Friday, January 27, 2012

So Incredibly BLESSED!!

Yesterday was a simply DELIGHTFUL day!!! Boy did I feel loved! Such a great birthday:) It started VERY early..in the 5 o'clock hour! I spent the night in Ari's room and she woke me up at 5:00(or sometime very early!) with chipmunks singing happy birthday and a birthday outfit from mom! (She is so sneaky!) Then Ari was so kind as to inform me that Tyler and Matt were waiting for us in the lobby so I better hurry up and get ready. I just kept saying, no, no, no, this isn't happening! Well it was and Ari (who informed me Wednesday night that she just is NOT a morning person) said we needed to get a move on it because we had places to be! It was like a repeat of my 18th birthday..thank you Tyler! I think his favorite thing is to wake people up early and take them out to breakfast for their birthday! hehe We went to IHOP for breakfast where we had the most hilarious waiter! After working for an hour I was able to go to the gym..which I just love! On my walk through campus I saw a couple people and stopped to talk for a little bit and it ended up taking me an hour to get to my room after leaving the gym! Stephanie and I went out to lunch at Red Robin and when I got back Ari and I went to the store to get some stuff for an AS party last night. For dinner, some friends and I dressed up and went to The Cheesecake Factory. I had so much fun and really enjoyed being around girls I love so much! When we got back from dinner I headed to Tara's apartment where people from AS were celebrating mine and Tim's birthdays! It was so great to be reunited with AS peeps:) Upon my return to my room for a sleepover with Ari, I walk in and there was TP everywhere!!! Mom has been telling me that since I'm no longer a teenager I'm not allowed to go TPing anymore so Ruth (the prankster) thought she'd TP my room for kicks and giggles. I have to admit it was a pretty good job;) It was such a loooooong day but filled so many wonderful things and people I love:) I felt so cared for, loved, and affirmed by everyone I was surrounded by. I have been beyond blessed by incredible friends! Even though I couldn't spend my birthday with my family, I still felt so loved by them too! God is so good and I do not deserve what He has blessed me with. This past year was great and I'm looking forward to another wonderful year of life. As I enter my 20's, a new decade in my life, my prayer is that in all I say and do, that my life bring honor and glory to my King. Thank you for making my birthday so special:) It was definitely the best one so far!

So full of JOY,
Amanda


Ruth, Jen, Reylena, Kelsey, Ari, Erin(she took the picture), and I went out to dinner!


Thanks for taking the picture Erin!

So full of JOY and beyond BLESSED:)

Kayle works at Cheesecake Factory so she couldn't come to dinner but I still got to see her!


The damage..

Thank you Ruth!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A Surprise Letter!

Today after work I went to check my mail on the way back to my room and found an envelope from the OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT!!!! I was confused as to what it could possibly be but super excited that I had this little white envelope in my hands! I opened it up quickly and found a personal letter from only the coolest president ever! When I went to decorate Rose Parade floats last month with my church, Tyler, Melissa, and I sent DBC a postcard saying that Biola should have a float in the parade! The letter was thanking us for the postcard and that he thinks it would be cool to have a float too!! It wasn't anything huge, but it did bring me joy as I read it. It was a lovely surprise after a long day at work:)

Surprised and excited,
Amanda


Saturday, January 21, 2012

I'm DONE!!!

So happy to say I'm done with Interterm! Spanish in 3 weeks was insane..glad I did it and got it over with, but still a tad crazy! I only had two late nights where I went to bed at 2:30am the whole three weeks! What a record! Towards the end it was kind of hard to stay focused and motivated on my work but I managed! 
On Thursday, Victoria took us out to lunch for work to talk about the upcoming events for the semester..ahh it's going to be CRAZY! We went to sushi..it's kind of our tradition to start the semester off with sushi for lunch:) Thursday evening I attended an IRIS session because they were watching How To Train Your Dragon. Such a cute movie! It was really interesting to hear the professors speaking and seeing them interact. I definitely want to take an IRIS class before I graduate. Thursday night I had to study all my vocab from the entire course and a new chapter that was assigned the night before the final.  I thought ok no big deal I've already learned most of these words. Well 465 flashcards later, I realized there were still some I didn't really know! Luckily we didn't have to be in class until 8:30am on Friday so I could get up shower and study a bit before class. In class, our professor actually gave a lesson and assigned homework before we took our final! I was a tad frustrated and just ready to be done. The test was harder than I expected but not too bad and I was out by 9:30am! SO. GREAT. I went back to my room and did my homework right away so that it wouldn't be hanging over my head all weekend. Yesterday afternoon I went running and worked out then planned on spending the majority of my night reading..but I fell asleep for three hours! So not much reading got done! I spent the night in Ari's room and we are going to get up and work out soon then head home today!! So excited!

Happy to be done,
Amanda

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

An Unexpected, Wonderful Day

Today was surprisingly beautiful. I thought it was just going to be another day..plain and simple. But it was so much better than I expected! It started with a good run and time in the gym. I went to class and when I walked in, I was handed two assignments that I got EXTRA CREDIT on!!! Hallllla! So excited! And my quiz was a BREEZE! PLUUUUUS, we got out 30 minutes early:) So. Great. I got to read a little bit in the sunshine before lunch with a friend and then got to spend the rest of my day with Ari:) We watched Once Upon a Time, I got all my Spanish assignments done, caught up on New Girl, read a little more, and got a little nap in. Tonight all I have left to do is learn my vocab which will be super easy! 2 more days..8 more hours of class..then I'm DONE!

Pleasantly surprised by today,
Amanda

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

A Little Catch Up!

I had a wonderful weekend! I relaxed, hung out, worked out, went out, etc..you know all the usual things a college student should do on a 3-day weekend. Saturday morning I didn't sleep in as much as I wanted too but woke up anyway to do an Insanity DVD with Ari. Then we went to lunch and the library all afternoon. For dinner we went to Chipotle..for the third that week for me! That night she had duty so we watched a documentary and hung out with Torrey! {She's my neighbor from last year, just graduated, and got engaged! We had lots to catch up on!} Sunday morning we attended Spanish church. You can read all about that adventure here. Sunday afternoon we did lots of homework too...err attempted to. Until last night our hw sessions were mostly unproductive! hehe Sunday night we had every intention of working hard and getting to bed early..well that was until we got to talking and sharing in life and so on and so on. It was such a great evening of hearing stories of each other's pasts and dreaming of the future. Needless to say, not much homework was done..and we went to bed later than anticipated. But thanks to the wonderful Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we didn't have school yesterday! Ari spent the night on Sunday and we woke up to do Insanity in my room..we had to do a bit of furniture rearranging! When we finished she went about her day doing homework and catching up with friends and I headed to Balboa with some friends for the afternoon. We walked around Balboa talking about crafts and walking in and out of stores with no intention of buying anything. haha we headed to Fashion Island afterwards and walked around window shopping. We ended up at Barnes and Nobles and sat and read for an HOUR! Ahhh delightful:) Right now I'm reading The Help. My friend let me borrow her Kindle to read it. So cool! I think I want an e-reader now. haha.
This morning I got up and went running. I did 3.5 miles no problem. I'm working my way back up to farther and farther distances. I'm kind of feeling it in my legs but it's the good "I worked hard" pain:) {Only the best!} Class went by quickly today and we got to go to chapel and didn't have a quiz..because we ran out of time which means just vocab tomorrow morning! EASY! I walked to the store this afternoon to buy some stuff for a black bean soup recipe I found online. It was yummy! It had beans, salsa, vegetable broth, onions, jalapeƱos, bell pepper and cilantro. It was a tad spicy but so good! We made guacamole and had blue corn tortilla chips with it {my new favorite!} I got to use my new crockpot and it was so fun! I have finished my homework for the night and plan on reading for the remainder of the evening:) I'm so excited to be done in 3 days and go home on Saturday! 

Oh and I got a great bit of news this morning...my mom was nominated as TEACHER OF THE YEAR this year!!! No surprise there:) She's teacher of the century in my book! Every aspiring teacher should strive to be like her..loving on, teaching, and inspiring students all the time! Lucky for me I've had personal training since I was five! Love you mom:)

SO proud of my mama,
Amanda

Monday, January 16, 2012

Spanish Church

Yesterday I got to experience church in Spanish. For my class it was required that we attend one service in all Spanish for the experience. It was definitely interesting. I understand MAYBE 0.2% of what was said. In the beginning they said for all the visitors to stand up and we didn't understand what they said and then everyone pointed us out. It was very obvious that we didn't understand anything. I knew one of the five songs we sang and understood next to nothing in the message. It was cool to experience another culture and praise God for His creativity and gift of diversity.

Still not getting this whole Spanish thing,
Amanda

Friday, January 13, 2012

100th Post!

Crazy to think about, but this is the 100th post of my blog. September 2010 I started a blog to document my favorite magical moments in college called Magical Biola Moments. It's funny to read my first post. haha. Over the summer I started a new blog called Cabins, Campfires, and Christ to post about my adventures as a first-year camp counselor. (Follow me there this summer!)
At the beginning of 2012 I renamed this blog These Are the Days. While I am still experiencing many magical moments during my time here at Biola and loving everything that I'm doing and involved in, I decided that These Are the Days where I am growing, learning, loving, and changing into the person God has created me to be. He has me in a specific season and is teaching so much of who He is and opening my eyes to His love more and more each day.
The last 24 hours have been interesting for me. Last night Sarah, Matt, Tyler, and I went to see Hello Dolly. So wonderful! Taylor and Caraline were amazing! When I got back last night, around 11pm and sat down to do my homework at 11:30, I realized I had 10 Spanish assignments due by 11:59!! Needless to say, I began to freak out. I thought there's no way this can get done. Then I convinced myself it could happen. Totally doable. NOT WHEN MY INTERNET GOES OUT FOR 30 MINUTES!!! Goodness. It was a very late(uhhh early?!) night for me. When I finished my assignments at 1am, knowing I was probably not going to get credit for them, I then had to study for a big test. I studied my flashcards while trying not to fall asleep. It was difficult but I finally finished at 2:30. I went to bed, slept like a rock, and got up at 7am. So nice to sleep in:) I didn't get up to run this morning and I find the days I don't get up and workout first thing, my days are just a little off. So I had accepted the fact that I wasn't getting credit for majority of my work that was done after midnight but I was confident that I would do well on my quiz this morning after a little studying and breakfast before heading to class. I get to class and go to take my test and look at it and realized that I forgot to do part of my homework last night so couldn't do part of the test! Gah I hadn't even started and I was already stressed and felt like I was set up to fail.  And all the verb conjugations my professor told us to know, I knew..but that didn't help because it wasn't even on the test! Just my luck. I prayed and prayed and asked God why two not so good things that are going to affect my grade were happening..right after each other. I was thinking it's Friday the 13th and mehafhdfnerbfver!!! I don't believe in that craziness but goodness! I didn't know what to think or say or do. At break I went for a walk and sat and prayed. I was reminded that my identity is not found in my performance in school and my life is defined by my grades. Thankfully, we got out of class over an hour early today! Such a relief. If I had to sit in my classroom for 4 hours I would have been boiling. Sitting outside reading, soaking up the sun and enjoying God's beautiful creation was so relaxing. I finished my book today! It was so great!!!! Ahhhh I loved it. Everyone needs to read Redeeming Love. What a beautiful story of God's grace, love, and forgiveness to us:) I have kind of a lot of homework this 3-day weekend and hopefully I'll be going to the beach Monday! 4 more days of class. I can do this. I got this. The end is in sight!

Still loving blogs 100 posts later,
Amanda

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Morning Person?

Well it's Thursday and I only have ONE day of class left this week!! PTL. It has been a long week. I didn't do too well on two quizzes this week and have a big test tomorrow:/ Besides school, things have been pretty great though! My friend Hannah Boleman from camp, who goes to Cal Lutheran, came to visit yesterday! She is so sweet and it was so great to catch up and talk with her!! She was so kind and made me gluten free brownies. So nice of her! Yesterday afternoon I hit the library for a few hours and got a little bit done but not much:/ Fortunately I didn't have to stay up too late. 
I've been getting up to go running and hit the gym still..that early morning alarm is getting more annoying by the day! Thankfully I don't get up early on Fridays so I get to sleep in until 7am tomorrow! Wait...is that sleeping in? Ahhh I've been trying to force myself to be a morning person for months, and although I enjoy being up early, it's still so hard to get out of bed and go outside before the sun is up!
Besides the content of class getting harder, I am enjoying my Spanish class. The people in my class are starting to get more comfortable around each other and we actually act like we know each other now..not just awkward, miserable students. Today we had a nice surprise! Our professors let us go to chapel!! Goodness I miss chapel! It was great to get to take an hour out of class to do that:) After a quick lunch I spent a few hours at work in the office..not sure if I'm ready to be back yet. But enjoying being here nonetheless!
Tonight Sarah is making dinner and we are going to see Hello Dolly. Biola Youth Theatre is putting it on and I'm so excited to see my friends Taylor and Caraline Dirks in the show! It will be a late night of studying! Oh my!

Trying to be a morning person,
Amanda

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

A Productive Taco Tuesday!

Today was simply delightful! (Minus the extremely difficult QUIZ that took an HOUR to do..a quiz should take no more than 20 mins..it was so hard! Good thing everyone in the class had trouble with it) I woke up early and went running and hit the gym for a bit to get some last minute studying in..that clearly did not do much for me! Class seemed to go by quickly today because the whole first hour was spent taking a test. After getting out of class early (always the best thing!) I went to lunch real quick. After Ari went to class I sat outside in the sunshine and was able to watch a webcast I had been wanting to see but missed because I was at the gym last night when it started, it was so good. And I WHIZZED through my Spanish assignments in an hour and a half this afternoon!! It was so great! That allowed me to read my "just for fun" book for two hours this afternoon!!!! So lovely:) Before dinner I went to Trader Joe's to buy some goods. I always love a trip to TJ's!! When we got back, we made tacos for dinner and had rice and chips and salsa too. It was quick, yummy, and EASY! So nice! I just booked my flight to New Orleans for this summer to volunteer at the National Youth Gathering. It's exciting!! Now I'm sitting in my room listening to my favorite playlist..film scores:)..studying for tomorrow's quiz. Hoping tomorrow morning will be easier than today! Only 7 more days of class left. So doable!

Hoping to get to bed early tonight,
Amanda

ps-dad don't get used to this posting everyday thing ;)

Monday, January 9, 2012

Monday Monday

Today was a nice day. The weather was beautiful and my four hours in class mostly flew by. I got to read my book a bit today and had a great gym sesh. I have finished my homework assignments and just have my vocab left! Hoping to be in bed by 11pm. Early morning run here I come! This interterm thing is pretty great. Definitely worth every penny:) Tonight I had a great time chatting and sharing in life with Janine over dinner. She's so great. I'm so blessed by her friendship this year! Well I have 85 vocabulary words to know by tomorrow morning so I'm off to study! Only 8 days of class left!!!

With a head full of vocab,
Amanda

A Splendid Weekend!

This weekend was so great I just didn't have time to blog..(sorry dad). It started Saturday morning with running and working out. The track was pretty busy and had lots of people so I went to the completely empty parking garage! Ahhh so great! I had a nice little workout five stories up at the top of the parking structure and listened to my worship music under the blue sky. I loved it! Then Julia and I met up and walked the track for a hour and a half. We had time to catch up and dream about this new year all while experiencing the beautiful weather of La Mirada! 'Twas delightful! I had a fairly productive afternoon of getting miscellaneous things done..just not homework! I headed to Thompson for din din with Julia and we made chicken, rice, and vegetables. So good! After hanging out with her for a bit I went to Hope to watch movies with Ari while she was on duty. We watched What Happens in Vegas and 50 First Dates. They were cute.
Last night I got a beautiful 8 hours of sleep and woke up feeling rested and ready for the day. I went to church with Brittany and Ari and then to Chipotle for lunch and a little shopping at Target. We wandered about the entire store! This afternoon we did homework and I was able to finish all my assignments for Spanish! Tonight Ari and I went and saw Footloose at the dollar theater. SO GOOD. I loved it! I was worried about falling asleep in a late movie but it was so good I just couldn't! I recommend it if you're into all that dancin' and stuff. I had a great weekend. I really love this Interterm thing! No work. One class. Lots of free time. Ahhhh. Well I have a test in the am over 150 vocab words and lots of verb conjugations to know by tomorrow morning so I best be gettin to my studyin.

Cramming info in at the last minute,
Amanda

Friday, January 6, 2012

Such a Beautiful Day

Today was absolutely amazing! Nothing overly fantastic happened, it was just a great day!! Last night I went to bed late because I had an eventful afternoon and had a lot of homework. Ari had 200 pages to read for her class so we stayed up late doing homework. I decided to sleep in a bit so I skipped my sunrise run. I got 100% on my spanish quiz which was a pleasant surprise and we got out of class early! As soon as I left class, I ran into 3 people I haven't seen yet since being back but was so excited to see them! I went to lunch with my dear friend Haley and saw a few more people I haven't seen yet! It was so great:) Because I was exhausted from going to bed later and later every night this week, I decided after lunch I was going to take a nap. I went up to the sundeck and slept for TWO HOURS!! Ahhh so nice:) Later in the afternoon I went to the gym and dinner in the caf. Melissa came over for leftovers and we were able to chat and share in life which was so nice because I haven't seen her all week! When she left I started watching the show Once Upon a Time. People keep telling me I need to watch it so I thought I'd check it out. It's interesting and I can't decide what I think about it. I've watched two episodes.
Today was just a great day and I'm going to play a little guitar and read tonight..my ideal Friday night! God is so good. On this day of Epiphany, 3 Kings Day, I am reminded of all the gifts that I have been given because of that little child that was born so humbly into our world 2,000 years ago. I am blessed each morning as I rise to my feet and go for a run to see God paint the sky and fill our day with sunshine and make the white moon reflect the sun each night. I am blessed to have the opportunity to attend such a prestigious school and to be getting such a good education. I am beyond blessed and thankful for my family and grateful for the friends God has brought into my life.

Tired and beyond blessed,
Amanda

Thursday, January 5, 2012

She Said YES to the DRESSSSSS!

Today I went wedding dress shopping with Stephanie, her mama, and her aunt. We were just going to get an idea of what she liked and try a few on. Little did we know that 3 hours later we would walk out of the store having purchased a dress! The very first dress she tried on was IT. Like THE DRESS. Ahhhh-mazing! She looked stunning. She even walked like a bride in it. She tried on a number of dresses but every time she came back to this same one. It was so beautiful! I can't wait until July! I tried on two bridesmaids dresses too. It was fun! We walked around together to see how they looked together. Steph said the girls are going to go shopping for dresses soon:):):) When I got back to school mom brought dinner for my friends. I was pleasantly surprised to see Grandma Sue, Aunt Ann, and Uncle Fred. We had green enchiladas and rice and guacamole! Muy delicioso! Today was such a great day! Class flew by, as I had hoped, it was great to spend the afternoon with Stephanie and I'm so glad I was there when she found the perfect dress, and eating mom's food is always amazing! Now I must study for my vocab quiz in the morning. Gotta get down to business.

Trying to focus and utterly filled with joy,
Amanda

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Spanish is Taking Over My Life

This morning I woke up with Spanish in my head. I think I had dreams in Spanish. I keep thinking in Spanish. This is only day 2. Oh my imagine what it will be like by the end of next week! I guess that's what I get for trying to learn basic Spanish in a 3 week crash course. Rosetta Stone please? 11 days left! That's not very much at all:) Today was a pretty good day. I got up and ran again. Ahhh loved it. I started with jumping jacks, burpees, situps, and pushups in my room then went to the track. The sunrise was BEAUTIFUL this morning. I love how God paints the sky each morning, just because He loves us:) Class was class. I think I did well on my quiz. I felt confident. I think I studied and worked on Spanish for a total of 6 hours last night..if not more, so all that paid off. The rest of my day was good too. My friends Hannah and Andrew from camp came to visit for a bit. 'Twas delightful! When they left I walked to the store with Sarah to buy stuff to make for dinner. We made pasta bake in the Hope kitchen. It was good! I have been and will be working on homework the rest of the night. I have another quiz in the morning! But as soon as I get out of class Stephanie is picking me up to go with her to try on wedding dresses!! SO excited for her! I hope class flies by tomorrow morning!

Being taken over by espanol,
Amanda

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Interterm

Well as day one of Interterm 2012 comes to a close, I thought I'd share a little recap of today's activities and what I think the next 3 weeks will hold. It started at 6am with a beautiful run as the sun rose. I loved it! Definitely going to make sunrise runs apart of my daily routine! Crazy? Ya I think so!! But totally worth it:) Then I had class 8am-noon. My Spanish 102 class has 10 kids. We all took two years in high school and the last time we took it was at least three years ago. Needless to say we are all a little rusty. Our professor grew up in Argentina as a missionary kid and moved to the States during the later part of his high school years. He attended Biola University and works for a ministry that uses soccer to share the Gospel. He seems cool. We have a quiz in the morning..70 words! And 6 online assignments due tonight. I've been sitting on my couch way too long under my new soft, snuggly blanket trying to figure this all out. I'm slowly but surely piecing it all together. We definitely hit the ground running! There's no turning back now! Holy moly how will I survive? I may need a tutor! We had to do some reading in Spanish today and my tongue was so tired after reading just 4 paragraphs. These next few weeks are going to be a challenge! HOWEVERRRRRR I feel beyond blessed to have the opportunity to be here, taking a class with a dedicated professor, and enjoying life at Biola cooking with friends and soaking up the sun. The campus is fairly empty and I LOVE IT!!! It's not too creepy and there are just the right amount of people here to make you not feel alone but still like you have the campus to yourself:) The weather was beautiful today. I took a nap in the sun:) My favorite! I only have 12 more days of  class. Wow! It will fly by and shouldn't be too bad! Well I must get back to mi tarea para espanol!

Tongue tied, a tad confused and enjoying my new blanket,
Amanda

p.s. online translators are great! :)

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Looking Ahead to 2012!

I am so excited for 2012!!! There are some really exciting things happening this year and I can't wait to see what surprises God has in store for the coming months:)

January: I turn 20..I have 25 more days to be a teenager. Mom says I'm not allowed to sleep in or go t.p.ing anymore because those activities are reserved for teenagers..we'll see about that!
February: I'll be working at a wedding with the Dirks family! Man I love them!!
March: I'm working Chrysalis as an ALD with the beautiful Risa Vargas! So excited!! And mom is head cook..that means we will be eating AMAZING food all weekend!
April: Melissa, Tyler and I will be flying to Portland, OR for spring break to visit Sarah and Matt!! I am so excited!
May: I am going to Utah to see Shelby and her new baby!! And Robbie is graduating from high school and turning 18!
June: I am returning to camp this summer to work at day camps all over California! I love serving with LRCC!!
July: I am travelling to New Orleans, LA to serve as a volunteer at the National Youth Gathering for the ELCA. ANNNNNNNND STEPHANIE SHARP IS GETTING MARRIED! SOOOOO EXCITED to be one of her bridesmaids:)
August: I will be starting my junior year of college..wow I'll be half way through my time at Biola!
September-December: Not exactly sure about EVERYTHING this year holds but I do know that I'll be striving to grow in the Lord and seeking to glorify Him in all I say and do:)

God is so good and I can't wait until this year unfolds to see all it holds! I'm full of joy as I reflect on the last year and look ahead to the new one!

Filled with hope and excitement,
Amanda

2012: Colossians 3:1-17

I am so very excited to see what 2012 holds! This year the scripture I chose to focus on is Colossians 3:1-17. 



1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The last few weeks I was looking for a passage for this new year and last semester I read Colossians a few times and was touched by it in a different way every time I read it. Earlier this week I was reading through my Bible looking at some of my favorite marked up passages and Colossians 3 really stood out to me. I prayed about it for few days and felt led to choose verses 1-17 as my passage for the year. These are the things the Lord has revealed to me that He wants me to do this year:
1. Set my HEART on things ABOVE, not earthly things.
2. Put to death my earthly desires and DESTROY the idols in my life.
3. Rid myself of anger, negativity and a bad attitude, only allowing KIND words to flow from my mouth.
4. Be HONEST with myself and with others.
5. LOVE all, for they are children of God. Do not discriminate.
6. Clothe yourselves with COMPASSION, KINDNESS, HUMILITY, GENTLENESS and PATIENCE.
7. FORGIVE others..and myself, allowing the grace that flows from Christ to be shown to those around me.
8. Let the PEACE of Christ rule in my heart, since as members of one body we were called to peace.
9. Be THANKFUL. Always.
10. Let the message of Christ dwell among us.
11. SING to God with GRATITUDE in my heart.
12. And whatever I do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. 
13. Give THANKS to God the Father.
14. Have COMPASSION for others.
15. Live in the moment, thankful for whatever season I'm experiencing.


I have a feeling this is going to be the year of THANKS. I have been immensely blessed in my life and I want to bless others. God gives us so much that we do not deserve but because of His LOVE, we have everything we could ever need. On this New Year's day, I am so thankful for my SAVIOR and His unending and constant love, my family that I love Oh. So. Much., my education at Biola and all the opportunities that have been presented, and my dear friends that are beyond amazing. I am praying that this year I live in a constant state of thankfulness and joy. 


With a thankful and hopeful heart,
Amanda



Memories of 2011

Last year I was reading through my Bible on New Year's day and stumbled across Romans 12:1-21. I decided that was the passage I was suppose to focus on and live by in 2011. I read it constantly. The Lord brought some amazing people into my life that I have been beyond blessed by. I thought 2011 was a great year!! Here are some of my favorite memories:


January: I turned 19 and had my first pazookie and BJ's. Yummo!
February: Started my second semester at Biola..I practically lived in the library..thank you OT class.
March: Took my first REAL hike to Eaton Canyon and now I'm obsessed with hiking!! (and being in nature!)
April: I made a healthy LIFESTYLE choice! Best decision I ever made:)
May: I was hired to work in AS and as a Student Development Events Intern..what a blessing!
June: I started my adventures at camp! My life was forever changed.
July: I got to serve in Inglewood, CA at a day camp with the beautiful Hannah Tasker and Anthony Eder..what an AMAZING and eye-opening experience!
August: I moved in with my wonderful roommate Holly and began my second year at Biola! I also went to Palm Springs with my favorite people from work, Sarah, Melissa, Tyler, and Victoria! Duckies for life!!
September: Stephanie Sharp got ENGAGED!!! SO. Stinkin. Excited. Can't for July 2012!!!
October: I did a Vegas turn-around trip overnight with Sarah, Melissa, Tyler and Matt. We left school at 10pm and got home at 8am..just in time for work!! We were in Vegas less than 2 hours! Such a fun little road trip!
November: I ran my first 5K in 33:03. I'm looking forward to many, many more races!
December: I survived fall semester with 18 units, a 3.6 GPA, 2 jobs, and very little sleep..only by the grace of God. Man it was a crazy few months!


2011 was a great year!! I really enjoyed it, learned a lot, and grew so much! I'm so thankful for God's constant love and overflowing blessings! I'm very much looking forward to 2012:)


So satisfied with 2011 and excited for 2012,
Amanda