In music on
April 28, 2014

mixed tape // spring 2014

 photo PicMonkeyCollagme.jpg

some old finds and new favorites i keep coming back to
on spotify

1. Eyes Wider Than Before by Scott Matthews 
2. Deep End by Yalls
3. Hallow Home Rd by Brolly
4. Ompa Til Du Dør by Kaiser Orchestra 
5. Wolves by Phosphorescent
6. Glacier by James Vincent McMorrow
7. Little Bird by Ed Sheeran
8. Home by Gabrielle Apin
9.  Spring Song by Laura Viers
10. The Chain (Live) by Ingrid Michaelson 
11. I Was An Eagle by Laura Marling
12. Paint by The Paper Kites
13. Step Out by Jose Gonzales
14. You’ve Got Time by Regina Spector
15. Awake by Tycho
16. Trees by Twenty One Pilots

In lists on
April 24, 2014

spring(ing)

eating // all kinds of veggies and even more kinds of british chocolate
drinking // yorkshire gold tea (when in rome, right?)
practicing // patience and diligence
learning // british slang from the wonderful brits in my life
playing // the band brolly on repeat
finishing // my big apologetics paper. wish me luck
reading // this momentary marriage out loud with my roommates and les mis on my own *still*
walking // to the minster daily to pray and read
loving // all the wonderful relationships i’ve made in such a short period of time
cooking // nightly feasts with my roomies
wearing // basically the same thing everyday: dress + tights + flats
working // on homework at caffe nero or one of the many other cute coffee shops in town
traveling // to paris in may *fingers crossed*
wanting // to take my camera out more and for this semester to never end

{photo via jose villa}
In holidays on
April 21, 2014

resurrection day 2014

 photo IMG_3489-3.jpg
 photo IMG_3477-2.jpg
 photo IMG_3465-2.jpg
 photo IMG_3480-2.jpg

easter this year was pretty spectacular! the night before, i made cookies with my roommates then i made flower crowns with some other friends. easter morning, a bunch of us put on our easter best and helped serve at church. i think one of the best compliments i’ve received in a while is that i “looked like the bride of Christ”. i’ve been reading this momentary marriage by john piper with my roommates which talks about how we as the church are the bride of Christ which made the compliment especially sweet. after church, we had a picnic on the top floor of our school’s coffee shop and ate lunch and fellowshipped. a few of us left lunch early to attend evensong at the minster which was such a wonderful experience. the music was heavenly and the sermon was fantastic. i went to dinner at a fancy fish restaurant in town with my friend ingliv then came home and ate our easter chocolate and reflected on this amazing day. but what made this day most special is that it celebrates Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. i am writing a paper on this topic for my apologetics class so it is especially near and dear to my heart this easter. the fact that the Son of God died for my sins then rose again will never cease to blow my mind. i hope this ‘easter state of mind’ won’t just be something i meditate on during easter but the whole year around.

 photo IMG_3526-2.jpg
 photo IMG_3571-2.jpg
 photo IMG_3584-2.jpg
 photo IMG_3555-2.jpg
 photo IMG_3567-2.jpg
 photo IMG_3527-2.jpg

In travel on
April 14, 2014

iraq adventure

 photo HSO_2878copy.jpg

for my outreach trip this semester, i went to iraq with a friend to visit her family. honestly, iraq blew my mind. it was so beautiful, the people were so kind and open, the language was so fun and the culture was so fascinating. the reason i chose to go to iraq was because it seemed the most adventurous and interesting. before i went, i didn’t even think about what it would be like. somewhere in the back of my mind, i think i had visions of desserts and women in burqas and bombed out buildings but this couldn’t be further than what i found. we were in kudistan in the north and it was beautiful and green and lush. during our visit, we spent a lot of time with my friend andie’s family, visited some of the surrounding cities, worked on our hands and knees at the freedom center (the building andie’s dad is in iraq to help construct), had lunch with the kindest muslim family and had lots of great fellowship. i can honestly say i have fallen in love with iraq in every way and would love to go back someday. what started out as an adventurous outreach choice turned out to be one of the biggest blessings of my life. till next time, iraq.

 photo HSO_2902copy.jpg
 photo PicMonkey11Collage.jpg
 photo HSO_2985.jpg
 photo IMG_5956.jpg
 photo HSO_3037.jpg
 photo HSO_3030_2.jpg
 photo IMG_5959.jpg
 photo HSO_2982copy.jpg
 photo photo1copy.jpg
 photo IMG_5116.jpg
 photo IMG_5034.jpg
 photo PicMonkeyCollage11.jpg
 photo HSO_2907copy.jpg

In travel on
April 12, 2014

hello from england

i’m back from my very long and very unintentional blog break. wow. so much has happened in such a short time. i’ve been in york, england studying and its divine. i love england, love this school, love my friendies, love this life. i know i always say this on this blog (mostly because its always true) but i just feel so blessed. france was hard. hard in a good, growing way but difficult nevertheless. i know it was necessary to my becoming but i’m so happy to be in the next season. being in such a beautiful place around wonderful, warm, kind people has been a dream. my roommates and i are inseparable and i’ve made many other friends from all over the world. i spend most of my time in coffee shops doing homework, making dinner with my roomies, walking around this beautiful town listening to my les mis audiobook, doing bible studies and praying in the private prayer room at the minster, baking and serving goodies at church and learning to love God more everyday. here are a few pics to attempt to illustrate my wonderful semester so far. i’m planning on posting somewhat regular schedule so stay tuned!

 photo 1098106_10152654221738625_1968424702_n-1.jpg
 photo 1970883_10152654193188625_471627500_n.jpg
 photo 1966814_10152654219598625_1339345821_n.jpg
 photo PicMonkeyCollage2221.jpg
 photo 1186956_10152654211478625_636435606_n.jpg
 photo 1780632_10152615626458625_1612829311_n.jpg
 photo d5f703e9-9351-4b95-95da-db9baddd1a7c.jpg
 photo 1549471_10152654206138625_1900699759_n.jpg
 photo 1012294_10152654192898625_821953707_n-1.jpg
 photo 1794543_10152654217033625_2030973099_n.jpg
 photo 1891181_10152615627933625_1448974875_n.jpg
 photo 1511578_10152654219928625_2009592270_n.jpg
 photo PicMonkeyCollagey5.jpg
 photo 1236526_10152654210348625_1802040334_n.jpg
 photo 1969289_10152615626953625_1928523013_n.jpg
 photo 1530514_10152654208553625_1755875040_n.jpg

In life on
January 19, 2014

an update

hi everyone! i’m back! i took a break to focus on hanging out with my friends and family and to really be present during my time here at home. i actually haven’t even taken out my fancy camera but my new iPhone 5S is keeping up with me just fine. so much has changed lately but i’m definitely not complaining. first of all, i’m not going back to france! the program i was a part of had to be closed early but i’m grateful for the months i was able to spend in france. i had a great time and made so many beautiful friends and memories but i’m also excited to move on to what God has for me next. the exciting news is i will now be spending my next semester in york, england at bible college!! i have always loved england so i am really excited for this opportunity. though this is something i never expected, i see God’s hand in all of it and i’m really looking forward to these next few months.

concerning my blog, i decided to go back to an old layout. my newest layout was getting a little boring so i decided it was as good a time as any for a change! i also made my blog public again and i’m planning on posting more so stay tuned!