Blog #1: Sydney Smith (Howdy)

I'm in the interesting position that I know most of you, but not all. Some of you I have been in school with since 3rd grade, but some of you I have just met this year. So my dilemma: what does a person say to such a group of people? I suppose I'll just try my best with the following:

What are my passions?

1.) Hands down, serving others is my #1 choice. There are very few better things I could do with my time than serving someone else. It brings me so much joy- it's just how I'm wired. Galatians 5:13 says, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve each other in love." I love that verse.

2.) Learning. Awkward, right? But I can't help it. I suspect that it's a mixture of having a teacher mom, encouragement from both parents, an awesome older brother to look up to, and an extremely competitive nature. I love to push myself to my intellectual limits, and I love a good challenge.

3.) The Bible. I truly cannot go a whole day without reading the Bible. I read it when I wake up, when I'm on the bus, when I'm at school, before I go to bed- you name it. God's word  satisfies me so much. I couldn't possibly say what my FAVORITE Bible verse is, but one of them is Romans 8:38-39: "For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!"

4.) Music. I love country, Christian, and classical. Like a stereotypical Kentucky girl, I enjoy some Taylor Swift music from time to time. Recently, I've also been enjoying some songs from musicals- Les Miserables is my favorite. 

5.) I'm a kid at heart, which is one of the reasons why I love working with kids so much. I could do coloring books and play with Play- Dough all day!

What are my personal and academic goals for this year?

1.) Academic goals: I know what I'm capable of, so my goal is to try my hardest and achieve what I'm confident I have the ability to do. I have been blessed academically, and I plan on taking advantage of that gift to the best of my ability. It seems weird to post the exact grades and scores I hope to get, but if you know me well enough, you should have an idea.

2.) Personal goals: Do as much community service as humanly possible, cause I love that stuff. In my first 2 years of high school, I have gotten over 1,000 hours of community service, so my goal is to finally pass 1,500. Maybe even get to 2,000 (unlikely). We'll see. Also, I want to get into GSP more than I can possibly describe. I've got lots of other goals,too, but these are my top 2.

Random other stuff about me: My awesome big brother Cullen is starting college at UK this year; I love watching the news, "Downton Abbey", and football (high school, college, and NFL); I think I want to be a lawyer when I grow up (but I haven't decided yet); I'm obsessed with random acts of kindness; I read the newspaper every morning before school; I attended the MSTC (Math, Science, Technology Center) at Dunbar during my freshman year; I run Cross Country; and math is my favorite subject ever.

Me and my awesome brother

  

My Panama mission team to Panama City. Summer 2013. Our shirts say, "Busca La Una Perdida".

Right before observing my 1st heart surgery, Central Baptist Hospital Fellowship, Summer 2013. Rocking those monogrammed scrubs.

I love creating scenes like this from the tech booth at my church, Immanuel Baptist. Pictured is my fantastic youth group last Sunday night.

Here is my favorite video ever! It's a  skit to the song "Everything" by Lifehouse. I went on a mission trip to Panama City, Panama this summer, and we performed many skits to about 8,000 children in schools there. This was one of those skits. I highly encourage watching it; it will probably bring tears to your eyes. Admittedly, it still brings tears to my eyes to this day.

My favorite websites:       http://www.sermonaudio.com/main.asp 
                                             http://blogs.wsj.com/law/