Getting married is quite the chore...

So, I am getting married in 64 days. No big deal. The reality sure hasn't sunk in yet, although I do have sudden moments of mind blowing realization, but what has sunk in is WEDDINGS ARE A LOT OF WORK!

JoJo and I, no matter the time frame we had to plan, or even if we had a budget of 50 zillion dollars, always wanted a small, family centered, non-traditional outdoorsy wedding. And seeing as I am non-conventional about most aspects of my life, it shouldn't surprise you that I am non-conventional as a bride-to-be either.

When I was 14, I went on a mission trip to Chile. Great trip, had nothing to do with weddings, but had a lot to do with dysfunctional relationships of team members (many long stories, of which details don't matter). Up until that point in my life I had no intention of getting married. Most of the time I planned on living in the woods by myself and being a falconer/ raptor rehabilitator forever. But during that trip I decide that I was going to someday get married and that I was going to do things right. At that point I made all sorts of very serious decisions about how I was going to do things and what I would do in the mean time. That included praying for the guy I would someday marry (funny thing: Within months of all this occurring some 15 year old kid name JoJo randomly came to my church and got saved...fast forward 7 years and we are getting married. God is cool like that.).

Upon getting back from the trip I walked into my church sanctuary, which they had renovated in the time I was gone and put up hideous acoustic panels on the wall. At that point I raised my right hand and swore to honor God, and still get married, but not to get married in that building. I am sticking with that. I love my church, but it isn't lovely in photos. From that point on I began planning the wedding I would someday have with the one and only man that God had created for me. It being outside was of the utmost importance. (I know some Christians strongly believe in getting married in a church, particularly in their own, because they want their wedding to be "in the eyes of God." I agree very much with wanted my wedding to be in the eyes of God and that is crucially important, but I do not believe God's eyes are limited to any particular place. I believe in God's omnipresence. My wedding will certainly be within his reaches!)

So my 64 day away wedding will be taking place on my grandparent's farm. When I was 14, I also thought it might be nice to get married in the rain, but since then I have rethought that and have decided, as much as I love rain, not to subject my friends and family to it on my wedding day. JoJo proposed in the rain. That is good enough for perfect me. So please, pray for nice weather on May 26th (tents as a back up plan, though!). We will be doing the ceremony (with our wonderful youth pastor as the officiant) before our family and friends (we wanted small and then realized we had huge families, so our guest list is at 200!). The ceremony will be followed by a picnic-style reception, also at my grandparent's beautiful property.

Another part of my wedding that was set in stone from age 14 on was a "retina burnin' white wedding dress." There were a couple years were I joked about wearing my friend's red and black gothic tutu (just because I am fond of rebellion), but I always knew my dress would be *WHITE*. JoJo and I joke about people having to wear sunglasses at the wedding. Long story short, I put a lot of effort into earning a white wedding dress. Its needing to be white was a non-negotiable.

And guess what? A couple Saturday's ago my mom and I went second-hand wedding dress shopping (as we are expert thrifters!) for *7 hours* and at our last stop, Savers, we found a BEAUTIFUL dress, very close to my size, in a style that suited me, for $69.99. It was used, but in lovely condition and it was made in the USA (I refused to buy a dress from a big name bridal store because I try to avoid supporting any company that isn't fair trade and uses sweatshops in their product manufacturing.) And $70 beautiful dress? It was WHITE. God is so good.
I wish I could better describe it to you, but you will have to wait until after the wedding for pictures! No dress-info leaks allowed!

This post is getting long and overwhelming, so I will cut myself off now. There will have to be more posts telling of all the thrifting, DIY-ing and preparations that have been going on in planning this wedding.  (*more posts over HERE on my mom's blog) Originally, 3 months seemed like a horridly short amount of time to pull a wedding together, but God, as usual, is being faithful and again and again we are being surprised by His goodness in helping us to make this wedding happen.  I am trying to remain calm and not sweat the small stuff. (will the flower girls shoes, or the sauce we serve on chicken have any long term effect on my marriage? No.) No bridezilla's allowed. Big picture, the wedding doesn't matter. The marriage does.
 Between all the planning and prep, as well as full time school and part time work, I am getting more and more excited. Stay tuned for more updates!

Creativity (part 3)- Church is boring?

As promised, here comes part 3 of my creativity rant (see part 1 here) (part 2 here).

Somehow someway there is a very unfortunate stereotype out there that Christians are boring. Hey, maybe I am wrong, but I am a Christian, and great deal of my friends are Christians, and we are for sure not boring. (Religiosity, now that is boring.) If any Christians out there wanna disagree with me and declare that they are, in fact, very boring please leave me a comment.

It is also popularly believed that Church is boring. Again, maybe yours is. But I know that my church is anything but. My church (and youth group, Merge Ahead!) is amazingly awesome. We are passionate. Our worship is vibrant. And believe it or not IT'S FUN! We're crazy about God and crazy about life. No boring to be found. (If you're church is boring it might be because well...you're boring. God is never boring. But people sometimes are...)

"Ok hold up" you're saying. "I thought we were talking about creativity and now your just endorsing church." 

Listen, just follow this rabbit and I on this trail and we'll get back to the point I am trying to make. Stay with me, people.

Why do people think church is boring? Why do people assume Christians are boring?

Because unfortunately some are. I'm not downing any type of denomination or music or anything. I love the body of Christ as displayed by His church. But sometimes we (me, you, any Christian) can be boring. Stagnant. Routine. Religious. Which doesn't really appeal to the rest of the world. When church becomes about rituals and routines instead of the presence and love of God people lose interest. That's just the truth...

We live in a modern, technology and media driven world. Our generation is so highly ENTERTAINED it is just ridiculous. Everyone needs constant stimulating input. Entertainment. This comes from music, movies, the internet, video games, technology, you name it. If it doesn't catch there attention and keep it there they move on mighty fast to something else.

"Whooooaaa Bella, are you saying the church needs to be entertaining? No. I am not. Stop arguing. Just stay with me here.

What would you say is the purpose of church? I'd say the purpose of the local/global church is to expand the Kingdom of God. Grow the body of Christ. Reach the lost.

But the lost aren't going to want to come in if it is boring. Reasonable, I'd say. So this is where we need to get creative. Not so we can entertain people and give them a good time in church, but so that something not so important can catch their attention and then they can experience the love of God, taste and see that His goodness, and they can be so captivated that God keeps their attention.

I'm going to use Merge (my youth group) as an example here. When setting up each week we try and make the building LOOK really cool. We get pretty creative when we do this (see! see!)We set up the lobby with crazy art work. We roll out rugs, put out couches and set up cafe tables. All of our first time visitors ("guests") get freshly baked cooks and a warm welcome. Music, sometimes a DJ, plays in the background. In the sanctuary we hook up all sorts of lights and lasers and blast our instruments through amps. When we worship we jump around ("mosh"), dance, and get undignified.

Why? Because rugs really help to invite the presence of God? Because cookies are very spiritual? Because the Bible says to make sure you set up a couple couches before meeting with each other and God? Because God needs a fog machine and laser lights in order for Him to show up? NO! not at all! ( Trust me, the God of the universe who created the stars in the sky is not impressed with our Scorpion Laser Beam machine.)

We do it because it gets peoples attention. Youth come in and like what they see. And then they get blown away in worship and the word, not because there is so much fog their lives are changed, but because they encounter the love of God! THAT IS WHAT IS ALL ABOUT!

If crazy lights and loud music get people saved then we wouldn't need a church. We could just go to a club and be fine. Were that the case our whole generation of youth would pretty much be saved already if it was about lights and music. But that is not the case.

We try and make it appealing on the exterior so we can catch their eyes. Then we expect that our amazing God who loves us, the lost, and the whole world so much, to catch their hearts. That is why we do what we do!

I think this concluded my creativity series. Maybe. (do you guys have any more thoughts on the subject? Comment and let me know!)  Obviously I have a lot to say about the topic. It's my passion. God created me and I love to be creative because of it. How about you? Go do, think, or make something that has never been done, thought, or made before. Go bring God glory. Go change the world.

Create.

TWENTY TEN RECAPPED

And yes, I am still alive! No! I haven't died! I'm here! I'm here!

So sorry I haven't posted in a long while. The holidays were busy with friends, family and fun and as soon as Christmas pasted my internet crashed. FOR A WHOLE WEEK! But finally I am back to post again. I am not even sure I can recap all of my year, or even the last 2 weeks. So I think I will just pull some of my favorite pictures/moments from 2010 and post those...

New (converted attic) bedroom!

19th birthday with flaming pineapple

my youth group's (Merge Ahead) worship team leading worship at the Rhode Island Awakening Conference

My sassy, fabulous Ethiopian sister coming home

My hair losing its "virginity"

Seriously good thrifting

 Projects. Creativity. Making stuff.

 Cheering on my team (England) in the world cup

/ watching them lose and the personal agony that followed.

 An amazing mission trip to San Jose, Costa Rica

Finishing off said trip with rain forest zip-lining.

Seriously silly 22nd birthday parties for cool girls

Family vacation to Westerly, Rhode Island

Rebellion.

Bettering myself at photography (more posts on that coming soon!!!!)

Shooting guns.

 Trying to better myself at cooking
(I'm am working my way to up being a crazily well-rounded, multi-skilled individual)

Making this.

 Scrabble-ing at an epic level

Recieving these
(ohhhh yes friends, those ARE red, skull, size boys XL footie pajamas.)

these people. my people.

A lot happened in 2010. Looking back even to my recap of 2009 I am amazed at how far I've come. And I am looking forward to how much further I'll go in 2011. Happy New Year, everyone!

I couldn't agree more...

source

Or, in the wise words of my youth pastor (Eric Peoples) 

"FIND OUT WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO AND THEN DO IT."

Your are what you look like...apparently.

This is a remembrance post of a (sort of) defining moment in my life. It randomly popped into my head yesterday as I was driving home in the rain after my small group meeting. Not sure why it popped up, but I thought I'd share it with you.

************************************************************

Let's go back to...well, I'm not sure if it was 2005 or 2006? It was in May of one of those two years. I was 14 or 15 at the time.

I was sitting on a lunch break at a round table full of volunteers. Volunteers? Yes. It was at our church's annual golf tournament tournament (we use it as a way to raise money for Merge Ahead's youth missions) and I had been on sandwich making, pot cleaning, floor vacuuming, table setting duty all day.  

(None of this has to do with any part of the defining moment, other than it was the setting. Keep following me.)

I'm sitting there with a couple other people who had been helping prepare for the awards ceremony and dinner all morning, munching on On the Boarder chips and salsa, and talking about school and we were doing/wanted to do with our lives.

A college-aged girl (who we will call "Teal" though that is not her name), who was pursuing an education in something to do with History, decided she wanted to go around the table and try and GUESS what the rest of us (just barely in high school) wanted to do when we "grew up."

So, Teal starts guessing peoples hopes and dreams. (Just to clarify: No, it wasn't a weird "oooh, I have psychic powers thing." She was just trying to guess to make some small talk amongst a group of awkward high school kids.) She was giving it a thoughtful effort but was wrong every time. People would then correct her wrongness and she'd move to the next person. But seriously, who could guess something like that? At least we were all laughing as we got to know each other a little better.

  My turn came last. She looked at me for a minute, trying to analyze and form a guess.  "You...look like a writer." she finally said.

I looked back at her for a couple moments. "Seriously?" I asked, more than a little surprised.

"Oh no! Is that totally and completely wrong?" she said, thinking maybe she had offended me (I must have made a weird face. I make a lot of such things. My eyebrows are expert communicators, or so they think.)


"No. That is totally and completely RIGHT." 

I was shocked. It was a very strange moment. It wasn't like I was wearing a t-shirt that said "Future Writers of America" (in fact, I can tell you exactly what I was wearing! For some reason all my vivid memories come accompanied by outfits and smells. It is weird but true. I had on a navy blue David Beckham hoodie I had bought in London, a black hat, and a pair of jeans.) or like I had been quoting Shakespeare at her all morning. I hadn't mentioned books, I wasn't correcting anyone's grammar, I hadn't written a single thing. Nothing. No clues whatsoever.

But yet she looked at me, sitting there in my hoodie, stuffing chips into my face, and had guessed I was a writer.

 Seriously weird.  

I don't believe in psychics.( Neither did she. I assure you this girl had no abnormal mind reading powers. That would just be demonic) But I also don't believe in coincidences.  

Shortly before that time I decided what I wanted to do with the rest of my life was WRITE. Previously (almost my whole childhood) I had planned on being a Veterinarian. But at 14 there was a moment when something *CLICKED* and I realized what I was born to do (read about it here.) It was probably the most out of the blue decision of my life. I don't like change and that was a CHANGE! The idea scared me, but I knew it was what I was made for. I was told many times (still am) that is wasn't a real occupation and that I would probably starve or be homeless. People were a little worried. But I stayed resolute. I had found out what I loved to do and I was going to do it.  

And hearing out of the mouth of a random church attendee, that I had never spoken to before, that didn't know me or even my family, on a random day in the month of May, was almost like confirmation. No, I do not base what I do off this moment. No, I don't write because "Teal" said I looked like I should. That moment was just a little piece of what God was working in me. I was His kid and he believed in me, even if if felt like no one else would. It was a little reminder that He had a plan and that when I surrendered my plan to Him cool stuff happened. ( Is happening. Will Happen!) 

I'm a writer. Apparently I look like one (uh...well, I sure do look like no one else with my artsy wardrobe of second hand/vintage things, mixed with hats, bold jewelry, converse high tops, pirate shirts and boys clothes...). And writers write. So I do. Because I simply cannot do anything else.

How about you? What do you do? Is it what you love? How did you come about doing it? I would love to hear your story! 

Amateur Photographer Isabella Kiss, aka "Mini Jeff"

I have a new nickname. It is Mini Jeff.

*Whuuuut??? Before you get too confused, let me explain.

Remember my Costa Rica trip? (*Say yes.) Do you remember how I was one of the photographers on the trip (*Yes again.) Do you recall mention of our AMAZING head photographer, Jeff Crandall? (*You should still be responding yes.) After the trip he pulled me aside and offered me something wonderful! He said he thought I had great potential as a photographer and he offered to take me on as an intern/apprentice/student of sorts! I get to be a Mini Jeff!

Now, if you knew Jeff, you'd know this was an honor. He is one of the greatest photographers in my state. He has done what he does for many years. His work is beautiful. And he wants to TEACH ME!!!!! 

He has let me borrow books and has given me assignments. He is letting me take a class with him. I am getting to do more and more photography with him at my church (big events and whatnot). He is going to take me to shoots, as well as to weddings!

I GET TO LEARN HANDS-ON WITH AN AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHER!

I'm a little excited, if you can't tell. This is an amazing opportunity! I learn best when some one comes along side me, shows me how it is done, tells me what I am doing wrong or what small thing I might be doing right, and lets me work hard to improve. I don't do well with written instructions and I am not so great at just being told. But if someone can SHOW me and explain how things work, I catch on fast.

 *This is me showing my Youth Pastor (Not Jeff. Though Jeff did take this picture..) .how to do some basic things on a camera, in Costa Rica.

 I've realized I really like photography. Supposedly I have a good eye, but I really just like the creativity of it all. I thrive on the pursuit of artfulness. I don't have a *good* camera yet (my mom has been kind enough to share her Nikon D40 with me for the time being), but I'm saving up to get one. I am really pumped up to learn.

Due to all this exciting stuff, there will be a lot more photography posts on this blog. But, because I don't want to totally inundate you all with blogged pictures, I have also started up a flickr account. www.flickr.com/photos/isabellakiss

Check it out. Leave me comments. Let me know if you have flickrs and I'll do the same for you!

I want one of those...

Yes!  It is what you think it is.

 A SCRATCH MAP!!!!!!

You take a penny (or a coin of any sort...or anything really) and scratch off the gold surface layer on the places that you have been. How fun is that!?

I found this (on IWOOT...aka "I want one of those".com) and I seriously do want one. And for $22.78 it could be mine ('cept for the fact I am trying to save money, not spend it on tomfoolery...)! It is like the coolest map ever. I'd hang it on the slanty-wall/ceiling (I live in an attic so there is a lot of slant-y-ness) over my bed, then I'd conquer the globe and scratch off the stuff with currency from the country I "conquered." Way too fun!
If I had money for wastin' I'd waste it on this. Just thought I'd share...

Snapshot of July.

Alright, my friends. The last month of my life (July...parts of August as well...) have been just crazy. And not a lot of blogging has gone to document it, other than a couple Costa Rica posts. So, today I am going to try and get you up to speed with my life by giving you little snapshots of what has been going on.

Ready, set, GO!

 Well...at the beginning of the month I went to Costa Rica. I think you are all aware of this... there will be more pictures to come when they hand out the disk of the thousands of pictures that the 5 photographers took during the trip. As I was always behind the big, fancy camera belonging to Merge Ahead, I hardly took any on my own dinky little digital. Classic plane shot...

 I discovered KIWI gelato. In Costa Rica. Oh. My. Goodness. I am an Italian at heart (and in blood) and gelato is a favorite of mine (though I don't like ice cream?). And I have to say, these Costa Ricans are on to something here. Italians! Catch on! Make green and sour gelato!!!!

During the Costa Rica trip (with the help of the AMAZING Jeff Crandall) I discovered just how much I love photography.  It is going to be my new artistic pursuit. Until I get me a REAL camera, I have been messing around with my mom's Nikon D40. Couple shots of my incredibly adorable little sister "lil' Squish", in an incredibly ridiculous outfit, making the most incredibly incredible faces.

I went and spent a day at the Bronx Zoo, in New York, with my family. I think it was like the busiest, and maybe hot and humid-est, day of the year. Crowds EVERYWHERE. Long lines. And sweltering. Not quite the trip we had planned out, but still fun none the less. And I got to play photographer (and child -watcher) all day!

I bought a fantastic suede backpack for $9 at Savers. Oh HAPPY DAY! I love the thing. I have now officially given up on purses and will be using this soft and fuzzy beast. I think I have to. It is in my blood. I have very vivid memories of a childhood filled with my mom and Kiss relatives carrying leather backpacks. Now I am legit! YES!

 I had a bonfire with my amazing friends before summer tries to end on us. We played a whoooolllle lot of soccer with my younger siblings (and whole lot is an understatement), played instruments, burned stuff, ate the stuff we burned. And over all had fun.

At the bonfire we also had cake. Very special cake in which we stuck SPARKLERS!!! You see, it wasn't just any old bonfiring (?) cake, it was a cake for my friend JoJo (http://bringonthesuck.blogspot.com) who leaves this Monday for the Air Force, where he will be working with things that explode... 
We are uber proud of him and will miss him greatly for the 4 years he will be Air Forcin'. He is in our prayers (See! It says so! Right on that amazing cake!!) and should be in your too!


Skillet, Whispers in the Dark from MyNameisNotKing on Vimeo.
 I went to go see my favorite band, Skillet open for Creed. Videoed (badly) my favorite song. Horrid quality. Horrid sound. And it is sideways. But somehow, it is worth it to me.... Skillet is just so amazing. John Cooper has a wonderful raspy voice. And their drummer is a GIRL! And she sings at the same time! And wears a dress with black buckling boots! I mean, how cool can you get!? I'll be honest and say I wish I was her...

 Went on a mall adventure and tried on lots of fake glasses with my favorite 16 year old, Mopeeps. 

 House sat for a week for 2 incessantly licky Boston Terriers by the names of Ozzy and Boaz (didn't take this picture. Source.)

 And last, but certainly not least, I purchased some suspenders. Call me crazy, but I love 'em. I have stuck my thumbs under them and snapped them at least 15 times today. It is like a party of elasticiness that holds up pants. Too fun!

 So. There ya go. July and the beginning of August, in photos with itty bitty captions. Good times.