Ya gotta start somewhere. Take heart.

Hi there, friends!

I know I've been kind of MIA for a while, but with finals, work, my internship and a busy, but oh-so-fun Thanksgiving week, I haven't had any time at all to write.

Isn't it funny how in the midst of chaos, your mind wanders to what you really care about? I've found that in the hardest times, the most stressful days, the most sleepless nights.... my mind wanders to what I'm really passionate about. Of course, anyone who knows me knows that my mind is like spaghetti - one thought leading to another in a tangled mess. So, for me, my mind wanders from wedding plans to what I wish I had time to write about to photography ideas. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea that I just have to write down. It might be a pretty way to wrap a present. It might be a recipe I want to try. It might be something I want to ask my grandmother. It's spaghetti.

Sometimes it feels so overwhelming and disheartening to have so many plans, hopes, dreams and feel like they are so out of reach. I'm planning a wedding on virtually no budget. How do you make a budget with no money? I want to travel the world. There are so many beautiful places I would love to see. But, guess what... I'm still in college and I can't go anywhere because I have class in 27 minutes.

But, you know what (as my sweet little cousin, Ridge would say)?

You have to start somewhere. Yes, I would love to see my pictures in Southern Weddings Magazine or Our State Magazine... but I'm just not there yet. Right now, I'm getting experience and taking classes and submitting pictures in photo contests and freelancing for a small town publication. Yes, I would love to hop on a plane to Greece and stay for a couple of weeks (or months... or years....) but I can't do that yet. Right now, I've gone to Haiti and done mission work and spent a month in Europe studying abroad. One day, when my husband and I have saved and planned, we will be able to take our dream vacations. And, as for the wedding... I've been surrounded by the purest, sweetest and most generous and loving people my entire life and I know without a shadow of a doubt that everything is going to come together perfectly. It's going to be just fine. Yes, booking a reception venue on what is apparently the most popular date of all time (12/13/14) has proved to be quite the challenge, but I know that the Lord is going to lead me to the perfect, affordable and accommodating place.

So, if you're like me and you're on the verge of feeling frustrated with where you are right now... Just stop, take a deep breath and remember that the Lord has not left you as an orphan. Take heart. He is right beside you, holding your hand, walking you through each step of this journey. His timing is perfect, He has plans for you to prosper, and if you delight yourself in Him, He will give you the desires of your heart.