A break.

As you've probably noticed, I've been a bit off on my blogging simply because this is always my busiest few weeks of the year and I have to ignore some things in order to get others done. 

Some of the things going on in the life of Amanda currently:

-doing the big Christmas show at my church which takes up this entire week for the most part

-driving back and forth to class 2 hours away because of said show

-all six of my classes

-a 200 cupcake ordering coming up

-our family Christmas party

-leaving for vacation in just about three weeks

-a camera that has a dead battery and a battery charger that is nowhere to be found

To make matters more crazy, my mom fell down some stairs this weekend, landed on her knees, and had a seizure. She found out her knee cap is fractured in four places and she now has to wear a full leg brace for six weeks. For a woman who wears heels everyday, is a doctor (doctors are the worst patients), can't sit still for more than five minutes, and exercises six times a week normally, it's definitely going to be hard for her to get used to. So if you could say a quick prayer for quick healing and patience for her, that would be greatly appreciated!

Anyway, with so much going on, I have a feeling I will not be around here for at least the rest of this week. So we shall call this an official break from blogging. You can always follow me on instagram if you'd like to keep track of what I'm up to! With that, I shall say good bye and I promise to be back in a week or two! 

For a good laugh.

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Just in case you needed a good laugh to start of your day.

Tears of joy.

“The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.”

I am blessed. God had given me more than I ever could have asked for and I'm just barely starting life. 

After a long day of family, good food, and love, I am thankful for so much. It could really never be put in a single page but here's a mini version of what I am thankful for on this beautiful day.

Jacob, my sweet, sweet Jacob

my unbelievable parents

my wonderful family

true friendships

a healthy body

the opportunity to go to college

a beautiful home

Jacob's family who is always so sweet to me

a God that never fails me

the opportunity to experience so much beauty every day

I hope you are all enjoying your families and loved ones 

Thankful: The Roommate.

In celebration of Thanksgiving, I'm going to do a few post this weeks about different things I'm thankful for. Of course, I would have to continue this series on forever in order to get everything in (maybe I will...) so we'll just cover the tip of the iceberg for now.

Let's start with my roommate. I could have started with Jacob or my wonderful parents but since I've never talked much about her here, we'll start with her. 

Devyn or DJ. 

Things I'm thankful for about Devyn:

I'm thankful that she lets me borrow her clothes.

I'm thankful that she lets me do her awesome hair whenever.

I'm thankful that she stresses out about school as much as I do so we can stress together.

I'm thankful that she's been in my life for about six years now.

I'm thankful that my major is her minor so we can talk about how much we like it.

I'm thankful that she watches Teen Mom with me.

I'm thankful that together we survived AP Calculus in high school. (pictured above)

And so much more!

Who are you thankful for today?

Christmas Time To Do List

I know Thanksgiving isn't even here yet, but the holiday season is definitely upon us. With that comes a whole new list of things to do while the holiday spirit is here. 

• Make tons of handmade gifts.
• Go Christmas shopping with Jacob.
• Make way too many cupcakes. 
• Go look at the Christmas lights in Sedona.
• Decorate Christmas treats with Jacob.
• Get a good "Christmas photo" with Jacob.
• Make one of these for the first time.

What's on your Christmas time to do list? 

A birthday.

Today is this incredible woman's birthday and I feel so blessed to have her as not only my mom, but one of my best friends. I have never had the pleasure of meeting a more selfless and loving person in my life and I feel so overwhelmingly blessed to have been raised by her and to be able to call her my mother. 

Happy Birthday, momma! Here's to many more! 

Inspired.

Dress, blazer, and belt: Kohls, Tights: Gift, Boots: Amazon

I was sitting at the local Starbucks doing homework as usual when my high school German teacher walked up to me and gave me a hug. She was always one of my favorite teachers and just a really sweet, loving lady. She told me about how she only had a few more semesters of school to finish her nursing degree and we talked about how much fun going to school really is at the end of the day. 

This weekend, I was researching graduate programs because that's my hobby these days. All of a sudden, I found myself researching medical school pre requisites. Now, I know what you're thinking. Doctor?! Where did that come from?! Well, I come from a family of doctors. My parents, my maternal grandparents, my aunts and uncles. It's what I've grown up around and although I've seen the ugly side of it, I've seen the amazing things doctors do and from when I was little, it was always a future goal for me to become one. Eventually, I found other interests as well and although medicine still interested me, I kind of just decided to explore other paths. Now, I'm not saying I'm now on the path to medical school but it's something that has always been in the back of my mind and today, when I ran into my former teacher, like often happens to me when I run into people from my past that are just plain kind and endearing, I felt that feeling of motivation. I'm starting to think it's how God speaks to me because I always come out of each of those conversations feeling inspired to be a better person. I'm someone who has always loved working with people and as I'm finishing school, that passion for doing good in an extraordinary way is really resonating with me. I know I was put here to do something bigger than I can imagine and I feel so ready to step into that. 

Sorry for the novel on a Monday! 

Hope your Monday is going well!

On the go.

Too often, I wear nice outfits but don't have time to take pictures with an actual camera but I pretty often take pictures of them with my phone so here are some from the past few weeks!

Date night last night to get sushi!

Strange color combos.

I'm obsessed with my new boots.

Always going from dressing like it's summer to boots and sweaters.

One of my costumes for my church's Christmas show.

I felt mighty business lunch-ish in this.

Halloween outfit.

I've been wearing my hair in faux messy milkmaid braids almost every day because it's so easy and keeps me from having to straighten (aka damage) my hair.

Hope you're staying warm and having a great weekend!

On how things work out.

Dress: Gap, Belt and blazer: Kohls, Tights: Gift, Boots: Amazon

“It’s just that nothing is turning out as it should have.” I heard this said today and all I could think was “Now, isn’t THAT something everyone has thought?” We all have these expectations of what our lives should look like at a certain point through our journey. But the thing is, what fun would life be if it was that way? If we just went along and life went exactly how we had always imagined? Things work out in the strangest of ways. You end up loving people you never thought you would love. You end up furthest from the people you thought would be by your side forever. You end up the complete opposite of what you thought you would be. The thing is that it was meant to be just like that. Just because you pictured one thing doesn’t mean that is how it should be. And I think that’s the most dar beautiful thing about life. It all works out as it should.

Things you need to remind yourself of.

You know that trip you don’t know if you want to go one because you might regret going or you think you have better things to do if you stay? Go anyway. Go because chances are you’ll love it. Chances are you won’t miss anything while you’re gone and you’ll spend your time wondering what if would have been like to go. This also applies to so many other things in life. Just go, do, try. You’ll probably regret not doing it.

Enjoy every single precious second. They may seem pointless or not so great at the moment but one day, whether a week or three years later, you’ll look at pictures or think of memories and wish so desperately that you could go back. I know it all seemed so much better then but that’s just what you’ll always think. What is better is right now. Right this second. 

You’re going to get hurt. More hurt than you ever thought you’d experience. It’s life. It will happen no matter how much you guard your heart. Don’t let it make you bitter. Don’t let it harden you. Remember that it happens to us all and that it will only make you stronger. There’s nothing like that hurt to make you appreciate all you have.

Sometimes you’ll feel really alone. People you thought you knew so well will turn on you. You’re going to wonder what you did wrong and why you’re so alone. Just remember that you did all you could. People more incredible than you could have ever imagined will find their way to you. Be patient and find comfort in that.

Take a moment to just be in love with everything around you. Take a moment to look around in awe and thank God for what you have, whether good or bad. You’re alive and that in itself is the most beautiful thing. It’s not always going to be hard so take a moment to be thankful that it gets better. There’s beauty in even the hardest of times.

November, be kind.

November is just one of those months that make me feel warm and cozy. 

Things to look forward to in November: 

below 80 degree weather during the day

the Christmas production at my church

Thanksgiving with my family and J's

Christmas nearing

my momma's birthday

Bring it on, November.

Also, I'm looking to do a little Q&A either through a video or just answering them so if you have any questions for me, leave them below :)