Thirty Day Challenge: Day 30: A Motto or Philosophy

At long last I have come to the end of this challenge. It has been interesting, fun, and at times a little bit difficult! I definitely enjoyed it!

I have many mottoes that encourage me in different areas of life.

• "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die we are the Lords." ~Romans 14:7-8
• "I am not afraid of the storm for I am learning how to sail my ship." ~Louisa Mae Alcott
• Live. Laugh. Love.
• Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.
• To live is the rarest thing of all, most people exist, that is all.
• Run your hardest when it is hardest to run.
• Prayer: When life gets too hard to stand, kneel.
• "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~Philippians 4:13

My philosophy in life is simple:

Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. Don't ask God why, just trust Him.

Day 29: Hopes, Plans and Dreams for the Next 365 Days

My biggest hope for the next year is to draw much closer to God. I want to grow in Him, learning from every happening in my life. Like the song says, "Oh, I want to know You more, deep within my soul I want to know You, Oh, I want to know You. To feel Your heart and know Your mind, looking into Your eyes stirs within me, cries that say 'I want to know You more,' Oh, I want to know You."

Plans for this next year include working, working some more, going to Shawnee for graduation, maybe going out east with a friend, probably going to Virginia for a family reunion, working, going back to Shawnee in the Fall, and working, Christmas break, and then STUDENT TEACHING! I know, not very thrilling, but that's all that I know of at the moment. God has a funny way of doing what He wants in my life and changing all of my plans. I have learned to simply accept what He wants and go on with life. Fighting God's leading tends to bring much heartache and pain, and it's not worth it.

Dreams for this year are finishing my in class training by the end of the year and to finally be student teaching. It seems like I've been in college forEVER, I'm soooo ready to be finished and on my way to doing other things with life. Another dream of mine is to finally purchase my own car that actually works (I seem to have a problem with getting a decent car). Oh, and an extra dream that doesn't necessarily have to come in the next 365 years, but would be a nice bonus, is the man of my dreams! ;) It never hurts to wish for something, right?!

Day 28: A Scar and its Story

Somehow I have made it through life without many scars. I don't know how this happened (or should I say didn't happen) because I was a rough and tumble tomboy growing up. Amazingly I have never broken a bone, although I have come very close on several occasions.

The scar I'm going to tell you about did not happen while I was growing up, in fact it came about last March, less than a year ago. When I am at school one of my jobs is at an ammunition factory. I have assembled thousands of bullets for all kinds of guns. One day I was working in the casting room making lead balls. When I work in there I have to wear safety glasses, a leather apron, and leather gloves. At this point the lead is nearly 700 degrees Fahrenheit!

One day the machine got stuck so I took my gloves off to fix it, BIG MISTAKE. As I reached into the machine to fix it some of the hot lead got on my middle finger of my left hand. OUCH! The lead left a hole in my finger that went nearly to my bone! It hurt really bad. It took about 4 or 5 weeks to completely heal and now I have nasty scar on my finger.

Ps. I never fixed the machine without my gloves on again.

Day 27: A Physical Feature

It has been said that the eyes are the window to the soul, I firmly believe that. The first thing I notice about anyone is their eyes. You can tell what a person's mood is as soon as they walk into a

room by the way their eyes are. Eyes express joy, sorrow, love, thought, bitterness, hurt, and so much more. People can talk without uttering a single word by the look in their eyes.

I think the worst sense to lose would be that of sight. Not being able to see the beauty of God's creation, the faces of loved ones, the words of a book, or the color of a room has to be incredibly tragic. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and without sight that picture cannot be seen.

The Bible speak of the eye in several places. "The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord has made even both of them." ~Proverbs 20:12 "The light of the body is the eye: therefore if thine eye is single, they whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness." ~Luke 11:34

Day 26: A Childhood Memory

I grew up in a very family-oriented home. Throughout my formative years we did everything as a family...I was even home schooled! I have so many memories of times spent around the table laughing, having friends over to the house and playing games for hours, going to visit family in other states, taking walks, playing pranks, working in and outside the house, raising rabbits, going on vacations, and many more. I had a happy childhood.

There is one memory that is more prominent in my mind than any other. It was a ritual every night for as long as I can remember. Every night right before bed Dad would

come into our rooms and pray with us. Sometimes it would be a short prayer, but other times we would have a long heart to heart chat and then pray about whatever it was we talked about. Sometimes Dad would be away on a business trip, but he would call us at night and still pray with us. I thank God for a father who took the time to pray with me.

Thirty Day Challenge: Day 25: A Recipe

Being a connoisseur of recipes I found it impossible to share only one. I narrowed down my favorites to my few ultimate best! Enjoy!

Chocolate Yummies

I love this recipe because it is easy to make in the dorms!

INGREDIENTS:

• 7 graham crackers
• 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 pack (12oz., 2 cups) chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 3 T. butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 3 cups rice crispy cereal

DIRECTIONS

• Coat 9x13 microwave-safe dish with cooking spray. Arrange graham crackers in single layer in dis, breaking crackers as needed to fit. Sprinkle marshmallows evenly over crackers.
• Microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until marshmallows are puffy. Remove from microwave. Cool completely.
• in 2-quart microwave-safe mixing bowl combine chocolate chips, corn syrup and butter. Microwave on HIGH about 1 1/2 minutes or until chocolate is melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in peanut butter. Add cereal, mixing until combined.
• Spread evenly over marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm. Cut and store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies

This is my all time favorite brownie recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 t salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
• Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and cool before cutting.

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Delicious recipe for the coffee/cheesecake lover!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/s cups creme-filled sandwich cookie crumbs (about 18 cookies).
• 3 T butter, melted
• 2 T instant coffee crystals
• 1 T warm water
• 3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 large eggs
• 3 (1 oz.) square semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press firmly into bottom of 9-inch spring form pan.
• dissolve instant coffee crystals in warm water. Beat cream cheese until fluffy in large bowl. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add eggs, chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake 1 hour 5 minutes or until center is set. Cool. Chill.

Ambrosia Salad

For a healthier option, this salad is totally awesome.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, well drained (or 2 cups fresh)
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 (11 oz. can) mandarin orange segments, well drained
• 3/4 cup vanilla yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
• Refrigerate at least 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle a few marshmallows on top

Day 24: A Movie No One Would Expect Me to Love

I'm not going to lie, one of my favorite movies is Cinderella. I guess maybe it's because it's something I loved as a little girl and all of my life. I think every girl dreams of her prince charming from the time she's a little girl, and I don't think that desire dies until she has found him.

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Day 23: A Way in Which I Want to be Remembered

To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, "I desire to so conduct my life that when I leave this earthly body and stand before my Maker to make an account for all I have done, if I have no other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, that will be the friend down inside me."

My greatest desire is to be remembered at a woman who loved God, her family, and others. One who was determined to finish with a full, happy life. I want to be remembered for bringing love and laughter to all around me, not as someone who sapped joy out of everything. I do not want to be remembered as one who simply went from day to day with no point to living. Rather, I want to be remembered as a girl who had goals, met those goals and then went on to higher aspirations.

I want to be remembered as one who did what was right no matter the costs. Who wasn't afraid to do something because it went against popular opinion, but rather did what I felt agreed with the Bible and my conscience, even at the cost of friends, money, relationships, and all.

Most of all, I want to be remembered by God as one of His children who faithfully lived life according to His precepts. When I have reached the end of my journey on earth I want Him to say to me, "Well done my good and faithful servant."

Day 22: A Website

I think my favorite website is Bible Gateway. I love it because at the click of a mouse I can access many different Bible versions, look up verses, find a reading plan, use a commentary of Bible dictionary as well as many other study guides. It is a great way to study quickly and efficiently.

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

II Timothy 2:15

Thirty Day Challenge: Day 21: Something I do Differently than Most People

I can not stand to have "mixed food." I don't like eating casseroles or a lot of salads because the food is all jumbled together. For whatever reason I'm OCD about mixing things. I will eat the food given to me, but I have a crazy habit of separating everything once it is on my plate.

After separating things I then eat them one type of food at a time starting with the ingredient that I like the least. For example, we have been eating a lot of fruit salad lately. In this salad there are pears, apples, cantaloupe, oranges, pineapple, banana and sometimes grapes. I will take a serving of it (I love fruit) and eat it in this order: oranges, pears, apples, grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe, and banana. Even worse than that, when eating spaghetti I separate the noodles and the sauce! Now that's interesting to do, but I don't like them mixed together...at all!

Day 20: A Hobby

Everyone is probably going to think I am crazy, but one of my favorite things to do is to shoot guns. Yep, I said the g word...guns!

Having grown up in the country most of my friends and a lot of family own guns. In high school one of my favorite things in the world was to go to the range and out shoot the boys! I still love going out and shooting although I don't get to do it as often, so I'm afraid my skills aren't quite as keen as they once were. I did go through training and am certified to have a hunting license although I've never been able to bring myself to go hunting (too much watching Bambi as a kiddo). I do have a concealed carry permit though! :)

This is even juicier...one of my jobs down at school is working in an ammunition factory! Pretty cool, huh? I love telling guys that, they suddenly start salivating and get this dreamy look in their eyes. It's quite fun. Click here for company.

Day 19: A Talent

Probably the most "obvious" talent that God gave me was that of music. He has given me the ability to play both the piano and cello for His glory. Being able to worship Him with music is one of the most fulfilling tasks.

*****2010*****

*****Senior Recital 2008*****

Day 17: A Piece of Art

I must admit I am not a lover of art...in fact I avoid art museums like the plague and really do not understand what people think is so amazing about it. Yes, some of it is pretty, I guess, but a lot of it is kind of pointless (at least to me). So when I was trying to come up with what to post today I finally decided that Baby Blues was just as good as Leonardo da Vinci. :)

Thirty Day Challenge: Day 16: A Song that Makes Me Cry

Oh boy...being a lover of music and an emotional person, many songs move me to tears. Often this emotional outburst is because of the lyrics and the passion of the vocalist combined with the sensitivity of the accompanist. There is one song that means so much to me to and every time I tear up.

Day 15: A Person I Admire

This post involves not one, but two people I admire greatly. To have one without the other would be practically impossible. These two people are my parents.

Growing up my parents encouraged me as I grew both physically and spiritually. Were it not for them I would not be the person that I am today. Throughout the years they have shown me through their lives how to live in a godly way and how to demonstrate love to others -- even the unlovable. I could go on and on about them and their love for each other, their family, God, and the world. They are my heroes and I love them very much.

Thirty Day Challenge: Day 14: A Vacation I Would Like to Take

I must preface this post by saying that at the present moment ANY PLACE warm sounds like an amazing vacation spot, I don't think that there is a place anywhere in the continental United States (or Alaska for that matter) that is above 50 or 60 degrees and right now weather that is sunny and around 75 or 80 (or warmer) sounds amazing!

However, there are two places that I would consider to be amazing vacation spots, the first is Israel! I have dreamed for years of going to the Holy Land, despite all the turmoil, and seeing the places that Jesus and many important people that I have read and learned about all of my life lived. Most people consider me crazy for wanting to go there, but it is a dream that I hope will some day be fulfilled!

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The other country is Australia! "The Land Down Under" has always intrigued me and its beauty is overwhelming!

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Day 13: A Guilty Pleasure

I think I have two "guilty pleasures" although, I don't really find much guilt in them! These would be chocolate and ice cream! I love just about any kind of chocolate, and many kinds of ice cream (although cookies 'n cream would be my ultimate favorite!)

Day 12: A Song I Want at My Wedding

This post is much easier than many of the others in this challenge. One song that I have wanted to be played as the processional at my wedding is "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." It's a very old song, but the lyrics are amazing.

I must admit, the first time I heard it was while watching "Anne of Green Gables" and being the helpless romantic that I am, I could not resist loving the song. (Now I want to watch all of the movies again!)

Thirty Day Challenge: Day 11: A Photo of Me Taken Recently

I do not have any really recent pictures of me...the most recent is from the Christmas banquet at Shawnee which was the beginning of December.

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*****FBI*****

Ooohhh yeeeahhh!

Thirty Day Challenge: Day 10: A Photo that was Taken of Me Over 10 Years Ago

Finding pictures that are already on my computer from ten years ago is quite difficult. I did find a few, but most of them are well over ten years old and were used for a slide show my mom did for my high school graduation.

*****This is probably at least 18 years old*****

*****Always a Daddy's girl! Approx. 16 or 17 years ago*****

*****For those of you who know my brother this picture probably makes you laugh! He now towers over me at a whopping 6 ft. 4 in.! Approx. 14 years ago*****

*****This is probably the closest to 10 years ago*****

I am doing a 30 day challenge click here to see the posts that I have to do.