a new best friend and some old ones, too

meet my new best friend

isn't it beautiful?!

one of the yearbook cameras has been on loan to me for the past two years. since I can't take it to Aubs with me, I figured it was time to invest in my own. PTL for graduation money and target giftcards!

I attempted to make a cute camera strap without using a sewing machine..needless to say, it was super janky. so until I find one I can't live without on Etsy (aka - one that won't use the rest of my graduation money), the Nikon one will have to do.

after slaving away working  on headbands (BTW-I am now in business! they are $4.50 for one flower or $7.50 for two flowers) and a janky camera strap for the majority of the day, my favorite girls came over for movie night. yay for nights with sweet friends, junk food, and good movies. I'm actually taking a break from all the excitement to blog :)

I "cooked" :)

last time my friends and I tried to cook, it was cookie dough cupcakes found on pinterest..yeah. they were NASTY. we did something wrong. so this time, I took the easy route.

they also happen to be Jane's favorite food

we took cute pictures

and compared chaco tans..jane's winning

watched some of the best movies ever. I forgot how stinking great Stick It is..way too much rock for one hand!

so thankful for time with precious best friends to laugh and share our hearts and what not.

love these girls :) cherishing this time before we all go our seperate ways..whether thats going to bama or staying home for a year or two more of high school..or living feet away from each other in KELLER. (we found out were suite mates today..there will be so much love in those rooms and the shared bathroom)

hope you're having a wonderful week so far..tell your friends how much you love them :)

bloggin day one..not so successful.

I almost missed my first day of blogging everyday..pitiful..
it's probably because nothing worth blogging about happened.
I switched from an iPhone 3G to an iPhone 4..but that's about it. big thanks to mom for cracking my screen and getting me a new one that doesn't die randomly or have vibrating seizures.

the best part was giving my brother my old iPhone (we got the screen repaired of course)
he was so surprised and excited..I took his hopeless little phone and changed the sim cards..it took FOREVER to get his other phone--sidenote: what is it with 12-year-olds and not giving up their phones? what are they hiding?--anyways..I took ran into another room and locked the door..and when I gave it back to him, he didn't even notice. he was like "THANK YOU..wait what? this is your phone? SERIOUSLY!?!"
I want to give him an iPhone every day to see that face. I wish I would have taken a picture of him.

anyways. sorry this post sucks.
I'm going to go make some headbands..like so.

want one? let me know :) I'll just be crafting away.



updates and goals

happy memorial day weekend, friends! :)

so far I've spent mine by the pool in my chacos. the tan is coming along real nice.

(pardon my ugly toenails)

anywho. let me catch you up on life.

this major season of change has taken off all too quickly.

I graduated on Wednesday. what? graduated? scary. hasn't hit me yet.

such beautiful friends and sisters! so proud of these ladies

ran to hug my best friend/soul mate Jane right after. so thankful for this sister!

how blessed I am to have such precious parents.

not only has my title as "senior in high school" changed to "freshman in college" and my school changed, but relationships have changed..the Lord has taken a relationship out of my life. He overwhelmed my heart with His love and sense of purpose. His ways are higher and His plans are bigger than mine. this change has been hard, but it will certainly be for my good and His glory! He giveth and He taketh away, and I cannot wait to see His plans for me unfold. this is all so new. but I am SO excited to experience new places, build new relationships, and grow even more in my walk with the Lord. I move into home sweet Helen Keller Hall on August 7th. whaaaatt. I am thrilled! not only because I get to spend the next year of my life with so many of my sweet friends, but I'll be like 100 feet from chickfila and starbucks. FIST. PUMP.

anywho. this summer is going to be spent with best friends and family. making memories, cherishing the time we have together, completing a super senior summer bucket list with my loves, getting ready for the next step, etc. it will also be spent meeting a goal. I don't know if it's stupid to set a goal to blog..but I am doing it. two of my favorite bloggers are Ashley at under the sycamore and Emily at today's letters. I want to be these women when I grow up. forreal though..does Auburn have a blogging/crafting major? they should. anyways. they blog almost EVERY DAY. craziness. SO, my goal is to blog everyday that I can..starting NOW. I may blog about something I did that day, something crafty, something random, something the Lord is teaching me, or something I just want to share. maybe about all five. who knows. it's a way to document the days of this special summer. it's also a way to get me to stop obsessing over others' blogs for a little bit and start tending to my own. I want to do this for the rest of my life...in college, when I get married, when I have kids, all that jazz. why not start now?

so there you have it..an update and a goal.

see you here tomorrow ;)

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ."

1 Peter 4:10-11

scatterbrained blog post

hmm. this is going to be all over the place. I have a few little things to talk about.

number 1: oh my goodness gracious..I am about to graduate from high school.
I don't know how exactly to feel about it. and my feelings towards college change frequently. this week I'm scared and resistant..I wrote move in day on my calendar the other day and got nauseous. it's a good thing I was in class or I would have broken down crying. I'm a baby. I'm not supposed to almost be 18. I don't want to leave my home or my family. (I apologize for my nervous tantrum) Some weeks I'm excited and ready to be in Auburn..but those are rare. There is an good part though, I have drawn very close to my sweet family. I am so very thankful that my desire is to be with them through this transition. I find myself dying to go see my dad in his office during the day and wishing I was with my momma. Oh, how I will miss the days when I could drop by and see my daddy during the middle of the day. Also, I finished my last yearbook today..how weird. I have devoted so much of my time in the last 3 years to this book (or 3 of them). And today was my last deadline..ever. PRAISE THE LORD that this weight is off of my shoulders! there will be no more deadline day stress, no more being the last person in the school parking lot after a late night, no more stress-induced rants on my sweet staff. as much as I'm glad these things will never happen again, I will miss it so much. I hold 3 600 page books in my heart. my life will be weird without the good ole Caravel in it. it's such a strange feeling, this getting ready to go to college thing. and I can't seem to get past it. poor Alex keeps reminding me that graduation is so close, and he's so excited for me to be in Auburn with him--and I'm eagerly awaiting being with him again--the graduating and leaving Hoover part..not so much. I am praying constantly for God to prepare my heart for this transition and sweet new season in my life. and He surely will in His time! I'm so thankful for His plan.

number 2: so blessed to be a blessing!
as you know, Alex and I have spent this school year apart. Him being in Auburn, Me in Hoover. it's had it's ups and downs..ehhh. mostly downs. haha. anywho, we have some sweet friends who are about to enter into exactly what we did. and last weekend at prom, we got to talking with them about everything. it was such a sweet time for Alex and me to share our hearts with this couple. it made me realize just how much this year of separation has taught me. it's taught me patience, to love and to respect, and over all, it's taught us so much about each other and how we love and need to be loved. anyways, it was so encouraging for us to talk to them and let them know how things are done. we're pretty much pros at it with only ONE month left! YAY! they are such sweet friends and we are SO thankful for their friendship and their relationship with each other. we are praying for them as they enter into this and we're confident that they will probably do better than we did. hopefully they'll have a few less bumps in the road :) I am so glad that my experience got to help someone else. it was such a blessing :)

number 3: the Lord's sense of humor
God thinks He's really funny. some people don't seem to get it when I talk about this. but I know my Jane does. A few weeks ago, we were getting ready for her to go to South Africa for Spring Break..as we were praying, I said something that was from a song..I don't remember now but I believe it was something along the line of "until the whole world hears". this caused us to bust out laughing. and we got to talking about the Lord's sense of humor. so, this morning, I was running extra super late..and still had to print out a paper--I hadn't given God any thought yet this morning, by the way--anyways, so I hit print and, of course, my printer decides to jam. so I start freaking out and getting frustrated and stomped into the kitchen..as I paused to grab something, I could hear the printer printing normally and I walked in and there was my paper. And I just died out laughing. what a sweet reminder that God is bigger than my plans! one of my favorite songs right now is "This is the Stuff" by Francesca Battistelli. my favorite line is "in the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I'm blessed". what truth! I need to put this where I can see it multiple times, every single day. Maybe I'll paint it, sew it on a pillow, write it on a sticky note and put it on my forehead. ha :) anyways. He is always faithful..how quick I am to forget that! sometimes all we need is a quick paper jam to remind us :)

I feel like I had much more to say, but my memory is failing me.

please pray for me as I prepare for this new season in my life. it's a sweet and exciting time. pray that I come to enjoy it. pray for Alex and me through this last month of separation, and pray for our sweet friends and their approaching journey.

"I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalm 16:7-11

Oh, how He loves us!

Hopefully this will be a short one..because I'm tired. and its 1 o'clock the morning.
but I am in desperate need to write what is on my heart.

I have found myself completely overwhelmed lately just thinking about the Father's deep love for me. I guess it's something I've never fully grasped. Now, I find myself weeping through every song, verse, and thought of it.

He loves me so much more than anyone ever could.
He loves me more than my parents can love me.
More than Alex could love me or I could love Him.
More than my friends could.
More than I can love being crafty, spending time with friends and family, diet coke, or paper boutiques (and if you know me, you know that those are my favorite things)

How is this?!
I will never fully understand how He could love us so much to send his son to DIE.

I love children. I'm going to be an elementary teacher. I spend a good bit of my time thinking about my future family and the houseful of sweet babies I hope to have one day. They don't even exist. and I can't imagine giving them up. Yet our Father gave up His ONLY son.

okay..I know we all learned this in Sunday school when we were four.
but really..I can't wrap my brain around someone giving their life for me. I never had until quite recently. it is a painfully sweet realization.

His love is unfailing. satisfying. unconditional. relentless. never changing. deep. steadfast. redeeming. perfect. there are so many I'm not saying. partially because there are SO many, and partially because it's 1:43 and my brain slowly shutting down. which means I should probably end this..there may be more later.

I am so thankful for the love of my Father. I am glad that my heart is His. He makes me beautiful and loved. He is jealous for me and desires my love in return for His. Wow. Overwhelmed.

"Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Vast unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to thy glorious rest above!

Oh the deep, deep love
All I need and trust
Is the deep, deep love of Jesus!

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He came and paid our ransom through the saving cross He bore.
How He watches o'er His loved ones, died to call them all His own,
How for them He's interceding, pleading now before the throne!

Oh the deep, deep love
All I need and trust
Is the deep, deep love of Jesus!

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Far surpassing all the rest
It's an ocean full of blessing in the midst of every test!
Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Might savior, precious friend!
You will bring us home to glory where your love will never end!

Oh the deep, deep love
All I need and trust
Is the deep, deep love of Jesus!"

(Oh the Deep, Deep Love - Sovereign Grace Music)
(first song on my playlist at the bottom)

Lord, all I need is your love. Let it fill and satisfy me. Let my heart be after you and your will alone.

so, it's been a while..

goodness gracious, I have not blogged in FOREVER!
I am so excited to share all that the Lord has been doing in my life, and trust me, He's been at work.


the first thing that comes to mind is my "spiritual hiatus" with Alex.
right around Christmas, things just didn't seem right to me. I was worrying about things I never would have worried about in normal circumstances, and I was just started to notice some things that were wrong in our relationship. I keep these thoughts and worries locked up in my head. until one night when I was eating dinner with my "little sister" Lexie, I just started rambling on about all these worries I was having, and she patiently listened. worries like "I don't know if I want to marry him one day" and "I don't know if I want to go through another semester of him being away in Auburn" etc, etc. I know that first one sounds CRAZY coming from a 17 year old. but if you know me well enough, you know that I am OBSESSED with weddings and all things that come with them. this is a problem. BIG problem. anyways, so this was always in the front of my mind throughout our whole relationship, and Alex, being the precious boy that he is, usually went along with it. SO, back to the story, after this talk with Lexie, I felt the Lord tugging on my heart. I has asked Him to show me what to do about these worries. and He was pulling me in a direction I never thought I would go. My focus was no longer on the Lord, and hadn't been for a long time. I was finding my worth in a boy. I needed to get back to my REAL first love. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that He was telling me to break up with Alex. "but why Lord? not my sweet precious Alex!" but He is faithful to answer if you ask even if it's not the answer you want. anyways..long story short : I did it. it was the most heart-breaking yet most enlightening experience of my life. Alex was so loving and understanding through the entire process, even though it was hard for him. it was so hard to distance myself from the boy I had talked to everyday for over a year! but God granted me peace! so much of that peace that surpasses all understanding! I spent the time with sweet precious best friends who had kind of fallen off of my radar. I am so thankful for those girls and the constant encouragement they provided me with (along with lots of cookies and other yummy junk food). by the next night, I was thrilled and excited to see what the Lord was going to do with my life through this break up. ironically enough, I was leaving for a trip to Orlando with my mom a few days later. I am so thankful for this trip. I got to spend so much time focusing on the Lord that I would not have been able to spend at home. by the middle of the trip, Alex and I had talked some. we told each other how we could feel God working in our lives and just how exciting it was anticipating what He had in store for us. long story short (again..sorry for the rambling!)..Alex and I went on a date when I got back and discussed everything. We were quickly back into our routine of being together constantly. but everything was so much different! it was like we were two totally different people, yet we were still the persons that the other loved dearly. where there used to be fighting, there was laughter. where normally I would have made some stupid comment about the way Alex said something, I was just grateful to have him. it's amazing how God works. we have seen it first hand and are continually growing in our relationship and our individual walks with God. we are officially back together now, and while we still have some things to work on, we are longing for God to be the absolute center of our relationship. we will celebrate our one year anniversary on February 17th :) cannot believe it.


now, second thing that comes to mind (this will be shorter I promise!)..
God is softening my heart. I've always been emotional, but it's an entirely different spectrum of emotions. I can tell everyday. it's in little things like a sweet movie ending or lunch with a friend. He is making me more thankful, more outgoing in sharing my faith, and He's breaking my heart for what breaks His. I think about Him in everything and see His presence clearly in everyday things. Tears have been flowing. Which isn't too abnormal for me, but again, it's a new kind of crying. When the little boy I babysit tells me what he knows about Jesus, when I listen to a sermon, when I'm reading my bible, when I see a homeless person. i love this new thing going on. I am SO grateful for it.


third, He has blessed me with such a precious friend to hold me accountable in everything.

what a precious friend and sister I have in Jane Elizabeth! we've been friends since freshman year. we're soul mates, pretty much. I am so thankful for and continually blessed by the time I spend the with this girl. whether it be at Panera for Friday morning Bible Study or at a Gap sale (which we may hit a little too often). she is such an encouragement and she LOVES the Lord! I love seeing God working in her life and our friendship. I love you sweet sweet Jane. thank you for being my best friend and holding me accountable :)


thanks for listening to my ramblings. I hope that somehow the story of how God has been working in my life will encourage and bless you. please continue to pray my growth and for mine and Alex's relationship. 


Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Psalm 119:36-37

"I will surely bless you.." Genesis 22:17

Recently the Lord has shown me how truly blessed I am.
He has given me so much, and I take it for granted.
I am surrounded by precious Jesus-loving friends who encourage me and hold me accountable. I have an amazing boyfriend who loves God more than he could ever love me and makes sure that God is always in the center of our relationship. and I am so thankful that I have wonderful Christian parents (who are more like two of my best friends) that have raised me right.
It's so cliche to say that I'm so fortunate to live in America. but REALLY. At girl's retreat, we learned about different countries and the things that young girls go through. I could never even fathom being in a place where I didn't know about Jesus, much less a place where I could be sold into prostitution before I was even a teenager. I am so thankful for my church and my youth ministry and the people who make it all happen.

I have been trying to focus more on the ways that God has blessed me and He has surely shown me. Today, I went to lunch with some friends and we got to talk about our beliefs and missions and all kinds of things that just don't come up in typical conversations because we're too busy gossipping or speaking of things that do not bring glory to God. It was such a sweet time to share with these sisters. I am so thankful for them and that God has strategically placed them in my life. I can't imagine not being with some of them in just a few short months :( scary thought..let's put that one away for a while.

I've seen God's hand on everything lately, and it's just another blessing. I see it on me. I see it on my relationships. I see it guiding me through my day. I even see it when I don't want to see it. When all I want to do is be selfish and worry about how I want things to go, God shows me how He wants it to go. How could I ever disregard His plan for me when I know that nothing could ever be more perfect? Psalm 46:10 has been on my heart lately. "Be still and know that I am God." Sometimes I forget about the most common verses that I've known my entire life, but they're usually the exact message I need. We never take to time be still and listen to God. I've prayed for God to slow down my increasingly busy life so that I can take time to be still and listen for His gentle whisper.

Psalm 25
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they share be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know you ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he make known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

Lord, that is my prayer. Let me be satisfied in your steadfast love. Do remember me and my stresses. Help me give them to you, God. I pray that you open my eyes even more to see how you have blessed me. Show me the needs of others around me and how to live and love like you and for you more each and every day. Thank you for making your presence even more prevalent in my life lately. I can't wait to see you even more.

Amen.


If you are unaware of how blessed you are, I encourage you to take a little while to think about what God has given you. It is truly earth-shattering.