Monday Musings - The Iron Lady

A few weeks ago, we mourned the death of the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. During that time, people were quoting things that she has said over the years. Below is one of my favorites that I heard:

"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't".

~Margaret Thatcher

Resolutions...4 months later

It has been almost 4 months since the beginning of the year. And it has been almost 4 months since I made some New Year's Resolutions... I thought it was time to check up on them and see where I am at and where I can improve.

From http://www.morguefile.com/

• Read more (fiction and classics) - This has not been super consistent. I am reading more now than I was when I was still in school, but I can't quite seem to get back into as much reading as I used to do.
• Memorize Scripture -Well, as I come to the second item on my list, I see I have not been doing as well as I would have liked. I have memorized the first 3 verses of 1 Corinthians 13, and I am hoping to get back to finishing that chapter soon.
• Read my Bible and do a Bible study - I did better with this at the beginning of the year than now. Another resolution that I need to renew!
• Pay off my college debt - I have been able to continue to pay this down and am hoping to finish paying it off sooner (vs. later!).
• Complete MEPS - This is a year-long program, but I am almost done with it. We have a conference in May, one more class in June and (hopefully) graduation in the Fall!  (click the link for more info).
• Continue to be politically active - I continue, of course, to be involved. I am currently serving as the Chair of the local party. I am also active in the state party as a delegate.
• Journal (prayer journal) - This happens a couple times a month. In a perfect world, it would happen every day, but...
• Blog (weekly?) - I have been trying to blog at least weekly. 

When I look at the resolutions I have made and what I have accomplished, it is not exactly what I wanted to have happen. But as we say in out family, sometimes life just happens. So while I have not have done everything on my list and I may or may not continue to follow my resolutions, my biggest resolution for this year and for life is to do all I do for Christ. And in the process He may throw in a few extra things that I may not have had planned.

Here are just a few of the things I may not have planned, but have been blessed by:

• A full-time temporary job in my hometown!
• Time I have been able to spend with family.
• The opportunity to get to meet new people in many different areas of my life.
• Being inspired with new ideas.
• And more...

Take the time to look at your 2013 resolutions. Are they what you had planned or was there room for God to work? Have you let Him?

Snow, snow, and more...snow...

I have ceased trying to find a bright side to all the snow we are getting here in Minnesota. It is almost the end of April, April 18th to be exact.

So I thought I could at least show you some pictures of our never ending Winter...

But before I do that, I have to share a Narnia quote with you.

“Always winter but never Christmas.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

(I think this is the way we Minnesotans are feeling!)

Normal...or not???

Are you "normal"? Do you fit in? Do you follow the norm? What is normal anyway? "Normal" is something I have been thinking about the last couple of days.

According to Merriam-Webster, normal is defined as "according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle" and "conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern". 

I, personally, do not fit into the "norm". I do not conform to the culture. And as a Christian, I do not believe we are called to be like everyone else. Instead we are called to be like Christ and follow His example. Living your life in such a way, does make you different...but in a good way.

So while some people would rather be "normal," I would rather not! :)  I may not always fit in, I may not always be comfortable, but that is okay!

A little humor!

I have had many opportunities while living a crazy life! In the just couple of decades that I have been on this earth, I have had many experiences.  Since I was very young, my parents taught me about God and gave me a foundation for the faith I have. I was also homeschooled, which may be different to some, but I really enjoyed it. Besides academics, I had many life experiences. As a family, we traveled and learned about different places. I was able to volunteer and work with people of all different ages. I was able to graduate from high school and with my A.A. degree at age 17 and graduated with my B.A. degree at 19. I was able to be an intern at the State Senate. And have had multiple other experiences along the way.

God doesn't call us to just be normal. We don't have to to "fit in". We are called to live by Faith and to live by Christ's example. We may not be considered normal by the rest of the world, but if we are doing what God has called us to do, that is all that matters.

Are you living for Christ? Are you living a "normal" life or one that goes above and beyond the norm? How are you going to rock your world for Christ?

Yours Truly Keychains!

Over the years, I have received or bought a few keychains that have my name on them. It isn't very often that I can find things that actually have my name on them. (Since my name is just "Mandy", not "Amanda"). Most of the time, things with names on them have more common names on them. You can usually find the name "Amanda," but not "Mandy". So these are special to me because they have my name on them!

This keychain was given to me by my aunt. I think it was the first keychain that I got that had my name on it!

 This keychain I got at Disney World a few years back.

This is another one of my favorites! Again because it says my name on it and also because it is a flip-flop! In the summer, I love to wear flip-flops. I have several pairs and enjoy matching them with my outfit!

Is your name a "common" name, on the "top ten list," is it completely original?

One day at a time...

Often times I wonder if I would like to know what my future holds. I wonder what will I be doing in 10 years, 5 years, 1 year, 1 month from now. But on the other hand, I don't know I really want to know. There are certain details that I want to know and others that I would rather not know. I want to know the good things, or at least what I would see as "good" things. "What job will I have?" "Will I be married?" "Where will I be living?" These are just some of the questions I wonder about... While I want to know the answers to these questions, I also believe there is a reason why we don't know how everything will turn out.


I believe God knows the big picture. He holds the future. And He has great plans for us if we choose to trust and obey Him. Sometimes we follow His ways and other times we choose to go our own ways. When it comes to not following God's ways, those are times I do not really want to think about. I know there are times that I do not choose God's way. Those times when we mess up, when we maybe "go astray," we wouldn't want to know we are going to do those things. Other times I think that we wouldn't want to know about are all of the heartaches that we endure - deaths of loved ones, health problems, family members turning away, and other heartaches that simply go along with being human. We would have a hard time if we knew we would have to suffer through those kinds of things. And then there are failures. When we strive towards a goal, a lot of times we run into trials and "bumps" along the way. Those are times we may give up. We may not even make goals if we counted all of the hard things we may have to get through to reach the goal. And in the end, if we could see into the future, would we have hope that things will turn out right? Would we still believe that change can happen?


Maybe. Maybe not.



So many times we get stuck in the here and now or on the opposite side we worry too much about the future, the future here on earth, that we forget that a lot of our worries don't matter as much as we think they do. I tend to be a person that thinks things through. I want to know what it happening and I want to know what I will be doing. But then I have to keep reminding myself (and sometimes others help me with this) that I need to live one day at a time. One moment at a time. And if I am living each of my days, each of my minutes for Christ, that is all that matters. I can put my trust in him to guide me one day at a time. One step at a time. So I am thankful that God only gives us one day at a time. I don't think we could handle more than that! I am thankful that He is with us through it all. And I choose to trust Him in the moment and try not to worry about tomorrow.

One day at a time is enough for me!

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34

P.S. On the "About Me" page is my life purpose statement. It reminds me to live with the bigger picture in mind. I don't need to focus on the material worries of this earth, but on the things that will last forever.


Would you want to know what your future holds or do you prefer one day at a time?

Keychain - 16th birthday

I was given this keychain on my 16th birthday from my aunt! It says, "Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly". This keychain was given to me on my 16th because I got my driver license right around that time!

When did you get your driver's license? What memories do you have of your first moments behind the wheel?