Blessed. So very blessed.

I took an economics quiz at my best friend Becca's house the other night when my computer wasn't working. I logged into Facebook (because who needs to do econ homework, anyway?) and forgot to log out. When I returned home and got my computer to work, I found this.

Hi my name is Amanda and I am a wonderful beautiful person. I have such a giving, gentle personality and have beautiful dreams to be a photojournalist someday. I always see the good and beauty in people, even if they have trouble seeing it themselves. I am slow to judge and quick to listen, and am there for my friends when they need me.
And sometimes I forget to log out of my facebook when I get on other people's computers and get a little note from a friend reminding me how special I am. (Love you mandalyn )

I love my friends dearly. They know when I need to be encouraged, they know my heart, my hopes, my dreams. They know how to make me smile, they know how to make me cry tears of joy. And most of all, they know how to draw me closer to Jesus.

I am so blessed by my friends.

God's Little Gifts

To say 2013 had a tumultuous start would be an understatement.
My boyfriend got a DUI. I broke up with him. I developed  refined admitted I had a crush on a boy my best friend had a crush on a year ago, and she got really mad about it and I feel like we've barely talked since then. My parents bought a new house 20 miles from my school and won't support me if I decide to move out (and I can't afford to move out without their support). I signed up for what might be too many courses next semester, including one 6-10pm class.

But through it all, I have found a steady group of Godly, encouraging, positive friends to get me through. They're a blessing I never thought I would encounter. A nearly even mix of boys and girls, these people are helping me through the year, with hugs, chocolate, prayers and meals spent together.
I thought 2013 would be the worst year of my life. Although terrible things have happened this year (not particularly to me, but to those around me), it is looking up.
When God closes a door on a friendship, He clearly opens another door to many more friendships. I just have to trust that He knows what's best for me, which is slightly difficult. But it's working out well, so far.

Ditat Deus

"God Enriches"

This is the Latin on the state seal of Arizona.

There is no more fitting phrase for the state of Arizona.
The state of copper, the state of sunflowers.
The state of the Grand Canyon, the most naturally beautiful place I have ever laid eyes on.
The state of nearly all my childhood memories, filled with wonderful people and dynamic settings.

I used to think Arizona was nothing more than a barren wasteland, then I learned there is so much more to Arizona than the small corner of Phoenix where I grew up.

Arizona truly is beautiful, and although part of me wants to leave, another part of me would never give up my state for the world.

Why my yoga instructor is the best in the world.

In my time spent at Grand Canyon University, I had the pleasure of meeting Gina Tricamo, the best yoga instructor in the whole wide world.


Okay, maybe I'm a little biased. I've really only had two yoga instructors in my life, and one of them didn't even specialize in yoga. She specialized in running and weights, and did yoga on the side. It was a little different. However, considering she was the one who first introduced me to yoga (and Mumford and Sons), I give her credit for being my first yoga instructor.


Last year, I would wake up every morning at 6:10 to brush my teeth, put on yoga pants, take two puffs on my inhaler, and head to the yoga room in the GCU rec center for my hourly morning session. This year, since I am no longer at GCU and am living at home, I have missed my morning yoga routines dearly, but I think it is fair to say I didn't know how much I missed them until today.


But today, I got to see Gina for the first time in probably three months. I almost cried when I saw her, I missed her so much. She welcomed me into her apartment/studio, which is honestly exactly what I want my first apartment to look like. Tile in earthy tones, crown-molding ceilings painted off white with tan walls, eastern-inspired art, candle lanterns with crosses hanging from the ceiling. A simple kitchen in white and Tiffany blue. No television, scarce furniture. Peaceful, open, bright space. It felt welcoming in the absence of the stuffy accouterments you would normally find in a house.


Being on my mat, on the floor in her studio, with peaceful music and the aroma of incense lingering in the air felt like home. It felt like I was becoming who I should be--a peaceful, kind, patient woman--which is far from where I am now.


Today, after the stretching of my back and legs, and testing of my balance, during meditation, Gina talked about the Latin word Beatitudines, which translates somewhere along the lines of "bliss, happiness." Shen then proceeded to read off the famous Beatitudes, from the Bible, in Matthew chapter 5. It was in a different translation than I ever heard (I later figured out it was The Message, which is probably the most literal translation of the Bible), and a few of the verses stuck out to me more than ever before.


You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.You’re blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.


I nearly started crying. Those words, those verses, those statements felt as if they were the exact words I needed to hear. No more, no less. Lately, I've been feeling like I am at the end of my rope. I do feel like I've lost what's most dear to me. I've been struggling to be content with who I am. And through yoga today, and meditation, I've come to terms with those things, and I've seen how they can be good. For the rest of the week (until next Friday, when I see Gina again) I'm going to meditate on these three verses, and see what God has to say to me through them.