For: you

Know that you are you.
You face is not masked by another;
your self not irrevocably tethered.
You are who God created you to be;
know that you are nothing less than that.
Beloved and cherished,
your worth abounds beyond comprehension.
Where one may shackle you to the depths,
several will help you soar to great heights.
Your heart reflects through your acts,
your speech and mood and character.
No exclusion applies here;
know that.
Whether it he or she,
we or me.
I stand alone in regards to my self;
I am neither duplicate nor copy.
My value is unique and its own,
not scaled in comparison to another.
No ranking or hierarchy reigns;
the sole rule being that of my Father.
Our Father.
Know that you are loved;
never are you belittled.
A second-fiddle you will never be;
not second-best or alternate-pick.
You are no one's understudy.
You were fashioned in such a way,
that you are indeed irreplaceable.
Treasured more than gold or rubies,
no man or woman can deprive you.
Not of your self or your value.
Know that you are you,
solely so and indisputable.
And you, as you are,
are loved beyond say.
Beyond word or thought or mind;
you are cherished through enduring eyes.
Know this.
Know truth.
Know you.

Team iPhone

Today I entered the world of iPhone! It was my padre's birthday gift to me, and so far I am loving it! Snap chat, Vine, Instagram... I am now in the game! Haha. I'll admit that I was nervous switching from Verizon to AT&T, but so far so good! Here's to hoping it stays that way!

Yep! It's a 4s! And I even bought myself a [white] Lifeproof case, because it was 25% off and I cannot afford to break this thing! Haha. But really, I am quite excited :) This present was a very nice surprise. Another big "thank you" to my dad! Friends who may be reading this, follow me on the aforementioned apps and snap chat me! Please and thank you :)

Already having fishie withdrawals...

For those who do not know, I lived in a townhouse affectionately known as the Fishbowl this past year. I had some of the GREATEST memories of my life with these girls, and and they are definitely four of my very best friends. They all graduated this past Saturday, making me one very proud mom! However, I've also done my fair share of crying, because saying goodbye is one of my least favorite things in the entire world. Fortunately, Stephanie will not be too far away, and will be living with me for Fall semester next year. However, Courtney is headed back home to California. Hannah will be extremely busy with school and work, so even though she is only two hours away we won't be seeing much of each other. And my sweet, beloved Brandi is going back to California for a little while, only to then be going to Massachusetts for an internship.... Saying bye to Courtney on Monday, and saying goodbye to everyone else today, was hard. Really hard. I cried multiple times. And now I'm left feeling kind of lonely. I mean, I've been living with 4 of my best friends for a whole year! Now we've all gone separate ways and I miss them. Already, I miss them. I want to laugh and cuddle and be sassy with each other while we sit on the couch or do crazy shenanigans....

I miss and love you, dearest fishies! Very, very much. Thank you for blessing me in all the ways that you have, and for being so present in my life. I wouldn't be who I am without you all! Truly truly.

Han Park Photography

On February 2, I had the pleasure of assisting Han Park, a student at Eastern Mennonite University, with his senior photography project     the idea being to compress time while capturing the essence of dance movement. His showcase, titled "Trace," premiered this past Saturday, the 13th at EMU. Here are a few photographs that were featured:

© Copyright 2013 Han Park's photo blog.

© Copyright 2013 Han Park's photo blog.

My personal favorite!
© Copyright 2013 Han Park's photo blog.

© Copyright 2013 Han Park's photo blog.

If you want to see more of Han's work, I encourage you all to visit his newly established photography blog! He is a wonderful individual who not only has a passion for photography, but also a wonderful respect for dance as an art form. He is a great fellow indeed :)

Exciting times!

Well, yesterday (Sunday) was full of exciting news for my sorority sisters and I!

First, my little Brandito frito bandito got a Dietetics scholarship in Massachusetts!!!!!

For those who don't know, these internships are extremely competitive! Apparently less than half of those who apply get one, so I am one proud mom! Brandi is so incredibly smart and she is going to do splendidly in her internship next year! I have no doubts about that :)

Elections happened last night! Thus, I am happy to announce that my beautiful successor for Vice President is my darling Mina!

She is going to do SO well, and I am beyond excited for her :)

My beautiful and amazing Little is going to be our next Treasurer!

The lovely Catherine is going to be our new Secretary :)

Catherine and I really need a picture together...

Ginger is going to be our President for the upcoming year!

This picture is from Saturday's formal. Ginger hates dancing... Haha!

Oh.... And I was officially elected Candidate Mentor :)

Beth is passing the torch, and I am so excited to mentor the Zeta class in the fall! For those who don't know what that means, I will be teaching the next candidate class the history, bylaws, and in-and-outs of being a sister of Sigma Alpha Omega :) I AM SO EXCITED! I've known that I wanted to be in this position since last year, and I am so elated that my prayers are coming to fruition :) Eeeeep!

(More photos/writing about these elected position transitions likely to come, so stay tuned!)

HowGodWorks: SAO 2013 Spring Retreat

Now that the pictures have all been posted, I can give you all a look into the incredible retreat I got to experience with my Sigma Alpha Omega sorority sisters March 22-24. It was called "HowGodWorks," a play off of Hogwarts from Harry Potter.

Now, I know you are probably wondering how you make a book about wizardry Biblical. Well, let's just say that our amazing retreat committee (made up of Taylor, Rachel, Tori, and Katie) is extremely creative :) Here were our houses:

 ReigningTall! (A play off of Ravenclaw.)

 SeeingHim! (A play off of Slytherin.)

 HumbleStuff! (A play off of Hufflepuff.)

And GraceInStore! (A play off of Gryffindor.)

All of us got to experience our own Sorting Hat ceremony....

and I was sorted into SeeingHim (along with Lauren, Tiffany, Hannah, Brandi, and Kirsten)!

We may not have been so great at scavenger hunts, but SeeingHim House was the champion of the Quidditch tournament, y'all!

I got to play Seeker, and I caught the snitch for both of our games! Twas an awesome time indeed :)

We made wands and bobbed for our "sisters."

We even got to attend a Yule Ball!

Fishies!

And for those who are wondering what the focus of our Bible studies was, we studied and discussed what it means to be God's chosen people. (It ties in with the seem since Harry Potter was "the chosen one.")

Yes, we talked about what it looks like to be chosen by God, what that means for our lives, and how we need God's wisdom to live our His plan for us as His chosen people :) The main verse being:

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 
{1 Peter 2:9}

Other key scriptures included those that were associated with each of the aforementioned houses:

ReigningTall:

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." 

{James 3:17}

SeeingHim:

"Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." 

{1 Corinthians 15:58}

HumbleStuff:

^"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God somethin g to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." 

{Philippians 2:3-7}

GraceInStore:

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

{Deuteronomy 31:6}

We also had two worship times where we could reflect and sing our praises to the Lord :) Truly, this was an amazing weekend with some of the most incredible people I have in my life! I love being able to grow closer to my sisters, while also being made stronger in my faith and growing closer to God :) I know God's plan for me involved being here with these girls, and I am eternally grateful to Him for leading me to this amazing group of beautiful Christian women.

 My Little and I, with my apple of a Grand-Little :)

Fishbowl :)

Gammas :)

Sisters :)

I am so blessed :) I am blessed by the Best, and so are you! Dove love!

*Photo credit: Taylor and Hannah H.

My big sister is ENGAGED!

About a month ago, over my spring break, my older sister's boyfriend sat down with my father, my younger sister, and myself to ask for our blessing in proposing to my big sister, Candice :)

Today, March 30th, 2013, David proposed to my sister, and I am so happy to say that they are engaged to be married!

Y'all, I'm going to have a brother-in-law! I am so excited :) I have really missed having a brother figure in my life, and I really think that David will be great in that role     for Jennifer and myself. That, of course, is in addition to being an incredible, loving husband to Candice. My sister is truly blessed, and I could not be happier for her :)

Good Friday

{Isaiah 53}

53 Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.^(H)
Like one from whom people hide^(I) their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

Ignorance.

The world may not see the need,
but for me it is profoundly visible.
The concern may be on what personal sacrifice will need to be made,
but I am focusing my sights on the greater good.
I will not say that you are wrong,
but I will say that you are not seeing what is right.
My heart is for people.
My frustration is at those who are comfortable
and therefore overlook those who live in desperation.
I am a humanitarian.
I am a social worker.
Where others value capitalist gain
I hold true to human rights and equality.
Is it so hard to look past yourself?
What part of hunger and suffering do you not understand?
Perhaps it would be easier to care
if you were one who was unsure
of how they were going to live day-to-day.
It should not require that.
We should not be blissful in our ignorance.
Wake up!
Look at the truth and see it for what it is!
We CAN do something about it,
but yet there are those choosing not to.
Forgive me for not being sorry,
but I will never understand this apathy.
I see heartlessness and greed,
and it is fueling my fire.

"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves."
{Romans 15:1}

"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
{Hebrews 13:16}

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
{Philippians 2:3-4}

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?"
{1 John 3:16-17}

My first JMU snow day!

Well, for the first time since I entered this fine university, school was closed on account of snow! Twas a glorious day indeed! I started by sleeping in until almost noon, which was much needed after retreat this past weekend (which I plan to blog about once pictures are posted). I went downstairs to find my whole house sitting in the living room, waiting for me to wake up so that we could go play in the snow together :) And while it took a little while for all of us to get dressed and ready, we finally made it out to a hill by Convo to go sledding! Our endeavor looked a little something like this:

As you can probably tell, a great time was had by all! I am seriously blessed with the greatest housemates in the world. I love my fishies :)

*Some photos courtesy of Hannah.

But our day did not end there! Upon returning to the Fishbowl, Brandi and Stephanie made us all snow cream! I have never tried it before, and they did a nice job if I do say so myself :) Then, for dinner, Stephanie, Brandi, and I decided to treat ourselves to happy hour sushi at Oriental Cafe, complete with edamame! Twas absolutely scrumptious. But wait, there's more! Hannah, Brandi, Stephanie, and I polished off our snow day with Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century! Yes, that gem of a movie is always a pleasure to watch     even more so with my beloved fishies :)

For those of you who also had a snow day today, I hope you had as much fun as I did! Love you all :)