Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Jobs I Would Not Like To Have

1. SWAT Team Member

2. Taxi Driver

3. Customer Service in an airport

4. Teacher

5. Waitress

6. Telemarketer

7. Maid/Hotel Room Cleaner

8. Plumber

9. Construction Worker

10. Toll Collecter

11. Animal Control Officer

12. Exterminator

13. Pediatrist



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Four Things: A MeMe

Okay, Heather tagged me to do this meme so here goes!

A)Four things you may not know about me:
1. I relate almost anything someone says to either a song or a movie.
2. I used to not like other peoples' feet touching me. I'm not so bad anymore, unless the person has funk feet.
3. My favorite color is red.
4. Tanning in the tanning bed makes me happy.

B) Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. O Brother Where Art Thou
2. Son-In-Law
3. National Treasure
4. The Chronicles of Narnia

C) Four places you have lived:
1. Brown Summit. That's it. Nowhere else.

D) Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. House
2. Boy Meets World
3. Falcon Beach (it's actually pretty good!)
4. Friends

E ) Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Orlando, FL
2. New York, NY
3. Atlanta, GA
4. Boone, NC

F) Websites you visit daily:
1. Yahoo
2. Myspace
3. Facebook
4. Blogger

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Key Lime Pie
2. Homemade chocolate pudding (not the jello mess you buy in the store!)
3. Anything mexican
4. Bread, any kind

H ) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Australia
2. Ireland
3. Cozumel
4. Boone

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I Am Thankful For! I know you usually do these types of lists around Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I think you should take time to think about all you're thankful for all year! I'm thankful for: 1. For God's love. Even though I don't deserve anything, He's always there for me. 2. For my parents. They were the ones who taught me about God's love. They're awesome. 3. For my boyfriend Josh. I truely believe he was sent to me by God! 4. For my church family. I have a pastor that loves the Lord and teaches His word and a church family who is always there to encourage, pray with me, or just have fun with. 5. For my health. I have no major problems to my knowledge, and have had no previous incedents. These days, that's rare. 6. For my dog, Tosha. Okay, I know she's just a dog, but she's my baby! 7. For the opportunity to go to UNCG. There are alot of people who would love to go to college but just can't afford it. I'm fortunate. 8. For my house. I dream about alot of houses that are bigger, fancier, etc., but mine is perfectly fine and keeps me safe and warm. 9. For my car. This is a luxury item, but it would be hard for me to imagine life without it. 10. For my job. I keep my cousins children. I get to have the hours I want to work and get to spend alot of time with them, they're adorable! 11. For my freedom. I get to live in a country where I can worship God freely, without fear. 12. For my laptop. Another luxury item, I know, but it gives me a chance to keep in touch with high school friends. 13. For being an only child. Some people don't like it, but I'm glad I'm an only child. I may not be as close to my parents as I am if I had siblings.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Of My Favorite Fiction Books! I will say that you will probably know my favorite authors after reading this! 1. Halfway to Forever by Karen Kingsbury 2. The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers 3. Ocean's Apart by Karen Kingsbury 4. The entire Redemption Series by Karen Kingsbury 5. The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers 6. The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers 7. Even Now by Karen Kingsbury 8. A Moment of Weakness by Karen Kingsbury 9. A Time to Dance and A Time to Embrace by Karen Kingsbury 10. Sam's Letters for Jennifer by James Patterson 11. Suzanne's Diary for Nicolas by James Patterson 12. The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks 13. A Thousand Tomorrows by Karen Kingsbury

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be...

You always hear little kids say this when they're in elementary school, and no matter what they say, they know it's going to happen. They're going to be an airplane pilot or country singer or space ranger. If only we could be that sure when it comes time to choose a career for real.

I have been struggling in deciding on a major in college. I don't want to go into something and waste my time and money if I'm just going to change my mind. I've already gone through architecture and psychology. Neither of the two are for me I've discovered. You know, it's very easy to figure out what you don't want to do. I wish there was some way that was just as easy to decide what you DO want to do.

However, I may be narrowing the field, finally. This is actually something that has always been in the back of my mind: accounting. I've always liked math. I'm good at it and I understand it easily, or at least more so than any other subject. I have recently talked to a few resources and the more I look into it, the better I feel about the idea. There's a demand for accountants, so I know I could get a job, and they make pretty good money. I also found out that in order to get your accounting degree you must take a lot of business management and administration classes. So with an accounting degree I could actually go into several directions.

I have at least two more semesters of general classes but after that a decision MUST be made. I'd like to ask all of you to pray for me as I go through these next semesters that I will know for sure what God's will is for my life.

Thursday Thirteen!

Thirteen Reasons Why I Think Taylor Hicks Deserved To Win American Idol! 1. He looks different from the typical pop star. 2. He has a good personality. 3. He has original dance moves. Okay, very original! 4. He's from the south. 5. He has a unique, rough voice. 6. He can sing alot of different styles of music and still make it his own and sound good. 7. He'll wear just about anything he is asked to wear. (i.e. the purple jacket) 8. He is always smiling, even when criticized. 9. He's the first caucasion male to win American Idol. 10. He can do serious and funny and do them outstandingly. 11. He's a good entertainer. 12. He is humble even in Hollywood. 13. I voted for him 60 times and I'm glad I wasn't just wasting my time!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Now You Know My ABC's...

Okay, I'm trying to catch up some since it's been a good while since I've blogged. Heather tagged me to do this random MeMe, so I'll use this to get started!

Accent: Southern. Country and southern.

Bible Book that I like: Ecclesiastes, 1 John, Ephesians

Chore I don't care for: Folding laundry, I definately agree with Heather on this one!

Dog or Cat: Dog

Essential Electronics: Cell phone, laptop, some type of music player

Favorite Cologne: Not sure, I know I like the smell of Candie's for men though

Gold or Silver: I like both, but I usually wait until summer when I have a tan for gold

Handbag I Carry Most Often: My burgundy Vera Bradley, I paid enough for it, I'm gonna carry it until it falls apart!

Insomnia: Every now and then, I usually don't have a problem sleeping though. I like sleep.

Job Title: Babysitter? Nanny? Something of that nature

Kids: Definately someday, but not soon. Got to get married first, and I'm not in any rush

Living Arrangements: With my parents and my dog

Most Admirable Trait: I have been told recently that I take a strong stand in my beliefs. I admire people with that trait, so I guess that is one of mine.

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Talking back to my parents. I always had to have the last word. I actually cursed at my dad when I was four. I didn't know I was saying a curse word, it was before I had be taught the words to say and the words not to say. I got a good beating. I've never cursed since haha.

Overnight Hospital Stays: I've never had to be in the hospital (knock on wood!)

Quote: "Love is a decision." It's from a series of books by Karen Kingsbury, The Redemption Series

Religion: I'm not religious, really. I'm a Christian. (I agree wholeheartedly with this, Susan and Heather, so I'm keeping it here!)

Siblings: My parents had but one child, ME!

Time I Wake Up: When I keep Raegan and Trace, 6:15. If I'm sleeping in, usually 9 or 9:30

Unusual Talent or Skill: I can't think of any, I guess I'm not unsual haha

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Squash, but I love zuccinni. Okay, maybe I am unusual...

Worst Habit: Cracking my knuckles

X-rays: Does the dentist count?

Yummy Stuff I Cook: Key Lime Pie, homemade chocolate pudding, sweet potato casserole

Zoo Animal I Like Most: The polar bears

Thursday Thirteen

Just an update: my finals are over and I ended up with very good grades! Woohoo! Also, we had a safe trip to and from Florida and had a great time! Thanks for all the prayers. Now here's my Thirteen!

Thirteen Of My Favorite Songs! These are not in any specific order! 1. Only Grace by Matthew West 2. Stay by Jeremy Camp 3. Jesus Bring The Rain by MercyMe 4. Consuming Fire by Third Day 5. Long As I Got King Jesus by Brian Free & Assurance with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir 6. Sing Me To Heaven by Daniel Gawthorp 7. My Jesus by Todd Agnew 8. Midnight Cry by Ivan Parker (preferably performed by my uncle Benny) 9. Praise You In The Storm by Casting Crowns 10. Magnificent Obsession by Steven Curtis Chapman 11. I Know My Redeemer Lives by Nicole C. Mullins 12. Alabaster Box by Hope's Call 13. Praise Anthem by Richard Smallwood and Vision

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thursday Thirteen

Okay guys, I've been a bit busy with final exams (pray for me!!!) and getting ready for vacation, but here's my Thursday Thirteen!

Thirteen Things I Need To Do Before Leaving For FLORIDA!!! 1. Take my Spanish exam tomorrow 2. Take my Biology exam next Tuesday 3. Finish a paper 4. Get a pedicure (I'm serious) 5. Pack 6. Buy travel sized shampoo, soap, etc. 7. Buy new flip flops 8. Get more batteries for my camera 9. Sell back my Biology book 10. Return my library books 11. Buy new razor blades 12. Go visit a few houses in the Parade Of Homes 13. TAN!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Of My Favorite Places To Eat In Disney World! 1. Rainforest Cafe 2. Planet Hollywood 3. The Mayan Grill 4. Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano 5. 50's Prime Time Cafe 6. Le Cellier Steakhouse 7. The Crystal Palace 8. Tony's Town Square 9. Ghirardelli Soda Fountain 10. Hollywood & Vine 11. L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante 12. Boulangerie Patisserie 13. Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Ah, The Randomness!

Okay, I was tagged by Heather to do this random MeMe. I have to tell you 6 random things about me that you may or may not know, so here goes!


1. I sometimes turn on my turn signal when going around a curve. I only do this when my mind is elsewhere. I guess God makes me do this to snap me out of my thoughtlessness.

2. I cannot type without looking at the keyboard. I can still type pretty fast, I just have to look down. Most people learn how to type without looking in school, but I never did. Oh well.

3. I never buy the same kind of shampoo that I just finished. When a bottle runs out, I go out and buy a different kind. I heard that different kinds have different nutrients for your hair in them, so if I use the same kind every time, my hair may not be getting something that it needs.

4. I am afraid of fire. I like fireplaces and bon fires, but I don't like lighters or sparklers and I'm terrified of matches. I have never lit a match in my life.

5. I think my ideal job would be an editor for a Christian publishing company. Think about it, I'd get to read books all day long and give my opinion! Either an editor or a food critic. That'd be cool too.

6. I am a very picky eater. VERY picky. My mom picks on me sometimes, but it's really her fault. I get it from my grandpa, who passed it to me through her. I used to think I was the only one in my family that was this picky, but then I learned that a lot of the things I don't like, my grandpa doesn't like them either. I'm not the only one!

Hope you enjoyed!

Tu Hablas Espanol?

Well once again I have gotten behind on blogging. I hope you all forgive me and continue reading! I also have a random MeMe that Heather tagged me on, so that will be up tomorrow.

Today, though, I want to tell you all a story. This is a true story that happened moments before I began typing this. I have an oral exam tomorrow in Spanish, in which my professor will ask me 5 questions out of about 15 that she gave us to study for. To study, I wrote the questions on notecards with the corresponding responses on the opposite side. I asked my mother to read the questions randomly to me. I did not realize what I was asking.

My mother knows english. My mother does not know any languages other than english. This means that she's not experienced when it comes to reading another language, even spanish. However, this was a very funny experience. What made it funny wasn't necessarily how she said the words (although this was pretty funny), but it was the look on her face when saying them.

She got tired of studying pretty quickly, and I can understand why. I'm just glad that I have a mom that will take the time to help me with my studying, even if she has no clue what she is saying to me!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Of My Favorite Quotes! 1. "Gosh..." -Napolean Dynamite 2. "I don't know!" -Lucy Pevancy from Chronicles of Narnia 3. "You guys got chickens? I love chickens! Are they extra crispy or original recipe?" -Crawl from Son-In-Law 4. "Love is a decision." -from the book Redemption by Karen Kingsbury 5. "If it wasn't this, it's be something else!" -from Elizabethtown 6. "Walking in the grass feels so fine, don't need shoes in the summertime!" -SpongeBob 7. "I love them pigs, I love them pigs so much! We love them swine (snort snort snort), they is devine (snort snort snort)!" -from Rigoletto 8. "Cows, I hate cows more than I hate coppers!" -from O Brother Where Art Thou 9. "Oh my gosh, Nemo's swimming out to sea!!!" -the buck-toothed fish from Finding Nemo 10. "Look, it's a tall green man with a weird gotee. I'm guessing that's significant. (Begins crying and hugs statue)" -Riley from National Treasure 11. "New York City has no power, and the milk is getting sour, but I do not think it's scary because I stay away from dairy. La la la la la la la..." -Phoebe from Friends, and yes it is a song, but I like it! 12. "I sometimes eat on Saturdays." -from Failure to Launch 13. "Schmidtty!!!" -all of us Balkus people, we said it long before that stupid commercial came out!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Healthy Competition

Okay, I have always heard that competition is good for you. It supposedly helps you build character. Well, it seems as if I have some healthy competition coming my way!

Sunday night, Josh came to church with me and afterwards a group of us all went to eat at Pizza Hut. Josh was at the end of the table, and my cousin's 2 year old daughter Raegan was at the head. Raegan had never been around Josh that much, so at church she spent a lot of time staring and trying to figure him out. I guess by the time we got to Pizza Hut, she had decided that she liked him.

The whole time we were there eating, she was making eyes at Josh and flirting with him. It was so cute! Then, when we went outside, Raegan started to run out into the parking lot and Josh grabbed her and picked her up. He went ahead and put her in her car seat, and boy did she like this! I didn't get to see her face, but my mom did and said she was in a trance. But this isn't the best part.

About 5 minutes after we left, Crystal called me. Raegan had been praying, thanking God for everyone that had been there. After she finished going through saying "God bless..." for everyone, she stopped and said, "Mommy, I want to kiss Josh!" Now you can imagine what a surprise this was to hear from a 2 year old.

After Crystal told me, she ended the phone conversation with, "Love you, bye." As she hung up, she heard Raegan say in her sweetest voice, "He he he, love you, bye! I was talking to Josh mommy. He's my boyfriend!" It was tthe cutest thing! I'm going to have to watch out when Raegan is around Josh. She may try to steal him from me!

Disney World, Here We Come!

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

Well, I am getting very very excited. Why you may ask, because in 3 weeks, I'm going to Disney World!!! It's one of my favorite places in the entire world. This will be my 8th time going. This may sound like a lot, but you don't know my dad.

The first time we went, I was in the 7th grade. My mom had to go to a conference for work that was being held inside the Disney resort. I wanted to go so bad, and mom had already been the year before, so after a little convincing, daddy agreed to go. When we got down there, he was like a little kid, running around everywhere, wanting to see absolutely everything. Needless to say, he loved it!

Ever since then, daddy starts saving and planning in July to go back in the spring. He has a small obsession. But it actually works out pretty great for me because I get to go to Florida every year. I get really excited bout it every year, but this year is going to be even better. Josh, my boyfriend, is going with us.

Now before I go any further, let me make it clear that he will be staying in a different room from me. Any other arrangement would not be right, and extremely uncomfortable for me! Continuing on, I cannot wait until we go. This will not only be Josh's first time to Disney and his first time on a plane, but this will also be the first time he has spent a substantial amount of time with my dad. This is going to be interesting! I'll have to let everyone know how it goes!

Thursday Thirteen

Okay everyone, I have gotten behind on my blogging. I am ashamed. But I am going to try to do a lot more writing on here! Do not fear! So here's my Thursday Thirteen, enjoy!

Thirteen Things I Like To Do To Relax! 1. Get a pedicure 2. Read a book 3. Get a message 4. Cook 5. Listen to music 6. Sit in a rocker on the front porch 7. Go for a walk 8. Read the Bible 9. Take a drive, not a hurried one 10. Play Spider Solitare 11. Watch a good movie 12. Go shopping 13. Talk to Josh Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen of my Pet Peaves 1. When people pull out in front of you and then go below the speed limit 2. When a dryer sheet is left on the kitchen floor (I have slipped on one before...not fun!) 3. When someone starts to tell you something and then stops and says they can't tell you 4. Cigarette smoke 5. People who won't let you get on the highway, Wendover, or any of the like 6. People that don't parent their children 7. "Christians" who do not live the Word 8. E-mails that promise granted wishes, gift certificates and "luck" 9. Cigarette smoke 10. Drug abuse of any kind, including prescriptions and/or alcohol 11. Fake people 12. Obnoxious, rude, disrespectful, profane people 13. Did I mention cigarette smoke?? I mean really, if you choose to slowly kill yourself through the use of tobacco, at least have the courtesy to not smoke and kill others! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Yay for Narnia!

Sorry for not posting in a few days. Unfortunately I have been blessed with a touch of the stomach virus. Not fun. I'm feeling better today though so maybe I'm almost done with it.

Today after school I went to Target to buy The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. It just came out today and I am so super excited!!! See, that is now one of my favorite movies ever. It is awesome. Everyone should see it at least 5 times. I have only seen it thrice, and for this I am sad, but since I just bought it, I will live up to my own standards haha.
I am also reading the original books by C.S. Lewis. They are really good. It's kind of weird because technically they are children's books, but they are so wonderful that I don't care.
I also heard on the radio that they are putting out the next book in a movie around Christmas 2006. I hope they are right and it's not just a rumor. This also makes me happy!

It's A Virus! Well, Not Really...

So here's the deal...Pearsonified has started a small, casual social experiment, it’s called “The Indie Virus.” Here’s how Pearsonified describes this experiment:The experiment, henceforth referred to as “The Indie Virus,” has two goals:* To bring exposure to lesser known blogs (especially those outside of Technorati’s top 100)* To explore the metrics behind a viral linking campaign launched by the “little guys” (less popular blogs)
I will now be so kind as to pass this virus on to Tracy
http://rumblepants.blogspot.com/>
because she is the only other person I know that blogs on here haha!

Thursday Thirteen!

Thirteen Places That I Would Like To Go To Before I Die! 1. Ireland 2. Alaska - To see the Northern lights 3. Australia - New Zealand is included in this. I want to see the back country. 4. Italy 5. England 6. Montana - I want to drive a hundred miles an hour and it be legal! 7. Yucatan Peninsula - I want to ride horseback to see the Mayan Ruins 8. Canada - I want to go bowling in Canada with Heather, so when we're old, we can say, "Hey, remember the time we went bowling in Canada?" Haha 9. Bora Bora 10. Japan - To see Will's kin-folk 11. California - Not necessarily to see "where the celebrities live," but to see the Pacific Ocean 12. Africa 13. Graceland - Everyone's got to go to Graceland! Haha! Links to other Thursday Thirteens!1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

"Christian Liberty"

Every Wednesday afternoon I meet with a friend at school and we have a Bible study. Today, my friend told me a statement someone had said and it amazed me. The statement she heard was this: "I have the 'Christian Liberty' to sin." This person, whom she chose to keep anonymous, believed that as long as they were saved, they basically could do whatever they wanted, even sin, and it was okay because they knew God would forgive them. Romans 6 contradicts this statement.
Today while looking at Romans 6 in our study, we discussed how Paul says over and over and over again that when you are saved, you are dead to your sins. Verse 15 says, "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." It goes on to say that when we are saved, we are free from our past, free from death and sin. Now this does not mean that we will NOT sin. We sin daily because of our human nature. The difference is that we should not WANT to sin anymore.
Verses 21-23 says, "21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." So what is all of this saying? When we were living in sin, the only thing we were working towards was death. But now, because of grace, we are FREE from sin and have the promise now of eternal life. That is our "Christian Liberty." What reason do we have to go back to sin? There is none.
There is a song that comes to mind while I'm writing this. It's called "My Wants Been Changed" by the Ruppes. Here's the chorus:

"It's true I can do whatever I want, but my wants've been rearranged.
Jesus came in, saved me from sin, now there's been an awesome change.
I used to want all this world could give, but I've chosen not to die, no, I'm gonna live.
It's true I can do whatever I want but my wants've been changed."

If you're struggling with going back to past sins, pray that God will help you to return to His will. He'll give you the strength you need, all you have to do is ask!

My Clothing Rant

Today I went shopping with my mother at lunch. We went to the employee store for the company she works for. Both my mother and I got a pretty substantial amount of clothing, so much that we're almost done with shopping for summer clothes, and it was only about $115.00. Back in the day, when clothes were alot cheaper, this would seem like alot, but now, it's a great great bargain!
This thought then brought a question to my mind: Why do clothes cost so much now days? I remember when I was little, my mom wouldn't pay more that $15 for a pair of jeans, and definately not more than $10 for a shirt. Now, even at non-name brand stores that have good sales, I hardly ever pay less than $30 for jeans. And tennis shoes, usually around $60, if you find a really good deal. And these are staples in the average person's wardrobe. I guess they figure we need them so they can charge what they want.
But there is one thing that bothers me about these rising prices. I went to a store recently, one that has reasonably priced clothes, looking for a bathing suit (I did not find any mainly for the fact that I choose not to expose myself like most of the bathing suits sold do, but that's another subject entirely). Most bathing suits were around $25, for each piece. So, if you are planning to be covered, you're looking at a $50 bathing suit. After I left to this store, I went to the mall to look for one. Big mistake. The prices I found there were almost twice as much. In one store, each piece was $48. That is insane!!! It's not alot of cloth, why the high price??
This is also true of shirts, shorts and skirts. Each year there seems to be less and less fabric that makes up the article of clothing, but still the companies feel the need to send the prices through the roof. I do not understand!!! I am just thankful for stores like my mom's employee store, a place where you can still buy a pair of jeans for $15 or a shirt for $8. Other stores should go back to this!

Could I Be A Poet?

Today I am writing about writing. I've always thought it would be really cool to write poetry. See, I'm currently taking a poetry class and am required to read and discuss all kinds of poems, structured, free verse, anything and everything. In reading some of these poems, especially those that are free verse, I have found that I really like reading it. I mean, just the way that the speaker's feelings are laid out on the table for the world to see, it's very captivating.
Like I said earlier, I think it would be cool to write poetry. However, I have learned that it is not so so simple. When I used to think about poetry (real poetry, not the stuff they make you write in middle school that fits a certain formula), I thought that the poet did only one thing: put their inner-most thoughts down on paper. I thought that if you were good enough of a poet it would sound like a masterpiece. I was wrong.
In my poetry class we recently read a collection of poems called "The Owning Stone" by Jim Peterson. Today, Jim came to our class and talked about the book, writing poetry in general and answered any questions we had. While he was talking and telling us about his thought process (keep in mind that he is not the stereotypical 'crazy poet', he's just a guy who likes to write), I was really amazed at how much detail you have to pay attention to. Using or not using punctuation, word choice, line breaks, how it appears on the page, etc. Knowing now how challenging it is to write poetry, it actually makes me want to write it more. Who knows, you may see some poetry show up on here!

Wandering Aimlessly...Kind Of

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a fabulous day so far. So I just got back from a second trip to the dermatologist. I went last week and had a mole taken off, and the pathology report came back saying it was but a tiny bit away from being melanoma. Today the doctor took some more skin so it can be tested. It's kind of a scary thing, being that I'm only 19 years old and I'm dealing with the posibility of skin cancer in my near future. However, I do know that God is in control and will bring me through anything. I just ask that you pray that everything comes back okay and that no further action will be needed.

On to a lighter subject: my future. Okay, so maybe it's not really all that light of a subject, but I feel like talking about it. See, I thought I had figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I would study and get a degree in Psychology and then use that to try to help others. Now, I'm not so sure. Psychology interests me and all, but I don't want to make a career out of it. Actually, the only way you can make a career out of it is if you spend half of your life in school. Please understand that I am not saying that this is a bad thing, but it's not for me. One thing that I want one day is a family. I want to be married and have children, and more than that, be able to spend time with them. So for now, I'm basically floating along, just waiting to see what God has in store for me. It will probably be something much more exciting to me than psychology!

My First Post!!!

Hey everyone! Well this is my first blog post on blogspot. It's so exciting! You'll have to bear with me while I try to figure all of it out. I'll get it, eventually.

So I thought for my first post I would explain my blog title: "Thoughts From a Brunette Brain." This may sound as a pretty straight-forward title, and it would be, if I had brunette hair naturally. See, I am really a natural blonde. Many blondes, though not all, fall under the classic stereotype of the "dumb blonde." It's sad, I know. But thanks to my cousin Tracy, God decided to bless me with a smart brunette brain. This does not mean that I do not have blonde moments. I don't think there is any one person who has never had a "blonde" moment. However, for the most part I use good common sense.

In the future I will probably be posting a variety of things: Quotes, stories, random thoughts, whatever comes to mind at the time! Hope you enjoy!