Where to being?!

I'll admit that I have not had the greatest of blogging skills these last couple of days. There are some things that I am dying to write about, but will have to wait until everything is 100%. Im a little superstitious like that on certain things, so bear with me!


On another note, I would like to share that one of the ways that I learn or connect is visually. I LOVE looking at people's pictures, & I love sharing pictures. So, a glimpse into my life through pictures (with captions) is on the agenda for the day! Im lying when I say that I am not super excited about this. I do believe that it will be great fun! 

The new hair color!

I look out my window & this is what I see. At first it made me nervous. Now, I find it beautiful. This picture does no justice to the beauty.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into my life these past few days or weeks. 

Courageously opening my picture-esque life,

Lauren

...

I went to bed & could not breathe. I woke up in the middle of the night, & could not breathe. 
I woke up this morning to achy sinuses & breathing only when I stood up.
I woke up & am not showered & wearing sweats today. 
I have nowhere to go.
No places to be.
I can wear sweats. 
I will enjoy wearing sweats.
I will take medicine to help my sinuses long.
I will use Vix vapo-rub tonight. I need to sleep.


That is all for today.


Courageously blogging while in pain,
Lauren

What time is it?!

AH! It is almost 5pm here & almost 8pm in MN, and i have not blogged yet today! So much has been going on that I havent even known where to being. A full last couple of days that is fo sho!


I'm going to make this brief. I will expound more on my day today tomorrow, so do not worry! More details to come!


For now, I am going to leave you with this. I know youre thinking that it's another song from the twilight series, but i LOVE this song right now. Totally great. 


Enjoy your evening!


Courageously becoming an Alaskan,
Lauren 

Twilight

I know what you're thinking. "No, Lauren! Not Twilight! I thought you had better sense & taste than that!"


So did I. Until that one evening back home in Janesville when my sister Kaitlyn & I made a deal. Our deal was that I would read all of the Twilight books if she would read all of the Harry Potter books. I had no desire whatsoever to read the Twilight series. All I knew of it was that it would about some high school girl falling in love with a vampire...happily ever after... blah blah blah. Love stories & I do not do well at all. I'm just not that into them.




I finally got the last 2 books, & was finished. What a great love story. I know, WHOA Lauren! You just said great love story! It was beautiful though. Not something that I have to concentrate on every word, & enjoy the beauty surrounding the whole thing, but it was a great, light-hearted read. I am pleased to say that I finished the series in 1 week, & the last book in 12 hours. I did nothing that whole 12 hours except read & eat & listen to music. It was ridiculous, yet so worth it.


If you want a simple read, check these books out. They are great. Even I loved them, and that is saying something!

In case you were wondering, Kaitlyn has not yet read Harry Potter. Hasn't even started them. This is me getting back at her for not reading them. If you see her, please relay the message that she is a ninny & needs to suck it up! :) 


COURAGEOUSLY reading girly books,
Lauren

The current soundtrack of my life...

There are many thoughts running through my head today as I sit down to type this out. Do I write about how my blog was started? Do I share my opinions & thoughts on what courage means to me? Do I really do all of that, even though I am not feeling the need to justify myself? 


Nope. Nope to all of thee above. I have a great post for the day, but am feeling a bit despondent. Instead, I will write on the beautiful music that I have been listening to these last couple of days. The music that has been feeding & uplifting my soul. Please, do enjoy. :)

The Twilight Score:

      I know, some of you are thinking "NO! Not another Twilight fan! I thought that she would be safe!" Well you have thought wrong my friends! Maybe tomorrow I will recount my utter distaste & loathing for the series, that eventually turned to love. However, that is not this day. This day I tell you to go & search out for that Score! The score was composed by Carter Burwell, & is great to listen to. If you have seen the movie, you feel as if you are watching it again. It's great to listen to when you just want to chill. Click here to listen to a clip, & let me know your thoughts!

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince:

   "Not another one Lauren...NO!" Yep, the time has come. Harry Potter has entered my blog. I became a fan of HP right before I left for Ireland, & WOW. I read all 7 books in less than 30 days. It was an amazing adventure. I believe that I have read the last 2 books 3-4 times (mostly to refresh my mind & continue to put a few things together that I didn't get the first time!). This score will take you through all of the emotions from the movie. You will feel the happiness & the sadness as if you were watching it for the first time. I am currently listening to it, & know what part is coming next. The sadness is already brewing...

To listen to a little clip, please click here. I forgot to mention that the score was composed by Nicholas Hooper. 


Sidenote: Please do not let the movie titles deter you from listening to great music. Thank you.


Last but not least...


George Winston. Oh, how I have been loving George Winston. I just looked him up last night, but I am in love. I listened to his songs on shuffle last night while I fell asleep, and it was wonderful. The best part was that I had already heard a few of his songs played by a "little brother" of mine. It brought back wonderful memories, & I have missed hearing him play. Please, please, please check him out! I cannot recommend any of his cds because I have not listened to them all yet, but please click here for a little tasting. One of my favorite songs of his.


There you have it folks! A little glimpse into what I am currently listening to! I would love to hear your thoughts on any, all, or none of these suggestions! 


Courageously suggesting, 
Lauren

Sincerely Saturday...!?

I am feeling very "filled with the spirit" today. I woke up after having an amazingly strange dream, checked a couple of blogs, & came across my aunt Sharon's blog. 
It struck me right away, & I had to read more. 


The following is an excerpt from her blog (including her highlighting):


The scripture was from Exodus 14: the Israelites looked up and there were Egyptians marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. Moses told the people to not be afraid, stand firm, the Lord will deliver you. The Lord will fight, you need only to be still. Then the Lord said to Moses "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites tomove on."

The Israelites' anxiety caused them to long for the past they remembered (with rose-colored glasses) and refuse to move forward. "They prefer the miserable past to an unknown future with God." By remembering the Lord (being still), Moses takes a courageous step and deliberately moves ahead, doing "what is best despite other people's lack of support. By doing this, he transforms not only his own life, but all of those around him."


How interesting is it that I would read this today. How amazing that Sharon would post this when that is what I have been thinking about. How often do we want to stay somewhere "safe" even though it is killing us. 


Just a few thoughts for the day. I have more thoughts in my mind, but I'm just not ready to share them quite yet. 


Courageously saying no,
Lauren

Tagged!

I was tagged by my friend Angie over at messycarsandmuddyshoes.blogspot.com. 

I would like to tag...

Sharon at Following the Way Home

Rachel at The Essence of Pearl

Christina at Love and Miscellany

Enjoy!

Courageously surveying the world,

Lauren

A - Age: 22

B - Bed size: twin

C - Chore you hate: making my bed. sometimes i love it. sometimes i hate it. 

D - Dog's name: i have no dogs. 

E - Essential start your day item: waking up to good music. coffee. 

F - Favorite color: blue & green (i cheated i know)

G - Gold or Silver: silver

H - Height: 5'5"

I - I am: feeling lazy today.

J - Job: nanny. 

K - Kids: some day

L - Living arrangements: apartment with Pete, Roxanne, Caleb, Riley & Levi

M - Mom's name: Shelly

N - Nicknames: Lolo, Lorenzo, L

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: well i had to go to the emergency room while i was in Ireland. Gwen took me when i could not stop throwing up for 10 hours. ridiculous. not fun. but an experience!

P - Pet Peeve: People who sing off key but think that they are great. 

Q - Quote from a movie: 

"THE GREAT BAMBINO!!!" 

"Oh, I thought you said the great Bambi!"

"That wimpy deer?!"

--The Sandlot

R - Right or left handed: right

S - Siblings: 1 older sister, 1 older brother, 3 younger sisters

T - Time you wake up: usually between 6:30-7am

U- Underwear: rainbow

V - Vegetable you dislike: Cauliflower

W - Ways you run late: i dont run late

X - X-rays you've had: ribs.

Y - Yummy food you make: i make AMAZING cheesecake brownies

Z - Zoo favorite: Giraffes 

Dream a little dream

Many of you who know me, know that my dreams are out of the world. 
I dream the most random sort of things, yet they all somehow tie in together. 
These last few nights I have been dreaming crazy dreams, & wake up wondering "what the heck!?"
How did I think of that in my subconscious? How do those random thoughts get into my head?


Awhile back I had been wondering if maybe this was my spiritual gift. Maybe God was trying to speak to me through them. I decided to pray about it every night before I went to bed. Well, I ended up not dreaming at all those couple of weeks. Was it God telling me that this wasn't my gift? Was it just coincidence? Who knows. 


All of that to say, this last week has been a crazy week for dreams! Some good, some not so good, but always strange!


Do any of you have strange dreams? Is it the cold pizza you ate before bed? I would love to hear your thoughts!


Courageously dreaming,
Lauren

Blog Updating

So I tried to get all fancy, & now my blog has decided to betray me. 
My picture is gone. I cannot get my blog title to change font color from white. Because of that, you cannot see my blog title.


I'm so sorry. If you have any suggestions please feel free to share! 


Courageously sharing my feelings of anger,
Lauren

Trying Tuesday

Here is something that I have been trying (ok I started yesterday). 
I started out going for a walk, and then came across a hill. A hill that was steep enough to need a sign (that read "hill") & winding enough for me to think that this might be for me.
I started walking down the hill, & then I started sprinting up the hill. WOW. I am out of SHAPE! I did that a few more times, then died. wow. It got me pumped up, energized, & caused me to die all at the same time.
I've been doing crunches (maybe 150/day throughout the day) & attempting to get into shape somewhat. To be healthy I should say. 
All of that to say, today I woke up in PAIN! I knew that I had to keep going & I did. I went out to my hill, & was at it again. It felt ok. I need to just suck it up & keep going.
Right now I am sitting here & in pain. I know (hope) that results will be seen & pain will be gone.


Courageously trying,
Lauren

Sincerely Sunday

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong & courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

That is the verse I strive to live by, & the verse that my blog is based on. 

Courageously blogging,

Lauren

Insert Title Here

It's Saturday. Im tired. In honor of that I am not posting anything great or witty today. Sorry.


Courageously being honest,
Lauren

Think Quotes; It's Friday!

Over at Lori's site she has started something great called Think Quotes; It's Friday!
I absolutely LOVE this idea because I am one who is always up for a great quote. Something inspiring. Something great. A quote that no one has necessarily heard, yet touched by nonetheless. 


Here is my attempt at TQIF! Enjoy!

Courageously quoting my favorite book,

Lauren

Im trying my hand at...

Giveaways~!

There are some giveaways out there that I am not a fan of but here is a great one  that I stumbled across today that I would not mind winning...!

Over at The Crafty Tortoise she is giving away some great prizes! Jewelry (we all know I love earrings~!) cards, sewing patterns, and even a "mystery" prize! Be sure to check out her blog for more details~!

Be sure to check it out~


Here is another one that I ran across today found over at Theta Mom. I would not mind winning this one!


And another over at GirlyMamy Reviews. These earrings are so awesome!


Over at The Suburban Jungle you can win an amazon.com giftcard. Oh i would love this!




Courageously entering blogging giveaways,

Lauren 

8 glasses a day...

... keeps the headaches away!
Well, that's what I was thinking when I first started my water drinking binge. I had been getting headaches almost everyday, and nothing was working. I always drink my coffee in the morning to avoid the nasty caffeine headache, but had not thought that that would dehydrate me so much. 
Well, I then started thinking about how much water I was actually drinking daily. The results were not good. I figured that on average, I drank about 1-2 glasses of water per day, and at that time I was drinking 1-2 glasses of coffee per day. That is not a very good ratio. 
WOW. No wonder I was getting so many headaches!
I then started to go on a water drinking mission. I was going to drink my 8 glasses of water a day, & I was going to like it! Little did I know that I would spend most of my day going to the bathroom. I wasn't working out hardcore & sweating all of the water out of my system, so let's just say that I had to go to the bathroom about every hour. It was ridiculous. 
Well, I stopped drinking my 8 glasses of water a day, and started getting headaches again. I knew that it was ridiculous to be having so many headaches. The only thing was that I hated having to go to the bathroom so much. I decided that I was not going to beat myself up about getting my in my 8. I figured that it would be OK if I drank anywhere from 4-6 glasses/day & 7-8 glasses would be an added bonus! 


How do I keep track? Thank you for asking!
What I do is keep a tally on my calendar of how many glasses I drink each day. It's nothing too big or exciting, but enough for me to keep track of. I then add it to a journal. This journal helps me keep track of how I was feeling that day, and am trying to see if any of it depends on my water intake. If you are looking into hopping onto this bandwagon with me, you do not need to keep a journal. A simple calendar tally will suffice. 


I would love to hear more about your adventures (or lack of) in water drinking! Maybe this can become a place where we can band together and become healthy together! 
Please feel free to comment, shoot me an email, or facebook me. I would LOVE to hear more!

Courageously drinking & peeing,

Lauren

TWOsday

It's Tuesday. I have 2 posts in mind. Today is officially TWOsday! Enjoy~


My dear friend, Erica, has reminded me that I had quite the courageously brave summer. 
For the month of July I work here. I am a counselor & average 12-16 girls in my cabin/week. It is a such a wonderful place to come, learn about the Lord, make new friends, eat great food, & change your life. I have worked out there for the past 4 years (1st year in the kitchen, counseling the last 3) and i have loved every minute of it. 


The theme this summer was "Prison Break" and what a great theme it was! The first game on Monday night is always the "theme" game. This year's game was amazing! 1 counselor from each team (red, green blue, purple) was dressed in prison garb (swimsuits on underneath). A chain with a padlock was then chained around the ankle & they sat on an old camp mattress where they awaited their campers to return with 3 different numbers. The campers had clue & had to go around and try to find 3 numbers. Once all 3 numbers were returned the counselor in jail had to unscramble the numbers to try & figure out which combination opened the lock. Once the lock was opened, the counselor raced back to their team headquarters, took off the prison clothes, put on a lifejacket, & proceeded to run towards the beachfront. Once they hit the beachfront, the counselor had to start swimming towards to raft. The first counselor there was declared the winner!


Well, the first week I was going to attempt this, but it was too windy. So, the 2nd week I decided to I would volunteer to be the "prisoner." 


Before I continue there is something that you should know...
I cannot swim. I have never been able to swim, & that is something that I would love to learn how to do. 
On Sunday I had gone swimming with my dear friends, and we were all going to swim out to the raft. That meant that i could A. not swim out there with them & have no fun, or B. go with the 5 year old, grab a lifejacket, & head out there with them.
I love this family & knew they would not laugh at me so off I went to grab a lifejacket. 
Earlier that morning we had read about trusting the Lord & him not giving up on us & letting us sink.
So, the 5 year old & I headed over to the watershed & grabbed out lifejackets. We then went & swam out to the raft. I had done it! I had my lifejacket, kept my "eyes fixed on the raft", and made it. 


Forward back to the game...
Knowing that I had actually swam out to the raft once already, I knew that I could do it again. I got chained to the mattress & awaited my campers arrivals with the clues. The numbers were slowly coming in & my adrenaline was pumping. My team was the first team to get all of the numbers. I quickly figured out the combination, & bolted to my team headquarters. I stripped off my prison clothes, threw on my lifejacket & raced down to the waterfront. I hit the water & WOW! It was COLD! I started swimming, & quickly became exhausted after running all around. I did not think that I would be able to finish. I then remembered how I had done it the previous day. My eyes had been fixed on the raft. I knew that if i were to take my eyes off of it, I would probably not make it out there in time. I started grunting & just kept swimming. I made it. The green team won. What a victory. I had never felt so accomplished. The next person to swim up was my friend Shane & we shared in the moment together. The game was over. The campers were heading up to get ready for bed (did I forget to mention that this all took place at about 930 at night?) and we were still on the raft. We didnt think about the fact that we had to swim BACK to the shore. Shaking & exhausted we threw ourselves off the raft. Once we reached dry land I headed up to take a shower. I ran to the nurses' office & cried. I had to tell my friend that I had done it. Not only did I swim out there and back, but my team had won. It was a beautiful moment. I don't think I will forget that one for awhile...


Courageously going where I have never gone before, 
Lauren

Alaska's Weather Advisory

Winds 25-30 mph with wind gusts up to 70. The advisory told everyone to secure loose objects such as trash cans, bikes, etc. It also said to be careful when you walk & to watch out for debris. I can hear the wind blowing outside of my window. It's great. 

Artsy-Fartsy

Living in Alaska has been great so far, but I've been dying to make my room "my own." I am not crafty or artistic by any means, but I've been trying to be courageous & step out into the world of crafts. 


Here are a few pictures of things that I have taken & "remade" them in a sense.


Enjoy~

This used to be a votive candle holder. Now it holds paper clips, taks, bobbi pins, etc.

The old movie shelf. Notice how the sides curve in. That was not practical as some of my books did not fit.

All I did here was take off the 2 side pieces, & will glue/nail them on the opposite way creating more room & great practicality.

The desk is a table that was hiding behind a futon, and the square is 4 pieces of scrapbook paper (thank you Roxanne!). To hide the seams i took a little bit of ribbon & glued it to the paper. Im now adding little quotes & sayings using letters cut from magazines. (Shout out to my Gray fam with the calendar~)

Last but certainly not least...

My Rocking Chair!

My new friend, Erin, had it sitting out on the porch, was not using, and graciously let my room be its new home! I use it as a desk chair, a reading chair, a movie watching chair, and a wonderful decoration. It may be the best chair that I have ever owned.

Courageously being crafty, 

Lauren

Weddings...

I'm sad to report that my attempt at Think Quotes! It's Friday  did not work, so i will have to try next week. 

However, I will not be letting you down today. Here comes a courageously brave post!

I have never been one to just sit down, look at bridal magazines, and look at great ideas. That is not my style. I'm not that girly. Well, at least that's what I used to think. 

In honor of Jim & Pam's wedding, I would like to share a few wedding ideas of my own. Prepare to be dazzled & surprised. 

Courageously sharing my life,

Lauren

Welcome

Greetings~!


      Welcome to my blog. I have been thinking about doing this for quite some time now, but have wondered what I would write about. 
      
     Would I write about my time in Alaska? My time as a nanny? An avid book reader? A food & drink connoisseur? A film critic? All or none of the above?


     Then it hit me: why not write about everything? Anything & everything that may pique my interest. 


     To start this out I thought it would be best to get to know me. The following are 10 things I think might be important in starting our blogging relationship.


     Enjoy~!


1. I have lived in South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Ireland, & Alaska. 
2. I grew up in a Christian home, and I am thankful for that.
3. I am the 3rd of 6 children. 1 older sister, 1 older brother, & 3 younger sisters.
4. The only time that there is quiet around me is when I'm sleeping. Even then I listen to music for 15 minutes before I go to sleep.
5. I am going to get a tattoo of Joshua 1:9 on my wrist. I live by that verse. 
6. I wear "Lauren Style" almost every day. What is "Lauren Style" do you ask? It's when a short sleeve shirt is worn over a long sleeve shirt. 
7. I will probably have the weirdest dreams that you will ever hear. 
8. I own a pair of purple high heels. And I wear them.
9. In the spirit of Halloween, I have never been trick or treating.
10. When I am in the car with my sisters, they know that they will die if they take my harmonies to the song on the radio. 


Thank you for taking the time to get to know me! 


Living a courageously brave life,


Lauren