I LOVE April. First because its my birthday month and second Spring is finally here! In Illinois we've been getting some very uncharacteristically warm weather apparently... no complaints here! I'm very excited to start this photo challenge from fatmumslim.com ! Check out her blog and hop on this challenge with me!

I got this idea to do a weekly recap from Hopes and Dreams. Check her amazing blog out here! 


Monday: 
Travel day! Leaving Jonny and Washington and heading back to Illinois. It was a bitter sweet goodbye as we hugged and kissed and embraced on the drop off lane of the airport. I did not by any means want to leave and go back to "real life" of school and working but, the plane wasn't going to wait forever for me. I learned a lot about our relationship this past week of visiting. We crave each others presence. It was such an amazing five days, honestly and completely revamped our relationship and falling in love all over again with each other. Complete happiness.

Tuesday: 
Back to the grind of school and nannying. My body was a complete mess of jet lag, time zone change, early mornings, and on top of that two exams. What professor does that?! Give out an exam the day back from spring break?? Oh wait, I guess mine do... But, the weather was gorgeous, 80 degrees and sunny, so I guess I'll take that if everything else was a wreck.

Wednesday: 
My favorite day of the week. One because I don't have to work and my classes start super late = sleeping in. Two, its my thursday, I love not having class on Fridays. And three, Wednesday means small group. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE my small group. The women in this group have become my family and are such amazing women of God. I look forward to this night the whole week. This semester we're going over how to be a woman of integrity and what it means to be a Godly wife. Right up my ally! The last four weeks we've being discussing submission, that will be a whole different post. Anyways, tonight was a good night.

Thursday:
My Friday! Hip hip! I found out I got wonderful grades on my two tests from Tuesday AND a 100% on a midterm paper! Praise Jesus for his blessings. Today, I did a lot of day dreaming today. And I mean a lot. Dreaming of Jonny, our future, God's grace and love...

Friday:
Well, today I finished the Hunger Games trilogy! Holy moly, I've never been so into a book in such a long time! I wrote a little snippet of how impressed I was. I'm even going to the extent of saying I liked this series more then Twilight. HA! I was such a Twilight fan too. The rest of the evening was very low key, doing homework, reading, blogging. Yet, I found myself very spacey. Again, thinking about Jonny and Washington and longing to go back...

Saturday: 
Such a productive day! Most of my homework got finished, my car got deep cleaned, notecards for an upcoming test knocked out of the way. Just a good day! And the sun was shinning and warm weather surrounded me. Oh and did I mention a Starbucks run with the family. I. Love. Starbucks. I'm also very addicted, obsessed, etc. with Chai Tea Lattes. Literally need one a day. So of course, any day with Starbucks in it automatically becomes a good day :)

Sunday: 
Tonight is going to be an extremely hard at Fuel - my college church. It's our two pastors last and final nights. God has such huge and amazing plans for their lives and reaching the broken people that it's exciting to see Him use their lives and families. Yet, it is also sad to see them leave. Reflecting my week I've noticed that I've been very off since coming home from Washington. My good girlfriends with long distance relationships say that the first week apart is always the worst. And, I agree. I'm such at an awkward place. Trying to figure out where God wants me for next year school wise, keeping my self in the present here in Illinois and yet, so much of me is longing to be back in Washington. But, the Lord knows the plans for my life, He has given me a hope and future. Hopefully, next week will be a bit more normal.

This week's verse ~

"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of the man reflects the man"
Proverbs 27:19

HUNGER GAMES! HOLY MOLY! I CANNOT GET ENOUGH!!

Driving home the other night from small group, this song was on the radio. 
Perfect timing God? I think so!


Mountain of God by Third Day 


Even though the journey's long,
and I know the road is hard.
Well the one who's gone before me,
He will help me carry on.
And after all that I've been through,
now I realize the truth
that I must go through the valley
to stand upon the Mountain of God.

As I travel on the road,
you have led me down,
you are here with me,
yes, you are here with me.
And I have need for nothing more
Oh, now that I have found
that you are here with me,
yes, you are here with me.
I confess from time to time I lose my way,
but you were always there to bring me back again.


I was literally in tears singing my heart out to God, driving in the dark. It was by his grace that I didn't crash, ha!  But it was a moment that gave a reminder that he is with me, he's always there to bring me back 

As I sit here home from an amazing spring break in Washington, I'm reminded so effortlessly the love and mercy my Jesus has given me. 

So - I'm so blessed in able to go to Washington for my spring break and spend time with Jonny. It also motivates me to look and feel my best! Bodyrock.tv has a 30 day challenge for the month of February which by starting now puts me right at the time for break, aka no excuses!