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

Defying the stereotype

When I first decided I was going to attend the University of Mississippi, I did not know where this journey would take me. In high school Ole Miss was seen as some srat star, Lilly Pulitzer campus. I knew I wasn't like that, I didn't own any Lilly dresses, Tory Burch sandals or David Yurman rings, but I knew I was meant to go to Ole Miss.

Let me go ahead and say, before you stop reading now, Ole Miss is not all about the latest Lilly clothing line, Tory Burch sandals or anything you read on Pinterest as "sorority girl." 

What I've learned here at Ole Miss is to be yourself. Everyone on campus wears the same thing to class every day essentially, yet when you look closer everyone remains who they truly are. Whether you're noticing the crazy socks underneath someones converse, a ring that perfectly describes their personality, or maybe they're defying the oversized t shirt & Nike shorts memo all together.

The girls looking to come to Ole Miss that are in high school get a false representation and view of what this incredible place is like. We don't all wear cowboy boots with a designer dress and pearls. We don't all listen to country music and drink the days away. We don't wear monogrammed floppy hats and carry a Louis Vuitton.

In general, I have remained true to myself in college. I am still, somewhat, the same person I was in high school. What has changed though is my heart. This school that gets such a "party" reputation has made me a sweeter, more caring and kind hearted person that the person I was in high school.

I give people more chances, I do not judge so quickly, I thank the Lord every day for these people in my life and I owe all of this to the opportunities Ole Miss has given me.

My advice to incoming freshman is to take a step back. Don't judge a school by its stereotype. Ole Miss is so much more than a party school with a beautiful campus. It is a home to many for 4 years, some more because they don't want to leave, and this home has impacted every single life.

With five semesters behind me and only three full semesters ahead, I have realized so much about this place I call home. Even though I am only here for 4 years, these years have been crucial to me and who I am as a person.

Yes, most of my friends love to shop. Some of my friends wear Lilly. Tory Burch sandals are actually comfortable. David Yurman rings are beautiful. My point though, is that to fit in here and call this place your home, you do not have to own these material things. 

Come as you are, you are meant to be here. 

I want to thank Ole Miss for softening my heart, for encouraging and increasing my relationship with the Lord, for giving me the best friends that lift me up daily, and for changing me.

To the school that yells "Hotty Toddy" at any given moment, I owe a lot to you.

This new spark inside

My weeks are now full of: perfecting my resume, writing for Exhibit Eight's website & creating their Twitter account, and looking into internships. I don't think I have been this excited about something in a long time. Okay, well I do know when I was this excited, it was when I saw Celine Dion in concert in January.. Ha! Other than that, this spark inside of me has been lit. 

Have you found your passion? Is it new or have you always had it?

While I still stay up late some nights wondering how I so quickly left Education to jump into Journalism, I know this is where I am supposed to be right now. No more comparisons to other people's lives, whether they are studying abroad or have the "perfect" internship, I am here and I am content. I've decided there's no need to compare myself to others because we are all different. No one was created the same, so why does everyone always try to be a replica of someone else? 

I'm guilty of this, I'm not saying I don't think sometimes "Her life is so cool, why isn't that me?" I'm trying to be done with that thought process. If you don't like your major, change it. If you want to apply for that internships in LA, apply for it. If you want to get that tattoo you've always wanted, go get it. If you want to finally apply for that mission trip, apply for it.

There's no need to let the life you want pass you by. Why don't you go out there and grab it? Too many people are settling with what is easy or what society says, but why? 

I know some of my friends joke about how I seem like a feminist. I just think women should not be passive or let life walk over them. I want to empower women so they know anything is possible. Stop looking at people's lives on Instagram and Twitter to compare theirs to yours. You won't get these days back. I love social media, almost too much probably, but if you let it drag you down or if it makes you pity your own life, stop. Sign off. Give it a rest and find your own peace of mind. I wouldn't classify myself as a "feminist" but I do love strong women who influence others positively.

Wouldn't you want to be that role model to others? Like the quote from Steve Martin above, I too think you should "be so good they can't ignore you."

*steps down from soapbox*