Top 12 of 2017

     As a "Year in Review" I look back at the previous year and pick a hi-light from each month. Again, I realize this is a little late to be doing this, but better late than never!

1. New Year, New Things
     Among other things, I started learning how to use an expresso machine!

2. Choir Concert with Dad
     Not a whole lot happened in February, but I did go see a choir concert with my father!

3. Kansas City Trip
     For Spring Break we visited Kansas City as a family. It was a short trip, but we got to see a couple museum exhibits, including the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum!

4. The Stars Aligned
     Okay, the stars didn't really align. However, it perfectly worked out so that for one day I had absolutely no obligations - no school, no work, nothing! I don't quite remember what I got done that day, but I'm sure it was glorious!

5. Family Vacation to California
     I've already done multiple blog posts about this, so feel free to check those out for a more in-depth description.

6. Seeing Wonder Woman in Theaters
     I don't go to the movie theater often, but this time it was to celebrate one of my good friend's birthdays!

7. Serving on Summer Team/Seeing Friends
     Over the summer I helped out with the youth group at my church. That was a really great opportunity and I enjoyed getting to know the girls in my group! I also got to spend time with some friends from high school, since our schedules were less restrictive.

8. Solar Eclipse/Quilting Spree
     A new school year started, and with that I got to witness a partial solar eclipse! I also finished up a quilting spree that started in the summer.

9. Books!
     For whatever reason, I bought a lot of books this month.

10. Fall Break Fun
     During Fall Break I got to meet up with some friends in a nearby town and explore their shopping district. Plus, we bought fudge!

11. Senior Play
     My brother's senior class put on "The Wind in the Willows" for their senior play. I had mixed feelings about my own senior play, but I really enjoyed getting to see his. Part of this was because for opening night I brought a friend who had close connections to the school, but had never been there. Being with her helped me to see the whole experience in a new light.

12. Christmas Cantata
     At the start of the fall semester I joined the church choir. As a whole, this experience has been a tremendous blessing to me!

Faith Like a Mustard Seed

     This year God has been working on my faith and trust. I often struggle with anxiety about little things and how this affects my attitude going forward. If something happens that inconveniences me or proves difficult I tend to blow it up beyond what should concern me. Sometimes I try to give the situation to God and pray for peace to do what I can and allow Him to work out the rest. Other times I stew over the situation. But each time God has come through.

     For example, at the beginning of the semester I became overwhelmed by my various classes and the new responsibilities that I would need to undertake. One of the things I needed to do was get a film camera for my photography course. It was a little thing but I was stressed about it. In the end, it worked out beautifully because my dad had a camera that I could use.

     I'm sure God was shaking His head at my concerns. He might have been thinking, "Calm down. I've got this all under control. Just wait and see." Sometimes I cry out and say, "But God! There is is this one thing that is making me nervous. I don't know how it will turn out and..." And God responds, "Yes, but God. Be still and know that I am in control." This year, I am reading through the Psalms for part of my daily devotional and it has been a real encouragement to see how the psalmist cries out to God in his time of need and how he still keeps the perspective of God's power and glory.

     As other obstacles come up I can look back and see how God has been providing for me. I can trust Him. Things don't always turn out the way I think they will, but I know it is for the better and can sometimes see how it was better than what I originally wanted. So maybe worrying about a camera (or whatever else happens to be going on at the moment) is a small matter. And it is! However, I know that if I can trust God in the small things I will be able to ride out the storms of this life and rest on the firm foundation of God's grace.


     FAITH is traversing a rickety bridge; where trust must be put into the fibers and cables that they do not snap. Often, the bridge is stretched over a deep chasm and those who cross it are fearful that they would fall. The act of faith does not eradicate fear, but it behaves like a guiding hand as the person crosses the narrow planks. Faith is like a father leading his child through a dim hallway; it is not like a blind man stumbling around in the dark. In a similar way, the person crossing the bridge uses the ropes to keep his balance. The first step, from solid ground to the first board, involves a mixture of courage and faith because the person must get over their fear. After the first step is made safely and their act of faith is reassured it is easier to take another step. Real life is similar in that future acts of faith are made easier due to the fulfilled acts that came before them. In this way faith can be built. As Christians, we live our lives in faith when we look to our Heavenly Father for guidance. The way is not always clear, but we can rest in the fact that He is always with us. Sometimes faith is born of necessity, like the man trusting the bridge because he must get to the other side. However, true faith is built on a kind of knowing, that is a faith in of itself. It is trusting when no reason or argument would advise to do so. Our faith in God our Father is much stronger than our faith in the bridge to stay together. God has the power and ability to sustain us infallibly, while the bridge’s ropes will eventually fray. It is often necessary for faith to be built in times of ease, so that when the difficult trials come we will not be crushed on the rocks of despair. Solomon urges the reader to, ‘remember your Creator in the days of your youth.’ When hard times come the faith that was built during times of ease will be like a cushion that we can fall back on. That is why a house built on a solid foundation will hold in the storm and not crumble, like the one built on sand.

Semester #4

    Usually I write about what classes I am taking at the beginning of the semester, but it didn't work out that way this time. Even though there are only a couple weeks left, I am going to take the time to tell you what I have been learning about these last few months.

Adobe Illustrator
     This was a short one-credit blip I took at the beginning of the semester to learn the Adobe Illustrator program. Illustrator is a digital drawing program that is used in a lot of design work. I had used it a lot in a graphic design course the previous semester, but I was still able to learn some new tricks.

Spanish 210
     This is the third Spanish course I have taken. I think I have progressed a lot since I started! In this course we are learning new grammar principles, as well as building on old ones.

Honors Astronomy
     This course knocks out two birds with one stone for me; it fulfills my honors requirement and also acts as one of my science/math general education courses. Being an honors class, our work is more discussion based and we write papers instead of taking tests. A lot of our discussion is based on recent events and advances in astronomy. At the moment I am working on a project about the recent Cassini mission to Saturn.
     
Art History
     This art history course is looking at different examples of power and propaganda across different cultures. So far we have gone through ancient Mesopotamia, Persia, China, Greece, and Rome.

Photography
     If I had to choose a favorite class this semester, Photography might be it! For the first half of the semester we were working in the darkroom, learning how to work with film and the developing process. That was a fun experience. Now, we are getting using what we learned about analog photography and applying it to the digital realm.

Revival

     I haven't posted much for the last few months, but I intend for that to change in the near future. I have a couple posts that should have been posted in January, but never made it out. I also hope to continue posting to keep you all abreast with the wonderful things going on in my life. ;) I'm sure you are very excited!