4 - Wishes

It's cold outside, so I'll sit at the window
and stare at the sun and that tree
while I wish it was summer cause that's when
my heart and my soul are always set free.

3 - my heart on the line

My heart is on the line in two ways.
The first reason my heart is on the line here is because it's hard for me to say the things I'm about to say, especially since my dad will probably read them. However, I feel these things are very, very important, and I have to say them.
The second reason my heart is on the line is because my heart literally - physically - is on the line, and the physical aspect of that truth is represented in this photo.
My dad and his family have a bit of a history when it comes to heart disease. I have a whole lot of heart metaphorically speaking, but it's likely that I have a weak heart genetically.
When I spend time with my dad, particularly when there's a lot of physical activity involved, I can see how much his poor heart health holds him back, even from things he likes to do.
I don't want to have to deal with this as I grow older.
The responsibility to take care of my body and my heart is solely mine. It's time that I take this seriously and work to improve my own heart health.
I plan to focus on eating healthy and exercising like I should.
This isn't a New Year's resolution, or I would have talked about it on January 1st. This is my life.
This is my heart on the line.

2 - A Sleepy Sunday

This is a photo of the inside of a quilt that my mom made for my sister.
I'm using it right now while I visit my parents because I couldn't bring mine with me on the flight.
I sleep with it pulled over my head sometimes, and the light shines through the stitching with this illuminative effect.
It's very pretty to me, and I've been sleepy all day, even though I took a nap for an hour, so I felt like this represents today pretty well.
:)

1 - Silos in the Setting Sun

I picked this picture for many reasons:
First, the 365project theme for the week is silhouettes.
Second, it's a photo of the landscape of Indiana, so it captures my vacation and represents time spent with my parents.
Third, we went to an indoor water park today! And the outlines kinda remind me of the slides that made us just a little bit seasick. LOADS of fun! =D

Happy New Year!
Here's to new beginnings!

Paint

Sometimes I paint a little bit just for fun. It's a small and relatively insignificant hobby, and I'm very much a beginner. Recently, I discovered that the best way to paint - what produces the most clean, most beautiful, most intricate and exact strokes - is to get only enough paint on the brush for ONE stroke at a time. When I get too much paint, the strokes are bulky and sloppy, and they bleed into one another. When I don't get enough paint, it doesn't produce a stroke as strong and defined as I want. I suddenly realized today that this is what God does with us. He gives us just the right amount of information and direction for only the next thing He wants us to do. If He gave us more than we needed, everything would get really messy. If He gave us less than we needed, we would be weak. That's not how it is! He gives us exactly what we need when we need it. He gives us just enough paint for one stroke. We might not understand what the stroke is supposed to look like. We might not even like the stroke. But one day, when we see all the strokes together, we'll realize that His hand has created a painting more beautiful than we could ever imagine. We'll realize that every single stroke was important, and that they each had the perfect amount of paint.

Snowflakes!

Okay, so this post might possibly make me sound just a little bit silly.
I don't know, but if it does, oh well. :)

The past few days I've been thinking about snow and especially snowflakes. As you probably know, I grew up in Texas - close enough to Houston to have Houston weather, which means that I don't really know much about snow. I've been thinking about the images that we have of snowflakes - how beautiful and creative they are. The only snow I've ever actually seen is just little tiny chunks/balls of ice. Not hail. Snow, but similar to hail, I guess. It was kind of random, but this morning I suddenly wondered if snowflakes are really real or if it's just some image that we conjured up somewhere along the lines. I called my mom (she grew up in Tennessee) and asked her. And, YEAH! Snowflakes are REAL! There are photographs of them! Absolutely gorgeous, unbelievable, stunning photographs!

snowflakebentley.com

Go to that website RIGHT NOW! It's amazing and I'm just blown away.
You can find images at the end of the page under the "Snowflake" Bentley Exhibit tab.

I know that I'm 21 years old, and maybe I should have already known this, or maybe I shouldn't be quite so enthralled or enamored, or ... I don't know. Maybe, just maybe, this is a bit childlike... But I think this is part of what Christmas is ALL about. Being childlike. Seeing beauty in the little things. Being amazed with life itself. Seeing something extraordinary everyday. Not seeing with your eyes; seeing with your heart.

I leave you with a quote from the man who photographed over 5,000 snowflakes, never saw two that were alike, and never ceased to be amazed.

"Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind."
~Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley 1925

He found a way to leave a record of their beauty. I love that.

Happiness

My life isn't particularly interesting or incredibly exciting. I don't have any utterly hilarious stories or any "juicy gossip" to share. But it certainly isn't dull either. I'm really happy. Like, really really. So, I decided to make a list of what it is that makes me happy.
:-)

Jesus and the relationship I have with Him makes me happy.
Sleeping makes me happy.
Summer makes me happy.
Sunshine makes me happy.
Record breaking tennis matches make me happy.
Random phone calls make me happy.
Unexpected texts make me happy.
My sister's voice and her laughter make me happy.
Unnecessary friendliness makes me happy.
Helpful neighbors make me happy.
Texas makes me happy.
The big blue sky makes me happy, especially when it's unobstructed by ugly city buildings.
Stars make me happy. They make me very happy.
Driving makes me happy, cause it means I'm going somewhere.
Protection and comfort make me happy.
Getting surprises makes me really happy.
So does surprising other people.
Puppies and kittens make me happy.
Even my pet fish named Puppy makes me happy.
Having time to be creative makes me happy.
Learning cool new things makes me happy.
Taking pictures makes me happy.
And sharing them with others makes me happy.
Best friends make me happy.
Butterfinger Blizzards make me happy. Very happy. Favorite ice cream.
Blankets make me happy.
Campfires and the smell of smoke make me happy.
Family makes me happy, and being with them is perfect.
It makes me happy when I'm always doing something, even if it's nothing.
Dancing makes me super happy.
So does country music.
Even though it's strange, wearing my socks inside out makes me happy.
Helping people makes me happy.
Making things makes me happy.
Dr. Pepper makes me happy. Probably because I'm addicted.
Music makes me happy.
Hugs make me really happy.
Pillows and reading make me happy.
and did I mention sleeping? :-)

These aren't in any exact order of what makes me most happy.
Except the first two.
Living a life focused on God truly does make me happier than anything else in the world.
And sleeping does, in fact, make me the second most happy, believe it or not.

As you can probably see, it does't take anything really big to make me happy. It genuinely is the small things in life that make me happy. I might be a complicated girl, but it doesn't take complicated things for me to be happy.
:-)

So. What makes you happy?