Waiting: the hard part

Okay guys, I know I already posted once today, but I need to post again.

Remember how I was saying to wait on the Lord?

I'm still saying we should do that, and I'm also going to say this:

Don't. Give. Up.

I know, it's really tiring to wait around. And when you think you like someone, it's even harder.

Because I know, you're going to be all like,

"Is he the one?"

"How do I know?"

"What if he is? Is it okay for me to like him?"

"What if he isn't? How do I stop myself from liking him?"

Those are all incredibly valid questions.

And here's the thing.

I don't know the answer.

When you're still waiting around for your special man, how are you supposed to know when you've found him? He might not be the first guy who confesses his love to you, or even the first guy to propose.

I honestly don't know what to say, because if I have found the special someone for me, I could probably stare him straight in the face and not know it.

I know it's a question that we all ask ourselves at times, "How do I know if I love him or just like him?"

Truth is, I don't know the answer, but I guess a good way to get started is this (at least for ladies):

1) Could you see yourself respecting him, even when he is being an idiot? Let's just face it, guys can be idiots and quite often women can see things in a way that men can't, and therefore sometimes make better decisions, but part of loving someone is being able to respect them.

2) Could you see yourself obeying them, no matter what? Sarah obeyed Abraham and it could have gotten her killed. Twice. And she still obeyed him. God blessed her and protected her for her obedience.

3) Could you see yourself taking care of him, even when he is getting on your nerves? I once saw this video on Youtube that illustrates what I'm talking about. Go watch it then come back here.

----------------->Watch this, then come back.

Could you take care of him, even when he is acting like this guy?

I think if you could actually do all these things, then yeah, I would say that was love.

For us ladies, it's not difficult to 'love' someone, as in be romantic. We can sit and watch a sappy love movie with our darling faster than most people could blink. But the big thing is we tend to not respect.

Don't deny it.

You know it's true.

Anyway, I don't have all the answers on this subject, because I am waiting on the Lord to bring me someone too. I don't know if I've ever 'fallen in love' for real, or anytime I've thought I've liked someone it's just been a crush. I don't know, I'm only 17 and don't have enough life experience to say.

But I do know what God says, and that is "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord."-Ephesians 5:22 NIV.

And I also know that it's hard for wives to submit, because I've watched it happen before, where a woman thinks that she knows best and then back-talks her husband, or ridicules him, or just flat out ignores him.

And I also know that this isn't how a healthy relationship works, and not just between and husband and wife, but in any relationship.

You have to show that you respect your friends, don't you? Otherwise, they get fed up with you and stop talking to you.

I personally think that the love of your life should not just be your husband or fiance or boyfriend or whatever, but I think that he should also be your best friend.

Because your best friend is the person that you want to spend all of your time with, it's the person that you want to tell everything to, it's the person that you want to and do share experiences with, it's the person that, even if you fight, you can always make up with and move on like nothing ever happened because you adore each other so much that you won't care in a few hours anyway.

Like I said, I am only 17 and do not have enough experience to tell you exactly how you will feel or anything when you find your prince, I only know what I've read in Scripture and what I've seen between my parents and other couples. I can't even say what I've read or watched on televisions, because that is quite often an unrealistic view of things, mostly just because of the situations that bring the couples together.

But I do know this: waiting on the Lord is the best thing that you can do, because trust me, I'm speaking from experience, when you think you know what you are doing and you jump ahead into a relationship, all that is going to happen is a breakup and then you feel really stupid.

So yes, I am learning as much from my previous post as any of you, because I can tell you that it was not my idea to write that. I don't really want to wait on God, I have my own agenda and I want to follow it as fast as I can, but I know that I can't, because all that will get me is trouble.

So ladies, I am with you when I say to wait. I am with you when I say that it is hard. I am with you in this, and we can do this.

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

He means ALL things. And I personally think that waiting on this sort of thing is much harder than trying to move a mountain or fly, don't you?

I hope that my posts today have encouraged you to wait on the Lord, even though it's hard. I know it has helped me to share this.

Cheers!

Who's writing your love story?

Ladies, let's just face the facts: we thrive on attention.

Especially attention from the male gender.

Especially if it's a certain person from the male gender who you really kinda more than just friends like.

Don't try and deny it, it's the way we are.

I do it too. I love it when a guy pays me a compliment. Sure, I like it when other girls pay me a compliment too, but not in the same way.

The other day I was thinking about my favorite movies and television shows (I won't go into all of them, but here are a few):

X-files was one of my favorite for a while, not really because of the aliens, that part annoyed me, or the government conspiracies, that just made me paranoid, not even really for the monsters, but I loved it because I loved to watch the interaction between Mulder and Scully. One of my favorite episodes is my favorite because they finally kiss. Or any of the episodes where they danced or flirted or even looked like they might flirt.

Doctor Who is another one of my favorite. 10 and Rose were one of my favorite couples for a long time, because I loved Rose so much. But then came 11 and River. And any episode that River is in is my favorite. The flirting scenes are just so cute, and every time they kiss each other my heart melts. The monsters and the aliens and all that stuff is cool too, and the show is hilarious, but really, River and 11 are the main reason I watch the show anymore, I love them so much.

Or Pirates of the Caribbean, one of my absolute favorite movies. Why? Because of Will and Elisabeth (don't get me wrong, I adore Captain Jack too). Their romance makes me want to cry, Will is just so sweet. I actually don't like Elisabeth much and think that Will is waaaaaaay too good for her, but I adore him, he's just so sweet and would do anything for her.

Even though it ends tragically, one of my all time favorite love stories is between Anakin and Padme. I know that he ends up killing her, but it breaks him and that's why he becomes Darth Vader and the first three movies in the Star Wars saga are my favorite because of the unfolding romance between them. I literally cry every time at the end of Revenge of the Sith, because I know what it going to happen and my heart breaks every time, because the two of them were just so in love and then tragedy ripped them apart.

The list of movies and tv shows I love is endless, so I will leave it there.

Even in books, like the Hunger Games, my favorite parts are when Katniss starts to really love Peeta, and I think that Peeta is one of the sweetest book characters ever written.

Do you see what I mean? I love all of these stories for the love story within them. I love the flirting and the sweetness and all that stuff. I know of course that none of the situations would ever play out like this for me, but the thought of them makes me feel happy.

Of course, the examples I used are of stories that are so outlandish that we know that this could never happen to us in this way. I mean, come on, I doubt that I will ever be kissing my husband while standing on a beach, waiting for him to get into his boat and sail away into the land of the dead and start his new job of harvesting the bodies of people who died at sea. At least, I hope that never happens to me.

But it's something that I think about often, how would a romance play out for me?

We all do it, come up with scenarios that we hope to one day happen, maybe not with anyone in particular in mind, but come on girls, we all know exactly how we want to be proposed to. And who hasn't daydreamed about her marriage one day?

There's nothing wrong with wanting the attention and affection from the guy of your dreams, God made us to want it. But the problem comes when you try and force the romance. 

What I mean by that is this: you know when you have a crush and you're sure that you are going to marry that guy? And you wait and wait and wait and pray and hope that he will ask you out? You hope that when you are thinking about him, he is thinking about you?

So what do we do? We go and throw ourselves at this guy and say every flirty thing that we can without seeming too flirty and hope that he flirts back. 

There are several problems with this.

1. If you are too young to be married, then you really have no business trying to get your crush to ask you out in the first place. Where would all your hard work lead you if you are only 12? or 13? or even 16? Nowhere. It will just end in a breakup. 

2.  If the guy didn't like you, with all that flirting and stuff, he is either going to a) hope that you move to a different state and leave him alone or b) he's going to notice that you like him and either like you back or just take advantage of the situation (I'm not saying all guys would do that, but let's just face the facts, if a girl is willing to give a guy anything he wants, he is likely going to accept that without a problem).

3) Say the guy does like you. Is he going to think that maybe you are just a flirty person? Sometimes we change who we are, just a little bit, to get a guy to like us, and then if he liked us before, he might notice that we aren't who we were and think we are fake.

4) God already shipped you with someone, and when he does it, it's cannon. You don't have to worry about catching your future husband's attention because God already made sure that you will have his attention one day. 

When God sets something in motion, no power on Earth or in Heaven can stop it from happening. So when God decided he wants you to be with someone, it will happen and nobody is going to get in your way. 

"Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." Mark 10:9 NIV

So basically what I am saying is this: 

Us ladies love attention.

Whatever man pays that attention to us becomes our new favorite person.

We will use whatever means necessary to get more attention.

We fall out of following God's plan for us when we try to force a situation to go the way we want it to.

It ends in heartbreak and failure unless it lines up with God's plan.

So ladies, be careful. You are a very special person and someone out there is waiting to find you. And one day they will. But every man who pays attention to you isn't going to be your special someone. Because the truth is, you don't have to be drop dead gorgeous for a man to start hitting on you, it's gonna happen no matter what state your hair is in or how much makeup you are wearing.

But the one who's out there waiting for you will fall in love with you, not for the amount of flirting you put into it, or how mush skin you show, they will fall in love with you. The real you. They will see your smile and it will light up their world. Your laugh will send chills up their spine. The way you talk will make them melt. Your personality will be the most wonderful thing they have ever encountered. 

So don't try and grab attention from every man, just because you love attention. Wait, and one day you will have all the attention and affection and sappy-sweet, makes-you-wanna-cry, most epic love story you have ever had the privilege to see. And it will be yours.

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."-Psalms 27:14 NIV

Be patient, one day, your prince will come.

Cheers!

Remember...

Do you know what today is?

Memorial Day.

Do you know what Memorial Day is for?

Not just for cookout and visiting your family and getting the day off from work.

Today is America's day to remember.

What are we remembering?

The fallen soldiers who gave their lives to protect us.

That's something that really stands out to me. These brave men and women who fell in battle, who gave their lives for the safety of others.

And you know what?

You are one of those who are safe because of them.

And they didn't even know you.

Think about that. Just imagine it, for a moment.

A young man, lying in a ditch, on foreign soil, bleeding out. A woman, closing her eyes upon the world for the last time.

They may not have even known your name. But they died for you.

This really is the definition of Christian love. Giving your life for the saving of thousands.

Think about this: your children, grandchildren, mothers, fathers, cousins, uncles, aunts, friends, they are all living comfortably now because of the selfless act of one of our brave soldiers.

And to those who have lost someone, and so spend this day grieving:

I cannot imagine what it must have been like to discover the one that you loved had perished in battle. I cannot imagine the scars that must have left for you. I cannot imagine what pain and anguish you must go through, knowing that they are gone.

But I do know this: they gave their lives in the protection of an entire country. Every. Single. Person.

And now they are a hero.

They are better than Superman or Captain America or any of the best, coolest superheros.

Because you know what?

They are real. They lived on this planet. They were there for the ones who loved them. They laughed, they cried, they were completely human. And that makes them special, more special than any fictional character could ever be, no matter what amazing super-powers the writer wants them to posses.

Do you know who these fallen men and women remind me of?

Christ.

The man who was God's son, who could have stayed safe and comfortable in heaven and let the world go to hell, but who chose to come and give his life for the billions that would never even get to see his face on earth.

But you know what?

One day, we will see His face, in heaven. Those who are believers in Him.

Our soldiers, the defenders of out nation, followed in His footsteps, they gave their lives for the good of many, they laid their own hopes and desires down so that others could fulfill theirs, they sacrificed themselves so that we can live in peace.

So remember, on this beautiful Memorial Day, remember what Memorial Day is for. Remember those who have fallen. Pray for the loved ones who were left behind. Thank God for those selfless individuals who gave their lives so that you could spend this day grilling hamburgers with your family.

God Bless America and those who gave their lives defending it.

My random, kind of teenage angst, photo shoot

So, I decided to do another photo shoot today.

Since I watched Mirrormask last night, I was thinking of doing a circus thing, but I couldn't find a costume fast enough and we have company coming in a very little while.

So instead, I decided to do a teenage angst/ emo teenager photo shoot. I figure, I'm only a teenager for so long, so why not do it while I'm still in the teen years?

Okay, first of all, I am going to put the disclaimer that I am not really this emo and I don't usually wear this much makeup. It was really weird for me.

 Okay, so I teased my hair, put on lipstick and a massive amount of eye shadow, glitter on my face, although you really can't see it here, earrings that I never wear because they get caught in my hair when it is curly, the dress I was wearing has these weird little pokey things on it (you can't see it in this picture yet). In short, this was very uncomfortable.

 My string of Christmas lights has come in very useful in a lot of photo shoots.

 And also my mirror is good for pretty much every photo shoot. And I think it's weir that I look almost like another person in the mirror. It must be the me from Mirror Land.

 Ignore the mess on the floor behind me...I'm an emo teen, I don't clean my room.

 Okay, so my mom gave us these window panes for art class, and so far I've only used them for class once, and since then I've just been drawing Wolverine, Ralph Macchio, and Benedict Cumberbatch. So I thought I might put it to some...other artistic use, not just drawing some of my favorite dudes.

 Sitting on my desk.

 This one was actually really hard to take because of the way I had to hold my laptop (no I don't have a real camera yet).

When you see it....

I was sitting on my bed in this one. My mom thinks it really capture the teenage angst look...

I'm not really this pale, but the lighting made me look like it.

Again, one of those really hard to take because of the way I had to hold the laptop.

Clearly, I like to take them in front of my mirror.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but my sister really liked it, so I'm putting it in for her.

And just to prove that I could still smile after all that.

Cheers!

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!

Guys! This is so exciting! I found out that Sherlock and John really do have blogs!

I'll put the links on here for you other Sherlockians:

John's Blog

Sherlock's Blog

Of course, these are from the episodes that have already happened, but once the new season comes out, I bet they will update it with the episodes, so keep checking!!!

Cheers!

John's Blog

So, I was thinking, I wonder what John's blog post would be after Sherlock fell?

And I think he probably didn't write one, because he needed to get away from it all, but imagine if he did.

I bet it would go something like this:

This is something that my therapist told me to do.

It's the only reason I am doing this.

I met this man, named Sherlock Holmes. If you've been reading my blog, then you know who he is already know who he is.

He is my best friend. My only friend really. Before I met him, my life was filled with terror, from the war. After I met him, my life was filled with a different kind of terror, but the kind that I flourished in.

I went on all kinds of adventures with Sherlock. Everyone could clearly see that he was the brains behind the mystery solving, but even still, we were a team. Me without him, and him without me, well, we always managed to get ourselves in trouble.

Even when we were together we got in trouble of course, but it was a different kind of trouble. We could always help each other to get back out of it. Well...almost always.

I'm sure you remember the case about James Moriarty. And I know that many of you don't believe he ever existed. But he did, and as Sherlock said, he was a spider.

You've read the papers, you know what happened. How Moriarty was innocent, even though he wasn't really. And you saw what happened afterwards, when people stopped trusting that Sherlock was who he said he was.

But I never did. And I never will. Because while he was an annoying person, and most of the time I couldn't stand to even look at him because he had that face on, he was still Sherlock Holmes. 

And I am still John Watson, the man who stood by Sherlock's side through everything. 

When he...told me...that...the stories were true, that he wasn't who he told me he was, I didn't believe him, not for one second.

And when he...fell...and I watched...I could see every moment that Sherlock and I shared pass before my eyes.

And I realized that I never told him how glad I was that I met him. 

I told him plenty that I thought he was a jerk, or a heartless, non-human creature, but I never told him how much I really need him.

Sherlock, I hope that you are reading this. 

And if you are, please, do one last thing for me.

Please. Please Sherlock. Don't be dead. Just this one last thing, for me, please, just don't be dead.

Yeah. Okay.

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graduation, Ironman, and Flooding...in other words, my weekend

Sorry I haven't really been posting much guys, my life has been a flurry of activity.

Why? you ask.

Because I graduated Saturday! 

Yep, I'm no longer a homeschool student. I've officially joined the ranks of kids who survived highschool.

Although I must say, my highschool experience wasn't that bad. I rather enjoyed my school years. Being homeschooled, I was able to learn a lot of things that interested me. And now that I am done with 'school', or at least the State of North Carolina recognizes me as 'done with school', that doesn't mean I am going to stop learning or reading good books. We never stop learning. And we really never should want to.

Anyway, instead of having a traditional graduation, with a cap and gown and everything, I decided to have a party and invite my closest friends (I would have invited more of my friends but my house can only hold so many and therefor I had to just invite my closest and best friends). 

We had cake and snacks and I made a video for everyone to watch of my highschool years (which I will upload if I can, but no promises). 

And of course there were lots of pictures of me with my friends.

Okay, first of all, there were 25 people who came. They ended up coming in shifts because certain people had to go do stuff or some people stayed until really late.

This was before the party started, while we were waiting for people to show up.

My grandparents came before anyone else because they didn't want to be there when there were a bunch of teenagers running around.

And then me and my sister were still waiting for everyone else to get there, so we had a dance party.

Me and my sis again.

And then finally people started showing up. This is (left to right) Mrs. Ormand (in the doorway) Katie, Sharon, me, and Miriam. 

My mom decided to take pictures of me with all the people who came...be prepared for a lot of pictures.

Me and the Gwyns, Tylor (the tall one) Mrs. Gwyn (the one behind me) and Katie (the really pretty one).

Me (the short one) and Loren (the tall one). And Mrs. Gwyn (the sitting one).

Loren and Tylor decided to pretend to be my 'bodyguards'. After this Loren told me to duck and cover. And then I died. They were fired.

And then the Covingtons and a random kid I don't know showed up. From left to right: Chris, Honor, Random kid (I think his name was Josh) and me.

Left to right: Summer, Forrest, Me, and Promise, sitting on me.

Me and Mim...again

This is Promise, the cutest child to ever walk the earth.

Me and Mr. Covington....I'm really not sure why Tylor is in this one...

Me and my cousin, Paige. Kesha, Paige's sister came up too, but she wouldn't be in any of the pictures from my party.

Me and my girls (except Kesha and Ashton weren't here yet).

Left to right: Mr. Covington, Honor (on Mr. C's lap), Me, Promise (on my lap), Mrs. Covington, Miriam (on Mrs. C' lap)

My cake, made for me by my Aunt Jane. I love her.

This is me. Someone told me there was something else in this picture, but I guess it must be a ninja, because I don't see anything else.

And me and Ashton, who stayed after everyone else had left, went to church with me, came back, went to go feed a friend's dog with me, came back, watched Doctor Who, then stayed at my house until 11:30 at night. This is why I love her so much.

Anyway, so that was my graduation party.

The next day, Sunday, which was yesterday to me now, my dad took me to go see Ironman 3 in 3D. It was epic and if you haven't seen it you need to go see it. Do it now.

I really enjoyed hanging out with my dad too. We wandered around downtown where it was pouring the rain and we both got soaked, but it was so much fun. 

And now today, it has flooded everywhere. Nobody had school today because nobody can really get out of their house.

My cousin, Kesha, who would not let me take pictures of her at my party, came up and we hung out for a while today, wandering around outside, looking to see where the water had risen around our houses, drawing faces on the balloons left over from my party, and finally she let me take some pictures with her.

In the words of Kesha herself, concerning these pictures: The world may never know.

Anyway, that is how my weekend went. I hope you guys enjoyed these pictures!

And if you live in the high country, don't get swept away with all the rain!

Cheers!