thoughts of appreciation

A few weeks back I came across this wonderful website, #reverb10, which is full of inspiration and prompts to help you reflect on all that has happened in your life throughout the past year.  If you think about it, a year truly is a very long time.  Sometimes when I think about who I was a year ago, where I was a year ago, it's impossible for me to figure out how I ended up where I am now.  Even though I would have never planned my life to be how it is right now, I wouldn't ask for anything in my current life to be changed.

Prompt: Appreciate. What's the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

How do you even begin to answer that question? I am one of the most blessed people I know. I have a fun apartment, a wonderful job which gives me the opportunity to enjoy and shop and explore in the great city of Houston, I have super great friends (both new and old) and a terrific family. I have a car that is full of memories and has never let me down.  My heart, lungs, fingers, toes, and brain (some may think this last statement is debateable...) are all healthy and in perfect working order. 

I think over the past year i've really learned to appreciate my blessings. Being away from my family has made me realize how much I love them, and how much I needed them to become who I am today. Being with them over this beautiful Christmas Season has brought me such joy and I'm trying to soak up every minute I can with them before it's over again!

What have you learned to appreciate most in the past year?

conquering knitting needles

I went on a little bit of an adventure this weekend, to the heights.  Houston Heights to be specific! And let me tell you, I loved it!  It was so fun to get to explore a new and unique part of Houston, and get to do it on a beautiful day made it that much better.

I started off my day at Sew Crafty where I took my very first knitting class.  Sew Crafty is a craft studio and sewing lounge located on 19th street in the Heights.  After looking through the class list, I decided that knitting would be the biggest challenge for me, especially since I had never picked up a set of knitting needles before. I was having the most difficult time holding myself together!  Dropping needles, losing my yarn, wrapping my yarn the wrong way, you name it I was doing it wrong.  But after an extremely tough (yet very rewarding!) 3 1/2 hours, I can officially say that I can knit....

At the rate i'm going, I think I might have a very holey scarf by next Thanksgiving....but at least i'll be warm! : )

a thanksgiving to do list

it's thanksgiving week! poor thanksgiving gets more and more overlooked, and this year, i'm going to try my hardest to give thanksgiving every credit it deserves. i'm so incredibly blessed, yet i always seem to find something to complain about. 

my thanksgiving to do list:

1. watch a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  Yay!!! :)
2. wake up in time to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade!
3. spend an incredible amount of time with my family, and give them hundreds of hugs!
4. eat and eat and eat!
5. try a few new foods,,,,,,,,,,maybe.
6. black friday shopping! (i know,,,,,but it's a tradition!)
7. start reading through the chronicles of narnia series
8. bake a few things from my "recipies to make" pile, including pumpkin dump cake, red velvet swirl brownies, and maybe even chocolate gingerbread cookies!
9. Turkey Trot Amarillo style!
10. take lots and lots of pictures!
11. be thankful! :)

what's on your thanksgiving to do list?

a time for everything,,,,,,,

i'm feeling inspired,
i want to paint,
and craft,
and scrap,
and edit photos,
and decorate my apartment,
and improve my design skills,
and learn to cook more things,
and train,
and travel,
but i don't have enough time.

i'm sure i would have more time if i would prioritize a tad bit more efficiently.  i make my to-do list every day, but sometimes i even find myself working on projects in the midst of making my list, and therefore i end up at the end of the day with a remaining list of to-dos that should have been done, and a pile of accomplished tasks that could have been put off.  i just have so many things i want to do in my life.

luckily, i'm only 21 years old.
and i've got an entire life ahead of me.
how exciting is that!?
and i keep reminding myself that God gave me the desire to pursue my passions, and therefore i shouldn't feel like i have to push them aside.
i just need more time.
and more focus.


"for everything there is a season, 
and a time for every activity under heaven." 
ecc. 3:1