Time to be thankful.

well..since my mother has informed that i need to be thankful i decided to just post some things that i have been thankful for lately. :] some of these are a little bit more serious and "for real" then my other list. God has given me so stinking much and has just been so awesome i dont know if i will ever be able to cover everything i am thankful for. he amazes more and more each day. anywhooo..here we go ::

1] PRAYER :: the fact that i can pray to God without being persecuted is awesome to chew on. i have been reading in daniel and the things that people in those stories go through because they said they believed in God is just outragious ((spelling i know)) to me. i am so thankful that we are able to come to God openly in prayer. and answered prayers, too. so many things that i have been praying for have come true (i guess thats what you say). God has just answered my prayers in so many different ways, and has even gone far beyond what i have asked. another cool thing about prayer is that other people pray for me. i know that a lot of people have been praying for me, and are continuing to keep me in their prayers...that i am SO thankful for.
2] FRIENDS :: God has blessed me with wonderful friends. new ones, too. i love the people here at corban. all of them. i am making so many great friends, that i hope will last for a very long time. it has also been a blessing just to talk to my "old" friends. it is so awesome to talk with friends from home and know that those friendships are just going to get closer and more mature as well. i love it when friends encourage you and make you better. :]
3] FAMILY :: being away from my mom, dad, sisters, aunt, brother and cousin has been one of the hardest things i have ever had to deal with, but it just makes me think about how thankful i am for all of them. i especially think that being away will just bring me closer to my sisters. and i love it. even though i miss them like crazzzyyy!!
4] FOOD :: cant really elaborate on that...im just thankful for it. dr pepper fits into this category.
5] HARD TIMES :: lately i have been going through some things that are just plain hard to go through. being away from family, money, school...relationships with friends..etc. nothing too major just some hard things. God has been so faithful through all of it. i love how the not so good circumstances bring me closer to God. it makes the good times great!
6] THE LITTLE THINGS :: God seriousaly knows how to make me smile, let me tell you. only he knows the littlest of things that make my day. and he answers what seem to me, to be the sillyest ((is that a word-and if it is i dont think i spelled it right)) prayers. like getting a text message, or an email, or hearing my favorite song on the radio in the morning, or even finding my favorite pen that i thought i lost. i love little things like that because it is something that is constantly reminding me that God is there.
7] THIS SUMMER :: thinking back on it, it changed my life completly. i learned so much this summer that i can not even explain. i learned about God's grace, and i learned how important it is to have a growing relationship with Christ. this summer will be one that i will always be thankful for and that i will never forget. God was so faithful in providing the money to send me, and he kept me safe. :] yayy God.
8] GOD'S TIMING :: its perfect. sometimes i need to be reminded of this. but God is so faithful and his timing is perfect no matter what, even when i think he is clueless and has no idea. he knows, and he has a perfect plan.

there is so much more..but thats the meat of it. im also thankful that i get to go home tomorrow and see family and friends...its going to be great. and im thankful for stickers. they are soooo cool. :]

Everything?

what does it mean to give God everything? i have been struggling with this question for awhile. well, actually i guess i havent really been struggling with the question itself, i guess i stuggle with the answer. i know what it the answer is...i have to give God everything. literally everything. grades, friendships, boy stuff, family, my future...etc. really giving God my future is super hard for me. i find myself saying okay God, your in control, do what you want with my life, but then i try to do it myself. i like to tell God what i want my future to be, and then be like okay, make it happen God. today, God was like, amanda, that isnt giving me your future. its hard to do, but at the same time, not really. its kinda simple actually. and i praise God that i can give him everything, and that i dont have to worry about the rest. it makes all that overwhelming stuff thats going on in my head, not so overwhleming anymore.

Blahh

the title really says it all this time. you know when you just feel blahhh? like your not doing good, but not doing terrible either. that's how i feel.
the good part:: i am beginning to notice God everywhere, and i am loving it. he has been showing me so much about who he really is just through the smallest things, and everyday i go to sleep wanting to wake up and more in love with him, and i do! i am making amazing, wonderful, and lasting friendships here, and i am enjoying every second of getting a solid, christian education.
the not terrible part:: i feel tired, overwhelmed, stressed, and sometimes sad. i have so much work to do, and i feel like it is a struggle to stay caught up in all of my classes. but yet, every time i just sit back and give it to God, i get it done, and i get it done well. so i dont understand why i get so stressed, but i do. i am overwhelmed with many things. God has blessed me with an amazing job that i love, but it does take up so much of my time, and at the end of the day i am so beat. relationship situations with friends go up and down. were good, were bad. and other times i end up feeling confused and left in the dark with some people. and im sad. leaving home on sunday was so hard, and i dont know why. if i didnt have mindy in the car with me, i probably would have cried the whole way home. my family means more to me then anyone, and so does my church.
i love being at corban, and i am so blessed to be here. the people are amazing, and so is what i am learning. its just like i said..i guess i have just been feeling kinda blahhh.
i dont like feeling like this. it almost (actually not almost, it does) makes me feel a little guilty because i can name so many amazing//awesome things that are going on in my life, but i still tend to focus more on the negative side of things, and pray to God about the negative things. i tell him why my day was bad, and ask him to make it better. i dont know why i do this. my selfish old self i suppose.
i am excited to see my sister and friends this weekend. that should be awesome. and i am excited to start a new day tomorrow. :]

Simple Update

a simple update on my life ::

- started a new job at the police acadamy (like in their cafeteria) on monday, and i like it a lot. i think that it is going to go great, and i am so thankful to be making money finally. :]
- i have been going to the gym with my friend allison on monday, wednesdays, and friday's...haha. and im so not even lying.
- i finished chapter 5 in Captivating!!
- me and mindy dressed up as oreo's for halloween.
- i got invited on the nehemiah trip from royal servants, so this most likely means that i will not be going to Italy during spring break, but please continue to pray that God will show what he wants me to do.
- im coming home this weekend!!!!

humm. that's really all i can think of.