Blue-Eyed Breather

Oh wow, this week has been one of the busiest weeks of my life. Not even kidding. I am SO thankful that God helped me through this week! The next few weeks aren't going to be a walk through the park either, though. I have many tests, research papers, and assignments that are standing between me and summer break. Oh, and I can't forget about finals. Those will be such a joy. But the end of my freshman year is upon me! I can hardly believe it. I signed up for classes for next year on Tuesday, and it hit me that I'm almost 1/4 of the way through my undergraduate years of college. It's absolutely crazy. People were right when they said time flies faster the older you get. I remember when I was in elementary school, it felt like I would never grow up. Then, in middle school, I just couldn't wait to get to high school because I thought high school kids were just so cool. By senior year of high school, I was ready to move on to college, to get away from high school drama a...

It's a good thing I enjoy writing. Otherwise, I might be in some serious procrastination trouble right about now. Yesterday, essay 3 for rhetoric was due. Tomorrow, my rough draft of my 8-10 page world cultures research paper is due. I am supposed to be working on my rhetoric research paper daily. And in the meantime, I continue to fill out countless scholarship applications, which all require different essays. Currently, I'm working on a scholarship that requires both an essay and a "creative piece." I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the creative piece. For me, coming up with an idea of what to write about or how to be creative is always the most challenging part of an assignment. That is why I'm struggling with my rhetoric research paper right now or why it takes me just as long to outline a paper as it does to actually write it. I am such a perfectionist when it comes to creativity because creative juices do not naturally flow from my brain. Yet whe...

The weather has been such a blessing these last few days, hasn't it? The sun has been shining, casting its ever radiant streaks of light and warmth in all directions, covering every inch of the Waco community. The sky reflects an incredibly bright blue, a color that could never be recreated with paints, no matter how hard you tried. The green grass and trees burst of springtime, with flowers and life blossoming everywhere, not to mention the many bluebonnets sprinkled across the side of the road. It's truly amazing. What's even more amazing is the fact that Monday and Tuesday, we experienced a heavy thunder storm unlike any other I have ever experienced. The thunder literally sounded like it was right outside my window. We were under a tornado watch, a hail advisory, and a flash flood with a flood warning. Since I'm on the fourth floor of my dorm, I was a little concerned about the whole tornado thing...I have NO idea what I would do if a tornado all of a sudden struc...

Yes, I have seen the new movie, The Hunger Games . No, I did not go at midnight, like some crazy people I know. *Cough cough, my sister*. But, the movie was really good! I would suggest reading the book first so you know what's going on during the movie. Even though it is a really long movie (almost 2 1/2 hours), it seemed to go by super fast, and I didn't get bored. I usually get antsy in movie theaters towards the end, but I really enjoyed watching this movie. Normally, I'm the kind of girl who likes a good chick flick or a feel-good movie. However, this movie actually kept my interest. The topic (killing people) is a bit disturbing, I must admit. It's incredibly horrific what the Capitol makes the tributes do. But the book (and the movie) kept me captivated, wanting to know what was going to happen to Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Prim, Rue, and everyone else. So, I spent my Friday night with the Hunger Games crew and my friends. What a great way to spend my time! Have an a...

In this post, I've decided to let you all learn a little bit more about me. I want to make this blog a little more personal. So, here are some random facts about me! Enjoy. Favorite Color: blue Favorite Book: it's impossible to choose just one, but right now, I'd say Redeeming Love. Favorite Food: fruits!! :) there's not a fruit I don't like. Enjoyable activity: cooking and reading Favorite Bible verse: Right now, it's Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Favorite Season: Springtime! I love all the beautiful flowers and gorgeous weather. Favorite ice cream flavor: White Chocolate Almond or Vanilla Bean Favorite Fast Food restaurant: chick-fil-a, of course What I am most thankful for: my Lord's incredible love for me; the friends and family He has blessed me with What I hope for: to see CF CURED! :) What I am studying: speech pathology (it's so awesome!) My desire: ...

Answered Prayer: As many of you know, I'm in a battle against my weight. I have been fighting for a long long long long time. I started on Periactin to try to stimulate my poor appetite. However, an adverse side effect to the medicine is increased drowsiness. The last time I went on Periactin, I was literally falling asleep in class. But this time, I really had no choice. I HAD to go on this medicine. Thanks to many prayers, I have not felt any more tired than usual. I am so grateful for the many prayers my friends and family prayed. Thank you, Lord God, for keeping me awake and alert! Prayer Request: Pray that God will use my brokenness to proclaim the Gospel FEARLESSLY, having only one fear in life (that fear being the fear of living a passionless life, a life where people cannot tell how greatly in love with God that I am). So, I echo Paul's prayer today: "Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery...

"Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth Would care to know my name Would care to feel my hurt Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star Would choose to light the way For my ever wandering heart Not because of who I am But because of what You've done Not because of what I've done But because of who You are I am a flower quickly fading Here today and gone tomorrow A wave tossed in the ocean Vapor in the wind Still You hear me when I'm calling Lord, You catch me when I'm falling And You've told me who I am I am Yours, I am Yours Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin Would look on me with love and watch me rise again Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea Would call out through the rain And calm the storm in me Not because of who I am But because of what You've done Not because of what I've done But because of who You are I am a flower quickly fading Here today and gone tomorrow A wave tossed in the ocean Vapor ...

I have read so much over Spring Break. Not necessarily books for school (although I have been doing that), but really, a lot of my time has been spent reading books for fun. I finished Redeeming Love tonight. I HIGHLY suggest you read it. The book is based on the book of Hosea in the Bible. I won't give anything away, but I will say that I was moved so many times by the love displayed in this book. And then it hit me. Obviously, Redeeming Love isn't the Bible, nor should it be viewed as the Bible, nor is it a full picture of the book of Hosea, but the love Mr. Hosea has for his wife so parallels the love God has for us. It is kind of like a slap in the face. I can hear God saying to me through Francine River's words "Emily, I love you like that and so so much more than you can even imagine. Don't you get it? I am who I am, and I LOVE YOU." It is mind boggling, really! If you would like to borrow the book from me, please let me know, and I will be more than h...

I am a coach's daughter. I've been to more basketball games than I can count, and I've watched more games on TV than the normal college freshman girl. I know all the rules to the game, and I went to my dad's basketball camps growing up. I even got "Best Passer" one year. Yep, that's right. Best Passer. Not exactly "Camper of the Week," but it'll do. Yes, I'm only 5 foot 2. No, I can't play basketball. But yes, I did make a bracket for March Madness. And yes my bracket is completely falling apart. Mizzou and Duke BOTH lost! What is this? I'm telling you, the craziness has just beginning. There's a reason why they call the NCAA tournament "March Madness." My family always creates a tournament bracket group. My mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, and two of my cousins make a bracket and joined the group. Some members of the family make multiple brackets. So anyway, we're competing now to see who gets the mos...

My family LOVES playing games. It's a great way to bond and have fun together. We play all sorts of games--trivia, card games, games with dice, board games, word games, you name it. And we're pretty competitive. Especially my brother and me. We really dive whole-heatedly into the game. Today, my family played Yatzee, Apples to Apples and Bananagrams. I got my first Yatzee is a very long time!! I was pretty proud of the way my score sheet turned out. I didn't have a single zero on the sheet. However, I didn't win. My mom beat me by a mere fifteen points. However, I came back and avenged myself in Apples to Apples. The game lasted about five minutes because I won the green card every single round except for the round I judged. Bananagrams is always a family favorite. It combines word skills with strategy and luck. My dad will often ask how to spell words (multiple times throughout the game, in fact) because he's not the best speller in the world. The first round, my m...

My family and I went on a little road trip to Houston Monday-Tuesday. It was definitely an experience. We went to the rodeo Monday night. For starters, Houston traffic is absolutely horrible!! I can't imagine trying to navigate my way through the 6-lane (each way) highways going to and from work or school every day. Of course, if you're a native Houstonite, you probably know all the backroads and the times to avoid the highways. Nevertheless, I was very glad I wasn't driving. Our seats at the rodeo were on the 5th row from the top of Reliant Stadium-- yay nosebleed section! But between the huge screens all over the stadium and the angle we were sitting, we could see perfectly fine. I've decided I'm definitely NOT a cowgirl. When the men wrestled the steers, I felt so bad for the poor cows, being tackled to the ground. During the bullriding, I grimaced, hoping that the riders would stay safe and avoid the bull's fierce horns. I enjoyed the barrel racing, howeve...

This morning, I was back at my home church. I definitely missed certain aspects of my church back in Waco, like our weekly hug and pray, or Kyle's very direct, tailored sermons to college students, or praising God with my fellow Wacoan college peers. But it was also a huge blessing to be back home, worshipping God in the church I've attended since 3rd grade.  Pastor Ryan is in the middle of a sermon series called "All our Homes are Broken." As fallen people, no one has a perfect home. However, a big focus for my home church is the importance of the family. Through this sermon series, we are looking at different aspects of home life and family life. This week, the sermon was about the art of courtship. It was a great sermon, so I thought I'd share my notes and interpretations from what he said this morning. Of course, I cannot preach as Pastor Ryan can, but I will share my notes and his main points, so hopefully you can get the gist of the sermon! I encourage you t...

It's Spring Break!! I am so excited for this time of relaxation and fun. :) Everyone, please be safe. Spring Break is wonderful, but people can also do really dumb things. So, the inner mom in me is about to come out. Don't do anything stupid on your break. Use common sense and discretion. God gave us all brains for a reason! Have a great vacation, y'all!

You know how the little things make such a huge impact in life? Like, getting a letter in the mail. Or receiving a call from your best friend who you haven't heard from in awhile. Or the knowledge that you aced a test after you studied really hard for it. Or the feeling you get after a really intense work out, even with sweat pouring down your face while you struggle to take a deep breath. I could go on and on.   Well, I recently stumbled upon this website, http://justlittlethings.net , which has a list of pleasures in life. The list is added to daily and is in a convenient form so you can pin, facebook, or tweet a "little thing" that you enjoy. Here are a few of the little things that I found on the website and decided to share with you!  Enjoy! I think I may start my own list of the little things that I am truly blessed with but I so often take for granted...what do you think??