Wednesday, June 29, 2011

I Heart Summer

"Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year."
-Robert Frost
(A Prayer in Spring)

Warm weather. 
Pools. 
Sitting on my butt.
No work, for a week. 
Cookies. 
America's Got Talent. 
Laptop. 


My Birthday. 

My summer is amazing. Thank you, God. 


Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Project Work Out

Project Work Out: 


Work out every day doing any of the following:



  • At lest 20 sit ups,as many push-ups as your puny little arms can muster, weights, and stretching. 
  • Jogging on the Idol Park trail, which is 1/2 a mile. Two laps. Don't get lazy. 
  • Dance. Yeah, pretty self explanatory. Dance for 30 minutes. 
And by doing this, I might actually get some muscle. If that's possible for my body to do, of course. ;]

Before you jump to conclusions, it's not like I haven't been working out, it's just that I need it set in stone. In fact, the last time I went jogging (last week), I jogged a whole lap with out stopping. I slowed of course, but I didn't stop. 

If your jaw just in the ground; I know, I know, I'm amazing. xD

I hope to actually get to the point were I can actually, I don't know, jog for more than just one lap. I obviously need to build my stamina. It's happening quicker than I thought, actually. 

The only thing I don't like about jogging is jogging in my current shoes. The things heat up. Heat up. I'm pretty sure that's not suppose to happen. 

My mother read an article on how regular jogging shoes aren't actually good to run/jog in. A study says that's actually bad for you. Luckily for the world, there are Vibram FiveFingers

These are suppose to be the best to jog in, because it's like jogging barefoot. My brother brought a pair and loves them. For all you people out there who love toe-socks, these are the shoes for you!

I plan on buying some soon. Maybe in the next few weeks, or as a birthday gift. :] 

(Oh, and an update on the birthday thing. HALLELUJAH, IT'S ALL CLEARD UP! )

XD

Anyway, I challenge everyone to join me in getting fit! Because, I sure ain't! It's good for us, good for our family and just all around a good thing. I really like working out, it makes me feel accomplished. I like feeling accomplished. 

:]


 (I do not own the FiveFinger picture.)

Birthday Bash( ing my head in)

As you know, I'm turning 16 in about a week.
Whoa. That's really close. Super close. And we have no set plans. 


Well, I do know that my Dad, one of my friends, and I will happily be going to Carowinds. Yay! We get to ride lung-crushing roller coasters, do crazy loopty-loops fifty feet up in the air, we get to scream till our throats are numb! Oh, wait. We don't know when though. Why? Because, my Dad is a truck driver and his dispatchers can't give him a set day he'll be here. Do you know how hard it is to invite someone to do something when you don't even have the date? Pretty dang hard.

You know what makes that even worse? My Dad's truck has been broken down for about two weeks and is just NOW being fixed. How screwy is that? But, if timing is right, he'll be here by the beginning of next week, or July 5th, the day before my birthday.

That's not the only problem. I have a job. I have to ask for days off next week. Tell me, how are you suppose to ask what days you want off when you don't know which days you need?

>insert head bashing<

So, to put it simply, I'm a little frustrated at the moment. I pray that everything will work out (I mean full on,  hands and knees, pleading praying) and I'll have a great birthday. I mean, it is my sweet sixteen. It should be fun, no matter what, right?

Tell about your sweet sixteen if you've already had one or you're planning  an upcoming one.
I'm still kind of mystified. I'm turning sixteen. I remember when my brother Sam, who is now almost 20 (!!!!), turned 16. I can see the picture of him beaming over his cheesecake with the number-candles, reading '16', shoved in it, in my head right now. His hair was short, he was wearing a white tee-shirt, I think, and he had just gotten back from drivers ed.  Seriously, all he asked for was a cheesecake. I stepped it up a bit. I asked for a cheesecake AND Carowinds. (Don't worry, we get a discount thanks to AAA. Awesome peeps.)

Ah, memories.
Let's hope my 16th is all good memories, no bad ones. :]

Happy Birthday to everyone turning 16 this year!


Saturday, June 25, 2011

And Summer Goes On And On...

I never want it to end. 

 Summer is the best time of the year. Here, it doesn't get dark till around 9:00. 9:00. When your little, that's almost cruel, because it's your bed time and it's still light outside. That was annoying, but it also meant more time to play outside. Instead of having to come in at seven, when you're not ready, you get to come in and fall right to sleep.
 This summer, my brother and his wife got their dog, Frannie. She's a rescued mixed breed. They're trying to think of a better name than the one she was given at the rescue center.  It looks like she is  going to be a fairly large dog, because she's only around 14 weeks old now, and she's the size of a beagle. Is she not cute? I already love her. :]
How could anyone say no to this face? She was such a good girl too! Now I have a new buddy whenever I go to my brother and sister-in-law's house. Their cat, Mr. Kitty (xD), isn't that social, but Frannie is so sweet. Is it bad that I get along better with dogs than people? Oh well. At least dogs are always there for you. :D
 My sunflowers are coming up nicely, although, so far, they're heads aren't as big as they usually are. They're already very tall though! Several or at least two or three feet taller than me, and I'm 5"7. I'm always proud of my sunflowers. They grow so big and tall, making them perfect models for my photography. One of my favorite pictures that I've ever taken has a sunflower modeling in it. ( Go to my Photography Page to see it. It's the very first one, with my old blog name on it.) Sunflowers are by far the best flowers out there. I remember when I got my first sunflower head. We had visited my Aunt Julie and she had a bunch of the Russian Mammoths (Those are my favorite types of sunflowers. Many people think they're the only type of sunflowers but there are plenty more, like Autumn BeautyLemon Queen, which is the type of sunflower above, and Teddy Bears.). Anyway, she gave me the head of one and I held it the whole way back home. It wasn't till around two or three years I go, when we moved into the house we're in now, did I start planting sunflowers every year and cooing over them as they grew. Like I said, I love sunflowers. (And guess who does a painting of them! VAN GOGH!!!!)
These are my mom's roses that have moved with us three times and are still living. They've been through a lot, but they're still fighting and looking beautiful. This is not my favorite picture of my mom's roses, but it's the latest I've taken. (All these photos where taken yesterday.) And, these roses have never really poked me, or made me bleed, which is a plus for them. I've actually never really been a rose fan. I never found them as pretty as everyone else. I do like white roses though! But sunflowers are still the best. Tall, strong, bright, and full of tasty food!
I'm actually not sure what these are. They're a type of flower my mom planted and I had no clue she did. I'll have to ask her about them...
Another flower! Whose name I don't know. xD Yeah, I do SOME gardening ( although this year I didn't do too much.), but I never really learn names. Don't worry, I'm not bad with human names. I learn those very well.
When we first moved into this house, all it had was some bushes for plant-life. Not a single tree stood in the yard (well, there was a dead one that was threatening to fall on our house, so it was removed.). We've been at this house for 4 years, since I was 12. Since then, we've brought some life to the yard. We've added three raised garden beds, planted flowers along one walk way, planted flowers around the bushes and our front porch, and torn up some of the terrible plastic from around the bushes. We've also brought a little life to the sad looking grass. Sure, our yard doesn't look 100%, but I think it looks a lot better than it use to. I'm sort of proud of what we've accomplished.
This is one of my favorite parts of the house. You can't really see it, but there is a walk way that leads from the road to our front porch and our side door. The one that leads to our side door runs along this brick wall with a flower bed in it. It's really hard to explain. Anyway, I love to jump of the small, brick wall and into the soft, spongey grass that sits there. In the summer it's a nice to relax against the brick wall. It also makes for great pictures and, when you're playing a imaginary game, make a perfect spot for a river. And when I'm feeling inspired, I head there, because it reminds of some place you'd find in a story book.

Gracie. I've made a post about her before. Goodness, what a cute dog she is. Grumpy too. She's sitting on the couch with me right now, growling at Frasier (our J.R.T), for no reason at all. Mr. Big'n'Bad (a.k.a Frasier), jumps up every time. Ah, Gracie. The one dog that will model for me. She's around the age of 9 now. You never realize how much white hair she accumulated  until you look at older pictures of her where almost all her face is black and brown.

Yesterday, I got to end my brief photo session with cursing a butterfly for not sitting still. This is the best picture I could get because every time I got close enough to actually get a picture, it flew away. My zoom on this camera is pretty freaking amazing, but if I want to get pictures of insects, which I always like to do, I'm going to have to expand my lens collection. That defiantly doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. :]

Much Love,

(I own none of the example sunflower pictures.)

Friday, June 24, 2011

**Blog Under Construction**

Yes, my blog is under construction.
I know what you're thinking. Didn't I just change the layout? Yeah, I know, but it was temporary. I am now about to change it to something...simpler, that I'll vow to NEVER, ever change. Famous last words. xD

So, if you see something wrong or strange...blame it on construction, not my crazy mind.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Julian Smith, a cure for the blues.

Some friends of mine introduced me to Julian Smith, who I introduced to my mom. I'm not even going to explain to you what he does. Instead, I'm going to show you.

Exhibit #1- uMove

(Julian Smith is the one who doesn't get the uMove and is going to go play REAL football.)

Exhibit #2- Monsters Are Real
Exhibit #3- Pre-Blessed Food
And, finally, Exhibit #4- With Child

He's funny, really funny. I watch a lot of YouTubers, like Rhett and Link. There a LOT of really funny Julian Smith videos. Like Malk, Beached Whale, Truth, and Trees Hate You. I suggest you watch them all. :]


Sunday, June 19, 2011

The Fathers Day Post

My parents are divorced, have been since I was, I don't know, three. I've lived with my Mom since and usually see my Dad for a few days every couple of months. Let me tell you, my Dad is one of the best people I'll ever know.

Do you know how many kids who have never even seen there fathers? Do you know how many kids have been let down by their father, over and over again? Do you know how many kids have married parents, but have lost their father to other things, like T.V? It happens. Hard to believe, but it happens. It's like fatherhood has become a lost art that no one wants to pick back up.

But my Dad, I love him. Why? Well, there is a nice long list, but at the top of the list is this: He is there for me.

My Dad could have, after the divorce, said 'good-bye' and never shown up again. But he didn't. He has made sure I know he loves me, he tries his best to visit me and he always brags about me. I'm his only little girl and he makes sure I know that, everyday.

One of the best things my Dad has ever taught me is to keep on trying. My Dad is a truck driver. When he'd visit, he'd have his truck. I remember sitting in the K-Mart parking lot, drinking sodas and having this contest between my Dad, brother and me. We'd see who could be the closest to one of his tires and still jump up onto it. As you know, big-rig wheels are pretty dang big. So, to an eight or nine year old, they're gigantic. I never was able to jump up onto one, but I remember that when I'd get mad that I couldn't do it, my Dad would just send me back and make me try again.

He's also never let my gender stop me. Just because I was a girl didn't mean I wouldn't like things he liked or things my brothers could do.

The biggest thing I thank him for is kind of strange. It's self-defense. No, I'm not so crazy kung-fu master, but my Dad made sure I'd never, ever forget two things. Contact, force, release and Ears, Eyes, Nose, Neck, Stomach, Groin, Knees and Toes. Wondering what that is? Well, the first has to do with punching. Figure that one out yourself. And the second has to do with where are the best places to hit someone in self-defense. As you see, I've never forgotten them.

I'll stop going on and on and tell you the main point of this post.

Even though my Dad isn't here every day, or even every week, he's made a huge impact in my life. I'm blessed to have a father that's actually there.

And I will end the sappiness there. xD

Yours, 

                                                                

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Remi Rhubarb.

My camera is named Bartholomew Beans.
My iPod Touch is named Fannie Fritter.
And now I shall add...Remi Rhubarb, my new laptop.

One boy, two girls. One big happy family.

Yes, today I went to good ol' best buy and bought an HP on sale for $349. It's original price is $499, so I think I did some bargain shopping. :]

Okay, so you might be wondering: Hmm, Lia, didn't you just get your iPod? Why did you get a laptop already?
Well, my old laptop, which I never named (how strange), is slowly dying. The poor thing. It was my dad's old laptop and served me faithfully for one year. It's really old. Just last month, the power button popped off. So, now I have to use a pen to turn it on. It's not fun. I love that old thing and almost feel bad for saying good-bye to it, but my dad is taking it back since I got my new electronic pleasure.

Speaking of Dad...HAPPY FATHERS DAY, DAD!!!! I'll be making a post for him tomorrow, because, even if he's not here all the time, he's a huge part of me and I love him. A lot.

Anyway. Here is the laptop I bought.
I was going to go with the 14" one, but it's price changed, so I just went with the 15". I love it. The only thing I'm having trouble with is the touch pad. It's not like my old laptops so I'm still trying to get use to this one. That's the only problem I've run into and let's hope it STAYS that way. xD

I'll have some pictures of it for you soon. When I say 'soon', I mean: 'When I'm not too lazy to get my fanny of the couch and actually take pictures.'

Oh, I have to name my old laptop! Let's think...
I got it.

Charlie Chip.

Yeah, pretty awesome, right? xD Okay, I'll leave you with that. I have a graduation party to skiddle of too.

Yours,

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

How's Life?

How's my life be going? Well, it's been pretty busy...in a good way.
You see, in summer you're busy doing fun things, which makes everything okay. I haven't been much of a blogger since I have been busy and I've just been throwing a bunch of pictures in your direction (I hope you like them!).

There have been three main things I've been spending my time doing. These things would be: work, dance and hanging with friends (swimming, mostly.)

Work: Well, I've been working almost everyday lately. My boss, Mrs. J, told me it would be like this in the summer. It's exhausting and frustrating at times, but I get paid, which makes me happy. (I should be getting a new laptop soon!!! Yay!) It feels so good to be able to pay for things with my own money. I never thought it would be like that, but it is.

Dance: I'm happy in this area. So, I've been 'added' to my dance studio's competition team. I have to try out for it at the end of the classes, but I think I should able to do it. Did you hear that? I said I think instead of I hope. In case you didn't catch that...I was being positive. Anyway, during the summer, I have dance classes on Monday and Tuesday nights. One is competition classes and the other is a free ballet technique class. My mom made me promise to practice dance every single day. I'm proud to say, except for the days that I have things to do all day, I've held true to this promise. Not only am improving, I'm getting my work out. YES!!!!!! :D

(Soon to come: Vote for the song I'll dance to for my solo. :D)

Hanging With Friends: In the past few weeks I've been swimming with my friends about three or four times. I'm loving it. I've had a movie night with others. Spent all day at VBS with another. Had a great Sunday with some more. I love hanging with my friends. :]

So, that's what I've been doing that past few weeks. I've been having good fun. And I love it.

Oh, and guess what?!? My totally amazing mother has vowed to loose weight and in two weeks (she began two weeks ago) she's lost two pounds just off of exercise. How awesome is that? A pound a week. That's pretty dang good, isn't it?

I love you mom!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

God. Love. Great Things Like That.


I guess I should tell you, I have this trust issue. (I know, I know, just about everyone does.) But, up till recently, my ability to trust was so terrible...I didn't even believe my family loved me. When I was only ten, I came to the conclusion that God didn't actually loved me, but tolerated me.

Now?
No need to fear, I know God loves me. I still might have my doubts everywhere else, but no one, not even that little voice in the back of my head, can tell me that my almighty, powerful God doesn't love me. Where I was tortured for years has been healed and it feels so good. I haven't realized that till now, nearly two years after I finally realized that God gave every little thing for me.

I owe everything to him. I think we all do.
So, whenever you feel like no one, not even God can love you, remember that if God can love me...he can love you. 1 John 4: 7-21 says:


" Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."


God is love, people! How could he not love is?Isn't it amazing, to think that even if the whole world hated, loathed,  and every other word for hate, God will always love us. And, if I have God's love...that's enough. That's more than enough. 

I wish my love for God was enough of a return, because nothing replace the overflowing love from God. Nothing. I can't say it enough...nothing. 

God freakin' loves you. 

Monday, June 13, 2011

I Heart A Good God and Memories

I heart an amazing time with friends and God. 
Memories. 
I love them.



































I love it all. :)

How was your weekend?


All photos (c) copyrighted to Lia Day/ My Thoughts In One

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