so, heart....can you just be quiet? I'm trying to guard you here!

 I think this quote represents me nicely.Yes, I've bared my soul on this blog before, but there are so many things I haven't told you. Personal happenings, future dreams, even certain doubts and fears. It might be hard for you to tell, but I'm actually a very private person. I keep most observations and thoughts to myself, and ponder them when I am alone. If something is troubling me, I'll wait until nighttime and write about it in my journal.

If a friend pushes me far enough, then I will tell her/him some of what I'm feeling. But for the most part, my heart is a secret garden, with very high walls.

I suppose that's a good thing. Proverbs 4:23 says, Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

And that really is everything! If people could look {and I mean look} at each other's hearts, we probably wouldn't have many friends. I mean, can you honestly say that you've never had a bad thought about someone you care about? yeah, I didn't think so.

God gave us this command for a reason. He knows how ugly our hearts can be, and He didn't want us to hurt ourselves and others by having us blab every little twinge our heart has. 

"But Lily," you might say, "guarding your heart is so cliche! Every purity book tells me to do it, but I have to tell so and so how I feel, otherwise I might lose him forever!"

If you said that, this would be my reply: Guard your heart. Now isn't the time to tell that certain someone how you feel. And if you're afraid that he'll disappear if you keep your feelings to yourself, then you aren't trusting God enough. Seriously......if he's meant to be Your Guy, then the Author of all love stories will make it happen.

Your heart is a special thing! Keep it secret, keep it safe. (:

*just keep guarding, just keep praying*

such a worrier

Monday, I'll be going on my very first college visit. 

*pauses for emphasis*

I'm more than a little nervous. The past two weeks or so have been filled with studying SAT practice questions, checking out different classes required for English majors, and basically freaking out over this frightening thing called college.

You could say I'm overthinking these things...and you'd be right. It's my nature to go over everything in my mind, even if what I'm worrying about is far in the future. Aka, college and everything else that goes along with that word. 

My brain is swirling with the different plus and minuses of each school I'm considering. This one has a beautiful campus, but its atmosphere isn't the best. That one has a great soccer team, but not necessarily the Christian views. There's the one with the amazing lesson plan, but a bit far away. Then, of course, the one perfect little college that may just be too perfect for me. *holds back scream*

As a sophomore, it's silly to be thinking of this like it's all going to happen tomorrow---but the stressful thoughts still hang around. I've been praying for discernment and a clear head, so hopefully God will continue to keep my head above the murky water.

If you think of it, pray for me on Monday morning! Pray I don't embarrass myself, I think of good questions to ask, and that the admins don't hate me :)

love always,

Lily 

because I love ponchos....and my pals

Some girls have loads of friends, from every aspect of their lives. They always have someone to talk to or hang out with, and they get tons of 'likes' on their Facebook statuses.

I used to envy these girls, with their epic social lives. I was dissatisfied with the friends God had given me, even though they were fabulous in their own ways.
*cue wake up call from Heaven*
This a post on three of the truest friends I've ever had; friends who've shown that no matter what, they'll be there for me. Friends I probably don't know I don't deserve, yet God has given me anyway.

My poncho pals

Otherwise known as Boo, Yeti, and Wazzy. Their real names are Hannah, Lydia and Emily; those are just their code names{long story, don't remember how it started}. Hannah and Lydia joined our church about eight months ago, when their daddy became our pastor. Even in that short amount of time, it feels like they've always been a part of my life. And, of course, Emily's my bestest best friend. We all mesh perfectly {we're four peas in a pod} and they are some of the most amazing people I've ever met. Hannah is absolutely hilarious, Lydia's wittiness has no comparison, and Emily is one of the sweetest {yet sarcastic} girls I know. We've had many a sleepover filled with movies, ridiculous videos, and way too much soda. These three girls have kept me sane by doing insane things, from making hot kool-aid {I don't recommend it} to performing this song at our co-op.
We have so many inside jokes, it's not right. We even came up with names for certain boys in our lives *evil chuckle* Needless to say---I'd be a pretty boring person if not for my poncho pals.

And now, in honor of my poncho pals....here is a video of me dancing. In a poncho. That Lydia and Hannah's little sis, Naomi, made. We each got one, but we all have different prints. In case you can't see, mine has smiling cupcakes *giggles*

Sorry it's so small, and that I'm a horrible dancer. God obviously gave me skills that do not include dancing. *chuckles*

love always,

~Lily

I'm not who I was

When I started this blog on April 17, 2010, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. 
 I wrote rather nonsensically for almost six months. From unschooling, to a Saturday filled with movies and food, to really random posts, I talked about every topic under the sun. Then I started following other blogs, and realized I could do better than just the silly posts I used to do. I began thinking harder about my posts; planning the words out in my head before creating a post.

It was about a year ago, in December, when my blog became more popular. I would get 8-10 comments a post, and the girls who commented soon became friends. We had a little circle of Christian girls who wrote to lift up their fellow bloggers. Little by little, I felt like I'd finally found a place where I belonged.

But then....something changed. 2011 came, and with it a multitude of blessings. I became close to two special girls from blogging, who have since turned out to be two of my best friends. Emily and I were inseperable, and the kids from my co-op turned out to be amazing friends. Summer brought even more friends, from my WorldViews small group to the new pastor's daughters. And one day I realized something: I wasn't lonely anymore.

And that is the real reason I created this blog: I felt alone in my wishes, dreams, and thoughts about life. I felt like, somehow, God meant for me to start Snatched from the Wind for some reason other than just writing about everyday life.
I have met so many beautiful, wonderful people through blogging. They're sisters of the heart; girls who go through the same things I go through; girls who believe the same things I believe.

It's been almost two years....and I've changed. I'm not blogging to make friends anymore. I'm blogging for me.

I express a thank-you to all the followers who have stayed with me, even these past months when I haven't been posting as much. I promise, with the start of the new year, you'll have many more things to read. (:

yours forever,
Lily

oh well....I at least got a cute journal

*Alternately titled, "my first visit to a store way out of my price range whilst wearing a boot to protect my broken toe*

ignore the tissue....in fact, just ignore the whole picture :p

super cute, right?

*sorry-for-self sigh* It all started in a seemingly normal soccer game. There was a drop ball, and my opponent was a honker of a girl with a foot like steel. None of my teammates stepped up, so I decided to do my duty and go against SuperWoman.

Ten seconds later, I'm on the ground with my right foot feeling like it's on fire. Oh, joy.

To sum everything up: the x-ray showed I have a small crack in my right big toe. Which means my toe is broken. Which means I'm in a lot of pain and it looks really scary. Which means I can't go to Florida for a soccer tournament. *sighs again* Oh yeah----and I have to wear this crazy looking shoe/boot thing. At least it makes my toe feel slightly better.

Now normally, when a girl is wearing something slightly ugly {aka, my boot} she tries to avoid trendy, upscale places.

But what does this girl do? Go to Anthropologie for the very first time. See, I got money for my birthday, and was told to spend it on, "something extravegent and totally not practical." So, I figured a nice journal from a really expensive store would fit the bill.

Let's just bullet point my visit, shall we?

1. Walk in with my little brother

2. Instantly see ten things I'd buy if I were rich

3. Go up to a girl bending over a display and ask where the journals are

4. Get red in the face as said girl replies, "Uh, I don't work here."

5. Hurry away and somehow manage to find the journal I'm looking for

6. Spend another five minutes trying to determine which of the five journals is in better shape

7. Get the checkout line, decide this journal doesn't look good, and go pick out another one

8. Wait in line for an eternity while the lady in front chats it up with the cashier

9. It's finally my turn, start to pay....and the card connected to my bank account won't work

10. Am forced to pull out the fifty-dollar bill I just so happen to have in my wallet {birthday money}

11. Awkwardly wonder if the cashier finds me suspicious with my boot, little brother, invalid card, lots of cash, and tired expression

12. Finally leave the store

13. It's pouring rain and my foot gets wet, 'cause the boot leaves my toes open

yeah....I won't be going to that Anthropologie again for a while. Should keep my wallet safe, though. *wink wink*

love always,

~Lily

once upon a time, there was a girl

Now, despite being one of the most romantic-minded people you'll meet, she had never been in love. She'd had a few crushes, some very dear to her, but she'd never gotten past that stage. She had friends who were in love and she would listen to them explain how wonderful it was....but she herself had never felt that in-love-feeling.

Until, one summer, she met a guy. They had a few mutual friends, and shared a similar passion. The first time the girl saw this guy, she fell.....hard. The second time they met, she fell even harder. And before she knew it, she was in love.

Though she was only fifteen years old, this girl knew that what she felt was more than a crush. Even though she had only met him a handful of times and barely knew him, she was head-over-heels for the way he smiled at her and how his laugh sounded when she said something funny.

But after the initial lovesickness wore off, she began to wonder some things: is this love real? is this guy the man I'm meant to marry? am I just wasting my time/feelings?

And so the wondering continued until fall came and her regular schedule started up again. She began to spend more time with a boy she'd know for years; a boy she had always kind of liked; a boy she hadn't seen for a few months. This boy entered her mind, making her doubt her feelings about the other guy even more.

Couple that with the fact that one of her classes was going over 'lasting love' and what it means to love someone, warts and all.....and she was utterly confused as to how strong this 'love' she felt for the first guy was. After all, she'd fallen in love pretty much at first sight. And while that is rather romantic, you don't tend to see a person's warts until you've known them for a while. Which, she thought to herself, described her relationship with the second guy. She'd known him for quite a while, knew how great he was, yet realized that he wasn't perfect either.

"So much for love," she thought to herself one night. All the thoughts and questions swirling around in her mind were making her practically insane. So, being the girl she is, she got up at midnight and wrote a post about her first encounter with that crazy thing called love.

ps--I'll have another post on love coming soon (: