embracing fall

"The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on."
- Emily Dickinson


{our roommate + friends thanksgiving feast}


mashed potatoes

{holiday desserts!}


real simple's 5 easy thanksgiving desserts

{fall crafts & decorations}



from m.s. herself

{and leaves are finally falling}


from my weheartit album

hot dog!

ahhh!

no matter what happens,
there will always be cute things in this world.

hehe happy thursday!

homework wine

no stress november challenge #1:
try something new & silly everyday! why not?

today smiller, satt, and i opted for a glass of 'homework wine' over a cup of coffee.






{how will you be silly today?}

anonymous

"no matter if the world is
burning down,
as long as i have you in my arms,
we'll be fine."

freaking out: my coping mechanism of choice tonight.

how can you not have strong emotions over this election, one way or the other?

does unwavering faith in Christ and His Kingdom translate into political apathy? maybe, but i just needed someone to freak out with me tonight. the lack of commiseration with my neighbors, roommates, and boyfriend (due to their admirable faith) led me into tumultuous solitude in my room.

never underestimate the healing power of a good freak-out met with empathetic ears over consoling words.


[image found here]

you know things are bad when you turn to ecclesiastes for encouragement.

i initially sought the passages with comforting phrases such as 'from dust to dust' and 'evil under the sun,' but to my surprise i actually stumbled upon encouraging words:

"I perceived that there is nothing better than for them to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil- this is God's gift to man." ecclesiastes 3:12-13

despite my shock and dramatic devastation tonight, i recognize life will go on and we are called to be joyful all the while. however, we also read in ecclesiastes that there is a
"time to weep, a time to laugh
a time to mourn, a time to dance." (3:4)

although this may be melodramatic, i'm glad i feel something when i think of our great nation's well-being. i am ashamed to admit that i have taken it for granted countless times. i'm even grateful that i was reduced to tears: i've finally broken free of my post study abroad apathy.

sure, there is 'nothing new under the sun,' but all this talk of change, with his policies and ideas in mind, is a little unnerving.


[image found here]

tomorrow i will try to laugh and dance with faith and "enjoy life with [those] whom [i] love." (9:9)

no stress november will persevere and above all so will Christ and his love for us. as for our country, that is, as always, yet to be determined.

p.s. my favorite verse of the night:
"A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
but a fools heart to the left." (10:2)

[hehe]

yes, please!

no stress november

november is a beautiful month.

texas finally agrees to change seasons (or at least think about it) and we've moved on from carving pumpkins to dreams of turkey and giving thanks. best of all, we can unabashedly get excited about Christmas.


while baylor boys are practicing "no shave november," i move we celebrate "no stress november." let's focus on "peace on earth" early this year and enjoy this season.

let's not stress over the little things we need to get done.

let's just do them.

and celebrate life while we're at it.


after all, if the Mayans are right and the world is going to end in 2012, it would be a shame to waste our last few years by stressing out. in the wise words of smiller's brother, we should all be "livin life and lovin livin."