Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise

From elementary education to journalism, my life in this past year has been quite the journey. One year ago I was enrolled in elementary education classes at Ole Miss. I was making lessons plans for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for my second grade class. I had no idea what was about to come.

At the end of May 2013 I realized I wasn't going to allow myself anymore to think about my "second life." Why only dream when I could make these dreams my reality?

I switched all my classes to meet the journalism school requirements and planned to visit Oxford to meet with an advisor. I went from learning about early literacy to journalism 101. After I made that jump and trusted in the Lord that this is exactly where I was supposed to be, the blessings kept pouring out.

I applied for and accepted an internship with Hello Perfect and began my journey with them as a contributing writer. I loved all of my fall semester classes in the journalism building and then reached out on a limb to apply for the Teen Vogue Fashion University weekend in October in New York, which I found out about through the founder of Hello Perfect.

Patience. One word I am not good with. Teen Vogue Fashion U was one of the only events I applied for and never thought about again. I didn't over analyze every step or already plan out my trip in my mind. That's why when my acceptance email came I was incredible overjoyed. Through prayers and not planning, the Lord provided for me to attend TVFU along with five of my best friends.

"And so it was, that [she], having waited long and endured patiently, realized and obtained what God had promised" Hebrews 6:15 

It was there that I had no idea how much my life would change. When signing up for my seminars for TVFU I had no idea who DANNIJO was, but they sounded cool. I liked the idea that they were two sisters working together and I like jewelry, so I thought, "Sure I'll sign up for your seminar."

Immediately I was drawn to Danielle and Jodie & I loved everything they said during the seminar. I knew I would fit in with them. Who would have thought that three/four months later I would be accepting an internship with them. How cool is this series of events?! Everything is linked together!

Last week was incredible & I received a "God wink" almost every day. I got offered other internships and interview opportunities, I am a new campus ambassador for Intern Queen, received a few cool emails from people in New York that I'm going to be able to meet, and to top it off, I was published in the Daily Mississippian this morning. Needless to say, I was on cloud nine. I found my head growing a little bigger.

What I needed to be reminded of is that without Jesus, none of these things would have been possible.

The Lord has humbled me through all of these experiences & they have taught me a lot. It is in my nature to want to run around saying, "Hey look who just emailed me back!" or send a tweet broadcasting my internship offers. My life would not be woven together like this without my daily strive (and struggle) to follow Jesus and believe that He has control of my life, not myself.

"...My cups overflows with your blessings" Psalm 23:5

In high school when I thought I was actively pursuing the Lord I thought I made all the decisions. Obviously you can see how wrong that was because I was settling with the idea that I was supposed to be a teacher for the rest of my life. Once I actively began pursuing the Lord and seeing where He led me, I have been overwhelmed with incredible opportunities. Don't get me wrong, every day I stumble and fail, but the Lord is always so faithful.

The glory does not go to me though. The glory goes to God. Without Him, I would never have gotten this far. I would still be student teaching and sulking to my classes. I have to remind myself every day that it is enough that I know these things about myself and to thank God every single second of the day for providing for me and putting these desires in my heart.

This morning, with the Daily Mississippian in my hand and the sun shining on my face, I was remind of the song lyrics, "Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise" from Blessed Be Your Name. Everything clicked and I had to share this experience with all of you. Also, I can't wait to see that Jesus has in store for all of you! It makes me giddy and excited.

Without Jesus none of these things would be possible. I've learned that there is no way I can control my life. I can't make plans because the plans have already been made. Through this I challenge myself to turn every blessing into praise. (see how we came full circle there?)

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" Ephesians 3:20

Why I Love New York

Before I visited New York I only knew what this city was like through the movies and television. I watched Carrie Bradshaw walk down Fifth Avenue in her Prada shoes with many shoppings bags. I watched Sally drop off Harry at Washington Square Park, then watched them kiss on New Year's Eve at a party. I watched Andy work for Miranda Priestley before realizing who it was depicting.

Most importantly, I watched Blair and Serena sit on the steps of the Met every morning before school.

New York is a fantasy world for me, yet I know it is not like these movies or television shows. I know I can't go everyday to Bergdorf's and blow a paycheck or eat macarons while drinking champagne every night.

"I bought Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it just fed me more," Carrie Bradshaw once said. If I end up in New York for the summer, I know this is the sort of life I would live. The average college kid budget, where sometimes it's $1 pizza so you can buy this month's issue of Vogue. Now, I would hope I would be better with money than that and get more bang for my buck, but what I know is that if this happened, I would be okay with it.

New York is glamorous but what I love is the people on the streets. The street style, the best $1 pizza on the corner and the best unknown coffee shop from the tourists, that is what I would like to find.

My dad said, "You won't be able to venture on top of the Empire State Building every night," and I know this. I want to work so hard. I want to run for the subway to show up for an incredible interning experience.

I love New York because of the fast paced environment. I love how you can wear what you want. I love the glow of the yellow taxis at night. And I love that if you close your eyes for too long or stare down at your phone while walking, you miss way too much. The best thing you can do in New York is keep your eyes open.

So, cheers to you New York City! You have won my heart and my daily rambles. I think of you so often.

Maybe one day soon our paths will cross again.. 

To all my friends and family reading this post,

You could help make my dreams come true! 

Word of mouth, your friends, networking.

Feel free to spread my love for this city near and far and maybe one day 

I'll end up in the Big Apple.