worth it.

"You're worth it, you can't earn it.  The cross has proven that you're sacred and blameless.  Your life has purpose..." -Mikeschair

Not gonna lie.  I've read other peoples' blogs and felt completely worthless.  Is that weird?  Maybe.  But for a while -- until this post -- Blogger became a place that I always felt inferior, awkward, and unbeautiful (new word.  I make those up a lot.)  Which is funny.  Because I started this blog to share my mishaps, my opinions on books, movies, people, God and everything He has planned for us -- my life -- with others. With you.  Not look at others' lives and compare them to my own.

My life isn't all about vintage clothing, recipes, and traveling across the sea to England or Africa.  My life is about learning to love God, striving to love people.  About leaving my PSAT check in my basketball shorts in my bedroom floor.  About getting aggravated at how fake so people can be.  About getting a high-five from Lecrae.  About my crush holding the door for me.  About the life Jesus has given me and taking it one step at a time, converse on my feet, lyrics floating through my mind.  That's my life.

I don't care for things other Bloggers like.  Take photography for example.  I don't enjoy to taking pictures of crisp, red apples or the vibrant grass in my backyard or my outfits or of anything really.  Maybe at concerts or one sunset I think is inspirational.  But not of every little detail.  My blog is more words and music, verses that stick out to me, random tags I've selected.  That's just what I like to blog about.

And a lot of people say, "Well, I don't want my blog to be a dumping ground, so I share the happy stuff." That's completely understandable.  But it creates the illusion of perfection for all who read their blog, which brings us back to where I started.  I felt worthless because my life didn't sound like novel chapters, intriguing and beautifully written.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I honestly blog for me as much as I do for ya'll.  And seeing all these posts about 'seemingly perfect lives', I don't want you to feel that way about me.  My life is not perfect.  My life is worth it.  Because of a man named Jesus who treasures my life over His own.  He gave His life so I could experience it.  That's why I blog.  Because I have a purpose and one day, He's gonna make it so worth it.

house cleaning details...or should i say blog cleaning...? ;)

There's just a few things that I need ya'll to know that I haven't told you.  And if I don't tell you, you might take it the wrong way and think that I'm a rude, stuck-up, awful person.  But I'm not!  It's just that I never thought my blog would grow in numbers like it did, and I never imagined I'd have 11 comments on one post!  It's crazy insane for me -- a good kind of crazy insane :)

So, now that I explained that, I can continue.  Not to be braggy, (Can't stand bragginess...is that word?  Well, I made it one) I get awarded a lot and I can't keep up with all of the people who award me and what award goes with what blog, etc, etc.  I feel honored that you think my blog is terrifical (just watched Ramona and Beezus), but I have decided to ban awards.  I want my blog to be a place where I can write my heart out; a place where competition doesn't exist.

I do enjoy a good tag every now again, but if I don't choose yours, please don't feel bad!  It's nothing personal -- I just pick the ones I think are cool.

Then there's always the question -- will you follow my blog?  Well...maybe.  If I find your posts captivating and more importantly, Christ-focused, I'll definitely consider it.  To be honest, I only have about ten blogs I keep a close eye on, but my following limit is 50 blogs.  So if I don't follow you or unfollow you, it's not you, it's me.  That sounded like a cheesy break up scene, haha.

And I think that's about it.  Scratch that.  It's not.

I completely re-did my 'yours truly' section, so if you wanna take a read, I'd feel loved.  And I added a tab about a book (if you can call it that yet) that I'm working on.  It's titleless and I'm having a hard time getting all my ideas down on paper, but I guess you could say 'it's getting there'.

And if you need a new song to crank up, here's what's coming through my headphones right now:

Okay, I seriously think that's it now ;)

love forever,
anna :)

here's the deal, lucille.

I'm honestly not sure how to get this post going, so I guess I'll just come out and say everything that I want to.

Throughout February and March I did the "Blog Challenge", finally completed it, and then sort of vanished for a week or so.  Where was I?  Under groundation.  Not that I want to admit it, but I was. What can I say?  I'm not perfect -- not even anywhere close.

Then I returned and dumped my whole belief system on you.  Haha, I would've loved to see the looks on your faces.  I bet they were "Wow, I totally agree" and "Wow, what a way to come back!"  I then did a movie review and shared my favorite albums to get my blog "smoothed over" to some extent, and now I'm writing this to tell you what I've wanted to say for the past month or so.

After I clean out the drafts in my dashboard, I'm going to be posting more about my life and God.  Now don't get me wrong -- a fun post here and there is definitely gonna happen.  I'm a lover of all things random and crazy, so you can count on it.  But instead of being worried about what other people think, I'm going to treat my blog almost like an open diary.  Sure, you're not gonna know everything about my personal life, but you're gonna see a little bit more of my heart.

I'm also going to be posting less.  Bleah and I have decided to try to lead more "mellow" lives, and I think cutting down my blogging time will help me do this.  That and drinking a lot more tea :)

I hope that's okay with ya'll.  I totally understand if you find me boring and my life a total fail, but I want to get my feelings down somehow.  And I think my blog is the perfect place to do that.

love always,
anna :)

so not professional.

So lately, I've been feeling like an 'unprofessional blogger'. Does that sound stupid or what?

Well, it's the truth. *Looks down at feet* I feel inferior.

See, I started this blog 'cause I love to talk. I love to write. And blogging involves both. I thought it would be a fun, laid back hobby where I could get my thoughts down and hear about others.

But as of late, I feel, well, like I said. Inferior. I don't have a professional blog design, my posts are rather short and sweet, not long, inspirational, drawn out posts. I don't have everything all figured out. Not that I'm saying other bloggers do. It sure does seem like it, though.

And then it hit me. I'm a teenager! I'm supposed to be weird, whacky, and everything crazy. I'm supposed finding my passion. I'm not supposed to have it all figured out yet.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. -Romans 12:2

So what? I'm not professional.

...but I'm me :)

{faithful friends}

Hey girls :) So, I got to thinking, "I really do have some faithful blogger friends. People I can count on, people that'll comment, and pretty much help me out in any way they can." So. I created an award - the faithful friend award. Here's how it works.

*List three of your faithful friends

*Explain how/why they're faithful.

*Award it to 3 other faithful bloggers :)

*Display the picture above on your sidebar (if ya want to).

*Have fun!

Simple enough? :) Alrighty. Well, to get this thing started, I'm awarding it to...

1) Lily @ Snatched from the Wind

2) Emii @ Girlz 4 God

3) Chelsea @ Club CHEA

Lily

Well, Lily's a pretty new follower on my blog, but she is super-sweet. She always has something uplifting to say and we were both born in October. I can tell she truly wants to please God and that's just awesome. Lily, you're a soul sister :)

Emii

Wow, Em! It's been a whole year since we became blogger buds. Emii was one of my very first followers and she has remained true til...well, not the very end, but now :) And I know she'll be there til the end, 'cause she's a girl for God.

Chelsea

Chelsea was one of my first followers too. She's very encouraging, giving me compliments and lifting me up. She is on fire for the Lord and isn't afraid to let others know. Chelsea, you rock!

Annnddd that's it :)

Blessings always & forever,

anna :)

AHHH!!!

I just totally messed up my blog! I mean bad. I was just playing around! Grrr...

If anyone would be willing to change it back to a regular 3 column *cough, cough* Emii, please let me know and I'll email you my password!

Thanks,
anna :)

i'm baccckkk!

Hey girls! Just letting you know I've returned to the blogging world! I had a great break, and I'm so ready to start blogging again! :)

Gotta go! There went the bell!

So glad to be back,
anna :)