Gives me hope

SO, this post is titled 'Gives me Hope' because I went to Palm Springs a couple of Saturday's ago to visit one of my very wonderful, amazing friends, Cara, from Work Crew. She was raving about this website/book that is entitled 'Gives me hope', it is like FML for optimistic people...or so it says on their website. Haha. Anyway, reading through those not only gives me chills, puts a smile on my face, and tears well up in my eyes..it made me think of ALL the beautiful things and people that give me hope in my own life.

So many times we fail to see the good, and only see the bad. We fight being vulnerable, because we think it's weak. We hate talking about what's going on because it draws attention, and we don't want to let our guard down because then people know too much. I think that seeing the hope in everyday situations is not only necessary for happiness, it will also give others hope around us. We never know when someone is watching us, and being strong in a terrible situation, or smiling when you are hurting can give someone hope.

Last week, I had a sleepover with Hannah, Amanda, Courtney, and Hailey. These girls have been my rock and my comfort for the past 4 years, spilling our guts, crying, laughing..all of it. We were able to sit and talk and cry about things that were going on in our lives, and not only that..but they were so encouraging. They knew about something that I've been struggling with and were there with open arms to tell me I'm beautiful and that I encourage and inspire them. THEY give me hope. I look at them and know I have a real, amazing friendship with them. To be able to say that is incredible. They give me hope.

The past few days were spent at, in my opinion, one of God's most amazing masterpieces. The beach. I am so blessed to say that I have gone beach camping with my best friend and her family for the past 7 years. We go every Spring Break, and being a senior..this meant this could be our last one. But I know that we will still have many adventures ahead of us and we will continue beach camping. Anyway, being with her in such a beautiful setting is so hard to explain..Madeline is someone that knows when I'm sad, angry, grumpy, happy, excited..all of the above. And she is such a light when all I can see is darkness. Seeing every sunset over the ocean with my best friend..gives me hope. Along with that, Hannah, Amanda, and Courtney came to visit us and we laughed and talked on the beach and then took ridiculous pictures at sunset. You could say it's been a fantastic Spring Break.

One final thing I want to talk about is what I mentioned in the beginning of this post. You never know who is watching you to give THEM hope. I am beyond words when I say that when I get a text saying that I encourage them, or that they want my help, or they want to see what all this YoungLife stuff is about...I want to jump for joy. Half the time I have NO idea they are watching me for insight or encouragement..but they are. So, think about what gives you hope. And what you can do to give others hope. It's a rough world, but having hope makes it worth it all.

Have an amazing rest of your week, God bless, and I love you all <3 (ps..thanks for reading!!)

Kids say the darndest things

Okay. I know, I know. I've been majorly slacking at this posting a blog frequently thing. I promise I'll figure out a way to write every week, because I absolutely love it and it is an escape. I have been so so so busy lately it's not even funny. I can't even begin to describe all that I have been doing but this post will be a catch up session on everything that's been going on in my life. It may be long, so I apologize..HERE it goes..

Alright, so a couple of weeks ago (this is where I choose to start my catch up) I went to Disneyland with Courtney, Raymond, Amanda, and Alexis. It was pouring all day, and it was very cold. But honestly, it was one of the BEST trips to Disneyland I've had in a very long time. There were barely any lines (because of the rain) and it was just so happy there. I mean, when is the happiest place on earth not happy? But, it was even HAPPIER than usual :) I love hanging out with them and there were so many inside jokes that were made, it makes me smile to this day. The reason why I love going so much is because it makes me feel like a little kid again, which I love. Which brings me to my next point!

For my Child Development class we go to an Elementary School to mentor and observe and just help teach the kids, so for the past 3 weeks I've been going every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Let me just say...I LOVE kids. They teach me more than I teach them. Honestly. The very first day, two girls came up to me and said "You're so pretty!" I mean, it's like being a superstar in the classroom. Instant self-esteem boost. But they also teach me to be carefree, not to stress, and get that innocence back that I had when I was their age. I love helping them, playing games with them, and creating ridiculous art projects with them. I love every single first grader in that class. Ahh they are just fantastic.

Another thing I've been focusing on and feeling is having hope and faith. I mean, it's such a simple thing in theory. But honestly I've seen people seriously hit there lowest of lows and God kept telling me to don't give up, and I couldn't understand for so long. But I get it now. Seeing someone I love with all my heart break down in front of me and tell me that they felt God hugging them, felt Him pull them back to Him, was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. It gives me so much inspiration to be a light in this dark, dark world. Even the littlest text or smile can seriously change someones whole day and whole outlook on life. I can't wait to se what else God has in store for me.

There are so many more things I could catch you up on but basically I would like to list things that have made me happy within the last couple of weeks, despite how crappy some of my days have been..

-Dinner and movies with Madeline.

-3 hour unintentional phone conversations with Hailey.

-Funny texts :)

-Good, great guys

-Laughter

-Scoring an A on my math test (hard work really does pay off)

-Disneyland (obviously..)

-Babysitting adorable kids!

-Rain

-Long great conversations

-Getting to know someone really well

-Seeing God work in someone before my own eyes

-Love everywhere

-Smiles from strangers

Really the list goes on...but I'm again, so blessed through all the happy, sad, frustrating, and amazing times.

Sorry this was so unbelievably long. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have SUCH a blessed day and rest of your week :)