Some of you may not know this but I do online school. I started out in public school but then, once I got to high school, I began online schooling. I think it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. Today I wanted to do a post over my experience with attending an online school which I hope will help others to decide if they think it is a good decision for them as well.

So I started attending an online school the second semester of freshman year. I wasn't necessarily planning on leaving public school but it kind of just happened. I am glad that I went all the way through to high school, though.

As far back as I can remember I had always wanted to be home schooled (granted you call online public school homeschooling or not). I had always seen homeschooling as a great alternative to the traditional public school for many reasons. A couple being freedom of my schedule and the relaxed requirements for when and where I do my work.

The reason that I started when I did was this: we had moved to a new city and I simply did not like having to go. Plus, the high school that I was having to go to was way bigger than the high school from my previous town where I'm sure I would have done just fine at. The schoolwork was never an issue for me it was just the other things that go along with it. I did not like being told when to attend a certain class, when to start/end school, what I could wear/do, when I could take breaks, when I could talk, where I could sit, and the list could go on further. Now, you might be thinking "Why couldn't you just get over it and deal with it like the rest of us?" and yes, that is a valid question but, since I had the opportunity to start online school, why not do it?

After telling my parents about how much I dreaded going to school I started doing some research. I wanted to see if I could actually start online school how I had always dreamt of doing. I came across multiple different programs and, after thoroughly reading about them, I finally chose the school that I am now with. I would share with you what the name is but, since it is still a real school and for privacy reasons I won't but, if you are serious about looking into it yourself, do some research and I'm sure you will find one that works best for you.

I came back to my parents and told them about the new school that I had found. They did their own research, thought about it a lot, and finally gave the go ahead and said that they think it would work well for me. After signing me up and going through the registering process, I started the next semester.

Now that you know the how and why of the process of me starting online school, hopefully now I can answer some of your questions. I know that before I started online school I didn't completely understand how it all worked but now that I do, maybe I could help with the answers.

First and foremost, like mentioned before I go to an online public school. The reason it is defined as public is because, the program that I use, also offers a private school. The private school is paid with fewer students and the public school is free with more students (just like brick-and-mortar schools). Now that you know that, I'll move onto if it is a privately owned company. Well, in my case, the school is considered a part of another school district in my state. So, even though it is online, if someone asks what district I go to it would be the school district that my school is with. Whatever requirements and rules they have in their district, also applies to me. Even when they have events at their schools I am also invited. Basically, my school is in that district which means I have to abide by that district. So, yes it is legal and legit and yes it is recognized by the state just like any other school.

The program that I am with offers the same thing with many other states as well. The online schools are partnerships with school districts within the state which means that they are legitimate alternatives offered within the district.

Because the schools have the same laws that any other school does, there are still certain requirements such as attendance. I have to have a certain amount of hours just like everyone else. One reason that I really enjoy online school is that I get to start whenever I want, take breaks whenever I want, and can end whenever I want (of course still putting in enough time to get my work done). For example, if I have somewhere to be in the morning then I can hop on and do my work later in the day or get ahead altogether. The teachers are available at normal office hours (8am-4pm Monday-Friday) but the students can get there work done at any time since there is 24hr access including weekends.

Throughout the week there are lessons with the teacher that are live. The students can go into the online room and watch their teacher give a lesson on whatever lesson is scheduled for that day. There are chat pods and you can even talk or use your camera to interact with the other students or teacher. It is cool because it acts just like a classroom but you can attend them no matter where you are.

To contact your teachers you can call them, send them an e-mail, or attend a lesson. Pertaining to the schedule, all of your classes have assigned days in which to do specific lessons so whenever you log on you can see the list (and check off) lessons that need to be completed that day. It is really nice to have it all laid out. If you get behind it is not a problem as long as you work to catch up and get what you need to get done. My school also offers school events (field trips) for certain areas of my state where I can go and meet my teachers and fellow students.

Overall, like I said, I am so happy that I decided to start online school and I am so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to do so. If you are interested in online school I highly recommend it but I would have to say that it works best with motivated people. You have to be able to motivate yourself since there is no one looking over your shoulder at all times making sure you are getting your lessons done.

I hope that you liked this post! Maybe it answered some of your questions? If you have any more questions that I did not answer then make sure to leave them below and I will be glad to answer them. ♥

OK, I have never written a book review on my blog. I have never really thought to write a book review before but oh my, guys I am so excited to be doing one today. The book that I am reviewing, in my opinion, is so good that I feel I should share it and allow others to learn about it as well.

The book that I am talking about is Girl Defined: God's Radical Design for Beauty, Femininity, and Identity by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird. As you can probably tell by the title, the book is about God's design for women and how that fits into our culture today. The summary on the back explains it a lot better than I can:

"In a culture where airbrushed models and ultra-driven career women define beauty and success, it's no wonder we have a distorted view of femininity. Girl Defined offers a distinctly God-centered view of beauty, femininity, and self-worth. Based firmly in God's design for our lives, this book invites us on a liberating journey toward a radically better vision for femininity-one that ends with the kind of hope, purpose, and fulfillment we've been yearning for."

If that entices you then just wait until you actually get into the book. Kristen and Bethany do a great job of explaining God's design for women and how it does (or doesn't) align with today's culture. They get their points across in a really relatable and understandable way so that women in today's society can truly relate. The fact that it was such an understandable and relatable book is what I really enjoyed about it. I understood it well and felt that it really resonated with me.

Within the book the girls included many personal stories about themselves and others which I felt made the book come across on a more personal level. They also had many reviews from other authors and Christian women that explained their thoughts on the book.

One of the most important parts of the book was the fact that they included many Bible verses and stories that truly shows the comparison between what they are saying and what God says about the subject. It opens your eyes to see that "Hey! God did say this, this is His plan, and I can totally see it in today's society!".

Something that I really like is how, after each chapter, there is a study guide. They have some great questions that can really show you how it all relates to your life. They also have challenges explaining how you can put God's design into action in your life, right now.

Overall, Girl Defined is one of my favorite books and I am so happy that I read it. I got so much out of it and I feel like I truly do have a whole new outlook on the true design for womanhood and the lies that society is feeding us about it. I can say that I took a lot of things away from reading this book  and can totally see how the three pillars of counterfeit femininity (liberation, independence, and sexual freedom) have blinded and distracted us from the three pillars of biblical womanhood (helping others, producing life, and nurturing relationships).

Do I recommend this book? Absolutely. I think that this is a book that is well worth the read and totally worth the truths that you get out of it. It would be a great book for anyone at any age, for a personal read or group Bible study. If you do decide to read it I would love to have a discussion with you about it. Leave your comments down below and we can share our thoughts over it. 

Also, Kristen and Bethany run an awesome women's ministry call Girl Defined that you can check out here. I love their ministry and what they do so I wanted to let you all know about it if you didn't already. ♥

With summer coming up soon, this months Birchbox was really focused on allowing more attention to the carefree fun summer days rather than more attention on the beauty routine to follow it. Their products had the main idea to allow for a "low effort high impact" beauty routine that would compliment the 'relaxing' point of the summer months. I can say that these products did seem to live up to that standard and they seem to be very useful products to use in the warmer months of the year.

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own. ♥

It has flamingos on it! How cute! It is also waterproof (and I don't normally wear waterproof) but it will be great for summer days near the pool.

I am really excited to use this because it seems like it will be so relaxing. I also really like how the scents are more on the organic side and adds to the spa-like nature of the scrub.

This perfume isn't something that I would necessarily purchase on my own but who knows, it might make me want to expand my horizons.

 I am very (very) pale. It is just a fact. I am not opposed to it, in fact, I am happy to embrace it. I have never used self tanner before and I have never planned on using it but I might want to try it out one day and, if I do, I have this to use.

My hair can't make up its mind. Some days it holds curls very well and others it is straight as can be. I am hoping that this will help my hair hold the next time I style it.

Hey! Wow has it been a while. A lot of things have happened since the last time that I regularly posted on here. What started out as a few days off due to certain events, turned into a month+ long break from blogging and social media.

Now that I have gotten over a few things I feel like I can finally take the time to sit down and begin writing posts again. Overall, I think that this break was a good thing for me because it gave me time to rethink a few things and also allowed me to freely brainstorm some new and present ideas.

When I first started taking time off of regular blogging, I felt like my creativity wasn't as well, creative as it had been and I also was getting stressed with future events that were coming up. We have been in the process of moving soon and I had been really excited to the point that I had lost some interest in other things. I also had to finish up my school year and had to focus on testing and other academic deadlines that were coming up. The flu and pneumonia had also caught up with me so that had taken a couple weeks away from being productive. During this break it was a combination of these events and other little things that kept popping up and that is why I have been absent from the Internet recently.

I now have finished the school year (I'm coming for ya senior year), I am seemingly free of illnesses, and I am more than motivated to get back to blogging.

I still have some more things that are coming up, we are still in the process of our future move, and I might have to take a few days off from my regular schedule but I plan on posting at least once a week (if not back to my normal Sunday/Wednesday schedule). I am motivated to grow my blog and start some new projects, I have a list of future blog post ideas, and I am here to say that I am back. If you have stayed around during my absence thank you and I can't wait to continue in this journey. ♥

Hello! Long time no see and I apologize for that but I have been really focused on studying for tests and finishing my classes. I am still working on school things and I might not be able to write a full post until things have calmed down so today I wanted to take some time though for a quick announcement. I have created a group chat for Christian teen/young adult girls on GroupMe. I thought it would be a good idea so that we could share prayer requests, notes of encouragement, and get to know each other. If you want to join than you can here. Also, don't be afraid to share this link with someone you might know. I am so excited to get to know everyone.

Well, that was my announcement for today. Like mentioned before, I don't know when I will be able to post again but keep your eyes open in the future. Until next time... ♥

I'm back! I know I have missed a few days recently but I have been trying to finish up with school and get ready for tests. I apologize for no heads-up about it but I am back again with a new post so hopefully no hard feelings. (; Today I am doing my April 2017 Birchbox Review-hope you like it!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own. ♥

I have talked about dry shampoo before but it is always nice to try out a new one. I haven't used it yet but I am interested to see how it works. 

I missed a picture of the inside but this duo is so pretty. The highlighter is an amazing shade. 

I have been looking to try this because of the reviews so I am happy it came in this months box. 

This shade is pretty dark but it's still a really nice color nonetheless. I don't know if I'll use it a lot because it is so dark but I'm sure I will get a few good uses out of it.

I never have any travel makeup wipes so I know that this will be put to good use.

Howdy! How have y'all been? I didn't post on Wednesday so I feel like I should update you all on what has been going on. With birthdays and school I have had a pretty busy week. Here is what happened: on Monday I had a lot of school to do and I had to take care of some business with something that I am helping out with. On Tuesday my family and I went to Olive Garden for my birthday dinner (which was on Wednesday but my dad was going to be out of town) and it was so good! If you know anything about me you would know that I love Italian food, especially Olive Garden. Anybody with me? I had a delicious meal and I also got to be embarrassed by the waitresses singing to me (yay me haha). It was a great night and I was also given my birthday gift-a new phone! I have been wanting to upgrade my phone for the longest time so shout out to my parents. Thank you guys again! On Wednesday it was my birthday! I officially turned 17. Still can't believe I'll be 18 next year...what. I was showered with love from all of my family and friends so thank y'all as well if you are reading this! I am so blessed and thankful for all of you. On Thursday and Friday, I had a good amount of school to do :( so I had to get all of that out of the way and on Saturday my family and I went to my grandparents house to have a party for my grandpa and I (his birthday is next week). We had some delicious hamburgers (and key lime pie yum) and got to visit with one another which was a great time. This week has gone by pretty quickly but I sure was kept occupied the whole time. It was an amazing week and an even amazing-er (don't judge) birthday. One last time, thank you to all who made it special. ♥ 

"I wish I was skinnier."

"My eyebrows are too thin."

"Why can't I look like her?"

"Why am I so ugly?"

We've all heard them. The many, many reasons that women (and men) have doubted themselves. The lies that they have told themselves. 

The culprit?

The enemy.

His tool?

Media.

Now you've probably heard that social media is a place for the good things and not the bad but the truth is...it's filled with both. As you scroll through Twitter or Instagram you might come across a few ads which might be for a new movie release or a new beauty product that 'you just have to have'. That ad might be filled with actors that have their makeup and hair done, the perfect outfit, and the perfect life. You might have recently seen a movie in theaters, or you might have watched your favorite tv show this morning when you had your cup of coffee. Whatever it was, you created an impression of their life and their bodies and might have immediately compared yourself to them. Did you know that the time it takes for the average person to make their first impression is 7 seconds? Yes, 7. That means that within those first 7 seconds, you had already decided on how your life compares to theirs.

Media tells us so many lies. But the truth is God has His own thoughts on beauty and guess what...it doesn't align with societies.

In Genesis 1:26-27 it says that God created us in his own image. How amazing is that? Our heavenly father created all of us in His image. He loves us and calls us His children. (John 1:12) He loves us so much that he was willing to die on a cross and give us eternal life! (John 3:16)

God does not base our value or His love on our 'attractiveness' according to society. He loves us unconditionally.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in  my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:13-14)

I'm sure that you have heard this so many times before but sadly, it needs to be repeated. We do not need to compare ourselves to the 'artificial' standards that the media throws at us. We need to stand firm in knowing that the Lord loves us unconditionally, that He created us in His own image, and that we are wonderfully made. ♥

"You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you." (Song of Songs 4:7)