Fasting

The idea of fasting has intrigued me for a while now. Not complete fasting (no food at all), more like the kind of fasting people do for Lent. Finding one thing, giving it up for about a month, and spending time getting closer to God. I am considering fasting from something during the month of May as a little personal challenge. I'm just not sure what to give up.

I thought about chocolate, but then I would just make up for that loss by eating other sugary things. I could give up added sugar entirely. It scares me but that's kind of the point of fasting, isn't it? :)

I've also thought about doing the social media fast (no Facebook, no Twitter, no Pinterest, maybe even no blog). Or maybe giving up any drinks besides water.

Have you ever fasted? What did you give up? What did you learn from it?

Home!

After a wonderful two-week trip to Thailand and Cambodia, I arrived home this last Friday night around 8:00 pm. I hope to write more later on some of the highlights, but for now I'll just give you a little sneak-peak of the trip.

 This kid was playing some tribal instrument at the market and ROCKING out!

 Some girls from a children's home working in the rice fields

Our day at Angkor Wat (the history of that place is amazing!)

the journey continues!

About a month ago, I wrote about my frustration in choosing a college. Well, since then, so much has happened! I am so happy to say that I have decided to attend Northwest Christian University next year. It's a really great school, and I am looking forward to it so much! Just a few days ago I sent in my form of intent and a deposit on my tuition, so I'd consider it pretty official :) In the meantime, I have been applying for lots of scholarships. Can be tedious, but definitely worth it in the end.

BUT, I get a little break from school in three weeks (!!!) when I go to Thailand and Cambodia! Whaaat?! Three weeks. I can taste it. I'll be going with my parents and six other people from our church, as a mission trip/sight-seeing adventure. Please pray for us as we finish up our preparations for this amazing adventure!

A Few Updates

Hello! Happy February! :)

Starting this past Sunday (January 29) I have been taking a break from facebook. It completely eats up my time and I don't like that at all. There are so many other things I could be doing. So I made a plan. For seven days, I would not go on facebook or twitter. We're coming to the close of day five and it's gone really well! I am proud to say that I have not logged into either of those sites since Saturday evening.

In the meantime, I've been spending more time on pinterest (follow me here) and reading other blogs. To find inspiration, I looked at my sister's blog and the ones that she follows, and discovered a few that look really interesting! Maybe I'll share some favorites at a later date, after I've read more. If you have a blog, hit me up with the link! I'd love to read your thoughts.

Also, I am planning to start my cooking challenge this weekend, so keep an eye out for that!

Decisions, decisions

People say that your senior year of high school goes by fast... and they are right. Seriously, there's only one more week left of this semester. I am halfway through my last year of high school! It's actually a really unbelievable, overwhelming, and yet exciting feeling.

In August, I'll be heading off to college. Where... I'm not sure yet. I have applied to and been accepted to two great schools. It's not too long until I have to commit to one of them. The thing is, decision-making is not my strong suit. Actually, I kind of hate making decisions. It's hard, and scary, and I don't want to make a mistake!

The problem I'm having is that these schools are really similar, and I think I would do well at either one of them. One of them is quite a bit more expensive than the other... but that one is also much closer to home.

If you wouldn't mind taking a second to pray for me, that I would make the right decision, I would be really grateful. Also, if you have any advice about choosing a college, please let me know!

Thank you so much! :)

Random Q&A Fun Time!

I'm back! Due to an extremely busy last couple of weeks (dance performance, homework/projects/tests, work, etc) I took somewhat of a hiatus from blogging. But, now that Christmas break is here (yay!) I finally have time to post.

A few weeks ago, I asked my friends on facebook to give me some random questions to answer for a fun, getting to know me, blog post. Several of them responded. Here are my favorites:

1. Are socks and sandals okay?
Personally, I don't wear socks and sandals together. I really don't see the point of it. But I guess there would be a few times I could excuse it: a) There's an emergency and you need to run out of the house as fast as possible. b) You're just going out to get the mail, or take the dog around the block, etc. c) You are having a lazy day and you really don't care what you look like. Other than that... just say no.

2.  What is your favorite movie, and why?
Favorites are like the hardest questions to answer ever. I love so many movies, it's really hard to pick just one! Also, my favorites tend to change very frequently. But if I have to choose my current favorite movie, it would probably be Despicable Me. Funny + adorable + well-written + animated = a nearly perfect movie. :)

3. If you were a cartoon, who would you be and why?
Jessie the Cowgirl, no doubt about it. Ever since I saw Toy Story 2, I have loved her. I don't know why, I just do.

4. If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?
One superpower I would love is the ability to stop time. How great would that be? For one thing, you could use it to do something you want to do or need to do, for a longer amount of time! There's not enough time to finish your homework? Pause. You want to sleep another hour before getting up? Pause. You could also use this power to pull some awesome pranks on people. Think about it.


5. If you had to live a month with no tv, cell phone, computer, movies, technology in general, what would you do and where would you do it?
This is a really good question... I am a child of the digital age, so I have never had to face this dilemma. Even when the power goes out, after a few minutes, I'm bored. If I was suddenly transported back in time 100 years, or converted to being Amish, I would definitely read a lot. I love reading, but I don't do it very much. Hopefully I would also spend a lot more time outside, going on walks, maybe doing some gardening or something. And I could do a lot more baking and cooking (again, something I am interested in, but rarely actually do). In a way, this actually sounds like a lot of fun.. but I've read enough Amish romance novels to know that it is a lot of work too :)


6. How would your life have been different if you'd had three brothers?
If you know me at all, you probably would not use the word "tough" or any of its synonyms to describe me. I am often called "soft," "sweet," and "quiet." If I had grown up with three brothers, I'm sure I would be much more tough and probably more competitive than I am. Other than that, I'm not sure. That's not really something I can know without actually living it.


Do you wear socks with sandals? Do you want the ability to stop time? Are there any other random questions you'd like me to answer in a future post?

Dear Santa...

I am a list-maker. To-do lists help me when I am stressed and overwhelmed. Shopping lists, of course, make sure I don't forget something really important at the store. If I try to pack for a long trip without a packing list, I go crazy and practically have a mental breakdown. So, yeah, I like lists. And now, with Christmas coming, it's time for a new list! These are not necessarily things I am expecting to get, just a few ideas for anybody who might be wondering what I'd like. :)

1. A nice black soft shell jacket. This really seems like a necessity for living in Oregon. It's warm, water-resistant, and looks nicer than a sweatshirt for times when you want to look a little more put-together.

2. Some cute scarves. I love scarves, but I literally only have two. They are a great way to make a simple outfit more interesting, plus they are warm! (Do you sense a theme here?)

3. Gift cards. Especially for Amazon (Kindle books!) and itunes, but really any gift cards will be used :)

4. Cash. Because nothing says "I love you" like a tall stack of Washingtons.


So there you have it! But remember, this list is not exhaustive. :) What's on your Christmas list this year?

What's in your bag?

NiceGirlNotes is my favorite new blog. The author, Roo, is adorably hilarious. I'm sad I only just found this blog, but I found it at a good time! This week, NiceGirlNotes is hosting the What's In Your Bag linkup, a fun way to snoop without feeling guilty :)

And now, without further ado.... my bag!

I love my purse. My dad bought it for me in Cambodia when he was visiting Rapha House, an awesome charity that saves girls from the sex trade and helps them recover. The girls learn life skills, including sewing. They make these purses and sell them for an insanely cheap price. And, in addition to the cool back story, I think the bag itself is so cute and fun. Who doesn't love elephants? :)

I was surprised after emptying my bag how few things were in it. Normally I would have receipts and candy wrappers and spare change floating around in the bottom, but this was legitimately everything that was in it.

Here are all the items in a general left-to-right, top-to-bottom order (more or less):

1. Burt's Bee's Lip Balm (the "replenishing" kind.. nowhere near as good as the original)

2. Trident Original Gum (possibly my favorite gum!)

3. My keys

4. My wallet from Honduras (look at me being all cultured!)

5. A Red Cross flier about giving blood (i'm not by the way)

6. My ghetto phone

7. CD Case for what is currently playing in my car

8. My iPod

9. My Kindle, inside its pink case

Well, there you have it! Apparently, these are the things that are important enough for me to carry around all day. Or at least this day. If you liked this, look inside other people's bags or play along yourself! Here is the link: http://www.nicegirlnotes.com/whats-in-your-bag-linkup