officially a 2L

where in the world did this past year go? how did it all happen so quickly?! people told me it would fly by, but I had no idea just how fast it was really going to go. and now it's 2L year. well, I guess those people were right because this past year was the fastest year I've ever experienced. yet, while going through 1L, I had this strange feeling that certain days would never come and I would be stuck in this torment forever. now there is a new 1L class, and I'm so thankful I'm not in it.

it's still a mystery to me why the Lord's plan led me to law school; however, He has continued to confirm that this is exactly where He wants me right now. I'm so thankful that God is faithful and that He will reveal to me in His perfect timing what the next steps are, although sometimes **ok, all the time** my planner mind wants to know them now. BUT I get to focus on today, the first day of my 2L year.

what will be different about this year? well, tons actually. I joined the trial advocacy board, am taking classes that I chose, started working as a graduate assistant for an amazing professor, and am married. all of these things are so different from last year where I felt like I was treading water to stay afloat. this year, I'm certain there will be times where it feels like that... but I've been there before, and it seems less scary; not because I know how to navigate it better, but because I am confident the Lord will carry me through it. 

praise the Lord for His faithfulness, new beginnings, and the first day of school. happy monday, peoples!

{gratitude} lately

if you've read these ramblings for a little bit, you will know that I love list making. I am that over-zealous to-do list maker: one for the week, for the weekend, for each day, for the afternoon, etc. the list of the lists that I make go on **yes, I have a problem** some of my lists can leave me annoyed & frustrated with myself because they aren't complete or I have so much to do. but there is one type of list that always leaves me more full than before, and that, my friends, is the lists of things I'm thankful for lately:

1. this website & the daily truth it brings into my life;
2. this website & the way it challenges/encourages Michael James each day with truth;
3. time away last weekend with my adventure partner;
4. new textbooks that make me excited for a new semester;
5. long walks with sweet friends;
6. phone calls with family that are so far away;
7. getting to see God answer specific prayers;
8. daily grace from the mr;
9. legs that carry me through a 9-mile hike; and
10. a new norm

praise the Lord for His goodness, list making that leaves me more full, and school starting on monday. happy weekend, homies!

dear {wednesday}

dear wednesday,

this past weekend we went on a quick adventure. we hiked & climbed to our hearts content. we sat, took in beautiful views, and enjoyed time together. today marks the middle of my last week of freedom **from school** and with a mountain of to-do's & fun projects left, it's hard to be present in a single moment. part of me just wants to rewind back to this weekend right here, but the other part of me knows there is just as much beauty right in front of me now as there was then. there are beautiful moments in each day that make me sit, remember how small I am, and praise the Maker for them.

here's to beauty in the big & small. 
cheers, lovie.

roadtrip + refuel

today, Michael James & I are leaving for a weekend away. we will eat good food & drink good wine. we will hike stunning trails, picnic at scenic lookouts, and jump in cold water. we will have deep conversation, play fun games, and put our phones on airplane mode. we will relax, rest, and refuel. 

here's to living close to the mountains, meeting new friends, and peanut butter honey sandwiches for the road! happy weekend, homies!

life

life: the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death; the existence of an individual human being or animal

- Webster's Dictionary

most of the time I try to stay away from hot-button "political" topics on social media because I don't think it ever produces anything helpful. it merely invites people to make noise, call each other idiots, and creates confusion. it rarely ever brings light to a subject and rarely do people ever listen. however, in light of the videos that have come out over the past few weeks, I cannot sit in silence. I cannot idly watch the "debate" unfold. as a believer, I am called to faithfully and lovingly speak truth into the darkness (proverbs 27:5-6). it would be one of the most unloving things for me to just sit in silence in the wake of this mess.

one of the most interesting things I've seen from the pro-choice side is a graphic with a picture of a woman, an animal, and a sonogram of a baby. it asks: life? animal (yes), sonogram of baby (yes), and woman (meh). underneath this graphic is a statement proclaiming that if you are an educated woman and also pro-life, you should throw all of your education, rights, and independence in the trash because you clearly do not value any of those things. 

I am a woman; I value my right to vote; I deeply value the education I have been able to receive and am continuing to receive; and, I stand for life. 

I also have a tendency to believe lies; lies that lead to decisions that lead to heartache and brokenness. I believe that lie that God is holding out on me; that if He really loved me, He would want me to be happy; if He really loved me, He would give me what I wanted (see Genesis 3 & the original sin). early in college I doubted His goodness, took matters into my own hands, and didn't wait for His gift of sex in His timing. I took it out of the context of marriage and was left empty, broken, and hurting. in God's goodness, He did not allow me to get pregnant and have a "choice"; although, that was a time in my life I might have chosen what is now unthinkable in my mind. I cannot pretend that choosing life is always an easy decision; in fact, I realize it can be incredibly hard & always life-changing. I realize there are circumstances and situations involving rape, abuse, and heartache. however, God redeems even the hardest of circumstances. He is sovereign, and His plans, although rarely easy & pain-free, are always good, pleasing, and perfect. psalm 139 tells us that He loves us and has a plan for our lives before we are even born! before I was born, before you were born, before they are born, He loves us. 

so what am I saying? God loves, cherishes, and values each and every life, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. we all make mistakes, and He loves us still. He redeems broken stories, like mine, and makes beautiful pictures of His grace and mercy we can share with others. we were each created on purpose, for a purpose. these babies' lives matter. there are other choices besides abortion. please don't sit silently in the midst of this great darkness; join me in lovingly spreading the light of the truth.

{monday} to-do list

on this week's to-do's: 

1. figure out bedroom
2. pack the last box for storage
3. {more} laundry
4. pack for weekend get-away to Shenandoah National Park
5. read tons
6. organize desk area
... & counting

as this week's to-do list continues to grow, I am reminded that two weeks from today will be my first day of the second year of law school. just a year ago, I had just moved to Virginia and was settling in, getting to know new roommates, and beginning this crazy journey of law school. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and honestly, still don't... but I am so incredibly thankful for God's goodness & for His good, pleasing, and perfect plan **even if it wasn't what I thought was good, pleasing, and perfect** I am also thankful for a chance to unplug and recharge this coming weekend with a fun road trip & new adventure with the mr.

here's to exploring new places, airplane mode on phones, and quality time! happy monday, peoples!

an update {goals before 26}

goals. there is an amazing feeling when you actually accomplish goals that you have set out. if you are just joining **and maybe wondering about the strange blog name** this is where I set out goals for each birth-year. on May 12 of each year, I try to make a list of realistic goals for that year. it's been so cool to see how these goals drive me to do things I wouldn't have dreamed of, push me to accomplish big dreams, and help me live life to the full. however, when I turned 25 I would never have been able to guess all of the twists and crazy life turns that year brought! some of them were planned, others a complete surprise. so, here's my 25th year-review, brought to you by a goals review!

1. run two half-marathons - this one began nicely with the first happening at the end of august when I moved to virginia. I registered for the second one to run this past march in DC... and then all things law school, 1L, second semester happened. I loved this goal so much that I carried it over to this next year!! & this time, it will be accomplished!

2. standing splits & king cobra backbend - ok, well, it's safe to say I can't do either one of these. 1L was a little stressful & time consuming; it was a good day if I could fit in 20 minutes of exercise. this one might have been too lofty of a goal **insert face-palm here**

3. take a full day once per month to breathe & not think about school - check! this one actually morphed into a couple of half-days per month. first semester these were more restful, and then second semester they turned into crazed wedding-planning half-days. yeah, that was a twist I was definitely not expecting when I turned 25...

4. take an overnight trip alone - when I made this goal, I thought it would be a defining moment for my life, help me to see things I hadn't before, help me appreciate my independence a little more. two weeks after making these goals, I met a man. two weeks after that, I took a 10-hour road trip to louisville, ky to visit said man. a year later, we were married... that trip to kentucky might have been the most adventurous, "alone" trip that I took that year **ok, I mean, besides moving to virginia by myself**

5. wear high heels & dress nice whenever I feel like it - check, check, and check. I love the freedom that came from this goal! I had no idea what kind of mind obstacles were blocking me from feeling the freedom to dress how I wanted, when I wanted. you see, standing at 5'10.5" is a little intimidating for a girl, and then I wanted to add wearing heels?! what if I was the only one?! what if I became "that girl"?! oh goodness... that was so freeing to finally get over those thoughts and embrace my own style. sometimes all you need is to put on a great pair of shoes and some lipstick to tackle what seems like an impossible task

here's to goals: may we make them, may we grow from them, may we crush them. happy weekend, peoples!!

things I don't deserve

may 26, 2014: I was invited to have lunch and play sand volleyball by a man I had just met the day before. **unbeknownst to me** I crashed my now-brother-in-law's family birthday party. we ate cake, laughed, and played sand volleyball past dark. while I was trying to wash my feet off with the hose, this sweet man asked if he could help. I hesitated. in my mind was this conversation: "oh that's sweet", "does he not think I can do this myself?", "he is trying to help you", "but you don't need his help"... and after realizing he was staring at me waiting for an answer, I slowly handed him the hose and blurted out, "sometimes it's hard for me to accept help." he smiled and tenderly washed my feet.

fastforward to now and that tender, servant-hearted man is my adventure partner for life. he washed my feet at our wedding because that's how he fell for me and because he wanted to begin our marriage in the servant-love shown by Jesus to His disciples. yet it didn't stop there. with each day that passes I am blown away that I get to call this man "husband." he works incredibly hard. he encourages me to love others well, lean into Jesus, and transform my mind through memorizing scripture. he washes dishes, hangs pictures, orders pizza when I don't feel like cooking, builds shelves, and extends me grace daily. what did I do to deserve this kind of love? nothing. and still...

praise the Lord for His goodness, His mercy, and His love that I get to be reminded of daily through one of His beautiful gifts to me: my Michael James.

happy {monday}

oh the monday struggle.

there are two different species of mondays for me: 1) the "I'm dreading this week" and "weekend withdrawal" monday and 2) the "uber productive", "watch out to-do list" monday. as I sit here this morning, third cup of coffee in hand, I am still waiting to find out which monday is today. there is a mountain of to-do's, reading lists that keep piling up, thank-you notes to be written, and a beach calling my name. luckily, the threat of not having any "extra" time after class begins in three-ish weeks is just the motivation I need to give me a little extra this morning. **and yet I still need three cups of coffee. yikes**

here's to slow sundays, long walks, and the to-do list hustle.

**also, for the best breakfast hash recipe EVER go here. promise you won't be disappointed**