right now.

hey all. I haven't forgotten about this blog. life is really hard right now. physically. and of course that wears on you emotionally and mentally. We went to a new Dr. a few weeks ago and they helped us pull all my symptoms together and the cause is my messed up digestive/immune system. so I'm taking supplements and on a low carb/no dairy(in addition to being gluten and nut free) diet. I'm still feeling awful though. we are thinking its either my body detoxing or i'm allergic to one of the supplements. we are going to talk to the dr. tomorrow and see what they think.
its hard to keep going everyday. extremely hard. i'm discouraged and exhausted. God is faithful and full of love and strength which I rely on to get me through the next minute. There are happy moments....spending time with friends, my dad bringing home Redbox movies for me and sweet notes sent with chocolate. But like the Eleventh Doctor said, the good piles don't soften the bad piles very much. but they still count.
Also, I repeat Joshua 1:9 all day and night.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you may go."

There it is. Straight from Christ. Do not be discouraged. Be strong. The Creator of the universe has got my back. and He has yours too.

love,
marissa

p.s. a shout out to my new readers and followers! thank you :)

tumblr thursday vol. 14. short and sweet edition

because of this week being very long and tiring, mentally and physically I shall just post this:

because its awesome and relevant. 

Happy Thorsday 

{taken from tumblr} 

confessions

lets get real. and in this post I will use gifs to express some of my feelings.

confession: I watched the first 2 seasons Merlin within a week give or take a few days. and of course on the 3rd to last episode of season 2 our Netflix trial ended so now im having a mental breakdown hanging in suspense till we get to the library.

confession: these songs are on serious repeat. stronger, people help the people and i am second.

confession: im in a funk. im feeling pretty crummy physically and have been the past week and its getting to me.

confession: I totally smuggled water and pretzels into the movie theater even after the guy at the front said you couldn't take food/water in. the benefits of a good size purse people. {but it can't be too big because then they get suspicious.}

confession: I was telling my little brother to get down off my bed and I guess I had been "mocking" Batman a little too much lately because my "get down right now" came out in a very well done Batman voice.

confession: I downed a tub of Cherry Cordial frozen yogurt in a few days by myself. its THE BEST EVER.

confession: I've watched this interview at least 5 times. within the past 2-3 weeks. and I laugh so hard every time.




confession: squeezed my friends hand till it was numb during the first 20 mins of the Avengers. then i composed myself and was better.

confession: it bugs me when girls refer to guys as 'yummy'. they are not food. cherry cordial frozen yogurt is yummy and men are handsome.
okay? okay.

confession: every night i say, " im going to be in bed by 11-11:30 tonight." pshhh it does not happen.

I love confession posts, they are one of my favorite kind of blog posts. i love being real and up front.

do you have any confessions? serious or comical?

mia

just popping in to say that i might be a little mia for a while. there's a lot going on right now and blogging is going to be on the back burner. my great grandfather passed away this morning and so sometime this week we will be making an 8 hour trip to the funeral and such. then next week our friends are coming for spring break which i am SO pumped for. so the rest of this week will be tiring and a bit stressful. but it is what it is. i wanted to schedule picture posts of India from my mom's trip during next week but i'm not sure if that will happen. also, I've been feeling pretty crummy the past week or so. prayers would be appreciated.

real quick, in other news, I finished reading The Hunger Games. oh my word. LOVE IT. so much! I'm on Catching Fire and can't put it down!! I'm so excited to see the movie next week with my friends. I'll post more about that later. along with that, i haven't been on my tumblr dashboard because of all the movie spoilers!! i won't get back on till after i see it, i think i should get an award. i've gotten on my dashboard since sunday afternoon. i'm still posting a little bit and its spoiler free! ;)

that's its for now.
here's some bits of lovely that i've been enjoying. (because what's a post by me without some pictures? ;)

this is how i felt after i read The Hunger Games 

~Samarah

{30 Days of Mind and Body} Challenge

hey all!

I'm linking up with Betsy at A Wanderers Soul  for 30 Days of Mind and Body.

This really came at the perfect time because I just started doing Yoga, its said to help headaches. I got a beginners DVD from the library and have done it twice and I'm really enjoying it! While I love running and high cardio workouts, this has its benefits too. it helps relieve stress and just helps me breathe. ;)  I'm also learning that pushing my body so hard like that with Jillian Michael's dvds might not be the best thing overall. Anywho, I'm looking forward to doing this challenge which will really be a challenge because I'm still real sick. I'm feeling pretty much miserable actually. my head aches so bad and my sinuses are a mess. but i know i can do an hour{the DVD practice is an hour and so my goal is to do the whole thing but if i simply cannot I'll just do half or something.} of yoga everyday starting today.

 

i encourage you to join me, if not yoga then another sort of workout or healthy commitment.

happy wednesday♥
Samarah

Friday Favorites: from the week

happy friday people!

I'm having a hard day :/ i still have a really terrible headache and i'm having trouble getting school done and such and thus I am a bit discouraged and just...ugh feeling. trying to get keep going...

anywho, here are some random favorites from the week! :)

 this is so me sometimes. ;]

War Horse.

my mom and i went to see this on monday night and it was SO good. The acting was fantastic, the action, scenes, plot/story and time period was awesome. One of my things that I enjoyed about it was that is was believable and real. It wasn't too fantasy-ish. and I loved Tom Hiddleston in it, i really like his acting.  he was one of my favorite characters even though he{and a lot of other characters} didn't have a lot of screen time.


"Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name."
Revelation 3:12


I really like this office space and this sweater.

this score.




THIS Thor gif.

 this photo-- just wow.

 

 this song has encouraged me a lot.



My hope is in you Lord. all the day long.

watching I Love Lucy with my little sister and brother :)

and lastly this--




Oh and did I mention its snowing?? and 16 degrees? just the other day it was like 40 degrees. this weather is so crazy. anyway we are enjoying watch the snow fall :) but not liking having to go out in it ;)

have a great weekend!

♥Samarah

Praying for the Persecuted

Our pastor gave a really good sermon this morning about persecution. here are some points that stood out to me.

*Persecution is a Sobering Reality- Indeed all those who desire to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted

*Persecuting is a Purifying Tool- don't be surprise at the fiery trial when it comes upon you.  trials will make us stronger.

 "But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." - 1 Peter 3:14

Being counted worthy to suffer for the name of the Lord.

What Shall We Do?
*Pray like the early church. stand beside those who are being tortured for Christ.
*Examine ourselves--are we ready for persecution? 


There are many things worse than dying for Christ.

¹ Hear my prayer, LORD;
   let my cry for help come to you.
² Do not hide your face from me
   when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
   when I call, answer me quickly.

 ³ For my days vanish like smoke;
   my bones burn like glowing embers.
⁴ My heart is blighted and withered like grass;
   I forget to eat my food.
⁵ In my distress I groan aloud
   and am reduced to skin and bones.
⁶ I am like a desert owl,
   like an owl among the ruins.
⁷ I lie awake; I have become
   like a bird alone on a roof.
⁸ All day long my enemies taunt me;
   those who rail against me use my name as a curse.
⁹ For I eat ashes as my food
   and mingle my drink with tears
¹⁰ because of your great wrath,
   for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
¹¹ My days are like the evening shadow;
   I wither away like grass.

 ¹² But you, LORD, sit enthroned forever;
   your renown endures through all generations.
¹³ You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
   for it is time to show favor to her;
   the appointed time has come.
¹⁴ For her stones are dear to your servants;
   her very dust moves them to pity.
¹⁵ The nations will fear the name of the LORD,
   all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
¹⁶ For the LORD will rebuild Zion
   and appear in his glory.
¹⁷ He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
   he will not despise their plea.

 ¹⁸ Let this be written for a future generation,
   that a people not yet created may praise the LORD:
¹⁹ “The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high,
   from heaven he viewed the earth,
²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners
   and release those condemned to death.”
²¹ So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion
   and his praise in Jerusalem
²² when the peoples and the kingdoms
   assemble to worship the LORD.

 ²³ In the course of my life^[b] he broke my strength;
   he cut short my days.
²⁴ So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
   your years go on through all generations.
²⁵ In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
   and the heavens are the work of your hands.
²⁶ They will perish, but you remain;
   they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
   and they will be discarded.
²⁷ But you remain the same,
   and your years will never end.
²⁸ The children of your servants will live in your presence;
   their descendants will be established before you.”

Psalm 102

pray for those who share your faith but not your freedom.

a goodbye {and winter better not take over my autumn}

hello friends! I hope you are enjoying this chilly fall weather...from inside. haha I am ;) But really its been really cold lately.  I think we even have a chance for snow sometime soon. Um, no thank you. I'm not ready for that yet. I'd like the blue sky, leaves, warm hoodies and such for a while longer.

On a more serious note, my great-grandma on my dad's side passed away early on thursday morning. We celebrated her 93rd birthday on the tuesday before. I'm glad we were able to be with her on that day. her passing was expected, she had been in a nursing home for a few years and her health was declining. I wasn't close to her but that doesn't make it easier. As far as we know she was not a Christian and neither are the rest of my dad's family. So we are praying that we(my family) would be good testimonies and reflections of Christ.

 here are some autumn photos for your pleasure...{except for the first one, I took all of these this morning. there was a really pretty frost.}

Well my little brother has had a fever since last night and we've been laying low(i.e. catching up on sleep ;) but he's feeling a bit better now and so we are off to do some things :)

So what's the weather like where you are? is winter beginning to grab your autumn-ness away?

Samarah♥

9/11--10 years ago today

 may we never forget. 

{check out this 9/11 blog post by Jocee. it will make you think.}   

  


   

I need a hand to help me find my way back home.

hey peoples! so sorry its taken me a week and a half to post again :( A few days after my last post a sinus infection took me under. and i tried everything...tea, steam. Vicks, sinus pills etc. and it refused to leave. and yesterday i was just so miserable. overwhelming headache. and i was so clogged up. i can't remember the last time i've felt so bad. I was exhausted. thankfully we didn't have to babysit any kids so i was able to sleep. I didn't even go to soccer practice because i was feeling that bad. SO today i went to the dr. and she said its a sinus infection and she gave me some nasal "mist" (I have had a bad experience with things being squirted up my nose but the "mist" is much better) and some antibiotic. I won't get the medicine until tomorrow but i've already done the mist and i'm feeling a tad better. now its mostly the HEADACHE. goodness gracious. it makes me so sick and in pain and tired. bleh. the dr. also gave us the number for a allergy specialist(?) because a sinus infection can be an allergic reaction to something. so we'll see.

also, goodbye summer. school is here. summer went by fast didn't it? or maybe that's just me? This week we started 2 subjects, Algebra and Geography for me. I love being homeschooled and that we can just ease into it. it makes it less painful ;D  Have you started yet? are you jumping in full force or easing into it? :)


back to blogging....I'm going to write up some posts and schedule them for the rest of the week. I'm going to a Do Hard Things conference with my mom and some friends this weekend so i won't be blogging. but look for posts about  my thoughts about Thor and Inception and photos from our trip :)

and since a post isn't a post without music here's one for ya ;)

And i've got to get back home to you

i'm not sure about you but Pinterest is a lovely place. yes there are some raunchy stuff on it but its not everywhere and if you're careful of you follow and what you search for, you can avoid it. its a fabulous place to get ideas for crafts, dreams and life. haha ;) {If you're on there i'd love to check you out! here's my profile.}

here are some of my favorite pins this week--

via

via

via

via

via

via

via

well that's it for now, i'm off to do other things. i hope you are having a good wednesday night :]

♥Samarah

random post...cuz I feel like blogging about random things.

hey! just thought i'd do a post blogging about some random things and hopefully it will take my mind of my headache that i've had since last sunday/monday that won't go away even though i'm resting, drinking, moving, eating, sleeping that i'm supposed to. is <--- that a run on sentence? yeah I think it is. ;)

 this is how i feel about this headache. 

+at the beginning of the summer, my dad, sibs and I were wandering around yard sales on saturday and I wasn't finding any good finds and then i found this for $2 at the last sale we went to.

yep. it looked like it had just been bought and watched once or twice. for 2 bucks. i was happy. :)


+i'm really looking forward to football.  I miss crashing on the couch after church and cheering for
my team :)

+ this song and this song.

+ reminding myself of this...

via

i struggle with comparing myself to other bloggers. i think we all do. so and so gets more comments than me or so and so have more followers or so and so's posts are so much more enjoyable. i let those thoughts and more steal my joy for blogging. blogging is a place where i can be myself and share my thoughts about life. it should be a joy. share your heart and blog about what you want to. don't base your blog on what others want or what you think will get you the most comments. just be you and people will come :)

via

via

 + my team and i won our first game on saturday! it was hot{we were in the direct sun. no shade} and were really tired afterwards but we did it :) Now that we have our first game under our cleats ;) i'm looking forward to future practices/games.
Though, the 4th quarter, I had to sit out because my head had starting getting worse with the pain. it really put a dent in my playing. I have a game tomorrow and I'm hoping I can give it my all. That the pain won't be too overbearing.

+ I cannot spell  especially to save my life. --so I have to google the word to get the correct spelling and i did it just now. and of course I spelled it right. haha ;)

+ i want to see this movie--

via

+and finally these lyrics--

 It's clear enough to me The ugliness I see Is evidence of who I need

 -Needtobreathe

hope you have a great rest of the night and good start to the week! mine is going to be full for sure :)

much love♥
Samarah