To be so young...

So a few Wednesday nights ago a little girl at the age of 6 came and gave a speech to our college girls class. This little girl had to be extremely nervous! I mean 6 years-old in front of college girls. Even when I was in high-school college girls intimidated me and made me nervous if I ever had to speak in front of them so I can't imagine how this little girl was feeling.

This precious little girl gave a very very sweet speech about how we should love everyone even though its hard to sometimes.  A very proud mother sat in the back and glowed with pride for this little girl. Fearless she gave a wonderful and very interesting speech to our class. I could not help but to smile at the youth that stood before us. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for children.

After our class was over, my friend and I ran into the mother of the little girl and I couldn't help myself when I said, "ma'am how old was your little girl?" she was 6. "Wow." thats the only words I could form for a moment. When I finally found words I said to the mother "Lily did such a fantastic job tonight in our class. I don't know any 6 year-old girls who would be able to speak in front of college girls." Her mother was so appreciative of this compliment that she asked us to say something to Lily after church. So after service was over me and my friend went over and found Lily and told her how awesome she was for giving us such an awesome lesson and I invited her to come back next week. I don't think she was feeling that brave haha.

The point of writing this is just to say it doesn't matter how old you are, you can make a difference. I learned more from that 6 year-old girl that I usually do from our regular bible class teacher. To see such a brave young girl talking about God makes my heart surge with joy. It makes my heart happy that girls at such young ages talk about God. I wish I was better at talking in front of people about God like Lily. There is so much for me to learn from a sweet 6 year-old girl.

CYC 14

This weekend was spent with about 11,000 Christians in the beautiful city of Gatlinburg. I am so glad I got the privilege to spend my weekend with the wonderful group from back home. So many friendships I already had were strengthened and I even made new ones. I wish I had the words to describe just how wonderful it was, but I don't but I am going to try  my absolute best.

Friday night we had our first session after traveling all day. We were split up in to 2 sessions and in our session was about 5,000 people. Now I don't know if you have ever heard that many people lift their voice up to Jesus at one time, but I hadn't and I was blown away. It was beyond beautiful to hear so many lift their voices to God. It took all that I had to hold it together and not get overly emotional. I was also sitting next to a man that has been in my life since I was a little girl. I have never heard him sing sitting right next to him and it made my heart happy to hear him lifting up his voice. This man is a very important part of my life. He is like my  big brother or my second dad so it was the best to hear him sing. Then comes the lesson presented by a wonderful man of God. Kyle Butt is a phenomenal speaker. His lesson title was "Trust Me." This is a concept that I have a really hard time with. I don't trust people to take care of me all the time. Especially God. I just want to do things my own way and not rely on someone to do it for me. Over and over again I try to do things my own way and it never works. Kyle used the example of a small child that jumps into their fathers arms as long as the father will catch them. They will jump with no problem because in their eyes their father is inhuman kind of and there is no doubt in their young mind that the father will catch them when they jump. God is a father that will never get tired of catching us. As long as we are willing to jump God will be there to catch us when we jump. Trust him. I felt like the lesson he gave was just for me.

The next day we heard 3 more lessons by 3 amazing Godly men. All revolved around trusting the Lord. It was kind of crazy that just what I needed to hear that was exactly what I got this weekend. There was a statement made this weekend that simply stated, "If you do not trust God, it is because you do not fully believe in him." I would love to think that I believe in God. I am  baptized Christian. I know that I struggle with my faith. I struggle with letting God sit in the pilots seat instead of the copilots seat. I hate this about myself at times. Another statement that was made that really shook me to my core, "Are you getting this? Are you getting that everything you see is done for you by God. God gave up his son for you. Why wouldn't he do everything else for you. Are you really seeing all the blessings you have in your life?" Sometimes, okay most of the time, I take what God has given me for granted. I know I do not thank him enough or sometimes at all for all the wonderful things he has done for me.

There is no doubt in my mind that God loves me. There is no doubt a God that is able to provide for me. I just need to swallow my pride and give it all to him. All he wants from me is a relationship and to be my God.

My 2013 Trip To Disney World

I have been in disney world this whole week. It's called the most magical place on earth. For good reason. Disney brings out the child in us all. It's not just for children. Whether you are 2 or 92, you can still love Disney. It is magical for everyone.  

Even for me being almost 20 years old I still find the magic in the wishes fireworks. I still tear up and get excited when I see the castle. When I see a child get excited it usually makes me tear up from excitement. This whole week has been so wonderful. Sure, the friends I was with made fun of me and joked about me because I cry at the tip of a hat. I just can't help it. 

There are so many things about Disney that I love. My favorite part of the whole trip was getting to meet with the princesses and especially Mary Poppins. The girls who do what they do are by far some of the best girls I know. I know it takes a lot of hard work to prefect the characters these ladies and gentlemen portray. They are good at what they do and I love the feeling I get when I talk to them. I feel like for a moment I am talking to the real Mary Poppins and Bert. And I think that is the way it's supposed to be.

My time in Disney World was so magical and I am so glad I got to spend my time there with 2 of best friends!

My Christmas

There are no words to adequately describe the Christmas I have had. First of all, I got everything I wanted for Christmas and so much more. The older I get the more I realize how non important gifts are. The most important thing is having time to spend with family and friends.

Every christmas eve, we always spend the day with my faternal grandparents. My grandpa's birthday is on christmas. He turned 70 years old this year. I know and I am very thankful for every christmas I get to spend with him. He is one of the best I know. Since he shares a birthday with our savior he is often forgotten on his birthday, which is something he has never minded. Last night we had him a surprise birthday at our big family gathering. I can say, in all of my 19 years I don't think I have ever seen him so excited. He was grinning from ear to ear with all the attention he got. And it made my heart very happy to see him in such a state.

My grandpa is a very quite man. He doesn't say much. I have NEVER heard him sing, hum a tune, or anything. It is always a tradition for us to sing Silent night holding hands around the room. I stood next to my grandpa and held his hand and for the first time ever, I heard him sing Silent Night. I heard him sing it, I saw him smile, and I felt him squeeze my hand. There is nothing more powerful than that. I didn't quite know how to handle myself. I guess for normal grandpas this may be normal. But for my poor grandpa who is suffering with dementia and effects of a long life in the service, there is nothing in this world that means more to me.

There are days when he is not himself. There are days when I see the old grandpa there. Sometimes it truly breaks every little piece of my heart. I love my grandpa and he has always been one of my favorite people I know. And nights that I hear him sing are few and far between. I love that man with all my heart and I am so glad that nights like that happen. Ill always have those memories to cling to for as long as I live.

Small Gestures And Apple Cider

I went to our dorm devotional tonight. We had a combined singing with all of the other boys and girls dorms on my campus. It was beautiful. I sat in-between 2 of my girl-friends. One of them had an incredible soprano voice an the other had a superb alto voice. All during singing it was so hard for me to sing because of the beauty of everyone who was sitting around me. I almost could not handle myself. There is nothing in this world more beautiful than having your bothers and sisters raise their voices in praises to God. It was wonderful.

Now to the best part of the story. I was looking around and just observing the looks on faces as I usually do when we sing and I spot a dorm mom from a boys dorm. There are tears running down her face. I don't do well when other people cry. It breaks my heart in to tiny little pieces. So of course I am tearing up. It just makes my heart glad to see someone so moved by singing song to God. After we were done singing, I couldn't help myself, I had to seek out this dorm mom and thank her for her encouragement to me. I was walking over to get some apple cider and I saw her and I touched her shoulder and turned to me I told her that I couldn't help but notice her tears and I thanked her for them. I thanked for having such a tender heart and that it was such an encouragement to see someone get so emotional over praises to God. She is new in town and she said she could remember singing them with some children back home and just couldn't help herself. I can't even imagine. I could not even respond to her. All I could do was put my arms around her neck and give her the warmest, softest hug I could manage.
The world has made us so hard. We are supposed to stay strong and not show any emotion. If you do you are a cry baby or you are a sissy. What is wrong with having a tender heart? To show that something is special to you? I had one teacher from high school that gave me a graduation card that told me not to loose my soft side. I have no problem crying during a movie. I have accepted a long time ago that there are worse things that some one can be called than a baby. There are worse things I could be called that a sissy or soft. I have learned to accept my soft heart and just give in.
Don't be afraid to have a soft heart and to have compassion and loving everyone. You might be surprised to what it will get you.

A Quote By Margaret Thatcher

" Watch your thoughts....
For they become words.

Watch your words...
For they become actions.

Watch your actions...
For they become habits.

Watch your habits...
For they become your character.

And watch your character...
For it becomes your destiny.

What we think, we become."

-Margaret Thatcher



This quote means so much to me. Sometimes my thoughts do not revolve around the lifestyle I want to have for myself. I recently watched "The Iron Lady" I can honestly say that it was one of the most inspiring movies that I have watched in a long time. I have always been a streeper and I have always loved hearing about Margaret Thatcher. Watching Meryl become Margaret in this movie was beyond amazing. In my opinion, disagree if you must, I saw exactly why Meryl won best actress. I saw this wonderfully brilliant woman portrayed on the screen. Margaret Thatcher and her story makes me want to run the country. She makes me want to stand up and yell about what ever is on my mind and my heart. This quote, makes me really aware of what I think about. It's scary sometimes to think that what we think, we become. Even in the bible it tells us to be careful what we fill our hearts and mind with, and for good reason too. I want my life to be mirror to a good woman who loves the Lord and everyone she comes in contact with. I struggle with that. It is so hard for me to love everyone. I struggle with accepting people and being the christian that God wants me to be. I fail over and over and over again. It comforts me to know that God still loves me, but it's still hard.

What we say is so important. I have really been trying to watch what I say, with little success. I know that our words can make or break a persons day. It is so important to try and only lift up people with our words and not tear them down. I was in the dollar store today and I was looking at a magazine that was on the shelf. Every single news title on the cover was something negative about a celebrity. There was even a story about my favorite celebrity, Celine Dion. There is word on the street there is trouble between her and her husband. Regardless if this is true or not that is a good way to tear someone down.

Actions speak louder than words. Wow. How true is that statement? How we treat one another matters so much. All you have to do is smile at someone to make their day. Just show them that you even kind of care about them at all. This kindness is lost to our generation.  We no longer hold doors for women or our elders. Why is this? We are all just wandering around this world just wanting someone to care about us. I know in my time I have tore a lot of people down with the words I use. Sometimes I do it daily. I try to correct it and keep it from happening. But I fail miserably. All we can do is try and lift people higher.

Character. That word is how most people know and identify us. It is so important to make sure we do the right things be the best we can be so our character will stay polished and clean. How do we want people to know us? Watch what you do and say and people will know you for how you want to be known.

Your destiny is left up to you. How you choose to deal with things, what you think about, and even your attitude toward life in general can change your destiny. I know that I am destined for great things. These things are not great by the worlds standards in any means. I just want to be remembered as a person who did everything she could with what she had to work with. I am in college right studying to work in a classroom with middle school children. Call me crazy, because I am, but I want to make a difference for that age group of kids. I remember how crucial it was to have a good role model at that age. I realize that I believe with all of my heart that I am destined to work with those children and be that role model. Then maybe one day work in a library to inspire young minds to expand and become open to new ideas.

So your thoughts matter. Whether you choose to believe they do or not. What you think about, what you dwell on, and what you fill your mind with will make a difference in your life. You can Think happy thoughts or negative thoughts. You are the one who suffers the consequences. 

A boy and Celine Dion

I get a message the other day, "So I saw where you bought the new Celine Dion album earlier this week right?" I was thinking does this kid know me at all and I notice it was a boy from one of my classes last semester that I had never really talked to. So I said, "Yes! Of course I got it." And he was all like cool. I was listening to some Stevie Wonder and his duet "Overjoyed" came on with Celine. I thought it might be on one of his albums but its only on her new one. So I listened to the whole thing and I thought it was actually really good. Wow. Like what in the world? So, I'm not going to lie, I was freaking out just a little bit. This boy just admitted to liking Celine Dion to me. What was I to do? So, I played it off as cool as I could and told him to not be ashamed, that I love her and I say that it is okay. Of course, I guess it's not as acceptable for guys to like Celine. Whatever. She is the best.... Any  who.... It was a complete shock to hear from a boy who likes Celine. Even if it is just a little bit...