Blogging has not come as easily to me as it used to, which I attribute to:

A. being a little older, a little more mature, and a lot more aware that what goes on the Internet NEVER DIES; and,

B. not being so sure about what I want to write or for whom I want to write.

Which also leads to C, which is my general uncertainty about what the purpose of this blog really is.

I've enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember. I've kept journals ever since my first Dear America package arrived from the Scholastic Book Club back in fourth grade (I still have it but the thought of reading fourth-grade-me's thoughts make me cringe). So, the thought of not blogging is kind of foreign to me.

Also, I've become more aware of how I spend my time on social media.

>> Facebook used to be an outlet for me to share links to interesting news stories (usually without commentary), but I'm trying to be more encouraging and use Facebook productively by sharing encouraging articles that relate to faith.

>> Snapchat was a way for me to send dog pictures to my sister without clogging our regular text thread. Now, I'm trying to figure out Stories.

>> Instagram was a way for me to share photos of my life. Now, I'm trying to share my life through the lens of Christ's work in me.

>> Twitter was a way for me to share random musings and retweet interesting news stories, but now I share my #1000gifts list (check out One Thousand Gifts or Ann Voskamp's 1000Gifts blog category).

I've discovered that these platforms are a means of displaying Christ and spreading the gospel, if I choose to use them to do so.

I've discovered that I'm not a fan of the eternal and public nature of YouTube videos, but I really enjoy sharing impromptu video stories on Snapchat (and I just downloaded Periscope for the same reason). Right now, my ministry is youth girls—I love working with middle school and high school teens.

I've come to realize that, with middle school in particular, these girls are at an age at which they're thinking of making certain decisions, but some of them still have yet to do so. They're in a season of life where having someone a little older, a little more experienced, is invaluable.

And so part of me thinks that they should be my audience.

I have yet to figure this out. But whatever I do, I want to bring glory to God and point others to Christ.

photo apps: shutterfly + free prints

Back in Pennsylvania, a woman at church started selling Creative Memories scrapbook supplies and I always had fun going to scrapbooking parties with my mom and sister. Plus, my mom had some really cool scrapbooking tools. But when I moved to Texas, I did so without buying any scrapbooking supplies of my own, so my photos mostly live in the cloud, on my computer, on social media, on an external hard drive, and on my phone.

I rarely print any of my photos, but I really wanted a hardcopy that I could keep, especially since I don't even look at most of my photos and they really just take up memory space. Plus, I kept seeing Project Life spreads pop up in my Instagram feed, and since it looks a little more convenient than scrapbooking, I decided to give it a try.

That's where Free Prints and Shutterfly come in (I mentioned both a couple of weeks ago), and have now received prints from both companies.

Free Prints allows you to print up to 85 4"x6" photos for free each month (you pay for shipping); 5"x5" photos are $.49 each. There is a 1,000 photo yearly limit and you can only order one of each photo. I tried that app first; it was simple and even notified me if some of my photos would turn out blurry, which I appreciated. Free Prints allows you to select photos from you phone, Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, Picasa, Google Drive, Flickr, Amazon, and what I believe is the Microsoft Cloud (I can't tell from the logo). Also, they upgraded my shipping for free on my first order.

When the photos arrived, I received a coupon code for a free 5"x7" photo in return for letting the company know my order arrived. I was slightly disappointed with the photo quality, but I wasn't sure if that said more about the fact that I took photos with an iPhone (and sometimes used filters) or if it was more about the company's quality. However, I do really like the thick, even border around my Hipstamatic photo.

Next, I tried Shutterfly. I had only used Shutterfly once before, but I've heard positive things about the company from others, so I decided to pay a little extra for my photos--4"x6" photos cost $.15 each, while 4"x4" photos cost $.25. I like to use square photos, whether the 5"x5" ones from Free Prints or the 4"x4"s from Shutterfly, for Instagram photos.

This process was also pretty straightforward. Shutterfly lets me import photos from my phone, Facebook, Instagram, and Shutterfly, so it was slightly more limiting than Free Prints. However, I could order as many copies as I wanted to and there is no limit to the number of photos I order in a year.

I recently received my order from Shutterfly and was very impressed with my photos. I should have ordered some of the same photos that I did with Free Prints in order to compare them better, but the clarity and color of the Shutterfly photos (even though some were taken with Hipstamatic or Instagram) definitely outranked Free Prints. I was a little disappointed with the borders around my Hipstamatic photos--you can see in some of the images that they are uneven. I also preferred the thicker border that Free Prints gave me. The weird photo on the bottom right occurred because I accidentally ordered a square photo as a 4"x6" (I just checked my order to verify that the error was on my end).

Overall, you get what you pay for. Free Prints seems more streamlined and really focuses on the photos, while Shutterfly also includes a variety of other products. However, Shutterfly also seems to be of higher quality, which is reflected in the price. There are pros and cons to both apps and I will most likely to continue to order photos from both companies.

the best graduation gift: surviving high school

My oldest stepson graduates from high school this year and my youngest will follow suit a few years down the road. When Alan and I talked about finances and marriage, the discussion of graduation funds popped up and continues to be a topic from time to time.

Alan and I both grew up with different post-high school realities. He had a full ride to USC but enlisted (although I'm not sure if his parents also saved money for him or not). Throughout our childhood, our parents saved money for my sister and me. Scholarships and financial aid were also involved, but I always had the idea that I would attend college after high school.

So recently, I reflected on why it seems so important (to me) to be able to usher someone from high school into the post-high school world--regardless of the person's plans--with money.

On the one hand, I think it displays a vote of confidence. We know you have it in you to succeed in college. On the other hand, college is not for everyone and not every path in life requires a degree from higher education, so I would not want to unintentionally push the expectation that you will do this.

Also, I have reconsidered my own beliefs about success, high school, and higher education. For example, I did not want a graduation party after high school because I felt that we all have to graduate, anyway. And I did not want one after earning my bachelor's degree because I felt that that was pretty much expected, too. But did I want to celebrate the two and a half years of work to earn my master's?

Is the Pope Catholic?

Although, my attitude toward celebration has changed, because high school is such a stressful, crazy, overwhelming time of life. So, forget the degree--celebrate the fact that you made it out of there alive. Surviving high school is enough of a reason to celebrate. And if someone is throwing free money at you, all the better.

love 03.

143. sent out handwritten love notes.
144. spearmint tea.
145. working on project life spreads while my husband makes hot cocoa.
146. met some guys and girls from youth group tonight. i am so excited to see what God has in store for them + how i can help.
147. honesty in home life group.
148. steam room, facial, and massage for my birthday. best husband ever.
149. movie + dinner date with my husband.
150. also, i turned 25 on thursday.
151. new books: restless + becoming myself.

Things I'm hoping to add to my list this week:
+ a specific act of love for my husband
+ a specific act of love for a friend
+ thank you notes
+ painting a commission

punctuation + texting

While texting with a friend several weeks ago, she (jokingly) told me to stop yelling at her because I end sentences with exclamation points. The incident then popped up in conversation and led to an entire discussion of what we mean when we text certain things.

Using ellipses (...) tends to frustrate me more often than not. It signifies that the thought is incomplete, so even if the sender means nothing by it, I'm usually left wondering what those three periods are hiding.

Also, improper use of the ellipsis frustrates me. When it comes at the end of a sentence, there should be one period followed by a space and then the ellipses.

Like this. ...

However, I do use the ellipsis to indicate a deadpan face, as is mentioned in this NYT article on texting punctuation. Someone might send me a text about something totally ridiculous that happened to them and I just can't even so send back an ellipsis. I envision it as one of those tv moments where the character turns slowly toward the camera with an emotionless look.

Also, I'm one of those people who texts with proper grammar more often than not. I occasionally omit a comma here and there because otherwise my texts look more like they belong in an email than in a text message.

And I'm prone to inserting extra letters when I would draw out the word verbally. The article mentions "mini texting accents" which I see as reflections of our own personal accents that we have when we speak. And, if we have issues communicating verbally with others (let's face it--it's a common reason why couples seek counseling), how much more difficult is it to communicate effectively over text message, when emotions are heightened and that period seems offensive and you used the wrong form of "you're?"

Anyway. Obviously, I'm sharing this article with everyone this week.