Old Pictures

I just came across a bunch of old pictures on my old computer.. they made me happy/sad:

Blah.

I just got back to work today after being gone for over two weeks. It’s strange how I get so sick of something, and after taking a break from it, I realize how much I take it for granted. There are girls here that I love SO much and really pray will come to know Jesus someday. I was walking through the halls of the capitol today just absorbing the beauty of the painted walls like I did when I first started working here. I hate how much I take things for granted. When I came to work today I had sort of forgotten that Charlie died, and I was expecting to see him. When I got here I remembered, and it sucked. I think that I maybe block it out of my head sometimes because I miss him too much if I think about it. I just got some crappy news; I’m in a strange mood.

I just told Brett this:
“I know I like to take control of things myself sometimes but I think I need to ask questions and get it all out before I can really step back and realize that God is God, and I am just an idiot.”

I think I need to realize that more. I miss Paris, I miss Anna C and our late night conversations about how to save the world, I hope her week is going well.

<3

No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood
And walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again

-Regina Spektor

A few pictures from Paris

:)

Farewell my friends, see you in a week! I will try and post pictures while I'm there, if possible. Adios!

This Moved Me

When you have realized that our position is nearly desperate you will begin to understand what the Christians are talking about. They offer explanation of how we got into our present state of both hating goodness and loving it. they offer an explanation of how God can be this impersonal mind at the back of the Moral Law and yet also a Person. They tell you how the demands of this law, which you and I cannot meet, have been met on our behalf, how God himself becomes a man to save man from the disapproval of God. It is an old story and if you want to go into it you will no doubt consult people who have more authority to talk about it than I have. All I am doing is to ask people to face the facts--to understand the questions which Christianity claims to answer. And they are very terrifying facts. I wish it was possible to say something more agreeable. But I must say what I think true. Of course, I quite agree that the Christian religion is, in the long run, a thing of unspeakable comfort. But it does not begin in comfort; it begins in the dismay I have been describing, and it is no use at all trying to go on that comfort without first going through that dismay. In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth--only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair. Most of us have got over the pre-war wishful thinking about international politics. It is time we did the same about religion.

Mere Christianity--C.S. Lewis

Destination: Paris

So, I am going to visit a family friend who lives in Paris in 4 days. I have so much stuff to do before then because I'm going to be missing a week of school. I have set a goal to get all of that stuff done before Thursday night. I can't wait until Thursday comes and I will be stress free and France bound. I have never been to Europe. A good friend of mine, Katy, is coming with me. We plan to go jogging around Paris in the morning, take millions of pictures, play soccer in the park in front of the Eiffel tower, go wine tasting, say a prayer in the Notre Dame Cathedral (God will hear it better in there), and discuss theology while watching the sunset on the Seine River. It is going to be awesome to just get away from the routine life I have here for a week and clear my mind. Also, I just checked the weather and it is supposed to be in the mid-upper 50s while I’m there! Yes! I have an 8 hour plane ride on the way there, and about a 10 hour one on the way back, including a 5 hour stop in Amsterdam (hopefully we will find a way to leave the airport and accidentally get stranded there and never leave). I have so many books I want to read; hopefully I will make a dent on them there as none of my school text books will be in sight, I refuse to read anything about argumentative essays or abnormal psychology while I’m there. I’m praying for good health as I am just getting over a cold and my sister and dad both have the flu! I’m staying away from them the best I can. Pray for my travels and feel free to be jealous because you will be in Michigan and I will be sipping fine wine on the banks of the Seine. Mwahahaha.

Oi, lienda,
Bella che fa?
Bonita,
Bonita, Qué tal?
But, Belle,
Je ne comprends pas français
-Jack Johnson

I'm not sure what that means... something about being beautiful and not understanding French.

With love,
Franny

I want to go back to Kentucky

jhgbmnbhgj

So I learned a lesson tonight... One that I don't feel very good about still. One that I actually feel like crap about. I have some growing up to do. I can't wait to go to the retreat this weekend and spend some serious God time.

-Fran

The date on my blog is in Dutch, how cool am I?

Girls, come on now.

Sorry this post is kind of self explanatory but I still feel like writing it.

One thing that God has put on my heart lately is the way that I dress. Seeing some of the girls I know, especially the younger ones, show off their "goods" with the way that they dress honestly hurts my heart. WATCH WHAT YOU WEAR. Lets have respect for ourselves and for each other by keeping our bodies sacred. The world's attitude says to leave as little to imagination as possible and our minds are being flooded with images that tell us to flaunt what we've got, but God said:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. -Romans 12:2

I know that when I first became a Christian I never really thought much about this, I just wore what I thought was cute, but if you have that attitude, you should change it, NOW. We have to remember who sees us when we dress like that, and we need to help our guy friends out by not putting temptation in their faces.

I suggest wear something like this all of the time:




or this would work too:



Not really, but GIRLS, COME ON NOW, we can do better than this Hollister, Abercromie, what the world wants you to look like kind of crap.

The Late Mitch Hedberg

"You know, there's a fishing show on TV. They catch the fish, but they let it go. They don't want to eat the fish, but they do want to make it late for something."
-Mitch Hedberg


Dev and I saw "Catch and Release" last night. Not your typical chick flick. It was a pretty good movie, but it was depressing. It took place in one of my favorite cities in the world, Boulder CO. The scenery was beautiful.

Consequence of Sounds by Regina Spektor

Very same morning right next to her coffee
She noticed some bleeding and heard hollow coughing and
National Geographic was being too graphic,
When all she had wanted to know was the traffic
"The worlds got a nosebleed" it said
"And we're flooding but we keep on cutting
The trees and the forests!"
And we keep on paying those freaks on the TV,
Who claim they will save us but want to enslave us.
And sweating like demons they scream through our speakers
But we leave the sound on 'cause silence is harder.
And no one's the killer and no one's the martyr
The world that has made us can no longer contain us
And profits are silent then rotting away 'cause

The consonants and vowels
The consequence of sounds.

Very cool song, I'm going to go to bed now.

Escucha a este cantaron

Listen to this song: "Star Mile" by Joshua Radin.

You might like it.

Yes!

My passport came in the mail! I was worried that it would come late. I'm going to Paris in 2 1/2 weeks! Despite the fact that my picture is extrememly unattractive and I will have to keep it for 10 years... I AM GOING TO PARIS.

Romance at its best

I was reading through Ecclesiastes today while the little guy I babysit was taking a nap and I kept reading into Song of Songs. Wow.

Want to read something romantic?

3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
is my lover among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

4 He has taken me to the banquet hall,
and his banner over me is love.

5 Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.

6 His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.

7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.

I found this carved into a rock near our cabin



My parents in Kentucky


I hate when I sit down to pray and I pray for everything I want. I often catch myself praying a wish list and I feel like a brat. The truth is though, God has answered so many of my prayers it's seriously ridiculous. I am so selfish, I am so undeserving. Whenever I truly hand something over to God and quit trying to make something happen myself, everything works out. Three of my friends and I have been reading this book called "When God Writes Your Love Story." It is really cheesy, but so encouraging. I think about it a lot. There is a part that talks about how even if you are dating a guy for 4 years, see desirable qualities in a guy, whatever, you still never know if he is going to be your husband until he IS your husband. Therefore, you should treat him like any other brother in Christ. You should think of him just like any other brother in Christ. That is one of the coolest mind sets about dating I have every heard... They are just like any other guy until they are your husband.

"Have you ever thought about that? Just ponder it for a moment. If God's plan and purpose for you is marriage, then that person you will one day marry is alive and wandering the earth. If that's true, if they are really out there somewhere, don't you wonder what they are doing?"

Yeah, and I sure as hell don't want to be with some other guy when my future husband is thinking this thought. It is hard to love someone you might not even know yet, but I would hope that they would do the same. Hmmm... My tangent is over. And I REALLY should be doing homework right now. Arg.

-Franny

Hmmm....

So God does answer prayers... :)

Bible Study

This fall, God lead me to a bible study that is friggin sweet. I love it, and I can't imagine my life without this group of people in it.

Tom Petty- Roll Another Joint

This song makes me think about how excepted a certain way of life is for so many people. I wonder why some of my friends never think twice to follow Christ, and I am reminded by the culture we are in. It is so hard, and it frustrates me.

Let me run with you tonight
and i'll take you on a moonlight ride
There's someone i used to see
but she don't give a damn for me
But let me get to the point
Let's roll another joint
And turn the radio loud
I'm too alone to be proud
You don't know how it feels
You don't know how it feels
to be me...
People come People go
Some grow young Some grow cold
I woke up in between
A memory and a dream
So let's get to the point
Let's roll another joint
Let's head on down the road
There's somewhere I gotta go
And you don't know how it feels
You don't know how it feels
to be me...
My old man was born to rock
He's still tryin to beat the clock
Think of me what you will
I got a little space to fill
So let's get to the point
Let's roll another joint
Let's head on down the road
There's somewhere i gotta go
And you don't know how it feels
You don't know how it feels
No you don't know how it feels
to be me...
And you don't know how it feels
You don't know how it feels
No you don't know how it feels
to be me...

Amazing Song.

All of us dancing with a little boy at a free concert in Minneapolis

Worst Blogger EVER (and ok with it)

I have not updated since October of 2005. Wow. I have Concluded that I am a horrible blogger. Oh well, I like to blog and I will keep this blog even if its just collecting dust. I don't know who will read this because I'm assuming that no one regularly checks a blog that hasn't been updated in over a year, and if you do that that's kind of creepy, but oh well we'll see.

I am now helping out with Riverview's High shcool ministry, formally know as BOB. I'm so excited that J.R. and the other leaders have given me the opportunity to work with these high schoolers. I know what its like to be a Christian in high school, and its not very fun. I look back on the way I behaved during my early years of high school (I became a Christian late junior year) and I can see that I totally lived my life for the world. I see my little sister who is now a sophomore and she is starting to make the same mistakes that I once made. It is hard, I just want to grab her face and scream "Learn from my mistakes! Don't make them yourself!" Not to say that I don't make mistakes anymore...

Some small thoughts on BIG lessons God has taught me:

*God has a plan.
About a year ago a series of events lead to the loss of a relationship and some very cherished friendships for me. At the time, I refused to trust that God had a reason for what happened to me. Now that everything is said and done, I can look back and see how much that relationship was bringing me down, and the people God has placed in my life as a result are absolutely amazing. I have grown so much through this whole experience and have learned to trust in God. I was an idiot for not trusting him in the first place.


*We are on this earth to spread God's word, NOT to party.

"I urge you, as ALIENS and STRANGERS in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." -1 Peter 2:11

There is so much more in store for us than this world. If I can't drink alcohol until I'm 21 (or when I'm in Paris for spring break muwahaha) or have sex until I'm married... THEN THAT'S OK! Although these things are gifts in their Godly context, there is so much more to our existence than this worldly stuff... We have HEAVEN ahead of us! What can beat that?

*Honesty wins.
I have friends that tell me "It doesn't matter how bad you mess up, you can ALWAYS come to me with anything." I have learned so much, especially this summer, that if you are honest about your sins, they are so much easier to get a hold of. Be transparent.

Ok cool. Here are some pics:

I miss Minneapolis



I love Devon and my little sister Liz (Who is bigger than me)



And my dog is cute.



Bye Bye.

Wow I have not updated in months. I have been very busy with school and babysitting and now volleyball is starting. Life is pretty much the same though. I recently tried geting involved with a ministry at Riverview called stephen's ministry, but then I found out you have to be 18... :/ bummer, but oh well because i will be 18 in July. My career goal is to be a counseler and I think it is so amazing to listen to how people feel and have compassion for them and try and help them feel better. So I am pretty sure I am going to apply for that this summer. Exciting. Stuff has been happening lately at holt High School, cool stuff. It seems like BOB has really taken off and so many people are hearing about it and talking about it, which leads to---> going to it. Even if they are just there because there friends are there.... THEY ARE THERE and God is working in their lives. Ahhh it makes me so happy. I have also heard a lot of criticism at the lunch table and such. That has also been a blessing though because it is a chance to stand for Jesus.

The other day I was driving home from volleyball and a litte weener dog in a multi-colored sweater ran out in front of me. He stopped just on the other side of the road to like tease his owner. Then when the owner got like 3 feet close to him he started running in circles all over. The funny part was his sweater... dogs are so cute.

Lj's/Xangas of my fellow high school girls

So Audrey and I were looking through the live journals and Xangas of High school girls, and some of them made us chuckle. We decided to make our own example of one.
This basically sums up the typical high school girl's Online Journal:
______________________________________________________________________________________
heres a few picz of me just playin around being bored, I look really bad HAHAH LOL, I like just woke up from a nap, so I mean my hair is kinda messed up and my eye lashes are totally not curled.

This is Auderz, she was like totally not ready for this pic. hehehehe. This is me and Auderz hehehehehehehehe. Kisses, muah LOL. We are so CCCCuuuuraaaaazzzyyy! OOOMMMMGGGG we look so bad!

"all a Girl really needs:

are her best friends * a

closet full of clothes

and* a cute boy to kiss."

______________________________________________________

Requirements for a high school girl's online journal:

1) You must have a bunch of pictures of yourself hitting seductive poses.

2) Each picture must have an explaination of how bad you look in them, when really, you spent 3 hours getting ready to take them.

3)The colors of the text have to change frequently enough to give the reader a seizure.

4) You must only use internet grammar. On plural wordz, replace the "s" with a "z".

5)Each entry must be topped off with an extremely touching and meaningful quote, like the one in my example.

LT

We just got home from LT and I definetly got what I prayed for. It was an amazing experience. I was almost disappointed to come home because I loved how intense the worship was and how easy it was to believe and worship when everyone around you feels the same way you do. It is hard to come home but then this is where God is needed the most. I met so many amazing people and made some really great friends. I can't wait to go back to BOB wednesday and see them all. Oh yeah If you are reading this and you don't already, you should go to BOB, it's gonna be awesome. I will write more later.

More excited than electricity!

LT is in 3 days and I am soo excited. I'm really looking to find God in a way I have not yet. Please pray for me and everyone going that we will have a fufilling experience. Thanks!

Thank you God

Audrey and I drove up to her cottage in pentwater Tuesday night just to get away for the day. We left after I got done babysitting at like 5ish, and we got there at like 8:00. There was some construction so it took a little longer. We went to bed all cozy, woke up the next morning at like 10:00 and spent the day swimming and laying in the sun on her private Lake Michigan beach. It was so relaxing.. I have been working way too much.

On the way home however, it was less relaxing. We were on 96 just short of Portland and we were in the left lane approaching this green ultima which was in the right lane. We were about to speed up and pass him but he swayed over to our lane, cutting us off and then swayed back over in the right lane. "What is this Ultima doing? Get away from this guy" I said to Audrey. So she passed him and got about 30 feet ahead of him. She had still left about 20 feet between her and the car in front of us. We entered a construction zone where all the cars in front of us were at a dead stop, lined up, we breaked to stop, slowing down to about 30mph and next thing we knew it the green ultima slammed into our back end going about 65. He bounced off of us twice because audrey had to break in order to not cause a pile up by hitting the bumper-to-bumper traffic ahead of us. I started screaming for her to get off the road and drive into the shoulder and so she did. The driver of the Ulitma followed us and instead of breaking to stop his car, he decided to use our car as a little stopping wall and hit our car AGAIN. It was not a fun experience
At least we know that the ford focus can take a hard hit and you will only get whiplash from it. Seriously though, Pay attention when you friggin drive otherwise you are not smart person and I don't like you.

Conversations with God

I recently started reading "Conversations with God- An uncommon dialouge" by Neale Donald Walsch. It is a big conversation between Neale Donald Walsch and God-- what God would say according to Neale. I'm not sure about it. Some of the answers do not go along with the Bible. I definitely think that it is cool to read things like this but I also think it is very good to hold the Bible above any other book and if they dont match, then to take what the Bible says because that is the word of God. Conversations with God more refers to a universal God, and he refers to Jesus as a saint, and also Budah as a saint. As a christian I believe that Jesus was the son of God sent by him to wash us of our sins and now there is the trinity God Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that there is no other God above him so that is why I dont agree with Neale refering to Budahh as a saint. The book has some really cool ideas, but some of them that I think are wrong. I definitely suggest this book to anyone though, if you are the kind of person who likes to think.

Neale Donald Walsch: How do you talk, and to whom?

GOD: I talk to everyone. All the time. The question is not to whom do I talk, But who listens?

Neale Donald Walsch: Expand on that subject.

GOD: First let's exchange the word talk with the word communicate. It's a much better word, a much fuller, more accurate one. When we try to speak to each other Me to you, you to Me, we are immediately constricted by the unbelievable limitation of words. For this reason, I do not communicate by words alone. In face, rarely do I do so. My most common form of communication is through feeling.

Feeling is the language of the soul.

If you want to know what's true for you about somthing, look to how you're feeling about it.

Feelings are somtimes diffucult to discover--and often even more diffucult to acknowledge. Yet hidden in your deepest feelings is your highest truth.

We are the Champions!

I love this sport

DISTRICT CHAMPS!!! We defeated Okemos after double overtime and a shootout! We play Portage Central on Tuesday.

helloooo

oh its always better when we're together

We beat GL tonight... now we are on to Everett, then most likely Okemos. Aaghhahhhhaaa (my cry of excitement).

This week has been impossible

Mission Impossible



I have been so stressed lately with school and soccer and life in general. AHhhh! I slept in until 3pm yesterday because I was so tired out from the whole week. We beat both Okemos and EL in the CAAC tourny which makes us tournament champs, but we played like crap in the regular season so we took third overall. So now we start districts on tuesday and we will most likely be playing okemos in the finals. I'm excited!

Ouch, I feel so bad... you little twerp

Bet that hurt...


My little sister is suspended from school for tomorrow (Which is her birthday). A boy was making fun of her at her track meet and saying some really mean things to her, and she got so mad that she kicked him in the jewels! I don't want to laugh, but I don't feel bad for this kid at all. I know it wasn't right for her to do what she did, but what a little jerk. I hate it when kids are bullies. Luckily, my sister is the kind of girl who will just teach him a lesson and forget about it, other kids don't forget it when they are bullied, and it drives them to do some scary crap. So the moral of the story is don't bully people.

I've got a game Vs. Everett today, but I'm not playing in it because I'm still sick. I have to go get ready though, Have a nice day!

My lovely car

This is what MY 91 buick looks like.



BUT... my wonderful parents are getting me a NEW CAR for my birthday (July 6th).... YAY!

It has been a good year, many memories in the "Blue beast", also known as "the blueberry", the "blue bombshell", and "the hurricane".

Buick Without Rust

this is what a nice 91 buick looks like.

Erika and I 

Audrey and I on New years 

I'm sick

I'm pretty sick so I feel like crap. Mom thinks it is the flu. I'v got the chills and my head really hurts. I've been out of school since monday afternoon and I don't know if I will be going tomorrow even. We play Everett tomorrow... so its not really a big deal for me to miss that game. I hope Ryan doesn't catch it.

I can't describe how anxious I am for school to end. I'm so sick of waking up early. I got a babysitting job for the summer and its every other week from 8:30-4. Nicky and I are going to switch weeks. This way I will get a week of downtime, and if I want to go to the cabin or up north with Audrey it will work out good.
I'm going to go take a shower now, see ya.