So, I did another post just a few nights ago, and it felt amazing. It had been way too long since I'd posted on here, and I'd forgotten just how much I love writing on my blog. I know I have like a whole whopping four of you that read this, but I want to thank you guys for reading it. You don't realize how much that means to me. You're willing to take time out of your day to read whatever gibberish nonsense I'm posting about next, and I love you for that. Really. I do. 

But, now that I have FINALLY taken the time to thank my ginormous group of readers/followers, I'll get to the long part of my post. Something I don't know if I'll ever tire of talking about. Prince Charming. 

For years and years and years I've been dreaming of the day I'll meet my very own prince charming. I've imagined pretty much every different scenario, what I'd say to him, what I might be wearing, what he might be thinking. But, the other day I started thinking about all that dreaming I've been doing. It started when someone posted something about not getting their knight in shining armor, but instead getting an idiot wrapped in tinfoil. This thought occurred to me; what if I had spent so much time thinking about and worrying about finding my Prince Charming, that I'd missed out on some of the good times I could have been having? I mean, it's not like God is sitting up in Heaven going "Hahaha. Let's just keep Katie single so I can make forever alone jokes about her." No. He's got the perfect guy out there waiting for me. I can't control the circumstances that will lead me to meet him, so why not enjoy the wonderful life God has blessed me with? I have these amazing friends who have been there for me through so much. They've dealt with the good, the bad, and a whole LOT of the ugly, and yet, they still love me. God too. I only have so much time left with them. I will ALWAYS consider them some of my greatest friends and some of the biggest blessings in my life, yet circumstances will change. We won't always be able to just drive a few minutes and have a heart-to-heart. So, while I don't have a boyfriend to deal with, why haven't I spent more time cherishing these friendships? I'm SO blessed, every day of my life I'm given new blessings, and I sit there and take them for granted. 

I'm still young. For Heaven's sake, I'm only 19. I've got time to find the man I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with. Besides, 1 Timothy 4:12 reminds us "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." God has blessed me with the chance to use my youth for the good of His kingdom, so why am I wasting it dreaming about Prince Charming? I could be using this chance to make even more wonderful life-long friends, and strengthen the friendships with the others. I mean, I still desire to find the man God has planned out for me, but I can't speed up that process. In Song of Solomon 3:5 it says "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases." I'm pretty sure that constantly dreaming of Prince Charming and hoping to meet him and planning for when I do, might sort of count as trying to awaken love before it pleases. Just saying. . . 

Besides that, God reassures us in Jeremiah 29:11 that he has a plan for us, a plan that includes a hope and a future. And, that's a promise I'm willing to count on. Besides, I don't have time for Prince Charming. ;) 

Til Next Time,

 CrazyGirl♥

CrazyGirl observes Social Status

So, I'm here again, telling you all about a bunch of stuff you probably don't really care about, but something has been weighing heavy on my heart. Lately as I scroll through Instagram and Facebook and Twitter and whatever other social network site they come up with next, the majority of the pictures are of people partying; drinking, doing drugs, the whole shebang! And most of these kids aren't even old enough to drink legally. And, obviously there's not really any way to do illegal drugs legally.
The thing that makes me extremely sad about this is that now, partying doesn't make you a "bad kid" or "hardcore." No, partying is the norm. Everyone is doing it. It no longer shocks me to find out that a 16 year old is already hitting the local parties. It saddens me, but it doesn't shock me. And that's pathetic. Partying shouldn't be normal and/or accepted. Do people really not understand that it is illegal? Especially since the majority of the people that I've talked to about their partying habits actually drive themselves home. Shouldn't this terrify us as a society? And, why on EARTH does partying make or break your social status? Seriously?!? The qualifications to go from being a "nobody" to being a "somebody" are that you have to go break the law with a bunch of other underage drunkards? (Which by the way, is in quotes because you don't need a social status to be a somebody. God already knows you and loves you. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than the sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31. Cool, isn't it?) I mean, in Proverbs 20, verse 1 it says "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." To me, that's a sobering (no pun intended) thought. I know to some people wisdom isn't a big deal, and I know I am not anywhere close to being considered wise, but I pray that God will lead me to make wise decisions, and that right there tells me that partying is not a wise decision.
If that doesn't get you, 1 Peter 5 verse 8 says "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." That doesn't frighten you? I mean, God just said that the devil is looking for the chance to devour us, and that we need to remain sober and watchful to avoid being devoured by the devil. Something about that word choice just gives me the shivers.
Now, don't look at this and be like "Oh! Look at this Holy Roller! Telling everyone not to party..." Yeah, I'm suggesting that 1. underage drinking is morally wrong (oh yeah. . . and did I mention that it's illegal?) and that 2. being drunk is wrong by God's standards. God calls us to a higher standard of living, and guess what, that higher standard doesn't mean we can't ever drink. Once you reach the age of 21, I don't find any evidence to support that drinking is wrong, in moderation. Just because you are 21 doesn't mean you should go get completely wasted every weekend (or during the week, because I've seen a crazy amount of mid-week parties where large numbers of people were drunk beyond reason in the middle of the day.), but it means that in moderation there is nothing morally wrong with the occasional drink.
Don't get me wrong, I have been tempted to go to a party. When you live in a town, where the majority of the people your age see nothing wrong with partying, it seems easy to justify. I mean, come on. You are just trying to be social, right? Wrong. Knowing partying is wrong means I need to avoid it, at all costs. "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins," Hebrews 10:26 "Do you not know that you are God's temple and God's spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy and you are that temple." 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 And last but not least, "the reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life." Proverbs 22:4.
That is enough to make me want to avoid partying, underage drinking, being drunk, drugs, and worst of all this idea that you HAVE to party to be "a cool kid." Who cares?!?
Til Next Time,
CrazyGirl♥

CrazyGirl honors Throwback Thursday

So, right about now, I should probably be doing homework, but instead, I'm here writing to you guys. And, since the internet is abuzz with random themes for each day, and Thursday is now Throwback Thursday, I thought I would share a "throwback" that is one of my favorite memories.
I was actually talking about it today with my grandpa, and it includes him. You see, as a kid, I was kind of on the daredevil side. I was determined to be the first to try stuff. When my older sister swam into the deep end first, I decided that I had to touch the bottom of the deep end first. I succeeded. And, even though I have a fear of heights, when my grandpa suggested that for my 10th birthday, he would take me for a hot air balloon ride, I went for it. I remember spending the night at my grandparent's house (the first time I had ever done that by myself), and waking up at 5 in the morning. There was a hoot owl outside the window, making its eerie noises. Despite that, I was beyond excited. I decided that for breakfast, I had to have granola, just like
Grandpa. It was from Trader Joe's. (I don't know why I remember that detail, I just remember). This guy came early in the morning, and he and his crew stretched the balloon out over a field at Grandpa's house. They brought this huge fan, and started blowing air into the balloon. The balloon was HUGE. They inflated it sideways, which surprised me. Once they got it inflated, it was big enough that I could have walked inside of it (I was really tempted to, actually). Finally, after what seemed like ages, we were getting ready to take off. We climbed inside a basket (which was a lot bigger than what I had expected, since my only experience with hot air balloons was what I had seen in cartoons). Slowly, the balloon moved up and up and up and up and still up. I remember pointing out my aunt's house from the air, and I could see them waving. They seemed tiny, like little ants. We didn't go very far, but I didn't care. I was way up in the air, in a hot air balloon. I felt like I could see everything. I vaguely remember being concerned that I might fall out, but the adventure of it all was more exciting than my concern. Eventually, we landed the balloon in a field just a short ways from my Grandpa's house. I remember seeing cow bones as we were drifting down, and thinking of the Lion King and the elephant graveyard. But I reassured myself that MY adventure was WAY better than Simba's.
After we landed the balloon, and the man and his crew folded it up and packed it away, we all drove back to my Grandpa's house, where the man awarded me a certificate, and a pin. Then to celebrate, they had me drink a red Solo cup full of sparkling cider without using my hands. I had officially taken my first hot air balloon ride. I still have the pin, the certificate, and all the memories. It's a small pin, that says "Cheers Over California." I love thinking back on that day and remembering the sense of adventure I felt. Maybe someday soon, I will go for another hot air balloon ride.
Til Next Time,
CrazyGirl♥

Oh the Things Children Say! ♥

So, I know my blog posts have been on the serious side lately, and while I still love each and every post I've done, I figured maybe it was time for a lighter post. And what makes me happier than spending time with the AMAZING children in my life? Uh. . . absolutely NOTHING! So, I figured, that in the name of spreading smiles, I would make a blog post compiling some of the most hilarious and adorable things kids have said to me over the years!
While sitting at his table coloring, a five year old I babysit looks up at me with a serious expression on his face. The following conversation takes place.
Him: "Katie, how old are you?"
Me (having just turned 18): "I'm 18."
Him: "Oh. Ok. Do you have a boyfriend?"
Me: "No. . ."
Him: "Oh. . . maybe you should get on that."
Me (chuckling slightly): "Oh really??"
Him: "Yeah. I think you might be running out of time."

While doing puzzles one Saturday afternoon, a six year old girl looks up at me in panic.
Her: *gasp* "You didn't go off and get married on us, did you???????????"
Me: "No. I didn't."
Her: "Oh. Whew! 'Cuz if you got married, then you would have kids of your own and wouldn't want to play with us."
(I love the fact that in her mind, being married meant I automatically had children. . . not just one child. . . multiple children of my own.)

At age 15, I was working with a group of kindergarten girls. In the middle of a round of Simon Says, where Simon was trying very hard to get me out the little girl says
Her: "Simon says . . . Katie needs to do a cartwheel."
Here's where I do a cartwheel.
I look up and she is staring at me, mouth wide open, completely in shock.
Me: "What?"
Her (emphatically): "I didn't know OLD  people could do cartwheels!"
I love that at 15, I automatically became old.

One Sunday morning, I came into the two's and three's class to find all of the kids standing in various spots on carpet squares. One little boy quickly explained. "Miss Katie! Hurry! The world froze over and now it's melting and you have to get on an ice skate or you'll DIE!"
So . . . apparently now we all have the ability to ice skate on water? With only one skate.

I babysit for a family with twin girls and their younger brother. The girls came home from kindergarten with plenty of knock-knock jokes, including all the classics (Yeah. They're STILL telling jokes like Knock knock - who's there? - boo - boo who? - don't cry, it's only a joke). But, the girls' younger brother could NOT let them be ahead of him, so he began telling knock knock jokes
Him: "Knock knock."
Me: "Who's there?"
Him; "ahskdkfkdifl"
Me: "Umm, akdolekfifis who?"
Him " akdofdkdjk akdnofdjiofdj ksdifodol             BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
And he was legitimately laughing, that deep belly chuckle that kids get when they find something genuinely funny. This went on for a good portion of the next hour and a half. On the plus side, you couldn't help but laugh along.

Another time, with this same family I was staying with just the younger brother, and in the midst of playing in the backyard, the neighbor turned on the lawn mower, and this kid was beyond excited.
Him: *gasp* "Do you hear that??"
Me: "Yeah. . . ?"
Him: "It's their helicopter."
Me: "Bud, I think it's their lawn mower. . ."
Him: "No! It's their helicopter! They just want you to think it's the lawn mower."
Me: "Do you want to check?"
Him: "Yes! I do."
*lift him up to see over the fence*
Me: "Do you see the helicopter?"
Him (extremely dejectedly): "No. They've hidden it."
Haha. Although, knowing my luck, he was right.

One day I was sitting with two boys I babysit for on a regular basis, the older brother was 5 and the younger brother 3.
Older brother: "I know what I'm going to be for Halloween."
Me: "Oh really? What is that?"
Older brother: "A monster. . . or a ghost."
Younger brother: "I'm gonna be a ghost monster."
Older brother: "A ghost monster isn't real. And it isn't scary."
Younger brother: "It is too! It's a ghost and a monster combined."
Older brother: "Katie, do you know what a ghost monster looks like?"
Me: "No. I don't know."
Older brother: "It looks like my younger brother. So it's not scary at all."
The younger brother makes a scary face, then goes into deep thought. . . for a three year old.
Younger brother: "Know what I wanna do to a ghost monster?"
Me: "What do you want to do?"
Younger brother: "I want to poke it's eyes out. . . yeah. That's what I want to do."
Older brother: "Then poke your own eyes out."
Bahaha. The two of them never cease to crack me up!

With the same two brothers, a few months after the older one started kindergarten (and thus informed me that he, did indeed, have a girlfriend), we had a conversation concerning his girlfriend, only it didn't quite go the way I expected it.
Me: "How's your girlfriend, buddy?"
Him: "I don't have one anymore."
Me: "Aw, I'm sorry, kiddo."
Him: "It's ok. We just had different interests."
Me: "Oh, really? Different interests?"
Him: "Yeah. She didn't like Rocket Boy."
Just in case you were wondering, Rocket Boy is his favorite show.

I have so many more stories, but right now my brain doesn't want to think of them. So, I'll save them for another time when we need some laughter!
Til Next Time,
CrazyGirl♥

CrazyGirl observes a Heavy Heart

Tonight during my Childhood Development class, I was perusing the book, and came across something I found rather interesting. The first sentence beginning the book was talking about how from conception on, a child is growing, developing, and even learning. Their outside environment starts to play a HUGE factor the moment the child is conceived. And while some of you may be going "Whoop ti do. . .why should I care?" I was sitting there just thinking over and over "Really? The book REALLY says that?" Not because I don't want to believe it or hear it, because I actually agree whole-heartedly with that statement. But to me it's interesting that a society can agree with the statement that a human being begins living at the moment of conception, and yet they can turn around and say that abortion isn't murder.
I write this with a heavy heart, because just thinking about it makes me feel sick to my stomach. The thought that as a country we can just turn a blind eye to the fact that every day someone is murdering an innocent baby terrifies me. I know there are all sorts of arguments and controversies related to this subject. I know not everyone agrees with my opinion. But whether you agree with me or not is not the point. The point is that there is scientific evidence that proves that babies begin living the moment they are conceived. And, yet, every day, some young girl is being told that the baby inside of her is just a bundle of nerves, that it won't feel pain. Anytime the subject of abortion comes up and someone tries to make the point that the fetus doesn't feel anything, my mom always says the same thing. She talks about when she and my dad went to the doctor for an ultrasound (of me!) and were concerned because I wasn't moving, but the doctor poked me (to ensure that I was, indeed, still living) and at 14 weeks in the womb, I flinched. I was very obviously shocked and displeased that the doctor had interrupted my peaceful relaxation. You see, at a whole whopping 14 weeks old, I felt the doctor poking me. But I was just a "bundle of nerves" and I "wouldn't feel a thing"
I feel like I'm not really ending with a point here. But if you take anything from this post, anything at all, just remember that as soon as conception takes place, that baby is a living, feeling, growing organism.
Til Next Time,
CrazyGirl♥

That One Statement

The other day, I had the pleasure of going to coffee with a friend from high school and jr. high. Like any friendship, ours had, at more than one point in time, suffered a hiccup or two. But, while catching up over a warm cup of coffee, she made a statement that, while simple, caught me off guard. She simply said "You know, I'm really glad we had that group of friends in high school and middle school. We kind of saved each other." Now, to anyone in the coffee shop observing (*cough chough* eavesdropping), that was indeed a very simple statement and actually very normal for two college age girls to say while catching up. But, it triggered this thought process in me. First, it made me look back at our friendship; the good, the bad, the goofy, and even the ugly. She was right. The four of us girls that did everything together for all those years, we all saved each other. We saved each other from the pressure to party, smoke, drink, do drugs, or mess around with guys. You're probably scratching your head right now saying "How?" The answer is simple. Because the four of us had a connection, a bond, and had all somehow come to some unspoken agreement that the whole "bad girl" thing wasn't for us, we experienced the all too rare positive peer pressure. Within our closest friends there was the pressure to stay away from harmful behaviors and addictive substances.
The next thing this made me look at is the younger generation and their friendships. Sure, these girls have their "BFF's" and their "homies" or whatever term it is that they are using right now. But the difference between the quality of their friendships and the quality of the friendships I had is astonishing. You know the main difference I see? Cell phones. These kids don't develop REAL social skills. Sure, they can "communicate" their feelings via Facebook and Twitter. They can easily become "instafamous" by repetitively using the hashtag #FollowMe or #TeamFollowBack, etc. But in all honesty, these kids have lost the art of face-to-face communication. Don't get me wrong or twist my words into me saying that cell phones are the root of all evil, because that's NOT what I'm saying. Cell phones have many great uses and come in handy EXTREMELY often. But, we rely too heavily on them. Cell phones are not an attachment to our hand. They aren't a continuation of our arm. Facebook is NOT a diary. Twitter is NOT your shrink. Texting isn't the ONLY way to talk to someone. Did you know that phones still make calls? Because it sure doesn't seem like many people know they do.
This train of thought, of course, led me to start thinking about what would happen if each of us put down our cell phones for even just a half hour every day and started talking to other people. What if, for 30 minutes out of every 24 hours, you turned your phone off and used your voice? What if all of us put our phones away during meals and while holding a conversation with someone else? Don't you think the quality of our friendships would improve? That this generation of kids would have some kind of social ability? Or, what if we put our phones down for an hour, and not only talked to someone else, but actually went outside? I have a friend that I enjoy taking walks with. The two of us will set out on a "short" walk, start chatting, and get so completely lost in the conversation that we don't feel the need to be texting or using Facebook or checking Instagram. We don't feel like we need to Tweet that we are on a walk (I mean, honestly, who really cares?). Most of the time these "short" walks will end up lasting for two, three, four hours. And we don't even notice.
As I thought more about this shutting off our phones thing, I started thinking, what if we spent as much time in prayer or reading our Bibles as we do on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. We could completely improve the quality of our lives if we would just shut off the computer or the phone for even just an hour each night and spent that time seeking Christ as earnestly as a teenage girl searches Facebook for that hot guy in her Biology class. If we gave Christ even half the effort we put into Facebook stalking other people, our lives would become so abundantly rich. And yet, we can't seem to part from the little box that puts the whole world at our fingertips. My question is, WHY?? Why on Earth would we hold onto something that connects us to the entire world when simply shutting it off and sending a little prayer to Heaven connects us to the very being who created the ENTIRE UNIVERSE. I mean, how does that even make sense? And where do we get the authority to put God in the background anyway? How many times in even just the past week have you said "Ok, God, just hang on one second while I finish this phone call/this e-mail/this text message/this Facebook post?" Since when is social media more important to us than the God of the universe? The God who sent his son to die for us? The God who loves us so much that he spared us the torment of Hell by allowing his ONLY son to be tortured to death on a cross for each and every one of us individually. We are such an arrogant generation. When did we as mere human beings gain the right to push God to the side? He tirelessly and relentlessly seeks us day in, day out. And we sit on our high horses, with our little iPhones attached to our hands saying "Nah, you can wait, God, Facebook is more important." And, yet, none of us seem to notice. We are so blessed and God gives us such comfort and we take such advantage of that. We complain because we can't have the newest, most expensive clothes so that makes us "poor." We get angry because our friends just got the new iPhone 5 and we are still stuck with the 4S. Is the cute guy you just got a number from REALLY more flattering than the fact that the creator of the universe loves us and wants to pursue us? I highly doubt that the boy from Geometry is really that spectacular. Yes, I can completely understand wanting to find Prince Charming and be whisked away into a romantic fairy tale romance. Hey, I can even understand just wanting at least one guy to just give you a second glance. I've been there. It's a tough spot. Until you start to think about the irony of that. God, the savior of the world, creator of the Universe loves you, wants you, and thinks you are amazingly beautiful. Yet, we are passing that up in hopes of a text with a ":)" from some guy. WHY?
All in all, I have one main point to make from all of this. Today's society needs to get their priorities straight. God needs to come first in our lives. Family and friends need to come second. And social media/cell phones need to come way in last place. Facebook is NOT that important.
Til Next Time,
CrazyGirl♥
P.S. Thanks to the person who spurred this whole thing. You know who you are.  

CrazyGirl Observes New Beginnings

Hey everyone!
I know I haven't been here in a while. And I apologize. I took a break from social networking for a little while. But, I'm back and ready to be blogging again.
So, I've always known that life doesn't always go how we plan it. In fact, it pretty much never goes the way we plan it. And I have been experiencing that quite often lately. Here I was planning for a great adventurous summer, that ended up being me staying at home pretty much the entire time. Talk about a disappointment. Then, I started a VERY last minute application to a college I'd had my eye on for a while. I sat in suspense for a few weeks waiting on financial aid, which ended up not coming through in the amount I needed. But, on the bright side it was looking like transferring in the Spring was a very VERY good possibility. In the past few weeks, though, I learned that it more than likely won't be happening.
I started praying about it, and the more I prayed the more I felt like maybe this was God's way of telling me to consider other options. I started researching my options and have found several that feel like they might be  a good fit for me. I write this simply to say I'm looking forward to new beginnings! And whatever it is that God has planned for me!!
Til Next Time,
CrazyGirl♥