Friday Five
Half of my camera roll is filled up with beautiful sunrises and sunsets from January. It must have something to do with looking for the positives in dreary grey days we’ve been experiencing. These moments have brought me to a fervent worship I haven’t experienced in a long time.
I’m such a routine person and that’s what I tried to capture for Project Life this month. One fun thing about living in an old house is that our bathroom doesn’t have an outlet, so I every day I blow dry my hair in front of a mirror that I lean against my bookshelf. Most of the time, Chloe joins me on the bed. I love capturing things that are boring and “every day” now because I know they won’t always be this way.
My best friend is getting married! When the middle picture popped up on my phone, I screamed. Really loud. I’m so looking forward to September.
Board games are my favorite when we have friends over! This month we played Bananagrams, Jackbox, What Do You Meme?, Utter Nonsense, Code Names and Forbidden Island.
A sweet face waiting in the window. Chloe watches me leave and is almost always waiting for me as I pull up to the house after work. Such happy parts of my day.
2017 in Review
Even though we’ve been in the new year for a while now, it’s always a good feeling to look back through the previous year to be able to count up the many blessings and opportunities for gratitude. Last year was tough – I experienced a lot of changes, a spiritually dry season, and I spent a lot of time uncomfortable due to food sensitivity issues I was experiencing. That being said, I look back at my blog posts, photos, and met goals and feel overwhelmingly positive about the year as a whole. Here are some of the highlights:
January
- I kicked off the year with Thrive and my goals to focus on self care, work toward financial freedom, create boundaries for phone time, grow my faith and community, and focus on mental and physical health in 2017.
- We celebrated Chloe’s 3rd birthday by giving her a huge treat with “Happy Birthday” written in icing.
- Dad and I made STL Kolache “a thing” when I was in St. Louis after his knee surgery.
- We played lots of games – some of the favorites were Joking Hazard, Pandemic, and QuipLash.
- Kevin and I started watching This is Us and The Young Pope.
- Brittany, Taylor and I had a girl’s weekend in Columbia – I’m so glad we are making this a yearly thing.
- Books Read: The Magnolia Story, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us, That Hideous Strength, You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity
February
- I learned all about the surprise lilies that were growing in my backyard – they come up in February and then again later in the season.
- I started my second journaling bible for journaling through the Psalms, even though I only made it through the first couple weeks.
- I did my first ever no spend month – and loved it!
- Books Read: The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life, Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love, and Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of CS Lewis
March
- Denise and Scott got married and they asked me to photograph their wedding
- Kevin and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary at (what we found out was) the worst restaurant in town but I wrote a post about 50 reasons I’m thankful for him.
- I went social media free for lent and it led to a lot of changes in the way I interact online.
- Books Read: The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful, The Silkworm, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Career of Evil
April
- We met Tricia and Kyle at Les Bourgeois and then hiked around town – I loved catching up with them.
- Kevin and I paid off one of my student loans, as well as my credit card for bad credit and I did a happy dance.
- Sarah and I planted our first garden in their backyard. I started a gardening journal to commemorate the whole experience.
- The first rose bloom opened at the #highridgeranch.
- Book Read: Under our Skin: Getting Real about Race – And Getting Free from the Fears and Frustrations That Divide Us
May
- I got a new camera – the Pentax KP!
- After a lot of debate, I tried (and loved) essential oils for the first time.
- The fam took a road trip to Omaha for some quality time and it was a blast.
- Books Read: All the Words are Yours: Haiku on Love, Make it Happen: Surrender Your Fear. Take the Leap. Live on Purpose.
June
- We celebrated the wedding of Adam and Kaylin’s in Southeast Missouri
- After a couple months of feeling terrible, I visited a doctor and started using the Low FODMAP diet which significantly improved how I was feeling.
- Books Read: Love Lives Here: Finding What You Need in a World Telling You What You Want, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
July
- I went to my first Royals game and had absolutely zero blue things to wear.
- Kevin and I did some damage on an IKEA shopping trip and we ended up with a new desk for Kevin’s office, a new rug and an end table. Good thing we only go once a year.
- I started watching the first season of The Great British Bakeoff.
- Book Read: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
August
- I TURNED 26 YEARS OLD!
- Now that we each have a camera, Kevin and I went on one of my favorite dates ever – a photowalk
- I finally finished the garden journal I had been working on all summer.
- Danielle and I formed a Bible Study that focused on digging into the book of Matthew.
- Book Read: The Artist’s Way
September
- I took photographs at our annual family golf tournament during Labor Day Weekend.
- We went to lots and lots of Mizzou football games
- Kevin and I celebrated eight years together.
- We joined a couples small group at church and we made lots of newly married friends.
- Books Read: Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World, How to Win Friends and Influence People
October
- Mom and I surprised my Grandma and our family by hopping on a plane to visit them in California.
- Kevin and I dressed up as Peanut Butter and Jelly for Halloween and it was my favorite costume to date.
- Books Read: Scarlett, The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well
November
- I made a long, yet non-comprehensive list of some things I’m thankful for.
- We celebrated Thanksgiving in Columbia for the first time – our friend Claire made these beautiful pies
- Our Black Friday traditions of shopping late into the night on Thursday was upheld, even if I did have to work the next day.
December
- I documented the entire month by completing a December Daily album.
- Kevin got a promotion at work and we celebrated the best way we know how – yummy food!
- My family spent Christmas Eve shredding at the outdoor ice skating rink.
- I started watching Friends for the first time – don’t judge me!
- Books Read: Present over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
And there you have it! A full year wrapped up into 12 photos and a couple words. It’s hard to believe we’re already well into another year, but I’m full of anticipation for what is to come in 2018.
What I’m Pinning
sources: jars | planters | door | bed | weaving | green plants | blah | macaroons
I love creating vision boards from pinterest images – whether it’s designing a room, putting together a color palette or visualizing my goals for the year, it always turns out to be a favorite project. I love the process of picking out photos and balancing them with other things on the page. In general, I’m a practical pinner – my boards are full of recipes I’ve tried and love, home hacks, and journal inspiration I thumb through when I need a jumping off point.
Because of the pinterest algorithm, this naturally means that I see a lot of the same things, however, when I found the first photo (of the jars) I quickly detoured down a rabbit hole which lead to a new board. I picked out a couple that jumped out or inspired me and started creating a collage. Deciding where they go and moving them around to balance and coordinate is one of the best parts, but what I never expect is how the photos are similar. Seeing them together helps me to realize what types of things are resonating with me and what things I might want to consider as I work on creative endeavors this month. I’m feeling particularly inspired by Caylee Grey (blog & instagram) lately and I see that reflected in some of the photos I’ve chosen that are more feminine and muted in color.
Other themes I’ve noticed: line work, natural materials, contrast, white/blank space, muted spring colors, patterns, leaves, cozy and soft, geometric elements, and femininity.
Recent Journaling Bible Entries
I’m so excited to be sharing more of my journaling bible after a long pause while I figured out the best way to share my photos. I didn’t write about it too in depth, but in the middle of last year, the site I was using to host my photos decided to completely shut down unless I was willing to pay $400/year (I wasn’t).
This post is currently the only one I have up on the topic of bible journaling, but I’m hoping to go back through and update some of my favorites with the pictures that below there. For the time being, I’ll give you a little peak at what I’ve been working on.
Thanks for stopping by!
Currently
S T A R T I N G
Kevin and I are over here starting the year strong with our goals. I love the magic of a new year, especially when it falls on a Monday (double win!).
H O P I N G
I’m really hoping the weather starts to warm back up soon…Ugg boots, two pairs of pants and starting my car 15 minutes before I have to leave just irritates me. It seems even colder every year, so eventually I’m going to have to move to Florida.
S C H E D U L I N G
What I’m not scheduling is a better question! I’ve got a new planner and I’m tracking all the things as well as my goals for the year – plus the first of the year always feels like a good time to check in with the dentist and eye doctor.
R E A D I N G
One of my goals for the year is to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and I’ve hit the ground running. When I read through the Bible the first time, God did a number on my heart. I’m looking forward to what He has in store this year.
P L A Y I N G
My favorite podcasts are playing back to back. I’m especially digging: Young House Love Has a Podcast, Journeywomen Podcast, The Scrap Gals, and Crafty Ass Female.
Today I’m joining Anne, at In Residence, for a ‘Currently’ linkup that she hosts on the first Wednesday of every month. Be sure to pop over and see what everyone else is up to!