happy birthday nate!

guys!!! it’s my favorite artist’s birthday! If you’ve never heard of NF, please, please, please, go listen to him! he has such a gift for writing and for singing and for rapping and is just such an inspiration to me every day! everything he does points back to Christ and I have never encountered an artist so real and so raw in their music and in their everyday lives. so here’s my thank you note to Nate Feurstein himself…

Nate,

I first discovered your music on an Olympic diver’s Spotify playlist. The first song of yours I ever heard was ” Turn the Music Up.” One day, I was working out and I thought to myself, “I’m gonna try listening to more of this guy NF.”  I hit shuffle play and started doing a plank. ” How Could You Leave Us” started playing and soon enough I had to come down from my plank because I had NEVER encountered any piece of music that real and that powerful and I was just shocked and in awe of your talent and vulnerability. Ever since that day, I have been absolutely in love with your music. For every emotion I may encounter, you have created a song that helps me deal with it. You taught me that music is therapy and music is medicine. You taught me to work hard and to keep it real. Though I’ve gotten tired of other artist’s songs, I’ve never gotten tired of your music. Thank you for being yourself and for following Christ. Thank you for pursuing your dream. Thank you for never quitting. Thank you for being real and creating real music. Thank you for putting your feelings and your past into music. Thank you for letting millions into your world. Thank you for sharing yourself with us. I love you and I love your music, thank you so much for everything. happy birthday!!!!

YEAR IN REVIEW//

Oh, 2017. How good you were. What a wonderful, wonderful year. Honestly this is one of my favorite years that I’ve ever lived. 2017 had me traveling, meeting new people, deepening relationships, getting uncomfortable, and just really living and thriving and loving life. The start of a new year is bittersweet because of this.

JANUARY//

HIGHLIGHT: Fuel Weekend at my church

This weekend is one of my favorite times of the year. A time to gather with other believers to worship, to serve, and to fellowship. I will never forget the speaker’s kindness he showed on the last day of the weekend, just the small act of hugging me and asking me my name made a huge impact. I learned more of God’s relentless love toward us and got outside my comfort zone by doing door-to- door evangelism around town. What a sweet, sweet and powerful weekend.

MARCH//

HIGHLIGHT: a quick trip to the beach

Leaving for a trip last minute certainly isn’t my favorite thing, but I’m grateful for the time we were able to escape to the beach, even if just for a few days.

HIGHLIGHT: playing cops and robbers on campus

Ya’ll I love any game that gets you running and cops and robbers is no different. It was FREEZING COLD and of course, I decided not to bring a jacket (wow, Trinity, great decision) but it was SO MUCH FUN!!!

APRIL//

HIGHLIGHT: my birthday!

 

HIGHLIGHT: “music and miracles” concert with Thomas Rhett

I received tickets to this for my birthday and I had such a great time! The weather was perfect and Thomas Rhett was evennn better 🙂

MAY//

HIGHLIGHT: school’s out!!!

yayayayayayayayay. enough said.

it was a good school year- but I was so glad to be finally done

JUNE// the whirlwind

HIGHLIGHTS:

Pine Cove

Youth Summer Retreat- in the mountains!! so fun!!

VBS

NYC mission

JULY//

NOLA mission

Hosting Pine Cove ” Camp In the City”- ahh I miss our counselors! 

AUGUST//

starting school- it wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be haha 🙂 grateful for the new people in my life this year because of it 

ALL SUMMER//

sunday night Bible studies

NOVEMBER//

fall football weekend- high school football games, 5th quarters, hanging out at the pumpkin patch and duh duh da duh…..

THE CHILI BOWL ( one of the best days of the year) ( flag football game)

thanksgiving

ALL FALL// 

equipping groups- so grateful for our leaders and our sweet group

DECEMBER//

christmas break and done with finals yay!!

christmas

ALL YEAR//

gymnastics

getting discipled by and learning from my sweet friend

God’s goodness

I am SO SO SO THANKFUL for this year and all my sweet friends that I got to meet or spend even more time with!!! I LOVE YOU ALL. happy new year friends! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLEAN/CHRISTIAN WORKOUT PLAYLIST

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If you’re like me, it’s almost impossible to work out on your own without some good music playing. It’s sometimes even harder to find clean music that actually sounds like music you would want to listen to , if you know what I mean. 🙂 With that in mind,  here are some of my favorite songs to workout to!

Monster– KB, Aha Gazelle

Turn Down for What– DJ Snake, Lil Jon

Rock N Roll– GAWVI, ELHAE

I Can’t Quit– Capital Kings, Reconcile

Lay Up– Andy Mineo, Wordsplayed

Cumbia– GAWVI, Wordsplayed

Green Lights– NF

All I Do– NF

SAY LESS– Andy Mineo, Wordsplayed

ABCS OF ME

 I saw this idea on the Filigree Lane blog and made a few tweaks of my own, but I thought it’d be fun to share! I love reading random stuff like this so I hope you all enjoy! 

An item I Always have- my phone, an extra hair tie, and a water bottle!

Best Book I’ve ever read- ” The Circle Series” by Ted Dekker

Favorite Color- ahh there are so many but I would have to say blue and grey!

Drink of choice- lemon water! or coffee!

Essential way to start my day- I don’t always get to do this but I love having a slow start to my morning by turning on worship music, grabbing a cup of coffee, and reading the Bible and praying! 

Favorite Food- halo top ice cream! 

Game to play- DEFINITELY capture the flag

Favorite Hair style- I love dutch braids! but you would find me most often with straightened hair, or with it up in a bun or ponytail! 

Ice Cream- ya’ll know I LOVE halo top. but coffee ice cream is pretty special too:)

Dream Job- oh my goodness there are so many good ones! I’d love a life in church-planting/missions and also love the idea of being a teacher, a personal trainer, coffee shop owner, blogger/writer, or opening an orphanage- it’s a wide variety I know :). 

Favorite Names for Kids- for boys I love the names Grant, Bryson, Everett, and Creed (plus many more!) . for girls I love Everly and Baylor.

Somewhere I’d love to Live-  guys, I don’t know!!! I’d love to live in New York City and I’ve been wanting to visit Africa for a while! 

Movie & Music- The Finest Hour and music….  right now, I love ” Not In a Hurry“ by Will Reagan and the United Pursuit Band and ” Rock and Roll” by GAWVI. Also, “ I Need You“ by Grant and Clair Leslie. 

Nail Polish- I love blues and blush/nude colors!

Ocean or mountains- the ocean HANDS DOWN

Pet Peeves- walking fast behind lots of people walking slow, and I hate the fact that I can’t see my friend activity on the Spotify mobile app

Quote- ” I am not here for acceptance” – NF, ” the gospel is only good news if it gets there in time” – carl f. henry, ” the price of not trying could be higher” – ted dekker

Reason to Smile- God is good and I have wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ! 

Season- SUMMER. SUMMER. SUMMER. where do I begin? no school. mission trips. camps. vbs. allllll the activities and fun! 

Treat to have- plain cheesecake! 

Unknown fact about me- I don’t like chocolate chips and sometimes, when I eat crushed ice my collarbone hurts on the left side, like a brain freeze. but in my collarbone?!

On my Wishlist- a Patagonia backpack! 

X-rays I’ve had- teeth, ankle, and foot 

Yesterday’s highlight- seeing some former interns from our church and getting to play with their kids all day! plus, I recently ran the farthest I have in a while! 

Favorite Zoo animal- I’m not much of an animal person but I mean… tigers are pretty sweet right? 

THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I

WHEN MY HEART IS OVERWHELMED, LEAD ME TO THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I// PSALM 61:2

Man, lately I have felt like I’ve had the wind knocked out of me over and over again with no time to recover and get back up. I feel swamped and overwhelmed with schoolwork. Making sure I’m on time, making sure I look good, making sure I have my work done, trying to study, trying to get in a workout, trying to be there for my friends, and the list goes on and on. I go to bed late and wake up early and the cycle goes on relentlessly. Sure, I have joy in my week and laughter and I am grateful for that. The highlights of my week are the times I get to see and gather together with my brothers and sisters in Christ, whether they be my age, in college, older, or younger! One of the parts of my life that has suffered the most is my commitment to Christ and His Word. I read His Word almost daily but I want to consciously RELY ON IT. I want to wake up begging and pleading and praising and thanking Him and relying on Him throughout my day. Not trying to prove myself but trusting in His mercy and sufficiency. I’ve been reading through 2 Corinthians and some of the verses that have stuck out to me are 

BUT WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN JARS OF CLAY, TO SHOW THAT THE SURPASSING POWER BELONGS TO GOD AND NOT TO US. WE ARE AFFLICTED IN EVERY WAY, BUT NOT CRUSHED; PERPLEXED, BUT NOT DRIVEN TO DESPAIR; PERSECUTED, BUT NOT FORSAKEN; STRUCK DOWN, BUT NOT DESTROYED; ALWAYS CARRYING IN THE BODY THE DEATH OF JESUS, SO THAT THE LIFE OF JESUS MAY ALSO BE MANIFESTED IN OUR BODIES. 2 CORINTHIANS 4: 7-10

It says, we are perplexed, but NOT driven to despair. It says, the surpassing power belongs to God and not us. So whether I’m working on algebra, studying for a test, or dealing with a difficult person, I can be perplexed, but it doesn’t crush me, it doesn’t drive me into despair. That’s what makes believers different. No matter what happens, we have the surest hope that will ever exist and that hope is Jesus Christ and in Him we trust and on Him we rely and depend. Even if we feel frustrated with life and slammed with work and homework, He is our Peace. He is in control. He gives and He takes away. Whatever situation God has placed me in, it is good. SO GOOD. Because He is SO GOOD. 

NOLA 2017

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My summer travels have come to an end. On Wenesday, I got back from a mission trip/choir tour to New Orleans, Louisiana and that was my last big summer event. I had so much fun!

We left for New Orleans on Friday afternoon and got there pretty late that night. The next day we arrived at Lakeshore Church for training and orientation which I really enjoyed! The church planter/pastor we were working with told us about some of his own background, about NOLA, and some of what we would be doing that week and how we should do it.

WHAT WE DID//

Our youth choir has been working on a certain set of songs for a few months and were given the opportunity to go on ” choir tour” to New Orleans! We got to work with one of our former seminary interns who is working with a church ” replant” called Lakeshore Church!

• door-to-door, handing out flyers advertising the concert we were having the next morning at Lakeshore
• doing spiritual surveys with people in a park
• performed Sunday morning @ Lakeshore
• performed at an assisted living home
• volunteered at the local Salvation Army
• performed at Jackson Square in the French Quarter
• played and put on a Backyard Bible Study for the kids in a Guatemalan community near Lakeshore

WHAT I LEARNED//

• don’t discriminate or judge a book by its cover. Don’t be afraid to talk to people just because you think they look or act different. No one is ” too far gone.”
• Just like I started learning in NYC, God is sovereign over all and also cares for all
• We need to be content. God’s will and His ways are higher than ours. So just because what you thought should happen didn’t, doesn’t mean it was all in vain. We need to be content to serve in any way we can.
• God is so loving and generous to His children who are intent on following Him. I saw how much God has blessed and provided for Lakeshore and I’m so grateful.
• Even though we don’t see the fruits of our labor immediately, doesn’t mean there won’t be fruit.

WHAT I MISS//

• I miss Lakeshore so, so much! I really love that church! Just the sense of community and the love of Christ with the strong, sound teaching in that church just has captured my heart!
• Being surrounded by my friends and brothers and sisters all the time! Getting to laugh and talk with them 🙂
• Experiencing a new city and lifestyle

I’d have to say my 3 favorite parts of the trip were…

1. Church at Lakeshore on Sunday morning
2. Deepening relationships with others
3. Playing with the kids in the Guatemalan community

Also, I really enjoyed singing in the French Quarter! Throughout the trip, we were able to do a few ” touristy” things such as a swamp tour, eating beignets at Cafe Du Monde, and visiting the World War II museum. Overall, it a fantastic trip and experience; I wish I could’ve stayed longer! And of course, I’m so thankful to the Lord and to the people who prayed and gave so I was able to go!

NYC 2017

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hey ya’ll! how’s life been lately? busy? I know I’ve been busy but I’m actually really enjoying it! Last Saturday I left for a week long mission trip to NYC and am so glad I was able to go! It was truly an amazing experience! 

WHAT WE DID //

our mission team basically went up to help out some of our friends who moved to NYC recently to help plant a church. It was so good to see them again and help in anyway we could which included…

• prayer-walking
• street cleaning ( picking up trash on the street)
• narrative mapping ( asking people questions about A) the neighborhood (i.e. popular place to eat, services/businesses needed)  and sometimes B) a spiritual survey ( i.e. dominant religious influence in the neighborhood, personal view of God)) 
• park outreach- one afternoon we went to a park and tried to engage the kids and families by playing with sidewalk chalk and bubbles or playing basketball and Frisbee! 

WHAT I LEARNED//

• we don’t have to have or use fancy words or speech when talking to people or conducting surveys- plain and simple speech is fine! 
• some of the leaders talking to us before we went out and did narrative mapping had an analogy kind of like this- before we can ” set the table” the table needs to be built. So even if we don’t get into a gospel witness conversation with people every single time, our job is to just plant seeds and help ” build the table” for the people in NYC and the church staff. First downs come before touchdowns. ( the football analogy was another one they said to us) 
• it’s important to listen to people. our job wasn’t to force Christianity or anything on anyone but to ask about people, what they think, and about their neighborhood so we and the church can better serve and love them.
• pain and suffering doesn’t last forever and hard times aren’t the end of the world
• God is sovereign over all but also cares for all
• God knows what’s best for us and living according to His will and trusting Him with everything is the best way to go
• God will provide and will sustain

WHAT I MISS NOW THAT I’M BACK HOME//

• waking up and getting to eat breakfast with friends every morning
• talking with and being around the friends we were helping up there,  the interns up there with them, and others on the mission team
• the subways and all the walking- I love it! 
• narrative mapping
• EVERYTHING

I am so, so grateful to the friends and family who prayed for our mission team while we were up in NYC and gave of their finances so I could go! But most importantly, I’m grateful to God for allowing me to go, keeping me healthy and safe, allowing me to meet the people I met, providing the money needed for the trip, and everything else! He is an amazing and faithful God! I miss NYC a lot and hope to go back one day! 

Life Lately { pine cove}

The past two weeks have been so busy, so fun, and so full of life and travel! The first week of June our family got the chance to go to a family camp by Pine Cove in Columbus, Texas- which was super last minute! I guess we were on the waiting list and once a family registered to attend the camp cancelled, they called us and said there was an opening about 2 days before we would need to be there! In short, we said yes, packed up and started driving Saturday afternoon to make it there by Sunday afternoon! At first, I was really hesitant and DID NOT want to go but by the end of the week, I was so sad that we had to leave and literally started crying saying goodbye to everyone!

If you haven’t heard of Pine Cove, they’re basically a Christian organization that runs family camps, youth camps, and  kids camps in Texas and South Carolina, and even brings their camps to your local church called ” Camp in the City.” All the counselors at the camps have special ” camp names” based off of some kind of embarrassing story about them, their background, etc. The counselors and the camp itself is very high-energy, the counselors get up and yell cheers all the time!

Anyway, I spent the week doing different activities every day- like paintball, the ropes course, swimming in the ” lagoon”, the pool, and had small group times and family devotionals every day! 

Although the activities were SO fun, my favorite thing about Pine Cove was definitely the people. All the new friends I met and the counselors I got to hang out with were all incredible and great to be around. I loved the down time we had, during free time or late at night playing ” Empire” or “Signs” or ” Poison Dart Frog” or just watching the boys play” Speed” with some of my friends! It was great to see the counselors kind of ” off-duty” playing games with us and I love all the fun memories that went along with that during the week! 

Some Favorite Memories:

• hearing a kid say about how he felt on the ” barn swing”( which is basically a swing in a barn, go figure, that you swing on) , ” it’s like your soul’s leaving your body!” 
• watching the boys sink canoes in the lake again and again….and watching them try and get it out. HILARIOUS
• a sort of impromptu dance party at ” White Tail” ( aka the dining hall) 
• playing this fun game at the ” carnival” where you put on a vest connected to a bungee cord thing and run as hard as you can holding a piece of Velcro and try to smack the piece of Velcro onto a Velcro strip, trying to get it farther out than the person next to you 
• hanging out with all the fun kids and friends and counselors and learning about prayer! 

For real though, it was one of the best weeks of my life and I miss it so much! Crier Creek was such an amazing experience and I am so grateful I was able to go! What a great reminder to myself that God is under control and can see way farther than what I can and knows what’s best for us! 

 

 

Summer Adventure Travel Tips

School’s out, it’s Memorial Day Weekend, the sun is shining, can it be any more summery? Is that even a word? Whether you’re going to a summer camp, a mission trip, on a beach vacation with your fam, or a road trip with your friends, I wanted to share some tips for travel I’ve learned along the way!

1. Roll Your Clothes

Ya’ll. I don’t care what packing tips you’ve seen on Pinterest or how many times you’ve tried to wedge those rainboots in your suitcase: rolling your clothes is the way to go. It’s quick, simple, and easy. You can see your clothes at a glance and can store more clothes than if you were just folding them- perfect for my overpackers. Better safe than sorry, right?

2. Bring Snacks and a Reusable Water Bottle

You never know what kind of food you’re going to get in a foreign country, a summer camp, or even just a random restaurant on vacation! This, my friends, is why we bring snacks. I love Chocolate Brownie Clif Bars, unsalted almonds, and don’t forget your gum! Also, it’s important to stay hydrated and a reusable water bottle is a great way to make sure you do so! Just fill it up and you’re ready to go!

3. Make a good playlist for the road

Because everything’s better with your favorite songs, amiright???

4.  Bring some grocery and Ziploc bags

For when you’re heading home and your bathing suit is still wet. And for when you want to go hang out on the beach but want to check your insta as well. Just put your phone in the Ziploc bag!

5. A Good Attitude ( and imagination)

Sometimes, when you’re going somewhere you just really don’t want to go you just need to suck it up and pretend you’re in the Amazing Race. Anyone else do that? No, just me? LOL. Don’t judge me.

Speaking of the Amazing Race, is anyone in shock that Brooke and Scott are still in the race??? Like, that’s crazy! I mean, good for them but I did not see that coming! When The Boys got eliminated, I was really proud because of their awesome attitudes! You know, they could have just blamed it all on that taxi driver but they didn’t and took it like men!  And also, everybody else better watch out, because my team, ahem, TeamLoLo is getting better and better.  If they don’t win, I may cry.

 

Weekend Edit

( featured pic is not mine, found it online lol)

Hello friends, how has ya’lls week been? I am so ready for school to be over… This week I have been loving…

These Chacos

You’ll have to click the link to see them but ya’ll I finally joined Chaco club! 🙂 At first I wanted to get Chacos without the toe strap but I ended up ordering some with the toe strap and it doesn’t bother me at all! I love the design and am looking forward to wearing these on my summer adventures!

Outdoor Concerts with Thomas Rhett

The other day I went to a concert with my dad at our town’s football stadium and it was so FUN! The weather was perfect ( I wore a white crop top, light wash skinny jeans, and sandals) , and I had so much fun! Thomas Rhett did a great job and even brought his dad, Rhett Akins, out and sang a few songs.  

“Katie Did What” blog

This is a blog I found after searching “lifestyle blog” and I love it so so much! Her little family is so cute and she has such an adorable style!

These Knockoff OTBTs

Ever seen an expensive trend that you weren’t sure about shelling out 100 + dollars for? Well, enter Pierre Dumas! The pictures don’t do this shoe justice, they really do look like legit OTBTs and for  less than half the price! These shoes go with everything, and can be slipped on to instantly upgrade any outfit! Love them!

Festival Tiered Dress from Target

I love this dress so much! It’s perfect for festival season and is so cute and summery! On a side note, Target is legit killing it right now with clothes!! You need to go now- before they change inventory! Thank you, Coachella and other festivals for inspiring Target’s clothes! There’s so much embroidery and boho vibes going on and I LOVE IT!

That’s about it for today! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mommas out there!