It's the Little Things

A few months ago I wrote a post about gratitude that you can find here. I want to make giving thanks a habit. Here are a few things that I've been thankful for in the last week:

~a Valentine's Day waffle brunch with my family

~precious moments with my niece

~a message of freedom and grace that lifted my soul

~coffee and cookies with a wonderful friend 

~encouragement from a caring friend

~sunshine and warm weather

~a quiet, inviting coffee shop

~pretending with little friends

~photobooth and lots of giggles with three cuties

~a fresh apple and cocoa almonds for an afternoon snack

~extra time for an afternoon walk

~chocolate, chocolate, chocolate

~finding a community of women that struggle with the same things that I do

~discovering some new amazing tunes

~hours of studying paying off

~relief from stress

~a God that's bigger than my problems and struggles

~giant, fluffy snowflakes that stick in my hair

*Have you ever thought about recording the things that you're thankful for? 

*Do you take pictures, write in journal, or blog about them? 

*Have you noticed a difference in your attitude when you take time to be thankful for the little and big things in life?

{Girls Night Out}

Hey there!

I had a wonderful J-Term! I didn't do everything that I wanted to do, but I accomplished a lot and had tons of fun. This last week I had a girls night out. I invited some girls from Revive and they invited some friends too! 

To start off the evening we painted our nails. One of my friends that came has an outrageously amazing nail polish stash. She brought this huge container of lots of colors!

After getting some awesome colors on our nails, we did a cool craft. We got some plain white mugs and decorated them with sharpies, then put them in the oven awhile to cook the marker on. This craft was super easy and fun, and I think everyone will use them. 

I love seeing how creative everyone is. All of the mugs were so different and unique!

The night ended with lots of chatting, laughter, and playing cards.

Spending time with these girls was great! They're all so fun, silly, and sweet. I loved being able to all be together and chill. Hopefully we can have one of these fun nights again! I'm thankful that God has put these girls in my life. They're such a blessing!

{the word of the year}

Awhile ago, I heard about choosing a word for each year, but I didn't really understand what it meant until I heard it at church a few weeks ago. The pastor talked about choosing a word that you can focus on this next year. A word that motivates you. A word that instills passion in you. A word that calms you. A word that points you to the Word. A word that makes you more like Christ. 

I decided to choose a word for myself for 2014. That word is . . . contentment. Be content.

This past year, I have struggled a lot with jealousy. I would look around me and see people who were prettier than me, skinnier than me, more athletic than me, funnier than me, and more popular than me. I compared myself to them. I wanted to be just like them. I wanted people to like me. Wanting what others have, though, is not fulfilling. It didn't make me any happier. It didn't help anything. All that jealousy brought was anger, bitterness, and self-pity. I didn't see all that God had blessed me with. Instead, I wanted more and more.  I don't want to be like that! I don't want to always be discontent with myself. 

I want to be content with who God made me. I want to be thankful for what I have. I know that God has given me gifts and talents, and I want to use them for Him! I want to be content with the things I have. All I need is Christ, nothing more! I want to be satisfied in God alone, and nothing else. 

Many things will come in 2014, but I will be content in Christ. 

"My cup overflows with blessings" (Psalm 23:5). 

Do you have a word for this new year?

Have you ever struggled with comparison and jealousy? How did you combat it?

{Bucket List for J-Term}

                                                       ~go ice skating
                                                       ~stargaze
                                                       ~run 15+ miles
                                                       ~finish reading Crazy Love
                                                       ~watch the sunrise
                                                       ~run in the snow
                                                       ~watch the sunset
                                                       ~write 3 letters
                                                       ~do a weekend social media fast
                                                       ~learn a new piano piece
                                                       ~knit a scarf
                                                       ~watch 21 Jump Street
                                                       ~finish reading James
                                                       ~write 3 blog posts
                                                       ~cook/bake 3 new recipes
                                                       ~craft
                                                       ~get rid of clothes I don't wear anymore

Words to Live By in 2014