Success!!!!!!

Hey guys (and gals) so I promised an update on my speech and debate tournament so here it is. I competed in a total of three events over two days. Lincoln Douglas Debate (or LD). This is a values debate and I got 12th place and a green check mark. That means that I am halfway to qualifying to NITOC (kind of like the Superbowl for Speech and Debate) in LD. I also did Parliamentary debate which is molded after the British Parliament. This is where each team (consisting of two people) has 15 minutes to create a debate case on the topic that was given at the beginning of prep time. This could be about a value (Resolved Freedom is more important than Security), policy (This House Would significantly Increase the use of Alternative energy), fact (Another Hiroshima is inevitable) or it could be a metaphor (Resolved: The Grass is Greener in Asia). Sides are decided at random so sometimes you debate something you don't agree with. My partner and I got 5th and a green check mark. The last event I competed in was Extemp. This is where you get a question about the news that you have to answer. You have 30 minutes to create a 7 minute speech in that I got 14th and a green check mark.

One of my mentos Cassie got THIRD in LD at her first tournaments!!!!!!!!!! I am so proud of her. Karlyn got 2nd in Mars Hill and Reesey got 3rd in Apologetics. I am so proud of everyone!


(Sorry guys instead of publishing it just saved this post as a draft.)

Worship

Sorry I haven't been posting lately! I have been sooooo busy with school and such. I have a Speech and Debate tournament at the end of the week so I am frantically trying to get ready for that (updates to come). Just a quick thought about worship. Everyone worships different and there is not wrong way to do so. Something I have noticed is that memories often flood through my head when I am worshiping. Siting around the piano on New Years with my friends singing worship songs and almost missing the fire works. Playing Frisbee, debate rounds, times with family, etc. They are always happy memories ones that I cherish but if I stop singing or focus on a memory they loose their clarity or slip away. By the end of worship I have this amazing sense of peace and happiness. Weird right? This doesn't always happen, sometimes I am just singing my heart out and other times I have revelations about who God is or other important things concerning life. What happens when you worship? Do you experience joy, love, peace, or all three? What are somethings God has shown you while worshiping? Anyway got to run and I promise to let you know how the tournament went.

A Hobby of Mine

You may or may not know that I am an avid baker and enjoy decorating cakes. Here are some pictures of a few cakes I have done. I feel I need some more variation on the types of posts I do so this will be the first in the Cooking/Baking Series.


This is a cake I made for two of my friends who have a birthday on the same day. So I made them this cake for the party they were having, each girl has a half of the cake with their initials. Half of the balls fell of in the process of transporting it though :).

This is a cake I made for a friend who was moving to Germany. Each of the flags represent one of the countries she had lived in.

This is a cake I made for my brothers birthday exactly one year ago! On the side is a bunch of sky scrapers but I did not have a good picture  of that.

This cake I made for one of my dearest friends before she moved to California. It is the only one of the cakes that does not have any fondant. I hand piped the design which is suppose to look like Henna.

These are 4 of my most recent cakes and the ones I am probably most proud of.


There is one small matter of business I would like to address before signing off. My brother is turning 8! He is the sweetest, little gentleman! I encourage him never to stop showing the world how a real man is suppose to act. Happy Birthday Jack!

Petra

For those of you who don't know what is going on with Petra here is an update. She is doing amazing, out of the hospital and in rehab she will go home soon! She has NO permeate damage! We managed to raise quite a bit of money and are trying for a little more. Mrs. Anderson is in Texas getting her treatment! Petra as it turns out has a rare brain defect that created a small slightly curvy path in her brain that is all liquid. The bullet fallowed that exact path not even touching her brain. Lucky? I think not.  Psalms 139:13-16 says: 

Petra. I got this photo from  here they did a broadcast on Petra's
story I recommend you listen to it. There is also a Anderson
Family Prayers, Well Wishes, and Relief Fund Facebook
page which you should check out since I am incapable to keep
you guys updated. Wow that was a long caption ;) 

"For you created my inmost being; 
       you knit me together in my mother's 
              womb 
I praise you because I am fearfully and 
             wonderfully made; 
       your works are wonderful 
      I know that full well"  
My frame was not hidden from you 
     when I was made in the secret 
             place. 
When I was woven together in the depths 
             of the earth, 
      your eyes saw my unformed 
             body. 
All the days ordained for me 
       were written in you book 
       before one of them came to be."


God knew that Petra would be in the theater that night, that she would be shot in the head, and that her story would touch so many people. He once again has shown his mighty and powerful hand in guiding the bullet through that path and also the doctors when they were reconstructing her nose (the thin layer that prevented brain juice from flowing out your nose or nose fluids flowing in to your brain, had been shattered). Doctors have said that if the bullet had strayed even a fraction of a centimeter she would probably be dead. Isn't God amazing!!!!!


Well I shall leave you to marvel at the glorious hand of God and I am going to watch the Olympics!

Petra Anderson

Petra is an alumni of Speech and Debate, she is near and dear the the hearts of many of my friends. She was shot several times in the arm and once in the head. God has already provided her with healing! She is talking and walking and will recover. Here comes the tough part her mom has cancer and needs treatment. I know how expensive doctor bills are and they need our help. Our prays are with the Anderson Family, for strength and courage. If you can help in any way please do so and please share this with all your friends.


Also check out this link: http://www.indiegogo.com/readytobelieve

Thoughts for the Day

Thought #1: Sometimes you gotta let loose and play with the little kids.


Thought #2: Most of the time the people who most deserve our hate need our love even more.


Thought #3: A need for the recognition as someone great can lead to mutated food and obesity. ;)


Thought #4: Friends are God's way of saying we don't have to walk alone.


Thought #5: Miraculous miracles are not things of the past.




What are your thoughts of the day??????

And Now It's Time To Take the Risk!!!!!

TTR or Take the Risk is a limited prep duo. That's right two people have are given a topic and then they must preform a speech on it together. This event only comes once a year for the Pueblo Tournament and the last round it a mock debate. Last year I watched the funniest TTR debate round I have ever seen between 4 of my friends and while browsing Youtube I found a taping of it! So now for you enjoyment I present a funny debate round with caffeine and ninjas. ;) I love these guys so much! One last thing it is not suppose to be serious and many of the facts presented are either made up or  poke fun at the other team. Enjoy!

A Tribute to a Friend

My friend Cynthia has a blog of which I am an avid reader. She is the kind of person who wants to skip the small talk and get to the deeper things. Many times she will dig until she finds what is troubling you then help how ever she can, whether it be advice, comfort, or just encouragement. Cynthia has made me look at things in a new perspective and has also shown me that I may not be as close to God as I think. Why, may you ask, is this good? Well she has driven me to search deeper in myself and form a closer relationship with God, not only through her blog but also in person. Cynthia has inspired me to learn to listen for Gods voice even when I don't think I need to hear it. It will be a long journey but I know I will have some help along the way. Here is the link to her blog: http://www.cynthiajeub.com/ I encourage you to go through and read posts for she truly has a way with words. Also her latest post is a Vlog (Video blog) and has some interesting thoughts. So thank you Cynthia for being a role model in my life.

Happy Father's Day

Father, friend, dad, superhero, protector, mentor. All these are different names for dads. They are our protectors, playmates, mentors, and superheros. They sacrifice much and seem to gain so little in return.  They teach us all they know and walk along with us as we go through our own lives. I remember many long nights and car rides my dad and I have had where we talked about anything from fishing to case ideas to politics or just sat and watched nature shows wondering at the marvel of God's creation. Also the days spent hiking, golfing, or at the archery range. All these are treasured times and I hope we will have many more. I know many dads who struggle every day to be the best dad they can be and while they are not perfect (I mean who is) they come pretty close. Take a moment to thank your dads for all those talks, trips to the ice cream parlor, and all the sacrifices he has made for you. Happy Fathers day to all you wonderful fathers out there. You truly are our superheros. 

The Power of Remembering

My first year in speech and debate I felt like a third wheel. No one really knew me or paid attention to me and the only way they would is if I was hanging out with one of my friends. Even then I didn't feel included in the conversation. Or so I thought. The next year we had our first club meeting of the year and Kaitlin one of the girls I had come to admired in the last year (and still do) came up to me gave me a hug and said "Hey Lauren how was your summer". That simple sentence left me speechless and made my hear soar. She remembered my name and actually cared how my summer went! It happened once more that day and I felt important like I was really worth being noticed. To this day when someone remembers my name, a speech I did, or asks how my Extemp or debate round went, especially those who I admire, I feel content and happy. Just simply remembering someones name can wash away some of the self doubt people have. At this last tournament I set out to make people feel the same way and give them a chance to express their frustrations. Anytime I passed someone in the hallway whose name I knew or who I recognized, I asked them how their round went or just said hi. Did it make a difference? Who knows but because of those people who remembered my name I have wanted to make sure no one feels like they are beneath notice. God created everyone with such amazing talents and unique personality quirks and they are all worth noticing and getting to know. Don't underestimate the power for saying hi to someone because sometimes it works wonders and can lead to amazing relationships. 

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is not about barbecues and long weekends.  Today is about mourning those we have lost, thanking those who have come home, and praying for those who are still overseas fighting for something we take for granted everyday: Freedom. Us ordinary folk don't understand the immense sacrifice the both the service men and women and their families make until someone we love goes overseas. For any service men or women reading this weather you are active duty or have served in wars past I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You guys have the kind of courage I can only hope to have. I look upon you guys with awe and respect. For those of you who have family members who are serving currently take heart. Know that the prayers of many add to yours as you pray for their safety. I can only imagine what you go through everyday and I respect you for it. For those of you who have lost sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters or friends just know that God is with you. I can't make up for your loss nor can anyone else but God can fill that hole and he is with you even as you read these words. He will comfort you during this hard time. For everyone else don't ever take for granted what these men and women do because if it weren't for them the America we love would not exist. This song represents what I am saying almost perfectly:) Please keep them in your hearts and prayers.  
                                                                                                                                                                                 

The Little Things

I love archery! It is one of my favorite sports and today my wonderful mother took me to the shooting range to practice. Although it was fun I shot very poorly. When talking to one of the workers there she told me I could have changed my grip. It got me thinking: how could such a small change completely mess up my shot? I think it is the same in our lives something small comes along and we feel like our lives are completely off track. By small I mean not doing well at a competition or not getting that new job you wanted. While those things seem big at the time they are really small things. See God has a plan for our lives and his timing is perfect. If we can't trust him with the little things then whose to say that we will when something big comes along. Proverbs 3:5-6 says:


Trust in the Lord with all your Heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make your path straight. 

So in order to keep my arrow on track I have to fix my grip and for us to keep our lives on track we simply have to trust God. Will it feel like we loose control sometimes? Most likely, but if we trust God 100% our arrows will always land in the Bulls-eye.  

Pourquoi sommes-nous ici?

In other words why are we here? What is the purpose of this blog? Well this is a place for me to express my thoughts and opinions on things in life. Current events, my faith, photograph, and anything else under the sun is fair game. I am not sure exactly what I want to accomplish with this blog but I guess I can figure that out along the way. Almost everything on this blog will be my opinion which is by no means the right one. Feel free to let me know if I am wrong about something. I am open to all opinions and may be swayed if sufficient evidence is presented to prove me wrong. :) I also don't mind you building upon what I say or even (dare I say it) agreeing with me. ;) Now that we got the "why we are here" out of the way let me tell you a little about myself. I compete in STOA, a national Speech and Debate league for home-schooled Christians, in which I am an avid competitor. My other passions include reading and baking/cake decorating. I could read for days on end. Just give me a book and I am happy! Hanging out with my friends is one of my favorite things to do and is usually accomplished at speech and debate tournaments or playing Ultimate Frisbee and sometimes both. So there you have it my first post. I am looking forward to sharing my opinions and beliefs with you guys.  Au revoir.