Thankful
Happy Thanksgiving! Wow, to think about what I'm thankful for, really makes me smile. First of all, I just read Christopher's blog and it was hilarious! So I want to say that I am so thankful for my wonderful wonderful brothers. They are both the best brothers I could ever ask for. So funny, so clever and smart, so caring, and I love them so much. Which leads me to my parents. For those of you who don't know, I was incredibly blessed to be born into an awesome ministry that is unlike any other. A ministry that exists because of my wonderful God-fearing parents that responded to their call. They are also hilarious, clever, smart, and caring. They've done so much for me that I can't even begin to do them justice with my simple thanks in a blog. I'm so so blessed by my family.
My friends. Wow. My friends are crazy. I have some great friends through orhcestra and school that always, always make me smile. And they never let me go by a day with a bad mood without trying to make me smile. My discipleship group is awesome. Some d-groups aren't that close or don't really talk about God that much. Thankfully, mine does both! They are 5 people that I would do anything for. I could not imagine high school without them. I love them all so much. Each one of them with their stupid, weird, random, and crazy quirks. Mollie, Les, Brooke, Amy Kate, and Lindz- y'all are all stupid idiots that make really comfortable couch cushions even when you can't read, refuse to go to Kenya, and fall up the stairs. Lol! I love y'all to pieces!! (For those of you not in my d-group, don't worry. I wasn't insulting them, those are just some of our fun times!)
I'm also thankful for my extended family. I have wonderful grandparents. They are extremely gracious and so helpful. They try to go to all of mine and my cousins' concerts, recitals, games, and any other of the random stuff we do. I have no idea how they do it, and I love them so much. And my cousins are awesome too. So full of energy! I love my cousins on both sides of the family. I don't know what I'd do without Barnes and Noble trips, Katie! ;) I had Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family today and it was completely relaxing. So laid back and calm. I loved it. Tomorrow (or by now, today) I'll have thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family. It will be a little on the crazier side. At the Thanksgiving today, there were 10 people. Only 3 of us were under 20 (in a few months it will be down to 2!) At Grandma's tomorrow, there will be 22 people. Nine of us will be under the age of 20. It will be loud and energetic. And I will absolutely love it. That's what's great about family. I always love them! And I'm blessed that I have the type of family that is so amazingly lovable.
Most importantly. My God. My Jesus. My Saviour. My Comfort. My best friend and biggest fan. God is so awesome. He put all the precious people in my life that I have listed above. And of course he made the ultimate sacrifice of his son just so I could live with him and be saved. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then ask me and I will be more than happy to explain. I don't thank God enough for the amazing gifts that he has given me. I can't possibly. But I want to try. I hope you have enjoyed this entry, and I hope it has made you think about what is precious to you in your life. I love you all and have a great night. Happy Thanksgiving! ;)
Basketball
When I was little, I played basketball all the time. I played in on our backyard court with my dad, brothers, and cousins and in the church Upward/Living Above the Rim league. In 3rd grade when went around the room and said what we wanted to be when we grew up, I said "WNBA." One of my favorite Barbies was my WNBA Barbie that had a magnet ball that stuck to her magnet hand and you flipped a switch on her back that made her "shoot." I was so excited whenever my dad took me to get new basketball shoes. In middle school, you couldn't be on the team when you were in 6th grade, but you could try out to be a manager where you practiced with the team, got them water, and had a garunteed spot on the team next year. I deffinately did that and loved it. But then the next year, I went back to church ball, started cheerleading, and in the next to last game of the church ball season (which did lost all but one game i think), I ripped some kind of tissue in my knee. I haven't played since then...Until tonight.
Some of my friends decided that it would be really fun to play church ball again this year, just for the heck of it. There was sweat, pain, and embarassment. I have never laughed so hard at a basketball practice in my life. It was hilarious! I think I only made 2 baskets the whole night. We did, oh excuse, we attempted to do the figure 8 drill and we had people running into to each other and falling all over the place. We also tried a defensive drill where you block a lay-up. We had to have a talk about how this wasn't powderpuff football. All I know is that one second I was about to shoot and the next I was smack on the ground. That wasn't the last time I was on the ground either. And many others were on the ground as well. We also made blocking out into a dance move and I think I will have a butt print on my thigh for a week. We probably looked so stupid and so far we're a horrible team of people that used to be good at basketballl. It was soooooo much fun! Not only because it was funny, but it was good to have that sore feeling in my throat from sprinting all over the place again. To have my legs ache, but still keep going. To completely shove someone out of the way to get your hand on a ball. To know that you can jump higher than any one else on the team (at least for tonight). Struggling to rip the ball from someone else till you end up on the ground. It's great. Now, don't get the idea that I'm actually good at this game. I haven't even exercised in many many months, but this was great and so much fun. I hope that everyone had a great and fun night. I love you all!
Stars
I recently got the new Switchfoot album and have really fallen in love in the acoustic version of "Stars." Probably because the acoustic version sounds cool, I absolutely love acoustic guitars, and because I can relate to the song. I'm one of those people that everytime I get out of my car and it's dark, I look up. That's just how I am. When I pull into the drive way and shut the door I love to just look up at the stars. Have you ever noticed how incredibly beautiful stars are? There's not a lot of light near where I live and some nights it literally takes my breath away. I think that's the one place I can always find God. I sometimes struggle with not searching for God in the right way, or for the right reasons. And that frustrates me, because then I don't find him and feel deserted. But for some reason, that diamond speckled sky always makes me think of how awesome God is. The chorus of "Stars" says:
I've been thinking 'bout everyone
everyone, you look so empty/lonely
but when I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
I see someone else
When I look at the stars
I feel like myself
That just seems very applicable to me. I encourage you to go and seek out God through his creation, not what you expect from him. How do you understand an artist's style? You look at their artwork.
