weddings, christmas, and snow

Christmas break has been amazing. To start, I got to go to not one but two amazing weddings! First was Danielle's wedding. Danielle was my young life leader in high school and she is one of the coolest people i know so of course she had an awesome hipster feather wedding. The best part was that I got to go with five of my best friends. We all flew into Austin and got a hotel room. Lets just say it was a weekend full of adventures. We shaved our legs, helped each other do hair and make up, put on our heels, and made out way to the wedding!

I love Danielle and I am so glad that I got to celebrating this amazing day with her and Josh. Danielle was a great young life leader who not only brought me closer to God, but also to my amazing friends, or "chickens" as Danielle called us. Thanks to young life, I was blessed with the best friends in high school I could have ever asked for. We had some amazing times together but what makes us so close is the fact that our relationships can be centered on Christ. And I am so thankful for Mama Hen and all my fellow Chickens!

Next wedding...my cousin Mandy! I have always looked up to Mandy, more than most people probably know. She has been a great example to me of what it looks life to let Christ live through you. She honors God in all that she does, including in her marriage. I hope one day I will do the same.

Finally after two weddings in one weekend I was off to Colorado. First day back I went snowboarding in winter park. I couldn't be happier to live in Colorado.

That nigth I had the best Christmas party with my best friends. Its a great tradition we started last year...we all have secret santas, we pick a theme and dress up, we each make food, and we spend the night acting goofy, laughing, and catching up. Again, I have the best friends in the world.

Theme this year was tacky christmas outfits. Too much fun.

Then I went snowboarding a couple more times and before I knew it Christmas was here!! It was a good Christmas. And now it is almost new years. Then I will be starting a new semester at UNC. I wish time would slow down...life changes too fast sometimes. As fast as this break has gone, I have enjoyed every bit of it.

Let's talk about sex...

Ha sorry bad title...but this is so true and it is something everyone should understand! I love it.

COOKIES!

I love to bake! And thanks to my roomie I do it often. After one of the most stressful weekends I had a great day making ginger bread houses and baking a hundred cookies!

Don't worry I won't eat them...they are for my young life kids. I am not known for my cooking...but I have improved my baking skills a lot this semester and I am very impressed with some of our wonderful cookies :)

MELTED SNOWMEN

aren't they cute??

I love Christmas and I love baking! hope my young life girls love them too! I am so stressed right now...I have to tell my young life girls I am leaving, finals start next week, and I have no idea where I will live in a month. When I am stressed I learned to appreciate the little things more. Like baking and listening to Christmas music with my awesome roomies who I am going to miss so much!!!

Making a Difference in Someone's Day can Make a Difference in Your Life

Over the past semester I have been tutoring a couple days a week at the challenge academy school. This school is like an alternative school for alternative school and for many students it is their alternative to juvie. I knew it was going to be hard but I know idea in what way and I never would have guessed the impact it had on me. Today was my last day and I don't know if I will ever forget it.

Today when I went to the challenge academy I worked with a freshmen named Andre. Most days I worked with Kurtis, but Andre sat next to him and I would often help him too. Today Kurtis was not here and I spent the whole class helping Andre. At the end of each class students are allowed to play computer games if they worked hard the whole class. Andre was playing Mario at the end. I was giving him a hard time because he kept dieing. We started talking about what if it was real life and how we wouldn't get any more lives. Then he said sometimes you might, "sometimes He isn't ready for you up there yet." This surprised me and made me happy. What he said next broke my heart. I told him he was right sometimes God does give us another life if it is not our time to go to heaven. He nodded then paused, "Not that He would ever want me up there." I told him that was not true. He argued saying he has done some bad things and he has made a lot of mistakes. I explained to him that God forgives us, it doesn't matter what we have done. I told him he is a good kid despite his past and that is what matters. He said maybe I'm right and went back to his game.

At the end of the class period the students were leaving and Mr. Bickerstaff, the teacher, started saying good bye since it was my last day. Andre heard him say it was my last day and came back to thank me. He was sad I was leaving. Once he left Mr. Bickerstaff said I made his day. I may not have made much progress while tutoring at the challenge academy. I may not have made a difference in all the students' lives. I may not have made a difference in anyone's life. But I made a difference in one student's day and that makes it all worse it.

Andre worked hard every time I was there. Never got in trouble. Kept to himself and didn't mess around with the other students. I don't know what he has done to get here, but I know he is a good kid. How often does he hear that? And how often does he hear that he has messed up? Kids need people who believe in them and remind them of who they can be regardless of who they were. They need hope. They need to know someone knows they are not defined by their mistakes.

Moments like these remind me of the impact teachers can have on students lives and I am excited I will have the opportunity to give my students hope for their future.