Submission.

Hey Friends.

How is this week going for you?

It's been awesome for me!

I feel so refreshed this week!

Last week was a rough one here in Lynchburg.

School was stressful and I was feeling pretty defeated!

I talked to a very wise friend of mine though and came out of the chat feeling refreshed.

I'm going to be honest, I have a problem with wanting to always control my situation. I am just like that. I'm so used to being in control.  And I like to plan. ( I mean you should see my planner, I really like to plan).

This has been a problem since I can remember. I am a control freak. Type A, get it done and done how I say it should be done.

When I gave my life to Christ I soon learned that it's not my job to be in control. I learned that in order to get the blessings that He so badly wanted to give me, I needed to give up the reigns to him.

When I first learned that, it didn't make sense to me. I don't have to control my life? Crazy!

But soon after accepting that fact and submitting my control to the Lord, it was like a huge weight was lifter from my shoulders!

That was 5 years ago.

Clearly I am not perfect yet. (Not that I think I ever will be).

This weekend though it had to happen again. For the past several months I have been holding so tightly to my plans, dreams, and future. I didn't even realize that it was controlling me! 

What I am learning in my life right now is that I have to submit to God if I truly believe that He is my Creator, King, and Father.

Not just the things I want to submit. Not just the stress, the pain, the character flaws. 

No, I have to submit everything!

That means I have to submit every relationship in my life to him. It means I have to submit my bank account, whether it is empty or full. I have to submit my dream of being an Occupational Therapist.

When I finally did that, I feel like I have lost 50 lbs.

I am not carrying around the weight of my life! Because you know what, it's not my job to carry that. And I know that because I am willing to give the most precious parts of my life to Him, he will bless me with an even brighter future than I have ever had planned!

So this week for me is awesome. 

I hope it is for you.

Question: What are you learning this week?

Love, 

xo/Austin

Pinterest Tuesday.

Happy Tuesday friends!

I am sure glad to be done with last week!

This one is going much better for me, how about you?

I think I finally have my head set on straight, and I am having an easier time looking at life with the correct perspective.

These are some of the ideas I found Pinteresting this week.

One:

I am loving her hair. 

Think I could pull it off?

What do you guys think?

Two:

If I lived here, would you be more likely to come visit me?

Thought so. This is amazing. Thailand.

Three:

It is officially fall time. (It was before, but I am officially accepting that it is fall) And fall time is just one more reason to eat pancakes... I have said it before and I will say it again, when I am pregnant, I will have to eat chocolate chip pancakes every day... Because if I crave them now imagine how much worse it is going to get! 

Four:

This is so great. It just makes me happy inside. :]

Five:

HA! This is a dog that looks like Chewbaca. I want one. (but don't tell my roommate that, she is set on getting a puppy and sneaking him into our dorm room!)

Have a wonderful Tuesday,

xo/Austin

Trip Lee.

Hey ya'll!

Alright today is a lot less about me and a lot more about the guy who wrote the post I want you to read.

My good friend Nate, introduced me to some awesome Christian rap not too long ago.

Like I have said before, I enjoy being introduced to new artists and new genres of music.

Like with Matt's screamo, some of the rapper's lyrics are life changing.

I'm going to be honest, some of it just isn't doing it for me.

Trip Lee is one of these guys.

To Nate's disappointment, I told him Trip's voice just wasn't my favorite.

In order to persuade me otherwise, he directed me to his blog.

The more I read about him, the more I realized that this guy was one Godly dude. 

I loved this post that Nate directed me to.

Check out what Trip Lee has to say about marraige.

Hope you all enjoy it too!

Relax for a day,

xo/Austin

Wedding Update!

It's been a crazy busy, miserable week.

We haven't had a lot of time to think about weddings.

But there are always things that we find that we love. 

Some of our loves from the week?

{I'd love to find something like this to wear for a rehearsal dinner or bridal shower or engagement pictures! So romantic and vintage}

{I absolutely adore this idea for engagement pictures!}

{Instead of throw rice at the end, release balloons! I don't know if it is legal... but if it were, that would be awesome!}

{I want this picture.}

{I love this idea as a guest gift! But what would happen if it wasn't sunny..? This is a very serious "what if" in Washington!}

{I found this on Pinterest... How awesome is it? I could see Matt and his guys playing a game of Basketball or something in their suits!}

{I love the idea of getting a single shot of everyone to show their personalities!}

{amen.}

Happy weekend loves. Hope this next week is better than last. 

Question: What is your favorite idea on the blog today?

Happy Saturday,

xo/Austin

Nutella Heaven.

So I don't know about you, but I love Nutella. 

As I am suffering through eating only lettuce and chicken (well I might be exaggerating just a little), I am craving everything yummy. Nutella is today's star!

One:

Nutella Stuffed Cupcakes with Sea Salted Buttercream.

The one writing the blog where I found this promised that it is the best Nutella recipe you will ever try. I think that is a pretty bold claim considering all the wonderful Nutella recipes out there. All it means to me is I need to make these! 

Two:

Nutella Oreo Truffles.

Oh how I love Oreo truffles. 

Add Nutella to it and it has to make it that much better!

Three:

Nutella Puppy Chow.

Puppy Chow. The best recipe from when we're kids, am I right?

This recipe looks so easy and it looks so delicious!

I cannot wait to make this!

Four:

Nutella No Bake Cookies.

Mmmmm. One of my favorite recipes of all time is no bake cookies! These plus Nutella sounds mind-blowing! Someone try it ASAP and let me know how it tastes?

Five:

Nutella Mug Cake.

This is the only one I have actually made of the list. Why? Because it only takes 5 minutes!

You mix up the ingredients in a mug, pop it in the microwave, and enjoy. It turns out pretty gooey if you follow the recipe to a T (which is perfect for me, I love gooey, cake batter-y cake). If you want it to be cooked completely all the way through, just microwave for an extra minute or so. Keep an eye on it while it is cooking so it doesn't over flow or blow up though! Enjoy! I can't wait to make it again!

Are you going to go buy a tub of Nutella and try all of these recipes now?

Question: Which looks yummiest to you?

bon' appetit,

xo/Austin

Pretty, Pretty Nails.

So I'm not sure if I have mentioned, but I am engaged! 

{That was a joke. I know I have mentioned that about 6 million and 2 times}

One of the best parts of being engaged is wearing my amazing ring!

It makes me want to always have pretty nails though!

Some of my favorite nail ideas right now:

Love the french tip. And I love the glitter! I need to try this!

I don't know where this new chevron pattern craze came from, but I must admit I am liking it on these nails!

This is a little dark for me, but I think with white lace, this would be GORGEOUS. 

I think this is my favorite one! Maybe use this for our engagement pictures?

As you can see, I am loving the glitter nails. Now all I need is clear nail polish and pretty glitter!

What are your thoughts? And what kind of nail art are you into this season!

Remember, pretty nails are important for everyone, ring or no ring.

Half way through the week, keep it up!

Love&glitter,

xo/Austin