Mr. Miller Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth...

"And yet another thing about the churches I went to: They seemed to be parrots for the Republican Party. Do we have to tow the party line on every single issue? Are the Republicans that perfect? I just felt like, in order to be a part of the family, I had to think George W. Bush was Jesus. And I didn't. I didn't think that Jesus really agreed with a lot of the policies of the Republican Party or for that matter the Democratic Party. I felt like Jesus was a religious figure, not a political figure. I heard my pastor say once, when there were only a few of us standing around, that he hated Bill Clinton. I can understand not liking Clinton's policies, but I want my spirituality to rid me of hate, not give me reason for it. I couldn't deal with that. That is one of the main reasons I walked away. I felt like, by going to this particular church, I was a pawn for the Republicans. Meanwhile, the Republicans did not give a crap about the causes of Christ. Only one more thing that bugged me, then I will shut up about it. War metaphor. They would talk about how we are in a battle, and I agreed with them, only they wouldn't clarify that we were battling poverty and hate and injustice and pride and the powers of darkness. They left us thinking that our war was against liberals and homosexuals. Their teaching would have me believe I was the good person in the world and the liberals were the bad people in the world. Jesus taught that we are all bad and He is good, and He wants to rescue us because there is a war going on and we are hostages in that war. The truth is we are supposed to love the hippies, the liberals, and even the Democrats, and that God wants us to think of them as more important than ourselves. Anything short of that is not true to the teachings of Jesus."

-Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz

Blast from the Past

I love the 40's and the 50's! I love the style, and the music, and pretty much just everything about those eras. So I was totally psyched when, for our last event, the girls that live on my hall dressed up in clothes from that time period and went out to eat! We went to a place called Ruby's, that 's basically the same as Johnny Rockets. It was a swell time!

I love these girls.

Me and my wonderful RA, Megan!

We shoobie-doobie-doobied down to Ruby's!

Coffee=Love

The Sweet Far Thing

"We've the right to dream, and that, I suppose, is magic's greatest power: the notion that we can pick possibility from the trees like ripe fruit. We are filled with hope. Alive with transformation. We can become."

-Libba Bray

Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away...

Ok, seriously. The weather today has been RIDICULOUS. The weather forecaster predicted steady showers, which I wouldn't be happy about anyways, but at least then the weather is constant. Literally, I saw the weather go from pouring rain to warm sunshine in the space of 5 minutes at least 5 times today. The only constant was the wind. And, oh, how windy it was! I feel like I'm back in New Mexico in early March. But I'm not. I live in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. Where's the sunshine?? Where's the warm weather?? This is not ok. I'm crossing my fingers that weather.com lies through their teeth, and that tomorrow will be warm and sunny. But I'm bracing myself for the worst. Rain, rain, go away? Please??

Heaven

Little Wonders

Well, I finished the $2 A Day Challenge. It. Was. So. COOL!! Seriously. I highly recommend getting involved if you ever get the opportunity. Keep in mind that I am not a happy camper at all-literally. I hate being cold, and not being able to shower. Feeling dirty absolutely freaks me out. But weirdly enough, that was the only part that I did not like. I absolutely loved how free I felt. It was so cool to just lounge around outside all day. Basically all I did was read-which is pretty much my favorite thing to do anyways, so I was in heaven. The food was not exactly 5 star cuisine, but it was surprisingly better than I expected. And I felt so humble, and so simple... And not in a bad way either. Living that way really made life feel a lot simpler. And feeling (and looking) so grungy really helped to me to learn to not really care. Not that I'm going to stop showering, or anything. That's just plain crazy talk! To be honest I walked away with two feelings. First, I felt a true sense of empathy towards those in poverty. To me, this was a fun little experiment. I was completely safe, well-fed, and warm. My dorm was less than 5 minutes away, should I need anything, and I was getting three square meals a day. Those who are truly poor do not have these reassurances. And that really hit home for me. And secondly, I now have really started to appreciate the small pleasures in life. Things like a warm shower, comfortable bed, nice dorm room, and three square meals a day were never really things I stopped to thank God for. I took them for granted, I'll admit. But being deprived of them-even for 3 days-really made me stop to thank God for all that He has truly blessed me with. I don't deserve ANY of it. So, in closing, I will definitely thank Him as I fall asleep tonight for the warm, cozy bed I'm laying in. And secondly, I will NEVER complain about the caf again. Good night!

Slumdog Millionaire?

So I will be away from civilization for the next 3 days. Well, not really away. I just won't be in my dorm... or able to use electricity, running water, etc. I'm participating in a fundraiser to raise poverty awareness. For the next three days-starting TODAY! at 10:30-I will be living on only a sleeping bag outside. True, I will be on campus. But I will still be living, and sleeping, and eating outside. Oh, and I won't be taking a shower. WHAT AM I THINKING?? Well, for one thing, all proceeds will benefit Haiti. Hey, any little bit helps right? Secondly, it just sounded like a such a cool cause to get involved in. This will be extremely difficult, as I am one of the cleanest people you will ever meet. But I hope to prove to myself, and everyone else, that I can do this. And I hope to really learn some valuable experiences. I'm praying that God will really speak to me through this. So cross your fingers and pray for the best! I'm super freaked out, but totally stoked at the same time! See you all on Friday!

http://sdmicrofinance.org/2-challenge-hits-san-diego-campuses/

Deja Vu

Sometimes my life is funny. Take my birthday for instance. I have said for a while now that both the 17th and the 19th birthdays were the crappy, random birthdays in between two landmark birthdays. You can't do anything of importance on either one! They're just dumb years in my opinion. So I found myself laughing when I spent both birthdays in the EXACT SAME WAY. For both my 17th AND my 19th birthday, I went to Disneyland. Then when I got back home, the whole gang celebrated at the Melting Pot with delicious fondue. Poetic irony, anyone? Not that I'm complaining, because both are pretty sweet ways to celebrate any birthday, let alone TWO. So happy birthday to me! I can't wait to see what this year has in store!'

Excerpted

"She wanted him to see all of her and also none of her. She wanted him to be dazzled by the bits and blinded to the whole. She wanted him to see her whole and not in pieces. She had hopes that were hard to satisfy."

-Ann Brashares

The Happiest Place On Earth!

This past weekend, my friends and I went to Disneyland! Like every other NORMAL person on this earth, I love Disneyland. And this trip was even better because we participated in the "Give A Day, Get A Day" program that Disney is hosting. For those who don't know what this is all about, the program basically involved giving a day of volunteer work in exchange for a free day at Disneyland. Who could ever pass that up is beyond me... Anyways, we did our time, and reaped the rewards this weekend! What made it even more special was that we went in honor of my birthday as well! I got this totally awesome birthday pin that I proudly wore all day long. And, because we were in the Happiest Place On Earth, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, wished me a happy birthday! It was pretty much one of the coolest experiences EVER. But now I'm back at school and back to reality... almost. I do have my actual birthday tomorrow to look forward to, but after that it's reality once more!

This Is Me

Hello everyone! This blog will be centered around my nineteenth year in existence. I don't really know what made me decide to blog, but I've always thought it was a cool concept. And then, just a few weeks ago, we were talking about resolutions and whatnot, and I just decided that since my birthday was coming up (TOMORROW!), that I would start a blog about everything that happens during this CRAZY year! So here I am!

A little about me...

I'm nineteen (in 2 hours and 50 minutes, but really, who's counting?). I am currently located in good old sunny San Diego, California. This, however, is not where I am from. I am actually originally based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Coming from the desert to the beach was definitely a culture shock, but I'm so happy I'm here! I'm eternally optimistic, as well. I love God, bright colors, the beach, Disney movies, good music (too much to go into now, but I'm sure there will be a post in the near future about my music loves...), those deep talks with a good friend that form even deeper friendships, my friends (both here and back in NM), reading-I'm the one of the biggest bookworms you will ever meet, and so much more! I'm excited to share this year, and all of its crazy happenings with you all! Brace yourselves, 'cause it's gonna get CRAZY!!

Ok, bye.