knowledge

What do you do when you are made aware?

When you have seen first hand that extreme poverty exists?


May I always remember what I have been privileged to see.

chattahoochie.

i had fun this weekend.

the end.

just so cute.

i would not mind doing the robinson crusoe thing if it was in this tree house.

i just love this picture. i just think it's sweet.
one day.






i'm not sure even what to say about this house. "in the middle of nowhere" is to the extreme when describing the location of this home.

decisions. decisions.

remember me talking about the adventure that i am going on in january? yeah...i'm not going and yeah, it sucks pretty bad. my life and mind set have been leading up to this point but my obedience to the Lord is more important than any "plans" that i have for myself. with no doubt in my mind, i know that God was calling me to this journey but for a lot of reasons, i had to be obedient and walk away.

a few posts ago i wrote this:

.....make a commitment to live life experiencing the things that God has for us to experience. He has that plan for my life which day by day, i am learning and growing to become the person that is needed for the next step. who knows what these next months will prove to be but i know that my life has purpose and intentional love. His love.

just trusting that this experience is a part of the process that is making me into the person for the next experience.

growing up is hard. can i stop now?
to be honest, some days i want to cry and crawl in my bed with brinkley and never leave. other days i am ready to conquer the world!

in the end, i can truly say, that it is still very much well with my soul.

love.

p.s. i LOVE this tent

max patch.

this past weekend we packed our "gear" and headed towards north carolina to the beloved max de patch for an overnight backpacking trip. seriously has to be one of the best weekends i have had in a while.

what could be more perfect than the being surrounded by such sweet, beautiful friends and the gorgeous work of the Creator? to answer that question, nothing.

the group.

hope everyone had a great weekend this past weekend!

s.t.o.r.ms.

here is what is going on right now.

there is tornado coming.
i hate tornadoes.
mostly because i don't like the idea of my loved ones being sucked into a vortex.
if you do, then you are a sick sick person.
just kidding but kind of serious...seriously sick.

my boss just asked me to be a sales person over the phone.
i don't like to be yelled at.
this is going to be a long long road ahead.


there is something wrong with the fact that it is october 26th and 80 degrees outside.
hello fall. did you change your name to spring?
i like the old name better.
please act like fall again.

i feel like models always look so mad.
why?
you get paid all this money to wear great clothes.
WTF why the face?

halloween this weekend.
and then....
dun dun dun
MUMFORD AND SONS CONCERT!!
i have been waiting so long.
epic.

i enjoy this outfit.

and the braided headband.

this is an adult outfit. i LOVE it but i'm not quit there yet.
maybe one day when i'm 30. or 23.
i should be in new york with this outfit on.

We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate. The real labor is to remember to attend. In fact, to come awake. Still more, to remain awake.
C.S. Lewis

I still believe that even in the midst of sin that seems to be rampaging through this world, there is still good and God is still in control. He calls all of us to be that good. It takes practice and we aren't good at it but we work towards the good. I'm convinced that there is more good than there is bad, we just are more awakened by the bad.

3.5 Months

Anything worth while in this life has to be a little scary, right? Right.

My only option that I will allow myself is to be trusting. Still scared, nervous, excited, hanging on the edge of my seat with anticipation but most of all, trusting.

And no, 3.5 is not how many months I am pregnant. Just in case that is where your mind went.

Love.

everyday, this makes me laugh

oh lynne.

i love my mother.

thanks for always making me laugh.

i like...

i wish i was here. the water is the PERFECT shade of blue.



correction, i love this. i have a picture just like it of my sister and i when she was born. i'm glad we are still friends.



here is another hidden room. i seriously want one of these in my house someday.



seattle is approaching fast. i can't believe it is already here. i really love this city. this is an all girls trip for us which is good but i do wish my dad could come. my cousin is getting married which will no doubt be such a sweet wedding.

love.

Adventure.Adventure.

my desire is to be everyone and everything. what i mean is, i want to do so many things in my life but i'm not sure if there is enough life to do them all. i know people say this a lot but it is really important for my life to actually mean something. like at the end, when the day has come to meet the Lord, i want to say that i have lived this life He has given me up.

currently, i want to marry a rancher, live in montana and work on a ranch with my manly rancher husband. wouldn't that be fun? to any of you who are reading this and who know me personally, that may seem a little random. i have always wanted to visit montana and i am convinced there is an endless supply of hunky manly men with glorious beards to satisfy my desire. i will find one that is the right one and we will be married. while that may never happen and i'm banking on the fact that will not be a part of my future, God does tend to love surprising me. so we will see.

in january i will be living my dream that i have had for so long. living around the world for 11 months which is not a bad start to the post college bucket list that i have.

well, i don't actually have one written down but it is definitely in my mind swirling around with the rest of the things that i dream about doing.

the moral of the story is there needs to be a point to all this, to life. Jesus is my point and i'm living everyday to keep in mind that i have a race to run and a life filled with the love that He has given me. that is the whole point. i don't want to waste it waiting around but make a commitment to live life experiencing the things that God has for us to experience. He has that plan for my life which day by day, i am learning and growing to become the person that is needed for the next step. who know what these next months will prove to be but i know that my life has purpose and intentional love. His love.

never look back on your life with regret. the decisions that we make will grow us to be who we are presently and in the future. there are mistakes that will inevitably happen but that is the beauty of life. with mistakes there is grace.

love.

friends.

recently it has been so hot here. this is the second day where it will reach 100 degrees! that's right, i said it, 100 degrees! unbearable but this is the first time i will say that i am glad i will be indoors all day.

this past weekend was a lot of fun. first, we went to a sounds game in nashville which i don't really care anything about baseball. i really went because i LOVE hanging out with the friends. after that we just piddled around nashville until late and headed back towards the boro. you know that feeling when you have been on vacation or just out of town all day but the feeling of being in your own bed is one of the best. maybe it's just me, i'm not sure.

saturday, we woke up and headed back to nashville to partake in a hillsboro village legacy. pancake pantry. i had the caribbean pancakes which are a.mazing. then the bestie's birhtday was that day so we headed to arrington vinyards for some chill time and hopeful wine tasting. the wine tasting didn't happen but it is absolutely beautiful up there.



these are the two best friends i've for as long as i can remember. aren't they beautiful? i think so.



the sis and sweet amber

have a lovely day!

My Father Who Is Mighty With His Love

This is my from my friends The Chances who said it best about the amazing God we serve. Who no matter what, is a good and gracious God. My cup overflows with the love and desire He has for me. Without it, I would be truly lost...

Thanks for the encouragement!

"Our God is so good, even in the midst of tragedy. Our God is good when we are overjoyed. Our God is good when we have no idea ‘what we are going to do with our lives’. Our God is good when He gives us an overwhelming peace about a major decision we are facing. Our God is good when He seems to be utterly silent, even though we hound Him for answers or direction. Our God is good when we hate our jobs. Our God is good when we love our jobs. Our God is good when we can’t find a job. Our God is good."

big big big news!

well, it has been official but i will be without a home for 11 months starting in January. I must add that this is by my own decision that is quit exciting! I will traveling for 11 months to 11 different countries doing ministry all throughout each country. Yet again, God takes a dream and a desire that I have had and times it by a billion. My favorite thing to do is serve and I love to do that in any way I can! The joy that fills my heart when I think about this amazing opportunity that I don't deserve, is indescribable. A friend of mine will be going as well which is such a blessing to have someone to experience this craziness together. So the countries are already picked and I couldn't be me more giddy about the places I will be journeying though!!! These are the first things that come to my mind when I think about these countries.

India:Slumdog Millionaire
Nepal:Amisha
Indonesia:River Monsters!
Malaysia:Adventure
Australia:Aborigine
South Africa:Nelson Mandela
Mozambique:Love
Swaziland:Lovex2
Ukraine:Babushkas
Romania:Gypsies
Ireland:Indescribable Beauty

My prayer is that I will be used in ways that I can not even describe. I don't have any expectations nor do I want to form any. This is the journey that I have been preparing and dreaming about. My mom gave me a bracelet for my graduation that said, "Embrace the Journey". That pretty much explains everything and that is what I'm doing. I had been so confused and frustrated but now everything is clear and better than I ever could have imagined.

On another note:

Corinne Bailey Rae has to be the cutest girl. Don't you think? She is perfect for the summer time playlist. Her hair in this picture is way too cute. If you haven't listened to her, I would recommend that you would. You won't be disappointed!



Everyone have a beautiful weekend. Tomorrow I'm going to Arrington Vineyards for my bestie's birthday. I have never been so it should be a lot of fun!


love.

To the Market I Go

I think the mundane of life is catching up to me. I move out of my house at the end of July and I have mixed emotions. I'm really sad that I won't be living with my sweet roommates whom I really like but it will be nice to be at home and be with my parents. I really like them as well. I go to Seattle at the end of August for my cousin's wedding which I CAN NOT WAIT FOR! I love that city and the so many things that it has to offer. It will also be good to be with my family before I leave.

I think family is an important thing, don't you? Good, I thought you would agree.

This Saturday marks the first Farmers Market of the summer. I.am.so.excited! It will be great and I hope tomorrow is a good day to ride my bike downtown to the square. GREAT!

Biking Potential

Biking is my new interest. I have been so jealous of the adventures that I have heard people go on when going biking. Doesn't a nice 35 mile bike ride sound great? In my head, it definitely does but that is completely different then how my butt will feel after that long of a ride. I don't know but there is no harm in trying.

I told my mom the other day that I was interested in biking. She then proceeded to tell me this horror story of a man that my uncle is friends with who got in this horrible bike wreck. He blacked out and ended up in UT Knox hospital. "Thanks Mom" but I am still going to press on with my potential passion for bike riding. I'm glad she cares.

Friday is here and I couldn't be happier. This whole responsibility thing is not that fun but at least I'm not stressing over finals like I would have been this time last year.




I think this is so fun! When I saw this, I immediately thought of all the awesome things I could do.

Lately I have been feeling stuck. My whole life I dreamed about the day where I could move off to another land and soak up all the culture that they had to offer. Well...almost all the culture, I have limitations. Anyways, so I get to a point where I could possibly do that and now I am so scared to jump. The anticipation has been brewing inside me for years and now it is that point to make a decision and I have been avoiding it. Today is the day where I start making decisions and over looking the nerves that have hindered me and backing my words up with some action.

Now I just need to narrow down to a focused point and attack!

I want to do this with my hair. That may happen in the near future.



I have to say, I have the greatest friends!

Back in 5 days.

My plans for the next 5 days minus the surfing but I'm not opposed to trying.





P.S. I love this guy's photography.

The Best Thing About Summer

For me, the best thing about summer are dresses. The easy decision making on what to wear for the day. I have already been looking around for my first spring/summer dress purchase and options are never the problem. Money is.

I like this..a lot and it has pockets!



I also would like this, please.


Have a great Friday and weekend!
Off to Florida for a few days which I am so excited about!

Love.

So Ugly It's Cute.

Isn't this the uglist/cutest dog you've ever seen? I hope someone rescued him/her (can't remember which). This was the day that Rach and I went to play with the dogs.

Ah! Spring soon!

Cold < Warm

I want to be here. right now.

fast forward to about two months.

Two Influences

When trying to figure out the name of this blog, I was really stumped as to what I should call it. After all, this is the first thing people are going to see when they first click on the link. So, I picked the names of the two people that have directly influenced my life. I have a close connection to my grandmother, Gypsy (How cool is the name Gypsy?) because she is the woman that I am most like, both in looks and in action. I feel it a privilege to say that because she was a truly remarkable woman but not ordinary which is the best attribute a person can have. Who wants to be ordinary anyways? Not me.


My other grandmother, Kathleen is someone that I was blessed to know on a more personal/friendship level. When I went to Africa a few years ago, she was my biggest cheerleader. She always encouraged me with what I felt like God was calling me to do. I miss her everyday as well as my other grandmother, Gypsy.

I don't have pictures to upload right now but those will be coming shortly.

Love.