The Great Green North [of Ireland]

Hello friends and family! and those of you who stumbled upon this blog by accident!
   
something exciting and wonderful has finally happened! And rather than message all 431 of my facebook friends with those annoying thread notifications, I thought I would just share whats going on with this here blog, and whoever wants to read can read. free will, baby.

let me start at the beginning (a very good place to start) ...

for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to visit Ireland. I don't even know why, it just seemed like a spectacular place. Well, over the past few months, I've felt God calling me to take a trip. but I just wasn't sure when, where or who with. sort of major details. so, naturally, I prayed about it for a few weeks, just asking for God's guidance. And for some reason, I could not get Ireland out of my head. So I just said, ok God.. if Ireland is where you want me, then just show me the steps I need to take to get there. I then decided to ask for some advice and prayer from several godly women in my church. all of them replied with very encouraging emails and one in particular mentioned talking with April, another lady who goes to my church who had been to Ireland several times on missions trips. So, I thought I might as well email her and see if she had any connections or advice she would like to pass along. She replied that day and said she was actually taking a trip to Ireland in 3 WEEKS and was felt that my email was perfect timing, as she was looking for someone to travel with. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!

so, needless to say, God fit everything together like so many puzzle pieces in less than 24 hours.

I will be gone August 3rd through August 13th, and we will be staying with a family in Belfast (which is in Northern Ireland) who have several ministries. We'll just be helping them out with whatever they need done as a missions team from Germany is staying with them. Whatever that may entail.

I am so thankful and blessed by how God is working in my life at this time! I am beside myself with excitement. like, jumping, squealing, paper bag excited.

pretty much the only details to work out are minor travel plans, and getting the funds and small necessitates I need. April and I would greatly appreciate your prayers before and during our trip! I'm told I will have internet access while I am there, So I will try to keep the ol' blog and facebook updated with lots of pictures and words.

a big thank you to all of you who encouraged me and nudged me along on this journey! you know who you are. And thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this and share in my excitement.

now, who wants to go see Brave with me? I need to practice my accent.

Compass

WOW, it's been a while. Time to get back in the blogging game. I know everyone is dying to hear the exciting details of my life.

big news: I'm now out on my own! I've recently moved into my own apartment. I. am. loving. it. My girlish obsession with buying clothes has [slightly] diminished and I have moved on to buying things to deck out my crib. Which is a hobby my wallet does not enjoy. I however, am enjoying making my place feel like my own. The other day I was bored, so I went to Walmart and bought paint, paint brushes, and a giant roll of paper. Cheap entertainment and wall decor.

Random tidbits in everyday life I've experienced recently:
- I saw man walking down Jefferson the other day with a giant, rolling suitcase. And he did not look homeless.
- 15 minutes ago, I had a conversation with the gentleman sitting next to me at Starbucks. He noticed my mac and started talking to me about Apple products and his favorite operating systems for said products. I did not follow a single word. He is easily 65. I feel pathetic. I bet he doesn't have a Twitter though.
- When one does not have internet at one's apartment, one realizes there is more to life than pinterest. But not much.
- 2 cups of coffee every morning is either too much or not enough. Depends on the day.

Ok, for cereal now.
Being out on my own, I have tons of time to myself to do lots of thinking, which is a dangerous thing, if you know me.
Recently, God and I have been playing waiting game. I keep waiting for the next big thing in life to come my way. I want to travel the world, do crazy things, meet new people, try new things, find the perfect man and start a family, etc. No big deal. But instead I wake up every morning at 6:36am, drink my coffee, go to work and sit at a desk for 8 hours, come home, eat, go to bed. Repeat. My idea of living it up is going to Goodwill or Starbucks when I have nothing to do. My life is nothing if not monotonous (which is another reason I don't update this blog very often). There are days when I seriously consider going to the airport, going up to the grumpy people at the baggage check and ask for a ticket. And when they ask where to, I will just say, "Surprise me!".
I want a reason to update this blog everyday.
So, here's to waking up every morning at 6:36am and choosing to rejoice in Jesus.
Here I am, God. I'm ready. I've been ready.

keep it real, kids.

21 things I have learned in my 21 long years of life (in no particular order)

1.   the friends you have when you are 12 are not always the friends you will have when you are 35. But you are never alone.

2.   Being an adult is not all that its cracked up to be.

3.   Everyone should work at least one week at a retail job in their lives. It makes you appreciate your life.

4.   If you thank God for the good little things in life, your attitude towards the big sucky ones will change.

5.   Never, ever let anyone stifle your imagination. It keeps you young.

6.   If you suffer from the curse of FIMS (also known as Foot In Mouth Syndrome) of have a reputation for being completely void of tact, it’s almost always better to just keep your deathtrap of a mouth shut.

7.   Walks in the snow at night are good for the soul.

8.   Fashion trends, popular bands, movies, tv, books will always change every few years, so just do whatever the heck you want and stop caring what everyone else thinks of you.

9.   Drunk people always make complete imbeciles of themselves, and are a 10 on the scale of 1 to obnoxious.

10.  I’m 102% sure that God drinks coffee.

      11.  This world is crazy messed up. Aim to heal it, not just put a band-aid on it.

12.    Crazy random dance parties (whether alone in your bedroom or with friends) will always make your day 382 times better.

13.    Waiting for someone or something you love is worth it.

14.    There are only 5 Christmas songs, and every band in all of creation that has ever been able to play their instruments in some form of synchronization has had a Christmas album.

15.    Music is just the hearts way of trying to make itself understood.

16.    If you look in the mirror everyday and tell yourself that you are worth it, you’ll eventually start to believe it.

17.    If the label says that it's healthy for you, you can bet your bottom dollar that it tastes like crap. 

18.    If you find someone you can be yourself around and that doesn’t scare them away, hold onto them for as long as you possibly can.

19.    Hugs have magical powers.

20.   Sometimes letting go of your past is as difficult as predicting your future. 

21.    Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. 

New Leaves

Greetings loyal, semi-loyal, and new readers!
Sorry it's been so long! These past couple of months have been straight-up crazypants. Unfortunately, the crazypantsiness hasn't left much room for me to go out and take pictures every day like I would like to. I have a few randoms that I'll post anyways though.

Anyways! Life is very exciting/crazy right now. I've recently started a new job (yay!) at a pediatrician's office. I LOVE IT. There's a lot to learn, considering I've never had an office job before, but so far, I think I'm doing ok. At least no one's told me I suck, soo...


upsides to the new job:
I get to wear scrubs which is basically like wearing your pajamas to work everyday.
downside:
All the cute clothes in my closet seem to be mocking me. I can almost hear them begging me to put them on.
upside:
I get to deal with cute kids and their crazy parents everyday.
downside:
Due to strict privacy laws that come from working in a doctor's office, I can't tell you about any of them. Even the funny stories. (don't cry)
upside:
I only knew like, 2 people who work here coming into this job, so that means I get the chance to make a good first impression on those I don't know. I'm trying not to screw it up by randomly talking in strange accents as I have a habit to do.
downside:
I miss my Plato's buddies. Sad face. (shout-out, if any of you are reading this <3)

But, it's going good. Which is surprising, because I always SWORE I would never work in a doctor's office. Growing up, I was TERRIFIED of any type of waiting room/hospital/doctor's office. I even dreaded the dentist. I was the kid would walk in the waiting room the nurses would all yell, "QUICK, GET THE TRANQUILIZER!". Fortunately, I don't go into hysterics or start hyperventilating when I walk into the office now. (Ain't you so proud, momma?)

Anyhoo. Enough about that. More exciting news:
Summer is officially over, and Fall is finally HERE! It's my favorite season! I love the sweatshirt weather, bonfires, the pretty trees. The stifling hot temperature is GONE, and the crisp, fresh air is here. And most importantly, all the best Starbucks drinks come out in the Fall. Pumpkin Spice latte, Caramel Apple Spice, Chai tea latte...  need I say more.

So, I hope you all enjoy this lovely fall weather as much as I will. Which is unlikely, because I love it immensely. But it's worth a shot.

Adventures at Salvo!

For those of you not with the hip lingo ... 'Salvo' = Salvation Army.

Seriously, any trip to Salvation Army, Goodwill, garage sales, etc. should require a camera and a blog update. You just never know what you will find or what could go down.

The day started at Starbucks (naturally) and then Abigail and myself headed to Salvo to go photoshoot prop shopping. We found some pretty sweet stuff! Not photographed: a rad mustard yellow arm chair for $15 (score), a vintage suitcase, some sweet Barbara Streisand records (and various others), and a giant pink phone from the 1980's that makes me want to lie on my bed with feathered hair wearing leg warmers and popping bubble gum while talking on it.

One of the more interesting, and slightly disturbing stories of this adventure happened when I stated my desperate need to use the little girls room (thanks to the giant coffee I'd had 20 minutes earlier). So as Abigail and I open the door to the restroom, we were shocked to find a woman standing by the sink with her pants on the floor, in the midst of trying things on. My first thought was, oh, we must have accidentally walked into the fitting rooms, but no, there was a stall in the room as well, in which the woman's daughter was also trying on clothes. The half-naked woman then procedes to ask us, "Do you need to use the toilet?" and I barely refrained from saying, "Well, this IS the bathroom, is it not?!" It was a very awkward situation to say the least, but a funny one. What made it more fun was that the lady didn't seem to care that we had walked in on her and continued to try on clothes while Abigail and I had nothing to do but stand there and wait for her daughter to come out of the stall. Joy.

All in all, twas a good day! Salvo never fails to disappoint.

Abigail the traveling minstrel.

One of the many random finds of the day: A portrait of an emo girl/bluejay in flight/cat staring into the distance/foggy night landscape. And for the low price of $1! Win.

 I think this book will come in handy someday.

 Something was missing ...

Ok, really? Gel that keeps your pet insects hydrated?

 Please direct your attention to the 'feeding directions' label: place a small amount in shallow dish inside insect's CAGE? "Honey, when was the last time you gave Jiminy his hydration gel? He's looking a little parched!"

                             Narnia?!

Ok, there was a WHOLE FREAKING WALL of nothing but clown pictures. MEGA creepy.

                                     pedofile clown?

New website - same blog!

Hey!
Just letting everyone know that I have switched blog websites! It's still the same blog (awesome, sarcastic, and straight-up fabulous), just a different address. The old one was giving me trouble, so I put it in it's place. I'll keep the old one up for a couple of weeks, but for new posts, check this one!

the address to the old site is www.dreamingoutloudphotography.wordpress.com
(i know, it's a mouthful.)

the NEW address is www.DOLphotogblog.blogspot.com
so write that down in your diaries! or in your day planner! or your calendar! or your palm pilot! or your wall!

Thanks kids! Stay excellent.
(sorry, no photos this time.)