School Work and Daydreams

             I've found it especially hard lately to keep my mind focused on school. I sit there staring at my computer screen trying to write a paper or finish a research project and my mind just drifts. Its incredibly annoying, but enjoyable at the same time. Homecoming week is coming up and I've already bought my dress for the dance. I keep thinking of that enchanting night and the excitement that's coming and I just loose focus a bit. Its probably not healthy. But even so, I thought might post some pictures. Below is a picture of my dress :)

Now Here's the hair I'm aiming for.

And the eye make up... (Smokey/cat eye...)

And here's the shoes... classic black heels.

Let's just establish I'm a bit too excited. Anyways, I'd better get back to my homework. 

Where do we run?

                Where do we run in trying times? Do we run to the open arms and comforting words of our friends? Do we confine in the luxuries of sweet and savory foods? Do we collapse into the warmth of our sleepy beds? Or do we instead cling to the strength of our Creator? Unfortunately, I seem to always place God last on the list when I'm needing comfort. I seek friend's advice, relish myself in "comfort food", or loose myself in a romance novel, trying to forget my worries. Eventually after shoving my feelings under for long amounts of time or simply not knowing where to put my heartache, I break and pour out my frustration on the Lord. Wouldn't it have been easier if I had just given him my struggles daily, and let Him lift my burdens continually? Wouldn't it be less painful in the end to give my heaviness and confused heart to the Lord regularly?
                This summer I went through many different hardships, many of them were things I had never thought to ever encounter in my life. During these struggles I poured out my heart to the Lord, wept bitterly, and cried out to him, yet I never asked him to heal me and take my burdensome heart. Months later, after the summer had ended I found myself crying still about those problems, wondering why I still was so scarred and despondent about the trials I had encountered then. I longed to share my hurt with anyone, I longed to run to friends and pour out everything that had happened. Yet that was a luxury that was not granted to me. I was supposed to keep my family's hardships between us in order to protect and support them. I complained to God, asking why I was not allowed to share my hardships with a physical presence rather than Him alone. He slowly revealed to me that although sharing your heart and mourning with others is needed in many situations, I was also called to respect and protect my family and keep the specific details of what had happened between the family and no one else. He then called me forth to lay my sadness upon him and put my heavy burdens in His strong arms.
                So where do you run? I now know, it it best to lay the problems I have at the alter of Jesus Christ. He alone is the amazing Comforter. And He alone can heal our heartache and weariness.

Picture Perfect?

What will it feel like when we're together?
          How will we show our love towards one another?
                    Will he be handsome and strong?
                              When we share that first kiss, will it be pure and innocent?
                                        Will I be a better person because of him?
                                                  When will he step into my life?
                                                            Will he hold me in his arms?
                                                                      Will the wedding be sparkling?
                                                                               How will he draw me closer to God?
                                                                                      Will he make me feel special?
                                                                                               Will he twirl me around the dance floor?
                                                                                                        How will I draw him closer to God?
                                                       
          Will it be... picture perfect?

The "Fall"-ing of Leaves

               Fall is beginning. Summer breezy afternoons are soon fading into windy autumn days. And for most of us, leaves are beginning to fall. Shades of orange, red, yellow and warm brown fill the trees. Pumpkin spice is smelled throughout our homes. Well for most... Unfortunately, not I. I live in Florida, yes the state full of retired older citizens and tourists. A land with no seasons. So while most of you have cool and brightly colored falls, white Christmases, and blooming springs... we only have two seasons... Warm summer and cool summer. Sure it sometimes gets into the 40's for a week of the year and into the 70's for a month of it, but mostly it's 80 degrees and above here. Yes, it can be nice swimming in your pool in December, but the fact that I've only made 2 snowmen in my life and never gone sledding or had a real snow-ball fight is really quite depressing. One white Christmas is all I ask for. Every year I pray for a Christmas miracle, that it would snow. Last year it actually frosted for one day and the dew on the grass froze.... IT LOOKED LIKE SNOW... but it wasn't.                                 
            Yes, sadly we have no seasons where I live, but our humid tropical climate is surely one to visit. Please visit us here in sunny Florida, taste our oranges, visit our beach-side shops, and of course, go snorkeling in our sparkling waters, but please, know this when you visit, there's no southern hospitality here, and most drivers on the roads are very grumpy. But still, please visit. Its beautiful and warm all year LONG. 

Another face?

              Going to a larger Christian school, I sometimes find it hard not to be just another face in the crowd. I honestly don't want to simply blend in. I'm not someone who has to be the center of the attention, but I still want to be known for originality. Its really quite hard. My school is absolutely amazing along with every single person in it. Its just sometimes I feel, that I'm.... boring. too serious. not exciting. And...


Just... nice. A "nice" girl. There's nothing wrong with that. Its just I wish that I was a bit more unique than "nice." Am I the only one who feels this way? I would like to be all those things I write about... winsome, enchanting, captivating, mysterious, the list goes on....
           Yet when I feel this way, He reminds me... There is no one like me. I am special in His sight. I am loved and cherished and adored by the Lord of all. I absolutely love the video below it basically sums up my testimony, a life of slavery towards striving for perfection and being accepted until one day I realized that God was revealing to me all along that I... am free.


http://vimeo.com/17039126 <--------- please watch.

A week of dresses.

                 This is certainly not a fashion blog, however I do like to integrate my taste in my writing so, I am going to share with you something, I have never told anyone this. Okay... get ready... If I could, I would wear dresses every day. I absolutely love the feminine feeling of wearing them. I like the fact that when I put on a dress, I feel like a lady. I just want to twirl around in dresses all day long. Okay, so I don't live in a story book but, I just wish that girls today dressed as well as they did in the 50's. I wish we spent time to wear dresses and skirts. Obviously, I live in 2011 and my wardrobe basically consists mainly of jeans and ruffled tank-tops, maybe a few skirts or so... very few dresses unfortunately. However, if I had the money and time, I would just wear dresses. So below are the 7 dresses I would choose if I had 1 week to wear only dresses.

1. Sunday 


            Okay, so this dress is white and lacey, perfect for a Sunday. I've always thought that white is the color to wear on Sundays. You need something with a feminine touch (the lace accounts for this) and then the white to tie it into the the purity of the day. Unfortunately, as I've grown older I've found it hard to wear dresses on Sundays, but this dress is absolutely gorgeous. So white. On a Sunday. I think yes.

2. Monday


            Mondays. Don't we all love them? Of course not! On Monday it is absolutely important to wear a dress that you are comfortable in. Something more casual and cute. Most people come back from the weekend in drab clothing just hoping to get through their Mondays. If it were me, I'd were something to catch their eye. Navy stripes on the top and bright red bowed skirt on the bottom. Beachy with a hint of pretty.

3. Tuesday


              Tuesdays. The week has just started to get going. Today its all about work. Now when I'm older, I'd like to be a teacher. Unfortunately some teachers think that denim floor-length jumpers are in style. Maybe in the 90's? This modern dress has a denim look to it, yet is sophisticated with ruffles. Basically it remodels the elementary teacher look. Plus the thin leather belt also gives you and hour-glass shape. Who wouldn't want that?

4. Wednesday


               Now we're mid-week. Typically I head straight from school to church, so the dress I choose today has to be able to easily able to be dressed up. With these specifications I've decided this dress works quite well. Its bright and beautiful, sweet and romantic, and pulled together with a a comfortable fit. Floral skirted bottom and white slightly ruffled top. Everything about this dress screams girly. 

5. Thursday


            Thursdays. I think that besides Mondays, these days are the worst days of the entire week. Why? Well, you've already been going to work/school for 4 days now and its not even Friday! Most people wear frumpy clothes on Thursdays. So, today is a day to dress cleanly. I've chosen a pearl colored dress for this day. I absolutely love this. Its petite top and fan-like bottom is so cute. Perfect with a cardigan and a pair of brightly colored flats.  

6. Friday


           I think this dress looks like one right out of a Tiffany's store. The color. The style. The bow. I love everything about this dress. Out of all 7 dresses, this is my favorite. Of course, we save the best for Friday. My favorite day of the week. This dress is also very versatile. You can wear it out even after work or school. I can just picture myself in this dress on my first date, having lunch under a tree in the park, chatting about everything under the sun... okay maybe I'm getting a bit carried away here. But I honestly adore this dress. So cute.

7. Saturday


        Saturdays are always more casual. I've chose a fun ruffled salmon-colored dress for this day. It goes well with my skin tone and of course I've always loved ruffles so nothing's wrong with this dress. Lovely dress. Pair it with some strapped sandals and a messenger bag... sounds like a dress to go shopping in.

173 days.

       
              On September 17, my church put on a young woman's conference called the JANE event. It was all about defining who we as young women are in Christ. Our day consisted of for main sessions and 2 break-outs, and lunch/ cookies refreshments. The day was amazing. All girls. No pressure. Just a day to take in all the honest truths of who we are. One of the break-outs I visited was called "Like-Minded - finding your other half." I took these 3 things away from it:

    1. Guard you heart (Proverbs 4:23)

    2. Do not awaken love until it so desires (Song of Solomon 8:4)

    3. Walk in purity (Proverbs 31)

             At the end of this session, the main leader challenged us girls to take a break from pursuing romantic relationships with guys and pursue our relationship with God further instead (for 6 months to a year). After she said this first, I thought "this is possible, I've never really dealt with romantic relationships with guys anyways, so no problem!" Then I thought, "What if I take this vow for 6 months and a guy finally starts to pursue and like me? I don't know what I would do..."  In either situation, I must admit I will really need God's strength. 
            I want to keep my vow to Him, so that means no dates for homecoming, no small crushes, nothing. But in a way, I'm actually excited. I'm excited to enjoy the next 6 months pursuing a strong relationship with Christ and my friends and even getting ahead in school. Sounds extremely boring you may say. Well, life's not always exuberantly fascinating, but its being happy with the little things that make it so fun. So here I start my journey. 173 more days to go.