philippians 2:1-4

So my topic that I was stressing so much over is..... How Christian messages in non specifically Christian entertainment is perceived. I guess I'm thinking along the lines of how Owl City isn't specifically Christian but many of his lyrics mention faith and even Meteor Shower is straight from verse. Or (and I'm using last semester's bible class on this) how art isn't really art for Christians anymore. "Our" art is pastel pictures of Jesus and lambs, when there are GREAT artists out there displaying Biblical themes that aren't directly... Biblical.

So that could get interesting. What are your thoughts on that?

I just love knowing certain people's parents still love me. And I them and always will. I'm tired of always thinking about it. I know this happened for a reason so why can't I just get over it?

Redoing the room this weekend. I'm pretty excited because I really dislike top bunk. I cannot WAIT to be in the apartments next year!!!

Perth Key Verse:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.- Philippians 2:1-4

week 1

yikes. what a start to a semester.

i really honestly truly expected this semester to be ridiculously busy. and i was right. i've had something to do every night so far and it will only get worse. all my classes seem doable except Persuasion. we are supposed to find a topic we are passionate about and by the end of the semester have talked about it for about 30 minutes over all. with and without note cards. with outlines and works cited and numerous sources. gaaahhhhh so freaked out!

i guess this is the first class that i'm really worried about. so much so i'm already considering dropping it... i had to give a speech on the second day! sigh. but it's something I have to take for my major so i might as well get it over with. i wanted life to be busy and now it's too busy for me to deal with. or maybe i'm just still in the mindset that i was in vienna where if i have a little extra time i should be doing something other than slowing down for a little bit and enjoying things i enjoy. i finally got around to watching big bang theory today because of that mindset.

as a result to all of this i've developed a bit of a cold of which i've passed onto my roommate. sorry kelc! real exciting stuff i tell ya!

just now realized i need to take a shower and read a chapter for bible before i can sleep... should probably get to that now. more later.

college schmollege.

"Now all your photos they don't have a picture frame and I never say your name and I never will."

Latest obsession- Undo It by Carrie Underwood. All sorts of amazing :)

I'm heading back to school today. I kinda don't want this break to be over, especially now that I've gotten Netflix and can watch movies all day long. I was so excited about getting back to get away from Murfreesboro but now I know it's going to be a long time until I'm back... But I really am excited to see friends and get back into a routine. I'm also hoping this semester lets me decide a major and sees me stick to it. Cuz I can't be flip flopping this much anymore...

Time to pack I guess. I don't want to be unloading in the dark.

it's 3 am I must be lonely (but really more hungry)

so after having some kinda sad posts previously, this one is completely devoted to me praising myself. :)

Now I'm not done yet, but I'm through Luxembourg (which was roughly two months into the trip) in my scrapbooking which means I have Barcelona, the few things from Zurich, Salzburg, I wish I had more things for Budapest, but I don't :/, the concert and Bruges, and then the christmas stuff. not too shabby! I think one more day of aloneness and I can get it knocked out!!

Whilst I've been doing this I have been watching movies. I recently got Netflix (yes I know I said I was going to get it as soon as I got home... oh well). I've only gotten one dvd in the mail (My Sister's Keeper, which was totally depressing, can't decide if it was better than the book or not), but I've been watching numerous ones online. I think today alone I watched Paper Heart (SOOOO wonderful), Lost in Austen (which was super long, but then I realized it was a mini series but good!), Outsourced, Rachel Getting Married, Sunshine Cleaning, Smart People, started the Wackness, but it was sooo horrible I turned it off, and I hate to say it, but I watched Brokeback Mountain. Pretty gross. But I kinda just felt like it was one of those movies you have to watch ya know? Then I topped it all of with SNL Commercial Parodies. Those definitely never get old. Favorite is still Mom Jeans. :)

So I was all proud of myself for getting through a lot, and then I looked at Facebook and saw that my friend Bethany tagged me in 29 pictures. 29 pictures!? Wow, she must have put up the album of the many faces of me. So I look. And I laugh. And laugh some more. And then I cry because I'm laughing so hard. I may be all kinds of ugly in those pictures but I never cease being able to make myself laugh. And I feel like that is maybe the most wonderful blessing of all.

Thank you Lord for the snow day and the reasonable reason for staying in today. Thank you for my friends and the vast amount of fun I have with them. Thank you for giving me humor and joy and creativity. Thank you for letting me excel at things I love to do. Thank you for keeping me strong and for family and friends who have my back no matter what. Thank you for always forgiving and loving me no matter how silly or stupid I get.

Amen.

Have a great January 8th. There are about 4 billion people I know with this birthday, including Elvis. ;)

woooo it is time for me to go to bed!!

1. I would see a movie for the sole purpose of this actor/actress being in it.
2. This was apparently a big deal the year I was born.
3. My favorite musical instrument.
4. A place I want to visit before I die.
5. A movie I have practically memorized.
6. Another place I want to visit before I die.
7. A show I watched as a child and actually miss.
8. What I want to be when I grew up, and am still striving to be.
9. One other place I want to visit before I die.
10. The person who said my favorite quote.
11. My favorite thing to eat.
12. Something that makes me laugh a lot.

Thanks Amy :)

Ok so I made a photography blog so that I can keep things separate. it's pretty similar to this one... k-clairephotography.blogspot.com

if you care to follow I would be ecstatic :)

take a chance on me

so my friend Emily was awesome enough to let me "shoot" her for an afternoon. we had really crappy weather (well just cold wise) but the sky was beautiful and really lended it's self to some gorgeous shots.

here were some of the best.

ain't she cute?

well again, I'm still trying to raise some money this way, so if you know anyone who is interested, I'm really wanting some "clients"! :)

resolutions

The resolutions blog!! cliche!! woo!!

So as much as I want to lose weight this year (as does every other Chic fil a poppin, starbucks slirpin, car drivin American), I really would like to work on my personality. I think I've allowed myself to become complacent in the typical body of a 20 year old, dealing with boy drama, college courses, and backstabbing girls. I talk badly about people, get in other people's business, and try to find the worst in the people I don't much care for. How unChristian like.

Throughout this rocky breakup, I've felt God moving in me. He's allowed me to become more peaceful in all decisions I've made, including realizing that it's more important to forgive than hate the ones that trespass against us. My heart can't deal with the hatred. I want to become more forgiving and understanding on all circumstances. More compassionate to those in need or want of love. More loving to my friends and acquaintances. More outgoing, funnier, and over all more in the Word. I have lost my most important relationship. God has been on the back burner for oh 20 months now. It's high time He comes back in as my number one.

I've also felt led to a certain mission trip happening this summer. I think Lipscomb has been going to Perth, Australia for about 10 years now, and for whatever reason as I was looking across the email of what was available this one jumped out at me. And yes, I know I just got back from a three month trip to Europe, but I'm so ready to get out of the country again! This trip is going to be a month of living with the locals and being able to work with the youth group of a local church. I'm not much of a builder, much more relational. I also believe that the best way to get to Him is to talk about Him. God knows I need this more than ever.

The trip is $2500, wayyyy more than I'm going to be able to make on my 8 bucks an hour salary this next semester. So I need to find a good way to raise money. My friend Mary Lauren is going to El Salvador this summer and needed some money so she raised it by doing photo shoots for families and friends. She is much better than me, and I feel like I'm not worth giving money to yet, but if you are interested, I would LOVE to do a photo shoot for a donation. :)

Here is some stuff I've done before.

don't understand why they're so small...

Oh well. I'll be putting out a call on Facebook as well. :)