stronger.

Theres this song by sara evans called A Little Bit Stronger. For those who don’t like country (tisk tisk)… it’s a pretty great song. My favorite line:

“Even on my weakest days, I get a little bit stronger.”

So true, so true. even days when I feel my worst, days when im sad or low in the hope or faith department, Im still getting stronger. Love it. Thanks Sara Evans.

if this doesn't make you think... I don't know what I'll do but just think about it anyways.

Seriously though, we are all more blessed than we even realize. I take so much for granted every day... Im insanely thankful for my life and the way I have been abundantly blessed in more ways than I can count. Life might not be perfect, but life is rich with blessings, I don't care who you are and this picture is a perfect example. So yeah, just wanted to share this because it really touched me and made me evaluate my thoughts, life and priorities. Hope it did the same for you! :) 

tom was a very smart man.

"If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves." 
-Thomas Edison


just something to think about if you ever need a little encouragement or a boost. 


:)

28 things.

I feel like I am more of a small group of friends person than a large group of friends, and most of my “facebook friends” know little about me. So here I am, doing the silly 25 things about me- blogspot version, just because I want to. And because I haven’t blogged in forever!

1. I love smiling and I love being happy. It blows my mind how people can live every day with a frown or in sadness, in fact it makes me sad that a lot of people have to put in effort just to smile or laugh. If you don’t have a reason to smile, find one!

2. I have a fantastic family. A lot of baggage but every family has that. I have two brothers who could not be more different. Scottie and I are only 13 months apart. He doesn’t go to school but he works almost every day and I am so proud of him! Logan and I are about 5 years apart, but we are extremely similar, I think he might be my twin soul. We have so much in common and I have a very close relationship with him as well!

3. My favorite animal is a giraffe, simply because they are fantastic. They are beautiful and amazing and I hope I get to pet one someday. Or maybe even feed one. Or see one in its natural habitat on an African plain.

4. Speaking of Africa and foreign lands, I want to do missions work with my nursing degree after I graduate. Even if its not immediately after, I want to do it at some point in my life.

5. I am obsessed with the summer and the beach. If I get both together, it’s the best day ever. Sunshine is almost like a drug for me. It makes me pretty ridiculously happy.

6. There are very few people who know me really well, but those who do are the most important people in my life. Most of them I call my best friends. I believe it is possible to have more than one best friend. I have several, and they are all very different and all serve a purpose. These people know who they are, and if I thanked them every day from now until the day I die, it still wouldn't be enough.

7.  I am the most vulnerable person I know. When I see something I like, I go for it. I get over any reservations. This often ends in me being hurt, or hurting someone I love. I'm working on it.

8. I fall for people way too easily, both for my own good and for the good of other people. I tend to hurt people unintentionally, which is a super bummer. So don’t fall in love with me and we’ll be all set. Seriously though.

9. I absolutely love caring for people and helping people. Probably why I’m going to be a nurse when I grow up. This doesn’t make me better than anyone else, its just what I love to do.

10. I don’t regret. I do wonder what could have been. This thought is relieved by the fact that I know that whatever is meant to be will find its way and that everything happens for a reason.

11. I’m an emotional person. I’ve come to accept that part of my personality, although I don’t always like it. I’m not an emotional freak but still… At least I’m not stone cold!

12. I love the state of California. Someday I’d love to live there.

13. I am trying to learn how to be content with being single and relying on God to help me with this. In the past 4 years, only about 6 months have been spent single so its quite the challenge/adjustment to say the least. I’ll get there though.

14. I don’t do things half way. I try to give everything my all, because I shouldn’t be giving anything less.

15. I love adventure. I love being outside. Take me for an adventure somewhere sunny, warm and outdoors and I will probably love you forever.

16. I’m very stubborn. Enough said about that.

17. I can be very impatient, especially when waiting for something I really want. For example: I cant tell you how many times I have tried to learn to play the guitar but gave up because I wanted to just learn chords and be able to play a song perfectly. Yeah, it doesn’t quite work that way.

18. I really like singing. I’m not the best, but I do it all the time, whether I’m alone or with people. I enjoy harmonizing.

19. I absolutely hate competition. Any part of it. I hate tension and pressure. That’s a big part of why I’m not a sports person. Put me in front of a sports game on tv and ill find something else to do. If I’m sitting at any kind of live sports game, I love it! Different energy I guess.

20. I am a very honest person. Sometimes, I'm brutally honest, especially with my friends. Ask me my opinion and I'll tell you how it is.

21. I tend to be pretty naïve. Also, I do NOT get jokes and sometimes I'm slow to catch on. Seriously. I don’t do it on purpose and its not because im trying to act "blonde"… I just don’t get jokes right away. Either a. it needs to be explained to me, b. i'll laugh about it 5 minutes later when I realize why it was funny or c. ill just flat out tell you I don’t get it and it may or may not need to be explained several times. So if you ever tell me a joke and I don’t laugh, don’t take offense, its not you- its me.

22. I love weddings!

23. Country music is love.

24. I love to read. And when I say read, I mean read for pleasure not read my college textbooks. That’s just one of the many reason I love summertime, I can read what I want when I want without worrying about all the other reading I need to do for school!

25. I’m not really a huge talker, especially about myself. When I am upset about something, I internalize it and I don’t really talk to anybody, unless they ask and I trust him or her. But even then, I hate throwing my problems on other people, I feel like I’m bringing them down with me and I don’t want that. 

26. I. Love. Ice cream. Way too much. Seriously though, if I gave up eating ice cream for the rest of my life, id probably be 20 pounds skinnier. Its worth it.

27. There aren’t many other things I hate more than saying goodbye. I’m terrible at it and it’s one of the worst things in the whole world. I usually cry. Not because im a baby… well I am a baby but that’s beside the point… I tend to get attatched to people I care about and leaving people or when people leave me just sucks.

28. I NEED sleep. If I don’t get enough sleep, I get anxious and moody and sick and it’s just no bueno. If you know me well, you also know that I cannot watch movies at night. Doesn’t matter if its 8 or midnight… I WILL fall asleep. Promise.

So those are some tidbits. Im not sure why I even did this in the first place… Seemed like a good idea and a good time killer in this depressing rain. Im going to go find sunshine and bring it back with me. Happy summer! :)

Just A Thought.

Something short but sweet that I was thinking about this morning, and I wanted to share. I was thinking about prayer. What are the things we pray about most? When we go to pray, what are our go to’s? I mean besides the intro- thank you for this day or thank you for this food and bless it to our bodies, etc. I mean, really getting into prayer.  So often when we pray, we ask for things, whether that be materialistic or for strength or courage or patience. Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that and its totally and completely okay to ask God for those things (within reason of course!) But I always forget to thank Him. I tend to run to God in times of need...  Times when im looking for something, when im feeling lost or frusterated or worried. I need to work on going to God in times when my prayers have been answered, or just to thank Him for all that I have been given. I am insanely blessed with so much, and God deserves all of the glory. 

Faith

SHOOT. 

For any of you who have been checking my blog waiting for a new post, please forgive me! Gosh, the past month has simply flown by, as do all of the other weeks and months and even years. I have been thinking about that lately. About time, and about change… and about faith. Those three things are so huge… in my life at least. They all kind of tie together don’t they? They are all a constant for me. Time certainly doesn’t slow down, things never stop changing and my faith remains unshaken. I think the only thing about my faith that changes is that it just gets stronger. It gets stronger because of the changes I go though over time, some of which challenge me in my faith, some of which inspire me to have more faith, some of which I have to have more faith than I think I have. The great thing is that I don’t ever have to depend on myself or do anything alone. I have faith, but I find the faith and courage and strength that I don’t have myself, in an incredible God. I realize that this is something that a lot of people find difficult to understand. The one thing people don't get about me. How I can have faith in such a cruel world? How can I have faith in something I cant see? Something that I cant necessarily “prove” at the drop of a hat? I guess I don’t really have much more of an answer than to say- how could I not have faith? I wouldn't be ME without my faith. Without it, I'd be nothing. I can say with confidence that I would be a very different person, probably not in a good way. My faith makes me who I am. It is the core of my being. The reason why I breathe. It gets me through every day, every hour and every minute. I’m not who I am without Him. And I can prove it, to a certain extent, but blind faith is hard to define. Guess thats what faith is all about right? Trusting and believing in something you cannot see and trusting that there is more to this life than what meets the eye, something beyond whats here on earth.

Its nuts, all you gotta do is seek, and I can PROMISE you will find what I have. Don't give up, and don't keep ignoring that little voice/instinct/conscience/whatever you want to call it. You don't have much to lose, and in my eyes, its worth a try.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks recieves; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

A Psalm

So on my phone, I have this app that gives me a different bible verse to read every day. I like it, because quite frankly it’s pretty convenient to open my phone and get to that app with the verse right there. Sometimes they really touch me and some days its just nice to read the Word. Today I got a really awesome verse. It was a Psalm, so of course it was awesome because who doesn’t love the Psalms… That book is kind of like a cure-all, and certainly knows how to give a person hope and comfort. If you have never opened it, I highly recommend it. They really are beautiful. Anyways, I read Psalm 139:1-8 which reads:

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”

It’s astounding when you think about it. Who are we to be so sought out and loved so dearly by a God so great? He knows us so much better than we know ourselves; he knows the things we are going to say before the thought even crosses our minds. Not only that, but he knows the details that don’t matter to anyone else- when we sit and when we rise. He cares enough about us to be familiar with our ways- our habits, the way we do our hair, how we like our food cooked, what makes us tick, what makes us incandescently happy. We can’t hide from Him. When we are in the highest of highs, he is there. The opposite end of the spectrum is something I think a lot of us have a difficult time believing- that in the darkest of times, in the lowest of lows, He is there, even when we don’t feel Him, he is always there.

How fortunate we are, how extremely blessed we are to have such an incredible God that wants to care for us and know us this intimately. Does He have to care for us the way He does? I don’t think so… But I do know that he cares for us the way he does because he loves us in a way that nobody else can and will provide more than a temporary happiness. A lot of worldly things can bring us joy or comfort enough to forget any kind of pain… but its all temporary. Wouldn’t you rather a love that lasts longer than a temporary “high?” I know I would, and I give thanks that I do have that love. Not because I deserve it, but because I seek and I find it in my God. So can you.