It's Friday. But I'm Still Thankful.

A very happy Thankful Thursday Friday to you!

My brain has turned to mush after a week and a half of staff meetings

and I didn't realize yesterday was Thursday.

My bad.

Despite the business of life there is a great deal to be thankful for.

Today I am thankful for...

trips to places I have never been

crossing state lines

spending time with great people

eating delicious food

running my first half marathon

{despite getting really sick the day before the race}

and of course for these two guys who also ran 

the lights, the sounds and the great atmosphere of the race

 ice cold chocolate milk at the finish line

that God has blessed me with the ability to run

for my wonderful cheer squad shouting, yelling

and high fiving me as I ran my way through Vegas...

making new friends

coming home to my sweet roommates

trying new things

face timing with my niece

surviving a dreaded trip to the dentist

making big decisions

learning to be refreshed in the Lord

God's continual 

faithfulness & grace

recognizing areas in my life I need to grow in

learning more about the people I work with

Christmas brunches

baking blueberry muffins from scratch

cozy evenings on the couch

little compliments that make me smile

sweet text messages from dear friends

planning out the flowers for a wedding this coming weekend

free peppermint lattes

great books

crafting

dinners at the Priest household

getting Christmas cards in the mail

 evening runs through neighborhoods twinkling with Christmas lights

a roommate who cooks me dinner

celebrating this cutie patooties birthday

surprise trips home

driving in the rain

Christmas music on the radio

sisters who let me borrow their clothes

seeing my dad while he was back on the mainland 

for a very short day and half

And I am so very thankful that in 3 days 

I will be hoping on a plane

and heading on over to Salt Lake City.

Let the adventures begin!

What are you thankful for today?...

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday to you!

It hasn't been a very pretty week.

But among all the difficulties,

 hurt and chaos that this world throws at us

there is a God who loves us and pours out blessing after blessing.

So today I am thankful for...

a delicious Thanksgiving dinner

and all the hands that cooked, baked and prepared it

facetiming with my dad 

spending an entire day doing yard work

postcards from Hawaii

babysitting my baby niece

spending time with my siblings

making terrariums

spending time outside

rain and the crispness of fall

leaves changing colors

rock walls covered with maidenhair ferns

hiking and adventuring with friends

climbing up waterfalls

grabbing coffee with friends

friends who really care about me

who notice when things aren't right

who ask questions, listen and speak truth into my life

that in 17 days I'll be in Salt Lake City

and in 26 days I will be picking up my roommate from the airport 

{she's been away for 6 months}

evening runs through neighborhoods all lit up with Christmas lights

my Christmas Pandora station

that it's officially Christmas season

the fact that I can now curl up on the couch,

 watch Christmas movies

and feel no shame

{I'm currently watching elf as I write this post}

What are some things from the past week

that you are thankful for?...

Thankful Thursday {Happy Thanksgiving}

Happy Thanksgiving 

to you Dear Friend!

I am thankful that tonight as I

walked into my parents house,

I was greeted by two very sweet and adorable puppies.

That as I made the trek down the hall to my bedroom

I was tripping over my nieces toys.

I am thankful for giggling, cuddling and sweet kisses 

from her as she was getting ready for bed.

It is currently 1am and I'm

laying in bed in the room I grew up in.

 I love that I can hear my brother's upstairs

{very loudly} 
playing Halo 4 together.

I am so very thankful for home,

to be home.

 As I lay here,
 there is an abundance of things to be thankful for.

None of which I deserve.

And yet God continues to pour out His blessings.

So right now, 

I am thankful for...

snail mail from North Carolina

plane tickets to Utah

surprise packages on my front porch

new running shoes

paper chain countdowns

midnight room rearranging

coming home from back to back to back conferences

and sleeping for 15 hours straight.

spending time with intern friends

sharing a hotel room for 5 days 

with this awesome girl...

catching up with friends

dreaming about the next year and getting excited

being able to watch God work

God's faithfulness

and His perfect plan

face timing with my dad while he is living in Hawaii

{I know, tough life right?...}

getting pictures from my dad of all the cool plants

 {and moss}

he gets to see while in Oahu

people inviting me over to help them garden

baking pumpkin pies from scratch

having a full time job

{that I love}

 and getting a paycheck

being able to pay for groceries

my bike

my car

my bed

my apartment

my roommates

our front porch where my small garden is starting to germinate

I'm thankful for each of the ways that God is growing me

and teaching me.

I am thankful for the times of pain and suffering.

Because my Hope in Christ grows stronger

and His faithfulness and love become more apparent.

It's in those times

  I get to know Him more intimately.

I am thankful for how He has and continues 

to shape me into the woman that He has created me to be.

I am so thankful that I am His.

What are you Thankful for on this beautiful 

Thanksgiving Day?...

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday 
Dear Friends!

And happy first day of November,

what a great way to kick start this month of Thanksgiving.

I honestly feel like it's been a year since my last Thankful Thursday.

Ok maybe not a whole year,

but it's been a very long 2 weeks.

This past weekend we took around 90 college students 

up into the mountains for fall retreat.

It's all pretty much a big blur.

But it happened,

and God did work.

And these past couple weeks through my
 exhaustion, stress, crabbiness, sensitivity, 

and occasional {or frequent} bad attitude.

God still continued to be faithful

and there is a vast amount to be thankful for.

{and gosh, I deserve none of it}

Today I am thankful for...

A God who changes lives

{who changed my life}

a God who loves me beyond all comprehension

an incredible weekend 

spent with incredible students
trying new things

my growing affection for each of my teammates

the Lords not so subtle reminders that I'm not superhuman

days off 

time spent alone

 gardening

sleep

coffee

 BOTH of my freshman Bible studies
have I mentioned how much I love my job?...

wednesday morning discipleship with these 2 ladies

the mountains

crisp autumn air

clouds

my journal

gmail chatting with far away friends

a clean room

my simmering apple cider scented candle
fresh san luis sourdough bread

great friends that let me borrow their cornhole set

{time spent with my roommate Erin

sipping pumpkin spice latte's from the coffee bean

and carving our bottom of the barrel, 
last pick pumpkins from Trader Joe's}

my car 

crafting

learning to be more independent

running holes into my running shoes

learning to pray bold prayers

new flannel

paintings from Paris

planning an epic trip to southern Utah

being excited for my future

grabbing coffee with friends from church

That there is an amazing God,

who desires to be in relationship with me

and has promised to remain and walk through this life with me.

What are you thankful for today?...

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday to you!

 I've tried to write a Thankful Thursday post for the past two weeks now.
But every time I sit down to do it I get distracted.
or I fall asleep.
Life is happening, life is busy and life is currently exhausting.

But pushing all that aside,
Today I am thankful for...
answered prayers in my life AND in the lives of others
my church
patience
&
grace
short visits with my sisters
my "little" brother
a mom who would do anything for me
sweet text messages from my dad
living close to my baby niece
catching up with dear friends on the phone
my long distance relationships
my community of friends where I live

my apartment

the chairs out on our front deck

the potted begonia's outside our front door

sipping coffee on the front porch

rain

big puffy clouds

God's guidance
God's power
God's ability to change lives
a God who makes the unbelievable a reality
God's word
growth

my job

my staff team

What are you thankful for today?...

DIY Vintage Dresser Makeover

I recently got my hands on a 75 year old dresser

and it was love at first sight.

Everything on it was original.

The paint,

to the adorable key holes,

and even the cute crystal knobs.

This dresser is what I call truly"vintage" 

and it was in need of some serious TLC.

It just so happened at the time that I was itching for a new project to do

and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

A makeover was in order

and all it took was 7 easy peasy steps.

{step 1}

Began by removing all the hardware.

{step 2}

Sanded down the oil based paint.

{step 3}

Used a wet cloth and wiped off excess dust from sanding.

{step 4}

Primed it up!

{step 5}

Picked out and purchased paint at Sherwin Williams.

(my new favorite paint store)

{step 6}

Painted and let dry.

{step 7}

 I gave it a new home.

So it was out with the old hand me down from my college years...

and in with the "new"...

Thankful Thursday {UCI CRU}

Happy Thankful Thursday to you!

Today, 

I am thankful for another year with Cru at UCI.

Because lets be honest,

I have completely fallen for this campus and for the students.

I've fallen hard.

I am thankful for my teammates who love me for me.

I am thankful for our student leaders who have hearts for the Lord and the world.

I am thankful for each student I met this week,

and all the students I will meet in the future.
I am thankful for the ways in which God has changed lives,
and drawn students into closer relationship with Himself.

I am thankful that I get to watch the girls from my freshman bible study last year,
grow in their faith, become passionate about the Gospel and
step into challenging roles as leaders this year.

Meet Shanelle, Lindsey and Lindsay.
a few of the girls from my freshman bible study last year
who I have grown to absolutely adore.

The thought of not being at UCI after this year

literally makes my heart ache.

But, I have a whole year ahead of me.

And I am so thankful that I get to be a part of
what God is doing on this campus

and in the lives of the students here.
I am so thankful that we can expect nothing but great things 

because we serve a great God!

What are you thankful for today?...

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday!

Is it seriously Thursday again?

Sheesh.

Today I am thankful for...

my job

the opportunity to work with international students this year

strong coffee

each of my teammates

amazing students that I get the privilege to work with

last minute house guests
conversations over a glass of wine

morning chats at the dinning table with my roommate

Trader Joe's

my iphone

technologically savvy friends

closed doors

God's sovereignty
going to church with a couple of my favorite newlyweds

peanut butter & jelly on toasted sourdough bread

 watching sunday afternoon soccer
spending quality time with my niece
learning to not be fearful of the future
my journal
waking up without an alarm clock
text messages from sweet friends

wedding invitations
prayer 
mountains 
jumping off docks and swimming in lakes 
canoeing 
and spending the past few days here...

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday (Friday)

Happy Thankful Thursday Friday to you!

It's been a busy week folks.

Yesterday as I was bouncing around from one thing to another,

I took a few minutes to sit outside on my front porch.

I sat there, closed my eyes
and began to think about everything that has happened the past few months.

Then it hit me.

I just had one of the best summer's of my life.

Things were rough, hard and even quite ugly at times,

but it was a great big adventure

and God used certain people and situations

 to greatly impact my life.

And because of this...

today I am thankful for:

this sweet summer season

raising and finishing support
my awesome ministry partners

playing in the sierra's
exploring
&
adventures

loving parents who welcome me home with open arms

time spent my three wonderful siblings
watching my baby niece grow up

trips to Utah

weddings

opened doors and new opportunities
closed doors and growing pains
brokenness
God's perfect plan

discovering passions and desires

{each and every person I met}

beginning new relationships

God's faithfulness

flowers

father daughter fishing dates

hiking 

{dancing under the stars}

answered prayers

God's absolute, perfect timing
precious letters
plants

skype

google hang outs

sleepovers

drinking sweet tea out of mason jars
God's provisions

good books

coffee dates
learning, learning, and more learning

God's undeniable handiwork

discovering more of who God is and how much He loves us
God pursuing people

friends who love me and encourage me
my sweet, loving and gracious roommates
our little apartment and our cute & quaint front porch
where I can sit with a cup of coffee,
journal and catch up on my snail mail.

There is just so much to be thankful for.

What are things from this summer season

that you are thankful for?...

Staff Planning Day 3

All I can say

is that after today's staff planning meeting...

Leadership Retreat is going to be freaking awesome.

Only 5 days until we are retreating in Lake Arrowhead 

with our Cru students leaders.

I can't stinking wait to see them all.

Staff Planning Day 2

Coffee

laptops

google docs

spreadsheets

Coffee

bible study curriculum

scheduling

evaluating

praying and giving it all up to God

and of course more Coffee

all followed by a very unintentional hour and a half nap when arriving home.

day 2 down.

Staff Planning Day 1

6:30am

drag my butt out of bed

bake coffee cake

brew an insanely large pot of coffee

9 am 

staff meeting

and coffee drinking commence...

plan plan plan

pray pray pray

(drink more coffee)

dream big

cast vision

then plan and pray some more.

2:30pm

we begin to look like this.

3pm

staff meeting ends

(an hour early!)

4pm

lay face down on the couch

and pass out.

I would say it was a very successful first day of work.

A Very Thankful Thursday

A very  Happy Thankful Thursday to you!

Today I am thankful that I can say

 I am officially 100% supported!

Boom.

Done.

I was praying even before I started raising support back in June

that it would some how be different than last year.

{last year was horrible

 and I DID NOT want to experience that again}

And when I say pray I mean I was pleading with God

that He would bring in all I need before my 

September 1st deadline.

In fact to make things interesting,

 I decided I wanted to finish the day before my deadline.

On August 31st.

I look back on how He brought in all my support last year

when things were looking nothing but grim 

and I know God is more than capable.

He can to this.

About a week ago

I only had a little more left to raise.

But at the rate things were happening

it was looking more and more like 

I would probably finish a few days after my deadline.

I decided to be happy about that

because even though it wasn't the 31st,

at least I would be finishing before campus stuff started.

Last Thursday night I couldn't sleep.

{pretty standard when raising support}

so naturally I got up and worked on support.

I checked my email and went over my numbers.

I redid some of my math and ended up changing a couple things.

I then added in some new support I saw come in when I went through my email

and then literally out of no where I was staring at this...

 I knew I had to have made a mistake somewhere.

{numbers are not my thing}

I went back and did the math 3, 4, 5 more times

but I kept getting the same result.

And just like that I was done with support.

I looked at the time and it was 1:47am

Friday, August 31st. 

The day before my deadline.

{I'm thinking God was laughing right along with me at this point}

By 1:48am this is precisely what was happening,

tears of joy.

Today,

I am thankful for each and every prayer 

that God answered so specifically.

{there are too many to count}

I am thankful for all God has taught me

through having to raise support this summer.

I am thankful that He has used this time

 to prepare me for what He has in store this coming year.

{in life & in ministry}

 I am thankful that God has been

 {and continues to be}

 extremely faithful and gracious 

and though I don't deserve any of it,

He once again brought in every cent that I needed.

I am extremely thankful

for each and every person on my support team.

I am thankful for your steps of faith to partner with me

and walk alongside me through this next year.

You each mean the world to me

and I can't wait to see how the Lord is going to use you and your support

to change lives.

And I am so stinking thankful that I can finally say...

peace out, so long, sayonara to support,

and hello to full time campus ministry!

What are you thankful for today?....

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday to you!

When people learn that I have a degree in Horticulture

I always get the same 2 questions...

"What's that?"

and 

"So how exactly did you get into that?"

My response is always something along the lines of...

I've always loved plants and being outside.

Which is very true.

But this summer I've actually been asking myself

how did I really get into it,

when and where did this all happen?

Well today,

I am thankful for this place.

Because this is where it happened.

This is where I fell in love with plants.

Right here at this very lake.

Long Lake is nestled in the back country of 

the John Muir Wilderness up in the Sierra Nevada's.

I've been hiking back here since I was a little kid

and it just gets more and more gorgeous each time I go.

This has and continues to be my most favorite playground.

As a kid I always loved the landscape

the giant snow covered peaks

the streams and tiny creeks

the moss covered rocks and ground

and all the different wildflowers.

Oh the wildflowers!

(T to B) Erigeron coulteri Coulter's Daisy
Achillea millefolium  Common Yarrow
Linanthus nuttallii Nuttall's Linanthus

But since then,

I've grown to become absolutely fascinated by it all.

How intricate and unique everything was.

I wanted to learn how it all worked,

how it all functioned.

Then some few years later

I found myself at Cal Poly SLO studying 

Environmental Horticulture Science.

Taking an insane amout of science and technical classes.

Classes like Botany

Biology

 Physiology

Chemistry

Pathology

Ecology

 Landscape Design

and even Floral Design.

Most of school was difficult and I didn't really like it.

But put me out in the wilderness

and I was quickly reminded how much I loved plants.

It was worth it.

I am so thankful for all the summer's spent up in the Sierra's.

I am thankful that my parents dragged me along on their hikes

when I was a kid and didn't want to go.

I'm thankful that God used such a unique and amazing place 

{His creation}

to show me where my heart lies 

and what I am passionate about.

Aquilegia formosa Western Columbine

I am thankful that here in this place,

I can find all the wildflowers, trees and shrubs

a horticulturist could only dream of.

Allium validum Swamp Onion

I am thankful that God knew what He was doing 

with me from the very beginning.

I am thankful that He has given me

 a passion for plants,

for the outdoors,

for His creation.

Castilleja spp. Indian Paintbrush

Well, there you have it.

That is exactly how it happened.

Now if you ever want to see a plant geek in their true element

or if you love the outdoors and just want to see some unbelievably breathtaking scenery...

just ask me to take you here.

Lord knows I won't be able to say no.

What are you thankful for this week?...