Is it possible to completely fall in love with Autumn even more as the years pass? I swear that the trees look even more amazing than they ever have before. They are literally every amazing color imgainable, and paint every street with their fantastic leaves. I love it! I'm pretty sure that everytime my mom and I are driving somewhere, these fabulous leaves are usually brought up somewhere in out daily conversation. When Summer comes along, it's pretty bad in California. Well, at least for us it is. You can't even manage to go outside for a couple of minutes without breaking into a sweat. However, all of the other seasons make up for it, especially the transition for Summer to Fall. I am completely in love with God's handiwork.

Also, we have been recieving rain! YES! I'm pretty sure every flower and tree around here is glorifying God's name (they probably do that all the time though) because of this wet Autumn. We humans are too. It is awesome to the extreme. I'm pretty sure the first time it rained, everyone just went outside to feel that cold water splash on them and hit the cement. So great. And now, we are even getting more rain for the coming week. I'm excited and honestly, which is a little surprising, am not dreading the drive to school through it. I can't believe I just typed that, but it's true! Getting out of my car and walking to my class in the rain is a completely different story. Oh man, changing subjects.

My dad is getting eye surgery next week. We are all (meaning my mom and I, my brother seems to be indifferent) are completely worried. We have heard all of these horror stories about people have lost their eyesight completely from laser eye surgery, and it's as if we already are seeing him blind. I've just been praying constantly but my mom is in full freak out mode. When I tell her everything will be okay, she calms down for a moment and says, "Yes, you're right. He won't listen to us anyway if we tell him not to do it so we'll just pray for him." Moments later: "BUT WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG?! I can't believe he's going through with this!" My past few days in a nut shell. You guys, keep my papa bear in your prayers. I have faith that God will be with him but we need all the support.

By the way, have any of you seen Anne of Green Gables? Oh man. I can absolutely say it is one of my favorites. Most of you probably recognize the title or read the book, but man the movie is great. It's one of those old fashioned type of films that just makes you smile. After you see it, everytime you think about carrots you'll start giggling.

Alright time to speed on away. Cinnamon rolls are in the oven and I have a feeling they are going to turn out awesome.

Always,
Tabs

 
Good morning world! Here I am, lying in bed and munching on apple sauce. It's a beautiful start to the day, other than the fact that I'm having horrible cramps and I feel like screaming. I might just curl up into a ball for the rest of the day and watch every movie known to mankind. However, that probably won't be a realistic option so I will just have to grit my teeth and take deep breathes instead. Also, more applesauce might be involved but that has yet been determined.

Do people actually have mornings like the ones they portray in movies? They seem so much better than the ones that are going on now. The guy wakes up to find his wife happily cooking in the kitchen, they kiss, exchange overly excited, "Good Morning Sweetheart!," and then he reads the paper as she brings him a plate chalked full of bacon and eggs. Nowadays, it's more like they both wake up, check their cell phones, return emails, ask each other as to when they will be home and whose turn it is to pick up the kids from school, munch on a price of toast (if there's time), an run out the door in a rush.

I have to admit that I miss spending time with my entire family, especially in the mornings. My brother is usually knocked out, my dad might be watching tv or wandering outside, and with my mom it varies. Sometimes we have time to say a morning prayer together which is amazing, don't get me wrong, but everything just seems pretty detached in this day and age.

Let's pray that we don't get attached to the chaos that's going on around us and in our lives, and that we can have at least a little bit of time to bring our families closer together. Also, more importantly, closer to God. Pray with your kids before you head out the door or if you're in a rush, say a prayer in the car. I remember when I was small that if I couldn't pray at home with my mom, we would pray together while we walked to school. I didn't understand why it was so important to pray then before leaving, but now I realize that my mom wanted God to protect me while I was gone. It's a wonderful thing to teach your children. It's an even greater thing to pray with the entire family. I know I don't have my own family yet so don't hold that against me, but I'm just speaking what I think would be best. God bless you guys and your entire familias!

I still haven't finished my little cup of applesauce, you see what blogging does to me? It looks so intimidating I might not even finish it. Anyway, have a wonderful rest of the morning and a fantastic afternoon that is to come! Also, Happy Autumn!

Always,
Tabs <3
 
That's my papa bear with his incredibly amazing snowman. I remember this picture so very well. I can't remember where it was taken since I was pretty small, but I remember that artifully crafted block of frozen water.

We decided to go skiing that day. Well actually, better yet said, we decided to go sliding on those UFO looking disks down an incredibly steep and dangerous hill. Even though I believe I only went halfway down it, it was fun. There were no broken bones involved or fractured ankles, so it had been a good day. My dad started making that snowman soon after we had arrived and he left me in my brothers care. Every time we passed by him, that snowman kept taking its shape even more. Then later, he had finally finished it and there was only one word to describe it: AWESOME. It also just so happened that some sort of news network happened to be there and he made it in TV, which was completely cool for a little kid like me.

What's one of your best memories?

Tabs <3
 
I have started my second year of college and it's already stressing me out. You know what the best part is? I only have a total of three classes. I'm lame, right? What's most likely stressing me out is the amount of reading each one of them has. I would probably be going insane if I had to do all the actual reading from all three, which means that I'm most likely going to need to drop my first class at least. I mentioned this to my mom, who was alright with it and understood. Then I mentioned it to my dad. That did NOT go very well.

Each semester last year I only took two classes, so four classes in total. I was fine with it since it wasn't at all overwhelming and I didn't feel like I was going to explode from stress like most college students do. However, my dad was upset and wanted me to take more classes this year. I did as I was told and grabbed three (which really isn't that much more but that's a lot considering how packed our school is) and when I saw the amount of assigned reading, I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. In my first class the professor is amazing, but the way he grades and the way his class is set up is just strange so I thought I could drop it and just sick with the other two. But! Then there is the expectations of my father who got irritated to no end when I told him of this sudden change of events. Now I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I either stick with all of my classes and just take a lot of deep breathes, or I drop Anthropology and sigh with relief while my dad shakes his head.

I don't like this.

Other than this dilemma, life is going day-to-day. The only thing I can do is pray and hope for the best in everything. May God give me, and everyone else, large amounts of strength to make it through this life as best as we can. Time to try and relax for a while before heading off to church tonight. Have a wondering evening!

Tabs <3
 
Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.


Tuesday night at church was absolutely wonderful. I can't even begin to describe how many tears were shed and how amazingly our hearts were lifted in a matter of two hours. God can do fabulous things and He has proven that to us many times. Sometimes we forget though and nights like that, when the power of the Holy Spirit overcomes everyone, it reminds us just how powerful He is and how much closer we need to get to Him.

A couple of members from our church sang a song called "A Inviat" or translated as "He is Risen." The lyrics of the song spoke about how Mary found the tomb empty and then how she ran to tell the rest of the disciples what she had seen. That honestly had me thinking of how tense that moment was. I was imagining the look their faces as she told them how Jesus had risen from the grave and just thinking about how shaken she had been. I mean, just think about it. Learning that your Savior, the one whom you had mourned over for being put on the cross, was being proclaimed at not being dead anymore. It's really bringing tears to my eyes. What an amazing moment!

I can't wait until He comes back. I can't wait until He calls my name to leave this earth and to go with Him forever more. He deserves all of our glory and praise. We are absolutely nothing compared to Him and we don't deserve anything. 

Have a wonderful day,
Tabs <3
 
Here are just a few of the things I'm thinking about at this very second. Maybe I can try to brighten up your day with my thought process so here it goes.

1. I really think my cat is one of my biggest fans. I mean, she gets way more excited to see me every day and that honestly makes me feel incredibly special. I don't know if this is good or bad. What I do know is bad though is that I found a flee on her the other day. This needs to be taken of immediately or our daily hugs will need to cease.

2. The sprinklers are being left on way to long. If they don't turn off soon, we might have a swimming pool in our front yard tomorrow morning. Which actually wouldn't be a bad thing.

3. Yesterday I killed a spider the size of my thumb while my mom and I were clearing out a bush in our front yard. She bravely killed about four other black widows just as big but mine was different. It was bright red and had a huge white stomach. I didn't know whether to squeal with terror or smack it repeatedly with the broom I was holding. So I did both.

4. An episode of "Opening Act" was on TV today. It was surprisingly good. Tears might have been involved.

5. My brother came home this afternoon and didn't say a word to me. Then, a little later, he walks over and drops a tiny box of candy right next to me. I smiled.

6. I hate it when I walk into the kitchen and I step on something either squishy or just crumbs from food on the floor. I don't know why that triggers just a reaction of wanting to barf, scream, and be angry all at the same time. Thankfully I restrain from doing all of those things but it's a huge annoyance to me. The kitchen is almost always like that first thing in the morning. Has anyone invented a self-cleaning floor yet?

7. God is truly amazing.

Have a wonderful night,
Tabs <3
 
Happy Independence Day everyone! May God bless you all and stay safe. Light a firework for me and runaway screaming at the top of your lungs. Or, if some of you are actually staying at home like I am and are doing nothing, then high five.

As always,
Tabs <3
 
Weebly has unfortunately made some changes. Apparently they've gone all fancy shmancy so I'm trying to figure things out all over again. My laptop is having internet connection issues so I'm bombarding my parents computer. I'm waiting to be called to help with some BBQing that's going on and am also wondering how to sell my old math book online since I'm done with it. Any takers? No? I thought so. This post might be a little short. 

Speaking of short, this life is particularly very short. Practically as short as your pinky nail. In this regard, if your pinky nail is unusually long, then it's as short as your attention span towards someone telling you a story about their grocery shopping trip. That's how short it is. Isn't that just insane? I keep seeing all these kids and teens posting stuff that says you need to take advantage of every moment (that is true) and be crazy (that is NOT true). If people ran around being crazy everyday, this world would be much more chaotic than it already is. All of this "YOLO" business is making me feel like punching something, and I'm not usually a violent person. Yes, you only live once. But! And it's a big but. You need to take care of the way you live it. 

Here's the part where you contemplate what I just said. And here, I'll say it again: take care of the way you live your life.

We need to be able to live with the intent of being able to live another day. We need to be able to wake up each morning and automatically say out loud, "Lord, thank you so much for helping me wake up again!" instead of "Man, I can't remember anything that happened yesterday." What we say and what we do represents us. So please, live your lives carefully. Live it for God. Live it with the Bible in your heart. Take care of yourself and have fun at the same time. Live with good intentions.

I hope you guys heed my words and also have a wonderful day! Time to go munch and smile the afternoon away.

Tabs <3


 
My first year of college is OVER! Albeit I didn't take very many classes due to the crushing amount of new people whom, if I do say so myself, have no idea how to park, but I finished. I passed my Nutrition class with an A and only by the grace of God was I able to get a B in my Psychology class. I was literally ready to cry and laugh with happiness at the same time when I saw my final grades. I intend to dump all of that work from both classes into the trash. Possibly even burn it and run it through a paper shredder but that's still debateable.

Alright so college is over for now. It's about 95 degrees outside. The neighbors kids are swimming in mini plastic pools with water wings. I've already scorched the bottom of my feet from walking barefoot on hot cement. The ice cream man is raging down our streets at full speed. The Sandlot will be watched repeatedly and soon people will start quoting to one another "You're killing me Smalls!" Do you know what all of this means? That's right! Wait, no. You're wrong. Guess again. What? No. French fries have nothing whatsoever to do with this. My goodness. Alright, well maybe they do a little bit. Okay I'll tell you. Summer is here.

I'm pretty sure every school kid in America is joyous over this, even the ones who work. You get to take a few deep breathes, realize that you have a couple of months off to recharge your batteries, and then soak in swimming pool for hours on end. Throw in some BBQ in that picture and you have yourself a deal. It's one of those tims of the year where kids can just relax.

Don't get me wrong, summer is nice. But I already miss the 70 degree wonderful stuff. That's probably due to the fact that we haven't had much rain or cold  weather in the first place. We've had a couple of storms, but nothing like previous years. We're actually short on water and on coldness. I like wearing a light coat and walking around through the crisp air. Just the thought of peeling off clothes in the blazing heat just to cool off isn't fun, especially when you're still hot after all of that. Not everyone owns a pool and for some people, including me, the closest you're going to come to swimming is sitting on your sprinkler. Gas costs high money these days so heading to the lake is more costly. This summer is going to be one mostly spent at home, in the AC, watching reruns of Say Yes to the Dress, and praying for a sudden $2.00 drop in gas prices.

For everyone else that's going travelling and having some fun in the sun, smile a ton for me also! Build a sand castle and get sun burnt. Really sun burnt. Splash in the water like a little 5-year-old and swing into a river off of a rope swing. Ride a roller coaster (just don't puke). Eat a 12-inch corndog. But of course, most of all, never let God escape your thoughts. Take Him everywhere you go because He is your light and the love that shines through you. Look to Him for every single decision. Have fun, but have fun in a way that pleases God.

On that note, I'll let you all enjoy the rest of this wonderful day. God bless you all! Wear your sunglasses outside and don't forget to put on sunscreen.

Love,
Tabs <3
 
My mom and I before my cousins wedding, when they were taking pictures. I don't remember anything from the actual wedding since I fell asleep throughout it, but I do  remember what mostly happened before it. My dress looked pretty. My hair was basically a golden color from sun exposure. Until then, I never knew what a "plantain" was and that they were the grosest thing know to mankind. We ate pizza day and I can remember trying to balance myself as I tried walking along the curb of the sidewalk. I was tired due to the long day that followed after being awakened that morning. The bride and groom looked beautiful. To this day, I still love them both. Now that I look back, I'm wondering why in the world I ever wore those shoes with that dress. However, throughout all the good memories that took place on that day, there will be one that will be imprinted in my mind way more than the rest.

I got bit by a squirrel at that park.

-Tabs <3