Love this

I just really love this picture, this song, and this band.

"Where you invest your love, you invest your life"-Mumford & Sons

Check out my brother's blog!

The second most beautiful redhead in the world. 

For some words of wisdom and a sometimes immature (but always witty) sense of humor, check out my younger brothers' new blog!

www.zacheaton.blogspot.com

Secret: that giraffe is still his best friend. 

To be clear, he's the tall guy on the left, not the elderly woman in the wheel chair. 

Full house!

For the first time since this Summer everyone in my family is back under one roof! My brother and sister-in-law drove in from DC tonight (with two cats!), which means Buck, Anna, Collin, Kalli, Tyler, Caroline and Zach are finally together again! It's pure happiness.

My parents

Time to take a moment and talk about how amazing my family is. Truly, they are incredible, and my proudest obsession. Something amazing happens in the room when all of my family is back together. We all get each other. There's a level of closeness there that I don't think I'll ever have with another group of people--and no one can make me laugh harder than my family. They're the best group of people I know.

Another thing I love about my family: we're all passionate about something, and we're all chasing the thing we're passionate about. This year my parent's have started travelling all around the US preaching at conferences and furthering they're ministry, and it's just the beginning. Along with pastoring a church here in Texas, I believe they'll spend a lot of time taking God's Word all across the globe. And they love it.

Collin and Kalli

On the front page!

My oldest brother, Collin (24), and his wife, Kalli (23), just got back from Washington DC, where he once again amazed his editors at yet another prestigious newspaper. You can always tell that someone is doing what God wants them to do when they are succeeding far beyond everyone's expectations. I'm so proud of him and his wife, Kalli, who is also acting on her dreams of working in the fashion industry.

A screenshot from one of Tyler's movies

Tyler, Zach and I are chasing our own dreams too, but our futures are less defined than the older members of our family. Tyler (21) is studying film, and he's amazingly gifted in all things editing, writing, directing and whatever else comes with the field. He's going to be huge. I'm currently studying journalism, purely for the reason that that's where God has me, and I like it. But don't ask me what I want to do with my degree, because I don't have a clue. My passion is Christ, so I know that I'll always end up where I'm suppose to be when I'm chasing him. Zach (17) is the bravest of all of us. In about 3 weeks he'll be at a ministry school in Colorado, training for a month long outreach somewhere in the Himalayas. He has a fire in his heart for evangelism, and he's not letting his young age keep him from sharing the love of Christ now.

Zach and I at Collin and Kalli's wedding

Sorry this blog was so long and drawn out, but I think it was worth it--I could talk about my family forever. I'm happiest when I'm with my family, and I'm so beyond ecstatic that Christmas has brought us all back together.

Merry Christmas! I hope you are cherishing your family this holiday season.

Tales of Happiness

Well, my first semester of college has come to end. So...I'm done!!! In a few hours I'll be on my way to sweet Sugar Land, Texas for the holidays. A whole month of Sugar Land sounds really incredible right now.

Roommates :)

I can't believe this first semester is already over. Even though a lot has happened, it feels like just yesterday I was moving into my dorm room and meeting this curly haired girl who has the same name as me. Flash forward four months, and now my beautiful roommate Caroline is one of my closest friends, and along with that I have two incredible suit mates and a lot of other kindred spirit friends that I've made here. Moral of the story: God knows what He's doing. Always. He's never left me hanging - He's always taken care of me. It's almost as if He's in love with me or something... :)

So, in order to put off packing a little while longer, I'm going to write about a few awesome experiences that I've had here lately. I'm also writing about it because...well I love writing down my experiences and keeping everyone who is praying for me updated on what's going on in my life.

Last week I went with my friend Emily to get my guitar strings changed. One of my strings broke way back in October, but I still hadn't gotten them changed because I don't have a car and didn't even know where to go to get it done. Luckily my friend Emily needed something from a music store here in Cleveland, so she offered to give me a ride (because she's awesome). I was hoping that there would be someone in the music store who could change them for me since it's been a long time since I learned to change strings and I didn't want to mess anything up. I was expecting this to be a pretty pricey deal, but worth it all the same.

My beautiful guitar that Dub even cleaned for me!

When we got to the music store the man sold me strings for about a third of the price I would've gotten in Sugar Land, which was really awesome considering I'm a college student and money never seems to stay in my pocket. He said he didn't have anyone in the shop who could change the strings for me, but he knew someone who would do it for $5 a guitar. He gave me the man's name and number, and next thing I know I'm calling a man named Dub and asking if I could drop my guitar off at his house to get my strings changed. Dub was an adorable elderly man who used to be a preacher, and said when he was young he had hair the same color as mine. He changed both mine and Emily's guitar's for $5 each, and couldn't have been any sweeter. I just wanted to go into his house, have some tea and hear his story. I didn't, but that would've been awesome.

So, the point to this story is that I love small towns. Really, they're awesome. Everyone is friendly, and when they say "How are you doing?" they really want to know. I'm so glad that God placed me in such a sweet town. The people here are teaching me to enjoy doing things for other's just because I want to help out - without asking anything, or very little, in return.

The next story is about this weekend when I got to go to Nashville!! My friend Lisa must've known that I've been wanting to go to Nashville all semester, and that I needed a getaway from a boring finals week, because she invited me on a trip that her hall was going on over the weekend. She didn't end up going, but somehow I was still invited to go to Nashville with a hall full of girls that I had just met, and it was so much fun. We went to the Opryland hotel to look at the Christmas decorations first - it was so beautiful. Then after that we went line dancing in downtown Nashville, which was an absolute blast.

Nashville is my favorite city in the world. I blew a kiss to the Grand Ole Opry and promised I'd be back. One of my goals is to live in Nashville for a little while after college. I don't know what I'd do there yet, except I know that I'd go to the Opry as much as I could and soak up the heaven that comes out of that place.

Downtown Nashville, such a beautiful place.

Opryland Hotel!

Tennessee sunset. See you in January :)

Anyways, I've had an incredible semester, and even though I'm more than thrilled to go home for a month, I can't wait to come back here next year for part two of freshman year. You know something...God really knows what He's doing.

If you've stuck with me this far, congratulations, because you're about to read the most important part. Here goes: some parts of this adventure of a first semester has felt like a compete free fall. I really didn't know what I was doing when I came to Lee University in Cleveland Tennessee, except that I was going where I felt the Lord was leading me.  But the thing about free falls is that once you get over the fear of the landing, they can be an incredible experience. All you can do is enjoy the fall, and trust that someone, or something, will catch you at the end of it. The Lord has repeatedly told me that He'll be there to catch me. And even better than that, He's come in and taken over completely--acting as my wings. So now, my free fall feels more like flying.

Well, that's all. Sorry this post was such a novel. Actually I guess I'm really not sorry, but I really do hope you stayed with me!

Love always to you and yours,
Caroline.

Now playing: "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" -Alan Jackson
First semester of college: check.

Finals week!

Studious Abby

Finals week is finally here, which means my first semester of college is just about over. Crazy, right?
I still remember leaving my house on August 18th to make the 14 hour drive from Texas to Tennessee, and now I'm about to be back in Texas for a whole month.

Midnight breakfast!

My finals week is going to be really relaxed; I just have two papers due and two exams next week that won't require much studying. So I pretty much have a week of laying around ahead of me, with a little bit of studying thrown in.

But since I'm clearly not studying right now I'll just post some pictures of what's been going on in my crazy college life lately!

So much active brain power in this room

No shave November final results

Adorable Lisa

Christmas tree lighting

Quizzing Allie for her biology test at 2 AM and taking pictures...clearly productive. 

My campus loves Christmas, therefore I love my campus

Bare trees!

Emily and I, not studying

New music will definitely help this week pass quickly :)

December Peace

Well friends...it's December :) You know what this means.....CHRISTMAS!!!! I love being a little kid when it comes to Christmas.

I've been back at Lee for a week now and even though I love it here, I'm ready to soak in a month full of Sugar Land. Thanksgiving was such a tease.

But seriously, I really do love it here. This week has had a lot of ups and downs, but God has done some amazing things in my life just in these past few days, and right now I'm so at peace. The Lord is so good! If you're reading this and you ever want to get coffee and just talk about how seriously amazing God is...let's do it.

I've been reading Ephesians lately, and every time I read this book I'm so amazed at Paul's unceasing joy. I mean...the man was in prison. Tortured. Yet he never stopped spreading the joy of the Lord. He never stopped sharing the Gospel. I pray that in times of tribulation I can still spread the Lord's joy. How sweet it is.

And now, for some worship. A friend of mine just introduced me to Bryan and Katie Torwalt, and their cd has been wrecking me all week. Here's my favorite song (but they're all amazing):

"I've tasted and seen, of the sweetest of Loves
Where my heart becomes free, and my shame is undone
In Your Presence.

Holy Spirit You are welcome here 
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere 
Your Glory God is what our hearts long for ,
To be overcome by Your Presence, Lord."

I hope you are blessed this December. Never lose the Lord's joy; He delights in YOU.

Love always,

Caroline. 

New Favorite Song

It's sad and heartbreaking, like all of my other favorite songs apparently. 

Brad Paisley always wins. I love this song because his vocals are really showcased. Even though he's an absolutely incredible guitarist, his vocal chops are often overlooked. He's pretty much fantastic in every way :) (and I'm an obsessed nerd.)

Bonus favorite song, because everyone should have some Tom Petty in their lives:

I really don't think I could live without music.

Home is wherever I'm with you

I landed in Houston last night, and today I had the best day ever driving around the streets of Sugar Land, listening to Christmas music, and hanging out with my family. I love this town, I love Thanksgiving, and I love being home.

I also just found out that my oldest brother Collin got a job at a newspaper in Houston, and he and his wife will be moving back here next month! They'll be staying with us for awhile, so basically when I get back from school for Christmas break the whole family will be under one roof again! It's the most wonderful time of the year.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

"Oh, what peace we often forfeit, 

what needless pain we bear, 

all because we do not carry 

everything to God in prayer!"

God amazes me everyday when he allows me to speak to Him through prayer. Without holding any of my faults of mistakes against me, He lets me say whatever I need too. He is truly the best friend anyone could have.

New LeeU Chapel picture

Here's a picture I took from my phone of our brand new chapel. I took it from the balcony, and it definitely does not do the beauty of this chapel justice. I can't wait to worship here!

 

"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!" -Psalm 95:6

It's a great day to be thankful.

It's that time of year, folks :) Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I have quite a lot to be thankful for. So as cliche as it is, here's a list of what I'm thankful for at this very moment:

• I'm thankful that I go to a completely Christ centered university where students and faculty have the freedom to worship God together.
• I'm thankful that in a week and a half I'll be home with my family for Thanksgiving.
• I'm thankful that after Thanksgiving comes Christmas, and my constant giddiness can be labeled as "Christmas Cheer."
• I'm thankful for a beautiful, like-minded roommate who loves to listen to Christmas music as much as I do, and as early as I do. 
• I'm thankful that my brother and sister-in-law have a great life in DC, even though I'll miss them this Thanksgiving.
• I'm thankful for cold weather, red leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, cardigans, Christmas decorations, and everything else that makes this the greatest time of year.
• I'm thankful that Lee is so missions minded, and I am constantly reminded that life isn't all about me. I'm thankful for the opportunities they are giving me to serve this holiday season. 

I'm overwhelmed by how much Christ has blessed me, even though I fail to bring Him the praise He deserves. My goal this holiday season is to share my blessings and joy with others, and ultimately to bring glory to His kingdom. I hope you are blessed with abundant joy this Thanksgiving :)

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" -Psalm 107:1 

Missions Week thoughts

Last week at Lee was Missions Week, a time when different mission organizations from around the world come to our campus to raise awareness for their cause, speak in our chapel services, etc. Our focus this year was on Haiti, with our proceeds going towards rebuilding their country.

The thing that impacted me the most was when Joan Conn, the executive director of an organization called The Restavek Foundation, spoke to my principles of journalism class. This organization is taking on a huge issue in the shadows of Haitian culture. I don't want to get any of their information wrong, so I'm going to post the description of their mission from their Facebook page:

	"The mission of the Restavek Freedom Foundation is to end child slavery in Haiti. www.restavekfreedom.org
	Over 300,000 children are living in domestic servitude in Haiti today. Restavek Freedom exists to end this cultural practice - giving children hope for a better future and helping adults find new perspectives and practices that value ALL children. It's hard to believe that a parent might be desperate enough to give a child away. Or that cowhide whips are used on children who don't complete their chores fast enough. Yet this is the real life of a restavek child. Restavek is a Creole term which literally means "stay with." An accurate term in that these children do stay with their hosts, working as domestic servants in exchange for a roof over their head, some leftover food and, supposedly, the ability to go to school. In practice, though, restaveks are easy prey for exploitation. Many are beaten, sexually abused and frequently denied access to education, since many host families believe that schooling will only make them less obedient.
	Our mission is to end child slavery in Haiti in our lifetimes."

The reason this organizations' mission has impacted me so much is because I was completely unaware that things like this were even going on in Haiti. Actually, to be completely honest, I didn't even know that Haiti is so close to The States. Why is it that the only thing I've ever heard about the country are the natural disasters they've suffered? I don't mean to discredit any Haiti disaster relief organizations whatsoever (I happen to think that what they're doing is very important), I just don't understand how an issue like childhood slavery is so prevalent in their country, yet it usually goes unmentioned.

It reminds me that Houston, which is just under 30 miles from my hometown, is one of the biggest sex trafficking hubs in United States (You can read some scary statistics here). Even though this is happening in our own backyard, it's hardly ever talked about. You could live in Texas your whole life unaware that sex slavery is going on right next to you. The same way that I wasn't aware that Haiti is so close to the States, and that childhood slavery is so prevalent in their country.

These things shouldn't be happening, and what's more, they shouldn't be ignored or swept under the rug. They are happening, so they should be talked about.

I'm in a dance troupe at Lee called Unity, and we have a show coming up in February about human sex trafficking. It's about the institution itself, and the hope of being rescued. If you go to Lee or live in the Cleveland area, please come. Information can be found here. If you aren't in Tennessee (or even if you are), find a way to get involved. Educate yourself about modern day slavery, talk about it, plug into an organization, pray. God's heart is breaking for everyone held in captivity, cry out to Him on their behalf. Slavery may be closer to us than we think it is, but so is hope.

"'They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord." - Jeremiah 1:19

Songs I'm loving right now, and a random picture of Fall leaves!

I love music, and Fall, so this post is going to be about music, and Fall.
When it comes to music I have tons of favorites, and I love finding songs to get hooked on and listen to over and over again. Normally I'm attracted to country and acoustic-y type stuff, but I really will listen to just about everything. All of the songs I'm hooked on right now comes from lots of different genres, so I guess you could say I have pretty diverse taste.  So...here goes!


Create a MySpace Playlist at MixPod.comAugustana--Boston
I have my roommate Caroline to thank for my obsession with this song. It's currently my ringtone, and pretty much background music of my life right now.

Reba--If I Were a Boy
If anyone could cover Beyonce well, it would be Reba. She just does everything right. Oh, and I really want the green dress that she wears in the video.


Lady Antebellum--When You Were Mine
Their whole new album is awesome, but this is definitely my favorite song (right now anyways). Why am I so obsessed with heartbreaking songs??

Carrie Underwood ft. Sons of Sylvia--What Can I Say?
I've been obsessed with this one since it came out, and it still makes me cry. Their voices blend really beautifully.

Jaymee Dee--I Will Follow You Into the Dark (Death Cab for Cutie)

This is a cover that I just heard for the first time a few minutes ago, but I can tell that I'm going to be obsessed with it already. I love her voice!


Jimmy Eat World--Hear You Me
This one is another one you can blame Caroline for :) It's an oldie and I've heard it before, but for some reason I'm just now becoming obsessed with it. This song is perfect for a sad drive. so lucky, so strong, so proud.

Dave Barnes--Until You
This playlist needs some happy. I could go on and on about why I love this song, but instead just listen. Love was kept from me like a secret, and I swore that I was through until you. 

Zac Brown Band--Keep Me in Mind
Try to listen to this song and not dance, seriously. I. Love. Zac. Brown. Band.

I could probably make a playlist of 42532584573042 songs that I'm obsessed with, but I won't :) 

And, since I said that I was going to talk about Fall, here's a picture I took from alumni park of our amazing colorful leaves. Seriously, is this real?! It's absolutely beautiful here.

Sometimes I just can't believe how blessed I am. Actually, all the time.

Campus

Paul Conn Student Union

For everyone who's like "What the heck is Lee University??" here you go. These are a few photos of campus that my friend Julia Jernigan took. They were taken at the beginning of the semester, so imagine this beautiful campus in Fall colors and you'll understand why I love life so much right now.

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 "But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield." -Psalms 5:11-12

Humanities; my favorite building!

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
-Galatians 2:20

Sugar Land.

Sugar Land will always be home to me. I had the most amazing Fall break in sweet Sugar Land, Texas. I got to see my family, hang out with friends (a highlight being my best friend Amy Reed;) ), and pretty much take a breathe and catch up on life in Texas. It's crazy how similar it feels to be back home, but yet how different it is. I'm not used to being in my own house and living out of a suitcase. I'm not used to going home feeling like a vacation. But even so, it was the best vacation ever.

Zach & I right after I got off the plane.

I definitely didn't realize how much I would miss Sugar Land. Family and friends aside, my favorite thing about being back was just getting to drive around in my truck to all of the places I used to go too. I'm really blessed to have such a great hometown.

Even though Sugar Land will always be my home, I know that it was the right thing for me to leave there. I know that I wouldn't have all of the opportunities I have now if I had stayed within my comfort zone. I'm back in beautiful Tennessee now, and I love it. It was really great to be home, but at the same time I wasn't dreading coming back to school. I love it here. It's crazy how I can feel so at home in two very different places. I guess I'm just doubly blessed.

To everyone I saw this past week who said they're following my blog: thanks! It's nice to know I'm not just talking to myself. I love you, Sugar Land. See you at Thanksgiving!

"This is real life, Caroline. Idiot."

Those wise words came from my younger brother, Zach. He's so full of genius...

But don't be fooled by his harsh realism, he is also a lover of all things of whimsy.

He's basically awesome.
I'll be landing in Texas at around 9 PM tonight. I can't wait to see my family!!!

Remember that time I asked to be stretched?

I do. I remember saying "Hey God, use me. I want to make a difference for Your Kingdom. Take me completely out of my comfort zone."

Well the awesome thing about God is that He never fails to answer prayers. The thing is, I don't think I knew just what I was praying for. While I still definitely want everything I asked Him for, to be taken out of my comfort zone, I wasn't exactly thinking about the journey it would take to get there. 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

 Everything about where I am is new right now. New faces, new places, new relationships, new experiences, new struggles, new joys; it's all just a bunch of newness. (Wow, I'm eloquent).

But this is my life now, and no matter how new and different everything is, I have to adapt. I think I'm doing pretty well so far, with the help of the Lord. He's provided for me so much since I've been here; it blows my mind how much He's taking care of me. He's making me feel comfortable being outside of my comfort zone, if that makes sense.

My life here is great. I would never complain about it, because it was my choice to pack up and move so far away from home. I'm still finding my place, but I thank God everyday for what He is doing here. I have to be stretched in order for Him to fulfill His purpose with me here. Sometimes being stretched makes you sore (look out, corny analogy), but it's always worth it. You can't get anywhere by staying within your comfort zone.

Even if I have to wake up each morning and tell myself over again, I know that I'm where I'm supposed to be.

And your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

Well, that was a lot of disorganized rambling. This is basically what I've been thinking about a lot lately. I'm going home today, and I'm so excited. I can't wait to see all of my family and friends back in Texas, but I also can't wait to get back here and see how God continues to work in my life. He really is incredible.

You put a rift inside me everyday, but then you choose to stay.

I love this song. I don't know why I'm so obsessed with heartbreaking songs, but I am. I first heard this song in an episode of Everwood, this dramatic show I used to love because I'm super cool like that.

"I think sometimes that ignoring something gives it too much power... pretty soon all that we can remember is what it is we were trying to forget." --Andy Brown 

(As in the dad from Everwood. More cool points for me.)

In the Light of the Sun

This post is pretty much going to be a collection of my completely random thoughts about life lately.

First, I'm going home in a week!! I'm so thankful that my school has Fall break, so I get to go home for a little bit. I'm so excited to see all of these faces!

My Fall break falls on the same weekend as my high school's homecoming, so I'm really excited to go back and see a bunch of my friends still in school, as well as my family and my incredible friends who are coming down from college that weekend. I'm also pretty excited to see my cat because I'm just so cool. I really really just can't wait to be home.



While I am super excited to be home, I'm loving life here. This is definitely where God wants me to be right now, more on that later. Here's what's been going on here:

I love Tennessee.

My roommate Caroline Kindiger shared a bunch of great music with me this week because she's awesome. This is my new favorite.

 

Last night Caroline and I discovered Rainymoods.com. It's pretty much the greatest website ever. We both had it playing all night last night, and this morning we woke up to a rainy campus. Our fault? Possibly. 

That's pretty much it. Life is good, God is faithful, and I'm going to take a nap. See you soon, Texas!

Here's to being held captive in my dorm room for the next 5 hours...

This post is really just a way to procrastinate all of the work I have to do, which is about 4354305985974533 different writing assignments. That's what I get for being a journalism major.

Oh well, at least I like writing. God rewards diligence, right? Guess I better get to it then...
See you next Spring!

I hope it's nice where you are

I shared this with Caroline Kindiger this morning, and I'm pretty sure we've listened to it 57 times today.

"All that I know is I don't know how to be something you miss."

Sometimes heartbreaking songs make me happy, in a backwards sort of way. 

Oh, and apparently I only like Taylor Swift songs when other people sing them.

Peace&Love

It's Fall!!

Fall is officially here in Tennessee! Actually it's been here for about a week, but I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. And of course I have to blog about it because I'm so excited!!


I love everything about Fall, and I've never been more excited for a Fall season in my life. I finally get to see leaves change colors and enjoy real Fall weather! (No offense to Texas, I still love you.) But seriously, what's not to love about scarves, pumpkin spice lattes, boots, cool breezes, orange-reddish leaves and everything else that comes with the season? It's the greatest.

My favorite thing about Fall is that it means that winter is almost here, and if you think I like Fall . . . just wait till winter. I won't even get started on my love of Christmas. (Not yet, anyways. I don't want to freak out my 2 followers.)

Well, time to wrap a scarf around my neck and walk through a flurry of trees and red brick buildings to get to my New Testament class. I'm so happy.

There's always a reason to be happy.

Jesus paid it all...

...all to Him I owe. Sin has left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

I am always so amazed at how good God is to me, when I am never worthy. So often I fail to give Him the devotion that He deserves, but He forgives me every time. I stand in Awe of His grace and loving kindness. My heart is on fire for Him.

Praise the One who paid my debt, and raised this life up from the dead.

Early Mornings

I'm up. I don't want to be up, but I'm up. This is what happens when I choose to spend my (very late) evenings talking on the phone and skyping instead of doing homework. So now I'm reading an essay about structuring a thesis with a  tumbler full of hot coffee by my side. Good morning.

It was worth it though, I love talking to people from home. As much as I'm loving it here, I can't wait to go home in three weeks for Fall break!

This video is my official "I miss Texas" cure.

"And when she laughs you’ll always take notice
'cause her heart's charm will shine right through it all"

Time to wake-up and be joyful. God has been so incredible to me lately (and all the time actually), how can I be anything but thankful? It is a good morning.

Roommates!

I really really do love my roommates. I can't believe I've only known them for a month!

Speaking of awesome roommates, you should read Caroline's blog for more intelligent but yet adorably endearing posts. She's the greatest. :)

P.S. Something else I love....
 just cause.