On a Side Note...

   Today, my spirited Labrador Tucker, turned eight years old! Although he has lived most of his life, Tucker still acts like a little puppy :) He is such a playful little guy, and I greatly enjoy having him tag along beside me when I'm working outside.



My Handsome Dog :)

Birthdays :)



 - Carey and I just after she got her ears pierced -

     Yesterday, my family and I drove out to my grandpa's ranch to celebrate my mom and Caroline's birthdays! On May 6th Caroline turned 13, and on May 26th mom turned "29ish" ;) Since their birthdays are so close, we decided to have their parties on the same day this year.
    God blessed us with gorgeous weather yesterday. The temperature was ideal; a beautiful sunny day amidst our recently cold weather made for a wonderful party. I think my mom and Caroline both enjoyed themselves immensely.
     I've always pictured Caroline as the special spice in our lives. She is the one who makes everything a little more fun and interesting. Our entire family cherishes her spunky, yet sweet countenance; it is simply impossible to be bored when you are with her! Caroline could make something as seemingly dull as watching paint dry, and turn it into some exhilarating experience. Whether its watching movies, driving in the car, or simply chatting on the phone, Caroline makes everything more enjoyable. I am so thankful and happy that God chose to make her my sister. Happy birthday Carey, I love you!!

Mom and me in my room, laughing about Mere's TP-ed bed :D

   I don't even know where to begin when I talk about my mother; there isn't enough space in this blog to write about all the wonderful things she does for our family! I always admire her dauntless strength; she often gets up very early in the morning, and stays up working many hours after the sun has gone down. Throughout all of this, she never complains. She always expresses her love for us through her selfless daily actions. My mother is my best friend and the wisest female mentor I know. Whenever I come to her, talking about something I'm going through, she is always available with a listening ear and an encouraging embrace. She is the most beautiful woman I know, and I hope to grow up to be just as loved as she is!! 

    I am constantly awestruck that God gave me such a wonderful family :) Happy birthday!

Lessons from Ruth

   When my family and I went camping a few days ago, my sisters and I were reading and talking inside our tent. While in the midst of our conversation, I decided to read the book of Ruth out loud, and have my sisters act out what they heard. Their interpretive acting skills were nothing less than hilarious!! Meredith chose to be Boaz and Naomi. Caroline decided to assume the roles of Ruth, Orpah, and one of Ruth's close relatives. There were lots of laughs during our performance, and my sisters greatly enjoyed illustrating their different roles :) 

   This morning, I went back and read certain portions in Ruth that I had previously highlighted. One of the first verses that caught my eye was from chapter three, "And she said to her, 'All that you say to me I will do.'"  

   Although Ruth is speaking to Naomi here, this small passage made me think of our attitudes toward God and those in authority over us. Speaking for myself, there are not many times when I truly surrender all that I am to God. Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of wanting to be in control; it is not easy for me to hand over the reins of my desires to someone else. However, this verse caused me to stop and ponder. I had to ask myself, do I sweetly throw up my hands and commit my ways to God? Do I daily dedicate my actions, thoughts, and motives to Him? What is my attitude when I serve Him? Am I obeying my parents with a joyful heart?

   Here, Ruth exhibits a very sweet, submissive, obedient, and respectful demeanour when Naomi asks her to do something. She does not disobey, nor does she talk back. In fact, the Bible does not record her having any ill thoughts! Also, Naomi asked her to do something which was very hard. The request also put her reputation at risk. In verse three and four, Naomi orders Ruth to "...wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself know to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.'" Naomi asked Ruth to go sleep at the feet of Boaz, even though both her and Boaz were unmarried. However, Ruth did not fight back. She trusted Naomi and obeyed.

    As a result of her actions, Boaz called Ruth "blessed of the Lord" and praised her for her kindness. Soon after, the two were married and begot Obed, who was in the line of Jesus. Ruth gleaned incredible reward because of her submissiveness.

   We, particularly myself, need to practice being obedient to those who are in authority over us, especially when we don't feel like it. Let us keep our thoughts, motives, and actions pure before the Lord when we obey. Let us take this lesson from Ruth and strive to be submissive to our elders - specifically, our parents.

   I challenge you, my readers, every day this week to pray in the morning and dedicate yourself and your lives to the Lord. Ask Him to fill you with an obedient attitude. If you approach this with a willing heart, God will reward you, just as He rewarded Ruth. Please leave a comment sometime this week letting me know how this challenge affected you - that would be a tremendous blessing!!! I will also let you know how I do :)

   God bless you, my dear readers!

"...All that you say to me I will do." -Esther 3:5

Canoe Camping!

   Every summer, my family and I always look for opportunities to steal a few days and travel up to the mountains. One of our favorite things to do is camp together as a family. This year, an opportunity for us to camp has finally come! :)

   This afternoon, my family and I will be driving up to Cherry Lake with some of our good friends from church. Once we get there, we are going to canoe across the lake and spend a couple days there. We are all so excited!!

   We planned this adventure a few months ago, naturally assuming that May would offer us plenty of sunshine and good weather. However, we've been watching the weather recently and it seems as though our camping trip may be a little...wet. The forecast today promises wet weather, grey skies, and cold temperatures :) The two days following, Thursday and Friday, look as though they will be sunny! Whatever the temperature is, I know that we're going to have a great time! I will post pictures when I get back. God bless you, my dear readers!

"For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you. " - Duet. 23:14

A New Graduate!

   Last Tuesday night, Meredith received her 8th grade graduation diploma! We are all so proud of her. At the ceremony last week, she performed her violin and received a thunderous applause!! She played her piece with great proficiency and the audience greatly enjoyed it. 

   Meredith is the greatest friend anyone could ask for. There have been so many instances when I remember her joyfully helping throughout the house whether it was emptying the dishwasher, clearing the table, or starting a load of laundry. She has been such a good help to our Mom, and a great blessing to our entire family! I am very confident that she is going to make some man very, very happy someday.
    On the day of her graduation, Caroline, Robert, and I all decided to TP her bed :) Because she always has a great attitude, Meredith was very amused when she saw it. However, to make up for our "gift", we three kids pitched in and cleaned up her bed before she went to sleep that night. We all agreed that it was worth TP-ing and cleaning up Meredith's bed in order to make her special day a bit more memorable.
   Meredith is very excited to begin high school. She will have about eight rigorous classes on top of  dancing five times a week. It would be very much appreciated if you could keep her in your prayers as she begins the fall semester :) Congratulations Mere, I love you!!

3000 Miles for Ukraine

   Some of you may be aware that the college I am interested in attending is called Patrick Henry College which is in Purcellville, Virginia. This college frequently posts news stories on their website about the different happenings on their campus. One of the more recent articles featured PHC junior, Russell York who has a heart for the destitute orphans living in Ukraine. Life for the orphans in this country is seemingly desolate and hopeless. Each year in Ukraine, over 1,000 babies born in hospitals are abandoned, one in every six orphans will commit suicide before age thirty, and sixty to seventy percent of male teenage orphans engage in crime in order to make a living. Tragically, the same percentage of girl orphans become prostitutes. In order to raise money to help these orphans, Russell has decided to bike 3200 miles across the United States. Along with several others in his group, Russell will start in Washington D.C., and finish in San Diego. To follow his journey, you can view Russell's website by clicking here.

   It is a blessing to hear of Christians who sacrifice their comfortable daily lives in order to glorify God. Russell's mission motivates me to help others who are in need in order to magnify Jesus!! I ask you to keep Russell and his group in your prayers as they begin this trek across the United States.

"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

-John 13:35

My Next Endeavor

   When I have the time, I find it extremely refreshing to go out and run. It physically rejuvenates me. After a good workout, I feel as if though the batteries in my body have been recharged. Although I do not particularly have talent in this area, I still enjoy doing it :) This past semester, I took a running class at MJC. It was kind of fun to build my endurance, flexibility and strength. Since I am a tennis player, it is extremely beneficial for me to run because it develops the strength I need in my legs to play an effective match.
    In January, I decided that I wanted to run a half marathon. We have a couple friends that have run marathons before, and I greatly admire their determination and strength. Now that it is summer, I don't have homework so I will have time to train. I found a plan online that will be my guide, but in order to start it, I need to be running 3 miles without getting very tired. So over these next 2 months, I will be trying to improve my 3-mile time, make my legs pretty flexible, and build strength in my core.
    I plan to train Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Yesterday, I played tennis and biked, and this morning, I ran about 1.6 - 1.7 miles. With each week I run for the next 2 months, I hope to improve my distance until I can start running 3+ miles on end.
   I know this will be strenuous, so please pray that I would have perseverance, stay motivated, and that I would not injure my body :) God bless you, my dear readers!

   "But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."            -Isaiah 40:31

Pictures of Spain!

Dear Readers,
My Spain slideshow is finally up!! I apologize; I have been having many technical difficulties while trying to upload my pics, but Google led me to a website that greatly helped me. Thank you all so much for your patience! Enjoy the photos :)
Scroll to the bottom of my blog to view photos :)

To Cover or Not to Cover? Why Should it Be a Question?

   We live in a culture where modesty is going out of fashion. As the numerous clothing styles change every season, it seems as though necklines plunge further, skirts rise higher, and jeans get tighter. Today, it is extremely hard to find clothing that is not to tight, low, flashy, high, or looks like a burqa.

   I often ponder and ask myself, why does our society embrace the act of immodestly exposing our bodies to men who will not be our husbands? Frankly, the value of  "a gentle and quiet spirit which is pleasing to God" is slowly decaying. Our culutre is convinced that outward beauty is much more important than inner beauty.

    There is nothing wrong to like shopping or clothes, or even follow some of the fads. I myself enjoy going to the store and picking out a new shirt or a cute pair of jeans! After all, the stores can carry very, very cute outfits :)  However, there is a line that we must watch out for, because it can be very easy to stumble across it. There is a line that divides wanting to look beautiful, and dressing immodestly for the purpose of attracting eyes.

    When we pick out our clothes or get dressed in the morning, we should ask ourselves:

1. Is our dress glorifying to God? Does is exemplify a pure, beautiful, lovely spirit that will point people to Jesus? In other words, if people asked you if you were a Christian and you said yes, would it suprise them because of the way you dress?

2. Are we picking out our clothes so that we draw eyes onto us? Are our motives pleasing to God? Are we wearing the certain sweater to turn heads, or simply because we like it and it covers us up?

3. Above all, are we dressing modestly? Is our wardrobe going to stumble our neighbors? Are we going to cause men to think things that they should only be thinking about their wife? After all, each and every one of us belongs to our spouse, whether we're married to them or not. Are we bringing honor to and guarding our hearts for the special one that will be eternally ours?

    Ladies, we should take care and cover ourselves. I'm not saying that we need to be condemned to wear turtlenecks, headresses, and floor-length skirts our whole lives, but it is wise to set up limitations for ourselves. There is a wonderful Christian website specially designed for teens called: http://www.therebelution.com/. They have a section explaining how young men think women should dress, and that has been a huge help when I have made my own personal standards. That link is: www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey. I highly reccomend that you check it out!!

    Remember, it is the insurpassable beauty of the inward spirit that will shine through. If you focus on beautifying your character more than you dress up your body, that will bring ultimate glory to God. Who is more beautiful? The immodest, but gorgeous girl who does not follow Chirst? Or the modest, slightly plain girl that is devoted to her Savior? Even if the wordly lady has more outward beauty, it will fade away. In the end, the modest, chaste woman will be the most beautiful, inside and out.

   To cover or not to cover? You answer that question :)

Don't Give Up

   Ever since January 10th, each and every day that I have sat down at my desk and opened up one of my academic books, it has been in preparation for this very week. Every time I made a flashcard, memorized a fact, or numbered my paper, my mind has been strictly focused on these few fast-approaching days. Yes, it has come, faster and more furious than it ever has before...

Finals.

   This year, I will be taking Geometry, English, Chemistry and a World History history final. Because history is my favorite subject, I decided to take the AP World History Exam which is this Thursday. My finals will take place this Wednesday and Thursday. Luckily, I have Friday to recuperate from all my exams :) I am heartily assured that my finals will be challenging and strenuous. I would really appreciate your prayers this week!!

   However, I realize that I am almost done. In just a matter of days, school will be over and my long-anticipated summer vacation will begin. Why should I succumb to stress and give up now when the end is so near, and my completion of school is in sight?

    In Romans 12:2, Paul writes: "And do not be conformed  to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

   The world constantly tries to convince us that we need to live for ourselves, fertilizing our own personal desires and wants. However, the Bible clearly teaches us not to be conformed to this world. Instead of "living for the moment", we need to be constantly thinking of the future and conducting ourselves in appropriate ways that will positively affect tomorrow. If I decided to ignore my studies because it became to hard or I didn't feel like it, my grades would suffer, I would flunk my finals, and I would ultimately fail in the endeavor for self-discipline. 

  Once again, please keep me uplifted in prayer this week. If you also have finals coming up, please leave a comment after this post, and tell me how I can pray for you. I exhort you, my dear readers, to work hard and not give up even though it is difficult. Keep working, stay focused, and don't give up. The Lord will reward you for your hard work in the end :)