Browsing Category : Simple City

Influence Link-Up

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InfluenceConf
In T-minus two weeks I’m hopping in a car and driving off to Indy to attend The Influence Conference!  To say I am excited is an understatement. I went last year and met the most incredible women. Women with a fierce love for Jesus and making Him known.
Lemme just tell you for a sec what I’m looking forward to:
A. Seeing friends I made last year at the conference and meeting friends in real life for the first time!
B. Sashes Market. Going into the conference last year I didn’t realize how beautiful and amazing everything would be in there. So, this year, it’s on Sashes Market. Me and you.
C. Soaking everything up. Learning more about Jesus. Learning more about how I can influence others for Him with this lil’ blog.
I bet you’re wondering what I’m going to have packed in my bag too, so I’ll go ahead and tell you:
A. Cash money for the Sashes Market, obvi.
B. Journal and my G2 pens (.38 extra fine point.) I don’t leave home without these pens and I don’t share them either. I know, so bad.
C. Underwear. I forgot them last year so thank ya Jesus for a mall attached to the conference center.
And for all the beautiful women who are linking up, here’s a pic so you can hunt me down and then we can grab coffee:
Chambray on chambray that day!!
Do you see my Better Life Bag over my right shoulder there?
You’re in luck, she’s gonna be at the conference. I am in L-O-V-E love with this bag and what Better Life Bags is all about. Go to her site and check her out. Then buy a bag.
Or, come with me to The Influence Conference and get one there!
Can’t wait to see everyone!

Back in full swing

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This past weekend, some of us Cru staff and some of those amazing Cru student leaders piled in a bunch of cars and headed on over to Peoria, IL. It was a weekend full of catching up, planning for this school year and laughing so much I cried.
Here’s the group. You all are amazing people. I love you so very much!
Our ol’ friend Marcelo gave an awesome talk. Here he is prepping for it on our way there.
                       Marcelo & Katy led some                                      Here’s Trevor in his bro tank
                       awesome sets of worship.                                     as we planned our hearts out.

 

Nothin’ says “Central Illinois” like Avanti’s.
These people play a serious game of kickball. So many laughs and smiles. I loved every minute. I decided to be the photographer because I “accidentally” left my sneakers at home. I had such a sweet moment looking out at all of these students at one point. If I were to pick a favorite team that day, I wouldn’t be able to because I absolutely love each and every one of them. You all are wonderfully made and loved deeply by the Lord. I am so grateful to Him for allowing me to be a part of how He is using you at DePaul.
             Kiersten & Kassie caught in the                                                 Yay Team!
                     cutest candid ever.
                (Alliteration to the max!)

 

Emily and Emily. Beautiful lovelies.

 

Emily, your top knot is amazing. I can’t stop swooning over it.

 

Cru DePaul leaders, you make the world go ’round. Keep pursuing Jesus, keep learning, keep stepping out in faith for His Kingdom. You inspire me like crazy, you accept me even when I fall off of air mattresses while trying to impress you, and you make me want to be more like Him.
Love you.
A special thanks to Northminster Presbyterian for housing us, feeding us, and loving us.

Bed & Breakfast

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Just when I thought labor day weekend couldn’t get any better after the retreat with my students, PK surprised me with the cherry on top of that weekend sundae! He and our friend Raef had gone to play a manly game of golf on Saturday and planned a little getaway for Sara (Raef’s wife) and me.

You sly dogs, you.
So, PK picked me up from DePaul, we re-packed the suitcase and headed to the Copperstone Inn. I think any Bed & Breakfast we go to from here on out will be chump change compared to this place. It.was.amazing.

I know, it was kind of a shack.
 #nofilter
They had their very own beautiful garden.
Our yummy breakfast. We met such great people too!

Apples on Apples.
The men throwing apples into the pond and probably talking theology or economics.
Thanks for holding my purse PK!
Being all thinky.
Don’t mind the dirty ol’ feet and ghetto pedi. I was filled with joy, so that’s all that counts, right?
Raef & Sara and our favorite bun in the oven.
Konickis in an orchard.
Thank you to our husbands for a much needed whisking away.
We respect and admire you like crazy.
We love you!

To bring or not to bring. Part three.

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Picture this….it’s the dead of winter.
{I know it’s hard to picture right now in the dead of summer}
Family road trip from Ohio to New York City.
Failed to check the weather before we left.
Heavy snow.
Fake leather fashion boots.
So long feet. So long boots.
And so the story goes with me last winter.
If you plan to take a trip to NYC in the winter {which I think you should because it’s pretty}, now’s the time to glean from me and do what I did not do. Learn from my mistakes and enjoy The Big Apple to the full.
Here are some wintertime must-haves when staying in NYC:
1. Good boots. The ones pictured are the L.L. Bean Boots which I love and adore and keep my feet nice and warm. The thing about it is that you indeed can find a fashionable pair of boots that are super practical. As stated above, the only boots I brought were my fake leather ones from my thrifting-for-a-year days. Let’s just say my feet were wet for so long during the day, funny things happened. They were prunes for a really long time. I know I would’ve enjoyed the pretty snow in the pretty city a bit more if my feet didn’t squish every time I walked.
2. A cute, yet practical hat. I recommend those winter hats that are more floppy at the bottom as pictured. That way, you can still look cute indoors with it on without showing off your hat hair and if the weather gets fierce, there’s room to tuck the hair in so it doesn’t get snowed on. I’m a girl with bangs, and it the snow touches those puppies, it’s over for the rest of the day. So, I need a good hat that I can tuck the bangs into in case of a precipitaion emergency.
3. Layer up. You just never know really what the weather will be like, so layers are your best bet, and you can put together some killer outfits doing so. If it gets toasty, de-layer. If it gets colder, put the layers back on. Accessorize so that the scarf pairs well with the outfit for when it’s a tad cold indoors. Add a cute necklace underneath in case you take the scarf off. It’ll be like bam! Cherry on top of an adorable outfit.
4. Good gloves. Not necessarily the ones pictured. There are cute gloves that can keep your hands warm that still allow you to access all you need to access on your phone. You can find actual cute ones here.
5. Get yourself some Smart Wool socks. {not pictured but necessary} Go ahead, let your feet enjoy a big hug every time they step. These socks are amazing. They whisk away water {but aren’t waterproof}
 and are so comfy cozy.
So, there ya have it. You can kick winter’s butt in NYC now. How does it feel to already have kicked butt before the butt needs kicking? That’s my kind of competition, I do say.
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