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December 23, 2009

2010

My 5th semester at Evangel was perhaps the toughest semester yet, but somehow it managed to finish so quickly. I can only hope I'll remember all of its happenings, considering I decided to only blog once and journal a grand total of three times. What have I become? I am no longer the journaling maniac I once was. My goal to journal at least once a week was definitely not met. Luckily, the new year is approaching, and even though usually most are forgotten, thrown away, and result in failure, I will continue my cliche tradition of writing New Year's resolutions and hope this year won't be like the rest! Here they are in no particular order other than my random thought process...

1. Discover God in a new way (through His love, His people, His truth, His word)
2. Exercise AT LEAST 3 times a week
3. Read one book a month (this is ambitious)
4. Spend less time on the computer and more time LIVING
5. Volunteer whenever an opportunity arises
6. Journal AT LEAST once a week (let's give this another shot)
7. Write creatively AT LEAST once a week
8. Stay optimistic but realistic
9. Estudiar español con más frecuencia
10. Eat less Taco Bell (in other words, eat healthier)
11. Give more
12. Live JOYFULLY
13. Continue saving $$
14. Practice the guitar EVERYDAY
15. Get a 4.0

Hold me accountable and wish me luck!

Love always,

Elise

September 27, 2009

You Believe

There's a peace inside my soul,
as I reach outside this darkened hole
and grasp the hands of a loving king,
who takes my life with all it brings.

My past forgiven without a question.
My present cared for with no hesitation.
My future known, there's light ahead,
shining through a heart once dead.

I don't deserve
yet I still receive.
I lose my faith,
but you still believe.

June 9, 2009

Warning: lengthy update!

I don't know where to begin. My many thoughts are a wonderful mess in my mind. Somehow I am going to say what I need to say in an orderly fashion.

 I have come to realize that I have been spending a lot of time with friends, but not enough with family. Don't get me wrong, I have loved every minute spent with my friends, but one of my goals for the summer was to spend some quality time with my family. Sure I have had the occasional dinner, but that is not what I would consider enough time to build a deeper connection that God has called me to build with my parents and my brothers. I will be working on this.

But since I have been spending so much time with friends, I might as well do some sharing. When I say friends I am usually meaning Alli, Haley, Brittney, Marie, and George. Sadly, Marie left for summer classes, and George lives in Chicago, but luckily Marie was here for 3 weeks, and George has already visited twice! If you did not know, Battle Creek is not the most exciting place in Michigan, therefore, trying to find interesting things to do is pretty difficult. Somehow we manage to find something, though. We are big coffee people so coffee is always a given. We are also all movie buffs so we usually resort to Family Video and Alli's basement when we can't find anything better to do. So far this summer I have watched with all or some of them, Crash, Everything Is Illuminated (kind of), Monster, Candy, The Dark Night, The Blair Witch Project (haha), Australia, Hound Dog, The Reader, and I am pretty sure I am forgetting some. As you can see, we like thought provoking movies. Movies that can give us something to talk about, which is another thing we do often. Talk. I love my friends for this reason because give us a bonfire or a comfy couch and we can have the best conversations in the world! It is awesome how we never run out of things to talk about, and I think we all grow a little through a lot of our conversations. Haha I have made us sound like quite a serious bunch, but I promise we are the goofiest people. We love to laugh and make each other laugh, so we are often doing that too. We also love to shop, which is kind of bad considering none of us really have any money. Thankfully, I had tons of money from my birthday, so I was able to participate in the few shopping trips we've made this summer. Yay for new clothes! But more exciting than new clothes was seeing my favorite band for the third time. Last Friday George, Alli (and her bf and friends), Brittney (and her bf), and I went to the Coldplay concert in Indiana. It was by far the best Coldplay show I've ever been to, and it was hands down the best show I've ever been to!


We had lawn seats, but Coldplay being the awesome band they are, came out to the lawn for a few songs, and I was able to take some pretty sweet pics!


So yeah. Coldplay rocks!

Anyway, after days and days of job hunting, I have had no luck. I have filled out many many applications, called back too many times, and I have come to the realization that with the way Michigan's economy is, maybe a second job this summer is out of the question. However, I am going to Aeropostle today because I heard they were looking to hire. At least I have one job, though. Good old Carmike Cinemas. My first day was Sunday, and I have to say, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I met some of the new employees and they were all nice, and since I have worked there the past two summers, I already knew everything. I work tonight from 6:00-12:30. We'll see how closing goes. I am trying to stay positive with working there this summer. God obviously has a reason for it, and it's a reason I want to discover and live out.

Considering I'm only working 3 days a week, I have a lot of downtime. I try to be as productive as I can, but I find that quite difficult. Lately, I have enjoyed sleeping a little too much because I can never seem to wake up before 11. I really want to change this. I know going to bed earlier would help a great deal, and that will be a challenge. I love the night. I think better at night. I am more energized at night. However, waking up at 9 am would be so refreshing! My day would seem so much longer, and I feel like I could get a lot more done! I have an ideal day in my head, but I can't seem to live it out. I wish I could wake up at 9, dive into the word, eat a healthy breakfast, take a multivitamin, run a couple miles, shower, get ready for the day, practice the guitar, which I have been doing by the way, and then do whatever the day has in store. Today I woke up at 1:00! Unacceptable. I had a whole list of achieveable goals for the summer, and although I am accomplishing some, I know I can do better! I don't want to look back on the summer and have to think about all the time I wasted sleeping and facebooking.

It is time for a change before it's too late!

Love always,

Elise

May 19, 2009

Which book....

should I read...

-The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom?
-The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger?
-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen?
-The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis?
-In Cold Blood by Truman Capote?
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell?

hmm....what do you think?

April 8, 2009

Live for the Sounds

It's been a while.

The funny thing is I've been working on this same blog post since the day after the Copeland concert. I just couldn't get myself to finish it, I guess. Hah.

Anyway, the concert was pleasing. :-)

The opening bands were awesome! My favorite was Brooke Waggoner. She's incredible. Her lyrics and piano skills are so fresh and unique. She is accompanied by a violinist, cellist, keyboardist, and guitarist. The combination of it all gave such an appealing sound. I loved every moment she was on stage. Definitely my kind of music. I met her after the show and she was so genuine. Love it.

And of course Copeland was wonderful. Everyone who ever told me they weren't good live are liars. AMAZING LIVE. Aaron Marsh is awesome. I was in the very front center. Not one person was in front of me! It was great. He sang a lot from You Are My Sunshine, obviously, but they played some oldies too, which was nice. After the show I met Marsh, and he was a pretty cool guy. :-)

But my birthday didn't end there. The next day my friends threw me a surprise birthday party at the roller rink. It was really fun! I have the best friends.

I am going to miss everyone so much over the summer. I can't believe it's the last week of school. This year went by so fast. Faster than freshman year. It's crazy. I am half way done with college. I'm sure the next two years are going to go by just as fast. I don't really like thinking about it. It scares me, yet it excites me all at the same time. These days, God has really been teaching me to take everything one day at a time.

April 7, 2009

On The Safest Ledge

I am in extreme pain for reasons only females understand. Ugh.

I am also kicking myself for the stupid mistakes I made on my Spanish test. I am convinced I am a bad test taker because I know the information before going into the test, and then I take the test and second guess EVERYTHING.

But I am trying not to let all of this ruin my day.

Because today is a special day.

I have tickets to see one of my favorite bands, Copeland. I have been listening to Copeland since I was 16, so I am more than excited to finally see them live. I've heard different stuff about their live performances, and tonight I will get to see for myself. I am betting on an amazing show!

"Don't look ahead, just run to me.
Each step will find the next one recklessly.
We'll find ourselves on the safest ledge.
Well pardon me, I couldn't help myself."

March 31, 2009

Hair Help

So here's the thing...

I WANT TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO MY HAIR!

I'm bored with it, and summer is just around the corner so I want something fun and fresh!

So if you are reading this, I want ideas. If you have any, please share.

Thanks.

:-)

March 29, 2009

Top 4

First things first, I should be sleeping. I have church in 8 hours, but today I had the sudden urge to blog my top 4 current favorites. You probably don't care, but I care. Here they are in no particular order...

1. Aveda Lip Saver.
2. Kashi.
3. Joanna Newsom.

 
(I've been listening to her for a while now, and she never gets old! Plus, she plays the harp, which is AWESOME!)

4. Slumdog Millionaire.

March 10, 2009

Riches


Your house is made
from different pieces,
but your house is still
a house of God.

Your hands are colored
from dust and dirt,
but your hands are still
hands used for Him.

Your age is of
a small child,
but your age is still
an age of wisdom.

Your heart has felt
the pain of poverty,
but your heart is still
full of riches.

The richest I've seen,
the wisest I've heard,
the most useful yet,
in the warmest house I've stayed.

February 24, 2009

Tuesday

If only this picture was an accurate description of February 24, 2009.

Today has been one of those days. The weather is sad, and I am in extreme need of motivation. There is much to do before I venture overseas to Nicaragua, but my mind can't seem to focus on anything else. "I Saw What I Saw" by Sara Groves just began playing. How ironic. I have frequently kept its lyrics on repeat in my mind these days. A perfect song to prepare my heart for a missions trip. Four more days.

February 4, 2009

Beautifully Overwhelming

A lack of faith consumed me
and the devil found it amusing,
yet somehow You found me strong.

The strength I was using was Yours.

And You told me I could keep it
as long as You exist,
and Your existence lasts forever
so how could I resist?

A love I had never felt before.
A love that opened the door
that I always knew was there,
but whenever I tried to crack it
I'd get scared.

And, it's all so overwhelming.
All the battles You have won.
It's all so beautifully overwhelming.
All the light You have shone
on a world that's full of darkness.
A world that filled my heart.