Distinguished Young Women

Hello again! Up in Bakersfield, I spent the past ten days sweating, stressing, laughing, and crying. I participated in a scholarship program (it's technically a competition, but it really didn't seem like it.. so I'll just call it a program). DYW stands for Distinguished Young Women, but apparently, the title used to be called America's Junior Miss.

On the first day, I, along with 26 other girls, gathered together at CSUB to get ready for the busy week.

I remember when I first arrived on campus, I was shaking with anxiety and nervousness. But over the next couple of days, I made friends with a few girls. I stayed with my host parents, and I also had a roommate (shoutout to Molly for being the sweetest). I love my host parents...if only my parents knew how to cook like them heh.

I have to admit... the homesickness shook me hard the first couple of days, and there was nothing but tears and sadness, but throughout the week, I gradually started to gain confidence and open myself up to others.

DYW definitely rewarded me with life lessons and strengthened a few of my weaknesses:
- my public speaking skills
- communication skills
- it's okay not knowing what I want to do
- stay positive
- be yourself

I highly recommend any high school juniors to take part in this rewarding experience. It honestly was so much more than who won. It was the bond between friendship and love that all brought us together as a family.

- Mel

THIS IS AMAZING GRACE

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 I spent my MLK weekend up in Big Bear (#79 on my l01 list) with my church group. It was a 3-day retreat and we stayed in one HUGE cabin. I spent my weekend playing card games till midnight, driving out to the city, singing my favorite songs, and learning more about God. The whole experience was really exciting and exhilarating. I was able to get on a deeper, more personal level with my small group.  

 

Before the retreat, I sometimes felt like I took too much credit for what God has blessed me with. When life was going so well for me, I have to admit, giving thanks to God wasn't the first thing that came to mind. I could say that that this retreat opened my eyes and made me realize how selfish I was.

God deserves all the credit. He's worth living for and deserves to be glorified. So with this being said, I hope to continue this journey serving Him.

P.S. I really recommend listening to "This Is Amazing Grace" by Phil Wickham. I love the lyrics!

A TRIP TO THE BAY AREA

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Pebble Beach (above)



How was your Thanksgiving? I hope you stuffed yourselves with delicious home-cooked meals!

For Thanksgiving, my family and I took a trip to Pebble Beach in Monterey, then we headed up north to visit my distant relatives. I absolutely loved the breezy, chilly weather in San Fran. We stayed at a hotel for 2 days then returned home after an exhausting 7-hour drive back.

 

Anyways, I could say my Thanksgiving break was well-spent with my wonderful family. Now that school has started again, I am putting this blog on hold (maybe until the weekend). In the meantime, I'll talk to you guys soon!

xoxo,
Mel 

10 Things I'm Thankful For This Thanksgiving

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1.  God

Through every obstacle I've overcome, God has always been there for me. He has been so gracious to me when I didn't deserve it. I continue to thank Him everyday for being able to live in His presence. I would literally be lost without Him.

2. Family

I am incredibly blessed to have such a caring, wonderful family. Words seriously can't even describe how much I love them.

3. Friends

How can I survive high school without these people. I honestly will say that I have 2-3 really close friends. These people are willing to put up with my never ending rants about life. They are so encouraging and supportive, which is all I really need atm. High school's been draining me out a lot lately, so they're basically my "saviors."

4. Music

Music is my lifesaver. Music is my stress reliever. Music is something I look forward to everyday after coming home from school.  Music completes me. Enough said.


5. Netflix


OMG. NETFLIX IS LIFE (totally not an overused saying). I think I spend more time on Netflix than schoolwork. Whoops. #sorrynotsorry


6. Sleep


Thank goodness for late starts at school.


7. Food/Water


Because food and water are an essential part of living.


8. Pinterest


pinterest. pinterest. pinterest.


9. Family trips


Cause family trips bring back childhood memories.


10. My dog


Ah, Barney (name of my dog). He's just so... FLUFFY.


I could probably write a whole list of other things I'm thankful for, but these stood out the most. HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE! Eat lots of turkey!


Lots of love,
Mel

Fullerton Arboretum

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HEYY GUYS (AND GIRLS)! So today, I hung out with one of my best friends, Celeste, at the Fullerton Arboretum. It was super duper pretty, but I must say, there were quite a lot of people and it was pretty humid. But overall, it was a great day to get out of the house and explore God's creation! With the beautiful scenery in the background, we  couldn't resist having our own mini photo shoot. These are a just a few of my favorites. Oh, and I edited them a lot.. as you can tell. HEHE. 

AWKWARDLY STARE INTO EACH OTHER'S EYES. LOL.

Celeste is so stunning UGH not fair

MAMA RENEE <3

HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL (: 

I know I edited pretty much all of these, except for the third picture. But I decided to test my photo editing skills, and wouldn't you say it turned out pretty nicely? NO? OH, OKAY... 

I'll talk to you people soon! 
- Melanie :)