Pax, ATL, 7, & More

What a horrible title but I couldn't think of anything more creative, so that's that.

If you've seen any type of news coverage or are friends with anyone who lives in Augusta, than you know that we got hit really bad last week by Pax. While Atlanta and Charlotte got snow, we got ice. Ice, ice, and more ice. My parents and I were without power for almost five days, and it was no fun. Okay, it was sort of fun the first night...reading by oil lamps (because only my parents would have those) and having flashlight wars, but after that it was no fun. I am incredibly thankful for a gas fireplace and a gas hot water heater. We survived, and while there are rumors of another ice storm in the next 10 days or so, I'm going to enjoy the spring like temps we have right now.

Kaila and I had been planning to go to Atlanta this past weekend since, well, since the last time we went to Atlanta. It's fun to get out of Augusta, and it's fun to see old friends. We said goodbye to crazy looking Augusta and hit the road headed west. It was a very low key weekend, but it was really nice. Our big adventure was going shooting, and it was so fun, even if I wasn't very accurate :)

Rend Collective let out a music video to their song "My Lighthouse" yesterday. I love it so much already, and I can't wait to get their new album in March!

Also, I was planning on starting my next month of 7 yesterday, and I was going to do only 7 foods. But with where I am spiritually and emotionally, I decided to do my social media month starting next week. I'm going to be doing my 5 weeks of student teaching, and I think it will be the best move for me so that I can be fully committed to teaching and not distracted. 

Happy Tuesday!

a few weeks in

I'm not sure whether going back to school after Christmas is worse than going back to school after the summer. Christmas break is such a tease to me. It's a wonderful time of the year, and so many of my friends are home. You eat good food, you make lots of memories, you turn a year older, etc. And then just like that it's over. In the summer, it's weeks and months of doing that, so I'm kind of ready for the routine again. Either way, I'm still partially in denial that I'm in the third week of spring semester. Part of it has to do with a canceled class and MLK day. Hopefully next week will be normal, and I'll be back in a routine.

Anyway, I've been enjoying people and life as much as I possibly can despite having to go to class. Pictures below prove this statement:

Casie, Jack, and Joe took me out for birthday ice cream. LOVE that family. 

;)

I went to camp last weekend, and it SNOWED.

Running ground school for the ropes course in 30 degrees will make you look like you're headed to the arctic. 

I also spent some time learning more about my job for the summer!!!

Have you ever heard of Graze? It's a company that sends you healthy snacks. You get your first box free. It was SO good! I really enjoyed these snacks!

"I Like You" by Ben Rector, my most recent favorite

Birthday Celebrations

Sometimes my birthday can get overlooked because of Christmas festivities and New Year's Eve celebrations. But reality is EVERYONE in the WHOLE world celebrates my birthday so it makes my birthday so much more fun! I spread out my birthday celebrations for about a week, and each and every celebration was so fun!

We spent New Year's Eve and Kaila's boyfriend's house. Once the clock struck midnight, Patrick found this piece of cake and lit some candles and everyone sang to me. I laughed and laughed because they all knew that I don't like cake, and then once I blew out the candles, I handed the cake back to Patrick to eat. 

I went to Carrabba's for birthday dinner with my parents. THIS chocolate delight was DELICIOUS!

The fab five were at it again for my birthday dinner. We headed downtown to The Cotton Patch, and it was such a fun time with these girls! After dinner, we headed back to my house where we talked for hours about education, the government, our futures, etc. We felt like old ladies discussing these things, but I'm so grateful for these lifelong friends. 

Kaila surprised me with a trip to Atlanta for my birthday weekend. Through me being nosy and a friend kind of spilling the beans, it ended up not being as much of a surprise as it should have been. BUT it was tons of fun. We shopped a lot, ate lots of good food, played fun games, froze in Piedmont Park, didn't get enough sleep, and laughed a lot. I'm already looking forward to my next trip to the ATL. 

Week of Thanksgiving

I went to camp last weekend to work another retreat. I originally wasn't planning on going, but I knew I didn't have to work at home, and I knew I wouldn't be back at camp until January or maybe February so I decided to make the most of this opportunity. I headed up a little early to have lunch with some sweet women there, and then I headed off to spend time with the Dukes!

Matt (their dad) was out of town this weekend, so I took the kiddos some to give Katie (their mom) time with the newest Duke, baby Levi. It wasn't too cold on Friday, so we spent some time riding bikes, visiting those in the office, and walking around camp. 

On Saturday, we walked around camp some more, played on the playground, and then hopped on a hayride. These kiddos had so much fun, and I'm grateful for the time I got with these sweet babies. Camp will not be the same without them!

Beautiful in every season. 

On Tuesday, my Bible study group came over, and we had a Thanksgiving dinner. I, with the help of my friend Kaila, made this 20 pound turkey for all of us to eat. I feel like I can now do anything. #SUCCESS

Andddd the Christmas tree is up! I'm ready for the most wonderful time of the year (almost)!!

beyond measure

It's no secret that I absolutely love camp. I adore every minute that I get to spend in those beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. I have just fallen in love with that beautiful place. However, as beautiful as camp is, that is not the reason why I love camp so much. I love camp so much because of the extraordinary way God works there through the ordinary people He has in place there.

I've honestly been looking forward to being at camp for the past two or so weeks. Even though I've seen and talked to some of my favorite people from camp, I just wanted to be there with them. Even if it meant working one looooooooooong retreat. I drove to Greenville on Friday and met up with my friend Emma Kate. We then headed to camp, where it was freezing, and I got to see lots of wonderful staff from this summer! And on Saturday morning, it just got so much better...

...I got to meet the newest member of the Duke family, sweet Levi Jude! I love the Dukes, and they are in their last couple months at camp. I'm going to miss them lots as they head off to Maggie Valley, so I'm extra grateful for this time I got to spend with them!

How SWEET is this picture of big brother Elliott with Levi?!

Of course, no visit is complete without time making this girl smile and laugh. 

Favorite quotes of the weekend from Anna: "Mom, can Ashton and Emma Kate come pick me up for dinner?" and after dinner, she's chewing something, so when I ask her what she's eating, she says, "I found a little piece of chicken stuck in my mouth so I had to finish it!"

Gosh, I just LOVE her. 

Like I said, camp is an absolutely beautiful place. I've been there in the spring, summer, and winter, but this was my first fall experience at camp. Lots of the leaves had fallen, but there were still a few trees that were just screaming for their picture to be taken. Gorgeous!

It was Abby's birthday on Sunday, so we all got the chance to sing to her, eat some brownies with her, and celebrate sweet Abby! She was my supervisor and mentor this summer, and this woman is full of wisdom and grace! I so enjoyed getting to be with her. 

And to top off my wonderful weekend, I got to have dinner with this girl on my way home on Sunday (photo taken this summer). One of the staffers that was at camp this weekend had been in Clemson earlier last week and got to see Mary Leslie, so I decided to text her and see if we could meet up. It worked out well, and it was just such an encouragement to be with her. 

This past weekend, I felt so blessed. I kept thinking that if I'd stayed at camp two summers ago and hadn't broken my ankle, that I wouldn't have met some of the people who made this summer so special and who still bless me every single day. God has really blessed me beyond measure, and I'm so incredibly grateful for this season of my life. 

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

#labordayvacay

Back in May, before I left for camp, a woman that I went to the Northern Territory with in Australia, Christa, posted on facebook that she and her family were coming to the States in August/September. She is originally from Florida, and she married Stu, who is from Australia. They live in Australia, and they visit the States to see friends and family every couple of years. So, we made some plans for me to come down and visit during Labor Day weekend. Then I headed to camp and met some great people who live in Florida, and I decided to visit them. Add in a few days with some cousins and this was a very eventful trip!

I left last Wednesday after class and spent the night with my BFF, Chelsea, in Statesboro. The next morning, I headed to Jacksonville where I got to have coffee with two of my ACITs. It was so weird having them drive themselves there to meet me. It was so rewarding to get to spend time with these sweet girls! 

After my Starbucks date with Hope and Natalie, I headed to Orlando and met up with my friend Madison. We shopped some and ate dinner, and it felt like no time had passed since the last time we'd seen each other! I then headed to Christa's parents' house, where Christa gave me this sweet gift. It's an Australian children's book that I can use in my classroom one day!

On Friday, I spent the day with Christa and her girls at New Smyrna Beach. It was so nice to get to spend some time at the beach after being in the mountains all summer!

After some shopping at the outlets on Saturday, I headed to Satellite Beach where I spent the next two days with my cousins. When I got there, my cousin, Jordan, asked me, "How do you feel about spending 37 of the next 48 hours on the water?" We didn't spend that many, but most of our time was spent on the water. It was such a FUN time, and I'm already looking forward to my next visit there!

And this has nothing to do with Labor Day, but my friend Abby from camp posted this to my FB wall yesterday, and I cracked up. Absolutely love this picture!

Happy Thursday!

fab couple of weeks

It's been a wonderful two weeks of just hanging out, catching up, and sleeping way more than I ever did at camp. Classes start on Monday, and while I'm not looking forward to taking 18 hours, I am excited about getting to be in the program and focus more on my major. I'll get to be in the classroom a lot more, and that makes me excited about school! And even though Mondays and Wednesdays will be some looooooong days, I'll have some sweet four days weekends :)

I got to hang out with sweet Jamie before she headed off to UGA! She's now an Alpha Gam, and I'm so excited for her!

I've also spent some time with my sweet Mags. I can't believe she'll be a freshman in college in just a few short weeks. Thankfully I'll get to see her a little bit more before she heads off to Carollton!

Spent the afternoon with my favorite boys!

It took a few attempts to get a good picture...

...getting there...

...finally!

Had dinner with these guys + a few more for our "once a year dinner" (we really see each other more than that), and it was so good to catch up! 

I've also spent some time with some more people, catching up, grabbing lunch, registering for classes, and even a little bit of shopping. I'm excited to see what this semester brings, and I'm looking forward to a few road trips. I'm heading back to camp this weekend to work the Augusta Christian senior retreat, which makes me so happy. I can't wait to see some of my favorite camp friends + some of my favorite ACS staff/teachers. Happy Thursday, friends!

Graduations + Beach

I knew Saturday was going to be a long day. I had three graduations to go to, plus I was driving to the beach after the day was over. But, I knew it was going to be worth it. And honestly, it was. Kaila and I left my house at 8:15 that morning and headed to our first graduation of the day...

I got to see this sweet girl graduate and lead the pledge! 

SO proud of you, Jamie! 

We then took a lunch and shopping break and finally headed back to the James Brown Arena for Lakeside's graduation. This was probably how we felt about hearing the same speech given by the superintendent for the second time or just our natural reactions to Bryan taking a picture of us. You decide. 

And then we decided to take pictures of ourselves instead of the graduates during graduation. Yep, we were those people. 

Congratulations, Ryan!

I then headed to West Acres to Augusta Christian's graduation. I got to watch Maggie sing, give a wonderful speech, and graduate!

After that, I headed to Hannah and Jonathan's where I dropped off their gifts and got to have dinner with the sweet newlyweds! It was so fun getting to hang out with them and be their first dinner guest. It was a nice break in the looooong day. Later that night, Kaila and I headed to the beach and we were SO relieved to finally be there. We soaked up the sun for two days and enjoyed just some time away. It was SO needed!

As you can tell, my mom sure did enjoy the sun this weekend :)

Sweet parents!

Such a fun weekend with this girl!

And the last time the four of us will be together until I get back from camp. Bryan and Kaila headed to Swaziland yesterday on a mission trip. 

It sure has been a busy week, but it was so worth it! Happy Wednesday!

sweet summertime

I am loving summer. I am loving not really having a routine and not having too many responsibilities. I am loving time spent with friends and days where sleeping in is the norm. I am loving this summer, and it has only just begun.

Days spent bike riding at the canal are some of the best. 

Loved celebrating this girl over her bachelorette weekend!

Perfect weekend in HHI!

Enjoyed celebrating Mother's Day with my sweet Momma. 

Hannah's wedding was this past weekend, which will have a post all to itself later this week! Happy Monday!

Miscellany Monday

I'm linking up with Carissa for Miscellany Monday today!

1. Well hello there blog. I sure have missed you, but you had to take a backseat for a couple of weeks due to finals. But no fear, I'm back because I am DONE! The semester is finally OVER, and I am thrilled. Now just to wait on grades (although I do know I have an A in at least one class).

2. These cuties had some pictures taken. Enough said. #proudAshAsh

3. Sweet Maggie rocked it in her musical a few weekends ago. I can hardly believe this is her last one at ACS!

4. I got to spend the day at Camp! It was so pretty, even though it was raining and I didn't really go outside of the Dining Hall. Only 25 days left until I'm there for the summer! 

5. I'm grateful that I go to college in Augusta because I don't have to say goodbye to my college friends for the summer. Well, not for the whole summer. I've got a good chunk of time before I head to camp and after camp before classes start that I can spend with them. I'm planning to soak up every minute!

6. This girl gets MARRIED in like 11 days! Eleven days!!! AHHH. We're headed to the beach this weekend to have "one last fling until the ring". Craziness, I tell you. How on earth are we this old?

7. When Ash Ash picks you up from school, you get a surprise! 

8. Roadtripped with Robin yesterday for a baby shower. She claims she was "watching the road by watching the rearview mirror". 

9. Loving this quote by Francis Chan: 

"It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that he didn't call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace."