"I've got the world on a string, sitting on a rainbow...."

Have you ever noticed how gorgeous raindrops are? The are truly beautiful! I just got off the phone after an hour long conversation with Micah and I was sitting outside listening to music and talking to him when it started to rain. Not hard, but just drizzling. A raindrop landed on my ipod and it sparkled! I thought it was pretty! They're so magnificent in the way you see things through them and they reflect color in such a brilliant way.

Anyway, that's my spill on raindrops.

I'm off to take a sauna and relax and warm up. OOO! I'm wearing striped knee songs! :) haha They keep my legs warmer and they're so cute! I love knee socks! :)

Adios-

Sayrah

Gobbledigook!

Yesterday on Thanksgiving I went around saying "Happy Thanksgiving! Gobbledigook!"..... I don't really know WHY. I mean, it sounds like a sound a turkey makes, but it's also the name of an AMAZING Sigur Ros song. Nobody understood it but Micah..... Emily would have if I had actually talked to her yesterday. Oh well.

So I just got home from a VERY exhausting day. Fun, but VERY tiring. It's a tradition that me, my mom, and my sisters get up REALLY early on Black Friday to go shopping. I was up at 3:30 AM today but we didn't actually leave until about 5. Oh well. But I got some amazing deals! One of my favorite finds was an $80 dress for $15! Cha-Ching *complete with arm motion*!

This evening I met up with the Gibbons cause Anna is in town! Which made me SOOOO happy because I haven't seen her since like----AUGUST! Sheesh. I can't stand college. But it was awesome to see her!

Anyway, on the way home tonight I was driving along singing Christmas songs with the radio. The Lord always feels like speaking to me on drives in the car alone at dark for some reason. I guess because generally at that time of day I'm just tired and ready to listen to what He has to say..... I don't know. haha Anyway, I was driving along and as cheesy as it sounds, he reminded me how blessed I am. I mean, yeah, that's obvious, but I mean, even for Americans, I'm REALLY blessed. Then I realized that that means I'm probably in the top percentage of spoiled people in the WORLD. Ha. That made me feel---weird. I guess right now I could go on blabbing about how I'm "oh so blessed" and how "I just realized how spoiled I am." But I'm not. All semester I've been talking about how I want to help others and do something significant but I just haven't had time. Well, my schedule has recently lightened so I think I really do need to do something to help others. Not just need though, I WANT to. Christmas is the hardest time of year for families and it also has the highest suicide rate than any other time of year. From what I've heard that's going to be even worse this year with the way the economy has been this year. I guess the best I can say is just to pray for those families.

Okay. I'm going to quit preaching even though there is soooo much more I want and have to say right now. Instead, I think I'll just leave with a few verses, a song, and a few of the greatest things I'm thankful for.

The stars are beautiful and incredibly bright tonight and the are is crisp and cold! :) The roof is calling my name! Goodnight all! :)

Sincerely,

Sara

My favorite things:

1. Family in friends (duh. how unoriginal.... but it's the truth.)
2. Sunny days. Is the the sun not amazing? I mean, going outside in it for just a few seconds can make you feel sooo much better! Not to mention it makes things grow and be even more gorgeous!
3. The outdoors in general. I'd live out there if I could.
4. Music. Seriously. I wish I could actually play the instruments I want to.
5. Cameras
6. Stars (not the band). I really enjoy star gazing. Cheesy, but amazing. It's an awesome time to think and pray. Also, it's wonderful when accompanied by Sigur Ros. However, a lot of the time it's nice just to be quiet. Or with friends. Or quiet with friends. Pretty much it's nice anytime.
7. The ability to walk. I would honestly be miserable without this strength. The Lord could teach me how to bare it, but it seems very difficult.
8. Same for seeing and hearing. If I couldn't hear I wouldn't be able to appreciate music. If I couldn't see, I couldn't do photography. Pretty much all of the senses are important.
9. The different seasons. I love cold weather so much, I love the fragrance of Spring, the heat of the Summer (and Summer break), and the color of Autumn. God is amazing in all that he has created. I have yet to find a fault!..... Not that I'll ever be able to! :)
10. The opportunity to get to talk to God. Personally. It's so--- satisfying. I'll admit it can be annoying when you want an answer RIGHT THEN, but sometimes that's not how God works and that's just something I'm learning. :) But to be able to talk to Him is such a wonderful gift. Who needs a therapist when you have prayer? sheesh.

This Is My Father's World Hymn

This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!

For The Beauty Of The Earth Hymn

For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
Pleasures pure and undefiled,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of heaven,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

For thy Church which evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.

1 Chronicles 29:11-13 (KJV)

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name."

Psalm 31:19 (NIV)

How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

Sorry this was so long! I never plan on posts being this long. gr. Off to the roof now! :)

"Lightning comes and lightning goes and it's all the same to me"

Yes, I love Third Eye Blind. Probably more than I really should....

Anyway, it's been a while since I posted so this is probably going to be long. Go ahead and skip to the end if you'd like.

So, I just ready Teh Emsters blog and it made me happy!

1.) Apples and Starbucks are amazing

2.) Grizzly Bear is awesome. I'm so proud of myself for finding them before Micah and Emily. That's a once in a life time thing so I'm going to enjoy it.

3.) The art exhibit today is going to be wonderful and I really wish I could go. Ugh.

Anyway, the last couple of weeks have been pretty good. Incredibly stressful but pretty good. Last weekend I went on a youth retreat with Covenant Presbyterian. It was awesome! I love everyone in that youth group (at least those I got to know) so much! The retreat was very much needed and it came at the perfect time. God knew I needed something to get me away from everyday life and to focus more on him.

The retreat lasted Friday-Sunday and as soon as I got back into town Sunday I headed straight to play a concert that involved music that I hadn't even seen till we were performing it. Oh well.

Monday rolls around anddddd *drum roll* I GOT A CALL FROM COVENANT COLLEGE! Yup, I was accepted! :) I was sooo excited! The big issue is money though. I won't know about that till next semester.

Oh, and I've decided something. I haven't really told anyone this and I don't plan to, but because Emily is the only one who reads this I might as well cause I'll tell her anyway. haha I think I'm going to apply to one crazy hard university. One that I most likely won't get into.... but I want to try. That university will be BU (Boston University). I know it's huge, non Christian, super liberal, and far away, but I want to see if I can get in. They have the best photojournalism program in the country. We'll see what happens with that.... More than likely I'll be rejected, but that's okay!

Ah. Also, I'm sick. Not horrible, but I'm still sick. It's to the point where you really want to just stay in bed all day but you know you're actually well enough to go out and about to school and such. Gr.

Tonight I work which will probably be insanely busy... but that's good cause I need the money desperately.

Choir retreat this weekend. I'm actually not sure how I feel about that. A lot of stuff has been going on at school and it's making me just dislike high school completely. The problem isn't just within my high school though---- it's outside too. It's in God's hands though.

OH! And, Emily shared a little about her dream the other night so I think I shall share mine from two nights ago cause I can't quit thinking about it. I never have dreams (at least that I remember) and the last two nights I've had full out nightmares. The first one I'll share on here cause it's almost comical, but the second one I won't share cause it's pretty upsetting and if anyone else but Emily reads this, I don't want them to know.

So, here's my dream:

I was sitting at the end of the road I live on (about 3 miles from my house) next to the railroad tracks. Somehow, my neighbor's trampoline ended up there so me and my sisters and my neighbors were jumping around pretending to be in a rodeo like we used to do. Well, my grandmother calls and was like "tell your parents that there are horrible tornados heading straight toward you." I had every intention (in my dream) of telling my mom.... but I forgot. Well, then my grandmother calls again to say her goodbyes (which is actually really morbid sounding). Then I look up and there are like 3 tornadoes of my road back where my house is and they're heading straight toward me. I notice they're still far enough off that I can make it home and to our basement before they hit. So, I yell "OH CRAP!" really loudly and everybody starts running..... except for me. They all hop into this green suburban and race home. I'm left there sitting on the trampoline with the storm getting visibly closer then I was like "Wait. I'm a bird. I can fly!" So right then and there I turn from a girl to hawk and fly home. I made it there faster than my family cause I learned that I could cut corners cause I could fly. It was pretty amazing. But honestly, that dream was terrifying. Seriously. I woke up yelling again.

I'm not sure why I just shared that..... except for the fact the flying was awesome. ahah

Anyway, enjoy the pictures from the youth retreat! :)