Why don’t we talk about how amazing Jesus is? Why, instead of telling people how immoral or bad they are acting, tell people how changed our lives and hearts are because Jesus lives in us, merely because we asked Him to? Why don’t we tell people how much Jesus loves us, as in everyone on this planet? I mean, He DIED for us… like, imagine your friend dying so that you may live. That is real love right there. Jesus loves us so much He forgives us, no matter how often the mistake, no matter how big, He forgives us of all the past wrongs, AND all the future wrongs. So if in twenty years I go cheat on my husband (God forbid), I will be forgiven of that, all because one day when I was younger I sat in my bed at night and asked Jesus to forgive me and come into my life.

Man, it baffles me, you know? Jesus is so wonderful and loving… and we sit here telling people they’re bad people and make them sad or angry or guilty. We should tell people that Jesus absolutely loves them and offers them the gift of eternal life in heaven. How could we not share that amazing news? And I don’t mean shoving it down their throats. If God wanted everyone to be Christian and go to heaven, He would have created us in heaven; but He respects us and loves us so He created us with the power of choice. Nothing in this world, not money nor popularity nor all the waffles in the world, could ever make me feel more happy or loved than Jesus has.

Why do you resent a person for something they’ve done? It depends on the size and effect of their actions, you might say. “It was unforgivable”, “what they did really hurt me”, or “I would never do that to them.” But we spend a lot of time being angry at their actions or words, rather than looking at our own. As you’ve probably heard, we all make mistakes. Keyword: all. You’ve done something wrong in your life, yet someone has forgave you for it.  And without a doubt, there will come situations where you will mess up again. Someone will take the time and the heart to forgive you. For example, what if you betrayed a friend by lying about them. You’ll eventually realize what you did was hurtful and inconsiderate, and you will want forgiveness from that friend. It is the same for the person you can’t seem to forgive. Everyone wants to be forgiven.

Here is the prime reason we should forgive one another… Christ forgave us. We, who unceasingly mess up, who constantly disobey God, who don’t deserve to be forgiven, are already forgiven – past, present, and future. How I read this is that there are no actions or words that we cannot forgive a person for. Jesus forgave us for our ultimate sum of sins… yet you cannot forgive a person for something of much less importance than the sins of all the world?

How important is it to forgive? The Bible says this:

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. – Matthew 6:14-15

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. – Matthew 18:21-22

Forgiving others isn’t just a bunch of meaningless words you say  just so that everything will seem alright. You forgive with your heart, you get rid of that anger and bitterness, knowing that we are all humans and continuously make mistakes, and that there’s a possibility someone will make the same mistake again. Forgive them not once, but seventy times seven times, which I believe illustrates how forgiving we should be. Forgiveness will not only set the receiver free of guilt of their actions, but will set you free, and give you peace.

Have you looked outside today? What beautiful weather and beautiful leaves and sunshine. Have you spoken to your parents? The ones who nag you to do homework and clean and yell at you for the most random stuff, the ones who give you a home and feed you and raise you. Do you know that they love you? Do you know your friends love you? Do you know that in the midst of your seemingly dull or miserable life, there is always something to be happy about?

I think we are all very selfish… We worry and complain and try to put ourselves in the best situation. We will never be in the perfect situation. Something will always be imperfect. Life is imperfect. The point is that you look at your life and look at what you have and realize that it is more than enough. Enjoy it, cherish it. Life is beautiful.

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First thing’s first: Seattle is amazing. I immediately fell in love with it there. The weather is absolutely perfect, to me, at least. When I was there, it was sunny all week. However, there is a low percentage of humidity and always a nice breeze, thanks to the ocean nearby. I don’t think it rained at all during my stay… which is actually surprising, because apparently, it rains there ALL THE TIME. I like the rain though, so I don’t think I would mind it too much.

Also, I really like how spread out Seattle is. I’m not a fan of walking, nor am I even that good at it, so it was nice to be able to drive around the city rather than walking everywhere, like New York. There are sushi places EVERYWHERE, along with a variety of other great places to eat. There’s this cool little area around the University of Washington (AKA U-Dub) that’s full of hipsters and college kids and tasty smoothie places. I enjoyed it for the short time we were there.

Surrounding Seattle is a bunch of smaller towns and some really fancy areas. Specifically, we went to Kirkland, which I really liked because it was very chill, with cute shops and such, and a breezy pier nearby. We all walked into a fantastic store, of which I sadly forgot the name, that made me really happy. Like, literally. It was filled with random cool furniture and a bunch of positive and optimistic quotes on things. We rummaged around in that store for quite a bit, but I didn’t mind.

As for the wedding in Spokane, the drive was long, but the views were absolutely breathtaking – nothing you would ever see around here. The mountains stretched across the horizon, filled with shining blue lakes beneath them. We stopped by a few to take pictures, get bitten by mosquitoes, and eventually take a little dive in. It was incredibly peaceful out there, I loved it.

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Before I knew it, I was in the Seattle Airport at 10pm at night, leaving back to Charlotte. I wish I could have stayed longer, but it was time to go. My mother, little brother, and I took the red eye (which was absolutely terrible) and arrived home at 7am. I slept for QUITE some time, did some laundry, packed, and then left back to the airport for my New York trip with my sister.

Unfortunately, the generator at CLT was broken down due to a storm, therefore the AC not working, so I was sweating like a pig along with everyone else in the airport. Not to mention my plane was delayed. Not to mention my sister and I unknowingly arrived in different airports. Not to mention it took me 3 hours to get to the hotel because I had barely any cash on me to take a cab, forced to take a bus to an Airtrain to the wrong stop to the wrong subway to the right subway. But hey, I eventually got there, safe and sound – that’s what matters.

New York was fantastic, as always. It was my third time so I was a bit used to the greatness of it all. However, I still really enjoy going there, especially with my sister. I met a few new people and we all did fun things that I am too lazy to mention on here. I am really lucky to have a generous sister who offers to take me places with her. I always have the best experiences with her, and I can’t wait to further my adventures with her this fall, as well as throughout the rest of my life!

Travel Check-Off List:

1. San Francisco
2. New York City
3. Charleston
4. UNC Chapel Hill
5. Nantahala
6. Myrtle Beach
7. Seattle
8. New York City (2x)
9. Richmond!

You know what I’ve noticed? We spend so much time doing things that don’t make a difference. Things that don’t help our lives, things that don’t lead us anywhere, things that do nothing but exist to make time go on. I travel back through the timeline of my day – couldn’t I have given more of it to God? Instead of sitting around, twiddling my thumbs, wandering around Facebook.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NKJV) says: “Pray without ceasing.”  It doesn’t say “always read your bible”, “always go to church”, or “always attend youth group”. Those things are all important, don’t get me wrong – but in this verse, God is showing us that prayer is one of the most important things a Christian can do. To never stop praying. I mean, I know if you give me 24 hours in a day, I’m not going to spend all 24 hours praying. I will probably eat and sleep and carry on the usual functions of a human being. However, I don’t think this verse literally means to pray every second of your life (although praying as much as you can is ideal). I think God wants us to pray, because when we pray, it makes us stronger. When we pray, it changes things.  When we pray, we grow closer to Him. And that’s exactly what God wants – a relationship with you.

Prayer is more significant than you think. Sometimes I feel as if God doesn’t really hear me when I pray, like He has more important things to do then listen to my measly pleas. But it’s not true. God hears every question, every plea, every cry for help – even before it stirs up in your mind. God has perfect timing for everything.

I heard a great quote once, it goes like this…

God has 3 answers for every prayer:

1. Yes
2. Wait
3. I have a better plan.
   But He never says “no”.

I don’t really know how to wrap this up, but I guess it could go like so: Make time for prayer, make time to talk with God. He is always there, with arms open wide and ready to listen. Grow in your relationship with Him through prayer, along with reading your Bible as often as you can and attending a Jesus-loving church. Make time to ask God, bless God, and especially to thank God, for all He’s done, is doing, and will do in your life.

The lake was really awesome, there was a little beach, and if you walked around the woods to the side of the lake, there were these high rocks you could jump off of into the cold water. Besides swimming in the lake, we rented two boats, for tubing and such. But for me, it was so relaxing to just chill on the boat, breathe in the air, and feel the warm sun beating down on you while you hear people chatting and laughing in the background. I wanted to stay on that boat forever, but alas, we had to get off eventually. We were also able to rent a jet ski. It was my first time riding one, but it was a blast! We caught some really good waves and basically went hyperspeed like the Starship Enterprise.

My favorite part, however, definitely took place at nighttime. A few of us journeyed about a mile away from the campground to the dock. We just laid there and looked at the stars. Let me tell you, over in the mountains at midnight, every single star in the sky seemed to be visible. It really was such a magical feeling to be outdoors without technology and without worries, just talking to people about life while you look up at a sky covered in shining and shooting stars. At that point, I knew I didn’t want to leave.

Nevertheless, on the day of our departure, whaddya know? It started raining. It was a mess to get everything cleaned and packed up, but we managed to do it and head on our way home.

I was acquainted with a few new friendly faces and bonded with people I hadn’t talked to in a while. I had such a fun and relaxing time there. It was probably one of my favorite camping trips thus far, and just one of many more to come!

Travel Check-Off List:

1. San Francisco
2. New York City
3. Charleston
4. UNC Chapel Hill
5. Nantahala 
6. Myrtle Beach!

Appreciate what you have. Open your eyes and see what God has put in your life… or what He’s taken out. I believe everything happens for a reason; I believe without troubles, obstacles, and mistakes, we would never learn anything from life. When I think about it, it just brings me such joy knowing that God loves me. Every second of the day, He’s watching over me as the timeline of my life ensues, showering me with blessings that I often overlook or don’t notice. Most of all, He gave up His only son so that I could live forever with Him. That should be what gives me the biggest joy in life – knowing I’ve received the greatest gift of all. The gift of salvation from Jesus, who will always love me, always cherish me, and always pursue my soul, without end. I think that’s something to rejoice about!

*Google-estimated facts

Group 1 Crew – Let’s Go featuring TobyMac

We arrived late evening Friday night at the Marriott Hotel, which was about a 5-10 minute drive away from downtown Charleston (how convenient). Because my family is lazy and my sister and I enjoy the innocent outings of the night life, she and I headed downtown for a quick rendez-vous. SO. We got downtown pretty quick and strolled around the streets. Lemme just tell ya, I’m not a big fan of walking, but Charleston didn’t seem like a hardcore walking city to me. I think it was a good balance of sidewalk and scenery. Anyway, we walked down King Street, took a gander of some places we could visit the next day, enjoyed the nice weather, took a few turns here and there, ended up at a pizza place, grabbed a slice (a huge slice, at that) and then headed back to the hotel.

Saturday, we went to Folly Beach (about a 20 minute drive) and got some sun in. The area was reeeeally cute, I wish I got to take pictures there, but we just migrated straight out to the ocean. It reminded me of Cape Cod. So I got a semi-decent tan, then we went back to Charleston for some nice cool showers and food. After our break, we went out on the town, meandered in some shops, ate some food (Cafe Paradiso), chilled a bit and such. It was nice. Just a really relaxing and fun day. The market was pretty cool; we didn’t spend much time in it cause it got a little boring with hand-woven baskets on every corner, but it was interesting to see all the stuff people take time to create. There was a lot of cool jewelry that I wanted to get, but it was a bit pricey. I figured I’d find the same thing at the nearest mall for three times cheaper. Not the originality though. We saw some historic stuff:

1. the USS Yorktown
2. some of Fort Sumter
3. other stuff that I don’t really remember but I’m sure was interesting

At night, my sister and I did some more strolling, and ate at this tasty Dessert Bar. We shared this giant slice of chocolate cake which was just…just heavenly. I’m drooling thinking about it now. The waiter was unusually friendly, so we hopped outta there when we were done. More strolling, la de da, hotel, SLEEP. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely LOVE hotels. So I slept pretty well in the beds.

Sunday, the rest of my family went to the beach again, but my sister and I slept in a bit longer and skipped it. We took the shuttle to downtown and ate a pleasant breakfast, then we had to head back to the hotel to pack and such. Trip over.

Overall, I really REALLY loved Charleston. The weather’s great, the people are classy and friendly, it’s a good mix of city and ocean, and just really laid-back. I’m hoping I get to return again soon!

ALSO: If you’ve never been to Charleston, let me just warn you… if you’re looking for a nice beach vacation, Charleston is NOT the place for it. Let me repeat. NOT a copy of the Myrtle Beach scene you’re thinking of. My parents had the crazy idea that it was that, even though I told them many times… sigh. Parents. SMH. Anyway, from this trip, I learned that although family trips are a good way to bond, it’s just way easier (and less annoying) to go in a much smaller group. And by that I mean…traveling with my sister is always the best choice.

Travel Check-Off List:

1. San Francisco
2. New York City
3. Charleston 
4. UNC Chapel Hill (went here yesterday…I’m slowly catching up!)

About a month ago, my sister and I took a trip to Manhattan for her birthday. This was my third time on a plane, and just my luck, my sister’s plane was delayed to the next morning (Friday morning). What was I to do! I accidentally missed my flight as well (oops) because I was too busy eating ice cream from Wendy’s… Anyway, I ended up taking a flight later that night and staying with my sister’s friend until Friday afternoon when my sister’s flight came in. The next day, my sister’s friend went off to work, so I had the whole morning free until 1 in the afternoon. It was pretty sunny outside, so I sought some shade in Central Park. Jee, there were so many active people there, walking their dogs or jogging or just taking a stroll. I looked like the outcast dressed in non-workout clothes, breathing heavily because I receive almost no exercise (besides walking to the fridge). I even got too tired that I took a rest on the steps of the Met (they have a new exhibit, btdubz).

After that, I got a bit hungry (shocking), so I used my handy dandy Blackberry to navigate myself to the nearest Starbucks. I had a sweet bagel and some coffee and watched people as they walked by. Some frantic, some relaxed, some jaywalking to the other side of the street like they owned Manhattan and felt they were invincible. Basically the rest of the morning, I strolled around, stalked a few teenagers that were in school, but not like, IN school (which were, by the way, dressed incredibly classy), went to Fifth Ave., chilled in one of the Trump Towers, and then lost track of time and had to dash about 40 blocks to the hotel my sister had already arrived in without my knowing…

That was a pretty neat part of the trip, being able to be on my own and all, riding with semi-sketchy taxi drivers and enjoying the Upper East Side on my own. My sister and I did a lot of neat stuff too, all of which I barely remember because I suck at keeping up with WordPress now… shame on me. Fret not, my friends! More frequent posts are to come!

Travel Check-Off List:

1. San Francisco
2. New York City
3. Charleston (technically this should be crossed out…the post will be up soon)

Now let me tell you, San Fran is quite a hilly city. I nearly died from all the uphills and downhills we had to walk. The first day that we were there, it was quite windy. That was pretty annoying as I do not fancy gusts of wind slapping my face every few seconds. However, it is really a lovely place. There are a lot of neat places scattered across the city for recreation and sight-seeing. We weren’t able to see too much in the time allotted to us, but visited a few cool areas, including Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Union Square, Chinatown, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Rainforest Cafe, and, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge.

This is going to sound cheesy, but despite all these awesome places we visited, my favorite part was when we (my aunt, uncle, and cousins were in town for a wedding at the same time as us, so they came along with my sister and I for a day) were near Fisherman’s Wharf and passed two guys playing drums. It had been a long day of trudging our feet along endless sidewalks, so we decided to rest it up a little bit by these guys before we continued on our way. Now, my little cousin and I, hearing the guys play the drums and being the hyper children (yes, I still consider myself a child [at heart]) that we are, found this melodic tune very catchy. So we did what any kid would do… we started dancing.

Now before you go on laughing at me, let me tell you, this was a very joyous and fun experience. Quite the workout, too. I do look forward to the many travels ahead of me when I will hear someone playing music on the streets and just decide to shake what my mother gave to me. Oh yes. Now onward I go, to my next destination! The Big Apple!

(my other cousin in the background, taking pictures of us via mobile phone)

Travel Check-Off List: (starting fresh and new as of one month ago)

1. San Francisco
2. New York City (coming up soon! [soon as in 2 hours, I should probably finish packing...])