Leapin' Snow Day!!!

So today was "Leap Day." Honestly, I don't remember any events of previous leap days. It's just another day in my book. But today, my friends...today I really feel like it was an extra, unexpected day of awesomeness. I woke up this morning to realize I was living inside a snow globe. (We had somewhere close to two feet of snow by the end of today!) I was highly disappointed when I remembered that I was in college...where we don't get snow days. We still have to trek our way through the snow to sit through endless hours of class. Well...all of us students were highly surprised when it was announced late morning that classes for the rest of the day were CANCELLED. A snow day??? In college??? Doesn't happen...at least not at my tiny little college in the woods. But yes. Today we had a legit snow day...which means mega snow ball fights, tubing, throwing my friends in the snow, and large amounts of hot chocolate. Here are a few pictures of our tubing fun taken by my friend, Ashleigh. I'm the one in the back, laughing like a giddy little child. =P

I hope you are all having a fantastic week! I know mine has been great so far, and I have even more exciting things coming up...for instance, my sister is coming tomorrow for the weekend!!!!!! =) I should probably get some sleep so I have energy to hug her to death tomorrow.

God bless and goodnight!

Dependency.

Dependency. It's something we so often fool ourselves into thinking we don't need. We go day by day running on our own strength. Feeling like the world is ours and nothing can hold us back. But then it happens...we have a bad day and we find ourselves wishing we had someone, anyone to lean on. The Bible is pretty clear that we need others to help hold us up.

"Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety."

Proverbs 11:14

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Some people struggle with this, and some people (like me) maybe don't struggle enough. Dependency on others. It's a balancing act. Sometimes we lean on others a little TOO much. Once in a while I find myself depending solely on others and not nearly enough on my God. Which is terrible, because God has more capacity and power to hold me up than everyone on this planet combined. Several weeks ago I was sitting in church and my pastor said something that got me thinking one question to myself...

"Why do I depend so much on others?"

I thought of more than one reason. Others give me confidence, others make me feel secure, others give me good advice...but most of all, I find myself depending on those who lead me to Christ. Funny, isn't it? Depending on others more than Christ because they point me to Christ. It was an odd thing to think about. I go to others first because they give me godly advice. I go to others first because they remind me of how God wants me to act. I go to others first because they have a Christ-like character. BUT...I rarely go to GOD HIMSELF first. For so long I have been using godly friends as a mediator to reach God. I don't know if this makes a lot of sense, but for me it was a wake up call. People come and go, but we can always keep with us what they taught us. Even the best of friends disappoint and they aren't always around, but if the reason we were so dependent on them in the first place was because they pointed us to Christ...we can hold onto that forever.

We all need to have a little dependency on other godly friends, but that dependency should never be placed above our dependency on God! We need to go to Him first with everything...and friendships should always be so Christ-centered, that no matter what happens we should always be able to look back and see all the ways Christ used that person to grow us.

Just a thought.

=)

.indescribable.

Do you ever stop and think to yourself just how AMAZING God is? The past few weeks God has revealed Himself to me in such awesome ways. A few weeks ago I was struggling...struggling to the point where all I could do was cry out to God and ask Him to guide me. I had no idea what I was doing anymore, what I wanted, what I needed, who I was. Something I've learned over time is that God works the most when we are completely desperate for Him to show us the way. We're only human and truth is...we can't conquer the world on our own. (Shocker, I know!) Well this past week I have been nearly brought to tears several times when I look and see how God's hand has been guiding me. I know that He heard my desperate cries and He has definitely been taking care of me in a way that I can't really describe in its entirety.


I came across Lamentations 3 the other day and I couldn't stop smiling after I read it. My favorite part of the chapter is verses 17-25...

My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is;

so I say, "My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord."

Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!

My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have HOPE:

The steadfast love of the Lord NEVER ceases: his mercies NEVER come to an end;

they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will

HOPE IN HIM."

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

Isn't that simply amazing??? When you can't remember what happiness is, when it feels like there is no hope... we can remember that Jesus Christ is HOPE. It's so easy to give up...to lose faith...to lose hope. Thank God He always pulls me back up when I start to feel that way. He has so much mercy on us it's hard to wrap my mind around it. He LOVES us so much I can't even fathom it! Rediscovering this new hope I have in Christ is simply...well... breathtaking. Through all these ups and downs and the days of lacking faith, God hasn't given up on me.

HOW HE LOVES.

simply. indescribable.

{.february the fourteenth.}

Well, February 14th is almost at its end. Oh, Valentine's Day. There are so many things I could say about this day. Personally, I LOVE Valentine's Day. No, I don't have a Valentine whom eye's I could gaze into all day. Not that I want to gaze into someone's eyes all day...I'm not much for "eye babies." But nevertheless, today was a really good day. I got to wear my new heart cardigan (no, I'm not ashamed to say that I'm not above the cliche dress code of today!), I got to eat about three tons of sugar, and I got to sing and dance and laugh with friends. I've lived through many Valentine's Days...most single, some while in love, but I've come to realize that it doesn't matter if you're single or not on this day. Valentine's day is FUN. Plain and simple. It's a day to give your friends tacky presents to show them you love them. Its a day where you don't have to feel guilty for eating candy til you nearly explode. What could be better than that?! =)


Okay, but in all seriousness folks...let's try to remember one thing. Besides eating three tons of candy, the idea of Valentine's Day should be a daily thing! Maybe without all of the unnecessary tackiness...but all that love...ya, that shouldn't come for just one day! Whether you have a special someone or not, we all have Christ and we should be living out His love every. single. day. 


Don't let the commercialism of February 14th bring you down. Don't let one cold random day of winter make you think less of who you are. Let every day be one where laughter is the BEST medicine, God is your focus, and relationships outside of Christ do not define you! Remember who you are in Christ...nothing is greater!

"I have loved you with an everlasting love..."

Jeremiah 31:3

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{.cue weekend.}

Happy Saturday! I hope you all have had a lovely day! This week has been crazy and today was a good day to just relax a little bit. My week was a little odd since I didn't get back up to school until about 2:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. I made last weekend into a much needed long weekend at home. It was soooo nice having only three days of classes this week! The weekend came so insanely, amazingly fast!

CUE FRIDAY.

Oh FRIDAY. Yesterday was a day of craziness...

Woke up. Went to class. Attitude went down. Continued through the day. Attitude got checked! Drove off campus as fast as I could. (weekend!!!) Ate Chinese for dinner. Went in a sauna while dressed in a winter coat and boots. (175 degrees in a sauna while dressed like an eskimo? Try living in Wisconsin in February and you will understand!) Watched a movie. Headed back towards campus in a Jetta with Jamie. Got lost within a two mile radius in Jetta. Jetta ran out of gas in the middle of the road. Homeless man scared me half to death. Two men in creeper van pulled up to offer "help." Finally got gas from mine and Jamie's new awesome Ukrainian friend. (thanks, John!) Arrived back to campus at 12:30 a.m. And...cue sheep above bed as I counted them and fell asleep.

Friday was a good day. I couldn't stop laughing the whole night despite the temporary inconvenience. I don't understand why some people stress out in those kinds of situations. I personally can never stop laughing! Especially when I'm with friends. I view those times as mini adventures...things always work out...why freak out? Totally not worth it!

Well this morning I had to return the Jetta to John and take back my ill Chevy Blazer. =/ After driving a clean, properly functioning, pretty car...I really wish I could afford a new one! But on the plus side I got to make pancakes for breakfast with Jamie! Great start to any morning. Oh and I got a Valentine's package from my parents today containing chocolate and a new travel mug from Starbucks! Yay! No more coffee leaking all over everything! (...and this one changes colors when you poor coffee in it. I am FASCINATED.)

dd

Anywhoo...I am off to continue enjoying my weekend by having a movie/ice cream date with my lovely, Ashley! Do something fun tonight guys! Monday will be here before we know it...relax while you can! =) And remember when the unexpected happens, just keep your chin up and keep laughing. I know I forget to do this sometimes...but God is at work and He is in control. Keep livin, keep lovin, and keep lookin up. =)

memories > school.

I did a little photo shoot with one of my best friends, Kelsey, today! It was FREEZING out but we had lots of fun regardless! And she looked beautiful as always! Here's a little peek. =)

Kelsey took a few of me as well! She's the greatest. =)

Today was a great day with a great friend! And to think I could have spent the whole day in classes. HA! I'm glad I chose to make this a long weekend at home. I wish I could stay forever, but tomorrow night it is back to college I go!

missing.

The should be's, the could be's, the never will be's.

It's all there.

The proof of what is missing.

But what is missing allows me to see more.

That which is missing gives clarity to that which is Greater.

Love that was blind has lead me to see the Love that shines so radiantly.

The pain, the scars, I can't escape how they feel.

But this is what leads to Healing.

Healing never comes without first being broken.

So I guess to say in the least

That which is missing has brought me more Gain

Than if it never were to be missing in the first place.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

-Psalm 150:6

Go Red!

February is American Heart Month. My local high school had a Go Red event on Friday to raise awareness of heart disease. A representative from the American Heart Association asked my brother to come and share a little of his story during halftime of the schools' basketball game. My brother is such an inspiration and encouragement to me and so many others I know. Ever since he was little he has had a heart condition. Growing up my parents explained it to me as a hole in his heart. Its more complex than that, but I'm not a doctor so I'm not going to try and explain it. Basically, he had heart surgery when he was fourteen or fifteen and had to get a pace maker put in. Because of this, he wasn't physically able to continue playing sports at the same level as before. Through it all I have seen him be so strong. I saw him go through so much and even though I'm sure its not always easy, he has an awesome attitude and he has grown to be one of the strongest godly influences in my life today. You can read a little bit from him by going here. I remember back around the time of his surgery I was in sixth grade and one day I was called into the counselor's office at school. She wanted to know how I was dealing with "everything at home." It never crossed my mind to talk to someone about how I felt. I remember being really jealous of my brother sometimes during that time---me and my sister were shipped off to three different houses during the time my parents were with my brother at Mayo Clinic, the day he came home he was surprised with a brand new TV in his room, and one time when he had to be rushed to the hospital I had to spend all day at someone's farm gathering eggs under chickens' butts. Even though I got jealous sometimes I remember just looking at that counselor that day and asking her what in the world she was talking about. It wasn't me going through all that crazy stuff, it was my big brother. I know the counselor was just trying to help, but I walked out of there as fast as I could. I would have collected eggs from chickens' butts every day if I had to. My brother was and is still worth it and he totally deserved that new TV more than I did. =P

On Friday, he shared a short testimony of what he went through and how God has used his heart condition to grow him. I was so proud of him for sharing his faith like that in a place where most people probably didn't know Christ. I love you, Andrew! Keep being a light for Christ! You are such an awesome dude and I'm proud to call you my big brother!

(pictures by my amazing sis-in-law, at Julie Ann Imaging...or here.)

Hope you all had a blessed Sunday! =)

Dear February...

Dear February,
     If you don't mind me asking, where did you come from? I was just getting used to January and now its gone. I'm kind of glad you're here though. January was getting a little tiresome and I'm glad you've taken its place. I am determined that you and I will be friends. January and I struggled a little bit but I just know you and I will get along great. Our friendship will bring something new and different into my life. More smiling and laughing first of all. Oh and maybe you could do me a favor and help me to be more diligent with my school work, exercising, and such. If you could do these things for me I know we will be the best of friends. Before long you will be gone just like January and I want to make sure we end on good terms. We have to take advantage of the time we have and make the most of it! Deal? Sounds good to me!

                                                                                                                           Sincererly,

                                                                                                     Michelle

This month I really want to push myself more in all areas. I want to spend more time in God's Word and really strengthen my relationship with Him. He has been trying my faith these last couple weeks and even though its been tough, I know something great is going to come out of it. I'm halfway through the second week of school and its going pretty well so far! Classes aren't too hard yet but I definitely need to buckle down and get some work done! I really need to break my habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done! January has flown by...and since I haven't been blogging a whole lot (I really am sorry!), here is just a glimpse of my month!


I did fun things like spending a day in Chicago with the girls...

(Brianna, Kelsey, me, Lydia, and Jamie waiting at the train station)

I cut my bangs...this may not seem important to you, but after two years of growing them out it's a big deal!

I've been spending my days at school working hard and having fun with my awesome friends! Here is a picture of tonight's sunset...

And unfortunately the majority of what I've been up to this month has been work and school...and I don't really have pictures of those things. =P I OBVIOUSLY need to make an effort to have more adventures this month. Something a little more exciting than cutting my bangs. haha

I hope you all had a great day! God bless!