I feel that it was 4 hours well spent. I am so glad that I am refreshed on it. I could just imagine one of my gymnasts going un-conscious and needing rescue breathing or CPR.
The rest of my day was un eventful really. I came home and had to clean up dog mess first thing. Then I took a long and glorious nap. Best thing ever. After that my family went to my brothers house for dinner. We feasted on turkey and gravy and flat bread. It was a great meal. Lilly and I went over some French words for a few minutes then we came home. I have been doing nothing special since being home.



Greatest quote today.
This took place while we were eating.
Lilly:"Dad used to be in your tummy grandma,
And I was in moms.....and Milo used to be in...........Grandpa's tummy."
It was just random considering no mention of tummies or babies had been made during dinner.


Im so tired. I'm going to go to bed. Night

Currently listening to: David Crowder Band -Heaven came down.


I seem to be having trouble finding my desk under all the papers and books. I should probably finish filling out my application for VCOM. It is probably best that I get that sent in soon just in case I don't get accepted. Part of me (The part that hates this cold weather) still isn't sure if I should apply to the schools in Tennessee and Houston.
"Lord please speak into this situation. Tell me where to go and what to do."


I just got back a few hours ago from a missions trip meeting in the city.
( Have you ever been somewhere and just couldn't stop wondering what
God was doing there and how much you want to go back to that place and meet God
there and do His work? That happens to me all the time when I am Chicago.)
I'm running off of too few hours of sleep.
I wish I didn't have to miss work today. I hope my classes went well.
I LOVE MY JOB!!!!!!!!!

I am so big on looking back and seeing where a person's journey has lead them. I love looking back over the years at who I was then and who I am now. I love reminiscing on what God has shown and taught me. How He has answered prayer and changed me from the inside.
I've gotten into this habit when I'm bored where I will make p my own sort of questionnaire and fill it out. It is kind of like a myspace survey but I make up the questions and no one else sees them.
I rote one of these in Ireland during one of our many long car rides. Ania was asleep and I was left to think deeply. :]
I was reading over my Ireland journal a few days ago and found it. (I wonder if I have anymore of them laying around here in notebooks. I shall have to look) It was interesting to see what God has shown me even since then.


My favorite question on the survey was What has God taught me most recently?
My answer in case you are interested was : That we need to stop getting so into theology and simply come to God with a child-like faith and love. We shouldn't have to be logically convinced.

Since then God has taught me so many things. He talked with me about loving people. He showed me that I have an incredible opportunity at my job to impact so many young impressionable lives.

Here is my new plan. Anyone who reads this needs to hold me to this, and better yet you should join me. Once a month I am going to answer that question here. What a better way to record a journey than by sharing what the most incredible being of all time has been teaching you.

January 2010

Recently God showed me this verse ,
2 Timothy 3 :5
Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won't be real. Don't have anything to do with such people.

It may not make much sense by itself but if you read the verses before it, the meaning becomes clear.

¹You can be certain that in the last days there will be some very hard times.
²People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud, stuck-up, rude, and disobedient to their parents. They will also be ungrateful, godless,
³heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel, and they will have no self-control or pity. These people will hate everything that is good.
⁴They will be sneaky, reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure.
⁵Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won't be real. Don't have anything to do with such people.



We are constantly met with people that exhibit the traits in the first 4 verses, but the 5th verse is something that we OFTEN see yet do nothing about it. We just except it and feel like we need to justify it. If these people at least claim Jesus we feel like we no longer have to expect anything more from them, we don't even have to talk about God with them or keep them accountable. Why are so many churches dead? Why are so many Christians dis-satisfied and living a life that is not godly in any ways?
Because they have simply forgotten God's power. His power in our everyday lives. We forget about His plan for everyday, the one that He invites us to be a part of. I hope and pray that people begin to remember the power of our Savior.
You remember those stories in the old testament? God still has that same power. He has the power to overcome this corrupt world.




What is God teaching you?

What is man that you are mindful of him,
And the son of man that you visit him?
For you have made him a little lower than the angels,
And you have crowned him with glory and honor.
Psalm 8:4-5

Leaning on everylasting arms

Somedays it is just so hard to be human. I have felt like absolute crap all day. I spent half the day laying on the couch in terrible pain. I couldn't even sleep without the pain making it into my dreams.
I finally got up and took something for the pain. Over and hour later I could finally gt started on the stuff that I had been meaning to do earlier in the day but couldn't.
I had to put off hanging out with two good friends tonight because I felt so horrible.


I picked up the violin for the first time today. I love it. I wish I was feeling better so I could have played longer. I have a few more little technique things to fix but I think I sound pretty good for a beginner. It helps that it is so close to Mandolin and that I can read music all I have to work on really is finding the notes on the finger board and dong the bowing correctly.

Hopefully tomorrow I will be feeling better so I can go to open gym with Aubrey and Amber. It is the weirdest thing coaching Aubrey now because she is more like a friend to me than a student.
I'm very excited about it though. It is looking like it could be one of the best classes of the week, and she is going to work out with me after the class. I am going to have her looking like a beast in no time.


I just noticed that I really don't have the deep sort of thoughts that I used to. Or if I do I never really talk about them, or write them. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. Maybe I am just not over thinking things anymore but rather trusting in God and waiting to be surprised by what He does. I thought I had so many things figured out last year and it was really hard when I ended up being incredibly wrong.


We leave for Puerto Rico in 46 days. I can't wait to see what God is going to do there. Sometimes it feels like no body here is really living for God and bringing about His kingdom. It gets tiring to live in a half world, like one part of your brain has to believe in God and His power being real for today. While another part of your brain is told to believe that it isn't for now or here but rather just for Sunday. (and heaven forbid you be passionate about it)
That sort of lifestyle is so hard for me. I have trouble separating parts of my life. That is why foreign language is hard for me, because I want to use it in day to day conversation and speak a sort of Franglish (French and English). I'm just loosing heart seeing so many people denying the very power they claim.


We have a meeting for it this Saturday for the trip. I have to give a 2 minute testimony. I am putting that off because for some reason I keep trying to convince myself that if I wing it the whole thing will turn out better. I'm not sure if that is possible. I suppose I should write up something and practice it at least once to make sure it is not too short or long.

"don't worry about it!"

I was going to blog about a few different things, but I just fixed the bridge on my mandolin and I am literally aching to play it right now so it will have to wait. I will leave you with a few vague thoughts that have been running through my mind today, as well as great things that happened in my day.

thoughts:


* I have been thinking about why I love guys so much. Not in a "I want to date them" but more a "wow I just love guys, I love their friendship and I just really appreciate all that they are" sort of way. ( I am talking about good guys. Guys that aren't so arrogant that their head will blow up if they can't talk about them selves at least every hour.) I love that once you get past the awkward beginning stages of a friendship with them they are the greatest friends to have. They will love you just because they love you. You don't have to do anything special to make them love you. Also if you are hurt in any way, they seem to care. No matter how close you are, if they find out you are hurt or upset they don't mind being there for you. I just really love the way they think. So if you are a guy friend and you are reading this, Know that I really love you and appreciate all that you are in my life. You mean so much to me. :]


* Also thinking about my personal testimony, and when my walk stopped being based on my families walk and it became just my walk with God. Just Him and I. How much God has done in my life over the last few years of it. It blows my mind.


*How one person changing can effect so many people that love them. One person can just completely turn away from everything that was honorable about them and burn bridges with so many friends and not care. It leaves those friends who care feeling really sad and hurt.




Great things that happened today:

1: I fixed the bridge on my mandolin.
2: Found the mandolin music for the song "Drunken Sailor"
3: Got to teach my Intermediates again for the first time since before Christmas. I have missed them.
4: One of my intermediates who hurt their ankle is back again. :]
5: Got to spend the afternoon with Amber. It was beautiful! Her awesomeness is one of the greatest to bask in.
6: Got a call from the school in Idaho that I want to attend. (VCOM)
7: Got to see Suzie at work. It has been a while.
8: Worked out which felt GREAT!!!
9: talked with Mrs Goll. What a great woman. :]
10: Aubrey got evaluated and signed up for classes at the Y. Now I may get to coach her. And she made it into Advanced Beginner. I'm so proud of that girl.
11: My newest Intermediate sarted handstands on beam for the first time today, and moved them up to high beam by the end of beam. She is such a champ!
12: I love my job.

All -in -all good day! :]

Just heard back from the Missions school in Boise this morning.
I was up really late last night looking up other schools to consider in case I never heard back from VCOM (Vineyard College of Missions).
I guess I may be going there after all. Though I was interested in a few schools that were in warmer places like Tennessee and Houston. I guess it is more to pray about.

Did you remark on the blue moon!?

Currently listening to: Queen followed by A Fine Frenzy










Happy 2010!!!!!
Happy new years.
My new years was random as usual.
I hoped to go to the city with my sister, but things came up the day before which stopped those plans. I then talked about going to Wisconsin with my sister for a few days. I though it would be fun to see Kim. The only problem with that is that I would have had to spend New Years Eve and part of the next day by myself in our empty lake house.
My friend Anthony and I came to the conclusion that he and Nathan should come over to my house for a little while before his families New Years celebration.
MY sister also really wanted to meet Anthony and Nathan. It ended up taking them quite a while to leave their house in We-Go. I finally got a text from Nathan saying that he, Anthony, and Thomas were on their way.
They didn't make it to my house until after we ate dinner. My sister then left for Wisconsin after meeting them.
The 4 of us talked for a little while (they ate our left overs from dinner).
I was planning on going to my brothers house to employ my New years.
That was my plan up until I got texts from Tehra telling me that the babies were grumpy. SO my evening looked to be dim. I just envisioned myself sitting at home alone all night. Ba-hum-bug!
When it was time for the boys to leave my house they asked what my plans were for the night, then proceeded to invite me to go with them. I was really worried about being the "random girl" who shows up at a family party. They insured me that I wasn't random so it was ok.
SO I went.

I spent the night playing games with the small group assembled there. I caught up with Nathan who I hadn't seen in over a year, and I got attacked by Anthony's niece Molly who decided I was her new best friend. She would jump on my lap and start messing with my hair, or grab my hand and pull me around the house.
Once mid-night hit, we popped the champagne and toasted. By then everyone else had disappeared and we were left to a kitchen full of dirty dishes, empty containers that had held our dinner, and a huge variety of alcohol.

Before you think we got terribly drunk out of our minds and acted like a bunch of uncouth youth, I can assure you that did not happen. We sat around the table talking and eating Nachos while Thomas and Anthony drank Bailey's out of a clay shoe (they are no Irishmen but they didn't get drunk in the least).

Then we trekked out to the freezing car. Nathan insisted on driving me home because he had drank the least of all the boys. I was very grateful that he drove. Don't tell Anthony that though. Then I got dropped off : Thomas ran in because he remembered he had forgot his robe at my house earlier ( he is so regal, he wears robes), then they drove off and I dragged myself to my freezing bed.


I still don't know what to think of the night as a whole. In fact I don't know what to think of basically everything these days. It was a great night, and I enjoyed the company immensely. Maybe I should work on making friends that are girls again.....NOT!! haha
I have the best girlfriends in the world. I couldn't ask for anything better.


well Im going to go make apple cobbler. Later Days