go outside and look at the moon!

It's supposed to be 14% bigger and it's the closest it'll be to Earth for the next 18 years. I just ran out and snapped this low quality photo [apologies] but it's beautiful. check it out!

peeking out from behind my building

take this sinking boat and point it home

this song is delightful.

a thankful tuesday

I am very blessed girl, and I never want to take that for granted. Today I was thinking about all the amazing things I am thankful for and was overwhelmed with not just the big obvious things [my amazing, wonderful, healthy and loving friends and family, my education, food, shelter, etc.] but all the little things, that I'm more likely to not see as daily blessings.

1. Music

I know that you all know how much I love music. And it's true, music is one of my most, if not the most, special material things in my life. When I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm doing homework, driving, cooking, reading, writing, blogging, falling asleep, walking to class, having a quiet time + so much more. I love music, and I am so lucky to know what kind of music I like for what occasions and moods and to have access to so much good music. What an unnecessary blessing in my life that I get to enjoy the gift of music every single day!

2. My roommate, Kendall

they don't make them this cute these days

Let me tell you, this girl is special. Not only is she my best friend, but she's more of a soul mate. She understands me [and most importantly -- puts up with me] during many not-so-pretty moments. For example, on the last night of spring break, I got a nasty stomach virus. I woke up, got sick, ran to where she was sleeping, told her I needed paper towels, and ran back to the bathroom. Without any questions she woke up, got me what I needed and took care of me. This morning, only a few days later, I woke up at 9:05 with a midterm at 9:05 [I blame my soothing Ingrid Michaelson alarm song], I wake her up in a panic and ask her to drive me to class, without questions or complaining, she did - and talked to me about how it could be worse the entire way there. We'll be far away from each other next year, and I honestly don't know what I'm going to do without her. She's probably the greatest person I have ever known, and I'm so thankful and blessed that I know her. 

3. Coffee Mugs

I have this in white with red lettering and it's my favorite of the bunch!

Okay, I'm not even going to go there with being thankful for coffee, if you read this blog, then you know that coffee ranks up there with family and friends. But, a small little blessing is cute mugs! I consider myself a sort of 'collector' in this. If starbucks sells a cute mug, there is a 99% chance I'll buy it. I have more than I would like to admit, and I love them! I even have some mugs that fit certain moods I'm in. Even though I've turned into a mug snob and really hate to drink out of 'ugly mugs' I realize what small blessings beautiful coffee mugs are. 

4. Nail polish

I love painting my nails! Who knew that putting on nail polish could make you feel so good? Well, besides the person who did, in fact, invent it. I can't wear nail polish to work, and I work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So every Thursday afternoon I come home from work and pick out a shade to sport until the following Tuesday. Nail polish is a little life joy. And isn't that what life is about? Taking part of things that give you joy? I'm so very thankful for nail polish 

5. Napping blankets

don't you want to just curl up under this?

Okay, it would be weird for me to go deep about this one, but I have lots of comfy, soft, fleecy blankets that I love curing under to listen to music, watch TV, drink coffee, talk with friends, and nap. In fact my legs are wrapped up in my favorite brown one as I write this. Mmm, I love soft blankets.  

It's actually now 12:30 am on Wednesday, but I started writing this on Tuesday, so that's what I'm still going to consider the time to be. I am so thankful for so many things in my life, stretching far beyond material items. Looking at things we're thankful for forces us to look at why life is good. If we weren't thankful for anything, we wouldn't appreciate anything -- and if we didn't appreciate anything we'd miss out on a lifetime of happiness. 

What are the little things in life that you love and are thankful for?

okay, who's excited?

that Emily won the Bachelor? I know, I know, it's TV trash, but I can't help being addicted. Who did you want to win?! Poor Chantel's heartbreak was not easy to watch.

Our apartment loves the Bachelor, here's a taste of our spread for the big event. We are hopeless romantics to our core.

Jacksonville baby

Two nights of fantastic sleep and I'm officially rested from another 
amazing trip down south for spring break. 

I was hesitant of Jacksonville at first, after working in post-Katrina New Orleans two years ago and then working with the enormous homeless population in Atlanta last year, I thought "what does Jacksonville even need?" "will there be good opportunities to serve?" which really all boiled down to "why are we going there and not some place better?"

In a sense, I was right, Jacksonville doesn't have the obvious social issues that are in your face with New Orleans and Atlanta, but I was so very wrong in the bigger sense that Jacksonville didn't need any service, that it didn't need a presence of people wanting to serve God.

I was caught up in the "I." I wanted to help, I want to make an impact, I wanted to do something that would allow me to leave the city feeling like I made a difference. What I wasn't doing for the first half of the week was looking at where God wanted me, how He wanted me to serve, what He considered service and how He could see the presence of the Navigators in Jacksonville as a blessing. This trip was not about a self-serving, self-glorifying experience, but about a God serving, God glorifying experience. Once I realized that [or more like was hit over the head with that during a quiet time] my perspective changed and I was able to see the ways God was using us in Jacksonville and me on my work project.

I worked in the only inner-city public high school in Jacksonville, Andrew Jackson High School. The school is considered a 'failing' school by the government because of their heart-wrenching and unbelievably low standardized test scores. I worked with a lovely English teacher in her classroom for most of the time, just talking to the students and helping them focus and complete their work. I worked with two students in particular that I connected with and really began to love and care for very much. One was a girl, one was a boy, both in 11th grade. I got to see their standardized test scores, which were somewhere in between the 3-5 percentile. Their teacher told me that even though they were in 11th grade, they were on a 6th grade reading level. However, even though they aren't able to pass tests and analyze reading passages, they are no less brilliant then any other 11th grader in the country. My talks with them were thought provoking and insightful [well, once we got past them asking me over and over what college parties are like and them not believing me when I told them that I don't go to frat parties] and I found myself thinking that the only difference between my life as an 11th grader and theirs, was and is opportunity. I had the opportunity for a great education, therefore the opportunity to have a great college education. My and my educated friends' intelligence isn't greater than theirs, we've just had more opportunities.

I wrestled with this thought for part of the week. Thinking about how unfair it seemed. If they were born in the life that I was born into, they would be on track to applying to a great college, instead they were asking me what a "major" is and how do they get one. I hate, more than anything else in the world, wasted potential. The potential of the students at Andrew Jackson High School are astronomical, the reality of what they will accomplish is more likely to be read about in a police report than a history book.

In the midst of struggling with this thought and wondering why the world was like this and feeling hopeless about changing it, I was reading through Isaiah 55 and came across these verses that became my theme verses of the week

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are my ways your ways,"

declares the Lord.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways 

and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." 

-Isaiah 55:8-9

And with these verses, I realized that I don't have to figure out the world, I just have to go where I am called and serve to the best of my ability. God is sovereign over everything that I see as "unfair," and He's sovereign over the students' lives at AJHS. I can take comfort in knowing that God knows what He's doing and I don't have to freak out, all I have to do is stay on track in serving God -- he's taken care of the rest. 

Which, is probably the best thing I could have gotten out of the trip.

I enjoyed every moment of the week that I spent in the classroom, 

and honestly wish that I could be there again this week. 

PHOTOS!

because it was beautiful

disclaimer: I did not wear that shirt every single day, for some reason the photos I chose are from 1 day :)

I mean, come on, does it get prettier?

don't you worry, a Floridian food story is coming next!

I saved it's life!

and i'm back

Spring break was wonderful! I'll write in detail and post photos tomorrow [well, later today considering that it's 12:30 am].

I got back pretty late and completely pooped last night, so today was the perfect relaxing Sunday. Waking from a 12 hour slumber, coffee made my way, a long hot shower, my itunes playing and grocery shopping and cupcake making with roommates. life is just so good.

The weather is a little dreary here, but I've been spoiled with a week of sunny warmth, so it feels natural for a chilly overcast day -- the State College way.

I can't believe my senior year spring break is over! The final stretch of my academic life has officially begun! ah!

rainy day

rose cupcake baking

(for our Bachelor finale party, of course!)

my wonderful roommates

(minus the wonderful Natalie)

a little Norah

=
a perfect lazy Sunday and a very happy jules

see ya in a week!

I won't be posting for 8 or so days, because it is [un]officially my spring break! I'm headed to:

sunny, sweet & warm Jacksonville Flordia! 

I'm not going for a typical college spring break drink fest, but I'm going with the Navigators to work with the kind people of Jacksonville doing service projects to improve improve city life. We're working with an organization called 2nd Mile Ministries, check out all the great stuff they do for the children of Jacksonville here!

It's starting off with an epic roadtrip with a handful of wonderful people (including fellow blogger Paige Moyer -- check her out :) ) at 6 am tomorrow, with a one-day stay and visit with friends in Athens, GA.. then to Florida we go!

Prayer Requests: that I don't return looking like a lobster no matter how likely it is

Enjoy your spring breaks, and if you don't have one then sit outside on a nice day, make yourself a girly cocktail and soak up the first glimpses of beautiful weather. 

see you in a week! 

can ya dig it?

The new header is an homage to the impending spring [that i wish would just be here already].

spring is in the air!

I'm feeling a change. More like, I'm feeling defrosted.

The glacier of State College, PA is finally thawing out. This week its been sunny and in the 40s -- which feel more like the 60s compared to the last few weeks of below 10 -- and everyone seems to feel better. Our lack of being close to the sun for the past few months is all about to change -- and I couldn't be happier, I love changing seasons!

As people put away their coats and Penn State prepares to spend an absurd amount of my tuition money on landscaping, I can't help but to feel all warm inside. I'm graduating in 2 months and a few days and while I don't have it figured out yet, I'm finally ready to figure out where I'm headed

Georgia? Philly? D.C? Who knows, all long as happiness is included then sign me up. Until then bring on the final few PSU baseball games, creamery milkshakes and no jacket.

Happy pre-spring! I'm feeling a background and header change within the next few days, I don't want to look at snow covered trees anymore.