Corporal Punishment

This is one of my more controversial topics. I hope it will not offend anyone, as I am just sharing my personal opinion. :) This was a causal essay, and the point was to argue that a certain action will reap either positive or negative effects. Thus, I chose to argue that Corporal Punishment reaps positive effects. It's something I'm rather passionate about, although I will not say that it is the only  correct form of discipline. I am sure that in some cases, other methods certainly suffice! :) I am, obviously, not speaking from the experience of being a parent. However, I am speaking from the experience of being raised under this form of discipline - loving correction through corporal punishment. I know that it benefited me tremendously, and I will be forever grateful to my parents for choosing to raise me in this manner. :)
Anyhow, I hope it is enjoyable and possibly even beneficial! :)

Discipline in Love

       As modern times advance, people increasingly discredit corporal punishment as a valid disciplinary action. Many people see it as a form of abuse, or may believe it to harm a child’s self-esteem. Some would even say that it gives children a sense of justification to abuse others. In reality, however, the proper application of spanking is the most constructive form of discipline. The benefits of corporal punishment in children’s lives carry through to adulthood by teaching them responsibility for their actions, respect for others, and the concept of correction in love.
       The natural default in human nature is to blame someone or something else for all shortcomings. No person truly wishes to accept the fault of a mistake; nevertheless, it is a necessary way of life to give judgment where it is due. When a child behaves wrongly, it is imperative that she realize her own accountability for the offense. The consistent enforcement of corporal punishment proves to a child that she must face consequences for her negative actions.
       The main reason for the success of corporal punishment is a child’s instinctive understanding of pain. As Gary Ezzo points out in his parenting course, Growing Kids God’s Way, pain exists as a signal to alert one that something is not as it should be (202). This natural signal to physical danger also translates to moral dangers. Ezzo states, “The sensation of pain draws attention to foolish decisions that can lead to wrong behavior” (204). A young child who may not be old enough to comprehend why something is wrong will understand a spanking due to her intuitive response to pain. Just as a person who touches a hot pan is not likely to risk pain by touching it again, this understanding will teach the child to avoid repeating the action that initially caused her pain.
       Another key factor in corporal punishment is consistency in its administration. When a child has the guarantee of receiving a spanking for misbehavior, she will realize that there are inevitable consequences for her actions. The repetition of the punishment will strongly ingrain into a child the knowledge that she cannot expect to rebel without incurring judgment. Just as it takes multiple instances to create any habit, consistent consequences for an offense will cause a child to form a habit of obedience.
       Furthermore, a child raised under the discipline of corporal punishment will be more likely to carry that sense of responsibility into her adult life. When a child’s parents administer a spanking as a result of her misbehavior, she will see that she is the only one directly suffering for her actions. As a result, she will remember later in life that if she rebels, she will be the one who must accept responsibility.
       In addition to responsibility, corporal punishment also teaches respect. When a child receives a spanking for his mistreatment of someone else, he will develop an innate sense of respect for others. Respect has multiple aspects. For instance, if a child promptly receives a discipline after acting negatively toward a friend or sibling, he will learn that he should treat everyone with kindness. As he grows older, he will eventually understand that kindness is a form of respect that all deserve. He will also realize that failing to treat others kindly often reaps unpleasant results.
Likewise, the way one responds to authority also demonstrates respect. The article, “Corporal Punishment”, suggests that “overly permissive parents who do not spank are partly responsible for fostering social problems such as…young people’s disrespect for adults” (1). Parents willing to spank their child for disregarding authority will teach him proper courtesy toward his elders. A humble and respectful attitude toward authority is a vital trait for a child to learn. A child who possesses this quality is often pleasant for adults to be around; and when he grows older, adults will be impressed with his maturity. This admiration from adults also gives a child’s parents a good reputation. As the Bible says, parents who faithfully train their children will enjoy the results later (Proverbs 29:17).
       Yet another benefit of corporal punishment is the way in which it declares the care and concern of parents for their children. The Bible states, “Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them” (Proverbs 13:24). When parents correctly administer a spanking, it will show a child the concept of a loving form of correction. Children are inclined to view discipline as being only negative. However, if parents take the time to explain to their child the reason for the spanking, let her know that they do not enjoy it, and finish by reminding her of their love, the child will gradually see punishment as being for her ultimate good.
       Once a child reaches the realization that a spanking is for her benefit, she will eventually begin to notice and appreciate specific aspects of her parents’ disciplinary methods. A child will respect – even if it is subconsciously – parents who demonstrate consistency in punishment, rather than allowing her to make poor choices without consequence. When parents are lax in their disciplinary actions, they may communicate to their child that she is not worth the effort. This may even inspire her to further rebel in the hope that it will catch their attention.
       Later in life, a child will see that her parents were willing to spank her because they cared about her well-being. As stated in “Corporal Punishment”, when parents take the time to spank their children, they may be sparing them from the harm of many tough issues (5). Looking back on her childhood, an adult will see the many ways in which her parents protected her from harm by administering punishment. At the time, a spanking may have seemed a terrible occurrence, but the result may have been much worse had the behavior gone unattended.
       Overall, while the world highly debates and criticizes corporal punishment, it has proven itself a successful child-rearing method. The long-term effects of a spanking are certainly worth the short-term discomfort it may bring. While spankings are unpleasant experiences for all involved, children and parents alike will be thankful for them in the end.

A Reflection of the Heart

I know...I never finished posting my camp journal entries. Maybe I'll get around to it later, but I'm not feelin' it at the moment. :P
Anyway, I'm taking an English course at our community college this semester, and I've really enjoyed writing these essays. The focus of the course is writing argumentatively, so I've chosen a few very controversial topics...my favorite! ;)
So, since I've taken so much time to write these essays about topics which really are important to me, I figured I might as well share them on my blog! :) I hope you enjoy them!
I'll start with one that, hopefully, isn't too controversial... This essay was a definition argument, and I chose to define the word "modesty".

A Reflection of the Heart

  The modesty of women’s attire is a subject of much disagreement and debate.  People are always attempting to designate the appropriate length of skirts and shorts, height of necklines, and tightness of outfits.  These constantly varying sets of rules are a source of much dissension among all concerned with modesty.  As very few people possess the exact same standard for what types of clothing are acceptable, this leads to unnecessary judging of one another’s personal choices.  How ideal it would be if there were a set of rules including exact measurements and specific examples of what is truly modest.  Modesty, however, cannot be pinpointed as one particular dress code, but is rather an outward representation of a woman’s attitude, regard for others, and respect for herself.
The way in which a woman clothes herself often exemplifies her inward motives and attitude.  Clothing styles are a strong expression of one’s personality and morals; and as such, bold outfits imply bold personality and moral statements.  For instance, flashy and revealing attire gives the impression that a woman wants to draw inappropriate attention to herself.  Such attention is often from those who do not have her best interest in mind, and may be the cause of uncomfortable situations.  Additionally, wearing this type of outfit is likely to evoke the judgment of others.  While this reaction is often uncalled for and unnecessary, it is generally the natural inclination of humans.
Conversely, when a woman chooses to dress herself in shapeless or unflattering attire, she implies that she is unsure of herself and lacks confidence.  To be modest is not to be unattractive.  In fact, it seems that when a woman goes to extremes in her attempt to conceal her body, she often attracts more attention to herself, thereby defeating the original intent behind her clothing choices.
  A modest wardrobe should consist of clothing that is attractive in a way that reflects both a woman’s confidence and her humility.  Her apparel should flatter her body without flaunting it, thus representing a humble and unassuming beauty which is a direct result of her heart’s attitude.  This modest character is embodied in a woman who is, as the Oxford English Dictionary says, “decorous in manner and conduct; not forward, impudent, or lewd”.
       From this humble attitude, there should stem an ambition in women to prove their regard for others by what they wear.  Women should consider their audience when choosing their outfit each day.  One group of people in said audience is men, who tend to be more visually stimulated than do women.  By wearing revealing and indecent clothing, a woman may unknowingly be causing men to have improper thoughts toward her.  It should be considered a common courtesy on the part of a woman to adequately cover herself, so as not to be a negative distraction to men.
       Another group in a woman’s audience is, of course, other women.  Outfits that flaunt and draw attention to a woman’s body often create envy and jealousy in other women.  Once again, while this certainly does not mean that a woman should hide her figure, she should take into consideration how her clothing might affect her fellow women.  As a member of this gender herself, a woman should typically understand this feeling and wish to lessen it for others.
       A third group to consider is those in a woman’s audience who view her as a role model.  Often, the people in this group are those younger than she – particularly girls.  When a woman decides to wear an outfit, it would be prudent of her to first contemplate what message she will be sending to younger girls who may be observing her.  She should ask herself whether she would want to see these girls wearing an outfit such as hers; and if not, she should consider changing it so as to set a positive example.
       Just as proving their regard for others, women’s apparel should also indicate a certain level of respect for themselves.  Every woman has a desire to be considered beautiful, but women should wish to be viewed as attractive based on their natural beauty, rather than how much their clothing reveals.  If a woman is wearing a risqué outfit and receives a compliment on her appearance, she cannot know if the compliment referred to her true beauty or simply to her body.  A woman should want to be attractive in a manner that is wholesome and not in ways that only serve to cheapen her beauty.
       Women should consider their clothing an opportunity to preserve their dignity, and even to create an air of mystery and intrigue.  When a woman chooses to flaunt her body through the clothes she wears, she immediately loses this opportunity.  A woman wishing to earn the respect of others must realize that one aspect of this is to treat her body as a delicate vessel which is to be properly concealed from the public.  Additionally, a woman who clothes herself properly ensures that her body is a secret to be shared with only her husband.  Such intrigue in a woman certainly adds to her attractiveness.
       Outward appearance, however, is not the only trait to be considered in women.  A woman does not need to attract attention to herself by the way she dresses, but more importantly by her other noteworthy qualities.  The apostle Paul states that “women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do” (1 Timothy 2:10, NLT).  The most beautiful aspect of every woman should be the admirable attributes she exhibits.
       If a woman’s beauty is judged by such features as her character, values, true motives, and love for others, then modesty should be an extension of these things.  Modesty is an outward exhibition of an inward condition, in that the level of humility within a woman will inevitably translate to her external appearance.  Every woman must decide for herself what is to be her standard of modesty, but she should remember that what she wears reflects who she is.  Women have a great responsibility to represent themselves with propriety; they simply must choose to take advantage of every opportunity to do so.

GBC Diaries 2012: Entry 3

Thursday, July 5, 2012   7:36a.m.

Good morning! :)
Wow. So, last night's chapel was amazing. Our speaker this week is so good! He has been incorporating the Gospel message into all the lessons, but last night was totally about salvation. He began by going through what Jesus did for us, and then explaining why it's so important and how it really applies to us.
Well, I don't know about anyone else...but it majorly touched me. The way he explained everything really caused me to appreciate Jesus' sacrifice again! And that is exactly what I needed! The message also helped me understand once again how awful my sin is. And that's something else I needed!
So...I was sitting there crying my eyes out...my nose was about to slide of my face along with all its contents. But I didn't really care too much. :) I felt like that message was just for me.
But I was (and still am) praying that it touched the kids, as well! Whether they're already believers or not. I don't know how someone could hear the Gospel explained so powerfully and not be amazed in some way, shape, or form!
One thing I want to write down so I won't forget it is something Mr. Eric (the speaker) said that I hadn't really heard before. He said, "Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus wants to be part of your life. I'll even go so far as to say that Jesus doesn't want to be first in your life! Because what happens after we do a "first" thing? We move on to the second! No, Jesus wants to BE your life! Everything you do should be centered around Him!"
That really hit home. I hope and pray I'll never forget that and that I will truly be striving to live like that. I so want Jesus to be my life!
Yep! Pretty exciting night! And then we got to watch fireworks, which made me even happier! :D
Okay, well, it's almost eight, so I'd better finish up! Adios! :)

GBC Diaries 2012: Entry 2

Wednesday, July 4, 2012   7:39a.m.

Happy Independence Day! :) I'm pretty excited because we're having fireworks tonight! And I just saw Miss Shelley and Miss Pam hanging decorations. :)
So, yesterday was pretty interesting! It was kinda rainy and stuff all day; and then during dinner, the power went out! Which also means no water! BAD NEWS at a camp with a hundred people! Lol  So, JC girls couldn't do dishes, boys couldn't mop floors, nobody could flush toilets (and OF COURSE I had to pee as soon as the power went out!), no running water!
So, we started our "cabin connections" time which, last night, consisted of coming up with a skit for tonight. And then we went to chapel. Chpel was great! I love our speaker this week (his name is Eric)! And during chapel, the power came back on! But after about 15 minutes, it went back out! So, we went back to our cabins. No one could shower or brush their teeth before bed (eewww!) ;) So we started cabin devos early! Rachel asked if I wanted to do it, so I did. And in the middle of that, the power came back! Yay! :) And my devotional actually went well! I wasn't even nervous! :)
So...I've been thanking God quite a bit since last night. :)

GBC Diaries 2012: Entry 1

I got back from two weeks of being a junior counselor at GBC last week! :) And now...I will transfer my thoughts on it from my journal to my blog! :) Here be the first entry!


Monday, July 2, 2012   7:31a.m.

Well good morning! FIRST FULL DAY OF CAMP! WOO! :)
This year, I am in Sarah's Tent again! But it's teen weeks instead of children's camp! So, it's going to be pretty different. But so far it's going well, so I'm glad. :)
I seem to have a good cabin! :) I don't know the girls well yet, obviously, but they seem sweet. :) A couple of them are pretty interesting..but it provides for some entertainment. :P One of the girls marched into the cabin yesterday and announced, "I brought my trumpet!" We were so thrilled...haha! :P
I absolutely LOVE the other JC girls so far! It seems like we'll get along great! I don't know the guys well, yet, but they seem cool. :)
And my Senior Counselor is awesome! :) Her name is Rachel, and I like her a lot already. :)
Miss Shelley is da bomb, as usual! And our other JC coordinator this year is Aaron, who was an SC the last two years. [he's really awesome, too!!! :D]
So...this is seeming to be a great start to the week! I'm pretty pumped! :)

Still failing at

posting more from my laptop! Hahaha :P Reeeeally gotta work on this...

At this moment I am feeling extremely sleepy. And it's not even ten o'clock. I think I've been staying up too late...

Anyway, let's get to the things I wanted to post about! :) I don't plan on going in any particular order...considering that that is not how my mind works, in the least. ;)

But I guess I'll start with the most recent: Tonight in our church's praise gathering, I sang on praise team for the first time ever!!! It was amazing! I absolutely loved it, despite how nervous I was beforehand. :) I felt that I worshiped more...I think because I was able to focus better than when I'm just in the congregation singing along. And I don't think I had ever felt so confident singing before. :)
And then The Tipos sang our TI song! That went very well, also. I did mess up...my throat got all dry  (even though I wasn't nervous) and my voice cut off for a second. But apparently it wasn't noticeable...except for the fact that my hand involuntarily went to my throat when I messed up. But oh well! haha :) The message was still the same, whether we sang it perfectly or not. :) And I hope it was a blessing to people...because that's the important part.
Our practices before the service went VERY poorly, and so we were nervous about it. But then we prayed together, and we felt much better. :)
Oh! This is so terrible...every time we perform our Tipos song this year, even if I'm not nervous, my face starts twitching!! It's awful!! It makes me laugh, but it's super embarrassing WHILE we're singing! Hahaha :)

So, another thing I wanted to post about is our Senior Banquet. Our church hosts a banquet every year for our youth group (well, the Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors), and it was yesterday! This was my first year going, and can I just say that it was one of the most amazing things I've ever been to? It was one of the best days ever... :) We got all dressed up and ate a gourmet meal (and I mean GOURMET). There was a salad bar type of thing first, and that was amazing! A beautiful salad with good toppings, they had shrimp and cocktail sauce, and plates of fruit (my favorite! They had pineapple, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi fruit, and strawberries). The main course - or courses - was lemon and herb chicken, beef brisket, and cucumber salsa salmon (which is what I got...amazing!!). The side dishes were zucchini and yellow squash, green beans and onions, garlic mashed potatoes, and rolls. :) And then there was dessert....my plan was to sample one thing. So much for that. :P There was cheesecake with a mixed berry sauce and a strawberry sauce, mint brownies, two chocolate chip cookies with chocolate between them, and three different types of gourmet brownies. O.O So. Yum.
Anywho, enough about the food. Pastor Kent wrote and read a poem about the Seniors. Apparently he does this every year...it's a poem with about two lines about each of the seniors. It's so sweet and personal...I loved it! Made me tear up... :)
The dads of the seniors did a skit...that was funny! :) Pastor Kent presented a charge to the seniors. His messages are always so good. :)
And there was a video slide show at the end... there was a collection of photos (birth to senior portraits) of each senior, with a message from each of their parents playing in the background. That was so sweet. :)
And then there was an activity afterward that was apparently EPIC, but I didn't go to it. Mrs. B (my DIA  leader) and her son, Anthony, created it. And they always make the best parties and activities. :D It was a Survivor game...it sounded pretty intense! :)
Yep, so...I can't wait until next year when I'm a senior. Just sayin'. :)

So, I started this post over an hour ago. Haha! My parents and Ben got home and they wanted to read, so blog post had to go on hold. :) My mom is reading this epic series out loud to us...it's by the same author  (Suzanne Collins) as The Hunger Games (LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE), and it's called Gregor the Overlander. They're a teensy bit more juvenile, but not drastically. Like, adults can for sure enjoy them. :D

Okay well, I was probably going to write more...but I'm dying to go to bed at the moment. Hopefully I'll have the willpower to get up and work out in the morning *crosses fingers*. haha ;)
Goodnight and ipml! :)


P.S. - Pictures! :)

Well, so much for

blogging more once I got a laptop! Yes, I did get a laptop! ^_^ I got it a couple weeks ago, and I LOVE it!! :) But I am ashamed of myself, considering that I was all like, "Oh, if I get a laptop, I'll blog more!" Aaaand...this is the first post since I got it. lol :P
Anyway, not much has been happening in my life lately. (I feel like I say that every time! Goodness. My life must be boring!) ;)
I still LOVE my job :) I mean, of course I have the normal feelings of "ugh...I don't want to go to work!!" and "C'mon...can 2:00 get here any more slowly???" But whenever I think of my job, it is only with fondness. So that must be a good sign! :)
Lately I've been greatly enjoying my amazing camera! I've gotten to do some fun photo shoots with some awesome people! And I have another one coming up this weekend! I'm lovin' it... :)
Speaking of which, I have yet another new blog! It's a photography blog so I have somewhere other than Facebook to post my pictures. Lol :) Check it out if ya like! It's called "Through the Lens of the Beholder" (I know, I know...it sounds extremely cliche, but it's the best I could come up with :P ) And I know I'm no professional, by any means. But I love practicing and I appreciate all the opportunities people are giving me. :)
So, for a while I was thinking that this coming summer was going to be extremely boring. (Well, except for going to GBC.) I'm not going on any missions trips; GBC coincides with WOL camp, so I can't do that; I'm not going to the beach or anything; we're not joining a pool; and just basically...nothing is happening. And compared to last summer...it just seemed pretty pathetic. But then I realized that this summer will be RELAXING! :D And I've been super tired lately, so ya know...what's so awful about having a slow-paced summer? :) I'll get to read SO MUCH MORE (booyah!), work on my quilt (finally!), journal, practice my photography skills, exercise more, and maybe hang out with some of my friends a little more frequently! :) So, it won't be too bad after all. :) And I still get to enjoy the highlight of my summer...working at my favorite camp ever! :):)
Speaking of which...it will be vastly different this year! The camp director called me a couple weeks to ask if I could work at teen weeks because the weeks I had requested were filled up. I said yes (somewhat reluctantly, I'll admit). The difference here is that the age group I usually work with at camp is 2nd-7th grade. This year I'll be with 7th-12th grade! So...some of the campers will be my age! O.o (I'll be with one of the youngest cabins, though.) But even though I'm extremely nervous...that's usually a sure sign that God will use this in my life to help me grow. And I need some growing this year. I'm actually getting to the point where I like it when God gets me out of my comfort zone, though! How weird is that? :D So basically, the bottom line is: I'm freaking out and excited at the same time. :)
Okay well, I wasn't sure if I should write about this or not...but all day I've been feeling like I should, so maybe God wants me to? I don't know...but I'll just do it! lol :)
Lately, I've been dieting and exercising (okay...put the emphasis more on the dieting part, not so much on the exercising part....I'm lazy :P ) But anyway, I've lost some weight (yay! ^_^) and I just feel healthier in a way....I guess cutting out unhealthy foods can do that to a person! :)
So, this is a good thing! But the thing that isn't so good is that it can so easily become an obsession. And I'll admit...that's pretty much what happened. For a while, I was really feeling down all the time. I wasn't satisfied with my body. I felt lonely. I was sick of having to watch everything I ate, but definitely didn't want to give it up. And I just felt...unhappy.
But then a couple of days ago, I realized the problem. I was definitely putting more emphasis on this diet (my physical appearance) than on my relationship with God (my inward appearance). And which one is more important? My inward appearance. I already knew that...but I just needed to shift my focus. So, I got it straight with God, and I've been trying to work on focusing on my relationship with Him more. But I'm still struggling with it SO much!! Because here's the thing: the easy answer would be to forget the diet and whatnot, and just not think about that stuff. But I can't do that, because I still want to be healthy! And that's biblical, too! But I need to prioritize. I can't be idolizing the diet and pushing Him to the side! HE needs to come first. Above all else.
Another thing I need to remind myself of: Will I be more useful to God if I'm thin and "pretty", but all messed-up and self-absorbed on the inside? Or if I'm not "perfect" on the outside, but I'm striving for holiness and to be more like Jesus? I'm going to go with the latter. :)
It may sound like I've got it all figured out...but to be honest, I'm partially figuring this out as I'm typing it! This is going to continue to be a constant battle for me. But now that I've realized the problem, I think I'm on the right path. :)
Well, it certainly felt nice to get that off my chest! :P And now I need to go to bed...(that's another thing I need to work on...getting more sleep! lol)
Thanks for reading my ramblings! :) ipml! (especially this summer when I have "nothing to do"!) ;)

~Beth

Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

I'm pretty sure it's time

for a blog post! I haven't acknowledged the fact that I have a blog in quite some time now... O.o

I was about to say that, as usual, I don't actually have anything of value to say. But then I remembered something! (and I still wouldn't expect it to be of value..but at least it's something significant!) You know that missions trip I was planning on going on to Romania? Well...turns out I'm not going. Honestly, I had been feeling uneasy about the whole thing from the get-go. But after praying about it for a while, I assumed that God wanted me to go, and I was just naturally nervous. But as time went on, and I continued to pray about the trip, I realized that I was not going for the right reasons. The only part of the trip that I felt even remotely excited about was the traveling and the fact that I would be in anther country. And I should have also been excited about the ministry aspect of it! But instead, I was actually dreading the vast majority of the trip! I still don't know why, but I decided that it was a pretty sure sign that God didn't want me to go.
I also realized that if I went on the trip, I may not be able to go to camp! Which would be really sad. I realized that, for me, working at camp IS a missions trip! I'm serving God through serving the camp and the kids! And it's something that I'm passionate about, and I would like to do for a long time to come! So, I got my JC application in the mail yesterday, and it turns out that the best weeks for me to go were during the missions trip. :)
Since "backing out" of the trip, I have become even more certain that it was the right decision. There have been many neat things that have come to my attention since then that happened as a result of my not going on the trip. So, I feel pretty good about all of this. It was a very difficult decision, but I think it's what God wanted me to do. :)
Aaand, that's my story. Haha :)

Speaking of camp and being a JC and such.......I have some pretty exciting news! I have wanted to be a JC with my church since 6th or 7th grade, and Mr. Tony asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would like to do it this year! :D I'm so excited!!! :) This means I could potentially be at GBC for three weeks total this summer! ^_^

Anywho...hm...well, obviously the Superbowl was on Sunday night. Yeah, unfortunately I don't really get into football. But, I had a special friend over, and we had a lot of fun hanging out and talking ;) Although now I feel bad that he totally didn't get to watch the game... O.o

Teens Involved is in two weeks!!!!! Oh. My. Goodness. O.O I feel pretty unprepared. Although, I do feel better about the Tipos' song after this weekend. Until Saturday, we had only had one practice! But then we practiced for like, two hours on Saturday night, and I feel much better about it....but we have to perform in a Sunday School class this Sunday! Hopefully we're ready... :) This year we are singing "You Raise Me Up". (thank you, Jacob, for recommending the song!!) :)
And drama...well, I haven't even had one practice with what I'm doing, yet. So I feel EXTREMELY nervous about that. I mean...I'm only doing the "tech" aspect of it, so I'll probably just be operating a cd player, but I'm not good with short notice...haha :P But even if I fail epicly, it won't be the end of the world, right? I have already failed basically as much as it is possible to fail at TI (by laughing through half of our song), so it can't get any worse! ;)

One more thing real quick: my church showed this AMAZING video on Sunday night, and I think you guys should watch it! Yes, it is 33 minutes long, but it is SO worth the time! And it honestly doesn't even feel like it's that long. So here is a link to the website, and I hope you will take the time to watch it! :)
http://180movie.com/

Well, that's my post for today! I'm sure I will be posting more at some point in my life! But for now, I bid you farewell! :)

~Beth

I had a pretty fun

weekend! My uncle, aunt, and great aunt came to visit for a few days. It was nice getting to see them! :) My mamaw and great aunt are staying at the beach for a couple of months, so they were meeting here before leaving. I miss Mamaw, but I'm sure she's having a great time! :) I can't imagine going to the beach for two whole months, though...haha :)

So, my Christmas was pretty nice! I enjoyed all the time I got to spend with my family! On Christmas Eve, my grandparents and Ant Janet came over to hang out and play games and such. That was fun :) And then on Christmas, we went to church in the morning. That was so nice! I loved it! :) And then we opened gifts when we got home -- lots of fun! :D AND I GOT A PILLOW PET! haha, just sayin'. BEST invention ever. :P :)  So, the rest of Christmas day was spent just hanging out and playing games and stuff like that. :) It was nice!
Then, on the day after Christmas, my grandparents, Mamaw, Ant Janet, and Jessica came over and we played Dirty Santa! That's always one of the most fun traditions we have at Christmas :):) LOVE it. :)
I hope all of you had nice Christmases, as well! :D

Oh....HAPPY NEW YEAR, by the way!!! :D I mean...it's a little late...but hey, better late than never? :)

My New Year's Eve was SO fun!!! Usually, my family, Jacob's family, and Erin's family (the avoidance of using last names sounds quite cumbersome) all hang out together, but it didn't work out this year :( But it ended up being an AMAZING evening, anyway! I had a blast! :D
Like I said, Uncle Bob, Aunt Debbie, and Aunt Alberta were visiting, so we got to hang out with them :) And then Grandma, Grandpa, and Ant Janet came over, too! And also, my awesome friend, Alek spent the evening with us ;) So, that epic. :D
We played some games (including PIT!! [best game ever, just so ya know]), talked, ate (duh!), listened to music a little, goofed off, and watched the ball drop at midnight! :) Funnn stuff :):)

And then over the course of Sunday and Monday, my family watched all six Star Wars movies!!!! SOOO AWESOME! :D I've been waiting for this since LAST winter...haha :)

So...yep, this is a short post (for me), but I think I'ma go do something else now. lol :) I need to practice guitar (haven't done that in a couple weeks...heh), and maybe create something artsy with the new Bic markers I got for Christmas! :D And it might just involve aluminum foil...cause I'm cool like that.

Anywhosies, I'll be posting more later! ttyl! :)

~Beth