life lately.

i have been very busy like always & i don't even have a full-time job, unless you count doing stuff for missions. trust me - it is like a full-time job for real. emotions alone are at least part-time bc you stop thinking about everything once you fall into a deep sleep. loving those kids never stops, thinking of going there never stops, thinking of ways to change situations never stops. i am so thankful the lord called me to this bc i know i am strong enough to handle whatever comes my way- that doesn't mean its any easier. i feel like i have this extra reservoir in my body to hold all the things i can't deal with until i get home & into a hot shower. anyways, like i say in every single blog post lately- FRIDAY i will be on a plane on the way to my second home. 

gonna miss this guy being with me though. 

excited about spending some time with my sweet jj. 

also, my sister got this candle for me for my birthday & i want to go to tj max & buy all of them. 

i have had the best time with my mom these last few months, LOVE where they are in life & i am so beyond happy for them. when i think about her & her story i think of this verse

isaiah 40:31 

but they that trust upon the lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run & not grow weary: they will walk & not faint.

i never posted these but my sweet kids at CAD sent me birthday cards & i was over the moon. 

my heart exploded. 

i have been addicted too never see the end by amanda cook- her new album "brave new world" wrecks me sometimes. as i type these words i literally have tears thinking about the words to this song. 

how deep

how wide

how high 

is your love for me

i can never see the end.

you guys. how can that alone not stop you in your tracks & change your day. no matter what you are going through, no matter the circumstances, the bills, the sadness, the insecurities, your dreams being crushed, life not happening the way you imagined, NOTHING matters except him & his love for you & your love for him. 

needless to say i will be off here for a bit but i am sure i will have many stories & photos to share when i get back. 

say prayers of our team, that we open our hearts & our hands to the lords plan & that everything we do we give God all the glory. 

cheers, 

e

coffee, hold the sugar.

well today is the national day of coffee.

i got to enjoy mine with one of my favorite people in the world- tracey. she's a peach.

today is also my 2nd day of not eating sugar (minus my one cup of coffee of course) or bread.

everyone that knows me knows i have a sweet tooth & if i get a headache its more than likely from being deprived of coffee. this is something i have been wanting to do for a while, just making an effort to put less bad things in my body.

we shall see how this goes. tonight is grilled chicken & sautéed broccoli & mushrooms. gotta start somewhere right?

say a prayer for me- i leave friday night for haiti & i think i might explode from being so excited. i cannot wait to see all my kids & all my friends. 

did i mention that they sent me happy birthday pictures for my birthday?

well they did & my heart was full. 

hope you guys got to enjoy a cup of coffee with one of your favorite friends. 

cheers, 

e

who to follow for fall?

that is all in caps because i am excited. i am yelling it. i walked to the coffee shop today & i felt the breeze. i felt fall wanting to be here.  right now it is a lovely 75 in carrollton & for some reason when this weather comes around i want to pick up & go.

ok- onto something else that i love. FALL FASHION.

flannel. camo. tall boots. ankle boots. moccasins. tights. cardigans. sweaters. beanies. hats. every kind of hat you can think of. if you like to follow fashion blogs PLEASE go follow my sweetie below.

my girl jessica is major fashionista & you can follow her for all her fashion do's & dont's & she is crazy, pretty, mom of 4- 4 you guys. she is a hottie mom. she also shops for DEALS. she will bust out in old school r&b at any moment & know every single word. she will get a tattoo at the drop of the hat & she is jess all the time which i love. i know i have wrote about her all the time but she is trying to get her blog rolling so go follow & yes i have a #girlcrush

she can literally walk into a store & get offered a job right no the spot. she's that "it" mom BUT she is so humble & so giving. you guys she gave me these killer boots the other day- i felt like it was christmas.

jess- your the best. especially when you dance. 

NOW for the fun part- i have been organizing my pinterest boards. you guys know i am ocd, a little anyways. instead of just having 1 board that is for my fashion i am doing summer, fall, winter & spring. it is easier for me & for people that follow me. instead of weeding through all the photos for the season you want you just click on the one specific you are looking through. 

so  you can follow my FALL one & tell me what is your favorite look. 

bear with me while i fill it up with my favorite things. share your favorites with me too!

who are your fashion favorites? i need some inspiration to follow!

--e

well, i am 30.

time is a funny thing. one minute you are 10 riding your bike down the road & the next you are folding laundry & making breakfast for dinner.

i remember wanting to be an anthropologist, then i remember wanting to be a marine biologists, then i wanted to be a singer & travel all around the world. some things do not change & my way of changing my mind is one of them.

photo by: ashlan

i have always been a dreamer. i always knew i could just do whatever i wanted, be whoever i wanted. the only thing that really changes is the person you want to become. you grow older & with that comes wisdom. all these doors open & close at any moment in your life. life is a funny thing.

photo by: ashlan

someone asked me what my 30 year old self would tell my 20 year old self. well i have been thinking about it since it was asked & my answer is,  never doubt the lords voice.

i sit & think, if i had only listened to him- i would have never done this, or dated this person, or made this choice, or wasted time on things that do not matter.

i am blessed that i have a chance to listen again. he is always talking, but sometimes we are not ready to hear. we are not ready to make the choice to say, i hear you.

someone asked me, well do you have any regrets?

normally people would respond, no way- bc all those choices made me who i am today.

photo by- ashlan

well my answer is yes. i do have regrets. i have things i wish i had never done. choices i wish i had never made. i sit here & say if i would have listened to the lords voice all the time i would never have any regrets. i would be so much farther. i would more than likely be a better person in general. i would have been doing missions for a lot longer than i have. i would have traveled singing around the world. i would have gone to college and majored in international affairs.

regrets. i think if people are honest with themselves , we would all say yep.

i am thankful though, thankful that the lord renews us. thankful for another day to choose to say i hear you.

i made a little list of promises to myself on my 30th birthday & i haven't told anyone.. yet.

these are things i want to do different this year.

am i the only person that does this? surely not.

a. stay true to myself
b. gossip less
c. be honest, even when it is hard
d. confide in the people that truly have your best interest at heart
e. travel more
f. dance more often
g. read more of the word
h. quit ignoring the baseboards- they need to be cleaned
i. write more thank you cards, or cards in general
j. read more books
k. be more confident
l. take a lot more photos
m. make sure my kids at CAD have everything they need

do you have a list? what is something on yours? any of my people in their 30's have some wisdom?

i am officially in the next age group box.

cheers,

--e

life lately & a very fun girls night.

i have spent most of my days helping my mom with her house in which she makes me really good meals & she always has my coffee ready when i get to her house. #bestmomever

i started a photo challenge on instagram & you can follow along here

it is a really cool one & its all about celebrating life, beauty & YOU. i never do these, but i decided to do one for the month of september- my birthday month- i have found it is a really cool way to "meet" new people & find some really cool feeds to follow. 

who doesn't want to see artsy pictures of my hair on a pillow?

i have been slumming it in these shoes almost everyday. i have so many shoes but i always wear these. i scored them at target for $7!!!

i went to goodwill the other day & seriously scored a pair of donald pliner shoes for $3.99

go check out his stuff. #ifihadamilliondollars

a brand new pair of sandals that are from tj maxx for $3.99

did i ever tell you i love thrifting?

 you can find my cold brew coffee post here- i made another batch this month for cory & it has been saving us some money!!

cory's sister, jenny, came over last saturday & held her first trunk show for noonday collection

let. me. just. tell. you. looking at their catalog is dangerous! everything they have i love & i cannot wait to get the bracelet i ordered. i love buying things that serve a double purpose. this company is amazing & what they do really pulls on my heart strings. please go look- you will fall in love & i promise you will find something perfect for you or someone you love!

Noonday Collection is a business that uses fashion
to create meaningful opportunities around the world.

                                                             i ordered THIS bracelet. 

so. stinkin. pretty. 

this sweet man of mine has been working so hard, working so many jobs to provide for us & i got him to myself for 5 days! that is like a record unless we are on vacation. i love him so much & i am so very thankful for everything he does & everything that he is. 

last night my friend jessica & her friend lillie went out for a night on the town. that is the saying right?

we went to dinner at the irish pub & then went to get a tattoo at skinwerks

you guys. i had so much fun. my cheeks were hurting from laughing & it so nice to be around people where you don't have to "try" you can just be you & everything is like magic. 

these pretty girls. 

jessica asked me to look sexy & this is what she got. 

however, i hate side profile pictures of me & jessica actually took one i like! i think this means we are meant to be best friends. 

                                                          Psalm 18:33

                                   he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

                                     he causes me to stand on the heights. 

up close. 

i love this girl. jessica is one of a kind. it is so freakin funny how things happen. i don't think its by chance, i think the lord sets things into motion from the very beginning. 

funny story: she was my husbands first kiss. he was in 5th grade & she was a little older & during a pretty intense game of spin the bottle his lips landing either on her nose or chin. so we were probably destined to be friends. the devil really did try to keep us apart- i listened to whispers in my ear about this girl & because i trusted that someone i believed them- wrong move-- side note: make up your own minds about people, don't let someone else opinion of someone keep you from something great. 

every time i would see her at a birthday party or a baby shower (she throws the best) (i have already told my mom for my baby shower its up to her & jessica) we would laugh & have the best time. i would always think to myself hmm.. she isn't at all what i have heard of her, she is so down to earth & so caring & one of the funniest people i know. when someone has character they are the same around every person- those are the good ones you guys, & how they live speaks for itself.  you ever meet those people & you think THIS person is good. THIS person is genuine. THIS person is an overcomer. then you have this moment where you say to yourself wow, i have the opportunity to have a person like this in my life that i can learn so much from but what can i give to them? well, i can give her my time, time to laugh. time to pray, time to get tattoos, time to bring her a donut from lamars,  time to be an encourager. so thats what this little part of the blog is for. so jessica if you are reading, which you probably are because i told you too, be encouraged. YOU are an overcomer & every. single. thing that the devil has stolen from you. every. single moment will be giving back above & beyond what you could expect & when you feel like you are at the end of your rope always remember. 

 ISAIAH 41:13- FOR I AM THE LORD, YOUR GOD, WHO TAKES HOLD OF YOUR RIGHT HAND AND SAYS TO YOU, DO NOT FEAR; I WILL HELP YOU. 

lord sometimes life throws us curve balls & we are left standing wondering what in the world happened. why is this happening to me? what is the point? why are you doing this? we blame you. we need someone to blame to take some of the burden off of our hearts. help us to come to you open arms & just surrender. help us to lay all of the pain & questions at your feet & say lord, whatever the devil has planned your plan is greater. give us strength to face every day. give us strength to forgive those who have wronged us. give us peace to not care what others are thinking. help us remember your word when thoughts come in our minds that are not of you. give us joy in sadness. give us peace when we worry about finances or how things are going to work out. we know that when we are at the end of our rope you are always there to pick us up & give us the strength to trust you & know YOU are always on our side. 

Matthew 6:25-34

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

i love you girl & i am always a phone call away. know you are surrounded by people who love you & are praying for you. 

--e