Things to Do

Well, today is going to be crazy, I am not even sure what is going to happen...I have a lot to do.
Lets see...
- Go to the thrift store to find silverware
- Pack up most of my room
- Clean my room and bathroom
- Go to the Managers office and let her know about the details
- Write a list of everything that I want my mom to bring with her
- This is going to take a long time
I am doing all of this because tomorrow is the day!!!!! I am getting my own place, and I can just be there and be me. I can buy whatever food I want to, and I can learn how to cook and be my own "taste tester". I am going to need some plants...I wish that they allowed dogs, but that is really OK. I am a little bit scared, just because I will be by myself, but I know that God is with me, and he will be my protector and my provider. Sigh! I have a long, exhausting, and fulfilling day ahead of me.

Boise

Well, I had a wonderful trip to Boise this weekend. My friend Meg went along, and she had never been there before, so we had a lot of fun. Friday, we got there and just kind of relaxed, and went through all of the yard sale stuff. I ended up with a TON of stuff; I got a pretty glass top side table, a nice knife set, a bunch of bowls for cooking, other kitchen utensils like a can opener and a whisk, a nice basket, a shower curtain, and trash can to match, I got a tea pot that looks like a pig (it is actually cute) and my grandmother gave me a whole glass dish set. I also got some mugs and a clock; there is more, but I cant remember it all of the top of my head. Meg ended up with some neat things as well.
Saturday we had a lea surly morning, and then headed over to my grandparents house where we watched the 'yard salers' for a while before we headed into Boise. We headed down town and parked on one of the streets (by a meter that was free on Saturday) and began to walk by all of the beautiful buildings. We went into a couple boutiques and looked at clothes and hats, and we went into the Starbucks across from a pretty water fountain. We looked at the Capitol building, we found a bedding store that used to be law offices, and so it had a bunch of old records in it that gave it a library feel. We just had a good time wondering about. After a while we went and met up with my cousin Grace, and I got to talk to my uncle Juan whom I have not seen in a long time. After picking her up we drove around for a bit, got some ice cream, and then finally went to a movie with the rest of my family. After the movie it was time to go home, where (of course) grandpa had the fire going and the s'mors stuff out. We visited with people for a while and then went to bed.
Sunday, we got up and tried to get a hold of someone to find out when church started, but could not get a hold of anyone, I finally got to talk to my mom, and we decided to go visit my friends Dave and Gina at their church. It was neat to be able to go without anyone else, but I think I made around 5 u turns to get there. I really enjoyed church, and Meg had never been to a charismatic church like that before. She was not quite sure what to think. By the time that was over we had just enough time to get some food and be on our way, so we ran back to my grandparents, got some lunch, and said goodbye.
I had a wonderful time, and am now ready to go on to the next adventure, but I mite need some sleep first...

Really

Well, this time I really am going to go to Boise. I am excited because I am going to get to spend the weekend with my extended family, which I don't get to do very often. Even my aunt and uncle who live in McCall will be there.
Another thing that I really am going to do today is go to Old Navy on lunch break and see if I can find a cute new swimming suit. I have had mine for like 3 years, and they are selling them for like $5. I am really trying to build a wardrobe rite now, but I am also loosing weight, which makes me not really want to spend too much money on clothes. One thing that I do want though is a new dress to wear to my friends wedding at the end of July...that would be fun. I have the dress that I want in my head, but I cant exactly sew it at the moment...I am kind of out of practice, and it would be complicated to make. Maybe I could convince Alisha to sew one for me if I give her money or something...I think that is a good plan...hmmm...

Change of Plans

Well, I did not go to Boise yesterday, but that is OK. I found out that it would be hard to get everything to work out, so instead of going home this weekend, I am going over there. That is OK though, I will get to see my aunt and uncle that live up in McCall because it is my cousins birthday and they will be coming down the mountain.
It is so funny, last year at this time I would make a big deal about driving into town, and now I am going to sign a year lease on an apartment! The only explanation that I have is that God is good and has been teaching me all the way. Who would have ever thought that not only would I move out of my parents house (which I was not planning on doing until I got married) but would have a job, and be making enough money at said job to live in my own apartment in a different town. There is so much that has happened this year, and I have certainly changed for the better. I feel like God is leading me in my very own adventure, and he is teaching me how to rely on Him more and more. I never thought that I would be in this place. It is kind of funny, but I get excited about having my very own cold medicine.
The thing about getting an apartment is that it is going to cost a lot of money, and I am not sure how I am going to get the money to go to Texas and go to my friends wedding. July is crazy busy, and not in a "save money" way. On the first, I move in, the fourth is a holiday (of course) I have three friends who are coming with their spouses for a visit, and then at the end of it I am boarding a plane for a few days. The only thing is that all of my friends that are coming are coming Blackfoot and not Twin, so I have a 2 hour drive every weekend.
Also, my friend Rachel wants her and I and our friend Meg to start a woman's ministry together. Just small at first, but I still think that God is in the middle of all of this stirring everything up. He does that you know, it is just like Him to take you from nothing to do, to no time to do it! Not only all of this, but I feel that He wants me to start writing again, which I have not done in a long time, but really love. We will have to see. I seem to have the time at work, but the atmosphere is not conducive to good writing. Hopefully I will be able to find a good way to get this done. I really think that it is important. So, if you wish you may pray for me on that...God is good and I am looking forward to see what He is going to do next.

Blessed

Today I am going to Boise. I am so excited, because I am getting an apartment, and my Aunt is going to sell me a bunch of "stuff" that I need. You know, I am just so blessed by what God is doing with me. He really didn't have to use me, or help me, and He knows everything that I have ever done wrong, but He is just such a good God. I can hardly believe how blessed I am. I think that is all that I need to say for now...

New Things

I am super excited this week. Last Saturday my friend and I went around and left messages at all the apartment complexes to see if there was any that my work for me. On Monday, I got a call back from one of them saying that they had a tiny apartment open up that morning. I went in and got an application, and took a look at the place. I really like it, and decided to pray about it.
Turns out that not only is it in my price range, it is just my size, the lease is the perfect amount of time, and I can move in on the 1st. I am sssssssssssoooooooooo excited! God is so good. I am now waiting (in faith) on just a few extra hundred bucks to cover the deposit and it is mine.
One thing that had me worried was the few extra things that you need when you get your own place, like dish soap and Windex, and pots and pans, and a shower curtain. Well, just so happens (another godsidence because I do not believe in coincidences) my aunt just moved here from California and is selling all of her apartment stuff, and is willing to sell it to me for cheap! So, this week is going to be crazy, and I am fully enjoying myself...

God in My Life

Hi! I hope that everyone had a wonderful Fathers Day! I did, it was amazing, God showed up. As you all know Fathers Day was on Sunday, so we went to church. Usually on Fathers Day we have a man come named Eddie B. he is a prison minister, and goes all over the country doing what he does...which happens to be rock music. We really enjoy him, not only because he is incredibly entertaining, but because he is completely soled out for Jesus! All of his songs are about Jesus, and nothing else.
Whenever Eddie comes, we hold a meeting in the park so that we can reach people on the street. This time was amazing, the concert was to start at 6, and at 4:30 there was so much rain and hail that the streets were flooding, and you could hardly see or breathe outside. We (being crazy Christians) decided to go ahead and to it anyway. At 6 we were out there freezing, with equipment set up (threatening to get wet) grilling hot dogs, and having fun anyway. We decided to pray and if God wanted this thing to happen, then He would have to provide a clear sky so that things would not go horribly wrong....in 5 minutes the rain had completely stopped!!!!!! The clouds began to part, and the sun came out.
Throughout the night the clouds would come ant threaten, but they went around the park, where we were was dry and blue skys, but the rest of Blackfoot was raining. Three people got saved, and God was glorified.

Memories

I was thinking this week about my life and what I am doing, and I began to think about my childhood. There are some memories that I will cherish forever, just little things that have changed who I am today, and have really taught me about how to live.
I have had a really long week, and I am ready to take a rest...even that, that ability to sit and rest came from things that I did in my childhood. When I was little, my mom would work extra hard on Friday, she would clean the house (with happy help from everyone of coarse) and she would make homemade bread, and we would sit as a family and do Sabbath together. Then, on Saturday, we just enjoyed the day and being with each other. Dad would make pancakes, and we would watch loony tunes (or Veggie Tales). I am so thankful now that I know how to rest when I need it!
Another good memory that I have is dad coming up to pray for us all. I remember laying there in bed and waiting as he would come up the stairs and go into my sisters room, then across the hall to my other sisters room, and finally to mine. He would neal by the bed, put his hand on my head and pray something short, but from his heart. Then I would tell him something about my day, he would hive me a kiss and I would go to sleep. Because of that, I always felt safe, and I knew that he was just down stairs, but it also taught me something. It taught me to pray as I sleep, because on the nights when he was not home, I could not sleep, and when I finally did, it would not be nearly as good. Now, because of that whenever I cannot sleep I pray, and the spirit of God always comes.

Bless the Lord

Today, all that I can do is to praise God, for he is good....

Psalm 103
Bless the Lord O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord executes righteousness,
And justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
he will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,
To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His Commandments
To do them.
The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord you His angels,
Who excel i9n strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His,
who do His pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all His words,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

God is so good.....

Inspiration

I am re-reading The Silver Chair in the Chronicles of Narnia. Over the past few years I have really come to enjoy that book. For a long time, however, I would not read it because we had the BBC movie, and we had lost all of the other BBC Narnia movies, so what did we watch...You guessed it! The Silver Chair. One thing that I have found, which can be hard to do, but is well worth it, is to imagine the characters to look very different than they do in the movie...an example I imagine Jill to have blond wavy hair, and not that ugly strait brown stuff that she has in the movie. The one problem with this is that I now really want the Jill in the new movie (2012 I think) to have blond hair.
Whenever I want to be inspired to write something I read Jane Austin, or Narnia, for these books inspire me to write more than any other. There is just something about the way that Lewis writes that makes me look at life differently, and I just love the romance of Jane Austin, so I read those too. So far I am three chapters in, and I have already laughed, gotten goosebumps, and written a couple scenes in the new story I am concocting.

Writing Tips

I am a writer, I love it. I always have, and I always will. Currently I am working on a new piece of fiction, I have written one before, but it still needs work, and we will see weather or not it goes anywhere. I was thinking about books the other day as I was having some quiet time with my Jesus, and he said something that astounded me...
"The skeleton of a book is the story line, the muscles are the characters, the blood is the message, and the skin it the way that it is written."
What a good analogy! It works perfectly. So, as I am writing this new book, (which I am not going to tell you about yet) I have the skeleton, and am beginning work on the muscles for now. I am really enjoying this part, I always do, because the characters are so important (the muscles) they are what makes the story move and work. One of my favorite ways to begin to build the characters is to use what I call a Character Chart it is basically a chart that you use to write out basic things about your character. Here is an example :
Name: Ken
Age: 27
Height: 5' 11
Weight: 200
Hair: Brown, short
Eyes: Hazel
Job: Navy
Hobbies: Hunting, grilling, baseball
Likes: Dogs, guns, BBQ chips, baseball
Dislikes: Political discussions, people who think they can get away with stuff, whiny people.
Personality: Ken is a smart and strong man who enjoys life. He is a mans man, and plans on continuing to be. He is full of ambition, and plans on going all the way in whatever he does. He is a red blooded American patriot, and would do anything for his country.
You see how much you already know about Ken, his character, what kinds of decisions he will make, and in general, why. Of course you can take him many different ways, but you still have a strong basis on which to go. Once I have a good chart that is pretty full (this one is very generic) I begin to write "scenes" which will define the character, things that happen in the story where they must make a decision, or do something that will tell you who they are. Take Ken and put him in a baseball game where the umpire called an unfair foul, what will he do? Will he say something, get mad and keep it to himself, tackle the umpire? What is his character? What will he do?
So, there is just a little bit about how to begin writing a story...

Jesus

As you must know, yesterday was Sunday. I got up and went to church not thinking anything of it, as I usually go to church on Sunday morning (in fact I have missed about 5 weeks of church total in my life) However, yesterday, I had yet another encounter with Jesus! I cannot even tell you how much I love him! The things He told me I will remember forever. I often meet with him, and talk with him, but yesterday something in me stirred in a way that has not happened to me for years.
When I got home I settled down for a relaxing afternoon of writing, but Jesus was waiting for me there. As I sat there listening to some soft worship music, He came and washed over me in a fresh wave of love hope and joy. I could hardly even move.
There is a love out there that puts all other love in this world to shame, if you search for it you will find it, and when you find it, you will never be the same.

Cups and Rings

I went to the mall yesterday to see if I could maybe find anything for my friend Jenny for her birthday and was amused by what I found. I went into Hallmark, and discovered a whole slew of mugs ranting about morning people. I really wanted to get one, but there is a problem...she and I are both a morning person! I also found mugs for Fathers Day, but they were all about leaving him alone and letting him watch TV. Can anyone say "stereotype!" When are they going to come up with something original, or at least different!? You cant find anything for a father who wants to spend time with his kids, and inst into fishing! Those are the two things there, fishing and "leave me alone". Neither can you find anything for a morning person, why don't you bag on people who are up all night? Needless to say, I could not find what I wanted to.
One thing that I did do, and enjoy however, was I went into a jewelry store with my friend Jessica, and we were looking at the engagement rings (amazing). I am a firm believer that you should try rings on, if only to see what looks good. As we were looking, the lady asked what I liked and when I pointed one out, she pulled it out and let me try it on. I, being a good sport tried on about 8 different rings or so, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Yet again my theory has been proved that you must try them on, because not all of them look good on your hand. There is one problem with my story however, and that is that one of the rings not only fit my hand perfectly, but looked amazing, and felt amazing, and really worked with what I like...I fell in love with this ring. The problem is that I don't have 6,300 dollars, or a man. ( I do now have a card with all of the info for this ring though) It was inevitable I guess, but still...I had fun!

Women

What does it mean to really be a woman? How do we step into all that God intended us for? Women are a complicated and beautiful creation, and each one is different. I know that this sounds exactly like what everyone else says, but so often we fail to realize the truth of the matter.
Womanhood is a glorious thing, meant by our creator to be the crown jewel of all that He made. How many of us not only want to be a Princess that is swept away by the Prince, but also the Queen who is wise, and a force to be reckoned with. I personally do not want to be saved by a Price, but a King. We all long to be beautiful, and capable, intelligent, and strong. We are not only drawn to the beautiful and intricate things, but also bold and confident things (why do you think that we go for the bad men?). This is the nature of God in us.
God has intended us to be both, sure sometimes the beauty comes more easily, and sometimes the confidence comes more easily, but when we read of the women in the Bible we see both. Esther, the beauty of the Court, stood up to save her people. Ruth, humbly and innocently went to the man who would decide her fate and made him stand up and fulfill his duty to her. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was soft and kind, and yet she had the strength and determination to stand before a people who would have stoned her and bear the Son of God.
We have both, and all of us have it. We see all of the women today in Hollywood who strive and spend millions of dollars to look their best, we try to mimic them and we spend countless hours and all of our paychecks in order to be what the world calls "beautiful." We do not see the beauty that we already have.
What is it that makes us beautiful and strong? What must we do to accomplish this goal that we ever strive to meet? There is a way, a way full of danger to make us strong, full of beauty to bring us joy, full of love to make us blossom, and full of fire to burn off the things that would tell us that we are not beautiful. This is the way of the Queen, it is the way that we all must go in order to find what we are looking for. This is the way of Christ.
Only when we realize how much Jesus loves us, and has come for us will we see what we are truly meant to be. I am still on this journey, I can see a light, I have seen Him. I know the one who created me, the one who died for me, my King, my warrior the one who gives me beauty and strength. He has shown me who he made me to be, and I strive every day to meet that goal. Not the goal of Hollywood to be so skinny that I hurt myself, not the goal of the feminist who would have me work and leave the things that I love to someone else, but the beautiful glowing Queen who knows who she is, what she is doing, and why she is doing it. That is what I am striving for. He is who I am striving for. And I will lay it all down for Him, the verse above talks about the passion with which He peruses me, and what it is that makes me fly.
This blog is my raw thoughts, it is not refined (yet) nor is it exactly what I wanted to say when I first began to write, but I hope that someone who reads it will be inspired to seek God and find the wonderful glorious Queen that He has made her to be, and that she will know that it is not Prince Charming who loves her, but the King of Heaven and Earth, the Lord of all peoples, the warrior, the beloved, the one who gave it all to save her.

Of Life and Faith

Last night I could not sleep, so I began to reminisce about my life, where it is going, what I am doing, and what will happen in between. I have a lot of things that I want to do with my life (as stated in the list on the rite hand bottom corner) and I am not sure how I am going to get from here to there. Some of the things, like "be a good piano player" I understand...learn to play piano and practice...but things like "get a book that I wrote published" are a bit more difficult. But, I am ok with that, because there are some things that you just have to have faith to believe for.
My purpose in life is to do what God wants me to do, and to be who God wants me to be. I want to be living and breathing His purposes. I want to see what Christ looks like fully manifested in me. I am excited to live. But the question is, what does that mean today? What can I do now to push me closer to my goal?
You know, if I am fully confident in Christ, and "perfect love casts out all fear" then when I see a large spider coming at me (I hate spiders as of rite now) instead of jumping back in fear, I will be able to wonder at the majesty of Gods creation. Our lives today are completely made up of the decisions that we made yesterday....how you react to something is entirely dependent on how you chose to react every other time in your life. I have always reacted to spiders in fear, and because of that, my natural (and almost instant) reaction to them is to shudder, and make a big circle around it ever watching so that it will not get too close.
Considering these things, what does it mean to have faith? What does real living, deciding faith look like? If we as Christians will decide to place all our faith on God, day in and day out, we will then learn to react in a place of faith instead of fear. This does not only pertain to spiders, but also to "what our friends will think of us" and to "I may loose my job". What is it that you are living for? Who is it that you are living for? One of my favorite quotes (its down there at the bottom of the page) is "What looks like an adventure from far away looks like a bunch of little challenges up close" that was said by my friend Pam Hunter who, by the way, lives half of the year in Africa.
We always see the brave night who is the best with the sword, or the captain of a ship who can steer said ship through any type of weather. These men are our heroes, they are the best of the best, the one that no one can beat, but how did they get that way? How many times did that knight have to fight his instructor and loose before he finally knew what to look for? How many nights did that captain have to stay up and watch as his captain steered through the storm? But the interesting thing about this is that they get this way through practice and time, but also by watching their teachers. We must keep focused on Christ. This whole faith issue was started by him...Hebrews 12:1-2 "he is the author and finisher of our faith."
So for today, I will choose to take the little challenge that brings me ever closer to my goal, I will practice piano today, I will begin to work on a character in my book, and through faith, I will keep my eyes on my Jesus, and I will allow Him to take me wheresoever He pleases.

Thoughts for the Day

I have been thinking lately a lot about my life, where it is headed, and what I am doing now. I think that there are many things that God is doing with me now, but at the moment, I really have no idea what they are. As I was praying and journaling yesterday, I felt that He wanted me to open up in my creative side. Let me tell you that it has been a long time since I have done that. I used to write, and draw and play the piano, and many other things all of the time, but lately I have just been focused on the "smart" thing to do. I miss it...
I believe that God is really wanting to bring simple creativity back to the church. For so long we have been all about what looks good and smart, but really if we will just look on Jesus, he will bring us back to the simple truth of His love, joy, peace, and victory. In that we find the freedom to be creative, and to speak to the world in that way.
I am reading a book called The Bravehearted Gospel by Eric Ludy, and it is a very good book. He is talking about the need for us to bring truth, real truth back to the Church. I think that you all should read it, his ministry is to young people, and he writs to them well, but he can also effectively communicate with 'adults' . Anyway, that is what is on my heart this morning, if anyone has any feedback, then that would be grate!

The Weekend

Well, my weekend in Boise was really good. We got there Friday night, and were able to relax, connect and visit with people, which was good. Saturday was lazy, and we had a good time visiting with my aunts, and seeing my little cousins. (they are ssssssssooooooooo cute!) Then Saturday night was the play that we went to go see. It was really fun, they were making fun of musicals, and the singing and dancing was quite enjoyable. My cousin who was in it did a really good job playing a nerd, and not just any nerd, but a NERD!
Sunday morning we went to church with my aunt Joanne and my cousin Matt, it was really fun, I have not been to a Baptist Church in a long time, and I enjoyed singing hymns, and listening to a sermon by an old man in a three piece suit! We then went over to my grandparents house and watched a good movie that I had not seen before, and that was fun. Finally we went to my Aunt Glenda's house and had a Mary Kay party that was a lot of fun. I also got to see my cousin Grace whom I did not think would be there, and I am so glad that I did. She always makes me laugh, and we had a really good time together even though we were mostly talking about boy drama (not my favorite but it works)
Well, I am back at work now, and the world is relatively normal, but the weekend was good, and I just have to say that I love my family :)

Crazy Week

This week has been crazy! Monday morning I came to work like any other Monday, but when I got here I was informed that one of the main engineers' wife and daughter had gone missing! They were on their way home for dinner on Sunday, and never made it. The search was on! Monday came and went with no trace...Tuesday they found some credit card receipts way off the road, and people began to fear the worst. Wednesday, nothing...Thursday...they found them! They had been coming down the mountain, and had stopped because of a snow storm. The next morning when they woke up the car was up to its frame in mud. The two of them thought about walking, but the sight of about 3 bears a few miles away made them change their minds. Luckily they had two gallons of water in the car with them, and a box of cereal. Four days however, is a long time to be waiting.
We are so thankful to God for bringing them home safely, and Kelly, (the engineer) is now buying everyone here coffee. So in the end, to God be the glory! and we are all blessed. :)

Hannah's Birthday

Ok, so its been a while. I don't think that anyone reads this anyway, but what can I say. I will try to write more often, but I have said that before. Life is good rite now, I am working at a radio station, and I finished school (and passed all of my classes) which is pretty awesome.
Today is my little sisters 16th birthday, and as amazing as that is, it is kind of like "wow! my little sister is 16!" you know? I was really excited, because I went to the mall the other day to find her something, and wanting to get something nice I went into Macy's... I was shocked, because they were having and insanely amazing sale. I was looking around and I found a pearl necklace and earrings with diamonds in the clasp for 50% off!!!! This is so amazing because, not only does she LOVE pearls, but they are also her birthstone. She has a pearl ring, but now she has everything but a bracelet, and she doesn't wear those.
This is the first time that I have ever missed one of her birthdays, and it is kind of sad, but we are going to Boise tomorrow, and we are going to go and see my cousin Troy in a play, and have a bunch of fun in the "big city". Better late then never...but I still wont get any cake....