Hello from the Non-Expert

Okay.  Well.  Hello!  

If you are a regular (which I really doubt there are any because of my being dormant for so long), you will have noticed that I've changed my blog title.  I don't really know why I did it, but I just didn't really feel the "Small Obsessions :)" thing anymore.  So in a way, I'm starting over.  The old posts may be a little cringe-worthy, but I just can't really press delete at the moment.  Some of them still apply, but many of the topics have changed (especially the music groups, oh man).  In other words, I've grown some.  

I think the new title really applies to my stage of life.  I've just recently graduated from high school and am ready to conquer another four years of school.  Just kidding, I'm not ready at all.  There are so many things that I have yet to really experience, some things I have experienced, and so many questions I have about everything that's coming. 

I am one of those people who gets pretty nervous/agitated about new things and experiences, especially the dreaded: SOCIAL SITUATION.  This is mostly because I embarrass myself pretty often.  That's right, the only thing that's in my expertise is self embarrassment.  *insert children cheering* 

So I thought that I could give you some advice, from a non-expert point of view.  Some people are always like, "Oh yeah, I'm so experienced and I never trip and fall in front of everyone" or "Oh yeah, I totally got everything right on the first try".  LIES.  Everybody is nervous and bad at something, and I'll be the first to admit it. 

I will be going through specific public situations with hacks and tips to help you get through the night/day/week/month with less than the usual difficulty.  Hopefully, I'll be able to provide some help and less of you will end up like me.  Along with these types of posts, I will be posting more of the old whatevers, like book reviews and whatnot.  

Yay.  I hope this post makes sense.  Like I said, social situations are not my forte. 

-The Non-Expert

Through the Eyes of a Six Year-Old

Source: planetware.com

Hi!  Last night, I happened to be looking through some Instagram photos, and one of them was of the Eiffel Tower.  My six year-old sister was looking over my shoulder (of course).  

She looked at me with super wide eyes and exclaimed, "Is that the Frightful Tower in Texas, Paris?!"

Despite the fact that she was super off in both name and place, I was pretty impressed.  What six year-old knows about Paris, Texas?  

Well, I just wanted to share that because it really put a smile on my face.  

Never Eat (C)old McDonald's

No, it was not the smartest choice on my account, but I was quite hungry.  I made a huge mistake of eating two cold-ish (and not to mention 5 day old) McChickens yesterday.  Now I've spent the whole day feeling queasy and very nauseous.  

Anyway, lesson learned.  Never eat cold/old McDonald's.  Ever.  

My Heart of Worship

Over the weekend, my church co-hosted an awesome youth conference.  In past years, my favorite parts of this conference was probably food or games.  But this year, the most enjoyable part of the conference was definitely worship.  

We had these crazy, super long worship sessions with song after song about how great our God truly is.  I found myself really connecting and focusing without getting distracted.  I think I may have matured some since last year, haha.  

And the crazy thing was that I was supposed to be on the worship team this year, singing and playing keys.  But the day before the conference started, I started sneezing and nose-blowing a lot.  Of course, being the sickly child I am, I got sick.  At first, I thought I was totally letting God and the worship team down, so I felt pretty bad about myself and my horrible immune system.  Then, I realize that God was, in fact, giving me a gift and letting enjoy the beautiful worship sets during the weekend.  He was giving me a chance to reconnect with him.  And I am very grateful to Him for that.  

Here were some songs that I really enjoyed worshiping to that were in the worship sets this year...

"Forever" by Kari Jobe - This song pretty much makes me tear up every time I hear it.  It has such a powerful message about how Jesus came back to life and how perfect he was.

"This is Amazing Grace" by Phil Wickham - I love this song because the lyrics are just so overwhelming.  It really is amazing that someone (Jesus) would love me so much that he would take my place and bear my cross. 

"Deep Cries Out" by Bethel Church - This is definitely an awesome song to dance to, and I especially love the part when they sing, "If He goes to the left, then we go to the left, If He goes to the right, then we go to the right"