A Favorite Christmas Song

As you can either tell, or as most of you know so well... I am a Christmas girl inside and out. Christmas means so very much to me, it is what I look forward to all year around and then what I start missing immediately when it is gone. But like everyone knows, Christmas is not just a day, or a season, it is what you make of it and what is in your heart. I love to celebrate the Lord's birth, and I love the spirit of giving; I always have. But it is more than just giving and receiving, it is more than just a day set aside to celebrate Jesus' birth. It is believing that Jesus lived, died and is alive again, it is believing that no matter what may come every day can be just like Christmas to you and me. It is the hope for a better future, it is the love of family, friends and knowing how much you are loved by God as well. It is the child-like faith in the SPIRIT of Christmas itself.. This song following is one of my favorite songs... Josh Groban sings it and it has such a beautiful, haunting melody that you can't help but love the music as well as the vocals! So here are the words to Believe:

Children, sleeping.
Snow is softly falling.
Dreams are calling,
Like bells in the distance.
We were dreamers,
Not so long ago.
But one by one, we
All had to grow up.

When it seems the magic slipped away...
We find it all again on Christmas Day.

Believe in what your heart is saying,
Hear the melody that's playing.
There's no time to waste,
There so much to celebrate.
Believe in what you feel inside,
Give your dreams the wings to fly.
You have everything you need, if you just believe.

Trains move quickly
To their journey's end.
Destinations...
Are where we begin again.
Ships go sailing,
Far across the sea.
Trusting starlight,
To get where they need to be.

When it seems that we have lost our way...
We find ourselves again on Christmas Day.

Believe in what your heart is saying,
Hear the melody that's playing
There's no time to waste,
There so much to celebrate.
Believe in what you feel inside,
And give your dreams the wings to fly.
You have everything you need, if you just Believe.

If you just believe.
If you just believe.
If you just believe...just believe...just believe.

Thanksgiving - a word of action

Wow.... This holiday has already come and gone... The three of us kids got here around 5 on Wednesday, and we had dinner and a relaxing time with my Aunt Carlene, then Yesterday was so tiring (especially for my poor Aunt). Each of us kids had cooking projects to do, as well as trying to make sure everything got set out properly. We got to eat lunch/dinner around 3 and it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Then we all relaxed for about an hour and a half until Uncle Marty and Aunt Marcia showed up! Michael came over as well, and we all had pie, and then later after Uncle Marty and Aunt Marcia went to their hotel (compliments of Michael) we played Wii and Scattergories (spelling?) and then had leftovers! Yum! It was a pretty relaxing evening!

Today we slept in a bit and then were up (me unfortunately with Sinus problems and a headache/migraine) and we went with Uncle Marty, Aunt Marcia, and Aunt Carlene to Hana Yori.... YAY I FINALLY GOT THE NAME RIGHT lol! It was SOOOO good I love restaurants that cook the food in front of you. I ate all my food and then we came back to the house, and said goodbye to Uncle Marty and his "honey bunny" lol then I took a nap while the boys went shopping with my Aunt! So that kinda all leads up to now (after having leftovers for dinner and relaxing some more!)... So to follow some after Bekki... I plan on writing what I am thankful for too, I don't think I will number it, or write everything down, I just want to write some of the things I am thankful for...

-First of all, I am so privileged and thankful to know God and have Him and His Word to lead and guide me. He is all I need, but He has given me SO MUCH.
-I am so VERY thankful for all of my family, there is nothing like having a family that is always supportive of you, my Dad is not only my hero, but he has always been behind me, helping me reach my goals and dreams. My Mom is also my hero, she is the one who I lean on emotionally the most, we are so much alike so MOST of the time she understands me... My brothers are wonderful (sometimes lol) they are the best friends I have and am so thankful for them. In general my family (immediate and... not immediate) is amazing.
-I have the MOST WONDERFUL friends anyone can ever have... There is a saying, and I paraphrase, that a man (woman) is blessed to have one true friend, I am so so SO blessed to have MANY true friends. I miss my California friends so very much, Sarah and Nicole and Bekki, my sisters from other families... and of course my Rialto friends (I don't want to leave anyone out so I won't name names! But you know who you are), I am so thankful for the friends that I have made here at Indiana Bible College... I don't know what I would do without some of them!
-I am so blessed to have this opportunity of going to Indiana Bible College, sure sometimes I want to be home, but I believe I am right where God wants me right now... I am learning so much and still have so much more to learn.

I am thankful for SO MUCH MORE... but without the previously named blessings, I wouldn't be where I am today! So I thank God for all these priceless, precious blessings He has bestowed upon me. Thanksgiving.... A word of action

Christmas is Alive in You and Me

I know Christmas is a month from today, and I thought I would give you my favorite reading... I know we don't believe in Santa Claus, but it is the THOUGHT of the Santa Claus spirit that is alive in us today, and in the celebration of Christ's birth. It is definitely not about the gifts, it is what is inside you.... Sigh... Christmas! So here goes!

Is There a Santa Claus?
From the Editorial Page of The New York Sun,
written by Francis P. Church, September 21, 1897


We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

"Dear Editor--I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in The Sun, it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West Ninety-fifth Street

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives, and he lives forever! A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Holidays are upon us!

This weekend was rather eventful, We had a Basketball tournament Friday, and I went to that, but didn't stay the whole time because I wasn't feeling so great, then that night I had sign team practice at 10... It was just 5 of us for the longest time because quite a few people including the director went out to eat after the tournament... They showed up around 10:45. But practice went well, and I found out once the director got there that I was going to be doing a part of the first verse on Lord You're Holy, as well as all the ad-libbing... Lol so I was there til almost midnight.

So, on Saturday, I lounged around, cleaned and then I once again babysat for the same family from before. The children were once again angels. The youngest was NOT ready for bed when I put her in bed though, so I kept going up there trying to put her to sleep, lol at one point I could hear her singing her ABC's(I heard all this through the baby monitor in her room)as loud as she could. She is only 2 years old but is so smart! So I got home around 10:30, and I walked into the room and what do you know?? I find a decorated Christmas tree on the floor by the refrigerators! I thought it was Breana at first, but she texted me back wondering where it came from, so she came to the room, and by that time I found the card... The anonymous card. So of course, I am so nosy I HAD TO find out who did this wonderful thing. So Bre and I headed downstairs to find out who did this blessed thing. I knew I had told a few people how much I wished I had my Christmas decorations from back home, and come to find it was my suitemates Sarah and Rebekka! Yay for them! lol by the time the bell rang we had them cornered and everyone knew what had happened. It was so cool. They even left candy under the tree for us! SO much Christmas spirit in the air!

It is so cute, wish the lights showed more


So Sunday was the a funny day lol.. After church I went right to the cafeteria because I was starving, and in that time I ended up having everyone dying laughing! So here is the story... Ok... I am not as afraid of spiders as Bekki is, but I was just floating along in my own world telling someone at my table a story and all of a sudden I see a spider, and I immediately flip out! Lol I grabbed the nearest thing that would kill it (a salt shaker) and proceeded to bang it to death... Lol when I stopped yelling and looked around everyone was practically rolling (or scared that I was mental) and there was salt all over because every time I hit the table salt shot out of the shaker! Oh but the spider died! hahah!! It was so funny!

Anyway, I spent most of the afternoon practicing in my room for that night, because I was so nervous about my part. Sunday evening was also the big debut of the choir dresses! LOL the PINK choir dresses... I thought it was going to be awful, but the dresses are so comfortable and my mom fixed the sleeves for me, so it fit better! I actually liked them... lol we were a sea of pink with black in the middle! The sign team wore the old choir dresses first though, the black ones from last year, and we signed, everyone did really good! It is a powerful song and God moved... Then we hurried and changed into the pink dresses and sang... THREE choir songs and these were the first time the church had heard these, they are really neat, LONG songs lol. Very powerful though! I loved it!

Ashley and I after church with our dresses on!


Today wasn't too bad either... every class went along so smoothly, and then after school I tried to take the car to get an oil change, but had to make an appointment to go back at 5. So I started on the paper that was due today (Bro. Killmon gave me until 10 tonight to email it to him though). I ended up taking a break, eating, going to Goodyear and then coming back to finish my paper... and it took me barely an hour all together. Since then I have been lounging around because nothing is really due until after break! Yay! I will be leaving for my Aunt's in 2 days... We would leave Tuesday, but choir is singing at a Youth Convention downtown.... lol YAY for the pink dresses!

It WILL Be Worth It All

It will be worth it all,
When we see Jesus
Life's trials will seem so small
When we see Christ
One glimpse of His sweet face
All sorrows will erase
So may we run this race
Til we see Christ.

This was the song sung in chapel today. An old but VERY TRUE song. Some of you know what has been going on in our family and in my own life, but it just seemed like bad things keep happening and life was just getting overwhelming to me. But yesterday, after a rather teary talk with my mom about the insurance and braces and money in general she calls them... and somehow gets them to do what she wants! So it looks like I may get my braces off (In Jesus Name I will at least) while I am home for break. Then I started worrying about other things this morning... And once again Mom came through for me... Thanks Mom!

Then Chapel begins... And this song is sung, and I started thinking how true this is. We will not remember ONE thing from our life on earth. All we will see is Jesus and His goodness. "One glimpse" is all it will take.

So even after chapel, I was still worried but I just kept on with the day wanting to let go and let God handle it, and after class I ended up in the front office and quite a few people started asking me why I put unsure on my declaration of intent form for next semester. I told them I didn't know how I could afford it but I was going to do everything I could to come back, and Serena and I sat there and talked for about 15 minutes about my life before IBC and how I made the decision to come, and she said she would see if we could find me a job at Calvary Christian School (I had emailed them twice already). Well... less than 20 minutes later, I am up in my room on the computer and I see that I have 7 (yes 7, so important! LOL not!) emails and one of them is from the principal from CCS asking if I would call him because he is wanting to talk to me about my Liberal Studies degree and my work situation. God knows... And I am still assured that it WILL be worth it all on that blessed day when we DO get to see Christ.

OH and I have another job this Saturday with the same family I worked with before. I am excited... God still amazes me! All in one days time so much can happen... Next thing I need is a banquet date, let's see if that happens! Hahah but I am planning on sitting with friends anyway so it doesn't really matter lol

Chorale Tour

So I know I know, I am not in chorale, I wish.. lol. But I went to my Aunt's to see them perform this last weekend. So it was an interesting weekend though... Friday night I babysat at one of the biggest houses I have ever been in, and I did not get back to the dorms from there until after one! It was crazy! But the kids were in bed by 10... They have 3 children. A 2 year old ADORABLE girl, an 8 year old girl, and an 11 year old boy... They have to be the most well mannered children I have met. They asked permission for EVERYTHING that they did and if I said no, they did not question me... I give kudos to those parents. They got themselves ready for bed no questions asked, and when I put the 2 year old to bed (after reading her a fun book) she only asked for her tubby which is actually an Anne Geddy *spelling?* baby that she thinks is a teletubby... and then she went right to sleep... It was a VERY quiet night, and they live practically in the country. So it was a little scary too lol. AND my phone died, so I wandered and read.

Then I woke up around 10 Saturday morning, and got packed, found the things that some girls on Chorale had forgotten and headed up to Aunt Carlene's... MMMMMM her house smelled SO VERY GOOD when I got there, she had made Grandpa's Favorite Chocolate Cake, and Texas Sheet Cake for the Chorale. We went to Benny Yori's and it was INCREDIBLE! I WAS SO HAPPY! That food was scrumptious! And then we picked up the boys in South Bend and went home. Sunday morning the Chorale, Praise and a few groups out of Chorale played and sang. Then afterwards they treated us to a variety of YUMMY hearty soups, I had chili and chicken gumbo mmm mmm mmm. And then as I was sitting with my friends, Mike Hudson gets everyone's attention and asks Ashley to the banquet... Sadly she had already told him no but with this she was forced to say yes or look like a jerk. She was so embarrassed.

But the highlight of the day was it SNOWED! (it is still snowing today too!) So I left Aunt Carlene's around 2 something and after a stop, I was on the road by 3... As I was ALMOST to the church... The GPS told me to go a way I have never been before, so I followed what I thought was the right way.... and got SO VERY LOST for about 20 minutes. It was horrible, I kept going in circles, and the gps said a ramp was in a place that it was not (due to construction) and there was no detour... All this time I was on the phone with my Mom... it was almost a disaster. But thankfully I got on a main street that the GPS recognized! PHEW and got to church 5 minutes before it was supposed to start. Lol Calvary never starts on time Sunday nights though... I had forgotten that. So That was how my weekend went. Today has gone well, and I am hoping the snow stays! I am excited about it! Well.. Til next time!

Praise IS who I am

If you are hurting not knowing what to do
If you are wondering how to make it through
The darkness that has come is not here to last
Even when you're hurting and your "perfect" life has cracked

You may think there is no one that cares
But there IS One upon whom or sorrows bear
There are times when you can not see the way
In those times you try but can not seem to pray

You're hurting and hoping that the darkness will fade away
It seems so overpowering, surely it can not stay
There is something that YOU have to do
You see my friend, YOU have to do it for YOU

Don't you know that when you are crying God is crying too?
He feels all the hurt and pain that you are going through.

Remember as you travel through the darkest of night
That morning WILL come and everything will be made right
I've heard it said rain must fall into everyone's life
But it is up to you to mourn or be blithe



This is a poem that I started years ago but never quite finished... and I still haven't really finished it as of yet... I was surprised when I found it because I kept thinking how much I wanted to blog today about how good God is and choices. But it is how I have been feeling lately I keep wanting something to happen FOR me... Without me doing much to help... I finally got desperate and realized I need to start praying about it. I mean sure.. I've prayed about it.. randomly... but not to long, then today I realized that I have not really let myself talk to God about this situation (well really 2 but I am just focusing on the one I can handle)... We were in Chapel and the chapel worship service lasted about an hour... They were singing quite a few different songs but the one that really got me was the part of a familiar song to us all.
"Praise is what I do, it's what I do
Praise is who I am, it's who I am
Praise will bring you out, it will bring you out, without a doubt"

Praise really has a lot to do with EVERYTHING.... pure worship to God can help you through just about anything... It is new to me each time it is sung, Praise really should be who I am, and it WILL bring me out! Without a doubt! LOL

So while I was talking to God... I received a call (of course unknowingly to me since I did not have my phone but I checked afterwards) and this may just be coincidence (but my mom says nothing happens by coincidence) but this may have just been the answer to my prayers... God knows what He is doing!

So I just thought I would randomly let you know all about it! Til next time

West Coast Conference/DeKalb

So I didn't really have much time the last week to get my DeKalb pictures up. I went on yet another MSA trip this time to DeKalb, but with a few of the same people and some others. It was so much fun! I love small churches! So, I here are some pictures from DeKalb.



So I got back from DeKalb around 2:30 Sunday night.... had tests the next day... Helped Justin record a song for his song writing class, practiced for and then went to a freshman chapel that evening and then had a mandatory meeting with Sis Mooney and all girls... I had not even STARTED to pack yet lol! The next day was Day apart and I was not sure what it was exactly except I knew it was no classes and I was going to skip all together til Cheryl texted me that it was mandatory attendance for the meetings at 11 and 5... So I ran down to breakfast and went to the meeting, signed in... and after the meeting went upstairs to pack! I flew out that night for Cali! It was so good to be home even for one night.

West Coast was amazing... I loved the services so much! LOL There was some unmentioned interesting moments socially LOL but all in all it was a wonderful trip! I am so glad that I was able to see all my friends and I met new friends! I love having friends lol! It is so fun... So I left Fresno yesterday after we ate with my Cousins and went home for a bit... Jenn came over to say goodbye and I headed to the airport around 11 last night... Well It is now 6:40 Houston time.. and I am blogging in the airport because my flight doesn't leave until 7:55! I get into Indy 11ish (8 Cali time) and I just want this trip to be over with. I don't like flying at night... for various reasons, but the sun is coming up right now and is so beautiful.... So here are some pictures from West Coast! I miss home already!