Lizzie Bennet Moment

So this happened today. I was talking to my best friend (the guy one mentioned in other posts), we shall name him New Zealand because his name is super poplar there.
Well I was talking to him about this girl I know and the post I did about love. I just happened to say "Do you read my blog?" just so he would understand everything I was talking about and he said
"

                                         

So I then tried to back track but I don't think that worked and I just hope he doesn't find this post... Or the one that has me just sitting there gushing about how great he is... Oh goodness. SIR NEW ZEALAND DO NOT FIND THIS BLOG PRETTY PLEASE! 

Eeeeeeeekkkkk. 

Okay, freak out over.

Signed, Brittney, the new Lizzie Bennet disaster in the making. 

Quiz Bowl

This Saturday I will be in my first Quiz Bowl tournament and I'm super nervous about it. I keep saying "I don't want anyone there because we will suck, cause we suck." but that isn't the right attitude to have and I know that. 

My team is new so we don't suck we are just inexperience and I have to remind myself that. I, however, am super competitive so this is a hard pill to swallow. 

I want to win, win, win, no matter what, what, what!

But sometimes that doesn't always happen and that is totally okay. (I think)

As long as we have fun and get better then it is totally worth it, right?

So from now on I'll be having a more postive outlook on things and help bring my team up in a non-"WE WIN OR YOU DIE" way ^_^

What is love?

"How do you spell love?" Piglet asked. 

"You don't spell it, you feel it." Pooh answered. 

What is love?

 Love is that warm feeling you get when you look at that one guy or girl. Love is that feeling you get when your mom hugs and says everything will be okay. Love is whatever you want it to be. 

That's great and all, but when is love really love? 

That's a great question I don't have the answer to because I've never been in love. But that doesn't stop me from having an opinion on the subject. 

Now remember, I've never dated, never kissed a guy, never been in love and only have really really liked 5 guys my whole life, so take my words however you do. 

People say you'll know love when you fall into it. That it's just something you'll know. I think that's true to a point depending on who the person is and how you choose to feel. It's like an on and off switch. You meet the person, get to know them, and somewhere along the way you make this choice to either keep liking them and fall in love at some point or to not like them and to stop it. I think, sometimes we don't know we make that choice but we still make it. So when you make the choice then you have to work for it. It won't be like a fairytale, it won't be magics butterflies and heart eyes forever. One day you may wake and say "I don't love this person anymore" and that may be true but before you make that choice ask yourself if you have really truly been working at the relationship. I think when you do all of that is when it's real love. Because in my mind love is something you fight for. 

"Well I'm in love and I want it so I'll fight for it" - says girls under 18 (basically children) 

Well good for you, you have high raging hormones! 

Now don't get me wrong, kids have strong feelings and maybe sometimes (out of the 98% of everyone else) they do fall in love. But most of those feelings that are so intense are the hormones and the intensity of being a teenager. 

You feel things more intensely at this age because your body is going crazy, and your mind is going mental trying to keep up. 

Now before I say more you must now I do not agree with dating in highschool. I will not condem you for dating or anything like that but this is what I believe in. I think there is no point to dating if you aren't going to be with that person for the rest of your life. I think that you should focus on school, family, and friends until college then you can add dating to the mix. I agree with going on a date every once in a while because you do need to figure out your preferences but serious dating is just to big of a distraction. 

When you are 13-18 (in highschool) relationships are so important because that's all you know. When you add feelings to it that makes things harder and more inteasnse. I just don't understand why you would add the extra stress of a boyfriend/girlfriend to your life when your life is already so busy with family and school. 

I don't think you can fall in love while in highschool and have it last because most of the time it doesn't. I can count on one hand the amount of people I know who dated in highschool then got married. That is great for them but I think unless God has a plan to use your dating life in highschool for something to glorify Him later then it probably won't work out. 

If you are ever in doubt just use this trick, it helps a lot: 

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 

"Love is patient, love is kind, ect." 

Whever the word love is replace it with the persons name and see if they match up. 

Is person X, patient, kind and understanding? 

Full article with this trick here:

http://m.godvine.com/read/her-daughter-thought-she-was-in-love-until-she-inserted-her-boyfriend-s-name-in-this-bible-verse-fb-gv-951.html

Staying Strong

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7

I know I should be the poster child for being strong for others since I have had to handle sibling having cancer twice, friend dying of the flu (today was her birthday btw), my aunt dying of cancer, helping friends with boy drama, family drama, and seemingly always being everyone's go to girl with their problems.
Not that I'm complaining, I'm glad people feel comfortable to come to me with their problems and God has a plan and I'm willing to follow. But I just find it so hard to be strong sometimes.

My friend, who is like my little sister, just told me she has Cronh's disease. This girl is just 14 and she has a disease that will be with her forever.

I'm not taking it well, after I confrimed with my mom what this was I started to cry. I didn't tell my friend this however. I just told her that it was terrible and I was sorry and that my papa has the same thing while my mom held me like I was five.

I'm 18, shouldn't I be able to put on a strong face and be strong for her?

She had a little freak out on me which is totally fine, she needed to get off her chest. Once she finished I told her:
"God has plan for this. I can't see it. You can't see it. No one can but He has a plan. He is in control of this situation. He has His hands on you and He will use this. Why? Because He loves you. Because you are His daughter. He will use this for something fantastic, I promise."

I totally believe that with all my heart. I talked with her a little longer then I told my best friend (the guy best friend I have mentioned in other posts) and he is praying for her as well but then he asked me how I was doing. I broke down. I said:
"She is only 14. She's 14 and she has a disease that will be with her forever. How do you always stay so strong for people? I thought I would have it down by now, but this?"
He then went on asking if he needed to stay up later and talk with me, me feeling totally embarrassed for having yet another mental breakdown on him told him it was fine, I was fine, everything was fine. He told me this, and it totally turned my world around and I'll probably remember it forever:

"Staying strong for people doesn't mean not showing or having any emotion. It's just being supportive. Don't get being supportive and being emotionless confused."

That's when I realized I had somehow convinced myself doing both at the same time for as long as I could remember was a good idea. I now see how wrong I was. Putting on a brave face in public and being supportive and then crying as soon as you are alone isn't how you deal with this stuff. You be there for the person, no matter what. You be supportive. You be the shoulder to cry on. But you need to get in your head that it is okay to be upset about it because this crap is upsetting and showing your emotions is okay.

My friend is going to be okay, I am going to be there for her but I will not be a cold emotionless robot, I will be a supportive best friend who will do everything I can for her.

"My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart he is mine forever." Psalms 73:26

Two types of tears

There are two types of tears in the world: sad tears and happy tears. Keep away the people who bring on the sad tears but keep close the people who bring on the happy tears. 

Sad tears and happy tears are both apart of life and we can't control when the sad things happen but we can control who helps us get back from those sad things and who brings us the happy tears. 

I do regret the things that brought on the sad tears because there is no point in regretting them. I'm just glad I have chosen someone in my life who helps me through the sad times and even though that person makes me cry some times at least they are happy tears because I am so thankful to have that person in my life. 

Remove the people who bring on sad tears and don't let go of the people who bring on the happy tears. You can't stop the sad tears forever but at least they get replaced for a while.  

Pray For Paris

This is a horrible terrible thing that has happened. During hard times people always say "Trust God", "lean on God" and although that is repetitive it is so so so true. Only God's power can make something out of this. Only His power can bring healing to the people of Paris and the families and friends directly effected by this. Sending hate towards the people who did this won't make this situation any better but sending God's love will. #prayforparis 

Am I even ready?

I don't mange my time well, I will be the first to admit that. 

But because of that I have a huge project due next Tuesday that I haven't even started yet.

 If I can't keep up with highschool classes how can I keep up with College classes? Yes I am going to ORU and will be in college but am I ready for that? Should I just stop and wait for college till I am ready?

 I have no idea what I'm doing with my life or school. I'm really struggling here guys. Do you have any tips or tricks for managing your time?

-Brittney

Bonfire 2015<3

Last Friday our homeschool group had a bonfire at Wild Things. It was so much fun and I got to hang out with so many of my friends and people I haven't talked to in a while. I thought I would share a few pictures of me and my super great friends! I love these people so much and I'm so glad they are apart of my life! 

Some fun things that happened:

• Got lost and left in the Corn Maze (we had to use gps to get out)

• I almost fell into the fire because I tripped 

• I almost leaned back and fell into the fire twice 

• I got to hang with a dude I haven't hung out with in a while

Braden and his buddies on top  of the tires 

Braden trying to put bunny ears on gabby 

Sam, Pete, me, Gabby, Emily 

Chris, me, gabby, Emily, Kim, Pete, Sam

Emily, me, gabby, Kim, Pete 

Emily, me, gabby 

Gabby, (my brother) Braden, me

Gabby, Braden, me

College Visits

Being 18 and a senior in highschool is super tough and intimidating but have no fear people because we will get through all of the life changing and scary decisions we have to make, I hope...

This weekend I went to an ORU college weekend and it was amazing. 

I was super scared at first because I've never driven 2 hours away from home by myself but I did it. 

I was scared I wouldn't make friends, but I did. 

I was scared that my host wouldn't like me but she did like me and her room mate was awesome (love you guys!). 

I was scared that the 'team' I was on wouldn't like me and I would be left out but that didn't happen and I became friends with everyone. 

You never know what you are going into but I'm so glad I didn't because if someone told me how great this weekend was going to turn out I would have said they were crazy because none of that cool stuff would happen to me all at once, but it did because God knows what we need and when we need it and I really needed this weekend to go well and it did. 

I didn't know where I was going to go to college but now I know I want to go to ORU. I loved the people and the classes and the professors and the campus. I love how Christ centered and focus it is, the chapel (church)  yesterday was amazing and so powerful and the worship here can't even be put into words how fantastic it is. When I worship I normally have my hands in the air and I'm bouncing on my feet because that's how I do it and normally I don't feel comfortable doing that because no one else really does that but at ORU I really felt I could be myself and just worship and praise how I do and not be judge because almost everyone is doing it like that too. It is so powerful. 

I still don't know my major but I do know that ORU is probably where I'm going to get it. So at least there is one scary, life changing decision out of the way. 

Listed below are some pictures from the weekend during the scavenger hunt where we had to pose a certain way and our team shot at the lip scynce competition. 

Me and Luc 

Us and the mystery woman we had to find 

Welcome to college life, watch your step! 

The mystery woman gave me a mug!! 

My team all serous 

My team all funny 

We won tug o war!

It has been a blast this weekend and I'm sad to go home tomorrow but I'm pretty sure I'm going to come back. ^_^

- Brittney 

ORU

I am going to ORU and I'm so very excited I just can't stand it!!