twenty-six {goals}

twenty-six. the age that sounds so old when you are a sophomore in college; the age by which you think you will have your stuff together; and the age that sounds so young when you get there. for those of you who haven't visited here before, welcome. this is my yearly goals post that came about on my twenty-fourth birthday. I've been doing this for two birthdays now & absolutely love it! I'll post an update about how my goals for this past year went soon, but this post is solely dedicated to goals to accomplish before twenty-seven **yikes, that sounds old** I love that these keep me focused and help me make the most of each year so that I don't just think "what did I even do this past year?!" by the time my next birthday comes around. this coming year is going to bring about so many fun changes: 3 family weddings **including MINE**, second year of law school, navigating married life, becoming an auntie twice-over when my heart friend has her second littles, and so much more! since this is going to be a crazy year, I have some fun goals that mix fun, adventure, and taking breathers in the midst of the crazy... so, what do I want to accomplish before twenty-seven?

1. run 2 half-marathons = 1 by myself and 1 with my adventure partner for life
2. take a weekend to hike/camp in the Shenandoah Valley
3. strength: do 100 push-ups consecutively & handstand
4. breather trips with Michael: DC, Virginia wineries, & Monticello 
5. mind: read 5 fun books **not school related**
6. write & send 1 handwritten letter by snail mail per week

this year will be one for the books, ladies & gents! here's to another year of lessons learned, adventures conquered, and twenty-six!!

stressed desserts

one of the girls at regent law has a little reminder on her carrel that "stressed is just desserts spelled backwards." I smile at it every time because it makes stress seem small and not too scary. however, when I look back over april, I see one word to characterize it: stressed. not the desserts stressed, but like REAL stress. just to give y'all a taste of this past month:

april 6th = appellate brief due (aka: way too many hours of work)
april 6-10 = practice rounds for moot court
april 9th = was told I have until the end of the month to move out... which is in the middle of finals
april 13-17 = mandatory rounds for moot court
april 16 = interview for trial advocacy
april 18 = elimination rounds for moot court
april 21-22 = move out
april 27 = first exam... morning of spill coffee on my computer & michael took my keys on accident, so I called friends frantically to catch a ride to the exam

and that's just dealing with school. april felt like curve ball after curve ball... once I adjusted for the first one, the next one was like, really?! it has been a month of asking the Lord why & trying to not freak out. april 27th was the day all the pressure inside just exploded. after that first exam, I cried for hours. when there is that must stress and pressure built up inside of you, it must come out at some point. and then I was reminded that the Lord really does have me here for a reason & He really is in control. I could not have made it through this past month without Him. the morning of april 28th I read Psalm 46... 

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride... Cease striving and know that I am God..."

talk about perfect timing?? the Lord is my refuge and my strength... He is a very present help in trouble **and stress**... cease striving. those two words are so freeing because the Lord is telling us to stop trying to make things happen on your own strength. stop relying on yourself to get through. stop trying to be strong. it's annoying that it took me a full month of crazy to finally realize I can't do this. I need the Lord, and it's only in Him and through Him will I make it through this semester. here's to eating dessert, taking one step at a time, and letting go. **cue frozen soundtrack here** happy may second, peoples!!

countdown to #haefnerforever

today marks 11 months since this man & I met. yes, that's right, we met less than a year ago & in 49 days we begin the rest of our lives together. forty-nine days, people. this is the first picture we took together last june, when I took a trip to Louisville to visit this guy I had just met a couple weeks before. yes, it sounds crazy, and if you told me this would be how I met & dated my future husband I would have laughed at you. why? because I love control. stated differently, I hate feeling out of control. but that's exactly how the Lord orchestrated this entire thing... out of my control.

each time I look back at our story I am reminded that I am not in control; that God is sovereign; and that I can trust Him. honestly, letting go & trusting the Lord is a struggle for me. the funny thing about that is I am totally fine with trusting myself: the short-sighted, unwise twenty-something that I am. but I think that's the reason the Lord has taken me through these crazy journeys because it teaches me that He is good, that everything He does is good, and that He can be trusted no matter what. that's not to say that everything in life will be rainbows & butterflies, but it means real peace and life to the full with the Lord rather than stressed out, anxious life trying to control everything on my own. praise the Lord for His faithfulness & writing a beautiful story.

here's to Churchill Downs, walks that last the whole day, & 49 days until #haefnerforever

lessons learned {moving}

after this week I will have moved 11 times since 2007. it's amazing what I've learned (and haven't learned) about packing & moving in all of these moves. there's a lot of stress that comes with moving, as well as excitement. the stress comes in different ways for each person. for me, it is because I'm type A & self-diagnosed slightly OCD. I have a system, and when moving with other people who think your system could be more efficient **cough, Michael, cough** it can cause issues & breakdown communication. all joking aside, it has been such a blessing for Michael to help me move. I will concede that he was right on a few things **just a few** & it is so fun moving into the place we will share once we are married! it also makes me really excited to be in the same place for more than a year. maybe that's not the place we will live in when we first get married, but I am so ready for that day to be here soon! here are my best tips for preparing to make a cross-country or cross-town move:

DO
1. pack pillows/scarves/something light on top of a layer of books, so the box doesn't become way too heavy
2. get rid of things you never use/wear/haven't seen since the last time you moved
3. use styrofoam plates between your breakable plates when packing
4. set small goals for yourself in packing different areas of your room/dorm/house/apartment
5. accept help from others & get rid of the "I can do this by myself" attitude
6. use boxes even if you are only moving across town
7. change your address with the post office
8. change your billing address with your bank & credit card company

DON'T
1. be stubborn in accepting help **yes, I have trouble with this**
2. allow yourself to be ADD when packing... focus on your goal
3. justify moving things again only to have them sit in the same box for another year
4. throw away the packing paper you just bought because you might need it again next year when you move... again **hoping I remember this one this time**

here's to selfless fiancés, new packing paper, & arm muscles! Happy Tuesday, peoples!

{the crazy} lately

dear blog,

I'm sorry I've been MIA for the past little bit, but there are good reasons. first, it was writing my appellate brief **aka hardest paper I've ever had to write... happy briefster to me** then came practice rounds for moot court, the oral arguments from the appellate brief. that same week I found out I have to move before finals. then came the real preliminary rounds of moot court competition, mixed with my trial advocacy interview. made it to the top 64 of moot court, which meant I had to compete in the weekend tournament **praise the Lord for bonus points** luckily, I didn't make it past the first round, so I was able to begin studying for finals, which are right around the corner... cherry on top: my arkansas car registration has been expired for the past few months, so I spent 6+ hours figuring all of that stuff out this week. 

but now there are two big things moved onto my DONE list: moot court & car registration. by wednesday I will have moved out, and the only thing left on my to-do list will be two weeks of finals. **insert 100000000 dancing ladies here** 

I'm sorry you were the first thing to go when life got crazy. don't be mad... it's me not you. I'm back now, so will you forgive me?? 

sincerely,
crazy haired & wide eyed

coming soon: lessons learned {moving}, stressed desserts, & countdown to #haefnerforever

law school prom

 dear law school prom,

thank you for redeeming the proms of my high school career. it was 10000000x's more fun to go to prom with my husband-to-be **82 days, people** than it ever was with a high school date. why? well, for starters, look at him. then there's the fact that he actually dances with me... not like the awkward/grinding/club dancing, but that make a fool of yourself/let loose/have a ball **pun intended** type of stuff! I don't think I've laughed on a dance floor more in my life! thank you for giving me & the law school bests an excuse to break free from the library, dress up, & enjoy life a little before the next 6 weeks-or so of crazy. thanks for providing us with stories to talk about for dayz, laughs to get us through these appellate briefs, & pictures that will stay with us for years. in short, you were the realest. see you next year.

XOXO

{gratitude} lately

things I am thankful for this week:

1. heart friends that call at all hours of the day just 'cuz

2. an adventure partner who never ceases to encourage me

3. and who isn't scared to speak truth, like when he said "you look gross" after I got my first spray tan this week **tell me how you really feel**

4. having the hottest date to barrister's ball (aka: law school prom)

5. the end of an old & beginning of a new journal

6. far away friends that pray for me & send me encouragement

7. new friends that make you belly laugh in the library

8. registering for what might be my favorite class in law school #familylaw **insert leg kicks & shimmies x's 1,000,000 here**

9. professors who invite you into their lives

10. warmer weather & longer nights **is it summer yet?!**

here's to people who remind you to calm down, breathe, & enjoy the right now!