Africa

I am home from Zimbabwe! What a beautiful experience it was - here are a few captured moments :)

Also, never forget how enormously magnificent our God is. We are beyond blessed.

in case you get confused.

She is.

And that about covers it.

This is the start of something new...

So, for about a year now I have had a desire to begin a collection. This thought has pondered my mind continually. It wasn't until I was shopping for work in Atlanta last January that what i would begin collecting finally hit me.

I had thought about collecting everything from aprons to teapots, and broaches to coffee mugs. I knew that whatever I decided to acquire I wanted it to resemble me in some way. I wanted it to reflect my passions and relate to my personality. I wanted my combination of goodies to be original as well as easy and trendy to display.

After much thought, like I said, I dedicated my collection to the finding of retro cameras. The rules of this process are simple: 1) only add to your collection through gifts and 2) tangible purchases. The reason I limited my collection to these two rules is because I want to eliminate the ease of purchasing online. I feel like a collection is divine through one's accumulation process. I want my collection to take time and be priceless to me individually.

For this reason my accumulation of treasures has been minimal. Spring of 2010 I received an older film camera from my uncle and that was the only piece to my wishful display. But yesterday, in the midst of scrummaging through used clothing for my Zimbabwe mission... I found it.

This old Kodak camera is the coolest. I found it - disclaimer: my roommate actually showed it to me - and I knew it had to make it to my shelves. It has a little case and strap to go with it and it just looks so nifty!

Here's a snapshot of it sitting on my desk's bookshelf. Let me know what you think.

What is it that you collect? Or what do you dream of collecting?

Classic Treasures

My heart aches for some fabulous finds off of etsy.com - here are some most recent finds that demand a surplus of attention.

I apologize in advance for any purchases you might make after this post. However, in my defense all of these treasures are reasonably priced and exceptionally happy.

Enjoy!

Vintage locket

Luxedeluxe - this would NEVER leave my finger.

Cat eye sunglasses

Tangerine blouse

Polaroid

1950's Jacket

Happy days ahead

This summer shall be jam packed with recipes and adventure.

I am ready, are you?

Live well

And be intentional. Whether it be exercising physically or exercising your faith, i encourage you to make it a point to live well and act with intention.

This week starts off my church's spring renewal. I am so pumped to be able to not only be revived as an individual, but also as a congregation! I also have the honor of spending time with the speaker this week. He also is the leader of the team I will be traveling to Zimbabwe with this summer.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but this May I am going to Zimbabwe for a mission trip. With less than $800 to go, I am convinced God has been so faithful to this service I am about to embark on.

Last year, Dillon served with the same team in Zimbabwe. He adored every minute, and I am so ecstatic we will be able to experience this service together as a couple. Actually, while we will be flying on the plane Dillon an I will celebrate our 3.5 year anniversary. Hooray :)

For those of you comfortable (or just experienced) with mission work, do you have any tips for me? Aside from personal missions and a few short trips, Africa is going to be my first international calling of my faith. I appreciate any advice for you to help prepare me for my two weeks abroad.

Also, I encourage you to pray for myself and our team. This is going to be a phenomenal experience, as well as a challenging one.

Thanks for your love and support. Let your light shine this week.

Flow

"God made love to be something that cannot be stored - we are rivers, not reservoirs."

I needed this reminders No matter how sad or upset someone can make me, and No matter how many tears I may cry - as a follower of Christ, I am still called to continuously flow love from my being.

Let's be realistic here... as hard as it is sometimes to display love in our lives, things could be far worse. It's not like God is expecting us to be as extreme as rapids, but He still wants us to be moving, advancing, giving. He wants this or the people we already love, the people we do not even know, and especially the ones we don't like.

So here's to today. Heres to making it better than my night, and filling it with God's love. And here's to this past week and a praise for downloading the blogger app on my phone so i can better connect on here.

Enjoy the instagrams of my life lately. I just downloaded vso, so I expect to have even more fun pictures soon :)

Let your light shine.

I did it

Yes.


I did it. And I did it without breaking down.


I have conquered finals. And I even made a 100% on my last final - what a way to end this horrendous week off, right? The grand finale of fireworks were indeed cheer-worthy. 


Praise God I got through this, and I am even more thankful to take the time and be joyful for the incredible opportunity to educate myself more fully. Usually this time of year I get exceptionally bitter, but this year the good Lord put a few different things in my path to maintain my focus and eyes on Him.


One of the things that really stuck out this week was Francesca Battistelli's song called "Don't Miss it." The simple lyrics have reminded me to be thankful for this chance to earn an education. Despite dreading the tests and exams that come with college, I still maintained a positive outlook during the week. Here is the chorus:

"Don't try so hard to move past the moment.These days go by and they're gone before you know it.So come on, open your window, let the light shine in -This is life don't miss it"

I have determined there is still something so pleasant about expanding your knowledge base. This song just helps to establish my joy for life and all things included within that.


However, the most significant impact of my week happened the Sunday before finals week. I started my finals week off with a concert at Lee University in Cleveland, TN - I went with two of my dearest friends to see Gungor.


They are without a doubt one of the most impressive musicians I have ever seen perform. Ever. They are so full of the desire to glorify God that His presence was so overwhelming in the auditorium. 

Having hundreds of fellow Christ followers worshipping in one room is without a doubt powerful. It is so phenomenal to see God work. This concert calmed me and prepared me for the week to come, and helped me to keep God writing my life's script. I maintained God's leadership, and let him take charge.


The only thing God can't do is fail, remember? While God doesn't only want A students, he sure did provide for me - 100% remember?


Let God reign.

PS - Here's the email my professor sent me after the exam:

Hi Laura - I thought you'd want to know that you got every single question right on the exam.  That's a first for me - congratulations.

God is good. Happy summer!

My creature

This makes me giggle. Even when I'm drowning in the dreaded disease known as "finals," I can still be amused by the hilarity of my puppy dog's howl.

This happens almost every time a cop car drives by, or the ice-cream man makes his run down my street.

It never gets old.

Side note, Gibson got a bath today - he really is a good pup. Despite his tremendous amout of shedding, and frequent needs for potty-breaks, I am blessed to have him.  Sometimes people say I saved a life, but in truth we saved each other's lives.

I think the good Lord puts quirky creatures into our paths to keep us sane, Gibson definitely helps level me out.

And don't let me forget to mention how amazing Dillon is. Man, does he do good things for my soul! He makes me laughs, adds to my faith, and reminds me to live life. Dillon often calls me boring because I'm always being productive, but I honestly can't begin to imagine how incredibly dull my life would be if I didn't have him to add some flavor to my days.

I am one lucky gal. <3