Late Night Drive with God part 1: Finding Joy in the unknown

So, while I was driving home on late Tuesday night, after 8 hours of working for the mouse, I had a lot of time to reflect, and pray and spend time with God. Usually I'd just blast my tunes and drive all the way through. But this trip started different. I always pray before I hit the road, for protection etc. =D But the difference with this trip, was I didn't stop praying.

I prayed for two hours of my drive, and for the rest of the trip I drove in silence for almost the whole trip. So this blog is gonna have two topics. Silence and Joy in the unknown.

First, I find that driving at night is way more preferable than driving during the day. It's more relaxing, less stressful, peaceful. There aren't as many cars, but I realized this is because you can't see everything ahead of you. Not being able to see more than a mile or less ahead of you keeps one's mind at ease. When I realized this, I came to realize that God and faith is the same way. Let me explain. Too often we worry about the future, we look too far ahead, and we get stressed out, depressed, etc. But if we live one day at a time, we'd be much more joyful. =D I think that by looking too far ahead we get weary. Whereas we should more often stop, and just think about the day at hand, or even the task at hand. For the word even says "Do not worry about your life, for each day has enough trouble of it's own." So next time the future distresses you, take a pause and just think about the uncertainty that lies ahead, but find joy in the unknown. Nothing is certain, we can plan things, but nothing is definite. Remember that as well.

Second,

Silence.

Silence is in fact golden. I touched on this in my last post, but we don't value silence enough. And when I say silence, I don't just mean not talking. True silence means, no talking, no texting, no IMing, etc. We often become consumed with being in constant communication with the world, that we don't know what true silence is. Complete silence. Just listening to God speak to you. True communication with the one and only one who is worthy of our full focus and attention. For example, I sat in complete silence, not even praying out loud for a portion of my drive. And at 2 am, I was wide awake, driving in silence, listening to the wind pound against my car. This would normally terrify me, but not this night. All was silent, I could hear the cars driving by, and just the natural sounds, and I was able to think "Lord, your power is mighty, this wind, that would normally scare me, is not tonight, because I know that it is only you. Your power, you showing us your power and might. Your awesome power. That can move mountains." So I did not tremble, but instead felt filled with His presence at 2 am, wind blowing hard against my car. It was only He who can command the wind. Why should I fear in this situation. The Lord is good and awesome. Worthy of all praise, and that's what I felt in this drive. I felt thankful for His presence. I did not feel alone, I had a drive with my Heavenly Father, and it was so good! He is sooo good! I hope you all remember that today. :-) Even if you have no other time to be in complete silence, I recommend utilizing the "no texting" law and turn off your radio, and meditate in silence. Because if you have no other time to meditate, those are the best times, because we all drive. Almost everyday. =D Happy Thanksgiving, May we all count our blessings and give praise to the Father who we are here to serve. =D

Thanksgiving

It has now been thanksgiving day for 52 minutes. And I'm sitting on the end of my sister's bed typing out my Thanksgiving Blog. So here it is...

Before I go into a list of what I am thankful for, i want to say one thing. I hope we all do not forget that thankfulness is not just a "one day of the year" thing. It should be something we think of and are aware of everyday of our lives. So that is the first and most important thing I hope you get by reading this post.

So first...

I am Thankful for being able to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I have always known there would come a day when I would have to be away for Thanksgiving. It happened last year, but I always thought it wouldn't be til I have a family. However, I am so thankful that I was blessed enough to not get scheduled on this day, so was able to come home and be with my family.

which leads to my #2.

safe travels. the Lord protected me when i drove home at 11 at night last night to come home, after it had been raining. He protected me, of that I am thankful.

2b.

I prayed for the first two hours of my drive home, (what started as praying for protection, became a two hour conversation with my creator) For this I am thankful, if i had been at home, I would probably have spent it online. But He showed me how good he is. (he provides for us. he provided me a job, shelter, finances..etc) Just like He always does. I drove in silence for almost all of the four hours, and i never thought i'd enjoy the silence. but i realized how very seldomly we observe silence. even when we're not communicating, we're communicating. we Text, IM, facebook, tweet, the list is ever growing. Our generations are addicted to social networking and technology. So observing complete silence is rare, and often frowned upon. but it is a wonderful thing. I hope i can practice it more in the future.

Me and God last night for four hours, thats something that I am so thankful for. And don't want to forget, which leads to my number 3...

The biggest thing i am thankful for, is for calvary. What Jesus did for me that day on the cross, so that I, a sinner, could live. For without calvary, I would be damned to hell. But he died that I could live. I never want to forget that. It is the reason for this season, and every day of our lives. I do not want to take that lightly. I hope you all do not either.

I'm keeping this short, but soon to come. "Late Night Drive with God part 1: Finding Joy in the unknown" and "part 2: Trusting Him when all is well."

Slow to Forget

Tonight is one of those nights where I have felt myself being down on myself. Struggling with self-confidence, worldliness, wanting the things of this world, like a relationship so bad that they consume me. idols always have been, and I'm sure always will be a huge trial for me, but I know being aware of sin is most important in order to have a large view of the cross, one that is always growing, and never shrinking. Tonight, after talking to a good friend, and spending time in the Word, three words came to my mind. "Slow to Forget". Now I know that this isn't what the passage says. James 1:19 says "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger." That scripture says to be slow to anger, and I try to remember that everyday, but tonight, I want to leave you all with three words. "Slow to forget".

We need to be slow in forgetting what Christ did for us that day at Calvary. Slow to forget the awesome (the actual definition of awesome, not as in cool) weight of our sin. Slow to forget that by not having a growing awareness of our sin, we are shrinking the meaning of the cross. This has been a huge thought going in my head lately while I try to tackle my love for the things of this world. My realizing how idolatrous my heart has been lately. How people, as idols, can never satisfy, and will always disappoint. That only He who died for me can satisfy. Otherwise, without Him, I would be like the rest of the world, who doesn't know joy, and is always contemplating as to why they are unhappy. So while I struggle through my idolatry, and worldliness and selfishness I hope and pray that I could be "slow to forget" the cross. For by it, and by His blood, I am redeemed and I am not dammed to Hell, and can experience true joy because of the source of True Joy that I have in the Lord. Peace and Love to you all! Til next time.

New Journey: Part 4-Moving

Hey everyone I know you all heard I moved into my own apartment. This is probably the most nerve racking and scary experience I have had yet. Yet it is also exciting. I have no idea where I'll be in three months let alone a year, so I am blessed that this apartment is a month to month, hence no lease required. =D I am technically calling this my first apartment since in the Disney College Program, I was given an apartment, and didn't have to do any looking or finding roomates. But you all know all about my Disney College Program experience. This is my post-college-trying-to-figure-life-out-and-moving-forward experiences. I will make this short and sweet since I am typing this at starbucks, since I have no internet, or electricity in my apartment yet. (Which hopefully we will have the second as of tomorrow, otherwise we will be roughing it for a few days.)

I'll take more pics later, when we're all moved in. =D My parents came and brought most of my stuff but we still need alot of stuff..and of course electricity. If anyone has anything they don't need by the way, we might be happy to take it off your hands. =D So here's the pics, as of now...from my iphone. (which is also charging here at starbucks, since I can't charge it at home yet).

my bedroom =D




the full bathroom



our kitchen (didn't come with the fridge my parents bought it =D)


living room



dining room and balcony



and our living room (gas fireplace which is proving to help without electricity for light =D)

Inception - Movie Review

Ok all, it's been a while, but I want to start catching up on my movie reviews. And what better movie to start with then Inception, Christopher Nolan's latest summer blockbuster. It took me over a month to see this movie, but I finally saw it this week. There was only a late night showing at 9:50 so it was a late night.



A late night wouldn't usually mean much, but I'm sure it definitely was the reason my head hurt even more after the 2 hours and 22 minutes of crazy mind twisting. If you have not watched this yet, I will start by saying, you should see it. It is a MUST SEE. By far one of the best movies I have seen in a few years. It's up there with The Departed on my top 10 list for sure!

Ok, as for more specifics. This movie did not look good to me when I first saw the teaser. But little did I know it would become one of the biggest hits of the summer. Nolan captures your attention from the very beginning with his catchy plot line of inception (implanting an idea into someone's mind). Dicaprio nails this role, which slightly compares to that of his character in Shutter Island. If you like to dream, or dreams fascinate you, or confuse you or leave you screaming or wanting more, you will love this movie. Not only is the plotline interesting, it's obvious Nolan did his research on dreams. Even while I was paying attention to the movie, I found myself thinking of my own dream experiences while I watched the film. It deals with a man (Dicaprio) who is asked about being able to perform inception on someone. Through this you go with him on a journey through dream, and the dreams within a dream, which can greatly affect the dreamer and those who interfere. Blurring the line between reality and fantasy, to the point where dreaming becomes more real and less painful then reality.

I think part of this film's intrigue was it's originality. I don't know many if any movies that deal with the mind in the sense of dreaming. It's a brilliant and attention getting idea for a film. It is so complex, and many directors and writers would get lost in an idea of this nature. But I feel Nolan did an amazing job. It was alot of information to retain, but if one pays attention, it's easy to follow. I was glad to see that the concept did not get away from him. If you like movies like the Matrix, and Shutter Island, I'd say you would for sure like this film. I personally love the matrix, but this was better.

And it was not just Dicaprio that did an amazing job, but also his co-stars Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon Levitt. I've been following Levitt fairly consistently for a few years now. Starting with Stop Loss and then last year's (500) Days of Summer. And of course his old child star hits. He has proven especially recently how good of an actor he is. He can become a character and bring this intensity and reality to it, making it look easy, when it in fact is not. I found myself wondering more and more about Levitt's character, often more intrigued by his character then of Dicaprio's. He had this charisma as Dicaprio's partner that made it impossible to stop watching him. And Page, broke free from the comedic role of Juno, into a darker dreamscape architecture who discovers the truth behind Dicaprio's character. The things he hides from the others, and why he acts how he does. They had great chemistry and meshed amazingly in this film.

I will rap this up with a few more thoughts. If you like a good mind twist then you'll love this movie. If you're looking for a light movie, this is not one of them, you constantly have to think and pay attention. (I got a headache from thinking, but I didn't care, because it was so intriguing and interesting to me). There is little swearing (at least from what I remember) and minimal sexual content. If there was anything it was very subtle. I definitely don't see any reason why younger viewers could not watch this, unless it was for the violence, which is a bit intense at times, but still relatively subtle, I don't think there was any blood involved. Their only problem might be confusion. Plus it definitely gets some conversation going after the fact. So watch it. Let me know what you think, because I thought it was brilliant and genius in addition to well acted and well-made. Till next time...

More Adventures

Well, I've been so busy lately with work and trying to find a new place to live that I haven't had much adventure time. However, I have made some time for adventures. My Next adventure after Allstar Weekend, involved Hollywood.

As most of you know, I love LA. And I have to get out of the O.C every so often, because otherwise I'd go insane. So at the beginning of the month, I planned a trip to Hollywood with my Disney friends. (Our last huge adventure with Rick, since he's going to NAU in the fall.) We all got the day off work, and were planning on hiking to the Hollywood sign. This it turns out is illegal though. So instead, we drove as far up to the sign as we could, which involved driving through the curvy Hollywood Hills. Although we got a bit lost, we kept driving up and up and through the gorgeous expensive Hollywood houses. We finally got to the sign, and I think that was the coolest thing I've seen in a while. I had seen the sign in movies, and pictures. But honestly, they don't do this justice. I'm glad I got to go. We took lots of photos when we got up there. It was very fun.

But...that was not the end of our adventure. We then headed over to Hollywood and Highland for something to eat. Had to get creative with parking etc, by driving around since there was construction going on. We however, found a spot, and headed to Johnny Rockets for lunch. After some scrumptious food, we walked over to Ameba Music Store, for some good music shopping, and by shopping I mean looking. Then we walked back, hopped in the car and headed for Millions of Milkshakes. I had the Lindsey Lohan Shake, although I'm not a fan of hers, the shake was very berry licious. =D

Then, we headed to Universal City Walk for a bit, then decided to head home via driving along the coast, since we didn't want to have to worry about traffic. Rick took us to a spot he loved along the coast, and then we drove to long beach and ate some pizza. Then we headed home, after a very long, but fun day. That was even better than I had hoped it would be =D Stay tuned for more adventure stories!

Most recent Adventures...Allstar Weekend

On my Birthday, I went to see Allstar Weekend in Downtown Disney. It was my first time seeing the guys since they were signed to Hollywood Records. They were sooo good, performed 4 songs from their debut album "Suddenly" acoustically. Then hung out with some of the fans in their meet n greet. :) Good job guys, and congrats! And thanks for signing my CD. :)

Here's a flashback to when I first met Zach over a year and a half ago :)















Then it was off to the Roxy on Thursday to see them perform their Record Release Show at the Roxy in Hollywood we got there early to wait, and their were annoying girls standing next to us, but otherwise, it was fun. Here's some of the best shots. :)


Cameron <3 he liked to move...very energetic. :)
Zach. <3 <3
Inside the Roxy, we had to take a pic from above, due to how packed it was! :D
Waiting outside...the guys stopped by for a few min.
Zach. My favorite shot of the night!

And Lastly, the meet n greet. Got hugs from the guys :) Awesome night...Thanks girls for coming with me!

June 27, 2010. Recent Journey and Life

So, everyone I know it's been a while. I am typing this since I am getting internet in my apartment. :) Don't worry it's legal. I think. haha. So heres an update on my life since I've moved back down to the OC. I have been only getting about 20 hours a week. Which is not fun and causing me to trust in the Lord daily for finances and time managment. I have failed to do much. but this week I got out of the apartment for two days. On Tuesday I went to an acoustic Allstar Weekend show at Downtown Disney. It was fun to see them, since I have followed them since before they were signed by Hollywood Records. They rocked it. Then I saw them again on Thursday, (that was planned months ago) at the Roxy for their Record Release Party. It was awesome! And they are really good you all should check them out! Their debut CD "suddenly" is out now. :)

On a Spiritual note...

I have found a church that I love. I have met many folks. And it's been such a blessing to find a church so quickly and getting to know some of the believers too. :) It's Sovereign Grace Orange County. They meet in a small complex in Irvine, so it's only about 20 min away from me. They also meet at 10 am, which is nice since I often work til late in the night on Saturdays. :) I feel so thankful for finding this church. It is truly a blessing. I have talked to some of the young adults, and found out about when they meet. Today, and once a month, they gather at a park after church for lunch and fellowship. So I spent a couple hours talking, (which i love to do, as most of you know) and getting to know some of the congregation. Thank you to all of you that were praying I find a group of believers to worship with and fellowship with. I am so grateful and thankful! Praise to Jesus Christ.

I'll try to keep you posted on any other adventures I go on while I am here on Earth, and in Orange County. My friends from Disney and one of the girls from church, who also works at Disney, have some ideas for other fun activities. Next one we hope to do is hike to the Hollywood Sign. I'll let you know if I do. :) Peace and Love! till next time <3

New Journey: Part 3-"Why Hollywood?"

So I am finally here, sitting in the clubhouse at my new apt typing this blog that I have been wanting to write for a long time now. So many of you may be wondering, why am do I see Hollywood as my missions field? Well. To begin with, Hollywood is so Lost. Even though it may not be in the same way third world countries are it is lost regardless. The difference is that Hollywood has heard the gospel (or had the chance to in most cases) but they have chosen to not listen. They have chosen to continue living in sin, and making art that portrays this sin as "ok" or "good". After much prayer, and thought of what it means to be a missionary in Hollywood I have decided this is where the Lord is calling me. Hollywood needs passionate Christians who can shed some light on their projects. I cant find the right words, but that is the gist of it.

One thing I wanted to include in this blog was some of the encouragement and readings I read about Missions in Hollywood, from the believers who are already working their. The book that first got me started thinking about it, was "Beyond The Screen". It is written by believers who are already working in Hollywood, who wanted to encourage others who are passionate for film to come to Hollywood. They all stated one similar thing, how much Hollywood needs Christian filmmakers, not only to provide the world with a different perspective in their films, but as lights to a lost set of people, consisting of actors, designers, crews and even the world (as the work of Hollywood is shown worldwide). Not only did they say this, but they also emphasized the importance of motivation. That if I come in the hopes of fame, and publicity, my motives are wrong. This is true of course of anything, because if my motivation and my reason is due to a worldly reason, then it is not serving God. If Hollywood is my "idol" then my reasons for being there will be wrong. It is full of disappointments, but if grounded, can be used to serve the Lord. (So combine, this with what i said about being "scared" in the last blog, and you have my summary of why I want to be in Hollywood.) In addition to the scared blog however, I think being scared is good in the fact that it will remind me why I am here, and whom I am serving with my life. It would be too easy for my to fall into my comfort zone, which is my biggest fear. But I know that if I Trust Him and follow him, He will guide me through.


I will continue to read this book in the years to come, for I need to remember what it says, and be encouraged by people who are currently and preceded me in Hollywood. But the main reason for this blog was to comment and reflect on one article in particular, that I read recently, that helped greatly in this new journey in particular in my life. It was a new article, which encouraged me and reinstated in my mind why and what I want to do. It was published in Relevant Magazine, it's an interview with Zachary Levi (from television's show Chuck.) He is an outspoken Christian who is an actor. I recently discovered, he also spoke at a Christian filmmakers conference late last year. His words on dealing with frustrations in his career were

"The first advice that I would give is to really spend time in prayer to make sure that this is exactly what God wants you to be doing and not just something that you really feel like you should be doing. Many times I have come home from a really devastating audition, and I’d be really thoroughly depressed because it was a role that I really was hoping for. I realized how crucial having a walk with God was because I could turn around and say, “It didn’t happen, but obviously it wasn’t God’s will.” People who don’t have God in their lives only have themselves to blame. So they look back at the audition and they say, “I didn’t do a good enough job.” But so often it has nothing to do with how good you did in the audition; it has to do with the fact that you’re a brunette and they were looking for a blonde. So, to me, the most important factor in all of the rejection was that I had a walk with God. As far as being an actor is concerned, you have to have passion. If you’re not bringing the passion of the character into the room with you, you might as well not come into the room at all."

I think what he said so is so crucial to remember. And something I hope to not forget. So I know it encouraged me greatly. Another response in particular that caught my attention was in regards to the innocent characteristic that would be hard to maintian in Hollywood. Zachary stated "Overall, as a human beings its hard to maintain that innocence. Even now sometimes I’ll find myself in a situation, and I’ll think to myself—and not in a really negative way but—“I wonder if they know who I am.” And not like, “Don’t you know who I am?” like I’m this huge guy, but I wonder if they know if that I am this guy on this TV show, more out of curiosity than anything else. But the problem is that the curiosity, in an instant, can turn into conceitedness. To me that’s what makes putting on the full armor of God everyday so important. Even saying that right now I feel like such a hypocrite, because reading your Bible and really spending alone time in prayer with the Lord every day, I stumble in that"

It's encouraging to hear this from a believer who is already there, knowing that it is not just me that would be feeling this way, and worrying in this way. I hope I can remember this as well. And lastly, he talked about being a Christian in a very anti-Christian world. Of which he said "Absolutely. The atmosphere in Hollywood in general is very anti-conservative, very anti-Christian. The liberal segment of Hollywood, which is 80 percent of it if not more, they look at Christians as hypocrites that are false and fake. The tough part is that in many cases I can’t argue with them. My job on my set, I believe, is to first just love people and gain that trust with people where they know that I really do love them and care about their well-being, so that when they are running into problems, they will hopefully, at some point, come to me and ask me, “What is your peace all about? What is your comfort all about? Where do you get your love? Where do you get your talents? And I can turn to them and say without blinking, “Jesus Christ.” You can’t just come out there and say “Hey, I’m a Christian, and I’m gonna beat you into thinking the way that I do.” You can’t do that. It’s not about manipulation so much as it’s about getting in on someone’s life on the ground floor. So more than anything, that’s what I’m trying to do now. Just build relationships with everyone that I work with."

Lastly, this was so encouraging to me, because it made me realize that so much of ministry is through establishing relationships. And to remind me that I need to be on my guard daily, and thinking of the Lord, everyday. That it is not because of who I am, but of who Christ is. Anyway, this has turned quite long, but I hope you have gotten a better understanding of what it is the Lord has called me to do. If you have any questions, just shout them out, I'd love to talk about it more!

New Journey: Part 2-Scared

Ok so I know I said yesterday that I would be explaining more of my reasons behind "Why Hollywood". But that is not what is on my mind tonight. Tonight is my last night at home. I am moving to Anaheim again tomorrow. I spent the night at my church young adult group's monthly potluck. And it was a great way to end my life in Fresno, but for the first time, it made me realize how much I will miss everyone. It made me realize what was once at the foremost of my mind, about moving to Hollywood is now a thought tonight. So what is this thought?

I am terrified.

Terrified of moving out on my own, indefinitely. Not just for an internship, not just for a job, but a life change, a relocation.
I am a graduate, who doesn't know if I will ever make it, but who knows that I need to trust in my Lord and Savior and His timing for everything.

I am terrified of having to live on my own, if that is what His plan for me is. Not like sad about it, just terrified. If that is what He wills, then I will follow and serve Him still.

I am scared.

Most of all, I am scared about temptations, of falling away from the Father I love with all I am and all I have. I will be in my comfort zone, and therefore, more dangerous than if I was not. I know it is where He wants me to be, but I'm scared of failing Him. I think it is a good thing, but I am not sure. I guess I am just more trying to Trust Him as I start this new journey in my life. I know trials will come, but I will trust in Him to guide me through them.

Next time, I will actually pst the "why hollywood" post. Cuz I have wanted to for a while now. Til next time, Katie <3

New Journey: Part 1-Moving forward

Hey everyone, I have been meaning to write this blog for a while now, and being that I have only one more full day left in Fresno, I thought, what better time then this to write this blog. I have said before, what I want (what God is calling me) to do-work in Los Angeles as a Christian. Before I go on i must provide some backstory.

The idea of being a missionary in Hollywood, was always in the back of my mind, but I never really thought it was an option. But after reading the book "Behind the Screen" (which I found hidden in the shelves at Berean bookstore) this idea of working in Hollywood as a missionary became more in the front of my mind. This book, written by Christian professionals in the film/television industry, encouraged me to think about doing the same thing. Christians are often like "Hollywood, run away". Many Christians view Hollywood as the center of sin. Not that this is not true, but sin is everywhere we go, and describes everything we are: but running away is not the answer. Hollywood NEEDS people like us, who serve the LORD, to be a voice to the nation and the group of people in our world who are so apt to shun Hollywood because of its practices. It's a lost place. So as I continued reading the words these men and women wrote, about, how the need for Christians in Hollywood is important and encouraging those with the passion for film and television to come to HOllywood, I knew i needed to start praying and considering this option.

Fast forward to the Spring of 2007. I had read this book a couple times, and the opportunity to go on an overseas mission trip with my church was given to me. After much prayer and the outcome of other opportunities, I realized God had called me to go on this trip. (He shut the doors to other decisions, hence opening the missions door.) I prayed that He would show me what He wanted me to see and learn what He'd have me learn when I was overseas. I prayed that he would give me an open heart and mind to whatever He chose to happen and whatever He chose to teach me. Now, I can't go into detail of everything I learned, another blog perhaps, but in a gist, through this trip I realized that although this trip taught me alot and helped me learn about missions worldwide, this was not where the Lord was calling me. Through this trip I learned that the idea of missions in Hollywood, was where the Lord wants me to be.

Now, it is May 2010. Almost two years have passed since my trip, and I have graduated from college with a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Arts:Design/Technology with and emhasis in Costume Design. And I am moving back to Orange County on Wednesday. I know where I am headed, I just need to remember to keep the Lord as my focus. As my reason for living. So I hope you all would pray that I can be proactive in finding a church and getting plugged in to a fellowship immediately, because that was one of the problems I had last time I lived down there. And that was not as permanent as this decision is. So finding a church will be of utter importance and priority. As for where I want to go, I have an idea, but the Lord may have a completely different will, and I pray that I will be open to what He wants me to do. I plan on moving forward in the direction I feel he's calling me, And I hope to keep you all updated consistently on what is going on as i start this new chapter in my life. (I planned on writing something totally related but different in this post, but I guess that will have to wait til next time. So stay tuned for part 2.)

To come in part 2: excerpts from writings, and encouragement and more in-depth explanation of, "Why Hollywood"

Favorites at the moment

Some of my favorite things right now are...

Songs
1. Terrified by Katherine Mcphee featuring Zachary Levi (From TV's Chuck)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw4P9pspac8
2. Hello by Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele from Glee
3. Song of the Imperfect by Landon Rogers
4. Crash and Burn by Jesse Mccartney (rediscoverd off his most recent album)
5. Overboard by Justin Bieber
6. Wild at Heart by Gloriana

Music Artists
1. Justin Bieber
2. Jonas Brothers
3. Glee Cast

Actors
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
2. Shia Labeouf
3. Roberty Downey Jr.

Actresses
1. Rachel McAdams
2. Ginnifer Goodwin
3. Sandra Bullock

TV Shows
1. Glee
2. LOST
3. CSI Miami
4. Grey's Anatomy
5. American Idol
6. Project Runway

Movies
1. Iron Man 2
2. Sherlock Holmes
3. The Last Song

Celebs
1. Zachary Levi
2. Joe Jonas
3. Jonathan Groff

Other
1. Graduating :)
2. Light Ice Vanilla Chai's with Cinnamon powder
3. Moving back down to Anaheim in a few weeks
4. Broadway videos and music
5. Boots
6. Sun dresses
7. Plaid :)
8. Disneyland (still)

Long time coming...

Sorry to all my readers. It's been a while, but this is one of many more blogs over the next few days. I hope. lol. So what has been going on these last few months other than lots of school? Well not really that much but I've been learning one thing A WHOLE LOT lately (through our church small group studies of "The Gospel Centered Life" and "When Sinners Say I Do" and that is this...

I AM A SINNER.

Christ is a gracious merciful forgiving Savior. I deserve nothing. Yet He has given me everything.

I AM A SINNER

My friend Landon is going to be in London for the next two years as a missionary. He wrote a song that's lyrics serve as a constant reminder of my sin, and God's holiness some of the lyrics go like this...

"This is the song of a sinner. to my savior....I have nothing to offer you, so empty me, that your life can show through...I deserve death, I'm guilty."

This has been my ringtone everyday as a way to start my day off remembering that I am a sinner. For if I have a little view of my sin I have a little view of God. The cross needs to be ever growing and not shrinking. Therefore, my awareness of my sin needs to be growing and constant. Yet so often we do not think about it. So I will leave this blog short and simple. I AM A SINNER. And Jesus Christ is a wonderul savior who's death ensured and paid for the sins I commit daily against an All-Glorious God. More on these studies later.

JANUARY 2010

Well, I realized I have neglected this blog of mine, I hope to be better about it now, especially since part of my resolution for February is to journal more. So, here is my update on the last month, as briefly as possible. First, my resolutions for the month of January were to try to read my Bible more regularly and to not listen or watch anything Disney. No Disney music. No Disney Channel. and yes, No Disneyland. However, I began the month late, on January 2, so it seemed fitting to make the month last till February 2. However, I also went to a concert on the 29th, and Disneyland on the 30(due to prior commitment) so I extended the Disney to the 4th. Some of my close friends, mentioned they could not go a month without listening to Disney music or watching Disney channel or movies. They also asked why I was doing this. I will tell you. I chose to not have any "Disney" in my life because amazingly enough, it causes me to be more emotional. It causes me to dwell on the aspects of my life, specifically singleness and the discontent I too often feel about it, that make me emotional and make it harder to be content. Disney adds drama to my life, its also an idol of mine, therefore, it is wrong to indulge myself so much with it. This is the reason I gave it up for the month. If you don't understand, I'd love to explain it further. Just ask <3

Resolutions 2010

So. I've found that when making resolutions it's best not to make too many cuz then one or all of them fail. So this year, I'm making monthly resolutions. Spiritual, physical, emotional you name it. That way instead of three large resolutions like more spiritual, more fit, better time management I'm picking little disciplines and goals for each month that'll hopefully help the overall big resolutions I make every year. And each month i have one thing that i meed to discipline not to do and one that I'll do with that time instead. If that makes sense? Then hopefully each month some of that discipline will transfer over to the next month. Well see. :-) here's what I have so far...

Jan-

•emotional-no Disney music/channel/land

•spiritual- more scripture/theological reading

Feb-

•physical- less soda

•spiritual- journaling

March-

•physical- no fast food

•spiritual- prayer and prayer journal

•professional- portfolio

April-

•physical-sit ups/work out

•spiritual-memorization

May-

•physical- no facebook

•spiritual- memorization

•Professional-Job/internship search