easter and birthday celebrations

When Steve learned that his grandmother was ailing, he and his brother decided to take advantage of the long Easter weekend to drive to Alabama to see her.  I didn't have Good Friday off, so I couldn't make the trip with them.  When I mentioned to my family last week that I would be at home by myself for Easter, my sister graciously offered me her Southwest miles - hello, free flight to DFW!  So off to Dallas I went... which worked out perfectly since we were able to celebrate not only Easter Sunday, but also my sister's 25th birthday!  

currently: april

There's something so glorious about spring, isn't there?  The ground turns from brown to bright green, flowers begin to peer out at the world, the air turns from bitter to refreshing, and the sun lingers each evening like an old friend.  I feel like this month, I am coming out of hibernation - along with the rest of the world.  And it feels so very good.

the deeps

{This prayer was shared on She Reads Truth this week and it really spoke to me, so I wanted to share it with you all.  If you haven't heard of She Reads Truth - it's a wonderful online community of sisters in Christ, with devotionals emailed straight to your inbox every morning.  If you have any questions about She Reads Truth, leave a comment for me below!}

"The Deeps"

Lord Jesus,

Give me a deeper repentence,

a horror of sin,

a dread of its approach;

help me chastely to flee it,

and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be thine alone.

friday favorites

Happy Friday!  I haven't done a Friday linkup in a while, but with spring around the corner, I figured it's time to hop back on this great linkup and this one, too.  So without further ado, here are my five silver linings of the week:

1. My little sister matched to her #1 choices for residency last Friday!  My mom sent me this picture right after they found out.  It might be one of my favorite pictures of my family, ever.

green, green everywhere

Earlier this month, I roadtripped up to Chicago to spend a girls' weekend with my college roommate and another dear friend over St. Patrick's Day weekend.  I drove up on Thursday evening and spent the night at Gannie's - always a favorite place of mine - before heading into the city on Friday morning to pick Carey up from the airport.  It was so good to see her, and we caught up over a 2+ hour long lunch before hitting Michigan Avenue for some shopping!