Old Photos

I found some old photos from high school.

enjoy the blast to the past.

Senior year of high school.

be glad you didn't know my awkwardness in highschool. i am the blonde.

Junior year prom. my date was my 3rd grade crush. we took dreamy prom photos.

jamaica 2005. first missions trip.

jamaica 2005. we decided to dress up tacky and go to dinner. don't ask why.

these women will always have a special place in my heart. we conquered the mission trip together!

The Lord changed my life on that mission's trip.

found the heart of God in Jamaica.

senior trip. four girls, one cottage, and snorkeling lessons. blissful.

one of my best friends in highschool. we were at college weekend at ORU. she ended up going to ORU and I went to Teen Mania. We went our separated paths, but we have our rebellious memories at college weekend to share.

first week at Honor Academy. I met one of my dearest friends. Life couldn't have been better.

Honor Academy. baby 19 year old intern.

my bestie from highschool came and visited me at Teen Mania. we had a photo shoot to remember her visit.

well off to bed.
hope you enjoyed!
love,
jocelyn elizabeth

I miss......

sunny days

leisure reading

being tan

summer clothes

old friends

being stress free

watching a movie, without thinking of the million school things i have due

a private bathroom

a kitchen

free time

being jacket-less

 

traveling the world

the little things in life make it quite pleasant.

i can go without all these things if i just have my quiet time and God reminds me of where He has called me.


love,
jocelyn elizabeth

Things I Love......

Blogs are suppose to let people understand and know a little bit more about a person.

I thought, "why not share some things that I love?"

Fasten your seatbelts...

1. Family. 

They define you for the better or for the worse. They cause you to grow up and step out. I love my family. We may be the most craziest bunch of berry's you will ever know. But one dinner with us, Berry girls, you will be experiencing your own personal stand up comedian act.

2. Friends.

They just make life so much sweeter. I have made some of the richest friendships over my 23 years of life, and feel like I have struck gold. I don't know why God gave me such amazing friendships, I feel so undeserving. But I know that life would be less colorful and boring without the friends I have. 

3. Coffee.

Now that we have gotten the more sentimental things out of the way, lets move onto the more shallow loves. The first would be coffee. Oh that cup of joe knows how to whisper sweet nothings to my heart. It makes me more excited and happy. Please encounter me after my cup of coffee, rather than before. It will bring you more excited, sanguine, optimistic me. Before that, I am a person who has probably never possessed one fruit of the Spirit.

4. Nannying.

 

I never had a real paying job before the age of 22. I went straight from high school and worked for a non-profit organization for three years. Therefore, I never knew what it was like to earn a paycheck. So, I started my first job as a nanny. And I must say, I have never looked back. Before I was a nanny, my maternal instincts were, well, nothing. I could not handle anything that came out of the body and produced an odor, nor could I understand the concept of a child wiping boogers on a mother's perfectly good outfit. 

 

Yet after almost two years of nannying, I understand and have overcome all of those misconceived notions. I sometimes wonder if I am a work-aholic. It's hard for me to turn down a nannying job, because I feel alive when I am taking care of those children. I don't think that I could be doing anything more worthwhile than loving a child like Jesus would. Sometimes, I feel like my heart is going to explode with love for one of the children I nanny. 

5. Movies.

 

Nothing can be more wonderful than sitting down at night and watching a movie. It can be so relaxing and refreshing. I just watched Funny Girl tonight, and I LOVED it. Why don't they make movies like that anymore? Or like Sound of Music? Or like Fiddler on the Roof? So many great classics. Give me air conditioning, a room full of lit candles, and a clean, wholesome, movie. 

 

Its so uncomfortable watching a movie with your 50 year old parents, when a love scene comes on. Listen, I don't want to watch two people having sex with my parents. That's grosse. 

 

So don't set me up for awkwardness, Hollywood. It's like you are the Grinch stealing all my Christmas presents. 

6. Singleness.

Nope you didn't read that wrong. Read it again slowly, yep it says "singleness." Crazy? I know. I am actually putting that curse word on my list of "loves." However, I mean it wholeheartedly. And it's not the double standard "love" where "i am writing this and hoping God is reading this so He can be tricked that I am happy and bring my husband soon." Nope. I really do love this season of singleness. 

I don't think I have ever felt more content in a season in life than I do right now. I can honestly say that my life is the best. I am busy with school, nannying, friends and leading a women's Bible study. I spend more time thinking about the goodness of the Lord in my life, than anything else. 

I am being refined into a Proverbs 31 woman. I know, sounds like Bible cliches. But it's completely true.

Nannying is teaching me how to take care of children during the day to day life and still dress good. I refuse to dress "Dress Barn" mom one day. Also, it is teaching me how to be a good mother one day. Of course, there are a plethora of things I will never know until I have children, but I do know how to change a diaper, while washing the dishes, and feeding the dog (all with a baby on the hip of course). 

 

With being single, I am able to travel and see all my close girlfriends. I have been to Virginia Beach, Kansas City, and Texas. I am making some of the best memories. 

 

 

So there you go folks. 

Here are some of my loves. 

Through all these loves, the goodness of the Lord is more apparent than anything else. My trust is in Him.

 

Psalms 34:8

⁸O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him.

 

love,

jocelyn elizabeth

Party Talent

I would like to figure out a party talent.
You know the thing that you can do that impresses everyone at the party.
It is the secret talent that makes everyone notice your "awesomeness."

I have tried to develop this party talent over the years, but have only failed.

 Party Talent #1

I have tried the piano. The reason I quit piano, recitals. I have this fear of memorization and performing in front of mass amounts of people. Oh, and there was the little factor of practicing. FAIL.

I always pictured myself at this cocktail party, and holding my wine glass, full of diet coke.

The party starts to die, and the host is starting to panic. I think to myself, "Jocelyn, you can save the day. Bring out that secret party talent." So I stride, ever so smooth, and sit down at the piano. I start to play that special tune and everyone starts to dance. I play all night long, and the party turns out to be a success.

Party Talent #2

My second party talent would be dancing. I tried ballet, tap and jazz for five years. I quit tap, because I cut my ankles too much. Ballet, the tights were too itchy. And jazz, there were too many jazz fingers. FAIL. However, if I had stuck with it, it would have been a perfect party talent.

This type of party would be a more casual type. It would be diet coke in a red cup.

The music would be playing but no one is dancing. Everyone is standing against the wall and eating chips and salsa. I hear that Chris Brown song, and get my Channing Tatum look-a-like to come out on the dance floor. We start to pull out our party talents of dancing and everyone starts to cheer around us in a circle. The party turns out to be a total success.

Party Talent #3

(i only wish my talent could be like girls in the video.)

My third party talent would probably be poetic rapping. Now, the problem with this talent is that I could never understand the whole, Haiku thing. Really? Five lines and no rhyming? Dr. Seuss would have been furious with what these English teachers are teaching about poetry nowadays. FAIL.

This type of party would be a more chill setting, like diet coke in a coffee cup.

Everyone would be sitting around, too uncomfortable to talk. They would have the urge to talk about tree-hugging, political, rob bell controversy, but too scared to do so. I would reach over and plug in the karokee machine in the corner. Everyone would look, I would start to rap my poetic sense, and people would stand in awe of this party talent. It would create the conversation flowing and the party would end in success.




In the end, I have no party talent. I wish I did have one of these three awesome talents. But sorry gentlemen, I am not the woman that will stun the room with a secret fabulous talent.
I can only remember three chords on the piano.
I only do a mean robot.
And, my rapping consists of talking too fast.

But hey, who knows, maybe my party talent will be story telling....... Everyone needs to hear a good story now and then.


love,
jocelyn elizabeth

A Peak into Kansas City Adventures

This spring break has been one of the best so far.

When you stay with one of your best friends for four days, there will only be laughs, tears, confrontations, and more laughs.

I am so glad God gave me a best friend, who can dream with you and not feel ridiculous.
A friend who laughs with you over your emotional meltdowns.
A friend who talks you into dreaming bigger.
A friend who makes you feel like you are the best pick any man would want.
A friend who will watch youtube videos for hours with you.
A friend who squeals at the same time with you when Mariah Carey's old single comes on the radio.

A best friend just makes the colors in life brighter.

And she is about to marry her dream guy in two months.
She deserves more happiness than I could ever want for myself.


Here are some pictures of these wonderful days.