Day 12

I love the place I get to live in. 

It's so calming and wonderful to come home to an orderly house decorated with pictures of my favorite people. 

It's quiet (unless the neighbors decided to have a mega base party :P) a peaceful place to rest at the end of a workday. 

I've spent so many hours walking in the woods behind our house. Whether it's crying, dreaming, worshiping God, or searching my heart they have provided a place of refuge for me to get away from the distractions. It's beautiful. 

And this is my favorite time of year. Soon the leaves will return and our land will be covered in green grass and flowers.  

 

Day 10

I love that I have a car. 

It's old, but it works. It gets me from point A to point B. 

I can go to work without having to get up at 4:30 in the morning. 

I can go to meet friends and serve on the media team without having to tie up a family car. 

I can do all kinds of things. 

It's been a great blessing. Thanks to the Larkin family that helped me fix it. 

Day 9

I love how much good food I have access to.

Like no other time in history have we had this much food available year round.

If I get an alvacado or a m&m craving all I have to do is take a trip to the store.

Not to mention that I get to eat 3 meals a day plus snacks. That is a great blessing. One that not all of us enjoy. There are those all over the world at are hungry everyday. (Pray for them)

Plus I get great lunches packed for me.

This is a blessing that I love about my life.

Simply Living It

Simple faith. Is there such a thing? Jesus said that even the smallest seed of faith has the ability to move mountains. When we start putting our faith into action, we cross over from being hearers to doers.

In being a part of the Live It challenge, I'm supposed to find ways to live out my faith everyday. To my family, to my friends, to the world I am to be His love and life.

You know the great thing about this is? My Father has shown me His love. All I have to do is follow in His footsteps. He has lived out His love.

But I'm not  perfect. I still struggle sometimes. Lately I haven't written much because I have been struggling. The last part of 2012 was hard for me. I was struggling with discontentment, depression, what God wanted me to do with the next part of my life, and feeling restless. For months it kept building. Boiling under the surface. Then in December I hit a wall. I was tired of living with the wild emotions. It wasn't a miracle, but on Christmas day, God set me free from the depression and pain that had been hovering over me for months. My problems didn't suddenly disappear, but my heart was healed. My workload still remained, but I now felt able to do what I was called to do.

As I have stepped into this new year, I want it to be more about living out my faith than talking about it. I can write 100 blog posts about how to live simply in Christ. But if I don't show love to my family and friends, I'm just making noise online. My heartfelt prayer is that this blog will be a reflection of God's love in my life.

As far as my simpleness journey, things are going well. I'm  enjoying time with my family and trying to enjoy the simple blessings God gives me every day. Relishing the simple pleasures of life is always a treat. And I'm  enjoying every minute of it.

Simply Grateful # 30

Day 30

That I can count all these blessings and post them. I enjoy recounting all the things that God has given to me. Anytime I make a list like this, I feel so full and blessed. Besides I know that this is just scratching the surface of all I have to be thankful for.     

Simply Grateful # 6

Day 6

Friends. My Texas Friends, my blogging friends, my film-making friends, and my facebook friends. I am blessed and encouraged by you every day.

Simply 21

I was watching 16 Wishes. A fun-filled Disney comedy surrounding Abby Jenson and her 16 birthday wishes. As her wishes become reality, Abby realizes that sometimes what you want can become a nightmare.

As I turn 21, I tried to think of something that I would want for this birthday. But then I realized that I am becoming the person I always wanted to be. When I was little I had all these things that I wanted to do and be. As I’ve gotten older God has fulfilled my dreams and desires. He’s given me the chance to use what I have for Him. And though some of it has been in very unlikely ways, God’s helping shape me into the person I always dreamed of being.

So instead of wishing for things I don’t need, I’m going to name 21 birthday blessings. 21 things that I am so grateful for.

1 1.       A God who looked through all of time and space and chose to love me.

22.       An amazing family. They support me, love me, and keep me focused on what’s important. My mom and dad are my best encouragers and counselors. My sister Sarah, my best friend, a great cheerleader, and my best listener. My brother Michael, a neat Godly guy, who always defends me. My sister Grace, a great helper with a great laugh and a kind heart. My sister Rebekkah, sweet and thoughtful. She is always thinking of others. And Mikayla (yes, we had a lot of girls in our family :) ) With a youthful spirit, kind heart, and a great sense of humor. Then there’s Nicole (my oldest sister) and her husband and two girls. They are all so kind and fun. I have a big family and they are one of the biggest blessings in my life. And I love them all so much.

33.       Friends. Rachel and Jessica, you both mean so much to me. Rachelle, Julia, Cynthia, Melinda, RJ, Arianna, my online blogging friends, you light up my life. You encourage me in my faith and challenge me to do better. And Debra and Christina, I love getting together with you ladies. Whether it’s at the mall or at your house, I love hanging out with you ladies and talking.

44.       Crafting! Cross stitching, crocheting, scrapbooking, card making, quilting, sewing, and embroidery have kept my hands busy and productive. I love taking things like canvas, paper, or fabric and making it into something beautiful.

55.       Books and audiobooks. Whether reading or listening, I’m so grateful for everything I’m able learn. I have a whole library in my house. That’s a huge blessing.

66.       Texas. I’m so thankful to call the lone star state my home. It’s so beautiful here. With woods and fields to walk in. *sigh* There’s nowhere else I would rather be.

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77.       Baking! I love baking and cooking. And seeing my family smile when they taste a new batch of cookies, is a bakers dream come true.   

    

88.       Movie characters to inspire and entertain me. The Narnia movies, the Chipmuncks, Belle, Rapunzel, Cinderella High School Musical, the Visual Bible, Overcome, Period Dramas *Swoon*, romances, and Sue Thomas (to name a few).

Pictures via Pinterest

99.       Journals. I enjoy writing out my thoughts, life, hopes, and dreams.

110.   The ability to dream about the future. I don’t know all of what it will hold, but it’s so wonderful to imagine how my life will turn out.

111.   Facebook (to chat on), E-mail (to communicate with my friends), and phones.

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112.   Flowers. Roses are my favorites, but I have so many that I like.

113.   Teddy bears, dolls, and miniature tea sets.

114.   My laptop. I’m so grateful to have something as nice as this to work on.

115.   Dancing. : D

116.   Music. No matter what mood I’m in, I can find a song that fits it. It also help me to turn my eyes back to God.

Source

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117.   For the ability to write plays. It’s so neat to be able to write down ideas that I’ve had in my head for years.

118.   Blogs. I love having my own little corner of the cyber world that I can post on.

119.   Acting Adventures! It was so cool to act in 2 short films and in a play and in numerous skits. I also enjoyed getting to know the process of making a film.

220.   Great clothes. It’s so neat having pretty, fun, and pink clothes to wear.

221.   And last, but not least, I’m grateful for the journey of life God has allowed me to travel on so far. It’s been an amazing, scary, adventurous, crazy, and wonderful 21 years. And I trust that no matter where the road takes me from here will be perfect. Maybe not everything in my life will be perfect, and I’ll probably do some kicking and screaming about it, but I know that He will be leading me where I’m supposed to go.

       

Simple Blessings

Sorry I haven't been around much lately.
I've been busy trying to work on a short film idea and helping my family celebrate their birthdays. :D
My sister Sarah turned 22 last Saturday. She's such a special blessing in my life. I'm a better person because she's here. She's one of my simple blessings.
I'm blessed to have three younger sisters that have birthdays this month. :)
I also blessed to yesterday to celebrate the 23 wedding anniversary of my mom and dad. Having such loving and supportive parents is a simple wonderful blessing.
And I'm blessed that Blogger has a schedule function. It makes my life a lot easier.