tacos, easter eggs, & tornadoes.

well, lots of stuff has been going on here since i last posted. first, we had one last big hoo-rah before everyones finals a couple of weeks ago. it not only was our traditional taco party, but we added a fun twist- a mexican fiesta with "bigotes!"- thats mustaches, for all you english-speakin folk. it ended up being a HUGE success. so much fun- pinata included! 

 

my group for everything this semester. such good folks. =]

and not only was the night so fun with my knoxville folk, but my boyfriend and biff, ang, surprised me by coming up just for the party! theyre the best. =] 

 

they make me happyyyyy.

then, last weekend, i had the honor of taking some engagement pictures for friends. they were a beautiful couple. its always an honor to shoot engagement pictures because its such a special time in their lives and it represents a beautiful season in their lives. 

 

cory & kelsey. 

easter was such a good weekend. i got to go home and spend it and see people i care about the most. me and canaan got to go see water for elephants friday. one of my new faves for sure. the cinematography alone was amazing, not to mention the storyline. a recommended must-see! saturday was spent helping canaan move the rest of his stuff back home and then meeting up with mom and the arnold crew for some frisbee and corn hole, followed by easter dinner, easter baskets, and harry potter. 

this week finally just got done with all of my big projects, papers, and presentations. hallelujerrrr praise the Lawd! but my last class of the day ended with my professor leaving us with words of wisdom. i found this sign & thought it was appropriate for this time in my life as well as others. it blows me away that this season in my life is almost over. but how exciting at the same time. 

 

true that.

 

 

 

 

rejuvenation.

can i just tell yall- this weekend has been one of the best weekends ive had in knoxville this semester. thursday, after class, i got to lay out during the afternoon. it was a glorious day and i dont care what anyone says, theres nothing that makes you feel better than a good 'ol tan. 

friday brought a lot of excitement. my girls came in. lindsey jo and anna were in knoxville for the weekend to celebrate our dear friends that are about to get married. it was such a God-given time of relaxation, laughter, sharing life together, and fun. i dont have as much fun with any other group of girls. i just feel like myself with them and can tell them my heart. i pray that everyone has friends like these in their lives. people who are doing big things and thanking God for their season. emily, anna, lindsey jo, and i all started in the same season- we were all new to a big campus. goodness, where the Lord has brought us in 4 years. there have been weddings, babies-to-come, graduations, small groups, sign language, parties, tears, worship, art nights, food, talking to all hours of the night, fire alarms, road trips, dancing, letters, people to hold us up when we fell, people to understand our mistakes and still be there. i dont know if its the nostalgia of almost graduating college or just truly enjoying the weekend with BEST friends, but i am so so thankful for each of them in their own specific and beautiful way. thank you for being weird with me and figuring it out. love you girls. =]

saturday brought such a fun fun time. us girls woke up and had anna's famous pancakes- as good as i remember them. =] and then that afternoon, we set up for beth-ann's lingerie party. that night was a blast! we made beth-ann blush a little, we all laughed so so much, played fun lingerie-party games [wink wink], and talked about marriage and weddings. its a blessing to hear beth-ann talk about how exciting and fun everything has been. that her and jared have had such a God-shaped journey and are truly enjoying their time of marriage counseling and getting ready for their life together. its so refreshing to hear a couple that isnt freaking out but truly relaxed and being thankful for this season instead of rushing it. their testimony definitely had an impact on my life. 

the weekend as a whole was a time of rejuvenation. it was warm, sunny, and full of warmth from good, meaningful relationships. 

heres a more updated picture of us from the last post. 

10 big things.

1. what a wonderful weekend. i got to go home this weekend and see my grandparents! they came in all the way from pensacola, florida for a friends birthday, so they stayed the weekend with me & mom. friday night we had a dinner with my grandparents, aunt & uncle, canaan, and the arnold's. it was an amazing night of first-time meetings, whipped towels, jello in laps, and angry birds. 


2. while being in town on saturday, canaan and i got to spend a day with his family. first, we went to go see his little sister izzy play soccer. then, we got to see his other little sister off to prom! she was beautiful and it was an honor to come along and see her!

...and here's canaan's mom, and his two sweet little sisters, lydia and jayne. they wanted to dress up from prom too. =]

3. im looking forward to this weekend as well. there's a lot going on! my core girls are coming in. its going to be a blast of a weekend! heres a flashback for everyone. yay for lindsey jo & anna coming into town!

4. this weekend is also our friend, beth-ann's, lingerie shower. so so excited. just you wait for the festivities beth. itll be a night worth remembering. =]

5. next weekend, i get the honor of taking some engagement pictures for some dear friends- kelsey & corey! were going to be taking pictures all around knoxville. i am so excited and honored to be doing this for a great couple. what an important time in their lives!

6. april 22 marks a big day. its the opening day for water for elephants! its a film based on a novel. i read the novel over spring break and fell in love. now im super excited for the film- plus its robert pattinson and reese witherspoon. cant get much better than that. 

7. im looking forward to easter. easter candy by far is my favorite. last week, i went into walgreens, and discovered my favorite toy of all time. its a cow that poops jellybeans. i laughed by myself in the aisle for 5 minutes- its the cutest little thing! i wanna get you all one. who knows? maybe i might...

8. also, with the wonderful easter weekend will be an opportunity for another interview! i will be interviewing for a part time event specialist position. im so excited/nervous. hopefully all will go well, as i know it will. 

9. last thursday was refer-a-friend week in zumba. at least, me & lauren made it that. we brought our friends gerica and grant to zumba. it was so so fun! i do believe theyll be returning. let me know if you wanna go too. we always encourage visitors. 

10. no tests this week. PTL!

a life interrupted.

there is a lot on my heart tonight. i hope yall will be patient with me. in my head, the Lord is speaking to me from many different directions that all point to one truth. i just hope i can verbalize them in a way that makes sense to you too. but i guess i have nothing to fear- if the Lord uses this to touch your life or speak to you in some way, then it will make sense. and if not, it wont. 


wednesday night, my high school small group girls [whom i adore and am so blessed to be with] talked about nehemiah. we read nehemiah 1, and we spoke of the destruction of the Jewish people during this time. what amazes me is the emotion from nehemiah when he heard the news. he "sat down and wept" and "mourned and fasted for days before the Lord". that is sadness. for what do we get emotional for these days? our basketball brackets messing up? not getting the guy/girl we thought we were going to end up with? not having our plan work out as it shouldve in our minds? i sense a theme.... 
the mourning of nehemiah was real and raw and faithful mourning. he was mourning the now defenseless state of the people of the Lord and his home country. in nehemiah 1, we see that the city wall is destroyed, which is a huge visual for the state of the city. any city in that time's biggest defense against attack was its wall. with the wall torn down, it was vulnerable and a target of attack for other countries. we see nehemiah mourn for his people and their state and for God's people as they are left in a state of what seems to be hopelessness. 
- this state Jerusalem has been left in is a result of the people's disobedience in the past. i do not believe in regrets. i believe everything that happens is to further refine and prune you to make your life an evermore glorifying reflection of the Lamb. but i do believe that every action comes with a consequence. what states are you in now because of our disobedience in the past? what does your wall look like right this very moment? 
- what does repentance look like in your life? what do you define it as? one of my girls in the group defined it ever so perfectly in my eyes: repentance is not just saying "youre sorry" for something youve done that you know is wrong. its when you have done something that does not glorify God, and you start to see that. in the midst of you realizing you have not been obedient, you look into that action of your life and see God through it. you see what youve done is wrong and that Hes in the situation, as He is in everything, but youve seen what youve done to Him through it. and you cant help but flee from the sin and want to change. because through the sin in your life, you see the broken heart of the Father. i thought that was a beautiful and truthful and tragic  vision of repentance. it certainly brought me to my knees.


as i mentioned before, the broken wall seems hopeless. but we know there is hope. as its said in nehemiah 1:8-9, those that were unfaithful were scattered, but those that obey and return to the Father will be gathered once again and given to a beautiful promise land. we will be gathered by the great Rescuer, Christ. romans 3:23-26 displays this so well. all of our hearts haven been destroyed by sin in our lives. but He is the One that rebuilds us lets us "soar on wings like eagles" if we turn our lives to HIM. not our circumstances. not our desires. not our wants. not our idea of what life should look like. not our plans. HIM. simply Him. 




all of this which leads me to my final point. we have now been given the Gospel. we now know, therefore we are now responsible. my devotional was about waiting on the Lord. now that we know He is the one that rebuilds us and rebuilds us He does, will you continue to live in a life of trust and faith? a beautiful scripture of challenge is lamentations 3:24-26

 "I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
   therefore I will wait for him.”
  The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, 
   to the one who seeks him;     it is good to wait quietly
   for the salvation of the LORD."
is He your portion? so you sit and wait quietly for Him? do you sit and wait quietly for anything these days? do you wait for His salvation? greg pinkner, my pastor, said the wisest thing ive heard in a long time. i think we get so consumed with knowing every little detail about christianity and being the smartest sometimes, but he said "never forget salvation, where youve come from. preach the Gospel to yourself everyday". thats beautiful and challenging and a wonderment to me. do i do that? i pondered this verse because i dont know if i do these things at all. i certainly dont everyday. the most challenging thing to me is to remember the simplest truth- Whose i am and what i was before Him. with Him i am His child and a coheir with Christ. without Him, dust.


live your life according to this. nothing should be a stumbling block to this, even things that seem like they are good things. remember, nothing is good if it isnt in Christ. not even Scripture if said in vain. not even a job that seems divinely appointed. not even a suitable person for a relationship in your eyes. not even a new addition in your life. if you ever feel like something is your right, check your priorities and viewpoint. thats a scary place to be. instead remember and hold tightly to this:
     You make known to me the path of life;
   you will fill me with joy in your presence,
   with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
psalm 16:11
our joy and satisfaction on this earth is in His presence, and His presence alone. He will let you know His path, but in HIS timing, and only if you are walking with Him. if youre constantly running ahead to see whats next or stopped and dwelling on what has happened, how can He take hold of your hand and whisper His intimate and personal plan for your life thats filled with hope and sanctification and joy and discipline and Him? these are my thoughts. i hope it awakens you as it did me. remember the One who is rebuilding your wall. 

catch up. ketchup.

well, im back into the swing of things from spring break. it was an amazing amazing time to be at home. i got to spend a few days in charleston with some good friends and explore a new place- one of my favorite things to do. we rode bikes and enjoyed the beach and i learned how to overhand serve in volleyball and ate the best hushpuppies this mouth has ever tasted and discovered the university of charleston- amazing place. the most beautiful campus ive ever been on. overall a wonderful trip.

yay for beach! side note: there were about a billion starfish on the beach. you never see them in destin, so it was neat. i even touched a starfish belly! it was really weird feeling.

i came back home and got to have a good 5 days at home to see people, relax, ride bikes, and enjoy reading. thankfully, i got to see good friends i dont always get the pleasure of seeing when im home for a quick weekend. my friend lauren turned 20 last week, and so we had a paint party for that. super fun. give me a dance party and im there. 

such a fun night!

life is funny. things never go the way you plan. this has been evidenced in my life and life around me recently. the theme that is constantly evident is that whatever happens, its the journey the Lord deems best for you at the moment. whether its the plan YOU had for yourself or not. its hard for us humans in our limited mindset to understand we have someone who can see the path when we cant. we forget He is on our side so many times. Hes the one who can see it mapped out, and we are to have faith that backwards turns or briar patches or rugged cliffs or points of oasis are all  leading us to Him and His glorious eternity. its a path designed to suit you as His child and what is best uniquely for you to bring Him the most glory. areas in my life right now are unknown and hazy. to me. but He knows. and will hold me and take care of me. please be encouraged by this and take hold of this. He has been giving me reassurance in His word and other various ways such as conversations and songs. there are some i want to share with you. the first is a verse:

 ³ Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
   and the ears of those who hear will listen. ⁴ The fearful heart will know and understand,
   and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. 

isaiah 32:3-4

this was given to me today in my devotional and it was about no longer fearing but as children, learning to start disciplining ourselves to turn to Him and rest in Him if we start to fear anything. He wants to take care of us. let Him have your fear and rest in His peace. 

the last thing i want to say is that there is a song that is so so comforting to me right now. please look at the words and realize the promise, hope, and love we have. i hope this is a comfort to you too, whether you are in a place of unknown like me or not. 

My soul is weak
My heart is numb
I cannot see
But still my hope
Is found in You
I'll hold on tightly
You will never let me go
Jesus, You will never fail

My soul is weak
My heart is numb
I cannot see
But still my hope
Is found in You
I'll hold on tightly
You will never let me go
Jesus, You will never fail
Jesus, You will never fail

Simply to the cross I cling
Letting go
Of all earthly things
I'm clinging to the cross
Mercy's found a way for me
Hope is here as I am free
Jesus, You are all I need
I'm clinging to the cross

Even darkness
Is as light to You, my Lord
So light the way
And lead me home
To that place
Where every tear is wiped away
Jesus, You will never fail
Jesus, You will never fail

Simply to the cross I cling
Letting go
Of all earthly things
I'm clinging to the cross
Mercy's found a way for me
Hope is here as I am free
Jesus, You are all I need
I'm clinging to the cross

What a Saviour
What a story
You were crucified
But now You are alive
So amazing
Such a mystery
You were crucified
But now You are alive

Simply to the cross I cling
Letting go
Of all earthly things
I'm clinging to the cross
Mercy's found a way for me
Hope is here as I am free
Jesus, You are all I need
I'm clinging to the cross

Grace's made a way
And lead me to the One
That is higher than none
Lead me
Lead me
Lead me
Grace's made a way
Sent me to the cross I cling
Letting go
Of all earthly things
I'm clinging to the cross
Clinging to the cross

orange.

i honestly hope yall havent been holding your breath this whole time. i told you i would get to it before the weekend, but i guess yall figured out that i didnt. too much to do to get ready for charleston! so here we are, with the long-awaited sequel to my previous post. today is going to be about orange. thats right ladies and gents. an orange-themed post. but not like UT orange [what yall think when you think im going to do orange, im sure], but a much more sophisticated and fun orange. at least in my book...

i guess ill start with a personal picture. this is one i took at UT in the spring. i love taking pictures of flowers. and these were beautiful. first because tulips are my absolute favorite. and second because of the unique color! love it!

ok i know this is a teeny tiny picture, but i couldnt get it the picture to be as clear if i made it bigger, so yall can just squint. some amazingggg shoes from urban outfitters. go take a look! youll agree with me.

yall now know my love affair with owls, and this was so dang cute, i couldnt resist showing the world. it probably has no use whatsoever but to be decoratively pleasing, but thats exactle why i like it. 

vintage. picnic basket. orange. good times are bound to happen with this.

i have a couple of fun watches. none this color, but i would love to add it to my repertoire. so fun.

vera bradley messenger bag. perfect for this post and for my shoulder. 

i want to run a fun household when im blessed with babies of my own. whats funner than mis-matched orange chairs??

again, a fun household means fun prints. and im all for colorful awesome prints.

i hope yall enjoyed this post as much as the last. next post? maybe a little histoire on my spring break visit to charleston.....

seafoam green.

i recently was procrastinating from my very busy schedule [which im doing now, in anticipation of spring break and not wanting to face the looming reality of what is before me until break] and found my inspiration for this blog post. one blogger decided to show things in a certain color. my color of choice is- you guessed it- seafoam green. i love this color mainly for it is vintage nature. its light, airy, and refined-looking. so here are some of my favorite things...

pretty green bowls & cups & plates & dishes.

one thing ive wanted for a while now is a bike. i would love a hardcore road bike, but would love a fun, vintage cruiser bike too. yeh know, just to be cute on. =]

i loved this clock. thought it was fun & fresh. 

mac computer cover. this is currently on my amazon wish list. its unique from anything ive seen, which is exactly why i like it.

i always love a bright pair of kicks. & ive always wanted a pair this color. perfect. 

i found this fun vintage transistor radio. very fun if you need what we decorators call "little touches" [aka something that serves absolutely no purpose to a room but gives it aesthetic]. 

 

this is one of my favorite things. who does rotary anymore? especially a seafoam green rotary. 

i love owls. i love green. i love vintage. 

as most of my readers know, i am in love with all things french. this simply reminds me of the style 7 décor of the french. it makes my heart warm and feel at home. 

these are anthropologie bowls. they make a statement, yet are classy & simple.

i love everything about this room. the colors work so well together.

hope you have enjoyed my color post. i might do one more because i couldnt choose between this & another color. so be waiting with breathless anticipation of the post that is to come!