Lately On Instagram.

flying to Pennsylvania this past weekend. 

on the way home in Chicago. one of my favorite airports.

 a couple weekends ago we picked apples at the local orchard. i love a good apple! 

                                                               fall fashion selfie.

  just another cup of delightful coffee. and on the other side of that coffee was a friend. whats better then coffee and rich friendship?!

Follow me on Instagram here and if you don't have instagram, well you should get it now. Its the best! 

And you should also check out this song Your Grace Finds Me.   I've just been basking in the message of the song. Its powerful friends! 

be blessed friend. 

the language of blessing.

Blessings express our feelings. They need not be traditional ones. They simply need to come from the heart. When they do, they can change lives. -  Evan Moffic

Earlier this year Nate and I had the privilege to spend some time with a couple that has been successful in business and many other areas of life as well. We noticed that in conversation they often talked about how blessed they are. They told us about speaking aloud how blessed they are has made such a huge difference in there lives and also there outlook on life. 

I was so challenged by that thought and decided to put that to practice in my own life. Because I always tend to see the negative in life. I see the worst in people before I see the good. I see all the problems in this world before I see the freedom we have. 

Its been amazing to me to see how much my heart and outlook on life has shifted from very negative to feeling so thankful and blessed for all the good in my life. And let me just add its not just physical blessings -its relationships, its a loving husband, its the gift of salvation and the list could go on. 

We have an opportunity to look at our lives and decide what to focus on. Will it be the tragedy, the pain, the hardship? Or will it be a blessing? 


“May God be gracious to you and bless you and make his face shine upon you, that God’s ways may be known on earth and his salvation among all nations.” – Psalm 67:1,2

Giveaway Winner!

 So my 30th birthday was above and beyond anything I ever expected or dreamed of. I truly felt so loved and celebrated by so many people. 

I started the day off with a bible study with some ladies from church. We are going through Ephesians and it was honestly just what my heart needed. After that I had lunch with a dear friend who always inspires and encourages me so much! And then my darling husband threw a party last night and it was
a delight to have so many of our closest friends come celebrate with me!
 It was just a delightful day all around! 

I was so wrapped up in soaking up the moments and enjoying everyone that I totally forgot to take any pictures. 

I was also totally blown away by all of your comments on my giveaway yesterday! Next time I need a shot of encouragement I am totally going back those those comments. They all brought such a smile to my face! 

And speaking of the giveaway.. The winner is..

Lucy Swartzentruber

I had so much fun picking out the items and was so blessed / encouraged by all your love that I may just have to do this again!

via pinterest

Enjoy your weekend! 

Favorite Things Giveaway.

So to celebrate my 30th birthday I thought it would be fun to do a little giveaway filled with some of my favorite things. I love birthdays and I love getting and giving gifts. I had so much fun picking out a few of my favorite things!!

  // Scarf - I have a slight obsession with soft scarves.

  // Elf Lip Balm and Exfoliator - I love this stuff. It leaves my lips feeling so soft.

 // $10 Caribou Gift Card - I adore caribou! 

 // Washi Tape - I may also be obsessed with collecting this stuff. It's so fun to use!

 // Nail Polish  - You can never have to much nail polish. 

 // Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans - You cant go wrong with these things.

To Enter: 

Leave a comment and let us know what one your favorite things is right now.

Giveaway will close at midnight 10/18

Happy Friday!

On turning 30

The Past 10 Years.

When I was 20, I went to Africa on a missions trip.
When I was 21, I co- managed a small family style restaurant
When I was 22, I moved into my own house and made a job change
When I was 23, I went to Nicaragua on a mission trip
When I was 24, I finished college and started full time at Chick-fil-A
When I was 25, I went on a cruise to the Bahamas with my best girl friends and also had the honor of being in two girl friends wedding's
When I was 26, I took Perspectives and went to Asia.
When I was 27, I started dating my husband.
When I was 28, I got married.
When I was 29, I quite my job and joined my husband working for our business.

As I reflected on the past 10 years, the biggest thing I noticed about myself is all the change and personal growth that's happened. I've gone from living under a lot of pain and hurt to living in grace and healing. I've also learned to be at rest with whatever season God has me and enjoy the everyday moments. I've been so richly blessed with a wonderful husband, family and so many dear friends. A good job, a cute little apartment that suits our needs just fine right now and a church that I love and cherish so much.  

I am so richly blessed!


What I want to do in the next 10 years.

 + Travel to Europe.
 + Have a baby or two.
 + Pay off my school loans.
 + Embrace who I am and the gifts God has given me.
 + Encourage women and nurture closer friendships.
 + Learn to Sew
 +Adopt a child

This made me laugh..

     image via someecards

happy birthday to my favorite man.

Ahh I get to do life with this guy. Its just simply the best. 

So today on his birthday I just want to say how much I adore him. 

How much life and joy he brings into my life. 

How much he's taught me to live large and dream big. 

How much he's shown me what it means to live in grace and show grace to others. 

I admire and am so grateful for who he is as man and also a business owner. 

He works so hard and give's his business everything he has. 

Life is just one big adventure with this guy!

Happy Birthday Babe! 

Weekend in Chicago.

    A couple months ago my friend Amanda and I came up with the idea that we needed a little get away and since Chicago is relativity close to us and a really fun city with so much to see and do well that seemed like a great to place to head to for a couple of days. We made plans to stay in the suburbs and then take the train into the city. I've done that in the past and I didn't remember it being so complicated. But somehow this time around it didn't end up being as easy as I thought it would be. Transportation around the city ended up being a small nightmare and we both decided we like our small towns that we can get around in easily. 

We had such a great relaxing time. Coffee shops, books and lazy mornings where some of my favorites! 

    And shopping. The 2nd largest mall happened to be just a mile from our hotel so we of course spent lots of time there. And they had some of my favorite stores, like Anthropologie and H&M. Its maybe a good thing I don't have either of those very close to my house?!

        I left feeling so encouraged and refreshed by our little getaway weekend. And also I am so thankful for a husband who encourages me to do these kinds of things. I am so blessed!

 Happy Friday!

     

Sunshine Award.

My sweet friends Lauren and Ashley both nominated me this week for the Sunshine Award.  So here goes a whole lot of random nonsense about me. 

                              So here's the scoop on how this whole blogger award thing works. 
                                               1. Include the award logo in your post.

2. Link to the person who nominated you.

3. Answer 10 questions about yourself.

4. Nominate 10 bloggers to receive the award. Link the nominees to your post and notify them!

Here we go with Ashley's questions.  

 1. What is your favorite place you’ve ever been?

Asia!!
2. What is the blog you visit the most outside of your own?

My bestie Shelley. Its easy for me to fall behind in reading blogs, but I always make sure to catch her posts. You should go check her out.
3. Did you have any childhood pets? Tell us all about them!

I used to have a little puppy. We lived beside a busy highway and he ended up getting killed. I was pretty heartbroken.
4. What would be your dream job?

Open my own Cafe/Coffee Shop
5. What was your favorite childhood toy?

My uncle gave me a doll one Christmas that I remember spending hours and hours playing with.
6. Tell us something most readers probably don’t already know about you

My toenails must be painted at all times. I cant stand bare toes.
7. Are your finger and/or toe nails painted right now, if so what color?

Yes. Toes are really dark purple and my fingers dark grey
8. What is a talent you don’t have but wish you did?

I wish I could sing and play music.
9. What was the last really amazing meal you had?

Last night I had this killer Cobb Salad.
10.Who is the most dialed number in your outgoing calls?

My husband.
11. What are you most looking forward to between now and the end of the year? 

I am pretty stoked about all the goodness that this month will hold. 

And Laurens.
 

1. What city have you visited and didn't like? Why?

New York City. Its fun for a day, but a nightmare to get around in.

2. What is your favorite clothing store?

JCrew, Loft, H&M and Forever21
3. Do you prefer the city, suburbs, or country?

Suburbs/Country.
 4. What is your favorite TV show?

Parenthood. 
 5. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I love night time! 

6. Pancakes or French Toast? Why?

French Toast!! 

7. E-reader or books?

Books! 

8. Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall?

Fall and Spring. 

9. Do you have a favorite blog post?

Hm no. Not one that comes to mind. 

 So here's where I am going to be really lame and not tag anyone else. Basically if you want to play along answer the following questions and link back to this post. 


1.What inspires you? 
2.Whats your favorite thing about fall? 
3.Whats your dream car? 
4. What trait do you most admire about yourself? 
5. Whats your least favorite thing to shop for? 
6. Where is your favorite place to read? 
7. What is one thing you wish you could have told your self in your teenage years? 
8. Who is one person that has greatly influenced you? 
9. What drives you? 
10. Breakfast or Dinner?