upward focused.

I haven't talked about my plan for the next 10 days much because I wasn't exactly sure I was going to go until yesterday.. BUT Everything worked out. I finished what I needed to. I got my shifts at work covered. Which means...I'm going on a road trip! People : Arthur, his friend Taylor, and his girlfriend Erika and her brother. Duration : 10 Days. States : 13 of em'! Reason :  To pick up Erika, who is moving here for the summer.  Their story is adorable, and so are they.  Long story short, they have been in a long distance relationship for about 1.5 years and the longest time they have spent together is a little more than a week.  And now they get a whole summer! Our plan is to fly to New York TONIGHT ( red eye ) and go to Taylor's girlfriends parent's house.  We will spend two nights in NY and then start our road trip back to Eugene.  We got a car which means 5 people..in a 5 person car.  Comfortable, right?! I'm not exactly sure where ...

I am the type of person to get really stressed over practically anything. If my room is messy... I'll get stressed. If I ordered the wrong food, I'll get stressed..(no, really. It's ridiculous , I know.) I allow myself to get so overwhelmed with everyday life, and worldly/selfish ambitions that I become so preoccupied with the current situation, and it doesn't allow me to focus on the one who can sustain me and give me a peace that surpasses all understanding.  When I get stressed, it's as if I am telling God I don't trust in His plan. We are called to rejoice in tribulation, because it builds character. We are not to get stressed in situations, which overtakes our joy and the ability to joyfully praise God, which we are called to do. The Bible doesn't tell us to rejoice once or twice, it tells us to rejoice ALWAYS. Through everything. That means even through "stressful" situations. And I am not saying that when I order the wrong food it is a ...

Before I went to Spain I was a very picky eater.  I would eat the foods I knew I liked, and I never really eat outside of the bun box.  In Spain, I lived in a homestay with a Spanish family.  They were fantastic, but knew little English.. which wasn't too big of a dilemma because I can converse well in Spanish. However, sometimes my Spanish mom would go on rants at lunch time and in order to understand Spanish, I would have to pay a lot of attention to what she was saying.  Sometimes my mind just wanted to relax, think about other things..  So as she rambled on, I just sat there nodding and eating and thinking about my own things.  However, often times she would talk about what we were eating, which means I would miss out on what food I was consuming.  This caused me to be not as picky, and just eat what was in front of me and try new things.   It was good! Because now I'm not very picky when it comes to food. exception: not a fan of ch...

I've  been off today.  I started the day at 5:30am, which could have been part of the problem, but the bigger issue was my MIND! I think I have figured it out.   Sometimes it's hard to rejoice with others in their successes.  Instead, we tend to get jealous. It's a very selfish dilemma.  It's easy to say "I am so happy for you!", with a fake smile on your face as you secretly wish it was you who got the A on the test, you who got the new job, you who are an expert at piano, or dancing, or singing.   Jealousy is the most uncontrollable sin.  So how do we quit?   Romans 12:15 says: Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Sure, it's inspiring to read, but when you are put in that situation, it is much easier to think that than to actually put it in action.   I was feeling down because I watch people around me excel at so many things and do well at all sorts of things but leave it to m...