{besties}

1

friend

noun\ ˈfrend \

a : one attached to another by affection or esteem. 

• She's my best friend

Okay i know this sounds kind of cliche. but recently I've been thinking about what it means to be a true friend.  what kind of friend do i want to be? 
I used to think that friends were for life. That no matter what you would ALWAYS be there for eachother. Because you were ‘best friends’  that ment you relationship would never change. (I realize now how unrealistic that view really is)
And then one of my close friends and I drifted apart. She had moved on to  another phase of life, one that I couldn’t identify with and suddenly the bond between us was gone.
It took me a couple of years to realize that that is kind of what friendship is. God places people in your life for certain seasons. There is a purpose and time for everything. If my friend and I wouldn’t  have  drifted apart, then I would have never gotten to know one of my (now) really good friends. That lack of friendship forced me to step out of my comefort zone and find another friend.
And now looking back I wouldn’t trade all the 14 year old tears I cried to have that one friend back (I still love her and have a great friendship with her) but I probably  never would have gotten to know my other friend.

I used to think that friendships were easy. That you would always get along perfectly. That percent Anne & Dianna kindred spiritness...always

but that's not  L I F E.
Friendships are not that easy to keep. they are hard. 
But all relationships that you value  need work. They need effort 
Often I find myself thinking “wouldn’t it be nice of my friend liked this” or “wow I wish she would like to do that.”
Honestly my best friend (in picture above) and I are really opposites.
She loves playing sports and and algebra. Me. *shudders at the sound of that word*
While I would much rather sit and talk, or go do some fun “girl” thing.
But what kind of a friendship would that be if WE ALL LIKED TO DO THE SAME THINGS?
A healthy friendship needs some verity. You need spice. Differences. See If you and your friend were exactly alike, then you would probably have the same faults.

FRIENDS SHOULD BE DIFFERENT FROM YOU.
THEY SHOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY .
ACT DIFFERENT.
YOU WANT FRIENDS WHO WILL CHALANGE YOU,
 DISAGREE WITH YOU AND ULTIMATELY STRENGTHEN YOU.

Honestly it’s hard to keep a healthy friendship. So often there are problems and misunderstandings that lead to hurt feelings. But my thing is. Jesus knew that Judas would ultimately betray him but still he showed him unimaginable love & grace. His love was so perfect that nothing, not even betrayal  would cause him to turn his back on him.
How beautifull is that!!

 I want to be a friend who is Life giving.
I want to encourage them when they are having a rough day.
I want them to know that I treasure their friendship.
I want to laugh with them, and cry with them.
I want them to know That i belive in them, and support their dream.
I want to show the spirit of Jesus in our friendship.

I want to do this, Because this is what I want all of my friends to show me.

FIVE BIBLE VERSES ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

1. Proverbs 27:9
2. 1 Corinthians 13
3.  Proverbs 18:24
4.  Proverbs 17:17
5. John 15:13 

So be thankful for your friends. Treasure them. And appreciate who they are.

Thanks for sticking with me. I hope that my rambling made some sense, I’m not an anyways trying to be a philosopher, i just wanted to share what was on my heart :)


WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU TREASURE ABOUT YOUR FRIENDSHIPS? DO YOU FIND IT HARD TO MAINTAIN A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR LONG DISTANCE FRIENDS + WHAT IS A FAV FRIENDSHIP BIBLE VERSE OF YOURS.

{life update}

V A C A T I O N 

since our family has chosen to reside in the most northern part of New York we usually  spend a couple weeks down south during the coldest part of the winter (February, and also December & January & March pretty much the whole winter....) anyways it's always something i look forward to. 

So we've been in FL for almost two weeks, and on Thursdays we are flying to Central America *flails hands in excitement* to spend a couple of weeks with some of our relative!! The excitement is real :D

Oh also we spent our first week here with my cousins. Which was pretty cool. 

R A N D O M N E S S 

okay so I'm sure you've noticed that i recently updated my blog.. again. i know guys, i feel like I've been changing things around for quite some time. BUT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS NEW TEMPLATE! so i can say with confidence that this look is going to stay for quite a while :D

Okay so idk what coffee has against me recently but I have spilt every.single.cup. I've bought. 

Me. Sits down on lounge chair and (unwisely) puts cup on the ground beside me.  A couple minuets later gets up and knocks iced coffee and 90% of its contents onto the ground. *tears* 

So please excuse me while I go mourn for my coffee.

Also while on vacay I've been reading books like I drink coffee ( as soon as I'm finished w one I'm ready for the next) 

Random fact. 

I carried my books every where I went. 

All over the resort. 

To the coffee shop.

Back to the pool.

Then once again to the coffee shop.

Srly loved those books so much. 

And yes of course  I'm going to share them with you all ;) 

FYI This is one series 

Book one. Sandy Toes 

Read book description HERE

Book two. Salty Kisses

Read description HERE

Book three. Sunset Lullaby

Read book Description HERE

Christy & Todd the  baby years.

Yesss  finally read this series. It was quite delightful. I read all three of them in a week. which really isnt that short of a time for me if i really like books :) 

It's a companion series to the Christy Miller books. It was so wonderful  to reunite with the characters and a couple new ones. Its a good thing that I'm away from home because I would go on a book buying in splurge like legit. 

I love Robin Jones Gunn. From the first time I read this series I felt as though I could relate to so much stuff that the Characters go through.  It's awesome. Read them 

Oh also I finally wrote a bio, check it out Here

And yeahhh that pretty much sums up the last few weeks of my life ✌

what have you all been up too/ Have you ever read any books By Robin Jones Gunn + If so which books

// M E //

Me.

1. I LOVE all things sour. Like for real. When people crave desserts I wish for salt & vinegar chips.

2. I've travled to Central America & Africa + 37 states in the USA.

3. I have this obsession with coffee. I could drink cup after cup all day long. HELP

4. My bookshelf is so filled with books that I have stacks piled around my room.

5. I like to write but often find it hard to put my thought into words

 6.I'm in love with Jesus. ♡ the older I get the more I realize just how much I need HIM

7.I love my family + cousins are the greatest to go on adventures with ;)

8.I'm the oldest of 6 kids.

9. I love history.

 10. I mostly read christian / historical fiction but I have been know to like fanticy (Narnia) and nonfiction.

 One random thing about you + what country would you most like to visit?

SLEEPING HANDSOME BLOG TOUR

*rubs hands excitedly together* I could not be more happy to be able to share this amazing book with you all. Honestly once I started it, I could not put it down. So good. *virtual round of applause to Rebekah* 

(Look at beautiful cover)

All them heart eyes 

Book summery:
Minnie's goal was to have a fun, worry free vacation with her best friend Amy. A few weeks spent in their favorite far away place before they both went back to their respective colleges. A visit to the many famous sights across the British Isles has been on both their bucket lists for a very long time, after all.
However, when a mysterious taxi driver mentions a legend that somehow concerns her ancestral heritage, she decides to dig deeper. After being accused of stealing the famous statue and tourist attraction known as Sleeping Handsome, Minnie and Amy are plunged into a world they would never have imagined existed.

Prince Gregory, after being awakened from being frozen in stone for hundreds of years, finds himself searching for his true love in order to reverse the stone spell on his kingdom and awaken the rest of his people. With his faithful horse Brutis by his side, he sets out to destroy his greatest enemy, release his kingdom from the stone spell, and win the heart of his princess.

m y  r e v i e w

From the first to the last page I loved everything. The characters were so lovely and relatable. Minnie is so detailed and  scheduled while her best friend Amy kinda just goes with the flow. Haha she is so much fun ;) and then of course Prince Gregory is everything a prince should be *insert heart eyes*  but what would a Prince be without his faithful horse? Brutus is just the best 

Also like guys any form of sleeping beauty automatically is awesome.  Rebekah captures the story and portrays it in a unique and different way! There were a few times I wanted to burst out laughing, I would give you details but I'd rather you read the book :D I read it cover to cover, in one sit down, and enjoyed every minuet. 

Defently a book that should be in your library!

Also could we please have a sequel :D

w h e r e  c a n  i  f i n d   t h i s  b o o k ?

Good news! You can buy the printed copies of Sleeping  Handsome at

• Amazon
• Lulu
• Barns & Nobles 

And the Ebook copies 

• iBook store, 
• Lulu
• Nook 
• Kindle 
•  Kobo

Author Bio:
Rebekah grew up surrounded by family members who appreciated and read good literature. First, she fell in love with the stories her parents read aloud to her from the Bible and books like The Chronicles of Narnia, Great Expectations, The Hobbit, and Anne of Green Gables. After learning to read on her own, she discovered other fantastic books which helped to build her ever growing imagination.
She completed her first written work at the tender age of eight and now uses it to humble herself whenever the need arises. The story did serve to show her that God had given her a desire to write, however, and from that moment on Rebekah has never looked back or regretted picking up her pencil and becoming an author.
This nineteen-year-old homeschool graduate lives in rainy Western Washington and is currently working on receiving her BA in English in order to further her passion for creating worlds on paper.

Check out her blogs 
Rebekah's Remarks
Simply Stories

Q U O T E S 

 Follow Rebekah on Pinterest Goodreads and Instagram: @rebekaheddy4 

Why do we go through pain

W H Y   P A I N ?

Pain is that gut wrenching feeling. Like you've just gotten your breath knocked out of you. 

I've felt that pain. Hurt of being left out.

 Of rejection. Of not being loved.

But here's the thing. Pain in all its teriblenes is necessary. Without pain we would not be able to grow. Pain strengthens you. It refines you, like gold. 

So often in life we think of pain in a negative way.

But I would like to say, pain is hard. It hurts. But without pain we wouldn't be us. I wouldnt be me, and you wouldnt be you.

We wouldnt have the strengths and understanding that we do while we are dealing with said pain in our life.

If we wouldn't have pain, it wouldn't be your life. It wouldnt be your story.

It wouldn't be you.

• But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; (okay can we just stop for a second. God calls us redeemed. Amazing) I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  
• When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

• Isaiah 43:1‭-‬2 NIV

When I read those verses it was as if God was taking directly to me. Saying don't worry. Dont you know that I have a plan for all of this. That I know all. And am all. Trust me . 

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT PAIN + WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE BIBLE VERSES? 

JANUARY WRAP UP THING

Oh look you get a small sneak peek at my room 😉 Not pictured is my overflowing bookshelf. Srly tho. Probably the cleanest my room has been in a while.

*shakes head how fast January went by like legit insane how fast time goes by. And yet day to day can seem like forever. *pauses for a moment to contemplate that* also Yes I do realize that this is technically February. BUT let's
 
 Okay I'm back.  Now where was I... ohhh (lightbulb emoji) that's right I was just about to give you all my top three January reads.  But first quick recap of the month.

J A N U A R Y  R E C A P

So wow what a way to start the year! As most of you know foe most of the month I have been in Africa, visiting a friend of mine. You can read my compete and full ramble about that HERE
But srly it was quite the experience for sure. I went with four of my cousins and guyyysss honestly the best people to go traveling with is. Your. Family.
We made so many memories during those three weeks. Family really is g o a l.

So really I have only been home in the States for a week. Trying to adjust to the eight hour time change.   Can we say jet lag much. Also thank you Jesus for c o f f e e.

(No words have ever been more true)

So now I'm trying to get back into the daily grind of life once more.

The weather has been dumping snow down upon us northerners. the other day it was 9° legit. Like what is this??

Me steps outside. "What is this? I can't even breathe. I think my nose has frozen shut."
Sibling. "Stop complaining Janelle, it's not even that cold.
(It was 15 below zero)

  So yes my heart is starting to long for those warm barefoot days. But I suppose I shall survive until then.

J A N U A R Y S  T O P  T H R E E  B O O K S

● THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
By John Green.

*Blows into tissue* just in case you've never read the book and only watched the movie. The. Book. Is. BETTER.

Though I'll give it to you that the movie is pretty legit. 

 Now that we've gotten that out of the way we can move on to the actual contents of the book. Which is legit amazing.  While this is not a 'christain' book it's just one of those stories that capture your heart and soul. 

Never heard of this book I'm going crazy over???? Click here to have that quickly Remedied

Favorite quotes from said book

And this one.⬇️

● Night Song

By Tricia Goyer

I can't sing loudly enough the praises I have for Tricia Goyer's Night Song. The characters are engaging and real, the scenery is vivid and the circumstances haunting. Though this is a historical romance, the reader can identify with the characters through strong and timeless emotions and circumstances. The character's responses to these situations are what lend a sense of reality and urgency to the page. Goyer gives no pat answers and offers no sermons, but instead lets the character walk through the dilemma and so take the reader with them on a journey that is both daunting and exhilarating

STARS FOR A LIGHT

BY GILBERT MORRIS

A female doctor in the 1860's? Great premise! The book met and exceded any expectations I had for such a premise. As Dr. Cheney Duvall and her nurse, Shiloh Irons, travel from New York to Seattle with Asa Mercer and his hundred belles, they face danger and disease, along with more common shipboard problems. I was so disappointed when I finished this book, simply because I didn't have the next book in the series (Shadow of the Mountains) along, so I had to wait to start it. Lynn and Gilbert Morris make a fantastic writing team. The plot is swift and intriguing. The characters are well fleshed-out and believeably, delightfully human. The dialogue is fun to read. All in all, this is a wonderfully well done book. Needless to say, not only do I love this book, but I love the others in the series that I have read so far. I definitely recommend this,

_____________________________________________________

T O P   T H R E E  S O N G S  O F  J A N U A R Y 

• LIVE IT WELL. BY SWITCHFOOT

 •AFRICA. By TOTO

• SWEET CAROLINE. BY Neil Diamond 

JANUARY MOVIE/TV SHOW FAVORITES 

So like after 3 years of waiting Psych the Movie came out. *distant screaming* And yesss it was so amazing. Just like tv shown. Which if you've never watched either I suggest that you do 😁 esp if you like comedy

Okay so this movie is awesome! I've seen it quite a few times now, but the other night I had a few friend over and watched it once again. So. Good.

Plus who doesn't like for king and country!?! I mean like that's crazy. Srly

Yesss  please. Ok so Reason number one (and belive me there are a lot of them) wht I love this show so much is because it's unlike any other cop show. Which you know can get a little  Monotonous. You know someone murders someone else and the good guys try and figure out who it was. Perhaps there may be some shooting and even some random car exploding, but in the end good prevails and the bad guy is put behind bars. the end of episode.

But NOT this show. In fact this show isn't about homicide at all. Far from it. It's all about the White Collar crimes. It's just really good. 

You can watch this on Netflix. Have fun binge watching 😁😁

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES+ HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANY OF THESE??

_____________________________________________

B E S T  M O M E N T S  OF  J A N U A R Y 

I love collections of random pictures and times 😊 plus Polaroid are just plain awesome!

This picture was taken when we were on the Nile river. It was such a fun day. I mean like wow I was on the world's longest river! How cool is that?!

My Sarita. My kindred spirit. 

_____________________________________________

And last but certainly not least.. guys can we stop and talk about the Super bowl Sunday night. While I am not a huge football fan, I do have two younger brothers who are. So come Sunday night we all piled around the TV to cheer on of course the #eagles (lets just say that the patriots aren't held in very good esteem in our household) and even though we are sworn Steelers fans we'll settle for the eagles. Which was a pretty fantastic game and a great way to begin February.

DO YOU LIKE FOOTBALL?? IF SO WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE TEAM?

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR FEBRUARY?

The complete and full tale of my Uganda Adventure

Ahh where do I even begine?
This trip has been like nothing I could have ever imagined.
 It's taken me a while to be able to write this post because how do you describe something that your not sure you can even comprehend?
But I'm going to try.

First of all I would like to say that this was  not a mission's trip.
MY cousins and I went down to Uganda to visit Mary, an old friend of the Family Who has lived there for 12 years.

RANDOM THINGS I LEARNED TO BE THANKFUL FOR

• Good water. The water some of the people drink out in the little villages are so nasty. Like I wouldn't even was my feet in it much less drink it.
• Ok this might sound weird and perhaps a but strange that this particular thing would make the list but I am so thankful for  TOILETS. real sit down and flush kind of toilets.  I won't go into detail about the type of restrooms 'or lack there of' they had there. But if a hole in the ground comes to mind than your probable along the right track.
• Getting the privilege to be able to travel with my Family. Srly they are the best!
• That I was raised in a Family that taught me to love and Know God. 
• For the opportunity to be able to broaden my horizons and experience another country.

W E E K  O N E

This was defiantly quite a way to start out our trip. the first two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) we spent at our apartment trying to get over our jet lag (Coffee please)

On the third day we (the 5 of us, Mary, Brian (our driver) A native pastor and, Peggy a acquaintance of Mary's piled into a van and predeceased to make the 4 ish hour drive back into the mountains of Uganda.  There we spent the rest of the week traveling to different churches, Mary would share her testimony and we would 'sing'which is a story all of its own.  We had our first taste of "Milk Tea" and yes it is as gross as it sounds. Essentially all it is, is hot milk and sugar. lots of sugar.
all in all i think we got a pretty good comprehension of the culture here. but this was only our first week. we still had two more weeks of adventure and trials ahead of us.


W E E K  T W O 

Our second week started out with us catching up on rest at our apartment for the first day and preparing to take the 6 hour trip up into Western Uganda with Brian to help him dig on his land. Tuesday was mostly spent traveling. the scenery was breathtaking. we spent the night at Brian's mothers house.
the next day we headed up into the mountains of Rwanda to see Brian's land. (quick story) we did not know we were going into Rwanda. we had no passports or identification along with us  which had we been caught would have been a huge problem. but thankfully all went well.
on Friday we headed back to Kampala and, stopped at the Equator on the way. which you know is pretty cool :)
Saturday we hung out at Marie's Cafe with Mary in the morning after our run in with an angry African, who was not happy where we had dumped our trash. it was a real TIA (this is Africa) moment. lets just say that there was a lot of them and only a few of us, but thankfully we got out of there alive and unharmed. plus we had coffee to soothe our slightly enraged souls. (just kidding) about the enraged part. we take our coffee very seriously.  after satisfying our coffee and internet needs we headed back to the apartment and did what we do best. we ate popcorn, played games (probably scum) and of course listened to Pedro and his Guitar



W E E K  T H R E E 

Our last week in Uganda was spent in the prisons. What a eye opening experience. This is what Mary does. this is why she is here. The men love her, every time she comes she is greeted with smiles and happy faces. The Uganda system is so corrupt. there are men serving ten year sentences who are innocent. All around you see so much injustice. so much pain. it makes you feel helpless.  There living conditions are terrible. at least  90% of them have been tortured by the guards. and yet when we came to see them you could see Jesus shining through their eyes.
We spent our last full day out on the Nile. what an amazing and beautiful experience. Its so cool to be on the worlds longest river.  That evening we packed up our clothes and said goodbye to Peter who, leaving for Israel.
and then there were four.  since our flight didn't leave till 11:30 Tuesday night, we were able to go with Mary to Cafe Java's for a last meal together.  Then it was off to the Airport and back to the good old USA. How ready we were to see it and all the beautiful toilets. no more latrines for us, thank you very much :)

These two pictures describe just about every night at our apartment. 

cards. music. laughter.

these were my favorite times, when we were all together just having a good time. 

So many memories were made, small and perhaps seemingly insignificant at the time but, what iv'e come to realize is that the best and most precious times aren't usually grand and exciting  but rather, they are the little moments that no words or picture can ever really capture.  

t h o u g h t s

You know, looking back on this trip I would have to stay, While it was most defiantly not the most beautiful, comfortable or even relaxing place to go, we (us cousins) had the most fun anyone could have had, if they were in our shoes. we made some wonderful memories together. I will always treasure this time.  it has changed my world view. I have become aware how selfish and privileged my life is. I don't deserve it.
 But I'm grateful for it.
Grateful for a loving family.
grateful that i live in a country that still upholds Human Rights (to some point)
I'm grateful that I know Jesus and His amazing love.
I'm grateful for opportunities that make me realize just how small and insignificant I am. and how great and Magnificent God is. And in Him lies anything and everything.

I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOU THOUGHTS. 
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU ARE MOST THANKFUL FOR? + HOW DID YOU SPEND YOUR FIRST MONTH OF 2018?