he is altogether vanity.

the wind almost swept me away...

two highlights of the past week include: Our leadership retreat to Makapala and girls night out at a local Thai restaurant!

--- The retreat was divine. green grass, tall trees, swinging vines. a tropical paradise. both the rain and the wind were cool and refreshing. the fifty of us spent our days engaging in a wild round of kickball. laying out in the sweet sunshine. hiking down to the beach in Pololu Valley. and getting coffee in the quaint town of Hawi. as a community we grew so much tighter. we worshipped together and played games til the wee hours of the morning. it was sublime. lovely. a rejuvenating weekend spent with family!

- - - a group of us girls got all dolled up and went for Thai food! it was nice to get dressed up and be girly... and eat pad thai.. mmm - i tried oyster, needless to say it was not the most enjoyable experience!

Something that has really been on my heart this week is fear of man. to stop fearing reactions and actions from other people based on what i choose to do. to cease letting it have any hold over me. to care not what anyone may think of me or say about me. i was reading a commentary on blue letter bible by matthew henry and he was commentating on Isaiah 2:22 ("stop regarding man, in whose nostrils is breath, for what account is he?") --- "Wherein then is man to be accounted of? Alas! no reckoning is to be made of him, for he is not what he seems to be, what he pretends to be, what we fancy him to be. Man is like vanity, nay, he is vanity, he is altogether vanity, he is less, he is lighter, than vanity. When weighed in the balance of the sanctuary." --- astonishing? does that not hit home? i just love that matthew henry puts man in his place... we are nothing. we are dust. our life is but a breath. when compared to God and all his infiniteness! 

love you all heaps and heaps. 

as promised...

friends! i promised a weekly update and here i am already slacking... but look on the bright side, at least i'm writing something! - - - so as you've probably already heard or guessed i am back in the tropical land of hawaii. it has been exactly two weeks since i arrived and already it feels as though i never left... i have five lovely new roommates and am part of the leadership track which includes 30 to 40 staff?! already this track feels like family, we worship together, serve the base and community together, pray/intercede and have bbq nights together!

a few highlights so far...

i help out in Mrs. Barker's first grade classroom four mornings a week and one of her students, Scott decided to bring a mouse to school. and when he unzipped his backpack out it scampered into the classroom! oh the joys of teaching!

me and some girls were heading back from the beach and on our hitchhiking adventure we were picked up by a guy named Brian, who happens to stop for many a ywamer! he asked to take a photo with us all, after showing us his collection of pictures from past ywam staff/students! we recognized over half of the people in them :)

we have been memorizing scripture. so by the time July hits, i will have matthew 5, 6 and 7 memorized!

this friday we all take off, up North for a retreat! games, music, the beach and fabulous fellowship await!

we have quite a busy schedule to follow and rare are the moments when i get to pour out my heart to anyone who will listen. but i hope that's what this blog turns into over the next three months! - - - i am truly hoping to discover God's plan in my life for this coming year and what my vision/ dream will look like. this is a season of growing and stretching and much of it will be hard and uncomfortable, but i am psyched that i'm not alone in it! Jesus have your way..  i am overjoyed to be here.

love to you all, sending countless hugs and kisses your way.. xo

run like the wind.

i adore windy days. 

they hold so much mystery and enchantment.
especially when the sky is dark and foreboding.
and the clouds roll in as if they were an army come ready for battle.
the sky an ever deepening shade of gray, as though to signal danger ahead. 

so much power. so much whirling & pounding. raging & dancing. so much gusting. huffing & puffing. the merciless wilds of the tossing of the air waves. unseen currents thrashing back & forth. it's strange to think that we cannot see the wind, only witness the traces of it. the damage or path it creates.

......the sound of the wind at night, when engrossed in a good book, or closely huddled next to the fire is magical. or on a warm summer evening when the wind makes you feel giddy and free. but my most delightful memory of the wind is when i've been near the ocean, it whips and sputters. churns and flies with the utmost freedom there. with the unmatchable, most astonishing, ferocious power you ever did see.

wind is much like us, subject to change without the slightest hint; it can be soft and sweet, sweeping gently across your face, playfully pulling at your hair. and then the next moment it is rash and abrasive.


Wind; - the perceptible natural movement of the air, as though moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface.
- a gale; storm; hurricane.
- any stream of air, as that produced by a bellow or fan.
- used to suggest something very fast, unrestrained, or changeable.

together forever.

today was the day, twenty-eight years ago, on a rainless, cold february day that perry and donna were wed... they met at dairyqueen... my dad, the hot shot with a motorcycle, a band and a killer mustache couldn't get my mom, the pretty cheerleader, out of his head and pursued her. knowing always, she was the one. a few years later they were engaged on a ferris wheel at the fair.

happy anniversary mom and dad!

to celebrate, my dad whisked my mom off to whistler last weekend... (their favorite getaway) and bought her tulips (her favorite flower) .. and they went out to Presto Cucina's (their favorite Italian restaurant) ... i love my parents so dearly and am beyond blessed that they have been married thus far. they are true examples of unconditional love, commitment and selflessness - - - despite all their different qualities, they have made their marriage work and their love last... they often go on "dates"... they both are passionate about and eager to renovate and redecorate our lovely home (all the time!) they are both hardworking and full of love and support for us kids. God could have placed me in any family, with any parents in the entire world, but he chose this one especially for me and i am forever thankful and overjoyed that he did. my life would not be the same, nor would it be so beautiful without them... they bring so much wisdom and advice and love and sacrifice and joy and laughter and silliness to my life! (just ask my dad to make his lizard face and my mom to show off her dance moves and the howling will commence!) - they really are the BEST parents a girl could ever hope for... i hope for a love like theirs one day.

i have heaps and heaps of admiration and an overwhelming love for you two.


i'm so glad you fell in love. 

enamoured. smitten. devoted. ardent. zealous.

Word of the day: Smitten.














dictionary definition of Smitten: 
1. struck, as with a hard blow.
2. grievously or disastrously stricken or afflicted.
3. very much in love. 


This week i was asked to sub at the old daycare i used to work at.... i ended up working with the little 5 and 6 year olds. [and just for the record it really is true that kids days the darndest things... ] i had the pleasure of meeting a little boy named Linden who was blonde, blue eyed and smartly dressed. one might call him "special" but he was the sweetest thing with his glasses and wide eyes! he took to me immediately and began to ask me millions of questions... ex. where i worked... to which i replied starbucks... he then when on to talk all about himself and his family, proudly promoting his mom and dad and their occupations in great detail. then i asked him the age old question "what do you want to be when you grow up?" - - - as he walked backwards, with a stern, twisted look on his face, as though he was thinking really hard, he replied after a long pause "i think i'll work at starbucks" and scampered off. oh my word! it was the most adorable thing. i was smitten with this tiny little 5 year old who wants to be just like me someday... although i hope his lifelong dream isn't to work at starbucks :)

fifth word.

Word of the day: Persnickety

per.snick.et.y 
1. placing too much emphasis on trivial or minor details; fussy
2. requiring a particularly precise or careful approach; painstaking care
3. snobbish, or having the aloof attitude of a snob

Today I helped in a grade three classroom. i was a "parent volunteer" for the children's art time. i absolutely loved it! kids give the best compliments. apparently i have nice teeth... then i ran some errands: stopped at the flower shop. bought a bright fuchsia gerber. ended up at la casa coffee, where my newest addiction was waiting for me... black tea, with a hint of sugar and a slice of lemon! dropped off the flower for a dearly loved friend. chatted for twenty minutes. fueled up the ol' volkswagon. and quickly picked up some last minute items from walmart. where my cashier happened to say "this old machine can be quite persnickety"... hence my word of the day -  i am filled with so much joy when i hear people using words that never get any use. i could listen for hours to one's charming application of their vocabulary! so here is a challenge to you all - - - say a word today that you've never used, perhaps "persnickety?"

Mum's the word.

Word of the day: Mother.

1. a female parent
2. a woman in authority: an old or elderly woman: the superior of a religious group of women
3. source, origin
4. maternal tenderness or affection

It's my mama's birthday today and she's turning 29!!! Happy Birthday Mom. okay, so she might be a bit older than that, BUT she sure looks fabulous for her age. Many a person is quick to guess that she is my older sister... so i figure with my mom's good looks and how beautifully she's aging (thanks for the good genes ma) i am more than happy to say "i cannot wait until i'm in my 40's, if i look as good as her!" She truly is a gem. my best friend. a woman of great taste, both in decorating her home and marrying my dad. she is beautiful. and bold. silly and headstrong. wise and loyal. she is a woman who is faithful amidst doubt. she is a queen among the servant-hearted and a woman who knows the meaning of sacrifice. thank you for all you do mom. thank you for choosing a life of motherhood, one i know comes with a price. when i grow up, i hope to be like you. thanks for always being there. my love for you is endless...

kindred spirits.

Todays word is Aspire.


1. to long, aim or seek ambitiously; to yearn (for); be eagerly desirous, especially for something great or of high value.


2. to rise up; soar; mount; tower; to rise to a great height

I aspire to be a great many people... here are a number of women comprised of both fictional and non-fictional that i admire greatly and even sometimes imagine myself to be; josephine march. anne shirley. jane austen. elizabeth bennett. audrey hepburn. maria von trapp. mary poppins. among many others... these heroines are made up of bold, confident, determined women who believe in themselves enough, and who stop at nothing, to realize their dreams. to write novels. go to college. to not care what the world may think of them. they are dreamers and poets, passionate and unstoppable. radiant and charming. they live by the impulse of the moment, throwing caution to the wind, yet have their wits about them. accomplishing noble and seemingly unfeasible feats. they embody womanhood. their pursuit of happiness is inspiring. forever chasing after their dreams. they embrace life with all of their heart and soul. they are kindred spirits. bright. stunning. exquisite beauties. lovely and endearing. - - - women i long to mimic, to take a lesson or two from. to follow after. to be stirred by their infectious love for life!

would you rather be divinely beautiful, dazzlingly clever, or angelically good? - - - anne shirley

duet for one please...

Todays' word is chagrin.
Chagrin:
- a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation 
- to vex by disappointment or humiliation
- obselete

To use the word chagrin in a sentence (or two) -> At my job i get asked multiple times a night to join a party of servers/hosts to serenade one lucky individual in a delightful round of "happy birthday"... on this particular night no one was available to join in the sing-along and to my utmost chagrin a duet was inevitable... Nicole and i were left to sing alone, and to make matters worse the table of fellow well-wishers came not to our aid, offering none of their vocal assistance! needless to say i walked away as red as a lobster and deeply flustered! note to all: please sing "happy birthday" when in a restaurant so as not to leave the servers hanging!

p.s .... i went back to Wired Monk and asked if they were hiring, much to my chagrin they were not.. and no he wasn't there.... guess i'll just have to become a regular :)
p.p.s this is supposed to be February 3rds post... already tardy... i know. slapping wrist.

Yeah Write!

Here it is, the start to my 'one word a day' [yeah write!] self-challenge. I have decided to write about one special word each day, that has something to do with my day, in the hopes that: A. i will write more often, therefore stretching my wings and using my mostly hidden talents/closet abilities B. i will entertain a few folks C. for the pure, unadulterated satisfaction and enjoyment of writing about something i adore... and that is the written language. WORDS. to be exact. so i hope you learn a little something and enjoy what i have to say... in the meantime...

Today's word is hunk.

hunk:

a large piece or lump; chunk.

slang: a handsome man with a well-developed physique.

slang: a large or fat person.

to use the word hunk in a sentence (or two) -> Today i walked into Wired Monk to apply for a job and was completely caught off guard by the hunk pouring coffee behind the counter, losing all hope of the confidence, resolve and nerve i had strutted in with, i ordered a london fog and left. before i even knew what i was doing i had completely flaked and exited the building, with my tail between my legs. note to self: when cute male is present don't clam up!

Needless to say i've decided to go back tomorrow and apply... even if said "hunk" happens to be there.

more hunky men below.......

sometimes...

i never liked cats too much... but after tonight i figure there 's room enough to spare in my heart, even if it's a tiny, cramped corner of it. my dearest friend sarah's cat, a gorgeous snow white beauty named "Sometimes," often lovingly referred to as "sums," seems to always take a liking to me. for the second time in a row now she has snuggled up with me, nuzzled her face into my elbow and remained quite content, for the majority of the evening, nestled on my lap. either she knows i need a friend or she's just a very special kitty... i guess you could say i like cats, "sometimes"... har har. but in all honesty - to all you animal lovers out there, moments like this brief, fleeting one with Sometimes tonight, shed some light on your love and commitment and adoration for your pets. they truly do become one of the family. a dear friend. a captive audience. a comfort. i may just get why a dog is a man's best friend etc... goodnight.

a poem.

i wanted to share some poetry with you. i am finally writing again... it has been so long... but i was sitting in Costa Coffee and God downloaded this poem to me... my hands have never written something that flowed so smoothly. without need to erase or rewrite or leave it unfinished, which i always find myself doing. here is the finished product...

your voice is like the morning dew

God whispers that He loves you

you are a precious daughter of the most high

He will never leave you, nor forsake you or make you cry

Jesus, his son died for your sins

He longs to draw you close to Him

You are beautiful and precious, unbelievably sweet

He will pick you up if you fall off your feet

Always know you can run to him

He is full of light, he will never grow dim

Jesus, he is the only way

to truth and life, he knows you by name

He rose again and is alive

He's coming back and wants you at his side

But the choice is yours, it's called free will

No matter what you choose he loves you still

He calls you lovely, radiant and stunning

He knows your heart and who you're becoming

His love for you it knows no end

He wants to be your savior, father and friend.

love to you all. <3

an update on life in paradise.

i just wanted to share this moment with you...

last Tuesday night mary, sarah and i went out for community outreach into downtown kona.. we were feeling exhausted, wanting very much to rest.. so we decided to sit on a rocky ledge overlooking a sandy volleyball court, with the ocean just across the street from us! -tough life, i know- but what attracted us to this spot was a mother in her mid-30s and her little daughter. eventually we struck up a casual conversation about life and work, her daughter and the future. and as our conversation wore on, little alexa became more and more comfortable with us.. she kept shyly approaching me and saying "five" and i would give her a high-five. it was adorable. then she became bold and starting pulling on my arm, wanting a playmate so badly, i caved and joined her in the sand. we rolled down the grassy hill and built sand castles, played follow the leader and made silly faces. but my most favorite moment with her was when i asked her if she knew who God was.. most of her responses she would exclaim "oh!" ... then i told her that he made the stars and the moon and the ocean and he even made you! i preceded to sing to her.. 'jesus loves me' and 'jesus loves the little children' - - - she smiled and giggled at some points, others she sat quietly, outwardly she wasn't very responsive. but i know that i know that i know one day she'll remember it. the seed was planted. and my heart was just bursting with God's love for this precious little girl. this daughter, whom God made in his image. God gave me a glimpse of his heart for her and for that i am so thankful... meanwhile mary and sarah were able to share the gospel and God's love to her mother. they prayed over her and exchanged phone numbers in the end.. they both said that she was extremely interested and seemed hungry for all that they had to say. it was a beautiful night of simple love. childlike love. God is so good.

side note: a super spontaneous pool party after our crazy Awaken dance party!!! i love my life!

photo cred. eric zoesch.

life on the base is steadily picking up speed... and all i want to do is yank on it's reigns to slow all these precious moments down. to press pause. to stop time and be in this place forever. but that is not possible. i have been soaking in every minute, and reveling in the friendships that have been blossoming over the summer months. with people, but especially Jesus. he is slowly but surely becoming my best friend. oh how i love him. this past weekend was a long weekend, it was so relaxing. i went cliff-jumping. swam in a couple pools. had a bbq at my leader, Kurt's family condo! for a moment i felt like i was on vacation in Hawaii. - - - i have a leader that i get to hang out with every week, who challenges me and walks through this insane journey with me. Eli is unbelievable! such a wonderful woman of God. so gentle, so sure of her faith. filled with God's heart for people. we spent Sunday afternoon together, talking about everything under the sun... and i ended up falling asleep on her couch. God is really dealing with my heart in a lovingly convicting way... i've been so challenged to have a servant heart. to stop looking inward and to start looking outside of myself. I'm reading Dan Bauman's book 'a beautiful way' and in it he says that "serving is the natural overflow of a life surrendered to God" and that "the more secure we are in ourselves and in our relationship with God, the freer we are to serve others"... i am so ready to cease gazing at myself, consumed with what i need or desire or crave or deserve... but instead to look towards loving others because i know that when i do that, to surrender and serve those around me, then i will have abundant joy. i will find that my character has altered drastically without even trying to change it. i don't know if that makes any sense, but i know that God is pressing upon my heart to serve. to love. to give up. my time alone has been enough. it's time to branch out. to reach out while standing firm in my identity which is found in Jesus. - - -16 days is my countdown and outreach is fast approaching.. my heart is being continually stirred up for the middle east. i am so beyond excited to see where God wants to take us. i know it's going to be nothing i'm expecting, but everything that i'm desiring. right at the moment my team is praying 6 times a day, we're rotating for each 'call to prayer' so that whenever they -our outreach nation- are praying to their God, we are praying to ours, interceding for them. it's been so good for us, to get involved before we head out. In other news... we have officially found housing for our outreach, until yesterday we had none. so that is a massive answer to prayer!! - - - my support all came in, praise Jesus! It's amazing how much living away from home, from security and comfort can make you so much more dependent on God for everything. an enormous Thank You to all who have been loving me from afar, i couldn't be more blown away at all the generous hearts that have been behind me in prayer and/or financially! love to you all. - karli

Galatians 5: 13b "Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love."

happythankyoumoreplease.

Wow where do i even begin. these past few weeks have been really challenging. stretching. emotionally draining. i've felt everything from disbelief to a restless spirit. to an indescribable joy! i know this is just part of my journey and this process is so completely crucial for my relationship with God. i am reading a book called "a beautiful way" by Dan Bauman.. i recommend it. it's all about simple love. focusing your eyes on Jesus and letting the rest stem from that love.

- - - i am blown away at my fellow students. we keep hearing that we are an entirely new breed of wild revivalists, the passion and hunger for god is bursting at the seams, it's so tangible

... and it seems that this positive peer pressure environment we've created is overwhelmingly contagious!

this week all the students split up into their outreach teams and went on a 'Faith Journey'. what that was going to look like we hadn't a clue in the slightest. so me and my team of five set off to spend the day listening to God's voice. open and sensitive to his leading, the game plan was to love on people wherever and however we could! we decided that the airport was where God wanted us to go, so we stuck out our well-used thumbs to hitch the next bunch of miles that lay North ahead of us. after waiting a good 20 minutes... some of the team was getting restless, doubting the airport decision, David said the magic words "i don't think we're getting a ride"... and a truck who had passed us earlier did a u-turn for us! already crammed with people, we jumped in the back, thankful for a ride and the wind in our faces.

...little did we know this truck was filled with a family from Texas who, if we hadn't started to talk about Jesus and our purpose for the day, they would have begun evangelizing to us! so the next few miles we conversed easily about our lives, we prayed over the 3 sitting in the back with us.. then as we were jumping out of the truck bed, the back window rolled down and one of the guys in the truck called to David, asking him for prayer about a possible promotion among other things and gave us all the money in his wallet, blessing us and encouraging us in our faith journey! wow. so we took a moment as they drove away to pray for melaud. (mee lawd) we covered the airport in prayers... and were excited for our 22 dollar blessing, we assumed was for lunch. (because we were supposed to rely on god for everything for the day) but as we walked past a lei shop, it was as if i had been hit over the head with the most obvious notion. we were to buy lei's and bless people with them as they arrived! turned out Whitney had the same exact thought. her eyes lit up as i told the group what God wanted us to do. so we walked in and bought 4 of the prettiest smelling lei's. we prayed over some airports workers. waited as planes came in. and prayed over the lei's to see who God wanted us to bless. i knew i was to give mine to a mother in her 30's with straight, blunt shoulder-length brown hair. so i waited. she wasn't on the first plane. so we waited over an hour for the second to arrive! and there she was. it was so much fun greeting people as they came off the plane. just bringing in that atmosphere of love made me smile all the more. i was so blessed to work alongside God at the airport. we helped some people with their luggage. and then were off.

we hadn't eaten and were starving so we hitched back to Kona and ended up at mcdonalds. we were able to rest. to bond as a team. the entire afternoon we found ourselves doing just that. regrouping made us realize we didn't need to strive to be in God's will. we didn't need to be desperate or deliberate about anything. just live our lives with him at the center, ready and willing to serve with open hearts. we didn't have to push our agenda or make something happen. so we just sat and enjoyed each others company. making the trek back home... we had spent 8 hours away from campus and were ready to jump into the pool! and that's just what we did.

we are now in the midst of a 50 hour burn. prayer and worship for 50 hours as a school!! so far it's been fantastic. just burning for the Lord. in community with everyone. re-focusing our eyes on Jesus. interceding for our outreach nations. only 25 more hours to go!

i just received my itinerary for outreach. i leave on the 22nd of September for the Middle East! i am so excited to see what God has for us come September. Thanks so much for your prayers and support. love to you all. karli.

you make beautiful things.

HEY guys... so i haven't blogged in ages, but things are about to change... i want to start a weekly update blog. i'm living in Hawaii for the next couple months and want to share with the world exactly what it is that i'm doing here... i'm living on the University of the Nations base, at Ywam (youth with a mission) as a student. I have 4 incredible room-mates and some unbelievably inspiring speakers... the leaders here are so crazy and so full of jesus... it's so contagious and tangible and i am so stoked to be here. We have worship so many times a week i can't even keep track... i am seriously being changed and stretched and transformed. My mind is being blown! There are around 90 students and we live a mere 5-10 minutes from the ocean and can see it from the campus, our sunsets are always breath-taking! still cannot believe i live here!! everyone here wants jesus so badly that i can't help but be spurred on towards him... i love it here. one of my little girls from the daycare wrote me a goodbye card and in it she said "happy university vacation" and that is what it feels like. i am so blessed to be here, to be surrounded by so many encouraging and beautiful people, whose hearts shine so brightly.. we have a saying here when we are so touched or moved.. we get wrecked! i have never encountered jesus like i have here and it hasn't been anything huge or obvious, it hasn't even been falling to the ground or physically feeling him, it's simply how my heart has been touched, and through images he's given me... it's his presence that has been so strong and peace has just flooded my very being. I am after him and there is no stopping me.. i am learning to rest in God's love. to rest in his goodness. to just bask in the fact that i don't have to do anything. there is nothing that i can do to earn his love, or gain his favour. that i have his love, whether i want it or not. that he is in me because i believe. that is so mind-boggling. what? the God of the universe has chosen me. to love. to care for. to listen to. and walk alongside. he longs to have a relationship with ME. wow. i stand in awe of him and what i've already experienced in these 3 short weeks. God is so good.

forever 21.

Well folks i turn 22 tomorrow... and frankly i just don't want too. 21 is such a romantic age. and not romantic in the romance. boy meets girl sorta way. but in the adventuresome. like anything can happen. chase your dreams. catch fireflies. sorta way... i wish i could be 21 forever!i feel as though my youth is slipping away from me and i know. i know that's silly... because look on the bright side. twenty- two is much better than twenty- three after all... i mean what an age gap?! right? and twenty- three is far better than twenty-four and so on. but i just can't help but feel like there's so much left to do. so many more places to go. so many more things i ache to see. so many adventures yet to be had. and it's all happening too fast. and i just need life to slow down. for me to enjoy it. to soak it all in. i rarely look forward to my birthday - - - except when i was a kid - - - and maybe that's because i've never liked being the center of attention. or i've never felt like it was completely mine. (i have a twin) so it was about her too. it wasn't solely MY day... i also hate getting older. when you're young you want forever to be 'grown up' and then when you're finally all grown you want nothing more than to be young again... most birthday's in my teens i'd sit by the clock and count down the minutes until i was no longer a certain age. all the while repeating over and over to myself i'm 13 years old, i'm 13 years old, i'm still 13! and then 5:35am rolled around and i was no longer 13... to me it was sad... and yet i realize it's inevitable. and i realize age is fleeting. but i still want to hold on to the past. i'm a past dweller. i love to look at what's happened in my life. to reminisce. to replay memories over and over in my head. to grasp at the wonderfully candid straws of my life already lived. the moments that not only make up my life. but have shaped it so extraordinarily. and then i realize the year i had was remarkable. it wasn't wasted or missed. forgotten. or unwisely spent. it was exactly what i made it to be. it was my 21st year and i lived it with everything i had! i'm not disappointed. nothing is lost. life goes on and we all grow more mature. wiser.better looking. okay older too... it was a good year. besides - - - everyone grows old with you and i think that's the very best part of getting old!

but i still hope to always be in my heart... forever 21. xo karli.

logs & specks.

Someone once told me... the things you dislike in others are the very things you detest in yourself... i think he may be on to something... it's like that verse. the one about removing the log from your own eye. instead of the speck in your friends eye. focusing on YOUR downfalls. as opposed to picking apart those of your friends. i believe that what bothers us in others is most often what we long to change about in ourselves. yet we do so unaware. we think that they have the problem. the vice. the unflattering characteristic. but when it all comes down to it. we do. we are all the more ugly inside for how we judge others. although it doesn't account for everything... some things are unbearably bothersome in others because you wish they were MORE like you. still abhorring their downfalls yet in a different manner. we instead make them feel terrible for not feeling as we do. not looking like we do. not smelling. decision-making. problem- solving. joking. dancing. dressing as we do. we get SO upset and consumed in us.ourselves. you & me. simply because we want them to view life from our perspective. with our experience. with our habits. drive. dreams. desires. through our very eyes. instead of how they see it. but if that were the case. we'd all be robots. clones. and who wants to give up their individuality? not ME!

- - - Sometimes we long to mimic. to alter ourselves ever so slightly. to be who we would rather be. we're never satisfied with ourselves. but we have to be. we are who we are. and yes we can improve. get our hair done. paint our nails. go to the gym... but as cheesy as it sounds the inside is still the only thing worth anything. because it will show on the outside whether you try to conceal it or not. so focus instead on you when you catch yourself looking for the bad in others. dig deep into your soul and find the good. the dazzling. the unique. the quirky. the beautiful. the things that make you, you. find the changes you need to make. and make them. i think that once you find what makes you tick. what drives you. feeds your soul. life gets rosier. and i believe that when you find what you need to seriously work on, then life is much less dramatic and stressful. less picking apart. more building up and into the lives of those around you. much more fulfilling and friend-friendly. (like family-friendly :) logs are not only no longer found in the eyes of your best buds. but the specks have vanished from your own!

me & my best friends.

" just be yourself, everyone else is already taken"

xo karli rae.

make happy happen.

i've come to the conclusion. rather the discovery... that happy is a choice. yes it's an emotion too. but firstly it's something you mentally tell yourself that it's what you want to be. all life's hardest decisions stem from our most earnest desires. because we know what we want. but we either don't know how to get there. or we don't want to fail so we don't even try. but if we don't make a conscious effort to make them happen. they won't. they will slip through our fingers. and we will wonder why they never came to be.

...if we let happy slip away, than what is life but a dull. gloomy. cloud wrought with trouble and sorrow and pain. if best friends leave and boyfriends are dumped and the phone never rings. and depression we've decided is not an option. than happiness shall reign. for no amount of naps or tears. or lonely nights staring off into space will ever change your outlook if you don't change your heart. and your head. get up. dust yourself off. and move on. make happy happen. you are in your life already. you can't 'start' living it again. but you need to put your heart into living again.

- - - so happy is a choice. it's daily choosing to have a positive outlook at the wide world. to say i will not let the darkness hold me back. i will persevere. press on. fight for what i know and believe to be what i need. what i am missing. and cannot live without. it's my desire and wish to be happy. content. blithe. cheerful. giddy. delightful. filled with mirth. i want to exude happiness. to radiate with it.

to be truly happy is to love. and to SMILE. to LAUGH. to GIGGLE. to put the lives of others first. to look past yourself and say my happiness. my attitude. my ecstatic need to live and breathe for jesus is what will change the world. what will get me through the day. and not just through it. or make it simply bearable. but make me adore the day. praise the day. look at the day and say that was fantastic. let's do it again... each day is a gift. and happiness should be the way we choose to spend it.

as clear as clear can be?

Have you ever been uncertain about something. and then that uncertainty led to doubt. and that doubt led to you being consumed by constant worry and then you end up analyzing the whole twisted, messed up situation, which you've really only made up in your head... why do we make life so complicated for ourselves sometimes? i just wish doubt wasn't so pressing. have you ever because of your uncertainty gone through your day or your week looking at everyone and everything and pointing out, grasping, holding onto that which you know to be certain. constant. unmoving. unbending. unchanging. things you know without a doubt. without cause for concern. or questioning. but as clear as clear can be. things and feelings that are so potent and powerful and true and right that you can't help but know and feel to the depths of your soul that they are how you truly feel and will always feel. the certainty that i love God. i love my mom. or my insanely cool car. or the fantastic pair of sneakers i just bought. or that great dress i have hanging on my closet just waiting to be worn. or the little girl in daycare who makes me fly around like a butterfly with her every morning. those are things i know i love. i know they make me happy. i know they are moments. and people and objects in my life that i am perfectly content with. how come life can't be that simple. as simple as knowing you love chocolate. or old movies. or reading a good book. or riding a bike down a terrifyingly fast hill. or jumping off a cliff into a lake of refreshing blue... how come life isn't as simple as those moments you find yourself so sure of. those tangible. graspable. real moments. but life cannot be black and white. it can't always be left or right. sometimes it's gray and confusing. sometimes we take the wrong turn. or path. and have to try again. start over. sometimes we have to leap before we know. trust before we jump. life is full of unexpected. unanticipated surprises. and sometimes we just have to take a chance. let the current take us where it will and end up in places we never even imagined. life can't be easy or jam-packed with all the answers. or flashing neon signs. life is full of choices. having faith. trusting that God knows what he's doing. letting him lead. life isn't easy. it's not meant to be. life is uncertain. not everything is for sure. that's why i find myself holding onto what's certain. knowing what it is i believe to be true. figuring out what i do love. like. desire. adore. and then tackling the unknown.

i believe in love.

i believe that when you fall you get back up again.

i believe in second chances.

i believe in magical nights.

i believe that the best things in life are free.

i believe that eyes are a window to soul.

i believe that less is more.

i believe in never giving up.

i believe in pursuing your passions.

i believe in lost hopes.

i believe that crying is sometimes necessary.

i believe laughter is the best medicine.

i believe in true friends.

i believe that anger ruins the soul.

i believe that singing at the top of our lungs is a must.

i believe in running away from temptation.

i believe in blue skies.

i believe that rainbows are a promise.

i believe in someone loving you even if you don't deserve it.

i believe in good night sleeps.

i believe in nightmares.

i believe in kisses.

i believe in super high under ducks.

i believe that children teach us far more than we teach them.

i believe in shooting stars.

i believe in a good romance novel.

i believe in peppermint tea.

i believe in the depths of despair. i've been there.

i believe in new beginnings.

i believe in heaven.

i believe that we are all lost souls searching for something greater than ourselves....

i believe that tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it.

i believe in walking in each others shoes.

i believe in angels.

i believe in words. lots and lots of words.

i believe that some pictures speak much more than anyone could ever say.

i believe in ghosts.

i believe that inner beauty trumps outer beauty, yet our world promotes the opposite.

i believe in miracles.

i believe that dreams do come true.

i believe in staying up late.

i believe that life is an adventure.

i believe that smiling makes all the difference.

i believe in warm sunshiny days.

i believe in believing. hoping for only the best.

i believe that with God anything is possible.