O. M. G.

Wow, when I looked at the date of my loast post I nearly fainted. I'm sorry! Five whole days! *eep*
SORRY! Haha but I have been...SO busy. Really. Yesterday I had the SAT and then went to a movie with one of my guyfriends...saw Rango, and it was a good movie! A bit wierd, but very thought provoking and tongue-in-cheek funny.
AND AND AND AND...I am just so excited about so many things! One of the foremost things being...I may have found something that really helps my face.
And it's cheap.
And you can get it nearly anywhere.
Guess what it is?
......
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE.

Yeah..it sounds wierd, but hear me out. So I was on http://www.acne.org/ and researching "home remedies" in their reviews section, and came across hydrogen peroxide, and was like, "What??"
So I checked it out, and ALOT of people have had success with it...plus check out this youtube video. It's astonishing.



Isn't it amazing how much that helped?? So after that I knew I had to try it, and I've been using it for....oh, around four days, and I have seen a difference! The redness and swelling has gone down, so that I'm even going out with make up! I can't wait to get keep using it!
It's really easy, I just use it in place of my old toner, put it on a cotton round and swab it on my face.
It doesn't sting, i've only got the 3% hydrogen peroxide, which is really what every one should be using so it doesn't irritate your skin.
Research it, you may be surprised! We already had it in the house, so I decided to try it, and boy have I not regretted it!
Soooo gonna keep a usin it and keep YOU GUYS updated :)
Well, not really a whole bunch of awesome stuff to report...
The SAT was okay, the only fun part was when this nice guy came up and talked to me during break :)
don't you just love that when people are like that? Just do random nice things and make someone's day a little brighter. All in all, I'm really relieved the SAT is over..gosh what a pain that is. But I really tried my best, and I know the math isn't going to be awesome...but i'm not gonna let that define me.
I'm good at alot of other things, like poetry and photography and writing and laughing uncontrollably :)
My future job is never going to be centered around math anyway, everybody has their weaknesses, and math is mine. I tried my very best, and that's all I can do.
Beyond that, not much going on except that I had a really good day today :)
Sunday school was awesome, we got really deep and the discussion was awesome, I really learned alot.
Then I got to be on the praise team in church, and I really love singing up there. I dunno, I've always been really comfortable on stage, and I love to sing and worship God so it's the perfect combination!
Then I went to this party after church and hung out with my friend Shannon and all these adorable little kids, swinging on the tire swing and jumping on the trampoline.
So all in all, an AMAZING tho incredibly busy weekend :)
What happened in y'all's weekend?
That was mine, fun, crazy, draining, emotional, and like a roller coaster






Yeah. Kinda like that :)
Have a great rest of Sunday girls!!
Love,
Ari

Listilicious :P

What I love:
-This video. Nuff said.



-The neon-glow in the dark bands i get for my braces...almost reconciles me to have metal in my mouth.


-That I have a native German mother who can teach me :) I WILL someday get all that sentence structure right!!

-That I'm gonna see this:

movie on Friday :)

-braiding my hair at night, then sleeping with the braids in so the next morning it looks all cute and non-frizzy blahness.

-The way thunderstorms make everything so cozy inside the house..perfect for reading all curled up in bed.
(by the way...today was a doozy of the thunderstorm day..yowch)

-Researching acne stuff on youtube and http://www.acne.org/ --preparation for being an esthetician or just an obsession of mine?? Maybe both...

-Swimming laps...

-Figuring out that one can get a FREE texting app on the itouch...ummm hello, why pay a monthly fee if u can download a free app? Serrrriously. Texting has never been so awesome :)

-My parents for dealing with my stressed out hormonal mania


-The way warm french bread tastes with butter. Seriously? I LUUURVES IT.

-THIS BLOG. :) self explanatory.

What I hate:

-That I might have an allergy to milk. NOOOO!! Dairy is my life!!!

Don't leave me dear friend!! :'(

-That my face looks mildly horrible. Am about to rip hair out in frustration.



-That the SAT is on Friday and I am slightly petrified. Ugh. Four hours of grueling testing, with mere five minutes for a break, time to either eat or go to the bathroom but never both.
Urgh.

-That with the weather being so horrible, the possibility of taking pictures is nullified. D:

Welll...didn't feel like a long post today, but that's the brief and listilicious version of my life. Gotta run!
Love,
Ari :)

I Keep My Promises...

Indeed I do..and a few weeks ago I promised to show the results of my prom shopping trip, and SO I SHALL :)
Okay...I now feel really silly saying this...but the dress is neither short, nor purple. What can I say? JC Penney's purple dresses were horrible, they really were. I shall show you the different ones I tried on, and then the one I finally bought and took home :)
Gosh...after showing you guys like five hundred purple dresses the one I bought isn't purple! Isn't thaat life for ya? Soo not going the way anyone plans it :)

Okay, take note this isn't my camera, so yes, there is some blurryness and wierdnes..sorry!

This was one of the choices..but I thought, ehhh not formal enough.

As you can see, it's cute...just not fancy and special enough i think. It doesn't say PROM to me.

Okay..I have to say this was one of my favorites before I bought the one I did. It's really, really cute.

This dress made me feel like a fairy tale princess...I think this would be how I would want my wedding dress to look, only white. But..it was too long. Our prom is FULL of swing dancing and I have to be able to move..but oh, isn't it pretty?

And the one I finally went with.....

A sleek and sparkly mermaid-type gown that was only $89...I LOVE it. It makes me feel beautiful and like this is PROM. it's really special.

If for some reason i get cold feet I can always take it back...but I really and truly love it. I can move and dance in it, and ohhh it's just so pretty :)

I'll probably get a pretty floaty shawl to wear over so there won't be any immodesty, and I am thinking of doing an up do, with just a few curls coming down..really embracing the whole mermaid thing :) I do live in Florida after all...a beach girl by nature :P

A little bit like this...but I don't like Vanessa Hudgens :O

A bit like this too :)

So what do you guys think? I know...it's not purple..but hey, I like it :)

And just for the record...I have the best prom date ever :) He is the best.

Well, it's a short post, but beyond shopping and church..nothing dramatic has happened since yesterday! Cheers, and enjoy what's left of Sunday night!

Love and kisses,

Ari

Purity Unfolding

Okay. I know. Two posts in one day.
But seriously. I was out with my camera today, and saw this tree full of white blossoms, nearly fainted from delight. and began snapping away at a rapid pace.
My what a delight a wonderful camera is...and the coming of springtime!

I didn't even spot the little bee on this one until afterwards :)

And that's me, hoping you enjoy these pictures and have a happy rest of the weekend!

Ari <3

Mishity Mash :)

Hey girls, sorry no postage for about four days..what can I say, life has been busy. And yet, its been the typical kind of busy, where I really don't have any idea what to write about. *slaps forhead* IM SORRY!
My life just isn't that dramatically exciting.
But....this morning I saw a super funny movie. And guess what? It was animated. *gasp*
I know, I'm a bit old for it..but I promise...it was funny!!
-cue trailer for funny animated movie-


Yep...Will Ferrell..Tina Fey...it's funny!!



HAHA :) Will Ferrell is just awesome as megamind...you guys should really see the movie if you haven't already!
And while were doing this youtube thing...NEW favorite song :

Yeah I know, it's not exactly a new song, but colbie has amazing voice, and the song is so sweet :)
And so, so true...
Argh, I'm sorry I don't have anything grandly fascinating to say. I babysat last night, been working, trying to figure out German, just typical life. Karate has been super fun, I'm gonna be testing for my brown belt soon, then black belt! I'm so close, almost there!! It's been yeeeears, and man, do I ever love karate. I dunno, it was kind of a love at first sight thing. I tried it, and I loved it. Now I have awesome friends there, and I love my instructor so much. He is amazing. He demands respect, but he's really kind, and has this awesome dry sense of humor and he's a really good teacher.
At first I was really intimidated by the whole martial arts idea, but I tried it and really loved it :)
OH.
Might as well do a face update :)
Well, this week has been pretty good, just been doin the same routine, along with swimming, and am getting a bit better :) I have been avoiding dairy, kind of as an expirament..I've read that dairy, even nonfat, still has hormones in it naturally, from the cow, even if no hormones are added. And I drink and eat ALOT of dairy...so I'm thinking, maybe too much hormones in there? Anyways, I'm trying that out.
AND...another thing that has interested me is this...this online ebook called Acne No More that has a 98% success rate. At first I thought the website was lying, then I researched it, and literally saw nothing but postive reviews, which is SO different from all the other products, where some people like it and other people hated it. I really am considering downloading it, because it has such a high success rate..I mean, who knows, that could be me too! I mean, I'm not awful right now, but imagine, like TOTALLY clear and staying that way! For me, that would be totally worth the $39 bucks it costs...but I'll talk to my parents about it.
Well, that's my tidbit for today, sorry it's not enthralling. Have a great weekend girls!
Love,
Ari

Beauty Bursts Open

Omigoodness. So today has been totally amazing. Just everything. The weather is AMAZING, I got my school done right proper, and got some AWESOME pictures that i can't wait to show you! Plus...it's the first day of March, the BEST month of the year, cause down here, that's when spring comes, and it's the month I'm gonna turn seventeen! Craziness! So I'm super happy :) And I CAN'T CAN'T CAN'T wait to show you the pictures I took..they scare me with their own amazingness.

It's just..omigosh :)

Are these not the most gorgeous flowers you have ever seen? I can't believe how beautiful they are.

It leaves me speechless. How can people believe something like this just came from no where, that there wasn't someone fashioning every petal? What wonders God has done...

Did I mention I'm unashamedly in love with my camera? These are shots I could have only dreamed of before with my tiny little canon powershot...but THIS is amazing. I love it.

You know what else I love?

saying goodbye, and I hope you girls have a AMAZING rest of the day :D

love and hugs,

Ari

Down there in Nawlins...

Hey girls! Sorry I haven’t posted for a few days…its has been a NUTTY weekend. Well, like I said before, I went to the Acquire the Fire conference with my youth group in New Orleans, and it was really fun, deep, thought inspiring…as a conference should be.

We drove over on Friday, went to the conference in the evening, then on Saturday spent all day at the conference, listening to the teaching, dramas, and worship.
Acquire the Fire is a conference founded by Teen Mania, which sends teenagers all over the world on short term missions trips, and the conference goes all over America, kind of like a concert tour.
The conference has a theme every year, and this year it was “Collision” as in, having a collision with God.
The teaching was really good, the worship was okay, the bands that came with were pretty terrible, but the music wasn’t that important to me anyways.
The weekend was a lot of fun, hanging out with the guys and the youth group was really fun, and I laughed so hard, made new friends, and learned a lot.

However, what I really took away from the weekend, what really stuck out to me was one thing.
It sounds really awful, but I couldn’t get it out of my mind all weekend. The way this conference was portrayed, the people that ran it, the bands that sang, the speakers that taught, and the youth groups that came, all spoke one message to me: This conference is for perfect people.
Now I don’t mean perfect on the inside, because the conference really helped some people mend their brokenness inside and receive healing.
I mean externally. Only pretty people in the band, with pretty clothes, white teeth, and shiny hair. Only a good looking speaker with buff arms and a polished look. Only college volunteers that looked like they stepped out of a JC Penney’s catalogue.
There wasn’t one person there that I felt would really relate to me.
I want to go to conference to really be inspired and learn, not to suddenly self consciously realize that my hair isn’t straight enough, my figure isn’t perfect enough, my clothes aren’t stylish enough, because that’s all I could see onstage.

Maybe it’s okay to look polished onstage. But to me it just said, sure, we’ll accept you…but only if you’re the right type of person. Only if you’re a girl who straightens her hair and wears Aeropostale skinny jeans. Only if you’re a guy with perfectly clear skin and styled hair. Only if you have the look.
It made me sad. Sure there are a lot of people out there who can achieve that kind of look...but there are a lot of people who can’t. I’m not saying I’m ugly or anything, but I will never be one of those perfect people. I can’t afford to. I can’t go to the mall every weekend and buy new clothes, I can’t straighten my hair every day, and I can’t be that type of person. I don’t think they meant to send out that message…but they did, and it spoke to me strongly.


Of course the whole weekend wasn’t negative…I really felt God speak to me, and it was amazing. But…underneath it all was the constant undercurrent of “I don’t belong here”. I didn’t fit in…and I didn’t really want to. I didn’t want to be part of a crowd that wears what everyone else wears and raises their hands in worship just because everyone else does. I want to be more genuine than that.
It really does make me sad, that the mainstream Christian industry is sending out that kind of message, that Christianity is only for the RIGHT type of person…if you wear cheap clothes or have ratty hair than you don’t belong.
It breaks my heart to see it, I can’t deny. I expect so much more from a Christian conference, from Christians everywhere.

Anways…slightly depressing but that was what stood out to me the most.
And of course I couldn’t let you leave without showing some pictures of the trip, so here they are.

As you can see, we were pretty close to the stage..we got nice floor tickets :)

Now this was a really cool part of the first day on the conference. The session was all about repairing broken people, and a metaphor they used for that was repairing a car.It was cool to see it played out like that.

This was the part of the night where they asked people to lay down their burdens and sins before the cross and ask for forgiveness and healing..it was really cool.

Okay, this is a random transition, but I didn't take that many pictures..too busy. This was the place where we grabbed some beignets, I mean you can't go to New Orleans without having some..it was a cute place and the boys loved the beignets.

As you can see from this picture ( which makes me laugh every time I see it)]

These were the guys I spent my weekend with...incredibly dorky and hyper, but SO funny..those guys make me laugh like you wouldn't believe...and hey I finally got a picture of them..it's rather an accomplishment considering they avoid cameras like the black plague. I'm laughing right now as I look at it..it embodies them so perfectly.

This is my newest little buddy...she is SO cute, and has the funniest laugh....she will literally laugh at anything. she will just giggle on and on, it's hysterical.

My other buddy...this little girl...and DO NOT be fooled by her size...that is one precocious and hyper munchkin..but I love her to death just the same, she's too cute.

Okay, not an impressive amount of pictures, but I really didn't have time..I hope you enjoy the ones I have!

Have to go do some school now..but that was the rundown of my weekend, hope you girls have an amazing rest of the week.

Love,

Ari