>>the contemplation.

never in a million years thought i would be where i am today.

i have a lot of big decisions to make. 

and no clue what to do.

just trying to keep my faith in the lord and know that it will all work out for the best.

with warmth & love,

lo

>taylor & grant.

just wanted to give a shout out to 2 of my friends out here that said i do today in oregon. 

i'm so happy for you both, taylor and grant. 

i had the privilege of making their wedding invitations. and goodness was i giddy when i received it in the mail. i've made graduation announcements and posters before, but this was my first wedding and i loved making these.

(warning: cheesy phrase coming) your love inspires me and makes me hopeful that i'll have something so wonderful one day. you two are perfect for each other. i wish so badly i could make it to the reception, but congrats!

with warmth & love,

lo

>freed.

i currently feel really blessed. 2013 hasn't been the greatest year for me. it's been filled with a lot of trials and hardships. and with those trials has come a lot of anger and bitterness. it's interesting because what i study and love is peace. and yet i've really been struggling to show and exemplify those traits. and this past week i was finally able to let go of a huge load of that anger. the emotion is truly freeing. i feel freed. freed from every emotion i've felt over the last 5 months. a thousand pounds have been lifted off my back. and now i finally feel like i can be happy. 

i look back to the beginning of the year and think about how many nights i so desperately wished i could see into the future and understand why my situation was the way it was at the time. i wished so desperately that i could see just a small glimpse into the future because then at least i could gain some peace of knowing that everything would work out. but since i don't have some magic crystal ball, i had to rely my faith into the future on the Lord. and while i've definitely had to learn a tough lesson of living by faith rather than fear, i'm grateful because all the dots are finally connecting. it's all starting to make sense. 5 months of pain was awful. but i'm grateful because i know that things will work out how they're supposed to. and i have full confidence, hope, and faith in that.

there's still a lot to come in 2013 and i'm excited to make the most of it.

with warmth & love,

lo