New Blog

It's time for a new chapter in my life...I'm now blogging at http://ashtoncmorgan.wordpress.com/
If you get email updates, you can enter your email there too. Come check out the new blog!
**I'll also no longer be blogging here.

It's the People, Not the Places

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting outside of the Science Hall on campus, killing some time after a meeting with a professor and before class started. I was eating an apple and enjoying the glorious weather we had that day (80 degrees only a week after an ice storm--that's GA weather for ya). There were tons of people milling about around campus. People catching up with friends, a group of guys playing football on the field, etc. I kept thinking how this place--this university--has changed people in certain ways. How people will never forget their 4, 5, 6, 7+ years spent here. How this is "the best time of their life" for some and how it's just a stepping stool towards a final goal for others. And then it hit me. It's the people, not the places that make all the difference in the world.

It's the people who made every one of my years at Augusta Christian so special. It's the people who understood the woes of dress code and relished in the lunch privileges of senior year that make me love my time spent there. It's the people who know all the inside jokes and remember every trip we took together. It's the people who spent hours investing in me, listening to me, and encouraging me during life's trials. It's the people who helped mold me into a better person, not the place.

It's the people who play in the snow with me and celebrate the little things in life with me. It's the people who came into my life at exactly the right time. It's the people who I go to lunch with after church on Sundays and who are willing to meet up for light night Krispy Kreme or Waffle House. It's the people who embrace me because of my flaws and who teach me something new every single day. It's the people who will make my college experience so special, not the place.

*not all are pictured here 

It's the people who ended up meaning so much to me that I decided to spend another summer with them. It's the people who evolved into being another peculiar yet special family. It's the people who understand that hiking up the rappel trail scares me so much that they let me ride in the truck when necessary. It's the people who you don't see for months at a time, yet when you get to see them at that special place, you begin again right where you left off. It's the people who make me love every minute that I get to spend at Camp Cedar Cliff, not the place. 

It's the people that I fell in love with in Australia, not the place. It's the people who took me to see the native animals and who brought me Macca's cokes because they knew I loved them. It's the people who washed my clothes and listened to my struggles as I lived two months in a foreign land. It's the people who welcomed me into their homes and their lives and gave me a new family in a land 10,000 miles away. It's the people who make me miss that suburb of Melbourne every single day, not the place. 

It's the people, not the place that make life so beautiful. 

Currently...

I ran across this post that I wrote around this same time last year, and I decided to do it again this year to compare the differences!

Reading: Restless: Because You Were Made For More, by Jennie Allen. This book is incredible. Here's my favorite quote so far: 

"God is accomplishing a thousand tiny purposes at any given moment around us. There is only so much we can know, but we can leave the stuff we can't know to God and believe He has it all worked out. It may feel quiet, and we possibly even feel forgotten, but God is moving to work out His plans all around us. What is our part? Trust." 

Listening to: The Art of Celebration by Rend Collective which just came out yesterday. It is FANTASTIC. Hop on over to iTunes and buy it. Also, Tides by Bethel Music is pretty good. It's only $4.99 on iTunes. You can't beat a deal like that. 


Eating/Drinking: Baked Lay's BBQ Potato Chips and anything caffeinated...I need as much caffeine as possible to survive student teaching. 

Cooking: One Pan Chicken Alfredo.  This is one of the BEST pinterest recipes I have ever made. I will definitely be making this one again.

Running: Every now and then...I had a plan to become better at running this year, but let's be real, it's not happening. I ran some the other day at boot camp. I have all these dreams of being a cool runner, but I never put forth the time/effort to become one. Maybe one day.

Writing: Lesson plans, lesson plans, and more lesson plans. And reflections about lesson plans. It's all about lesson plans. 

Feeling: Ready for spring break, a little sad because Hannah + Jonathan  are moving, and sort of old because Jack turns FIVE in a couple of weeks. Five, people, five. 

Wearing: Gap, Old Navy, or JCrew pants + cardigans. #teacherlife

Missing: Camp, Australia, my besties, and free time. 

Wanting: To have my new iPhone...just trying to be honest here, people. 

Learning: How to trust those around me and how to trust the Lord COMPLETELY. 

Enjoying: Good books, evenings with friends, time at work, and catching up with some of my favorites.