Eden.

              Flowers bloom. Sweet smells of fruit waver through the air. Green trees and golden sun. Everything beautiful. Yes, we all know the sad story. We had it all, a beautiful Eden with God walking with us and amongst us, and yet we ruined it. From there we move on and tend to forget what Eden must have been like. So now let's go back. What was it like before sin defiled the earth? God put Adam over all animals and fruits. Everything lived in harmony. Mosquitos didn't bite, thorns didn't exist, snakes didn't slither, and mankind never worked, yet only walked with God continually in the garden. It was then God spoke to us saying,

“I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.”

            Everything on earth glorified God. There was no pain, and no indignity, for it was said,

"Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame."

            All was beautiful. There were rivers clear as crystal, it was a heaven made for us and the Lord to bond in. There were no sicknesses or germs, no headaches, colds, influenza, only perfection. Green fields and flower beds were our home, nor caves or caverns were needed to keep us warm, neither clothing not animals skins.

            Innocence was all we knew, for all we had to know was God. We were the inseparbale match. Yes, we blew it, but one day we'll come back to this kind Eden, and this time we won't blow it. It will be glory... forever and once again we'll walk with God in the gardens of heaven. Happily. Ever. After.

Check out this song by Phil Wickham ----> Eden

Bucket List - Live Foreign

5. Live in a Foreign Country (for at least a month)

               Whether it be living in a third world country with missionaries, or back-packing through Europe, living in a foreign land has always been a dream of mine. Experiencing new cultures and cuisines, learning new languages, viewing new art and architecture, all come with the adventure of living in a new place. I have never been outside the USA so that may be why I really want to go. 
            I absolutely love America, but new cultures excite me! I don't think we should go through life stuck in a box. It would be nice to get out and explore the world and the people that live there. There are at least 6,500 languages in all the world and therefore so many ways to communicate. Now while living abroad, it might also be nice to learn a language in this case. Whatever the case, I'm sure that an experience living in a different nation will have a lasting effect on how you view the world and its people.


This will be my last article about my bucket list although I do have many more things on it. Here is a little taste of what else is on it.

• Go to Hawaii 
• Ride in a Taxi 
• Travel to Germany
• Learn Sign Language ( I do know some though) 
• Learn how to ballroom dance
• Go to a drive in movie
• Go see NASCAR (I know very redneck)  

Bucket List - Go Ballooning

4. Go on a Hot Air Balloon Ride

                 Now I am terrified of heights. I can't even do the ropes course at camp without breaking down. But for some odd reason gliding through the sky in a basket attached to a balloon doesn't seem so bad... in a way, it reminds me of the movie Up. The idea. How surreal it must be to see the houses below you shrink as you sail higher into the great blue, all the while attached to a giant colored balloon. When I do finally go "ballooning"  I have two specifications for the trip:
      1. I'm going to choose an exotic place to fly in. I don't want to simply settle for floating above cornfields and rural towns, but instead I'd like a place full of mountain tops and rivers, waterfalls and ravines... maybe somewhere like New Zealand or Hawaii. 
      2. I'm not going alone. I mean, imagine with me, you're soaring up, up, up, and away into the clouds, over the crests of mountain tops and the plummeting rage of waterfalls, and yet you have no one to share the experience with. Such a downer. Therefore, I'm taking someone with me. Whether its my best friend, sister, or the love of my life, this experience would not be the same it it were not with someone you love.

Bucket List - Fall Through the Sky

3. Go Sky-Diving or Bungee Jumping
       Now, the idea of sky-diving has not always horrified me like it does now. When I was a child, I'd always thought the idea of sailing through air and landing gracefully in a field sounded like such an exciting experience. As I grew older, I became more aware. Now when I think of sky-diving, I visualize myself falling through the sky and pulling my parachute too early. Or the parachute not working and... well Let's just say things have changed. 

             You may be wondering, "If it horrifies you so much, why is it on your bucket list?" Well, to that I say... I'm really not sure. Maybe I think that although it seems beyond scary, its just something you have to experience in life. Maybe its the fact that many other people have it on their bucket list, so I probably need it on mine too. I just want to prove to myself I'm not chicken. In any circumstance, I'm sure the first time you sky-dive it must be exhilarating or people wouldn't love it so much. I mean, think about it, you're falling through the sky watching the land below you get closer and closer... falling, falling, falling, and then... POOF. Your parachute opens and you're on the ground. The whole experience seems a little over-whelming. I think I'll take my time getting to this one on my bucket list.

Bucket List - Visit Iceland

2. Take a Vacation to Iceland

           Yes, as random as it may sound, I absolutely love Iceland. Now I never have really even thought of going there till I saw the pictures. It looks kind of like Ireland, but with a twist of Canadian weather, and of course, it also has auroras! (how perfect!) Anyways, for all you out there reading this here are 5 interesting facts about Iceland.


1. Iceland has the highest literary rate in the world
2. Iceland is located about half-way between New York and Moscow
3. Iceland is know to be the 4th happiest country in the world (I'd fit in there!)
4. Life expectancy is 81.3 years for woman and 76 years for men, one of the highest life expectancies in the world!
5. Icelandic language has been virtually unchanged in the last 1000 years 

              Think me weird, but I just feel that this country has been a bit forgotten. Maybe that's why I love it so much. For some reason, I have always had a heart for things that are forgotten, concealed from the world. Iceland's kind of like a hidden treasure. It may be overlooked but I'm sure when you visit it, its quite beautiful. Life is sometimes like that. There's times in life where the most beautiful things are veiled from our view. Our life may seem to have no "sparkle" (I know mine feels like that sometimes) yet God made our life beautiful, even when it seems to be unseen at times. God works in the unseen.

Bucket List - See an Aurora

   I hope everyone reading this has started a "bucket list", a list of things to do before you die. If not don't worry, you still have plenty of time! Anyways, I have started a "bucket list" and through the next few posts I'll be explaining some of the things on my list. Now, I'm not going to bore you with the basics... (such as getting married, having kids, etc...) but I'll give you some insight into my mind and some unique things I'd like to do before I die. So let me get started.

1. See an up-close Aurora

                Now I'm not quite sure if any of you really know what an aurora is. It has also had the common name of "northern lights". Aurorae are absolutely breathtaking. The idea of colors moving and inter-twining in the night sky has always sent shivers down my spine. In a way, its kind of like a rainbow, of course, without rain and continually changing and sculpting in the velvet night. Although I've never experienced this beauty up close, it has always been something to catch my eye in pictures and in books. "Fascinated" does not even express how these "celestial bodies" make me feel. 

                 What a beautiful creation on God's part! Its amazing how the sun can penetrate the north and south poles of the earth and through small photons and the mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, such a beautiful creation can be brought about. Reds and Oranges, Greens and Blues, filling the night sky; Our world's splendor at its finest. All glory to God.

My Music

Ella Fitzgerald

              
           For some reason I've been just been into old music like Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole recently. Why? Well, for one thing, its a nice change of pace, but more than that, I just enjoy listening to "upbeat/ jazzy" stuff lately. Its just so classic. Even though the music is old, its not overbearing like some 80's stuff and its good for everything. Whether its reading or scrap-booking or blogging...Its just.... timeless. Even old-sounding music sung in french has been absolutely acute to my musical tastes. Saxophones, trumpets, and piano notes have been heard through my side of the house lately that's for sure. I mean how can lyrics like these not make you swoon? 

"Stars shining bright above you, 

Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"

Birds singin’ in the sycamore trees

Dream a little dream of me"

              Maybe another reason I love this music so much is because I love the era it was famous in. The whole idea of going out to swing-dance has always kept me beyond interested. I think some day I'll take up swing-dancing lessons and really get into it. Sounds like fun to me!

Favorite "Oldies":

Smile - Nat King Cole

La Javanse - Madeleine Peyroux

Dream a Little Dream - Micheal Buble'

                                         My Romance - Ella Fitzgerald

                                           L-O-V-E - Nat King Cole