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Monday, September 27, 2010

Ideas, Elevations. Conglomerations...

Okay..so I'm not sure "conglomerations" is a word...but I use it to describe a bundle of things...like--"This basket is a comglomeration of candies and sweets!"Speaking of sweet things...today is one of them! It's an absolutely gorgeous day, the light is soft, and I'm practically all alone in the house, so it's all still and quiet here, plus I'm done with all my school. And remember how I said I wouldn't post any photography posts? *winces* I can't resist!! I've taken so many pictures and I am just DYING to share them!! So although I am extremely guilty...I will post some pictures. Photography is a part of me...it would be like cutting off my right arm to not take pictures..and not to share them as well! I mean, what good is all this picture taking if I can't place them before you guys to critique so I can get better?
Okay. So. The pictures.

I loved the amber sap on the driftwood! BTW...almost all these pictures were taken in the strip of land behind my house. :)

The land behind my house has all these beautiful little canyons created by downhill rain rivers...I love them.

I LOVE these ferns. Just love them.

Omigosh! I just love these little seed pitchers! They are so cute with their little spines!

I cannot describe how much I love this photo. It's probably my favorite out of all of them.

Here's more of a home-y picture, of my silly puppy, sleeping on top of the couch like a cat!

YUMMY swedish pancakes with honey!



I love these little flowers!



Who knew you could find driftwood...away from the ocean?

more driftwood :)
That's it for my pictures...I'm sorry there are so many of them...but I really loved taking them, I spent like an hour outside just taking pictures. I hope you guys enjoy...I really loved taking and editing them :)


Friday, September 24, 2010

Wanderer's Ramblings...

Alright ladies, it's finally time for a proper blog post. I've been feeling rather like a chicken with it's head cut off, running around, trying to do things. I've basically been doing school, taking pictures, going to youth group, running\swimming, and today I did my second class of karate (we go twice a week).
I'm pretty excited that karate has started up, we took a break for a while because our instructpr was out of town, but thankfully, he's back! I'm also kind of excited because I passed kind of a milestone today. In preporation for our upcoming test (to become the next belt..I'll be testing for the red belt) we did some of the things we would have to do for the test, to see if we had enough stamina..and I did 50 pushups, 75 leglifts, and 700 kicks in under twenty minutes!! :D So I'm pretty excited about that..besides, karate is SUPER fun. I love hanging out with my friends there, and our instructor is awesome. Our class is kind of small, but weve gotten so used to each other, were like a family.

And so you guys won't get bored with my gabbing on and on..here are some *ahem* candid pictures of the past few days!

                        My brother (luckily) snatched my camera when he noticed my puppy, sleeping next to my sister's stuffed puppy. How adorable!!!



I took some loads of pictures with my bible the other day...and loved how the pages looked like a heart when I folded them like that...I must confess, the original idea for the picture wasn't mine...but the pictures certainly are!




I hope these pictures show you all how much I love God's word...and how I want to be like (most) of the men and women described of those pages. I mean..come on, Delilah isn't a very good role model right? :)
I have tons more pictures...but really, I feel like I'm harassing you guys with pictures, kind of like I'm throwing chunks of my life at you like baseballs. I know. Wierd anaolgy. If that's not the case, then tell me, but I really don't want to overload you guys with my random pictures. 


That's it for tonight, my lovelies...I have been on this computor entirely too long.
All my love and God's blessings,
Ariana

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Helpless Blog-design sickness strikes again!

Short post today..well maybe it won't be my only post, but that's beside the point. I hope you all notice my beautiful new background which I figured out how to add (thanks to bethany!) and I L-O-V-E it!! But...one problem. Where do I get a header that is worthy of this magnificent background?? I've looked all over the web..but can only find backgrounds...where does one find headers? And how could I customize it to fit my blogs needs? I've heard that all you need to do for a header is just customize a photo of yours and crop is to fit...that I can do, but what about the custom looking ones? Are they custom made..do you have to pay for them? Anyway, I've gotta run and do chores now...but if y'all could help me with this one that would be AWESOME!! thanks sooo much!
--Ari

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Bit of Everything

Sorry I haven't blogged in a few days...I've been feeling rather bogged down and uninspired lately...I would try to post, but absolutely nothing would come to me. It's a blogger's block I guess...so as to not leave you guys bored and hanging, I'm throwing a bit of everything into my stewpot today, and hoping that it tastes good, after all is said and done. Yes...I use wierd metaphors. I do have some rather awesome photography to show you, just some random-y awesome stuff. Sorry I'm so spasmodic...I'm feverishly trying to figure how to add a nice layout\template to my blog, so it looks better, but can't figure out how to embed it in my blog. ( I would greatly appreciate some tips from all you long-time bloggers!)
Anyways...photos have been promised and here they are--


Bluejay feather...I thought it was beautiful..sorry if the shots are bit blurry..I was in the car when I took these.



beautiful blossoms...



The purple came out just brilliantly.





sushi rolls are SO cute..and delicious!!





Monday, September 20, 2010

Romans 8--MORE Than A Conqueror Through Him Who Loved Me.

Hello my lovely ladies! And how has your monday been? I didn't really do anything all that extra-ordinary, I did my school, studied for a report I'm doing on a current event, but then I went to the ortho..and for some reason just got really upset. I don't really MIND going to the ortho, my orthodonist is about as nice as you can imagine, the reason I lost it was for a more stupid, vain reason than hating going to the ortho, or not looking forward to them yanking around on my mouth. I didn't want to go because I had pimples. I tried to cover them up with makeup, but they felt so obvious, and when an orthodonist works on you he really gets UP close...and I was so humiliated by how my face looked...and how they had to look at my face like all the time.I know it sounds stupid, it even looks stupid in print here, but for some reason I was so fixated on those few zits and how awful I thought they looked and how embarrassing it was to have your orthodonist look at them through magnifying glasses.
It was completely ridiculous of me, but when I got in the car, I just started sobbing. My mom had to deal with me blubbering and carrying on...I think of it now and I am ashamed.

How could I have let my emotions rule me so completely? God MADE me, and He made me exactly how He wanted me to be. Who am I to complain about anything? I have an amazing life, a wonderful family who loves the Lord as much as I do, AMAZING friends who encourage me from every side, why am I so fixated on looks? It makes no sense, and I am frightened by how powerful an effect my looks had on me.
I thought I looked awful, so my mood went down the drain, and I started feeling sorry for myself and comparing myself to other...really, how ridiculous!
God has blessed me with so much, it fills me with anger at myself that I would be so ungrateful as to complain about  few insignificant zits when some poor kids are abused, or homeless, or starving.
On top of it all...He MADE me. How could I be so callous as to complain, to say to His face that what he made is not good enough? It's incomprehensible.

And yet, this has been one my main problems all this summer, thinking wayyy too much about myself and my looks. It's so easy to get lost in selfishness, to look in the mirror and either feel vanity or self pity. All this does is take this focus off of where it should be--GOD, and seeking His Kingdom first, and His righteousness.

Matthew 6:33Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

33 But seek first the kingdom of God[a] and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

I should be focusing on Him and sharing His Gospel and love with others, not worried about myself and how I look and how others think of me. Well, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of either flattering or criticizing myself, I'm tired of caring so much how I look. Caring this much about how I look about myself, having this much insecurity and self-hatred, it's self idolatry and bondage straight from satan.
That's why it's so important to PRAY in the SPIRIT, break chains and bondages, speak life and truth and LIFE over yourself instead of lies and darkness. Our enemy isn't the things and people of this world, but wicked and unholy powers and rulers and principalities of this earth and this present darkness, and that's why I and we need to KNOW that and be prepared, and put on the FULL armor of God.
Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics[g] of the Devil. 12 For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 13 This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore,
with truth like a belt around your waist,
righteousness like armor on your chest,
15 and your feet sandaled with readiness
for the gospel of peace.[h]
16 In every situation take the shield of faith,
and with it you will be able to extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is God’s word.
18 Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.
In the name of Jesus I will speak these truths and these scriptures over myself and God has set me free!
God saw fit to give me this hair, this face, this body and that should be good enough for me. Besides, it isn't even about me, it's about GOD, and following HIS Holy Spirit, and sharing HIS Gospel and HIS love with those who are lost and in bondage around me.  I declare in the name of Jesus that I will NOT to be sucked into that way of thinking again. It's so completely wrong and harmful. So if you could pray for me, girls, about this, that would be awesome.
That's part of the battle won. I know what I have to change, and the love of God, the power of the Holy Spirit and breaking chains and speaking truth over my life instead of lies, will change it. That's my huge lesson for today, and I hope you guys will read it it and try to avoid that self destructive path that leads to bondage..trust me, it's not a fun way of thinking and acting.
Thanks for listening, my sisters in Christ!
All my love and God's blessings,
Ari

Saturday, September 18, 2010

New Under the Sun

Hey guys! How has your saturday been? Mine was just fantabulous!! My youth group and I went canoeing\kayaking at a local river all day long and I can't even describe how much fun it was!
I was in a double kayak with my friend Megan, and we synchronized our strokes pretty well and went super fast! To give you an idea of the location and locomotion...
Location:


(not my pictures)
This is the Black Water River, in Florida, and where we kayaked looked very similar to this.
Locomotion:





(also not my pictures, and not shot at blackwater river. I forgot my camera.)
Kayaks!! While the pictures above show closed in kayaks, we travelled in the open kind shown in the third picture. It was a gorgeous sunny day this afternoon, perfect weather for having fun and creating huge biceps by rowing all day long! I have both canoed and kayaked, and have found that I like kayaking much better. There's something about the rhythmic, figure-eight rowing motion that is very fun and addicting.
We got to the kayak rental place at about 11:30am, and already by then it was quite hot, but the river was lovely, cool, and refreshing. We loaded up our lunches in one of the canoes, and all the kids who were thirteen and under, (like my brother) had to wear lifejackets, and we got a kick out of how ridiculous they looked. :) It took me a little while in the beginning to get a hang of the rhythm of rowing, so me and my friend were constantly banging paddles, but I finally got it and we zoomed along the river. Several moterboats and speed boats passed us, along with a few jetskis, and it was super fun in the low lying kayak to ride the wake of the boats. We stopped at a little sandy outcrop to have lunch, then set out again.
We stopped at a few other places to rest and swim, because the river felt great. There's something about a freshwater river that makes it different from any other type of water. First of all, it's not salty or chlorinated (duh) which is what I am used to, but it also itn't murky and dirty like a lake because it is rather fast flowing, so it's just really fresh and clean and AWESOME to swim in. We did our usual water antics, splash wars and swim races, and on one sandy inlet, we discovered a log pile that extended out into a part of the river that was really deep, so we all jumped off it and into the river with wild whoops.
The whole experience was just great for me, and I just cherish times like these because they are so authentic. I can just jump in the water and laugh and swim and row.
Well, my lovely ladies, that was my saturday, and what a saturday it was...but the whole rowing for four hours thing kind of wore me out so I'll be heading to bed soon.
Goodnight chicas!!
All my love and God's blessings,
Ari

Friday, September 17, 2010

Worth More than a Thousand Words....

That's right...pictures. While my life is interesting..it's not interesting enough to have something thrilling for the blog everyday...so I decided to let some photos loose on y'all. Hope you enjoy!














As you can see, some of them I edited...but for the most part all of them are shots done on a macro setting on my camera. I had loads of fun taking them...so enjoy!
Love,
Ari

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Sneaking a Word In

So technically I'm not supposed to be sitting here in the computor room..yeah, I'm supposed to be study my vocab and then my physics for the test tomorrow, but the itch wouldn't leave me. I know. *slapsface* Bad Ari! Oh well, I'll do pennance with extra hard studying. Besides, I've been trying to blog a little bit every day, so I don't get into the habit of just disappearing for days on end.
Anywho. My news for today? Actually it's yesterday's news (literally) because yesterday my youth group went to an arcade and I played my very first round of laser tag..ever. It was pretty fun..I kept getting deactivated, but I didn't really care...it was just alot of fun to be with my friends. I wish had taken pictures, but then again, not every post has to be full of pictures, right? The arcade had a roller rink too, which looked like loads of fun, there were a couple guys there who were SO good...like skating backwards and really fast and showing off their mad skills...it was pretty awesome to watch. Usually an arcade is not an environment I enjoy that I enjoy, too dark and noisy and full of guys who look like they are about to mug you or worse.
But surrounded by my friends I had an awesome time, We actually had kind of a dance party in the laser tag room, because there was this really loud catchy music playing, and the guys thought it was totally awesome that their white tshirts glowed in the dark, so they went nuts. People's teeth were glowing too..which was kind of wierd. Maybe we all just have really white teeth!
Afterwards we went to TCBY for froyo and that was pretty fun, if people hadn't kept looking at like we were crazy. I mean, it's not like we had painted ourselves blue, were just a bunch of teenagers who want ice cream for crying out loud! Anyway, I was a bit miffed about that. Do you girls ever find yourselves being treated differently, and you don't really know why? It kind of sucks, but I just hope it's because they see Jesus in us.

Another thing I wanted to share with you guys is I can honestly, truly, and completely say I am totally content with being single now. I don't know when the change happened, I used to just tear myself up about this one guy...but then I realized, it's just not worth it. I'm a junior in highschool. I have so much ahead of me. So many things God needs to teach me. Do I really need a boyfriend? The answer is a resounding--NO.
I'm just so happy that I have good guyfriends in my life, some are just goofy, but some are really my brothers and I can confide in them, and i wouldn't give that up for the world. It would definitely be boring with no guys at all...but I don't need a boyfriend. I've seen first hand how distracting guys can be, and how they can so easily just turn around and break your heart, and I don't need that. Maybe some of you guys have boyfriends. Maybe God has led you into that relationship, and if he has, that's awesome. Just make sure that guy doesn't obscure your view of God. That has happened to me more than once, and I'm not proud of it. I know now it is so much more satisfying to place and KEEP God first in my life. But if you don't think God would be pleased with your relationship, please, I beg of you, get out of it. I have so many friends just have their hearts ripped to shreds, or end up compromising themselves because they weren't dating a godly guy, or God wasn't leading the relationship. Make it a commitment to put God first, especially in your relationship, and you will never regret it.
That's my thought for today :)
All my love and God's blessings,
Ari

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Photography Snippet

I know what you all are thinking..."Two posts in one day? Extravagant!!" But regardless, I'll show you some of my photography.





















Enjoy!! --Ari

Holy Spirit Moves


God worked a revival of sorts within me. I was listening to a Christian song in my room and I just turned it up and danced..but it wasn't just regular dancing, I was dancing in worship..something I don't think I've ever done. But it was one of the best experiences ever. And I was listening to it again and I just started writing a letter to God in my journal and crying an realizing how much He has done for me and how little I deserve it...it was so amazing. He truly is my Hero, he has saved me and done so much for me, and SHAME on me for not giving all I have to him...for He gave his all to me. I'm starting to have an inkling that God means for me to be a missionary, I am so convicted when I read the new testement---Christians are supposed to make disciples for Christ, win souls for heaven. I think about hell and just SHUDDER to think of anyone going there. We as christians should be working 24-7 to help other see the love of Christ. I have been a christian ever since I was four, so I have never experienced a life without the love of God permeating it. But I can imagine it...and I would have to be SO selfish to deny anyone the oppurtunity to experience that love and transformation.
God has literally saved my life, and changed it in a way I never could. He has blessed me so much, and I owe so much to him. How could I not do what he commands me, go where he wants me to go?
As for being a missionary...I am especially drawn to Vietnam because I saw a video a while ago about the conditions there. The believers give up everything, they are horribly treated, live in constant danger, yet they have SUCH joy and peace and strength.
Anyway, that's what has been on my heart and what I wanted to share with you guys. What is God calling you to do, where is he calling you to go? Will you obey?
All my love and Gos'd blessings,
Ari

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Little Blurb :P

Hello all!
I don't have time for a SUPER long blog post today, just a little blurb (hence the title) and I wanted to share two things with y'all that have REALLY interested me. First: the afore mentioned crocheting. I mentioned that I liked it. It's been two days and I have gone through a whole skein of yarn.  I'm not done yet...I'll have to to get some more yarn.
Allow me to show you the pictures (yes, I did actually take pictures of my project..nerdy, huh? Oh well!)

Here are some cool up close shots of the hook and yarn...

That's all I've got for today! Have a great rest of the Sunday..prepare for the school week!
All my love and God's blessings,
Ari