Lavender

So, being in Auburn this summer there aren't a lot of planned things to do. Which I am actually growing to love. This slow pace is relaxing and not having to plan is nice. It adds excitement in everything that comes my way during the day no matter how small. Last weekend when I went home I brought back a pot to paint white (I'm all about natural and simple colors right now, you'll see once I post my website I'm designing right now for one of my interactive projects). I went and bought some lavender seeds to plant. And I find it quite funny how much dirt I had to buy because there wasn't a smaller bag. My last two summers out a JH Ranch I had hoped to go to the lavender fields in Shasta City, but never got the chance, so that was why I choose it for my little white pot. As I planted my seeds the Lord so sweetly reminded me of a huge part of what He taught me throughout last summer. At the end of one of my favorite songs it says, "this seed I've received I will sow". God clearly showed me last summer how he teaches us and fills us to be emptied again. If we weren't emptied we wouldn't need him to be there to fill us more and more. We're emptied when we share what He's revealed to us, to encourage others in Him. And then He is faithful to fill us again and again. So each time I water my little lavender seeds (which is three times a day, I feel like I'm taking care of a little child, hahaha), I'm reminded of this truth. I can't wait to watch it grow and see the beautiful fruit! 

baby lavender

This made me so happy when I got on blogger today! If you don't know, when you have a blog, you can track how many views you have a day and from where, etc. I was so excited to see South Africa show up on my map today:)! That's Allison reading from Cape Town, I love it!

Beginning a Beautiful Summer

 The Lord works in His perfect timing. Rains fall and recede at His command. Today it rained for me.

I remember when I was a kid, people would say that when it’s raining, God is crying. But, a few weeks ago when I was home, I noticed one of those Family Circus comics was attached among the smattering of invitations and art on the refrigerator. It was simply an illustration of the family on a hillside, and the word bubble coming from Billy said, “spring must be when God gets his crayons out and colors”. It made me remember all those little sayings like thunder is when God’s drumming and the one about God crying when it rains.

But then I thought, no, rain is water and water brings life. Rain would be when God gets out His watercolors and beautifully paints the world with color and life. Yes, these are just little sayings, but The Lord has had a way of speaking to me through them recently.  Today I do believe He sent the rain just in time to teach me something. So today he sent the rain to let me know he’s here, he does carry my burdens, and he is weeping with me when I’m hurting.  He sent it to heal me and remind me of the times he’s been faithful in healing me before.  For a while now I've been trying so hard to be intentional and I want to spend time with people because I want to be a perfect friend, sister, and daughter and it has weighed so heavy on me recently in ways I didn’t even realize. I don’t have to work and strive. “I will fight for you, you need only to be still.” Trying to do all these things on my own again has caught up with me, and I’m exhausted. I know the Lord has made me perfect already through His son and there is nothing I can do on my own that is good and of worth. He’s reminding me again. Thank you Lord. These rains came to remind me of His truth and his help in my desperate times.

Thank you for grace Lord, pour your buckets of it out on me and let it overflow for your glorious name. Thank you God, thank you for the rain.

Seems like a Thousand Years

I won't go on about how I've wanted to to start posting again and how the past 5 or so times I've begun to post again in the last year have never ended up on the blog because there is too much to tell. I've learned so much and grown so much in the last year that I'll just have to share it in pictures in order to get on to the new adventures. 

I worked with Emma in the coffee bar last summer.

I value this sweet friendship so much. 

Shyanne, one of my sweet challenge girls.

Hands down, some of THE best hours of my life were spent in this ocean with Brittany and Emma.

Psychedelic-First social back in Auburn after summer.

First home football game of the season!

Oh how I love Hannah Pate!

Paige came to visit Auburn.

Outback Cincinnati roadtrip

White Rose Formal

Our beautiful white sheet tent

Tacky Christmas

 254 Roomies

Highlands Life Small Group at Life Retreat in Birmingham

My sister Millie got engaged! 

Passion 2012

Kappa Delta Kentucky Derby Spring Formal

Millie's first wedding shower in Montgomery!

So now, now I'm starting over...afresh, starting life anew in a fresh place.

pre-graphic design

i'm finally finished with my freshman year of pre-graphic design classes! woohooo! i loved my drawing and design classes but i won't miss being in biggin all the time. caroline says biggin was eating her friend. i don't really miss pulling all-nighters weekly, but i will miss hanging out with all my friends in the studio when we did have to stay up all night before a project was due. and i will definitely be sad when i don't see them as much next semester because most of them applied for summer graphic design. i do still have 2 exams left to study for, but i am so thankful to have a little more time on my hands to rest and hang out with friends. and now i'll just be waiting to see if I get into graphic design for the fall at the end of the summer. i know it's in the Lord's hands and i trust He will put me right where He wants me to be to glorify His name!

i'm going to post all my projects, i just need to re-take a bunch of the pictures, so here's just one for now.



Drawing 1- this was a project in class one day taking one of my professor's prints and altering them to be our own while leaving a few elements from his print in the piece. Professor Velazquez is also the printmaking teacher and is extremely talented. He co-owns a print company called Drive By Press where he hand cuts designs into wood and then custom prints on site. Hopefully I'll get to take his printmaking class one semester.

beauty divine

Does it ever catch your eye?
Beauty divine
In an old man's tears
A little girl's smile
If it feels like a song
One that belongs to you

Stop making sense
Your weakest defense
Just quiet your mind
Let the world unwind

See we're not alone
He makes Himself known
in time, His own time

So Breathe
Life will surprise you
Just Be
It's what the world denies you
You see
The truth is all around you
Believe

We're not alone
He makes Himself known
in time, His own time

So Breathe
Life will surprise you
Just Be
It's what the world denies you
You see
The truth is all around you
Believe, Believe

Does it ever catch your eye?


-"Beauty Divine" by Brandon Heath

that lucky person

i'd like to be that lucky person with the job of naming colors....

pineapple golden
purple basil
crustacean red
saltwater teal
avocado green

they just all sound so yummy and rich.

KD spring formal!

dillon, THE coolest date ever. auburn KDs love samford sigma chis.

254 roomies!!!!

bird's nest=124 days away

mags

katie. reed. rocks. i love her SO much!

jars of clay

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self [3] is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

catching up

just one more day!!!!!

i'm coming ocean!!!!!

the beach cannot get here soon enough!!!!! i want to blog some more so badly too, but not until i'm in grayton far from auburn and far from nasty school. spring break i can't wait! i can't wait to spend time with my friends and relax and read and create and lay in the warm sunshine:)

feet like a deer

"The Sovereign Lord is my strength, He makes our feet like a deer enabling us to go on the heights." -Habakkuk 3:19

Yesterday Lexi and I took a trip to Chewacla and had the time of our lives climbing the rocks through the waterfall! I love being out in God's beautiful creation. It was such a refreshing time to spend with such a sweet friend!

faithful always

Praise the Lord that He is always faithful!! His word is living and active and I clearly experienced His blessings and promises today! I talked to Jen LeDuc today about working out at the ranch again this summer, and when we talked, she told me space was filling up and she wasn't sure if I could even do full summer now since I had previously been trying to decide on working at JH or doing an internship and since I had let her know so late. She told me she was going to continue to pray about it though and when we hung up, well, I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't upset. I definitely was and I didn't know what to do anymore about the internship now because I was so sure the Lord wanted me to work at the ranch instead. I sat and prayed and read and prayed and just told the Lord that I knew it was all in His control and I knew His plans were going to be what was best for me. He is righteous and I wanted to do what His will for me would be for the summer. Literally, five minutes later, Jen called me back and said that someone else had just let her know that she couldn't work full summer anymore and needed to work half, she said she knew this was from the Lord and I could work full summer!!!!! Praise the Lord! He is SO faithful all the time! I am so full of joy!

Deliverer Vicky Beeching

this song was on my francie's blog today and i love it!!!! i've been listening to it on repeat all day so i thought i should share it with you!

pure joy

pure
[pyoor]
–adjective, pur·er, pur·est.
1. free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind
2. clear; free from blemishes: pure skin
3. absolute
4. clean, spotless, or unsullied
5. untainted with evil; innocent
6. free of or without guilt; guiltless

joy
[joi]
–noun
1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying
2. a state of happiness or felicity

another beautiful friendship

allison thomas and i have been friends as long as i can remember and it's so fun to think back on all the times we've spent together:) she really knows me and i just love her and i'm so thankful for her friendship!!!! the other night i was so overwhelmed with one of my 2d design projects and i was just having a hard time understanding exactly why it was i had decided to major in graphic design. i was questioning if that was really what i was supposed to major in. i went up to her room and saw her for a little "break" (more of a way to procrastinate further) and was talking it out about how maybe i should really be in another major. the awesome friend she is brought me back to reality quick and reminded me that number one, i shouldn't ben thinking about changing my major at midnight the night before a big project that i'm sick of is due, and number two, she reminded me how much i really do like it and i'm doing well so far. praise the Lord for a perspective in reality. i'm definitely without a doubt going to miss living across the hall from my best friend next year, but i know we'll keep in touch and still see each other. our friendship is one of those that will always pick back up where it left off when we don't get to see each other for a while.

almost caught up

i'm almost caught up with all the things i wanted to write about. i'm going to try not to let myself go so many days without writing from now on because i just don't think i'm going to be able to say all that i wanted to...so here's a short and simple version. this weekend was the jh staff reunion in sylacauga. there were one hundred and twenty people there and it was so. much. fun. i was so overwhelmed but so full of excitement walking in the door and seeing so many people that i knew and hadn't seen in months! i felt so refreshed all weekend catching up with everyone and just relaxing and being able to hang out since there wasn't anything planned. literally all we did was talk for hours on friday night and it was so cool to see all the different ways the Lord is working in everyone's lives. every conversion was uplifting and encouraging. it's really cool how when a relationship is built through Jesus, it can grow even when people are apart and can start right back where it was when you haven't talked to people in months. praise the Lord for such beautiful friendships!

passion tea lemonade

next time you go to starbucks get a passion tea lemonade!!!! maggie and i got them today and it's my new favorite thing!!!!!