UPDATE TIME!

ok. i know i have been the worst blogger ever. but much has happened! and here i am to tell you about it!
- in june, i got to shoot a wedding. it was a beautiful wedding & i was honored to be asked to do it. heres a little sneak peek of some of the pictures..... 

 

needless to say, theyre an amazing couple!

- i am now a sales associate at kay jewelers! so tell your fellas to come see me to get you girls something pretty & shiny. youre welcome.  ;]

- student life camp was last week. i got to be with my small group girls from belle aire. david platt was the speaker and it was an amazing amazing week. the Lord definitely moved and was really present there. we had fun on the beach and an amazing Word all week. i love when the Lord moves and causes people to be active in their faith and for Christ! let us no longer have a casual or cultural faith. if we truly know Christ in our hearts, theres no way we could

be casual.

 

- i got to have lunch/spend the day with lindsey jo. it was so great. we had italian, sweet ceces, & shopped a little. we talked a bunch and laughed even more. so so great. and i got to feel the baby kicking! sweet, rambunctious hank!

- canaan officially leaves for texas in 2 weeks. please be praying for him and this exciting new journey. im so pumped for him and know the Lord has an amazing plan for him!

well, thats my catch up. i promise to blog more frequently in the future. peaceandblessings.

kairos.

so i went to this service tonight called kairos. its at brentwood baptist on tuesday nights, & it was fabulous. great worship, great teaching. the guy that has the website "stuff christians like" spoke. hes hilarious. and an awesome speaker. he knows how to be funny, but deep and relevant too. praise God for people who allow Him to use them for what they were intended to do. 

the series is about "plan b: when things on your life dont turn out how you thought". there were some really great truths and some things the Lord taught me tonight. 
my favorite point tonight was that we as humans and sinners have always had this innate ability to hide when in trouble. we got this from our oldest ancestors- good 'ol adam and eve. what role models, huh? from early years until now, we hide from our mistakes. though as we grow older, the way in which we hide changes, its still hoping that what weve done can be overlooked. in life, we can hide sometimes from the people around us. we can hide a fib, something in our past, etc. we can make it look as though it had never happened. the problem is that we take this nasty habit with us into our relationship with Christ, thinking we can pull the wool over His eyes as well. i take this same action of hiding under the bed from my dad when i was little and in trouble, and take it into situations with my Father. i "hide" from admitting to something or changing something or omitting something necessary from my life that would in turn make my walk with Him stronger because its one less obstacle. one less barrier between me and Him. to give up things in my life that WILL feel sacrificial, but knowing its a must for the betterment of my heart. to be able to glorify Him fully. 

but we cant just look at it as difficult. as the speaker so aptly reminded me tonight- we're putting the Lord in a box by thinking that the only way He can teach us or mold us is in failure or hard times. dont just mourn with Him- He wants you to dance with Him. let Him delight in you. like in zephaniah 3:17, it says He is "mighty to save". not "mighty enough in case something doesnt work out the way you wanted it". this means He might will have to save you. get ready for the plan b. get ready for things to change or work on His timing and not yours. but He wants to save you. thats His job. and it continues to say He "quiets you with love". not screaming or harshness. with l-o-v-e. allow Him that. allow the God of the universe to be with you in your secret place with Him and be quieted by Him. 

remember this- our instinct is to hide because the world sees things we do as shameful. the world tells us when we look silly or foolish. so we tuck away thinking that He will feel the same. instead, He looks at us and says "where did you hear such things? i didnt tell you that.  youre not silly to me. thats not what defines you- I define you. stop hiding".

the old is gone. the new is to come.

this has been a whirlwind of a weekend. first of all, i would like to say that im back in the good 'ol ruth co [thats rutherford county for all you non-hip folk]. i graduated COLLEGE this past weekend. i cant believe it. i feel so old. i might as well go ahead and retire now. sheesh! after i graduated, i hurried on down to chattanooga for kristen teeters bachelorette party. what a fun fun time! we did facials, ate amazing food, had great conversations, and danced a little. yay for her getting married this weekend! what a beautiful time. now im back, sitting in fido with the one & only katie suggs, writing and trying to figure out the next step.

there are a lot of things rolling around right now in terms of plans for the next season of my life. things i cant go into detail here about, but just needing prayer for those of you that dont quite know. and prayers from those of you that do! i love how the Lord makes Himself known in certain situations. theres no way you cant tell its Him. like an artist leaving their signature on their work, so does the Lord leave His fingerprint on all that happens in our lives. in the past few months, the Lord has chosen His own timing for things in my life, and i have no choice but to strap in and learn to have faith in what Hes doing. i wouldnt change it for anything and love seeing the Lord active in my life. but its still not scary at all scary, nonetheless, and i wont lie about that. no matter how faithful we are, we are still afraid of things larger than us. because in the end we are still human and cant see past a day. but thats why Hes here, holding us. because He can. i had a heartfelt conversation with canaan the other day, talking about situations bigger than what we can grasp at the moment. i told him that all truly good things come at a price, and are hard to fully accept because with them comes sacrifice of self. think about abraham and moses and paul and noah and peter. they had to let go of nothing everything. their families, the city theyd known, a comfortable life, what mattered in society. everything. to be considered followers of Christ and bring him glory. what came of it? huge lineages in history. being the only one that survived. being one after Gods own heart. finding the Lords land. amazing things come from not grasping to our measly opinions of what we think will be a decent life. let us run after Him and His plans with fervor. let our hearts beat wild with love for Him and even in the midst of our fears, continue on because we know the One we serve. and with that knowledge, there is confidence and hope and a loss of fear. 

 

theres me. getting my diploma. somewhere on stage. 

 

the soon-to-be mrs. yeargan!

 

 

thoughts.

- i love "the office". it will never get old, become unfunny, or be the same without steve.

- nothing beats cookies & milk in the evening. 

- i cleaned the downstairs today. it felt really good to have it vacuumed and dusted. 

- i got my hurrrr did today. somehow i get blonder and blonder each time i go. if i go at this rate, itll be white soon enough. better calm it down. but for now, the blonde looks good. 

- if you need a good cry, the notebook will sometimes always help you out. 

- pancake night was last night at the bcm. and i had a dinner with my favorite study group at school at downtown grille as a farewell dinner. it was weird because that will be the last time i see some of those people. reminds me yet again of how quickly this season has come and gone. blowing my mind if whats to come. 

- going home this weekend. last shindiggity doo? check. katies graduation party? check. graduations? check. family time? check. soccer games with my favorite people? check. cant wait!

- only one final holding me back from graduation. cap & gown, here i come. 

- one 2 more weeks of awful knoxville traffic. thank heavens! i think its the worst in the country. fix the dang roads already!

- i want a hammock. maybe a trek perhaps? donations can be made if you feel called to do so. =]

- i may have a bike! thanks to the one & only canaan james. night cruising anyone? 

- i love my red nail polish. its called "lollipop" and its the best red ever. 

- graduation makes me wanna travel. i hope i can go somewhere soon that ive never been before.

- favorite passage of this season.... luke 12: 22-34

²² Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

   ²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

   ³² “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

i like him. ^ 

 

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!