Christmas Vacation

Well, I gotta say I think this was my favorite Christmas in quite a while.  This year we got to spend a week in our friend's cabin in Arnold, California.   It was really nice.  Yeah, we didn't have cell phone reception or internet for an entire week, but it was super cozy and relaxing, plus we got to visit Calaveras Big Trees State Park and Lake Alpine.

I'd venture to say there is probably nothing more inspiring than a restful week in the mountains.  The fresh air, the smell of pine trees and a wood fire, the soft sunlight shining through the windows. <3333 It's all so soothing.   I was really happy that during this week I was able to write the lyrics to an entire song, now I just need to work on the music.  But what was even better was that it wasn't a love song!  I've been trying to write songs with better lyrics and it just seemed hard to write about things other than heartbreak or love.  My song started off being about a clock (I know random, but the music sounded like it was ticking) and then it ended being about time and life.  It's actually pretty deep.

Well anyways if you wanna see some more pics from our trip you should check out my other blog.

And I know it's a bit late, but Merry Christmas!!!
Have a good end of the year <3

With much love,
Nicole Alejandra

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

This has got to be the most stressful finals week I've ever had, and it's not because of the finals, but the papers and having to switch rooms this week too. 

Well, Christmas has taken a little longer to set into my mind this year, but with my first Christmas present for the year and finals almost being over, I think it's time to start celebrating!

I was writing my huge essay for my Women's Literature class in the library earlier today, when I found my girlfriend making the cutest Christmas gifts.  They're pretty simple to make, are very pretty, make great gifts, and keep the holiday spirit going.  


It's a tiny box of chocolate that comes with a ribbon, pencil, a special note, and a blank piece of paper.  So the way this gift works is.  As you eat the sweet chocolate, you use the pencil and paper to write a sweet note to someone else, then you tie the ribbon around the note and pass it on.  It's the gift that keeps on giving!  You could choose to get them chocolate as well if you want. 


Well anyways, I have to go, continue typing up papers, helping my roommate pack and move into her new apartment, studying for my last final, and packing my own stuff, so I can move out.  May God Bless You as you continue working through finals and begin to enjoy your Christmas Break.


With Much Love,
Nicole Alejandra

Everything's hilarious when I'm exhausted.... I'm going delusional O.o

So I definitely know I'm not the only one stressing out about finals week.  This probably would've been an easy week had I kept up on my papers and worked on some of my assignments earlier.  My eyes are sore, and I'm tired and cold.  Unfortunately we are now in "crunch" time and with 24 pages needed for my womens lit class, and 3 essays for other classes; there's no time for sleep.  

It's funny though that as stressed as I am I find myself packing, just listening to music, and writing songs.... I guess it's my way of coping/de-stressing. lol 

So my suggestions for you guys this week is:

• Sleep tons.  Your brain works so much better. 
• Assign certain amounts of time for specific subjects.   I can spend all day working on my creative writing hw, but then I'll never finish that paper for American Lit.
• Take breaks.  You can take breaks, but I'd suggest it by studying or working on a different subject or by napping. hehe
• Work Out!  So I feel like dropping dead right now, and as tired as I am working out always helps, it makes me feel better, gives me more energy and is actually a great way to release stresss, especially stretching.
• Don't procrastinate.  I keep thinking of how little homework I would have it I didn't have any late assignments.  Get them in, asap, so you can relax. You don't want to fail your tests.
• Pray.  It's amazing how much better you'll feel after spending just a few minutes with God.  He'll provide you with the peace and rest you need to get through the day and week.
• Keep warm and drink tea and eat tons of Vitamin C.  When you're super exhausted probably not sleeping as much as usual and are stressed your even more likely to get sick.  You don't need a sickness to add on top of all the other worries you have. So keep healthy and strong.

Only SIX more days till the semester's over! You can do this!!

Music is the story your heart wants to sing, and pain the honesty that makes it beautiful...

Being a writer is probably one of the most emotionally painful jobs to have.   It's painful because to write out something with the honesty you have to many times go back and relive some of your hurts.  But I don't think I could have it any other way, it's one of my biggest passions in life. Probably one of my hardest songs to write was my song "Hard As Metal," which I wrote in June of this year.

I finally got the sound file from my guyfriend for it, which we recorded together on his laptop a few weeks ago.  I absolutely love it.  I've been songwriting for about three maybe four years now, but this probably one of my first songs I really like.   It's a painful song, but it's definitely beautiful. It talks about how we tend to close our hearts off after heartbreak, becoming hard as metal, and the only way to be able to love again is to learn to forgive.   One day, I hope to get it professionally recorded then I can show it to you guys. I might make a music video too. ;) 

I honestly had no idea for an album name when his iTunes was asking us for one, but my guyfriend came up with a pretty sweet name from part of my lyrics. "Crimson Words In Cursive"  I think it's sounds pretty good, so I might just keep it.   Well anyways I was taking some random pictures of this red rose I got from our choir concert last night, and I couldn't help but use one of the pictures for making a possible CD cover.  Any ideas, suggestions, or comments??  Let me know!

The Sun Rises in the East and Sets in the West

So I'll admit, I don't live on the prettiest college campus.  There aren't too many trees and we're kind of set in the middle of nowhere with these random acres and acres of yellow grass fields.  But we definitely get the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  

I couldn't help to just sit on one of the huge rocks by the parking lot the other day and admire the sunset.  Isn't it gorgeous??

Though we may not have many plants on campus, from our classrooms or the dorms you can look over the town and enjoy the colorful trees.   Fall colors are so beautiful!

I took this picture last semester when walking back to the dorms from our cafeteria.  Imagine seeing these sunsets... every. single. day.  I'm so glad I get to live here :)

 

Probably one of the things I miss most about living in the dorms is waking up to the sunrise.  We had a huge window going all the way across one of the walls.  We could just look over the entire city and see the sun.  Majestic.

It looked even cooler on cloudy/foggy mornings. 

Well anyways, I know Thanksgiving already passed a few days ago, but this is one of things I'm thankful for.  God has blessed us with a beautiful world.  Thanks.

  "And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.  And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.  And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,  And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good."

Genesis 1:15-18

Can We Just Celebrate One Holiday At A Time?

I still don't understand why stores are so convinced to start celebrating Christmas so soon.  I LOVE Christmas. But seriously, it's still mid-November.  We haven't even had Thanksgiving yet, and I need my Thanksgiving break, I'm not ready for finals yet. lol   I think we need to just take some time to slow down and enjoy life day by day rather than rushing through it.  I've spent so many years rushing through life rather and I've finally decided to slow down.  I wanna just enjoy the slightly cooler weather, the yummy foods, and time with my friends.    

So much has been going on lately.  There was that huge "Breaking Dawn" premiere.  Thanksgiving Break is coming up.  And Starbucks and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts were having super awesome sales! 

Our school just had it's Preview Day last Friday for prosepective students. I got the amazing opportunity to host a high-schooler (which I actually knew from camp).  She, like me, is also a songwriter.  Watching her play piano and sing, definitely inspired me to practice more piano.  Thus I'm  trying to learn how to play "River Flows In You" by Yiruma.   Little did I realize that the song is also "Bella's Lullaby" My roommate says that this therefore makes me a Twilight fan. lol   I've actually never read the series, I'm pretty sure I will over break just cause I'm super curious of how the books are, plus I really wanna read a good novel/series. 

Over the weekend, Starbucks was having a "buy one get on free" on all their Holiday drinks, and yesterday Krispy Kreme Doughnuts was giving away free doughnuts if you could guess the year the first Krispy Kreme was opened.   Well, as starving college students we couldn't pass up the wonderful opportunity.  There's probably no better way to pass the time and do homework than over a nice hot cup of coffee with fresh doughnuts and fabulous friends.  I got so much done!  My goal for this Thanksgiving is not to have a stress-free break but a guilt-free one, gotta make sure I have no late assignments being forgotten. lol

Well we only have a few more days till Thanksgiving.  I get to go home tomorrow!! :)  So make sure to think of everything your thankful for, and I'll hopefully post more later.

I Got A Feeling That Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night

So I've kind of been really busy lately, thus I've been MIA.  It's actually really fun.  Like the days I accidentally forget my cell in my apt, when we go to the gym.  I get no phone calls, less stress! lol   Well anyways, school's been awesome these past few weeks. I've gone dancing for FREE 4 weekends in a row, made some sweet friends, been getting in shape, learning tons, etc.  Anyways life is just amazing!

Yesterday, our school had it's very first non-instructional dance.  It was a Christian Rave! We had glowsticks, crowd-surfing, snacks, strobe lights, DJ, and over 240 students show up. It was pretty bomb.

Anyways I thought I'd do a quick recap of how life's been this past month.

There was obviously halloween weekend. Which included having a movie marathon, eating junk food and candy, visiting the Dorm's "Haunted House" and midnight shopping for snacks :)

Then there was the harvest festival on campus, where we all got to dress up in our costumes.

We also got to play "Bigger or Better." My group started with a paper clip and after a few hours ended up with these nice chairs.

Then there's always the weekends hanging out with our friends, either doing homework, having movie nights, playing in the arcades or just chilling.  It's pretty awesome.

And then one of my other favorite things to do is go to church on Sundays, eat lunch in the cafeteria, and then form a study group afterwards.

Then on Monday, our new choir "Master Works Chorale" had our very first concert ever.  It was so good, we got to sing Eric Whitacre's "Lux Arumque" and portions of Haydn's Creation and several other pieces. It was outstanding.

I praise God every single day for the tremendous amounts of blessings He has given me.  This doesn't mean life isn't difficult but He's always there and always provides a way to be joyful throughout life's trials.

So now I have to get back to HW and all the stress that develops towards the end of the semester, cause we only have a few more weeks left. CRAZY!

God Bless You All!

Shall We Dance?

So if you know me, you'll know there's nothing I love more than dancing, especially salsa dancing.  My mom taught my brothers and I how to salsa growing up, so it comes very naturally.  This is fine, but because of that I have to be extra careful.  I'm usually pretty good at letting guys know my boundaries and not letting them cross them, but sometimes I can accidentally give off the wrong impression.  Especially since salsa dancing is naturally a more seductive/spicy style of dance.

Anyways I went salsa dancing with a group of friends from school yesterday, which considering that we go to a Christian school should hopefully make the group a little safer than just random colleagues. But guys will be guys whether Christian or not.  "Self-control" is definitely one of the items I'm adding to the list of characteristics I want in my husband.  Dancing was fine and everything, but I think I need to be more careful when I salsa dance, because one of the guys from our group told me later that I was such a good dancer, he couldn't keep his eyes off me.  Which is kind of a compliment but not really the type of compliment I want to be receiving.  As much I (just like any other girl) love attention, it's not the type I want anyway.  I would much rather not be noticed by many guys for my body but be noticed by one guy for who I really am. When a guy says things like that it says a lot about the person.  It shows that he is someone physically driven and prolly not just by you, not a characteristic I want in a man. 

However this makes me wonder what I could do to be more careful and not seem like that type of girl.  I may have been dancing a little "spicy" but that's because it's salsa and to me it's just dancing. But when trying to present myself as a Woman of God I need to realize that sometimes some of the movements can attract the guy's eye I little too much.  I need to ask God to give me the strength to stand strong even when it's difficult.

God Works In Mysterious Ways

I must say there is probably nothing more nerve-wrecking than being asked to sing the National Anthem half hour before you need to be performing it.  Well, that happened to me on Friday.  My friend, Dalton, was unable to sing at the Volleyball game and was asked to find someone else who could sing instead, so he asked me. Wow! Was I honored!  Very last minute, but definitely a blessing.  

God is so good. All the time.  Even when it seems like life is going wrong in every possible way, He's there, working through every small detail.  Last school year was an extremely rough year for me.  I struggled academically, physically, and emotionally.  I even thought of not coming back again.  But I am so blessed I did.  I have the best roommate ever.  She's a sparkling example of what it means to be a Woman of God and a really good friend.   However our story of how we became roommates is so totally random.  I had filled out all my housing papers for this school year, without a roommate or any apartment mates.  My only hope was that God would bring the right people in my life.  So I showed up for room-draw, hoping to at least be able to choose an apartment with people I knew I didn't dislike, and while I was standing in line, I saw my classmate, Alison.  So being the friendly and talkative person I am I approached her and asked her what was her plan. Surprise, surprise.  She didn't have a roommate or apartment mates either.  Perfect Match!  

She has honestly been a blessing from God, we barely knew each other and now she's one of my closest friends. Unfortunately we only get to room together this semester cause she's graduating and marrying in December! But I'm still excited for her. :) Her fiance is another remarkable person and I absolutely enjoy seeing how in love and how God-centered their relationship.  God knows I struggle with waiting for the right person when there seem to be no good guys out there. But seeing the two of them is a great reminder that out there somewhere, God has the perfect match for me.

Whether it's through people or opportunities God presents in our lives, He's always there, blessing us.  When I see the bad, I try to not see it as punishment but as a trial that we must overcome.   Who would want a life without any hardships? Because of hardships we can see the blessings, they also make us stronger and better people.  Even when we seem to make decisions for the wrong reasons, it does not always mean it's the wrong decisions, sometimes God uses totally unrelated circumstances to reroute our direction in life, He sure did it for me.  I praise God for working in mysterious ways, if not I probably would not listen. lol

"Courageous"

On Saturday, my daddy took me on a date to the movies to watch "Courageous" an inspirational movie (from the creators of "Fireproof") about men learning to be real Men of God. It is most definitely a Must-Watch! I cried like every other scene.

Like all inspirational movies, I left super inspired.  Seeing a clear example of what being a Man of God makes me want to live my life like God asks me to.  The only thing is.... I'm not a guy.  Which makes me feel like as a girl all I can do is sit on the side-line till Mr. Right shows up and hopefully he will be a Real man.   As I was talking with my dad about this he brought up a really important point. It will probably still be several years from now before I find the right man mostly because I'm so young, if I want to find a real man and not settle I need to learn to be okay being single and being single for a few more years.  To do this I know I need to learn to find my acceptance in God and grow in Him.

So my big question lately has been, what does being a Woman of God look like?   I know they say Proverbs 31 describes what a wife should be, but after reading it several times I'm still not completely sure what it means.  There are definitely traits I see with no problem such as: hardworking, clothed with strength and dignity, blessed, and few others, but I still find this difficult to follow.

I'm taking a Women's literature class this year, which seems to kind of be a feminist class--though I don't mind, I think it's probably my favorite class this semester--where I'm learning so much of what being a woman is in our culture and why, and what the Bible says about womanhood.   Anyways, so many things such as being a people-pleaser, always being pretty, etc are mostly ways society objectifies women and are not always Biblical.  God doesn't ask us to be a door-mat or to ignore our own emotions, these are many times what we are taught in society.  So one of my goals is to truly dig in God's word and find out what being a Woman of God looks like.

The picture God gave me to draw the other day during Spiritual Formation Group when we using Art as a way to Hear from God. His lesson for me was patience.

Learning To Say It's Over

Probably one of the hardest things as a girl we will have to learn to do is say the two phrases "no" and "it's over."  As cruel as you may feel saying either of these phrases, if we don't learn to, there will be a lot of unwanted relationships.  I learned this the hard way. I know after being heart-broken, I would never want to mislead anyone cause it would be to do just the same. 

However this summer I fell into this really sad pitfall. I entered too quickly into a long-distance relationship with one of my camp friends.  It seemed to start off pretty well.  His family met mine and we decided to use this relationship as a way to see if we were possibly meant for each other, aka courtship (dating with purpose).  However since I did not want to seem like the typical girl whose relationship status changes from one week to another, even when I saw that things weren't quite working out, or more importantly that he wasn't the one for me I didn't end it.   He didn't do anything specifically wrong; he was sweet, loving, accepting. But he wasn't for me.  I constantly could see different red flags in our relationship but tried to push them aside and accuse the distance as being the factor.   Because I did not have the guts to be the heart-breaker and say that our courtship had reached its goal of determining whether or not we were for each other, I dragged out our relationship without really ever explaining the true hardships I was going through.

I had given him my first kiss and then a week later ended the courtship.  It stank, big time.  For two months I invested time into trying to develop a romantic relationship that now is barely a friendship.  I lost a friend, gave away my first kiss, and left my heart vulnerable again.  With the encouragement and support from close friends, I was finally able to gut up the courage to be the heartless one, and simply stated that I could offer nothing more than friendship.  I spent the weekend feeling depressed and guilty, and yet at the same time relieved.   I was able to just be me and be okay with my relationship status.  I felt horrible for what I had given away but was very encouraged to know that God gives us second chances and that the man God made just for me is still waiting patiently for me too. 

As difficult as it was to say it was over, I'm very glad to know that I chose to reserve my heart for my future husband. I only wish I had done so sooner, not just for my benefit but for my ex-boyfriend's.  The more I drug it out the more attached he became to me, and the less of his own heart he'd have saved for his future spouse.  It's not cruel to say it's over, it's mature and being responsible. If you know that somethings wrong, don't drag it out.  Whether you do it now or later it will still be abrupt, don't delay the inevitable, it will only make things worse.

Learn to wait, don't rush into things.  Don't ignore the red flags. If you know for sure he's not the one, don't drag things out.

Song of Solomon 8:4 

"Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken love until the time is right."

Guarding Your Heart

So I'm sure most of us have had our heart broken at least once, maybe several times.  I had my first heart-break back in HS and have since had difficulty letting anyone in.  Mostly because letting anyone into your life (especially your heart) is just opening yourself up to heartbreak.  However it seems to me that this has been a HUGE topic in most of my songwriting recently.  In June, I wrote "Hard As Metal" which talks about how when we've been heartbroken, we tend to put up this guard around us and the only way we can change this is by learning to forgive and letting God heal us, and restore us back to flesh.   However we can't confuse forgiving someone as being prepared for a relationship.  If you read my post back in July, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Yes, I had grown a lot of the school year and the summer but I wasn't quite ready for a romantic relationship yet, at least not a long-distance one.

Unfortunately, I believe most girls are in love with the idea of being in love and therefore don't realize that most of the times we don't really love the person.  We love being called beautiful, being treated sweetly, and being seen as special.  One of the most important questions we need to ask ourselves before diving into a relationship is "Do I really love him, or do I just love the fact that he loves me?"  Pretty simple, pretty straight forward. But it will definitely save a lot of heart-break and decisions we may regret in the future.   As I live on-campus and see guys all the time, I wonder if I'll meet my future husband here. Sometimes I feel like trying to become better friends with some of them, just in case.  But then at the same time I remember the pain caused from letting my guard down and wearing my heart on my sleeve and don't know how to react.

Honestly, letting your guard down is probably the hardest thing ever. But I think letting go of the past is even harder.  Sure I may have forgiven the person who broke my heart, but did I forget the pain or forget those feelings I had for him?  No.  What I've realized is not only do I need to pray to God asking Him to heal me but to also help me see my heart-breaker as a brother in Christ, so that I could eventually move on.  

We tend to see it as either blocking people completely out of our lives or wearing our hearts on our sleeve.  I don't believe those are the only options. We are called to share God's love with others, we can do this by treating the men we meet as brothers in Christ rather than just seeing them as husband potential. I'm not saying it is wrong to observe if a guy has the traits needed for your future husband but that should not be the focus of your friendship, and we should never have to lower our standards just to let a guy into our lives.  If he's the one he'll step up. So enjoy being single and develop strong friendships with both guys and girls, and let God lead you till the time is right.

For now, as difficult as it is sometimes, I will patiently wait for God's working in my life to change me into who I should be and lead me to where I am headed in life.

God Bless!

It's October!!

It's finally October! I know time just doesn't not seem to stop flying by, and I feel like I've barely gotten to write anything this year. I guess I just finally decided to stop pretending that I'm an expert on fashion. I really don't know that much about it, I just like to pretend I do, by reading magazines and other people's blogs.  Well, anyways, this is my second month being an 18-year-old.  Definitely different.   I can walk around campus and say for the first time in five years that this is where I'm supposed to be, that I'm no longer a little kid.  But of course with this, comes responsibility.   First of all, I decided to start dressing like an adult.  For the longest time, I'd just wear whatever I thought was cute without realizing that sometimes they were outfits that just made me seem more childlike.  lol.  I also plan on being a responsible student this year, and take better care of my health.  (This includes that new gym membership I got this week! Yay, for being an adult!)

Anyways, I want to make my blog more interesting by focusing on what I know is actually important and on subjects I am a little more knowledgeable about, such as living on-campus, songwriting, and letting God use my life.

God Bless You Everyone and Enjoy This Fall!!

Don't let any moment go to waste,

Invest time in those you care about,

Love those in need,

And Dream Big!

We All Have Our Moments

So we all have these moments in life... I like to call them moments of weakness. I have these all the time, but it's usually not a smart idea to take any action during these times.  Well I did... hehe  After growing out my hair for 7 months, meaning no hair-cuts, I grabbed the scissors and finally cut my bangs, they were bugging me sooo bad and my hair really needed to be styled differently.  Thankfully I don't regret cutting my bangs I think they look pretty cute.













So I've cut my bangs before but I decided to do it differently this time.  I chose to not make them so wide and thick and leave the ends a little longer and then the rest of the hair at it's original length. I think this way it's shapes my face better, cause it doesn't make my face look as wide, and I don't look like Dora The Explorer lol :)

Well anyways, lately I've been really wanting the weather to become colder and less summer-like, (it was in the 90's yesterday).  It's almost October and I really wouldn't mind snuggling in blankets and scarves with a hot cup of tea (or coffee), listening to some relaxing music, just enjoying the cool fall, but so far not yet. lol  Well I hope everyone else is enjoying their first few days of fall.  God Bless You All!

Making Your Side Vegetable into Your Main Meal

I think there's probably nothing more depressing than seeing your food go rotten.  It was happening all last week, first my bread, then my tomatoes and cucumbers.  Why? Honestly, cause on my own I don't eat have as much and don't go through all the food in a week.  So I realized that what I needed to learn was not how to cook with different ingredients but how to make different meals with the same ingredients. 

One of my favorite vegetables to eat is cactus, aka nopalez.  However when I cooked them I realized that it would take me at least a week to finish them on my own, the way I usually eat them, so I asked my friend, Kee, if she wanted to join me for dinner ;)   Thanks to her I now know how to make my cactus the main part of my meal.  Rather than cook them with onions and put them on the side, I can turn them into a cactus salad by adding lemon juice, pepper, and salt.  Immediately I could finish 1-2 big bowls of this no problem.  Helps when I don't have a lot of meat or have to eat a lot of vegetables before they go bad.

Cooking Tips for College-Students

So during these past few weeks I've done everything from cook my own veggies and meat, to being smart and buying tons of Pasta-Roni boxes on discount at the Safeway back home ;)  I must say cooking on your own can be quite convenient but also a pain.  Like when I run out of milk. I can no longer cook oatmeal, eat cereal, etc.  Or when all the pots and pans are in the sink, and you can't wash them cause the dish rack is completely full, bleh. but other than that it's pretty good.

Every once in a while I like to make the joke that I gonna become a vegetarian. Which will never happen, however sometimes I have to opt out of eating meat cause I completely forget to defrost the meat beforehand :(  but thankfully with plenty of carbs and vegetables, it's not too noticeable.

1. Freeze Your Meat.  So I noticed for me, it's a lot cheaper if I buy several separate bags of meat already marinated and cut.  I like to buy them in packages of one pound. My favorite so far is the "Al Pastor Chicken," I get at the Mexican store.  All I have to do is defrost it, then throw it in the skillet and cook till it's well done.

2. Defrost Your Meat and Bagels Beforehand. So I have learned that the best way to keep my food from going bad is by freezing it, however it's always important to have some bread and meat defrosted so when you're hungry you have something you can actually cook. lol

3. Cook Ahead of Time.  I honestly prefer to cook the night before than the day of. Why?  Well I'm usually in classes all morning, and by the time I get back I'm starving.   If I wait till I'm out of classes then I won't have anything to eat for an hour or more after I'm done. Thus I'll cook beforehand and then just pop in the microwave when I'm ready to eat.

Good luck cooking, more meals and tips to Come!

Hungry for Knowledge... and Chicken!

Alas, I finally cooked a complete meal!  I had been eating plenty of veggies, but it's a huge relief to know that I finally would be eating meat :)   I didn't realize how many calories your brain burns until I sat all day in really interesting classes and didn't have a full meal plan for the caf.  Part of the reason for my hunger though may have been that I forgot to defrost some meat to cook.    However I like what one of my FB friends put on my status about being hungry, stating "You're Hungry for Knowledge!"  

Believe it or not. I think she's right!  I remember last year trying to short-cut out of as much hw as possible, using sparknotes, just not reading assignments, or procrastinating (my worst enemy).  But this year something different happened.  I've so far read about 80 of literature without the slightest thought of using Spark Notes, and it clicked!  With my new comprehension skills (or so they seem new) I feel like I'm on top of the world and ready to nail the other 30 pages for tomorrow's classes!  And the more I read, the less work it seems to be. :)  

The Life of an English Major....

 

So as I mentioned the semester before I switched from Music to English: Creative Writing.  However because I did not take any lit classes yet, I am now taking 3 lit classes and creative writing all in one semester! eek!  But so far it's been pretty good. I finished all my reading for my Monday class and am 30 something pages into the reading for my Tuesday class (unfortunately there are two lol).  

So during this week I've been doing my best to "understand/comprehend" what I've been reading, cook, attend classes, maintain a social life (by going to the Week of Welcome events), and get a good amount of sleep. So far I've been keeping up.  and it's awesome!!! Though I know that as the semester goes on I will eventually prolly be overcome by extraneous amounts of reading lol. 

So as school starts and life becomes hectic again, just remember it's all about prioritizing and time management.   So if you start tackling all those assignments as soon as possible you can spend the rest of your time having fun and meeting new friends.   God Bless You All on Your First Week of School and Enjoy It!!!

Apartment Living

Hey so I am back at college, and I'm LOVING it!!!!   I have officially moved into my new apartment on campus with 7 other pretty chill girls.  And in the pic below you can see my roommate for this semester, she is amazing.

Anyways, school's back in session and I've been so busy trying to keep up with all my reading assignments and the school events ;)  On top of that, I've also had to learn how to fend for myself when it comes to eating. lol.  No more full-meal plan in the caf.  however this also means no more freshmen-15, which thanks to my mama's good cooking I was able to lose over the summer! 

So school's definitely off to a way better start than last year, though I've been feeling kind of down due to a totally different issue.  So if you guys could pray for me, that I'll just have the energy to push through and not get depressed that would be great! though I must say God has helped me a lot already by sending miraculous friends to support me during this rough time in life. 

I also ran across this verse the other day and it's helped me so much as I've encountered some very important decisions I had to make.  Hope it can help you too. :)

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps." 

Proverbs 16:9

Morning Milkshake

 

Hey!    It's summer time and fruits are definitely sound good with all that sunshine going around.    So here's a recipe for what my family calls "licuado de platano"  in English, banana milkshake. 

Ingredients
-   eggs
-   milk
-   bananas!
-   protein powder, vanilla, sugar (opt)


So to make this delicious milkshake you need a blender.   Then you just pile up all the ingredients in, no order in particular.  The measurements vary from time to time for me lol  More milk for more cups, more eggs for more fluffiness, more bananas for more flavor, sugar and vanilla if you don't think it's sweet enough, etc.  Though if you don't want to much milkshake I'd recommend about one cup of milk.   If you don't like bananas or want a different flavor feel free to switch up the fruits.  You can do strawberry, apple, cantaloupe, anything!  (Note: The older the bananas = the sweeter)  You can even add some Nesquik chocolate if you want chocolate flavor.   When you're done adding the ingredients just blend it up and ENJOY!

Psalms 20:4 & Jeremiah 29:11

"May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed."

Psalms 20:4

Wow, now I've really been gone for forever.  Not really, but from the blogging world, yes.  Mostly because we lost the network code for the wifi access at my home and all my pics are on my laptop. lol

Anyways on top of that I was practically gone all June.  I got to go to Disneyland (for the very first time ever!), and after one week at home I went to two Bible camps back to back.  On top of all of this I finally got a job.  It doesn't pay a lot, but it is definitely life-changing.   I'm serving at my home church as the youth intern. Meaning I help in the church office, accompany the students to all their events and camps, and serve as well on Sunday mornings with the middle-schoolers.  I LOVE MY JOB!  Not only do I get to be involved in the lives of our students, but I've gotten to grow so much in my own faith, and connect with the other church leaders.  

Another thing, my music is finally starting to take off.  While I was at the MS camp as a counselor I got to use some of my original compositions as a ministry, and when I went to AWANA camp the week after I got to share my music with fellow campers, and just last Friday I got to record the piano for 3 of my songs :)  God's definitely granting me the desire of my heart.

Lastly, God definitely rerouted my life, once again.  I had finally gotten to a point where I felt I knew where life was headed and had kind of stopped looking to God for guidance.   So he threw a curve ball in my path.  As usual.   The AWANA camp theme this year was "In God We Trust."  He was sure trying to tell me something.  So anyways God finally saw this as the suited time to bring romance in my life. After my commitment last summer to not date anyone for my first year of college so I could focus on Him and school, He decided now was the appropriate time.   Never in my life had I ever gone out with a guy and I had given up on the whole dating game, thanks to Joshua Harris ;)  However now I'm entering a new phase in life, where through God's guidance and direction I've decided to enter into a relationship with one of my good guyfriends I met at AWANA camp 7 years ago.  Though I must admit I was very nervous at first and wasn't sure how to react, this brought me back to the reality that we must learn to Trust God!  Since my guyfriend asked me out, I've been faithfully diving into God's Word and asking advice from Godly mentors, trying to hear God's decision on the matter.   And since last Tuesday after he met my family, he officially become my first boyfriend ever. 

I must say, few years ago I never thought I would be anywhere close to where I am in life right now.  God's blessings have just been raining down on me.  Trusting God is definitely not an easy task, but one well worth it.  

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

 

Medford, Oregon

Hey Everyone, it feels like it's been forever since my last post.  First there was finals, then choir tour, and since gotten home for summer, I've barely even touched my computer.  I've been up to a lot.  So anyhow here are some pics from our Choir Tour in Oregon.

While on our way there, we got to stop for lunch in front of Lake Shasta.

 Our first concert was at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Medford, Oregon!

It had some of the prettiest plants ever. I loved their gardens.

 

The host home three of my girlfriends and I got to stay at was gorgeous as well.

More pics to come soon!

School's Out! Summer Is Here!

Wow, this entire year has blown by so fast!  I can't believe 9 months ago I walked into this dorm room, a frightened young sixteen year old.  The people were new, the rooms empty, and there I stood not sure what would come.   This year was not what I expected but better than I hoped for.  I thought I'd be best friends with my roommates, score perfect grades, be super fit, and just love every moment of college.  Haha Yeah right.  I definitely had room troubles, lowered my GPA a bit, gained the freshmen-15 (thankfully I lost it too!), and went through many hard times.  Though in the end, I'm very glad to be able to look back and say I don't regret a moment of it!  Through all these experiences, I've learned and grown so much.  I'm a completely different person than who I was, but I can say it's me. I've made true friends, developed new passions/hobbies, learned to love and forgive, and how to be myself.

My Wing Family :)  My year would never be the same without them.

My Roommates and I

My Big Sister, Elika <3

My Best Friend, Kayla

My Big Brother, Dalton

L-O-V-E

So I know Easter was on Sunday, and now it's Friday, but I really felt that as a strong believer of Christ His death on the cross and then His resurrection.  I should write something about this.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:13

Christ's death on the cross was a symbol of His love for us. L-O-V-E. Something of what I have definitely needed lately.  School is finally coming to an end.  We have one last week of classes and a week of finals followed by a five-day choir tour to Washington.  Though some of this may sound fun and exciting. It's really not.  I have been so stressed, and on top of that, things at home have been pretty tough too.

Spring break was completely different from what I planned.  I hoped to organize my room, take stuff back home, rest, practice for my music classes, complete some homework, finish the research for my music paper, etc.  Well lot's just say pretty much none of this happened.  As we were driving home we got a phone calling saying my grandma (from my dad's side) had fallen and had to be taken to the hospital.  Not good.  We got home Friday night, went out of town for my 3-yr-old cousin's b-day Saturday and then returned Sunday evening.  Things were okay at this point.  But Monday evening my grandpa moved in with us, and we didn't know for how long.  I had spent all Monday finally unpacking and doing laundry I had procrastinated on while at college.  Our house is just barely big enough for us and my room is the only one available for guests and as much as my parents wanted me to be able to sleep in my own room we didn't have anywhere else for my grandpa to stay.  So I switched back and forth between sleeping on the spare mattress in my little brother's room and sleeping on the floor in my older brother's music studio.  This was okay, but it was a pain in the butt to be dragging around my stuff. I couldn't just leave it in my room, my little brother didn't have space in his room, and the music studio had to be used for my brother's music lessons he taught.  I felt like a nomad.... in my own house.  Not very relaxing.  Plus I realized smart me had left my entire music folder in my dorm room.  So much for that.

Overall it wasn't bad. I really enjoyed spending time with my family.  Especially getting to know my little brother more.  He has grown up so much over the past year, he's a little man now.   The real hard part was returning to school.  The group I was carpooling with decided we should just drive up Tuesday morning in time for our 9:30am class, instead of Monday so we could spend the extra day at home.   Monday was probably my favorite day of Spring Break, but why did I agree to this?  6am is too early to be awake.   I was so exhausted by the middle of the day, and I was already not feeling my best since I had gotten sick over break (no voice, stuffy nose, sore throat, cough. eek!)  So I was standing in the risers during choir when I felt so tired I was about to fall asleep standing up while singing, is that even possible???  I finally decided to sit cause I seriously almost fell from the second row of the risers.... probably not too safe.  Then my eye started to itch... really bad.   Yep, I had gotten pink eye.  This pretty much ruined my week.   No one warned my that my little cousin we had visited at the beginning of spring break was sick and had pink eye.   Argh!!!!  

Thus I haven't blogging a lot recently since I could barely stand using my eyes, they'd been itching and stinging so bad all week.  And living in the dorms is not as fun as everyone makes it out to be.  They NEVER shut-up!!!  All the girls have seriously since I got back have been screaming and giggling non-stop, and it's not helping my mood at all. I feel like crap.... (excuse my language.) and am not myself right now.  and I can't tell you how sad I was last night when I was sitting in our living room doing homework when I heard them running and screaming after quiet hours "OMG!!! We're going to pull an all-nighter and watch the Royal Wedding."

So in the end back to Easter.  I just feel like I need a big dose of God's Love.  Some patience, energy, and strength.   but a lot of love.  I hate living with girls.  They're such back-stabbers, noisy, and annoying, and I am definitely looking forward to moving into the apartments with the upper class-men.  instead of 16 girls we will only have 8.   Praise The Lord!

I honestly thank the Lord for His sacrifice for us.  He gave up His only son Jesus, cause He loved us, despite our hatred or anger toward Him, despite our faults and failures.  He Loved Us.  He Died For Us.  I don't know if I will ever be able to come close to the way He loves us.   But Easter is not about His death but the fact that Jesus defeated death by coming back to life.  So we can be assured a free gift of life in heaven with Him if we only accept it.   God is love.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Slice of Summer

Me with the band "Slice of Summer" after the concert
Daniel, Grayson, Jared, Dalton
& Me!

So I don't know if you've heard of "Slice of Summer" but if you haven't you need to check them out!   After our open mic night, two of our fellow colleagues and their band put on a concert for all of the students.  Wow! I had heard of them, but I did not know how amazing they were.  Not only did they rock, but they are all excellent performers, there was even one point where their lead singer/guitarist jumped off the drumset, unfortunately I didn't catch it on cam :(  



So Daniel, the drummer of the band is actually one of my friends on-campus.  He's super cool, and he's probably one of the best drummers I've seen.  He rocks.  Plus he was singing vocals at the same time.

So I don't know too much about their band yet, though I think I will very soon ;)   but I'm pretty sure they're gonna be one of the bands playing at Warp Tour this year.   LEGIT!

KNCI's X Factor Finalists - Vote for Dalton!

One of my best friends, and most amazing voices I have heard, has made it to the top four finalists for the KNCI's X Factor.  So we're trying to get as many votes for him.  That's why I'm asking you to

VOTE FOR DALTON MCNEELY!! 

 

Just click below to vote.

http://kncifm.radio.com/2011/04/04/videos-kncis-x-factor-finalists-vote-for-your-favorite/#comment-5624 

One Day Without Shoes

Today was TOMS' One Day Without Shoes.

It's meant to raise awareness about people who go barefoot everyday, and I could definately tell you it did.  It was honestly very strange going without shoes.  The concrete was cold and rough, I kept scrambling around looking for my shoes before remembering I didn't have them with me, and there was a "no shoes no service" policy in the caf so that complicated things. lol 

Well anyhow, TOMS is a company that creates shoes for people that go barefoot everyday, and everytime you buy a pair another pair goes to one of those people. Pretty good cause.  God Bless Them.