Back to the Real World

I woke up this morning early to go on a walk on the beach with Jessi and Eric but my stomach would not allow it. Last night Briana had me try chocolate covered bacon, that could have been the culprit. I felt like I was going to black out and upchuck at the same time. God knew I needed sleep. There was no way he was going to let me go as exhausted as I was. I slept in until breakfast, and while everyone was eating I donned my old man sweater and went outside for a quiet time. It was the perfect temperature outside and the sun felt warm on my cheeks. Perfect.

We had many stops on the way back home. We stopped at some waterfall that I don't remember the name, Mitchell Point [because Mitch was our driver of course], and the Stonehenge. We took TONS of pictures that I will upload later, they're all on Jessi's camera. I absolutely love road trips. Good music. Fun stops. We would literally see a sign for something random and vote if we should stop and most of the time we would just be like "Why not" haha.

I got home and my mom says to me,"You smell good." She just started to sniff me. I finally told her that the last time I took a shower was Friday night haha. She goes,"Well you must have put on perfume or deodorant or somthing." I replied with,"Unfortunately, no." haha. I watched some Lost, ate some nummy dinner, and then soaked in the new hot tub before showering and going to bed. Oh, and I purchased my third pair of Toms :)

Ephesians 4:29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Recycled Rice

Nepal: Made of recycled rice bags :)

We were the last to arrive at camp last night.  We ventured in around 10:30 while some poeple had already been there for two hours! The GPS (Sandy Carmen) had us doing circles and driving 99 miles back the way we came. What was she smoking? I don't know haha. The biggest reason we were so late was because we stopped to go the bathroom at least 5 times and each stop wasted about half an hour. We would tell each other how bad we had to pee on a scale of 1-10 and once 3 people got above 7.5 we would stop. One time Riley got all the way up to 12 out of 10 and we straight up had to stop on the side of the road and pull out the good and faithful toilet paper roll. Fun. 

Then we got miserably lost once we reached seaside trying ot find G street. Every 5 minutes we would recite the alphabet to try to figure out where we were.  We had burping contests (Riley won), we drove through a rainstorm, and we all sang epic worship songs. It was one of the best roadtrips I've had in quite sometime.

Today was great, we shopped around Seaside, spent some time at the beach, and then night beach activities until bed. They ran out of beds when we got in last night, so Jessi and I had to share a small lower bunk. It was quite hilarious and we had a lot of laughs :) I've been eating lots of crap food, not helping my diet, but oh well, it was just one weekend. I'll be good again once I get home haha.

This weekend I experienced God's love. The beautiful earth he has created. The beautiful people he has put in it. The beautiful experiences he gives us. All because of how much he loves us.

John 15:12-13

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

.:To the beach:.

Campaigner Camp this weekend :)

I woke up this morning and it was raining.

I'm praying for some sunshine while we take on the Oregon Coast this weekend.

I'm so excited; this weekend is a chance to relax, spend time with friends, and best of all, spend time with God.

What better place to do all of this than the beach?

The next two days will be blog postless because of lack of computer and photoshop, but I will post the two days I'll miss when I get home.

Beach photos, writing in the sand, waves rushing over my feet.

Okay so I realize it will be freezing, but I don't care. I'm still putting my bare feet in the water.

Sorry mom ;)

My suitcase is packed.

My ipod is charged.

I'm ready for 6 hours in a car...

...I doubt I'll even turn on the ipod, our car's going to be THAT much fun :)

Lamentations 3:22-24

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; tey are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I will hope in him'"

VINTAGE CAMERA STRAP

If we go hungry in our own country, I wonder what it's like living in Hungary?"

~ Asher Roth

_some words to think about_clever I might say_

I came across this verse yesterday, and decided that I liked it, more than a lot :)

Romans 12:20

On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

Killing with kindness.

That's what my dad and I call it.

I'm not sure if you've tried this before but it is unbelievably satisfying.

Someone is doing something you don't like or needs something but you don't think they deserve it.

Don't lash out at them in frustration or keep for yourselves what they need.

Surprise them.

Be nice, or lend them a hand.

They are not getting the reaction out of you that they wanted, which will frustrate them.

It will make them wonder why you are doing it or what your intentions are, and it is a chance to witness.

Kill them with kindness...

...then save them with God.

{I came across these pictures and immediately knew that the next thing I needed to buy was a vintage camera strap for my camera [that I will be buying myself this summer in preparation for college, can't mooch off Dad and his Canon 350D anymore]}

{Well today while surfing the web in my Photography2 class, I came across this camera strap. Problem. Only 1 hour left on the bid. And I was stuck in school. Through outside sources I managed to have someone else do my bidding and in the last 10 seconds we upped it and I got my beloved camera strap! Now I want my own camera more than ever so I can use this badboy}

{I'll be making this for my ipod soon :)}

s(he) be(lie)ve(d)...

I saw that today, and thought it was quite interesting. I'm lucky to not have had that happen to me, but I know many others who can relate. I hope it's not in my future...

I know it's childish, but whenever I see these I can't help but move the pieces across the winding tracks as if I were young again. It's still as fun as it was. Some things just don't wear off.

You've probably noticed, but I've been putting more pictures in my posts. My daily picture is always included, but I have also been adding other photos that I find. I will make sure to label them so you know it's not mine haha.  I love pictures though. It makes blogs easier to read and more interesting for me when there are more photos [I'm such a little kid], so I'm going to include random one's I find and like. They are my inspiration. They help my creativeness grow, and spark some of my own ideas, so why not include them in my blog? :)

{I found this picture and it made me want to borrow books from the library again, first I'll have to update my card. I don't look the same as I did in 2nd grade...}

problem: uncooperative bangs

solution: braid 'em back.

Nothing interesting today.

Had a microscopic photoshoot with Meryn and her lil buddy.

Mythology homework consumed quite a bit of time [supposed to be an easy class, hrmph]

I visited with Ms. Olson 5th hour. Gosh I miss her haha. Oh the good 'ol days :)

I think I'll pay her visits more often.
Listen to this song...here.

Work tonight.

Should be fun, I'm closing so I'll get to drive the electric carts around to plug them in for the night.

We're getting our new hot tub installed soon.

I'm oh so very excited.

I had a quiet time last night, and this morning.

I'm reading 1 Timothy.

I'ts nice to get back into my bible.

Back with God.

I've been neglecting him the last couple days...

{I found another clever flow chart}

Stop Existing...

...start living.

Today my driver side door would not open. So I exited my vehicle nascar style. Through the window :)

I got out and played some tennis today. I needed it.

I finished The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks. Loved it.

Finished Season 1 of Lost. Season Two, here I come...

[PHOTO OF THE DAY]

{I added text to this photo, thought I'd post it again}

{I found this when I was picture surfing the web, expect some water color of my own soon, this inspires me to start up my childhood past-time again}

I'm Ready:

: for spring break :

: to ride my motorcycle :

: to sit out on a warm summer night to watch the sunset :

: for frozen capri suns :

: for chalk drawing :

: for sunglasses :

: for shorts and summer dresses :

: for college :

: for whatever God's plans for me are :

Jerimiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

[I thought this was funny]

Purity,

This darling little girl is Purity.

She is from Kenya, and when Nae and I picked up her packet we immediately fell in love.

We met a very nice man named Landon, and he asked to see the packet.

He said he wanted to find a little girl who was around the same age as his own daughter.

Then they could write each other letters and grow up together.

I want to do that with my child.

And as a senior trip, I am going to take my child to finally meet their pen pal from across the world.

Jennae and I had an amazing time working at the Compassion booth.

We found out when we got there that we were the only one's going to be at the booth [no adults],

 and that the Hoppers event was a concert for an "older audience" ;)

We were practically the only teenagers there haha

12 children got sponsored last night.

It made us so happy to see the faces of people light up with excitement after filling out the paperwork.

It made us sad when people would shrug and put the packets back.

ME AND NAE ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND WE SPONSOR CHILDREN!

YOU ARE ADULTS!

It was frustrating, but all we could say to them was to pray about it.

$38 a month is not a lot to give up.

It's really not.

A couple coffees a week.

Thats it.

To form a relationship and release a child from poverty.

We had what seemed like a hundred packets,

and we got attatched to each child as we sat at that table for 3 hours.

Each one we had to put back in the box when it was all over, broke our hearts.

{Completely}

{and utterly exhausted}

{goodnight}

PHOTO: I BOUGHT THESE TWO PINS TODAY FROM GOODWILL; I'M SO AMAZED BY WHAT SMALL TREASURES YOU CAN FIND THERE :)

Opinions are Immunity...

...to being told we're wrong. Paper, rock, and scissors, they all have their pros and cons. ~Relient K

NEW OPINIONS ARE ALWAYS SUSPECTED, AND USUALLY OPPOSED, WITHOUT ANY OTHER REASON BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT COMMON. ~JOHN LOCKE

I went to let the cat outside today and I opened up the sliding glass door. She didn't move. Then I realized... I hadn't opened the screen.  That screen was like a wall keeping her from new and exciting things outside. That's just like people. If we tear down that wall in our [stubborn] minds, we will start to encounter new and exciting things. That's all I got...

PHOTO: I'M READING THE RESCUE BY NICHOLAS SPARKS. I LOVE IT. ENOUGH SAID :)

[die.eht]

Ecclesiastes 11:7

Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

So I've started a healthy eating diet. I'm, as of yesterday, monitoring my caloric intake and making sure to excercise daily. It was fun making up a daily food plan and seeing how many calories I should be having to reach my goals. This helped :) So far I've followed it strictly and I feel great! I ran right after school today and then went over to Teea's to Turbo Jam! It was perfect outside today. Blue Sky. Slight Breeze. Needtobreathe Blasting out my Ipod. Glorious.

I received my third letter from Melvin yesterday. I broke down. It was from christmas and he wrote "As you read my letter may it give you reason to smile and bring joy to your heart." Just typing that brought tears to my eyes. He also told me that with the christmas money I sent him he went out and bought a t-shirt and pair of pants. Reality. I truly believe that sponsoring Melvin has changed who I am as a person. Reading his overly thankful letters... I can't even explain it, I just know that God gave me the perfect child to sponsor. Perfect. I immediately wrote him back. I'm choosing pictures to include right now, but I should be sending it out tomorrow...

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thougsand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love."

~C.S. Lewis

Make it What You Want

So me and Jessi have always thought that it would be great if hoodless sweatshirts had a front pocket.

To achieve this we bought $2 hoodless sweatshirts from Big Lots, and 99 cent pillowcases from Value Village.

We then cut pockets out of the pillowcases, and sewed them onto the sweatshirts.

Amazing.

Today was Jessi's birthday.

The big One Eight :)

We had a surprise party for her and she was NOT expecting it [although we've had surprise 2 surprise parties in the last two weeks haha]

I found her the perfect old man sweater.

haha

Christina had us listen to this song at discipleship on Sunday.

The lyrics are pretty powerful.

I'm loving God with all of my life.

I don't really see why not to.

It seems pointless to do otherwise.

The Light of Your Face

Oh to know that I have loved You with all my life

And to know I have believed- when I see the face behind the name

Of the One who gave His life for me

Just a Small Town Girl

Short workout [I have huge arms now;)]
Nice climb up Badger Mtn. [Nick and I carried a boulder up the path a ways as community service.]
Went to Big Lots and bought $2 sweatshirts [saw an alien baby haha]
Learned to sew :)
Studied up some Physics with daddy-o

Psalm 116:6
The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.

I love this verse. It makes me feel like I'm never alone. It doesn't matter what is going on in this complicated world, if things are going terrible, so-so, or great, God is always there to pick me up and help me through. ALWAYS.

all i wanted was flowers...

I thought Lost was going to be like Survivor.

False.

Its scary, creepy, and involves monsters.

I thought Valentines Day was over-rated.

False.

It was perfect.
I thought there was a certain age when giving out fairy valentines stopped.
False.
Jose and Colton gave me one tonight [I'm flitteriffic].

[one.track.mind.like.me]

I've become a Lost fanatic.

Got a spare moment.

Turn on the DVD player and watch me some Lost :)

Lots of flowers came through checkout today.

I loved it.

They are so beautiful, and gosh do they smell good.

80% of the store was made up of men haha.

The keepers will come in tomorrow morning and freak out when we tell them we ran out of flowers.

Good job bud, you forgot.

"I wanted to make sure the flowers would be fresh"

Yup.

Thats what the last five guys said...

;)

Google FTW

Today I joined the Yahoo vs. Google war. When I typed in "Why does Voldemort," Yahoo came up with the typical: "why does voldemort want to kill harry potter?" while google had "why does Voldemort have no nose?" Win. MLIA.

The half day went by fast today.

Resisted Taco Bell, my diet couldn't take that garbage.

Cardio Party with Teea = throwing punches in the air for 45 minutes.

Yay for excercise!

A couple episodes of Lost.

Music wiff Nicklefritz.

Meryn's hair.

Take Tolo pics for her and her date.

Yummy shrimp and rice dinner.

Overall, a lovely day.

Karmann Ghia

I saw this on my way back to the school from lunch today and I had to stop. Childhood memories of our old Karmann Ghia. That darling little blue convertible. Mom's car haha. I was so young when we had it that I don't remember it entirely that well, but I do remember that bright blue color. Who could forget it :)

"Tea" and I turbo jammed it up today with two forty-minute sessions. One even had a built in water break haha. Then we studied mythology, watched Parks and Rec [Poopah], and The Office, and laughed a buuuunch. Tomorrow is a half day and I'm so ready for it. A day to relax a bit and spend some time with friends. Until next time...

4 Days

Dress: Value Village: $10

Creation 2010. 

The Classic Crime. Needtobreathe. Switchfoot. David Crowder Band. Skillet. TFK. SONSOFDAY. Audio Unplugged. Hillsong LIVE. Newsboys. Toby Mac. Matt West...

The lineup speaks for itself.

4 days of praise.

4 days of worship.

4 days surrounded by others who love God.

Others with the same purpose in their lives.

I went to Creation-Fest last summer for the first time. 

Despite some 108°F weather, it was a highlight of my summer.

Friday night.

Chris Tomlin.

Everyone in the whole Gorge Ampitheatre was standing with arms held out in surrender. 

The sky was cloudy except for right above the amphitheater.

Too many stars to count.

Chris took a moment and asked everyone to look up.

At that moment, a shooting star flew across the sky.

Coincidence.

I think not.

I felt God that night.

Singing worship that night with tears falling down my face...

 "I gave in, and admitted that God was God." ~C.S. Lewis

I can't wait for this summer.
Backpack Chair, summer dresses, and best friends, God.
Creation, here I come.

Your Love is...

Your love is deep.

Your love is high.

Your love is long.

Your love is wide.

Deeper than my view of grace.

Higher than this worldly place.

Longer than this road I travel.

Wider than the gap You filled.

We sang that at Younglife last night. I love the last line. "Wider than the gap You filled." First of all, "You" is capitalized because it is not just a general statement. Someone's name replaces that pronoun, and not just any name. God. Also the fact that past tense "filled" is used. Meaning God has ALREADY filled my gap. He's already inside of me. I wonder how many people actually thought of that when they sang it. Or if they meant it. I hope they did.

The picture for today is one of many that make up a video. The sticky notes end up saying music. Maybe I'll post it once I'm finished. :)

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

[Two Infinity]

Today, my math teacher asked us what two times infinity was. He suggested, "Is it two infinity?" and a boy in our class screeched "AND BEYOND!" Surprisingly, I think I was the only one who got it. MLIA.

I miss Toy Story.

All Disney movies actually.

I believe a disney marathon needs to happen soon.

Mulan, Finding Nemo, Ice Age, Aladdin, etc.

The good ones.

Went to bagels wiff mama today for lunch.

Green Olive cream cheese is so delicious.

Worked out with Nick after school.

I did squats while he layed on the couch haha.

I resisted dark chocolate,

and instead we went on a run/jog/walk ;)

I love just walking and talking.

Younglife Club is tonight, I'm super stoked.

Until next time...

Something Beautiful

Something Beautiful. On a nice day like today, I realize that despite what we complain about the Tri-Cities, it is beautiful. Find a secluded spot, and it truly makes you want to sit there forever. Sunsets. We also have amazing sunrises and sunsets. We do not give this place enough credit. Sure sometimes its a little boring when trying to figure out something to do, but we have a RIVER in the summer! and huge HILLS for sledding in the winter. We've got it all haha just go outside.

Laughter. Isn't it just the best. I love my discipleship group. I'm so thankful to have such a great group of girls who are so strong in christ. Such encouragement. Today we had a brunch. My definition of bruch meant breakfast/lunch so I brought french bread fulfilling the "lunch" part. Apparently brunch is breakfast at lunchtime. Oops. Me and Jessi took some pictures outside. Surprise surprise ;) I went to work, and missed the superbowl. My manager would get updates on her phone so as far as I know, the Colts are ahead 24-17. I'm too lazy to look up who won. I hope the Saints did. Underdogs ftw :)

SuperBowl Blues

Karli kept me company this morning :) Since we randomly did a photoshoot I thought today's post deserved more than one picture so I could feature my favorites. After some 8 minute abs, and the small photoshoot in the backyard, I had to go to work. Work was crazy today, Superbowl maniacs prepping for their big day tomorrow. Salsa, chips, and beer. Those were the big items of the day. I did a carry-out for an old woman and she asked me, "Why in the world is it so busy today? [in a cute old lady voice]" I had to explain to her that the Superbowl was tomorrow and she said,"Oh, yes, maybe I'll watch it." My thoughts exactly. Not being a big football fan myself, we immediately bonded. I love old people :) Tomorrow I was awarded the shift of 4-9pm. I get to miss basically the whole game [I'm only upset about missing the commercials] and all of our valued customers will be sitting on their couches, NOT IN THE STORE. Which means work will be a breeze! Can't wait ;) My mom and I watched the Ugly Truth tonight. It was pretty funny, but veeery inappropriate haha. Funny, but wrong [movie reference, if you guess it I'll give you a thousand bucks].

Philippians 4:6 (TLB)

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers.

NO-Xplode

Today I had the most fun work out I have had in a long while. It started with one scoop of NO-Xplode. Nick took three haha. Me and Nick were the most hyper human beings trying to lift, do abs, and dance all at once haha. The best part was when we were halfway through lifts and such and he looks me in the eye and tells me that,"Oh yeah, one of the side effects of NO-Xplode. It might give you diarrhea." I couldn't stop laughing. Don't worry. I didn't get it lol. Then we somehow had the energy to have a nice run in the rain. Perfect. I feel so good when I exercise. We're definitely going to make it a daily routine :) I was still hyped up on caffine when I went to the Dear John Premiere. I couldn't stop playing fake drums on the empty chair next to me. Loved it. The movie that is. I bawled my eyes out, but only during the scenes with John and his dad. For some reason Savannah never really had me convinced. She needed to show more emotion. Their relationship though was exactly what I want. They are so completely in love. I'm waiting for my perfect man, and I know somewhere out there, he's waiting too...

Good Old Albys

Just a couple classic work stories. I love work :)

• There's this guy who comes in about once a week who looks to be about 35 years old. He has heelys. Yes. It's absolutely hilarious. When he rolls in all the employees whisper to each other "It's heely guy" and we watch out of the corner of our eyes waiting for him to biff it. :)
• We have a redbox. Sometimes when people stand in front of it to choose a movie, it looks like they are standing in front of a urinal. So it essentially looks like they are peeing on our redbox. :)
• A woman asked me where canned mushrooms were, so I told her the canned vegetables were on isle 5. She looked at me like I was stupid and said "No, canned mushrooms." :)
• Colton and I had a contest to see who could launch a pen farthest down the isle with a rubberband. I won. :)
• The "unbreakable" drinking glasses on isle 14 were put to the test. They don't break. :)
• They called for "Floral" over the intercom, and yes, me, being "Laurel" answered the phone. :)
• Gary calls me shrub because when he was doing his crossword, he learned that laurel is in fact, a shrub. :)
• Colton yells "Hey Dad!" everytime my dad walks in to walk me home.

Red Speck

So I have this red speck in one of my eyes. It's hard to notice unless you REALLY look at my eyes. It's more of a rust color, but I've never met anyone who's eyes do that same thing. I love how unique eyes are. Everyone's seem to be different, all beautiful. Today I took my car into the school autoshop to get my brake shoes replaced. Apparently the place I had my brakes inspected at [I will not name, though I want to because they frustrate me] lied, because a year and a half after they told me I needed them changed immediately, they are still practically new. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I'll get my baby back [baby back baby back...ribs] tomorrow, and fill her with gas as a reward for all the brake hassle she's been through. Slightly rough day today, but I'm ready for the weekend. Dear John comes out on Friday :) One last thing. I love my friends. They mean the world to me, and I know they'll always be there for me. Until next time...

Ecclesiastes 4:10

If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

I know who will pick me up :)

Six more weeks of Winter...

I am sorry, but I find groundhog day absolutely ridiculous. We watched a video in economics of the groundhog "seeing his shadow" today. The massive amount of people watching the whole pathetic thing was unbelievable. I hope they just went for the fun of it, because if they were actually that eager to know about our weather forecast for the next 6 weeks, I'm extremely disappointed. This day gets way too much attention for what it is worth. I know I'm a party pooper, and I apologize if you've been waiting all year for this day, and I just sunk your excitement boat. That's just my attitude towards it.

"After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world. "
REALLY?

Work today was great. Jose is officially the funniest man alive. Carts aren't half bad when its lovely outside. I'm wearing my toms tomorrow :) Me and Jessi are going to work on my Photo Project, and I finally will be able to go to Campaigners! That's all I got...

I liked this quote:
Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia.
~Charles Schulz

Just another Adami dinner...

The picture on the right. That happens every night we take the time to sit down at the table and ditch the T.V. trays. Laughter is inevitable, we usually laugh so hard we cry. And we're guaranteed this much entertainment every time. It makes me think about how much I'll miss it when I go to college. My dinner buddies had better be hilarious ;)

Did you know "Living in a Strange World" is from a song? It's by the band Parachute. It always reminds me of scream/singing in the car with Jessi. So keep me hanging on, Hold me down, And stop me when I fall, Love me when it makes no sense at all, Even when I'm gone, Keep hanging on, You've got me living in a strange world, strange world, strange world...