new and improved

I love my new blog layout.  My greatest pal Julie did the design at the top and I absolutely adore it.  It is so fun.  Julie is so cute and texted me saying is it ok it says Coochie. I said it is absolutely ok!! For those of you that don't know me as "Coochie" it is what my dad (and now many others) has called me since I was a little girl and I love it.  I think it is such a sweet nickname and I know that it can be slang for a lady part, I love nicknames and Coochie is one I have certainly grown fond of!

It is about time I dedicated a post to Julie.  She is such a great friend of mine.  I learn so much from her and her humble heart and the way she loves people.  She is filled with so much grace and I don't know that I will ever live with someone who shows me as much grace as Julie has.  She would wake me so many mornings as my alarm clock would blare.  She is so sweet and I am excited for her as she graduates college.  A funny story about Julie is when we were freshman at Taylor she hated conflict so much that once she cried into her closet and another time I found her under the bathroom sink (in our community bathroom) sobbing her little eyes out.  This is funny to talk about now because she has come so far in dealing with conflict and now she has so much boldness she has no problem calling me out!!

Julie, I, and some donuts our freshman year... (not the day she was crying her brains out!!)

Also, my blog isn't all that has been changing.  Since Christmas I have moved to Chicago and started Cosmetology School.  Two things that I love so far.  I hope that I never get sick of either.  I want to live my life in such a way that I love where I am and never get sick of it.  It is so easy to complain or get bored in our day to day but when we love the moment we are in it can transform the way we see our day.  I need to go to bed because the night hours seem to fly by and I don't want to be yawning the day away tomorrow...  But I will blog soon and fill you in on my adventures :)

stress

Something that stresses me out... 

I am a very deep sleeper and can sleep through anything and so many times I won't hear my alarmS in the morning.  When this happens I tend to have such a bad day.  I start out rushed and have such a hard time just being ok with it.  One time I set my alarm for 9 o'clock in the morning and didn't end up hearing it until 4 that evening. I remember just crying because I felt as though without choosing, I had wasted a whole day of my life.

I oftentimes used to fear going to sleep not knowing when/if I would wake up (dramatic, but it was a real problem for me..).  It brings me so much joy that I don't have to fear anything and that I can trust the Lord to wake me... Not that I should go to bed really late and just hope that I hear my alarm, but that I can trust Him with each of my days.  One of my favorite verses is in Isaiah 50 and it really helped me to trust God about my sleeping.  When I read it for the first time I felt like God was speaking this verse as a promise to me so it is really special to me...

 ⁴The Lord GOD has given me
   the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
   him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens;
   he awakens my ear
   to hear as those who are taught.
⁵ The Lord GOD has opened my ear,
   and I was not rebellious;
   I turned not backward.


...I also get stressed out when I don't get my way :)

picture of my family and PETS!!

MY FAMILY... I AM SO PROUD OF THEM AND THIS PICTURE OF US

 

just kidding... that is not us.

here is my real family..

this is my favorite family portrait because to my left (your right) there is one of my ex-boyfriends cropped out. I think it is funny how perfect the crop is that you cannot even tell!!

I am also supposed to write about my pets.  I currently have no pets but I would like to highlight a few that I have had in the past...



R.I.P. Bulgy (fish), Hoppy (rabbit), Floppy (dog), Dude (dog), I also had some hermit crabs I can't remember their names though... 

 



something ive learned and music i like

somethings I have recently learned are...

I love doing a bad job crossing out the price tag when I buy something on sale so people think I paid more than the present cost me

No matter how old you get having a blankey never gets cool

That God has ALWAYS loved me perfectly, despite how I may feel about situations

If you have friends named Nicole you could nickname them "Hole"

I am really good at thinking of nicknames

Christians first celebrated Christmas on December 25 in 336 A.D. (I wonder who got to pick the date??)

Now music I like...

here are youtube links to two songs I have been singing in my noodle all day!!

The Earth Is Yours ANDDDD the best christmas song yet!!

somethings i liiike about myself

"ME, ME, ME, ME." -blogs.

Blogs are always just about ourselves, it is ok though. That is what they are for! Just a funny concept if you ask me.  Plus I want my life to point back to Jesus always so hopefully as I talk about myself He can still be known! 

something I like about myself... I hate telling things like this because I never want to say something I think is true and people who know me be like that isn't true, she is rude not nice... but I do really enjoy myself, so it is fun to share why...

I am a girl- I love everything (well almost everything) it implies like slumber parties, dressing cute, nail painting, and pillow talk.

I am a talker- I love telling people what I think about anything!!

I am passionate about somethings but super laid back and don't get worked up about a lot.

I am caring- people I am close with I always think about and want such good things for them.

I am SUCH a nerd- not the really intellectual kind, but just really dorky :)

hey mom and dad, IM ALIVE!

Sorry I've been slacking on my blog lately. I won't bore you with excuses (although I did visit Niagara Falls and have hair school orientation since my last entry). I'd rather talk about new and awesome exciting things...

I am reading this book "God's Grace and the Homosexual Next Door".  I love it so much. I have always been a fan of the unlikely and the underdog. I love when people are good stewards of what they are given, but I even more love stories about people who are given very little and do so much with it.  This book speaks measures of God's ability to change us, and how our sin doesn't have to have the power over us that it does. Gosh, I am blown away by God's power and love for His people.  Honestly, it makes me blush everytime I think about how God loves me.  It's like a funny thing that me and Him have together, I think (do other people have that??), but I always do... How weird! I am so humbled by how small I am and how abundant His love is. 

So, what's next?? I am confident that this next stage in my life is going to be a great one. It all just seems like a dream to me though.  I am freaked out about my age. Freaked out about my college degree.. (what will ever become of it?) I'm freaked out about being on my own. Freaked out about moving to Chicago. I'm freak dancing to all these FREAKY thoughts... ha just kiddin.  But in all reality a lot is happening and I don't remember growing up and getting to this point but I love that I can know that God has gone before me and has a place for me there. 

I am planning on double timing the second half of the thirty day blog time so don't you people worry.  After my finals I will be blowing your minds with how many blog posts I throw out there... you just wait.

As I type this I am eating an atomic fire ball and they are sooo spicy. How do they do it?

a trip I have been on

I am so lucky to have taken as many mission trips as I have.

I love traveling and meeting new people.

I also love vacationing and going to the beach.

I love road trips so much, no matter where they are to...

Because it is coming upon January I am going to write about a J-term trip I took with a group from my school to Paraguay two years ago.

I love how simply the people of Paraguay live, especially the Ache.  For part of the time we were there we were unexpectantly stuck at a missionaries house because the roads were too bad to drive on from rain. It is bad, but that was one of the highlights for me. Everyone else wanted to get to serving since that is why we were there but I had so much fun just hanging out at the house!

some cute Ache girls

one of the villages we visited

a party we had the last night we were there. It was so fun!!

my team in front of Iguazu Falls

me and an Ache girl! She was so sweet and loved to snuggle, I'll never forget her and her lice

It was such a good trip and one of the main things I learned is how I want to live my life as a servant.  In Paraguay, I had such a servants attitude and would always be so willing to sacrifice and eat whatever, sleep wherever, play with kids til my arms were noodles... but that wasn't a reflection of who I was at home. I would complain about such little things. I want to live my life in a way that I am so undeserving...

Photo credit to Brad Everett. I didn't take any pictures there so these are all his work!!

the daily struggle of a late person...

I like that I am behind in my blog because it shows something about my personality. I am always late. I really value people and hope that they aren't offended when I am late I just can't stand being rushed and would rather just take my time.  I pray the Lord will change me and help me realize the importance of time IF it is an issue...

My love languages:
I HATE tests that tell you about your personality or love languages. Because you spend time filling out a test for them to tell you exactly what you just told it.  For example, it will ask, "Do you like being around people?" And then you answer yes and then at the end it concludes that you like being around people. It's like no kidding!! Anyways, I'm a multi-lingualist when it comes to lovin'. I LOVE BEING LOVED, But I have always known I am especially a quality timer.  I love just hanging out and talking with people.  And recently I learned that I for sure love acts of service. I asked one of my friends to write this blog entry for me and he said yes, (his was super weak so I didn't use it... ha!) but it is just little things like that when people help me that I really feel loved on.

This past Friday I went karaoke-ing.  It is so much fun and even though I have an awful voice I love getting up there! The people at the place we karaoke are so sweet and I just love them.  I love praying for them in my head while they are up there singing. They are all such a blast!

Here is a picture of me dancing with a big bellied man at the karaoke place

fears and television

Gosh, I love Saturday's!! I slept in. Have been chillin out and now I'm eating a burger (thanks Jules!).  It is nice living in a house as opposed to the dorm because I can just go downstairs in my p.j.'s and just hang out for a while.  This is the dream! I wish I was sorry I don't have more time to blog but I'm really not.  I do love it but sometimes life is just too crazy!!

My fears: One of my biggest fears is that I will miss out on all that God has for me.
That I will live my life without experiencing God to the extent that I could.
That I will not have constant joy in the future when hard things happen to me.
I am afraid that people won't take me seriously because I like fun and am different.
 I am afraid that I'll never get married, or that I will settle in who I marry.
I am afraid of driving in the snow and being bad at cutting hair.
I am scared I won't be able to pay my bills in Chicago.

It is so freeing to talk about my fears because as I write those I know that God is sovereign over all that and that I can trust Him with anything.  It is crazy how when we have fears or don't trust God with things then we try to take control of them.  For example, because I don't believe I am really loved by God, I try to manipulate my relationships and use people to feel loved. Or because I don't believe God will provide, I try to provide for myself, and live in fear that I won't be able to.  Gosh, there is so much freedom in knowing who God is and taking Him up on His promises.

On a more serious note, my favorite tv shows...

I have no time at school to watch TV but when I am home I do like watching it. I am so easily entertained, so it is important for me to be careful with what I watch and how much time I spend watching it.

I like reality shows because I think it is interesting to see other people's lives.  Even if they are half acting I am so fascinated by people's personalities.

I like shows that are funny and that I can laugh during.

I love watching football, especially on Sunday's with my dad!

I oftentimes get really attached to characters on movies and shows and will think about them and pray for them like I know them... its weird.

thank you for being a friend!!

oops now the golden girls theme song is stuck in my head.

day 9: share a picture of friends

For those of you that can count you may have noticed I skipped over day 8.  Day 8's topic is a trip I have been on. I am really excited to share about that but I just took some Benedryl, so the poison ivy on my face doesn't itch while I am asleep.  Anyways, I was just going to go to bed without blogging at all but when I saw what today's post was I just couldn't pass it up.

I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS IN THE WORLD!! There are times I feel bad for everyone else that they don't have my friends, they just don't know what they are missing.  Here are just a FEW pictures (in no particular order of favorites, ha!)....

                                          

 

oh AND also, I have been so encouraged by so many of my friends that have said they keep up with my blog.  It really does mean a lot to me!!

day 6 and 7

Sorry I missed out on yesterday's blog. I know you faithful followers were soooooo disappointed but today I am doing both. I was just home for Thanksgiving and it was so great to spend time with my family. I love how far I have come in appreciating them and loving spending time with them.  I love my time with my sister and how close we have become, she really is my best friend.  I am glad to be back at Taylor but only 2 and a half weeks of college to go. It is crazy!

On another note, day 6: a picture that makes me happy

There are tons of pictures that make me happy, but I think it is important for the world to see this picture!!!  It is my new favorite band.

can you get much better than that??

oh heyyyyy there trumpet solo!

And now for today's post. Drumrollllll please. day 7: favorite movie

I'm not much of a movie watcher but I do have a few favorites... I love funny light-hearted movies because I get sad easily and don't like to be.  I also don't like a lot of romantic type movies because I think they portray love poorly or have someone cheating on someone or weird drama like that.  I LOVE HOLIDAY MOVIES THOUGH SO MY FAVORITE, ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTER IS HOME ALONE!

Plus look at that movie cover, I just changed my mind and Home Alone movie cover is the picture that makes me the happiest!! 

recipes

day 5:

Today's topic is our favorite recipe. I most definitely don't have a favorite recipe that I can make, YET. I am hoping that one day I can be a good little chef but until then I love microwave things and Kraft Mac & Cheese.  I am not much one for baking either. If I could get my hands on Mrs. Roelker's (our neighbor) secret Christmas cookie recipe I would sure be one for baking. I LOVE her cookies and every year when she brings them over my whole family goes wild.  Our other neighbor asked her for the recipe one year and she wouldn't share it.  It makes me love the cookies even more. I love when people have secret recipes and won't share them, I think it is the funniest thing ever.  I aspire to have that one day... my own secret recipe. But not like Bush's baked beans. That guy and his dog are annoying and I don't like baked beans.

Last Easter, my sister and I were having a pie baking contest. I love any sort of competition so we were both psyched to make the best pie. Mine was lemon meringue and hers was coconut cream.  We went to the grocery and were picking out everything and Elizabeth said that we should use shortening instead of corn starch.  Since she is a wife I trusted her... For those of you that don't know shortening is the baking term for "lard". Well both of our pies turned out inedible so neither of us won. But to this day I think she did it on purpose and would've preferred us to all be pie-less than me take home the gold.

my parents

day 4: my parents. me and my sister have the same parents so instead of writing this section just read hers.

just kiddin! I wouldn't want to rob you guys of my thoughts on any issue in this 30 day challenge!

I am so blessed to have two parents who I enjoy spending time with.  I have loved growing older and being able to spend time with them.  They really are two of my favorite people in the world to be around. 

My dad is so great.  He leaves me the funniest voicemails ever! His are the only ones I have saved on my phone because they are too funny to delete.  I love that he calls me Coochie, I think it is so special.  He is such a great sibling to his brothers and sisters and a leader to our family.  I love the way he has stuck up for my mom over the years and never let my sister (never me) talk back to her.  I am so proud to call him my dad. As a little girl I always wanted him to know how much I loved him so I would send my blankey and little notes with him on business trips.  If anyone has seen my blankey this would seem to be an unflattering gift but I know he slept with it every night!!  :) Whenever he would get home from his  trips I would love to run and hug him.  He is such a good dad and husband to my mom. I am so grateful for him!


My mom is fun to be around too. She visited me at school just a couple weekends ago and it was so fun for me to have her there and meet my friends.  She is always up for doing something fun but also loves to veg out, which I love about her. I have so many fond memories of my mom and when I was little she would sometimes sing us the Lord's Prayer before bed and I remember thinking that she had the most beautiful voice in the world.  I love my mom's intuition. She has so much wisdom about life just through her "gut feel" and it is something that I always have to remind myself to listen to and ask her insight on situations.  I always roll my eyes when people say that mothers know best, but in her case it really is true.

I love the way my parents have supported me and allowed me to pursue whatever dreams I have. I've always felt so loved and special by them.  Thanks for loving meee mom and dad.

my first love

I haven't fallen in love yet, other than with the Lord, which is good enough for me!  I do see Jesus as my first love and am so glad that He is the only thing that can satisfy me.  Learning that no man or relationship can satisfy me to the extent that the Lord does has been so beneficial in the way I view love and the way I desire a relationship.  I hope to fall in love with a dude one day, but I know that even then it will still be God who satisfies me.

I have dated a couple guys in my 21 years of life and the relationships have all been ok, but to put it politely I am thankful to not be in any of them anymore!!  What I hope for my first love is to start out with a good time of dating. I want the next guy I date to be someone who I really respect and really enjoy being around.  I want us to know each other well before we date, and not just jump into it.  That I can be myself around and that he challenges me to a higher standard of living.  I also want my relationship to be really pure physically.  It seems that in many relationships people are always wishing for the next stage.  That when people are dating they just want to engaged, and then when they are engaged they just want to be married. I pray I will enjoy each stage of my next relationship and really embrace the place I am in.  So boysss, come and get me! Just kidding!! Although I am excited to be with some lucky mister one day.

Just for kicks, here are pictures of all the guys I have dated. It is so funny for me to think about it and how far I have come since these. Thank you Jesus!

Michael Morrison c. 2006-2007 cause of breakup: his infidelity

Levi Stuckey c. a short time in 2007 cause of breakup: more like why did we ever date???

Shane Stuttle c. 2009 cause of breakup: a picture is worth 1000 words (see above) this is the only picture we have together

I hope none of them see this. That would be funny

day 2

Today's blog topic for the "30 day challenge" is: the meaning behind your blog name... I hope these topics get a bit more exciting as we go, if not this month could be a real doosy for my blogees.

I am not sure which is my blog name.  If it is No Creeps Please or Why Isn't Everyone in the World Reading This?

Either way the meanings of both of them are pretty self explanatory.  Although, I do have something to say about it.  I think that the word creep has developed a really negative and embarrassing connotation in recent times.  For example, I don't like when boys give girls attention and then girls call them creeps.  I think that is rude and embarrassing.  To me a creep is more a peeping tom than anything.  Really, everyone is welcome to read my blog, after all I am the one posting this stuff on the internet.  I mean I write in hopes that people will read it. But, if I say I'm going to the market tomorrow, I am expecting that no one will be stealthily following me to the market, a.k.a no creeps please.

Speaking of creeps... last night some of my friends were asking me about my 15 interesting facts list and everyone was asking me to belly dance, should've kept that fact to myself!!

I just read on my sister's blog that tomorrow's topic is my first love.  Hope you aren't too excited that you can get some sleep tonight!

it's your lucky 30 days...

my sister asked me if I wanted to do a 30 Day Blogging Challenge with her and her sister-in-law, Courtney.  Naturally, I said I would do it because I love a challenge. I was also motivated because in the same conversation my sister said, "we will see if you are cut out to be a blogger."  

So for the next 30 days you can read my blog because I'll be writing all about myself everyday!! We can say it is my Christmas gift to the world.

Day 1: Introduction and 15 Interesting Facts and Recent Picture

Introduction:

I have two weeks left of college at Taylor University and then I am moving to Chicago to go to Cosmetology school. I am excited to cut hair and can't wait to pray for the women I meet through this.  I am a brunette and love to play racquetball but I'm not that good. I love listening to music (especially worship) and dancing. Not clubbing dancing but in my room, being goofy, dancing.  I have loved learning more about my role in the kingdom of Jesus and how God loves me for being who I am.  I honestly have no clue what to say in an introduction about myself because everyone who reads this knows me, but the challenge calls for it so I'm doing it!!

15 interesting facts:  Instead of telling 15 facts I am saying 13 truths and two lies...

1. I love the card-game Egyptian Ratscrew and I RARELY lose at it (maybe that is why I love it)...

2. I love karaoke-ing especially this place in Jonesboro, Indiana. Everyone should check it out, the Friday's after thanksgiving are dedicated to Christmas music!

3. I am the slowest swimmer you will ever meet. 

4. I always can and want to eat three donuts no matter what I am doing that day or how much I have eaten.

5. Road trips are soo fun to me, and I don't care at all where it is to!!

6. I rarely shower.

7. I can belly dance.

8. I would rather watch TV than movies but I would rather play a game than both.

9. I'm really skilled at making up riddles.

10. I made girl's skirts out of men's dress shirts and sold them locally and made a killing.

11. I have really fond memories of being a little girl.

12. Cinnamon is my favorite flavor gum.

13. When I first meet people I picture what kind of haircut I would like them to have.

14. I am never embarrassed to have a laughing fit because I think it is so fun even if it is inappropriate timing.

15. I am a man.

Here is my most recent picture....

 It is from this past weekend when me and my roommate julie went to visit our friend Morgan for her birthday.  It is of me and Morgan after church. 

This picture is from when Morgan went to the beach with my family this summer. We are pretending to be naked behind our boogie boards. I love the old man in the background of this.  

I never go out...

People are blogging machines these days... I think its fun and I really enjoy reading what people I love have to say about life and things that are going on with them, so I'm sure there are lots of peeps out there dying to get in my head! haa. And as cheesy as it is I really do love that I have a voice and can be heard, that I live in a land where I am allowed to speak out and write what I want.  I would bust out in America the Beautiful except my roommate is sleeping.

I contemplated naming this blog "I Don't Go Out".  Mostly because I think it's a funny title, but I do love spending time with people and not always trying to go places and do things.  I love deep conversation and think there is certainly something to be said about just spending time chilling out instead of always having to entertain ourselves.  Who am I kidding though? Who doesn't love a fun adventure or something really fun to look forward to?  But sometimes I'm a little disappointed when plans work out.  Like, man, I could've sat here quietly by myself a bit longer.  What reminded me about this and why I am this way, is because of nights like tonight. I didn't have plans for tonight but me and two of my friends ended up going to the prayer chapel.  We were worshipping and the likes (I napped  on accident for the first hour) and before we left I really wanted us to pray for each other. I love calling out life in people through prayer and how the Spirit uses that. So anyways, we were praying for my one friend and it was insane how the Lord had so much to say about her and His love for her.  When the prayer  came to a close she was crying and said multiple times, "No one has ever prayed for me like that before."  I love that Jesus is interceding for her always, but  it just blew my mind that she had never experienced prayer like that before and that no one had ever done that for her.  I love though that it isn't the Lord holding out on her by any means but it just broke my heart that it seemed as though life had never really been spoken over her.  Thank you Jesus, that I never go out :)

It made me so excited for hair school and moving to Chicago because of how many people need to be prayed over.  I love that there is nothing I would've rather done with the night than prayed with her!  If we value the power of prayer and really believe that it is moving the Kingdom of God, than it seems to be such an injustice that some people have no one to pray for them.  I wonder if that is true or makes sense?  I would love your (probably just my mom reads this!! love ya mama) input or thoughts on this question!!