Happy First Day of Spring! It has been so nice having some much more enjoyable temperatures around here these past few days. But the pollen has not been fun at all! While I'm anxiously awaiting spring break (and the end of the semester, honestly), these past couple of weeks have been busy and fun!
Loving my new kicks (thanks, Dad!).
Little bit of Easter decorations :)
Pretty best friends.
Best photo bomb ever.
4.5 miles (walking) with this girl make for a great morning!
Spring means...a new door mat! Thanks, Target!
You know it's almost time for The Masters when you see this at Walmart...no Augusta native would buy these (I hope!).
I've been trying my hardest to perfect one of my grandma's recipes. It's just not happening. These are supposed to look a lot more orange than they do. There's just something about grandmas who can cook well.
...I am... Reading: Secrets Over Sweet Tea, a novel by Denise Hildreth Jones, one of my favorite authors, books for class, and Glorious Ruin by Tullian Tchividjian. Listening to: Campfire by Rend Collective Experiment (literally OBSESSED with this album) and some old school John Mayer album my dad got at a yard sale and gave to me, like circa 2001 old school (I don't even think I knew John Mayer existed then). Eating/Drinking: Panera Smokehouse Turkey Paninis--by far my favorite go to meal; Naked Juice Berry Blast and Red Machine--I 100% give credit to my old boss, Grant, for introducing me to these fantastic drinks. LOVE them. Cooking: Baked chicken and canned vegetables. Real creative, I know. Running: Every now and then, shooting for at least once a week. Running is by far my least favorite exercise, but I'm trying to like it. Key word there, trying. Writing: Extra credit papers for class, toying with a little piece of fiction, and dreaming about writing a book with my four best friends. Feeling: Anxious for spring break and this summer! Wearing: Jeans and t-shirts or athletic shorts and t-shirts complete with Chacos and hats. #collegelife Missing: Australia and my best friends. What else is new? (BUTTTTTT, the fab five managed to all be in AUG this past weekend, and we grabbed breakfast together. SCORE.) Wanting: To feel like I'm doing a good job at balancing my studies, work, social, and spiritual life. Learning: How hard self-discipline is, and that the rewards of being a disciplined person are worth it, even if it doesn't seem like it in the moment. Enjoying: Making As on tests that I study my butt off for and this gorgeous spring weather!
"I didn't think it was this big of a deal," she said to me, after the shock of the surprise started to wear off. "I mean, you guys must have driven all night. That's crazy."
It was a big deal, I reassured her. And the driving didn't matter to us. We would've driven longer if we had to. It was a big deal, and we wanted to be there.
During all the wedding festivities on Saturday, I didn't pay much attention to my phone. I kept it on me to keep up with the time so that I'd lead the bridal party to the back of the church on time, and so that we could get Drew and Alli out of the reception on time. At one point, I saw I had a message from my birth dad's (BD) wife, but of course I didn't look at it. After everything was over with the wedding, I headed home, and I hadn't even changed clothes when I sprawled out on the sofa, ready to catch up on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I hopped on FB first, and that's when I read it.
My BD and his wife got saved!!!! Something I'd been praying about for almost four years. Before I even met either one of them. My friends, my family members, and coaches and teachers from high school have all prayed about this. There were plenty of times when I thought I'd never see the day that it would happen, but God is gracious, and I did get to see it.
On Sunday, they got baptized, and I wanted to be there. My mom had something at church she couldn't miss, so about 40 minutes after my dad and I found out, we were in the car, headed to Huntsville. I was already SO tired from the whole wedding weekend, but I was also SO excited that we'd get to see this! We pulled into Huntsville around midnight our time, checked into a hotel, got up early the next morning, and surprised the whole family. It was such a cool thing, and I will never forget that day!
After the service--where they got baptized AND joined the church!!!
And no trip to the great state of Alabama is complete without a meal at Momma Goldberg's.
Almost exactly 24 hours later, we pulled back into Augusta, exhausted yet excited. What a perfect weekend. So grateful, and I can't wait to see what the Lord does in my BD and his family!!!
Also, while I wasn't driving, I read Karen Kingsbury's latest novel. Of course, so good. Check out the trailer below. Side note: I totally get my love of reading from my dad. We both packed in about 20 minutes, and we both packed books to read while the other was driving.
I know I've mentioned it before, but Drew is like the brother I've never had. I am grateful for him and our "siblingship", and I am so glad that I got to play a small part in his and Alli's wedding. Drew is by far the most excited groom I've ever met! The wedding planner said that he was the most excited groom she'd ever worked with (and she's done LOTS of weddings). Needless to say, his joy was contagious, and I don't think there was a single person who wasn't the tiniest bit excited for Drew and Alli.
The wedding festivities started off Friday night with the rehearsal dinner. It's crazy to think that it's been almost five years since we did this for Casie and Graham!
Managed to grab a pic with the happy groom about 2 hours before the ceremony!
Alli looked gorgeous. She was absolutely stunning.
I loved getting to see them come out. They were so excited!!
Sweet friends at the reception.
And another!
Ahh, the happy couple!!!!
I didn't get a pic with the blazer, but this boy rocked that and the bow tie. SO stinkin cute!!!
Congratulations, Drew and Alli! What an absolutely perfect day!
Last Wednesday, I picked up Jack from school so that he and I could have a fun afternoon hanging out.
We started with the book fair at FBC. He walked right in, picked out his Thomas book, and we were out in 7 minutes. We waited in line to pay longer than we did to pick out the book.
We headed to the mall to Build a Bear. We spotted this train, and that was all Jack talked about the rest of the day. Major win.
A cookie with a smile for a smiley boy :)
Again, we walked into Build-a-Bear, and he picked out this puppy in no time. He had so much fun watching the puppy "come to life", give it a bath, and then pick out some clothes for it.
I had such a fun afternoon with this sweet boy, and I am so glad I get to be his (and Joe's) Ash Ash!
If you haven't seen this video, you have to watch it. Now.
Don't you just love it? I think it's great. The best part? It's on iTunes, and all of the money goes to Charity Water. Also, it was written by Mat Kearney who is one of my favorite artists. This video just has so much good in it! It made me excited for Masters Week, which is just 4.5 weeks away!
And if you've never seen the first video, check it out below. You'll enjoy it, too!
1. I'm exhausted. Let's just say working 25 hours instead of your scheduled 10 and having 3 midterms to study for and take over a span of 5 days is awful. Just awful. Add in a dentist appointment (which I actually enjoyed) and other things like eating, going to the gym, and laundry, made for a crazy hectic week last week. I'm so looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning!
2. Have you heard of Rend Collective Experiment? I'd seen pictures of their latest album, Campfire, floating around Instagram, so when I saw their album was only $7.99 on iTunes, I decided to buy it. One of the best decisions I have ever made! I absolutely LOVE their album, and I really like "The Campfire Story" (below). I also saw that they will be in Asheville, at the Cove (which is basically on the same property as CCC), while I'll be at camp!
3. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I see one of my cousins on campus. We recently started greeting each other with "Hey, cousin". It makes me smile. A lot. #thelittlethings
4. I rented two good movies from Redbox this past weekend--Here Comes the Boom and Won't Back Down. Here Comes the Boom was a really sweet story, and it was definitely a "feel-good" movie. So was Won't Back Down. As a future educator, I was so inspired. I won't give away the ending, because it's really good, but watch the trailer. You'll know then that you want to see it! Side note, the lady who is the voice of the mom in The Incredibles is in it, and it is quite odd to see her as a person, not a cartoon.
5. So, I got a fish last Saturday, and it proceeded to die on Sunday night. I went and got a replacement fish on Monday, and that one died on Wednesday. I'm going tomorrow to get a third, and if this one doesn't last, I'm throwing in the towel.
6. Drew and Alli are getting married THIS Saturday! I truly cannot believe that their wedding is finally here! It feels like just yesterday that they got engaged. I'm so excited for them, to get to play a part in their special day, and spend some time this weekend with some of my absolute favorite people.
