Plans...or Lack there of

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love having a plan. I like to know what's coming next and what to expect around the corner. I just preferred to be in control. I want things a certain way and have always been determined to get there one way or another. Well during the last year, God has definitely put me in my place on this situation. He took all the plans I made without Him, and erased them. I'll be honest, I fought Him a little while (never a good idea), and struggled to give up that control. But I have come to realize over the last few months that putting God as the center of my plans and following His will for my life is the only thing that will work and bring me joy. I was doing my bible study the other night and read a sentence that took everything I was learning and summed it up into one simple but incredibly powerful sentence.

"God's plans for your life will bring you more joy, than any plan you can come up with on your own."

I had known this for a long time, but to have it written out so simply and boldly was very inspirational. Any time I get scared about not knowing the future, I say this sentence to myself. It's become my reminder to look to God for His guidance, and to remind myself to trust in Him. As scary as it is for me to give up control, I'm doing it because I know His plans are what will bring me ultimate joy. He knows what is best for me. After all, God knows better then anyone what's to come and can help me avoid the bad turns. I'm letting Him take the driver's seat and I trust God will get me where He wants, in His own time, and I trust His plans will bring me to a place where my life is overflowing with joy.

" 'I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.' " --- Jeremiah 29:11

I Passed!!! :)

As many of you know, I'm studying interior design. The program is fun, exhilarating, and more challenging then I think any of us had ever imagined. This past year definitely showed all of us just how much we have to be willing to do and sacrifice for this major, but we all made it through. I push through it though because I truly do love Interior Design. That being said, we knew we had one last hurdle to overcome before making it to junior year, and that was our Sophomore Design Review. This is where our design professors go through our portfolio of all the work we'd done over that year and decide whether we should continue on in the program or look for another major. We've all dreaded that review and have waited anxiously all summer to get the letter. Well I got mine today, and although I don't particularly agree with everything in the review, the last box they checked said that I SHOULD continue in the program. I can't tell you how great that feels!!!! My family and I both know I can succeed in this major but it feels so good to know my professors agree. Any doubt I've ever felt about the major is now gone. Bring on Junior year and all the sleepless nights in Norton. Oh the memories we've built in that building! (Below are some pictures of me and a few of my good friends from design)

I love the Lake!

I've decided that the lake is by far my most favorite place to be in the whole world. It's so relaxing and peaceful. When I'm there, I can't help but be reminded of how amazing God's creation really is. This weekend we spent our nights out on the pier watching fireworks and i spent some time staring up at the stars. I've always loved stars, but out there with no light polution, there are seemingly endless amounts of stars. It's so humbling to be reminded of how small we are and how large God is by something so beautiful as a sky filled with stars. I just love the lake. (Thanks for sharing your lake house with me Cassie!! You're the best!)