Teach Me How Love Goes

I'm not 100% sure what I want to say in this post so I'm just gonna write down what's been on my mind. 

I've had some great conversations in the past week or so with a good friend of mine, Sara. We've talked about probably every topic we could think up but one that we've really been excited about is this summer. See, we're both working at summer camp for kids where we share the gospel. I am beyond excited. Last Sunday, so the one before school started back from the break, we went to get fro yo and we had a great time sittin' in the spring weather (which I don't know what has happened to) and just talkin'. 

On my way home, I started thinking about what it means to love your neighbors, your friends, your family, and even strangers. I was thinking that I could love on my campers all the time, but I don't think I do such a good job just in everyday life with friends and family and even strangers. Coincidentally, the song "Teach Me How Love Goes" by Kris Allen came on. I've heard this song many times; in fact, it's the 1st song on my Top 25 Most Played playlist on iTunes, but it meant a little more as I was contemplating what the lyrics meant. In the song Kris says (I'm assuming he's talking about his wife. He has one) "Is it in the words I say? Is it in the things I do? Is there a way to let her know that she's the way I make it through?" Earlier in the song, too, he's reaching out to his dad asking what to do, and his dad says it's a life lesson and Kris doesn't want to wait so he asks God what to do.

I think he's on to something.

I think that is something I really need to do. My youth pastor has talked plenty about spending time in the Word because that's what you need to be rooted in to be more Christ-like. You get on a "camp high" or "mountain top high" but, those go away. We can't depend on mission trips and camp and good deeds to make us closer to God because what happens when your back in school for 8 months at time? You forget how you felt when you were there or you don't have that same passion you did before. Spending time in God's Word is the way we become Christ-like because we've hidden His Word in our hearts. Psalms 119:9 

If we don't have love, we have nothing.

This is something that's been on my heart for a few weeks now, and I love how God has pointed it to me. I bought Kris Allen's album Thank You Camille whenever came out in the summer, but I've listened to it more and more and I've found that most of the songs are centered around love. Both kinds. eros as in the romantic love and agape as in brotherly love. I think he has a passion for spreading love.

But why can't we do that all the time?

Something I'm working on is my initial reactions to things that are said or done or just to people I don't like. I'm trying to bite my tongue. I want to show the love of Christ to others through my words and actions. "Is it in the words I say? Is it in the things I do?" I think this is how God communicates most with unbelievers- through love.

Here's a funny video that has to do with love. It's on the lighter side. I think that the video was made for a youth conference somewhere and it's trying to explain the theme a bit jokingly. Give it 5 seconds to start. It's a bit delayed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLtPjX-tIXA

It makes a funny point. Love your enemies. Love shows itself in many ways. I want to show love in my school to people that I know and people that I don't know. I bet you can make a difference in a class, in your work place, or even in someone's day just by something as simple as a smile or saying hi.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13 that if I give everything up including myself, but do not have love, it means nothing.  I guess my point for this post is to challenge you to think about it and consider what love is and how to love. Turn to God so he can teach you how love goes.

Anchors aweigh
Emily Anne

Home, Sweet, Home

Hey all! Well, I didn't update about the shopping, so I'll just start from Thursday. We (as in the girls on the trip) went to Silverthorne to an outlet mall there. The mall itself is kinda different. It's 3 separate sections, I guess, but they each have different buildings. The first one we went to was the red section, and you have to drive to the separate sections to get to them, but we went to the red first. I went in Gap with Mrs. Janet and I got a cardigan, a t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts for camp! (Whoo!) :) Then, we walked around for a little bit more but I knew I wanted to save the rest of my money for J Crew, my favorite store. It took a little bit for us all to be done looking, but after we did, we went to a restaurant called the Apache Cafe & Pub, since I had had altitude sickness all week, I didn't think I would be very hungry but, I order a brisket barbecue sandwich and sweet potato fries anyway. Oh. My. Goodness. It was so good! 

Anyway, after we finished eating we went on to the rest of the stores in the outlet mall. No unusual events occurred but, I when we went to the blue mall, I made a new friend. Her name is Lou Lou :) She's a bulldog.

She had the cutest little pink, sparkly bow :) (Yes, I walked around with knee brace on. It really helped.)

Anyway, so I went in J. Crew and got a skirt I absolutely love! After that, we went to the green mall and I got ice cream :) 

So Friday, we skied half the day. We got out at like 9 and came back in at 12, turned in our skis and then headed out. Both days went as usual. Although, this Friday was kinda hard because we got to our hotel at like 12 am and I had already been asleep and when I woke up, my body decided it was time to stay awake so I couldn't fall asleep and then when I did I couldn't wake up.... Ugh. 

Well, today we got back later than I am use to. I thought we normally got back at like 4 or 5 but today we got back at 7 which was fine, it was still daylight. Okay, so... it's hot here now! I'm sure some of you are laughing, but it's a weird transition for me. I'm technically still on daylights savings time and the weather and altitude has shifted. I don't know how to describe how I'm feeling. I've only been on a plane once, so I don't know what jet lag feels like, but I feel like that's a pretty accurate description... eh, maybe. 

I'm glad to be home. I think that these kind of breaks in school is very difficult on me. It's not my usual routine and I usually do something during the entire break so when I do get back to school, I have trouble catching up. It's not really a break for me. I need a week to catch up from spring break... That sounds nice. 

Um, also, I am really missing my sister and her family. I saw a video of sweet niece :) Here are some pictures of them.

She was 4 months here :)

She's such a beautiful and happy baby!

Sweepy :)

This is my main squeeze, Chuckle Buck

I've taught him well :)

This was from the summer. See I was tan :)

Look at how light his hair is! Woah!

These are the sweet parents of the sweet babies :) That's my sister, Susan and my brother-in-law, Justin :)

I'm really missin' y'all. Just so you know.

Well, I'm super glad to be home and in my own bed. I'm yawning as I finish this. Hope you all have a good night and good day tomorrow.

Anchors aweigh

Emily Anne

Skiing day

I think I'm gonna start out with pictures today. 

This was on the top of the Maggie! I hadn't gotten to ski any slopes yet. We were waiting on the rest of the gang to get to the top!

This is the same spot just a different view.

This was on the lift. Scaryyy! I didn't want to drop my phone, but I wanted a picture from the lift and my mom sent me a text :)

Whoo, pretty mountains! Isn't God's creation magnificent and to think that He is mightier than any mountain. It makes me feel small, but also amazed because He even cares for someone so small.

Why, yes, I did ski this. I pretty much just pointed my skis down. This is a black diamond called Shock. It's my absolute favorite.

This was on the top of Peak 8... I think. We were headed to the T-bar!

This is the top of the T-bar. In an earlier post I told you the Breckenridge's highest point is 12,998 feet. This is probably 11,000 something feet, at least. It's the highest elevation I've reached. If you can't tell, the picture underneath is pretty big drop. I skied that too :)

These signs though... Hilarious! 

Top of Peak 10. Right in front of a bunch of moguls. Bleh.

Okay, so I'll give you some insight into my day. It was great!! It may just be since I had to sit out 2 days that I was more aware, but this was probably one of the best and most fun days of skiing I've had. :) Yay! Well, let me start from this morning. See, last year, I had already grown out of my ski pants but this year I needed a new pair. Well, Mrs. Janet (my step-mom, for those who don't know) found me a pair that was exactly what I wanted! The only problem was they were a bit tight. :/ Oh, well. I wore them anyway and it turned out that it was a good thing because after having on all the underclothes you need to wear to stay warm, my knee was so compressed that, I'm pretty sure, it didn't move.

So we got out to the slopes, (and we literally just walk out to the lift) and rode up the Maggie and waited on the rest of the gang which gave me a chance to take lovely pictures. :) Anyway, so we skied down a green slope to another lift and then we were on Peak 9. (I have a trail map, but some of you may not know what I'm talking about.... Maybe I'll put picture up later.) Anyway, we made it to my favorite slope, Shock. It's a rather short run, but it's still so fun!

We went up another lift and another (I'm not gonna tell the whole story, I promise) and then made it to the T-bar. It was incredibly windy up there!! Almost to where it's hard to breathe. Not even just from the altitude, from the cold wind. Well, we eventually made it to lunch and stayed at the Ten Mile Station for a rest. Then we sort of split a bit and I went with my dad, Mrs. Janet, a few cousins and I think my uncle was there, too, to Peak 10 where I got the last picture. I didn't want to over-do it today so I headed home after maybe 3 or 4 more runs. It was a very good day! :)

Okay, so here is another funny something for you. Remember when I told you that my knee was very compressed? Well, my knee didn't bother me one bit today while I was skiing. I even have proof. 

Even the label of the brace made an indention. I thought it was funny.

Okay, here's something for a friend of mine. We were talking on the phone today and we were joking about how we always play a guessing game when we talk. So, here's what you forgot I was excited about and couldn't guess, Malcolm.  

Tomorrow, all the girls are going shopping and I'm really excited. I'm hoping to find some cute clothes (on sale) for my senior portraits (which will be taken by the lovely Sara Gatlin. If you don't know her, you should. Her page on Facebook is Sara Gatlin Photography. Go find out what you're missing!!)

I'm gonna call it a night.

Anchors aweigh

Emily Anne

Tomorrow's the day!

Tomorrow's the day folks. I've got my skis and boots rented and my lift ticket (well, actually I have to get that tomorrow but..) and now all I have to do is get some sleep! I'm so excited to get out on the slopes, but I will admit that I am a little nervous. In my mind, I have it pictured as a fawn learning to walk. I just hope I don't look like that. 

I didn't post yesterday because I didn't really have much to tell about. I stayed at the condo and did homework but I slept the majority of the time. Not much happened. But, Monday night we went to a restaurant called Mi Casa and had dinner. I had a very delicious hamburger and some queso. :) 

Anyway, so today, I decided that I did not want to be alone all day, considering that yesterday when my family got home they really just wanted to sleep and be on their ipads. So, I made the decision to go out to town and explore. I put on my boots and went out!

Breckenridge is a very cute little town. It's still Christmas here. There are a lot of street lights still wrapped in tinsel and garland, but even though it's March, I like it! It's snowy and fits perfectly. But it's a good thing they're not playing Christmas music still, I must admit. I believe this town has more dogs than it knows what to do with! I think every other person was walking a dog..

It was a beautiful day so I walked to town very leisurely and stopped in a couple of stores before I actually made it to the main street of the town. I've been coming here as long as I can remember so I know my way around pretty well, if I say so myself. 

My afternoon was very calm. I got my best friend a souvenir and I got myself a t-shirt that I really like. :) While I was walking back to the condo, though, I had a pain in my heel and when I got home I realized that I got myself a pretty bad blister. Yuck! I've bandaged it up with Neosporin and a band-aid, so hopefully it'll heel some over night. Pun intended. ;)

Well, like I said earlier, I'll be going out on the slopes tomorrow. I would appreciate some prayers while I'm out there! Thursday I'll be going shopping so even if my knee starts hurting I'll have another day to rest before our half day on Friday. Then we'll pack it up and head home. 

Here are some pictures for y'all from today!

Here's the view of the slopes from town.

I'm not sure why I took this picture.

These cute bears are salt and pepper shakers :) (they're magnetized)

This was part of my route. Like I said, beautiful day!

Hope I make it tomorrow!
Anchors aweigh
Emily Anne

Altitude is killer...

FACT: Breckenridge's top elevation is 12, 998 feet.
FACT: Mississippi's top elevation is 807 feet.

I can't breathe. 

Moving on. Today we made it safely to Colorado. Yay for us! 

Today was day light savings and this happens every year, but we always stop right before we make it to New Mexico that Saturday night (or sometimes Sunday morning) and it's always the day before day light savings. Well, what really happens for us is, we wake up in central time and then cross into mountain time and delay the loss of an hour for another week :) Whoo!

I usually take a nap when we get back on the motor home to go, and today was no exception. I fell asleep around 8 and woke up at 8, but I got an hour of sleep. It was a bit startling though to check the time and find it exactly where I left it. I made time stand still. How awesome? ;)

I woke up to realize that the usual road that we ride on was iced over so we had to take a detour so our trip was prolonged a little bit. No big deal though.

I found it kind of strange though that it was more snowy in some places in New Mexico than in Colorado. Oh, well. There's plenty of snow here. My family will have a great time skiing tomorrow.

As for me, I'll be sittin' tomorrow out, but I've got plenty to do. I've got a Dave Ramsey book to read and a whole chapter of Español homework to do.. Yay for Spring Break. Haha.

Anchors aweigh
Emily Anne

First traveling day

So, today was our first traveling day. We take a motor home, which to me, is half the fun. I get to see part of the country that I live in and at least once a year. Now, admittedly, Texas is the hardest part of our drive. There’s no service, nothing but the same scenery and cows. Lots of cows. Except today, I’m pretty sure we saw some dormant volcanoes. I’ve actually been in one in New Mexico, but that’s a different story. 

Today was different than last year in a lot of ways. Last year, when we had made to Louisiana, we blew a tire or two.. I think. It took hours for us to finally get back on the road. But, today we’re WAY ahead of schedule, especially compared to last year. As I’m writing this, we have maybe about 40 minutes till we’re done traveling for the day, then we get to sleep and stay in the same spot for a couple hours until we’re up early to go again. 

One more thing about today, though, that made me smile. We went through a pretty surprising hail storm. But at the end we saw a beautiful, full rainbow. Which only reminds me, naturally, of God’s promise to himself. 

Genesis 8:21 “And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.” (ESV)

Noah is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Now, I haven’t read the whole thing but for whatever the reason, God’s placed this story in my heart :). 

If some of y’all are wondering about my knee, it did fine until maybe 5 o’clock today. I took some advil and I think it kicked in eventually but I had to do some rearranging in the motor home. Also, I’ve slept a lot today. I took like two naps. It was fantastic :). I also played hearts with some family members. The first round was pretty funny because my dad lost and this is his game. 

I know that I posted yesterday and this isn’t going to be a journal or diary or anything. I just have plenty of time to think and write while we’re on the road. But this won’t probably be a regular habit. It won’t be for sure during the summer. Anyway, we’re very close to our hotel, so...

Anchors aweigh

Emily Anne 

P.S. When we got to our hotel, we were put up in room 418... We didn't know where to go.... 

Beginnings

Hi there! So, my name is Emily Anne. If my name doesn't give it away, I'm from Mississippi. I love being from the South and I embrace my Southern accent :). I tend to be an introvert at heart, but I enjoy people's company and my favorite thing is telling corny jokes. Anyway, so this blog... I've been contemplating this for a couple of months now. I think writing would be very useful to me. You see, I have insomnia, for about 4 years now as of today, and I occassionaly get to thinking so I'm going to put my thoughts up for anyone to read.

Speaking of thinking, I'll give you an explanation for my title. Besides the whole I think they're very cute thing, arrows and anchors have symbolic meanings too. A long time ago, the fastest thing on this planet was an arrow. Arrows symbolize thought. Thought is faster than just about anything even still today. I am very much a thinker. I can think about things for so long before I actually do something. To give you an example, I love singing, but I don't like singing in front of people. Well, this year I did the variety show at my school and I sang, but the only reason I was okay with doing it is because I had been thinking about it since July.

 As for anchors, I cannot explain my obsession, but they, too, carry meaning. I have a painting above my bed that says "Grace is an ocean,  and we're all sinking" painted on top of an anchor. My best friend painted it for me and I love it. It matches my room and of course there's an anchor on it :). In the first century, Christians were persecuted for their beliefs and the anchor became a secret symbol for Christians who loved to worship, even if it cost them their lives. Hebrews 6:19 says, "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain," (ESV) This reminds me that Christ is my anchor and I have hope.

This blog I'm not entirely sure what it will be used for and I don't want to give it a definition straight away, but I hope that it could be useful to someone, if not, maybe it'll still be useful to me.

Tomorrow, I'm leaving on a week long skiing trip. For those of you who know me, this may be a little difficult (if not dangerous) simply because I have strained my knee, or more precisely, a ligament or two. I may skip a few days, but I'm still going. I absolutely love Breckenridge. I'll have plenty of time to blog while I'm away so I hope to have some of my writings read.

Till next time-anchors aweigh!
Emily Anne