Here We Go!!

Hello, friend!

It's that time of year again when we look back at how the past year went, and then look forward with optimism and hope!

Let's take a quick look back at my old blog post... 

Did I succeed in being more positive this year? Hmm... that's a tricky one. I feel like it was easier to be more positive before I moved. The move challenged me in a lot of ways, I had to start over with friends, a new school, a new church... my whole life basically stopped in Ann Arbor and began again in Madison. It's hard to not be cynical and to not compare my life now to how it was a year ago. On the other hand, I think that as time goes by, I'm learning more and more about the great things that Madison has to offer, and that God has provided me with.

This year, I did do a lot of things that I never would have imagined would have ever happened.
I went on a 15 mile hike up a mountain, I went snorkeling in the Bahamas, I made homemade pasta, dumplings, and lattes, I went to San Diego and then Mexico to build a house with people who would become my best friends, I moved to Madison, joined cross country, and I got an adorable puppy from my awesome parents(my mom insists and I agree with her on the last part :)).

This year was AMAZING and I wouldn't want to change anything that happened. I'm so grateful for my life that God has placed me into. Now moving forward!

After a few weeks of thinking about New Year's resolutions and goals, I have decided that my theme for this year is going to be the year of not wasting time/being more productive.

I received an email from Spotify a couple of weeks ago about the amount of time that I spent listening to music and it said that I spend 17,353 minutes listening to music, which is 289.2 hours which is 12.05 days straight of listening to music. I know that this number is wayyy low compared to the amount of time I actually spent in 2016 listening to music because sometimes I went weeks without spotify due to no internet! Why am I telling you this?

Well, I thought, "What if I could see how much time I spent doing other things, like reading, eating, SLEEPING, and watching Youtube?"(I don't have Netflix so Youtube is my main source of entertainment).

Upon further observation, I decided that when school started, the amount of time that I spent on the internet increased... a lot, preventing me from doing other things that I enjoyed. There are a lot of things that I want to accomplish this year; I would like to invest more time into playing guitar, perhaps begin training for a marathon, and begin meditating a little bit in the mornings to relax/refresh the mind.

Also, I read a scripture a couple of days ago that I really liked and definitely want to keep in mind for the year:

Proverbs 14:23

"All hard work brings a profit,

but mere talk leads only to poverty."

So for this year, I feel like I definitely have a goal in mind. I want to be more conscious about what I am doing. I want to make sure that I'm making the most of my time, and being as productive as possible now for a better future later!

This may sound CRAZY, like I'm throwing myself into unnecessary stress and chaos, etc, but I think that if I work on being more balanced, then it will work out and become my normal lifestyle.

I feel ready for the new year!

Wishing you the best year yet,
Joy :)

My Top 20 Songs

Hello, friend!

Since 2016 is coming to a close, I thought that I would make a quick list of 20 of my favorite songs from this year and tell you a little bit about them/why I totally loved them! If you want to listen on Spotify while reading, click here. 

My Top 20 Songs of 2016: 

                                                        1. Take the World // Johnnyswim 

Take the World is a cute folk-like song by a duo, Amanda Sudano and Amber Ramirez. They remind me of Us the Duo, who is a famous vine couple that also sings/performs -- if you like them, I bet you'll enjoy this group as well! This song has a very timeless feel, and is a great morning song to wake up slowly to!

2. Seventeen // Alessia Cara

Alessia Cara has definitely risen to become one of my absolute favorite artists of 2016. Her voice is so powerful! I loved this song of the cheesy reasons- I'm seventeen, this song is about being 17, so why not listen to it? If you're 17 or going to turn 17, I definitely 10/10 highly recommend it!

3. Take me Home // Jess Glynne

This song is sung by the same woman who sang, "Rather Be," that catchy, pop tune that was popular for a month in the summer. She also sings this song, which is really great for just belting out loud when you're driving home alone or even during a rainy day.

4. I'll Show You // Justin Bieber

This song is all about being determined, and I love how Justin is saying that he's a human too, not just some idol, and how even though we get to see a part of his life, it's not ALL of it(the good, the bad, etc). I think all too often we think that we know everything about our "favorite celebrity," whether it be someone on our favorite television show or another musician/artist, and I think that this is a good reminder that celebrities, are learning and making mistakes through life, just like we are except one is much more publicized and manipulated through media. Besides the message of the song, it also has a great beat. 

5. I Wanna Go // Yuna 

In the early days of summer I discovered this three year old, upbeat, carefree song. Whenever I listen to this I think of the warmth and summertime. This is such a happy song, it's really impossible to be sad and listen to it!

6. 1000x // Jarryd James 

Jarryd James and Broods are such a fantastic combination. Jarryd and Georgia both have such unique voices,  and the two of them joined together to create this powerful, emotional song. The lyrics are pure poetry. 

7. This Girl // Kungs and Cookin' on 3 Burners 

This song literally screams FUN. I don't know what it is, the EDM vibes, the trumpet, the clapping... I recommend listening to this in the car with your friends loudly on a road trip or even if you're just going to Target! (@ Kaylee :) )

8. Ophelia // The Lumineers 

The Lumineers came out this year with this amazing album, "Cleopatra," and I immediately became obsessed with this song from it. The piano really SINGS in this song. The chorus is also such a catchy tune!

9. Into the Wild // LP 

This song's drums combined with Laura Pergolizzi's voice is AMAZING. It's a song that makes you want to go on an adventure, and you can picture yourself doing epic things with this song in the background.

10. Stay // Kygo 

This summer I listened to different DJ's since EDM was gaining popularity, and I really enjoyed it discovering artists like this one! Each one of Kygo's songs are great hits and everyone who I talked to was like "ohh yeah that song!!".  Definitely a summer hit.

11. Heartlines // Broods 

I immediately bought Broods' new album this year and could not stop listening to this song on repeat! Give it a listen!

12. Falling // Opia 

Opia, meaning a "visual disorder," (very creative huh?!) really know what they're doing. They're not very popular yet, but I can definitely see them becoming incredulously famous one day! This song is about falling for a toxic love. The guitar riff in it is really something!

13. Ocean Eyes // Billie Eilish 

I listened to this song with my one of my very best friends, Danielle, when we were at the park across from my house and when summer was coming to and end. This song is the definition of nostalgic. Billie Eilish's voice is literally magical. I wish that she would come out with an album or something! 

14. Got You on my Mind // NF 

When we first moved to Madison, I discovered NF with my brother, and we listened to a couple of his songs. This song in particular has a story. Nate had an extremely difficult childhood to say the least, and his music is raw and honest. He has become famous as well for being a Christian rapper which I think is really cool! 

15. Something To Believe In (Acoustic) // Young the Giant 

First off, the normal version of this is AMAZING, but the acoustic is so clean and it really accentuates the singing, and the lyrics!

16. Nervous // Gavin James 

My good friend Kenneth recommended this to me one night, and it has become one of my all time favorites. The soft acoustic makes it sound like a lullaby almost. This is definitely a beautiful, chill, rainy day song. 

17. Stone // Alessia Cara 

Another rainy day song thy can quickly become one of your favorites. It is about security and safety during change, so I definitely listened to this song a lot after I moved. 

18. Guillotine // Jon Bellion

 I was inspired to listen to this song because of my friend Jen, who absolutely RAVED about Jon Bellion, and I hopped on the train with her to become obsessed with his style of music. Each one of his songs is so different from the other and the beat is great! Please also listen to Simple and Sweet if you have time! :)

19. Art Exhibit // Young the Giant 

I discovered this song from my friend Mariah, and am SO GRATEFUL she started tweeting song recommendations! I feel like our taste in music is somewhat similar and this song was everything I needed this fall. The use of metaphoric language in this song is fantastic. 

20. Final Song // MØ

I heard this song actually in a snapchat and was so curious about it that I looked up the lyrics to this and then found the whole song and before I knew it, I was hooked. I thought this was a good "final song," to end this playlist on. This song picks up speed and has such a great vibe to it-- definitely listen to it when you're in a good mood!

As you can see, I love music. It makes the time pass quickly, it entertains, it is art, and it can convey emotions that are not easily put into words. 

If you are interested, I also make monthly playlists on Spotify except for December because I listen to mostly Christmas music in that month. 

 Thanks for reading! If you have any song recommendations, feel free to comment them!

Have a great week leading up to Christmas!

Joy :) 

Live in the Moment

Hello Friend!

Yesterday when my friend Jessica and I were at Barnes and Noble doing homework and listening to Christmas tunes, she told me a quote that I thought was really meaningful, and I wanted to share it here:

I feel like some people may be like whaaat Joy that’s so negative!! You’re name is Joy(be happy!)!! 

However, I think that what this quote means is that we should make sure that we are truly living every second of the day as present as possible, and to make sure that we get the most out of this life while we can. I found this to be a great reminder to myself, because with the holiday season it can be extremely difficult to stay focused on one task or idea. Instead I find myself thinking about the future, Christmas celebrations and plans, etc, which just leads to more stress.

Right now seniors are beginning to receive college acceptance letters/emails(aka our futures). I feel like I haven't been obsessively checking my email every hour to see if I've been accepted anywhere, however, before I was accepted to any colleges I did start to feel a bit anxious. This "waiting time" of the college process has been a test of my faith and how I need to trust God with whichever colleges I get accepted into! I didn't realize how big of a deal being a senior in high school was when I was a freshman at all. I believe that the colleges we get accepted to shape a big part of our future and who we will become as adults. Our lives have the possibility to change drastically in a single year, and I don't know if I'm ready for that. 

All I know is that no matter where I go- God really is in control. 

Don't let the stress of the future determine how you live today!

Joy :) 

Friends, Pickles, and Hats!

Hello Friend!

Yesterday, my friend Abby and I drove into Chicago with our parents to hang out with some friends while they went to meetings all Friday and Saturday. At first planning this, I texted some people not really expecting anyone to be close by to Oak Brook(I don't know anything about directions in Chicago outside of Oriole Park Elementary), but surprisingly Rachel , my very good and old friend from the Central region of the Chicago church, lived right down the street! Chris, another friend of ours, lived half an hour away but he drove up to the mall to see us. I really appreciated that and the fact that they were able to hang out with us on sort of a last minute thing. 

True friendship is getting with your friends when they're coming in from out of town! 

We went to Potbelly's for dinner and Rachel ate this huge pickle for $1, and a sandwich of course. 

Both Chris and Rachel are leaving OUT OF ILLINOIS for college. I was so shocked, it's crazy to think how we're so old and now all separating for college!! This almost makes moving a little bit less painful knowing that everyone is spreading out to different states now for school. 

We just sort of wandered around from store to store, stopping in at Teavana's to try the BEST TEA IN THE WORLD: peppermint white chocolate sweetened tea. 

Try it you definitely won't regret it! 

We also went into fancy stores like Zara and Anthropologie and wandered around, then in Urban Outfitters and we tried on hats. 

That was when we decided that we should buy something to send to each other in the mail when we all move!! In Barnes and Noble we bought a bookmark but really just wanted the plastic container it came in so that we could make our own bookmarks and mail it to each other!

It was such a great time just seeing them and catching up with what was going on in their lives! Definitely a great start to December.

Happy Holidays!!

Joy :)

Stepping into the Holidays

Hello, friend! 

I hope that your Thanksgiving was full of time with the family, football, and good food. 

Did you enjoy your food as much as Ron did? 

My family and I went to Chicago as is our tradition, and visited the McDonalds parade. This time, we had a puppy with us! That was quite the experience, we had a black purse-like bag for Po to sit in, and we tucked him in a blanket so that he wouldn't be chilly in the Windy City!

I think that Po really enjoyed the parade. It was such a coincidence that we brought Po this year to the parade, and that there was a giant Kung Fu Panda as well!

Little pup, big city

Cool painting I saw!

After the parade, we drove to my dad's side of the family in Arlington Heights and celebrated Thanksgiving wth them. 

The next day I visited one of my very best friends, Lexi, and her family!! We brought Po so that they could meet him, and since they have dogs too, he became friends with Dulce the Pomeranian. That night we drove to Zoo Lights in Lincoln Park Zoo! There was a new Holiday Market going on, and ice skating, which drew so many more people downtown that it took forever to find parking! Especially since it was the first day of zoo lights. Maybe next year we can try the ice skating!

I honestly saw one animal at the zoo(a sleeping ape) the entire night which was kind of funny. It was not too chilly outside which made the night so much more enjoyable, and we strolled through the zoo enjoying the lights and talking with old friends from Chicago. 

Candy Cane Land?!

Even though there is a lot of pollution in Chicago, it helps with taking pictures in the dark because it's so lit up everywhere! After seeing all of those zoo lights, I feel like I am definitely in the Christmas spirit now. In fact, we have been listening to Christmas music non-stop ever since Thanksgiving ended. Yep! 

Well, HAPPY BEGINNING OF THE HOLIDAYS!

Joy :)

A Place To Start

Hello, friend!
I have been pretty busy with many events recently, that I haven't had time to sit down and work on a blog post in a while. Also, I think I was sort of stumped on what to write about. I want to try writing more thoughtful blog posts instead of here's this and that, which obviously is hard to avoid. We'll see how this transition works out!

Breakfast at Mickey's Diner Today

I would like to get it out of the way and announce that I have finished applying to seven colleges. I see this as a big step towards adulthood, and am anxiously waiting for (acceptance?) letters to come in. Now, I'm onto the search for scholarships!

By now, it's obvious that the Cubs won the World Series! WOOT WOOT!! For those of you who don't know me as well, I originally lived and grew up in Chicago and then moved to Ann Arbor in 8th grade, so I still see myself as connected to Chicago, especially now that I live closer to it in Wisconsin. I remember going to a Cubs game for a field trip in 5th grade in Mrs. Reynold's class and sitting with my two best friends, and my dad chaperoned. Those were the days. I just wish that I could have been in Chicago for the parade. We're SO close to Chicago and I hope that we can visit the city more often. 

Speaking of sports, three weekends ago, my family and I bought Wisconsin clothes. Last weekend we went to a game! It was a lot of fun, especially since we were winning. Sports can really bring a city together. It seemed like Ann Arbor revolved around UoM and the football team, and here in Madison, everyone is wearing red wherever you go!

The Entrance!

A beautiful sunset over the stadium! And the moon came out.

Here's a quick update on our puppy, Po-

Yes, he has a sweater!

When a puppy wakes up at five am, he thinks that it's play time from then on. My family and I have all had a lack of sleep due to our puppy, Po, but starting last week, he has been waking up at 7 am and patiently waiting to go outside! He's getting trained slowly, and knows how to do commands like sit, down, stay(sort of), and we're teaching him shake at the moment. I recently brought him up into my bedroom and he was so cute on my bed.

Overall, life has been good. I went downtown yesterday with my friend Chiara who is an exchange student from Italy. We ate pizza with noodles on it! It was actually delicious. I highly recommend it, 10/10. Then we went to a couple of stores; one was called, "Soap Opera!" When you walked in, there were rubber ducks EVERYWHERE, and it had all kinds of soap and bath products. It was amazing! 

I'm going to leave you with a quote of the day-

We are constantly learning from our mistakes and how we can improve for the next situation. Don't let the fear of failure hold you back from doing something you love!

Have a great day!

Joy :)

Pumpkins and a Puppy

Hello, friend!

Sorry I've been MIA recently, cross country just ended and I've been working on college applications like crazy. I am applying for early action for as many colleges as I can right now, and it's taking a lot of my time. However, in the midst of all this college pressure, I've still found time to hang out with friends. Last Saturday after my very last cross country race, my friend Jessica and I went to Schuster's Farm and had so much fun doing the basic fall fun activities together!

It was sort of a gray fall day, but not super cold yet which was really nice. We bought the cutest, roundest pumpkins that we could find. I bought a tiny one for 50 cents--WHAT A STEAL-- but then in the next couple of days it started to leak! Who knew that pumpkins could leak from the bottom AND the top? It must have been old already, but I couldn't tell based off of the outside. O well.

Ah, Fall!

Our family of pumpkins!

After we bought the pumpkins, we loaded them into Jessica's car and then went back in to go to the corn maze! We went through Phase 2, the most difficult maze, and somehow kept on coming back to station number seven with the corny cornundrum sign.

Little did we know that we would come across it five more times!

Hooray! We made it!

It started to rain just a little bit as we were making our way out of the maze, and we were a tad hungry(we ran three miles that morning SO maybe that's an understatement) so we decided to buy some sugary donuts and cider. I looooooved them! Just thinking about them is making me hungry!! We headed home shortly after and I put my pumpkins all around the house for decorations.

That really got me excited for fall and Halloween! Speaking of getting into the Halloween spirit, tonight I watched Hocus Pocus and drank some pumpkin spiced chai latte stuff from Trader Joes,   10/10 WOULD RECOMMEND. :)


Okay, so another big thing that has been going on in my life is OUR PUPPY, PO.
Luke and I had been asking Dad if we could get a puppy for probably over a year. When we moved, my one condition was that we get a puppy eventually, and what do ya know we have one now.
Po is our 12 week old maltipoo, and he is super adorable and spunky and cute.
Everyone who sees him says, "He's so tiny!" The pictures don't really do it justice. To scale, I would say that he's the length of a school textbook(long ways).

Po is definitely adjusting to us and our house, and we are adjusting to him. Puppies are lot of work for sure! My family and I haven't had a really good night sleep in a while due to his tiny bladder, but we know it'll all improve over time.

Po is apart of the Nuelle family now! Yay!
Unfortunately, I should get back to working on college applications.
That's all for now, folks!

Joy :)

Fall Favorites!

Hello, friend!

As you now know, it's FALL!! My favorite season woohoooo! I cannot wait for all of the festivities to begin. (I might have listened to one Christmas song last Sunday, whoops). I love Autumn because it for me, it symbolizes change, and the fresh air and crunch of the leaves are calming and yet very exciting at the same time. There is something melancholy and nostalgic about this season as well that I LOVE. Since I love this season so much, I decided that I would do a Fall favorites post where I talk about random things that I've been enjoying so far this season, cuz why not? Let's dig in!

1. My Bullet Journal

I find that most people don't know what a bullet journal is, and it's basically a really in-depth planner/whatever you want kind of journal. Since I've been applying to colleges recently and there are a lot of activities going on with church, cross country, work, and school, I've been trying to balance it all and stay neat and organized in my black Moleskine bullet journal that has multiple lists of things that I need do and accomplish, especially by the time that October is finished. What I love about bullet journalling is that it's flexible and adaptable to whatever your heart desires! I personally also journal in mine, and I keep little things like leaves and movie ticket stubs inside of it to remember places I've been and things that I've done. If you want to start one, here is a good website to start!

2. Lakes and Sunsets

This is quite random, but recently I've been loving beautiful Autumnal sunsets, and when I visited Lake Leelanau in Michigan two weeks ago for our friends Kyrstyn and Mark's wedding, it was B-E-A-utiful. We stayed in this cute little cottage and had a great view of the sunset.

@Jessica

I highly recommend going to a beach or lake during the fall when you don't necessarily swim, but just enjoy the sunset and the water, and whoever you go with's company. Taking time out of your busy week to reflect or journal with the nature surrounding you is very helpful to remember to not get overwhelmed with life and all that it brings. Maybe make a bonfire and bring some marshmallows??

3. My October Music Playlist

I just made an October playlist over on Spotify, and if you have time feel free to check it out because it makes me very happy. I have all sorts of songs on there that I have been digging the past few months, and a couple of throwbacks because whats a good playlist without some classics?

:) PLAYLIST

4. PigeonGames

This is also super random, but with the new IOS10 update on our iPhones, you can play games with your friends like battleship and pool and 20 questions!! I've been addicted to this, my friend Naomi started a game with me and I'm so glad because I have started games with so many people and its super simple and not crazy time consuming like some other games.

5. Books to Read:
1) Great Expectations, Charles Dickens. I picked this one up randomly after reading a short excerpt from it in my English class, and decided to give another classic a try(if you know me you know I LOVE classic novels). It's been such a great read so far, I have been trying to read a chapter before I go to bed each night. Dickens' humor is funny, and it's really easy to understand versus Jane Austen's novels, which are in old english and a tad more confusing.

2) Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling. This season is the PERFECT TIME to get back into the ol' Harry Potter series and get cozy with a blanket and hot apple cider. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get back into the movies now would it? :)

Well that wraps it up for my favorites so far. I hope that this blog post got you excited for all things Autumnal! 
Happy pumpkin-picking!
Joy :)

A Day at the Farmer's Market

Hello, friend!

The past two and a half weeks have been such a whirlwind of moving into my new house, my new school, with my new friends, etc that I have not maintained the time to post anything exciting at all, although I have certainly done some exciting things!

This blog post is(as you have probably seen by the title) about my Saturday spent with Abby at the farmers market downtown. 

It was actually quite a bleak and dreary, rainy day. The flowers planted all around the capitol made up for the lack of color in the sky that day! I was surprised by the number of people who were out and about, despite the rain and the cold. It felt like a crisp autumn day without the sun, even though it was(and still is)summer. 

Now, as I'm still seeing more of Madison and it's culture here, I discovered that every ten meters or so that you walked, you would find a cheese stand. There were so many different types of cheese! And of course, cheese curds. Abby and I tried so many cheese samples until I basically felt full and it was only 10 in the morning!

Halfway through, Abby and I mixed it up a bit and ate some sugary donuts. The donuts reminded me of donuts and cider that you eat when at a corn maze or pumpkin patch and I got really excited when I saw that they were selling apple cider too, but since it was so chilly and gloomy that morning I decided to wait until I could have warm cider and be all cozy inside. (If you haven't realized yet, I am extremely eager for Autumn to begin)

On one of the corners of the capitol, Abby and I though there were some cute little ladies singing some sort of cultural song, but as we got closer we heard the lyrics and thought hmm... maybe not! They were singing about politics and how terrible our government was. All I could think was, "you do you, raging granny." (Note* it says raging granny on the back of her shirt)

Abby and I! :)

^^ Tis the season... pumpkin scones!! What a great day it was for scones, and scones with some warm drink(preferably got chocolate) would have tasted amazing that day. Abby and I saw pickled string beans, wood carvings, lots of flowers, some succulents, and then when we walked all the way around the main square, we walked downtown a bit and strolled through some shops just having a peek. 

Madison is really a lovely city!

Come visit me sometime.

Joy :) 

Adieu, A2

Hello friend!

Today was my last day in Ann Arbor.
I am officially gone and driving to Madison, Wisconsin. It has been a great four years spent in A2(Go blue!) I wanted to make a blog post dedicated to my time in Ann Arbor and to say thank you to everyone who made my time here great.

I am going to miss the campus, who were all my first friends in Michigan when I was a little eighth grader before school started. I learned a lot from them about college and life and friendships, and have made lifelong friendships with the campus girls! I studied the bible with campus girls and I'm so grateful for Amy and Sandy who studied with me and baptized me freshman year woot woot! Without this move, I don't know if that ever would have happened and I'm so grateful that God moved me and my family so that this could happen.

I am going to miss my friends from church who have been kind and welcoming and loving to me since the first day I was at church. I love the teen ministry in Detroit and I'm so grateful that I was apart of it for three years! My first friend in Detroit, Danielle, is still one of my besties forever and I'm so grateful God put her in my life. I got to watch her and Joselyn and Caleb become baptized the time I was there! I learned a lot about leadership and about myself and my convictions in the teen ministry. I could literally name every teen girl and say how they have changed my life for the better in the past three years, they've all had an impact on who I am today. The church in Detroit is forever in my heart as home and family.

I'm going to miss my field hockey friends!! Ahh field hockey was the best sport that I ever played even with coming from Chicago where no one played it (everyone called it lacrosse haha). The team that I was apart of taught me to always work hard no matter what and to push myself to go farther than what I thought was my limit. I made so many memories with the wonderful girls on my team playing field hockey together and I am so grateful that I was able to play(thank goodness for that no-cut policy freshman year). Best of luck to them and the rest of their season!

I am also going to miss of course my friends from school who, some have come and gone as high school friendships do, but I feel like I took something from every friendship that I made. I will miss the best English table I was ever at! I learned a lot about what it means to be a true friend, and I definitely made lots in Ann Arbor.

I just went to dinner with a bunch of friends from the Chicago church(woot woot!) and now we're heading into Madison, with a great sunset  to enjoy. I got to see one of my best friends Abby who just got baptized this morning! It's funny how my family drove from Ann Arbor this afternoon to Chicago, where I lived last, and now we're driving forward to Madison- our third and final stop(for now! Haha). I am excited for the journey ahead.

Cheers Ann Arbor!
Joy :)

HYC in Mexico

Hello friend!

Recently, as you probably know by now, I was in Baja California, Mexico for two weeks on a mission trip called Hope Youth Corps with amazing people all over the US, and even two gals from London! When we were there we built a three bedroom house and we also spent time with orphans at the Door of Faith Orphanage, which is where our group stayed. The orphanage itself is painted bright, fun colors and home to approximately 100 children. It's a wonderful place that incorporates family-ideals into the kids' lifestyles. I felt humbled and blessed to be able to go and serve the orphans and their orphanage, whether it was stuffing letters into envelopes, pulling weeds, or hanging out with them! Here's a picture of us the day that we finished building the house. We're on the roof(ROOF CREW)!

Above the orphanage there was this walkway to a cross that overlooked some of the town, and it was a calm and relaxing spot to have a quiet time and read the bible at, especially during sunsets and sunrises. You could see the ocean if you looked far to your right. 

They had scriptures all the way up to the cross!

Here is a picture of the house before we put the walls up! We were always listening to music and laughing while working with one another.  Building the house with everyone was such a cool accomplishment and experience that I've never done before.

Frame of the house

This cat would watch us as we painted/built the house!

 On Wednesday, we finished building the house and the moment that Nora walked into the house was so surreal! We built THAT house(with God's help for sure) in a little more than a week and she was walking in it to live there... Say whaaat? I will never forget how she kept saying that the house was beautiful. God was definitely moving in that moment!

Giving them the keys!

When we were completely finished with the house, we spent some time with the orphans and my friend Aina brought face paint materials and the kids loved it! What's interesting is that most of the kids had parents, but their parents weren't capable of taking care of them. By looking at the state of the orphans, however, you could see that they were taken care of really well! The kids loved playing soccer and looking(loooo) at the pictures that we had on our phones.

Facepaint central!

Naomi and her buddies :)

Chloe and I and a pirate! Arghh!

One night when we were building the house we went to a soccer game and accidentally cheered for the wrong team for half the time we were there, sooo I guess you win some you lose some. But it was still so fun to see how the community gathered and cheered on their teams!

To backtrack a little, we took a break from house building on Saturday and went to the beach! Everyone loved going into the water and just hanging out with one another. People bought pina coladas and souvenirs there. We also rode horses on the beach which was a really cool experience, I'd only ridden horses in mountains and fields before! 

Burying Peter

Horses on the beach!

Another random thing that happened but that God totally blessed us with was four puppies that Ferran found on side of the road. They were super tiny with big tummies and they loved being held. 

Pups!

On Sunday, we went to church in Tijuana. It was awesome seeing how the church there was exactly like ours in America except in a different language! I could definitely feel God's love through the church members there and their warm hugs. After church, a brother actually invited us over to his house for lunch which was so kind of him, considering that there were 28 hungry teens to feed!

Asian squad in Mexico at the brother's house!

Here's a panorama of where we stayed at the orphanage, this was taken the morning that Olivia and I woke up from sleeping outside in our hammocks! We survived the whole night outside.

Overall, this trip was amazing. I felt like we got to live out James 1:27 by building the house for a widow and spending time with the orphans, along with not having internet for two weeks: 

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

I have also gained lifelong, deep spiritual friendships with many people on this trip, and I feel so grateful to have been able to go. I learned that if it is God's will for something to happen, God will make a way! 

Gal pals at the banquet!

As fun and spiritually refreshing that this trip was, I realize that now it is time to bring what I've learned about serving and God's love back to America, and now, Madison, Wisconsin as my family and I are moving there in about a week, and my parents are going to lead the church there! I will probably make another more in depth blog post about that later, but anyways,
thank you so much for reading! I hope that you have a great week!

Joy :)
ps. My friend Mariah started a blog, so check hers out!! thelifeofboges.blogspot.com