Day Twenty

Guitar is one of my favorite hobbies. I'm certainly not the best, but it's a way that I release all my anxieties, stresses, and pain. In a sense, it's saved my life. Turning to music in general has helped me grow as an individual and a Christian. I am so thankful that God has blessed us in this world with music. It has really helped a lot of people through many hard times. Especially those that feel like they cannot hear or feel God's presence with them. Music, to me, is a great way to connect to God. Worship is one of my most favorite things to do. Seriously, I'm not just being a "cheesey Christian". I LOVE MUSIC, I love making music, and well...I just love music, okay :) I've been a bit of a failure lately and haven't been posting much on here...since it's spring now, I will have a lot more opportunity to take pictures outside and whatnot, so HOPEFULLY, I'll pick things back up.

IQ: "Music is soul food" - unknown

Day Nineteen

Yes, I know...I've been a terrible person and have missed several days. I'm sorry to those of you who follow... Today's was kind of random. I actually froze my bootie off taking this shot, so I hope you like it. Not exactly sure what inspired me for this, but I came up with a story to go along with it. BE FLEXIBLE. Kind of silly, but oh well. Laura Roberts and my Daddy will relate quite well with that statement. Life is full of unexpected trials and circumstances that are impossible to plan for or avoid. This generally makes daily life difficult to cope with, however, there IS a solution...BE FLEXIBLE...which means that you bend and mold to what life throws at you. Don't waste time complaining about how you weren't prepared for things and whine because you don't know what to do. GOD gave you that situation for a reason, and essentially, He is testing your patience. Are you willing to rearrange your schedule at the last minute to fit His or someone else's? Do you care enough about others to change what you are doing so that their lives will be a little easier? It all boils down to putting others before yourself...which is opening a whole new can of worms, so I'd better stop now. The moral of the story is BE FLEXIBLE...all the time, even when it is uncomfortable (haha, get it? I was being flexible in the picture AND was uncomfortable because it was cold and the grass was rather prickly.)

IQ:: (rather obvious).."No matter the situation, BE FLEXIBLE!!" - Laura Roberts

Day Eighteen

This portrait shows me clinging to everything I've ever known. Growing up is scary. I'm eager to go to college and begin the journey of life on my own, but, to a point, I dread leaving my parents. They have always been there for me, supported me, given me everything I ever needed (and more), provided me with a shelter, and have helped me. In college, they won't be in the same house as me, they won't always be able to help me when I have questions...but they're still there.

I love you Mum and Dad. Thank you for all that you do :)

Day Seventeen

Get in the Word...enough said :) Everybody needs Jesus time EVERY day.

Day Sixteen

A wise woman once told me "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." That woman is my mother (yes, mom, I just quoted you). I believe that quote originally came from the movie Bambi, when Thumper's mom told him that he shouldn't say anything to someone unless it was nice. I know, it sounds childish, but in reality, this applies to people of all ages. Harsh words cut deep and put people down more than you'd think.

No one teaches us how to be mean, it's a behavior that we learn by watching other people. I know for a fact my parents never taught me how to gossip and make fun of people. Over the years, being on both ends of the humiliation spectrum, I have learned that sometimes silence IS golden. Knowing how it feels to be made fun of has changed my thought process completely on making fun of others. It hurt me, and why would I want to inflict that pain on someone else?

Think about that the next time you make fun of someone. If you have a conscience, I guarantee you that it will make you reconsider your motives. :)


IQ: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." 
                                                                -Debbie Henderson and Mama Thumper-

Day Fifteen

There’s a difference between love and being in love. How do you define ‘being in love’? We could say that being in love is to care more about someone than you care about yourself, or anything else, and not just physically, but emotionally and mentally, too. If you're 'in love', you’d let them go if you had to, if it was what they needed to be happy. What most people dislike about love is that the idea that the feeling will go away, or be taken away – that it will end. It’s almost like you’re afraid to be happy and stay in love, because you feel that you should prepare yourself for the day it will all be gone.
Most of us say that it’s normal to pressure yourself away from love, it’s normal to want to seclude yourself and avoid ever being placed in such a situation a second or third time. This is the main reason that those people avoid love, because with each strike, it becomes harder and harder to recover from the pain...

Love comes and goes. Love requires one to put down his or her barriers and to trust someone to be inside of your heart.  It takes a tremendous amount of courage to give someone your heart and trust them with it. Many of us become afraid of putting our heart out there especially if it’s been torn apart in previous relationships.

Many of us become afraid of love because we’re tired of being hurt and we would rather not be hurt again because it takes too much time to get over it. Falling in love can occur quickly, but healing a broken heart almost takes a lifetime. Our hearts will open up extremely quickly to love someone, but the more our hearts are broken, the more difficult it will be to trust someone again. We are afraid of relationships because we don't want to be hurt.

We may be afraid of falling in love again, but we won’t dismiss the possibility. We can’t control when we fall in love because love just happens. Love will sneak up on you when you least expect it. Love is innocent and does not hurt. It only hurts when the one you love takes their love away...

Eventually, we have to get over being afraid. There’s not one person that wants to wake up and find that you’re all alone.  That’s the risk that we take when we choose to love. Maybe we can say that the act of love itself is a risk, but it’s probably one of the only risks in life that everyone is willing to take for a chance at being happy. So, don't be afraid to love.

IQ: "We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy"                                                                               -Walter Anderson-

Day Fourteen

You know how you sometimes feel that you need to apologize to someone (or even a few people)? I've experienced that feeling over the past few days. This is not taking the place of a face to face apology,  but it's a start. In other words, I would like to dedicate this portrait to those people that I need to apologize to. So, informally, I'm sorry.


I have a double IQ today....

IQ (pt. a):  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

IQ (pt. b): “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

Day Thirteen

SORRY!! I missed yesterday..ahh. This is terrible! Anyways, I felt like doing a reflection shot today. Yes, that is a towel on my head. I was in the process of getting ready for school, saw my camera, looked at my makeup mirror, and snapped a shot. Personally, I enjoy this portrait, but my guess is that I will be one of a few that do...and that's okay :)

IQ: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Day Twelve

To Write Love on Her Arms - Hawthorne Heights

This is a huge problem with teens. Hopefully the TWLOHA campaign will impact the lives of some...Cutting is a hard habit to break, but it IS possible.

To Write Love On Her Arms

With ink, not a blade

To get her to know it

To turn her mind around

Just to remind her

She could have so much more

Life is built to be greater

A moment for her choices

To decorate as she will

There is good to be had

And that good, we, as friends

Are to give in abundance

To show her the truth

To Write Love On Her Arms

 IQ: "18 out of 274,000 teens kill themselves
        1 in 5 teens consider suicide
        1 in 6 make plans
        1 in 12 attempt suicide
       8 out of 10 ask for help before they commit suicide."       TWLOHA (www.twloha.com)

Day Eleven

I decided to have a little fun with today's portrait. Did you know that Converse laces can make shapes!? :) I just thought it was cute. Not much of a story today, but I just thought it was cute, so yeah.

IQ: “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”                                                                                     
                                                                                                  -Robert A. Heinlein-

Day Ten

Self image is a huge thing with teenage girls. I've had my fair share of struggles with thinking I'm not good enough, pretty enough, or skinny enough to be accepted. Over time, I've learned that God made me beautiful and He loves me no matter what I look like. Yes, it's still difficult sometimes when I look in the mirror, but that's normal. Living in a sinful world brings about temptations, but you can overcome them when you have a strong, intimate relationship with Christ. He will bring you out of them and turn you toward the truth. If you are not to that point in your walk with Christ yet, don't be discouraged. It takes time, determination, trust, and self-discipline to develop that type of a relationship. It won't be an overnight change, however, it IS possible :) God made each and every one of us BEAUTIFUL!!

IQ:"Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical."

                                                                                                                -Sophia Loren-

Day Nine

My inspiration for today was the song "When I'm With You" by Faber Drive. If you read the lyrics, it's pretty self explanatory. Personally, I don't think of it merely for a romantic relationship. Some parts of the song I apply to people like Juancito (in El Salvador) because I promised him that I would be back. Also, for my Granny that passed away a few years ago from Alzheimer's Disease. She was everything to me. So, that's the post for today. I actually did yesterday's post yesterday, but it didn't post up until today for some strange reason. So, no, I'm not slacking :)

Day Eight

TOMS shoes ROCK!! (So do Converse, sorry mom). TOMS are cool because every pair of shoes that they sell, they give a pair to a child in need. I think that's incredible. Check it out at www.toms.com They're OOBER comfy, too. :)

Yes, I used a photo editor on today's portrait...but before you get your panties in a wad and start wagging your finger, hear me out. All I did was merge two photos together, convert to black and white, and color splash the TOMS logo. None of that is against my rules :). Anyways, TOMS was my inspiration for today's portrait.

What are you doing on April 5 this year? Better question...do you know what type of shoes you will most likely be wearing? I do. I am going to join over 250,000 people across the world and go without shoes for the day. Sounds crazy, huh? The reason that people are going for a day without shoes is to raise awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life. It really makes you think twice about buying a new pair of kicks and freaking out because you "don't" have any shoes to wear. There are children out there walking around on DIRT, ROCKS, and FILTH with no shoes to wear. I hope you participate in One Day Without Shoes.  For more information about One Day Without Shoes, visit http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com/splash.php .

Day Seven



1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always, 
Always looks for the best, 

Never looks back, 
But keeps going to the end, it never fails.



Day Six

Today is short and sweet. I was rather busy with school things today, so I don't really have much time to write about the picture...as a matter of fact, today's picture was kind of a last minute deal. :/

Day Five

"Praying for an extraordinary impact, using ordinary people."

I'm dedicating today's portrait to Starfish Orphan Ministry. I have worked with them since their first mission trip and have gone to El Salvador with them four times. I absolutely LOVE it there! So much that I consider it my second home. Starfish's goal is to eternally impact the lives of orphaned children for the Kingdom of God through raising awareness of their plight and our Biblical responsibility to care for them. Their desire is to glorify God by joining forces with Christians from different denominations to do anything and everything that He enables us to do in order to provide for the needs of HIS orphans.

To learn more about Starfish Orphan Ministry, visit our website at www.starfishorphanministry.com or our blog at http://starfishorphanministry.blogspot.com. Please pray about joining or helping out with our ministry! There are four ways that YOU, yes you, can help.

• Pray for guidance to see if you are being called to adopt or to be a foster parent. Be receptive and ready if God directs you to share your family with an orphaned child.
• Volunteer to go on a mission trip to an orphanage! It could be a children's home that is 40 miles from your home or it could be half way around the world. There are always children that need something you can give- LOVE. Many children just crave the human touch and being loved on.
• Offer financial assistance. God can take the money that you donate and use it to help children all over the world.
• MOST IMPORTANTLY - PRAY!! Every christian should be praying for orphans. There are many different levels and aspects of orphan care that need your prayers. We aren't talking about simply mentioning orphans in your weekly prayer, we are talking about true, sincere, specific prayers. This is a world crisis that is growing every day! These children are desperate; they need and deserve your prayers.



DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 145 MILLION ORPHANS IN THIS WORLD??? IF ONLY 1.3% OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO PROFESS TO BE CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD TODAY WOULD SHARE THEIR LIFE WITH A CHILD IN NEED, THERE WOULD BE NO ORPHANS!!!



IQ: TODAY...

•       38,493 more children will become ORPHANS...
•       30,000 children under the age of 5 will DIE of STARVATION...
•       200 million children are living on the STREETS...
•       Every 2 seconds another child will age out of an orphanage with NO FAMILY...
•       Americans will spend another 5.4 million dollars on CHEWING GUM. 

Day Four

"To dance is to give oneself up to the rhythms of all life" -Dr. Maya Patel

Today's portrait isn't really all that special to most people, but it is to me. Tap dancing is one of the few ways that I can release any bottled up anger, stress, or sadness without risking other people's feelings. We all know that when you experience intense emotions, you sometimes find yourself being angry at those around you for no reason. Also, I'm a very rhythmic person. You will often find me making my own rhythms with my hands and feet when I'm waiting in line for something or just sitting still. Tap is by far my favorite form of dance, and personally, I think I'm best at it. I LOVE IT! :) 

TOTALLY different subject. Church today was pretty awesome! Towards the end of the sermon, our pastor (Todd Brady) gave us an awesome verse to memorize and encouraged us to make scripture memorization one of our New Year's resolutions. I think I'm going to use it for my IQ today. (I encourage you to look it up and study it in your own Bible, but I'm going to put it on here in case you can't).

"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”          -John 14:21-

Day Three

Happy New Year! First portrait of 2011! Today's portrait is a quick glimpse of my thought process. I simplified it into three main sections: My outlook on 2011's New Year's Resolutions, loving my “unlovables’’, and asking myself the dreadful question of why I do the things that I do. The New Year's Resolution (the one that says "quit?"), is an example of people giving up on their resolutions. I know that I will be tempted to give up on lots of things this year because, to me, they will seem impossible. My goal is to not do that. Bold statement, I know, but I'm going to give it a shot. I would really like to prove myself and the "status quo" wrong. The second thought bubble...Oh, how I dread doing this sometimes. Love your enemies. There are people that have wronged me in the year 2010 (and even before that) that I need to love on regardless of how they hurt me. It's what we're called to do as Christians. Another resolution of mine is to do the best that I can to live out God's purpose for my life. After all, that's the ONLY reason I'm here on this planet. It's the least I could do. The third bubble is me asking myself why I do the things that I do, why I'm so immature, and why I give up on everything that I do. I'm trying desperately to not give up on things because I fail once or twice. I need to learn determination. So, every time I want to give up, I'm going to make a point of asking myself, “Michaela, why on earth are you wanting to give up this time??". Okay, the portrait interpretation is over now. :)

IQ: Someone sent this to me and I rather enjoyed it, so I'm going to share it with you.

Mend a quarrel,

Seek out a forgotten friend,

Write a love letter,

Share some treasure,

Encourage youth,

Keep a promise,

Find the time,

Forgive an enemy,

Stop and just listen,

Apologize if you were wrong,

Think first of someone else,

Be kind and gentle,

Laugh a little,

Laugh a little more,

Express your gratitude,

Gladden the heart of a child,

Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth,

Speak your love,

Speak it again,

and speak it still once again.

-anonymous-

THIS NEW YEAR