Delight

So it's that time of year again: Holiday Time! A time for gatherings with family and friends, a time for eating wonderful food, a time of sharing, a time of joy, and a time for football (ok, not really the last one. It's always a time for football. :D). However, it can also be a time filled with way too much things to accomplish and do in too little of time. That is why we all need to remember to DELIGHT. Not only through the holiday season, but throughout the whole year. Now some of you may ask, what exactly does delight mean? Well, according to dictionary.com, delight is: a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture. To me, delighting means finding joy in those little pleasures that God throws our way: the smile of a child, the hug of a friend, the beauty of flowers, the paintings God does in the sky, and other unique joys like that.

DELIGHT in the sweetness of two little girls!

 DELIGHT  in adorable smiles!

DELIGHT in the beauty of flowers after a rainfall!

DELIGHT in small droplets of water!

DELIGHT in the joy of little children!

DELIGHT in the coolness of shades! :D

DELIGHT in moments like these!

Finally, DELIGHT in the craziness of family!

So as we go through this wonderful time of family and gatherings, lets all remember not to let the small enjoyments of life pass us by. Let us delight in our family, friends, and most of all let us delights in God who has wonderfully made us all!

Delight!!!!!!

"That's All Folks!"

No More Worrying!

 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
-Matthew 6:25-34

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.-Matthew 7:7,8

"That's All Folks!"

OH! MY! GOSH!

So I have some extremely exciting news for y'all. Yesterday, my sister and I attended the Colts vs. Patriots game at Foxboro. And let me tell you, it was a bunch of fun.


First off, we woke up a little after 6:00 to get ready and were on the road ten 'till seven. We, of course, had to stop at a Starbucks on the way. Natalie got her mocha fix and I got a coconut steamer. SO YUMMY! After that, we were on the road again...we hit Boston around 8:30. We crossed this really awesome bridge and then went through a tunnel!!!!

 







The very sweet bridge!!!!





Boston skyline!!!!

TD Garden (where the Celtics play)!!!





The bridge again!

We reached Foxboro a little after nine and found some parking. We then found a Subway to eat at. Then we walked around outside the Gillette Stadium until 11 when we got to enter the stadium. Our seats were waaaaayyyyyyyyy high up, so when we first got in we decided to go look at the field. We found an area and went all the way down to the seats that are right of the field. It was fun. We got a few pictures...

Me in Gillette Stadium!!!



Natalie in Gillette Stadium!!!


Then we moved around the stadium to were the Colts players were practicing. We stood around for a while and took some more pictures...

Austin Collie warming up!

One of the best pass rushers: Dwight Freeney!!!!

Looking around at the players, we spotted Peyton Manning talking to some people, but we soon lost him. We kept asking each other "Where did Manning go?"..and then we got to talking to one of the security guards on the field. He pointed over in a direction and said, "So Manning came?" We said yes, he didn't know that despite Manning being hurt, he had been traveling with the team. After we wrapped up the conversation, we looked over to were the guard had pointed and saw Peyton Manning signing autographs. Then we quickly made our way over there and then...wait for it...wait for it...NATALIE GOT PEYTON MANNING'S AUTOGRAPH AND I TOOK PICTURES OF HER WITH PEYTON MANNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SPOKE TO PEYTON MANNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I TOUCHED A PIECE OF PAPER THAT PEYTON MANNING TOUCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH! MY! GOSH!!!!!! It was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Natalie waiting for Peyton's autograph!

Peyton signing an autograph for Natalie!!!!



Peyton waving to us!!!!! :D



PEYTON'S AUTOGRAPH ON MY TICKET!!!!!

HERE IT IS AGAIN!!!!!! :D

After that awesome experience, we watched the players practice and then we decided to go to our seats. We went up, up, up, and up. Then we went up some more and up some more. Then up, up, up, and up. After going up some, we went up some more. lol.

The view from our seat!!! LOL!!



The Colts receivers practicing!!! Go Reggie!!!



The Colts players practicing!!!!

Natalie and Me from waaaaaayyyyyy up!!!

This picture didn't go so well. :D

After finding our seats, we watched the game. WHOOOHOOO!!!!Watching the game was soooo much fun. Natalie and I were practically the only Colts fan in the area, but most of the time our cheering was louder than the Patriots fan, which I found very amusing. :D In the end, the Patriots won the game, but the Colts and Dan Orlovsky almost pulled of the upset of the century...and so ends the story of the most awesome Sunday!!!!!!!!!


Another great part of Sunday was that the Packers won their 12th game and remain undefeated. YIPPEE!!!!!

"That's All Folks!"

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WARNING! WARNING! THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS A RANT ABOUT KAREN KINGSBURY LATEST BOOK LONGING. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK AND WISH TO, STOP READING NOW!!!!!

From Karen Kingsbury's website


 Ok, warning aside. Karen Kingsbury's latest book Longing just came out November 22 and I have been dying to read it. However, with school I haven't had a chance to until today, despite the fact that I pre-ordered the book in October, (Yep, I'm one of those HUGE book geeks). I've read all of her adult fiction books and for about five years now been following five separate series that are all connected to each other. During this time, the character Bailey Flanigan gets introduced and we start following her life. If you've read the books, you'll know that she ends up falling in love with a guy named Cody (if you haven't, your probably scratching your head). Through the whole series Cody and Bailey have had there ups and downs, but I've always believed that they would end up together and live happily-ever-after (what can I say, I'm a romantic, who also loves reading/seeing action stories with people being blown up and shot and AH-64 Apaches and all that fun awesome stuff, but that's a WHOLE different story). Back to my rant, now in the latest series, which is all about Bailey and her life, she ends up with this guy names Brandon, who isn't awful, he's just not Cody. So you may have guessed it by now, but I just finished reading the book (It's 319 pages and I read it in 2 hours. I think that's even a record for me. lol) and Brandon and Bailey are still together at the end of Longing and the really terrible thing is there is only one more book (coming out in March!) in all the series and now Cody and Bailey may not be in love with each other. IT JUST SOOOOOOO WRONG!!!!! THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO BE TOGETHER!!! I'm so glad I read the book, yet at the same time I'm so angry that they are not together. I know y'all are probably shaking your heads and thinking I should get a life, but I just really love books!!!!!! Thus, ends the rant (at least for now. :D)


Hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving!!!! And guess what? It's December already. That's just mind-blowing, I have no idea where October and November went to, do you? I only have one week of classes left, then a week of finals and my third semester of college will be over. So weird!!! I can't actually believe that I can be a sophomore in college at the age of seventeen. That's just totally rad dude. lol. Isn't God so awesome? The way He guides our steps is truly awe-inspiring. :D Well, I'll stop boring y'all to death with my random talk. I hope y'all have a great weekend!

"That's All Folks"

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hey y'all, Happy Thanksgiving!!!! I hope y'all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving being with family, eating lots of great food, and watching football (Quick side note, the Packers are now 11-0. GO PACKERS!!!) :D. I'm having a fantastical Thanksgiving just hanging with family in our hotel room (Yep, my mom, dad, and two brothers came here to Maine to have Thanksgiving with my sister and me. How fun!). We haven't done anything special, but it still has been a lot of fun. We didn't eat anything special either, we actually had popcorn for dinner because most of the restaurants were closed. However, it has been a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! Besides, this awesome holiday is more than just good food, what it's truly about is being with family and giving thanks. As the Bible says, "Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." (Psalm 95:2) and "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalms 100:4). In the spirit of things, here are some of the things I'm thankful for...

1. I'm thankful for a loving and awe-inspiring Father!

2. I'm thankful for my amazing family God blessed me with!

3. I'm thankful for my wonderful friends!

4. I'm thankful for the awesome ocean God created!

5. I'm thankful for chocolate, coconut, and other delicious food!

6. I'm thankful for living in America and the freedom that comes with it!

7. I'm thankful for all the brave soldiers that defend this nation!

8. I'm thankful for the Packers being 11-0! :D

9. I'm thankful for being in college!

10. I'm thankful for all the books that have been wrote!

11. Finally, I'm thankful for being fearfully and wonderfully made!!! 

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalm 139:14

Well, I can't really think of anything else to write about so I'll let y'all go. So again, Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

"That's All Folks!"

"Be joyful always."

-1 Thessalonians 5:16

Author of the Month

Hey y'all! So I decided to make up my own little award this month and name it "Author of the Month". I'm going to claim I decided to do this since it is National Novel Writing Month (I actually just thought of that excuse to write this random post :D) So here are the nominees...

Karen Kingsbury for Longing

David Baldacci for Zero Day

Zachary for Book 2

And the Ally Award goes to.....ready?....wait for it....wait for it...drum roll please....Zachary for Book 2.  (Applause, Applause, Applause)..."Go Zachy!!!!!". lol.

So just to clue y'all in (because I'm pretty sure some of you are about ready to call the little men in white jackets to come and get me), Zachary is my brother and an amazing writer (not published yet, but will be someday soon). He just finished his second book which I stayed up till ten o'clock last night reading (only 24 more pages left to go). I totally LOVE his books. They are hilarious and very attention grabbing, I never want to put the book down when I'm reading it. I know some of y'all are probably thinking I'm biased, but I've read a lot of books in my life time, I mean A LOT of books, and Zach is extremely talented. :D...yep, this post was basically just to brag about my brother's writing, so I hope y'all enjoyed it. lol.

 

"That's All Folks"

P.S. You can check out my brother blog at http://jack-zjh.blogspot.com

AWESOMENESS!!!!

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." -Zephaniah 3:17

How awesome is that verse? Just think about it. It says, "The lord you God is with you". He is with me, He is with each and every one of you reading this. Even more than that, "He is mighty to save." In God's mightiness He saves us from everthing, our fears, our worries, our problems. In anything and everything God is there and He saves. Then we keep reading, "He will take great delight in you". God delights in us, even when we stumble and make mistakes, God delights in us. That is just sooo AWESOME!!!!!! "He will quiet you with His love", then when we go crazy and are running around like chickens with our heads cut off, God quiets by just loving us. :D Finally, "He will rejoice over you with singing." Just like a parent with newborns, God sings to us. More than that, He rejoices because of us. I just find that mind-blowing.

"That's All Folks!"

Photoblog

So I've decided to add something new to my blog page, it's called photoblog. I know most of my posts are filled with pictures but I thought I would share more of my love of photography. The photoblog tab can be found on the side of my blog page. I can't promise I will post pictures all the time, but I will try to do it pretty often. Maybe twice a year. Just kidding, it will be more than that. :D I hope y'all wil enjoy it. Let me know what you think.

"That's All Folks!"

Lewis! Lewis! LEWIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I left off of my last post saying that my mom and brother were coming to visit. Well, they have come and gone and a week has flown by, but I'm now only getting around to blogging about it. lol. So it was soooooooooooooo much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our funnest(yeah, I know my grammer is bad.:D)day was on Saturday. First we went to Natalie's cross country meet (which, by the way, is where my pictures on the photoblog were taken). She did really good, placed 52nd while faceing two nationally ranked teams. We hung around there for most of the morning and also watched the guys run.



Natalie and Mom



They really do love each other. :D

She's so cute!

After that we went to Subway and ate some food because that is truly important. :) I had a chicken bacon ranch sub. I truly LOVE bacon and ranch!!!!!! Then we decided to go hiking on Bradbury Mountain (which is more like a hill). However, it was a lot of fun to say we summitted a mountain!!!

WE DID IT!!!!!

From top of the mountain!

From there we decided to go to a corn maze and oh. my. gosh. It was extremely fun!!!!!!!! It was a large corn maze with many twists and turns, obviously. However, what made the the most fun was just being with the family. Nathan and I were battling for the lead job. I say they should have followed me the whole way because we would have gotten out sooner.:D Natalie and Mom just followed along, trying to keep up with Nathan's speed walking, and trying to control their laughter. About halfway through the maze or a little less Natalie names Nathan and me, Lewis and Clark(after the famous explorers). So then when ever Nathan disappeared from view Natalie and I kept yelling, "LEWIS! LEWIS! LEEEEWWWWWWIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!" It was so amusing! And then I would take the lead over for a little bit, until Natalie and Mom decided to follow Nathan. Those traitors. lol. After many times of going in circles and wrong directions, I finally guided us safely out of the maze with only two casualties. Just kidding, I didn't lose anybody. :D (And for those of you wondering, no we weren't the ones who called 911 from a corn maze.)

Yep, that was our very, very, very fun day!!!! The rest of the weekend went great to. On Sunday we watched the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean. Such a great movie and soooooo funny. Johnny Depp is amazing as CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow.

"That's All Folks!"

Creating a Home

It's been exactly a month since I last posted and the only explanation I can give is that school is keeping extremely busy. I've realized that happens a lot. I will be so busy going to classes and doing homework that I let other things fall by the wayside. One of the things that I found that can also fall away is my time with the Lord. I still read the Bible almost everyday, but sometimes my mind can be somewhere else worrying about a test or paper. Or instead of just sitting and listening to the voice of the Lord, I'm to busy asking Him to help me with those tests and papers. However, something I read today made me think about this and revealed a very important truth. What I learned today is that we have to create a home for the Lord in our lives. We can't just go do our thing and then expect God to be there the minute we have time. I'm not saying that God isn't always around because He is. What I'm saying is that we have to take the time to wait on the Lord, to praise Him, and to listen to that still small voice. As He says, "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10). Sometimes we just have to take a time out from our hectic lives and commune with God. Just like with Elisha, God doesn't come in the violent wind, the earthquake or the fire (1 Kings 19:11-13), He comes in a gentle whisper saying, "This is the way, walk in it.(Isaiah 30:21)"  Instead of always running around like a chicken with its head cut off, we need to give God a place where his Spirit can come and rest. That is what I want to be: an abiding place for the Lord and today and everyday forth, I'll create a home for Him in my heart and life. I hope y'all do to because it truly is life-changing. :D

"That's All Folks!"

P.S. My Mom and one brother are coming to visit this week. I'm soooooooo exciting.

P.P.S. I guess that wasn't all folks. :D

P.P.P.S. I truly am going now. I hope y'all have a fantasical week and I bless that God meets y'all in everything that y'all do!

Surfin' U.S.A

"If everybody had an ocean. Across the U. S. A. Then everybody'd be surfin' like Californi-a. You'd seem 'em wearing their baggies
huarachi sandals too. A bushy bushy blonde hairdo. Surfin' U. S. A. Everybody's gone surfin' Surfin' U.S. A." -Beach Boys

Them Beach Boys sure had it right. I now have an ocean and now I'm surfin' U.S.A. Yep, that's right. Last Saturday I went surfing, like real surfing, not body surfing, in Kennebunk, ME. UNE had an opportunity for students to get free surf lesson. They even rented wet suits for us! The lesson was only 30 minutes because there was ten kids and only three instructors and not enough board, so we broke into two groups. It still was soooooooo much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



From Yahoo Images



From Yahoo Images

Those are pictures from my surf outing! Just kidding! :D NO way could I ride those waves. The ones I rode were two to three footers that had already broke (We were just riding the white turbulent water, if that makes sense. lol). And in actuality I actually rode two waves. The first one a "rode" I stood for like two seconds and then promptly fell off, which was better than all my previous trys. On my first handful of time I fell off my board before I could even stand up. Luckily for me I like dunkings.:D Technically, my very first time I just laid on my surf board the whole way in because my instructor fell under a wave and couldn't tell me when to stand. lol. Even then it was so much fun!!!! On my final try, I saw a wave turned my board around (with the help of the instructor). Then I took off paddling and FINALLY stood up, didn't fall off, and rode the wave!!!!! WHOOHOOOOO!!!!!

I LOVE SURFIN' U.S.A. just like the Beach Boys. Surfs boards just glide through the water. It is such an amazing experience. If you ever have the chance to go surfing, definitely do it!!!

"That's All Folks"

HYPED UP!!!!!!!!!

HEY Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I'm soooooooooo hyped up. The defending Super Bowl Packers kickoff their regular season in less than a half hour!!!!!!!!!WHOHOOO!!!!!!!!!! Isn't it soooooooooo exciting?!?!?!?!?!?!?

GO PACKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All day I have been extremely busy. First I was woken up at 6:17 by my alarm and proceeded to get ready for work (I help paint as my work study. Then from seven to nine Natalie and I painted a room and then three random walls. Then we had a class together at 9:30. We discussed 9/11 and the world post it, racism and how it came about. It was interesting. After that class we went to lunch; it was a little early. However, at 11:30 I had three hours of Physics, so I had to eat when it was possible. After lunch I went to Physics. (Obviously Ally!!! That's what you just said or actually wrote. lol. :D)Then I had a little break and then went to my final class of the day. There we discussed what gender actually means and how the different definitions affect life in many ways. After that class, I did some Precalculus homework until Nat was done with cross country practice (she is a VERY good runner. She place 11 in her first meet!!!) We then ate dinner and then I finished my Precalc homework and did some Physics homework. Now I'm sitting on the couch in my suite writing this blog and waiting for football!

GO PACKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



MY EXCITEMENT



Oh, wait I already said that already, didn't I? Well, I definitely mean it. lol.

I hope I didn't bore you to death with my day. My brain (computer chip) wasn't sure what to write after sharing my immense excitement about the Packers, so yeah.

"That's All Folks!"



School, Hurricanes, & Kisses...

Well, it's official: I'M BACK AT SCHOOL!!! Yep, today my sister and I moved into our dorm suite and said good-bye to our parents and. It was sad, but that growing up for you(it's not as fun as some think.):( This is my second year of college at the University of New England and I have some really fun classes this semester. Want to hear them?

"Yes, Ally I would LOVE to hear what your classes are!"
"Why thanks for your enthusiasm."

Ok, here they are: Intro to Oceanography w/lab, PreCalc, Intro to American Politics, Physics w/lab, and Gender & Politics. 

This Thursday will be the first day of classes. It was supposed to be Wednesday, but was moved back because of...wait for it...keep waiting...are you still waiting?...(Ally hurry up!)...ok, ok...classes were delayed because of a (drum roll please)...A HURRICANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Early Sunday morning, we started getting rain and wind from the outskirts of the hurricane. The eye was still in the New York area, but hurricane Irene was so big we were getting hit by it too. All of Sunday it was windy and some rain. Thankfully Maine wasn't hit to hard by the hurricane (technically it was a tropical storm by now). However, there were quite a few power outages. UNE actually lost power for a couple of hours, but Natalie and I were still at the hotel with our parents and we didn't lose power. I'm actually kind of thankful for the hurricane because I got to spend a little more time with my family (that's not saying I'm glad for it's destruction or anything like that.)

Now I'm moving on to a topic that doesn't have anything to do with the previous ones, but one I think y'all will like. Ready for it? I LOVE KISSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They taste so good and are so gooey. The best type of kisses are the ones will carmel. OH. MY. GOSH. THEY ARE SOOOOOOOO AMAZING!!!Don't you think so? This past Friday a I had way more kisses than I should have, but thay are so hard to resist.(By the way, I'm talking about chocolate kisses. :D) lol.

In conclusion, my past week has included school, hurricanes, and kisses. So much fun! :D

"That's All Folks!"

Waves

I know, I know, there is no need to yell. I should post more often. My sporadic tendencies are bad. Got it. Thanks! Ok, I'll get to my actual post...


So I have some fun news. I'm back in Maine!!!! Mom, Dad, my sister, and me traveled from Iowa to Maine this past Friday. Kinda a long drive (20 hrs),so we did it in two days. The past few days we have been buying some stuff for college, organizing our suite, doing some site-seeing, and my personal favorite, hitting the beach.

I totally LOVE the ocean (which I guess you already know from a previous post)!!!!!!!! Yesterday Dad and I went body surfing (literally we had no boards :D) at a beach in Scarborough. The waves were a roughly 1 footers, but it still was fun. Then today Dad and I went to a beach in Biddeford a couple of miles away from the campus. The waves there were  between two to four footers. SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!! And this time I actually had a board to go boogie boarding. I rode a couple of really swell waves. :) Do you get the pun? I know it corny and lame, but still funny. lol.

It is so much fun to just be in the ocean feeling the movement of the water. The ocean has soooo much power to it and standing in it you can feel a tiny bit of that power. I have so I so much I love about the ocean that I'll make y'all a list.

1. I LOVE THE FEELING OF WAVES CRASHING OVER MY BODY!
2. I LOVE THE TASTE OF SALT WATER ON MY LIPS!
3. I LOVE THE FEELING OF MOVING WHEN I'M STANDING STILL AND THE WATER IS RECEDING!
4. I LOVE WATCHING SWELLS FORMING IN THE DISTANCE!
5. I LOVE THE THE WAY THE WATER PULLS BACK WHEN A WAVE IS COMING!
6. I LOVE HEARING THE SOUNDS OF WAVES BREAKING!

Well that is all I can think of for now, but there probably are many more reasons. However, my computer chip just crashed. So I'll spare y'all from more of my love-dovey stuff about the ocean (at least it isn't lovey-dovey stuff about a guy because that would be extremely annoying and sickening. lol)

"That's All Folks!" 

(In case y'all are wondering I have a computer chip instead of a brain and it seems to crash a lot. At least that is the explanation I use to explain my many multifarious, moronic moments.)

Tragedy

Today was a sad, sad day in Afghanistan. A tragedy occurred. Last night a CH-47 Chinook was shot down (Taliban claim responsibility), killing 30 U.S. troops, 1 civilian interpreter, and 7 Afghan commandos. Of those 31 U.S. troops, 22 were Navy Seals. The Navy Seals in the crash were apart of the unit (Seal Team 6), not actual group, that killed Osama bin Laden. They were some of our best warriors out there, and I know them and the other troops will be sorely missed. (Information from CNN and MSNBC)

Chinook Helicopter


If anyone has read my first post y'all would know that I respect Navy Seals a lot. I actually really respect all of our armed forces, but I guess I have a soft spot in my heart for the elite warriors like the Navy Seals. Probably because they will go where nobody else goes to protect and defend people they have never met including: me, my family, and the rest of the citizens of the United States of America. As one of there mottos says, "The only easy day was yesterday."  However, I know it it is not just the Navy Seals that protect our country, but all of the armed forces. And so I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends who lost loved ones in the crash, and thank you for letting your loved ones serve this country. It is people like them who make America great. I know my words may not mean much, but just know I will be praying for y'all.

Also thank you to all the other men and women serving in the armed forces. May God be with you and keep you safe in all that you are doing. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Come home safe.  

"That's All Folks!"

Faith & Humility

When I have been reading the Word lately the verses that I keep opening my Bible to and the verses that really stand out have been verses on trusting in the Lord.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." - Proverbs 3:5,6

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Deight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait paitently for Him;..." - Psalm 37:3-7

"In repentance and rest is your salvaltion, in quietness and trust is your strength,..." - Isaiah 30:15

"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." - Exodus 14:13,14

"In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling." - Exodus 15:13

Techinally not all of those verses say trust, but it is the meaning. They tell us how the Lord is going to take care of us, all we have to do is stand still. Isn't that awesome? We no longer have to try to work things out on our own, we don't have to battle the devil, the Lord will do it for us. All we have to do is BELIEVE. That, my dear children, is called having faith. Faith isn't someting that we have to work at or try to earn. All we have to do is trust in the Lord and believe that He will provide, that He will lead and guide us. We can ask anything in His name and He will give it to us (John 15:7). Sounds awesome, right? I thought so to!

However, the Lord wasn't finished with me yet. I was so exstatic that anything thing seemed possible. All of my problems didn't matter anymore, the Lord would take care of them. Now that is still true, but the Lord revealed that if I wanted to not have my faith nullified I needed something else: HUMILITY. If I want to truly serve God and not have my every action a struggle I have to have humility. Because if I don't have humility, it means I have something else: pride. If I have pride, God will oppose everthing I do. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6. The only way to prevail is by having humility.

Two things are necessary for you to be a winner: humility before the Lord, and faith. - John Robert Stevens The Unbeatable Combination-Faith and Humility  

Do you want immunity? Do you ant victory? Have you been in the midst of spirtual assault? Have you had times of nightmares, accidents, and spirits of affliction hitting you? What is the answer for you? Humility. when there is danger, and you are in jeopardy, dig a foxhole! The foxhole of humility enables you to resist all the fiery darts  of the wicked one. Put on the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16). Dig your foxhole of humility. Get down and trust God and all the fiery darts of the wicked one will pass over. This is what God wants to do for you. Humble yourself under the hand of the Lord. - John Robert Stevens The Unbeatable Combination-Faith and Humility    

"God opposes the proud but give grace to the humble. Sumbit yourselves, then, to God. resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you...Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up." - James 4:7,8,10

"That's All Folks!"

Books, Books and More Books

Saying that I love books would be the understatement of the year. I mean I really, really, really x infinity LOVE books!!!!!! I live and breathe books. I even dream about books (that's not creepy, right?)I LOVE going to libraries. I would live in a library if I could(wouldn't that be so awesome?). I also go to bookstores any chance I get. Though bookstores can be really evil because I will see soooooooooo many books that I want to read that it is pure torture sometimes. :D Recently though I have started caving in and buying lots and lots of books. Now I (and my sister) have a giant box overflowing with books (no we haven't bought a bookcase yet, but we will soon.)The good news is I find the bargain books or use discounts to buy them online. The bad news is if I don't curb my book buying addiction I'm going to me broke, kinda like our country. lol. 

Now that you know I love books, you should know I also love reading!!!!! (Well, duh  Ally, books and reading go hand in hand!) However, I just wanted to clarify that I'm not some weird person who is obsessed with collecting books and never reading them. lol. Now I'm going to admit to y'all I have a problem: I AM ADDICTED TO READING! (As they say the first step is admittance, the second denial, so obviously I am still on the first step in trying to get over my problem. lol) Since I was a little girl, I have always read. My parents taught me to read the Bible when I was little and ever since than I have been hooked, Captain Hook of course. :D

I grew up in a really small town in South Dakota and there wasn't a whole lot to do there. The good thing about the town is that it had a good library that we lived a block away from. I started going to the library almost everyday that it was open because I just read through so many books. :D The funny thing is, whenever we go back to visit family in South Dakota I still can check out books from the library even though it has been six years since we lived there. The librarian still remembers me, probably because me (and my family) were the only people to go there, and trusts us that she doesn't care if we check out books. lol.

Sorry, I kinda got sidetracked from what I was originally going to post about. I wanted to ask a very serious and important question: WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO?!?!?!?!?!?!To clarify the question, what is happening to the books that are being published? Why are there so many books about vampires and werewolfs and stuff? Earlier I was reading blogs about books and noticed a lot of people's favorite books had the vampire creepyness to them. I can't believe people read that. Now please don't be insulted if you read that stuff, but ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!?!?!?!? I mean, I don't mind reading some fantasty books. I've actually enjoyed quite a few that had some magical stuff in them. However, I feel like all the new young adult books are a new vampire series. Seriously people, why?!?!?!?!? It really blows my mind that people love those books. OK, enough ranting. It's all out of my system now. It was just the question that popped in my head reading other blogs. Maybe I should find differnt blogs to look at. Yeah, that's a good idea. Then y'all wouldn't have to suffer my random spiel about bad books.

"That's All Folks"