Top Moments of 2013

CAUTION: This post is very long and descriptive. If you are not prepared for that, you may choose to just read the underlined words. Enjoy!

At the end of a year, I always like to look back and reflect on what happened that year. 2013 has been a year of lasts and firsts. There have been so many amazing memories made this year. Also, this year has brought a lot of change. Throughout the ups and downs, God has remained the same. He has blessed me beyond belief, and I am so grateful for all He's done in and through me. Here's a list of some of the most memorable and awesome things that have happened in 2013:

~Joining A New House Group - My cousin Anna leads a small house group (Bible Study) at her house, and she invited me to give it a try. After the first night, I LOVED it!! Not only did we read and study the Bible, but we also applied it to our lives. Anna made sure to show us how much God loves us. Every week we met, we shared some pancakes while putting together our journal for the week and digging into the Word. I got to know some amazing, Godly girls in this group, and I know that some of the friendships I made will last a long time!

{my house group girls}

~Class C All-State Trip - So many fun memories were made from this weekend! A big group of students in my band traveled to Kearney for a few days. We made some great music with lots of other musicians and had lots of fun. I got to room with three amazing girls who are silly, hilarious, and so caring. Because of some nasty weather we had to stay an extra night. Even though I would've loved to sleep in my own bed, that extra night was awesome. It was great to bond with the girls for another night and relax.

{fun at Class C All-State}

~Prom - I was blessed to go with a great group of friends to prom. My neighbor who has a limo let my dad drive us in it to prom. We all loved riding in style! Prom was great, but I think post-prom was even better. We all dressed up in some country-wear and headed out in the country to a barn for some line dancing. I don't know if you know this about me, but I love dancing!! Especially line and swing dancing. We had a blast! Of course, there was post-post and post-post-post prom as well. After all that fun, I was definitely ready for bed.

{my prom group}

~Senior Chapel - Towards the end of the school year, the seniors get to lead chapel at Lincoln Christian School. This year was our turn, and it was amazing! After a few worship songs, we had an open mic. People shared their favorite moments from Lincoln Christian School, thanked the teachers for all they'd done, and opened up about their struggles. At the end we sang the song Great I Am and walked out with cardboard testimonies. It was so amazing to see humble, broken people changed by an awesome God!

{cardboard testimonies and Great I Am}

~Graduating High School - Well, one of the biggest things that happened this year was graduating. I made some amazing, Godly, fun friends and many great memories at Lincoln Christian School. High school was definitely a time of growth for me as well. I'm thankful for the experiences I had, and I will always look back on that time fondly.

{receiving my diploma from my dad}

~Senior Music Road Trip - Right after school got out, most of the senior music students went on a road trip. We drove to Wisconsin and then onto Minnesota. We went to a water resort for a few days, toured some caves, learned how to swing dance, went shopping at the Mall of America, saw the Sistine Chapel, and much more. There were so many cool things we got to do, and many great memories made. I'm so thankful that I got to spend a few days with some amazing people!

{the crew}

~Mexico - This summer I had the opportunity to go to Mexico for the second time. As always, it was an amazing trip! It was so cool to see the little girl that I connected with last year. I am so passionate about children, Spanish, and sharing God's love, so this trip was perfect for me. I experienced God's great power and love in Mexico.

{Gabi and I}

~Starting College - The most monumental thing that happened this year was starting college. God worked out everything perfectly for me to go to Hastings College. I live with my aunt, uncle, cousin, and brother. I love being able to live in a home and have my own space. Because of the great change, this has probably been one of the most difficult, but fun things that's happened this year. I have learned so much and grown a lot in this new season of my life.

{new friends}

~Starting A Blog - I had wanted to have a blog for awhile, and I finally decided to go for it. I haven't blogged a lot, but I've enjoyed it so far. I like being about to share my thoughts and memories with others. Hopefully I will post more this next year!

{new blog}

~Road Trip to Kansas City - My cousin and I went on our first road trip by ourselves! We drove to Kansas City, went shopping, and went to a concert. My new favorite band, Rend Collective Experiment, played in Kansas City. They are such an amazing, fun, worshipful band! I love all of their music, and it was great to see them perform live. Experiencing this with my cousin was great. I love her so much, and the trip was tons of fun with her.

{KC with Jessica}

~Tim and Molly's Wedding - My wonderful brother married the love of his life this fall. The wedding was outside on a farm, and it was so beautiful! It was so cool to see their amazing love for each other. I had so much fun on the wedding day with my family. I'm so glad that we got to welcome his bride into our family. She is so fun and caring!

{Zach girls}

~Finishing My First Semester of College - Completing my first semester at Hastings College was exciting! I made it through a semester successfully. I'm studying elementary education and Spanish, and I love them both so much! Also, I've met some great people and made great friends. This semester has been filled with ups and downs, but I know that God had me where I was for a purpose. He has done some great things these last few months.

{fun with a new friend}

So many great memories were made this year! I'm thankful for many great old and new friends. God has blessed me so immensely. There were many big decisions that I had to make this year that I stressed over for awhile, but I had to just trust that God would work it all out, and He did! In 2013 I learned a lot about God's faithfulness and power. I doubted Him so many times, but He was working in all my situations and struggles. I'm thankful for all that has happened in 2013 and excited for all that is coming in 2014!

{the cry of my heart}

Dear God,

You are holy and mighty.
I cannot comprehend Your infinite power.
Your grace is indescribable, none can fathom!
I am so lowly and unworthy of Your love, Lord.
I am humbled and in awe in Your Presence.

I want to know You more.
I want to be fueled by passion and love for You.
I want my gratitude to turn into giving.
I want to let go of myself and grab onto You.
I want to dig into Your Word because Your love for me compels me to,
       not because I have to check it off my list.
I want to do things because Your love compels me to,
       not to look good in others' eyes.
I want to live a grace-filled life,
       not a works-basked life.
I want to let love reign in all aspects of my life.
I want to be transparent and honest.
I want to use my time wisely because it's a precious gift from You.
I want to use my God-given talents as much as I can to give You glory.
I want to work hard at all I do.
I want to be patient and loving even towards those who aren't loving to me.

Fill me with Your Spirit.
None of this can be done without You.
I commit my life to You, Lord.
I am Yours. Do with me as you want!

Amen.

Consumerism and Contentment

I wanted to share some of my thoughts and questions with you. . . . .

Recently I've really been convicted about consumerism. I have noticed how often I want stuff. I seem to always have a mindset that "if I just had THAT, then life would be better." This applies mainly to clothes, but some other things as well. I see people around me with lots of nice things, and it makes me want more and more. These thoughts made me feel uneasy. The society that we live in is so saturated with consumerism. Everywhere we look, someone is trying to sell something to us. They make it seem like having more will make us happier. It's so hard to be content with what we have because of these constant bombardments.

Along with all these thoughts about consumerism, my eyes have been opened more to poverty. In my American Schools class we have been talking about poverty and the struggles associated with it. We also learned that being impoverished doesn't always have to deal with your finances. You can be lacking emotional support, health, role models, or a purpose in life and be "in poverty." It made me think that people who are financially poor may not be emotionally poor; they may be joyful and content with their life.

Another experience that made me think about poverty is packing a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. This is a ministry where you pack a shoebox with toys, school supplies, and hygiene products for a little boy or girl. After being checked through, a gospel storybook in a child's native language is put in each box. Then the boxes are shipped around the world to kids in need. I really wanted to be a part of this, because I have more than enough, and this could be the ONLY gift that this child gets. Thinking of the children that the boxes are going to was sobering. I had been worried about how much the toys and stuff would cost, but then I realized. I should be willing and eager to "overspend" on this gift! Who cares if I spent more than I had planned on spending, these toys and supplies are going to a child who NEEDS this. Their access to this kind of stuff is much more limited than mine. More importantly, they get to hear about a God who loves them unconditionally and who can conquer ALL their problems, What better gift than Jesus Christ?

All of these thoughts left me with questions, discouragement, and hope. . . How do I give up my desire to want more? How do I decide what to spend my money on? What can I do to live a life free of jealousy? As a college student I don't have endless resources to get more and more. I HAVE to stay on a budget. This attitude of consumerism is contrary to what God tells us. I want to have an attitude on spending that aligns with God's Word.

While searching through the Bible for some wisdom on this topic, I found these verses:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:6-10

The theme of these verses is that I can be content in Christ, because He is all I need. When I become wrapped up in money and possessions my focus shifts from on Jesus to on myself. I don't want to be wrapped up in myself, but in Christ! I want to strive to use my resources to further the kingdom of God and not my personal happiness.

I hope that my thoughts provoked some searching of your own. Is this a topic that you struggle with? How have you combated the world's lies about consumerism and contentment?

Counting Gifts

Last year I read an amazing, life-changing book. It's called One Thousand Gifts, and it was written by Ann Voskamp. In her book she talks about the importance of gratitude. God has blessed us with so many gifts, and the least we can do in return is thank Him. Gratitude takes the focus off of us and onto Jesus, because He is the giver of every good gift. If you really think about it, we have no reason to complain, because we can have the Creator of the world as our Friend. For about a year and a half I kept a gratitude journal where I wrote down everyday the things that I was thankful for. This summer I slowly stopped doing that, and I think that I have complained and wanted more because of that. I follow Ann Voskamp's blog and was recently reminded of the importance of giving thanks daily. For this reason, I have decided to periodically post some of the things that I'm grateful for. Here it goes . . .

~a hot bonfire on a chilly night

~building friendships and community

~silly games that are ridiculously fun

~fog that makes everything look mysterious and enchanting

~colorful leaves scattered across the ground

~a hot cup of Earl Gray tea to warm me up

~that God's mercies are new in the morning

~a clean, organized room

~encouragement at a much needed time

~a reminder that God has me where He wants me

If you have some extra time, you should definitely read One Thousand Gifts, and even keep your own list of things you're thankful for. Ann Voskamp's writing is in a little different style, but it is very impacting and meaningful. If you end up reading her book, tell me what you think! Are there any other great books that you've been reading? Let me know! I'd love to hear what you think about this subject of gratitude too!

Road Trippin'

So, I haven't posted in awhile because I've been busy and out of town. Last Thursday and Friday I went on a road trip with my cousin Jessica. It was SUPER fun, and I'm going to share it with you. I hope you enjoy!

P.S.... Be prepared for a bit of a photo overload :)

We left Thursday morning bright and early for Kansas City. I was excited to be going towards the sunrise. It was beautiful!

It was the first time for both of us to drive in a big city like KC, so it was a little stressful, but fun!

One of the most important things on a road trip is snacks! We were definitely prepared in this area. There were so many delicious, fun snacks and candy that we munched on during our drive. My favorite was probably the Sour Patch Kids and Mike and Ike's! Yum!!

Getting into Kansas City was soooo cool!! We loved seeing the skyline and the river!

First stop was the Country Club Plaza for shopping! We stopped in Forever 21, H & M, Francesca's, Lululemon, and many more shops. After lots of shopping in the Plaza, we felt exhausted and hungry, so we went to P. F. Chang's for some dinner! It's one of my favorite restaurants, but Jessica had never been there before, so this was an exciting time. We ordered the chicken lettuce wraps to begin with. I love them because they are so light and fresh. Jessica got some wonton soup, and we split honey chicken with rice. The chicken was very delicious! Then, of course, we ended the meal with a fortune cookie. Overall we both enjoyed our food!

For a little pick-me-up before the BIG concert we stopped at Starbucks!

After a few months of waiting and a few hours of driving, we finally made it to the Rend Collective Experiment Concert. Here is our pre-concert excitement in the bathroom!!!

Well, this concert wasn't actually Rend Collective's concert; they just played at the end. The name of this event was called the Reset Movement. It is a movement with the purpose to empower a generation to live fully for Jesus. This event consisted of a speaker, a worship band, other artists, and Rend Collective Experiment. It was a great time to focus on Christ and 'reset' my life. The whole event was so worshipful and praising to God. I was challenged to surrender my life to God and start afresh. Even though I have messed up time and time again, God redeems me. The speaker did a great job of challenging us and showing us our need for God. Something that he said that stood out to me was that God is so powerful and almighty, that He can defeat what I'm struggling with. No pain or struggle is too big for Him to conquer! If He can move mountains, then He can defeat my pride and selfishness. It was such a great reminder of God's amazing power and grace. 

Finally, after an hour and a half, Rend Collective Experiment came of stage!! This group is from Ireland, and is more like a family of musicians coming together to make music for the Lord. I love their heart for worship and desire to praise God! Their music is kind of a folk style, and they sound a little like Mumford and Sons. I just LOVE Rend Collective's music!!! I was disappointed that they only played for 20 minutes, but those 20 minutes were AMAZING!! There was so much energy and joy in the room. Everyone was jumping, clapping, singing, and praising God! During their time on stage, they played one of their news songs that hasn't even been released yet. It's called My Lighthouse! I videoed it, but the quality isn't very good (and you can hear me singing in the background :)), so I decided not to post it. To end the night, Rend Collective played their most popular song, Build Your Kingdom Here. All of the other performer and artists came up onto the stage dancing and singing, and it was such a joyful time!! If you're looking for some great, fun, worshipful, not cookie-cutter Christian music, you should definitely check out this band! I would recommend listening to their album Campfire first!!

Pics with the band mates afterwards!!

After a wonderful time in Kansas City, we headed back to Nebraska on Friday. On our way back we stopped for gas and spotted this gorgeous little pond. These pictures are definitely my favorites from the whole trip!

I had a wonderful time spending time with my cousin Jessica on this adventure! We were able to go shopping, eat great food, hear some amazing bands, and grow deeper in our relationship with Christ. I'm so thankful for her willingness and enthusiasm to go on this trip with me, and hope we have many more fun memories like this!

Blast from the Past

Welcome back!!

This blog post came up on accident. I was planning on blogging on something else, and I wanted to take some pictures, so I got my camera out. I got my camera about 4 years ago, and I still have pictures and videos on there from awhile ago. As I was looking through some of the pictures and videos, I stumbled across a few things that were kind of hilarious and embarrassing, which is what I decided to blog about today . . . They actually do play a role in the name of my blog though . . . you'll see. :)

Here's a little background . . . In 9th grade I had to take a speech class. One of the speeches that we had to give in this class was a demonstration speech. After much deliberation, I decided that I would give a demonstration on how to make these special cookies that I loved. Baking is one of my favorite things to do, so this was a perfect opportunity to show that off! For my speech I pretended like I was on a cooking show. It was a pretty fun time, so I guess I decided that it would be fun to make some videos of me doing another cooking show. Well you know what? I did! If you're up for a few laughs, and maybe a few cooking techniques watch the following videos!! While you're at it, see if you can pick up the connection between these videos and my blog title :)

Oh boy, survive that?? Well here are the funniest parts of Cooking With Suzy Sunshine - Coffee Brownies :) Just remember, this was a few years ago, and I obviously did not have the best cleanliness when baking, lol :-)

I hope you laughed as much as my family and I did when watching those wonderful shows! Seriously though, after I made these my siblings would watch them over and over again, laughing hysterically. Then, they would show other people and laugh anymore. I just think it's hilarious that I tried to be serious and good at putting on the show. Suzy Sunshine, has been used as a nickname for me a few times since then. When I was thinking about starting a blog my sister joked that I should name it Suzy Sunshine. Instead, I decided to call it Tidbits of Sunshine. Not only did I decide on that name because of my cooking show back in the day, but also because there are so many bits of sunshine in my life that I want to share with you!

Who knows, maybe I'll find some more old gems on this camera of mine . . . and maybe they'll show up on here! Until next time, happy baking!!

New Beginnings

Hi everyone!

I've been thinking about starting a blog for awhile and finally decided to do it. I don't know tons about having a blog, but I've followed several the last few years, so I'm going to jump in! One of the main reasons that I want to blog is because I just started college this fall, and I want to document it. I want to share about the fun, stressful, and growing times in this new stage of life, and also be able to look back on them.

Well, here's a little about me: I have an amazing, kind of large family that I LOVE!! I am so blessed to have such supportive, loving, godly parents, and such fun, encouraging siblings. God has also given me some great friends! It has definitely been different and hard being apart from my family and friends, but it has made me reach out and build new relationships. I am in love with Jesus, the Creator of the Universe, who loves me unconditionally! I am extremely passionate about teaching kids and speaking Spanish, which are the two things that I am studying in college. Something else that I love is food! I love to cook, bake, and eat. Some of my favorite things will probably be what I blog about as well.

I hope that you enjoy my tidbits about life!