Day 6

Day 6 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day...

This one was kind of tough...there isn't really anyone that I can say I'd love to trade places with...sure sometimes I say, "Oh I wish I had her life," or something similar, but there's not a famous person, or even remotely famous person, that I'd like to trade places with.  I don't want to be in any big spotlight, because I don't like being in front of a lot of people for one.  I wouldn't want to be a celebrity because they are always followed by a crowd...no thanks.  So here's who I chose for this one...

Belle...go ahead, make fun of me, I'm okay with it.  The reason I would want to trade places with her is this...

What bookworm wouldn't love this????  Maybe this is what I should tell Zach I want for Christmas...hm...now there's an idea ;)  Everytime I watched Beauty and the Beast when I was little (and even now), my favorite part is when he gives her the library...my little heart just beats wildly for a bit, wishing I had a giant library of my own!  No I am not jealous of a fictional character! 

Okay, maybe a little, but only for the library part :)

My Savior, My God

God likes Jesus Juking me, I have discovered this recently.  He's done it a lot lately, with the same thing (you think He's trying to tell me something??). 

One of my favorite songs EVER is My Savior, My God by Aaron Shust.  It has become a song that instantly brings peace to my life, no matter what is going on.  In the past 8 months, God has used it a lot exactly when I need to hear it.  There were many many many times over the summer I would just go into a full fledged panic attack about my life, the future, and whatnot. 

I would go out to my truck on breaks at work and this song would come on...

I would be driving down the road trying to breathe normally and this song would come on...

I would be in the middle of saying a prayer, asking God to help me worry less and this song would come on...

I would think of something random that happened, or a conversation that I had with someone that made me panic and I would start going, "Oh what if..." and this song would come on...

Well, it happened this morning on my way back from the school I go to Mondays and Wednesdays.  It was one of those, "Oh gosh what if this happens in the future..." type of thoughts that crossed my mind, and sure enough, Aaron Shust starts singing to me through the radio.  I love it.  It made me chuckle a little, not gonna lie.  It's like my own personal thing from God that no one else truly understands, but we all have our own little thing from Him, whether it's something that makes us smile, cheers us up, reminds us of how He loves us, or whatever it is that does what it does for you. 

It's always good to get a little reminder that God is in fact in charge of this crazy thing called life.  There's no point worrying about it (I know, I'm working on that one).  He's going to reveal His plans to each and every one of us...when His timing is right...in the meantime, we better work on our patience and loving those around us wherever He has us right now.

Day 5

Wow what a day!  It snowed today!  I was excited.  It only snowed for a few hours, but it was beautiful.  I even did a little happy dance when I looked outside and saw that it was snowing. :)

Day 5 - A Picture of Your Favorite Memory

This one could take a while...I have way too many memories to pick just one favorite...so here are a few of my favorites...

My first mission trip - Spring Break 2010 - Arlington, TX, Mission Arlington.  It was such a great experience!  Definitely something I will never forget.  It was a great week of serving, learning humility, and thankfulness for everything I have.  Not to mention the fantastic group of people I got to hang out with all week!

I got my dad tickets to a Kentucky basketball game for his birthday last year (2010).  The game was in December, while I was on Christmas break.  No I am not a Kentucky fan (and refuse to ever be one) but it was one of the coolest things!  More than anything, I think I enjoyed it so much because it was one of the first things my dad and I had gotten to do together, just the two of us, in a very long time.  We had a great little road trip and some much needed bonding time.

Last Christmas break was Pepsi's "Holiday Dinner" and that's where this comes from.  I got to fix my mom's hair, which I love to do, and it was fun just getting to see people I have worked with each summer and catch up on their lives and fill them in on mine.  And my mom and I got to hang out!

It's a Royal Wedding Party! :) JANK (that would be us four lovely ladies pictured above) got together this past spring when the Royal Wedding happened, and we threw a party.  We had crowns, goodies, cookies, eclaire cake, watched the wedding, and then watched The Princess Diaries.  It was a fun hangout night and we got to be somewhat goofy with it...but I wouldn't trade those silly nights for the world!

:) For our 7 month anniversary, Zach and I went on a picnic...in the back of my truck because it was raining.  It was one of the cutest, most fun things we have done together!  It was great because we got to spend over 2 hours together, eating, talking, and not worrying about school or work!  I remember coming back and telling Kasee what a fantastic time I had doing something so simple.

If you haven't noticed by now, I'm the kind of person who would much rather spend time with those I care about than have them spend money on me, and vice versa (especially since I don't have much of it these days...).  Time means so much more than any monetary gift I could ever give or receive.  Each of these memories involves simply spending time with my family, friends, and wonderful boyfriend, and taking time to experience life with them and love on them a little bit.  Yes, it's great when we get to go to concerts, movies, games, and whatnot...but if you haven't ever taken the time to just go on a picnic and simply enjoy spending time talking with someone...do it.

Day 4 of the Photo Challenge

A picture of your night:

I met Kaitie at the mall tonight because we couldn't go 2 weeks without seeing each other!  We were walking around the mall, along with her friend McKenzie (I hope I'm spelling that right!) and we went into this store, with lots of little girl cutesy stuff, and we saw these hats and I said, "Can we please put these on so I can blog about it?!"  So we did, and this is me blogging about it.  It was a fun little adventure!

No Complaining Challenge

Yesterday at church, my minister gave us a challenge - no complaining for a month...it has not even been 24 hours and it's been tough!  BUT, I like it!  It is making me be a more positive person.  The message yesterday was about Thanksgiving and how we should be thankful every single day of the year, not just a few days or a season, but all the time.

The verse that Larry threw out at us about complaining was this:

I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed -Psalm 77:3b (KJV)

Talk about a WOAH moment.  It got me to thinking about all of the silly things I complain about on a daily basis.  Even when Larry said he was challenging us, I turned to my best friend Jessica and said, "Does he know that finals week is coming up?" kinda of in a kidding manner, but serious at the same time...so I decided it would be a good call to try to not complain for a month.  Like I said, it hasn't been 24 hours and it's hard!  It's just like when we set out to do better about anything in our lives, Satan comes at us from every direction, and he certainly is doing that.  I've caught myself several times this morning...when I first got out of bed (I wanted to go back to sleep), when I was getting ready (my hair took too long to dry), when I had to wait at a stop light (it took too long).  His challenge was, instead of complaining, offer a praise to God instead.  Complaining is the arch enemy of thanksgiving.  Chew on that one for a while.

Do everything without complaining. -Philippians 2:14

So, for the very few people who may actually read this, I am challenging you to not complain for a month as well.  Yes, it's hard, we are complaining people in general.  But no one likes to be around someone who complains a lot, and when we stop and think about it, we really have next to nothing to complain about compared to most of the world.  So what if a red light stays red a little longer than you want it to, or if you have a lot of work to do and can't seem to get it all done...try to find something positive in the midst of the craziness and moments when you find yourself starting to complain.

But I trust in Your unfailing love.  I will rejoice because you have rescued me.  I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me. -Psalm 13:5-6

Back to the Real World...

Well...Thanksgiving is over...this makes me sad...but I did get 4 Thanksgivings out of it all, which does not make me sad at all! :)  It went by really fast, again, but it was a great weekend. 
Thursday I went to Zach's grandparents house for lunch with his family, and then we headed to my family's dinner. 
Friday morning we got up and went shopping...at 5 a.m.  We got some really good deals and I spent way too much money, BUT I called my dad and told him I did about half of his Christmas shopping for him, which made him happy because that's less shopping he has to do now.  We were quite exhausted Friday when we got back...I still don't think I have fully recovered.  We worked on getting our Christmas tree up Friday afternoon.  Never again will I have a tree that is not prelit...it makes putting the tree up so much easier and fast and less crazy!!!  Friday evening we went to my Mamaw's for dinner and got to spend some time with her.
Saturday we were pretty lazy all morning, which was nice.  I have been going nonstop, or so it seems, for the past few months and it was great just being able to lay around, watch tv, and not do a lot.  We went to my dad's Saturday afternoon for a little Thanksgiving lunch.  After that we went to the Christmas parade, dinner with my cousins, and on a carriage ride :)  It was cute, even with my 3 little cousins with us!  We decorated our Christmas tree last night when we got back from the parade and carriage ride...Zach thought it'd be funny to do this to the tree...

I didn't think it was so funny...so I rearranged them after he got done...

Today has gone by way too fast.  We went to church at 11:00, and the message was a great one - Thanksgiving and being thankful are not just for this time of year, but should be something we do daily.  God has given us everything we have, literally, and it was a great reminder that we need to take time each day to thank Him for all that He does and all that He has given to us.  I was reminded that we have to discipline ourselves to make time for daily time with God, and there will be days that we don't want to, and it's good to know that we all have times when we struggle to find time to spend with God in our crazy schedules of daily life.

Day 3 - A Picture of the Cast from your Favorite Show

Since I don't have a whole lot of time to watch TV these days, I don't really have a favorite show...so I decided this is the cast of my favorite show...well, moreso my favorite characters in the show I call my life!  Not comparing my life to a tv show by anymeans (it's nowhere near that entertaining!) but these are just some of the people who make my life so wonderful and make me realize how blessed I truly am!

My mom - a.k.a. my best friend in the whole entire world

3 of my best friends - Jalayna, Kasee, and Angela (Kasee and Angela are my roommates this year...Kasee and I have been roommates for 3 1/2 years now).  These girls are wonderful!

My daddy - way back in the day, as you can tell.  I love him.  He's wonderful!

My little cousins are some of my favorite people in the whole wide world (Tanner is the only one missing from this picture).  They may be quite wild (all the time) but I love them and my life would be boring without them!

Of course, Zach.  He's my favorite.  I love him to death.  My life would just not be the same without him! :)

Thanksgiving Eve!

I am so excited that tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I love Thanksgiving. I love food.  And Thanksgiving involves a lot of food :)  Good news is, the weather is supposed to be kind of "warm" this weekend, so Zach and I are planning to go jogging a few times...I won't feel so bad for eating 4 Thanksgivings now!

15.  Teaching - I am beyond thankful that God gave me the gift of teaching!  I just love it.  Finding things in my daily life and saying, "HEY! I could use that in a lesson plan like this..." just makes me so happy.  Yes, it does get me laughed at a lot, but that's okay! :)

16. My dog - I love my dog, and I miss her, and I am so beyond excited that I get to see her in about 30 hours.  She was a gift to me almost 9 years ago and has been such a blessing in my life.

17.  Cell phones - let's face it, without cell phones, I wouldn't keep in touch with 90% of the people I do.  It's awesome being able to pick up my phone and call my mom, dad, aunt, Mamaw, Zach, whoever, and talk to them anytime, or text them.  Not to mention it's my alarm every morning :)

18. God's grace and mercy - I could live without it.  None of us could.  His love and kindness amazes me and challenges me each and every day. 

19.  My apartment - my tiny little campus apartment.  I love it.  I'm glad that I have been able to live on campus for my college years.

20.  Otter Creek Church - Zach's church, also kinda my church these days.  I have started going every week, and even have the opportunity to play piano for them during worship now.  It's like a great big family there, and everyone has made me feel welcome since the first time I went there.

21.  Coloring books - yes, I am thankful for coloring books.  Childish, maybe.  But I love to color.  Especially Christmas pictures, they're my favorite!  It's a stress reliever for me, and always has been.  Not to mention it can give ya some good quality time with little cousins :)


Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for a while

This is my and my momma! She's my best friend.  And it's safe to say I've never been closer to anyone, particularly that 9 month period when my life first began...

Woah - 3rd post today!!

Yes...third blog for the day...I'm just procrastinating right now...I don't want to work on this portfolio sitting in front of me...so I'm blogging right quick!

I got my ear pierced tonight...I'm for serious done now, haha.  I realized this is the 8th hole I have now had pierced into my ears (but 3 have grown back so technically I only have 5). 

Ta da!  I made Zach go with me.  The guy who did it was really nice...reminded me of a doctor working with a little kid getting ready to get a shot...I was all sorts of nervous.  The funny part was Zach came and stood in the room (the very tiny room, I was almost claustrophobic) and I told the guy not to let me see the GIANT needle that he was about to shove through my ear, but my curiosity got the best of me and I looked to my right to the tray where he had all the stuff laid out - Zach yelled at me!  He was like, "HEY! NO! Look over here, at me!"  It was kinda funny.  And really cute too!

30 Day Picture Challenge...Yes, Please!

Sorry Kasee Michelle, I'm totally stealing your blog idea...and doing (or attempting to) the 30 Day Picture Challenge.  I'm in a blogging mood...so here goes!

Day 1 - A picture of yourself with 15 facts

1.   I am afraid of the dark...not kidding...when I'm the only on in our apartment on weekends I do in fact sleep with at least one light on

2.  I love Zumba

3.  I am kinda starting to love jogging...when I say jogging, I mean more of an exagerated walk :)

4.  I could eat chicken 3 times a day and be perfectly okay with it

5.  I want to have a Christmas Tree Room in my house one day so I can keep a tree up year around and decorate it differently each month...go on and ask me, I know the themes for each month

6.  I have big feet...it makes buying shoes difficult sometimes

7.  The ring I wear on my middle left finger is the ring I got in Texas in 2010 on our mission trip...I have worn it everyday since then and I do not feel right if I don't have it on

8.  I really want to be a camp counselor next summer

9.  I want to go to all 7 continents in my lifetime...the sooner, the better

10.  I have this weird calous on my left ring finger from where I grip my pencils with a monstrous death grip

11.  I overlook the many blessings in my life, often...this is something I am trying to change

12.  I love baking...I cannot wait to bake cookies and decorate them for Thursday!

13.  I could watch You've Got Mail every day...I love it

14.  I cannot keep plants alive to save my life...or theirs...pun totally intended

15.  I am officially on Thanksgiving break!!!!  It's my last Thanksgiving Break as a college student...oh my, that is weird

Thankful 8-14

8.  My Aunt Yoda - her real name is Teresa, but I call her Yoda (thanks to Kasee) because she is so stinkin' wise.  I can turn to her for anything and everything.  She has been one of the most encouraging and supportive people in my life.  She is my "spiritual advisor" meaning I turn to her a lot about God and everything that falls into that category of my life, a.k.a. my entire life.  She's like my other mother and I love her and am so beyond thankful to have her in my life!

9. Latrail - the 1st grader I have been blessed to work with this semester.  He brightens my dad up every time I get to work with him, which is only 45 minutes 2 times a week.  I only have 3 more times to work with him...and this makes me incredibly sad...sometimes I wonder if I'm really cut out for this whole teaching thing...I get way to attached to students...

10.  Chocolate - enough said!

11.  Sunrises - I love them.  They are always beautiful and a reminder to me that God is an artist and He is giving me another day to try to become more like His Son.

12.  Shoes - I can't imagine having to walk around barefoot all the time...and shoes are cute...especially my cowgirl boots that I LOVE :)

13.  Zach's family - I love them!  They are so much fun to be around, and so incredibly welcoming.  Everytime that I am at their house they make me feel right at home and so welcome.  It helps being able to spend time with them since I haven't been able to see my own family for nearly 2 months.

14.  Music - country, christian, Christmas, classical, all the new music Zach is introducing me to...I love it all.  Music is constantly playing in my room, on my ipod, wherever I am.  I can't seem to do anything without music!

Thankfulness, 1-7

Life has been completely crazy and busy and I haven't been able to see straight for quite some time...I'm getting used to it! I am SO excited that Thanksgiving is this week...only one more day of classes and then I'm free for 5 WHOLE DAYS...yeah, I'm just a little bit excited. I get at least 4 Thanksgiving dinners/lunches/feasts beginning on Thursday - THAT makes me really happy!

So I'm hopping on the train of all of this Thankfulness writing...there have been a few days that I have written on Facebook things that I'm thankful for...I'm not going to write 21 things today...hopefully I'll get time to blog again in the next 24 hours and I can do like 7 a day until I get all caught up! Here goes!

1. God - lately, I've just been in a funk, and a lot of it has to do with just where I am in life...getting ready to graduate, not sure what's going to happen after graduation, and that freaks me out a LOT. But through it all, days when I don't pray like I should or read my Bible or spend time listening for God, I know He is still there and He is still holding me, guiding me, loving me like He always has and always will, and that just overwhelms me! I do not know where I would be in life without God and my relationship with Him...I would be lost, that's for sure. It breaks my heart to hear stories of people, especially people in my life, who feel as though no one loves them and they have no purpose in their life. I can't imagine feeling like that. God has blessed me beyond all belief and like I said, it just overwhelms me.

2. My mom - I haven't seen my mom in 5 weeks...that's the longest I have EVER gone without seeing my mom (or the rest of my family, for that matter). She's my best friend. We make each other mad sometimes, but I know at the end of the day she's going to be there for me.

3. My dad - my dad and I have grown a lot closer over the past few years. I am so lucky to have him as my dad. I know that he would do absolutely anything for me to help me however he possibly could. I mailed him a card last week and he got it over the weekend, and when he got it he text me and said thanks and he can't wait for me to be home...my dad doesn't say things like that very often, so when he does, it just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

4. Zach - I could write a book about this amazing young man that God has given me. I can't even begin to explain how much my life has changed in the past year because of him. He is one of the biggest blessings in my life, words don't do him justice. It amazes me each day how God uses him to change me, challenge me, hold me accountable, and sometimes Zach doesn't even realize how God it using him. I never thought I would find someone who would make me feel the way Zach does, and I never thought it was possible to be so head over heels in love with someone either :)

5. My friends - where to begin...I wouldn't be half as sane as I am without them!
*Kasee, my best friend since high school, roommate for the past 3 1/2 years, sister friend, she has helped me through some of the hardest things in life and I just can't imagine my life without her!
*Jessica - my twin sister from another mister ;) We've known each other since we were 4 or 5 and first started playing Biddy Ball together. I love how we can go weeks without talking and then pick up right where we left off. She is there for me no matter what. If I called her now and told her I needed her in Evansville, she'd jump in her jeep and drive right down here.
*Angela - I think it's so funny that we met my freshman year over lunch and now we're roommates! We're great roommates - she puts me to shame on being neat and tidy! I love when we come back from our weekends and can spend an hour talking about what we did, we can have light discussions but we can get into deep God talks as well. She is such an encouragement and inspiration to me!
*Jalayna - my twin! I love how people ask if we're sisters when they see our pictures :) We have the same reactions to so many things, it's great! She's another one with whom I can go periods of time without talking and when we see each other we just pick right back up where we left off. I'm so glad that we got to go to Passion 2011 together and get to know each other last semester! Who would have thought that JANK would be created (Jalayna, Angela, Natalie, and Kasee). All of these ladies are great inspirations and such a wonderful support system in my life! I can't imagine going through college without them!
*Siera - we've had our ups and downs, like all friends, but we have such a funny friendship. We like to pick on each other...a lot...and people sometimes think we're really hateful, but we're not. It's great being able to sit down and talk about life and then be goofy and go back to talking about life. She's one who will tell me how it is...whether I like it or not.
*Kaitie - is like the younger sister I've never had! She goes to Zach's church, so I met her about 9 months ago when I first went to his church. I have loved getting to know her, because we are so much alike. We just act completely goofy whenever we're around each other and I personally think it's awesome! Yesterday after church we realized that it'll be 2 weeks before I'm back, and today she text me and said that 2 weeks is just entirely too long, so we're going to have a dinner date sometime next week. She is such a sweet young lady, and her random texts just brighten up my days and make me laugh, sometimes until I cry.
*Heather - we met in French class our freshman year at USI and found out that her grandma worked with my aunt and she was from Madison, which is just 25 miles from Scottsburg. We have become great friends since then, and I'm going to be in her wedding in May! We were roommates our sophomore year and it was great getting to know her better. I miss being roommates with her and spending time with her. She's always encouraging and positive and is another one who can just life me up when I'm down. I have turned to her for a lot of advice over the past few years and I am so thankful that she's always there for me!
*No these are not all of my friends, but they are some of the most important ladies in my life! All of my friends have touched my life in some way or another, and God uses every one of them to help me!

6. My health - something that I take for granted. I get a small headache or sore muscles from working out one day and complain, when in fact I should be grateful that I am able to get up and walk each morning, I don't have some terminal illness, and I can function on my own!

7. USI - it has kind of been my home for the past 3 1/2 years and it has made me who I am today, especially Encounter. Joining Encounter is one of the best decisions I have made since coming to USI. The people there have become my family and support system that God has provided for me (not to mention that's where Zach and I met ;) ) I'm almost finished with my college career, and that makes me sad, it's so bittersweet. I don't regret for one minute coming to USI. I have gone through a wonderful education program that has given me so many great experiences with students who have changed my life. It's weird to realize that in less than 6 months I'll be done living on campus here...but I know that God has a wonderful plan for me and He is teaching me to be patient and wait on Him to show me what the plan is :)