Musings of a First-Time Snowboarder

Yesterday, I hit the slopes for the first time in my life. I've never skied or snowboarded in my 19 (almost 20!) years of being on this earth. I've had plenty of friends try to get me to go snowboarding with them, and I finally took a chance yesterday.

Dad, Tabitha, Amanda, Uncle Rick, and I headed off to Bluewood yesterday morning around 7. I had no idea what to expect or if I'd even been able to stand up on a snowboard. I'm not exactly the "athletic type" so believe me, I had my doubts on being able to accomplish anything my first day. So Amanda, Tabitha, and I took a snowboarding lesson. After spending most of the time falling on the bunny hill, I traded my "platter-pull" pass in for a lift pass in hopes that the steeper hill would be easier to learn on.

My first time down Triple Nickle was literally hell. I had no idea how to carve and control my board so I just would go really fast and fall every 4 seconds. I think it took me 45 minutes to get down on my first run and believe me, it was not a pretty sight. I did a face plant into a pile of snow as this 8 year old kid goes by and asks if I was ok. But I refused to give up, I knew I'd regret it later. On my third run, Uncle Rick gave me a couple pointers and went on his way. I took those pointers and applied them to my snowboarding... Guess What?!? I GOT IT! I was starting to carve and turn, I truly amazed myself! I went on a total of 7 runs and on my last one, I only fell a few times :-)

I couldn't believe that I actually learned how. I am so thankful that I didn't give up and kept persevering... hmm something I can apply to my day-to-day life.

Today, I'm completely sore. I could barely roll out of bed this morning. Every muscle in my body is screaming with pain, but I don't care. I had an absolute blast and am planning to go again in 2 weeks.

Silent Night

Silent Night, Holy Night
All is calm, all is bright

This morning as I was drinking my coffee I decided to put on our Josh Groban Christmas album, and in an instant our downstairs was filled with the sounds of Silent Night. For the first time, I let the words of that song really sink in. As the song continued to play, I stared at our Nativity Scene and saw the Shepard's and Wise men bowing before Him. Then, the meaning of the song hit me.

A lot of people find this song ironic. They say "How could it have been a silent night? They were in a barn with a newborn baby. Of course it was loud." I, too, have had those same thoughts until today.

God showed me this song had little to do with the natural relm, but had everything to do with the spiritual relm. Jesus came to earth to save and redeem us. The night He was born signified hope. All was calm and bright because He was born and willing to take on our sins. I have this feeling that at the moment of His birth, all of heaven was quiet; standing in awe and reverence of baby Jesus. Which makes that night one silent and holy night :-)

So next time you sing or hear this song, think of the spiritual relm. You will never view this song as ironic again, I garantee it.

May God bless each and every one of you this Christmas Season. May the hope that He brought that night fill your homes and hearts!

Just for Kicks

As most people know, I love kids. I love being around them because I truly feel like I am in my element. Well, I was cruising around youtube and found some really cute America's Funniest Home Video clips on kids/babies. So take a few minutes out of your day and have a few laughs. I think sometimes we forget how precious and wonderful each child is and hopefully these videos remind you of that :-)










I'll leave you with my favorite clip. I hope this makes you smile

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

It is my most favorite time of year; the Holidays are finally upon us! Now, I'm not just your average "Christmas fan", I go all out :-). My family can attest to this, I start listening to Christmas music right after Halloween (actually I start WAY before that but I keep the volume down low). I also watched The Santa Claus last weekend with Valerie and Amanda. And if I had it my way, the Christmas tree would already be up. I feel like a 3 year old kid on Christmas Eve.... soo EXCITED.

I think it is the atmosphere of it all. I love walking around the mall and seeing the great decorations or randomly talking to a person in line at Starbucks because it's almost Christmas. But one of my most favorite things (wow, I feel like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music) is to buy presents for people. I get so excited that I normally try to give them their present WAY before Christmas because I love seeing the look on their face. I guess you could call that one of my "love languages"; I definitely love to give gifts.

God also blessed me with the gift of receiving ;-) haha (I sound like my dad, scary). I'm not going to lie, I love getting presents haha :-D. It's not really the gift itself I'm excited about. I'm mostly excited because that person put the time into getting me something... it blesses me tremendously.

Well, I've rambled long enough. I hope you all enjoy this Holiday Season and spend as much of it as you can with your family! If you get the chance, I strongly encourage each of you to rent these movies during the Christmas Season :-)

Home Alone


White Christmas


It's a Wonderful Life


The Santa Claus

Moments Captured

Probably one of my favorite pass times is photography. I'm definately not a professional but I took 2 years of photo while I was in highschool and loved it! So it's become a hobby of mine over the years. My favorite kind of photography involves capturing kids in their natural environment, it's amazing the pictures you can get when they are going about their daily routines.

Well on Saturday, the people I've been babysitting for since I was 14 (so coming up on about 6 years, yikes lol) asked me to take some pictures of their kids. I want to share some of the pictures I took yesturday (the 14th) at Leslie Grove Park of Ellie (almost 6) and David (4).

Life is a Highway

So this weekend I took my very first road trip. Now, by this I mean, I drove alone to a far away land to spend my time the way I wanted to :-) I got the chance to visit Valerie in Cheney at her new apartment. It was a blast and of course, I forgot my camera!!
But as I leave for Cheney Saturday morning with my mapquest directions in hand, I'm totally excited. I truly felt like a "big girl". I was going on a trip without my parents and I was stoked! The whole way up I had this huge smile plastered on my face because it felt good to have my parents trust me enough to drive a couple hours from home. Having your parents approval is definitely an awesome thing at my age of 19 (almost 20 in a couple months. AHHH)
When I got there, Valerie and I drove to Spokane where we would have lunch at Olive Garden and go shopping. We came back to her apartment that evening, ordered pizza, and watched "While You Were Sleeping." I was so much fun to have "Girl Time" and be able to relax. Since I forgot my camera but had my laptop we took a few pictures and messed around with the settings on the photo...





My mapquest directions were great and I was able to drive there and back with zero complications. I listened to nothing but the Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack (which is GREAT by the way). And had an overall FANTASTIC weekend :-)

Back to School

Today, I enjoy my last few hours of freedom because by this time tomorrow, I will have become a slave to my education and hit the books. Don't get me wrong, I know it's a privilege to go to college and I'm so grateful to have parents who are willing to pay for it.. but it's always hard to get back into the swing of things.

I have so enjoyed this summer. My job allowed me to keep working part time while I took an online history class and continued tutoring my favorite 8 year old :-) Speaking of my job, I got a raise a week ago! Definitely unexpected but such an act of God. I've loved late night movies with my cousins and spending a week at the Oregon Coast. I feel like I did a lot of "growing up" this summer, especially in God.

Well, enough of my chatter. Here are some pictures from this summer... Enjoy

W-W-W-W-WAIT

I want a little something more
Don't want the middle or the one before
I don't desire a complicated past
I want a love that will last
A Love that will Last by Renee Olstead

This song is one of my all time favorite romantic songs and God brought it to my mind today. Two of my close friends from high school were married last Saturday (August 11th) and they had a beautiful wedding. Mind you, I set them up in high school :-) I also have two close friends who recently got engaged and I couldn't be happier for them.

Why tell you all this? To share what I've been through and how this song brought revelation to me.

In my 19 1/2 years of being alive I have only ever had 1 boyfriend. I was about 17 years old and the relationship only lasted about 2 months. So, I've never been one to jump in and out of relationships. I've guarded my heart to the best of my ability and have waiting for the right person to come into my life.

Well, when my friends (as you know by now are Steven and Emily) announced their engagement about a month or so ago, I cried... tears of joy and also of self pity (yes, I admit it). I was jealous as heck. I kept asking God "Why?", "What did I do wrong?", "Why them and not me?". I kept telling God that I hadn't been one to throw myself at every available guy, when I could have. I said "God, I've been a good girl... so why haven't you brought the right one to me?"

God said, "Yeah, you've been a good girl... but it's not your time, it's Steven and Emily's time." Oh yes, the word I dislike the most, WAIT. God showed me that the reason they are engaged isn't because they've reached a certain level or made it to a point in life that I hadn't, it is simply Their Time.

I have chosen to wait on the Lord on this issue because He knows me better than I know myself. Like the song says, I don't want a complicated past... I just want a love that will last. And I know, that love is definitely worth waiting for.

Everything

This song is called Everything by Lifehouse. Everytime I hear this song, I can't help but cry. Because I put myself in the place of singing these lyrics to God about my relationship with Him. I have posted a video that flashes the lyrics and plays the song.. I hope you can take 6 minutes out of your day and let this song touch you the way it always does for me.

The Bourne Ultimatum

FYI: This doesn't contain movie spoilers.. I'm not that mean ;-)

Tonight, I went with my sister and a couple of friends to see The Bourne Ultimatum. The only thing I can say is WOW! That was the most amazing action movie I've seen in my entire life! From the time it starts, it is non-stop action.

So as I'm sitting on the edge of my seat (literally) all I can think is "oh dear lord, this movie needs to end so my blood pressure and heart rate can return to normal" haha but it was fantastic!

If you liked the Bourne Identity and the Bourne Supremacy, I guarantee you will LOVE (yes love) the Bourne Ultimatum. And once you've seen it you too will agree that the Ultimatum was better than the first 2.

Purpose of this post? HAH there is no purpose to this one. I'm still coming down from my adrenalin rush ;-)





"I hope you enjoy your egg whites"

Just Like Clock-Work

I realized, lately, how routine my life has become. It's quite hilarious, actually. I noticed this yesterday, how ever scene throughout the day was like desa vu. Here's my typical day... EVERYDAY

7:00am: Wake up to country music, hit snooze
7:09am: Alarm goes off again, hit snooze
7:18am: Alarm goes off again, quickly ponders getting up, hit snooze
7:27am: Alarm goes off again, finally force myself out of bed
8:35am: Realize I'm running late and shouldn't have taken the time to shave my legs that morning
8:50am: Pull out of the driveway, and pass by an old couple picking up garbage.. Wave and Smile
9:05: Begin tutoring
10:10: End tutoring
10:30: Arrive at our apartment complex as the right side of my car windows get nailed by a sprinkler

AND IT GOES ON AND ON!

Literally, that is how every morning has been for the entire summer (same events at the same times). I find it comical; how I've gotten into such a routine that I can predict how every morning is going to turn out. And that every time I get home from tutoring, my car window WILL get hit by the same sprinkler.

So what is God trying to say? Don't let life become routine! Don't let it just slip past you by being stuck in the same situations every day. Allow God to come in and change your view, change your life, change your driving route ;-)...

I think, more than anything, this blog is for me. God had me write this to show me that my life doesn't have to be dull. That He can come in and add so much more if I allow the change to happen.

So God, I give you freedom into my life, to change what needs to be changed. Give me the strength and perseverance to keep going when I want to quit. You know what I need.

Our Deepest Fear

I didn't write this and have no idea who did. But this definately gave me something to think about... I hope this blesses you the way it did me

Our Deepest Fear...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve
the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so
that other people will not feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is
within us. It is not in just some of us; it is in
everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.

My Life [part 1]

As I have been pondering what to write on this blog I decided it would be fun to write about my life and share pictures with you all. I know most of you know a lot about me but I'm sure there are things you don't know. As I always say "you learn something new EVERY day" ;-) Here it goes...

This is me as a little baby, awww. Random fact about me, I was born with a hole in my heart and was suppossed to have surgery. My parents prayed for me and I was healed!


Now fast-forward 19 years to the present (only because I have no pictures on my computer from those middle years haha)


I work at a Pediatric Dental office as a Dental Assistant, not a hygienist.. there is a difference.


My passion is to teach. For those of you who don't know I'm majoring in Elementary Education and absolutely love it! Through the math courses at CBC I've been given the opportunity to teach in an elementary school a few times.



I am an older sister, younger sister, sister-in-law, and now an aunt!




More to come soon....

Today marks the end of my freshman year of college.. crazy I know! Since life has slowed down (for now) and I have no finals to stress over I felt the urge to write a blog.

Two sundays ago (June 3rd) I was given an amazing opportunity. I was asked to lead a worship song for the sunday service.. my first response was "haha... no." Can I tell you a secret? :-) I really wanted to but was kind of nervous. So I took it to God to see if it was in His plan and guess what.. IT WAS! Leading that song made something inside me awaken. I'm very excited for what's to come in that area of my life, we shall see...

"Not unto us, Oh Lord, Not unto us... but to Your name give glory"

Give me the simple life

I don't believe in frettin' and grievin'
Why mess around with strife
I never was cut out to step and strut out
Give me the simple life

Some find it pleasant dining on pheasant
Those things roll off my knife
Just serve me tomatoes
and mashed potatoes
Give me the simple life
Give me the Simple Life by Steve Tyrell

That song is from one of my favorite movies of all time, Father of the Bride 2, and lately that is exactly what I've been learning... to stop and enjoy the little things in life. For me personally, I hide behing how busy I am. Going to college full time and working 2 jobs get extremely crazy and stressfull and I definately have my meltdowns :-). Over Easter weekend, I went with my youth group to Camp Ghormely for a retreat and what God did in my heart there will forever shape my life. While I was there I was completely disconnected from the world... no internet, no cell phone service, no job to worry about, or homework assignments to stress over; I was completely stripped of my busy schedule, the one I hide behind. I went on hikes through the forest in the pouring rain, played soccer, swung on the swingset, colored... things I hadn't done in ages. Those things brought me back to the pleasure I used to get out of the simpleness of life and that is where God spoke to me. He told me that the reason I was so unhappy was because I had lost the simplicity of life. I had become to focused on my 4 year plan for my life that I had forgotten to stop and smell the roses, to go on long walks and enjoy nature. Eventhough I'm still a fulltime college student and work 2 jobs, I now stop and enjoy the small, simple things. Whether it's standing in the sunshine for the 10 minutes I have between classes or smelling the fresh air as I'm driving to work... I've learned to enjoy it all.

I encourage you all to enjoy the simple things in life. Go swing, climb monkey bars, color, dance, or simply sit in the sunshine. And you too will enjoy the simple life :-)

-Tiffany-