My 16 Favorite Photos from 2016

Something is going wrong with my blog layout and I can't quite figure it out, so please bear with me as I continue fiddling with it. (If anyone out there is display/HTML savvy, I would love some advice!) --- Hey y'all! You may have noticed some extreme silence in this little corner of the internet lately. I've been settling into life in Connecticut and everything that goes along with it and decided that I should try to get a comfortable hold on the new job, new home, new life, etc. and all of my energies have been geared toward that. I'm not going to pretend like I have this brilliant new life balance where all is mastered and I can easily add on more tasks, but I have been feeling a desire...

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September Goals

Hello September! Today marks the official beginning of our school year and I am SO excited! Growing up I was always that nerdy kid who loved the first day of school. For me learning has always been a ton of fun! Plus, new school years meant new, crisp, clean school supplies. ...I'm a nerd. I know it. I've accepted it. I embrace it. Anywhoo, this school year has me particularly excited because it's my first as an educator rather than a student. I can't wait to see what my kids learn and what I learn from them. It's going to be a good year :) An ending of August means a new set of monthly goals and aspirations. But before I talk about what I hope to accomplish this month, let's have a look...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 26

Slowly but surely I am settling in to life here on the East Coast. It is definitely different than California, but it has been good so far. As I reflect on this past week (though I may be meshing two into one - it's been a lot of transition/processing haha) I am overcome by the beautiful experiences of grace and hospitality that have been extended in this new, remarkable place. This week I am thankful for: 1. Small Worlds On my first day of work I met a colleague whose daughter went to undergrad at my school. I asked her name - partly to be polite and partly because the school is small enough that I could have known her - and it turns out I knew exactly who she was! Between my being sick...

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Mini Life Update

Hello friends! So sorry for the radio silence lately, but boy have I been busy. Last week I packed up and officially moved to Connecticut for my new job. My apartment wasn't ready until a few days beyond my first day of work so I spent a few days in limbo at a hotel, but Thursday I signed my lease and began settling into my first apartment! I don't have a lot of furniture yet (it's making its way slowly but surely) but that's made deep cleaning and organizing what I do have easier. I'm also waiting patiently for wifi which won't be installed until Wednesday - womp womp. Oh well. It gave me a big push to find a local coffee shop in my new neighborhood to get some work done. Caffeine has...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 25

Only a short time home this summer means filling my days with fun and friends which means it was hard to choose just 5 moments of joy this week - the best kind of dilemma if you ask me. I'm soaking in this precious time off and trying to do just about as much as possible before the big move this weekend. 1. Road Trip My plan for moving to Connecticut included staying with a friend of a friend for a week or so while I searched for housing. Unfortunately, they didn't have the space for me until a few weeks after I already had to be in town for work so I had to make new arangements quickly. Luckily, I have amazing friends who are willing to road trip last minute with me in search of housing....

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2016 Summer Reads

As I mentioned in my "Oh Hey There"-sorry-I've-been-MIA-post, I have read a decent amount this summer. Not a ton as I am still easing my way back into an understanding of "reading for fun" or what I used to call "normal" before graduate school, but a good amount. Gosh I missed just picking up a book for pleasure and getting lost into the words... I digress. Anyways, I thought that I would share which books I've picked up in the last month or so and see what you all are reading. (--In the order that they were read--) 1.) Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting and Got a Life by Kelsey Miller - Great read. As someone who has struggled with disordered eating for years, I resonated a lot...

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August Goals

And so continues the catch-up phase of my break from blogging. There isn't much point in recapping my May goals (though I would like to note that I rocked them) so let's just jump right in to the goals I'm setting for this beautiful month of transitions. 1. Complete the Chaplet a Day Challenge via The Living Person - If you're interested to learn more, check out TLP's website (here)! I've already agreed to be an accountability buddy for a number of friends and would love to add you to the list if you're interested! 2. Find an apartment - Pretty self explanatory. My original CT housing plans fell through so it's go-go-go time over here! 3. Move in to said apartment and have at least one...

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Oh Hey There

Hello dear friends! It has been far too long since I've written here, but sometimes life just gets busy, ya know? There were definitely a few times where I thought I should/could post something, but overall having a bit of a break was good for me in a season of transitions. I have definitely missed writing, sharing and talking with y'all though, and it feels good to be back :) What all has happened since I last posted in May? So much. Lots of change. Lots of movement. Lots of good. I graduated with my Master of Divinity road tripped from California back to Ohio got a big kid job which has me so incredibly excited it's ridiculous and will be moving to Connecticut for said job in the...

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Product Review: MAKE Beauty Lipstick and Eyeshadow

One of my favorite parts of the blogging community is learning about new products and companies and being encouraged to give them a try. I'm still pretty uneducated about the fancier sides of makeup - contouring, highlighting, and all of that jazz - but two products I am familiar with (and also pretty picky with) are lipstick and eyeshadow. So, when MAKE Beauty graciously presented an opportunity to be apart of the #MakeYourself beauty campaign, I was happy to try out two of their products. First up is the Silk Cream Lipstick in Taffy Pro: Color and Texture I think it was about a year ago that I began to wear lipstick somewhat regularly and in that year I have become a bit of...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 24

Another week has come and gone and honestly, I am just trying to soak in as much time here at school as I can manage. It's amazing to see how much one place can impact you in such a short period of time. It's only been three years and I can clearly see the difference between myself when I began my degree and myself now, just over a week away from being finished. But yes, I am ready to be done and to move on to whatever this next stage in life will be... 1) I passed comps! 3 years of studying apparently paid off because I passed my oral comprehensive exams last week and will officially be graduating on May 21. I feel so much lighter, but still don't quite know that I believe it has happened....

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 23

Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope that your week is off to a beautiful start! Mondays are my day off, so yesterday was a nice combination of relaxing and productive - though it could have been more of the latter haha I think I might finally be getting back into the rhythm of regular blogging and I'm pretty jazzed about it. I've missed writing down thoughts and ideas and sharing with you all. Per usual, the beginning of the week means the 5 Weekly Graces post where I round up five moments from last week where I noticed some good in my life. As you will see, last week was lovely :) 1. Walks with Friends On Saturday my roommate and I took a walk to the Berkeley Rose Garden which is blooming...

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April Budget

Normally I have my monthly budget post ready and waiting for Fran's link-up, but this month I'm a few days late. That's ok though, I still have lots of fun things added to my wardrobe this month and I'm excited to share them with y'all! The majority of my additions are from an Instagram give-away that I won near the end of March, so I'll save those gifted items for the end of the post. As far as purchases, I stuck to some basics using credit card reward points I had saved up. I've been in the market for a pair of lighter washed jeans and found a pair at Old Navy that I love as well as a classic, striped top that I have been wearing non stop. I also ended up buying another white cami from...

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May Goals

Holy moly, it's May already! The end of the school year is so close which is great in just about every way except for those final papers and projects just waiting to be finished... I have a feeling this month will be just as full as the last, so I'm going to be realistic and do another round of short, but sweet goals. This way I can give myself some space to breathe as I prepare for whatever comes after graduation - Apparently I am finally learning the value of self-care. Who would have thought? ;) Here are 5 things I hope to accomplish in May: 1) Pass comps - Last month we had our two days of written exams and this month we will defend what we wrote. My oral exam is on May 4th....

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 22

So comprehensive exams might have pushed me into hiding for the past few weeks... I had originally hoped to at least keep up with the weekly grace posts, but clearly that did not happen. A huge thanks for all of you patience, love and support! It's good to have some space to begin writing again and I even have a few posts that were queued up but I never put finishing touches on, so there should be some more posts on the way! Because I have skipped the past few weeks, this edition of 5 Weekly Graces is probably going to cover more than just last week. #sorrynotsorry Also, I'm pretty sure all of these moments will have something to do with comps... it was kind of a big deal haha 1) Comps! On...

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April Goals

Good golly, where did March go?! I cannot believe that it is already April! My blog will turn 1 this month which is super exciting, but I also have comprehensive exams which is not the most exciting thing... Last month's goals were hit and miss. I would say that I accomplished at least part of all of them which is pretty good. To be fair, I am also being pretty lenient with myself - ok, very lenient. This month I am going to keep the goals short and sweet simply because I am going to be SWAMPED with comps prep and interviews along with everything else. Here are three things I hope to accomplish in April: 1) Make it through written comps - thoughts and prayers on April 21 and...

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March Budget

My goal for Lent this year was to focus on being in solidarity with the poor and marginalized in our world and one of the few ways I did so was by being more intentional about my spending. My aim was to refrain from purchasing any clothing, jewelry, shoes, etc unless I knew the product was ethically traded. While I know that not all of my future purchases will be Fair Trade, after these 40 days, I am definitely more committed to intentionality and awareness when it comes to my shopping patterns and how they affect the world. The only thing that I purchased prior to Easter this past Sunday was this gorgeous pair of beaded earrings that I picked up while on immersion with students in Los Angeles....

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Happy Easter

To those who celebrate, wishing you a very blessed Easter! May all of your days be filled with joy, laughter and lots of love. Christ is risen, hallelujah! Peace, Sa...

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Product Review: Royal Rose Hydrating Serum

When I was presented with the opportunity to review the Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. I've used moisturizers and eye creams, but have never tried a hydrating serum and honestly was not even sure what that meant. Basically, this is a product that is meant to increase moisture in your skin while calming it at the same time. It is made to moisturize, nourish dry skin, smooth skin and also boost radiance. I've only been using the hydrating serum for about a week now and I honestly notice a significant difference in the softness of my face - and my skin is soft to begin with! I want to say there is an increase in smoothness as well, but think I...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 21

I'm going to keep this short and sweet because I am currently on an immersion with students for the week and have limited internet access and only my phone to use it. 1. My mom No particular reason. We had a lovely phone call this past week and I've been noticing a deep sense of gratitude for my mom coming about a lot in prayer lately. She's pretty rad.  2. Roommates I had to share some difficult news with my roommates and was honestly quite nervous to do so. Long story short, what I shared was very well received and I'm incredibly grateful for that.  3. Immersion Time!               I'm currently in East LA spending the...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 20

Not gonna lie friends, I am stressed to the max currently and just holding my breath hoping things calm down and I can relax. We shall see. But despite all of the anxiety (and the fact that I am 3/4 days late posting this) I still wanted to share some grace found in last week - especially because turning my focus to the positive in my life usually helps calm me down. 1 - Support of Friends Last week I found out that my contact who was responsible for creating the agenda for my students' immersion trip this coming week did not have much on the schedule which meant I had about a week and a half to pull together nearly an entire week's worth of organizations to work with and things to do....

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Reflections on Reconciliation

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#28 Go to Disneyland

I have lived in California for the past 3 years and still hadn't been to Disneyland. To be fair, it's about a 6 hour car ride so I haven't exactly had countless opportunity to go. So, when you are in Anaheim for a conference and your hotel is literally right behind Disneyland, you have to visit. Right?! After a lot of back and forth of whether or not to go, I finally decided last minute that the conference would be a great opportunity to cross Disneyland off of my 101 in 1001. RE Congress is literally next door to the parks and I probably won't be in California after graduation, so I knew I had to go at least once. Ticket prices are a little ridiculous, but the conference...

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5 Weekly Graces Vol. 19

As the month of March begins, I am flooded by lists of projects, papers, applications and things that need to be done. I'm in the home stretch of my degree and pushing with all of my might to cross that finish line so that I can finally be out in the real world working and doing what I love - not that I don't love school and learning. Amidst the list of 1,000 things that need to be done, there were so many moments of pure joy this last week that my heart is still beaming. 1) Life-Size Hungry Hungry Hippos You read that correctly friends. For our student leader meeting last week we hosted an hour of friendly competition between the winter and spring coordinators. For our final game...

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