Favorite things.

Tonight as I was doing my devotionals one thing they suggested was to make a list of the things that make you the happiest & to focus on that. To leave the 'bad things' of the day behind & focus on the good. So, as I was writing my list in my journal just now, I decided to share it here too. Be vulnerable, right?
------------------------------------------------
1. Bean, Boo & Bear. Those are the nicknames for my two nephews & niece. Everything about them brings me joy. 

2. Penelope Aspen. My pup. My cuddle bug. My alarm clock most mornings. My 8 pound bundle of curls. 

3. Coffee. 

4. worship music. Worship sessions with God are one of my favorite parts of the day.

5. conversations in the car with God. 

6. letters in the mail, or in general. 

7. the bond I share with my sisters. Each & every one of them I have a personal relationship with that I wouldn't change for anything. 

8.  naps while it's raining outside. 

9. the first snow fall of Winter.

10. road trips.

11. peppermint ice cream. 

12. Seeing something happen that only God would be capable of doing.

13. babies. 

14. Savannah, GA.

15. a day completely free of work.

16. sunrises. 

17. Christmas Eve.

18.  reading poetry.

19. watermelon season.

20.  the first signs of Fall in the air.

21. my parents. 

22.  New York City in every season.

23.  thrift stores. 

24. you.

 ------------
.the writer.

"This is your year, Grace."

 {God told me at the beginning of this year: "This is your year, Grace." I remember it so vividly. It was a dream where God revealed that to me. I instantly woke up & journaled about it. I didn't let that moment slip away. & ever since then, God has definitely been revealing to me that this IS my year. It's my year:
 To journal more. Travel. Mend broken friendships. Trust deeper. Blog again. Experience Rome, Italy. Allow God the pen to my story. Try new things. Read, a lot. Fall in-love with a church family again. Love deeper. Be vulnerable with my heart & feelings. Praise HIM, even in the storms of my life. Travel some more. I don't care where it is, just put me in a car or a plane & I'll be on my way. {Drink more coffee, cause a girl always needs her coffee.}

I don't want to look back on the year 2017 with any regrets. So, I will journal it all. Whether it's here or in the confines of my personal journal. I'll capture it all. I'll write with the rawest parts of me & hold nothing back. I'm learning to be more vulnerable. It's a challenge, because it's hard to allow people into my feelings, but this is a year of firsts. 

I have a feeling this will be the year I'll look back on years from now & say: "That's when it all changed." In the most beautiful way possible. 


 --> Read with caution, because I will be raw at times.
----------------
In the last year my life has taken some beautiful turns. I'm moved back to my original roots. Back to the place I called home for 15 years before I moved in 2014. God called me back. I told Him not long before He called me back: "I never want to move back home. It'll feel too backwards to me." NEVER say never to God. He takes that as in invitation, basically.
----------------
God has challenged me to my inner core since moving back home. I've fallen in-love with a beautiful church & rekindled a friendship that was lost years ago with two friends I've known since I was born. Our families have always been entangled, but seasons passed & we disconnected. God has brought us back together in 2017 & I couldn't be happier. We challenge each other in our Faith & lift each other up. I'm definitely blessed by them.

{I've become addicted to coffee. It's bad. Recently I was introduced to Iced Coffee & I'm officially hooked. Try it. It'll change your life.}

I AM GOING TO ITALY. October 2017. I will walk the streets of Rome with a coffee in one hand & a journal in the other. Fair warning--I may never return to the states. Kidding, kinda.

I've come to love my middle name so much. I feel like Grace describes me & my personality better than Hannah ever has. So, If I begin introducing myself as Grace, you'll know why. 

I love the mornings where I'm the only one awake in the house. Just me, Peep & God. I just experienced that yesterday{Saturday} & loved it. The quietness where you feel like God is sitting right next to you, enjoying His own cup of coffee. 

I gained another brother in February. My sister got married to the loveliest boy. Their marriage is beautiful & I'm blessed to be able to look to them for advice & most importantly, prayer. They are constantly my sounding board & neither one of us would have it any other way.

God has reminded me time & time again that if I trust HIM, things always turn out better. He's brought some lovely people into my life because I've fully trusted Him with them. I'm in a season of trusting, fully. & personally, I love it. When you give God your problems & worries, your life is a lot less stressful.

Readers, give God your burdens. Even if they aren't burdens & it's something He's been asking for- Something you don't want to let go of, in fear that you'll never get it back. Trust Him. He knows what's best for you. He always has your best interest at heart. Give him or her over to God- Great things happen when we trust God.

"When we honor God, God honors us." 

I was told that a week ago & it has literally been repeating in my head everyday since then. God honors you when you are faithful to His wishes. His promises are beautiful. God would love to take you on a journey, if you'd just let Him take the lead. Let go & let God. 

Until next time, lovelies.

.grace.