Wednesday, February 27, 2013

What I'm Reading

Drinking: Water
Listening: Third Eye Blind 
 
 So far I love this book! I'm only a couple chapters in but I can't wait to read more. Haha. It's so nice to be in a place to be able to read regularly. Reading is extremely important to me, so I'm really enjoying this time of my life. Yes, it may be wrapped up in craziness, but it's lovely anyway.
 
 
I hope you all have a lovely Wednesday. Read on!
 
Shalom
 

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Guest Post // Donna Kamps

Drinking: Tea
Listening: Fellowship of the Ring (audio)

One of my closest friends took a trip to Africa not long ago and I asked her to share her thoughts about the trip here on my blog. Read on!



So I recently took a trip of a lifetime. I went to Africa with 17 other people, some I knew well and a lot I hardly knew at all. There is so much I could divulge but I’ll try to keep it short for your sake. The recurring theme throughout the trip was to Trust the Lord. That lesson started before our plane even took off. We were originally supposed to leave on November 7, but there was an ice storm that day in New York that delayed our trip for almost a month. Not to mention, I was very anxious about going in the first place, I told my pastor after I made the commitment to count me out and to take someone else because I was so anxious. Having to wait on His timing is pretty hard, especially when you can’t see the outcome or see it working out at all. But the Lord is so so good and I ended up loving Africa and loving all the people I went with. I am so glad I got that opportunity and I am so incredibly grateful for the sweet friendships formed on that trip.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 says it well.
If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him;
If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He will also deny us;
If we are faithless, He remains faithful- for He cannot deny Himself.

I also learned that there are some very interesting characters on the other side of the world. I had a man approach me and my friend Matt and ask me (not Matt though...) if I would be his friend and remember him. Then he proceeded to pressure me to get a local phone so he can call me, he even offered to buy me one, imagine someone who hardly can afford to eat, offer to buy you a phone! I finally got away from him and went by the group of people that were dancing (what everyone does during down time) and the man came up to another girl I was standing by from the group and introduced himself then promptly started holding my hand... ummm... I could not get away fast enough...
Other than a few awkward situations we ran into, the people there were absolutely wonderful. I loved that when there was down time, the Africans would take out their sassas-which is essentially a dried gourd with beads strung around it- and dance and sing. There was so much joy in the faces of the people there that you just don’t see here. I think that is what I would bring back, if I could bring one thing from Africa to America, it would be the simple joy they have in the Lord alone. I think it gets lost with all the stuff we have around us here in America. We forget that the Lord is the one who gives us everything, whereas the people in Africa rely on Him for their daily bread.



So what you need to know about Africa? I’ll sum it up for you:   Laughter, Heat, Dancing to the Sassa, Red Dirt, Beautiful People, Bottled soda,. Lots of sweet children, Outpouring of love, Gorgeous scenery, Immense poverty, Palm trees, Chicken and Rice, Falling into bed at night from a day well done, Wonderfully chaotic,  Did I mention it was hot?

Thanks for sharing, Donna! I'm really excited that you shared this moment with me and my readers.

Shalom
      

Calling All Bloggers!

Drinking: Coffee
Listening: Greg Laswell

I had a thought last night right before I fell asleep.

"What if I had a bloggy friend write a guest post about something I don't post about much?"

And then this morning I woke up with an idea.

Here it is.

Would any of you lovely bloggers be interested in doing a regular guest post on a specific topic here on A Snapshot Of Today? Maybe posting a recipe or an outfit? I was thinking maybe bi-monthly. I love having guest bloggers on here. It changes things up and makes it fun.

If you're interested in such an adventure, hit me up at thisniftyearth@gmail.com. I'm sure I wont get a lot of takers, but if for some reason I do I'll choose 1 or 2. When you email me, let me know what you're interested in blogging about. Here's hoping for some emails!

Have a lovely Tuesday!

Shalom

Monday, February 25, 2013

Music Monday

Drinking:Water
Listening: Jason Mraz

Happy Monday, folks! I just wanted to share some music I've been loving lately. Enjoy!

 
Shalom

Friday, February 22, 2013

Wedding Invites

Drinking: Hot Tea
Listening: Etta James

I know I promised these pictures a day or two ago, so I am really sorry to just be posting them now! Kaleb & Marilyn over at Brewed Together commented on my post excited about the invites, so you can thank them for motivating me to get them up here. Hahaha.


 
As I mentioned, I was slightly nervous about printing these since we were doing them ourselves on our home printer. I couldn't be more happy with the outcome, though. So crisp and fresh looking! I can't wait to assemble them tomorrow when people come over. It's going to be a blast.
 
I'm going out to ice skate at Rosa Parks Circle tonight with my youth group girls. It will be a super blast. Then so much wedding stuff tomorrow it might make my head spin! Oh goodness, the Lord is so good to me.
 
Shalom!

5 Things I Love #15

Drinking: Hot Tea
Listening: Bibio

I am so excited about this weekend! Tomorrow some close friends are coming over to make some decor for my wedding. Can't wait! It's going to be wonderful! 

I hope you enjoy the 5 Things this week. I'm really loving bold statement colors lately. I wear mostly black and white, but little splashes of color make me smile.




  1. Loving this jersey knit dress.
  2. I'm dying for all these seasons of Parks & Rec.
  3. This made it onto my registry.
  4. This little craft book looks so cute!
  5. This tote bag is amazing.
I hope you all have lovely Friday!


Thursday, February 21, 2013

Lists Vol. 4 // Favorite Bloggers (currently)

Drinking: Water (I've been drinking this a lot, haven't I?!)
Listening: One Republic



Now let me be clear, everyone. This changes ALL the time. I am constantly finding a "new blog of the moment." With that being said here are some of my current favorites...

1. A Beautiful Mess

2. Enjoy It

3. Oh, Hello Friend

4. Selective Potential

5. Code It Pretty

6. Pugly Pixel

7. Brewed Together

8. Jelly Bones

9. Five Sixteenths

10. Say Yes To Hoboken

You all should check these out if you haven't already. They range from lifestyle to CSS tutorial blogs & reading their content has helped me define this blog a lot. I hope your Thursday is adding up to be wonderful. Friday is tomorrow & then the weekend.

Shalom

Forever Young

Drinking: Water 
Listening: The Swellers

Ah yes, Forever Young. I love all of these songs and they all have a common theme. Being young forever is something people really love to write about. Enjoy these songs and happy Thursday!




Shalom

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Valentines Day Adventure

Drinking: Water
Listening: Daughter

Hello hello! I am just excited to share this post with you I can hardly see straight. Jordan & I went snowshoeing for Valentines Day and it was so lovely. Peter & Liz joined us, making the whole evening absolutely perfect. After snowshoeing, drinking hot cocoa and sitting around a fire, we packed up and went to Mitten Brewing right up the road. What a great place! It's a renovated fire house and it's decked out in old school baseball decor. Enjoy these picks of my wonderful evening!












All in all a fantastic night! Michigan is a great state, I can't wait to explore all the things it has to offer. 

Shalom

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Jammin'

Listening: Luke Bryan
Drinking: Water

I know, I know... I'm constantly apologizing for not posting enough. I need to get better at this! But for now, I just wanted to share these snapshots of last night. Jordan and I printed our wedding invites (they turned out wonderful!) and then Keegan and Jordan grabbed some guitars and jammed the night away.



My two favorite men in the world. :)

Stay tuned! I'm going to post about my invites AND what we did for Valentines Day today and tomorrow. SO much fun stuff is coming up!

Shalom

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Homemade Pickles

Drinking: Water
Listening: Phillip Phillips

I have been wanting to make these pickles ever since Emma from A Beautiful Mess posted about them. They are super simple and super tasty! 

Mix:
1 cup of water
1 cup of vinegar
2 teaspoons of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar

Pour into your jar full of veggies and let sit over night! Yummm! Tomorrow you will have some tasty pickles. 




Have a lovely Saturday! 

Shalom