I'm posting this week's Jack update a few days late.

On Thursday, Jack was neutered.  I was worried for him, but he turned out just fine!  He was trying to run around and play the day he got neutered.  He was very disappointed that he had to lay still all day and the day after that.  Poor boy!

When he first got home, Jack was very woozy.  He stretched out beside me as I watched TV and could hardly keep himself awake, even though he was trying.  He'd lift his little head up to watch me, but it would fall backwards and bounce against the couch cushion.

He was so sedated... I enjoyed having the snuggle-bunny Jack I get to have at nighttime during the afternoon, but I did feel bad for him because he wanted to be awake so badly.  He's such a curious little guy.


Later on in the day, Jack grew much more active.  In fact, we had to put him in his playpen because he kept trying to jump off the couch to go wrestle with our other two dogs. 

No matter how active Jack became throughout the day, his eyes kept that squinty sedated look.  I felt so bad for the little guy.  He looked so worn out and beaten up. 

Being neutered is such a painful ordeal.


I have a question for you, readers.  Our two male dogs: Jack and Buddy have begun a crazy marking war over the last few weeks.  They've been marking all over our house!  We've put the older one, Buddy, in a temporary diaper, but that can't last forever.  Does anyone have experience on this type of thing?  How can we stop this terrible marking war? 

I mean, look at what my poor dog has to wear!  It's a travesty.

Here are this week's pictures of Jack. :)

Okay, let's hear a collective, "Awwwwwwww!" 

It was one of those days where it was absolutely freezing outside, so of course we had to put Jack in his adorable blue sweater.  And you know, when you've been playing outside in the snow, it's perfectly naturally to fall fast asleep soon after. 

And sleep hard.

And adorably. 

I have the cutest puppy in the world.


Of course, after a long, relaxing nap, Jack has to wake up eventually.  And he has to look adorable while he's waking up.

Actually, my mom and I desperately wanted to get a picture of Jack yawning because it makes him look so cute and sleepy.  When you rub the side of Jack's face with your finger, it makes him yawn, so Mom would rub his cheek and say, "Hurry, take the picture!"

We finally got one! Here is my darling Jack... and the family cat Oreo who lives outside. 

Funny, because Oreo has never in his life been allowed to come inside.  When it snows, he can sleep in the garage or the barn to have shelter, but he's never been allowed into the actual house.  However, he always seems to think that if he stands outside the door with the dogs, we'll let him in too.  Oh, Oreo.

I love Jack's little blue sweater.


Here is a glimpse of how small Jack's paw is compared to my thumb.  He's so little.  We think he's nearly full grown at about three and a half pounds.  He may still gain a pound or two, but he doesn't seem to be getting much bigger.  His growth seems to have come to a halt.
 

And finally, I'd like to show you a picture of Jack trying out the snow.  He wasn't sure what to think of that cold white nonsense at first... but then he went insane and played in it like crazy!  He ran around and around and around our property.  You can see Jack playing in the snow here on my YouTube vlog.
 

Some people have asked me why I choose to write so much about my faith.  Today I thought I'd share my point of view about why I write what I write. 

I have a God-given talent. 
I don't mean this in a boastful way whatsoever.  I credit everything to God.  However, I'm not afraid to say that I have been given a gift in writing.  I'm fairly good at writing and I enjoy it.  It's what I love.  The passion for writing that I have is very clearly from God.  I've made up little stories and poems since before I could actually write with a pencil.  I've always loved it, and I know God has given me this love for a reason.  How could I use it in a way that isn't for His glory?  I try to filter everything I write through Matthew 5:14, which you can read at the top of this screen.  I write as a city on a hill.  People know I'm a Christian and I want what I create to glorify God and be a light for Him.

My faith is my identity.
Everything I know and believe and ponder is wrapped around the core of my existence: my faith.  Without Christ, I don't even know what I would write about.  I write about my passions.  My greatest passion is for the One who gave me life.  My faith is a huge part of my identity.  It's who I am.

I try to be a shining light.
Obviously, there are many people of other faiths on the internet.  Not everyone who reads my blog is a Christian.  While I don't want to force my faith on anyone, I do believe my words can be a shining light for Christ.  I also hope the things I write will help to form a more positive opinion about Christians and Jesus than those that many people have.

Writing about my faith gives me joy.
I love to write about my faith.  I honestly do.  I have a passion and a love for Jesus Christ.  Shouldn't I write about what gives me joy?  My messages may not always be about my faith directly, but I do try to filter everything I write through Matthew 5:14, as a city on a hill.  

I love writing.  It's a gift God has given me, and I'm so grateful for that.  I still need to improve... a lot, I know, but that doesn't take away the passion I have for writing, whether or not I'm good.  Without writing, I don't know who I'd be or what I'd do. 

Do you see?  Maybe you do, maybe you don't.  I write what I love and there is nothing I love more than my Savior.  You might think I'm weird, but that's okay.  I'll continue to write about my faith.  You don't have to read my words if you don't want to.  Could I be more popular if I wrote about broader topics?  Perhaps, but I wouldn't have the same joy in writing as I do now.  I write what I love.  Why would I want to change that?

I have an idea.  Please let me know if you like it.  I'm considering setting aside every Saturday to share pictures of my sweet Yorkie puppy Jack.  He's always getting into crazy adventures and I often keep my camera around when he's being cute or silly.  He's gotten a lot of positive feedback from you guys... he is a lady's man, after all.  Here are some pictures from this last week.  Let me know if you like the weekly idea.

Here's me trying to get Jack to pose for a picture.  He hates sitting still.  His favorite blue squeaky ball was sitting only a few feet away, just beckoning for someone to come play with it.  Probably what he was looking at here.

I love Jack's little paws and his shiny wet nose.  Wet puppy noses are the cutest.

He'll be six months old next Wednesday. 

Jack may not be cuddly during playtime, but when he starts to get tired, all he wants to do is snuggle right in my lap.  He loves girls. ;)




This is Jack with his favorite toy.  It's a blue ball around the size of an egg.  It has a squeaker inside that's nearly broken from teeth punctures and a face decorates one side.

Jack loves this toy.  I don't mean he likes it sometimes.  It could be 4am and Jack would still be willing to play with this ball.  It's his favorite thing on earth.

We actually got him three of these balls.  He has orange, red, and blue, but the blue ball is his favorite... probably because the squeaker works the best.

I love how his toy matches his favorite little sweater.  He's such a handsome fella.



And finally, here's Jack during a short road trip we took.  We were visiting a college, so I put Jack in his A&M jersey... it's best to show our loyalty wherever we go.  Jack's an Aggie, you know.

I love how you can see the tip of Jack's pink tongue.  He sticks out his tongue quite often.  I think he knows it makes him look cuter.

I love him.  

I'm a senior in high school, due to graduate at the end of May.  To be honest, it still hasn't quite hit me that in seven months, I'll be moving away from my family and friends to live and attend school in another city.  It's scary.  Yes, I've traveled far away from home before.  I've been to ten countries outside of the United States, eight of them away from my family, but I've never actually \lived away from home for longer than a month.

In my mind, I'm still a little girl struggling to learn how to tie her shoes.

How will I take care of myself in a few months?

Last night, I was curled up beneath the covers of my bed, thinking about how we had finally regulated the temperature in my bedroom.  Each year, we deal with the same issues.  At the beginning of the summer, each night is too hot and stuffy.  By the end of autumn, we've finally regulated the temperature but the weather has started to become cold at night again, causing me to wake up in the middle of the night shivering like crazy.  Anyways, last night, I was lying in bed and thinking, "Next year, before it gets so cold, I'll try..." and then I stopped.

Next year?  What next year?  I'll have moved out by then.  I won't be living at home anymore.

And for a brief, awful moment, I felt like my entire world was crashing down around me.

]See, calling myself a creature of habit is an understatement.  When my best friend Ali moved in for a couple of months, she quickly had to learn how opposed I am to change.  Once she moved the box that holds my contacts from one end of the counter to the other and I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the difference. 

I have to prepare myself before I flip the calendar pages each month... because the new page will be different from the last page.

You may not have noticed, but I hate change.  I live by routine.  I wear the same kinds of clothes, all color-coded in my closet.  I keep an organized schedule before bed each night.  Want to see it?

Check Facebook/my website/etc one last time.
Take a shower, get dressed, brush teeth, etc.
Unplug all electronics.
Shut all doors and drawers.
Get into bed.
Read three chapters of the Bible.
Read my latest book until the chapter number has a 3, 5, 7, or 0 as its last digit.
Carmex and lotion.
Check to see if alarm lock is set.  Twice.
Check to see if the alarm sound is turned up.
Dim clock light.
Turn off lamp.
Check to see if alarm clock is set one last time.
Turn over pillow and start out sleeping turned away from the door.

It's the same thing every single night without fail.  I don't like change.  What scares me the most about going to college is the fact that I will have to begin a brand new schedule in a brand new environment all by myself.  Everything will be different, which \is difficult for my mind to even comprehend right now.

I've been trying to prepare myself ahead of time.  I change things in my bedroom and see how long I can take it before I have to change them back.  For example, the other day, I put one of my alphabetized (by author) books on the wrong shelf.  On purpose!  That counts, right?  I've started using a different kind of hairbrush.  I even switched around a few wall decorations in my room to different walls.

The whole preparation thing has been working out pretty well, if I do say so myself.  So far I've only had thirteen panic attacks since Tuesday... just kidding.  But seriously, how am I going to survive moving out?

Change is inevitable.  I know that.  I can't stay a senior in high school forever... and I don't want to.  I want to grow and mature and branch out and do great things, not be stuck in a high school student's bedroom for the next seventy years.

No matter how hard it might be to change environments, I know God is on my side.  He will help me and strengthen me.  And I'm deciding now that when the time comes, I will move to a new city with courage and strength... but I'll keep my alphabetized books.    

Today Ali and I will answer some questions about our social experiment we called "Facing Prejudice," where Ali dressed up in a Muslim hijab and visited various locations in our city to see how our community treated Muslims. 

Do you think the social experiment was successful?
Ali: I do, because we got responses.  We got to see how people reacted to differences.
Emily: I think the social experiment was definitely successful.  I learned a lot by seeing how people treated Ali when she was wearing the hijab.  I'm always very careful to never appear prejudiced, but now I realize that even avoiding someone to try not to appear prejudiced can be a form of prejudice in itself!  After our experiment, I had to realize the level of prejudice our community still has against Muslims.  From now on, if I ever see a Muslim woman, I'll definitely make an effort to smile at her and greet her.  I'll also try to raise more awareness about the prejudice within my community.

Did the experiment change the way you view prejudice?
Ali: Yeah.  I'm Hispanic, so there's sometimes prejudiced people against me.  I don't like it when people are prejudiced towards me and I don't want to be prejudiced, but I think all of us have prejudiced moments at one point or the other.  We need to realize [that].  I wouldn't have thought avoiding someone would have been prejudice.  If I ignored someone, it would probably be because I didn't want them to think I [was] judging them, but in reality, by completely ignoring them like people did to me, I was being prejudiced because I was treating them differently.
Emily: Definitely.  I always thought of prejudice as someone treating another person with hateful words and condescension, but I never really thought of prejudice as someone avoiding someone else.  There are a lot of forms of prejudice and all of them are hurtful and need to end.    

So do you think there is prejudice towards Muslims in your community?
Ali: Oh, yes.  Very much!  You could tell that the moment I entered any place.  You could really tell it in the Sonic line.  Even in Christian bookstores, which is sad.
Emily: There is definitely still prejudice against Muslims in my community.  Like Ali said, when no one would stand in the same line at Sonic as Ali, that showed a lot about how people in our community feel about Muslims.  Yes, there are some high emotions surrounding Islam and terrorism, but Ali was a young teenage girl.  She was smiling and acted friendly towards everyone around her.  Muslims are still people and deserve to be treated like anyone else.

How do you think your community should change the way it treats Muslims?
Ali: I don't think we should treat them differently [than we treat each other], because they're still people and they still have feelings.  They might believe something differently, but they still feel the looks and I'm sure they're still hurt by them.  I was hurt by them, and I'm not even a Muslim.  I was hurt by how people just kind of stayed away from me and didn't even smile at me.  I mean, I'm still a person.
Emily: I wish everyone in my community would just smile at Muslims.  Don't avoid them.  Don't whisper openly about them.  Don't nudge each other when you see them.  Don't glare at them.  Especially when the Muslim in question is a teenage girl who's probably dealing with self esteem issues, just like any other girl.  Even if you're not a Muslim, just be friendly to everyone.  Treat everyone equally. 

Were the reactions what you expected them to be?
Ali: In a way, yes.  I mean, I expected people to be kind of rude and [to] get some looks, but I think they exceeded my expectations, because I wasn't expecting people to move lines because of me.  I was expecting some looks, but I wasn't expecting so many.  I thought [people] would still smile at me.
Emily: No, they actually weren't.  I didn't expect all of the nudges and stares and glares.  And I absolutely 100% did not expect people to refuse to stand in the same line as a Muslim girl.  That was ridiculous.  I suppose I thought my community wasn't very prejudiced at all.  In fact, I was a little worried that our experiment would turn up nothing because no one would react to Ali in her hijab.  Boy, was I wrong.  I kind of wish I wasn't. 

Were the reactions of the Christian community what you expected them to be?
Ali: No, no, not at all.  I expected more reaching out attitudes, evangelical attitudes, and [I was] kind of excited that I was there so they could lead me the right way, and I got completely the opposite [response].
Emily: Definitely not.  I didn't expect the people who worked at Lifeway to entirely ignore Ali.  I wasn't expecting anyone to stand up and start witnessing, but I expected more smiles and friendly greetings.  After all, like St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."  He also said, "It is not fitting, when one is in God's service, to have a gloomy face or a chilling look."  He was a wise man.  Perhaps those workers should hang some of his quotes up on the wall to remind them.  If I had been a Muslim girl curious about the Christian faith, the attitudes of the people at the first Christian store we visited would have made me want to run for the hills.  I was more impressed with the attitude of the cashier at the second Christian bookstore we visited.  Her response to Ali was more what I expected before we began the experiment.    

Will you treat Muslim women differently after this experience?
Ali: I will.  I almost feel like a hypocrite because I was so mad that people weren't looking at me or smiling at me, but I do the same thing.  Whenever I looked at Muslim people, I wouldn't look at them for too long because I was scared that they would think, 'Oh, yeah, she's judging us,' but in reality, if I completely avoid them, that's worse!
Emily: I definitely will.  I've met a few Muslim girls in the past and I don't feel prejudice or dislike towards them at all, but I'm going to be sure to deliberately smile at every Muslim woman I see from now on.  Being avoided is an awful feeling.

Did you enjoy wearing a hijab?
Ali: No.  It's not a loose scarf!  I hated it.  It was really bad at first, but I kind of got used to it, but I just felt really tied up.  It's very uncomfortable.  I couldn't even move my neck much, and then if I did, I would be nervous about messing [the scarf] up.  It was constricting.
Emily: Obviously, I didn't go out in public in the hijab, but when I was practicing how to tie the scarf, I wore it around the house for a little while and could hardly stand it.  I know the hijab is something girls must have to get used to, but I thought it was extremely uncomfortable and constricting.  I felt like I could hardly turn my head or bend over without having to fuss with my scarf.  I also felt hot and stuffy after wearing the hijab for very long.  I didn't enjoy wearing it at all. 

Do you think teenage girls are too young to wear a hijab?
Ali: In a way, yes, but I guess it's up to any girl's maturity level.  Most young teens, I doubt it.  Maybe sixteen.  I think it could have a damaging effect on their self esteem.
Emily: I think it's up to the individual girl, but I think pressure should not be put on a young Muslim girl to wear the hijab while still in high school.  Girls in America have to deal with peer pressure and self esteem problems without having to face stares and dirty looks everywhere they go.   

What have you learned from this experience?
Ali: I learned that I am kind of prejudiced because I know what my reaction would have been towards Muslim women and it's not how I would have wanted.  And it's funny because I wouldn't have thought about it, but I am [prejudiced]... well, I was.
Emily: I've learned how much prejudice exists within my community.  I never realized how much prejudice there actually was.  This experiment also helped me empathize with Muslim girls, more than I ever have before.  

Did this experiment make you want to attempt other social experiments? Do you have anything in mind?
Ali: Oh yeah!  It pushed my curiosity to test people.  I would like to dress up like a homeless girl, but that would be more risky.  I want to see people's reactions and how they treat [the homeless].  I think, in a way, I expect them to treat a homeless girl worse than they treat Muslims!  A lot of glares and rude comments, maybe.  At least we didn't get any rude comments [when I dressed up as] the Muslim girl.
Emily: Most definitely!  I love experiments like this, and I'm always thinking of situations I would like to test out on people.  I love to see reactions.  In the future, I'd like to disguise myself as a teenage mother and see how people treat me, either by dressing up like I'm pregnant or borrowing someone's baby for the day.  I also might like to test some boundaries and see how people respond to interracial relationships, but that's just an idea still burrowing in the back of my mind.  We'll see if it ever happens. :)

Do you have any social experiments you'd like me and Ali to try? 

Throughout this month, I've been writing about the social experiment that my best friend Ali and I created to test the level of prejudice our community holds against Muslims.  Ali dressed up in a hijab and visited a few different stores in our small Texas city.  She received both dirty looks and smiles.  While there were a few acts of direct prejudice towards Ali, there were one or two acts of kindness as well. 

One of the most fun parts of Ali's disguise was showing it off to our friends and family.  Like I've said before, Ali is full Mexican, not Middle Eastern, so it was quite funny to see the looks of shock on the faces of people we know.  "She looks so Muslim," they would say over and over. 

Even as Ali's best friend and someone who sees her for several hours each day, it was hard for me to wrap around how Middle Eastern Ali actually appeared when she wore the hijab and "Muslim" clothing.  I even joked around that I felt like I was hosting a foreign exchange student from the Middle East whenever Ali wore her hijab in public. 

Right before Ali and I left the house to visit Lifeway Christian Store, we noticed that my eleven-year-old brother, Luke, was at home.  We decided to show off Ali's disguise.   

Now let me tell you an interesting story about Luke.  For some reason, he won't admit that Ali doesn't look white.  One day, when he was eating lunch, Ali and I approached him.  This was around the time when the idea of our social experiment was first coming into existence, so Ali and I had been discussing whether or not she could pass as Middle Eastern.  "Luke," I asked casually, "does Ali look Mexican to you?"

For the millionth time, Ali is Mexican.  100% Mexican.  She looks Mexican because she is Mexican. 

Swallowing hard, Luke glanced at Ali and then down at his hands.  He seemed worried and embarrassed.  "Emily, how am I supposed to answer that?" he finally said, his cheeks flushing bright red.

Ali and I spent the next fifteen minutes laughing.  The appropriate answer would be yes.  Of course Ali looks Mexican!  Her family is from Mexico. 

We were eager to show Luke what Ali looked like dressed up like a Muslim.  Who knew how he would respond?  Sure enough, as soon as Luke saw Ali's clothes, a sheepish grin came over his face.  He couldn't stop staring at her, but he wouldn't say anything. 

"Does Ali look Middle Eastern to you?" I asked, trying to stifle my laughter.

Luke hesitated for a long moment, looking at Ali and then back at me with an unsure expression etched across his face.  "I'm leaving!" he finally announced before walking hurriedly away.  He still couldn't admit that Ali looked different.  My little brother never ceases to bring a smile to my face.

My mother's reaction was everything we could have hoped for.  She was amazed and made Ali turn around in a full circle, hardly able to believe her own eyes.  "You don't even look Hispanic like this," she said incredulously.  My sister couldn't stop giggling. 

After Ali and I finished visiting various stores in my city, we decided to drop by our friend Rebekah's house.  Rebekah had just undergone major knee surgery and was still confiscated to a bed, so she often was bored and lonely.  We knew she could use some cheering up.  A huge smile came over her face when she saw Ali's costume.  "At first, I thought, 'What does Ali have on her head?'  And then I realized what it was...  You guys are amazing!" Rebekah said, laughing.  We spent the next thirty minutes showing Rebekah how to properly wrap a Muslim hijab.  Everyone should learn a skill like that at some point.

The moral of this post is... if you ever want a great conversation-starter, then all you have to do is dress up in a hijab and see how your friends and family respond.  The reactions are always priceless.

Tune in on January 25 to read what Ali and I learned after the completion of our social experiment.  Post any questions you might have in the comments below.  We'll be answering some questions next Tuesday.

My best friend Ali and I decided to create a social experiment of sorts.  Ali dressed up in a Muslim hijab for a day and visited various locations in our small Texas city, curious to see how our community treated the Muslim minority.  During an afternoon, Ali and I visited Lifeway Christian Store and several stores in the mall.  Finally, we chose to visit a smaller local Christian bookstore in my city to see how both its workers and customers treated Ali.

This time around, Ali and I chose to pretend we didn't know each other.  I entered the store two or three minutes before Ali did, nodded and smiled when the female cashier at the front desk greeted me, and turned to examine some decorative crosses on a table towards the front of the shop.

Minutes passed and Ali walked in, earning curious stares from the two or three customers in the store.  I glanced up at her to appear like any other customer, but resumed my examination of the crosses.  Much to my surprise and delight, the cashier greeted Ali, just like she had greeted me.  "How may I help you?"

"Could you help me find the Quest Study Bible?" Ali asked, just as we had rehearsed.  The cashier seemed willing enough.  She acted completely normal as she led Ali to the Bible aisle and pointed out the Bible Ali wanted before heading back to the front desk. 

Ali meandered about the small bookstore, flipping through pages and glancing over Scripture cards before walking back to the front desk.  "I'd like to order a pre-owned copy of Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury."  I had no idea what Ali was talking about; this wasn't what we had planned, but I waited patiently as Ali placed the order.  When the cashier asked her name, much to our hilarity, Ali replied, "Ali," but pronounced her name "AH-lee" rather than "Allie."  Ali's name is actually a shortened version of Alejandra, but because of its spelling, people often mistake it for the Middle Eastern pronunciation, which came in handy that day. 

After a few moments, Ali completed her order and left the store, heading to my car, which was parked discreetly behind the building.  I browsed for a few more minutes and then headed to the front desk to purchase a few small bookmarks and Scripture cards that I purchased for my sponsored child. 

"Isn't that interesting that a Muslim girl came in here?" I asked casually, watching the cashier's face for her reaction.

Her blue eyes widened and she bobbed her head.  Her voice rose with excitement.  "I know.  It was so weird.  I could hardly believe it!"

"Do Muslims come in here often?"

The cashier shook her head.  "No!  They never come here," she said dramatically.  "Never.  This is the first time something like this has happened.  That was so strange."

"That was definitely interesting," I replied with a soft smile.  I left the store quickly, hardly unable to contain my excitement.  I hurried to my car and burst inside, laughing.  I felt like an undercover agent as I told Ali about the conversation that had gone on between me and the cashier.

After we had a good laugh, we began to talk about what we thought of how the female cashier had treated Ali.  Our feelings were positive.  The lady spoke to Ali like a human being.  She greeted her when Ali walked in through the front door, and the lady offered her help.  She didn't stare at Ali or avoid her like the cashiers at Lifeway had.  While the cashier may have been baffled, as she expressed to me, she didn't show her feelings to Ali.  She made Ali feel like any other human being walking into the store, hijab or not. 

We were impressed.

Overall, the local Christian bookstore offered Ali the least amount of prejudice of any other store we visited.  The customers seemed curious, which was natural, but they didn't stare too long at Ali or give her dirty looks.  The cashier was friendly and acted natural, like nothing was strange about the way Ali dressed, even if she thought otherwise.  The environment of the store was a great place for a real Muslim teen who might be curious about the Christian faith to be able to visit without feeling alienated from others.

Check in on January 20 to read about the last few reactions we experienced during our social experiment. 
 

My best friend Ali and I decided to test the level of prejudice that exists in my small Texan city by dressing Ali up in a black hijab and visiting public places.  We chose to visit a Christian bookstore first because Ali and I are both Christians, and we wanted to see how fellow believers would treat someone of an opposite religion.  We decided to visit Lifeway Christian Store. 

To be honest, Ali and I weren't quite sure how the store clerks would respond.  Would they ask Ali questions?  Would they counsel her?  Would they be eager to show her around the store as an opportunity to be a witness?  We were fairly certain that the workers at the Christian bookstore would hold very little prejudice... I mean, the Bible teaches us to love everyone.  Why would there be prejudice in a store that sells Bibles?

For this experiment, Ali and I went together as friends, bumping shoulders and holding arms and talking quietly amongst ourselves like teenage friends would.  I wore a Christian t-shirt that said "Jesus Saves" boldly across the front.  Ali wore her black hijab. 

When we first entered the Christian bookstore, smiling and acting as friendly and approachable as possible, no one approached us.  No one greeted us from the front desk, as is customary for stores like Lifeway.  No one asked us if we needed any help.  Ali received a few discreet stares from customers, which we expected.  After all, a Muslim girl walking into a Christian bookstore is a strange occurrence.  The looks weren't glares.  However, we received no smiles and no greetings from anyone at all.

As we entered the store, a young female worker walked in front of us.  We both lifted our heads and smiled at her, and I said, "Hi," but she nodded quickly at me and didn't even look at Ali once.  It was like the young woman was afraid to acknowledge Ali or even offer her a smile, for fear of how Ali would respond. 

Ali and I meandered about the store for a little while, browsing through books for about six or seven minutes before a man finally walked up to us and asked me if we needed any assistance.  "Do you sell the Quest Study Bible?" I asked, quickly thinking of an opportunity to interact with a stranger.  The man nodded and led us to the Bible aisle, never once giving Ali a word or even a glance.  He completely ignored her.  He told me a little bit about the Bibles available and then walked away. 

Ali and I were stunned.

You'd think that a Muslim girl walking into a Christian bookstore would be considered an excellent opportunity for Christians to witness or at least to act as positive examples for Jesus Christ, but absolutely no one would look at her.  She was completely ignored.

Later, when I asked Ali if anyone acknowledged her whatsoever, she replied, "There was one lady. She wasn't a worker- she was just a customer- and she actually smiled at me.  We were in there for about thirty [or] forty minutes, and she was the only person that smiled at me.  Isn't that sad?  That's sad." 

After a few more minutes of skimming through the Bibles, I left Ali alone in that aisle and walked up to the front desk.  I asked if they carried "The Way of the Master" by Ray Comfort.  One of the female cashiers asked, "What's that about?"  The same man who had directed me to the Bibles earlier said, "It's an evangelical tool."  The look on the woman's face was priceless when she blurted, "Ohhhhhhhhh...." as if everything made more sense after that. 

I finally decided to purchase "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan, and Ali went to the front desk with me, standing quietly at my side as I purchased the book.  "Do you need anything else?" the male cashier asked, looking only at me. 

"No thank you," I replied.  The man said nothing else.

As Ali and I left the bookstore, still no one dared to look her in the eye or speak to her even once.

We piled into my car in stunned silence, shocked at the strange response we'd received from the workers at the bookstore.  Ali wasn't given dirty looks, but no one smiled at her.  I was treated kindly with smiles and words, but everyone seemed intimidated by Ali's presence, like she was an alien from a foreign planet that might bite if someone dared to speak to her.

"[This] was very weird," Ali said after being asked about the experience. "People would avoid me, and whenever we talked to them- or whenever Emily [talked to them]- they just kind of talked to her.  Even though I was standing right beside her, they didn't really look at me.  It was just really strange; almost kind of disappointing because Lifeway's actually one of my favorite stores.  I thought they would have been more of a shining light for a Muslim girl like me."

"What was your overall impression of this experience?"

"[I'm] kind of disappointed," Ali replied, shrugging her shoulders sadly.  "And actually, to be completely honest, I think my reaction would probably be about the same.  I would be scared to talk to someone, you know, just because I don't want to offend them.  Maybe they just don't know [where] to draw the line.  But this is something that I will definitely use."

It's true.  Perhaps people avoid Muslim women entirely out of fear of seeming offensive or acting like they're staring, but feeling ignored can feel just as awful as feeling stared at, as Ali experienced while at Lifeway.  She told me, shaking her head with wonder, "When that lady smiled [at me], I just felt like a regular person, which is really weird.  I think we just need to acknowledge different people more."

While I'm glad that Ali received no dirty looks while in Lifeway, I'm disappointed that she received only one smile from a customer, no greetings, and no kind words.  Jesus was an example to Christians when He spoke kindly to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.  Jesus was a Jew, and Jews and Samaritans were total enemies, a lot like some Muslims and Christians are today.  However, Jesus was kind to the Samaritan woman.  He spoke to her and treated her with love and mercy, despite their differences.  We should use Jesus's actions as an example of how to treat those who are different and who believe different things than we do.

The biggest lesson I learned while visiting the Christian bookstore was that while I shouldn't openly stare at people who are dressed differently than I am, I need to be sure to smile at them and show kindness.  There's no better way to be an example for Christ than to act like a loving and kind friend to anyone and everyone.  I'll be sure to deliberately smile at everyone- including Muslims- from now on.

Tune in on January 13 to see what happened when we visited the mall.       

     

 

Last week, I talked about how my best friend Ali and I decided to attempt a social experiment where Ali would dress up in a Muslim hijab and see how the people in my community treated her.  We were ready to face prejudice with our eyes wide open. 

We purchased a black headscarf at World Market.  After a few hours of watching YouTube tutorials, I was able to learn how to properly wrap a hijab around my head, and soon after, I figured out how to put the hijab on Ali.  One thing I learned during all of my hijab research was that many Muslim woman believe that they cannot show their hair, as they consider that to be immodest.

Step Three: The Cap 

You may not have noticed this before, but Ali has a lot of hair.  It's beautiful, but there's a lot of it, as you can see in the picture below.
Even though I had figured out how to properly wrap a hijab, it was impossible to keep Ali's hair from poking out beneath the scarf.  That simply wouldn't do.  What we needed was one of the caps that Muslim women use to cover their heads before they put on their hijabs.  We saw plenty of those in the YouTube tutorials, and most of the women even instructed hijabis to wear the caps to ensure that no hair showed beneath the headscarf.  The problem was: we weren't sure where to get one of those caps. 

After a while, we realized that without a cap, our experiment wouldn't work.  We needed some sort of a cap to cover Ali's hair.

We brainstormed for hours, trying desperately to think of something that would substitute as a hair cap.  After a few days, we had settled on a couple of lame ideas that we both knew wouldn't work.  
1.) We considered using one of those stretchy cloth book covers that kids use, but the pointy ends made Ali look more like Batman than a Muslim girl.  Surely the pointy corners of the book cover would show beneath the hijab.
2.) We tried out different headbands, but none of them concealed Ali's tiny baby hairs, the ones that were peeking out from beneath her hijab the most.
3.) We even borrowed some of my mom's pantyhose to tie around Ali's head, but if the wind blew back the hijab, how would we explain away the fact that Ali was wearing pantyhose?

After days of brainstorming, an idea came to us in the form of a ski trip.

Ali was invited to go skiing with some people from our church, so we got out all of our ski supplies from the back of a closet.  The idea didn't take long to form after that.  A black ski cap didn't look that much different from the caps the Muslim girls from the YouTube tutorials wore beneath their headscarves!

We pulled Ali's hair into a bun and used a thin headband to hold back her bangs.  After some struggling and fumbling, we managed to fit the tight ski cap over all of her hair.  To our relief and excitement, the cap worked perfectly. 

We spent the next ten minutes laughing and taking pictures of a hairless Ali. 

Step Four: Makeup and Clothing

Ali decided to wear a fairly loose, long-sleeved shirt that was designed with black, white, and gray flowery swirls.  The shirt was slightly exotic-looking and would also match the hijab.  She put a loose black jacket over the shirt.  She wore long gray slacks that were loose rather than tight, and finally added a pair of black boots to the mix.  With her hijab, the only skin that would be uncovered on Ali's body would be her hands and her face.

I enjoy playing with makeup, and since Ali doesn't wear much eye makeup on most days, I used my mediocre skills to give Ali some gold and purple eyeshadow that hopefully accentuated her "Middle Eastern" features.  Ali put on a little more mascara, foundation, and eyeliner than usual, and she was finished and looking quite lovely.

     
Step Five: The Finished Product

After Ali had put on the makeup, ski cap, and modest Muslim clothing, I carefully wrapped and pinned the black hijab around her head.  It took a few minutes- and attempts- but when I was finished, we were quite satisfied with our result.  Ali could easily pass as a Middle Eastern Muslim girl.

Perhaps Ali still looked more Hispanic than Middle Eastern.  Perhaps the hijab wasn't wrapped correctly about her head.  However, her costume was passable, because people see what they expect to see.  The clueless passersby in my small city in Texas weren't going to examine Ali's ethnicity and wardrobe and accuse her of being an imposter.  When does that happen?  No, Ali's disguise would work perfectly.

We were ready to begin our experiment. 

Tune in on January 11 to see our experiences at the first Christian bookstore Ali visited while dressed as a Muslim. 

Today I'll be answering ten more questions that some of my readers have asked me over the last year.  If this doesn't interest you, click out.  I won't be offended.  Like last time, I'll be asking you five questions at the bottom of this post.  I'd love to read your answers.

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How long have you been writing?
I've been writing for as long as I can remember.  The grandma of one of my childhood friends was talking to me a few weeks ago and asked, "Emily, do you still write?"  Writing is a talent and a passion that God has blessed me with since childhood.  I love it more than almost anything in the world.  Writing is my outlet.  It truly gives me joy.

Do you have anything published?
No, not yet.  I'm currently working on polishing a manuscript of a novel I wrote before I begin querying agents.  The novel, Before You, made the top five in an online contest at www.inkpop.com and was reviewed by HarperCollins, but they chose not to publish because of some faith issues I incorporated into the story, which I can understand.  I wrote a little mini-devotional book called Set Apart a couple years back.  It's available for you to buy in my Book Store, but I wouldn't even consider that "self published."  It's just a little something I wrote.  Maybe one day, if it's God's will, I will publish a book.
 
Can I find you on any other websites?
Yes!  I have two YouTube accounts: my music channel and my "for fun" channel.  You can find me on Inkpop and on Figment.  I have a rarely-used Twitter account as well.  I'm also a member of Susie Magazine's online community.  
 
What do you want to do when you grow up?
I don't know yet.  I'm a senior in high school right now and I'll be heading off to a university in the fall.  At this point in my life, I'd like to major in English and minor in Business, but this is very liable to change.

Do you read all of your comments?
Yes!  I love comments.  I tend to be insecure about posting the things I write online for everyone to see, so when I get an encouraging comment, it lights up my entire day.  I don't respond to a lot of comments I receive, unless they contain a question, but I read every single one.  If you've ever commented on my blog, I've read what you had to say.  And thank you.

You mention traveling a lot. How many countries have you visited?
My parents have given me so many opportunities in my life.  I'm so grateful and so blessed.  I've actually been to eleven countries, including the one where I live.  I've visited: America, Canada, England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Holland, Kenya.  I've only been to the airports of Canada and Holland, but I've technically been inside of those countries, so that counts!... right? :) 

Where and when do you write?
I tend to write best at night, but I write through weekend afternoons as well.  I like to write in my room, at my desk, alone.  If someone else is in the room with me, I struggle to concentrate.  I can't have any distractions. 

You write a lot of artist and song reviews. What are your top five artists/bands?
I love music.  My number one favorite artist is Elvis Presley.  He's amazing.  After Elvis, I'm not really sure who my absolute favorites are, but I'll list some amazing artists/bands that I definitely recommend.  Group 1 Crew is the coolest band ever.  I adore Colbie Caillat's voice.  I've loved Superchic[k] for years and years and years.  B. Reith is also crazy good. 

I have a problem with something you said in one of your posts. What should I do?
Tell me.  I appreciate criticism, so long as it's polite and constructive.  Feel free to disagree with something I said and comment with your opinion.  I don't appreciate hate comments that contain cuss words and derogatory phrases like "You suck!"  Those comments will be deleted.  If you stay polite and respectful, I would love to hear what you have to say, even if you disagree with me.

Will you write about ________?
Very possibly!  If you want me to write about a certain subject, request it in the comments.  I'm always looking for new ideas to write about. 

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Questions for You-
1. What are your New Year's resolutions?
2. Do you have anything published?
3. Who is your favorite artist/band?
4. What led you to find my blog?
5. If you could go anywhere, where in the world would you go?

Step One: Finding the Hijab

Ali and I are both Christians, so for obvious reasons, we didn't have a Muslim headscarf lying around the house.  In fact, we weren't sure where we would find a genuine-looking hijab in the first place.  We finally visited a store called World Market that sells cultural items from all over the world.  We hoped desperately that it would sell headscarves.  We were in luck.  Ali came across a long black hijab that was actually quite pretty and on sale for $5, which was an extra bonus. 

After we bought the scarf, we literally ran to Ali's car in all of our eagerness to try the thing on.  We wrapped the hijab loosely about Ali's head and then laughed hysterically at the results.  We were delighted.  After all of the hours we had spent talking about and planning around our hijab, we had finally found a real one.   

If you have any knowledge of what hijabs are supposed to look like, you might notice that we didn't do a very good job of wrapping the thing properly around Ali's head.  I'm relieved now that we didn't decide to try out Ali's new costume in public right away.  Many people would have probably noticed that Ali was a fraud.  We realized that Muslim girls surely did more than draping a scarf over their heads and throwing the ends over both shoulders.  No, we still had quite a bit of research to do.

But at least we had the headscarf.


Step Two: Watch and Learn

If in doubt, where do you go to learn a new skill?  YouTube, of course.  I decided to visit YouTube and searched "how to wear a hijab."  Much to my delight, thousands of results appeared, full of video tutorials of women teaching their viewers how to properly tie a headscarf. 

I knew the basic differences between the burka, niqab and hijab, but I had no idea that there were so many ways to tie a hijab.  Some women tied it in the back; some in the front.  Some women showed their hair, while some did not.  Some women used bright and colorful scarves; some used plain black scarves, like Ali's. 

I finally settled on a triangle-shaped hijab that tied in the front, right beneath the chin.  It took me a few hours to learn how to properly to wrap the thing without it looking like a giant wrinkled bird's nest perched on the top of my head.  What amazed me was how the Muslim girls in the videos would simply wrap the thing here and there and have a perfect hijab in about thirty seconds.  Even when I figured out the direction of each wrap and tie, it took me at least five minutes to put on a hijab.

To be honest, when I finished tying my first real hijab, I was probably as proud as if I had won a gold medal.  I can't braid hair or properly knot dressy scarves I wear around my neck, so learning how to put on a hijab was quite an accomplishment for me.  Now if someone asks me for a list of my skills, I'll probably add that I'm an excellent hijab-wrapper.  (For any Muslim girls who are reading this, go ahead and laugh.  I know I'm not that great, as you can see from my photograph, but I'm still proud of myself.)  

First, I practiced my newfound talent on myself.  Go ahead and laugh because I know I look funny.  I tried to add some light into the photo because you can hardly see the black hijab against the darkness of my bedroom.  Hopefully you can get the basic idea of what I was able to do.  Now I love my skin and eye color, but in that moment, I wished I could transform into a Middle Eastern girl for the sake of the picture!

If you would like to see which tutorial I used, click here. 

So after a long afternoon of pricked fingers from the pins used to keep the scarf in place, I was finished learning how to tie a proper hijab.  It looked much better than the careless wrap-around we threw over Ali's head when we first bought the hijab.  Throughout the afternoon, I had only practiced putting the headscarf on myself.  My next step was to put the hijab on Ali.

Check back on January 9 to see our finished result.     

Meet Ali.

She's the girl on the right side of this picture; I'm the one on the left.  You may recognize Ali from when we did the 30 Days of Kindness together last October.  She's been my best friend through high school, and we tend to create interesting adventures.  When Ali and I are together, we do think outside of the box.  We often try to change the world.  Ali and I thought of the 30 Days of Kindness together.  We've planned something for a future blog post to help end world poverty.  And we planned something recently that changed our perspective on a very important topic.

Prejudice.

Ali is 100% Mexican.  We often joke around about whether she looks Mexican or Middle Eastern because of her slanted eyes.  One day, we wrapped one of my scarves around Ali's head as a joke, but were surprised when we realized that Ali may look like a Mexican on most days, but when she put on a headscarf, she could easily pass as a young Muslim girl.  

With all our jokes and silliness came an idea.

Ali and I live in a small Texas city where Muslims are a minority.  It's rare to see a Muslim woman in full garb walking around where I live.  Stigma and prejudice still follow Muslims, so Ali and I began to wonder: how does my community truly treat Muslim women?  What kind of looks and treatment would Ali receive if she dressed up in a hijab?

Obviously, if our plan was going to work, we would have to do more than loosely wrap a white and blue dressy scarf around Ali's head.  We were going to have to do some research.  How do Muslim women dress?  How would we accurately wrap a hijab?  But the plan had begun.  We divided our ideas into a few specific questions that needed to be answered before we could act upon our experiment.

What will Ali wear?
We needed to find a real hijab to use instead of my colorful scarf.  We knew that a lot of research was ahead of us in order to find out what was modest and what was immodest for a young Muslim woman to wear. 

Where will we go?
We decided on three places: two Christian bookstores and the local mall.  The mall would be an excellent place for Ali to interact with a lot of people.  There would be different stores for Ali to visit, giving us many opportunities to screen reactions.  At one Christian bookstore, Ali and I would enter together as friends.  At the other Christian bookstore, Ali would walk in separately from me.  I would observe from the background, pretending to be a stranger.

How will Ali act towards others?
We decided that Ali would act demure rather than outgoing.  She would avoid looking  men directly in the eye.  She would keep perfect manners and a slight smile on her face in order to seem polite and friendly.  We didn't want perceived teenage negativity to mar anyone's impression of Ali.  We also decided that if someone directly asked Ali if she was a Muslim, her response would be yes, but if we came across someone we knew, Ali would tell them the truth: that we were attempting a social experiment.   

What will be my role?
I wished I could be able to dress up in a hijab as well, but since I'm paler than Snow White and I have green eyes, I knew I could never, never pull off looking like a Middle Eastern girl.  My role would be to act as Ali's friend, which would be simple enough.  To liven things up a bit, we decided that I would wear a Christian t-shirt, but bring a sweater in case I needed to cover it up for some reason.  What would people think about a Muslim and a Christian holding arms and acting like close friends?  At times, my job would be to observe reactions from a distance and possibly ask questions to people around me. 

And most importantly, what is the purpose of our social experiment?
I love my city.  I love the people who live in it.  However, I wanted to see how a Muslim girl was treated within my own community.  Would a Muslim girl be treated differently than a Christian girl, just because of how she dressed and because of the prejudices surrounding her religion?  Obviously, an eighteen-year-old Americanized modern Muslim girl isn't going to be a terrorist, but is that how people would treat her?  The purpose of our social experiment would be to measure the level of prejudice that exists in my community, if only to better empathize with young Muslim women.  We decided that if there was a high level of prejudice, then we would use our stories and photographs to raise some awareness within our community and strive to change it the best we could.  The reason we were focusing on Christian bookstores was because of our own faith.  Ali and I are both Christians, and we would like to see how our fellow believers treat Muslims: with the respect and love that Jesus had for the Samaritan woman at the well or with distaste, judgment, and prejudice.    

So our plans were set.  Ali would dress in a Muslim hijab and visit three different public places.  The next step was finishing the research needed to make Ali appear like a realistic Muslim girl.  Check in on January 6 to see what we did next.   
 

There are so many things I love about this picture.  It wasn't taken with a fancy camera.  It wasn't even taken by me.  It was taken by my dad with his iPhone.  But oh... I just love this.  Don't you?

I love the tangle of legs in this picture.  You can't quite tell whose legs belong to whom.  My poor mom is at the very bottom of the human dog pile, looking quite small.  My little sister is the one with the sling on her arm.  I'm the one holding the dog.

The chair belongs to my dad.  It sits in his office, wonderfully comfortable and beckoning for anyone to sit in it. 

I like how my dog, Boo, is in the picture as well.  As if this poor, stuffed chair could get anymore full, we had to add a dog in the mix.  I believe she jumped up into the chair of her own free will.  Boo can't stand to be left out of a cuddle session.

Do you think anyone else could have fit into the chair?

I have an amazing family.  Every time I see this picture, I laugh, smile, and whisper a quick thank you to God for giving me the family that I have.

Happy New Years! 

2011 is going to be a pivotal year in my life.  I'll be graduating high school, saying goodbye to friends, making new friends, moving out, starting college...  There will be so many changes and new beginnings that I am going to have to face.  To be honest, it's a little frightening.  I don't deal with change well.  Someone reorganizes the bottles on my bathroom counter and I can't bear the change.  How will I handle moving to a new city in a far away place, away from my bedroom and my friends and my family?  I know that my faith in the Lord will get me through a lot of trials and change I know is to come. 

2011 will be new, exciting, joyful... it will be an adventure.

This past year, 2010, has been amazing.  I've grown up and changed in so many ways.  There are so many experiences and highlights I remember when I think back on the last twelve months.  I've become a senior in high school.  I've interned at an inner city ministry called City Church.  I've learned things from both children and adults.  My best friend has lived with me for part of the year.  The 30 Days of Kindness taught me so much.  I've learned how to be a missionary without traveling overseas.  I've written a 65k word novel.  I've made top five on inkpop in August and received a review from a HarperCollins editor.  I've made a few friends.  I've grown closer to my family, especially to my mom.  I got a new puppy.  I've thrown two surprise birthday parties for my friends.  I turned eighteen.  I've gotten the opportunity to be a "big sister" to a few amazing younger girls.  I've conquered some fears.  I've made friends on this blog. :)

I'm not a big fan of making crazy New Year's resolutions, mostly because I think we should constantly be striving to improve ourselves.  However, I do believe that the new year can serve as a beginning of sorts where we can start anew.  Because of that, I have made two "resolutions" for myself that I will try to fulfill this year. 

1. I want to read through the Bible again.  I love to read the Bible, to be honest.  I like to read in general, so the stories and pieces of information always fascinate me rather than put me to sleep.  I've read the entire thing about four or five times and then I've read some sections over and over, but I know there is still much left for me to learn.  This year, I'm going to be using a schedule for the first time ever.  The Bible I'll be reading is the NIV Quest Study Bible, which you can check out here if you want to read along with me.  I'll try to share what I'm learning throughout the year, although I probably won't post something about my daily Bible readings every single day.  We'll see.  :)

2. I want to put more effort into ending poverty.  I want to be more self-sacrificing, and I plan to give more of myself to help others.  If you're a regular reader of my blog, then you've probably seen a lot of posts about Africa and poverty and helping the poor.  Over the last few months, I've slacked off a little, and I'm not satisfied with that.  I want to do more to help end world poverty, including the kids who are hungry in my own community.  You will most definitely see some more blog entries about helping the needy, so be prepared for that.  I also want to encourage my readers to stand up against hunger and poverty... and I have some plans in the workings already, so keep an eye out.

Those are the goals I've set for the new year.  Be my accountability.  Don't let me forget them.  What are your resolutions?   


 

It's New Years Eve again, a time where I look back over the last year and see how I've changed and how I've grown.  I've made mistakes this year that I regret.  I've learned things I didn't even know I needed to learn.  I went through some hard times, but I was given amazing opportunities that still make my head spin. 

While I don't throw everything into my New Year's Resolutions like most people do, I still make goals for myself and for my future.  I'll share my New Year's Resolutions with you tomorrow on actual New Years Day.  Perhaps you can hold me accountable.  Today I want to share with you some of my goals of how I want to grow as a person and as a follower of Christ. 

Next year is going to be a huge change for me.  I'll be graduating high school and entering college.  I'll be making new friends and living in a new place.  I know I'll be vastly different by the time December 31, 2011 rolls around.  By the end of next year, I want to have improved myself in the following ways.

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I want to be more patient.

I want to be more self-sacrificing.

I want to be more nurturing.

I want to be more bold.

I want to be more forgiving.

I want to be stronger in Jesus Christ.

I want to be less afraid.

I want to be more confident in myself.

I want to be more confident about what God has planned for my future.

I want to be more joyful.

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I want to strive to develop these things not only over the next year, but over my entire lifetime.  I am such a broken, sinful person.  There is so much work that needs to be done on my heart, and these are only a few of the areas in which I need to improve.  Thankfully, I know that if I ask Jesus to help me and if I truly work at improving myself, I am capable of becoming who God wants me to be.

New Years isn't the only time to work on improving myself or to set goals, but in a way, it is a new beginning.  It's a good reminder of the journey I've begun as a little girl striving to be like Jesus.  And each year, I think I'll get a little closer.

How would you like to improve yourself and/or your relationship with God this year?

I took this picture when I was in Mexico some years back, the summer before I entered high school.  I was actually able to travel to Mexico twice that summer, once on a vacation with my family and then again on a mission trip with my friend Rebekah.  Both visits were a total blast.

Like I've said before, I'm no professional photographer, although I do enjoy taking pictures.  My friends call me a picture hoarder.  I suppose what appeals to me about this picture today is the fact that it's yellow and green and flowery and... well, it's an escape from the bland winter I see when I look out my window. 

I like the shimmery rain drops you can see on the leaves.  I like the vibrant colors of this unedited picture.  I like flowers.  I like how this plant wasn't just part of some garden.  It brings back good memories.  On a shivery December day like today, I'd like to be able to see some pretty yellow flowers and vivid green leaves in real life.  No more winter!  Let's see some pretty flowers.  Oh, how I miss the heat and color of the summer.  Sigh...

Yes, I greatly enjoyed visiting Mexico, both times I went that summer.  My Mexico vacation was beautiful and relaxing.  I was very well pampered there.  I went to the Playa del Carmen resort.  The second time I visited Mexico City and stayed with some family friends who work in the mission field over there.  That was a very fun and uplifting trip as well. 

For the fun of it, here's another picture.  It is of me, my friend Rebekah, and our friend Priscilla who is an MK in Mexico City.  I'm the one on the far right, Rebekah's in the middle, and Priscilla's on the left.  We're all dressed up to perform a silent skit of Cain and Abel.  I was Cain, Rebekah was Abel, and Priscilla performed... well, God.  That was a fun day.  I like our outfits.  We look so young here.  After all, this was over four years ago.

I love traveling.  Where's your favorite place you've ever been?  

I thought that today I'll go ahead and answer some questions that I have been asked in comments and emails.  I'll be answering ten more questions in a week or two as well.  If this doesn't interest you, feel free to exit out.  I won't be offended.  At the end of today's post, I'll be asking you five questions that I'd love for you to answer.  I want to know more about you, my readers. 

Is your name really Emily?
Yes, it really is.  I didn't make up a name for the sake of this blog.  I have been called Emily since I was born.

How old are you?
I am eighteen.  My birthday is October 14, in case you'd like to mark your calendars. :)

Where do you get the inspiration to write about what you do?
I get my inspiration in a lot of different ways.  Sometimes a song or the weather will inspire me to write.  Seeing how much apathy dwells in the lives of young Christians inspires me to write quite often.  I try to find hope through my writing.  Hope gives me a lot of inspiration. 
 
How long have you been a Christian?
A little over eight years.  You can check out my testimony here.

Why is this blog called "EmilythePerson" or "Emily is Smiling"?
- My little blogs and things from the past have been called "EmilythePerson" since I was in early middle school.  In middle school, everyone has to have a stereotype: goth, emo, prep, skater... you know the drill.  I hated the idea of being classified into one group that controlled the way I dressed and acted, so I called myself Emily the Person, if anyone ever asked me what my label was. 
- Emily is Smiling actually comes from a Facebook status.  Original, eh?  Through my past, I have suffered through depression more than once.  At one point, it was a big deal if I actually was smiling and feeling happy.  I don't ever want to go back to the dark place I was, so titling my blog Emily is Smiling is a daily reminder of the joy I feel from knowing Jesus.
 
Where can I contact you?
You can contact me at emilytheperson@yahoo.com, but be warned: I rarely check that account, so there's a chance it could be a long time before I see your email.  The best and quickest way to contact me is through the comments.

Why do you write so much about modest trends?
I was homeschooled when I was younger, so I know the tendency people have to believe that homeschooled girls are "modest," but total nerds.  I believe that you can dress modestly, but still look cute.  That's why I write a lot of Modest Trends posts.  I like to give style options for girls like me who strive to be modest. 

You review a lot of books.  What are some books/authors that you recommend?
Tosca Lee and Ted Dekker are my favorite authors.  I'd recommend anything by them.  Frank Peretti is another great writer, although he hasn't come out with anything new in a long time.  I'm currently reading the "Left Behind" series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye.  I recommend those books as well.  "Deadline" by Randy Alcorn is also amazing.  Khaled Hosseini is an amazing author as well.

How do you have the time to write something new every day?
To be honest, I don't have a whole lot of time.  I'm a senior in high school with a crazy-busy schedule.  It's time to let you in on a little secret... I don't actually write all of my blogs on the day they're posted.  I write a lot of my blog entries before the actual day and schedule them.  This way a lot of stress is taken away and I don't feel as pressured to post everything on time.  Some entries I do write the day I post them, but things like the Modest Trends, poetry, and Music Artist Reviews, I schedule to post ahead of time. 

How much time does it take to maintain a blog like this?
If you're considering making your own blog, let me tell you: Keeping up a daily blog takes a lot of time and dedication.  I plan what I'm going to write on little calendars that I keep on my desk.  I write lists of blog post ideas when I'm at school.  Planning is time-consuming, but fairly easy.  The writing is hard to keep up with at times, I'll admit, but I have a huge passion for writing, so I enjoy it.  I wouldn't bother keeping up a blog if I didn't love to write. 

Questions for You-
1. What is your name?
2. How old are you?
3. Do you have a blog... if so, what do you write about?
4. Who is your favorite author?
5. Do you read blogs regularly (doesn't have to be mine)?


 

This picture was obviously taken many years ago, scanned onto my computer with help from my dad. 

I am the little girl in this photograph.  I don't remember when this was taken, but I can deduce a scenario from the picture.  I'm wearing a nightgown, so I must be getting ready for bed.  The chair was my grandma's, so I suspect I was staying at her house. 

I call my grandma Nawnie.  What I like about the look on her face is that she appears to be much, much more interested in the story than I am.  In fact, she seems completely absorbed.  Curious George... ahh, I believe that was my favorite book as a little girl.  See how worn out that is?

I like the coziness of this picture.  We're wearing warm winter clothes and we're nestled into a cozy arm chair, snuggled nice and tight. 

The look on my face is priceless.  You can tell that I'm much more excited that my grandma is reading me a book than that a book is being read to me, if that makes any sense.

There are many details about this picture that I love, like the head of a stuffed puppy you can see sticking up in the picture.  I must have insisted that he be allowed to hear the story as well.  I think it's cute that a small, silver ring is visible on my finger.  I gotta say, in this picture, I'm very cute.  I look very happy here.  Very content.

What was your favorite storybook as a little kid? 

I have gotten a lot of positive feedback on my new Yorkie puppy, Jack.  Everybody seems to think he's the cutest puppy in the whole wide world, and I'll have to agree. :)  Because of this, I thought I'd go ahead and share several pictures of the little guy.  Because Jack is an attention-loving ham, I'm sure he won't mind.  Check them out and feel free to vote on which of these pictures is the absolute cutest.

This is one of the first pictures we ever took of Jack, the night we got him.  He was six and a half weeks old at the time and very, very cute, as you can see.  His hair was so short and fuzzy, he looked like a little teddy bear!  See how small he was compared to my fingers?  I miss him being that size.  He's a full two pounds now, while he was only half a pound at the time this photo was taken.  My sweet boy.  And yes, that was me in the background. This next picture is of Jack during one of the first times we took him outside.  The world must have seemed very strange and big to the sweet little guy.  Although the grass in our front yard was short-cropped, it reached all the way up to Jack's little chest.  He was very nervous about being outside.  He wouldn't venture far from my side.  He was still brave, though.  He didn't tremble and shiver, like a lot of small dogs do.  Although hesitant, he cautiously ventured out and sniffed at my big cat, Oreo.  You can catch a glimpse of the tiny collar I picked out for Jack the day before we got him.  It was the smallest size they had available at the store.  It's red with little bones decorating the sides.

In this next picture, Jack is being his usual hammish self and playing.  He seems to think that he more closely resembles a full grown Great Dane than a half pound Yorkie puppy.  Because of this, even when we first got him, he would eagerly attack my fingers and growl furiously at me.  If his sharp little teeth ever pinched too hard, I would cry out really loud, so he soon learned to only play bite very gently.  You can see how small Jack is in this picture compared to my hand.  I love his colors.  He's turned very silver and gold now that he's a month or two older, rather than the black and copper color he was here.  Jack was just so stinking cute. 

This would have to be my favorite Jacky picture of all times.  He's cuddled up in a blue blanket that my grandma made with me several years back.  Jack just looks so small here!  One of my friends called him the anime puppy.  Can you see the resemblance?  I love Jack's huge eyes, nose, and ears.  His head looks way big for his body.  His stubby little legs make him look even cuter.  And look at the expression he has on his face.  So cute.  This might even be one of those gag-worthy cute pictures I hear guys talk about.  Just so cute!  I love you, Jack!

Well, there's Jack.  Which of these pictures was your favorite?  What did you think about this blog entry?  Do you like Jack pictures?  Would you like to see more?  These were all taken within the first week I had Jack, so he's a bit older now and I have about 8,000,000,000,000,000 pictures of him.  If you'd like to see another blog full of Jacky pictures, please let me know in the comments.