the problem with Robin Williams being the most talked about thing in America

While I hope to not come across as insensitive in this post, I can't help but ask the question of why?

Turned on the news to try to catch up on more of what was going on in Iraq with the hundreds of innocent people being murdered in a vicious way, but all I learned was Robin Williams had died.

While I am terribly sad to hear this news, as he was a wonderful actor and comedian and I thoroughly enjoyed his movies, why in the world is he the top story? I am saddened for his wife and family, but I am amazed that this was the most talked about thing on the news.

I may be wrong, but children being beheaded by terrorists is far worse than one actor deciding life was no longer worth living. I am amazed at what the American culture considers groundbreaking news. Isis is probably laughing at how ridiculous we are. They are probably thinking that our country is a joke, and quite frankly, I don't blame them.

As a Christian, I was so convicted that we react quicker to a celebrity taking his own life, then our brothers and sister in Christ dying a brutal death because they profess His name.

As I earlier stated, my heart goes out to the Williams family, what a tragic time in their lives. But should it really be the lead story?

2014 Summer Bucket List & Goals

I decided to do a summer bucket list/goals. 

So let's just get right to it. 

+Florida beach trip

+Stone Mountain

+Try a new restaurant in Winston

+Learn & mater 3 more guitar chords

+Book 5 or more photo sessions

+Clean out spare bedroom & office from move

+Develop new name and start blog for Children's Homes

+Book one ladies meeting to present children's homes at

+San Antonio

+Read 3 books

+Start a more normal workout routine once physical therapy allows 

+Invite at least 3 people to Help Conference in October

+NYC & Iceland

+Celebrate one year with J

As you can see this will be a very busy summer, but luckily it is my favorite time of year. 

Happy summer yall.

for the wanderlust in all of us.

I love to travel... and I think I am slowly making Josh as obsessed as I am.

I have wanted to write a post about my top 10 places I want to visit and haven't, so here it goes.

Luckily, I have been very blessed with the oppurtunity to have already been to 15 countries and four continents. Unfortuantely, those trips only made my desire worse.

So here is my top 10 places I want to visit... and the awesome things I want to do while there.

1. Iceland

This was a recent discovery of mine, as Australia was always my number one place to visit, but after a little research on "the land of fire and ice" I was converted.

Things to do/see:
-LOTS of hiking on every surface imaginable (glaciers, colorful mountains, canyons, volcanos)
-The Northern Lights
-Silfra (where you can snorkel/scuba dive inbetween the two tectonic plates of North America & Europe)
-Geothermal pools
-BEAUTIFUL Icelandic horses
-Reykjavik's colorful buildings
-Waterfalls, on waterfalls, on waterfalls
-Black sand beaches (yes please)
-Whales, seals, & puffins

I could go on and on but I won't...
also some EXCITING news, Josh and I are going this year! I cannont contain my excitement.

2. Australia

As I said earlier this grand country now sits in second... but sometimes I think she is first. I have been in love with Australia my whole life.

Things to do/see:
-Great Barrier Reef (J and I got our scuba certification just so we could scuba dive in this spot)
-Sydney, she is a beaut.
-Cairns, oh the beaches.
-Rock climb the Blue Mountains
-The outback
-Kangaroos & Koalas

We plan to take this trip within the next few years, especially because this is Josh's number one place to go.

3. Africa

Like Australia I want to see the whole country of Africa, like everything. But some of the things I really want to see are:

-Cape Town, South Africa- it's gorgeous mountains and beaches and I found a company I want to cage dive with great white sharks with there.
-Safari, because lions are the coolest animals on the planet.
-Morocco
-Egypt- pyramids and scuba dive in the Red Sea
-Zimbabwe

4. Honduras

One of the missionaries Help works with could not stop talking about how great the diving is there.. and when I did my research some claimed it to be better that Australia, and that is something I have to see for myself. Plus it is one of the best places to see a whale shark, which is something I am dying to see.

5. Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia

Seriously if you don't know what this is go research it now. It is the worlds largest salt flat and it is incredible.

6. Thailand

This is a new one I have added to the list, but it intrigues me. Josh really wants to go here and I encourage anywhere he wants (: but when I started looking I realized just how beautiful this place is.

7. California

Yay, the USA finally made it on the list. There are so many things I want to see on our nations West Coast.

-Those giant trees
-Great beaches
-Los Angeles
-San Fransico

8. Santorini, Greece

I mean I don't think this one needs an explination.. the ultimate romantic getaway.

9. Antelope Canyon, Arizona

Another United States location. This place looks so amazing and I have been biting at the bit to go since I saw the first picture.

10. Tianzi Mountains, China

These mountains look so majestic and amazing.. what a dreamy place.



J and I are currently accepting travel buddy applications.. just kidding, but really.
I am amazed by God's creation, and what His creation builds. I can't wait to check them off my list.


This travel blog may become a thing of mine.

 

(these pictures do not belong to me, I did not take them, obviously, since I have never been to these places)

23 joyful days.

I have decided to choose joy.

My good friend Melissa and I wrote 23 joyous things to do for the next 23 days. As in, starting tomorrow March 5th. We would LOVE for you to join in! To keep each other accountable we are going to document everything on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, or just one if you don't have all three! 

For all you that take on this list use #twentythreejoyfuldays

Melissa and I are not going to do everything in this particular order, but we have committed to having it all finished in 23 days. 

I am so excited to start this... 

1. Read Psalm 100

2. Exercise in your favorite way for 20+ minutes.

3. Call a family member you haven't talked to in a long time. 

4. Cook something new.

5. Spend 2 hours outside. (For Lissa this should be easy since she is the lucky one in Tampa, but surely we will get a pretty day in the next 23 here)

6. Buy yourself some fresh flowers. 

7. Buy someone else some fresh flowers. 

8. Sing in the shower. (I used to be a mega shower singer and sadly I stopped, I am picking up the habit!)

9. Go on a date with your favorite human. (For me this is J, for you it could be your mom, dad, brother, or best friend)

10. Paint a picture. (NO ARTISTIC ABILITY HERE! But I think it will make me happy)

11. Write a letter to a missionary. 

12. Play with sparklers. (They may be the happiest things on earth)

13. Visit your favorite spot... where you live. (My all time favorite spot would take about 26 hours on a plane to reach so, I will have to settle for my favorite spot here in NC)

14. Pray without ceasing, literally, I want you to pray all day long. 

15. Eat a cupcake, or two. 

16. Organize something in your life. 

17. Have a conversation with someone living on the street. 

18. Pay for someone behind you in the checkout line, wherever you decide necessary. 

19. Forgive someone, and pray for them. (Melissa gets all credit for this one, she is the greatest)

20. Take a risk in talking to someone about God. (Family member, friend, coworker, classmate. Show them the love of Jesus)

21. Leave and inspirational quote for someone to find. 

22. Leave 4 quarters in a vending machine with a nice note.
23. Bake something to take to work/class.


Did I mention I miss this Melissa girl.

Anyways, that is the challenge. You don't have to do these in any particular order. Some will take no time and some will take a lot of effort... but I think everyone should take the chance to choose joy.

Happy Tuesday!

insert picture from 2011. 

(:

quit calling it single awareness day and get out there and love somebody.

I have always hated the hate that people have for Valentine's day.

I totally understand that it could sting a little bit if you just broke up with your significant other, you have never had a significant other, and a million other reasons.

I also hear the complaint of "well shouldn't you show love to people everyday".

My answer to this is always, "well shouldn't you celebrate the birth of Jesus, his ressurection, your countries independence, and blessings you have in life every day?"

I encourage you that if you don't have a significant other, get out there and love someone anyway. Go out of you way to show love to a mom, dad, brother, sister, child, grandma, grandpa, dog, cat, best friend, co-worker, enemy (whoa, I know that is touchy). This valentines day I think we should all try our best to love everyone we see, because that is what Christ commanded us to do. We should love the waitress at the restaurant, the teller at the bank, the grumpy target worker, and everyone inbetween.

This valentines day I think we should show some extra love for our God, because he ALWAYS shows extra love for us.

I didn't want to go to church.

Yesterday morning I didn't want to get up and go to church.

I know, how unspiritual of me.

Anyways, I was tired (and cold) and wanted to snuggle in my bed. I normally am excited about going to church and have no problem getting motivated to get myself ready. Yesterday I had to roll out of bed and make myself get ready.


Once I got to church I was still feeling tired and wanted to go home (turns out I was sick), but decided to stay anyway.


AND THANK GOD I DID.

During choir I noticed a young couple just a row in front of where I normally sit. They looked like they were teenagers and were sitting by themselves. I sat behind them during the service and the entire time I felt like I needed to pray for the boy in the rugby styled shirt.

Weird, right?

Wrong.

See, God knew that he wasn't saved and that he needed the courage to walk to the front after the service to ask someone to show him how he could be, and God used me.

God has worked in my life in many ways before but I don't know that it was ever so humbling as it was yesterday morning. He could have easily had someone else pray for him, or just given him the courage on his own to walk to the front, but instead He had me (the girl that didn't even want to go to church that morning) experience the blessing of watching someone you just spent an hour praying for walk the aisle and trust Christ as their Savior.

let it go.

sometimes you worry.

sometimes you worry so much that you cry yourself to sleep at night.

all the time, you should do this instead:

 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. -1 Peter 5:7

 

 

 

 

 

 

just let Him have it.

just let it go.

 

goals, resolutions, what have you.

I am not a huge fan of resolutions since most of the time people don't follow through, but I am going to set some goals for this year... which is pretty much the same thing.

anyways, here are a few things that I am going to strive to do this year.

+get ready in the morning. I am so bad about waking up just early enough to put my clothes on, brush my teeth, and make coffee. along with this I want to learn some fun tips and tricks for makeup because I am not makeup savvy in the least bit. I love makeup but I need to learn how to apply it. I plan to soak in what Meg Livingston says in her new beauty blog. win.

+cook more meals/pack more lunches. working a full time job and being a wife is hard. I really love my job though, and the financial aid it brings, so for now I will have to find a way to balance both. also, having your office inbetween Chick-fil-a and Cook Out can be expensive. I need to make more dinner so I can have more leftovers. two birds with one stone.

+finish our Dave Ramsey baby step 3, which is a fully funded emergency fund. (e-fund definiton: 3-6 months of your income in a savings account that you can access easily) we are in the process of buying a house and trying to finish this step up, but I think we can do it.

+a few months ago I blogged about being a missionary. well I feel like I know where God is leading and it's something I can do from right where I am. I don't want to give to many details because I will be unveiling it via this blog within the next month or so, but it's a goal to have it up and running and ready for presentation in October for the annual Help Conference.

+have a yardsale. because we have too much junk.

+stop biting my nails. I say this every year. never works. oh well. try, try again.

+read five new books.

+go to Australia in September. J and I have set this goal together and we are hoping we can still accomplish it with some unexpected expenses that came up.

+move into our new home. right now we are going throught the home inspection process and loan approval and it is a lot of work, but I can't wait to get into our house! we plan to completely renovate the kitchen right away but more on that later.

+love J, my family/friends, and Jesus more.