The Best and The Worst

5 Best Animals

Peacocks: They are the greatest animals because of their majestic feathers and presence.                           
Owls: The owl is "wise" and sturdy. They remind me of someone with knowledge and
             experience.

Elephants: Something so large, but yet so adorable. Female elephants are amazing moms.
                        They are very protective of their young.

Orcas: I have loved orcas and all whales for a long time. When I was little I would always
               ask if we could put a pool big enough for a whale in our backyard.

Butterflies: These fragile fluttery creatures could brighten the darkest of days. I love when
                        they dance around your head in the summertime.

5 Worst Animals

Bees: Their vicious stinger and beady eyes make me go running.

Centipedes: These creepy crawlies give me the jitters. No living thing should have that
                         many legs.

Mosquitoes: They are drawn to me. I get more mosquito bites than I can count and they
                       always get really big.

Skunks: This is simple....they SMELL!!! I do not like most rodents for this reason.

Jumping Spiders: I do not mind spiders, however, these little boogers freak me out. They
                                      just jump around and hide until you give up trying to look for them.

A Feeling of Success

After many months of practice and two days of an aching mouth it is finally over. Not over in the sense that I am glad it is over, but in the way that I can look back and see what has been accomplished. The band and chorale program was today and it was wonderful. My back and feet are sore and my lip is a little raw, but these aches are worth the feeling of knowing what has been accomplished. Yesterday and today were extreme practices. We were perfecting our music and at times it can be a bit tedious. Seeing how the audience reacted to those nearly perfect songs was a feeling worth having. Sitting in front of a crowd with very bright sweltering lights beaming on you can be uncomfortable, but when I concentrate on playing or singing the music those uncomfortable feelings go away. Singing the Hallelujah Chorus gives me chills. It has been a very stressful week and it was nice to get lost in music for a few hours. I was nervous, but it got my mind off of the stress of school. The feeling I got when the lights went down is irreplaceable.

Catchy Phrase

Your neighbors will be jealous when they see you in getting into the Christmas spirit when putting up these enchanting lights.

Unexpected Friendship

There is a girl in my class whose name I will not disclose in this journal entry, but for convenience, lets say her name is Amy. I have known Amy for a long time. We have been mutual friends, but I never expected a close friendship with her. She was one of those people that I would thought would just grate on my nerves when I was around her. As it turns out, we are very close now. We hang out very often and over the past year I have really gotten to know her. If you are acquainted with someone that you do not think you want to get to know. Do it anyways. It is worth it. The friendship you reap will be unexpected and that just makes it stronger. I hope to always have Amy as a friend and I will forever be glad to be a part of her life. She is extremely entertaining to be around and yet her serious side is comforting. She is the kind of friend that will do anything for you and volunteers to help any chance she has. Amy has a warm and giving heart and I hope I can be the kind of friend to her as she has been to me.

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My Dream Correspondant

If I could correspond with anyone it would Jane Austen. She is one of my favorite authors. However, that is not the only reason I would choose her to correspond with. She started writing a book called "Sanditon" but passed away before its completion. Now this deeply troubles me. I have not read the book simply because I need an ending. There are many people who have written their versions of its ending, but I am sure that none are sufficient. So, if I were to correspond with Jane I would not only be able to read more of her fabulous writing but also know the ending to "Sanditon." I would be able to know, firsthand, her thoughts on all of her books. I could know her, not just what people speculate about her. If I could write with her, I would have more writings of hers, even more dear to me than her published books.

Scavenger Hunt for Descriptions

An angry exchange:   A couple stood off to the side of the group of oncoming shoppers. They tried to keep their voices low but every now and then they became audible. Their long day of shopping was pricking their nerves. They turned their backs away from the view of the public. The woman showed her agitation in with her hands, flailing them around with each word she said. The man stood stiff with his hands shoved into his pockets trying to quiet her.


An out-of-place object:   The first thing that popped into my head when I read an out-of-place object was the fake flower and peacock feather filled vase in the library classroom at school. It is so random. The vase sits on top of a filing cabinet and has fake flowers and peacok feathers sprouting out of it.  


A well-loved object:    My sister has these two monkeys. One of them is a pinkish color and the other is brown. She named them George and Flinster. She takes them everywhere with her. Even to this day she still travels with at least one of them. When she was younger my dad had to do "surgery" to Flinster's head because it fell off from excessive use. He sewed it back on and all was well. If you are 18 years old and still carry stuffed monkey's with you, I would say you have a well-loved object.


Something well-used:   When I thought of something well-used, I thought of socks. We need some type of sock for most occasions. Tights, leggings, ankle socks, knee highs, and athletic socks are all examples of socks or footwear that we use regualarly. When i am cold the first clothing item I add is socks. People use them everyday, therefore i thought they would fit the category of well-used.


Something unpleasant:   Have you ever been so repulsed by a smell that you had to hold your breath. This is how i feel about cat liter. It is the most unpleasant thing I could think of. The smell penetrates throughout our basement, even though we clean it everyday. The odor it puts off is strong and hard to get rid of. So the next time you are around a liter box, hold your breath and run.


Something fresh:   The warm smell wafts out of the oven. Chocolate chips melt into goo on the cookie sheet. There is nothing more satisfying than a freshly baked cookie. It lifts your spirits. A two day old cookie can be good, but that warm chocolaty goodness is best right out of the oven.


A forgotten object:   The object that I forget the most is my calender. It is a flip calender hanging on my door. I always seem to forget to change it. It was half way through November by the time I saw it was still on October. I can assure you it is now on December, so I did not forget this month.


A home-made or hand-made object:   There is a poem hanging in our bathroom. It was cross stitched by one of my mom's highschool friends. It is very simple but delicate and beautiful. Home-made gifts tend to bring people the most joy. They are personal and you hold them close to yor heart.
An act of kindness:   A friend of mine gave me a thank you note last night. I had given her a birthday present earlier that month. I enjoy thank you notes because they make me feel like what I did was really appreciated and not taken for granted. People who take the time to write to someone simply to say thank you show great kindness.


Something borrowed:   I have borrowed many of my friend Abigail's books in the past. However, I had one book in particular for a very long time. Three years to be exact. Of course it did not take me three years to read this book. That only took about one hour. The book is called "The Gentlemen Outlaw." There was no reason to have that book for three years. I simply forgot about it. It only took me a little while to remember.

Intelligence

There are three theories of intelligence. I am only going to discuss one that I find most interesting. It is Gardners' Theory of Intelligence. He splits up intelligence into seven categories and says that everyone has some level of intelligence in each category. The categories are: bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, spatial, logical, musical, and naturalisitc. My problem with this theory is that some people would categorize these things as talents or abilites not intelligence. I agree that not everyone is intelligent in the same way. Just because someone is not book smart does not mean that they are not intelligent at all. Albert Einstein was a genius, but maybe he couldn't interact with others easily. I believe that a well rounded person is better off than someone who excels in only one of these categories. Often people think that it would be great to be a like Einstein, Picaso, or Mozart, but I think I would rather have a little of everything. I would rather do well in school, have friends, and have an extracurricular activity that I enjoy than excel in one thing and be isolated from the rest of life.

Pick a Letter and Start Writing

This is a writing exercise that is alot of fun. Pick a letter and start writing a sentence that has as many words as possible starting with that letter.

-S-
       Selfishly, Sarah, swiped seven sugary sweets and singurlarly sat on a sofa so Sam was stuck straddleing a stone with six sour sticks.

-J-
       Jumping Jane jingled the jam out of the jar just as Justin the Jew jerked just out of John's way who was jiving with James to the jitterbug.

-P-
      Pretentious Penelope pryed the prickly poinsettias out of the pool of people before the ponderous people pointed out the pandemonium and panick.

-L-
     Lovely Lily liked the lacy lilacs and the leaping lizards licking little lily's on the lake loping long after the last of light.
      

Christmas Gifts

I absolutely love giving my friends gifts. However, it can get expensive. So, this year I am thinking about baking their presents. I can't reveal all my secrets, but they will be sugary sweet. I love to bake and what better way to combine two things that I love, baking and giving gifts. I am going to find cute little Christmas bags to fill up with goodies and tie them with ribbons. I get the Food Network magazine and they had recipes for five different kinds of  popcorn balls and 100 treats to give as gifts. I could do covered pretzel sticks or fudge. Just thinking about baking makes me excited. I just wish Christmas would arrive quicker so I could start! Christmas brings so much joy. I was also thinking about what to bake for Thanksgiving dinner. I love baking shoe fly pies, but I might try something new. I might make hush puppies and a sweet potato-marshmallow pie. Sound good???

Give Thanks

I walked into my house today after school and mumbled to myself about how there are so many decorations. They are going to be up for a month and then they change for Christmas, which is so much worse. My mom is an insane decorater. Each room looks perfect according to the season or holiday. But Christmas really drives me nuts. I mean, why do we need three trees? There are so many boxes of garlands and it is just a mess. The time it takes to put it all up is about the same amount of time it actually stays up. But then I thought, why on earth am I upset about garlands? At least I have a home to put them in and a family to get angry at when we do it. At least I have a dining room table to put that Thanksgiving meal on. I have a small kitchen, but at least I have food in the pantry. Yes, sure, I have a crazy mother with too many decorations, but at least I have a mom that cares enough to put it all up. So the next time someone in your family drives you nuts, think about why the thing that grates on your nerves is the same reason you love them so much. I love you mom!!!

My Breakthrough

A few weeks ago, my junior class had a retreat. On this retreat we had someone come and give a devotion. It was only about fifteen minutes, but those fifteen minutes really impacted my life. The speaker talked about God's will and what He wanted from us. We read several verses telling us God's will. These verses said to honor your father and mother, work the land, speak kind words, etc. There were many more than what I listed. He told us that while we question God about His will or plan for our lives, we often don't realize it has been right in front of us all this time. However, he also said that instead of asking God's plan for my life, we should simply ask what God's plan is. He does have a plan for each individual life, but if we follow His Biblical will, we begin to understand His plan for each of us individually. I have been consumed with thoughts about the future and hearing this really has been changing the way I think about my future. I no longer need to find out what I am going to do with my life. If I follow God's written will, the Bible, I will eventually figure out what He has planned for me.   

When I searched for breakthrough moment in images this is what popped up.
I thought it was really neat. :)

The Ride Home

The ride home always seems to be shorter than the ride going somewhere. My family and some friends were headed up to Penn State for homecoming. It was miserable. I got so sick. At the time, it had seemed as if the trip would never end. The ride home, however, was very relaxing. It seemed like it only lasted an hour. I usually fall asleep on the way home from trips, which could explain how I thought it felt shorter. Another good thing about going home is that you can sleep in your own bed. I do not think there is anything more comfortable than ones own bed. However, sometimes I am so comfortable in the car when we arrive home that I do not want to get out. I especially feel this way in the winter. It is so warm inside the car that I don't want to leave. The ride home from Penn State was extremely entertaining. My sister had gotten a pink wig and a microphone for her Halloween costume and she was singing and goofing off in the back of the van. Her dance moves could use some improvement. :) For this particular trip, I found the trip going home to be far better than the trip up to Penn State. 

Memories

This past weekend I was at a good friend's house for Friday and Saturday. We listened to music, watched movies, played bananagrams, and made flower pencils and pens. One of the movies we watched was The Princess and the Frog. In this movie she makes beignets. So, we decided to try and make them. After we finished mixing everything together we still needed more flour. But we had a problem. We were out of flour. So, hoping that my friend's parents were on their way home, we called them to see if they could get us some. Thankfully they were able to. Now we had a doughy mixture. We poured it out onto wax paper to shape it. Another problem occurred, it was too runny and still needed more flour. So we tried to put it back into the bowl. Now imagine trying to put runny dough back into a bowl with your hands. It was sticking to everything but finally we got most of it back in. After mixing in the needed flour, we had to deep fry it.... Um, do what we said!?!?!? I got out a skillet and the oil and heated up the stove. Once the oil in the skillet was heated, I dropped a ball of dough in. The first few got a little bit burnt. However, once I got the hang of it they turned out golden brown and crispy. My friend slathered on the honey and powdered sugar. We ended our day with a tasty and memorable plate of goodness.

Obessions

We all have certain things that for some strange reason draw us towards them. I have three. Roses, peacocks, and the Eiffel tower. Every time I see something with any of these three things on it, I love it. It wouldn't matter if it was toilet paper. Actually, toilet paper with designs on it would be awesome. I have five pictures of roses hanging in my room. Two peacock pictures and three vases with peacock feathers in them. I have a lot of jewelry with peacock designs. Three miniature Eiffel towers and two other trinkets with Eiffel towers on them line my bookshelves. I am not sure why I love these things so much. I have always loved roses and the Eiffel tower and peacocks are my favorite animal. However, I have no personal connection with any of them. Sometimes we are just a little obsessed with things.  I think it is all right to be a little crazy about this kind of stuff, but we have to remember what is most important. We can't put material things ahead of God. If we do put earthly ahead of God, we are making our own idols. Earlier this week I was helping with a kindergarten class. I was helping one of the girls with her prayer hand. Each finger had a group written in it. The thumb had family because it is the closest to you when you are praying. The pointer finger was to remind them of their teachers. The index finger had president and leaders written in it because it is the tallest finger. Sick and hurting people went on the ring finger because it is the weakest finger. The last finger, or the pinkie, was for their needs because it is the smallest finger. While I was filling in this little girls paper with her, I thought about how as we get older we lose sight of what is most important. In highschool you usually think about yourself the most. We need to take ourselves off of our thumbs and put ourselves back on our pinkie fingers.

The Spoon Man

            I was at the Apple Harvest Festival this past weekend. I love all the little shops and vendors, but one in particular was my favorite. The spoon man is so vintage and unique. He uses spoons, forks, knives, and other serving utensils to make artsy jewelry and trinkets. One of his fork bracelets caught my eye. It was slightly tarnished more than the rest. He made the points of the fork curl whimsically. The handle of the fork has a beautiful design. Size does not matter with these bracelets because it slides onto your wrist and you can squeeze them or pull them apart to fit. It smells like tarnished metal and leaves the scent on your wrist. I think I love these bracelets so much because each one is different. Every one that the spoon man makes is unique. This fork bracelet is kind of like us. We are all different. We are all beautiful. We all have different qualities that separate us from one another and make us special.

Listening Through the Door

"Where do you want it?"

"Set it in the... "

"On the dining room table or where ever."

"Oh hush
meow meow meow...
"What made you go with black?"

"They didn't have white."

"I figure instead of leaving this all here we can carry it all up because i don't want this floor sctratched,"

"I can take that."

"You can take that piece."

"Up by the closet?"

"Somewhere around there.
Is this like a door?"

"Yea."

"Or is it like a tray or something?"

"Are you done with homework?"

"Yes."

"But we have to go over chemistry yet?"

"Yea, I have alot of stuff to do."

"All right well this won't take long.
Why don't you take this?"

"Ok."

"Lay this on top. It's lighter."

"Where should I put this? I'm gonna set it up over here."

"Well when are we gonna put this together? I assume tomorrow or saturday?
Now this to you have to lay flat or it will curl."

"What if I stand it up like this?"

"I guess that will be good.
You're gonna lay them against each other, correct?"

"Yea."

"Just take it all then."

"Rebekah, I'm laying stuff for my desk up here don't bump it."

"How was tonight? Was there a lot of people there?"

"I only played the first game. The football guys that came in from their practice stayed but..."

"All right you can take this."

"Can you help me move this pot?"

"To where?"

"To right here."

"Last one."

"Anything you want me to take to the trash?"

"I'll throw this up to you.
Put this in the trash."

"In what bag?"

"The bag with the loose parts."

Don't Throw That Out!

I keep everything. I really do try to throw things that I really don't need out. I keep everything to long letters, little notes,and cards to receipts and instruction manuals. I have a ton of little notepads and post-it notes. I find them everywhere. I find them shoved into books, in a random drawer that is supposed to hold clothes, in bags, and in wallets. When I try to clean out the drawers and bags I always end up putting what I find into my books or in my desk. The only cards I can bring myself to throw out are simple little thank you notes. I have letters from my best friend dating back to elementary school. I also have knick-knacks lining my bookshelves. I have 81 little objects on my two bookshelves. It is no wonder I have books that don't fit on my shelves. These things have meaning to me. I hope I never have to get rid of any of these crazy decorations. I don't ever want to throw any of it out!

Just a Room

Soft music plays in the back of my head. I hear crickets chirping outside my window. A mile away a train rattles on its track. Fresh flowers give off a sweet fragrance that fills the room. Books fill the walls with knowledge. As I rest on my bed the headboard creaks. Street lights gleam up through my window. Doors open and shut down the hall. Shoes are strewn across the cold wooden floor. I scribble numbers on the white, lined paper. My desk is brimming full of papers and books. A bright light reflects off the smudged mirror. My delicate, paper lantern spins in circles when the heat suddenly blasts from the vent. My skin is warmed instantly. I have found a home in these things. It could never be "just a room" to me.

It is Well with my Soul

This is a beautiful song with challenging lyrics. To trust God so much that no matter what the circumstance your soul is well, is hard to do. To have peace in every situation seems impossible. It is not impossible if you have God with you. Every day I need to continually give my life, purpose and future to God. I want to take control of my life and I know it is no mine to control. We want to be our number one and put everything else second. Truth is, God has to be first or we go way off track. No one can successfully live their lives independently. We need God, family, friends, and relationships to keep us from going astray. God does not need us. We are so undeserving of Him. But yet, He chose to save us and because He saved us we need to trust Him. I need Him to guide me, because without him my future plans and life is pointless. For all to be well with my soul, God needs to be in control. This is my challenge for all of you. If you need to, tell Him every day that you are His. Keep Him in your number one position. Let Him guide you and you will find complete all-consuming peace.

The Nighttime Hoot

The birds of the day have gone away.
The nighttime hoots now echo.
The sunny sky is now behind,
but the moon is shining brightly.
Listen to those crickets chirp
in a sweet melodious chorus.
A gentle breeze seeps through the trees
to reveal a haunting creature.
He is strong and sure with his head held high
looking for his prey.
I love to watch those nighttime hoots
when the moon is out to stay.

The leaves rustle beneath the tree
and mice run away to hide,
but the nighttime hoot is on his way
to grab what food he can find.
When the nighttime hoot is satisfied
he stands back on his perch
to silently watch the night go by
and guard the restless creatures.
When the sun comes out he goes to bed
and patiently awaits for dark.
I love to watch those nighttime hoots
when the moon is out to stay.

The Stranger

Have you ever studied a complete stranger and made up their life? Well, that is what this entry is all about.

My stranger is a working, single father. He has two children, an eight year old boy and a twelve year old girl. He is a hard-working electrician. They live in a small one story house in Waynesboro. After work he was at the grocery store buying just the essentials except for a candy bar for each of his kids. His wife left them three years ago. Meet Jim. A simple name for a simple man. He does everything for his kids. Jim barely spends any time for himself, except for the occasional fishing trip. His son is Tyler and his daughter is Ally. Jim is not perfect, but he does his best to raise and support for his children. Today he needs to pick up Ally from her soccer practice and Tyler from grandma's house. Meanwhile, he is grocery shopping, doing house chores, mowing the yard, and putting in extra hours at work. Later tonight he will tuck his two precious angels into bed, give them each a kiss on the forehead, and say goodnight. Jim barely gets any sleep because of the constant worry and fears that roll around in his head all night long.

Fear

Me and my family were on vacation a to Niagara Falls a few years ago. We were about to travel across a huge whirlpool! I saw my life flash before eyes. I was in a cart load of about twenty people packed tightly together. The cart was being help above the rapid, churning water by one thin chord. It bent slowly as the cart slowly made its way off the platform. The deep, drowning water was deafening beneath me. The chord dipped down even further as we got closer to the center. If it were to snap, I would be taken down into the depths of the swirling abyss. The chord was dipping so low to the point of snapping and we were not even to the point of making the trip back. On the way back to the platform my eyes were glued shut. I was frozen in place. Fear overcame every inch of my being. I will never embark on such a dangerous journey again!

My Favorite Things

    Some of my favorite things are baking, reading, and sewing. I enjoy baking because I get to create something so good from ingredients that, by themselves, no one would ever consider eating. Decorating cakes is my passion when baking. It takes patience, but it gets rid of my stress. I have often thought about going to a baking and pastry design school, but I am waiting to hear God's plan for me.
    Reading is also one of my favorite hobbies. When I read I feel like I am in my own personal bubble. It is like I am seperate from the rest of the world. I can put myself into someone elses life for a few hours. I usually read when I have had a bad day. Reading takes my mind off of reality for a little while.
    Sewing is sometimes tedious, but big projects are fun. I have material for a quilt that I am going to start. I have a dress that I am going to remake and I have a shirt that I am going to turn into a throw pillow. I recently got a sewing machine that I always get excited to use. I hope that I can sew more this year, but it is hard to find time during the school year.
    "...When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad..."

The Crisp of Autumn

A soft, fresh breeze sends chills up my back. When I walk through the crunchy grass I step on the hard acorns that a squirrel left behind. The sky lights up the fluffy, crystal clouds. The ground begins to harden as the air cools. The trees show off their bright red, orange, and yellow leaves. When they drop their leaves, they leave a soft pathway for the squirrels to scamper through. It smells like newly dug up dirt and crisp leaves. Autumn is my favorite season. I see God's beauty in Autumn more than any other season. I see it as the breeze gently blows the leaves. They dance around in the fields and wisp up to greet me as walk with them. In Autumn I am never alone. The gentle breeze, the crisp leaves, and the curious squirrels are always with me.

Opening Sentences

"A story has no beginning or end; arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead."  - The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
The most important part of a book is its opening sentence. It must draw the reader in It can be mysterious or humorous. For example, "She took a walk in the park," is not a good opening sentence. The reader must be enthralled so that they continue reading. I have selected some good opening sentences as examples.


1) "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
      - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens


2) "I am an invisible man."
      - Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison


3) "It was a pleasure to burn."
      - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury


4) "He woke, and remembered dying."
     - The Stone Canal by Ken MacLeod


5) "It was the day my grandmother exploded."
      - The Crow Road by Iain Banks


6) "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possesion of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
       - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This is an example of how not to write an opening sentence!
     "Once upon a time two or three weeks ago, a rather stubborn and determined middle-aged man decided to record for posterity, exactly as it happened, word by word and step by step, the story of another man for indeed what is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal, a somewhat paranoiac fellow unmarried, unattached, and quite irresponsible, who had decided to lock himself in a room a furnished room with a private bath, cooking facilities, a bed, a table, and at least one chair, in New York City, for a year 365 days to be precise, to write the story of another person—a shy young man about of 19 years old—who, after the war the Second World War, had come to America the land of opportunities from France under the sponsorship of his uncle—a journalist, fluent in five languages—who himself had come to America from Europe Poland it seems, though this was not clearly established sometime during the war after a series of rather gruesome adventures, and who, at the end of the war, wrote to the father his cousin by marriage of the young man whom he considered as a nephew, curious to know if he the father and his family had survived the German occupation, and indeed was deeply saddened to learn, in a letter from the young man—a long and touching letter written in English, not by the young man, however, who did not know a word of English, but by a good friend of his who had studied English in school—that his parents both his father and mother and his two sisters one older and the other younger than he had been deported they were Jewish to a German concentration camp Auschwitz probably and never returned, no doubt having been exterminated deliberately X * X * X * X, and that, therefore, the young man who was now an orphan, a displaced person, who, during the war, had managed to escape deportation by working very hard on a farm in Southern France, would be happy and grateful to be given the opportunity to come to America that great country he had heard so much about and yet knew so little about to start a new life, possibly go to school, learn a trade, and become a good, loyal citizen."       
        - Double or Nothing by Raymond Federman


 

My Secret Cove

     I like to think of it as my secret,little nook. We all have a place that comforts us and feels like home to us. Well my "place" is in a small section of a trail that runs along a stream in Cowen's Gap. When i walk back the trail I can not wait to reach this spot. The sunlight glistens through the towering trees. The soft mud cushions my steps. When I walk through the stream, the rocks enjoy making me slip, as i step on their algae covered surfaces. The chilled water soothes my blistering feet. The air is sticky and the bugs lurk nearby, but it is impossible to notice the discomforts, when the beautiful and calming scene of nature is before you. The weeds appear to be magnificent flowers and shrubbery. There is a log that stretches across the width of the stream. It is high enough to sit on and dip your toes into the bubbling water. Where the water is low, a tiny island appears. When I an on that island I feel true peace. Everything is beautiful. My hidden cove is my home away from home. It has seen my laughter and tears, my joys and sorrows. I hope to always be a part of that secret, little nook in this big, bustling world.

I Wish I had a Million.....

I wish I had a million bottles of nail polish. I thought about having a million years,  million friends, or a million houses. However, everything I could come up with would be too complicated or take too much work. So then I thought nail polish is great. You can never have too much and it is easy to store. It is one of those things that won't change your life dramatically and it does not cause problems. The most complicated thing about nail polish is deciding what color to wear. Personally, I would have mostly reds and dark browns, but be sure to throw in some purple. I can not forget to include some with thin tip brushes to make designs. Having a million bottles of nail polish would be fabulous. Now where could i store them.....

Our God

BRIDGE
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who can ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?

These lyrics are to the bridge of on of my favorite songs, Our God by Chris Tomlin. The words our so powerful. Every time I hear this song, I get chills. I just want to shout to Satan, "Ha, my God can never be stopped, therefore neither can I. You have lost this war." Nothing, absolutely nothing can ever stand against the Christian body. How incredible is that? I can not even come up with a powerful enough word to describe these lyrics. No one will stop me as long as I am with God. He is indestructible. What would one be even thinking trying to go up against someone who has been here for ever and will continue to be here for eternity. These words are my daily encouragement. I cannot be stopped, because I am with God.

Fussing over Frizz or Watching in Awe

Tap, tap, tap.....The sound of rain has been non-stop recently. We really needed it, but now there is flooding. The girls complain because of their hair. The guys complain because they can not play soccer. However, there are those few who see the beauty in a storm. A storm comes in layers. The rain, by itself, is peaceful and relaxing. Now add a layer. Thunder brings an introduction to the final layer. Lightning. It is bright and majestic. It brings a bit of danger with a sense of mystery. Add them all together and you get one beautiful storm. You use all of your senses in a storm. You feel the dampness of the rain. Watch the flash of lightning. Listen to the rolls of thunder. Let the rain droplets fall in your mouth as you tilt your head up to the sky. It is dangerous, yet comforting. Mysterious, yet known. Bright and dark.

What's Your Fortune?

Just tiny white strips of paper is all it really is. I keep them in a small heart shaped box along with a few coins to keep them from flying everywhere when the box is opened. Some have simple quotes, others have little messages, and some tell you what is next for your life. I enjoy getting them out and reading them every once in a while. Some of them make absolutely no sense. However, most of them bring an encouraging insight to your day. If you have not figured it out, I collect fortune cookie papers. My favorite one says,"The road to knowledge begins with a turn of the page." The strangest one I have says, " A clever crow will always paint its feather black." I don't have a big collection yet , but soon I am going to have to get a bigger box! I will eventually arrange all of the papers in the shape of a fortune cookie and put them on a piece painted plywood. This way i can make my collection a decoration instead of having them sit around in a box. It's funny how something so small and  simple can brighten your day so much.