We Are Called To Dream

I am that friend that is obsessed with Disney.

Everyone knows it, and I'm not ashamed to say it. As soon as someone even remotely refers to Disney, my senses are on high alert and every head in the room spins to look at me.

Some people love Disney for the characters and the timeless stories of magic and fairytale. Most people would say Disney played an integral part of their childhood memories. Others love this company because of the excellence with which they operate. If you love theme parks and creativity and history and business and world domination, it would be hard not to be a fan of Disney in some way, shape, or form.

I love this company for all these reasons and more, but the thing that I admire the most is their commitment to dreaming.

I love that the tagline for Disney's Parks and Resorts is "Where dreams come true." They have created an atmosphere of magic and fantasy, transforming kids into real life princes and princesses, pirates, and storybook characters. A little girl's biggest dream could be to meet Cinderella; and here there's a place to meet her, see her castle, and even transform into Cinderella herself.

And if Disney can make a kid believe that even their wildest, most fantastic dreams of whimsy can come true, how much easier is it to convince them that their smaller, yet still big real-life dreams can too?

Monday Motivation: For When You Don't Feel Like Wonder Woman

Hey friends.

Something you might not know about me:

I am easily intimidated.

I have dealt with high social anxiety in the past, though it is quieter now. I make a lot of assumptions and can easily be trapped in the lies of comparison. It doesn't take a lot to make me feel small inside.

Recently I felt my levels of anxiety begin to rise, and I realized I was feeling intimidated by my week. It was Sunday night, and as I was looking across the horizon of all that I had to do, I already felt nervous and defeated before even really starting.

I was looking at the mountain of literal things to do like homework assignments and classes. I was looking at the work and effort it would take to get those things done. I was looking at the people in my life that I love the most, and the time and emotion it takes to invest in them. I was looking at my future in all of its uncertainty, knowing the resumes and applications and interviews it would take to get where I want to be.

I was looking at all this mess; and while I told myself "I can't do this," I just immediately felt in my spirit the Lord say, "You will not and cannot be intimidated by tomorrow."

New Year, New City - Nashville

Ya'll.

I have had the craziest winter break of them all. From LC, to Oklahoma, to Dallas, to Memphis, to Nashville, to BR, to Nola... I am freaking tired, but with a full and happy heart. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably kept up with all my adventures; but I took some pretty pictures in Nashville and thought I'd share some of the details. 

After spending New Year's Eve in Dallas with Chi Alpha, I drove straight to Memphis to pick up my DCP roommate Kelly; and the next day we drove to Nashville to meet up with DCP roommate Sarah. It was a pretty central location for all of us, and Sarah and I had never visited Nashville before; so we were pretty excited to stay a couple of days. 

Goodbye 2017

You didn't think I'd skip out on an end-of-year blog post, did you?

I don’t know about anyone else, but this was one of those years that flew by; and yet I can still remember every messy and beautiful moment.

I remember where I was (literally and figuratively) a year ago, writing a post (linked here) in my favorite coffee shop in the world in Tulsa, Oklahoma, greeting 2017 with hope and anticipation. I had little dreams of writing more and big dreams of becoming a better version of myself. A year ago there was a lot of grief over who I had become, but out of that place came a deeper thankfulness and understanding of the Lord’s grace and mercy.

This past year held so many adventures for me.