Fruits...but Not Just the Edible Kind

There is a passage of Scripture found in the New Testament written by a man named Paul that I love and read frequently. It is Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." These are not your normal "fruits". Paul does not mention any apples or oranges or grapes. But rather fruits are virtues that a Christ- follower (believer) should possess. Or at least work on! For me I am not naturally patient or really any of these virtues. I have to really seek God and become more like him (Philippians 2:5).

I wonder what my life would look like if I worked harder at possessing these virtues. That is my prayer that I can become more and more like Jesus everyday, even during the hard times. I need this verse tattooed to hand so I can see it constantly and not forget... This life is not about me. It is about serving God and becoming more like Jesus.

Great song check it out! It is by Leeland called Holy Spirit Have Your Way.

decisions, decisions, decisions

There seems to be so many decisions to be made everyday. Sometimes they are minor...what will I wear today? Or what will eat for breakfast? Some decisions are fun like where will I go shopping at or which coffee shop will I go to? And then there are the hard ones. Where should I work? How many classes should I take next semester? How will I spend my time today? Will I work out today or not is another big dilemma I face everyday :)

Right now I feel like I am making 100 million decisions a day!! (Well this may be a little exaggerated...) There are things to decide for the wedding, homework to choose to complete, and and everyday life choices. Life can be so busy. This is when decisions can become even harder. Am I making all the right ones?? Is watching almost every episode of lost since December 31st the best way to spend my time? (Oops already done!) Time is a very precious thing in my life right now. Sometimes I make the most of it and other times I don't.

There was a very wise man who lived a very long time ago, way back in the days of the Old Testament. His name was Solomon. He was the king of Jerusalem and he was known for his wisdom. He wrote this passage about time:

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate

a time for war and a time for peace.

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Well, I better make the best of my time and do some more homework!

-Mykaila

Kids...they make you laugh!

I love kids. Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Elementary age, Preteens. I love watching kids change and develop into their own person. I have the "privilege" of doing this at the place I work. I have worked at an Early Childhood center for over a year in a many of the rooms. Right now I am working with toddlers 18 months- 24ish months. Man are they a hand full but also so much fun. We have 11 little guys running around laughing, crying, talking, smiling, jumping, dancing and yeah know just bein' kids! I love reading to them and I try to bring in a new book from home everyday. Something that is their level but new and exciting for them to listen to. Today we read
"Polar Bear Polar Bear What Do you Hear?". That is a great book! The theme for the week is Zoo animals so I thought it tied in perfectly. The kids know their animals and the sounds they make surprisingly very well. The older ones also know their colors. Today the other teacher asked "What color is that ball" and the little girl said blue right on! And then to another boy she asked the same question and he said "green!" Smart little kiddos :) I love when I leave for the day and they all say "Bye Bye Kaywa!" It is so precious!

I am excited to be a teacher soon. Well...soon as in within the next three years! I cannot wait to have my own classroom with my own students. I am excited to put stickers on their homework and teach them new things. Being a teacher is such an important job...but maybe I am just biased. I hope that I will be able to teach first, second or third grade.

Kids are fun no matter what the age. Even during a "difficult" day their smiles bring joy to me! My favorite little kiddo is my nephew Miles Ray. He is 9 months old and learning more and more things everyday. He started crawling forward last night. He had the backwards part down just fine. I love spending time with him and try to as much as possible. This picture was just a couple of weeks ago. I love the attitude in this photo. He was getting sleepy!

Well that's all for now! Take time to enjoy the children in your life!

Beauty

So many things in the life are considered to be beautiful. We use that term so frequently. Today I woke up and instead of going to gym headed out to a local lake for a walk. I had to get out and enjoy the 80 degree weather that is so unusual for this time of year! While I was walking I was in awe of how beautiful the lake was. So still. So calm. I often times find myself just wanting to get away to nature to see God's creation that He created so intricately and perfectly. I have been working on planning my wedding that is coming up this summer. My mom and I went and met with a couple of florists this afternoon and it is amazing to me at how many different types of flowers there are. So many colors. God is definitely artistic and innovative! I am so glad that we don't live in a black and white world but we are surrounded with variety and colors!

I would have to say that there are different levels of beauty. Like you could almost classify and rank that word. In my eyes materialistic possessions would be one level. My fiance calls his guitars "beauties" sometimes and well I don't quite see the beauty but I know some do. Another level would be people maybe animals. Then there is creation... I would rank this as one of the highest "levels" of beauty. The mountains, the ocean, flowers, lakes, trees...how could you deny God when you see all of that?

Well that's all for now,
May you all enjoy this beautiful sunny day :)
-Mykaila

Wedding Fun

Hello All!

What a beautiful day it is...and a wonderful week it it suppose to be! I can't hardly wait for it to be 70 + degrees tomorrow and Wednesday!!! Hoorayyyy for spring!!! (That means summer is on the way...and my wedding!)

Last weekend I had all of my bridesmaids over to make the wedding favors and hang out. We had a great taco salad and brownies and we even go all of the favors made in about three hours. Not too bad. It was great having their help because well I am good at buying the stuff I just can't seem to put it all together. I am not very good at tying bows I discovered.

Well now I am off to enjoy this nice weather. Taking my puppy for a jog!! She will be excited.

Toodles,
Mykaila

Spring

I am getting so excited for the weather to be nice!! It is hard to believe that just a little over a week ago there was over 6 inches of snow on the ground and now it is basically gone. I figured we would have snow till April. I am looking forward to flip flops and shorts and flowers and sunshine!

I am also getting very excited for the wedding. I can't wait to see everything put together- all the details that I have worked on for the past year. Our wedding is definitely going to be a day to remember! I am so blessed to be marrying a wonderful man who truly loves me and most importantly loves God. He is my best friend and I am looking forward to sharing my life with him.

Did you know? We are getting married on our five year anniversary (of dating). I think it is so cool that we will be able to add five on to every year of our marriage.

Well that's all for now,
Mykaila

Wedding Update

Oh the joys of planning a wedding...but really it is fun!
This week Jonathan and I decided where we are going to be living. We went to look at Biltmore apartments on Sunday evening and fell in love (well I did). They have everything we want in an apartment. A washer and dryer, an awesome workout facility, pools, enough space for the two of us, a nice kitchen with microwave and dishwasher and the list could go on. We turned in our applications on Tuesday. It feels great to have that accomplished and something to look forward to. Jonathan is going to move in the first week in June and I of course after the wedding. Although I am super excited about moving in my stuff throughout the month!

In TWO days I am going down to Kansas City with my parents to pick up my wedding dress. I cannot wait. I am looking forward to spending time with my parents and I cannot wait to try on my dress!

Oh yeah we had our first pre-marital counseling session today. It went great.

-Mykaila