I'm Sure You Know By Now, BUUUUT...

I have a new blog!

Courtney in California doesn't apply to me right now, 

but Courtney Amber always will :)

(Go ahead, click on my name; it's a link!)

Feel free to read and even comment on any of the 57 other posts I have on here at Courtney in California, ranging from August 2011 to July 2013!

Hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Come visit my new blog as often as you can!

^_^

With lots of love and a new blog, 

-Courtney

Back To "Point A"

A year ago, 

I never thought I would be where I am today

Six months ago, 

I never thought I would be where I am today

Three months ago, 

I never thought I would be where I am today

Yet today has come, and I am here

Wow!

It is absolutely amazing how much we plan and expect and prepare for our futures when we truly have no real control over any of the details in any way.

If you had told me that, in July of 2013, I was going to be staying in California, planning to go back to finishing my degree online, applying for multiple job opportunities, and constantly trying to figure out "Okay God, where are You leading me now?", I would have laughed and said "Oh no. I'm actually going to be doing x, y, and z... That's going to be so much better for me and I'm learning so much more this way." 

Of course, I would change my situation in a heartbeat if I was given the opportunity, but if so many decisions and situations in my life had not happened, I would never have been able to learn all that I have in the ways that I have. Not only that, but I also would have probably missed out on reconnecting with friends I haven't talked with in weeks, months, some even over a year! 

God has consistently shown me ways that I have been so richly blessed in my life. I have quite a lot to learn, that's for sure, but He is always teaching me and leading me and growing me in His perfect plan for my life. I may be devastated at times, I may be in my ultimate at times, but each one is equally important in teaching me about who He is and who I am in Him. If nothing else, that is what makes life worth living. 

No, I may not have all the answers. Yes, I may make a lot of mistakes. Yet I know that each and every decision in my life, made by myself and by others, has brought me to where I am today. Lord willing, five years from now I will be able to look back and say "Oh! That was when I was facing life without very much of a promising future... Isn't it amazing how the Lord has brought me from there to here?" 

Heck, I can even say that now :)

I am further along in finishing my degree. I have had so many amazing life experiences. I have traveled a lot more and further than I expected to. I have met and made so many friends and acquaintances. All of these and so many more things have happened in ways and for reasons that I certainly haven't always understood, but I am so grateful that they happened.

These past few months have opened up my eyes to so many more opportunities and possibilities to learn, and grow, and fail, and, ultimately, mature into the young woman God has created me to become. So watch out world! I'm back to Point A, and the next few years are going to be a lot more than you ever expected!

Okay, I promise I'll have some more interesting posts in the future, but I just had to get this off my chest. :)

Feel free to shoot me a message or give me a call. I have plenty of time and am really enjoying reconnecting with people again. Goodness knows it helps to keep my mind off things lately! 

With lots of time and lots of love,

-Courtney

I'm Baaackkk! :)

Okay...! 
I'm back...! 
It's been over a year, but I'm finally back...!

No, this is not going to be a post where I go over what I have been doing this past year, or even what I have been doing recently. Rather, this is a post to let you know that I am going to try and blog once again...

A few of you may have seen the blog that I just started:  

A Pint of Pinterest

I hope to continue with that endeavor as well this one, and plan to share links from there on here if/when they occur... Just trying to keep myself busy, you know? :)

As I'm sure most of you know, I am still in California. However, I am NOT still at Providence. If you would like to have my current address, just shoot me an email and, if I know you, I will definitely share it with you. 

A HUGE, GINORMOUS thank you shout-out to my friend Brittany and her mom (Affectionately known as "Mum"), who, last minute, took me into their home with open arms and have been a huge blessing and source of love and support for me since I came here in May! Also, a special shout-out goes to my "Big Little Brother" Timmy (From school, not back home!), for being a wonderful "sibling" and friend... And for giving me awesome cheer-up hugs when I need them!

Currently, I am in the process of applying for and waiting to hear back about job opportunities out here... It's been a bit frustrating at times, but I know that I will get a job at the right time... I just need to learn patience and trust.

Patience and Trust

Oh goodness, I am learning about both of those A LOT in pretty much every area of my life right now. Relying on the Lord when your life gets turned upside-down and seemingly ripped to shreds is a HUGE struggle to experience day-to-day! Praise the Lord that I have strong Christian family members and friends who have been praying for me and supporting me through all of this. I get so blinded and depressed by everything that is happening in my life so often, I feel as though my only purpose in life is to show people that they could have it worse... They could be me...(!)

Lately, I decided to read through the Psalms. Me being me, I decided to do something a little bit different. Instead of just reading through the Psalms in chronological order, I decided that I would read that day's Psalm and all the other Psalms which were multiples of that day... Yep, I told you, me being me ;)

Here's an example for you: Today I plan to read Psalm 19, 38, 57, 76, 95, 114, and 133 because they are all multiples of "19". It may seem like a lot - Trust me, when 119 is one of the multiples, it really does!-, but I enjoy it. I may not always know exactly how to respond to or even understand exactly what I am reading, but pushing myself to be in the Word has pushed me towards the Lord in more ways than I imagined.

Yesterday, one of my favorite verses happened to be Psalm 18:6 (Cool huh? It was the 18th of June... 18/6... Well, I thought it was cool..). Here it is:

"In my distress I called upon the Lord;

to my God I cried for help.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears."
~Psalm 18:6

Yes, the Lord hears my cry, my tears, my voice, and my desires. He extends His love, His patience, and, most importantly, His Spirit towards me as I struggle. Even now, I can see little bits and pieces of growth in my life from Him that were not there before.

Time and time again, I find myself being brought to one of my all-time favorite verses in the Bible: Philippians 4:4-9, especially verses 4-7 (Verses in bold):

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
~Philippians 4:4-9

Whew! I think that says it all doesn't it? I don't even need to say anything else! I may not know what the Lord is doing in my life, but I do know that what He IS doing is bringing or will bring Him the most glory because His plan is perfect.

If nothing else, I can rejoice knowing that there is a plan and purpose. Not just any plan and purpose. Not multiple plans and purposes for my life (Just in case one or more of them fail). No, there is only ONE plan and ONE purpose for my life because it was PERFECTLY planned by The One, The ONLY One, Who Is Perfect!

Wow...! Well, I have a lot to work on, but I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for me :)

Feel free to give me a call, send me a message, write me a letter, or use any other form of communication to talk with me. I would LOVE to hear from you! 
:)

With lots of love and lots to learn,
-Courtney

The Changing of the Necklace

Well everyone, it's actually happening...

After over a year, I am FINALLY changing my necklace!!


I started wearing this necklace in 2012 during the last month of my Senior year... 



...It had belonged to my Gigi (My maternal great-grandmother) which makes it extremely special to me...

...I have not taken it off more than twice since I first put it on... 

(Don't worry, I definitely cleaned it!)

As a firm creature of habit (And one who is sometimes prone to stick with said habits even up until the silliest of degrees!) changing necklaces is a big deal for me... 

A change to which one must ask a question...

(One that has always been near and dear to my siblings' hearts...)

--- Why? ---

Well, while my Mom attended a homeschool convention in Hartford, CT this past weekend, she bought me a necklace...

She told me that she hoped it would inspire me to do exceptionally well in school this year and serve as a reminder for me of a special goal that I have...

Can you guess what that goal might have something to do with?

Really? 

Are you sure that's what it could be? 

I mean, it might not actually be what you first think it is... Or is it?

Here, take another look...

...Well, I'm sure you have a pretty good guess by now...

;)

Lord willing, I will be joining a group of  my wonderful classmates and friends on a super-special trip (Which my college calls an "Avodah Excursion") to *ISRAEL* in May 2013!!

Our Bible professor will be leading our group throughout Israel and teaching us about the culture; biblical history; and a multitude of other wonderful insights and bits of knowledge that he has to share!

 Dr. Swanson actually lived in Israel for seven years and while there he attending the masters program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; So we are all very excited to follow his lead off-campus as much as (and even more-so) as we do on-campus! :)

The trip will take about 16 days and we will be going practically Everywhere!

^_^

Isn't it beautiful? :)

Soo...

Here's hoping that, instead of saying "Next year in Jerusalem" at the end of Passover, I get to say "Just a few more WEEKS until Jerusalem"!!

I am so beyond excited about this trip and hope that I will be able to take part in it next Spring!
^_^
With love and a sleepy smile in Lawrence, MA,
-Courtney

P.S.
I know that it has been FOREVER since I have posted on my blog, but I hope to rectify that as soon as possible!

So much has been happening and at this point I'm just trying to stay a half-step ahead of the whirlwind!
Just sit tight and pray that I can share an update in the near future!

Oh!
And don't forget to smile!
;)

-Courtney

I Am So Easily Distract...Oooh Look...!

It's amazing how easily distracted I can...

Hey look! A new message! I wonder who it...

Wow! Someone commented! What did they...

Oh wait..I have to work on...

I wonder what tomorrow will...

No, I have to write this Final for...

I wonder if I should post or...

Hmmm...

I'm surprise I made it this...

Yikes! I have to...

With love and...

-Court

SQUIRREL!

;)

Staged 

Mathematical Humor and Other Musings Here

So... My fellow classmates and I have our College Algebra Final this evening at 6:45pm PST...

Our Math professor, David Swanson, who is Dr. Swanson's son, has made this an interesting, sometimes enjoyable experience for all of us...

But I know that all would agree that, despite a riveting semester, we cannot wait to be done with Math!

Just for clarification and as a btw, Dr. Scott Swanson teaches BTS (Biblical-Theological Studies) at Providence and I will also be having a Final Exam in his BTS 112 class at 1pm PST today (Tuesday)

...So today is my "Swanson Exams" day...

...Fun stuff...

...Anyways, back on subject...

Despite previously exciting experiences, I am, unfortunately, not understanding the new material...

Log and its inverse function (I think it's known as "e"?) are not registering in my poor, little brain...

...Or at least not as anything understandable anyways...

>.<

If anyone could possibly help me out with understanding these methods to any degree, I would be greatly appreciative and infinitely indebted to their assistance!

I will be free from 3:30pm PST - 5:30pm PST

...I'm serious...

However...On the flip-side...

Here are a few things about math that I do know...

...Humor...

This reminded me of the time that Professor Swanson entered in an equation and showed us a "frog"

(It was a frog...Right??)

I feel like this is something Luke would do to make us all laugh...

;)

Pathetic? Yes!

...But hilarious at 4:30am without any sleep or prospects thereof...

NO KIDDING!

I agree...

...Or at least when you move towards the more advanced math...

Calvin & Hobbes AND the recognition of mathematical plotting??

My morning has been made!

^_^

...No, I was NOT referring to graph plotting!...

Well, I think that's about it...

I have a lot to do this week, but hopefully I will be able to give you all a quick update sometime before Saturday!

With lots of studying to do and an extremely stretched and exhausted brain, I bid you...

Oh wait...I forgot...I'm pulling an all-nighter...

I should probably say something better suited to the present circumstances....

...Well, I guess I can say "I'll write you later" then...

So...Ummm...Yeah...

I'll write you later!

-Courtney

The Very First

A few years ago, towards the end of summer 2006 I believe,
I had a life-changing "First"...

It was in Vermont at the home of one of my Mom's college friends, whom we call "Aunt Nicky". She was doing work around her home, such as planting a garden and painting her garage/shed and wanted some help. The shed and garage were being painted white with a beautiful green trim, but at the time, only the shed was finished. My sisters and I were picked up to go to Vermont early so we could help start planting Nicky's garden with her. 

Towards the end of our visit, before the rest of our family had joined us, there were quite a few rainstorms. After a long, hot day's work in the garden, the storms were a welcome source of cool refreshment. Sometimes, I would just sit by myself on the porch and watch as the steady wall of raindrops would bounce off the roof of the recently painted shed and spill down its steep, shingled slope. 

It was breathtaking.

At the time, I didn't have a camera of my own. But I knew that as soon as my parents came with Dad's camera, I was going to get that picture. Not being able to take a picture of the rain made me so fidgety that sometimes I wasn't able to simply enjoy the experience. I was nervous of the possibility that, by the time they arrived, the storms would have passed and I would never be able to show what I had seen. I so desperately wanted to be able to share just a snippet of what I had been experiencing with others. I prayed and begged God to not have the storms pass until I was able to get this picture. 

When my parents finally arrived, there was no rain. There were clouds in the sky, but rain was not on the forecast. However, just after dinner, when everyone was inside, it began to drizzle, which turned into rain, which then turned into a complete downpour. I remember rushing around trying to find the bin that had Dad's camera in it and then finally running out onto the porch. At last, I stood beneath the shelter of the porch roof, camera in hand. I took off its cap; slid the power button over; stepped back; and pressed my finger ever-so-lightly on the button to focus the shot. And then, I had done it. The picture was taken.

I would say "It was all over in a flash" but that would be way too punny and I actually didn't even use it. ;)

When I walked back inside, I stood in the kitchen and stared at the tiny display screen. I finally had the picture. My  picture. The moment I saw it, I knew that I wanted to do photography forever.

  Little did I know that that picture would be the start of something beyond what I could have ever imagined at the time.

Little did I know that I would continue to seriously pursue photography as a hobby.

Little did I know that the very first step in my new hobby, would also be the very first step towards Heart*Soul*Mind Photography, my very own photography business.  

Little did I know that, through my photography business, I would have the opportunity to touch people's lives by sharing with them not only wonderful memories of family and friends, but also God's handiwork throughout His Creation. 

 To you, it may seem as though I'm "Only saying that" and "This might be just a little over the top," but I am being completely honest. Everything in this blog post is 100% how it happened and what I was feeling both at the time and in this very moment. 

So now, without further ado...
Here is my very first picture:

(The only edit that was made to this picture was my watermark)

"For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God." - Hebrews 6:7

I have another two or more posts on my photography coming up soon, within the next week or month.

Until then, God bless; have a great day; and I hope you enjoyed my blog post.

:)

With love and a sun-filled day,

-Courtney