Slow Your Breath Down

When you're feeling homesick (for actual home, or eternal home), let me tell you this song; "Slow your Breath Down" by Future of Forestry quite helps you out. Some days I just feel so ready to leave humanity behind. But I need to love humanity and show Christ to humanity first. And it can be real tiring looking at a broken world that won't be fixed and broken people who may not choose the way of life. But you may make a difference. And I know that's why I am here. I just get tired and I need Christ's strength. Dealing with the world is tiring folks. But this song helped and prayer helps and bible studies help.

Get Cozy and Autumny

Yes, Autumny is a word...

Okay, so maybe it isn't.

Just go with it.

Turn the temp. down if you're like me and live in non-cool Florida,

get yourself a cup of cozy tea or apple cider,

grab your favorite cuddly blanket,

oh and fuzzy socks,

and listen to songs that make you think of autumns past or autumns future

OR

watch movies with your favorite autumn tree color changing, breezy scenes in it.

Your choice.

But guys, it's October.

Octobers only occur one month out of the year so make the best of it.

Even if it's overrated, make a pumpkiny goodness baked creation.

Just do it.

And enjoy it.

Get Autumny.

Wear a cardigan.

Take a walk.

Have a smile on your face and highfive a stranger.

And love deeply.

I'm so thankful for Fall breaks

I am thankful for friends that encourage.
I am thankful for ministries that help kids and their moms and dads to learn about Jesus my Savior.
I am thankful to show them the love of Christ and work with believers who's goal is the same.
I am thankful for created traditional holidays that include bobbing for apples and yummy pumpkin food and painting pumpkins.
I am thankful for a family trip to a sketch zoo with a camel, porcupines, alpacas, a wallaby, pigs,  and etc.
I am thankful for church cookouts and volleyball games.
I am thankful for my home church.
I am thankful for this lovely couple at my church who inspire me daily.

I am so thankful for this weekend, and I am thankful for my life and I want my attitude to remain thankful and loving this week even if it gets hard to. I want Christ to be centered in my mind and to be shown through my actions. He has blessed me so. And I want him to be glorified.

Oh, Taylor Swift

Say what you will about Taylor Swift (and hey I'll admit too that she's had perhaps too many boyfriends and written too many songs about them and has definitely veered from the innocent girl with curls that she once was) but her CDs have kind of measured my years of growing up and her CDs make me nostalgic.

I remember listening to "Teardrops on my Guitar" when I was in middle school and had a crush on a guy named Carl but I thought he liked someone else and I was a dramatic tween so our situation made me think of good old Taylor and Drew and that song. Those were the good old days.

I remember listening to "Fifteen" at my friend Natalie's birthday party day before other guests arrived and commenting on how in a couple months I would be turning fifteen and how weird and old I'd be. Ha. Old.

I remember listening to the Speak Now album on the way to our church's yearly October canoe trip and the air being crisp and feeling lighthearted and I also remember watching the Taylor Swift Thanksgiving Day Special about that album on Thanksgiving when our guests had left.

I guess I don't have too many memories associated with Red if I am being honest. I just remember listening to "All too well" and "Last Time" way too often because those were my favorites and All Too Well made me want a maple latte (which hey I have now tried since then and let me tell you; it's swell). Also, "Red" and "We are never getting back together" were way overplayed. Also, that cd made me more aware that Taylor was leaning more towards the pop genre.

And lastly, "1989" came out last year and my friend Lauren and I had talked about wanting to get it and my Mom ended up buying it for me. I brought it to school and I ashamedly danced out to "Welcome to New York" and some other catchy stuck in your head type songs that I didn't even really like that much. I like her old style better. But her new poppy songs were and are catchy and my unit at my now closed down college would sing them all the time.

So that's Taylor through the years, and some of my memories too.

Although, I'll admit, I miss curly haired lyric/meaning centered and innocent songs.
Just like I miss curly haired, innocent, little girl me at times too.


Oh darling don't you ever grow up.

Some people anxiously await Halloween but I have always awaited Oktoberfest

Each year during October, my Mommy holds a holiday that we've always experienced as a kid. It's always been full of yummy food, family and friend time and games and candy. I'm so glad to be celebrating it as I'm here on Fall breaks. Sometimes being away is nice. But when you're away at a place where morals aren't there and guys constantly hit on you and argue and disobey rules and some hate you for speaking what is right and true, and your days are so so long, you really start to realize what you had and you miss it a lot. I have a great family and a great home and I'm so thankful to be back with them.

Buckeyes, Sleepovers, and Proverbs

Last night I spent the night at my friend Brooke's  apartment. I made and time lapsed Buckeyes with my friend Mikayla and they were delish. Then after that and some goofing off and some tv watching, we went to bed. But Brooke and I didn't go to sleep for another hour. It was just a great time spent talking heart to heart and about God and things that matter. I appreciate that about our friendship we can laugh about stupid videos or have deep conversations. It was nice. Today, the weather really felt like Fall (or at least it did in the morning) and in one of my classes we studied and talked about Proverbs 1 and that was a breath of fresh air too. Tomorrow I get to go home for Fall break and I am beyond excited. Oh life.

"my super power is the uncanny ability to always have a half full cup of slightly warm coffee in my hand at any moment of the day"

-- Matthew Gray Gubler

"Golden are the days,

when the crisp air meet the sun rays,

the park swings greet children at play,

the leaves on the tree no longer stay.

Golden are the days,

of cardigans so snug,

holding on like a warm autumnal hug,

an October full of cider in a mug.

Golden are the days of you and me,

apple picking trees,

wind and breeze,

until the days of frost and freeze."

-- Me

Autumn makes me dream.

One day I'll go apple picking.

One day my future husband and I will go to the park and we'll throw a baseball back and forth.

One day the air will be real cold and the leaves will actually change color.

Even if I get just a little bit of Autumn here in FL,

I still love it.

Autumn is great.

\Oh, and so is Matthew Gray Gubler.