What I'm Loving...

Clothing Edition:

A bright bag like this one.

A perfectly elegant dress that I have no idea

where I would wear it to. :) Plus the

color is beautiful.

This coat. I love coats.

This bag needs to be added to my closet...

now. Immediately.

These shorts are just too cute. The bow?

Amazing.

These were all found on Modcloth. Check out this website.

I've bought a few things from there before and I've

never been disappointed.

Artsy Game Day

before i left for college, i bought an "A" "H" and "K" for Allie, Hanna, and Kylie. We have been saying we were going to paint them since the first weekend here yet they just stayed on top of the TV and not painted. So I started the painting of the letters...

before (Hanna's since I forgot to take a picture of mine before)

Blue coat on

finished!

today is game day (beat the cardinals!) and I also made a headband out of the bottom of my shirt. I guess I was just feeling creative. :)

Have a great Saturday!

The Plans I Have For You

Photo: Here

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

I could use some prayers right now. If you are the praying kind, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. :)

We Shine

today my heart felt heavy. i walked around with not my typical smile on my face. instead, an impostor frown seemed to replace it. it wasn't ok with me... but i couldn't change it.

but then those tests were finished. put in the drawer and tucked away until i receive my grade. but that's another time. for now they're tucked away safe, away from me.

so i went to dinner. off campus. it's better out there. the food, the atmosphere, the people. and my friend paid for my dinner and there was laughing and all was good with the world once again.

and that's how this works. we fight and we push through and we live. and perhaps because of the trouble, we shine a little brighter. our war wounds are signs of pride and we flaunt them.

and that's what i did. i stood up from the stress of this week and i smiled. i got through this. amen.

Grateful

Photo: Here

lately, ive been feeling very grateful. grateful for this restored faith in God, new friends that make me a better person each time i see them, old friends that bring tears to my eyes every time i think of them, and little things like Arizona sunsets (see picture), thunderstorms, the brick walls of my dorm and coffee.

this week is hectic. crazy. the kind of week any college kid could tell you about. pile all of that on top of the insane amount of things i signed up for (overachiever in the house) and that i'm taking a language i've never taken before. (ciao italiano!) one could say i'm barely hanging on at times.

but then i go to youth group and feel renewed. then i see people from retreat and feel this warmth. i see beautiful cloud patterns and i pray. i pray for me, for you and for the people i'll never meet of this world. and i can breathe. even if just for a second.

or i'll get a letter from one of my best friends or a facebook wall post from another and these tears build up. good tears. "i miss you" tears.

so i'll be ok. of course i will. i know i will.

"when she was just a girl,

she expected the world.

but it flew away from her reach,

so she ran away in her sleep.

dreamed of paradise."

-coldplay paradise

The Fall

Photo: Here

"Life starts all over again when it get's

crisp in the fall."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby

Weekend Round-Up

i'm hesistant to talk about this past weekend. in some ways, it feels like i'm holding this bottle beaming with love, light, and energy and if i release it, it'll be hard to contain all of it once again. so i'll be brief.

have you ever had one of those spiritually enlightening weekends? the kinds where you meet tons of people who are loving, caring and share your same faith? the kind of people who hug you a lot just because they look at you and know you could use a hug. where you come back, a changed person?

that was this weekend.

first, i was able to escape the desert heat and head up to the mountains of Arizona (breathtaking) and then i was able to share my faith, that i often keep concealed, with people who understand where i'm coming from.

then today, as i'm walking around campus i saw at least 5 people from the retreat and i was able to call out to them and in each other's eyes, we understood one another. no oral communication needed. that, is powerful stuff.

let me know if you've experience something like my weekend. :)

Song of the Day:

Restless by Audrey Assad.

(listen to it with the lyrics in view. the lyrics are the most powerful part.)

A little video for you

Scenic World from allison hackett on Vimeo.

The song is Scenic World by Beirut.

This is a small video of my trip to Newport with my momma. :)

Little things...

after reading Meg's post over at The Wild and Wily Ways of a Brunette Bombshell, and she was listing those little things that make you happy, i decided to share some of my own little things.

first off, Nutella. there is nothing better than coming home from school after walking around in the heat and then proceeding to devour nutella. nothing.

the prospect of traveling abroad. (sophomore year, second semester it's happening)

cheerios. they bring me back to my childhood every time.

a good quote that swoops in and grabs you.

pictures from home that always bring a smile to my face.

compliments. giving them and receiving them.

a good smile. never underestimate the power of a good smile.

love actually, the family stone, and when harry met sally.

Meg's blog. i feel empowered every time i read her posts. they're beautiful.

best friends.

new friends.

the smell of fresh laundry.

chai teas.

those are just a few. i could keep rattling them off... but i'll stop. for now. what about you? anything that makes you happy?