More Travels!!

   This year has been full of new adventures and travels for me. Not only did I get to explore Nevada, Utah, Arizona and see the Grand Canyon, but I also traveled to Europe and got to explore southern Spain! It has been such a blessing to travel. Although I previously assumed that I would not be embarking on anymore exciting adventures this year, I found that my plans were going to alter.

   On Saturday morning, my Mom and I will be flying to Washington DC, and then we will drive down to the most lovely town in Virginia: Purcellville. There, I will be attending a week-long leadership and vocation camp at Patrick Henry College. The prospect of spending an entire week fellowshipping with other believers at my dream college is absolutely thrilling!

   While we are there, we will discuss the leaders of the past, and reflect on their strengths and weaknesses. Someone will be speaking on pressing issue of modern-day slavery, and Alex Harris from the Rebelution (see side link) will be delivering a lecture as well.  At the end of the week, we will be putting our leadership skills into practice by serving in Washington DC! After all, in order to be an effective and good leader, you have to be an outstanding and willing servant. I am not really sure what else we are doing; this is all so new to me :)

   My Mom and I are flying "space available" on the airplane, which does not guarantee that we will get seats. Although the loads are looking okay right now, there is always a chance that the seats could suddenly be sold. Please pray that we are able to arrive and return safely and without any flight complications :) Upon my return, I will be posting pictures and will share all that I learned with you!! God bless you today, my dear readers.

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." - Galatians 6:9

Things I Love Just Because...

The animated smile of my brother :)

Thank You Fathers

    Happy Father's Day! I want to take a moment and thank all the fathers in my life; my forefathers, my grandfathers, my earthly father, and my Heavenly Father.

    Thank you to our forefathers, for bravely risking your own lives to establish the free country we live in today. Thank you for steadfastly being committed to righteousness and for wisely governing a country that allows free worship of Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank you for displaying marvelous courage on the battlefield, settling the untamed wilderness of long ago, and passing laws for the betterment of the people of our nation.

    Thank you to my grandfathers. Thank you for loving my wonderful parents; for disciplining them, and setting good examples for them to follow. Also, thank you for adoring your grandchildren who absolutely cherish you!! Papa Don, thank you for letting us use your beautiful ranch to host parties and spend time with you. Papa, thank you for teaching me Spanish and for telling me more about God's Word.

    A giant thank you to my incredible earthly father. Dad, I love you more than you will ever know. I look up to you as a man who loves the Lord, and stands up for righteousness even when it makes you unpopular. You are the quintessential example of a man with strong convictions and undaunted courage. I want you to know that you are abundantly cherished and I completely adore you. Thank you for the countless hours you spent helping me with my papers for school, and thank you for loving Mom and for displaying a Godly marriage. And most importantly, thank you for raising my siblings and I to love and serve Jesus Christ. I love you so much!!

    Thank you to my Heavenly Father. If I thanked you for every single thing You have done in my life, my blog would be completely full before I was halfway done! Thank you for Your endless love and mercy, thank you for sending Your only Son to die on the cross so that I could go to Heaven and be with You. Thank you for hearing my prayers, and comforting me when I have been hurt. Thank you for guiding and directing my footsteps. Thank you for forgiving me for all the wrong I have done and continually wiping my heart clean. Thank you for not leaving or forsaking me; I can always trust in You. God, You are my King and the owner of my heart and I will always love You!!

"...You, O Lord, are our Father; Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name." -Isaiah 63:16

Jane Doe

    I had my first driving lesson two days ago!! Last summer, I was involved in a nasty four-wheeling accident. Since then, I have not driven any sort of vehicle for fear that something will go terribly wrong. After many months of long and serious contemplation, my Dad decided that I was physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to once again, pump a gas pedal. So, with a look of confidence painted across my Dad's face, I bravely seated myself onto his vehicle, and he instructed me to start the engine. This, my readers, is what I will be driving this summer...

Scroll down :)

    Meet Jane Doe. She is a lawnmower :) Her original masculine name was John Deere, but my sister and I decided that she needed a title a bit more feminine. Consequently, we decided that "Jane Doe" would be quite fitting.

    This summer, it will be my job to mow the lawn! Instead of using a traditional "push-mower", I will be using a heavy-duty tractor. My first experience driving Jane Doe was rather exhilarating and not nearly as frightening as I thought. My Dad - who had great patience - walked with me while I mowed, showing me his efficient method of cutting grass. Luckily, I made no major mistakes. I just bumped a couple things here and there, which left no marks thankfully!! Hopefully, from now on, I will be mowing the lawn until my brother becomes of age - which will be next summer.

    Have a great day, my dear readers!!

Facelift

    Since I began my blog in Spring, I chose the cherry blossom background because they seemed perfectly fitting for the season. However, now that we're getting into the hot summer months, I decided to switch my background to something a bit more "summery". When I noticed this specific pattern, I thought that it looked a bit like a picnic blanket. After testing out several others, I decided that this background looked the best :) So, my friends, what do you think of the new facelift?

30 Questions :)

 These questionairres are really fun to do!! Go ahead and copy this onto a comment and put your answers in so I can see yours :)

1. Any nickname? Liv and Livi
2. Favorite drink? Coca-Cola; I learned to really love it in Spain because water was often more expensive than soda.
3. Mother's name? Tamara
4. Tattoo? Never :)
5. How much do you love your job/school? School; probably a 6.
6. Birthplace? Saddleback in SoCal
7. Favorite vacation spot? Europe
8. Ever been to Africa ? Yes; Morocco
9. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? You bet!
10. Ever been on TV? Nope
11. Ever steal any traffic sign? Haha...
12. Ever been in a car accident? Does a fender-bender count?
13. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? My bike doesn't have any doors :)
14. Favorite salad dressing? Sesame Ginger
15. Favorite pie? French Silk...mmmmm
16. Favorite movie? It's a tie between The Count of Monte Christo, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Mis.
17. Favorite holiday? Christmas
18. Favorite Dessert? Chocolate Cheescake
19. Favorite food? Fettucini Alfredo
20. Favorite day of the week? Sunday
21. Favorite brand of Body wash? Good ol' soap.
22. Favorite toothpaste? Something that cleans my teeth :)
23. Favorite smell? The air after a storm
24. What do you do to relax? Read a book or take a nap
25. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Married with a college degree
26. Furthest place you will send this message? My blog
27. Favorite pair of shoes? My tan sandals  
28. Favorite book of the Bible? Hmm...probably Isaiah
29. Favorite restaurant? Strings Italian Cafe
30. Favorite subject in school? History

I can't wait to read your answers :)

Yosemite Trip

    A few times a year - especially during summer and autumn - my family and I love to go bike riding in Yosemite. Since we have gone several times, we have our very own special route we follow which has been developed over the years. On this specific occasion, a few families from church joined us. They were very pleasant company and I'm very glad they were able to come.

    What surprised me the most during this trip, was the beautiful vibrant colors that painted the grass, towering trees, and colossal rocks. I have never seen Yosemite that gorgeous!! Although I was still on my bike, I just had to snap a picture :)

    Since there has been a lot of rain lately, the rivers were just overflowing with water! The river was moving quite rapidly while frothing white water bubbled over the rocks. It was really incredible. 

    

    Then, of course, who could forget the defining symbol of Yosemite? The one thing that people from all over the world travel to see? Half Dome :)

    It was such a beautiful day; God has made a beautiful world!! Evidence of His being and existence lies on every rock, leaf, and tree. His works are glorious, and He is worthy to be praised. God bless you, my dear readers!!

Here Comes the Sun!

   At last, after the stormy weather combined with plenty of chilly rain, we finally get our June sunshine. I looked at the forecast for the rest of this week, and it looks like I can finally pack away my sweaters and scarves!! We will have sunshine and warm weather for the next several days. After running a few errands with my Mom this morning, I needed to be dropped off at home. Thankfully, I got spent the rest of the morning with my Dad :) He is so much fun and we have great times together!! He decided to go to the pool to work out this morning; while he swam, I got to read. 

The sun peeking through the trees

Little glimpses of sunshine

Our flowers :)

My brother and I, happy that we can
finally see our shadows :)

Hello, beautiful blue sky

   Before we left for swimming, however, he needed to get a few things ready so I seized the opportunity to go snap some photos of my front yard. Since the sun was not fully up yet, I wanted to take some pictures of the lovely shadows cast over the dew-dripped grass. It was such a wonderful morning!

    God bless you, my dear readers!!

The Ruth Challenge

   Last week, after reading a passage in my Bible about Ruth, I decided to try to practice obedience. I decided to call it the "Ruth Challenge". I confess, obedience with a good attitude is not as easy as I thought. I could obey my parents and those in authority over me quite easily! However, when it comes to adjusting my attitude, that is very difficult. However, obedience and submitting with a willing attitude were not all the things I learned last week. Throughout this last week, I really focused on having a good attitude as I went about my work. Each morning, I would ask God to give me an obedient spirit. It seemed rather impossible the first few days; at every turn, or whenever my Mom would ask me to do something, it seemed so much harder than usual. I would ask myself, "why on Earth is this so difficult?" Truthfully, I was constantly tormented by feelings of frustration and defiance. I didn't want to feel upset while I submitted, I wanted to be joyful! I truly believe that some sort of spiritual battle was being raged inside me.

   However, I didn't want this week to end in failure. By the grace of God (I couldn't have done it without Him) I resisted the devil. And just as it says in James 4:7, eventually, the devil did flee from me. To be sure, I did make mistakes along the way, but I did not exercise or cultivate these sinful feelings.When I decided that I was not going to conform to his ways, the devil had enough with me.

   Readers, I want to encourage you today. I'm sure that some of you are going through spiritual hardships right now, and it seems like no matter how hard you try, bad thoughts creep into your mind and then exit through your actions. Keep pressing on. Keep fighting the good fight. Do not follow your heart, because your heart is deceitflly wicked and will want to lash out at others. Most importantly, cry out to Jesus! Ask God for help! God will be faithful, and He will help you overcome.

   If you didn't do the "Ruth Challenge" last week, I highly encourage you to try it this week. It will be difficult, but if you do not listen to the often appealing voice of Satan, he will depart from you. Please leave a comment and let me know how you did after you complete it :) Know that I will keep you lifted in prayer. God bless you, my dear readers!

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." - James 4:7

Rainy Day in June

Here are some pictures at my house on this rainy day:

June Showers and No Flowers

     Each year, I expect summer to arrive ushering in plenty of heat, ice cream cones, and trips to the beach. Naturally, I was expecting to pack away my winter sweaters and pull out my short-sleeved shirts. Although we are already well into June, I have not been able to bid my coats and jeans adieu yet. Our anticipated warm, sunny weather has been replaced by cold rain. This year, summer has brought in mild weather, warm baked goods, and days spent wrapped up in a blanket.

     Right now, I am sitting in front of a warm fire while listening to soft music playing in the background. I will pause momentarily to look outside at the heavy rainfall. This morning, I baked some banana chocolate-chip bread; an activity I like to do when it is near Christmas. Today, it feels like December!

     Due to the excessive rain, my sister's ballet recital was canceled today. Thankfully, it was rescheduled and will be taking place this Tuesday. Unfortunately, however, not all of the girls from her ballet class will be present for the performance because of the date-swap. April showers are supposed to bring May flowers. However, it looks as if June showers will bring July flowers. Who knows when this wet weather will end?

    I am truly thankful that the rain has lasted this long; it is a blessing in some facets of our lives. As you may know, California has been experiencing a minor drought, and this rain will definitely help this issue. The farmers are also blessed; their crops can get more water which will make their crops healthier. One of our friends is a dairyman, and his cows produce more milk in cold weather such as this. There are always blessings in the seemingly bad situations :) After all, we won't have to experience the blistering heat of summer for very long this year!!

Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you..."               -Joel 2:23

Enjoy the rain and God bless you!!