2017 Recap

Well, since I did skip a whole year of blogging, let's catch up.

Here's what happened!

I spent the first week of 2017 on a cruise. Best vacation of my life so far!

Found my new favorite spot for sunsets! Plymouth Beach gives an almost 360 degree view of the ocean. Can't to go back soon! 

I spent 6 weeks of my summer in Washington, D.C. with the North American Mission Board! This was tough at times to be away from home, but truly a growing experience! GenSend, the program I went through, is all about building habits of missional living!

The Blue Ridge Parkway in VA with my pals! KMAC caught this amazing shot of me!

Spent the weekend in Greenville, S.C. with the MacMillans! It snowed for a day, and I go to see the south go crazy!

Christmas 2017 was filled such good memories! My friends and I did a gift exchange at college, and I got so many good books and nail polishes! On Christmas Eve, I got the best party shoes EVER at Marshall's!

Thanks a wrap! Literally... ^^^ there's wrapping paper right there!

2017's Biggest Lessons

1. Be disciplined. I learned this because I faced the consequences of NOT building good habit. I fell out of daily habits like spending time journaling and working out (I pulled my hamstring!) I hope to get back into these habits!

2. Always stay hopeful. This is the KEY to a good attitude even in discouraging times!

3. Fight the urge to live in & for the media world! In 2017 I took time off social media and TV, which I found was renewing. This is still a challenge, since media is a part of life nowadays, but I definitely gained good perspective. Which leads us to ..

4. Continually seek a Biblically perspective. This changes the way I see everything. Through understanding God has a good plan, we can see struggles are an opportunity, sadness as a time to appreciate the joy more, etc. Having scripture continually renew our minds is SO important!

Thankful for all I learned and got to see in 2017! It was a year of great experiences!

Katie

Thoughts About this Blog

It's been a year and a half since my last post... kinda awkward, but oh well! #LifeHappens and #LifeGoesOn 

I'm back with a better vision this time, and more determination. My blog used to be for my photography. I have come to enjoy writing, and want this to be a platform to share my thoughts. 

So here's to new beginnings!!!

P U R P O S E

This blog is about life lessons, and it’s also a creative outlet. I'm in a season of learning. I'm about to be 20, and lately I've been all about solidifying my purpose, which has been a journey looking at what God created us for. My goal is to become more intentional with every moment of my life with my main purpose in mind. 

I'm beginning to build habits, some meaningful, some not as meaningful (like... flossing!) because what my life looks like now determines where my life is going. Today matters, and I don't want to set myself up for failure! The habits I'm building now will help me down the road. I want to be someone who finds joy in small things, has a hopeful perspective in challenging seasons, is gracious, quick to forgive and sees the best in people. Journaling while I read my Bible truly helps me process and gain perspective. 

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The best part of this all is the GRACE that's in growth. God has an abundance of love, grace and forgiveness for us through Christ. God has a standard of perfection which we cant even come CLOSE to reaching (we're all messed up, admit it!) but Jesus achieved that standard, so we don't have to. So now, God's mercies are new for me every morning. 

It's a testament of God's love that I'm not OK with being mediocre. I'm trying to grow, and become better. Isn't that just cool?? There's so much HOPE in moving forward. Welcome into my life adventure! I hope it can help you on your journey, too!

Katie

Making Memories in the Mountains

I love going to Hume New England summer camp every year! For #HumeSummer16, I got to go for two weeks - once as a middle school counselor and the new week as a camper.

The beautiful views, fun recreation, amazing friendships and convicting lessons from the Bible all make Hume such a special camp. Getting to know Christ is definitly not boring, nor is being a Christian. Following Jesus's example is actually the most fulfilling way to live life. This past week, I learned a lot about leadership and how important it is to lead others with patience and love, even when you havn't slept and feel frustrated. I realized I had been putting the God who created the universe in a box, assuming He has the stength and power of a human. In reality, His ways are much more extravagent than our ways and He has control over everything, no matter how crazy the world gets. It was so wonderful to point all our fun back to God and do it for His glory! Check out how awesome our week was!

Cape Celebration

I'm convinced there's no better place to celebrate America's birthday than Cape Cod, Massachusetts. For my family, long days at the beach that end with BBQ's around bonfires is a tradition - and I'm so grateful for it! I missed the 4th fireworks this year, but the beautiful sunset was just as good!

Spring Spontaneity

With the heat of the sun today (Snapchat has the temperature as 99°!!), I knew for sure the sunset would be beautiful! I texted Sarah and within 40 mins we were off on another spontaneous adventure. Power's Farm in Randolph is so beautiful and I loved catching up with Sarah.

 Two types of people in this world...