Alleluia

Day 25. A picture of your day.





My sisters have scolded me for being delinquent in my blog entries. Apparently having a full-time job, helping around the house upon arriving home in the evening and exercising regularly is inconsequential when compared to maintaining a blog!

Anyhow - here is a picture of my Resurrection Sunday which was yesterday. My beautiful sisters and handsome, sweet youngest brother. We missed our other two brothers and darling sister-in-law but had a great day with our family and friends.

Thank You, Lord, for sending Your Son to die on the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead so we might have salvation and an eternity in heaven by believing on Him!

He is risen, indeed!

"Raise your joys and triumphs high
Alleluia
Sing ye heavens and earth reply
Alleluia"
-Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Right Now

Day 24. A picture of something you wish you could change.

I'd change all of the bad decisions I made in the past so that my current and future relationships were devoid of baggage and more deserving of the love and sacrifice shown to me by people I love.

This picture was taken at the laundromat by Bayonne's A&P during our youth group's 2009 scavenger hunt. We had to take a photo of at least one team member in front of a laundromat (we managed to cleverly fit all six of us into the photo and I think it came out great!). All in all, it was a difficult time but such an amazing day. God's patience and grace was very evident.

We Will Slay the Dragons

Day 23. A picture of your favorite book.

The Bible. Nothing more needs be said.

BUT - it would be a kind of boring post if I didn't say any more than that, right?

Well, the Bible is my favorite book and by far the most important in the world. I do, however, enjoy reading Charles Dickens ("Our Mutual Friend" is my favorite), Agatha Christie, Mark Twain ("The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"...one of my favorite books EVER), "The Man Who Was Thursday" by GK Chesterton, George Orwell's "1984" and "Animal Farm" and scads more. I've loved reading since I was like 3 years old (my mom says I learned to read so early because she could not devote enough time in the day to read to me so I learned in order to read for myself lol)...I've enjoyed having mom read the Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings and Little House on the Prairie series to us as a family (many more books, too but these series stand out in particular) and I plan on passing my love of reading down to any kids the Lord gives me.

"I'll read him stories

From picture books all

Filled with wonder

Magic worlds where the impossible

Becomes the everyday

We'll find a mountaintop

And some moonbeams to sit under

I'll lead because I know the way"

("Stories", from Beauty and The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas)

Sprussian?

Day 22. A picture of something you wish you were better at.

I want to be better at learning my languages!! I've been taking Spanish on and off since high school and recently started learning Russian through the Rosetta Stone program and Early Advantage's Muzzy program. Practice makes perfect...but I am convinced that the best and quickest way to learn a language is through immersion. Oh well, I'm trying!

The Lord Turn His Face Toward You

Day 21. A picture of something you wish you could forget. This picture is from Thanksgiving 2007, just months before my dad was severely impaired due to medical issues and problems caused by a myriad of medicines blithely prescribed by doctors. In the 19-20 months that followed the initial, severe episode at the beginning of 2008 our family underwent many difficult days and tests of our faith, patience and love for one another. Thanks be to God for His faithfulness and provision for each of us through His people all over the world, but especially those in our church, and in the many miracles that He allowed us to witness, whether they were in the way He provided for our needs or in working medical miracles that none of us thought were possible in the timespan in which He answered our prayers. So happy that my dad is even better than 100% now! I love you, Daddy <3

"The Lord bless you and keep you

The Lord make His face shine upon you

And give you peace, and give you peace

And give you peace forever"

("Barocha", Michael Card)

Frightened of This Thing That I've Become

Day 20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel. This may sound silly but right before I traveled to Italy with my brothers and grandparents, I watched a Disney film called "A Far Off Place" about a girl who lives in Africa, a snobby city-boy visitor and a native African friend who are abandoned when their families are killed by poachers. I was completely taken in by the scenery and the idea of traveling in Africa to feel that sense of freedom and life that is so evident in the rhythm of their music and nature. Combine that experience with the fact that I love Toto's "Africa", which served as my personal theme song during the Italy trip, and I devised this plan in which it became one of my goals and hopes in life to go to South Africa and climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Only time and God's will can tell if I shall ever recognize this dream, but it's a pretty cool idea if you ask me. I'm still looking for the person who is willing to embark on such adventure with me.

"I hear the drums echoing tonight

But he hears only whispers of some quiet conversation

He's coming in 12:30 flight

The moonlight wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

I stopped an old man along the way

Hoping to find some old, forgotten words or ancient melodies

He turned to me as if to say, 'Hurry girl, it's waiting there for you'

It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you

There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

I bless the rains down in Africa

Gonna take some time to do the things we never have"

("Africa", Toto)

Winter Winds

Day 19. A picture and a letter.

I knew that I would use this picture for today as soon as I saw the description. This is probably one of my favorite pictures ever and I took it with a crummy little digital camera!

Story: I was taking pictures of things that looked like letters so I could spell out the names of my family members and frame the pictures to give as Christmas presents this past year. (I had no clue that apparently this was a seasonal hot item as Oprah had featured a similar idea on her show.) I got the idea from the Alphabet Photography website but it was far too expensive to order the professional photos and frames so I opted to take my own pictures and scour department stores for frames with enough space to hold between 5 and 9 5x6 photos!

I was walking along on my lunch hour and taking pictures of just about everything. I stood up from where I was squatting on the ground to get a great picture of the letter 'H' in a garbage can (hehe) and BAM! I saw the most brilliant letter 'B' formed by these tree branches when I stood in just the right angle to get this clear perspective. I edited it only a little with Picasa to make the picture B&W and put the center in focus and blur the edges (there's a tennis court and fences in the background anyhow and I wanted the tree and 'B' to stand out as much as possible). So pleased with this and I'm pretty sure my sister (who has a 'B' in her name and therefore received this picture in her frame) loved it, too. <3 One of my best and most fun present ideas ever! Now I have to top it for this coming Christmas....

"And if your strife strikes at your sleep

Remember spring swaps snow for leaves

You'll be happy and wholesome again

When the city clears and sun ascends"

("Winter Winds", Mumford & Sons)

Bridal March

Day 18. A picture of something you want to do before you die.

I really want to marry my special guy, wherever/whoever it is and have a beautiful, Christ-centered family together where we can minister for the Lord together and be head-over-heels in love with one another.

That's not too much to ask, right?

Ever, Ever After

Day 17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact in your life recently.

My brother and sister-in-law. Their relationship over the last few years has been a true example of a couple waiting on God's timing, loving one another whole-heartedly and keeping God the center of their relationship and decisions. Their marriage is such as beautiful picture of how a husband should love, adore, protect and provide for his wife and how a wife should love, adore, take care of and show respect in every way for her husband. They are too cute together and God has really used them to bless the family and friends around them. I miss them tons but am so proud of them both and thankful for the love God has given them!

Storybook endings, fairy tales coming true

Deep down inside we want to believe they still do

And a secret is taught, it's our favorite part of the story

Let's just admit we all want to make it, too

Ever ever after

If we just don't get it our own way

Ever ever after

It may only be a wish away"

("Ever Ever After", Carrie Underwood)

Running in Circles, Chasing Our Tails

Day 16. A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

This question made me kind of sad. People come and go. I've lost a lot of 'friends' that I was once very close to and for a variety of reasons, God didn't allow those friendships to continue. It sounds cliche to say "Friends may come and go but Jesus is always there" because most of the time, the person telling you that is a little too bubbly and perky and ignoring the fact that even though this is true, it is still pretty painful when we lose people close to us.

Take it from someone who feels very keenly the loss of people and relationships that were important to me and played a big role in how God developed me into who I am today - it hurts but God does have a plan for those relationships. He may have placed someone in your path and meant for your souls to be touched by one another at just the right time and only for that short period of time. You don't know the impact He has allowed you to have on the people who pass in and out of your life. Don't take for granted the people you can laugh with and cry to today because maybe they won't be there in the morning. Enjoy the time you have now, thank God for them constantly, and show them how much they mean to you.

"Nobody said it was easy

It's such a shame for us to part

Nobody said it was easy

No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh, take me back to the start"

("The Scientist", Coldplay)

Could You Fall for Me?

Day 15. A picture of your biggest insecurity.

My stomach. Ha, that wasn't hard! I gain weight easily in my middle - I've never had a good stomach in terms of being toned and hourglass shaped in my middle. I don't walk around in baggy clothes or holding strategically-placed objects over my torso, but I do feel a little annoyed sometimes when I'm around other girls who enjoy flaunting their tiny waists and tight tummies. I confess, that at times it makes me hope God gives them tripulets to mess with that great physique.

"She looks in the mirror But the makeup it don't hide the pain Yeah, she swore that the last time Was the last time she'd fall again, fall again" ("Nothing to Lose", Bret Michaels)

Where You Invest Your Love, You Invest Your Life

Day 14. A picture of someone who inspires you.

Ok, again, another tough answer to choose. I have been inspired at various points in my life by quite a number of people: my parents, mainly, and my grandfather for his dedication to preaching the Word of God. I am inspired by the men and women who so bravely put on the uniform of the US military and sacrifice so much, as do their families, in order to protect and preserve the principles on which our great nation was founded.

Last July my family and I had the privelege of attending the Defending the Faith 2010 conference hosted by Answers in Genesis. One of the keynote speakers during the week was Dr. Voddie Baucham, a powerful Bible-believing, apologetics gold-mine of truth and defenses for the hope that is within us. He was one of the best speakers I have ever heard (and the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to hear and study under some of the most incredible public speakers/preachers) and his presentations were so amazing as he broke down more complex terms and concepts into an easily understood and retained message.

One of my favorite talks by Dr. Baucham is "Why I Choose to Believe the Bible". Definitely click on the link - it takes you to SermonAudio.com where you can listen for free to many of Voddie's sermons and also read the transcripts of the messages (if they are available). I'm hoping to share this particular sermon with my unsaved coworker as it clearly breaks down why we can/should believe in the Bible. None of this "Well, that's how I was raised" or "I tried it and it works for me" garbage! We can readily defend the Word of God's accuracy and validity as the infallible Word of God, penned by over 40 authors who were divinely inspired through the Holy Spirit, describing historically accurate events, delivering prophecy which was, or in some cases, has yet to be fulfilled, and is the account of many eyewitnesses.

Thank God for blessing us with men like Dr. Voddie Baucham who have devoted their time, education and ministry to defending the Christian faith and God's Word and ministering to other Christians that they may be equipped to do likewise in their daily lives.

"Awake my soul, awake my soul

Awake my soul

You were made to meet your maker"

("Awake My Soul", Mumford & Sons)

Antonio Vivaldi

Day 13. A picture of your favorite band or artist.

Sigh. These answers get more and more difficult to answer. I have a wide plethora of musical appreciation and generally, I like a little bit from every where. This made it quite an arduous task to pick my absolute favorite musician, the one that touches me the most and brings a rush of feelings and sensory memories to me when I hear their music. That person, ladies and gentlemen, is Antonio Vivaldi. If his name does not seem familiar to you, then perhaps you will recognize Vivaldi's Four Seasons, particularly Spring. If not then for heaven's sake and your own, go educate yourself post haste!

I probably have such a strong love and appreciation for his music because I grew up listening to a musical tape called "Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery" which incorporated many of Vivald's musical pieces into a fictional story that took place in Venice at the Ospedale della Pieta, a home for abandoned children where Vivaldi actually worked. The story was right up my alley as a kid and I fell in love with violin music and string ensembles. My favorite piece is Vivaldi's Four Seasons: Winter II Largo. So beautiful it makes your heart hurt from wishing that you could reach out and have a part of that beauty.

The Storm is Closing In...

Day 12. A picture of something you love.

I love storms. They are beautiful and majestic and such a reminder of what an awesome God we have. Even with His omnipotence and holiness He takes the time to think about ME. Seriously. All of the other things that people would think "hmm, God probably devotes extra time to thinking about third-world hunger, genocide, widows and orphans"....yeah, those might cause Him a particular kind of sadness, but He still spends time thinking about me. He has ME on His mind! And if I was the only person to ever walk the face of this planet and exist in this universe, Jesus would still have come to die so I could have eternal life by believing on Him as my Lord and Savior. Absolutely, spectacularly amazing!

This picture is of a splinter-cell storm with a shelf cloud in the forefront of the picture. Sean Heavey is a photographer and took several pictures in Glasgow, Montana which gained a lot of attention after one of them was entered into a National Geographic contest. I love experiencing a powerful storm and I love looking at this breathtaking pictures!

"So many times it seems, I'm out on my own

Then I think how close You are and I'm sure, I'm never alone

So when I feel I'm overcome and there's no way to get free

I just call Your name and then, You're there with me

You're there with me

You'll never be alone

That's what I tell myself every night

You're never on your own

Though it's hard to see, that there is a light

You'll never be alone

It's what I tell myself every day

Just when I need a friend, You're always there

And I can feel You leading the way

When the storm is closing in and I'm alone in the dark

I remember that You're near and never far apart

So when the winds start to blow and I'm afraid of what will be

I just call Your name and then, You're there with me

You're there with me"

("You'll Never Be Alone", James Covell)

It's Empty in the Valley of Your Heart

Day 11. A picture of something you hate.

I seriously hate and loathe spiders. Especially the big, hairy ones. In fact, I'm so scared of them that I debated not including a picture for today's post because I was so reluctant to do a Google image search and see something gross and scary!

In other news, I got to spend a few hours talking with someone who went through a situation similar to something I went through and it was so refreshing to know I'm not alone or nuts! And also to have another person understand exactly how frustrating, hard and sad it was to go through that. Here's to old friends - may their lives be turned towards the Lord and walking in His ways - and to new friendship - may they encourage each other to be all they can be for God and share many a laugh together over the serious, the painful and over all commonplace happenings in life!

"Cause I have other things to fill my time

You take what is yours and I'll take mine

Now let me at the truth

Which will refresh my broken heart"

("The Cave", Mumford & Sons)

Young and Sweet, Only Seventeen

Day 10. A picture of the person you do the most crazy/strange things with.

Honestly, this one took a great deal of pondering because while I may act like a total goofball, I generally reign myself in before I do something over-the-top crazy or strange. Don't get me wrong: I'm always up for adventure and I like to spray my coworkers with air cans, conduct covert operations and belly crawl through the brush just as much as the next person. I usually stop myself before doing something too out of control such as purchasing a train ticket to Baltimore, calling out of work and traveling to MD for a specific, 5 minute task and then heading back home (on the day of a major ice storm...). Hey, I plotted it out the day before and stopped just before clicking the "Buy" botton on the Amtrak website - don't judge!

All that being said, the strangest things I've done usually involved an idea formulated with or by my cousin. Even though we don't spend much time together at this point in our lives, growing up she was definitely my companion in doing crazy and strange things!

The picture above is from our 30s-40s decade costume party during the summer of 2009. My cousin and I are 2nd and 3rd from the left in the front row.

The picture to the left is us outside of the State House in Boston, MA (right at the start of the Freedom Trail!) on our day trip from summer 2009.

The picture below was taken on our church Youth Group Retreat in PA during the fall of 2005.

Some of our strange and crazy escapades during the years have included celebrating Christmas in July, complete with caroling to several friends and family members from church (and boy was it stuffy caroling in such hot weather with scarves and hats while wearing flannel pjs!), making daily anonymous phone calls one summer when we were much younger in order to get our friend to come swimming with us (he always knew it was us calling, but we tried anyhow), gathering to watch the "sunset" over Newark Bay...great view of the oil refineries and cranes...and somehow getting too caught up in a game of Dutch Blitz to realize that the sun was setting until we completely missed it lol, and getting Sarah to go on her first roller coaster, Rolling Thunder, at Great Adventure and watching her scream like a maniac even though it was a small, wooden coaster with maybe a 30 ft. drop at it's most intense moment.

Just a couple of silly cousins enjoying their status as peculiar treasures and looking for joy and humor in the most mundane of circumstances! H's for life...<3

"You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen

Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine - oh yeah!

You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life

See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen"

("Dancing Queen", ABBA)

It's Something Unpredictable, but in the End It's Right

Day 9. A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

Definitely both of my parents. I've given them plenty of ups and downs, particularly after graduating high school (and probably giving them more downs than reasons to be proud), but they do their very best to encourage me in walking with the Lord, making wise choices and living in a way that does not result in many future regrets.

This picture is actually from my high school graduation party in 2005. God has blessed me so much by giving me the family I have and allowing them to be such wonderful parents and spiritual leaders. They have taught me most of what I know about God, the Bible and our Christian faith and I am so very thankful that they are not just my parents but the ones I can confide in about my concerns and thoughts. I love them so much (even when I'm being petulant and bratty lol)!

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go

So make the best of this test and don't ask why

It's not a question but a lesson learned in time"

("Time of Your Life", Green Day)

I'm An Ordinary Man

Day 8. A picture that makes you laugh.

Ok, background on this picture: what would be an otherwise lovely view of the NYC skyline (picture taken on 9/4/05) as seen from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ, is horribly marred by the appearance of The Pink Couple. That's right folks. They are The Pink Couple.

The Sunday before Labor Day in '05 several of us took a ride down to LSP in between the morning and evening church services. I believe we went out for dinner somewhere and wound up here after the fact. This was quite the eventful outing as we were ditched by our other group of friends, discovered a railing with the title "Fort Mac" carved into the rusted, peeling paint, took some cheesy photos, sang stirring renditions of Evanescence's "My Immortal" and, epically, found our innocence destroyed by the appearance of The Pink Couple.

The Pink Couple decided that sitting on a bench in LSP and looking out at the New York skyline was the perfect mood-setter and determined that making out and fondling each other on said bench in aforementioned location was socially acceptable and somehow NOT vomit-inducing. The Pink Couple was overweight, entirely too pink and engaged in way too much PDA to be socially acceptable even at the Playboy Mansion. Seriously.

All in all, memorable day but HORRIBLE sight...it makes us laugh and grimace and cry all at once to this day.

"So take, take me home

'Cos I don't remember

Take, take me home, oh Lord

'Cos I've been a prisoner all my life

And I can say to you"

("Take Me Home", Phil Collins)

Leave Behind Your Diamond Bracelet

Day 7. A picture of your most treasured item.

I understand that there are two different rings in this picture but so what. My blog, my rules.

The ring on the left (my right hand) is from my baby brother (the youngest of my three brothers). He gave that to me for Christmas when he was probably three years old. As our family expanded (and we were all two little to have jobs and a plethora of spending money), our parents began a tradition of picking each other's names out of a hat and buying that family member a nice gift for Christmas. The first year we tried out this plan, Jonathan got my name in the hat and even though he was pretty young, wanted to get this ring for me when him and Mommy split up from us in the department store to find a nice present. : ) It's one of my prized possessions and I only take it off when getting my hands in batter and sometimes when I'm playing the piano.

The ring on the right of the picture (my left hand) is a purity ring from my parents. I had one prior to this but after losing about 30lbs in high school, the ring grew way too big for my finger and kept falling off. After one particularly epic snowball fight down the park, I could not find the ring anywhere and despite my friends' and my best efforts, we just could not find it again. There were trips made down to the location throughout that winter and spring but to no avail. My parents got me a new one for Christmas the next year and, as with the ring from my brother, I only take it off for baking and piano playing.

Today was a lot of fun: 50th birthday celebrations, fire alarms going off in the restaurant and watching the firemen go in and out of the kitchen as we attempted to enjoy our meals (the people who had received their food already), owning that E minor chord on the guitar again and discovering Mumford & Sons (um, how did I make it this long without hearing any of their music??). Being with the family and close friends is always a good time, despite the normal peculiarities and quirks! We love each other with all the faults and idiosyncrasies =) "That one's p...."

"When winter comes

Along these shores

Old Hollywood

We're knocking down

We're sifting through

We are the actual tigers

When winter comes

They leave behind us"

("Ice Age", Pete Yorn)

Beware of Pretty Faces that You Find...

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

I know this is not exactly a picture, but I have a not-so-secret desire to be a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. At this point in time I'm working towards nailing the qualifications of an intelligence analyst. You have to be 23 years old to be a special agent anyhow and at this point the DOJ has a hiring freeze which prohibits me from submitting an application to work for the FBI (which works out because I have more time to enhance my appeal).

This job is not about getting to arrest criminals, carry a gun or look good in a suit; I want to make a difference in whatever job I have, but I want to know that the job I carry out is for a greater purpose. I love my country very much and while I do believe that every job performed here is for the good of our country, I would like to be in a position to directly impact the safety and well-being of this wonderful and amazing land and the people who live here.

"Secret agent man

Secret agent man

They've given you a number

And taken away your name"

("Secret Agent Man", Johnny Rivers)

On an aside, my fingers are blistered and aching from my foray back to the world of guitar playing. Had an awesome night learning the E minor chord which I can totally rock. I re-learned a few other chords but have a harder time keeping my fingers from touching the other strings and sounding dreadful. Oh well, it's fun to try even if I do have a couple blisters after only an hour! At least it was a break from moving furniture and scrubbing walls, floors and furniture to within an inch of their lives!!

Carpe diem =)

Forever Young

Day 5. A picture of your favorite memory.

This is a picture of our New Year's Party...held on January 2, 2005. We kicked the year off with this tremendous wacky party - the first in a line of funky gathering ideas during the end of our senior year in high school and the breaking up of Our Gang as people began going away to college.

We watched the ball drop, ate a fabulous meal and drank lots and lots and LOTS of sparkling cider.

An absolute success and fun time for us all. I miss those days when life was a lot simpler but the dumb things that came up seemed like the end of the world. God put us together and had our lives cross for various reasons and I really can say "It was the best of times, it was the worst of time". Here's to an awesome group of friends through high school and to the ones who got away, we miss that bond and keep you in prayer.

"And when you finally fly away I'll be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime, no one can ever tell
But whatever road you choose
I'm right behind you, win or lose
Forever young, forever young
Forever young, forever young"
("Forever Young", Rod Stewart)

What's With These Homies, Dissin' My Girl???

Day 4. A picture of your favorite night.

I have so many special memories: walking through a torchlight, 1,000 year-old abbey in the Italian countryside, listening to an orchestra at night in St. Mark's Square in Venice, numerous bonfires on autumnal youth group retreats, running through Disney World at night on a scavenger hunt with my family (minus Jack! What horrible parents haha), clapping to Spanish folk song tunes played by La Tuna at midnight in Santiago de Compostela...God has richly blessed me! And I've just realized that many of my favorite memories are at night hehe!

But this night stands out for so many fun reasons. First off: March 17, 2007 ended up being a blizzard. Kelly lives about 40 minutes away and had invited us to her 18th birthday party. Also invited were her family and friends, some of whom live just a few minutes away from her. This crazy crew (me, my two brothers and our two pals - the ones on the extreme right and left in the back row of the picture) were the only ones who showed up...that's how bad this weather was!

On our drive out to the party (which took twice as long as usual because we needed to drive extra slow), we passed a car that got buried before our eyes for trying to drive in the shoulder to pass a snow plow. I don't recall laughing so hard in a car. EVER.

Once we actually got to Kel's (and found out that we were the only people who braved the weather despite the fact that we lived the furthest away lol), we started the night off with some Balderdash and a brief snowball fight. We quickly realized that the weather was not getting better, just worse, and there was a big chance that we would not be going home that night.

Time-out here: you have to know that the weather report mentioned a small possibility of snow and Kelly and I had joked to each other about possibly getting snowed-in and having a sleepover. In fact, as an act of faith I brought a pair of undies in my purse just in case! Talk about God answering some silly prayers that we don't actually need and that are not truly important in anyone else's estimation =)

Back to the awesomest night of the decade: there was reading from How to be a Lady in which we discovered that not only does "A lady not dither over paying the check" but a proper lady does not "provoke a dog to bark". Ooops. At some point Kelly did Joey's make-up, Josh's hair and Tommy's nails. There was throwing of swedish fish candies, my first win in a game of chess (granted, it was at 5am and it has yet to happen again), Mr. L walking into the living room and shaking his head in resigned disturbance over Tommy's nails and then walking out, Josh having nappy-hair, Joey looking like a transvestite with that scary eyeliner and mascara and Josh having swedish fish grills in his teeth while wearing shades. We attempted to stay up the entire night and mostly succeeded...Dave was a party pooper and didn't join in our fun. Somehow he fell asleep before 1am and slept through everything (in fact, he was still sleeping when we departed between 7 and 9am the next morning). Joey gave up the ghost in the later hours of Saturday morning and Jackie fell asleep on the car ride home claiming he thought the contest was only going on while we were at Kelly's house. I like to think I won as I stayed up even after getting home until I was convinced Tommy, Josh and Kelly were probably napping but I guess we'll never know.

One of my favorite memories and best nights ever!

"Woo-ee-oo I look just like Buddy Holly

Oh oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore

I don't care what they say about us anyway

I don't care 'bout that!"

("Buddy Holly", Weezer)

If I Live to be 100 and Never See the Seven Wonders, That'll be Just Fine

Day 3. A picture of the cast from your favorite TV show.

Sigh. This was actually a hard one. I could not decide between Psych and Sue Thomas F.B.Eye but I think I'll go with Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye because it really helped drive me to chase my dream throughout high school (and rekindled it years down the road). Maybe I'll never be a government agent, but Sue Thomas, a real-life, deaf FBI agent, is an inspiration to so many people. She has an incredible story!

"So when I make a big mistake

When I fall flat on my face

I know I'll be alright

Should be tender heart be broken

I will cry those teardrops knowing

I will be just fine

'Cause nothin' changes who I am"

("Who I Am", Jessica Andrews)

Today was a very blah day - hail, rain, sleet, thunder, lightning, wind...and this just a day after the weather was in the 60s and beautiful! So ridiculous.

On the plus, I'm taking advantage of an offer by a company called Early Advantage. They have a program called Muzzy. I absolutely love it! We used it for Spanish when my siblings and I were younger and that probably was the most helpful method (after going to Spain) that I've used so far in my quest to learn Spanish. So I'm going to try out their Russian Level I program with this offer and see how it goes!!!

We've Got to Love Each Other, at Any Cost, Unselfishly

Thus continues my quest for consistent bloggerdom!

Day 2. A picture of you and someone you have been closest with the longest.

I'm going to go with all five of my siblings. I know they've all been around for varying lengths of time, but I love them so so much and I cannot imagine life without each and every one of us together! God has blessed me incredibly by allowing us to all be born into a Christian and God-honoring household of faith.

(I'm putting up a picture of my entire immediate family because I am very close to my amazing parents and my beautiful and wonderful sister-in-law!)

"We'll build a household of faith

That together we can make

And when the strong winds blow it won't fall down

As one in Him we'll grow and the whole world will know

We are a household of faith"

("Household of Faith", Steve Green)

Corresponding Shapes, Like Puzzle Pieces from the Clay

I've seen several people on Facebook take part in this "30 Day Picture Challenge" and it seems pretty neat. I'll give it a whirl and hopefully it will help me keep up with posting on the blog regularly so I can complete the challenge in the alotted 30 day period!

Day 1: A picture of yourself with 10 facts about you.

Here are my 10 facts:

1) I love love love peach tea

2) Running is my stress relief

3) I am strongest when it's on someone else's behalf

4) My brothers and sisters are my best friends and the ones I confide in about my ups and downs and all the in-betweens

5) I love my family more than words can describe

6) Ministering for God is very important to me

7) I enjoy visiting museums

8) Going on walks helps me to relax and get things off my chest by spending quality time in prayer

9) I've wanted a dog since I was as young as I can remember and my parents still will not budge on this one so I guess I'll keep fighting the good fight until I'm on my own or I find a guy who will let me have one =)

10) Pizza is my happy food

"They will see us waving from such great
heights,
'Come down now,' they'll say
But everything looks perfect from far
away,
'Come down now,' but we'll stay..."
("Such Great
Heights", The Postal Service)

Old Friends & New Beginnings?

Ah me. I generally hate surprises. It's not that I do not wish to have surprises in my life - I just can't seem to trust many people to surprise me in ways that I actually want!
But God has a sense of humor and He knows best, so this past week I had a whole string of unexpected occurences and surprises, a lot of them having to do with reconnecting with old friends and seeing some answer to pray in bringing those relationships back to life.
Very excited to see what God has in store and how He's going to work in all of our lives.. I'm really praying we can encourage one another and be "iron sharpening iron" as opposed to just old friends laughing it up and being mediocre Christians, never influencing each other or the people around us for good or making an impact for God.

On the flip side, I started getting a little scared feeling like I had just graduated high school and was staring down a road of endless possibilities and choices without knowing where I'm going to end up and what I'm supposed to choose, if anything. In fact this seems even scarier than graduating almost six years ago because at least straight out of high school you weren't supposed to have things all figured out and could focus on college and use that to build more of the foundation that set you up for a career and all that. Now I'm a college graduate, full-time employee...and I'm supposed to know something about my future right? None of this finding-yourself balderdash. I should know what I'm good at, where my interests lie and how to be the best person God wants me to be. And while I feel that I know all of these things, I still am in total confusion about where it's taking me.

I do know that my road is taking me over to Ukraine this summer to help for two weeks at a summer camp with BIEM, a Baptist missions organization that I fell in love with last fall after one of the founders shared their work with my church. The tickets should be purchased sometime in the next two weeks and I am totally psyched about the opportunity to go over there and experience the work that the Lord is doing in Eastern Europe. The people there have gone through a lot of trial and hardship in their history but God is good and is working in great ways through the brothers and sister in Christ who are faithfully spreading His Word and showing His love to those around them. I know, I can do that here too, but I'm really excited about having the chance to meet fellow laborers and share in their work, even though it's just for two weeks in the same location. Technically we are all sharing in the same work, no matter where we are or who we are with, as long as it's for the Lord!

So those were my ramblings for now. I have so much going on in my head and a lot on my heart about so so many things and I am just in awe of how God moves in people at just the right time and cannot wait to see how He's going to move in me throughout each day to carry out His will. I just have to be willing and ready to give myself completely over to Him so I am fit and bold enough to do my part and be who He wants me to be!

100 Wells

I am very excited - my 100 Wells bracelet arrived in the mail today and it is absolutely beautiful : ) I can't wait to spread the word about the 100 Wells campaign by the Persecution Project Foundation. They are a very wonderful and solid Christian organization working in Africa to supply Christians and nonChristians with needed food and supplies as they are under attack for various reasons (civil wars, genocide, religious persecution). A one-time donation of $35 to the 100 Wells Campaign is enough to provide clean water for one person for a lifetime! As a token of thanks you can choose either a 100 Wells T-shirt or a lovely bracelet to remind you of this fabulous effort and provide you with ways to share the story with others. Check them out! http://100wellscampaign.com/

Now I'm off to study the next chapter in my book on the Cold War, look at paint chips, review Spanish and read more of "Fireflies in December"...not necessarily in that order. I love my evenings : ) Feeling super after a good workout on the Bowflex with dancing in between sets lol
So even though it is close to bed time...Carpe Diem!

"I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes - I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way!"

Hello!

My sister, bless her heart, set upon me tonight, insisting that I should create my own blog. As if I don't have enough unimportant things to waste my time...

In order to appease her and hopefully make her more inclined to listen to me the next time I impose my suggestions on her *ahem - college courses- ahem*, I'll go along with this crazy notion and see where it takes me.

I do confess to a love of writing and waxing eloquent on just about anything that strikes my fancy. I'm more of a listener in person but give me a pen and I'll write you a novel.

You don't need to know much about me. I'm young enough to shoot for the stars and old enough to know better, head over heels for seizing life and enjoying every precious moment the Lord gives you and looking for adventure in the smallest and most commonplace of circumstances.

I look forward to making you laugh over my normally insane and humorous situations explained in a way I only can.

"If every word I said could make you laugh, I'd talk forever..." The Beach Boys