Christmas is getting closer every day! :)

Thanksgiving was wonderful, I loved being home for break. Thank you Kansas State for allowing us a full week of break! However, i'm now in the mood for Christmas. So i'm in full swing Christmas mode... you know the mode, where you think, sleep and eat Christmas! I've been playing Christmas music, watching movies on TV like Home Alone, Elf, and it's not even December yet! I can hardly believe that tomorrow is December 1st! Where did this semester go? I'm sitting in Geology class (obviously it's not very interactive or engaging), and I am counting down the days until I get to go home again. Here are some Christmas pictures to get you all in the mood for the holidays! :) Some of this are kind of silly, particularly the cat one, haha, but that's why I love it! I'm SO in the mood for Christmas! I hope you are now too! :)

His pleasing and perfect will...

Summer. It seems so far away, yet as I write this i'm trying to decide what to do for my summer of 2011. It's crazy isn't it? Here we are in November of 2010, with a semester and half of school in between us and summer and i'm still sitting here pondering what to do? And truth be told, I hate making decisions. I'm awful at making decisions, i'm so wishy-washy and horrible at pinpointing what to do. That's why I choose to rely on God! :) His will for us is so important in this lifetime. I strive to do what is intended of me by him and follow his ways. When thinking ahead to the summer I've been feeling as if God has laid on my heart the urge to be a servant as a camp counselor. I've thought about it for a few years now and wanted to do it, but never really felt like the time was right. Now, I still can't decide if it's what i'm supposed to do or not. That's where prayer comes in and scripture. My mind weighs the options of what to do as well. I sit here thinking if I do go off and be a camp counselor, I'll be gone practically the whole summer. However, if I stay in Manhattan, i'm pretty sure i'll be living in the little brown box all by myself. If I go home, home, I could potentially have a job that lasts for a month... but then what?

So, here's when I throw all of my reasonings out the window and rely on solely his word to help me through my decisions. Here are some great, reliable verses I love...

Psalm 16:7

I will praise the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

This verse is about seeking his will first!

Then there's the part in the Lord's prayer that says

Matthew 6:10

Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

A true favorite of mine is:
Proverbs 16:9

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

The funny thing is, as I was journaling these bible verses, I looked down at the bottom of the page in my journal where either scriptures are listed or spiritual quotes and the perfect verses was there. This is one of my go-to verses, I learned it when I was young via a sing along VHS tape of Proverbs that I loved, and it's stuck with me ever since :)

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on you own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Here are two more good ones:

Ephesians 5:17

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

Romans 12:2

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

So, as a result, i'm going to focus less on what I want to do this summer and more on what God wants me to do this summer. Because, it's not about me and it's all about HIM.

John 3:30

He must become greater; I must become less.

The ABC's of me....

So, after I recently started a blog with my roommates, I decided that it'd also be fun to have one of my own. As a result, Everything from A to Z was started. To start with, the reason I called my blog this is because of my name. I feel like my name is a walking cliche. My first name starts with an A, and my last name starts with a Z. My middle initial is even an M, which being the 13th letter of the alphabet out of 26, is technically in the middle. Oh Joy. Imagine trying to line up in grade school by alphabetic order. I was the girl that was always last when we went by last names because sure enough Z is the last letter of the alphabet. You can't be much more last than that. I longed for the days when we would go by our first names and I got to be first in line, you can imagine how this made me feel :) Speaking of my last name though, something else that has always drove me nuts is how it's basically an element on the periodic table. Zink, but not Zinc. When I tell people my last name i've even gotten into a habit of saying Zink with a K! My science teacher in high school always teased me about being on the period table of elements. Despite all this, I actually love my last name. It's unique and short, sweet and to the point. And I kind of like being everything from A to Z or rather from Anna to Zink :)

I also decided and thought it'd be fun to do the "ABC's of Me", just a random list of things I like in alphabetic order. Pretty sweet right? Here goes nothing...

A - Apples, yes this is generic, but it also deals with the fact that i'm going to be a teacher :)

B- Books, I can't get enough of them, and to go double b on you, the best one by far out there, is

the Bible

C- Chocolate, it speaks to my soul.

D- Dancing, though I might be awful I sure love to try!

E- Earphones, i'm always listening to music

F- Fairytales, especially Disney ones, they make me happy :)

G- Giggling, every now and then I love to giggle with my friends until I cry... Also, God, and his Grace, He is amazing.

H- Hugs, I love hugs. Hershey Kisses, oohhh baby they're good.

I- itunes! I'm on there wayyyyy tooo frequently and buy wayyy tooo much music

J- jolly ranchers, I like these quite a bit, especially the blue raspberry ones

K- kittens, they're adorable, fluffy and everyone should have one.

L- Lion King, The. Yes I do know all the songs in this movie, and some of them are on my ipod currently, did I mention I'm 20 years old?

M - Musicals. I. Love. Musicals. The Sound of Music is by far my favorite, but I love most all of them!

N- night time, i'm much more a night owl than a morning person. Also, Naps, I couldn't live without them.

O - Oscar the Grouch, I used to love Sesame Street and good old oscar.

P- Piano! I've been playing since I was little and it's so much fun!

Q- Queen of Hearts, I like playing card games, my mom's side of the family is big on them.

R- Retro, I like old things.

S- Sheet Music, I have quite the stock of sheet music, I buy way too much. Scooby Doo, one of my favorite cartoon characters.

T- Tom Welling, I'm a Smallville fan.

U- Ukelele, I think it would be fun to learn how to play.

V- Volume, I gotta crank it up when i'm driving.

W- Willy the Wildcat, Willy Wonka (old version),

X - Xylophone, sounds cool, amuses me. X-rays, kinda freak me out.

Y- Yakkety Yak - I do love to talk, sometimes too fast.

Z- Zink! I saved the best for last :)

Until Next Time... Anna Banana