I Feel...

Let our faith be not alone. May our hearts be not as stone. Give us souls that never close, to the grace that You bestow. And may our eyes be quick to see. Oh you are here, You've come to rescue me. ~Robbie Seay Band

Guys...I am just so right with God right now. I am SO on fire for Him and He has given me an overflowing sense of fulfillment and so everything else has just been "cherry on top" type of thing. My problems haven't changed, just my mindset and outlook.

This is how I feel right now...

*I feel invincible in the most humble of ways
* I feel like I can stand so firm in my faith...unwavering
* I feel like no conflict is going to change my mind
* I feel overwhelmingly satisfied
* I feel like His perfect love drove out my fear (1 John 4:18)
* I feel like my only addiction is to fall deeper in love with God
* I feel like I just want everyone else to feel this way

Never has He been on my mind in all my actions, all my words, all my decisions, all my problems, never has His presence been so evident.

While They Were...

This one one of the best weekends I've had in a long time and it was just so great in all it's simplicity. I absolutely loved it.

First, I had work and it was great because Madeline and Makenzie came to visit me and even though I didn't get to say hi to them, just seeing a familiar face is really refreshing. It definitely lifts my spirits. Plus, I work with some of the funniest, laid-back guys and gals ever. They truly make work that much more fun.

Then on Saturday I went to the movies to see The Kings Speech with my parents and it was so historically humorous, it was great. And after that, instead of going to Winter Formal, I got to hang out with my best friend Madeline Wilga and I can promise you we had so much more fun then I could even attempt to have if I went to the dance.

While everyone else was taking pictures, we went to a beautiful mass and all we focused on was our heavenly daddy. While they were going out to their fancy restaurants we went to In N Out for a 10$ meal. While they were sweating, boiling hot in the gym, we were perfectly warm while watching Say Yes To The Dress. It was a perfect day! Thank you Madeline for making it so much fun for me! Love you!

I finished my day by waking up this morning and going to church and we talked about personal relationships and when to know if they should be "removed" or "blocked." These few weeks are related to Facebook and so everything is related back to the social network. It's pretty cool. So the sermon really made me reevaluate some of the relationships that I have with people. Because our pastor said we should remove those who are takers and who drag us down in our faith and we should block those who can't be trusted. Basically relationships should be reciprocated and if they're not, then they are just gonna dry you up. And that has definitely happened to me one too many times. It was a really good talk indeed.

PRAISE GOD!!

Jesus turned and saw her. Take heart, daughter, he said, your faith has healed you. ~Matthew 9:22

Dream A Dream

Well if God made you, He's in love with me...

So for Psychology I had to do a Dream Log, which is basically recording and analyzing the dreams that you are having. Pretty much the best assignment ever because I can remember the dream that I have every single night. It is actually kind of annoying because I have no mystery in my life...haha XD anyway, I found out that by the time that you die, the average human will have spent six years of their life dreaming. And most people can't even remember their dreams...sooo that's like at least four years of your life that you don't remember. Isn't that kind of trippy?? I think so....

That was just a fun fact for ya guys.

Milestones!

I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance. Up until now I have sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness because none of it was ever worth the risk. Well you are the only exception, well you are the only exception, well you are the only exception ~ Paramore

So it is currently 12:40 in the morning and I just got home from work. I worked more hours in this one day then I have in the past two weeks. haha. I gotta say, I absolutely love my job. It is hard and stressful and messy at times (not to mention the million opportunities for me to mess up), but all in all I am very blessed to be a part of a business that I love so much. And I reached a milestone by receiving my very first paycheck!

You are the only exception and I'm on my way to believing...

Rejoice & Be Glad In It

Last night is when I wrote that other blog post down below. And I think what I'm missing is making sure I wake up in the morning knowing that this is the day the Lord has made~Psalm 118:24. I forget to make sure that all I do in the day will be for Him. So last night I wrote myself a note saying "Pray to walk with God today" and I just held it in my hand all night. So when I woke up this morning, I felt a piece of paper in my hand, uncrumpled it, read it, and then did exactly what it told me to do. It worked so well, so I recommend you guys trying it, if you are ever going through the same problem I was. Praise God!

My Princess,

Come away with Me, My beloved Bride, I am waiting to show you the world through My eyes. There's so much for you to see-don't miss it, My love. Let Me enter into your world and get close enough to whisper treausres of truth to your spirit. I am here extending My hand to you. Will you place your hand in Mine and let your Prince guide your way today? I want to take you on an extraordinary adventure with Me. I just want to be close to My Princess today, to love on you. It's about us today, so hold on tightly and don't let go

Love,
Your Lord
who wants to be near you

Unashamed Love

So this four day weekend is kind of becoming more stressful then when I am in school. It isn't really the "break" I was hoping to have. There are so many people who I care so deeply about and I have to accept that I'm not going to be able spend with them the time that they deserve. But I have to also remember that they are gonna love me no matter what. So although letting them down is inevitable, the relationships I have with these people are unbreakable. In saying this, I just gotta stop and save some time for myself sometimes. This song reminded me of that. God deserves all of me: my child-like faith, my honest praise, a holy life, sacrifice and my unashamed love. And I intend to give Him all that I can.


My Princess,

You, My Princess, are destined to win. I know how tired you often become, just by trying to do and say all the right things. Take that pressure off yourself, because I did not put it there. The world may judge you by what they see and hear, but I look within your heart, My child, I see your desire to please Me, and I see your struggle to please others. If you want to win this endurance race, you must let go of your need for the approval of others and seek My will and My pleasure. Simplify your life , and let go of the burdens that weigh you down. You'll find that My grace will lighten your step, and My favor will even draw others to join you. Yest, at times you will stumble and fall. but don't worry. I'm here to help you get back up again-as often as it takes.

Love,
Your King

Warms And Fuzzies

Here are some of my favorite "warms and fuzzies"

17 Again


Hitch

Step Up (the part where they make up is gone, but it's a good dance)

THIS followed by THIS

And of course there are the other obvious movies (A Walk To Remember) and the Notebook which I put down here for ya!



I'm a cornball....

Helium Hearts

I was never in love with someone else. I never had somebody waiting on me. Cause you were all of my dreams come true and I just wish you knew. Taylor, I was so in love with you. ~Owl City's version of Enchanted

So for once in my life I am not disappointed that these lovely men in the picture above are taken. I know that a lot of people hate on Valentine's Day and consider it one of the most overrated days of the year...but for a lot of people it's a magical time for them...so don't ruin it! haha :P Anyway, today I received SO many gifts and I felt just SO loved! When I first got to school I was greeted with a lovely red velvet cupcake from Miss Madeline Wilga. It was a good way to start off the day. Thanks best friend! You are so thoughtful!
Then when I got to second period, Keenan was there with his hands completely full. haha and there I received a present (that I still have not opened yet) and (in my opinion) the most beautiful flower in the world. Orchids have always been my favorite ever since I was elevan and saw the movie The Perfect Man . In the movie they say "Have you ever seen an orchid; how it floats in the water, so delicate and beautiful? When a woman gets an orchid; it's, well she feels like she's floating on a cloud of infinite possibility" Cornball I know, but so lovely at the same time. :) haha

Then after school, I was walking to my car and I see these balloons attatched to my car. Yet another gift from Keenan. And the first thing I think of is this song and I got all those warms and fuzzies.
THEN! I come home and sitting on my desk was a box of sweethearts from my mailman. Eddie has been delivering our mail since before I was born I'm pretty sure and he gets me a gift for every single holiday. He is THE sweetest man ever.
Finally! I got a Nothing Bundt Cake from my parents with an adorable card to go with it. Overall, it was such a great Valentines Day! Praise God!

Suns Gonna Find You

Now you're breathing just to make it through the night. All you need is a sunrise, just a moment of dawn. If you're lost in the twilight, close your eyes and move on. Just a little more time and the suns gonna find you

What a beautiful Saturday it was! My mom woke me up this morning so that we could go with my dad to breakfast. Then after we went to the Nike outlet store to get some new running shoes. And then we went up to the Santa Rosa Plateau to go hiking. It was such a gorgeous day...perfect weather for sure. After that we stopped by Stadium Pizza for some lunch and then I layed out by the pool to catch some rays and finish my book :)

Bittersweet

A thousand times I've failed, still Your mercy remains. And should I stumble again, still I'm caught in Your grace

Well as some of you SHOULD BE AWARE OF....baseball season is almost here. And I know I go on and on about how much I love the sport...the start of a new season is always a bittersweet thing for me. It is like I get so pumped for it, but then I realize that means my brother has to leave :( But it is cool that I see him on TV...it's kind of like skype except he can't talk back. haha But yes, baseball season is here and players are starting to report for spring training. It is definitely a significant time in the Craig Family.

Oh and I put a picture of these nails up because I really really really love them and wish I had the skill to do that. :P

Give Me A Little More You

So I had work today and when I get home I look at my phone and the three text messages I had were...

"Does X mean hug or kiss?"
"Hey Gorgeous"
and
"look up at the stars"

Seriously those are the kind of messages that you want to see when you look at your phone. haha It definitely made my heart happy.

Favorite song as of today...Of course it changes every day

Hey Guys!

CAUSE: I really like writing.....imagine that!

EFFECT: I made another blog

HERE!

Me & Tennessee

When she's laying on my shoulder on the sofa in the dark and about the time she falls asleep so does my right arm. And I want so bad to move it cause it's tinglin' and it's numb, but she looks so much like an angel that I don't wanna wake her up ~Brad Paisley

Since this ENTIRE trip was so incredible I am just going to do bullet points of the highlights of the trip. So here we go!

* I have THE most incredible, warm-hearted, fun loving, awesome family in the world. And I wish so badly that I could see them more often. My Aunt Paulette & Uncle Steve are the ultimate hosts and they made us feel so comfortable in their home. I feel as though if my Uncle Mike were to live closer to me, then we would be really close. We are so similar in our personality and humor and he's such a cool person.

* We went to this mansion in Franklin and toured all the rooms and what not. I literally got chills while walking through it because the story behind it is so incredible. You will have to visit it someday :) :) There was a book written about the whole place and it was a best-seller for a while. It's called The Widow Of The South. I'm excited to start reading it.

* On our last day there we went to the Grand Ol Opery hotel which is just too beautiful for words. I took so many pictures then I know what to do with. That is something that should definitely be on everyones bucket list. :) It was incredible

* I wish I could take trips to Tennessee more often. I miss my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins so much sometimes, so it's good when I can go out there to see them. They are truly a blessing in my life.

My Love

TWIN!

We can sleep where we reside with redwoods around us. The blue air is up there. And could I bring it down, I'd bottle it up and save it for a sweet summer night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWINSSSS!!!!

As some of you may know I have two Twins: Jasmine Hsieh and Jared Sargent. Of course, they established that they were twins first because they obviously have the same birthday. But, I was lucky enough to attach on to their twinfest. So now we all call each other twins. Since, it is their birthdays I shall now dedicate this post to their greatness.

Jared Sargent

Gosh what to say about this kid?? I have known him for quite some time, but we didn't really become close until high school. He is one of the most amazing guys that I know and I am so blessed to call him my friend. He is so genuine, loving, hilarious, and overall awesome person to be around. I know that we don't share the same birthday but he is so similar to me in so many ways and so calling him my twin was easy to do. He unconsciously makes my day when he sends his weekly bible verses to me. They are, without fail, exactly what I need to hear at the moment. It is definitely not a coincidence. It's some kind of twin telepathy I'm pretty sure. haha but anyway, it's his birthday and he definitely deserves a great one! I love you twin!

Jasmine Hsieh

Where to start, where to start?? This girl has been one of my best friends for a couple years and she has helped me through things that I couldn't even try to repay her for. I am completely, permanently and forever in her debt. She is one of the most selfless people you will ever meet, she didn't even MENTION her birthday coming up until I pointed it out yesterday. Jasmine is one of those friends who you look up to in life and there is no doubt that I admire her so much as a person. She is one of the most lovely, intelligent, beautiful, caring, strong woman that I have ever known and I am HONORED to call her my twin. There is nothing she deserves more than to have a few weeks dedicated to her. (And then some!) I love her so much and I am excited for what life has in store for her and I.

Oh, Today...

I am not skilled to understand what God has willed what God has planned. I only know that at His right hand stands wonder as my Saviour.

Today was such an eventful day! Of course it was both of my Twins birthdays which I will be celebrating for the next few weeks. haha I also gave a speech today in my English class. It was so amazing because it was about baseball which made it super easy to talk about. Then I went to Good News Club and taught some kiddies about trusting in Jesus.

It's not Jesus plus good works, or Jesus plus rituals, it's just Jesus

Then I had my very first day at work and it was awesome. I know tomorrow is going to be a whole different story because Wednesday nights aren't really too hoppin'. But as far as I can tell, I'm gonna love it. Everyone there was so welcoming. Thank you for all the prayers guys! They definitely worked. :)