Google Friend Connect Closing?

Hello Fellow Readers!

I have heard different rumors that the "following" button on the side of my blog (where most of you read from) will disappear July 1st. Again, I'm not sure if this is true or not, because I've heard it both ways. There are other ways to follow as well. You can subscribe by email if you want to stay connected with my blog, or you can follow me via bloglovin now. There's a link to both in my sidebar. You can also find out more information about this rumor and also about bloglovin at Miss Emily's blog here {which I'm sure most of you have read already}. I'll leave you with a picture.

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. ;) 

Perfectly Imperfect | 1/19/13

Today was perfectly imperfect. My day really started at 1pm because that's when I got home from my cousins' house. When I got home, I had a headache from staying up late. After a while, it finally disappeared. On Friday, I got some pictures from Shutterfly, so I decided I should organize those and put them away in my photo box. Let me just say, whenever I look at old pictures, I am instantly happy. I remember the sites and smells of that day and the memory resonates inside of me. My dad told me I had to grab my laundry and then do the dishes when I got home, so I thought to myself, "might as well do them sooner than later!" So I did the dishes and while I did the dishes I made myself some macaroni and cheese. I was so happy to get things done!

bundling up because of the negative degree weather

sorry it's sideways.

 When finishing my lunch, I started the long process of doing my homework. I started reading my Civics homework, and working on my Driver's Education scrapbook. I did this for a long time (with quite a few breaks..) and eventually the house was almost empty other than my older brother. I love the sweet sound of a silent house. (:

I continued to work on my homework until my parents and my younger brother came home from a basketball game. My brother Zach then made dinner for us. I had a good 'ole salad. After dinner and four hours later, I asked my dad to take me to Caribou {the second time I asked him that day}. He said no... again. But that's okay though, because my mom took me!

 So we went to Caribou, and there was like no one there. The staff on duty was really nice and because it was 0 degrees out, it felt nice to have some hot, hot chocolate.

 After Caribou, my mom needed to run some errands to Target, so off we went. At Target, we picked up some food for meals this week, and got some clothes for my brother. I ended up getting some new pajamas that are so, so warm and comfortable. I also enjoyed taking pictures of random Target objects.

 In Target, I was wearing brown sweatpants and black boots, but it was so late, no one cared. :P

 When my mom and I were about to check out, I just had the sudden urge to take a picture here. I love the composition and the busy-ness of the photo. I think this picture really symbolizes a lot about America with the magazines, "express" lanes because people are too impatient to wait, pop and junk food, and the high technology that places these days have.

One other thing that I got from Target was an eos lipbalm. It seems like everyone at school has them, so I thought I'd give one a try. They make your lips feel so smooth for a long time. It works wonders, let me tell ya! 

The whole day I was sick, so I had cough drops and made my own hot beverage to make my throat feel better. 

Although my throat {and ear} really hurt, today was a perfectly imperfect day. 

P.S. All of these pictures are taken with my phone.

Youth Retreat 2012

This past November, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel with my new church to north Minnesota. I say north instead of northern, because we seriously were on the tip of the state, almost in Canada. :P At first I was really nervous for the trip because I didn't meet a lot of people yet. Like I said, I was new to the church. Looking back on the trip though, it was a trip of a lifetime. I had so much fun. I absolutely loved the simplicity of life up north. Let my pictures tell you about some of our adventures...

Adventures around Lake Superior.

{Almost} all of the girls that went on the trip.

Trips to different light houses... some being at 10pm at night, with no light, standing on a 3-foot slab of concrete, with no railing, surrounded by water...

The option of going in Lake Superior in November.... let me remind you were are in Minnesota. I didn't go in. 

Food combination testing...

Yummy pizza places

Hike to Gooseberry Falls

P.S. This is my 200th post! Thank you to ALL of you who follow and comment! You inspire me so much!

My Year in Review | Photos and Words

January

counsins / brothers / winter cooking / basketball watching

February

babysitting / valentines / sledding with friends / hair feather/ watching friends in sports / brother signing

March

awkward cousin photoshoots / National Lutheran Schools Week / best friend / volleyball team at Dairy Queen / teachers making pancakes for us / roller blading / State wrestling championship (1st place!)

April

confirmation / track meets / best friend / last school band concert / last school volleyball game

May

track meet / baseball games / Festival of Nations / annual lock-in / prom / last choir concert / 8th grade field trip / volunteering at Camp

June

Zach's graduation / my graduation / my mom's graduation / salutatorian speech / first Twins game at the new field / goodbye parties for friends

July

campfires / fish / lake / wedding / first phone / 4th of July / fireworks / brothers / trips

August

state fair working / county fair ribbon-winning / flower picture-taking / bird watching / babysitting

September

birthdays / adventure seeking / cousin time at the lake / dog-loving / portfolio building / football games / 1st day of school / first pepfest / Girls of Grace concert

October

volleyball / cousin's confirmation / brother's playoff game / adventures with the cousins / early Christmas / Fields of Faith / half marathon watching

November

Grand Marais / youth group trip / Gooseberry Falls / Thanksgiving / Student Council lock-in / my birthday

December

snow fall picture / band gift exchange / church youth directors / my old school's Christmas concert / best friend / siblings / winter pepfest / new mascot / aunts / extended family / cousin with our friend's baby

Merry Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas from me and my family to you! I hope your day is filled with many blessings and time well spent with family. 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

For the four weeks of Advent, my church's focus was around those verses. Each name {Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace} was each talked about one Sunday of Advent. A question that was often raised was, "Who would have thought?" I really like that question now. Who would have thought that Jesus would come down as a baby and be born in a stable, a manger? Who would have thought that He would be born of a virgin? Who would of thought that an innocent little baby would soon save the whole world? Who would have thought? God knew how everything was going to happen. In the same way, He knows what's going to happen in our lives as well. We just have to let Him do His work. So this Christmas, I challenge you to dig a little deeper into God's Word and listen harder to what He is calling you do. 

15th Birthday

 Yesterday I celebrated my 15th birthday. This is my story of my day. First, my dad woke me up for church and made me pancakes for my birthday. My mom made me a sign that said "Happy Birthday, We Love You!" After getting ready, my mom and I headed to our church. I brought cookies for my youth group, and then went to the 10:30 service.

 After church, my mom made us hash browns and eggs {also for me}. When I had a bit of free time, I stepped out into the freezing cold and took these five pictures (plus quite a few more). I set up my broken tripod, that still somehow works, plugged in my wireless remote, and snapped away using my remote. I don't think I've talked about my wireless remote yet on the blog! I bought it with some Christmas money and this is the first time that I was able to use it on myself, like I think they should be used for. ;) 

 After lunch, my mom and I headed to my school's play. We bought tickets and found our seats in the second row off to the side. I really enjoyed the play! Now that I'm in high school, I know a lot more people and I enjoy seeing how hard my friends have worked on this piece of art. Supporting them in their hard work is something that I find necessary and appropriate. 

 After the play I went and congratulated my friends and a few of the other actors. At first, I gave a few of my close friends hugs, and then I was getting hugs from everyone! It made me feel really good inside to be getting these hugs from people who don't even know it's my birthday. Then, after two or three hugs from my German friend Jacky, I said my farewell and started walking away. All of a sudden she gently grabbed my arm and gave me one more big hug and said happy birthday. That just made my whole day. To get a hug from a person that has known you only for two months is an amazing feeling. Especially when you aren't even the same age or grade. {I guess that just proves that Germans are the best :)}

When I got home, I worked on schoolwork for quite sometime, taking occasional breaks. My mom made my family soup which felt really nice after a cold, snowy day. I enjoyed reading all of my facebook messages and emails from my friends and family wishing me a happy birthday. It's moments like these that remind me that life if really worth living for. My two older brothers, Devin and Zach, who are in college, both called me and also wished me a happy birthday. It truly was an amazing day. 

Now is the time to compare last year to this year! :) I haven't changed drastically, but I definitely have changed.

 I got a haircut about a week ago now, so one thing different is definitely my hair. 

I have definitely changed this year and I will in the next year too. I think I'll be getting braces sooner than later, so hopefully I'll have straighter teeth next year. :) Cheers to a great birthday!