faith

It's crazy to think how much control God has over every aspect of life. He has so much power and can use it in any way his little heart desires.

Our schools prom was yesterday {post from that coming soon} and all week, there was a 98% chance of rain alllll afternoon, alllll morning and alllll night. So  pretty much, it was going to rain a lot.

Everybody was so negative about the whole dilemma, and nothing had happened yet! They were planning inside pictures, griping about how awful it was going to all be, cancelling prom after party activities that were outside, and honestly being so negative. It really upset me. 

We shouldn't pre determine sadness on an event that hasn't even happened yet!  Who cares what a weather man says? Jesus is the one that has control over it all, and he's turned water to wine, the blind to the seeing, and a sinner to a believer.  I most definitely believed he could keep the weather nice for one day, to make a lot of people happy! We were doubting our creator, and nothing good could ever come out of that.

So I preached happiness. People were annoyed by it, and probably thought I was crazy, but I wasn't going to stop.

I woke up Saturday morning, and it was raining. I felt defeated. And humiliated, but I didn't lose hope. I just kept praying over the situation.

Most prom pictures are taken at about  4ish in the afternoon, and something glorious happened at around 2. It stopped raining. I was so scared it was going to start back up, but I didn't. We took our outside pictures, it was a pretty sky, a pretty rainbow, and perfect weather. 

God hears our prayers. He hears our thoughts, our worries, our ambitions and everything in between. Thank you God for such a beautiful day and for being able to do impossible. Hallelujah. 

"therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble on its own." -Matthew 6:34 

Grief

Today is my friend Shanices birthday.

Usually on birthdays you throw a party, there's confetti and you eat a whole lot of cake. There's something different about her birthday though.

January 15th, 2015, Shanice lost her life in a tragic car accident. It was unexpected, sudden, and changed all of our lives forever.

Over the past year or so, things have been different and I celebrate days a little differently and most importantly: life little differently. I learned a lot about grief as well.

Five things I've learned about grief

1. It's okay to be bitter. 

A girl walked into school today and had a crown on and cupcakes because it was her birthday as well. Any other day, I would've congratulated her and asked for a cupcake... But I was selfish. I didn't wish her a happy birthday, I was just annoyed. But it's okay to be bitter, and it's okay to feel guilty about it too. 

2. Express your feelings

•I've learned it's okay to post a huge paragraph on social media, just to type your feelings out. It's okay to have something simple that reminds you of them. I always thought it was silly before, but now I have a bear I take with me anytime that I know I'm going to have a rough day, or even just a big test or competition or something. I call it my Shanice bear and that's how I hold onto her a little more... Expressing your feelings means it's okay to call your friend in the middle of the night and tell her how angry you are... It happens. It's grief.

3. It's okay to cry

•I'm an ugly crier. My lips swell, my eyes get red and puffy, and they stay like that forever. It's okay to cry at little things, like a song or a memory that reminds you of your friend, a happy moment that you wish they were there for, or crying just to cry. It happens, and you'll feel better. If there's anything I've learned, don't hide your tears. They will come out eventually.

4. Don't feel bad for moving on

•when I say moving on, I don't mean forget your friend completely. But over time, it'll get easier day by day. And that's okay. You're not forgetting them, you're just adjusting, and that's okay too. Don't feel bad for living life, because that's what they would want you to do, and they're watching you do that as well. 

5. Life changes

•your life changes positively and negatively. The negative is of course that you have to live without someone you love with all your heart. The positive is, one day you'll realize they're in a better place, and that you have someone watching you from Heaven. After someone passes, you hold onto the ones you love a little more and take in the precious moments of life a little more. When Shanice passed, it brought my friend group so much closer together. We all needed a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold. I remember we all went to my friend Emilies house, and just sat there and cried and sung "lean on" together all night. We all looked ugly, and were so sad, but that precious memory of us holding onto each other is something I'll remember forever.

Life without Shanice has been hard. For me, my friends, her family and just our community in general. We all loved her, and today my heart hurts, but that's okay. There are days it gets easier, and there are days it gets harder. Sometimes I get mad, sometimes I get really upset, and sometimes I'm rejoicing that she's in Heaven... and that's okay. 

Happy birthday Shanice, I know you're partying in Heaven. I love you and miss you more than you'll ever know... 

Senior trip part 1

Sorry I haven't been posting a lot lately- life's been chaotic and I just got back from Orlando!

We went there for our senior trip- and I was so skeptical about it. I didn't think I was going to have fun, but it ended up being the best experience of my life!

We were there for 3 days, and we went to 6 theme parks... Talk about tired!

Ill do 3 posts doing a day by day review over how each day was spent!

Let's get started.

Day 1. 

 •the sixteen hour bus ride wasn't very enjoyable, but they made it so much better! {Katie & Josie} 

•my pass to get into our first theme park: typhoon lagoon!

•our big but fun group for park #1! 

•my friend Katie and I on the beach // life's a beachhhhh

•my BFF JO and I💗

•one of my bestfriends Bre who rode my first water slide with me! 

•the whole crew went snorkeling with sharks & stingrays! 

•my best friend Jesse and I in the wave pool 

•the yummy island burger I had! {burger, BBQ, and pineapple}

swimsuit: Triangl

That night we went to Hollywood studio, and of course... my friend Josie Brooke and I were late

 •running late is our cardio 

•the whole crew and I at Hollywood studios that night! 

•we survived the tower of terror... barely

•and to end the night, I stopped by a Disney candy store before watching fire works // has to get my favorites: chocolate strawberries & gummy worms!

stay tuned for post 2

Springing into fashion

SPRING

I absolutely love that word, it's one of my favorite seasons and I think it's one of the prettiest seasons as well! I'm a sucker for flowers and bright colors- so that's probably why.

Another great thing about spring is spring fashion. Bright colors for dresses and rompers that are officially in because of warmer weather!

I went online boutique shopping and found 5 dresses {& rompers} that I think will help brighten up and spring occasion!

All of these dresses are found on my favorite boutiques site: http://thepinklilyboutique.com

1. 

•whenever I think of spring fashion- this is exactly what I think of! This bright floral dress would be perfect for any spring occasion such as brunch after church, a graduation party, or just a cute dress to go out and hangout with your girlfriends in. It's simple, but will leave a splash of color on any occasion!

2. 

•I'm a huge fan of rompers- and this one has me going crazy. This romper would be adorable peiced with a pair of wedges or even a pair of cowgirl boots. I think this romper would be perfect for a outdoor spring concert or just a shopping  day! 

3. 

•this is probably my favorite out of all the dresses that I've looked through on Pink Lily! It's more of a casual dress but it would be very easy to dress it up to make it showy for a night out on the town. The sleeves on this dresses are probably my favorite part because the little lace detail makes the dress 10x more adorable! 

4. 

•this romper can pass as adorable and pleasent or sexy and scandalous- it goes both ways! Pairing it with a pair of Jacks and going out to eat with the rents would be perfect for this outfit but also pairing it with a pair of wedges and going out for the night would work because of the scandalous drop in the sides and the high neck. I absolutely love the colors of this romper and I think it's a must get! 

5. 

•this is my date night dress! the light blue color is perfect and will show off your new spring tan, and the lace material is adorable. this dress placed with some wedges or even some strap nude heels with some pink lipstick would be the perfect outfit for a date night. 

I hope you liked my top 5 spring peiced from Pink Lily- happy spring!

Life recap

HAPPY EASTER!

My life has been one chaotic mess the past couple of weeks, which has led me to not blogging.

I absolutely hate I've neglected it, but I've started waitressing recently and it's my first job and I've been having to settle into a whole new schedule now that dance is over! 

To start back, I just wanted to fill y'all in on some things that's happened in my life since the last time I've posted! 

1. Dance senior night

•this was such a memorable night! some of the younger ones on the team wrote me letters (sobs) and helped me showcase my shadow box to the school along with my parents! these 3 {Eryn, syd, and Kenzie} are 3 of the many ladies that helped make this season memorable!

2. Dance Nationals

•I went to Orlando for dance nationals! This was my last one and it was one for the books.

We went to universal studios, got dolled up and went to eat at the famous Bahama Breeze, danced and got fifth in the nation {heck yeah} and hot tubbed... A LOT! 

3. College Dance clinic

•I promise the posts about dance are almost over! To continue on with dance, I went to a WKU dance clinic with 2 of my friends {Mckenzie & Maddie} and practically fell in love! I haven't decided if I want to tryout or not yet, but if I do a post will be made!

4. DECA stateeee

•DECA state was definitely one I'll remember forever!

we got there on a Sunday afternoon and only stayed 2 nights, but those 2 nights I'll never forget! We got all dressed up and went out on the town and ate Joes one night, then went bowling and ate at the famous Spaghetti factory the next! 

My friend Mckenzie and I competed in Sports marketing {the biggest and most competitive competition} and were honestly very doubtful because not many people believed in us whatsoever, because we were "girls". We had got second place at regionals so we were hoping just to make it to finals. Well, we did! and then we found out on stage we had won first place in our division! It was a moment I'll always remember with one of my favorite people! 

5. Senior year Banquet 

•senior year dance banquet! There's just something that I love about dressing up and eating at a semi-fancy place. 

This year's banquet was a great way to wrap up a wonderful season! Above are just pictures of myself and some of my amazing team mates. 

I can't wait to start posting weekly again, and to get back into the blogging business! I love you all and hope y'all had an amazing Easter! 

Why it's okay to be single

Back in middle school, I couldn't wait for high school. I remember watching my older sister have all kinds of boyfriends and her simply falling in and out of love, and honestly I couldn't wait for it! I guess you could say I use to be a hopeless romantic.

Throughout high school, I haven't had one serious relationship, and I'm perfectly okay with that. I'm here to tell you, that not falling in love in high school isn't the end of the world.

My bestfriends are all in love, and I'm beyond happy for them. I have friends who are also with boys, but don't seem to be completely in love with them or maybe have fixations on other people. That's where I get my sanity from.  There's nothing wrong with dating just to find the right guy, but I'm such a independent person I want to find a guy that I can date to prepare for the future with.

I've realized that I'd rather be single and dance by myself rather than be with someone who doesn't make me feel whole. I don't want to be a girl who claims to be in love with a boy but is secretly talking to a dozen others. Better yet, I'd rather chase God then chase any other man. He gives me the security and sense of closure that I need, and I don't think anyone could fulfill that rather than him.

Back my freshman and sophomore year, I hopelessly chased boys that I knew would never be "the one", and it got me nowhere. All it simply was, was me lowering my standards for people who didn't deserve it in hope to fulfill society's "relationship goals." I've realized what I'm worth, and I'm worth so much more than a silly DM on Instagram or a cat call walking down the hall. I know what I want, and I have my standards, and I'm perfectly okay with being single until I find a guy I know God hand picked out for me. People fall in love at different times of their lives, and a lot of my friends have found theirs early, and it's totally obvious they were meant to be together and brought together by God. I'm so secure with myself, my friends, my family, and my Savior to be chasing a boy who treats me any less than I deserve. One day when the comes along, I will embrace the opportunity if I feel like it's right, but until then i'm beyond okay with being alone.

Weekeend recap

I failed you guys again by barely blogging whatsoever this week! Things have just been so hectic, but I promise to get back on schedule.

I wanted to do a little weekend recap since it was a longer weekend!

Friday, Jan 15 

this was a very hard day, it was a year passing of my friend Shanice since she joined Heaven. My friend Emilie and I organized a balloon memorial for her that morning at the football stadium, and it was incredibly successful! 

Saturday, Jan 16

Early Saturday morning, I went prom dress shopping with my BFF Kylee! We had a absolute blast and I found the perfect prom dress...

Sunday, Jan 17

my girls and I had a girls day, then had a sleepover after! It was totally fun and we had a blast!

•first stop: ice skating! {L-R: Sydnie, Emilie, Josie, myself}

Emilie: pro ice skater

Sydnie: caught on super fast

Josie & I: fell a total of 4 times each and didn't get far from the wall!

•then we went to Texas Roadhouse, where we all shared appetizers and each for a steak, salad & two sides... We may be little but we sure do have a appetite!

•then we went to Target {MY FAV} & this one had a Starbucks so of course I had to get my white chocolate mocha!

•then after all was done, we went back to Josie's house and had a sleepover. This is my friend Bre & I!

We binge watched the Bachelor, did a few workouts, ate leftover appetizers and did a bible study review.

At the end of the day, God blesses you with so many things: life, family, friends, and so much more. This weekend was a very busy weekeend, but I made many memories with people I care most about. I hope everyone had a great weekend and let's pray for some snow so I can stay home and blog all day!