Senioritis and Spring Break

I've been diagnosed with a rather serious condition...

Senioritis.

Now that I know where I'm going in the fall (SPU!!!) my motivation to do well in school has dwindled dramatically, much to my mom's displeasure. Not surprisingly, I'm finally taking a minute to update a blog that I've told no one about for fear of someone actually reading it, because I don't want to do the large amount of homework I acquired over spring break.

Now that I have college to look forward to, the schoolwork now seems less important. I really enjoy being in class and learning the information, but I all of a sudden have a problem with the busy work.

I am not alone though. It doesn't help that all of my friends are in the same boat and we can easily convince each other to take a relaxing night off every now and then.

Backing up, I've officially accepted my admission to Seattle Pacific University! I'm so extremely excited! I can't wait to be up in my favorite city meeting new people and starting a brand new chapter in my life. It'll be interesting to experience a private Christian university after being in public school for 12 years. I have at least two close friends going there too, so at least I don't have to start from scratch making new ones. I'm so incredibly excited to see what God's going to do in me there. I've heard others' stories about their experiences and the growth they've had in every aspect of their life. What I'm most excited about are all the mission opportunities that SPU offers and encourages. I'm sure I briefly mentioned my trip with YWAM this past summer, and I can't wait to go out and do more. I'm addicted.

However excited I may be, I need to learn to live in the present. I don't want to miss out on my senior year in high school because I spent all my time day dreaming and complaining that time moved too slow. Sigh...

Something that I did recently enjoy was my spring break trip to PARIS with my mom and my sister. My mom had to be there for work, and it conveniently worked out that she would be gone during the time that Heather and I had off school. After months of convincing and planning, we finally planned our trip! It was my first time over seas, and I was very excited to use some of the French I've been studying for over three years now. I found out, I suck at French. I'm very very appreciative that other nations stress the importance of learning other languages, because the US definitely does not. I won't go into a lot of explanation, but we were there for a week and got to see most of the big attractions.

The Eiffel Tower

View from the top

Arc de Triomphe

Sacre Coeur

Sainte-Chapelle
The windows are the big feature and they were absolutely stunning
Notre Dame

We even climbed to the top of the towers

Got my APAH fix at The Louvre

Then more at the Musee D'Orsay

We at lots and lots of delicious food (the part I miss the most haha)

And looked at amazing things while we ate
Yes, Heather and I picnicked right here. It was fantastic.

I had an amazing time being with just my mom and my sister for a week in France. Couldn't have asked for a better vacation.

I think that's about all the updating I'm up for right now. We'll see how long it takes me before I post again. I know the anticipation will kill you.

My Christmas Card to You

While brainstorming on things to do that would keep me from doing my homework, I remembered the blog that I had started many moons ago... I'm not going to try to describe everything that's happened in those past months, but rather just start up again. Maybe this will be my new years resolution: to try to take a break every now and then and write. We'll see how it goes.

Instead of typing an update, I'll throw in some photos to let you know where I've been and what I've been up to. It's basically a very long, digital Christmas card. Enjoy :)

In July, I went on a missions trip to San Francisco. Absolutely amazing experience! I'm pointing to where we stayed in the Tenderloin district.

Our group outside the YWAM base. Love them :)

I went to NY with my sister Heather and my dad in August. We were very excited...

We saw "In the Heights" and "Bill Elliot" and met the Tony winning actor who played Billy!

We ate delicious pizza too...

And saw our cousins Rebecca and Julia.

I started my senior year in high school! Go Olys!

Went to Homecoming with some lovely ladies...

And was in my last high school play, "The Diviners."

Visited some colleges. Whitman (photo) and Seattle Pacific.

And went to California with my family after Thanksgiving for a little break.

That's about it. I'm enjoying my senior year and my last year at home. I'll update with real news sooner rather than later I hope.

Blessings, Caroline

Worship

One of the most powerful ways I connect with God is through music. Lately I've been going through some stuff, and this song from Youth Group kept coming into my head.

God of compassion, God of grace
God of forgiveness, You love me
God of the broken, God of the weak
God of the needy, You love me

Who am I and what have I done
that you love me through Your son
Who am I and what have I done
that you love me through Your son

These lyrics are SO true! God loves us so much, despite what we've done against him. I have done nothing worthy enough to justify the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross with my life in mind. I sing this song and I'm reminded that even though I've messed up, Jesus already died for my sin, and he wants a relationship with me and wants to free me from my mistakes. He is a God of compassion, and mercy, and forgiveness, and of the needy and weak. He is my God, I am his child, and he loves me more than life itself.

I think it's so amazing how God just knows what I need to hear, and can just bring lyrics into my life that I can just offer up to Him. I am always at a loss for words in how to share my love for my King, it's such a blessing that others do have the exact words I need, and they share them though their songs.

asdfghjkl;

Boy oh boy, lots on my mind now!

First:
I'm super super excited because I met with a bunch of girls today to plan a Bible Study. After about 3 hours of talking, we decided on reading the book Dating Delilah and pairing the chapters with the Fruits of the Spirit. Like I said, I'm super excited! I know most of the girls, but it will be fun to become closer with the ones I don't know.
I've been really disappointed with my walk with God lately. It's like, I know what I need to do, I'm just not doing it, or not doing it wholeheartedly. I hope that having a group to hold me accountable and encourage me will change things.

Second:
After my meeting, I spend an hour an a half job searching. I gave out 5 resumes and got 5 applications. Only one out of the ten places are actually hiring now, and it's definitely not my first choice. Oh well, I need a job, and I'm willing to accept pretty much what I can get.

Third:
This week starts my first week of eating healthy and exercising more. So far, I'm doing well! I haven't had ice cream and have cut down on other sweets while amping up my fruit/veggie intake. I impressed myself by going on not one, but TWO walks yesterday, and doing a weight workout from a magazine this morning. I'm already sore, but it'll be worth it :)

Fourth:
Father's Day is coming up and I have absolutely no idea what to get my dad! This happens three times every year: Birthday, Father's Day, and Christmas. I don't think I've ever know what to get him before, I don't know why this time would be any different.

Well, that's it for now

Educational Goodbyes

I'm pretty sure that no one knows about this blog, so no one reads it, but I'll throw a question out anyways.

How do teachers feel at the end of the year? What do the expect from the students? Are the nostalgic, are the bothered by kids that are?

Let me just say, I love my teachers. It's sad, I want them to love me, and I work so that they'll love having me in class, and years later when I'll come back, they'll remember me and be genuinely happy to see me again. I want my teachers to feel proud and accomplished and I want them to know that I am always learning from them. So do I tell them this at the end of the year? I mean, for all I know, they don't care, they want to get home, they're so used to seeing students come and go that it doesn't even matter to them that it's their last day of having a certain student in class. Forever.

For the record, I am a brown-noser. It's not my preferred label, but close friends have assured me that I am. This being said, I feel like at the end of the year I should write some extremely sappy note saying how much I enjoyed class, and how I've grown not only as a student, but also as a person while in a certain teacher's class. I never do though. Maybe when I graduate.

BTW, the countdown for graduation has already begun!

Missions???

So yesterday, Saturday, I got the chance to meet with the missions president at my church and another girl in my youth group. My youth pastor had told her that I was interested in missions, and I am to a certain extent. I would love love LOVE to go to Africa, and the Lord has really put it on my heart to work with kids, but I haven't had the call to be a full on "missionary."

What was really cool was hearing this woman's history. I've only seen her at church for the few years I've been going there, and only started talking to her a few weeks ago. I had no idea that she had been in the mission field for 4 years in West Africa, and had led trips to the Philippines and in various areas in Asia. She brought some journals that she kept when she was there, and I wanted to read them and experience it so badly it surprised me!

We started talking about our upcoming trip to San Francisco, where I know I'm going to be challenged in sharing my faith. I was explaining that all the missions work I'd done had been behind the scenes, and I'd never shared my story with a complete stranger before. Seriously, my biggest fear is that I will say something that comes from my mouth and not from God's and that will result in someone being forever put off from hearing the Good News. I've seen it happen, so I've always played it safe.

I know God has great things planned for me where I am now, and will hopefully move me somewhere new in the future. I am just praying for his guidance, and for all that I do in my day to day life, to reflect Him and his love for his creation.

"For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding."
- Proverbs 2:6

Newbie

Soooo
I decided to jump on the bandwagon and start my very own blog. I don't know if I'll even invite anyone to read it, but it will be fun to share with the internet at least.
So right now I really should be studying for my finals. 3 down 5 to go. Oh boy. The end of school sort of crept up on me, it still feels weird to think that after Monday, I'll be done until September. I am also getting nervous about finding a job this summer. I REALLY wanted to do a nanny thing, and I gave out fliers and used word of mouth to get the word out there, but so far all I have is one night of babysitting on the 23rd. It doesn't help that almost every other person in the world needs a job too, and I have zero work experience, and because I was so confident that I would be working the summer, I missed the registration date for my favorite volunteer job, Safety Town. Obviously I'm getting a little stressed, as seen in my long, run-on sentences.
Maybe I will go study now...