Psalm 63:3-4

"Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands."

new.

(Picked up this Massachusetts picture for my dorm. For now, it's decorating my bedside table.)

So far, this week has been a good one. Well, minus Monday. Monday was great at first & then it seemed to get kinda poopy later. & really for no reason...I don't know about you, but do you ever put way too much pressure on yourself? Maybe I just have that problem. It's a stressful one! But if you happen to share this struggle, I hope you have a great sister (or sibling) & a best friend to help pull you through & get to you back to normal, like I have. I'm so grateful I do.

Yesterday was a good day & what made it even better was a surprise coffee date with my dear friend, Elizabeth. We're kinda hooked on going to Lost Bean because they just added on a beautiful new room. It's quaint & perfect for long conversations.

What made yesterday particularly special though was hearing the wonderful news that my cousin Kari & her husband are pregnant with a sweet little girl! She is arriving in June & my family just can't wait to meet her. We already have goodies for her & she is going to be one spoiled child. Her parents will probably be the coolest around. I hope to see her as much as I can when I'm in Massachusetts!

Last night & today I have been so encouraged by the thought that God makes all things new. Not only does He make us new if we are willing to submit to his will, but He gives us renewed hearts filled with new passions & goals. Passions & goals that are clearly placed there by God because they are far more incredible than what you & I would think up for ourselves. & as you continue going about your life pursuing these big dreams, God takes you to new places that also bring about new surroundings, friends, lessons. & your life feels so much more richer and satisfying because you are following after what God has established for your life. I really love that thought. He is a personal Savior who wants to take you places. He knows how to make your life exciting. I always say that He is unexpected too because He throws in all sorts of surprises along the way, sometimes great, sometimes a little hard. But it's all part of the adventure.

Maybe the word "new" seems so prevalent in my brain because of the rainy weather we just had. Or maybe it's because Spring is on its way. Or the creation of a new life that will soon be a part of my family. Or the fact that I will be living in a new state just 6 months from now...

I think we all can look around & find the areas where God is bringing in the new. I promise you won't be bored if you take the time to do so.

2 Corinthians 4:18

today.

So today I have a list to compose, bedroom dresser drawers to organize, and a sweet coffee date to share with a great friend.
Started the day today the way I am inspired to continue every day this semester...Wake up, put the kettle on, grab my Bible & journal. It ended up being such a sweet time that made me wonder why I hadn't been doing this on a regular basis. I hope I stick to this goal!
Can't believe it's Friday already...
Yesterday I had the privilege of babysitting 2 girls who I regularly babysit. It was great fun because I spent time with the littlest one, Elle, who is in kindergarten at the park since Emmy had to do homework at home. Elle reminds me so much of me when I was little. She finds creativity and humor in everything. She's so goofy and carefree. I was entertained as I sat & watched her make an "island" in the sand bank. She grabbed a thick, little branch and placed a big, vibrant green leaf on top of it so it resembled a palm tree. She then told me she had to find the little things that fall from the trees since they look like coconuts. She eventually found a few on the ground (since we were both too short to reach the tree branches) & placed them in the sand right beneath the little palm tree she created. She was so happy to see her creation, it made me smile.
I have told a few people that God seems to use babysitting as one of the primary ways to speak the loudest to me. Some days I am reminded of how badly I desire to have a strong, faithful husband, other days it's the urge to have children & raise them up in the best way possible. Just the family unit is something that I have seen & have become passionate about.
Yesterday, I looked at Elle playing in the sand, showing me all these little things around the park & realized how wonderful it is to be a kid. Things change as you get older, but the beautiful, simple things in life should never lose their luster because they all come from God. It was honestly the highlight of my day to just be outside in the warm, breezy air, under the clear blue sky with Elle. She made me think about some of the most important things. She made me laugh. On the walk home, we talked about heaven & she surprised me with her knowledge of the topic & made me laugh even more with her quirky comments.
She taught me so much yesterday & she has no idea. I am so grateful for these opportunities.

a new semester, a new season.

So I am finishing up my first semester of senior year which is absolutely crazy to think of & about to begin my final semester of high school. Where has the time gone?! 

Speaking of time flying by, my dear friend Nathan left yesterday to return to Massachusetts. His visit went by too quickly for my liking, but I look back on his weeks here with a big smile on my face. Our coffee shop talks, our silly obsession with playing letterpress, & our late night fast food runs are just a few of our special things that make me love our friendship so much. He's a gem. & although I wish all the people I love could be with me always, I am excited & confident that this semester will be a great one for him.

Isn't it astounding how good God is? In a constantly changing world He never changes. His love never grows weary for us & He delights in us. I always wonder how He could find such delight in me, but the only reason for that is simply grace. It's His amazing grace indeed that never seizes to amaze me. Entering into this new semester, I hope to focus more on God & His faithfulness, rather than the world & it's inconsistencies. Such a better use of my time. Don't you agree? Especially since time is so precious. 

Time.

Wow. Last time I blogged it was 2012. August. Time really does fly by so quickly. Life is so unexpected!
When I wrote here in August, I was just starting out senior year; now I'm entering into my second semester, making it my very last semester of high school...absolutely surreal.

• Started my last year of high school. It's been a good, yet stressful one indeed!
• Had the best birthday experience for my 18th. 
• Did college applications. Exciting!
• Went back east in Autumn. Visited Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. Saw sweet family members and wonderful friends.
• Took my first SAT. What a headache that was. 
• Got accepted into my number one school. Feel completely blessed & undeserving. 
• Enjoyed the holidays with loved ones.

All I am left with as I look back on the happenings of my senior year so far is the reality that God is so good. I have always known that but I feel as though the older I get, the more I really come to know His goodness. I had all these dreams in my heart & now they are becoming reality. It's only because God has paved the way for these things to happen. I really feel that he planted the desires in my heart a long while ago, & after I nurtured them & fought for them to take root, He has rewarded the efforts of my selfish heart. Again, I'm entirely thankful, so unworthy. I can't believe that I get to go onto new adventures in 2013 that I only dreamed of actually accomplishing. It is definitely not due to anything that I have accomplished, it is all due to what God is planning to accomplish in me.