Before I Graduate High School Bucklist

Before I Graduate High School Bucket List!!!!
Countdown Meter:
Last day of school: 5 months from today!!
Graduation: 5 months and fifteen days!!

Before I graduate high school
1. Rely on Him like never before!
2. Desire him life never before
3. Need him like never before!
4. Acknowledge He is speaking loudly, so LISTEN!
5. Daily do devotions, Jackie you need this time.

6. Volunteer in activities at work and city mission. 

7. Become a prayer warrior

8. Practice photography, not just your iPhone

9. Run/ exercise more... possibly a 5k?

10. Purge and organize craft room
11. Make a scrapbook.
12. Sell and make more jewelry
13. Write thank you notes just because.
14. Become more patient and gentle.
15. Educate myself on as many social justice issues at possible
16. Leave the country!!!!!!!
17. Get my license.
18. Read more!!
19. Keep up on journal projects.
20. Pray for the next season. And the people in this season.
21. Keep up on this blog
22. Start a creative blog. Yes please!
23. Practice writing pretty.
24. Look at the stars, realize the God that loves me, made them
25. Stop in the moment.
26. Cook a few meals
27. Pay for someone's drink... At Starbucks
28. Go to Boston and visit Kor
29. Go to hartwick abd visit erinn
30. Visit Kristen at New Paltz
31. Go to the city
32. Go to the today show
33. Fast (food and anything else that kills contentment)
34. Start a compost
35. Go sledding
36. Make crepes with friends
37. Pray for my nation, community, and church daily
38. Start writing bits of my memoir
39. Make homemade pasta
40. Do something for someone else everyday.

thank you, my jesus!

My Dearest Jesus, my abba father, the Savior of my soul...
             thank you. thank you for endless grace. the victory on the cross at calvary. the daily blessings. the gift of your precious Word. GRACEEEE, the most amazing gift of all. oh and your abundant love, when i have nothing to offer, when i am needy and desperate.
                                  Jesus you leave me breathless.
thank you for strength. thank you for getting me through the great days and the not-so-great-days. thank you for your sacrifice. thank you that i didn't have to do the amazing sacrifice. thank you for fulfilled needs and fulfilled wants. thank you for friends. thank you for the peaks and the valleys the highs and the lows the dry seasons the the fruitful seasons. and this season, the preparation season.
thank you for making me fearfully and wonderfully. thank you for my future husband wherever he may be. thank you for loving me when you see my sinful heart. thank you for giving me a purpose and a plan to honor you... all of my days. thank you for giving me an assignment, i don't know all of it, but so far just to give you lots of glory along the way. thank you for freedom, i don't deserve. thank you for hope and everlasting peace. thank you for adopting me as you. thank you fro everything i don't deserve. thank you for my love and addiction to Africa. thank you for being a God of second and third and... chances. thank you my savior for forgiveness. thank you for joy, unending joy.
                          i could go on and on...
thank you my Jesus. the lover of my soul. I deeply love you and promise to do that all of my days. Send me where you need want me in 2013, i'll go. ;)
       truly and deeply,
       your daughter

The Birthday of all Birthdays

Merry {Belated} Christmas!! Blessed Incarnation Day!!
Christmas was wonderful in my neck of the woods, like really wonderful. I had a white Christmas which was super... obviouslyyyy.

                                                                           Proof.

Also enjoy my bratty dog Capri. You're Welcome. 

(Also I'm a liar, these picture were the snowfall on 2 days after Christmas, I forgot to take pics that day)

The whole Christmas/Advent season was packed yet beautiful. So I've been alive for 17 Christmas', saved for 5, and truly, beautifully, understood the meaning of this wondrous miracle until this year. Its like of a multifold meaning. I guess it really hit me through a song lyric in O Holy Night. Twas...

 "A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices." 

That's exactly it. The thrill of our Saviour being born (and of a virgin, absinence is only 99.999% effective these days... kidding), and man we humans really need a savior, hope is really and understatement. And the world is certainly weary, lethargic, deprived, I can only imagine the rejoicing and the hallelujahs that were being sung/shouted. This shop on Etsy had a beautiful print with the lyric. No materialistic gift compares to the gift that God gave his sons and daughters. No gift card, laptop, clothing book, craft, phone even touches the gift of Christ. I consider myself an expert gift giver, I'd say it's my love language for others take a look for yourself... 

but my God, my Abba Father takes the cake. Gave me and you my Jesus that was born to die and conquer the grave. Hallelujah!

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Also I had a conviction... I had bought a gift, a simple gift for everyone on my list but the Man we are celbrating. Know one might be confused how to give Jesus a birthday gift in heaven... I'm not talking about a present tied up with strings and bows but a gift that he has a heart for. I texted my friend and asked if she would want to tag along to my local city mission and volunteer wherever we are needed. But at some point I'd like to do something like Ashley and Jami do. Buy a gift from the Samaritan's Purse or Compassion catalog, just focus on Jesus, its all about Him, duhhh. I wrote Jesus a "thank you" note too, just thanking him for another year and everything he has taught me, he loves thanksgiving, I think I'll make it a tradition too. :)  

On a lighter note, and possibly sounding like a bi-polar blogger here's were I write/type about what I actually did on this Christmas. So two days before I basically had the hiz-houseeee to myself as I baked the day away and listened to my new faves which was ideal for this chick. I gave this array of treats away to my dearest friends and coworkers.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a muffin top!! 

Red Velvet Cake Balls from Bakerella

Pretzel Reese's and M&M 

Oreo Balls from Bakerella

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups with Reese's adapted from Joy's Hope

Oreos dipped in baking chocolate then dipped in crushed candy canes inspired by Trader Joe's Peppermint JoeJoe's

Also I had my LifeGroups Christmas Partayyy. We ate nachos, played HeadBanz (Hilarious, Stop reading and play it NOWWW), and had a white elephant gift exchange (take something from home, pick numbers and and open up surprise gifts, like onions in a gift bag or a dollar store puzzle, and trade). 

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When Christmas Eve rolled around my favorite of the two days my sister and I had a coffee date inside Barnes & Noble, I'm much more of in indie book store girl but it sufficed, we read magazines and sipped gingerbread lattes like the cute little hipsters we are. I wrapped some gifts, all small sentiments, trying to focus on the reason for the season, but seriously call me Lil Wayne because I should be a profesh wrapper, bro. There was a boss service at my church, and my whole (immediate) fam came, that's huge, folks! After that we headed to my aunt's house and feasted on our Sicilian Christmas fish dinner!! Kidding. It was her turn to host and cooking isn't her thing so she fed us weenies.

Not. Kidding.

Proof. 

And below is my sister and I being completly normal.

And below a picture with a toilet behind us.  

Then Christmas Day was upon us! I had to work 6:30-2:30 to be exact but it was all good, I love my job, I really do, it feels so good to be able to say that, and I like being with the residents there that have no family, or no where to be, just being a fill-in grandchild. 

My coworker and I just taking a selfie on the job.                                                                                                                     

Once the job was done I ran on home (literally, I run to work) and opened small gifts with my mom. The only thing I asked her was a journal of things about her and her childhood and stories she wanted me to remember...it was perfect.

 

I think its so important to remember your story and legacy I guess thats one of the reasons I blog. 

After that we were off to my other aunts, i know i have like 15 #italiankidprobz

My cousins, sister and I, not of us are ready. whatsoever.

And the last stop...the Grandparents!

The most ideal time to visit them is at night, when they are less high strung and hyper. 

Or so I thought...

He cannot talk without his hands sooooo Italian. 

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My sister and I got them a photo calendar from Shutterfly-they loved it!

My hair is a mess and a half and I look exhausted. Enjoy the above eye candy. 

That's all for now! My "thank you note"to God is coming soon too! Adios Muchachos! 

Quote of the day?!??

yo. Have not blogged in a while. boo. But I found a quote I thought i'd share!

Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it. -erwin lutzer

Favorite Grandchild Status!!

I'm really close with my grandparents. Tiiiight. Like they practically raised me. But when I describe them to people, they think I'm horrible and over dramatic when I say how crazy they are... like I be writing a book someday status... but thats a whole other post ;)
But below are some pictures of my Nonni in rare form to show what I'm talking about.

Black Santa Christmas decoration just hanging around the house in July. NBD. 

Imitating a my cousin's cat that got stuck in a bag. Normality 101. 

Geriatric Photobombing.

When I showed this to my Poppi he exclaimed "awww cute!"-_-

Thankful.

Thankfulness. 
I'm thankful for sooooo many peeps in my life. Like smile when someone says their name I love and adore them soooo much. 
So I'm Embracing the Camera with them as I describe how amazing they are below! :))

 My Girl Presh!

She had been a huge encourager to me lately with my latest endeaver ;) She can also give me the spritual smackdown like nobody's bizzzz. I LOVE her for that. AND she's a prayer warrior. And she has sweettt hair. And were embracing the camera in Africa together just a few months ago!!?

My girls!!

I seriously feel indebted them. I love each of their unique hearts and how they individualy serve the Lord. Korie with her heart for inner city kids and using her experiences to help others, Kristen and her voice and joy, and Erinn with her incredible writing skillz and heart that is always in tuned to what the spirit is saying. I love all of them soooo much. With all of us being apart it barely feels like it with constant communication! <3 <3
Embrace The Camera 

Social media trends I hate.

Social media is RAD people!! RAD I tell ya!! It has done amazing things such as improved the child literacy rate, reinvented politics and transformed marketing, just to name a few. But there is a few trends around the social media interweb that make me lose my brain cells. 

 Numero 1:
 the novel of hashtags. 
 YOU'RE OVER DOING IT BUDDY!!! 
 Like on instagram for example taking a poor quality photograph of your greasy dinner            and putting hashtags to every ingredient in your casserole. #onions #1/4cupbutter.
 No. Stop. Type a modest amount of hashtags and call it a day. 

Numero 2:
Memes/Pets/Vehicles as Profile Picures. NOT OKAY. 
We've all heard it about the cars..."oh what are you a transformer."
But fo' reals' fools. 
And lately we've all been seeing some presidential figure as a profile picture. Like danggg girllll calm down on the tanning or heyyyyy bro take it easy on the hair plugs.   
And i usually just feel bad for people with a pet as the profile picture.

Numero 3: Putting a <3  I love my boyfriend (Insert date, same as date of status)

This is just plain ghetto. The boyfriend usually responds with something like "Yeahhh so many memories babyyyy!!" 

Numero 4: #TEAM________

Not a team. At all. Get a jersey. A coach. Some players. Until then, you are not a team. 

Numero 5: Ghetto language. 

Example:

Truth is
Ur mad Tall
U can Twerk
Ur funnie
Ur pretty
Sometimes u get me Mad
Ur lik my sister already
Hmu more

Rate8.7 

Trashyyyyyyy. Not Classy. 

Adios playazzz!!