quiet reminders.

i am sitting here in my dorm room. all my roommates are gone, and it's just me. the only noise is coming from our air conditioner, me typing away on my key board, and the random people occasionally in the hallway. i am reminded in this quiet time in the midst of the busyness of college life, that i need to take more moments like this to breathe. i need to take moments like this and meditate more on God and what He has done for me. i have amazing friends, i go to a great college, i have a wonderful family back home {who i miss a lot}, i'm getting a great education, and my God is in complete control of absolutely everything! that alone should give me a reason to take more moments to breathe. why? because i don't have to worry about anything. my God is in complete control. He knows everything i need, when i need it, how i need it, and it's all part of His perfect plan for my life! that just amazes me.

{christmas lights hanging in our room} :)

college life is going wonderfully. i am making a lot of new friends, and i am also able to hang out with some old friends. college life is definitely busy. right now, i have my history of civ book staring me in the face, just waiting for me to open it and continue on homework. so for now, i hope that you will remember to take those quiet moments, and remember all that God has done for you, and what He is doing for you now!

learning.

i've learned from many photographers through their blogs and such that you can never stop learning. this is true in every aspect of life. at first in photography, it seems so overwhelming! like unbelievably overwhelming! but i have learned that you need to practice practice practice!!! i get so inspired from reading so many blogs like katelyn's, jasmine's, jamie's, tiffany's, and many many others! and they all say the same thing...practice!!! i am so thankful for my little sister, her friends, and my friends who are all so willing to be my little models. :) this whole learning experience is incredible. i am learning so much and it's amazing, exciting, thrilling, and scary all at the same time! i am so thankful that God has given me the talent and ability to be in photography and i give Him all the credit. i know i am not anywhere near perfection yet, but i'm going to give it the best that i have. i am so thankful for encouragement from other photographers, and the example they set for me. it's a crazy journey but i'm gonna keep going! thank you so much for all of you who take time to read my blog! it's really encouraging when i hear about someone reading my blog, see comments that people are leaving, and just the total encouragement that you all give me! you're the best! thanks for coming along with me on this crazy journey! i hope that i never think that i am done learning.


i needed to put a picture in this post because i just thought it wouldn't look right. ;) so here is my new favorite kind of lemonade!!! i got this at boloco (most amazing burrito place!!! if you have never been there before...GO!) and it's a new take on soda! it is super good!!!

happy monday everyone!

His way. not mine.

when my way seems dark and drear and the future I don't know,

my heart feels so empty, as the tears unending flow.

when my heart breaks with sorrow and a tempest fills my soul,

this one thing I know for sure: my God is in control.

His way is perfect, His way is perfect.

though I don't understand His wise and loving plan,

His way is perfect. His way is perfect.

take my life and make a vessel purified.

God makes no mistakes; His way is best.

when the toils of life are come and my heart is worn with care,

I faint 'neath the burden of a cross I cannot bear.

when the joy has departed from my sorrow stricken soul,

this one thing I know for sure; my God is in control.

His way is perfect, His way is perfect.

though I don't understand His wise and loving plan,

His way is perfect. His way is perfect.

take my life and make a vessel purified.

God makes no mistakes; His way is best.

                                          

words and music by Betsy Kistler

back on the blog. update on my life.

well hello there blogging world! i am sorry that i have been neglecting the blog recently. i am now taking a college course along with all my high school classes and everything else that goes on in my life! :) thankfully right now i am on february break! (even though it's march...) i love vacations. they give you time to just relax. which is definitely what i needed! God gives little blessings just when we need them! it's wonderful how God shows Himself through everything.

so for an update on my life! well, a lot of change has been happening at my house. (which is good) my dad retired from the fire service (yayyyy) and he is now working down in boston!!! it was sad to think that he wasn't going to be a firefighter just for the fact that he's been doing that since before my parents were married. i've always loved going to the fire station and visiting him, and going in the fire trucks (don't judge....it's a lot of fun...now if they would just let me drive one...) and just for the fact of saying my dad's a firefighter. (it just sounds cool to me :P) i'm so proud of him though, and he loves his new job which is awesome and i love his new job!

recently God has really been teaching me about trust. i've had a hard time with this. i am the type of person who likes to have everything in control and when i say everything i mean EVERYTHING! i love to plan things out, have a schedule, etc. but God has really been teaching me that i don't know what's best for my life, HE does. i don't know what's coming up in the future for my life. HE does! He's been teaching me that i just need to totally and completely trust in Him! while i was down working at camp this past summer, our boss for the waitresses had us write a "note" to ourselves about decisions we had made and about things we had learned while at camp. she then told us that she would be sending them to us later on in the year, to see if we had kept up with the decisions we had made. well, mine came in the mail the other day. and what's at the top of the list??? trust God for everything. yup, there's that whole trust thing again. it's just a comfort to know that He does know what's best for me, and He will give it to me. another thing that i had written down was nothing is too big for God. wow. what a powerful statement. i remember the morning at camp when the preacher was talking about that. he said something like think of what you think of is the biggest trial in your life...ok, now think of something bigger...now something bigger...what you just thought of, is not too big for God. because NOTHING is too big for God. i don't know about you, but that is SUCH a comforting thought to me. i can trust in HIM for anything because nothing is to big for God. wow.


well, i am going to be trying to blog more. and i am hoping to blog more about what God is teaching me. i love being able to share with others what He is teaching me.


happy wednesday!