This is supposed to be 30 things about me. Rachel (Just a Girl For God) tagged anyone with something on their feet, and considering it is freezing in my bedroom, that would definitely be me. I have fuzzy red socks on! Ok...here we go!
1. I always pick up heads-up pennies.
2. I collect bouncy balls and decks of cards.
3. I color to feel better about life and to de-stress myself. That's why my mom bought me four new coloring books for my 18th birthday. Apparently, senior year can be a little stressful.
4. I'm obsessed with fairy tales.
5. I feel most at home when I am singing something, be it on a stage, in a choir, in the shower, or in a car. I just love making music.
6. I wish I was a Disney Princess. One of my ultimate goals for my college years is to work in Disney World, and if I am really lucky/talented, work as Belle in Disney World,
7. Belle is my favorite Disney Princess, but really, I love them all.
8. Reading is basically my passion. If I could be a professional reader for a career, I would definitely do it. I have my own mini-library.
9. I love Starbucks. I hate their prices.
10. Cherry Chocolate Kisses and Caramel Kisses are my favorite treats.
11. I have had a crush on Josh Groban for about six years.
12. I love staying up late, but I am also a morning person. This sometimes annoys my friends.
13. I feel very secure and in control when I have a camera in my hands. Photography comes pretty naturally to me.
14. A lot of people say I have OCD. That's probably true.
15. I am a writer. I preserve memories.
16. I love hugging people.
17. Little kids can make me smile even when I am having an absolutely horrible day.
18. I am pretty good with computers, but apparently, I am a really horrible teacher when it comes to computer-related things. Bonus Fact: I have patience issues.
19. I worry about pretty much everything in life. I've been trying to stop that. It's a work in progress, but I'm doing a lot better.
20. My friends and family make my life completely wonderful. I adore them.
21. I am one of the Yearbook Editors at my school. My best friend Abby is one of the other ones. We have the best time doing the book even though it totally stresses us out.
22. I hate change.
23. I am kind of a picky person. I hate fire and germs and feet and and hardcover books and spiders and cliffhangers and lots of things.
24. Most of the time, I actually enjoy following the rules. And I never lie to my parents. It seems I'm just not capable of it even if I wanted to.
25. I dance, and I love it! And my dance teacher is the coolest.
26. Someday, I would love to plan weddings.
27. I am very fond of Build-A-Bear Workshop. You're never too old for stuffed animals!
28. I love movies. I just love, love, love them. Movies are amazing, wonderful, incredible creations. Most of the time, though, I do not like when books are made into movies. There are only a few exceptions.
29. My favorite authors are Sarah Dessen and Jane Austen. They are both marvelous.
30. Jesus Christ is my Prince Charming. To him, I am loved and cherished and beautiful and unique. He has given me the ultimate love story. It's so much more than I deserve.
Now, I tag anyone who loves chocolate. Sorry, I'm a little hungry.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Masterpiece
Wow. I watched this video that The Skit Guys did (they are amazing, by the way), and it was incredible. I cried, of course, but out of happiness that I was not only accepted, but loved and cherished and absolutely beautifully made by God. You can watch the video here.
I just love the part where he says, "I let you down, God." God responds that we don't hold Him up in the first place. He holds us up, and I am so grateful that He does. What a relief to realize that we can't let God down.
I don't have a lot to say; just watch the video, and tell me what you think.
All I know is that I am so happy that I am God's original masterpiece. That will always be enough.
I just love the part where he says, "I let you down, God." God responds that we don't hold Him up in the first place. He holds us up, and I am so grateful that He does. What a relief to realize that we can't let God down.
I don't have a lot to say; just watch the video, and tell me what you think.
All I know is that I am so happy that I am God's original masterpiece. That will always be enough.
Ok, This Connects With The Last Post
I just watched the movie version of The Jane Austen Book Club, and it was amazing, too. Everyone should read the book (pleeeeeease read the book first!) and THEN, watch the movie. Tell me what you think if you do!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
For The Bibliophiles
I have decided to dedicate one post (at least) a month to different books I come across that I absolutely love.
The first one, for August (my favorite month!) is The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler.
This was a fantastic book! I loved it so much!
It was packed with Jane Austen everything. The ways we relate to her and her incredible novels, the different things that we hate about her books that make us feel disloyal even thinking about because, obviously, it's Austen, and the love/hate relationship we have with Jane Austen.
It seems really incredible to me that Austen wrote all of these detailed plots and characters, and that a couple hundred years later, we're thinking some of the same exact things about our relationships!
We're annoyed by the super cute guy who thinks he's too good for us, but secretly, he adores us (we wish and hope and dream and pray).
We want to date that one guy, but we think he's totally out of our social class. Example: the book nerd with the huge crush on the jock. Ugh. Been there. Visited multiple times. Bought property.
And it even applies to our family life - getting along with siblings, dealing with our parents and their extremely high hopes for us, and feeling totally left behind and out of the family loop, at times. Jane Austen, somehow, realized that things wouldn't change with the years. She's a genius.
However, that is not to say that I don't have some issues with some of her books. I felt guilty for years finding problems with them, though. Who am I to dislike Austen? After reading The Jane Austen Book Club, though, I felt so much more at ease with my opinions. Yes, I want Marianne to end up with Willoughby! Yes, I think Fanny Price is sometimes too perfect! And yes, I sometimes wonder what in the world Jane Austen was thinking while she wrote Northanger Abbey!
But, just like best friends, we look past the arguments and issues we have with Austen because we love and adore her work. It's that simple. She is romance.
It truly is a love/hate relationship between Austen and her avid readers. We love most of the romances in her books; we crave the dashing suitors that she created; we wait for the happily ever after in each of our relationships because that is what her books encourage. Have you noticed that are a limited number of men in her novels? It isn't like now; you didn't go on dates every week with a different boy, testing them out. You had one or two, and you were courted. And in the Austen books, a happily ever after was made. That's the issue. That's the one thing that I don't believe can span the gap of years between us and Austen. We don't get a happily ever after every time. It's just not realistic.
I really like this quote from The Jane Austen Book Club. Karen Joy Fowler writes:
"It wasn't Jane Austen's fault that love went bad. You couldn't even say she didn't warn you. Her heroines made out well enough, but there were always other characters in the book who didn't finish happily - Brandon's Eliza in Sense and Sensability; in Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Lucas, Lydia Bennet; in Mansfield Park, Maria Bertram. These were the women to whom you should be paying attention, but you weren't."
I just really, really enjoyed this book. I might just go read it again to catch all of the things I missed. Or maybe just go watch the movie.
I highly suggest that you read it for yourself, especially if you have an extreme love of Jane Austen. One way to tell if you are a Jane Austen fanatic, by the way, is if you cry every time you watch Becoming Jane. I know I do! If you have yet to be pulled into the Jane Austen fan club, The Jane Austen Book Club is still an excellent read. Just trust me.
The first one, for August (my favorite month!) is The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler.
This was a fantastic book! I loved it so much!
It was packed with Jane Austen everything. The ways we relate to her and her incredible novels, the different things that we hate about her books that make us feel disloyal even thinking about because, obviously, it's Austen, and the love/hate relationship we have with Jane Austen.
It seems really incredible to me that Austen wrote all of these detailed plots and characters, and that a couple hundred years later, we're thinking some of the same exact things about our relationships!
We're annoyed by the super cute guy who thinks he's too good for us, but secretly, he adores us (we wish and hope and dream and pray).
We want to date that one guy, but we think he's totally out of our social class. Example: the book nerd with the huge crush on the jock. Ugh. Been there. Visited multiple times. Bought property.
And it even applies to our family life - getting along with siblings, dealing with our parents and their extremely high hopes for us, and feeling totally left behind and out of the family loop, at times. Jane Austen, somehow, realized that things wouldn't change with the years. She's a genius.
However, that is not to say that I don't have some issues with some of her books. I felt guilty for years finding problems with them, though. Who am I to dislike Austen? After reading The Jane Austen Book Club, though, I felt so much more at ease with my opinions. Yes, I want Marianne to end up with Willoughby! Yes, I think Fanny Price is sometimes too perfect! And yes, I sometimes wonder what in the world Jane Austen was thinking while she wrote Northanger Abbey!
But, just like best friends, we look past the arguments and issues we have with Austen because we love and adore her work. It's that simple. She is romance.
It truly is a love/hate relationship between Austen and her avid readers. We love most of the romances in her books; we crave the dashing suitors that she created; we wait for the happily ever after in each of our relationships because that is what her books encourage. Have you noticed that are a limited number of men in her novels? It isn't like now; you didn't go on dates every week with a different boy, testing them out. You had one or two, and you were courted. And in the Austen books, a happily ever after was made. That's the issue. That's the one thing that I don't believe can span the gap of years between us and Austen. We don't get a happily ever after every time. It's just not realistic.
I really like this quote from The Jane Austen Book Club. Karen Joy Fowler writes:
"It wasn't Jane Austen's fault that love went bad. You couldn't even say she didn't warn you. Her heroines made out well enough, but there were always other characters in the book who didn't finish happily - Brandon's Eliza in Sense and Sensability; in Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Lucas, Lydia Bennet; in Mansfield Park, Maria Bertram. These were the women to whom you should be paying attention, but you weren't."
I just really, really enjoyed this book. I might just go read it again to catch all of the things I missed. Or maybe just go watch the movie.
I highly suggest that you read it for yourself, especially if you have an extreme love of Jane Austen. One way to tell if you are a Jane Austen fanatic, by the way, is if you cry every time you watch Becoming Jane. I know I do! If you have yet to be pulled into the Jane Austen fan club, The Jane Austen Book Club is still an excellent read. Just trust me.
Monday, August 24, 2009
18 Years! :)
So...God has blessed me with 18 years!
I hope that I have managed to live a life that pleases Him up to this point, and I will continue to work hard every day to live my life (however many more years He gives me) entirely dedicated to Him.
I'm so grateful for all of the amazing blessings in my life.
God is soooo good!
I hope that I have managed to live a life that pleases Him up to this point, and I will continue to work hard every day to live my life (however many more years He gives me) entirely dedicated to Him.
I'm so grateful for all of the amazing blessings in my life.
God is soooo good!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Strength
Lately, I have been feeling like life is really, really good. Yes, I have a few struggles here and there, but I've just been feeling really blessed and satisfied and content; however, my friends are going through some really tough stuff. It seems like with every good thing that happens to me, something bad happens to them. I feel like God is using this happiness and peace that I have so that I can be a complete wall of strength for my friends.
I've always been the kind of girl who really feels for other people when they are suffering just as if it was happening to me. When something sad happens to my friends, I cry even before they do. I hurt when they hurt; I smile when they smile. I need to be there for them. It's just a part of how God programmed me. But sometimes, when things are just going so bad, I don't even know what to say!
Tonight was one of those nights. It was rough. I have a friend who's suffering, and I'm clueless as to how to handle it. Once again, though, God cleared things up for me. He guided my hands to open my Bible to 1 Chronicles 16:11-12.
"Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced."
Wow. God is awesome.
I have to believe that God will take care of my friends better than I ever could. I have to believe that He is constantly there for them, and for me, and I have to believe that He can still do miracles. If I don't believe these things anymore, then I will have nothing left. He is everything.
I've always been the kind of girl who really feels for other people when they are suffering just as if it was happening to me. When something sad happens to my friends, I cry even before they do. I hurt when they hurt; I smile when they smile. I need to be there for them. It's just a part of how God programmed me. But sometimes, when things are just going so bad, I don't even know what to say!
Tonight was one of those nights. It was rough. I have a friend who's suffering, and I'm clueless as to how to handle it. Once again, though, God cleared things up for me. He guided my hands to open my Bible to 1 Chronicles 16:11-12.
"Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced."
Wow. God is awesome.
I have to believe that God will take care of my friends better than I ever could. I have to believe that He is constantly there for them, and for me, and I have to believe that He can still do miracles. If I don't believe these things anymore, then I will have nothing left. He is everything.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
College Talk (Again)
So I had another long college conversation with my mom today.
I find myself thinking more and more about how much I love spending time with kids, and how I'd love to make a difference in their lives and help them make smart choices and feel loved. I've always said that I'd never be a teacher. I've grown up with two teachers, and I've seen everything - the good, the bad, and the absolutely ugly. But ever since I can remember, kids have just kind of...gravitated towards me. And I love them! Maybe I should go into teaching. I just don't know.
There are so many choices! I feel like I have these voices bouncing around in my head:
"Do this!"
"No, no, not that career. How about this one? It's so much better."
"You're smart. Go into math and science. It's the way to go."
"You're really artsy. Go into the arts; you'll be happier."
"Don't forget about money! You want money, don't you?"
"Forget about college! Go work at McDonalds! This is too much stress!"
I don't know what to do! The only voice I want to hear in my head is God clearly stating which direction I should take for my life. I'm trying to be patient and wait to see what He has planned, but it's my senior year. It's here. It's starting. I need a plan. I need to solve things. I need, I need, I need...
I need to let go and let God.
Easier said than done, but it has to be done, or I will go crazy. I am a teeny, tiny little human, a small speck on earth, and God has my life totally under control. My life story is already finished. He's got it covered. Sometimes that's so hard to remember.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
I thank God that He has everything taken care of. I thank God that He is so brilliant, and He has patience with a very impatient little girl like me. I thank God that He is so big when I feel so small.
I find myself thinking more and more about how much I love spending time with kids, and how I'd love to make a difference in their lives and help them make smart choices and feel loved. I've always said that I'd never be a teacher. I've grown up with two teachers, and I've seen everything - the good, the bad, and the absolutely ugly. But ever since I can remember, kids have just kind of...gravitated towards me. And I love them! Maybe I should go into teaching. I just don't know.
There are so many choices! I feel like I have these voices bouncing around in my head:
"Do this!"
"No, no, not that career. How about this one? It's so much better."
"You're smart. Go into math and science. It's the way to go."
"You're really artsy. Go into the arts; you'll be happier."
"Don't forget about money! You want money, don't you?"
"Forget about college! Go work at McDonalds! This is too much stress!"
I don't know what to do! The only voice I want to hear in my head is God clearly stating which direction I should take for my life. I'm trying to be patient and wait to see what He has planned, but it's my senior year. It's here. It's starting. I need a plan. I need to solve things. I need, I need, I need...
I need to let go and let God.
Easier said than done, but it has to be done, or I will go crazy. I am a teeny, tiny little human, a small speck on earth, and God has my life totally under control. My life story is already finished. He's got it covered. Sometimes that's so hard to remember.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
I thank God that He has everything taken care of. I thank God that He is so brilliant, and He has patience with a very impatient little girl like me. I thank God that He is so big when I feel so small.
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