5 Books that Every Girl Must Read!

Now, if you are a girl, stop right here, click this, and print.... Ok, now you can keep reading :)

I've been doing some thinking lately (I know, a dangerous pastime) about the books that have shaped my life. Some have been fiction that have filled my imagination with wonders and fueled my passion for adventure. Others have been stories of people who have walked the roads less travelled, learned lessons from experiences that I may never personally have, and written chronicles from which I have snatched bits and pieces of wisdom. I've loved them all, even when the lessons that I've learned have been eye-opening and soul-searching.

Now, back to that doc I had you print up. These are 5 books that have filled my life with joy and helped me keep my eyes on the purpose for life. I hope you will read them and enjoy them, and I hope that they will impact your life in the same way that they have impacted mine.  And I hope you will come back and tell me what you think about them :) Let me know if there are any more books that you would recommend adding to the list!

Now, here's the run-down.

#1 - The Bible
 I've heard people refer to it as the Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth. But I personally don't think there is anything basic about it. It is the greatest adventure story, love letter, thriller, and guidebook in the world. While we're on the topic, here is one of my favorite verses:

"God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." Acts 17:27 (NIV)

#2 - Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

Fiction

I went through a stage when I was younger where I read almost all of L.M. Alcott's books. She is one of my favorite authors because she wrote characters into being who "lived simply so that others may simply live" (yes, I just stole that quote from Elizabeth Seton). Although Little Women may be her most famous book, this one is my favorite. I just re-read it recently and was reminded of many things, one of which is that when I am having a bad day, I should make sure to do something to brighten someone else's. And Polly always reminds me that it is okay to have one good black silk dress (yeah, you may need to read it to figure out that one).

#3 - The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Nonfiction
You may think you know the story, and you may have seen the movie, but you really need to read Corrie's own words in this book. Reading The Hiding Place has challenged me to look out for the interests of others over my own and totally trust God, even when the world is falling apart at the seams. Read it once, read it again, give it to a friend...you get the picture.

#4 - The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Fiction
Now, L.M. Montgomery is really famous for Anne of Green Gables and the Avonlea Chronicles, but whenever a friend of mine introduced me to this gem I was hooked. It is one of those feel-good stories that is really pure and lovely.And it will make you want to go have a cuddle with nature. 

#5 - Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
Nonfiction
I started reading this book while at my favorite coffee shop in Savannah. I started tearing up before I had even finished the Foreword. God has really used this story of obedience to work in my life. More on that later, but in the meantime, you should really pick up a copy and read this beautiful chronicle of a girl who has given her all for God. It's really amazing.

Let me know in the Comments section what you think, if you have already read some of these books, and any suggestions that should be added to the list of books every girl should read. Feel free to share this list with friends, daughters, sisters, moms...all the books are appropriate for all ages!

 Happy reading!

A Morning Sketch of {Forsyth Park}

The peaceful sound of a trickling fountain gives the deafening command to stop and take a deep breath. To sit among so many trees and flowers in the midst of a bustling city is a much-welcomed homecoming from nature. The birds whistle their greetings, the wealth of fresh air rushes through me in healthful bounds, and I feel as though time really may have just stood still.



Not to say that there aren't enough people around to remind me that I am still in a metropolis. I've already heard at least a few unfamiliar languages being spoken by families to their babes as they take them on their morning strolls. Even now in the quiet corner that I have claimed, chattering passersby intervene and break up the silence. The squeaking sounds of swings come and go; children traveling to paradise and back in the length of a breath.



Walking through the market, I meet with a buzz of people with their children and pups, all crunchy with their Chaco's and beards and ink. The spice and warmth of basil coming from a nearby basket makes the open atmosphere feel as cozy and quaint as your best friend's kitchen. The farmers restock their tables: tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, cabbage. A hundred salads just waiting to reach their final destiny.




The outskirts of the commons are bordered by soaring columns, ornamental doors, vast windows of wavy glass. Houses that seem as though they should be waving the flags of some distant European nation instead of our red, white, and blue. Some stand seemingly empty, mostly forgotten. I wonder if they daydream of their past lives and hope for a new future, full of laughs and grand parties and quiet mornings steeped in coffee and crackling fires. Others still have a breath of life in them even now, strung with faery lights and colorful banners. Stray chairs sit around deserted, speaking of a recent gathering of kindred spirits.



The make-believe chattering of children can be heard on the wind. They run and skip, tossing little selfish quarrels and solving disputes in an innocent, democratic fashion. I wonder how many will remember these days, many years from now, and how many will let them slip into the cloudy, happy oblivion called childhood.



The purples, unearthly pinks, and reds of flowers send a rainbow over the green backdrop. A whisper from GOD, a poem from the Creator through HIS creation. A voice that commands a stillness, a pondering, a breath. A hope through the calm, a relief from the chaos, a song of future melodies.

An Afternoon Sketch of {Foxy Loxy}

I'm sitting in a padded, leather armchair at the head of a farm table, mismatched chairs and benches surrounding it. Like a queen with a missing court. The building next door is so close, I could reach out the window and touch it, faded white paint and old panes of glass.

The wall at the top of the stairs is covered in maps and random cut-outs, all pasted over each other like decoupage. I would stand and stare at the wall, trying to find a method to the beautiful madness, but I'm worried that such an action would put a crack in the perfect atmosphere. I shouldn't try to figure out something that so obviously isn't meant to be understood.

I want a wall like this one day.

My in-house iced latte was handed to me in a large, fat, perfectly unblemished jar. I grabbed a straw, but quickly knew that I shouldn't use it. There's just something about cold glass, wet droplets of condensation running onto the dark wooden table.

People sit in the chairs, mostly in pairs, many leaning in companionable silence over a common slice of cake. Two girls sit on low stools under a canopy covered in empty coffee bean sacks. Their table is a weathered, green travel trunk.

Two lovebirds stand on the outdoor porch. The girl has let her hair down, and they gaze at the passing traffic with their arms around each other. Such innocent affection, enjoyed in the best way.

I've only just noticed the rock music. It plays and fills the air space. Anyone would tell you later that the playlist was perfectly chosen, although none of them would be able to tell you what it had been.

That is because the real music comes from the whispered conversations and confidences, not meaningless gossip but real talk of life. Because the atmosphere here calls for depth. Depth of reality, depth of friendship. Depth of life.

I wrote this in one of my notebooks while at Foxy Loxy today. It's one of the only ways I have found to really remember a moment, or a set of moments.

 If you are in Savannah, I greatly encourage you to stop by and enjoy this place. I've spent hours such as this one reading books in this quiet house. Don't forget to wander up the stairs.

IDK

This week I joined the YMCA. I went to my first Sandgnats game, along with other college students from the local church I'm attending. I read my book from the public library (currently The Age of Innocence, if anyone is wondering). Overall, I'm hitting that stage that I have in each of my nomadic wanderings where I start to feel like I'm living somewhere. It's like finally being able to hit cruise control on a long car ride. Like that moment on the beach when you're all set up and can finally sit back and close your eyes.

Well, sort of. 

Because, I'm only human. And I'm already trying to figure out the next stop on my journey. I like to have a plan. I really like to have a plan. I thought I had my fall months planned out. I kept reassuring myself with the fact that, until January, I know what I'm doing. But God just smiled down at me, as I know He does when I start to think that I've got a plan. And He told me that my plan was not His plan. So, when people ask me what I'm doing after this internship, my answer is, "I don't know." But He knows. And I keep having to remind myself that that is all that really matters. 

If you wouldn't mind praying for me, this is more of a struggle than it seems. I have a lot of options that I could pursue for this fall, and a lot of them would be glorifying to God, but I just don't know which one is the one I should do! I've made lists. I've thrown away my lists. I've started over on my lists. And I've prayed. A lot. This is bigger than this autumn. I know how small moments, small decisions, can make big changes in a person's life. 

For example, one day in fall 2012, I sat in the lobby of my apartment building. I was waiting for the shuttle to truck me over to campus, and another girl was sitting on another couch across from me. She caught my eye, and I smiled. And then I remembered my mantra for that fall (Meet people!) and I started talking with her. That girl was Pelin. Because of us meeting that day, we started talking when we would see each other on the bus. And then, when she needed to move to another apartment a few weeks later, she asked me if she could move into the suite I was in. Because of that meeting, Pelin and I are now as close as sisters. Literally. Because of that meeting, I moved to Turkey for 4 months. Because of that meeting, my life has been forever changed. This is why I am sometimes really peculiar about making decisions. Because I know that the tiniest one, something that may seem really insignificant to me, could change the direction of my path. What if I hadn't spoken with Pelin that day? What if I had smiled and just minded my own business? 

So when you ask me what my plans are, expect to get a good measure of shoulder-shrugging. And a smile :) Because even though I don't know what's coming my way, I'm sure He's got something pretty amazing in the works.

Week 1 of Savannah!

This week starts off my newest adventure - living and working in Savannah! I moved into a cozy room in a quaint neighborhood on Sunday, and my amazing family was so sweet and drove down with me to move me in :) 

As soon as we finished packing, it was time to find the nearest Starbucks...which is only 2 minutes away! Cafe Espresso Frap for the win! Love spending time with my family over some coffee :)

It was nice to spend Mother's Day with Mom in Savannah. She also rode in the car with me on the way down...we talked so much that we did actually miss one of our turns (and there are only like 4 turns the entire way there...). That night, we found a great, local seafood place on the water! Pearls Saltwater Grille was delicious.

Emma is lovin' some she crab soup at Pearls Saltwater Grille.

Monday, I started my internship at Arizona Chemical. I am working in technical service in the area of adhesives (I've always loved stickers, lol). No, but really, I get to make tape! It's a lot harder and time-consuming than it sounds, but we get to develop and test different mixes to make better tape for our clients. Pretty neat. Monday night I found the mall (pretty essential task for week 1) and thank God it has a Barnes & Noble! I love me some good books!

Tuesday was the first day that I got to do hands-on work in the lab! I was able to pH adjust a polymer sample and run particle size and % solid analysis. Our amazing HR and S&T manager took us out to Tequila Town for an entry luncheon and the Mexican food was sooo yummy. I also went to Latechurch's CollegeAge group that evening! 

At The Corner (where Latechurch has their evening group meetings and hang-outs), they even have a huge Connect 4!

Wednesday, got to work more in the lab. My mentor is super awesome and has done a great job of showing me how to use the equipment. I am able to run some of the tests now with minimal supervision, and I learned how to test the viscosity and how to find the acid value, softening number, and color of the resins. Some of the resin samples look like honey...I really love honey...but I keep telling myself, they won't taste like honey! LOL :)

Friday night was the BOMB! Tybee Island has an annual Beach Bum Parade, which is a mega water gun fight!

These guys and many others lined their trucks so that they would have a steady source of water for the fight! You see those long poles? Hand-made super soakers! And yes, they do super soak (personal experience).

Madeline and I were prepared for battle! We still got completely drenched every time we attempted to cross the street...

On Saturday, I woke up at 6:15am to my alarm clock. What would entice me to wake up this early on a weekend? The Girls on the Run Celebration 5K, of course! Before the race, we danced to the Cupid Shuffle and the Wobble with all the middle school girls, and then we ran :) 

Love going on adventures with my fellow interns! Maeve and Madeline are the best :) :)

We even got massages after the race (yep, now you're getting jealous!). It was a blast.

Stay tuned for the adventures of Week 2! Thanks for reading, and make sure you comment below if you have suggestions for more fun things to do in Savannah!

A NOMAD's survival pack:
So, from all this traveling, I've found that there are some items that come in handy, no matter where I live. Here's a few...

1. Yogi Bedtime tea. This tea puts me sound to sleep. The cute little tea tags have nice sayings and quotes on them...just like fortune cookies! Or Dove chocolates! I have fond memories of drinking Bedtime tea while hanging out with my DC roomies in our comfy kitchen, as well as drinking it while looking at the Istanbul skyline from my balcony, even when the air was freezing cold and I would stand shivering as I looked out at the Bosphorus Bridge. When I'm at home with my family, a cup is always in my hands as I sit in the evenings with my Mom. And, my habits have continued in Savannah, where I end my nights curled up with a good book and my favorite tea.
2. Fingernail clippers. These are so handy! I always forget scissors, and fingernail clippers are amazing for cutting annoying packaging and even tags off of new t-shirts.  
3. Thumbtacks. So perfect for hanging banners and posters to brighten any room. Plus, they are multipurpose! I've used a thumbtack to poke new holes in a belt, and you even can use them when boiling eggs in order to poke the hole in the end of the egg.  

A Time for Everything

Last week I was at a memorial service for a dear friend. Her brother-in-law read from the book of Ecclesiastes. It's one of my favorite books of the Bible, although before this time I would have had a hard time explaining to you why. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,..., a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,..." (Ecclesiastes 3). As I was reading my study Bible this morning about the book of Ecclesiastes, it noted that this book of the Bible reads like a personal journal. And I realized that this may be why I like it so much. It reflects what I feel in my own life. I go through times where I can see God's plan so clearly. Other times, the daily tasks seem monotonous, and I'm left asking God what the point of all this is. Is life meaningless?  My study Bible puts it so well:

"According to the Teacher [author of the book of Ecclesiastes], life doesn't make sense outside of God; it will, in fact, never fully make sense to us because we are not God. But God has also "set eternity in the human heart" (Ecc 3:11). We feel longings for something more; pleasures that will last forever, love that won't sour, fulfillment in our work."

When I think about how I would be surviving this part of my life if I didn't have God, the picture of a drowned rat comes to mind. I don't think I'd make it, at least with any ounce of sanity left. I've lost many close friends and family over the last few months. Saying it has been hard is an extreme understatement. How do you do normal life again when this world is missing vital parts of it? This is where I find comfort in these verses. Life isn't always going to make sense. It will never fully make sense. But I know the Truth that runs this world, and as long as I keep HIM as my focus, it will all be okay. Although happiness can be hard to grasp, joy is plentiful through Christ. I know that HE died for me and felt more pain than I can ever imagine. And I know that HE overcame death because HE is more powerful than death. And I know that HIS kingdom is where I long to be. That is what gives life sense. It's all about HIM, and for HIS glory. 

If you've been wondering about life, get a Bible and sit down to read it. I've heard John is the best place to start, but anywhere will do. Just read it. I pray God shows you the Truth through it and that the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart. If you want to talk about it, let me know. If you would like to comment below with questions that you have had, or things that you have found in the Bible that you would like to share, please do. Everyone wonders about life, its meaning, why we are here. It is your job to make sure that you search for the truth. Your life depends on it.

~ Goals for Summer 2014 in Savannah ~

1.  Meet people. Make life-long friends.
2. Go swim at Tybee Island.
3. Run a 5K Race with the Savannah locals.

4. Eat a meal with friends at the Pirate's House Restaurant.

5. Find a church home in Savannah.

LateChurch on Abercorn Street, Downtown Savannah. Awesome place to worship and study God's Word!

6. Find the perfect coffee spot.

Foxy Loxy on Bull Street

7. Start an herb garden in my window.
8. Visit the Andrew Lowe home.
9. Finish a Turkish language course.
10. Eat a praline on River Street.
11. Make something crafty.
12. Listen to live music.

Tommy Strong Benefit Concert at Forsyth Park

13. Cook a yummy meal.