A Friday to look forward to.

This week has been a week of getting back into the swing of life since our trip. I was super excited on Tuesday evening to have attended Autumn Knights. The music was absolutely beautiful and it was great seeing the familiar faces and good friends.
Thankfully, school work hasn't been to bad. Math is the thing weighing the heaviest but that's always the case. What I'm most excited about is tomorrow. Fridays are always the best, but especially this one. I get to have two coffee dates in one day with two of the sweetest friends I could ask for. It will be awesome just to catch up on life lately and open up. I definitely am ready for some good conversation and quality time.
Can't wait to get my school work done for the week to enjoy the beautiful day tomorrow!

Home again.

So we're back. We arrived home on Friday evening after what seemed like a VERY long day of traveling. Both flights were delayed so we spent extra time in Albany and New Jersey. The highlight though was looking out the window of Newark Airport and seeing the empire state building across the way in New York City. It was honestly beautiful at sunset.
The rest of our trip back east was beautiful though. I really loved all the colors and adventures we took. Joanne was sweet to have us for the week and on Thursday we had a fun time spending the night at my grandma's. We went out for a sweet dinner and it was a nice ending to the trip.
Over the time of our trip, I got the chance to relax and journal and read which was heavenly. Something I usually can't dedicate time to when I'm at home doing school stuff. I finished King's Cross by Timothy Keller and I absolutely loved it. It spoke to me on so many things I desire to overcome. It definitely made it clear that I can only move beyond my struggles with the Lord's help. It just doesn't happen when I'm not seeking Him. But in the evenings, after I did some school work, I just had really sweet quiet times. Joanne and her husband would be asleep and my mom and I would stay up and read. I made tea most nights and then just sat in the stillness, thinking and praying. After reading and writing in my journal, I listened to the same artists every night; Jon Foreman, Evan Wickham, Phil Wickham, and Joseph Tata. One song that I can't stop listening to is "I'll Follow You" by Evan Wickham. Everything about it is fantastic and so worshipful. I kinda sing it in my heart as a prayer. The bridge of the song says:

Farther than the farthest place,
Deeper than the deepest space,
All the way to Your embrace, I’ll follow You.
Better than this life by far, brighter than the brightest star
Is the light of who You are. I’ll follow You.
Greater than the things of earth, greater than the universe,
Greater still, You loved me first. I’ll follow You.

I'm pretty much just seeking to find peace in Him right now. My heart is hungry for that peace and I really just want to restore what I've been putting aside for awhile.

So I'm back and I'm ready for the restoration.

Sweet Company and Apples to Apples

Today we went to Joanne's church. It was wonderful and Kari and Bart joined us which made it even better. It was a neat service of sharing testimonies and after, Kari and Bart came to Joanne's house where we had a bunch of fun fall snacks. It was great just sitting around and relaxing together.
After dinner, we had coffee and got into our pajamas. The weather is chilly outside so it felt so nice to be warm and bundled up inside. We brought out some ice cream and made popcorn as we played Apples to Apples. We had so many laughs, it was fantastic.

Manchester

Today we had such a great time. We headed to Manchester for lunch at the Little Rooster Cafe. I had the most amazing grilled sandwich and we sat and had coffee while the wind and the chilly air blew around outside. It was cozy and sweet and super fun to people watch out the window. We kept commenting on all the sweet married couples that were going for walks. Some looked like young honeymooners, others looked old and gray and still in love. And one couple was pregnant! It was adorable...
After, we went to a few outlets and hit some really good sales. I'm excited about the new clothes I got. Super cheap and cute, gotta love Banana Republic and J.Crew. Anyways, it was a blast and we had so many laughs as well.
We headed home for dinner and then to Joanne's church for a fall harvest event/birthday party for their pastor. It was really fun to be able to participate in the fun with all of her church friends. I met some really sweet people and got to spend the evening having awesome conversations and eating yummy desserts.
It felt nice to come back home after such a long day. I made some tea and then worked on school work. I'm pretty happy that I have been staying on top of my class work as I've been away! Feels nice to not be behind, even though I wish I didn't have to stay up in the night doing homework but it's all good!
I'm going to enjoy some reading in King's Cross and journaling before I hit the hay. It's always the best way to finish off any day. Especially when all you have to write down are prayers of thanksgiving and a list of the day's blessings.
God is so good.

Such a Fun Day

So today was low-key and really fun! After having morning coffee with my mom and Joanne, I got ready and had a really sweet time just to journal and relax. We headed out for lunch and Joanne took the most beautiful route to town.

And now, we're all on the porch and having Autumn Delight tea. I love just talking and enjoying the nice company...and I love listening to the crickets!

Here!

So we got in this morning and it has been great already. Kari picked us up and on our way to Joanne's home, she took a brief detour through the hills and I got a few shots of the Autumn morning. We dropped off our things at Joanne's and then headed out for lunch. Spending time with Kari is so nice and now I'm blogging in a sweet little house. I had a nap, Billy made a yummy spaghetti dinner, and now we're sitting in the living room drinking tea. I'm really excited to be here. It's so surreal right now, but after I have more sleep and wake up tomorrow, I'm going to be so ready for the adventures to begin!

Packing!

So I'm currently in the midst of packing for our trip to New York tomorrow! I can't believe how fast time flies. But I'm really looking forward to this visit. Staying with Joanne and being away from the day to day routine at home will be a nice change for a bit. It was absolutely the Lord who made this trip possible with school and everything and the timing couldn't be any more perfect. I'm so thankful.

My hope for this trip is to get closer to the Lord. I've realized there are a lot of changes I have to make in my spiritual life and I haven't been walking with Him as closely as I should be. So I am planning to wake up early each morning, get all bundled up in a blanket, and grab a cup of tea for Bible reading and meditation in my pj's on the porch. God has been so good to me through providing for this trip and it is up to me to make it worth while.

We have so many fun things planned too! Joanne has some days off and during that time we are going to visit The Whistling Kettle for lunch and afternoon tea, go to Bennington Pottery, and drive through Manchester. Also, I hope that while we are in Manchester we have tea or coffee at the Equinox...that would be such a treat. And! Since we'll get back in time for dinner each night, I am going to blog every night about our days, pictures and all. That way, it can be a little journal of the adventures.

I know I have to work on school work when I'm there, but I'm trying not to stress and I'm giving it to the Lord and trusting Him that I will have enough time for work and play.

Okay, so back to packing...

God is Sovereign.

One of the things that I have been meditating on this week is the truth that God is sovereign.
He holds everything in His hands and nothing is outside of His control. I have hope that the Lord will be faithful to bring to completion what he is stirring in my heart. (Phil. 1:6)
I see the importance in placing my identity fully in Christ and nothing or no one else. I need to place my hope in Him because he promises me that He is unfailing and He is rich in mercy and forgiveness when I have fallen.

All of these things being said, I want so badly to just fall in love with Jesus. To be completely dependent on Him and trust Him through all things. Change is hard but God is good.

First Day of October!

Yay! A new month. October has arrived and I'm super excited for the things in store. In less than 2 weeks, my mom and I will be flying back east to stay with our lovely friend and her husband. I am so ready to see the leaves and drink tea on Joanne's sweet porch. The day after I get back is homecoming! I'm looking forward to getting dressed up and having fun.
At the moment, the amount of school work I have to complete in order to breathe on my trip is a little overbearing it seems. But I know that I'll get it done. It's going to feel fantastic getting on the plane stress free and done with the PSAT.

Happy October!