My funny valentine

i love love.
love feeling it.
love giving it.
i love valentines decorations.
obnoxious reds and pinks.
GLITTER
i love walking into the stores and just seeing it all.
haha

anyways
i was trying to think of my favorite valentines ever
the time my parents got me valentines day barbie
made my heart melt
the thought of my first box of chocolates from a boy
made me smile

but the one that wins
was the one that made me laugh so hard

5th grade
my neighbor and best friend Tara
was dating my DISTANT cousin AJ

they were in love
5th grade kind of love
pure and fearless

and she wanted to do something special for him
on valentines day
and their song was "i swear" by all-4-one
she wanted to sing it to him
but she couldn't sing

yep. it goes there.

so she ask me if i would sing it to him
so they could slow dance in her basement together

yep. i said yep.

so we go over to his house.
and i sing
"i swear'
to my cousin
while he slow dances with my friend.

hahahahahaha
laughing just thinking of how
AWKWARD
it was.

haha and i can't listen to that song with out thinking
about that strange moment
 ha hey i told you i love love
even if i'm just the background singer sometimes.

so here it is.

sidenote.
BoyzIIMen pandora is BRILLIANT
babyface will appear on it.
All-4 one
KC & Jo Jo
old school mariah
all my favorites

Happy Valentines day.
Spend it accepting the Love that is given to you 

i'm still a dreamer

i have always been a big dreamer
always

it started young.

i used to want to be an astronaut
neil armstrong grew up near me
so after so many trips to the museam
and constantly eating "space icecream"
i wanted to walk on the moon

then i wanted to be a doctor
hahah that's funny
not because it's so far fetched
but because i pass out at the mention of blood
i am probably the only person in the history of the "body museum"
to black out while just looking at the bodies
haha
but i wanted to be a doctor

i also played roller hockey everyday in the summer
for hours and hours on end
all guys
and then me
i watched the mighty ducks all the time
i had every intention on playing in the olympics...
on the guys team :)

i took dance lessons
haha you know i love to dance
and after one year decided i was going to be the next big thing
i was meant to shine as a dancer
watch out boys II men
i knew the motownphilly dance
and once they would see me dance
they'd ask me to go on tour with them.

and i read all the "Boxcar Children" books
over and over again
I wanted to be homeless
no joke
and live in an old boxcar in the woods
and make my own silverware

haha my point is.
a lot of people
stop thinking
that can happen
they stop dreaming
we stop seeing
the world like a child
we stop believing any of that can ever be true

and i know that i'm still a dreamer
because God never let that part of me die
so thankful for that
He never wants us to stop believing
to stop believing that yes we have work to do
but believe that life can be full of adventure as well.
He wants us all to dream
have Hope

i think that's why so many of us get grumpy
old
some of ya'all are OLD
haha you are.
hey age is just a number. promise.
some of you just got old way too fast.
because you do what you think you're supposed to do
go to work. go home. eat. sleep. repeat.
yes we need to work.
but who decided we had to do the same thing
i know the world tells us after college we need to grow up
maybe
we do need to pay bills
but growing up is something i never intend to do

the world needs dreams
it needs you to stop doing what you've be taught to do
be spontaneous
do something that makes you scared
do something that someone will think is nuts
and thank GOD my parents never said
"our daughter is insane, we should take her to the doctor!"
well they probably did but they never let me hear them say it.
haha

we all have that kid in us.
dream
never get old.
remember what it was to be 4 and believe
there is a reason people always talk
about the "good old days!"
those aren't gone
we just forgot what it was like to dream
to keep a young hopeful loving heart
peter pan style

since i went back to my childhood
here it is
my first song
my first slow dance
ahhhh the first slow dance
where i dreamed of being swept off my feet
and my heart never went back



and just so you can have a picture
of how i was "attempting" to dance




ok i'm going to go put on my boyz II men pandora
dance around my house
and get ready to go see my friends
love you like i love roller hockey

life is a pinterest board

pinterest.
amazing.
i seriously love it.
love getting new ideas
love seeing what my friends love
sharing the same ideas with friends.
it's just so much fun.

for those of you who don't pinterest
and it should ONLY be guys
every female should have it
but for those of you who don't know
i'll explain

there are millions of things on pinterest
DIY ideas
recipes
home decor
fashion ideas
quotes
pictures
etc etc etc

so you find the pictures you like
and "pin" them
and make what they call boards
so i have a "baking like a bodell"board
so i'll "pin" recipes that i like
and put them on my "baking like a bodell" board
so I can go back later and make those yummy brownies or cookies
or i can burn them and undercook them all at the same time
haha truly it happened and i couldn't help but laugh

anywho
your friends on pinterest can see the things you "pin" and "repin" it to their boards
so it's really a way of sharing
i get all of my "pins" from a friend that has already pinned it.
i see a friend from work has pinned a shirt she likes
i pin it
then a friend from college can pin it
just like that...a friend of a friend of a friend all have "pinned" the same shirt

as i'm looking at my friends boards
i start thinking of how it really is just like life

most of the things in our lives
come from someone else
you laughed today because someone made you laugh
you saw someone wear a huge scarf so you decided to do it too
you smiled because someone smiled at you

but on the flip side remember
you are that someone that "pins" it first
you could be the one that didn't brush their hair
put it in a messy bun
someone saw it and....
wala...you started the messy bun
haha


you could be uber grumpy at the coffee shop
but decide to smile at the cashier anyways
and ask her how she is
and she smiles back
and that brightens her day
so she then she goes and smiles to her coworker
and then he goes home and smiles at his wife instead
of picking a fight with her bc he had a bad day
etc. etc.

i know it's a generic concept
but that's because it doesn't need to be complicated
it's simple

"who i am is not just me"

we are all sooooo intertwined
we have to take remember that
we all share this life
together
we're all one big pinterest board
we have to stop living this life like we're the only ones
living
like no one else can see
like no one else is affected
like no one else NEEDS to see someone do something good first
some people CAN'T pin first
they CAN'T show love when they hate someone
so you can go
you can go be used first
you can show love when you're mad
show kindness to someone you barely know
and somehow
someone
will see
and they will "repin" it
they will find enough courage
to do what you did

decide everyday
how you want to be seen
what you want to pass on
what you want to "pin" on your board
do you want to be just another grump
or do you want to show people love

it's really that simple
we all influence each other
choose to shine love

ok so these are some of my favorite things on pinterest
i tend to love quotes
shocker words of affirmation here
and pictures
love pictures

hahaha this is EXACTLY what I look like when i run!!

i truly believe one of God's greatest gift is laughter in the toughest times.

the water, the moutains, a cute guy to row while i'll nap= perfection.

dancing in the kitchen. dancing anywhere.

life motto. every decision you get to choose. faith or fear.

this is where you will find mine.

my friends rock

you know what they say
when you know you just know?
it's easy?
it falls into place?
well i just knew
i just know.

no matter what
these friends
our paths
were meant to be
nothing any of us earned
just Grace shown by God
He knew we would need each other
to laugh with
to cry with
to burn pasta with
to tell us when we're being grump humps
to help hang things on our walls ;)
haha

God knew.
when i moved to nashville
i needed them
before i did

they're beautiful
inside and out
they're refreshing
and calm
they're a light when it's dark

and even when im a bad friend
when i'm too tired
when i'm too hyper
whatever it is
i can't lose them
they are a gift from God.
just thankful.


Ecc 4:9-11 " Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?"

The sound of God's voice

you know when people say
"I heard God tell me to tell you this?"
or
"I feel God is calling me to this.."

There are plenty of people that have never said that
they probably think I'm crazy or that God only speaks to me
or a few people

nope
not the case at all
He speaks to all of us

To me He's not a loud Morgan Freeman
He doesn't leave me obvious voicemails
"Hey Linds, It's God, need to talk call me back it's urgent!"
no no it's not like that
it takes effort sometimes to hear him
most of the time
i have to turn off music
work friends
turn it all off to hear

when I'm at home praying
or just sititng in silence
He comes in the form of a new idea
usually a crazy idea
or he'll come in the form of lyrics
i just have to write down
and then somehow he'll give me a tune
to sing those new words too

God sounds like the most ridiculous idea i've ever had
the idea of moving away from my family and friends
because He said go to Nashville
or the idea of going into a "random" high school
nervous
to find those "random"students
and making their life a part of yours
showing them who Jesus is
while you're still learning too

He sounds like a love story too good to be true
He sounds like my biggest fear made small
He sounds perfect
He sounds far more gracious than we can ever understand

then I let the world in
i let doubt creep in
and make me second guess if I ever heard Him at all
but He speaks
and when I get confused
I can ask again and He'll speak again

All the YL leaders are reading a book for Advent season
and I'm in the chapter of "yes"
it talks about Hearing God and saying "yes" to Him
and there is one part I starred 3 times
i'm one of those.
i circle.
hightlight star my books up

ha anywho.
it was this

"Knowing the will of God is not enough; doing it is what matters. Here our desire to avenge ourselves, to explain ourselves, to be understood, to maintain personal comfort and security, to have our lives make sense to others or be validated by them is subordinated to the deeper desire to say yes to God and joining God in what He is doing. This kind of obedience might mean that, for a time at least, we are willing to look like a fool to everyone else because God's wisdom is the foolishness of this world."

He sounds foolish to the world
But He sounds clear to those that listen

He might be a peaceful whisper sometimes
or a loud loud noise
but He's talking
And He speaks to all of us

Even you
Especially you

He's speaking right now
so open your ears
it may not sound like what you think it would sound like
but He wants you to hear

squirt. the happy little Christmas tree.

i know i've lived out of home for awhile. but i've never bought a Christmas tree.
i dont know why
i guess in college you don't buy them because you go home
and i've always lived in a house with a roommate
who had a fake one
well this year
no fake
and i debated and debated
thinking "i'm going home in a week, is it worth it?"
insert my roommate amanda
"ummm you're miss Christmas, you'll regret it and bug me about it forever if you don't!"
haha soooo
we go to kroger
that's right kroger
they had big trees
beautiful trees
and then this one

it's about 2 ft tall
and lopsided
and i fell in love instantly
it just needs a home
so we adopted it
and named it squirt

we get him home.
and he just wants to sleep.
haha did i mention he's lopsided
we've got a stage 4 leaner on our hands
"come on squirt, you can do it, stand up!"

finally get him to balance
by putting on about 4 ornaments because that's all he'll hold
and prop him up on a wooden box
to make him appear a bit taller ;)
amanda tapes on the star
i don't have a star
so we improvised

and here he is
in all his glory
he has a tutu around his base as a skirt
ha a gift one of my coworkers made me
i LITERALLY jumped up and down after we finished.
squirt is quite the handsome tree i must say
all the neighbors will be jealous

what i've learned from zach frail

18 years
i don't really know what to say
time really does fly

18 years
who would have thought you would have made it this long
in our family
with hil and i as your sisters
i'm surprised you haven't disowned us
one of us probably should have punched the other by now
haha seriously
congratulations
you've made it 18 years

haha all jokes aside

i've learned so much from you

I've learned how to laugh
you're constantly showing me that life isn't that serious
you're always showing me how to laugh loud
when life is really funny
and to laugh even louder when life hands you hard times

i've learned how to be immature
when you wore your cowboy boots and pjs outside
or everytime when you get your hands wet, touch my face and say
"oh i just went the bathroom!"
haha I ALWAYS get mad at that
then just laugh
or the "donnn'ttttt smile game"
ha you can never stay mad at me if I play that game
i've learned that life is just too short
to ever be a grown up

i've learned what it is to be selfless
when you go to pats donuts and cream to get us donuts
even though you're NOT a morning person
you like to do it because it makes us all smile
or how you watch one of the Potter movies with me
EVERY time I'm home
because i love them

you've shown me that it's better to give then receive
every Christmas every holiday
I watch you have pure joy
pure. joy.
over giving someone a gift
like the time you gave me Cinderella III for my birthday
you knew I had never seen it
who even knew there was a Cinderella III
haha
but you knew i loved disney movies and singing the songs
so you thought it was the perfect gift.
i loved that gift
so thoughtful

I've learned that I am not perfect
you told me no one expects me to be perfect
you've taught me to let myself off the hook every once and awhile
and to learn from my imperfections
learn to keep growing in all the imperfections
and to love myself how i am

i've learned what real love is
the way you are with dylan and gabe
the way you had to have them in your senior pictures
the way you give up your weekends to hang out with me when im home
and even though
you've gotten your "mouth"
from me
i see it with the way you are with mom and dad too

i've learned that you have your own conversations with God
and just like God talks to me
He talks to you too
and that I don't need to worry or plan your life
what i think is best
is not actually always best

haha that was hard for me to type

you will always be my little brother
always Zachius to me
even as you grow up
make your own decisions
huge life decisions
you will be little to me
all 6'2" of you
will be little

but you are wise.
wiser than you know
i feel blessed to get to grow up with you
i'm excited to see you continue to grow
just promise me
you'll never become an adult
always keep that kid in you alive.
promise.

happy 18th birthday
love you
your 2nd favorite sister
linds