photo dump of the last few months!!!

 

we climbed to the top of a grain bin to watch fireworks :)

ah, where do I even begin?? I guess with this- whyyyy and how did not capitalizing letters become more aesthetic??? like yes... it's gotten to me too where for some reason i think it looks better not to, even a long while ago! but i was thinking about it for the last few days, and i do genuinely wonder what makes it more appealing to us? like i kinda get it for poems, but for everyday writing/update type stuff? haha i mean i won't complain cause it does take less time, but i wanna know your two cents!! ;)

so how are y'all?? i know i get on here and overload everyone for a few days and then i leave, so i'm sorry! but here lately, i've grown tired of instagram and facebook because it really does get hard scrolling just to see what someone's having for dinner. and all the chaos of the world, sometimes there isn't much of an in between. also, i had to type out 2 pages worth of court papers for my dad and it reminded me how much i liked typing and blogging, so there's that too! i just go back and forth with blogging regularly, we'll see if it becomes a more regular thing in the future! 

okay enough about i don't even know what, how about i start off with my usual, life has been crazy!!! 

we're down to 42 days before the biggest day of our lives, and we're all kind feeling the pressure to get everything done!! (and yet here i am writing a post, hehe) we got engagement pictures in april, we did some traveling in may, I graduated in june, july was full of birthdays and fun memories and now there's august and idk how to feel about it ending soon! on one hand soo happy and ready for these last 2 months to pass by, but on the other, nervous about getting everything done and freaked out that it's going so fast. don't get me wrong, planning has been good and i've had so many wonderful people helping me!! just wish i wasn't so indecisive sometimes ;)

i'm approaching a year of working at our little coffee shop! time flies when you're having fun!

i've went swimming quite a few times this summer (more pics to come later), made so many fun memories, and grown much deeper in relationships. (especially with Lane, duh) i haven't had time for a lot of hobbies, but that's ok cause that's what a lot of growing up is like :P i enjoy working and learning all the time, busy schedules and much more. finding joy in the little tings about life. that's where it's at!! Lanes sweet encouragement when i have a hard day, slicing bushels of peaches with my siblings, sunrises i would've missed out on if i hadn't got up at 5:30, house shopping, random coffee chats. when life is hard, i have to remember, it's really only a bad day and not a bad life. life is so wonderful!! and the anticipation of finally starting a new life with my best friend, the person i love most in this world, is beyond wonderful!!! 

(right now i'm eating reeses cookie dough with a tiny spoon, and i think that qualifies for a happy note, it's the little things!!) 

anyways!! let's be intentional with our prayers. there's so much happening right now, it makes my heart so heavy but i also am filled with joy that so many people are standing for their faith in Jesus!! let's sincerely pray for the Afghans, the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti, the hatred of all things right in the usa and everywhere. i think Jesus is close to coming back, but i also think we ourselves have some persecution to go through and i just pray we stand strong in our faith!! there isn't a battle we can't win because we have God on our side and that is what makes us strong. it will all be more then worth it. let's enjoy the blessings he's given us right now, but also keep our hearts always prepared and ready. <33

now i'll post this, and go eat, and read over it later to find my grammar mistakes haha! hope y'all have a great rest of the month and only the Lord knows when i'll be back!! ;)

i love you

 

i didn't fall in love with you.

i walked into love with you,

with my eyes wide open,

choosing to take every step along the way.

and i'd choose you, 

in a hundred lifetimes,

in a hundred worlds,

in any version of reality, i'd find you

and i'd choose you. 

💙💙

 

my testimony

I have grown up always aware and in full knowledge of what Jesus did for me. And from a very young age I have been very sensitive To doing what God wants me to do and nothing else. I had a lot of Godly examples in my life especially early on, and even though we went through a time of trying different religions, I still look up to several different people from that time of my life that really had a heart for God. 

My testimony is more or less coming to the beliefs I have now, which was a long and winding road! When I was about 6 we moved from NE to MO for a church our friend said we needed to see. This church was a place where a lot of ex-amish people congregated and they all hold onto a lot of those same beliefs. Our family went there for a while and it really brought them away from what they had first learned about God, we started dressing (and etc) to make us appear more righteous and although we may not have fully believed everything these churches taught, we still tried to fit in and go along with it. We went to several different churches, most of which we would wear head coverings and vest dresses and never cut our hair and etc. For awhile I think we were just searching for what was truly right, and we kept thinking that we had to "make" ourselves holier to be able to go to heaven. After a long time of going to different churches and a lot of studying things out, to sum it up, we realized that we can't make ourselves righteous, only god can, and that a lot of people who believe in those churches are self righteous. A lot of people have taken the Bible out of context, which is why we were so lost for awhile! But we can find everything the Lord wants us to know if we just truly search out the scriptures.

I have come to understand and believe that Jesus has completely covered us with His blood shed. He has paid for our sins in whole and we can't make ourselves more righteous by covering our hair, or not wearing buttons on our clothes. Only He can make us righteous, only He can make us perfect and whole! And when we put our trust in Him and truly strive to follow His word, those good fruits will come out and show in our life!! I believe the most important thing is the condition of your heart when it comes to living for God, not if you wear skirts or don't cut your hair. Is you heart modest? If so it will come out in your actions, including how you dress! If you are striving to follow Jesus with your whole heart then it is going to show in your life. And that's what I hope people see in me!! 

What do you hope people see in you? What is your testimony?