A Little Dream Of Mine

something I've been thinking and dreaming about the past couple years 

is starting a charity/non-profit for foster care children

right now its something that I'm praying about 

and something that hopefully when I finish college can come true

So I just want to ask all you out there to pray along with me

for direction with this future project!!

Sweet Stuff In Life

I have been so so blessed to have such 

sweet sweet people in my life

God has given me some amazing people to look up to 

and seek guidance from

people that I know would be there me no matter what

I am most grateful for the amazing godly women that God has placed in my life

I've gone through some hard times in my life 

and just a simple "I'm praying for you" from them

Has encouraged me so much

there is no way I could ever thank them enough for all they do for me

most of it they probably think of as nothing 

but to me it means the world

so today Im thankful for 

these people in my life 

and the way God has used them to shape who I am today!

A Little Hike

right now I'm packing a back pack

for a 8 day trip 

I've never done this before 

It's unfamiliar territory for me

right now Im packing for the 4th time in the past 3 hours

I get it all packed and see I left something out

or I realize that all the weight is concentrated in the wrong places

its a work in progress

but hopefully I can get all this stuff into one little bag!

Help!

I just got Photoshop

and I don't know what to do

Im absolutely clueless 

Recycle & Reuse

I've never been much into recycling 

not because I don't want to 

but because it has never been real accessible to me

there isn't really any places to take the stuff close by 

so its really difficult to get stuff recycled

but one thing I've noticed here is how much they reuse and recycle things here

There are recycling bins out on the streets for glass and plastics

the thing that I've noticed most is soda bottles

they have reusable ones

You can buy a bottle at the store that when your finished  you return it back

and they send if back to the company and its cleaned and reused

I think this is a really awesome concept.

they cost is cheaper than if you want to buy the non reusable bottles

I don't see why they don't try this in the States

I know I would buy them

 you may not save a whole lot of money really do this but 

there will be less plastic in the environment

so that would be the plus side of it 

just a little thought to think about the next time you at the store 

would you buy the reusable bottles?

Just a Little Monday

{a}

Pringles Chips 

were my best friend this weekend

Im not proud to admit I ate a whole can in one night

in my defense the cans are smaller here 

and I drank a giant bottle of water with it

if that makes it sound any better

{b}

a piece of chocolate cake can cure anything

who doesn't enjoy biting into a rich moist piece of chocolate cake

if you don't then I have no word to describe the hurt I feel for you


{c}
my favoite thing right now is 
Needtobreaths new cd
favorite song from it is 
Learn to Love
have a listen




{d}
less than 50 days left to 
explore 
travel
learn 
and 
have fun 
here in Chile
(tears)

{e}

challenge for the week is the same as last weeks

"Do everything without complaining and arguing"

Philippians 2:14

Just a Little Hike

this past Friday I went hiking at La Campana National Park

I was a pretty low key hike 

not to hard but not the easiest hike I've ever done

but I've never been much of a hiker  

not because I didn't like it 

 just because its never been a really accessible hobby for me 

but in Chile there are basically mountains in ever part of the county the Andy's Run the length of it

so I've gotten to go hiking twice and both times at the same park

this past Friday I went with my school 

we had a guide with us to tell us about all the different plants and stuff 

it was really beautiful out there

The flora there is really weird to me

I looks strangely like Jurassic Park we you look out from a distance

There is massive palm trees ever where  which is the main reason it reminds me of that movie

but as you walk through it you see huge cactus's everywhere to

it strange seeing big old palm trees and then right next to it seeing a giant cactus

we hiked for about 5 hours

Im not sure of the exact distance but I think it was around 6 or 7 miles

while we were hiking around we ran into some wild cows 

apparently there is a lot of them in the park 

this hike got me real excited and nervous about the big hike I'm about to go on soon

I've never camped or hiked before so the next one is going to be 

testing my limits for the whole out doors thing

Hiking is such a fun sport

and one I hope to continue doing once I get home

Numbering Our Day

as I sit here right now all I can think about is getting home

I have 7 weeks left here in Chile

and you think that I would be dreading the thought of it ending

I've gotten to travel a lot

School well lets just say that is never an issue here and I've had lots of free time

and I've meet some pretty incredible people here

so why and I so ready to get home

I have no idea 

but after a week of this whole homesickness thing

It finally hit me today that I only have 7 weeks left

time has flown by 

there is still so much I want to do and see here

I want to buy a kite and fly it on the beach,

go to Santiago and shop,

and see the whales in southern Chile,

but lately all I've done is think about home and all the things that come with it

I've forgotten about where I am now 

and that  I still have a month and a half left here in Chile

this is sorta a some what similar issue that we as Christians face daily

we all have friends or acquaintances that are not believer 

and we know that we need to be the one who shares the the love of Jesus with them

but we put it off 

we think we tomorrow or next week 

but the fact is we are not guaranteed tomorrow

were only guaranteed that the present

this is something I really struggle with

I have fear that I don't know what to say,

 that I will just mess up a friendship,

or I just don't make the time for it

but that is not fair

I'm making selfish excuses

excuses that could cost someone their eternal life

I need to, as a Christian, take the chance 

and really invest my life and really share God's love

I don't know if these two issues are related at all

but to me they are

we need to live in the moment 

take chances 

and invest in the people around us today 

because who knows we may not be around tomorrow 

take a chance this weekend invest in someone who need its!!

hope everyone is having a wonderful fall weekend

love you all

Little Update

As you may notice I'v got a whole new design going on

I've been working really hard the past day or two to totally revamp the whole blog

starting the the new name

I've had the name for a while but I was waiting till I got home to change

but I decided to go ahead and do it now because I had some time to work on it

Its still a work in progress 

maybe one day I will actually be done working on it

other than working on my blog 

Iv'e not been up to much the past few days

just laying around resting and eating pastries

but today I ventured out and went to the hotel where my friends family is staying and swam

It has been pretty warm most of the week but today for some reason it got cold again

so jumping in that outdoor pool was really hard 

but I sucked it up and did it 

tomorrow were off to a national park for a nice day of hiking!!

hope everyone had a wonderful Thursday!

Philippians 2:14

Today I took some time to go and be alone 

I went to place I've waked to a few times over the past two weeks

a little stone wall over looking the ocean

the only things I brought alone were my Bible, Journal and my Ipod

while I was reading in Philippians I found this verse

Do everything without complaining and arguing

Philippians 2:14

this verse really stuck out to me

its short, simple and right on point for my life

I find my self complaining or arguing a lot when I think back over my life

My parents would ask me to do something I would probably argue to get out of doing it,

If I went to a restaurant and my food wasn't just so I would complain and send it back, 

If I had any homework or studying to do for classes I didn't feel like doing

well you guessed it I would complain 

Our attitudes as Christians define us

If were out in the world professing to be a Christian

but then the next minute complaining or arguing

people are going to get mixed feelings

there going to see us claiming one thing and then acting another

as a Christians we are called to live like Christ

never once in the bible does it say that Jesus argued or complained about the situations he was in.

this is something that has really convicted me over the years

but yet its something I continue to do 

I have no excuse 

no reason as to why 

but its something I am going to consciously try to change

so my challenge to you is to think about it next time your arguing with someone or complaining about this or that

others are watching and will take note of the way you respond to a situation

who know the way you handle that situation could lead someone to Christ

Weekend Randomness

I had a pretty lowkey weekend sorta

{a}

friday we went on an excursion to Ruca Mapuche site

it was pretty interesting not much to it

but we did get to try some food that they ate

they were pretty bland but not bad

I love the sopapillas they made

{b} 

Saturday we went to Isla Negra

its home to a famous Chilian poet

his house has some pretty weird stuff in it

I really wish I could have taken pictures but they wouldn't let us

the views from his house were GORGEOUS

 

 {c} 

Sunday was my favorite day of all

well frist I was woken up early by a smally little 4.9 eathquake

I really didn't think it was real untill Monica said something about it that evening

anyways I slept in till 12:30

it was so so nice to finally do that 

and then I remained in the bed for the rest of the day 

and watched Grey's Anatomy re-runs

I literally didn't up except for meals

I was just what the doctor ordered!!

 

Sunday

 sometimes you just need a day 

were all you do is lay in bed, 

watch re runs from your favorite tv show,

read a novel, 

and take little naps

its like medicine for the soul!

that was how my Sunday played out today

It was a much needed day after a long weekend


this song has been the soundtrack of my day today
I really love this hymn 
It's such a wonderful reminder of the love that God has for his Children
He "sough me when a stranger"
He wanted me even when I was a stranger to Him


so take a listen 
I hope it means as much to you as it does to me

                           

It's That Time of Year Again

Fall Time

my favorite time of the year

and im missing it

this really hurts my heart 

I love seeing the leaves change,

waking up in the morning to the crisp cool air,

fairs,

camp fires,

some'mores,

putting on those cute scarves,

and Thanksgiving

I'll have to wait another year to see and do all those things

but Im grateful to be where I am

Everyday Life In Chile

I've been lucky enough to have to opportunity as most of you know to study in Chile the past 3 months

Its been a roller coaster ride full of tons of different emotions

at first I missed my family and the luxury's of home

then I got a little used to the lifer here and now im pretty content most days

but I thought I would link up with Kelly and Show you what my life here in Chile is like on a daily basis

So..

Monday threw Thursday I have classes

I take a Chilian Culture, Grammar, and Pronunciation class

the classes are pretty difficult and pretty easy all at the same time

Its really difficult because well I just don't know Spanish

I've been studying for 3 months now and I can get by with the little bit I know and hand motions

the teachers here are all very helpful and if I need help with anything they would do it!

I have a tutor that I go to on Tuesday mornings

she is my program (CEA) coordinator in Chile 

She is fabulous and has helped me so much over the past few months

so I go to school in the morning and then I have the afternoons free to do what ever

somethings we go to the beach, sometimes we just walk around Vina

but we usually do something

I am still not over the whole feeling like im on vacation and need to be doing something all the time feeling and neither are my friends

So usually we are out and about most afternoons and especially now since summer is starting!!

Once or twice a week I get the chance to go to a Orphanage and volunteer 

they have 12 kids staying there and they are precious

a lot of times they can drive you nuts because they run wild a lot but

they are super precious and already Im struggling with having to leave at the end of the semester

I told my mom the other day that I would be adopting one if I were old enough

The week days are pretty boring and chill around here not much excitement going one

which is fine by me because I am just a pretty relaxed person

but the weekends is where all the fun come in

So  far since I've been here we've done something just about every weekend 

we went skiing, visited other little towns around here or gone with our school on trips around Chile

there had been quite a few holidays since we have been here that we had school of for 

So those weekends  we have been able to take extra long trips 

this past weekend I went to Argentina 

over spring break we went to Peru to visit Machu Picchu

and then on the last one coming up in a few we are heading off to a fun place in Chile

traveling has been my favorite part about being down here

Its fairly cheap to travel around South America so that has been such a blessing 

allowing me to see places I never thought I would ever get to see!

that's all the fun stuff but here are a few fun facts about my life here in Chile

~we eat a huge lunch 

~dinner is not served until usually after 9 PM sometime

~I Live in a small little apartment with an older lady and a wonderful "sister"

~I walk to school every day, it takes about 7 or 8 minutes 

~ there are about 10 bakeries withing one block of my apartment

~McDonald's has become something I crave, never happens at Home

~I get freshly made juice everyday

~I've mastered communicating with my hands

~the weather is opposite of the States so its spring time here

~I've made wonderful friends that I will cherish forever!

here are a few pictures of my life here in Chile

Chile is a beautiful country 

home to the driest desert in the world 

and has some of the most beautiful mountains in the world

I would encourage anyone to come and explore!!

Just A Little Encouragement

I just wanted to share this song with everyone

I'm really loving it right now!

Another Country Checked Off the List

I just got back in town from a fabulous trip to
Buenos Aires,Argentina

this city is so much Like NYC sometimes I would forget I was even in Argentina

everything look like that city from the buildings to the way people were hustling along

I love it there

when I was trying to decide where I was going to study abroad it was between Chile and there

I ws such a hard decision choosing but obviously i chose Chile (right choice for me)

I think I would have loved living there since it was so much like NYC

but Vina is just a totally chill beach town so its just a amazing!

this trip was a fun trip full of SHOPPING

that is seriously all there is to do there that we saw.

So for 4 days straight we shopped till we dropped 

we went to the mall everyday

we shopped at the street markets

and we went in a billion little street boutiques 

the whole beachy style or like hippie style is really popular there

I really don't know how to describe it

lots of lace which I loved

and lots of white and browns

and of course leather since that's like a staple in Argentina

I ended up getting myself a leather purse since I ended up not  paying the 140 dollar entrance fee

(which I was so totally stoked about)

We did shop a lot but..

we did manage to take a little tour bus around the city 

our first day there was really nasty so we hopped on the double decker tour bus and road around for like 3 hours that day.

we saw all the major things there 

basically little statues everywhere and some museums

 we also planned on going to Uruguray but the boat ride there was 90 dollars we just could spend that much on such a short little boat ride!

and of course we ate

and we ate good!!

Argentina is know for their good and cheap steaks

and boy were they good!!

we ended up eating in the mall food court a lot because ti was the only place where we could all find something we like 

there food courts are a lot different than the States

they don't really have fast food restaurants 

its more like site down restaurant food that you just take to go

they had steak restaurants that they cooked fresh steaks on a charcoal grill right in front of you 

and they were so so so good and so so so cheap 

I got a big steak, fry's and a coke for about 8 American dollars

good deal if I say so myself!!

but I think the highlight of the weekend was the Hard Rock Cafe

Tawni and I have seriously been talking about that place for the past month and a half

we've been counting down the days till we got to eat the yummy potato skins and nachos!!

side note:

our plane ride into Buenos Aires was probably the scariest plane ride I have ever been on

the turbulence was so bad

 the plane dropped for a few seconds 

all I could think was that we were about to crash 

and then the engines started making noises I'e never heard before 

I just sat in the chair and prayed for the whole 20 minutes that the plane was trashing around

I don't know if I have ever been that scared in my life

my nerves were shot by the time that plane landed!!


here are some pictures from the trip
I didn't take a whole lot for some reason 
probably to distracted by all the shopping

and last little video of us dancing the Tango
we were pretty good if i must say so myself
for just learning off a little thing on the sidewalk

besides the plane ride we had such a fantastic trip 

I was really relaxing compared to Peru 

We slept in

and pretty much didn't worry about doing something every minute of the day!!

What Im Lovin..

Im in love with this book right now

I just got around to reading it this past weekend

and now I cant quit thinking about it

such an amazing story 

my favorite line from the whole thing is

"You is kind, You is smart, You is important"

also..

my friend Lindsey S and I are obsessed with Needtobreath

our sophomore year of college we had to do some major cleaning of our tile floor due to carpet tape 

and we listened to 10 of their songs on repeat for about 4 hours straight

and never got tired of it

they have a new album out right now and im loving all the new songs 

this one is my fav at the moment

Add caption

hoo am I?

Who am I?

here are just a few little questions and answered about myself

1. Do you sleep with the tv or music on?

I grew up basically going to sleep with the TV on but now that I've been in Chile and I've not had a TV I've been going to sleep with just music on

I've really been trying to get away from watching TV at night

I used to not be able to fall asleep with out it on but now that im older im a lot better 

2. What is your favorite technology device that you own?

I really super love my iTouch 

I take it everywhere  and you can take such fun pictures with it 

I just upgraded mine about a month ago from the first generation to the newest one

I'm definitely a mac girl

even thought the only thing apple I own is a ipod

3. Do you shop the ads for groceries?

I've lived in the dorms for most of the past 3 years 

groceries

so I didn't have to worry about getting groceries

but the one semester that I loved in an apartment I never shopped the adds

I think i went grocery shopping twice in a 5 month span and spent around 50 dollars each time

but last semester Kelsey and I would coupon every Sunday and then go and find the deals

It was so much fun 

when i get back in January im definitely going to be hitting up the sales 

4. What are you favorite pair of shoes?

my chacos

I flippin love these sandals

you can wear them with anything at least I do

in the summer time they're basically all i wear!!

5. Have you done any fun fall activities yet?

sadly no 

I'm missing fall all together 

it really breaks my heart to think about it

fall is my favorite season and time of the year and 

I can't believe that I have to miss it and wait a whole year for another one!!

these are just a few fun questions for this week!

Im linking up with Night Owl Crafting for the first time this week 

so hop on over and see what its all about!!

Im heading off on a fun adventure tomorrow 

so i will be taking a little break from blogging the next few days

hope everyone had a fun and safe weekend!!

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever"

Isaiah 40:8