sister love
the gorgeous ceremony location
my wonderful date
my little family
at the reception located in the pier house above the water
playing football on the beach
this picture only took 25 tries...worth it
i love this boy...
18 April 2011
love
I went to my cousin's wedding in the Outer Banks this past weekend. It was the first wedding in my family and we were all so excited. I had so much fun dancing and hanging out with my family. More importantly, I learned a lot about love and what that really means when you are promising it to one person for the rest of your life.
Love is not selfish in any way. It requires a relationship that is dependent on selfless and unconditional love from both sides.
Love grows. A friend of my cousin gave a toast and he said that every night before he goes to bed he rates that day from 1 to 10; he said he's had ones but he's had tens and my cousin has been present for both. He went on to say that today, on their wedding day, he hopes that this day rates low compared to the rest of their days together. He hopes that today is the day they loved each other the least. And with each day, they love each other more.
Love doesn't know jealousy or hatred. Instead, love focuses on seeing the best in the other person, loving each other despite faults and trusting that your love can work through anything.
Love is hopeful. It's hoping that the love you share with that one person can transcend anything; that no matter what, that person will be standing by your side through anything. No one knows what will happen in the future but that's why we hope for the best and trust that everything will turn out right.
Love is strong. My cousin is shipping out for his third tour in Iraq in July; three months after they get married. They got married anyway, despite what other people said.
Every one of us on this earth is searching for love and what that little four letter word truly means. The ability to love someone is the greatest thing about everyone; it brings out the best in each one of us and exposes us to the raw, deep, intimate parts of our being. It can seem so complicated, yet so simple. If you can find someone who loves you just like you love them, then you have something so special. You have been a part of a little miracle. That is something so rare; hold on to it.
Love is not selfish in any way. It requires a relationship that is dependent on selfless and unconditional love from both sides.
Love grows. A friend of my cousin gave a toast and he said that every night before he goes to bed he rates that day from 1 to 10; he said he's had ones but he's had tens and my cousin has been present for both. He went on to say that today, on their wedding day, he hopes that this day rates low compared to the rest of their days together. He hopes that today is the day they loved each other the least. And with each day, they love each other more.
Love doesn't know jealousy or hatred. Instead, love focuses on seeing the best in the other person, loving each other despite faults and trusting that your love can work through anything.
Love is hopeful. It's hoping that the love you share with that one person can transcend anything; that no matter what, that person will be standing by your side through anything. No one knows what will happen in the future but that's why we hope for the best and trust that everything will turn out right.
Love is strong. My cousin is shipping out for his third tour in Iraq in July; three months after they get married. They got married anyway, despite what other people said.
Every one of us on this earth is searching for love and what that little four letter word truly means. The ability to love someone is the greatest thing about everyone; it brings out the best in each one of us and exposes us to the raw, deep, intimate parts of our being. It can seem so complicated, yet so simple. If you can find someone who loves you just like you love them, then you have something so special. You have been a part of a little miracle. That is something so rare; hold on to it.
07 April 2011
fear
I am a firm believer that you should never let fear hold you back from doing anything. When I was in scouts, we would do crazy things (repelling, scuba diving, white water rafting, you name it) but I never let my fear get in the way of doing those things. For me, the experience always outweighed the fearfulness I felt before.
But fear is more than that nervous/anxious feeling though; it has so many faces:
It's giving a speech in front of your class when you don't like being the center of attention.
It's embarking on a new stage in your life.
It's being home alone during a thunderstorm and obsessing over a scary movie.
It's hearing horrible news about someone you love and knowing there is nothing you can do to help.
I am fearful. I may put on a brave face but inside I am being eaten away by fear. I always think, why do I let my fear overcome me like this? I feel so helpless in that moment but then I realize: I have the strength to get through this. I can't be brave all the time but I have the perseverance to keep fighting.
Sometimes I need to be reminded that I am stronger than I think I am, that I will make it through whatever fear I am battling. I can, we can, you can get through this.
But fear is more than that nervous/anxious feeling though; it has so many faces:
It's giving a speech in front of your class when you don't like being the center of attention.
It's embarking on a new stage in your life.
It's being home alone during a thunderstorm and obsessing over a scary movie.
It's hearing horrible news about someone you love and knowing there is nothing you can do to help.
I am fearful. I may put on a brave face but inside I am being eaten away by fear. I always think, why do I let my fear overcome me like this? I feel so helpless in that moment but then I realize: I have the strength to get through this. I can't be brave all the time but I have the perseverance to keep fighting.
Sometimes I need to be reminded that I am stronger than I think I am, that I will make it through whatever fear I am battling. I can, we can, you can get through this.
29 March 2011
wonderland
"In that direction," the Cat said, waving its right paw round, "lives a Hatter: and in that direction," waving the other paw, "lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad."
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland
24 March 2011
tradition
I got my class ring last Tuesday. At Tech, rings are a huge tradition so this is a pretty big deal, especially in my family. Both my parents are Tech alum. My grandfather, also an alum, still wears his class ring every day. So, needless to say, I am pretty excited about getting my own and carrying on the tradition. In true old-fashioned style, I am also not wearing my ring until the dance on Saturday (this is SO hard to do when it just looks so pretty in the box).
When I was thinking about getting a ring, my dad's response was "Why wouldn't you get one? Tech has been such a major part of your life." It's true. I absolutely love everything about my school - the friends I have here (aka my other family), the organizations I'm in, my major, the school spirit, football. I have grown and changed more than I could have ever anticipated in a few short years here. I have succeed in ways I never thought were possible. My ring is a symbol of those accomplishments. It's a reminder of how much I've been through at Tech. It's a thread that keeps me tied to this university. It's a physical thing that I will carry with me wherever life will take me. No matter where I am, my Virginia Tech will always be there as a constant reminder on my ring finger.
12 March 2011
say cheese
I'm taking a photography class this semester and I am so in love with it. I thought I would share some of my favorite photos I've taken so far!
09 March 2011
thoughts on a rainy morning
I'm sitting in my dining room at home drinking coffee and munching on a blueberry bagel; a slow start to the day but a relaxing one, just what I need. It's an overcast day; the sky looks ready to begin pouring out rain any minute now. Everyone in the house is off doing things and I'm here by myself, not minding the quiet.
It's spring break for me this week - crazy to think that this semester is pretty much half way over. It's even crazier to think that this time next year I'll be getting ready to graduate. That still seems like such a surreal thing to think about. And I can't help but think, am I ready for that?
Graduating scares me. The real world terrifies me. I love Tech and my family of friends I have there and the security that college has made for me. I don't want to leave that.
I feel like I have been bombarded with real world situations lately; some of my good friends are graduating this year, I'm frantically trying to find an internship for this summer, I know so many people (probably too many) who are planning weddings, I'm thinking about grad school in other states. There's so much to think about that sometimes it's just too much. I know that I probably shouldn't be too worried about all of this stuff now, but sometimes it's hard to try to put all of these thoughts and upcoming decisions behind. I'm constantly faced with all of these situations and it's scary.
Don't get me wrong, I am excited about the future - I know that God has great and wonderful plans for me but trying to figure out what those plans are exactly is the hard part. Sometimes I feel like everyone has it all figured out and I'm the only one still unsure of everything. I love being an English major and I knew that it would make it harder to find a job after college but I didn't think it would make me reconsider my decision to change my major in the first place. I know that I am good at being a student but what if I'm not good at having a real job? What if I can't find a job? What if I can't get into grad school if I decide to take that path?
As I lounge around on this rainy day, I am going to work on trusting. Trusting that everything will turn out exactly the way it's supposed to, even if I am full of doubt.
It's spring break for me this week - crazy to think that this semester is pretty much half way over. It's even crazier to think that this time next year I'll be getting ready to graduate. That still seems like such a surreal thing to think about. And I can't help but think, am I ready for that?
Graduating scares me. The real world terrifies me. I love Tech and my family of friends I have there and the security that college has made for me. I don't want to leave that.
I feel like I have been bombarded with real world situations lately; some of my good friends are graduating this year, I'm frantically trying to find an internship for this summer, I know so many people (probably too many) who are planning weddings, I'm thinking about grad school in other states. There's so much to think about that sometimes it's just too much. I know that I probably shouldn't be too worried about all of this stuff now, but sometimes it's hard to try to put all of these thoughts and upcoming decisions behind. I'm constantly faced with all of these situations and it's scary.
Don't get me wrong, I am excited about the future - I know that God has great and wonderful plans for me but trying to figure out what those plans are exactly is the hard part. Sometimes I feel like everyone has it all figured out and I'm the only one still unsure of everything. I love being an English major and I knew that it would make it harder to find a job after college but I didn't think it would make me reconsider my decision to change my major in the first place. I know that I am good at being a student but what if I'm not good at having a real job? What if I can't find a job? What if I can't get into grad school if I decide to take that path?
As I lounge around on this rainy day, I am going to work on trusting. Trusting that everything will turn out exactly the way it's supposed to, even if I am full of doubt.
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