A tribute to my family :)

Tomorrow is American Thanksgiving, and even though I haven't lived in the states these past eleven years....I can still remember the many Thanksgiving dinners together with all my relatives. Thanksgiving is a time of being thankful, as cliche as it sounds. I believe that it is a time of reflection as well as a time to remember all the ways being apart of the Trester AND Olson family has greatly impacted who I am as a person. Both sides of my extended family are amazing in different ways. The Trester side is small but AWESOME, whereas the Olson side is huuuggggggeeee with hugs being mandatory and 100% necessary. I have so many relatives and family members that I am extremely thankful for and I know will always be there to support me and love me :)  Happy Thanksgiving family!                     

Masks

This month a bunch of my girl friends have been doing "Natural November," --> meaning not wearing any makeup. This week I decided not to wear makeup either. 

Honestly it's been weird.... It's not like I'm used to wearing tons of makeup on a normal day- but not even wearing mascara makes me feel exposed. 

Guys have asked me before, why do girls wear makeup? Is it because we're trying to attract guys, or because we're in competition with other girls? I really don't think it's either. Obviously, there's going to be some girls who wear lots of makeup to "attract" guys to them or compete with girls...BUT I truly think that makeup gives girls confidence in themselves; therefore they wear it to feel beautiful. It sounds weird...but this week I've really been thinking about the reasons why girls wear makeup in the first place. I think it brings security to some girls, boosts confidence, and creates a mask to hide behind. None of these reasons are that great. 

The first day of not wearing makeup made me feel a little self-conscious,  but today I really don't care. It's nice to not worry about taking the extra five minutes to put on makeup in the morning, and my face feels so much more healthy and clean. I love it! :) I encourage you if you're a girl, to not worry so much about "perfect" appearances. I really feel like we need to take care of our bodies and be clean and presentable, but at the same time, don't let makeup define you. Don't let it become your security blanket. Go a day without wearing makeup and see how you feel. It's pretty sweet :)

I've experienced what it feels like to run away from what God's will is for my life. 

I know what it's like to fight God on something, 

that He wants me to let go 

but I want to hold onto.  

I've learned that God will always win. 

Slow motion.

The same routine keeps playing over

And over in my head

I hate doing the same thing again

And again

But in reality

I cant help it.

 

Why do I think about the same

Thing

Why cant I let it go

People say “let go and let

God.”

It’s harder done

Than said

But I want to

And I’m trying

I’m really trying. 

Seasons Change

Fall is my favourite season. Hands down. Not only are the trees absolutely gorgeous when the leaves change colour, but the weather is typically PRIME. This year has been my first fall in Ontario, and let me tell you....it is STUNNINGLY beautiful. Calgary's fall lasts for maybe....2 weeks? ...and then it snows. Snow's okay...but when you get snow every single month of the year, my appreciation for it drops huuuuuuuggge. SNOW= good for Christmas and New Years; not for showing up randomly in JULY when you're planning on going to the beach. 

To me, the fall represents new beginnings and changes. I love starting a new school year and setting new goals for myself. I feel like alot of new friendships and relationships are developed in the fall and everything is fresh and exciting. As autumn starts to fade into winter, I've noticed that I hit a bit of a slump. I hate when the leaves drop and disappear and the trees are all spindly and bare. Why can't Fall last until Christmas? The trees are so naked without the leaves :( 

I've been reading through Psalms lately, and I've noticed that David goes back and forth between complaining and crying out to God ... to praising Him and being extremely grateful. I feel like life is EXACTLY like the book of Psalms. Seasons change in our life; some good and some bad....but there seems to ALWAYS be a constant cycle of good and bad. God allows the bad things in our lives to grow us into the people He wants us to become. Hardships happen for a reason; and as cliche as it sounds I really believe it. When I get impatient about the pace my life is going; or if I feel like nothing new is going on and everything's blah...it's hard to remember that God's will for my life is still happening. Even in the stillness and coldness of wintery months, God is STILL at work..... something is going on, even if I can't see it at the time. This poem sums it up nicely:  

"As moves my fragile bark across the storm-swept sea,

Great waves beat o'er her side, as north wind blows;

Deep in the darkness hid lie threat'ning rocks and shoals;

But all of these, and more, my Pilot knows. 

Sometimes when dark the night, and every light gone out,

I wonder to what port my frail ship goes; 

Still though the night be long, and restless all my hours, 

My distant goal, I'm sure, my Pilot knows." 

-Thomas Curtis Clark.