BECOMING HER

via

i came across this quote on instagram last night and for some reason it really resonated with me, so i thought i'd share. somehow it makes the chaos of "finding myself" make sense.

happy friday!

THE WORD

if you have a friend who sends you random text messages of good Bible verses they find that they want to share because they make them think of you, keep that friend and hug them close and tight and never let them go. if you don't have one of these friends, find one. they were cut from a good cloth. like egyptian cotton.

via

one of my closest girlfriends has this effortless style of communication in which she can carry on the deepest conversations about theology and love in the most light, casual, comfortable way. i love her for it. whenever i'm with her we start by catching each other up on the mayhem that is our lives and quickly find ourselves slipping into honest, more profound topics, but with the same fluidity as before.

yesterday she and i talked a lot about relationships. we talked about the pressures that the idea of love and marriage put on young adults, especially as engagements and marriages are becoming more and more frequent the older we get. as i was sitting across the table from her, she texted me this verse. i quietly read it to myself and then we proceeded to talk about it, the passage it comes from, what it means to "fear the Lord" and how special and desirable of a quality that is. we pondered ways we can strive to put our energies towards our relationship with God rather than the minuscule, superficial moments we too easily get wrapped up in. and after that, with full, rejuvenated hearts and clear eyes, (you have no idea how much self control it's taking not to go all friday night lights on this post right now, but i'm resisting the temptation), we ever-so-naturally found our way back to chatting about our pinterest boards and the eight page papers we have due monday (that neither of us had started).

this friend of mine, shoot. she's a good'n. she knows exactly what i need to hear and when i need to hear it. and you know what's even better? when she knows my heart may not be strong enough to hear the truth, she prays about it, about me, for me, and trusts God to get the message across.

now that right there, my friends, is love. and friendship. and happiness. all wrapped up in one energetic smiley little human being. she inspires me to be a better person. for that, i am grateful.

what's on your heart this fine sunday? any verses you'd like to share? i'd love to read them in the comments below.

FLORAL

april showers bring may flowers. lilacs make me think of my dad. i'm not really even sure why. i wish you guys could smell these things though. pure perfumey flowery heaven.

surprise!

welcome back! did you recognize me? don't fret, you came to the right place. but i did decide to freshen things up around here. what do you think?! pretty fresh, eh?

i've gotta say i am absolutely in love with this new look. i can't stop staring at it, which is cruelly distracting me from tackling the mountainous pile of tasks i need to get done this weekend. i'd been itching to revamp my look around here for a while now, but i had no inspiration - no idea what vibe i was feeling or aura i wanted my little space to give off.  last night, however, out of nowhere! i was struck! a surge of inspiration hit me plum across the face and i suddenly had a vision (think: that's so raven) for exactly how i wanted to transform my little bloggy. i spent the rest of the evening (and much of the wee hours of the night, too) fiddling with templates, html, css (i still don't understand code and have given up on ever trying to learn), finding my color pallete (i used this website), fonts, icons, etc. to ultimately execute my ideas.

so wah-lah! you may see some small detail changes pop up throughout the next few weeks or so as i work to straighten out formatting kinks and play with adding a few more artsy, personalized touches, but this is it, and i couldn't be happier with the final product.  i think a blog is something that should change and grow as its writer does so i was on a mission to create a space that reflects my early-twenties-girly-giggly-free-and-full-of-passion-self and i think it's pretty fitting. not only do i feel that this represents me and my personality and the current season of my ever-evolving life, but i'm also feeling completely re-inspired.

the end.

and as a result of said re-inspiration i've drafted about 2734 posts in the last twenty-four hours, so get your little readers ready and i'll see you back here tomorrow. i'm off to caper through the tulips and freshly cut grass off into the sunset of love, happiness, and unicorns.

real-world translation: i'm walking uptown to get chinese take-out.

happy saturday.

KABOOM - POW - WOWZA

when you need that inspirational kick and coffee just isn't cutting it...

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7

there's something about the combination of words, colors, design, and meaning within these pieces that seem to be really resonating with me and where i feel i am in life right now. the power in such artistic simplicity brings me both comfort and encouragement.

and now that you've scrolled so far your finger's gone numb... :) i hope this gets you through the rest of your monday and gets tuesday rolling in the right direction. oh and hey june! welcome back!

i'm feelin' good.

this video. 

simply, beautifully, b r e a t h t a k i n g.

also, i have nary an idea of who that soundtrack is by or what it's called or why i feel like i'm so familiar with it [i'm thinking it's a result of the endless dance competitions i attended as a child? or no wait - is it in the wedding date? did i just make that up? oh, dermot mulroney. goodness.], but i am in l o v e with that song. makes me want to throw on some pearls, bright red lip stick, and do a little hip-pop-strut to the beat, you know? 

in other news, my "about" page is finally filled with words and phrases about me. there's so much pressure that goes into an "about" page - trying to summarize my relatively ordinary self into an eye-catching, gripping piece of writing and just... oof! it's a tough and easily procrastinate-able task. but it has been conquered! and you can check it out by clicking on the "about" tab up top or here.

have a happy weekend and an even happier easter.

i hope you're feeeelin' goooooood. 

feliz cumpleaños, mi mama

january 31st marks the day in which i get to obnoxiously celebrate the most special of ladies. [of course i do this in my head on a daily basis but it's not every day i get to shout it out to the world! i have to take advantage of my 24 hour window of opportunity that only comes around every 365 days].

so here it is, world, soak up this load of mush and gush about my best friend, my biggest hero, she who doth inspireth me the most, the woman who so generously supplied me with half of my entire dna [good job on that, by the way], the one and only, my momma.

when i was four years old, just a wee lassie, [and an only child, my those were the times! wink] my mom and i would swing by the grocery store for glazed donuts every morning on our way to school [this was before the times of casey's general store and their cake donuts, you see. also, i feel very sophisticated yet extremely frumpy using the phrase "before the times." that's enough of that]. we would settle down in her classroom [i miss that janky old trailer!], secluded from the rest of the world, and as we prepared for our days [her organizing teacher-ly lesson plans, me mentally preparing for the trials and tribulations that accompany play time and coloring; the serious stuff] we talked. and talked and chatted and laughed. she and i had big girl conversations - the kinds of conversations that four-year-olds and their mothers don't typically have. we took this secret "us" time to share our feelings and thoughts and wonders about the big world before us.

and it was in those early four-year-old moments that i knew that this woman - this woman that i was so beyond blessed to have had placed in my life - and i had a special love and friendship that only comes around often, if at all. 

how did i get so lucky? 

fast forward 15 years, and oh boy, i was so right about her and our bond. this mother of mine is so wonderful. she's my best. friend. she's the first person i turn to always, about anything and is the master at responding in the perfect way and saying exactly the right things. she taught me how to be strong and fearless; how to laugh at myself [and laugh in general] and make light of the darkest and dreariest situations. my mom showed me that when you stand up for what you believe is right, you will always prevail, and to never give up or lose faith when you begin to feel defeated. she helped me learn to find the beauty in myself and in others, even when the universe is screaming otherwise. she proved to me that family loves unconditionally and will always, always, always be there for one another, no matter what. and that's all we need.

and if i can grow to be even half of the woman she is when i'm her age, i will be so darn lucky.

so thanks for being born, mom.  i hope you have the happiest of birthdays! i love you mucho.

this journal, you see...

via

 Walk in the path He shows you: follow the life-map absolutely, keep an eye out for the signposts...then you'll get on well in whatever you do and wherever you go.

1 KINGS 2:1  THE MESSAGE

 i sat down last night and opened up my beautiful new travel journal [courtesy of one of my sweet, sweet floormates last semester] and wrote my first entry. [this is the part where i run real quick-like and stash it under my bed before my family hunts down my dearest journal and reads all of my juicy secrets!] each page is marked with a different Bible passage and brief "thought for the day," both full of inspiring words that revolve around growing and thriving while traveling down life's paths.
yesterday's "thought for the day":

They say you will never be lonely from the start of each day to its end if you walk life's pathway with love in your heart, and side by side with a friend.

 i already know, simply by reading the first page, that this book is going to be so much more than a place to record my thoughts. it's a safe haven i can look to to bring me peace of mind when i feel lost and unsure in this big world. when i was writing and writing yesterday in a slightly scared and panicked frenzy, these two phrases were exactly what i needed to read and be reassured that i'll "get on well in whatever [i] do and wherever [i] go."

bring it on, mexican adventures! i'm ready for ya!