Week of Hope 2014 || This Girl is On Fire

Last year, my church went on a mission trip to Cincinnati, Ohio through Group Mission’s Week of Hope. And I had a fantastic time. To those of you who don’t know, Week of Hope is a time for Christians from across the U.S. to fellowship and serve the community.

It’s pretty weird to be stuck living somewhere where you only know the select few that came with you. You’re forced to get out of your comfort zone and completely desert your fears. As I may have let on before, I’m a very backward person when it comes to socializing and pretty much everything else.

But to my surprise, I had an especially liberating experience this past summer; I rededicated my life to Christ. I thought it’d change my life like crazy and at first it did. Until the fire within me soon became extinguished.

A year later and it was time to head back to Cincy where my spiritual journey with God had refreshed and then burnt out all over again. I had high hopes that He’d work on my heart again and give me the strength to stay on track this time but boy did I have no idea.

Everything that had broke me down and built me back up again within this past year gave me this courage to open up like never before. There’s something about being in an atmosphere full of believers that honestly recharges every single part of you possible. There’s no worries. No shame. No boundaries (in a good way). You’re not afraid to cry and pray and take your sorrows to the altar cause that’s exactly what everyone else is doing. You’re all there for the same reason; you’re at the battle front of God’s army, and you’re prepped & ready to go.

Being back in my hometown for a couple of days now makes me realize just how much I miss it; how different the superficial world is from the Godly one I’d much rather have. These people I met were from all over, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Massachusetts. The chances I’ll see them face to face again are slim to none. But there’s power in knowing we’re still brothers and sisters in Christ and we’re all united no matter how far away we live from each other.

Summing up this week is an impossible feat. But there was a lot of love, a lot of people and a whole lot of Jesus.

Some Pinterest Pins That Are the Real MVP

I remember being in like 7th grade and we had a family dinner at the house and all of my first cousins were in town, I kept seeing them over at the computer looking at about seven pictures a second and being in complete awe. They then explained the amazing world of Pinterest to me and I understood that they were wise beyond their years. Being a weird little middle-schooler, the concept seemed to confusing. Nonetheless I LOVE do it yourself projects (crafty little booger) and Pinterest held the key. I joined the club two years ago and now have 4,526 pins and 24 boards.

 

 

There’s honestly something for everyone. The inspiration is endless.

• http://www.pinterest.com/pin/95983035783137124/ This really did change my life. Or my hair anyways. This picture inspired me to get my bangs chopped off. It started this whole frenzy in which I researched all things bangs. This is also the picture I showed to my cousin (who cut my hair herself and who’s got more beauty sense in her pinky that I do in my whole body.) I also get hair color and highlight inspo when I’m all out of ideas.
• http://www.youbeauty.com/skin/how-to-contour-your-body-with-self-tanner I myself am not the chiseled goddess I wish I was. But this quick trick does wonders! Especially during bikini & sundress season. This pin shows you where to strategically self spray tan yourself where it gives you more defined and more appealing muscles and features. Some might say this is somewhat superficial but what’s the harm? I’ve also found you can do the same thing with your makeup bronzer; something you can control a bit more and much easier to wash off if it goes bad.
• http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/unexpected-uses-for-your-beauty-products When I first opened this link, I admit I was expecting all the things I’ve already heard of and the thing’s I’ve already tried. But to my surprise most of them I’d never even considered before! Great, great beauty and random lifestyle DIY fixes for everyday problems.
• http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Connie43/media/Pins34/75eAU1.jpg.html?sort=2&o=47 THIS THOUGH. This puts the little book case I have in my room to shame. This is what dreams are made of; my dreams at least.

As you can see I’m finding more pros to pinning everyday.

xoxo, Erin

Organize Your Life

Maybe I'm weird but when I clean my room or organize a drawer, I honestly feel so much better. Total mindset change. A lot of people might be going through the same kinda thing and never thought of actually rearranging your life to take a step back and see the whole picture. Here are some of my tips to get a kick start on a routine to keep your possessions/life itself under some control:

1. Minimize. So I know that that eye shadow palette has extra special shades in there but if you haven't came close to using it in a year, toss it. I have a bad habit of holding onto makeup and hair care just in case I need it. Like it's an emergency. Trust me, it's not. You won't remember it tomorrow.

2. Donate. Sometimes you need a reason to clean out; school is about to start, vacation is coming up or you just went on a shopping spree. But when your closet becomes too cluttered, you need a reason to get rid of some old favorites. Send your prized tops & bottoms to Goodwill. Or even Plato's Closet where they give you money for your unwanted items. Maybe you have a cousin that could use some hand-me-downs. Think of a good cause to give away.

3. Rearrange. All you may need to do is find a better living arrangement that works better for the limited (or unlimited I guess) space you have. Having a different view from your bed to the TV really changes a person.

4. Redo. Pick a new color scheme or buy some new décor. This can be either for just your bedroom or the entire house. Possibly go as drastic as painting your walls something exciting and fresh or calming and interchangeable.

5. Give it a home. Containers, containers, containers. Everything has its own place! Life is much easier when it's that way. Less stress, less searching.

 

 

6. Keep up. Okay, your space looked good a month ago, but no effort was put into making your masterpiece stable. Even going around once a week and returning things to their place, making your bed, fluffing pillows, makes the biggest difference. This'll keep things from piling up and junking up your space.


There's not one reason I decided to write this post. Just over the past year I've been doing a lot of minimizing every aspect of my life and the physical part seems to be a great first step into giving you a good outlook for the rest. The sudden effects will leave you feeling so much better and the work will be well worth it.

xoxo, Erin

Beauty is a State of Mind

I’m first and foremost not going to sit behind my computer screen and act like I dress up all the time and don’t think twice about it. I’d like to think that and let everyone believe it but it’s a lie. It’s a huge thing I’d like to change about myself, because I normally do feel my best when I’m all dolled up and I think a lot of people can agree with that. That being said, I’m the most indecisive person you’ll ever meet and when you throw an outfit into the mix, chaos.

But some days (many many days), I’m perfectly fine with throwing on a tshirt and Nike shorts and walking out the door without a comb ran through my hair or an ounce of makeup brushed on my face. And at the end of the day I’m normally mad at myself for not trying harder to look presentable; normally because everyone at school or when I’m out and about decided it was National Dress Up Day and I obviously didn’t get the memo.

On a rare occasion though, I’ll come home and feel completely content with myself. Or catch a glance of myself in the car mirror and just sorta smile. Not because I think I look pretty or I’m having a good hair day, but I feel beautiful.

I think it’s important to see yourself in the mirror, realize you’re not perfect and be okay with the eyes looking back at you. It’s much more worthwhile to like the you without all the bells and whistles, the bows and pearls.  

xoxo, Erin

Introduction to me

In a weird way I’ve been writing my whole life. When I was a younger I made up countless stories and had a limitless imagination; but what little girl doesn’t. I wasn’t afraid to tell anyone that either, I took pride in the tall tales I could bring myself to tell. As the years went on, I focused more on putting my thoughts down onto paper. Only this time, my ideas were far less original and I suffered from a bad case of writer’s block. After I actually started putting pressure on myself to write something, the thoughts got few and far between. I think a lot of people go through this, no matter what age you are. Once something ceases to be effortless, you realize how much work something can take. So I put that aside (like the quitter I am) and didn’t think anything about it for a couple years.

While becoming more of a teenager, I became an avid people watcher. Not the typical mean girl that judges the types of shoes a girl has, or the way someone’s hair looks. But the kind that sees a complete stranger and tries to imagine how their everyday life is laid out. I imagine their struggles at home, what might they do on a Friday night, or maybe their favorite movies. I’m not a stalker by no means and don’t follow up on anyone or anything. But stepping into another human being’s shoes for just an instant can become quite the learning experience. In reality I’m probably completely wrong with 95% of my assumptions but who cares.

I’m fascinated with the way people live because no two people are alike. Or maybe because I like stepping into a more extravagant lifestyle or less fortunate. Everyone can learn from mistakes they make themselves, or the ones they only observe. The cool thing is: no one’s perfect.

Sometimes I wonder what people think of me when they see me out and about; are there other people who come up with situations with a mere profile like I do? Regardless of what they think I know this to be true: I’m a wishy-washy, indecisive girl that changes her mind more than she changes her earrings. My life is weird but overall I’m blessed. I have an amazing boyfriend, an outstanding family and an almighty God.

 xoxo, Erin

 

P.S.

ya know when a parent might say "She's more scared of you than you are of them!!" when you're obviously scared of like a bee or a snake; well that pretty much sums up how terrified I am right now. (bear with me)