#ProjectConfetti

We live in a culture that thrives off insecurity. We are told everyday who we should be and how we should look and what numbers define us.

But we are more than numbers.

We are more than numbers on a scale, in a bank account or in our GPA. We are more than what culture tries to make us believe.

#ProjectConfetti is simple for now...maybe someday it will be more. For now it was a simple photo shoot with two best friends and their fears. The inspiration happened in my groups class the other day (yay social work). We did an activity where we wrote stress on balloons and popped them.

This made me think about insecurity. What a beautiful message it is to take what culture says is bad and wrong and holds us back and explode those thoughts. Not only explode them but also celebrate in our freedom.

Liv and I took simple white balloons and filled them with confetti paper (with some help from Caleb and Dane, they are troopers) and then wrote our fears and insecurities on them. This was a little scary, but also so freeing. We wandered off into the woods and popped our balloons and let the confetti fly. It was such a beautiful picture of embracing our anxieties and not letting them hold us captive. Instead of living in the cage of apprehension, we danced in freedom and sunshine.

I’ve mentioned them on this blog before but So Worth Loving is an amazing company that is doing so much to help girls see their worth and value in life. Take a minute and check out http://shop.soworthloving.com/pages/our-story.

Choose to believe that you are so worth loving and that your insecurities are standing in the way of your inner celebration.

Do your own #ProjectConfetti shoot and share your pictures with us on instagram with that hashtag! Also Liv and I would love to connect with you at http://instagram.com/langtonlady/ and http://instagram.com/ohliviia.

Take a moment.

Breath deep.

Explode your fears and dance in the confetti that is a life of freedom.

All photo credit to the amazing Caleb Morris: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seemoris/.

Big Memories

So I love Pinterest. Like way more than I should.  And the other day I came across a picture with this quote on it: “now is the time for small paychecks and big memories.” Y’all. I almost launched out my chair with joy.

Because this is my life right now.

I am running away to England this summer and I couldn’t be happier. When my Grandma passed away last winter she left my cousins and I some money to “further our lives.” I wasn’t sure what to use it for, so I locked it up in my savings account and refused to pitter it away on clothes and shoes (anyone knows me would see that is a massive undertaking) and waited for the golden opportunity to strike.

Along came my beautiful friend Beth Julca (now Beth Harper). We met through Philanthropy committee at school and hit it off right away based off mutual obsession with black, gold, and all things Gossip Girl. We started the Village and spent more and more time together. When I realized she was graduating and getting married in the winter and then moving to England I was so sad to lose such a fast friend. But then we started talking about me going to visit her. It was a dream at first, but now it’s real life guys. On June 3^rd I am hopping on a flight and going to England. I will be there for 15 days: roaming the countryside and soaking in my inner Jane Austen; bashing around London like Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter; shopping until I go into a coma in Birmingham and visiting Highclere Castle like the Crawleys and Granthams.

My heart longs to see God’s wide world and I am so ready to explore it. It only will make every moment sweeter that my grandma is able to be a part of each moment of my trip…she would’ve loved to see me spread my wings.

Is dropping everything and going to England for a few weeks when you are a broke college student logical? No, it’s more than a little foolish. Is it good for my soul? It’s perfection. Now is the time that I get to dream massively and do things that don’t always make sense but will stay in my heart forever.  It is the time for small paychecks and big memories.

London is calling. And I am beyond thrilled that I get to answer.

Artemis

I am a social work major and I had an internship this year, as is customary for my grade. I had the honor of being the first Cedarville student to accept a position at the Artemis Center for Domestic Violence in Dayton. I worked there from October to March as an intern and loved every moment. One, it gave me a reason to wear heels twice a week and not look a fool at college and two in all seriousness it was one of the most earth shaking and beautiful things I have ever done.

My Co-Workers:

My co-workers inspired me to be more. They made me want to reach for greater things and not settle for a job that just pays the bills.

They pushed me to be a better social worker and a better Christian. Artemis is a diverse agency and it was amazing for me to be exposed to people that don’t see the world how I do and still find truth and strength in what they believe.  

They showed me how beautiful true diversity is and how powerful passionate women can be.

It was an honor to learn from the women at the Artemis center.

My Clients:

Those in support group showed me a new kind of strength. They showed me how to lift others up even when you may feel weak yourself. They showed me that you can keep moving forward even when the worst things have happened to you. Support group showed me that community is commanding and can help in the most difficult times. Isolation is the enemy of joy.

 

My education group taught me the importance of learning. They taught me we need to tell our kids and communities about DV so that we can keep them safe. They taught me that mothers will put up with almost anything to help their kids and to keep them safe.

My court clients made me see how desperately our world needs Jesus and people that are willing to love others even when they fall. They also showed me that the world needs people to stand up and take the cause of the oppressed because our world is twisted and hurt and needs people that are willing to fight for others.

It was an honor to work with my clients and their faces and stories are burned into my memory forever.

I am so thankful for my time at Artemis and all the lives I got to learn from and become a part of. 

Social work is a beautiful, albeit painful, but a beautiful thing.