Around The Way Girls

3 Things on a Tuesday.

So we're gonna get a little all over the place, crazy and random on the blog today. I promise there's some good stuff in this post...like amazing wedding photography at the end!

Just stick around!

Are we okay with that? I hope so :)

On Friday I hit the road to visit Josh for the weekend.

We're talking a 7 hour drive here...talk about love and dedication!

So of course, me being the antsy, impatient, forever on the move kinda girl, by hour 5 I was really getting impatient and was wishing I could just hit the gas until 100mph and get there sooner!

I have a confession to share with you lovely readers.

I have a lot of "guilty pleasure songs"

And it just so happens that two of them came on the radio as I was driving.

This may have resulted in singing at the top of my lungs and some awesome "in the car" dance moves...oh yeah, this happened!

Here are my admitted "dance and sing like crazy in the car" songs from this past Friday's road trip :)

Justin Bieber Boyfriend

Madonna Like a Prayer

In other news...

You may or may not know. My boyfriend Josh graduated from college last spring, and went on to four more years of college to become a pastor! In 3 weeks he will have his first of four years under his belt, and I could not be more proud.

This weekend, he had the opportunity to preach his first sermon for a congregation!

Let me tell you...I knew that he would do well, but I did not know he would be THAT GOOD. He blew me away, and had my attention the entire time. He was so engaging, had a wonderful message, and was such a wonderful minister of the Gospel. I'm so very excited to see how God will use Josh in his future ministry!

Such a proud girlfriend right here! :)

Before his Saturday night service :)

Third thing

One of my friends from High School has become quite the photographer.

Her name is Sarah; and she has a fabulous photography business called Se Young Photography. She is a wonderful God-fearing young woman with a passion for travel, photography, and all things fabulous and artsy. She is gorgeous inside AND out! God has blessed her with such talent!

She is going to school in Minneapolis, MN. So if you are planning a wedding in this area you HAVE to check her out. She is amazing. And her services are such an amazing deal! Wedding photographers are so ridiculously expensive these days. Seriously, some photographers can get up to $5,000?!?! That is crazy!

I am obsessing over a wedding that she photographed this past weekend.

It also makes it that much better when she is photographing a young couple who also share in a love for the Lord. I'm loving the picture of the groom reading scripture and praying before he marries his bride!

FAVORITE!

Aren't these fabulous?!

You want to see more...don't you?! :)

Well, Sarah also documented this couples engagement! This young man proposed to his bride with his own original "flash mob." Here are the lovely photos that captured the moment!

You have to admit. These are some great photos!

I hope you stuck through this post and enjoyed. I told you there was some good stuff! :)

I hope you all are having a lovely and blessed Tuesday!

Much love,

Living in the moment.

I've talked some about "living in the moment" HERE

But I want to share a few more short thoughts on the subject!

I came across this song the other day by Jason Mraz, off of his new album "Love is a Four Letter Word," entitled...

Living In The Moment

So it got me thinking...

I have been so extremely blessed by my God!

He has given me the gifts and abilities to study and eventually become an Elementary teacher.

He sent a wonderful man into my life. I've never felt so loved and cared about.

Once I graduate, I will be serving God in a ministry that he has hand selected for me.

I am so looking forward to these things...and sometimes too often.

I tend to focus on all of the future excitements I have ahead.

The daily happenings of studying, eating crappy cafeteria food, wearing not so glamorous clothing, and living in a tiny dorm room tend to drag on...and it's so easy to let my thoughts linger to the happiness and excitement of my future!

When I focus on the future, I forget about the beauty of my life right now...

I have to go through this stage in my life to get to the next.

I can't skip this stage, because I would miss SO MUCH.

God has taught me so much in this last year. And oh boy, have I learned and grown!

Please remember to live in the moment. There is so much beauty and learning going on in your life right now.

If your life looks like it's at a stale-mate, if you feel like nothing worse could happen. TRUST ME. You are benefiting from this. You will learn, grow, and prosper.

Don't fear. God's got this, girl!

He's giving you these challenges for a reason!

So, make sure to take the time and live in the moment!

If not, you may look back and wish you had.

God has given you a beautiful life. He isn't going to give you one, he already has!

Go out and enjoy these moments in your life RIGHT NOW! :)

I hope you all enjoyed this message and take it with you into your weekends.

Live in the moment dear friends!

Much love,

Goals.

As you can see by my pages above, I have a list of 12 goals that I want to complete in 2012.

I wanted to give you all a little update! Maybe this will interest you in the least, BUT this blog is written by me, and I want to share to keep myself in-check and accountable! :)

Maybe by reading you can get some inspiration for goals that you have too!

{My friend Tia and I always send these pictures to one another. This one cracks me up!}

ANYWAYS

I've realized that not only do I want to have yearly goals, but to keep myself focused, I'm going to have monthly goals as well!

I got this idea from Jessica who blogs over at "Before I Do's"

She has a link-up going on each month for bloggers to share their monthly goals, and then let people know how the previous months goals went!

So here's a little update on my 12 in 2012 goals::

1. Read more {5 books this summer}

I'm definitely on the road to reading more :) As a busy college student, it's hard for me to find time to read for enjoyment. Luckily, I just started a blogging book club! And I'm definitely digging into scripture more often these days. The bible is the best book around ladies! I'd say this goal is coming along!

2. Be more consistent in my devotion time

On the right track! I try to get in a small devotion once or twice a day. I think this summer I'm going to try and find a really good women's devotion book!

3. Re-visit and study bible stories

I wanted this goal because I think it will benefit me in my future as a Lutheran School Teacher. I think this will start being accomplished once I get going with goal #4 below!

4. Read the entire Bible

I've been studying certain sections of the bible. But I kinda wanna start from the beginning and read on through. This goal has kinda been a fail, but will hopefully get started soon!

5. Get down to my goal weight by June. Maintain that weight the rest of the year, and beyond!

This is a frustrating one. I will definitely not make my goal weight by June. I had a rough couple weeks when it came to healthy eating and exercise. I'm now back on track and hopefully I can reach my goal this summer! :)

6. Continue to blog and inspire people

CHECK! This is definitely happening :) I love all of the support and love I have been receiving by my followers. This little blog continues to grow, and I could not be more thankful!

7. Get a 3.5 or better in school this semester

I'm not really sure what all of my grades are at the moment...I'm crossing my fingers that I reach this goal! If I do, I receive free money from the school for tuition next year!! I'm pretty sure my grades are lookin' good, but I better check up on that one!

8. Run more

Check! Continuing on with my 10k training plan!

9. Don't buy any clothes until August

Hmmmm, I'm debating taking this one off. The reason I had it was because I didn't want to frivolously spend money on clothes I didn't need. But this summer I know I will need to by 1. running shoes 2. dress pants 3. I know there are other things! But after I get these necessities. I am definitely sticking to it!

10. Do/make the things I've pinned on Pinterest

This one has been a small success! I have now made two different recipes from my food board on Pinterest. I'm hoping this summer I will be able to do more crafty things and try out more recipes :)

11. Pass all of my MTLE tests {state license tests to be able to teach!}

I'll find out my scores in the next couple of weeks! Hopefully I will be able to complete this goal soon :)

12. Stay in better touch with my friends at home when I am away at school

Well I guess we'll have to ask them...but I've definitely been talking to my friend Tia on a regular basis! I'm excited to be home for the summer and be able to see more people more often!

This months goals::

1. Stick with my 10k training program

2. Be able to run 6 miles

3. Finish out the school year strong and get a 3.5 GPA

4. Limit myself to 1 dessert during the week and 1 on the weekend

5. Be 5 pounds down by the end of the month

6. Get more sleep!

7. Blog more about my faith and the wonderful Savior I have

8. Complete the "photo-a-day" challenge!

9. Finish a book

10. Continue daily devotions/reading scripture

There you have it! My monthly goals for May!

What goals do you have for this month?

If you feel like sharing, head on over to Jessica's blog and link-up! :)

What I'm Loving && Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

Yayyyy for Wednesdays!

It's the middle of the week, and you're almost done!

{Confession: I however am writing this on Monday night, making me long for this week to be over even more!}

As usual, I'm linking up with Michelle and Jamie for::

So here's what I'm loving this week::

I have 118 followers! Thank you all for reading. I feel so blessed to have this blogging community in my life. It wouldn't be as special without the support of 118 of you :)

I'm loving the book I'm about to start reading, "bloom"

I am joining Aubrey and Kaylee's book club for the month of May!

There were 4 awesome books to vote for. I had such a hard time voting!

But excitingly, the book I voted for, "bloom" was chosen! I just ordered it from Amazon today, and I can't wait to start reading! And it's not too late to join in on the fun! Get the book and grab the button to post on your blog! :)

I'm loving the "Tone-It-Up Girls" Beach Babe DVD!

I'm getting back into the swing of things when it comes to my fitness.

I LOVE the tone-it-up girls, so I decided to invest in their Beach Babe workout DVD!

I can't wait to get it and start workin' on my Beach Babe Bod! haha

I'm loving this coffee sleeve that I received from Jenny at her Etsy shop: The Sweet Stuff

Isn't it precious? I love the grey and blue :)

I'm loving that I am starting up my running again!

My running schedule for the week:

Week Three
Tuesday: 4 mins steady, 2-3 mins recovery x4
Thursday: 5 mins hard, 2-3 mins recovery x3
Weekend: Long run: 25 mins easy

I'm so excited to get back on board with my 10k training! Besides running on Tues., Thur., and Sat., I'll be doing elliptical workouts, strength training, and yoga on the other days!

I'm loving the wonderful man in my life, Josh :)

This past weekend I went home and spent some much needed time with my family and Josh

I'm so excited for these next 3 weeks to go by quickly so summer can be here and I can be home!

What I'm loving on Pinterest

Have any of you heard of these tank-tops? If so, let me know how you like it!

It's a "no limit tank" by lulumon.com

It looks so amazing to work out in...but then I saw the price: $64!!! Definitely not in my budget!

So at the moment, I have a bid going for a used one on Ebay for $20 :)

Hopefully I get it!

Love the Tone-It-Up girls :)

I did this with my mascara and it worked WONDERS! It completely de-clumped and made my mascara go on like it was brand new! Definitely extends the life of your mascara :)

I hope you all have a fantastic hump day!

Much love,

May Photo A Day Challenge!

So I have a confession:

I have attempted to take part in the "photo a day challenges" for the past two months now...and have failed MISERABLY.

For starters, I cheated.

Back in March, before Android had Instagram, I tried to take part in the photo a day challenge.

I guess there are no requirements saying you HAVE to post pictures via Instagram. But I think it's kinda the point, right? So, I was a fraud that month. PLUS, I kept messing up the days and I quit about half way through. Like I said. Major FAIL!

And this past month, well I still couldn't get over my personal embarrassment, I didn't get Instagram on my phone until about half way through the month, and I have been super duper extremely busy. So I told myself I would hop on the train in May. So here I am, letting all of you lovely readers know that I will be participating in the "photo a day challenge" for the month of May!

So get on over to my Instagram and keep up with my awesome edited pictures :)

I'll also try and make a weekly post for the challenge on the blog too!

To kick start the month, I'll share day number one with you, and some other lovely images that I have taken lately on Instagram as well :)