Day 30 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

In one year I will be fully legal in the sight of the United States government. By June of 2013 I hope to have a greater knowledge of my Lord. I pray that my life is a living sacrifice to Him and those around me.

Right now, I have a bunch of opportunities before me. I'm not sure which ones will come to pass. My plan is to take a few online college classes this fall and to (hopefully) start with CollegePlus! early next year. I may start watching & tutoring some more sweet babes as time goes on. I may visit Alaska and spend some quality time in northern California. If I get to Alaska, I want to hike Denali. If California and I meet after my 21st birthday, I plan on touring Napa & wine-tasting. I plan to pursue more skill & knowledge in hobbies of mine(photography & archery). I definitely want to work on my writing skills. So I have big plans for this blog for the next year. I want to become an effective communicator and I figure what better way than to actually communicate. Crazy thought process, I know :)

I never know what may happen tomorrow...or even this evening. But I choose to trust the Lord and follow where ever He leads.

Day 29 — Goals for the next 30 days

How is it already the second week of June 2012? I remember sitting in a classroom 10 years ago not being able to imagine the year 2010 being the year I graduate high school(which actually turned out to be the year AFTER I graduated...thank you home education!). My last post really ties in with this and the next post. My future. I am reminded of the woman described in Proverbs 31, the woman who laughs at the time to come. That's how I feel at this exact moment. God is in control, I trust Him and now I have nothing to fear. I am thrilled to see where the next 30 days take me.

Within the next 30 days I will:
-begin tutoring again(it has been nearly 2 years since I tutored. I have put it off because my last students mother and father both died right after I finished tutoring my precious student. My heart has hurt so deeply for him and for myself, as I had grown so close to him and his mother. Please pray for me as I venture down this road again, no doubt being reminded of my sweet friends.)
-go back to watching my boys. I am excited to watch them & teach them again! It will be a new experience with not only 4 boys but a newborn and 3 older boys!
-continue preparing to take a college class or two in the fall.
-watch my baby brother graduate high school & become a cadet officer in CAP

And that's just scratching the surface. I have a full summer & can't wait to see how the Lord works in my life & the lives of those around me!

Day 28 —Highs/lows of this year

I'll be honest. My excitement for my 20th birthday was suddenly plagued with overwhelming fear of the future. I was beyond excited to close out a chapter of my life. I can't tell you how happy I am that the "teenage" years are behind me. But as I realized that that season was over I realized that I was entering a new season and had no idea where I was heading. I become fearful that my life was over. I began telling myself that I'm old. Oh, and of course, the marriage thing came up more than once. Since I'm remain unmarried I must not be worth anything, right? Lies! They're all lies! My life is far from over(Hellooo, I woke up this morning!). 20 years is a long time in comparison to 1 year but it's only 1/5 of 100 years and just a blink of an eye in light of eternity. Old? No, I'm 20 years young. As for marriage...it's obviously not a good thing for me right now. Because if it were, the One who gives GOOD gifts would have given it to me. And since I'm being honest, I'm so not ready for marriage at this point. I am incredibly thankful that the Lord didn't hear my naive cry to be married at 18. Or 19. Or (so far) 20. He continues to shape me & give me opportunity to serve right here, right now. My issue shortly after my birthday was not that I'm not fulfilled as a 20 yr old unmarried woman. My issue was the fact that I took my eyes of Jesus and began lacking direction. As I turned my focus back to Him(instead of myself) I found amazing things. He began showing me great opportunities and laying the ground work for the next year of my life. I know exactly where I'm going now. My hopes and dreams have been rejuvenated by the One who planned them before the foundation of the world. My future lies in Christ alone. I am eternally grateful for that.

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4
(As I began to struggle with some of these things my best friend gave me a ring with this verse on it. I don't think she realized how much I needed that verse around my finger when she bought it for me. I love the way God works!)

Day 27 — A child I love

As soon as I read the subject for this day, 4 little faces popped into my head. Over this past year I have had the incredible privilege to watch 3 boys under the age of 5. And now, starting in a few weeks I will be watching them and their new brother. 4 boys 5 and under. What a blessing they are!

Day 26 —My dream home

You did say dream home, right? :)

Though it would be incredible to live in a castle, the white house or in immaculate mansion on the beach, I just cannot picture myself in such a place. I lived in two homes over 100 years old when I was a teenager. At the time I never appreciated their charm, but looking back, those were my favorite homes. I love the little rooms, every creak in the floor boards and the rich history. I love wondering how many lives were shaped in those houses. I adore the idea of living in a shack near the beach or even in a hut in a third world country. I have lived in 9 homes in my 20 years and visited countless others. They have ranged from a single wide trailer on a farm to a grand home with marble floors. And one thing I've found is that it just doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you have the most beautiful or most humble of homes. It matters what goes on inside. Whatever my four walls and roof look like, I want my home to be a place of refuge. I want it to be somewhere where hospitality and love abounds.  I want it to be a place of service. I want my home to be a place of education. A place where the love of Christ is lived out. So whether the Lord has me in a hut in Ethiopia, a cottage Tuscany, a mansion in California, or just a plain ol' house in Las Vegas I choose to make it a HOME that glorifies Him.

Day 25 — A picture of something that makes me happy

This is my favorite place that I've ever been to. 

Shell Beach, La Jolla, California

Day 24 —10 people, dead or alive, whom I would invite to dinner (and the dinner menu)

Wow, this is a difficult one. There are so many people that I'd love to have dinner with. Ten people is just not enough because I will have to exclude so many great minds. Let's see...

I would love the dinner to be a potluck(I was raised Southern Baptist, you should have seen that one coming!). I love potlucks because people tend to bring favorite dishes & there's great variety.


I don't know how well all these people would get on, but I trust with the great minds present we wouldn't have too many issues:
1 &2. Anna Sofia & Elizabeth Botkin- I just finished reading their second book today & would love to have an evening to fellowship with them and get to know them.
3. Jasmine Baucham- Through her blog she helped me become a thinker. She was an instrument that the Lord used to mold me into who I am today.
4. Abigail Adams- I hear so many wonderful things about this woman. I would love to hear what she went through as wife to one of the first presidents.
5. the Apostle Paul- I think that's pretty self explanatory.
6. Albert Einstein- how cool would that be?!
7. Alexander the Great- he was my favorite conqueror in while I was in elementary school
8. My grandma Adele- I never knew her & hear that she was quite a lady
9. C.S. Lewis- He wrote my favorite fictional book
10. Ansel Adams- his photographs first inspired me to pick up a camera and begin shooting