The Perks of To-Do Lists

     Sometimes, you are having a monotonous Monday, studying in a coffee shop, checking things off your to-do list. Mine today:

- Cut and Bind CAD Project

- Read NYT for International Studies

- Make power point for work

- Southern Ambassador Meeting

-Laundry

     Meanwhile in said coffee shop, I begin to have a conversation with the coolest couple I have ever met. Adam and Lindsey graduated from UGA a few years ago, got married, moved to Colorado, and immediately began saving money for the trip of a lifetime. In June, they both quit their jobs, started traveling the US and in a few weeks, they are leaving to go to overseas for two years and travel for the sake of travel. You can check out their blog about all their adventures here. Not only did they have the coolest lives ever, but Adam and Lindsey were incredibly nice people. They wanted to know about me and took genuine interest in my life and what I wanted to do after college.

     When we finished our conversation and I went back to my studies, I couldn't help but be distracted with the thought of how boring my week will be compared to theirs. Or how boring my month will be compared to theirs. Or how boring my year will be compared to theirs. Then I stopped myself. I have told myself time and time again that comparison is the thief of joy, and it couldn't be more true. So rather than wallow in my self-pity after looking at today's to-do list, when I got home, I pulled out my "bucket list". Turns out I've already done a lot of cool things and I've experienced most of them with people that mean a lot to me.

Some things I've already checked off my "To-Do List":

-Have Breakfast at Tiffany's in NYC

-Learn how to kayak

- Run a half-marathon

     I love my life. And while my senior year of college might have its boring days, I can't complain about anything! I have so much life ahead of me and so many experiences to enjoy with people I love. 

Some of the things currently on my "To-Do List":

-Visit all 50 States

- Graduate college

- See the crowned jewels in England

- Learn how to snowboard

-Marry my best friend

- Sew something spectacular

- Drink coffee in Portland

- Watch the ball drop in Times Square

     Thank you Adam and Lindsey for inspiring me enough today for me to actually get on here and blog about it. I'm also going to talk to people more. Kids, don't listen to your parents, strangers are awesome! So what's my point? Don't let today's to-do list hinder you from dreaming about your future list or keep being thankful for what you've already done. The Lord has been so good to me and I am so thankful for the way he has lavished his love on me. Happy Monday!

Oh, Summer

Yes, I dropped off the face of the blog.

Yes, it was because this fun thing called college started happening.

Yes, I'm going to start doing a better job about blogging again.

Are we done here? Sweet.

Hellooooo Summer!!!

Will, Mike and I at Fall Creek Falls this past weekend. We had an awesome time relaxing, 

visiting Gran and Wally, and doing adventurous things like swimming under waterfalls.

In college, there are 6,529 things that you can do with you summer; mission trips, jobs, classes, camps, Summer Beach Projects, traveling, the list goes on and on. This past November, I came to the realization (much to my parents dismay) that this will be my LAST college summer. My last "hoo-rah" as you could say, before I graduate college and this whole "real world" thing starts. So what did I choose for my last big summer adventure? 

Home.

Sounds pretty boring right? Not so much though. Once you go to college for a few years and finally get  enough "freedom" to sustain you for a lifetime, you start to miss things like your family, free food, and your Dad getting you a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee every morning. Plus, there are a lot of things here to keep me busy this summer! I am watching the lovely and enthusiastic Emma Morgan again. I am so blessed to be employed by the Morgan family for the fourth summer in a row. Each summer, Emma helps me to grow in patience, and creativity! 

I've also had the incredible opportunity to be the part-time missions intern at Crossroads, my home church, this summer. The Lord answered my prayers when I began to ask that my time this summer would be spent learning to love others better and being challenged in my walk with the Lord. He couldn't have provided a better outlet to do those things. There is a lot happening at Crossroads this summer that I get the chance to be involved in. The first is 10:10 Thrift, a non-profit thrift store where 100% of the profits will go back to local and nationwide missions. Check out the link to learn more about how to volunteer and donate! It is fun seeing this process from the ground up and when the store opens on August 2nd, you best be there! I mean who doesn't love thrifting? 

Through this internship, I'll also be able to go on a mission trip to Haiti in July. I cannot contain my excitement for this trip and will definitely keep updating everyone as I raise support and get ready for my trip.

The last big thing is something that I think is a semi-secret. I've been asked to sort of spearhead the design of a product that could change a lot of lives. The moment I heard about it, it became a passion of mine but the scary part is that I have no clue how to begin, what to do, or who to talk to. I feel inadequate to take on something this big, but our God is faithful in using his children to do big things, so prayerfully this will come to fruition. 

My other summer adventures will include: camping, taking Mike to NYC and on his first airplane ride, laying by the pool, half-marathon training, finishing all the Harry Potter books, making my first bridesmaids dress for the lovely Aubrey Danielson and spending time with Zoe McFall, since we are both in Douglasville at the same time for the first time ever!

So, what are your summer plans? I love reading others blogs and seeing Instagram posts about European travels, adventures in different states, and even fun happenings at home.  Sorry if this was boring, but this blog wasn't created to entertain, but as an outlet for me to share God's faithfulness. Till next time! 

Homemade Sweet Potato Fries

Fall is finally here! While anything pumpkin is a favorite fall food of mine [insert white girl joke here], I also love sweet potatoes!  My grandfather, Pop, is one of the greatest gardeners I know and last time I went home, he gave me 15 home-grown potatoes that I had no clue what to do with. After multiple trials and errors, I have come up with the perfect sweet potato fry recipe. It is quick, easy and a great snack or side item for all your fall festivities! 

Sweet Potato Fries

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Serves 2 per potato

Ingredients: 

1 sweet potato (for each additional potato, double recipe) 

olive oil

1/4 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika 

Directions: 

1.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with tinfoil.

2.) Wash potato, cut off ends, and slice with a large knife into medium "fry-like" wedges- don't slice too thick or it will not cook all the way through. You can peel the skin off if you prefer but I like to leave mine on.

3.) Spread out wedges on baking sheet and drizzle the wedges with olive oil. Make sure you cover both sides of wedge with oil but they don't need to be drowning. 

4.) Mix dry ingredients and sprinkle evenly on both sides of the wedges.

5.) Bake for 15 minutes, then remove wedges and flip them to their other side. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your fries. 

Get some catsup (or if you want to get real crazy, some marshmallow fluff), serve and enjoy!

Experiencing God

I started this blog to talk about my life. What God is doing, how I am growing, and fun adventures I am having. But it strayed from that when I have tried to get all preachy and that was not the goal.  So, today I am just going to simply state what God has been revealing to me in the past few weeks since I’ve been back at school.

God has been teaching me about prayer in unfathomable ways lately. It started the first week of school when my friends Mike and Murray moved into their new apartment that did not have a washer or dryer and they informed me that they had begun praying for one. Foolishly, I thought to myself, “That is kind of a silly thing to pray for.” and that was the last thought I gave about it… until the next week when their landlord showed up at their door saying, “I have this extra washer and dryer I need to get rid of, do you boys need one?” Boom. Free washer and dryer. WHAT?!?! Like seriously? Talk about ye of little faith on my part.

The next week, I was dropping something off at Mike and Murray’s house, had a conversation with Murray for a bit, decided it was time to leave, and realized I had locked my keys in the car. This is not a new occurrence for me.  This had to have been my 4^th or 5^th time locking my keys in the car and every time, I try to break into the car on my own before epically failing and calling a locksmith. We called the locksmith and he said it would be $50… I am in college…. “ain’t nobody got money fo dat.!” I knew I would have to pay it but I decided to attempt to break into the car anyways. But first, Murray stops me and says we need to pray about it. Pray about getting into my car? The car I have tried to break into multiple times already? Ok…? Can you guess what happened? Me, Murray, a wire hanger, two crowbars and 15 minutes later, the door is open. Jaw. On. Floor.

This happened on a Wednesday night so by Sunday night, I had decided that I had been putting God in a box. Sure, I prayed about abstract things but I never got that specific. I never trusted like that. So Sunday night at CO Prayer, my friend Javona shared that she had been praying every morning that God would use her to glorify Himself that day. That really spoke volumes to me so I decided to give it a whirl and prayed all day for God to use me. That day at lunch, I got to share the gospel with my friend Madison and sitting there at Chick-fil-a, in the middle of Russell Union, we prayed and she made Christ her Lord and Savior. It was one of the most joyful things I had ever experienced. It taught me that sharing the gospel IS experiencing God. I could not stop smiling and rejoicing.

If that wasn’t already awesome, the next morning I woke up with a sore throat and sinus infection but I was supposed to go give a campus tour for Southern Ambassadors. The whole way there I prayed and prayed and prayed that no one would show up for the tour so I wouldn’t have to talk about campus for an hour with a sore throat. I walked in and there was one family waiting to go on a tour. Feeling defeated and complaining in my head, I decided to pray anyways and thank God for the opportunity to be a Southern Ambassador. Next thing I know, in walks two more Ambassadors. They had three guides for one family so they sent two of us home. God still answered my prayer! Even though it wasn’t quite the way I thought he would. It was the cherry on top to a nice two-week span of God teaching me about prayer and my lack of trust in Him.

All this brings me to today, where the rest of my family and I are waiting anxiously to hear the results of an MRI for my brother, Will. Will is one of the most talented high school athletes I’ve ever seen, and no, I’m not just saying that because I am his sister. He is only a junior and has been looked at and offered scholarships to multiple schools already. Last year, he tore his ACL and was out all season and Friday night at his game he injured it again. My heart is broken for him and I know he is hurting and upset. But I also know that he trusts in the Lord and knows that God has plans to prosper him and not to harm him, and to give him a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11).  But I’m asking that you join with me in praying for him. Even if the results of the MRI aren’t what we hope, pray that Will (and my parents) will have strength and be encouraged by the fact that even of Will never plays football again, it is by far the best thing that could happen to him because it is God’s plan and His plans hold things that are greater than what we could ever imagine.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.  

Philippians 3:20-21 

The Discipline of Grace | Book Review

I absolutely LOVE to read and one of my favorite things to do is share books with other people! When I finish a book, I am going to begin posting a short review to let people know my thoughts about it or what the book taught me in hopes to inspire others to pick it up and read it!

I recently completed the book The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges. I started it in the spring for my Campus Outreach discipleship group and it took me this long to finish because it ended up being one of those books that you couldn't read straight through, you had to put it down every few pages and think about/reflect on what was being taught...

The subtitle of this book is, "God's Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness." How often do we find ourselves sinning and then saying, "It's ok. There's grace!" Romans 6:1-2 says, "What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" This book helps to clarify what our role vs. God's role in our growth as we experience grace and grow in Christlikeness.

A few of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace."

"We should delight in God. We should eagerly anticipate fellowship with Him during the quiet time and even throughout the entire day. It is healthy to want to gaze upon His beauty and to seek Him in His temple."

"The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay on the Father, the greatest unkindness you can do to Him is not to believe that He loves you."

"We cannot effectively pursue holiness without the Word of God stored up in our minds where it can be used by the Holy Spirit to transform us."

I definitely suggest checking this book out! Partner it with the Word, don't elevate it above the Word! Let me know if you'd like to borrow my copy!

On another note, I finally signed up my blog on bloglovin'! Many people have asked how to follow my blog and this is it! Bloglovin' is a great way to view and follow blogs and you can set up your own account without having your own blog! Check out the link in the side bar or click here!

P.S. It's game day in the Eagle Nation!!!! HAIL SOUTHERN! And no place else!

The Girls of 518

Before we left Summer Beach Project, we were encouraged to reflect over all we learned this summer in the few weeks leading up to school starting back. As I began looking back over all the talks we had, the bible study and prayer trainings and even times I studied the Word on my own, I realized that nothing I learned this summer would leave an impact on me like the girls in room 518. Living with 4 other girls in a hotel room for 9 weeks had to have been one of the most frustrating challenges I’ve had to face. God revealed so much of my own personal sin, grew me in patience, kindness and humility, taught me how to hold my tongue and used each girl in a unique way to impact my relationship with the Lord. This blog post is dedicated to them because I want everyone else to know how awesome they are!

Cami Gresham

One of the first things I remember Cami saying to us was, “I am going to mess up. I am going to fail you as a leader.” That spoke volumes to me. Cami took on the challenge of leading four very self-motivated, hardheaded, goal oriented women. Cami did such a great job of challenging us in specific ways that were catered toward our personal walks. We weren’t just girls that she was supposed to talk to about “Bible stuff” but she genuinely wanted to know what we were struggling with and wanted to help us. The times that she did mess up, she took criticism humbly and thanked us for it. How many people do you know thank people when they are criticized? I could go on and on about Cami but the thing I learned the most from her was her genuine delight in the Word. Every time we began to read the Bible, she got so excited! There would be a joy on her face and she would just want to read more and more and more! I pray that I can continually delight in God’s Word like she does. Finally, have you heard this girl sing and play her ukulele? Ask her to play Bonnie Blue. You won’t regret it!

Aubrey (Baby Aubs) Danielson

First, I want to applaud Aubrey for being the least lazy of all the 518 girls. This girl not only did the usual SBP stuff but also consistently woke up at 6:30 to exercise for Athletes in Training, had a job selling fireworks, and had multiple internships during the summer. Her schedule made me tired! This just shows how driven Aubrey is. Aubrey also loves people. She shared toward the end of project that loving others is something she struggles with but you would never ever know that. Aubrey would always be the first to hug you after a long week, ask you how your day was going and bring you McDonalds fries on the way home from work when she knew you were craving them (Thanks love!). She was also my partner in crime in spontaneity this summer. Whether it was jumping from the pool to the hot tub to the ocean, fully clothed, 15 minutes before curfew, constructing a SBP bucket list, or convincing my room to drop what we were doing and go visit a lighthouse on the other side of Daytona, Aubrey was the ringleader and I love that about her. Aubrey plays soccer for USC Aiken and I’m so excited to see how God uses her this semester to lead the girls on the soccer team!

Everley (Bev) Perryman

I don’t think you could have two girls more similar than Everley Perryman and I. My first thoughts were, “Oh, we are so similar! We are going to get along great this summer!” HA! We slowly started to realize that we both like to be in charge, we both like things going our way and we are both incredibly passive aggressive.  This was NOT a good combination. God put us in a room together because we were mirrors of each other. When Everley and I interacted, our sin was revealed to us through the other person and then reflected back to us. We saw the sin in each other and at first that caused bitterness and tension but then once we were both able to talk about it and begin pealing back each other’s layers, I realized how much of a blessing and God-send she was for me. Once we finally got done comparing ourselves to each other, I learned that Everley is an incredibly strong woman. Seeing her begin to break down walls and slowly let us in on things she was struggling with was amazing and I literally saw God refine her over the summer. I was also so encouraged by her dedication to writing in her prayer journal every single night. No matter how late it was, Everley would not go to bed without writing in it and that definitely challenged me. Some other things the room learned from our sweet Bev: how to properly tuck in a shirt, to always go to the mirror when you need rebuke, encouragement, or simply someone to talk to and that you don’t need much talent to become an incredible song writer.

Rachel LeGear

If you want your mind blown, ask this girl to share her testimony with you. It is one of the most beautiful stories of redemption I have ever heard! Rachel was our room’s sweetheart. She is probably one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met, always putting others before herself. In the midst of frustration and anger in the room, Rachel was always the one who kept her head on straight, who never had any rude remarks and who I never once, the entire summer, saw get angry. While Rachel and I seem like we don’t have much in common, we found out towards the end of the summer that we are a lot more similar than we thought. We both struggle with seeking the approval of others. Both in very different ways, but it was something that bonded us and left us with a two hour conversation in the Laundromat about whether we are seeking God’s approval or man’s (Gal. 1:10).  I also saw God work in Rachel’s life this summer and He challenged her with an INCREDIBLE opportunity for the fall that I won’t share on here because I’m not sure who all she has told. (But I’m sure if you asked her she would love to share it with you!) I know God is going to do incredible things with her in her next three years at Georgia College. I get excited just thinking about it!

Cami-Cam, Aubs, Bev, and Rach: As you all know, I have a slight musical obsession. (Thank you for bearing with me on days that I needed to burst out in song and dance.) And I think there are some lyrics from the song “For Good” from Wicked that sums this up perfectly.

I've heard it said,

That people come into our lives

For a reason

Bringing something we must learn.

And we are lead to those

Who help us most to grow if we let them.

And we help them in return.

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you.

If His Grace Is An Ocean, We're All Sinking

I had the absolute privilege of photographing the baptisms of over twenty college students this morning. 

Waking up early on our only off day and getting soaked trying to take pictures was totally worth getting the chance to celebrate with my brothers and sisters. Capturing the joy in their faces was a precious reminder of how The Lord delights in me. I cannot stop smiling as I look back through these pictures and I wanted to share some of my favorites!