It was just as lovely as it looked.

Weekending.

Mama and Papa arrived to our house on Friday afternoon from Germany. We're so glad to have them in our home for several days and show off some of Nashville's best: Radnor Lake and Joe Natural's, of course. :)
On that same Friday afternoon, our new camera arrived in the mail! So to celebrate, I think I'll let these pictures tell the story of our weekend so far. It's about time this blog has some pictures again.

Wait and see.

The thought has not left my head today: "What am I doing?"
It's safe to say I'm doing lots of things. Today is jam packed with sewing up custom orders, studying for two upcoming exams, grocery shopping, and preparing our home for company.

But what am I really doing? Not just today - not just this week - but with my life?

As Annie Dillard wrote, "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." 
That brings tears to my eyes today... it could not be any more convicting.
I don't think I ever saw myself where I am now. Living in a cute little yellow house in my hometown. Spending way too much time reading blogs and updating Facebook. Catching up with friends over $4 cups of tea. Doing more DIY projects around the house than I can count. And really, there's nothing wrong about any of it. At all. In fact, I feel I'm able to enjoy so much beauty in my life and every ounce of beauty comes from God.

But I just have this sense that a lot of that is about to change.
To be honest, I don't even know what that means. It's just that God's still small whisper that moves my soul has moved me today to be ready for change.

I do know that I graduate from nursing school in 9 months.
I do know that the passion for missions and adoption that the Lord has instilled in Shawn and me has not waned.
I do know that we have no real roots much of anywhere - and we see that as a blessing. No major debt holding us down. No ill family members we need to stay to take care of. We are free. What a gift.
I know that God's heart beats for the poor - and right now in my life, I have so little contact with them. I know that this needs to change. Tithing and praying is good, but it still feels so distant.
I know that Shawn and I have not felt peace about any of our future options after nursing school, and we have a feeling God is just telling us to wait and see what He has planned.

So we will - we will wait on You, Lord.
And in the waiting, we'll try our very hardest to enjoy the lavish gifts you've given us here.

DIY braided necklace.

If you're on Pinterest, you've probably seen this tutorial for a braided necklace floating around:

Well, my friend Sarah and I decided to attempt it today. And here's how we did:

I'm proud of us! I'd have to say, it's a little more tedious than it looks - but I think the results are professional and not "homemade" looking like a lot of DIY projects out there. I may even try it in more colors.

Speaking of Sarah, she's the vintage fashion queen... just look at her. I'm always amazed at what she can pull off. Beautiful. [Visit her blog here.]

Let me know if you try this out!

A smattering.

Source: tankandtink.etsy.com

So the pictures on this dear little blog have been lacking, I know. And the blog posts too, for that matter. My camera has taken a trip to the Mediterranean, and it's going to end up in the Middle East where it will stay for quite a while. It's on quite a journey (I'm jealous!). I know that's vague, but it's too long a story to tell right now. And the good news is, I'm ordering a new camera today! And I cannot. WAIT. I got my camera as a gift from Shawn and we were dating about 5 years ago and little did he know just how much I would use it. It's become as natural as my right arm and it goes everywhere with me, so not having it for a few days has been... interesting.

Anyway, that's not really what this post is about. I am literally counting down the days to my "official" summer break. I have 4 more days until I am off for TWO WEEKS! That's the longest break I've had from school since I started in January! We're excited to have Shawn's parents here for a few days, and then we're off to California for a few days after that. WOOHOO!!!! I'll take as much family, sunshine, and husband time as I can get.

On another note - since I seem to be spouting off random updates - I have become Emmaline Bride's newest artisan, and I really love this site. If you're a DIY type, you'll love it too - and if you're about to get married, you'll love it even more. She wrote the sweetest blog post about Brighter Day today and I've already gotten a couple of custom inquiries. Thank you, Emma! (If I can get my act together, the bags will be listed there sometime today.) :)

And right now, I have about 40 bags to make for custom orders... and a Pharmacology exam to study for... and a house to clean... so I should go. Really, I should.

Have a happy Tuesday!