march highlights.

March may be my favorite month of the year. Yes, it's my birthday month, but that's not the only reason it's my favorite. I also love that in March I get to see flowers in bloom, Spring arrives (as well as Spring Break!), I get to celebrate Pi Day (#mathnerd), and I cross the halfway point of the second semester of school which means t-minus 9 weeks until summer!

Here are a few (birthday!) highlights:

• My birthday fell on a Wednesday this year which is actually great because I get to celebrate it the weekend before and the weekend after! The weekend before my family came in town which was a-mazing! Mom cooked my favorite, chicken and rice and red velvet cake. Katelyn, mom and I got pedis...It felt like Christmas because we all got to be together!
• There are no words to describe my actual birthday. I got numerous phone calls, voicemails, text messages, and SURPRISES! Skye, Lauren and Chelsea all surprised me with little unexpected gifts! My students were extra sweet and sang me "Happy Birthday." Stephen took me to dinner at my favorite restuarant, Carrabba's. I felt so loved and cared for. Thank you to everyone that made my special day extra special. :)
• The weekend after my birthday my precious friends from Catalyst threw Carrie and I a joint birthday dinner celebration at Blue Goose! Jenny and Kristen even got us a cookie cake that was to-die-for! I am so grateful for my friends that I've made in Dallas. Their hearts are golden!

Hannah & Lauren posted these to IG and I loved them too much not to add here!

 Here are a few more highlights:

• Stephen and I went to a Mavs game!
• I mentioned above that Spring Break came and went this month. It. Was. Heavenly. I got to do extra yoga, read an entire book, cleaned my house, and laid by the pool. No words.
• I also celebrated my friend, Jenny's, 30th birthday with the best theme ever, "Cosby Sweater Party."  We had dinner at her favorite, Cracker Barrel and then played games at her house. Jenny is now thirty, flirty and thriving!

a jolly holiday.

Christmas break. Every teachers favorite part of the year... minus summer break of course.

I got to go home to Louisiana and it was much needed. Home is the only place where I can completely relax because I have absolutely no responsibilities. Oh! No words can describe the feeling of not having a single responsibility.

Luckily, my sister was able to take a few days off of work and come home too. We did Christmas with my brother, sister-in-law and nephews the Sunday before Christmas. Momma cooked a big, yummy dinner and we exchanged gifts. My nephew, Slade, named my sisters new beta fish Superman.  He loves his superheros! I'm pretty sure both of my nephews love my pet turtle Raphael more than I love him. They are just too cute. I was thankful for the time we had with them!

Hanging with Skyler.

Hanging with Raphael. 

My family and I went to the Christmas Eve service at my parents church. It's a family tradition. After the Christmas Eve service, when I was little, we would make hot chocolate, turn out all the lights except for the lights on the tree and drink our hot chocolate underneath the tree. The past few years we haven't done that. I'm thinking I'm going to make it happen next year.  On Christmas day my mawmaw and pawpaw Maurice drove up from Lake Charles. We ate hamburgers. Haha I know most people don't eat hamburgers on Christmas day, but we changed it up a bit.

Other than getting together with family, seeing old friends and exchanging gifts, my time at home was pretty chill. My friend, Abbey surprised me with the first two books of the "Mark of the Lion" series and I read both of them in a week and a half. I couldn't put them down.  I had forgotten that I could sit and read for hours at a time. I also forgot how quiet my hometown is. I went for a few long runs. By long, I mean 7 to 8 miles. I had maybe 10 cars, at the most, that passed me the entire time. In Dallas, I wouldn't even be able to count all the cars that pass me during a long run. Each year I notice that I am more thankful for the little things. And I feel like the little things get smaller each year!

Katelyn brought her puppy Skyler home with her. That dog is a little angel just like my nephews. My parents and I ate up all the time we had with her.

Beyond thankful for the holidays. Time for families to gather, break bread and share.

Skyler entertainment. 

I ended up going home 3 days sooner than I had originally planned. I hadn't realized how long my to-do list was and I didn't want to be rushed before heading back to work.

I got home Monday night and then Stephen had the idea to go to south LA to our friend's camp for  a New Years party on Tuesday morning. Bring on an adventure! It was definitely a lot of time spent in the car, but it was totally worth it. Stephen and I listened to the same CD at least four times. It was a good CD. :)

Friends since 5th grade.  

Chelsea Clay. Love her.          

It's not a party without a bonfire.

                                                   
Yes, the old man pictured above is lightening his cigar with one of the 500 degree burning logs from the fire. Not kiddin' you. He was quite a character. He also caught his jacket on fire from sitting with his back towards the fire for too long.

We had s'mores, beautiful fireworks, and yummy champagne. It was such a fun time! I am also thankful for childhood friends. We can sit and share stories from over ten years ago. Not everyone can say that about their friends. More blessings from a small town.

Happy New Year!

december/2013 highlights.

Has December already gone by? Wait. Has the year 2013 already gone by? I cannot believe it. This past month and past year has been full of newness, surprise blessings (I'll explain this in detail later), blogging!, hardships, adventures, laughter, tears, grace, forgiveness, and provision of Jesus Christ.

Here are a few highlights from the twelfth month of the year:

• Stephen asked me to be his date for his company's Christmas party. It was so much fun! I got to meet the guys he works with and his boss. I'm so excited for him and his new job. Jesus blessed him with the perfect job.
• My small group had our annual Christmas party. We did a potluck dinner and I brought boudin. Everyone loved it! We played games and visited. Still can't believe I have such an awesome Christian community to do life with. 
• I think the biggest surprise blessing of the month and year happened a few weeks ago on a regular Tuesday evening. After coming home from work and showering, I came downstairs to a house covered in sewage. Yes, you read that correctly. It was an absolute nightmare and I hope no one ever has to experience it.  Long story short Jesus TOTALLY blessed me through it. I had to have all my floors replaced and luckily, insurance covered all of it and MORE. I was able to upgrade to beautiful hardwood floors and put some money in the bank! Never would I have been able to afford it, IF my house hadn't been covered in crap. Gross. I know. Jesus truly does work in mysterious ways. 
• The sunset picture is one I shot while finishing a run in the park down the road from where I live. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl. I am so thankful I have this park to escape to after a long work day...even if it's in the middle of the city. 

Here are a few highlights from 2013 (most of these have been mentioned in previous blog posts, but I wanted a quick summary of this eventful year!):

January: Started my very first blog "Sojourner Stories." No explanation for the start of this blog other than Jesus laid it on my heart. Praying about a change in my life. New city?

February: Visited with HR in Dallas to discuss a potential teaching job. Praying. Is Dallas the right place?

March: Spring break trip with my mom to the beach & celebrated my birthday. Praying about making a big move to TX.

April: Attended my first real Louisiana festival. More prayer.

May: Attended a teacher job fair in Dallas. Finished my first year teaching. Feverishly praying. Would I be in DeRidder another year?

June: Anxiously waiting for interviews...got two interviews. Got a job! Prayers were answered. Went to Boston and New Hampshire for vacay. Praying.. where would I live?

July: Hosted a baby shower for a dear friend. Signed three contracts of possible future homes, one of them was the answer to my prayers! Packed up all my belongings and...

August: Moved to Dallas. Unpacked all my belongings. Started my new job. Praying for strength. 

September: Faced major spiritual warfare with all the unfamiliarity in my new chapter of life. Struggled with working for huge school district. Found my new home church. :) Praying for more strength & discernment. 

October: Still battling spiritual warfare, but confident Jesus has me right where He wants me. Made new friends at church and joined a small group. Mom and dad came for a visit! Praying in thanksgiving! 

November: Peace was established at my job and confidence restored. Thanksgiving celebration at my house with the whole family and friends. Praying & thankfulness. 

December: Final exams (no fun for students or teachers!). Christmas vacay (fun for students and teachers!). Mom and dad came to the rescue during my house catastrophe. Traveled home to Louisiana for Christmas break. Caught up with old friends. Spent time focusing on the goodness and generosity of my Savior, Jesus Christ. In awe of His power physically, spiritually and mentally over the entire year. Never would I have been able to do an ounce of what He did THROUGH ME without constant prayer and discernment. HE LIVES. 

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities---all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV)