Laugh In the Face of Fear

A week ago, my family received bad news about my grandfather. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This disease is known for making people shake and it also affects the way you move. Yes, everyone was heartbroken but my grandfather did not pout along with everyone else. He seemed superior and was awesome by the way he took his bad news and made a joke, telling my grandma how he can't embarass himself by going to the grocery store to run her errands anymore. The doctors suggested that he lay low for a couple weeks and tries to rest his legs more often. This will be quite an obstacle for my grandpa, considering he is a hardworking man that is never able to sit down for more than a few minutes. He is constantly up and moving. Today, my granny called my dad worried. She said no matter how much she tried to warn my grandpa about his disease he refused to sit down and rest. My dad then proceeded to talk to him, explaining how is lifestyle is going to have to change since he was diagnosed with a disease that causes for him to me less mobile. My grandpa then said he was scared to stop moving because now he lives day by day wondering how much he is going to shake, or if his legs are gonna allow him to properly walk to the kitchen and back to the coach without trembling. My dad got a little teary eyed and answered, "You can't live with fear, daddy." After some emotional parts in the conversation my dad then laughed. My grandpa had just changed the subject and said he was sooo happy football season had started and that maybe now it will be easier for him to sit on the coach and be lazy all day.
My grandpa is a great example of how sometimes life can get scary and that sometimes you can't hold back the tears. But, though your times are tough, you should be able to laugh every now and then...maybe even most of the time knowing that you've got family and friends. But the most important person you have is God, your keeper, your best friend, your everything!

Long Days

As tired as I am, I have built up enough enthusiasm to write a post for my blog tonight. I have been babysitting my sister and two cousins sice ten o' clock this morning. My aunt had a party celebrating her birthday and my mom along with some of my aunt's closest friends were invited. But, in the end I was rewarded 40 bucks. So, I guess being busy with squeaky voices, loud laughing, and running feet, all day was worth it. But would I have been as willing to do such tedious work if I wasn't getting rewarded for it?? To answer honestly...no. Many times we do things because we know we will get rewarded or recognized for our doings. But remember in the Bible it says to do things without expecting to receive them back. I did a good thing today! I helped my aunt celebrate her birthday by giving her a stress free day without her kids lagging behind her. I feel great knowing that along with this, I got some extra cash in my pocket also. Maybe next time I babysit, I will surprise the parents by telling them don't worry about paying me. Overall, I hope that my aunt had a super duper birthday!

Achieving Your Goals

Well, this has been a great week so far, and not only a great week, but also a productive one. I have all A's and my wish has come true. I have received more playing time on the court. And not only have I received more playing time, but I am now chosen as one of the first players to go on the court! My mom joked and said that there was happiness on my face that looked so "geeky"! But, I don't care. I set a goal about a week ago, saying how i was upset that i didn't not get enough playing time as I wanted. So, I said that I would work hard at practice so that I could achieve my goal of playing more. I did exactly that. Diving for balls at practice, sprinting during laps, running for balls, keeping up good sportsmanship during scrimmages, this was all part of me showing my coach that I had what it takes to be a good volleyball player. Let this be advice to you. If you have passion about something but it's not taking you were you want to go, set a goal, and work hard to achieve it. I feel great knowing that I have worked hard and earned my playing time. I hope you take this piece of advice and let it soak in your lives. As the Bible says,"Pray and Never Give Up."

Confused?

Have you ever been in a situation where you just didn't know what to do? Who to trust? Who to listen to? Who not to trust? Who not to listen to? My friend is going through this exact situation right now. She doesn't go to my school but I know she must feel pretty lonely right now. I was actually honored when she texted me and told me that she just needed someone to talk to. You should be the person, where when someone needs a helping hand, you're able to give it to them. But anyways, she's only been in school for a week, and gossip has already started. Crazy and at the same time scary, to think of what the rest of the school year brings, if already gossip has started. Girls, who are only jealous, have started crazy ridiculous rumors, which I will not point out. My friend is a sincere person and the things they have said are definitely not true. But, being in a new environment where people are trying to find friends, it is hard for someone not to believe things if they don't really know the person. Being in high school, not only marks the beginning of the rest of our lives, but it is also time where people are finding out who their real friends are and most importantly finding out who they really are. Confused? Everyone is sometimes and in the process you should talk to your family, trustworthy friends, and...last but certaintly not least, GOD! He can help you with all your problems and situations. NEVER take it upon yourself to fix a situation because it will only wreak more havoc onto your life. Stand up for yourself when God says it is time, or you may be lucky and he'll fix your problem himself.

Determination

Today was the first volleyball game of the high school JV volleyball team. We left right after school to be at a game for 4:30 at Incarnate Word Academy, an all girls Catholic school, downtown. It was a great success! We won our game after playing two, neck to neck, intense, rounds. Though, I did not get to play as much as I would have liked to it was still fun and very exciting. My daddy knew I was disappointed about my playing time and went into one of his lectures about determination. I am a very competitive person and like to be the best at everything I do. Volleyball is not one of my best talents, but I enjoy it very much. So he told me havinh "heart" will take me a long way! I would really like to play more, and my coach even told those who didn't get much playing time to show her in practice that we want to play more. So, we have another game Friday at Kinkaid. This gives me three days to prove to my coach that I am ready for some more playing time. I may not get as much as I want now, but with a little determination, I plan to have a great season and win some more games and be happy knowing I was able to play just as much as the girls who played a lot today!

Fitting In

In my Pre-AP English class, my teacher, Miss Burton, had us write a paragraph over the purpose of the book The Portrait of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, it is about an attractive man that supposedly gives his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal life and youth. In the book, there are many passsages that talked about how society no longer cares about sincere people and how people are living in a world where they are afraid to be themselves. Being in high school, there are situations that teenagers put themselves in where they are afraid to shine and be who they really are in the terror of being rejected. In the bible, it states that God made us in his own perfect image. No one is ugly and everyone has their own unique personality, are facts that people should place in their mind when they are dealing with the pressure of being someone that they're not so they can be popular or get attention. In the end, you are truly happy once you find out who you are and abide by what's inside you. You are who you are and if you change, change for the better. And...Miss Burton if you're reading this....how about re-considering that grade. HAHA!

Broken Hearts

Always think before you act is a sentence that means so much to everyone. On my behalf, I have made a mistake that I can't take back. The very minute I spoke the words my world went spinning in a world of chaos. "You never know what you got till it's gone" is yet another phrase that means so much. By letting jealousy and a big misunderstanding take over my mind I have broken my heart and someone else's. I will pray and patiently wait for the time to come when hopefully we can look past this decision. But, for now its best that we move in our own ways in hopes of meeting someone new. But, of course the person that is next in our lives will never be as special as the relationship the person and I had.

Well, it's money counting time at Westbury Christian. Every year, the school collects money for kids in Honduras. In the middle of the school year, students receive "Honduras bottles" which they use to store coins until the end of the school year. The school has managed to raise thousands of dollars in the previous years with these bottles and it is time to do it again. Since, my bible teacher, Coach Hawley, author of the famous blog, "When Then Is This Child Going to Be", is the Honduras money collection coordinator, his classes usually help sort out the money. I am lucky to be in his class this year to participate! But not only do we sort money we also count it, which is a very tedious and important task. We have to be very accurate with our counting which means no play time.
Day 1
How do we sort this coins? Well, 4 5 gallon containers are marked with the words, "nickels", "pennies", "quarters" and "dimes". You split up into groups of four and a whole bunch of money is poured on the table. Then, students call which type of coins they want to get out of the mountain of coins. I ended up picking out quarters. Once, you picked out all your chosen coins, you poured them in the 5 gallon container with the correctly marked coinage. This was my fav orite part so far.
Day 2
Today, we began the counting. Which meant there was little time for talking. Today, was serious business. But, it still was pretty fun. The procedure for today was counting 100 pennies and placing them in a bottle. You would then place them on the table in the front of the classroom, this would keep happening until there were 25 bottles worth of 25 dollars on the table. They were then placed in a bank coinage bag. My friends, Tosin and Autumn, helped lock the bag once 25 dollars was put inside. It was pretty fun to watch them figure out how to not get the sticky part of the bag on the wrong part of the bag. But, they managed to figure it out.

Tomorrow, we get a break from our tediousness and we have a quiz. But, Friday we start back our counting. There are a few of us though who haven't even brought their bottles yet. Sadly, I am in that category. But, I plan to bring all the money I collected tomorrow. I think this is a great way to help out those who are less fortunate than we Americans. We take so much for granted and I think Westbury Christian is awesome for thinking outside of the box to help raise money for these kids. This has taught me that a penny can make a difference.

Honduras experience...to be continued...

He Restores My Soul

I will try to do 2 sentences tonight. I am on the fourth sentence of the verse now. He restores my soul. This is one of my favorite sentences of this verse. It is one of my favorite sentences because it tells you what he can do. If your soul is corrupt he can restore it to make it something beautiful. You can come to him with as much shame and guilt and he'll still take you back. Now for the fifth. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. To me, this means that he wants us to be good Christians and follow his ways. But, he also realizes how hard it can sometimes be. So, he's there to guide us so we won't make many mistakes in our Christian walk. He wants us to be people we can look up to because we wear the name Christian. He wants the way we look and act to be like a Christian because he doesn't want something unpleasant to have his name. For his name's sake, he tries to guide everyone. These two sentences tie together. The way he guides you in the paths of righteousness is by restoring your soul. You won't listen and obey him if your soul is full of devilish things. So, he must clean it out and make it pure in order for you to follow in his footsteps.

Vote for me!!

Hello everyone I have 2 big tests tomorrow so I don't have a lot of time to write to you tonight!! But I would like to tell you to vote on my Bible teacher's blog for me as the best 8th grade blogger! Thanks for your support!

Green Pastures and Quiet Waters

Now we are on the next three sentences of the verse: He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the quiet waters. These two sentences automatically put a calming feeling in your mind. Ahh! Beautiful green pastures....fields and fields of green. Ahh! Radiant quiet waters...big blue oceans of cooling waves. These two sentences to me mean that Jesus can put us in the most calming positions. No matter how chaotic life may get we can always have quiet and peaceful moments during our lives. Tell me what you think this verse means. You can e-mail me at gwhiz95@yahoo.com.

Besides today's bible study, today was an amazing day. My best friend, Nandi, and I were able to talk to a small group of 6th grade girls at our school. We talked to them about guys and gossip. It went so well! During lunch, some of the girls even told Nandi and I how they already used our advice to handle a situation and it worked. The feeling of being role models to girls that are younger than me is a big deal in my life. I have a little sister and I already have to make sure that I make wise decisions. I know she's watching me and I would like to be a person she can look up to and would like to be. I want to be the type of person that people can come to for advice. Today, I was able to do something that I love. I was able to share my personal experiences with girls that look up to me. The sparkle in their eyes showed they were listening and actually taking it in. Nandi and I made a great connection with the girls, by making it an interactive conversation. They even laughed. We used bible verses to make points and had the girls interpret the verse in their own words. It was a great experience and Nandi and I have made plans to have another great discussion next Friday. We both enjoyed it very much and hope that we can give the girls some great advice that they can use in their daily lives.

The Lord Is My Sheperd

For the first night of this bible study, we will talk about the first sentence of the verse. The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want. God can be called so many things, from Jehoviah, all the way down to "My Rock". In this Bible Verse, he is referred to as "My Shepherd". What does this mean to you? To me, it means that he protects us from harm, like a Shepherd protects his sheep from wolves. God is the Shepherd, Christians are the sheep, and sin are the wolves. He protects us from sin. But what does it mean "I shall not want"? Why would you not want a guardian to protect you from danger? This to me, means that he is so great and full of mercy that we sometimes tend to believe we are not good enough to be loved by someone so magnificent. We tend to believe that he is only there for the righteous who follow his footsteps daily. But, Jesus came to the world to save the sinners, not those who were already righteous. We sin a lot!! Though God is there to protect us from most danger, he still leaves us in control of our lives. We have the ability to think for ourselves and know if something is right our wrong. I think we don't want God to be our protection because we are afraid of hurting him and doing something wrong. We are afraid they we will be hurt and we will begin to think that God is not there. You may sometimes feel as though God has abandoned you. But he hasn't. The first sentence of this psalm will always be true. He will always be our Shepherd and we, the sheep. He will always love us and take care of us no matter what dilemma we are faced with. In conclusion, this sentence tells us that when we feel that there is no one around to help us and we feel all alone, remember God is there to be our strength and protection. For, he is our Shepherd we shall not want. Tell me your thoughts on this idea of go being our "Shepherd". What do you think?

Shall Follow Me All The Days of My Life

I'm sure we are all very familiar with the very popular bible verse from Psalm 23 which states,

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
For you are with me
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Well, today my bible teacher Coach Hawley had the class do artwork dealing with the verse. We were to pick our favorite part of the verse, write it down on our nice colored paper and decorate the paper with markers and crayons. My personal favorite part of the verse was,"....Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life"...." I am not really sure why those words appealed to me so much. I guess the thought of knowing that Go'd's goodness and love will be with me no matter fills my heart with cheer. The very thought of knowing that no matter how many times I may disappoint God and disobey him he will always have a special unconditional love for me fills me up with great joy. He is so great that he is able to give me along with billions of other people an overflowing abundance of love and goodness, that he gives out nonstop. How great is the God we serve!

• SPECIAL NEWS!!
  This verse means a lot to us Christians. Therefore, I plan to begin an online bible study on my blog. On this online bible study blog, we will discuss for the next few days the importance of this Psalm and what it means. Stay tuned!!

Not Done Yet

This is the time of the year when everyone is ready for the summertime. We start off our school year strong but as we get to the end we begin to slag off. We stop putting in that extra studying time and instead go out and swim in our pools or go ride bikes with neighborhood friends. Believe it or not, school isn't out yet. We still have to give our last couple of weeks our all and all. I personally don't like the end of the school year. You're so close to that honor roll streak and you're just scared you're going to mess it up somehow. Also, you don't do your homework. But be careful, your A or B can quickly turn into a grade you don't like because of your laziness.

My best friends and I have made a promise to each other this marking period. We made a deal to make all A's or we we would give up something we really liked. I don't just like but LOVE starbursts. So, my friends decided to put me through torture. If I don't make all A's, the first marking period of the next school year I can't eat not one starburst!! Therefore, I am definitely making all A's. I also came up with torturing consequences for my friends too. I think it is great how we are encouraging each other to do well in school. I have a great group of friends whom I love very much.

Best of Luck

Hello everyone! One of my favorite teachers at Westbury Christian is going through a very tragic time. I am not going to say what this particular tragic time is but please be with him and his family. I will pray for him and hopefully so will you. Best of wishes to Coach Hawley!

Good Luck Wishes

Well everyone I'm going on a school trip tomorrow to Abilene to compete at the TCSIT. Also known as the Texas Christian Schools Interscholastic Tournament. There are a wide variety of competition choices. You pick your best subject whether it be math or science all the way down to giving speeches and duet acting. It has been so much fun preparing for the events. I am in bible knowledge (a multiple choice test over Genesis), bible improvisation (acting from the bible with a group of people), ready writing (timed prompt writing), and comprehensive math. I can't wait. So, as you can guess I won't be able to blog for you for a couple of days. But I will be back Sunday ready to write so more. Wish my school and I good luck.

Puppy Love

When Taylor swift wrote the song "Fifteen" she couldn't have spoken to my little teenage heart more. It speaks the truth to how gullible you are when you first start liking guys. Here's most of the lyrics:

. You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors It´s the morning of your very first day You say hi to your friends you ain´t seen in a while Try and stay out of everybodys way It´s your freshman year and you´re gonna be here For the next four years in this town Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say You know I haven´t seen you around... before

CHORUS:
Cause when you´re fifteen and somebody tells you they love you You´re gonna believe them And when you´re fifteen Feeling like there's nothing to figure out Well count to ten, take it in This is life before you know who you´re gonna be... Fifteen

You sit in class next to a redhead named Abigail And soon enough you´re best friends Laughing at the other girls who think they're so cool Well be out of here as soon as we can And then you´re on your very first date and hes got a car And you´re feeling like flying And you´re momma's waiting up and you think hes the one And you´re dancing round your room when the night end When the night ends

When all you wanted was to be wanted Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now... Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday But I realized some bigger dreams of mine And Abigail gave everything she had to a boy Who changed his mind and we both cried

Though I'm not fifteen I can totally relate to it. I'm pretty sure some of you girls out there relate to it. Some of my friends inlcuding me are going through puppy love right now. It's an amazing feeling knowing that there's someone out there that treats you like a queen, wants to talk to you everytime they get a chance, or looks at you like you're a golden treasure. But just remember to be careful and always keep your friends and family close by your side because when that puppy love ends you always need someone there behind you to catch you when you fall.

Saying Yes!

Today at church, one of the ministry candidates preached their first sermon. It was very touching for many people in the room. Mr. Risher preached about saying yes to the purpose God sent you here to accomplish. He said stopping listening to the devil because he is just pulling you down preventing you from showing your greatness. This really hit many people's hearts including mine. At the end, when my dad came up to do the opening prayer, he asked for those who wanted, to come up on stage and say yes to God's plan for their lives. Tons of people began walking on stage. I stood wanting to go but something kept pulling me back. It was as if my feet were glued to the ground. I looked on the stage to see if maybe there was just one small spot left for me. So that I too may say yes to what God has in store for me. Finally, my feet were loosened and whatever was keeping me in chains let go. I walked up to the stage and tears began rolling down my cheeks. I walked to my dad where his loving arms were ready to embrace me. It was one of the most empowering moments of my life. I knew I had taken a big step in my Christian faith. I had said YES to the amazing plan God has set for me. Now I am telling you my story. Make a story of your own. Say yes to God and see how me moves you.

Spring Fever

Tomorrow is the last day of school, before Spring Break starts! I am so excited. This is probably one of my favorite times of the year. The sun is out, bright clothes are back in, and swimming is back also! This year my family has decided to go to Austin and stay at this amazing resort. We are leaving Monday and once we arrive we are heading straight to Sea World. I am pretty sure we are also going to stop at an all time favorite restaurant, "The Boiling Pot". "The Boiling Pot" is perhaps the best steamed seafood restaurant in the world. Yea...I am ready for a break. But, I still have one more day of school. This day is going to be filled with two tests, and a lazy school body. My mom likes to call it "Spring Fever". The time when everyone is lackadaisical and wanting to do something fun. But, hey! School is fun...right?

A Decision Made

A couple of weeks ago, my friends Nandi, Alexia decided to tryout for the cheerleading team at Westbury Christian School. They of course, dragged me along and I signed up too. But, deep inside I knew cheerleading wasn't my "thing". I am more of a track runner and a somewhat of a volleyball player. When it comes to cheer, I can show great team spirit and my jumps are pretty decent but when it comes to gymnastics.....well....I stink!!! Between you and me, I can't even do a cartwheel! Nandi promised she would teach me how and I believed her. Tryouts have been going great to tell the truth and I believe I have a pretty good chance of making the team. But, it just hit me!! Am I really going to be benifited by being a cheerleader? Am I doing it because I like it or because my friends do? I prayed about it last night and today during tryouts I came up with a decision. I am going to stick to being me. I am not a cheerleader. I am not going to put myself in an umcomfortable position to make those around me happy. Tomorrow, I have to tell Alexia and Nandi sorry. I have made a decision that I am going to keep.

I'M BACK

Hello fellow followers! I am pleased to announce that I am finally back on the computer full of fresh new ideas for my blog and ready to give you a thrill of a lifetime! I will start writing tonight about: "Trying Out for the Fun of It"!! Can't wait for you to read it!

Running Around in Circles

Have you ever just ran around in circles wondering when that door was going to open? The door to opportunity and justice. The door to happiness and self-confidence. The door to fly away from the reality of life. I know I have. We think trying to forget about bad situations will lead to them suddenly being solved. There are some of us out there who only come to God when they really need his help. They don't pray on a daily basis. They pray only when they "think" they need something done because they realize the problem has to be fixed with God's help. The truth is yes, you can fix a situation so that it will be alright. But, God's touch can always make it 100 times better. My dog, Oreo, is put outside to use the restroom every hour. As soon as she is put outside, she runs up to the door and peeks through the window blinds. When she sees no one is coming to open the door, she turns around and walks in a circle and comes back to the door and peeks through. She does this everyday without stopping until she finally understands that she is not getting back inside until she does what she was suppose to do. I like to wonder what goes through her head when she does this, but I think i have a pretty good idea. That is how we are at the gates of heaven. We knock, and walk in circles over and over, but the gates are not showing an opening. Are you following God's commands? Think back and see if you are. Maybe you aren't making an A in a certain class or not getting that raise you've been hoping for, because you are not listening to God. You will not be blessed until you show God you are worthy.

Keeping Memories

Today I woke up at 10:3o. This gave me enough time to do my chores and get dressed right before my 1:00 babysitting job. After babysitting, fun plans were ruined due to the drowsy, rainy weather. I went home and out of boredom started going through my camera. I laughed about many pictures of friends and family, and even historical places that I have visited. All these memories were on a small 3 megabyte memory card. I hooked my camera up to my computer and started working on my scrapbook. I love scrapbooking. It brings back so many memories. Today I included pictures of Christmas, my Atlanta and Alabama visit, Valentine's Day at my school, and some more events. I think good memories never have to vanish. You should try your best to hold on to important memories that mean a lot to you. I never was into scrapbooking until last year. I was leaving St.Thomas Epsicopal to come to Westbury Christian School and my best friend gave me a scrapbook of all our 7th grade memories as a good-bye gift. It had to be the sweetest and most thoughtful thing anyone had ever given me. It was filled with pictures of us being absolutely crazy and full of events, including a copy of the Jonas Brothers' Concert we went to together at which I lost the ticket. She inlcuded a cd of our favorite songs and wrote a long letter telling me how much she was going to miss me and how she was never going to forget me and our fun times we shared together. Though this scrapbook was filled with so many happy times I couldn't help but cry while looking through it. Every now and then I look at the scrapbook and I can't help but to get a little teary eyed. If I could choose between a diamond ring or memories, memories would definitely win. For a diamond can rust, while memories always shine!

Influenced By Others

Today, some friends in the locker room were talking about how this girl had changed ever since she started dating this guy. The girl was in denial and shook her head as her friends fussed and explained that they didn't know her anymore. All I did was hear, but I do know that maybe her firends are right. It is so easy for us to start acting like others. Maybe in relationships to show that you have something in common, or even with friends. My dad always says that you should be careful who you hang around because usually the bad influences the good. But, what do you do when you get in the middle of an identity crisis? You pull out that mirror and look at yourself. Do you like what you see? Are you becoming a better or worse person? You should never lose yourself no matter what. Your logic is the best gift God gave you. Are you using this logic in a Christian way and not allowing others to fill your Godly logic with trash. Sometimes, we don't think and before you know you think it's too late. But actaully that isn't true! It's never too late to do anything! You can still turn your life around and use it in the best ability. You can have a full life ahead of you that will be filled with love and happiness. But always remember there will be sorrow and tears too. The girl didn't want to listen to her friends but maybe sometimes listening to those who loves us and truly care about us isn't a bad thing. Those who point out our flaws that we don't want to hear or admit are usually the ones who really care and don't want our lives to end in ruin. We all lose ourselves at some point but it's always up to us to decide whether we want to run to God and let him welcome us with open arms or if we want to walk down a dark path. Which will it be for you?

Learning from Our Mistakes

Have you ever made a really bad mistake? You feel as though everyone has turned their back on you and you are completely lost! Well, don't worry so have I. But, everyone makes mistakes...you just have to learn from them. My mom always tells me to think before I act. The truth is I do that very often but if I actually listened to these wise words that would save me from getting into trouble. This is how we sometimes are with God, he gives us chance after chance after chance but we still don't get the point. It takes something completely drastic for us to finally wake up and realize that WHOA! WHAT AM I DOING? That light bulb that goes off in our head is the start of a new life where we can accept God's warning and prevent from getting into too much trouble that is too hard for us to pull ourselves out of. Hopefully you will take these wise words and place them in your heart: when you are about to do soemthing that can mess up your life rememeber there isn't a rewind button.

Valentine's Is Finally Celebrated!

Today at Westbury Christian School, a.k.a the best school ever, we celebrated Valentine's day. The day was filled with surprises for everyone. I even had a couple of my own. The juniors passed out huge balloons, carnations, and singing telegrams. I thought the day was amazing! I couldn't help but smile. I looked around at everyone else and I couldn't help but notice that everyone was smiling too. To me the funniest part of this whole day was seeing how guys don't take Valentine's day as seriously as girls do. Girls love being appreciated and adored the moment someone walks through the door and gives them balloons from someone that thinks they are special. Guys, instead of taking in the special moment, giggle with their friends and play balloon dodgeball. Laughter, playing, and fun are all some of the best parts of life. We all enjoy carefree moments like today. I think the hardest part for everyone is going to be tomorrow. We have had so much fun today, I think it's going to be hard for us to calm back down and have our attention be focused again. But, we students can do it! This has been a great Valentine's celebration and I'm waiting for many more to come!

Surprise Saturday

What a weekend, what a weekend, what a weekend. I have to say this once more...WHAT A WEEKEND! Waking up Saturday morning at 9 was perhaps the hardest thing I had to do all week. Saturdays I sleep until 10 and getting up an hour early to do chores made it seem as though my life was over. I do my chores, get dressed, and my mom, little sis, and I go to wal-mart just to get a couple of hygiene materials. But, in a blink of an eye, our whole day changed! We pulled up to the parking lot where tons of teenagers were screaming and the famous R&B station 97.9 the box, was there. Cool, I thought. We went to McDonald's for a quick lunch and to my surprise I find out Ne-Yo a hip-hop artist was going to be there in a little to sign cds and take pictures. The line was SO long and I didn't feel like waiting. But, because of my sister's pleading, my mom and I were forced to go to the garage part of wal-mart, where all the commotion and chaos was. We stood in front of a banner. I just want a peek at him. I thought. But one thing led to another. A member of our church happened to spot my mom. "Hey first lady!" My heart pounded as he asked me what I was here for, "To see him," I said pointing to Ne-Yo's poster. Then, of out nowhere the guy gives my sister and I v.i.p passes so we could skip the huge crowd and meet one of my favorite singers! I got my autograph and my picture! So, again let me say...WHAT A WEEKEND!

The LOVE Board

Today, in my bible class, we did our Thursday ritual of watching McGee and Me. McGee and Me are shows about a little boy named Nick, and how he and his cartoon imaginary friend, solve problems in a Godly way. After watching the video and taking a quiz. Those of us who wished to do so, were allowed to write on the "love board" or the "draob evol(love board spelled backwards)". The love board was for those that loved something. You could write your intials or name with your significant other's initials or name. The draob evol was for those who had broken up. I, of course with others, gladly wrote on the love board. While a few wrote on the draob evol. Some of us were shy when it came to writing our names, while others jumped right up. What is there to be ashamed of? Proclaiming your love for someone is very special. It shows how you really feel about a person. It shows that you don't care what others think when it comes to how you feel about that special someone. I believe all relationships should be that way. If you or your significant other are too ashamed to admit you all are a couple, maybe you should think about what is holding you all back from telling your friends? In the Bible, Genesis 20:13 states: And when God had me wander from my father's household, I said to her, 'This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, "He is my brother." You are to not be ashamed of people you love. Go out and proclaim your love today!

Chris Brown News!!

Alright you Chris Brown fanatics! What do you have to say about this whole situation going on with him and Rihanna! Tell me what you think!

Love Never Fails

Since this is Valentine's week, I will be writing stories and giving insight about this special day of love leading all the way up to Saturday, February 14. In Bible, I Corinthians 3:4-8 states: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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. Love never fails. This statement in the bible says a lot. But the most important sentence to me is Love never fails. I truly believe that when we love someone nothing or no one can stand in the way. When, someone is fighting an obstacle they can always depend on having someone there that loves them and will do anything to help them through the situation. Who is that special someone in your life? Do you have love that never fails?

Just the Beginning

Today has truly been a miraculous day! My dad preaches at New World Church. It is 1 year old and very successful. We have had people join every Sunday, except for one, the whole year. My dad has a meeting with his bosses every now and then. Lately, they have been pushing to pay for the building we have been leasing. But instead, my dad has received something much more than what he bargained for. They have agreed to give him a 36,000 grant to help open up a daycare associated with our church. Also, last Sunday my dad asked for who would like to donate $500- $1,000 to help pay for the building. My dad and mom said they would donate $1,000. That meant, that me or my sister wouldn't be able to get our rooms re-decorated. Loving my dad and my church, I gave up my being able to decorate my room, so the $1,000 would go for the church cause. But, this afternoon my dad got a phone call from his boss, saying that he was going to be an honoree at a conference this Wednesday and he would receive a certificate and a check for $1,000. Therefore, I won't have to give up my room decor plans anymore! But, I know this is just the beginning of a God-filled week!

P.S. I proudly gave $5 in offering this weekend!

Thanks!

Tonight, I would like to thank my bible teacher, Coach Hawley for helping me out with my new blog. If you are reading this Coach, I would like to tell you how much I appreciate you for helping me out as I start this new process. One day, I hope to be a pro just like you. Coach Hawley is a great coach and teacher! He is a true man of God and I am so happy to know someone like him.

Making the Best Out of A Bad Situation (Dump the Junk)

This afternoon was great...while the morning didn't go too well. I woke up at 6:45 this morning. My usual wake up time is 6:00. It gives me room to lolly gag around, sing in my mirror, and sleep an extra 15 minutes. But, this morning I had no room for my morning routine. My mom came into my room shouting, "Giselle! Hurry Up! I hit the off button on my alarm clock instead of the snooze button." I jumped out of my bed and began to get dressed. I was in the middle of brushing my teeth when my mom shouted, "Kimberly Giselle Johnson! Down here now!" Boy, was she in a bad mood! I ran downstairs, no lotion, no earrings, and most importantly NO NEUTROGENA! I proceded to comb my hair in the car and just finished putting my lotion on when she drove up to Westbury Christian School.

I had in my mind the whole morning that today was going to be a bad day. Especially considering I had a test in my worst subject, Algebra. But, right before I took the test, I prayed. I prayed that this morning's chaos would calm down and that I would put positive things in my head. I took my test and turned it in with total confidence. The rest of the day began to look mush brighter once I put into my mind that I would have a great day and I wouldn't let one incident ruin my whole day! I made a 96 on my Algebra test and my Bible teacher told me he was going to advertise my blog page for me! Today was great because I wanted it to be!

Advice #2: Never let one bad incident throw your whole day off! Make the best out of the situation and move on. You might actually sit back and get a good laugh out of it.

A New Beginning (Dump the Junk)

Have you ever carried that mistake? Put it in your memory and have never released it? Decided that it was here to stay in your life and haunt you for all eternity? Well, the truth is you're not alone. We've all been through these sort of dilemmas. We've always felt that we have to carry and burden the pain and memories from our past and carry them alongside us everywhere we go. Sometimes bad memories can make the good ones bad. But, you do have a new beginning. Your life can never get that bad, to where you should just give up. We have all felt that tingle inside that tells us our lives are no longer worth living but it will always get better. Sometimes you have to go through chaos to find the tranquility. But you'll never find that tranquility inside your heart if you can't learn how to let go of your junk and keep moving. I now encourage you to let go of ALL that trash and make a new beginning