In Summer

Bethany and I enjoyed some sunshine today, I told her we were like snowmen in summer...  

"Bees'll buzz, kids'll blow dandelion fuzz
And I'll be doing whatever snow does
In summer
A drink in my hand, my snow up against the burning sand
Prob'ly getting gorgeously tanned
In summer"

"Winter's a good time to stay in and cuddle

But put me in summer and I'll be a happy snowman

When life gets rough I like to hold onto my dreams

Of relaxing in the summer sun, just letting off steam

Oh, the sky will be blue, and you guys'll be there too

When I finally do what frozen things do

In summer

In summerrrrrrr!"

Bethy getting gorgeously tanned!

Precious sissy time :) I love that she wants me to hang out with her. I haven't been feeling good for the last couple days, so I've had some time to just enjoy being home with the family. Bethany has been my little buddy; we made paper dolls, tanned, ate ice cream, and listened to music while we soaked up the sunshine. 

Easter 2014

Yesterday was such a lovely day to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior!

I love waking up to this. The sun just starting to peek through the hazy fog and my pretty yellow flowers intent on soaking up as much sunshine as possible. 

(This was my view last week when I woke up... not quite what I had expected on April 15th!)

We got home from church at about 1:30pm yesterday and all the kids were about ready to change when I asked them if I could just take a few quick pictures. They were not thrilled, but my mom told them to go with me so getting them to smile was rather challenging. The sun hurt their eyes and they didn't want to walk around the yard (the joys of photographing siblings). 

Hence, I apologize for the pained expressions, boring background, and pesky shadows and sun spots. 

Haha just look at that smile! Such a ham. Bethany has been loving the 'Frozen' movie soundtrack lately and literally goes around everywhere singing the songs like no one is listening. She does the little hand motions and really gets into 'Let it Go'. Lately I've been calling her my little sass-master because she is so stinking sassy (wonder where she gets it... )

Oh the pain... Timothy will be nine this week and has enjoyed playing outside so much now that the weather has been warmer. 

 The stiff smiles continue...

Finally! Samantha is so pretty and her smile here is nearly genuine ;) 

 Ben was a good sport, although he wouldn't move back anymore to get the sun off his shirt (they were all in a massive rush to be done!)

Ben took a picture of me (cause we knew mom would ask) but the sun wasn't working for us and he made me move after he didn't like the porch setting with the electrical box that kept showing up. 

I wish we would have been able to get a sibling picture, or a family one. But it is hard to do without a tripod and since the parents were getting ready for Easter lunch we couldn't really gather everyone long enough to do it anyways. We had a nice afternoon with family friends and Ben and I got home in time to finish off school projects that were due at midnight. 

I'm sooo excited! This is my last week of the semester and I just have 3 exams to go before I am freeee!!! I am taking summer classes but they don't start til the end of June so I will have 7 weeks of work and sunshine :) Bring it on summer!

Sunny Days

Dog-sitting this week has proven to be awfully exciting. Jessie is loving the friend she has and the rest of us are loving the fact that we can run with the doggies in the fresh warm sun. I brought out my camera today and walked through the tiny blades of grass in flip flops and a t-shirt. 

Such a pretty puppy!

Some dogs aren't as photogenic as others...

Late Night Musings

It is 10 o'clock at night and for the second night in a row I am in a house with children that I just got in bed, feeling rather alone and contemplative.  Be forewarned, this is mostly just a way of getting my slightly muddled and very random thoughts out on "paper" (and to be completely honest, a way to entertain me and keep me awake while I await the parents of the sleeping children). 

I've never been totally sure if I'm an introvert or an extravert. For the most part I love being around people, as long as I decide which people and at what times. Other times I just enjoy the seclusion of my headphones, the peacefulness of late night drives, and the solitude of my thoughts. Ever since removing Facebook from my life a few months ago, I've battled between the curiosity of wanting to know what is happening among my acquaintances and the freedom I've found with not being so wrapped up in the ties of social media. On nights like tonight, the battle rages in so many ways. My phone is silent, the only emails I have are ones that don't require a response, and Pinterest bores me. I'm not inclined to watch a movie and my mind feels restless. I have seven tabs open and none of them lead anywhere exciting. I want someone to come home so that we can talk, yet I don't feel inspired to have a meaningful conversation. The dog is snoring peacefully and the remnants of my raspberry sherbet have melted into a pink and sticky mess in my bowl. 

This post is exceedingly boring, I keep hoping that I'll write something that awakens my inner passion for being inspired but it really isn't happening. Oh well, I'll keep going because I'm mildly occupied.

After weeks of getting up early and going to bed late, I slept in ridiculously late today because I didn't have anything planned. I don't like the feeling of waking up and seeing four digits on the clock, knowing that I'm closer to the second meal of the day than the first. The disgust I had with my own laziness wore off as I realized what a glorious day it was unfolding to be. I got ready unusually quick because I had already missed so much of it. Upon emerging from the hobbit hole, I realized that I was the only one home. I spent the rest of the short morning finishing up homework for the week and laying on the deck in the blissful sunshine. 

Other than picking up a few of my siblings from their class, I really didn't do a whole lot more with my day. I don't feel particularly social, but I'm craving something to do. It has been a while since I've had a spring that hasn't been crazy full of excitement. Between getting ready for camp, graduating, and fair preparations, the last eight springs have been bursting with anticipation. This year I am finishing up my second semester of college and gearing up for more hours at work. 

The phrase don't waste your life plays on repeat, sometimes nearly driving me crazy. 

Life is short. Looking back at my blogs tells me that faster than anything. There are all the years neatly stacked to one side, the posts broken down by dates underneath them. Not even scratching the surface of all the days that have slipped by, but briefly highlighting a few random events. Am I wasting my life? I'm certainly not doing anything extraordinary with it. All those early thoughts of becoming a missionary, moving to a far off country, and starting an orphanage... where did those go? For the most part, my thoughts now either revolve around work, school, or the occasional fun-filled weekend. 

I know this isn't what life is all about. I know I can glorify God through my actions in every day and that it doesn't have to be drastic. Sometimes I just want drastic, something that will make me feel like I am doing great things for God. 

"All I know is I'm not home yet, this is not where I belong. Take this world and give me Jesus, this is not where I belong."

Music is such an important part of my life. Right now it is the only noise to keep me company. I know that the fight to live a life worthy of the calling feels easier when I am "doing something great". Spiritual highs from working at camp have taught me that being home with extra time can be more challenging than being constantly on the run with eight girls following close behind. And yet, this is where I am. After a long day of considering and praying, I have committed to finishing what I started with my education, which means for now that I am done with camp. It means a summer of working so that I can afford to keep taking classes. Most importantly, it means that this is the place and the stage that God has placed me in today. All I can do is keep fighting day by day to glorify God with what He has given me for that day. 

"I lay me down, I'm not my own. I belong to you alone... This much is true, there's no life apart from you."

And with that, my musing time is over. Everyone got home at once and it is time to get ready for bed. This turned out very random and I feel like I just rambled for the last hour. But it was good to come back to truth, to speak it instead of just nonchalantly listening to lies that the world feeds me. 

"We can't own it, we just get to hold it for a while. This life. We can't keep it or save it for another time. This life."