Hello friends! It’s a lovely Saturday morning here. The sun is just coming up, the birds are singing, and the air is cold, but not frigid. I hope your weekend is off to a wonderful start! I have a bit a catching up to do from this past week, so here’s a little glimpse into my life. :)

Well, it’s official. I have completed my first week of full-time college! Though I vaguely alluded to classes starting this month, I haven’t said much else about it, so here’s what I’m doing: I am taking four classes this semester from a community college. They are all pre-requesites to the nursing program I’d like to go through: anatomy, psychology, nutrition, and American government. I have classes three days each week. When they started on Monday, I was glad to be familiar with the campus and how the classes work because I had taken English and math online courses as a dual-enrolled high school student. It’s been very different having to get up early and leave three mornings each week. My first class starts at 8 a.m. and it’s a 45 minute drive in heavy traffic. I ride with Daddy on his way to work, which I’ve enjoyed.

All in all, I am excited about starting college and the classes I’m taking. Nutrition and anatomy particularly fascinate me, which makes studying a lot more interesting. I know this is just the beginning, and things will get more intense as the weeks go by, but I am thankful for a good start. God has provided an amazing friend for me at college. She is also going into nursing, and her friendship and love for the Lord is a huge encouragement to me!

Okay, moving on! Although college starting is the “biggie” in my life right now, there are other things going on as well. :)

For my birthday, Wesley bought tickets for us to go see The Hobbit together. It was a blast!!! Besides enjoying the movie, it was sweet to be able to spend time with him. Love this guy! ;)

This past week, Austin and Jonathan have been competing at a speech and debate tournament in Arkansas. Mom is with them, faithfully supporting and encouraging them. So far, both of the guys are doing well, and I’m looking forward to hearing all about it when they get back!

In addition to my college classes, I am also studying for the ACT. This is a great study guide, btw. I took this picture on a whim when my brain decided it needed a small break. ;)

Something funny about me is that I love, love, LOVE funky socks. It doesn’t matter how bright they are – I wear them all. My love for funky socks began years ago on my 11th or 12th birthday when Grandma gave me a pair of the cutest, brightest toe socks I’d ever seen. I’ve been hooked ever since. Mom got these for me on a recent shopping trip. Cute, no? I’m wearing my favorite pair. ;)

Our woods are so beautiful this time of year! A week ago it started raining, then the temperature dropped to freezing and you can guess what happened. The next morning everything was coated in ice! The first picture in this post is just one example.

So I hope that helped to update you a bit. I’ll try to post at least once each week, but if you do notice a drop in the frequency of posts, it’s probably because of my studies. Have no fear, though. Blogging is a huge joy for me, and unless I totally get swamped I hope to always keep it updated. Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog, and for the lovely comments you leave. It makes blogging all the more delightful for me. :)

I hope your day is blessed!
~Brookie

Last fall, Mom and I attended a ladies’ Bible study for a few weeks. During one of our meetings, a wise older woman in the group said something that really stood out to me. She asked the simple question:

“Are we striving in life to build our reputation or, by God’s grace, our character?”

There is such a difference between having merely a good reputation and true character. Which one lasts? Which one will point others towards Christ and not ourselves?

I’ll admit that I can be a “people pleaser” and I sometimes do things with the wrong motive – to make myself look better. But in the end, will it really matter? Will I really gain anything at all? The truth is that I won’t. I want to have more of a mindset of “what does it matter what people think of me as long as I’m striving to live a life worthy of Christ?”

I love this song by Sara Groves. I hope you read the lyrics here, and as you do, remember with me today and every day that we’re living our lives for an audience of one. To God be all the glory!

When I stand before the Lord, I’ll be standing alone. This journey is my own.
Still I want man’s advice, and I need man’s approval, but this journey is my own.
Why would I want to live for man and pay the highest price?
What would it mean to gain the wold, only to lose my life?

So much of what I do is to make a good impression. This journey is my own.
And so much of what I say is to make myself look better. This journey is my own.
Why would I want to live for man and pay the highest price?
And what does it mean to gain the wold, only to lose my life?

I’ve never felt relief like I feel it right now. This journey is my own.
‘Cause trying to please the world, it was breaking me down.
Now I live and I breathe for an audience of one.
Now I live and I breathe for an audience of one, ’cause I know this journey is my own.

Why would I want to live for man and pay the highest price?
What would it mean to gain the wold, only to lose my life?
You can live for someone else, and it will only bring you pain.
I can’t even judge myself. Only the Lord can say, “Well done.”

Okay, so I mentioned that we went on vacation after Christmas, and that it turned out differently than we expected. :) Here’s what happened:

The plan was to see Mom’s family for a couple of days, drive back to St. Paul and stay with some friends there, and then drive home. After we’d gotten about halfway, Mom got a text from my aunt saying that their poor family just got sick with the flu. Uh-oh. We certainly couldn’t go there!

Instead of turning around, the Amours were a wonderful solution to our fast-approaching delimma.  They let us stay with them on the spur of the moment. Now that is incredibly gracious hospitality! Thank you so much for letting us stay with you, Armours!

 Austin and Mrs. Armour share the same birthday, so we celebrated it together.

I was encouraged, as always, to see Hannah. <3 We all had a fun snowball fight, and played games in the snow. I forgot how much of a workout it is run in the snow, and I was sore the next day! :)

Since we were together, we got a “GWP team photo” to post on God’s World Photography. You can see it here.

Our family visited the botanical center at Como Zoo, a long-beloved place of refuge during the cold, long winters of Minnesota. I have many great memories of visiting there from when we lived in that area. I took a bunch of pictures of the plants. Here are my favorites:

This sloth was truly bookin’ it in his cage! I couldn’t believe how fast he was moving (for a sloth, of course!) :)

We didn’t have time to see all the animals, but we always go to see the monkeys. The are so entertaining. :)

Having some extra time, we drove out to see our old home in Wisconsin. It’s always a bit sad seeing the familiar place again, but I was glad to see that it looked much the same.

We then stayed with the Alzen family as planned. They are such a sweet family, and were one of the first families we got to know when moving to Wisconsin!

The Alzens have a family bluegrass band, and they played a few of their songs for us before we left. Now this family is really, really good, and they honor God in all of their music. They have made some great CD’s, and you check them out here.

It was fun to see the ski hills and snowmobile trails (things you don’t find in Missouri). :)

So there you have it, folks! Our trip was different, but memorable and sweet. We were blessed by wonderful friendships, gracious hosts, and time spent as a family.

Happy Saturday!
~ Brookie