Happy Birthday, Bro! :)

Today is my brother's 11th birthday. It's a little hard to believe he is already that old! I know it sounds kind of funny, but it makes me feel old!

Liam was my playmate when we were young, and now that we are older, he is one of my best buddies! We have always been very close, and I thank God for giving me a brother.

this is an old picture...he looks so little! 

He was like 7 or 8 here. He sure has grown up! :)

 

 If you know my brother, you know that he is very...funny. He's always cracking jokes and talking in an Australian and British accent. Someone recently told me that they thought Liam was so funny and it must be fun to live with him. And it is. He sure keeps me laughing!

Liam loves to be the clown. My mom has had to remind him many times to be quiet while we're doing school. :)

Liam is also very compassionate, and always has been. He has a kind heart and desires to please God. He has said for a few years he thinks that he might want to be a pastor when he grows up. And I think he'd make a great pastor!

 And for old time's sake...this is a picture of of me and Liam during our Germany days. :)

Happy Birthday, Liam! I love you. A lot. :)

Forgiveness

This is another song from K-Love, and it's about why we should forgive others. I know that for me, and I think for everyone, it is often very difficult to forgive.

I heard on the K-Love radio station yesterday that this song, "Forgiveness" by Matthew West, is based off of a true story about a woman who forgave the drunk driver that killed her young daughter. Man. If it's hard for me to forgive someone who just hurts my feelings or something, I can't imagine how hard it would be to forgive the person who caused my daughter's death because they were drinking and driving, because of their stupid mistake.

But one of the thing we've got to remember whenever we're struggling about forgiving someone who has hurt us, is that God forgave and is always forgiving us when we've sinned.

This makes me want to pray and ask God to help me to forgive the ones in my life who hurt me, even when it's very tough to do.

Here is the song "Forgiveness". I hope it encourages you.

"...bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." ~Colossians 3:13

On Wednesday, I Found Out That....

 I am the proud big sister to FOUR!!!!!

We are all thrilled, as you can see. :)

Now we just have to wait 'till March...

A Miscellany Post

-On Monday we celebrated my dad's birthday. Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you.

-I am becoming really excited for my Greenleaf show! It's coming up in just about three weeks, and rehearsals start in ten days! It's hard to believe it's already time for the show. Lots of hard work has gone into The Kids of Bristol Town, and I am so looking forward to performing it!

-Last Friday, we had a fun time participating in Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a with some friends. Sadly, I have no good pictures of us cows, but trust me, we were cute! :) 

-I was babysitting a few kids (10 kids, actually!) last night, and one the kids, a six-year-old little girl, came over to me. She was holding a pink Bible that looked very worn, as if it had been read often. The little girl asked me if I would read her a story from the Bible. The rest of the kids were playing on the swings and the slides and were being good at the moment, so I asked her which story she would like read to her. "Any story" she said, so I opened up to Genesis and read about Creation. The whole time I was reading she sat there, listening to every word.
This little girl was one of the sweetest and quietest of the kids. It was cool to see a six-year-old little girl wanting to be read to from the Bible instead of playing. It made me think about how I should be more like that: wanting to read God's Word and take it in, really take in. It was kind of convicting.

-And speaking of the Bible, a friend shared this verse with me because we had been talking about encouragement. I think it's a good verse to remember.

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." ~Ephesians 4:29


Well, that's about it, I guess. Have a great rest of the week, enjoy Summer and stay cool! :)

Guest Post

I just had the opportunity to write a guest post for Aidyl Ewoh . Check it out! :)

Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

I saw this movie yesterday and really, really liked it! Honestly, I didn't know if I'd care much for the remake of a movie that didn't really come out that long ago; I thought it would be okay, but not great.

But WOW! It was so good! I didn't regret seeing it the least little bit! It is so much better, in my opinion, than the three starring Toby McGuire.

 

Andrew Garfield as...Spider-Man! 

Andrew Garfield was THE perfect actor to portray the young, shy, awkward, kind, somewhat nerdy Peter Parker. He could totally pull off that "young look", as in you could believe he was a 17-year-old. He was just the right amount of smartness, awkwardness, quietness and strength. It was like Peter Parker (and Spider- Man) came to life!

Emma Stone as...Gwen Stacy

I had actually never seen Emma Stone in a movie before, but she is talented and did a great job portraying Gwen Stacy. 

I had heard from my brother that Gwen was Peter's love in the comics, and that the first Spider Man trilogy had replaced her with Mary Jane. Because The Amazing Spider-Man was following much closer to the comics than the first movies, Gwen Stacy was Peter's girl in the movie. :) 

I really liked her character. She was very feminine and beautiful, and you really got that she genuinely loved and cared about Peter. Even though it was strange to be watching a Spider Man movie without Mary Jane in it, I liked Gwen Stacy. 

they made a cute couple and definitely had chemistry. :)

Rhys Ifans as...Dr. Curt Connors

  Rhys Ifans did a great job with this character. I found his story, as it progressed throughout the movie, kind of sad. He had a strong desire, and he let that desire overtake him. He had a depth to his character that made him sort of mysterious.

But I won't tell you anymore: you'll just have to go and see the movie to learn more about Dr. Curt Connors...

Martin Sheen and Sally Field as...Uncle Ben and Aunt May

I have always loved Uncle Ben and Aunt May. They are so funny and cute. :)

 It's cool to see how they took Peter in and loved him like he was their own son.

These two were great!

 

Denis Leary as...Captain George Stacy

I think that Denis Leary was a good choice for the role of Gwen Stacy's father, the chief of police who is out to arrest Spider-Man. At first, I didn't like him very much but by the end of the movie, I had grown to like him a lot more. :)

Overall, the movie was great. The cast was well picked, the actors good, the whole thing was very well done. 

There were a few moments, such as: some kissing, violence and there is a scene, while Peter is discovering his new-found powers, that he puts his hand on a woman's shoulder and can't get it off (because of his adhesive power, enabling him to stick to the objects he climbs on). A man pushes him away and his hand comes off, along with the woman's shirt, revealing her bra. So...yeah. It's a very funny scene, though. 

Anyway, it was super good! If you haven't see it, I highly recommend you do! I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Have you seen The Amazing Spider-Man yet?

Steady my Heart - Kari Jobe

Kari Jobe is a singer whom we discovered fairly recently. I like her music, and this song is one of her newer ones.
It has really encouraged me and I hope it encourages you, too!

Thank you, Lord!

I am thankful for all of the things, big and small, in my everyday life. God has blessed me in so many ways, and even though I should always be noticing and being thankful for the blessings He has given me, I have just recently been noticing some little things that have reminded me just how much I have to be thankful for.

....Megan's sweet little voice, dimpled smile, silly giggles and her little arms wrapping around me make me smile and really appreciate and love the age she is right now. 

...laughing with Liam about a very odd TV show makes me think about what my life would be like without my one and only brother in it, making me laugh, making me smile, talking to me about Legos. :)

...my siblings; they are the three people in the whole world who I can get into a fight with and then 10 seconds later, be laughing with. Siblings are very much a big blessing from God, we just don't realize it most of the time and often take them for granted, I think.

...late night Bible reading in the Psalms. Thank you, Lord, for your Word that I can open any time and find comfort and encouragement and be reminded of Your love for me. 

  ...a kind neighbor and his lovable dog. :)

Thank you, Lord, for all of the many blessing You have given me and my family...too many to count. 

Enjoy the "little" moments in life, Reader. Enjoy all of the blessings the Lord has given you, big and small; take the time to stop and appreciate and savor the everyday, simple beauty that surrounds you.