New Decade, New Room

This weekend I moved into the sorority house. I get to spend the next 9ish months, waking up, eating meals, watching ridiculous TV shows, studying, praying, getting ready, sharing life, and having a blast with 40 or so of my best friends. We make fun of people overusing this hashtag but I am downright #blessed. 

This post would not be complete without a little shout-out to my new roommate! Tori says she remembers meeting me on bid day last year but I was way too overwhelmed to remember anyone's name that day. My first memory of Tori is from the first football game of the season last year. As little baby freshmen a group of Chi-Os and myself wandered around from tailgate to tailgate not really knowing how the whole thing worked. We had all thought the whole pre-game thing would be a lot more glamorous than it was, but we also hardly knew anyone at that point. Anyways, while standing around praying the minutes leading up to the game would fly by I remember Tori standing there, arms crossed, saying something along the lines of "Well I'm just annoyed there isn't something more organized for us to be doing right now. I don't want to just walk around from tailgate to tailgate." From that moment on I knew that this type A, organization craving, room cleaning, coffee drinking, Taylor Swift loving, beautiful blonde girl was going to be one of my best friends. Let's be honest, we are practically the same person.

Us at that first football game, throw whatcha know

There are so many super exciting things about being in college, but being the nerd that I am, getting to decorate my bedroom each year is one of the most exciting parts of all! If you looked at the history on my computer you would see numerous visits to Pottery Barn,  Anthropologie's home section, Ballard Designs, and of course Pinterest. I could spend hours a day scouring these websites for home decor inspiration, and I often do despite the many items on my to-do list. Here is a little tour of my new room, the product of an embarrassing amount of hours spent on Pinterest.  

Here is the before picture, so empty, white, and sad!
 (This is Tori's side, I didn't remember to take a before shot until after I had moved boxes in)

After

Here is the area above my bed. The fabric garland was so easy to make and I love that it adds more color to the wall. Tori and I have different bedding but we both made these with the same fabrics to tie everything together! I found the tutorial for it here.

Close up of my shelves. I've been collecting little knick-knacks from places like Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Joanns, Francesca's etc. all summer. I found the idea for the monogrammed wood pallet on Pinterest. All the other crafty pieces were made with love from my big, Alex :)

I bought this piece at an antique store in downtown McKinney last summer. I love that I can display my pictures and some of my jewelry. Also, check out those cute little tiny pictures. I bought them from this website that prints 3x3 Instagram pictures!

One more view of my side :)

Fun Fact: My cousin Sara was a Chi-O at Texas A&M too. The room I am living in and the bed I am sleeping in are the same room and bed she had when she lived here!

The only thing missing in my room right now are these adorable prints I ordered on Etsy from a little shop called, The Wheatfield. They are technically greeting cards but I plan on using an 8x10 frame with a 5x7 mat to display one or two of them! Aren't they so cute?

Hope you enjoyed the little tour! If you have any questions about where anything is from or how I made something, I would love to hear from you!

Washed by the Water

my wonderful co-counselors

This summer I worked at a Christian summer camp, Sky Ranch. Over the course of five weeks I had the privilege of being a counselor for around 100 sweet, beautiful, and fun teenage girls ages 14-17. My campers came so eager to learn and our conversations over topics like boys, body image, heaven, sin, gossip, the Bible, and so much more, are conversations I will always remember and hold dear to my heart. While I hope my girls were able to go home feeling closer to Christ and more sure of what they believe, I know without a doubt that they were able to teach me so much more than I ever taught them.

One conversation that stands out in my mind today is one about baptism. While I personally do not believe that you HAVE to be baptized in order to get to heaven or consider yourself a Christian, I believe that baptism is an incredibly moving and symbolic way to declare to the Lord, and to the world, that you are living for Christ alone. As I've mentioned before, I'm a lover of lists. Here is a quick list of things I believe as true when it comes to baptism. 

1. You do not have to "clean yourself up" before making this public declaration of your faith. God meets you right where you are and starts the cleaning and refining for you

2. Baptism is never something to do just because you feel like it is expected of you 

3. Baptism is not your ticket to heaven, accepting Jesus into your heart and believing the Gospel as true is

4. No matter what age you are baptized at, baptism is a sweet and intimate moment between you and the Lord that he treasures

Today I had the privilege of attending the baptism of my precious camper, Claire. While Claire could have easily fallen to pressure of approval from others and been baptized when all of her friends were, she waited until she was positive that she was ready. She may see me as a teacher or mentor, but I do not think she realizes what she portrayed to me with her decision to be baptized. Claire's choice to stand in front of her church and declare her love for the Lord was such a bold move and reminds me of 1 Timothy 4:12 which says, "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." I so often find myself being comfortable in my faith. I go to church and sit in the same spot. I read the books of the Bible that are easy to interpret. I pray conservative prayers. One thing I have learned over the past 20 years is that the comfort zone stifles growth. With Claire's baptism in mind, I am determined to live a bold life that is pleasing to Christ and brings glory to His name. 

sweet Claire and me after her baptism

Even when the rain falls

Even when the flood starts rising

Even when the storm comes

I am washed by the water

-Needtobreathe

Birthday Wish List

*warning: painfully awkward childhood picture at end of post*

My senior year of high school I started working at J. Crew. What started out as just a holiday job turned into a passion of mine. I nerd-out when it comes to fashion, J.Crew in particular. I am in the business school at Texas A&M but my major is currently up in the air. I have contemplated majoring in supply chain management and getting a certificate in retailing. To get to the point, I love retail, I love shopping, so expect some posts about both.

My 20th birthday is just around the corner so that means it is time for my annual birthday wish list! (Mother...take note) Check it out below and scroll down for links to each time!

1. Anthropologie "Hou Hou Dinner Plate" here

2. Kendra Scott Danielle Earrings in Abalone Shell

3. J. Crew Factory Blythe Blouse in kelly green

4. OPI Nail Polish- pinkish color, greenish color, beige

5. Chi Omega Texas Shorts here

6. Handpainted Folk Owl Mug here

7. Home Sweet Home Cat Print from Etsy

8. Kate Spade Pueblo Tiles iPhone 5 case

9. Kate Spade "Eat Cake for Breakfast" mug

10. J. Crew Cece Leather Ballet Flats in turquoise

In honor of throwback Thursday, and starting a new decade here is a throwback to what was probably on my birthday wish list at age 10! 

and now for the awkward picture of me at age 10. Don't feel bad if you cringe.

Note: I am holding my pet cactus, Kylie Bobina... more on that later. Also, when I showed my mom this picture she reacted, "..what is that?!?" Ouch.

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