It seems to me that there's a lot of unnecessary hate in this world. After all, we humans are very hateful creatures. We can grow to hate pretty much anything, from material things to physical things to spiritual things. You can hate that disgusting restaurant that your family drags you to each week against your will. You can hate your brother's iPod and the eardrum-shattering music he likes. You can hate the weather, or you can the neighbor's dog. You could even hate someone else's religion or beliefs simply because their opinion is different than yours.
Like I said, people can find a way to hate just about anything in this world. But above all of that, there's one thing that we as humans seem to hate the most: other humans.
I see it all the time, whether it's whispering about what's-her-name in the hallway or posting cryptically about what's-his-face on Twitter. We seem to have a hatred for other humans and everything they do, and we love to express it openly. Often, the reasons are totally ridiculous. We hate people for what they wear, what they look like, who they hang out with, and the bad things they've done in the past.
All I ever hear anymore is complaints about other people - our teachers, our bosses, our coworkers, our friends, even our family. But what good is it to go through life hating people? We hold these stubborn grudges against others for tiny reasons - reasons that don't even affect us - and all it does is make our lives harder. We let people get under our skin, and what to we get in return? Unhealthy anger and unnecessary conflict. It puts us in a bad mood, and what good does that do?
Now, I know what it feels like to feel so angry or irritated at someone that you can barely be in the same room as them. There is always someone that you see in the hallways at school or in the office at work that you just want to punch in the face. I'm guilty of it, without a doubt. But something that I've realized is that this is not how God wants us to live.
Lately I've noticed that in the Bible, it frequently says things like, "My dear brothers and sisters." I'm sure many of you have heard it said that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and we should love each other as if we were brothers and sisters. I've got a younger brother and sister, and though they drive me completely nuts on some days, I love those two more than anything. In fact, I'm not sure if either of them realize how much I care about them. But what I'm trying to do now is love everyone as much as I love my siblings.
It's hard - really hard - but God wants us to love all people, no matter what. He wants us to love Fred even though he smells bad every day. He wants us to love Sally even though she went to Betsy's birthday party instead of yours. He wants us to love Jenny even though she looks like a model every single day while you look like you just came back from the dead. Though we cannot ever comprehend His love fully, He wants us to love everyone because He loves them. Though this may seem impossible, there is a very popular verse, I recall, that says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)
He wants us to love people. Period, end of story.
The point I'm trying to make is that we cannot let petty, unimportant details of a person get in the way of how God views them. I don't care if they're the nicest person you've ever met or if they're the most awful, mean jerk on the planet. I don't care if they post a thousand things on Instagram every day and drive you crazy. I don't care if they beat up your brother or robbed your house. I don't care if they are a Christian or a Muslim, if they're gay or straight, if they're one-hundred percent right, or if they are completely and utterly wrong. Even if they sin, that shouldn't matter, because you sin too. And you can't even hate yourself, because hating yourself is like hating anyone else. God made you, and God loves you.
God looks at everybody else just like He looks at you - a precious Child of God. Irreplaceable, Beautiful, Loved Beyond Measure. And if we let our own human, flawed opinions blur that truth in our hearts, then those opinions are all we will ever have.

I spent this weekend in Ada, Oklahoma at Cornerstone Kids Ranch with my leadership group from school on a retreat. Although we were deprived of technology and exposed to sweat and nasty bugs for a very long two days, we did have a LOT of fun, and all of it was worth it. We spent a lot of time outdoors doing teamwork/bonding activities, such as a ropes course and community service. There was a wall - and I mean a legitimate wall - that we had to physically climb over without anything to help us but each other. At one point we all took a turn on a zip line, and we spent plenty of time studying the Bible and finding connections with God through one another. There was also plenty of good food and room for fellowship.
Overall, I had a blast and already feel very close to the entire group. But there was one thing that definitely captured my attention during our time at the camp. When you spend an entire weekend with a group of teenagers, sharing everything from living space to food to clothes with them, you get to know them fairly well. And I couldn't help but noticed that while we had many similarities, such as our faith, sense of humor, or preference in boy bands...we are all extremely different.
It's really the little things that jump out at me - the way one person prefers to eat, or another person's sleeping habits. Maybe it's the fact that someone despises chocolate while many others can't get enough of it. Or maybe one person is incredibly shy and another is loud and outgoing. Even if one of us looks similar to another - even though we are all humans, from the same earth and of the same species - we are all incredibly different, designed for a specific purpose that is one of a kind and irreplaceable.
In Psalm 139:13, it says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." It blows my mind that while there are millions and millions of people living on this planet, God was able to create each and every one of us completely unique and one hundred percent special. We are incomprehensibly valuable to the very Maker of the universe, the King of Kings. The Greatest Man to walk the earth, the Son of God...He knows our names, He planned every second of our lives. He made us for a specific purpose. He made us more than just a person - He made us who we are, and there will always be something about you that is nothing like the rest. Whether it's the bad or the good things about you, God loves you because of it. There is nothing you can do that will stop His love for you. It is never-ending, unchanging. All of it just puts me in awe, how we're not just here to live - we're here to thrive in the love of the Savior, and we're all such a critical piece of history, of existence. How I have blue eyes but my brother's are hazel, how I like to write and my sister loves animals. How my mom loves to exercise and I love potato chips. The fact is, there are millions of wonderful differences between us humans, and it's so amazing. It excites me because it's so complex, and I'm not sure it will ever make sense, no matter how long I sit here and wonder about it. I'm not even sure how many people will sit and read this blog post and even understand what I'm trying to say. You are a one of a kind, irreplaceable Child of God. There isn't anyone else on the planet like you. Do not look at yourself as any less.
You'll see thousands of people in your lifetime. You'll walk past them, maybe even speak to them for a moment or two. You may know their names and their faces. But next time you're in a crowded place and all you see is people...the next time you see that girl or boy at school that you may not know very well...just remember that these people are people. They have quirks and traits just like you. They have lives. Every last one of them has a purpose on this planet, no matter how quiet or loud, no matter how tough or sensitive, no matter how happy or sad they are. Think about how much they might have done or have left to do here. Think about how you have a part in that, because you are as equally loved and valuable as they are. Keep in mind that God loves them too. He loves us far more than any of us could ever imagine, far more than we deserve. Pray for them - your close friends and family, or even the strangers you pass by in your own neighborhood. We're all writing a story - we're all making history together, and like a puzzle with a missing piece, it won't work unless we're all here.

If you follow me on any of my social media outlets, you probably know that I'm a massive fan of the ever-famous British/Irish boy-band, One Direction. And on July 22nd, I got the privilege of going to their Dallas concert as an early 16th birthday present, thanks to my grandparents. It was a special event, since the tickets are expensive and hard to come by. I never imagined I'd get to go to one of their shows, and it was even more special because it was both me and my sister's first concert.
It's definitely a night to remember on many accounts...For one thing, I got to see the five members of my favorite band in person (although at a distance, it was still amazing). But for another, I'll never forget how the crowd reacted to these unrealistically attractive singers.
As expected, it was crowded. And as expected, it was loud...but it was much louder than I ever imagined it would be. Literally every girl in the stadium screamed every single time the commercial for 1D merchandise at Claire's came on the big screen - and the boys weren't even in the ad. (I yelled at them all to shut up but nobody really listened to me.)
You can probably imagine how bad the screaming got when the real boys came out on stage. It was mind-bogglingly loud. It was so loud that it felt like my ears were bleeding - it was as if the screams were inside my head at some points, and I couldn't escape them. On top of that, the speakers were turned up as loud as they could go in order for us to hear what the boys were saying/singing over all of the screams. There were many points in the show when I realized that the boys' voices sounded high-pitched, as well as my sister's voice next to me and every other girl around me. I don't know why, but the level of noise finally got loud enough that we all sounded like chipmunks. It was the strangest thing I've ever experienced. My poor ears will never be the same. I admit, the conert would've been more enjoyable if it weren't so loud. Girls are extremely obnoxious creatures, I've found.
One thing I've realized after going to the concert, though, is how strange it must be for the boys - and all celebrities, for that matter - to get such response everywhere they go. And not always positive response...it's often negative. I've read a lot of terrible things about these boys on the Internet and I've seen how it affects them. The truth is that they're people too - they're doing their job just like everybody else, and believe it or not, even being a singer is hard work. It's exhausting. But from a lot of people, all they get is hate for it. But they never complain - in fact, they often apologize for it, though they've done nothing wrong. I don't really understand that.
I just don't see the point in spending our time telling celebrities how much they hate them. For example, I'm not a big fan of Justin Bieber. But that doesn't mean I'm going to tell everyone and their dog about every bad thing he's done in his life. It's just wrong. Because he's a person just like us, and although he may try to ignore it, having those things said about you does take a toll.
So that's what I felt like addressing today. Celebrities are a very controversial subject in today's society - some people love them, some people hate them, depending on who we are. And I get that they're rich and have "everything," but I just don't see the point in hating them so much. All of them. They're just human beings - they've done wrong stuff just like us. It's not rocket science. It's their life - let them live it, and worry about your life instead. Celebrities are people we should be praying for rather than hating on.

Man of Steel

As some of you may know, I am a HUGE movie fan. There may be many reasons for this, whether it's my love of entertainment or my built-in, teenage-girl hunger for a little bit of romance. (Whether you like it or not, ALL girls like romance at some point in their lives. Even me. It's a given.) And since it's summer, and I have not done ANYTHING vacation-wise until this week, I have been frequently asking my parents to please, please, please take me to the movies.
Please.
Now, there are plenty of good movies out this summer. There's the largely anticipated Monsters University, that takes the 90s kids back to their childhood, and Despicable Me 2 coming out on the 3rd, which my little cousin Jonathan is extremely excited about. There are also comedies such as The Internship, and thrillers like World War Z or White House Down. But one that has caught the public's eye is the epic, action-packed, explosive Man of Steel movie, which follows a very handsome Clark Kent through his journey in becoming Super Man.
The movie is different from other Super Man movies, since it's more about evil aliens than human villains. It's received criticism because it's a little slow, and a little loud, and a little violent. (Or a lot of all of those things.) But I saw it for the second time today with some members of my family, and my grandmother couldn't help but notice one important detail.
In the movie, Clark Kent mentions that he is 33 years old. As it turns out, Jesus Christ was 33 years old when he began his ministry. Clark was sent to Earth to be a hero and a hope for humanity, like Jesus was. He had earthly parents, but he also had a father elsewhere, like Jesus did. (Not to mention that his earthly parents' names were Martha and Jonathan, which sounds similar to Mary and Joseph, Jesus' parents. He was also their only son.) On several occasions, you see Super Man with his arms outstretched in a cross-like form. There is a scene that takes place in a church where the pastor says that "Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith first. The trust part comes later." Also, Clark Kent was devoted to helping people, even his enemies. He was devastated and heartbroken when he had to kill the villain in the film, who actually had a hatred for Super Man himself.
Just like Jesus.
These are just a few of the many connections that we noticed in Man of Steel that link Super Man to Jesus Christ. If you really think about it, you can probably find many more that are all amazing. Now, I'm not sure if the people who wrote, produced, and directed this movie did this intentionally, but either way, it's very interesting to think about. The man we know as Super Man has quite a few similarities to Jesus.
It's strange to imagine Super Man ever being surpassed in strength by another hero, villain, or even human being. But Jesus Christ by far surpasses all of us, even the amazing Clark Kent. He did all of the things Super Man did - coming to Earth, starting a ministry at age 33, and helping people. But he did even more. He worked miracles before people's eyes, healing the sick and bringing the dead to life. He even laid down his life to save you and I from our sins - from an eternity of pain and regret. He suffered the most miserable crucifixion with all of us in mind. And then he beat death and rose from the grave.
Jesus is the ultimate Super Man. He is a Man of Steel, but he is also a Man of Hope. His mercies never fail and his powers never die. I'm not sure what you're going through today, but whether it's good or bad, just keep in mind that you've got a Super Man who's always there to save you in a heartbeat.

You know, life is a fascinating thing. It may not seem this way to us as we go about our everyday lives, living what may be average or boring existances. Like me, going to school every day. I wake up, I come, I sit, I learn, I take many (MANY) notes, and then I leave. It's boring, but at the same time extremely special.
Every time I take a breath, I am living. And living is a magnificent thing. Lately I've been seeing this strange side of life - the side where I actually notice little things that go on, and am amazed.
A father playing with his child. A frustrated woman carrying a briefcase and talking on the phone. Birds chirping. Cars driving by. Dirty dishes. The feeling of finishing a fantastic book. The familiar smell of home. The sound your pencil makes when it scratches the surface of your paper. The rush of seeing that one special person who makes your insides flip and your heart ache and you still don't know why. All of these things - the sounds, the smells, the color - it's all life, and I feel like it has a lot more meaning than many of us realize. There's a bigger picture that I'm trying hard to see. There are connections that haven't been made, and I want to put the puzzle together. Everyone has things that are important to them, and it's all so special that we get to witness this life.
Every time we take a breath, we are one second older, one second closer to dying. I've never been able to imagine myself dying. Maybe it's beacause I don't believe I'll ever die. My life on this planet may end, but the next thing I know, I'll be somewhere else, wherever that is. Heaven, with its timelessness and endlessness and locationlessness and all of those weird things that we can't get our heads around. One day it will all make sense, when the bigger picture is in view. It's all so much to take in - the concept of life, the idea of love, the possibility of forever. It makes my head spin. One day we will understand all of it. But until then, we're all here together, and we might as well make the best of it.
I'm sure this blog post it confusing, and it may not make any sense. But what I guess I'm trying to say is, whatever you're going through right now, something good is going to come out of it. Bad things happen so good things can follow. Without bad things, good things really wouldn't exist. Everything you see right now is life, and it's enjoyable, if that's what you make it. Notice things. The blue sky, the different colors of people's eyes, the way it feels to laugh, how important your family and friends really are, the way it feels to take a breath and feel that heart beating inside of you. It'll all make sense soon. Maybe the last piece of the puzzle is right around the corner.

Well, on this beautifully cold January morning (almost February. Harry Style's birthday is on the first. Happy early birthday, Haz. Same to my mother, hers is on the second), I am blogging for fun, because I am at a standstill in my newspaper-page editing. I'm waiting for my last story to be completed, and then I can work on putting the finishing touches on my page.
See, this is my first time editing a page. I'm doing the elementary page, which includes a detailed article about the slow fade of cursive handwriting written by none other than, yours truly, blah blah blah...me. I'm actually pretty proud of it.
But working with Adobe Indesign is hard. It looks a lot more intimidating than it actually is, and I'm getting the hang of it. I feel very professional, but at the same time babyish, because I'm asking my teacher for help every five seconds.
"Mr. Wilson, what font do we use for titles?"
"Mr. Wilson, how do I zoom in on my article?"
"Mr. Wilson, how do you copy and paste?"
Just kidding on the last one. But yeah, I'm getting the hang of it. Hopefully it will come out looking good. Aside from my small career in journalism, I have to deal with the other high school perks such as homework, drama, gossip, etc. It's fun, but I would definitely go on a cruise if I had the opportunity.
Which I don't. But my parents do.
Yes, my parents are leaving me (AGAIN) to go on a cruise on Saturday and I will be staying with my grandparents. Oh well.
Bell rang. Bye.

Christmas break is a kid's dream. Everyone looks forward to it all year long - a time of rest, family, and festivities.
But it's not always fun and games when you come down with a bad case of strep throat on your first day off.
Yes, I got out of school on a chill Thursday afternoon. Friday was going to be a good day - our plans were to go see the highly praised Hobbit movie, and then I had to go to the freshmen Christmas party that night. I was very excited to start my break.
So on Friday, my family and I went to the movie. It was good, but I'm not a huge Lord of the Rings fan (since I've never seen any of the movies or read the books), and I found it hard to sit through the whole thing. I mean, it was three hours long. Give me a break! (I'm pretty sure I annoyed everybody in the entire theater, because I got so bored I decided to take a picture of the screen with my phone. Turns out the flash was on. Woops.)
After the movie, I went to get ready for the party, but I started to feel funny. I went anyway, and had a great time, but for the whole three hours I was there, I didn't feel myself. I was pretty achy. I didn't realize just how bad I felt until I got home and burst into tears.
Long story short, my mom took me to the clinic the next day and I was diagnsed with the infamous strep throat. Lovely, I know. I was very worried I wouldn't be better by Christmas, but there was plenty of time to rest and get better.
I went home and claimed my spot on the couch, took over the television, and did absoluely nothing. I was bored after the first hour. For a while, I thought the boredom was worse than the actual sickness. I watched every single one of The Santa Clause movies, got my fill of Instagram, and ate a lot of ice cream. The antibiotics didn't seem to do their job.
When I woke up on Christmas Eve with a fever, I was completely frustrated. I didn't know why I wasn't getting better, but I was determined. I ended up feeling better by that night, and I had a wonderful Christmas morning with my family. We ate good food, I called family and friends, and even enjoyed a rare white Christmas in Oklahoma.
That seems like the majority of my break. After that, my aunt and cousin made a surprise visit before school started, and then we had some friends visit from Colorado. It was nice to see them, and a great way to spend my break.
So now that you have the very interesting play-by-play of my holiday...have a good day.