time out

first blog post from college! FIST.PUMP.

wanna see our room? yes. you do.

what up, lori?! i miss you. a ton.

looks a little strange, huh? yeah. well..that is because we got the second smallest room in Keller. yuck. literally, you could not get to the bathroom because these was no where for the dressers to go. SUCKED. so after a what seemed like hours of brainstorming ideas of creating space without bunking, we came up with this solution. my bed is on top. it has two sets of bed risers holding it up, and it is adjusted to be as high as it can be. Em's feet go under. it's a beautiful solution and has worked out quite nicely the 5 days we've been here. 

my desk..it's kind of more organized now..but not really. the stuff that's on it just moved to a different location..and now there's room for more stuff.

love this sister/roomie/bestie. love her heart. and personality. and that I get to talk to her every night before I go to sleep.

love my suiteys :)

anywho..the title of this post has two meanings. first meaning is that I FINALLY have time to blog. and look at other blogs. and pinterest. three claps for only having 5 rush parties today and getting out an hour early. YES! second meaning is taking a time out of this crazy insane exhausting week to pray and spend time with the Lord. you wouldn't think that talking to a bunch of girls about your major, football tickets, high school, and living situation would take so much out of you. but dang, I am worn flat out. not to say I haven't loved rush, because I totes have, but yeah. it's def. tiring. 

needless to say, being dropped isn't that fun. fortunately, my two favorites are still sticking around. this week has been such a reminder to stick to what I know: God's unfailing, immeasurable love. that is the only thing that will never change. the sororities on my schedules change. the ones I like change. but the most important thing about me is my faith. faith that the Lord has a plan for me. that He is going to place me with sorority sisters, and sisters in Christ, that will build be up in my faith. who share my beliefs and encourage me to be a better woman of God. this is what I have clung to all week. I stayed up last night praying for my sweet friends, myself included as well, and looking for encouragement in the word. here are a few things I found:

"All the ways of man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose.." Proverbs 16:2-4

"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you nor forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8

"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for it is you that I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:8

what great reminders! I tried to keep those in mind today as I visited the different sororities. I am confident in the fact that the Lord is going to place me exactly where I need to be. sure I have a couple that I really love. but the purpose of everything I do should be to glorify the Lord. not to satisfy myself. He calls us to seek His face above all else (Psalm 27:8), and I pray that wherever I end up will help me do just that. I am so thankful for this week of growing closer to sweet friends and talking together and praying for each other. I cannot wait to see what the Lord places each of us!

update to come on Sunday :)

sweet lasts

goodness..this seasons of lasts is about to come to a close. I cannot believe I move to Auburn in 8 DAYS. that's insane. I feel like I need to talk about all my little emotional last moments in this blog..but I'll spare you guys ;)

anywho. I just got back from my LAST family trip before I head off to college. some of our good friends were staying in North Carolina this week and invited us up for the weekend to go white water rafting and such. being the scaredy cat that I am, I tried to opt out of the vicious Ocoee River, but Donnie Quinn wasn't going to let that happen. SIDE NOTE: he never has been one to let me stay away from my fears..roller coasters, white water rafting, horseback riding, vegetables, and any other pathetic fear you can think of. he let me cry through all of these as a child, and, of course, I loved them at the end. that's the great thing about dads. making you face your fears and what not. oh, and yes. I was scared of all of those things. I was am the most paranoid person ever when it comes to anything involving an adrenaline rush. we have a lot of pictures of me crying at theme parks.

enough about my paranoia..let's see some pictures.

we stopped for a little while to see the river and watch some rafters.

look at my cute little bro..he's gunna be already is a little heartbreaker.

he's actually not taller than me..I still have 2 inches on him. but I feel like I'm going to come home one weekend and all of a sudden be looking up to him. scary thoughts.

"I don't wanna smile anymore..take a picture of me looking like I'm taking in the nature." typical 12 year old for ya..

they tried to teach me to skip rocks..I know how, I just really suck at it.

looks like I'm about to take him out..but don't worry, I'm probably just trying to not listen to him teaching me how to skip rocks :)

love this woman. cannot begin to believe that I leave her so soon..

and these guys too :)

so after many failed attempts to skip rocks (with a few successes), we hopped back in the pilot and drove up the mountain to a cabin with the most beautiful view I've ever seen in my life.

this beautiful sight was a wonderful reminder of my Creator. my Sunday school teacher for the past 3 years always says that one of the ways God reveals Himself is through nature. my heart sank when I was taking pictures of this view. I found myself wishing I had brought my Bible so that I could sit and meditate on God's word. I've been putting God to the side lately and second to all the busyness that has surrounded me this month. this longing to spend time with Him just reminded me how important it is to draw near to Him. especially during this season of change because He will be the only thing that will stay consistent. so thankful for the way the Lord reveals Himself to us so clearly. and that even after we've gone astray for a little while, we can always run back into His open arms.

after the sun went down, we gathered around the campfire and sang our campfire song.

made s'mores (MY FAVE)

and just sat around and visited for a while

until all the kids went inside to watch some Glee on Netflix (Clayton got me HOOKED on Netflix. glad I can use his account!)

after a very late night filled Glee and The Office, I finally went to sleep.

and woke up bright and early to the smell of pancakes.

then we headed to the Ocoee. I packed my fears up and got into the boat.

I wish I had pictures of all of us in our rafting gear, but sadly, I had to leave my camera in the car. it ended up being a very fun bonding experience! (of course) that water felt SO GOOD. jumping into a beautiful mountain river is so much better than jumping into a lukewarm neighborhood pool. #love (yes. I just hashtagged in my blog. do something about it.)

anywho. after changing out of our soaking wet river clothes, we got on the road back to Birmingham. so thankful for this last weekend with my sweet family! technically we still have one more..but I have a feeling it won't be nearly as relaxing as a trip North Carolina..(packing packing and more packing)

I'm going to try to blogument (document through the old blog) this last week in the Hoovs..yeah. blogument. I just went there. and it was lame. don't think I'm going to go back..sorry bout that, friends. basically, I'm going to do my best to blog a few times this week (in the midst of my little mess this week). if I don't meet this challenge, you can definitely expect a move-in day blog next Sunday.

I'm headed to a best friend sleepover with my good ole Chelsey Beth. nights like this make me smile. knowing that they'll be endless in a little over a week makes me do this:

mmm..gotta love Photo Booth pics.

peace out, sweet friends! :) 

cupcake wars, gallery walls, and birthdays

these are a few of my favorite things..

random post..3 topics (in the order they were listed)..try to keep up.

CUPCAKE WARS - not only is cupcake wars like my favorite show ever..it's also a family-favorite past time. this week my sweet bestest friend since BIRTH, Devin, is visiting. look how cute we were...(just do me a favor and ignore the bowl cut..and the stickers and awk places the pictures have been cut. all pictures were taken of a scrapbook I made when I was 6.)

anyways. so last night after spending lots of time in hobby lobby and target with my mom, we decided to have cupcake decorating wars between the three of us. I wish I had some pictures of the decorating process, but I was in the zone with my cupcakes. so here are the finished products..

mine - the randoms

Devin's - Sesame Street theme

Mom's - beach/animals/humans/not really sure

my dad was the judge..Devin's Oscar the Grouch won Best Overall and she won the war all together with a total of 14 points. I had 13 (I could only use my top 4). and Mom got a whopping 4 points. yikes.

it was a super fun and super yummy time. I love my family :)

GALLERY WALL - for about a year now, my mom has been begging asking my dad to put together a gallery wall at the top of our stairs. we've looked at paint samples and I made her frames for Christmas..and my dad and I FINALLY put it together last weekend to surprise her for her birthday! she and my brother were out of town so we decided to go for it.

Inspiration:

(mom picked this out in a magazine well over a year ago..I found it on Pinterest)

Before (kinda):

Progress:

Dad painted, I designed.

After:

I love it. she LOVED it! wish I had a picture of her when she saw it. I want to put gallery walls EVERYWHERE. they're kinda my fave.

BIRTHDAYS: not only was it my mom's birthday, but it was also my very best friend, Chelsey's. we celebrated by going to Iguana Grill. after stuffing our faces with Mexican food, we enjoyed some cupcakes and took some pictures. I don't really have pictures (no memory card in the camera. ya kidding me?)..so I'm stealing a few from FB courtesy of MK.

whole group. SO thankful for these sisters! and we love us some Chelsey!

gotta get a suitemate picture everywhere we go. 18 DAYS LADIES! FIST. PUMP.

and since I don't have a picture of Chels and myself..here's one of her and MK.

precious friends. so glad I get to live with them!

apparently after all this excitement, Chels went home to take a nap (after a trip to crash a boys' event at the student building)

and giving David a fish..because it was not safe in Amy's office.

meet the Fish Fairy :)

best student's ever? I think yes.

later that night we went to eat with her family

highlight? her brother got her a penguin pillow pet.

BEST PRESENT EVER.

way to go Trent.

we concluded the night with a best friend movie night and crafting up some bulletin boards for her dorm.

Chels, I am so glad you're my best friend. I couldn't ask for a better one. I am so thankful for your heart and your encouragement and your willingness to always be there for me. LOVE YOU PRINCESS! hoppy burfday..even though it was a week ago :)

life is good

I apologize for the super cliche title..but it's the only way to sum up this post.
a week spent at the beach and in Auburn = life is good.

surprisingly enough, I didn't take any pictures at the beach. I think I have one of my mom being silly in the elevator. my week was spent eating super awesome beach food (the Taco Bar in Seaside = AWESOME! waddup, best shrimp tacos ever!), working on my chaco tan (picture below), spending way too much money at the J. Crew Outlet (well worth my entire Oasis paycheck), and watching the sickening Casey Anthony trial..I'm going to allot myself one small paragraph to rant about discuss this issue.

how sickening..the hype has kind of died down now, but when I heard the verdict, it made me sick to my stomach. I think she knows exactly what happened..whether she did it, or her boyfriend, or one of her "invisible friends". I just don't understand how her baby, who she supposedly had an "awesome relationship" with, can be missing for 30 days and she doesn't do anything about it except look for her tattoo herself and party down. I don't understand. I am by no means condemning Casey Anthony to Hell as some have, because I too sin. I am saved by grace and I do pray for her salvation and recofnition of where she has fallen. but her carelessness for her child in this case just made me sick. HOWEVER, there is good news, Caylee's real Father   not Casey's baby daddy   but her REAL Heavenly Father, has her in His arms in Heaven, where there is more justice and freedom for her than there would be if the verdict had come out differently. even if we aren't sure how she got there, the Lord called her home at her very young age to a better and ETERNAL life with Him in Heaven where she is free from the abuse and negligence of her earthly mother. okay, I'm done.

on a happier note, check out my chaco tan.

SO much more legit than it was in this blogpost

here are some more random pictures from the beach.

 our "WE'RE FINALLY AT THE BEACH!" picture

Clayton and his BFF Ben wanted a picture with their ice cream..12 year olds..

however, I am a proud Big Sister of that little boy in the glowing hat.

after wearing my chacos to get something out of the car, he decided that he wanted some. 

so we got on eBay and ordered him some. there were tears of joy..okay, not really. but I was super happy! and they were here when we got home..

he loves them. and today he's at the lake with them..$10 says his chaco tan after one day will be more legit than mine after 2 months..stupid tan brother.

anyways...

after 5 BEAUTIFUL days in Blue Mountain Beach, my mother and I drove through the backroads of Florida and Alabama to get to my sweet future home for orientation. I am so in love with the town of Auburn and the school and everything about it. it's totes my fave. I cannot wait to be there in...

28 DAYS!
whaaaaatttt?! in less than a month, I will move into Helen Keller Hall with my sweet friends.
this summer has flown by, and I have super mixed feelings about its end.
missing my little underclassmen girls already :(

it was fun getting to meet new people and learning what I already knew about Auburn. gotta love those legends and traditions.

as soon as I arrived, I met the sweetest girl. big YAY for making new friends!

I am so thankful for the instant friendship between Kirby and myself! same major, too. funny how things work out. go elementary education! (SIDE NOTE : oh yeah! I decided on my major for those of you who read this post and are interested)

all the activities and skits and stuff were really fun..however, would you like to know what can make CWE even better?

wearing the EXACT same outfit as your best friend. BOOM. unplanned. both thought about calling. but no. we proudly represented Steve Moakler, Nike, Chaco, and myself (Totes by Lace..want one?) together. I wanted to tell everyone that we were fraternal twins and our parents still dressed us the same. but we kind of forgot we matched..needless to say, we got some funny looks and questions. "did y'all know each other before this?" "yes..we've been best friends for 4 years"..lost count of how many times we had that awkward conversation..

another thing that makes camp war eagle 10 billion times better...getting your perfect schedule! no 8 o'clocks and done before 2! FIST. PUMP. all I had heard prior to CWE were horror stories about the stress of making your schedule..and when I get stressed, it's like taking the average person's stress level and multiplying it by 3,000. yeah. however, I am confident that the Lord had His hand on me during the schedule making sessions. no stress. I only almost hyperventilated when they were counting down for us to start registering. after they said go, I registered and waited for the errors to pop up saying I had to pick different classes. NO ERRORS! praise the Lord! He is good! what a blessing! Kirby and Chelsey and other friends all got their perfect schedules as well. my mom told me later that the 3 moms huddled together to say a prayer for our registration process. so thankful the examples they set for us through their actions!

after our stress free registration, we headed to the business fair. aka - tables with free stuff. YES.

6 koozies, 3 frisbies, 3 tshirts, 1 cup, 1 water bottle, 1 sticker, 1 roll of toilet paper (again, love those AU traditions!), one keychain, 2 pens, 2 football schedules, 1 shaker, 11 coupons to various restaurants and bookstores, 1 notepad, and 1 mini snickers. Not Pictured: 1 pair of sunglasses, 1 water bottle, 1 panera Chocolate Chipper cookie (aka THE BEST EVER), and more coupons.
the Auburn business fair will forever be in my heart.
free panera cookies and free tshirts = my jam.

and then I came home.
and so concludes the post about Lacey's summer vacation and college orientation.

peace out.

P.S. I may or may not be doing my first crafty post tomorrow..be on the lookout for it :)

falling behind

oh goodness..I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon. there goes my goal. oh well. I'll blog when I have something to say and when I can. I can't expect myself to be all pro blogger...yet. for now, I'll shoot for once a week.

the past week has consisted of four of my favorite things.
crafting, LOFT sales, time with friends, and zumba. LOTS of zumba.

I will be leaving for the beach in 2 DAYS! I cannot wait to be there. typically, I'm not much of a beach person. I'm more of a pool/sit in the condo kind of person. but for some reason, I am really excited for this trip. maybe it's because it's my last family vacay before I go to college. maybe it's because I'm ready to get out of Hoover for a bit. I don't know what it is. but yay for the beach!

out of nowhere I am so ready for college..what? remember that little newly graduated girl a few posts back? the one who was scared to go to college? yep. same girl. it's so weird! I guess the Lord is just preparing my heart and mind for a new season. and I cannot wait to experience it. my mom and I started getting stuff together for the dorm last night.

it's such a weird feeling. I don't even know what to leave here and what to bring to Auburn. but I have a whole month to figure that out.

I don't really have anything else to say..and it's almost time for zumba!
yay for fun ways to burn calories!

OH! question : does anyone know an easy/free/not super time consuming way to transfer my iTunes from my PC to my Mac? help please.

OH HEY! check out this video.
Justin Beiber is just my favorite person. and Relient K is probably my favorite band.
and now..two of my favorite things have been combined.

the purpose of the Lord WILL stand!

let's take a poll..what is Lacey going to major in?

because she sure as heck doesn't know.

right now it's between elementary education and graphic design..

quite the opposite ends of the spectrum, huh?

I picked up Better Homes and Gardens DIY magazine at Publix the other day..and this little article got my attention.

it's about a woman in California who gave up her job to start her own design studio for stationary, custom invitations, etc. etc and how it's doing really well...her leap of faith just so happens to be my dream.

Lacey's Master Plan (before last Sunday) :

1. go to Auburn and major in Elementary Education

2. get married

3. teach kiddos until I have my own

4. stay home with my kiddos

5. when the husband and I have enough money, open my store selling my very own custom invitations and stationary..blah blah blah.

6. live happily ever after

well..this woman majored in graphic design. and after reading the article, elementary education started looking less and less glamorous by the minute. hence my confusion and poll.

as you know already, I'm the world's biggest planner. and if you didn't, you know now that you've seen my master plan. these plans get me into trouble sometimes. because like anything that takes our attention, it turns our eyes from the Lord. I constantly remind myself that the Lord's ways and plans are far greater than I can imagine. and that He will reveal to me what I am to do with my life in His time. although this promise is kind of hard to trust in sometimes, I know that whatever I end up majoring in or doing with my life, it will be to glorify Him because of the gifts I have received through Him. 

please join me in praying the thoughts that occupy your mind instead of Jesus. when worry or stress comes from worldly plans or other forms of distraction, seek Jesus' face and word. no plan is, has been, or ever will be as great as our Father's promises. prayers for the Lord's guidance in my life are greatly appreciated as well.

"Many of the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand!"

Psalm 19:21

Crazy Love

the green and blue shirts of Chi Alpha took over DC this week. what a wonderful week of fellowshipping, serving, and sharing the love of Christ it was! I am so thankful for the friendships grown and memories made on this trip!

Saturday morning we gathered at the student building at 6 A.M. 

we set our suitcases on the sidewalk and marked our seats with backpacks and pillows. Smokey prayed for us and then we were off. our 15 hour drive had begun.. 15 HOURS.

pardon our early-morning look..yikes. 

we started our ride by watching Never Say Never..I'm fairly certain the boys/chaperones opposed to watching it are now beliebers..that's probably not true. after 6 more movies, a few rest stops, and dinner at the Old Country Buffett (pardon me while I puke), we made it to DC! wahoo! and then we crashed for the night.

Sunday morning we headed to the National Cathedral..it was interesting to say the least. much different from the Southern Baptist Sundays we're used to. however, it was BEAUTIFUL!

 

that was the bulletin for the morning..front and back..alllll of that.

after that, we changed into our good ole' khaki bermuda shorts and headed to our first concert/block party. some of the communities we served in were so broken..it was heartbreaking. all I can do is pray that our message planted seeds in those peoples' hearts and that the Lord will continue to work in their lives. minutes after we wrapped up our concert, the bottom fell out of the sky. the girls ran to the buses to stay dry while the boys broke down all of our equipment. that night my friends and I enjoyed some Qdoba and Cold Stone Creamery. YUM! then back to the hotel to rest once again.

Monday we toured the capital and began working at our mission sites.

yay for best friends!

my mission group worked with children in an apartment complex/after school program. it was so sweet to make be crafty with those kiddos and to hear what they know about Jesus. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with them!

that night we had worship at the hotel as a choir. this year they did something different than a tradition we're used to. they had all 9 seniors line up at the front of the room and the underclassmen came around us and prayed over us. it was such an encouraging and sweet time for me to listen to my sweet friends pray around me. my heart is so full! there wasn't a dry eye in the room-except for Chelsey-but I had enough tears for the both of us.

Tuesday we did a concert at the Lincoln Memorial! OH MY GOSH! it was so much fun and a wonderful experience. 

it was so cool to see people stopping to listen to us sing and then they stuck around for the whole time. doing motions with us and learning our songs. some may have been mocking, but the Lord touched their heart in some way. 

that night was senior night. all nine of us got into a van and went to Alexandria, VA to get on a boat for a dinner cruise. it was such a cool surprise and a wonderful time with friends. and the food was DELICIOUS!

XA roomie love :)

LOVE this mommy-to-be..cannot wait to meet little baby boy Dedge!

afterwards we stopped by the White House to take a picture..and then my camera died. so I do not have one. while we were there we got into an interesting discussion with a protestor who basically lives across the street from the White House in a tent. he was part of a protest group against nuclear warfare. he had crosses tattooed on his forehead and a cross necklace, so we asked him if he was a Christian..his response was that he adored Jesus way too much to call himself a Christian..wow. he pointed out the hypocrisy of those who call themselves Christians. it was disturbing to hear this from this man who had most of his facts incorrect..but what a call to live out our Christianity even more and let our light shine to the world! 

Wednesday we performed at two veterans' homes. this was such a sweet experience! we went to encourage them, and we ended up being encouraged even more. the people at these homes were so thankful and precious. you could see clearly the love of Christ overflowing from their hearts. it was by far my favorite concert. so thankful the the imprint these people left on my heart.

that night, we had the honor of singing the National Anthem at the National's baseball game. you can watch it here. it was SO cool! and the game was fun, too! nothing like a ball park hot dog.

(my camera was dead this day so I have no pictures)

Thursday we performed at a maximum security youth detention center. I cannot even begin to imagine being in those boys' places. there are no words. it just reminds me of how blessed I am to have a wonderful family and to live in a wonderful community. after that, we went to a local church for lunch. we had the best homemade pizza ever. SO good! and we played lots of bump. I love any chance I get to show off my basketball coach's daughter skills. HAHAH. if you know me well enough to have seen me do anything relatively close to playing sports, you know that the athletic gene didn't quite make it to me.

that night was our annual Tacky Prom. so.much.fun.

Caroline won Retro Princess last year. she's determined to go all out from now on.

if only they had done awards this year..

meet my baby freshman buddies. they were SO cute! they're always cute. but yeah. I love me some Macy and Catherine (Caroline's sister - also worthy of a retro princess title..must be a Rush thing..see below)

Friday was free day! we hopped on the metro bright and early and headed to Georgetown (LOVE this place!) and why did we go all the way to Georgetown you ask? YOU KNOW WHY!

BEST CUPCAKES EVER. if only the sisters had been there..

I love any show that comes on TLC. especially ones about cupcakes and weddings :)

after lunch and a little shopping in Georgetown, we came back to the main area of DC to look around some of the museums.

I was obsessed with Wizard of Oz as a child. this girl was real happy :)

yay for chacs!

after a quick dinner at the Air and Space Museum's McDonalds, we loaded the buses and drove 15 hours through the night. talk about awful sleeping arrangements..

we pulled into the church parking lot around 7:15

I am so thankful for the past week! what a way to end my student ministry experience with Hunter Street. I'm going to miss my little baby underclassmen and all that is Hunter Street Student Ministry. so thankful for the way the Lord has grown and used me through this stage of my life.

SIDE NOTE: if you are interested, there are videos on youtube documenting our days on tour. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/hsbcmedia#p/u

they should be on the side under uploads..they're not all up yet, but will be soon!

SECOND SIDE NOTE: our homecoming concert will be tomorrow at 6 P.M. at Hunter Street! please come be a part of our last concert! you won't regret it :)