Fall is Here Again!

Fall is almost here!  It's only six more days until it's official!  This week the weather has been amazing.  Cooler weather has finally arrived and I don't ever want it to leave. Whenever I go outside I look around and see that the leaves are already starting to fall.  Oh, fall, how much I love you!  I'm so glad you're back.

Fall actually isn't my favorite season.  But it should be, haha.  I always say that spring is my favorite season, but I LOVE fall so much too.  Of course it's partly due to the fact that I'm just so ready for the summer  to be over so I always welcome fall with open arms.

You know what's absolutely crazy?  I haven't even had my first pumpkin spice Latte yet!  What!?!?!  Haha! Now that it actually feels like fall I think a trip to Starbucks is going to be in order soon.

Oh, I'm so happy.  Today I wore a my cozy plaid shirt and spent some wonderful time outside enjoying the crisp air.  It won't be long before I can start wearing sweaters, scarfs and boots again!

Usually I can't wait to wear my fall boots.  I believe I even had a post once about my boot obsession. Well, it's funny how a year can change you.  This year I could care less about my boots.

During the summer I invested in a new pair of sandals.  I say invested because I bought myself a pair of Chacos which were about $100.  Yeah, I'm not joking.  I've heard so many good things about the Chaco brand, not to mention all my friends had a pair.

But these shoes are seriously the best!  Not only are they cute and go with every single outfit, they are unbelievable comfortable.   I can stand for hours in them and my feet don't hurt.  And when summer includes lots of water adventures (rafting, canyoneering, backpacking) these are the shoes to bring.

Now that summer is coming to an end it is time to transition to fall. But I still plan on wearing my Chacos every once in a while, haha

Anyway, Happy fall! I hope you're enjoying the cooler weather :)

A New Dream

What a crazy summer it has been for me!  It definitely did not go how I planned, haha.  Life is hard sometimes and I've had my share of hard days this summer.   But I also had my share of wonderful days!  My favorite part of summer was spending quality time with my family; which included going backpacking and hiking.  Most of all though,  I'm overwhelmed by the amazing God we serve and each day He is showing me how much He loves me.

But guess what!  God spoke to me this summer!  For years I have been praying to God for direction for my life.  I've been content to take each day as it comes and God is always faithful to give me what I need for that day.  But I've never really had much of a goal or plan for my future.

After I graduated high school (In 2014, sheesh, that was awhile ago, lol) I never took the college route.  Mainly because I didn't know what I wanted to pursue.  Well, now I finally know what I want to study.  Today I had my first class in Early Childhood Education.

I have always loved kids and I enjoy doing childcare for friends.  God has put it on my heart to work with kids and love kids.  I have a passion for the little children in God's kingdom and I want to serve God by loving on these little ones.

I'm so excited to be taking the next step in following God and I can't wait to see how He will use me! It's never to early to dream!  And God's timing is always perfect!

It's official!  I'm a college student!

My Summer Project

When I first heard about the live action Beauty and the Beast I could not contain my excitement.  I grew up on the animation, it was one of my favorite movies, and now they were making a live action of this beloved movie.  When it came out I planned an outing with my friends on opening day to finally see the long anticipated movie.

I loved it so much!  Of course, just like most movies, there were a few parts I didn't care to much about but this post isn't a review so I won't go into details.  One aspect of the movie I absolutely loved was all the costumes.  I felt like it was a feast for my eyes taking in all the amazing costumes.

Each summer I usually pick a sewing project to work on so this summer I decided to make one of Belle's dresses.  But which one should I make? I could never do her yellow dress. Yellow just isn't my color and I'm still not sure if I like her yellow dress from the new movie.  It just doesn't feel like the old dress, it feels to modern.  But her blue dress on the other hand.  I fell in love with it the first time I saw it.

This outfit is amazing! I love all the separate pieces that make this outfit. The apron, the pockets... I even plan on making the bloomers Belle wears under her skirt.

Last week I picked out fabric for the dress.  It took a while to find all the right fabric but after much searching I was able to find just the right pattern for each part of the dress.

I can't wait to make this costume!  This will officially be my second cosplay (technically my third if you count the Hiccup cosplay I made for my brother) and my first Disney cosplay! As I work on this dress I will be taking pictures of the process and I plan on posting a tutorial just like I did for my Astrid Cosplay.

I'll say it one more time, I'm very excited about this project!  I can't wait to start ;)

Good-bye Spring, Hello Summer

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

As one season comes to an end, a new one begins.  Spring is over and summer is almost here. Every spring I work at a living history camp (Rock-N-Water). At this camp I pretend I'm from 1854 and teach kids about the Gold Rush.  This year was my fourth year working at this amazing place.  To me Rock-N-Water is a ministry because each day I am able to teach others about God and serve God in such a fun and unique way.

Even though I'm sad the camp is over, I'm choosing to be happy for all the fun I had and all the lessons I learned.   Memories are an amazing thing and I choose to treasure them. There's a huge smile on my face because I know that God is so good to me and He has blessed me so much through this camp.

Now as the green grass slowly fades to brown, and the temperatures begin to rise, I'm reminded that summer is here again.  To be honest with you all, summer isn't my favorite season, mainly because of the heat.  Who enjoys the heat?  I'd rather have cold weather.  But there is nothing I can do, summer has arrived once again.  

Do I have any summer plans?  I wish I could give you a list of things I am planning to accomplish this summer, but I don't. And, you know what, that's okay.  Each day comes and I'm learning to trust God in the uncertainty of the future.  I'm learning to live my life day by day, step by step.  The truth is that it's okay to not have a long list of summer plans and accomplishments.  I know God has great plans for me and I can't wait to see what He will teach me this summer!

Do you have any fun plans for summer?  

Happy 4th of July!

"...and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." John 8:32

Happy 4th of July. Let the celebration begin!

Since I am not only out of town (I'm in Texas ya'll!) for this 4th of July but am also busy and tired from a long week, I decided to share with you all some of my favorite 4th of July pictures that I have taken over the last few years.

"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

"...in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Romans 8:37

Wishing ya'll a blessed day celebrating our country.