Updates Once More...

[the pictures in this post have nothing to do with what the text says] Okay so...I wasn't allowed to take pictures with my iPod at camp. But, camp was amazing! It was so much fun. Now you all know the lends is broken, right? Well I cannot access my email on this computer currently and that's the only way I can get other iPod photos on here. I can get some though. Anyways, I'm not going to be a lump on a log and tell you how sad I am. We are getting a new lens but not for a while. Okay...Updates...


I just finished watching Lord of the Rings and that was really good. I suggest you see it, the second one does have a lot of war but I don't mind.

I went to the mall  twice in the last week which is surprising. I spent all my money, which is not surprising. I got a vintagey Forever21 Star Wars shirt, a black polka dotted shirt, also Forever21, and a pair of red shoes that look much like vans (Forever21 of course). Basically I spent all my money in Forever21 and the food court. Wow. I'm awesome.

Have you switched to the new blogger? I like it, but I still have to get used to it because I'm not quite adjusted yet. What are your thoughts on it?

We know every tweens favorite thing to talk about is school. Ha. I'm getting A's in everything and doing the best in Math. In case I didn't mention anytime before, I despise math. It was already hard enough and now their adding letters! Just kidding. I'm not quite in algebra and that's the least of my problems.

I literally just got 14 books from the library. I know it's not that amazing, but all of them are at least an inch thick or wider. My bag ripped from carrying them in it. Yeah.

If you get bored of me, I suggest Cluttered Thoughts. She hasn't posted in a while but if you look through her old posts you'll get quite a treat. (I just used the word "quite" two times in one post--win!)

If any of you have an Instagram I would love to add you! My username is barefoot_dreamer and I post there almost daily. If you do decide to check it out, comment and tell me you're from my blog.

Last thing, I am in love with this song.

*all photos belong to me*

Thank you all!

Christmas is around the corner!

I am so upset and I expect to lose many followers from my scarce posting. Now that we're home from California and all settled in I should be posting lots more often.

Christmas is seriously not too far away, It's actually crazy. Wasn't it Christmas yesterday? No? Oh. Well then. I will start posting more vacation photos VERY soon. I will make myself a reminder each day to post.

I am in our church's Christmas play this year! I have about 60 lines. It's so much fun and we are doing the play on December 11th.

I go to youth group every Wednesday night and yesterday I became a student leader. Which basically means I get to help out each week at youth! I was pretty excited.

It is snowing outside currently, we have about 3 inches so far! Have you been getting snow?

Some other major news: Oh hey, we got puppies! 2 adorable, little, girl puppies! They are doxen poodle mixes. In fact, one puppy is sitting on my lap now. Their names are Oreo and Reese's.

My best friend Ellie is an amazing photographer and she posts much more often than I do. Please go check out her blog at: http://BLANK.blogspot.com

We are doing a co-op tomorrow about making crafts with milk-jugs. Do you guys have any ideas? :)

In the next post I will do photos I just haven't had the camera out as often as usual.

My school curriculum this year is on the computer and I get up each day at 7:00 to do it early each morning. It's called S.O.S. Have any of you ever heard of it?

Maddy broke her toes 2 days ago. Yipes. She hit it on our coffee table. Who knew a coffee table could be after you?

It doesn't feel like fall here...More like winter.

Thank you all for still following even though I've been gone for so long!

Breathe...

I got a necklace from my friend the other day that had a pendant with the word, "Breathe" on it. That got me thinking. I think we all need to take a breath. Even me. We scurry along with our everyday life, not knowing how short and precious life is.

 Every time you anticipate for something to be over, it goes by slowly. I think we should cherish these moments that go by slow. A simple saying that everybody says, "time flies by when you're having fun" is very true. Those moments where you want the next day to come quickly, don't mope.

Do something that you know that you will have fun doing. Time goes by fast. We all have trouble breathing, stopping to smell the roses. Especially when special times of the year come around. Christmas for instance. You are so

excited for Christmas, and when it's come and gone, you realize how quick that was. What we don't realize is that the next Christmas will come just as quick as that one left. Take a breath. Don't anticipate for life to go by quicker, and if you want to it go slower, do something fun that you will remember. Make a memory. Even though life is very short, we can enjoy it by making memories that will last, memories we will look back on and enjoy all over again.


Breathing is important for everybody. We all need to reflect on God's gifts to us, one of them, life. Life is short, don't waste it. Don't do anything you know you will regret. Just take some time to breathe. I need to do it, that's for sure. With moving and all there's so much work and I'm eager for it to be over. That's why I've been outside photographing nature lately. I've been inspired. Go out there and make some memories with your family. Breathe.

In His Own Image

Sometimes we look at other people and say, "Wow, I wish I was as pretty as them." or "She's so tall, why can't I be tall?"

 

We can be so self conscious. Wanting to be that tall, wanting to be "stylish", wanting to be that person.

We don't have to be like all those other people. We are unique. We are beautiful. We are created in God's image.


In the Bible it says, So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; Male and Female He created them. (Genesis 1:27) God wanted us to be exactly the way we are right now.


We are all beautiful, we are all created with precision. Each freckle on our nose, each hair on our head, are made in His own image.

Next time you feel self conscious, know that you are unique and nobody could ever be exactly like you, even if you are a twin. Know that you are made in His image and his alone.

Let The Waters Rise

 

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees

So let the waters rise
If You want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

somtimes i feel...{lowercase post}

...guilty because our own savior shed his blood on the cross for us. he paid a price that we should have because we were sinners.
...sad because jesus died for all of the sinners. he did it for us. it makes me sad that be had to go through the pain and we didn't.
...angry because so many people would be sinners. so many people made jesus die.
...scared that sin will overcome us again someday. i know he forgives us. but i still don't want a sin only world.
...loved because jesus would do something that terrible for me and you.


What do you feel?

Being a leader...

Being a leader means you have to have 2 main qualities. Serve. and Influence.
Let's start with serve. Serving doesn't mean make people serve you. It means trust. "Wait, Iona, serve means, SERVE, not trust...what????" Okay okay! Sorry! Let me finish! I just mean, you need to have trust to serve. Part of serving means that you need to trust a person to do something. Handing someone else responsibility requires a lot of trust. And by trusting, it's serving. Because the people feel good to be trusted.
⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
 ⁶Who, being in very nature God,
      did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
 ⁷but made himself nothing,
      taking the very nature of a servant,
      being made in human likeness.
 ⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
      he humbled himself
      and became obedient to death—
         even death on a cross!
 ⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
      and gave him the name that is above every name,
 ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.
God served us all by dying on the cross. He saved us from our sins.
Influence. Everybody wants a leader with good influence. We don't want a leader who is angry all day. That will make an influence on us and make us mad. But if the leader is joyful, caring, giving, he will set an influence upon everyone following him. Everyone will want to do that. When you are around people, try to make a good influence. So it will make everyone happy. Set a good influence.

¹³Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
 ¹⁴Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
 ¹⁵Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Being a leader means serve and influence.
Everyone is a leader. If you have younger siblings. You are a leader. If you have younger kids around your neighborhood, you are a leader. If you have friends, that like your ideas, you are a leader. You're a leader to anyone who looks up to you. To be a good one, have serve, and influence.

Are you really a believer?

What some people call a believer in Christ is different then what other people say. There can only be one kind of believer and that's the one that follows all God's rules. There is not more than one kind of believer. Some people say, "My friend is the kind of believer that she follows God's rules but doesn't listen to Godly music." No. I'm not saying you can't listen to "Hannah Montana" or "Selena Gomez". They don't sing "bad" things. They aren't wrong. They just don't sing about Christian stuff. But the music that totally rejects God and his rules, you'd better stay away.

Being a believer is not just trusting in God. Following his rules. Reading the bible.
You have to really trust. With all your heart. In all you do. Anytime you are talking with friends and they mention their religion. Mentions yours. Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Because you are a believer. Being a believer means giving your all. Laying down your whole life. No matter what circumstances you may have to face. Losing friends for instance. You need to be willing to do whatever it takes. Posting this on my blog may mean losing followers. But I don't care. Because I believe.

It also means you have to fight temptation. A lot of kids do bad things and may want you to do it too. Don't. If it goes against what is right. Don't. If you know it's wrong. Don't.

Being a believer means alot more than you may think. When you get scared, remember God is there. He will go with you through thick and thin. That's part of believing. You need to believe that he will catch you. You need to believe nothing will happen against his will.

His will...Something may have happened in your life tragic. Losing a family member. Losing your house. Anything. You may think, "God, why would you do this?" That's where believing comes into play. You need to believe that whatever may have happened it couldn't of been against his will. He has done it for a reason that, maybe you don't even know. Eventually you will find out. Because God never does anything for no reason.

I hope you all understand what being a believer means. I hope this post has helped you in some way. Or it was just a good reminder.
Have a great evening.