"If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever." -Winnie the Pooh
Hey Everyone!
I hope you're enjoying your day! It's beautiful here in Texas right now...sunny, warm; it feels like spring, and it's still January! The sun made me smile today, that's for sure. Anyway, this post is a little heavier than some of the others I've posted thus far. The purpose of this post is to remember a beautiful woman, my nana, who left this world 14 years ago this month, so I'm going to write to her and about her today. If you've lost someone, I hope this brings you peace and comfort.
To Nana, with Love,
First of all, I just want to say that I love you, and miss you with all of my heart, but I know you've been watching me from above all this time. I also want to wish you a Happy Birthday! I hope you're partying up there with Jesus right now. This is kind of hard for me to write to you, because I wish you were here with me. I wish you hadn't left this world so many years ago...you were too young. I wish you could have visited us when we moved all over the country and lived in Germany. You would have loved it! I wish you could have been there to watch me graduate. It was a special time filled with friends and family, but you were definitely missing. Sometimes, it's hard to understand why things happen the way they do; why good people die early and criminals are allowed to live. I still to this day don't understand why God took you out of this world so early, but God knows what he's doing, even if we can't comprehend. Although I'm sometimes angry with God for taking you, it comforts me to know that you're still there...I carry you in my heart every day...I know you're looking down on me, and I hope you're smiling. It gives me peace to know that I will see you again one day.
Even though you passed when I was just 4 1/2, you taught me a lot about a lot. You taught me about love through the love that you showed so genuinely to me. I will never forget the pure joy on your face every time I saw you. You made me feel so special all the time. You had the patience of a Saint. Around the Holidays, my sister and I would make cookies with you for Santa. I've worked with small children a lot and I know cooking and making things with them can be frustrating and stressful, but you taught us how to roll out cookies, cut them out, encouraged us the whole way, and never got upset when things didn't turn out perfectly. You taught me tenacity and endurance. You never gave up on anything; you were a fighter, and thus, I'm a fighter. You would comfort me when Disney movies were a little too scary for my little self. You were, and still are so wonderful.
Although I know you're watching, the family is doing pretty well. Lindsey is a junior in high school and Daniel is in the 8th grade. Both of them have such amazing musical talents and Lindsey is phenomenal at theatre. You would be so proud. Daddy is retired now, but still works on base. My mom, your wonderful, beautiful daughter, is so strong. She got that from you, you know. She holds down the Fort when dad is away; she is always there for us no matter how big or small the need. She was and will always be an amazing mother, and I gather that's because she learned from the best. I love listening to her tell stories about her childhood when it was just the two of you, and the special bond between you. She's such a great role model...you should pat yourself on the back for a job well done. You'd also be proud of the way she has handled me going away to college. Of course, she misses me, but she allows me to do my own thing, and figure out who I am meant to be, only giving input when I ask. She's there for me when I need her, but she trusts me enough to give me the freedom to be who I am. That says a lot about her and it has made me love her even more, if that was even possible.
I'm doing well. I love going to TCU. The campus is beautiful and the community is amazing. I'm and elementary education major, taking after my mom, and I couldn't be more excited. I tried the nursing thing, but realized that wasn't where my heart was, so I decided to go back to my original plan. I have a lot more of mom in me than I thought. Everyone tells me I look like both her and dad, but more like my dad, but I have her tenacity, stubbornness, and love for children. I'm also told that I'm built like you and look kind of like you, too. Anyway, have a wonderful Birthday up there with Jesus. Go dancing with the King for me. Just know that I think of you all the time and hope that I'm making you proud.
Much Love,
Stephanie
"For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ." Colossians 2:5
Although there are days that are hard and I question God as to why he chose to take my amazing nana from this earth, I am comforted by the fact that she really is there in spirit, smiling from above. I hope that this post, the Winnie the Pooh quote, and the verse from Colossians give you peace if you are hurting and struggling with loss.
Feel free to leave comments, prayer requests, etc. below.
Yours Truly,
Steph
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Those Nerves, Though
Hello everyone!
I hope your week is going well so far. I know I've been sort of running around like a chicken with my head cut off as I have had a million and one things to do (already) this week. The theme for this week is actually something that I struggle with on a weekly, and even sometimes a daily basis, and that is worry and stress. Being a perfectionist naturally causes me to worry and stress about a lot of things, even small ones, which may be one of my biggest weaknesses. This semester I'm striving to worry less and trust God more, and this week has already been a major test as I've had an interview and other events as well as my academics to deal with. I'm super excited for this post because it is formatted a little differently in that usually I have a couple words or phrase for each topic, and then I integrate quotes in my explanations, but this week, my topics are my quotes and Bible Verses, and the explanations will follow.
"Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow." -Unknown
The resounding truth in this is almost unbelievable...it's such a simple statement, but so true. I had an interview this morning, and I did not sleep much last night because I was so nervous. This morning my head was spinning. Each time I'm afraid or stressed, or worried about something, if I hand it over to my Savior, I rest much better. Faith truly is a great pillow...I obviously failed at this last night, but will strive to have more faith in other situations that make me nervous, such as the interview I have next week.
"Cast all your worries on Him, because He cares for you." -1 Peter 5:7
How great is that? My Heavenly Father, the Creator of the Universe cares for me specifically as well as everyone else. When I think about it, it kind of doesn't make sense for me to be worried because I have God, who is all powerful, all knowing, on my side. Silly me...what was I worried about anyway?
"Never be nervous when given the opportunity to market your skills and talent. It's the only times people are genuinely interested in hearing you talk about yourself." -Jason Vincik
I so wish I had read this before the craziness of this week. It's so accurate...when interviewing for positions, the interviewer truly does want to know your strengths and skills and talent, basically what you would bring to the table, so it really is okay to brag about yourself just a little bit. They want to know. When someone gives you the opportunity to express your skills and talents, TAKE IT. To all my friends who have interviews or other events, remember this and let it put you at ease. Just be honest. People actually do want to hear what you have to say.
"Don't worry; be happy." , "You got it, dude!" -Michelle Tanner
Call me cheesy, corny, whatever you want, but I LOVE Full House, not just because the family is cool or Michelle is cute, but because of the little sayings such as Michelle's two adorable catch-phrases, "don't worry, be happy," and "you got it dude!" that are true life lessons. They're so simple, but so hard to achieve. If you're worried about something, you can't truly be happy, and life is way too short to be unhappy and worried all the time. And the next time you have to take a test or do an interview, or something stressful, just look at yourself in the mirror, give yourself a thumbs up and say, sincerely, to yourself, "You got it, dude!"
If you're a worrier like me, I hope you found some comfort in these quotes and in this post in general, and if you have any other good Bible Verses for stress or quotes, feel free to post them in the comments. Have a wonderful rest of the week!
Yours Truly,
Steph
I hope your week is going well so far. I know I've been sort of running around like a chicken with my head cut off as I have had a million and one things to do (already) this week. The theme for this week is actually something that I struggle with on a weekly, and even sometimes a daily basis, and that is worry and stress. Being a perfectionist naturally causes me to worry and stress about a lot of things, even small ones, which may be one of my biggest weaknesses. This semester I'm striving to worry less and trust God more, and this week has already been a major test as I've had an interview and other events as well as my academics to deal with. I'm super excited for this post because it is formatted a little differently in that usually I have a couple words or phrase for each topic, and then I integrate quotes in my explanations, but this week, my topics are my quotes and Bible Verses, and the explanations will follow.
"Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow." -Unknown
The resounding truth in this is almost unbelievable...it's such a simple statement, but so true. I had an interview this morning, and I did not sleep much last night because I was so nervous. This morning my head was spinning. Each time I'm afraid or stressed, or worried about something, if I hand it over to my Savior, I rest much better. Faith truly is a great pillow...I obviously failed at this last night, but will strive to have more faith in other situations that make me nervous, such as the interview I have next week.
"Cast all your worries on Him, because He cares for you." -1 Peter 5:7
How great is that? My Heavenly Father, the Creator of the Universe cares for me specifically as well as everyone else. When I think about it, it kind of doesn't make sense for me to be worried because I have God, who is all powerful, all knowing, on my side. Silly me...what was I worried about anyway?
"Never be nervous when given the opportunity to market your skills and talent. It's the only times people are genuinely interested in hearing you talk about yourself." -Jason Vincik
I so wish I had read this before the craziness of this week. It's so accurate...when interviewing for positions, the interviewer truly does want to know your strengths and skills and talent, basically what you would bring to the table, so it really is okay to brag about yourself just a little bit. They want to know. When someone gives you the opportunity to express your skills and talents, TAKE IT. To all my friends who have interviews or other events, remember this and let it put you at ease. Just be honest. People actually do want to hear what you have to say.
"Don't worry; be happy." , "You got it, dude!" -Michelle Tanner
Call me cheesy, corny, whatever you want, but I LOVE Full House, not just because the family is cool or Michelle is cute, but because of the little sayings such as Michelle's two adorable catch-phrases, "don't worry, be happy," and "you got it dude!" that are true life lessons. They're so simple, but so hard to achieve. If you're worried about something, you can't truly be happy, and life is way too short to be unhappy and worried all the time. And the next time you have to take a test or do an interview, or something stressful, just look at yourself in the mirror, give yourself a thumbs up and say, sincerely, to yourself, "You got it, dude!"
If you're a worrier like me, I hope you found some comfort in these quotes and in this post in general, and if you have any other good Bible Verses for stress or quotes, feel free to post them in the comments. Have a wonderful rest of the week!
Yours Truly,
Steph
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Welcome Back
Hello All!
I flew back to Texas on Sunday evening and second semester is in full swing. Syllabus days are over for the most part and real lectures have already commenced. It's been a little challenging readjusting considering I was home for 4 weeks and did not do a whole lot, but I am proud to say that I have already been to the rec to work out. That's a step up from last semester for sure.
It was so fun to reunite with all of my crazy wonderful friends. I truly did miss them over break. In that sense, not much has changed. We fell right back into our hang-out routines. It was also wonderful to begin new classes and have a fresh start to the New Year. I do have some semester goals that I would like to share.
Balance
It's my second semester as a college student, which means that last semester was my time to truly get the hang of college because it is a huge change. Now that I understand many things about college life and survival I can truly accomplish balance. I desire to balance my academics, personal, and social life much better than I did previously. Last semester and really last year, my life was a little bit lop-sided. I started off doing academics the majority of the time and did not hang out with friends other than weekends and meals for the most part because I was so stressed out about anatomy. About halfway through, my life became lopsided the other direction. I got burnt out and spent a lot of time with friends, which is great because they kept and continue to keep me sane, but I would hang out with them and neglect my studies, which hurt me a little bit at the end. This semester my goal is to begin with a balanced life so that I don't go stir-crazy with academics, but I don't neglect them either. It's going to be a challenge, but I'm hoping that I can find a balance because I think it is important and will be beneficial in the long run.
Academic Excellence
I'm kind of a perfectionist, and academic excellence has always been important to me. I mean, come on, I came to a selective university for a reason. My goal is to perform to the best of my ability in everything I do. I feel like as a society, we focus too much on letter grades than work ethic and perseverance. There's a belief in our society that if you make As, you've achieved academic excellence. This saddens me a little because academic excellence is different for each person. If one performs to the best of their ability in a class, even if it means they make a B, or even a C, I believe they have achieved excellence. Academic Excellence should be more about effort, therefore, my goal is to do my best. Sure, I'd like to make a 4.0 this semester, but if I do not achieve this, but know I performed to the best of my ability I'm not going to be down on myself because in my mind, I still will have achieved academic excellence.
Exercise
I did not exercise enough last semester...okay I didn't exercise hardly at all. This semester, I am going to change that in order to be healthier, boost my immune system, and feel better. Exercise also releases endorphins, which makes one happy, so that's another benefit. Also, everyone who goes to TCU pays a lot of money for a private education and all of our nice facilities, so basically, if I don't use the Rec, I'm wasting money, and I'm not about that life.
Healthy Eating
I'll admit...I'm not the most patient person ever when it comes to lines, and when I go to the BLUU for lunch, it seems like no matter when I go, there's a billion people in there. I thought noon was rush hour...and I have class at noon, so I was excited to eat at 11 so that I wouldn't have to deal with the entire campus trying to eat at once (that's an exaggeration), but now apparently 11 is rush hour. Joke's on me. The whole line thing is a big reason why I eat pizza basically everyday...which is not good for me...or anyone...so my goal this semester is to not eat pizza (or oreos or ice cream) all the time and to eat healthier. Once again, this is to help with my immune system, allow me to be healthier, and to feel better. This one is going to be hard because I hate lines, but, I'm going to start braving them to better my eating habits...hopefully. But really...this may be the most challenging goal of mine.
Growth in Faith
My relationship with Jesus has almost always been really important to me, therefore, I'm always looking to grow in my faith because I don't want to just become stagnant. I love Jesus and want to strengthen my relationship with Him. I'm excited to continue my walk with Him alongside some amazing women in my Bible Study and in my dorm. I can already tell that this is going to be a wonderful semester in regards to my faith and I cannot wait to grow more.
Growth in Self
"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning." -Benjamin Franklin
This quote resonates with me because of its truth. I cannot improve myself if I will not allow myself to grow. I don't know everything by any means. My hope this semester is that I continue to grow as a person, friend, sister, etc. My goal is to always be looking for areas of my life to improve upon because I don't do anything perfectly. Growth is incredibly important to me not just for my own benefit. I want to continue to learn, grow, and become more mature not just this semester or even just my college career, but my entire life. Upon graduation, I want to become a teacher, and if I don't demonstrate the willingness to grow personally, there is no way I will ever be able to expect my students to want to learn and grow.
Yours Truly,
Steph
I flew back to Texas on Sunday evening and second semester is in full swing. Syllabus days are over for the most part and real lectures have already commenced. It's been a little challenging readjusting considering I was home for 4 weeks and did not do a whole lot, but I am proud to say that I have already been to the rec to work out. That's a step up from last semester for sure.
It was so fun to reunite with all of my crazy wonderful friends. I truly did miss them over break. In that sense, not much has changed. We fell right back into our hang-out routines. It was also wonderful to begin new classes and have a fresh start to the New Year. I do have some semester goals that I would like to share.
Balance
It's my second semester as a college student, which means that last semester was my time to truly get the hang of college because it is a huge change. Now that I understand many things about college life and survival I can truly accomplish balance. I desire to balance my academics, personal, and social life much better than I did previously. Last semester and really last year, my life was a little bit lop-sided. I started off doing academics the majority of the time and did not hang out with friends other than weekends and meals for the most part because I was so stressed out about anatomy. About halfway through, my life became lopsided the other direction. I got burnt out and spent a lot of time with friends, which is great because they kept and continue to keep me sane, but I would hang out with them and neglect my studies, which hurt me a little bit at the end. This semester my goal is to begin with a balanced life so that I don't go stir-crazy with academics, but I don't neglect them either. It's going to be a challenge, but I'm hoping that I can find a balance because I think it is important and will be beneficial in the long run.
Academic Excellence
I'm kind of a perfectionist, and academic excellence has always been important to me. I mean, come on, I came to a selective university for a reason. My goal is to perform to the best of my ability in everything I do. I feel like as a society, we focus too much on letter grades than work ethic and perseverance. There's a belief in our society that if you make As, you've achieved academic excellence. This saddens me a little because academic excellence is different for each person. If one performs to the best of their ability in a class, even if it means they make a B, or even a C, I believe they have achieved excellence. Academic Excellence should be more about effort, therefore, my goal is to do my best. Sure, I'd like to make a 4.0 this semester, but if I do not achieve this, but know I performed to the best of my ability I'm not going to be down on myself because in my mind, I still will have achieved academic excellence.
Exercise
I did not exercise enough last semester...okay I didn't exercise hardly at all. This semester, I am going to change that in order to be healthier, boost my immune system, and feel better. Exercise also releases endorphins, which makes one happy, so that's another benefit. Also, everyone who goes to TCU pays a lot of money for a private education and all of our nice facilities, so basically, if I don't use the Rec, I'm wasting money, and I'm not about that life.
Healthy Eating
I'll admit...I'm not the most patient person ever when it comes to lines, and when I go to the BLUU for lunch, it seems like no matter when I go, there's a billion people in there. I thought noon was rush hour...and I have class at noon, so I was excited to eat at 11 so that I wouldn't have to deal with the entire campus trying to eat at once (that's an exaggeration), but now apparently 11 is rush hour. Joke's on me. The whole line thing is a big reason why I eat pizza basically everyday...which is not good for me...or anyone...so my goal this semester is to not eat pizza (or oreos or ice cream) all the time and to eat healthier. Once again, this is to help with my immune system, allow me to be healthier, and to feel better. This one is going to be hard because I hate lines, but, I'm going to start braving them to better my eating habits...hopefully. But really...this may be the most challenging goal of mine.
Growth in Faith
My relationship with Jesus has almost always been really important to me, therefore, I'm always looking to grow in my faith because I don't want to just become stagnant. I love Jesus and want to strengthen my relationship with Him. I'm excited to continue my walk with Him alongside some amazing women in my Bible Study and in my dorm. I can already tell that this is going to be a wonderful semester in regards to my faith and I cannot wait to grow more.
Growth in Self
"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning." -Benjamin Franklin
This quote resonates with me because of its truth. I cannot improve myself if I will not allow myself to grow. I don't know everything by any means. My hope this semester is that I continue to grow as a person, friend, sister, etc. My goal is to always be looking for areas of my life to improve upon because I don't do anything perfectly. Growth is incredibly important to me not just for my own benefit. I want to continue to learn, grow, and become more mature not just this semester or even just my college career, but my entire life. Upon graduation, I want to become a teacher, and if I don't demonstrate the willingness to grow personally, there is no way I will ever be able to expect my students to want to learn and grow.
Yours Truly,
Steph
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Live, Laugh, Love
Hello! It's January 4th and this is my first post of the year! Anyway, I know many people have already made their New Years' Resolutions and some have even broken them. I am not really one to make a resolution in the sense of exercising more, eating less sugar, etc. Although these are great for the physical body, they are easily broken. I know I would just end up disappointed with myself if I made a resolution of that sort, so I'm not going to. Instead, my "resolutions" are to enhance the soul and spirit. My three "resolutions" for 2014 go along with one of my life mottos: Live, Laugh, Love.
This year I strive to:
Live more passionately
It's easy to live life just going through the motions. I know I catch myself stuck in a rut of doing the same mundane things day in and day out...and some of these things have to be done, however, it is my goal this year to find at least one thing each day to be excited about. It can be an event I'm attending or even just a class I'm going to because it's for my major. I just want to be excited and passionate about life...more than I ever have been, because, as John Waters brilliantly put it, "life is nothing if you're not obsessed."
Laugh more often
My friends know that I love laughter...they might even say "Steph, how is it even possible for you to laugh any more than you do?" Honestly, I don't think I laugh enough. Sure, I laugh a lot...but not enough for me. I get too serious about life sometimes and need to lighten up...I just need to laugh, because as cliche as this is, laughter can be the best medicine at times. It can release the stress of the day and even work out those abs...and for lazy people like me who don't do push ups or sit-ups, that's pretty cool. My friends make me laugh, and I make them laugh (or at least try to), which is great because, as stated previously, "I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person," (Audrey Hepburn), so my friends and I are just going to laugh it up this year...I've decided.
Love more deeply
I'm not talking about loving a significant other...I don't have one of those. I'm talking about loving family, friends, and most importantly, my Heavenly Father. The greatest commandment is love and 1 Corinthians 13:13 says "Three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love." This year, I'm going to strive to do all things in love. When I say those three words, "I love you," I want to truly mean it, more than I ever have. "I love you" gets thrown around a lot. In our society it's something we say when we leave or go to bed. We often say it to just about anyone...acquaintances, close friends, and family members alike, so much so that it's kind of lost its meaning. When I say those three words to someone, I want them to know that I really mean it. This year, I want to show love through my actions and also my words; I want to hold onto my family and friends and I want them to know how deeply I love and appreciate them because as Audrey Hepburn so gracefully stated, "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."
Here is one more quote from Audrey because I love her and think it wraps up the theme of this post beautifully.
"The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years."
Yours Truly,
Steph
This year I strive to:
Live more passionately
It's easy to live life just going through the motions. I know I catch myself stuck in a rut of doing the same mundane things day in and day out...and some of these things have to be done, however, it is my goal this year to find at least one thing each day to be excited about. It can be an event I'm attending or even just a class I'm going to because it's for my major. I just want to be excited and passionate about life...more than I ever have been, because, as John Waters brilliantly put it, "life is nothing if you're not obsessed."
Laugh more often
My friends know that I love laughter...they might even say "Steph, how is it even possible for you to laugh any more than you do?" Honestly, I don't think I laugh enough. Sure, I laugh a lot...but not enough for me. I get too serious about life sometimes and need to lighten up...I just need to laugh, because as cliche as this is, laughter can be the best medicine at times. It can release the stress of the day and even work out those abs...and for lazy people like me who don't do push ups or sit-ups, that's pretty cool. My friends make me laugh, and I make them laugh (or at least try to), which is great because, as stated previously, "I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person," (Audrey Hepburn), so my friends and I are just going to laugh it up this year...I've decided.
Love more deeply
I'm not talking about loving a significant other...I don't have one of those. I'm talking about loving family, friends, and most importantly, my Heavenly Father. The greatest commandment is love and 1 Corinthians 13:13 says "Three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love." This year, I'm going to strive to do all things in love. When I say those three words, "I love you," I want to truly mean it, more than I ever have. "I love you" gets thrown around a lot. In our society it's something we say when we leave or go to bed. We often say it to just about anyone...acquaintances, close friends, and family members alike, so much so that it's kind of lost its meaning. When I say those three words to someone, I want them to know that I really mean it. This year, I want to show love through my actions and also my words; I want to hold onto my family and friends and I want them to know how deeply I love and appreciate them because as Audrey Hepburn so gracefully stated, "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."
Here is one more quote from Audrey because I love her and think it wraps up the theme of this post beautifully.
"The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years."
Yours Truly,
Steph
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)