to love & be loved is to see the face of God.

saturday night. iron & wine is streaming. popcorn is popped. tea is boiling. room has been cleaned and organized. & while the roomie and friends hit up lala land for the night, i'm thoroughly content to simply enjoy a nice night in.

this week has been non-stop. between cramming for school, commuting, juggling friends, and staying out scandalously late, i feel like my brain hasn't had time to rest & my eyes are staying open by sheer force of will. i can't complain though; i've brought all this on myself, and i don't regret any of it. of all the things that have been rolling through my mind and laid on my heart this week, there is one thing that keeps resurfacing, one thing i wish every girl & boy could know - romance is real.

girls: you are worth fighting for. please don't give yourself to the first boy who smiles at you or shares his secrets with you. give it to the boy who will wait for you, pursue you, and cherish you. whether you're 12, 20, 35, or 60, you are designed to love and be loved. you were created to be romanced, to be prized. you were created with a heart that can't help but pour love out, a heart that is fragile & tender, and a beauty that is incomparable. those stories you hear of the girls who have met their prince charming, the ones about the precious acts of kindness, the butterfly texts, the late night phone calls, the stories that make you puke as you head to the grocery store to buy ice cream and rent the newest chick flick? those stories are true, and your own story is just around the corner. i was one of those girls. maybe a part of me still is. but i can promise you, i can relate. i was the girl who rolled her eyes at the couple saying good night at the door, the girl who would swoon over her friend's stories while secretly dampening the jealous monster inside of her. i was the girl who could only dream of one day being that girl. i think that maybe now i am her. and that's scary and wonderful all at the same time. guard your heart. be cautious, but don't be afraid, because those good guys? they exist. wait for the one who will speak to your heart and prove your head wrong.

guys: just be one of those guys we've been waiting for and dreaming of k? thanks so much. in return, i hope that we can be that girl you'll be proud of, that you'll pursue not because she's asking you, but because you just can't help but romance her. i hope you'll find the girl you've been waiting for. she's out there too. she just needs to know that it's ok to fall. you'll be there.