Christmas Time

*cue music* Christmas time is here, time for joy and cheer *end music*

I love that song. This Christmas was much different then we had planned. Christmas Eve I had a fever and felt less than myself. Actually I felt awful. Chills, 103 degree fever, a cough, a headache. It was awful. My mom and Kelso also didn't feel well. 

My sweet dad made his delicious spaghetti and sausage and salad and a bunch of other deliciousness. Everyone, except for me, sat down to eat. I was on the couch. Too sick to eat. They all had a perfectly lovely time. We watched a couple Hallmark movies. One of them was cute, the other completely corny. You know how that happens. Then we went to bed. 

I woke up on Christmas morning at 5:30. No, sadly, not because I was all excited to wake everyone and go running down to the presents. (We have a rule that we don't wake anyone up on Christmas Day. It helps the whole family atmosphere if we all got our needed sleep the night before.) As I was saying, I woke up and felt awful. My fever was back, the cough was unbearable. I crept in to Dad and asked him to help me. So he gave me 3 ibuprofens. I have never had that many. One and done is normally enough for me. Then he gave me a humidifier and an awesome cough drop that was from Singapore. It tasted nasty but it did wonders for my throat. I was able to fall back asleep. Around 10:30, Dad came in and suggested that the gifts were starting to walk out the door if we didn't get up to open them. So I walked downstairs feeling less than ideal. 

We all opened presents. We have a unique way of doing it. We all loathe wrapping, and we hate seeing my parents stay up late on Christmas Eve to wrap, all to be destroyed the next morning. So I asked my mom one year if she could throw all our gifts in a big trash bag and then we had to reach in one at a time to our respective bags, and guess what the gift was. My mom was reluctant because she felt bad they weren't wrapped. Once we all assured her we thought it was great, we decided to do it that year. Turns out, it was great fun and so much less time consuming, and the clean up much easier, so we kept the tradition. Anyways, so we all opened up our gifts. I got some neat presents. I hadn't wanted much for Christmas but I was excited to get beautiful diamond earrings, and a new book bag. Those were the largest gifts. My sisters got me some special gifts that were fun to have. :) Mom said she is going to make Santa bags for next year and have our names stitched on them so the bags can be a little cuter. We like the idea, but anything works for us girls! 

After we opened up our presents, I crashed on the couch. I didn't wake up till 5 that night. My fever and chills and all had come back. In my semi-conscious state I thought about the fact that this could possibly be strep throat. Whomp whomp whomp. And the more I thought about it, the more I knew. I asked my mom what she thought and she was in agreement. Seeing as it was Christmas Day, there wasn't much we could do about it. The next morning, Dad got me up and we went to the doctors for a strep test. A few long q-tips run along my throat, inducing gagging and coughing, and we were done. Not 10 minutes later, the nurse says, "Yep. The strep test came back positive." I was slightly relieved that I had a reason for feeling so awful, but I was slightly bummed because I had forgotten how bad strep could be. 

Fast forward to today, and the antibiotics are helping. They make me unable to sleep even if I am sleepy, but I am feeling better. So my Christmas this year was a foggy memory. Not exactly what I had planned, but special nonetheless. Jesus' birth was nothing spectacular. Mary had no medicine to help her pain. She had no doctors, pristine hospitals, and nurses helping her with everything. She had Joseph, a donkey, a manger, farm animals, and a cave to give birth to a King. Nothing was glamorous or spectacular about the way Jesus was born. But he needed no glamour, no sparkle, no hospital, because He was the King of Kings. Special in every way. My Christmas need not be special or glamorous, because the reason we celebrate Christmas is not because of a glamorous birth or a glamorous life. Jesus was a simple man doing spectacular things for his Father. And that, is what celebrating Christmas is all about. 

I hope your day was filled with Christmas joy and cheer, family, friends, and food, and hopefully a little better health than I had. And I hope you remembered why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. 

P.S. Only 4 more days, till this girl gets ice cream!

Oh That Dreaded Week... and A Winner

Finals week.

It strikes fear into every student's heart. I don't care whether the student is studious or not. Without even consciously thinking, the heart begins pounding, the stress threatens to overwhelm, tears come for no apparent reason, projects are piled high, there are not enough hours in the day, and all the times you told yourself to study and you didn't are suddenly looking very sadly at you as you realize the amount of head knowledge that must be crammed into that brain of yours for the day of the final is nigh on impossible. You calculate the grade you need to pass. You calculate how much your brain will work with how much caffeine and how little sleep.

That was a long sentence. Anyways.

I was really nervous. Let me outline the week.

Monday: cry and study and work on an Annotated Bibliography and Presentation that was due at 11:59 pm. Stress and work. Stress and work.

Tuesday: Presentation and study. Study, study, study. Oh, and work on 2 other projects. Because I didn't have enough to do as it was.

Wednesday: Waste a whole class hour waiting for a teacher that said she would be there but showed up an hour late because of snow. So that review session turned out to be 15 minutes of review and an hour of wasted time. Spanish class. Where I tried to recall every kind of conjugation in the book of mankind's language. And then study and hyperventilate. Because....

Thursday: Music final (You would think... Easy, no problem, she's played music since she was 3. Ya or not. More like how many operas did Wagner write. What year was Bach born. Name 5 Russian composers from the Medieval period. Identify the name of this song and its composer. And I was like WHO CARES. And I don't have time to study for this because I have 2 other extremely important finals that day too.)

Thursday continued...English class- Pretend to pay attention to get the participation points while trying to remember the difference between a carbon and a hydrogen bond. (I haven't taken chemistry. When you hear the word Biology. Chemistry doesn't come to mind as being needed. Lesson learned there.)

Thursday continued...Biology: Gasp and stress about the fact that there are 189 questions in 75 and I MUST pass this. Gulp) Make it through and take a deep breath.

Thursday continued...Biology Lab- Where I am tested on everything I have done that semester. I was told memorize the book. And I thought, "Memorize the book?? What do I look like here? A copying machine? I don't think so." Fumble through the Lab Practical and finally sigh in relief that you are finished.

Friday: Wake up at 6 in the morning to nanny at 7 am. And then go home and study because 2 more finals were on Monday.

Saturday: Go shopping for a few hours. Then study.

Sunday: Go to church, go to the Nutcracker Ballet for Music Appreciation class. Have a simply wonderful time with Mumster Bunnies. Go home, write a report on the Ballet. Study some more.

Monday: Take a stats test. Walk away in amazement. How amazing that the department's test is about a 1,000 times easier than my teacher's own tests. Return my rental books and have this creeper guy try to find out everything about me, as I am mathematically calculating my final grade in Music class. Walk to Spanish and take the final. Walk out the door and scream and shout and cry because I successfully survived finals week and a semester with 19 credits. Have lunch with Mom and Dad. Take.  A.  Nap.  And then decorate the whole house for Christmas.

Tuesday: Fall desperately ill. Realize your body is on strike because of the treatment it got the past.. oh... 4 months. Rest.

Wednesday: Wake up. Feel much better. Teach piano all day. Find out in shock that the biology grade is a 79.47. Which is .03 away from being rounded up to a B. Writing an email to the teacher begging for grace. And not believing you could actually pull a B in the hardest class ever taken in your life. Go to youth group. Go to bed.

Thursday: Clean the house and grocery shopping on a time table because Kelsie and Grandma get in at 4. Eep. Sit down and write blog posts to recount what happened these past crazy 2 weeks. Announce the winner of the CD giveawy... See below

Friday: Running errands and sleeping. And going to Sushi Den and movie night with the family.

The winner of the Michael Buble Christmas CD is....Alethea! Congratulations!! I'm so glad you got it since you don't fully realize the epicness you are to receive. I will send it with Steph this week. Merry Christmas and enjoy!

*I put all the names in a hat and drew a name. Completely fair I promise!

Thanksgiving.... 2 Weeks Late

This year, we went to Montana for Thanksgiving. Normally, we go to our dear friends' house for Thanksgiving. (Seriously, I can hardly remember a year we didn't do that... except the year some close family friends came to our house and my little sister proclaimed her love for their son. And their son replied that he and her were always going to go to McDonald's for their dates. And he refused to hug his sister because he was saving all his hugs for my sister. True story. But I digress. If my sister is reading this she is blushing and probably seeking my out to kill me for the embarrassment. Yet again I digress.)

Anyways, so this year, we went to Montana to see my sister who goes to college way up there where it is freezing and there is more cattle than people, but she decided that's where she wanted to go to get her nursing degree, so away she went. No thought about whether or not she should ask my permission before deciding to move away after living with me for 18 years. As you can see, I am very important in the decision making. (I'm really running away on these rabbit trails.) We also got to see our grandparents when we were there. This was the first time in over 20 years my mom was going to be with her brother (my uncle... in case you are as confused as yours truly when it comes to family trees) for Thanksgiving. CraCra! We had the added bonus that it was pheasant hunting season.

We drove up and I only had oh, about a million school things I wanted to get accomplished in the car. My computer battery had other ideas. So I slept a lot. The weather was fantastic which was a shock because it is normally pretty horrid in Wyoming around that time. We got there and I was enthused to be out of the car.

My sister still had school that week and because I was staying with her because I had a mountain of homework to do, which would only get done if I was in a quiet place, I worked and slept and she went to school, and then we shopped and watched TV and ate. What else do sisters do?

On Thanksgiving, we both slept in and then headed out to the farm which was where The Meal was to be served that day. Confession: the amazing thing to me is this: I love food. I am a foodie, but honestly Thanksgiving meal is like "eh" to me. I mean yes it is yummy but I'm not falling over barely breathing in excitement over this meal. I know. I'm weird. Everything did taste numster delicious and I loved being with my family this year so it was especially special to me.

My sister went Black Thursday shopping. I didn't. I had not the energy nor desire to go shopping. So I read and slept. On Friday, we ran some errands and I did a bit of Black Friday shopping, even though it was in the afternoon. Is that still considered Black Friday since it isn't black out anymore? I also made two shotgun shell wreaths for my grandpa and uncle. They are all into hunting and I saw a picture of one and it inspired me to make my own and was like "Oh my word, I must do this." So I did. And I made them and I thought, "Oh my word, I am never doing these again." And I haven't. If I decide to do them, it will be after much money is handed to me. Who knew shotgun shells would be so tricky to wrangle onto a wire wreath and make it look cute and good? Sheesh.

Then I packed all my stuff I brought, and shoved the stuff I bought, surprisingly all into the one duffel bag I had brought up in the first place. I claim my packing skills from my dad. He's a pro. Then we all drove back to Denver, and the ride was boring, and I did homework, and I slept, and I felt squished and all was right in the world.

We got home and the unpacking began. I really hate unpacking from a trip. It's literally the worst thing about the trip. I love packing and I don't mind living out of a suitcase, but finding hangers for all my clothes and putting my room back together after being away for a week, makes me almost, almost want to not go at all. But not really. Thankfully, most my clothes need to be washed anyways which means I get to slowly put them away after they get washed versus all of them at once and the overwhelming feeling that comes along with it. It kinda makes it better in this non-sensical mind that yours truly has.

So that was my Thanksgiving. Busy, fun-filled, homework kind of break. I sure was glad to be able to go to Montana though, and have the special memories with my grandparents and my sister.

Oh the Things You Must Know

Well, I feel a little better this week. I have 8 things to discuss with you. A lot has happened this week.

1. I have ONE day left of school. 2 finals. I can do this. I can hardly wait! Freedom.

2. I passed my biology class, and "All of God's people said, 'Amen'".

3. I watched the Sound of Music Live with Carrie Underwood. I was really impressed. The songs were fantastic, it was live and they didn't mess up, and her acting has greatly improved. So kudos!

4. I went to the Nutcracker Ballet with Mumster Bunnies aka... Mom today, and as my English teacher frequently says, "It was lovely". Dinner was delicious, our conversation awesome, the ballet beautiful, and the memories eternal.

5. It's cold here. Yes it is, in case you were unaware of it. I don't know how you wouldn't know because goodness sake I have had enough of the screenshots telling me where in Colorado you live and what negative temperature it is. I'm sorry. I just don't care how cold it is. There are places much colder than Colorado for much longer than it has been. It's sweeping Colorado. It's like selfies. A new epidemic I'm not entirely wild about. *stepping off the soap box now*

6. My sister comes HOME on Thursday! And she is bringing my grandma with her. *Squuuueeeaaaallll*

7. Lucy is an adorable name. Kinda fell in love with it when I heard it today. Of course the name was accompanied by an adorable little girl. That always helps!

8. The Michael Buble CD giveaway winner will be announced tomorrow. On Facebook and on the blog. I promise. I'm giving you one more day to chime in in case you want to be entered to win. Just tell me your favorite thing about December.

Much love my little blog readers.

Forever yours,
Sarah

Midweek Musings

Midweek Musings, because what else would I be doing when I'm tired of studying biology?

1. I've had skinny jeans on all day. I don't know why. They aren't very comfortable. But I wore boots today and regular jeans bunch up and are all uncomfortable when wearing boots. But I still don't know why as soon as I got home I didn't change into sweats.

2. I wanted my Mumsy Dear to make some blueberry or cranberry muffins with a crumb top. Or perhaps cranberry bread. I mean doesn't that sound divine? Mmm. I can almost smell them not baking in the oven.

3. I put my flannel sheets on my bed and the blissfulness! It's like sleeping in a ginarmous blankey that doesn't get all tangled up when you move around. I mean. What could be better, besides sleeping in them a wee bit longer?

4. It is snowing. I guess I should be grateful for it holding off this long. I mean this is the first true snow this season. Holding off this long is a blessing. I just don't like the frost, the cold, the black ice, the slick roads, etc.

That's all. In case you were wondering. Okay, over and out.

ONLY 1 Thing You Need to Know???

Can I really do ONLY 1 thing you should know when we have entered my favorite time of the whole year? "Think think think."  Improvise. I will write 1 paragraph of things you should know. Paragraphs are 7-8 sentences. In case you were wondering. Okay, let's begin. 

I love love love Christmas. Shopping for people, the craziness, wishing people a "Merry Christmas", all the parties, the babysitting, the family, the Christmas lights, the tree, decorating, baking, Christmas songs, the Birth of OUR SAVIOR! It really couldn't get any better. Before I really start celebrating however, I have 1 MORE WEEK OF SCHOOL. *insert hyperventilating and stress overload* "I can do this I can do this. I CAN'T do this." Name that movie. I got to see my sister last week, and it was just so great, and I also just cannot wait till she comes home for Christmas. 

That was 8 sentences in case you were counting. You know you were. I just have to do another paragraph. I have so MUCH to tell you. 

I love Michael Bubles' Christmas CD. All day, every day. In honor of the Christmas time, my love of Christmas music, and because I love you, comment below or on the Facebook link and I will be giving one CD to a lucky winner. Let me know what makes your favorite thing is about this month! 

I have 1 more month till ice cream fast is finished. I also made a shotgun wreath. Will not be doing a lot of those. Most difficult to make! (post pictures in the Thanksgiving blog post.)

That's it. I'm finished. I will post next week about my Thanksgiving week! 

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

<3,

A Speculating Sarah

Refreshingly Simple

I look back at what my world used to look like 3 years ago, and I realize how amazing that time was. I had my older sister with me. We were all living in the same house; I went to high school like any other normal teenager; I had a job; I practiced my violin and piano like a dutiful "prodigy" (Just kidding on that part. I am no prodigy). But I did practice dutifully. I had music lessons, I had school, I had my recitals which I performed at, I watched Hallmark movies on the weekend, I hung out with friends on Friday nights, went out with friends after church on Sunday nights, and all was good. Sure there was the occasional drama that always happens in high school, but my life was solidly, simplistically perfect.

Fast forward to 3 years later and I am taking 19 college credits, have 2 jobs, still have piano lessons, never hang out with friends because of my school load, my sister is gone away at college, and my life is no longer simplistically perfect.

There was a time where I could not wait to grow up. 13 to get my ears pierced and 15 to start driving. The time my sister got her license, freedom abounded. I could not wait till I was old enough to go shopping on my own, or drive when and where I wanted. I looked forward to not matching my siblings when we finally outgrew sizes that allowed for 4 sisters to all have the same dress in 4 different sizes. I looked forward to having my own room when my sister went to college.

And then it happened.

I woke up one day, and suddenly I was an adult. My sister had left. I had my own room. I drove myself places. I shopped on my own. I spent my own money. I went to school alone. I dealt with problems with grades and teachers on my own and I suddenly was all grown up.

I never realized how much I would miss my sister and the camaraderie we had when she lived at home. I never realized how much I liked whispering at night in bed as we fell asleep. I never realized how much I liked being crowded and sharing a room and arguing about clothes and books being everywhere. I did not know I would miss having her with her annoying little habits around all the time.

The simplicity of childhood went away. Simplicity was exchanged for harried schedules, to-do lists, little time, and much change.

Now that I am back with my sister for a week, I enjoy knowing that while I do my homework at home and she goes to school, she will come back home, and I will slip my shoes on, and we will go shopping. Grab some coffee, because adults can do that. We can go to dinner. And we can do that too. Because we pay the bill, the tip, and for the car. We can go and watch a movie if we wanted to because we both can drive and we are all grown up.

The times have changed. We might not live together anymore, but the times we spend together are that much sweeter. Times might have changed, and our responsibilities greater than ever, but we shall always be sisters. Sisters who whisper and giggle in bed. Sisters who eat together. Sisters who encourage, tease, cry, and be together always. Perhaps not physically but always together in spirit..

Things might not be so simple anymore, but the simplicity we do get, I treasure forever.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving week with the ones you love! Remember that with ever changing times, it is important to treasure the time and memories you have together.

Happy Thanksgiving Week.

<3,
Sarah

It might be nice to know these 24 things

1. My parents came home. Yay!

2. I made my first pumpkin pie. Not the first pie I've made, but the first pumpkin pie.

3. I still love meself some delicious tea. Coffee and soda are great though. Plenty of caffeine.

4. Homework during Thanksgiving break is not cool. At least I don't have to go to school.

5. I almost have a B. Like 79.48 in Biology. I want a B so bad. So close, yet so far away. I have never worked this hard for a B. True Story.

6. I am reunited with Kelsie. Yay!

7. I gave Kelsie some new clothes. I think she liked them. The real test will be if she wears them or not.

8. I had a peppermint mocha this morning. Yummy!

9. I want some apple pie.

10. My neck and back hurts. Probably from poor studying habits.

11. Thanksgiving is here.

12. And then Christmas. I love the holidays.

13. I am trying to decide if I am going to go Black FRIDAY not Thursday shopping.

14. I have a red pair of shoes. I kinda adore them.

15. The weather is awesome. Not too much snow!

16. I would like to take a nap.

17. I am so thankful I know how to play the piano. I love it.

18. Pandora is awesome. I listen to it in the morning when I am getting ready. It kinda starts my day off.

19. You know I don't like Christmas commercials until Thanksgiving, but I really love this commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmoqET7KvQs

20. You didn't watch the commercial did you. Watch it! It is so sweet. I even attached a link. You're welcome. :)

21. I cannot listen to the song "I'll Be Home for Christmas". Especially by Josh Groban. It makes me cry so much.

22. This time of year, I love watching videos of military loved ones surprising their families at home. But it makes me cry. It's just too sweet.

23. I have 1 more week of school. This has been the longest semester ever.

24. My grandma is coming home with Kelsie during Christmas for a while. So excited!

Have a blessed week!

I Did It

I bought a Christmas song on iTunes anddddd I bought the Charlie Brown Christmas CD and TV Special on DVD. I'm still trying to decide whether to hold out for another week before listening to them or just  to break my morals and go for it before Thanksgiving. Oh the options!

As you can see, I have a huge dilemma on my hands. Wish me luck as I try to decide. What's your take on this question? Are you a "Wait until after Thanksgiving" or a "I listen to Christmas music whenever it pleases me" kind of person?

17 Things You Should Know

1. 3 MORE WEEKS OF SCHOOL! This is including a whole week off for Thanksgiving. *Happy Dance*

2. My week went from not busy to how am I going to get all this done??.. All in like....30 minutes. That's okay. I have Thanksgiving break in a week and coffee to last at least a week.

3. I see my sister in a WEEK!!!

4. I watched a Christmas movie. Not good. I wasn't really paying attention to the fact that it was Christmas. And then I switched it off once it was over and was like, "Oh my word. I just watched a Christmas movie before Thanksgiving." And then I wept. Just kidding. I didn't weep.

5. I wore a flower headband tonight and my parents called me a hippy. "Peace y'all."

6. Starbucks had their fantastic buy one holiday drink get another one free happening this weekend. I loved it.

7. I saw my senior pictures this week. "She's grown up so fast!" I'm sure my parents thought.  *sniff sniff*

8.  My dog ripped up her pillow when I was gone today. Brown fluff everywhere.

9. I went to a Pinterest party this weekend. So.Much.Fun.

10. At this Pinterest partay, I burned my hand with a hot glue gun. (It's not a party till it happens.) I have a blister and it hurted a lot!

11. Basically my whole life at this point is school.

12. The most hilarious thing is seeing the reaction of a class when they find out you are a high school student. It's just too much.

13. I listened to Michael Buble's Christmas cd. I couldn't believe I did that. It was at a Christmas pinterest party. I'm justifying it that way.

14. I have a 79% in biology and I literally am so happy. This class is by far the hardest class I have ever taken. I so wish I could get a B. We shall see. We shall see.

15. I hate. like HATE pumpkin pie. True story.

16. I deck out my room in Christmas lights the day after Thanksgiving. Enough to light the whole room without the regular light. And I put my Charlie Brown Christmas tree up.

17. I love love love the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas. I get jazzed about it. It makes me happy happy happy.

A Soldier's Life- May We Never Forget The Sacrifice Made

May we never forget the sacrifice made.

A Soldier's Life Not Free. 

They fight till death or capture,
and sacrifice all that be.
They give the thing most valuable
A soldier's life not free. 

He runs into a burning house 
no thought about himself. 
He blindly searches through the house
still searching for the girl.

He falls unconscious and 
lands beside, the little girl found dead. 
His breathing stopped so slowly, while the lumber crashes down.
Sacrificed the life he had, no easy feat indeed.
So willing to give up the life
that helped him do the deed. 

The deed so valiantly attempted
that took his very life. 
The strength it took,
the life he had
with love was freely given. 

The gift of freedom to a nation 
Who oft forgets the truth. 
That freedom is not freely given,
But fought and got for truth. 

He went about his business,
Not once expecting praise. 
People judged so harshly
Of the wars across the seas. 
Not once did he stand up and speak
to correct the misconceptions. 
Not ever did he tell of friends he lost that dark, hot night.
He simply went on serving, 
And fought for what is right. 

He fought to give them freedom, 
the freedom to hate the war. 
He never grumbled, never faltered,
Simply went about his day,
keeping in mind the ones he loves
and protecting them each long day. 

His love of country, love of freedom, 
Pride in what he did,
Should make us all step back and stare
At the fallen hero
Who's no longer here. 

We thank the ones still standing, 
Who are bereft without their friends.
We stand with them, 
Grieving the loss of a friend that once was standing.
Lest we forget the sacrifice, 
The soldier made that day. 
The soldier fought for something.
Freedom is not free. 

Sarah Kubick

10 Things That Will Blow Your Mind.. or not

1. Less than a month and I am on Christmas break. I will also have 19 credits in the book. I am so thankful.

2. It is Veteran's Day tomorrow. I can't tell you how much this gets to me. I cry all the time when I think of military families and the sacrifice they make.

3. I would like to thank my cousin, Tim, my uncle, Chris, and my Pappap, Steve, for serving in the military. I know that what you did has allowed me to live in the America I know and love. I know the trials it put your families through. I am forever grateful and proud of you and what you have done.

4. I got an awesome grade on a biology paper and when I got the grade back, I kid you not, I danced around the house for probably half an hour.

5. Lab practicals and finals scare me.

6. I don't really have anything interesting going on this week.

7. Thanksgiving is coming up. So is my mom's birthday.... better get cracking on a gift idea...

8. I have books that are overdue at the library. Whoops.

9. We forgot my sister at home tonight when we went to church. Can't say I have ever done that before.

10. Is is bad when you can't even remember what you did this morning? Is this a sign of getting old?? Please tell me it ain't so!

Thanksgiving.. A Thing of the Past?

November. The time of year for sweaters, boots, scarves, crunchy leaves, breathtaking colors, Pumpkin Spice latte, soup, pies, dark evenings, fireplaces, and Thanksgiving. The holiday that is becoming almost extinct in America.

Thanksgiving. The one day where Americans, of all people, should find endless things to give thanks about. Yet, thanksgiving has turned into the one day where Americans find something to be thankful for, and then 4 hours later, maul people over that night to get the cheapest TV or hot new game or play station.

I love Thanksgiving. I have so many fond memories of going to our friends' house, cooking, eating, writing out thankfulness on the tablecloth, watching movies, and much love and laughter. Spending time with one of my best friends. Eating till I could pop. Then after 30 minutes, eating some more food.

 I love everything about it. My friends know I protest anything Christmas till after Thanksgiving. It's not because I don't like Christmas. On the contrary, I deck out my room in lights and ornaments and snowflakes, my Charlie Brown tree, and my room becomes a little shop filled with gifts I have bought for people. I adore decorating, I love how I can say "Merry Christmas" to people, and I absolutely cannot get enough of Michael Buble's CD. That CD is constantly playing, well that is, the day after Thanksgiving. I love the Starbucks Christmas cups, the parties, shopping for gifts, family time, the baking that fills the home with the most warm and happiest of feelings. I.Love.Christmas, but I love Thanksgiving so much more. I love it because it gives me time to reflect on how BLESSED I am. Truly truly blessed. I love Thanksgiving because it reminds me of what is important in the Christmas season. Thanksgiving is forgotten these days.

Thanksgiving is so vital. It's so important not only in America's history, but as a thoughtful reminder as we entered the season of giving but more often receiving. The American consumer at its best is seen in December. Sometimes, we find more gracious, happy people. Sometimes, we find irate, short-tempered people. It depends on the person and the time. I always remind myself that this isn't necessarily the most wonderful time of the year. This is the time with family, and for some, this is a sad reminder of the person they lost who was so dear to them.

 Christmas so often is bigger than Thanksgiving, but thanksgiving is something God encourages. We are to give thanks in sorrow, in happiness, in wealth, in poverty, in sickness, and health. We are to give thanks all the time.

"Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." Psalm 97:12. 

"Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gifts." 2 Corinthians 9:15

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever." 1 Chronicles 16:34

"Now therefore our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name." 1 Chronicles 29:13

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." Psalms 100:4

As we get caught up in buying and receiving gifts this holiday season, let's not forget how important it is to give thanks. Give thanks for the things you have, but also, give thanks for the Son that was sent, who we celebrate this Christmas season. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect on what all you have, so that perhaps, when Christmas comes around, and we are stressed by all the functions, the to-do lists, the disappointment of not getting what we wanted on Christmas, we will not forget what this holiday season is really truly all about.

So until Thanksgiving has passed, I won't listen to Christmas music or decorate my room. I will still drink from the Starbucks cups, seeing as the holiday   Christmas cups are out. But for me, I want to remember Thanksgiving first.

Happy Thanksgiving.

3 Things You Must Know...

1. I got an extra hour of sleep. I love it.

2. It's my sister's birthday. She is turning 15 tomorrow. Feliz cumpleanos!

3. I had cheesecake AND beef stroganoff AND Caesar salad. Basically, my life can't get any better. I love food. If you haven't understood that with all my other posts.

Wow! Sunday is here again...

I almost forgot to write today! Today is a doozy! 27! That's a lot! Anyways, without further ado, let's get started.

1. I had no homework this weekend.

2. I had no homework this weekend.

3. I had no homework this weekend.

4. In case you missed it, I had no homework this weekend. I could be finished here. This is the first time this has happened since the semester started. It was lovely.

5. I have this thing for using the word "lovely" now because my English prof uses it, and she has a certain way and well.. quite simply.. it is lovely. I just love the word. OKAY! Moving on.

6. I went shopping with my friend. It was lovely. I bought some sweats from Forever 21, and they have changed my life. It's a shame I'm not home more. Actually, it's probably a good thing. Otherwise, I would probably never ever change out of them. I'm telling you. Life.Altering.

7. You know how I have this thing for ice cream? I also have this thing for Cheesecake. The word Cheesecake must be capitalized. I feel like anything important should be capitalized? And yes, I am an English major. And yes, I realize this is not a grammar rule nor is it correct. But that's okay. Where were we? Oh yes. Cheesecake. I had some this weekend. I'm still licking my lips...not really. I wish I had some right now though. I put hot fudge and raspberry sauce on original cheesecake. Goodnesssssss! (Name that TV show and person who says that!)

8. I love Cheesecake. It makes my world go round while I wait for the world to go round a lot more times so I can also have ice cream make my world go round. I realize that probably did not make a lot of sense. 'Tis okay. You need to know I love ice cream and cheesecake. Amen.

9. My phone is doing this crazy thing where it says an app needs to update. There is this little "1" by my "folder" where my apps are. And Y'ALL every time I go to update it, it says there are no apps to be updated. I may or may not go insane!

10. My dad sang "I'm a Little Teapot" for a church activity. We did a video scavenger hunt. And we needed a deacon to sing. So I FaceTimed him and my goodness! Hilarious! I can't believe he agreed to do it!

11. Kelsie, if you are reading this, you should know I have part of your Christmas gift... or maybe I will send it to you as a "I love you gift." I was excited about what I found her. :)

12. Our church had a "giving service" where for a month, we were encouraged about giving out of trust and give to lower our debt we have on our building. And I just have to say, it is so encouraging to see how faithful people are.

13. Only on 13? Yikes.

14. I am completely finished with midterms and papers and projects. Pretty thrilled.

15. I miss all my friends at college. COME HOME!

16. I find it exhausting to keep up with pop culture! Half the time, I never understand why something is a faze.

17. My sister gets her braces off tomorrow. THANK GOODNESS! Because I am SO sick of hearing her count down the days  hours till she gets them off.

18. Still on my tea faze, but I am also still in love with coffee.

19. There has been some beautiful weather this past week!

20. I am basically pretty much psyched November is going to be here in 3 days! Yay for the ushering in of the holiday season!

21. Sheesh guys! 27 things is a lot to write about!

22. Eating alone on a Sunday   really any day is kind of sad... really sad. Unless you have a good book to read. But, it is still kind of sad.

23. I have been a little weird these past weeks. I slip into these "non-social" days where I just want to be alone. And then there are other days and I am like "People, people, people! I love people!" Just in case you were wondering.

24. Broncos won today. I heard it was epic. I didn't watch it though.

25. I love candy. With peanut butter.

26. I love Spanish. I have recently been speaking in Spanish to people who don't know Spanish. I need someone to speak that beautiful complex language with me!

27. Another week begins. I hope you have a lovely week! I am praying for you all! Lots of love to all!

<3 Sarah

20 Things You Should Know

1. Two tests and then I believe I can breathe again.

2. My life is basically school, study, work, study, eat, drink coffee, think about sleeping, study more, close my eyes, wake up, guzzle coffee or tea or both and repeat cycle. Be jealous of my life.

3. Seriously y'all. I have 10 tickets left if you want to meet Tim Tebow's parents. It's tax deductible and it's a fundraiser. Help me out please:) Thing of the bragging rights. ;)

4. I ate Pei Wei yesterday, and it made me happy.

5. I am holding 4 A's and 1 C in my hand for school in case anyone was wondering. Okay. Fine you weren't. That's fine. This is more for my record to look back and see if I those change over the rest of the semester.

6. Rain is upon is. As was snow this week. Colorado weather is here. I would say fall, but sometimes, it feels like winter. You have to be flexible with having 4 different outfits on in a day because of the constant change in temperature.

7. I have begun to answer all questions in Spanish. It is probably more to annoy people than anything.

8. I learned a new piece in piano. I am also learning all kinds of theme songs from movies just because I can.

9. I got cinnamon dolce syrup from Starbucks to make my own lattes in the morning. Actually, my parents bought it for me. *happy Baptist dance8

10. My car is almost on empty. But I don't want to fill it up. I'm lazy like that.

11. My room is once again a disaster. College probs.

12. Only 11 more days left and then we are in November which means Thanksgiving which means food and a break from school and Christmas wishing and shopping, and listening to Michael Buble do his magic on his cd. In love with that guy. Well more his voice than anything. Anyways, moving on.

13. My ideal idea is to curl up for about 3 years and sleep. Just sleep.

14. I disabled my phone today for 15 minutes because I forgot the password on it that I just set today. *still can't remember it* Feel free to insert your own panic too.

15. I should be studying for a stats test right now. My answer to this is YOLO. My conscience frequently wins over my desires and I always end up doing school instead. But not this time. Like I said. YOLO.

16. Did I really just say YOLO? What is this? A frequently overused pop culture reference? Indeed.

17. If you could be naturally good at one thing, what would it be? I asked my parents. I didn't really get replies. I haven't decided what I would want either.

18. My dad bought me turnovers. Let me just say, I love love love those things. I grew up getting them occasionally. I would always get mixed up and call them flipovers. I still do it to this day even though I know what its real name is.

19. The most interesting book I have read this week is... just kidding. It hasn't been interesting. I don't have time to read books that actually interest me.

20. Thank goodness. This is awful hard to come up with 20 witty? (okay not really) lines. Have a great week all! Oh. And go Broncos.

It's That Time Again... Things You Should Know

Well well well. How time flies. Well kinda. So. We are up to 13. That's a great amount for this tired brain. Shall we begin?

1. I FINALLY had Asian food! And it.was.delicious! Well worth the wait of 4 weeks before I had my delightful craving. 

2. I had senior pictures taken. I had some done with my cutie pie Ele. I sure love that little girl. We had fun together. Hopefully, I will be able to share some of the pictures with you soon! It was in the fall colors. Beautiful I hope. :)

3. Okay, so when taking pictures, you are placed in all of these awkward positions that I am quite positive are just as awkward to look at as it is to pose. Just my theory. Knowing my awesome photographer, I will be proven wrong. But still. Weirdness. 

4. I have done homework for 2 straight days on the weekend. In other words, I have hit midterms. 

5. Everyone is like, "On fall break! So wonderful." And I am over here, "In mid semester stress. No sleep. Living on coffee. Too much homework and too many tests." But nobody cares. Because they are on fall break. 

6. To offset the previous complaining, I have 6 weeks for Christmas break. Score. 

7. My favorite socks have holes in them. And I.am.devestated. I loved these socks. I am inclined to continue wearing them. And ignore the fact that there are holes in the bottom of them. 

8. My mom would say if I wanted to keep the socks all I would need to do is mend them or fix the holes. With that being said, I can't sew. My mother is devastated by that. I say that I am keeping other people employed by allowing them to fix my clothes. 

9. I hope you are not a Grammar Nazi. Because if you are, have you noticed how I have started a lot of these sentences with coordinating and subordinating conjunctions and left them with nothing to help the flow of the sentence. That's why I love these "Things You Should Know" posts because I have NO SHAME when using incorrect grammar. Mainly because that's not what these posts are about. However, I do realize this seriously annoys people. It annoys me to generally. Unless, it is in these special "Things You Should Know" posts. 

10. Do you like how I make all the rules on this blog and the blog posts. Total freedom. I am basking in my ability to make this decision. 

11. I have had this sudden random craving for tea. Tea with cream and sugar. Plain ole tea. Flavored tea. JUST GIVE ME SOME TEA! It's weird because my mom loves loves loves tea. Like addicted. I enjoy an occasional cup of tea while Mom would be quite content to sip tea for the rest of her life. All that to say, I find this strange that all I want is tea. 

12. This is the third week I have promised instructions on how to make a wreath. I promise. This week. I will do it. I just have to upload pictures and all and that seems a bit tedious at the moment. But I promise. I will do it. Someday. This week. 

Well that concludes this week's addition of "Things You Should Know". Is there anything I should know that you would care to share with me? Have a fantastic week! 

<3

Sarah

Wreath Tutorial

See! I promised I would do it, and I shall. Shall we begin. I even have pictures to show you what to do if you want to see how I did the wreaths I made.

First these are the needed materials.
-Wreath
-Fall (or really whatever color you choose) Flowers (I did hydrangeas, little bud like flowers, and leaves. Pick flowers that blend well together. Mix and match at the store to create a balanced look. If you choose big flowers, add some smaller flowers to even out the look. It's all about balance people! :) )
- This wire wrapped in string. I will show you a picture of what I mean. You can really use whatever you like, but I found this to be fantastic and perfect for this!
-A letter not painted but sanded ready to be painted (I forgot to take pictures of this. Sorry. I am an airhead)
-Burlap or burlap ribbon. I bought the latter.
-Paint and paint brush
-Hot glue
-Wire cutters

Okay. So there are the pictures of the flowers I used and everything else I had set up and ready to go. I was working on two different wreaths so forgive me if you see a different process with pictures from 2 different wreaths.

First, paint the letter whatever color you want. Depends on the look you are going for. I did one letter purple to match our door and one letter green to go with the other wreath. Do whatever makes you happy.

Next, you are going to "shove" the flowers into the wreath. I cut off flowers from the long, combined stems they came on. I snipped that off with the wire cutters. Then I gently pushed the flower into the wreath so it was nice and snug. Then I turned the wreath over and snipped the stem so it wasn't poking out the back of the wreath. Do this for about half of the wreath.

 Then I added foliage or leaves to it. I also dispersed leaves that came on the hydrangea stems into the flowers. I did this by poking them down in, arranging it to my liking, and then used the wire I had to tie them onto the wreath. I tied them in the back of the wreath. The great thing about the brown wire is that it blends in and no one can see it. It looks like a stick.

Next I started tying on the leaves. I just wrapped and curved it to fit the wreath and kept tying it so it would stay the way I wanted it.

I did this almost all the way around the wreath in one and all the way around on the other wreath. It just depends on what you like.

Next I made the burlap ribbons. I hated this part. It was difficult. Mainly because I am not very good at making perky happy bows. They tend to droop and be all sad on me. So, I made two ribbons. And then I hot glued one ribbon on top of the other to create a thick, dimensional ribbon.

I secured the ribbons on by turning the ribbon over and putting through the back of it more of that lovely wire that looked like a stem. I then tied in on to the wreath at about 2 o'clock position time. But really, place it wherever it floats your boat. Just remember you have a letter to add also.

Finally you add the letter that is dry. Place it at about 4 or 5 o'clock position time on the wreath. I used the wire to tie it on then decided I might want hot glue instead. I actually ended up doing both on the K and only hot glue on the letter T.

Not the best pictures. But I do have a picture of the final one on our door and the first wreath I gave to a friend as a present.

As you can see, they are two different fall looks. One is definitely more vibrant and bright with the orange leaves and flowers and the olive colored letter. The second one fits my mom's personality and style a little better which is why I decided to do a little more muted and purplish fall colors for out wreath. 

Hope this has been helpful! Let me know if you have any questions. I also got all of this at Joann's Crafts and Fabrics. Not an advertisement, but if you were wondering where I got anything, it was all there. That happened to be the closest store that was open (this was on a Sunday I bought everything) which is why I chose that over Hobby Lobby. 

Also if you are wondering about cost, the twig wreath cost $5. The flowers depend on where you get it from and how many you get. I got them on sale. But, I bought in bulk, so I won't tell you how much I spent on them. The letter was $1. If you have paint and paint brushes, then that part is free. :) The wire I got was $3 and well worth it. It blended in so nicely and was flexible making it easy to use and fold and snip. The burlap roll was on sale for $2. All of this is extremely affordable and you can customize it however you want! This is just if you need a step by step tutorial on how to make a wreath or just want a general idea on how to make your own wreath or how I achieved the look of mine. 

Happy creativity and creating! Hope this helps! Again, let me know if you have questions. 

<3,

Sarah

Whoops on Wednesday

Have you ever woken up and thought, this may not be the greatest day of your life? And then your morning progresses and your thoughts are proven by things that happen? No, just me? Oh, okay then. Well enjoy my whoops on Wednesday moment.

Last night, I was supposed to print something off, and then I found out that there was no color ink in the copier. Well, okay. I can deal with this. I will print it at school. Went to school this morning to print it off, and I thought, I need to pull out my wallet. No wallet in the backpack or car. So no go on the copying. Called my dad and he didn't answer. I called three times! Apparently it was on silent he said. I mean I COULD HAVE DIED! But I didn't.

Thankfully, my teacher was amazing and let me email it to her. What has been your whoops for the day? Also, because it's Hump Day.... enjoy a little humor. I love this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWBhP0EQ1lA

6 Things You Should Know

It's that time again. I am always amazed at how fast it comes. But then again, the week seems to be long. I only have 6 things to say today. I feel like I will just be beginning by the time I end. But hey! You will have less to read this week! The things you should know might actually be interesting! :) Shall we begin?

1. I served about about a million crepes yesterday. This person came back for seconds and said, "I liked my last time. I will have the same thing."
And then stood there................
..............waiting for a second before saying, "Sir, I don't remember what you had. I just made about 300 crepes. Will you please tell me what you had?"
"Oh sure, I had nutella in it and chocolate on top."
So that was interesting.

2. It snowed here. I don't appreciate snow in October or May. We seem to get it both in October and May here in Colorado. On a slight side note, it seems like I always mention weather in these posts. Perhaps because I live in a state where weather constantly, and I mean constantly changes. On Friday is was 32 degrees and snowing. Yesterday it was 75 and sunny. See what I mean?

3. I have stayed up till 1 for the past 2 weeks. And no, I wasn't partying. I was doing homework. I should get a nerd award. Just kidding. That can only be given to people who actually get really good grades. Biology is still killing me. So no go on really good grades.

4. This was my first week of not having violin lessons. It's something I am not quite familar with in my life.

5. I mention to my family that I appreciate that my dog is vocal when she needs something. She sits at her food dish and whines. She whines until someone finds her ball that rolled underneath the bed. Believe me, it takes a while to know what to look for when she does that because she persists until she gets it. But last night, goodness gracious, was she annoying. She wanted outside (she rang the bell). She wanted downstairs where Dad and Kate were playing pool. And she sat there and whined and whined and whined. And I sat there and sat there and sat there and did homework. And I ignored her. And she was unhappy with me. But I still didn't do anything. So she was sulking. And I sat there doing homework till 1 again because I didn't let her out and she whined which made me not concentrate. I have problems I know.

6. I had a really good one for this. But I forgot it. My apologies. So how about this? 2,064 more hours till I can consume ice cream. This whole "new year's resolution to not eat ice cream for a year" is getting more and more difficult. I can't wait for a delicious milkshake and an ice cream cone and perhaps a sundae too. All.in.one.setting. Yes please. Also, the government shut down this week because adults never learned how to compromise when they were younger. Funny how that happens.

* and for those who see if the math is correct, and if it isn't I plead the fifth. I am NOT a math major for a reason!

29 Things You Should Know

Back at it again my peeps! 29 things today! Woo! Let's see if we can do this!

1. It's my sister Kelsie's birthday. She also has a blog. She is turning 20! Holy cow! I can't believe it! I am so glad she is my sister! Here is her blog link. Check it out! http://kelsieinthekitchen.blogspot.com/

2. I have a biology test on Tuesday. That's kinda a big deal in my little bubble of a world.

3. Cells are pretty cool. I learned that in biology. What I did not hear was how creative and powerful God was when He created them. But, I could see that even if I am at a secular school.

4. Have you ever written an annotated bibliography? They are new methods to torturing English major students. Not making it up.

5. I wanted Asian food for lunch. I didn't get it. Maybe dinner?

6. Fall, I believe, is officially here.

7. I went downtown last night. That was scary.

8. I also saw a fabulous "concert" last night. It was with the Colorado Symphony and a man that sings Frank Sinatra songs, and I am telling you, it is uncanny how much he sounds like Frank Sinatra. It was awesome. I was pleasantly surprised.

9. Can you believe I have done these for 3 or is it 4 weeks in a row? Shocking I know.

10. I made 2 more fall wreaths. I promise, I will put up directions in case anyone is interested.

11. I have been making my own lattes at home. And, it is delicious!

12. It is amazing how much laundry a household generates in 2 weeks.

13. I really like corn mazes.

14. I have not read any interesting books lately. Which is a shame. School tends to monopolize my time I find.

15. Is it just me, or is keeping a bedroom clean almost as impossible as shoveling when it is still snowing? Just me? Alright.

16. Pinterest makes me laugh a lot. I love reading funny things on it.

17. I am running out of things to say.

18. It is almost October. Woot! Closer to Thanksgiving and then Christmas break.

19. I love love love Christmas. Everything about it.

20. I went on the Light Rail last night. That can be fun, also kind of scary.

21. I would like to give a shout-out to the person who invented the TI-83 Plus calculator. You are my hero.

22. Honestly, I love my church. I really don't know what I would do without my church and the people in my church.

23. I finished learning "Golligog's Cake Walk" on the piano. It is probably the most fun I have had learning a classical piece on the piano.

24. I love waking up and getting ready in the morning listening to Christian music. It gets my day going right!

25. I rearranged my room this week. I don't think I really like it any better than the other way, but because it is new, I like it. I like change.

26. I hope I get to go to the mountains to see the beautiful fall colors.

27. I want a pair of brown boots. But I found that I am particular about what I want. So I haven't bought any yet.

28. If you are still reading this, I am impressed. No seriously. Impressed.

29. How 'bout them Broncos lately? YAY!

Another "Things You Should Know Post" Part 2... Is This a Series???

Well, I kinda am a fan of these "Things You Should Know" so I think I am going to do a series of them. This time, is it 22 things you should know.

1. You know how I was telling you about doing a series? Well chances are the series isn't going to last very long. Be forewarned. I don't like to get stuck in ruts.

2. Telling you 22 things is a lot.

3. My sister's birthday is this week. Shout out to her! Happy Birthday! 20! No longer a teen. *insert crying*

4. Friends are the bees knees.

5. Where did that saying come from anyways?

6. I made THE CUTEST wreath today. Love love love it.

7. I cleaned the house yesterday. So it is NO FUN while cleaning it, but HEAVENS is it nice to have a clean room.

8. I rearranged my room yesterday. Not sure if I like it, but it's something new. I am always into something new.

9. Carrie Underwood is "Marie Von Trapp" in Sound of Music remake. Okay. First of all, why make a remake. It implies there is something wrong with the first one, WHICH THERE ISN'T! And secondly, I love Carrie Underwood, but bless her heart, that girls CANNOT ACT! SO ya, not thrilled with that now.

10. I used a lot of capitalization in number 9. Sorry.

11. I want food. I am pretty hungry. It is 8:46 when I write this. I need dinner.

12. Tomorrow is my last violin lesson. I am kinda excited/kinda sad about this.

13. My dog kept me up till 1 last night. It's a good thing I love her so much. It could have been dangerous for her if my love was not so high.

14. My closet I organized in July is still organized. I am pretty proud about that.

15. I love sleep. I slept till noon on Saturday. Don't tell my grandpa. I would never hear the end of it. Something about wasting a whole day. Which is true, but what a wonderful way to waste it! Because I so needed that sleep.

16. What is the big deal about pumpkin spice lattes. SOOO overrated. I love chai teas with no water in case anyone is wondering. Or wants to get me something. I would be TOTALLY fine with that! Ha!

17. It finally stopped raining. Whoop!

18. I miss my friends who moved from college. SO not cool! Come baaaacccckkkkk!

19. Fall is officially here.

20. Almost to 22!!!

21. School is crazy for me. I had a test every day last week. Crazcraz!

22. We have arrived to number 22. So, this is all I know. Have a wonderful week! If you made it to here I am impressed. Soup weather! Random. But I love soup! Alright! Over and out!

P.S. Here is a picture of the wreath.

15 Things You Should Know

15 things I will update you on because today is Sunday September 15th, and I need no other reason I suppose.

1. I flunked a test for the first time in college. In biology. It's a great feeling, let me tell you. Wouldn't recommend the absolute high you get after seeing the score. Not for the faint of heart. I was among 75% of the class that flunked the test. I haven't figured out if that makes me feel better or not. I'm thinking not.

2. I was going to run a relay with 9 other people over a period of 24 hours and 200 miles. That got cancelled because of Colorado's ever changing climate. Thank you for the rock slides and flash floods and Seattle-like weather. Or not.

3. There is flooding happening everywhere in Colorado. Please keep everyone in Colorado in your thoughts and prayers. People's houses are being flooded, destroyed, and swept away. There are also over 500 people still missing. Please pray for safety.

4. I just had the best coffee at Peet's Coffee and Tea. Better than Starbucks. It's amazing. And no. This is not a commercial. Simply a "It changed my life, let it change your's" type of coffee moment. Because I am addicted to coffee. I really like these life changing moments.

5. It's raining as I speak. Shocker.

6. I have a stats test tomorrow. That should be fun.

7. I had a simply fantastic weekend with my two best friends, and it made me very happy.

8. I bought a few "new" clothes. New for me, but from a second hand store that sells name brand clothing. Awesomeness. My wallet is still mourning its loss though.

9. After September, I am no longer taking violin lessons.

10. I rather love fall. I want some brown boots.

11. I'm running out of things to say. In case you haven't noticed.

12. I love going to church, especially my church. It's warm and welcoming, and I love my family= church family. Well and my "real" family too.

13. I met someone at church today that lives in Hawaii. I am jealous. I want that life. Surfing, beach, sunshine, seafood. Need I say more? I mean, besides my best friend and possibly my cousin, who wouldn't want to live on a beach in Hawaii?

14. We had pot roast for lunch today. Almost nothing can beat pot roast on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I think this is the 4th time I have mentioned rain. Can you see I am a little amazed about this phenomenon?

15. "Insert something witty or inspiring", because my brain is fried and all I can think about is the stats definitions running through my mind. Be inspired. Laugh. I don't know. Think of something.

Have a wonderful week!

<3,
Sarah

P.S. I love the fact that I call my best friend Watson and she calls me Sherlock. I love seeing Watson pop up on my phone every time she texts me. It makes me smile. Anyways. I'm finished.

Distraction

Dear Guys,

We often hear messages in youth group, at conferences, at camp, etc about modesty. We (girls) are told to be careful about what we wear so that guys can be careful about what they see and think. We hear things like keep your shorts to this length, shirts are to be high up, pants and shirts not too tight, but not too loose. I haven't heard one message about making sure guys help girls out by dressing modest themselves.

Girls are told that guys are more visual; therefore, we must dress so that they look at our countenance and not our body. I would like to let the guys in on a secret. Girls are visual also. We just don't tend to obsess over it as much as guys. Girls do in fact, notice a handsome or cute guy. Girls notice what guys are wearing and where they are wearing it. Girls can get distracted by what a guy wears, how he wears something, and the way he looks, just as much as a guy noticing a girl when she walks past and he "checks her out". I know that girls' thoughts do not tend to go as in depth as guys' do; however, I do know that lusting after a person or having thoughts that are not pure are a sin regardless of how much you dwell on it or how detailed you get in your thoughts. Guys do struggle more with their thought life and what they see and how that affects their thought life. This is why preaching is so often about keeping thoughts pure for guys, and the girls are taught about dressing modestly. But, this is a letter to you guys out there. I want you to know what is tempting for me, so that perhaps, you can come away after reading this with better knowledge of what goes through a girl's mind when she sees someone attractive to her.  Guys, just as we try to dress to give you as little temptation as possible, I am challenging you to dress so we are not tempted either.

Summer time. The time of tanks, trunks, shorts, and no shirts. Girls are attracted to a guy that looks like he works out at the gym. That's no secret really, but when you wear tanks or cut off t-shirts and we can see straight through the shirt, that's distracting. We are encouraged not to wear see-through shirts so that you cannot see our bras. I find a tank that is so loose you see under it or through it is extremely distracting on a guy just as distracting as I am sure it is for you to see us not fully clothed.

No shirts is a big thing for me. It may not seem like a big thing, but just as guys are going to notice a girl in a bikini, girls notice when guys don't wear shirts. It might be nice to work without a shirt, or it's hot when you are mowing lawns or landscaping so just taking off the shirt is nice. It also allows a perfect opportunity for you to get a tan, but really guys, please do us a favor, and keep a shirt on. This will help our thought life a lot. When you walk past a magazine that has a scantily clad woman on the cover, it is hard for you to think of much else. This is the same thing when we walk past a guy that has foregone a shirt.

Pants. I'm not sure why this is the case in our culture, but it is cool for a guy to wear low riding pants. All I ask is that your pants stay up. Seriously. That is why someone made a belt. That's the purpose of it after all. Yes, they look cool, but they also serve a purpose. It's not tempting necessarily for us when you don't keep your pants on your hips, but it is distracting, and it is also uncomfortable for us. With that in mind, keeping your shirt long enough to be tucked in, so we don't see your boxers when you lean over would be nice also. We endeavor to keep our lower backs covered, so you aren't tempted. Please help us by doing the same.

Pictures. Did you know that when men see women in bikinis, we turn from a "she" to an "it". We are no longer a person to treasure but a possession to be owned. Your minds do a switch. This has been researched by both Christian and non-Christian scientist, it's true. You might admit this, you might not. Consequently when girls post pictures Facebook titled, "Day at the Beach" or "Our Family Vacation in Hawaii" or "The Best Days of Our Lives", you automatically know that there are going to be girls in some type or form of swimsuit. And your mind most likely go to a spot that should not be visited until you are married. I have a confession to make. When I see a guy without his shirt, and he is at the beach in his trunks, my mind does not immediately go, "Wow. Pretty sand, stunning sky, and what clear, blue water." No, rather it goes, "Wow, he looks really good without his shirt on. Or hm, he's awful nice to look at that." It's hard to keep our thoughts on the beach or the faces in the picture. So I ask you to think about what pictures you put up on Facebook, so that when I am innocently scrolling through my feed, I am not hit with a million pictures of guys without shirts. Now, this does not affect me in the same way a guy sees a girl who is inappropriately dressed. Our thoughts are not on the same route perhaps, but they are still on the same impure road. They still affect me in a way that is not godly. It is also my duty to make sure I end those thoughts by bringing something good and pure to mind as Scripture commands us to do.

Please guys, help us just as we try to help you. Keep in mind what you are wearing, so we won't be distracted by what you are wearing. Thank you!

A grateful girl,
Sarah

Grace

Grace. Such an easy word to say. However the execution of this is so much harder. I have been mulling over this for some time. "You need to have grace with so and so." "God's grace is enough." So true but so cliche. Yes, grace is good. Absolutely. It is mandatory. God gave us so much grace, but I have been thinking about how to have grace. What does grace look like? Can I even have grace if I am doubting God's grace for me? I can honestly say I thank God every day He gives me grace, because He and along with people around me, know I need his unending grace every.single.day.

I have been struggling to see God's grace in my life. Examples? My sister left for college. That's always diffucult seeing my best friend move away and not seeing her for 5 months. Some of my best friends are off to college. Never easy saying goodbye to dear friends that encourage you and make you grow in the Lord. Another example? My best friends are struggling with very serious health problems. Receiving text messages about possibly needing to go to the ER at 11:30 at night, hearing the test results after another long day at the hospital were inconclusive without any real conclusions or answers. The pain of seeing the effect of the medical problems beginning physically, emotionally, mentally, and sprititually to weigh on my friends. Another example? Looking at this packed college semester and trying to find the light at the end of the 15 week tunnel.

There are many more things I could list when I think about where I see God "failing" to give me grace. Then I look in His Word. And these are the verses I find.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Oh. God does care. His grace is sufficient. How could I be doubting this? He specifically tells me his grace is enough. He knows what is going on with my friends' health. He is the Great Physician. Who am I to doubt his grace? Then I see this verse.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Ah yes. Wait. He carried MY cross. He carried MY sin. He can and will carry MY burdens and these burdens I have I give over to him and they become HIS so that I am wonderfully FREE of it. He promises rest. He promises to become my crutch to lean on and put all my weight on. How much grace is that? And I see this verse.

"We love him, because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Ah, that wonderful love. No matter what you do, HE LOVED you first. He did. He loved YOU so much he sent his son to DIE for YOU! How powerful. What sacrifice. What love. What grace. We sin over and over and over again. A lot of the times, it is the same sin over and over again. He does not shake his head and say, "They will never learn." No. He says, "Love one another as I have loved you." I see this verse.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them...And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Genesis 1

He made us in HIS image. What an incredible image to be made after. He said it was very good. That means he made no mistakes. He loved what he saw. He made us good. To assume he made a mistake, or is not capable of keeping his commandments, or he is messing our lives up, is a serious  underestimation we are making of our Savior and Creator. Our Creator loves us. He said we are very good. How incredible. How encouraging.

So as I look at these verses and I see God's grace as he is the Great Physician and knows what is happening to my friends, as I miss my sister and friends, he is the Great Comforter. As I am overwhelmed by school, He reminds me that He is my ox, my crutch, my strenthener. So as I wonder where is this grace, all I have to do is look in my life and I see His grace brushes every single aspect of my life. I can only hope that I can as accurately portray grace to others as magnificently as God has shown me grace.