Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Back from the depths of no internet life

So I think I need to explain why I have not posted in such a long time. Its quite simple really. Our router and security system for the Internet has been down and my dad just fixed it less than ten minutes ago!
Last time I tried to post (with out security not really working) our computer was attacked by a automated bug that was trying to steal information (like credit card numbers, social security info, etc...)from our hard drive! I didn't know how to stop it and my dad was only 4 minutes from home so I kept closing the boxes that popped up trying to scan our hard drive until my dad came home and shut it down. I haven't been on my blog or anything else really ever since for fear of being attacked again but now that my dad has fixed the security and our router everything is back to normal.

Well now I can talk a bit about some life news;
I got a hair trim last month. Just took 2 inches from the bottom to keep my hair from split ends, had my layers touched up and then had my side swept bangs trimmed and layered. Its kinda hard to picture (maybe i will take a pic to show ya sometime soon) but my hair is ash blonde (according to the hair samples at CVS) and it is 100% pin straight! lol I can curl my hair but its quite a task (normally takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours) and I have to use quite a bit of hairspray!

Now about Christmas;
CHRISTmas was WONDERFUL! We had both my grandparents over for dinner and then we visited and exchanged gifts! I love visiting with my grandparents and I can tell they enjoy it just as much as me. Its a shame more teens don't take the time to talk with their grandparents. They are to go go go and text text text to talk to anyone in their family. I don't text but I do see how time consuming it can become. I am not trying to lecture any of you btw but its just something that was on my mind! lol

Oh and now I can tell you about some of my gifts I received!
My parents got me the new Casting Crowns CD, lots of chocolates, bath set, and lots of other fun things.
My grandparents on my mom's side bought me a belted tunic, a black velour jacket (to go with the black velour pants i already have), a green long sleeve tee, and a really cute white/black/gray tunic for dressy parties and such.
My grandparents on my dad's side bought me a pamper kit with cozy slippers, body wash/lotion, a foot scrubber and a little shower towel and they also bought me 4 pairs of slipper socks (oh so cozy!)! lol
My brother bought me a pair of slippers that look like flats and are great for winter or summer weather.
My sister bought me a pedi/manicure kit.
My aunt and uncle bought me a super cute wallet with $5 cash inside.
My LW friends (Nicole, Tiff, Michelle and Olivia) bought me a Sanders chocolate, a cute bracelet, a Hershey bar attached to 2 candy canes to make it a sleigh, and a mini purse with a scarf inside!
My grandpa and great grandmother across the states sent me money for Christmas and I bought a super cute plaid wool coat (i will post a pic asap).
With some other Christmas cash I bought myself a super cute pair of moccasin flats from Payless.
And yesterday, for only $30 I got the LG EnV3 from Verizon!!!! I loooove the phone! It has saweet web/text/pics/video/music and anything else you could ever want in a phone! Oh and I got it in maroon color! Its sooo awesome! With the web I can go on any website I want from email and eBay to facebook and my blog! lol Can you tell I am excited!

Well I g2g make some lunch for me and my baby brother.... pb&j anyone? JK

Blessings and Joy
,
Butterfly

Monday, November 30, 2009

LAUS DEO

A bit long but an amazing read! Might count for part of your history homework if your homeschooled! lol <3>

LAUS DEO
A very interesting piece of history. Please take a minute and read on. Do you know what it means?

One detail that is never mentioned is that in Washington , D.C. there can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument.
With all the uproar about removing the ten commandments, etc., this is worth a moment or two of your time. I was not aware of this amazing historical information.On the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in Washington , D.C , are displayed two words: Laus Deo. No one can see these words. In fact, most visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even there and for that matter, probably couldn't care less.

Once you know Laus Deo 's history , you will want to share this with everyone you know. These words have been there for many years; they are 555 feet, 5.125 inches high, perched atop the monument, facing skyward to the Father of our nation, overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the District of Columbia, capital of the United States of America .Laus Deo! Two seemingly insignificant, unnoticed words. Out of sight and, one might think, out of mind, but very meaningfully placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city in the most successful nation in the world.
So, what do those two words, in Latin, composed of just four syllables and only seven letters, possibly mean? Very simply, they say ' Praise be to God!'Though construction of this giant obelisk began in 1848, when James Polk was President of the United States , it was not until 1888 that the monument was inaugurated and opened to the public. It took twenty-five years to finally cap the memorial with a tribute to the Father of our nation, Laus Deo 'Praise be to God!'From atop this magnificent granite and marble structure, visitors may take in the beautiful panoramic view of the city with its division into four major segments. From that vantage point, one can also easily see the original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles l'Enfant ..a perfect cross imposed upon the landscape, with the White House to the north. The Jefferson Memorial is to the south, the Capitol to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west.

A cross you ask? Why a cross? What about separation of church and state? Yes, a cross; separation of church and state was not, is not, in the Constitution. So, read on. How interesting and, no doubt, intended to carry a profound meaning for those who bother to notice.Praise be to God! Within the monument itself are 898 steps and 50 landings.. As one climbs the steps and pauses at the landings the memorial stones share a message.
On the 12th Landing is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore ;
on the 20th is a memorial presented by some Chinese Christians;
on the 24th a presentation made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia quoting Proverbs 10:7, Luke 18:16 and Proverbs 22:6. Praise be to God!
When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848 deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible presented by the Bible Society. Praise be to God! Such was the discipline, the moral direction, and the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President of our unique democracy 'One Nation, Under God.' I am awed by Washington 's prayer for America Have you ever read it? Well, now is your unique opportunity, so read on! ' Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large.. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.'
Laus Deo !
When one stops to observe the inscriptions found in public places all over our nation's capitol, he or she will easily find the signature of God, as it is unmistakably inscribed everywhere you look. You may forget the width and height of ' Laus Deo ', its location, or the architects but no one who reads this will be able to forget its meaning, or these words: 'Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.' (Psalm 127: 1)It is hoped you will send this to every child you know; to every sister, brother, father, mother or friend. They will not find offense, because you have given them a lesson in history that they probably never learned in school. With that, be not ashamed, or afraid, but have pity on those who will never see this because someone failed to send it on.

Enjoy,
Butterfly

Monday, November 02, 2009

4ever

Well I have a very good excuse as to why I have not posted in so long. For starters, I had been studying for my ACT test for over a month and finally took the test on October 24! I must say I am so happy to have it done already. Now I am excited to get my results!

Second, I have had on and off illnesses for two and a half weeks. It started with a small head cold (stuffy nose, sore throat, a small cough) and I had it for a bit over a week, then I got better for a while and then got almost the same cold all over again for a bit and got better and then I had the flu! Must of caught it while my immune system was still down from the other colds. Fortunately God healed me in three days (sounds familiar to another story?) and I am feeling much better today!



Other things that have been happening are a bit more exciting than my sickness. :)
I went to the Masquerade Ball a couple weekends ago with two of my best friends! I had sooo much fun! I would post pics but then you would see my face....

Anyways, I just want you all to know that we serve a WONDERFUL GOD WHO LOVES US SOOO MUCH! Sure we will have struggles and heartache but God will get us through it all!

Luv,
Butterfly

Thursday, October 08, 2009

God, prayer, discernment, college!

So you may be able to guess what I am going to talk about in this post just from my title. I know I have talked about college before but now being a senior in High School its a BIG subject in my life!

Last night I attended a College Night program to get a feel for what kind of colleges I could go to in the area where I live. Some of it was kinda depressing because I found out that if I do want to be a Pharmacist (like a FOR SURE thing... still lots of prayer going on at home) I will have to go to a University and let me tell ya they are not exactly affordable (we are talking between $16-27,000 a year!!!).

Shortly after I had arrived (I went with my wonderfully supportive father who gave me a lot of good advice of what colleges to talk to) a young woman walked up to me and my dad and asked me if she could have a couple minutes of my time.
I said OK thinking she was going to tell me something about a college she is representing but she had nothing to do with colleges.
She asked me if I could be a Christmas season model for Ambercrombie and Fitch! Now for those of you who may not know me very well, I do not support or purchase items from Ambercrombie and Fitch for several reasons, the biggest being that they have very inappropriate advertising.
I kindly told her that I am not interested and she told me that if I changed my mind, I could come in to any of their stores to sign up (like that would ever happen!).
If she had been working for American Eagle or Kohls or even JcPenneys I would have been more interested but definitely NOT for Ambercrombie and Fitch!
I was flattered though. Its funny too because my friend Nicole was just telling me the other day at LW that I could be a model too! lol
I don't think God has modeling in my future though. Besides, how can I be a light in the world as a model?

Well back to colleges.
I found out that no colleges in my state (at least that I know of) have a program to be a Pharmacist Technician so right now its either full in or nothing.
I did find out that if I do go to a college to be a pharmacist, their are 3 schools to choose from that would be best (all three are universities... go figure) one of which I would never attend just because they don't have a good reputation for their campus.
At least that narrows it down to two. One is in the heart of a not so safe city... scary thought. I am definitely leaning towards the last college which is an hour drive from where I live. The good news is that they are a bit less expensive than the others and they have a four year bachelors program to be a Pharmacist (i would list the names of the specific colleges but for safety purposes I prefer not to do so).

Since I have a 3.0 GPA I would get a scholarship of a few thousand dollars for that alone, and I can get another few thousand dollars bumped off if I score well on my ACT test on October 24 (please pray that I do well!).

But we are still talking around approximately $10-14,000 a year for college tuition!
More good news is that sometimes, pharmacy stores like CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid provide a special scholarship program where if you promise to work for them for so many years after you complete your college education, they will help you pay for your tuition!

As great as that is I still need lots of prayer that I will have discernment in choosing what to do for my college education. I am not even sure yet if it is God's will that I do become a Pharmacist.

I think not knowing God's plans is the hardest part of figuring out what to do because for me, I want God's will to be done in my life. I want to take a path that will glorify God's name, a path that will let His light shine in me!
Please pray that I will see what God's plan is for me. He may reveal the plan to me in a few weeks or maybe not until next year but as long as I find peace in my decision, I will know it is His will, not just mine.

Thanks for your prayers!
Blessings,
Butterfly