Happy 18th Birthday Matthew!

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."

~Psalm 127:3

Guess what today is? It is my amazing brother's 18th birthday!!!! 

 I cannot believe how grown up he is! It seems like just yesterday we were playing dress up, building legos, playing basketball, and so much more.

 Being the middle children we were partners in crime, but the funny thing is that even though our activities have changed we are still partners in crime. :D Now I have the joy of new activites like going to mid-night premires, playing cards, picking on siblings, driving everywhere, and going to see AWESOME broadway musicals like The Lion King! I cannot say enough how much he means to me and how much he has given for me. He has the biggest, sweetest, kindest, heart and continually pours it out giving what he has to bless others. He has a strong heart for God.

 All I can say Matthew is to shoot for the stars. Set a goal and don't be afriad to set high ones! 

God has blessed you with so many talents! Violin, singing, theater, knowledge, writting, etc.

(Matthew as the guest soloist for the Greensboro Adult Orchestra:) 

I will always be right here to support you. 

Keep your eyes on God and begin to fly! <3  

<3 I love you! Partners in crime forever big brother! <3

When Life Gives You Mistakes

"Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand."

~Psalm 37:24

It’s funny how many mistakes we knot into life.  We may think of it as being "just a mistake," but we can learn from the mistakes we have made.  Many inventions have been made that have improved our society.  Many of the things we love and use most today were a mistake.  One such mistake was the potato chip.  The potato chip is one of the world’s most ingenious inventions.  It was formed out of a mistake, but turned into a life changing creation!

The mind behind this mistake was George Crum. What a great name for the maker of his invention! :) Crum was a chef at Carey Moon Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York.  On August 24, 1853, a costumer came in that would change Crum, and the world forever.  This customer ordered a plate of fried potatoes, but was unhappy with the result of the thick, soggy potatoes he received.  The plate was sent back many times and Crum become very upset.  He whipped the plate up and slashed the potatoes insanely thin, fried them until they were as hard as rock, and after making his point, served them to the customer.  The customer loved the size, the texture, and the taste especially!  The object that was a mistake became a huge hit, and was a regular item at the lodge.  Crum had made a new invention!  He named his mistake, Saratoga Chips. Now called Potato Chips!

George Crum’s mistake was out of anger, annoyance, and frustration; but it became something that would forever change our history!  Everyone makes mistakes.  It is impossible to be mistake free.  God can take what is "just a mistake" though, and make it into a new creation, one that can be used to serve Him.

So, when life gives you mistakes, make potato chips! :D

~Hasta Luago Caiman!

Languages

"Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

~Genesis 11:7

See that verse above? It is from the story of the Tower of Babel, and this is where I assume Spanish, French, Chinese, English, and so many other languages began. 

This being my first year of High school I had to decide what language I wanted to learn first.  Notice there I said first. There are many languages I would like to learn:

1. Italian

2. Spanish

3. Hebrew

4. French

5. German

6. Russian

7. Swedish

8. Greek

9. So on.....

How cool would it be to be able to speak so many languages! Then I would have polyglotism.

Polyglotism-

"the use of many languages, the ability to speak many languages." (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) 

I could have picked any language to learn. I have always wanted to learn Italian, and almost picked that one to learn first. Italian is a hard language to learn, and I have to spend two years on the language I choose, so by the end maybe I will have started understanding it. :) As I was thinking though, it might be easier to learn another language first, then try grasping Italian. So....French. My brother's did French, I could learn that language, but then maybe not. How often would I be able to use French without traveling to France itself? Probably not much, so which language would be most beneficial? Spanish. Yes, many people speak Spanish. I could learn Spanish and could use it almost on a daily basis. So.... Spanish it is!

I have am committed to learning Spanish for the next two years. If I work hard I may be fluent in it. I hope so!

I am on my way to having polyglotism. Yeah! If you have any tips or pointer's on learning a language, they would be most welcome. 

~Hasta Luago Caiman!

Driver's Education

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you."

~Psalm 32:8

Everyone has to do it in order to legally get their lisence. Yes, I am talking about driver's ed.  Today was my last day of driving. Watch out world cause I am coming! 

As you know already I am homeschooled. Unfortunutely I missed the homeschool class in April and I had to take the class at a private school where I live. I call it the gumbo class, because this class was filled with homschoolers, public schoolers, and private schoolers from all around. 

The class was okay… I loved my teacher, but there were two things I didn't like! 

1- The talk and converstaion of those next to me

Okay so it was not as bad as I thought. I thought there was going to be language going everywhere, but there wasn't! I did not however like their conversation topics. I unfortunately sat next to a group of guys who were in their own group type thing. They didn't consider themselves more important then those around them, but you could tell they were a group. What bothered me was that I had to sit there and listen to them pick apart girls in their school for not being pretty enough, or exchange some pictures of girls who did fit up to their standards. 

2- The chairs!!!!

This was absoluely the worst part! I have a new apreciation for public schoolers after taking that class. The chairs were horrible and you had to sit in them for 8 hours. Call me crazy, but they were literally the worst part about the class. I do not know how people do it. I was dying after class was let out. The first day was the worst, but it didn't get much better the next few days. 

All I can say is.... Thank you Mom for homeschooling me, and thank you God for not letting me kill anyone while I drove!

Now I am off to the DMV to get my permit! 

Have You Gotten Your Calender Mixed Up?

"There is a time for everything,

        and a season for every activity under the heavens"

            ~Ecclesiates 3:1

In the past I have been a huge advocate for not bringing up Christmas until after Thanksgiving. (P.S. Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday) 

I was that person. The one always getting on people for listening to Christmas music, or even mentioning it before Thanksgiving had safely passed by. Did they get their calenders mixed up? I mean really, can you not wait a few weeks before you go wild on the red and green. Now, do not get me wrong. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!! It truely is one of the best time of the year! I love celabrating Christ's birth, and all the joyful festivities, but I prefer to go wild AFTER Thanksgiving has sailed by.

HOWEVER.....

This year I am the one obsessed with Christmas when it is still the middle of October! Golly gumdrop! I just cannot wait! But I have to. I have to remind myself that ,"there is a time for everything."  This year God has given me an oppurtuinity to enjoy each and every season of life. Instead of dying for Christmas! I can blame listening to Christmas music on me trying to find a song for dance, which is true.....to some extent. Hehe! Patience, patience is a virture. If Mary could wait 9 months to see her Savior, then I can wait 2 to celabrate His birthday! :)    

Modesty

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own;

for you were bought with a price. Therefor honor God with your body."

~1 Corinthian 6:19-20

Modesty is big concern of mine. In this time and era everyone is so body crazed. Girls everywhere are encouraged to flaunt this and show that. The gap between modest and immodesty has grown so much that it almost doesn't seem to exist. So how do we uphold our modesty? 

The bible calls are bodies a temple of the Holy Spirit. What are temples? A temple is the Lord's Holy dwelling place. How you dress, and act is a direct representation of the Lord. He is dwelling in you. Should it not be an important goal of yours to dress in a way that would please the Lord? Also remaining pure, for your beauty lies on the inside.

Modesty does not mean ugly. Modesty is not something the hides your beauty, but rather something that accentuates your beauty. It does not mean you have to wear jean jumpers, and button up shirts all the time. It does not mean you cannot wear something cute, or wear bright colors. It means you are taking the time to show your true beauty, drawing attention to wisdom, rather than body.

Modesty is not something that just effects you. I have already said how you are representing God with the way you dress, but there are others as well. When you dress you are representing your family and your future or current husband. It is not just you that you have to think about. When someone looks at you, they see your family, and your husband. You should strive to bring not only honor to God, but honor to those around you.

Remember that though modesty may not give you immediate attention; the way flashy, and showy clothes will, in the longer run it will be worth it, for you will gain so much more then you think. You are choosing to glorify God with your body, and save what you have been given, for the man God gives you. It is something that releases true beauty. Giving you virtue, that is worth protecting. When you dress modestly you are telling the world that God matters most to you, and for that you will be blessed. What impact do you desire to make?

  

  

Hair is Always at the Root

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

~Proverbs 31:30

Every morning when you wake up the question looms, "What am I going to do with my hair!" But apparently there are plenty of options.
Let us go explore....

What we are working with:

Desired result:

Actual result:

Hair for the holidays?

Christmas:

Holiday Highlights...

Tinsel Hair!

Easter:      

Embrace Efficient

Pass the spirit

Show your self!

I'm feeling ya!

Someone is talented!

Gamer, I understand. Tick-tack-toe is my favorite too.

How to fix a problem

Having height trouble?

Too much fun in the sun!

Got some time on your hands?

Mermaid!

Elegance

 Roses and braids!

Hair can be stressful, I know! I get up every morning to the struggle that possesses most of the world. Just remember not to let it consume you, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain. But a woman who fears the Lord it to be priased."