Retreat

I am having an amazing week here at The Lighthouse Family Retreat!!! I just can't even explain how awesome this is. It's a retreat for families who have children with cancer, but are in remission or healthy enough to be out of the hospital. The kids are great. It is SOOO hot here and there is so many people that it can be over-whelming to some of the children. It is the best feeling when you get to see them smile though! It makes everything worth it. Tonight in nightcap with all the volunteers we sang "Our God". I looked across the room and a lady crying caught my eye. She recently lost her daughter to cancer, and her and her son are here volunteering to help families who are fighting cancer. From being there, I know how hard it is to lose someone to cancer. My dad fought the battle for 2 years and unfortunately lost. But he didn't lose, he won. He is with our Heavenly Father and in a Christian's eyes that is the ultimate finish line. Anyways back to "Our God", Our God is GREATER, our God is STRONGER than any other. I don't see how the he sweet lady and her son could be here helping if they didn't have God's love. He is shining through them. Sometimes God's puts situations in our life so that we can take something from them and help others because WE have been there. I went for a run as soon as nightcap was over and a song called "Blessings" came on. OH MY GOODNESS. It says it all. I couldnt get the video to work but take a minute and go google or youtube the song Blessings by Laura Story. You won't be disappointed. Please pray for the families here! Pray that they feel God's presence this week, and in the weeks, months, and years to come as they may continue to face hard times. Help them remember that "God is good" all the time. (that was our lesson for today!) Love and blessings to you all!

Culinary Arts

Back to the topic of "What do you want to do for the rest of your life." UGH it is so SUPER stressful for me. I mean, I know what I love to do and what my one huge career life dream is but I talk myself out of it time and time again. The voices in my head say, "No you can't do that" or "Nope it's never going to happen" or "You will be so broke that you will live at home forever."(yikes) Anyways as I was looking over my classes next semester I finally made the decision to change my major, once again. When I started college I was an Interior Design Major. Well, I somehow ended up not taking any interior design classes and was in Fashion Merchandising instead. It was fun, thoughts of living in New York and working for some fancy smancy designer sounds all fun, but not something I wanted to spend THE REST of my life doing. So it then changed to Childlife Specialist..took a few basic classes, then decided I wasn't going to attend Alabama anymore. Along with a school change came a major change. I was a Family and Consumer Sciences secondary education major. Now, all of these things interest me, but again not what I want to spend my remaining years doing. So, today, I made the decision and emailed my advisor. I am just going for it and my major is going to be Culinary Arts. It's my one true passion and I am not going to shove it aside any longer. So here goes to another Major change and lets hope this one sticks. I only need 39 more hours to have that degree which is MUCH more appealing than the 88 needed for Family and Consumer Sciences. I know God has an incredible plan for me and I am SO excited to see where this leads me in life. Though sometimes I wish God could mail us a package with all of our life instructions.

What about y'all? Anyone have any advice/ stories about college, jobs, major changes??

How Do You Know?

Probably the most commonly asked question I get as a 20 year old is, "What's your major?" "Right now my major is Family and Consumer Sciences Secondary Education, but that isn't really what I want to do soooo I just don't know." I'm serious that is how I usually answer. I mean being a teacher is great in theory.. out of school by 2:30-3 ish, weekends off, summers off, decent breaks throughout the year. But then I think about all the grading and extra stuff that comes along with teaching. Is it really my calling? No, I don't think so. Should I settle? No, probably not. Do I know what I REALLY want to spend the rest of my life doing? No, sure don't. It's pretty scary.

I do know that I love creating things with my hands. I love working on art projects, adding details to cupcakes, cookies, and cake-pops, painting, and creating new things. It just makes me HAPPY. But how can I support my self by doing those things? I don't really know to be honest with you. Of course it's always been a dream of mine to own a bakery or something along those lines, but how practical is that? Some folks opinion is "very practical, you can do it!" and others are like "places like that don't usually last long and don't make any money". Well cool, thanks for the feedback. It makes me want to pull my hair out. I'm 20... how am I supposed to know what I want to do for THE REST OF MY LIFE?!?! I'm about to be a Junior in college and I am still not 100% sure what I want to major in. Stressful. What I do know is that I'm going to keep on keeping on. I'll get a degree in something, and hopefully be able to use it in that career.

I found this quote and It makes sense to me..

"When we were five, they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Our things were answers like astronaut, president, or in my case, princess… When we were ten, they asked us again. We answered - rock star, cowboy, or in my case, gold medallist… But now that we’ve grown up, they want a more serious answer. Well, how about this… Who the hell knows? This isn’t a time to make hard and fast decisions. This is the time to make mistakes. Take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere. Fall in love - a lot. Major in philosophy because there’s no way to make a career out of that. Change your mind. Then change it again because nothing is permanent. So make as many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask again what we want to be… We won’t have to guess. We’ll know." -Eclipse

So yeah.. I think I'll just be a princess.

Fortune

One day a few weeks ago I went to a Chinese restaurant with one of my friends. I didn't eat, but they brought me a fortune cookie at the end. I LOVE fortune cookies so I was excited to read it. It said, "A new relationship is about to blossom, you will be greatly blessed." I was like YAY, finally, about time!!!

I've been in an extra happy mood lately and I have that fortune to thank. Even though a "new relationship" hasn't blossomed yet, I know it will one day. It didn't specify what type of relationship so it could be anything. I am volunteering at a Lighthouse Family Retreat in a few weeks and it could be a new relationship with a child who was cancer. It could be a potential boyfriend. It could be my future little. Only God knows.

Some people are like, "It's a fortune, get over it. Those things never happen." However I am optimistic and I like to think there is a reason for everything. There was a reason for me getting that fortune. So I have been praying for my future little, my future husband, and the children and families who are facing with cancer that I am about to spend a week with. And I am so excited for all three! I'll be driving down the road by myself just cheesing. Because I have no reason not to smile. Life is good, getting better all the time, and someday someone will walk into my life and make me realize why it never worked out with anyone else.

Life is exciting!

Father's Day

All because two people fell in love....

I was blessed with the best parents. I can't ever be thankful enough.

This is how i will ALWAYS remember my dad. Smiling, on the dock, with his greatest friends around(of course they aren't in the pic, but they were there!)

me and a little wee baby

on the lake.. other than yardwork, his favorite past time.
my 3rd birthday.
brothers first day of school!
"My father didn't teach me how to live, he lived, and let me watch him do it."

I am so lucky to have such an amazing daddy to make days like to day a little easier. He keeps me strong and I cannot wait to hug his neck any time I want to in Heaven.

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3

Quotes from Twitter

I favorite things on twitter A LOT! I was going over them tonight and though I would share!! It's funny to look back and see what was going on in my life because all of these kind of relate! Enjoy!

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” –Oprah Winfrey

STOP SAYING "I WISH" AND START SAYING " I WILL"

The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time. ~Abraham Lincoln

"everyday is a new opportunity to smile" - bieber

The truth is, nothing is guaranteed. So don't be afraid. Be alive. ~@SarahDessen

Wanting to be someone you're not is wasting the person you are.

Certain people are good for you at certain time. Everyone isn't suppose to be there forever.

You can have everything in the world and still feel empty if you aren't happy with yourself.

Sometimes, we need to leave people from our past behind because of one reason: they just don't deserve a place in your future.

Rule #66: There are so many people out there that will tell you that you can't. What you've got to do is turn around and say, "Watch me."

Focus on where you're going but don't regret where you've been. Every smile & every scar added to who u are.

No matter what u're going through or how long u're waiting for answers. One sure thing: God is faithful; He keeps his promises.

i finally learned what life's all about.. hanging on when your heart's had enough and giving more when you wanna give up -- NiCOLE RiCHiE

Maybe our past is like an anchor holding us back. Maybe u have to let go of who u ARE to become who u WILL BE. ~SATC

Whenever God puts a period never put a question mark

More important in life than the friends you can count are the friends you can count on.

Many people pray as if God is a big aspirin pill; they come only when they hurt. Dont pray when it rains if u don't pray when the sunshines.

"No amount of Guilt can change the past, and no amount of Worrying can change the future" -Unknown

Rule #59: If he doesn't chase you when you walk away, keep walking.

Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. ~Les Brown

Life is not about what I've done, should have done or what I could have done... It's about what I can do and what I will do.

Trust God to do what's best for u. Stop trying to make things happen the way u want. Please God more than yourself.

Never tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

God will replace everything you lost. If He asks you to put something down, it's because He wants you to pick up something better.

We always give joyful thanks to God - Colossians 1:3

Sometimes you've gotta stop seeking, searching, asking, knocking or demanding..& just let IT come to YOU.

If you started today, imagine where you could be in a year. The time is NOW.

"Forgiveness is letting go of the idea that you could have had a different past."

Have a super week!

New Blog

SO SORRY I have been such a lame blogger lately! I promise some things soon!! But for now HERE is the link to my new baking blog! This is just another step towards me fulfilling my dream to have a bakery one day!!