Inside My Mind

little things...

2012-01-24T21:25:00.000-08:00

Life has been full. So very full of life, love, and little things. Sometimes I just stop because breath fails me as I'm caught in the wonder of God's abundant goodness- even in the midst of trials.

I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. -Psalm 16:8

Over the past two weeks God has blessed me by allowing me to be there for my friends; and for allowing my friends to be there for me. He has given me laughter and family. He has allowed me to pass my U.S. History I CLEP test today. By His grace, I now have 57 credits. Fifty-seven credits that I don't deserve, but that I am thankful for.

In the time since I've last posted, I've learned more about what it truly means to be a sister-in-Christ to someone. I've been in awe, and I've been in shock. I've been confused and pondering God's will for me. Of late, I've been praying hard for guidance and for wisdom.

Since this is just a collection of some rambling and somewhat-insignificant thoughts of a seventeen-year-old college student who is in love with her LORD and excited about life, it seemed fitting to include some snapshots from life. Snapshots of random little things...

What has been going on in your life, friend?

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. -Psalm 37:3-4

May God bless and keep you all.

gone

2012-01-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

Does God put people into our lives for a season? A brief and fragile season which is here and then blows away on the faintest breeze?

Left and forced to wonder, "why?"

"Did I represent Christ in everything that I said and did?"

I might be the only Bible that person may ever read. This is not to be taken lightly.

"Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." -1 Corinthians 8:6

Our paths are intertwined and convoluted. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly... All of the people whose lives we have the opportunities to touch. But do we?

Are we reflections of Christ in every moment of our lives?

Can people see Him in our faces, our eyes, our smiles?

Can people hear Him in our words, our greetings, our willing responses?

When a person is gone, you're left to wonder all of these things.

Then it's time to start praying with all of your heart.

With all of your mind.

With all of your strength.

"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power." -Hebrews 1:3a

Yesterday and Tomorrow

2012-01-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

2011... It seems like it was just yesterday... Oh, wait, it was.

Yesterday I was overwhelmed by how wonderful 2011 had been. Exactly a year ago, on December 31, 2010, I couldn't wait for a new year. 2010 had been a not-so-good year for me and I couldn't wait for it to end. 2011 was different. It was gorgeous and it was, by far, one of the very best years of my life.

It was my sweet sixteen.
I read through the Bible in 90 days.
My dad and friends helped me to make my scholarship video.
I started college.
The camera became by best friend.
Mom and I started hanging out together. A lot.
I went to go see Jane Eyre in the theaters with my mom and friends.
I became acquainted (online) with some of my now-closest-friends through CollegePlus! They are the most wonderful, Christ-centered, and mature friendships and they are all so precious to me!
My aunts took me and some friends to see a display of fabulous old movie costumes.
Our family went on the most amazing road trip ever (and visited Powell's City of Books.)
Kyla came to visit and it was awesome and epic and wonderful.
The fabulous new Owl City CD came out.
We went camping and had an incredible time.
I discovered The Hunger Games books.
I learned to really and truly love the little things and just spending time with family and friends.
Courageous came out in theaters and was one of the best movies I had ever seen.
Going to North Carolina was pretty much the best thing that happened all year.
I got the biggest surprise of my life.
Courtney and Rachel came to visit and we all went to Disneyland together.
I bought way too many new clothes.
Hannah, Emily, and I had breakfast together a few times.
I passed eleven CLEP tests!
My seventeenth birthday came and went.
I felt God calling me to a ministry of coaching and counseling.
I "attended" the CollegePlus! Christmas party/Skype video call where we talked and laughed. It. Was. Epic.
When we went to go see The Adventures of Tintin, I got to see the new Hobbit trailer on the big screen.
Connor and I watched a total 50+ new movies in the evenings with Mom and Dad.
I starting having calls with my far-away "sisters" more often.
Even though I didn't make it to 100 books; I read 83.
2011 was a defining year where I discovered God and my Faith in a new way.
I learned more about myself, who I am, and who I want to become.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in Him.”

-Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV)

With 2011 now behind me, caught somewhere behind the sunrise of this beautiful morning, 2012 has dawned on the bright horizon. Somewhere in the brilliant hues of the day, a new year has arrived. And I'm glad to be here to see it. Since resolutions are so cliched, I'm not making any this year. Instead, I simply have a to-do list.

Read the Bible all the way through again and maintain my daily devotions.
Keep a prayer journal.
Learn how to use Photoshop Lightroom.
Have an official photo shoot.
Write more letters.
Travel to Arizona with Connor and spend a week there with friends.
Go the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival in February.
Have the chance to meet many of my CP! friends while I'm there.
Possibly go and see the Hunger Games movie in March.
Write in my journal faithfully.
Read 100 books.
Purchase a yellow blouse.
Make a point to write a review for (almost) every movie that I watch.
Listen to more soundtracks.
Lord willing, become a CollegePlus! coach.
Become a better photographer (in September, I'll be taking a college-level photography course.)
Strive to become a better sister, daughter, and friend.
Go to North Carolina again. Maybe?
Earn 66 more credits and graduate in December.
Obtain my own camera.
Plan my graduation party... for January?
Save money so I can take just Mama to Disneyland.
Have a Lord of the Rings movie marathon.
Watch the Hobbit in 3D on my eighteenth birthday.
Turn eighteen, become a legal adult, and register to vote.
Be ready and excited for 2013!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

-1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

Yesterday was incredible.
Tomorrow will be amazing.
Today is a precious gift.

what a wonderful weekend

2011-12-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas weekend was a whirlwind full of family, laughing, and insane amounts of chocolate. What an incredible and beyond amazing way to celebrate the birth of our Saviour.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased! -Luke 2:14

Because Christmas was on a Sunday this year and Connor and I were scheduled to lead worship at church on Christmas morning, we had our Christmas morning celebration on Christmas Eve. It was better this way because we're stay-at-home-all-day-in-your-pyjamas-on-Christmas kind of people and we didn't want to have to rush off to church in the midst of our festivities.

My aunts and my grandfather arrived at around 9:30 and we all immediately attacked the food tables.
Every year, my mother prepares the most outstanding Christmas breakfast. It's truly worth waiting for year after year after year.

The food kept everyone happy for a while, but, but 11:00, Cora couldn't handle just staring at her presents any longer. At this point the tearing, the oooing, and the ahhhing commenced.
We open our gifts one-at-a-time so each person can really take the time to appreciate the gift. It takes a lot longer, but I love it.

From me, Cora got a plush Rapunzel doll. She hasn't put it down since she opened it and that makes me ridiculously happy.

The boy likes owls. Can you tell?

Most pictures are worth one thousand words. I think that this one is worth at least two thousand.

(Daddy got this survival medical handbook and, apparently, the illustrations are very realistic.)

I got some very exciting presents. So much more than I had been expecting and I'm overwhelmed trying to figure out what to do with it all.

I got this amazing bag. No, seriously. I'm pretty sure that this bag is going to change my life. It has pockets inside of pockets which are a dream-come-true for an organizer like me. It's huge and can hold my laptop, my thick study Bible, my journal, and the multiple books that I'm currently reading. I actually feel like it's deserving of its own post, so, more on the bag later.

These earrings are a highlight of my life right now. Mom got them from etsy for me. L-O-V-E.

Terrible photo, but I'm trying to show you all my new robe. It's flannel and gray and oh-so-literary.

This book was somewhat of a gag-gift from Mom and Dad, but I love it. It's witty and funny and informative too. Awesome.

Connor gave me a card worth one pound of chocolate from See's Candies and Aunt Kristin and Aunt Mandy gave me a gift card for Anthropologie. Oh, yes...

From Mom and Dad, I also got two maxi skirts, a scarf, audio books, a CD collection of Ronald Regan's Presidential speeches, and some books from Vision Forum. I am literally drowning in fabulous books and I started four of my new ones because there was no way that I could possibly pick only one to start with.

The next day, on the actual Christmas morning, I woke up earlier than I would have liked, did my chores, ate leftover Christmas eggs, and begged Mama to let me make myself some hot chocolate. No dairy before I sang, though. Sadness.

We were able to get at least one decent family photo of us all in our Christmas finery.

The church was decorated beautifully. What better way to rejoice in the birth of our King than with candles and greenery and beauty?

Our church is relatively small, but we are blessed to attend a church with two other homeschooling families. Hannah and Emily's family is one and the other family has six kids; three boys and three girls whom they adopted from China.

This picture makes me laugh so hard. When you have fifteen kids, from three different families, and you ask them to make a silly face, this is the hysterical result.

By the time we got back from church, I was exhausted. I had practiced all nine songs for church with Connor in the morning. Then, once we were at church, I practiced my song with Hannah and Emily three times and then I practiced my solo once. We all then ran through Go Tell in on the Mountain just because it's fun. That was all before the service. For the real deal, I sang seven songs with the congragation, one solo, and then a special music with Hannah and Emily.

Singing for Jesus at church was my gift for Him and it was with great joy that I gave Him that part of me on Christmas morning. Nevertheless, singing is very physical and I. Was. Tired.

Once at home, I made myself some hot chocolate to help perk me up. Dark French drinking chocolate with whipped cream and candy cane sprinkles.

That, my friends, is pure happiness in a mug.

Aunt Kristin, Aunt Mandy, and Poppop came over again in the evening when we ate our traditional Christmas dinner of ham, cheesy potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, and other delicious things. We exchanged a few gifts and just enjoyed spending time together as a family.

Monday morning was fabulous. Aunt Kristin, Aunt Mandy, and Poppop picked me up to go to Pasadena to visit one of our favorite bookstores.

I (heart) lens flare.

I left with three brand new books. Room, True Grit, and 1984. So exciting...

After our book extravaganza, we ate lunch at Chipotle and just had an all-around amazing time. The rest of my day was spent helping clean up after Christmas, playing with Cora, and weeping while watching The Help, which was, by the way, an incredible movie in every aspect.

What did you all do for Christmas?
Any food, gifts, or experiences that were especially thrilling?

I hope that you all had a Christmas weekend just as wonderful as mine was!

Sweet Things, Pine Trees, and Christmas Memories

2011-12-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

Now that my last test of the year and my birthday are both officially over, finished, and put behing me, it's finally beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Earlier in the month we had a gingerbread house decorating party at church. It was a beautiful afternoon of fellowship, fun, and sweet things to eat. Sweet Christmas-y things to eat. Fabulousness.

Peach rings! Be still my heart...

A few days after my birthday, we ventured out into the frigid Los Angeles night to find a Christmas tree. After trudging through the forest for three hours, we finally found the perfect one. A few swift strokes of my father's axe, and we fell the tree and carried it home on our shoulders; singing O Tannenbaum all the way home.

Um.

Not really.

That is my finding-a-Christmas-tree fantasy, but our actual experience was still exciting. I wore lace-up boots so I could have tried to imagine myself in a prairie forest... Yeah. Not really. Moving on now. The Christmas Tree Lot did have the perfect tree for us, though, and we had a lovely time decorating it as a family while we listened to Swedish Christmas music and ate spice cookies.

Every year my parents present me with a new ornament. At the end of every season, it gets placed in my box. My box of memories; precious memories from Christmases past. Ornaments dating all of the way back to my very first Christmas when I was less than two weeks old. My box of memories.

This year, my mama handed me my ornament. Daddy had picked it out for me and it is perfect. A scene from the children's book Guess How Much I Love You; a book that Daddy read to me when I was little. Sweet memories, but delicate nonetheless.

Once the tiny decorations had been passed around, we all took turns hanging them on the fresh pine tree that we brought home. (I love the way that our home smells at Christmastime.)

Mama got out a wooden nativity and Cora played with it in wonder. Mary, Joseph... Jesus. He is the true reason for this beautiful season. He is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. And we celebrate His blessed birth this Christmas season.

We relived an old holiday tradition this year. Putting together Max, my grandparents' wooden reindeer. When we were little, Connor and I used used to go over every year and build Max with Poppop and then Grandma would give us churros afterwards. We hadn't put Max together since my Grandma passed away, and this year it was wonderful to go over and help Poppop put Max together.

Curtis never smiles like this when he knows that I'm taking his picture so I had to be sneaky to get a real, genuine smile out of him. Goodness, I have such a handsome little brother.

These cute peoples asked me to take their picture...

...and then they charged me.

Theresa and I helped too.

We have pictures of me sitting in Max. We have pictures of Connor sitting in Max. We have pictures of Curtis sitting in Max. This year, it was Cora's turn.

After our labours, we ventured out to Barnes & Noble to pick up some Christmas gifts and then had lunch at a deli nearby.

Best. Soup. In. The World. Chicken Rice and Bagel Chips.

Oh, and did I mention that we ordered sweet potato fries? Yum.

Thank you, Father, for sending your Son to earth as a helpless baby. Help us not to lose sight of Him in the midst of pretty-wrapped gifts, cookies, cakes, and candies, time with friends and family, sharp-smelling pine trees, and fragile memories. You are the reason for the season and, as wonderful as Christmas traditions are, they mean nothing without a saving knowledge of You.

I cannot express this joy

2011-12-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

What do you say when words cannot express the joy that's in your heart? The thankfulness? The immense appreciation for love; for family; for friendship? How does someone even begin?...

This year, my birthday actually began the day prior. After writing class on the morning of the thirteenth, my friend-of-many-years, Josselyn, picked me up and took me out for lunch. Half the menu was vegan and contained items such as "vegan steak" and "non-dairy cheese"... aren't those oxymorons? Anyway, I had the most amazingly non-vegan turkey sandwich and I enjoyed my time out with a friend.

Later that evening, my poppop came over for a simple dinner and I opened my gifts from my family.

All of my gifts are so perfect. Mom and Dad gave me a wonderful forest green sweater that I had fallen in love with from a catalogue months ago, a bookish nightshirt, lip gloss, a Jane Austen knitting magazine, and an adorable picture book for me to keep for my own children one day.

Poppop gave me a lovely card inviting me out for an afternoon going out to lunch and shopping at a bookstore.

Theresa made me a Braille card with an elephant on it.

Curtis (with Connor's help) made me an incredible card with his and my faces put in place of Flynn Rider's and Rapunzel's from a picture from Tangled. To go along with it, he gave me the Tangled soundtrack. Love it!

And, last but not least, Connor gave me the Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl soundtrack. But wait, you all need to hear the awesome story that goes along with this.

Connor handed me the card that he had made. It was amazing. Old, brown, crinkly paper with a picture of Captain Jack Sparrow on the front. Then I read his message (which was peppered with pirate talk, Bible verses, and brotherly love). After the main message of the card, he had written that I had an adventure to go on and I was to read the little scroll that was taped to the inside.

He had made me a treasure hunt! A hunt with clever and challenging clues and complete with a chest at the end with my gift inside.

Thank you, Connor. For being my brother, for being my friend, and for doing fabulous, crazy, and wonderful things for my birthday.

I woke early on the morning of my actual birthday. After my Bible reading and prayer time, I turned on my laptop. Immediately after opening my email and turning on Skype I was flooded with happy birthday messages. I was completely overwhelmed. I received some precious emails from old friends but the majority of my birthday wishes were from the friends that I had made through CollegePlus!. God has blessed me so richly and I don't know how on earth I deserve so much love. To everyone who either left a comment on my blog, sent me an email, posted on the CP! forums, sent me a private message, or Skype-messaged me; Thank you. Thank you all a hundred times over.

I had made plans with my life-long-friends Hannah and Emily to have breakfast with them at their family's coffee house on my birthday morning. Daddy was wonderful to drive me there on his way to work.

Everything was so lovely. These girls went to so much effort to make our breakfast extra special. Again I will say it; I am blessed! I am so very, very blessed!

Hannah gave me an adorable vase with sweet pink flowers (that smell amazing!) and both girls had remembered how much I had loved a dessert that they make; sour cream, with brown sugar and strawberries. Hannah loving pointed out that none of us needed to eat an entire cup of sour cream for breakfast, so they made it out of yogurt instead. It was wonderful. Yum.

Best cappuccinos ever. Period. No Discussion.

I still am in shock, but, through their gifts, these girls (and their family) were pretty much able to touch every aspect of my personality. Poet/writer? Check. India? Check. Organic? Check. Beach? Check. Hedgehogs? Check. These peoples are amazing. Plus, they write beautiful cards. Everyone should get some cards on their birthday that make them want to cry. These were those cards.

Thank you, girls! God has blessed me so richly with your friendship and I love you both more than words can say!

After sitting and chatting with Hannah and Emily for just about four hours, we walked home and said our goodbyes. Mama then took my siblings and me out to have lunch at Pinkberry. Afterwards, Connor was amazing and stayed home while Cora napped so just Mama and I could go out together. Since I am seventeen now, we went to the mall and Mama let me get some eyeshadow. I've been playing around with colors over the past couple days and I've found it to be challenging to get it just right, but it's been immensely fun.

When we arrived back home, I was able to have some down-time and cry over an email that a friend sent me. I did my best to reply to a few messages, but, if you sent me one and I haven't replied to it yet, don't worry. I'll get to it; I promise.

In the evening, when Daddy got home from work, I went out to dinner with just him and Mama. It's never just the three of us and I had a positively lovely time. The restaurant that I picked is right above the Santa Monica Pier and is called the Lobster. The food is amazing.

This is the same entree that I ordered for my birthday last year; Shellfish and Black Linguini Pasta. So amazing.

For dessert we had blackberry cobbler. Be still my heart.

We walked on 3rd Street Promenade after dinner. While looking in Anthropologie I fell in love with many things that I couldn't afford to purchase. Sadness.

*sigh* Even the sale section is expensive.

I did end up buying one thing, though. This mug. Mama spotted these adorable monogramed mugs and each letter of the alphabet was a different color combination. The one for the letter 'C' was dark green and black and I fell in love with it instantly. It is pretty, vintage, cozy, and it will hold well over twelve ounces of coffee or tea. Oh, yes.

Even though it was late when we arrived back at home, it is a tradition for us to watch a movie that we haven't seen before on our birthdays. This year I was greatly torn between watching The Help or the third Pirates of the Caribbean. Connor convinced me that we can watch The Help later so I ended up deciding to watch At World's End. It was an awesome movie and the ending was beautiful and sweet and perfect (especially if you watch until after the end of the credits ;-) )

All in all, I had an absolutely, wonderfully beautiful birthday. Now I'm officially seventeen and I hope that pray that God allows me to continue to grow in Him and have another year just as amazing as sixteen was.

"i am sixteen going on seventeen..."

2011-12-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

"No, no, no. I distinctly remember, your birthday was last year."
"That's the funny thing about birthdays; they're kind of an annual thing!"

-Mother Gothel and Rapunzel; Tangled

Tomorrow my sixteenth year will be over and my seventeenth will begin. At this point, I don't know whether to be euphorically excited or morbidly depressed. I think that, for the sake of my family, I'll choose the former option.

When I was little, I used to think that, by the time I was sixteen, I would be perfect and life would be perfect. I would have the best and most flattering clothes. I would always say the right things. I would be completely grown up. I would never be awkward again. Ahhh... the innocence of youth. Now that my sixteenth year is drawing to a close however, I realize how wrong I was. I'm hoping that maybe seventeen or eighteen will be that magic year of reaching perfection, but I'm not counting on it.

Sixteen was an amazing year, but it flew by. (College has a way of keeping a person busy.) As sad as I am to leave "sweet sixteen" behind, I am excited at the prospect of what seventeen will hold. Who knows what God has in store? Right now I already have grand plans; I will finish college, I will spend a week with my friends in Arizona, I will spend more time with my brothers and sisters and watch them grow up, I will take a photography course, I will go to the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, I will meet my CollegePlus! brothers and sisters in Texas, I will learn how to cook, etc., etc., etc., the list goes on and on.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

I learned so much when I was sixteen. College began. My faith grew along with my theological knowledge. I grew closer to my family. My MacBook Pro, lovingly dubbed Wilson, entered my life. I gained knowledge into the worlds of history and politics. I made so many new and precious friendships. Previous friendships grew stronger and deeper. My brothers and sisters from CollegePlus! became invaluable to me. (I love you all so much!!!)

Anyway, thank you for staying with me throughout my musings. I'm not having a big party this year, but I am going to be celebrating in little ways with the people that I love most. Already I'm excited and I'll be back soon with plenty of stories and photographs.

Love and Blessings to you all!

Western Civilizations II is Officially Finished

2011-12-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

I'm exhausted.... After studying extra hard last night and this morning I had finally felt prepared. Early this morning, I got a relatively high score on my practice test and was feeling confident and ready to pass with a great score. When I started my test, however, I realized that it was going to be different than what I had prepared for.

One of the things that encouraged me, though, in the midst of my challenging test, is an email I received from a CollegePlus! friend this morning. She said the following:

"Don’t want to interrupt your studying, but I wanted to let you know I’m praying for you! For a good score, for sure, but mostly for peace and the ability to rest in your Savior’s will! God bless you, Cassie! Now go test for the glory of God!"

Have I mentioned how much I love my CP! peoples?

Anyway, if any of you are going to be taking the CLEP Western Civilizations II Exam, keep in mind that it's a tricky test. Instead of questions about Stalin and Hitler, I was asked about Otto Von Bismarck. Instead of questions of WWII, I had to analyze the Treaty of Westphalia in the Thirty Years' War. Instead of questions about the development of the Industrial Revolution, I needed to know population and urbanization. Instead of knowing about Marx's ideas, I needed to know how Lenin amended them... And that's only a small example of the nature of the test.

After a lot of prayer and help from the Lord, I was graciously allowed to pass with a 53. It's my lowest score yet and I'm disappointed, but, after that test, I'm just thankful that I passed!

That's 54 credits total now... Only two more tests and I'm a junior! Thank you, Father God!!!

Blessed Encouragement

2011-12-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

God knew that I was going to have a discouraging week. So many forces were against me; one by one, I watched members of my family fall to illness. I had to push my studying aside and help my mama to hold the home together while caring for those who were sick. God knew that I was going to become discouraged by my own inadequacy to counsel a dear friend. How can I possibly hope to give advice and offer encouragement for a situation in which I have no experience? I know; only through the Hope that I have through Christ Jesus. Without any doubt I have assurance that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength, but... still it is easy to become discouraged.

Even though the odds were against me, I was able to rejoice in the Lord always. What then shall we say to these things? "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). A multitude of forces seemed to support me; to gather around me and cause me to lean more heavily on God. Abba, Father, Lord.

So many small things were placed in my life this week, just when I needed them the most. Sweet moments in the quiet stillness of the morning; allowing myself to succumb to His Word and to be wrapped in His faithful promises. "Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 136:26).

A blog post seemed to be written just for me. If you are a single young lady, this post is for you too. Read it here.

When I opened my Skype account this morning, I had a notification from a friend of mine. This is the file that she had sent me.

A smile beamed across my face and thankful tears glistened in the small corners of my eyes. What have I done to deserve such sweet encouragement? Such immense blessings? Such sweet friends? Such an amazing God? Nothing. I have done nothing to deserve all of this, and yet God has chosen me. I cannot fathom this, but I will be thankful. I will be thankful and I will chose joy in the midst of discouragement.

God has refreshed and rejuvinated my spirit. Right now, I am praying for myself in two ways. First, that I may be dillegent and focused so I can pass my test on Monday. Secondly, that the Holy Spirit can fill me so I can be an encouragement to my friend. Prayer is strong, but I need to search the scriptures so I can be prepared to fight with the Truth of God and lean not on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Otherwise, I am just praising God for His abounding mercies and everlasting faithfulness!

Always remember, my dear friends that "the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4).

God Bless you all.

Life Lately

2011-12-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life seems to accelerate and I'm left behind, stumbling to catch up. It's almost as if I can view my life behind me and see what lies ahead and I just strive to keep up the pace. Day by day. Hour by hour. Minute by minute. Still, I cannot fail to lose sight of the goals that are ahead of me.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 3:14

After Thanksgiving, Theresa celebrated her birthday. As much as I wanted to post, God forced me to take a rest through a sickness which I am thankful to be cured of now. Often I believe that God allows us to become ill so that we can fully appreciate good health once again. Anyway, since then, my days have literally been whirling by. Nevertheless, I have arrived at the following revelations: Physics homework is rather overwhelming. Reading is a solace. Christmas is almost here. Adding a room onto your house is noisy. I love my family. Cora is growing up. Phone calls with friends are blessings. I have less than two weeks left of being sixteen. And, studying for your last CLEP test before the holidays is stressful. On that note, I'll be taking Western Civilizations II on December 12th and I'll be so thankful to have it finished (and hopefully passed!)

We're going to take our Christmas card picture soon and this weekend we are hoping to decorate our Christmas tree. Those will give me some photos worthy of a blog post.

What about all of you?
What have you been doing lately?

Thanksgiving Journal

2011-11-26T11:02:00.000-08:00

My Thanksgiving; photographs, smiles, and a list of what I'm thankful for.

No alarm going off in the morning

The gift of another day

Bright sunshine

A quiet house

Precious family

My mama’s smile

Reading my Bible

Once again realizing that Jesus chose to save me. He saved me.

Wilson, my MacBook Pro

Wireless internet

Planning get-togethers with my CollegePlus! friends (San Antonio in February... Here I come!)

Good-morning hugs from my baby sister

Bagels and cream cheese

Coffee...

Playing card games with my siblings

Hot showers

Cozy sweaters

My Mama's camera

A Thanksgiving e-card from a friend far away

Listening to the first Christmas songs of the year

Curtis’s incredible orange-striped shirt

Physical discomfort, teaching me true patience and thankfulness

Sweater vests on sale

Sweet sisters and wonderful friends; Hannah & Emily and Courtney & Rachel

All of my friends and pen pals. You girls know who you are. These are the girls that are just a phone call or an email away. I can laugh with them, chat with them, cry with them. These girls are a blessing to me in countless ways!

Adopted big-brothers-in-Christ through CollegePlus! who are not only amazing friends, but they encourage me and are the big brothers that I never had.

Bread cornucopias (My mama makes one every year on Thanksgiving)

Mugs of hot tea

Inside jokes

Laughing until my sides hurt

Adventures

Helping in the kitchen

Our bountiful meal

My CollegePlus! coach, Kaitlyn

REA Study Guides and the LearningNetwork, without which I could never have hoped to pass my CLEPs

Watching Tangled as a family

(It was a slightly scary part of the movie for Cora...)

Late-night movies with Mom and Dad

Chatting on the phone with my CP! sister, Hannah

Waiting to hear the outcome of an amazing surprise :)

I am thankful for so much, but, most of all, I am thankful for the life that God has blessed me with!

What are you thankful for this year?

Authentic Me

2011-11-21T11:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't joined in a blog party in a while, but the Authentic People Blog Party seemed worthy of linking up with.

This is Me.

1} What's the nerdiest/geekiest/weirdest thing about you?

Sometimes, I'm one of "those" homeschoolers. Stereotypes are not always a good thing, but, as I learned from studying psychology, they can be helpful. Anyway, I'm going to plug into the traditional homeschooler stereotype and admit that I love reading and studying, I wear denim skirts, I have glasses, and I'm planning on graduating from college before I graduate from high school... yeah. The weirdest part? I love it and wouldn't want it any other way.

My bookfessions are also pretty nerdy...

Okay, one more thing. I speak in accents all of the time. My brother and I do Russian together. It's awesome.

2} If you could live in a fictional universe from any book, movie, or television show, what would it be?

This is tough. Middle Earth would be awesome, along with Regency England, or Anne's Price Edward Island, and wherever Tangled takes place. Nevertheless, after much consideration, I would have to go with living in either a Galaxy Far, Far Away or Robin Hood's Sherwood Forest...

I got a little taste of a Galaxy Far, Far away when we went to Disneyland.

And, Ainsworth State Park in Oregon seemed a lot like Sherwood forest to me...

3} Little or big, practical or frivolous, what is one of your favorite items in your house?

My bookshelves! Just sitting and gazing at my bookshelves makes me happy.

4} Do you like animated movies? If so, what is your favorite?

I love animated movies. My daddy used to work for Disney when I was little and I grew up on most of the classic animated Disney films. Even though we don't watch them very much any more, they have a special place in my heart. Pocahontas, Dumbo, Aristocats, Hercules, Mulan, The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan... the list goes on and on.

Now that I'm older, I really love Pixar movies. Incredibles is a favorite along with Ratatouille.

Nevertheless, no matter how much I love old Disney movies or Pixar, by far, my favorite animated movie of all time is Tangled. I love the characters, the story, the dialogue, the music, the visual effects... ((sigh)) It's just a beautiful movie.

source unknown

5} What is your favorite household chore?

Washing dishes. I don't know why, but washing dishes is therapeutic for me. I can't think when I know that the sink is full of dishes and when the kitchen is clean, I am free to focus on other things.

6} What's your favorite thing to get at Starbucks (or your favorite coffee shop)?

My favorite coffee shop is the one that is owned by my best friends' family. Usually, I prefer just plain coffee with non-fat milk in it, but, every once in a while, I like to get a cappuccino.

7} What is your favorite pizza topping?

I don't eat pizza very often, but, when I do, I like thin-crust with tomatos, mushrooms, and olives.

8} Waffles or pancakes?

What??? No bagels or muffins??? This is a sad day indeed...

9} Do you like to play games? If so, what is your favorite?

Honestly, it depends on the day and the people involved. There are some people that I can't stand to play games with, but, I have other friends who are awesome game-players. When I do play, I enjoy a wide variety of games. Farkle, Malarky, Gin Rummy, Parcheesi, Pit, Mille Bornes, Dutch Blitz, Monopoly Deal, Mario Kart Wii, Wii Party, Wii Sports Resort and so many more.

10} Have you ever let anyone win a game?

I've let little kids win and, occasionally, I'll let someone win if I just don't want to play any more.

11} Have you ever dyed your hair?

No! Never have and I never will.

12} Do you make your bed every morning?

Ha! Okay, well, I try to...

13} Picasso or Norman Rockwell?

To me, Picasso's paintings are slightly disturbing so I'll have to pick Norman Rockwell for this one (even though I prefer Vermeer, Renoir, Monet, and others more.)

via

14} Do you like carpet, tile, or hardwood floors?

In bathrooms, I like tile. For the rest of the house (kitchen included) hardwood floors, hands down.

15} What was the last thing that made you laugh?

Thinking about these girls. We had such a wonderful time when Courtney and Rachel came to visit last week. Laughter and lisping ensued in enormous amounts.

16} Think fast...what's the first song that pops into your head?

Kamikaze by Owl City. When I first heard it, I thought that it was strange, but it quickly grew on me and became one of my favorites on his new album.

bliss like this isn't everyday

2011-11-18T09:22:00.000-08:00

On Courtney and Rachel's final day with us, we decided to go out with a bang. Our day began at the Santa Monica Pier.

"Smile!"

"Strike a pose!"

I *heart* my red shoes.

We visited the historic merry-go-round that is located on the pier.

After our ride, we literally walked only a few steps to have a treat at a soda fountain.

Oh, sweet bliss. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Yum... a thousand times over.

No soda fountain is complete without an old-fashioned candy counter.

After we were all reenergized with sugar (not recommended, but it had the right effect), we walked down to the end of the pier.

My daddy used to work here at the harbor patrol.

Pigeons congregating...

We decided to ride the ferris wheel so we could have a fabulous view of the coastline.

As soon as we started walking toward the beach and reached the sand, everyone took of their shoes (except Connor...)

The water was freezing, but Courtney didn't seem to mind.

Cora started by just throwing rocks into the waves. Eventually, she was soaking wet.

Rachel was looking out over the waves and I snapped this picture. Natural poses are so much better than staged pictures, in my opinion.

My brother who is almost six feet tall took this picture. That explains for the rather high angle...

Goodness. I love my brother. I asked him to bear with me while I took some dramatic shots of him staring off into the middle distance. With his hat, he really looks like an Indiana Jones-style adventurer.

By the time we arrived back at home, we were exhausted, but amazingly happy. After eating In-N-Out Hamburgers for lunch, we all curled up in the living room to watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I had never seen it before and I was laughing so hard... Love it.

Courtney and Rachel left the next morning. I was sad to see them go, but possible plans were made for another get-together in the future. We'll have to wait and see how it all works out...

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends! Courtney, Rachel, and I grew closer this week and we (and Connor too!) even got to the point where we have several inside jokes that make us erupt in peals of laughter. I will always remember this week and the adventures we went on, the long talks that we had, and the rather violent games of Dutch Blitz that were played.

It was beyond amazing.

Our Harvest

2011-11-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

We are adding a room onto the front of our house, and, because of that, we were forced to take out our beautiful garden. I will miss watching the little green sprouts grow. I will miss nibbling the still-warm-from-the-sun strawberries. I will miss taking Cora outside and helping her to pick tomatoes. I will miss our garden.

Nevertheless, since it had to go, we gathered all of our veggies and herbs and Courtney, Rachel, and I washed and preserved it all while Cora attempted to help.

We set Cora up with a bowl with soap and water so she could wash our potatoes.

She was happy for ages.

Little sudsy hands... Adorable.

We washed and dried enormous amounts of sage.

Homegrown potatoes...

...and tomatos!

Even though I'm sorrowful at the destruction of our hard-build garden, I had a lovely time working along-side my friends. God truly blessed our labors and granted us a bountiful harvest.

Coffee and Fellowship and Friends

2011-11-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

After a long day at Disneyland, yesterday was spent relaxing, playing, and fellowshipping with friends.

Cora got a little Rapunzel doll at Disneyland and Rachel and I helped her open it and we taught her how to dress it.

This is the epitome of three-year-old girl happiness.

The brushing of plastic hair. Love it.

This is conversation that I had with Cora this morning as she was playing.

Me: Cora, are you having fun playing with your Rapunzel doll?
Cora: Her name isn't "Bupunzel" anymore. I call her "Blondie".

Oy vey... The things that they pick up...

In the afternoon, we visited the coffee shop of my dear friends, Hannah and Emily and met their family there.

Courtney and Rachel both ordered a mocha ice blended. Yum...

Meatball subs for lunch.... Be still my heart.

Emily and Cora.

Cora and Elizabeth (Hannah and Emily's baby sister) were destined from birth to become best friends.

The lovely sisters, Rachel and Courtney. (God has given me such beautiful friends!)

Hannah... If that picture of Courtney and Rachel didn't convince you of how gorgeous my friends are, then this one must. No wonder I'm obsessed with photography. My friends are all insanely photogenic.

Group shot of the girl table. From left to right is me, Courtney, Rachel, Emily, Cora, Theresa, Hannah, and Elizabeth.

Here's Elizabeth. This girl has serious personality.

Such a squishy, goofy, adorable girl. I just want to cuddle her.

Another gorgeous friend. I took this picture of Rachel as we were walking back to our car and she liked it so much that we're going to go back and I'm going to do her senior photo shoot.

I almost can't handle all of this excitement... What a whirlwind month this has been!

Disneyland Day

2011-11-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

We spent the entire day at Disneyland yesterday. Thirteen hours of screaming until our throats hurt, make-believe, giggling girls, melting ice cream, hunting down Flynn Rider, sore feet, clicking cameras, smiles, tears, water bottles, mickey ears, over six hundred pictures, fireworks, and an all-around absolutely amazing time. Wow.

In April, we visited a lovely family on our road trip and their daughters, Courtney and Rachel are now visiting us. We were so excited to bring them along with us on our trip to Disney.

This woman was sitting in front of me on the tram ride into the park. I wanted to tell her how awesome it was that she was wearing her Chewbacca backpack and had bought it mickey ears with "Chewy" embroidered on it.

Courtney and I waited outside of the park.

Courtney and Cora -erm- I mean Courtney and Rapunzel.

Every time our family has gone to Disneyland, we always begin at the Mad Hatter. Traditions are not meant to be broken so yesterday we followed suit.

The lovely Courtney, employing her photographic skills.

When at Disneyland with nine people, water is a must-have. Praise God for the stroller. It is an excellent water transportation device.

The Matterhorn... from a distance.

Our first ride was the new and improved Star Tours. I snapped a picture of Theresa while we were waiting in line.

Connor and me, waiting for Star Tours. The atmosphere of the entire inside of the ride was amazing. It made me wish that I lived in a galaxy far, far away. Okay, not really, but still, it was incredible.

"Hey, C3PO!"

I love R2D2. No, really. He is one of the best characters of Star Wars.

Daddy snapped this picture of us as we were getting onto the ride. Oh, yes. Our glasses were stylish. I wanted to bring mine home with me but I decided against it. Sadness.

There is a part of the ride where an Imperial droid comes on board to search for a Rebel Spy and it scans the passengers. The droid asked, "Have you seen this person?" and Connor's picture came up on the screen! It was fabulous and we were all laughing so hard. Anyway, after the ride, I told Connor to make his spy face. And he did. Honestly, the mickey ears make this picture about 110 times better.

Curtis was excited to go on the Buzz Lightyear ride. Especially since it matched his T-shirt. Goodness. Little boys are adorable. I love this tiny man. He's amazingly cute... but don't tell him that I said that.

Darth Vader attempted to be intimidating, but he just made me laugh.

Theresa got to drive a car on Autopia. For her, this was a once-in a lifetime chance. She did an amazing job!

Melty ice cream and chocolate on sweet faces. Oh, yes...

After our ice cream break, we waited in line so Cora could meet Rapunzel. Courtney, Rachel, and I were hoping to meet Flynn Rider but he was taking a sandwich break. Really, Flynn? Come on...

We were disappointed, but, hey, I guess that a fake reputation is all a man has. (<<< quote from Tangled)

The girls waiting...

Cora and Mama waiting...

*sigh* I seriously think that the woman who gets to dress up like Rapunzel and hug adorable little girls all day has an amazing job.

Rachel and Theresa on the Jungle Cruise.

Courtney took this picture of Curtis, Connor, and me ready to head out into the jungle.

Curtis just barely made the heigh limit to go on Indiana Jones.

We were ready to go down Splash Mountain!

Just some more typical Cora cuteness.

Curtis is the only seven-year-old I know who knows how to work a Fedora.

After dinner, everyone chose to venture onto the Nemo ride. Rachel, Mom, and I weren't feeling up to it so we took a slow train ride to Main Street to go shopping.

My mama and me on Main Street, Disneyland Resort, California.

Even though children were collapsing and feet were hurting, we decided to stay for the holiday fireworks show over the Disney castle... I am so glad that we did! It was the best fireworks show that I have ever seen.

After the fireworks show, our wonder only grew as it began to "snow". Tiny soap bubbles filled the sky and everyone was in awe.

Everyone was mellow and worn-out on the tram ride back to the parking lot.

Since we were a group of nine people, there was no way that we could fit in our eight-passenger mini van. Instead, we had to rent this fifteen-passenger van for our outing.

Here we are finally back at the car after a long day. (Notice Cora sitting in the front seat...)

We were all exhausted and the majority of us fell asleep on the drive home.

Disneyland was fabulous. God blessed us with beautiful weather and lovely fellowship. One of the highlights of the day for me was going on Space Mountain for the first time. Wow, oh, wow...

The day was filled with family, friends, and fun. Still, it was only the beginning, there are still more adventures to be had with Courtney and Rachel while they're here.

The Joys of FEMA

2011-11-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

Did any of you know that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) offers free online college courses?

Yeah. I didn't either.

Fortunately, a CollegePlus! friend of mine was able to inform me of this fabulous way to earn college credit before I finalized my degree template. As a Humanities major, I need to have 27 credits of free electives. Six of those, I will be earning for free, from home, through FEMA.

Here's how it works. You visit the FEMA Independent Study Program website and chose the course you'd like to take. Each course is worth one college credit. All you need to do it read through the course material and then take a short, open-book exam at the end. You can even look the answers up if you need to. You never need to leave your house and these courses are completely free. Each course takes only a couple of hours to complete.

As I said, I am taking six of these FEMA courses:

Leadership & Influence
Emergency Planning
Effective Communication
A Citizen's Guide to Disaster Assistance
Emergency Manager: An Orientation to the Position
Decision Making and Problem Solving

Anyway, I just had to share this amazing discovery with all of you. If any of you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. I'd be glad to answer.

Happy Studying, my friends!

Dear Readers,
Please note that I am publishing many scheduled posts this week because we have wonderful house guests.
We're spending this week having a marvelous time at Disneyland, the beach, tea houses, and more. I will post pictures once my friends leave us and return home.

Departure from Ridgecrest

2011-11-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

(I took this with my dad's iPhone and I loved the way that it turned out.)

My shadow.

For this trip, I was behind the camera much more than I was in front of it.

(Not our car, but I had to take a picture of it.)

(Not our dog, either.)

(Now, these sleepyheads do belong to us.)

Picture taken by Connor.

Picture edited by me.

Our trip to North Carolina was beyond wonderful.

Still, it's good to be home.

A Hodge-Podge of Conference Notes

2011-11-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

A smattering of my favorite quotes from the conference:

(Please note that some of these quotes are paraphrases drawn from the somewhat cryptic notes that I scribbled down during the difference messages.)

When a young man or woman becomes interested in marriage, that doesn't mean that it's time for them to participate; it's time for them to prepare. -Paul Washer

Do not marry a man unless you are willing to submit to him in everything. -Scott Brown

Jesus Christ is declaring His glory in submission. -Scott Brown

Courtship is just a tiny sprout on a much bigger tree. -Paul Washer

A wife has to follow an imperfect model; the church. On the other hand, a husband has a perfect model to imitate; Christ. -Scott Brown

The most important thing to remember: God is sovereign! -Doug Phillips

Ignorance about dating is destroying Christianity. -Paul Washer

The primary purpose of manhood is the preservation of love. -Scott Brown

Young men and women need to prove themselves before marriage. -Paul Washer

If God has not not brought a man into your life, then God wants to use you and make you more like Christ. You need to trust Him. -Paul Washer

Everyone wants good results, but few are willing to pay the price. -Doug Phillips

What are your thoughts on these quotes?
Which one is your favorite?
Do you agree or disagree?
Leave a comment letting me know; I'd love to hear from you.

Someone Was Missed

2011-11-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

Since my mama stayed home from the conference to be with Cora, we all missed her greatly. (We had registered for her to come, but, right before, she decided that she and Cora couldn't go.)

One evening, Daddy walked with Connor and me to get coffee and, after we were back outside our rooms, I noticed something odd about my daddy's name tag...

Vote for Me?

2011-11-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

I interrupt my regularly scheduled programming to bring you a brief announcement.

Inside My Mind has been nominated for the Best Homeschool Teen Blog for the 7th Annual Homeschooler Awards!

I've looked at the blogs of a lot of my competition and I see no reason why I should win and be called "the best." So many other homeschooling teens have blogs that are better than mine.

That being said, only if you feel so moved, I would be very thankful if you pop over to 7th Annual Homeschooler Awards Voting Page, scroll down and click on Best Teen Blog and vote for me.

I love my readers and I will continue to love my readers whether or not I win this award that really has little to no eternal significance. I don't need to win this award. God is my only judge.

Thank you all and God bless!

Amazing :: Paul Washer

2011-11-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

I was terribly excited as I sat down to hear Paul Washer's final message on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I was touched. It was a message that I had heard before, but, seeing Paul Washer's heart and emotion while he spoke affected me in ways that I never had before. I want to be that grieved by my own inadequacy to love God the way that He deserves to be loved.

“When we say that Christ died for God and when we say that Christ died for His own glory, that does not extinguish His real love for His redeemed. This is amazing! He loved His people! And He loved them when they were vile and hated Him. He loved them when His holiness would not even allow him to look upon them. He loved them! He really, really loves you. This is amazing. This is not some God coldly manipulating things in order to show how great He is. This is not God just coldly wanting to show something to creation about who He truly is. He loves you! This is the thing that is the most amazing to me. He loves me.”

“From where does zeal come? From where does courage come? It doesn’t come from some sort of John Wayne “power within us”. It does not come from some natural steel in our backbones. It comes from this: What Christ paid changes everything! A man or a woman grabs ahold of this truth and they will be imprisoned for the rest of their lives within the confines of the love of God. It will be these truths that guide them. This is the mystery of all true piety and godliness! That Christ has come and that He has taken our sins upon Himself and that He has died. This is what must drive you. Not even the desire to change culture or fix this world should drive you. If that is your guiding strength it’s idolatry. The thing that must drive you is what God has done for you in Christ!”

-Paul Washer

(I didn't type out the entire thing. I got it from the NCFIC blog)
(The pictures are mine. Please do not take them without permission)

Courtship Catastrophe Mitigation :: Kevin Swanson

2011-11-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

“God calls fathers to really engage in this area. If you love God, and if you love His kingdom, you have got to engage His kingdom work in the discipleship of your sons and daughters. Why? For you? No. For your daughters? No. For your sons? No. It is for God. It is for your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You ought to be willing to lay your life down. If you have to go through that courtship and you have to forgive that young man 79 times or 4,767 times, it is for the sake of the kingdom of God. There were martyrs who had their skin taken off and they were dipped in boiling oil for their love for Christ. Can you make it through this courtship through the love that you have for Christ and His kingdom? Do you have that kind of commitment? Let me tell you this: if we’re going to make it through some of these difficult challenges ahead, it has to be because there are men who are willing to lay their lives down for the kingdom of God.”

-Kevin Swanson

(I didn't type out the entire thing. I got it from the NCFIC blog)
(The pictures are mine. Please do not take them without permission)

Overview and Gospel-Centered Marriages

2011-11-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

I posted plenty of pictures from the conference a two days ago, so now I'm going to start to give you all of my words.

The entire time of the conference, we were busy. If we weren't listening to another speaker, it was meal time. I did have a little bit of time to fellowship with some friends, but most of the time was filled. Over the next few days, I'm going to post some of the highlights of my favorite messages from the weekend.

On Thursday evening, to open the conference, Scott Brown delivered the first part of the title messages of the conference with an incredible exposition of Ephesians 5:21-33.

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

He began with nine things to know about the passage: 

1. It’s the longest statement in the New Testament about marriage.  

2. It tells us the most vital thing to know about marriage. Marriage is the theatre in which a husband and wife live out the story of redemption.  

3. It’s the classic foundational text on the roles of husbands and wives.  

4. It gives us rich language to help us understand marriage. Here you’ll find words like submit, head, love, give, sanctify, nourish, cherish, washing, leaving, cleaving, spots, wrinkles and one flesh. We need to think and speak about marriage with these words.  

5. It was written for people just like us. Greek family life was in shambles and women were treated shamefully. Paul was calling them to live in a completely different way from the culture around them. 

6. It exposes a wrong view of regeneration. There’s an idea about regeneration that once we’re converted everything in our lives falls into place automatically. This isn’t true – we need the scriptures as an objective standard.  

7. It shows you how to prepare for marriage.  

8. Something new about marriage is revealed in this text. A man leaving his father and mother and becoming one flesh with his wife is about something way bigger than marriage. It is about Christ’s union with the church. 

9. It shows what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit in your family life.

(I didn't type out the entire thing. I got the points from the NCFIC blog)
(The pictures are mine. Please do not take them without permission)

North Carolina Snapshots

2011-11-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have several posts I'm working on regarding my recent trip to North Carolina. (Let me just say that it was beyond wonderful and I've been in a blissful state of euphoria ever since.)

While those posts are in the works however, I compiled some of my favorite photographs that I took over the weekend. The retreat center was gorgeous and, to me, everything was the epitome of autumn.

It's good to be back, my friends.

Today We Depart

2011-10-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

Oh, yes. Today I am leaving to travel to North Carolina for the NCFIC Gospel-Centered Marriages for a Glorious Church Conference.

This is what the website says about the conference:

Designed to bring parents and their marriage age children together to consider the biblical doctrine of marriage with the aim of God-centered marriages, this conference will seek to reset our thoughts about marriage and prepare the rising generation for marriages that glorify God.

While all family members are welcome, our main focus will be directed toward parents and their marriageable, unmarried children. We also recognize that parents should not wait until their children are old enough to marry to begin to prepare them, so we encourage whole families to participate in this exciting blend of lecture and fellowship.

Some of the many topics to be covered are:

Marriage as the picture of the gospel
Protecting purity before marriage
Marriage as the foundation for society and future generations
The role of a husband
The role of a wife
How fathers should treat suitors
How fathers should qualify suitors
What is the role of love, romance, and emotions
Principles of courtship versus the rules of courtship
The differences between courtship, betrothal, and marriage
Equal yoking
What is your marriage teaching your children about marriage?
How young men and women should treat one another in the church
Wedding ceremonies and covenants

Read more about the conference

Along with many other speakers, Paul Washer is going to be there. I cannot wait to hear him teach. For those of you who are not acquainted with Paul Washer, he is one of my favorite Christian speakers and his message, the Centrality of Christ, is one of the best sermons that I have ever heard. Ever.
(You can download it for free here.)

Needless to say, I am terribly excited and will be taking an excessive amount of notes and I will be taking pictures compulsively. Also, I promise that I will share everything with all of you. I'll be back on Sunday!

Breakfast Blessings

2011-10-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

My little sister cries at six in the morning.

I blink my eyes and sit straight up because today I'm meeting my friends for breakfast.

At eight O' clock my girls and I are at their family's coffee house.

We order; "Three cappuccinos, please."

I sip the most heavenly cup of coffee in the world.

Pastries to share. We break of pieces while we chat.

Two wonderful hours we talk and laugh.

Three girls; eighteen, and two sixteen-year-olds.

We share the thoughts and longings of our girlish hearts... and our worries too, as we seek the Lord and His will for our lives... together.

I have been friends with them my whole life and we understand each other; we read each other's thoughts.

This was a beautiful breakfast.

Thank you, Father God for these sweet friends.

I am blessed by these sisters.

I am blessed by moments such as these.

"...a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

-Ecclesiastes 4:12b

Thoughts on the Real World

2011-10-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

You've all heard it said by Adam Young,
"Reality is a lovely place, but I wouldn't want to live there."

When I first heard The Real World by Owl City I was caught up by the whimsical lyrics. Naturally, I felt like I agreed.

Why would I want to live in reality when my make-believe worlds are much more interesting? Who would want the real world when Middle Earth, Narnia, Wonderland, and Neverland are all out there in our imaginations?

Isn't natural for a girl to wish for a secret door to unlock that will whisk her off to somewhere magical and teeming with adventures?

Those were my thoughts. Over time, God has started working in my heart. He began to reveal to me that I can never be content in my life if I am constantly wishing to be somewhere else. If I am continually daydreaming about living in a Jane Austen novel or in the Shire.

I am a writer and my daddy always jokingly asks me to "come back to earth". Is it a light-hearted matter, though? Is being lost "inside my mind" a type of sin?

I love imagining and, if I indulge in it too much, then the answer is yes. Absolutely.

2 Corinthians 10:5 extolls us to "take every thought captive to obey Christ." I can't do that if my mind is someplace else. I cannot serve Christ like I should if I am musing over other worlds, storylines, romances, grand adventures, and fantasies.

I need to live here. In this world. The world that God created.

Our world is full of sin, though. Our world is teeming with pain and sorrow. In our world, the "bad guys" aren't always as easy to spot. The "bad guys" are nice. They are good-looking. They compliment us. They are likable. Nevertheless, to be quite blunt, they are going to hell.
In fairy-tales, the bad guy doesn't get a happy ending. In the real world, it's exactly the same.

I have resolved to serve Christ in this world even though I know that, here on earth, there are no "happy endings."
My happy ending will be when I get to heaven.
Today is just another piece of my story. The story of my life that God is writing. I already know how it will end, so now I just get to experience the excitement and the adventure of living out my story day-by-day.

I'd love to share this song with you: Ever After by Aaron Shust. It's one of my newest, most favorite songs ever and it goes along perfectly with this post. The words are so true and so to-the-point. Plus, the song is pretty catchy.

http://youtu.be/GFA9j5baBuE

Do any of you have thoughts on all of this?

Are any of you girls struggling with this as well?

What do you think of reality vs. imagination?

This is the Time

2011-10-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

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During my devotions a few mornings ago, I read this verse and it seemed to apply to me in ways that it never had before:

I want you to be free from anxieties... And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
-1 Corinthians 7:32-35

Doesn't this apply to so many of us? This is our valuable time of singleness in which we should be focusing on giving God our undivided attention. This is our time to grow in Christ and learn the ways of God. This is our time for spiritual things. Once we get married, however, our priorities will change and we will have to focus on more worldly things. Ladies will have homes to manage and children to care for. Men will have jobs and mouths to feed. Lives will change.

We can worry about romance once we're married. Girls, let's not waste our time with frivolous thoughts and longings now. That will come in its appointed time. We can never get today back, though.

Now is our time for God. Now is our time to learn.
This time is precious and it is fleeting fast.
Let's make the most of it.

Party Tag

2011-10-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

Here are my answers to the questions for Jo's birthday party. The theme she chose is black and white, movies, literature, birthdays, music... so, all things that I love dearly as well. This should be great fun!
(She's also having an amazing giveaway to celebrate, so, what are you waiting for? Go stop by!)

{1} when you think of "old movies", what immediately comes to mind?
Singin' in the Rain, Roman Holiday, and this post.

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{2} who's your one of you favorite film or literary heroes (or heroines) and why?
Jane Eyre... or Anne Shirley... or so many, many, many others.

{3} if you could live in a movie, which one would it be and why?
Maybe The Phantom of the Opera or Tangled or Roman Holiday. I really can't decide.

{4} music has changed a lot since 1900 - which "modern" type of music is your favorite?
Owl City. I never get tired of Adam Young's music and I love his style and cheerful lyrics.

{5} any songs you'd like to share with us? (lyrics, video, etc.)
This song is called In The Valley and the lyrics are so beautiful and true. (I've sang this song as a solo at our church)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT8aTjVZHVI

{6} if your life had soundtrack, what would yours sound like?
This one is challenging. I suppose that it depends on the day. Some days I channel the Jane Eyre Soundtrack from the new movie while some days I feel like the soundtrack from Inception. Both are great.

{7} when do you start counting down till your birthday?
I take notice when there is only one month left, but I don't start counting down until a week or two before.

{8} what makes your birthday special?
Having grown another year older and wiser. Having wonderful family and friends who make my day fabulous. Cards in the mail. Getting to eat dinner out with just Mom and Dad... I love my birthday.

{9} do you ever wish you were born in a different month?
No. I adore having a birthday in December. It's lovely.

{10} pick and post five words to describe your personality - you can add a description under each if you like.
Christian- Christ is my life. I seek to learn His word and follow where He leads. My life is not my own; it is His.
Independent- This is the word that my mother always choses to describe me if you ask her.
Adventurous- I want to travel the world and experience exciting things.
Easy-going- Some times I'm too easy-going...
Studious- This is a current phase in my life. I study a lot. Just in case you hadn't already guessed.

Wednesday Life Snapshots

2011-10-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

I've collected some pictures here and there from my day yesterday. Here's a little peek into my Wednesday through my eyes.

Wake up at 6:00 for coffee and Devotions.

The past few mornings, Mom has been watching Wives and Daughters while she works out. When I'm done with my Bible reading, I like to curl up on the sofa and watch with her. Loveliness.

(Please ignore the barely-there toe nail polish.)

Since it's finally autumn now, I've pulled my favorite cozy sweater out of the back of my closet and have been wearing it every morning.

I'm currently reading The Help. So far, it is amazing! I'm looking forward to the seeing the movie when it becomes available on DVD.

Have any of you read the book and/or seen the movie? What are your thoughts?

My latest new activity is Girl's Bible Study on Skype with the lovely Anna.

Okay, so this is a rather long story, but, here it is. Anna is a CollegePlus! student who married another CollegePlus! student the week that I joined CP!. (Their courtship story is beautiful!) Anyway, I learned who they were right away and I started following Anna's blogs. Anyway, Anna posted on the CP! forums saying that she was starting a book study and asked who would be interested. Well, long story short, I was able to join and yesterday was the first meeting.

Some of the girls in my group I already knew like Beka, Kaleigh, and Emily. As for the others, I'm so excited to get to know them better! All of the girls are wonderful and I'm excited to be with a group of girls who share my convictions.

Since Anna is married, she is able to share wonderful words of wisdom about singleness and how precious this time is. The book we are studying, His Chosen Bride: Single Girl Secrets to Living Out Proverbs 31, is amazing. So far, it is doing an incredible job teaching how Proverbs 31 does not just apply to married women and how we can become like the woman in Proverbs 31 while we are still single.

(I'll post a full review at the end of the study.)

Okay, moving on now. Here are my current CLEP test study materials:

On October 18th, I'm going to be taking two tests. Human Growth and Development and Educational Psychology. I've been doing pretty well on my practices tests, so I'm not nervous, but I'm still going to spend a lot of time studying between now and testing day. If I pass both tests, I will have 45 credits. My goal is to have 50 credits by Christmas without studying at all in December. With God's help, I pray that I can do it.

Besides that, the sunflowers in our garden are blooming. I feel so joyful and happy every time I see their golden faces smiling up at me!

What little things have you been enjoying lately?

Happy autumn, everyone. Have a beautiful day!

My Happy Sweet Tooth

2011-10-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

{A Wordless Post}

Some Changes and Updates

2011-10-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I changed Inside My Mind's design. This is the first time I've done my own design and I'm very happy with it! I was going for an elegant and simple look. Still, I'd love to know what all of my readers think. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know!

(Notice: No more underlined links! They change color instead...!)

Another change on Inside My Mind is that I'm hoping to start hosting regular giveaways! (I know! I'm excited too!) So, if you are interested or know someone who is interested, visit my sponsor page for more information.

Now that you lovely people have been brought up-to-date with the new and improved Inside My Mind, here's a little sampling of what has been going on in my life lately.

All last week, I've been neck-deep in my psychology studies for my Introductory Psychology CLEP test. I've decided that I want to switch my major and become a neuroscientist or a brain surgeon... Okay. Maybe not. Still, I passed the test with the equivalent of an 'A' and now I have 39 credits! On the 18th, I'm taking Human Growth and Development and Introduction to Educational Psychology, so I have a lot of studying to do. I love this subject, though, and have found it easy to study things that I enjoy learning about.

Besides my tests, I started my very first college course! I'm taking it through Louisiana State University and it's called Literature of the English Bible. Basically, I'm earning college credits to study the Bible and write papers about it. Awesome. The course isn't available online yet so I was sent a package of envelopes and I have been mailing my assignments in. My professor has been grading my essays and then mailing them back. It feels so very old fashioned!

So, there you go. Please forgive my lack of photographs and just ogle the new design instead.

Have a beautiful day, my friends! God Bless!

walking in the rain and tea parties

2011-10-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today was our first cold, wet, and windy day of autumn. Lovely.

Mama was going to be out and about this morning, so I babysat my favorite little people.

Hello, Cora.

Hello, Curtis.

If you couldn't already tell, I took them outside for a walk in the rain and puddle jumping.

I taught Cora to eat rain. She ran around laughing with her tongue out. Why are little girls so cute?

Aren't those froggy boots adorable? They were mine once.

Me: "Cora, say cheese!"

Cora: "Cassie, make a silly face!"

When hair was damp, cheeks were red, and fingers were chilly, I brought my little charges in, changed their clothes and made them tea and cookies.

Tea in little mugs and ginger snaps. Happiness.

Me: "Smile for me, darling!"

Let's just say that I had a beautiful time with my little siblings this morning. It was a wonderful break from studying, but I'm back at my books now...

Be Courageous

2011-10-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I saw the movie Courageous.

I had expected it to be good. I had no idea.

This movie was, by far, one of the very best that I had ever seen. And, trust me, I've seen a lot of movies in my life.

It was certainly one of those movies where you can be laughing so hard that your sides hurt one minute and then have tears streaming down your face the next. There were times when I was doing both at the same time.

The acting was incredible (I still can't believe how amazing the actors were!). The music was beautiful. The cinematography was great. Now that I think of it, I can't think of a single aspect of this film that I didn't like. If you were to ask me, I would give it 11 out of 10 stars.

Because we went to see it yesterday, on opening day, I got to cross something off of my Bucket List:

~~See a movie on Opening Day~~ (Check!)

Courageous has the potential to change lives. It can revolutionize the culture. But, in order for that to happen, people need to see it. My family went on opening day just to make sure that our ticket sales were counted for opening weekend. I would like to request that, those of you who are able, please consider doing the same.

I wept at the end of the movie. While the tears were streaming down my face, I thanked God that Sherwood Baptist Church has such an impactive ministry. I petitioned Him that many more would have the chance to watch what I had just experienced. And, I thanked Him for my Daddy.

So, where are the men of courage? There aren't many left in the world. My father is one. One day, if it is God's will, I will marry one. The world has enough weak men who shirk their responsibilities and live selfish lives. It is time for men-of-God to arise! Men who are bold. Men who are brave. Men who are leaders. Men who are tender. Men who love the Lord and their families with every fiber of their being. I thank God for men like these.

God Bless you all.

all photos via www.courageousthemovie.com

Yesterday Was National Coffee Day

2011-09-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

Because yesterday was National Coffee Day, I wanted to try something special with my coffee. My brilliant mother suggested putting a spoonful of vanilla ice cream in it...

...Sadly, though, I didn't like it and I scooped the ice cream out before it melted. Go figure. I like my coffee strong with only a little bit of non-fat milk in it. The ice cream was to "good" for my rustic pallet.

I found this picture yesterday and thought that it was too cute not to share.

via

This is for yesterday: Happy National Coffee Day, Everyone!

She Would Rather Fall in Chocolate Than Fall in Love

2011-09-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

title taken from lyrics by owl city

On Monday night, we attended a chocolate tasting at the coffee house of my dear friends, Hannah and Emily's family. The tasting was put on by Kallari Chocolate which is the only farmers' cooperative in the world that harvests, markets, and enjoys all profits from its own line of chocolate. (via)

This is what my plate looked like:

Please forgive the poor quality of the photos.

I forgot to bring a camera so I only had my dad's iPhone to take pictures with.

(Same picture as above, but I labeled all of the different chocolates. Some were Kallari's and some were from other sources.)

Chocolate...

Emily taking notes.

Hannah and Cora.

Emily, me, and Hannah... I love these girls!

Oh! And if you chose to purchase any of the Kallari Chocolate from this website, I would highly recommend the 70% (so delicious!) and, after that, the 75%. Those two were, by far, my favorites from the evening.

When Cora Turned Three

2011-09-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

This is the post in which I channel little girls in princess dresses, teddy bears, frozen yogurt, farm animals, smiling kids, long skirts with boots, and pure happiness.

My smorgasbord of favorite pictures from Cora's special day(s)...

On our way to Build-A-Bear (that was my present for her)

That evening, we went out for frozen yogurt.

My beautiful godsister, Georgia. Doesn't she have the prettiest smile?

On Saturday, we had a small party at our house with a petting zoo.

Cora, and everyone who came, had a glorious time.

I have an odd way of putting bunny rabbits into comas... Yeah...

Neither the pig nor the rabbit objected to this.

Emily and Elizabeth. Love these gals!

"Woah! This pig is heavy!"

Hello, duck.

Eeek! It needs to be a crime to be this cute... I just can't contain myself when I see Elizabeth.

I love this picture of Elizabeth and her older brother Henry.

Skirts and boots are the epitome of epicness.

The back of Hannah's head.

My daddy really needs to learn how to keep a straight face.

Emily looks like a go green kind of girl in the picture.

I'm sorry, rabbit. No, really, I'm sorry.

Just look at Elizabeth's boots... and the legs coming out of the boots!

She has the cutest calves and knees ever.

This was Cora's cake before she decorated it.

This is Cora's cake after she finished decorating.

The party was lovely and we all had a wonderful time celebrating and fellowshipping.

Happy Birthday, Cora Jane!

I Heart Bluejays

2011-09-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Don't remind me

I'm a chickadee in love with the sky

But that's clearly not a lot to crow about

Cuz when the stars silhouette me

I'm scared they'll forget me

And flicker out...

-Owl City

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

-Matthew 6:26

I adore the color and energy of bluejays.

What birds do you like?

Have a lovely week, everyone!

Today is a Special Day!

2011-09-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Today I want to wish "Happy Birthday" to some very special people in my life.

First of all, Frodo and Bilbo Baggins.

via

Middle Earth would not have been saved without them and Hobbits are adorable, so I had to give them my birthday well-wishes.

Another totally awesome person who has a birthday today is my amazing friend, Kyla!

Kyla and me during her visit in June.

Kyla is amazingly fabulously epic and I am so glad to have her as a "sister"!!! Anyway, she's seventeen today so, if you want, you can go wish her a happy birthday on her blog. Love you, girl!!!

Last but not least, my not-so-baby-sister turns three today!

Happy Birthday, Cora!!!

We have some fun things planned for her birthday so I'll post the pictures next week sometime, Lord willing. Until then, I just want to say that Cora's smile never fails to brighten my day. I love this little girl more and more each day and I'm so thankful to God for giving a baby sister. Watching her grow up has been incredible.

To everyone else who was born on September 22nd...

Happy Birthday!

Numbered Kings and Popes with Funny Names

2011-09-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

This has been the theme of the last two weeks of my life. I've been study for the Western Civilization 1 CLEP test. Let me just say this. This was my hardest test yet!

My hopes were high as I started out on the journey known as the CLEP Western Civilization I Exam.

Ancient Near East? I had studied that in my first year of high school and I've always been fascinated by it. A lot of the information was from the Old Testament which I have studied in-depth so I got through studying this quickly.

Ancient Greece? When I was a little kid I took classes on Greek mythology and I often would read books and study this era in my free time. It also might have helped that in 2009 I wrote a novel about a girl who was a historian specializing in ancient Greek history. Another character knew a lot about its architecture. I researched a lot to write that novel so most of this studying was just review.

Ancient Rome? This was a lot more new information, but I had a basic understanding of the Roman way of life from some Western Civ studies that I had done previously. I didn't find it difficult and I actually really enjoyed studying it.

I was happy. Hey! Maybe this test isn't going to be as hard as I had previously thought! This is my favorite time in history to study! Then I started the Middle Ages. *shudder*

To give a glimpse of my study troubles, this is from an email I sent to one of my awesome CP! friends while I was in the midst of studying:

Why do all the Popes have the same names? It would be so much easier to remember them all if, instead of Otto II, Boniface VIII, Benedict IV, Leo IX each had his own name like Bob, James, Carl, Richard, John, etc. Who wants a number after their name anyway??? Why on earth are there twenty-three Pope John's???

Oh. Wait. The kings of England and France are the same way. Shoot me now.

This was her reply:

Oh believe me, I've been through the desperate pains of WCI :P My theory on what happened (which I don't suggest applying to the CLEP itself since I haven't gotten a chance to share my views with them yet) is that there was once this king named Henry. Henry was very uncreative. But he had lots and lots of sons. Unfortunately, try as he might, he could never think up any new names for his sons. So he ended up with having Henry II, Henry III, Henry IV, Henry V, et cetera. However, Henry's father had been more of a creative man. On top of this, he had a huge government project to promote creativity and many czars and advisors and paid staff to help him name his sons. So he had Leo, Boniface, Henry, Elizabeth, et cetera (no "et cetera" is not the name of one of his kids). When Henry's father died, his naming organizations dispersed, and all his children were left to the same uncreative methods as Henry.
^^^That was really unorganized. :P :P I..uuhh.. kinda made it up as I went. ;) But there ya go. :)

Anyway, by the grace of God, I passed yesterday and I'm taking a few days of rest before I start studying Psychology on Monday along with my first real college course! I'm taking Literature of the English Bible from Louisiana State University and I'm so excited!

God Bless, everyone! Have a wonderful week!

I read a description of paradise...

2011-09-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

I read a description of paradise... and its name is Sylvia Beach Hotel.

via

This is a hotel for book-lovers. It's located at Nyle Beach, Oregon and I dream of staying there one day.

It's a hotel that has rooms that are themed for different authors like the Tolkein Room, the Agatha Christie Room, the Herman Melville Room, the Shakespeare Room, and the Jane Austen Room among many others. In the rooms, there are no TVs, radios, or telephones, and no wi-fi.

This hotel also has a library... Here is how the site describes it:

The library/reading area takes up the whole west side of the 3rd floor of the hotel. The temperament of the area depends on how it is being used at the time....quiet for reading, napping and writing, or interactive with people visiting and sharing stories. It is a great place to hang out when the weather gets stormy or to watch a sunset or look for whale spouts.

We do not allow cell phones to be used here! Laptops are ok, however, we do not have Wi-fi available for guests. We do have two kitties that wander through and claim their thrones which you can choose to share. They do enjoy a good lap.

There are lots of small couches and large chairs to relax in. There is a wood burning fireplace at the south end with several chairs and a couch.

The loft area above has a large table to do puzzles or to write. There are bean bag chairs and a small daybed to lay on while you look out at the beach and the Nye Beach area. Lots and lots of old books which are not shelved properly, the more fun to browse through.

There is a coffee room with a large table and lots of puzzles & games. You can snack while working on either, or while creating on your laptop. Good place to chat and close the door. We have coffee and tea readily available.

This area is always open, however, if you find you are the last person up, please be sure to turn out the lights when you go to bed.

via

That, my friends, is a description of heaven.

The Anti-Flirt Club

2011-09-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun historical story I came across a while ago...

The Anti-Flirt Club was an American club active in Washington, D.C., during the early 1920s. The purpose of the club was to protect young women and girls who received unwelcome attention from men in automobiles and on street corners. The Anti-Flirt Club launched an "Anti-Flirt" week, which began on March 4, 1923.

The club had a series of rules, which were intended as sound and serious advice. These were:

Don't flirt: those who flirt in haste oft repent in leisure.
Don't accept rides from flirting motorists—they don't invite you in to save you a walk.
Don't use your eyes for ogling—they were made for worthier purposes.
Don't go out with men you don't know—they may be married, and you may be in for a hair-pulling match.
Don't wink—a flutter of one eye may cause a tear in the other.
Don't smile at flirtatious strangers—save them for people you know.
Don't annex all the men you can get—by flirting with many, you may lose out on the one.
Don't fall for the slick, dandified cake eater—the unpolished gold of a real man is worth more than the gloss of a lounge lizard.
Don't let elderly men with an eye to a flirtation pat you on the shoulder and take a fatherly interest in you. Those are usually the kind who want to forget they are fathers.
Don't ignore the man you are sure of while you flirt with another. When you return to the first one you may find him gone.

source: wikipedia

Even though this is from around 90 years ago, so much of it is still applicable today.

Are you an Anti-Flirt?

About Life and Q&A (For Those Interested in CollegePlus!)

2011-09-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hello beautiful readers! I hope that you have all had weeks as lovely as mine as been!

We started school "officially" on the Tuesday and, for my junior year in High School, I am taking US History and Literature, Physics, Biblical worldview, Algebra, and Russian (among other things).

As far as my CollegePlus! studies go, I took another test on Tuesday (Introductory Sociology) and I passed! I only studied for this test for about a week and I didn't enjoy it... At least it got me three more credits.
That's a whole semester course in one week. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

The rest of my time lately has been spend practicing piano, spending time on the Wii Fit, campaigning for the CollegePlus! Student Forum Elections, and trying to publish the second issue of the CollegePlus! Student Newsletter in a matter of only a few short days. Yippeee!

Now I'm going to move onto the main point of this post (I'm sure that you are all tired of my ramblings by now) which is to announce that if any of you have become slightly interested in CollegePlus! through my blogging efforts or by other means, I would be beyond happy to answer any questions that you might have regarding this amazing program.

With the new school year upon us I'm sure that many of my fellow homeschool high school students are beginning to consider the possibilities of college and, if CollegePlus! is among your options, feel free to contact me with any questions, wonders, musings, worries, concerns, and amazements, that you might have.

So, if you have any questions about the CollegePlus! program, feel free to vist my college page, send me an email, or comment below. I'd be glad to help!

Also, if you do plan on enrolling, you can use the code 7739 to get a discount!
(Visit this link to request more information)

Have a fabulous day, everyone!

God Bless!

Want to Stay Creative?

2011-09-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

Since starting my college courses, I have realized that I haven't written. I haven't sketched. I haven't watercolored. I haven't knitted. I haven't scrap-booked. I haven't tried to learn to sing new songs. The only creative things I've done recently are photography and blogging.

Lately, I've been trying to find the right balance between school work and nurturing my creativity and this video gave me plenty of ideas and inspiration.

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

I gave myself a photography assigment

2011-09-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Mama, Cora, Theresa, and I attended a baby shower of a dear family friend.

The Mother-To-Be is the auntie of my chums, Hannah and Emily and the shower was held at their family's coffee house. Because of this, Connor came along as well to help serve tea to the ladies.

Once I saw how beautiful the decorations were (the party was hosted by Hannah, Emily, and their mama who are some of the most creative and artistic women that I have the pleasure to know) I refused to be separated from the camera. No one officially gave me the job of being the event photographer, but I just couldn't resist.

Here are some snapshots from the afternoon:

The table decorations were positively lovely.

My place setting.

Elizabeth Phoebe is a little darling and Emily is a wonderful big sister.

The food table was amazing. Hannah, Em, and their mama made everything. These ladies are incredible!

Cake Pops

The adorable cake.

I glanced up during the prayer and saw Cora... I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Henry (Hannah and Emily's brother) and Connor helped to serve the tea.

There were little green chocolates. I love pretty green and white candies... So cute!

More Elizabeth because there is no such thing as too much Elizabeth.

Emily and Hannah. I cannot get over how beautiful my friends are.

Let them eat cake.

Here is the star of the day... I can't wait to meet you, baby!

Sunsets That Dazzle in the Dusk

2011-09-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Summer,

I'll miss you with all my heart.

My Bookfessions

2011-08-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

I found these on a Tumblr called Bookfessions.

There are over 700 of them, but these are the ones that, after I read them, I felt like proclaiming, "That's so me!"

If you end up reading through them all, I'd be interested to know which ones you relate to...

So, leave a comment telling which ones are your favorite!

I am a bookworm... Are you?

Too true! My hardcovers have a place of honor and my favorite books are at eye-level and aren't double-stacked. I want to be able to see them whenever I want to. (And, since this is a confession post I will admit; I kind of might like showing my book-treasures off to others too...)

This has happened to me many times. Too many to count.

This happened to my copy of The Hobbit... And Animal Farm... And North and South. *sob*

This is the only reason I can think of to buy a Kindle. Then I could have all of my books with me at once.

...And whenever I see my friends. Everyone is probably sick of me asking them this.

When I finished Mockingjay I read all of the above. Twice.

When I read North and South, I read all of the literature notes. All of them.

Oh yes! I've had vivid and memorable dreams about Jane Eyre, Hunger Games, Fahrenheit 451, and many others. I love it when books enter into my dreamworld.

I don't even own any small purses for this reason.

Yup. There are so many instances...

Every time I finish I Capture the Castle, I want to read it again. I read each of the Hunger Games books again, back-to-back as well. I did the same thing with Fahrenheit 451 too, and many others.

Every time I read a book, I learn more about characters.

When you make friends, do you talk to them once and then just "be done"? No. For me, characters in books are my friends and the more time I spend with them (i.e. rereading books) the better I get to know them.

Books are better than movies. Period. End of story.

I know that most of you would agree with me about this one...

Guilty. You can tell a lot about a person from his/her bookshelf. Plus, you might discover some new treasures.

When Kyla came to visit me, the first thing she did was walk over to my bookshelves and start going through my books. I love my bibliophile friends!

When I'm bored, or upset, I remove some of the books from my shelves and attempt to reorganize them.

Since I'm constantly buying new books, my already-overfilled-shelves need to be reorganized constantly.

Jane Eyre. Catching Fire. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Divergent. North and South. I Capture the Castle. Inkspell. Too many more to name. These are only some of the books that have given me butterflies.

Yes! This has happened to me numerous times. It's not a pleasant feeling. (Who knew that you could feel embarrassment for a fictional character?)

I felt like this when I finished the Hunger Games Trilogy.

I almost felt like I was committing betrayal when I started reading Life of Pi afterward.

Guilty...

People change. Relationships change. Life changes.

But books never change. They are always there for you... just like you remembered.

What? Leave my book at home? I always have a book in my purse. Always.

If I feel upset or down or depressed, I pick up my favorite book. For a while, all my troubles vanish.

He-he... Many times...

Real books feel right. They smell good and they look beautiful.

Yup! (When I do I get weird looks from my family.)

Well, after my family, I would save my books and my journals. No doubt in my mind.

There are only a very select few people who I would trust my books with.

They are too precious to go with anyone else.

When I know that someone has read my favorite books, I immediately want to talk with them and ask them about them. I feel like we can relate.

Those are sad times... Those mornings when I read instead of doing the dishes and I lose my book for the rest of the day. Those are painful days.

Yes! When I finish a good book, I am happy to know that I still have it and it is waiting for to come back and read it again soon.

I read I Capture the Castle, Jane Eyre, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and Phantom of the Opera once a year and there are some new books that I know I will continue to read over and over like Lord of the Rings and Hunger Games Trilogies.

This happened when I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

I have floor cushions on the floor of my room and some days, I just sit on them and stare at my bookshelves.

I know that I won't read when I'm hanging out with my friends, but I'm too scared to leave the house without my book... So I bring it along anyway.

I did this after I read Inkspell. In fact, I posted about it.

Sigh. It's for this reason that I am aching to go to Powell's again.

When I read Catch-22 I could not stop laughing and I kept getting strange looks from my family.

This was NOT the only time it happened.

Yes! And a fire in the fireplace!

My copy of Shakespeare Stealer looks like this and so does my copy of The Phantom of the Opera and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.

I read I Capture the Castle while in the bath. It was a necessity.

I couldn't speak after I finished Tess of the D'Urbervilles, but that had a terrible ending.

After I finished Mockingjay (which had the most perfect ending ever!) I didn't want to talk to anyone for fear of ruining the beautiful moment.

I'm always begging my mom for more time. Once I can drive, my parents will know where to find me.

Ah. Yes... I love to shut the book and just muse over what happened, what could have happened, why it happened, and how the book has affected me. It's a wonderfully beautiful feeling.

Camping 2011

2011-08-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Our camping trip was wonderful.

The view into our campsite.

I read Catching Fire and Mockingjay from the Hunger Games Trilogy each twice during the trip.

These are the most amazing books. I can't wait for the Hunger Games movie in March!

We were attacked by squirrels who wanted our food.

There were rats too, crawling on top of our tent. Oh. And raccoons too.

I snapped this as a sea gull flew over our campsite and I loved how it turned out.

Mama brought bubble guns. Genius.

Theresa climbed a tree.

Connor on his bike.

Cora loved the swing that Dad set up for her.

The arts and crafts that my nana brought were a huge success.

(Above: Poppop Sam, Theresa, and Nana at the craft table.)

Playing card games. Mille Bornes is a camping classic.

Our visit to the tide pools was incredible.

Me, looking out over the waves.

Connor and Curtis, wading in a stream.

Sandcastle building.

Mama took this photo of me. It's so... well, it's just so me. I love it.

Daddy and Cora.

These birds were enjoying the sea view as much as we were.

After the tide pools, it was time for Nana and Poppop Sam to leave.

Here is a picture of us with them before the departed back to Maryland.

We played an epic game of Capture the Flag. Curtis rescued the majority of the kids team that was in jail.

Go, Curtis!

Cora loved the cozy feeling of the tent.

This is a view of a sunset from our campsite. The colors were brilliant.

On our final morning, before packing up, Connor ingested all of these boxes of cereal.

Go ahead and count them. You're right; there are eight.

That's a growing fifteen-year-old boy for you!

I can't wait to come back next year!

And It's Finally Camping Time

2011-08-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today we are leaving for our annual camping trip to El Capitan State Beach!

We have been going to this campground for over ten years. We weren't able to go last year because Mom and Dad were in China, adopting Theresa. I missed our trip last year, but that only makes this year's trip that much more exciting!

I will spend this next week bike riding, gathering sea shells, wading in the tide pools, boogie boarding at the beach, sitting around a campfire, Bible reading by the waves, playing card games, eating s'mores, reading books to my heart's content, and spending wonderful time with my family and friends.

Until I return, I'll leave you with these posts:

Pictures from our past years at El Capitan.

My post from our 2009 camping trip.

I'll be back on Friday with lots of photographs!

Connor, Wow...

2011-08-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

Are you really turning fifteen tomorrow? I can't believe that.

It seems like just yesterday we were kids together.

Having adventures and being best friends.

You've always had an excellent sense of style.

You used to have a passion for mud.

Thank goodness you've grown out of this...

It was only you and me for eight years.

After Curtis joined our family, we had even more wonderful memories together.

(Yes! Connor is in the mummy case and is grabbing me from behind.)

Today, when we're together, people might call us slightly crazy...

...but, I don't care.

You're my brother and I love you.

Over the past few years, I watched my little boy brother...

...turn into a man.

You're growing into a true warrior of Christ and I am so proud of you.

You are a leader already.

Not only are you strong, just, and honorable, but you also love kids.

I love guys that love kids.

You're also an amazing pianist. Literally, you blow me away.

Happy Birthday, Connor.

My Russian-speaking, Legolas-staring, movie-quoting, always-teasing, sitting-and-talking, praise-music playing, Chopin-loving, adventurous brother.

I love you.

С ДНЁМ РОЖДЕНИЯ.

Happy Birthday.

(You can find Connor's blog here)

COLLEGE SOPHOMORE!

2011-08-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the testing center. Again.

Anyway, as you could have guessed by the title of this post, I have succeeded in earning 30 college credits which makes me a sophomore!

I just took the Humanities CLEP and I scored 74 out of 80. That was my best score yet and I praise God that He allowed me to do so well! Since Humanities is my major, I'm so excited to have received such a high score. Yippee!!!

This test covered everything from poetry, to literature, to philosophy, to art, to film, to dance, to drama, and more. It was a broad test and I'm glad that it's over.

Anyway, we went out to Pinkberry to celebrate.

I never knew that being a sophomore could taste so good.

So, after four months of testing, that's 30 credits down. I just have 90 more to go...