My Hope...

I'm about to get real personal so WATCH OUT. I had a much needed reminder today. As I was exploring different Internet venues I ran across a news clip about Owl City's Adam Young covering a praise & worship song 'In Christ Alone'. First of all, I was excited because I love Owl City. Second of all, I love that song...so the mix could only be magic. Music has a way of speaking to me more then a million sermons. So, I listened to Adam's cover version and found myself tearing up. It's so beautiful and reminded me where my Hope truly lies. When life has turned it's back on me, when my friends are nowhere in sight, He's always there....just waiting...waiting for me to seek Him, to Love Him, to find my strength in Him. I can almost hear Him sometimes...'Melinda, let me in. Let me share your hopes and fears. Let me show you how much I love you. You're worth it. You can trust Me.'

We try so desperately to run from His Love, His Grace and Mercy..don't we!? We tell ourselves we don't want it...need it...trust it...so we reject it...I reject it. But there is a line in this song...that hits me to my spiritual core..slaps me in the face and it's the lyrics 'No power of Hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand'. That means even when I reject His Love I'm still in His hands. During my most difficult hours past, present, and future I'll be held by the One who knows everything about me and yet still wants me. I'm defined by the One who made me...who Loves me...and who Died for me....in Him my Hope is Found...in Him I'll dedicate my Life.

I'm not a religious fanatic...I'm a Believer...A Woman of Faith...A Child of Hope...A Daughter of Love....

Interview with the Devil...

This is a FUNNY video about the very unfunny reality of church division. I hope this makes all of you laugh, then think about how we behave towards each other in the church....

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35

E.T.

The beat is addicting...LOVE IT....Katy Perry!

Tribute...

So...lately I've realized I have 2 completely different mindsets on LOVE. It's like 2 different people live inside my head. One of my mindsets is very realistic and jaded. I have been told over and over that I'm bitter/jaded from past experiences. I'm a wall that even Superman couldn't get through one person told me. My second mindset (I call my Daydreamer) is a pure romantic. If you noticed the books I read, my favorite movies, the music I love most, you would see how romantic I really am. I have a inner battle in my head with these mindsets. Of course, the realistic rational mindset always wins out, but my Daydreamer desperately hopes for a win someday.

You know that day....the day when everything you ever thought negatively about men are proven wrong. The day you meet somebody that has more substance then a toothpick. A man that doesn't always say the wrong thing...but the right thing. I'm not looking for perfection...just someone worth looking for. Someone who knows and understands that this crazy jaded hurt woman...is just the outside defense for a young girl who dares to dream that fiction someday becomes reality.

Until that time comes if ever...my heart belongs to the leading men of my books and movies....ONE such man I recently discovered (thanks to my big sister) in a AMAZING movie made back in 2004 called 'North and South' which is a book by Elizabeth Gaskells. Anyway, Richard Armitage is a AMAZING English talent and ain't hard on the eyes.... Below is a tribute one of his fans did for him. It made me smile...therefore it's attached below. Check out the movie 'North and South' also...LOVE IT.

All the Above..

Eat, Pray, Love

"I have a history of making decisions very quickly about men. I have always fallen in love fast and without measuring risks. I have a tendency not only to see the best in everyone, but to assume that everyone is emotionally capable of reaching his highest potential. I have fallen in love more times than I care to count with the highest potential of a man, rather than with the man himself, and I have hung on to the relationship for a long time (sometimes far too long) waiting for the man to ascend to his own greatness. Many times in romance I have been a victim of my own optimism."
— Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)

So...can anyone tell why I love this book so much? Go see the movie...or read the book.

Worry About You...

New band I'm lovin' even though this video is a little cheesy.

The Journey to Tubetopia...

Braeden's eyes twinkled like blue diamonds as he looked out of the water on his mission to swim up stream like the great salmon. Just another day on the Shenandoah River in our quest for Tubetopia. What is Tubetopia you ask? Well...Tubetopia is the name of a perfect tubing experience. Just chillaxin' while floating down the river...algae free...bug free...sharp rock free...with hopefully a cool beverage in hand.

After church this morning me and a few of my friends decided to go to a bonride/cookout on the Shenandoah River. Of course...the main reason to attend was because of the tubing option. Well...due to the fact that we're girls and we take a long time to do anything we missed the 3pm deadline to go tubing. Hearts were crushed...dreams were shattered...UNTIL two nice guys offered us their tubes and to drop us off up the river. THE DREAM was SAVED...TUBETOPIA was now once again within our grasp. Oh....if we only knew what was to come. So...2 of us got into a Jeep with one guy and the other 2 got into the truck with another guy. It didn't take too long before me and my friend Keri realized we should of rode in the truck instead of the Jeep, because lets just say our driver had been pre-gaming. To those who don't know what I mean when I say 'pre-gaming'...I mean he was 2 sheets to the wind...DRUNK DRIVING PEOPLE. There is NO DRUNK DRIVING in TUBETOPIA!! As our driver drove all over the road and we prayed for God's protection...I realized this might be the last 4th of July I'll ever have. LORD...if I make it out of this vehicle with this crazy crackhead of Your Creation...I promise to recycle more and kiss babies...I promise to call my mom more and not telepathically swear at people that cut me off in traffic....the list is endless Lord.

Well...the Lord must of took me seriously and answered our prayers, cuz we JUMPED out of that Jeep safe and sound. We're FINALLY on our way to Tubetopia. Sadly, it didn't take long before the algae and dragonflies descended upon our floating paradise. If I wasn't pushing algae out of my way..I was trying to keep mating dragonflies from using my knee as a motel. The water felt great and the sun was nice and hot...but sadly I couldn't help but think Tubetopia was lost forever. Well...we finally made it back to camp..had some amazing shredded pork and little by little forgot about our disappointing adventure. But when it's all said and done...we had a great time pushing away the algae....teasing the frisky dragonflies...and most importantly watching our amazing Braeden's blue eyes sparkle like diamonds as he braved the rushing liquid elements.

It was then that I realized....Tubetopia lives in all of us...it's all how you make it. You can either choose to have a Tubetopiain' time...or bask in the disappointment of witnessing WAY TOO MUCH insect love. I choose the glass half full approach...the next TUBETOPIA experience will probably be CAVE TUBING in BELIZE in November...wish me luck as I brave the mysterious caves and avoid those shameless foreign insects...:-)