# 13 (2008/2009)

Oh my word! I can hardly believe that the new year is upon us! It feels like 2008 not only flew by but dragged on.

This year was amazing. I met so many awesome people & I learned so much about life, love, my Savior & I grew up and learned how to be a little kid & I experienced so many firsts. Just... WOW. This year has been a glorious blessing! I am so thankful to God for helping me to learn and grow. He's blessed me so much, given me so many opportunities, and brought me closer to Him.

I can remember so well being so excited about 2008. January. My best friend was flown down for a week-long visit. =D We had such fun and I miss her so. My Mike turned 5 too! O.O Valentines Day. My darling Grace turning 8. I remember watching her open her presents. She was so freaking psyched at that liploss I'd hidden in the bag I gave her. =) March third. I turned 16 years old. O.O What is a bid deal to so many was just another day for me, although I did wear a dress and heels. =P Easter. That was an amazing day. =D We woke up at 4 AM to drive out to Arlington National Cemetery to attend the sunrise Easter service there. =) It was SO freezing cold and the marble benches just sucked the warmth outta ya. Poor frozen bums. April. Hmm. I dunno what happened in April... Oh! =P I got Gmail. May. My parents celebrated 26 years of marriage!!! =D June. Mummy's birthday. Summertimeness. Swim team, and doing school at the pool. =D July. IsaRose turned 10! O.O Oh... =D And I had the most amazing Independence day EVER. It was my first time ever at any camp. There I was with about 100 other GenJers on he steps of the Jefferson Memorial. It was raining. And we were hoping and praying that it wouldn't be too wet for fireworks. =D Well. It wasn't too wet. And it was def my favorite July 4th as of yet. =D August. ED turned 13! Holy shitake! That wasn't expected. =P More pool. Em swam in divisionals and made all-stars. Although, only as an alternate. Oh, and in BUTTERFLY of all strokes. So beast! =D September. Hmmm. I missed Matt a lot. =/ And did a LOT of SOFTBALL!!! Coaching and umpiring. =D So awesome! =P More school... and that's about it. =P October. I missed Halloween. =( BUT I got to go on a Student Action Team with GenJ. =D It was such an awesome experience. I absolutely LOVED it. =D I did all sorts of campaigning for some great candidates, to include: Frank Wolf and John McCain. =D November. Well. Let's see... softball came to an official close. =( I'd been a member of GenJ for 1 year. And erm... eh... wow... I give up! =P December. It ain't quite over yet!!! =P No snow yet. Lotsa 50 degree days. =P An AMAZING Christmas. <3

So. That's the most noteable things of 2008. This year's been awesome. Like I can't really even put it into words. =D =D =D I am super excited for 2009. If only because I HATE the number 8 and so that whole 2008 thing was buggin' me. =P

I turn 17 this year! O.O I need to get my permit. And my license. I need to get a job. I'm getting old. And I'm growing up. It's pretty much terrifying. =P But I know that I can do it with the love and support of my family. I know that God's always there for me. He's got a plan and I just need to look to Him. =)

So...

Happyfuljoyous 2009!!!

# 12 (Christmas)

Happyfuljoyous Christmas!!!

(Sorry it's a bit late, y'all. =P)

Well I hope that all of y'all had amazing, blessed, glorious, happyful, joyful, family-filled, lotsa-good-food-filled, some-cool-Christmas-pressies, remembering-that-today-we-celebrate-the-birth-of-our-Savior-Jesus-Christ Christmases!!! ^_^ Hehehe. =D Wow. Okay, so I am sorta kinda a tiny bit super thrilled into a million tiny pieces and in such an amazing and hyper-ish mood that NOTHING can squash it!!! =D

=) I'm happy and content and so amazingly blessed.

So... Here's how my Christmas went. =P

On Christmas eve my daddy was feeling sick, so he didn't come with us to church, but the rest of us did go. We went to the 5 o'clock service. It's the "family" aka "peeps with obnoxious little kids and babies that can't stay quiet during other services" service. =P It was great fun, and there was even a little something for the pyromanic in us all. ;) As in candle-light singing of "Silent Night".

Anyways. We were gonna go home and just... eat. We usually like do snack-y foods and fun stuff, but this time we didn't do it quite like that... Mummy said that "since I'm dressed up we might as well go out to dinner" and she didn't much fancy cooking that eve anyways. =P So we went to Red Lobster. =D Can I just say this? It was yummy. I like scrimps. =D

Then... HOME. And the nest thing was to open presents. It was lotsa fun. I got some really neat pressies. A gorgeous cross necklace and 60" inches of pearls from my sister. Purple high heels, a purple shirt, a real nice gortex rain coat. I also got an awesome day-by-day calendar. It's got Bible verses for each day of 2009. =D I'm real excited bout it, actually. Oh! And I got some belts and 3 new CDs. =D Dierks Bentley, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood. ^_^ I'm SO thrilled with all my awesome gifts. =) It was pretty nice.

Next morning Santa had come. =P Hehe. I got my new, amazing, awesome, superlative, gortex RAIN COAT. Plus lotsa candies and some make-up. =P Hehehe. =D

The rest of the day I just did kinda... nothing. =P Lazed around and stuffs... =D Real swell day. Woulda been real nice if I coulda gone on a road trip to NE to find some of mine extended family, but yeah. =P

That is all. So sorry it's so late. As I've been up to NOTHING these past few days this took me WAY to long to get to. =P

# 11 (Grace & Advent)

I've been doing advent Bible study type thing with my 2 littlest sisters. Today we had to do 8 days worth of study, as we had missed... 8 days. =P

Hang on just a sec so I can grab my Bible. It's up on my bed.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

"Jesus came to bring peace. Select a picture about peace and hang it up so that you can see it everyday to remember why Jesus came." Okay. So that was what the advent paper thingie said.
I was talking about it all with Gracie. She's 8. She's also the most generous, tender-hearted darling ever. I mean, Grace is just a doll.

Anyways, as were talking Grace just started to... cry.

I asked her, "What's wrong, honey?"

And she replied, "It's just so sad and amazing that Jesus came to us and that God just will forgive our us and let us come to heaven and-- * tears *"

She was just... So getting what I was trying to say. What God says. And I was just so happy and proud and trying not to cry.

There were 2 other "things to do that day" as well.

"Write a letter of forgiveness to someone."

Matthew 18: 21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

She wrote a letter to my littlest bro Mike... Although I'm not sure what that one said...

She also wrote a letter to me. "Write a letter to someone thanking them for something nice they have done."

Luke 17:11-19 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going in a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was the Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no on found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

This is what her letter said: "Thank you so much for doing advent with me. I love you so much. Merry Christmas! Love, Grace. Jesus loves you."

And I was just... Almost crying cause it was so sweet and innocent and perfectly amazing.

I dunno. Just... Everytime I end up doing advent... Something perfect and beautiful and from God happens. It's so amazing. Reading His Word alone? Not nearly the same impact as with my sister.

# 10 (WET!!!)

Okay.

So today is dreary. It is dark, wet, rainy, and 40 degrees.

I on the other hand am feeling... happyful. Today was a red lipstick, high heels, rocking out to rain music kind of day.

I decided, hey, I'll go on a walk! I can enjoy the weather and get all happy inside and talk to my sister and walk my dog and... YAY! So I put on my sneakers. I got my coat. I grabbed my phone and my iPod. I left.

"Where should we go?"
"I dunno. Oh! Let's go through the tunnel!"

So we set off. Emma has the dog. I've got "Like The Rain" by Clint Black playing in my ears.

We pass through the tunnel.

We get out on the other side.

As usual, I don't stay on the path. I cut up the grassy hill.

But!!!

As I am taking that nest step I find myself wet. Cold. On the ground.

O.O

I've fallen over!!!

Great. Another wipe-out. If only everyone could be as skilled as I am.

To really explain just how talented I am you should also know that I fell in such a way as to get my entire right leg, my lower left leg, my back, and my butt all 100% soaking wet.

Yes. I know. Skills. Talent. Be JEALOUS.

My first reaction was to laugh. And then... I got a little bit pissed. And I was annoyed... I screamed a bit... And then I just dissolved. I dissolved into a fit of giggles.

I came home. I changed clothes. And I sat down to contemplate myself. I can walk everyday. I go off the path. I frolic. I prance and run and skip. I walk with my eyes closed my ears filled with music. And yet I never fall over.

Sure, I might... Be going down the sledding hill and lose my footing landing on my rear. But I don't wipe out with the same amazing skill as I did today. How does that work? The one day that the entire ground is so saturated with water there are puddles, I slip and fall. Oh my word.

I love me. I am so skilled.

But more than anything I love God. I thank Him. He brought me down into a puddle, and He gave me the chance to have a laugh at my own expense. =)

So now... I guess my mood has changed. It's more of a dirty jeans, white tank top, comfy shirt and socks mood. But the red lipstick is still there. =D

~Riah

# 7 (GOD)

I am crying right now. I have tears streaming down my cheeks, yet I am not sad. I am quite the opposite. I am so joyful. I am overflowing with JOY.

God is HERE. He is in this moment, in my heart, in my tears, in the smile on my lips.

I want to thank an absolutely amazing friend. He listened to Him. He listened. And He saved me through him.

:') :') :') :') :')

I don't want to leave this moment. It is so amazing and perfect. One thing could make it better though. I could be with the dude that helped me to get here. You know who you are, boy. I love you. Thank you so much. Thank you for listening to Him. Thank you for sending me this song... For being here tonight. <3

# 6 (Christmas)

Okie dokie... ^_^ It's December! =D I dunno bout some of y'all but I am totally psyched. I love the Christmas season and all that comes with it. Don't get all "Arg, Mariah! You have to remember the reason for the season!", because I assure you I do indeed remember it. Ya'll know it too... Our Savior, Jesus Christ coming to us as a wee little baby? Yuppers! Told ya I knew it and you did too! =P Anyways...

I'm doing a little Advent thing with my sister. She got the supplies to make a paper chain. A whole series of purple strips with Bible verses and a thing to do that day that corresponds with the verse. =) It is actually really fun. I end up looking forward to her bring the paper strip to me so that we can read the verse(s) together and then talk about them. =) Actually... I can't wait for her to bring me the verses each day! Hehe. Now I'm just uber excited! ^_^ *ahem* Okay. Calm down, self.

Anyways. The tree was up. And then our 8 year old lights shorted out. So we bought new ones. And we took the tree all apart. And we started putting up the new lights. And then we discovered a large section of the new lights was burnt out. So we went back to Sam's today to buy more/new-new lights. ^_^ Hehe. All the flat surfaces in the living room were covered in ornaments; we even brought in a table for some of them. =D Last night as I was leaping off the couch into the kitchen, I actually knocked over a few ornaments. =P Good thing they were just wooden! =P Anyways... Everything is up and prettyful! The tree looks even better than before! ^_^

Tomorrow Jake is gonna like... Put up some outside lights. =D This is highly exciting but also highly annoying since he already put some up but they too all shorted out and died... =P Arg! =P Ah well. He puts up lights, I cook supper and tidy up the living room... =) It's all good. =P

I need to do some Christmas shopping. This year I drew ED's name... =D So yeah. It is really cool cause we all drew the name of our roommates. =D I have no idea what to get Em though... I mean... Ugh. She is always kinda hard to buy for... It almost makes me wish that I was buying for Jake or something! Sheesh! =P But... I'm sure I'll come up with a loverly something--eventual-like. =P

As for me... =P I'm still working on a list... I feel kinda crummy making a lost of things I want for Christmas... But at the same time I feel like I want to tell mummy what I want... It is mostly stuff that I'd kinda need either way... Like a rain coat and boots. =P But I'm being frivilous too, so no worries there. ;)

Anyways... Another one of my posts becoming a mess and a ramble... Oi...

~Riah