There is a schemer behind those innocent eyes...

I like to consider myself a unique individual. I know I like pretty boring on the outside, but this girl has a lot of crazy things going on the inside lol I've also been through some off-the-wall things. That being said, I decided to just make a random list of all the fun little things about Amy that some people may or may not know. So before you read this list make a potty stop and grab a snack because this might take a while :)

1. The obvious: I am a born again, card-carrying child of God. He has given me the greatest gift of all (grace) when I deserve death. He is my rock upon which I base all of my life on.
2. I have barely survived 24 (almost 25 blah!) years with three older brothers. God knows that I love them to little pieces, but they drove me CRAZY when I was younger. Adam was especially talented at removing the heads to my Barbies and using them in his firework displays. There was also the numerous injuries and I'm still terrified that mommy's never coming home (the most horrible lie that Adam has to date ever told me)
3. My bathroom is currently done in yellow duckies. Why? Because they make me smile every morning that I have to drag myself out of bed at the unthinkable hour of 6 AM...ok 6:30...ish
4. I obviously hate mornings with a passion.
5. I run. A lot. I know that according to some people I don't look like a running, but guess what. I am completely fine with not being super skinny :)
6. I still take bubble baths with my Mr. Bubble bubble bath.
7. I love flowers. Not your fancy roses, but fun flowers like daffodils and daisies. They always look so happy.
8. I eat the marshmellows out of my Lucky Charms as soon as I buy a new box.
9. Peanut Butter is gross.
10. I love having long hair, but hate when it comes off my head. There is just something about single, individual hairs on the sink or floor that freaks me out.
11. I literally cannot sleep at night without a fan going. Its weird, but a family thing.
12. I will always consider my Daddy's hugs to be the best. Ever.
13. I hate sweating, but enjoy working out.
14. I personally believe that once you reach the age of 60, you should have to retake your driving test.
15. I've never drank a dark soda, like Pepsi or Coke. They just look gross.
16. Dogs are better.
17. I'm addicted to gum. I tried at one point to break the habit. That was the worst 12 hours ever.
18. As soon as the towels are done in the dryer, I pull them out and bury myself in them.
19. Grape slushies from Sonic are just the stuff.
20. I snuck a whole box of baby bunnies into church one time. I also snuck in a green tree frog that escaped in sunday school.
21. I still can't figure out how much wood a woodchuck could chuck.
22. I actually enjoy mowing, but don't tell my Mom that or I will call you a liar.
23. Spring and Fall are the best.
24. I miss my old gameboy. I was a beast at Zelda.
25. Did I just make a reference to Nintendo?
26. You have to understand. I was raised in a very male-dominated household.
27. I didn't wear shoes or makeup until like highschool.
28. I have ugly feet. And I'm ok with that because I believe that all feet are suppose to be ugly. I mean you walk on the stupid things all day long!
29. The freckles on my right leg connect to make the Big Dipper.
30. If I could have any of my dreams come true, it would be that I could play the piano. I have always had the deepest longing to play better, but not the patience to practice.
31. Spank first, ask questions later.
32. I totally just sounded like my mother.
33. My brothers would claim though that I was never spanked as a child.
34. It's not my fault I was so much sneakier than them. I was also very talented at staging dramatic episodes that could usual get me out of most punishments.
35. I could sit on the beach and watch the sun set every night for the rest of my life and not complain.
36. You will never see me in anything white. Well, I take that back. I will wear a white t-shirt, but nothing fancy that is white. I'm way too accident prone.
37. If you're still reading this random list, pat yourself on the back :)
38. Friday and a payday is like Christmas and my birthday all on the same day.
39. If someone plays with my hair, they are my new best friend.
40. I am a very touchy person. It comes from being raised in a home where love is shown through kisses and hugs. It just blows my mind that some people flip out if you even think about poking them.
41. I find Waldo all the time.
42. I'm such a hopless romantic and I hate it.
43. Colored construction paper is awesome.
44. Yes I do know how to fish.
45. Whenever I'm out running and I see a worm trying to cross the trail, I'll stop and save him.
46. I liked school. Weird I know, but I actuallly enjoyed it. Someday I'll go back and get my MBA.
47. I have a very independent spirit. I'm completely ok with living on my own and yes, even traveling on my own.
48. I do randomly burst out into song. My life is my own little musical production.
49. I am fiercely loyal.
50. I am seriously good at predicting the gender of the baby. I have successfully predicted the gender of all three nieces and two nephews of mine and numerous friends' babies. I should start charging.
51. I have never gambled and really have no desire.
52. Cuties aka madarin oranges make me smile :)
53. I have to eat a Cheetoh in one bite.
54. My dreams are always in color and super off-the-wall random.
55. I will always act shy around you until I have deemed that you aren't a threat. Then everytime that we meet I will hug you <3
56. I have a little brown dog named Hershey. He is the best little brown do ever. He makes millions of dollars every year playing on the stock market.
57. Not really but who knows
58. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
59. If I had my way though, I'd be on a worship team touring the world.


If you've read this far, then congratulations.
60. I really love cheese. Actually all dairy products make me happy :)


There. Now I'm done.

* I just love his summer hair-do and his little tie *
:)

Nothing endures but change

 "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." - St. Francis of Assisi

I've been reminiscing a lot lately about my childhood. Now I know that it really wasn't that long ago, but still cut me some slack. This is my blog not yours :P For some strange reason I've just been remembering the strangest things and longing for simpler days.

For example, now that Spring is here all the wildflowers are starting to bloom. Flowers always make me think about my Mom because she is a major flower lover. This lady goes to town every Spring buying and planting in her flower beds. The neat thing is that she never really lays out a plan, but just buys and plants everywhere. If it were me, I'd be building spreadsheets and drawing out graphs on how my beds would look, but not her. Mom seems to find joy in simply having her hands in the dirt and caring for her little seedlings. I remember as a little girl helping her break the little plants out of their plastic pots and handing them to her to plant. Everything I know about flowers I learned from her. I also use to pick little violets and other pretty "flowers," aka weeds, for her. She would make such a fuss over them and even had a special, tiny little vase that she would put them in. I still buy my Mom flowers to this day on Valentine's Day and Mother's Day because of these memories we share.

I also remember my sandbox. I absolutely loved my sandbox. Daddy originally built it right under a gumball tree so that I would have some shade when I was out playing in it. I would build castles and play with my plastic cowboys and Indians. I liked to build little tepees out of the gumballs. My brother Adam, on the other hand, enjoyed blowing up said plastic people in my sandbox with fireworks. I bet if I dug in my sandbox today we would still find plastic body parts. Unfortunately, my sandbox has been converted to Mom's tomato garden and the gumball tree has been cut down. I still look at that box though and remember the countless hours I spent there recreating my little imaginary adventures.

Life is constantly changing. The Earth is always turning. The sun will always rise and set. That's just the way God designed it and how it will be until he says otherwise. In the past I've been terrified of change. I remember having a major, full-blown out panic attack when it came time to leave for college. Granted I'm a little more dramatic than most, but still. People are not very comfortable with change. We get in our routines and daily schedules and heaven forbid they get messed up!

But we aren't guaranteed a single day on this planet. Life is so fragile that the Bible compares it to a mist or a vapor. Speaking of the weather, today driving to work it was crazy foggy. I'm talking swimming under the sea or treading in pea soup foggy. The fog miraculously vanished though as soon as the sun came up. This thing that had completely shrouded the world around me disappeared at the first glimmer of light.

Now think on this...The average human lives only like what, 80 something years? Now try to imagine eternity. The human brain can't fully grasp the concept of eternity because we can't establish an ending to it. Our brains were designed to understand events in a beginning, middle, and ending parts kind of way. Eternity doesn't have one of those ending things. It just goes on, and on, and on etc. If you want to think of it mathematically, think about the square root of pie. Pie is an irrational number. Its root can only be an estimation which can literally go on forever. Random piece of useless information, I know :) If you would like to ponder on it musically...this is the song that never ends ;)

The whole point to my rambling I guess is to not be afraid of change. God is never surprised by what happens in your life because guess what...nothing happens outside of his control. NOTHING. If he knows every hair on your head and every breath you're going to breathe, then every step you take is planned by him. Now there is that free will thing that allows us to try and do our own dance and jack it all up. When we try to follow our own lead, we remove ourselves from under his protection. I found, through personal experience, that you will save yourself a lot of unnecessary pain and heartache if you simply follow his plan. He wants only good things for his children.

So cherish your childhood memories and try not to freak out when unexpected things do pop up. Please leave all the drama to me because I got enough for the whole population of China and then some :)

"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace."

*Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

**Francisco decided to show off so he could be in the blog like Hershey**
<3

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do...

I love music. I know that a lot of people say that, but I'm serious about that as I am about Christmas and cheese. Which on a side note, I love both of those things too. There is just something about the way that a well-written piece of music can affect not only your emotional state, but your whole day.

I associate a lot of my memories as a child with music. I remember as a little girl living at home, every Christmas Daddy would bring out the Christmas records (actual records) and play them. My favorite was Santa Claus and Popcorn. That began my love of Christmas songs and carols. To this very day, I play Christmas music in and out of season. It makes me happy :)


In case you've never heard of Santa Claus and Popcorn :)

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I also have a passion for Christian music. I love everything from Southern Gospel and hymns to today's more contemporary style. My Daddy has this tradition of playing his Gaither music videos every Sunday morning before church. And you have to understand, this man literally rocks out to them. He has a hard time of hearing, so he cranks up the surround sound until the pictures rattle off the walls. At one point I was a music major in college with the idea that I would one day join up with a big worship band like Hillsong. I would travel the world doing the thing I loved the most, singing about my God and being in his presence. Unfortunately, that dream passed on as some tend to do. I haven't lost my passion for worship though. I still sing and I'm working on my piano playing. I can worship just as good from my seat as I can the stage.

I also appreciate other genres too. I love the classics like CCR, the Eagles, and the Blues Brothers. I remember my brothers playing their songs and evening owning the albums back in the day. Today though I heard/saw the song Gravity by Sara Barellias on youtube and tears came to my eyes. Its a very simple song that she has written and performs on the piano. There aren't any flashing lights or people dancing around half-naked. Its simply her and the listener.


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 I love those moments when a true artist is playing/singing and it moves you in such a way. There's something about just the sound of a piano or accoustic guitar that can raise goosebumps on your arm and bring a tightness to your heart. I believe that when all of the extra stuff is stripped away the listener can connect directly with the artist and the message they are trying to bring. Its so much easier to feel what they are feeling when its simple and pure.

A song doesn't have to be long. It doesn't even require words. But there's just something about the human spirit that is moved when we hear a beautiful note. Its no wonder that people say that music is the universal language. Mothers sing lullabies to their babies as they rock them to sleep. Countries have their national anthems that instill a sense of pride and loyalty in every citizen. Researchers claim that by listening to classical music, people can improve their thinking and concentration levels. My very own niece makes up songs with words only she can understand, which is really cute.

God himself loves a good song. There are over 1500 verses in the Bible that make some form of reference to music. In fact, the majority of the verses in the book of Psalms were written to be sung and/or played with a musical instrument.

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music." Psalm 98:4 NIV



So go on and turn on that ipod and listen to some good tunes. Feel free to rock out whatever you doing, whether it be cleaning or running! Maybe music will help brighten your day up a little and bring a smile to that frowny face.

*Hershey was unfortunately in hiding from the storm, so he missed out on this blog. Next time he'll be back though once he comes out from his "undercover" assignment :)

IN THE BEGINNING....wow that sounds way too Ben Hur/Moses at the burning bush with God's voice booming down from the heavens LOL

Lets just say that our story begins with a little brown dog and a runner. This little brown dog is named Hershey and our runner's name is Amy. They live in a tiny little place and have the most fun adventures eveyday. Seriously, eveyday is an adventure. I make it that way. Especially now that I'm officially done serving my time (educationally speaking) and have that thing called a "job." It's given Hershey and I a lot of time and freedom to explore and grow.

This year is going to be especially awesome. Why you may ask? Because I'm saying it is. Not only because I am planning some awesome trips and have signed up for some rocking half-marathons, but because I am going to enjoy everyday that God blesses me with. Some days may be stinky where the weather is horrible and I can't get out and run. Oh and btw, Hershey refuses to potty outside when it rains. This dog is seriously as dramatic as I am. There may also be days that are completely out of control and eveything seems to go wrong. Those are the days when I literally have to have a "come to Jesus" moment and remind myself of all my blessings and other eternal things. Then there are those fabulous, stand in the sunshine, and breath the wonderful air kinda days. Those moments are little gifts from heaven where everything seems to go right. Thats when it seems like I'm running through the fields of warm fuzzies.

Whatever the day may bring me though, I'm speaking out that this is the year of wonderful things. I've also heard it said that this is the year of refinement and realignment. I kinda like that. So feel free to join me this year as I begin my journey into adulthood with a little brown dog by my side. There will be a lot of neat adventures and random postings, so make sure to wear your brown pants and be sitting down everytime you read this :)

                                                                      <3 Hershey