in him is the fullness of all things

know what one of my favorite things in life is? not a trick question, just look at my title. { via } Isn't (s)he just the cutest little infant? Anyone who knows me knows that I cannot wait to be a mother. I often sit around and daydream about watching my future babies run around the lawn of my future house while my future husband chases them...anyways, as you can see I can easily get a little bit carried away. Since I love babies SO much, I already have some names picked out. What, you don't do that? It is simply planning ahead, people. So here it is (keep in mind that this is just the smallest fraction of the list, just a mere sampling) Girls : Charis Noelle Selah Eden Zahara Fiona Brielle Emiliana Boys: Jude Milo Mikhail Joel Amos Noah See how fun that was? do you have a list of names for future children? do you take into account meaning, or do you just look at the way it sounds? what are some names that you like?

I am very good at starting books. starting them. Unfortunately finishing them is another story. I am currently reading 4 different books with the intention of finishing each and everyone of them. We'll see what happens. Anywho, one of the books that I am reading right now is Crazy Love by Francis Chan. From the bottom of my heart I beseech you to read it. You will be encouraged. You will be convicted. And you will be stirred on. Seriously. So today I read for a little bit and after <2 pages, I found myself feeling like I'd been punched in the stomach. In a good way (what?!) Basically, I was reading about Jesus and love, the two main topics covered in the book and Francis began discussing a passage from Matthew 25. It's the part when Jesus is telling his disciples what he is going to say to a number of people on the last day: 'For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you d...

So I am not artistic by nature. Math, science, those types of things are more up my alley. However, I have been trying to step out of my comfort zone and attempt some crafts but I have been so busy! But school is out, folks! {at least for now, thank you GOD for spring break} So here is a little somethin somethin that I've been working on. mason jar candles: For the past few weeks, in preparation for my spring break crafting extravaganza, I have been collecting all sorts of odds and ends from around the house as well as ideas from various DIY blogs such as this one . Here is what you'll need: { a jar } { some string of your choice. I used yarn and hemp string } { sand or something to serve as a base for your candle within the jar } { a little candle } Instructions: Take your jar and fill it about an inch high with sand and place your candle in there. Use your string to wrap the jar--this can be tricky depending on the shape of your jar. You can use tape to stabilize the string ...

Greetings! I have found a new and improved way to spend mindless hours looking at pretty pretty pictures that I wanted to share with all of you! {Do not take into account the fact that finals are next week--we gotta find a productive way to to spend are study breaks, right?!} Hello pinterest ! I discovered this lovely gem roughly 6 months ago and it has completely revolutionized the way that I waste{I mean spend} my time. Here's a little sampling of pictures to whet your appetite! maybe find a new project { via } get inspiration for a new look { via } a little hair how-to for you? {via} Obviously the possibilities are endless. Have fun!

yesterday was just one of those days. it was just a gift. dead week begins tomorrow so a bunch of us thought that this weekend would be the perfect weekend to get out of town, just for a day. God's hand was tremendously present over the whole day. We left at the crack of dawn (so, 9 o clock) and made our way up north. On our way we asked that God would cement budding friendships and strengthen old ones, that He would be present in every aspect of the day, and also that there would be no hiccups during the way(I would like to say that though there were no metaphorical hiccups, there were plenty of literal hiccups courtesy of one Crystal Stewart) When we got to portland, we stopped by Matt's house and had breakfast that his parents so graciously prepared for us! Our time in Portland was just so perfect--the weather was nice (aka the torrential downpour of the previous days had let up just for us), the conversation was everywhere from stimulating, to mind-numbingly funny, to who k...

So 3 years ago I sustained what I thought would be a life-changing injury: I tore my ACL. One painful surgery later and I was on crutches wondering if I would ever be able to move around the way I was had been able to. You have to understand that as someone whose identity was built on my athletic abilities and not on who I was in Christ, my inability to participate in any kind of sporting activities was a huge blow to my life. Even though I was told that I would make a full (long) recovery, my knee was still not responding well to physical activity. And by not responding well I mean that after any sort of physical exertion my knee would swell up beyond recognition and I would hobble around on a limp for the next few days. I was completely devastated. I had had people lay hands on me asking God for healing. I had laid hands on myself asking the Lord for a miracle. Nothing was seeming to improve and I was beginning to just accept the fact that I would be broken for the rest of my life....

So, technically yesterday was day 7 but I was too tired to get on here and blog and also I needed some time to process what happened over the course of the week so here I am today instead! God totally blew away all of my expectations of what this week would look like. There is something really sweet about not knowing how God is going to meet you and then seeing him meet you in a greater way than you even expected. I think that my favorite thing about this week was constantly being reminded of God, his goodness, his faithfulness, his graciousness, his kindness...each day God was faithful to reveal something new about his character. I loved how faithful he was to meet us when we gathered in his name to pray. I loved how being hungry all the time was a reminder of why and an opportunity to turn my affections towards him. This week, God was teaching our church to listen. He said "I always hear you, but you don't always hear me." How awesome would it be to be walking so closel...