Amusement Park Daydream

I sit down and buckle myself into the swing. I sit, waiting for the ride to begin. The chains jerk. I slowly start moving forward. I go higher. My eyes close and I stretch out my arms. I feel as if I am soaring higher and higher with nothing holding me down. 

So this is what it feels like to fly.

The chains jerk. I open my eyes and see my swing and buckle. The ground is under my feet. My flight is over. As I walk away, I turn and look back at the swings, saying good-bye to my amusement park daydream.

via

skirts, lilies, and leprechauns

First of all, thanks so much, Britt, for your post! I enjoyed reading it.

Before I headed off to camp last week, I hung out with Tory, one of my best friends since forever. We always end up doing a photoshoot which is bunches of fun. We tend to run out of ideas, though, but I remembered the ideas in this post, so we had a lot of fun.

The High School Musical jump.

The Leprechaun jump.

What do you do on photoshoots with friends?

Guest Post by Britt

Hey I'm Britt from Encouragement For Everyday Struggles and Designed to Inspire

Thanks Emily for letting me guest post on your blog!!
Okay, so I decided for the guest post I would post some lyrics/quotes that inspire me. I made these- so sorry if they aren't the best :) Some are quotes from songs that I enjoy, others are verses I enjoy and am inspired by and some of the designs are ones I came up with....

 This next design/quote is from Kari Jobe's song "Steady my Heart"

I hope that you enjoyed them!!
Thanks for visiting and Emily thanks for letting me do this!!
Have a wonderful day, and remember that God loves YOU!!!

weekly wrap-up #14

So, it has been a while since I did a weekly wrap-up. I figured I was due for one. :) This really won't be just a week - it will be for the past month.

reading // nickel and dimed // unbroken // tess of the d'ubervilles //

listening // on the authority // love never fails // one man phantom of the opera medley

crafting // this hat // these socks //

enjoying // flowers // camp // sparklers // warm weather // summer skirts // lark rise to candleford // spending time with friends // goodwill shopping // the beach //

This is the day

my {short} time at camp

Hello, everyone!

Thank you so much to Hannah and Madie for guest posting this past week. I came home from camp early and will not be going back to camp next week because there was a virus that went around. About half of the camp got sick, including many staff members, and the state health department closed the next week of camp to get the test results to determine what it was. So, I will most likely be home next week. 

At camp, my job was to be a junior counselor. Basically, the other counselor was in charge and I helped them. There were six little girls in my cabin, and they were all sooo sweet! They were 8-9 years old which is just an adorable age. My week was going great until everyone got sick.

In the two full days that we had this past week, I helped out with the photography class which was a lot of fun.

socks and sandals = a typical day at camp

Have I mentioned how much I love sunflare?

{entering here}

These little guys were all over the place!

Well, that's a little glimpse into my {short} time at camp!

stillness

Water splashes. Dragonfly wings buzz. Water bugs skim the water's surface, creating ripples that interrupt the clear reflections on the water. Sun shines onto the water, making it sparkle.

I breathe deeply, listening. Bible verses flow through my mind like water over a waterfall. I can just feel a prayer this morning.

Stillness reigns.

"Be still and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:10

Sunflowers and a Smile Catching [guest post by Hannah Grace]

Hey everyone. I'm Hannah. I was trying to think of something to write about, and I decided that I should write about what I love. Well, one of the things that I love the most are sunflowers.
I'm sure that my love for them is evident in my photography, and probably my own blog.

They bring such a sweet coolness to the otherwise hot summer. 

They are bright and.. well, sunny.

They make people smile.
Nothing makes me happier than looking up at a sunflower that's 7 foot tall.

one year we planted rows of sunflowers around our garden. Every year since, they've come back.  

yellow

bright

beautiful

cheerful         

happy

sweet

smile

love

summer
♥

so do you like sunflowers?

"Be like a flower and turn your face to the sun." -Kahlil Gibran 

hey everybody, I'm Hannah Grace. I'm 16 years old, I have dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and I'm very short. I blog over at Some Simple Pleasures. Usually I write about whatever is going on in my life. My posts range from my friends, to my crafts, to my cooking experiments, to the garden. 

I just like writing about the little things that make life so beautiful. I'm Hannah. I hope you like what you read.

Patiently Waiting {a quest post by Madie}

Hey everybody! It's Madie from The Road's Journeys.

If you know me well, you may know that I have a hard time waiting...and being still. It is one of my weaknesses as a person. Another is being jealous. I try super hard to try not to be jealous, but I do get jealous a lot. I don't have a fancy house, or a model's body. It's just me. Plain me. 

Lately I've been having to do a lot of waiting. In the last one to two months, I have had to sit through 3 whole graduations. If you are unfamiliar with the graduation process, each takes 2-3 hours, not including pictures and a reception. Talk about a lot of waiting and being patient. I was learning to patiently wait.

 Another thing I have been waiting for is a phone. I went to a private school last year and even though it is small, almost everyone had a phone. If I went to a public school, it would be common for them to get a phone once they enter sixth grade. Not me, though. All I wanted was a phone before school got out, June 6th. Did I get it then? Nope. Why did I want a phone before school got out? I wanted it because I wanted to be able to show my friends my phone and get and give numbers to everyone. Just like I mentioned before, I was jealous. I am learning to patiently wait.

I still am waiting for a phone a month later. Times are tough and money is tight. My dad said I could get a phone any time after July 1st. Still haven't gotten it, but I'm waiting patiently.

Waiting happens a lot in the Bible too.  The first story I think of is of Sarah. She had to wait and wait for a son. She was getting up there in age and still did not have a child. Both her and her husband were doubting God and His power. Then God said, "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him" (Genesis 17:19 KJV). They were learning to patiently wait.

So what does the Bible say?

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31 ESV).  

"I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:13-14 ESV).

Yeah, so waiting can be hard, but let me tell you, the results are amazing. Stand strong! Wait for the Lord to answer your wants and needs. He's listening, but let Him lay out your life for you! 

 What are you waiting on?

 ~~~~~~~~~~~

To learn more about me visit my "About Me" page here. I'd love to hear from you!