My 15 Favorite Photos From 2015

I love taking photos. I love the ability a picture has to take you back in time to a place or moment. I love the different ways you can capture light and color. I love the amount of emotion photos can encapsulate. I love the stories they tell. And I could keep going on and on about my love for photography. So, rather than write a traditional list of memories from 2015 (or perhaps in addition to - I haven't quite decided...) I wanted to share some of them via photo. And though a picture is worth a thousand words, below I included brief explanations for each image if you were curious to know more. Row 1: Last January I traveled to South Korea to visit an old roommate who...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 10

Joy to the world friends! Christmas this year has been extra merry and filled with love. In fact, last week was so joyful that I had a tough time choosing only 5 moments of grace - what a great problem to have! As the Christmas celebration continues, I am very excited for more time with loved ones and relaxation. 1) Christmas Our Christmas traditions pretty basic, but I always look forward to the time with family. On Christmas Eve we gather at my grandma's house for a light dinner and share gifts with the extended family. Then on Christmas day I go to mass with my grandma and then we head to dinner at my aunt and uncle's house (basically a second Thanksgiving). Nothing fancy, but now...

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December Budget

I'm a few days late, but for those who celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a very merry one! I intentionally took a few days off from blogging to be more present to family and friends and boy was it lovely. Being home has been so much fun and other than the lack of snow (get it together Ohio!) this Christmas break has been top-notch -- more on that and a few other new projects I'm working on later this week. Today I am linking up with Fran over at Franish in December's Monthly Budget Review. 1. Old Navy Black Sueded Dressy Ankle Booties - $42.94 (40% off + 10% off) $23.19... ...but, I had $25 in rewards, so I added a pair of fuzzy fox socks and paid $0.97 for the two! They're sold...

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How To Make A Latte - At Home!

Y'all I spend way to much on coffee at Starbucks, Peet's, and just about every other coffee shop out there #caffeinaddict. And apart from the seasonal fancy-drink (I'm looking at you PSL), I typically just order a plain latte which is really just espresso and milk. Cheaper than many options, yes, but still overpriced and those cups add up! I was talking about this to a friend of mine and she told me a secret that has since blown my mind and saved me money. You can make a latte at home - without a fancy machine! And it is incredibly easy! Begin by brewing your espresso - or really strong coffee if you're like me and don't have an espresso maker (though then it's technically...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 9

Hello friends! I hope you all had incredible weekends and that this week is already looking amazing. (Before I forget, today is the last day to enter the Rooney and Renee Disney T-Shirt Giveaway, so if you're interested in winning a great, Disney inspired T-shirt, be sure to enter!) Last week was a whirlwind of preparations for the end of the semester and the holidays. It was fairly stressful, but everything fell into place and now I am peacefully writing this post at my grandma's house, enjoying tiny bits of snow and lots of Christmas lights and decorations. And now that I've had a moment to sit down, relax, and reflect on the week, I am so incredibly grateful for all of the wonderful things...

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A Meaningful Holiday Gift Guide

Can you believe there are only 6 days until Christmas?! That's right, 6. Less than a week! And if you're anything like me, you probably still have a lot that needs to get done. A few of my friends from college organized a challenge through The Living Person inviting everyone to have all of their shopping and wrapping done 10 days before Christmas in order to be present during the holiday. But between traveling home to Ohio and finals week, there was no way I was going to have it done. Plus, the majority of my gifts are cards with IOU's (the classiest of course) until I get back from my trip to the Holy Land - only just over 2 weeks until we leave!!! - and that just seemed like cheating. So...

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Don't Just Fly, Soar! - And a Give Away!!

Like many of you, I am a Disney fanatic. I have used precious memory space on way to many quotes and songs from countless Disney films and always find joy and laughter while watching them. I've also found an appreciation for some of the references to pop culture or other jokes that were completely over my head as a child. There's always something new to catch and I love it! So, when I was presented with the chance to try out one of Rooney and Renee's new Disney themed tees, I was thrilled to say yes! Rooney and Renee's store has lots of cute tops for both him and her! I selected the "Don't Just Fly" tee in light grey mainly because I absolutely love Dumbo, but...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 8

Yesterday marked the half-way point in the Advent Season, Gaudete Sunday (one of my favorites). This is a day where we are called to pause for a moment in our Advent waiting and penance and be joyful, remembering the love of God and all that God has done and continues to do for us. As I wrote this post and reflected on the good in my life last week, I made sure to search for the joy. There is so much negative in the world that could put us in a slump of despair, but there's also so much joy to be found! And though sometimes it is hard to seek out that joy, when it is found it helps create a whole new outlook and positive perspective. Gaudete Sunday has once again come and gone, but I hope...

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Product Review: Oz Naturals Matrix 6 Bright Eye-Gel

I naturally have really dark circles under my eyes. I inherited them from my grandfather, and even if I am very well rested, I still look like I'm running on low sleep. Throw in an actual lack of sleep and a bit of aging, and well, it's not a pretty sight. At first, I thought the solution to my problem would be a good concealer. I only just recently began really wearing makeup and still keep it pretty minimal, so I decided to ask a cosmetologist about the dark circles and what could be done. Her immediate question was if I used an eye cream. Eye cream? "My mom wears eye cream..." I thought to myself. Surely I am too young to wear eye cream! But knowing that I should leave anything...

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Peace Be With You

Peace I leave you, my peace I give you... I need peace. We need peace. Our world needs peace. This week's prompt for the #BISSisterhood is, you guessed it, peace. Normally to prepare for these posts, I look up the prompt about before the post date and spend about a week praying about what to write. There have been prompts where I've know immediately what I will share, and others where I've worried nothing will come in time. But it always does. Yet on this topic of peace, I remain speechless. It's not that I have no thoughts about the subject. I've written, reflected, and given talks about it numerous times. I have notes on inspiring workers for peace, marked scriptures illuminating...

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From That To This: Christmas Cookies

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted a recipe here on the blog! I have still been working on my culinary skills, I promise. I just apparently haven't taken the time to document any of them. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, last Wednesday I was graced with a bit of free time and decided to bake some cookies to share with my students. I may or may not have watched a cheesy Christmas movie via Netflix while doing so... When I was growing up, one of my favorite things to do around Christmas time was bake cookies with my grandma. Each year she made trays upon trays of different, delicious cookies ranging from mini pecan tarts to "snowballs". Now that she's a bit older she doesn't...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 7

Happy second week of Advent friends! My week was full of joy and friendship. We even had some cool weather that was perfect for sweaters, scarves and boots - my favorite! I had a few presentations to prep for this week, which is why this post is up a little late. Gotta love grad school, am I right? But one of them is done (I literally just presented) and the other will be done by tomorrow night. So. Close. Like usual, Monday means a recap of some awesome moments of goodness I've been reflecting on from last week. There's an added bonus (cough* cough *giveaway!) at the end of this post so make sure you read (or at least scroll) to the end. 1.) Good Conversation and Friendship Staying...

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And So, We Hope.

I worry that I'm becoming jaded. Okay, I worry about a lot of things, but lately this one has been at the front of my mind. There's so much injustice in our world. So much violence. So much poverty. So much hatred. There's just so much. And sometimes it feels like it's too much. Too much to handle. Too much to fix. Too much to ever actually change. Oh how I miss the days when I was bright-eyed,  and overly optimistic - ready and willing to go out into the world and make a difference. But as I grow older and witness more tragedy, more pain, more injustice, I sometimes feel that optimism shrinking... And yet (thankfully) every time I think I've reached that point of no return, there...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 6

Happy December! Normally I post my round-up of blessings on Mondays, but because Fran's budget link-up was on Monday this month, I shifted this to Tuesday. Hooray for not having to adhere to a strict blogging schedule ;) As I have been writing these weekly posts I am definitely noticing more consciously just how fortunate and blessed I am. Yes, I sometimes have to think a little harder for that 4th or 5th grace, but that forces me to take another few minutes of prayer and contemplation which always reveals more beautiful moments from my week. Do you have any routines of reflecting on the good in your day? 1. Let's start with the obvious from this week: my mom's visit. It was such a...

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November Budget

Happy Monday friends! I hope your weeks are off to a stellar start!  Can you believe that November is basically over? My roommate made the comment that it seems like we just blinked and the month was gone! And it's so true! What is it that always makes November fly by so quickly? With the end of the month comes Fran's Budget Link-Up which is always a ton of fun. I made a few more purchases this month than in the past few and I'm pretty happy with the pieces.  1) Old Navy Light Weight V-Neck Sweater -  ($26.94) $7.54 Very comfortable, but also cut very large. Definitely consider going down a size. 2) Gap Factory Always Skinny Jeans - ($59.99)...

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Let the Advent-ures Begin!

Happy first day of Advent, friends! I hope you all had a restful Thanksgiving weekend filled with joy! For those of you who haven't heard of Advent, in the Catholic Church it marks a season of waiting - waiting for Christ to come. (It is also celebrated in other Christian traditions, but I am not sure if all of the symbolism matches across the board, so I will only directly be speaking to the Catholic tradition. I'd love to learn more if any of y'all care to share!) Advent begins on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Andrew (Nov. 30) and lasts for four Sundays. During Advent, we prepare ourselves for the arrival of our Savior on Christmas.   As I mentioned in my recent...

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Small Business Saturday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are some of the most known shopping days of the year, but there is another Thanksgiving weekend holiday that you may not have heard of: Small Business Saturday. There are so many reasons why it is a good idea to support small businesses in your neighborhood - and it can go beyond just buying food locally (though I do love me a good farmer's market)! Here are just a few I can think of off the top of my head: 1) It boosts your local economy. 2) You often have a better idea of exactly where the money you are spending is going - especially if the store carries fair trade items. 3) It's a great way to build community. You'll often meet the owner of...

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you and all of your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope your days are filled with love and gratitude. (And lots of delicious food!) Today I am grateful for family and friends - for the grace of God and endless mercy - for laughter, for joy, for lessons and for time. I'm grateful for the beauty of creation and the warmth of a kind hello - for all of those working for justice in our world and for the gift of inspiration. I have been blessed with so many moments of love this year and it's such a treasure to be able to gather with those I hold dear and reflect on how we have grown this year and where we've noticed the unending love of God. May we hold on to this grace of gratitude...

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Thankful

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. There is something incredibly beautiful about gathering as friends and family to share moments of gratitude, big and small. This year I am grateful to have my mom visiting me in California. I haven't celebrated a Thanksgiving with family since 2011, so her presence will be such a blessing. Our plans aren't completely sorted out yet (thank you giant research paper), but there will definitely be mass and dinner with friends. If you read my blog somewhat regularly, you know that I like to start each week with a thankful heart by recording 5 Weekly Graces. Remembering to be grateful helps me to stay focused on the beauty in my life that...

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