something lengthy

i found something in one of my various notebooks this morning, i wrote it months ago, its titled, "i want to say something" and its addressed to myself. its nice, but a little strange, finding something you wrote to yourself. here it is..


to myself:
i want to say that people are great, forget the annoying stuff. focus on the beauty. talk about it, make compliments a habit. smile, say hello to strangers. especially visitors at church. be genuinely happy to see them. laugh to yourself and at yourself.
let words impact you and remember that what you say will impact others. don't be afraid to let others see your mistakes. don't be crabby with the world, speak kindly and with  calm spirit. lay back and let things happen out of your control. never stop bettering yourslef. don't worry about never getting the things or people you think you need. because He provides without fail and its always what you really need. pray for people, even the ones not in your life. be patient and mostly, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
the world isn't boring, so don't be bored with the beautiful life He gave you!
-end

i currently have no idea where my life is going. i don't know what i'm going to do, when i'll get a job {or start to stinking drive} or what i'm going to do after this school year ends. i'm eighteen. thats still so weird to me. sometimes i plan out certain things for me, i build temporary castles in the clouds. i think it'd be nice if all that happened. but then other times i look at those castles and i don't really want them.
i don't know what i want to happen. i like not knowing whats ahead. its exciting.

a few weeks back my uncle called with a proposition for my parents {and me} to consider. he and his family are professional musicians, as i've mentioned before. this summer {all of june and july} they're going to tour up in the northern states, go into canada, then up and over into alaska.
they want me to go with them. yup, you heard me. they need someone to help out with my cousin's little girl, because everyone is up on stage during shows or doing sound or at the merchandise table. so she needs a nanny of sorts. my uncle also wants me to be their photographer for awhile. pretty cool huh?
well its all up in the air. i have no idea if i'll get to go. i'm praying and hoping. and honestly, i'm not even so sure i would go if the decision where up to me. this is my last summer being at home, and i'm not really sure i want to be gone for 2 months. yes, i sound like a wuss. :p
but at the same time i do. it'd be such an adventure, i've never been to canada or alaska. it sounds so enticing. i do want to go. and i adore my family i'd be going with, it would be an amazing opportunity and i'd get to bond with them all so much. thinking about it all makes me really excited.
but do i honestly want to go? i'm still not sure.

so, right now my prayer is that if its God's will, i'll go, if not, i'm perfectly ok with that. i have enough desire to go, that i'll do it. and i have enough desire to stay, so if thats what happens. i'll be fine with it. i feel Him working in my heart so much these days. i don't really have the right words to express it all. so i'm not going to try. i just feel super blessed. blessed doesn't mean i'm getting stuff i want/need. blessed means inner peace, spiritual prosperity.
i am blessed.
so whatever ends up happening this year is going to be amazing. not because i'll get what i want or get to go where i want. but because i have a feeling this year is going to be blessed, its going to be challenging and i'm going to grow closer to Jesus. and that excites me more than any trip to alaska.



-noni

attack of the frost

 honestly, we got attacked by frost the other morning, so now i'm going to attack you with to many frost pictures. it was basically the type of morning, that anywhere you pointed your lens you were gonna get something gorgeous. it was mesmerizing being out there.

which one is your favorite? the last is one of my faves, that mountain is called Mount Devon, and it used to be a volcano back in the day, no kidding! there's even a volcanic vein going down the left side of it, its pretty amazing.
i hope you guys are having a fantastic week!

-noni

today is a bummler of a day, total bosh. well, not totally. because you know what? i'm choosing to have joy, instead of being down.
i took lots of pictures this weekend, but i haven't gotten around to uploading them yet, and you know what? i'm fine with that, normally it'd be bugging the heck outta me, but not this time.
we had an ice storm, i went skating in the front yard, there were some killer icicles the next day.
happiness depends on happenings.
joy is different, its what the Lord offers, and we can all take it. its our choice. and believe me, it makes all the difference!
and now, a daily complement, for no one in particular, to complete this randomness.

^_^ yes, they would be so wrong.

-noni

photography + writing challenge: week 3 {plus a little extra}

 week 3 challenge: a photo of a favorite thing // write about its importance.

my synonym and antonym book has always been one of my favorite things. not only is it pretty old, and smells yummy, but its always been an incredibly helpful book. i think i found it at a yard sale for 50cents the summer i stayed with my cousins for a whole week when i was 12. my aunt took us all over Springfield hunting down yard/garage sales, those were good times. when i bought this book, i was only interested in it because of the copyright date, after a few years of sitting lonely and unused on my shelf, i picked it up and thumbed through it. i found some sort of old ticket stub in it, then i noticed what the book actually was! i was ecstatic. i couldn't believe that i hadn't noticed the title before.
now its one of those books that i'll pick up just to read for fun, or if i actually need help in finding a word. plus it has several different sections in the back of the book that are super interesting as well. so yup. thats one of my favorite things! sorry if this totally bored you, ha. said the liar.


and now for the 'little extra' that i wanted to add.
Bleah, at Lovely wrote this inspiring post. i've decided to join in with her on it. you should click on it and go read. maybe you'd like to join too?

2013, the anti-resolution list.

- gossip. i mean the ugly, i would die of shame if certain people heard me, type of gossip. i don't mean the confidential things you need to talk about with your mom or bf. but the unnecessary criticism. don't get me wrong, i don't buy the whole "don't judge me thing", but when its done with bitterness and harshness, its time to reel it in and inspect your heart. and i've been doing quite a bit of inspecting lately, and you know what i've found? a harsh girl who talks to much about people for no good reason. 

- betray other's trust. i want to be someone who is known for being trustworthy. the thing about trust is that its so hard to build, and so easy to break down.

- not think before i speak. of course, everyone knows that gets them in trouble.  i don't want to be hasty, i don't want to dig myself holes and then just keep digging because my pride keeps me from admiting i was stupid or wrong. 

- not brush, floss and wear my retainer. seriously. i want to keep my teeth, and i want them to stay straight. i don't want dentures when i'm old. i like my purly whites. and i like them straight.

- give up my morning Jesus time. so far its worked and i love it. and its the only thing that has stuck. doing it at night was never reliable for me. i like morning Jesus time, i never again want to sleep in and miss it again.

basically. i'm hoping that by writing this out, it will help me to remember my never agains, it will encourage me to be kinder, more trust worthy, careful about what i say, and all that other great jazz. and thats all i've got for today, folks! we're iced in here where i live, this will be the second day of having all the guys home at once, its weird, but nice! i hope you guys have a fantastic weekend, i don't plan on blogging again till monday, so. yup.

toodles!
-noni

listening to- Never Too Late by Three Days Grace
Why Don't You Go Back To The Woods- by Jerry Douglas/Russ Barenberg/Edger Meyer

last night i was looking through all my photos and being just. happy. these pictures make me smile, they're mine, i took them and they all mean something to me and they all bring some sort of happy memory back.
i always thought that it was sort of a bad thing to love the things you make, like a prideful thing. true, it could become that. but as i've grown in my art, and as a person, i know that it isn't a bad thing.
its ok to love your own work, its healthy.
its not about being happy because other people love your art, although that certainly does add to the list of pros. its about loving what you make. putting your God given talent to work, finding passion in it. and if others enjoy your art, thats pretty fantastic too. its even cooler to bless people by your art. for me i can do that by taking pictures of people, i don't charge much, and sometimes i'd do it for free. but i love being able to bless others with pictures, sometimes drawings and even the occasional baby quilt.
i dunno where all this came from. i've had so many thoughts going on in my head lately, like more than is normal, which is scary. and this wasn't really one of them till now, and i know i left a lot unsaid. so anyway, there ya go, a little glimpse into my random mind. :)

-noni

p.s.
i loved reading all the comment on my last post!!! *hugstoall*

there are certain songs, that inspire me so much, certain songs that hit me with nostalgia so hard.

songs i practically grew up on, songs i'll always love and can always put a smile on my face.

there are just certain songs, that i'll never ever forget the words to. no matter how long its been since i last listened to it. 

i have quite a list of these songs.

but i'm going to narrow it down to 3. not my top three. just three that i absolutely love and that take me back in time. here they are! and for the fun of it, i found pretty pictures and put lyrics to them. :)

-1. What About Now- by Chris Daughtry. {pretty much every song from Daughtry's first album is pure gold, and that whole album just turns me into a mushy puddle of nostalgia, gah. so much}

2.- Miles to Go- by Alison Krauss. 

3.- This Heart Of Mine- by The Wailin' Jennys.

no clue who did this art work {i tried to find the source!} but its *amazing*.

this was really hard to narrow it down to just 3 songs, right now i could think of so many more artists, songs and albums that i adore and have adored for years. all the nickel creek albums, that one rob thomas album thats so epic {before he was a part of matchbox20}, josh grobans first album, jack johnson's second, the cold mountain soundtrack, imogen heap and jem, michael buble's first, switchfoot's 'beautiful letdown', sky sailing, steven curtis chapman's old stuff. the list is endless. but i better end it anyways.

so what about you, what song, album or artist have you been listening to for years that you still love? i'd love to know!

xox-noni