This morning, Shelley, Jeremy, and I went to The Heart! The Heart is a small church that meets at Watauga High School. I've heard amazing things about this church and we just felt led to try it out. WE LOVED IT. The worship was wonderful and the sermon was inspiring and moving. The Pastor spoke on giving freely. What we have been given is not ours to keep. We must continue to give. If we do not, we will end up being like the Dead Sea: full of nutrients but dead to the world because it does not give away its nutrients. The Dead sea gathers nutrients from the Sea of Galilee but it does not have an outlet. Therefore, there is no life within the Dead Sea. We should be the kinds of Christians that take what God has blessed us with and give it back to the world. We should use everything we have to serve others. The benediction was a video by the Robbie Seay Band and it spoke to me in so many ways. Enjoy!
After 5 weeks of taking a snowboarding class, I can say with confidence that I LOVE snowboarding!! Natalie and I have had so much fun taking this class together! We came up with several reasons why we love it so much:
- It's time away from school and homework
- It's time that we can spend talking about what's going on during our week; what we're excited about and what we're worried about
- The chair lift is an excellent spot for girl talk haha
- It's good exercise
- It's a challenge. Neither one of us knew how to snowboard going into this, so it was new and exciting for the both of us!
- It's SO MUCH FUN!
Here are some pictures from our last night snowboarding:
Natalie and I with our instructor, Todd!!
Our snowboarding class!
I'm so sad that it's over, but hopefully we'll be able to go again sometime this semester! AND we're even thinking about taking another Intermediate snowboarding class next semester! I'm so happy Natalie persuaded me to conquer my fears of the slopes and try something new with her! It was definitely worth it. Here are some videos for your amusement haha.
LOVED what Pastor Steven shared this morning on his blog: My Advice for Single People:
There’s a lot of advice I could give to single and dating people.
How to be content in this season you’re in.
The kind of person you should be looking to marry.
Boundaries for when you’re dating.
All of those are good and necessary. But there’s something that most Christians completely miss that’s an essential principle for optimal relationships and marriages. If you don’t get this, it doesn’t matter who you date because it will be a fraction of the relationship God meant for you. And your marriage to them will be too.
Happiness is not finding the right person. It’s being the right person.
I’ve seen countless Christians sabotage their marriages not because they married the wrong person but because when they got married they weren’t the right person for the other person. Not in their chemistry, but in their character.
If two half people get together and they’re not complete in Christ, they don’t make a whole person. They subtract from each other rather than adding to each other and they become more miserable.
There’s only one half you’re responsible for right now. And that’s your half.
Stop looking for the person of your dreams and start becoming someone another person is dreaming about. Make someone else’s dreams become a reality.
A lot of single people make lists of what they want in the person they’re looking for. That’s fine. Just make sure that if the person you’re looking for had the same list, they’d find you.
You may be waiting in this season of your life for God to bring the right person.
Or you may be wondering if the person you’re dating is the right person.
I am so thankful that my little sister, Melanie, was able to come to Boone for the weekend! Shelley and I miss her so much when we're at school. It was great to get the 3 Musketeers back together again.
We kicked off the awesome weekend with going to see Tangled! It was absolutely adorable and we loved it! I have got to find myself a Eugene (aka Flynn Rider).
Saturday we spent our day with crafts, cookies, and movies. It was incredibly relaxing and so much fun. Shelley is a senior majoring in Business Management. She is hoping to start her own event planning business with our friend, Alyson, when she graduates! This weekend was the perfect opportunity for her to show off her skills and it turned out great!
We wrapped up the weekend by eating way too much and watching at least 4 movies. It was the perfect sister weekend and I can't wait to see Melanie again in 2 weeks for Spring Break!
To the outside world we all grow old. But not to our SISTERS. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's ♥hearts♥. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefsand JOYS. We live outside the touch ofTIME.
My final Valentine's Day post is my favorite. I am so excited to finally speak on what LOVE means to me. The first time that I experienced incredible love is the way that my family loves me. They watched me grow up. They loved me even when I messed up or misbehaved. They are always there for me. They would do anything for me. They will listen to me cry, laugh, scream, and feel every emotion with me. This love is incredible to me.
I have experienced love in relationships before. This love was incredible to me because it was new and exciting. It made me feel in a different way and showed me just how much love I have to give. I cherish this kind of love.
I have experienced love in my friendships. I love that my friends feel like they can come talk to me. They are my support system when I am at school and away from my family. They bring comfort, laughter, and fun to my life. I appreciate this kind of love.
I am so happy that I have been blessed enough to experience love in my life. But where does this love come from? Why is it that we are able to feel such a strong emotion towards something or someone? This is where my Heavenly Father comes in. He has shown me more love this past year than I have experienced in my entire life. It is through HIM that my love for others comes from.
"Our lives are not a random series of events; they tell a story that has meaning. We aren't in a movie we've arrived at 20 minutes late; we are in a sacred romance. We are being wooed, but we are fearful. We face an emeny with vile intentions. Is anyone in charge? We answer no and go for the smaller story. But the answer is yes - there is someone strong and kind who notices me. Our story is written by God who is more than the Author, he is the romantic lead in our personal dramas. He created us for himself and now he is moving heaven and earth to restore us to his side. His wooing seems wild because he seeks to free our hear from the attachments and addictions we've chosen, thanks to the arrow's we've known. We are Beloved; our hearts are the most important thing about us, andour desire is wild because it is made for a wild God."
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
In response to my question, "What does love mean to me?" I can say that I see LOVE asunending. It lovesevenwhen it is hard. Itperseveresthrough tough times. Itcomfortsthe brokenhearted, ithopesfor the best, ittrustsalways. It desires. It isnevercontent with simply
"like." True love NEVER FAILS.
I look forward to the day where God multiplies the love in my heart and chooses for me to give some of it to someone special. Someone that He had planned for me from the very beginning. Someone that He knew that I would love. Someone to call a Valentine. Until that time, I remain content in everything I have been blessed with.
My Valentine...
You laid down your life for me.
You tell me that You love me to no end everyday.
You fearfully and wonderfully made me.
You see beauty within.
You wrote arguably the longest love letter in all of history.
And You call me Yours.
YOU ARE LOVE.
This Valentine's Day, I return to my FIRST LOVE. (Revelation 2:4) ♥
P.S. Here are some Valentine's goodies I got! Woo hoo!
A hilarious letter from my little sister...haha
Goodies from my sweet momma and my church
Candy from my older sister Shelley!
"Oh how much we need to understand that it is an awesome love story that we are in with God. We do tend to want to settle for so much less out of fear or whatever. But He's not going to let us settle for less."
In honor of Valentine's Day, I am looking at my life and thinking of things that I say that I love. I am also thinking of things that I am looking forward to loving and really what love means to me! Today, I am focusing on what I am LOOKING FORWARD to loving. There are so many things!
- My husband. I say this because while I am looking forward to having a boyfriend, I am more looking forward to having a committed marriage and choosing to love him every day.
- Having a house. I can't wait to decorate my own place and have my own place to call home.
- Being a co - maid of honor at each of my sisters weddings.
- Being an awesome elementary school teacher.
- Having children. I'm looking forward to having my kids jump on the bed when I wake up, taking them to school with me, and raising them to be strong men and women of God.
- Becoming an active member of a church congregation after I graduate.
- Graduating from App. (Kindaaa looking forward to this...but kinda not because I love college)
- Having two dogs. I want a small puppy that cuddles with me and a big dog that protects me.
I'm sure that I am looking forward to loving a lot more things! But this is just to name a few. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I can't wait to think on what LOVE means to me.
P.S. Here is my sweet sister and the Valentine's breakfast that she made her boyfriend, Jeremy this morning. They are so cute!
Am I looking forward to getting to do this? The answer is YES.
In honor of the upcoming Valentine's Day, I really want to take the time to think about the things that I love, things that I am looking forward to loving, and really what love means to me. In our world today, we use the word, love, for a lot of things! From "I love these shoes" to "I love my boyfriend or husband," love takes on a million different meanings. Here are a few of my "loves" :
- I love chick flicks, desserts, and spending time with my girls - I love my Savior - I love my sweet sisters - I love my inspiring mother and my wonderful father - I love sunshine and warm days outside - Right now, I am loving being single - I love vintage clothing - I love teaching - I love unique jewelry - I love coffee! - I love the color green - I love scarves. I have a billion - I love finding new songs - I love to travel - I love to write and blog - I love almost any type of music - I love trying out new makeup - I love sour patch kids - I love pasta - I love sweet pea perfume - I love taking pictures - I love reading - I love highlighters - I love flowers - I love a new hair cut - I love any color of nail polish - I love the smell of books haha - I love driving with the sun roof open - I love candles - I love going on vacations and road trips - I love naps - I love ultimate frisbee - I love sweatpants - I love fuzzy socks - I love dressing up and going out to fancy places - I love snowboarding now! - I love the way Christian music makes me feel - I love making cookies - I love holidays! (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter etc. Even Valentine's Day!)
I'm sure there are many more things that I love. What I really want to find out is if this love is the same love that I will relate to my husband and the love that I have for him. If this love is the same love that I relate to God and the love that I have for Him. What does love mean to me? And how will I choose to express this love during Valentine's Day this year?
P.S. I LOVED going to a Valentine's dinner with my SAO girls last night!
"I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and
heard my cry."
- Psalm 40:1
Yesterday, I was talking to my beautiful friend Danielle about patience and waiting on the Lord. Let me just tell you a little bit about Danielle. She is the BEST role model and the sweetest person I know. This past semester I had the privilege of having her as my solo committee member :) She was amazing! I have always been able to talk to her and my other close girlfriends in the sorority about anything.
Danielle and I at Senior Night- Sister of the Semester
Last year, a few of us participated in a fashion show for young girls in Dallas, NC. We had so much fun!!
Yesterday she texted me and we had the best conversation about waiting on the Lord. Having both recently gone through difficult breakups, we're able to bond like peanut butter and jelly. I'm so thankful to have a sister that I can relate to as we both wait patiently on the Lord. Although we're in a difficult season in our life right now, we cannot wait for God's blessings to be poured out in our lives. We can't wait to see what's in store for us! Many of my sisters are going through this difficult time of waiting and learning to be patient. I'm praying that God will give all of us peace and insight into his perfect will.
Tonight is going to be EXTRA fun. Last semester, the guys in the fraternity had a Date Auction as a fundraiser. Natalie and I bought two dates: one with the fabulous Jon Palmer and one with the wonderful Justin Shaver. Tonight, we have the privilege of going to dinner with Justin Shaver! Woo hoo!! Can. Not. Wait.
I am SO excited for this weekend!!! My parents are coming up to visit and despite the rain and snow that is predicted for tomorrow, we are going to have a ton of fun! Last year when my parents came up, we went to Cone Manor and drove into Wilkesboro.
We had so much fun! I can't wait to see what kinds of shenanigans we're going to get into this weekend. The only sad thing is that my favorite little sister won't get to come this weekend!! I miss her and I wish she didn't work so much!
Love her! As I go into my weekend, I remember that my Father has gone before me and in every dark moment or painful circumstance has buried a treasure or stored a secret. The only way I can find the treasure or learn the secret is to pass through that darkness. Some things cannot be learned in the light. I will wait patiently on the Lord and enjoy where I am in my circumstances right now. I am eternally blessed.
