ATL A-BLOOM

"Let patience have 

her perfect work. 

You have to make it 

through 

winter and spring 

to get to summer."

MYSTERY OF THE MISSING WARDROBE

The goal of dressing like Nancy Drew has been going well. Solving the mystery of where my money goes though, still on the hunt for clues.

(funny how clue rhymes with J.Crew.)

(a lot of christian water analogies)

"Your grace abounds in deepest waters...."

I took living so close to the beach for granted for most of my life. It's a block away, I can hear the waves lapping on the shore from my bed each night. When I'm happy, I go to the beach. When the sun is rising, I go to the beach. When I'm sad and need to run away from the life, the beach is where I go. When it's January and my skin is as white as a sheet...you know where to find me.

I think one reason I love the beach is because it makes me feel very small, and as a result, it reminds me how big God is. He's vast, unsearchable and His love is deeper than we could ever comprehend. And while I think Christians have thoroughly worn out the water references, it's pretty true to some degree. His grace is like an ocean, His love washes over us. And when I'm standing on the shore facing the seemingly endless ocean, I'm met with the goodness of our God and the realization that 

I am so so small compared to His greatness. 

"When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace..."

When to get baptized is different for everyone. And even though I would only say I've known that the Lord was leading me to it for a year or so, the timing never quite worked out. I was either out of town or had a test the next day or was trying new churches and it just didn't work.

Switching churches, which I did a couple months ago, is always a little rough at first. Discouraged by the amount of awkwardness and icy conversation, I hadn't been in a couple weeks. But one Sunday a sweet friend texted me inviting me to come and that was the Sunday I heard about the baptism. 

It was also a week before.

But even still, I knew this was it.

Baptism is a beautiful thing no matter where it takes place, but having the opportunity to be baptized at the beach was such a blessing. I know my days near the beach are numbered and I have been doing my best to soak it up (both literally and figuratively) as much as possible 

( s e c o n d )   f a m i l y   i s   f o r e v e r

"And there I find You in the mystery.
In oceans deep,
My faith will stand."

I may not be able to run to the beach at midnight and cry when life is hard forever. But in doing so, I've learned that His Love is just like the ocean: endless, deep and oh so beautiful. 

THE LITTLE JACKET THAT COULD

Hi, I'm Kryn and welcome to (apparently) the only thing I ever wear. 

T H E   J A C K E T //  O L D  N A V Y  U T I L I T Y   J A C K E T

(why the popped collar?)

I got this jacket in Miami, it's weird that I'd have to go closer to the equator to find a decent jacket but you know, that's Florida for you. Anyway, it's proven to be the best $40 I've ever spent. The pockets are perfect for my passport, phone and candy ;) (and tampons! if need be) 

When I was in Dallas (at the arboretum) I was wearing this jacket and taking photos. When we got back in the car I thought that those photos looked kind of similar...then I realized it was because I wear the SAME jacket on literally every trip. Same pose, same jacket, same sad attempt at being a model; It was all so familiar. Then I was curious at how many photos I've actually taken in the infamous green Jacket....

and the rest was history! (/a blog post?)

ONE: SAN FRAN // I'm not sure if this was the inaugural trip with said jacket but either way, wow. God has been good to me. 

TWO: D.C BLOSSOMS // Cherry Blossoms are my favorite thing so of course, I had to wear my beloved jacket! I also didn't have another jacket, but that has nothing to do with it. Also, RIP to the days of ban.do pins! (Here's the DC post, in case you're curious/love cherry blossoms!)

THREE: THE AFTERLIFE?? // Though it isn't as aesthetically pleasing, this one is the best. Shows how practical this jacket can be, right? Nothing like laying in the road near some strategically splattered ketchup for the sake of art.

FOUR: SAN FRAN AGAIN // Back in San Fran and of course, with a new Ban.Do pin. Maybe it was a sign though, because this was the trip that I tripped on Jen Gotch's skirt. (Original post)

FIVE: COLD WEATHER // Ice skating in florida is always tricky because no one really has winter coats. So we either freeze or...freeze. But it's a fun thing to experience for three hours so we manage.

(Photo from my 17th birthday )

SIX: AMSTERDAM //  It wasn't really cold enough for a jacket that day but still, I was on a trip so it seemed like a mandatory choice.  (Amsterdam and Ansel Elgort, All in one post!)

SEVEN: SEATTLE // These are some of my most favorite travel pictures/memories ever, so  what a bonus that the sacred green jacket is a part of them.  (More Seattle Photos here!)

EIGHT: TAMPA // Katie and I had totally matching outfits, right down to the brand of our glasses. Moral of the story: wear green jackets and you will get to unintentionally twin with your friends.

NINE: DALLAS // This is the most recent adventure I've had in this jacket. It was FREEZING this day so I also had a mexican blanket wrapped around me...except when the camera came out. (arboretum post)

TEN: HOME // Obviously this is old and obviously I'm aware of the fact that I peaked during senior year so please don't remind me of how much better I/my hair looked. But hey, look at my jacket! Unlike me, it gets better with age.

I don't have any more trips planned currently (other than you know, the daily trips to Target) but you can bet that next time I pack a suitcase, this is gonna be the first thing I throw in.

I mean pack lovingly with care ;)

M&M

Sorry to all my other cousins, but I think these two cuties are my new favorites

I'm the second youngest cousin on my mom's side. Karoline, my cousin, is just two years younger than me. We were "the little girls" for the longest time. But thankfully we grew up and we have some pretty great replacements. My aunt and uncle adopted Maris and Marion in the same year, with the girls being 1 year apart. It's crazy, chaotic and yet the sweetest thing ever. Adoption is amazing and I'm so thankful we have these cuties in our family forever.

I actually hadn't met the girls until just a couple months ago (December to be exact!) Which is crazy, considering how obsessed I am with them now. When we visited them over spring break, I new it was time for some photos (new camera? new cousins? perfect.)

Is your heart exploding because, same! I'm so thankful that the Lord brought them into our family. They're a handful, of course, but a constant reminder of God's love and grace. Redemption is such a beautiful thing...also a blurry thing because these two would not sit still for photos. Thankfully they're stuck with me for life, they'll get the hang of this modeling thing soon.

Maris Laura and Marion Carol, welcome to the family! 

(and all the photoshoots that being related to me entails...;))

CHARMING CHARLESTON

Charleston has been on my list for so long! But even longer than that was my list of things to do in Charleston...which ironically we did not cross anything off of it. I guess that just means we will have to go back? 

I think that sounds about right!

And if you want to know the real reason I didn't cross much off the list, i'll tell you if you promise not to turn me in. My all time favorite fashion blogger just moved to Charleston. I don't really read any blogs anymore, except Gal Meets Glam. I read it literally just as religiously as I do my bible, and I have everyday for the past 4 years. I practically grew up with Julia! (we are on a first name basis, she just doesn't know it yet.)

Anyway, my mom and I are really good at finding things (of little importance) and we found Julias house, which happens to be on a historic homes walking tour so it actually isn't hard to find. So we parked a couple blocks away and walked by and JULIA. WAS. ON. THE. PORCH. Taking blog photos no less! My 12 year old heart died and went to heaven and so did my 19 year old heart as well.

I didn't take any photos or try and talk to them because, despite what this post suggests, I am not a creepy stalker. I'm just a deeply connected to Julia and her wardrobe and her penchant for pretty dresses. And now, I've seen her in person! Between Julia and tripping on Jen Gotch, I think I can die happily now.

Or at least not have a panic attack overtime I see someone who I follow on instagram IRL?

Hopefully our next trip to Charleston will involve actually crossing things off the to-do/see list but for now, I'm fairly content with everything that happened. And in case you were curious, Julia lives in a pink house.

No wonder I love her. 

Such is life, Such is FRE2

I really should be studying for my French 2 final right now...but instead I'm posting about the Paris Market in Savanah! That's the same thing right? And since we are here and I'm avoiding my homework like the plague, let's chat about French 2. Grab yourself a café au lait, we might be here awhile.

I've wanted to take French since the dawn of time (or really, ever since my mom started saying  Ne touchez pas to us when we were kids.) French 1 was fine and dandy and FRE2 has been anything but that. Which honestly, isn't a huge deal. A perfect grade isn't necessary for my degree and at the end of the day, its fine. 

But at the same time, it's not. Because eight year old Kryn wanted to learn French, just like her mom. And twelve year old Kryn was obsessed with everything Parisian. When sixteen year old Kryn went to Paris, it was if the stars had truly aligned. And when seventeen year old Kryn lived in Paris for a month (!!!), French felt like my destiny.

So you can imagine that when I'm sitting in room 220 at the community college and confusing the passé compose conjugations of etre, it feels like I'm letting each of them down just a little bit. 

But you know what they say,  "c'est la vie" (and FRE2)

Isn't this place just the cutest? And while it didn't inspire me to study my verbs or vocabulary list, it did remind me why I love Paris, and France and French food in general. Even though FRE2 wasn't exactly the whimsical experience I had envisioned since I was a little girl, it's been a good learning experience. 

And if I ever go back to France one day, at least I'll know how to ask where the bathrooms are. It's the important stuff kids.

While our trip to the Paris Market might have been more successful than my midterm, I still have hope that a.) I'll pass b.) I'll go back to France and actually use said French one day and 3.) that someone will invent gluten free croissants.

But in the mean time, back to the flash cards I go.
Like I said before,
C'EST LA VIE.

(PARIS POSTS ANYONE? First time at Laduree. Proof that the Paris Market is legit. Day at Versailles and the First day of Summer in Paris.)