Well well well. 2013 has so nonchalantly snuck up on me. I can honestly say 2012 flew by quicker than any of other years of my life. So much has happened, so much has been learned, and so much has been loved. Let’s start with …

-January-

My first semester as a full-on education student. Ya know- just making the three little pig puppets for homework. If only all my other homework that semester was that easy.

-February-

I had the wonderful opportunity to help one of my favorite bands, Needtobreathe, out at the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa.

-March-

Dr. Suess’s birthday, a big day around my work. Kid’s had so much fun learning all about him that month.

Free Jenny + Tyler show at Samford’s coffeehouse- these two are absolutely adorable and create such real music.

-April-

Took trips to the lake often during this month- love it out there.

This handsome boy turned 2 and I had the privilege to not only attend his party, but take pictures of all the fun.

-May-

After a very strenuous and exhausting semester, my girlfriends and I decided to head up to Chattanooga for a few days of ziplining, eating, and enjoying one of my favorite cities.

-June-

One of my sweetest friends got married this month and it was such a beautiful wedding.

Yup. I remember sitting on my bed studying for a summer course I was taking when my dad and stepmom sat me down to give me the marvelous news- I was going to get a baby brother or sister! Such a huge, but wonderful surprise. 

What better way to begin your summer thanfishing with your dad?

-July-

Twenty-one finally arrived on the 13th! I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday thanks to some pretty amazing friends. I definitely remember feeling overwhelmed by how God has truly blessed me with some wonderful ladies in my life.

Discovered this book by Ann Voskamp called 1,000 Gifts. Read and finished it while I was on my 2nd beach trip of this month. Absolutely fell in love with it and the idea of living a life of eucharisteo- thanksgiving. 

-August-

I was admitted in TEP (teacher education program) at UAB and began my first semester of TEP classes this month. Needless to say I was rather busy and unfortunately have hardly any pictures. I doubt you want to see a stressed out college student buried in books; however, I did get asked to be in two weddings this month.

The picture below is from my beautiful cousin, Laken’s, bridal tea. 

At Sumo’s after being asked to be a part of Haley’s big day in May 2013!

Oh my soul. This was the month I discovered the best burger and fries in B’ham. I also found a place that soon became my favorite and required my weekly attendance- J. Clyde.

Third time’s a charm. Well, I suppose a third tattoo is too. I got it this month- the word ‘eucharisteo’ on my ribs with a feather hovering above the word. The word carries so much meaning in my heart and the way I live- I had to. I had been doodling the word for weeks and pondering the idea of a new tattoo. So, I finally did it and it’s my favorite.

-September-

One of the most intimate shows I’ve been to- and it was for a good cause.

Great memories with Jenna, Phillip and Will in B’ham.

Getting closer to the wedding- Laken’s lingerie shower.

It’s a boy!!!

-October-

Greek Food Festival.

Milo Greene show at Bottletree.

The Great Pumpkin Patch field trip with the Ivy League kids.

Laken and Ty are married! After the most beautiful wedding I’ve seen.

-November-

My best friend turned 22!

Andrew Luke already being spoiled at his baby shower.

My 3 week field experience ended- I was flooded with handwritten cards by the students.

Thanksgiving dinner with the family. Grateful heart.

-December-

An amazing weekend trip to Chattanooga. Too many memories to list.

Annual Girls Christmas Party photo booth.

Baby Luke arrived early on December 26th!! How sweet and precious he is- I love him.

I can’t help but smile when I look at all these pictures and think about this past year. Sure there were some downs, but gosh, they sure make me appreciate these good things. I am left speechless when it comes to expressing how grateful I am that God has supplied me with so many wonderful people and amazing opportunities. My goal in 2013 is to carry on each day with a grateful heart and a joyous attitude. To remember that yes there will be bad, but to overcome that bad with a strong and wise heart. I want to read more books, drink more water, love people more, and thirst for God more. Simple things really, but I’m a simple girl so I guess it fits.

light.. dark.. light.. dark.. the moon is playing hide and seek with the trees through my car windows on a drive home. my mind is wondering, exactly what it should not be doing since I am driving. neither here nor there though- as the moon continues to flicker, I think about all of the books I’ve been reading for children’s literature (and no, I’m not just talking about Dr. Suess books- but the kind with substance and stories). I can’t help but compare a book to my own life, well anyone’s life really. the written pages of those books are just like the days in my life. when reading the words on those pages, I ask myself..“what would the words of my pages be?“ 

their text inspires me to wonder about my life. the characters.. the story line.. the conflicts.. the resolutions…  they’re constantly changing. However, one component stays the same in my life, in my pages, I am the writer. 

our hearts can be so set on something. our minds so lost in whatever that may be. we forget the world around us. until one day, we wake up and realize we don’t need that thing after all- it wasn’t ever meant to continue on in our pages. it was a lie- something our hearts were tricked into believing. like a gush of cold wind, it hits you. you are the writer. so, rewrite the pages. change the characters. resolve the problem and remember there are blank pages to be filled, a whole world to take in. a writer can not stare at a blank wall in hopes of inspiration. no, that would be a silly belief my friends. instead, they must go out and experience what the world has to offer. they must be inspired, in every way possible. 

you don’t breeze over the words in a book, well at least if you’re a good reader you don’t. instead you read it word by word. you shouldn’t rush through the days of your life, well at least if you’re truly living to the deepest and fullest of your abilities you don’t. instead you soak every moment in- the cool, crisp nights with a backdrop of twinkling city lights..the sounds of music echoing..friends laughing… seeing people love and people sharing their hearts…. people writing their own pages too.  

so, what have you written lately?

givemeajobplease:

I went on a date last night and then you texted and asked, again, whether I would come there. Start our days with coffee, end with you making dinner. Forever. I feel myself tug towards yes and then I remember why it will always be no with you and I.

There are people in…

(Source: givemeajobplease)

A message I heard last night really struck a cord in me and got me thinking. 

“Your life isn’t about people noticing you; it’s about getting people to notice God.”

We care SO, so much about opinions of others. Our appearance. We live our life like it is one BIG status update. Better this, better that. Me, me, me, me, oh..and me. I picture a big oval mirror (ya know, the kind that can rotate vertically and flip to the other side). We are staring at ourselves, ridiculous amounts of time spent on ourselves. We’re selfish people. 

Not like the selfless people that are throughout the bible. But those are just fairy tales right, it’s not like that in this world anymore.. right… the world is harder and crueler.. it’s every man for himself.. right?  

Wrong.

Would you be willing to sacrifice the way you look for someone else. Would you take the time out of your day to devote to someone else besides yourself (I’m not talking about donating money to a local charity, which is wonderful.. I’m talking about your time.. you.. the shirt on your back, figuratively or literally speaking).

“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”- Matthew 20.28

So. Lets flip these mirrors around, away from ourselves and our pretty lives. The top half of the mirror facing heavenward, the bottom half facing the world. Lets show the world true, selfless love. 

Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth, “You owe me”. Look what happens with a love like that. It lights up the whole sky.

God, forgive me. I am like a spoiled child. Asking You to give me the desires of my heart.. when I want them. Like a little child asking..begging for candy. Crying and becoming upset when I do not recieve them. But you are a far better Father than that. Because You do not give us what we want.. or even deserve.. but what we need. Like a candy-less child, I become quickly angered and anxious. A good parent would not give the child candy every time something good is accomplished, even when the child feels he or she deserves it. A good parent also doesn’t give the child the type of candy the child wants every time. That child would be nothing but spoiled. However, a good parent, like you Father, waits until He sees we need it and then gives it to us at the right time. He knows us even better than our child-like minds can fathom. He may not give us the candy we ask for.. or He may give something even better. And when I become agitated, like most children do, my Father does what any good parent does and wraps His arms around me. He tells me why I don’t need it. Tells me I’m still worthy… it’s just not the right time. Tells me I can’t always get what I want or think I deserve. That would be an immature way of living. He holds me when anxiety gets the best of me; tells me no worries, it’ll all make sense one day daughter. How thankful I am to serve a Father, Yahweh, who does such things.

So.. Left, right, left, right. Feet pushing into the asphalt. Grassy, southern scents and a starry night painted above. I run. I run into Your arms. Knowing that you’re my Father and You know best. Letting You embrace me, telling me it’s alright when I’m upset. Thank You, for loving me.  

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Matthew 6:34 MSG)

Today’s daily bible verse is perfect. Especially since I’ve began focusing my life around God’s gifts instead of what I’m “missing out” on. God can handle it, no need to get my big girl panties in a wad. God can handle anything. I just need to trust in Him, and what He’s working on in my life right now, while thanking Him for what He’s already brought me through in the past. No need to fret about the future. God’s got this. Letting go of my shamefully perfecting nature (partly due to my personality, or so I like to think) and letting Yahweh mold my life. He will give you the desires of your heart, have faith and trust in His will.

“You will fall in love with your friends. Deep, passionate love. You will create a second family with them, a kind of tribe that makes you feel less vulnerable. Sometimes our families can’t love us all the time. Sometimes we’re born into families who don’t know how to love us properly. They do as much as they can but the rest is up to our friends. They can love you all the time, without judgement. At least the good ones can.” 

-The Types of People You Will Fall in Love with in Your 20’s by Ryan O’Connell

Lately I’ve taken notice to the fact that God has surrounded me with friends. Good, Godly friends. Friends with beautiful souls and heavenward hearts. God has used them in my life in significant ways, to challenge me, to grow me, to encourage me, and to lift my eyes to His face. They are all too wonderful, and I am so deeply thankful for them all.

I recently have became one year older. Taken one more step into my 20’s, “the best years”. The years where, ya know, all the “important things” must happen. College, marriage and babies. However, I can’t help but take my eyes off these big events for just a little while, and show my gratitude toward the small things that are often over-looked in these years. Laughter from family, tears of a friend whose heart is mending, text from books whose words are forever life changing, and sweet hugs from children whose lives your shaping. I just want to slow down these fast-paced years a notch, and really savor God’s gifts that He’s graciously given. Not worrying over the petty stuff, or becoming anxious in waiting to receive “the big stuff”. Ya know, a dashing fella or a “grown up” job. Just taking life as it comes. Praying for God’s will, and absolutely nothing else. After all, as His daughter, I’m not of this world… so why oh why would I compare myself to everyone else in it? 

So, what’s the big rush? I read a quote once that couldn’t place the words together any better. “In our rushing, like bulls in china shops, we break our own lives. Haste makes waste.” If you want to get biblical, Psalms 39.6 (NLT) says, “We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.” We rush around like bulls in china shops, not taking the time to fully look at all the amazing gifts surrounding us. In Ann Voskamp’s book, 1000 Gifts, she explains the meaning of eucharisteo. A greek word meaning Thanksgiving with 2 root words- Charis: Grace,  Chara: Joy. We scurry about, forgetting the grace and joy God has placed in our lives. We get busy and forget to give Him thanks and praise, in every little thing.. every joyous laughter.. every southern, sunset.. every warm embrace. We forget. Thanksgiving, grace, and joy. I’ve gotten really good at thanking God for all the good eucharisteo. Not so much for the hard eucharisteo. Ya know, the hurtful heartbreaks.. a forgotten friend.. a failed test.. hard days at work.. that kind of eucharisteo. It hurts. But I’m thankful for it. Im thankful that God is writing my story and not me.  I know those past rejections, those unseen accidents, and those broken hearts are all a part of His wonderful plan. Thank You. 

So, what did I wish for when I blew out my candles this year? Well, I’ll break tradition and tell y’all. I hope to fully take in this year, and the next year, and all the years to come. Soaking up all that God has to offer and not comparing myself to others. My wish… finding thanksgiving, grace, and joy in all of the small stuff while patiently waiting for all the “big stuff” to fall into place.

-Ash

Yikes. I can see the dust collecting on my Tumblr. My sincerest apologies folks. Life has been a whirlwind since 2012 started. I have been super busy and super tired, but I know it will all be worth it. I just simply CAN NOT believe Spring Break is next week, meaning this semester is half way over. UMM. Where did the time go? Anywho, the reason I am writing this post is because a sermon from last Sunday sparked my spiritual interest. 

A question was asked. What’s your dream? Are you living each day like its your last, or are you living it as if you have a purpose for tomorrow? 

Whoa. *smack to the brain*. You know this whole term going around now, YOLO (you only live once). After hearing those questions in the sermon, it got me thinking. That phrase isn’t as new as I thought. Remember when apostle Paul said “Let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” (1 Corin 15.32)… well, it’s kind of the same concept. The sermon, in a nutshell, was about finding your purpose and not just living each day like it’s your last… it was about being hard workers, strong believers, and spirited dreamers. God has designed unique plans for each and everyone of us.. and yes we should love and appreciate everyone today like it might be their last day…and yes He does want us to be merry… but He wants us to pursue our purpose.. … and if we don’t, then it will be given to someone else who can.  We are such fickle people. Never knowing what we want. 

So. What’s my dream? Well, you can start my looking at my Pinterest board called For My Dream.. it’s kind of obvious. I want to open and run my own preschool one day. Early childhood development is one of the most fascinating topics to me. I could sit online all night, blog-hopping from one blog to the next learning about different early childhood techniques, ideas, and theories. I want to have a wonderful husband.. amazing children… a cozy home.. ya know, the whole shebang. Now, how to reach this dream? Prayer. Passion. Faith. Humbleness. Strength. Determination. Patience. But most importantly, God. 

I am physically and mentally exhausted; however, I know one day.. I will look back at all this and be so glad that I gave it my all.  So far I have all A’s and I passed the Praxis II this past Monday with a 175 (for those of you who have no idea what the Praxis II is.. Go watch Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.. multiply the questions’ difficulty levels by 5 and then select random facts from any topic and place them into 4 different categories- English, Social Studies, Math, and Science.. and there you have it, the Praxis II). I could not have done any of this without God, and prayer. 

There is a band called Jenny + Tyler (go check them out now)… they have this song called Faint Not. I absolutely love the chorus “O my soul, faint not. No, faint not. O my soul, keep on.. in love.” It has been motivation for me the last couple of weeks to not give up. Each blunder, mess up, problem, or failure is just an obstacle in the way towards the next step of reaching my purpose and I can’t let those get in the way. 

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV)

I absolutely love when my email inbox floods with Spring catalogs from my favorite websites/brands. Here’s a few of my favorite so far:

31 Bits:

Chasing Daylight from 31 Bits on Vimeo.

Shop Ruche: