Memorial Day and Why We Remember It

    Hello all! I hope you have had a great Memorial Day weekend! I have :) I thought that maybe I would share why Memorial Day is so special to me. For one thing: Freedom isn't free. Thousands...millions of men have died for our country and our freedom.

   The second thing: I have had family in the wars. They didn't die. At least the ones I knew or knew of. My great-great-Uncle Max was a WWII hero. He fought off battalions of German soldiers by himself!! Protecting the few survivors that were left, he blew up tanks, and shot machine guns until the barrels literally melted. When he arrived home to his small town, he was welcomed as a hero.

  The other family member that was in a war was my Uncle Ronnie. He was my grandfather's brother. He served two (I think it was two) tours in Vietnam. In February, he passed away from an illness. He was really special to our family, and I am glad to remember him today.

  Our country has been through a lot, and mostly on the backs of the common soldier have we come through. Soldiers are most definitely not common. They are faithful, unselfish, and have a passion for their country.

   Well, we are having a little get-together with some friends today to celebrate so I'm off to finish cleaning and helping mom get food. Have a wonderful and blessed memorial day! -Bailey

Randomness...again.

 I am done with school. YES.

Whenever I tell someone I'm home schooled, they usually look like they have been slapped by a leprechaun.

Advance is in 5 days. OMIGOSH. It seems like we just came back from last years.

My friend Arianna has a gift. Whenever she listens to Christmas music...it gets cold. Or snows. That post where I said it was 50 degrees? Yah that was after she listened to Christmas music.

I had candy for breakfast (NOT USUAL!! I have never had candy for breakfast before, nor do I plan to.)

I am not planning on playing any sports in the summer. Man I will stink for the  regular season swimming!

My family and I went to a really beautiful wedding last night. It was a lot of fun :)

I am so bored, I can't think straight! It's a Saturday when my family doesn't want to do anything.

I had a dream last night that I went to San Fransisco. It was really awesome.

I am going to get off now...but I will leave you with an awesome music video. Enjoy.

 -Bailey

ps. It's 5 days to Advance XI. Just to remind you ;)

  

Born Again: More Than Just a Make Over

  Last year at Advance, Mark Altrogge spoke on being born again. He explained that it's a process where God takes away your old heart, and gives you a new one that is joined with Christ. Isn't that cool?! We now have a heart joined with Christ Jesus!

  He also explained that you are now as if you haven't sinned. Your slate has been wiped clean, you could say. I was thinking about this earlier, and came up with a little thing to help describe what has happened to me. I have been REmade, REjuvinated, REdeemed. It's true! If you born again in Christ, then you are the same.

This song by Tenth Avenue North that describes this perfectly. You aren't what you've done.

      Truly an awesome song!

     I hope to post some pictures, and maybe some links to messages from Advance. They are really worth checking out :) Have an awesome day! -Bailey

Rambling

ADVANCE is NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I`m not excited..... =D it seems like forever since the last time I blogged... My Mom came home Thursday, She said she needs to go back....soon.... 1 or 2 times this summer.... idk if I will be going on either one of them... hum.... My older bro Nathanael will be moving back in for the summer...... Jason is trying to fix our basement up so it can be his room... I start a photography class in June.. =D =D Well, Thats all for now ttfn!

~ Brianna

p.s. I take Pictures of shoes all the time.... =D

 Ok, so, it's May 18th....and it's 50 degrees outside. I am wearing a jacket inside! I am also on summer break. Pretty weird, huh? Well, to cheer you all up from a very cold summer day, I will tell you that it is 15 DAYS UNTIL ADVANCE. OHMIGOSH. I'm not excited at all, as Brianna would say. For those of you that don't know, Advance is our yearly youth group retreat. It's seriously awesome.
 
    Well, I came across VFC (Volunteers For Christ, our church's campus ministry) made just for fun, and thought you might like to see one. Enjoy, and don't freeze! -Bailey

    

Weekends...yes.

   Ahhh....do you hear that? That's right. I hear nothing. No children screaming, stressful moaning, and no pen/pencil on paper. Oh yah, and just to say: I was the one making all of those noises this week. It was the last official week of school, and I turn in all my finals on Tuesday. Then it's off to 3 class parties to celebrate! Yep, life is good. And what makes it better is that I have been introduced to hazelnut spread (aka Nutella). OHMIGOSH. It is amazing! I really don't know how I had never tryed it until like, 3 minutes ago!

   The weekends are an awesome time to just relax, and reflect on the week. Nah, I'd rather not reflect. I didn't really do anything but stress over my persuasive essay that is due Tuesday. YIKES! I just finished it...on a Saturday. Yet, it felt easier that on any week day. Hmm. Odd. Anyway, I will still have math over the summer, but that really doesn't bother me. If I only have math. And math is what you always forget over summer anyway!

   I officialy have 3 days until beautiful, radiant, much needed summer comes. Then I can sleep until noon (maybe not :p) and swim all I want! I miss the swim season. Which I never thought I would say. But I really want to swim this summer. Swimming is hard, but amazing. Well, I am going to go and enjoy the rest of my lovely weekend (Thank you, God. For weekends.). I recommend you do the same. Enjoy! -Bailey

   P.S. Sorry if I complained about school...but you know that freshman year was hard. Admit it :)
  P.S.S. I just realized that I am 3 days away from being done with my first year of high school!!!!! I survived!!!! Ok. I am actually going now.

Love Runs Both Ways...

    Lately, I have been realizing that God loves me. Yah, I know. That sounds pretty typical. Even a 2 year old knows that! But I mean just what I said: He loves me. Think about that for a minute. Why in the world would God love me? What have I done where I would deserve such love?

   We got my Mom the David Crowder Band CD "Church Music" for Mother's Day. We all love it, and there is one song that sticks with all of us. Its called "How He Loves".
 "He is jealous for me,
 His love's like a hurricane, and I am a tree.
Bending beneath, the weight of His wind and mercy."

 We truly are trees. We soak up the living water, we grow only because He shines His light and gives His love, and we bend (not break) beneath His wind and mercy. The fact that His wind and mercy is so much and we still don't break beneath it's weight is amazing! The fact that God loves us at all is amazing! New mercies each morning. Wow!

  The best part about His love, is that He sent his one and only, beloved son, to be the sacrifice for our sins. We should have had the place on that cross. Not Jesus. Yet, He took it anyway. And what did we do? We laughed, and scoffed. But He forgives us even then! He is so merciful and loving. Even when we were scoffing Him, He was thinking, "I love you and I'm doing this for you."

  Yes, God loves me. And do you know what? I love him too. I used to feel like all God expects from us is our respect and reverance. Yah, He wanted love too, but He was always the scary God who scared me into loving Him. Now I know that He doesnt want that kind of love. He wants the kind we give freely. And He wants it because He first loved us. I love Him, because He first loved me.

   God loved me before I existed. Don't you think I should love the God that sent His son to die for me? That gives me new mercies everyday ? I do. And I do love Him. He loves you too. My hope is that I will learn and grow in God. Learn more about His love :) I hope this makes sense...I really want it too! And don't think that this is a brand new discovery, because I figured this out a few years ago. Well, more like God revealed it to me a few years ago.

  Before I go, I would just love to mention how excited I am about Advance 2011!!! It's coming fast! June 2-5. AHH! God meets me and all the other teens in my youth group there, and it is truly amazing. Well, have a great Wednesday!
<3 Bailey

Neeley, Brianna, and Me

   This weekend, Brianna, our friend Neely, and I went to a wedding. It was so much fun! And they had some decorations outside that were so cute, we just had to take advantage of them :) Hope you enjoy!- Bailey

 p.s. We all took turns taking pictures, so you got a little bit of all of our styles ;)
 

                                                  

Sup?

Whats up in my life right now? Well, my Mom is in Missouri help with one of my cousins graduation. So I am left in charge of cleaning/cooking etc....Last nights dinner was a little bit of an adventure hopefully tonight's supper will taste better... Jason (My older brother for those who don`t know..=)..) drove me to ballet... it was the first time I have been in the car with him and no parents... it was different...after he buys a phone he said he would that me out to eat (what a sweet bro) =D well i better check on the food... make sure i don`t burn it.....(its not =)) um... what else.... My last day of Ballet was today....well beside Ballet (boot) camp in July then I am done forever =(..... now what else.... watching Chronicles of Narnia the Voyage of the Dawn Treader it the best one so far... hum... almost done with school for this year!!!!!! (2 test books left Bible and Geometry....i don`t like geometry).... ttfn (ta ta for now) =) ~Brianna

Goofy Quiz #<:-)

  My smiley has a party hat if you are wondering what that is. My mom was looking at an email, and she was like, "What is that?". She was looking at this: :-0. That is a smiley with it's mouth open. But you knew that.

 Ok rambling. LOL. Anyway, here's this goofy quiz that I took, and if you want to take it too, just email me your results, and I might post them on the blog if they are funny enough! littlepurpleipod@gmail.com

• What song do you have stuck in your head? Well, um...haha I actually have the Potter Puppet Pals stuck in my head. :p
• Describe your personality....in colors. What? Well I am going to say red. Not the angry type of red. The bright, happy, yet stubborn type. Lol. yah.
• What color was your hair when you were born? Yet another, "Huh?". It was blond. Very blond and very fuzzy. Hehe I was pretty cute, and the only baby in the family born with blond hair.
• If you could be any animal, what would it be? Probably a horse, or a hawk. Not really the eagle type...I love em' but I don't have the powerful dominating attitude. I mean I don't, right?
• What words do you say to much? Hehe, I say well way to much. And LOL. A few more are like, awesome, Batman, moderately, OHMIGOSH (if that counts :p), yikes, and shoot. Like the frustrated shoot, not the bank raid kind.
• Favorite superhero? Do I need even say it? BATMAN!!!!
• Who is your worst nightmare? Mushu. The little dragon from Mulan. Remember? "Who are you?!" ..."Your worst nightmare." You have to watch the movie to get it.
• If Mozart were alive, what would you say to him? YOU ARE AMAZING. *He runs off screaming. JK. I would probably say something along the lines of, "Your music is amazing, you are a genius, and you still screwed up your life. You need Christ man." Maybe a little bit more humbly, but you get the picture.
• What was your fave toy as a kid? Sticks. No joke. I loves to play Lord Of The Rings with my sibs. Aw those were the days.
• Fave music video? Oh goodness. Idk....I cant choose!!! Probably "Playing God" by Paramore. That was the last video their old drummer and guitarist (the best parts :'( ) were in. Sad, yet so good.

   Enjoy ya'll! Send me those quizzes! I need a laugh.

Potter Puppet Pals

 Well, this is retarded. Yet, so funny. I love Harry Potter, and I know that some of you don't agree with some of the things in it. So, don't think I am advertizing HP, that's a decision you make based off your own convictions. Anyway, this is just a little spoof that I thought was cute and funny. Well...yah. Have fun. :)
 -Bailey
littlepurpleipod@gmail.com

May Birthdays!

      Ok ya'll time for May! I might forget some, but you'll fogive me right? Anyway here they are!
   Neeley (14th), Cody (2nd), Justin (8th), Alyssa (14th haha thats cool! Neeley and Alyssa share a b-day), Josh (19th), Melanie (21st), and Analisa (22nd)! Congrats to all our birthday kids! Yes, they are all under the age of 17. :p -Bailey

Music, and Just How Much it Means to Me.

   I have 2 ipods, a Grooveshark, a Pandora, a Youtube, and 100's of CD's. All of these are devoted to music. Music, other than God, is my passion. I love it so much! I have no idea what my life would be like without it!

   Last night, I was listening to a song from my new favorite soundtrack: Inception. (Which is also my fave movie) The song was called "Time". I just closed my eyes, and let my thought wander while I listened to it. I know that sounds kinda' cheesy, but I seriously got goosebumps listening to it.

   In the last few years, I have realized that passion in my life that God put there himself. Last night as I thought more about it, I realized that I have loved music my whole life! When I was very little, making up songs on my little keyboard thing (You know the kid version of a xylophone? With the colored keys? Yah I loved that thing :p). My best friends tell me that I have been singing little songs I made up in my head since that time as well. I realized that my music classes have always been the best part of the week. The piano especially. I love the way my fingers move across the keys...the fact that I make that sound is so amazing to me.

     Here is "Time", from the Inception soundtrack. Let it sink in as you listen to it, and you will really love this song. Gosh I feel as if I've written a book! I have a lot of school to finish, so unfortunately I must part from this post. (That was dramatic :p) Anyway, enjoy the music, and really appreciate your favorite song today. Worship God with your music and nothing can go wrong with it.
  -Bailey
 *You will have to pause the music player to watch this video, and the one in the last post. Sorry, I should have clarified earlier.

Cody's Parody

This is Cody, one of my friends from church. Dude, he is so stinkin' funny!! I love this vid he and his sister Melanie made. This is for your daily roll in the floor laughing. :P Watch the bloopers at the end. I am like giggling as I write this, cuz' I just watched it and i'm still recovering. Oh wow. Anyway enjoy!
-Bailey
P.S. I know I posted like 10 seconds ago, but this was just what I needed, and I thought I would share it with you. Wow, that was a run-on sentence. :p

Friends

  My friends are so goofy. You just gotta love em'. I have all kinds of friends, and I love all my friends. They are so special to me, and they are such a big part of my life.

    I LOVE goofing off and being silly with them.  These girls (and the one taking the picture :P) are some of my best friends. (From left to right: Arianna, Alex, Kaitlin, Sarah, Amanda, and Me.) This was at Advance (our youth group retreat.), as are all the other pics I will put in this post.

   The bonfire. Ahh that was fun. (From left to right: Front row-Melanie, Josh, Grant, James, Josh and Collin [standing]. Back row-Brianna, Kendall, Me, Amanda, Sarah, and Analisa.) It didn't last long for me...I got kinda sick. It's a long story, and I get sick every year on the last day. But I really don't care. My friends make me feel better. :)                                       
          While playing cards. (Left to Right: Kaitlin, Kendall, and Blaise) Egyptian Rat Slap is the name of the game in Relay. We love to play it and get very competitive :)

      There's me with my tongue sticking out, as usual. Arianna (right) and Alyssa (left). My BFF's!! Well 2 of 7. Yah I have a lot of best friends, but 4 are sisters. I feel better if the are all in one family. Idk why, but you know, I just feel a little selfish having 7 bf's! Oh well. 

                  And this is pretty much our whole youth group! Aren't we awesome?! Jk. Well we are, but I don't want to be prideful. Anyway, these people are all my friends. But more importantly, they are my family. These are my brothers and sisters in Christ. I love them all like they are my brothers and sisters!! My friends mean so much to me and they don't even know it. You know who you are! So pat yourself on the back, cuz' you're a great friend!! Make sure to appreciate your friends, cuz' they deserve it. Have a great day! -Bailey