Booking It: eleanor & park

Today I have a book review for you all! 

This is my very first book review, so try to bear with me on this. 

Description:

Eleanor...Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park...He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds--smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. 

My Thoughts:

I really loved this book. It was so honest in everything that was said. The love of Eleanor and Park was so real and funny and awkward and just like first loves should be. Rowell wrote in such a unique way too; I loved how she used both Eleanor and Park's thoughts throughout the whole book, and also how she wrote in third person. I don't see a lot of authors using third person, so it was unique to read. 

My Rating:

I would give Eleanor & Park 5/5 stars. I completely and totally recommend it. 

~

Another thing that I wanted to mention on this post is about this app I use called GoodReads. If you're an avid reader like myself, I would highly recommend this app. 

App

Website

You can also follow or add me on goodreads as well to keep up with what I'm reading. 

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

Pretty much everyone has a list of things they want to do before they die, right? Well, this is mine. A lot of it is pretty cliche stuff, but I am a firm believer that the little things in life are the absolute most important. 

(source)

♠ First, I want to continue growing my relationship with the Lord. I want to be on fire for him. (I also want to read the bible all the way through.)

♠ Stay close with the best friends/family that I have now. I also want to continue making new friends and finding people who want to come along with me and my crazy self.

(source)

♠ Graduate. Both high school (four more months!!) and college. I'm very thankful for getting the opportunity at an education, and can't wait to continue it. 

(source)

♠ Ride every ride at Cedar Point. TALK ABOUT CLICHE. But seriously, I love roller coasters and I do want to ride every single ride there. It's fun.

(source)

♠ Read lots and lots of books. I'm a book girl; I got, like, five books for my eighteenth birthday and it was the best day of my life. Maybe some book reviews in the future for this blog? ;)

(source)

♠ Publish a book (hopefully more). I want to make my writing successful before I die. My dream is to have a book become as successful as, like, The Fault in Our Stars or something. 

(source)

♠ Fall in love, get married, and have a family. My ultimate dream in life is just to be a stay at home mom/wife. If I get that accomplished, I'll be the happiest girl in the world. 

So there are a few of the things that are on my bucket list. What's on your bucket list? Be sure to leave me a comment below and tell me what you want to do before you die!

-Shi

p.s. in case you couldn't tell, most of these posts are from weheartit. I don't know the original sources of the photos. Sorry.

| In Oceans Deep

One thing that you all must know about me is that I love Jesus. So, therefore, I will post about him quite regularly. If you don't like posts about him then I suggest you just click the little 'x' right now. 

Today, I wanted to share this song with you all and kind of talk about what it means to me. It's called 'Oceans (Where My Feet May Wander)' and it's by a worship group called Hillsong. The line of the song that originally drew me in was the one that said "take me deeper than my feet could ever wander," but the more I listen to the song, the more I get from it. 

Tonight, I was really focusing on a line from the first verse of the song that says: "In oceans deep my faith will stand." And to be completely honest with you all: I'm still trying to figure out what it means to me. (That's probably what this post will turn into--me figuring it out). I know that we need to get out into the ocean; the unknown, if you will. That's where God uses us, that's where he teaches us. I know that once we're out there in the deep waters that's where we grow. We lose fear. We learn to love. 

I want to be out in the oceans. In the deep. I want to be taken to a place that is deeper than my feet could ever wander. I want to be some place where my faith can stand. Because, I'll be real with you all for a moment, I've been struggling lately. It's getting harder and harder for me to just make the time for the Lord that I need to. I know I need to change this, and believe me, I want to. I want to be so on fire that when I walk into a room everyone can see him through me. And maybe the deeper I get out into that ocean, the more my faith will stand. The more I'll be relying on the Lord instead of myself. 

I think that I'm just an eighteen year old girl who is trying to wrap her head around things. Like, I know that I believe in God. I know that with my whole heart, I just don't really understand the world yet. I want to love people with such an unconditional love, and show people how much Christ loves them, but it's so hard to do with judgement and temptation around everywhere. I need to work on myself. I need God to work on me. 

My prayer for tonight is that I will be taken out into the oceans deep. That I will be thrown in head first, so much so that I won't be able to rely on myself, and that I'll have to give it up to God. I want him to use me. I want my faith to stand strong, in the oceans deep. I need to be in that ocean. The ocean of God and his love and his mercy and his grace. I need Jesus. I need him to pull me close and teach me. Show me how to view the world. So my prayer is that I will be taken to oceans deep. 

My Happy List

So, I generally have a hard time finding reasons to be happy. I mean, don't get me wrong, I try and try and try some more to find the little things in life that make me happy. I think I'm actually starting to get better at it too, which actually makes me really excited. That was why I decided to do the 100 Happy Days challenge (you can check it out here). I think it's a fabulous idea to try to find something that makes you happy everyday and that it can just be the little things in life. I think that it is a really cool challenge to get people thinking.

{I'm doing it on instagram, if you'd like to join me.}

Anywho, I thought that I would post a little list of things that make me happy in honor of starting the #100HappyDays today. A lot of little things make me happy.

• Jesus
• my bible
• my tattoo
• summer
• kings island
• facing fears
• drinking out of mugs
• getting good grades
• when people like my writing
• writing
• reading books
• candles
• netflix (mostly one tree hill, ya feel me?)
• twitter
• making someone smile
• smiling for no reason
• when other people laugh
• blogging
• dying my hair
• adventures to anywhere
• movie theaters
• one direction (sue me)
• old pictures
• finding new music
• having a clean room
• making new friends
• journaling
• despicable me
• monsters inc
• frozen
• disney in general
• this list

There are many other things that also make me happy, so you'll have to follow me on instagram to see those things. 

What makes you happy? Join me in the 100 Happy Days challenge and leave me a comment with your instagram username. I'll most likely give you a follow. If you don't want to do the challenge, just leave me a comment with some things that make you happy. 

To Everyone in High School and/or College:

I want to tell you all that you are beautiful and loved and that you will make it through the rest of this year. No matter how hopeless that feels, you will.

I wanted to remind everyone that high school may not be the best four years of your life like they say it will, but that those four years can be a beautiful time of learning and growing. You can share the Lord and you can build some amazing friendships, and even though you might eventually lose those friendships, it's still an amazing thing. You may have to learn about some things that you think you'll never use again, but in the process of that you'll learn more about life than you can ever imagine. High school, no matter how drama filled and pointless it may seem, is a beautiful adventure.

Being back at a public school for the first time since I was a freshman has been a crazy and incredible thing for me so far this year. I have learned so much more about life and have started to discover who I really am. I've seen Jesus in the halls of my school, in the people who I have walked by. He has been in the face of all of the nervous freshmen; in the classrooms with my teachers; he's been shining out of everything in that school and I'm so beyond grateful for that. It's given me hope.

I have hope that God knows what he's doing, and that He knows where I'm going. He's got me in his hands, just like He has you in his hands. He loves you and wants what's best for you. So chose to make this the best semester you possibly can. Choose to be brave and take chances and make some memories. Don't wait on the future, because the future is now.

A Month of Instas: January.

As the month of January is coming to a close I thought I would share my instagram photos of the month.

I'm not usually very big on posting a lot of photos, but I do post somewhat often. These are the six pictures that I took in the month of January. January means a lot of things to me. Some might call it the "Monday of the Months" or anything else that constitutes that January is a boring month, but for me it's sort of a new beginning (I know, I know. Super cliche.) 

For me January is:

♠ A fresh start.

♠ The month of my birth.

♠ The month of second chances.

♠ A time to try and figure out who you are & who you want to be.

♠ A time to try new things, meet new people, read new books.

I don't know about other people, but I think January is pretty cool and I'm sad to see it ending so soon. But here's to the rest of 2014 - may it bring adventures and blessings to you all. 

-Shi 

Tumblr Tuesday

1/28/14

So I spend a lot of time on tumblr. Too much, probably. But I thought that I would use that for something a little different. Every Tuesday I'm going to do "Tumblr Tuesday" where I show you what kind of things I've been reblogging throughout the week. I sort of got the idea from another blog who does "weekly eye candy" just instead of pictures I find throughout the week, it will be my tumblr!

So basically this week I've just been reblogging some random things that I think are funny or inspiring to me (well, that's usually what I reblog, but whatever). A couple of my favorites from this week have to be the gif from Despicable Me (one of my favorite movies of all time. I got the second one for Christmas, along with two Minion shaped stress balls. Yes, I am eighteen.) I also really love a couple of the text posts that I reblogged, like the one about running. 

I also posted a quote from my book on my blog this past week. I am so beyond excited about the support that has been given to me on that book, it is so encouraging and I can't wait to see what's going to happen with it. 

A Highschoolers Guide to Online School

For a big chunk of my schooling I was online schooled. I was home schooled from kindergarten to fourth grade, and also my Sophomore and Junior years of high school. Now, before we start this post, I just want to debunk any stereotypes of homeschoolers that you may have. We actually aren't all that weird and socially awkward. (I actually had a somewhat thriving social life while I was doing online school).

So, if you are a highschooler who is debating on whether or not to do your schooling online, or you're already doing it online, this post is for you.

As a former member of the online school community, I know how difficult it can be to stay motivated and get all of the work that needs to be done, done. It can be very stressful at times, and sometimes the walls of your home are going to feel like a prison. So here are the best tips I have on dealing with everything that comes from online school:

• Take your time. I was enrolled in online school my sophomore and junior years of high school. It was extremely difficult for me to use any time management skills. The recommended time for each class was an hour a day. I honestly never spent that much time on any of my courses, and I wish I would have. It was so easy just to skim through all of the lesson, instead of actually taking the time to read it. Don't do this. Read through the entire thing, take notes, and take your time. It really effects your grades and your education if you don't. I honestly can't really remember much from my junior year, because I rushed through everything so fast. 
• Talk to your teachers if you need help. They're there for a reason. Use them if you need to. One of the things I regret most about my time in online school was not utilizing the teachers when I was struggling. They want to help you just as much as teachers in a regular, brick and mortar school setting want to help. It's still their jobs.
• Go to class connects. If you're enrolled through the k12 program (which is what I was enrolled through), utilize class connects. They may seem like a waste of time, but it's a great opportunity for your teachers to actually explain what you should be learning. They're helpful.
• Stay off of social media. One of the biggest challenges that I faced throughout my online school experience was getting distracted by social media. I would log onto tumblr for "just a minute" and end up being on there for hours and not getting any work done. Discipline yourself to stay off of those sites until you are done with your work.
• Take breaks, but put a strict time limit on them. It's so easy for you to get up and take a "break" that lasts for two hours when you have no strict time line to follow. If you set yourself a specific break time, it is a lot easier to stay motivated and get work done.
• Light candles. Okay, so this might not be for everyone, but something that always helped me focus was having a nice smelling candle lit. 
• Have your parents check in on your progress. As annoying as that may seem, it will hold you accountable, and you'll be sure to get more work done. 

So, those are just a few tips to help you through online school. If you'd like to see more tips, then just leave a comment and let me know. Also, if you have any tips of your own be sure to leave them in the comments.

First Tattoo

So as some of you may know, yesterday was my 18th birthday. It was a crazy awesome day and I'm so thankful that I got to spend it with my amazing family and friends..

Anyway, for my "big" gift to myself for my eighteenth was to get my first tattoo. I've been wanting to get it for a while, so I was super excited that I had enough money. I made my appointment right after school yesterday, and went in today to get it. It was a crazy experience, but I'm so glad that I was able to do it.

I got a cross to remind me of the love that Christ has for me.

So anyway, that was basically all I wanted to say for today. 

Much love xx

Coffee Colored

Hey,

so much for keeping up on this blog, right? I'm literally so bad at this.

I just wanted to let you all know that I have officially finished my first book!
I am so happy with the way it turned out and thankful for all of the support that I've been given on it. It is available to read on Wattpad for now (click here if you'd like to read it.) I would, however, love to get it published. I can't imagine how amazing that would be. If I were to publish it, the plot holes, grammatical issues, and a little bit of the plot would be altered. It would basically just be really polished up and better. I'm really hoping to do this, so if anyone has any tips or advice that I should take while looking for a publisher please let me know!

Thanks so much xx

The Crave Movement: Fearless

I'm going to be straight up, completely honest with you for a minute. Okay? Okay.

I am not a perfect Christian.

I am impatient, and lazy, and selfish, and hypocritical, and judgmental, and broken.

But I can tell you something else, too.

My God is patient, and loving, and forgiving, and graceful, and a healer, and the perfecter of all things--including us; broken and sinful humans.

That's why I am thankful. He doesn't look at the past mistakes that we have made. He helps us learn and grow and he teaches us to be better people. He wants us to crave him and to share him and his love with the broken world that we live in.

And I am thankful for that.

I am thankful for the opportunity to go out there and to share Jesus with the world. It's an amazing chance. I love that I get to go and love people. I love that I am able to grow in this faith and to build a relationship with Christ that is unfailing. I love that this world hates me and that I get this chance.

It's okay to feel inferior and afraid; God gets to work on us more that way. He gets to help us learn to be fearless. 1 John 4:18 says "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." This is one of my favorite verses of all time. I love that he wants us to be fearless. I love that his love makes us fearless. We don't have to be afraid to go out there and love the broken because Christ loves us, in all of our brokenness.

I just think that's pretty cool

AFOMFT: Books Books Books

Hey guys!

So, I finally decided to update my 'A Few of My Favorite Things' series. I'm super excited to do this one too.

Last year was sort of a crazy one for a lot of reasons, one of the biggest ones was that I finally decided what I want to do for the rest of my life. If you know me than you know that was actually the hardest thing for me to figure out. But I have decided that I am going to be a writer. You know, books, blogs, the whole shabang. So, anyway. I have been really super into reading books lately.

So this is My Favorite Books! It includes published books and books/short stories that I have read on wattpad and really enjoyed. (I will link the barnes and noble/wattpad pages for all of the books so that you can check them out if you haven't already.)

• The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
• Probably my favorite book of all time--ever. The characters became apart of me, and there are really no words to describe the beauty that is this book. Hazel and Gus are just...ugh. I can't even explain this book to you. Basically, just go read it if you haven't. Okay? Okay.
• The Help - Kathryn Stockett
• Another one of my favorite books of all time. I just love the writing style. The story line is amazing. I feel like I can really connect with all of the characters. It was just sort of a love at first sight book. 
• Cherry Knots - hepburnettes
• Basically this is adorable and perfect and one of the best stories I have ever read on wattpad. It is fabulous and you should definitely read it if you have time. 
• The Accidental Tourists - toastedbagels 
• Again I say, it's adorable and perfect. One of the bests (along with her other book, Float, which isn't done yet.) But this story is totally hilarious and I couldn't stop reading until I was finished with it. Her writing is basically flawless and amazing. 
• Saving Elliot - northbynorth (Not Completed)
• Okay, so even though this isn't actually finished yet it definitely qualifies as one of my favorites. Seriously, I can't even begin to describe how much I love the Elliots. It is hilarious and perfect and yeah. I'm horrible at describing why I love books but that's because there's really no way to understand without reading them. Just check it out, yeah?
• Looking for Alaska - John Green
• Yup, I kinda, sorta, really like John Green books. It's a thing. Sorry 'bout it. 

So, there you have it. My favorite books. Be sure to check them out, because they're all seriously fab. Okay. Yeah. Bye. 

The Crave Movement: We Can't Settle

It starts in middle school. The feelings of loneliness and vulnerability. It carries over into high school. You get your first everything; heartbreak, friends leaving, loss. I guess you could say that it sucks. Big time.

There's something that you might not know, though: It happens to everyone. Everyone feels broken, lonely, hurt, and frustrated. Our hormones are running ramped and the stress feels unbearable. We get pressured to be like everyone else and we often give in. We want to fit in, because we are afraid to stand out.

I have felt this too. We all have. Because the worst feeling in the world is sitting in a cafeteria full of people, and eating alone. Silent. Alone. Scared. The thing is, though--and this took me a long time to learn--is that we can't settle. We can't settle into the standards that this world has laid out for us to settle into. We can't go with the crowd because we aren't called to be apart of the crowd. The truth is that if this world hates you, you're doing something right. John 15:19 says "if you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

The best part about this is that we get to spend an eternity with someone who loves us enough to die for us. We aren't of this world, we are of the body of Christ. We get to have a best friend at all times. Jesus. When you're feeling lonely, or broken, or scared, or whatever it is is, he is there for you.

He died for us; for our sins and our insecurities and our doubts. He died for all of that simply because he loves us. He loves who we are because he made us that way. He made us and all of our quirks that the world loves to hate.

I want you to know that you're never alone. There are so many people who are going through the same things that you are. I want you to know that on the loneliest, most frustrating days, you can talk to someone--Jesus. He will always be there to be your friend. And that is why we can't settle. We can't settle for something that isn't the best, and you'll never find a truer love, or a truer friend, than in Jesus.

The CRAVE Movement

So, here I am with another series for this blog. 

Introducing: THE CRAVE MOVEMENT.  

Now, I'm sure some of you are wondering what is crave?

Crave stands for: chasing revelation and victory everyday. 

It's what I want my life to represent. I want to be on fire for the Lord. I want to crave him. So this little series is going to be some thoughts that I have on everything about this as I continue to grow and grow in my faith. It is very important for me to show my generation how important it is to crave a relationship with our heavenly father. I want people to know that they're never too far gone and that there is always room for redemption. 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--thin about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

Is It Really 2014?

Hello beautiful people of the internet.

It's been far too long since I last posted anything, but to be honest, I got kind of lazy. (I also lost my password to this account and just got it back tonight.) Can you guys believe that it's already 2014? I mean, when I was younger and would think about the year I graduate in it seemed like it would never get here, but in reality it came so quickly.

But anyway, I just wanted to say that I am going to attempt to keep this blog updated as best as I can from now. I want to really get serious about it...

In other news, I am almost finished writing my very first book and I would appreciate it greatly if you would all go and check it out for me. Here is the link. It's called Coffee Colored and I am actually really proud of it so far. I am hoping to get it published someday. That's the goal anyway.

Also, school has been pretty insane this year. I am graduating in five months! I really can't believe it's gone so fast. I have been busy applying to colleges and what not. Hopefully I can start going on some adventures and what not to make this blog a little bit more interesting, ya know.

Well, I'm probably boring you all to death right now so I will go.

Much love. xx