Easter 2013

 Easter was nothing too special this year. All of my family members' spring breaks didn't match up, so it was hard to coordinate things to do together. We did make it to church together, "opened" our Easter baskets, and then had dinner at my cousin's house together. 

 As we're all getting older, it's harder and harder to get pictures together and a chance to go on a family trip. I love my brothers though; even when their mean, cranky, and selfish. They'll always be my brothers.

We're all unique in our own way and our personalities come out in pictures like the one above. Luke, my youngest brother, doesn't like pictures too much. Zach, the one to my right, isn't really shy, but he's the guy that will make you laugh at just about anything. Devin, to my left, is getting too old for childish ways and has a hard time being funny. :P Haha! And then there's me... I'm cute, awkward, and maybe just a tad dorky. Just a tad. Maybe. 

 These two pictures really bring out my awkwardness. I love cameras and all, but they bring out my inner awkwardness. That's okay though, I will cherish these memories. 

 Before we had an early dinner, my cousin Eva and I went on a little hike. We walked to their park, through the snowy trail, and even had to forge a river (jk, it was a pond). Our shoes were very wet by the time we got home. Eva and I are two months apart in age and if we lived closer, I'm sure we'd be even closer cousins than we are now. 

I hope you enjoyed your Easter and are still living out the Good News. 

P.S. My good friend texts I think three people "He is risen!" every single day. That is how she is keeping the Good News alive. When she forgets a day, she feels bad about it. ;) 

2012 Independence Day {v.1}

 Yes, it has been a week since the 4th, but I'm just now posting about it.

 Our morning consisted of going to a  neighboring city for a parade.

Boy, was that parade long.My mom threatened to leave early because it was so long and the temperatures were unbearable.

 After our morning parade, my older two brothers went off on their own and did their own thing, so my younger brother Luke and I were home and completely bored.

 We begged mom and dad to take us somewhere, but because of the heat, there wasn't much outside that we wanted to do.

 So what did we do? We went on a house tour. Haha! No, I'm not moving, but we looked at all sorts of houses (the lake houses were my favorite) while listening to my new CD by Jamie Grace.

 We were looking at houses for a little over an hour before the sun went down and it was time for the city firework show {that apparently is the best in the Cities}.

 Let me tell you, this picture made my night. Gah!

 I never knew that fireworks were create such great bokeh! :P

The finale.

 So even though I didn't go out of town like I have every year, it was nice to experience something new and in my city for once. Last year was close to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But this year, I just might have found some enjoyment in it.

What did you do for the 4th? Were you restricted from fireworks because of the drought?

My Life Story | A Challenge

   8. Pass 8th Grade

     Eight years ago, I moved from my hometown in Nebraska to where I am now. I was about six when I moved, just getting out of half-day Kindergarten. My family packed our bags and then it was time. It was time to say goodbye to my one and only best friend. I had to say goodbye to my family that also lived there. I had to say goodbye to my home and all of the memories I made there.

     When I arrived in Minnesota, we were unable to move into our house, it wasn't time yet. School was starting though. So what do we do? We stayed at my cousins' house for about a month or so. They were so generous to us and I was so blessed to go to school with them, with a dad as a principal.

     Eventually we settled in our own little home. We had some friends help renovate a room for my brothers; and everything was set. The next four years were alike, yet so different. I went to the same school, with the same principal, with the same classes. Teachers came and left, but one thing remained. No matter who was teaching, the Word of God was always being shared.

     Entering 5th grade {the start of middle school there}, I didn't know exactly what to expect. Middle school was a whole new world to me (even though it was just downstairs). I had a locker... two to be exact. I had to change classrooms and teachers. I now had a gym uniform to change into. Everything was different. Sidenote: Fifth grade was one of the best years of my life (so far)... it was also one of the hardest. Yeah we got a lot of homework, but then was the time when I was figuring out who I was and who I wanted to hang out with. It was not an easy time. In fact, I lost a good reputation for a little while. On top of all of that, my favorite two teachers told my class they were leaving to do mission work half way around the world (now that are pregnant with twins!). They were the best teachers I ever had.

     Time moved on and I grew older. I had the same teacher for 6th and 7th grade. Those two years were great, but nothing super dramatic and exciting happened.

     Eighth grade had finally come. I had one of the most stressful, but most fun years of my life. I grew as a person, and I grew more than ever in my faith. I received a higher learning than ever before. I experienced new things and places. I became more me, and a little less everyone else. I had a blast. When graduation and the last day of school came, I had mixed feelings. I've been with the same 9 people for years. I'd miss them like crazy, but it is/was the time to move on.

     Entering into high school in the fall will be a huge change for me. I'll have to meet new teachers, the new principal, a new {huge} school, and a new group of friends. Think back to the beginning of this story... sound familiar? I'll be entering into a public school for the first time. This summer, I'm determined to prepare myself as much as possible. I'll strengthen my relationship with Christ and I'll prepare myself spiritually, mentally, socially, emotionally, financially, and physically. I'm ready to leave my little private school and start ministering to others. My challenge is to share my faith in Jesus Christ to a few people by this time next year. I not exactly sure what to call it, but what about Jesus Christ Virus?!? Let me know your thoughts!

Will you take the challenge with me?

P.S. All of these pictures {except the first} are from my eighth grade graduation.

Confirmation 2012

41. Get confirmed

42. Receive a new Bible

I look kinda creepy in this picture...

Last Sunday, I got confirmed. It was such a blessing to be surrounded by the people that love and care for me and my faith in Jesus Christ.God invited me to partake in Holy Communion. For a gift, my wonderful godparents gave me a beautiful Bible. It explains verses and it also has my name inscribed on the back. :) Overall, it was a really great weekend!

Christmas 2011 | Family

Before church last night, my family and I got together for a little photo shoot! Of course we didn't get a lot of pictures, but we got enough to say we got a good one! :D I used my tripod, that I somehow got to work. I guess I'm a person that breaks things and then fixed them...yep, that me!

 I just love that one with my family! My mom didn't want the pictures to be really posed, she wanted them more relaxed, so that's what we did! Oh and this picture was taken when it was pitch dark out. I'm really impressed how well it turned out in terms of light.

 My mom and dad... they are SO cute, aren't they?

Now the picture above took a while to get... and even the other one took a while too. At one point I started recording. It was hilarious to see what we were doing in those short 10 seconds or so. My face looks really washed out and I edited it really poorly. :(

We had pancakes for breakfast this morning. I was going to wake up early to make them, but we all stayed up late last night, so I slept in. My dad ended up making them while I made two kinds of juices. 

Well there's the video... meet my awesome, yet weird family! And you're probably completely confused because you don't know what else went on before I pressed the "record" button.

 Yesterday, I finally had a chance to put up a few of my ornaments. I love this one because it represents what I used to love to do. I loved to dance. I'm not into dancing anymore, but I was! It's a glass ornament with a pink tint. I love it! And yes, it was almost too late to put up ornaments, but it wasn't!

 

I had my own little photo session yesterday, but the focus was a little off, so for this one, I didn't use my tripod and it turned out just fine!

 I love this picture! I'm sorry if you're tired of looking at pictures of me.. This one was actually in focus and it looks nice!

I hope you all had a great Christmas! It still doesn't seem like Christmas to me, but oh well. :/ It will come! I might have another post with some more pictures of us opening presents, but that's just a maybe. 

Do you have a favorite picture?

P.S. I got a new camera bag and I love it! It's a backpack that I can actually hold ALL of my camera stuff in. YES!

Early Christmas

As some of you may already know, I celebrated early Christmas last weekend! :D It's true. For the last couple of years, we've been celebrating early Christmas because my grandparents go to Florida over the winter. I would too if I had the chance, it's cold in Minnesota! Oh and just an FYI, these pictures are almost all not posed. Yes, so they bring out real personalities.

 My amazing parents!!!

 That would be my older brother. :D He's in high school, and well, a little crazy sometimes, but I still love him! Oh and, my cousin is under him.

 This is my other older brother and his girlfriend. They both got these little pans, the size of my hand, that you can make sandwiches and eggs in. They're really cute.

 The next day, my family and I went to my cousin's Confirmation. It was really good! I kept thinking to myself, "I'm next!" Yep! I'm getting confirmed in April.

After the church service, we went to the "after party." This is my youngest cousin, Brooke, and I. Some more pictures of her are HERE, at the end of the post. 

Luke 2:16-20

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 

 

Do you have any Christmas traditions?

Excited

I am excited about a lot of things.

1. My birthday: My birthday is in 18 days. Wow, I can't believe in 18 days, I will be fourteen! Crazy!

2. Early Christmas: Long story... You will {hopefully} find out in a blog post within the next week or two.

3. December 25th Christmas: Ah! I love the holidays in general. My favorite part is... spending time with family, church services practically every day, decorating, {presents :P}, and the list goes on.

Just a few years ago...

4. New camera: I am saving up for a new camera and I can't wait to get it. I am so close (in money). 

5. Thanksgiving: Wow! I totally forgot about Thanksgiving until right now. I LOVE Thanksgiving! Another fun opportunity to see family!

6. Grandparents'/VIP Day: This is the day before Thanksgiving at my school. It is a {half} day filled with fun with your grandparents and/or a very special (or important) person. 

7. Mail: I love mail and I know something is coming. Long story, short- I won some prints from a friend and they happened to drop on the way to the mailbox, and I was wondering what happened to them. Well, they're found and on their way! :D 

8. Confirmation: I get confirmed this March and I am SO excited! :D 

My oldest brother's confirmation.

A few things I'm not excited about:

-A spider on the ceiling next to me

-snow

Anybody recognize this picture?

-homework

-school tomorrow (I'm not a huge fan)

I hope you had a fantastic weekend!

A Life Changing Experience?

A true story about how much God cares for us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One regular (yet busy) Saturday afternoon, I was sitting around, all alone. Everything was silent. Suddenly the phone broke the silence. I realized that it was under my mom's name. The caller ID. I didn't recognize the number though... I thought it was my grandma, who is on our plan, under my mom's name. But no, it was a call from my brother at college.

Haha! Okay, you get to see at least 'a' picture of him. Maybe not the best. Actually not the best. Not my picture.

When I answered, it was my brother, Devin. He had a worried tone, almost as if he was crying. He asked if mom was home and I said no. I suddenly became a little worried. He said he wasn't feeling well and I thought, "Oh he must be homesick, the worst it could be would be that his shoulder hurts from surgery." After I hung up, I answered the phone again because it was already ringing when I was still on the phone with Devin. It was a girl asking for Devin. She said that she found his wallet and looked up his number on the college website or something like that. I got her number and my voice started to sound just like Devin's was, but this time, a sense of relief and thankfulness. Everything started to make sense. I called Devin back and gave him her number. He got his wallet back from the one girl working at a coffee shop. Devin went to get groceries and he biked home. That's when his wallet fell out of his pocket. Devin texted my reassuring me that he got his wallet back and told me exactly what happened. 

My eyes become watery when I started thinking about what this means. It wasn't the girl who found the wallet and gave it back to Devin. It wasn't my conscience calming my body. It was God. God cared for my family so much that he made sure that Devin's wallet wasn't stolen. He calmed my spirit and gave me the reassuring message. Sometimes in this society we think everything goes wrong. Things like robbery, war, theft. But there are still people out there that care about other people. This story was really eye-opening to me. As little {or maybe big} as this sounds, I found peace knowing that God was there through it all. He was watching over us, and protecting us from any "danger." God is truly indescribable, everybody. Never forget that God is watching out for you and will guard you even in the darkest times.

Note: The girl that found Devin's wallet had lost her purse earlier that year and someone found it for her. She wanted to repay the kindness. 

God Bless your day!