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Favorite Things this Week

These are my favorite things on pinterest this week. ^^ I love the happiness of each photo. Isn’t is amazing how a photograph can capture a moment and then make people feel that moment again and again afterwards? And side note, pinterest is seriously the best thing ever.

Below you will find a list of songs that I’m loving lately too. Note that ‘I Want You’ and ‘Warm Water’ were recommended to me by two dear friends and after listening to them, I’m in love. (Thanks Aaron & Matt!) Music & beautiful photos. Not sure theres a better combination.

Anyhoo, hope everyone’s day was hipping & hopping, remember to stop & acknowledge the beauty around you!

Peckish

I really don’t think it needs an explanation. And to be honest there is no reason why I should post this picture. I’m just so proud. And it looks so good. And it tasted so good.

Sweet potato, green beans with almond slices and golden raisins, and homemade turkey cheesy meatballs. All organic, all cooked in coconut oil, grain-free, sugar-free, & all clean eating.

yes yes & yes

p.s. a storm is coming, its officially fall as of this past weekend, and I am currently in my pj’s watching 90210.

These nights are soooo lovely

Retreat

This weekend I got the privilege of going to Chico for a retreat with my revival group (like a small group but not as..small. We have 70 people in our group!) It was so much fun and I met so many incredible people! Here are some pictures from the weekend..

I may or may not have had someone hold the steering wheel so I could roll down my window and take these pictures. SO worth it 😉 ^^

I think I yelled, “STOP WE HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE” close to 70 times on the road. I just couldn’t help it! We were surrounded by so much beauty! ^^

It was pouring rain the entire time we were driving but we had soft music, wonderful conversation, and our good ol’ coffee to keep us company and warm our hearts right up! ^^

When we pulled into the retreat center there was a long winding road to the buildings and the trees wrapped us up into this amazing hug all the way down. It was magic. ^^

This was our stop! ^^

Once the storm cleared, these amazing clouds and beautiful blue skies opened up. We even had an incredible rainbow! Which unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of. But you will just have to trust me, it rocked 😉 ^^

Everyone was so excited and full of energy and life! I don’t think I’ve met a single person that is less than the best of the best of the best. Love these guys! ^^

Thats me! ^^ :)) This is my gorgeous friend exploring on our stroll through the campsite. ^^

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Here are my absolute favorite highlights from the trip:

Everywhere I looked, there was someone getting prayed for or being loved on.

On day two we hiked up to this waterfall that crashed inside this tall rock formation. It was so breathtaking and randomly placed! My friends and I climbed down and jumped in!! This was huge for me as I am terrified of things like that. The water was pretty much ice shooting through my body and I found out there were leeches in the water but other than that it was a huge step of freedom for me from fear! I did something that scared me and felt great after. I climbed out of that water with an immovable smile from my soul. We walked around the waterfall and dried off in the sunshine…talk about a perfect afternoon…

I love volleyball but unfortunately was not blessed with the greatest level of athletic abilities. My boyfriend and his fantastic family are all athletic and they have a volleyball net in their backyard. I have been practicing all summer and so enjoy playing. When we walked down from the waterfall there were some people playing and we jumped right in. Soon we had 4 teams rotating in and out playing the winners! I got placed with a team of the best players probably in the whole camp. They made me feel so good and valuable even though I was clearly just an average player. We were dubbed the ‘champions of the court’ and I played volleyball for four hours!! That combined with gnarly beds made for one sore chicky the next day. It was sooo worth it!

I’ve always wanted brothers and during this trip I gained some. And they are so fantastic I could cry from God’s goodness. He truly knows what is in our hearts and loves to give us little surprises.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Until next time,

Swooning over my dinner date

Tonight Tucker decided that we weren’t spending enough time together and demanded to have dinner with me.

I figured, I suppose I can sacrifice for the fellow…
No just kidding I was all,
‘HECK YEAH’

So we went to the grocery store and picked up some things and then we came to my house. We cooked and laughed hysterically and he asked me about my heart and what my day was like. He asked me if I was happy and shared some things he was learning and wanting to grow in.

Going on a rabbit trail here but the other night I was reading my Bible and I opened to the front flap where he had written me a note. He gave me the Bible I have now when he found out I had lost mine. I started crying as I read the beautiful poetic things that were written.

All around me I hear of these horrible relationships and failed marriages. I know that there are so many unhappy people who have stopped fighting for their love.
Then I think of how blessed I am to not only have the greatest friend in the world, but to have him be mine. He is the only reason we are still together after over 2 years of our relationship. He fights for us everyday and no matter how horrible and ugly my attitude is, he never stops praying and he never stops loving. He is absolutely the best person I know and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have him. It honestly blows my mind. Seriously no one even knows the depth of his faithfulness and love. He shares his heart with only a select few & I get the privilege and honor of being one of those people.

Anyways, if you are still there and have managed to keep your barf inside your body I commend you. That was quite the intense love fest. I just can’t help it!!

Tonight was amazing!!! Look how cute he is!!!

p.s. I did eat about 3x the amount he did. Why am I a cow.
I just kept shoveling and shoveling potatoes in my mouth. It was completely un-ladylike and I am completely unashamed.

Hope you all have someone to love you and someone to love…

xx
R

Prettiness & loveliness.

I think its important to be surrounded by beauty. It makes you happier and somehow you feel pretty too. A lot of times you must find the beauty yourself and I think photography is an amazing way to capture moments of beauty that you can look back on forever.

Just because I want to, here are some beautiful people, things, and moments that are making my heart happy:

my roommate from South Africa said, “You gave me quite a fright” instead of, “You scared me.”

I’m finding that my homework is to read amazing books and to rest. All year long.

Processed with VSCOcam with p5 preset

I have a house full of 6 other girls who are for me and who are the most incredible representations of love and fun that I could ever ask for. I love you Amanda, Leanza, Natalie, Alicia, Jill, and Abigail!

I can eat ice cream 10x a day and no one will get mad at me.
(I dont but thats not the point…that point is I can!)

My boyfriend is the sexiest man on the freaking planet and he loves me. MIND BLOWN.

My revival group leader is from London and every time she sees me she rubs my back and makes me feel like I’m the most important person in the universe.

There is a house 3 doors down full of 8 guys that go to the same school and we are always having game nights and movie nights.

Everything I need is 10 minutes away from me.

I’ve now converted 3 of my housemates to get a gym membership with me. he he he.

Every moment of everyday I feel God.

After 7 years of struggling with eczema, I am being healed. Every morning I look at it, the rash is literally shrinking and drying up. It is my first healing miracle and I am absolutely SO thrilled.

What are some of the things you are loving lately? I find listing them brightens a mood.

*all pictures were taken with my iPhone & edited with #vsco !*

breathing deep

I usually hate being alone but lately my entirety has been craving some isolation. Ironically, this picture was taken while there was 70+ people from my group next to me but it still took me to a different place and made me feel as if I was alone. For the next hour I got to read and have this as my view. The thing about this place is that every angle you turn you are surrounded by perfection. There is not one direction that isn’t stunning. And also, God somehow gave me exactly what I needed despite the bustle of people all around. I realize that more often than not, I get these breathers. And they are never when I think they should be. Actually nothing really ever is. But its okay. Because somehow, life works. I’m here…I’m where I’ve always wanted to be. I don’t know how it happened but it did. And now I get to enjoy this mysterious intersection of my own hard work & the good Lord’s divine wind blowing through my life.

Move

I have a new home. There are seven girls living in one house. I go to a school of supernatural ministry where I have the privilege of basking in glory for 5 hours everyday of the week. Today 2 people came up to me and prayed for me the most beautiful, prophetic, and glistening prayers. They told me things they shouldn’t know because God needed me to understand that He sees me. He knows me. He listens to me. I am blessed. I am so so blessed sometimes I feel almost guilty. This week and a half has been the most incredible week and a half of my entire life. I mean that. I have made more friends, seen more beauty, and encountered more of God’s presence than ever before. It’s making me realize that there really is nothing as important as being obedient to the Lord when He calls you.

If my whole life is spent loving God, being loved by Him, and loving others? That will have been a life worth living.

So here I am…moved and moving