as for me, i will always have hope.

as for me, i will always have hope; i will praise You more and more. psalm 71: 14

sometimes i just need to repeat these kinds of verses over and over. i will always have hope. 

30 day challenge-day six.

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day


princess aurora... after the spell is broken of course :)

30 day challenge-day five.

Day 05 - A picture of your favourite memory.


this probably isn't allowed, but im going to use several pictures because most of my favorite memories involve living with my roommates in the cutest house ever. here we go. 

once upon a time there was a happy little family. their names were molly, kelly, and courtney. 

they lived in a cute little duplex next door to a flower shop. they loved to sit out on their fire escape and drink tea while talking about important matters, like whether a light saber or a sword would win in a fight.

sometimes these would lead to actual fights.

molly had some very interesting grocery lists.

and sometimes she would do weird things, like hang lambchop. 

sometimes courtney would have to retaliate when her roomies were being unreasonable. one time she transported kelly's room to the front deck. she clearly called the shots in the house...no one wanted to mess with her.

they always had so much fun together and took frequent trips to mellow mushroom, coffea, ramseys, and bob evans. 

courtney really misses all the dance parties, the spontaneous events, and the combination of three amazing female wardrobes. she misses her beautiful roomies and loves all the memories :)

30 day challenge-day four.

Day 04 - A picture of your favourite day

okay people, you're probably wondering two things. one, you're probably wondering why didn't she put her wedding day or the day she got engaged as her favorite day? two, you're probably wondering what the heck is going on in this picture? 

well relax! my wedding day and the night i got engaged truly were my favorite days...but thats obvious and kind of the cliche day to choose. so i decided to choose the day my friends and i had a paint fight my freshman year of college. yes, a paint fight...basically we splattered ourselves and my friend brea's walls, that were covered with canvases, with paint. we had a blast and later went to the mall to show ourselves off. then we got cleaned up and cooked the most delicious meal together and worshiped with some acoustic guitar. not only was this day so incredibly fun, but i remember feeling so much joy in my heart for the friends that the Lord placed in my life. He is so good, all the time :) 

30 day challenge-day three.

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favourite show.

i dont have time to watch a lot of tv, but when i do, i love watching FRIENDS reruns. i have all ten seasons. i just laugh and laugh. 

also, i made this for dinner tonight and it was so yummy. boo was a huge fan. 

30 day challenge-day two.

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

best friends since 8th grade...and until forever :) 

30 day challenge-day one.

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts about yourself

1. i cannot stand routines or doing the same thing every day.
2.  i miss having my nose pierced sooo much....i am getting that thing re-done once i get a permanent job, yes i am!   
3. i am contemplating painting my living room walls mint green (though it might be awhile before this actually happens).
4. i would have to say my favorite worship leader at the moment is chris mcclarney. his voice and music are wonderful. please have a listen here. 
5.  i like to use old wine and soda bottles as flower vases. 
6.  there are soooo many things i can see myself doing besides teaching. it would be so cool to own a coffee shop/bakery, or own a gym and personal train, or do missions in another country for a few years, or be a photographer, or design clothes & accessories...basically something where i can do my own thing and be creative. yes please. 
7. if i could, i would wear a sundress every day. and a flower in my hair...and no shoes. and maybe a cardigan...i like those too. 
8. i love being a wife, especially since my husband rocks. (im pretty excited to be a mom someday too, but NOOO this is not happening anytime soon if youre wondering)
9. pink has always been my favorite color...but lately i have found myself swooning over all shades of gray, deep purples, and mint green.
10. i told God i wanted to marry my brian when i was seventeen. three years later we started dating and then another year later my prayer was answered. (can i get an "awww?"). 
11.  i never thought id have a blog. but i looove it. it's such a creative form of expression and it's a great tool for encouraging others and documenting life. i pray people read it and encounter even just a glimpse of who jesus is. 
12. the book of psalms never fails to minister to me.
13.  i am obsessed with kissthegroom.com. elizabeth messina is just so beautiful with her photos and her words. 
14. i'm really good at finding deals, at least when it comes to clothes. just a few things ive found within the past few months: $8 ann taylor loft tweed skirt, $19 anthro firehouse cardigan, and $14 purple gap cardigan. 
15. my dream house includes a big porch that wraps around the entire house, a bathtub with claw feet, and lots of white. 

wow, i am so wordy. i am a dork. 

30 day challenge.

hey everyone...everyones doing this 30 day challenge on facebook, but i think it'd be so much more fun to do it on here. so here are the guidelines. when i have some time, ill come back today with day one. enjoy your tuesday!


30 DAY CHALLENGE

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts about yourself
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favourite show
Day 04 - A picture of your favourite day
Day 05 - A picture of your favourite memory
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 09 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with
Day 10 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of your favourite band or artist
Day 14 - A picture of you and someone you could call a brother or a sister
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity
Day 19 - A picture of a letter
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of your day
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

hello spring...

praising the Lord for amazing weather this week! it is like a taste of spring...a breath of fresh air. this is perfect running weather. this is perfect sundress weather. this is perfect driving with the windows down weather. i know it will probably get chilly again before this warm weather really sets in, but for now, i am all smiles :)

valentines day :)

i hope you all had an amazing valentines day! i apologize that my recent posts have been mostly pictures...but i am a busy girl, and pictures explain things much quicker. so here was valentines day yesterday. it was sweet :)

my sister jenna helping set the table. i love how my mom goes all out with balloons.

sisters.

 jello!

jenna's yummy trifle dessert. we dyed the pudding pink!

 heart shaped pizza! totally. 

 flirts.

mhmmm. what a fine, righteous stud of a valentine. do you like my rhymes?

normal.

i usually do not look this happy when i am doing the dishes.

 oh boo, i love you so much :)

my valentine surprise! 

gorgeous pink roses and the sweetest card ev. 

happy valentines day eve!

happy valentines day eve everyone! here is a little preview of what i am planning on wearing tomorrow night. we are actually spending valentines day with my entire family tomorrow. my mom is making dinner with lots of pink, red, and heart shaped things! she always made valentines day so much fun growing up. so even though brian and i are not going out, i am still planning on getting dolled up for the occasion :)

here are some of the recent valentines posts i have enjoyed. be sure to take a look at them if you love all things valentines day!

1. this lovely valentines party from courtney over at the honeycomb creative company.
2. natalie's valentines day menu over at scribbles n' things. also check out her list of valentines crafts!
3. these peanut butter hearts from one charming party.
4. a new perspective on valentines day from corynne over at wonderfully created.
5. these sweet decorative hearts on a string that i found from breakfast at gigi's.

i pray you're all overwhelmed by the love of Jesus this valentine's day and always :)

celebrating our ultimate Love.

so friday afternoons have been fun! i recently started a bible study with some junior girls from veritas at my house. i love them all so much and their hunger to know Jesus puts an incredible joy in my heart and motivates me to go after Him harder. for the next few weeks we are looking deeper at Love...God's love, our response to God's love, how we are to love Jesus, and how we are to love each other. and so with all this talk of our ultimate Love, i decided to have a valentines party for them on friday.

 there was a pretty strawberry cake baked with real strawberries.

there were some white chocolate and chocolate covered strawberry cake balls.

 

and even more goodies.

 i hung valentines cards on our curtains.

 there was a card for each of them with a different verse on God's love for them.

 the best part is that i made each card out of things i already had. i didn't buy anything!

 they are just beautiful :)

last week we looked at the Lord's unfailing love and yesterday we talked about the romantic heart of God and His nature in lavishing love, like in the first few verses of ezekiel 16. i am so excited to grow in our intimacy with Him and to grow as we fall more in love with Jesus!

love bugs. love monsters. love.

splendid love bug cupcakes: bake cupcakes in heart shaped liners. then frost with pink and red icing! we used red icing food coloring and regular strawberry frosting here.

 use the opposite frosting color and a frosting tip to make the heads. then use black frosting to line the wings, make the dots, and eventually add faces! 

 meg demonstrates ever so beautifully. 

bummer, this picture is dark...but here is the finished product...make the antennas with licorice and heart sprinkles!

and we're pretty proud, so we show off our lovebugs :)

next it's time to make some love monsters! scaryyyy...no, not scary-LOVING & ADORABLE! have a looksie:

and the process is pretty self explanatory...but we used a special frosting tip to get the texture....and then we put them on display. awwww <3

oh and how could i forget the superbowl cupcakes we made? twas a sweet victory for the packers :)

here's to 22.

dinner at the melting pot! i heart fondue!

twyler and mamaaa

daddyyy and meeee

with boo again <3

jen :)

 so much chocolate!

 everything you could ever want to eat with chocolate :)

 the sweetest birthday gift to ever come home to...a bottle of wine and a scrapbook that boo made of our love story. seriously, i am the most blessed woman alive.

here's to 22 :)