Saturday!!!/Month of Thanks Week 1

IT'S SATURDAY, PEOPLE.

I could scream and jump and dance for joy right now!!! This week was definitely the busiest week of my entire semester. I am planning to use this day to do nothing but relax. I might decide to get a head start on some work for next week but we'll see how responsible I decide to be today. I have been a hermit all week (seriously...if you've seen me it has been in class or at meals...that is all.) Why do professors decide to schedule 2 big papers, a big project, and a big test all on the same day? I personally think they are just trying to make sure we don't go out and have more fun than they do. But even though homework has forced me to be a hermit all week, right now I'm just fine hanging out with Monica, Chandler, Rachel, Ross, Phoebe, and Joey...And eating peanut butter and nutella in my pajamas. I have the rest of my life to go out and have fun. I am going to be a hermit one more day. =)

Well as you know, this month is Thanksgiving! If you don't believe me just ask Nicole Westbrook...she is the new Rebecca Black after all...

She's telling me I need to be thankful...which brings me to my next point... 30 days of thanks!!! Here goes week one!

1.  MY FRIENDS. I have been blessed to have friends who can make me laugh, encourage me, and just be their awesome selves.

2. MY SCHOOL. I have grown so much because of this place. I love being a part of a student body who's goal is to serve the Lord and to build each other up. We are a family. We care about each other. We lean on each other.

3. MY FAMILY. Even though all families have their issues, I am thankful I have one. They have given me so much and I love them.

4. KIDS. I work with kids a lot. I do nursery at church twice a week, watch kids while their parents are at Bible study every other week, and babysit often for families on campus. I am thankful that I can be used to help their parents out and to be an impact on their lives.

5. SLEEP. Sleeping can be hard for me to do sometimes. Whether it's homework keeping me up half the night or nightmares keeping me awake, I am thankful whenever I get the chance to catch up on sleep!

6. MEDICINE. I was feeling like death that day. Medicine was my best friend. Which brings me to...

7. MY HEALTH. After waking up feeling a million times better than I had been feeling the past couple days I realized how much I take being healthy for granted!

8. COFFEE. I'm not a coffee addict, but let me tell you...sometimes coffee is just the only thing that has the power to get me through the day.

9. MY SALVATION. The biggest assignment I had due yesterday was a paper for my Romans class on salvation. After spending hours on end digging into the book of Romans, it was impossible not to just stop and think about how good I have it. I don't deserve anything, yet Christ gave me the greatest gift of all. He forgave me of my sins and has given me a promise of eternal life in heaven.

10. WEEKENDS. I would die without them.

Be thinking about what you are thankful for!!! Have a great weekend!!!

#ohsoblessed

You are His Princess.

This week is really crazy for me and it's killing me that I can't blog about the million things on my mind, but I am at least going to leave you with some encouragement I found today while sitting in class on Pinterest. Being single in the midst of so many dating/engaged/married couples can be discouraging. But you know what? God knows what He's doing in your life! This love letter is a truth that all single women should remember. Seek God and He will take care of the rest. His plan is perfect.

Halloween Week!

This week was Halloween and I took advantage of the opportunity to carve pumpkins, eat lots of fall treats and candy, watch scary movies, and dress up in things I would never be able to wear on a normal day! On Tuesday I had a little party with some friends. To start off the night, we played "Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin." When you're in college, parents sometimes send the most random epic packages. A friend of mine was given a "Party in a Box" from her mom, so we decided that we would put the game to use. It was hilarious, to say the least. We each were blindfolded...some of us were thrown over a shoulder and carried to another part of the room...spun around (I may or may not have fallen down), and then had to find our way back to the pumpkin.

After we all made fools of ourselves we carved some pretty awesome pumpkins. After about an hour of operating on our pumpkins and pulling out their guts, this is what we got!

We then proceeded to watch a scary movie. Bad idea? You could say that. But we had WAY too much fun to consider it a bad idea. We all screamed like little girls and were huddled together as if someone were trying to pry us all apart, but hey...that's half the fun of scary movies. I don't know who was more scared, me or the guys. We all saw each other the next day and the lack of sleep was mutual between most of us! The movie we watched, by the way was The Woman in Black. If you wanna get scared and pee your pants, watch it.

It was a GREAT night. Look at all these smiling faces! I am blessed to call these people my friends.

On the night of Halloween my good friend, Taylor, and I decided to go out trick-or-treating. We may be old farts, but we both could pass as 15 year olds, so we decided we could get away with it. Arriving back later that night with a bucket full of candy reassured me it was a good idea. PLUS I got to wear a sparkly pink tutu (which I made myself!)...so yes, it was for sure the best idea we ever had!

(And yes...my wings are on upside down in this picture. haha)

It's been a great week full of friends, tricks, and treats!!! =)

God is able!

Today, I'm finding joy in that my God is able to do all things!
He will never ever fail us. How awesome is that?!

Our student body sang this song in chapel a few weeks ago and I love it.

Take a minute to listen and reflect on the lyrics...I just know you'll love it too!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Keep on keepin on! =)

alive.

Friends, let me tell you. God is very much alive. You know those days when you feel like you will never make it to the end...but somehow you make it through to the next morning? You really want to tell me you do that on your own strength? No no no. That is alllll God.

This semester is finally starting to feel like school. The school work is starting to pile up and I'm starting to feel the pressure! I truly am loving school though. I love this student body, I love my friends...life has just been good. BUT I really want to put more time into writing to my readers. God has been so good and life is moving crazy fast, so I seriously need to start sharing with you some of the excitement goin on!

Today is a little crazy, but stay tuned...I'll be sharing some things God has been teaching me as soon as I get a chance to sit down and write without interruptions!

tear down this wall.

Dear God,

Brick by brick

I've built a wall inside my heart so high.

Strong and sturdy,

yet cold and hard.

I thought this was the only way to keep my heart safe.

No heartache, no betrayal, no disappointments.

This must be the only answer.

Stop giving away any of my heart...even small pieces...

and no one will be able to harm it.

My guard has been up for far too long, Lord.

While my heart is what I've been trying to protect,

it's also suffering miserably.

My heart is being stifled behind this wall I've built.

No one has been able to hurt this heart,

but it hasn't received any warmth either.

I haven't given any room for growth in old friendships, and

frankly I make it hard for new friends to get to know me.

I need this wall to be torn down.

This wall I've built is not protecting anything.

It doesn't allow me to love others.

It doesn't allow me to accept love from others.

It doesn't allow me to be Your servant.

It has caused more hurt than it has kept out.

I'm done building this wall.

I want it gone. NOW.

It's blocking me from this world I am called to love.

I need to trust You to be my defender and stop trying to do it on my own.

I obviously don't know how to do it right.

Tear down this wall, Lord. Help me to love without fear.

Love, Your Daughter

change.

Oh hello, September. I wasn't expecting you so soon. Summer can't be over already, can it?

I suppose it is the sad truth. I made the drive up to school earlier this week and said sayonara to summer. It is good to be back at school, but as usual...it feels weird. Every year so much changes; I change.

With this being my senior year of college, I'm excited...and nervous...and finding myself with an extreme case of senioritis. Graduation day is still over eight months away, but I'm pretty positive it will go by fast. Good thing? Bad thing? I don't know, but right now I'm thinking it's pretty good. If change is inevitable, it might as well happen in a new stage of life.

I know God has a lot to teach me this year. I know there are a lot of things that need to change in my life and deep within my heart. I already know there will be challenges, but I know they need to be faced in order to be overcome.

So here's to a new school year.

Here is to another opportunity for growth.

Here is to God using whatever it takes while I'm here to break me and make me into

who I need to be.

My goal is to reach graduation day as a changed person. Changed more into the likeness of Christ that is. When I leave this place and go off into the world, I need to be founded in my Savior. I am anxious to see the journey He has planned this year for me in order to transform this heart.