A very warm beginning of Christmas festivities!

Wearing just a tshirt and jeans does not feel like December at all! But I love that it doesn't change the atmosphere of Christmas that surrounds me! Today, a group of Carmel Young Life Freshmen Girls and leaders got together for a Christmas Party!

I love the chance to be together and laugh over our tacky Christmas sweaters, funny gifts, cookie decorating skills, or just looking forward to Christmas break!

I loved Lily's awesome cookie decorating skills. She made the best snowman, snowflake, and mistletoe cookie.

Here's Ricky's awesome Christmas stripes, my Christmas tree and Juliet's Santa!!! :) We're so talented! :)

Decorating Christmas cookies are the best. It doesn't matter how it actually looks because you know that no matter what, it's gonna taste so good :)

 It was so good seeing Maggie again! I haven't seen her in weeks and I missed seeing her smile! I like that we got to catch up and talk about our Thanksgiving, school, family, Lacrosse, everything :)  I'm so glad Maggie brought Jordan. I like that we're both indecisive and love to drink Sprite :) I love her already and cannot wait to get to know her more!

 To complete my afternoon, I loved having Bible Study with Linda, Avery, Abbs, Cassie, and Abby. They are all so contagiously inspiring. The best part is that when we come together, we do so much more than just study the Bible. We encourage one another with joy and prayer. I love hearing about what each of us are doing as Young Life leaders and so much more!

These ladies are so special to me. They remind me to live life to the fullest and to love and enjoy things the right way. They are so awesome.

"it's not about what I need to do, but what I GET to do!"

I found myself saying "I need to..." a LOT today. I need to study for Physics, I need to clean my room, I need to read, I need to check my email, I need to set up an appointment, I need to prepare for small group... The list could go on and on. However, one very important person put an end to my useless listing.

 
I am so grateful for my brother Jireh. Today is his 23rd birthday!!! Happy birthday, brother!!! On a day that was suppose to be all about him, he decided to spend time encouraging me! He reminded me of all the ways that I am so privileged to GET to do so many things that many people cannot do. He challenged me to look at all the things I have to do in a different perspective...

I get to spend time reading. I have books, I have free time, and I have the ability to read.
I get to have time to check my email.
I get to meet up with people. I am surrounded with so many great people. I'm able to have time in my day and a place to go and meet up with them.
I get to spend time in a small group on a weekday night.
I get to have a room of my own--to clean, to mess up, to decorate, to sleep in!
I get to have an education.

Looking at things through another pair of eyes is important. Many times, we get so caught up in our own little world that we forget how privileged we are! 

I am so glad that I have a brother like Jireh. He is so encouraging to me and always challenges me in new ways. I love his eager heart to learn. I love how honest he is to share with me his struggles and joys with me. Even though we are at different stages of life, he takes time out of his day to really listen to how I am doing. His love for God never ceases to inspire me. 

He is truly a special guy and I'm so thankful that he is my brother!

When my heart is not at peace...

Some days, I find myself freaking out. Especially coming back from a week at home for Thanksgiving break, it's always hard to come back to school. Home is so comfortable--no responsibilities and no pressure.

Today was one of those days. I woke up to my heart beating faster than usual, worried. I thought about my upcoming tests, homework to do, programs to plan for my unit, emails to reply, and the list goes on and on. I hate the feeling of being overwhelmed.

At these times, I love to journal. I love expressing all my thoughts on paper and lifting all my burdens to God. When I cannot explain this feeling that is bothering me inside, I know that God sees and God knows and God understands all that I am feeling.

I was reminded of how great God is. I remember reading in the Bible about the time when God calmed the storm. The disciples were master fishermen, yet they encountered a storm that they feared and could not handle and had to call Jesus to help them. All Jesus had to do was rebuke the winds and the sea and there was A GREAT CALM. He is so powerful.  I love that it wasn't just any kind of calm. There was a GREAT calm. If this is the God that hears my prayers, what do I have to fear?

It is days like this that I am reminded that I do not trust God as much as I should.

 I was so encouraged in Campaigners with these girls who struggle with the same things that I do. I love that they are not afraid to share the quotes that the love. I love that we are here to build one another up. I was reminded that "When God brings you to it, He will bring You through it." There is no obstacle that is too great for my God. I just need to walk alongside Him during these times.

I also gained a lot of encouragement from the song, Long Way Home by Steven Curtis Chapman.

"I got some rocks on my shoes,

fears I wish I could lose,

they make the mountains so hard to climb,

And my heart gets so heavy with the weight of the world sometimes...

 Well I know we're gonna make it,

I know we're gonna get there soon...

And I know wherever we go, 

He will never leave us

Cause He's going to lead us home."

I hope and pray that when you encounter times that your heart is not at peace, you will come to the Lord. He hears you, He sees you, He understands right where you are. 

"I believe in being excited!!!"

This past week has been filled with SO MUCH EXCITEMENT! I love the feeling that you get inside when you cannot contain how excited you are and you cannot help but dance or jump or scream or yell! :)

1.  Ever since the start of October, these freshmen in Young Life have been receiving encouraging or funny notes and gifts from their Secret Fall Friends. After weeks of guessing and anticipation, we finally had our SECRET FALL FRIENDS REVEAL!!!
 

2. I AM SO EXCITED FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK!!! I can't wait for the home-cooked meals, sitting around the dinner table with my mom, dad, brother and sister talking for hours. I can't wait to catch up with my sister over a Venti Frappacino at Starbucks and asking for extra whipped cream. I can't wait to see all the awesome people at my church back home! I can't wait to be able to see my Grace small group girls again! I can't wait to see my high school besties!! :)

3. I was SO excited to be able to go to the first official game of the season! Butler vs. Elon. Butler played so well and won! I loved the excitement of being in Hinkle and singing the Butler War Song. I loved when we all jump out of our seats when there are unexpected 3 pointers or dunks! I loved being able to share my excitement with Carly, Cassie, Jennie, Kirstie, and Emily!

 4. I am SO excited that the weather is finally cold enough for me to wear my warm fuzzy sweaters and my fuzzy socks!

5. I came across the song Ready or Not by Britt Nicole and Lecrae this week! Every time I listen to it, I get SO excited that I can't help but dance, dance and dance some more! :)

6. This week, the Young Life leaders in training, after 3 months of training, were placed at a high school! They're officially leaders at a high school! They officially have a team that they belong to! They are gonna be amazing leaders, changing lives and loving high school kids!!! It was so great watching them find their ways to their teams and celebrate when they found out where they were placed!

7.  I AM SO EXCITED that the night after Annie and I prayed for God to give Annie peace in her heart about her future, God answered her prayer! Sometimes, God doesn't give us what we want when we want it because He has a much better plan for us. :)

8. I loved getting so excited about trying Indian food and getting Henna for the first time!

I love that we have the ability to be excited!

Did I mention that I AM REALLY EXCITED FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK?!?!?!?!?

:)

"facial expressons have their own stories to tell"

I learned in anatomy that facial expressions are so unique and fascinating. Did you know that no other living creature has even close to the range of facial expressions a human is capable of? Also, facial expressions are universal. They communicate so much.

I like that you can tell by someone's facial expression what kind of day they've been having. Many times, we forget to look into the person's eyes or notice what their body is communicating.

Alicia had an anatomy test today. It's been a rough week but she's toughing through it! I love sitting next to her in physics. She always makes me laugh. 

Blaine was really happy because it's Friday and Fridays always mean the weekend, which is always a good thing! :)

 I loved bumping into Carly and Kim in the hallway. It's been a rough day or mixed feelings weekend.

I love this girl! Audrey is excited for this week to finally end!

I loved being able to spend more than 10 minutes with Emily today! :)

 

After my anatomy test, I was so relaxed. I'm glad I got to hang out with Laura, Morgan, Katherine and Caroline. We went to a coffee parlor and Grasshopper and Mocha Frappes as we shared our life stories. I'm so grateful for how each of our lives ended up in Carmel. What a miracle. I love these girls.

 I got to hang out with Bailey as we did homework at the front desk. Even though it was sad that she had to write a paper and do homework, there is an upside to her day! I took a nap! :) That's always a good thing!

I'm glad I got to skype my cousin Michael and my sister Elaine! It's so nice being able to see their face. The best part is when the camera accidentally freezes and it captures that momentary facial expression. It always makes me laugh. :)

I'm grateful for each and every one of these people. Their lives are filled with so many stories. 

I'm grateful for facial expressions because they allow us to

 connect with one another so much better :)