his now

it seems like i had been waiting for july to come for forever.

11 months ago my best friend asked me to marry him, and now he's the love of my life. we tied the knot on a rainy day in the midst of a pretty meadow, and it was the best.

july has been full of some of the sweetest days.

i've experienced the best adventures, gained a second family, and became a wife. I've had the privilege of setting up my own little house, and an even greater privilege of making it home with somebody i am head over heels in love with. getting married is good for a lot of reasons.

i'm only 12 days old a wife, and marriage has already taught me too much to write a blog post on.  but i really really like that. i like that i'm out of my element and challenged every single day. i like that i get to wake up to the best looking guy i know, even when he has morning breath and the cutest bed head. it's the best thing knowing that i have someone to adventure with for the rest of my life. he's pretty amazing you guys, and cute, but i could be extremely biased.

that's all for now folks.

love,

t

lists about: starting and love

hi guys!

- i'm blogging again!

- this is me and my S changing one of my best friend's flat tires. 

(this is also going to be my favourite picture of all 2k15.)

- i'm going to marry him in 267 days.

-i'm 22 years young now.

- get ready for rants about jesus, my love, coffee shops, and college classes. cause that's my entire life!

end of list.

welcome welcome back.

cheer cheer hoorah

my heart is so full right now,

because here we are once again getting ready to welcome in a brand new year.

i'm saying CHEERS to 2014
for all the love, adventures close to home, and for the growth in relationships with friends, family, & new neighbors near and far. for all the flowers on the kitchen table, the thai food date nights, and the hours spent stargazing with my best friend. cheers to being blunt and making decisions. cheers to working hard, saving money, and cheers to days off. cheers to a new kind of family at a new little church. cheers to teaching little girls about the important things in life and helping countless little boys with math. cheers to bussing tables and taking orders. cheers to being content, in love, and happy in this small little town.
cheers to Jesus, because he's the only reason i made it this year.

in 2015,
i aim to add goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and love to my life. i aim to study the word, pray without ceasing, & do what i know to be right. i aim to give my time, talents and life for others. i aim to start school again, meet new people, and learn new things. i aim to love the people closest to me, even when life gets hard. i aim to adventure deeper, wider, further than ever before. i aim to be simple.

but above all, i aim to glorify my King. 

oh, love

tonight, my best friend hugged me in the middle of the street.

& i was reminded that// the simplest moments are the best moments.

even so

so, after many long months, i finally have found my way back to these familiar stomping grounds.

with new purpose, new loves, new hope for what is to come. i have grown in ways i've never dreamed these last months. i've made many small victories and found love in the shadows. i've learnt, laughed, and loved.

tonight, i sat on the car hood with my bestfriend.
and it was then i realized i'm head over heals excited with the choices placed before me,
my biggest dreams,
and my every next step i get to take.

life's a joy.
(even in the storm)

all or nothing

i am learning about love this week. how sometimes it can be the loveliest thing in the world, but other times it's harsh and uncomfortable and hard to give.

i'd like to be good at loving when i get older. even when it's not easy.

that is all.

already here

how do i begin?
words have been few around here the past weeks. 
i've been trying to be better at a lot of things lately. writing being one of them.
my sad attempt has left checklists of my days past and unanswered questions in my journal though.
i am in the in-between-stage-of-life it seems. the one where you don't know where your foot is going to land next or even if it will slide a little when it hits the ground.

last year i felt such confidence. such boldness. such knowing.
this year, God has been teaching me the complete opposite. & this year, i'm learning what i've been missing. being in a season of uncertainty and questioning, it is so much easier to fill in the blanks with how i think God's will for my life should play out. and in my heart, it happens all the time. i grow my own selfish words and end up whimpering and waiting for even just a whisper that "this is it." <THIS IS WHAT'S NEXT> this is what He wants me to do. but lately, there's been no answer. no sureness. no urge or rebuttal to the pressure that's been building up around me.
i must confess,  in many ways it's nice. it's nice to wait it out. to accept that maybe i am doing exactly what He has called of me right here, right now -- even if it feels nothing like last year.

maybe it doesn't seem as brave as leaving the country like i did last year.
& maybe it's not taking orphans by the hand.
& maybe it's not giving up my entire summer to intern at camp.
& maybe it's not wearing 1 dress for an entire year.

but now, more than ever, i am realizing that being brave comes when you are exactly where God wants you to be. when you are in the center of His will, no matter what that looks like.

"take me where love is needed" is what i say when i wake up every morning now.
and for now, that's right here.
in this little town.
with my little family.
with a little job.

it may be a season of "little" things for now, but it's everything He wants for me. & i'm okay with that.

-t