What do you write when you don't know what to write?

What do you write when you don't know what to write?

I apparently write nothing. I have been wanting to get a post up for a few weeks now, but I can't think of anything to write... Well, I have thought of a few things, but they either are only relevant at that moment, are long forgotten, or are the last thoughts I have before I fall asleep at night (in which case, they don't get written down). Top that with the busyness that seems never-ending and, well, you get no blog post from me...

So here I am writing, rambling, sharing my musings with you. Hoping that I am reaching you where you are, in your season of life. What is it that you long to be doing? Are you making time for what is important to you? Are you letting excuses keep you from what you should be doing, maybe what God wants you to be doing? Or are you running away? (Makes me think of Jonah!)

When it comes right down to it, I may be asking these questions of myself as much as I am throwing them out to you. Yes, I am busy. It is an honest excuse to why I don't write as much as I would like to. On the other hand, I could make more time, give up something. Or I could just let the musings flow as they do, off and on, now and then. Or I could be more intentional. Take notes when I have ideas and then write them when I have time. I'm not sure...

When I started to write tonight, I didn't have anything in mind to write. My goal was just to write. Writing is very therapeutic to me and I hope that in some way my words may help you as well! So those are my musings for today, enjoy!

Vacation 2014 - Branson, MO

Back in August, our family went on vacation. We traveled to the Branson, Missouri area. It was beautiful! I fell in love with the area. 

I was excited to travel to Branson for a few different reasons. One was because it was a place my grandparents had been to many different times and very much enjoyed. Another reason was because I read the book called "Love finds you in Branson, Missouri" by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry which tells about the Shepherd of the Hills Play that is produced there. And lastly, I was excited to go there because I wanted to go to some of the productions around the area. In particular, I wanted to go to the Sight and Sound production. Last year on our vacation, we were going to go to their production of Noah which they were doing in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but that was when our car broke down and we were not able to make to it. Thus, I was thrilled that we were going to get to go this time around. Even though it wasn't for Noah, we did get to see the Jonah play.

I have to say, the Sight and Sound production of Jonah was the the best play I have ever seen and I would highly recommend going to one of their productions. If I am ever going through Lancaster or Branson again, I am going to go to another one! It was so real! The sets were unbelievable. There were real live animals in the theatre. The music and sound effects were great. I absolutely loved it!

Below is a picture of the keychain that I got there.  

So we saw "Jonah" the first night, then we went to the Shepherd of the Hills production. I enjoyed this play, too. It had a great message in it. It was also cool because the book I mentioned above was about people who were in this play. This play was also one that my grandparents attended while on one of their many trips to Branson. Oh, and did I mention that it was an outdoor theater!

Here is the keychain I got there and it has my name on it!

The final production we went to while in the area was The Great Passion Play that is in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was also an outdoor theater. I very much enjoyed it. Besides the play, we also saw two shorter shows while there. One was about the potter and the clay and the man that that did it was actually making a vase while he talked about it. The other was about David, the Shepherd Boy. The man who did this one also gave a good talk and showed everyone how to use a sling like the one David would have used to kill Goliath. (My sister actually made one of these when we got home. Just by seeing them, she was able to make one!)

Here is the keychain I got from there.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip! I would love to go back there someday. There is so much to see and do. And it was beautiful. We stayed at Table Rock Lake and it was gorgeous there!

On our way home, we got to visit my great-aunt and my great-uncle! It was great to see them as it had been a few years. I will treasure the time that I was able to spend with them. All of my grandparents have passed away and it made me miss them a lot. But I feel privileged to have people like them in my life, even if I don't get to see them often.

The trip was a very much needed break and I'm so thankful that it worked out so well! Now summer is mostly over and school has started here. But I am going to enjoy whatever is left of the summer and I hope you will, too!

Our MN Primary Election is this Tuesday and below is the letter to the editor that I wrote for our local newspaper.

  

Let your voice be heard: Vote

To the Editor:

Campaign season is in full swing. Lawn signs are up, political ads are in the paper and candidates are out and about vying for your vote. Your vote is important to each candidate. Your support is vital to them.

We have many different contested races coming up in the August primary, both locally and statewide. I encourage you to get informed. Look the candidates up. See where they stand on the issues. Get behind a candidate now. Don’t wait until the November election to choose a candidate. Make an informed decision today.

After you pick a candidate to vote for in the primary and then in the general election, fully support that candidate. Donate to the candidate. Write letters for that candidate. Walk in parades. Make phone calls. Tell all your friends and family why you are choosing to support that candidate.

In America, we have the right and privilege to vote and be involved in the political process. Many take those rights for granted. Instead, stand up today and make the choice. Have a real say in who your elected officials will be.

Support the candidates you like now in the primary so you can vote for them in November. — Mandy H

Swimsuit Shopping - Part 2

Yesterday, I received two packages in the mail. If you will remember I ordered three different times and one of them got completely cancelled. (You can read the beginning of the story here). I was excited to see what actually showed up. I ended up with one swimsuit top and two swim skirts. I tried it all on and only the bottoms worked for me. I tried the top and it just wasn’t what I was looking for. So I had two halves to a swimsuit, but not one complete suit.

I decided I would try again…not sure why, except for the fact that I would like to have a swimsuit that I like. So I checked the store online again and it said that a couple of the tops that I wanted were still on the site. I called the store and asked them to verify if the items were still in stock. I was told they were. So I went ahead and ordered three tops. I got an email within five minutes telling me that, sure enough, they were cancelled. I called the store for the second time and this time, they told me that the items were no longer in stock. They did however say that I could call another a number and they could look for it in a store and have it shipped out to me. I called this number and the lady I talked with graciously looked for it in the store. She said she couldn’t guarantee anything, but she would try hard to find it. I gave her all my information to order one of the tops and now I will wait again and hopefully have a complete swimsuit by the end of the summer! I have not lost hope yet!

Swimsuit Shopping...

Swimsuit shopping. Let me tell you, it is not the most fun thing in the world for me (unless, of course, I am willing to spend a ton of money!). It is something I have been avoiding all summer long, but I decided to do it since it is the end of the season and I was hoping to find a good suit without spending a lot of money. Ha!

I suppose I should first explain my dilemma before I "dive" into my swimsuit shopping story. The problem is I want to find a suit that is modest, that doesn't look like underwear, and that I would be comfortable wearing in front of others. I want a swimsuit that would be pleasing to the Lord. A swimsuit was designed to go swimming in, not to show off your body. When I go shopping for a swimsuit, I want something that is like shorts and a tank top. Something that is cute, but modest.

As I mentioned earlier, I have been avoiding looking for a new suit and part of the reason was because of how much fun (not!) my younger sister had looking for one. (You can read about that here on my mom's blog). So a few weeks ago I began my search, yet I wasn't finding anything that I liked... One of my favorite websites for swimsuits is Land's End. In the past, I have usually been able to find something there and if I wait until the end of the season, I can find a good deal. I have been checking for the last couple of weeks for something that might work, but just haven't found something that would work. Then the other day, I decided to check out some other online department stores. I had an email about free shipping and a percentage off, so I decided to try this one store. I started looking and actually found a couple of tops were "high neck" and were quite fun. I also found some bottoms that looked like they would work. I ordered two different bottoms to try and one top. I was excited and thought my search was over...

...but it wasn't. I got the email confirmation of my order and it said one of my items was cancelled. The swim top. I still had free shipping so I thought, well I will just find another one and order it. I found two more and ordered both, just in case one got cancelled for some reason. I got another email confirmation and it said both items were cancelled... By this time, I was not too happy. I just wanted a swimsuit. I decided I would order one more time, I still needed a top. Again, I picked out two tops. I also found some board shorts this time around, so I added those to my cart, too. I placed my order for the third time and waited for the email confirmation. This time, I finally had a top still left on the order, one, anyway. And the other items were also cancelled.

So in 24 hours, I order 3 times from 1 store. I ordered 5 different tops and 3 different bottoms. As of right now, I think I am getting 1 swim top and 2 swim skirts. Is that enough numbers for you? Hopefully, when it all comes in the mail, I will have 1 complete swimsuit! If not, I'm not sure what I am going to do... Maybe I will just back to the olden days and wear a swimsuit like that! :)

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/532198880939441812/

A Bigger Vision?

A Bigger Vision?

Sometimes I think I forget that we should be living for something bigger, Someone greater. Maybe we think it is about the things and not the who. I feel often times that I want to do so much more than I am doing, but I struggle with the what. What am I supposed to be doing?

I truly feel called to be involved in politics. I feel it is important for Christians to be witnesses in this sphere, but sometimes I wonder if I'm doing enough. 

I suppose in some respects it is a good thing to question. Maybe it will make you try harder. On the other hand, I'm not sure you can ever do enough in whatever part of the world you are called to serve in. 

I think we need to remember that we aren't the ones that can actually change hearts. Only God can do that. We are called to plant the seeds, but we can't force them to grow. It is God that makes the difference.

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor." 

1 Corinthians 3:6-8 NIV

Lastly, God has put us where we are for a purpose. No matter where we are, no matter what we are doing, no matter who are are with, we are called to give the glory to God and be a witness for Him. We are called to a "bigger vision". Let's keep a Heavenly perspective and always remember to give Him the glory!

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 

1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV

Summer is flying by

It seems as if summer has just flown by. It is already a good ways into July. I know I have been bad about writing, but honestly I'm not sure what happened to June. It was pretty busy. I'll try and recount a bit so you know where I'm at. 

June...

The first week of June we celebrated my sister's birthday. Then throughout the month we continued to celebrate birthdays for 3 of my nieces and 1 of my nephews. 

In between all that, there was also a few political things I was involved in. Attending a couple of meetings, walking in a few parades, organizing volunteers, and helping candidates in other ways were just some of the things that took up time. 

On top of those things, there was just the everyday things that we try to get done! Mowing lawn is a good example of this! It has been raining a ton lately. Which makes the grass grow...a lot. The other week I was going to mow lawn and every time I said that or went out to do it, it rained... finally got it done, but now it is time to do it again! 

On a side note, we did see quite a few rainbows even a few double ones! 

July...

The beginning of July had also been as busy as June! Of course we celebrated Independence Day! It is one of my favorite holidays! We were in 2 parades walking for political candidates, had a picnic, and then watched a great fireworks show on the 4th. 

Below is a picture of how I did my sister's hair for the 4th. I thought it would be fun to share with all of you! It is a star braid! 

I started writing this post last Thursday and as I was writing it out I thought I would share what was coming up in July. But now a couple of those things have happened, so I get to share that as well! We were waiting for my nephew to be born and his due date was on Thursday, but he decided to show up just yesterday! I'm so excited to be an auntie for the 14th time (and to think I'll be an auntie x 15 come this Fall)! 

Today, we celebrated the little guy's oldest sister's birthday. Lots of celebrating going on! We got to go to a brand new playground in town. I have to say I even had fun "playing" at it! It is one of the best parks I have ever seen. It even has a zip line! 

(On top of the zip line, is the Spirit of St. Louis! The zip line also has a map showing Charles Lindbergh's flight from New York to Paris.)

I think all of that finally gets us caught up to today! Coming up the rest of the month, we are celebrating a few more birthdays, including my own, and my parents' anniversary! July is getting to be a busy time for celebrations! 

So what is keeping you busy? What kinds of things are filling your summer days?