It's Mom's Day Now!

In our family, we have two birthdays in January. Dad's was on the 25th, Mom's is today, the 27th of January. As I did with my dad, I want to take a minute and tell my Mom publicly how much I love her and how much she means to me.

Where is a girl without a mom? I don't have the faintest idea. I know that I could not live very well without her. Mom has been there for me all the time. She has been there with Algebra (yick!) all of the crazy hormone changes one goes through, when friendships have gone haywire, she has encouraged me and given me a shoulder to cry on. Whenever I need someone to talk to, she is right there with a listening ear. She is my confidante and my best friend.

Mom has taught me a lot about how a godly woman should live. She has been teaching me things like how to submit to one's authority (though she is the first to say it isn't always easy) She has taught me that being busy isn't the greatest thing world. She has reminded me that the best thing a girl can be is be a wife and mother. She has helped me remember that it is more important than the world cracks it up to be. Mom has also shown me ways to guard, protect, and care for my future children.

However, one of the things I appreciate most is that she is my prayer warrior. I can go to her with a prayer request, regardless of how dumb it might be, and she will pray about it. She knows the struggles that I have in my daily life and she is more than happy to pray about it. She has also been my biggest cheerleader as I have striven to live as the Lord has called me to. Mom knows that my earnest desire is to seek the Lord, and that has been her desire for me all of her Christian life.

Typical teenage girls don't like doing things with their mother; I do! She is fun! We go to tearooms and the Boise Philharmonic together, bake together, walk together, we have even of late been playing rounds of Scrabble together. I am not ashamed to be seen with my mom!

My hope and prayer for Mom this year is that our relationship will grow to even greater heights than it already is, that she will grow ever closer to the Lord, and that her Hopes and dreams will be realized this year. Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you soooo much!!!!! As that book says, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I am living, My Mommy you'll be!" I hope you have a great day today!

My Dad and Me

Today, January 25th, is my Dad's birthday. I love him so much! He is wonderful, and yes, goofy too. (I couldn't find a picture of him and me where he wasn't making a face of some sort:-) However, this picture isn't all; read the post below.......

It's Dad's Day

I wanted to take a minute and publicly acknowledge my wonderful dad. Today is his birthday, and no, I won't tell you how old he is. Yet, that doesn't really matter. What does is that he is very special to me.

I don't know where I would be without my dad. He is there for me in many ways. Dad doesn't always express his feelings in words, but he does in actions. He is always there to help me fix a computer problem that happens at the worst possible time. He has bought me three birds and trusted me to take care of them. He gives me a shoulder to cry on when they die too. :-) Dad takes me out to breakfast occasionally--just the two of us. He is willing to let me use the remote when we watch tv (though he might be watching the back of his eyelids instead of Emma or something:-)

However, the things I really appreciate about Dad are the bigger things. Dad never mocks the way I dress or the convictions that I have. In fact, he is there encouraging me. In fact, he is always right there helping me better myself (meaning with my posture or manners) He is right there to help me when friendship things go haywire; he reminds me of the truth, and that Mom, Dad, and Garrett are always there with me.

Dad also prays with me and for me. That means a lot. I might not know what he prays in private, but I do know that he wants what the Lord has in store for me. Dad's faith is constantly growing, and I am looking forward to seeing what ways he will change in the Lord. Dad does want to do what the Lord and His word says.

Well, I have pumped up Dad a lot, but that's my purpose. I want to make it clear how much I admire, appreciate, and rely on him. My prayer for him is that in this forthcoming year, Dad's and my relationship will grow even more, and that his relationship with God will grow as well. I love you, Daddy!!!!!!! I am so thankful that you are my dad. My friends might have great dads, but I have the greatest! :-)

Still Nothing Much to Say

I had hoped to have something really cool to post about today. Yet, I don't. My entire family still has this infernal cough/sore throat thing! We are on the tail end, but that seems to be the part that always takes the longest to heal! I don't mean to sound like a complainer, but I don't love being sick, either!

You know, it's funny, though. Even if both the teacher and the students feel a little blah, you are still able to do school. :-) That sort of bothered me, but then, I am glad that Mom did decide to just stick with it. As I said in the last post, I finished The Red Badge of Courage. I am able to say that it was one of the worst books I have ever read. (There are only two that are on that list: that one and The Yearling.) I don't know how many of you have ever read that book, but if you haven't, you aren't missing anything. It's a bore, and the main character isn't anything to write home about.

I also said that I finished the Ronald Reagan research. Now, I am in the process of putting all my notes together. I am glad I am doing it this way. It would be so hard to write a paper when details about his assassination attempt are scattered throughout five pages. My hope and plan is to be done with the entire project sometime in the next week or two.

I am reading So Much More and it is one of the best books I have ever read. I would encourage all the girls who read my blog to read this book. However, you have to have the heart for its message. You either have to agree with their standpoint, or be seeking to do what God says in certain matters. Anyway, if I could call the book awesome, I would. (Our family reserves the word awesome for God alone.) I have enjoyed reading it, and it has reaffirmed my views/beliefs on things. In my opinion, it is a book that every Christian American girl should read. Maybe then our country wouldn't be as far off the wall as it is now!

I don't have much planned for today. I think I am going to take a quick shower for starters, take a prayer time, and then read my great book, do some cross-stitch, clean dishes, and watch a movie or the Broncos celebration parade on tv. Sounds like a great day to me! I hope you all have a great Saturday as well. Thanks for reading my ramblings; I hope you enjoyed seeing what goes one in this gray matter of mine! God bless ya'll, my friends!

Enough

I wasn't sure what to post about today. I don't have anything of great significance to report and I haven't been infected with a rare disease that would shock the medical community. Life is good, and it's normal. It has the same occurrences that it usually does. I have been consuming my time with schoolwork (though if you noticed my book log, you would see that I have finished both The Red Badge of Courage and my Ronald Reagan research. Now to get it all together!) I have piano lessons with my festival/competition looming ahead of me in March. I have been baking various things like gingerbread. (Yum!) So, unless you want to just hear about my normal, happy, contented life, I will get on with what I was going to say.

I decided to change the music on my blog. I love what I had, but it was time for a change. So, I began looking at what to put. Well, I thought of a song by an artist that I sort of like, Jeremy Camp. (Yet he can be too rocky for me at times.) Well, they didn't have the song, but I knew of another artist who sings it. So, I typed it in, and sure enough, they had it. As I started to play it, I paid really close attention to the words.

With music, I always try to hear the message in the songs. I don't like music that doesn't have something positive to say. (Unless you just want to get a dumb song stuck in your head.) So, I listened to the lyrics. "You are my supply, my breath of life, still more awesome than I know. You are my reward, with living for, still more awesome than I know. 'Cause all of You is More than Enough, all of me, for every thirst and every need you satisfy me with Your love. And all I have in You is More than Enough for me. You are my sacrifice, my greatest price, You are my coming King, You're my Everything. Aren't those words great?

Mom and Dad routinely say that my name means God is my Strength. Well, when I get down on my name not having any apparent significance, they remind me of that. When I really think about it, I see how true it is. God IS my strength, my sustenance, He's More than Enough. Now, I do need things like family, friends, clothing, shelter, and things like that. Yet it all pales in comparison with having a Friend beside you at All times; a friend who always has a ready ear and an encouraging word; a friend who loved Me enough to suffer and die that I may have the promise of life with Him. How can He NOT be more than enough.

I do struggle in my walk with the Lord at times. Yet I always need to be reminded that He is my everything, and he will satisfy my every need. One way He does that is by giving me my wonderful family and my like-minded friends. I am thankful to Him for you!

When I Least Expected it

You know, I am so glad that the Lord's ways and thoughts are so much bigger than my own petty ones. This past weekend, I was able to see that in an amazingly personal way. I want to share the story with you, and maybe, it will minister to you.

Some of you know that back in October, I applied for a job in HopeChest Magazine. No, I wouldn't be getting paid or compensated in any way, but I felt it was something for me to consider. I have had this desire to use my God-given writing abilities in some capacity, but I didn't quite know where. Once I read this plea in HopeChest asking for an editor, I prayed about it, and decided to go for it. Well, I heard from Anne (one of the girls who runs the magazine) She gave me many particulars, liked what she saw in me, and stated she would get back to me in two weeks.

Those two weeks came and went, and I never heard anything. The weeks turned into months, and my expectation dwindled. I wasn't hearing from her, and I assumed that meant I did not get the position. As much as I tried, I was unable to get in touch with her. I think God had a purpose in that being so.

The weeks and months of uncertainty and silence were difficult for me. I had thought it was something the Lord had desired. Maybe I had gotten some miscommunication somehow, somewhere. I surrendered my wanting over to Him, but I still had issues leaving it there. (Don't we all..all of the time?) I tried to accept His decision, but it wasn't easy. Yet, in the weeks that went by, I gradually let it go. Perhaps it wasn't going to be the best thing for me!

Yet, on Saturday, out of the blue, I heard from Anne! I hadn't anticipated hearing from her at all, so checking my e-mail and finding a letter in the inbox was a big surprise. Imagine my further surprise when I discovered I got the position! I was going to start right away and she was looking forward to getting to know me.

You can imagine my thankfulness to the Lord. Anne had said she was sending me out a package of material to be edited, and I prayed that it would come soon. I had a deadline after all! On the day I prayed, the envelope arrived at my house, only a day after she had sent it. Again, I had reason to thank God.

Through this interesting turn in the journey of my life, I think the Lord was trying to teach me something. I need never despair of the quietness that is around me. Yes, the answer might have been no, but He was giving me the time to turn the desire over to Him, so I wouldn't be too heartbroken. Yet, it didn't turn out that way. There was silence for several months, but God knew the outcome all along. (Though why He can't reveal it every now and then is beyond me:-) So, when there appears to be silence for years, I still have no cause for alarm. It is a time where the testing will develop perseverance, and that those who wait (patiently and trusting) will receive blessing at the right time.

So, that's where I have been these last few days. Aside from my schoolwork, chores, and everything else, I have entered the world of editing. I have been correcting girls' submissions and have been choosing what should go in the next issue. I would appreciate ya'll's prayers for me. Not just that I would know what to put in and what to not, but more importantly, that the Lord would be high and lifted up as I seek to minister to other young women. I want Him to be glorified in this role and not me! God bless!

How will I respond?

If you have gone on various blogs, you would have seen that I went bowling with several good friends. (Though some were missing:-) Well, bowling is a character test for me. I love to bowl, but I think I love the idea of bowling. My scores are nothing to rave about. I am a perfectionist, so doing bad is difficult for me to accept.

In the past, I have gotten really down about myself. I have even cried on some occasions. I am not sure what I require. Is it getting this huge score and getting lots of strikes? I can't say. I can tell you that it never happens...much to my chagrin.

However, I didn't want to break down about my performance this outing. I don't suffer from peer pressure, but I don't want my friends to see me act ridiculous over a dumb game that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. So, I made up my mind to have a positive attitude, regardless of how I did.

Well, we first went to the D.'s house and ate pizza and watched a movie. (I am not recommending this one:-) After the van finally got there, we all headed off to the Boise State Student Union. That's where we bowl, due to the fact that they don't allow smoking or drinking. We got lost on campus, though we have been there a few times. (Shifty was being a back seat driver!) Anyway, we got there and began bowling. Now, the beginning is also a test for me. I have to rent size 5 shoes. Thankfully, they had shoe laces!!!!! :-D I have had to deal with velcro before. I also use an eight pound ball. The others are too heavy for me.

So, we start bowling, and sure enough, I go in the gutter more than I want to. I do manage to get pins down, and that's what I go for. Yet I have an odd way of bowling. I go up to the line, stop, and then throw the ball. Everyone thinks it's nutty, including myself, but that's the only way I can seem to do it. Well, I do get a spare, with all ten pins going down. I was excited about that. Then, I started going down again. All of my friends gave me advice in joking manners. (I was told to do it granny style more than once.) Well, how was I doing to respond to this?

I knew what I had to do. I took deep breaths, and joked about what they said. I still would go in the gutter, and if I felt that I was beginning to get angry, I would stop and cool off. I am so thankful to the Lord that I never busted down crying. I never even came close. Also, no one laughed at me; they all laughed with me. (Or if they thought me stupid, they all had the courtesy to keep it inside.) We bowled three frames, and it was a lot of fun. We laughed a ton, and we enjoyed each other's company.

Not meaning to be prideful, but I am pleased with myself. No, not with the bowling scores, which were in the forties twice and the sixties once. I was pleased that I responded the right way this time. I think that's because I prayed on the way to the D.'s house. I really wanted to come away proud of how I acted.... And I am!

Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once again, if you didn't see the pictures I got, go ahead and look at them. I hope you enjoy them. Also, once again, this isn't an uplifting post. I said I would talk about Boise State!!!! Well, we won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to say it was a great game to watch!

You knew that we were going to watch the game. Well, we had the tv on all day. I hardly paid attention to the other games. Boise State, on the other hand, was a game that we were glued to the screen. I said that we aren't excessive sports fans, and that's true. However, you couldn't have been able to tell that last night. :-D Well, Boise State was winning for most of the evening, and we were feeling pretty good. In fact, Dad called Mr. L. and "rubbed" it in. Yet, I think we learned not to count our chickens before they're hatched. Oklahoma came back and tied the game. Then, another lesson we saw was that quarterbacks are human. Ours threw an interception. I was despairing. Then, Boise came back, and tied the game to send it to overtime. I think about that time we all had sore throats for screaming, stomach aches, shakes, racing hearts, the whole nine yards. (And we aren't major nuts!) Oklahoma got ahead, and then, we tied it again. Coach Pete decided to go for two points. I thought he was crazy! (That's why he's the coach and not me.) And..........we got it!!!!! The Boise State Broncos won 43-42! Wow! And if that wasn't enough, our running back proposed to his girlfriend. Now, you know that I am NOT into that thing, but it was cute.

So, the game is over, but it is the talk of the town, and the subject of this post. (If you want, go to Garrity's blog; he has a different spin on it than I do. He also has pics.) I hope you don't mind my slipping into a sports mindset. I did enjoy it!!!!!! And I loved the time with my family! Ok, now I will be back to my normal, trying to be uplifting self. But..................Go Broncos!!!!!!!!

Pictures of Game Day..Sunday's that is

Well, I got the pictures. I won't write in between them like I usually do. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. (You know the saying plenty by now!) The first picture is of the adults playing Balderdash. The rest are of us kids hanging out. I only wish there was a shot of a spoon fight! :-) Anyway, I hope you enjoy them. Guess where I am?

Game Day Yesterday....and Today.

Welcome to the first post of 2007! Did you all ring in the New Year? My family did. If you noticed the title, we had a game night last night. Normally we have them every Friday night at home; last night, it was at church. Instead of having Sunday evening service, we had a food and game fellowship. (Our church is know very well for that. I wouldn't be surprised if we were known world-wide:-) Anyway, we went to church at six like usual. Pastor Jeff had us sing a hymn, and then, we ate..and ate..and ate. That makes us seem like gluttons, but we aren't. I think we just like to eat.

After some of us were done, finally, eating, we played various games. I know Mom and Dad played Balderdash. I have never played it; they will have to teach me. What was I doing, you might ask? Well, some of the teens, and a few adults, played Apples to Apples. We brought the game, and most people knew how to play it. If I remember correctly, I think Wyatt won with four cards. Normally, we have people get seven or eight, but when you are playing with twelve people, it takes far too long already!

Once we finished that game, the teens played spoons. I, like Balderdash, had never played it, but it really was easy to do. Let's see.....who played: Shifty, Garrity, Wyatt, Isaac, Owen, Peter, Cody, Jason Lav, Angela, Christina, Grace, Brianne, Shelley, and Myself. (Not all of those are "teens," but our church doesn't make a big deal about that.) I am surprised that I did very well. No, I didn't win, but I thought I would have gone out in the opening round. I even won a fight for the spoon. :-) It was a lot of fun. I think the teens will have to do it again.

Now, I wish I had pictures. We were almost to church, when, all of a sudden, I started calling myself a knucklehead. I had planned on bringing the camera, but I forgot it. However, plenty of other people brought their's. Mom has e-mailed a friend of hers, and she will get some to us. So, if I decided to post this now, I will do the pics once I have them on my computer. Sorry you can't see them now!

Now, it's game day again. No, we aren't playing board games or having friends over. It's football! To set your mind at ease, our family is not major sport fans. However, our Boise State Broncos, the college football team, is playing in the Fiesta Bowl. (Our colors are blue and orange; thus the colors of this post.) We aren't the people who paint their chests or other gross things, though we are wearing blue and orange shirt, scarfs, vests, etc. We are all geared up for to tonight. We are going to eat snack foods, including tostitos! I will let you know who wins. Hopefully, I will have favorable news. Go Broncos!!!! (Brianne, if we do lose, don't rub it in my face:-) I know it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but we are looking forward to spending time together watching it and rooting for our underdogs.

Again, this isn't an overly unlifting post, but I want you to see that we love doing things as a family. I don't always need to find my meaning in peers, though I love being with them. My family is soooo cool! So, expect more on this post later!