Favorite Things Friday : Nov. 11

these are a few of my favorite things...


1. this song.
Forever Reign by Kristian Stanfill

Kristian was actually here in Aubs for a event we had Tuesday called Ignite. Louie Giglio spoke and Kristian and Christy Nockels led worship. it was such a sweet time and a privilege to participate in. so cool see true revival in the hearts of over 3,000 students. but I love what this song says. every single word.

such a great reminder that our God is good and He is here and alive! He is our love, our hope, our peace, and our joy. His promises are true and He will always be enough. 

2. these LEAVES!

(pic via pinterest)

I think yellow leaves are my favorite. I love seeing all the changing leaves on the drive back to Birmingham. fall is my favorite thing in the world. everything about it. mmmm..

3. this book.

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis.

you all know her. you all love her. this sister's obedience to go to Uganda and leave everything behind is so encouraging to me. I just started it, and I can't wait to read more. I had the privilege of hearing her speak at Church of Brookhills a few weeks ago when I went home. her willingness to do whatever the Lord's calls her to is so evident. she is a woman after His own heart, y'all. check out her blog and this book!

4. Nugget.

the word and the car.

this is Nugget. Alex's rental car. he hit a deer last week, and the Honda place so kindly gave him this little baby while his car gets fixed. isn't it precious? and so appropriately named Nugget! it's a tight squeeze for 3 people, but it has a bumpin' sound system. also, the word 'nugget' is quickly becoming the most used word in my vocabulary. like I use it more than I use to word 'kitten'..which is a lot. everyone and everything has become nugget. yay for new words!

5. butter crunch.

Chels and I decided we needed a little taste of home. noone in Aubs is cool enough to have real ice cream. so we went ahead and got some on our first trip to Kroger (and became members..with discounts. wahoover!). JenJen is the best hall director EVER for keeping it in her big freezer for us; therefore, she gets to be in the picture.

what's one of your favorite things this week? 

happy weekend and war eagle y'all! 

it's the...

MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

at least that reigns true in Keller 102.

you see, Em and I are those girls. I think you know what I'm talking about.

those girls get THIS excited to play Christmas music and drink peppermint mochas from red starbuck's cups.

those girls that put up their Christmas trees (yes, treeS!) as soon as the trick-or-treaters are gone.

(this girl was in bed with the stomach bug, but up they went!) 

those girls that sleep on Christmas pillows with Christmas lights and snowflakes hanging above.

those girls that have the countdown clock that tells you how many days, hours, minutes, and SECONDS there are until Christmas.

yep. that's us. 

and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Learning and Trusting

as promised in yesterday's make it monday post, it's time for another life update.

since the last time I blogged, my life has changed quite a bit. three days after that post, I quit zeta. I'll give y'all the spark notes version. after a lot of reflecting on my walk with the Lord, talking to my parents and friends, and praying about it a lot, I decided that being in a sorority might not be the best thing for me. I wasn't happy. I wasn't myself. I just found myself so discouraged. so I quit. I've always been the type to go with my gut with any decision. sometimes this can be a bad thing, but for this I know it was right. however, life didn't magically go back to awesome normalness after I quit..

I have never felt so lonely in my life. honestly, my situation just got worse...I had so much time on my hands. when all the girls in Keller went to their different sorority functions, I was I found myself questioning the Lord and His plan constantly. questioning why I wasn't chosen for a different sorority. why I didn't make things I tried out for. this was all new for me. through high school, I pretty much made everything I tried out for and got whatever I wanted (not in a bratty way, but you know what I mean). needless to say, this was a reality check. and I wasn't too happy about it.

you know James 1:2? "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds." this is SO not easy. it's so hard to rejoice when we're struggling. it was so hard for me to be joyful and draw near to the Lord. and honestly, I didn't even try. I was so caught up in being lonely and down I couldn't even make myself try to focus on Him. it got to the point where I felt like I couldn't even "talk-the-talk" anymore. my faith was tested over and over..and I just couldn't find the joy that I used to find in the Lord.

finally, the Lord kinda slapped me in the face. which is exactly what I needed. He showed me that He IS in control even when it feels like He couldn't be further away. I was so far from Him because I hadn't even really tried to draw near to Him. I was waiting on the Lord to act. and He was waiting on me to actually trust that He would. I HAD to put my trust in Him. not myself. not my abilities. not anyone else. the Lord emptied me of everything in my life that I thought was so great. He is the only thing great in my life. all other great things come from Him.

I am so thankful for this trial. October was the hardest month of my life, no question about it. the Lord emptied me of myself and has filled me again with Himself. I don't have it down perfect. I never will. but I am thankful that I have been through this and have the scars to prove it. they are reminders of the Lord's unfailing love and grace on someone who had to learn to let go and trust God.

LACE

MAKE IT MONDAY: no crease pony tail holders

so..I tweeted about something I made and everyone is spamming me with questions of how to do the same. so, instead of replying to everyone, I'll blog about it. sooo....

WELCOME TO THE FIRST MAKE IT MONDAY, Y'ALL!

I plan to make this a weekly occurrence. hopefully I will keep this blog-promise! I know I've made so many. but this is doing something I love once a week. seems manageable enough. I've wanted to do a DIY or crafty post for SO long now! and this seems like the perfect opportunity. so let's do it!

so, here in Aubs, lots of girls are wearing these new pony tail holders that don't crease your hair. (good solution considering hygiene moves down on the priority list..hehe!) and they were ALL OVER Christmas Village. so naturally, I decided I should be like all the cool kids and get some. so, I spent an entire psych class googling them to find them at a discounted price (as in NOT $8 for like 3 pony tails). my findings did not please me...

so being the crafty girly that I am, I ventured over to Hobby Lobby.

while they don't carry the actual silk-elastic by the yard or by the roll, they do have headbands made from it in the jewelry/accessory/etc. section. not the most ideal purchase, but it'll do..let's get to the making.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Silk-Elastic Headbands (they come in packs of 2)

Scissors

Hands 

WHAT TO DO:

1. get headband

2. cut headband in half on both ends

3. fold halfs in half and tie a knot at the end

finished product! how easy was that?!

I bought 4 headbands for $4 and had one headband already. 

10 durable, non-creasing ponytails for $4. 

I have one in my hair now and I'm excited for it to not be creased..

I am super duper excited about this new Make It Monday thing! hope y'all are too :)

check in tomorrow for a life update..it'll be a good one. I have much to share.

Jesus is Better

hello from my hammock, friends! have ya missed me? :)

it's a beautiful day in Auburn! Chelsey and I are chilling in our hammocks as campus slowly turns into a ghost town. pretty sure we're the only people staying here this weekend..BUT our friends are coming!!!!

we cannot wait to see Katelyn, Reagz, Alyx, and Chan! get ready for a weekend full of Auburn fun, y'all :)

anywho, since I'm chilling here avoiding my psychology notes, I thought it would be a good time to update the blog!

since my last post, I have...

 spent a lot of time with these ladies

chopped my hair off

bought a hammock

taken my first college road trip with some of the best friends I could ever ask for

seen T-Swizzle in concert

spent a lot of time in Robert Brown Draughon Library

mostly goofing off or pinning..but I get a good bit of studying done, too :)

made some really precious friends (and cheered on the tigers. war eagle, y'all!)

and been amazed my Heavenly Father's ability to make Auburn's skyline look like this almost every night.

but ultimately, I've been learning. not about finite math or american government. but about the importance of holding onto faith and trusting in the Lord. I'm not going to sugar coat my college experience thus far in this post because, frankly, I would be lying if I said I haven't struggled. The Lord has shown me so much in these first two months. He's shown me that He's always there even when it feels like no one is. He's shown me how important it is to spend time with Him and make Him a priority. He's shown me how blessed I am to have precious, precious friends who love Him. there have been many instances where I've felt very out of place. instances where I've found myself wishing I was back in the halls of Hoover High where I knew everyone and everyone knew me. instances where I have desperately craved the presence of my Christian friends. instances when I wish some things had turned out differently. but if they had, it would be the Lord's plan, would it? nope. it's been very hard for me to take comfort in the fact that the Lord knows exactly what He's doing..but I am doing my best to continue trusting His perfect will and plan for my life.

college has been very humbling so far..goodness gracious. it's been SO humbling.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

I have to be honest on this part..it's been hard for me not to judge other girls in my classes and in my sorority based on their actions or even on their looks..I was so discouraged for a while because I hadn't found a core group of girls in zeta that loved the Lord and that were going to "build me up" in my walk with the Lord. this was my mindset for weeks. everyone else was finding friends and I still hadn't. looking back on it now, I was angry with the Lord about this. it was like I couldn't understand why He would put me in a place where His presence wasn't evident. I love how the Lord uses a sermon or even casual words from a friend to get His point across. not by coincidence, the subjects of grace and judging others kept coming up. the two things I really needed to take to heart. who am I to judge these girls? sure, I don't drink, go to parties, etc. and yes, they might do those things. but why should that mean they can't be the girls that will strengthen my walk with the Lord? where did I even get the idea that this whole sorority thing is about me anyways? it's about HIM! everything in my life should be about HIM and HIM ALONE! I am on this earth to shine God's light and share the love of Christ with girls (and guys) who may or may not party. that is my purpose. zeta isn't about me. college isn't about me. I may not be comfortable in some situations. I may not be being encouraged in the way that I'm used to. but I'm not there to be comfortable. I'm there to build up and encourage other girls and pray that they might see a speck of God's infinite love through me. and even if they don't, it's still not my place to judge them. that is the Lord's place. loving them is my place.

"they will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35 

I definitely have not perfected this love yet, but I'm trying to keep it in mind when I am tempted to judge or think highly of myself. because in the end, I am nothing and Jesus is everything.

I am so thankful that the Lord has given me this outlet to share my faith. I love blogging, and I can honestly say that writing these posts draws me nearer to Him. I'm going to try to blog a little more now that I've gotten caught up :) I hope and pray that you enjoy reading about my walk with the Lord and maybe even find some nugget of encouragement from my experiences. I ask that you pray for me if you will. for the Lord to soften my heart to others and to His plan for me. pray that I will be intentional about my time in Auburn. naps and homework and pinterest are great, but spending time in the Word is better. encouraging others is better. sharing my faith is better. Jesus is better. He's better than any work I will do on this earth. He's bigger and better than any struggle I may go through. I am so thankful that even when I go astray, I can come back to the Lord and His arms will be open, waiting for me. He is always better.

"¹² We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. ¹³For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. ¹⁶From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:12-21

FIST PUMPS!

remember in this post where I talked about Emily Loerke at Today's Letters?

yeah. good. well every friday they have "Fist-Pump Friday" where their blog consists of pictures sent in of people doing fist pumps and leg kicks and what not. you should check it out.

ANYWAYS! I am SO SO SO excited to share that Chelsey and I are on it today! when we found out, we jumped up and down screaming for 5 minutes (sorry if we woke you up, Keller girls). I read this blog everyday and it's by far one of my favorites. everyone should love it.

so yeah :) go check us out HERE!

P.S. college life is great :) all of us new Zeta Babies are headed out on our pledge retreat tonight. expect blog about that on Sunday night.

happy weekend friends!

Zeta Love

so excited to be a part of this sisterhood!

have fun seeing some cute pics from Bid Day :)

proud Zeta mommas

so thankful that two of my best friends are now sisters :)

need chels in this picture. so funny how things work out :) I'm a Zeta, she's a Chi O. LOVE these precious, precious friends.

ZLAM :)