Sunset of Summer 2012

God's beauty is ever-present. Sunsets are one of my favorite things in the world to watch. After a beautiful day of sun shining and blue skies, the tone changes as the sky begins to change colors and the sun beings to disappear beyond the horizon.

You can look back on the day and reflect on all the things that were accomplished and all the things that are still to do. And yet somehow, you can't help but smile while looking at the vibrant colors.

I look back on this summer as a wonderful sunset. As it is quickly coming to a close, I love reminiscing on all the fun adventures, new experiences, and dear time spent with my family. And as I look ahead to what the next few weeks hold, I can easily get overwhelmed, but I have to smile knowing the last three months have held more of the Lord's blessings than I can count.

As this chapter is ending, the sun is setting, and there is a smile on my face from the colors and treasured memories of summer 2012.

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Today Is Your Day

[Found this draft that I wrote last December. I could not be more happy to call Samford University home and love looking back on how the Lord led me there. So many blessings have come from it, and I cannot wait for another great year.]

“Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
Today I leave the only state I have ever called home to start a grand adventure at the beautiful University called Samford. Can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support!
“Today is your day!
Your mountain is waitning.
So…get on your way!”

August 25, 2011. The day I left home. Feels so surreal. Feels like just yesterday. Yet, at the same time, feels like so much time has past between then and now.
This time last year, if someone had asked me where I was going to college (and many people did), I would have said University of Kentucky without even thinking twice about it. That was just simply where I was going. I had visited friends there many times, and had already started considering myself a Wildcat. However, in January, things started to change. And little by little, a few doors at UK started closing, and Samford’s doors started opening almost every day, until there was no more ignoring the fact that I might need to consider the University. I wasn’t exactly sure why, knowing I couldn’t afford it and that, being late January, I had missed every single deadline there was to make regarding scholarships and money. I remember calling my parents one day after school and asking them what they would think about me looking at Samford. They knew I had always wanted to go there, but, they were still a little hesitant, understandably, because of the price and because of how late into the year it was, and partially because of how far away from home it is. But on the other hand, my parents were also very encouraging and were my number one supporters throughout the process. My dad was the first to help me start making phone calls and my mom hopped on a plane to Birmingham with me to visit for a weekend. While I was there, I knew. Coming home, I confidently told them that was where I wanted to go to college, Lord willing. And throughout the next few months, with much prayer and reliance on the Lord, everything started falling in place. I was accepted less than a week after I applied and received scholarship money that I didn’t think I would get because of missed deadlines. The day I finally made the decision, I remember just having an incredible peace that I knew was the Lord’s confirmation. Many prayers and pages in my journals had been filled with college decisions and worries, fears and anticipation, but I finally knew where I was going. I was going to Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.
Looking back, I can see how the Lord used all of the closed doors at UK to lead me exactly where He wanted me.

"We can make our plans,
but the LORD determines our steps."
Proverbs 16:9

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
 and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6