Senior pictures sneak peak

Click on this link and then you should be able to see a few of my pictures!
Senior pictures sneak peak

Costume Contest!

As some of you have guessed, I was making a costume! Yesterday the youth group had a costume contest. We also painted pumpkins! The only rules for the costume contest was that you couldn't be a person or character. I decided to be an IV pole! And guess what? I won!!

My real IV pole at home comes apart so I took the top off and used it as the top of my costume. I hung a real IV bag on it above my head. I made the IV pump out of a box and wore it around me. I put the IV pole legs coming off of my legs. Let me tell you, it was not comfortable at all! It was very hard to walk in and almost impossible to sit it. But it was so much fun!!!!

What am I making and why?

I'm making something with all of these objects...

What do you think it is and what am I doing with it? 

Too many cards to count!

This just looks like an ordinary bag from the outside. A very cute ordinary bag. But it is so much more than what meets the eye.

This is what's inside...hundreds of cards that I've received!

Look at how much support God has given me! I am so blessed!!

Here's some more cards that my brother put on my wall!

All of these note cards are from my youth group. There's so many!

These are cards that I received just on the day of my gallbladder surgery. There is a journal with notes from everyone who came to the hospital!

I've gotten cards from so many different groups of people, from many states. These are from some of the children at church!

I found a card from when I had surgery a year ago to have my port put in. It's from the hospital's nurses. I thought that was really funny that they thanked me for having surgery there. I didn't really have a choice but thanks?

If those cards don't make your day, I don't know what will!

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy "

Philippians 1:3-4

200th Post! and random things

This is my 200th post! Woohoo! Thank you for continuing to read and support me!!

This week has been good. Yesterday and Wednesday I got to spend the day with my friend while she gets treatment at the hospital. We've just watched tv and played words with friend. It's been fun!!

Tuesday I received a package from Vienna, Austria! We have friends that moved there and they sent me the sweetest thing. They made me a necklace with the Lyme disease awareness color, lime green. I cannot believe they made this! It is gorgeous!! I also got a card made by their sweet kids. They said that while they made the necklace, they prayed for me. How cool is that?! I love it!

Today it has been raining and storming. It has been so dark all day! My poor dog has been in the laundry room all day and won't come out. It's quite funny, I mean sad.

Have any of you watched the new series the Event? It's very difficult to explain, but part of it reminds us of what is happening with Lyme disease. In the show, this group of people has a disease that the CDC doesn't know how to treat. So what do they do? They lie to the public and don't acknowledge it. They try to hide it so that they don't have to deal with it. Well there are a couple of people who are trying to expose the truth to the public, but the government is trying to kill them so the truth doesn't get out! Kinda sounds like Lyme...doctors are having their licenses taken away if they treat Lyme. Lyme advocates are being threatened and being called liers. It's just very strange that this show is happening while the same type of thing is happening in real life. The show is very good though!!

Weekend Update!

I had a wonderful weekend! Saturday night we went to Brick Town which is what downtown OKC is called! We went with the missionary couple from Brazil and had such a great time.
Sunday was a great day too. I got to go to church!!!! The lesson on Sunday morning was so encouraging. It was about the Resurrection of Christ and what that means for us. We looked at proof that scholars that have found that the Resurrection really happened. Most of the scholars didn't even believe in Christ before they studied the evidence. For us, the Resurrection means that we will be resurrected after death and go to heaven. Once we have accepted Christ, we have assurance of heaven. Yes, there are so many trials in this life, but we can go through them with JOY because we know that they won't last. We know that in heaven there will be no death or sickness or sin. It's amazing to look at people who are suffering and see the joy and hope they have because they know that it's only temporary. We need to focus on what is ahead of us.
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18
1 Corinthians 15 is so encouraging to read!
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
Death doesn't have the final word. Sickness doesn't have the final word. Sin doesn't have the final word. Jesus already overcame those things when He went to the cross for us. We now can live with HOPE and JOY!!
"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" Philippians 3:14
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Sunday afternoon at 4 I had a prayer team meeting. We meet every Sunday for an hour before evening worship to pray. I can't even describe what happened this Sunday during our prayer time. God was so present and everyone had such peace. It was incredible. We all kept hearing the word purpose during the quiet times and people sharing. Usually we are done at 5 for church but this week we went until 5:30 and didn't even know! It went by so fast!! I'm so thankful for these people and their hearts of wanting to grow closer to God. Every week our prayer group grows and I can't wait to see how God uses us.
Yesterday I woke up with a migraine and was really not happy about it because I was going to take my senior pictures yesterday! Thankfully with migraine medicine and pain medicine I got it to a bearable point. Hopefully you can't see it in my eyes!
The pictures were SO much fun to take! We went downtown to some old buildings and then to a beautiful field with flowers. The weather was perfect and we were at the field at sunset which will look great!! We took pictures for about 3 hours so I was pretty worn out.
This morning I woke up and my migraine has gotten worse. I've been nauseous and so sensitive to noise and light. It's a little better after another migraine pill and pain medicine and a bath.
For the pictures, I had to sit then get up and stand then sit again and it was hard work! I even climbed up on this ledge under a bride and today I am so sore!! How sad is that?! Maybe it's from the migraine too but I thought that was funny. Obviously I'm so out of shape since I've done no physical activity for 3 years. At least it was worth the pain! I'm so excited to see the pictures.
I read this story today and I thought I would share because it's a great example of our purpose in life. We are not here for us. We are here to help others.
The Heart



"Tomorrow morning," the surgeon began, "I'll open up your heart..."


"You'll find Jesus there," the boy interrupted.


The surgeon looked up, annoyed "I'll cut your heart open," he continued, to see how much damage has been done..."


"But when you open up my heart, you'll find Jesus in there," said the boy.


The surgeon looked to the parents, who sat quietly. "When I see how much damage has been done, I'll sew your heart and chest back up, and I'll plan what to do next."


"But you'll find Jesus in my heart. The Bible says He lives there. The hymns all say He lives there. You'll find Him in my heart."


The surgeon had had enough. "I'll tell you what I'll find in your heart. I'll find damaged muscle, low blood supply, and weakened vessels. And I'll find out if I can make you well."


"You'll find Jesus there too. He lives there." The surgeon left. The surgeon sat in his office, recording his notes from the surgery, "...damaged aorta, damaged pulmonary vein, widespread muscle degeneration. No hope for transplant, no hope for cure. Therapy: painkillers and bed rest. Prognosis:, "There he paused, "death within one year."
He stopped the recorder, but there was more to be said. "Why?" he asked aloud. "Why did You do this? You've put him here; You've put him in this pain; and You've cursed him to an early death. Why?"


The Lord answered and said, "The boy, My lamb, was not meant for your flock for long, for he is a part of My flock, and will forever be. Here, in My flock, he will feel no pain, and will be comforted as you cannot imagine. His parents will one day join him here, and they will know peace, and My flock will continue to grow." The surgeon's tears were hot, but his anger was hotter. "You created that boy, and You created that heart. He'll be dead in months. Why?"


The Lord answered, "The boy, My lamb, shall return to My flock, for He has Done his duty: I did not put My lamb with your flock to lose him, but to retrieve another lost lamb. YOU" The surgeon wept.. The surgeon sat beside the boy's bed; the boy's parents sat across from him. The boy awoke and whispered, "Did you cut open my heart?"


"Yes," said the surgeon.


"What did you find?" asked the boy.


"I found Jesus there," said the surgeon.


Author Unknown 

Yes, this IS how we spend our Friday Night!

Yesterday I got to go to senior lunch which was so great! Oklahoma Christian paid for it if you have applied there!!

Last night several friends came over!

Me, Katherine, and Rebecca

Landon, Me, Rebecca
We had taco soup and hamburgers for dinner. For dessert we had brownies and rice crispy treats. Katherine and Rebecca had to leave after dinner. Alex, Rachel, and I decided to do some science experiments...it was the best decision that we made all night! We mixed corn starch with water and food coloring and spent 2 or more hours playing with it. Please try this within the next week of your life. You will NOT be disappointed. We got my parents and brother addicted too. It was quite the party! The mixture is like liquid when you pick it up but it's hard!! It moves like liquid but it's not!!! Oh my it is so much fun.
Warning- your hands will be permanently stained with food coloring...we might have used way too much food coloring through out the 2 hours, making our hands a nasty color. That's ok, it will be a great conversation starter at church tomorrow!

Alex, Rachel, and I before we put in the food coloring

We made flubber! That's always been a big goal in life. That can be checked off of my bucket list.

I have no idea whose hands are whose.
We also did another cool thing with milk and food coloring and dish soap but I don't have pictures of that.
After we were done being scientists, we made popcorn and hot chocolate and watched Elf. Yes, I know it's a little early to watch Elf but it is the best movie!
I believe that we spent our time wisely last night! It was so much fun!!!!
Tonight my family and I get to go out to eat with some missionaries that are here from Brazil! They are one of the couples that we went to see in Niteroi, Brazil this summer. I'm pretty excited!
I hope you're having a great weekend!