thoughts on the new year.

The end of a year for me is usually quiet and reflective. This has been a great year for me. A year full of change. God has taught me so many things this year and blessed me in ways I can't even explain. I have learned about trusting in Him when it seems that there is no hope. I have also learned that His timing is everything. I am growing, but I have so much more growing to do. 

I am looking forward to this upcoming year for many reasons. I know that this is going to be a great year! These are some of my goals for the upcoming year. I've never been one for resolutions, but I'm ready for change! 

be more adventurous outdoors - i want to spend more time taking walks, riding bikes, going running in the park, having picnics on saturdays. I want to spend more time enjoying simple things outdoors and creating memories with the people I love. 

read more - i love reading, but i am the worst when it comes to pleasure reading during the school semester. i want to take time and just stop and read. anything. 

encourage my creative side - from making cards for birthdays, making homemade gifts for my love, to creating a gorgeous living space in my new apartment, i want to be surrounded by beauty and creativity. 

be better at this blog - i started this blog with great intentions, but somewhere i got a little busy. it gets so hard for me during the semesters, but i really want to be better at this. 

grow deeper in my walk with Christ - there's always room for improvement. 

Here's to a great 2013! 

the first snow

Today it finally snowed! Since I've been living in Texas for the past few years, I've rarely seen snow. And as a New York State native, snow is something I grew up with and I love! So when I came home for the holidays last week, I was ready for loads of snow! Unfortunately, it's been an unseasonable warm December here, and it hadn't snowed....until today! 

So of course, the first thing I did was put on some boots and a flannel and I headed outside with my camera to capture this beauty that I might not get to see again for a long, long while. These are some of the pictures I took while walking outside. There is something so beautiful about snow, I just love it! 

Cedar Point

The next stop on our little vacation of sorts involved a trip to Cedar Point! Located in Sandusky, Ohio, it is officially the World's Best Amusement Park, according to Amusement Today. Pretty cool. We spent two days at the park, and we still didn't get to do everything the park has to offer. There are fifteen roller coasters, for goodness sakes! 

I really love roller coasters and amusement parks in general, so this was a super fun time. These are some (okay, a lot) of pictures of our adventure! 

(This is our pained roller coaster face.)

Good times, good times. 

Life on the Hudson

This week my family and I have been on a little vacation. It's been so relaxing to take some time and just have fun! Our first stop was to Hudson, New York. A lot of my family is from there, and since it is quite a hike from my own home, I rarely get to see my family that does live there. We usually stay at my grandmother's house, which is a beautiful, huge old farm house where my Dad grew up. I kinda have a thing for old houses, so I love staying there. 

This year, we decided to do a few touristy things that we've never done before. Even though I've been coming to Hudson for twenty years, I've never done a single touristy thing! And the town is just full of history and pretty old buildings, right up my alley! So, my mom, sister and I decided to take a tour of this place. 

Olana is the name of the estate that artist Frederick Church created for himself in the mid nineteenth century. It is huge, and gorgeous, and full of beauty! Unfortunately, there were no photographs allowed inside the building. But, I did snap a few outside. The estate was gorgeous! It's nestled on the top of a hill in the Catskill Mountains overlooking the Hudson River. Upstate New York is one of the most beautiful places in the world, if I do say so myself! 

Those Catskills! 

 The gorgeous Hudson. 

If anyone wants to marry me and buy a house this big for me, I'm pretty okay with that!  

Mom, Autumn, and me. Such a great time! I can't wait to come back to visit Olana again!

Freshening Things Up

Spending the last few weeks of my summer at home is always a treat. I go to school in Texas, so I am there for the majority of the year, but I do get to spend a few weeks with my family in New York. Since I don't work while I'm at home, it is usually very relaxing. Long days with nothing to do usually lead me to some creative outlet. This time, I've been doing some painting and freshening up of my mom's kitchen and my brother's bedroom. I really enjoy freshening up a room, even though it's not a huge outlet for creative expression. 

This was a quick project I did for my brother. After painting his room, we decided that we should fix up his dresser as well. The avid Pinterester that I am, I am a huge fan of the shabby chic look. So, of course we went that route.  

 This is a before picture. (Pardon the mess, we are talking about the bedroom a teenage boy!)

First, we sanded the entire thing.  

 We then used a thin basecoat of white to lightly cover everything. 

 When we finished painting, we sanded the entire thing....

and viola! Beautiful new dresser! 

I'm pretty proud of how this project turned out. It was the first time I've ever attempted this method on something as large as a piece of furniture, and I think it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself! 

lovely things

The past few days I have spent surrounded by lots of family. I come from a very big family, so when there is any type of gathering, it is usually very loud and very memorable. These pictures are from my younger sister Autumn's birthday celebration. She is now nineteen years old. 

Lately I have been learning more and more the importance of family. I am so thankful for the ones I have closest to me. I am learning that family is who will be there when you need someone. Even though they may be incredibly annoying at times, without them, I would not be who I am today. Basically, I love them. That about sums it up. 

the start

She decided to start living the life she imagined. I am she. Today I have decided that the life I always imagined to be in the far distant future doesn’t have to be that far off. That life being a far more creative, inspired, adventurous, carefree, simple, and relationship driven life. So, this blog will be the start. What I imagine will be an outlet for creativity, ramblings on living my faith, a record of my day to day life. All of the things that cause admiration, amazement, and awe in my life. Every element of wonder.