So, it's been a long since I've blogged. But, as satisfying as journaling is, I felt I wanted to share my France thoughts a little more.

First off - France is BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, BREATH TAKING, really I could go on and on. This country is so much more than I could ever have expected. Anything you have ever heard about France is nothing but an understatement. Pictures can't communicate the beauty that I've seen here!

Starting off my summer abroad in Paris was the best thing ever! I could never have imagined that Paris would be what I experienced! We packed so many things into one week! The Louvre, The Luxembourg Gardens, Musee Rodin, Musee D'Orsay (my favorite of all the museums!), Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, L'Opera Garnier, the list goes on and on! Let me just say - my bottle of Aleve was empty by the end of that week, but man do I love the metro!

Living in Lyon - life has slowed down a lot! I have the most amazing host family! However, I've really been realizing that I'm easily pushed off track! This summer I had a lot of goals and things I wanted to work on! I wanted to become fluent in French and thought that within the first two weeks I would easily have that down! Well I was sure wrong about that! Trying to communicate is not only the hardest, but the most exhausting thing I've ever done! By 8:00 (or 20:00 here) I'm ready for bed! But, it's good. Every day I get a little better and hope that the people answering me in English each day will finally start responding in French (FINGERS CROSSED! I guess my blond hair and blue eyes are a clear give away among the see of tall, thin, brunettes!).

Before this summer - I thought I would fly off to France and have the most amazing growth of my life. I would get away from the distractions of my life and walk closer with the Lord like I had been working on. I would be able to remove the things that had been stopping me from surrendering when I was back in the States. It amazes me how foolish I always am! Nothing is ever that simple! Of course there are always going to be distractions and things stopping me from surrendering completely (it's never going to be an easy step). Moving to a new country in and of itself is something that has been a distraction. Being homesick and feeling like an outsider 24/7 can often create a negative attitude. It's easy to complain regardless of the fact that I'm surrounded by bread, cheese, and the most beautiful country on earth.

However, after about a week of complaining about the bad waitresses and the lack of Targets - I'M DONE! I only get to spend 7 weeks here and who knows when I'll be back again! It's just silly of my to waste a single minute of that time complaining about what's not the same as the US instead of enjoying what is different! It's time for me to change my attitude and get a new view on life here in France!

And where do I start?!?! Improving my relationship with the Lord! That is what this summer was always about for me! I came here, yes to improve my French, but more than anythings, to grow! So, let's start growing! Spending time in the word and in fellowship in the morning shouldn't be something that I do if I wake up with extra time - it should be something I wake up with time to do every morning! A think a key part of the attitude change and the growth is being conscious of who I spend my time with. There are a handful of believers on this trip and it's so important that I'm spending time in fellowship with them! The Lord never called us to walk alone, so why would I want to be here on my own? These girls deeply love the Lord and I have a lot to learn from them! The time I spend with them is the time I feel the most positive and the most joyful! There is no need for negativity in my life! Ever! Especially while I'm enjoying my amazing time here in France!

The People Sitting Next To Me

I'm trying out a new, wonderful coffee shop tonight (duh!). It's finals week and I'm going stir crazy in the house, so I've decided to explore the wonderful coffee shops of Austin to get some studying done! Tonight I'm at Cherrywood and there is a HILARIOUS conversation going on next to me. There is a table of people talking about the Harry Potter movies (among other things) - but not in the way you would think! Normally people talk about it as if they were huge fans, these people are just ripping into the actors and saying the funniest things ever! I'm doing less studying and more eavesdropping! I almost want to ask them to speak up so I can hear them better! So, I figured I'd bring you a mix of what they are saying and things I've though up based on inspirations from their statements!
ENJOY! 


Can we bring up Neville and how he got hot?


It's infuriating how much Harry doesn't know about the wizarding world. He's been there for seven years now! He should have atleast read the Magic of Ministry book!


I'm upset that the twins kinda got ugly.


Who's that really handsome fellow and what's he doing in a Harry Potter movie?


That has to be a wig!


I have a total crush on the guy from the Harry Potter musical.


Ugh, I'm so over him and his "evil" thing.


Someone tried to tell me that Golden Compass was a better series than Harry Potter. Let's compare. A book where a young girl has sex in a field to save the world or wizards? Come on!


I try to model my work ethic after Albus Dumbledore. 


I wish they'd be less chatty and just get sh*t done. Come on Harry - evil wizard? Remember him?




And then they moved onto Glee:
Whenever they have the teachers sing and dance I literally go INSANE!


They want to have a successful show, so they've been writing to bring out the sluttier girls. 


My favorite part of the Dirty Dancing episode was: the whole time I kept thinking how Lea Michelle and I would have rocked it better.


Her face reflected her choice of outfit. Ugly and tacky...


I like watching Glee cuz sometimes I just want to feel stupid.




Love you to the mooooooon and back!!!

Be Encouraging!

It's finals week! The last week of fall semester is here! I can't believe how fast these past few months have flown by! It has been a WONDERFUL semester of getting to know new people, growing into a new person, and enjoying so many wonderful things life has presented me! Sophomore year is amazing! It is such a year of growth and exploration! It's a year for getting out of your comfort zone, getting lost sometimes, and finding your way! This has been one of my best years so far! I cannot wait to see what next semester has to offer!!!
So... as finals are coming up I just want to encourage everyone! I know that we all probably have lots of late, stressful nights to come in this next week! But remember: Get some rest, eat well, AND PRAY! Don't forget how far a smile and a happy attitude can go!
Here are some little verses and sayings to read to keep you uplifted through the week!


Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. - Romans 12:12


Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally. - David Frost



The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure. - Sven Goran Eriksson

Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. - Proverbs 10:4

Feel free to post your own encouragements!!! Work hard and have a GREAT week! Good luck on finals!!!


Love you to the moon and back!!

Coffee Shop Angel Told Me To

Right now I'm sitting in one of Austin's many wonderful coffee shops! It's the last week of school. What does that mean?? LOTS AND LOTS OF TESTS!!! So, of course I have an overwhelming amount of studying to do! However, my usual study spot - my favorite table in the dining room at the ADPi house, just didn't have its usual appeal. I couldn't bring myself to go downstairs and study there! I'm going a bit stir-crazy in the house right now, so I decided to find a great coffee shop to study. Not being able to decide on a favorite, I picked something close. So, I went to Spiderhouse and spent a good half hour trying to find a parking spot that my giant soccer-mom car could fit in (I really hope I don't get towed)! After achieving that went to the tiny inside area (since most of the coffee house is a great outside porch!) to get some delicious, jasmine tea! So, I've been here for about 2-3 hours getting a good amount of studying done! Well, at least as much studying as I can do for Organizational Communications (doesn't that sound interesting... note the sarcasm!). I've about hit a wall, but was just sent the most amazing blessing in the form of a very tall man. However, I'm pretty convinced he's an angel! I'm sitting at a table that's right next to the area with all the creamers and sugars - AKA lots of foot traffic. Anyways, since the inside area is so small and since it is beautifully cold in Austin right now, the inside tables are a hot commodity tonight! Well, at about the time when I think my brain couldn't take one more words about emotion, leadership or conflict - this man walked up and stood right next to my table. It was obvious that he was waiting for a table by the way he was scoping out the seating area! So, after watching him for a few minutes and deciding that it was just about time to go home (my laptop doesn't have much battery left and my jasmine tea has gone cold), I figured I should tell him I'm almost done with my table. So, I asked him if he was waiting for a table. His response - he wanted a corner table that didn't have bar stools (understandable... these bar stools are the best option for long term sitting!). Then, he continued to tell me that I'm beautiful, my heart is beautiful. Then we chatted a bit about what I'm working on and what class I'm studying for. I mentioned how the tests are hard and it's a tough class for me. He, in his quiet voice, gave me incredible encouragement - not only for the class, but for my major (which I'd been feeling a bit down about). The one thing he said that I loved was - keep writing! I've always loved writing, but haven't been doing much of it. So, I felt it was the perfect thing to post about! It was just what I needed! A blessing in the form of a quiet man who spoke in hushed tones. Well, a corner table finally opened up for him and as he walked away he told me - God bless you (but in kinder, sweeter words that were so softly spoken you almost had to reach out and pull them back to you as if they were a secret!).
Little blessings we're sent in the moments we least expect! I hope each and every one of you knows how blessed you are. I also hope you receive a sweet blessing like this during these hard weeks of studying and tests!!

LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK!

Crafty Again

Just wanted to show the crafty things I've been at recently... nothing too special!

This is the mask I made for ADPi Masquerade! I used black paint mixed with black and silver glitter for the base. Then I sprinkled more black and silver glitter on top. Next I laid strips of lace over the eyes and set black sequins in the corners. A trimmed black feather to top it off! (I also painted a wooden stick black and sprinkled it with black glitter!!) The mask started off as a plain, white mask and I cut it down to this "sweat-heart" shape!!!

I decided I wanted to hand all my hair bows on the wall! So, I took a pretty, orange ribbon and hung them up on a bare spot next to the window!

Love you to the moon and back!

It's "Reel-y" a Shame I Haven't Seen These!

So, there are some films, classic films, that I have still NOT seen! Most are films I love and know all about. However, I've never actually watched them! Some are old, new, famous, lesser known, etc (you get the point! Anyways, I'm going to make a list of films I want to see, no, NEED to see. Though my life seems to be consumed with studying a good 87% of the time, I do hope to make somewhat of a dent in the list. (Now don't judge me on my list - some of these are movies I just haven't seen all the way through. But mostly, it's me be honest and saying, "I haven't seen this classic that everything should see!")

I'd really love to hear what some of the films on your list are!! Or, if you have suggestions for me - please let me know!!!

Dead Poets Society

The Graduate

Casablanca

A Clockwork Orange

Sophie's Choice

The Shining

The Messenger

12 Monkeys

Pulp Fiction

Annie Hall

Rebel Without a Cause

Schindler's List

American Beauty 

Amelie

The Hurt Locker

-so there's a start though I know I have many more!

Love you to the moon and back!!

techNO!

This morning I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine about how technology has seemed to take over our world today! She and I both agreed that it was kind of unneeded and can even interrupt  daily interactions. So it got me thinking - why are we so dependent on our iPhones and iPods? Do we really need 5,000 songs on hand? Would life not go on if Words with Friends ceased to exist? Personally, I have an old school iPod (not the original, but the version that came out right after it). It's nothing fancy, but I have noooo need for anything more. It holds 1,000 songs and I doubt I could listen to even half of them in a day! I couldn't find a reason for any more than that. I'm sure the battery would die before I could through all of them! And my phone you ask? Well, I find that it call make calls and send text messages. That's about all a phone should be used for in my opinion! I really don't understand the need for all different "apps." Really, with my laptop I'm reading emails and checking Facebook more often then I'd like. I'm pretty sure if I used the internet on my phone (which I haven't even tried to figure out) that would be Facebook overload. I'm not going to climb up on a soapbox here, but I just feel that if we can't walk from class to another without bumping into each because we're too busy playing with out phones - we have a bit of a problem! I understand some people need fancy, high-tech phones for their jobs. For instance, my dad needs internet on his phone to be able to check into flights when he doesn't have access to a computer. But SOMEBODY PLEASE take that dang blackberry away from him! When people (AKA my dad) are reading their work emails at home, when it time to relax and spend time with your family, I vote it's time to take internet away from phones (at least for certain hours of the night!)
Well... now that I've gotten all preachy... which is not what I intended... apologies!
Anyways, my whole point was, why is all the new technology so necessary? Don't you think it takes away from relationships?? I do!! Thoughts??
Welllllll... I guess I should get back to class!!

Love you to the moon and back!!!