so here's the thing

Sorry for the absence again! My computer is practically fried and I am just too scared to turn it on sometimes! I always think of these great things to write down, but they never actually make it on here... sorry about that. 

so here are a few things I am loving this week!

{morning lattes from this coffee shop that used to be a news paper}

{work clothes-business casual of course.}

 {exploring downtown}

{feeling like an adult with a real job}

{spending me time at the gym}

{exposed brick}

{breathing fresh air}

{pushing myself to new heights}

{remembering all our laughs}

{getting up early and starting my day off right}

{cute new clothes for a cute new job}

 {high heels-sassy ones at that}

{open fields}

 {fresh cut tulips}

 {living vicariously through my friends' travels}

I hope everyone has a fabulous rest of the week and weekend! hopefully my computer will miraculously fix itself!

Oh, and I started my internship this week.  I LOVE it! I couldn't be happier! I feel like it is only going to get more challenging and rewarding as the weeks come at me!

{all pictures are from}

sometimes i think to myself, self what you've got here is pretty great...

dear me,

life is great, don't forget that. ever. sometimes you do. 

what you've got is a blessing compared to so many others in this world. 

don't let people get in the way of your happiness, they aren't worth it. 

if you have to do something extra to become someone's friend you don't need them.

waking up early with coffee and a good read, is your favorite way to start your day.

go outside even when the pollen makes you want to curl up in a ball and sleep. 

don't underestimate the power of a good night's sleep, or a nap for that matter. 

don't let people tell you that coffee and fancy drinks are bad for you, because they make you so happy, for some odd reason. 

don't forget to smile at people, because when people smile at you it makes your day. 

remember that you love the color green, especially in spring when it is more abundant that ever. 

don't forget to tell your friends how much you miss them, and always make time for them.

just because sleeping is one of your favorite things to do, don't let it get in the way of life. 

sing in the car with all the windows down, you love it. 

don't forget that your puppy loves you, and will hug you anytime she can--and those walks you take with her, she loves them, and they clear your mind. 

when you get frustrated, cleaning or going for a run is a lot better way to let your anger out that yelling and cursing, even if that's what you feel like doing. 

don't be afraid of what you are thinking, even if it isn't the same as anyone else, be bold with your thoughts. 

don't let creativity scare you, you're better at it than you think. 

being fearless is hard, but it is a great way to live your life. 

don't get too caught up with schedules, although they make you feel in control, you're not... the Man upstairs is. 

don't ever forget how much you love the short conversations you have at night with the man of your dreams, he always tells you he loves you, and you believe it even more each night. 

you love your family, especially when you sit on the patio and talk about random nothings.

keeping your room clean makes you feel more relaxed, it is worth the extra effort. 

when times get tough, pray. 

Don't rely on yourself, we weren't designed to do that.

when you give others advice, make sure you are applying it to your own life. 

remember to love yourself, if you're not loving yourself how can you love others?

thinking out loud.

do you ever get so caught up in the chaos of life that you forget to look around and notice how beautiful your life is? 

I completely did that this week. 

backstory:

I woke up complaining, 

thinking that none of my friends loved me 

(pity party, i know)

which is such a lie!

they all love me

just as much as i love them

sometimes we just need to sit and bask in the sun

give yourself enough space to actually let people in

if i stay too closed minded and caught up in selfish ambition

how will anyone even be able to get past my brick wall.

so today we were blessed with summertime heat

[attempting to ignore the pollen]

i sat outside in a field

basked in the sun

giving myself a break from chaos

and sure enough i saw a friend i hadn't seen in a while

what a beautiful conversation

with laughs and genuine compassion for each other

even though we both live two very different lives

seeing her smile after i hadn't seen her in almost four months

made my day...

what made your day?*

QBA. (explanation below)

so this weekend i got the awesome opportunity to take a few wonderful ladies to ocean isle beach for what we at younglife call campaigners weekend.  we worshiped, praised and learned all weekend long.  it was beautiful.  the weekend contained lots of QBA aka quality boss action.  those ladies are the craziest and came up with that phrase, and i loved it! QBA happened frequently.

{sunrise on saturday}

 

{L.O.V.E.}

 

{jump}

  

{stroll}

{through the legs}

 

{pose}

{laugh}

it was a great weekend overall.  i love these girls.  i love this thing called younglife.  most of all i love Jesus, and how much he loves me!

spring!

today was the first real warm day all year

it was in the 60s

and it showed

everyone was outside

it was so great to see people out walking and enjoying the weather

yeah, the snow was exciting since we barely ever get it

but after a while people were ready for the normal to kick back in

people were ready for beautiful weather like this

the birds are out

flowers are starting to bloom

and people are smiling and enjoying it

i can't wait for school to give us a break so we can enjoy it more than i did this weekend!

{via flickr}

i hope everyone has a fabulous week!*

how sweet it is...

when you actually get to have a conversation where "how are you?" isn't code for small talk.

to see an old couple...and you can still see the love.

 to enjoy the silence

to have a great read with a cup of coffee

{shoes}{couple}{sitting}{sip}

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

sorry for the absence. NC got some snow.  And since we never get lots of snow, NC people don't know what to do, and where I live basically shut down for the weekend.  It was awesome though to sled and such.  My highlight of the weekend was definitely yesterday morning at breakfast when my dad suggested we tie our boat tube to the back of my brother's jeep and pull it in a parking lot.  We had so much fun! Then P and i followed it up with lunch and a little Mario on the Wii. We opened like 9 worlds.  It was definitely something to be proud of. Last night my mom and I cuddled up in front of the fire and watched Miss America! My top 3 favorites were:

 

miss virginia

  

miss texas

 

miss oregon

I was so excited to see one of my top favorite 3 win! Congrats to miss Virginia! If you didn't see her stunning yellow dress, google it.  It was amazing!

oh and since the roads still aren't cleared my class is canceled tomorrow!

what did everyone else do this weekend?!

p.s.does anyone know how to change the spacing on my sidebar so everything isn't so ridiculously spaced because i am html dumb. thanks!

2nd award

so lots going on! today has truly been a busy day!

so anyways an update on the outfit... i did steal my friends camera today and took a pic of my feet

then tonight since i am just totally self absorbed, i made my dad take a picture of me while i stopped by for a hot second

So back to reality. i ate dinner/am eating dinner right now 9:41 p.m. wow, so much for the no eating after 9:00 p.m. rule... i am also eating typical college kid food... ramen... and i love it!

my favorite kind of ramen is the creamy chicken kind. i don't like it just any way though.  i like it when there is hardly any water in it so the noodles are less soupy...

what about y'all? favorite kind of ramen noodles?

 Jennifer gave me my second award!

The rules of this award are as follows:

1. To accept the award, you must post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted you the award, and a link to their blog.

2. Pass the award on to approximately 15 other blogs that you recently discovered, and think are great!

3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

so this is a perfect time for me to pass along this award because over the weekend i spent hours looking up new blogs and i found quite a few i have fallen for and feel they definitely deserve this!

Juliana from A Blonde Walks into a Blog

Marcela from The Joy of Enjoying  

Mrs. Preppy from Mrs. Preppy 

Chloe from My Favourite Things 

Lauren of The Little Things We Do 

Katie from Color me Katie 

Legally Fabulous from Legally Faboulous 

Kristyn from The Rise of a Novelist 

Lindsay from La Belle Vie  

Kitchen Bellicious  

Holler from Puccini & Pearls 

Sweet Everythings a collection of love

i'm aware that this isn't even close to 15 ladies, but i thought these ladies deserved this award! 

i believe

today has been a lazy day for the most part.  i slept in until like 10:30 which is beyond lazy for me. i ate lunch with preston and his parents. we talked about classes and weddings. Preston dropped me off and i have pretty much been sitting in the same place since then...with the occasional walking to the door to let the dogs out and answering the phone when it rings. 

other than that i have been reading other blogs and thinking.  we are so lucky to have everything we have.  those in Haiti are walking through their crumbled lives.  most of them have lost everything including friends and family. my heart and my prayers go out to them. 

{via}

there are tons of ways to help.  if you have the money you can text "Haiti" to 90999 which adds $10 to your cell phone bill and all $10 goes to the American Red Cross to Haiti aid.  if you can't send money, pray.  i have complete faith that God is there in Haiti helping those families find each other and stay strong amongst all the disaster surrounding them.  

my thank-yous go out to those bloggers who are able to send money based on how many comments they recieve, and those with etsy shops that will send proceeds to help as well. 

{via}

ciˡeco

so this morning was the first day of classes

i tried so hard to be excited for my 9:10 which i am not even enrolled in yet! 

so this morning was hard, especially when i realized there is a chance i won't even need that class. bummer.

then i was thinking about how much i love being on campus.  

one of my most favorite things, although odd, is being on campus in the morning when no one else is really around.

it is nice to be here and breathe without anyone really getting in your way running to class.

while i was thinking, i was completely humbled by this guy

i have seen him before but never really realized how strong of a person he was

i have never met him before or spoken to him, let alone even gotten the courage to say good morning

but i remember because i see him.

the hard thing is that he would never recognize me because he doesn't see

he is blind.

our school is known for its non-handicap-accessible-ness.

this man is blind and uses a walking stick to get around.

this morning i watched in aw as he walked down stairs without a hitch

then he used his walking stick to move up the side walk.

his stick followed the grain of the brick on the side

when his phone rang he detoured to the wall and answered it

i take for granted being able to recognize someone in order to be able to say good morning

i also take for granted being able to watch where i am walking without worrying about walking into things

i also take for grated being able to look at my phone to see who is calling...

most of all i take for granted the beauty around me, of the earth in nature, the uniqueness of individuals walking all around,

this unknown man inspired me today

inspired me to notice the little things that i don't notice every day...the beauty of this world we live in

i hope i don't forget this feeling i have because it is extremely humbling

we need to thank the Lord each and every day for the simplest things... *

{this was taken on Sanibel Island at the lighthouse}