2015- You were one heck of a roller coaster. You were full of some incredible highs & some dark lows, but God grew me more this year than I can put into words. Although I had some great times, traveled a ton, experienced amazing opportunities, etc., this was an emotionally difficult year for me. I walked through some really tough stuff in 2015 with friends, family, and myself personally including people losing homes, husbands & wives leaving each other & committing adultery, health scares, issues of couples experiencing infertility, depression, unexpected death, anxiety, bitterness, hurts, & disappointments. This has been one of those "God is pruning me" years that we never want to go through, but is necessary to shape & mold & change us for the better. I've learned more about prayer this year than ever before. God has grown me in it & given me a heart for it. He's provided opportunities for me to pray over those close to me as well as for total strangers. It's been amazing. I can tell you that I'm closer to Him than I've ever been and I thank Him for the many many obvious blessings this year, but also for the thorns (otherwise known as blessings in disguise). He is good all of the time and works EVERYTHING for our good & His glory. All praise & honor to Him. Now, looking back...
- Rang in the new year with some besties.
- I praised the Lord that some of my favorite friends moved back to SC.
- My best friend & I continued our BFF Valentine's Day tradition of celebratin with the captain at Captain D's. This year's theme? 80's baby. It doesn't matter if we're single, dating, engaged, or married, we Captain D's it on February 14th in style because we are ridiculous human beings.
- I was hired at Once Upon A Princess to perform at children's parties, events, parades, etc. as a princess! Dream come true. I was actually praying about a way to make some extra money to be able to be a volunteer on NewSpring Church's youth trip, The Gauntlet, and days later I had a message asking if I'd be interested in freelancing for this company. I didn't even seek it out! God answers prayers, y'all. Not only did I make enough to go to The Gauntlet, I was able to sponsor a youth who couldn't afford to go. PRAISE!!!! This is truly the most fun part-time job ever.
- We went to see Ginuwine, Keith Sweat, Dru Hill, & SWV. Yes, we got a selfie with Mr. Pony himself. Ha!
- Some friends & I had a blast doing the Color Run.
- My precious friend Mary King and I enjoyed a Disney Tea Party with her chosen charity being The Therapy Place.
- We rented a pontoon boat & celebrated my birthday on the lake!
- My super-talented friend Rachel asked me to join her in a song for her vocal showcase. What an honor!
- Started serving as a VIP Service Leader at NewSpring.
- Went to see NKOTB, TLC, & Nelly with Cassie & Erin!
- We had some original Bridges students graduate. I'm SO proud of these awesome kids!
- In May, God shed light on some shady, disappointing, & hurtful actions of someone who I believed had changed for the better. I asked God what to do, and He said to be still & pray. It was hard, but I did it. I saw this person 1 time after May and I have to admit, I was cold towards them, which wasn't right. A few months later, God brought the situation up again, and at this point, He told me that it was time to expose the darkness with light & stand up for myself & for what's right. He asked me to be obedient in this and said He would bless me if I followed through. I was scared to death, but I did what He told me to do and can I tell you God kept His promise to me? He worked everything out in my favor & blessed me immeasurably more with an awesome promotion & raise at work. I tell you this for 2 reasons- 1) our decisions & actions, whether good or bad, always have consequences. We may not see them immediately, but they find a way of coming about. At some point, darkness will always be exposed by light (Ephesians 5:13). 2) God blesses obedience! When He calls us to do something, He gives us the strength we need to do it & He blesses us for it. Yes, I eventually apologized for being cold & told this person that I forgive them for the things done that hurt me. God taught me a lot about true, genuine forgiveness through this & even though it hurt, I praise Him for it.
- We recreated a pretty fantastic awkward family photo at my grandma's house
- Our state experienced a horrible church shooting that the killer hoped would cause a "race war." What he meant for harm, God, as always, worked for good because the families of the victims publicly forgave the shooter & brought glory to God. Our state came together in love and it was a beautiful thing.
- Two of my fave friends, Kadie & Alex & I went to see Todrick Hall in concert. We heart Toddy.
- A bestie, Jordan, and I celebrated the 4th in Dirty Myrt.
- The lead singer of my favorite band in the whole wide world, Jimmy Eat World, did an acoustic show at New Brookland.
- Had the opportunity to be a group leader for middle school girls at my church's youth trip in FL, Gauntlet X. It was truly life-changing. God did so much work & I'm still blown away when I think about it. #PointOutTheMiracles
- Saw my favorite gospel artist in concert with 2 of my favorite friends, Bridgette & Liz. Tasha Cobbs is my JAM!!
- My friend and I went on a cruise!! Grand Cayman was my favorite : ) Oh heeeeey, Jack Dawson.
- Saw Motown the musical over Labor Day weekend with some BFFs (motown is my heart)
- Had the INCREDIBLE opportunity to worship through hip hop dance at NewSpring Church. Clip 1: Til The Day I Die Clip 2: Til The Day I Die
- Thanked God over & over for my small group & my mentor Ashely who prayed for me, encouraged me, pushed me, & pointed me towards Jesus this year.
- Our state experienced another terrible tragedy- a devastating flood. Lives were taken and homes & businesses were lost, but yet again, we flooded SC with love. Neighbors helped neighbors, strangers rescued each other & provided food & water & shelter, etc. It was truly remarkable.
- Kadie, Alex, Tori, & I went to Disney World!! We dressed up as the Sanderson Sisters & Binx the Cat from Hocus Pocus for the Halloween party and had the time of our lives.
- Frolicked around the SC State Fair, per usual
- Saw Travis Greene and Israel & New Breed at the fair with precious Bridgette & Liz
- Ran the Ray Tanner Homerun 5K (Tori's first race!) and then helped my sweethearts from work complete their race
- Had way too much fun at Halloween as a Snapchat filter and during Spirit Week at work!
- Ran my very first 10K!! I finished way better than I thought I would, too. I've never been a runner, but 2 years ago I started the Couch to 5K program because I couldn't even run a mile. If you set a goal and challenge yourself, I promise you can achieve it!
- Enjoyed another great year of our work fundraiser, Therapalooza!
- Went on a hiking adventure to Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area with my sis. It was beautiful!!
- Hit up lots of Christmas parties & events : )
- My special needs preschool class did an amazing job performing their play, The Perfect Christmas Tree, and my dad's cousin surprised them as Santa!
- I was cast as the lead female in a commercial for a gym and enjoyed a 2 day, 2 state shoot with some great people.
- Had the most wonderful & hilarious Christmas I can remember in a long time. My family is a trip & the gag gifts we do are ridiculous. It's great to have a family who loves Jesus & knows the true meaning of Christmas, but who can be silly & have fun, too. Story of my life.
- Hiked Table Rock with my sis to reflect on 2015. Um, that hike ain't no joke...especially when it's been raining! We walked through mud, muck, & fog the entire way there...
I'm praying amazing things for 2016. It's not called Sweet 16 for nothing. Started from the bottom now we here! Be expectant. Praise the Lord!!
