Breath...

Life is not about the number of breaths we take,
But the moments that take our breath away!

Take a moment to look back in your life right now and think about all the things you can remember from atleast 5 or more years ago. Really it is only those moments that ment a lot to you, those moments that really "took your breath away". Whether they be good or bad memories, they ment a lot to your life and that is what we remember our life by. So when it comes to these small day to day things that make us upset or angry, the little problems in life really dont mean anything and i hope that you can see that. Don't let those small things mess up a wonderful life. Small problems can snowball in huge memories of bad times that we really dont need, and can easily be avoided if we just let some things go every once in a while, and let other people have their way.

Just one more step to making life a little bit better for yourself, and for those around you.....
God Bless you today and everyday!!

Strange New World....

I've been able to stand back and look at life through different eyes, my life was tossed upside down this year... and it seems like I've been thrown into this strange new world... but the weird thing is that i can't tell if its me that has changed or if its the world that has changed... I've been caught up in a with a blind fold on for so long that i have lost sight of who i am and those who mean the most to me...
Love is truly blind...whether we like it or not, we all let love blind us from what is going on in life but at the same time there is one thing in life that is true, we all live to love, and love can either make us who we are, or it can break us down.

Here's to the future, where ever it may lead....

God Bless the Broken Road

If you haven't noticed by now i really like to think about the words to songs i listen to and i normally find some way to apply them to my life. "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts:

I set out on a narrow way

many years ago

hoping i would find true

along the broken road

but i got lost a time or two

wipe my brow kept pushing through

i couldn't see how every sign

pointed straight to you.

Life is like a broken road, but one thing that i know is that God blesses every step i take and with God on my side i will not stumble or fall. Life can be hard sometimes and we wonder why God is letting this happen, but one thing we can be sure of is that God has a WONDERFUL plan for our lives, even if we can't see it right now... Everything we do everything we go through is just preparing us for where God is taking us in life, whether it be right here where we are doing what we've been doing. Or maybe he is teaching us a lesson so we can go out later and affect someone else's life for God. Sometimes i wonder what God has planned for my life, but on the other hand, i really enjoy living life from day to day. Cause someone once told me this little poem:

Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is a Mystery
Today is a Gift

That is why it's call the Present

So treasure today cause it's a gift from GOD!!

Amazing...

I'm almost done with my undergraduate work now... only two more months..... Three and a half years ago i came down here to find myself and well i guess get a degree... but it has taken almost the same time to truly understand who i am... I wanted to get away from everything i ever knew and start over, and that's exactly what i got... i think it really showed me that we are only what we are.... cause moving almost four thousand miles away and not knowing anyone and making all new friends, life seemed to stay about the same...
Now looking back on these years, I've realized that we can be mad or upset at life, or we can accept what life has given us and CHOOSE to be happy each day, cause each day is a gift that God gives us to spend. I've learned that even though we run away looking back to see if anyone is following there is always one person that is standing there next to you... just like the poet who wrote "Footprints" tells, God is always right there with us, sometimes we dont see him, but he always is there for us, even when it seems like there is no one else.
Finally last bit of rambling for the evening.... I've come to believe that if you choose to be happy with what God has blessed you with, then life becomes happier and you learn to find joy in everything that you do! So for those of you that are looking for who you are, spend a little while looking back on all those blessings that God has so graciously given you, and i hope that you find a new light to brighten your day, cause when you do, everything just becomes to much better and life truly is worth living again!

In her eyes im prince charming....

In his eyes im just some fella,

Riding in stealling Cinderella

.......

Ain't she something son

Yes she's quite a woman

and he just starred at me

and i realized that in his eyes

she would always be

Playing Cinderella

If you ever really thinkg about it, it really does hurt to know that your stealing some guys little girl, his little Cinderella. Love is just a wonderful feeling but at the same time i creates so much hurt somethings.... why does life have to be so hard sometimes... why can't love be just love, the happy feeling that a guy and girl get googly eyes for and ride off into the sunset. Sometimes i wish that life was a little more "enchanted..."

Running Away...

Just the other day someone sent me this really interesting quote... it said, "Sometimes people run away, just to see if anyone cares enough to follow" and it really made me think about a lot of things. One of main reasons for coming to Harding four years ago was just for this reason. A lot of people back home said they were friends, but underneth it all most of them were just friends to the extent that they could get something out of the friendship. Over the years i've seen who really wanted to be friends and who just was acting it out.... at first it kind of hurt to realize this but when i thought about it for a while, it brought me joy to know that there are people out there that really do care.
True friends are hard to find and when you do find one take hold of them and never let them go. For true friends are like precious gems, they come around only once in a while, and are worth more than you can afford. True friends bring a joy and happiness to your life that can't be found anywhere else.
Sometimes i wonder what things will be like in another four years, once im gone from Harding. How many of my friends down here will i still stay in contact with? I hope that it would be all of them, but i know that it won't be very many. "We all know reality, don't mess with a dream, don't mess with a dream, man.... " This is another quote from an oldies movie i watched this summer, and i think it fits well here... i hope and pray and "dream" that everyone i meet will become a true friend and stay in contact for the rest of our lives, but reality sets in and we all realize that, things just dont happen like that.

Humility...

Some times there is times in life where you just have to sit back and really think about what is going on... Monday night was one of those nights for me... God really touched my heart, and showed me some humility. There has been a lot going on this semester and i have taken a lot of things for granted.... i dont think it was said, but the verse that just stuck in my head all night was when Jesus was saying, "If you wanted to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven you must first humble yourself like a child" and a while back i did a lesson on the childlike heart, and how we are to find the child of God inside all of us, and not act childish in the process....

Today i got a new lens for my camera, a complete surprise from my parents. This has truely become a wonderful week, and i have so much to be thankful for in life!! Friends and family both mean so much to me, and sometimes i know i dont show the appreciation / humility to these people who have done so much for me. It is my goal for the rest of this semester to show these people how much they truly mean to me and show the same kindness that has been afforded me over the past years.

Wisdom of Friends!!

As a parting gift at my high school, it is tradition that at our last chapel of the year each junior selects a graduating senior and prepares a little encouraging thought for them. A great friend of mine, looked me in the eye that day, and repeated some words from Winston Churchhill, "History is lived by people, but it's important people that write history" and he went on to say that he has always thought of me as one of those important people.

Sometimes we loose touch with who we really are, we get caught up in the mundain drama of life, but we all must realize sooner or later that we can only be who we are. For some reason i found myself hiding everything these last few years, i dont know if it was just me not wanting to be known as a nerd or as the one that can fix anything... that everyone comes to for help... but i've realized that even though sometimes those things can really stress you out... that its within those instances that you truly find yourself, and you find the joy of life.

I've come to realize one thing though over the years, that its not the people that have the fancy titles or have a lot of money or a perfect body, but its those people that truly enjoy life, that are those important people that churchill was talking about. And i am going to go back to being happy again, with no one to tell me other wise. I've spent so many years just wasting away trying to make other people happy, that i've forgotten that sometimes you have to make your own life happy!!!

The Truth Shall Set You Free!!!

Every have one of those days where you know in the back of your mind that something just has to be true, but when you go and ask that person about it, they tell you with out a doubt that its not. Then a while later you find something, be it a letter or a picture or something, that confirms everything you been thinking... well i just had one of those days....

Sometimes i wonder why i ever trust anyone, its only hurt me so many times in the past, and im sure it will in the future. But i believe that trust along with honesty must be the core to every relationship if it is to last. Maybe im just a little old fashion, but its the way i was brought up... and what is life if you dont life it the way you want to ... it just becomes a movie script that you are living/acting out and thats no way to live your life...

The Value of Time

Imagine....
There is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out ALL OF IT, of course!!!!
Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft.
Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow." You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The Clock is running. Make the most of today!
Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.
And remember that time waits for no one. Yesturday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present!!!

Examination

One thing if you go to college you learn that every four weeks you pretty much just loose all social contact every four weeks when every single on of your teachers decide to give you one or more tests in a single week....Trying to get out and about, is one of the biggest tests of it all... trying to balance life with class.

My last semester here at harding as an undergraduate, and getting to go change everything up. It has been fun so far to go and do just about everything that isn't normal. Its fun to finally live life to the fullest.

~Friendship~

"Sometimes people run away just to see if anyone cares enough to follow" this quote really made me think this week... we all have friends, those we hang out with, those we eat in the cafe with, or have the same classes with, but thats not truly what makes a true friend. A true friend is always there for you, whenever you need help, and it doesn't matter what is going on, or what time of day it is. Someone that is willing to sit and listen when all you need to do is talk something through... or just to be there with you, even if you dont say a thing or do anything, but just the fact that they cared to come and be near you.

Friends can really make your life come alive. Friends make life worth living. Friends will always be there no matter what happens, cause true friends dont let anything get in between each other.

Thanks to all my friends those near and far away, i hope that one day i can be as great of a friend to you as you all have been to me!

Ideas of the Mind

Some days its like you can't do anything but just lay back and imagine and come up with things in your mind... what ifs.... what if things went differently? Looking back on the past does help us learn to not repeat the mistakes of history, but at the same time it becomes a way to waste away your future. There is a fine line between the good that can come from review the past and the bad that can come from it also.

Sometimes in life its hard to look past the present situation and see the whole picture. I feel like i have been stuck in a spot in my life that i just can't get past... its sad to think that in my mind i know that im stuck in a hard position but at the same time my mind says that i just cant let it go...

Weird, Hard, Long Days....

Life brings about some times that just make you ask why? why? why? why is this happening to me right now? Life can go from one of the most enjoyable things to one that is hated in the blink of an eye. It is hard to imagine how things could get worse some days.... but one thing i have learned though all of this is that life really isn't that bad, even when you feel like everyone has let you down, and all is lost. There is still SO MUCH to be thankful for.

I am above all extremely thankful to all my friends. Life is just so amazing and wonderful when you have someone to share it with, and no matter what happens in life your true friends will always be there to share a moment with you. I'm glad that i have friends that i can talk to all the time and they are always willing to listen. I know that i dont always deserve the loving kindness that some friends have shown me, and i hope that i can have a chance to show them that i am truly there for them also.

It's a new week

Well sunday night rolls around and where did the rest of the weekend go? Sometimes i wonder why the weekend always seem to go by so fast but the weeks tend to just drag along... but at the same time i can see how the weeks have gone by so fast already... i can't believe that we are already starting the third week of classes, i guess that means that tests are coming up really fast... hopefully they will be easy and not to stressful.....

Well one thing i have been thinking about this weekend is how i never seem to get to just walk around and enjoy creation any more... i used to walked all around back home and take pictures and marvel in the wonders of creation..... and i remember doing that back during freshmen year down here, but ever since then it seems like i have been to busy to just sit back and take in the sights. Hopefully i can find some time this final semester to get back into those long walks around just taking in the sights. Hopefully also i can get that lens for my camera so that i can actually take some nicer pictures before i leave this place.

Great Words from Great Men

Here is a poem written by a good friend and mentor:

Gifts

God gave us gifts every one

He gave them through hs only Son

He gave our conscience as a guide

In case our gifts we try to hide.

The gifts he gave to you and me

Don't cost a thing, they are free

There is no treasure here on earth

That we can find to match their worth

We use our gifts in various ways

To do God's will all our days

John does one thing, Jack another

But God's plan is we work together

In working together we communicate

And so our lives we dedicate

To God's great plan to save our seats

Not only ours God's entire fold

But if our conscience we have seared

Don't use our gifts then we have filled

Our souls with Satan's evil thoughts

Not only ours, but those Christ bought.

~ Howard Singleton

Inspiration

One thing i found that sometimes help get through the rough times in life is some inpirational quotes... back in highschool i made a collection of tons of inspirational quotes and i just happened to find them the other day while i was looking for some old pictures... anyways here is few selections... hope that they help others as much as they have helped me:

"There is only two reasons a boy goes to college,
Either his father did, or his father didn't."

"Love is like a rose,
no matter how beautiful it is, there is always a few thorns."

"A friend is someone who walks in,
when the whole world has walked out."

"The only difference between try and triumph
is a little bit of umph..."

"It is better to try and fail,
than to fail to try."

Turning Upward!

Well it has been an interesting start to a long semester, and i was just sitting around this afternoon listening to some music and Casting Crowns came on, specifically their song, "Who am I" after listening to the words of the song it hit me that even though it seems like everything has gone so bad this past year, that "who am i" to question the plans of God. Cause everything that happens, is for a purpose, even though some times we can't see the reason, God has a reason hiding in the background. So as kind of a pun on words i thought i would title this post as Turning Upwards both looking upwards to God and letting Him lead my life from this point on, and turning up the volume to the song that lead me to this point.
I still have no idea what im going to do with my life after i finish up this year, but one thing i have realized through all of this is that i have been greatly blessed with a TON of wonderful friends to help me. Both back home and at college i've been surrounded by true friends who really truly care about each other.

Begining of the End

Well it has been a long road to travel coming through four years here at harding and im almost done if i can just make it through one last semester. Many things have happended over the past three and a half years that have shaped my life. Some have come hurt me and some have brought me smiles, but all of them have taught me life lessons that i will take with me for the rest of my life.

Well looking forward to the end, im currenly taking 20 credit hours this semester and on top of that i'm the vice president for my social club. Hopefully i can find the time to get everything done and still enjoy one last semester before i graduate down here. One thing i have always loved about Harding is the beautiful campus, growing up in Alaska has allowed me to see all the awe inspired creation of our Lord, but at the same time there are parts that are always new no matter where you go, and its amazing to just sit back and enjoy the view, and know that God is Almighty and all powerful, and he created everything.

Hopefully over the course of this semester i can find time to keep up with this blog as a story line of my last semester at Harding University