Sunflowers & Honey

I just wanted to share some moments of grace from today :) This time of quarantine has been particularly hard for my little brother, Zack. I mean imagine being a 12 year old boy confined to the house with two older sisters... who want very little to do with you. One day he came into my room to chat, and I asked him if he was okay. His response broke my heart, "mentally I'm not ok from being in quarantine for so long." That was a literal kick in the gut, to see my happy go lucky little brother so broken down and dejected.  However, today was a different story. Today he came bounding in my room exclaiming, "I'm so happy!" I asked him why and he explained that, "this could not have been a better day." Let me tell you, I was smiling from ear to ear as he detailed the day he had. It was one of the best feelings in the world that he was so happy. I felt like the Holy Spirit came bursting into the room with him-- it was a textbook grace moment.  A lovely ...

Quarantine has not been easy. There have been terrible days when it feels like I'm drowning, and unable to reach the surface. I have lost my last two months of my senior year of college, my graduation and so many more memories that I will not have. Yet, I will never say quarantine has been all bad. My last post was about my faith journey, and how I see my faith lived out in the good I encounter in my daily life. Finding the good in every day wasn't always easy before quarantine. Now, in the midst of a pandemic it sometimes feels impossible to find good, but when I think about it COVID has given me a lot to be grateful for:   Free Time: For some reason or another life always seems so busy, so busy that we don't always get to do the things we want to. Now, all we have is time! So, I've been able to catch up on all of the books I've been wanting to read, teach (teach is a strong word) myself the guitar (more like learn a few chords), paint till my heart...

This post is a bit of a throwback. It is a witness talk I wrote for a retreat I led in November 2019. The draft of this blog has been sitting and waiting for awhile; I figure now is a time in which we all need to take a moment to recall the blessings God has bestowed upon us. It was Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013. A day I barely remember but will never forget. It was a seemingly normal day. An early morning blur of tossing things in my backpack and rushing out to the bus. At school I wandered from class to class, wishing the day would end. After school I threw on my soccer gear and clumsily sprinted out to the field. Once I got home my family celebrated my brothers 6th birthday . I watched some Netflix and sent out a few tweets to help find a boy who went missing and didn’t show up to soccer practice. My day ended with purple, blue, pink and yellow painting the sky. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen, and a wonderful ending to my day. The next day was not nor...

I want to start this post with a poem: "Today was the absolute worst day ever And don't try to convince me that There's something good in every day Because, when you take a closer look, This world is a pretty evil place. Even if Some goodness does shine through once in a while Satisfaction and happiness don't last. And it's not true that It's all in the mind and heart Because True happiness can be attained Only if one's surroundings are good It's not true that good exists I'm sure you can agree that The reality Creates My attitude It's all beyond my control And you'll never in a million years hear me say Today was a very good day." This past week I was able to see the meaning behind this poem. I was lucky enough to go on a week-long service trip to Panama City, Florida with 11 of my classmates to aid in disaster relief. When we first got there we didn't see the effects of Hurricane Michael since we were in...

When you go abroad everyone tells you about the incredible adventures you will have, the new foods you try and all the amazing places you get to go. They also tell you how your experiences will shape you into the person you are going to become.   All of these things are a large part of your study abroad experience, but the thing they don’t tell you about abroad is you will meet the most incredible people, people who will change your life. While abroad I have made the most incredible group of friends. They’re the people who will come to your rescue at two in the morning when you’ve had a little too much to drink. The type of people who will drag you out of bed when you’re suffering from heartbreak. The ones who lift you up when you’re sad and cheer you on when you’re succeeding. They hype you up when you look good and tell you when you’re being a fool. The people I’ve met have my best interests at heart, and I have theirs in mine.   I know that one day I will attend their ...

Hello everyone! I'm a little late on writing about my travels. I have been very busy with midterms and traveling -- not a pleasant mix I should add. In this post I will talk about the serendipity I encountered while traveling a few weeks ago. Ponta de Piedad On March 9th, my friend Amanda and I went to Lagos, Portugal. This was a very last minute trip, that we only planned four days in advanced. We weren't expecting it to be anything special, i t was just something to do, on a weekend we had an excursion with our program. Although, Lagos wasn't on of the cities we had our hearts set on visiting, it will be by far one of our favorite adventures. We took a four hour bus to Lagos from Sevilla. It was a pretty quick ride. We just ate, laughed, talked and slept. Once we arrived we made our way to our hostel. It was our first time staying at a hostel, so we were very nervous. It turned out to be a pretty nice place, and the workers were very helpful and friendly. After ...

So far, my study abroad journey has mostly been experienced in Spain. Although I did choose this country to study in, my plan was to travel around Europe for most weekends. At first I was a little sad that my traveling plans were not panning out the way I thought they would, but now I am so happy that I've been able to explore so much of Spain. In this post I will talk about my adventures in three Spanish cities: Cordoba, Granada and Cadiz. Cordoba To be honest, I wasn't very excited to go to Cordoba. I didn't really know much about it, or have any interest in going there. It was a required trip with my program, so I had to go. I wasn't expecting loving the quaint little city as much as I did. When we first got there we went to the Mesquita Catedral de Cordoba. This building went back and forth in ownership between the Muslims and the Catholics, because of this changing in ownership the structure has a very unique influence. The building is a combination of traditio...

I have written two posts since I've been here, but I haven't really talked about my host city Sevilla. So, in this post I'm going to talk a little about my life here. I live in a home stay with my host mom Carmen, and her daughter, Angela. I also have a roommate Zoe, who is a sophomore from Appalachian State in North Carolina. Carmen and Angela are so sweet; they are really like a second family. In our program our host families are required to feed us three meals a day, do our laundry and clean the house. Carmen and Angela do all of that and more, I feel like I'm staying in a hotel. Not only do they fulfill their responsibilities as a host family, they care for us. They always ask us about our day and make us feel like we are part of the family. Before I left for one of my trips, Carmen wished me luck and gave me a big hug; it feels like I have a mom looking out for me. In the morning I wake up around 7:30 and have toast with a chocolate spread called...

February 8th through the 10th I went on my first trip to Italy! I was lucky enough to plan this trip last minute to see my roommate from my home university. Overall it was a fun trip, but it did not start out well. Getting to Rome from Spain, was easy. I flew from Sevilla to Verona, Italy and had about an hour layover. From Verona I flew to my destination of Rome. Now, here's where things started to go downhill: First, I don't know how Rome's transportation systems work. So, I board my train to get into the city, all goes well. I get off to switch trains, and I get on the right one! (Go me!). Yet, it's going in the opposite direction... of course. So, I hop off the train and try to collect my bearings. Of course I have no idea where I am, and I'm alone for the next 4 hours until I can meet up with my roommate. I decide my best bet is to take an Uber to the Vatican. A 25 minute Uber ride later, — sorry Mom and Dad — I arrive at the Vatican Museum. The second...

Before studying abroad, I have never left the U.S., let alone the East Coast. So, I knew packing my bag to travel halfway across the world for four months was going to be a challenge. Yet I did not know that in the first day my flight would be canceled, I would be stranded in the airport and left to figure out how to get to my hotel alone. To top it off the taxi's in Madrid went on strike. Needless to say, the first two days of my study abroad experience were not the best. Toldeo, Spain Although my first days in Spain did not go as planned, I knew that I had to do my best to adjust to this new country. Here’s my tips on going from lost to a local: 1)     Go with the flow: When traveling things change unexpectedly: one moment you are prepared to board your flight, the next it is canceled. When things like this happen, it is important to just remain calm and see what happens next. If you are lucky (like I was) the airline will be able to put you on a new flight. Just ...