Summer Adventures: Cupcakes, Booktalks, and Horse Racing

Hey Readers!

Hope your day was just as exciting as mine. I'd like to think today kicked off what will officially be a summer of adventures!

My best friend and I started fulfilling the items on our bucket list with stop #1 at Gigi's Cupcakes. Take a look at these beauties! So much icing!

On the way, we also began discussing  our summer read, Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I feel so blessed to have this sister in Christ with which to discuss God's amazing love and how to pursue a deeper relationship with Him. I am sure snippets of what I am learning through these booktalks will seep into my writing over the next few weeks.

And as if that is not enough excitement for one day, I have a cool announcement...summer travel plans have been made!

Only God could have arranged for this travel experience to take place. He provided all of the connections, the resources, and the courage to say "yes" to the opportunity. I'm thrilled to see what I learn and do while in the New Jersey/NYC area for a long weekend in August. I will be attending the Clyde Hirt Journalism Workshop, which occurs with the Hambletonian's harness horse racing at the Meadowlands Racetrack. 

A relative who is an editor for a harness racing magazine noticed my interest in writing and made all the connections I need to participate, for free! She has been a huge blessing as my sponsor and I look forward to reporting on the races with her at the Hambletonian. It is crazy to think that my recently begun attempt at blogging could lead to such an amazing opportunity to learn from professional writers and to meet people from different walks of life. The horse racing world is relatively new to me, so I am curious to see what this community of people teaches me. Please pray for God to guide me as I venture through the airport, conduct interviews, and write articles during this experience. I cannot even imagine the doors this experience may open, whether it be through the connections I make or the skills I develop. 

God is so good. I pray that you all have a blessed summer, full of joy in His goodness, mercy, and grace.

Fresh Start for Summer

Hello Readers!

I finally have had a chance to sit back and relax a bit. Oh, how I've missed the blogging world! Here is what started my summer break:

Boxes. Boxes. And yes, more boxes.

Add a few too many flights of stairs, numerous car trips back and forth down the same exact roads, and some added comic relief by my family members. I am now sporting bruises and slightly-toned muscles on all limbs, thanks to all of the packing, lifting, and organizing.

If that description sounds like a move from a four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom apartment, you've hit the jackpot!

My family decided to take the plunge and put the house for sale earlier this spring. After much prayer, discussion, and research, my parents decided the family would be better suited in a different school district. Little did we realize our house would sell in two weeks and an apartment would be the only reasonable option in which to move.

The relatively quick sell, despite some issues surrounding the location of the house, was definitely an answer to prayers. Nevertheless, we were naturally thrown into a pool of stress and uncertainty upon realizing there were no houses to our liking on the market to purchase! Temporary apartment life, here we come!

Despite the cramped quarters and hours of unpacking, I am pleased to say that my family is making the best of it. We are looking forward to embracing all the fresh start has to offer, while still keeping in touch with old friends from our prior home. I am thankful that God has placed this opportunity to enjoy family time this summer without a house's yard work, cleaning, and other responsibilities. My dad just mentioned today how he thinks this apartment lifestyle might be a blessing for the time being, and so far I think he is right! We are looking forward to less work for the parents, more motivation to get along with each other for the kids, and additional amenities to enjoy together, such as the pool and trails.

I pray that you are also embracing the opportunities God has placed into your life this summer. Please pray for guidance as we determine when to pursue finding a new home.

Best wishes for your summer adventures!

21 Things to Do Before I Turn 21

Good Evening!

I've had a lot of "I should do this!" sorts of ideas on my mind lately and decided to post them to keep me accountable. In order to push me to actually make these things happen, I also decided to add a deadline, my milestone of a birthday. I will be turning 21 in less than a year, which should be plenty of time to accomplish the big and random things on the list below! I will keep the blogging world posted on my progress and I'm sure I will have all sorts of fun stories and experiences to share.

Here are the challenges on my to-do list (in no particular order):

1) Start exercising again and run a 5k

2) Read at least three books about my faith

3) Go public and get baptized next fall

4) Complete the Well program at my campus church

5) Try at least five new foods, drinks, or restaurants

6) Make a Kappa Phi shirt for my Build-a-Bear

7) Go on a fun, memorable outing with each of my siblings

8) Plan, lead, and complete a summer Bible study for Kappa Phi

9) Plan and start to lead a school year Bible study for Kappa Phi

10) Finish knitting my second blanket

11) Do three crafts off of Pinterest

12) Travel somewhere, maybe NYC!

13) Make a scrapbook of my college experiences

14) Volunteer somewhere

15) Keep in touch with at least three residents

16) Get coffee, lunch, dinner, or ice cream with two people I've lost touch with

17) Make all of my fall semester door decorations before summer break ends

18) Break a bad habit (maybe my delay in putting laundry away? lol)

19) Do something unusual, spontaneous, or out of my comfort zone!

20) Find and decide on a mission trip (or similar excursion) for next year

21) Keep up with my Bible-in-a-Year reading plan

I look forward to seeing what all God has in store for the next few months! I'm sure this list is just the beginning!

"How worn is your Bible?"

As I glanced at all the mess on my desk tonight, I noticed the worn edges of my Bible. Hmmm. Those are new. 

Now that I think about it, I remember a conversation I had with my women's group leader, close to this time last year. I had nonchalantly mentioned how I liked my Bible to be in top-notch shape and didn't like to see it's beautiful pink exterior show the wear and tear. 

Rather than simply nodding her head and agreeing with that casual statement, the leader looked me directly in the eyes and made a statement that should have sunk in sooner. Something challenging, along the lines of "an unworn Bible typically means it isn't being read". 

I brushed it off at the time and didn't think much of it. I was attending women's group and church weekly, clearly I was "a good Christian". However, that concept of "how worn is your Bible" is proving to be true in my life as I reflect on the past year. Now, I am truly embracing that wear and tear because it is representative to the change that has been occurring in my life.

I have always been a believer in Christ, but I feel that in the past few months I have come to a new understanding of what it actually means to be a follower of Him. Reading my Bible regularly has been a key step in that direction. Sure, church groups are nice and acts of service are great. I used to enjoy simply perusing devotionals and Christian books, but without the actual Bible, those, along with the religious actions, are not truly effective. Those should be the books and experiences sought to enrich our walk with God, not as the sole provider of a relationship with Christ.

The Bible is a foundation of the Christian faith and I can now say thank you to that leader for her challenging words. Although it did not make sense at the time, it sure does now. I have not made so much growth in my faith and understanding of God since I started reading regularly.

I encourage all of you to pick up your Bible and just start somewhere. I supplement with an iPad app that provides a reading schedule (in less than a year, I should be all the way through it!). Nevertheless, Christ can work through any efforts, order, or structure you place upon your study of His word. Every verse of scripture has something to teach and has the potential to change your life. Give it a chance to wear down your walls and seep into who you are.

The worn edges of my Bible are a reminder of the work Christ has done in my life. I am forever changed by His grace and have the worn edges as a small way to prove it!

Long time, no blog!

Hello Readers! 

It sure has been a while since I've been in the blogging world! That, my friends, is the joy of the end of the semester and the negative aspect of actually getting ahead on homework!

I can't decide on a common theme for tonight's post, so it is going to be tidbits of my life to catch you up on all the amazing things Jesus is doing in my life!

Tidbit #1...For once in my life, I feel like I have conquered procrastination! I can only thank Jesus for the discipline he has provided in the past few weeks. I surely could not have done it alone. Homework done not just hours, but DAYS in advance??? Unheard of in my life, until now! It sure is a good feeling, too!

Tidbit #2...It's funny how life seems to take a turn for the worse, but really it is for the better. The end of this semester has been filled with marvelous, genuine, and Christ-loving people and I am truly blessed to have spent the past few months getting to know them. Crazy to think that if some unhappy times hadn't occurred, I would not have crossed paths with these people. Christ sure does have plans bigger than anything we could have ever made ourselves.

Tidbit #3...My career plans are going through a phase of uncertainty, but that isn't all that unusual! I'm just going to trust God to take me wherever He wants, whether it matches my degree or not. It is surely going to be an adventure no matter which direction I go.

Tidbit #4...I missed blogging! There have been days where I second guess it and wonder if it is even worth the time, but then I realize how much relaxation and peace it brings me. As if that isn't enough, I have also received messages of how much some posts have meant to people. I am humbled to think God could use an amateur writer like me to make someone's day! Let's hope from here forward, I can make some more time to embrace the blogging world again and maybe make a few more days brighter for people. We're all in life together, so I might as well share my successes and failures if it can help others!

Take care and have a great end of the semester, fellow college students!

Lessons Learned from a Kindergartner

Hello Readers!

I spent most of my Wednesday doing what I love most about being an education major-- assisting and observing in a kindergarten classroom! The children are always so gracious in their offerings of hugs, drawings, and giggles. I usually leave feeling really relaxed and at peace that teaching young children is what I want to do with my life. Today, however, left me with a lot more to think about.

Am I actually prepared for the situations my students are going to present? Can I really handle a classroom full of energetic bodies that can't seem to stop bouncing from their seats and sliding down to play under the tables? Do I really have the patience for early childhood students who like to push boundaries and who are not quick to grasp concepts?

I had the opportunity to lead the writing time for a solid 45 minutes. Every time the teacher peeked into the room to get another student for an assessment, she complimented how quiet and focused they were. She saw what I was missing; the majority of the class was being productive and gaining great practice in writing. I was simply distracted by the few students who decided today was the day to test Miss Sara's patience! 

One student in particular made it so easy to become frustrated. The prompt was to write about what was played at recess. The student's dramatic and loud response..."I did nothing at recess!". Eventually, this led to the paper being thrown on the floor and a refusal to do any work. I had to raise my voice with the student, in addition to moving the student to a different table away from the others, plus moving down on the behavior chart. These are not aspects of classroom management I enjoy or am proud of doing, but there was no other option in this case!  

Keep in mind, all during this episode, there were a handful of students tattle-telling on each other for various reasons. There was also a student playing "hide under the table" instead of doing work. Then, a handful of gifted and talented students waved their hands frantically out of boredom because they were finished and wanted the teacher to give them more work to do. As if that wasn't enough, several other hands were held in the air because help was needed sounding out words and thinking of ideas. Good golly, talk about needing an extra set of eyes and hands!

Despite the tears from the student refusing to do work and the chaos that seemed to surround the incident, I managed to pull everyone through the assignment. All of them wrote at least one sentence and illustrated their recess activities. Overall, you could say the lesson was a success!

But the story doesn't stop there. The reason today will stick with me wasn't the struggle of classroom management. Those are skills that will be learned with more practice.

The true struggle from today's experience is feeling comfortable with my attitude towards the difficult student. The back story to all of this is that earlier in the day, the student shared with the class frustrations of not spending time with a father figure.

Here I am, losing my patience, with a child who clearly expressed he just needs to feel and experience some unconditional love.  

Do I even have the right mindset to be an effective, loving teacher?

That is a huge question that I can only pray God will answer. Maybe my doubts are unwarranted, maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, and most likely my career choice will work out fine. I'm sticking with my choice for now in hopes that this is the circumstance. 

Nonetheless, I still think it is incredibly important to pray and reflect on having the right mindset in pursuit of any path we intend to take. Skills can be learned, but a mindset is a whole different ordeal. Only Christ can bless us with the perspective we need to see our roles on Earth in the way He sees them. I can try all I want to be a good teacher, but if I am not leaning on Christ to give me the perspective to truly love and help children with patience and compassion, the work is not going to be effective. 

Although teaching may not directly be a religiously-affiliated task, I learned today how important my faith will be in pursuing and maintaining a career as a teacher. In the next few years of preparation, I will be continually praying for God to show His intentions for my career, including the mindset He wants me to have in working with young children.

A Beautiful Exchange + Other Weekend Memories

Happy Easter, Readers!

This weekend has been filled with more memories and emotions than any other Easter I can remember! I stayed at school for the holiday this year, but thankfully I had the opportunity to spend time with my beautiful and fun-loving grandma! 

Grandma was such a good sport about trying new things and going on all sorts of adventures during the weekend. Wrong turns, building water-system repairs and other craziness did not ruin her mood; in fact, I think these goofy experiences made it all the more exciting! The most special part of the weekend, however, was not just shopping and eating out together as I would have expected.

The truly special memories that I will hold close to my heart were from my grandma's willingness to go to church with me and to embrace the emotions this religious weekend can bring. Friday night, we went to a Good Friday service that far surpassed anything I would have expected. Saturday afternoon, we saw the movie Heaven is for Real. Today, we attended a fantastic church service. On top of all that, we recognized the anniversary of my uncle's unexpected passing of April 19, 2006. Talk about a tear-jerking weekend!

The tears, laughs, and smiles of this weekend all related back to the absolutely mind-blowing love of Jesus Christ. The ugliness of Christ's death on Good Friday became the most beautiful exchange imaginable on Resurrection Sunday. As my grandma pointed out, it is unimaginable to think of how the people must have felt to see their son, leader, and friend Jesus die on the cross that night. It truly places our own frustrations and sadness in perspective!

The beauty that comes from this ugliness is that Christ died as the perfect sacrifice in exchange for our sins. I hope and pray that this Easter, you spend some time reflecting on how much unconditional love that represents. Jesus died for you and because of mankind's sin. He rose from the grave, death has lost it's sting. Christ has provided the sacrifice we need in order to spend an eternity with God, all it takes is accepting His ways and choosing to live for His honor! Spread the message with those you love-- there is no other story more worth sharing!