I am feeling so unbelievably blessed right now! I'm about to move into the coolest apartment/place I will have ever lived! There is a view of a wooded area right out our balcony. I'll be living with a great and fun friend! I might have nanny jobs soon to keep me busy. My friend's church I think we will be really cool and I'm looking forward to getting super involved.
And just looking back at my pics from all the places I've gotten to go these last 2 months I'm amazed. Ironically I was into the poem "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss before I left for Sydney, Australia about 2 months ago and I have gotten to go to an insane amount of places over the last 2 months. All my favorite places in the world! I had always wanted to see Sydney and I got to! I had always wanted to snorkle the Great Barrier Reef and I got to!
I got to drive through the Colorado Rockies with my mom, which are probably my favorite thing in the world. We got to walk around Vegas at night which is probably my favorite city in the world as far as how pretty it is. I got to finally see Honolulu, Hawaii and I had always wanted to see that. Flying on Hawaiian airlines again was really, really nice. :) I got to drive through Utah which was really beautiful! I got to hang out at the Irvine Spectrum with Ash my best friend before I came out to Missouri, the Spectrum being my fav place in California lol.
Life really couldn't be any better right now. Things are going so well and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at how much God has blessed me in the last 2 months.
THANK YOU GOD!!!
Someone close to me died 5 months ago but though sorrow may last for the night joy certainly does come in the morning! God has been so good to me and helped me recover from the death and find even more joy after than I had before.
It is kind of like the story of the Pheonix who is burned and dies but rises brilliantly and in victory. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, a lot stronger. And when we come through hard times we appreciate the good times that much more.
The hardest part about the death was just someone dying at 33. People aren't supposed to die at 33. I kept saying about the situation it was so WIERD. And it really, really was. Just out of the blue, bam, he was gone. Which perhaps made me subconciously think that I may not have tomorrow either so ever since he died I am trying to do as many things as I possibly can that I have always wanted to do!
What I have yet to do....hang gliding and sky diving....and live in New York for a bit. :)
What I have done.....a lot lol.....swam in a river in a rain forest, jumped off a cliff near a water fall, hiked to the bottom of the grand canyon, been to taiwan twice, been to india and mexico, worked on a cruise ship in alaska for 2 months, hiked halfway up a mountain in Alaska, gone ziplinning in Alaska, worked on a cruise ship in mexico for 2 months, saw the coolest resort in the world in mexico, lived in hawaii for a summer, got to see honolulu, Hawaii finally, been on about 5 road trips across the states, been to Miami and Chicago and L.A., had 7 cats at one time when I was in 5th grade, fallen in love many, many times and learned a lot from being in love, worked with kids of all ages for 14 years from infants through 18 year olds, gone kayaking in Haiti and Alaska and California, climbed a waterfall in Jamaica, saw Mayan ruins in Mexico, swam in ice cold water in Colorado, hiked a mountain in Australia, swam with sting rays in the Carribean, rode a bike on the seven miles of heaven beach in the Grand Cayman Islands, rode a bike in Alaska and saw a bear, saw a kangaroo and her baby while hiking in Canberra, Australia, got to pet a koala, held a snake, got to own the cutest bunny in the world for 3 yrs, I love you snowball! lol, and two kittens and a hamster all at the same time, :) won a karaoke context on a cruise ship and got a lunch pail lol, been blown away by seeing God move in other countries, dreamed of flying and then kind of did microgliding in Australia, snorkled the great barrier reef in Australia finally, hiked through a rain forest in Australia, Hawaii, Seattle and Alaska, snorkled with sea turtles in Hawaii several times, tried to learn to surf but fell a lot lol, fed Kookaberra birds in Australia, ate shark, almost died in the ocean twice when boogie boarding, gone water skiing, gone snowboarding twice and ended up quite bruised lol, rode a jet ski, tried fishing, have had fun playing tennis, basketball 12 yrs, volleyball, soccer, softball, badmitton for a whole summer, mini golf, ultimate frisbee, frisbee golf, bowling, playing pool, swimming, running, sprinting, long jumping, doing hurdles in jr. high, sledding, ice skating, roller blading along the beach .....and given my testimony about 10 times all over the world.....and had a pretty amazing life so far. Praise God :)
I have gotten to do an insane amount for someone my age. I'm not even 30 yet and I have seen pretty much anything I had always wanted to see and more. When I was in high school my dream was to go to Hawaii and I got to live there for a summer when I was 19. Then my dream was to see Australia and got to. My next dream is to live on a ranch with horses and huskies and start a family. May God help me accomplish that and find a great guy to share the rest of my life with and be happy with forever. I know God can make my dreams come true because He has already made countless of my dreams come true. Thank you God!!! :)
God thank you SOOOOO much for all you have already blessed me with. It is overwhelming and awe inspiring that you would choose to pour out so many blessings on me when I have dishonored you so many times. I feel hardly deserving of all you have given me but I am so grateful that you have chosen to shower me with great and unforgetable memmories while I am on this earth. May there be many more to come! You are amazing! Thank you! :)
I had doubts about starting to have children in previous relationship because I felt like I hadn't seen enough of the world yet. I, for the most part, feel like I have seen everything I want to see now. :) I just might be able to finally settle down in one place for awhile lol. And I think I will be quite happy here in Kansas City for a long time. My next and final dream is to get a ranch someday with horses, or a horse, and breed huskies and homeschool 2 to 6 children lol. I would LOVE to have little husky puppies running around all the time. I think they are the most adorable looking thing IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! lol. I'm loving the people around here and how much more godly people are in general. Kansas City is probably the most clean city I have ever seen, besides Irvine in Orange County. But Kansas City is a lot more fun looking than Irvine lol. There is so much culture here. So much cool architecture! It is the most beautiful city I have ever seen! Just driving up and seeing the skyline I was like, "Wow that is a beautiful skyline." lol. It's wonderful here. :) I like it a lot. :)
And I love the midwest. I think my heart has always been here because I had my prime years here from 9 to 13. I learned about the world and myself here. I was thrilled with the snow and the lightning bugs and running through the woods when I was younger. I absolutely love nature. I come alive in nature! I was listening to a book on tape with my mom on the road trip out here, Sacred Pathways, and he talked about the Naturalist, people who see God more in nature. That is SO ME! I have always connected with God best in nature.
When Roger died and I moved back to California I greatly missed the wide open country side, the secret trails through forests, seeing deer in open fields and the lightning bugs on a warm summer night. This truly is "God's country" as a man said to my mom and I on our way out here. I am so happy to be back here! All my best memmories are in this area. Playing hide and go seek and running through corn fields. Riding horses at my friend's house. Catching lightning bugs and picking berries with my brother. Nate and I had a really great child hood out here. Seeing the lightning storms and the sky turn green with rolling clouds. Seeing forests lit up magically with fireflies. Swimming in lakes and rivers in the summer. Having a mud fight with my friend after a summer down pour. Sledding down long steep hills and ice skating on the lake by my house.
I have COUNTLESS memmories in this part of the country and I really LOVE this part of the country with all my heart. :) I am so happy to be close to nature again.
That was my goal in going to Australia, was to be in nature, but Sydney is an even more dense city then anywhere in California is, so that was disappointing somewhat.
I feel like I can't hear God in the city. I can't "smell" God. The smell of freshly cut grass and a forest full of trees, that is where I "smell" and sense God. I see him in open fields and clear skies. I see him in sunsets and hawks or geese soaring through the air. He is EVERYWEHRE out here! He is so much more evident in the country side.
May God reveal himself to me more and more out here and may I fall in love with him again here as I did when I lived in this area when I was 9 and felt my soul awaken from the beauty in nature.
May God bring me back to life. May he make me FULLY ALIVE as He intends to! :)
Amen. :)
God bless and take care! I pray He will make you come fully alive as well. Find what makes you come alive and go and do that. Amen. :)
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
What is Salvation and Can It Be Lost?
I was in a class in college on the book Augustine's Confessions. The question was posed by the professor, "What is salvation really? And when is someone actually saved?" One person said maybe getting really saved is a life long process. There is the verse in Ephesians about being sealed by the Holy Spirit when we are saved, meaning once saved always saved. Eph. 1:13 says, "You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory."
There is also the verse, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Also, "If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord you will be saved."
So how is it that some people once believe everything and then one day they all of a sudden do not? I encountered this with a teacher in high school and then just now with a close friend. It baffled me the first time and this second time it did again. I remember with my teacher I thought how could it be that he once believed everything I do and now does not? Was he then not saved in the first place or did he, as some believe is possible, loose his salvation? Or is he merely confused but still saved? Paul does refer to something called "falling from grace." That could be what happened with these people I have known. And perhaps "falling from grace" is just kind of like a time out with God but not a cutting off.
It is hard to say. I personally have never questioned anything regarding my faith. I always say I was saved at 14 but I may have been "saved" since I was like 4 because I have always had "spiritual eyes" to see God clearly. I do not remember a time when the Bible did not make sense to me. Praise God my mom raised me in church and taught me the Bible A LOT when I was growing up. I started memorizing countless Bible verses since I was about 9.
I have always seen everything about the Bible clearly. None of it has ever confused me, except the issue of election still gets me sometimes lol. But I have never questioned God's existence or the fact that Jesus is God's son. It has never even entered my head to doubt anything in the Bible. I have always seen the entire Bible as a literal account of exactly what happened.
Paul tells us as Christians to take up the sword of the spirit and the shield of faith. Faith keeps us from doubting God when Satan wants to fill our minds with lies. The spirit speaks to us and helps us fight off the enemy.
If we cannot hear the spirit and do not have much faith, we become more vulnerable to Satan's attacks. This may have been what happened with my teacher and my friend. They simply lost sight of things somehow. It still is largely a mystery to me though.
Jesus does talk in the parable of the seeds about seed that fell on thorny ground. The worries of this life choked out what appeared to be growth. So does that seem to indicate that one can loose their salvation? How can someone bear fruit and then not? Also why are there verses about "any tree that no longer bears good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire?" Does that mean there is no hope for those who "fall away" or get confused?
James 5:19-20 says, "My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins." I hope that I can find people that wander from the truth and bring them back.
I have done this many times with my brother. He has been on and off again in his faith for the last 10 years or so. My uncle was "fallen away" and I almost had him convinced that he wanted to be a pastor lol. He was reading spiritual growth books like crazy and involved in Bible studies and about to go to seminary. But then things happened and he fell away again.
The spiritual walk is harder for some people than others. And it seems to be harder for men for some reason.
May God keep us all on track and on the path. And may he send people to pick us up if/when we fall. And may he help us to be able to pick others up when they fall, cause we all fall sometimes.
God bless and take care! :)
There is also the verse, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Also, "If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord you will be saved."
So how is it that some people once believe everything and then one day they all of a sudden do not? I encountered this with a teacher in high school and then just now with a close friend. It baffled me the first time and this second time it did again. I remember with my teacher I thought how could it be that he once believed everything I do and now does not? Was he then not saved in the first place or did he, as some believe is possible, loose his salvation? Or is he merely confused but still saved? Paul does refer to something called "falling from grace." That could be what happened with these people I have known. And perhaps "falling from grace" is just kind of like a time out with God but not a cutting off.
It is hard to say. I personally have never questioned anything regarding my faith. I always say I was saved at 14 but I may have been "saved" since I was like 4 because I have always had "spiritual eyes" to see God clearly. I do not remember a time when the Bible did not make sense to me. Praise God my mom raised me in church and taught me the Bible A LOT when I was growing up. I started memorizing countless Bible verses since I was about 9.
I have always seen everything about the Bible clearly. None of it has ever confused me, except the issue of election still gets me sometimes lol. But I have never questioned God's existence or the fact that Jesus is God's son. It has never even entered my head to doubt anything in the Bible. I have always seen the entire Bible as a literal account of exactly what happened.
Paul tells us as Christians to take up the sword of the spirit and the shield of faith. Faith keeps us from doubting God when Satan wants to fill our minds with lies. The spirit speaks to us and helps us fight off the enemy.
If we cannot hear the spirit and do not have much faith, we become more vulnerable to Satan's attacks. This may have been what happened with my teacher and my friend. They simply lost sight of things somehow. It still is largely a mystery to me though.
Jesus does talk in the parable of the seeds about seed that fell on thorny ground. The worries of this life choked out what appeared to be growth. So does that seem to indicate that one can loose their salvation? How can someone bear fruit and then not? Also why are there verses about "any tree that no longer bears good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire?" Does that mean there is no hope for those who "fall away" or get confused?
James 5:19-20 says, "My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins." I hope that I can find people that wander from the truth and bring them back.
I have done this many times with my brother. He has been on and off again in his faith for the last 10 years or so. My uncle was "fallen away" and I almost had him convinced that he wanted to be a pastor lol. He was reading spiritual growth books like crazy and involved in Bible studies and about to go to seminary. But then things happened and he fell away again.
The spiritual walk is harder for some people than others. And it seems to be harder for men for some reason.
May God keep us all on track and on the path. And may he send people to pick us up if/when we fall. And may he help us to be able to pick others up when they fall, cause we all fall sometimes.
God bless and take care! :)
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
We Are Who We Hang out With
Parents always advise their kids to pick good friends. It is quite true you are who you hang out with, or you become who you hang out with.
Since I dedicated my life to God at 14 I have been very picky about who I will let in my inner circle; who I will let advise me about my life.
Generally, it is ideal to have friends that share your faith. My youth pastor gave me the analogy of me standing on a chair and him on the ground. He was like, "ok now try and pull me up." That is impossible. Then he yanked me down off the chair and I easily came down. That is how it is generally with Christians who pick non-Christian people as their closest friends. We are to be in the world but not of it. Of course we will have aquaintances with people who are not saved, but our closest friends it would seem would need to have our faith in common.
There are a few verses regarding this. The verse regarding being unequally yoked most just apply to marriage, but it also applies to friendship.
It is very important that we are careful in who we pick to walk through life with. We need to choose our team mates carefully. :) Amen.
Since I dedicated my life to God at 14 I have been very picky about who I will let in my inner circle; who I will let advise me about my life.
Generally, it is ideal to have friends that share your faith. My youth pastor gave me the analogy of me standing on a chair and him on the ground. He was like, "ok now try and pull me up." That is impossible. Then he yanked me down off the chair and I easily came down. That is how it is generally with Christians who pick non-Christian people as their closest friends. We are to be in the world but not of it. Of course we will have aquaintances with people who are not saved, but our closest friends it would seem would need to have our faith in common.
There are a few verses regarding this. The verse regarding being unequally yoked most just apply to marriage, but it also applies to friendship.
It is very important that we are careful in who we pick to walk through life with. We need to choose our team mates carefully. :) Amen.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Personal Legends
I would like to write about my uncles cause they have all lived some pretty amazing lives! I have 6 uncles. My dad was the youngest of 5 boys and my mom was in the middle with 2 brothers and one sister. And also about my brother and best friend.....all personal legends to me; people that I will never forget and will always have a special place in my heart. :) Thank you to all of you for being such great, amazing people. :)
I will start with my Uncle Robert. I have always greatly admired him. I remember when I was a kid watching a meteor shower with him in his back yard. He has always driven Harley motorcycles and I always thought that was beyond cool lol. At some point he owned like 5 Harleys. He now has a BMW and 2 cute and fun to ride red scooters. He has his own roofing business. Once when he was younger he did a hand stand on a rail over the Grand Canyon. I have always thought he was incredibly cool. I have always greatly admired his zest for life and wanted to emulate his adventurous spirit! He lives in San Diego.
I used to go down and visit him once a month when I saw my grandma before she died. We went on a hike once and he went on and one to me about money lol and how I needed to invest in real estate. He was always like a second dad to me and I always wanted to be like him more than anyone else I've known. I always admired him more than my actual dad because he has accomplished so much. He has the coolest personality of anyone I've ever known. He is not afraid to take risks and do crazy things. He used to drink a lot but then got into AA and has been sober for quite awhile. He will not even touch alcohol now. His wife is a paralegal and they have always been pretty well off as far as money. They have a very cute little dog named Utah and a beautiful house.
My second favorite uncle has always been my Uncle Mike who lives in Alaska. He has been a salmon fisherman, a state senator, a journalist....he ran the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska. He has been a Civics college professors for many years now. There is almost nothing he can't do. And the best thing of all is that he has the kindest most soft heart I have ever known anyone to have. He has so much love for everyone he comes in contact with. You can just tell he cares deeply about you if he talks to you.
Both of these uncles were raised Catholic and aren't necessarily Christian,just spiritual,but they are 10 times nicer than any "Christian" people I have ever met.
I have another uncle in Salinas, California who built his own log cabin. I don't know a whole lot else about him except that he was a forest ranger, which I always thought had to be one of the coolest jobs in the world! :)
I have another uncle who gets to live in Kona, Hawaii, which who doesn't want to live in Hawaii? lol I stayed with him for a summer and was a nanny for my cousins. He owns a very successful tile and marble company. It was pretty cool when I was down there seeing "DAVIS TILE AND MARBLE" in huge letters on a very nice building. And I got to drive around their company van that summer that had the same logo so I have always been very proud of my last name being Davis. :) He has a beautiful house overlooking the ocean. Every night when I was there at sunset I would take a picture of the sunset over the ocean. I got to drive around the island with my grand parents one weekend. My unlce used to run an apple orchard and taught himself how to do things with tile and marble in his own work shop. His experimentation led to his having a very successful business in Kona. I don't think anyone taught him all the things he knows. He was self taught. And now has about 10 men working under him.
Another uncle I have literallly gets paid to travel the world. He teaches new computer programs to people. The coolest thing I thought was he got to fly to Japan for work. I cannot imagine a better job than getting paid to see the world! :) He owns the coolest convertible car I have ever seen and has a nice studio apartment in Costa Mesa.
And then there is my brother, who has always been the funniest person I have ever known. He can do like a dozen voices, the best being Milton from Office Space. He does it even better than the guy who plays Milton lol. He has a million funny faces and he can always make me laugh. He is an incredible artist and I have always been amazed how he can draw almost anything. He has gotten to do some pretty cool things too. He followed the band the Grateful Dead for awhile and he's been on countless road trips all over the U.S. He gave me my first car, my first seriously cool stereo and my first ipod. He taught me how to write cursive and do multiplication when I was younger. I have always admired his independence and his ability to think on his feet. He has had to fend for himself since he was 18 and I know it has been a very hard road for him, but he has endured and I admired that the most about him. He's had a lot of heart breaks with girls but he still believes something great is out there. He never gives up hope. He has had so many things happen in his life but he doesn't let any of that stop him. He has the most amazing perseverance I have ever seen in a person. :) I love you Nate! :)
And last but not least, my friend Ashley. I know I will never find another friend quite like her. I haven known Ashley for 15 years and she is amazing. She also, like my brother, has persevered through so many things and not given up. She has suffered enormous amounts of physical pain but she is still the sweetest person I have ever known. She has always been the best friend a girl could ask for. She has always been the best listener I have ever known. She aslo like my brother has an incredible zest for life and optimism that never seems to die no matter what happens to her. I look up to her in many ways; her independence and confidence. She is the best female I have ever known. Most women I have known honestly are just drama or they complain all the time or are very self centered. Ashley almost never complains, she has never been drama about anything and she is the most giving and selfless person I have ever known. I love Ashley! And I miss her now that I'm in Australia. Hopefully I will see you again someday my friend. Thank you for being such an amazing friend! :)
Thinking about all these people I see how much God has really blessed me by putting such amazing people in my life! People cross our paths for a reason. I currently know another amazing person, a guy, and time will tell where that goes. But God is so amazing in how he has put people in my life. Thank you God for all the mentors you have given me; people that I could look up to and try to emulate. People that I could admire and cause me to have faith in humanity despite the ugly sides of humanity.
Thank you God for great people. Amen. :)
I will start with my Uncle Robert. I have always greatly admired him. I remember when I was a kid watching a meteor shower with him in his back yard. He has always driven Harley motorcycles and I always thought that was beyond cool lol. At some point he owned like 5 Harleys. He now has a BMW and 2 cute and fun to ride red scooters. He has his own roofing business. Once when he was younger he did a hand stand on a rail over the Grand Canyon. I have always thought he was incredibly cool. I have always greatly admired his zest for life and wanted to emulate his adventurous spirit! He lives in San Diego.
I used to go down and visit him once a month when I saw my grandma before she died. We went on a hike once and he went on and one to me about money lol and how I needed to invest in real estate. He was always like a second dad to me and I always wanted to be like him more than anyone else I've known. I always admired him more than my actual dad because he has accomplished so much. He has the coolest personality of anyone I've ever known. He is not afraid to take risks and do crazy things. He used to drink a lot but then got into AA and has been sober for quite awhile. He will not even touch alcohol now. His wife is a paralegal and they have always been pretty well off as far as money. They have a very cute little dog named Utah and a beautiful house.
My second favorite uncle has always been my Uncle Mike who lives in Alaska. He has been a salmon fisherman, a state senator, a journalist....he ran the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska. He has been a Civics college professors for many years now. There is almost nothing he can't do. And the best thing of all is that he has the kindest most soft heart I have ever known anyone to have. He has so much love for everyone he comes in contact with. You can just tell he cares deeply about you if he talks to you.
Both of these uncles were raised Catholic and aren't necessarily Christian,just spiritual,but they are 10 times nicer than any "Christian" people I have ever met.
I have another uncle in Salinas, California who built his own log cabin. I don't know a whole lot else about him except that he was a forest ranger, which I always thought had to be one of the coolest jobs in the world! :)
I have another uncle who gets to live in Kona, Hawaii, which who doesn't want to live in Hawaii? lol I stayed with him for a summer and was a nanny for my cousins. He owns a very successful tile and marble company. It was pretty cool when I was down there seeing "DAVIS TILE AND MARBLE" in huge letters on a very nice building. And I got to drive around their company van that summer that had the same logo so I have always been very proud of my last name being Davis. :) He has a beautiful house overlooking the ocean. Every night when I was there at sunset I would take a picture of the sunset over the ocean. I got to drive around the island with my grand parents one weekend. My unlce used to run an apple orchard and taught himself how to do things with tile and marble in his own work shop. His experimentation led to his having a very successful business in Kona. I don't think anyone taught him all the things he knows. He was self taught. And now has about 10 men working under him.
Another uncle I have literallly gets paid to travel the world. He teaches new computer programs to people. The coolest thing I thought was he got to fly to Japan for work. I cannot imagine a better job than getting paid to see the world! :) He owns the coolest convertible car I have ever seen and has a nice studio apartment in Costa Mesa.
And then there is my brother, who has always been the funniest person I have ever known. He can do like a dozen voices, the best being Milton from Office Space. He does it even better than the guy who plays Milton lol. He has a million funny faces and he can always make me laugh. He is an incredible artist and I have always been amazed how he can draw almost anything. He has gotten to do some pretty cool things too. He followed the band the Grateful Dead for awhile and he's been on countless road trips all over the U.S. He gave me my first car, my first seriously cool stereo and my first ipod. He taught me how to write cursive and do multiplication when I was younger. I have always admired his independence and his ability to think on his feet. He has had to fend for himself since he was 18 and I know it has been a very hard road for him, but he has endured and I admired that the most about him. He's had a lot of heart breaks with girls but he still believes something great is out there. He never gives up hope. He has had so many things happen in his life but he doesn't let any of that stop him. He has the most amazing perseverance I have ever seen in a person. :) I love you Nate! :)
And last but not least, my friend Ashley. I know I will never find another friend quite like her. I haven known Ashley for 15 years and she is amazing. She also, like my brother, has persevered through so many things and not given up. She has suffered enormous amounts of physical pain but she is still the sweetest person I have ever known. She has always been the best friend a girl could ask for. She has always been the best listener I have ever known. She aslo like my brother has an incredible zest for life and optimism that never seems to die no matter what happens to her. I look up to her in many ways; her independence and confidence. She is the best female I have ever known. Most women I have known honestly are just drama or they complain all the time or are very self centered. Ashley almost never complains, she has never been drama about anything and she is the most giving and selfless person I have ever known. I love Ashley! And I miss her now that I'm in Australia. Hopefully I will see you again someday my friend. Thank you for being such an amazing friend! :)
Thinking about all these people I see how much God has really blessed me by putting such amazing people in my life! People cross our paths for a reason. I currently know another amazing person, a guy, and time will tell where that goes. But God is so amazing in how he has put people in my life. Thank you God for all the mentors you have given me; people that I could look up to and try to emulate. People that I could admire and cause me to have faith in humanity despite the ugly sides of humanity.
Thank you God for great people. Amen. :)
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Adventures in Australia
Really cool things I have gotten to see and do so far......and why the last 3 weeks has felt like 6 months lol......
-saw a kangaroo while hiking a mountain, a mom and her baby (I thought it was a deer at first cause that's what I'm used to seeing on hikes lol)
-saw the most beautiful and breath taking beach, Cronulla, and still drive back there every chance I get :)
-stayed in a hotel with a great view of this breath-taking beach
-stayed in the Holiday Inn by the airport in Sydney
-saw Cookaberra birds and fed them :)
-rented a Mini Cooper convertible
-learned to drive on the opposite side of the road lol
-drove into oncoming traffic twice when turning at a traffic light cause I'm so used to turning into the right side of the road not the left lol
-rented a Ford Falcon that has amazing horse power and the best speakers and bass I have ever heard in a car :)
-gone to McD's a few times, yes they have McD's out here :)
-had lots of amazing Chai Latte's
-cleaned a friend's house :)
-stayed in 5 hotels and lived in 3 houses already
-walked to the beach and watched teens play football and laugh with each other, that was cute
-saw some seriously burnt-out-on-drugs guys downtown and wondered if I should be worried for my safety lol
-been to 4 different churches
-been to what is probably the most beautiful park in Australia in Canberra
-hiked a "mountain" and saw the stunning view of Canberra at the top :)
-had a camp fire with friends on New Years Eve
-saw the best fireworks display I've ever seen, and I've seen probably 30 or so in my life
-drank more than I usually do lol :)
-slept in the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in
-went to a party at my new neighbor's house; I hardly even used to say hi to my neighbors lol
-went to church with my new neighbor and a pool party :) (she had a vision kinda from God that I was a "woman of peace" and invited me to hang out, pretty cool huh :)
-learned to trust people more
-met a lot of new people, reluctantly, but ended up having a lot of fun
-had the best breakfast ever served to me at a friend's house
-went shopping a lot, of course
-learned that cooking with another person is actually a lot of fun
-learned that it truly is better to give than to receive and that doing things for others is the thing that brings me the most joy
-learned how to drive a manual by shifting with my left hand rather than my right
-thought of buying a car, but then thought twice
-thought for the first time that it would be cool to work in a nursing home, where as before I was always slightly afraid of elderly people and death
-thought that having kids wouldn't be as scary as I had always thought it would be
-finally got to sit in Hillsong's church like I have always wanted to for the last 13 years ever since they came to Mariners church and did a concert when I was 16 and I fell in LOVE with their music!
-drove to the mountains, saw a waterfall, saw the "three sisters" a mountian range, and saw the most stunning view of a rainforest valley full of trees!
-bought and ate some of the best ice cream I've ever had
-eaten out a lot and had some of the best food I've ever had, especially an omlet I had in a coffee shop :)
-thought of playing basketball with some guys like I used to in high school but then thought twice cause I'm not a kid anymore lol
-saw the coolest park with work out equipment out for anyone to use
-gotten lost for 3 hours driving around trying to find a beach, that was the worst and most frustrating 3 hours of my life
-spent $450 on a hotel stay for one night at "The Star" hotel and casino on the Darling Harbor cause I was desperate to stay somewhere and stop driving after being lost for so long
-rented my first and second car ever :)
-did valet parking for the first time
-took a cab by myself for the first time
-felt more at home than I have ever felt
-rented and rode a bike along one of the best bike paths ever along the beach
-sat in one of the best jicousees I have ever sat in :)
-been around a lot of very happy people who laugh a lot, which is really nice :)
-been encouraged by several Hillsong sermons
-felt free and comfortable and at home in a church for the first time in awhile :)
-met some very friendly Christian people
-met some very friendly non-Christian people
-had a lot of fun snorkling over the Great Barrier Reef
-went microgliding, which is riding in a very small airplane that's almost like hang gliding :)
-walked through a tropical rain forest for the first time
-went swimming in a river in the tropical rain forest :)
-had tons of fun overall in Australia! :)
-saw a kangaroo while hiking a mountain, a mom and her baby (I thought it was a deer at first cause that's what I'm used to seeing on hikes lol)
-saw the most beautiful and breath taking beach, Cronulla, and still drive back there every chance I get :)
-stayed in a hotel with a great view of this breath-taking beach
-stayed in the Holiday Inn by the airport in Sydney
-saw Cookaberra birds and fed them :)
-rented a Mini Cooper convertible
-learned to drive on the opposite side of the road lol
-drove into oncoming traffic twice when turning at a traffic light cause I'm so used to turning into the right side of the road not the left lol
-rented a Ford Falcon that has amazing horse power and the best speakers and bass I have ever heard in a car :)
-gone to McD's a few times, yes they have McD's out here :)
-had lots of amazing Chai Latte's
-cleaned a friend's house :)
-stayed in 5 hotels and lived in 3 houses already
-walked to the beach and watched teens play football and laugh with each other, that was cute
-saw some seriously burnt-out-on-drugs guys downtown and wondered if I should be worried for my safety lol
-been to 4 different churches
-been to what is probably the most beautiful park in Australia in Canberra
-hiked a "mountain" and saw the stunning view of Canberra at the top :)
-had a camp fire with friends on New Years Eve
-saw the best fireworks display I've ever seen, and I've seen probably 30 or so in my life
-drank more than I usually do lol :)
-slept in the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in
-went to a party at my new neighbor's house; I hardly even used to say hi to my neighbors lol
-went to church with my new neighbor and a pool party :) (she had a vision kinda from God that I was a "woman of peace" and invited me to hang out, pretty cool huh :)
-learned to trust people more
-met a lot of new people, reluctantly, but ended up having a lot of fun
-had the best breakfast ever served to me at a friend's house
-went shopping a lot, of course
-learned that cooking with another person is actually a lot of fun
-learned that it truly is better to give than to receive and that doing things for others is the thing that brings me the most joy
-learned how to drive a manual by shifting with my left hand rather than my right
-thought of buying a car, but then thought twice
-thought for the first time that it would be cool to work in a nursing home, where as before I was always slightly afraid of elderly people and death
-thought that having kids wouldn't be as scary as I had always thought it would be
-finally got to sit in Hillsong's church like I have always wanted to for the last 13 years ever since they came to Mariners church and did a concert when I was 16 and I fell in LOVE with their music!
-drove to the mountains, saw a waterfall, saw the "three sisters" a mountian range, and saw the most stunning view of a rainforest valley full of trees!
-bought and ate some of the best ice cream I've ever had
-eaten out a lot and had some of the best food I've ever had, especially an omlet I had in a coffee shop :)
-thought of playing basketball with some guys like I used to in high school but then thought twice cause I'm not a kid anymore lol
-saw the coolest park with work out equipment out for anyone to use
-gotten lost for 3 hours driving around trying to find a beach, that was the worst and most frustrating 3 hours of my life
-spent $450 on a hotel stay for one night at "The Star" hotel and casino on the Darling Harbor cause I was desperate to stay somewhere and stop driving after being lost for so long
-rented my first and second car ever :)
-did valet parking for the first time
-took a cab by myself for the first time
-felt more at home than I have ever felt
-rented and rode a bike along one of the best bike paths ever along the beach
-sat in one of the best jicousees I have ever sat in :)
-been around a lot of very happy people who laugh a lot, which is really nice :)
-been encouraged by several Hillsong sermons
-felt free and comfortable and at home in a church for the first time in awhile :)
-met some very friendly Christian people
-met some very friendly non-Christian people
-had a lot of fun snorkling over the Great Barrier Reef
-went microgliding, which is riding in a very small airplane that's almost like hang gliding :)
-walked through a tropical rain forest for the first time
-went swimming in a river in the tropical rain forest :)
-had tons of fun overall in Australia! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)