Most Precious

 Being loved by God is the most incredible thing anyone will ever experience. His plan of salvation is the ultimate example of sacrificial love. The love of a Father toward His children. I can really tear up about the love of a father. It is the most precious thing to ever have on this earth. It is not just sons that need their fathers. Daughters need their fathers too. Experiencing the love of an earthly father is vital to one's self confidence, self worth, and overall well-being. If at any given time one feels that the love from one's father is less, your world can fall apart. When reassured of that love, kinship, and relationship, everything becomes brighter. It is then that you realize what is most precious.
 Last night I received from my dad the most beautiful, special gift I have ever been given. He had me sit on the couch and close my eyes. Something light was placed in my hand. I opened my eyes to see a card laying there and out of the corner of my eye a saw an elegant gift bag on the table. I opened the card and in my dad's firm, straight print he told me that ever since he had seen the movie Courageous he had wanted to give me a ring just like the dad in the movie did for his daughter. A ring of commitment that shows that he loves me and is responsible for me until the day he gives me away to someone else who loves and cherishes me and gives me a ring to replace the one he was giving me. Even now as I write this, I cannot help but cry. I was not so subtle as I read the card, however. I'll be honest and admit I was sobbing. When I ever so carefully reached through the tissue paper and got the box and opened it, there lay a lovely and elegant ring. The real deal. Sterling silver, diamonds, all sparkly and contrasting white and black. I was truly speechless. I still am. :) Haven't quite yet found just the right words to say thank you, yet I know he knows how much it means to me. Unfortunately, I had to part with it today for a short time while it is getting re-sized from a 7 to a 5 1/2. ( Yes, I have very small hands and fingers :P ) I am so, so glad that I was able to get a couple okay pictures of the ring itself before I had to give it up for a few days. :) So, without further ado, here is my love gift. :)

Keep Your Head Up

 Well! What do you know...I'm finally updating my blog. I have been so busy these days that my blog has not been more than just a passing thought. The most I have been doing is reading ( quickly ) the different blogs I follow. But besides that, I have been plain ol' uninspired. Bleh. How exciting is that. :P But...BUT...today...I feel inspired. :D
 As I have said, there has been a lot going on lately. I'm not only working full and almost full hours at the cafe, but I have been running errands to get in on some super deals at different stores and helping my pastor's family pack for moving and doing all the little daily things of life. That's just the physical side of things...you really don't want or need to hear all about the emotional and spiritual things I've been going through lately, do you? I hope not, haha. There has been a lot of good things happening, but even still, there is this little thing called the devil and he seems to have been making it his full-time job to harass me recently. Anyone else? Probably. Somehow he manages to harass all of God's children all the time and mostly all at once.
 So I suppose this might seem a little odd, but the other day while in the store I heard this song and it really lifted my spirits and gave me...hope. Not that I would recommend this song, as it isn't really a Christian song, but it was talking about how you need to just keep your head up even when there are problems all around you because this life is a journey. That is so true. It is VERY hard to keep a positive countenance when there are things you are struggling with, but doing so really makes it so much easier to get through whatever it is. A little bonus is that it also makes it much nicer for everyone around you too, hahaha.
 This morning I was thinking about all this and my thought process went even deeper than " just be happy because it helps ". Really, in all truth, we can be happy because we are the children of God. Because we are the children of God, we have all we will ever need to defeat the enemy if we will just open our eyes to that ability. Hold your head high because you are royal blood. Hold your head high because you are the child of the King of Kings, the Creator of EVERYTHING. That is MORE than enough reason to relax and take a breath. :) So keep your head up! :) ( oh, oh, oh, oh... )

Summer Goals Re-cap

 Remember this post about my goals for the summer and that fun little alphabet quiz? No? Hahaha, I'd forgot allllll about it until Karen ever so faithfully posted her summer re-cap. Ooops. Well, one thing I can say...I did a lot of things this summer that I didn't quite expect to do. Another thing I can say is...I totally failed my summer to-do list. :P I didn't finish any of my long-standing " currently reading " books. I barely scratched the surface of my " to read " list. I lost a few pounds, but not as much as I would have liked... ( stress eating is such a terrible thing ) And I actually added to my mending pile instead of reducing it. :( But in the light of starting a business, getting a job, having teeth out, going to Canada, and having family camp at my own church...I think I had more than enough to keep me busy this summer. :D I did complete my last year of the youth summer reading program, however! I didn't win a prize :( I still got to pick a book though ( I chose The False Prince -- eek! :D ) and I got a 8GB USB thingy for participating and reading a certain amount of hours.
 Fall hasn't quite made it's official calendar arrival, and the golden days of summer are going out with a bang of a heat wave, but life has slowed down a bit for me thus far and I am thankful. :) I'm loving my job, slowly but surely getting my room more organized, and looking forward to going back to Canada and also Washington in another month plus a couple weeks. :) I have also learned that goal posts are not my thing...it didn't help keep me accountable because I forgot about it! Hahaha.
 Farewell my few, but faithful ( or so I like to imagine ;) readers! Hopefully I will have something interesting to post about in the coming days. :D

What do you do when your heart's pierced through

And you thought you had no more tears to cry?

What do you do when the ache is so strong

And you thought the longing was over?

What do you do when there's no one to help you

And you feel alone in this life?

When the sorrow's so great.

When the devil's breathing down your neck.

What then.

Hold strong through the fire,

Don't melt in the flame.

Jehovah God is with you. 

In the fiery furnace three Hebrews He saved

Because they called on His Name.

Call on Jesus.

Call on Jesus.

He'll carry you through

When you don't know what to do.

Call on Jesus.

Call on Jesus.

He's the anchor in the storm.

What do you do when all hell is against you

Because of the stand you have made?

What do you do when friends forsake

And your family thinks you are insane for believing?

What do you do when it seems all hope is gone

And you'll never live in the light again?

When darkness is calling.

When the sky is falling in your world.

What then.

Hold strong through the fire,

Don't melt in the flame.

Jehovah God is with you.

In the fiery furnace three Hebrews He saved

Because they believed on His Name.

Believe in Jesus.

Believe in Jesus.

When you don't know what to do.

Believe in Jesus.

Believe in Jesus.

He's the anchor in the storm.

Oh, when the tide is rising.

 When the waves are covering you.

When the wind seeks to sway your stance,

Don't let fear overcome you.

Jesus isn't sleeping,

He is waiting for your call.

Let your cry arise

Above it all.

And...

Hold strong through the fire,

Don't melt in the flame.

Jehovah God is with you.

In the fiery furnace three Hebrews He saved

Because they called on His Name.

Call on Jesus.

Call on Jesus.

When you don't know what to do.

Call on Jesus.

Call on Jesus.

He's the anchor.

The anchor in your storm.

Blessings

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know that pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this is not our home

It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the achings of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise

~

 Mmm. Isn't that the truth. The last few lines are words that have been going through my head this morning as I have been seeking the Lord for an answer to a trial. ' The achings of this life is a revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy. ' That resounds within me so strongly because that is exactly what I have felt God telling me throughout the last few weeks. No matter what longings, what trials, what heartaches I have, always lean on Him and serve Him with all my heart. If I serve Him with all my heart, soul, and mind without reservation or limitation, all things will become clear and beautiful in His time. Waiting on Him is the most important thing a follower of Christ can do. You cannot rush God, so why be in a hurry? I honestly don't even feel anxious hardly at all this time. Which is good, because He doesn't want us to be anxious. I only have a deep yearning for truth and answers. I know that every trial and test is for reason. I don't know the purpose right now - I may never know the purpose -, but knowing that there is a definite purpose and that it was scripted to happen before my life ever began gives me such a comfort and rest that only God can bring. It truly is His mercy. Why? Because without trials, we would not become the people He wants us to. Hardships refine us, just as the constant buffering of the waves make a sharp rock into a smooth one that is much more desirable. Hold strong. God is behind, before, beside, and inside each one of His own.

Vancouver Island!

 I am finally getting around to posting about my " last day " in Canada! ( Last day is almost correct, as I left just past 6 the following morning. ) I almost didn't get to join in on this amazing experience because I was due to leave around noon that day. BUT when I got wind of what was being planned and how many people were going, I couldn't resist changing my tickets. :D It was SO worth it! We had a really full day. We had all hung out at McDonald's Monday night until really late and then when I went home with one of the girls we were up talking until 2:30ish. Fun, but crazy when you have to get up at five. :D We made it though. Hopped on the ferry sometime around 8ish and got to the island at 10:30ish. Took a doubledecker bus to the city center, walked over to Parliament to have lunch, then whipped over to rent mopeds for the afternoon. !!! :D Almost everyone had their own moped, but there were a few of us that had to double for various reasons. ( Did I mention there was seventeen of us that went?! That meant we rented fourteen mopeds! We caused quite a stir...especially since we girls were doing it in skirts. :P ) It was the most awesome experience ever! We used the mopeds as our transport to different stops on the island. We went to a look-out point, stopped for drinks at a marina place, took a gander at a little lighthouse on the end of a pier, and so much more. 35mph feels so much faster on a little thing like that verses a car. :D
 After we turned in our mopeds ( 5pm ), we headed out for dinner. I have no idea who picked the place, but it was a really swanky restaurant! Kinda fun, kinda expensive, but hey, it was good and worth it. ;) Gelato was grabbed as we hot-footed it to the bus that would take us to the ferry. The ferry ride home was the cherry on top. It was so dazzlingly gorgeous that morning as we headed out to the island, but on our way home, the sun was setting and it was the most relaxing, blissful thing ever to be gliding smoothly along in the twilight. :)
 I didn't get back to my host family's house until 12:30ish in the morning and I needed to be up at 4am to get ready to head out to catch my bus, so after showering and packing it is needless to say I got much sleep yet again, but I would do it all over again just to be able to be a part of something so unique and exciting. :) :)
 And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. Hehehehe. Pictures! I took almost 400 pictures, so there are going to be quite a few to go through below, although I will try to be as selective as I possibly can. :)

THE most stunning sunrise I have ever been privileged to see :)
( What a glorious way to start the day, eh? )

On the ferry...it was almost like being in an airport waiting area or theater. 

Almost all of us :)
Hannah, Janessa, Anissa
Andrew, Wes, Karmen, Kaitlyn, Chaela, Laryssa, Carlena, Abby, Me

LOVE the effect of this one :)

Abby and Hannah :) <3

Wes, lol

CUTEST BOAT EVER!!!!

Caught this out the bus window :D

This too...zoom is AWESOME :D lol

Different national flags surrounding the patio.

Parliament building...so grand!

Our bus! :) <3

The back of The Empress

The amphibious bus...YIKES!

A zoomed in shot of one of The Empress's ivy framed windows :)

Another of my favorite shots from this day :)

Along one of the ways to get to Parliament there were street vendors and musicians...so cool!

Ahhh, bagpipes! He played really well...could have listened for a long time, but barely had time to take his picture. :/

Love this shot...

Not sure what the to-do was exactly, but it was cool to see the actors all dressed up :)

Lovely!

Inside the Parliament building.
Awesome architecture!

Our rides! :D

Hannah and I :)

View from where we all met up for a head count.

Almost all of us! :)

The rest of the troop arrives :P
Anissa, Abby, Mitch, Kaitlyn, Chaela, & Karmen

Jordan, Janessa, Anissa, Hannah, & Chaela

Lookout point

Someone found a cute little lizard! :D

ALL of us :D
Kolin, Andrew, Steven, Wes, Mitch, Jordan, Jeremy
Hannah, Janessa, Laryssa, Chaela, Me, Karmen, Carlena, Kaitlyn, Abby, Anissa

From the tippy-top of the lookout point

Janessa, Kaitlyn, Carlena

LOVED capturing shots of this vulture soaring!

Chae and I :)

Steven, Andrew, & Kolin

Chaela, Janessa, Carlena, Karmen, & Hannah

Cool map of what is where.

Hannah was admiring this car and the owner let her sit in it for a pic! SO AWESOME!

Lovely old cathedral

The Pier

SUCH an awesome shot! 

Victoria!

My dinner :P
( cool bowl though, hey? )

Another cool old cathedral

Another favorite shot!!!!
( taken out the bus no less ;D )

Ahhh, the sunset...

Up on the very top