what if we all told the truth

Let's be honest. Perfect lives don't exist. There is no such thing as a perfect person living a perfect life in a perfect house with a perfect family & perfect friends. Even if someone's life seems perfect to us, it isn't. We all have faults & struggles & maybe some things we aren't too proud to admit. We all know that. And yet... we tend to forget.

Sometimes we look around & think, "Oh, look at those people! Wow. They are so amazing & the total best at (insert word here). And they have such great things going on. It's like... their lives are perfection itself! I sure wish my life was as great. But that's never going to happen. Hmm... maybe I'll just sit here & pretend I have a better & greater life even when I don't, & maybe I'll be able to make everyone believe that too, & maybe, just maybe, my pretend life will become real & everything will finally be perfect & I'll be SO happy! This is going to be great!"

Okay, so first off, I can't blog about or write about what my life is actually like because everyone will find out I'm a fake. Nope. Can't have that happening. Maybe I'll just post pretty pictures & occasionally pretty words & stuff. Mmhm, yes. Also, under no circumstances can I post on controversial topics or really anything that's on my mind because... what if... someone gets offended. Ahhh, noooo!!! Or maybe they won't... but they still might disagree. And they might unfollow my blog. And the little number on the little widget on my sidebar is going to decrease. I CANNOT have that. BIG disaster if that happens. I will not be able to stand it. Nope, better stay on the safe side. Okay, yes. Stick to pretty words. Yup. Good. This is good. Awesome plan. Let's do this!"

Sound familiar? If you're honest, you'll probably answer yes. And I'm going to be honest with you right now & say 'yes' too. It is true, my thoughts have often wandered in a very similar direction. And I admit that not because I'm happy, or proud of it, or even want to admit it. I'm saying it simply because of the fact that it's true. It is. I have often, in the past, used the Internet & my blog to hide what my life is truly like, to wish all the struggles I have away & just be a perfect me. Or rather, a perfect imitation of the perfect me I envision.

Well, I don't want that ever to be the case ever again. I want to be honest. I want to be honest about my life & my thoughts & my dreams. Are you with me? Honesty takes courage. It takes courage to expose & show what you really are... different.

Different. That big scary word. Why is it so scary? Maybe it's because of the lie that's floating around, trying to convince people that different is bad. Very bad. Why? Well, we might be hated for being different. But really? Should that bother us? Jesus was hated for being different, for not sticking with the crowd. He was even beaten & humiliated & put on a cross. And why did He do that? For us. He died the death we were supposed to die. HE DIED FOR US. Just think about that for a moment.

Did it sink in yet? You were lying if you answered yes. It can never ever sink in. EVER. We can't even begin to comprehend it all. Now think about that. Think about how totally pathetic & irrational your fear of being different is compared to all that. Someone died for you & you are scared of being honest about yourself? And you hide behind a fake version of your life? Really? Wow... to what depths we have fallen.

Have you ever thought of how drastically the blogging world, & the world in general, would be affected if we were all simply honest? Admitted to our imperfection, instead of living behind a fake curtain of perfection? Admitted to our faults & failures & struggles? What if we all told the truth?

just breathe

"this is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." -- psalm 118:24 

It is so easy to get caught up in that endless monotone of busy. You rush off, from one thing to the next, & sometimes you forget to simply step back & just breathe. Look out the window. Feel the wind. Close you eyes for a couple of seconds. Gaze at the stars. Watch the sun come up. Listen to some music. Smile just for the joy of being alive. Relax. Let go. Rejuvenate. Refocus.

Don't let busy take over. Take a few moments & absorb yourself in the wonderful beauty of God's creation. And when you go back to your tasks, don't let the joy escape. Hold onto it.

hugs,
e


p.s. thank you all so much for the lovely birthday wishes! you are sweetest. <3
p.p.s. the music playlist above was created by yours truly & contains a whole set of favourite tracks which I find both relaxing & inspiring. the mixtape is entirely made up of movie scores, but please keep in mind that I have NOT seen ALL of the movies these tracks are from. some, I simply found via the names of the composers, & thus do NOT, in any way, promote the movies they are from. just wanted to make that clear. :)

goodbye 2012

endings are most always bittersweet. you get to turn a page, open a new book, start fresh... but that also means leaving the old behind. it's natural. it's the passing of time. we change, we grow, we learn. sometimes we aren't quite ready to admit that another year has passed, & sometimes, for one reason or another, we wish time would freeze. but it never does. that's why we need to make the most of the time we have.

twenty-thirteen is a new year. let's make the most of it. this year, let's resolve to spend more time being thankful for the things we have, rather than wishing for those we don't. this year, let's focus more on the little things that matter. let's not complain about our 'ordinary' lives, but embrace them with joy. most importantly, let's resolve to remind ourselves that little is much when God is in it. His plans are great & unfathomable.

goodbye 2012. I will treasure your sweet memories forever.
hello 2013. I look forward to what you hold with anticipation.


hugs,
eve victorie

the beach

I step onto the fine grainy surface of the sand & wiggle my toes until they are buried out of sight. The rather strong breeze gives my face a caress, bringing with it the scent of that deep blue, watery version of the sky. The sound of crashing waves on the shore makes tingles of excitement run down my back. I take a deep, refreshing breath and can't help but smile. Three whole seasons of absence have been too long a time... way too long. I'm back now. Back where waves lap gently against the shore, leaving behind seashells - whose pasts are forever destined to remain untold. Back in the land of unending hues of sapphire, where the colour of the horizon is a blend of the two dreamiest shades of blue. Back where inspiration seems to crash into you, just as easily as the white crests of rolling waves. Yes, I'm back in my own little 'Narnia'.
Do you have one too? :)

words to inspire

**all images via my 'of quotes, words, and inspiration' pinterest board**

Sometimes, just because we're young, we fall into a trap. We think we have all the time in the world. But the truth, the truth we desperately don't want to face, is that we don't. Today IS the oldest you've ever been and the youngest you'll ever be. Instead of 'doing what everyone else is doing' & giving into 'the fear that we just can't', let us use our creativity and make something different, let us inspire others... for His glory.

use your talents

We all have talents & abilities of various kinds; stuff that just comes naturally and we really enjoy doing. Sadly, I think in our day the majority of people tend to abandon theirs for the 'cool', 'popular', 'trendy' things... and they don't even realize it! I'm telling you, it annoys me to no end. I'm not saying that you should totally and completely drop a hobby/dream just because you're not talented. No, I firmly believe that with most things, more work than actual skill is required to achieve success. However, I do also believe that we were given the skills we have for a reason - to glorify God's name - and saying they're 'not as cool compared to _____'s' is just the same as saying that God made a mistake... and God never makes mistakes. We were each given just enough, not too little & not too much.

"And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability..." ~ Matthew 25:15

Let's not bury our talents in the ground... let's use them to make a difference.

Pinspirational Tuesday

I'm linking-up to 'Pinspirational Tuesdays' today, hosted by Jessica @ Diary of a Beautiful Soul, with a few of my favourite, recently pinned, pins. :)

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The medieval look? <3

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That's really sweet! <3

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Raindrop bokeh! Wow!

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Lol! How cute is she?! ;D

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Glitter. is. amazing.
 

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 There you go. That's all there is to it! ;P

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Yes! <3

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 One of my favourite parts! :D

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I wish I could say otherwise, but this really looks like me.

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ummm... this too.

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the hair... it's perfect.

All images/photos via my pinterest pinboards.

Things I Would Like to Do in 2012

It is now officially 2012. A new year... full of numerous surprises and to-dos. I'm excited! There are so many things I would like to do this year, so many areas I want to grow in... and yet I can't even mention one thing without first looking back at 2011. I like to think of it as a well-worn path of memories, accomplishments, and many, many failures, upon which I have learned countless valuable things and which has brought me to the place I am now. I have grown in my photography, a lot, and learned tons of new things about blog designing, and HTML in general (if you're an old follower, you probably know what I'm talking about ;). And 2012 is likewise, a path, yet untrodden, before me. I know that it'll be overgrown with weeds in places, even as it is sprinkled with colourful, sweet smelling flowers in others, but I take comfort in the fact that its Maker set it before me only because He knew I could make it to the end.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

"​For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." ~ Romans 8:28

With these thoughts in mind, I present to you my 2012 things-I-plan-to-do list (in no particular order). :)

2012 To-Do List
 
read 100 books
rewrite my novel, at least halfway
read at least two Jane Austen novels
reread Bryan Davis' Dragons In Our Midst and Oracles of Fire, then finish off with Song of the Ovulum
get a Kindle Touch
read Starlighter
read Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire
read LotR, ALL three parts this time
reread The Hobbit
review a book for a publisher
host a sponsor giveaway on either one of my blogs
get 100 followers on either one of my blogs
design at least 5 blogs, excluding my own
open an etsy shop
sell at least one of my photography prints
see The Hunger Games (March 23)
see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 17)
get a Canon 50mm lens
do all those other things I really want to do but can't think of right now :D

     So... what's on your list?

Those Last Few Moments

The New Year will be upon us in about 2 hours, more or less. You may be taking in this fact with great excitement and anticiaption at the coming of 2012, or maybe with a twinge of sadness at the loss of (wonderfully amazing) 2011, or perhaps with a bit of both. And so, whether you are swimming in a sea of 2011 memories or thinking of the wonders that 2012 may bring, I wanted to take a moment, before my 2011 blog archive closes, to wish you all a Happy New Year filled with many blessings and much happiness! For... 

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." ~ Isaiah 40:8

   Love in Christ,

When Life Gives You Lemons...

I'm currently very mad at myself. I feel like banging my head on the wall for the next hour.

You see, I was just looking through my photography folder in search of a specific photo when I noticed that half of my photos from June and August as well as all my July photos were GONE!

The mix-up that had led to me accidentally deleting them, I realized, must have happened a few weeks ago when I decided to transfer all my old photos to my dad's computer, because he has tons of space and I don't. Just in case you were wondering, all the computers in our house are connected so you can get on one computer and access data on another one, just as long as they're both on. Anyway, I remember copying all the photos from my folder and pasting them into my dad's folder. What I didn't realize I'd done then was that I'd actually cut the photos instead of simply copying them. Turns out something happened with the transferring process, and without my knowledge, it had somehow canceled itself. I got fooled into thinking that the process was complete, and without double-checking (BIG mistake) I went and deleted all the supposed 'copies' I had on my computer (yes, I did empty my recycle bin right after). And that was the tragic end of my photos...

So yes, I did get a few lemons today... But guess what?! I'll be making grape juice... ;)

via pinterest

...and taking billions of new photos to make up for the ones I lost!

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Because...

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...and that's all that really matters! :)

I Love You

I love you little brother.

...you always make me laugh! :)

I love you little sister... your smile lights up my day.

I love you mom... you're always there for me.

I love you dad... your faith inspires me.

180: The Movie

 

I just watched this and I think you should too! It's one of the best documentaries I've seen so far!

First Day of the School Year

September the 6th. It went by swiftly and smoothly for me. I still have a little video left to watch, but other than that, I'm done with schoolwork for today.

And honestly, it's really good to be doing schoolwork again! To have your planner pages all full with things to do! Sure, I'll miss summer, but in a way, I'm glad it's only a few months long.

There's something about those empty notebook pages that makes me want to pick up a pencil and fill them all with notes, math problems, and whatnot! Ever gotten that feeling before?

The thing I didn't like about today though, was that it was freezing cold! Believe it or not, but it's currently 13 degrees (celsius) out there. I'm wearing socks, sweatpants, and a sweater, and my nose still feels like an icicle. Fall certainly is picking up speed and it'll burst through our doors any minute now...

...with winter not far behind.

And yesterday, I even opened the door, and the air smelled like winter. You know that refreshing, icy cold scent that rides on breezes over freshly fallen, pure white, snow? That's exactly what I'm talking about. 

Hmmm... You know, I think I'll stop talking about winter now, and enjoy those last few days of summer. Hope you do too! :)

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~ Matthew 6:34