Featured Friday: The Darling November Blog

It's that time of week again, Friday! Wow. So, we begin the featured Friday posting with my favorite blog! If you have to choose between reading my post and exploring her blog, go explore her blog. 

This gem is my best friend. Kate Page, the author and creator of darlingnovember blog, is my inspiration this week.

Kate is my older sister by 6-years, and somehow she is able to tolerate a friendship with her kid-sister. She, her husband Brooks, and dog Henry, reside in Seattle Washington. Every time I visit her and her family, it is always sunny! In Seattle, too!! I like to think it's because we are together.

Now let me explain some things about her. Kate is a loving soul with an adventurous spirit. I have always strived to be more like her. "...she laughs without fear of the future" (Prov. 31:25). Kate is fearless. She moved across the country away from everything familiar, that my friends, takes guts. Kate is badass. She doesn't make excuses when it comes to taking care of herself. Bouldering is a hobby. I watched as she worked hard putting hours in to become a certified yoga instructor. Which a few weeks ago became official!!!
She also has crazy amazing style (anthro lovers, follow her). She blogs semi-regularly about life, and includes her recent outfits which are always gorgeous. Someday my closet will be that nice, but until then I will just borrow her stuff. Sister benefits.

Kate has accomplished so much and doesn't disregard her passions. This inspires me.

Jungle Lion, I love ya.

-Em

You can ceck out Kate's blog at darlingnovember.blogspot.com and follow her journey as well as peek inside her closet.

Coffee Mondays: Busy!

Hello all!

It's Monday again?

Wowzas I am almost finished this semester. I realize that I have not been consistent with coffee Monday posts, nor have I even been drinking coffee! *Gasp*

So I have been so super busy lately.

During March I...
Went to Seattle
Did a ton of homework
Worked long hours
Invented new games
Visited home
Went to an engagement party
Spent time with old friends
Spent time with new friends
Spent majority of my time with Tom
Got a job for the summer
Looked at apartments with my best friend



Since April I...
Found housing for the summer
Ditched all summer plans
Started from scratch
Signed up for an internship
Explored Phoenixville
Took a walk in Valley Forge National Park
Went shopping
Did more exploring
Took a TON of pictures
Launched my new photography site.

Maybe give it a gander?

www.eaphotography.co

Featured Friday: Introduction

Yeahhhh! I'm starting a "Featured Friday" keeping with the weekday spinoff thing. I'm soooo excited.

On this day, I'll be posting a feature of anything/anyone that I find as an inspiration in my life that week. I'm super excited to start another segment of my week to blogging!

My objective with this devoted-day post is that I can get back into the fashion part of my blog, which started it all. Though often times I am more inspired by a person's uniqueness and individuality within their wardrobe than the actual clothes. Other times, it is simply the heart within the person that is inspiring and the way they carry themselves. With that being said, this could really go any direction.

A few years ago, I would find posts of street fashion that I would pull apart and use as outfit inspiration making it work with what I had. My hope is that I can begin to feature those inspirations and others can be inspired too.

We will see what happens.

Happy Friday!

Coffee Mondays: Valentines Day!

Wow! I'm reflecting on my Valentine's Day last year, I remember how even though Tom and my date night didn't go as planned, we made the best of some chocolate milk and Mulan.

Earlier in my Valentine's, I had a group date in town with some friends which was such a blast! We played some charades on our smart phones. We constantly had to keep quieting ourselves down so we wouldn't disturb the other customers around us.

After our awesome friends date, I came back to my dorm and got a pizza with Shana, my dorm neighbor. We watched Pride & Prejudice and ate food and chocolate covered strawberries and had fun. It was a really great as a prelude to my date night! The love festivities were everywhere this year!

I did not go into this year having high expectations (I am crazy that way). The week leading up to Valentine's Day, Tom's car broke down and we had just bought tickets for Seattle and blah blah blah. We are so broke it's not even funny.

We were blessed by one of our close friends who was able to make a Valentine's date possible. We ended up going to Iron Hill Brewery and it was amazing!

We were able to laugh our booties off while eating great food. It's relaxed times like that date when neither of us have worries or deadlines and can just enjoy each other's presence when I am reminded how amazing Tom is.

Though I am spoiled every single day, this was the best Valentine's day I've had so far!

xoxo

em.

Coffee Mondays: Finding Joy

Hello all! Welcome to Coffee Mondays on my blog. Every Monday, I'll be dedicating the morning to blog about life and whatever over a nice cup o' joe (or tea). This Monday I am focusing on my journey to joy!

Many people know that Valley Forge was not my first choice school, but it was the one I chose to attend. When I got here in the fall I had a hard time adjusting. Everything was difficult.

Adjusting was difficult.
I had been back from my two-month stay in Uganda for only two weeks before packing up my things again to begin my journey at Valley Forge. It was really hard being thrown into another foreign place with people I didn't know again.

Relationships were difficult.
With Tom, our relationship was based off of long distance and a week on constant interaction. We both did not know how to balance time together, with friends (for him lol I didn't have friends) and of course homework. Of course going to college with my best friend/boyfriend is awesomesauce, but man those first few weeks (months) were really hard.

School was difficult.
I had finished senior year with easy courses and departed straight to Africa for full time ministry. I did not remember how to manage time or be organized or anything really. I was also frustrated at the content of the classes because I wasn't being academically challenged.

After the first month or so I was tired of being miserable. I joined a small group and decided to seek God for joy. After all he was the one who brought me here in the first place. I ended up finding joy in a multitude of places.

Thankful. The first place I started experiencing joy was in my thankfulness. I began to look at positives of my school and thanking God for them. Also, I'd thank God for every little thing and person I'd come in contact with. I really began to appreciate my campus and surroundings more and more. It took a lot of prayer for me to overcome my own mindset and start seeing the good that was in front of me.

Now that it's my second semester I am balancing 18 credits easily and wish I could take more. The whole academically challenged thing hasn't changed. I am relying on God and have decided to be okay with whatever circumstances I am immersed in.

Just something small. Happy Monday!

Proverbs 17:22 
A joyful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.