Learning.

Tonight I was able to hang out with one of my best friends, Sarah. We went and saw One Day (not a very good movie by the way), got some Del Taco for dinner, and headed back to her dorm to hang out for a bit. She is an R.A. this year and has a handful of residents who have moved in early. As the evening continued on five girls found their way to her room and it was so great to hang out with them. I am SO proud of her for being a freshman R.A. this year! She is going to be so awesome with those young women!!

I've been thinking a lot about the past three years at college, and every experience has made me who I am today, but sometimes I wonder who I would be if things had been different. If I would have taken more chances, been more outgoing, met more people, joined more clubs, gone on retreats, etc. etc. I didn't go into college with the attitude that I would meet my best friends or find a husband or even that I would want to live in Seattle forever. I thought I already had that all figured out and I would just be going to school, I would "survive" it and then move home as quickly as I could get it over with. Boy was I wrong. I have met some of the most amazing people and have had some of the best experiences of my life. And I know this is just a chapter, but instead of trying to "get thru it," I want to fully embrace the final year of my college experience.

The Lord is showing me more and more every day that the more I think I have things all figured out the LESS I have figured out. Hindsight is always 20-20 and no matter what anyone told me I wouldn't have changed anything, but my advice now to anyone just starting college would be to embrace it with both arms open. I was holding on so tightly to the past that I was afraid to accept the future. I was (and still am) scared of changes that happen. There is nothing I can do to avoid change, but it never really gets any easier for me. I know that God will take care of me and I believe wholeheartedly that he has a plan for my life, but sometimes its hard figuring out what that plan is exactly.

This year will determine a lot of things for me. Graduate school or no graduate school? Move home or stay in Seattle (or move somewhere else??)? Career in children's ministry or something else? Meet someone to marry or stay single for a while? There may only be a few things to determine, but they are all pretty life altering (and most of them lead to even more questions). The only thing I can do is continue to pray for guidance and peace in each decision I make. I suppose you could say I'm still learning how to live.

Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes

I found this recipe for Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes on Pintrest and I thought, I HAVE to try these. So, we had a family get-together this afternoon, and I thought here is my opportunity to try something new. (In addition to making regular chocolate cupcakes, oatmeal raisin cookies, and peanut butter cookies- so when the new item doesn't go over well with a family that always expects the same things there is still some dessert to eat. ha) Anyways, I made the cupcakes following this recipe and I thought they were delicious! So easy to make and a little bit better for you- no eggs and a lot less sugar in the frosting!

Two ingredients: crushed pineapple and yellow cake mix. SO easy!

Out of the oven.

Frosted and ready to go.

Love pintrest. Love trying new things. Love these cupcakes :)

Time.

Two weeks from today I will be somewhere along I-5 heading north toward Seattle. I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by, but looking back, I also know that I have been able to do so much. I have gone to Disneyland and the beach, spent time with my best friends and family, tanned by the pool, read a handful of books, gathered new items for my apartment at school, and more. Whenever we get to the end of a particular "season" I look back and think, "Wow, where did the time go?!" and then looking forward I think of how many days until the next something and how incredibly far away that seems. Its funny how time works. It always sort of blows my mind that so much happening in my little individual world is nothing compared to what is happening in our country or in our world, or even with what God's greater plans are. 2 Peter 3:8 tells us that, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." Trying to think about that hurts my head. We are not made to comprehend such things, and yet God has given us these words to try and wrap our heads around.

I will be starting my 4th (and final) year of college in a few weeks and someday I will look back on my time in college as just a blink of memories in my life. When my freshman year started, just a few years back, I thought I was never going to be able to make it to Thanksgiving, let alone finish at what seems like a lightning speed. Time is funny like that. Its like God slows things down when he is trying to teach us something. Or maybe he speeds things up to get our attention. Maybe thinking about the past and counting down to the future are all ways in which we can draw our attention back to God. We can be grateful and feel blessed for the experiences we have gone through in the past, and we can look forward and prepare for what lies ahead.

Summer of Movies

It seems like all I have done this summer is watch movies movies movies. But isn't that what summer is all about? Watching new movies and catching up on old ones you missed during the school year? I have seen: Pirates 4, Transformers 3, Green Lantern, Cars 2, Larry Crowne, Winnie the Pooh, Captain America, Crazy Stupid Love, The Change-Up, and The Help. And that's just in theatres. Thanks to RedBox I have watched dozens more including Gnomeo & Juliet and Soul Surfer just this afternoon. Other RedBox movies have included Morning Glory, Unknown, Adjustment Bureau, Just Go With It, The Eagle, The Switch, Country Strong, and Life As We Know It. (Geez, what else have I been doing?!) My favorite movie by far has been The Help. I saw it with my mom and we cried, laughed, cried some more, and left agreeing that it was the best movie we have ever seen. Okay, so there were no superheroes, aliens, cars that become giant monsters, or any crazy special affects, but those are not the things I find important in a movie. I had just finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and think that everyone I know needs to pick it up (it's on sale at Target right now!). The message behind the book/movie is incredible and really makes you think. How would we have acted in the same situation? Would we have been like Miss Skeeter and stood up for the maids and those who were treated poorly? Would we have been like Miss Hilly who was just doing what she thought was "right" and following the social pressures?

I would hope that by knowing and following the teachings of Jesus I would have realized that things were not right and had the courage to do something about it. But then again, there were plenty of Christians living in the South when all this persecution was taking place. Who knows what would have happened if I was there 50 years ago when these things were happening in Jackson, Mississippi. Persecution and segregation are still happening around the world, even in our own country. I haven't really come across much in my life in my little bubble of an existence, but I know that I will. How will I handle it? Will I stand up for what I know is right? Will I hide in the crowd and hope someone else says something? I pray that I will always do the right thing, no matter what that means. In the mean time, I will keep encouraging people to read and watch The Help.

Christmas?

Well, I get to this point every year and I start thinking about how much I can't wait for Christmas to be here. I really do love every season in its own way- the crisp smell of fall, the beautiful flowers of spring, and the warm sunshine of summer- but there's just something magical about Christmas time. It's always been my favorite time of year. Wearing sweaters, drinking cider, decorating the tree, listening to Christmas music, baking tons of cookies, spending time with friends and family, putting up lights, oh the list could go on and on. But, you say, its only August! Why are we thinking about Christmas when there's a whole handful of holidays between now and then....well, because Christmas is my favorite. That's why. Don't get me wrong I love all holidays (I just bought some smiley pumpkin jack-o-lantern lights at Michael's today for Halloween), but like I said- Christmas is MAGICAL. Anybody want to watch Elf with me?? If I still haven't convinced you then I will just leave you with some pictures that should make anyone start thinking about Christmas and how wonderful it is :)

This last one just makes me feel happy. Christmas isn't about getting, it's about giving and loving :)

Re: DIY Calendar

I used a 16x20 inch frame with about 2 inch paint chip squares. (I have been trying to post this as a reply for the past 3 days but google is not letting me!) I'm sure you could use lots of different sizes of frames depending on the size of your paint chips too! :)

DIY: Paint Chip Calendar

So I saw this calendar on Pintrest from Hey, things change! and I thought hmmm I could do something like that. This calendar was done on a big notepad so you would have to make a new one each month- I thought that would be a lot of paint chips and quite the commitment to always making a new one every month. SO I decided to make one inside a frame and use the glass like a white board to write the numbers and what-not on it.

Here's what I did:

Gather supplies: paint chips, paper cutter, tape, ruler, empty frame (16x20)

Cut paint chips apart

Outline each chip with a black sharpie

Lay out the paint squares to make sure you have seven columns and five rows

Once you have an idea of where they will all go, tape away!

I used stamps for each day of the week- Sun, Mon, etc.

The finished product!

Now all I need are some dry erase markers to fill in the dates and what's happening! Although it took me a few hours to complete the whole thing (it would have been done quicker if I was less OCD about perfection in crafts) I think it was totally worth it. It's a little more fun than the white board calendars you can buy at the store and much cheaper! (since I already had all the supplies, minus the paint chips- which I picked up at Lowes this morning). I'm excited because it should go quite nicely with the duvet cover and pillow I picked up at IKEA for my room this year :)

I love Pintrest and have spent so much time looking at blogs with cute crafty ideas, yet I haven't really made anything I have seen. I always think "ohh I should do that someday..." and then nothing. So I am making a goal to be more crafty and try more of the recipes I find too. We shall see how that goes...