New Year's Goals

This song has always been one of my favorites and I now know why, it hit me yesterday. I specifically remember hearing this song on a chilly spring morning my freshman year of high school. I was riding with my hairdresser to school like every other morning, sitting directly behind the drivers seat and this song for some reason stuck with me, even until this day I have always sung this song and felt like it has meaning in/to my life. I have always loved it. You know, I think it was that morning that I truly realized what it was like to live the Christian life and know what it felt like. It was an amazing moment and I am forever grateful to Mrs. Jennifer for showing me what it is to live THAT life. She is an amazing woman of God.

I guess what I'm saying is this song so well describes my life, in my head at least. I was saved the summer of seventh grade at church camp in the mountains. I was on a high, the "new" hadn't worn off yet and it wasn't hard to live "the" life in front of others. I really hit a low in my Christian life my 11th and 12th grade years. There were so many unknowns and I thought I trusted my Lord. I truly didn't. It wasn't until this past year that I truly started trusting God, fully, completely, wholly, not worrying about burdens- just turning them over to Him. Now don't get me wrong I still have a lot of work to do, and I realize that, but at the same time I am soo proud of myself for making this progress that I have in my Christian walk. But let me tell you it is a good feeling knowing that your life and worries are in His hands.

I think there was a point my freshman year of college that this "trust issue" was resolved. It wasn't all at once, because I still feel like I'm continuing to "let go," but there was a major point when I took a leap in faith. I was sitting in Cotten lobby talking to Sarah as she was going through some hard times. Little did I know that I was changing before my eyes, sitting in that uncomfortable chair in front of those huge windows. I remember the night so well. And I knew something good happened when I laid down in bed that night.

All this to say that this song just really has impacted me and made me look back and realize just how far I have come since the day I was saved and that day sitting in Mrs. Jennifer's back seat. I am forever thankful to her for blasting some Jesus music on the way to and from school everyday.

Now onto the New Year's Eve part of this post. I'm not making any resolutions per se but I'm going to list a couple of goals and "commitments" to myself. ha!

- I want to continue my prayer life I have formed these past few months. I find myself in conversation during the day and just simply praying. I love this and want to continue it.

- I want to keep up my nightly routine of devotional reading and Bible reading and writing. Thanks to Sarah I have formed this lovely routine. See roomies are good for something, kidding!, I love my roomies all the time. :)

- I feel like my friends and I have gotten woven even tighter together this past year. I love this! Friends are such an important part of your life and a wonderful "support" system. I think I have done a decent job of making "deposits" into their lives, I know they have for me.

- I want to continue to be a key part of my Momma's life. I want so bad for her to get back into loving the Lord. Not that I think she doesn't just that she isn't actively pursuing Him, I feel she is putting other things first. This kills me on the inside because I know what she is missing but she doesn't.

- I want to be accepted into nursing school at ECU. This has been something I have had to turn over to God, I have stressed wayyyyyy too much over this, it is not in my hands anymore after Monday the 10th when I turn in my application. Not that it's in my hands now..

- I want to make sure my parent's know just how thankful I am for what they do for me. I don't think I have done the best job at this, this past year.

I hope 365 days from now I can look back at this and check everything off this list with a smile on my face. Happy New Year! I think 2011 is going to be a good year! At least I hope it is! :)

a post in which I have no title

Okay.. this may be a little long but I have to write this out. Just to get it off my chest and help me think it over.

It all "started" on Christmas Eve and the 11 pm service at church. I walk in sit down with Daddy on the 2nd row and Carrie, a long time friend but we aren't as close as we used to be friend, and her mom come up and sit with us. Carrie and I talk briefly before church starts and at the end she told me she wanted to catch up before we head back to school. I told her that, that sounded good, we always get together and catch up on life about 2 to 3 times per year. Well this time was different and I mean WAY different.

We decide we would go get lunch at Five Guys and then go shopping. We go to lunch and eat and just are talking, I'm telling her about my recent "boy life" and you know what girls typically talk about - everything. And she tells me about a guy she had dated back this summer and beginning of this school year and then she tells me they broke up and I asked "why?" Only I wasn't expecting the answer I got. She bluntly told me "I'm gay." Do what? Where did this come from? Should I get out of the car while sitting in I-440? Should I tell her this is wrong and goes against the Bible? What do I do? This is all going through my head and I don't have a clue what to say. So I say "oh..." and basically the conversation ended there while I pick my jaw up from the floor and shut my eyes at little bit because they were rather wide. Thank the Lord the conversation ended 'cause I needed time to think about what I just heard.

Anyway I don't know what to do. Like I don't have a clue. I want to just hop up on my soap box and preach but I don't think that would be quite appropriate but then again will any body else do it? I think she needs a reminder. Obviously.

There are so many places in the Bible that clearly state man and woman are made for each other and same sex marriage is not God honoring and sinful.

Let me just list out some verses...

- 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
- Genesis 1:25 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
-Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. He didn't create man and man or woman and woman.
-Mark 10:6 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. He didn't want marriage to be something shared between 2 people of the same sex but between man and woman.

These are just a few passages but I think from this one could clearly see that same sex marriage/anything is wrong. God made us to love the opposite sex. Even if you looked at Noah's Ark didn't God command Noah to take 2 (male and female) of every living creature on the Earth with him on the ark. Do you think is was by accident that the animals were male and female? No.

Okay, I think I'm going to step down now. I just had to type this out, I don't know why though. I just ask that you pray for me while I am praying what to do in this situation. My humanly self wants to run far away, fast. I just gotta be honest, but I don't know if that is what I should do. I mean I was always raised to be God's "hands and feet" but I think there may be a time where you have to draw the line and leave it to someone else.

I'm confused about everything concerning this.

Don't think that I am judging anyone who is gay because I am not. I have many gay friends and I love them the same today that I did yesterday, it's just that I don't agree with it. But you know what I don't agree with a lot things people do so, oh well. And they may not agree with things I do and believe. This was not meant to offend, hurt anyones feelings, etc. And I'm sorry if I have but I'm leaving this post up because this is what I believe and this is my blog. My little corner of the world. Should I even have to defend myself anyway?

On a fun, lighter, brighter note... I will return soon with pictures from my break so far within the next few days. I have had a fun-filled, relaxing, much-needed break. And it's not quite over yet! :)

ABC's of Me

just for fun.. because i'm super bored and not feeling the greatest. hopefully it will pass a little time :)

A - Apple or PC: PC
B - Bed size: full (at home and at school)
C - Chore you hate: laundry. specifically folding clothes.
D - Don’t eat: watermelon. bad experience.
E - Essential start your day item: brushing my teeth.
F - Favorite color: hard one - blue, yellow, or pink
G - Gold or Silver: silver
H - Height: 5’7
I - Instruments you play: piano, kinda-sorta, I took lessons for 2 years
J - Job title: student
K - Kid(s): not yet, 1st step would be getting a boyfriend, then next would be getting married. i think i have a while, but when the time comes around 2-3
L - Least favorite thing to do: throw up! by far!
M - Most played song on ipod: i wish i could say i listened to my ipod
N - Nicknames: none really, maybe Britt
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: none. Praise Jesus!
P - Pet Peeve: drawers left open (got that one from Lauren) and people leaving cups out on the kitchen counters
Q - Quote: uhhh. idk.
R - Right or left handed: right
S - Sibling(s): Josh, younger brother
T - Time you wake up: normally by 8:30 or 9 if i don't have class
U- Unknown fact about me: I look down on people who get divorced. Don't judge, I know I shouldn't. But I DO NOT believe in divorce. :)
V - Vegetable you dislike: brussel sprouts and cauliflower
W - Ways you run late: For me, waiting on other people. I'm usually pretty much always on time if not early.
X - X-rays you’ve had: Tons! teeth, arm, elbow, fingers, hand, shoulder, ribs, you know all the common stuff.
Y - Yummy food you make: Me and the roomies make some pretty banging dinners. I love our chicken casserole.
Z - Zodiac sign: I honestly don't know and I'm not looking it up.

Trying To See The Good

I have been trying to see the good in the midst of this horrible cold. I finally went to the doctor yesterday and I have strep throat and a sinus infection. Yuck! But I am thankful for...

- antibotics
- a very knowledgeable NP who I saw yesterday
- Kleenex with lotion :)
- my brother who always ask me if I need anything, and if I say yes he gets it right then
- a fireplace that seems to be the only thing to keep me warm
- a comfy couch
- a Christmas tree that lights up the living room at night, so pretty!
- the fact that this to will pass, it could be lots worse, people are laying in a hospital bed this Christmas - I'm at home, some are fighting cancer while I'm fighting a cold - the 2 don't even begin to compare and yet, I'm the one complaining
- that my momma and daddy take care of me, thank the Lord for parents
- that I got this cold after exams, I can't imagine having this during exams!
- my tervis tumbler that keeps my water cold all night long. hah!

Anyway, I'm trying to see the good and not focus on the bad, because I realize just how many people have it so much worse than me. I just hope no one I have been around gets this stuff! Especially during Christmas.

Tenth Avenue North

They are otherwise known as my new obsession. on the real. haha! No really though, I love them and I will probably go buy there CDs after Christmas. They are that good and if this means anything, I haven't bought a CD in oh I'd say about 3 to 4 years. Yeah, listen to them!

Tons of Fun and Happiness

...all in one post!

To start with exams are over. Praise Jesus from above, literally. I don't know how I made it out alive and thank God for friends. Sarah and Lauren and Casey (the one day she was there) kept me sane and laughing. And thanks to Lauren for listening to me cry over a B and my momma's "kind" words of advice. :) Not really! But I will choose to forget that and move onto bigger and better things. I got 2 B's and 3 A's. woo hoo! I think Sarah's family thought I was crazy when I found out I got an A in Psychology. But it needed a little celebration. Lauren did too! Go us! I also beasted my statistics exam, I got a 93 on it and an A in the class.

All that to say, I get moved up to the next GPA bracket, when applying to nursing school. I did it, something I didn't think was possible. I guess that shows me I need to relax and know everything will work out, but that's kinda hard to do at times. I guess I really need to work on trusting the Lord with every little piece of my life, even grades. Such a simple verse but so so true, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understands, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 Such a simple, well-known, overlooked verse, but so meaningful and straight forward. A lot of times I think we as humans can know a verse word for word and say it over and over again but not truly believe it and live it out. I know I find myself doing this all the time. I can recite many, many verses and know what they mean but not use them to my good. This is a verse that I know and know and know but don't really believe it. I need to slow down a little and just be! In stressful, in the not-so-stressful times. I need to just sit down, breathe, think, read, and soak it up, and then the hardest part trust and believe.

I really don't know if this has made any type of sense at all, but it has to me. Ha! Any way I want to work on not just knowing but living. Sometimes we can learn from the simplest verses, the simplest people, and in the most stressful times.

Okay, next.... after exams, Lauren and I went to Charlotte/Monroe to stay with Sarah and her family for a few nights. It was a blast! We went shopping, eating, sight seeing, pretty-house looking. Oh, I love those two girls. I have so much fun with them whether we are laying around the house or out and about. We went to the fancy schmancy mall in Charlotte, Southpark, oh baby if only I had a little bit of money. I saw and wanted, thank the Lord I ended up leaving my debt card back home, at least I hope, I haven't looked for it yet, but it's not in my wallet. So I hope it's in my car. :) We also went to the Billy Graham Library and spent some time walking through the house he grew up in, it was so pretty inside. And homey! Then they had a live nativity scene, with a real camel and donkeys and sheep. It was beautiful! After that we finally went into the actual "library." We learned about his life, his crusades, his family, etc. I learned so much and I wish everyone could just get up and go. It was fun and free!

I had a blast hanging out with Sarah's family and getting to know Will and Mrs. Pam and Mr. Steve and little better and then meeting Memom and Kate. Kate is a hoot! Oh, let me tell you that child is a perform and kept me entertained the whole weekend. Love her! And the rest of them too of course! Will is a polite, sweet boy and you can really tell he has a heart for God! And I thank Sarah's parents for having me this weekend and letting me stay at there house. It was fun! Now a few pictures that I am definitely stealing off Sarah's facebook cause that's how I roll, considering my camera will not hold a charge for longer than 5 minutes. :)

finals

all i have to say is... it's the morning of my last one!! whoop whoop!! it's almost christmas break! and it can't come fast enough! PTL!! i may be going to monroe today to stay with sarah but it depends on the roads and snow! :)

Christmas Tree at Home

We decorated our tree at home 2 days after Thanksgiving. So it has been up for a while but I'm just not getting around to posting pictures. I got Momma to finally buy new "stuff" for the tree this year instead of have a mumble jumble, sentimental tree. PTL! I love me a "themed" tree. :) I guess maybe it's different when you have children and have collected random ornaments over the years?

Anyway pictures, the tree is red, gold, and crystal.

This is a close view of the top. It was only the 2nd bow I have ever tied. I'm proud of myself. Ha!
The entire tree. Taken with my point and shoot opposed to daddy's fancy camera. Blah!
My favorite ornament on the whole tree. The crystal ball. :) MaSue (Momma's momma) gave my mom and uncle each a Waterford crystal ornament every year up until she passed away and I love those ornament's they are so different and pretty. This was the ornament for 2000. They are very special ornaments and I hope to one day hang them on my tree. See I am a little, teeny tiny bit sentimental. :)

New Member of the Family

We got a new puppy today.... YAYAYAYAY!!!!

His name is Farley and he is a lab mix, 6 months old, and super sweet.

We call him Far and Bubba and Farley. I love him!

What a sweet pup. : )

....Lauren I will take super good care of him this weekend.... ;)

life is crazy at the moment

I have been crazyy busy since my last post. I had a great thanksgiving, and hope you did too. The one person who reads this. Hey Lauren! :) I ate way too much, shopped way too much, and slept not enough. Thanksgiving went by in the blink of an eye. But don't breaks always go by way too fast?

I did meet H and it went good. He was sweet and polite and all things good but we just didn't click. After Friday night things just kinda got "forced/weird?" I really don't know. haha. So yeah..

I got back to school only to be greeted by a lab practical on the nervous system. What fun. I definitely busted my tail for 2 straight days cramming for that thing and I'm proud to say that I got a 95 on the practical and a A in the class. Whoop Whoop! PS- so did Lauren. Go us! I'm proud!

So, yes, I'm back in school full swing. Exams and tests galore coming up! I can't wait until December 17th. That will be the best day of the semester, the last day of the semester! I only have 3 more school days and 5 exams standing in my way. I'm planning on blowing them out of the water and doing really really really good on them. But to do that I have to study study study and study some more. UGH!

All that to say I probably won't post until December 17th or after. :) School comes first. My momma taught me well I must say. But expect a post on the apartment Christmas tree (it's a little ghetto looking), my house Christmas decorations, Sarah's birthday adventures, and probably my grades if I did alright come the end.