Memories

The last day of the blog every day in May Challenge and Friday Letters! I wont know what to blog about after this since I will no longer have a prompt! Today's challenge is to blog about a vivid memory. Hmmmm.... 

This one took some digging into some old photos to share with you all. 

I have a ton of memories from joining my sorority! This is a picture of us tailgating before a football game, and yes that is a farm behind us! Grand Valley is located in the middle of cornfields and farms, so at tailgates we often found ourselves admiring the local horses and cows from a distance :) Even though it might not be the best smelling location, I wouldn't change these years for the world! I LOVED my sorority and I LOVED Grand Valley! I wish I could go back and re-live these moments! 

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Dear Blonde Hair, your back! I went and got high lights this morning (it has been forever!) and now your back for the summer! 

Dear season finale of Nashville, WOW! You shocked me! I can't wait till the fall and you start back up because I am dying to know what happens to everyone! Great first season, you definitely will be back for more! Dear Erin and Bekah, less than one month away from your weddings! AHH! I am so excited to celebrate with both of you :) Can't wait to see how beautiful you both will be on the big day! Dear week off of work, as much as I loved you, I am so bored! I really don't know what to do when I have nothing to do! I read some books, I still had school, but seriously, i'm bored, back to the grind Monday with summer school! Dear Rachel, I still can't get over how obsessed I am with my new blog lay out! You did such an AMAZING job! I visit my own page all the time now just to look at it :) Thanks again! I am obsessed! 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Letting Go and letting...

Today's blog challenge is titled Letting Go. 

Letting go has been something that I have struggled with, learned about, and have continually worked on this past year. After an awful break up last summer (que water works) (just kidding, I am over it!) I really struggled with this saying. Not so much because I was still holding on to the idea of "the ex" but rather the idea of having someone else care about me. I have been the girl that has dreamed of her wedding day since a young girl, I have watched my aunts wedding video over and over again as a child (where I was a flower girl) and would dress up in my biggest, pouffiest, white play dress as if I was the bride. 

When the relationship ended I was so upset because I felt as though that dream of mine would never come true. I know, so dramatic right! However, this past year I dove into Gods word and recently had a really long talk with one of my best friends about life, Gods will, and love. I was telling her for the first time in my life I actually like being single! I actually like the idea that come graduation in December I don't have another persons life to consider where I will move to, I like the idea that I can focus my full attention on my students (especially if I want to continue teaching inner-city), I like the idea that I am only 23 years old and although others around me are getting married, I am still young and have plenty of time :) And maybe that time won't come? Maybe God's will for me is to be a single teacher so I can invest my full attention on students, or maybe not? 

But I do know that worrying about it, or trying to take it in my own hands has NEVER worked out well. God is the author of my life, and he has done an incredible job so far, so why do I want to write this chapter? 

Letting go, and letting GOD. 

I can't believe....

Two Link Ups today! 

I can't believe how AMAZING my blog looks!!! I just got a make over yesterday by Rachel at Dwn In Lndn!!! She is AMAZING! check her out :) Thank you, thank you, thank you!! 

I can't believe the ending of Nashville! I was in complete shock! Season finales are always the best and the worst. I love the dramatic endings, but the fact I have to wait to see what happens makes me sad. See you in the fall Reyna James! PS Rookie Blue is back on! Yes!! (sorry, I am a TV junkie!)

I can't believe the awesome weekend I had up north :) I already want to go back, but with graduations, weddings, etc I won't be able to till the fourth of July. See ya then cottage! 

I can't believe only 2 1/2 weeks left of summer classes. Then its the home stretch! One semester of student teaching left! 




Now for the challenge; today is to share five songs that influenced you some how. Music is always an outlet for me depending on the time of my life and what I am going through, different songs have reached out to me. So here are some of my favorites right now!


1. Sure be cool if you did-Blake Shelton: Love this song! It is a good summer jam and so cute! 

2. Cruise- Florida Georgia Line: You can't help but jam out to this song with your windows down! 

3. Redeemed: This song is one of my favorite worship songs! It has the most beautiful words. 

4. Then- Brad Paisley: LOVE! This is my all time favorite love song. 

5. All to Well- Taylor Swift: My favorite break up song, truer words have never been spoken! 

Happy Wednesday! 

Thankful

CHECK OUT MY BLOG!!! Doesn't it look pretty?!?

I am seriously so lucky and so thankful for Rachel at Dwn In Lndn! She has spent all day making my blog look better than I ever thought it could!!! Seriously, you should contact her right away because she is awesome! Let me tell you a little bit about friendship :)

Me and Rachel have become blog friends about a month ago. I LOVE reading her blog!! Anyway, we stared commenting on each others blogs and have been emailing each other ever since! We have a lot in common such as both being in college, loving the same music, same books, movies, etc. I am just so happy to have found her blog via blog world but more so, I am so THANKFUL what she has done with my blog! 

Thanks Rachel!!! Once again, check her out, she is AMAZING! 

Summertime in Northern MI

Today's challenge is to post only pictures. Since I have been MIA this weekend and have "failed" the challenge I promise lots of pictures, as well as words, because I have to tell you about the amazing weekend I had at my cottage  :) 

I seriously LOVE going up north! There is nothing better than north in the Mitten , especially during summertime (hence kid rocks song where he says "summer time in northern michigan"). I have been traveling to my cottage since I was born, 23 years this place has been a home away from home for my family and all my cousins. It is probably the most relaxing place I go to just sit back, do nothing (except tan and read), and let the worries of the world just slip away. I like to think of it as "my go to place" where I can wake up in the mornings with a cup of coffee and enjoy gods word along with his creation :) True bliss. 

Beautiful Sunset :) 

Some of my favorites about the cottage: the flowers, wishing well, bell, and the creek 

My sister and I on the pontoon 

Coffee and bible study in the morning :) 

Grandma and me :) 

Sunset night two

I heard fish like kisses, this is as close as I would get! 

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and thank you to all who have served for our country/are serving for our country currently! And to all of those who have loved ones doing so :) 

Words I won't forget

Today's challenge is to share something someone told you about yourself you will never forget. 

I have this friend and in high school we were hanging out and watching a movie. As I was intently watching the notebook, yes he was nice enough to watch the first half with me, he looked down at my feet and said "wow your feet are so weird, they look like a monkeys feet." I still don't know what that means and to this day he will mock me about them! However, I am now very self-conscious of my feet and a few days ago at school one of my students nicely pointed out the flaws of my toes, heels, and how small they were. I don't know what a monkeys foot looks like but I am pretty sure I don't want mine to look like them. 

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Yesterday I had such an awesome day! I got to babysit two wonderful children and go to a small group party for my sunday school :) It was a ton of fun! We grilled out, played games, and go to know each other more. I use to be really scared of Sunday School classes and small groups because of a horrible experience I had in high school. I am so glad that I gave it another chance and even though it took 8 years to try it again, I only wish I would have joined sooner! I am so blessed by my church and the small group I am finally a part of! 

photo shoot!

blessed :) 

Top Three

I failed the challenge :( Yesterday was so crazy that I did not have time to even log in to my computer! 

The challenge today is to list your top three worst traits:

1) My obsession with planning. I really have an issue here! I have stated this before but I love to know exactly how my day will go and sometimes, if it get thrown off I get a little anxious. I have done much better since in teaching the plan never goes as follows, but it is still something I need to work on. 

2) I am extremely competitive. I really hate losing! For example, we went to a mini golf/go karting place with my students yesterday for a field trip! It was so fun, but I refused to loose in go karts so I passed most of my 11 and 12 year old students and even made one girl spin out. Oooops :) Sorry guys, you can't win them all! (I really need to work on that!) 

3) I crack jokes when things get serious. It just makes me really uncomfortable and I like to lighten the mood. The problem is the mood sometimes needs to stay serious and I upset people when I do this. I often get, "I am being serious right now" or "can't you just be serious." Sorry! I just get so uncomfortable! 

Friday Letters:

Dear Little, I had so much fun sleeping over at your apartment this week! Nothing better then a nice long talk and sleepover with your best friend :) Dear Big, I had such an awesome time at lunch with you yesterday! I love that we both try to eat healthy but ordered the worst two sandwiches on the menu..oops! We should not use each other as dieting support! Dear Students, I cried yesterday. It was awful! I know I already said goodbye to you when I left student teaching, but yesterday I had to say good bye to most of you who will not be back for summer school because the after school program ended :( I can't believe I have been with you for almost 10 months and now you are off to the Junior High next year all grown up :( So sad! P.s. Thank you for the wonderful artwork you gave me this week, check out the double head dragon below :) Love my job!  Dear Silver Lining Play Book, you were an awesome movie! I love that I am currently learning about all types of disabilities in class and this movie came along perfectly with what I am studying. Great story! Dear Nicholas Sparks, I want to read every single book you have ever written! I just finished At First Sight and no matter the story line you always end things with a shocker and bring me to tears!