My Sister is Now a Sass

A lot has been going on in my life since my last blog post and I have been REALLY bad about posting on here regularly... I don't know if this is the start of me regularly posting again but I guess we shall see right? Can't hurt to start again and see where it goes!!

I have been busy getting things done for my sister's wedding and now it is done and over with! My sister is married!! How exciting is that?! Nick and Emily Sass! Congratulations you guys! I love it! It was a great wedding!

Natural born gangsta's right?!

I have many fun memories with Emily and Nick and Im so excited for more and more great and beautiful times!

I remember when I first heard about Nick Sass it was waaaayyy back when I was in Middle School and Emily was "friends" (?) with him on AOL Instant Messenger. I would always pester her about who she was talking to and she would never tell me who it was. Then one summer day her friend Kayla was spending the night and we were all three camping out in a tent in our front yard and I was trying to figure out who she had a crush on and Kayla made her tell me that it was Nick Sass.

Then a year or two later (I don't know for sure) they made their relationship legitimate. Oh yes we've had so good times...

I got to give a little speech at their wedding and I talked about some fun things that we've done together! Like:

Nick went to a Jesse McCartney concert with my sister, my friend Tasha, and I. It was pretty interesting haha... definitely eye opening to how Jesse McCartney was NOT the disney singer I thought he was an how he did some rather inappropriate things on stage... interesting.

Nick and Emily and Tasha and I also made a music video one random winter day when I was in High School. It was pretty epic. We went to random places in Corvallis including Jamie's Restaurant, Home Depot, K-Mart, and Zion Lutheran school and we filmed ourselves doing ridiculous things... the best part? We put the film footage together and made a music video to Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" hahaha

And then there is always the notorious bike gang that I was in with Emily and Nick and Tasha. We wanted to go to 7-Eleven to get slurpies but they only had three bikes at their apartment so I needed to use a scooter. Because I couldn't go very fast Emily and Nick and Tasha had to ride in first gear. So naturally we called ourselves "The First Gear Riders". Nick even made up a rap to go with our gangsta look:

First gear riders ridin' real slow. Pedaling real fast so our bikes will roll. Ridin' down to the corner street 7-Eleven. Tryin' to get a piece of that slurpie heaven.

The best part of this story? Once we got our slurpies Nick was so excited that, as he was mounting back onto his bicycle, he squeezed his slurpie cup and the lid popped off and it fell out of his hand and it spilled ALL OVER the ground! Hahahaha you can't get any better than that!! :)

So Needless to say Im super excited for another brother! And I cannot wait to see the awesome life that they're going to have together. I say they need to have a baby but they gawk at that idea at the moment... maybe some day soon! hahaha :)

They're on their honeymoon right now which Im quite jealous about because they're going to be in the happiest place on earth in the sunshine so that's awesome! :) I can't wait to hear about the fun that they are going to have!

Congratulations you two! Love ya!! :)

Try It!

I read somewhere once that the only way that you'll truly love someone or if you desire to have a heart for someone like for poor people or for someone who really rubs you the wrong way, or for... well anyone then the only way to do that would be to just do it. If you want to have a heart for poor people then go serve them. Be around them. Love on them. Get to know them. only then you'll really start to love them and have a heart for them. You can't love that which you don't know so go get to know them!

The Lord has definitely confirmed that in my heart and in my life. Once you start to selflessly love someone or some people group then you'll start to truly love them and that love will grow stronger and stronger as you love them more and more and put yourself around them more and more!

so if you feel like you don't love people enough or tha you could walk through life not caring about the poor or the elderly or the (insert name here) then you wanna know what you should do?! You should go and serve them! Because that's where love for them grows! Ask God for a heart to love them and the strength to serve them and then go and do it!

Recent Pondering

At work I get to spend a lot of time by myself doing relatively simple tasks that allow my mind to wander and ponder certain things. What has been on my mind lately?

Salvation. And the fact that it is all about the heart. I've been thinking about the verse in Matthew 7:21-23 when Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you, away from me, you evildoers!' ". It's crazy to think that this is true. That there will be people that say they knew Jesus but He will tell them He never knew them. That's further proof that God judges the heart of a man and not the outward appearance or declaration of being a Christian.

Love. God's love for us! I love that the Lord describes His love for us in ways that we can understand. We'll not fully know just how much He loves us or what that kind of love would be like but He tells us what it's like in ways that we can experience which helps us better understand His love. He says that He loves us like a friend, a lover, and a father. When we have friends in this life we can understand what loving a person like a friend is. Jesus is the friend who lays down his life for those he loves. God loves us like a lover. He is the groom and we are the bride of Christ. Anyone who is preparing to be married or is married knows what this love is like. They can better understand the Lords love for us by comparing it to their love for one another. Of course Gods love for us trumps any love that we could have for one another. And God loves us like a father. Anyone who has children knows what this type of love is. A special type of love. I've never experienced the love of a bride/groom or the love of a parent but I do know the love of a friend. I think it's wonderful to know that in the future when God brings me to the point in life where I do get to be a wife and a mother I will be able to understand in a new way His love for me. It's excites me!

The fairness of life. This week I have been thinking a lot about circumstances in life and the fairness or unfairness of it. I ask the age old question: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" It frustrates me sometimes that bad things so often happen to good people why the bad person gets off scott-free without punishment. The injustice just angers me. I guess this is where faith comes in. In the present time we live in a fallen world where life isn't fair. bad things do happen to good people and sometimes they never get any vindication. During those times you have to hold tight to the truths of God and remember that God is a just God and that in the end the bad people who "get away with their evil" will have to stand before His judgement seat and give account for everything that they did in life. During those times you simply have to trust God. 

Im Only Jesus

I heard this song on one of my CD's and I really liked it... I was actually really glad to hear such lyrics because it wasn't a "Christian artist" it's Tim McGraw and he sings country and so Im pretty sure a lot of non-believers listen to his music and here it is the gospel message on their radio! It's wonderful!



Lyrics:

Bobby's got a duster '79
Bottle of Jack and a 45
Points it at his head
And he starts to cry,
Too proud to ask me to save his life

Billy's in a limo
On the upper east side
Playing Russian Roulette
With the long white line
His wife gets a call at 3 am
Saying Billy ain't never coming home again

She asks me why?

And I said,
I sure wish you'd believe
That everybody's free
And I'll help you if you ask me to,
I gave every star a name
The sunshine and the rain
Bu I can't decide the road you choose
That's up to you
I'm only Jesus

Johnny had a good job
Rakin' it in
Caviar parties
With his well-to-do friends
Something was missing
From his perfect little life
He threw in the towel
And he called me one night

Betty was an orphan
Like so many kids
They taught her in school
That I didn't exist
She had every reason not to talk to me
But every night before bed
She got down on her knees
Just to tell me hi

And I said,
I'm sure glad you believe
'Cause everybody's free
And I'll help you if you ask me to,
I gave every star a name
The sunshine and the rain
But I can't decide the road you choose
That's up to you
I'm only Jesus

Hey you're all the same to me
Everybody's free
And I'll help you if you ask me to,
I gave every star a name
The sunshine and the rain
But I can't decide the road you choose
That's up to you
I'm only Jesus

I'm only Jesus
I'm Only Jesus

Gotta have Jesus to see the light
Gotta have Jesus to hold you tight
Gotta have Jesus to talk to me
I gotta have Jesus to set me free

Yes I am Friends with Supermodels...

So four of my friends went to San Francisco, California last week and I was looking at their pictures and so completely in awe of their beauty! They are extremely beautiful girls! But the best part is that they are not only outwardly beautiful but have such great personalities and they really love the Lord! They are such amazing girls and they have been such a blessing to me these past two years! I stole photos from Eva and Tera so hopefully they don't mind but I just had to share their beauty with the world! :)

In order to make this experience truly magical I very much encourage you to play this music before you look at the photos!

Eva, Julia, Tera, and Alisha

 

I Absolutely love their curly hair! It's so wild and fun!

Ali is going to be an amazing wife some day!

Supermodels right?!

They're Fierce!

So in a nutshell I ADORE these girls and I am so glad that they had so much fun on their vacation! I wish I could have been there but I suppose I will have to survive living vicariously through them!

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I've also been listening to the song "Land Down Under" by Men at Work and it has made me super nostalgic! I want to return to Australia so badly!!! Maybe someday... Lord willing... I will be able to return to the land that is oh so wonderful and near and dear to my heart!

Oh yes me in my high school years... These are such old photos!

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Oh and I am coveting this camera right now:

This picture is from Amazon.com

The Canon Rebel XS 10.1 MP (Drool). Unfortunately it is way out of my price range but a girl can dream right? :)

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I am a fan of Julia Childs! I watched "Julie and Julia" the movie and I really liked it! Now I want to buy Julia childs cookbook and learn how to cook French food! I might actually do it too! How cool would that be?!

I don't know how well I would fare with really complex cooking but how cool would that be just to try?! Maybe I will make a night out of it once a week or something! Can anyone say "learning how to cook nights!"?

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

Today in  church we sang this song and it really spoke to me! I love the lyrics they are so powerful!

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocing voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that helf Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I knoww that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast inJesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

An Extremely Odd Blessing

At the very end of the work day on friday I was getting antsy and just wanted to go home. I only had thirty minutes left of work but it seemed to be dragging on like no other! I was watering the plants which was a nice change from my normal weeding routine but still the time was passing so slowly. I had started to become negative which I have been trying very hard not to do this summer! As I got more and more antsy I asked the Lord to help me with my attitutde and help me get through the final few minutes of my work day!

The Lord definitely answered my prayer, but in the strangest way...

A gnome!

I was watering by the pond at my work and I saw something in the bushes. When I went to take a closer look I found this little guy staring back at me. It made me chuckle because it was so random and then after that I was extremely happy! The Lord changed my attitude in an instant with a small gnome. Is that weird? Hahaha!

Has the Lord ever blessed you in an extremely odd way?