2013: My year in review

I'll just be honest -- 2013 was NOT the best year of my life. It was really hard at times, and there were some difficult situations. But - I did learn a lot, and I felt like I had a lot of fantastic opportunities. Here are the highlights of my year, including fun events, memories, and some quotes... (there are some things that I'm not including because they're, you know, weird):

Kansas City tournament - first tournament of the year! 

Debated Rachel and Merrill in quarterfinals... annnnd lost.

I did place 2nd in Extemp, which I was really excited about, due to the fact that it was my very first time trying extemp. :)

 ~*~

 Feb. 5, after having a difficult day, I wrote in my journal: "Why dwell on the past when there's a future to look forward to?"

 ~*~

And then the Lincoln tournament.

John is a ladies' man. :)

 The "chain of love".

My super fantastic debate partner!

After the tournament, we went out to eat at Olive Garden... which ended up being one of the most fun nights of the entire year.

 ~*~

School: I did well in all my classes, but Chemistry proved to be one of the most entertaining classes, since people slept a lot, we wrote a lot of stories (one where I died from a drug overdose...), and drew funny pictures.

~*~

March 22. Annie chatted me and told me that she wanted to do speech and debate... and now she is!

~*~

Omaha tournament... aka the "Cake-walk qualifier" :P

Before the tournament, I received an encouraging email from my dear friend, Ellen: "This is one tournament. Three days, and three days only of your life. The awards you win here will eventually be forgotten. Even some of the friends too, will someday walk out of your life. But the steps you take on your walk with God, those steps you take towards the foot of the cross... the steps you are going to take the next few days are important in a way that you don't know that they are. So be careful where you step."

^^wise words.

Debated these guys in semifinals!

 Annnnd, made it to finals in debate for the first time!

~*~

Participated in the pro-life speech contest and got 1st and won $400. Jake got 2nd, Merrill got 3rd. After I had given my speech, I sat back down, and Merrill leaned over and said to me, "Jake and I want you for president..."

 

~*~

Made phone calls for something -- can't remember what (city council or something)-- with the Gages, and Hudson, and I think Nate and Tony were there too. Sam and I wrote notes to each other, but that ended when John grabbed the notebook we were writing in and started shredding what we were saying. 

~*~

Regionals - this was an adventure. Had a blast talking each night with my debate friends in the hotel. We had some people sing in our debate round (it's not against the rules...), and I had a fun time swinging (there was a swing set out behind the church). It's not often that you find a group of high schoolers, dressed in full suits, trying to see who can swing the highest. 

Had fun with this little man. :)

Tom and I were excited. :D

After not debating Rosemary and Ellen all year long, we finally did debate them - 6th round at Regionals. And that round was intense. And our teams even matched!

Not entirely sure what this was about, but the guys were having some sort of contest to see who could get the most points by getting girls to do stuff for them... so Natalie and I decided to help Drew out by sitting by him. 

And then, after we got back from Regionals... there was snow. IN MAY. SNOW IN MAY. 

~*~

Natalie and I qualified to Nationals in debate, and we had a total blast in Oklahoma. We failed at debate, but had a good time meeting new people, including our friend, Peter, who we had met online, and had been doing some debate stuff with.

 There were some pretty cool gold mirrors on the buildings.

~*~

 

After Nationals was over, I went and spent some time at a lake with my dad's side of the family. I tried knee-boarding, water-boarding, tubing, and some other stuff that I can't remember. I built a small sand castle, and got a terrrriiiibbble sunburn.

~*~

I rogued and detasseled during the summer.

~*~

 

 Our family vacation took us to Colorado, where we climbed a mountain. It was really pretty, but I did get altitude sickness, because I had gone from 1,000 some feet, to 14,000 feet in less than 24 hours.

During this mountain climbing adventure, I also nearly died. Well, not really. But I was pretty terrified. I'm not a huge fan of walking in a ledge that is only a few feet wide, while there is a several-hundred-foot drop off directly to my left.

~*~

In October, I attended the World Food Prize conference, where I had the opportunity to discuss ways of solving world hunger with world leaders. So that was pretty cool.

The president of Iceland was there.. it's not every day that you get to see the President of Iceland. :)

~*~

On Halloween, there was a costume dance, which was really fun. I went as Miss Scarlet (from Clue). 

Some of my best friends. :)

And Hannah. She is wonderful.

~*~

The end of the year: went and saw a couple good movies (Catching Fire and The Hobbit) with friends.

~*~

One important thing I learned this year: Sometimes it's hard to forgive people, but choosing to forgive someone can repair a friendship.

Other important thing I learned: The government isn't in great condition right now... xP

Favorite verse: Psalm 139:9-10, "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

Favorite quotes: "The happy life which all men desire cannot be reached by any who does not cleave with a pure and holy love to that one supreme good, the unchangeable God." -Saint Augustine, The City of God

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles." - Audrey Hepburn 

Anyways. 2014 is approaching quickly, and I am really excited to start a new year. Hopefully I learn more this next year, have even more opportunities, make better decisions than I did this year, and I also hope the government gets itself straightened out (doubtful).

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned."

-Isaiah 9:2

Joseph

Whenever I hear the Christmas story, the emphasis always seems to be on Mary and, of course, Jesus. And that's fine... that's really good, actually. But let's not forget Joseph. Now, Joseph certainly ISN'T the focus of the Christmas story, nor should he be. But this Christmas season, Joseph has really stuck out to me. Not really sure why, just something about him. He has a cool story, I guess. He was destined to be married to Mary... then things kinda went wrong and he found out that she was pregnant-- and he wasn't the father. Whoops. That must have been heartbreaking for him. And yet, he didn't get really angry and want to kill Mary or anything... he wanted to divorce her quietly. And then, suddenly, one night, he has a dream and he's told that he's supposed to go ahead and take Mary as his wife because her baby is the SON OF GOD. Whoa. I don't know about you, but when I have dreams... I don't usually follow them. But Joseph knew that he was supposed to follow this dream, and so, in faith, he took Mary as his wife. And then there was a census, so with a pregnant wife, Joseph took a trip to Bethlehem. I'm guessing it was kinda stressful, seeing as how Mary was about ready to have that special baby. To make things harder, when Joseph and Mary got to Bethlehem, there was NO ROOM FOR THEM. I bet Joseph was starting to get a little panicked... but then an innkeeper found a place for them where he kept his animals -- probably a cave or something. It  must have been a relief to have some place to stay, but then the baby itself came. I'm kind of doubting that this was an easy birth, or that there was a midwife or something to help the deliver the baby. There was probably lots of blood, and Mary was probably in a lot of pain, and Joseph probably delivered the baby. Anyways, after the baby was born, things settled down, right? Not really. Herod decided to kill all the little baby boys... so Joseph took his family and FLED to Egypt... then later brought them back. And then he took care of his family, and helped to raise Jesus.

Joseph wasn't just a background character to the Christmas story or the life of Jesus. Joseph was there to support Mary, to support their family, and to be an earthly father to Jesus. I think what stands out to me most about Joseph is his faith. Because of a dream, he believed that the child within Mary WAS the son of God, and he had enough faith to go ahead and take her for his wife and care for her. When he was told (in a dream) to take Mary and Jesus and go to Egypt, he had faith that they would be protected there. He had faith that what God was doing was an important plan, and Joseph had faith that God would accomplish it.

December 12

So, tonight I was really mad. Really mad. I was ready to kill several people. I was almost in tears driving home because I was so mad. People just get to me sometimes. So anyways, there I was being really mad and I walked into our house, slammed the door, and just wanted to be alone. So I started walking through the house. And then I stopped at our nativity set. Surrounded by Christmas lights, there was baby Jesus right in the center of it all, with Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the kings all standing in awe of that little boy, who was born in a humble stable, yet who was the Savior of the whole. entire. UNIVERSE. And I stopped. And suddenly.... everything about the Christmas story hit me. I think that my life is SO hard, because people tease me about people, or because people make me mad. But then there was Mary. Imagine the shame of being pregnant and not being married. Wow. I bet people talked behind her back a lot. And she was able to deal with it. And how about Joseph? He was a good man, ready to be married... oops, his bride-to-be is pregnant, and not by him. Holy crap, that must have been hard. And then Mary had to give birth in a STABLE. Surrounded by animals, in the dirt, and the straw, all of that, and I bet that it sure as hell wasn't easy. And yet, here I am, complaining about my own life. I think that my life is so hard. But the struggles that I experience in my life are NOTHING compared to what Mary, Joseph, and Jesus went through. Stop complaining, Anne.

Ardis

After having a long day yesterday, the last thing I wanted to do today was leave my house to go anywhere... I was tired, and I had stuff to do. But because I had won an award after entering a contest offered by the VFW, my mom was requiring me to go to a VFW post and give a speech that I had written about America for some veterans and some other teachers.... so I somewhat grudgingly went. I got there, gave my little speech thing (as did some other students), then my mom and I sat down at a table for lunch. A teacher walked over and asked if she could sit with us. We said "sure, of course". 

And that is how my mom and I met Ardis. I don't know her last name, but I do know that Ardis is her first name. She was probably in her mid-50's, had shoulder-length blonde hair, and was one of the sweetest people to talk to. We talked to her, and she gradually started to tell us about herself. Her husband died last year, she currently has two sons... and, oh, her dad was a WWII veteran. My mom asked, "Wow, that's interesting... where was he stationed?" Ardis replied, "Well, he was in Germany... he was actually one of the people who first went to start releasing people from concentration camps. He wouldn't talk about it until years later." <-- so that was cool/interesting.

Anyways, she kept telling us about her life and what she does, and she told us that she's a very dedicated Christian, and she teaches 3rd graders in a public school. She said, "I'm not really supposed to do this, but I try to include the Bible whenever I can in my class. I paraphrase the verses from Proverbs and call them 'thoughts for the day', and make the kids learn them. I encourage the kids to bring their Bibles for 'free-reading' time. And they do! Some of the teachers who know what I do joke about how I'll probably end up fired because I just CANNOT keep my mouth shut about Jesus!"

And then she wanted to know about me, and my plans, and where I wanted to go to college. I told her I was interested in a conservative college up in Michigan, because I wanted to study politics... either that or I would go to UNL. She said to me, "Oh, I LOVE conservative colleges. They give great opportunities at colleges like that. But you know what? I think you would do really well at UNL too. UNL has its flaws... but I think that YOU would shine there. I think you would change people... I think that you could show them Jesus. Just something to think about."

^^And that, right there, ladies and gentlemen... is why my heart is no longer completely set on Hillsdale.

I've been thinking all afternoon about what Ardis said. She was just a normal person who sat down with my mom and me. And yet... I learned so much from her, even in the short time we had with her. She was extraordinary, in her own way. And even though I originally didn't want to go to that event this afternoon... I am SO glad I did. Ardis made it worth it. I can honestly say that I was blessed by her today. :)

Untitled

We have to face our demons before we can conquer them.

December 1st

This morning in church, we sang Christmas songs with our pipe organ. So heart-warming. :)

This afternoon, we decorated our house with Christmas things....

.... and sang along to some Bing Crosby. (the holiday season isn't complete without Bing Crosby).

Christmas is approaching quickly, and I'm loving every moment. This is the most wonderful time of the year!

A short summary of my thoughts - November edition

I've decided that November is a good month for thinking. Well, every month is good for thinking, but this November has been especially good.

I've been thinking about a lot, but here's a short clip of what my main thoughts have been this month:

I don't like it when people say that they are a disaster. God doesn't make disasters. Yeah, okay, sometimes our lives are pretty messed up. We are BROKEN people, living in a BROKEN world, with our BROKEN lives. Our lives are a  complete mess, everything is in pieces. BUT-- if we let Him, God takes those pieces and He puts them together and forms something even more beautiful. And it's not a disaster, it's a masterpiece.

a thought from a wednesday afternoon

I was cleaning up some stuff in my room today, and I came across old notes and stories written with my friends from last year.

I stopped what I was doing and read through all of them. 

Ahhh, the feels. 

Stories written with John, Josh, Nate, and Natalie during Chemistry class. 

Notes with Natalie and Ellen. 

Quotes from debate tournaments. 

Little memories.

It's the little things, the little memories, the little words and actions that people say or do that make my life so memorable. There are big events that are certainly important, but it's the little events... like laughing so hard that I can't breathe... talking until really late with friends just 'cause we can... debate tournaments... that make this a good life.

Veterans' Day

I would like to give a big THANK YOU to all the veterans who have served the United States. Over the years, I have grown to appreciate more and more everything that they have done for this country. They have fought and defended this country, our Constitution, and our rights – and for that I will be eternally grateful. Because of what they have done, I am able to live here in America, a country where we can be free. Veterans have inspired me to stand up for my beliefs and to defend the rights that I have, because if we do not defend our Constitution and our rights, then the sacrifices that they all made will be for nothing.

I would like to give special thanks to my dad, who served as a navigator in the U.S. Navy for 4 years. My dad has been such a role model to me and hearing about his time in the navy has been inspiring and has made me more thankful for veterans. I’m proud to call him my hero.

(One of my favorite pictures of my dad... while on his ship in the Navy) 

“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” —Elmer Davis

*SCREAMS*

Dear Huskers,

THANK YOU.

Four seconds left in the game, and the Huskers throw a Hail Mary and it's caught, and we win.

I am so proud to be a Husker fan right now, I think I might die.

GO BIG RED.

Proud to be an American

As many of you know, last week I attended an International conference in Iowa about world hunger. It was a great experience, but what stuck with me the most was not what the speakers said, but the conversations that I had with people. There were students there who had traveled from all over the world and I tried to talk to them as much as I could. 

I talked to a kid from China about China’s strict rules and laws. It was interesting but also terrifying.

I talked to a kid from South Africa about the extreme racial issues still in South Africa today.

I talked to a kid from Mexico about the mess that Mexico is in because of corruption.

And you know what? After talking to them all and spending time thinking about it, I realized how grateful I am to be here in the United States. We are the wealthiest people in the world, we have food to eat, clothes to wear, technology, and we don’t have a whole lot of strict regulations. Yes, our government has problems... it’s not perfect. BUT… compared to all those other places around the world, we are SO well off. I tend to get upset with the government a lot because they keep passing laws that infringe on the rights of Americans. But when I do get mad at the government, I tend to overlook and not be grateful the freedom that we still DO have. Compared to other countries we are so BLESSED to have the freedom and rights that we do have and we are also blessed to live in a country where corruption and bad leaders aren't NEARLY as bad as they are other places. People are equal here and we have the liberty to do almost anything that we want to. And I think that’s pretty amazing. 

After hearing about what it’s like in other countries, I have a much greater appreciation for my country, America. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

God bless the U.S.A.

Wait on the Lord

Sometimes God speaks to me from the most unlikely places. Today, in my English class, we were reading through something in the textbook and there was a devotion from Charles Spurgeon in the textbook. The teacher asked me to read it. 

Wait on the Lord

Psalms 27:14

"It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, but simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God, and spread the case before him; tell him your difficulty, and plead his promise of aid. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is sweet to be humble as a child, and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly, and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God. But wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting, is but an insult to the Lord. Believe that if he keep you tarrying even till midnight, yet he will come at the right time; the vision shall come and shall not tarry. Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because you are under the affliction, but blessing your God for it. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses; never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will, but thine be done. I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities, but I will wait until thou shalt cleave the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon thee alone, O God, and my spirit waiteth for thee in the full conviction that thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower.""

^^^All of that really spoke to me. I like to be in control and I like to have things when I want them. I am not patient. Oftentimes, instead of waiting for God's will, I just try to get done what I think is best for me. it's all about me. Me, me, me. There are times when I couldn't care less what God's plan is. But that is not ok-- I should learn to wait for GOD to do what is best for me. Because He knows what's best, and He also has a master plan in mind. :) 

::determined::

Sometimes, people try to destroy my dreams.

But every time someone tries to do that, I just become more determined to achieve my dreams and make them reality.

A little thought on prayer

In church today, we sang the hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus". A few of the lines in particular I really liked and have been thinking about this afternoon.

"What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer! "

and then also:

"Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer."

"Carry everything to God in prayer." "Take it to the Lord in prayer." Prayer. I think we often underestimate the power that prayer has. When we are down, when we are depressed, when we are at our worst and we feel like no one in the entire world can help us or understand what we're feeling.... we should take it to God. Lay our troubles, our burdens, our worries, our sins, our grief, everything at His feet and simply say "Help me." We cannot face the trials in this life alone because we will not succeed. But with God's help -- if we seek Him out, if we give him everything that we have, and if we pray to Him.... then, and only then, will we survive the battle. With Him as our captain, and us following Him as soldiers, we will have victory.

When life gets hard.

If there's one thing, ONE THING, that life has taught me, it would be this--

When life gets too hard to stand... KNEEL.

For me, that would be every single hour of every day. Ok, maybe not physically on my knees all the time... but mentally, constantly surrendering my life and what I do to Christ. Because without Him life IS too hard to stand.

I can change the world

Today, I feel like I can change the world.

Today, I am going to change the world. Changing the world starts with having an impact - even if it's only affecting one person. And I know I can do that.

Tomorrow, I'm going to do even more to change the world.

In a month, I'll meet with world leaders to discuss ways to change the world. No really. I will.

In a year... who knows where I'll be? But I hope I'm doing something to change the world, leave an impact, and make the world a better place.

Sometimes I think that I can't do anything to improve the world until I'm older, when I have more influence. But that's not true. I can improve the world right now. Maybe it means telling someone that I love them, to help them have a better day. Maybe it's buying some chocolate for my friend who needs some cheering up. Maybe it means volunteering somewhere. There are so many things that I can do to improve the world. And even though my impact may start out small, it can grow. And it will.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

 -Anne Frank