life update: this post will have many pictures. //summer 2014//

i live in a very beautiful place. 

and here we are again. more than a month has passed since my last blog post and another school year has approached. summer is basically over, minus the weather...but even the weather has shown itself to be changing earlier than normal. i'm not sad about that by any means.

(when i first started this post a couple weeks ago, 

the weather was showing some glorious signs of fall, 

but really it was just teasing us. we are back to hot. blech.)

this summer has been the best summer. as my friend, Cara, and i were reflecting, we classified this summer as being the one that most people hope to have while in high school. i am so very thankful to have had this summer during this time in my life, but also i now understand how great summer actually is- and i'm not talking about the weather, or the beach or ombre'd hair.

i'm talking about Jesus and friendships and the occasional caffeinated beverage.. that's ultimately what makes a good summer in my opinion.

so here's a recap/ life update for your reading pleasure:

the Lord has taught me so much this summer. I was given the opportunity to lead a bible study for some middle and high school girls, and in the midst of going through almost all of the book of Ruth with them, God taught me much about patience and waiting, and what do do while i'm waiting. He is also still working on me, as i am a continuous work in progress. i want to know so very much about what is going to happen, and where my life is going to go, but, as the saying goes, "patience is a virtue", and one that i am learning to use.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 has been my life verse.

this is how people usually remember this verse, but i love how the NASB puts it-
"He has made everything APPROPRIATE in its time."
emphasis added.

i was able to spend time with some stinking spectacular people. i have never been so happy, so pleased, and so very blessed with friendships as i have been this summer and this past year. but i know that these friendships are all from God, not of my own doing. i have these people in my life for a reason and i am so thankful. i have never had more fulfilling friendships. watch me say "friendships" one more time. i'm so happy to do life with these people!

reunited with our dear friends after almost a month of them being out of the country serving the Lord!

this isn't technically a summer picture, but these are three of my dearest friends and i love this picture so stinkin much.

God also called me in a slightly different direction (yet again) with my schooling. as you may remember if you have followed me long enough, last summer i jumped the gun, transferred schools, and changed my major. well, while i am still at the same school, i changed my major ONE MORE TIME.

psychology was NOT working at all. after three or four classes in my program, i saw that there was no growth, and i could not wrap my brain around concepts and theories from an area of study created by man.

 (please know that i am not dogging you should you choose to study/ are currently studying psychology. if you can understand it, more power to ya! you have a mental capacity that i lack. press on!)

i was frustrated. so very frustrated. i wanted very much to do well in school, but i didn't see it happening and, after a very bad semester, i basically went back to the drawing board in regards to where i wanted to put my focus. i knew that youth ministry was still a thing that was on my heart, but i knew the psychology route was not the way i needed to go.

back to youth camp i went (i still have yet to write a post for this year's flow, but it will happen eventually) to spend some hardcore, one-on-one time with the Lord.

back to the Lord i went, and shared my concerns and desires.

back to my people i went to get their opinion/ affirmation/ confirmation.

back to researching i went to read up on different options that still suited the area i was entering.

after much prayer and counsel, i went and changed my major. while i still have my focus/minor in christian counseling, i now am a student of religion! so far it has been very interesting and rewarding!

the youth group has started back full swing. i turned 22 a few days ago. life is good.

and now for a picture overload.

my dog ended up in the "cone of shame". even though it was pitiful, it was also kinda funny.

i decided that i would cut my hair some. so far it's been interesting.

so. . . how was your summer?

danielle.

today is a special day. 

one of my very best best BEST FRIENDS enters her 20's. and i am so excited for her.

this best friend, is the da best. she is loving, caring, loyal, and quite funny. she get's in a momma bear mode if necessary,  and tolerates my rambles. she is one of the few that gets me. even if i'm being the weirdest form of weird, she still loves me.

 and she's marrying the one of the nicest guy's.

 casey, you're a lucky man.

danielle, you da best girl. 

you da, you da best.

 love you and hope you have the happiest day of birth ever. 

EVER.

i want to do this thing where i blog more often and blog about the people i love on their birthdays.
 if your one of those said loved ones and didn't get a blog post....ooops.
 i wish this idea popped into my head earlier.
 but you'll get your chance next year. 
love you!

happy new year!

earlier this week: we all grew up together!
left to right: myself, caleb, john, abby, zach, and brittany

the three of us were all in the same row (literally lined up like this) in youth choir. we were pains in the booty because we liked to laugh a lot.

wow. this year went by so fast.

wow. that was a cliche' thing to say.

but, wow. it's so true.

and as i attempt to look back on this year......so much of it i do not remember. #awkward. the things i do remember though, i will always remember.

like the amazing summer camp that i went too.

like that time where it was clear where God was calling me with my life.

and like the time i experienced before Christmas that was a wake up call: there are things that happen, and yeah those things may suck. but God is sovereign. God has a plan. and, because of this, i need to work on loving Jesus, doing my best in school, and working to the glory of God. 

and that's what i'm going to do.

so happy to ring in the new year with these ladies along with a bunch of other great people!

clearly i am the most attractive one here. #sarcasm

tyreesh, myself, and emily made a new years eve chick-fil-a run. #worthit

and so now that 2014 has begun, i would like to share some goals that i want to accomplish. i realize this is pretty much the same idea has "resolutions", but i feel as though i have a better chance of actually attempting to accomplish them if i call the goals.

goals for 2014:

learn to love Jesus more.

be a better friend and keep in contact with those people who are my friends but have gone away to school or have moved away for good.

remember birthdays and be proactive about acknowledging them, particularly in regards to family and dear friends.

take more pictures.

what are your goals for the upcoming year?

please share!

i pray that God's will be done for us this coming year and that we continue to trust Him and always remember that HE HAS A PLAN.

engagements.

the cousin, dear friend, and best friend with their bling!

let me tell you......

engagements are awesome and all, 

but nothing makes it more exciting than when it involves three of your dear friends.

so once again, if you haven't heard it from me enough.......

sarah jayne, deb, and danielle:

congratulations! 

i am so excited that ya'll have found wonderful godly men to spend your lives with!

 i love you all very much. 

each of you are a blessing in my life!

can't wait to dance the night away at each of your weddings....;)

a little coffee, a lot of Jesus, and people who get it.

we could call this the definition of my life lately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

on an unrelated note, super thankful for this girl.

there are not many people that understand what goes on him my head. 

she's one of the few exceptions.

i did a thing: hair.

i did a thing. i colored my hair. 

it's the first time that i have done it since the spring?

shameful i know.

these ladies helped me.

technically, footsie pajamas (danielle) decided she was going to bed. so it was just pink shirt (cara) who colored my hair. 

we learned that night that my hair now requires two boxes of color. yikes.

so here it is!

i dig it.
i think i'll keep it.

two decades.

well, today is my twentieth birthday. i share this day with beyonce', or so i was told. 

um....yay for me? 

i think? 

anyways, today i really didn't do anything but school and work, which does stink with it being your birthday and all, but this past weekend totally made up for it. :)

what had happened was (and all good stories start out this way)...my friend, Danielle, tells me, not asks me, but tells me thursday night that i am going to come spend the night at her house sunday night. because i enjoy her company, i say "sure."

well sunday comes around, i pack the way i would normally pack for a night at a friends. myself, along with Danielle, Abigail, my mom and some other lady-friends go to lunch. danielle, abigail and myslef head back to the church afterwards, where the surrounded me, tell me to take off my glasses and proceed to put a blind fold over my face.  then after about an hour and many twists and turns, we finally stop driving (also after a bathroom break for SOMEONE and one other stop). 

does the blind fold come off then?

  nooooooooo.

my mom pulls me out of the car and starts leading me somewhere.

then she takes the blind fold off, i put my glasses on, and i find myself in the presence of what used to be three of my very good friends that i have grown up with. these three have turned in to very handsome citadel knobs! 

i haven't seen them for a month, so the fact that we were able to see then while in charleston was so great. such a pleasant surprise!

the beginning of my weekend really stunk like poo, but this made it so much happier.

the best friend and myself. 

the other best friend and myself.

and still another dear friend and myself.

dani and the boys.

and then we spent the next day just walking around downtown charleston, which is something i love to do. charleston is one of my very favorite places.

at the waterfront park in charleston, sc.

the whole litter of us beaufortonians.

thank you to my mom for making this happen. thank you to the nicholas's and Wes for making me happy for my birthday. thank you bray and zach for also making me happy. thank you danielle and abby for kidnapping and torturing me. 

you all are pretty dang fantastic and know how to make a girl feel special. 

:)