New Year...New Beginnings

There's always something exciting about a new year.  You feel as if you get a fresh start on life.  I've been thinking about my new year's resolution and what needs to change in my life...
I haven't seen other people's resolutions but I assume this is a pretty unoriginal one... but oh well.

• I will no longer be staying up to all hours of the night, I will go to bed between 10 and 12. 
• I will faithfully get up every morning to workout with  my workout partners. And on days, we don't workout, I will go to the Y by myself. 
• I will eat healthier. Small portions, less sweets.
• I will not procrastinate on my homework, putting myself through serious emotional stress and my mom as well. (If you know you me, you will laugh at this one because I've procrastinated my way through this entire semester. I didn't procrastinate as much in my other two years of high school, so that makes me think that things in my personal life have contributed to my lack of motivation and laziness... Anyways, it's going to change.)
• I will take the time, daily, to read and study God's Word, journal, and pray. (The goal is the read the Bible in One Year thing. I've started it like every year for the past 3 years and have yet to finish. I will finish the Bible before I go to college.)
• I will also take time, daily, to work on my music.  (Songs I have yet to finish writing, will be completed and recorded this year. Perhaps, I'll become a "youtube artist" and become famous ;)  
• This isn't really a resolution, but I want to travel this year. I want to go somewhere I've never been. Perhaps during the summer or sometime in the fall.  I just want to go.

Well, this is all I can think of for now.  Basically, I want to live out a GOOD routine.  I know some days aren't going to be perfect...life gets crazy and you can't live out this robotic routine, but I want to get to the point where I want to go to bed early, I want to get up early, I feel weird if don't workout...etc. That way, on a day where I do get to sleep in a little bit, or I do get to relax a little more I feel rewarded instead of lazy. If that makes any sense...

This is it. Time for a new beginning. There is so much hope in those two words.

"Another fresh new year is here... another year to live! To banish worry, doubt, and fear, to love and laugh and give! This bright new year is given me to live each day with zest... To daily grow and try to be my highest and my best! I have the opportunity once more to right some wrongs, to pray for peace, to plant a tree, and sing more joyful songs!"

I have the opportunity and I'm taking it. I hope you do too. Happy New Year :)

The Decision

I don't like decisions very much... especially ones that will affect the rest of my life. For the past three months I have been debating on graduating a year early (and either go to college, travel, or study music on my own) or continuing high school (in challenge 4).  I couldn't count how many times I have gone over the pros and cons in my head, how many times I've begged God to just tell me which I should do, or how many times I have somewhat decided in my head, but refused to say it out loud.  Quite a few times I have said something like, "Challenge 4 is going to be awesome" or "I need to apply to Asbury" and whoever is around me is like, "YOU MADE A DECISION?" Of course then I tell them to never take my decisive statements seriously because my decision could change the next day.  I've been preparing as if I am going to graduate so that I have the option. So I attended the graduation meeting... got measured for cap and gown... planned to sing a song at graduation... and then today was yearbook picture day.  I could have gotten both a junior picture and a senior picture and later told the yearbook editors which one to use, but instead, I did the first decisive thing.  I did NOT get a senior picture done.  Therefore, I am not graduating this year. I'm feeling somewhat excited, scared, disappointed, relieved, overwhelmed...

I know this much is true.  Holding hands with my Father, He will never leave me, He will show me the right way, and I can trust Him.

I can do this.

Wesley's Covenant Prayer

I made a PowerPoint of Wesley's Covenant Prayer for church this morning and I would like to share it.  I love this prayer...

Not apart of the prayer... just the theme, I guess you could call it. 

Prayer Box

Have you ever read Redeeming Love?  If you haven't, drop everything you are doing, go out and buy this book (by Francine Rivers) and read it until you finish it. If you have, you know why I so strongly believe that everyone should read that book.  Anyways, in the book one of the characters has a "God box." 

'When problems prey on my mind, I write them down, fold them up, and put them through the slot.  Once they're inside this box, they're God's problem and not mine... I'm a fixer, Angel.  A worrier.  I've never been able to just let things go.  I want to play God, if you will.' She smiled in self-mockery.  'Every time I do, things go awry.'  She patted the box.  'So I have this... it reminds me to put faith in God and not in myself.  The bonus comes when I see my prayers are answered.'

This is Susanna's description of her God box.  I recently re-read Redeeming Love and seeing as I, too am a control freak I decided to make one. This is what I came up with :)

Instead of "God box" I call it my prayer box :)  This is the front.

This is the back. Phillipians 4:6-7

I need some advice.  I know that I'm going to fill it with colorful sticky notes so it will be nice and pretty, but I can't decide whether I should crumple them up, or fold them.  I kind of like the crumple look, but I want to be able to read them later on.  Any suggestions or opinions?

Top of the box where the slot is.

I made this on Picnik.  It is filled with lyrics from "While I'm Waiting," "From the Inside Out," Psalm 46:10, Psalm 55:22 and "Learn to dance in the rain."  I love it :)

This is the verse I used for the back.  I'm probably going to add more to the back when I think of things, but for now this is it!

Oh! So cool story.  I got this glass box from Hobby Lobby a while back.  Everytime I'm in there I get so inspired and buy things without having the slightest idea what I'm going to do with it.  So, it stayed in my closet for several months until I figured out it's purpose.  A prayer box. It was destiny ;)

I can't wait to put it to use :D

Chocolate

In my room, I have a "Love Wall."  On my love wall, I have made I love you signs for all of my friends and hung up ones they have made me.  Also, I've added song lyrics that I love and other miscellaneous things that I love.  Chocolate is one of them.  Although, ice cream is probably at the top of the list (as far as sweets are concerned), chocolate is right up there in the ranking.  Tonight, I ate some Hershey's chocolate and soon after, I was in an unusually, really happy/hyper mood.  Therefore, I decided to dedicate a blog post to chocolate and to all the happiness it brings.  Below is the sign I have on my wall.  I think the Bokeh adds a little something :) 

Chocolate is love.

"All you need is love.  But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." ~ Charles M. Shulz

"Make a list of important things to do today. At the top of your list, put 'eat chocolate.' Now, you'll get at least one thing done today." ~ Gina Hayes

"Man cannot live on chocolate alone; but woman sure can." ~ Author Unknown

Thank you Hershey for spreading happiness everywhere. :)

I owe you one.

Magic

My beautiful niece finding magic in the world :)

If you can't read the quote you can click on the picture to enlarge it. I had fun editing this one. 

Insert Quote, Picture and Random Ramble

"I'd welcome the chance to meet my Maker and fly into the sun, fly into the sun, fly into the sun..."




Imagine yourself flying into that.

If I could choose one superhero power, I would choose to fly.  Lame, I know.  Of all the amazingly awesome, and useful powers, I would choose flight.  And, you know, any other really cool side powers are welcome. ;)  Now, I just need a flying squirrel to attack me or something.  Ooh! OR in Meet the Robinsons (The new animated one), in the future, everyone uses bubbles as transportation which is also really awesome.  So that is my dream: either to attain flying powers or a floating bubble.

This concludes my random ramble of the day.
(Ha! Try saying "random ramble" 5 times fast) :D

Vulnerability

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."

~ C.S. Lewis

A Broken Heart

"How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?"

~ Oscar Wilde

Your will above all else, my purpose remains.  The art of losing myself in bringing You praise.

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades.  Never-ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame. 

My heart and my soul, Lord, I give you control. Consume me from the inside out, Lord.  Let justice and praise become my embrace to love You from the inside out.

From The Inside Out - Hillsong United



When Bored, BLOG!

Tonight is the magical midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2! I am SO excited!  My friends are coming over to watch Part 1 beforehand.  I'm sad that it is almost over, but I can't wait to see it!  So, right now, as you can tell, I am really bored.  Yesterday during my "really bored" part of the day, I edited a lot of pictures of flowers that I have not posted on here yet.  And now, I am going to share them :) There is one in particular that I cannot wait for you to see! Here goes!

Something about this picture just fascinates me.  I have it saved as "The Living Among The Dead".  I strongly believe that people who are alive in Christ have to mix with the ones who are without Christ (dead).  We can't separate ourselves because if we did then the dead wouldn't know how to become alive. So that's what this picture makes me think about.

I took this one a long time ago.  I wish it was bigger because the detail is extraordinary.  And in case you're wondering what it is, I am happy to inform you that it is merely a weed with morning dew on it. Sometimes it's the "ugly" things that are extremely beautiful. 
"A weed is but an unloved flower." ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Orange.

Pink (:

POP of color!

Black and white effect.

Love this picture both ways.

Purplely-blue.

Once again, I am kind of fascinated with dead things.  Sounds weird, I know.  But there are so many beautiful dead things.  Like that dead sunflower, or this shriveled up flower.  It's such a quiet, disguised beauty.

Daddy picked a sunflower, Mom put it in an awesome vase and placed it in a blue tray.  Perfect.

Favorite.

Haha, this was one of my weird photographer moments.  I was at Belks with John, my boyfriend, and made him stand there while I took pictures of this tree outside Belk haha.

Beautiful autumn picture.  Sunlight is perfect. Color is beautiful.

Does anyone know what these are?

Vintage look.

White & Yellow

Dandelion.  I can't remember if I've already showed you this one or not..

Remember that one in particular that I couldn't wait to show you? Well, this is it.  The before and after.  I added the "after" again below so you could see it bigger.

Breath-taking.  I just love everything about it. I want to frame it.

"What a desolate place would be a world without a flower! It would be a face without a smile, a feast without a welcome. Are not flowers the stars of the earth, and are not our stars the flowers of the heaven." ~  A.J. Balfour

"If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses, what might not the heart of man become in its long journey toward the stars?"  ~ G.K. Chesterton

That's all folks! ;)