2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

"The end of self is where Christ begins."

Blog Awards

Thank you *so* much Chloe for all these awards for my blog!!! I'm afraid this has taken me a loooong time to do but here it is finally! Be sure to check out Chloe's blog btw y'all! It's fantastic! :)

Okay, here goes, I'm doing 3 awards, I hope I do everything right!! Feel free to tell me if I do anything wrong! :)

The rules:

1. link the blog that nominated you for the award.

2. choose eleven bloggers to nominate that have less than 200 followers.

3. answer the questions given to you.

4. let the people who you've nominated know when you've done so.

5. you can't nominate the person that has nominated you.

6. create eleven questions for the bloggers you've nominated to answer.

7. you must follow the blog that nominated you.

IF you could visit any place in the world where would you go? China

How many siblings do you have? 8

Who was the first person you talked to this morning? My Mom

Do you like morning or evening better? Evening

Who is your role model? A friend of mine

If you could meet any person on earth, who would you want to meet? This is haaard! Ray Comfort?

Do you like going to the dentist? I love going to the dentist, lol!

Who is your best friend? After Jesus and my Mom, my friend Hannah

What is your favorite blog...other than yours :)? Bethany's blog

Have you ever flown over the ocean? Nope

What are you most looking forward to in life? Meeting the man (or maybe I've already met him??) God has for me and getting married

Now my questions:
Why did you start blogging?
What is your favorite quote?
What type of friend would you call yourself? Click here to decide.
What are 3 things you dream of doing?
If you could meet any person on earth, who would it be?
What was one of the things you wanted to be as a child?
What is your favorite sport to play?
If you could go back in time which time period would you choose to be in?
Have you always been more ladylike or more like "one of the boys"?
What is your favorite book?
If you could change anything about your life what would it be?

1. Thank the blogger who awarded you

2. Answer the ten questions he/she asked

3. Nominate ten bloggers to receive the award

4. Ask them ten questions (questions at bottom of post)

5. Let them know they've been awarded

1. Have you ever left the country?  If so, where did you go and why? No

2. Have you read the Hunger Games?  What are your thoughts on it? No

3. Who is your favorite U.S. president? Abraham Lincoln

4. What is your favorite song... or top three if you can't decide?

Good to be Alive by Jason Gray, By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North, and the hymn Faithful Love

5. What is one of your biggest life goals? To be bold and witness to people, share the Lord with the strangers I meet

6. What is one of the most embarrassing things that has happened to you? I was being a total dork one time in Walmart and I somehow ended up falling flat on my face right in front of a woman. I was so embarrassed!!!

7. Do you follow sports?  If so, what sport and what is your favorite team? No, not really, although Huskers will always be my favorite football team. :)

8. Have you ever attended a dance?  If so, what was it for? 

Yes, a wedding dance and a youth dance thing.

9. Do you have a job? 

Yep, my brother and I do lawn mowing together.

10. When was the last time you saw a movie in the theater?  What was it? I remember my Dad taking me to watch Toy Story 2 when Mom was in the hospital having Dylan, so I was around 5. I loved it. ;)

These are the rules: State 11 facts about yourself. Answer the questions given to you. Nominate six or eleven people. Let them know they're nominated.

11 Random Facts about me:

1. I am rocking Lilliana as I type this. :)

2. I have been wanting to swim SO bad for the last few months but have only got to twice.

3. My brother and I just started a lawn mowing business together

4. We have visited 2 new local churches the last couple weekends

5. I am selling 4 bunnies today, yay

6. I love to workout

7. I looove to travel

8. I'm saving up to do some of my own traveling

9. When I babysit I can get carried away sometimes...such as turning up some music, singing VERY loud, and dancing around the whole house like a fruitloop with the little children, but they love it, haha! ;D

10. I love riding my horse

11. Yay, I'm done and Lilliana is still asleep!! :D

1. Who was the first person you talked to today? Mom

2. What was the first thing you said today? Okay

3. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday

4. If you could be at any stage in life.. where would you be? I have no idea, if I can go back in time, probably 14.

5. What is your greatest dream? I don't know, I don't think about these type of questions! :/

6. If you could hop into any film which would it be? Anne of Green Gables

7. If you could become best friends with any fictional or real character who would it be? Samuel Morris

8. What was the funnest thing you did this week? Watching a couple Ray Comfort witnessing clips and seeing some friends

9. What are you most looking forward to in the next month? Going to see Clinton Anderson's Walkabout Tour in Topeka, Kansas!

10. What is your favorite food to eat? Anything Mexican

11. Do you keep a journal? If so, how often do you write in it? Yes, I do. Two actually. My prayer journal daily and my "just daily life" journal whenever I have time!

And now I nominate:

Tabitha
Anna
Heather
Tashia
Elyse Lauryn
The Keller girls
Elizabeth
Leah
Cryslyn
Jenny
Zipporah

*You all get all 3 awards, but if you don't want to do all three then you can choose which one(s) you want to do and just do those! :)

A story that must be shared

On the 20th dear friends of ours lost one of their family members in a tragic accident. A young boy who had just turned 14. I won't name anyone for their privacy but want to share the story with you. He was a very sweet, cheerful, Godly young man full of energy and always ready to give you one of his big, one-of-a-kind smiles. One of his favorite verses was Ecc. 9:10,"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might..." And that is how he was! If they wanted a job done quickly they called on him, he loved building things, playing violin, was his mothers right hand man and was just starting to really be able to help his dad with his job.

A special memory for us has to do with my little brother, Levi. He has a speech problem, he has gotten better but used to be very hard to understand and that makes him an easy target. As we were visiting churches a couple years ago, at a lot of them the children would make fun of Levi because of that. That made him sad and frustrated. We visited the church that this family goes to for about a year and this boy was a friend to my little brothers and never teased Levi but was always sweet to him. Levi's name for this church was "the church with the nice boy" because of him always being kind to him. :')

On the 19th, Friday night, this family had their family fun night. This time they sat around a campfire in their backyard and had a wonderful time together talking, singing, and sharing Bible verses. The next morning a group of boys including him and his dad went swimming. This boy had an absolutely amazing and fun time jumping off of a 15 foot cliff into the water with his best friend. As they were walking to the truck this boy said completely out of nowhere, "When I die, I hope it's fast!" Everyone heard him. Not 30 minutes later the driver swerved to miss a dog in the road and the boy, who had been sitting up on the side of the back of the truck (a lot of them were riding in the truck bed), fell, his upper body and head going under the back tire. He was dead instantly. The driver saw it all. The driver was only a young man 16-17 years old. He said to the boy's father, "I just killed your son." The father calmly replied as he cradled his son's head in his lap, "No, I gave him to the Lord 2 years ago and this was God's will. It was time for him to go." And in that moment, as the truck was still running a hymn came on the radio called "Enter In", words are below:

Enter In

In a world of pain and sorrow where the best so often fall.

When the prayers all go unanswered,

When the shadows seem to overwhelm,

When the light of hope has dimmed and leaves no hope at all.

That's when heaven pierces through the cloud of darkness,

And the glory of the Father shines from heaven's open door.

And the Son of Man, standing at the right hand of the Father,

With a warm embrace gives welcome, and the angels are rejoicing,

And the Father with a voice like rushing wind, says, 

"All heaven has been waiting, enter in, enter in, enter in."

When the dreams of life are shattered, and the body wastes away.

When all dignity's abandoned,

And the ones who care, with broken hearts,

Plead for mercy, but it seems that Mercy hides His face.

That's when heaven pierces through the cloud of darkness,

And the glory of the Father shines from heaven's open door.

And the Son of Man, standing at the right hand of the Father,

With a warm embrace gives welcome, and the angels are rejoicing,

And the Father with a voice like rushing wind, says, 

"All heaven has been waiting, enter in, enter in, enter in."

It seems like such a short life and I'm sure a lot have questioned why? I know we did. Why *him*?! He was so special, so sweet, so full of life and love for the Lord! He was a favorite of ours out of the whole church. Such a Godly young man. But, the things the Lord did to show so clearly that this was His will are amazing and we can take comfort from that. God is good, all the time. He doesn't make mistakes. Although his life here was short, he left an amazing testimony for the Lord. He has blessed many people, including us, with his life.

We do not know if the people we love will be here an hour from now! Tell the people in your life what they mean to you now, not at their funeral. Do what you have to do today, say what you have to say today, because today is all that we have.

We are all going to die. We might have time or as in the story I just told you it could be instant. Are you ready to meet the Lord? Have you made Him the Lord of your life and are living your life for Him? Seeking after Him daily? Reading His word and growing in Him? The sins of this world may seem fun for a time, but they will pass away and you will be left with an eternity, forever and ever, no end, *forever*, either in Heaven or in Hell. Choose you this day who you will serve! Like I said before, you may not have tomorrow or even an hour from now. Only God knows. Nothing will be able to compare and it will be worth it all to be able to hear the words on judgement day, " Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of thy Lord!"

Please, please keep this precious family and the young driver in your prayers. His funeral was one of the hardest saddest events I've ever been to. Losing a son, brother, and friend has left them heartbroken but they look forward to seeing him in Heaven. Pray that the Lord will continue to be with them, giving them strength and comfort. 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

-Isaiah 55: 8-9

By Your Side

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching
As if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

'Cause I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands at my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life 
I want to give you life

And I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

- The song "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North

"And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed."

-Deut. 31:8

*Pictures from Pinterest

I Have a Problem

Happy 4th Birthday Caden!!!

New pets

Paige's new kitten, Sugar, is so adorable!! :) Love her blue eyes!

Our Golden Retriever puppy, Koda, is also super adorable!! It's so fun having a bunch of babies around. ;)

Brothers and sisters

Recently while reading an article in a magazine this question popped out at me: 

Do my brothers and sisters see me as being like a second mom or as a friend?

It can be hard because I am put in charge of my brothers and sisters a lot, baby-sitting them, etc. But, I'm wanting to work on not being a boss, encouraging and praising them, taking the time to play with them more, and be a big sister they can look up to as a true friend. Let me tell you one thing I've noticed for sure: a little bit of praise makes them so happy! It's amazing what a few encouraging words can do! :)

A recent water balloon fight!!! :))

Paige, posing in her new dress.

At Flat Creek

Go Huskers!! :)

This amazing brother of mine watched our 5 little brothers while us girls went on a trip for a week! More about that coming soon! ;)

My goodness, are they cute or what?!

She's such a sweetie!

Playing basketball.

we.are.goofs.

Swinging!

And I'll end with this adorable baby sister of mine! Almost 5 months old already!!! :)