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December 5, 2017

grateful for…

It’s been such a long time since I’ve done an thankfulness post on my blog but today, it really hit me how much I have to be thankful for. I feel like there have been a lot of loose ends in my life that have been tied up very recently and things God has totally worked out and I’m left feeling so grateful. Here are a few things, big and small, I am thankful for lately.

1. my dog, Colette
This past weekend, Colette started acting strange and not wanting to eat and drinking way too much, both signs of some really bad things, so I spent most of my weekend in and out of the vet, which is a very cold 30 minute walk down the river. It turns out she has a liver problem but with medication, it’s easy to clear up. There are so many worse things it could have been so I’m feeling really blessed it’s something easily treatable. Besides that, she got a clean bill of health!

2. getting a coop for this next spring
I’ll be honest, this semester has been really rough at times. Long story short, some things didn’t work out and I found myself without a coop for this next semester a few months into searching. Every other time I’ve looked for a coop, I had secured a job within a week or two but this time was more complicated and stressful. But after many prayers, I got a fantastic internship doing interface design for Motorola in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that I couldn’t be more thrilled about. So look forward to lots of pictures of beaches and palm trees coming your way.

3. my boyfriend, Brendan
I’m always thankful for Brendan but lately, I’ve been so grateful for all the ways he’s stepped up for me when things get hard. He’s the hardest working and more focused person I’ve ever met and though working almost full time and going to a very difficult school with a full load of credits, he still finds time to be great!

4. heating
I haven’t had heating since I moved in but instead of telling my landlord, I thought I would try to stick it out (so dumb, Hayley, so dumb). But these past couple of weeks, it became really unbearable so my landlord finally came over and it got fixed! I never realized how much I take for granted heating in the winter but wow is it fantastic! And I also have a heated towel rack in my bathroom that I didn’t know about so that’s been a nice surprise.

5. my mom
I never really wrote about it on here but my mom passed away from cancer almost two years ago. She was truly my best friend and being here in Florence, her favorite city, I feel ever more grateful and connected to her. She left such a lovely legacy and I see so much of her in myself, from silly saying I use to the way I view life. I am so blessed to have had such a wonderful mom.

6. traveling
I have been so blessed to get to travel so much this semester! I have been to 6 countries while being here and had so many wonderful adventures. I’ve been fixing my blog archives after evil Photobucket held all my linked photos for ransom (still so mad) but looking thru all my old posts has really made me appreciate all the places I’ve been in my life and all the people I’ve met along the way.

7. my dad
My dad and I have always been on good terms but since my mom’s passing, we’ve really gotten close (it also helps he got his first cellphone and learned to text). He works so hard to provide for me and to do the right thing and I really appreciate his persistence and love. Recently, he has taken up ballroom dancing, a huge surprise to everyone and really excels at it! I’m so grateful that he is in my life and that he is my dad.

what are you grateful for?
photo by me taken in riomaggiore, italy

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January 1, 2016

2015

i know i didn’t post on this blog much but 2015 was quite a year! i had so many wonderful experiences, made a lot of lasting memories and learned to really love and cherish those close to me. there were also some hard moments but those only made the good moments sweeter. here are a few highlights from each month of 2015. greatly looking forward to 2016 and praying for joy, health, peace and love in this coming year.


january
went back for my second semester at UC.  went to the detroit auto show.

february
got a whole week of snow days!


march
visited my friend emily in cedarville.  spent a day in columbus.

 photo DCC1AEFD-6EFC-4CBB-9A80-5BA2A1341D75_zpsklfotbhs.jpg
april
had a blast at my sorority’s spring formal.  moved out of my house in cincinnati.

may
watched my friends from cedarville graduate.  started summer classes at art center.  spent a day at disneyland.


june
turned 22.  started dating the most wonderful guy i know.  had my friend ingliv stay for a few weeks.  took a road trip to northern california.


july
visited the santa monica farmers market. spent lots of time at the beach.


august
spent a week with my sorority sisters.  met up with brendan for the first time in ohio.  moved into a new apartment.


september
started my third semester of college.  had the flu for two weeks.  helped recruit an amazing new pledge class with my theta sisters.


october
prepared a portfolio and started job searching.  got a co-op in rhode island!  visited nashville with Brendan.


november
was invited to be apart of a design think tank for a major company.  got an amazing little in my sorority.  went to canada for thanksgiving.


december
went to formal with brendan.  survived two weeks of ‘hell week’.  celebrated christmas with my wonderful family.  rang in the new year with brendan in california.

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December 31, 2014

2014 in review

even before 2014 started, i knew it was gonna be a good year. literally as soon as i woke up on new year’s day, i received an email from the director of my program in france that the course would be ending six months early. in that moment, along with a million other emotions, i knew it was going to be a very different year than i expected. if i’m being honest, i was so relieved that it was ending and that i had the opportunity to start new adventures. and adventure there were, along with new friends, hours of hard work, great travels, unexpected blessings and dreams coming true. looking back on this year is so bittersweet because 2014 seems unbeatable. i know God has so much in store in this coming year and all the years after that but 2014 will always hold a special place in my heart. here are a few highlights and favorite pictures of my year from january to december.


january
found out i wasn’t going back to france. decided to study in england for a semester. spent an extra 3 weeks in california. left for england.


february
arrived in york, england. met new friends. went to an awesome valentine’s party. discovered great coffee shops. made dinners with my roommates. explored york.


march
watched the daffodils pop up around york. cooked a traditional german dinner with german friends. traveled to iraq for outreach week. visited the capital of kurdistan.


april
discovered my favorite coffee shop: brew and brownie. went to the yorkshire dales for speakers week. had a beautiful easter.


may
tried to figure out what i was going to do next with my life. found out i got into university of cincinnati. said many sad goodbyes. left england. spent a week in paris with emily.


june
saw the fault in our stars on opening day. turned 21. emily arrived in california for her summer internship. visited the new anaheim packing house.


july
went to the sawdust festival. was a wedding coordinator for a wedding in san diego. spent a girl’s weekend in palm springs for kayla’s 21st. visited carmel for a week.


august
road tripped out to ohio with my mom. visited santa fe and springfield, mo. started university of cincinnati. moved into a new house.


september
pulled my first all nighter. participated in sorority rush. joined kappa alpha theta. visited cedarville for the first time since i was a student there.


october
was initiated into theta. went on a church retreat in the mountains. walked in a fashion show. went to a few halloween parties as tinker belle.


november
had a blast at my sorority’s winter semi formal. spent thanksgiving break with friends in connecticut. experienced my first snow in cincinnati. broke my car’s window.


december
survived finals week. had our end of semester show. got on the deans list. came home to california. spent christmas with family.
In lists on
December 18, 2014

grateful for…

i’m home for christmas break and i couldn’t be happier! i love school so much but there is something wonderful about being home for the holidays. it’s so beautiful and warm here and it’s nice to move at a slower pace, at least for a few short weeks till i fly out again. here are a few things i’m most thankful for over these past few weeks

1. getting on the dean’s list for this semester (!!!)
2. the new nespresso store at fashion island
3. spending time with friends and family
4. christmas playlists filled with new and old favorites
5. sales at j. crew
6. impromptu mid week visits with friends at cedarville
7. twilight walks at balboa island
8. suja juices
9. my bangs finally getting to a manageable length
10. one week till Christmas!

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In holidays, lists on
November 27, 2014

thanksgiving thankfulness



happy thanksgiving people! i’m currently in connecticut enjoying my six day break with my friend julia and her gracious family in the adorable cottage above. as my last post alluded to, this semester has been a whirlwind of craziness so its nice to rest and have some downtime before the final push to the end of the semester. in honor of thanksgiving, here are a few things, great and small, that i am most thankful for

  • my amazing, wonderful, supportive family back home
  • getting into the industrial design school of my dreams
  • the vast array of friends God has gifted me with, from lifelong friends back home in california to my awesome cedarville girlies to relationships i have made on my travels and new friends at college from daap, my sorority, my church groups and everywhere in between
  • my iPhone, for capturing the moments i would otherwise miss and keeping me organized and sane
  • having As on every project thus far
  • the opportunities i have gotten to travel and the many more to come
  • living in a city with a whole foods and a trader joe’s
  • the immense love for design, art and aesthetics God has blessed me with
  • having a car at school that is my saving grace
  • getting in to such a great sorority
  • discovering quest bars for my days when food is the last thing on my to do list
  • julia and her family, and all the people who have graciously hosted me over the years
  • urban outfitters sale rack
  • finding hidden gems to do homework at like coffee emporium and sidewinder coffee
  • Jesus Christ, for being my Savior and best friend and walking with my every step on this crazy journey we call life
what are you thankful for?
past thanksgiving posts here
In lists on
August 9, 2014

summer(ing)



eating // scallops! probably a product of watching too much top chef
drinking // lots of iced coffee from my new nespresso vertuo
practicing // yoga outside in 100 degree palm springs weather (yikes!)
learning // lazy days are sometimes the best days
playing // iggy azalea, arctic monkeys and riptide by vance joy
reading // eat to live and the beginning of everything
walking // crystal cove state beach
loving // being in the same place as so many of my friends
cooking // life changing bread
wearing // lacy shorts and birks
craving // farmers market fruit (especially green figs)
working // as a wedding coordinator and florist! so fun
traveling // up the coast (big sur, carmel, slo) and out to the dessert (palm springs)
anticipating // the road trip to ohio and COLLEGE!!

{photo via this sweet girl}