What I'm Reading

Charlotte's Web
By E.B. White
This is the second book I've been reading for Children's Literature. I know that it is a classic, but I never read it as a child.

Mrs. Dalloway
By Virgina Woolf
When I started reading this book I had absolutely no idea what was going on. It's hard to follow because not only does this novel span the length of one day, but the whole thing is stream of consciousness. I got the hang of it by the second half and after discussing it in class I became a fan. So I recommend it! As you can see, this documentation took place during the first half of my reading.

Fill Up My Love Cup

I have been back in school for two weeks and I already feel exhausted. I feel really... empty; like everything that I'm doing is for nothing.

I know exactly what's missing. And I know exactly what to do to get it back. But I have to wonder when I let it slip away? And why do I let it happen time after time after time?

I don't feel like my world is shaking, I feel like it's melting into a great blob of nothingness (yes, I realize how ridiculously existentialist that sounds). What I mean is if I'm not maintaing my relationship with the One who fills that empty feeling every time I ask, then what am I doing? I am comfortable in my Christian college taking my Christian based classes, going to church and following the rules but days, even weeks, go by without me telling a single person what God has done in my life. Me and God need to have some words.

I hate screwing up on no ones account but my own. I hate drifting from God. But I am SO thankful for His love that keeps drawing me back.

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38,39

"God has bound our hearts to Him by unnumbered tokens in heaven and earth."
Steps to Christ p. 7

So here is to a God that never gives up on our simple beings. May He "grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and lenght and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19

Dear God, fill up my love cup.

One Memorable Day

"Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day. "
-Great Expectations

What I'm Reading

This semester my booklist is HUGE. I'm still deciding if this is good or bad. So far, so good. This is what I'm reading:

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

This is what I'm not reading, but can't wait to read:

Autobiography of Mark Twain.

September

After writing my last post I realized that I did, in fact, do something noteworthy in the month of September. I attended my boyfriends cousins wedding on Labor Day weekend. I think it is safe to say that this wedding was probably the most detailed and beautiful (in a country fair sort of way)wedding I have attended. Here's just a few pictures:

The Ceremony:

The Wedding Party:
Sam & I:

I still can't get over the detail and creativity of this wedding. It was non-traditional in the best ways and traditional in the important ways. I really wish I had some pictures to share of the reception because it was also amazing... and now I'm happy that I didn't go a whole month without a single significant event. Weddings are highly significant if you ask me.

2010 In A Nutshell

You know when old people tell you that time goes quicker the older you get? Well, I think that might be true. When I was little a week seemed like eternity. But this year has really flown by. Really. Since the new year is quickly approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to do a bit of a recap of 2010. The good has definitely outweighed the bad and I'm very thankful for all the experiences I've had and all the people I have shared them with. So here goes:

January: Sam and I ventured out one Sabbath afternoon to St. Joeseph's Beach. We were really glad we did because the ice caves were so cool! The entire pier was covered in ice, including this lighthouse.

February: Celebrated our 2 year anniversary on the 16th. Sam hid clues all around his apartment that ended in P.S. I Love You and probably the sweetest note I've ever received in my whole twenty years.

March: Over spring break Sam and I flew out to Washington State and I met my beautiful niece for the first time. And I have loved every minute of being her aunt ever since.

April: The 30th marked the very last day of my first year at Andrews University. This month brought SO many beautiful flowers and blossoms. Also, I started writing this blog which I must say I have enjoyed immensely.

May: The first month of my amazing summer at home! And also my beautiful little sister's high school graduation. She's all grown up *tear*

June: The highlight of June was, of course, campmeeting. This year I got to see my cousin Zoe who isn't able to attend very many family get togethers. My sister and I used to babysit her all the time when she was little and we miss having her around very much. But we were very grateful to spend some time with her.

July: This month was packed full of family and lots of fun. My grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Pretty much the whole family was able to come and as you can see, it's really hard to fit us all in front of one backdrop. Of course july included fireworks and my grandfathers birthday party spent at the lake with lots of summer food and water tubing.

August: Got to see my one of my oldest friends! We were inseparable since we met in Sabbath School but sadly her family moved to the west coast when we were in the 5th grade (I think). We hadn't seen each other in years so I had to take a picture because this never happens.

I also got to spend some time with my favorite girls, hanging out in Chicago. It was splendid and I can't wait to see them again in 2011!

September: It's really sad that a whole month can go by without anything noteworthy happening... but it did.

October: Fall break was spent back at home and included a shopping trip of epic proportions. However I don't have any documentation of it. Sad day. I need to take more pictures. I resolve to do that in 2011, haha.

November: The Adelante Banquet! Which is basically a banquet that the spanish club at school puts on every year. Why, you may ask, did we attend being that we are not in any way spanish? I couldn't tell you. But we convinced some of our super cool friends to come with us and it was a great night.

December: There were many highlights this month, I might just do a whole separate blog. I have, however, narrowed it down to these two. My niece turned one year old! Seriously. Time flies.

Highlight number two was my families annual Polish Christmas Dinner. We eat all kinds of amazing things like perogie, golumpki, polish sausage with sourkraut and cream puff desert. The latter isn't really polish, but it's still super delicious and worth mentioning.

There it is, 2010 in a nutshell. It was really hard to pick out the best things from this year because there really are so many great memories. It may sound extremely cliche, but I feel uber blessed with the life, family and friends God has given me. So here's to the end of a spectacular year and the beginning of another.

School is out, bring on the snow!

Medieval Literature, done. Spanish, done. Spirituality & Faith, done. Communications, done. Linguistics, done and DONE. This is how happy I am right now:

It's my first morning home on Christmas break and I have woken up to fresh coffee with spiced rum creamer and a winter wonderland in the beautiful state of Wisconsin. And Wisconsin can do a winter wonderland like no place else:

In all honesty, this semester seemed to fly by. But the past two weeks have been so crammed with studying, I'm just happy to be home; watching the snow, sipping coffee, looking forward to all the family and friends the next few weeks will bring.