So What's Gonna Happen While I'm in South Africa?

Some of you may be wondering what will be going on while I'm away for a month. No, the blog isn't taking a month-long hiatus. I thought this was the perfect time for me to formally introduce myself and to introduce you to a lot of my favorite bloggers! You can expect to see a few posts from me where I'll tell you more about the me outside of the blog. (You'll be able to tell a post is from me because it will have a similar graphic to the one on this post.) Sometimes I forget I haven't met all of you! Hopefully, these posts will make you feel like you know me a little better. The majority of the posts you see will be from other bloggers. I gave them a theme, Getaway, and let them run with. Get excited for some great style posts, DIYs, recipes, playlists, and awesome photography. I think this time away will be good for me and I know I couldn't leave the blog in better hands.

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Taylor

Summer Snapshots: Chicago Botanical Gardens

We had a final family outing in anticipation of my trip to South Africa. (I leave this Friday... ahhhh!) On Saturday, we went to the Chicago Botanical Gardens to see all the flora and fauna and also see the art show that they had. The last time I went there was when I was really little. The place is huge, 375 acres! We didn't walk all of it but we certainly did our fair share. Here are the highlights:

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Taylor

P.S. I wrote a guest post over at Love, Caroline today!

Musings: Five Things That Will Be Weird About South Africa

image via South African Tourism

I've been thinking a lot about what's going to make this trip so different than anything else I've every experienced. This is what I came up with:

1. People of color will be in the majority. It's really hard for me to imagine a country where this is true. I wonder what it will feel like.

2. Nelson Mandela is on his deathbed. What would happen if they took him off of life support while I was there?

3. The language barrier. When I went to Spain, I still more or less understood what everyone was saying (once I got past the accent, that is.) In South Africa, and especially Johannesburg, a good number of people speak English. However, there are all these tribal languages and Afrikaans that I can't even begin to understand.

4. It's winter there. In one day, the temperature can go from 40 degrees to 70 and back down to 40. I forgot what 40 degrees feels like.

5. Not knowing anyone. I went to Spain by myself but I lived with a friend I met through a summer exchange program.  Even though I hadn't met her family, I knew Pilar. In South Africa, I'll stay with the sister of a family friend and the people she's set me up to serve with. I haven't met her face to face yet and it will be strange, yet thrilling, to actually meet the person I've been emailing for so long.

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Taylor

Movers: Kathryn Birkey

It seems that everyone has that person who is just slightly older but immensely cooler than them. Kathryn was one of those people for me growing up. We went to church together all my life. We were in the same small group during part of high school. And I think a bit of her story is worth sharing. Kathryn is admirable because she revels in God's grace. Then she shares it with others. I've been a recipient of that graciousness. After high school, Kathryn took a gap year and served in South Africa. (Personally, I believe gap years are underrated. I wish I had the balls to take one.) Now, she goes to college like a "normal" person. This summer, she started a little business called The Sweet Pea. I'd describe it to you myself but I'll let you read it in her own words. Simply written, Kathryn's words stopped me in my tracks and invited me on an adventure.

"What is the first thing we see when we open our eyes in the morning? What jumps into our minds and hearts as we take the blanket off and sit up to face a new day? Do we grab our iphones and check facebook and quickly numb ourselves for what’s ahead? 

This business has been birthed out of a simple decision I made for myself a few months ago. I knew that the second I opened my eyes each morning and pushed the snooze button on my little iphone 4s my mind and my heart would begin to be plagued with every worry, every weight, every chain that tries to cling to me. I needed truth and I needed it fast. 

So i sat down at my desk, grabbed my sketchpad and pen and wrote out these words: Christ has set you Free. 

I slapped some tape on the back, ripped it out of the notebook, and put it on my little college dorm room wall so it would be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes each day. 

My soul thirsts for true words. Real bits of God’s voice to surround me. Something my eyes can gaze at and allow to fill my body with light. 

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body with be FULL OF LIGHT. [Matthew 6:22]

What do our eyes see? What do we fix our eyes on the moment we open them until the moment we close them? 

I am desperate for more life-giving truth in a world that sucks me dry. 

So here I am. A twenty-something college girl starting a blog and a business that is really the simplest thing I’ve ever done. Just writing some words on paper that give life to my soul and inviting you to put them on your walls, on your phones, on your desks in hopes that you will actually be set free by them. 

I just need more Jesus. every minute of every day I need more. 

Don’t you? "

I just bought one of Kathryn's prints. Here are a couple other ones that I really like.

I hope these words encouraged you and made you ponder. You can see more of Kathryn's artistic goodness here.

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Taylor

Friday Roundup

Here is my week in a nutshell!

1.This video by Jessica Rey of Rey Swimwear which echoed a lot of my heart regarding fashion decisions. It's encouraging, convicting, and sure to make you think.

 2. One of my best friends and I went with our moms to a Flea Market. I didn't buy this really cute suitcase but I did stock up on more records for my record player!

3. I fell in love with song. Fell. in. love. Like on repeat. Give it a listen.

4.  I went to a blogger event this week (my first one) and heard Paul Angone, an author and blogger, speak about his book. I ended up getting a free copy and I'm about halfway through. If you're a twentysomething who has doubts about who you are or where you're going, pick it up and give it a read.

5. I captured this beauty yesterday. It's got the American flag, the Chicago flag, and the Northwestern hospital flag. As I wrote on Instagram, these are all three of my homes lately. I'm a sucker for a black and white shot.

What were the defining moments of your week? I'd love to hear! Also, don't forget to enter the Kindall Krafts giveaway. They have tons of cute items that are perfect for the crafter in you.

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Taylor

Linking up with:

Musings:In Dependence

The Fourth of July is such an interesting holiday. We celebrate living in a country where we can do everything on our own. In light of my recent ponderings on Ubuntu and current circumstances, I'm finding myself celebrating dependence on a sovereign God. I mentioned earlier that my boyfriend was in the hospital. He's been in and out over the past two weeks with three surgeries and an infection to boot. And through it all, he (and other loved ones) have been reminding me to trust God with his health situation. You realize how dependent you are when one day you're going on hikes and the next you're sitting next to a hospital bed. While at times I find myself complaining, there really is a lot to rejoice about. We're stronger individually in our faith. We're stronger as a couple. The doctors diagnosed him. He's getting quality treatment. We live in a country where we can easily access medical care. I could go on. At the end of the day, God is good. You realize that all the more when it's all you have to rely on. If you have a moment, say a prayer for my boyfriend and his family. I also think he'd like me to share this verse that has helped him so much:

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:40

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Taylor

P.S. Use a few moments of your day off to enter the Kindall Krafts giveaway!