College...woo...hoo...

     I can't stand the word college...it almost haunts me like a ghost. Isn't that terrible? Even though I'm so ready to graduate and so ready to move on with my life, I'm not ready to move away for college. Now I know its only a little over an hour away but still...just thinking about being separated from David, Hannah, Maegan, and my family makes me sad. I can't even begin to imagine what life will be like not living close to them, although it won't be too terribly awful since I can come home every Friday and spend the weekend at home. I wish I could just throw everyone in my suit case and bring them along for the joyous ride of college but I guess that's not realistic...although it would be fun trying to get my friends to fit inside a suit case, it would be humorous to watch! Oh well...I'm sure I'll live

It's a puzzle...

Life is a puzzle waiting to be put together...and I'm still trying to find the right pieces. Sunday my best friend and I took a "recap" picture of a picture that was taken of us when we were probably like 11. Looking back I realize how simple life truly was...I mean it was literally handed to me on a silver platter. Where did simplicity go?
 Complicated is my life's new favorite thing to be. I have this urge to find one of those movie scene country fields covered in yellow flowers and run through it for hours without a care in the world...is that even possible? Everything in my life seems to be changing so slowly but I'm almost afraid to speed things up in case I miss something really important. All of this confusion has left me exhausted. I am weak mentally, emotionally, and even physically. But I guess that's apart of life right? I keep reminding myself that the Lord is my strength, my comfort, and my shelter...all of these answer I have been searching for can be found in the peace that only Christ gives. I guess 50+ years from now I may finally get to sit back and look at the finished puzzle in amazement at how each piece fit perfectly together...

Well then...

This year I'm afraid I've experienced more downs then I have ups...I thought Senior year was suppose to be perfectly grand? Yeah I've never been so wrong...Life is definitely not what I expected or what I had planned. Some changes have been for the better but some...I'm not so sure about. A few days ago my parents told me I had to go to Bible College for a year, I knew it was coming but I guess I just wasn't ready to hear it. Even though I honestly had no plans for after highschool, I was just leaving life open to be lived, this wasn't exactly what I had planned....if that makes any sense. But I honestly just want to make my parents proud and have a good relationship with them, in other words as little conflict as possible. So therefore I'm just going to respect them and go in which ever direction they want me too. I still plan on staying in Alabama though, there are too many things here that I couldn't stand to be separated from. In August I will be packing up my stuff and moving...I'm not afraid of college, just the unknown. 

Psalms...

I have started reading a chapter in Psalms everyday for my devotion because I finished the devotional book I've been going through and I really felt like Psalms was where God wanted me to study next. Today was my first day and the very first verse caught my attention. It states "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the wicked...". I immediately thought; Our entire world is corrupted with sin...not walking in the council of sin must be much harder then it sounds. So I've been meditating on this verse all day and this is what my mind has come up with - When this verse says "council of the wicked" it makes me think of people, people who are wicked and overtaken with sin. But, I think this verse is talking about much more then just people. Anything that is wicked and displeasing to God is "the council of the wicked" and will hinder my walk with Christ. The only way personally I think I can "not walk in the council of the wicked" is by being "soaked" with the word of God and allowing him to consume my thoughts and actions.  

Parents...

Everyone keeps telling me that because I'm a teenager, I just automatically think that my parents are stupid. Well I hate to burst everyone's bubble but honestly for me, that's not true. I have respect for my parents and I've come to realize that I don't always share the same views as my parents, and honestly at 17 I don't think I should always agree with my parents...but anyways, even though I don't always agree with my parents, I'm still under their roof and I'm called to obey. Let me tell you, it sure ain't easy. I probably disagree or want to argue with my parents more then any other people. They just know how to push my buttons and bring out the worst in me. But over the past couple of weeks I think I have finally learned that silence is the key. Instead of giving my input, just shutting up and listening has such a better outcome. So much to say I'm just tired of everyone assuming that I think my parents are complete idiots because I don't. They may be strange and they may have rules that I'll never understand but no matter what, they're my parents and NO I don't think they are stupid.

The Stars...

This year I'm taking Astronomy for science and learning about the heavens and stars has just opened my eyes to a whole new world. In my devotion today, I read a verse in Philippians that talked about Christians living in a crooked and depraved generation, in which we shine like stars in the universe. After studying about stars and how detailed their birth and life is, it just amazes me that God would compare ME to a star. Stars are such a beautiful creation and we see them shining in the night sky. Personally everytime I see the stars I can only wonder about what an awesome God and Creator we truly have. But when this depraved generation looks at me do they marvel at what an awesome God and Creator they have? You can see stars much better when everything around you is very dark and that is a perfect illustration of our world today. Our world is full of darkness but if I'm truly walking with the Lord and in his will I should "shine" through all of the darkness around me. I know that's a simple lesson that those of us who have grown up in the church have heard ever since we were little but, it is such an awesome truth. So now everytime I see those beautiful shining stars in the night sky I'll think of who I should be as person and what I should be doing as a Follower of Christ.

That Someone

I don't know about you, but God always puts such special people into my life. For instance my best friend Hannah. I was 11 years old and desperate for a friend...a special friend that I could spend hours talking to and laughing my head off with. That's when God sent Hannah to me, at just the right time. We have been best friends from the day we met and I'd do anything for her. But this year God saw a need and sent another someone into my life. At a point in my life when I thought life couldn't get any better and everything was working out just fine, God still saw an emptiness that He knew needed to be filled. I'm not going to give a name just for privacy reasons so I'm just going to call this person "That Someone". I'm not a very personal or emotional person and that can honestly be a good thing and a bad thing. It's hard for me to express my feelings, especially to people. I know that may sound strange but I tend to vent to Scallywag, my little white dog that everyone calls a rat...anyways, so yeah ever since I started to talk to That Someone I've found that its so easy to just talk and express what I'm feeling to him, it comes as natural as breathing. I feel like I don't have to act like anyone but Hallay Solomon when I'm around him. I've never experienced such emotions for a person. I find myself praying for him so many times a day...so much more then I even pray for myself. I want to encourage him and I want him to think of himself as highly as I do. That Someone made me realize that there was something missing in my life and he was exactly what I needed. I feel like I've known him my whole life but yet there so much more to learn about him. I pray that I have a lifetime to get to know That Someone and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us.

It's been awhile...

Our Sunday school class was recently going through a study together about the lies that Satan tells women everyday and the struggles that women go through. One of these struggles was how life is constantly changing. My life has been constantly changing since the day that I was born. My mom likes to stay busy...always has ever since I can remember. In the past few months I've experienced more change then I thought possible. Some of these changes have been good and some well...not so good. But as we were studying this struggle one of the ladies said that it was amazing how everything in life changes so quickly but God is always constant. From that day on I have yet to stop thinking about that comment. All I've ever known is change. I can't even begin to comprehend how something can be constant. And then my thoughts went deeper while thinking through this. I was saved as a young child so I honestly can't remember a time that I wasn't saved. I've always been able to talk to God and have a personal relationship with him. Now this thought may not affect you the way it did me but, the God that I loved and prayed too and worshiped when I was 5 years old is still the same God today. That just blows my mind away! I have changed so much over the years but He is still the same yesterday, today, and forever. Senior year is getting crazy busy...and trying to juggle everything is not as easy as I thought it would be. This year has definitely not gone the way I thought it would but honestly that's okay with me because every day I live I'm going to experience change but the fact that my God is always the same gives me a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Captain

Volleyball Captain....WOW

 I never thought in 8th grade i'd ever get to be the volleyball Captain my Senior year! God has brought me such a long way from that 8th grade year and I thank him so much for putting such awesome teammates in my life! He has blessed me with an amazing Coach that expects more leadership from me then I ever thought I had and I'm thankful to him for it! Being Captain is something I don't take lightly, I love ever person on my team and my goal this year is to bring them together to become ONE team. I pray that God will bless our season and that no matter if we win or loose his will be done!

Senior

Haven't blogged in so long but with it being my Senior year, this whole year will pass by so quickly and I want to have everything important written down :) So i'm starting now and hopefully by the end of my Senior year I'll be able to look back and enjoy reading about my Senior year :)