Year 24

i have a feeling my 24th year is going to be a good one. there are so many things i'm excited for and many things i want to accomplish this year. right after my bday, i came  up with a list of personal goals for my 24th year.
[some of my goals]
-become a morning person = i long to be someone who can wake up early to workout, get ready, and spend tons of time in the word and prayer
-lose 2 pants sizes and stay that size = this coincides with the above goal. i know it's possible....i've been that size before...24 is the year to do it again
-put effort into getting ready everyday = let's face it, some days it's easiest to throw on a hat, white v, and smidge of powder and mascara. i don't want 24 to be like this - i'm going to make an effort to look cute, fixed, and put together everyday for work (which leads into the next goal...)
-find my fashion niche = the recent trends are thrifting and DIY. i've been thrifting once, loved it, and was decent at it. It's a great way to shop more but save money. i'm also on pinterest and love how many DIY jewelry crafts i find. this year, i want to pay attention to trends, thrift, make some DIY jewelry, and become more fashionable. i'm pumped.
-fall more in love with Christ = this summer, i've grown closer to Christ than ever before. i'm at a place with Him that i've never been before and it's glorious. i want this entire year to be no different. on my 25th birthday, i want to be able to look back and say "i'm at a place with Christ that i've never been before"
-become a prayer warrior = this summer my prayer life has grown so much and i've seen God answer prayers in such cool ways. i want this to become a habit in my life that lasts until i meet my maker.
-memorize scripture consistently = for staff development, i'm required to memorize certain verses each semester. even though it's required, i don't do a good job. i want to get better. i long to know Christ's word better and have it hidden in my heart for times of trial and times of sharing with others.

[things happening during year 24 that i'm excited about]
*i'm excited about beginning my 2nd year on staff! my first year was a year of growth and learning and was, at times, a little rough. i know i'll keep learning in my 2nd year and things will change, but i'm excited to have year 1 under my belt.
*i'm looking forward to having a personal ministry outside of work this year. i am leading a Bible Study through my church for women in Conway. i'm also leading a Bible Study for some sorority girls at UCA. i'm excited about the opportunity to be pouring into women around me!
*i absolutely cannot wait to get involved with 501! it's a young professionals ministry at a church in LR and i'm thrilled to be going this year. i know a lot of people involved and i've heard great things about it. Since there aren't many singles in Conway, this will be a great way for me to meet people and make new friends. i'm so excited! it kicks off tonight!! i am counting down the hours until i get off work and head to LR!

blogger friends....keep me accountable for these things. it's out in blogger world now - feel free to ask me how it's going. i'll be honest with you. i long to accomplish these goals and only by God's grace, accountability, and discipline will it happen.

Highlights of my 23rd year

Saturday I turned 24. That's right...I'm officially in my mid-20's. Let the fun begin.

In honor of a new year, I am going to look back at the previous year and pull out some highlights.

 

-I passed the NCLEX and officially became a (non-practicing) RN.

-I started working full-time for StuMo. This job fits me. It's better than anything I could have imagined or dreamed up for myself.

-I moved out of the nest and into my own apartment!

-I experienced everything about year 1 of the real world - new place, bills, first year of a job - and learned so much!

-I co-led DC4K. I was blessed by those kids and loved loving on them each week.

-I grew so close to my co-worker, Allie, since we only had each other in Conway.

-I put 16,000 miles on my car. The highlight about this fact is I travel a LOT for my job and I love it! I go to Fayetteville, Tulsa, OKC, and KC a ton. I really do love getting to travel throughout the year!

-I got to be a part of my brother's wedding!

-And, I got to welcome a sister (in-law) into the family!

-I've grown a ton in my walk with Christ. I have fallen more in love with Him. I've had to rely on Him for new experiences and situations. I've been humbled by Him in multiple ways. I've faced trials. I've faced joys. I've loved every step of the journey I'm on with my Creator.

-I've grown closer to so many friends and I am consistently reminded of how incredible my friends are and how blessed I am to know them.

 

23 was a tough year but a good year. I look forward to 24!! A post will be coming soon of some goals/things I want to grow in/things I want to see happen in this next year. Thanks for reminiscing with me!

 

Picture Post

Nursing Friends on Macy's wedding day!



When I visited Kaleo, all the single staff went to Mobile, AL for a Singles Retreat. The girls did guy things on our free day! BBQ, Battleship, Submarine, and Fighter Jets.





All the girls before dinner and the Mobile BayBears Minor League Baseball game!

 

Wedding day: Me, Mom, and Mom's mom. We take this 3-gen pic at major events :)



My beautiful new sister-in-law!
This was right before she went to see Cam.

Friends & God

My friends are such a blessing. In the past week I've gotten to talk on the phone with 4 of my closest friends and I've been so uplifted and encouraged by them! They love the Lord with all they are and they inspire me in my walk. They listen to my struggles and the lessons I'm learning and they encourage me to keep going strong. They cry with me. They laugh with me. We have a history together. We have so many memories we've made together. I'm so grateful for the laughter, the tears, the spiritual convos, the boy convos, the memories, and the life we have together! God is good!

Not very many of my closest friends live in Conway with me. Since they love the Lord with all they are, a lot of friends are obeying His calling to live in different places. I have so many close friends that are serving the Lord in India (that's on the other side of the world, people!!) I have close friends in Oklahoma, Northwest AR, Little Rock, and Fort Worth, Texas. This makes fellowship and intimacy with friends difficult. This year, Allie (a friend and co-worker) and I have clung to God and each other so much more because there just aren't very many people here. God has taught me a lot this year as I live in Conway and grow closer to my friends through skype and the phone. Thank the Lord for technology!! Otherwise, it would be even more difficult to keep in touch.

Today, I'm grateful for the presence and closeness of Christ. He is with me here. He comforts me here. When I'm really missing my friends in India and I can't just call them, Christ comforts me. When I can't just laugh and cry over coffee with my friend in Texas (who also discipled me some in college), God comforts me. Thank you, God, for being a friend and always being close. Thank you, God, for giving me such incredible friends that I sometimes physically hurt because I miss them so much. God, you know me and you know what I need and you've provided. How faithful you are!

Buffet Style

This post is going to be buffet style....a variety of topics and you can read as little or as much as you like.

-I'm a fan of Starbucks Via. I was hesitant at first. One of the worst things in the world to me is the feeling of coffee grounds (or sand or dirt) in my mouth. I almost vom if I feel it. So, I was hesitant of Via for the icky grounds factor. "Will it dissolve all the way?", "Will there be big grounds?",  "Will it taste good?", "Will I vom?" You know...the normal questions for someone that could vom just thinking about sand in my mouth. sick. Anyway....I tried it this morning (woke up too late to make a real pot of coffee) and I'm a fan!
-If you're keeping track of the types of apples I enjoy (it's not hard...there is only 1), you can add a 2nd to the list! Pink Lady Apples. (of course I'd like them...they're called PINK LADY. It just fits.) Anyway, I now purchase both Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples at the store.
-God and I are going on an interesting journey this summer. He's teaching me a lot about myself. He's teaching me a lot about Himself. I'm being stretched. I'm being strengthened. I'm getting confused. I'm being humbled. I'm learning how dumb I can be. You know....the norm. Man, is it hard but fun.
-2 of my single friends have gone on 1st dates with new guys!! I am SO excited for them! Neither of them have dated in a while so I'm thrilled that guys are pursuing them!! :)
-I finished the HP books. When I read or watch a series, the characters become my family. It was definitely difficult to experience death and hardships along with the characters (I'm telling you...I get attached!) I can now start renting the movies and watch them! (looking into Netflix-any other services you'd recommend?)
-I just finished a small book by Ray Comfort called "God Has a Wonderful Plan for your Life." It was incredible! It is all about evangelism and discipleship. It's point is that we can't get people to convert by telling them God has a wonderful plan for their life. Then they follow Him for a bit, experience trial, and fall away. We have to lay the foundation that they are sinners (10 Commandments) and that Christ forgave them for that and they can experience hope. Once they see their depravity, they desire the hope. It made me want to go share the gospel right now!
-One thing I am pursuing now, after a full year on staff, is a personal ministry. I did DivorceCare4Kids last spring and loved it! I'm going to continue with that. But, I also want a ministry where I am discipling and pouring into young women, whether it be kids, youth, or college students. I'm in the midst of figuring this out. I plan on leading a Bible Study for girls/women in Conway through my church. I'm excited about this opportunity. I'm praying God would reveal to me if this is what He wants me to continue with or if He wants me to reach out into another type of ministry in my church. I'm also praying about opportunities to share the gospel. I just don't know where to do it! Since I work for a ministry, I don't have non-believer co-workers to share with. So, if you enjoy praying for things, ask God to give me wisdom in ministry and gospel sharing! Thanks! :)
-I now have a sister-in-law! Cam and Andi's wedding was unique, sweet, and God-glorifying. I loved being a part of their special day! They got home from San Diego on Saturday. Mom and I picked them up from the airport and they came back to mom's house to open all their presents. It was fun hanging out with them!
-Last night I went on a 40 minute walk that only felt like 15. I called my great friend Michelle and talked and talked and talked and it was great. We are in the same phase of life and it was so refreshing to talk through a lot with her. I'm so grateful for her friendship! I love quality time with deep convos with friends.
-Last Friday night, Macy, Kate, Christy and I went to Wild River Country and back to my mom's house for dessert (leftover wedding cake!). We hadn't all hung out since Macy's wedding so Friday was a great time!
-I've read a lot of books this summer. I LOVE to read. Here they are: HP 5,6,&7; God has a Wonderful Plan for your Life; Youniquely Woman; The IT Factor; Living Water and Indian Bowl; Spiritual Leadership; The Magician's Nephew. I'm currently reading The Lion,the Witch,&the Wardrobe, Counterfeit Gods, and In This Generation. Seriously, I love reading.
-I've made some good recipes lately. I'll try to make a recipe post soon. This week I've had Bar-b-cups (childhood fave), Southwestern Chicken Roll-ups (an improvised version), and tonight is Fish Tacos. Get excited!

If you've read all of this, you must be busting at the seams with upates. Thanks for being a part of my life! :)

Blown Away

I have been overwhelmed by God's greatness over the past few weeks! Every prayer that I have been praying for the past few months, God has answered in bigger and better ways than I could have EVER imagined! For work, I am consistently applying for international visas for our staff. Over the years, this has been a stressful game we play with the consulate, never knowing if they will give us the visas we want. This year, we came up with some new business platforms and God has been using them in huge ways. So far, we've applied for 33 visas and ALL 33 VISAS HAVE BEEN APPROVED!!!!! This is unheard of! We have fewer than 10 left to apply for and we're praying they all go through as smoothly as the first 33. God is blessing our efforts and we know He wants us to be doing His work internationally! Whenever I think about this, my mind can hardly grasp how incredibly these prayers have been answered. This also answers another prayer I've been praying - that God would show me more clearly my purpose for staying in Conway for a few years and my role in our overseas efforts. My Conway position allowing me to apply for these visas for our staff=my role in our overseas efforts and the reason God has me in Conway. Wow, is God great!!!!

Last week, I got to visit our Kaleo project in Destin! It was a wonderful time of seeing how the Destin project flows and of hanging out with friends at the beach. I was incredibly refreshed by my time down there! I got some great one-on-one time with close friends and got to have great convos and catch-up times with girls I haven't seen in way too long. Also, the beach is my ALL TIME favorite place on the planet, so that was a plus! I love laying in the sand, feeling the suns rays, and hearing the oceans waves. I loved my time down there and definitely didn't want to leave! Then, my expected 5 hours of travel time home turned into 12 hours, due to every possible delay you could imagine. It was good to be back in Conway once I finally got home!

This past weekend, my fam went to the lake. I spent 2 solid days laying out and got some great sun! :) The Marina had a rental boat available on Sunday so we got to go out for 4-5 hours. It was great! Second to the beach, I LOVE being on a boat on the lake! (my loves stem from laying in the sun - can you tell?!) We drove around, jumped into the 50* water by carpenter dam (felt like jumping into a glass of ICE water), and tubed.We are going to the lake again this weekend for the 4th - I'm looking forward to 3 more days in the sun!

Lastly, Cameron's wedding is LESS THAN 2 WEEKS away! Can you believe it?! It seems like not that long ago that he proposed. Where has the time gone? I am so excited for him and Andi! I'm honored to be a part of their big day. I am pumped to be adding someone so wonderful to our family!

Have a great week blogger friends!

Healthy Update

I've still been working out but I've been running less. For some reason it's getting harder. That doesn't make sense to me. But, I'm still trying for it! I've been doing the elliptical and lifting lots of weights. I can already tell a huge difference! My muscles are more toned and stronger and I've already lost a couple of inches in my waist. I am loving going to the gym every night and walking/running outside. It's so refreshing! I've been waking up at 630 every day no matter what time I go to bed - it must be from the exercise and change in energy. Because of this, I'm going to add in a morning walk. I read that 2 small workouts a day is great to boost your metabolism so I'm going to try this out. I'm going to go for a slow walk in the mornings while listening to a sermon and then do a more hardcore workout at night.

I've been cooking every night to try to avoid fried foods. This week I've had wheat pancakes, homemade pizza (best ever!), fish with asparagus and salad, and a burger with baked fries. First off, burgers are my all time favorite food ever! Second off, the pizza concoction I came up with is incredible. For the sauce, I mix pesto and alfredo. I put chicken, tomato, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese as the toppings. SO GOOD!
I used to eat super unhealthy cereals and other breakfast foods but I've also switched that up too. I now eat 1 scrambled egg and 2 pieces of turkey bacon for breakfast. If I decide for cereal, I eat Honey Bunches of Oats. I think changing my breakfast food is helping a lot too - the protein holds me over to where I don't need a morning snack. ( I read an article about this too! :))

Just for fun, here is a pic of the most comfortable pants that are so fun! They're from India!

Have a great weekend! If you need me, you can find me poolside at my apt complex :)

Nail Polish and Weddings

Here is the post of pictures I promised!

Houston We Have a Purple and Golden. This picture doesn't do justice to the left one. It's a great color! And the gold is really fun :)

These were 99 cents!! Pale yellow, bubble gum pink, orange/coral, and Cotton Candy pink. I love them!

Yep, I'm just as obsessed with nail polish as ever! I change the colors on my fingernails at least twice a week! It's the perfect accessory to change up for different events or occasions. Love it!!

Here are some pictures from last weekend's wedding festivities!

 

The bride-to-be and I at the rehearsal dinner!!!

It was so fun to see and catch up with all my Nursing School friends! We had such a great time! Macy's mom rented us a cabin for the night before the wedding. We stayed up until 2 laughing, reminiscing, and catching up. It was great!!

The view from the cabin was beautiful!

Macy was a BEAUTIFUL BRIDE!!!! I felt honored to be a part of her big day!

Also, I CAUGHT THE BOUQUET! haha. I actually ran for it - I didn't want it to hit the ground! I also caught a bouquet in October and nothing as happened...so we'll see if anything comes from this one. Here's to hoping!

Post of Pictures complete! Hope you enjoyed it! Soon, I'll have some BEACH pictures to post! SO EXCITED!

Joyful Days

Brooke and Christy, this is for y'all!! :)

I feel like there is a common theme out in blogger world right now.....a long hiatus with no motivation to restart because it's overwhelming. Well, I'm back (hopefully I'm back and more consistent!). A lot has happened over the past 2 months so I'll give you a recap.

I ended up doing the Daniel Fast/Diet for about 3 weeks. I welcomed back meat, dairy, coffee, and diet coke with wide open arms! Since I ended it, I've decided to get rid of diets and "forbidden foods" and just go with what my body feels. At this point, fried foods don't sound good (too heavy in this HEAT) and lighter, healthier foods do. So, I'll stick with what my body wants! (Sidenote: my body still wants sweets and I'm giving it what it wants in moderation!!)

I was in Tulsa at the end of April/start of May for April Staff Training. It was so great! I got to spend 5 days with StuMo staff and I loved it!! So many hours of incredible fellowship with people I don't get to see often. I love StuMo staff. I love Tulsa. After training, I stayed for a few days with Lane and Kel. Love them!

This spring, my apartment has been like a hotel - so fun! Ganson stayed with me for a few days while home on her visa run. Then, a few weeks later, Ang was home and she stayed with me! In mid-May, a few friends stayed with me over the weekend for a wedding. After that, Ellie (co-worker/friend) stayed with my for a few nights en route to Kaleo. Hospitality and guests are a goal for my apartment and it's happening! Love it!

2 weeks ago my family went floating the Caddo. All I'm going to say is.....I'm a city girl that likes nail polish, heels, and poofed hair.

Last weekend, I spent 3 days laying on the dock reading Harry Potter 6. Perfect memorial day weekend!

Yesterday, Christy and I headed up to Marshall for Macy and Zach's rehearsal dinner and wedding!!! SO FUN! Zach and Macy are such a cute couple and their wedding was so sweet. It was a cherished weekend with Kate, Macy, Brooke, and Christy as we stayed up late and caught up on life. I love these sweet friends so much! We will have a lifelong connection with each other because of our 3 years together in Nursing School.

I caught the bouquet today - I actually ran for it. I think this is the first time that's ever happened. haha. I didn't want it to hit the ground...so I ran...in my 4 inch, nude, platform heels. #lovemylife  I've caught 2 bouquets in the past 8 months - does that mean anything? Should I catch 3 within a year for something to happen?

I'm taking up jogging and LOVING it! Fine, call me insane (Christy already has :). I'm going the route of jogging until I can't anymore. Wednesday, I jogged 3 minutes (yes, I'm out of shape). Thursday, I jogged 6 minutes. Today, I jogged 8 minutes. I've never been so refreshed and energized by jogging....this time it's just different. Again, I'm just doing what my body wants. I can feel the muscles relaxing and stress being released. By the end of the day, my body wants to go for a jog.

I bought gold nail polish today. I like it a lot :) Yep...I'm still obsessed with nail polish. I'll try to add pics of new colors soon (I've probably gotten 7 since that last post! In my defense-most were on sale for CHEAP).

Cameron and Andi's wedding is 5 weeks from today. Where did the time go? I'm a bridesmaid. We're wearing black dresses in the style of my choice. I'm going to borrow from a friend - she has a few different options. I'll def update with pics after the wedding!

I made my summer development schedule for reading. I'm excited about the variety of books I'm going to read and what I'm going to learn. I've had some sweet, sweet times with God over the past few days. It's been extremely refreshing, joyful, energizing, and transforming. 

If you read all of that, you're a true friend :) If you didn't, you're still a true friend :) Now that we're recapped, I'll TRY to do a better job of updating. I'll also try to do a photo post soon of recent photo captures. Love you guys!

Working Gal

People always tell you every stage of life is busier than the previous stage but we never believe it. NOW I DO! Man, I'm even busier working 9-5 than I was in school. And I have NO doubt the marriage/mom stage (if God lets me get there) will be even busier.The past 3 weekends I've been out of town or super busy in Conway. This weekend is no different. A lot of great things and rough things have been going on with me lately. I promise to update as soon as I have a free night to sit in front of the computer and collect my thoughts. Tonight is not that night - tomorrow night might be...we'll see if anything comes up!