It's Been a While!

It has been a long while since I've posted anything. So sorry sweet friends. Life happens sometimes, which takes a lot of my time away.

But now with the semester slowing down I will have much more time to do what I love, write.

In the past few days, I have been readjusting to life in the States since I just came back from a mission trip in Mexico. The trip went super well and was very fun. Our team was able to help the orphanage with various different projects and we were also able to spend a lot of time with the kiddos.

Here are some pictures! 

                                                                                                        ♡ Iz

Growth Is Always Good

Photo credit goes to Ben Clayton. Check out more of his work here.

Dress::Forever 21 Necklace::Charming Charlie Coat::h&m 

In the past two months I have learned SO much about God and myself. Two months ago I changed the way I was praying. I started asking the Lord to mold me each and every day to be the young woman He wants me to be. It is easy sometimes to think that--"oh there's not much I could be working to improve right now...at least I'm not like so and so." I recently heard my pastor say that comparison is the thief of joy, and that if someone is not growing then they are shrinking spiritually. Through these prayers the Lord has showed me how much I underestimate Him at times and how selfish I can be. He opened my eyes to a whole new me it felt like. It wasn't necessarily my actions, but my thoughts were so doubtful and so selfish at times. I have rarely ever been selfish with my time, but I can be very selfish with "my things". Two months later and I can truly say that the Lord has cleaned up a lot of that gunk for me. He has molded my heart to give freely, share better, love deeper, care more passionately, and encourage more. Now I am onto my next learning project which is learning to not fear or worry about the days to come (this is gonna be a big one). Learning doesn't ever stop, it is a daily thing. On this earth there will never be a day where learning is not necessary. We all need to be reminded of that from time to time. Learning means growth, and growth is always good. It is not easy to ask the Lord to show us what we need to be working on, but it is very worth it. 

♡ Iz

Monday Memories

It's a beautiful, chilly, Monday here in good ol' Missouri. I said "chilly"...what I meant to say was, it's FREEZING here. I have four layers on (not including scarf, gloves, and two pairs of socks). I always enjoy the cold weather right at the beginning of the winter. My coats are screaming to get out of the closet, my boots haven't been worn in ages, and all the scarves I knitted during the summer need to make their way outside. But after about four, or five weeks of cold, I'm ready for summer again. 

So today as I sit here sipping some chai tea, I am reminded of how much I miss good ol' Brazil. Brazil is where my family is originally from, and these are some of the pictures I took on our last trip there. Today, I'm missing my sweet grandparents, the hot weather, walking on the beach while drinking coconut water, and being able to purchase fruity popsicles on any street. I'm very thankful for my life here, but sometimes you just miss a place, right?

 This is a picture I took from a road near my grandparents house in Minas Gerais.

     

 Traveling by train to Salvador to visit my cousins. 

  The sun setting above my favorite burger joint, called Nandao, located in Governador Valadares.

 Local kids enjoying the 80° weather.

 Snapping pictures while going for an afternoon stroll in Salvador. 

 Kids playing soccer.

Are you missing a certain place today? 

Childhood Honesty

Today I got to enjoy a nice lunch with some sweet friends. Anytime we all hang out it seems like we always end up telling funny childhood stories. The story below is one of the ones I told, and I thought I'd share it because, well why not...To begin the story I should say that I think everyone went through a phase as a child where they were way too honest. You know...the kind of honesty that gets you in trouble? Well, here’s a nice little story about that.

While I was going through this phase, my father had hired someone to fix our kitchen sink. The guy he hired was one of his friends who had been in that business for a while. His friend was super nice, but he had a severe case of buck teeth. So my father asked my mother to keep me out of the kitchen during that time, that way I wouldn’t cause them to be embarrassed again (referring to other times where I have said something I shouldn’t have). While his friend was fixing the sink, I ran downstairs into the kitchen… I was always a very curious child therefore I had to see what all the commotion was about in there. I came into the kitchen wearing a bright, red cape because I was dressed as a superhero (I liked to play dress up a lot). As soon as I stepped foot in there I yelled, “Who are you in my kitchen?!” When he popped his head up from under the sink and smiled...I said, “you look like a rabbit mister!” (referring to his teeth) and ran out. My parents were so embarrassed at the time and apologized to him several times. But nowadays whenever they tell this story, they have to pause often from laughing so hard.  I was such an ornery little kid.

But what can I say, honesty is the best policy!

(Definitely not in this case whatsoever.) 

What about you? Any silly childhood stories about you being brutally honest? Haha ;) 

Manicure Monday?

So, it's Wednesday. Hence the question mark at the end of "Manicure Monday", but it just didn't seem right to call it "Manicure Wednesday". Nevertheless, I have been LOVING this color by Essie. It's called Ladylike and you can get it here. It's a soft pink shade that is super elegant and classy. I usually go for much darker colors like deep reds and purples. I hadn't found a lighter color that I really liked, but this one is pretty rockin'. If you're like me and usually go for darker shades, check this one out, you will not be disappointed! 

♡ Iz

 Photo credit goes to Ben Clayton. Check out more of his work here.

Pep Talks

Everyone needs a pep talk from time to time. Maybe for that big game you have in a few days, maybe for the courage to tell that boy or girl that you like them, maybe for the confidence needed to pass a biology test (this is for all you peeps out there that suffer from test anxiety) (I am one of you.), or maybe for the courage to stand up to a bully. No matter what it is, a pep talk can come in handy.

I'm going back to school in a few days, and the topic of pep talks has been running through my head lately because I give little pep talks to myself. Sometimes a semester full of classes can get rough, I find that when that happens--cheesy pep talks can brighten a day. Some of you may think this is weird (it may be--I don't know..) but I feel that pep talks don't necessarily have to be from other people, they can be from you too. I always have to remind myself that positive thinking really does make a difference. 

PS: You should go give someone a pep talk today or tomorrow, or maybe, both. 

PSS: Remember that a few nice words can help a person a lot more than you think.

♡ Iz

Music Monday

Here's a list of songs that I have had on replay this whole month...

Pretty much anything by Emancipator--but my favorites would have to be;

Valhalla,

Outlaw,

and Soon It Will Be Cold Enough

Hey Laura- Gregory Potter

No Me Without You- Robbie Seay Band

Big Jet Plane- Angus And Julia Stone

This Love- Julia Stone

AND

Wake up- Sum Of An Abstract

I listen to a lot of music every day, but I find myself playing these songs over and over.

What's on your playlist? 

Motivational Monday #1

(Source)

I don't know about you, but I've noticed that I often criticize myself and spend a silly amount of time focusing on my "flaws". Sometimes it's little things, sometimes it's big things, but nevertheless, it's wrong. So I slipped up on my healthy eating plan (only four times--haha), so I didn't fold my clothes as soon as I took them out of the dryer and now they're super wrinkly, so I didn't do as well as I would have hoped on a test. At the end of the day that doesn't really matter all that much. What I have done is talked to my Savior and learned a lot from his Word in the past week, I have loved my family, I have laughed with B until I can't breathe, and I have also made delicious guacamole! 

At times we spend a lot of time fixated on what we need to change about ourselves or what we have done wrong, when all along we've been made in God's image and our flaws are made perfect in Him. Often we think that what others say or think about us is what affects us, but how we view ourselves affect us greatly. We are our greatest critics, but while  we spend time focusing on those things we miss out on the things that we do excel at, the things we do right, the smiles we create, and the lives we invest in. I spent this week loving myself more, thinking kinder things about myself, and not comparing myself to others. And I plan on many, many more weeks of that. 

No matter what chore you didn't finish today, or what you didn't do so well on, remember to love yourself! 

♡ Iz

5 Emojis That Should Exist

So, ever since I discovered emojis, I have become one of those people that uses them very often. Emojis can lighten up that "get your act together" text to your best friend, they can emphasize your love towards someone with many red little hearts, and they can tell a story without any actual words.

As I'm thinking about emojis (I know, I'm weird)...I thought about a couple of emojis that don't exist and I have NO idea why. In my opinion they would make the texting world a whole lot better. 

So here is a list of the emojis I'm missing:

    1) Ninja 

Someone texts you, wondering where you put something or how did they not see you leave that get together...all you have to text back is a ninja.

    2) Mustaches

This one is self explanatory. --I think...message me if you don't get it, I'll explain.

    3) Bacon

Sweet, delicious, unappreciated bacon. How am I supposed to illustrate my unhealthy breakfast? 

    4) People of other skin tones

I don't know about you but sometimes a palace guard or a caucasian cop just don't cut it. I just need some more people to choose from. Also, I'm brown. So, there's that.

    5) T-rex 

Whether you don't know what to say, have a lot to say, are happy, excited, sad, or mad..a T-rex would always come in handy. 

What emojis are you missing?

Christmas Movies

Christmas is almost here! Celebrating our Savior's birth, eating yummy food, and getting to spend some good time with family and friends. It also means that it is now socially acceptable to watch a million Christmas movies, listen to all Christmas music, and pretty much just do everything Christmas. Which to me is super exciting because it is my favorite time of the year!

So I thought I would share my top 10 Christmas movies that I like to watch with my family around the holidays. We watch a ton of movies around this time but these ten are probably my favorite, and they are also ranked in order of awesomeness! (Strictly my opinion, but if we disagree, we can still be friends of course).

1- Home Alone

2- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

3- Elf

4- How the Grinch Stole Christmas 

5- A Charlie Brown Christmas 

6- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

7- The Polar Express

8- Its a Wonderful Life

9- Miracle on 34th Street 

10- The Holiday 

What are some movies you and your family enjoy during the holidays?