Who am I?

Confidence is a funny thing I'm learning. 

I was talking to a friend about it the other day. Here's some [edited] parts on our conversation. (hahaha, I had to rewrite some of it because there were so many typos and stuff it was so hard to understand!) And just a bunch of my thoughts all plied together in a {slightly confusing} paragraph. haha(:

Ok here's the thing...

Whenever I think of confidence..I think of being confident in yourself. Like saying, "Wow! I am so good I can conquer anything by myself!". Or whatever

And so when people are like, "Hey, you need to be more confident!", it always confuses me because I'm like, "Well I actually can't do any of this on my own".

But, I'm starting to see confidence differently.

I'm starting to see that when people say "You need confidence!", that what they're saying is to be more confident in who God made me to be.

So I'm trying to figure out what that looks like for me to have confidence...to have confidence in Christ! And, what do I need to change? (And, I think it's gonna be a lot, haha)

First of all, I think that I'm realizing that I'm not totally content with who God made me to be. So, I need to become totally satisfied in Him. I need to be thankful for who I am though Him. And, to let people see Christ and what He is doing in my life...instead of a girl who isn't willing to be content and have her confidence stored up in Christ.

Because that's what confidence all boils down to: Christ.

We actually are not able to do anything on our own. We are incapable of even breathing without Christ. But! With Him, we can have confidence.

I think it's important for us to remind ourselves of our value (because of Jesus and what He has done with us) and who we are in Him...

I mean, I am daughter of The King! . . .that in itself is something beautiful! ♥

So, who am I?

I am a girl who is confident in who Christ is in me.

Sorry, guys. I know, this post is kinda confusing..because I started talking about like a million different things all at once...but hopefully you can sort of understand it. haha(:

I would love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment!(: Love you guys!

Beauty?

Beauty.

Let's just all admit it. I think we could probably all agree that, if you're a girl...beauty has been on your mind at least once. (And, if we're all being honest...it's been on our minds way more than just once. ...Or is that just me? haha)

Like, what is beauty?
How do you define it?
What does it mean to be beautiful?
What do people think about me?
Would they look at me and say, "Wow, she's beautiful"?

Just about everything around us says that beauty is what you look like on the outside. You're beautiful when you have X amount of boys constantly following you. You're beautiful when you are the prettiest hair and you're skinny enough to "fit in" . You're beautiful when all of your clothes come from Aéropostale and Abercrombie & Fitch.You're beautiful when you wear make-up. You're beautiful when you are the most popular girl in school who everyone loves and wants to be like. You're beautiful when you are dating the quarterback on your school's football team.

You're beautiful when _________.
**Fill that blank in with whatever you want that we might say defines beauty.

[On a side note! I don't have anything against these things! Seriously, I don't care what brand your clothes are, who you date, or whether you wear make-up or not! ...Especially the make-up part. Make-up is great. hahah!]

Here's the cool part, though. I am learning that...

 None of those things are the definition of beautiful .

I have been learning what God says defines beauty.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your Inner self, the Unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of Great worth in God’s sight ."  (1 Peter 3:3-4)

It is amazing how different God views beauty compared to the world. This verse says that beauty is not what is on the outside...but what in on the inside. Beauty it not how we add things to ourselves to make us look good. Instead, what people should notice about us me is what is on the inside: a gentle and quiet spirit. When people look at me I want them to see God and who He has made me to he through His Son. 

That doesn't mean that looking pretty is a bad thing! It just means that what is important to God (my heart! ♥) should be the what I focus my time on. Because, here's the thing: External beauty does not last. People get old. Their sparkle fades. (I was trying to come up with something really catchy to prove my point, but..yeah. I've got nothin'.) But! there is an unfading beauty that is of great worth in God's sight; and it comes from inside. That unfading beauty is a heart/attitude of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control.

So, here's the question that's been on my heart for a while now: What do I want to be noticed for?

My mom always tells me, "Pretty is as pretty does."

Pretty on the outside is only pretty if it's pretty on the inside.



Thoughts? Questions?  Leave a comment! I would LOVE to hear what you guys have to say about this!

What's Going On Now?

Hey, Everyone!(:

Happy Monday! Happy 9th Day of December! And, Happy 15 Days Til Christmas!

Hope you are all doing awesome & being amazed and reminded every day of how truly amazing our God is.

So, I know...it's been awhile..again. (Why does that seem to be all I write on here lately?!) But, here's the deal. I'm actually not going to try to do a recap over what's been going on here for the past two months (...because basically it's been nothin' but school, and no one wants to read a whole blog post about that! Ew.) Instead, I'm going to be writing about what has been on my heart lately. Hopefully you will be encouraged, or challenged, or something and get excited about God even more!

WARNING: I'm not a Bible scholar. But, I am trying to look at the Bible and find out what it means for me. And I am excited to share what I have been learning with you in these next couple blog posts because it just gets me SO excited. So, take it or leave it. Thanks for reading anyway!(:

Love you guys & I'm praying for you!

-Valerie

PS...yay for Christmas break! I'm offically off of school until January 13th! ...and this is why I love college classes..haha

A whole month?

Wowzers...it's crazy that I have not been on here or posted on this thing in over a month!! *sigh*
Hahaha, I am realizing that all of my posts have started to sound like that now..

So much as been going on since I last wrote, and I have pictures and all of that cool stuff too..so that's exciting!

...Except, I have not uploaded any pictures yet..

sooooo...yeah.

That's not too exciting.

But hopefully I will have a chance to put pictures on here soon.

But it has been an incredible month of September..one that I will never forget! Uncle Bic came!! He is the pastor my mom, Si & Rosie met from Trinidad when they went this summer to do a VBS! Seriously, it was so fun. Like, I laughedSO much (...which, come to think of it..is probably not shocking to any of you..haha) But by the time he left, it was like we (everyone who didn't go to Trinidad) had known him for our whole lives. We even took a trip to Omaha, Nebraska and got a flat tire at 10:30 at night!

Good times, good times. hahaha :))

But, more about that later..

Anyway, it was really sad when he left...like, really, really sad. I miss him a ton.

But!! right after he left, Khemraj (another guy from Trinidad!) came for 2 weeks! He was SO awesome too! It was loads of fun hanging out with him..he is so funny ☺

Complementary picture from yours truly
of the guy from Green Eggs & Ham who does
not like green eggs and ham, apparently...

But, now it's like..."Well..now what do we do? This is so boring..."

Well, incase you're wondering...SCHOOL! That is what we do..

And I do not like it Sam-I-Am!

But, I'm getting used to it....


Enough about school, though...MOVING ON!

So I just looked out the window and it is raining cats and dogs out there!!
Now, I'm not 100% sure as to what that looks like exactly...but I am pretty sure it's prolly something like this:

And there is so much wind, I can feel the house like moving. I am scarred for life. It is an extremely traumatizing experience...bahaha! just kidding! (Well, about how scary it was...but the house really was moving!! Strange, very strange.) 

In other news..yesterday was the Fall Farm Festival at Marmon Valley Farm and I got to spend all day working in the concession stand with my wonderful friend, Kristen! So fun! ☺ I just love that girl! 

And then, we brought 5 of my friends home & watched a movie after everyone was done playing soccer in the indoor arena. (And, no. I did not play soccer..just incase you were wondering. hahahah) 

It was awesome to hang out with some super awesome people! I am so blessed. 

Mind Blown.

Hello, World!
It's 12:40am! Good morning!

Umm, wow. I should not be allowed to stay up later than 10:30 at night...

haahahaha!  I jest.  (:

Mostly.


Ok, but seriously...Hi!

 I'm glad that you're here..because!!

Cool stuff is about to happen...

Oh, yes. I'm about to blow your mind up.

Actually..

It's not really anything that I am going to say that is so cool...it's something that has been said already...in Romans 8, to be exact.

v. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  

v. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

v. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 

v. 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I was just thinking about this today...I mean, how cool is that?! There is nothing (in heaven or on the Earth) that can separate us from God's crazy, wonderful and unconditional love for us! In the good & in the bad. In the easy times & in the hardest times.

When it feels like your whole world is caving in and swinging way beyond your control...

know that you are loved. 

That you are cared for.

That you are cherished. 


And,  (v. 37!) we can know that during those tough times, we are more then conquers because of Christ and his wondrous love for us!


Mind blown!
That is all.

I am going to bed now (:

Growing Up!

Heyyy!

Summer is quickly coming to an end! I'm at my house sitting around the dining room table with my family, talking about what our classes are going to be, what we need to buy before school starts, and (one of my personal favorite topics..haha) what we're going to wear on the first day of school of school!

This year co-op is at an old school that a bunch of local churches and people bought for everyone in the community to use. I'm really excited about that! (I finally get a locker! ...Dream come true! hehehee!!) And Si & I are also taking online classes with Ohio Christian University. Co-op starts next Friday, and OCU classes start Sept. 9th... I can't believe that I'm actually saying this, but...I'm almost excited about school starting this year!

I cannot believe that I'm a junior this year! It's pretty exciting!! ☺ (Only 1 year of high school to go after this! Yeah buddy!) The weirdest thing is that Silas is a SENIOR & that Levi is in junior high.

Um, wow.

It is really weird to think that next year Silas will (Lord willing!) be starting College. Honestly, it's like depressing almost!...I mean, after this year, life as we know it our home will probably never be the same. But, you know what? I'm also really excited! Soon a new chapter of our lives will be starting to unfold! New adventures. New opportunities. New ways that the Lord will bring us closer to himself.

And in that, I find peace.

Seriously. How cool is that?!


So, last night was the Kick-Off  for our Youth Group at Church. It was so fun bringing Levi into the room, signing up, watching him hang out with friends, seeing his excitement while we played the games...it was great! I pray that these next few years he gets to spend in youth group challenge him and encourage him in his walk with the Lord. I'm so proud of that boy! Love ya, buddy! ♥

My Week. •◘○♦♣♠☺☻♥♀↨-♂♪☺☼►↑↓→←∟ .....uhh, sorry..I got a little carried away just then.. hehehee

Well, it's some nice fall weather we're having this summer! XD hahaha!

Seriously, though...this is crazy! We're in the middle of August and I'm sitting curled up in a blanket in the living room freezing! Ok, not freezing...but still. It's just cold-ish.

My college for the PSEOP I'm taking.

It's hard to believe that it's Thursday already! I've been having so much fun this week with hanging out with my cousins (Jaclyn & Frankie from PA), playing Monopoly until 2am, and working on registering for college classes.... Actually that part isn't that fun. But it's something new &&I'm SO so excited! All I need now is an Ohio Christian University Sweatshirt and bumper sticker! (Not that I have a car or anything..but that's just what college kids do, right?! haha! just kidding ☺) Still figuring out which classes to take right now... I should know by tonight probably.

**On the side note...I just saw this and it made me laugh really hard! LOL ☺

Click to view larger.

Okayyyyy...so, anyway.. off that bunny trail..

I'm super excited about this coming week, too! We are going on vaca!! We're (FINALLY!) taking a trip out to Iowa!

What is in Iowa, you ask?

Welllll.....

Not much.

Except!!!

One of the coolest families on the planet earth!
The Wilsons! (AHHH!!!!! I'm getting so excited I'm like squealing like a little girl ♥ LOL jk)  :)))))))

Then, on Thursday, we're going to Chicago to see the Grandparents!!!! (dads side) We are going to have so much fun! Thanks, Lord for making this all come together!

Ok, that's all I got right now..

Later, peeps.

Signing off.

Hasta la vista...or whatever.

Ok, really. I'm out of here! lol ☺

Summer ♥

Hey everyone! (:

So, yeah...it's been a long time!

Sometimes the hardest thing about blogging is that once you stop for awhile, you don't even know how to even begin trying to catch up on everything that has been going on! hahaha :)

this is a picture my mom took of me &
 my wonderful cabin this week! ♥
(it was right after we got back from frog hunting!!
whoop! lol  sorry it's blurry!

But, seriously....This summer truly has been amazing! Honestly, no words can describe it! ....And I miss all of my campers a TON. It just makes me so excited when I think about everything Christ has done in the lives of not only the campers, but also the staff.

We are all still the same people, just different...in a good way.☺

Thank you, Lord for all you have done! I have grown so much in just 10 weeks.

Thank you for each one of those campers who you've sent to summer camp this year. Thank you for everything they have taught me, too! ☺

Thank you for all of the staff this year! They truly are wonderful friends and I am so blessed to have them in my life. They have all been  a huge encouragement to me & I love them a ton!

Anyway, one of the things I've been learning this summer is that sometimes God uses people in (what we would consider) small or unimportant ways to show his love & make his name known. Here is what I said when I was talking to one of my friends about this....

 "when i decided to be summer staff this year, i was expecting so many things to happen bc of me. I was going to share the gospel with so many kids. I was going to change lives. I was going to do this for God. or whatever. but I've been learning that sometimes God uses people to make his name great in "smaller ways" He uses people to wash dishes, teach climbing wall, make dinner, set up chairs, etc.. so that others can share the gospel with them. So, yes. I have been able to show christ's love to so many kids, just not in the way i was expecting it's really humbling."

I gotta go- mum is calling :)

♥, Vallie!

Heyy(:

Hey guys! 

Hope everything is jolly good wherever it is that you are! ☺

I'm doing fabulous! It has already been really cool watching everything come together for camp this summer. I am seriously getting so excited! I can hardly wait for all of the campers to get here...and staff training has not even started yet! haha! ☺

If you don't know yet, I leave for Staff Training this Sunday afternoon! We have two totally full and crazy weeks of learning everything we will need to know about camp, from instructing riding lessons to leading bible studies! It's pretty intense- especially in the hot weather that is coming our way these next two weeks.  If you get the chance, please be praying for me & the other staff that we would use our summer to bring glory to Jesus Christ! And for the energy and endurance, too! ☺

I have learned some super exciting news today, too! I've been accepted to three different colleges for Post-Secondary...all in one day! Not sure which one I'm going to go with yet..It is super exciting, though!

In other Random News....

I have been thinking about this verse today: 

 How awesome is that?! (If you're asking....It's very Awesome. Just putting it out there...) And, it is officially my favorite verse...today anyway! LOL

Ok, I gotta go! Byeeee(:

Have No Fear! Valerie Is Now Here!

Sheesh! I have not been on here in awhile!

You know, I think that the problem with blogging your "life" is that when you stop for a little while, your life just keeps on rolling (figure that one out, huh?) and then you get too overwhelmed to even think about trying to catch up... and then you feel like:

"BLECK!! I AM SO OVERWHELMED!!"

(yeah, just like that.)

But, no matter! I shall try to catch you up on everything! heehe! :) Unfortunately....I'm at the farm. So I don't have any pictures. Which is like REALLY depressing.. *sigh* Have no fear, though! I will post them somethime when I get home. yay! :) 

Soo..lets see...the last time I blogged- I was getting ready to take the ACT test. I took the test on April 13th.   (Eww.) And, yes. It was just as awful as I thought it would be. 

Haha, just kidding! It wasn't that bad. Especially since when Silas and I walked in the door to take a test, we saw one of our friends there! yay! :) I'm so  glad it was just one day of test taking instead of a whole week, like the OGT.

After that, everything was a MAD RUSH until the play. We had practice 3+ days each week, until polishing week- then we had practice everyday! It was even crazier because of the condition of the Holland Theater. They are in the process of restoring the old theater..& promised us that everything would be done before we even needed to move in...but it wasn't. There was a huge life we had to climb around, really loud machines, lots of workers, protective tarps covering EVERYTHING and awful fumes from all of the paint! It was totally crazy! 

God is SO good though, you know?! I mean, really..it really should have been impossible for everything to get done in such a short amount of time, in a crazy condition. But God works in AMAZING ways! Everything was wonderful and it all worked out. Praise the Lord! :) I was all so much fun! I'm glad I did it. :)

Oh! I almost forgot about our "mini vacation"! Before the play, my family took a quick weekend trip to Pittsburgh. We dropped my Dad, Silas & Levi off at a Civil War Reenactment, then drove to see my mom's family. It was really SO MUCH fun! I'm so glad it worked out for us to go..it was wonderful to be out of the Holland Theater for a little bit. We got to got see my cousins (Nick & Jared) and a bunch of their friends get baptized! It is so cool to watch how those boys are turning their lives around and living for the Lord! It's amazing. :) [On a side note: My Aunt Jen and I discovered the definition of "cray cray"--it's when all of my family and their friends are in church on Sunday. Just for future reference. hah jk! :))

So, back to the play...

The play, (Snow White: the Queen's Fair Daughter) was eight shows and two weekends long. (May 3,4, 10, 11) It was so, SO fun! We had lots of family come out, too! :) The first week, my Aunt Jen & Uncle Dan & their kids stayed at our house..& my Gran, Grandpa, Great Uncle Tom & Great Aunt Cathy came.

The second week, my Baba, Shoosh, Aunt Debi, Uncle Jason, her their kids, and like 8 of their friends (the one's who got baptized.) stayed at our house. Also, Granny Smith, Kristen, Ohphalie (sp?) Mrs. B., Kyle..and I actually can't remember who else.. haha! :) There were like 24 people at my house! IT WAS SO COOL!!!! :) hehe! :) 

On Saturday, we went to the farm and rode horses with all of the boys. (Thank you, Kristen for coming with us!!! You are wonderful!) 

On Sunday, Rosie left with everyone to go back to PA. 

She's still there. 

And it's depressing.

Because I really miss that girl!!

I can't wait for her to come home.

 I'm sure she's having LOADS of fun, though! :) 

It is weir to think that in less than 3 weeks I'll be living at the farm & starting my first week of staff training.


Oh my gosh! I seriously almost had a panic attack... *really huge big deep sigh because I almost died of a heart attack* I was in the middle of typing when all of the sudden my dad's laptop shuts down and restarts. I thought I lost everything. That would've been devastating. Seriously. hahhaah! :P

Ok..Well, I'm sure that I'm missing something..but nothing else is coming to my brain right now...

Soooo....yeah.

Signing off. 

PS- I don't feeling like checking for typos at this time..so please ignore them. bahah!

PPS- Pictures to come soon! :)

PPPS-Well, they will becoming if I remember them.... so, no promises.


PPPPS- Guess what?! I just got a new phone. (finally.)

ACT

So, yay. I get to take the ACT on Saturday.

Oh, joy.

I'm totally pumped...can't you hear the enthusiasm in my voice?!

I'm going in at 8:00 and I don't get out till 1:00...yippie.

Also, in celebration of taking the test, I made this lovely picture, while I was *studying for the test*

Side Note: It is officially impossible to study for this kind of test, unless you know everything/every possible question in the whole entire universe...just to clarify that..

So, without any further ado...

(Wait!! I just wanted to also say that last night's American Idol was pretty schnazzy!-- Angie sang Kari Jobe's song!!! It was awesome!

Also, I am totally bummed that I'm not going to be able to watch Scotty McCreery  sing tonight because I have to go to play practice. *sigh*

 Oh, and practice is going really awesome, too. It is crazy to think that in less than 5 weeks the play will be over. Sheesh.)

Ok, Seriously though. Here is the picture I was talking about. I mean, I really don't wanna keep you guys waiting any longer..because, you know...I am just SO awesome at picture taking and I have mad editing skills....I'm just so photogenic!! bahahahahahhahaha!!! i just crack myself up.

Here you go, peeps.

Another side note: Keep in mind that this is about me taking the ACT..

Didn't you just love that?! yeah, yeah..I know...but really, the applause really isn't necessary.. really. hehe!!

Ok, for reals...this picture makes me laugh so hard....I just look SO good! hahahahhahahahhahaha :) 

Oh! Also-- If you are observant/really cool like that -you probably noticed that I AM NOT WEARING GLASSES IN THAT PICTURE!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!

You may also have noticed that I am just slightly (*cough*cough*) excited about that. (I mean, it's not like I start jumping out of my seat practically every time i talk about them or anything...whaaaatttt??? noooo....I would never do anything like that. like, ever. 'cuz that would just be silly. (heheheheh!!) 

Sooooo......yeah. 

Anyway. 

As I was saying..

I now have contacts!...err, a contact. Yeah, I know. It's weird. Don't judge me because I only have to wear one contact..right now anyway...I'll probably end up getting another in my right eye as my eyes change & stuff... 

Ok, I gotta go...study. 

yay, LOL :)

♥, Valerie!

PS- Here is the song Angie Miller sang last night by Kari Jobe: Love Came Down

How to Make Pretzels. (or how not to make them, anyway...)

Hey, Peeps.


SOOOOOOO.......I just wanted to clarify a few things here real quick. About pretzels.

Spelt Flour

1.  When you decide to make pretzels with you little brothers, make sure that you have wheat flour. Spelt flour doesn't work. Just so we all know.




2. Be sure that you have other necessary ingredients  (Such as, sugar and butter. FYI- Butter is a necessity. I know that for a fact now. Officially.)

A detailed image of the correct "pretzel shape".
Side Note:  this is not my pretzel.
This one looks beautiful.
Mine does not. 

3. When forming the dough into the "pretzel shape",
it is often good to remember things like:
dough often rises and expands in the oven.

Also for the benefit of the reader,
 I have included a picture of a very burnt pretzel.
Another side note:
this pretzel isn't mine either..just so we all know..

4. When making pretzels, it is often helpful (and beneficial to the eater) to remember that you put them in the oven. Evidently almost burnt pretzels are not delightful. Who knew?


On that note, I believe I shall return to my Astronomy and Jason Castro music.... ☺

SNOW!

I had SO much fun on Monday! ☺ 

I woke up with a bunch of new snow on the ground. (which, at the time, I was not exactly thrilled about... lol) 

Around 12 (ish) I was on Facebook and one of my friends messaged me and was like, "I want to make a snowman. You guys should come over and we can build one and have a big snowball fight!" 

So, Si and I finished up our British Final Exam {Oh! I almost forgot!!! I am done with Brit. Lit!! Praise the Lord!} and my siblings and I packed up all of our snow stuff and headed out to his house. 

We actually ended getting stuck in their driveway and had to wait until their neighbor plowed out their driveway to get up there, haha!!...that was actually really funny! ☺

We split up into teams (Silas, Levi, and Matt on one and Me, Rosie, Luke & Jesse on the other) and built forts so we could have a snowball fight. My team totally won, the boys just won't admit it. (HA!) 

After we all all froze, we headed inside and their mom made the best hot chocolate...ever! And enchiladas. Which were also awesome. And we watched the Hobbit and hung out until we had to go home.

It was great! Thanks Matt & Luke! ☺  

Yay, snow!

Awesome Weekend!

SOOO, yeah. I totally had the greatest weekend...ever.

On Friday, we headed to the Sauder Village Heritage Inn

Sauder Village

(I think it is in or near Archbold, OH) for out Bible Quizzing Invitational Tournament. It was awesome! I think we were in the running for 9th place (out of 72 teams), too!

Plus, we found out that next year we're quizzing over Exodus. I'm not sure if I will do Quizzing next year or not, but Exodus does sound pretty tempting... ☺

So, late Sunday afternoon, I get home from quizzing. Like 25 minutes later, I start heading to my [amazing!] friend's (Kristen) house & got ready to head out to Grove City, OH to an awesome, AWESOME concert!

It was just awesome. That's all I'm gonna say...

Forest Fire

So, I was brushing up on my Josh Wilson music ['cuz, you know.. I'm going to his concert and all!! whoop!] and I came across one of his awesome songs. I hardly ever hear it.. but the words to the song are so good!

It's called Forest Fire

Here is a part of the song:

Our tongues are like matches

Our ears are like trees

Our words are like sparks

On dry summer leaves

It doesn't take much

For the flames to rise

And turn a soul

Into a forest fire

Be careful

Be careful what you say

Thought-provoking-song-about-my-words #2! Thank you, Lord! ♥

Words

There is this new song [that I LOVE!] by Hawk Nelson called Words.


Here, you can listen to it first ☺:

This song has really made me stop and think about the things I say and how they can impact others and who my words bring glory to.

God has given us such a powerful gift! The fact that we can say anything is crazy. But this beautiful gift is also a dangerous weapon.

"When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." -James 3:3-12 

Soooo.... here is what I've been thinking:

What do my words say about me?

When I say any word, does it point others to Christ? Or to myself?

Do my words build people up...or tear peopl down?

 Are the things say pleasing to the Lord?

Do my words brag about me and how great I am? Or about my amazing God and how great he is?


One of mom Mom's best friends taught my Sunday School Class when I was in Jr. High. She used to always point us back to Ephesians 4:29

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear"

I think we [me, especially!] usually don't even give a second thought before we say the first thing that pops into our heads--I believe that this gift that God has given us should be treated with the utmost care! Why do we treat this precious gift like garbage?

Rambles...

I can honestly say that it was totally exciting when I woke up this morning and realized that I didn't have to take another OGT! I liked going to school and seeing all of my old friends--but I was SO ready to be done taking that test. ☺ Praise the Lord!!


I am getting really excited for the Spring Dance coming up in three weeks!! [for any of you who don't know,  Rosie, Silas & I are helping to plan the dance..]

Our theme is "Light the Night" -but the part that I love is that we decided to use a bible verse for the theme, too.. We chose to do Matthew 5:14: "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden." And, we have some really great ideas that are are starting to come together..it is SO cool!

We have play practice today! --I still need to memorize my lines for this week....oops. *nervous laugh* ☺

Yesterday was the last day of Local Quizzing--we had our Local Tournament! I was very exciting..we didn't win, but it was still TONS of fun! Our team rocks! Then on Friday we are heading out to Invitationals! Yay!!

A Week of OGT Testing...and a bunch of other stuff, too. So that's exciting... ☺

Hola, Peeps! 

It has been quite a week! 

I went to Riverside High School and took the OGT test...and now... I'm done!! 

Hallelujah!!

I will find out my results around the end of May... 

I can hardly believe how fast time is flying! It is crazy! We have the local Bible Quizzing Tournament on Sunday and then...INVITATIONALS!!! It is going to be great!!

The day we get back from invitationals (Sunday, the 24th), I am going with one of my besties, Kristen, to a Third Day, Colton Dixon & Josh Wilson concert!! (The Miracle Tour) 

 AHHHH!! I seriously cannot wait for that!!! ☺

Ok, well... I was going to write some more--but my laptop is about to die and I am 2 lazy to go downstairs and get it.. Soooooo...I believe that is all. hahaha!

Goodnight, everyone!

Valerie ♥

Happy Not-Leap Year Day!

Wow. It's February 28 already. It is crazy to think that at this time last year, I was making my very first ever FROG CUPCAKES [!!!] (Thus, beginning my new love for cupcakes..) and tagging random Brazilian singers on them picture of them on Facebook. (Um, yeah... it's a long story.... you can read about it HERE.)

*sigh*

Ok, PICTURE TIME!! yay!

All of my little Froggies!! ♥ (haha)

Those little froggies brought on cupcakes I
did for  a friend's bridal shower that looked like this..
(I actually don't have a picture of them,
but this is pretty much what they looked like LOL)

And those brought on these Mexican Dudes I made for  my friend's
 birthday we put on with our Spanish Class (SO FUN!)
(the Sombreros were made out of Starburst & the mustaches were made from tootsie rolls!)

Sooooo.... Now, I would like to wish you a Happy Not Leap Year Day!

Ta ta, peeps!

I Got A Job!!

Soooo.... I have some pretty exciting news!! (Well, for me anyway..)

I am officially part of the 2013 Summer Staff at Marmon Valley Farm!! BOOYAH!
I am SO excited about this summer...

It is crazy to think that I'm actually finally old enough to be summer staff.. I'm praying that God will use me and this summer in amazing ways to bring himself glory.



"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." ~1 Corinthians 10:31

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Psalm 63

You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.
 I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
 Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
 I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
 On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
 Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
 I cling to you;
    your right hand upholds me.
 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.
 They will be given over to the sword
    and become food for jackals.
 But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in him,
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Two Totally Exciting Things!

Two totally exciting things happened today!!

First, I went driving today after church with my dad and I got up to 55mph for the first ever!! This may seem insignificant to you...but it is actually totally tinsel for me. Driving is the best thing ever since sliced bread!!


Second, I went tubing at Mad River Mountain with some really awesome people tonight! We had such a great time!! After practically freezing our fingers off, we all went out to eat, at La Palma, and my friends Kristen & Kyle Brunner met us there. I have had such a great time today, Thanks, Lord! I've been so blessed with amazing friends and family!! ♥

Drew, Malcom (my new friend!!), & me... warming up!

I almost forgot!!

Oh my goodness!!! I almost forgot the most important part of my last post (so, if you have not read the last post yet, go read that one and then come back and read this one. lol)

I GOT TO MEET MY NEW BABY COUSIN!! Right after call backs last Saturday, we all packed up our bags and headed to Columbus. (My grandparents came to pick up my little brothers on Friday night and stayed in a hotel with the boys.) We met our grandparents in the hotel and my aunt, uncle, and new baby cousin (Alex!!) in a room in the hotel my grandparents rented for us for dinner. It was great! That little boy is SO CUTE! We spent the night on Saturday at the hotel and went home on Sunday and got back right in time for bible quizzing =)

Here is a picture! It's kida blurry...and my eyes are closed.. but, you know... lol

Catch Up.. (again)

Oh goodness... so much has happened since my last post!

It is crazy how fast time goes by and I'm like, "wow. last time I posted anything was January 28th! what has just happened here?!" hahaha =)

Ok, let me see here... what should I write about first? lol
THE PLAY! 

Sooo... a few weeks ago my little siblings were in a play (i'm sure most of you already know all of this stuff, but i'm gonna tell it anyway haha!) called Once Upon A Mattress (for kids). It was a lot of fun! I got to help backstage, put a lot of stage make up on like 50 kids, move sets, and all of that jazz. The best part was getting to hang out with Kristen like everyday of a week because she got to help backstage, too. It was really fun..kinda stressful, but really fun! lol 
It was really fun to get to know and make new friends with all of those little actors! It was great to hang out with my big bro, Silas, Kristen and Matt on stage left! booyah! =)

Here are some pics! =)
mostly these are not my pictures.. ok, actually none of them are mine.. all of my pics are on my mom's phone! lol But.... they are pretty awesome lol

Minstrel, Jester, & the King!

the whole cast! (i love these kids!!)

The guards! Jess is bottom row on the right.
 Levi is middle row on the left!

I will post some more pictures later! ...maybe. =)

Ok, next.... 

I GOT MY DRIVER'S PERMIT!!  It is crazy that I'm already old enough to get my permit! Crazy, but awesome! =) 

Funny story, though... the first time I got in the car to drive, was at night, when it was snowing, with ice on the ground (there actually wasn't that much ice on the ground..but it makes a better story, so I'm stickin' with it! haha) anyway.. there i was.. getting ready to get in the car and I was like, "Um, mom? How to you turn this thing on? And once I turn it on, which one is the break and which one is the excelerator?!" 

Also....

I STARTED DRIVERS ED!! I started driver's ed on Monday. I am taking it with a bunch of people that I know, so that really helps... but it is so boring. Honestly, I'm not really enjoying watching tons of videos of car accidents three days a week! hahahaha =) 

On Thursday, we had to learn how to use maps. It was very interesting because none of us have really ever used a map before! We had to pair up in groups (I went with my friend, Stephen.) and the instructor would give us a starting pint and an ending point and we had to write out directions to get there. It was actually really fun!  =) 

Let's see, what else? 

Oh! I AUDITIONED FOR SNOW WHITE! Auditions were last week on Friday, I believe. It was fun! I ended up doing a monologue from the blog of one of my favorite DJ's on Air1

Here, you can read it: 

Dear Makers of P90X Extreme Exercise Regimen,
Thank you for your excellent "extreme" product.  I have been trying it for five days now.  You promised "extreme" changes to my body, and you've already delivered in startling ways.  You promised I'd experience "muscle confusion", and, indeed, my muscles are very, very, confused.
I can't move.
Your advertising includes many testimonies:  "I've lost thirty pounds and four inches off my waist," and "I've lost ten pounds of fat, and two inches," etc.
Well, I'm not sure about my weight loss, since I can no longer summon the energy to roll across the floor and onto a scale.  Nor am I sure about losing any inches.  I can't put my pants on.
I have, however, lost a lot:  My ability to perform routine tasks.  My hopes and dreams.
Control over my bladder.
My will to live.
Thank you, P90X people.  Like you say on the videos, I'm just "pumped" to "bring it" every day and it delights me to no end to see your smiling, toned faces as I flicker in and out of consciousness lying on my living room floor.  Thank you.
Love,
Brant


 It went really well! And I got a ton of complements, so that was cool. But the best part was getting called back! And then receiving the call that I had gotten a part. I'm one of the Narrators!! So excited! We had a "read through" on Monday. And, this coming Monday (As in, the day after tomorrow) we have our first practice! YAY!! =)

Here are some pics from call backs, too =)  

this is some of us while we wait in a room for like 6 hours straight. it can get pretty crazy back there! LOL

I'm the one who is in the very intense game of dutch blitz (haha!)
with the black shirt and whit/tan.black sweater. 

Also, we got locked out of our house & garage the other day because mom forgot to get the keys....So, that was exciting... 

Winter Jam 2013

I've kind of neglected my blog for awhile...sorry! It's been a crazy few weeks- but so much fun!! ☺

So...  ♫WINTER JAM!♫

It was seriously the most awesomest [is that even a word?] thing ever!  I went with Kristen & Kyle Brunner & their mom and Silas, Rosie & Jesse. 

I think that one of the best parts was seeing Jesse's face while he was there. He's never really been to a real concert before so Winter Jam was like the coolest thing ever for him. He was in total awe! It was so great! ♥
Later on he said, "Wow. Valerie, that was the coolest most amazing thing I have ever seen...like ever. Whenever I would stop clapping and jumping up and down with Jess he would look at me and say. "Come on Valerie!! Keep doing it!!" haha ☺ {He is just so darn cute! How can you say no to that face?! lol}

My other favorite part was 1.) getting to see Jason Castro!! -We didn't think we were going to be able to see him... but we did!! Best surprise ever! And Kristen, Rosie & I got to talk to him, take a picture and get an autograph!  Ahhh!! It totally made my my whole year!! ☺

 It was so tinsel ! Seriously.

The other artists that were there are:

tobyMac -Ahhhhhhh!!! He was the bombest!
Matthew West -he made me laugh so hard; it was great!
Red -they had a lot of really cool things like fire and all that jazz. -not really one of the favorite bands...but it was still pretty cool to watch
Jamie Grace -she was just so darn cute! ☺
Newsong 
Sidewalk Prophets -i really like them, too!
Royal Tailor- LOVE them! they are Jesse's favorite. that dude has some crazy moves! lol
OBB
Capital Kings -I had never heard of them before, but I really liked them & bought their CD- I love it!
Speaker: Nick Hall- He is a really good speaker! i like him a lot
{and of course, Jason Castro!!!}

Also, here are some pictures (Thanks, Kristen!) yay!: 

this is only a tiny part of the lines to get in!

Mrs. Brunner & Rosie while waiting in the lines to get in

the boys!

Jason Castro!!! 

This is me & Jason Castro... hahaha!!

Rosie & Kristen!

15 minute break intermission time...

Me & Jess

Kristen & I

Royal Tailor! Jesse was jumping up & down like the whole time!  

Jamie Grace came out to sing with them for a little bit

Jason Castro came out to sing a couple times during the concert! It was great! LOL

Jamie Grace!! Love that girl!

Sidewalk Prophets,,, I think haha =D

Jesse got cotten candy & it turned everyone's mouth blue! haha!

Capital Kings!

Another great pic of us... 

Matthew West!!!!!!!!!!

Jason Castro came out again! YESSSSSS!!!

Kristen, Jason Castro, Me & Maryrose!!!!!!!!!! He is really awesome! ☺

Our creeper pic of OBB....lol

Kristen took this video of Jason Castro singing... I'm not really sure if it is going to work or not (because I'm 2 tired to put it on YouTubelol- but here you go! hahaha =D

Ok, that's all for tonight... I was going to blog about the play but I think that will have to be for another day...like tomorrow. Or maybe not- depending on when I get around to it.... hahahaha =)

Also, please ignore any typos! lol

-Vallie

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