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. 

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!

Some Good Ones

Last year's Super Bowl commercials had me in tears. Dodge's "God Made a Farmer" by Paul Harvey was too good, Jeep's "Whole Again" about soldiers was incredibly classy, and Budweiser's Clydesdale commercial was a classic. This year, I found myself laughing over the commercials instead of crying. Here are a few of my favorites from the Super Bowl + some other favorites.

Tim Tebow + TMobile

Budweiser's Puppy Love

This Coke one was really cute.

Did you see the reunion of the Full House guys on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the other night? 

If you haven't seen Delta's newest safety video, you should watch it just for the cameos of famous 80s stars. It's incredibly cheesy, but I laughed because of the cheesiness. 

And, make sure you watch this one. It's the full story of Budweiser's A Hero's Welcome. 

Last one...the Olympics start TOMORROW! I am so excited. Make sure you have your tissues ready before you watch this thank you to moms from Proctor & Gamble.

Thoughts on Month 1 of 7

I'll admit that this month was/will be one of the easier months of 7. It honestly didn't affect my day-to-day activities, and only people who knew that I was doing 7 knew what I was doing this month. With my class schedule and my work schedule, I didn't necessarily "give" something away each and every day. I did have a goal of 210 things (7 things a day x 30 days = 210 things) to give away, and I went over that goal for sure.

While cleaning out drawers/closets/cabinets, I came up with a few observations about the things I've kept over the years that I don't use anymore.

1. Just because it came from Gap, JCrew, Banana Republic, etc. does NOT mean that I have to keep it. If it doesn't fit/I don't like it anymore, I don't need to keep it. 
2. Just because I have a coupon and Gap, JCrew, Banana Republic, etc. has a sale going on does NOT mean that I need to buy anything. Just because it is a good deal doesn't mean that it is worth spending money on. 
3. Just because an aunt/friend/family member gave me that scarf/purse/book does NOT mean that I have to keep it. They will probably NEVER know if I keep it or don't, and if it's not being used, get rid of it!
4. Just because I can buy a book doesn't mean that I need to (this one is still hard for me to grasp). There are things called libraries for a reason. I can justify buying books I know I'll want to write in or have for a while, but there are some books that are fun to read once but I'll never read again. Those I should've gotten from the library, not wasted money on. 

In all of my 22 years of life (well as long as I can remember), I have had two Rubbermaid totes that hold my winter clothes in the summer and my summer clothes in the winter. In March and October of every year, I switch out the clothes. NOT ANYMORE. For the first time in my life, all of my clothes are in my dressers and closet in my room. I feel incredibly accomplished. 

I learned this month that it is truly better to give than to receive. I've been able to give away some things to people who appreciated them more than I did, and that made my heart swell. Shopping is definitely one of my favorite things to do, and I love getting a great deal. But, after going through all the things I have, I know it'll probably be a while before I have a shopping spree (as much as I want to). Here's to two weeks off of the 7 challenge; I'll be preparing for the next month which will be eating only 7 foods. EEEK. 

snowwwwwwww

I didn't wear a jacket to work on Monday. I didn't even have a long sleeve shirt on. And by Tuesday evening, I had two shirts and my ski jacket on because it was SNOWING! In Melbourne (Australia), they say you can experience all four seasons in one day. In Augusta, I'd say you can experience all four seasons in one week. It's supposed to be in the high 60s this weekend. Anyway, it snowed, and you can bet that we had SO MUCH FUN! Two snow days + two-ish inches of snow + six friends = a really fun night.

This was only the beginning!

We had snowball fights on snowball fights on snowball fights. It was so fun to feel like a five year old again. 

The next morning, I headed over to my parents' house to see their snow. Lucy didn't enjoy the snow as much as the rest of us did. 

My backyard was so pretty!

Right after my dad took this, we attacked him with some snowballs. My mom and I also had quite the snowball fight :)

Hope you and yours enjoyed the snow if you had some! 

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. 

7 White Shirts

I came across Jen Hatmaker's book, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, on someone's blog around October. I asked for it for Christmas, and I ended up getting it a few days early. This book has drastically changed my way of thinking about things. Jen (we'd be friends in real life, so I'm going to call her by her first name) embarks on a journey with her family trying to get rid of the excess in her life. She identifies 7 areas of excess in her life and takes 7 months (one area per month) to do something about it.

For example, she takes one month where she only eats 7 foods. Another month is spent only wearing 7 items of clothing. One month she gets rid of 7 things a day. The list goes on. Ultimately, the goal is to see that the STUFF of this world is not worth it and totally materialistic. It's only STUFF. She journals her feelings about each month and she writes a conclusion about what she learned after each month. Add in her hilarious writing style, and this book is such a good read.

I knew that after I read the first chapter I was in. Some of it sounds a little absurd, but the ultimate goal is to draw closer to the Lord and get rid of my junk. I'm not bringing any of my clothes with me to heaven, so why do I idolize them so much? I was going to do the 7 foods first, because I thought that would be a good way to start off the new year. BUT, I was putting some clothes up and I could barely shut my drawers. Y'all, I have a problem. I have SEVEN short sleeve white shirts. SEVEN. Who needs that many? I can justify one v-neck and one crew neck, but SEVEN. Honestly.

So, this month I'm literally getting rid of my crap. I have more stuff than I need, more clothes than I can ever wear, etc. I've been piling a few things already, but I'm going to go through everything tonight. My goal is to get rid of 7 things a day, which would end up being 210 things total. I'm not sure that I'll meet that goal, although Jen had this goal for her family of 5 and ended up exceeding it. I also want to be able to give this stuff that I have to some organization that is local and makes a difference in our community, not just Goodwill. So I'm going to be researching that and going through my stuff for the next month. If you know of anything, let me know please! I highly encourage you to grab this book and let it influence your way of thinking!

I don't know about you...

....but I'm feeling 22! Thanks TSwift for making 22 a little more exciting to look forward to than other ages!

22 has been great so far. I brought in the new year and my birthday with a few friends at Kaila's boyfriend's house. It wasn't anything crazy, but it was spent with some of my sweet friends, so I'll take it :)

I celebrated my birthday with lunch with my sweet friend Caroline, phone calls from two sweet friends and two sweet "nephews", lots of texts and FB posts, and dinner with my parents. I'm going to have dinner with my best friends from high school one night, and I'm heading to Atlanta this weekend for a birthday trip with some sweet friends! It's been a great birthday so far.

I decided to come up with 22 things that I want to accomplish through this year. And here they are...

1. Read one book a month that isn't school related.
2. Complete the 7 challenge (more to come on this later).
3. Become certified to run the high ropes course and the intermediate ropes course at camp this summer.
4. Visit someone that I didn't visit in 2013.
5. Do something completely spontaneous. (I know this is kind of ironic as I plan to do this, but you know...I'm trying.)
6. Have a phone date with a friend once a month.
7. Try a new recipe once a month (except for the two months I'm at camp).
8. Become more involved with my church.
9. Send out 5 letters each month to friends/family.
10. Redo the 4 card table chairs that I didn't redo in 2013.
11. Buy the meal or drink of the person behind me in the drive thru line.
12. Apply to grad school and/or apply for a teaching job (EEEEEEEKKKKKKK).
13. Memorize a Scripture each week; so basically memorize 52 verses.
14. Visit the Dukes with Emma Kate.
15. Go to a new place.
16. Work out more than I did in 2013.
17. Learn how to start a fire.
18. Visit the Biltmore.
19. Surprise a friend.
20. Volunteer for something.
21. Try a new food/beverage that I normally wouldn't want to.
22. Grow closer to the Lord.