Twenty Ten :)

I don't even know how to start beginning to tell you how amazing this past year has been. I got a new church, a new sister-in-law, a new job, a new guitar, a new everything. It has been SO blessed by God.
So the beginning of this year I actually was on a train with little Zubby and we stayed up all, well most of the night playing cards with people I didn't even really know and playing the hang drums. It was a great trip visiting my Aunt and eating lots of really good Wisconsin food.
When I arrived back home from that trip, I randomly decided to walk into KALS and apply. As I know by now, nothing is really random though and God has a plan for everything. They told me that they needed someone to fill in for a live church service on Sunday. That's how I started just a few hours on Sunday. We'll come back to this story later.
Around the first of the year we started going to Gospel Light Baptist Church. I am so sure that God led me there. He has also led many of my friends there and many Deaf people. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of the Deaf ministry there.
The very beginning of the year Josiah (my oldest brother) got engaged to Emily Stafford. The spring was spent wedding planning, wedding planning, and more wedding planning. I really like wedding planning though. Hopefully another one of these siblings decides to get married soon so I can help with another wedding. I took Josiah and Emily's engagement photos with Twilight (my camera, nothing to do with the movie) and also designed their wedding invitations with Photoshop. I have since taken 13,000 pictures. You can see the 101 Best Photos of 2010 from this link. You don't have to be a member of FB, btw.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101902&id=1291540410&l=c1e9c4f574
So, where was I at. . .March, April, and May were all spent working at Super 1 City Center in the Produce Department, managing the Pro-Life Website, and some graphic design work here and there. I did go swimming in March which was pretty fun. I even convinced Emily to jump in with me.
Oh May, there was that trip. Where on earth do I start? Somewhere between being crammed in a hotel room with 11 other people, not showering for way too long, hiking some pretty insane stuff, driving across Texas with no AC in a metal car, I decided that road trips are pretty much awesome! I truly hope to return to the Grand Canyon and hike all the way to the bottom of it.
You can read more about that trip here:
http://gracemontana.blogspot.com/2010/06/been-while.html
June, I went to the Bible Conference in Dillon. Absolutely one of the best weeks of my entire life!!! I don't even know where to start! I've been to a lot of different Bible camps, retreats, ect.; but truly the one in Dillon was like nothing I've ever seen before. I really prayed for God to use me and He gave me more opportunities then I could ever imagine.
Sometime in June I went to the music conference in Malta. Really fun Southern Gospel with almost a Country Gospel flair to it. Definitely the best genre of music.
July 31st. Josiah and Emily got married. They had an absolutely beautiful wedding at Gospel Light Baptist Church and a reception to follow at the Cowboy Church. All of us girls wore cowboy boots (kind of a country style). There are a few pictures of that in my 101 photos of the year album. I'm also overjoyed to announce that Emily is expecting a child in May of 2011. We are all very excited. I'm going to be an aunt!!!
In August, I started working at the radio station part time and have since just been given tons of opportunities to do a lot of different kinds of work there. From office work, to traffic, to special events, to production--I absolutely love it all. I'm so blessed to have the most amazing co-workers on the planet!!!
In September, I quit Super 1 and started teaching piano. I'm really glad for that change.
With the fall came hunting season. Oh boy was that an adventure as always! For those of you who don't know, my family is big time into hunting. The boys went East opening day and shot close to a dozen deer. Hunting around here was not as I had hoped. . .so I figured I'd go East. . . well yeah. The trip didn't turn out as I'd expected, but I had a blast. The full story is right here. Poor Beatle, she worked so hard and still never got a cow elk.
http://gracemontana.blogspot.com/2010/11/promised-land.html
And then there's December. I've had an absolutely blessed Christmas, not just the day; but the whole month. Christmas I spent with the family watching movies (Defiance is a really nice movie, btw), eating some pretty yummy food, and hanging out with the family (which is never, ever dull).
Well, that's the year. . .and there is so much more. . looking back on it, I'm just in awe of God and who He is.
I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store!! :)

Christmas. . . .

One of my friends posted an article explaining some of the reasons why he didn't celebrate Christmas. . Well and I tried to post a response, but it was too long (shocker, I know). So, I decided that I should just post my own article.
First off, I think you all should know where I'm coming from. As much as we hate to admit me, our growing up and various experiences have some influence on what we believe. I seek to only base my beliefs on the Bible. With that being said, I have been on both sides of the Christmas debate. My family didn't celebrate Christmas until I was about 15 or 16. I've heard it all from the tree being evil, to the wise men not being three, to the time Jesus was born, and that Christmas is a pagan holiday.
I'm not even going to attempt to explain the origins of Christmas or any of it's traditions. Does it really matter? God owns December 25th as much as he does any other day. If the devil originally took the date, I am thankful that now it is a predominantly Christian holiday. It is the only time of year when you will hear "Away in a Manger" on a secular radio station or "Fall On Your Knees" sung on TV. What a great witnessing opportunity!

^{Romans 14:5}One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

⁶He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

So does it really matter? When you stand before God, I really don't think He's going to care if you celebrated Christmas or not.

As far as Christmas being commercialized! I ain't going to deny it. But whether you let greed overcome you this Holiday Season, is your decision. . Christmas doesn't make you greedy.

What will God care about?

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near [me] with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.

Your heart. . .Where was yours this Christmas?

Mt. Rainier

One of my friend's videos is in the Sierra Trading Post video contest. You all should watch it and cast a vote for him. It's Phase 2 Finalist, the middle one called Mt. Rainier. This really makes me want to climb the mountain.
Whoever gets the most votes wins $2500.

http://beta.sierratradingpost.com/lp2/share-your-adventure-video

Lethal Coffee

Here is the Coffee Song. I have no idea who wrote it or who sings it. Got it from some ranching friends of mine. Blogspot won't let me upload an audio file, so I threw together a quick video, hence the random photos

So much to be thankful for. . .

Every Thanksgiving it seems like people say the same things. . . What are you thankful for?
Friends, family, food. . . These are great things, but sometimes I feel like we're stuck in a rut and don't truly understand how blessed we are; but this past year God has showed me what truly being thankful can do. It can take any situation and help you see the good in it. I've realized that true happiness doesn't lie in more stuff, more fun, more popularity, more anything; but it comes from more of GOD. I hope to carry on the Thanksgiving spirit all year long. . So if you care to listen. Here's a few things I'm thankful for.

The freedoms we have in America.
The wonderful, amazingly, stunningly gorgeous state I live in.
My wonderful family. . . I know everybody says this but my family truly is the best. . I know I'd not be the same without them.
My epic sis-in-law and baby that she is carrying.
My parent's and all that they've taught me
The wonderful church I've found
The Deaf ministry God started at our church.
My awesome job at KALS!
My camera, computer, gun and phone
Coffee
Hearing, eye-site
my guitar and piano
music
every day
snow
hunting
cliff jumping
God's protection, love, forgiveness, mercy, guidance, grace, and salvation

Hope you all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!!

The Marine Corps

I thought this was pretty epic!

The Marine Corps

Now at San Diego Recruit Center:

Dear Ma and Pa, I'm doin well and I hope you are. Tell brother Walt and brother Elmer that the Marine Corps beats workin for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all the places are filled.
I was restless at first cause ya get to sleep till 6:00 a.m. but I'm gettin so I like to sleep late.
Tell Walt and Elmer all ya' do before breakfast is smooth yer cot and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, or fire to lay, practically nothing.
Men got to shave but it ain't so bad, there's warm water and nice soap.
Breakfast is strong on trimmins like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, and such; but kinda weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried egg plant, pie, and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer they can always sit next to two city boys that live on coffee and their food plus yours holds you till lunch when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much.
After breakfast we go on 'route marches' which the Platoon Sergeant told us are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so it's not my place to tell him different. A route march is about as far as our mailbox back home, then the city boys get sore feet and we ride back in trucks.
The Sergeant is like a school teacher, he nags a lot. The Captain is like the school board, he tells the Sergeant to do a better job. Majors and Colonels just ride around and frown, they do't bother ya none.
This next one will kill Walt and Elmer with Laughin. I keep getting medals for shootin and I don't know why. The bulls eye is near as big as a chipminks head and don't move, and it ain't shootin at you like the Higget boys at home. All ya got to do is lay there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges, they come in boxes!
Then we have what they call 'hand-to-hand combat trainin' where ya get to wrestle them city boys. I have to real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like wrestling that old bull at home. I'm bout the best they've got except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake. He joined up bout the same time as me but I'm only 5'6" and weigh 130 pounds and he is at least 6'8" and got to be nigh onto 300 pounds.
Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before the other fellas get onto this set-up and come stampedin in.

Your loving daughter,
Alice.

One Day

It's amazing how much people change.
One day they're on fire for God, the next day they act like they don't know Him.
One day they talk of Him, the next day they deny Him.
What is going on?
Where is your life headed.
I look around and see faces of hurting,
dieing,
religious
church-goers.

Like a lot of you, I was born and raise in a Christian home--
a very conservative home.
I always thought I was saved.
Well I doubted it a lot
but I didn't want to admit I was a sinner.
Sinners were those other bad people.
I was blinded to the Bible verse,
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
Everything changed though when I turned 13.
The lost feeling just got worse.
I didn't know what to blame it on.
I tried to find God, but prayed with no answer.
The morning was June 5th, 2003. My mom was 6 months along with my little brother when he was still born. I remember holding that lifeless baby in my arms with a lot of questions but I was strong. . .
too strong for God.
The next month is a blur. July 17th came. . . the day I was to fly on an airplane and visit my aunt.
I needed a new start.
God works in mysterious ways.
I mean I knew the salvation message like the back of my hand,
but it was all head knowledge. I was reading a WORLD magazine on the airplane and a phrase caught my eye. It was an ad or something that said,
"Trust in Christ Jesus as your personal Savior."
The lightning bulb went off.
That night I closed my eyes and prayed to God putting my faith in Jesus Christ
--not a baptism,
an upbringing,
or a prayer--
but in Him.
I remember waking up the next morning and hearing old hymns that finally meant something.
I remember devouring Bible verses.
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God.
If you're reading this and you are not saved or if you're reading this and you have doubts. . .
if you are religious. .
thirsty. .
He's come so that you may KNOW that ye have eternal life!
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye have eternal life,
and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
I John 5:13
God doesn't want you wondering. . .
Believe in Him.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that
whosoever believe in Him should not perish;
but have everlasting life."
Don't just believe that He exists, but trust Him to save you.
Accept His offer of eternal life.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Promised Land. . .

Well, I was going to try to put this all in a status, but decided it wouldn't work. It just wouldn't all fit. I don't even know how to began describing this weekend--such a bittersweet experience.
I bought the tags (two B tags and one A tag) for Valier, MT. I've hunted about 3 times around the Flathead Valley. I'm sure all of you fellow-hunters have seen the devastation that the wolves have left. Every time I went out, I dreamed of the land flowing with deer, and more deer--East, they call it. Like a promised land calling my name. . . Everyone who's been there says it's so wonderful.
I tried everything to fit it in my schedule. . . I begged my brother to go with me. . nothing seemed to work out. The weekend I had off, he didn't, yada, yada, yada. Well, I "happened" to get the same Friday and Saturday off. David agreed to be my personal guide.
Friday morning we woke up about 4 am. I had such high hopes. I was convinced big daddy was waiting . With Zadok by my side, I really believed that this would be the trip. Boy was I ever wrong.
As we wound through the mountains and popped out to the prairie view, my excitement built. Valier was way prettier than anything. Mountains not far away, but wide open spaces. . .and the sky . . . bigger than any sky you've ever seen.
We stopped at a ranch and signed in. I looked up and on the hillside I could see the stick figures of deer. I knew this was going to be good. They weren't legal, but I knew had to be more just waiting over the horizon. Within about 15 minutes, David slams on his breaks. Deer! I bailed. "Don't shoot! Past the red dirt," he yells. I only saw the tails disappearing in the distance.
We continued to drive. About 15 minutes later, I saw the shadow of a deer walking away. . . I knew he didn't see us. "Big daddy. . . is there," I yelled. David slammed on the breaks.
"Be quiet," he said, "these deer are smart."
We sneaked around him. I knew it was a buck by the way he walked. We crouched over the hill. There he was. I put the gun on my shoulder. . and yes, I aimed! Boom, nothing, the deer didn't flinch, just kept walking. I missed. By now David was screaming at me. "Aim for the chest," he said.
"Yeah Pink, I kind of already knew that," I was thinking to myself.
I heard someone else up the coulee yelling something I couldn't understand. . . I fired more shots. . . I missed. It turns out he was duck hunting yelling at his dog. My sister was shooting. I didn't know why I was missing. I was aiming. . must have been jerking the trigger. Buck fever. Why?
This was not exactly the start of the trip I was looking for. David scolded me for hours. This left me more determined than ever to leave my fever in the dust.
We walked/ran all day chasing 3 mules up and down the hills. Never could gain any ground on them. . .We had just about given up on those deer, when we saw more. Well, David spotted them first. A new group of deer to pursue. . . We could see them on the side of the mountain hundreds of yards away. This was a new kind of hunting. No trees. Man, it felt good. We drove around to where we knew they were.
David had just drank an energy drink. He started running up the mountain. I was not far behind him. They came over the hill. I expected it, but not like this. They were booking it out of that place. I put my scope on the doe, I fired. . . probably more than once and out stepped this buck. Obviously, I never shoot at running deer. This was my first time hunting East. . . He was big. . I would not get fever though. I was determined. Beetle was working on emptying her magazine. I carefully aimed, following it with my gun, but probably not enough. I squeezed the trigger. I didn't have fever, I promise. David yelled, "No more shots, it's over the fence." It was gone. "Check over that edge." I walked over there were 4 more deer. I aimed, I fired, I aimed, I fired. Beetle aimed she fired. . . when all was done we had no reason to believe that we had hit anything. We were hiking along when we saw one. She looked shot obviously limping on three legs. Beetle managed to shoot it in all the wrong places. After a short chase, we brought her down. It was a fawn. At least we wouldn't have to face the embarrassment of going home with nothing. A fawn never felt so good. The rest of the day I spent limping up the mountains. The blisters in my feet hurt so bad, but I wasn't going to give up. No way! I'm pretty sure we saw nothing the rest of that day. . .
After dark, we arrived at the gas station. Running out of water at three in the afternoon had left me quite thirsty. I drank a Sobe and bought 2 more boxes of shells just in case. . . and the monster I bought for the next day was bigger than any monster you've ever seen. I knew I was going to need it. Me and Beetle decided to split it. I slept like a rock that night besides my random sense that 1:30 in the morning was time to go hunting. . .
The next day, I was convinced I would do better. . . There would be more chances. . . We hunted all day. I drank a monster. It gave me so much power. I ran up and down those mountains. After one particular very long hike, when we were driving out; I saw them. A bunch of deer on top of the mountain. I had no words. . . I said something that kind of sounded like speaking in tongues. The deer were headed to the same spot we just had hiked. I knew we were dedicated because my little bro was wearing out. Pretty epic. I didn't care how bad my feet hurt or anything else. I was determined to shoot something. We marched up that mountain. . . crawled quietly on the top, all the way back around to the same mountain we just conquered. Beetle's tennis shoes I was borrowing had no ankle support and I was feeling it skirting the side of that mountain. We didn't see them. Anywhere.
The rest of the day, the pressure was building. Oh well, everybody has bad hunting days, right? The time dwindled. 1 hour left. That was all. Nothing mattered. The sunset was so beautiful. I wanted to just stay here. . . We were walking up this mountain. . . I turned around and saw her. I was convinced this was probably our last opportunity. She was running at 250 yards. Because Beetle had the gun with the bi-pod, I decided to let her shoot first. "Squeeze slow, Beetle," I could hear David's counseling. She did and she missed. I tried. . . twice. It's hard shooting running deer at 250 yards.
That was it. . . Our last opportunity. The remaining fifteen minutes I thought if I ran maybe I'd find something. It didn't work.
I got back in the truck. Not exactly what I was expecting, but I will look on the bright side. They say you learn the best from your own mistakes. I learned to never fire at anything in haste. . .Slow down. I learned to not let the desperation to get an animal make you lose the very chance you have. I will look at my cup as 3/4 full, instead of 1/2 empty. I'm so blessed to live in this beautiful state, to have an amazing family to hunt with, to still have the right to hunt, and to know no matter what happens I'm still blessed and God is still with me.

Photoshoot

A few days ago I got the opportunity to go take pictures of who I'm sure are some of the cutest kids on the planet. Thanks Erin for the fun time. Here's a few of my favorite.

where to start

I realize I haven't updated about my blog in quite a while. It seems like I've caught the blogging bug though just for tonight, because I saw all my other friends updating theres and yep pretty much the peer pressure. . . and I kind of need to be working on something else, but this is good too. right?
With 23 days till hunting season, I'm sure my life is going to get insane soon, but it kind of always is anyways. . . I got egged a few weeks ago. Now that's an experience.
Yesterday, we went to go visit some friends in Dillon. They had a BEAUTiful hunting cabin that they let us stay in and I found out the handsome makes great shampoo. lol. I love that place! and all the people that make it so great! I'm so glad somebody made me go to the conference this year. It was pretty much one of the greatest weeks ever and God is still showing me things that I learned there. I hope to not tarry in Kalispell too long.
So. .. I took a leap of faith and quit Super 1. I miss the people there, but I absolutely love the radio station work and the people at the radio station. Its got to be the coolest job ever! God blessed me SO much! I'm also teaching piano and now sign language on the side and taking guitar. . .yeah, I'm pretty busy, but loving every minute of it.
Here's the words of wisdom for the night. Somebody the other day told me, "Well it's easy to be always happy when you're a Baer." It made me stop and think. Am I really happy because I'm a Baer? I am so blessed to live in the family that I do, but if you really know me; that's not the reason. How do I explain to them that my life isn't perfect without sounding like a know it all? Why are so many Christians so depressed? I just don't understand it.
Well, here's the answer I meant to give; I found it all in one verse.

Psalm 28:7 (King James Version)

⁷The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

The only place where I can find joy is trust in God. It's funny how when you know God is in control even through the worst of circumstances you can be joyful. Our happiness as Christians doesn't depend on our growing up, how much money we have in the bank, how safe we feel, or anything we feel as far as that matter; but on God. Knowing He knows it all is the most freeing happy feeling of all.

I know. . .

So. . I saw this on one of my friend's blog and thought it was a good idea. I know people visit my blog, but I rarely get comments, so whoever you are; comment!

I know you're looking

and. . I know you're watching

so where are all the comments???

I fear that our fellow bloggers and friends are afraid to comment. We don't bite... we're really not so scary, so please just say hello! Let us know what you think. We'd love to hear how you are doing. For those you who look at our blog regularly, but do not comment... ( we won't mention any names) Please leave a comment... even if you remain anonymous. :D

We want to hear from you!!!

The End of the Challenge

Well, here it is. I've been pretty slow doing this challenge. . so I figured I'd just finish it up tonight. . . I'm not going to check my grammar. Don't read too carefully.

Day 27: A physical feature you love
My hair. It reflects my mood. True story. Sometimes it's hard to handle, but the best things in life are.

Day 28: A scar you have and it's story
On my foot I have a dog nail scar. Before I went to college, I used to have 2 mushing dogs (they were the real thing) and one mutt dog. One day. . .as all good owner's do. . . I was feeding them. I gave some food to Julie (one of the mushing dogs) and Tipsy (she was named that because her eyes didn't line up) starting attacking each other. . . I'd been in the middle of these dog fights before, but never one quite like this. I knew that they were fighting to the death. I tried to break them up, but the other dog just decided to join them. I was literally rolling on the ground with them attempting to pry them apart. I concluded that nothing would work. I kicked open the gate and while holding the two other dogs, kicked Tipsy out. Somewhere in that mess, one of the dogs stuck their claw in my foot. I've still got the scar to prove it.



Day 29: Hopes, dreams, and plans you have for the next 365 days
Too many. Go to Alaska, stand on top a really tall mountain, help a poor struggling soul, win some souls to Christ, do a good job teaching piano, polar plunge, improve photography skills, improve guitar, shoot big daddy (elk or deer), learn more about radio at KALS, get that one song on facebook, buy a video camera, sleep under the stars many times, do something crazy (that I haven't done yet), hike the Grand Canyon (this one's big), go to a foreign country, and. .. live life to the fullest!

Day 30: A motto or philosophy

Day 26: A childhood memory

Ok, well, where do I begin. . . raising goats, working in the garden, snow barefoot races, building massive snow forts, army crawling, annoying the neighbors to no end. Perhaps, one of the best of all were our dirt clog fights. I grew up in Billings, MT where it's really dry and there are massive dirt clogs. We would have wars. Split up in two teams and fire away. I remember one day though. We were out there chucking the dirt clogs. When all of the sudden I felt like Goliath, so strong and so tall; but I was down. My brother, Josiah (figures), hit me square in the head with a big old dirt clog. This explains a lot. I had an awful headache. I tried to sleep it off, warm washcloths. . it didn't work though.

A Favorite Recipe

Spinach Casserole

This is one of my favs. Just ate it tonight.

Spinach casserole recipe with cream cheese and seasonings.
Ingredients:
• 2 packages frozen spinach, (10 oz each)
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, melted, divided
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• paprika, optional
Preparation:
Thaw spinach and press or squeeze to remove excess water. Grease a casserole dish and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spinach, cream cheese, and 1/4 cup of melted butter. Spoon into casserole dish. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and paprika, and drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup of butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Serves 4.

Day 24: A movie no one would expect you to love

Does Veggietales count?

Day 23: A way in which you want to be remembered

It's pretty simple actually. I want to be remembered as someone who loved people, gave God everything I had, and worked like crazy to serve Him.

4 days in one

So. . here it goes. Four days in one. I've been a bad child and been slacking.



Day 19: A talent of yours
hmmm, probably music. I've been playing the piano since I was 4 and the guitar not nearly as long.
I kind of sing but think it could probably use some help.

Day 20: A hobby of yours
Cliff jumping. . . yes that is officially a hobby. . . and it does require gear--courage, guts, and a smidgen of stupidity.

Day 21: Something you know you do differently then most people
Drive. Not really sure it's a good thing, but it's different. At least that's what my friends say.

Day 22: A website
My photography blog www.glowofgracephotography.blogspot.com

Day 16

Well, this 30 day challenge seems to be a little bit longer than that. Extended days are ok. right?
I time when I've felt passionate and alive. . .there's so many I can't pick just one.
Me and my sister. . well, mostly my sister started it, go to a lookout tower every year and spend the night. I felt passionate and alive, sitting there on the porch, looking down on the mountains, singing with my guitar, breathing mountain air, playing games with my amazing sisters, eating some interesting watermelon, and howling at the moon. . .

Piece of art

I couldn't think of anything else. Hope this works.

Day 16

Well, a song that can make me cry. . probably would have to make me laugh first. . .and that's the "Bellybutton Song" by Veggietales. luv it!

Mr. Lunt: Baby I know your eyes see right through my disguise
Boyz: (Larry, Jimmy, Junior): And no one can deny
Mr. Lunt: Baby that I'm the one whose love is no surprise
Boyz: And he cant tell you no lie
Mr. Lunt: But theres a secret Ive been hidin I can't keep it no more
Boyz: There's this thing about himself he's never told you before
Lunt: Baby!

Chorus:
Boyz: He needs to tell you something
Mr. Lunt: I don't got a bellybutton
Oh I need to tell you something
Boyz: Have you figure it out
He don't got a bellybutton
Boyz: Bellybutton no, oh no no

Mr. Lunt: Baby please don't squeal, just tell me how you feel
Boyz: 'Cause his love is for real
Mr. Lunt: And if you went away, my heart would never heal
Boyz: So to you he appeals
Mr. Lunt: There's something missing in my middle and it's hard to ignore
Boyz: There's this thing about himself he's never told you before
Lunt: Baby!

Chorus

Khalil: Bellybutton!
Boyz: Uh, uh
Khalil: Bellybutton!
Boyz: Uh, uh
Khalil: You say your bellybutton's missing, there's no reason for alarm
It's a common thing for gourds, it won't do you any harm
You're technically a fruit and with that much being said;
Your umbilical equivocal is up there on your head!
You could opt for a prosthetic but of course you'd have to know
It'd be covered by your shirt, but not your HMO
Khalil: Bellybutton!
Boyz: Uh, uh
Khalil: Bellybutton
Boyz: Uh, uh

Mr. Lunt: a stylish something absent from my midriff's d'cor
Boyz: There's this thing about himself he's never told you before
Lunt: Baby!

Boyz: He need to tell you something
Mr. Lunt: I don't got a belly button
Oh I need to tell you something
Boyz: Have you figure it out
He don't got a belly button
Boyz: Belly button no, oh no no
Lunt and Boyz: No belly button!

Person I admire

I have to say. . .one of the people that I admire is Esther in the Bible. I admire her courage. Who says a girl can't be courageous anyway? A lot of people put some much romance into the book of Esther that they forget how scary it was for her. She could have been killed. Her people were going to be killed. . . to confront the king about such a thing was risky. . . very risky. I hope to have that same bravery. "One Night with the King" is an awesome movie about Esther, btw.

a vacation. .

Well, there's so many places I want to visit. I don't know where to start. Here's 2 of my top ones though.
Alaska! I've always wanted to go. I love the cold and mountains and hunting. Lord willing, I'll be going to work at a radio station there the beginning of next year.




This one might surprise some of you. . or not; but there's something about Africa. Maybe it's the lions and the elephants or the crazy tribes. One day. . . I really want to go. Couldn't you just see me in this hairdo?!?

a guilty pleasure. . .

well. . . this one's easy. . I must confess I'm definitely a coffee-addict. I feel guilty at times about this, but most of the time I'm fine with my addiction. I feel better if I drink it with honey and half and half, because then there are no chemicals. Ok, so it is a guilty pleasure, but coffee is SO good. It warms the heart and lights up the sky. . . I better be quiet before I go get another cup.

A song. . .

Well, there's definitely more than one song I want played at my wedding, because I love music and I'm pretty sure it's going to be filled with music. but. . for the purposes of this challenge, I will choose 1. . .

THE KEEPER OF THE STARS (Tracy Byrd)

It was no accident me finding you
Someone had a hand in it
Long before we ever knew
Now I just can't believe you're in my life
Heaven's smilin' down on me
As I look at you tonight

CHORUS:
I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars
He sure knew what he was doin'
When he joined these two hearts
I hold everything
When I hold you in my arms
I've got all I'll ever need
Thanks to the keeper of the stars

Soft moonlight on your face oh how you shine
It takes my breath away
Just to look into your eyes
I know I don't deserve a treasure like you
There really are no words
To show my gratitude

REPEAT CHORUS:

Picture of me

Picture of me from over 10 years ago

So, I couldn't find a picture of just me scanned onto the computer. . .so here's one of me and a few of my siblings. lol.

Picture i took

Here's a picture of Dillon, MT I took about 1 month ago.

A thank you letter

There are so many people who have changed my life that I should thank that I don't really know how to start.
To my sis Emily,
Thank you for having such a solid mind even when I'm not. Thanks for always being there for me. Thanks for your devotion in God. It's been a great example to me.
Thank you most of all for becoming my sis.
Joanna

five things. . .

ok. . five things I couldn't possibly live without. This one should be easy.
1. God. . . without Him I wouldn't even have the breath of life
2. Family and friends. . . without them life would be so boring
3. Water, food, and coffee. . oops that was a three-in-one answer
4. My Bible. . . it is the Guidebook to Life
5. Clear Mountain Air. . .

Josiah and Emiy's Wedding

So. . here's some of the picts from Jumping and Em's wedding. There are still more to come, I'm sure. I didn't actually take pictures of the ceremony. . . so there's none of that. . .yet.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2074023&id=1291540410&l=719d04c924
You do not have to be a member of facebook to access this. Let me know if it doesn't or does work.

a moment. . .

A moment to relive. There are so many. Of course there's all the fun things I've done. The roads trips, the cliff jumping, the bear hunting, the polar bear plunges. . .but then there's the times with family and friends; which are so special. . . all the graduations, the birthday parties, the random times just hanging out. . .best of all though are the times when God has spoken to me and done something miraculous.
For the purposes of this challenge though. . I will choose a random moment that comes to my head. When we lived in town in Laurel, MT. I was super young and so were my siblings. It was devastating living in town. Way too boxed in. We got bored and the ice cream truck came by everyday. We had no money, but thought it'd be cool to run after the truck. . . and then when it stopped just run the other direction. Me and my siblings did this almost exactly everyday. Then the day came when someone (Ruth) happened to have a quarter and she wanted ice cream. I remember running blocks and blocks after that truck trying to get him to stop. I can't quite remember if he ever did. . . but I know he was frustrated either way.

Quote

A favorite quote. . ."He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep who gains what he cannot lose."-Jim Elliot (missionary to Ecuador)

Television Program

I must say I don't watch a lot of TV because we only get two channels and they are pretty boring. But when I have access to cable, I love watching the "What Not to Wear Show." Laugh as you may, I used to have really bad fashion. . . so I can relate to some of the people on the show.

A favorite book

hhhmmmm, haven't gotten a chance to read a pleasure book in quite a while. I really enjoyed reading the book "Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul." It really is an amazing book. My favorite part of the book is when the author said that a true woman could enjoy hunting and sleeping out under the stars. I can't say I agree with it 100% theologically, but it's definitely worth a read.

Favorite Movie

One of my favorite movies is Defiance. This may surprise some of you, but I love war movies; but good war movies where good comes out of war. Defiance is one of those movies. Based on a true story, it's full of commitment and love. Set during World War II, it's about the Jews creating their own colony in the woods. If I say anymore about it, I might spoil it.

Challenge

so. . I pretty much stole this off of one of my friend's blogs and I'm going to try this challenge and hopefully succeed. My life has been insane lately, but a good kind of insane. I love being busy. My brother got married yesterday in an absolutely amazing ceremony. They are the cutest couple. I should probably get on with the challenge before I start talking of all the wedding frills. Stories and picts to follow soon though.

A favorite song. . .

Somewhere over the Rainbow by Israel. It's gorgeous and the guitar work is super cool. Well, that's all she wrote till tomorrow.




Day 1: A favorite song
Day 2: A favorite movie
Day 3: A favorite book
Day 4: A favorite television program
Day 5: A favorite quote
Day 6: A moment you wish you could relive
Day 7: Five things you couldn't possibly live without
Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life
Day 9: A photo you took
Day 10: A photo of you taken over 10 years ago
Day 11: A photo of you taken recently
Day 12: A song you want played at your wedding (or was played)
Day 13: A guilty pleasure
Day 14: A vacation you would like to take
Day 15: A person you admire
Day 16: A song that makes you cry
Day 17: An art piece
Day 18: A time when you felt passionate and alive
Day 19: A talent of yours
Day 20: A hobby of yours
Day 21: Something you know you do differently then most people
Day 22: A website
Day 23: A way in which you want to be remembered
Day 24: A movie no one would expect you to love
Day 25: A recipe
Day 26: A childhood memory
Day 27: A physical feature you love
Day 28: A scar you have and it's story
Day 29: Hopes, dreams, and plans you have for the next 365 days
Day 30: A motto or philosophy

Dillon Pictures

So, I was going to try to post all the picts of Dillon at once, but my computer is SLOW and internet is even slower. I'm about to buy a new one. Today was the straw that maybe broke the camel's back. The thing shuts itself off without even saying anything first. Anywhoo, here's a little bit of our life in Dillon. I miss that place already so bad. Here's Amy in a dress, I think she's dancing. lol. The other picts here are all from the ride. I love road trips.
More later,
Joanna

Emily's Wedding Shower

Here's some picts from Emily's recent shower. Thank you Ashley and Kacey for an amazing shower. Hope nobody kept you up too late. If you want to save the picts, click on them and they will get bigger :)

Dillon/Malta

I don't even know where to start. This past week and a half has been such a blessing to me. I started all the craziness off with staying up all night. Left for Malta at 2 am and I drove until 5 am. I think at that point I was probably tired. The Malta Music Festival was absolutely awesome. I couldn't help but think how truly happy Christian's are without drugs, alcohol, or other empty things. I felt my heart filled with praise for the two days of the music festival. Some of the finest bluegrass/southern gospel/Christian/family groups were there. It inspired me to practice more on the piano and guitar. Maybe one day, I'll be half as good as them. Thank you so much Hiedi and Nancy Lue for coming. It was great to get to know both of you. Congratulations on staying sane. Btw, the trip to Malta was an all-girl trip. Kind of scary, I know.
I got home at about midnight Sun night and left by noon on Monday for Dillon. Some of my friends have been trying to get me to come to the Dillon Bible Conference for a long time. It far exceeded my expectations. You seriously just have to come to understand. God is really alive and well. I don't even know how to explain it. The fellowship was amazing too. All the people were so down-to-earth and friendly. Highlights were swimming and getting stuck in a storm, hiking barefooted, sleeping in the woods for 4 nights and having the zipper on my sleeping bag break, eating one particular very bizarre food, listening to half the people lose their voices at the end of the week, hearing about the bleeding piano keys, ok, that pretty much sums it up.
Well, all good things must come to an end and I will resume back to "normal" life. I pray that I can take some of the things I learned at the conference to be a better Christian and better witness.

College Decision

I want to start off this post by saying that I didn't make this decision in haste, but I actually did think, pray a lot, and weighed all the negatives and positives of both options.
When I went down to PCC for my brother's graduation, I really was willing to go back to PCC if that was what God wanted for me. I talked to a couple of people when I was down there and they said they might be able to get me a job in the communications department and/or give me my scholarship back. Anyway, to make a long story short, God really did shut the door there. The college said they may not have a job for me in the communications department and they would not give me my scholarship back. I counted the cost. so I work another two years to make it through college. graduate with a degree. broke. . . In the end, people are looking for experience anyway? What did I gain? What really matters? When you die, it isn't going to matter how rich you were or how high your education was. The only thing that is going to matter is how much of any impact you made on people's lives. Don't misunderstand me. I believe in making the most of your skills and talents that God has given you; but I really believe for me, there are more productive ways.
I have to throw this out there too, because this was part of my decision making process. I'm not really interested in a career, because eventually I want to get married and raise a family. I don't see the point on spending my money pursuing a career, when I can be using my talents for God right now.
So. . . right now. I'm looking into some different opportunities. I'll continue to pursue sign language and piano, which usually opens up doors. I'm e-mailing a couple of different Christian radio stations in Alaska where you can volunteer for a certain amount of time and gain hands on experience. I'm also looking at furthering my filming skills either by buying a camera or going to some Christian film festivals.
I'm thrilled to see what doors God opens. I'll keep you all posted.

been a while. . .

Wow, I just realized it's been forever since I posted. The last couple of months have been a blur, but definitely a good kind of blur. I kept promising that I would post pictures and stories from the trip so here they are. Well some of them anyway. I actually took over 1,300 pictures. deleted about 300. so it would take forever to show even a glimpse of them. On top of that my hard drive is giving me issues. My computer won't recognize it over half of the time. Technical difficulties--got to love them. I think last time I posted about the trip, we were leaving Wisconsin. I drove through Chicago. It was really exciting. I actually get thrills out of driving through big cities. David was my co-pilot. . . scary I know. . . That night we stayed in. . I don't remember where. think it was on the Kentucky border. All of us in one hotel. Not sure how we pulled that off. That hotel room was so full. The next day we arrived at PCC. PCC is great as a visitor I must say. . . and the sunset on the non-oil filled beach was great! Josiah joined us via airplane that day and David got lost trying to find the airport and blamed his directional-challengism on me. The rest of the trip we had the car and the van. Not sure why I chose to stay in the car because it doesn't have AC, but it was definitely the car of fun. We picked up Elise (my wild friend from AZ) to join us for the rest of the trip. We left right after graduation (after Luke got his room cleaned up that is and we got all of the stuff stuffed in the car). Our first stop was Austin (11 people in that hotel room). and we got lost finding it. . about two in the morning. I was throwing sunflower seeds out of the window and a cop. . well he stopped us, claimed my brother was making "too abrupt a stop." I think he was just suspicious of that. Got that token care of and we found the hotel. I slept on the floor and got stomped by people all night, but it was only a few hours. Texas is a gigantic state for those of you who haven't been to it. 800 miles just to get across the thing. We arrived at my friend Elise's house in AZ about 2:00 am. I was thoroughly exhausted and a shower felt pretty amazing after being crammed in that car. That was the last shower I would take in a week. actually the last shower that 5 of us would take. David stunk the worst tho. From there, the rest of my family left for home and David (got payed 60 dollars by the parent's to be our guide/slave), me, Ruth, Bethany, and Elise stayed 5 extra days goofing off in the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. I was supposed to hike the Grand Canyon, but we weren't quite prepared. . . well we weren't prepared at all and it was probably a good thing that we didn't do it. We camped out two nights at the Grand Canyon and froze like crazy. I didn't realize that it was so cold in the desert. Well I did, but once again, not exactly prepared. We lit a fire that went all night and slept around it. beautiful stars out at night. The Grand Canyon is so wild. For those of you who haven't been there, you are missing out. We hiked the "Hermit's Trail" and besides the whole canyon being alerted about us not bringing enough water (which we had enough), it was a fairly peaceful hike. Definitely some nice drop offs.
Elise's parents joined us at Zion. . and they are awesome, btw. We were so hungry. . they brought us food. . . and we they had a pop-up camper for us to sleep in. The next few days we spent hiking like crazy. I thought that my legs would fall off. We hiked a 2,000 foot elevation change in 1.5 hours. and the best hike of all-"Angel's Landing" (800 foot drops on the one side and 1200 foot drops on the other with a rope to hang on to). Google it. It is a must do. I went swimming in this very, very cold cavern. Almost as cold as the polar plunge. and cliff jumping. Cliff jumping was great. It looked like heaven on earth. The final bang was the last day drive home. 23 hours in one day. David locked himself out of the car. hahaha. I laughed so hard. Towards the end of that day, me and David were switching off and on driving and drinking coffee.
Well, that was the trip. It was better than I could have even imagined. I was just in awe of God the whole time and how amazing he was. I've only seen a tip of the iceberg when it comes to His creation and to think that He's interested in our lives.

The link to the photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2065456&id=1291540410&l=c8abee2d75

On the Road Again

So. . . for those of you don't know. My entire family--well most of us everyone but Josiah (he's flying down later) are on this crazy road trip. Today I am in Wisconsin. It has not been without it's difficulties to get here. First of all, the car seemed to have some problems starting. But it really turned out to be no problems at all, just a glitch. It seems to be working now.
We made it through Montana with no difficulties. The first night we stayed in Wolf Point with some ranching friends of ours. They are awesome, btw. We were supposed to leave at 6:30 in the morning, but if you know my family staying on schedule can be difficult. I don't even remember why we were late, but we didn't get out of there until about 7:00.
I LOVE to drive and me and my little brother fight for the steering wheel. In the end there's enough for us to divide. My Mom didn't drive at all yet, but we'll see. Right when we started coming into Minnesota, David noticed the car was shaking kind of bad. Well, I noticed it before that. . . but got to keep going. We pulled over and 1 of our tires was flat. Thankfully, God was watching over us and we were right next to a Super Walmart. About an hour late and we were back to the wheel. If I'm not driving, I'm usually co-pilot. I kind of got David lost once, but I quickly navigated my way out of it. My parent's direction flaw, on the other hand, took a little bit longer to fix. lol.
It was pretty much an all out blizzard. We didn't get into Green Bay, WI until 4 AM. Needless to say, I think I'm sleep deprived. Therefore, I can't be responsible for anything in this post. lol. cause I'm not even going to read it over.
Tomorrow's menu--Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and then Florida. I think we're going to be driving all day and all night too. Woot, woot.

I am not afraid to admit

One of my friends posted this on her blog. . .and I thought it was a good idea. Hopefully, these aren't things you didn't already know about me. lol. 15 things.

I am not afraid to admit. .. I like to howl at the moon.


I am not afraid to admit. . . I would prefer it cold over warm. I love the snow.


I am not afraid to admit. . . I am not super-human. . . although I try to be.


I am not afraid to admit. . . Jesus is EVERYTHING!


I am not afraid to admit. . . I'm really not that nice all the time. .


I am not afraid to admit. . . I'm a hick at heart.


I am not afraid to admit. . . I grew up in a crazy family.


I am not afraid to admit. . . I am sometimes a geek.


I am not afraid to admit. . . I'm actually shy


I am not afraid to admit. . . The Bible is the absolute truth. . . and yes, I believe in absolute truth.


I am not afraid to admit. . . I love swimming in cold water.


I am not afraid to admit. . . sometimes I think I work too hard.


I am not afraid to admit. . . I LOVE music and believe God made it for us to enjoy. . and I love driving with my car window down with my music loud.. . and I bop my head.


I am not afraid to admit. . . when I camp I don't use a tent cauz the stars are too pretty.


I am not afraid to admit. . . I'm not perfect, but I have a God who is.

I am not afraid to admit. . . sorry this is the 16th one.. couldn't forget. I am a coffeeholic.