please elaborate;

Archon: The Books of Raziel by Sabrina Benulis

2012-01-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

By Blood, by Fire, by Air, By Earth
By Water, by Life, by Death, by Birth
By Sun, by Moon, by Sky, by Sea
I offer what is precious to me, my Dreams,
That portion of Death I see, and now your Spirit
Bound by the leash of my Will shall be…

There are some things worse than Death.

Angela Mathers, with her stain of dark red hair and alabaster skin – a freak, a monster, a blood head, and perhaps the possible fulfillment of a horrific prophecy, remains haunted by angels. One in particular with beguiling blue eyes and magnificent bronze wings who seduces her dreams. Her only escape from the nightmares is her paintings that depict the dark visions that have possessed her.

Newly freed from the mental institution she spent the last two year of her life in, Angela is hopeful that attending Westwood Academy, the Vatican’s exclusive univerisity, will bring her peace and will finally provide and explanation for the dreams and visions that plague her mind. The university is a school for students, specifically blood heads that possess super-natural powers, and among them is one special blood head that is more powerful than them all: the Archon, the human reincarnation of the dead angel Raziel. When the Archon arises as is foretold in the prophecy, they will rule over the supernatural universe.

Angela, already struggling with her own life and its sense of normality, has no desire to conquer the supernatural universe, but the choice may not be her own. Torn between the man she loves and her obsession with the beautiful angel who haunts her dreams and paintings, she must choose what is best for her and for the world, for she is the key to Heaven and Hell. Both will stop at nothing to have the Archon on their side of this battle between their worlds.

Sabrina Benulis, author of Archon: The Books of Raziel, has really put a fascinating spin on her own unique and complex version of Paradise Lost; of heaven, hell, and life on earth, how and why the angels fell in the first place, and the impending apocalypse prophetically called the Ruin.

I would recommend this book to young adults and those comfortable with a gothic style genre as well as the super natural. I received this book compliments of HarperCollins Publishers for my honest review and would rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

Two Tickets To The Christmas Ball

2010-12-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul definitely set the mood for the Christmas season this year! This charming novella reminded me of the importance of spending time with family and those dear to me and taught me a life lesson that I have always struggled to learn, "be brave, and try new things."

Our story opens on a sleepy, snow-covered city where Cora Crowder (main character) is getting ready for the busy holiday season. Her Christmas shopping brings her to a curious, old fashioned bookshop called Warner, Werner, and Wizbotterdad's on Sage Street, where she proceeds to search for a novel for her uncle to wrap up the rest of her holiday shopping. Little does she know that this visit to Warner, Werner, and Wizbotterdad's will lead to an unexpected encounter with co-worker Simon Derrick, and the discovery of a ticket to the Wizard's Christmas Ball hosted every year by the matchmaking booksellers for the romantic matches they have decided to bring together for that holiday season.

Simon and Cora work as a team to find out more about this Wizard's Christmas Ball and what it has to do with them. At the same time both are discovering the common threads between them. For Cora who is terrible with relationships and just people in general, she wonders whether she even has a chance with this man and whether or not this ball will bring them closer together or tear them apart.

I received this book compliments of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review and would rate this novella a 5 out of 5 stars. For more information about this book, the writer, and where to purchase a copy, you may click and follow the links I have provided below:

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball

Donita K. Paul's Website

Photo Project:D

2010-11-14T21:22:00.000-08:00

HEY BLOGGERS:D

so i've decided to get a little creative and came up with a cool photo project(:
everyday for 35 days, i will post a picture of something that has to do with me or my life; i would love for you all to join in:) im very committed to this project and i would love to see what you all come up with!

here is the list for all 35 days:

1.) a picture of you in your room
2.) a picture of you posing with a someone you look up to
3.) a picture with a former crush
4.) a picture from when you were really happy
5.) a picture with a parent or two
6.) a picture of you on your birthday
7.) a picture of you from your younger years
8.) a picture of you in one of your favorite outfits
9.) a picture of you making a goofy face at the camera
10.) a picture you may have edited to improve your look
11.) a picture of your someone special
12.) a picture from a night you will never forget
13.) a picture of you showing off a new haircut (even if its an old haircut:P)
14.) a picture of you truly being yourself
15.) a picture of you most recently
16.) a picture of you being absolutely ridiculous
17.) a picture of you at your favorite restaurant
18.) a picture of you from a time in your life that’s over, but you wish it wasn’t
19.) a picture of a time in your life that’s over, and you couldn’t be more thankful that it is
20.) a picture with your favorite doll
21.) a picture you had no idea was being taken
22.) a picture of you doing what you love most
23.) a picture of you when you were a different person than you are now
24.) a picture of you in a fashion “don’t”
25.) a picture of you in a swimsuit – whether you love it or loathe it
26.) a picture of your recent head shot
27.) a picture of you with someone you love
28.) a picture of how you’d like the world to see you
29.) a picture that describes how you’d like to spend every day
30.) a picture of a time when everything was changing
31.) a picture that makes your heart hurt
32.) a picture that makes your heart smile
33.) a picture of one of the best times of your life
34.) a picture of you and your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife
35.) a picture you really like of yourself

yay(: im really looking forward to starting, it begins tomorrow. be sure to post your own, it will be interesting to take a trip back down memory lane to find these photos. hope you all had a productive but enjoyable weekend! God bless:D

Yours Truly,
Teen

blahdi blahdi blah:P

2010-10-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

so senior year really didn't start off like how i had planned. but then again, when does anything work out like how it was planned.

highschool drama. and, as in the words of Forrest Gump, "thats all i have to say about that."

things have gradually improved though and im starting to really enjoy my year so far, minus the work (no matter how little there is).

im really starting to miss the old campus; it held a lot of good times and i made a lot of memories there. this new campus just feels strange. i guess im not accustomed to it just yet. i've already been to the back to school luau dance which kinda sucked due to the fact that they kept playing techo songs and there was little to no room on the "basketball court" to hold a dance. but on the upside, i still had a great time with my friends and it gave us a few hours to escape the stresses of home and school.

homecoming is this upcoming friday, but i've decided not to go. my boyfriend fractured his right ankle in a football game sometime last weekend and though hes not on crutches anymore, its still sore. so on friday, instead of going to the school's homecoming dance, we have made plans to perhaps go see a movie and then come back to my place for dinner and poker night (the theme for the homecoming dance was Las Vegas Poker Night).

thats pretty much all thats new and exciting at school. i made a lot of new friends over this past summer and all of them ended up going to school with me. we're a family, and im hoping that we'll have each other even outside of highschool. only time will tell i guess and most people tell me that it usually doesnt work that way and that the friends you have in highschool most likely wont keep in contact with you after graduation...blahdi blahdi blah(: i can still hope right?

well, as a side note, im in no rush to graduate. i really want to take my time this year, exploring new things and opportunities. i get my license on november 20th, or so i hope if i can pass the test;P then i can start pursuing job opportunities. wish me luck; getting a job would make life easier at this point. im trying to be more independent and i think once i establish the basics then i will get a better understanding of being on my own.

loving the cold weather we're having today. im trying to figure out if i can get a ride to victor valley christian for the football game today, but idk. its looking like a no so far:/ i hate not being able to drive haha.

hope everyone is starting off the week on a positive note and God bless(:

yours truly,

teen(:

The Heart Mender

2010-05-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

While digging up a withering wax myrtle tree beside his waterfront home on the Gulf Coast, author Andy Andrews unearths a rusted metal container filled with Nazi artifacts and begins an intriguing investigation that unlocks an unspoken past that took place in his backyard...literally.

In the summer of 1942, as the country gears us for a full-scale commitment to WWII, German subs are dispatched to the Gulf of Mexico to sink U.S. vessels carrying goods and fuel for the war. While taking a late-night walk along the coastline, Helen Mason - recently widowed by the realities of war-discovers the near-lifeless body of a German sailor. Enraged at the site of Josef Landermann's uniform, Helen is prepared to leave the lieutenant to die when an unusual phrase, faintly uttered, changes her mind.

Set in a period simmering with anger and suspicion, The Heart Mender by Andy Andrews offers the very real chronicle of a small town preparing itself for the worst the world has to offer. As cargo from torpedoed ships begins to wash up on the beach, Josef and Helen must reconcile their pasts in order to create a future.

My Review:

I loved this book! After reading Andy Andrew's last book, The Noticer, I knew I had to read this one. Set in the 1940's during WWII, the story takes place right here in our own country just along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico. There are two stories that take place in this story, the fate of Josef and Helen, and the discovery of the Nazi artifacts by Andy Andrews. While the names and places have been changed to protect the people whom this story is about, it remains true for reasons you will discover upon reading the book in it's entirety, and once more Andy Andrews does not disappoint.

I received this book compliments from Thomas Nelson Publishers and must say I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves American History, WWII, romance and spy like thrillers. Trust me, add this one to your library.

Beaded Hope

2010-05-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett was to say the least…. absolutely awe inspiring! To set the scene for you all, the book opens with a glimpse into the everyday lives of three women, and the teenage daughter of one of the women, who live in Ohio. They are all is facing some sort of conflict in their lives, and ironically, each of the women (including the teenage daughter of one of the women) decide to sign up for a two-week mission trip to South Africa. Cassandra, a highly acclaimed news reporter intends to turn in the story of her broadcast career when she returns to the states; Gabby hopes to escape the heartache that has turned her life upside-down; and Heidi and her daughter, Katie, who are still trying to get over the loss of their beloved husband and father are facing an adventure that could forever change their lives and the relationship that they have with each other.

Once they arrive in South Africa, these women are informed that they will all be working as a team to provide support to a remote village where AIDS is ravaging the women and children. There are no men left in the village as they have either succumbed to the disease or have abandoned their families after being infected. The women and children are living in rancid conditions and in places that one could hardly call home. The four women are mortified by what they see and suddenly, their personal problems back in Ohio seem to be forgotten.

The four women share a unit in a church compound, where the leader of the community, Mama Penny, welcomes them and informs them that she will be their guide for the next two weeks. They are introduced to an AIDS infected African American woman named Jaleela, who has come up with a way to help her community by selling beaded jewelry to people in the United States.

It is a story about commitment, community, family, and about how God comes through even in the most incomprehensible situations. It is a very family friendly book and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in sitting down and cuddling up with a good book.

I really hope that you guys choose to read/ review this book for yourselves; it was definitely worth it to me! I was provided with a complimentary copy of the book from Tyndale House Publishers and if you would like more information , please click on the link below:
http://mediacenter.tyndale.com/1_products/details.asp?isbn=978-1-4143-3212-3

A Century Turns

2010-04-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

Where is America going? Just look at the decades between 1988 and 2008.

As America collectively exhaled at the end of the Cold War, we loosened our grip on the fear of nuclear confrontation for the first time since WWII. Some scholars even characterized the collapse of the Soviet Union as the end of history itself. Peace as palpable.

In A Century Turns, by William J. Bennett explores America’s recent and momentous history – the contentious election of 1988, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of global Communism, the presidency of William Jefferson Clinton, the technological and commercial boom of the 1990’s, the war on terror, and the election of America’s first black president.

I received this book compliments from Thomas Nelson Publishers and besides just being another history book this one provides you with so much detail and behind the scenes information that I never knew before. He really gets in depth with the key players and discusses the success and failures that has made history in America what it is today. For me it provided me with a profound look at history the way our current school book are missing.

For more information on this book, including where to purchase a copy, please click on the link below:

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1595551697&title=A_Century_Turns

Flash!

2010-04-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh! Blogging world there's so much to share with you:D

Hmmm, where to start, where to start....well, on april 14th i went to six flags magic mountain in valencia, ca with my highschool, a few of my friends, and my boyfriend. we had the best time together, eating french fries, praying before we got onto a roller coaster, actually riding the roller coaster, talking, and running around the park in our polyester capes. yes, those are flash capes, and yes...i do realize that flash does not wear a cape, but i still thought they looked pretty snazzy(:

both katie (my best friend depicted above) and i got reeeeeally car sick on the way back so we took turns laying on each other trying to fall asleep to make the "sick to your stomach" feeling go away.

katie has spent practically everyday with me this week. in fact, this morning we made plans to go running at 8:00am and went to breakfast at Molly's Kountry Kafe. Then we walked home, took showers and got ourselves ready for the day, had lunch, and went to school around 1:30pm to retake our chemistry test....we got the same score as the first time, but it was worth a shot:P then we came back home, went to starbucks where i ordered a grande double-chocolate chip frappicino, and katie got a grande caramel frappicino. we sat down at a table and just talked about school, and our family lives, and then proceeded to walk to blockbuster to order some movies. unfortunately, our day was cut short when katie was called home for dinner, and now here i am, sitting on my bed, telling you about my amazing day(:

i'm also currently reading a most intriguing book by the name of Glaen! I can't wait to review it, this one's definitley a keeper for sure! For any mom's who have teens out there who are involved in a relationship or who are thinking about getting involved.....PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, do not hestitate to purchase this book! its a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

as for school, not much is new. i just have two more units until i can officially say that i have made the transformation into caitlyn modeen junior, to caitlyn modeen SENIOR:) im happy about almost being done with school, but at the same time, a tad reluctant because i don't want to grow up:/ i know that God will be watching over me as i make this transformation, but its still okay to be intimiated and a slight bit nervous correct? ugh, wish me luck:P

oh yes, i almost forgot but......I HAVE A JOB! a temporary one, but a job at that:P i will be working with my aunt mimi, for a company called Applied Medical in the HR department. it is a paid internship but hey, its better than working at the neighborhood Del Taco right?

well thats all i have to share for the day, but im trying to get back into my blog again. i will be keeping you updated(:

keeping you all in my prayers!

Yours Truly,

Caitlyn

Hands For Haiti

2010-03-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggers(: I know it has been quite a while since I've been in touch, there's so much that I need to share with you all! I hope everyone has been doing well and are looking forward to Easter:D

So.....as most of you know, the Haitian people are experiencing great suffering this year. Over 3 million people are in need of immediate shelter and non-food assistance, and it was recently estimated that The death-toll is now to be between 250,000 and 300,000.

My mom and were talking one night, and she told me about this teenage girl who was really into crocheting hats. She got together with some of her friends, and at the end of the year, sent all of the hats they had made to people in Haiti!

I was absolutely inspired by this girl and her work for God, and so.....I would like to follow in her footsteps(:

I have set a goal to make at least 50 scarves by March 22, 2011! I know that I cannot tackle this task by myself, and so I would like to reach out to the blogging community for help and support! If you or anyone you know would like to help knit scarves with me, or make any kind of donation to my task (Hands For Haiti), it would be greatly appreciated.

Its amazing what we as a christian community can do for the world and for God! What a blessing it would be to know that we have made a contribution to the aid effort in Haiti(: If you would like any kind of additional or specific information about this effort or the scarves, please feel free to email me at: craisin93@verizon.net.

Thank you all in advance, for your support!

God Bless!

Caitlyn

Revolve 2010 ~ Book Review

2010-02-05T12:05:00.000-08:00

As a teenager attending a public school one of the things that all of us Christians would love would be a way for us to bring a Bible to school and not be harassed. Not that I am not afraid to defend my faith to anyone but just the thought of having God's word so close gives me an extra added assurance when I may need it.

So just for that situation is Revolve 2010 Biblezine. When I first received this from Thomas Nelson publishers to review I thought it was a magazine. Yet upon further inspection I found out that this was the entire New Testament in a magazine layout. It's amazing. Now my problem about bringing a Bible to school was solved. Not only that because it looks like a magazine, my friends are likely to pick it up and look through it. Perfect witnessing opportunity for me with them and a way to open doors that I may not have know how to open any other way.

The magazine is loaded full of colorful pictures, quizzes, dating advice, interviews with Christian teens like Chad Eastham and Jordin Sparks, right alongside the New Testament. Even the Bible based part of this magazine has great insight and notes to introduce you to the authors of the books of the New Testament.

The one extra I discovered is music downloads from my favorite Christian artists so I have more ways of keeping God's words and love close to my heart. This is a must have for any Christian teen and for anyone looking for a unique way to keep their Bible close to them. You've got to pick this up. I've even checked out my parents reading it so it's definitely something interesting to look through.

The one thing my parents came across was a challenge to teens to forgo their technology for one week. At first, I was thinking this may be easy but when I read, no emails, no phones, no texting, no TV, no Ipods or radios or even gaming systems, I am rethinking if I can do this. My parents have issued the challenge, just not sure if I can manage it. I mean think of all the people I would have to wait to talk to??

I was provided with a complimentary copy of the Revolve 2010 to review for Thomas Nelson Publishers and I must say, I would get one!

Buried Alive by Roy Hallums

2010-01-20T08:49:00.001-08:00

I must say that I was a little unsure when I first picked up this book to review. It is a true story of a kidnapping, captivity and rescue of a man named Roy Hallums from Iraq.

What I must say is that I loved the opening of the book. It provided you the historical background of where the United States and Iraq were during 2004. It was at the beginning of the US led invasion of Iraq, where countless numbers of people were being kidnapped from not only various countries but from the United States as well. The primary reason for doing this was to fund the insurgent groups that were responsible for the kidnapping. The ransoms that were paid out depended on a variety of factors from who you were, who you worked for, why you were in Iraq, and what country you were from.

This was at a time when the US did not negotiate payment of ransoms for kidnapping. So it was extremely difficult for the kidnappers to get any money from the US government. This book follows the true life story of Roy Hallums who lived in Saudi Arabia for 10 years before being transferred to Iraq to assist with food operations during the rebuilding efforts.

The book chronicles the life of Roy during his 311 days of waiting for his release from his kidnappers, never knowing if he would make it out alive or not, and also the story of what his family went through trying to negotiate his release as well.

To tell you that I recommend this book is a bit of an understatement. I picked it up and didn’t put it down until I finished it, all in one day. It was that great! I felt like the entire time, I was right there with Roy going through some of the worst situations imaginable. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great book to read that you won’t be able to put down!

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book to review by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Jesus Lives ~ Book Review

2009-12-30T15:36:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of reviewing the book Jesus Lives by Sarah Young.

Each day greets you with a glorious challenge: Will you trust in Jesus’ unfailing love? Though the world specializes in separations and losses, the Bible says that nothing in all creation can separate you from Jesus’ love. Have you experienced His presence in your hardest times? Do you enjoy Jesus’ love for you in this very moment? He is closer than the air you breathe.

Jesus Lives is a devotional book filled with topics ranging from adversity to emptiness all the way through worry and worship. The book is laid out with a simple topic at the top of the page and then a message from God as though He himself was speaking directly to you regarding this particular situation. On the adjoining pages lie scripture references from the Bible.

This book is a highly recommended one because so often people come to us with a variety of issues impacting their lives both in positive and negative ways. We are asked for advice and sometimes we can’t always find just the right thing to say. This book does just that. In the Table of Contents are listed various situations you may find yourself or a friend in and offers just the perfect advice to uplift, encourage, and motivate people to find hope and faith in their circumstances.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson publishers to review and once again would highly recommend it to anyone seeking a quick and easy reference book to life’s problems.

Redefining Beautiful - Jenna Lucado with Max Lucado

2009-12-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

billboards. magazines. television. pictures. media. newspapers. internet. posters. movies...perfect

Too often, women get caught up in a material world. We're taught through billboards, magazines, and other such things to love material things that "enhance" the way we look. The perfect makeup, the perfect hair, the perfect body, the perfect nails, the perfect nose...all of it. We let these things set the standard for what our definition of beautiful is. But answer me this, what ever happened to inner beauty? Is there any such thing in our society these days? After all, an apple could look red, juicy, and ripe on the outside, but it can be rotten at the core.

Jenna Lucado, like her father, obviously has a passion for speaking and writing. She really draws in her readers because she speaks from her personal experiences and struggles, even the ones she encounters today.

In Redefining Beautiful, published by Thomas Nelson, Jenna Lucado writes about the everyday struggles that we as women often face: self-esteem issues, dating, broken families, and abuse.

She shows us that the way we view ourselves is flawed. We tend to see everything we can "improve on" instead of everything we have to offer. However, her most important message to us is that God sees us all as beautiful. We are his children and he created us in his image, not by referencing to Vogue Magazine.

Jenna really works hard to bring out a woman's inner beauty in her book, and includes little tips and tricks along the way on how we can work on our inner beauty. She also offers advice for girls who are apart of broken families, or may not have a father figure in their lives, and reassures them that they already have a perfect dad....their father in heaven, who sees them as beautiful inside and out.

I recommend this book to any teenager looking for a uplifting, captivating, read. This book offers teenage girls a new vision of themselves and a new definition of beauty. Jenna Lucado brings hope as she helps teenage girls realize that the real definition of beauty is what God sees when he sees you.

Green by Ted Dekker

2009-10-17T08:49:00.001-07:00

Imagine the ability to travel back and forth in time 2000 years either way? Imagine you have the amazing ability to change the world for better or for worse. Imagine you lived a dual life in both places in time. Imagine if you could witness part of the coming judgement on man? Imagine if you had the ability to rewrite history any way you wish just by penning your words in a book?

All these things are part of the newest book release called Green by Ted Dekker and published by Thomas Nelson. It takes place in two worlds both separated by a span of 2000 years. One world in much like ours in the current time and place as we know it. The other remains in the future 2000 years ahead. One world still can not seen the good and evil that take place on a daily basis and in the future world those veils are removed.

Yet one man holds the power to change events in either world. His name is Thomas Hunter. He lives a dual life depending on which world he finds himself in. He has family in both. However, evil finds a way to try and gain that same control that Thomas yields as well, the very same power that could swing the odds in their favor and thereby change the history of the world.

If you are a lover of fiction based books dealing with the end times or even Science Fiction, then this is a must read for you. I found the book a bit difficult to get going but once I got past the first few chapters and understood the time travel variables and the dualities of the lives, I couldn’t put it down. Good is portrayed in a very poetic way with Eloyn representing God, and Teelah is the opposite of the very evil in our world.

I won’t spoil the ending for you but you will definitely enjoy it and want to pick up either of the 3 sequels to this amazing series by Ted Dekker. His writing style is very similar to Stephen King and he really draws you into the story and captivates your attention from beginning to end. This book is truly one of the best in my opinion.

Friday Funnies!:DD

2009-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys! You know what today is....FRIDAY FUNNIES! I found this really cool video to share with you, all hahahaha I thought it was sooo funny. Just ignore the advertisement clip at the end, and other than that, have a super duper friday and enjoy!

Your's Truly,

Caitlyn

Endless Seaweed

2009-10-15T12:30:00.001-07:00

Word of the Day: Hogan - 1. a building made of logs and mud.

Hey bloggers! Today I came across a poem of mine that I wrote last year.

When my sister was homeschooled, she was required to write a lot of descriptive stories and poems. When ever she was given a writing assignment like this, my mom would have everyone do the same. For example, if Kailee (my sister) had to write a poem about pumpkins, we all had to write our own poem about pumpkins, lol.

One day, my mom told me that we had to write a poem about an object in nature. Seaweed was one of the example topics we could write about and so I wrote a poem called: Endless Seaweed and I thought I would feature it on my blog today:)

Endless Seaweed

It floats on the surface
Hides in the sand
Found on wet rocks
Found on dry land
It entangles its self among the white foam
Follows all others who dare do roam

Down to the depths
The stalks stretch like fingers
And wrap around bodies in the ocean that linger
A home to the fish
A monster to the friend
Will this supply of seaweed ever end?

Its shiny and sticky
The sun’s light reflected
And in some cases, to most people, always rejected
A home to the fish
A monster to the friend
Will this supply of seaweed ever end?

It multiplies in great numbers
Swallows the blue
And everything from surface to bottom too
A home to the fish
A monster to the friend
Will this supply of seaweed ever end?

It's interesting to look back on my poetry now, to see just how much I have grown in my writing:) hope you enjoyed, and have a great rest of the day!

Yours Truly,

Caitlyn

What I Learned Today....

2009-10-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: life cycle- 1. a series of stages through which an individual or family passes through during its lifetime.

<haha this is so old, it brings back good memories:P>

Hey Guys! I thought that I would devote my Wednesday's to sharing with you, something new I learned.

For instance, did you know that if you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on the right side of your mouth (and vise versa for the left side)? haha some of these facts I found are really cool and they really make you think. Here's 5 cool facts and some food for thought as you go about your day today:D

1.) Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

man o man, i have the hardest time trying to peel and cut onions without my eyes watering and burning constantly. time to put my bubble gum to the ultimate test!

2.) The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.

thats soooo cool! haha next time i pick up a seashell i'll have to think about that, i find that truly interesting:)

3.) Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

hmm well if you ever happen to wander into a cave and get chased by bats...run for the right:P

4.) Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

hmm a new way to prevent grey hair?

5.) The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their lower eyelids.

hmm, this is pretty cool. now that I think about it, its true! I have never seen a bird blink with its upper eyelid! huh...

Well here's to what I learned this week. haha I miss reading the fun facts on the inside of the Snapple lid's.

have a great rest of the day guys:D

Your's Truly,

Caitlyn

Just A Quick Update....

2009-10-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Family- 1. two or more people living together who are related by birth, marriage or adoption.

Hello everyone:D Last week went really well for me; I was able to accomplish a lot at home, at school, in ASB and in my personal life as well. I hope all you had an amazing week as well, and I'd love to hear about it, so feel free to email me:)

I can't tell you how excited I am with all my followers. I know I don't have a large number, but I'm blessed to have you all. I feel like you all have become my family in Christ and I just wanted to thank you all for taking such an interest in not only my blog, but my personal life as well:)

A lot of you have been asking me lately how school is going, so I thought I would take the time to give you a quick update on all that:P

Unit 2 testing is this Thursday, so I'm slowly starting to prepare for that (eww studying:/). In ASB, our cause for this month is Child Safety. I thought for sure, it'd be Breast Cancer, but Child Safety fits just as well this month. We would like to communicate the importance of child safety to our community and to the elementary and middle schools, especially with Halloween coming up.

We also have our schoo's annual Harvest Festival coming up:) This year, the theme for the haunted maze will be "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and on our upper campus we have a lot of family oriented games and activities that everyone can partake in:)

Homecoming is also coming up soon, I believe that it is on October 24th, and don't you worry; there will be plenty of pictures to post and I'll be sure to give you all the inside scoop on the dance! Hopefully someone will ask me this week, here's hoping:) If not, I have my girlies!

Other than that, everything is going just fine. Nothing has changed as far as school goes, but please pray that'll I will do well on this unit's testing! It would be much appreciated:D

Hopefully this week will go just as well as last, if not better, and I wish the same for all of you!

Keep me updated!

Yours Truly,

Caitlyn

Redifining beautiful:)

2009-10-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Beautiful: 1. ?

What image seems to come to mind when you think about the word beautiful?

Reeeally think about it?

When I think of the word beautiful, I see Kate Hudson. She is absolutely stunning! Everything from the blond, curly hairs on her head, down to her perfectly pedicured feet just shines!

Maybe for some of you teenagers, its a girl you see at school. You know, the type that seems to have it all: money, good looks, and has all the guys wrapped around her finger? And you wish you could get up in the morning, look into the mirror, and see her face.

Or you mom's out there? Do you ever wish you could go back to the days when you graduated from high school? Before you had to worry about relationships, children, making payments on time, or work? Back to the days when you felt you were in your prime, and now so many of you feel like you've just let it all go?

"Some days I like him. Most days I hate him. But I do have to admit, he's honest. He'll always tell me if I have food in my teeth or a booger in my nose. He isn't afraid to let me know if a certain shirt is too tight or if a color doesn't compliment my skin. I appreciate the honesty, but he is deceiving all the same. Deceiving because anytime he tells me, "Just get this cute shirt and feel better about yourself" or "Just lose five pounds and be forever happy," it doesn't work. I'm never good enough for him.

I try not to hang out with him too much, or else I can easily fall into his trap of discouragement- 'Jenna, I see that cellulite back there. Your skin is looking pretty oily these days. Those teeth need some whitening!' I try to block out his lies that tell me I'm not good enough, that I'm not beautiful, but its hard."

(Hmm, does this sound like anyone you know?)

"I'm sure you've all met him. He tends to pop up in all sorts of places: bathrooms, cars, department stores, gyms. And I'm sure you've felt some of these same insecurities when standing in front of him.

His name?

Mirror."

I know I've been in this place too many times to count. Girls today refer to magazines, commercials, and billboards to give them their definition of what beautiful really is. In fact, sometimes, I wonder is the word beautiful could ever describe me.

Here is the dictionary definition of beautiful:

Beautiful: adj. 1. having attractive qualities that give great delight or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc. 2. excellent of its kind. 3. particularly graceful, lovely, or pretty....

Hmm, it seems to me that mirror along with his partners in crime, TV and magazine determine what being beautiful really means. I feel that women struggle to see themselves as beautiful because of all of these definitions. We can get confused, caught up in them.

What we must realize is that mirror, TV, and magazine forgot the most important definition of all. what beautiful really means:

Beautiful: what God sees when he sees you.

Our fashion sense is not what makes us beautiful, nor does our body type, skin color, posture, make up, clothes, or hair.

We are all beautiful, and what helps make us beautiful is knowing that God loves us and sees us for who really truly are. He can see past all our wrongs, and years of wear and tear.

In this world, that we are presently living in, beauty is always accented by accessories. Having the coach purse, perfect boyfriend, or that new t-shirt from Forever 21. Whatever it may be, we use these things, to try and make ourselves feel better.

Now I'm not saying that accessorizing is a bad thing, its just how you go about doing it, and what you choose to accessorize with.

This is a list of my top eight Life Accessories and was inspired by Jenna Lucado!

1.) Security: trusting that no matter what, we have a God who loves us.

2.) Identity: in knowing who we are and whose we are.

3.) Value: knowing we are treasured.

4.) Love: knowing God's love for us so we can love others.

5.) Self- control: for making good decisions.

6.) Peace: in believing God is in control.

7.) Joy: in knowing the Source of all joy.

8.) Contentment: in who God made you to be.

I have found that wearing these accessories makes me beautiful inside and out! This week make it a personal challenge to stray from the lies and hoaxes we see and hear on television, in magazines, and in the mirror.

For myself, I know this will be a struggle, but with God, I can do anything. I've made it my personal challenge (and I know this will be something I'll need to work up to) and I really hope that together, we can find beauty inside and outside ourselves with our life accessories and most importantly...God!

I hope you have enjoyed my Monday motivator! Now go out there and so that mirror whose boss!

Yours Truly,

Caitlyn

Friday Funnies

2009-10-09T15:22:00.001-07:00

Word of the Day: Laugh - 1. to show emotion (as mirth, joy, or scorn) with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound. 2. to be of a kind that inspires joy.

Hey guys! Well i had sometime outside of my homework and busy school day to post today's Friday Funny: I hope you enjoy:)

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, “This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.” The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, “Which do you want, son?” The boy takes the quarters and leaves. “What did I tell you?” said the barber. “That kid never learns!” Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. “Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?” The boy licked his cone and replied, “Because the day I take the dollar, the game is over!"

haha, i thought that was too cute, and i think the barber definitley learned his lesson:) Hope you guys have a great weekend:D

Yours Truly

<3Caitlyn>

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall?

2009-10-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Beautiful: 1. ?

What image seems to come to mind when you think about the word beautiful?

Reeeally think about it?

When I think of the word beautiful, I see Kate Hudson. She is absolutely stunning! Everything from the blond, curly hairs on her head, down to her perfectly pedicured feet just shines!

(Hmm, does this sound like anyone you know?)

His name?

Mirror."

Here is the dictionary definition of beautiful:

Beautiful: adj. 1. having attractive qualities that give great delight or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc. 2. excellent of its kind. 3. particularly graceful, lovely, or pretty....

What we must realize is that mirror, TV, and magazine forgot the most important definition of all. what beautiful really means:

Beautiful: what God sees when he sees you.

Our fashion sense is not what makes us beautiful, nor does our body type, skin color, posture, make up, clothes, or hair.

We are all beautiful, and what helps make us beautiful is knowing that God loves us and sees us for who really truly are. He can see past all our wrongs, and years of wear and tear.

Now I'm not saying that accessorizing is a bad thing, its just how you go about doing it, and what you choose to accessorize with.

This is a list of my top eight Life Accessories and was inspired by Jenna Lucado!

1.) Security: trusting that no matter what, we have a God who loves us.

2.) Identity: in knowing who we are and whose we are.

3.) Value: knowing we are treasured.

4.) Love: knowing God's love for us so we can love others.

5.) Self- control: for making good decisions.

6.) Peace: in believing God is in control.

7.) Joy: in knowing the Source of all joy.

8.) Contentment: in who God made you to be.

I hope you have enjoyed my Monday motivator! Now go out there and so that mirror whose boss!

Yours Truly,

Caitlyn

Friday Funnies!

2009-10-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

I am going to start posting as part of the Friday Funnies from Kim at Homesteaders Heart. If you want to join in the fun, hop on over.

Since I am an avid photo shop fan, I wanted to share this with you!

Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah

2009-09-28T14:44:00.001-07:00

We know that at this very moment we are living in the prophetic end days the Bible predicted thousands of years ago. We see an oil crisis in the Middle East, the resurgence of Russia, and a new axis of evil forming, Israel’s importance as well as new powers forming in the European Union. Yet in the midst of these world crises, how as Christians do we deal with them?

This is a great book I read and finished in the same day by Thomas Nelson publishers. It gives insight in how to deal with the very things, we in the United States, are dealing with right now. The loss of jobs, the foreclosures of homes everywhere, and even the huge losses in the financial industry, yet, we can rejoice. We have a hope that outlasts this world into our future home in heaven.

This book offers the biblical answers of what as Christians we should be doing each and every day to prevent the stresses and anxiety from overwhelming us. The book takes you through the ten steps, every Christian must know in facing the coming signs. The book offers Biblical instruction to guide you through handling each and every situation as well as real world headlines to show how others didn’t handle it so well. From the banking and financial turmoil striking our banks and mortgage industries we are shown how some such as Adolf Merckle, heir to the Merck & Co. pharmaceutical company, took his own life rather than deal with the issues at hand.

There are stories ripped right from the headlines today, such as the conviction of Laura Ling and Euna Lee in North Korea for spying when they were there just to report on human trafficking; how a family in San Diego was informed that they could no longer conduct a Bible Study in their home, due to unlawful religious assembly without a permit; or the constant persecution by the media and Hollywood of the Christian religion and the mockery of Jesus Christ. The current North Korean and Iran nuclear programs are discussed as well as past histories of some of the holocaust survivors and how they handled adversity that we too are finding ourselves dealing with.

The back cover suggests the answers to the most urgent questions, including

How can we weather this storm with a calm heart?
What does it truly mean to "wait on the Lord"?
What is Jesus saying to our chaotic world today?
How on earth did we get into this mess?
Can we take a broken world and rebuild it into something fruitful?

The book is a must read. It has completely changed my entire outlook on the lives, we as Christians, should be living up until that day that our Lord returns. Each day that passes is one day closer to His imminent return and He is coming back. The choice for the believer is how do we want to be seen living our last days when He does come back for us.

Fear Less ~ Book Review

2009-09-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

I have two words we should all be doing more of, Fearing Less or in this case of my most recent book I have read and am reviewing for Thomas Nelson Publishers is Fearless by Max Lucado.

It is simply an amazing book that you can’t put it down once you begin reading it. Face it everyone is afraid of something, losing a home, a job, a child, your faith, your life, the end of the world, that we are worthless, life is too hard, violence, loss of income, or what if God just isn’t real! Any of those cross your mind lately or do you know of someone that is has?

This is a perfect book because each of those fears is taken on from a Biblical perspective one at a time, in the Max Lucado’s form of writing that we all come to love. He keeps it in a real perspective using stories of what he himself has encountered to draw us further into this book.

Fear has gotten so much publicity lately they have even named a book and a game after our silly fears called, “Worst Case Scenario”! I mean how many of us will take one little thing and keep adding more and more things to it that by the time we reach the end, we are on our death beds just waiting to die.

I love Max’s explanation on what happens when we fear things.

“These real fears, born out of legitimate concerns. Yet left unchecked, they metastasize into obsessions. The step between prudent and paranoia is short and steep. Prudence wears a seat belt. Paranoia avoids cars. Prudence washes with soap. Paranoia avoids human contact. Prudence saves for old age. Paranoia hoards even trash. Prudence prepares and plans. Paranoia panics. Prudence calculates the risk and takes the plunge. Paranoia never enters the water.” – Max Lucado, Fearless, pg. 80.

It just shows you have far our fears can control our very lives if we let it. In today’s economy, we have some of the greatest fears you can imagine. Losing a job, which leads to no income, which leads to not paying bills, which leads to foreclosure on your home, which leads to living on the street, which leads to no food or shelter, which leads to death. So we have to worry about losing our job because we have no hope right?

Wrong, here is my favorite part of the book. “God owns everything and gives us all things to enjoy. He is a good shepherd to us, his little flock. Trust HIM, not stuff. Move from the fear of scarcity to the comfort of provision. Less hoarding, more sharing. “Do good…be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share.” And most of all, replace fear of the coming winter with faith in the living God. After all, it’s just Monopoly money. It all goes back in the box when the game is over.” – Max Lucado, Fearless pg. 112.

On My Own

2009-09-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Self-actualization - to develope to your full potential as your own person.

Being 16 has changed a lot of things in my life. I have more responsiblity, school subjects are harder, I'm learning how to drive, looking for a relationship, going on a job search...I'm becoming independent.

The reality of being on my own is getting closer and closer each day, and I need to be ready for it when it comes.

Sometimes when I'm riding in the passenger seat, I look over at my mom and think about all the things she goes through during the day. I try imagining myself in her shoes, driving down Bear Valley Road with my 16 year old in the car. The stress of taking her (my daughter) to and from school every day, making sure that my husband has everything for work and that his pay check comes out with the right balance, managing bills and the ever dreaded mortgage payment, and just so much more.

I'll be honest; I'm a bit scared to go out into the world on my own, but at the same time, I'm looking forward to the freedom that comes with it. I want to develope to my full potential and show the world what I can do. I don't have to make a difference, but I can to something to effect our ever changing world.

I know God has my back, and I've been praying a lot lately, especially on the topic of relationships. I've had my heart broken so many times, and I don't understand why I keep going back and trying again. I think it's because I know, there's one guy out there that will ultimately complete me, at least I hope so. Right now I'm in that whole "teenage dating" stage, and find myself interested in this boy at my school.

My mom has asked me to wait until October 31st before I commit to anything. She experienced first hand, when I had my heart broken by my previous boyfriend, and I know she's only looking out for me. She doesn't want me to get hurt again.

I came up with a list of things that are important to me in a guy, as far as personality and all. So far, Andrew has met them, though there are a few that I'm still looking for like how he is with his family. I haven't met them officially just yet, and therefore cannot make a judgement on that just yet.

He is a christian, kind, loves children, extraordinarily funny, polite, curtious, passionate, smart, determined, hard working, and outgoing (except for around parents). He's apparently had some bad experiences with parents being very protective of their daughters and he gets nervous around them easily. This really hinders things because when he gets to be around my parents, he kind of shuts up. I wish they could see who he really is behind his shell, but he's getting better. He's slowly easing into it, and tells me all the time about how he wants to get to know my family. It's really important for him to be involved with family, and the fact that he wants to get to know mine shows me that he truly cares for me and them as well!

Every night I think about what it would be like if Andrew and I were involved in a long term relationship, and I think about all the pros and cons. Being honest, I have no cons so far! I haven't had to compromise on a single thing with him, he likes me for me and appreciates my company. I'm hoping to date him in the very near future. Bottom line...he makes me very happy, and this is what I WANT:)

Well, aside from all that relationship stuff, I'm still on the search for a job. I applied at the rollerskating rink down the street and I'm still waiting on a reply to my application. Nothing coming up yet, but im praying for some opportunity. God can open all the doors, I guess it's just not in his will at the moment, so I'm patiently waiting.

Learning to drive is moving at a crawling pace right now. I'm taking Driver's Education at my high school and once I complete the test, I still have to take the DMV test in order to get my permit:P Then I have to wait 6 more months for my license..ahhh:/ lol

I can definitly see some things that I reeeally need to improve on like my responsibilities at home...also known as every teenagers nightmare...CHORES :O

I don't have a lot to do at all, just vacuuming twice a week, cleaning the cat box daily, and cleaning the bathroom once a week. THATS IT! I need to pick up some more chores; I know that a lot is being dumped on my mom, and I wish I could express to her how much I appreciate everything she's done for me and for the things she will do<3>

Please pray for me in my relationships, school, job opportunities, and for wisdom and strength as I venture out on my own. I'm making my own decisions now and am learning how to be independent. I'm slowly treading water:O

Yours Truly,

Caitlyn

P.S. -Don't forget to use the word of the day in a conversation today:D

Twelve Holes

2009-08-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Vagrant- beggar, idler, loafer.

Hello bloggers! I was so excited to see that I now have 15 followers (which I know for some of you may seem like a measly number) but to me it is a blessing! Before I begin my blog for today, I just wanted to give a shout out to all of my followers and thank you all for your kind words and honest feedback:)

This past week has been a busy one, and it's going to get much worse with me starting school this Wednesday. I'm so excited to go back though and see all of my old friends, to make new ones, and to participate in my high school's ASB. We're going to rock the High Desert Community this year:D

This past Friday, Steve (my step dad) dropped me off at school around 8 o'clock. I had volunteered to come in and help work in the ASB room for the day, taking I.D. pictures, giving tours, organizing papers, etc.

I was exhausted by 1 o'clock as was the rest of the ASB team. Our activities director awarded us all by buying us lunch from The Flaming Wok (haha funny name for a Chinese place) and sent out her eldest son to pick it up.

While waiting for him to get back with a much needed and much deserved lunch, I got a call from Steve saying that he was here to pick me up. I told him that I'd be out in a few minutes because I was waiting for DeAnna's (activities director) son to get back with lunch and that once he got back, I'd take it to go.

When lunch arrived, I said my goodbyes to my ASB team, thanked DeAnna for lunch, and went outside to meet Steve, my mom, and my sister in the car.

Cracking open the styrofoam box, I was greeted by the scent of tangy orange chicken, chow mien, and fried rice. I could hardly wait to chow down!

Stuffing my face, my mom informed me that we were going to head over to Pet's Mart to look at the kittens there. After our last cat Max didn't come back home, we had decided to look into getting another cat or two. My mom told Kailee and I that we could each have our own, but we would be solely responsible for it.

A week before, we had visited Pet's mart and both Kailee and I found the kitten's we wanted. I wanted an all black one with orange eyes, andKkailee wanted a white one with grey tabby spots (half pure white, half grey tabby). My mom said that she didn't want to get them today and that she wanted to wait a bit longer. Kailee and I crossed our fingers hoping that the same kittens would be there next week.

And sure enough, they were! We asked a Pet's Mart employee if we could hold the kittens, but he told us that both mine and Kailee's kitten were sick with a cold and could not be let out. Both of us girls were upset with the outcome. We were so looking forward to getting the kittens that day:/

Kailee wondered past the cages and asked to hold a different kitten. This one was all grey with orange spots on it. The kitten was active for the most part, but the coolest part about this particular kitten was that she would climb up on Kailee's shoulder and just sit there. Kailee could walk around with the kitten purrrfectly comfortable on her shoulder.

Both of us wanted this kitten and while we pleaded with my mom "can i get her mom?" "No, can I have her mom?" She said we'd have to work it out, and though I wanted this kitten so badly I let Kailee have her. I sat at the back of the room while Kailee played with her new found companion wishing that I could find one today too.

All of a sudden, a black and white kitten came sprinting out of it's cage. It had snuck out while the Pet's Mart employee had her back turned, and now he (the kitten) was free of imprisonment!

He stopped just short of my feet and looked up at me with his yellow/ green eyes. He then proceeded to hop up on the bench I was sitting on ad curled up quietly into my lap.

"Well Caitlyn, I guess you don't need to adopt a kitten after all, I think the kitten adopted you," said my mom.

And I believed her! He was the most active of the kittens and the most vocal. He was all black except for his paws, neck, and some sections of his under belly. He was beautiful, he was unpredictable, he was outgoing, he was perfecT!

After filling out all of the adoption paper work, we loaded the kittens into cardboard boxes with twelve holes on the top and five holes on each end. (^the picture is an above view of the box^)

This was the longest car ride home EVER! I was sooo hungry and the kitten, whom I decided to name Tosh, was constantly moving, meowing, and scratching at the walls of the box.

Once inside the house, Kailee and I open the boxes. Kailee decided to name her kitten Alice. Alice stepped timidly out of her box and began sniffing the ground. Next I opened my box, and Tosh practically jumped out! His paws stuck through the opening in the top as I tried to set him free. Once out, he joined Alice in exploring the house.

(Tosh with his box on his 1st day home)

We bought the kittens some toy mice to play with and Kailee tied some pink rubber string to the mice to make it easier for us to play with the kittens.

So far, we've had the kittens for four days (today being the fourth). It has been difficult because the kittens enjoy getting us up between 3:00am and 5:00am.

They are both extraordinarily playful and are still trying to get used to our older cat Moo. Ever since the kittens arrived, Moo has confined herself to my parents bedroom where she hides out under the bed. She's getting better though with time, but still has difficulty getting along with the kittens.

Kailee has decided to rename her kitten Bella after the Twilight character. Tosh and Bella get along quite well and love wrestling together.

Tosh has been such a blessing to me, and I can't wait to spend many more years with him! I'm looking forward to taking him with me when I move out, and I'm sure we'll have many adventures together!

Here are some more pictures of Tosh and Bella:

(Kailee playing with Bella)

(Tosh and Bella playing)

(Kailee and Bella!)

(Tosh!)

Hope you all enjoyed today's post. Please pray for the kitten's health and I hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer!

Yours truly,

Caitlyn

P.S. - Try and use the word of the day in a conversation today!

ASB Time:)

2009-08-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Squaw- 1. a north american indian woman.

Hey guys! Gosh these past two weeks have been super jam packed with ASB and preparing for back to school activities.

I actually just got back from a board meeting:) Some ASB members were asked by the school board to share our CASC Laedership Camp experience with them; im so glad i was able to participate in this meeting.

As I shared my experience before the board, it occured to me that what I was sharing with them was truly touching them. The changes in their expressions as i spoke were promonent, and I feel that I really got my point across to them. This point being (for those of you that have not read my previous posts) that CASC Leadership Camp changed my life! It has changed my perspective on the world and how we deal with everyday life.

No one at CASC judged others and the students along with the staff were oh so welcoming! I have no regrets going, because not only did the camp touch me emotionally and personally, but it also helped me to improve on my communication skills, my success skills, and my presentation skills. I learned a lot about teamwork and I really am looking forward to this upcoming school year. Our ASB is going to ROCK southern california's schools, and I really hope that we can be an example to the students, the parents, and the community to get involved. Excelsior High School has a lot to offer:D

This past week, I was appointed as a counselor for an ASB retreat that our school was hosting for all the new ASB members. Our Activities Director wanted the retreat to be like a mini CASC Camp, and so all the councelors were assigned to their own group of students that they were responsible for training.

All in all, the retreat was an absolute success! I had soooo much fun, and i think the most rewarding part was knowing that it was and is my job to set the example not only to my counsel, but for all the students at my school! I wouldn't change a thing:D

Ahhh, i can't wait to get back to school. my school schedule is kind of at a stand still a the moment, but once i get that taken care of, everything should go very smoothly...hmm except for maybe adjusting my sleeping hours lol.

Wish me luck on getting back into the swing of things, I'll be sure to keep you guys updated:)

Yours Truly,

Craisin

P.S. - sorry about not posting this past sunday! grimace will be back with more adventures i promise! we had some camera problems:// we love you all! god bless:)

His Name is Grimace:)

2009-08-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day -Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - Atoning for educability through delicate beauty.

Hey guys! This here is Grimace, I adopted him after discovering him in a McDonald's happy meal. He was given to me as a birthday present from my best friend samm. As the story goes, my sister kailee, got grimace, i got a skunk, and samm got a panda. Samm and kailee switched, and then after pleading and begging with samm to trade with me, she decided to give grimace to me, but "only because it's your birthday," as samm put it:)

Ever since then, I have taken grimace with me everywhere. so far he has been to the Victor Valley Mall, out to eat at numerous restaurants, Lake Gregory up in Crestline, and to CASC Camp at the University of Santa Barbara as shown in this picture^. I love taking my purple, gum drop shaped friend with me everywhere! He never argues or asks "are we there yet?". He's always has a smile on his face and is always ready for a new adventure!

I have decided that I would like to share Grimace's adventures with you every sunday! We are always traveling to some place new, and he loves posing for pictures, so i thought that you guys might be interested in learning about what new places we visit and what we do there:)

Today, grimace and i went up to lake gregory for the second time this summer. this time we just went with my family and hung out at the lake together from 12:00 to 5:00. the water was ice cold this time, probably because the weather was a little chillier than last time, but kailee and i still went swimming, and rode the water slides.

We rented a surf board that we could use out on the lake and unfortunately grimace had to sit out for this activity, but it was still a lot of fun. kailee and i would paddle back and forth from one side of the lake to the other, and when we would get tired, we would just lay out on the surf board and tan for a bit:)

It was really good sister to sister time, and i think kailee and i bonded a little bit more. we had to work together; one had to steer the board in the right direction and the other had to paddle. it was a lot of fun and i'm really looking forward to going back and visiting very soon!

they had other things that you could ride besides surf boards at the lake as well. they had paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, and these weird tricycle looking contraptions. two people could ride it and they would both pedal to move the two back wheels. the third wheel was located in the front, but did not move. instead, the riders would turn the handle bars attached to the front wheel to steer it. it looked so much fun, and we would have rented one, but we didn't have enough time. definitely next time:D

After swimming for about an hour, kailee and i paddled to the other side of the lake to return the surf board. Then we walked all the way back around to where my parents were sitting, grabbed our towels, (i took grimace) and went to sit on the beach to warm up in the sun.

Grimace had an awesome time hanging out with us on the beach! He just sat contently on his beach towel with kailee and i, looking at all the other swimmers out on the lake.

kailee and i layed out on our towels for quite a while, sitting in the sun, just enjoying the summer heat for once. i love the feeling you get when you get out of a freezing cold pool or any body of water for that matter and then spread out your towel and lay in the warm sun. its kind of like a tingly feeling that i get all throughout my body, almost like shivers, i love it!

we got bored after a while just laying on the beach doing nothing, so grimace and i decided to bury each other in the sand...well it took grimace a lot longer to did a hole large enough for me to fit in, so i just buried him:)

he still had a smile on his face even though he knew how dirty he'd be after i dug him out. he was an excellent sport though and let me take a few pictures of him playing in the sand. i started to get worried about him though when i saw ducks coming up on shore, i wasn't sure if they'd try and eat him, and he wasn't all for that idea either, so i dug him out.

grimace expressed to me that he had never been swimming before and felt like this would be the perfect time to try seeing how as he has dirt all over himself. i obliged, and helped him into the water! he sprang into the water with ease!

well, not really with ease.....he's not a very good swimmer, it turns out:/ hey look its kailee's reflection!^

after letting him dry off a bit, kailee and i went over to look at a water fall over by the water slides. grimace quite enjoyed hanging out on the rocks with the crawfish while kailee and i looked around.

this trip up to lake gregory was so much fun! i can't wait to go back and neither can grimace! there are so many more adventures coming up for us and i can't wait to share another one of our adventures with all of you!

Yours Truly,

Craisin

P.S. - grimace would like me to inform you that comments are greatly appreciated and that he loves you all! thanks for taking the time to read my post guys:) hope you enjoyed!

Most Inspirational Blog Award

2009-08-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

I would like to pass on this "Most Inspirational Blog Award" to the people who inspire me with their kind words, constant feedback, and for just following my blog even though i constantly fail to post on a regular basis.

You have all inspired me and encouraged me in my writing. Thank you all for your support, hard work, and dedication to blogging!

1.) Heart2Heart
2.) Gotta Have Faith
3.) What I Learned Today
4.) Faith, Hope, and Love (private blog)
5.) Off The Beaten Trek
6.) Arise2Write
7.) The Trick Is To Keep Breathing

The goal is to pass this along to at least five people and let them know what they mean to you!

Yours Truly,

Craisin

Blog Award

2009-08-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I've been working on making this blog award for a while haha. my mom over on heart2heart asked me to make her a blog award this morning and so i went to work on that:) im not exactly sure how this whole blog award thing goes, or what im supposed to say except for here you go mom! i'll be writing more later!

Yours Truly,

Craisin

Sweet Sixteen

2009-07-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Phantasm - 1. an illusory mental image. 2. objective reality as perceived and distorted by the five senses according to Platonic philosophy.

Hello there! It has been over a month now since I've posted, and I'm finally taking initiative to begin writing again. So much has happened over the past month that I don't know where to begin!

Coming back from Rhode Island was bittersweet; it's nice be to be back in California, but I wish that I could have brought my family and friends back east out here with me. I'm going to miss them so much!

I still have not been to the beach yet, which I expected would be the highlight of my summer, and now summer is almost over. I've been hoping and praying that my parents would find some time and take us, but that opportunity hasn't yet presented itself :///

The majority of my summer has mainly been based here at home or in the area. A normal day consists of hanging out with my friend samm who lives down the street from me. I've know her since 7th grade, and she was the very first friend I had out here. We've been best friends ever since. I've had tons of sleepover's with her and every one of them has been great!

To make things easier, I included a list of everything I've done so far this summer. There are too many things to talk about, I could go on forever!

Been to the movies

Samm and I started our own jewelry line (attack! jewelry)

Had tons of sleepover's with samm

I learned how to roller skate

Had a yard sale

Had my cousin Josh come up to visit

Had a photoshoot with samm

Got over my fear of wearing shorts in public:P

Put over $100.00 in my bank account

Took pictures in a photobooth

Had my 16th birthday party

Went on a shopping spree

Got "asked out" by my current boyfriend/ bestfriend Jordan as of July 18, 2009

Got my very own Pandora bracelet

Got my hair cut and put blond highlights in it

Joined ASB

Went to camp for youthgroups

Watched fireworks with samm

Walked to McDonald's with my friends

Spent the day with my friend Andrew

Walked to get icecream with samm from Rite Aid

Got my nails done

Went out to eat alot, lol

Went to a Farmer's Market

Ate at the Apple Shed down in Tehachepi

Went to work with Steve in Bakersfield

Picked up old ties with friends and family

Got a new cell phone, haha

Had Dunkin Donuts Coffee

Started Driver's Education

.....and so much more!

My 16th birthday party was absolutley amazing! I couldn't have pulled it together had it not been for my family and lovely mother. I bet you've already read about the party from my mom's blog Heart 2 Heart, so I won't go into details!

My actual birthday is tomorrow, July 24th! I have no idea what I'm doing tomorrow, I've received no information at all on any plans that might be taking place, so I guess tomorrow will be a "go with the flow" kind of day:)

Well, I just wanted to give you all an update on my summer so far and give a shout out, because I know I haven't blogged in a while:) Hope you all are having an amazing summer and staying out of this dreadful heat!

Yours Truly,

Craisin<33

Flight 836

2009-06-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Miss- 1. to discover of feel the absence of. 2. to fail to hit, reach, or contact.

Hey guys! I'm officially in Rhode Island, but instead of telling you about my day today which didn't include much except for seeing an old friend, going to my old elementary school, and going to the grocery store, I decided to write about my plane trip out here. I packed a composition notebook in my carry on so that I could write about my trip and post it on blogspot later!

Flight 836:

Hey guys! I'm writing this blog while on flight 836 on my way to Baltimore, Maryland. I figured my flight time would be about six hours and fifteen minutes, but oh wait....the pilot has just informed us that we are landing in Nashville, Tennessee! Ahh, I hope I'm on the right plane:/

8 minutes later....

Okay, well I've asked my fellow passengers next to me and after looking at my ticket, have informed me that I'm on the right plane. I've also asked the stewardess and she agrees that I'm on the right plane. I'll call my mom once I land and just double check, God only knows what would happen if I boarded the wrong plane. I have faith that God will deliver me to Warwick, Rhode Island one way or another:)

It's been exactly three hours and twenty four minutes into the flight, and I've barely experienced any turbulence at all! We're flying over Little Rock, Arkansas right now at 30,000 feet. The captain just announced that we have about 110 miles left to fly and that we will be landing in Nashville, Tennessee in about twenty five minutes.

Over the course of my flight I have been snacking, reading, listening to my I-pod, sleeping, writing (obviously), and observing the older couple sitting next to me.

I learned that their names were Gale and Benny Evans. There was something unique about their relationship that I couldn't exactly put my finger on. Maybe it was the way she looked at him and the way he returned her gaze; maybe it was the fact that he let her put her legs across his lap; or maybe it was the way they would tease and poke each other like little children and laugh hysterically at each other. When I am older and retire with my husband, I hope we'll be just like them.

Gale Evans, I noticed, is eccentric and full of energy. She is always either conversing with her husband, or reading her book called Chances by Nora Roberts.

Benny Evans is a rather quiet man; the type of older man you can tell likes to have his own personal bubble. However, he is extraordinarily patient with his wife's constant requests and questions.

Their personalities complement each other, and the way the tease and laugh together allows me to get a glimpse into how much they really love each other. Their old wrinkled hands entwined together like the bright blue veins that twist around their fingers, his head against her bony shoulder...all the makings of true love:) I can only hope my marriage will turn out to be as wonderful as theirs.

An hour and a half later....

Well, we've landed in Tennessee! Gale and Benny decided to move up a few rows so that it will be easier for them to get off the plane once we land in Baltimore. I just got off the phone with my mom after she assured me that I was on the right plane and, that my itinerary never showed me stopping over in Tennessee . Surprise, surprise!

I decided I would be daring and move to the right side of the plane. I have always sat on the left side of the plane next to the window seat, so I decided to change it up a bit to make the flight a tad more exhilarating. I was joined by new people too. First was a man that looked like the Dahlia Llama (if that's how you spell it) but then he decided to move one seat back. Next was a Hindu woman from India and she was the first one to actually stay. The last person, who sat in the middle of us, was a business man. He was a red head with a small beard and white, freckle-covered skin. His eyes were a deep green and I swore if he wasn't as tall as he was, I would have mistaken him for a legendary leprechaun.

There was a note pad in his seat back pocket that read, "From The Desk of Dan Lenney" which is how we first got talking. I introduced myself and we talked all the way to Baltimore about his job, his family, and other such things. He made adds for stores and newspapers, saying it was pretty good pay, but that it was not his passion. He began talking to me about getting into a good college if I can, even if I was unsure about what I wanted to be. He told me that getting into a good, stable college will help me later on even if I decided to change careers! I asked him what he would do, what his passion would be if he could go back and change his career and further his education. He told me that if he could, he would work for Habitat for Humanity and told me that his passion was working for charity. It was a real eye-opener for me as a teenager because I could feel this man's passion for helping others. He gave me some great advice on colleges I should check out andI don't think I will ever forget him. God bless you Dan Lenney wherever you are!

After landing in Baltimore to get an iced tea from Starbucks, I boarded the plane for Warwick, Rhode Island. I got to see the bright lights of New York City and flew over the Atlantic Ocean! It was great to see four smiling faces waiting for me once I got to the baggage claim., I was so tired and had really bad jet lag.

Once I called my Mom, and bestfriends Samm, Mikey, and Jordan, I went straight to bed. I have no idea what tomorrow will hold for me, but I'm praying that it will be something good. Ta Ta for now bloggers! Hope you enjoyed reading all about my confusing day of flying. God delivered me to Warwick, Rhode Island and he will be sending me home safely in twelve days!

Yours Truly,

Craisin

I wrote this post on June 3, 2009 and finally had time to post it today:) Just to give up a quick update, I have already had once sleepover, rented a red box movie, been to Field Day at my old Elementary School, fought to keep my old principal from being involuntarily moved to a new school, painted two 8 year old girls nails, gotten Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee twice, gone to Sam's Club, gone to the grocery store twice, been hit on by two guys, played Twister, jumped on my trampoline, and been joy riding with my friend Mia!

I MISS CALIFORNIA THOUGH! I CAN'T WAIT TO COME BACK:D

Tempting Fate

2009-06-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Fate - 1. the will or principle or determining cause by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as they do. 2. an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end. 3. the circumstances that befall someone or something.

Hey guys! I am so nervous about flying out to Rhode Island tomorrow which is funny because I have always been excited about flying. The comfortable plush seats, the long lines of people waiting to get through security, rushing to your next gate and making sure it's the right one so that you won't end up in Bangkok, and the best part....the tiny packages of roasted peanuts:) Flying, to some, is a death sentence, but for me it has always been an adventure.

This year however, I am quite nervous about getting on the plane. I fly out of Ontario and land in Baltimore, Maryland, then switch planes to get to Warwick, Rhode Island. I think once I'm in Baltimore, my nerves will be just fine.

Today, my mom took me to the Walgreen's down the street from us to get some snacks for the plane ride. I told her about how I felt nervous about flying and she told me that as you get older, fear becomes more prominent. "It's like rollercoaster's Cait. You enjoy the thrill of plunging down 255 foot metal man-made hills now, but as you get older, that will all change."

It's amazing how as you grow up, reality seems to smack you in the face. As a little girl flying on a plane, I used to pretend that I was Super Girl. I would have a purple cape and I would pretend to be flying through the air, carrying the plane to ensure the safety of the other passengers. It was exciting, looking out the window. I remember how I would compare the world below me with doll house pieces. Everything seemed small enough to fit in a doll house; the cars, the houses, the swimming pools, and the roads.

But now, it is no longer exciting. Its a hassel to get through security, I mean you have to take off your flip flops for crying out loud. As if I'm carrying a gun in the sole of my flip flop, oh no! :)

I'm going to try and find my inner child again in that airport. I think going away for a few days will be good for me. To get away from my everyday normal life, and experience something new for a change.

I'm not sure if I will be able to blog when I'm over there. My stepmother works at home through the computer and I will not be taking my laptop with me. However, I am taking a composition notebook with me and plan to write about what I did that day. I will add those journal entries to my blog when I get back if I don't get a chance to get online:)

Wish me luck tomorrow and please pray for a safe flight to and from Rhode Island. I would really appreciate your prayers as I am nervous about tomorrow. Hope you all are having a wondeful summer and I will be back soon!

Yours Truly,

Craisin

Playing Your Cards Right

2009-05-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Concur- 1. to have or express the same opinion. 2. to act together. 3. to happen at the same time.

Hey guys. Okay, well today a good friend of mine (my bestfriend actually) told me that my blogs were really boring to read. I guess writing about school dances and favorite classes are not the most exhilerating things to read about, and I realized that I was having no fun blogging. I was blogging because it was part of my routine, and as of today that will change.

I had planned out exactly what I would write about for everyday up until August on a microsoft word document on my laptop. Well, I have erased that and now plan on blogging about whatever I feel like for that day. No schedule, no routine, no microsoft word, no obligation. I'm really sorry if up to this point you guys have been bored with my blogging. I promise that will change today.

Playing Your Cards Right:

On May 6, 2009 my boyfriend Sean decided to break up with me. We had been going out for exactly 7 months and 26 days, and up until then we had been very happy. He led me on all day and even invited me to go to church with him that very evening. With his dad waiting in the drive way, he walked me to my front porch and played his first card. "Hey, we need to talk about something," he said to me in a quiet, but serious voice. Oh this is going to be TONS of fun, I remember thinking to myself.

I hate when guys play the "we need to talk" card. It basically sets a negative presedence for the rest of your night because ladies, we all know what card will be played next. Can you guess it?

"I think we're better off as friends." We're you right? I remember thinking back to all the stupid promises he had made to me about never breaking my heart and about being able to lay everything out on the table with him. When I first got involved with Sean, I was very cautious about giving my heart away again, only to have it ripped out of my chest and stomped on. Sean reesurred me that I could trust him, and that he would only break up with me if I became a constant smoker/ drinker, or if I cheated on him. My only regret is, that I beleived everything he said. I clung to his every word as though they were the very things keeping me from falling apart.

When he played this second card, I pleaded with him, dropping to my knees asking him why he was doing this; why after almost eight months of being in a solid relationship he would end it all in a mere five minutes. He didn't budge, or show any emotion, any expression of sorrow or regret. Instead he was straight-faced, and focused on the task facing him now.

He left me crying on my doorstep, my heart and ribs throbbing with pain. The inevitable "ball in your throat" and head-ache. The tears washing away that day's eyeliner and mascara, and the weakness I felt all throughout the rest of my body, as I lifted my self up off the cold brick steps and into the house.

My bestfriend Samm, my adoring mother, and very concerned little sister stayed by my side the whole night, armed and ready with rolls of toilet paper, glasses of water, and the traditional "he was never good enough for you anyways" remarks. I will never forget the pain that racked my body that night and somewhat into the next day.

There will always be a special place for Sean in my heart as long as I shall live. I learned from my parents that losing your first love is one of the hardest break-ups you will ever have to endure. Teenagers face these heartbreaks daily. It hurts knowing that so many girls and guys experience the same pain, and heartbreak that I had to endure.

I guess it all has to do with playing your cards right. Being true to yourself and not letting anyone influence you other wise. Making sure you know what you want before you go looking for it. There is no hurry to get involved in relationships. My parents have tried to tell me for the past three years and I didn't beleive them until that day.

Girls, guys, please take my advice and don't jump into anything. Know what your standards are and do not be willing to compromise on anything that is important for your next girlfriend or boyfriend to have. No one likes to be dumped, but in the end, once you haved cried until the point of not being able to cry anymore, you'll see how much time you wasted worrying over this. I have crossed that bridge. It will be a whole new beginning; a clean slate.

Haha, actually I am dating my bestfriend now. I didn't go looking for him, he surprisingly came to me. Now we're taking it really slow, just getting to know each other and he is taking me out to the movies sometime this week:)

Well there's an update on my confusing and ever changing love life haha. Hope you enjoyed!

Yours Truly,

Craisin

School Dances

2009-05-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Groove - 1. an activity or situation in which one is especially suited. 2. A very pleasurable experience.

Hey guys! Today's blog is still a continuation of "Closing Out The School Year Week" so I thought today, I would comment on school dances. Today, school dances seem to be every parents nightmare, and every kids interest, so i thought it might be an appealing topic:)

I guess I can see from a parents point of view why even the slightest mention of the word school dance might be frightening. Ticket prices can soar anywhere from $5.00 to $90.00 depending on the occasion and of course buying the tux/ dress, shoes, boutonniere/ corsage, and so on. Also, the different kinds of dancing portrayed at school dances nowadays, well lets just say that's its no waltz!

I notice that more parents (especially dad's) offer to chaperon more for school dances than any other event. Could this be because they don't trust us enough to take care of ourselves? Well I asked this of my father once and he gave me the old saying, " No honey! It's not that I don't trust you, I just don't trust the other boys (key word here) attending the dance." Haha i love my dad, I know he's being honest, but from a teens perspective, we want a little freedom of our own.

From a teens point of view, dances are the perfect opportunity to get out the house and hang out with your girl friends or guy friends. The music honestly seems to erase the so called "stresses" from our day, and nothing else seems to matter at all. In my opinion, being twirled around the dance floor is the most amazing feeling in the world.

Your senses are alerted as the spinning walls around you make it seems like your falling. You try to take everything in that you can... the smell of men's cologne, the floral scent of the many boutonnieres and corsages. You can feel the vibrations of the music, like tiny little needles poking the surface of your skin, and the adrenaline pulsing through your veins. You can feel the increase in the number of your heartbeats, and see the swirling of different colored dresses like theater curtains clashing together after the play has ended. Being twirled around the dance floor is the most amazing feeling in the world.

So all you dad's out there and in some cases mom's, what is the big deal about allowing your teens to attend school dances? What is it about the environment that you don't approve of? -just curious:)

Yours Truly,

Craisin

Favorites:)

2009-05-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Enjoy -1. to derive pleasure from. 2. to make happy.

Hey guys, I know I'm a post behind and I'm so very sorry about that. A friend of mine came over and he didn't end up leaving until late that night. My apologies://

Anyways, this week, I'm still blogging about topics based on closing out the school year. Today I thought that I would blog about my favorite and least favorite subjects this school year.

I had a pretty light schedule this past year with only Geometry, English 2, Spanish 2, Earth Science, CAHSEE Math Prep, Physical Education, Cooking 101, and Adobe Photoshop as classes.

This year I would have to say the Adobe Photoshop was my favorite class. There were not alot of kids in this class so it was mostly quite, making it alot easier to work compared to other classes. I have a passion for photography and learning how to alter photos to make them look better was incredibly interesting. There was never any homework and we also had a great teacher.

My least favorite subject without a shadow of a doubt was Spanish 2. I had so many problems with the teacher (Senora Munoz) and it was really disappointing come the end of the year because I hadn't learned anything! My teacher had the guts to call me a spoiled brat in Spanish in front of the class and because I took a sick day, wrote -80 on a test of mine. It was such a dread walking into that classroom everyday knowing that once again, I would walk out without any further knowledge of the language. Thank the good Lord that's over!

I am quite satisfied with the way school ended this year (except for Spanish). It felt so good knowing that I had no more work to worry about, no more waking up at 7:00am to get to Geometry class on time, and no more Senora Munoz! -haha

I hope your school comes to a smooth landing as well! Have a great summer:D

Yours Truly,

Craisin

Closing Out The School Year Week

2009-05-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Teach - 1. to impart knowledge or skill to. 2. to cause to learn by example or experience.

This week I will be writing about topics that have to do with school. I feel this is an appropriate topic to write about because the school year is finally coming to a close.

I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with so many wonderful and hard working teachers at my high school. They push me consistently to reach my goals and are always offering a helping hand when I need it most:) In this blog I would like to make a tribute to three amazing teachers that have helped me get through my sophomore year.

Mr. Brett Dahl (Geometry Teacher) - I would like to say that Mr. Dahl is the most eccentric and most interesting teacher I have ever had. He constantly cracks jokes, but is also serious when it comes to learning the math. He makes everything seem so incredibly easy, writing algebraic expressions up on the blackboard from memory. He has a fascination with WALL-E, the movie that came out not too long ago about a robot that stays behind on Earth to clean up the mess humans made after the humans leave, to acquire a temporary residence in space (sorry about the run-on sentence). I will never forget my sophomore year geometry class. I made so many memories with my friends in that class and happened to be my favorite class (despite all the math).

Mrs. Navid McCarthy (Algebra 2 Teacher) - I had Mrs. McCarthy as my Algebra 2 teacher in my freshman year, and have never met such a hardworking woman (other than my own mother). Before class she would give us word puzzles up on the board for us to solve, and because it was so early, she used to bring in granola bars for us to snack on, figuring that most of us hadn't eaten in order to get to class on time. As a sophomore I still stop by her classroom just to chit-chat about events going on around the school and about taking college classes. I will be taking Trigonometry this year and thankfully will have her as a teacher again. I know that I'll have no problem with my math with her around, constantly at my side pushing me to do better.

Mr. Dave Thomas (World History Teacher) - Mr. Thomas is by far the coolest old man I have ever met. He would make the perfect grandfather; the kind that spoils kids silly and makes them want to visit often. I had Dave for a teacher in my freshman year, and it's safe to say that I was definitely the teacher's pet. I have a passion for history and Mr. Thomas was able to recognize my strife and effort to do well on my homework as well as on test/ quizzes. He was never strict, mostly because no one ever messed with him. He's a super tall, buff, older man, but as intimidating as he sounds, he's actually quite gentle and somewhat soft-spoken.

Each of these people have made a huge impact in my life. They made a freshman and sophmore year a breeze, and I owe my straight A's all to them:P

I will blog again the day after tomorrow, hope you enjoyed today's post:)

Yours Truly,

Craisin

Officially A Junior:)

2009-05-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

Word of the Day: Accomplishment - 1. The act of accomplishing or state of being accomplished. 2. Something successfully completed.

WOOOHOOO! Gosh I can't believe that my sophomore year has ended already! This year flew by so fast with track, school work, dances, family events, and other such activities.

Today I went back to school to turn in all of my projects and get my final grades. I've been getting straight A's all my life and managed to keep up with it this year getting all A's in my classes and projects and managed to close out this school year with a 4.0 GPA. I also made my high school's Principals's Honor Roll!

Now, my mom and I have this joke that my name now has Jr. added to end of it. And yes mom, I did think it was funny (comment on her previous blog).

Walking out the front doors of my high school sparked old memories that I experienced in my sophmore year. I was able to share so much with my friends and family, and have no regrets this school year. Everything that happened this year has made me the girl I am today, and I would have it no other way:)

Sophomore Year 2009:

1.) Had to quit the track team because a shin splints

2.) Made friends with Corinne, Kali, Alex, Sheyla, Allison, Mako, Cindy, Dominic, and James

3.) Joined the Calvary Chapel Youth Group

4.) Took a Photoshop Class

5.) Fell in love with Aeropostale and Forever 21

6.) Went out with Sean on September 10, 2008

7.) Went on a field trip to The Museum Of Tolerance

8.) Met a real Holocaust survivor

9.)Celebrated Christmas in California

10.) Had my first kiss

11.) Went to the Homecoming/ Winter Formal/ Spring Fling Dance at my school.

12.) Went to Sean's Homecoming at his school

13.) Celebrated Kailee's 10th birthday

14.) Went to the church lock-in on New Year's Eve

15.) Began reading the Twilight Series

16.) Walked to McDonald's with Corinne in the pouring rain (oops.....:P

17.) Pushed my bestfriend mikey into an empty spa while he was singing to "Don't Stop Believin"

18.) Slept over Samm's house too many to count

19.) Celebrated my 15th birthday

20.) Gave a speech in front of my school board for track

21.) Went to a track invitational and met olympic runners who taught us good techniques

22.) Stayed up all night with samm, christina, and raven

23.) Sang in front of my friends for the first time

24.) Walked to the park and had a picnic

25.) Developed a passion for photography

26.) Knit scarves for my friends for Christmas

27.) Went trick-or-treating with samm, kailee, roxy, and sean

28.) Went on a field trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain with Kailee, Mako, James, and two other bus loads of students

29.) Qualified for MESH

30.) Got a perfect score of 450 in English and a 418 in Math on my CAHSEE Test

31.) Received a promise ring and necklace from Sean for Christmas

32.) Got Sean a cross necklace and aeropostale sweater for Christmas

33.) Had a snowball fight

34.) Applied to to Commisioner of Activities in ASB at my high school for my Junior Year

35.) Sean broke up with me on May 6, 2009

36.) Got my mom a 2 pound box of See's Candy for Mother's Day

37.) Danced with CJay on the last slow song at the spring fling dance before he graduated

38.) Hosted my own christmas party

39.) Met my baby cousin Sean (ironic huh

40.) Made Perogies from scratch with my grandma, my mom, and my aunt

.....and I could go on forever:)

I absolutely cannot wait for next year. I want to get involved in as many activities as I can, participate in ASB, and enroll in VVC college classes. As I said above, I close my sophomore year with no regrets. I have lost nothing and gained everything. I'M OFFICIALLY A JUNIOR:)

Yours Truly,

Craisin

P.S. - I will be blogging every other day, so be sure to leave comments and check back in when there is a new blog!

Brainstorming

2009-04-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged, but I'm excited to be back and sharing new things with all of you. I guess I just got tired of the lack of response to my blog. My lovely mother has kept at it though, writing every day, and telling me about the "awards" she gets from other people. I think this is what inspired me to pick up blogging again. Watching her work as hard as she does at writing, I believe she deserves every bit of praise:)

I want to try something new with my up and coming posts. My idea was to pick a topic to write about over the course of a week. Every week the topic will change, and all of you whether followers or not are strongly encouraged to participate in writing or commenting on that particular topic. I love, love, love, love, LOVE input! It only helps me to become a better writer and it pushes me to reach out to different audiences. I also thought it would be interesting to have a "Word of The Day" to start off every new post!

Mainly, I wanted this site to be for teens like me who need an escape from the busy world of parents, jobs, school, and relationship, but this site could become so much more! PARENTS, this is a great way to learn about what goes on in the mind of your teenager(s) on an everyday basis, and hopefully you will share some of the tips and pieces of advice I will have on here with your children or maybe some fellow friends!

I am very much looking forward to bloggin again1 I will be picking this back up on Monday, April 28th, to begin weekly discussions, Word of The Day, and more:) Better get brainstorming!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

It's Amazing What God Can Do

2009-01-26T17:14:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

A few days ago I was hanging out with a group of girls and found myself being put into a situation where I shared my faith with this girl. She was in a hard place in her life at the time and starting talking about religion and how she'd been curious about getting into one. She was confused about which one to choose though.

After sitting there after a while watching her ponder, I felt compelled to share my faith with her. I felt God was speaking through me and realized that sharing my faith in Jesus Christ wasn't at all hard! It came easily, it's amazing what God can do.

I began covering all parts of the bible jumping from things in Genesis all the way to Revelation! We discussed our thoughts on homosexuality and how the bible says it's wrong. We also talked about the fact that if you are a true and devoted christian, you can't pick and choose things you beleive and don't believe out of the bible. God's word is truth, there's no gray shades, everything is black and white.

A few hours later, I overheard one of the girls apologizing for me for going off on my "religious rants".

No one needs to apologize for me! I said nothing wrong and spoke only the truth! If I had said something wrong, I would have apologized myself. People need to hear God's word, it is our purpose as christians to multiply on the earth and go tell everyone about Him; that God sent his only beloved son to earth, died on the cross for our sins, and rose and the third day. CHRISTIANS NEVER HAVE TO HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR THEIR FAITH!!

I'm glad I did what I did and I praised God that night for giving me the right words to say in order to lead her to Christianity. Even though another girl apologized for me, I still planted that good seed in her heart and now all I have to do is pray for God to work on it with her. As I said before, it's amazing what God can do.

Pray for her, though you don't know her. Pray that she finds God and welcomes Him into her heart and her life.

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

Top 10 Favorite Chick Flicks!:D

2009-01-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys,

We had some really cold weather this afternoon, which was the perfect time for me to kick back, relax and watch my all time favorite chick flicks!

I decided that it would be fun to take a day or two and watch 10 of your favorite movies. It brings back tons of memories and is sure to spark some laughs and cries here and there:D

Here is my top 10 list:

The Wedding Singer:

This movie features Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Adam Sandler plays a wedding singer who ends up losing the supposed "love of his life" when he meets Drew Barrymore, a hot waitress that serves tables at most of his weddings. This movie is sure to make you laugh a ton and is a classic romance!

The Holiday:

Starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, this movie is about two women who honestly need a break from their busy lives and relationships so they perform a house exchange. It's all about what happens to each person in each place and has a great lesson to teach at the end. One of my all time favorites! Sure to inspire you to become your own leading lady and may spark some tears here so bring some tissues ladies:P

Message In A Bottle:

Curse Nicholas Sparks! His movies always bring on the water works, no matter what. This movie is about a woman who finds a romantic message in a bottle and sets out to find the man who wrote it. Won't spoil the ending but trust me when I tell you to bring something to wipe your eyes with! A towel, roll of toilet paper, napkin, paper towel, ANYTHING! You're going need it:]]

Sweet Home Alabama:

Haha! A laugh until you cry movie:D This movie stars Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey and Josh Lucas all in an out of this world romance comedy! Reese Witherspoon is an up and coming fashion designer who falls in love with rich entrepreneur Patrick Dempsey. The only problem is that she comes with strings attached as she must first divorce her first husband Josh Lucas who live in her old hometown of Alabama. By the end you'll sure to have lines from this movie memorized!

How To Lose A Guys In 10 Days:

Starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, this movie is about two reporters for different magazines writing about the same challenge. Kate Hudson write in her article that she can get a guy to go out with her and cause him to dump her easily in 10 days. Matthew McConaughey does the same only he thinks he can make a girl fall in love with him in 10 days. The whole movie is about how they ironically find each other and the rest is left for you to find out;)

50 First Dates:

My all time favorite movie! If you have not watched this one yet, make it your first priority! This is another Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore movie. Adam Sandler plays a single guy living in Hawaii that always has a "new flavor of the week". One day he meets Drew in a small diner and ends up talking and having breakfast with her. He sees her the next day at the same place at the same time only to find that Drew Barrymore doesn't have any idea who he is! This is a great movie if your having a really crappy day, or just in a mood for a good laugh!:D

Click:

This is another great comedy but also had some romance tied in. This movie stars Adam Sandler (if you can't already tell, I'm a huge fan) who finds himself in a dilemma when he gets a universals remote control for everything. It teaches a great lesson at the end about how you should cherish every moment of life taking all the good and yes...even the bad with it.

Shall We Dance:

Throw on you dancing shoes, time to take some Ballroom lessons! Presenting Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere in a romance story that begins with taking ballroom dancing lessons. Richard Gere is a married man that takes Ballroom dancing to get away from his same old boring busy work days. Wondering where he is at night, his wife thinks he is cheating on her, and by taking the ballroom lessons, he takes his marriage to the next level and learns to love his wife just as well as he can dance!

The Lake House:

This movie features Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves involved in a warped love story. This movie is about a lonely doctor who once occupied a glass lakeside home and begins exchanging love letters with its former resident, a frustrated architect. They must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late! Get ready for the water works on this one too;(

Last Holiday:

Starring main character Queen Latifah, she finds her self an under-paid employee of a jerk for a boss. She finds out that she is diagnosed with a life threatening disease and its all about how she spends the rest of her time! Definitely leads an example to how we should all live everyday to the fullest!

Well, now that my list is completed I now have to get through this list within the next two days. Treat yourself today, and do the same! There's never a bad time for a hearty laugh or a good cry right?

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

"God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called."

2009-01-22T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

I received an email this morning and thought it was a truly inspirational story. I wanted to share this with you as I have no Bible study to write about tonight! Here it is!

The Ant and the Contact Lens

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens . 'Great', she thought. 'Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.'

She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there. She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying.. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the Bible verse 'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth..' She thought, 'Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.'

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. one of them shouted out, 'Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?'

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, 'Lord, I don't know why You want me me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You.'

I think it would do all of us some good to say, 'God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.'

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Yes, I do love GOD. He keeps me functioning each and every day Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him.... I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

Hope you guys were just as inspired as I was from this amazing story! God blesses us all the time in unexpected ways. Be the first to thank him for the things you feel you have been blessed with in your life too!

Good Night!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

A Great Opportunity

2009-01-21T21:43:00.001-08:00

Hey guys,

Well just got back from youth group only to find Sean is sick yet again:/ On the brighter side, the message at church today was great! We studied one of my favorite chapters in the bible, Revelation!

We went through Revelation 13: 11-15. We went over who and what the "Unholy Trinity" is and I took bunches of notes. However, all those notes didn't exactly help, so I asked my mom for more clarity on the subject.

I was having trouble with figuring out the symbolism of a dragon with seven heads and ten horns. My mom told me that Jesus revealed to him what was to happen at the end of time. Paul, wrote down what God said in a way that he could understand and remember it. Problem is, is that he used symbolism, and now we are left to figure out what each means.

My mom was telling me about a series of books called "Left Behind". They are written by Christian authors and portray what they think will happen according to revelation. They also have a television show about it. It shows all the horrors of what non-beleivers will have to endure in the end of time during the destruction of the Earth.

Revelation is quite and interesting chapter, and while I was in youth group, I thought to myself, "Hey, I should post the lessons on my blog for people to follow along with!" It's like a daily bible study! Yes you will still see blogs on other things besides that, but I want it to be the main focus. God created us so that we could go forth and be prophets to people all over the world and preach his word to them. This is a great opportunity for me to reach out to fellow bloggers about the word of God!

I'm really hoping you guys will learn alot, I know I will also be learning much in the process!

Good night!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

To Much On Your Plate??

2009-01-20T18:11:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Ahh! I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a few days. I've been so forgetful lately, I hate it. My frustration has finally gotten the best of me and so I have decided to come up with a full blown schedule for myself.

On rare occasions, I plan out what I need to do in the morning just for the fun of it and I always do great following that. So, I figured, why not make up a schedule that is easy for me to follow everyday! My mom had tried numerous times to make up charts for me, but I think the problem is that she wants me to make the commitment. I'm not making that commitment for myself.

Starting tonight, I'm making a lined paper list of all the things I plan to accomplish during the week. It takes 21 days to make something a habit, so my goal is to stick to this schedule in order to make it habit!

I believe it will help me tons, and I won't feel so stressed. Yea I know, I'm only a teenager right adults? What do I have to deal with during the day besides hanging out with friends and making plans? It's actually quite the opposite. There is so much more us teens have to deal with that most people don't even know about. Generations are different now, so take it easy on us too.

We may not go through half of the things adults do, but we are constantly busy doing something or planning ahead for something on top of school, managing grades, developing friendships and relationships, and keeping ourselves on good terms with parents and siblings.

This is just another reason why I think a schedule would be a good addition to my life. Try it out guys! Who knows! Girls, maybe it will help you get ready faster in the morning and actually give us time to eat breakfast, go on myspace and do all the other things we'd like to have time to do in the morning. Guys, maybe for you it's setting aside time for homework and video games.

Whatever the case, you have nothing to lose!

Good night!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

Puzzles!

2009-01-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Just started doing a puzzle with my mom, lol. It's 1,000 pieces, and just last night we finished a 550 piece one.

I was never into puzzles much as a kid because I always wanted to play with my dolls, or go outside and play with friends. Puzzles were boring and took up way to much of my time and patience.

Now putting them together is fun. It takes up alot of time in my day when I have nothing to do. It gets me off of the computer and into doing something different for a change.

I also heard that doing puzzles keeps your mind busy and can help towards preventing alzheimers disease!!

It's also a great activity to get involved in with friends and family! I had Sean (boyfriend in case you guys haven't figured that out by now) come over and do the 550 piece puzzle with me, my mom, and my sister. It was quite hilarious watching him get fustrated when I found the piece he was looking for hahahaha!

What sort of games do you like to play? Do you play more classic games like Scrabble or modern ones like Taboo? Do you like doing crosswords, puzzles, or sodokus?

It's time to unglue your self from the computer screen and do something fun, or maybe something you haven't done in a while, like I did with starting a puzzle!

Hope you guys have a great night:P

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

We All Have A "Nancy"

2009-01-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Just got done with eating dinner and watching Little House On The Prarie lol. I'm glad I did though because it gave me an idea for our topic tonight.

In this episode, Mrs. Olsen finds out that her ONLY daughter Nellie is staying back east with some friends. She falls into a deep depression because she feels she is not needed anymore because she has no other children to support. Her husband, Mr. Olsen, is worried about her and calls a doctor to ask for his opinion. He suggests that maybe he should think about adopting another girl, in order to make Mrs. Olsen feel better and come out of her depression.

When Mrs. Olsen goes to the orphange, she finds no children that remind her of Nellie. All of them are friendly, smart, beautiful children (talk about ironic). On her way out she hears windows breaking, wood snapping, children screaming, and legs being pulled off chairs. IT'S A MIRACLE! MRS. OLSEN HAS FOUND HER NEW NELLIE! The only difference if the girls name, which turns out be be Nancy (close enough:/).

Nancy is this spoiled, rotten, horrific child and blames things on other children. She is disliked almost everywhere she goes except for home to her mother. Her own father can't stand her!
There is this one scene that stands permanent in my mind. After being adopted by her loving new mother, Nancy attends school. She asks for some water and the teacher (Laura Ingles) tells Casandra, a fellow student, to show Nancy where the pump is.

While out pumping water, Nancy tells Casandra to give up her seat next to her brother so that she herself can sit next to him. Nancy tells her just to do it or else there will be trouble. Casandra refuses, and once this happens, Nancy wipes dirt on her dress, tears a whole in the sleeve of her dress and begins pushing Casandra to make it seem like they were fighting. The teacher (Casandra's sister) comes out with Nancy's new mother and the two adults bicker for a while about who did what.

Laura takes Casandra aside and tells her that it would please God, on top of all her anger to be nice to Nancy even after what she has done. After taking this into consideration, Casandra takes the punishment for Nancy to please God.

I think we all have a Nancy in our lives, only she comes in the form of the enemy. Being a christian is not easy, especially when we're the ones targeted the most with temptation. In this episode, Casandra illistrates to us what Jesus did for us. Though Jesus did not do anything to anyone, he pleased God by coming to Earth and taking the punishment that we all deserve. Casandra could have yelled back at Nancy in anger, and thats exactly what the enemy wants us to do; forget what we've been told in the Bible, just fight back! Instead, Casandra came to peace about it and pleased God in what she did.

This is an example of what we need to do; be the better person. In everything we do, we must please God, though at times it may be more than difficult.

Keep this in mind throughout the week. The next time you find yourself in an argument, or in a tough place, keep in mind what Jesus would do. Be the better person!

This is my challenge for you and for myself. It will only make you a better person and will give you the peace you've been looking for, especially in hard times.

Hope you guys enjoyed! Good night:D

Yours Truly,
-Craisin

Nerves:P

2009-01-14T21:14:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Well tonight was another spectacular night of youth group. I think the only thing missing was my bestfriend who couldn't make it tonight, but other than that it was BOMB! I sat with my bestfriends Corinne Kali, and we listened to this 17 year old boy share his testamony on how he came to Christ.

Its amazing how stories like his can inspire you; they make you want to be even better than you best!

Ahh! My winter formal is coming up, and I can't wait! I'm taking Sean with me along with Corinne who was asked by her biggest crush to the dance:D I was jumping up and down (literally) in church when she told me, hahaha I was soooo happy for her!!!

Then on Valentines Day, I'm going to Sean's homecoming:P Turns out, he was nominated homecoming Prince, so he's pretty excited. Haha he's nervous that I might get jealous seeing him dance with the homecoming princess!

I guess I have to learn how to swing dance? My little sister looked it up on youtube and so far it looks pretty simple. I could probably fake it if I wanted too, or at least so says my mom lol. Do you guys have any tips for me? If so leave me some comments, so I can work on my dancing haha:D

Well, I'm sorry for the short post guys, but its getting late and unfortunatley I have school tomorrow:/

Leave some love, goodnight!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

Do the Jitterbug:P

2009-01-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Another night, and another post. Gosh, I've been so busy lately, with stressing over homework, making lunch plans, getting to track, helping out my mom to my best ability, making time for friends, planning vacations to Rhode Island, and I have two dances coming up:P

I have my winter formal this Saturday January 17th, and I can't wait!! Then my boyfriend has his homecoming on valentines day. haha i found out that his homecoming consists of mainly swing-dancing, I have no idea what that is or how to do it and neither does he. Won't I look like a goof ball, but hey, its all for him right?! And then get this! The tickets to go to his homecoming are $45.00 EACH! Talk about a waste of money! Ahh, oh well I know we'll have fun, we'll make the best out of it.

Which brings me to tonights topic...school dances!

In all honesty, what is the purpose of going to a dance? I really want you guys to think about this. Girls spend time stressing over finding a dress and the right shoes to match (not to mention the cost). Guys wonder what tie to wear to match the girls dress on top of getting the courage to ask them, buying a corsage, and coordinating what time is okay to pick them up. Then once you get to the dance, you hang out for a few hours, get home and wake up in the morning to sore feet, messy hair, and a make-up smeared face. Why is it that teens find going to such events so much fun???

I love dances. They are the some of the highlights to my highschool years. You can be whoever you want to be and just go WILD, singing your favorite songs at the top of your lungs. When I walk in through the entrance, and hear my favorite song playing, I instantly want to grab a bunch of friends and head for the dance floor. In an instant, you forget everything; homework, parents, boys, drama, your project due next week....and it feels good! Its like being able to dance everything out, all your emotions and everything your feeling. Its the greatest feeling in the world, and it seems as though that $30.00 you paid went towards a great cause, because what you experience at a dance, you cannot out a price on.

What are your reasons for going to dances? For parents, what was your favorite part about going to them?

I'm hoping to get tons of relpies! I'm curious to know what you think about school dances and other such extra curricular activities:P

Sweet Dreams,

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

The Love Dare

2009-01-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

A few months ago, I went to see this Christian movie called Fire Proof. It was about this couple who were facing lots of hardships in their relationship and were planning on getting a divorce. The man's father presents him with this journal called "The Love Dare". Everyday for 40 days, he must do the task listed in the journal in order to make an attempt at saving his marriage. Along the way, he gets to know God and finds out what it means to love someone.

This movie is mainly for married couples, but I don't see why this movie couldn't also be referenced to by christian teenagers. In order to make any relationship work, the same principles are applied.

Being a christian teenager is not very different from being a regular teenager as far as the feelings we have such as wanting to be involved in a relationship. Many of us want this so bad because we see how much our parents love each other and we want that same thing in our lives.

About a year ago, I talked to my mom about how I was feeling and she told me to stop looking all together. The right guy usually comes along when you're not looking or are least expecting it. She told me to compile a list of realistic things I wanted in a guy so I did and came up with something like this:

Looking for someone who:

Loves God, is respectful to both me and my family, trustworthy, must be very family oriented, can make me laugh, likes children, attends church, is sort of mysterious, makes time for me, is there when I need him and even when I dont, tells me everything, will watch movies with me, takes me out to places just because, and other such things.

I took my mom's advice, and prayed about it for a long time. After 11 months and 25 days, God blessed me with my current boyfriend Sean. It was as if God had made him just for me. He was everything I asked for and more! We had alot in common with each other, and our values were also similar such as staying pure.

It has been four months and two days since God blessed me with him. I want my parents to understand how important he is to me and that I'm not to young to fall in love. Thankfully they know that now, and agree with me on our relationship. Sean and I are definitley leading a prosperous relationship together while keeping God's word in mind. I've asked him to come between our relationship and to bless it and to keep it growing stronger. Thank you Jesus and thank you mom and Steve for trusting me and supporting me in my relationship and helping me to do what is right with Sean!

Just tonight, I was listening to a broadcast on 88.5 (SOS Radio) that inspired me and made me think of my relationship with Sean. The pastor speaking was talking about how he was doing a count down to valentines day with the love dare. Everyday until valentines day, you have to do the task listed for your spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend. I'm making it my personal goal to follow this 40 day program to see if anything changes. You can google "Love Dare" in order to get the 40 days of tasks, This is also my challenge to you. Follow the love dare for 40 days and see if anything postive comes from it.

Leave comments telling me how it effected your relationship and how it brought you both closer to God.

Well I'm off to bed, goodnight guys!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

Feelin' Artsy:DD

2009-01-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Just got done playing Mario Karts on the wii lol. I unlocked all these cool courses, characters, and these cars for my sister (she's really into the game).

Anyways, today my mom taught me how to quilt! I love doing arts and crafts, so this was actually kind of exciting for me. I chose floral dark purple, light purple, and solid marroon fabric. She taught me how to cut the fabric into perfect squares and taught me how to use the sowing machine. I had to iron my seams to make them flat and then cut the strips of fabric into squares. Once I had made about 26 squares of fabric, she told me to arrange the pieces anyway I wanted to, like a puzzle. I found a really pretty pattern and can't wait to finish it with her:]]

This year for christmas, I knitted all of my friends (girls only) scarves! It was a great way to save money and they also liked the scarves a whole lot better than money or giftcards! I think all together, I spent $10.00 on three my girlfriends. This year I want to do the same thing, only I want to quilt them a lap blanket or something!

With today's economy, arts and crafts provide a great way of taking up time if your bored, and it saves money on buying things. Why would you buy a $17.00 scarf when you could custom make your own for $8.00? Its also a great activity to get your friends and family into!

Whether it's taking up knitting, quilting, oragami, or any craft, arts and crafts are a great way to release stress, spend time with people, and create fabulous trinkets that you'll treasure forever!

Get your family into doing a craft with you. They're are tons of places you can refer to for fantastic ideas on what to make! I guarentee you, you will not regret it!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

Can Myspace Do This?

2009-01-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,
Sorry there was no post last night, I got carried away with everything I had to do that day and completely forgot! Anyways tonights post is about myspace!

I love myspace, and love decorating my profile with different backgrounds, icons, playlists, and other such things. Just the other day, my mom told me about a bible study she had listened to concerning myspace, and what I heard inspired me, and I beleive this information will do the same for you. You would be surprised to know how dangerous the website can be!

Their are 200,000 million subscribers to myspace. To millions of teenagers, myspace has become a daily routine, in fact I find myself checking mine at least 4 times a day! One mistake people make on myspace is they post TONS of valuable information about themselves in their "About Me" and in bulletines. We hear all the time from nagging parents about the dangers of using the internent and how sexual predetors are out there looking for us. Well ladies and gentelmen, they're right!

The advertisements that pop up on the sides once a page loads are also innapropriate and sometimes just plain out pointless. They also infect computer with viruses and lots of "pop-ups".
God warns us to guard our hearts and minds from things that are unpure. Well its kind of hard to do that when links to porn websites, and inappropriate pictures are popping up on everyother page.

At one point, I had my name, age, and the name of my school posted on my page. It would be cake for a person to type in my information and ontop of my name, age, and school, also get my phone number and even my address! It's amazing what people are capable of doing now with today's technology, and thats why people, especially teenagers need to be careful what they reveal to the WORLD WIDE web.

It's not a competition to see how many friends you can aquire on myspace either. I have tons of friends that add people that they don't even know and actually talk to them! Either that or they add people who are "a friend of a friend". This phrase makes people feel better about adding them because at least they know someone you know. Taking precaution on who you add on myspace won't change anything, except maybe the number of friends you have. But then again, whats the point of having 500+ friends if you only talk to 50 of them that are good friends?

In lue of the dangers, myspace also has it's advantages. It's a great way to keep in touch with friends and family if you apply the right security settings! It also takes up time in the day when we have nothing to do. Most teens use myspace as a get away from reality and vent about problems through bulletin posts too.

Now touching on that last sentence......thats not good! I spend hours on myspace when I could be spending that time digging into God's word. Nothing should come before God in life, and so thats why it is my goal to stop depending on myspace to confide in, and start depending on God to help me through my problems and to strenghten me from day to day.

Make this your goal for 2009. Yes we might be a few days late into the new year, but it's never to late to start getting to know God. He's been waiting your whole life for you to wake up and realize that you need him, and once you ask him into your heart, he will never leave or forsake you. Now can myspace do that? Didn't think so:]]

Yours Truly,
-Craisin

2009-01-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

Hey guys

Tonights topic is MOVIE RATINGS! It sucks going to see a movie you think is going to be so totally worth it, and then you walk out of the theater disappointed.

One of the things I hate is watching the movie trailers. They take all of the best parts of the movie and put it in the trailer, so when you get into the movie, it's not funny anymore because you already know what to expect or the things you see in the trailer aren't in the movie at all!

Three movies I ahve seen recently are Four Christmases, Bedtime Stories, and Yes Man. And first prize goes to.........

#1 Four Christmases!

In my opinion it had the best story line. It had tooons of comedy and some romance, making it the perfect movie even for guys!

Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon are the main characters in the movies. They've been together for a couple of years. Every year for Christmas they ditch their families to go on vacation but make up excuses like "I'm going to help deaf children in Mexico," or something like that involving charity work.

One year their flight gets canceled and they have to go to their parents houses for christmas. Both the couples parents are divoced so they have four houses to spend christmas at, and basically the movie is all about how they survive christmas with their family. Definitley worth your money!

#2 Bedtime Stories!

This is one of those movies that I described above. The one where all the good parts are featured in the trailer. In all honesty, I thought it was going to be the best movie I saw over Christmas vacation, and even though its funny at parts, its not all that good. ON a scale of 1-10, I would rate it a 6. It has a good story line, guess it just wasn't for me://

#3 Yes Man!

Oh boy, this movie reminded me of a mix between Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (great movie) and Epic Movie (DUMB!!!!). Again, I was really excited to see it only because of Jim Carey, he's one of my favorite comidic actors and so far his movies have been amazing. This movie was really cute, sometimes dumb, and at some parts just plain NASTY (those of you who have seen it, you know what I'm talking about). I would rate this one a 3 or maybe 3.5. It's a total waste of time and money, I don't care if your bored out of your mind, it's just a straight up horrible movie.

What were some movies you went to see over 2008? Leave me comments and tell me your opinions on the movies, I'm always up for discussion!

Have an awesome night guys!:D

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

It's Cramming Season!

2009-01-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Well as of today I'm done with my finals YAY!:D Lets see, I got a 100% on English 2, 88% on CAHSEE Math Prep, a 92% on geometry, and a 93% on Earth Science. It such a relief to have them done finally. This is what inspired our subject for tonight actually.

A girl asked me today in school how I get such good grades on tests. She said that she studies as hard as she can and can't seem to make it past a 75% on anything! I gave her a few tips that I hope will also help you, knowing that finals are coming up soon!

Tip # 1.)

-Study one subject at a time. Don't try to cram all your subjects in at the same time! One you'll probably confuse something you read out of your english book with your history test or you might not remember anything, and two, that's way too much stress to put on yourself.

Tip # 2.) Use flashcards! I find that's one way I learn best is by memorizing the cards. That way, when I see the question on the test, I'll remember the answer associated with that question from the flashcards:]]

Tip # 3.) If you have a hard time memorizing things straight out of a text book or flash cards, make studying into a game. Put questions on flashcards and group them into categories. Give yourself 10 points for each card you get right, almost like jepardy! This is a great way to get your mind off hardcore studying, and it's also so much fun to play with friends and family!

Tip # 4.) I always find it helpful to eat breakfast before going in to take a test. I don't know why, but I find that I feel more awake and that I have more energy and motivation to try hard on the test if I have food in my stomach.

Tip # 5.) It is okay to take breaks while studying! Staying up until all hours of the night will not get you anywhere no matter how hard you study! Go to bed early or read a book before bed if you have trouble going to bed early, (I know I do).

Well there are some five helpful tips that I use personally in order to study for my tests. Not everyone has the same learning style so experiment with lots of things like playing games, trivia, flashcards, or just plain reading out of the text. Hope these help!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

Tale of aTeen

2009-01-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys,

I rememember last night I asked you for some ideas on what you might want to read about. Well I got some really great advice today and decided to make this blog a site containing advice for teens. My goal is to post something new every night, for one year and talk about things us teens go through everyday from school to parents, to movies, and so on:]] I've pledged to start this as of January 7, 2009 tomorrow!

For a while now, I've wanted to be able to have my very own website that teens like me can refer to for advice! So many of us are kept to ourselves and I want to give you guys a chance to speak your mind and tell me and all other teens who might be reading, what your thoughts are as well. I have a feeling that it's going to be a great success and I can't wait to get started!! It's going to be alot of fun, and I'm hoping to get alot of responses:D

Sorry for such a short blog, but I will definitley be writing more tomorrow! Have a great night guys:D!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

"Just leave me your stardust to remember you by..."

2009-01-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

Well today was my first day back to school, and let me tell you, it was not the greatest. I woke up this morning at 5:26am, threw on a track sweater and some shoes, threw my hair up in a pony tail, and dragged myself downstairs to get some coffee. The hour drive to Ontario Airport was one of the saddest; Steve had to leave again, good news was that he would be back in time for Kailee's 10th birthday party! I hate seeing everybody so sad you know? My mom and Kailee take it the hardest, I know how that feels. I hated when I used to have to leave my family crying in the airport lobby when I left for Rhode Island. They'd always second guess whether I'd be coming back for another year, or staying in Rhode Island with my dad, and I think that was the hardest part for everybody with me. I get to see it all now from their point of view, and though I may not cry or complain that I miss Steve, I really do. It's so different without him here. You can tell how much he does for the family now because all his responsibility falls on us while he is gone. I'm praying God will bring him home to us soon, if it is his will:)

Anyways, off that sad note, I am actually kind of looking forward to going to school tomorrow! I haven't seen anyone in two weeks, and I can't wait for spanish class (besides the teacher, it's the best class ever!). I think once I get over the "waking up" part and I get into the shower, I'll be fine:) Sean (my boyfriend) wants to get together with me on Wednesday if possible, but in all honesty that's the least of my worries for this week. I'm going to take my tests for English 2 and CAHSEE Math Prep and am hoping to walk off the campus with 90's or above! Wish me luck!?
Gosh, I really hate having to call my mom and say, "Hey, I did really bad." After all the studying you do, it sucks to come out all disappointed. According to almost everyone I know, I'm pretty "hard" on myself, and I know I am. I'm a huge nerd though and want to get straight A's all through highschool in order to graduate as valedictorian. It's been my goal since I was 10 years old:) Well good luck going back to school everyone. I know probably a bunch of you (teens) have finals to complete so good luck!

Also before I sign off, I would really appreciate if you guys would comment and tell me what sort of things you'd like to read about. I know it's really boring to hear about someone's life probably that involves some of the same sort of problems as you, but on some nights, (like tonight), I'm stuck for topics. It would be much appreciated and rewarding for you and me!:D Goodnight guys!

Your's Truly,

-Craisin

"I Surrender All To You,"

2009-01-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

I have been attending Calvary Chapel of the High Desert for about eight or nine months now. My friend Samm and I were invited tonight to go see Phil Wickham play at the church. I, who had never been to a christian concert was very eager to attend as was Samm. When we got there, the Youth Pastor Casey welcomed all of us to the church and opened the stage to Phil Wickham. He played awe inspiring songs of praise to God. There's nothing better than looking around you and seeing hundreds of hands stretched towards the cathedral ceilings of the church, reaching out to God and praising him.

Tonight I had the opportuniy to sit and listen to a thirteen year old boy named Justin. He shared his faith and story about how he came to Jesus Christ and about how he had been saved by the working of God in his young life. He was not shy at all, and he had the utmost confidence to sit and share his life story. Apparently, he had been taken away from his parents at the age of just eight years old for reasons I have no need to discuss. He was brought into a great family with people he said truly cared about him. He said that his foster parents brought him to church one Sunday and was introduced to Christianity there. He said, "There was something different about this family. I felt I was broken inside and when I lived with my real parents, I used to fill that break in my heart by doing bad things. This family I could tell had so much love in them, and they were happy and satisfied. I wanted what made them happy, and that I found out was Jesus Christ."

It made me want to cry to see this boy come from such a life of evil and suffering, and to see how God made life better for him by blessing him with people who really did care about him. He was God's child, and this new family was going to treat him like he was their child.

After the interview, Justin pulled some jokes out on Casey and the congregation to break the serious mood and Phil Wickham continued his show by singing, Everlasting God and Surrender.

It was an amazing night spent with close friends and my church family:]]

Ahh, well Steve is flying out to Indiana tomorrow to start work again. I hope he will be here for my sister's birthday. It's hard enough for her just to even deal with the fact that he is gone, but on her birthday? Gosh! I'm praying that God will bring him home in time. I also am praying that he give my mother strength while he is away. She does so much for us, and it hurts me to see the pain in her face whenever she looks at pictures of him or has to hang up with him so he can get back to work. On top of all this, she is trying to run me to and from school, track practice, the mall and other such places and homeschooling Kailee. She cleans the house daily and in all honestly, I wish I could be like her. I don't know how she does it, but it inspires me to want to do more to help her. I just don't know how, and I know probably to her, it doesn't seem that way. I will try my best though:]]

Getting back into the school schedule I'm sure will be lovely tomorrow. I can't wait to graduate, and I know to some people, graduating is like a death wish because you have to get a job, maintain your relationship, if you move out pay rent and take care of bills, take care of your car, and other such responsibilities. I can't wait for life. I'm fully depending on God to get me through these next two and a half years of highschool. Wish me luck! God bless!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

Last Weekend Before School Stars://

2009-01-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Sorry I didn't post anything last night!

I am so not looking forward to going back to school. I wanted yesterday to never end only because it's the weekend before school starts up again this Monday. I have exactly six days to take all my tests which I still need to study for. I've pretty much forgotten everything thanks to Christmas vacation. I really needed it though, it was so much fun.

I did so much over these last two weeks, I can't believe that it's almost over!

My vacation started with going to Christmas Eve service at my church. They had a choir sing worship and I sat with my friends Corinne, Kali, and Shayla (awesome people). When service was over we walked outside and they had snow machines blowing soap bubbles all over the church grounds! That night, Kailee and I received one gift each from our parents. I got these royal blue polar bear pj's from aeropostale and beige and dark brown striped fuzzy socks:D We drove around the neighborhood looking at all the lights and had McDonald's for dinner. It was one of the best Christmas Eve's ever!

On Christmas morning, I got everything I asked for. Bunches of clothes, a webkinz, money, "Horton Hears A Who!" DVD, and all the stocking stuffers like chapstick, candy, and other such things.

For the rest of vacation, I went over my boyfriends house, went out to dinner, hung out at the mall with my friends for Jordan's 17th birthday, had my boyfriend come over and play wii with my sister, slept over Samm's house a million times, made videos, took pictures, enjoyed 2 1/2 feet of snow for a week, and went quad riding with my boyfriend and his dad (still sore from that) and I crashed on my first try!

On New Years I went to a church lock-in with my bestfriends Samm, Mikey, Jordan, and my boyfriend Sean. We spent the night playing basketball, throwing a football around, playing Apples to Apples, and Samm and I played the guitar and sang for a while! We counted down to midnight together and then we all yelled really loud at 12:00am. Samm was the first person to be hugged and as tradition on New Years I kissed Sean on the cheek. Jordan and Mikey took turns picking me up and running around the church with me over their shoulder to further express their excitement (what goof balls). What a great start to 2009!

Finally I celebrated my boyfriends birthday yesterday by surprising him by driving down to Los Angeles to see a Lakers game. It was an amazing night! I went over his house at around 12:00pm and watched Super Natural (lol he loves that show) with him. We left for L.A. around 4:30 taking and listening to his i-pod the whole time. The Lakers won against Utah Jazz 113 to 100. He was so mad though cause no one in the stadium got tacos. I never knew that if the opposing team gets 100 points no one gets tacos, lol. It's kinda funny to watch him get worked up over a such a small thing as food:]] I got home at around 12:00am and crashed once I got upstairs.

It will be sad to have to go back to school, but I believe I did everything imaginable that I could do over vacation. As for now I'm just hoping I pass all my tests with a 90% or above and that it will be an easy transition getting back into my school schedule. It's a new year and a new me!

Yours Truly,

-Craisin

2009

2009-01-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking lately about how much I've changed. On New Years Eve I sat in front of my tv watching some old home videos from 1994 of me opening presents on Christmas Day when my mom and dad were still together. I cried, while wondering how my life would have been different if they were still together, and in all honesty I really didn't care. I'm ecstatic with the way things turned out. I'm so thankful for everything I've gone through good and bad. It has made me who I am and it is why things are they way they are now, and I couldn't ask for better.

Most people think the new year is about setting new goals to reach by next year, but its also about taking what we've learned this past year and applying it to this upcoming year. Here are some things i have learned this year.

I've learned:- Just because two people argue,it doesn't mean they don't love each other. Just because they don't argue, doesn't mean they do love each other

- We don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

- No matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

- True friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. The same goes for true love.
- You can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

- That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

- You should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

- You can keep going long after you think you can't.

- We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

- Either you control your attitude or it controls you.

- Money is a lousy way of keeping score.

- My bestfriend and I can do anything, or nothing at all and have the best time.

- Sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

- Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

- It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

- No matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

- Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

-Two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different.

- Your life can be changed in a matter of minutes by people who don't even know you.

AND

- When you think you have no more to give, then a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

Still thinking on New Years resolutions. Happy 2009 everyone!