Eighty degrees and sunny.

When it's a hot Saturday, there's nothing better than being outside and getting wet. Last Saturday afternoon Christopher and I played in water in the backyard for a few hours. I had the idea and suggested it to him before lunch. He had to finish the movie he was watching and then we got ready.

Being the slow poke that I tend to be, I took much longer to get outside, and by the time I walked out the back door, Christopher had already set up the little "slip-n-slide". (It's designed for young kids, but is fun for older people to use, too.) I tried to take pictures of Christopher, but he got tired of that quickly because he wanted me to play with him, instead of standing by the side watching him play by himself. So after taking a few pictures, I took my camera inside and played with him. We got soaked and enjoyed ourselves until he decided he was done. Then we packed up everything and went inside to read. :)

An Explanation.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I don't really have an excuse this time, except that I've been taking it easy and getting ready for camp. The closer it gets to the start of camp, the more excited I get! My family leaves on Saturday to take me to PVM Camp, and I still have tons of packing to do. This past week I've spent buying supplies and getting online banking figured out (with my dad's help).

Since I'm going to be gone for most of the summer, my parents have tried to do some fun stuff before I leave, even though my brothers are still in school until the beginning of June. My mom ordered pizza last Saturday night. Our family's spent numerous nights watching movies. We've gone over to friends' houses for dinner and made new friends. Christopher and I donned our bathing suits and spent a few hours getting wet. Knowing that I'm going to be taking lots of photos soon, I've been lazy and have only taken a few photos this past week. I read the entire Hunger Games series and watched the movie twice. (Yesterday was the second time, when my mom took me to the theatre to see it as an early birthday present.) Today we're celebrating my birthday with a special dinner of stuffed peppers and oatmeal rolls, and afterwards we'll probably watch a movie (since I'll be at camp on the real day).

I've been really enjoying this break before work starts. It's been refreshing and I love being at home with my family, but it's time to get busy. :)

And now excuse me while I get back to packing!

may photo a day: days 8-15

day 8: a smell you adore // coconut milk

day 9: something you do everyday // brush my teeth

day 10: a favourite word // love

day 11: kitchen

day 12: something that makes you happy // the hunger games + coffee

day 13: mum

day 14: grass

day 15: love // my friend natalie & i :)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: May 15th

1. Sidewalk

This isn't really a sidewalk, but it's close enough, right?


2. Inspiring

The Bible is pretty inspiring! It was written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. I just shared this photo recently, but since I like it so much I'm sharing it again. The verse written here is 2 Thessalonians 3:16, which reads: Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.


3. Time

I got to spend some time with my friend Natalie before she heads off to Basic Training next week. After she leaves, we might not see each other for a year, so I'm definitely thankful that we could drive to Caribou Coffee and visit for a while this afternoon.


4. Close up

My brother Jon is pretty cool. He loves doing stunts on his skateboard and editing pictures. In fact, he often takes the pictures I take and edits them.


5. With Mirror

Rise up.

Talent. Pure, fresh, exciting ideas waiting to be put to paper. Papers stacked high of published material. But for what purpose?

I love beauty, and God created many beautiful things for us to enjoy, so there's no question that beauty is good, but if it is the only reason why we create what we create, I think we're missing out on something huge. If our drive behind taking photos is so that we can receive praise from others or just to create beautiful things for people to admire, our lives are lacking. Our blogs can be examples of our faith, lives and purity if we will commit to preaching the Word on a regular basis. Yes, you might lose a follower or two and you might suffer persecution, but if you're a follower of Jesus that's to be expected and it is actually an opportunity for faith to deepen and character to develop.

Let me make this clear: I'm not telling you to quit taking pictures or to abandon creating blog designs. In fact, if God has given you a gift, by all means, use it and use it well.

I'm just asking you to make an effort to let your faith permeate every area of your life, including your blog.

As Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12: Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.


This is something I need to work on, too...something that God has just recently been putting on my heart, so don't feel as if you're the only one who's guilty. I'm right there with you.

Godly women who share their faith frequently on their blogs do exist, and I admonish you for boldly proclaiming your faith and speaking out about how God is working through your struggles. You are great examples for us to follow.

A few, but certainly not all of them are Arielle of A Beautiful Journey, Jennifer of The Blair Affairs, Ashley of Ramblings and Photos, and Sara of More Photos, Less Words. These ladies may be a few years older than you or I, so perhaps they have more wisdom, but that's not an excuse for us to hide our own faith, although we are young and may feel inexperienced.

If you're not a baby Christian and you're actively growing in your faith, then I'm certain that you've gleaned knowledge from God's Word that God wants you to share with others to bring them closer to him. This is not to discourage new Christians from sharing what God is doing in their lives, but they should first saturate themselves in the Word and let mature Christians teach them before teaching others, lest they lead them astray.

This is a call for young, talented Christian girls to rise up and let God's light shine through you into the darkest corners of the blog-o-sphere. You have influence, and I know you can make a difference in the lives of other young girls that goes far beyond physical beauty to spiritual worth in Christ.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. -2 Timothy 1:7

We have a calling to live for Jesus every day, and if we are fully committed to that end, then our blogs, which are a means of expressing the thoughts of our hearts, should reflect that...does yours, and if not, are you willing to make a change?

Five Long Months Ago.

I can't believe it's already been 5 months since my family went to California to spend Christmas with my grandparents! Time really flies.

The room I stayed in is the room my grandma used for painting and doing crafts. She loved to toll paint and would often paint wooden figures that my grandpa carved. Now she's getting too old to do much painting so the room sits empty most of the time.

It took both my grandparents and parents to get Christmas breakfast ready. When we finally sat down to orange juice, scrambled eggs, sausage, and cinnamon rolls my stomach was growling. I'm sure I ate extremely fast because that's what I do when I'm starved. Everyone else took much longer to finish, enjoying  each and every bite.

My brothers and I made numerous trips to the nearby Starbucks. I have to say, I prefer Caribou or Cedarville's Stoney Creek Roasters over Starbucks any day, but since neither of those were anywhere near where we were, we had to make do with what we had. The best part was the walk to and from Starbucks from my grandparents' house. Jon, Christopher and I had some interesting discussions and it was a good way to get exercise.

Looking at all of the pictures is making it miss California so much. My family and I had a wonderful few weeks celebrating Christmas and New Year's at the end of the last year. I hope to go back to see beautiful California sometime soon.

Hello Again.

Hi friends!

You may have noticed that I haven't been around the blogging world for a week or so. Well, I've just been taking a much-needed blogging break and now I'm ready to return! This past week was my first of week of summer and I've just been taking it easy and relaxing for the most part. On Tuesday my friend Natalie came over for a sleepover and the next day we went to see The Hunger Games in the theatre since neither one of us had seen it before. It was so good! I didn't know what I was missing out on before, but now I do. The next day I started reading the first book and I finished it this morning. Now I'm anxious to read the other two books in the series. Have you read them? What are your thoughts about the books?

Yesterday afternoon I had surgery to get my wisdom teeth out (thankfully I only have two), and since then I've been recovering. The surgery itself wasn't too terrible, (although it was more painful than I expected it to be), but I've been suffering from dizziness and nausea and my cheeks swelled up overnight so that when I woke up early this morning at 6:30 my whole face was sore. My cheeks are still swollen (especially the left side), and I'm still not feeling so great. All day I've been dozing off and on in the family room recliner, only getting up to take medicine and exchange ice packs to apply to my face. I really hope and pray I feel better tonight because I'm so tired of being sick. Meh. If you would pray for my recovery, I would be very grateful. Thank you!

This verse always encourages me no matter what I'm going through. I hope it encourages you, too. :)

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 
-1 Peter 1:7

may photo a day: days 1-7

day 1: peace // 2 Thessalonians 3:16

day 2: skyline

day 3: something you wore today // my red and grey striped skirt

day 4: fun! // christopher after his honors wind ensemble performance

day 5: bird

day 6: you

day 7: someone who inspires you // my parents