PERSONAL | spring + summer

Sweet summer,

Yeah I remember that.

Sweet summer,

Let me take you back.

- Diamond Rio -

Spring and summer are are my favorite times of year. Actually, every time of year is wonderful, but seeing as how we're transitioning between spring and summer right now...it seems like a good time to marvel at how wonderful these seasons truly are.

What Springtime Has Meant to Me This Year:

Sunshine

Wind

Flowers

Raindrops

Green leaves

Robins and barn swallows

Tennis matches

Pretty sunsets

Lightweight jackets

and...baby goats. 

Yep! Baby goats arrived this spring on our little dairy farm!

They've actually grown up quite a bit since these photos were taken, and some of them have gone on to new homes. 

Spring is a time that signifies new life, especially on a farm. We are so blessed to be part of these little goat's lives! They're just so cute! :)

 Things I'm Looking Forward To This Upcoming Summer:

Kittens - after baby humans and baby goats and baby dogs, baby cats are definitely the cutest!! I don't think our (slightly self-centered and spoiled) barn cat would like it if we brought home kitties, so I just go over to friends' houses to cuddle theirs ;)

Hiking - treacherous trails with fearless friends in converse shoes! ;) I hope we do something similar to that again (perhaps less treacherous, eh?)

Fishing - I myself am not a fisher-woman, but everyone else in my family loves fishing...so I see more "take a picture of this whopper that I caught" (which I love doing by the way) in store for this summer. 

Poppa Burgers and Grandpa's Hotdogs - words cannot even describe them. Pictures don't even do them justice. It's like summer in your mouth. Mmmmhhhmmm...

Swimming - kinda goes without saying if you have had the pleasure of experiencing a 90-degree Missouri summer.  

Daylight Saving Time - there is something spectacular about the length of summer days!

Ice Cream - :) :) :) :) :)

Independence Day - I love celebrating the Fourth of July!!! We always try to have a bunch of people over, and it is the highlight of my summer! Good fellowship and lots of fireworks (we have some...ahem...pyromaniacs in the family, so the firework display is always...very fireworky) Can't wait for this year's 4th (three more weeks!!!)

Off-road vehicular transportation - anyone else got that need for speed?

Bonfires - smokey food and lasting memories!

So many wonderful things to look forward to! Yet in the midst of it all, we must remember to look upward and thank God for all the opportunities He gives! :)

The End

TYPOGRAPHY | to quote Abigail Adams

Prepare yourself for a rousing post about courage, perseverance, and purpose! :)

Sadly, this post is not about "How to Become a Brave Knight that Conquers Evil Dragons, and Maintains Stupendous Vigor Throughout (in 10 Easy Steps)" {although that sounds like an interesting post topic...keeping that thought on the back burner...}. This is about conquering something way scarier than an evil dragon, and it lives in all of us....sluggishness. 

Sluggishness creeps into every life in many forms, but today I address my fellow students. You may attend a public school, private school, or you may be like me...sitting at your dining room table in your comfy clothes (it's called homeschooling...yeah). Yet wherever you learn your ABC's and your X's and Y's, this post is meant to encourage you.  

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved to learn. She dove into every information book on practically every topic she could get her hands on: photography, history, world records, sign language, first aid, wildlife, cartoon drawings, hair-styling, gardening, pottery...to name just a few. If it had tutorials or cool pictures and it was available at her local library, she wanted to read it. She yearned to learn, and diligently sought after experience and wisdom.

Fast forward to the present day. She's a 16-year-old, still wading into various subjects. She likes having knowledge, but has lost the desire to actually learn. You'll find her skimping through her Algebra 2 book, trying to squeeze out B-'s on her tests. You'll find her nodding off as she reads through her Chemistry lab experiments, not actually performing them. She scrolls through her Pinterest newsfeed with more fervor than when she reads her American History lesson (her absolute favorite subject). 

She has settled for a sluggish existence.  

Never in a million years did she think it would come to this. How could a person like me...er...I mean her... become a slug? Ewww. 

She blames it on the fact that the work is more difficult. Obviously it's more fun to write a 3-sentence book report in 2nd grade than it is to write a 3-page summary of a heavy piece of literature. Naturally, there are days when she wishes she could go back to learning how to multiply regular old numbers instead of chemical moles and algebraic vectors.

But she is missing the point: schoolwork is not meant to be easy-peasy. It's meant to be a challenge. She has bought into the lie that our culture feeds us: "It's okay to do things half-hearted".
Lies, I tell you...lies.

Take my advice: don't become like me...um, I mean her. Life isn't about shortcuts, folks. Lazy-Bones Avenue may be fun to travel on, but the end destination is not fun. While it may be a jolly trip, you'll wish you had stayed on Determination Boulevard. 

It's never wise to avoid the potholes by taking loopholes. 

One of the amazing things about schoolwork is that it prepares us for life. It helps us to learn perseverance, set goals, accomplish tasks, budget our time, overcome difficulties. It challenges us to think. 

  Do you know what the average amount of thoughts a human brain experiences every day is? 70,000. On average, you think 70,000 thoughts a day. 
  That is a lot of thinking! Do you remember all of those thoughts? I doubt it. I'm not sure how many of those thoughts pertain to your schoolwork, but I would guess at least 3% of them are (that's just a wild and random guess). 
So, let's say you think about your schoolwork 3% of the time. What thoughts are you having about it? If I was perfectly honest, I'd say a lot of mine are probably as follows: "This is so hard! I'm going to fail! Too difficult! I want to quit! Help me! Aaahhh!". 
You are probably thinking "Good grief, she's so dramatic!", and you would be right. I have slipped into the mentality that difficult = you ought to quit. I have been dead wrong. 

School is not the only thing in life that is going to be difficult. Life is difficult. I have lived so long with the plan that if I hurry and get school done, my easy life will begin. However, school is not my one life's challenge. It is a challenge, but it is preparing me for later challenges down the road. 

I think it's time to take courage! Battle those difficulties! 

Are we going to make mistakes? Yes! Are we going to learn from them? I hope we do!

In closing, keep in mind that you will need some help in overcoming the difficulties. Who better to help you than the One who created you? [Psalm 121:1-2] Honestly, I have tried numerous times to get my act together when it comes to my schoolwork, but I have realized that I can't do it on my own. You can't force yourself to work hard with the goal of making yourself better. Only God can make things better. Ask for His help, seek Him in His word, and use schoolwork as an act of obedience. You'll be surprised at how the difficulties can be overcome!

The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties.

- Abigail Adams

The End

PERSONAL | Sixteen (guest post by Izzy's Mom)

Hi, I'm Izzy's mom, and I've hijacked her blog to hopefully not embarrass her 

but share a few thoughts and photos.  She is a blessing!

When you take a picture it's like time has frozen, and you get to look back and remember that very moment as if it still exists.  But time has moved.  A little girl who was once just toddling along grows up to become a sixteen year old.  I'm so thankful for pictures.

A little girl who loved to play with dolls and who's favorite movie was Madeline has grown to become a farm girl who cares for animals and gets exhausted walking back and forth from a barn.  I'm so thankful for pictures.

A little girl who has a brother for a best friend has grown into a girl who still loves her brother but knows exactly what to do to drive him crazy.  I'm so thankful for pictures.

A young lady who wears braces and glasses and works hard in school and loves taking pictures is still growing into a young lady who loves the LORD and loves her family and loves her friends.  I'm so thankful for pictures.

This sweet girl is now sixteen and she is loved dearly by her family, and she's still growing to be all God wants her to be.  We are so thankful for her and for God to reveal more of her story with pictures to come!

You will make known to me 

the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right had there are 

pleasures forever.

Psalm 16:11