Weekly Wrap-Up

Moments #1

The Good:

~ Sleeping in til whenever ~

~ Going to the Boardwalk with friends (at night!) ~

~ Having those friends sleep over ~

~ Having my best friend sleep over the next day ~

~ Watching What Not To Wear and laughing at people's outfits ~

~ Eating my mom's homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast ~

~ Reading (and finishing) the first book of an awesome series ~

~ Finding out what her real name is ~

~ Enjoying the last golden days of summer ~

The Bad:

~ Eating cotton candy and Dip'N'Dots (at the Boardwalk) back-to-back and feeling sick afterward ~

~ Having two back-to-back sleepovers ~

~ My dad getting stung by a bee and his face swelling up (he's allergic) ~

~ Going to my good friend's going-away party (she's off to college) ~

Overall, it was a great week! I'm planning on doing a "Weekly Wrap-Up" every Friday!

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Day 2: 5 Favorite Bands

(in no particular order)

1. One Direction

2. Maroon5

3. Casting Crowns

4. Rhett Walker Band

5. Tenth Avenue North

Have a great day! :)

The 5 Tag

{Thank you Laura from Randocology for this tag.}

Day 1: 5 Foods You've Never Tried

1. Pickles

2. Kiwi

3. Lamb

4. Butterfingers candy

5. Sushi

I know, crazy right? :D

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Be sure to check out the new collaboration blog that I am posting on: purelovelyblog.blogspot.com. Thanks! :)

P.S. Happy birthday Dad! :)

Change // Updates On My Writing

Quote of the day:

{Thanks Storyteller for the inspiration.}

I love that quote. I need to be reminded of it daily because I'm not a fan of change and a lot of changes are coming my way this fall. But I've got to trust in God and know that he has a plan for my life and that he will never let me down.

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Thanks so much everyone for voting on my polls! So it looks like you guys like when I do random posts? Well, this post is pretty random! :)

Anyways, so you remember the story I was writing about the girl on the Titanic? I called it Hope In The Distance. Well, I've been trying to edit it when I remember or have the time, but it just seems like I'm not getting anywhere and I don't like what I've written. So, I've kind of given up on it for the time being. :-/ And then there was this other story that I was writing called Drama about this girl named Miranda (I haven't really talked about it much).

{Here's the picture that inspired me.}

Well, when I first started writing it I was really excited because I wrote like 60 pages within a couple of days... but then there was a point where I stopped writing anything at all because I was too busy or not in the mood. (I had really bad writer's block for a couple of months.) So, that story is on hold too. I know, really depressing right? :P

Well, good news! I've started writing again (as you can see on my blog with all of my short stories that I have been posting lately) and I've started writing another story! This one I really love and have planned out the whole book since it is a mystery. (I love mysteries!) I don't know what I am going to call it yet, but here's a summary and the picture that inspired it all.

So that's Taylor the main character in the picture there. (Doesn't she kind of look like Belle?) And she's just transferred to a new school - a boarding school to be exact. And she makes all these new friends and is just starting to fit in, when the principal's diamond necklace is stolen. And so she has to solve the mystery and all is going to be revealed at the masquerade party on Halloween night. Doesn't that sound awesome? :D I can't wait to write it. I'm planning on it being a funny mystery too, since comedy makes everything better. (At least I think so.)

So that's all the updates on my writing! Thanks for reading and have a great day! :)

If Only You Knew...

if only you knew

how much I love you

how much i pray for you

how much i think of you

i pray for your well-being

i pray for God to bless you

i pray you will find joy in your successes

and strength when things don't go your way

i think about all we have been through together

and all that we could do

if only you knew

i love the way your eyes sparkle
when you get excited

and when they reflect the early morning sunlight
when we surf

i love the way your dimples appear
when you smile

a pure, genuine smile

i love the way you throw your head back laughing

like a little kid

i love the way you listen to me whole-heartedly

in my good days and bad days

i love the way you look out for me

like an older brother

i love the way you lend me your coat
when it's cold outside

and open the door for me like a gentleman

if only you knew

how much i love you

how much i pray for you

how much i think of you

please come back

come back safely

so i can tell you

how much i love you

how much i pray for you

and how much i think of you

i miss you

if only you knew

if only you knew

{a poem of sorts by me}

Willful Sin {A Sunday Devotional}

What choices do you make?

Keep you servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

~ Psalm 19:13 ~

Have you ever made a decision to do something that you knew was wrong? Maybe your mom or dad asked you a question and you told them something that wasn't quite the truth, or even an all out lie. Maybe you cheated on your homework or a test. Perhaps you talked bad about someone behind their back, and maybe even said something that wasn't true. There are so many ways we choose to sin every day. We choose to let our circumstances dictate us and our behavior, rather than what we know to be right. We often are so caught up in the here and now that we don't think about the eternal consequences. We know that lying is a sin, we know that cheating is bad, and we know that it is wrong to gossip. These are just a few examples of the ways that we choose to sin each day.

While none of us are perfect, God has promised us that if we turn to Him, He will help us. We can pray for Him to help us overcome the habitual sins in our life that are there because we are allowing them to be. He can give us the strength to live a life that is pleasing to Him, and a life that we can be proud of.

Reflection: What are the willful sins in your life?

Application step: Pick a sin that you habitually choose to commit even though you know is is wrong, and make a commitment to stop. Pray for God to help you, and when temptation arises make the choice to stand firm in your resolve. Try looking up some verses about your particular sin, and writing them in a notebook or on a note card and carrying them with you.

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Have a great day! :)

P.S. Thanks for be patient while I took a week long break. This week has been crazy busy, but super fun and I will get back into my regular posting schedule on Tuesday. I love you guys!