update: Hi friends I'm alive!

Hi there my lovely blog friends! How are the each of you doing? I am so sorry I have seriously been slacking lately in my blog posts, life around here has continued to become surprisingly busy. I sent my big brother off to Spain yesterday to teach English there for the next 9 months. It was sad to see him go, but I am so excited for the plans God has for his future there. I am also hoping that my family and I will be able to visit him during his time there. 

Here are some fun pictures to update you on my life lately. These pictures are from my instagram account, click HERE to follow me on instagram! holler :)

 Above: dropping my brother off at the airport before he left for spain! 

Below: my new pink converse sneakers that I'm in love with obviously! I like pink...what? Since when? ;)

Today I spent some quiet time with the Lord that was really amazing. I felt the Lord gently nudging my heart and preparing me for whatever my future holds. I am nervous about starting graduate school and becoming a teacher, but also very excited at the same time. It has helped me an incredible amount by reminding myself that I can always lean on God and give all my fears and worries up to Him as I enter a new phase in life. 

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you."

1 Peter 5:7

I wish giving all my worries and cares to God was a piece of cake, but the truth is that a lot of the time its just plain hard. I want to hold onto whatever is bothering me, and I want to find an answer for my fears on my own. As time goes on and my fears gradually begin to consume me more and more, I sense God calling me back to Him and reminding me that I was never supposed to hold onto any of my fears in the first place. 

I have began praying that the Lord would equip me with the proper mindset that I need to have going in to graduate school. It's very hard for me to to give up all my fears and worries that I REALLY want to hold onto in the midst of my schoolwork and my other working habits. I decided that this year, I don't want this to happen. I don't want to live my life in a way that God never intended for me to, surrounded by fear and worry. I'm tired of living my life that way, and my life is always so much more peaceful when I give up every single little fear up my father who knows me best.

I don't even know how I am go to give up every single fear to God, but I know that if I have the God of the universe behind my plans and dreams, the I can certainly expect wonderful things ahead for my future. Yes, this will likely be a season of pruning for me, as God continues to build and stretch my faith and teach me more about who He really is. I know that it is my responsibility as God's child to pray often about whatever is on my heart, and also seek His wisdom above everything else. It makes me nervous just thinking about the kinds of new experiences that are just around the corner for me, but with God as my anchor, I know that I can be prepared no matter what is ahead for me. 

So dad, lets do this. I trust that you want me to surrender every ounce of my fears into your hands. I'm tired of living my life burdened by what is making me fearful of tomorrow. Please Jesus, help me surrender any type of fear to you in my walk with you and begin to make this a habit in my walk with you. Help me to let go of whatever is holding me down.  Please properly eqiup me with whatever mindset or attitude I will need going into graduate school.