June Goals

Well, once again a month has come and gone. 2014 needs to SLOW down! I do not think I've ever noticed a year fly by as much as this one has, but I truly am enjoying it! The past 5 months sure have been busy for me, so I am excited to have a relaxing month. I feel very accomplished about May and cannot wait to see what June brings me!

May Goals

2. Finishing reading Crazy Love- One chapter left, and it will be finished this weekend!

5. Memorize a verse for May- Psalm 63:3

63. Take a spontaneous girls trip- here is my post about that trip!

72. Try running

77. Organize my iphoto- I've gotten half done, but it is a very tedious task.

78. Print out my Haiti pictures

79. Print out pictures I want to keep

80. Go through clothes at the end of fall/winter- I still have a little more to do for this, but since I am moving back home at the end of June I will be working on it throughout June.

June Goals

5. Memorize a verse for June.

56. Try two new/local restaurants- I want to try Limestone Blue and Wild Eggs!

69. Go to the drive in

73. Run a 5k- On June 14th I will run my first 5k with Reese.. it'll be interesting.

98. Learn how to budget- I've started one and will be using the envelope system.

99. Consistently budget- now to continue with that envelope system! Wish me luck.

Hope everyone has had an amazing month of May and that your June is even better :)

63. Take a spontaneous girls trip.

Among my goals in my 101 in 1001 list was to go on a spontaneous girls trip. Now I am not a spontaneous person, but I want to become someone who does do some things (reasonable things) on a whim without time to back out (because I am someone who backs out if I freak myself out or think about something too much). In February two of my friends and I found a GroupOn for a great deal at a hotel in Myrtle Beach. We all wanted to go to the beach together, so we booked it for 3 nights within an hour of finding it! Now that's spontaneous if I do say so myself.

Anyways.. here is how the trip went! :)
p.s. this will be long with a lot of pictures

Day 1- We left at 11 pm on Saturday night and ended up getting to the beach around 8:30 am Sunday. Here are some snapchats that I sent to people, and also my first pictures I took at the beach. It was cloudy on Sunday so we couldn't lay out (even though we still did). We went to dinner at Margaritaville, then we came back to our hotel, passed out at 9:30 and slept for 12 straight hours.

Day 2- We had thought about going parasailing and so we called on Monday morning when we woke up to schedule it for Tuesday. The guy told us that we could come right then and there if we wanted to, so a spur of the moment decision we were on the road to go parasailing! I am not a very spontaneous person, and I am not adventurous when it comes to this type of stuff either, so needless to say I was very nervous at first... but I really had no time to be nervous or think too much about what I was about to do! It was definitely a peaceful experience, and I can say that I am proud of myself for accomplishing this new adventure and overcoming my fears. We laid on the beach the rest of the night and then went to the Boardwalk to eat dinner and walk around. The boardwalk we were by cost $1 to walk on the pier... how crazy is that?! We got back just in time to watch the season premiere of The Bachelorette.

Day 3- One of my friends and I decided to wake up Tuesday morning to go see the sunset. It surprisingly was not that hard for me to wake up at 5:55 to go down to see it. We had a bit of a setback when our hotels pool gates were locked so we had to run through the hotel to the front door and then back around the outside of the hotel to get to the beach, but we still made it in time. Couldn't be more blessed to live in a world where there are sunrises and sunsets, and God sure does make them beautiful. His sunsets are such a great reminder of this beautiful world we live in and this beautiful life we have been given. Praise Him! We laid on the beach again that day and then went out for our last night to another shopping area/walking around and to a restaurant where they harass you (Dick's Last Resort) and needless to say one of my friends was not about that place! Sometimes though it is good to have a nice laugh. 

Day 4- I didn't get any pictures on this day. But all we did was check out of our hotel in the morning and then spend the afternoon shopping at the outlet mall before heading back home.

This was such a great trip with my friends and a much needed short little getaway to the beach. I thought I would share with you all a few thoughts from this trip...

   1. I accomplish driving on the interstate longer than 1 hour. I never had to drive on the interstate and to be honest it made me so nervous, so I can officially say at 21 that I can drive on it and am not scared! 

   2. I overcame my fear of parasailing. It is so high up and you are not strapped in all that much. I am the type of person who needs to know and feel that I am safe, I like my comfort box. Did I mention it was really high? Because it was...

   3. I am turning into a beach person. I never really had patience for laying out on the beach for hours at a time, nor did I like the ocean or the sand. But I can say that I am coming around to all of those.

   4. I feel like an adult. I don't think anything makes you (at least me) feel more like an adult than taking your first road trip without parents to a hotel and checking in yourself. Then going through the week without your parents/family. Then checking out and coming back home. I truly believe I have matured and accomplished so much lately!

Well.. I think that is about all that I can think of to share with you guys! It was a great trip and I cannot wait to go on another getaway with my friends soon. Hope that some of you get to go on a trip this summer and relax. If you made it to the end of this post, bless you. Thanks for reading!

Favorites Friday

Currently I am at work, sitting in the library while my kids watch Pocahantas. These second graders hate sitting down and watching a movie. They also hate playing outside and would rather play in the gym... crazy kids these days!

Even though I just went on a short vacation I am ready for the weekend! It's odd, you go away to relax and rest, but then still need to rest and get used to reality when you're back! Something isn't right about that. Anyways... Here are some things I have been enjoying lately! 

1. It has been nice relaxing the past two days, but once again I packed my bags and headed to visit Reese's family for the weekend. Always nice to get to spend time with them, and it should continue to be a nice relaxing weekend. 

2. I just got done watching Frozen for the first time all the way through. I watched it at work once but it was too hard to pay attention with all the kids singing. By the way, it was SO good and now I know what everyone is talking about. (Even Reese's dog was watching!) 

3. Reese and I are going to start running. And to help with that we are going to sign up for a 5k in June.. Any tips for a new runner?? 

Wish me luck.. 

4. I'm in the mood to travel. I just got back from the beach but I want to travel to places I have never been or other countries. So many people right now are in different countries, and I have to admit I am a bit jealous.. Hopefully I'll get to go to some places soon! 

5. And lastly, I am loving my new blog design. It is definitely me! And I am so happy that Victoria over at Happily Ever Strader was about to design it for me! If y'all haven't been over to here blog, go visit! She is so sweet and definitely inspiring. 

*Thank you so much, Victoria! It was exactly what I wanted!

That's about it that I have to share. Sorry this was posted so late, I had been working on it throughout the day. As you all can tell I am getting back into writing posts and hope to keep this up from now on! Hope everyone is doing well. 

Enjoy your long weekend. 

Eleven Questions

This morning I was reading a post from Life of the Lane's blog called "Eleven Questions." I found it really intriguing and decided that (even though I wasn't tagged) I wanted to do this post as well. I have yet to share basic information about myself and my life with you all and thought that this would be a great post to do so with! :) Here are the questions...

1. What or who inspires your most?

A lot of bloggers inspire me. The girls who are recently married and are pursuing Jesus along with their husbands and their careers. It makes me so excited to eventually get to take part in that lifestyle. (I've always wanted to be a wife, teacher, and mother... its just who I am!)

2. What is a personal accomplishment you are most proud of?

To be honest, they are many little things that I have accomplished that I am most proud of. These are just a few of them:

-Finishing 3 years of college. College is hard, and I am so proud of myself for working hard and giving it all I got and accomplishing 3 semesters on the Deans List.

-My relationship. I never thought that at such a young age I could be in a relationship with someone for almost 6 years (some of it long distance) and I have grown so much from it! I was a very impatient, "I want to see him all the time/I want it now" type of person and I have grown so much from all of that. 

3. Do you have summer travel plans?

I just got back (early this morning, actually) from a few days at the beach with my friends. This was such a great getaway and we learned a lot more about each other! It was also part of my 101 in 1001, 63. Take a spontaneous girls trip. There may be a possibility that I am going on vacation in July with my mom, partly for her birthday and also just to getaway. Then in August I am going to Colorado for my cousins wedding! I have really grown to love traveling. 

4. What is one thing you enjoy about blogging (your blog)?

I love that outlet it gives for my thoughts. It is hard to sometimes to keep what you are learning in but to be able to express it through blogging and realize that many other bloggers are going through the same thing is such a blessing!

5. What is your go-to comfort meal to cook?! (add link to recipe!)

I love spaghetti! I could eat it all the time. I don't have a specific recipe, just some noodles and marinara sauce. But I do add a lot of seasoning to the sauce to give it some extra flavor!

6. Mountains or beach vacation?

This is a hard one for me! Until this past week I hadn't really enjoyed the beach, but now I like it a little more and can relax on it. But I do love the mountains as well! It would probably depend on who I was with and what exactly we would be doing.

7. What is your favorite room (space) in your house and why?

I love my room (in my campus house) because it is my personal space and I have decorated it so that it exemplifies me. It is so calming and comfy, if I do say so myself. 

8. What book are you currently reading?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Everyone has raved about this book and even though I just started it can understand why! I am also reading Crazy Love. I have two more chapters left and am ready to get it finished! I have had it in my possession trying to finish it for the past two years... YIKES!

9. How did you celebrate your last birthday?

My last birthday was my 21st birthday, and every year my birthday is always during midterms (fun, I know!) So this year I got to spend my birthday in class from 8 am to 9 pm with work in between. I also had a test, paper, and presentation on my birthday! I know how to celebrate!

But then I got home from an exhausted day, and my boyfriend and roommate had surprised me at the house with a few of my friends over and we just hung out and played games! Such a great night :)

10. What is on your bedside table?

Currently on my bedside table- lamp, clock, fan remote, headphones, hair tie, bible, journal, The Fault in Our Stars, and Crazy Love.

11. What are you most grateful for today/this week?

For being able to come home. I love going on trips and experiencing new things, but at the end of the day I just love being able to come home, whether it be my aunts house or my house on campus. I am definitely a homebody!

Hopefully y'all learned a little bit more about me! I need to do more of these type of posts so that you all can get to know me as the blogger over here. :) Have a great rest of your week!

There's No Place Like Home.

Currently I am laying on my aunt and uncles couch because this is my bed for the night. My other aunt is in town visiting & is sleeping in my bed. I was going back to my campus house, but when I got there I was the only one there and I didn't want to sleep in a house by myself, so I got the stuff I needed and came back to my aunt and uncles house, a.k.a home.

I have been staying here for the past week because I wanted to visit and the roommate I am closest to was out of town. Before last week I hadn't realized how much I loved being here, with my aunt and uncle. It is such a special place for me and I feel so comfortable here. 

So I just thought I would share with you all my random thoughts tonight. Never feel like you are too old to go home, because no age is too old. 

Goodnight, from the couch.

A Joyful Life

On Sunday's I go to church at nighttime. The service is called 608, and yes, it does start at 6:08. For the past 3 or so years it has been a place very close to my heart. It was where I found Jesus, gave my life to Him, and spend every Sunday worshipping our glorious Lord. I cannot explain to you all how big of a part my church has been in my life during the past 3 years. Having a place of comfort, where I can go and worship and continue to grow as a christian is much needed in this world that we live in.

Tonight the message was about living a joyful life. Even though this topic is often talked about, it is always a good reminder of how important it is to living such a lifestyle. Growing up I was not necessarily always around the most positive people and I did not grow up having a relationship with Jesus. Even nowadays I am not always surrounded by positive people, which can make being positive and joyful a bit harder. Tonight the message was from Philippians 4:4, simple but so sweet and filled with so much truth.

Our pastor said a few things that really stuck with me tonight... 

Joy is a command, along with a choice.

In the scripture pictured aboved God tells us twice that we should rejoice in Him. He commands us to rejoice because he knows that it is something that can benefit our lives and that we have every reason to rejoice. But He also makes it a choice for us. He wants us to choose joy because it means that we are rejoicing in Him and letting Him take our life into His hands. He wants us to live this way because he knows that it is best for us and will only bring us closer to Him.

It's not joy that makes us grateful, its gratitude that makes us joyful.

I've heard this before, but it continues to be such great truth in my life. If I am living a life full of gratitude how can I go around being anything but joyful. My pastor said tonight, "Joy grows in soil that has been cultivated in humility and fertilized with gratitude." Meaning we have to humble ourselves so that we can become more grateful for what we have. If we are constantly thinking we are better than everyone else we cannot have true joy in our lives because we will never be truly grateful. 

Tonights message made me want to check my own life. Over the next year a lot will be changing and I want to make sure I rejoice in everything that the Lord does in and through me, no matter good or bad. Reminding myself that life can be better if I am only grateful is such a great way to start this last year of college I have. I want to cherish every moment of it and the only way to do that is to be truly grateful in what I am given and then I can rejoice in it! Friends, this is probably one of the toughest things to be able to do, especially when those around you are experiencing and getting things that you may have been longing for in life, but let me tell you... Once you are grateful for what you do have, and you are able to rejoice in Christ Jesus, He truly will bless you in areas you never knew He could. Join me in being grateful, so that I can rejoice in the Lord. It may not be easy but Paul said in Philippians, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And He definitely can strengthen us, more than we know. 

Have a joyful week, my friends.

New York Trip

For spring break this year  went back to the big apple with CSF! Last year the trip was split in half, a few days in Washington DC and a few days in New York City, so we weren't able to cross everything off our to-do list!

This years trip was a lot more relaxed and we actually had time to do the things we wanted. Throughout the week we did a lot of shopping/window shopping... surprisingly I didn't buy much while I was there, definitely a good thing!! 

I got my fill of Pinkberry in, even though I still crave it everyday. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at night... Still not sure how I feel about that. We went to the stop of Rockefeller Center. We even decided to be crazy and wake up at 4:30 in the morning to go to The Today Show! Definitely one of the best moments of the trip! I'm not much on a museum person, so if you all are looking for what museums I went to and what I saw, you won't find that here! We did go to Central Park Zoo though. It was small, but I really enjoyed it! I also got to visit the Freedom Tower and the memorial site for the Twin Towers.

Needless to say it was a really good trip with lots of site seeing and adventuring. I am so blessed to have been able to go to New York twice, and with all of my best friends. Definitely memories that I will cherish and have for a lifetime! Here are some of the pictures from the trip... Enjoy!

May Goals

Hello, sweet friends! The semester is almost over and since I knew that after next week I would have an abundance of time, I wanted to get back in gear with my blog. I know I have definitely slacked the last two months but so much has gone on! I will be updating y'all on my life in a soon post, but today I want to share with you guys my May Goals!

2. Finishing reading Crazy Love. 

I also have another book that isn't a Christian book that I started as well...
The Fault in Our Stars. 

5. Memorize a verse for May. 

I didn't for March or April, but that is okay!

63. Take a spontaneous girls trip. 

Two of my friends and I are going to Myrtle Beach in a few weeks!! 

Can't wait to get away for a few days :)

72. Try running.

77. Organize my iPhoto.

78. Print out my Haiti pictures.

79. Print out pictures I want to keep.

80. Go through clothes at the end of fall/winter. 

Since I am moving back home in June this is definitely a must!

I can't wait for summer and to see what it brings to me! It has been a great school year, but I am definitely ready for a long summer before my insanely busy school year starts next year (YAY for Practicum and Student Teaching semesters!) Only two tests left and then it is officially summer for this practicum student!! Hope everyone is doing well.