Spring Vacation.

Hey friends! Hope you are enjoying the beginning of spring. I know I am! Last weekend my mom, Josiah and I made a quick trip to Spokane to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins. It was so fun! While there I celebrated probably my closest (in age and friendship) cousins 18th birthday! We spent most of Saturday at the mall for a birthday shopping spree. I love her so much & am glad I got to be there to celebrate. 

|The perfect thing to read on the way over|

|My aunt & uncle own 2 horses, plus they live on the most beautiful property.|

|Cass & I. Love her tons!|

 On Sunday we went to Josiah's old church from when he lived here. I absolutely love it there! We didn't even know it, but one of our friends who lived here years ago, but who now works at that church, was preaching. It was so cool to here him speak. He brought an amazing message about jumping into spring not just physically, but spiritually. It was so good! If you have the time, you can watch it here. I highly recommend it.

 ---

Have a great rest of your day! 

far better things.

I am sure you all have all heard this famous C.S. Lewis quote & if you are like me, you know it is true, but at times have a hard time embracing it. 

purchase the art print here

Lets be honest. Sometimes the things you have to move on from have been filled with great memories & wonderful people. It is hard to just leave that. I have a reached a point in my life where all I have ever known has completely changed. I guess you could say it all started about 2 years ago, but I feel like I am in the climax of it now. Change is nothing for the faint of heart. It can be incredibly painful. As you can tell, this is something I have been struggling with lately. But just the other day I was having coffee with my friend Kim, and she reminded me of an encouraging verse. 

Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans,
    but the Lord determines our steps.

This was such a great revelation for me. I am a person who loves to plan. Heck, just today I was at target buying stylish notepads to plan out my weeks. Its just part of who I am- a planner. I always thought my life would be normal & perfect. I would go to CCA, graduate with a class full of friends, go to Master's Commission with most if not all of those people, then go to college. Not too much to ask right? Well just trying to complete the first step of that plan had more challenges than I thought. The second part, well that did not happen and I doubt the 3rd part will either. And you know what? I am learning to be okay with that. I really never saw myself as someone who stands out. My goal in life used to be to just do what everyone else did and go unnoticed. I thought of myself as just an ordinary girl. But God showed me that is not who I am. I have passions & aspects about me that make me unique. My story thus far has been far from ordinary. As the old cliche saying goes, people are like snowflakes, no two people are exactly alike just like snowflakes are all unique...or something like that. You catch my drift.

So, I can make my plans & according to Sarah's plans I would still be going to school 5 days a week with some of my best buddies, but God directs my steps, which means trusting Him & his plan fully. It is hard to leave great memories behind, but there are future adventures to be had. 

as of late.

Lately I have been doing a lot of walking. I have always been fond of walks, but going for a daily stroll these past few weeks has been such a delight. With everything that has gone on in life these past few months, it is so nice to take some time to just enjoy the beautiful world around us. I like to walk to the lake & around the dock. I am convinced the water has the ability to calm my crazy mind. The park I usually go to was recently renovated and there is a new spot I particularly love. They put these benches in a smaller quieter part of the park. It is a little off the trail so not a lot of people go there. It is my new favorite. Today I just sat there for a little bit & thought about life. It was perfect.

|Sorry about the quality. I don't tend to take my camera on walks so I had to resort to the iPod.|