half a year

confession: we are terrible at taking pictures together. not like we take tons of pictures & just look bad, but like we never take pictures when we are together. that's why you're seeing a double-post of this pic... 

ok, now that that's off my chest, I want to tell you a story. one wednesday in may I was leaving the office to head to another meeting, when I stopped at the front desk to say hi to one of my fav moms. **when you work with students, you have favorite moms. it's just a given** we had just hosted our last big even of the school year at her house, and I wanted to thank her again... she just found out I was leaving arkansas & moving to virginia for law school. after a few minutes of chatting, she asked me how old I was, and then came the ask... she asked me if I would go on a blind date with her son when he comes into town later that week. ok, more background. I was good friends with her oldest daughter, and her youngest son was one of our students. I had also met her other daughter a few times, and I had only heard various stories of "the other haefner." after hearing more about this guy, I said sure. **confession: I knew that if this guy was half as great as his mom said he was, I was going to be in trouble** 

then he came in town & we met on sunday for a day at the lake with jen & rob (sister & her boy). may 25. that was the day I met the guy in this picture. we hung out every day that week until I left for my sister's high school graduation on thursday, and he's been stuck with me ever since. michael is the sweetest, hardest working, most intentional & authentic cheese-ball I've ever met, and I love getting to do life alongside him. thankful for jackie (aka: j-momma). thankful for friends who help me process. thankful for God's writing of a crazy, and totally out-of-control story. thankful for half a year spent with you. you da you da. 

{goals} an update

oh yeah, remember those goals I have for before 26? well, here's an update.

1. run 2 half marathons - first one done in september. second one officially registered & started training for march 14!!! this one will be so fun because it's through washington d.c. **aka one of my all-time-fav cities** AND it's with my boo/bae/boyf/bestie/insert cliche name here **you da you da** here's to another 13.1 and our first together!

2. right now yoga is a stress reliever for me. I am not anywhere close to the splits or king cobra backbend, BUT it is a great practice for me since I sit down all.day,every.day at the library.

3. the full day a month off of school has become more of a half-day or a few-hours-here-and-there breather. this has proved much more helpful for me than taking off a full day. must rejuvenate as I go otherwise I'll burn out!

4. overnight trip alone still hasn't happened. but we shall see about this one soon!

5. I can officially say that I wear heels & dress nice whenever I want to in law school. it's much easier in an environment where people do this too :) however, I am that tall girl who still loves heels. **sorry not sorry. get on my level**

here's to living life to the fullest, walking in the Lord's perfect plan, & doing work in the waiting. life to the full is the best. 

coming to an end

double posts with pics about coffee... needless to say, it's been a necessity of life lately. I am so thankful that this first semester of classes is almost done. two days of classes + reading week + finals. and then a break. what does that even feel like? sleep? what is that? **kidding, mom!**

the next few weeks are going to be hard, but they are necessary. I can already see evidence of how much I've learned in only a few months, and it's crazy to think how much I will have learned after three years of this **and probably how much I will still need to know** today was my last contracts class for the semester **insert dancing ladies x's 1,000,000,000,000** and tonight I am resting. tonight I'm not going to read or study. I'm going to do some yoga, if I feel like it, and then go to sleep super early. I mean like before 10 early. why? how? because I know that if I don't stop, rest, & get some sleep tonight there is no way I will have the endurance to make it through the next few weeks. rest. mmmmm. I like the sound of that.

it's tuesday

practice for finals coming up in less than two weeks **insert wide-eyed emoji here** this week I am:

a) wishing I had my little sister's memorization skills
b) listening to Christmas music non-stop **pentatonix is the bomb**
c) craving a good long run **please? just one!!**
d) living off of coffee
e) all of the above

here's to productivity, being done with LARW in 6 days, and getting to go home in a month. cheers, tuesday!

#realtalk {finals edition}

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the One who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you... The Lord is the One who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." 

Deuteronomy 31:6,8

today I did yet another great devotional on SheReadsTruth and was struck by the honesty with which the author of that particular devo wrote. she talked about a crippling fear, and how it was a sign of her lack of trust in the Lord. while I was reading it, I was like "yeah, girl, you gotta take care of that..." but then as I read this Scripture and allowed it to sink in my heart, I began to realize this is me. that is exactly what was happening in my heart. ok, I realize that in this passage Moses is talking to the israelites about going into the promise land and fighting a ton of people to take the land. I realize that law school and finals are not the canaanites. however, there is still this crippling fear that comes over me when I begin to think about finals. 

finals are when it all shakes out. that's when you find out what you're really made of, and whether you can hack it in law school. if I'm honest, I'm incredibly fearful of failure. I put these high expectations on myself to look like I have it all together; like this law school thing "ain't no thang"; like I actually understand contracts **which I don't**; like I'm totally 100% ready for finals. real talk: I'm not, and they terrify me to my core. BUT this truth cuts like a sword straight through me because I know, beyond a shadow of doubt, that this is exactly where the Lord has me. I know that I would not be here right now if it wasn't for His perfect plan that I don't yet see fully. I know that He is going before me, so I do not have to be afraid. He will not fail me or forsake me. 

so here's to authenticity, doing my best for the Lord, and allowing His truth to permeate my heart.

oh hey, monday

this is where we live, people. praise the Lord for sunrises, waves, and this smile! (also, serious #mcm #amIright) today is the start of a new week; there are officially 11 days of classes left before finals; and my to-do list goes on for dayz. this could be overwhelming, or I could choose to have a kick-butt attitude and take this on one step at a time. **I choose option b** here's to freshly painted nails, caffeine, this guy, and gettin shiz done. happy monday, peoples!!

{life} lately

life. it's been a little crazy lately. there are officially 2 weeks + 1 day of classes before the crazy of finals hit & then my first semester of law school will be done **insert fist pumps here** if I let myself think about finals & summer internship applications & all the other future stuff that is thrown at me, the heart-rate quickens and breath becomes shallow. the future is some scary business sometimes that is worsened by hanging around people who are so certain about what their future holds. it is here when I have to stop my brain from going to crazy town & remember what I am thankful for right now.

1. crisp mornings & evenings 
2. law lounge keurig, fall blend coffee, & pumpkin spice chai
3. finding community **finally**
4. parents that love michael & I so well
5. triple dates that are full of encouragement, wisdom, & laughter
6. being 100% at peace about right now
7. comfy flannels + warm vests
8. restful sleep
9. truth that anchors my heart
10. a hard-working, determined, & incredibly thoughtful love

stopping and remembering all that I have to be thankful for right now helps me face that forever-long to-do list with renewed energy & a kick-butt attitude. here's to full schedules, being done with LARW in 16 days, and the light at the end of the tunnel.