In introduction to the real me.

ha ha, it has been a looong time since I posted. It's called trips and business, and well, basically life.
 But not more excuses, this blog is for myself, and I don't have time to beat around the bush!

While I was recently on my trip in GA for Teenpact, God convicted me of being myself. Sometimes (a lot of the time) I am a very big push over, and I don't think about myself, or even what God wants, I always think what would they think, or what would they do in this situation. So while over the last few weeks I have been trying to be myself, I realized that I am not always myself even online. Sometimes I try to copy other people's blog or FB posts. Sometimes I try to post according to what I think others will want to read. But this is not right. I need to post what I think God wants me to post. So this is it. This is the REAL me. Not fakes, no trying to imprese. If you don't like what you read, well then you need to take that up with God :)

I am Rebekah Jean Kimminau.
I am 16 (almost 17) years old.
I love my God with all my heart and have given my life to Him. With every choice I make I want to glorify Him. I want to serve Him in every possible way. I want to love Him with all my mind, soul, body, strength and heart. I want to follow His will in every possible way. I want to let other's see His love through my actions.
I fail at all of the above, many, many times an hour. But He still loves me. He still forgives me. He still wants me. And that is His amazing, unchanging love for me, that will be there for me till the day I die. Even when I fell like it's not.
I have a God-given passion for children. I just LOVE them. No matter the age. I want hold them, play with them, cuddle with them, love on them. I want to teach them, see them grow, help them love God too. I want them to enjoy life. I can not even begin to describe my feelings for children.
I love my family. My crazy wacky scary family. I will love them till the day I die. We have fun times, hard times, new times, and many other times. But we are a family through it all.
I love my friends. God has blessed me with more then I could have ever asked for, and a few that I call family. They all have special places in my heart.
I have moved 7 times, all from a state to a different state.
I have a very fun, crazy and at times silly extended family that I love soooo much.
I have my own photography business LeslieJoy Photography, and I love it. It keeps my busy, but it's another God-given passion, and I have a lot of fun with it.
I am loud, sometimes too loud. I could definitely exhibit more self-control in the area of my voice. Sometimes I screech so loud (normally when being teased by my family) that I make everyone close their ears.
I am horrible at spelling, and punctuation, and grammer, and foreign languages. So if I ever have any of that on here or any other place I write, that is why.
I love organization, I am a neat freak. I like to keep things in their places and everything pleasing to the eye.
I love to interior decorate. I love to arrange things.
I am a visual learner, and I have a photographic memory. Both of those contribute to my amazing sense of direction I have had my whole life.
I love all things girly, tea parties, dresses, skirts, pink, purple, dolls, pretend, old things, fashion, flowers, anything proper and pretty.
I have been out of the country 2 times, once to Ecuador for a family vacation, once to China for a trip with my two grandma's.
I hate bordem, and love to busy.
I love crowds. Even when you have people on all sides and it's hard to move. I just love it.
I am a total people person. I love to be around friends. I don't necessarily like the attention on myself, but I do like to know what is going on all the time with everyone.
I perform well under stress. In an emergency I love to take control and figure things out.
I am NOT a deep thinker, though I do think a lot (if that makes sense. :)
I love all things romance. Romance movies, chick-flicks and romantic novels.
I do not like almost any fantasy. I.e. StarWars, lord of the rings, Eragon, fantasy movies.
I love photos. I love taking them arranging them, printing them. I think they truly are art.
I have a very big but realistic imagination. I love to imagine things that might or could or maybe happen. My future, redo things in my past, etc. Part of this is my visual side. I also love to imagine redecoration. I can take a picture of a room in my head and rearrange and redecorate the entire thing in my memory.
My favorite chapter in the bible is Psalm 139.
I am writing a book, Moriah. More to come later on this.
I used to be obsessed with Vera Bradely. I now own about 15 pieces of it.
I am very opinionated about many thing, mainly Honda Odysseys, and baby gear.
I LOVE to people watch. I sit places and try to figure out as much about random people as I can.
I love to plan. Anything, events, trips shows. Whatever. I plan my whole life. Sometimes this back fires when God wants me to just trust Him.
I currently have no idea what I am going to do when I graduate, and I am just trusting God will show me in His own time. If you ask me what I am planning to do, that is the answer you will get.
My favorite movie I saw recently is Life as we know it.
My fav actress is Katharine Heigl, then come Julia Roberts, and Anne Hathaway, then Selena Gomez.
I have had MANY people tell me I am just like Jane from 27 dresses, and after watching that movie many times, I agree completely. She could be my twin in more then one way.
I could rant to you forever about abortion. So if you mention it, be prepared.
I love to talk. I am definitely a talker. Anyone could tel you that.
I also listen. I love to listen if I am in the right mood.
My favorite artists are Jonny Diaz, Laura Story, and J.J Heller. My favorite song though currently is One Pure and Holy Passion.
My love language is touch. So if I touch you too much, I apologize right now. I am a very touchy person. If I am ever in a bad mood and you want to cheer me, just give me a big bear hug. 99% of the time that will work very well.
I am a very emotional person. I have cried during too many movies to count. I cry for joy more then I cry for sadness.
The youngest baby I have ever held is one hour old.
I have always dreamed of someone throwing me a surprise party.
I want to sky dive when one of my best friends turns 18.
I am terrified of heights ^ha ha^
I am a big dreamer. I dream a lot.
I love being home schooled. I have always told my mother I would run away to an amish community if she tried to put me in school. I was not kidding.
I think I am one of the few modern americans that could survive being amish. Most people say I have no idea and that I couldn't. I want to go be amish for a week and prove them wrong.
I think have written plenty tonight and need to go to bed.

So there you go. That is the real me. None of that was written for or because of someone else. You get what you see. :)

Rebekah

J.J's School

This year I am teaching J.J. 2 courses.
Cooking around the world and exploring early american literature. We have a bunch of illustrated classic novels, that are nice reading for J.J and fun! Both him and I are getting a taste of ALOT of classics.

So far we have done Gulever's Travels and Kidnapped. For each book we read a little about the author, the time it was set in, and then if there are any movies/ect based on it. We also take a picture to go along with the book. Here is what we have so far:

Kiddnapped

 Gulliver's Travels

 Guliver talking to the king

 JJ's ver creative king, and if you can see, he tried to make those greeen and red block the king's train.

 Cooking Russian food

 Uncooked

 Cooked and Yummy!

Rebekah

I was trying to think of a good tittle for this post, and I could think of one that would do it justice.
This really is a sensitive post. It is on a subject that is near and dear to my heart, that I am VERY VERY passionate about. Something that makes me so upset I want to scream.

Nowadays when a young lady gets pregnant she most often (probably about 95% of the time) looked down on, and thought to have made an unwise choice, especially by those of us in the Christian community. Now I am not, in ANY way denying that her actions were unwise, but I AM saying that looking down on that lady is NOT the best response.
Think about this for a moment: Most young ladies now a-days who do get pregnant, we never know about. Because they have an abortions. So what do we do to the few who don't have one, who keep that precious life inside of them alive? We look down on them, we gossip about them, we make them seem like the outcast. But when, in fact, we should be rejoicing with them! They have made the amazing and very very hard decision to keep the baby. Now wether they are choosing adoption, or raising it themselves, they are still keeping the baby!  So why, may I ask, do we mock them, and out cast them? Yes, they did make a wrong decision, and they may need to be punished for it. But that is most certainly NOT our jobs. Our job is support them. Be behind them. Tell them that we are here for them. Maybe even tell them that we are willing to take their baby. To raise it and love it as our own, if they are not able. Maybe, if we did this, instead of mocking and outcasting these young women we would have a few more babies, children and people in the world today to love, and to be loved. And THAT is what really matters.

So next time you hear of  a young lady in your church, school or neighborhood that is pregnant. Please don't gossip about her, outcast her, or mock her. Love her. Be there to support her. Help her find a home for her baby (wether that be her own, yours or someone else's. ) And most of all encourage her, because she chose a  wonderful, beautiful path. The path of life. Life for her unborn baby. And now, someday, her baby will grow up to be a living breathing human being who might just be the next president, or the next Nobel Peace Prize recipient. :)

~Rebekah

I heart faces-Chalk!

This is my entry for this week's I heart faces. Today I was getting frustrated with the twins because they would not stop playing with chalk while I was making lunch. Then I realized, "this week's I heart faces is chalk" ha ha I almost laughed at myself. 

So here you go, one of my favorite little girls. She was SO happy when instead of tell her not to play with chalk I actually encouraged it.

Head over to Iheartfaces and check out more awesome Chalk entries!

~Rebekah 

I remember

That day. That day I was at the gym, my mom was teaching a class, and we were in the daycare center. I remember my mom coming in.. acting like something was wrong. We left. We drove home, because we lived on an annex of the base at the time, we almost didn't get in our neighborhood. The gate guards were locking it down. I remember sitting at home, seeing to buildings burning. A lot of firefighters. Then a plane. Now 2 buildings. What was happening? My 7 year old brain did not understand it. We tried to go to the zoo that afternoon. We eventually made it, but almost every exit was closed off the free-way. We later found out the president had been at our base.  That day was sad. All I knew at the time that a lot was happening in places far-away, that was effecting my world as soon as an hour later. It was scary. I remember flying after that. Nothing was the same. All this security. No more walking Grammy to the gate. But I also remember mom being thankful. Thankful that my dad was not TDY at the time. Thankful that he was not in the pentagon. Thankful that God had blessed us with that much. But also sad. So many people had lost family and friends. And so I just thank God. First for protecting a lot of us, even though so many precious lives were lost, many were safe. A lot thanks to those souls on United flight 93. And second for my dad, and my grandpa, and my mom, and the so many of my other friend's parents and family that have committed their life to serving our country.

So here is too our country. Though terrorists my strike, though economies may crash. We are still who we are. 

God Bless the United States of America.

~Rebekah

Your Dreams, not mine.

I am just going to politely skip the fact that I have not blogged in a really long time, and get straight to the point.

I have been reading an awesome, amazing, stunning, life-changing book called Sacred Singleness by Leslie Ludy. I have fallen in love with all of the Ludy's books.

The part I just finished in the book was called no strings attached. Oh how simple the tittle sounds, and yet how hard the concept.  In this chapter it was talking about giving ALL up for Christ. Your life, your love, your dreams. This may seem like a pretty basic concept, but it is really oh so hard to grasp in reality. Even though I have been thinking the whole summer about giving my ENTIRE life to God (and have told Him He could have it on a number of occasions). I did not truly realize all this meant, till I finished reading this chapter. ( I will probably never, honestly, grasp what it means to give my all, only Christ has done that, on the cross, but I can try.) I realized that even though I had told God that He could have my life,every part of it, including my love life, and my future husband, I was totally missing the point! Yes, in a way I was giving it up to Him, but I had strings attached. I was saying, "God here is my life, take it, do what you want with it, but in return, I would love a husband, and some children would be nice also." That, is most definitely not giving up everything. When Christ died on the cross for me, He did not say, give me _____ in return. He just did it. Without thinking He would ever, in anyway, be repaid. THAT is truly giving up EVERYTHING. And THAT is what I want to do. I want to give up all for Him. But NOT because I want something in return. I need to EXPECT to be single. Yes, you did hear that right. Expect. Every ounce of me has to agree that, yes, I will be perfectly content if God never brings a man my way, EVER. And then I need to Love God. Love Him passionately, self-lessly, without expecting ANYTHING in return. Just love Him because He is God. Even if my future was going to hell, I still desire to love Him, praise Him, and give my life for Him. And yes, everything I said above i meant. I have given up marriage. If God ever blesses me with the precious gift of marriage, I will thank Him. But if He doesn't, I will STILL thank Him with the same CONTENT heart. I want God to take every selfish seed in my heart, reveal it to me, and pluck it away. Yes, this will most certainly be painful. Probably the most painful thing I have ever experienced. But guess what. That is what God deserves. That, and even more. And I don't want a single ounce of me to hold back. Cause I want to give Him my ALL. EVERY part of me. including my hopes and dreams. including marriage, and even Children.

So God, please give me Your dreams. Take all of mine. Every. last. one.

Love,
Rebekah

I heart faces-Beach Fun!

This weeks theme over at I heart faces is Beach Fun!
Since I almost NEVER get to a beach, it took me a while to find this picture. But when I did, I knew it was the one!
This picture shows exactly what I have been thinking about this week. Savoring the every single moment God gives you. This means the good, and that bad ones. I love to capture these moments, one of the reasons I love my job soo much!
Anyways, back to faces. These are some of my favorite faces, my beautiful, wonderful friends! God has blessed me oh so much this assignment, with so many friends, that are not only epicly amazing, they also encourage me in the Lord!

Check out the other awesome Beach fun photos at I <3 Faces!

~ Rebekah

I heart Faces-Surprise!

I do realize I haven't posted in a while, but I have been on vacation in Disney World for the past 10 days, so I do have a bit of exuse :)

Here is my entry for Surprise! I was looking through my Disney photos and found this one, and knew, this was the one! I thought the picture pretty much said, SURPRISE!

Head on over to I <3 Faces and check out the other awesome Surprise! Entries :)

~Rebekah

Yes, I am opinionated. VERY opinionated. Just about some things. Other's things I couldn't care a lick about.
Honda Odysseys.
I am in LOVE with Honda Odysseys. Every since I had my first ride in one, I have wanted to own one. The reason why I love them? They are beautiful, I love the look. They are just so cool :) They are also extremely versatile. This is probably the fact I love most. The middle row can change up from 3 seats, to two, and then the seats can move back and forth. This is something NO other minivan on the market has.  The two middle seats also slide forward instead folding forward. I love this. I could go on and on........ but people have told me that the Sienna drives better, why would I want a Odyessy? Because I would much rather the versatility and able to change things up according what I need. I have driven a Subrban/truck my whole driving life, anyting is going to drive better for me :)

Baby gear. Now this is a HUGE one.  When I used to play baby dolls everyday (i.e. 2years ago :) I started looking on Target.com and looking at baby gear for hours a day. I would read all the reviews, study them, look them up other places. And so soon I was pointing out gear whereever I went. I was memorizing stuff. And now I am kind of addicted. I LOVE baby gear. I love to study it, test it, and spend time looking at it. Ok so I have a small obseesion. Small :) My favoirte site for baby gear is Babygizmo.com. it's done by a mom who tests it out, and then reviews it. She sees what REALLY works and what is actually practical. My sister knows (and hates) the sound of the video reviews very well. My sister and all of my friends say I will be the first person they will call before buying anything for their future children :)

Vera Bradley. I love Vera Bradley. SOMEONE (i.e. one of my best friends) Got me hooked. In the last 3 years I have bought 1. ONE non-Vera Bradley. lol. They are cute, 100% washable, and fun :)

Stargate SG-1, Monk, NCIS. My absolute FAVORITE shows of all times :)

Ok so that is a lot of them. But I need to go to bed :)

~Rebekah

A little peak behind the Beks.

My full name is Rebekah Jean Kimminau. I like to sign my name this way. No one calls me Rebekah Jean, or even Rebekah. If someone calls me Rebekah I know they haven't known me very long. Most of my friends call me Bekah, somehow it is just eaiser to say. I do have many nick names though. My sister sometimes calls me The Beks. I have also gotten the name Bekasaur. Most everyone I baby sit calls me Miss Rebekah, I tend to refer to myself as Miss Rebekah anytime I am around babysitting kids, and a lot of times also in normal life :) I also have this habit of talking about myself in third person. It backfires a lot at me, people are always confused. Oh well, everyone will just have to live with Bekah. It's part of who she is :)

I am also a clean freak AND very OCD. I like everything to be clean, organized and in it's place. Some people call my room rediculously clean, I like to think of it as peaceful. :) My desk downstairs is another great example of how I wish I could make stuff all the time. I LOVE when stuff is organized, and I actually I rather enjoy organizing too :)

Not a great picture, but most of it is Ikea. Oh and a lovely chalkboard one of my friends made me for my birthday!

I also have this weird sense of hearing. I love certain sounds, I don't know why.  I love the sound of ice clanking against a glass of water. I love the ticking sound of the turn signal. I love the sound of little toddler feet pitter-pattering across the floor. But most of the time we miss these sounds because our world is so filled with things like media... but that is a whole nother post.

I also have things that I am passionate about. This includes but is not limited to:

All Baby Gear

Names

Honda Odysseys

Ikea

I do have a few things that bug me to death, you could call them pet peeves:

When people store stuff on top of their refrigerators.

When people leave knives just sitting in the sink.

When people assume that college is the only way to get an education.

I got a 30day trial of Lightroom, and I have been experimenting with it. I LOVE it!

Night Night!

~Rebekah