its been a minute.

Hey friends!
First, let me say: check out my hair styler's blog. He is going to be putting a lot of wonderful things on there!
Paul Endicott
The Collective, Delaware, Ohio
http://hairtheory.blogspot.com/

It has been awhile since I have written.

Just started my 5th and last year of undergrad at BGSU! It doesn't seem real! I have learned so much at BGSU and I love these people and this University.
Recently, I have seen friendships begin and end... its hard to see it happening around me.. but it makes me appreciate the people in my life. Lately, I have seen how the people around me impact each other and how small actions can make a HUGE impact.

Never underestimate what one word or action can do to a person.
This story is just one example: ( I know its long, but it is so meaningful)

"One day when I was a freshman in high school, I saw the new kid in my class walking home from school His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, “Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.” I had quite a weekend planned with parties and a football game with my friends. So I shrugged my shoulders and walked on.
Just then a bunch of kids ran toward him, knocking the books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. As he looked up, I saw a terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. I jogged over to him, picked up the glasses and handed them to him.
“Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives,” I commented.
He looked at me and said, “Hey, thanks!” There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me. As we walked home, I discovered he was a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he would like to play football with me and my friends on Saturday. He said, “Yes.” We hung out together all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. My friends liked him too.
On Monday morning, I saw Kyle carrying his huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, “Dang, boy you are gonna really build some serious muscle carrying this pile of books everyday!” He laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. By our senior year, Kyle had filled out and looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. All the girls loved him, and he always had lots of dates. He had studied hard and was valedictorian of our class.
On graduation day, he was to give a speech. I could see that he was nervous. So I smacked him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll be great!” He looked at me with one of those really grateful looks and smiled, ‘Thanks.”
He started his speech, “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years: your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach, but mostly your friends. I am here to tell you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give.”
Then he began to tell the story of the first day we met. I stared at him in disbelief when he told how he had planned to kill himself that weekend. He had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn’t have to do it later. I heard a gasp go through the crowd as this handsome and popular boy told about his weakest moment.
He looked hard at me, gave me a little smile, and said, “Thankfully, my friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.”
His mom and dad looked at me with a grateful nod. Not until that moment did I realize that in one small gesture I changed a person’s life. Now I never underestimate the power of my actions. I learned that the support of a caring friend can impact someone in ways we may not fully understand and appreciate."

Thank you to all of my friends and family who constantly stick up for me and love me. I hope I can contribute to others the way you have to me. :)

Love,
Mads

God gave me YOU

This song continues to register in my head after hearing it so many times.
So thankful for consistent support and love in my life.

Here are the lyrics:
"God Gave Me You"

I've been a walking heartache
I've made a mess of me
The person that I've been lately
Ain't who I wanna be

But you stay here right beside me
And watch as the storm blows through
And I need you
Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it's true
God gave me you
Gave me you

There's more here than what we're seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You'll always be love's great martyr
And I'll be the flattered fool
And I need you
Yeah!

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it's true
God gave me you

On my own I'm only
Half of what I could be
I can't do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo

Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it's true
God gave me you, gave me you.
He gave me you.

Thinking about where I am and where I have grown from, there are so many people God has placed in my life. Some have came and left.. and some have stayed. Those who stayed have been with me through ups and downs. I can't help but realize that these people are a direct reflection of how God sees us and is present in our lives. He NEVER leaves! I find that so comforting. Incredible really. In  a world where we are always moving on, changing, leaving.. God isn't. He is consistent. I am so thankful for that. It is good to know that there is something that will never change... good or bad.

:)
MB

dismantle. repair.

so, disregard the horrible formatting, grammer, and all around rough writing.

first thing that came to your mind (if you are a fan of their music is anberlin).
I feel like this is how life can be sometimes. God strips us down and makes us rely on Him. Then, he can teach us and "repair" us in ways we can never/ would never imagine! He is always working, dismantaling and repairing. He uses so many people to help in this process and I have seen the different people He is using in my life really show their love and support for me. I could never have expected some people to show how much they really care for me and anything that i have to say. I know I have not posted in so long, but I am sitting here at work until 4 and felt the urge blog. I have had lots of time to reflect on life these last few hours. I have done work, dont get me wrong... but things where I could think and reflect. So, bottom line. I have been dismantled and am now being repaired. I have seen the beautiful people God has blessed me with and I am beyond grateful for them (YOU!!). thank you friends for letting God show His love through you. I am excited for this year and all that God has in store. praying for God to show you His love and for you to see it!

in His beautiful love,
Maddy

The beautiful Sarah Keane!

Hey guys!
This is my good friend Sarah Keane!
I recently took some shots of her. Check them out:

the biggest blessing...

Good Afternoon friends,

I am glad some sun came out today! It is still chilly, but I will take what I can get! :) There is something about a Wednesday-- its like everyone has hope for finishing out the week! I can understand that, after working as an office secretary in the summers for 6 years, and now sitting in a cubical for this summer. It gives me hope for the weekend coming soon! :) I hope that today finds you joyful and ready for the next two days of work, and then hopefully a fun filled weekend. If not, I hope it starts to look up, and that you look for the positive! :)

I have really realized the negativity that can surround us when we are going through hard times, or when something doesn't go the way we thought it was going to. I feel that I have been blessed with the ability to look at a situation positively, but I am surely not perfect and have felt myself looking at situations with worst outcome in mind lately. But, I was recently blessed with the opportunity to see a mom, dad, and daughter interact. The father brought the daughter to work to visit her mom. She had been asking to go in all day and so he brought her. The mom had so much work to do, and could have easily given into her work and visited with the family for only a couple minutes. But, she took a break, and spent time with her family. When they left, she looked so refreshed and happy. She mentioned that she had a lot to do, but if she put her mind to it, she would meet her deadlines. What a good attitude. Why are we always in a rush, not wanting to give our time away? It was so beautiful to see them interact and just visit with each other. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me of a few different things. 1. to be thankful for the relationships in my life and the people who love me and appreciate me 2. to be aware of my time and how I use it to love the people around me 3. work will always be there to greet you and take away some of your time, but family and friends may not... we must cherish them!

In saying that, it is hard to be away from my family right now. I miss them so much. It is my first full summer away from them and I know it is going to be different. It kinda feels like I have moved out for good (even though I have more than half of my stuff still at our house). But, as I have gone through school, I have come to realize how crucial it is to have family. They are the strongest support you will have here on earth. In saying that, family is not always those you are born into, it can be the ones you choose to be in your life. The people who will never leave you are your family. I am so incredibly thankful for that. I feel like family sees deeper. They know you very well. They do not look at you the same way the rest of the world looks at you. They know your heart (not all of it, of course, only God knows it all.. :)); but they truly do look at you differently. I have seen this in my "family" which consists of my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brother, etc... and my friends. This reminds of scripture.

"The LORD does not loot at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Our families are not perfect, but I realized that God did bless us with people in our lives who show His love everyday by looking at us differently than the typical person. They look at us in a small fraction of the way God does. He doesn't look at us from the outside (although he made us perfect in that image as well) but from the inside; the heart. He looks at our intentions, our true meaning in what we do. Isn't that the way our family looks at us (most of the time)? I think it is, whether we realize it or not. Our families are a beautiful gift that we need to cherish. Those relationships are not like any other we have on earth. Whether your family is blood, or those you have chosen to be in your life, they will be there. And, they will love you for who you are, and what is deep inside you.

I have been seriously blessed with a strong, loving, beautiful, and God filled family. A family that God reveals himself through everyday. A family that is drawing closer to God everyday. I appreciate my family so much and I know I do not deserve them, but I am grateful for the blessing of having them. I feel challenged to let my family know that they are cherished and loved as well. I hope you will join me in showing/ telling your family how much you love and appreciate them?

I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week friends!
I appreciate YOU in my life!

In His Love,
Maddy

Summaaa Time!

Its SUMMER TIME!!!
I am working for the President's Leadership Academy this summer and I am so super excited about it. I am the summer intern and I am just doing miscellanious tasks.
I get to meet the new cohort and build relationships with them. I am excited for this leadership role!
:)

Here are some recent pictures to share.
I have not been doing a lot of professional shooting, just some random fun stuff lately.





\





:) Hope you are well friends!

Much love,
Maddy

everything at once

Hey friends!
It has been a minute since I wrote last, so there are somethings to update you on.

Note: everything has been happening at once, hence the title... but I will refrain from telling you everything.

first part :) 4/17
First, Dance Marathon 2011 is over... weird and sad! I can't believe how fast it went.

I am so proud of so many people and to be a part of this organization and the morale committee was a complete honor!
I am extremely sad to say that I did not apply for steering this year, but I knew deep down it wasn't the right thing for me at this time. It is hard to make decisions like that, but it was necessary for me. Anyway, so many friends of mine are on steering this coming year and I could not be more excited for them! They are going to blow it away and I am excited to see them: struggle, learn, grow, and come out stronger! They are so dedicated to THE KIDS and it is amazing. So, congratulations to those who are on steering and work hard! :) As for me, I am going to do some resting my senior year and focus on these ridiculous math classes who never seem to plateau, they only get harder. Me and DM, yeah we aren't over. I love that organization so much and my heart will always be tied to it. I hope to bike this year!

Second Part :) 4/24
I just got home from church with my mom and grandma and it was a great time to see people from home that I haven't seen in awhile as well as my friends who continually lift me up and encourage me. It is EASTER! I am just overflowing with celebration and love for Jesus and His awesome victory of death! Because of Him we can live a full life, that we don't deserve! So incredibly grateful. HE IS RISEN!!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Easter and rememebers the real reason we celebrate... the LOVE of Jesus Christ.. our savior!

Yesterday I had a wonderful day with my mom. It was so good to just have girl time and do a little shopping and spend quality time together.
Then, I got so see some friends from home... miss them so much! We just hungout for a little downtown and took some pictures and got some Whit's Custard (super delicious). It was enjoyable to just have fun, talk and just be with each other.

I feel like I have been learning so much recently about love. It sounds weird, but I think that God continually changes my perspective of what it means to love a person. Afterall, He is the creator of love. He first loved us and to work to love people that way is a challenge that we will always fail to do the way He does. But, we can try and learn and see what it means to love as Jesus loved. I am so drawn to love like that and want people to feel that love. On this awesome day of celebrating Jesus's victory, lets remember what LOVE really looks like.

Father, I pray for all those who don't know you. I pray that they would hear the good news of your Son, Jesus. I pray that you would meet them where they are at. I ask for your love to flow through me and those who desire to love like you love, Father. Thank you for your Son, Father.., and His victory over death. Thank you for setting us free from something we could never have helped. Help us to love as you love, Father. In your Son's awesome name. Amen.

I love you friends and I hope you have a wonderful Easter!

In love,
Maddy

Below is a picture of my one of my best friends, Emily, and I :)