Music A Go Go

I woke up this morning and felt as though it was Christmas, granted it is August 2, 80 degrees and the summer morning breeze was flowing through my window. The mail truck pulled up to my house at 7:30am to deliver a package from Amazon.com! In that box was 3 new CDs that I have been looking forward to feasting my ears on. As you might have figured by now, the rest of this blog post will be me raving about and rating this new music! 

The Head and The Heart (Self Titled Album)
I first heard this band because of an In Tune Tuesday card from Starbucks. I really loved the song but never went and bought the record. That was until I researched this band. They are from all over the country and have very different backgrounds. In 2009 they all converged on Seattle, WA and met up at an Irish Pub (and here is why I like this band, being part Irish myself, I really enjoy the flavor that they bring with Irish seasoning). Their sound is very laid back and chill, much like Portland born Blind Pilot. I would say that The Head and the Heart is perfect for Spring/Summer and Blind Pilot can rock Fall and Winter.
Stars: 4.5

Foster the People (Tourches)
A perfect album for summer listening/dancing. It is really hard to listen to any of the songs and not start to move. So this is precisely why I love them. I love music and I love dancing. Very much more upbeat compared to The Head and the Heart but they pair nicely together on a hot August afternoon.
Stars:4.35

Vampire Weekend (Contra) 
It is hard to find words to describe this one. Definitely a new music experience for me. It combines a very candy type pop with an Afro-European beat. You'll just have to try it and see if it rocks your socks off like it did mine. Disclaimer: Sitting down to listen to this entire record at one time is not recommended. You may go a little crazy. The songs are great for adding to a few play lists to add some flavor.
Stars:4

This last CD was given to me about a week ago and it totally for the musical at heart...
James Last (Hammond A Go Go)
This is an all instrumental album. Here's the name breakdown: Hammond refers to an electric organ. A Go Go is french for galore or in abundance of. So let's put these together...there is an abundance of an electric organ. Yes folks, this is a true treat. The songs are all very recognizable and catchy. It's a good CD to enjoy on your way to the beach with the windows down or relax to after a long hot day.
Stars:4.25

If you only were going to buy one of my recommendations, I would say go with The Heart and the Head. You won't be disappointed and you will know this band before they become an overplayed afterthought of yesterday on the radio.

Summer Lovin'

I used to think fall was my favorite time of year. Spring was to wet, Winter lasted way too long, summer was too busy to enjoy, so fall was where it was at. That was until this summer. I have been so incredibly enjoying this season. Since I bought this awesome bike and now ride it EVERYWHERE, I have really been just loving this time of year.

Scappoose has so many places to ride. There is the grocery store, friends houses, my sisters house, you know just around the small town. The really great places to ride is down to the river. There are so many great trails and roads and just open air. If I would have known that owning a bike would make life this fantastic, I would have got one a long time ago. 

Sneaking Away, Moving Away, Flying Away, GETTING AWAY

Tuesdays are my only day off during the week where I don't have any commitments. No school. No church. Just time to do whatever my heart pleases. Typically, Tuesday becomes my recovery day. I sleep half the day away, make a to do list for the week and do homework. Between doing all those things, there is not a lot of time to just do whatever I want because Wednesday comes awfully fast.

On my run today it started pouring down rain. It's July and I was in a downpour of Oregon rain. Not exactly what I expected but it was kind of nice. I was on a secluded trail by a stream and I decided to pretend that I was in Hawaii because it was warm out but raining a ton. This was fun for a little while until I really got thinking about going on vacation. I would so totally love to get away right now! I don't even need Hawaii, the Oregon coast would do just fine! (side note: I love watching the ocean, I could spend hours watching the waves crash against the shore.)  So as my run continues, I start scheming this get away in my head, what days I could go, who I would take with me (if anyone), where I would stay, how long I would stay and what I would do. Then this little summer get away becomes this thought of 'What if I just move away? After all, things have been pretty crazy, people have been getting on my last nerve and I just feel kind of like sneaking away from it all would be kind of nice.'

And I stop this thought right there and ask myself it that would really be the best thing to do. Of course I come to the conclusion that running away from things when they get tough and people get annoying is not the best option.

When I started working at Branches, I was given a model airplane. It was the kind that came all boxed up and shrink wrapped. The kind that I have to build, something I have never done before. This plane was supposed to be symbolic of when things get rough, our tendency is to want to fly away but it is worth it to stay and fight the good fight. My boss explained this to me and I didn't really think anything of it at the time. I took the plane home and just let it sit on the shelf for a while. I eventually got around to building it and it didn't turn out half bad! So now here I am on this dreary afternoon, just a little while after this plane was given to me, contemplating what it would be like to just fly away. 

But then then I am reminded that I am not the only person in the world to have ever felt this way and instead of sneaking away, moving away, flying away, what have you; the best option would be for me to stay and fight the good fight and possibly book my self a hotel at the coast for a night!

Oh, and here is what my plane turned out like! Bombin', I know!

Big Responsibility

It is now officially summer and that means I should post a blog update! Summer term of college started this week and it is just different. There is actually parking spots available and the campus just has a real laid back feel. Summer term is like a double edged sword, nice and chill but at the same time it's hard to focus because there are just soo many fun summer activities that could be occupying my time. That's alright though because I am now making it possible to graduate with my Bachelors degree in 3 years or go to Peru! Time will only tell how these plans will unfold.

My summer employment is a looking quite a bit better than last year! I was recently hired by Branches Church! My official title is the Director of Guest Services. I will continue in this role even after summer is over to that is a plus! There was lots of change ups in the past few months and somehow I was asked to take on this role. At first I was very apprehensive because I am soo young and I just felt inadequate but I do know that God gives us what we need to make it through. I am learning so much and am really excited for this opportunity. It sure beats working at Bob's Sporting Goods!

So this summer is becoming a balancing act of a new job and school full time. It is shaping up to be busy but still enjoyable! I am blessed with a big responsibility.

Favorite Quotes & Ramblings

*When wickedness arrives, shame's not far behind; contempt for life is contemptible.-Proverbs 18:3

We're not doubting that God will do the best for us, we're wondering how painful the best will turn out to be-CSLewis

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they will become your character."

"Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day. Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you. It won't be long before the Master will put this person in charge of the whole operation.But if that person only looks out for himself, and the minute the Master is away does what he pleases—abusing the help and throwing drunken parties for his friends—the Master is going to show up when he least expects it and make hash of him. He'll end up in the dump with the hypocrites, out in the cold shivering, teeth chattering."-Matthew 24:45-51

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. -James 1:2-4

If we get better, our customers will demand that we get bigger.

You reach a goal, but experience a win.

Birthday Blogging

So I am about a month late posting this but it is much needed!

For my birthday, my super awesome friend Rachael put together a surprise birthday that started the moment I woke up! My small group all stayed the night so they were there in the morning.  She invited Andy, Alex & Dustin who are our friends and also very talented musicians to wake me up by playing music! I can say this was a total surprise.  

And this was my reaction...

It was very nice of them to come over early on a Saturday, but I was just really unprepared and I am not a big fan of a surprise that big. All in all, it was pretty cool.

After the nice morning music serenade, we went to my favorite coffee shop(Insomnia Coffee Co.) and had breakfast. I of course ordered a Real Carmel Latte and it was delicious!

This is Christina and myself waiting for our food.

Next came the only part of the day that I got to plan, an 8 mile run! It was a fantastic workout with my sister and Paige. (sorry no pictures)

When we arrived back, Rachael and Katy had a fabulous lunch prepared. Then I got the clue that we were going to go to Saturday Market in Portland, a place I love.

While at the market, I got a clue telling me to travel to Benson High School for a live concert. Our churches worship band was playing there. I enjoyed the concert until this old gospel singer took over the show. It was all down hill from there. It was still fun & my mom met up with us there.



It was on to Macaroni Grill for dinner with my dad, Rhonda, and some other special people in my life. To my knowledge, this was the end of the night. I was happy and content. It had really been a great day! But then I got talking with a friend that was there and she spilled the beans that we were going back to someone's house in Scappoose. I just thought we were going to have dessert but really, there was a surprise birthday party for me!!! As if the entire day wasn't surprising enough!

My night ended late but it was way worth the fun. It was truly a memorable birthday! Thanks a million Rachael.

A Spring Time Serenade

Well Spring term is in full swing and wow! I feel BUSY! Not just with school but lots of church stuff too!

I can say that I am now settled into the new (well actually very old) house in Scappoose and I love it here. One of the biggest blessings of living in a small town again is the ability to go for beautiful runs. I have been training for Hood to Coast for about 5 months now. On my birthday, I ran 8 miles. Never in my life did I ever think I would want to run that far but it was amazing. Every time I run I feel so close to God. I don't know if it is because I am out in His beautiful creations or if I just have a lot of time to think. Probably a combination of both. Yesterday afternoon, I noticed how incredibly beautiful of a day it was, so I stopped and snapped this picture...a true testament to how creative God is.

Even though at times I have felt very overwhelmed lately, I am also growing even closer to the Creator of the universe and that is a good feeling. I find it crazy how when you let God lead your life, you'll get to experience some pretty amazing things. All in all, I am growing in the Lord like the daffodils on my front yard.

Life Lessons From the Big White House (Post 3)

It's been one month since we moved into this house and I love it. There were times when I thought we were crazy to want to live here, actually, there are times when I still think we are crazy to want to live in this old house, but I really do enjoy where we are. I love being around people that I know or am getting to know. I love the small town feel and just being able to know someone when I go to the grocery store. Being in community with people in the best part about moving to this house.

The most recent life lesson has been that things break. It's true. Things get broken. For instance, our upstairs bathtub had a broken pipe that caused a leak. And it leaked for a while before we ever noticed it. It just dripped onto a ceiling tile and one Saturday morning I woke up to find the living room looking like a hurricane had ravaged through it. There was water and crumbled ceiling tile everywhere.  Quite nasty actually. Anyway, you get the point, broken pipe=nasty mess.
(And if you were wondering, the pipe did get fixed and is functioning quite well.)

This is after the mess had been somewhat cleaned up and the leak contained.

So, back to my point, things break. Many relationships in life have breakdowns. Breaks in my relationships often happen in my poor communication. I think this is true for a lot of people. And just like the broken pipe equaled a nasty mess, my poor communication has caused some pretty nasty messes that need cleaned up. The best part is that I know it needs cleaning up, so I can fix it. Just like that ceiling tile that shattered on the living room floor, are my poor ways for communicating.

Good news is that I have God on my side to help me clean up all the messes I have made in this life.

The Swim Practice Where God Is My Coach

From a young age competitive swimming consumed many hours of my life. I have swam countless laps in a pool, down and back, down and back. Time after time. Why did I do this? To become better. Better at swimming. Of all things in life, swimming. I can remember practices where I would work so hard that I could taste puke in my mouth. This was the true feeling of pushing myself to the limit. Practices like that were hard and painful.  I poured my determination in to the repetition of down and back because I knew that I would improve, I would eventually PR and ultimately beat out everyone else if I just put in the effort and time. And time and effort is what I invested in this sport that now, holds little meaning in my life.

In my walk with God right now I feel like I have been going down and back. And like in swimming, I feel tired, like I want to just give up and get out of the water. That would be a lot easier. In James 1 it says, “ Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” I have had to remind myself of this many times lately.

In January, I prayed that God would point out the areas in my life that need improvement. I have also asked a few people that are close to me to tell me when they see weakness in me. I honestly had no idea what I was getting my self in to when I prayed this. It feels like I am in the middle of the most grueling swim practice of my life. I can’t even put it in to words what it feels like. The constant prodding that comes from God is like no other feeling I have ever felt. He has put people in my life that I have to learn how to work with and deal with.

In any good swim practice, the coach writes a workout that consists of different sets that focus on different aspects of swimming. Maybe it is a sprint set to increase speed or a distance set to improve endurance.  Here are the different sets in my workout with God as my coach:

*The Warm Up-Identifying the problem areas. This part has not been that difficult. I knew a few in the back of my mind. My good friend also has told me what she thinks. Sometimes her pointing them out hurts, but I asked for it so I am thankful for it.    
*The Trust Set-I have known that for a long time that I was not good at trusting people - or even God for that matter. I think this issue stems from seeing betrayal in my parents relationship as a young kid. I honestly find it easier to just do things my self rather than rely on others to do them just because I don’t know if I can trust them to get them done. Because I just would rather do things my self, I get tired and burned out. I can’t do everything. The other side of this trust set is me trusting that God has a plan that is better than mine. I like to be in control. I don’t just like to be in control, I have a need  for control.  I am slowly learning that God has a great plan but he doesn’t reveal it all at once. He slowly shows me     where to go next. I don’t get to see His plan in its entirety. I have to learn trust.
*The Mercy Set-Mercy is defined as “compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power;” so I looked up forbearance and found this, “abstaining from the enforcement of right.” I have always loved to do what is right and I have never understood why people could be okay with messing up. I am not saying that I am perfect - because I most certainly am not. When people wrong me, I don’t show them mercy like the Heavenly Father has shown me when I mess up.
*The Grace Set-Grace and mercy go hand in hand. Grace seems like a prettier word for mercy but it differs in that when God had grace on us, He already knew we were gonna mess up but He was ready to love us anyway.
*The Dealing Set-I let too many people annoy me way to easily. I am being forced to ‘deal’ with this in my life from what seems like all aspects. From the girls I live with, to people at school, and to the people I serve with at church. People are a fact of life and I need to see that God has put them in my life for a reason and I need to show them love, no matter if I feel like it or not.

I also know the feeling of finishing a race and knowing I gave every practice, up until that meet, my all. When my hand would hit the wall, feelings of accomplishment would flood over me. I would know that my hard work had paid off. God has a plan for me. My hard work in Him is going to pay off. One day, I will be glad that I am learning these lessons now. Like James 1 says, I will become “mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” I love God’s promises.

Resting in the Stars

You know, God was pretty stinkin' creative. In reading Genesis 1 & 2 today, that became pretty evident. He worked hard and was very thoughtful in His design. There were two major things that popped out to me:

1.) Even though I have read this passage before and seen it taught in Sunday School since I was small, I found it refreshing to read again. Resting. God created and worked hard but then he also took a day to rest. For the past few months I feel like I have been going non stop. I go to school 5 days a week, on the weekends I am pouring a lot of time into church, occasionally I have church meetings during the week, then there is work that I have to fit in somewhere. I just feel tired. My 7 days of the week are pretty full, now I am not creating the world but I am also not taking a day out to just rest either. So, I shall create time for rest.

2.) In Genesis 1, there is a chunk that talks about the stars and the moon. When you think about all the things that God created, animals, trees, the ocean, people; those things can all be captured in pictures. Not so with stars, well at least not very well. It is ones memory that captures their true essence. Looking at the stars in one of my favorite things to do. It is something in life that I really love to do. (Not just love like,"Oh, I love this taco," but I actually have a passionate love for star gazing.) In August, I love watching the meteor showers. My best summer memory was laying out in a field late one night watching the stars fall from heaven with my best friend. We talked about everything and dreamed about where life will take us. I think stars have that affect on people, the affect that causes you to reminisce and dream.  God really was creative when he dreamed up the world.

Life Lessons From the Big White House (Post 2)

Details matter. Plain and simple.

Painting a kitchen red will teach you this. If you mess up with red paint, even just a little bit, it is very noticeable. In life, it is the small details of relationships that matter, that make or break it. Do you make time for the small conversations, time to listen to the what may seem like a long story, to have a fun night out? Or do we ignore those small details? I am not just talking in a romantic relationship but in friendships or in relationships with family. If you don't pay attention to the details, the relationship crumbles. Therefore, details matter.

 Just the start of the red kitchen.

 Rachael is the best painter I know. She added some nice streaks to the wall.

The finished product, in the back ground.

An Alison Gallaher 'Top 5 Must Downloads' For February

If you are looking for some great tunes to turn on here is my top 5 list to download:

1. Windows Are Rolled Down-Amos Lee
2. Sweetly Broken-Jason Riddle
3. In The Dirt-S.Carey
4. Lift High-Eddie Kirkland

       -And just to make you question my judgement of music-

5. Any song by Ke$ha (They are really great songs to dance to, just make sure you get the clean versions)
 

Spontaneity Paid Off

At the end of my last post I said that when I was done moving I was going to go to the beach. Well, I couldn't wait! My drive home from class went about like this:

Rachael: "Alison, What color is the ocean?"
Me: "Well Rachael, what kind of dumb question is that? Wait a second! Let's go to the beach today! Do you want to?"
R:"No."
A:"What? It is way too nice of a Feburary day to spend it in our tiny apartment. I am going!"
R:"Oh, ya, I will go too."

And it is all history from there. We packed a lunch, got gas and we were off. It was the most beautiful day I have ever seen in February at the Oregon coast. I could go on and on but I will spare you. Basically, if you weren't at the beach today, you missed OUT!!!!!

Now to make you jealous, I will post some pictures.
OH! I almost forgot, I flew a kite for the first time today!!!! I tired something new!

Basically, a freakin' awesome day enjoying God's creation with my best friend!

Life Lessons From the Big White House

So it is time for some big news! I guess it is not that big of news. I am not getting engaged, married or having a baby (thank goodness!) Those are the BIG news events in life (I think.) It isn't really that.

The news is I am moving! And by I, I mean we (Rachael, Katy and myself). Our church owns a big white house next to their building that we have the opportunity to rent for very cheap. This house is old and needs a lot of work. It is a big project. We made a To Do Before We Move In  list and it is LONG! We gave 30 days notice on our apartment yesterday in Beaverton.

Oh, Beaverton. I thought I was going to love living in the city and I was 100% wrong! I hate it. It takes forever to go just 5 miles. Traffic sucks and neighbors are noisy. Morning drives to school take 20-25 minutes and we are only 5.7 miles away.  I am very happy to be moving to Scappoose and the drive to school will be just about as long, just more miles. I only lasted 6 months in Beaverton but I am very ready to be in a small town again.

So the fun work began yesterday. Rachael raked the lawn, which was caked full of leaves from months ago. We actually discovered that there was flowers trying to bloom under all that junk of rotting leaves! I started in the kitchen (go figure, I love cooking and I think a lot of life happens in the kitchen.) I was just planning on scrubbing the floor really, really, well but as soon as I moved the oven away from the wall, a few floor tiles came up thus prompting us to rip up the entire kitchen floor. This opened a whole new can of worms.

 Progress!

(More pictures to follow, when more progress has happened.)

In ripping up this floor, I thought of all the times in life we sometimes only plan on temporarily fixing things but in order to really get to the root of the problem, we just need to rip away the trash so things can get better. One specific time that I can apply this lesson to is a friendship/acquaintance with a girl who shall remain unnamed.  There was one incident that really made her upset at me, but I knew that what I was doing wasn't at all wrong and that I made the decisions that needed to be made but that really ticked her off. Since then, she has gotten very upset at me over meaningless things. I realize that I have only put a temporary fix on the root problem and never took the time to rip up the crap and deal with the real problem. Maybe ripping up this floor has given me the ability to deal with this, only time will tell.

Moving in to this new/old house is going to be a lot of work but if I continue to learn life lessons from it, then I am very glad we are moving. Another added bonus is that I will finally live in the same city that I go to church in, something that I have never done my entire life!

And, when this move/house up-date is done, I promise myself a trip to the beach. I am long over due for a nice walk on the sandy beaches of the pacific.

From Temporary to Eternal

Time after time I am continually amazed at how God continues to reveal Himself and I continue to grow in the things of Him. When I shift my views away from the temporary things of this life to focus on the eternal, everything in my life gets rearranged. This is a concept that they have been talking about at church lately and I am really starting to grasp it.

When you stop and ask yourself questions like 'What is truly important in life?' & 'Does this temporary thing really matter?' You start to unpack how eternity impacts our everyday lives and choices.

Yesterday I read all of my journal entries for the past year and a half. It was really neat to see my perspectives change and see how my life has changed because I chose to just do the next thing I knew was right. In looking back, it caused me to look forward and ask myself where am I going and am I still following what is eternal or am I caught up in the temporary?

The theme of this year so far has been LOVE, how do I receive love and how do I live love. Often times I forget that worship is not just about me telling God how much I love him or thanking Him for all he has done. Don't get me wrong, that is important but I am seeing that worship is also about letting God invade my heart so I can feel His love for me. One of the neatest ways I have seen God's love displayed for me is on my runs. I see how creative my God is and how His love is displayed for me in nature, whether it is an amazing sunset or a breathtakingly sunny afternoon in January. These are His love letters to me. Now the other aspect of this is how I am living love. This part has proved to be somewhat challenging for me. I serve on Impact Team at church (Impact Team means that we are the first people that churchgoers see, either a greeter or someone serving coffee. The coffee happens to be my job.)  I used to feel very pressured and uncomfortable having to prepare coffee for hundreds of people and then stand behind a cart and be happy and cheery. I think when I first started doing this job, I must not have smiled very much or talked to very many people (which is basically my job.) Long story short I am really learning what it is like to live love, to serve people and to not be soo self centered.

God continues to amaze me with how He continues to unfold his awesome love in my life.

College Life

You know you are a college student when:

~8am seems so much earlier than it did in high school-(I used to be the happy cheery voice that woke up my high school over the morning announcements at 8:05am, now at that time I am not sure if I am still dreaming while I sit in my class or if I was stupid enough to actually sign up for an 8am class.)

~You drink 3+ cups of coffee a day-(Up until about six months ago, I hated coffee. Now I can not imagine my day without it. I can even tell a good cup from a bad cup of coffee. In fact, I like it soo much I got a coffee grinder and 10 lbs. of coffee beans for Christmas.)

~You feel more awake at 1am then you do at 6pm-(College has really messed with my sleeping patterns and I don't like it.)

~You pay more than you ever thought was possible for a book that you only have to read 2 chapters out of. (True story: I paid $110 for a business book that I only had to read 2 chapters out of  and look up definitions I could have just googled.)

All joking aside, I love college. I especially love this term of classes. Writing, Hip Hop (yes, like the dance), Philosophy, Economics and Music Appreciation are pretty tight. They make me feel so 'artsy' and 'educated'. I feel very blessed to be where I am at, living with the people I live with, and serving an amazing God.

Life, Death and Everything In Between

Why is it that it takes a tragedy to bring people together? To make us realize how important life really is? To make us realize who is important? To remind of how short life is?  Why is it that it takes a death for people to honor someone? To let them know how much of a difference they made?

In my life, I have not ever lost anyone close to me. No friend, teacher or family member. My great grandma died when I was in 8th grade but other than that, the loss of a loved one is something that I have never had to deal with. On the contrary, my closest friend has had many close family members die. She knows what it is like to have a tragedy hit very close to home. Yesterday her second cousin, who is a police officer, was shot and killed. They were technically cousins but he was more like her uncle. He was someone who she has fond memories of and has shared those with me throughout our friendship.

She got the phone call yesterday. I can't imagine the feeling. I don't know how that feels. I don't know what it is like to see my uncle splashed all over the evening news.  I can't honestly even try to know what it feels like.

This is what she posted to her Facebook last night:
"Sometimes it takes a tragedy to really bring people together..I don't know what God is thinking right now but I know He's got people thinking about how precious our life is and what's important in life." 
~Rachael Christophersen


Here is what I do know: We serve an amazing God. We live a world where evil things happen to great people. Through every circumstance we are called to worship our living creator and God. It may be the hardest thing we do but it matters that we do it.

My prayer is that all who are affected by the death of Rainier Police Chief Ralph Painter will be comforted and know that there was a lot of love and appreciation for him in this world. He is now in a better place. 

Fresh Beginings

Well it is only the second day of the term but I can say that I am a lot more confident about this term than I was last. I feel like I know what I am doing this time. I don't get lost on my way to class and I know what to expect. This is a great feeling!

My Christmas Break was relaxing and energizing. I caught up on all the many hours of sleep that I missed out on during Fall term and I got to spend so quality time with my family. Because my mom doesn't have any house right now and Briana and Timmy were in the process of moving, I got the privilege of hosting Christmas with my mom at my apartment. On Christmas Eve Briana, Timmy, my mom and two more lovely additions to our family (Luke & Paige) shared a delicious lunch and exchanged gifts. We all ended the night with the Candle Light Service at Branches Church. It was a night filled with friends, family and a lot of love.

My sister and her husband made the drive out to Rainier with me Christmas Eve night so we could wake up at my dad's house Christmas morning. I LOVE his house at Christmas time. It brings back sooo many good memories from childhood.

Later in my Christmas break I got to go snowboarding with Rachael's family. It was something totally new! I was horrible at first but started getting the hang of it at the end. I am in love with snowboarding! I want to go again soon. I think I had such a good time because I had a great teacher, very patient and helpful. 

 A few pictures from when Rachael, Katy, and myself celebrated Christmas at our apartment.

ZOO Lights with my mom a few days before Christmas. 

SNOWBOARDING! Can't say I am an expert but I sure did have fun!

I am blessed beyond belief and thank God for my family and friends. 2011 is going to be exciting and I know that God has BIG plans! How awesome is Life, How precious is Love.