"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!"

So I've been like, totally out of the blogosphere these past few days. And it's been sad :( I never realized how much I actually enjoyed blogging!

Sooo I'mma hop back in with a few recent happenings/thoughts in my quaint little life :D

1. On Friday, the girls in our youth group went and saw Seussical the Musical...and it was pretty spiffy! It was so lighthearted and fun and joyous...I feel like usually when you go see a play or musical, it'll be dramatic and intense...but not this one! It was a bunch of Dr. Seuss stories combined, and it was soo snazzy beyond snazzy. It was simply colorful :D

(heehee! snazzy)

2. So after we went to see Seussical, we went to The Cheesecake Factory (I don't know if ya'll have one of those around where you live, but it was pretty dandy). It was one of those restaurants that has like, total ambiance, and it was just so cool! But it was kinda ridiculously expensive :P The highlight of eating there though, was definitely our waiter. Okay, so he said his name was Luigi? I don't believe him, especially considering that he also says that he's from a central Pennsylvanian town...I mean, really, what central Pennsylvanian couple names their child Luigi?? I just don't buy it! But anyways, so to be blunt, Luigi was um...not too bad on the eyes, ya know what I'm saying? And here we are, a group of teenage girls with this adorable waiter, and it's like, midnight, we're all tired and loopy...and thus resulted many hilarious moments. For example, we decided to cheers (with our water glasses of course), and of course, right at that moment, he comes up to the table, and he's just totally like "uhh...are you guys cheersing?". It was awkwardly great. And of course, the one gal, Amber, decides to nickname him Lui! So she goes to pray before we eat, and I'm like "do not pray about Lui!!" thinking for sure, she will, and he'll end up being right there, which is even more like "uhh". And so she changes his name to Gerard (*snicker*). And of course, she gets to the point in her prayer where she (very giggly) says "and thank you, God, for letting us be here with Gerard", and right as she's saying it, I feel someone walk up beside me, so I open my eyes, and sure enough, there's Lui!! Oh goodness. It was great.

Okay, so you probably just had to be there, haha :D

(I officially have a crush on Elijah Wood. He is just too adorable)

3. Okay, so this is just sad. I've watched The Lord of the Rings three times in the past two weeks (Yes, all three movies each time). Now, the first time was just to watch it. The second was with a friend. And the third was while watching the extended version (which was awesome). I'm totally going through an obsessive phase! (Plus, the third time around, I cried when Boromir died? It's such an emotional moment!) But it's just so GOOD! Like oh my goodness. No matter how many times you watch them, they just don't get old! Also, mi madre bought the books for me last week so I can finally read them :) I just love her.

4. The weather is deceiving. It's beautiful outside. The sun is shining, the sky is blue.

But it's frrrreezing. Grrrr.

5. Tangled is coming out super soon! I'm so happy! I just absolutely adore it :D

(cats are just really good at being upset...)

6. So I'm an angry driver, I've realized. I get really mad at other people. And it's not good. I mean, all of that anger is (mostly) kept to myself; the only way I ever display it is to maybe go a few mph below the speed limit...*cough*. Okay, okay, I know, that's a really petty thing to do! But hey, I am someone who goes the speed limit! I do not go more than like, 3 above! And even that is rare. So if I'm going the speed limit, and you're like, about to touch the back of my car, I get irritated. And I will purposely go slower. Yeah. I need to work on this. It's not healthy :P

7. I want to go there.

8. One more thing! So my friend Alyssa started a blog not too long ago, and ya'll should check it out! She's pretty wonderful, and has got some lovely things to say on her new blog, Be the Light, and I know she'd love it if you stopped by :)

Ha, so I hope you guys don't mind my list-type posts. They're the most fun, in my opinion, and they're what I do best ;)

Arrividerci, friends!

[all pictures via weheartit]

Come my little friends, as we all sing a happy little working song! (a music tag) :)

So Lily and Jocee tagged me in this lovely little, eh, survey thing! It looks like a lot of fun! :D

List 10 artists (music) in no particular order before reading the questions below:

1. MercyMe
2. Jeremy Camp
3. Taylor Swift ;)
4. Casting Crowns
5. Barlowgirl
6. Chris Tomlin
7. Mark Schultz
8. Fireflight
9. Sidewalk Prophets
10. Matt Maher

What was the first song you ever heard by 6?

Ooh goodness. Probably either How Great is Our God, or Holy is the Lord. Both awesome songs ;)

What is your favorite song of 8?

Hmmm either You Gave Me a Promise or What I've Overcome.

What kind of impact has 1 left on your life?

Well, they've made me "imagine"...*wink wink* And I don't know, their lyrics can be so lighthearted on one end, and then so powerful on the other! It's so lovely.

What is your favorite lyric of 5s?

"So I'll hold tight to what I know: You're here, and I'm never alone."

or

"Oh, why do I let myself let go of hands that painted the stars and hold tears that fall?"

(I relate to that one too much.)

How many times have you seen 4 live?

Aha!!! Twice! :D :D Both times on my birthday, which was just super duper sweet

What is your favorite song of 7?

When You Come Home. I tear up nearly ever time :')

Is there any song of 3 that makes you sad?

Uhh yes. Like, all of them. Especially if I'm already in a sad mood, then I just get even more sad and depressed. Like, oh goodness, Teardrops on my Guitar? So depressing! Last Kiss? Hold on, let me go find a bridge to hop off of! :P

What is your favourite song by 9?

Probably You Can Have Me. It's so good!

How did you first get into 2?

Actually, the song Open Up Your Eyes from the first Narnia soundtrack is how I even so much as found out about Jeremy Camp! That's an ah-maz-ing CD, by the way.

How did you first get into 3?

Come on now. Just about everyone was into Taylor Swift after her Tim McGraw song. How could you not be? ;)

What is your favorite song by 4?

Ah, no! That's too hard! Praise You in this Storm, for sure. Or Voice of Truth. Or Who am I? Or Until the Whole World Hears. Or While You Were Sleeping. Or...Okay, you want me to stop now, don't you? ;)

How many times have you seen 9 live?
Nada!

What is a good memory concerning 10?

Hmm. Well, you know, Matt Maher has a lisp. A pretty rough one. And we've got this one song called To You Be the Glory and it's beautiful! But at one point, he says "in death and life" BUT it sounds like "dess" because of his lisp! So if we're in the car and that song is playing, my little brother and little sister always get all worked up because he's saying "dess" as opposed to "death". It's pretty funny, hahaa.

Is there a song by 8 that makes you sad?

Yes! Name. Such a wonderful song, but it is rather sad.

What is your fave song of 1's?

Either All of Creation, or Only You Remain.

How did you become a fan of 10?

Well now, I really don't know! K-Love, I guess. :)

I now tag:

Whoever wants to participate! It's fun :D

*Thanks* for the adventure. Now go have one of your own." (Guess that movie quote! Hehehehe)

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"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."

-Psalm 118:29

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

-1 Thessalonians 5:18

"Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name."

-1 Chronicles 29:13

So it seems to be a recurring theme in the Word of God to be thankful; to be content. At our small group tonight, it was briefly discussed how so few of us are truly thankful. And it got me thinking, of course...and I'm absolutely one of those people who dwells more on what she doesn't have, and what bothers her, instead of what she does have, and what blesses her! Our small group leader shared with us that each day in her journal, she starts with a list of things that she's thankful for...and I think that this is something I'm going to start doing, both in my journal, and on here (don't worry, I won't blog on it everday ;). It really is important to be thankful; to realize that there are things in life that we take for granted, and things and people that we may not realize are important to us until they're gone. So I'm going to kick off my new goal of becoming more thankful with a list of things, both big and small, that I am thankful for!

[via]

~Jesus. I mean, really, truly. I'm so undeserving of His love, His mercy, His grace...and there's nothing I'm more thankful for. (Also, I absolutely adore that picture...it makes my heart sing :)

[via]

~Clean water. A warm home. Never being without food. These are things that I really do take for granted, and I forget what a blessing they really are.

~Christian music! God has spoken to me through music on more than one occasion, and I'm eternally grateful for it :) (I love this song)

[via]

~Books. Books are simply magical, would you not agree?

[via]

~to have a voice for those who have none, the heart to use it, and others who share that truth.

[via]

~to know that no matter where I am, or what doubts are flowing through my mind...my Jesus does not leave me, and is always by my side.

What are you thankful for, friends? :)

a blessing of a song ♥

Such a beautiful song, and definitely a new favorite of mine.

"What if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise? "

another moment of thought potpourri ;)

He's like a furry little bandit!!

1. So today, I got locked out of the house; see, I left for church, and locked the door behind me, thinking my house keys were in my purse. Alas, they were not. So of course, later on, my parents call and say "Do you have your key? We're going shopping, and we're already on the road." . . . the one time I don't have my key, and desperately want to go home! So of course, my aunt Emily and I go over to the house, and attempt to break in; I mean, obviously. ;) But the conclusion from that adventure is: I now feel much safer in my home, because it's near impossible to break in. Actually, we weren't even successful. So...fully impossible? Possibly. ;D

2. Taylor Swift makes me feel less alone, ya know? She totally just gets me. Her words, they speak to me. *sigh*

3. I really enjoy when my Aunt Abby sends me homemade chicken soup...You can practically taste the love in it! ;)

4. It was such a beautiful first official day of spring! In fact, while I was driving to youth group, it was just so beyond lovely out that I just wanted to keep on driving, enjoying the happy spring feeling! My mood has seriously lifted these past couple days as the weather's changed; I'm pretty sure I'm one of those people that gets seasonally depressed during the winter, and it sucks. But alas, spring has arrived! *jumps up and down* (and I'm sure you're tired of hearing me mention spring, but I just can't help myself!!)

5. This video was played in our church today. I was so excited, because I absolutely adore it. I even have the full speech (made by Dr. S.M. Lockridge) on my iPod...it's so powerful! You should go watch it! (my embedded version of it didn't work)

OH yeah, and I almost forgot!! For those of you who are still interested in being penpals, here's my email address: voiceofpraise145@gmail.com. Shoot me an email and we shall discuss addresses and such!

And if anyone else ever feels the need to contact me outside of Blogger, that'd be it ;)

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

[all pictures via weheartit]

A Snazzy Giveaway!

So Abby over at Castles, Quills, and Cameras is having a fun little giveaway! Ya'll should go check it out ;) And even if you don't want to enter the giveaway, you should definitely give her blog a visit; it's pretty wonderful ;)

bits of random + a question ;)

1. This picture makes me want to cry because my hair is so short. And then, it makes me feel guilty for wanting to cry over such a silly thing...basically, there's a lot of emotion in this photo for me.

2. I have incredibly vivid dreams, and for the past three nights, I've been dreaming constantly about Lord of the Rings. This morning, my mother woke me up from a conversation with Aragorn...I was pretty bummed.

3. Do you see that?? Ben Barnes is doing the "Smolder". Ooooh Ben, Ben, Ben.

4. It's warm, it's sunny, it's beautiful...I'm thinking spring is FINALLY here!!! Eep! I'm so happy :D :D :D

5. Okay, so Grace and I have mentioned to each other becoming pen pals! Which is super duper exciting! But I'm gonna go ahead and take a leap and put myself out there...does anyone else want to be a pen pal? I mean, come on, how snazzy to get actual letters in the mail every week!! So if any of ya'll are interested, let me know; it'd be so much fun :D

[pictures via weheartit]