Living For God Conference {and other happenings}

Early in July we were able to attend a conference called 'Living For God' Wow!! So many profound words spoken and so many deep thoughts shared. Steve Deace, Scott Brown, Kevin Swanson, and Phil Kayser were the four main speakers for the three day conference. 

There wasn't a HUGE turnout but God always uses small things to bring big changes.

"History is the work of God in judgement and redemption."

::Kevin Swanson::

There was such a dynamic difference in the way each of the speakers presented their messages. From calm and gentle to #thereisnowayanyoneisgoingtosleep... Kevin Swanson was definitely the latter. :]

His messages are always so inspiring!!

Yep, he's pretty much the definition of "dynamic"

"No man can rise above his worldview."

::Steve Deace::

I have to say... I was prepared to not have a lot to glean from Steve Deace's message but... wow!! He has changed the way he delivers the truth so much in a VERY positive way!! I very much enjoyed his messages. So insightful!

"Failing to learn the lessons of grace has greatly ruined our nation."

::Phil Kayser::

This man... #somuchwisdom I enjoyed every bit of it. Even the parts that flew over my head. :]

Some of my favorite people are the ones years younger than me. 

I had so much fun with this lil' boy and his sister. 

Cause every post needs an awkward selfie.

This kid. #nowordsneeded

Aaaaand sometimes you really can't distinguish the ten year age difference.

Yours Truly turned another year closer to becoming a immature  mature adult.

It was such a blessing to have some of  my girls over to celebrate. We had a whole cartload of fun and I love each one of them to pieces!!

 Thank you so much ladies for a fun-filled birthday and for gracing me with your dear presence!

As I look ahead on the rest of my seventeenth year I pray fervently that Christ would use me for His glory.

There are so many things that I regret of my sixteenth year. So many things that I said and did. But with God's grace, I fervently hope and pray that this year will be a year of unmeasurable grace and exceeding mercy. I would be so humbled if you all would offer up a prayer for the direction of my seventeenth year. That God would use it fully for his glory.

It's almost intimidating thinking about all the things that I need to learn and so many character traits I need to acquire. #lifeishard But isn't God so good? Mmmm... I believe very much that He is!

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Have a G O R G E O U S   Thursday, lovlies!!

Modesty Monday|| Orange/Black/&white

"You can dress attractively without being immodest. Within the Lord's guidelines, there is room for you to be lively, vibrant, and beautiful both in your dress and in your actions."

||Thomas S. Monson||

Oh man! That quote is so good! 

Okay, I have another MM post up. Woot! 

Yes, I do realize that my white cardigan is REALLY slightly washed out. But everything else seemed to pop so I decided I'd post these anyway.

The red shirt is "supposed" to be a shirt that doesn't need a cardigan with it but the back is pretty low. My mother and I talked and she graciously informed me that showing too much of your back can be just as immodest as too much of your front. Now, I know that to a lot of Christians out there showing your back really isn't that big of a deal and I totally do not judge you. I just chose to wear a cardigan for my own personal comfort. (And to submit to my mother's request.) 

Anyway...

Here is my outfit that was worn to church. Hope you can get some ideas from it. 

 Outfit Details:

Cardigan: from good ol' faithful Walmart. :]

Shirt: JC Penny's 

Skirt: ??? I haven't the slightest. I'm thinking maybe from Goodwill or Walmart.

Shoes: Goodwill

Necklace: Garage sale

 I am not proud of this picture. It looks like the shoes don't fit. But they really do. Just a little disclaimer. ;}

Have a D E L I G H T F U L Monday, dearies! 

In a nutshell... Full of pictures

A LOT has happened this year... and I haven't even begun to catch up with the events in photos.

But nonetheless, here are a few that I managed to sneak in on my "pretty consistent lack of photos streak.":]

This was such a darling wedding! So God honoring and sweet. One of the groomsmen fainted. It definitely startled everyone. You only hear about those things. You're hardly ever in the midst of it. It was kinda cool  interesting. :]

One of the tables at the reception. Isn't that darling?

SPEECH!  Where do I begin. This is the major reason why I haven't posted much the beginning of the year. We've traveled more in this year than we've ever traveled in two years! #nojokepeople 

We traveled to Minnesota 3 times, Kansas, and Omaha Nebraska.

Above is a picture taken during a speech presentation. I think this was the semi final round. 

One of the things that made the Tournaments so fun was that ALL the competitors wore business suits.

So cool seeing all the young men in suits with ties and the girls with a-line skirts and suit jackets. We all looked VERY professional. (Which is the point. :])

Another highlight was meeting new friends. There's something about being surrounded by a bunch of other competitors that know how you're feeling. The butterflies, the jitters you get when you're waiting for your turn to walk into the room decked with three judges. The adrenaline rush you get when someone yells "POSTINGS!" the lack of sleep experienced the night before the Awards Ceremony. Let me tell you, I have grown SO much from being a part of speech. The above picture is of a fellow competitor. She was only twelve and she made it to semi's! There certainly was TALENT at those tournaments.

During the tournament in Omaha Nebraska, the darling Beasley family graciously hosted us. It was such a blessing not to have to worry about hotel costs. After the tournament we spent some time with them. Oh man! We had a B L A S T scoping out pizza places that were actually open at 10:00 ish at night, eating pizza at 11:00 at night, and then playing Dutch Blitz past midnight! 

I try to deny the fact that I'm short but... this picture prohibits me from even entertaining the thought that I'm not short. :]

 After speech Josie and I were able to go on a road trip to Chicago with these ladies. EB's mother drove us. We had such fun! I'm pretty sure we solved most of the world's problems. It's amazing how much you can cover in a drive to and back from Chicago. Random: The hotel we stayed at was absolutely UH-dorable. It had a loft! #garretsandloftsforthewin!

While EB and Amanda were photography a wedding Josie and I got to hang out with Mrs. A. See the above photo. (I do realize how perfectly unflattering my face looks in that photo.) We had a blast! We were all over the place! And we came back with fun stories to tell EB and Amanda. 

We spent some time with this lovely family of five.

Love her!

Tis the season for open houses! 

It was such a lovely time at this Open house. Barn dancing! #iwasjazzed!

Aren't they adorable! Josie and I have been working at the Cory's farm. It has been a blessing and actually pretty fun! By the way, the lovely Wissmann family will be having a concert at the Cory's farm. June 14th. Contact them if you have any questions. 

And I'll end with a picture of the Bontrager ladies. I can't get enough of these girls! Love you ladies!

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This post doesn't even cover half of the things that have happened these months but it was a start. 

How has your year been going? Do tell all!

Modesty Monday||Brown/blue/white

"Modesty is always beautiful."

GK Chesterton

I'm finally doing another post, peoples!

So did anyone else notice that my last MM post was totally NOT posted on a Monday?!?! Heh heh, oh well. :]

So this outfit has a winter version to it which is a jean jacket, a white scarf, and brown boots. Just thought I'd let you know. :]

::Outfit details::

Shirt: Guys, I honestly have no clue where I got this faithful shirt. Probably Walmart or Goodwill

Belt: This came with a dress from Burlington Coat Factory. (Hopefully the dress will show in a MM post sometime.

Skirt: GOODWILL!!! 

Shoes: Walmart

Flower: Walgreens

Have a wonderful Monday, all you all!  

Modesty Monday||vintage/country

“Modesty answers not the crude how of femininity, but the beautiful why.” 

― Wendy Shalit, A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue

My beautiful Annie, friend and I have decided to start this series called 'Modesty Monday'!

I can't promise to be regular in this, but hey... at least I'm posting something! #doihearcheers?

Annie has already posted a couple of her beautiful outfits. So here's a link to her corner in the blogger world. :]

Just as a disclaimer... I don't claim to hold all the keys to the fashion world. Oh man! Ladies... if only you knew! We all have our own unique and individual styles. I'd have to say that my style would definitely fall under the 'chic' category but sometimes I put together outfits which have more of an 'elegant' theme. And other times, when I'm home, I dress like a complete hobo. No joke! #ireallyneedtoworkonthat To be honest with you, I'm still finding out and discovering what my own style is. A quote I found on pinterest says: "Would you be comfortable with what you're wearing in the Lord's presence?"

Wow! How convicting is that?!?!? Yikes... I've got a lot to work on. 

Okay I could go on for hours about how I could improve on this... but I'm sure you'd like to see the outfit instead. (Or, if you're like me, you've probably completely skipped this section and have already gone to see the pictures. And maybe someday when you're bored you'll come back and actually read what I had to say. :]) 

::Outfit Details::

Cardigan: Wal-Mart

Skirt: Goodwill

Tights: Wal-Mart

Shirt: Target

Brown Cami: Dress Barn

Scarf: Wal-Mart

Shoes: Goodwill
Earrings: souvenir from Arizona given to me by my bestie.

Yep... one of those awkward spinning pictures. You have no idea, people. Appreciate these! :]

These boots were the win of this whole year! I found them at Goodwill for only $4.99 PLUS they were in tip-top shape! EB's  sweet mother bought these for me. Love her!

Hmmmm... I'm still not quite sure if I like the look of this scarf tied like that.

Hope this outfit gave you some ideas! Leave a little love in the comment section, hm?