Weekend Fun

Apologies for the lack of posting in the past few days. This weekend was a bit busy with the Annual College Ball on Friday night, the beach on Saturday, and soccer games on Sunday. For starters, the ball was wonderful :) Every year the college that I live at hosts a formal ball usually overlooking the Sydney Harbour. This year, some of the highlights were the delicious cocktails and food, as well as the photograph area where professional pictures were taken. Everyone looked absolutely gorgeous in their dresses and the boys looked quite handsome in their tuxes. Needless to say, it was a smooth and fun filled evening- success! 

And guess what?? Summer is coming!! I'm super excited for beach days and shorts and beautiful summer sunsets. It's a strange feeling knowing that everyone at home is getting ready for wearing scarves, boots, and watching the leaves change colors, but I'm really starting to get over the windy, cool weather here in Sydney. I'm ready to take the ferry to Manly, and maybe even daringly take a swim in the ocean (if only I was good at surfing). 

What are you most excited for in SUMMER??

*Kirsten

"Today is unique! It has never occurred before and it will never be repeated. At midnight it will end, quietly, suddenly, totally. Forever. But the hours between now and then are opportunities with eternal possibilities" -Charles R. Swindoll 

 As I was reading through Psalm 90 this morning, I was reminded about the truly short length of our lives. Moses compares our lives to a blade of grass that is new and vibrant in the morning when it 'springs up', but by night it is 'dry and withered'. This is a perfect example of the above quote, which coincidentally happened to be on the page of my journal that I wrote on this morning. Each day that we have is an opportunity to live to the fullest and be joyful, and to make the most out of it. 

   I've been thinking about this a lot as my grandparents are getting older, and it has made me realise that spending time with family and making time for them is an important part of our lives. I feel like I definitely don't do this enough and I tend to rush around worrying about things that don't even matter, like something my mom said to me that upset me or something my brother did that made me mad. Honestly, in the scope of things, these instances are minor, and frankly, don't matter. Just because my brother ate my leftovers from Olive Garden, doesn't mean that my life is going to end (as much as I was looking forward to that breadstick for lunch). But seriously, I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and somewhere to sleep. I am so blessed. I don't want to spend days being upset at my family or being so angry that I keep reliving those moments, making it more difficult to forgive and forget about them, especially when they don't even matter. The above quote is such a good reminder that days are short, but we have the opportunity to really make a difference on a daily basis. 

New Nails

As someone who loves to change up my nails every couple of days, I'm always looking for new, easy and creative designs. While I was on Pinterest today, I came across this leopard print and had to try it. (It's really pretty easy to be honest). You can even do your 'bad' (non-dominant) hand without it looking significantly worse than your 'good' hand. In fact, my 'bad' hand is the one that's pictured. I saw a couple of different examples of this on Pinterest (mostly ones with a white undertone and multi-colored leopard spots on top), but I really like the pink underneath (maybe I'm just biased, as pink is my favorite color). Anyways, if you're in the mood for something different, try the leopard print and mix it up with your favorite colors! 

What are your favorite nail designs??

On a completely different note, one of my best friends got engaged today!! I'm SO excited for her :) We all knew it was going to happen, but just didn't know when. This is the first time that one of my close friends has gotten engaged- so you can imagine I was really stoked and freaking out when I heard. Anyways, just thought I would share the exciting news. 

Also some exciting news, I have my first sponsor from imCarly :) YAY! Be sure to check out her newly redecorated blog (the link is on my sidebar)- it's really cute and I'm in love with her bright colored layout!!  

*Kirsten

Fajitas- easy cooking

For all those self-catering college students, this meal might in fact be one of the easiest in the history of cooking. It takes about 20-30 minutes to prep & cook and involves 6 ingredients. Take note:

What you'll need:
1 Green Pepper (aka Capsicum)
1 Red Pepper
1/2 or 1 Whole Red Onion (depending on how much you like onions)
Tortillas
2 Good Size Chicken Breasts
Taco Seasoning Packet

Step 1: cut chicken into 3 or 4 inch strips
Step 2: cut peppers and onion into strips (as pictured)
Step 3: cook chicken in a pan on medium-high heat and add taco seasoning packet
Step 4: once the chicken is fully cooked, add the veggies to the mix (keeping the heat on medium)
Step 5: cook veggies until they look glossy and fade in color
Step 6: Heat up tortillas & enjoy!


*These are so easy to make and taste delicious!! 
What are your favorite easy dishes to cook??

*Kirsten

What is.. Love?

Recently I've been having a tough time getting to sleep. I don't know what it is, (maybe the fact that I've been sleeping in lately, or using the computer before I go to bed), but it really has taken a toll on me. I'm pretty sure I yawn in class at least 20 times every hour (which is awkward when the teacher glances in my direction).

Anyways, a friend recently reminded me of something that my pastor had recently said that helps him when he can't sleep. He suggested taking a passage from the bible, a Psalm perhaps, and taking it word by word and just meditating on each word; thinking about what that word really means. So, a couple nights ago I tried this, and I can't remember when I fell asleep, but it did help. I don't even think I made it through the whole verse. As I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 today, I mulled over the verses about Love (the ones that are often cited at weddings- the 'Love is patient, love is kind' ones) and I think that it is important to break down these verses and really look at what the words mean. I think that this passage is often used without really digging deeper into the meanings, and I believe that there is a lot behind these verses that can be applied to our own lives. 

Before the 'Love is patient, love is kind' verses, 1 Cor 13:2 says that "...if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing". The bible emphasises love so strongly as something that we cannot live without embracing. In verse 4, it (as some of you probably know) says, "Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." And stop there, for a minute. I, for one, know that I definitely struggle with all of those things. I am not patient or kind all of the time and I can definitely think of times when I have envied, boasted, and not been humble. In fact, I struggle with these things on a daily basis. The other day when I was at the grocery store,

Alaskan Adventures

With my family spread out in Hong Kong, Colorado, and me currently living in Australia, we decided to go to Alaska for our summer week-long vacation. 7 days, 2 cities, 5 people, 1 motor home, lots of fishing and sights to see. When we arrived at the airport at 1:00am, it was still light outside; not during-the-day light, but it definitely looked like the sun had just set. This new light-after-midnight excitement led to some extremely late nights of fishing, making s'mores and hiking around. 

After driving a couple hours to the first campsite, we tried fly fishing for salmon (aka me trying to cross a river = inevitably getting soaked). My brother, Chris and I spent hours chasing and trying to hook this one little guy, but he was far too smart for us.. We did however see a number of big fish jumping around us (if only I had thought to bring a net). Even though we didn't spot any grizzly bears on the river, I did happen to see a moose in the woods while we were driving back to Anchorage. On a side note, in my eagerness to be the first to spot Alaskan wildlife, I thought I saw a bear. Turns out, after driving back, it was a tree.. a very-brown-and-bear-shaped-tree might I add.

Did you know that  ALASKA's  state animal is the Moose??

We also went on a Halibut fishing charter, which was.... interesting to say the least. The waves were HUGE. Literally, I don't think I've ever seen bigger waves in my life. And let me tell you, those sea sickness pills that are supposed to keep you all fine and dandy, well.. they DO NOT WORK, especially in rough seas. I spent 3 of the 5 hours over the bin (which was slightly better than the 4 that CJ endured). But, I did however catch 2 Halibut which was exciting and difficult to say the least. Those  fish are ridiculously heavy! Worth the fight though :) Halibut is delicious and I definitely recommend it! Ask me for an amazing recipe if you get your hands on some!

Sea you soon! (see what I did there??)

xoxo
Kirsten