FAMILY PHOTOSHOP

Contrary to what my instagram feed suggests, I actually do take photos of things other than donuts and myself from time to time! Granted, it's a rare occasion. But still! These family photos were for a sweet friend and even though it was raining most of the time, You'd never be able to tell from the images. 

Photoshop is a beautiful thing ;)

I walked into Target last week and my eyes instantly filled with tears. Granted, I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets a little misty eyed by the wonders of the Dollar section, but this time it was the sight of number two pencils and  three ring binders that made me weepy. Fall and pumpkin spice everything is nice, Winter is wonderful because of all the delicious holiday desserts, and Spring is always glorious...but Back-to-School season is hands down my favorite season of them all.

As the remaining days of summer drift away, another semester of school approaches. Depending on your personality, this can either be exciting, intimidating, dreadful or just whatever. I find that on a good day, it's a mix of all of those emotions. And on a bad day, I just want to take refuge in my bedroom with nothing but seven seasons of my favorite netflix show and some Oreos to keep me company.

If only life were that simple.

On quiet summer days, life trickles by at a slower pace. There's more time for reading the Word of God, more time for intentional conversations and meetings with other believers. Prayer doesn't have to be rushed or generic--there's beautiful time to be slow and careful and intentional with every second.

And then school starts and well, I'm lucky if I remember to brush my hair....once a week.

Maybe you too have experienced a summer of spiritual growth. Maybe you've seen God move in unbelievable ways over the past couple of months. Mission trips, helping at church, mentoring younger girls--whatever it may be for you, you've seen the hand of God at work in your life. And maybe you're like me, and you too don't want that to stop.

If our desire is to keep growing in the Word, keep walking in step with Jesus, and keep living out His plan for our lives, we have to be intentional. It's easy to focus on our faith when the distractions are limited. But at college, it's safe to say the distractions (both good and bad!) are unlimited. It can be difficult to hear His voice over the classroom discussion and general clamor of a college campus.
But He wants us to seek Him just as fervently in the busy seasons as He does in slow ones.
We have the potential to grow just as much during the semester as we have during the summer.

Whatever this next season holds --whether that be returning to a familiar place, going somewhere new, starting a new job, switching majors-- my prayer is that we all adjust with grace and the intention to keep growing in Christ. There will be a million things trying to grab our attention (much like the million things in the Target Dollar Section that I definitely don't need, but somehow, always make me reach for my wallet.) but Christ is most important. His worth is far above grades and due dates, sororities and parties, friends and whatever else we may encounter this semester. It may be difficult and require more effort to keep pursuing Christ as earnestly during school - but it will be worth it.

And now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to stock up on an unnecessary amount of spiral notebooks and mechanical pencils. And tissues! Because we all know the effect school supplies have on my tear ducts.

TWENTY-SEVENTEEN: A SUMMER OF SABBATH

Summer always comes knocking with a list of fun activities following close behind. From beach trips to acai adventures, I always have a fairly extensive and ambitious list of things things to do/explore/eat over summer break.

Well, every summer except THIS one, that is.

I spend a lot of time striving for earthy success. And they're not even bad things- good grades, a job well done, investing in specific friendships. After a hard semester, I was completely burnt out. Every second after my alarm went off at 5:30 each morning was spent in an attempt to be as productive as possible and check everything off my never ending to-do list. Email my boss. Prep speech presentation. Connect with a speech pathologist. Edit photos. Do the dishes. Don't forget to eat dinner.

Life, even a simple and well intended one, can be exhausting. 

Each week I had to repeat to myself, "Just make it one more day." Everyday. And when I made it to the weekend, I spent every second catching up on sleep, cramming or cleaning and prepping for the next week ahead. I felt guilty going anywhere but class or work related places, thinking I was wasting time. I'd go over flashcards at stoplights. No music during the 39 minute drive to school, just biology lectures....for 3 months. Putting on makeup and driving to church seemed like a waste when I could just watch it at home, so that's what I started doing.

I know, this sounds so dramatic. I mean, come on girl. We see you posting on instagram all the time! Well what if I told you I scheduled out 35 posts so I wouldn't have to be on the app?

Yeah, I am that dramatic.

It got to the point where rest was just a thing of the past. Relaxation was equally extinct, in my mind. Why rest when you could work? Why relax when you could get stuff done? Why watch Tv when you have a to do list looming?  However, over Spring Break I read a book that talked about the sabbath. "HONOR THE SABBATH AND KEEP IT HOLY." is what the bible instructs, yet somehow I had twisted that into "accomplish as much as humanly possible on this one day to be a good person"

The New King Karissa translation somehow omitted the honor the sabbath and rest on the seventh day part.

And so as a result of that, my summer list is quite different this year. Other than my goal of finishing The Inferno, my summer list for 2017 revolves solely around honoring the Sabbath and learning how to keep it holy in this busy, distracting, demanding world. It's hard to turn it all off. To power down on everything in life, even for a day, has its challenges. But I can honestly say that the best way to recharge is to mute the distractions of the world and fully zone in on Christ.

And isn't it great that God made a day of the week specifically for just that?

The ways  in which we feel called and convicted to honor the Sabbath might be different, but at the end of the day, it's about giving our time and energy back to The Lord. I know I have a long way to go on this journey, but I'm grateful that Jesus is changing my attitude, heart and thoughts toward the Sabbath.

Instead of attempting to pack my summer full of beach days an acai bowls, my main focus is to spend less time on superficial fillers and more time, specifically The Sabbath, with my Heavenly Father.

And with that, Happy Summer and Happy Sabbath!

Previous Summer Lists:
{2012}
{2013}
{2014}
{2015}
{2016}

Orlando City Irony

Three weeks ago I went to an Orlando City Game. Also three weeks ago, I lost my credit card. Today I uploaded all these photos for this blog post. Also today, I got a text saying, "HAHAHAH OH MY GOSH I STILL HAVE YOUR CREDIT CARD FROM THE GAME."

So that's where it went!

Moral of the story, if you're going to and Orlando City Soccer game, don't give a boy your credit card because he might forget to give it back. It will save you a lot of time and energy (and tears, because misplaced valuables generally result in a mini meltdown) and the hassle of having to order a new one, only to get it in the mail the exact same day you find out it isn't really lost at all.

Alternate moral: life is full of ironic timing. I'm pretty sure we have Jesus to thank for that one. 

FRENCH, FRANCE AND JESUS: THE UPDATE.

I'm sure this has kept you up at night. You've been tossing and turning wondering, "What did she get on her French final?"

Or you didn't even know I was taking French! That's another very likely possibility.

I wrote about it in this post (and included some very favorite photos from The Paris Market in Downtown Savannah!) but basically, my grade sucked. And yes, we all get bad grades from time to time, save a select few of academic angels. But for some reason, this grade was especially disappointing to me, and I was probably a bit salty about the fact that I didn't fall into the academic angel category probably. At any rate, French was my least favorite topic. Yet the one I needed to study most for.

One day as I was studying (sort of) (mostly just dozing off) I had a weird thought "What if I actually get an A? If I do, I'll buy myself a nice lipstick." The thought was mildly motivating and kept me awake for another solid study session. But still, an A? That seemed pretty far fetched.

The thought of a lipstick at the end of the road was enough to motivate me slightly. But also I knew it wasn't a reality, so I wouldn't have to spend money on it at the end of the day. Kind of a win-win! Except a lipstick (and an A) would have been cool.

Directly after my exam I came home for bible study. I knew I had done okay on the test, but also knew I messed up a lot as well. We prayed, talked, potentially cried but I can't remember, watched the bachelor and I checked my grade.

For some perspective, the last test I got a 73.
Yet somehow on the final, I ended up with a 114. Bringing my grade from a C to an A! Also bringing my jaw to the floor.

(photos from paris in 2014)

My point in writing this post isn't to publicly celebrate my grade of flaunt my Phoenix abilities. I'd been discouraged about this class for months. I had mentally accepted the final B or C. Life would go on. God would still be in control. Really, it would all be fine.

But then God said, "Wait, I have something better in mind."

The beauty of this situation, and the life lesson I hope to learn and remember, is that God always waits till the right time to work. If he had given me a great grade from the get-go, I probably wouldn't have prayed as much. Had I started off with a higher standing in the class, I wouldn't have been humbly driven to my knees. He held out on me, until I was fully sold out for Him.

God want's our best days and our worst days. He loves us through bad grades and good grades and He will bless us when HE knows we are ready for it. Not when we think we deserve it.

This is just a small situation in life, but one where I saw God moving and working so clearly. And on that note, I know it won't be the last time God waits to bless me, even when it seems like its too late. It wont be the last time I see Him moving and working in my life. And while I've already forgotten every word of French, my hope is that I never forget what Christ has shown me through this situation.

Now obviously it's not really practical to put up a pillar of stones in my bedroom, but hey! This lipstick is my proverbial pillar of stones. So naturally, I had to go all out.

I ended up picking out a YSL lipstick. I mean, after passing french, a French lipstick brand seemed only fitting. After spending 14 years in Sephora going back and forth (cute or practical? Fun or extra wearable?) I settled on Smoking Plum, a rich purple with a glossy finish that I truly love/want to wear everyday. 

It sits on my vanity now. For one, the packaging is ridiculously pretty. And secondly, the price tag is high enough to quality this as not only a lipstick but also a piece of decor. And thirdly, every time I pass it or use it-the lipstick seems to say, "Hey, remember the time that God to bless you and you passed French? And not because you deserved it either, but because He is the epitome of goodness itself."

So yeah, I guess you could say it's my proverbial pillar of stones. In all honestly, it's a way better reminder of God's love than stones would be. I use lipstick everyday! And what else do I need daily?

To be reminded that God is in control and He will move when He is ready, not when it's easiest or most convenient for me. 

JUROR #20

Three weeks ago I had jury duty. It was an early Monday morning, a 45 minute drive, pouring rain, getting lost in the parking lot, stressing over missing work and getting selected for a sensitive case kind of day. Lo and behold, I was picked and dubbed as juror #20. 

Coincidence? I think not.

I've been talking a lot and thinking a lot about turning TWENTY later this year. Sometimes that number scares me, other times it motivates me....but most of the time it makes me confused/concerned about the fact that I still order off the kids menu. However, if my time as juror #20 is any indication of how the beginning my twenties is going to go...I'll pass on that birthday, thank you very much! It took a lot of crying, nervous gum chewing and "yes, your honor" to get out of that courtroom. 

And so naturally, the first place I went after my emotional exit was, of course, target. And I bought this dress. And a can of soup. And a calendar.  But just so you know, I would never stoop to the level of emotional shopping! 

(everyday)

Hopefully I'll leave implus shopping in the dust with my teen years. But for now, I'm not 20 yet! So I'm going to enjoy it (and my new dress!) while it lasts!

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK

Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with poetry and the written word. I think it was after reading the Great Gatsby - the incredible syntax, word choice and imagery makes me weak in the knees.

And that being said, I've never felt that way about the bible.

The bible has always been great, of course! But lately I've been noticing how freaking beautiful it is. Not only does God share His Word, but His word also happens to be composed in such a magnificent way that it puts any work of F. Scott Fitzgerald to utter shame.

Because it's not just a story. Not only is the word of God beautiful but it is REAL.

Recently on my Instagram stories, I've been sharing the verses that stand out to me. The bible is beautiful as is, but when you pull out individual verses it really highlights the poetic quality and how thoughtful and intentional every. single. word. is.

I use the YouVersion app, highlight the verse that stands out to me, then take a screenshot. After that, I open Instagram and upload the photo to the stories. From there, I just use white pen tool to cover over the surrounding verses and any other text on the screen. And I always use the NKJ version! 

No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, I hope you too can enjoy how utterly perfect the bible is, even on a stylistic level. 

Man, God really knew what He was doing, huh?