A New Year, A New Life

Happy new year, and happy first post of 2014! Every year people all around the world make resolutions. Some are things like get more healthy, have a better job, get better grades, and so on. When we make these goals, we think that the new year will completely transform our lives and we'll get everything we want. But that's not the case at all. I think purpose of these resolutions is for us to change our own lives, not have the new year change us. We have to be the ones to initiate the action of change in our lives. The new year doesn't change us. We change us. That being said, here are my resolutions for this year. They are things that I really want to improve on this year, and years to come.

1. Have fun/Be productive 

My Christmas break is almost over, and my vacation went by so fast. I had a great time with my family, but once I returned to my home town, I just sat around. I need to change that. I need to do things to fill my time with because I feel that I could be more productive if I would just get off the couch. And if I keep myself busy, I usually have way more fun. So this is my first resolution for 2014.

2. Music, Music, and more Music

Music is one of the most important things in my life. This year, I've been involved many music things. At the beginning of this year, I was involved five different musical groups and frantically practicing for All-State Choir auditions. And this school year is only half way over. I'll be practicing for The Sound of Music until the end of March. I'll be taking part in concerts and other music events. But even though I'm involved so much at school, there are still things I wish to work on. I really want to advance my singing, and I want to work on my piano skills as well. And I hope to continue to surround myself with music everyday.

3. Stay Focused!
I get so distracted with so many things today. Technology is part of that. I remember when I was a kid, I could play the same thing for the longest time because there weren't as many things to get distracted by. Although that was only about 10-12 years ago, technology plays a completely different role, especially with social media. There wasn't Facebook or Twitter or Instagram when I was really young. Life has completely changed. Now, I need to learn to stay focused with my schoolwork and the goals that I have for my life, and not so much with the social network around me.


I hope you all have a wonderful new year, and I hope you continue to grow in knowledge with the many years to come.  

Weekly Update 2 and A Merry Christmas To You!

Christmas is only five days away. My house today was buzzing. Cookies were being made and delicious treats. My family was frantically packing everything we needed for our trip. We're visiting relatives in Wisconsin, and we're trying to get everything ready to go in a small amount of time.

I am so excited for Christmas. It's a wonderful time to reunite with family and to spend time in fellowship. The food is always amazing, and the stories that my relatives tell make it so memorable. But every Christmas season, I remember the glorious event of Christ's birth. This is the true reason to celebrate Christmas, and it's so wonderful that I can spend this season with other believers.

My life is very relaxed and happy right now, but it wasn't like that about 8 hours ago. I had my last three exams at school, and I'm sure my hand has suffered permanent damage from all the writing I had to do. Exams, they are the worst. I think it's just a way for teachers to see us suffer. But when the last exam is over, it's probably one of the best feelings ever.


I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas, whether it's big or small. Remember the gift of giving, and the ultimate gift Christ gave to us.

Merry Christmas!

Album of the Week: BEYONCÉ by Beyoncé. This album is a work of art. It's probably one of the best albums I have ever heard. So please, if you get anything this season, get this album!

It's That Time of the Year

Get those pots boiling, and get those pans cooking! 

It's that time of the year again. The time when chaos is created in every kitchen in America to create the most scrumptious meal of the year. I'm talking about Thanksgiving of course. Although this day has already past, I am still in the Thanksgiving spirit. When we Americans think of Thanksgiving, we picture a big giant turkey, stuffed with herbs and spices, slow roasted for hours, served on a giant plate of mashed potatoes and gravy. And why shouldn't we picture Thanksgiving this way? There's nothing wrong with eating a delicious meal and watching the big game after. The only problem is that we are all forgetting what this holiday really means. 

The Thanksgiving holiday is a day to reflect on the blessings in our lives. Let's face it. We're pretty blessed here compared to so many places in the world. We have the privilege of eating those huge turkeys for dinner. Poverty, hunger, and epidemics are only a few of the on going struggles that many countries around the world face each day. How many times a day do we have a problem finding food somewhere? It's not too difficult for us. Let's face it, we're very, very blessed. So why not give thanks for that pumpkin pie at the dinner table? We're pretty lucky to even be eating that every Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on all the things we're thankful for, but it shouldn't be just for one day. It should be every day, all day. There is always someone who can be thanked. So here's my challenge you and for myself. Try to say thank you to one person everyday for the whole upcoming month of December. It doesn't have to be something huge, but try to find someone to thank for what they have done for you. And then don't stop at the end of December. Keep going, and eventually it could become something you'll always do. And that habit you'll form is a good one.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever!-Psalm 136:1

Hi! My Name Is....

Hello Blogging World!

This is something very new, and maybe a bit frightening, that I'm trying. I feel that it's very important to communicate with people the daily struggles we all have in our lives. Doing so we can become united together and have a unique understanding for every individual.

But enough about this, let's cut straight to the interesting stuff.

My name is Abbey. I currently live in a small town in Iowa, called Sioux Center. I'm a Sophomore at a high school about 15 minutes from where I live, and I'm 15 years old (and counting). I'm the youngest of four children. I have one older brother who's 24, a sister who is a recent college Freshman, and another sister who's a Senior in high school. My parents names are Jim and Glenda.

Music is one of the most important things in my life. Ever since I was young, music has been in my life. It's how I escape from the world, and I can forget about everything going on. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, music will take me away from it. Thankfully, I can even use in school. I'm involved in many musical groups at school. I play violin in the orchestra and sing and accompany in Concert Choir, Bel Canto (a female singing group), and Knightsounds (a top auditioned group at my school). I also had the privilege of playing piano for the Jazz Band at my school. To sum it all up, yes, I've been very busy this Sophomore year, and it's not even half over yet, and to put even more on my plate, I've just recently been cast in the Sound of Music.

I hope you all enjoy reading this blog. It's merely a way to put my thoughts into words and to share them with the world. Thanks for reading.






Every week I hope to have a weekly update, like the one of above, and with each update I hope to have a song/musician of the week, since my life revolves so much around music. So for my first musician of the week, I chose one group that has currently been on replay for months for me. It's a group called Pentatonix. They are an a capella group, and they are absolutely brilliant. Please look them up!

Here's a video of one of their songs:
Evolution of Music

A High School Horror

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Perhaps the biggest change in my life has been entering high school. In more ways than one, high school has become something far greater than I have ever anticipated. New faces, new classes, new teachers, and new expectations are just some of the challenges I have begun to face. In many ways, I prefer grade school over this new profound path. Now I'm in my Sophomore year of high school, and now it's time to begin to tell you my story.

When I arrived at my new school in 2012, it was probably one of the most terrifying experiences in my life. Instantly when my foot touched the tile floors, I wanted out. The noise, the anxiety over where my next class would be, and the almost giant-like upperclassmen was all too overwhelming. I'll tell you the truth, at that moment, I felt the urge to call home and leave and never return. But I kept moving, everyday, and soon enough the year came to a close. 

I learned many things my Freshman year. First of all, I learned that no matter what, it will always get better. I had a lot of bad days my Freshman year. It got so bad that many nights I would fall asleep in tears. Most days at school I felt out of place and unimportant. I luckily found a group of friends, and they were my foundation. I never felt out of place when I was around them. Then as year went on, I began to meet more new people and develop new relationships. I began to become more involved in school activities. Life wasn't so bad. But I still had a constant feeling that something was out of place, and that feeling continued to tortue my soul.

The second thing I learned was that time is precious. So often I would fall into situations at school where I was getting everything done at the last minute. Whether it was studying for a test, working on an assignment, or preparing for an audition, time was just flying by. I think this took away from much of my social high school experience because I was so busy trying to complete everything that was due. If I could say one thing to help people through high school, it would be to slow down. 

The final thing I learned was to branch out. I am not a sociably blessed person, unlike some of my other family members and peers. It is hard for me to make small talk. I am more content just being with my group of friends. As long as I am happy right? But as days went on, I learned that even though I'll never be super comfortable with people I don't know well, I have to learn to tolerate them. I can't run away from situations to be sociable. I have to take advantage of every situation I have so I can build relationships with others.

Freshman year was my new beginning. Just like in Genesis, a beginning was being created for mankind. Man was going to have problems and would stumble and fall, but God was there to pick man up. Although God would always pick up the broken pieces of man's life, man still continued to struggle and sin. So God sent his son, the one to take all of our worries and problems and make them his own. He was perfect, but was treated like one of the outcasts and murderers. He died on a cross for us, but through his death, he made us good. So every time you feel worried, distressed, or just feel alone, remember that God created the world, sent his son, and it was good.