Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Listamania 4.0 Foto Favorites



These are my Top 10 Favorite photos I've taken this year...that I can remember. Some are favorites because they are just downright cool or artsy, and others because of what they represent!




1. CYS <3 on the sandy beach off Rottnest Island, 20 km off the West Coast of Australia









2. Ceiling of the breezeway of the lodge at Camp Tejas in Giddings, TX













3. Ok, so obviously I didn't take this, but me flying down the hill of the sunken football stadium at Stephen F. Austin State University when it snowed the entire weekend I went up to visit.











 4. BEST friends after the BEST concert! Black Eyed Peas at the Rodeo on my birthday











5. Crepe Myrtle on my first experience with my new fancy camera
















6. Rottnest Island
















7. Eucalyptus Tree in Perth, Australia











8. Cottesloe Beach in Perth, Australia
















9. Beautiful butterfly that took about 15 shots to get at the Mercer Arboretum










10. Waterfall and columns at the Mercer Arboretum
















10 +1. I have to add an 11th because this is the sweetest picture I have seen in a while! My dear friend, Leslie, with her adorable son, Luke, at his 3rd birthday party

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Stop, Look, and Listen


Whewwwwwwwww.

Yep, that about sums up the past couple weeks. They have flown by so fast that I did not even remember when I last posted, until now of course. At the same time, I have completely looked forward to sleeping and utterly dreaded any time that I have had to spend with my eyes open. But oh how sweet our Savior is! He takes away the tiredness just when I need to buck up and be prepared for being alive and awake!

My few words to the wise today, just puttin it out there bluntly. Sometimes we need to stop selfishly focusing on what's going on in our lives and look around at those who may be hurting and listen to them. Have faith in God and pray to recognize how we can use what gifts- tangible or intangible- we have to help them. In the end, I promise you will be so much more blessed than those you are blessing.

Just as the title- simply put- STOP. LOOK. LISTEN.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

j.o.y.

Joyful, joyful, I adore Thee.
Smilingly. Willingly. Peacefully.
Unselfishly. Delightfully. Happily.
Sacrificially. Eagerly. Servingly.
And promisingly forever.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Listamania 3.0 Reality-Game Shows


I've been watching you. WELP! This season of Big Brother is almost over, and I look forward to watching it EVERY Winter, because that is when I start missing it terribly, but unfortunately it doesn't come on until the Summer. I really really enjoy it, and I don't necessarily know why! But it takes up SO MUCH TIME! It comes on 3 days per week for an entire hour each time, and I often find myself wanting to watch an episode more than once. I love the new modern reality-game shows because I wish I could go on every single one of them. I just think it would be fun! And I'm pretty competitive and often find myself strategizing in these games when I'm not even playing. So here's to the 11 best reality-game shows in an extremely particular order...

1. Big Brother
2. Survivor
3. The Amazing Race
4. Dancing With the Stars
5. The Mole
6. The Bachelor(/ette)
7. Project Runway
8. Top Chef
9. The Challenge
10. American Idol
11. America's Next Top Model

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVES?!?!?

Monday, September 6, 2010

In Your Hands

A prayer I wrote last week while journaling...



In Your Hands

O Lord! I delight in You!

In Your hands I lay my feet,
That I may walk a straight and narrow path, undistracted and unwaivering
And that I may also fall to them in prayer and dedication to You

In Your hands I lay my head,
That I may think only pure thoughts that glorify Your holy name
And that I put my head-knowledge to good practice for You

In Your hands I lay my mouth,
That I may loudly proclaim the grace and mercy of You, my dear Savior
But that I may also know when to stay silent

In Your hands I lay my eyes,
That I may be fully aware of what you have blessed me with,
But that I may not see my neighbor's possessions and become jealous

In Your hands I lay my emotions,
That I may not let them rule me or speak louder than Your Word,
But that I constantly yearn and burn with passion for you

In Your hands I lay my face,
That others may recognize the fullness of joy I don't receive in anything else but You,
And that I present the peace and calm only You continue to bring to my life

In Your hands I lay my voice,
That I may joyfully sing your praises all the day long
And that I use it- along with my heart- to glorify You and only You

In Your hands I lay my arms,
That I may properly use them to embrace my friends, family, and strangers in Your love
Whethere in times of joy, pain, or sorrow

In Your hands I lay my heart,
That I may allow You to be the strength of it and my portion forever,
And that I may store up Your Word inside, so I might not sin against You

In Your hands I lay my legs,
That I may travel to the ends of the Earth and back spreading the Good News of the sacrifice You made for me
And that I may walk in Your Truth, Spirit, and Light

In Your hands I lay my time,
That I may use it for the furthering of Your Kingdom and not my selfish interests
And that I may be at peace with the rhyme and rhythm of your clock's tick and your clock's tock

In Your hands I lay my hands too,
That I may gently grasp your word and use it as the fiercest weapon against Satan's attacks
And that I may carefully clasp my hands in prayer and thankfulness to You
And that I may let you work through my fingers so earnestly that I leave clean fingerprints of Your image on everything I touch

O Lord! I delight in You!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Listamania 2.0: Cooking and Cleaning are COOL!

...and apparently alliteration is awesome also.

Okay, so moooost of my friends know that I can be quite a dork with it comes to domestic duties. I love to cook and clean! So here goes for my 2nd Listamania!

Top 10 Foods I Love to Make (in no particular order):
  1. spicy salsa
  2. blueberry cobbler
  3. roasted vegetable meatloaf
  4. chocolate chip/ oatmeal/ marshmallow cookie cake
  5. beef noodles in the pressure cooker
  6. yogurt pancakes
  7. sweet potato pie
  8. peanut butter brownies
  9. baked chicken
  10. southwest quinoa

Top 10 Things I Love to Clean (in a very particular order):
  1. dishes
  2. my car
  3. kitchen counters
  4. TV screens
  5. vacuuming carpet
  6. the stove
  7. other people's kitchens
  8. my desk
  9. the shower
  10. dusting the piano