I Miss Blogging!

[L. here]
I'm sorry!
 I haven't posted in like a month and I really wish I had! If I could think a post while in bed at night and have it post without using a computer or my hands I would have posted like 8 in this time but ya know that's not really possible and probably wouldn't go very well anyway. (M. would have to do a ton of editing!)
 I have really missed simplex over the past month + . I have even tried blogging as an attempt to help with inspiration for assignments.(more on that later)
 I have been thinking about this post for weeks (and by the time I post it I will have been writing for weeks).
So here is my explanation of why I have been gone, along with some other thoughts and stories from my non-posting days:
  I've been really busy...kind of; I had a partial spring break for two weeks, but I didn't want to spend it all on the computer, and I had a speech tournament during the second week.  I'll admit I have had some free time recently but it has been spent on other things I have missed like reading other blogs  and Christian books, strengthening relationships and praying about God's plans for me. (Okay, well the part I didn't waste thinking about guys, trying to figure out my ever evolving hair cut, and stressing out, etc.)
So that out of the way, something came full circle (as M. says) for me today (like a week ago now). I got an email from Spotify saying that a new Jonathan Thulin song was available. When I went to his page I  found a song I have been waiting for since I heard it at the concert I wrote about in Summer Testimony.
 It is called The Ruins and I put it on the Living Sacrifice playlist which you can find here.

Here's a sample of something I tried to write while preparing for a  speech tournament (with a few edits I couldn't resist).

"Hey People!
 I am trying something new because I can't figure out how to explain something in a speech, so I'm going to tell you about it and see if that helps.
Lets start at the beginning: I am an insecure extravert. When I feel lonely or left out my insecurity's and extravert needs go nuts and I usually get emotional.  I have started to realize that my reaction is the problem though. Not the fact that I get left out sometimes. In fact if I had gone to every coffee date, movie night, and birthday party I ever wanted to go to I would have missed out on some really important God time.
When plans fall through for a coffee with a friend, or I have to leave a party earlier than I wanted to, I often start out mad but now I realize my mistake of getting so caught up in people; and that God might have better plans for that time. I almost always spend the extra alone time thinking, reading, and praying way more productively than when I try to do those things at other times. I don't know why. Maybe God puts some kind of guard around those times from distraction. Or maybe being emotionally worn out helps somehow. IDK. It's pretty cool though. {Maybe it's just His timing.}

I love that for this blog post because on simplex we can ask questions without having the answers. Can I do that at a speech tournament? Maybe I am to tied to having all the answers. Maybe a little more honesty would be a good thing? Guess I should pray about it. I am supposed to be memorizing but actually after all the work I put in to writing them my first three paragraphs were practically memorized by the time I actually started trying to say them from memory so I guess I shouldn't worry too much. I don't want to stress my coaches though. Maybe it will be memorized by Monday anyway. Will see. Lets try again..."

That is when I went back to writing my speech which ended up including no such point but made it to finals at the tournament anyway. :) 

Well I am exhausted but I hope this all meant something to you.
L.


P.S. Want to see what I've been reading? Check out these blogs and the books they are connected to  Lies young women believe (and the truth that sets them free)  and
 Paula writes (Confessions of a boy crazy girl)

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” "

 (Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV [ bold added])