A Random, Late-Night, Happy Post!

I have decided to take advantage of my 4-day weekend (yay for inclement weather!) and make this a reading immersion weekend. I'm pretty excited. I've got my sweatpants and fuzzy socks on, and I'm taking over the fictional world!!!!

I feel really guilty for passing up my 6 library books due in a few days for books I already own, but whatever. I can always recheck those out :) Even though I am an insanely fast reader, I'm obviously not going to make it through all of these here. Unfortunately. I mean, I have to study for EOIs and go to 3 hours of dance rehearsal this weekend too! Plus church and my normal bible study time. And you know, this is a lot of reading. But I thought I could recommend/review them since I've already read them all except 1 1/2 of them!

Wuthering Heights: This is tied for my absolute favorite classic, and one of my favorite books of all time in general. It is my comfort food, except in book form. Whenever I need to take my mind off something I read this book. I can't say I agree with everything they do, but for some reason I just get really into it! It's so dramatic!

Frankenstein: This is the other book tied for my absolute favorite classic. The first time I read it was 6th grade, and it took me awhile to get into it, but after I did I was hooked. It's nothing like books I'm usually into, but the psychological aspect of it is fascinating! (I sound like such a nerd, haha) If you've ever read it, you may have noticed that anytime the monster is there, the doctor is not, suggesting them as doppelgangers for each other. It's a lot more complex than that, but I can't really go into detail here. In other words, the monster is actually the doctor in his crazy form killing everyone he loves. It's really interesting and I love analyzing it. I'm so happy my brothers 3rd grade teacher gave me so much insight on it.

Pride and Prejudice: Okay so this is the book I've never been able to finish. I almost did last summer, but then I never got around to reading the last 100 or so pages and still don't know how it ends. My goal is to someday get all the way through it. It's not that I don't like it, I think I just always tried to read it when I was distracted and couldn't get into it.

The Princess Plot/The Princess Trap: This book and sequel are a mystery about a conspiracy for a royal government. This girl is kidnapped and finds out that she is actually a princess, etc. and there's this whole plot to take over the government that she has to stop. I haven't read these in a while so I want to remember what happens.

Little Women: I don't even know why I have this book in my stack. I'm never going to get through it, especially not in a weekend. I'd like to though. It is one of my life's goals.

Between Shades of Gray: (This has nothing to do with another series with similar titles. Just clarifying that right away.) I actually bought this in one of those little airport bookstores last summer because I was bored and needed something to read on my flight home. It was good but extremely depressing. I think I got some weird looks due to my crying in the middle of the airport waiting to board. It is historical fiction about a girl in Lithuania in 1941 whose family is taken and split up by Soviet secret police, and sent to Siberia. The history is interesting and horrifying but I don't feel like typing it so here is the author's note from the book:

While I am on the subject of books, I am SO excited that we have started The Odyssey in English! I have wanted to read it for so long.

Also on this topic, The Elite by Kiera Cass comes out in a few days (April 23rd!!!!!!). I have my Barnes and Noble gift card ready to order online the minute it is released! It's the sequel to The Selection for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about. Read it.

I know this is a late-night post, but I couldn't wait until tomorrow!

Enjoy your weekend, and hey! Donate if you want! :)
~Haley

A Note to Boston

I am horrified by what you have had to go through. I know it's hard and it's tragic, but please remember: it will all work out in the end. Jesus is returning soon and all the pain and loss will go away. I pray for your safety and healing and I pray that it's speedy. To the bomber: I don't know why you did it. I don't know what you were trying to prove, or what you hoped to accomplish, but it was wrong. With that being said, if I knew who you were and could tell you one thing to your face, it would be this: you are forgiven. Hate the sin, love the sinner. God forgives you, and I forgive you and I'm sure there are others who do too. That doesn't make what you did right, but maybe one day you'll understand and let God change you. I'm praying for you as well.

Boston, you are in everyone's prayers. I'm so sorry this happened.

~Haley

Food for Thought

Happy Wednesday!

I found this video today and was watching it and I started wondering. How on earth is it possible for someone to see this and still think there is no God? WATCH THIS.

(I love the picture of the dog covering its ears!! It cracks me up!)

Isn't it crazy? Too little oxygen and we all die. Too much and we get eaten by giant insects. Ewwww that thought grosses me out. But seriously: did you see that last line of the video? "Thank you oxygen, for being just the way you are." I thought: "thank you, God, for creating this world so perfectly." How could anyone recognize these facts and still think we were put here by accident? My mom told me once that it takes more faith to believe that the universe was created by accident than to believe it was created by someone.

 I don't know how I would live if I wasn't living for something. I don't know how people go through life and wonder what they're living for; knowing I was put here to further God's Kingdom is what gets me through the day. I don't know how anyone can think they were put here by accident-that's such a depressing state of mind! You are not a mistake. God put you on this planet for a reason! Finding out His specific plan for you is the fun part! (:  (Although it does get frustrating trying to figure it out sometimes.) 

I think it's kind of funny how I tend to get distracted and go off on tangents...

Have a good evening!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope." ~Jeremiah 29:11

A few announcements:

-I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but for me some of the images I have posted are not showing up or they are shown funny. I'm trying to fix that, just FYI. 

-I want to point out now that donating works right now. OneLife has agreed to start counting my total so feel free to donate at any time! If you are afraid you'll forget by the time I start running, go ahead and do it now! And also, the total on the right side of the page is not going to change all the time. Our friends at the organization are very busy so they will only be able to send me updates to the total once every couple of weeks. Just thought I would clarify that.

~Haley