aquarium-ing

a while ago, T and i received free tickets to the aquarium (hello free date), and so yesterday we seized the day and ventured downtown for a little adventure! can you believe we only have two sundays left in the year?! and one of them is christmas! i can't believe how quickly this year has gone by...what a fabulous year it's been!

how creative & awesome is our God?!

 

'just keep swimming, just keep swimming'

nemo's & dory's!

 

what a beautiful peaceful end to the day

christmas lights!

last night T & i got to hang out with one of our dear couple friends to look at the lights in torrance.

the creativity of these people is absolutely amazing! we saw some of the most outrageous things, and some of the most beautiful houses too - could you afford to spend $200 extra on your electric bill? goodness gracious. there's nothing better than strolling around in the brisk quiet, so cold you can see your breath, holding hands with your love, and silently admiring every house.

playing around with manual focus

we can't wait to go back and see the rest of the lights!

catching up - small group night out

with today marking the end of class this semester, i think my brain is in catch up mode! a few months ago, my fabulous small group spent our 'night out' baking cupcakes and cookies for our local firemen. when we went and delivered our goodies at the end of our baking feast, the 2 fire departments we visited were so surprised to see us, with yummies in hand. we hope we were able to bless their evenings a little - these people are truly heroes!

instagramming

 

i am so blessed by these ladies - every week!

girl's night

every month this semester, the girls of the pursuit have been gathering for a time of fellowship, learning, and overall connecting with each other. this vision for college women started over the summer, and with the help and support of erin and dave, 'girl's night' has become a reality for the pursuit!


this past week, we did something a little different for our get-together. as erin and i were brainstorming about december's girl's night a little while ago, we both suddenly looked at each other and said, 'ladies panel!' at the same time, and thanks to her huge help, that also become a reality this past week. i strongly believe in the value of mentorship within the church, listening to the advice of older women and gleaning from their stories and experiences. the three women who shared on monday night were such a huge blessing and i am so thankful for their willingness to build into us young women! over the past few weeks, we've had girls submit questions they might have for these women, and over 2 hours of discussion ensued on monday. i was so impressed by the questions we received, that i have to share just a few:

what piece of advice do you wish you were given when you were younger?

how does your husband reflect 'spiritual leadership' in your relationship?

what does a God-centered relationship look like to you?

as young, single women, what is the most important thing we can be doing with our time?

for myself, i was simply encouraged to enjoy this period of dating, to continue investing my time in the Lord and making my relationship with Him a priority, because marriage will only make that balance even harder! i was reminded of the value of girlfriends and maintaining those relationships. each one of these ladies strongly encouraged us to serve in the church and be involved. i absolutely love hearing people's stories, and God has taken each of these women on unique and special paths. yet, despite our different journeys, His love is absolutely unchanging, His grace and faithfulness unwavering - what an awesome promise! 

[note: these photos were taken at our november girl's night...i forgot my camera this time! shame on me.]

we're so thankful for fabulous mentors like Barb!

i'm so thankful for the ability to fellowship freely and build relationships with all the girls the Lord has placed at Bethany. i can't wait to see what next semester holds!

unending love, amazing grace

i wish i had something super exciting to write about, but the oh-so-glamorous life of a college student about to head into finals week means, things aren't super thrilling around here.

most fabulous thing of my day? a guilt-free two hour nap. praise the Lord.

oh a deeper note though, lately, i've been feeling distant and disconnected. call it burnt out, call it whatever you will. distant from God, distant from friends, distant from responsibilities. i think i just need a break. i'm so thankful for this holiday season (i can't wait for school to be done so i can fully enjoy it!) - it makes me reflect and ponder all the wonderful things the Lord has done this past year, and believe me, it's been a big year.

today i wish had a more God-focused heart, to see His fingerprints everywhere and be in constant prayer and see people as loved by Him, instead of just getting so easily annoyed.

i've been spending a lot of time in romans the last few days, probably because i desperately need to be reminded of grace lately. i've messed up, quite a bit, in a few different ways, and yet, God is SO faithful and loving. it's unfathomable. the other weekend in church, jeff turner said that it's impossible for God to not love us. it would go against His very nature. there is nothing we can do to make Him stop loving us. that is incredible love.

"therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

"the law was added so that trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

romans 5

i love...

you know that feeling, when you catch your best friend and your boyfriend chatting about something, and then your bestie grunts "go away!" and the boy gives you the "you're so not welcome here right now" look?


oh i freaking love surprises!

thanksgiving

T kindly observed last night that i haven't blogged in quite a while - i know. it's been forever. believe me, it's not because life has been boring, but because there's been SO much happening that i just can't keep up!

first of all, happy december! have i told you lately how much i love the holidays? unfortunately, this sunny socal weather isn't really putting me in the christmas mood yet, but i'm crazy about christmas songs and carols, holiday drinks & red cups, decorating, going shopping, making gifts, and spreading christmas cheer. it's truly the most wonderful time of the year! this year i upgraded from dorm decor and got to decorate my first apartment ever. SO fun! and since i'm totally a coupon fan now, i saved tons on all my new decor. it's a win-win situation.

i can't believe thanksgiving was only a week ago too! this year was a little different, but definitely worth it. instead of flying home like i usually do, i spent thanksgiving here in long beach with T's family. mom-bonding over preparation, cooking, and decorating was so fun, and the end result was spectacular! the food was delicious (but i never eat enough ;]), the company was wonderful, and i have so much to be thankful for. going home alone at the end of the night was by far my least favorite part of the day. there's nothing festive about a quiet, empty apartment, but that's part of growing up right? i'm so excited to be going home for christmas though, and so excited that T gets to come up and spend a week traipsing around norcal with me and the family! woohoo!

since we celebrated thanksgiving on wednesday, that meant we both had all of thursday off, so in typically t & d fashion, we went on an adventure and went SNOWBOARDING together. so super fun - & a little painful. we got up early and spent the morning taking cheesy scenic pictures and strolling around the most adorable little christmas town. we ate fudge and drank a cappuccino and window shopped and just relaxed before we hit the slopes. it was a perfect escape.

so many other fabulous things have been happening lately...but for now, it's time to enjoy a work free and school free friday! have a happy weekend friends!