Remember love, remember unity.

Hey all. Sorry it's been so long. \: So, what's happened since last time i was on here? Well, for starters, this entire site changed! Like, i cannot even find my way around. *confusion* Other than that, I went to Florida for 2 weeks in February with my awesome family. It was amazing. I totally got tan lines & made my friends jealous (; No, but in all serious-ness, it was so nice & refreshing & i highly enjoyed it. When we got back, we had about a million things to go to & it seemed like we were never home, and like i never got to see my friends, which wasn't super awesome, but going places is always fun. -- Indiana, Ohio, southern Michigan, and finally, a couple weeks ago, we got to stay home & have been home since. Haha (: I finished school for the summer exactly a week ago, and so this was my first week school-less for the summer! (: It's been SUPER lazy, and I've quite enjoyed it. But starting Monday, i have Drivers Ed at 8 AM for a few weeks. AHH!! I'm more than a little terrified. For some odd reason, i have an irrational fear of driving. But i'm working on it, cause in exactly 3 days, I AM doing it. -_- I am excited to be able to drive places, for sure. Other than that, I've been working a day a week, sometimes two days for my sister, babysitting my nieces. (: They're adorable, and most of the time easy to handle. (: Other than babysitting, freaking out about drivers ed & sleeping in, I've been doing laundry & cleaning & watching Fairly Legal. Don't say it, my life is awesome. I know. (: I'm going to Indiana next weekend for a wedding reception, so that should be fun. I'll be 16 in six months. Which is.. Just.. Kinda crazy. like. wow. :P Anyway, here's something kinda depressing i want to throw at you, by the time i have my license & pay for gas, one pay check for an entire month (based on what i'm making right now) would pay for gas for 2 weeks. See? Told you it was depressing. I think part of the reason it's been so long since I've been on here (and i know i'm skipping around with my topics, so bear with me here.) is because i signed up for Pinterest. *shame* I honestly don't know how i can possibly spend as much time as i do on that stupid site, but trust me. I do. I'm going to show you a little sneak peek of my thought process while scrolling down Pinterest's news feed. "That. Is an adorable kitten." *repin* "That looks delicious. I must try that." *repins. Never tries* "Haha, i could never be that creative." "Aww, i want to be that creative \:" *yawn* "How long have i been on here? This is ridiculous, I must get-- OREO COOKIES?! YUM. Heaven!!" *repin* "Giggle. That is so me." *type witty caption, repin* *See more pins* "Sigh." Seriously. PINTEREST IS GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF MY SOCIAL LIFE. Oh well, that is a burden i am willing to bear for Oreo Cookies. (; Contacts. You know how the eye Doctor tells you that after a few months, you'll have plenty of practice putting in your contacts? Liar. It still takes me like 5 tries to get that stupid thing in my eye. I'm still stabbing myself in the eye, using eye drops like they're going out of style, and taking an entire minute to get it in. And when i finally do, my eyes are all bloodshot & watery, and i'm like "Oh, people are going to think i wake up crying every morning." And then i remember that i have no life during the week & only see my family so it's all good. No, but honestly, i do love having contacts, they're so nice, it's just that some days are worse than others. Like those days when you finally get them in & it feels like there's a freakin' pebble lodged somewhere in there. \: The most exciting thing?! I get to wear sun glasses now! Yay! It's made my life so much better. (: So, now that I've wasted a couple minutes of your life, i will wrap it up & say goodbye. Till next time, which knowing me will be a couple months to a year. :P Have a great weekend, everyone. With love, i'm outa here (: xoxx** Mandi Ann

cause when you're 15..

Dear people.
Hi.
I'm alive, and i'm back.
And i'm 15. :)
It feels no different, nothing's changed, yet somehow, it's super nice to be able to say "I'm 15 now!"...not really sure why?
Um anyway. Christmas was amazing. I love my family. I got a camera. I was absolutely thrilled! :D I ate 10 times more than i should have, and i really need to work out. :P New years was amazing! I went to Ohio & saw a bunch of people i hadn't seen in foreverr. I made a lot of memories, and laughed a lot, and drank monsters and stayed up all night talking with two of my favorite girls in the whole entire world. (Ahem,, Janel & Tacy.) <3
This winter has been absolute suck so far. I mean the snow part of it. Which means there's been no snow. Ugh. Fail. :(
If it's gonna be so cold, it most definitely should snow! But nevertheless, i went skiing Thursday for the first time all year. == my birthday present from my brothers. !!! :D
It.Was.Fantastic..
I hung out with some amazing friends, and later, with 4 of my favorite guys. (I laughed so hard. My stomach muscles were as sore as the rest of them)
I am so thankful that God has blessed me with this incredible life, and i take it for granted far too often. Sadly.
Speaking of sad, I've pretty much been the laziest person in the world the past couple months. I need to get back into the groove. I need to start doing school again, start working out again, start waking up early again, start spending more time with my Lord, and keep up with my chores better. Ugh. I've been so unmotivated.. I told myself i would change that in the new year. And i will. Starting this Monday.
Hopefully.
Err.. Have i ever mentioned that i'm kind of a procrastinator? Uhh. Well.. I am. :/
I PLAN TO CHANGE THAT. Mark my words. I will.
Tonight is volleyball with some more fantastic friends, and then church tomorrow, and ice skating! And then hopefully skiing Tuesday.!
Don't i sound so much more optimistic now that i'm 15? ;) Nahh. I'm just having a good week.
But brr my feet are cold.
Anyhow, i love the 5 of you that supposedly read this?
Keep it up, because it makes me happy. :}

Have a wonderful 2012, everyone.
mwahhh.
With love, I'm outa heree.
*Mandi.Ann.

Joy to the World!

Hey everyone.
Sorry it's been a couple months since I've written. Life's kinda crazy busy. :P It's that time of year, i guess. I've been doing school, making cookies, doing laundry, singing, praying, living, talking, laughing, crying, cleaning, dreaming, shopping, wrapping gifts and NOT blogging. :) Our Choir concert is tomorrow night, and i am incredibly nervous. Which is bad. cause that'll make my voice sound weird. But whatever, i don't want to think about that.
Caroling tonight, and tomorrow after church. Christmas party next Saturday, Family Christmas the weekend after that, and then Ohio the weekend after THAT. Then my birthday. Then life will get back to normal. Or, relatively so anyway. :)
Right now, i should be finishing laundry, and making a dessert for caroling. But. I'm not. Oh well. I'll get off in a bit and do that. This stupid blog is weird. It won't save what i'm writing. Anyway. Sorry, but i must go. I'll get on sometime when i'm not feeling rushed. See you. Xox

With love, i'm outa here.

*Mandi Ann

Music to my Heart

Hey everybodyyy.

Life has been weird.
Busy. Weird.
My mom just had surgery yesterday, so i'm home alone right now, while the guys are at work, and Dad & Mom are at the hospital an hour & a half away. So i'm just doing laundry, and that's about it. I am very unmotivated right now. I don't want to work out, i don't want to do school, and i don't even want to shower... :/

Haha but um that's my problem, not yours :)
Our communion is done, it was good :) Except for the fact that i got barely any sleep. But that's beside the point.
I really have nothing to interest you..
Sooo..
Pray for my mom's quick recovery, and i'll be ... doing nothing.

With love, i'm soo outa here. <3
*Mandi

When i see you, i run outa words to say

Camp Michigan was fun :)
It was awesome to see old friends & make new ones.



That's who all was there.


Enough about that.
It's cold.
I like it. It makes me wanna snuggle. :)
Mmm i love fall. But i can't wait 'til winter, so i can go skiing. It rocks my world.
Have you ever been confused? Haha just kidding, i don't have to ask. I know you all have been at one point. Life's confusing. One minute you think you know what you want, the next you're laughing at yourself for thinking that. 'Cuz seriously. What teenage girl really truly knows what she wants?
That's why we're all confused.
Oh well. as long as we don't have to go through it alone.
Which we don't.
Cause we're awesome.
'nuff said.
BYE.
With love, i'm outa here.
xoxooxoxoxxx*mandi

Beautiful You...

Hellooo.

What's up? (This is not a rhetorical question, so please, comment and TELL ME HOW YOU'RE DOING) :)
What's up with me? Oh, not much. Just that, i have a part time job, school is starting in 5 days, and my calendar is full. I like it that way. Oh, and Camp Michigan is in 8 days, and we have tons of preparations for it still. CAUSE PEOPLE WON'T SEND IN THEIR REGISTRATION FORMS!!! Rrrrgggg. When will they learn? Oh well. it'll work out. It always does. I hope. And, i'll have fun no matter what. Or so i'm telling myself. Mwahaha :)
I'm kinda ready for winter, but it always lasts way too long. I love winter for a couple months, not 8. OH well, i will make it fun. And i'll be turning 15 in exactly 124 days. Crazy? Kinda. But also, kind of awesome. Truth be told, i can't wait to be 15. But more than that, i can't wait to be 16.
So, apparently, i can take driver's ed in October if i want to. But the problem? I don't want to. Driving, quite honestly, scares me. I have absolutely no experience, and i know nothing about a car. Or driving one. :/
But, even if i wanted to, i wouldn't be taking driver's ed til i'm at least 15. But that's a while to go, so we'll see if i can get some practice. I don't want to be one of those awful drivers. What if i crash? what if i die?! Haha :) But apparently, i'm supposed to face the fears in my life?
*gulp*
I'm working on it.
Until then, i'm just bumming rides off people. :/ (My friends are pretty awesome. So i just ask them ;D)

Speaking of which, i would like to do a shout out to my girlfriends. They are incredible. They are so fun, and not judgmental, and they love me :) Ha. Let's just say, i have a problem.. With always assuming that if someone isn't %100 friendly, then they must hate me. That's not always true, but i'm not always wrong either. What i'm trying to say, is there's girls out there that make me feel totally insecure, so i am totally appreciative of the girls that back me up and actually care about me. I know i jump to conclusions, but honestly, it's not all 'in my head'...
What's pathetic is sometimes i think girls are snobs just because they're gorgeous.. Cause that's happened before. :) I guess i've always been second best to my pretty friends, so i'm trying to remember that God made me just how i am, and He loves me, and that's what counts. He thinks i'm beautiful, even though no one on earth may, even though i might not, HE thinks i'm beautiful. Because he created me. And i am so thankful for Him. :) And, when the time is right, God may send an amazing man into my life, and maybe he'll think i'm beautiful. That's what really matters.
So i know i'm not a fine one to talk, cause i'm the most insecure girl on this crazy planet called earth,,, But girls? Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't beautiful, cause God thinks you're amazing.
Always remember this::: "You may not like me, but God thinks i'm to die for!" :)
You ARE beautiful in His eyes. You are perfect just the way you are. Don't let pretty girls do to you what they've done to me.

I love you all.
I must skitter and do laundry.
with love, i'm out of here.
xoxoxoxoxox***Mandi Ann


P.s. "You're beautiful, you're beautiful, you were made for so much more than all of this, you're beautiful, you are treasured you are sacred, you are HIS."

Gonna party like it's 2011

Ahhhhhh....
Home.
I like home.
We went to Indiana for Summer's End, which was fun, 'cause i got to see some people i hadn't seen in a long time. But it was tiring :P And i'm glad to be home!
Tonight, i'm going to be with my beautiful family. Then tomorrow i'm babysitting my precious niece.
Starting school in a week or so, and Camp Michigan is in exactly 11 days :) !!
And that's my life in a nutshell. Pretty much.

With love, i'm outa here.
*Mandi Ann Xoxxxx

One tear in the drivin' rain.

Busy, Busy, Busy!
School's starting in a couple weeks, and i'm pretty sure i'm not ready, but i'll survive, i suppose.
We've been doing lots of canning in the past couple days. We got tons of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, hot banana peppers & zucchini.
So we made salsa, relish, sliced the banana peppers, which we'll probably just use like jalapenos 'cause they're just about as hot! I was taking the seeds out of them without gloves. STUPID. My fingers are currently burning like crazy! :/
***
Anyway. For some reason, i can't wait 'til i'm 15. Maybe just the thought of a new year is refreshing. My idea of 2011 being the best year ever (?????) was false. Maybe 2012 will be better. Hey, a girl can hope. :)
I can't complain, i really can't. I do love my life, it just could be better. I guess it could always be better. . .
Sometimes i just wish things could be a lil different. It's probably my own issues making me have bad days. I just feel so overwhelmed sometimes. Everything is confusing & hazy, my emotions are mixed up, i can feel angry one second, and like crying the next, and laughing the next. No, that's not bipolar, ;) That's being a teen.
I can't believe how fast this year has passed. It's not over yet, but summer's over! It's crazy.

It was raining today, and so i thought of the beautiful song by superchic[k].

*Stand in the rain, stand your ground, stand up when it's all crashing down, stand through the pain, you won't drown, and one day, what's lost can be found, you stand in the rain*


Just know there is a purpose, for those who wait.
That's all i can think to type.
With lots & lots of love, i'm totally outa here.
**Mandi Ann

YoU LiE.

Mppphhhhhh!!!
Drama, Drama, Drama!!!!!
I HATE IT.
that's all i can say.
Just that i hate drama.
Today is not my best day ever.

Hope y'all are having a better day than me.

Word to the wise: Avoid drama AT ALL COST.

With love, i'm outa here.
Xo *Mandi

Love is {here} : Love is {now}

It's August!
Can you believe it? Where has the summer gone? :/
I've been enjoying my part time babysitting job for some of the cutest girls in the world.
(My Neices. Go figure) ;)


Cute, Right?! :)

Anyway. September seems to be the most busy month. We have labor day, Camp Michigan, our Communion, and school starting.
I'm actually almost, sorta, kinda looking forward to starting school. Weird as that sounds. I've always wanted to be so busy that i could just forget thinking about life.
Maybe that time will come as i get older :)
Next year i'm going to be 15! Kinda hard to believe. I'm glad though :) It seems like life has become one crazy contradiction! Seeming like the time is flying by, yet in some areas just going 10 times slower than it should. And i want to grow up, yet take it as slow as possible at the same time. Being a teen is so crazy. Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's hard, sometimes it makes you miss being 3, sometimes it makes you glad you've come as far as you have. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it's beautiful.
My Jesus has blessed me so much. I can't thank him enough. Yet sometimes i want to just scream "WHY?!"
We must always remember that God knows everything & He knows that it'll work out. So we must always praise Him, even in the hard times.
The message yesterday was talking on praises, even when it may be the furthest thing from your mind. Because God is sovreign, and he is IN CONTROL! :)
There's so many good things though, in my life. I have an awesome family, i have two beautiful, healthy neices that continually make me smile, i have amazing friends that are so helpful & understanding, but best of all, i have the blessing of knowing Jesus personally & being able to worship him freely.
How amazing is that?
...I thought so :)
I hope that they rest of you are having busy fun summers!
Stay cool everybody, and keep readin' my blog, it means the world to me. :)

With love, i'm outa heree.
Xoxoxx *Mandi Ann