Archive | August, 2011

My mom and I went to Powell’s books (one of the largest bookstores in the world) yesterday.  We walked the seemingly endless rows of shelves that created a labyrinth of knowledge and information to be discovered.  Words met my eyes almost everywhere I looked.  Words that conveyed meaning.  How blessed I am to be able to read.  To have words form meaningful sentences in my mind.  It makes me stop to consider that the orphans in India don’t have the opportunity to learn or to have their minds academically stretched…unless they are rescued.  Will you be part of the orphan’s story today and give to a child in need?

I have run out of words…due to that I will be sharing some quotes on courage with you.  I love quotes.  Do you?  Feel free to share your favorite one in the comments below! Hope you are having a fabulous weekend everyone! 😀

~Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. C. S. Lewis
~It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.
Mark Twain
~Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.      Winston Churchill
~We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.
Eleanor Roosevelt

P.S.  This skirt came from a huge dress I found at Goodwill.  Chopped it and sewed it different and WA LA! I love it when that happens. 🙂

Wow look at those little ones standing tall and straight.  At the top of my post (Day 111).  I hope that through this project the little ones in India can stand tall and straight in the knowledge that they are loved, cared for, and valuable.  That they would be upstanding people because they were rescued and given a future.  That is what you are helping me do.  We are part of giving to children who might otherwise starve to death or lead horrible unthinkable lives.  If you haven’t had a chance to donate please give today.  It really does make a difference! 😀

O.K so I have a story for you about this dress.  I know…another dress right! Seems to be a theme of mine or something. 😉  Sheesh now I feel like I need to go by some pants! LOL!  Anyways back in my “younger” days I used to buy my dear friend, Christa, a shirt every year for her birthday.  Somehow it turned into a tradition that we would get matching ones.  As we got older this tradition got harder and yeah matching wasn’t as cute!  The last year we were going to continue this fun we couldn’t find anything that was working.  Just as we were about to give up hope we spotted this dress… 🙂  You can read Christa’s version here! (Funny fact that I just realized…Christa made that post exactly 2 years ago when she was going to add it to her clothing collection…)

RAISED SO FAR: $33,175.25  If we got 1,000 people to donate $17 dollars then we would reach the goal!!! I hope we can help more little orphans. 😀

{Bottom photo courtesy of Empowered Traditionalist}

Have you ever wished your life was different?  That you were in someone else shoes?  That something went like this instead of that?  I think we have all been there at one point or another.  Last night I was struggling to remain content…it grieves me that I get to that point of discontent at times.  When I have been given so much why should I ask for more?  I am so blessed to have an amazing family and great support group and that is just the tip of the ice berg.  (A God who loves me!!!)  If there is anything that we should be discontent with it should be the suffering of others that we can alleviate.  If the blind could see they would say “LOOK”! If the deaf could hear they would say “LISTEN”! If the mute could talk they would say “SPEAK”!  If the lame could walk they would say “LEAP”!  What can you do with what you have been given?  What are you thankful for today?  Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 🙂

1 Timothy 6:6

Hello all you wonderful people!  I hope your week is off to a fabulous start.  So several of you have (very kindly) inquired about my doctor appointment.  It went pretty well as far as asking about a trip to India.  My doctor said that although she would have never recommended me going to India that she didn’t think it would be a stupid idea as long as I really did my research and we did a lot of things for my health.  So now comes the time that I have a lot of detail questions that I am going to need answered.  Can I be honest though?  I am worried about going.  As much as I long to go see these precious little children that we have been raising money for I also don’t want to permanently damage my health.  While I wouldn’t change all the pain I went through for all those years I also don’t necessarily want to repeat them…So yes I am a little on the terrified side.  Yet I so badly want to go as well! Oh God please give me wisdom.  Any thoughts??

This video has all 1oo days! Thank you Alex! I really appreciate it. 😀

Check out the updated total! Isn’t that awesome? 😀

{Shoes: Karen, Dress/top: Michelle}

I can’t believe it has been a week since the dress part of this ended and this weird season has started. LOL! Wow.  I can’t wait to update you about the new total though!!!  It is going up so praise God!  An amazing group of young people did a garage sale and it went really well. 😀  I love that they just went out there and told people about orphans and the response was amazing! (They held signs out about orphans and one lady who was running late came back so that she could donate!)  Would you be willing to join this cause?  To give hope to a little child?  Check this out to help you get a jump start!  You always have the chance to make a difference. 🙂

About going to India…still processing so hopefully I will have an update about that tomorrow. 🙂

UPDATE:  $33,165.25 It’s going up!!! 😀

Rarely has a movie touched me so deeply.  Rarely has a movie brought tears to my eyes.  Rarely have I seen such quite determination.  I watched Soul Surfer last night.  My story is different from Bethany Hamilton’s but the conversations that she had with her parents in the movie were some of the exact ones I have had with mine.  There is so much food for thought right now in my brain.  By the grace of God she overcame.  She worked hard and didn’t let the challenge stop her.  I want to be like that.  Do you have pain or a seemingly insurmountable challenge?  I pray that you may overcome it.  Not in your strength but God’s.  I don’t fully know what my next “wave” might be but I want to meet it head on with the confidence of a girl who knows where her worth truly lies.  In being a child of God… I have a very full heart right now and I am extremely grateful for the way that God uses our pain and turns bad into beauty.

Had such a great time getting to talk with the students at IPS yesterday.  Even though I got a few butterflies dare I say that I had fun with public speaking??  Yes because I just got to share my heart with some wonderful people.  Talking about the project solidified the fact that I am still processing this whole journey.  Part of me feels like the journey is over because I am not wearing the dress anymore but then on the other hand I still feel very much in the middle of it.  So I guess that one chapter just spilled over into the next…  🙂  And just like I had no idea how much money I would end up raising in 100 days the dilemma has switched (needs to keep me on my toes and all!).  Instead of not knowing the amount that would be donated but having a time frame I now have no time frame (although the sooner the better…I’d prefer to raise the goal amount before I’m 30 😉 ) yet know the amount that needs to come in.  Funny what time does to you.  Before the project started I said that I would just stop after I was done wearing the dress…so much for that!  Here’s to looking forward to this chapter in which I can’t skip ahead. 🙂  As exciting as the last chapter was this one might just end up a bit crazier!  Hope you are having a great weekend!

Guess what? The dress and I are going to a IPS today!!! Woo hoo! I am excited (and slightly nervous) to be sharing with the students about my journey thus far and blogging…LOL! Who would have guessed that I would be saying ANYTHING about blogging when at the beginning of this year I didn’t have Facebook, Twitter, OR a blog.  It makes me chuckle for sure.  But maybe that’s the point…that if I can do it ANYBODY can.  Here’s the thing.  I didn’t like to write and I didn’t think I was good at it but then I did it and found that I could. 😀  I’m learning more and more that it isn’t that you do something amazingly well but that you do it at all.  It’s better to try and fail then never try at all right?  Because if you don’t try then you truly HAVE failed.  Alrighty then head knowledge get down there to my heart and connect.  I really want you two to meet.  So with a deep breath I will go speak to these students, not because I am perfect at it but because I GET to share my heart with them and hear theirs.  What a privilege!

Haha this is my warrior girl look.  Christa was all “Elaini look fierce!” 😉

UPDATE! $31,976.25

{Photos by: Christa Taylor}