Dorm/roommate experience

After 5 weeks, we almost feel all the way moved in! If you really study these photos, you will probably notice the things that have been bugging me! I just think I need a little bit more storage. I am actually working on building a storage unit to go under the window right next to my bed. The storage is minimal, yet everything is starting to have a home...

I am so thankful that I knew my roommate before coming out here! Because of that, we were able to get some decorations and fun things to brighten up our room. The bathroom has proved to be really convenient and honestly I cant imagine having to live here without double sinks! Here are some pictures for those of you who are curious.



 

Roommate: Sara

our "closet"

our cute board

 

Dinosaurs and Avocados

Week 3: Dino Dig!
Sunday we left for the Dinosaur and Fossil Museum in Glendive, Montana. The six hour bus ride was a great time to call the fam and catch up on missed sleep from the camping trip. I was thankful to find chips and salsa at the first gas station we stopped at, that made the trip more enjoyable.

|| Side note:  Ever since I've gotten here I have really been craving an avocado! I checked the local grocery store, no luck. Walmart, too hard/way too soft. I've found it is really hard to find avocados in Montana. || 

 

At the second stop (another gas station) I didn't find an avocado, but I did find a squeeze pack of some suspicious guacamole stuff. It was only 89 cents so I got it. It definitely wasn't the original flavor I was craving.

|| (Kind of a random tangent, yet, in the bus I was overthinking things) This little illustration is a way that God spoke to me. I had such a big craving (in this case for an avocado) but also in life to fulfill his plan. The past year I've been focusing so much on how to fulfill God's plan, and I just wanted a little direction. God used the suspicious guac to remind me not to settle, but instead to keep waiting, even if there seems to be a genuine substitute. ||

 

Once we finally arrived at the hotel, everyone was disappointed to find out the hot tub was under construction and we wouldn't be able to use it. But not even an hour after arrival, people were already swimming. I got lucky, I only had 2 roommates at the hotel whereas everyone else had 4 to a room. The hotel was nice... It was good that we were on the main level because I cannot say that we were a very quiet group.

Everyday we loaded up on the bus at 8 and then headed over to the museum to start the day. Monday we toured around the museum and went out to the dig site. The first day I found a bone! A dinosaur bone! I have to say, it was really cool. I guess I always knew that dinosaurs were on earth, but holding that bone in my hands really took the reality of dinosaurs to the next level. Everyday, after the dig, we had an hour to rest up and then we had lecture. The lectures consisted of Battle of Worldviews, The Age of the Earth, and others of the same genera (creation). After the lectures, we headed to a little family-owned diner and got some dinner! It was nice to be able to order what we wanted because after the repetitive hotel breakfast and sandwich lunch everyday, it was nice to have variety.
While in Glendive, besides just the digs and lectures, we also read a book called  Evolution's Achilles Heels. It was a really good book, but very involved and complex as it was written by 9 PhD scientists.

On the way home (to campus) it rained.

The end.

Here are some of the things I dug out of the ground...

Left: dinosaur bone || Top: dinosaur bone || Bottom: A fossilized fig

same items as above

Left: Dinosaur || Middle: Turtle's leg bone || Right: Dinosaur tail bone

 

same as above

This is my favorite thing that was found! It is part of a turtle shell from Noah's flood time period.

 

 

 

 

Hermeneutics and camping

This post is finally being published. It was typed, sitting in my drafts for a few weeks, then when I went to publish it, the Wi-Fi did something to the website and cleared everything that I had typed after about an hour and a half of time put into this post. That said, this isn't everything I originally planned on posting, but perhaps I will someday come back to this and add more.
Week 1:
After just one week of classes at Arrowhead, I have already learned so many applicable ways to understand the Bible more! After breakfast, Monday - Friday, all 24 students head down to the classroom. Yea, one classroom, one teacher, one class a week, a new class every week. The way classes work is 50 minutes learning and then  a 10 minute break. It's a small school and because of that, the classes are intimate.
Bryan Hughes (Pastor at Grace Bible Church in Bozeman, MT) was our first professor and he taught us hermeneutics. I'm glad this class was first because now I have time to adjust my thinking before all the other classes begin. Main point I got out of Hermeneutics was always remember to check the context of a passage. There are so many passages taken out of context! Some of the examples that stood out to me were Matthew 18:20 (which is talking about correction in the church and not prayer) and Revelation 3:20 (which is about believers always listening for God and not a passage about Jesus calling the unsaved).
Currently, I am transitioning into a new way to view the Bible and how it pertains to me. I'm starting to realize more that the Bible wasn't written to me as I've previously thought, but rather, I am to look at who it was written to, what it would've meant to them, and how I can learn from that.

Week 2:
Everyone got to choose what trip they wanted to attend; there were three options. The first- camping, the second- a medium exertion backpacking trip, and the third- a difficult backpacking trip. I had originally planned on going on the 2nd trip. I had prepared for it before even getting to the school. I bought the things I needed and felt pretty ready. However, once I arrived in Montana, I realized I was not ready for that. I will blame the altitude for that... but in reality I heard that there were mattresses being brought on the camping trip and there was no limit to the amount of things we could bring. Thus, I switched. And I'm so glad I did because I realty enjoyed the trip! We were able to explore the area and hike up to Mystic Lake.
The trip actually started before we left campus. We were running around collecting a grill, mattresses, tents, games, food, and more. Then we jumped into vehicles and left for our 25 mile/1 hour trip to get to the site. Once we got there, we spent about 3 hours setting up camp. It took a while to cut all the posts (for the tents) to be the same size and hoist up the tents into the trees and getting everything unpacked. Being up in the higher elevation, the temperature dropped and our group quickly grew close through shivering and neglecting some sense of personal space. The high was only 60 and the low was 33 while we were gone.
I heard that less equals more when it comes to heat while sleeping. I didn't know if I liked that statement so I tested it out. The first night, I wore capris, under sweatpants, under my snowboarding pants and a long sleeved shirt and sweatshirt. With the low temperature, I didn't that that was overkill. However, I kept waking up overnight because I was so cold. The second night I decided to lose a layer. I just wore sweatpants, a long sleeve, and a sweatshirt. After still waking up cold, on the third night I just wore capris, and a long sleeve. Much to my surprise, I actually woke up over night, warm!
Highlights of the camping trip include (1) sitting by the stream reading the Bible, (2) Hiking up the mountains, and (3) waking up early and watching the sunrise and reading the Bible by the lake.

Life development

It's so strange how in just a few months your life can completely change directions. In case you've missed it, I'm moving out to Montana. Allow me fill you in...

   At the end of my senior year (2015-2016), I egarly awaited the next chapter of my life. I had decided to (and been accepted to) teach piano at a home school co-op. Getting the position was not a walk in the park, but I did get the job. One day, Tuesday, April 26th, only a few weeks after getting the teaching job, I was praying about the future... just asking God for direction and to check with Him that I was following His plan for my life. As I sat on my bed, Word open, my computer was open too. During my prayer, I found that a Bible College's website had found its way to my computer. *Not just an ad or a streamer but the whole website. Just to say, I'm not a very superstitious person, but I do believe that our God works in mysterious ways. Thus, I looked around on the website.
   Intrigued by what I found, I decided to spend a week to pray. During this time I also sought counsel from others who I fully trust and respect. The same answers kept coming to me... most of the women I asked said something along the lines of, "do it while you're young and don't have the responsibilities of a wife or mother." Most of the men replied with, "I wish I would've done something like that." A leading factor that ended up causing me to send in an application was my strong desire to fully study the Bible in depth, and also to find my own way as a Christian. Those thoughts and comments, along with the still strong desire, caused me to send in my application on Tuesday, May 3rd.
   Exactly two weeks later, Tuesday, May 17th, I received my letter of acceptance. This was when I kinda just hit the floor. Three weeks prior to this time, I didn't even know that there was a Bible College in the mountians of Montana. Again more wise counsel told me to wait four weeks before truly deciding to leave for the other side of America (exaggeration). And reluctantly, yet prayerfully, I waited four more weeks before sending in my deposit.
    And my life changed like that... so silently yet so completely. I'm leaving to move 18 and 1/2 hours away from comfort and familiarity. And so, to keep with the trend of all these Tuesdays, I leave on Tuesdays, August 23rd. Once the school year starts I will begin an adventure filled with backpacking trips, archeological digs, and a trip to Isreal.  And so, in just a few months my life completely changed directions.

Stay tuned for more episodes of my Simply Orchestrated life :)

*answer to a popular question

DIY_chalk board

Alright, back to the blog. I've decided over the next few weeks to follow up the room tour with some DIY room enhancements. So today, I'm going to show you how I created my Chalk board. Disclaimer: I did not come up with this idea. I'm pretty sure it's on Pinterest (you can see my account here).
Let us begin.
To start this project you will need:

• a tray (dollar tree has some)
• Chalkboard paint
• paint brushes
• wire
• Hot glue gun (with glue)
• razor blade or painters tape

      To begin, you will need to apply a thin layer of chalk board pain onto the tray. (It will not look good the first few coats. It's a fact.) 

This is after 3 coats

     

      At this point, you need to decide how much of the tray you want to cover with the chalk board paint. The first one I made, I just painted the center of the tray. The second one I made, I painted the tray all the way up the sides (unfortunately that was a Christmas present for someone and I gave it away before I got a photo). If you choose to only paint the center, you may want to add tape to block off the restricted areas of the tray. On one, I tried removing the paint after it had dried with a razor blade, it did work but it was time consuming and didn't look the best. If you don't want to use tape or a razor, then I suggest wiping off all unwanted paint when its still dry!

Here's an example of the lumpy paint. Avoid this

     Then let that dry and add another coat. Then let that dry and add another coat. If you still aren't happy with how it looks (and the first one I made I wasn't satisfied) add one more coat. You don't want any of the tin showing through, and you want the surface to be as flat as possible without ridges and lumps. 

     That's basically it. Very simple and so cute! If you are planning on hanging it up, wire works great! Just fasten it with some hot glue and you're good to go! This wire worked great, but so does picture hanging wire. You just want to make sure that its not too small or too big to slip away from the glue.


Some things to remember:
-Before you write anything on the chalk board, Go over the entire surface using the side of the chalk. If you don't, the first thing you write will stay imprinted.
-Don't use water on your new chalk
-You don't have to use black chalkboard paint (you can buy all sorts of colors)
 

Enjoy!

Senior Security

During high school, a student is labeled with one of four titles, Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior, ranking from least to most educated. Along with the developing education, the mindset of many aspiring students are dourly changing. However, in the midst of the confusion and change, some seniors have a hope that gives them strength for every decision.

High School seniors Audrey Larsen and Nathan Holmer have agreed to share a little insight into their daily struggles and securities, and encouragement to high school newbies. The interview began with the search for the root of their hope. Both Audrey and Nathan gave similar answers in that their hope is found the love and omniscience of God. Nathan also pointed out that he “finds hope in the fact that I will never know what the right career path is for me unless I grasp my goals and fulfill them, even if I am unsure of them at first.”

It is easy for High School students to lose focus and get distracted by less important things. It is especially easy to get side tracked if the student is not interested in the current topic subjects. Despite current interest level and self-motivation, “...if you (a student) have a good attitude and try your best, you can actually learn a ton of awesome information!”

To finish off the interview, a wrap up question was asked, “What encouraging thing would you say to a freshman who already wants to ‘throw in the towel.’” Nathan Holmer replied, “Obviously, don’t give up now. You still have a heck of a ride ahead of you and perseverance will be your best friend.” He continued to state that these years of High School are pivotal in the development of a student’s future life. “Hang in there… don’t forget to make good relationships too and have fun.” (Audrey Larsen)

History Lesson _The Wise Aztecs

If you were to fly over the Valley of Mexico any time between the 12th and 15th century, you would be blown away. A thunderstorm may be brewing, or it may be a perfectly sunny day. Soaring mountains to the south, east, and west surround this part of South-central Mexico.  But if you were to zoom in, upon closer examination, you would begin to see the outline of cities, houses, and gardens. The beautiful view would be credited to the Aztec people.

You would not only see temples, but that the Aztec’s lives revolved mainly around their religion. “Life was ruled by fate- from beginning to end, your family life, occupation, and success depended on the important dates in your life and the structure of the universe and the nature of the gods…” (Aztec-history.com) Similar to other Mesoamerican religions, the Aztec’s were absorbed in the appeasing of their gods. Their creation story is what dictated most of their rituals. In their homes, they would have an entire wall dedicated to the gods. They thought that five gods were mainly responsible for the creation of the world. Argument after argument caused many gods to lose track of the task at hand. Finally, after many failed attempts, the sun, earth, humans, and universe were created. However, because of the sacrifices the gods had made, the humans were indebted to their creators and have to pay allegiance through the sacrifice of human life.

This debt to the gods is what spurned on the Aztecs to gain more territory. For with territory, come new resources’ including humans for sacrifice. The Aztec military was successful because of numbers, yet they knew numbers alone could not win disputes. Therefore, they formed alliances. The warriors were fierce men, who from young ages, were instructed in the ways of warfare. Children as young as four years old would be treated in like manner to full-grown warrior men.

            Gender roles were clear and unbroken. Everyone had his or her own task and it was expected to be done. The jobs varied from the glorified priests to the lowly, yet respected farmers. Farming was the Aztec’s primary trade, thus most men were involved in agriculture. As previously mentioned, at a certain age, a young boy would start to be trained as a warrior or into a different trade. Girls would be trained in the ways of child raising, homemaking, cooking, and other entities. Women would weave cloths, both for family and to possibly sell. It was acceptable for them to open a little shop, in their homes, to sell their goods. Women were also responsible for keeping the household running smoothly.

            It was not uncommon to see a row of houses built together. In this case, extended families would build directly onto another family member's house. Typically, the construction of a house started with the digging of a moat type foundation. Then it would be filled in with large stone that would be cut to fit like a puzzle. From there, a wood brace would be built and filled in with earth. A common building material for the Aztecs was Adobe bricks. These were made by mixing water with clay, and then adding sand. The floors were generally constructed with earthen materials, but sometimes plaster. It was common to have one main room with others added on. Ordinarily, there would be two doors and no windows.

            The family unit was the basis for the structure of the government. Surprisingly, they didn’t govern how most imagine. In cities, government was more family related and focused on the best interests of the people rather than regional. The rulers weren't interested in taking away the people's freedom; their main interest was expanding their borders. Even once they would take over a nearby town, they did not demand anything but some type of tribute. The Aztecs type of government was called Calpulli, which was a group of families, and one person would protect and take care of his “clan”. There weren't that many laws, however, the laws that were there must be obeyed. It was actually against the law to be drunk in public unless you were over the age of 70!

            A smile might be the same in every language, but a smile won’t allow you to trade, worship, govern, or advance. Even though the Aztec empire stretched over a great distance, most, if not all, the people spoke Nahuatl. Of course, with distance there is bound to be difference in dialect. Anyone who wanted to trade with the Aztecs would need to learn this language. The Aztec language was written with symbols of little images and sounded similar to spanish.

            The poetic and symbolic nature of the Nahuatl language certainly merged into their music and art. Music was not only used for entertainment, but a way of passing on culture, sharing an understanding of religion, and making emotional connection with life events. Diego Duràn said the songs would sound like nonsense, but upon relistening and discussing the words, the poetry and wording was very admirable.

            The way the Aztec people lived was very remarkable, all facts considered. They used the resources that were available to achieve beautiful and impressive things. Chewing gum, Popcorn, antispasmodic medication, the calendar, and chocolate are only a few of the Aztecs accomplishments.

          If you were to zoom back out of this area, and circle back for another look, would you see the same thing? Just a beautiful collection of houses and gardens in a city? The Aztec civilization was complexly simple. They were wise and knew that if you “Take care of today’s thirst and tomorrow’s headache will take care of itself.” They prepared for the future and didn't hold grudges. They wanted to please their creators and live responsible lives, making the best out of every situation.