Fall Adventures

Every girl hates when a guy picks them up for a date and says, "so... what do you want to do?" It's just like, seriously? Haven't you thought about it? Well, I'm a lucky girl, because 9 times out of 10, my sweet fella has thought up a fun plan for the time we get to spend together. I guess maybe that's the one and only one of the blessings of having a long-distance relationship.... we both know that the time we do get to spend together is precious. He picked me up from class today and we ate lunch at Panera. Seeing him during the week is a huge treat! There's something about warm soup on a chilly fall day that just warms your heart. Oh, and this guy... he warms my heart, too. 

We hiked to the top of Rough Ridge, on the Blue Ridge Parkway and took some pretty awesome pictures.

And we bought pumpkins. Eeeek!!!! I love fall, ya'll. Let the pumpkin-spice-latte drinking, legging and oversized sweater wearing, pumpkin-carving and festival-going begin!

Weekend Highlights

Eating at the most delicious BBQ place and spending quality time with my sweet Momma-

Getting a venti Pumpkin Spice Latte, listening to Backstreet Boys and rolling down my windows and opening my sunroof all the way to Hickory on Saturday morning-

Getting all dolled up and going to a wedding with this sweet fella (he's pretty dreamy)-

Buying matching tennis shoes with my boy- 

It's the Little Things

Happy Friday, pretty people! This week has been a challenging one, with classes revving up into full swing, my first exam (which just happened to be a law exam on Friday the 13th - of all days), and as usual, never getting enough sleep.

Sometimes I don't make time for the things I should and even if I do, I feel guilty about it. For instance, I am currently reading a book called Kisses From Katie, which is so amazing that I am in tears every time I read it. I can relate to Katie's love for Uganda because of my own love for Haiti and it's seriously already one of my favorite books I've ever read (and I'm only about halfway through it!). (Blog to follow upon completion.)

Another example is my involvement in Campus Ministries. I am so blessed to live with a precious girl named Abbey this year, who is becoming one of my best friends. She is strong, faithful, grounded and she loves Jesus with her whole heart. We decided to try a new ministry this year, so we've been attending RUF and joined a "Community Group" to get to know some of the other girls. We absolutely love it and were so blessed at our Tuesday night Community Group meeting. It's a truly amazing feeling to be surrounded by young Christian women that believe the same things you do, encourage you in the faith, and teach you what it means to be more like Christ.

In college, it seems like every professor thinks that their class is your only class. Ha! Sometimes, we get so busy that it's easiest to push the "little things" to the back burner and do what we have to do to make the deadline, get the grade, impress the professor, etc.

But today, be reminded that the "little things" are actually the BIG things. If you make time for Jesus - and sometimes that means going to sit in a living room full of girls and eat cookies and talk about Him - He is only going to bless you for giving of your time and energy. If you take a few minutes to read that book you can barely stand to put down, if you let yourself sleep an extra 30 minutes and just throw your hair in a ponytail that day... you will be glad you did. Take time to enjoy the little things, because one day, you'll realize that they made a difference in your life, and perhaps someone else's too!

Your Momma is your best friend

Watched this video in class today and bawled like a baby. Never miss the opportunity to thank your Momma for making you who you are today. 

Never Forget: A Tribute to 9-11-01

I, like many Americans, remember exactly where I was the day our Nation changed forever. I was in 4th grade, sitting in Mr. Cornett's class. Our day was just getting started when another teacher came and got him from our class, leaving my classmates and I sitting alone in our classroom, wondering what in the world was going on. Of course, the fear of a terrorist attack never entered any of our naive little minds, and even when our sweet, heartbroken teacher wheeled the TV set down from the media center to show us the footage of the planes hitting both of the World Trade Centers, we still couldn't fully comprehend the magnitude of what it meant for our Nation.

School let out early that day and when my Momma picked me up, we went to a prayer service held at the old Charlotte Colosseum  led by Pat McCrory where thousands of people cried out to God and leaned on one another, some perfect strangers, devastated at the horrible event that had taken place that day. I remember seeing the footage of the planes crashing into the two buildings I had never even heard of before, as a 9 year old, and watching the buildings collapse a thousand times in the weeks that followed that horrific day.

Today, on the 12th anniversary of this devastation, where is our Nation? In what condition are the hearts of the American people? As we see our Nation reach new levels of depravity, willingly give more attention to the desperately trashy pleas for fame- like the performance of Miley Cyrus at the VMAs- than it does the soldiers fighting for its freedom, and pull farther and farther away from Jesus, how do we, as Christians, react?

Prayer, first and foremost, for our Country, for our President, for all of our Nation's leaders, and for our military. Second, standing up for what we know to be true and in line with Scripture.

Never forget the lives that were taken on September 11, 2001. The firemen, the police officers, the mothers, fathers, friends, neighbors, and so many other loved ones, created by our Heavenly Father lost their lives and it is our responsibility to remember. On this solemn day, pay your respect to those We lost and pray fervently for the future of the United States of America.

Jesus says, " if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14

15 Things I love about Fall

1. pumpkin spice lattes
2. pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pretty much pumpkin anything...
3. football games (and of course tailgating, the best part) GO APPSTATE!
4. big, chunky scarves
5. boots
6. leggings with big over-sized sweaters
7. leaves falling from the trees and hitting my windshield as I drive
8. soul food (chili, cornbread, chicken & dumplins, vegtable soup, beef stew... yum!)
9. pumpkin carving
10. corn field mazes
11. THANKSGIVING!
12. fall candles (frosted cranberry from B&BW is my all-time favorite)
13. small town apple festivals
14. county fairs
15.  chilly hikes to admire the leaves

Monday Encouragement

Do you ever feel like you have so much to do that you just might not do any of it? I sure do, and although busy weekends are fun, they're also exhausting. This weekend, I went from Boone to Hickory, Hickory to Morganton, Morganton to Boone, Boone to Hickory, Hickory to Charlotte, Charlotte to Gastonia, Gastonia to Hickory, and then finally from Hickory to Boone, only to have to unload my car and start my neglected homework.

Monday was not exactly welcomed with open arms by this exhausted college girl, and I think it's safe to say that if no alarms were set, I could lay down and sleep without waking up for at least two weeks straight. Ha!

So, today, if you're feeling like me... be encouraged. Keep the faith! The Lord promises us that "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

Happy Monday, ya'll

In honor of it finally feeling like fall (the best season of all)

His Perfect Timing

This past weekend, Gray took me on a little trip down memory lane. We went to his high school and walked onto the football field, where he practically lived for four solid years. Because I went to a private, Christian school, I missed a lot of things that I would've been able to experience had I gone to a big, public school like his with a football team. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade anything in the world for my Christian education and there's not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that it helped make me who I am today, but I think there will always be a part of me that wonders how my life would've been different had I grown up with Grayson, gone to high school with him, and been there, cheering on the sidelines as he played football.

I cheered in middle and high school, however, cheering for basketball and cheering for high school are very different. As I walked onto that field with him, I could almost see myself, in a uniform I held to practically a standard of gold, cheering my little heart out. What if we had met in high school? What if we'd chosen where to go to college together? Although he would've been two years ahead of me, it could've worked, right?

I don't know why, but for some reason, ever since he took me there and shared that sacred little window of his past with me, I can't seem to get these "what if?" feelings out of my mind. There's no such thing as "what if," really. You can't go back in time, and even if you could, things probably wouldn't go the way you think they should have. So, I just have to tell myself that we met at the perfect time, whether I wish he was my high-school-sweetheart, or not. He's my sweetheart now, and that's all that matters.

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in wishing things had gone a different way in your life, but don't empty today of its joy. Be thankful for the here and now and know that God's plan and His timing are perfect.