Road Trip- PICTURES!!!!

Jason, reading as we drive (a favorite past time for sure!)!

Chillaxin' in a hotel room!

Playing games with "the peeps".

My gorgeous sister Lydia!

Have a fun weekend, y'all peeps! ;)

xo,
Johanna

Q & A: Part 2!

HOW DID YOU START BLOGGING? 
Well, I started blogging when my sister set this blog up and then basically said "Here, you take it!" Lol! I just started writing down random thoughts, feelings and pictures. 

WHAT OTHER BLOGS DO YOU READ?
I read so many blogs, it becomes kind of addictive! I really enjoy Rachel Sayumi. Her style is so awesome, and she's beautiful. The Small Things Blog is another on I love, as well as The Freckled Fox and Lauren Elizabeth.

YOUR BLOG – IS IT BUSINESS OR PURE FUN?
Totally fun. I wish I had more pictures to post for ya'll. Mainly, I'd love it if I could do some Fashion posts!

DO YOU INTERACT WITH YOUR READERS?
Yes. I always make sure to follow up checking their blogs, and leave a comment or two. :)

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO HAVE A LOT OF READERS?
Very important. Without my readers, there would be no blog, although if ya'll would comment more it would help it to succeed! ;) *HINT HINT*


xo,
Johanna

Road Trip!!

I just love road trips. I mean, especially when they're 3 months long!! ;-)

Chillaxing in a hotel room!

 Playing games with  peeps!

 Can't everyone take time out for a quick "selfie"? ;)

 Especially if you have crazy glasses!

 And I know EVERYone can take time for a nap (or two)!

Chatting on the phone!

Joshua loves playing piano with auntie Sharon!

 Anywho, just thought I'd share a couple pics with ya!

Have an awesome day, lovelies! 

xo,
Johanna

Q & A: part 1

How did you come to choose your blog name? Any special meaning?
Hmm.... My brother Jason uses the word "Awesome" all the time to describe random amazing things like Cars (his current obsession), military etc. etc. I guess I just chose this name because I realized just how blessed I am... It's something I far too easily take for granted.



When did you first fall in love with fashion? What was it that interested you?
From a first look at this blog you would think Fashion has a very small part in my life. If any! I plan on doing more "fashion posts" in the near future!
Anyway, I was always intrigued by pearl necklaces, clip on earrings, and heels, but I never really did anything about it until about a year ago when my sister Sharon's sense of style really blew up. Since then, my style has incredibly skyrocketed.

Where do you hope to see you and your blog in five years?
Hmm... In five years I hope this blog will have more traffic, and I'll be able to post more pictures and outfit posts! Maybe one day this blog will be about fashion. ;)

Who/What/Where do you draw from for your fashion inspiration?
Other bloggers and Modern Modesty! My sisters Sharon and Lydia are huuuge inspirations too!
 
What are some key pieces in your closet that tie your wardrobe together? What can't you live without?
My pinstriped boyfriend button up blouse, black lace top, converse and my black flats!

If you carry a makeup bag, what is in it?
I don’t really carry a makeup bag, but I do carry a small pouch with concealer, baby lips lipgloss, bobby pins and a hair tie, plus a little travel perfume. Oh, and a mirror. These are all perfect for a quick touch-up on the go!

What is your nighttime face routine?
Not much. I wash my face with warm water. :D

Do you wear makeup? If so, what? Nope, not much! I use Maybelline BB cream, concealor and a little clear mascara. Sometimes I'll swipe on some baby lips lipbalm too!

xo,
Johanna

Vintage Style Love

I just love Vintage style.
I was making a 1940's era set on Polyvore today, and my mom came over. "Are you sure you weren't born in the wrong time period, Johanna?" She asked.
My answer? No. I'm almost totally convinced I'm a 1940's child.
Not to say I don't love modern things (in fact, I'd much rather wear my modern skirt and flip-flops than a vintage dress and lace up shoes!), but there's something intriguing about the way things were back then...

With the war going on, everyone pulled together to make things work... it was a team effort.
There were shortages in things like sugar and meat.
People knew that though they were poor in material things, they were rich in love. And that was what mattered.

Anywho, one thing I like, LOVE about that era was the styles!

I love the Coke and Diner theme for this set!

At the Fair.

I cannot get enough of this cheery collage!

Sunday Best and all the Rest.

Here's a military themed set.

Anyway, I say all that to say I'm a 40's wild child! :)

Speaking of, let's go grab a coke at the old fashioned diner down the road! You game? ;)

xo,
Johanna

Pictures, Pictures and more Pictures!

Our trip this summer was AWESOME!!!!

I thought I'd share just a couple several  a bunch of pics with you! ;)

 Playing Skip-Bo at a friend's house :) Isn't my little brother absolutely charming??

My sister Sharon is on the right. :) 

Jason!!

Check out these Piebald Deer!! 

We saw these at the house we were staying at for a week... So awesome!

Delicious Lunch with our peeps from PA.

A little surprised mom? Lol.

Baseball!!

Ping Pong with these lovelies :)

And singing!

Broomball!!

Looking at pictures... and eating of course!

Some of the awesome people we worked with!

And more broomball. :)

Being on the road was SO MUCH FUN, but I'm glad to be home for a little while! 
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support!

Have a great weekend!

xo,
Johanna

My Life as a Missionary Kid- Accomodations

"Dad, where are we staying tonight?" During our trip this summer, that's about all my dad heard.
His answer? Very often it was a hotel room, someone's basement, or a prophet's chamber (a room in a church where missionaries/evangelists can stay overnight).

 

When it was a hotel, we often stayed in one room. 
Now, you have to understand, I have a family of six. There's my Mom, Dad, two older sisters, and an 11 year old brother.
Most hotel rooms only have two double or queen sized beds, which means mom and dad take one, Sharon and Lydia (my sisters) the other, I usually take a cot, and Jason (my brother) sleeps on the floor. 
However, a few pastor's were kind enough to put us in two rooms, which was very much a blessing!!

When we stay in people's basements, ussually the bedding arrangements are the same, but sometimes they'll have an air mattress or bunkbeds. 
This is a blessing. However, it's a very very rare occasion that there are bathrooms in the basement, which of course means that we have to traipse up the stairs in the middle of the night every time we have to go. And of course, showers in the morning are quite a trial. We stayed with good friends of ours very recently that had 8 people in their family, in addition to our 6, which means that 14 people had to cycle through one shower every morning! Sundays were very hectic, as you can imagine!

Prophet's chambers were often easier, depending how many beds there were. 
We were at a place not long ago that had one double bed, and a twin bed. That was it. 
Dad and Mom took the double bed, my sister Sharon took the twin, and we bought a twin air mattress that Lydia and I shared. Jason ended up with a blanket on the floor.
When it was all said and done there was literally NO room on the floor to walk around. Needless to say, none of us slept much that night. 
There was one bathroom, which was across the hall, right in front of the auditoriam. 
However not all places are too small, or not very nice.
We stayed in a suite once with a full size kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and a bathroom! What a blessing!

Needless to say, all this has made my family very flexible. We've grown very close in the past three months, and staying in the same 15 square feet has become quite the norm!

What you can do to make missionaries stays very enjoyable is to:

(1) Be friendly.

Let them know that they can be themselves around you, and let their hair down. Missionairies lead very stressful lives, and it's such a blessing to be able to "Let their hair down" so to speak.

(2) Provide enough beds and bedding.

One of the worst things is having to sleep on the floor. We usually don't get very much sleep as it is, much less when you're sleeping on concrete! Air mattresses do the trick very nicely.

(3) Provide food and toiletries.

Because we're driving a lot, we can't keep many (if any) perishables. We carry a small cooler, but very few missionary/evangelists do. Milk and cereal is very helpful, and healthy food (ie. fruit) is great, seeing as everyone else bestows upon us twinkies and little debbie cakes. ;P

Some essential toiletry items would be:
*Toothbrushes & Toothpaste (I'm always losing mine)
*Shampoo
*Razers & Shaving cream
*Safety Pins
*Soap

As missionaries, we really appreciate any accomodations and thank you so much for your help!! :) 

Have a great week, peeps! <3

xo,
Johanna

My Life as a Missionary Kid- Teen Classes

I've been a missionary's kid as long as I can remember. Actually, all my life. My parents were called to the mission field of the Military when my oldest sister was very young, and she's 14 years older than me, so that was a long time ago.

This series is basically going to be a little bit about the different things traveling- ie. SS. classes, accomodations, food, etc. etc.

What I'm going to do is give you an outline. (a) What It's like for me. (b) What I do about it/with it. (c) What you can do.

This post is about Teen Classes. Particularly Sunday School.

As a teenage missionary kid I often go to teen classes at different churches, and it can be awkward when you don't know anyone!
_________________________________
Scenario 1:
I walk into the Sunday School building and look awkwardly around for anyone that might be friendly enough to point out the teen Sunday School class. 
Not seeing anyone in particular, I wander toward the flow of young people heading into a room in the corner of the building. 
Yes, this is definitely the Teen Sunday School class.

Almost all the seats are taken up by the time I get there. I notice one open by a girl about my age, but she is obviously pre-occupied in her iPhone and doesn't look very friendly.
Oh well.

"Is anyone sitting here?" I ask with a smile.
She barely glances up and shrugs.
I guess that's a no. I take a seat.

The youth pastor stands up before long and starts out by having everyone sing a song.
Then comes the dreaded, "It looks like we have a visitor today. Would you mind introducing yourself, ma'am?"
"Sure! I'm Johanna Raub, my dad's a missionary to the military and we're just passing through the area."
"We're glad to have you. Everyone make her feel welcome, ok?"

Before long the lesson is done and I run to find my family.
Whew, another teen class survived!

________________________________________
Scenario 2:

I step into the Sunday School Building and glance around.

"Hey! I'm Rebecca, the pastor's daughter. Are you new here?"A girl with wavy brown hair reaches out to give me a handshake.
"Hi! I'm Johanna. My dad's a missionary to the military, so we're just passing through." I smile.

"Oh, that's nice! Well, we're glad to have you! Do you want to come to our teen class?" 

"Sure! That sounds good." Yay! Finally someone who might care, just a little bit!

As we walk down the hall, we discover we're the same age, and she loves to travel almost as much as I do.

"Here we are. It's the door on the right." She opens the door, and we walk in.

 "Do you want to sit with me?" She slides into a seat beside another girl and motions me to sit next to her.

"Johanna, this is Kyler, Kyler this is Johanna." The girl beside her and I exchange greetings, and before long the youth pastor stands up.

We sing a couple stanzas of a song, and then he asks if there are any visiting teens.
Rebecca stands up.
"This is my new friend, Johanna. Her family works with the military as missionaries. They're just passing through the area."

_____________________________________


The difference friendly people can make is incredible.
In situations like Scenario 1, I often try to be as friendly as possible and introduce myself. All too often though, I meet a cold shoulder or an icy stare, and think, Ok, that didn't work. Let's try that again. 

In Scenario 2, I'm tons more comfortable and I feel like I've made a new friend and want to stick around for a while, instead of rushing off to find my family.

What can you do? 

(1) Introduce yourself

(2) Be friendly.

(3) Sit with them instead of with your friends.

(4) Introduce them to others.

When visitors come in to your church just take a moment to imagine that you're in their shoes...
You don't know anyone. If you're the kid of an unsaved parent it probably not your idea to come anyway, and you really don't want to be there.

I'm a pastor's daughter as well, and because I work at the reception desk in our church I know that these things can make or break the testimony of your church so I always try to bend over backwards to make people feel welcome.

Well, that wraps up part 1! Let me know what you think in the comments below! 

xo,
Johanna