Calling all Bronies!!

"My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" is an awesome show. Go watch it.


Best character right there!

The steps to being Awesome

Step 1: Learn to Laugh at ones self

Step 2: Eat Cake

Step 3: Dance in the Rain

Step 4: Have the ability to make wacky hair look hot

Step 5: You must have a funny laugh that makes you laugh.

Step 6: You must listen to music REALLY REALLY LOUD

Step 6.5: You must listen to Owl City

a 13 tournament lesson

Hello everyone!! November 10th, 2012 was the first tournament of the season. Given it was only a Round Robin (or a practice tournament for you non NCFCAer's) but it still was an awesome tournament. In reality it was my favorite tournament I have had in all my three years of competition. This round robin was my 13 tournament ever, and what I have seen in the past is that I only have a good tournament if I do well at that tournament. My two favorite tournaments over the last two years of competition, were the two tournaments that I broke at. Russia Year it was Emerald city, and last year it was Olympia. Two awesome tournaments, but this last one surpassed them all. The whole reason for this started about two to three weeks before the tournament. I emailed Mrs. Miller and told her that I was available to be on worship for the Round Robin. She replied saying yes, but she also said that she wanted me to be prepared before hand by being completely and utterly focused on God. My first thought to this was, "of course I will. I am a Christian so my life should always be focused on God." On Saturday morning, I wasn't focused on God. My focus was getting to the tournament on time, and getting my debate stuffs ready for the day. My mind wasn't focused on God until I realized that I had forgotten all the stuff I needed to lead worship. We turned around and rushed back home. In my mind I was thinking some very non christian words because I was so stupid an late. Then it hit me. Why am I like this? This isn't what I am supposed to be doing. My heart  needs to be on God. In that moment God focused my life on him. It was absolutely amazing. From then on the rest of the day, I can honestly say that I was focusing on God. Now I wasn't thinking of him every second, but I let him take control of my life through that tournament. I let Him do what He willed, and boy was it fun! I didn't do super awesome at this tournament, I was about average. However, I learned so much that day, that it was easily the best tournament ever. The only sad part is it took me 13 tournaments to actually learn that God needs to be in control of everything, otherwise your life will have no joy. God is the giver of all joy. Success can be joyful, but success only comes from the Lord. There you go my little Tidbit for the day. Adios, Salutations and good bye!!!

Africa

One thing I learned this week, is how good it feels to be in the will of God.

Two Wednesdays ago (9/5/11) we had our Young Adults Discipleship Group (our youth group) as we do every Wednesday at our house. This day was special though, we had a guest speaker. Ryan Fast is a full time missionary for an organization for Teen Missions International (TMI). The reason we know him is because he was the leader of the team Cori went on several years ago. Him and his family (see right) came over for dinner that night, and Ryan started sharing about some of the kids he got to encounter on the trip he went on this year. One of the kids he talked about was named Colton. You see Colton was on this mission trip, but refused to become a Christian because he knew in his heart he wasn't ready to give Christ 100%. That really struck me hard. I have never given 100% to Christ, and I call myself a Christian. 

This is where God showed me the problem with my life.

As Ryan was speaking later that night, he was talking about Jesus disciples, and how they were called to go. Then God told me "Go." My Creator gave me a command. I had to go. God needed me to go somewhere. 

This is where God gave me the purpose to my life.

After that through the rest of the night I grabbed the TMI flier and just started flipping through reading about all the teams. Now since I new I needed to go somewhere, I looked at all of the countries I had a desire to go to. Then I read the Zambia trip description. That's when I started shaking and felt really strongly called to go to Africa. For all my life, Africa is the last place I have ever wanted to go. Now God has given me a desire to go there. In the intro to a book my mom is reading it says this:

"For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite Bible verses has been Psalm 37:4: 'Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." I used to believe it meant that if I did what the Lord asked of me, Followed His commandments, and was a "good girl," He would grant all my desires and make my dreams come true. Today, this is still one of my favorite passages of Scripture, but I have learned to interpret it in a totally different way. It is not about God making my dreams come true but about God changing my dreams into His dreams for my life."

This is were God changed my desires, to His desires.

The final thing that happened was I was looking through the other Africa based teams, and I saw the Cameroon team. This team is the foot washing team. You go with next to nothing, and you help African children. 

This is where God told me he wanted to break me. 

He wanted me to have nothing. He wanted to destroy this life I know and love. This was the point where got wrecked my life, and I am so thankful He did. As of a week ago today, I am going with TMI to (most likely) Cameroon. I am going with next to nothing to wash kids feet, and give them their first pair of shoes. This is what God has called me to. Please pray that I am able to get the funding necessary for me to go on this trip, and also that I would stay in his will through the rest of this up coming year.

LAughter!

Last Saturday Dad, Ryan and I were on our way home from our old house. We were listening to "What makes you Beautiful" by One Direction, REALLY REALLY LOUD. We had the windows rolled down and I was singing and dancing like crazy sticking my head out the window. It was awesome. Then I look over, and there was this girl in her 20's who looks over and starts laughing hysterically at me. Life is good when you can make others laugh, just by being yourself. It's even better when you don't even know them.

Well this is humorous

Last night was my piano recital. After the recital, i was playing with all the kids and running around. I ran onto the wet grass trying to get away from Cole (we were playing tag at the time). One thing I forgot about, is that I was wearing converse. Now the interesting thing about converse is that they have no traction whatsoever. I slipped and fell on my left arm. The fall kind of jolted me and I closed my eyes for a split second. When I opened them again I was feeling some pain in my left arm, since that is the side I fell on. I looked over, and my arm wasn't n the place it felt like it should be. I tried moving it, and my upper arm moved while my lower arm did not. I stood up and started walking inside the church saying, "I think I dislocated my arm." Thankfully my dad (who is pretty good with spotting a broken bone), and a retired chiropractor were there. The looked at my arm, trying to move it and they felt some crackling. That is when we knew it was broken. The rest of the night was driving to the emergency room, waiting, talking to a nurse, waiting, getting an x-ray from a guy whose jokes are worthy of the Popsicle stick company, waiting, getting told I might have to have surgery, waiting, getting told they probably won't give me surgery, waiting, getting a splint on (my arm was not, and is still not set), waiting, getting paperwork and drugs, eating tacos, eating dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and coming home. All in all a fun experience. Thankfully, God has given me a high tolerance for pain, while he also made it so that the pain really isn't there. right now I really would appreciate prayer that we would get an appointment to reset my arm and get a cast on quickly, as well as a quick recovery with minimal amounts of doctor bills. I thank for being there for me. I would really ; like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Hartung for hanging out with me and my parents through all of the waiting we had to go through. I hope to put up x-ray's of my broken humorous soon. Well that concludes my little tale. See you when I see you.

Snails

One time at band camp, we were just sitting around the campfire and singing this goofy song about.... snails. I like snails. I had a pet snail once. I named him Gary because I watched sponge bob one day and it was the coolest thing I had ever seen!