God I Look to You

God I look to You, I won’t be overwhelmed
Give me vision to see things like You do
God I look to You, You’re where my help comes from
Give me wisdom; You know just what to do

I will love You Lord my strength
I will love You Lord my shield
I will love You Lord my rock forever
All my days I will love You God

Hallelujah our God reigns
Hallelujah our God reigns
Hallelujah our God reigns forever
All my days Hallelujah

(By Bethel)

Such simple words...yet such a profound message. So often we find ourselves in a world of hurt, confusion, stress. We forget that the solution is simple. It may not be easy, but it is most certainly simple.
Look to God.
When we learn of His love for us...that He would send Christ into our world as a little baby, then as a man die for perfectly and blamelessly for the sins of the world...when we learn of that kind of love..we can learn to trust Him.
That's it.
That simple.
If I trust God, then I know I am safe. I know I am loved. And when I know that, I am free to love Him back.
He is so beautiful.


Here is a beauitful music video from Bethel. Stunning...that's all I have to say.

Enjoy :)

New

Happy New Year...

A little late? I know, I know....I sort of lost these pics for a bit. BUT they stumbled their way back into my hand this week and I can't not post...they are too fun not to.
This New Year some friends and I gathered at an apartment clubhouse for some good times. It was low-key and perfectly lovely. Here's a few shots from the night:

Beautiful Sister/Friend Dannie

Insta-friend Sheriesse...because our friendship took all of 5 seconds to develop!

How precious is he??? This is Bryce, he turned 5 Sunday! Happy Birthday Bryce!

My DIY feathers! I got the idea from this lovely lady here.

That's Kerri...isn't she GORGEOUS??!! Check her out here.

I think that reflecting on the New Year 2 months in is more helpful than on day one. I should save some of these photos for April and then do this again...na.

January seemed to fly by. February not so much. I am ok with it being short this year...most often that annoys me, but I am ready to say good bye.

The other day my dear sister/friend Dannie and I had a scary incident...then a few days later we had the most traumatic incident of our lives.  Just a few days apart!! Not right!
Anyways, I am just so amazed and thankful for the wonderful protection of our Daddy in Heaven.

A situation that could have been life altering, was not.
A fear that could have been paralyzing was not.
A memory that could haunt me will not.

A few nights after our experience I found myself having a little trouble sleeping. I didn't really want to go to bed to be honest. And I didn't like that. So I decided to read my Bible. I opened my bible up to Psalm 136 and the first verse I read was:

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. 

His love endures forever." 

In that moment God gave rest to my mind. He is good...and His love is enduring...through all things.
I went on to read the entire chapter as if it were my prayer. 

"Thank you Lord, you are so good. 

Thank you for your enduring love." 

Each thankful verse became my heart's prayer, my heart's delight. By the end of all that thankfulness, all of that praising the Almighty God for all of His Wonder and Power and Love... 
there was little room left for fear.   
What a blessing. 

Dear Monday,

Dear Monday,

   You’re not my favorite, although I think Tuesdays are worst.

Dear Rain, 

   You have made Monday brighter better.

Dear Bank,

   Your confusion is not helping my stress level…call me asap!

Dear Coffee,

   Thank you for the wake-up call this a.m., I am grateful.

Dear Friend,

   Thank you for making me feel known and special.

Dear Park with the Ducks, 

   Thank you for all of the lovely lunches.

Dear Pink (the color, not the person),

   Thanks for making my desk cheery and fun.

Dear Tazo Refresh Tea,

   Thanks for making the 2 o'clock wall a little easier to plow through.

Dear God,

   Thanks for the reminder that you are faithful, you are in control, and you are wonderful :) I love you, and 

   I trust you...thank you for another Monday.

 

Grateful Gab

Today...
I could write about the failed moments.
The disappointment.
The sad.
The difficult.
The ugly.

Instead....
I will write about the victorious moments.
The hope-filled.
The joyous.
The inspiring.
The lovely.


I am grateful for the love of The Savior. That even on my worst day, His love for me outweighs everything.


I am grateful for the the beautiful flowers I saw as I walked into the mall yesterday. They were vibrant and glorious and brightened my day.

I am grateful for coffee. The warm cup in my hands is enough to make me smile before it even reaches my mouth. (...wow I sound like an addict...)

I am grateful for the moments when my spirit wins the battle against flesh. When I stand up to myself and am nice when I could be mean.(Even if they are not as often as I would like)

I am grateful for my family and the love we have for each other. I love the moments we share, the laughter, the tears.

I am grateful for having an hour lunch break to relax and refresh before more work.

            Yesterday for my lunch break I decided to go to the mall. Sometimes you just need to walk around the mall, with all of the Christmas music, and Christmas decorations...and coffee...It was beautiful! And just the ticket to brighten my day.

The beautiful flowers as I walked into the mall.

Santa

The beautiful necklace I wanted to buy Shan...too bad it was really expensive. :( Sorry Shan.

I guess I'll be Brittney today.

This is my new favorite way to wear scarves!

For this look: The sweater is actually a very bright orange. I love pairing one bright color with a black and white outfit. I was wearing a black maxi skirt with this look. For the scarf,  I tied two different scarves together to make it more bulky and interesting. I got so many compliments! No one knew it was two separate pieces!

That's it for today. :)

Thanksgiving

Someday I hope my home looks something like this for the holidays...

VIA Pinterest

 

Currently it looks like this:

 

That's right folks, packing is in full swing and it is so bittersweet. 

Everyday it gets more and more real...In less than a week, Shan will be in Texas!

I am so so excited for her new adventure...but it will definitely be hard!

The next few days will certainly be a blur.

We have thanksgiving, packing, and moving right around the corner!

Lot's to do!

With that said, I thought I'd get in my Thanksgiving list in a little early, (if not now...it likely won't happen :) )

 

10 Things I am Thankful for:

1.God's grace and love...without I would be nothing.

2.  Family...the older I get the more I realize how special it is to be close to my family. 

I love the relationships I have with my parents and my brothers. They mean so much to me!

3. Friends: They have become my family as well...together we walk through life's high's and lows....

 I am one blessed lady!

4. Seasons of Growth: This year has been a challenge in many ways...

but with challenge, ALWAYS comes growth, and for that I am grateful.

5. Hope: There is light at the end of the tunnel folks! always...

That's just the way God works :) 

6. Coffee: It's seen me through many a rough day!

7.  Sweaters: They just make any day a little cozier and happier!

8. Work: I am grateful to have a job, to have provision for my needs.

9.  Lip Balm: Let's face it...this stuff is Bomb! Who wants crusty lips?? 

Ew! (currently enjoying EOS in melon ;) )

10. My Brothers: I know I already said family...but I am just so thankful that I have two amazing brothers that love and protect me. 

They inspire me, and give me high standards for my someday husband. 

They are amazing!

 

 Feel free to share what you're thankful for! 

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!!

 

Grateful Gab

The few weeks have been a blur of busyness. I love that though I am physically and emotionally tired, god has sustained my spirit through it all. His love and gentleness get me through with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. It amazes me how He does this...when I feel like I have nothing left to offer anyone, and I no more motivation to work that all I have to do is say a simple prayer, or spend a moment in worship, or read some scripture and I am ready to get through the day. :) His grace and love are just so amazing.

In the midst of a busy few weeks at work, there has been quite a lot of fun going on outside of work! Here are a few snaps of things that have been going on:

 This girl had a birthday!! Danniegirl turned 21!! To celebrate in a sober way :) we got her free starbucks! AND we had a Pancake and Pedi party. :) The girls came over to have pancakes and lots of junk food while watching Pride and; Prejudice and painting our nails. It was fabulous!

 This weekend we also had a baby shower for a dear friend of ours! There were giraffes and baby onsies that needed to be painted (I painted a bow-tie! so cute!) and of course, coffee mugs with mustaches! Can you tell we had fun? :)

Finally I got to do one of my favortite things...hold babies and make them smile :) Aren't my friends' kids the cutest?!! Aleezah on the left and right is a little miracle baby. She was born at 25 weeks, and is so healthy and strong now! God is so good. Little Jackson in the middle is such a little character! Love him to pieces!


So these are the things I am thankful for this week (well, always really :) ):
~God's saving/sustaining grace, love and joy
~The company of amazing friends to innocently/soberly celebrate the 21 year of a beautiful friend.
~Celebrating the precious gift of a baby boy for Todd and Tab.
~And being able to hold little miracles of life and love on them! :) So much joy in these little ones!

Hope you are all having a beautiful week!


XOXO,
Court

Grateful Gab

 Grateful Gab for the week:

~I am thankful for friends that I can be myself around. The freedom to be silly is one of the best feelings I know...It is great to know that they will not think you're crazy and act like they don't know you in public when you start singing or dancing...they join right in :) Shan in particular puts up with my sillyness the most because she is my best friend AND has to live with me :) 

Now on to an outfit with a bit of my sillyness wrapped in one. 

The scoop: this particular evening there were people watching us take our pictures...awkward! So we were trying to keep ourselves from looking to serious and started making fun of ourselves. The first picture is me doing an awkward blogger pose...as you can see, it really works for me (not!).  Then came the awkward muscle pic in which Shan told me my "David" was coming ( I do not like the title of this video, but the video that inspired that comment is hilarious! Do watch!) ...I told her he was strong and handsome. It became quite the collection of silly pictures, but I'll spare myself the embarrassment of including anymore than these. :) Enjoy!

Polka-dot top: H & M      Red striped maxi skirt: Thrifted     Belt: Thrifted

And the more serious one :)

That's it for now!! Feel free to share what your Grateful Gab is!

XOXO
C

The One With The Stripes

This week's topic of choice: God's faithfulness. Every Thursday night for the past 3 years an amazing group of women have come together to share in the Word. Over those 3 years, God has done many, many things, and it never ceases to amaze us. The past few weeks we have seen prayer after prayer answered. This week was no exception. Normally after we conclude our discussion we draw numbers to pair off with prayer partners. This week we felt lead to stay in one group and lift each others' needs up together. It was powerful to say the least. The best part was the next day when we started seeing those prayers answered. And let us tell ya, when God answers prayers, He doesn't just answer a little bit...you better expect the floodgates to open. One of the prayers in particular God moved in such a way that He provided above and beyond what any of us had ever expected. We love seeing how God provides for His beloved children. Ephesians 3:20 says,
"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Two things stand out about this verse. The first is that the mighty power of God is at work in us...so when we pray, God us working in and through us...second when we ask, He will always do more. 
Be encouraged that God hears your prayers. Also we encourage you to find a people around you that you can trust to come together in agreement for your needs. Where two or three are gathered, God shows up!


If you are interested in learning what our hearts are when it comes to small groups/Bible studies like this one, here are some articles we wrote for Angelic Magazine back in May:
Courtney's article
Shannon's article

Last week, we were feeling kind of stripey :

Shan Wore:

Striped Dress: H & M      Pink Cardy: Last Chance (a.k.a. the mothership)

                         Bow Shoes: Ross (Fav's)  Bangles: Gifted

Shan doesn't mind dressing like a a 3 year old, it gives her more reasons to twirl in public :) (one of her favorite past times)








Court Wore:

Asymmetrical Stripy  Dress: Ross       Red Top:  Thrifted      Sunnies: Forgot :)

 Court looking off into the Sunset...very dramatic.

Heart Necklace: Thrifted   Purity Ring: Amazon

 

Shan likes to smile, Court...makes silly faces (they're my specialty...or more like my awkwardness)


Thanks for reading! Hope your encouraged to pray about your needs, and to find fun outfits that make ya smile.

XOXO,
C & S

Just Peachy

"Behold, the former things have come to pass and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them" - Isaiah 42:9

In a weekly Bible Study that Courtney and I are a part of, we learned that quite a few of the ladies in the group are in need of changes. A lot of needs or desires for jobs, and just all around direction in general. It was actually really interesting how many ladies had this in common. After our weekly meeting, I came upon this scripture in Isaiah. It just jumped out at me ( love it when that happens)! We need to declare the future things that God has put on our hearts! Whether it be something God has already promised you, a dream job or future family ect..; we need to speak of these dreams now as if they are already here. We need to declare them :) 

One of the definitions of the word "declare" is to make known or state clearly, especially in explicit or formal terms. So I challenge you to try it this week. Speak out specific things you are believing for as if they have already come to pass. I know this is what I will be working on this week :) 

 Ok, now for a short story about this pretty peach top I have :)

I know what you're thinking. "She really loves that headband". I tend to go through weeks of LOVING a certain piece of clothing or accessory and apparently I was not quite over the headband during this little photo shoot. But just don't worry about it :) We're not talking about the headband ( although it is still a favorite).

This outfit is kind of special to me because the shirt
(which is one of my all time favorites this summer) was a gift from my friend Charal for my birthday :). She was one sneaky friend! I was going to go shopping for a new outfit for my birthday dinner a couple months back and at the last minute, she asked if she could come. During our shopping excursion, I found this lovely top along with a gorgeous silky maxi skirt at a store called Cotton On over at Arrowhead Towne Center. (Lovely little place!). Well after much thought and visiting many stores, I decided to make the purchase only to discover that my friend had given the store clerk her credit card ahead of time. I never saw it coming!

That was just another blessing I received in a moment where I really needed it. Good friends are such a blessing :)


Much love,
Shan