Encouragement.

A little bit of kindess can truly make a person's day.

Today was kinda crazy and it was going downhill fast.

But I walked into my 7th period class- and what was waiting for me?

A wonderful letter from one of my best friends who tracked down my class, found out where my seat was, and left it for me before I got there.

And I felt so much better.

So.

I dare you to say something nice to someone tomorrow.

Maybe they're having a bad day and maybe they're not, but either way-

You made someone smile.

:)

My Life List

So many times I think "Wow, I'm definitely going to do that before I die!" And I've always told myself that I'm going to sit down and make a list of all the things I'm going to do. Well... years later... I finally did!

My Life List

1. Go skydiving.

2. Go bungee-jumping.

3. Get married.

4. Have kids.

5. Be a missionary. (Here, anywhere)

6. Write a book that becomes published.

7. Be a singer.

8. Be an actress.

9. Be a teacher in sunday school.

10. Be a girls minister.

11. Start a clothing store.

12. Have my sister be the maid of honor at my wedding and vice versa.

13. Be on the show survivor.

I know this list will change and grow- and that's okay. But right now- these are the things (Er- some of the things) I definitely want to do before I go to Heaven.

Devotions and Freedom Weekend:)

I don't know about you, but sometimes at the end of the day all I want to do is scream to let all that builtup-stress out, and then collapse into bed. That's one of the reasons I do my devotions at night. No matter what's happened, or what I'm afraid is going to happen the next day, I'm overwhelmed with peace and comfort and suddenly I feel okay. Because I know that God is with me, and that's all I need.

Last night I felt extremely overwhelmed. While I do cry sometimes, I don't do it that often, but I really did feel like crying. So I crawled into bed and read my Bible and did my devotions. (I have a Dr. Stanley one- it's the best! Love him!) And I just felt so much better. It was like this blanket of peace had been wrapped around me. Just wanted to share that. :) Next time you're feeling overcome with stress- pray. It really does help.

Well, last weekend was Freedom Weekend! Freedom Weekend is this thing at my church where you get to spend a weekend at a host home with your friends. There's worship, food, fun, and even some help for the homeless going on! It's the bestt!

A few of the girls in my host home. We've got from left to right Torrey, Rachel, me, Sarah, and another Sarah! These girls are hilarious.

Sarah and I became best friends in the 2nd grade. Seven years later and we still are!

The guy in the middle was our speaker- Tim Bach. (If his name sounds familiar- I blogged about him in the summer when he was our speaker for camp) Love this guy!

My hair fell into my face at the last second :( but I thought this picture was so cute! It's of Torrey, Sarah, and I on the last day, wearing our new Freedom Weekend shirts!

Definitely a weekend I won't be forgetting any time soon. :)

It Came! It Came!

YES!

My SUSIE t-shirt finally came in the mail this week! They asked if I would take a picture of me wearing the shirt and holding one of their magazines and send it to them- so here's the picture:

I absolutely love the shirt design! It says: I read Susie mag. (I just realized my hair is covering up the I read)

Anyways, that package totally made my day:).

Trials? Yes, Please!

Like anyone else who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal saviour, I've had my doubts. I've searched and I've prayed, and I've received peace. And I've had trials. But through those trials, I've grown so much in my faith and overwhelming love for my Heavenly Father, that I would never want to erase the horrible things that have happened to me.

I walked into highschool with strong faith. I was (I say in this in past tense, but I most definitely still am) in love with Jesus. I wanted to be nothing else but a light to the lost, to spread the gospel and truth of who Jesus is, what He's done for us, and how He desperately wants a relationship with you.

Remembering years in the past, I knew that this year was going to have its own set of difficulties. In the past two years I've spiritually grown- a lot. (Definitely not physically growing- I'm still 5'0! Haha.) One of the things I love about being a Christian, is that I know for the rest of my life I am never going to stop learing about God. There's always something else to discover in the Bible, and in my personal relationship with Him. I love it.

Well, this year, one of the biggest things I've had to overcome was peer pressure. Sure, I knew people last year that did the whole drinking, drug, sex thing, but it was never anyone I was especially close to. That changed this year.

A lot of my friends that I've known all the way back from Elementary school have changed their values. I remember doing D.A.R.E with them, and signing that little red card that said we will choose to be drug-free, and live healthy lives.

I expected people to do it anyway- I wasn't completely caught off guard. What I was caught off guard with was the pressure to do it too.

Personally, I never thought I'd have trouble saying no. It seemed simple when we learned about it in class. "Just say no, and walk away." But it's more than that.

The first time was easy. The second time... I started to wonder. And by the third- I was digging in my Bible, finding out why I was saying no. I prayed, I read, and God gave me an overwhemling peace. And now I know exactly why I am not going to drink or do drugs, or any of those things during high school. (Or college for that matter).

Why?

I have many personal reasons but here are a few:

1. I am going to stand before God one day and give him an account of my life. That is not something I want to say I did.

2. How can I be a light to others by giving in?

3. What is the point- besides fitting in?

People give me a hard time about it, and that's okay. But maybe someday they are going to need help- and I will be there. I won't be drunk, and I won't be high, and I won't be pregnant. I will be there for them.

It may sound a little weird- but I want trials. No, I'm not going to throw myself in a bad situation and then crawl my way out with God and suddenly I've grown in faith. But, I don't want to live with my head up in the clouds believing everything is perfect and I'm always going to be happy. Because everything is not perfect, and I will not always be happy. It's okay if I go through another crisis, or big problem. I trust God. I love Him. And I can't wait to spend eternity with Him. And I really, really want to grow with Him.

So in that way, I welcome trials.

SURPRISE!

Don't you love surprises? I do. When I was younger, I would read ahead on every book, or find out what was going to happen in movies and TV shows, but lately I've started to appreciate "the surprise factor." In fact, I'm using it for a little fun!

A while back my friend McKenna and I decided to throw one of our good friends, Cammie, a surprise party. Well two months and lots of planning later, it finally went off without a hitch!

I did take a video of the whole thing, but for some strange reason it won't load. :( Sorry!

McKenna and I decorated practically everything in sight before everyone arrived. I almost fell off a high chair putting these streamers on the fan!

McKenna decorating the curtains.

We only ate this cake for about two seconds until a huge cake fight got started! It was the best.

We did about a million and one amazing dares.

It.

Was.

Amazing!

Haha, but the important part was that Cammie got genuinely surprised, and she hopefully had a birthday she'll never forget!

Got Five Minutes?

So you know that one person in your life who never has anything nice to say to you? Well, I know that person. And this morning it felt as if that person was really tearing me down. So, even hours later, I was still bumming about it. So, I prayed that God would once again remind me of my true identity. That being His follower and daughter defines me- not what that person says of me.

God is so good. About 60 seconds after I prayed, I came upon this video. Got five minutes? Watch it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_PpRpYME10

Or- if for some reason the link won't work for you: Go to youtube and type in Flawz.

Well, last Saturday night the girls got to use our church's new Student Building ("The Lodge")! It was a blast. Here's a quick recap...

We played Dance Dance Revolution...

Ping pong...

Amazing, old games that everyone still loves...

Messed around on the photo booth...

Band Hero...

Learned how to jerk:)

And had an absolute blast!