on my story…

MY STORY

I think telling your story and letting others hear it is one of the most important things to do. 
I have told my story before on my blog but just this past weekend I realized everything became full circle and how I got to where I am today. 

The summer before my junior year of high school, I went to the first youth group I had ever been to. It was Sunday nights in our parish community room. I don’t really remember all the details but I pretty quickly became friends with the leaders of the youth group. Who quickly became the best people I have ever met. I call The Crew. I have blogged about them many times but they are just that great!

So I’m actually going to pause this part of the story really quick to mention what happened a few months later... 

In April of that same year, the one best friend that I had for two years prior started dating a not-so-good guy. I warned her about this and she then started only talking to the friends she had that supported her new-found relationship. She dropped me very quickly and I was then left like I was nothing. She told me many times that I was a terrible person and I was never going to go anywhere in life and so much more that I have blocked out of my memory. I couldn’t be more proud of myself because that turned out to be completely false.

Okay, we can now un-pause my first story, I feel like God put The Crew into my life at the exact moment He did because He knew I would need them at a time where I was going through a hard season of my life (and for the rest of forever honestly.) He knew I needed to fall back on and rely on these friends. See, The Crew is not at all like the girl I was just talking about... they 
would do anything for me. They drop everything when I text in the group chat 

that I need prayers. They call me just to catch up and ask how I’m doing. My parents trust them more than I think they trust me sometimes. They push me closer to Christ in every way and have extremely strengthened my faith in the past four years.

The craziest thing is if the girl I was describing never stopped being friends with me:

I would be nowhere. I would be in the same season of life I was in.1

I would not be as strong in my faith as I am now because I probably wouldn't have created a friendship with The Crew who help me to be the best version of myself daily.

I would not have gone on the retreat I did this past weekend because

I wouldn’t have any desire to. These past four years of knowing them, 

I have become such a better person and Catholic. 

Here’s a list of many many things in my life that I would have never done 
if I never stopped being friends with that girl... 

-I would have never taken 2 (about to be 3) trips to Washington DC for The March for Life each January.
-I would never have gotten invited by The Crew to multiple movies (where there’s like 20 of us in the movie theater and we take up the whole row!)
-Or to Cincinnati for a weekend trip (we even went to Kentucky and I got to cross that state off my list!)
-Or to bowling nights- which are always a blast and a competition!

-Or many many many concerts!! I love Christian Music now and Country Music even more

-Or to game nights with lots of laughter and popcorn and ice cream
-I would have never gotten to experience my best friends getting married
and having a baby! (Which I am very thankful I got to be there for those!)
-Or go tent camping for the first time!
-Or have an extreme support system behind me through the good and the bad,
-Or just any other crazy adventures we take together…

I am extremely thankful and blessed that I get to live life with my best friends in the entire world. God is so good for giving them to me. The coolest thing is, wherever we are when I look around, I know each one of my friends care about me and want to see me succeed which I have never had before. I am endlessly blessed to be able to confide in each one of these people and
keep meeting even more people they know! I have never had friends like this, my only regret is if I could have met them sooner! It still blows my mind everyday that they choose to keep me around, even when I don’t deserve them at all. 

A different part of my life I was reflecting on this weekend was,

I would have never gone on this retreat if I never had dropped out of the organization I was apart of for almost two years. 

I left that organization in March of this year, and I was totally looking for some other way 

to use my extra time. You know, I have been involved in something that I chose to participate in at school since I was in 8th grade, or even since Kindergarten if you want to think about things I had to do and didn’t choose to. At that point, I was almost a junior in college who woke up one day and was suddenly not involved at all. So I sat around and thought about it, went to my university’s club  fair and nothing really stuck out. I knew I just had to get more involved in the Catholic Student Association on campus. I was looking for those friends and that part of my life to be full again. I am very glad to have found both of those this weekend. Life has a crazy way of working out for the better. 

Everything is going to turn out the exact way God planned for you. He is in complete control.

Your situation is going to get better and I pray that each one of you can find God and your people to completely fall back on when you are struggling like I did. 

my travel essentials

Hey everyone!

In honor of (already) planning some trips for next year because it’s never too early for that, I decided to sit down and think about some of my absolute travel essentials that I need on the go! Whether it’s one day away from home or a whole week, these are the things I can not live without!!

Now, ya girl loves to travel. But the thing is I haven’t been to many places at all actually- 7 states and Washington DC. So I’m not a complete expert on this but I did live out of a suitcase at camp for 2 months so maybe  that sorta counts?!

My essentials: 

I love getting new cute duffle bags and tote bags! If you talk to my dad, he says he never wants to see another bag in the house… whoops, I may have too many!! But recently I have became obsessed with the reusable bags from TJMaxx/Marshall’s/Home Goods they are a big size and have a long handle— and the best thing ever is that they are only 99 cents in the checkout line at these stores. I swear I must have taken at least 5 to camp when I lived there! I would take them when I walked to a different building to shower during my Time Off (they are made out of a high quality waterproof material). I put my clothes I was going to change into, my shower caddy, which is another one of my essentials, my phone and charger, can’t forget snacks and honestly anything else I needed for my TO in this bag. These bags are also perfect to give as gifts, wrap things up and put them inside and it’s like another reusable gift! They come in many colors and designs— They’re perfect!

My shower caddy is another essential I love. I bought a pack of 2 on Amazon. They are circle shower caddies that have dividers inside, a handle and collapse for easy storage. Inside, I had shampoo, conditioner, body wash, washcloth, a brush and sometimes even my phone while playing music! It was a big help to hang on the hooks inside the shower when there was no other room to put anything!

Talking about showering again… lol

When I go anywhere, I usually pack travel sized shampoo, conditioner and body wash containers. You can buy the products in the travel/trial sized section at a store or fill up empty bottles yourself. The refillable travel bottles can come in a set or by themselves. Sometimes it is easier and cheaper to buy the empty bottles and fill them up with product! These are cheap reusable small bottles instead of having to bring the full sized item. I love saving money and even though, this is a small tip it might save you a few dollars!

Ohh girl, dry shampoo is probably the essential I need the most on these trips. My hair gets greasy very easily and I don’t always have time to wash my hair every night while I’m away. I usually throw in some dry shampoo, put my hair in messy bun or two quick braids and a thick headband (also a must have for me)and I’m on my way! Find a dry shampoo that you love and thank me later because it is especially helpful when you are traveling!

Another essential that I have and will never stop purchasing are “OXY deep pore cleaning facial pads”. These things are a life saver and get so much dirt and gross-ness out of your skin. I have used these to take my makeup off if I don’t have anything else to use, I use them in the morning when I wake up, if I feel like my skin needs to get cleaned up in the middle of the day, and at night before I go to bed. I use these at home and on the go. They come in a small container and do not dry out quickly. They help reduce acne and prevent future breakouts. I highly suggest these OXY facial pads!

If you are going on a road trip, I suggest being as comfortable as possible. Bring a pillow & blanket for the ride! I also suggest wearing leggings or sweatpants that have pockets in them so you can keep what you need on you at all times, even when you get out of the vehicle.

If you are going to be gone for a long period of time or just know you will have to change quite often while traveling, a portable mesh hamper will help tremendously. I never knew I would need one until I took it to camp this summer. I got mine for free from PINK during a promotion they had going. But, they are pretty cheap on Amazon. It also had another purpose for me on the way there, I put blankets and my pillow in it instead of leaving it empty.

Also, obviously headphones are a great thing to pack as well. There have been many times where I have forgotten to bring mine and it is just not fun! I bought the ones I currently own off of Amazon for less than $8. They are rose gold which is my favorite and have magnets on the end of each earbud so they can connect together. This is a simple but easy way to stay entertained and not bored while traveling!

Something else I have been trying to get into is books. More like novels or auto-biographies people write & I’m interested in. I don’t read much so when I do, I have to love it! I am currently reading a book from an amazing lady who has a great podcast! I challenge you to find a book you like and check it out— even if it takes months to read like me!

Also, if you are going somewhere like a camp or even somewhere where you know you won’t have a nightstand or dresser (this kind of serves as both) you can bring a 3 drawer  organizer. I wouldn’t bring this everywhere, only when you really really need it, but I was basically living out of this thing this summer. I bought mine for $13 and it was the brand “Sterilite”. They are easy to find at Walmart, Target, Kroger… any store that sells storage items. I put extra shoes, folders, a first aide kit, and anything else I needed as a counselor in it. On top, I put my phone when it was charging as I was sleeping, my glasses, chapstick… it was a catch-all for me and I’m so glad I had it! 

Another huge essential for me is the “EasyAcc Power Bank” found on Amazon. This power bank is unlike any I have ever used. It can charge up to 4 phones at once, has a flashlight, and has amazing battery life. For example, last summer my friends and I went tent camping for a weekend and it kept my iPhone 6s charged throughout the whole weekend and still had battery left over. And I am always on my phone, playing music or taking pictures. My family and I bring this on road trips, I bring this on the 9 hour bus ride to DC and back or anywhere we know we won’t have access to an outlet but still want to have our phones charged. It’s probably one of the best purchases I have made!

If you are going somewhere like tent camping or to camp, a twin-sized foam mattress pad is a must! This is also something I don’t bring everywhere but very helpful when I needed it. I bought mine for less than $20 off Amazon (Can you tell I where I like to get things cheap?) When I was sleeping in the tent last summer, instead of sleeping directly on the hard ground, I put a fuzzy blanket down first, my mattress pad and then my sleeping bag. It was great! Also when I was at camp, I usually put 2 mattresses down and my mattress pad and sheets on top of that. It makes it much more comfortable to sleep at night and feels like your own bed!

As always, snacks are also a huge thing. If you know you are staying in a hotel without free breakfast, bring a box of granola bars or another one of your favorite quick breakfast foods. This is something I always do so I don't have to worry about spending extra money and so I can leave the hotel quicker. I also bring snacks honestly anywhere! To go along with the snacks, bring a Swell bottle (or honestly a knock off, I have 3 different kinds of stainless steel bottles that aren’t the Swell brand but the exact same) and fill them up with ice water. It will last a long time and something you will definitely love if you brought it!  

When I go to DC, I know that the bus is going to stop at certain roadside stops. Most of them have a Subway restaurant, Panera, Starbucks or something similar to any of these where you can get it to-go… 

I have a Kroger card (or anywhere you might have a rewards card to) and I like to buy gift cards to those places. I do this so I can get gas points on my Kroger card. I know I’m going to eat at these places so might as well by the gift cards before and get gas points out of them! 

If you couldn’t tell already, I’m an over-packer which can sometimes be a nightmare but I like to be prepared! These are some of my absolute travel essentials I always bring with me.

Hope you enjoyed & Safe Travels to you:)