Summer Beginning

Hello, friends! 

      It's been forever since a post happened on here, I really hope to update this more often.  I know I keep saying that, but I'm ready to actually follow through. 
      School is over, exams are done, and recently I returned from the EOTYG in Pennsylvania. It was incredible.  I got to spend time with my best friends, meet my teachers, make so many new friends, reconnect with old friends, take pictures, perform in a talent show, and so many other amazing things! I was re-elected as Junior Vice President, and I couldn't be more excited. 
      I'm working this weekend on getting all of my EOTYG pictures up on facebook, so I will be posting some on here after that. :) 

      Anyway, because of EOTYG, I've had a lot on my mind, and I decided to spill it all to you wonderful people. 
      My friends.  My friends are incredible people.  No matter what, they encourage me, they're there for me, they love me, and they are so special.  The EOTYG reminds me how much I need my friends, how blessed I truly am for being in VPSA, for making these friends, and for having the opportunity to go to the EOTYG.  Being able to see all of my friends again + make new ones was such a blessing in itself.  I always knew living with all of my friends around the world was hard, but after leaving the EOTYG, I know for a fact I can't live without any of them.  
      Two of my best friends, George Landis and Levi Law told me all year long they wouldn't be able to make it to the EOTYG.  I believed that George and I may never meet, and that Levi and I would only meet one year, next year - when he graduates.  It made me sad to realize that sometimes, you don't get a lot of time with your friends, that the internet is really the only way to hang out with one another.  Well, several hours into the first day of EOTYG, Margaret texted me.  She told me she had something to show me, and to meet her by the indoor pool.  So, I went.  I rounded the corner and made it to the indoor pool, found my brother standing with her and asked her what she needed...they told me to simply turn around.  I turned around and came face to face with Levi Law. I couldn't believe it, he only told a handful of people he was actually coming so he could surprise all of us.  Talk about a great surprise, right?
Well. Several hours after Levi's surprise appearance, we all sat down to eat pizza...except Levi. He stood behind me and another close friend of mine, Sarah Berry, repeating over and over that he was waiting for Hannah and would sit down in a minute. No more than 30 seconds later, Sarah and I were attack hugged from behind by none other than George Landis.  He, also, only told a few people he was coming to surprise everyone else.
       I was completely and utterly overwhelmed; sometimes, I still can't believe they actually came.  
       God provided my brother and I with a more than fantastic school, amazing teachers, and incredible friends with it.  I cannot thank Him enough for giving my family the opportunity to have VPSA as our school and to experience everything that comes with it. 

      I admit, I've tried to imagine what life would be like without VPSA.  I don't like that thought.  I've learned to accept that with the many hours I spend doing school, VPSA is my life.  Being a Christ centered school that continues to grow me in God's Word, I couldn't be happier.  I almost can't imagine my life without this wonderful school.
      Several of the graduates from 2015 were very close friends of mine.  Some of the graduates I didn't officially meet or barely talk to until two days before their graduation, but by the time graduation came, I was crying because they had made it.  With all the like minded students in VPSA, it only takes a conversation or two to make a really good friend.  Seeing the graduates walk to receive their diplomas made me realize that next year, my brother will be doing that.  He graduates in one year exactly...along with almost 50% of my VPSA friends.  Wow.  The year after that? I graduate.  It seems to come all too quickly. And people told me high school took forever. Haha. No. xD 
      Realizing the graduates of 2015 were really leaving as they received their diplomas was sad, because I don't know when I'll see some of them again, yet it was so happy, because they've all worked so hard for this, and I couldn't have been prouder of any of them. 

     And the next step is college.  For the graduates, for my brother, for me.  It all seems so quick.  It'll all be over so quickly.  Crazy, right? Well, you're in luck, because there's one thing, and one thing only that can keep the years not exactly smooth, and not always in line, but better.  This one thing is Christ.  Read His Word when you feel discouraged, read His Word when you feel happy.  Read His Word.  Pray to Him when you feel discouraged, pray to Him when you feel happy.  Pray to Him.  Without Christ, I would not be where I am today, or who I am today.  I would not know VPSA or any of my friends.  Christ gives us everything we need if we call on Him.  Cast your cares on Him, lay your burdens down at His feet, thank Him for everything. 

    Growing up is hard.  God is so willing to help you out.  Let Him. :) 

Simply, 
Sarah. :) 

Hey guys,

So…Today’s blog is going to be a little different.

It’s December. December 24, to be exact. And to be even more exact, December 24, 2014.  In just one week, it will be January, 2015. I don’t know about you, but I’m determined to make this the best year yet.

We all have dreams. We have goals. We have aspirations.
We make bucket lists. We make plans.
But we don’t always follow through with them.
I know that I, for one, have huge goals for my future.

It’s time to start acting upon them. 

Reaching for them more and more.

I know, we all think we are. And some of us really are! But I know that I could do more.

There’s always room for improvement.

All the world asks of us is for our best. OUR best. Not what we think other people want, but what we want.  

What do you want?

So try that new hair style, even if others think it looks a little odd.
Wear different clothes and switch up your wardrobe if you want.
No matter how bad your day is, smile.
Smile through it. (It helps, I promise.) 

When you walk outside, smile at passing strangers.

Your smile could brighten their day.

Laugh. Laugh all of the time. 

I’ve been told I’m always laughing…and I’m okay with that.
Laugh out loud. Sing out loud. Speak out loud.
Go for it.
Just do it.

Reach for your goals a little bit higher.
Wake up a little bit earlier and work out.
Study a little bit longer and ace that test.
Make time for breakfast.
Make time for family.
Life passes by day by day…don’t miss an opportunity.
Have adventures!
Write a song!
Read a book!
Travel!
Even if it’s just down the street to the park, travel.

Greet everyone. Thank everyone, no matter how small of a thing they do.
Genuinely tell people you love them a little bit more.

Hug people. 

Talk to people. Talk. Really talk. Not just a small, 10 minute conversation…No, get to know the person. Their favorite color, their likes, their dislikes, their beliefs, their dreams.

Call, text, email, or message that person you haven’t talked to in a year. Or more.
Take more time to go and see people…Don’t just text them.
Apologize for things that happened in the past that still need to be cleared up.
Remember to forgive.

Always, always smile.

We sit around and wait for someone else to act first.
We wait for someone else to start.
Take that chance.
Do it.
Go.

Believe in yourself and trust in God.

Don’t wait for others on something you can do yourself.
Live your life while you can.
I promise you won’t regret it.

So go outside and smile.
The world is waiting for you.

Merry Christmas, everyone. :)

Simply,
Sarah :)

"Cause I Need More Time."

Salutations. :) 

     Recently, I've been reading the blog posts of a great friend of mine, Collin Smith.  His most recent post was about time, and it made me realize, time is not something to go around wasting.

"Time...is not a line. It's a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey...stuff."

     Being a sophomore, I only have the rest of this year, and two more years before I'm off to college. Just over two years...Sure, that seems like a good amount of time...but really, it isn't. I figured once I started my freshman year, high school would drag on and give me time, but in reality, it's doing the opposite, almost taking it away.
     It's the middle of November. Only half a week until Thanksgiving break, and then three weeks until Christmas break. Second semester is going to fly by, and before I know it, I'll be back in Pennsylvania celebrating the survival of another year. I'll only have two years, after that.  After my junior year, my brother, Harrison, will be leaving for college, and I'll be the only child for a year. Scary, right?
Definitely.
     But, through all of this, I realized...Time is precious. It is not something to waste.  Because of the time we have, and the way it flies, we should cherish every moment.  Make everything into a memory.  Smile all of the time.  There's always a reason to be happy.  There's always something.  Spend your time wisely, and remember to always give thanks in it.
     There are someday we feel like all we need is simply more time.  Happy days that come to an end, we want more time to keep them going.  Sad days that begin to end, we want more time to try and fix them.  No matter what we do, the time surrounds us.  And although it's wibbly wobbly and not always the timing we feel is right, it's always the right timing, because God controls it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;" 

     No matter what we think of the timing, God knows it's right.  Don't have fear of the future, but face it with a smile.  Cherish it.  Time is special, you never know when it's just going to slip from your grasp.

Simply,
Sarah :) 

Hello, friends. :) 

        My apologies for it taking so long...it's been months. :( After the EOTYG and the musical, summer school took over my life. But I made a little time to share. 
        
        First of all, the EOTYG was AMAZING. Just ask anyone who went. ;) Margaret and I are both apart of our student council! I am Sophomore Class President, and Margaret is Junior Vice President! We're both very excited. It will be another good year. :) 

        On Monday I leave for the whole month...but I'll try to post while I'm gone. We're taking Zadie back to college! Exciting, I know. We're making several stops on the way to Mississippi, including Kansas City, Arkansas, and Florida. I get the privilege to see some VPSA friends along the way, so I'll try my hardest to put pictures up! :D I know my sister is excited to go back to college and see all of her friends, but I am going to miss her a lot. 
        Last night at youth group, the message was about our challenges, or "challenges." Some things going on in our life may not be as big as things going on in our friends lives, but that does not make them any less important. If something in our lives affect us, it is important. It helped me realize that we don't have to be shy about taking anything to God, or to anyone else. Although we may feel small, like it's no big deal, and bad about it, we should not ignore it. God wants us to put everything at His feet, no matter how small we may believe it to be, cause in reality, it probably isn't that small. 

1 Peter 5:7, "Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." 

Simply, 
Sarah :) 

Treasuring Time

Hello there!

This is my first time to officially write on here! I’m so excited to see what I can learn from writing these blog posts as well as seeing what brilliance my friend, Sarah, has to share about her simple findings.

The time has finally come! Finals are all submitted, freedom has hit, the EOTYG (school gathering mentioned in the last post) is in a few days, everything seems happy! In one week, summer school will start. Life is going to be crazy again...yippee! Does this craziness ever stop?

Summer activities can include summer school, swim practices, dance performances, school preparations, vacations, volunteering, whatever else may take up your summer time, and yet we still have some guaranteed free time. Not much! Some. What do you do with that free time? Some people read a book, some cook (non-intentional rhyme!!!), some swim or lay out in the glorious sun, some sleep, some teach, the list could go on and on and on and on. However, what if this time, a portion at least, was spent on reading the Bible?  People are guaranteed to have a much better day if they start it out in God’s Word. Whether you swipe your phone open to a screenshot background of your favorite verse in the morning, or get a cup of coffee at Starbucks and dwell in His Word, you will find yourself a much happier person throughout the day. One of my all-time favorite teachers this year has taught me to read the ‘Proverb-of-the-Day’ every day. As I have done this over the past nine months, I have started to memorize these verses and have a characterization for each proverb. It has honestly been a lot of fun and I cannot thank this teacher enough for inspiring me in this kind of way.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” –Luke 12:34

Treasure God’s Word in your heart. Plant it there. Water it. And it will grow.

Simply,

Margaret

Way too long.

Hey guys! 
That's right...here we go. Rainbows posts. :P 
Iiiit's been longer than I hoped it would be...and once again, it will probably be longer. Finals have official attacked me, and it's gonna be a busy summer. I promise to post - I just don't know how often.
I was given the request to make this essay form...You know, 5-6 paragraphs, clincher, topic, thesis, correct EVERYTHING. Well...That's not gonna happen. Hahaha. 

Moving on. 
Today is May 1st. Finals start in 16 days...therefore, major studying is taking place. I'm so excited to finish this school year and start summer. Also, my older sister, Zadie, comes home from college tonight! So that's also extremely exciting. In just 3 weeks, I'll be headed out to Pennsylvania! EOTYG here I come! For those of you who don't know what the EOTYG is, I go to an online school called Veritas Press Scholars Academy. The EOTYG, or, End Of The Year Gathering, is a giant, 5 day gathering where we get to meet our friends, teacher, our friend's families. It's definitely worth it, if you're considering going. After the EOTYG, I have a dance performance, then just a few days later, I'll be auditioning for a musical! Hehe..The Wizard of Oz. I'm taking Summer school all throughout July and part of August, and then I start school again...Sooo you can kind of understand why my posting will be limited now. 

Anyway, running for class president of my school's sophomore class, I've learned a few things I thought I would share. 1. Others will try to bring you down. It may just be a subtle something they do, or they try to make something of yours their own, nevertheless, it can be taking as trying to take over you. No matter what, keep your head up and your heart in the right place, and you'll overcome it. 2. Competition is tough. You're not always gonna get what you what, or win. Like before, keep a positive mindset. Have fun with it, and it makes everything better. Keep your mindset on Christ, and He will pull you through. And 3. It's easy to get frustrated when people run against you, but as the other 2 points stated, don't. Focus on Christ, and the frustration will melt away. 

Keep your eyes on the Lord, and He will direct your path in His way, with His plans - plans for good and not for evil. 
Remember that He's always there for you. 

Simply, 
Sarah :) 

Beginnings.

Salutations! 

     Yes, hello.  I'd like to start with a proper introduction.  I'm Sarah, and you're fabulous. I've never really run a blog before, so I apologize for any mistakes now. Now to finish the introductions.  This blog, The Daily Life of Simplicity, is run by Margaret Duren and myself, Sarah Buehrle.  

     Margaret, several months ago, came to me with the idea of starting a blog.  We thought for days on what to do, what to call it, what to write about.  Finally, I came up with the name - The Daily Life of Simplicity.  We agreed on this name because our desire for this blog is to be encouraging for everyone around us.  We're your average teenage girls shining the Light for Christ.  We live a daily life, and it is simple.  Our goal is to write at least 3 times a month, whether it's a full post or just a small word of encouragement.  

     Because of that wonderful thing we all do, called school, our posting may not be as frequent as we would like, however, we will do our best to keep caught up. :)  

    Simply, 

Sarah :)