Day 3 of our Mexico Trip

Day 3.

We left Colorado Springs at 8:30 in the morning.  Our plan was to drive 6 1/2 hours,  get to Albuquerque New Mexico, and take a tram up to Sandia Peak!  And wow.  That is all I can really say about this place. There are few words that can describe Sandia Peak.  It is stunning.  10,000 feet above sea level... is amazing y’all.  Seeing what we saw today gives me just a little glimpse of how big and great our God is... WOW.

This is how I feel after hiking a mountain at 10,000 feet where the oxygen is thinner...

Thus concludes Day 3. :)

Mexico Trip 2018 - Day’s 1 and 2

So!  We be going on a trip to Mexico!  And mom was like, hey Shayla, you should blog our trip!  So I was like, whatever you say mom! ;)  So... get ready for a truck load of posts:) 

Day 1

We left to embark on our 35 hour drive at 4:00pm on Friday March 23rd of 2018.  According to the radar, there was a snow storm heading towards North Dakota and so we decided to leave earlier than planned, and do our best to avoid the blizzard predicted.  Our plan is to drive through the night, and make it to Denver Colorado by afternoon tomorrow. 

Day 2

It is already day 2!  We drove through the night (and yes we did drive through a snow storm!  Thankfully we all came out of it safely!) and now at 8:30am we have crossed into Colorado!

We arrived in Denver at 10:30. (Not Manitoba time.  An hour ahead)  since we still had most of the day left, we decided to keep driving for about 1-2 more hours and stay the night at Colorado Springs.  And that is where we are!

We arrived at our hotel, us kids went swimming, and then we decided to go for a hike in the mountains!

That was Day 2!

My Purity Ring

I remember the day as if it was yesterday.  My thirteenth Birthday, on June 9th, of 2014, we were at my grandparents house when my Mom and Dad took me out for ice cream, and to take a walk in the art garden.  We had a heart to heart discussion about my future, and then,  I received the gift that I wear 24/7, on my left hand, as a symbol of a promise.  This is a promise that I made to my parents.  I promised to keep my heart pure, and it would belong to my parents, until the day my Daddy gives me away.

What does this mean to me?  For me, it holds several different meanings. 

 First reason, is that I will save my heart, for my future soulmate.  Until then, it remains in my Dad's possession.  I have decided to wait.  I know that God has my future in the palm of his hand, and that he has created, and is molding someone for me, to spend the rest of my life with.  Therefore, I decide to wait, and not settle for less.

 Second reason.  I have decided to not date in high school.  Not dating while in school, I believe gives me the freedom to just be friends with everyone, but not only that, it gives me the ability to fully invest in my future as an individual person.  To be able to learn, and grow in my relationship with Christ, and the people around me and also to prepare for what God has in store for me in the next few years.

 Third reason.  After high school, when there is a special someone, my parents and family will be completely involved.  They will help me see things, that maybe I don’t see, but also because I know my parents are a LOT wiser and more knowledgeable than I am.  They’ve been down that road and will be able to help me make decisions wisely!

When I was first given my ring, these were (and are) my parents convictions.  I obeyed and complied because I had to, and straying from those guidelines, wasn't an option.   But as time has gone on, and as I have watched girls my age, be in and have dating relationships, I have taken what was, before, my parents ideals, and adopted them as my own.  I have realized how important they are, and that there are sweet benefits that come from waiting and choosing to keep my heart pure.

Am I saying this because I think everyone needs to do it the way my family does it?  Absolutely not!  But I know for me, this is the path I want to take.

Me, three years ago. :p

He Says, I Will.

In my life as of late, I've seen character traits in myself that sadden my heart.  Traits that if I do not work on now, will affect my future.  There was one day (many actually, but this one in particular) where I couldn't lift my eyes up to see past the present, and what beauty would come out of the trials that I am currently experiencing.  

My wonderful Mother saw the way I was fighting, struggling to stay on top and in control of the situation.  She gave me this analogy.  

"Shayla, look at your life as a garden.  There are lots of beautiful flowers and fruits in your garden.  But along with the beauty, there are some weeds.  Right now, together we are working on pulling out some weeds.  But we're not going to just chop them off at the soil, we're going to pull out the roots too.  Because when you're old enough and ready, when Dad and I send you off, we want to send you as weed free as possible."  That clicked for me.

 I still, however, felt overwhelmed at these problems that I needed to deal with.  At a place where I questioned if I would make it through the valley to see the light of another day.

I've heard this song before, but never really listened to the lyrics before.  When I stopped to really listen to catch what the song was saying, it seemed as if God was saying, "Shayla. I'm here, I love you, and you're not alone.  I have always been here with you, and I will always be."

God used the song, I Will by Citizen Way, to tell me, that He's got me.  He will carry me.  No matter how I feel about the situation.

When the shadow won't leave

When the battle won't stop

And every breath that you breathe

Takes all that you got

When you wonder if you're always

Gonna feel this way

Hear the Lord of Heaven say

I will hold you when you're breaking

Like a Father and a Friend

And I will carry you through the darkness

'Til we see the sun again

So rest your head and cry your tears

Know that I am with you here

When you can't lift that weight

Believe me when I say, I will.

I know you're feeling overwhelmed

Before the day even begins

But I can see beyond the now

This is not how your story ends

And when you're at your weakest

Oh I've never been more strong

So let me be the one you're leaning on

I will dry your tears

I will calm your fears

I will show you how you're beautiful, beautiful

I will walk with you

On the raging sea

And I will never leave

When there's a door that you can't open

When there's a war you can't win

I will.  I will.  I will.

I'm not perfect.  I still stumble.  But I know that when I do, He says "I will."