Nineteen Things This Year Has Taught Me

As of today, I've officially lived to see age 19. I've been told that life goes by in the blink of an eye and I totally believe it! That being said, I've somehow managed to glean a few lessons this past year. Here are 19 small ones that I think are pretty important.


1) It's okay to not be okay.

Stop wearing a mask. Everyone hurts, everyone messes up, everyone goes through hard times. Wouldn't it just be easier to admit that we're all not okay and accept that that's okay?

2) You need time to just be with your thoughts, God and His Word

This seriously makes EVERYTHING better. I used to be the absolute worst at this and still struggle with making time to just be still, pray and read my Bible. I've found that doing it first thing in the morning, downloading a devotional app and just committing to doing it are really helpful,

3) You NEED people.

You're going to go through hard times and you need people to lean on, talk to and to pray for and with you. It's amazing what a simple coffee date or conversation with like minded people can do for your soul.

4) Don't go a day without laughter.

Because, let's be real, laughing is the best.

5) Comfort zones are stupid.

They're cages constructed of fear. The Bible says not be afraid hundreds of times, so why should I be caged to my comfort zone if the Bible says not to be? (Hint: I shouldn't be.) Step out in faith and you'll find that God's got you every step of the way.

6) Don't be afraid of people.

Coming from someone that was incredibly intimidated by certain people during this time last year, being afraid of people is stupid. We're all on the same level, so don't put people on a pedestal. They'll eventually get knocked off. I'm SO guilty of this and had to learn this lesson the hard way.

7) Falling in love with Jesus is the best thing that you can ever do.

The love of Christ is incredible. It defies all of our earthly thoughts, customs and ways. You can never know too much about Jesus and the more you know, the more you'll fall in love with Him.

8) It's okay to look ridiculous.

Take the selfie. Do the stupid dance move. Make the weird face. Let loose every once in a while and stop being so worried about what people think of you.

9) Random adventures are the best.

Say YES to adventure. Go to the waterfall with your small group. Drive an hour to take photos at a lake at the base of a mountain. Get out of your comfort zone.

10) You need to be intentional in everything.

Do things with purpose. Stop making excuses. Be passionate in your pursuits. Keep learning. Think for yourself. Don't give up.

11) Not everyone will like everything you do and that's is GREAT.

It's hard to hear criticism but when people tell you what you're doing wrong, or that they don't like what you're doing, but that's when you own up to any mistakes you've made, take their feelings into consideration, change if it's necessary and move on. Live and learn, ya'll. Live and learn.

12) Siblings are weird and crazy, but they're the best friends you'll ever have.

My little sister, Ky, is seriously the strangest, craziest coffee-addict I know, but she's always there for me and I love her. Be willing to build relationships with your siblings and fantastic things will happen.

13) Family ties are the strongest bonds you'll ever know.

Family will always be there for you and I find that I often take that for granted. Cherish your family members and don't just tell them you love them, show them. #preachingtomyself

14) You don't have to be the smartest/most talented/most able/most experienced to be used.

You just need to be willing to serve and God will find a way to use you.

15) Forgiveness is really, really important.

If you don't decide to forgive and let go, you'll essentially suffocate from bitterness. Don't let that happen. Choose to show love to the person that hurt you and forgive them. (Easier said than done... I know.)

16) Most problems aren't as big as they seem.

When problems show up, take a step back and breathe in deep. Try to gain a little perspective and you'll probably find out that the "huge, life changing" thing you're dealing with isn't as big as it seems.

17) Wait to send that text/email.

I'm not saying you can't write out that text or email explaining how you feel or why you're right, (AKA why they're wrong) I'm just saying that it's probably wisest to let the message sit for a day before you send it. You'll avoid a lot of unnecessary conflict. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up realizing that you don't need to send that note and there's a better way to deal with the conflict. (This is me speaking from experience.)

18) Don't be afraid to say "yes".

Say yes to helping whenever you can, say yes to helping a friend that's going through a hard time, say yes to what you think God is calling you to do and say yes to things that will stretch you.

19) Every day has the potential to be the best. day. ever.

And depending on your outlook, it will be!

These are just little things I've learned this past year. You can ignore them or learn from them, it's truly up to you. Here's to another incredible year!

One Year.

This year's flown by. As most of you (probably all of you) know my family had a kind of rough start to 2012 with leaving our old church. That was a weird season and I'm super glad that we're out of it, for the most part. (What I mean by for the most part: I still have days where I miss people a ton and wonder what it would be like if we had never left, but other than that, we're out of it.)

Seriously, despite the sleepless nights, tears, fights and (sadly) loss of friendships and family members that the whole ordeal brought about, tons of good has come from it. I'm not even sure where to begin.

This weekend marks the weekend we started going to CCC. A year ago this weekend, we stepped into our first service at our current home church. It took a ton of prodding and dragging me to get there. I didn't want to go. AT ALL. I was "happy" where I was. (Ha! Not. But I pretended I was.) I didn't want to leave all I'd ever known.

When we got there, I remember thinking it was a little weird. I don't know why I thought that, but I did and I sat in the row of chairs with my parents and a couple friends thinking about how much I didn't want to be there.

Anyway, flash forward to today.  I literally spend at least 3 days of the week there. This week, I'll actually be spending 5. And I love every minute of it!

Okay, that's a very brief recap of the year. I'm not done yet, though. What good things came of what I would consider to be the worst time of my life, so far? Where do I begin... the list is SO SO long.

1.) Faith. Through that stormy season, I didn't really have anyone to lean on except God. (Who's the best and only One you can lean on at all times.) I wasn't sure who I could trust. I felt like everyone was betraying me. God got me through that and He can get me through anything.

2.) Family. My family grew a lot closer to each other. I don't know how to explain it, really. I just know that my sister and I are now best friends, when we used to be enemies. My mom, dad and I get along better than we did. (though I'm occasionally (read: often) more stubborn than I should be on some (most) issues and argue with them...) It's kind of funny, because people said Kylene and I were going to fall away from our family because my parents were teaching us to rebel against authority. Really? They didn't teach us to rebel... and we're closer than ever... so I guess we proved THEM wrong.

3.) Friends. I used to be super popular at my old church. It was a small church in a small town and I'd grown up there. Then I came to CCC and thought I knew no one. Surprisingly, I found out that almost 1/2 of our co-op families go there, so I did have friends! It was (and is) really cool getting to see old friends at church. I hadn't seen some of them in years. That's not the end of it though!

About 8ish months ago, we became part the youth group, C7. This youth group is amazing. At the same time, we joined "Revo Band" (currently "Heirs") the church's youth group worship team. We were immediately welcomed and accepted. We didn't have to try to impress anyone, we didn't need to wear any masks... it was like a whole new concept. There are currently 18 (I think? About? I don't know...) teens and leaders in the band and it's just awesome. I've gained some amazing brothers and sisters from Heirs. It's so encouraging to be able to gather with people that are there to support each other and above all, glorify the Creator.

4.) Dreams. Again, how do I explain this? It's... difficult. In a nutshell, I'm able to dream again. To think about the future, while living and loving the present moment. Those dreams are coming true, too! I'll have to give more on that in a couple weeks though... there's some very exciting news!


In the meantime, go follow Heirs on facebook and on twitter.

More Like Family: Co-op

Omygosh, guys. It's almost June. We're a month away from 2013 being half over. How crazy is that?! However, I still have over 7 months of this year left and I plan to use them and enjoy them fully. That being said, summer has begun. Well, for me it has.

Monday marked the last day of co-op for the year. (Ah!!!) It was so exciting and so disappointing at the same time. No more homework? Yay! No more super early Monday mornings? Hallelujah. Plus, co-op being over means that summer plans get to come to being soon. (Summer camp, bonfires and crazy sleepovers, anyone?)

On the other hand, though, I'm really sad. I'm going to miss watching the little ones and trying to corral them. (Easier said than done, but hey!, they're worth it.) I'll miss singing with my worship team girls. I'm going to be depressed when I don't get to see my amazing friends. I'll miss my teachers. I'm going to miss the random conversations, (Journalism class. Enough said.) the crazy laughter, the occasional shocking moments, the weekly memory making... okay, you get the picture.

My co-op's more than an intense once a week class day, as I often describe it as. It's a family. It's a place to belong. It's a community.

I could list so many things I love about co-op, but I kind of already did that. I can't list all the crazy memories of the year- that would take all of summer break. (AND I am NOT spending all of summer break blogging photos and memories of the school year JUST to go back. I WILL enjoy this summer and it WILL be the best yet. (Seriously, though... it will be.)) But I can't leave this post without adding a few highlights from this year. It was truly amazing.

Twister Hobbit Movie night with my best friends, Mary, Bekah and Ky. Ky and Mary were talking the entire time: quoting the movie, speaking in whale, (thank you for serenading us, Mary. (-_-) ) and freaking out about Gollum. Of course, Bekah and I weren't much better... we talked a lot too. But, hey, at least WE didn't get locked out of the movie room!

Little kids. They're amazing. Most of my year was spent with little kids, believe it or not. They're a ton of fun! They're not really worried about making themselves look like idiots. They're more concerned with having fun. I think some adults (and teens) could learn a thing or two from the little ones around us.

The last day of co-op is always themed. This year was "Superhero day"! I dressed Thor inspired. (He is the BEST superhero, after all.) Before the morning started, I was helping watch the Z kids and I "borrowed" Cole's ninja mask so I could pose with the infamous "Nacho Libre" (Tommy)

The formal. I wish I had a decent photo of our whole group. Josh, Danielle, Lizzy, Bekah, Mary, Ky and I all went. It was a night to remember. We danced our feet off, we went a little crazy and when we were too tired to dance any more, we kept dancing. I saw some old friends and made some new ones. We danced and danced and danced and sang and made total fools of ourselves. So much fun!

Not sure why, but this photo makes me smile. Isaac got his hands on my camera and started snapping away while he was sitting in my car after co-op, talking to my sister and a couple friends. He got around 20 shots. This was definitely the funniest!

Omygoodness, don't get me started on how much I love this girl. She became like my little sister this year. She's super mature for her age and she's super fun to be around. From this year alone, we have a ton of memories and inside jokes.

The King Tut field trip was a blast! I love Ancient Egypt. The mystery and richness of the history... it makes me stand in awe (and shock) when I think of some the events that have taken place there. It was awesome to be able to see some of it in front of my very own eyes.

Oh, this picture makes me laugh, worry, (what WERE they doing?!) and tear up a little... Dani's not coming back next year and that... well, that's super sad. We've known each other for forever and she's not going to be in the area any more. (I'll probably post more on that later...)

This was taken on the last day of co-op this year. We always go to a park. I guess they were practicing their superhero moves? I don't know... still, so fun!

The Journalism team. This year was so much fun! Everyone brought something new and fresh to the table (literally... we had a round table...) and our articles were top-notch this year. Way to go, team!

Last day of co-op photo op with the girls! Next year just won't be the same without some of them. Each of them have impacted me in positive ways. Love these girls.

Meeting Hazel was a major highlight of my year. She's so precious and sweet. I love her so much already. I can't wait to watch her grow and follow God's plan for her life! She's going to do great things.

Well, I guess it's with that I say "I'll see you in my memories" to the co-op 2012-2013 school year.

And let's start summer off right with a fantastic quote.