Unconditional

Hey guys! Its been a few weeks since I've posted anything but I've had a few things I wanted to share with you today. After returning home from school for the summer, I had a wedding photography job lined up for two close friends of mine. So, on Mothers Day, I took off for a beautiful afternoon of taking pictures.

And let me tell you...these pictures turned out so so well!! The amount of love between this couple was so raw and so photogenic that I bawled (a couple of times)! Here are a few of the pictures:

As you can see, these two love each other so, very much. I have watched their love grow from just starting to date to fiancées to now a married couple. To be quite honest, their love is the love I want with my future husband.

This brings me to my topic of the day: love.

I have told you guys before that ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted a love to rival the greatest loves of all time. I'm a true romantic at heart. I want someone to hold me, someone I can tell my fears and doubts to, someone to love me for who I truly am. I want that so much, that I let it consume me sometimes.

But I've already talked about myself in this category before, so let me talk about someone(s) else for a change.

You see, when I think of my future husband/relationship, all I see are my parents. That's right. My parents are my true inspiration for my relationships.

My parents, I feel, are the true definition of a Christ-like love. They love each other unconditionally...no matter how many times my dad annoys my mom or how crazy my mom seems to make my dad.

These guys have been married for 15+ years and their love continues to grow stronger and stronger with each passing year. I've witnessed firsthand all the ups and downs of their relationship.

They definitely have had their fights. I have been there for meltdowns, blow-ups, and just the general yelling. (And I may have even been the cause for some of those. Haha!)

But here's the thing...they forgive each other. No matter what. They don't let their fights define their relationship. They go back to each other and make up. No matter who is at fault or who "threw the first punch" (figuratively of course).

That's love, you guys.

I cannot begin to explain to you guys how inspired I am by these two. Throughout my life, they have taught me what true, real, raw love looks like. They have shown me that you must love God first before letting anybody else into your heart. Through them, I've seen that you must place God in the center of your relationship if you want it to go anywhere.

These two beautiful human beings have shown me all there is to know about love. I couldn't ask for two better role models for myself or my siblings.

Just as 1 Corinthians says, "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things".

Remember, we all love because He first loved all of us. (1 John 4:19)

So, thank you, mom and dad, for showing me Who to turn to when times get tough and for being who you guys are. Thank you for showing me what true, Christ-centered love looks like and for inspiring me in my own relationships with others. I love you two so very much and couldn't ask for two better parents.

In His love. 

Bittersweet

So, it's finally here. My last day as a sophomore at Berry College. As I sit here writing this, so many memories are flooding my brain and I can't stop the tears from running down my face. This year has had its ups and downs, but it has been a year to remember. So, I thought I would share a list of things I learned this year. (Upcoming sophomores, this is really for you as you take the next step in your college career. Though, some of it can apply to upcoming freshman, too.) So, here we go:

13 things I learned during my sophomore year:

1. Whenever you're up studying past midnight, Cookout milkshakes and fries are always there for you. 

This is the one universal truth. Too many nights have I ended up studying past midnight and became hungry. Cookout is open till 3-4am EVERY NIGHT. As well as being super cheap. So, if you're craving a milkshake, a hamburger or a corndog at 2 am in the morning, Cookout is there and will never leave you. 

2. No matter how many times you tell yourself the situation won't be awkward, it'll always be awkward.

Let's just be honest with ourselves. You can say over and over again how that specific situation won't be awkward and that you refuse to make it awkward. The thing is, that it will always be awkward. No matter how hard you try. So, you might as well just agree that it will get awkward and get over it. No use in trying to make something work that won't work in the first place.

3. People will hurt you, but it's better in the long run to forgive them and move on. 

This is something I struggled with a lot this year. I had a lot of people leave my life and a lot betray me. I'm the type of person to act like I'm okay on the outside, but will be holding a grudge inside. This isn't good for anybody involved. So, it's easiest to forgive the people who hurt you and just move on. And whether that means getting over them and losing their friendship or it means that your friendship continues no matter what, we have to learn to deal with it when it happens and not fret over it for days on end. 

4. Sometimes you have to put yourself out there to meet new people. 

Those of you who know me know that I'm quite the introverted person. I don't like huge crowds and have trouble speaking to brand new people. But, I found out this year, that I just have to make that first big leap and everything else will fall into place. I made a bunch of new friends this year just by opening up and introducing myself. It's really not that hard to do, but it may seem like it. So, take that step and meet new friends. 

5. Life will knock you down, but it's up to you to stand right back up and keep on going. 

Oh, boy will it. Life likes to take what seem like the best days of your life and flipping them upside down so that in knocks you flat on your back. And the only thing I can tell you to do is to stand back up immediately and keep going. Don't let that one awful night, grade or fight consume you. Hold your head up, darling. You've got this!



6. Stargazing is a way to relieve stress and think about life and all it has to offer. 

The amount of nights I've spent outside watching the stars are too many to count. Whenever I've found myself stressing over school, boys, family, friends, etc. I've packed up my blankets and a cup of coffee and went to lay out underneath the heavens. Stargazing is a wonderful way to relax and to remember that God is bigger than everything going on in your life. He put every star in that sky and yet he calls you by name and says that you are beautiful. 

7. While it's fun to go out with friends for the night, sometimes it's just best to stay in, eat 
Ramen noodles and study for your classes. 

(THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR FRESHMAN TOO.) I understand that you really really want to go see that new rom-com that came out this weekend, but didn't your professor say that you have a huge test on Monday that counts for 20% of your grade? It's all about priorities. Yes, go out and have fun. That's part of college. The friends you make here will most likely be your friends for life, so you will want to hang out with them. But grades are also important if not much more important than your social life. So, go out and have fun, but make sure you also have enough time to study as much as you need to for any exams, quizzes or homework.

8. Boy drama never ends after high school, but you do learn how to handle it with more maturity. 

He said; she said....It's all the same as it was in high school. The only difference between then and now is that you understand how to deal with it with more maturity. Let's face it...you are almost 20 years old. You are old enough not to start rumors or throw a hissy fit because a boy did something to you.
9. You don't always keep the friends you made freshman year. And that's okay. You'll make new ones. 

This one was hard to come to terms with. I had a lot of great friends that I made during my freshman year. Then came sophomore year and about 50% of those friendships were lost or didn't continue because of certain reasons. And it's hard to keep up with everybody. It is. But, I also made a ton of new friends this year; friends that I wouldn't trade for the world. And I'm okay that I lost some friendships. Obviously, God didn't plan for us to stay friends. He had different plans for each of us and neither involved the other. So, don't worry if you can't keep in contact with friends from freshman year. You'll make new friends and it won't end up being a big deal in the long run.

10. The "Sophomore Slump" is real and very dangerous. 

All I can say here is to be careful and keep up the good work you did during freshman year. 

11. Take as many adventures as you can.

(...while still focusing on keeping your grades up.) Take a Saturday off and go hike or hammock with friends. Try a new local restaurant in town. Go out for frozen yogurt or ice cream. Take a day trip to a city that's close by. Spend the day in Goodwill and find yourself a new wardrobe. The possibilities are endless. But while you're working on getting through your sophomore year alive, don't forget to have      fun every once in a while. 

12. True friends are those who will sit out on the front porch with you for hours and are willing to talk about life and its problems.

This. I don't have the words to explain how much some people have blessed me this year by being there for me. I can always count on these friends to drop anything and everything to come to my side if I need them. Throughout the year, you will find these friends and my advice to you is to hold on to them and never let them go. 

13. No matter how crazy life seems, there is always our God to look up to and thank for giving us another day.

Is there anymore to say about this one??


So there they are. My thirteen things that I learned throughout this past year. I'm so blessed to live the life I do and I cannot wait to see what the next two years at Berry have in store for me. Thanks to all who have made this year so very wonderful and I can't wait to see you guys in the fall!

In His love,