T in Real Life: 2006

Back to the basics

1:20 PM

Well, it's been awhile. So I decided to write. I figured the returning readers were getting sick of staring at that Christmas tree clip art.

I am on my last month-long "break" of my life. Next year at this time, I will have a job, and there will be no such thing as having 4 weeks off to run around and do as I please. Today is the first day that I have had to myself, believe it or not. Every other day has been packed with activities, helping, and socializing.

I awoke this morning and laid there for a few minutes, trying to guess what time it was. "About 9 or 10," I thought. I felt refreshed, but the day was bright and it seemed like morning outside.

Wrong. It was after 12. I shuffled downstairs and helped myself to the box of Krispe Kremes that was sitting on our kitchen counter.

"Dad suggested we get those for you, but I figured it is because he wanted them," my mom told me. I don't care why anyone bought them, just so long as I got to eat one! They melt in your mouth, I tell you.

After breakfast at noon, I showered, picked up a few things, and played a game of online euchre. I am now officially bored. I guess I forgot how boring having time on your hands really is. After this post, I plan to get out of the house and start the productive part of my day, but it's sad that it is already 4 p.m. Sad, but not really- as far as I am concerned, EVERYONE should be allowed to have at least one day like this entitled to them a month- a day where you get to kill time in whatever way you please. Because when it comes down to it, relaxing is something no one ever finds time for anymore.

I leave for Arizona in a week. I am taking 5 of my great friends down to stay at my aunt and uncle's place, and am I ever excited. I have been checking weather.com every day, and it stays in the high 60's and sunny. I just hope that people don't think we're crazy when we're out in our swimming suits and everyone else is in winter coats. That is winter to them, as they are used to 110 every day in the summer. I'll take high 60's, thank you- I can't wait for the gorgeous weather and scenery! I know that no matter what, we will have fun because of the amazing people I will be with, and the wonderful place we have for our stay.

Another milestone coming up is my 21st birthday on January 2. It's so weird. I still feel like I'm 16. If someone asked me what age I would always feel like, it would be somewhere in the teen years. Time goes by so fast, and I don't realize it until I look back on pictures and remember all of the memories I have from Jr. High & High School. It is amazing how fast you grow up and mature, not only in how you look but especially in how you act and make choices. It is also exciting to see how you have matured in Christ-- an area that is so important! One thing I am so thankful for is the idea that I gave my life to Christ so long ago, so my relationship with Him has only strengthened through the years.

Alright. Well, this post made me hungry, so I am going to go eat a banana with some peanutbutter. If we're out of bananas, maybe an apple. Love you all. T

Top Ten Christmas

8:52 PM

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11:24 PM

Beau Richard

3:49 PM

Top Ten Thanksgiving

10:38 PM

Top Ten Tuesday Halloween

9:17 AM

Fall Photogaphy

10:42 AM

I rolled over in bed this morning and glanced out the window, only to let an overwhleming sense of bright sunny blue envelope me and tempt me to get up. If I was a crowd of people watching fireworks, I would have "Ooed" and "Ahhed" about the amazing contrast of the vivid orange and yellow leaves against the Fall day sky. My joy was not yet over...

After a bowl of Golden Grahams, I took my camera outside to finish a photo lighting assignment, but I couldn't resist. I grabbed my Canon and begtan snapping away, capturing close-ups of the Fall flowers prospering in my mom's garden. The aroma of pumpkin was evident in the air, and the crisp day cooled me and allowed for a very refreshing feeling as I made my rounds in the backyard.

I felt in my element as I shot photographs of flowers. There is something about zooming in so deeply on a tiny little colorful flower and bringing vibrance and life to its presence that would have never been captured with a scanning, un-assuming eye. I thrive off of bringing something spectacular out of ordinary objects. It is my passion, not only with flowers but with any picture. I often look out the window of my car and see scenery and objects in terms of pictures rather in terms of what is really there.

Photography brings for me an outlet, and it's an important one, because it lets me capture memories and visuals. The other day, someone said to me, "I noticed you take A LOT of pictures. I think that's great-- but, what are you going to do with all these pictures when you're older?"

I love questions like these! I told her that first and foremost, it is essential for me to take pictures in order to liven memories. Often, if I don't take a picture of the event, I don't remember it very well. Pictures allow me to "re-live" the exciting times again and again, and this reinforcement in my mind helps my memory. Also, I don't just print my pictures and then let them sit and collect dust in shoe boxes. I hang them up, share them, give them away, print them in bigger sizes to be framed, archive them in albums, use them in movies, and sometime in the hopeful near future, sell them.

I am not going to school to be a photographer. I feel like it comes as more of a hobby to me, and it is there to enhance and add to what I AM learning about- media, design, and communication.

I thank God for His beautiful creation, from everything to the tiniest flower to the most vivacious and friendly person. It is all picture-worthy, and the beauty of it is owed to Him!

I love you all, T

Our Hope

11:58 AM

Back

11:06 AM

A Still, Small Voice

9:11 AM

"What is a miracle?"

Last night, we had girl's bible study at our house, and I led a group of girls in a study centered around "God is Speaking... Are

we Listening?" The central theme was that often, we misinterpret God's "silence" as Him being completely absent, or not caring. Too often, we disregard what the Lord is really trying to say to us because it is not what we want to hear or when we want to hear it. Yet what we forget is that God's most powerful messages come through a still, small voice. Sure. God could write it in fireworks up in the black night sky. He could reach down and quake the earth as easy as we can break a cracker. He could spell out His will for our lives with daisies in an open field. But more often than not, He chooses the silent whisper of the wind, the soft encouragement of a friend, or the gentle hug of a parent to speak to us. Are we hearing it?

I started off with a question that was brought out at one point in our group. "What is a miracle," one girl wanted to know. What defines it? Why did God choose to speak through miraculous wonders so often in the Old Testament, and what constitutes it?

A MIRACLE, according to my Bible's concordance, is a "divine act, unexplainable by the laws of nature."

Science tries to explain away everything that exists. Searching deep within the heart of science allows us to give meaning and logic to WHY things work the way they do, whereas before, we lived perfectly fine without knowing and had faith in the God who created it. I am in a Genetics course, and as I journey back through the makeup of the smallest unit that makes up everything that is living- the cell- I am amazed again and again at how intricate our human bodies really are. I came to the conclusion that God is very creative! For these amazing units to work together to form a living, breathing soul, a miracle must take place. We hear, "every baby is a miracle." That means that you are a living, breathing miracle and testament of God's love... He created you in your mother's womb, and knows your every detail. Not only that, but he CARES about what you think. He may have different plans for you than you do, but He wants to know your thoughts. That is why we pray.

We pray to God- why? Sure, we have requests. But the focus is on His kingdom, and not our own.

This morning, I was reading in 1 Corinthians and a verse stuck out to me that I had previously highlighted: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."

We all talk A LOT. Even as Christians, there is a lot of edifying TALK that goes on. We go to church on Sunday and hear ministers talk to us. We fellowship with others. We go to girl's and guy's bible studies and Wednesday church and singings and church activities, and we talk and are uplifted at all of these events which are SO very important. Yet, how easy it is to let this TALK constitue the larger portion of our life and forgetting to let the POWER of the Holy Spirit work through us on a daily basis. Many of us do both, and our balance is amazing, but I know for me... sometimes finding that happy medium is difficult. Sometimes, attending all of the uplifting events and talking about what could be takes place of just going out and doing it. My prayer for all of us is that we can learn to make use of the power that is available to us through Christ Jesus to further His kingdom, and that all of the talk that we do that is so encouraging can serve as a springboard to do it!

I love you all, and thanks for reading. T

Items of Business

9:56 PM

Top Ten Tuesday 20

2:39 PM

New

3:39 PM

I am sitting here on a new kitchen chair in the new room of our new house. In a new neighborhood. But fortunately, the campus isn't new :) or else I'd be in trouble. When I think back to how "new" everything felt last year at this time, I shake my head in awe of how quickly it all flashed by. Life only gets quicker as the years go by, which teaches me to enjoy the times of "youth" while they are still near.

This past week before school started, I had off. I was able to have a snapshot of "summer" during this week and I kept myself busy with activities that I might have enjoyed throughout the summer had I not worked. One day was spent going out to lunch with my mom, sisters, and aunts. Another day I took my older neice and nephews to the water park with Kristi. Dairy Queen trips were frequent, and hanging out with friends late at night occured nightly. I was thankful for a week to enjoy before the rush of school came flying towards me at full force.

However, I am looking at a pretty light 'n easy semester- photography, graphic design, communications, and genetics comprise my learning palette for these next few months. I am looking forward also to working 2 days a week at Cat in Mossville, interning in the same business unit that I stayed with all summer, Cat Electronics.

Another area that looks exciting to me is our ISU Young Group. I am serving as treasurer this year on an amazing committee, and I look forward to planning, facilitating and participating in events throughout the year! I can already see how God is working through each member and the individual talents lying therein, and I know it will be used for His glory! I look forward to seeing people at ISU Bible Study this week. I remember last year, that was the one night a week I always got excited about, because I was able to see so many faces from all around Central IL.

I can't end this post without a mention of my room mates. I can already tell this year holds a lot of fun and fond memories, and it only took me one night to figure it out. Actually, I knew it ever since we finalized the 6 room mates living here. But at any rate, we all have much to be thankful for-- and hopefully, our house here on Willow Street can be a shining beacon of God's love as we live out this next year here at ISU.

It is exciting to note God's almighty ways and how His purpose for each of us is simple, but the way in which He works it out is so beyond our understanding. It does me good to remember that I am not always suppossed to have all the answers or figure out all the mysterious ways in which He works; I am only here to glorify Him and further His Kingdom in where he has me in the present. Simple to say, so hard to follow through. I recently dug out "The Purpose Driven Life" and got slammed in the face with the "It's not about you," statement starting off the book. No, it's not. Yet I wake up every morning with a self-centered approach, and the only way to break loose from this perspective is to keep consistency in reading the Word, praying to God, and being open to opportunities that surround us each and every day.

Some applications...

Try denying SELF. Start with the small things-- give your friend the bigger half of the cookie even though you are STARVING and it's your favorite kind. These types of behaviors, if enforced habitually in the small things, will soon come naturally and will be more easier to apply in the big things.

Pray OFTEN. Pray for the driver who just cut you off. Pray for your boss. Pray for your attitude. Instead of worrying about how something will work out, pray that it will.

Treat every "job" or "task" you are given during the day as if God gave it to you. It doesn't matter if you know you can "take advantage" of the situation and do it quicker one way or easier another way, and it doesn't matter that the task seems unnecessary to you. It doesn't matter that the job you were given is frustrating and time consuming, or that it's the last thing you really feel like doing. Whether your mom gave it to you or your teacher gave it to you, treat your work like "God's work" and every time, I guarantee that your attitude will be nicer, your finished product will show quality, and your "self" will be taken out of it.

Love you all! T

Tricia, Part II

9:34 PM

A Novel Piece: Weekend Events & Spiritual Tidbits

9:58 PM

Wednesday's Wisdom 3

9:03 PM

When I was little

5:09 PM

Top Ten Tuesday 19

6:58 PM

Wednesday's Wisdom 2

7:25 PM

Wednesday's Wisdom

7:41 PM

I am happy to announce the newest section in my blog called "Wednesday's Wisdom." Before you know it, each day of the week will have it's own title. You just wait. :) Anyway, each Wednesday (or a little before, as I may need to plan ahead for scheduling purposes) I will cite a verse from the Proverbs and then a short little commentary to follow up. I will only post one verse, because I personally feel that only one is necessary. Every time I read from the Proverbs, I am amazed again and again at how each verse is like a mountain of wisdom all its own; if we just took one verse a day and tried to live by it, we would be doing pretty good. Proverbs is packed.

Wednesday's Wisdom 1

"A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult."
-Proverbs 12:16

We are often insulted, and even more often, we are annoyed. I doubt a day goes by when you aren't annoyed at something... the car going 10 mph below on the interstate, your classmate's snide remarks, or the slow check-out clerk. How do you react to these instances?

I know how I react. I get annoyed. It's alright to get annoyed- we often can't control the onset of some feelings. However, what do we do with the "annoyance?" Do we let it pour out into a pointed look and shake of the head as we pass the slow car on the interstate? Do we turn around in class and make an equally snide remark back to our classmate? Do we let the annoyance become known as we glare at the check-out clerk?

Most of us probably don't go so far, but maybe some days, we do. Some days, it is hard to control how far we let our "annoyances" or "insults" take us. I believe that a very important truth comes out of this: We need to let God guide our minds and hearts, and not let our feelings rule us instead. It is easy to let anger, annoyance, bitter, rage, sadness, and even good feelings overtake us in a way that leads us blindly into a world of trouble. The simple solution is to hand the reigns to God, each and every day, and not only daily, but situationally... so that His presence can be there to calm us and we are not so quick to show our annoyance or retaliate in anger.

Application for today: Let God lead you today everywhere. Don't just ask God for help in the morning and then thank Him tonight. Remember that He is there always, and acknowledge that. By talking to Him continually, your attitude will be clear, and situations that may have been "annoying" may not be such a big deal anymore.

I love you all! T