The joyous end to a wonderful year

Ahh, it is that time again. The end of a fantastic year.  This year was probably the most fantastic in awhile.   The year started out as just another year of me being a college sophomore and enjoying learning at Messiah. While super excited for my sister's impending wedding in June, my eldest sister Bethany got engaged in March and  was planning a wedding for November and my best friend Julie also had a wedding planned for June. Wow, 3 weddings in 4 months with 2, 3 weeks of each other, The spring was full of bridal showers and happiness. It was very hectic but also a lot of fun. Once school let out, I took a summer class and was preparing for the 2 weddings and having a summer job at Carson Simpson Farm again.  I bought my first car which is a green Saturn from my sister Bethany in May and I call my car Savannah. It has given me a lot more freedom having a car. June 3rd rolled around and I was in my best friend's wedding.( like the movie haha). I drove the bride to be to the wedding in my new luxurious car and the wedding was absolutely beautiful and glorified God.    It was so great seeing two people in love.  June 23rd was one of my favorite days of the year but also one of the most bittersweet because my sister who had been home with me for the past month walked down the aisle being the most beautiful bride ever. I was so happy for her and knew that my life would be changed. My best friend, sister and partner in crime would no longer be around as much to hang out with and talk to. She married a great man though so I can not complain.   The wedding was absolutely wonderful and I got to see my family who I hadn't seen in awhile and it was s great summer day. The summer went by and I worked as a lifeguard and had so much fun.  I made a hard decision to not swim on a team for the first time in 10 years and it definitely was one of the most difficult changes I had to make but grades were more important. Bethany got married November 10th and once again I was home a lot in the fall for bridal showers and other fun family activities.  Her wedding was also absolutely beautiful and we got to ride in a stretched limo and wear beautiful brown dresses. The sister that I look the most like was also marrying her best friend and  it was once again bittersweet for me.  In summary, this year was definitely a year of changes and I learned a lot. I learned that God is sovereign over all  and shows up when you need Him. I really learned that my identity is not just a swimmer, but I am a  young woman with a passion for helping hurting people, and  loving everyone. I have so much more to offer the world than just my sport and God really showed me how to live without swimming.   I attended 5 bridal showers, 3 weddings and spent a lot of money, 2012 was a great year.

My sister Katie just had her wedding on June 23, 2012! It was certainly an amazing day! She had a radiant smile which showed that she was so in love and so happy. She finally was marrying the man of her dreams. God gave us perfect weather and a perfect time. Not one thing went wrong or out of place and God's name was glorified as he joined my sister and brother in law in unity with each other. They were truly destined to be with one another.  The with more than 175 guests, amazing family and friends to celebrate with and love to be seen throughout the room, I know this love will last a lifetime. Some of the highlights of the day included: The limousine ride, getting prepared, laughing and talking with bridal party and friend's and having the brother I never had come into my life.  Such a great day and here are some pictures to share along the way!

Finishing the year and wedding showers

So I haven't been on here in the longest time. I don't think anyone ever reads this anyway but  I did it. I finished off my sophomore year of college!  It was a tough, challenging year but I made it through.  Now I can focus on my sister getting married. Her bridal shower was a few weeks ago and it was so fun!

The bridesmaids but one!

The bride!

Fun weekend!

So the last '"free weekend" of the season that the swim team had was this previous weekend. Well, first was the classic wrestling match where the swim team men show up in their Speedos and ties and nice shoes and show their support in unity of spandex sports! I went with some of my freshman swimmer girls and it was great! After that, we went back to their room and tried on dresses and put on makeup acting like we were 10 year old girls again but we also had a dance partayyy! fun times.

i love these girls so much! my freshman sisters on the team:)

who needs a boyfriend when I have a team of guys/brothers that are awesome:) yup these are my boys!

Saturday night, we being at a christian school, not liking or having( being allowed to have alcohol), the swim team had a "Mocktail" party. Yes, the motto for the night was 0% alcohol and 100% fun! One of the girls had it in her apartment and they made fruit drinks and we played games and it was a whole lot of fun. I took a picture looking like I was rebellious since I told my father I had to be a rebel the last year of my teenage life!jk.. so here was the fun!

I can't wait for our championships and the rest of the year to hang out with these beautiful people!

friends:)

So, I haven't been on here all year and this is the first post of 2012! Sorry Bloggers, I have been busy and forgot my password. But life is pretty good right now. I am enjoying the last 2 weeks and a half of my swim season and will be starting my spring semester on Monday. The last month has been pretty good. It hasn't been as stressful as other semesters and I have been doing pretty good with life. I just want to take the time to talk about my friends. they have been amazing this year, My friends mean the world to me and I cherish each and every one of them! I am excited to have more fun with them soon.  I thought I would introduce you guys to some of my closest friends here on my blog because a friendship is  God's gift to the world and God puts these people in our lives to help mestay accountable to my faith and to enjoy life with me.

Year Ending!

As 2011 comes to a close, I really want to reflect on the most important things that happened. Every day in my life is an adventure so for the last 365 days, have been full of tons of adventures.  2011 started out like any other year. I had goals that I wanted to reach and  I had those New Year's resolutions that everyone has. I should have written these down because I forgot what they were and that is bad because it showed that  I didn't keep them. My journey with Christ continued to grow stronger and continue on its wild ride.  It had many ups and downs but the number one lesson I learned is that no matter what I go through in life, God is going to  love me immensely now and forever.

  In February, I went to my first ever college swimming championships known as MACS! I went with my team and didn't metal or anything but I swam in it and that is what I was proud of. The three days really helped my team grow stronger than ever and the bond formed.   My parents came to support me and it was just a very great accomplishment for me.

   Some small things that were memorable was me finishing Chemistry forever and completing my first , stressful, year of college on a good note.  The random weather patterns that happened this year such as the random earthquake, which I could not feel because I was in the ocean and the hurricane that cut my beach vacation with my family short!

Another big thing about the year was when my sister got engaged in May to her boyfriend of 2 years.  I am so happy that he is joining the family. He is such an amazing man and he loves my sister so much. I can't wait to have him as a part of our family.

 It would not be right to talk about probably one of my favorite things of 2011 which was starting a new job at Carson Simpson farm which is a summer day camp. Carson Simpson is such a great place to work.  Despite the really hot summer days and dealing with kids all day can be very tiring and take a lot of someone, it really holds a special place in my heart. My faith was as strong as ever there because all of the staff are very encouraging and the devotions at the begininning of the day really helped me get through the day on a positive note. Working in a Christian environment where everyone is supporting you and walking through your journey with  Christ with you is a rare opportunity to have.  I met some amazing people and made some life long friends and i also made a few very special  friends there as well which made for a pretty awesome summer. The staff was very close and we all had one purpose. TO love the kids that attended camp in the best way possible and teach the kids the gift of the gospel that should be shown to all.  It is probably the best thing that happened to me  this year and I go to work with my sister too which was great. it was here where I learned that No matter what, God's love is a love that won't let go. 

Going back to Messiah for my sophomore year was fun. I got to room with my best friend and I met some more amazing people. However, the latter part of the year , the months of my semester were not as fun for me and pretty much an ongoing challenge that I had to overcome but I did and now I am excited to see what this New Yeas has to offer!  Bring on 2012!

It's the Holiday season.. Top 5 reasons why I just love Christmas!

5. The lights and the decorations just make everything great. It lights up- the streets and makes everything joyful and happy.

4. The season of Giving. I just love going to the store and finding that gift that my loved ones want and being able to give them what they want.Seeing their smiling face when they get it makes me happy as well.  God gave us His son as the ultimate gift so so giving  for us  shouldn't be hard right?

3. Making gingerbread house and cookies while listening to Christmas music with your friends and family.

2. Being off of school and spending time with loved ones!
1. Celebrating the birth of  a baby that came as an innocent, perfect baby to save the world from their sins. Jesus is the reason for the season!
Merry Christmas to everyone! Enjoy the blessings that you have and enjoy life's little moments that make you smile.