The Circle of Life

Last week I watched The Lion King. Growing up, that was never one of my favorite Disney movies. I always tended to steer towards The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, or one of the girly princess movies. As I've grown older though, I think The Lion King may just be at the top of my favorite Disney movie list.

I'm a big Disney fan in general. I've always liked the movies, although I've liked them for different reasons at different stages in my life. When I was younger, I loved watching Disney movies because I was obsessed with princesses. Now, I love watching them for the lessons they teach. Each one weaves in some kind of life lesson that I can easily apply to my own life.

Oh, and another one of my favorite parts of Disney movies? The music. Tarzan has some of the best music by Phil Collins. I also love Elton John's music in The Lion King. I'm pretty both of those albums are on my iPod :)

The Lion King always makes me cry when I watch it. It may sound weird, but I like it when movies make me cry. I think it says a lot when a movie is so powerful that it moves me to tears each time I watch it.

I like the fact that there are so many things you can take away from watching the movie. Lost loved ones never truly leave us. Sometimes you have to face you biggest fears in order to find a more fulfilling life. You can't run from your problems forever. True friends never leave your side.

My favorite quote from the movie though is this one from Rafiki:

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I think my favorite element/life lesson from the movie though is the fact that it ends the same way it starts. The "Circle of Life" song plays again as Simba presents his son to the animals of Pride Rock.

While I was watching this, it got me thinking about my own life in 2013.

I find it amazing that a lot of people in the United States (as well as many other countries) live life almost the exact same way. Our timelines are very similar, regardless of whether you live on the east or west coast.

When you're 5 or 6 you have to start school. When you're 14, you graduate grade school and start high school. At 16 you get your driver's license. At 18 you become a legal adult, graduate high school, and start college. In your early to mid-20s you graduate college and start your first job. Most people get married shortly after that and have kids not long after that. Then you raise your kids and witness them reaching each of the milestones you had to go through too. In your 50s or 60s you may become a grandparent. Some years later you'll retire and spend the rest of your life enjoying your family and doing things you haven't had time to do yet.

And then, eventually, you'll pass on to the next life.

The Lion King is right - life is just one big circle that never ends.

I was thinking about how 100 years from now, people probably won't remember my name. My name might appear on my great-great-grandchild's family tree project, but I doubt I'll be remembered for anything famous.

And I'm totally okay with that because I don't need my name to be remembered. I need my influence to be felt.

Think about it for a second. How many people do you know? I'm guessing probably a lot. You know the people you went to grade school and high school with. The people at your church and on your street. You know friends of friends as well as family friends. You know teachers you've had and friends you've met along the way. I'm willing to bet there are hundreds of people who know you by name right now. But in a 100 years these people won't be around anymore.

And maybe that scares you a little, but I like to think of it in a different way.....

What if you have a positive influence on a majority of the people you know? Maybe you show them what it's like to feel loved or special. Maybe you inspire them to try their best at everything. Maybe you encourage them to be themselves. And then what if these people pass on that love and encouragement to their kids or the people they know and come in contact with?

Then maybe you've just influenced many generations to come. Maybe you've made a difference in the life of someone who won't even be born for another 50 years. So who cares if your name isn't remembered? I would much rather have someone 100 years from now be somehow influenced by a positive choice I made than have someone 100 years from now simply remember my name.

The way you make other people feel is what's really important. Sometimes it takes a children's movie like The Lion King to really show you that.

"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will."

Unexpected.

Can you believe I've blogged 4 days in a row?!? This is going to be a short post, but one I wanted to make sure I wrote, and least for my own purposes :)

Sometimes I think, at least for me, that it can be easy to get caught up in the routine of daily life. I get up every morning at 6:05. I get out of school every single day at 2:34. On any given school day, you can find me waiting outside the school the kids I babysit go to at 3:30. My life has a lot of routine. I tend to go to bed around the same time every night, and it works for me because I like routines.

But at the same time, I really appreciate something unexpected in the middle of normal routine day. And today I got that. You might not find it that interesting, but it was out of the ordinary enough for me to want to write it down and remember it.......

The little boy I babysit (again, not writing names for security reasons!) is 7 years old. He can drive me nuts sometimes, but most days he's pretty good. But still, 7 year olds don't think of others before themselves a whole lot because they just haven't quite learned that yet. But today he went out of his way to think of me, and I have to tell you - it left a big impact on me. I'm not saying he's normally a bad kid, but he went above and beyond today!

When we got home from school, he was telling me about how their dad made pound cake last night. He offered me a piece, but I declined because I always feel bad about eating their food, especially homemade treats - ha! But he kept on insisting, saying that he just "wanted me to try a little bit". So I gave in because it seemed like it would make him happy. For some odd reason he always loves to offer me food. Normally it's stuff I don't like, but thankfully today it was something I knew I'd like.

And I have rarely seen the kid so excited over something, which is funny that he was this excited over pound cake. But anyway, he got out a plate, cut a piece for me, and topped it strawberries and whipped cream, since he said that was the best way to have it. Then he asked what kind of fork I wanted and presented it to me on their island.

I was laughing because it was just so cute. He was dying for me to dig in, but I asked him if I could take a picture of it first, to which he replied "yeah, that's great".

So here is my delicious dessert completely assembled by a 7 year old (and I think he may have a culinary future - ha!).

He was SO happy when I told him that it was good (and it seriously was!). And then he rushed off to pour me a glass of milk. He handed me the milk, and told me to "enjoy my pound cake" before he headed upstairs to watch a movie.

I was pretty much left speechless because he has never gone out of his way like that before. I was extremely impressed by this side of him that I had never really seen!

It just goes to show that God can put even the simplest joys into the most ordinary days.

Out of all the good days I've had babysitting those kids, I think this will be one I'll always remember :)

Anticipation.

As I type this, everyone in my city is in anticipation of the snow storm that is currently hitting us. Snow is falling outside my window, and it's supposed to continue until the morning.

At school today all of the teachers were giving us the instructions on what would happen if we were off. They told us how deadlines would be affected and basically just what to expect should we be off school tomorrow.

Tonight I went to dinner with my family to celebrate my aunt's birthday. My little cousins were super excited about the prospect of having a snow day tomorrow, just like I was.

I told them all about the old snow superstitions we always talked about when I was in grade school. You know, wearing your pajamas backwards (or is it inside out?), sleeping at the wrong end of your bed, and putting unsharpened pencils on the windowsill. But my personal favorite? Our snow dance. One of my grade school teachers had a famous little snow dance that we did whenever there was a possibility of snow, so I taught it to my cousins at dinner.

The meteorologists have been tracking the storm and trying to figure out exactly what it's going to do. The city has been sending out salt trucks to try and minimize the accident risk for the morning commute.

All of these preparations in anticipation of the snow storm got me thinking how that is so similar to life too. It seems as though, at least for me anyway, that in the midst of a difficult "storm" in life I try to prepare as much as possible.

I get nervous and talk about the issue with my friends and family like my cousins and I did tonight. I try (sometimes silly and stupid) things to influence the situation so it goes my way. I analyze the situation just like the meteorologists. I start thinking ahead and try to minimize the damage I think this storm will cause before it even hits.

And sometimes, just like the meteorologists, I completely judge the situation wrong. I think it's going to be a lot worse than it actually is.

I spend all of my time thinking about and preparing for something that doesn't even wind up being a big deal when it does actually hit.

And this just got me thinking, and reminded me once again, that we don't hold the controller to our life. Our life isn't some big video game that we get to guide ourselves through. Instead, the controller is in God's hands.

I've been particularly worried about college, something that is looming in my very near future. I admit that I've been stressing about it, talking about it, and trying to minimize the risks I'm afraid it's going to cause, and I haven't even gone to college yet.

Who would have thought that the threat of a snow storm could have given me the reality check I so desperately needed at this point in my life?!

I really need to just let my worries go and trust that the controller is in the right hands.

So who knows if we'll actually get a snow day tomorrow (we do already have a 2 hour delay though!). But even if we don't, this snow storm has reminded me of something very important: Sometimes all the preparation in the world is still not necessary. The storm that seems to be looming ahead might be not as bad as you think.

"I will sing praise, I will lift my voice,

I will sing praise, I’ve made my choice.

I will sing praise in all I do.

I will sing praise to you.

No matter the storms that come my way,

No matter the trials I may face,

You promised that you would see me through.

So, I will trust in You."

Dear 27 Year Old Allison

Dear 27 Year Old Allison,

As I write this blog post, I am 17 years old, and I can't even begin to imagine how much life has changed in 10 years. I can't even imagine myself being 27 years old, but then again I guess when I was 7 it was hard to imagine myself being 17. Time passes by so quickly, and I know that I will be 27 before I even know it.

As this point in your life, you've graduated college (hopefully - ha!). I hope and pray that you have a job that you love going to every day. And if you don't have a job you love, it's never too late to change that. Find something you like because life's too short not to enjoy yourself.

I hope you've done a lot of traveling, and I'm praying that you've been to Paris by now :) And if you have, say a prayer of thanksgiving, because right now, that's one of your biggest dreams!

I'm sure you still love to bake, and I hope you do it often - even if it's just for family and friends. I also hope you've come up with a lot of cute new cake pop designs over the years.....

I can't help but add that I'm crossing my fingers that you've visited some more Rita's! I know times change, but I don't see how my obsession with Rita's ever could :)

Of course, I can't help but wonder if you're married by now and maybe even have kids. It's weird to think that in 10 years, that's a definite possibility. I pray that even if you haven't met the "one" for you yet, you haven't given up hope that he's out there somewhere!

Another thing I'm praying hard for is that you've found a close group of friends. At 17, I feel as though I don't have a group of friends who do everything together, and I hope you've found that by now.

I hope that you're not afraid to live life despite the hardships. I can't even begin to imagine all the hard times you've faced in the last 10 years, but at the same time I can't take a wild guess at all the successes and fun times you've had too. Make sure you make the good times count for more than all of the bad times!

I hope that you've never stopped thanking God for all the blessings in your life. I know at 17 that's something I always try to do, but I'm counting on the face that you've gotten better at it!

I hope that you remember the past, but you don't live in the past. The only time you have is the present!

I hope that you're still blogging, and even if you're not, I hope you still look back at this blog every now and then to see how far you've come (and to read this letter!).

It makes me sad to think about the fact that there are people in my life right now who are probably not in your life anymore. But then again, you've probably met SO many more people to make up for it. I can't understand why God only brings certain people into our lives for a season, and I know you haven't figured that out either because I don't think that's something that can be understood. You just have to trust that everything works out for the best.

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And just to remember what it was like to be 17, here's some current things......

I'm actually writing this letter on August 5, 2012 at 11:08 PM, although I'm not going to publish it for a little while. I'm writing it while laying on my bed with Coco curled up next to me. (Actually, she's laying here licking).

I start my Senior of year of high school in a few weeks (August 22).

I'm currently wearing a black maxi dress, and I can't help but wonder if those will be in style in another 10 years.

The current president is Barack Obama, although he's up for reelection in a few months.

Michael Phelps recently won his 22th Olympic medal, making him the most dressed Olympian of all time, in the 2012 London Olympics.

My favorite TV shows right now are What Not To Wear and Say Yes to the Dress.

I have an iPhone 4S right now. It's probably the best phone on the market right now, but I'm sure it will seem lame and outdated when you're 27.

I've had my license for over a year now, and so far the only thing I've hit is the garage door. I hope you haven't hit anything else or been hit, but I know that's probably unlikely - ha! I guess everyone makes mistakes.

I'm driving my green 2001 Chevy Prizm now. Although this car works fine for me now, I hope you have better and nicer one now! I'm sure you do since I don't think the Prizm will make it another 10 years :)

My favorite social media sites right now are Twitter and Pinterest. Again, I wonder if those sites are still big - probably not!

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I wanted to write this post/letter to give you something to look back on. A piece of your teenage years to revisit in your twenties. I know you've experienced so many different life changes, but I know that you're a much stronger and better person than I am today. Everyday you get a little bit stronger.

Again, I can't even guess what you're life is like right now. Maybe you have a nice job and live by yourself. Or maybe you're married and have taken the opportunity to travel a lot. Maybe you're even a stay-at-home mom. I don't know if you drive a BMW or a mini van. I don't know if you have your own dog or not.

But despite all these uncertainties, I trust that God has some kind of plan behind it all, even if life doesn't turn out the way I imagine it in my head right now. Even though you're still 10 years away, I'm going to start praying for the 27 year old Allison. And just for the future in general.

So, remember me but don't dwell on me. But no matter what, always remember that:

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

Love,
17 Year Old Allison

2013.

I honestly cannot believe it is already 2013. This year is going to bring a lot of changes to my life.

In the fall of 2008 I took the high school placement test. I took it at the high school I now attend, and after the test they offered a lunch to all of the girls. If I remember correctly, they served us pizza and cookies. The cookies were decorated for our school, and some of them even had "Class of 2013" written on them.

On the drive home, we were discussing the fact that I was going to be a part of the class of 2013. And I remember when we said that, 2013 seemed so far away. It seemed so far into the future that it didn't even seem real.

And now in the blink of an eye, it's here. 2013 is actually here. And I can't help but think about how much has changed since that November 2008 day. The people I know, the things I do, the things I like: they've all changed. And if there's anything I've learned in my 17 years of life so far, it's that not much stays the same for long. Life changes, whether we're ready for it or not. But I've also learned that some things are steadfast. Some things don't change. And thankfully, I've found that these things are the most important things in life. Most importantly, love doesn't change. Who I love or how I love might change, but love itself doesn't. And I honestly think that's what keeps us  me from going crazy in a world that constantly changes.

So although I'm facing a year of change, I know that love and faith will get me through it.

I saw this quote a few days ago, and I think it's totally true:

"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different." ~ CS Lewis

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I like making predictions as to what this year has in store for me. Last year my predictions were pretty accurate, but that's because my predictions were things that were inevitably going to happen - ha!

If I had to make my predictions for 2013, here's what I would say.......

In May, I'll turn 18 years old. If I had to guess, I would say that my birthday celebrations will be minimal. A nice dinner with my family, and maybe a fun lunch or shopping trip with a few friends is my prediction.

In May, I'll finish my Senior Project. My plan is still to conclude my project by baking my own wedding cake, and I predict that I will be able to do that!

Also in May (that's going to be a BIG month!), I'll graduate high school. I predict that I won't be the one who's happy to get out of there. I'll instead be the one who's a little sad about saying goodbye to another chapter of my life.

In June, I'll {hopefully} go on a Senior trip! I don't really have any predictions on where we'll go because a few of my friends and I are meeting later this week to hopefully nail down some details. But I do predict that I will go on a Senior trip.

In July, my family will go on a vacation. We don't know where yet, which is actually very much unlike us. My dad has been swamped at work lately and doesn't know when he'll be able to take vacation time next summer, so we're still waiting. Our plan is to book a Caribbean cruise if it doesn't book up, so hopefully that turns out :)

And in August, I'll start college. I have almost all the details planned out in my mind, so my prediction is that I'll attend the University of Cincinnati for Finance in the fall. I would honestly be surprised if this prediction turns out to be false! I'm thankful I at least know where and what I want to do because a lot of my friends at least don't know where they want to go yet!

Those are my 2013 predictions. It's going to be a big year for me. I think in another 20 years, 2013 will be a year that will stand out in my mind. On one hand, I'm nervous about it, but on the other, I'm a little excited too.

I hope 2013 is the best year yet for each of you!

I Have Been Blessed

I love the song Blessed by Martina McBride, and I thought of it as I sat down to write this post.

Lately I've just been noticing so many different blessings in my life. I think during the Christmas season, it's so easy to see all of the things you have going for you.

Here's a few of things I have been blessed by......

Excellent weather on Monday. The rest of the week hasn't been as nice, but on Monday I wore capris and a short sleeve shirt. In December. Love!

My sweet dog who loves me for me. She's currently curled up on my lap as I write this post!

Random calls from family. One of my cousins called me earlier in the week to tell me about a new cupcakery I need to try out (she knows me well!) and just to chat a little bit. I love that I have family I enjoy spending time with. I also love that my family puts our family first!

Parents that know me so well. Not many people would know that giving me a St. Nick present of Paris cupcake liners and a Christmas spatula is my dream come true!

The sweetest mentor ever for my Senior Project. I met with her last night, and she came with 3 cakes made that we ended up stacking into a 3-tiered cake and decorating. I brought the cake into school today, and everyone loved it!

She also gave me a ton of baking goodies to "add to my collection". I can't believe how generous she is.

Super sweet friends. My lunch table friends all decided to do a gift exchange. We picked names, and we're planning on going out to lunch over Christmas break to swap presents. I'm SO excited!

As Martina put it perfectly, I have been blessed.

One Happy Post

So this is a post that I had hoped I would write this year. I know last year every once in a while I would write about Junior year. In this post and this post  specifically I wrote about how difficult last year was. It wasn't impossible, and I tried hard not to complain, but sometimes it was just too much. There would be days where school was hectic, the kids I babysit were acting crazy, and then I would come home and work on homework for hours until I went to bed with absolutely no break.

I could probably count on one hand the number of days I did NOT have a quiz or test in school because I pretty much had one every single day. And not that it was totally impossible, but it was definitely exhausting.

Well, I can happily say that the rumors are true: Senior year isn't as demanding as Junior year. Alleluia! I realize I'm not that far into Senior year, but I feel like I'm far enough in where I know the homework load. I just can't really express how amazing it feels to be able to do a lot more relaxing and fun things when I come home from school.

Take today for example, this is my amount of homework:

I finished everything except about half an hour of homework by 5 o'clock. Yes!

Tonight I'm planning on painting my nails, baking a dessert for a party tomorrow, and making a headband for my themed dance tomorrow night! Pure bliss :)

We've got a big Senior Project to do this year (I might write a post about it one of these days!), and some people are really freaking out about it, but I'm honestly super excited about it. I'm doing my project on something I absolutely love and am passionate about, so I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

We also have a Senior Series in art class where we each get to pick some kind of theme to do a whole bunch of art work on. I chose mine on Paris, and I'm really looking forward to doing those projects too!

So although I do think the amount of work has decreased from Junior to Senior year, I'm also not dreading the work that I do have because I have a lot more freedom this year in studying things that I want to study.

And I can't believe I'm about to incorporate Beowulf into a blog post, but I am....

Last week in my English class we read the poem Beowulf. It's an old oral tradition story that eventually got written down about a hero that slays monsters and dragons, but eventually ends up getting killed in the end.

Today in class we were talking about the story and how it incorporated a lot of faith and God into it. The narrator had a big belief in God that really showed through the entire story. It also pointed out the fact that having faith in God and humanity can really take you far in life, but in the end it's important to remember that everyone is still human, and everyone still makes mistakes.

This got me thinking about how this all applies to my own life. Sometimes I think that having a strong faith tends to make more things in your life go "right". But I've realized that's not really the case. Having faith in God doesn't mean your life is free of problems, but it also doesn't mean that your life is a lot better than someone else's who has no faith.

I think that having faith just changes your perspective, not your situations. But a good, faith-like perspective makes all the difference. And that's what I took away from Beowulf - that faith and trust doesn't make us not human, but it does make us better equipped to handle life's challenges.

I never thought I'd be able to relate a couple thousand year old story to my life (and this blog post), but somehow I did!

So maybe although my circumstances have improved somewhat since last year, maybe I'm also getting a little bit better of a perspective that makes me see the best in my days. That's definitely something I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to get better at!

So have a good rest of your Thursday, and try to focus on what went right today instead of the things that went wrong :)

Dreams Really Do Come True

I have been loving watching the Olympics for the past week! The other night I watched Gabby Douglas win the gold, and Michael Phelps break the world record and become the most dressed Olympian of all time. And it just made me SO happy.

I just think it's so neat to see these people who have put so much time and effort into something they love to do, and then those dreams actually become a reality.

And although it's so cool to see Michael Phelps win the most Olympic medals ever....

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...and witness Gabby Douglas win the gold in the all-around, which is something only 3 Americans have done before her...

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...and watch Missy Franklin (who's my age!) win her first gold medals, I've learned from watching these Olympics that it's so much more than that.

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Of course these athletes will always be remembered for the amazing accomplishments they earned at the 2012 London Olympics, but in another 20 years, someone may beat Michael Phelps's 22 medal record. And another young American gymnast may win the all-around. Some one else may even beat Missy Franklin's world record.

So although all of those gold medals and world records are something to be extremely proud of, life isn't about the number of Olympic medals you have, how well you can do on the uneven bars, or how quickly you can swim a 200-meter backstroke.

And the thing that makes me the proudest about these three athletes is that they realize this too. And that makes incredibly happy and proud to be an American and to be able to cheer on these athletes.

Because Michael Phelps said in an interview that although he has the most Olympic medals ever, he's still just the same guy he was before he boarded that plane to London, and that he swims simply because he loves it.

I love how when Gabby Douglas received her gold medal on the podium, afterwards she said that all the glory and praise goes to God since He blessed her with her gymnast abilities.

And I think it's so cool that Missy Franklin stayed and trained for the Olympics in her hometown in Colorado so that she could be with her friends and live a normal teenage life. I also think it's so neat that she swam for her high school team because that's what she loves to do.

I think it's so funny that going into the Olympics, I was cheering for these athletes to win the gold, and now that they've done that, I'm praying that they are able to reach so many other Americans besides just me to show them that the gold medals don't mean a thing if you don't love what you do and can be thankful for all the hardships it took you to get there.

Sometimes it's just the simplest things, like the Olympic games, that can teach you a life lesson. And from now on, I'm going to try my best to always follow my heart and do what I love to do, while also accepting the disappointing times, and remembering how blessed I am if my dreams come true.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. ~ Colossians 3:23

Hope

I'm going deep with this post :) I'm writing about hope today. Partly because I feel like this is a big part of my life, and partly because I want to have this post to look back on in the future.

I have been SO stressed lately. I've got finals coming up, along with AP exams, and they are all falling in the same 2 weeks. Projects and presentations keep popping up, and my weekends are all so busy already. I feel like my life has been put into fast forward, and I can't wait until it's all over so I can take a step back and breathe a little easier. So for now, I'm holding on to hope!

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Hope - "the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best"

I really like that last part that events will turn out for the best. I feel like I am constantly clinging to hope. Life isn't easy right now, and I often feel stressed.

But I know it's just a phase. I won't be experiencing this difficult school year forever. Life will go on and times will change. I don't know what this life will bring me, and that scares me. I don't know if my plans match God's plan for my life. I wish I knew how the rest of my life is going turn out, but I don't. I have no idea, and no one does. So, in the mean time, I cling to this:

"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you."

~ Jeremiah 29:11-14

And I think about my life long-term. I have faith that one day I will be in heaven (at least I hope so - ha!). When I stop to think about that, it makes the hard times now seem so worth it.

I imagine heaven as being infinitely better than even the perfect days on earth. The simple feelings of falling in love, finding the perfect purse on sale, laughing with friends, eating a delicious dessert. All of those simple, perfect moments on earth will seem insignificant in heaven. And that gives me hope.

Eventually I will have a perfect life. And that gives me hope to get through today and to face any other obstacle that gets thrown my way.

Because I know there are going to be lots of obstacles over the next few weeks and the rest of my life. But it will all be worth it in the end. Thank goodness! :)

Kairos 53

As I mentioned yesterday, I just got back from a really awesome retreat called Kairos! I went with a group of about 40 girls from school, and I ended up having a lot of fun. We left on Tuesday afternoon and came back Friday night.

I can't tell you a whole lot about the retreat because I know that there are girls who read my blog who haven't gone on it yet. They ask us not to tell them what activities you do on Kairos so it doesn't ruin the surprise of it. Going into the retreat, I was SO frustrated that I had no clue what to expect, but now I have to admit - it is definitely better not knowing!

So, I'm just going to share a few things that don't give anything away. Of course I'm dying to tell you all about it, but I really can't!

This is the room I stayed it - you had a private room, but it was kind of creepy!

Seriously, how creepy is this closet? I thought a killer was going to pop out and hack me to pieces.....ha!

Some of my friends and I took pictures in the closet :)

This was the area where we spent a lot of our time. I was trying to take a picture of my friend Andrea, but she hid under the table :)

These were from the last day.....

Can you tell how incredibly awful I look? I was running on only a few hours of sleep each night, and my allergies were terrible, so my eyes were looking pretty crazy!

I was really nervous going into the retreat at first, but by end I ended up really enjoying it. I liked that it was totally different from any retreat or really anything in general that I had experienced before.

I also had a really awesome small group - we ended up getting along great and we had a bunch of inside jokes by the end of the week. I've got to share the one story with you because it was SO neat.

This was my small group, and as you can see, we're holding a Bible in this picture.

Well, this bible had been through a lot. One of this girls in my group had accidentally spilled an entire cup of hot chocolate all over it. We were cracking up when it dried and the pages were all brown and wavy.

We gave it to one of the adults, who set it aside. Well, the next day we needed to use our Bibles to look through and find some passages that we really liked. We decided we wanted to use our "Chocolate Bible" to look through. So we grabbed it, and we all had our own Bibles that we were looking through. When we would find a passage we wanted to share, we would read it out loud to our group.

Well, we ended up randomly finding a piece of paper tucked inside the "Chocolate Bible" with some verses written down. Magically, the piece of paper was NOT covered in chocolate. We all got excited as we looked up the passage and read it out loud. It turned out to be our absolute favorite passage. We all loved it, as it was perfect for what we were supposed to be looking for. We all agreed that it wasn't just a coincidence, and we believed that God had somehow done that for a reason. It was SO neat.

AND, I totally just realized that the paper said 2 Peter 1:3-12, but we ended up looking up 1 Peter 1:3-12. Oh well! The passage from 1 Peter really was perfect :)

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.

Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested in fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus is revealed. You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him.

It was concerning this salvation that the prophets made careful search and investigation, and they prophesied about this gift which God would give you. They tried to find out when the time would be and how it would come. This was the time in which Christ's Spirit in them was pointing, in predicting the sufferings that Christ would have to endure and the glory that would follow. God revealed to these prophets that their work was not for their own benefit, but for yours, as they spoke about those things which you have now heard from the messengers who announced the Good News by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things which even the angels would like to understand.

An Unexpected Lesson

I smiled as I walked into my parent's friend's house on New Years Eve. I said my hellos, and before I knew it, I was standing around talking with my mom and her friends.

And suddenly a feeling of sadness washed over me as I began thinking about things. For the first time in years, I wasn't spending New Years Eve with a big group of friends. It made me sad to think how things had changed so rapidly in the last few weeks.

That's when I learned an unexpected life lesson....

Everyone started gathering around the kitchen table. More chairs kept being added. All of the adults and teenagers sat down for a game of Apples to Apples - my favorite!

If you've never played Apples to Apples before, one of the biggest things in the game is being able to "read" the judge. I thought about how hard this was going to be with a group of my parent's friends.

As we start playing, I realize how wrong I was. "Reading" the judges and picking the right cards came easy, and I won the game. We start packing up the cards, when we all decide to play another game. By now, I'd forgotten about my feelings of sadness, and I realize how much fun I was having.

Now, every time a judge picked my card, everyone got mad :) The game started becoming absolutely hilarious, and I realized that I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.

Like when the category was earthy, and my dad puts down a Swiss cheese card. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, including me. I won the second game too :)

Now we decide to pack up the game for good. The dads go off to play PS3, and those of us left decide to play something else.

This time, someone picks out Quelf.

via

I'd never heard of the game before, but I catch on pretty quick. Before I know it, I'm laughing harder than I ever have. This game was hysterical! You have to complete what the cards say, and if you don't, you have to face a penalty.

The cards ask you to do some pretty crazy things. Our game involved....

...me slow dancing with my mom's friend...

...someone pretending to be a one-eyed mime in a box of ferrets...

...someone singing Old McDonald with verses related to all of the players...

...me running around the house in slow motion...

...my mom attempting to deliver a eulogy for a dead dog - she didn't finish though because she was laughing so hard!...

...barking at anyone who wasn't playing...

...me pointing at a wall for an entire round...

...my mom acting like she had hot lava on her...

...and so much more!

This game sounds pretty ridiculous, and that's because it is, but it was SO much fun! We all couldn't stop laughing the entire game :)

After the ball dropped, and we headed back home, I thought about the night, and how it turned out to be one of the funniest nights I've had in a really long time. I wasn't dreading the party going into it, but I definitely wasn't expecting it to be that fun.

I realized an unexpected lesson: to never judge a situation before it even happens.

I was sad about not being with my friends, but I had a night that was just as fun (maybe even more?) than my previous New Years Eves spent with my friends.

Now I've learned to go into every situation with an open mind because you never know when God will surprise you and give you something better than you could have expected.

My last post talked about change. I'm hoping to change my attitude and go into these new changes with a confident attitude, because although it isn't what I would plan for my life, it will probably turn out even better :)

Looking Forward

I thought it would be really fun to post my predictions and a few things I want to work on this year. I figured it would be fun to look back on these next year and see if any of my predictions came true!

If I had one word that I'm guessing will sum up 2012 it would be change, which honestly scares me. I'm SO not good with change, and I think I'm really going to have to work on that this year....

I think my friends are going to change. I can feel this happening already in the last few weeks. I just feel like some of us are slowly drifting apart, and I'm nervous that this will continue :/

I think my family is going to change. Some crazy things have happened the last few weeks/days, and I have a really big feeling that this year is going to bring a lot of changes with my family, and it really makes me sad how things can change so suddenly.

With that being said, here are some other predictions that I have for this year!

1. I'll finish my junior year of high school, which is "rumored" to be the hardest academic year. Hopefully that's true because I don't want next year to be any harder :)

2. I'll go on vacation with my family! I always look forward to that over the summer, and we've already got an idea for what I think will be a fun trip!

3. I'll start my senior year of high school. Ahhh, more changes. I'm already getting kind of sad that high school is going by so fast.

4. I'll apply to college. This one seriously freaks me out! Unlike a lot of other people, I'm not quite ready to be done with high school. Basically, I'm seriously freaked about moving onto college. When did I get to be so old? :)

See, I told you this year was going to bring a LOT of changes. Now, here are some things I want to work on this year....

1. Accepting change!

I figure that since I'm not very good at it, I'll have a lot of opportunities to get better at accepting change this year.

2. Trust

Part of the reason I'm so afraid of change is because I have a hard time trusting God's plan for life in the face of so many difficult (and changing!) times. I really need to work on just accepting my life as it presents itself to me :)

3. Living now

One of the biggest things I struggle with day-to-day is living in the moment. I'm always looking ahead and longing for better days, or I'm looking back and wishing I could re-live my favorite memories. I have trouble finding moments of happiness in my "ordinary" days, and I need to work on that!

Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

~ James 1:2-3

Day 13: Favorite Bible Verse/Quote

My absolute favorite Bible verse is:

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you.

- Jeremiah 29:11-14

Another one of my favorites is......

I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, and I tell you, "Don't be afraid, I will help you."

- Isaiah 41:13

My favorite quote is.......

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
- Joseph Cambell

What are some of your favorite verses or quotes?

Change

Today was my last day of summer :/ I didn't do anything overly exciting today, but  it was nice to have a simple, relaxing last day!

I watched Something Borrowed again this morning! We bought it on DVR, so we had if for 24 hours, and I figured I would turn it on while I did some stuff this morning. I baked some chocolate chip muffins and then painted my nails. My nails were in bad shape - they were in desperate need of some TLC, especially my toe nails. They look so much better now!

I painted my finger nails too. I don't know why, but I always feel more accomplished when my nails are painted - ha!

My puppy got a desperately needed haircut today. Now she can actually see!

My mom and I went to PF Chang's for lunch. It's been way too long since I've been there, and it was SO good. We swung by DSW afterwards so I could pick up the boots I've had my eye on. To say I'm obsessed with them would be an understatement.

We went and walked around Target in the afternoon, and then went to Zip Dip for a final summer ice cream treat!

When I got home, I finally got around to do something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I made some digital scrapbook layouts. The first one is of Grand Cayman....

....and the second one is a mix of different pictures from summer.

Tomorrow I start my junior year of high school. A few days ago, I was super nervous, but I'm working on just going with it. I figure that being nervous isn't going to change anything, and it will help so much more to go into this year with a positive attitude instead of a negative one.

I've heard that junior year is the hardest academic-wise, but I'm trying to keep in mind that it is just a season of life, and I won't be stuck studying American history forever! So, I'm pushing all of the negative thoughts out of my head, and I'm going to try to make the best out of all the hard work and learn something from it!

I have a feeling that this year is going to bring a lot of changes in my life, but I am praying that they are good changes and that they shape me into a better person!

I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, and I tell you, "Don't be afraid, I will help you."

- Isaiah 41:13

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

- Philippians 4:13

Exam Week

Exam week has arrived. Well, almost. My school has exams officially next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. But I took my Pre-Calculus exam today. I'm SO glad to have that one out of the way! I've got 1 down, and only 6 more to go! So, don't be surprised if I go a little MIA this upcoming week.

I'm trying not to stress and worry about exams. They are important, but they are definitely not the most important thing in the world!

This is for sure going to be a busy weekend. Thank goodness I'm off school for Memorial Day on Monday! I'm hoping you are going to have a better week than I will probably have :)

Friday!

It's finally Friday! This is just going to be a quick and random post. I'll probably do another post either Sunday or Monday on the weekend. But, I wanted to share some really random thoughts from today........

1. Trust

Today we had Confession at school. The advice the priest gave me was to focus on one word: trust. I almost laughed out loud. Simply because trust is the word I choose for this year. My goal I wrote at the beginning of the year was to trust more! How cool is that? I think it's a sign - I for sure need to work on trusting more now!

2. Instagram

The iPhone seems like all of the rage lately. I would LOVE to have one, but the monthly data plans are something I can't afford at 15 :) LOL. I do have an iPod Touch though, which I love. Everyone has been talking about the Instagram app for the iPhone. Turns out you can use it on your iPod touch too! So, guess who is obsessed with the app now? That's right, me!

The app is SO easy to use and it makes your pictures look so cute.

 This is an old one from Disney a few years ago:

3. Remember When Wednesday

You know my Memory Monday? I'm going to change is to Remember When Wednesday. (Memory Wednesday just didn't sound as good!) It's just going to work out better for me to get the post up on Wednesday. It's hard to get it up right after the weekend, especially since I usually like to blog about my weekend on Sunday night.

Well, that's about it!

Have a good weekend!

Trust

Do you read Sara @ Gitzen Girl's blog? If not, you really should! She truly has a way with words, and her posts always inspire me. She has written some great posts, my favorites being Longing or Living, Stop Looking and Start Acknowledging, and Praise.  Her post on Praise is more specifically what I want to focus on today. Sara decided to pick a word that she was going to use to define 2011. She chose Praise. Then she encouraged all of her readers to pick their word for 2011. And yesterday she posted a list of all of the words.

So, what word did I pick? Trust.

That's what I want to focus on this year. Trust.

Trusting in my friends and family. But most importantly, trusting in God.

I'm choosing to trust that God is always there.

We walk by faith, not by sight. - 2 Corinthians 5: 7

I'm choosing to trust that I will always have the power to find the best things in life, no matter how tough life gets.

Though war be waged against me, even then do I trust. - Psalm 27: 3

I'm choosing to trust that my life is in God's hands.

Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us. - Ephesians 3:20

I'm choosing to trust that if I focus on God, I can do anything.

I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. - Philippians 4:13

I'm choosing to trust that God's plan is far greater than anything I have planned for myself.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

I'm choosing to trust that the little things in life don't matter. I shouldn't stress about the insignificant things. The clothes I wear, the grades I get, and the amount of money isn't what is truly important in life.

Let the Lord have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you! - 1 Peter 5:1

So I'm choosing to trust this year.

What will you choose to do?

A Mix of Things......

I haven't blogged in almost a week, and I thought I would do a little update, even though nothing overly exciting has happened :)

On Friday night, I went over to my friend's house for a little party. I decided to show up in sweatpants (which I rarely do), and it turns out everyone else showed up looking cute! Figures..... But it was a lot of fun, and I got to meet some new people.

On Saturday, I went out with to dinner with my family, and then went to Barnes and Noble. I also had to get some Coldstone ice cream. It was around 17 degrees, but ice cream just sounded SO good - ha!

Today I went to my cousin's birthday party, and other than that I've just been working on homework. :/ I did finish my art project though.

The assignment was to create a poster advertising anything we wanted. I chose to advertise Ocean Grove. They are a great band - and if you've never heard of them, you should check them out! They've got a single out right now called "Our House" that you can download for FREE on their website.

Now that I've done a little run through of my weekend, I have some other things to write about....

I've been reading a blog called Hope in the Waiting for a little while now, and the other day Krista wrote a post about a devotional that she reads. I looked at it, and I decided to buy it too, and I'm so glad I did. I thought I would post about it too in case anyone is interested. This is the link, and you can buy an online version, where they will e-mail you a devotional everyday for a year - for only $10!

This was today's post, to give you a little example:

Well, that's about all I have for now. I can't wait for this week to be over because I am sick of studying for exams.....