Outfits, shopping finds and time with friends

Or this post could simply be entitled, Busy Days. 

So, two weeks ago, I was away from home all week, then last week I was practically not home because of my rush to edit my friend's photos, and now this week I've been gone a lot again. This is actually the first afternoon I've been home all week. Not that that's a bad thing. I enjoy being busy with a full schedule, but I also enjoy when my life slows down, and I have more time to reflect, or in this case, blog. ;) 

Monday and Tuesday I got to spend a lot of time with my biological father, Jonathan. He lives about 4 hours away, but he came down here for vacation. We went bowling, sightseeing at places called Acadian Village and Jean LaFitte Park (both tell of the Cajun history, and I'd never been to either), and finished Tuesday at the Kart Ranch, riding go karts in the pouring rain, then playing putt-putt golf. 

Here's a few pictures I took with my iPhone (sadly, my camera hasn't been fixed yet.)

I love this little village so much. It gave so much information on the Acadian's (or now referred to as Cajuns) past, which is something I always enjoy learning about. The little church especially took my heart, along with the uniquely built Acadian houses all around it. 

(Ford tee- Walmart (men's section), jean skirt- really old, black lace converse- Walmart, jewelry- made by me) 

I knew we'd be doing a lot of walking and possible go kart riding, so I tried to go with cute, sporty, and practical. I'm always nervous about the go karts, the seat belt buckles between your legs, and with zooming around I'm always afraid of my skirt flying up, so I wore tights under my skirt. I didn't want to wear a more straight down skirt, because I would've had to pull it up a little to buckle. Not so ladylike. Plus the worker, usually a young guy, has to check and make sure you're strapped in safely, which can sometimes be very awkward. Thankfully, this outfit proved to be the least awkward of any I've tried. Experimenting works, folks! ;) 

(Aztec top and white bubble necklace- Cato, skirt- Goodwill, flipflops and leaf earrings- Walmart)  

I had this outfit planned since I got the shirt a few weeks ago. I knew I wanted to go with a more boho feel, and I think I achieved that. Putting the necklace with the top was actually an accident. I got them both at the same time, and when I was putting my stuff up I realized how good they looked together! I wore this for me and my bestie's shopping trip on Wednesday. We went to Goodwill first, and ended up not going anywhere else! Normally, I can't stand to spend 2 hours in a store, but every time I turned around, I found more stuff! It took us a while to try on, and narrow down what we were going to get. That store had a wealth of hidden treasures, but I only had so much money. ;) 

First up, a New Orleans Saints pillow pet! They had them in the store for $30 (which I was NOT gonna spend on a pillow pet), but I found this one in really great condition for $5! I was like, "Oh yeah, you are so mine." ;) 

shoes 2 for $6

$4.50

$4.50

3 pairs for $2

I usually have a hard time finding shoes that fit perfectly due to having wide feet. But this Goodwill had tons of shoes that fit me! Sadly, I couldn't get them all, but these two I can see getting plenty of use. The navy pumps stay on my feet without pinching (a miracle for me), and have a cushiony bottom.  The black flats are already broken in while still looking good, and also have a cushiony sole.

I got the grey skirt as a challenge for myself, to style it in non frumpy ways, and dressed up or down for different occasions. I already have a lot of ideas for casual, dressy, winter, and summer. 

The grey sweater is soft and comfortable without being baggy, tight, or lumpy, and the perfect palette for a wide variety of styling.  Perfect qualifications for a sweater. I also got a jean skirt, but it's in the dryer. :) 

Sometimes, you just need fun socks, you know? They can be the bright side of a rainy or severely cold day. 

As sad as it is, Megan and I did not take a selfie during our day out. Sad right? I think we're kinda stuck between the older generation and the teen generation that takes a selfie every hour of the day. However she did make this sweet card for me that is now on my wall. She's a red head, and I'm a brunette. The picture and caption perfectly describes us. :) 

When we got back to her house we ate dinner, then watched the Christmas Card (my movie contribution), then God's not Dead. I'll say that I was pleasantly surprised by that movie. I really hadn't had high expectations for it, but I was gladly proved wrong. 

Oh, and God's not dead. :) 

My favorite music group is the Piano Guys, and they now have a tee on their website! I'd love to have one. :) 

And lastly, a selfie I took while waiting for Megan to get to my house. Still learning how to edit my iPhone pics the way I want. 

Have a great week! 

The world traveler returns....

Ok, so world traveler may be stretching it, but I have returned. ;)

Plans changed so quickly right before the trip that I wasn't able to update ya'll. We had planned to drive back from Pennsylvania and get back (maybe) this Wednesday, but we found out last Wednesday that our plans had fallen through. Within a few hours, God worked things out, and I had a flight back as well as a flight to the wedding. It was an incredible journey of traveling not only out of state, but for me, out of comfort zones. So many things happened within three days that I'd like to share them here not only to share with ya'll, but to record this paragraph of my life.

(none of these pictures are edited. Yes, I know, bad me. ^_- They're also all from my iPhone) 

This was my first photo from our second flight. Our first flight was at 5:30 am, so we really couldn't see much. On my first flight we started out on a small express plane, and had a very nice stewardess and pilot. The security, thankfully, could see my nervousness and was very patient and kind to me. That could've had something to do with Mrs. Charlotte growling at them that this was my first flight, and for them to be nice to me, but, nevertheless. ;) The turbulence was horrible, and I almost got sick, but thankfully didn't. Mrs. Charlotte, who flies a lot, said that it was the second worst flight she had ever been on, so I know it was pretty bad. Unfortunately, it gave me terrible anxiety for every flight after that, which I think was a big part of my problems for the other flights. 

The sights from the air were amazingly beautiful. Our first flight was only 45 minutes to Houston, then we had to run from one end of the airport to the other to get to our second flight, which took us to Philadelphia. Mrs. Wanda (my pastor's wife) had done some research on the best restaurants in "Philly" and found out about a place called Pat's. However, on the plane a native Philly guy said that Jim's was much better, which was reaffirmed by the guy at the car rental place. So, winding our way through the crazy roads and traffic with a much confused Siri, we found Jim's. 

It had a cute, old fashion style, and 50's decorations inside. 

I was telling my parents that I either appeared really nervous in all these new places, or very young and naive, because so many places, including Jim's, the worker would be snapping at the person in front of me, then look at me, and say, "What do you want, baby?" It was sort of odd, but I guess it worked. ;) 

Everyone in my group enjoyed their Philly cheese-steak sandwiches. I enjoyed eating food after having a turbulent stomach, and was grateful for the filling food, but I'm afraid I was a little disappointed. I felt that their should've been some seasoning on the meat, but I guess that's because I'm just so used to Cajun food. We don't cook anything without some kind of seasoning. After my meal, Mrs. Charlotte pulled out the salt and pepper shakers from behind the napkin holder I had been looking for before. It was pretty funny. ;)  

I loved the street scene from the second floor of Jim's, especially the cute little blue mini cooper. :) 

This is Mrs. Charlotte with the sweet Saint Bernard we met on the street. It was the first time I had ever seen a Saint Bernard in person. She was so huge! 

We went into the historical section of Philadelphia and I couldn't get over how tall the buildings were! This one wasn't even near the tallest building there. 

I took a picture before this of this horse, but right after that, he put up his leg like this and posed! I asked the guy holding the reins, "Did he really just pose?" The guy nodded, and said, "Yep." 

We went to see the Liberty Bell, but the line was extremely long. As we walked around the building housing the Bell, I looked up and thought this building looked familiar. I asked Bro. Heard, and he said it was Independence Hall! I think I was more excited about this building then the Bell. Sadly, we didn't have the time to walk two blocks in the opposite direction to get a ticket then walk back, but at least we got pictures of the building. 

A lady who lived in Philly showed us a side window where we could still see the Liberty Bell. It was so neat to see, after reading most of my life on the Revolutionary War, and those times.

And here is my wings! I'm so thankful for Mrs. Charlotte telling the stewardess that it was my first flight. I didn't even know about these things! 

Well, we have revival this week, so I'll give you a short summary of the rest of our three days. After leaving Philly we drove three hours to Williamsport and to the hotel. God blessed us with an upgrade for our room, and we enjoyed the extra space and lovely accommodations. We went to the rehearsal that night, figured out where Mrs. Charlotte and I needed to be as the photographers, and showed everyone where they needed to stop for pictures. We got to see old friends and made new ones, and I was so glad that I was blessed with friendly people to work with. I won't be sharing any pics of the wedding for a while until I sort, edit, and send all the pictures to the bride, but you can believe me, that it was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to. 

After the wedding we went to the store to get to the necessities, and hung out in our hotel room with some friends to watch a movie and catch up on everything. There was a lot of giggling and outright laughter as we fondly teased each other and acted goofy in our tired, delirious states. It was ended short by me leaving with the Heards at 12:15 AM to drive back to Philadelphia. We had a flat after hitting a pothole, cold weather, and winding, confusing roads, but through it all I was blessed to get 2 hours of sleep. I was nervous again when we went through security at the Philadelphia airport, but except for getting patted down, everything went smoothly. (Let me explain. I was wearing a skirt, so I guess there was a chance I could be hiding something. I was just surprised, but it still went fine.) The first flight was ok, and I got to sleep a couple more hours, sitting between two very nice people. Our flight was late, so we missed our connecting flight to Lafayette. But in a way, even though we were too late to get to church, I was thankful for that extra time between flights to relax, eat, and calm down before my last flight. I think between that and the low turbulence, my last flight was so much more enjoyable. 

I'm so thankful for the Heards for traveling with me and taking care of me in situations I wouldn't have known what to do, and Mrs. Charlotte for showing me the ropes and explaining to me what to expect before they happened. They made these new experiences so much easier for me. I'm thankful for the sweet friends we got to see at the wedding and spend time with, and the new friends I got to meet. I'm especially thankful for Carolyn asking me to shoot her wedding, and being patient with all my questions. But most of all, I'm thankful to my Heavenly Father for taking care of me, sending the people I needed into my life, and giving me wisdom in times I wasn't sure what to do. Also, for keeping my mouth shut when it needed to be. ;) And for giving me the peace I asked for when I was anxious on the plane, and allowing the Benadryl to knock me out even when I struggled against falling asleep because I was afraid of my head falling on one of my seatmate's shoulder. He took care of me through it all, and for that, I'm so thankful. :) 

The Blessing of Traveling

At this time next Friday I'll be on a plane from Houston to Philadelphia. I was thinking about it last night, how much I've been able to travel in the past three years.

I photographed a wedding in Florida in 2012, my first time ever to Florida. 

I shot a family reunion in Texas last April.

I went on a vacation with two of my closest friends to Florida last May.

I went again to Florida in November with my family to some friend's house for Thanksgiving/ vacation. 

And now?

I'm getting ready to fly for the first time (not counting the little Cessna plane and my flight to California when I was two which I can't remember), seeing parts of New England for the first time, shooting my friend's wedding in Pennsylvania, then driving back through more states I've never been to before and stopping in Maryland, North Carolina, and Alabama. 

Wow!

Besides photography and making jewelry and a little side cleaning job, I don't have an actual place of employment. And the little things I do don't make much money. Which shows me that my heart's desire of traveling to new places in my teen years is being fulfilled  by my dear Heavenly Father. Once again, He's taking my dreams and making them a reality. 

Psalms 37:4-5  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 

 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 

There's very few things that make my heart race faster than the possibility of seeing new places and having a new adventure. 

As I mentioned before, I dreamed of travel in my teen years. I even planned out a dream trip, including Rome, Paris, London, Scotland, Nova Scotia, and ending with the Statue of Liberty. Of course, I know that a trip like that would take thousands of dollars, and considering I don't plan on marrying a millionaire it will probably never happen. But it was so fun to plan and just dream.

I'm so thankful for this time in my life. Even though being single can be hard, it gives me the opportunity to experience new things and places and try to be a help to others. To grow closer to my family every day, and try to be the best example I can to my younger siblings who are always watching me. If I were in a relationship at this moment, I know that most of my thoughts would be on him, and our relationship. Not that I think there's anything wrong with that, it's just not what season of life I'm in at the moment. I'm in the happily single stage, until I get to the relationship stage that will be with me for the rest of my life. I'm thankful and content in the season I'm in until the Lord believes I'm ready for the next season. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 

I just wanted to share with ya'll some thoughts and blessings in my life. Have you realized or thought of how God's been blessing your life lately? 

Current life happenings

This is my background on my phone at the moment. I've just fallen in love with the color yellow lately! It's so sweet and cheery. 

Speaking of, remember when I said a while back that I was looking for the perfect yellow item to add to my wardrobe? Well, today I found it! 

Isn't it lovely? 

I of course had to try it on and practice styling it when I got home.

Not really sure why my face is so red in this pic, must be the lighting. 

I've had this skirt for a long time. I tried a little pattern mixing with the flowers and stripes. I think I like it. :) 

Then, I had to see the $5 bubble necklaces in a myriad of beautiful colors. Grr. Oh well, I love my new navy bubble, and it's the first piece of navy jewelry I've ever owned. I'm wearing it to my friend's wedding.

I like this outfit for the wedding much better than the one I had chosen before. 

Then, since I was in an outfit trying mood, this is my outfit for Sunday. 

Both shirt and skirt were $2 each at Walmart! My mom found them and thought they looked like my style. :) 

So what has this girl been up to? 

Taking two mile walks nearly daily for the past two weeks, studying for and teaching Sunday School, playing games on my phone (yes, I'm guilty of getting into racing games lately, thanks to my lil bro), Bible College, and spending time with family. It's been fun, crazy, and needless to say, busy as I prepare for my first flight ever and shooting my friend's wedding in less than two weeks. 

Have a happy week! :) 

Things are Happenin'!

Right now, I am super excited. But you'll have to wait until the end of this post to find out the thing I'm the most excited about. But through out the post, I will share little things that are part of the excitement, and maybe a few hints about the main event. :) 

crossbody bag $10, blue suede flats $7, nude and black flats $10

Yesterday, I went to Cato to get a new crossbody bag. My last one went kaput when I got back from my trip to Florida in May. It had been such a handy little bag, the perfect size, easy to carry, and of course, cute! I'd been putting off getting another one, but yesterday I found this one. I had been down to three cute bags, but the nice saleslady was great at helping me decide. And I'm very happy with my choice. I was SUPPOSED to just go in for the bag, but of course I couldn't help glancing (More like thoroughly searching) the clearance racks (this is Cato we're talking about, ok?) That's when I found the cute flats. I realized that they would be really handy (Any excuse works when it comes to cute shoes) for this event I'm preparing for. So, of course, I happily got these new items. :) I love how the flats on the left match the purse so well. 

Then I went to Walmart, only intending to get these SD cards. I promise, I went straight from the camera section to the checkout! But next to the cashier were some scarves that someone obviously hadn't wanted. You know my weakness for scarves. I gulped, then asked the cashier how much they were. And you'll never guess. $5 for a two pack of scarves! I groaned, and told the smiling cashier that I wanted them.

Please forgive the not so great picture. The pink aztec print scarf came with the bright blue scarf, and the blush pink came with the awesome printed scarf at the top. O well. I now have 21 scarves. 

Next, I cannot tell you how much I adore this App. It's called DuoLingo and it's amazing! I'm learning Spanish so quickly, and it's so much fun! I way prefer doing this daily over playing any game. It's fun and you learn so quickly! If you ever wanted to learn a language and have an Apple product, (iPad, iPhone, etc.) I highly recommend it. 

And that concludes my random rant.

So, here's the big news.

I'm shooting my friend's wedding in Pennsylvania! Honestly, this little doubter didn't think there would be any way I could make it to her wedding, but the Lord has provided right in front of my unbelieving eyes. It's been amazing to watch.

And....

I'M FLYING!!!!!!!!

For the first time! 

I get to take pictures, be at my friend's wedding, visit states and be in a part of the country I've never been to before, and I get to FLY!!!! I'm only flying there, but I'm so thankful for this new experience. 

the picture of the white dog's expression perfectly describes what I'm feeling. ;)