"Hey, don't worry, I've got you. You can do this. You can jump."

This weekend just might mark the best weekend of my life.
What was this weekend?? Good question.

SUMMER RETREAT 2012! BARABOO, WISCONSIN!

a.k.a. one of the coolest places on earth.

The theme for this retreat was a real good one. I think it really made a connection for all of us there at the retreat. From incoming freshman, to the graduates on their last high school retreat. It was just great all around. The theme was "Fan to Follower." Are you a fan of Christ or a follower of Christ???

All this time, I had thought I was a follower of Christ. And I think in some ways, I am. But in other areas of my life I am just a fan. I don't want to be just a fan. And my youth pastor, Gabe, made it clear to us all that you don't have to be.

So this weekend, we were learning what it meant to be a follower instead of a fan and we were and still are learning how to make that happen in our lives for real.

One of the lessons really stuck with me as I look back on the retreat. It was about things that compete with God for our time. Things that we idol, or just spend a lot of time thinking about. Things that just get in the way, sometimes. I got to thinking about that and I realized it's the relationships in my life that compete with God for my time. And sometimes, those relationships win. I realized that it's going to be something I battle with for a lot of my life. I just have to realize that when I put God first, my relationships with the people around me will be a lot easier. It's easier to love when you've given your first love to Jesus. I think its so cool how that works.

Anyway, Sunday, the last day of our retreat, was quite possibly the most exhilarating day of my life.

On Sunday after breakfast and the morning lesson, all the girls went to a high ropes course!! This consisted of a bunch of real tall poles and super strong cables. It's called a course because it has different challenging obstacles! At first I was quite shaky. Ya know, I'm walking on an inch and a half cable holding on to various objects that sometimes are difficult to hold onto. In some obstacles, you're not holding onto anything at all!

Sometimes you're just hanging from a rope with your foot in a sturrup type thing!

Over all, this high ropes course was quite physically demanding...

Melanie Leach was my partner. She's really cool. :)

Emily, Steph, Mel, and I showing off our muscles!

Me on the giant swing that included a 20 foot free fall drop. :)

This is actually a picture of a video. But unfortunately this silly computer wouldnt let me upload the video. :( Sad day. It's an awesome video.

The video is of the scariest thing I have ever done!! :o

There was an option for us to do something called the leap of faith. Basically, You're climbing up a pole and when you get to the top, you have to boost yourself up so that you're standing on top of the pole. From there you have to jump to a trapeze type thing and catch it with your hands. From the ground it didn't look too hard. But once I got up there, the bar seemed so much farther away.

Pre-Jump words: "I don't think I can jump. I won't make it." Post-Jump words: "Wow, that wasn't so bad." 

All the girls cheered for anyone who got the courage to do the leap of faith. In the video, you can hear everyone yelling encouraging words and cheering when I finally jumped and caught the bar on the first try. Right before I jumped, I just felt a comfort wash over me and I realized that the words coming from the leaders and the other girls weren't their words. I just heard God saying, "Hey, don't worry, I've got you. You can do this. You can jump." And I did. I jumped. It was a really cool feeling.

God is such an encouraging, comforting, and protecting God.  And after this weekend, I see clearer than ever that God's strength outweighs mine by billions.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4: 13

"Today is about *love* and being happy."

Ahhhhh, yes. Valentine's Day. :) 

Or as others call it, the fourteenth of February. 

I realized that I am a very lucky girl. 

Which is true everyday of the year, but today I was reminded of just how blessed I am. 

Valentine's Day isn't always about having a certain someone to share it with. (Significant other, if you may.) It's just about showing and reminding everyone in your life how much you love them. I guess we just need a specific day of the year to make it extra special. :) 

Last year, I really had a great Valentine's Day. I spent it with all of my jazz choir buddies in Audubon at the jazz choir festival, I got a rose from my big brudder, I got some flowers from my daddy, and a bunch of other sweet stuff from my friends and family. :) 

This year's Valentine's Day was just as great!! (Maybe a little bit better. :) shhhh…)

I gave a little cheesy present to my friend Joshua Rietgraf. I think he enjoyed it. He's the bomb.com.

And I'm quite proud of this gift. Idea credit goes to Cassi McMullen. :)

So here's the story. I was told to go to the band room at 3:00. So, I patiently waited for the end of the day to come, and when I got to the band room, Joshua was there. From there, we walked out to Peter's truck and he gave me these beautiful flowers with a very sweet card! :D He also got me some candy. :)

Needless to say, I was a happy girl.

And from my daddy I got some cute little chocolates. :)

But most of all, I was reminded of how much God loves me. :) 

Each and everyday He shows me all of the blessings He's given me in my life. The challenges, the bad days, the great days, all of the things I have, and all of the people I get to be with everyday. And I think that's what really topped off my Valentine's Day. :) It wasn't the wonderful flowers and candy, although those were pretty great. :) It was just the fact that I have a God who is crazy about me. 

Lay your head on my shoulder, It'll be alright in the morning...

The most wonderful time of the year!

(sort of... sorry this post is really really late!)

Family, Friends, Presents, Lights, and Jesus :) 

This time of year is definitely my favorite!

Christmas :)

(A very nerdy Christmas at our house this year)

Dinner Dates (Bro-Sis Style) :)

Ice skating :)

Coffee Dates :)

Playing Team Nertz and watching Matilda at the Brown's house :) 

(Go Team Joshua and Maggie!)

Skype Dates in the early morning with the best friends :)

Sweet 16 Birthday Parties :)

New Years Eve :)

Sleepovers :)

Best Friends :) 

The Words Me and You Never Ever Sounded So Cool...

The Things I'm Thankful For:

Since it's the holidays, we're all thinking about the things we're thankful for! Which is great, but I've decided to make it a year round thing. A woman at my church shared a little booklet that she got from the blessings corner at our church, and I really liked the idea! Every night she writes five things she's thankful for that day. I hadn't really thought much about that idea since she shared, but  God decided it would be perfect for me. :) Melanie Leach and I exchanged gifts last week and part of her gift was a little spiderman notebook! It was just right. :) 

1.) So first, I'm thankful that God made that happen for me because lately I've been needing to reflect on what I have to be thankful for each and every day. 

2.) I'm thankful for all my wonderful friends. They're so encouraging and lovely. 
3.) I'm thankful for good communication. Being able to sit down with someone and tell them your opinions and know they're listening to you and respecting what you have to say. 
4.) I'm thankful for forgiveness. Its a wonderful blessing. 
5.) I'm thankful for challenges and struggles in my life because they've brought me closer to the people I love. They've given me a chance to share myself to others and grow in Christ.
6.) I'm thankful for music and how powerful worshiping through music can be. Tabby Snyder, Joshua, Tyler and I sang "O Holy Night" after our choral concert last night and I caught a few moms crying. :)
7.) I'm thankful for nail polish. It's given me something to do when I'm not doing anything productive!
8.) I'm thankful for my brothers and sisters. They're the best. I love them so much!
9.) I'm thankful for sunflowers. 
10.) I'm thankful for dinner (bro-sis style) :) 


Of course these are only a few of the things I'm thankful for right now. God has blessed us all with so much. And I'm so thankful for each and every one of His blessings. :)