"I'm a bit of a manic when it's not as I plan it."

This song has been stuck in my head all. Day. Long. (It's fun to sing when you're stuck in traffic!)

By the way, she's going to be performing with Owl City at the Atlanta concert in April... :)

Highlights of break so far...

(Okay, so I really like making lists!)

1. Hiking...here. What?!

Apparently, some pretty great trails exist like, 20 minutes away from my house. I've lived here for 7 years and never had a clue. I'm not exactly sure how this happened, but I am sooo glad I know about them now! Darren and I went on a nice 7-mile hike on Thursday, and it was seriously one of the most beautiful trails ever. See for yourself:

Gorgeous, yes? There are, of course, more on Facebook. :) I think I've decided I'm going to forget psychology and become a nature photographer instead. I'll just spend all my time in the woods, taking pictures, and living a happy life. Okay, not really. It's a nice thought, though.

God always tends to talk to me the most when I'm in the middle of nature like that. I just get so amazed at His creativity. I mean, everything from how the light reflects off the water to the different colors of the rocks...it's incredible to think that He actually bothered to think out every single detail. I always end up discovering some new analogy between life and His creation, and that's pretty cool to me. :)

2. Listening to music in the car with friends...especially Christmas music!

Tonight, I was with Darren, Quintin, and Tahir, and we spent the first half of the trip singing along to stuff like "Down" (of course) and "Whatcha Say" (it has become mine and Quintin's song for the time being. I love that kid!). The second half? Relient K's Christmas album, "Let it Snow, Baby...Let it Reindeer." In other words, pure awesomeness. I don't know what it is, but loudly singing "The 12 Days of Christmas" and "Deck the Halls" in a car with friends tends to make me feel really happy and Christmassy like nothing else. I love it!

3. Owl City concert plans?!?!?!?!?!

Uh, yeah. Owl City, along with LIGHTS (who I started listening to about a week ago), is playing in ATL on April 20. I'm going. You should, too. (In my case, all I can say is, thank goodness for Christmas money. Heh!) I am reeeeeeally excited. In case you weren't already aware, I really like Owl City. But I'm pretty sure you knew that.

4. Family!

My 5- and 6-year-old cousins are hilarious. They can be bratty for sure, but they never fail to make me laugh. At our annual Christmas family get-together deal at my grandparents', Eli was refusing to eat his ham because he insisted that it looked like shark skin. Um, okay. He also informed me that Copper the dog from The Fox and The Hound (which I still love) has very large ears that resemble steaks. ...Yeah, I kinda love him a lot. Levi, on the other hand, has a thing for cars. Like, really. As soon as he walked in the door, he was like, "Hey, Brittany," and proceeds to give me a 10-minute breakdown on every detail of his toy car. (He's 6 and knows more about cars than I do. Great.) Fortunately, I've become a pro at pretending I know what car-loving people are talking about (I've had lots of practice), so he and I get along just fine.

5. The Polar Express!

Well, this technically hasn't happened yet, but tomorrow, I'm going to see The Polar Express in 3-D with my family...at the IMAX I didn't know existed in my city? (I'm discovering all sorts of new things around here!) I am sooo excited. That is one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies. I love it!

So yeah, I'm thoroughly enjoying my break so far. Amazingly, I'm perfectly content still being at home (usually, that only lasts about a week. I've made it two so far!). I mean, I do miss everyone from Lee, but I am totally okay with the fact that there are still 3 weeks left of break. Still not quite ready to go back. I'm still recovering from last semester! Heh! This break has been good for me, though. :) Anyway, hopefully, there will be more Christmas break adventures to tell you guys about, coming soon!

"I'll be found in You...still standing."

"I am changing, less and less asleep.
Made of different stuff than when I began."
- "Shadowfeet" by Brooke Fraser

I feel like that one quote sums up this year for me (if that's even possible).* I can't even explain it completely—it just is what it is. This year...I don't even know how to describe it. I have never learned so much within a single span of twelve months in my entire life. It has, by far, been one of the hardest years of my life, yet I can't call it bad. It has changed me so much. I am definitely not the same person I was a year ago, but in a good way. I'm wiser, more mature, and more aware of myself, others, and life in general. My relationship with God is different, too. It's closer and based on more trust than ever before. It's amazing, really.

One running theme throughout this year has definitely been adventure. Not just in the normal sense (though with a trip to Utah and Arizona, hiking, whitewater rafting, camping, and everything else, there was plenty of that, too!), but just life in general. Completely new experiences; never knowing what's coming next; scary, yet fun; never easy, but always rewarding...yeah, that's this year for sure. I've had to trust God like never before. For the first time in my life, I can honestly say that I trust Him 100%, no question. I've always trusted Him, but this year has brought about a new element of it that I've never had before.

I've cried more this year than I can remember doing in a long time, but I've also laughed more than ever. I lost a good friend for the first time, but I also gained so many amazing new ones. I had to make decisions that I've never had to make before, but through that, God reassured me more than ever. I guess there have been a lot of extremes. It's funny how it all balances out somehow.**

"When the world has fallen out from under me,
I'll be found in You, still standing.
When the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees,
When time and space are through, I'll be found in You."

* I love finding songs that describe my life to me. It always gives me chills (and usually results in some pretty obsessive listening...). I have to say, I think the craziest one was when I heard "Lonely Tonight" by Matt Wertz last month (see my post from November 3). Everything, down to the exact month and length of time. So weird.

** There you have it--my standard, super-reflective, end-of-the-year post. I can't help it; I try really hard to not go overboard, but I have to be introspective on here sometimes. :)