The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Beginning with Thanksgiving, we entered into what I like to call the most wonderful time of the year.

I love everything about the Christmas season.  I love the hustle and bustle the holiday season brings.  I love the smiles on every one's faces. I love the winter chill in the air.  I love boots, scarfs, and puffy vests.  The Christmas season also brings many holiday traditions.  One of which include the infamous Christmas Lights Activity.

This activity begins with all college students loading up on several buses and taking a trip to Chicago. From there, we simply split up and go and do as we desire.  This year was my final Christmas Lights Activity so I decided to make it my best.  

We began the evening by going to Ed Debevics. If you have never eaten at this "interesting" place..it is most definitely a must try.  Yes, the food is good....but the service is the best.  All I can say is a table of nine girls made for a lot of fun! 

Our waiter, whose entire purpose and job was to aggravate, provoke, and annoy each and everyone of us, definitely succeeded and was tipped well. 

After dinner, we walked around window shopping in the Windy City.

 We made our last stop at Starbucks.  After all, a trip to Chicago would never be complete without a stop at one of the hundreds of Starbucks in Chicago.  Honestly, I am not a huge coffee fan.  However, a vanilla bean frappuccino...that's a different story.

This Christmas Lights Activity was definitely an activity to remember, one of the best yet!

Busy Busy Busy

This semester seemes to be flying quickly by. So quickly in fact that I have hardly had time to blog much at all. So, I thought I would do a quick update of few things that have been going on in my life the past couple months.  

 First of all in September, I began student teaching.  I absolutely love it! Something about finally being able to stand behind the podium and tell people what to do. :) I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching my 7th and 8th grade American Republic class and my 12th grade Speech class.  I will be sad to leave them in just a few short weeks. 

College life in general has kept me on my toes as well. In October the college had an activity in which we went on a hayride. It was alot of fun to simply be with my college buddies:

 One of my biggest highlights of the past month, was my trip to Michigan.  This was a trip my girlfriends I have been wanting to take for some time.  And finally we were able to make the trip out to visit our friend, Susan.  We had so much fun catching up with each other.  We have all been friends since the times we were babies, we have so much in common, and it was a blessing and joy to all talk about where our lives were all taking us.

We had such a good time together!

Now, i promise to write before 2012. :)

Happy Birthday to my Daddy

Happy Birthday to the man

who makes me smile when no one else can.

The man who taught me to do right 

when no one else does.

The man who believed in me

when no one else did

Happy birthday to the man that I loved first

and always will!

I love you more than I can possibly express.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Love Them Anyway

Today I would simply like to share a poem that I came across several years ago.  However, it truly never effected me until recently.  The other day while reading my morning scripture this poem came to my mind.  I immediately got up and searched the internet for this poem.  And I found it! I read the words over and over again. Now, I would have to say this is definitely a favorite poem of mine. Each time I read it I am touched and inspired.   All to often I protect myself.  Rather than being completely transparent, I put on a sort of covering, shell, or layer to keep people distant from me.  After all I have been hurt by people before.  After all I have tried to help people before only to be stabbed in the back in return.  Therefore I justify myself the right to protect myself from any more hurt.  

However, for the past few weeks God has been working on me over and over again.  My goal for this school year is to simply be transparent.  No more protecting myself.  I have promised God to open myself up completely.  In life I will be hurt.  In my life people, friends, and family will let me down and fail me.  Someday in the future I may be lied about and perhaps hurt by someone I truly love.  However, I am determined whatever happens- I will love anyway. 

Everyday I go to work and I look into the eyes of people who are hurting.  People who are without Christ, wondering through life without hope.  For several years, I have gone through life selfishly, caring for no one but self.  Wearing my "protecting layer" not allowing people to get close to me...after all they may  turn on me and hurt me in the future.  Well, today I vow to God to change.  I am going to be transparent.  Yes, by opening myself completely, I will be opening myself to be hurt time and time again possibly by one I love the most.  However, by opening myself completely I am allowing myself to become the biggest blessing, encouragement and light to a lost and hurting world.  No matter what - I will love them anyway!

Love Them Anyway

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Be good anyway.

Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People need help, but may attack you if you try to help them.
Help them anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

What the fair means to me

A couple of weeks ago my family and I were able to make it to our annual county fair.  I absolutely love the fair for several reasons: 

 I love the large variety of different food to chose between.

I love the foot long corn dogs!

The corn on the cob is absolutely divine!

 I love spending time with my sissy!

Have I mentioned all the delectable frozen treats...for example: chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate covered bananas!

Yes, I truly love the fair for many reasons...the FOOD being the main reason.  However, this year while walking around the fair my mind began to race back to the many fairs of years past.  My mind traveled farther and farther back until I finally remembered- my very first memory of the fair:

 I recall my older sister tugging on my father's arm.  

"Hey daddy can Brooke and I go in there..please daddy"

* Note: no one asked Brooke if she would like to go, it was just assumed that Brooke was going to accompany Nicole.

" Daddy, can Brooke and I please go in the House of Mirrors all by ourselves!"

* Note: Notice once again, no one asked Brooke if she wanted mommy or daddy to come along with her for her safety and well being.

Well, daddy being the good man that he is agreed of course that his two little girls could go on...alone.

We entered into the swirling tube. 

Nicole began to race ahead..."Hey Brooke look at this , it's a whole trail of mirrors.  Let's race to the end Brooke.  Come on!"

* Note: notice that Brooke is not asked if she would like to race, Brooke is practically forced to race through a house with images of herself reflecting all over, confusing her poor little mind.

 I stood there watching my sister and her reflection racing through the house of mirrors to the end.  I had to go on... I couldn't stay in this ridiculous house forever.  I took the first step, only to run smack dab into my own reflection.  I looked around only to see thousands of little mes!  I was absolutely horrified   Where was my sister?  Where was my family?  Why did I see my image all over.  I began to run about..every time colliding with my own image.  I became frantic calling and screaming for someone to help me.  Eventually, one of the creepy fair workers came to the screaming little girl and help her safely though the house of mirrors.  When my feet were safely out of the creepy little house, I quickly ran to my parents crying. Asking them why they had made me go through such a terrible house.  

* Note: I have never ever again gone through a house of mirrors
* Note: I will never again go through a house of mirrors
* Note: I will never force my child to go through a house of mirrors.

At this point and time of my life, I absolutely love the fair- that is the food.  However, there is still something in me that repulses when I walk by the House of Mirrors.  There is still something in me that stays completely clear of that the creepy little house.

Teach me Lord to Wait

I remember my elementary days in which every year I participated in a cross country race.  I will never forget that rush of adrenalin as my friends and I lined up on the white line.  My shoe laces had been tied extra tight by my father.  My friends and I were all talking smack about who would win the prized trophy.  Then, the gun was raised into the air...

On your mark, get Set, go!!! 

Then the gun would fire into the air.

Every year it would happen..one of my friends or I would start before the gun fired.  Filled with excitement the rest of us would follow behind, until we were all called to the starting line, and we were told to wait!

I then remember my high school days on the track team.  Time after time sprinters were disqualified for false starts.  Although they may have come in first place...they were disqualified all because they did not wait!

This entire week God has been emphasizing the point of Patience to me.  It seems like every day in my quiet time with God..He gave me a verse showing me the importance of waiting...waiting on the Lord.

Just this morning I came  across this poem:

God's time is never wrong,

Never too fast nor too slow;

The planets move to its steady pace

As the centuries come and go.

Stars rise and set by the time,

The punctual comets come back

With never a second's variance,

From the round of their viewless track.

Men space their years by the sun,

And reckon their months by the moon,

Which never arrive too late

And never depart too soon.

Let us set our clocks by God's

And order our lives by His ways,

And nothing can come and nothing can go

Too soon or too late in our day.

- Annie Johnson Flint

At times I jump the gun, I get excited and try to make decision on my own.  Yet, every time I do, I fail. This past week, God has truly shown me time and time again through His Word to simply wait.  

There are no dates in His fine leisure.

My Mom

 Yesterday, my family and I celebrated the birthday of a wonderful and amazing woman.  A woman that I have the privilege of calling my mom.  This woman means the world to me.  She is my first memory and inspiration.  When I look at my mother I see all that I long to be one day as a wife and mother. Every day I see how selfless she truly is.  Never thinking of her own desires and her own wishes.  She gives of her time, money and her self to others.  Not only is she selfless but also she is genuine and sincere.  Today, so many people are fake, they say one thing but do the opposite.  On the other hand, every day I see my mom live out the life she strives to teach me to live out.  She teaches me to stay close to the Lord, to pray, read my Bible, and put God first in my life.  I then can sit back and watch as she lives out each of those areas in her own life. 

If I had one word to describe my mom, I guess it would be my role model.  You see, I have big plans for my future life.  I want to be a pretty amazing woman someday  I want to touch people lives all around me, I want to be an incredible wife and mother.  When I look at mom- she is all I long to be!

Happy Birthday to the Woman who is all I want to be!

From: the little girl who is still following in your footsteps.