Emily | NCSU Senior Portraits

I can't say enough about this girl. Emily has appeared on my blog numerous times as she is one of my roommates and best friends. She is the sweetest, smartest, weirdest, prettiest, funniest, happiest person I know and I am so lucky to have been able to call her my best friend since my sophomore year at NC State. We have been on so many adventures together from random beach trips to the best NYC trip everrrr. She is graduating from NCSU with a degree in environmental engineering (see told y'all she was smart!) and has the biggest heart. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for her life! When Emily asked me to take a few senior portraits for her I jumped at the opportunity. Em, so thankful for you and your heart for others...Love you!

These two are hysterical together! Emily and Jack have been dating since high school #loveyoulongtime

Journey of Young Life

I know I have been a stranger more than I would like on this little blog. I have been so incredibly busy this semester with school, job applications and designing morganalexandra.com. I would definitely appreciate y'alls prayers for peace about the future and knowing that He has it all under control!

I wanted to share a little more about myself today. We're going to take it back eight years ago. My freshman year of high school I was invited to a thing called Young Life by one of my friends, Laura, who was a senior. So needless to say, I felt super cool. I did not know this at the time but Young Life is a non-denominational Christian ministry that reaches out to high school students by being present in their lives in a positive and encouraging way.
Young Life was held at another seniors house in the notoriously wealthy neighborhood and seemed to be a great place to have fun and hang out with friends. Even though I had no idea what Young Life was really about, I continued to go and I continued to have a girl from Davidson College asking me to hang out, which at the time I thought was super odd (and now having been that college student asking high schoolers to hang out... it's hilarious!).

After the seniors graduated, we combined with our rival high school in a mutual territory. I started to invite one of my best friends at that rival high school who I have known my entire life, Matt Powell. Eventually, the Lake Norman/Mooresville Young Life ended but that would not be the end of Young Life for Matt!

Matt and I both ended up at North Carolina State University for college. I was immediately brought back to Young Life and it would end up being the reason why I did not transfer away from NCSU. I always invited Matt but he would find his own way to Young Life a little bit later on in our college career. 
Friends, last night Matt gave his first Young Life talk!! I was only able to get five minutes of the talk because of a low battery but five minutes is long enough to see his HEART for the Lord and for sharing that love with others. This ministry has incredible power to meet people wherever they are in life and love them through the ups and downs. I am so thankful to all the friends I have made through Young Life and how they are changing others lives!

Valentine's Day DIY

Happy Valentine's Day! I love Valentine's day because it is a day where you can show all the important people in your life how much them mean to you! But shouldn't everyday be Valentine's Day? I am such a gifter. I adore giving gifts! It's so fun to surprise people with a little something. Whether it's a handwritten note, or a cake-pop from a Starbucks run or even a pretty gold rim tea cup find!

This Valentine's Day I decided to make a little book for my roommates filled with "Reasons You Are Loved." Who doesn't need a little daily reminder that you are dearly loved by friends and a Heavenly Father!

What you will need:

Blank Notebooks

Pretty 8x8 Scrapbook Paper

Washi Tape

Gold Paint pen
A Bible


For this DIY, I found most of the supplies in the Dollar Bins at Target! I started with blank teaching books and then covered them with 8x8 pretty paper also from the Dollar Bins. I used washi to seal the paper edges to the books also from.... yep, the Target Dollar Bins! Then I wrote my sweet friends names on the front in gold ink!

On the first page in the book I wrote "Reasons Why You Are Loved" and then added a little Valentines Day note underneath.

I filled their books with words I think best describes who they are and also a bible verse or quote to go along with the word! My roommates are my closest friends and I couldn't have had more fun filling their books with encouraging words and verses:) 

Happy Valentine's Day!

A North Carolina Snow

I love snow! It is definitely the only positive thing about cold winter weather. I think snow is magical because it can bring out the child inside almost anyone! So when the snow started falling (and sticking) in Raleigh, I made sure to run around my house and ask my roommates to come outside and play!

We ended up running around the neighborhood for a while and it was great to see so many other college students doing the same! The next morning, with my sister and her pug in tow, we headed to the art trails at the Art Museum to go sledding. Attempt one was on a storage bin lid.... so after two sled purchases later we were all set!Love these action sledding shots of Emily!

Ava, the pug, was a diva as usual! But we made sure she was wrapped in a blanket before going on a few sled rides... :)

NC State students have the best snow day tradition. A HUGE group of students head to the Court of Carolina for a school-wide snowball fight! This picture is of the aftermath when most students had retreated to warm-up with hot chocolate.

Later my roommates and I made delicious snow cream and snuggled in with hot chocolate. Snow days are good for the heart! What is your favorite part about snow days?

Once: A Musical

My sister and I went to see Once last week at the Durham Performing Arts Center and let's just say... it was breathtaking, mesmerizing, incredible, and goose-bump-inducing! This was the musical Emily and I wanted to go see during our New York City trip back in October. But unfortunately, we did not get to the theater early enough to get the affordable tickets.

As soon as I saw a DPAC commercial for the Off-Broadway tour of Once, I knew I had to go see it! Luckily, since there are three large Universities in the area DPAC offers an amazing deal for student tickets! Yes, the seats are in the back row but hey, getting Broadway tickets for under $30? Well that is perfect on my college budget! So my sister and I ended up getting two tickets for a Thursday night show!

Needless to say, I LOVE musicals and Once is the epitome of just that. Y'all.... the music, oh the music was just incredible! I loved that the focus of the entire show was the music. There was only one set and the company was the orchestra. Going to Ireland has always been a dream of mine but study abroad trips never worked out. But this musical took me there for the two hours of the show! The Irish accents, music, and pub setting was perfect, it even made Taylor and I just about forget that we were in the back row!

Have I said how amazing the music was yet? Well just in case you need a little incentive to look up where you can go see Once, I added two of my favorite songs to this post! They still give me goosebumps when I watch them.

And it just so happens that the main girl in Once, Cristin Milioti, is Ted's wife in How I Met Your Mother!! 

January Goals

2014, goodness gracious I can not believe it is 2014! This year holds many big changes for my life and as a girl who is not to fond of change that is quite scary. I learned many things in 2013 and one of the most important things I learned was to not try to plan out my future. I know only one person knows the future and I know I am safe in His arms. Before I get into my January goals (2014 goals are in the making), I want to look back on my December Goals.

December Goals:

Design the family Christmas Card this is one of my favorite things! I love paper and sending handwritten mail to family and friends

Practice my calligraphy  calligraphy is very challenging but I am working on practicing for a little while each day

Get a present for an Angel Tree child  my roommate Emily and I got a sweet angel a beautiful Belle princess dress

Build a gingerbread house {or barn}  attended the Southern Weddings gingerbread barn building competition with my roommates see our creation here

Wrap Christmas presents beautifully {no rushing!} as usual ran out of time... maybe next year!

Join Lara for Present December I intend on keeping this going!

Practice Adobe Creative Cloud Programs I am learning my way around Indesign, Photoshop, Lightroom, Muse, and Illustrator

Buy or make 5 darling ornaments to give away  I loved doing this! see the lovely ornament I made here

Slowwwdown, spend meaningful time in the Word I still need to set aside time daily in the word. Wanting to start my day with a candle burning, coffee or tea in hand, journal writing, and bible reading!

Begin to work on my new website design I am SO excited about this! A domain has been purchased and I will start sharing sneak peaks soon

Start working through Lara Casey's PowerSheets  I began my PowerSheet journey on December 29, 2013 and PHEW it is kicking my tail into shape! I am so excited about digging deep in this journey and facing my fears head on.

Buy a stranger Starbucks  This was so much fun! I loved the sneakiness of surprising the family in the minivan behind me that their drinks were taken care of by a stranger!

Craft...something! & post a how to  I made and ornament! See how you can too here

Drive around neighborhoods to see Christmas lights  My family did one better! We drove around James Island Holiday Festival of Lights in Charleston, South Carolina. It was absolutely incredible... I highly recommend this light show and the fireworks on New Years Eve!

Coffee or Cupcake dates with friends over finals week  This goal was a favorite of mine. I loved the sweet time I had with two of my best friends to take a second, slow down and be present in each others lives. You can read about it here

Phew, What a month! Now that January is here and a bright, shiny New Year is in front of us, it makes goals that much more exciting. While my 2014 goals are in production, I will leave you with my goals for January!

January Goals

work through Lara Casey's Goal Setting series

continue working on my personal goals for 2014

be completely transparent and honest while working through my set of PowerSheets

begin working on some lovely paper products

keep practicing Adobe programs

work on my new website, YAY!

DAILY quiet time in The Word and my journal

dance around my room to music daily

go on more friend dates

SIMPLIFY

volunteer and serve at a local charity

continue to BE PRESENT

Happy January friends, I would love to hear some of your goals! May this month be the beginning of a great year :)

Put a (State) Ring On It!

Hey friends! I am sorry for my blogging hiatus last week. I was busy cramming studying for finals. It was just such a fun time... But one GREAT thing did happen exactly a week ago. I GOT MY CLASS RING! NC State has an incredible tradition involving class rings. I had the privilege of placing my ring in the Bell Tower on Friday, here, it spent the night there and then it was presented to me in a ceremony on Sunday!

The memory of us getting our rings together is one I will cherish forever!

 My sweet family braved the weather to see me receive my ring!

 In a few months I will be graduating from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with a Bachelors of Science in Animal Science. It's crazy to think that I picked my major when I was 16-years-old. Yes, I probably picked the wrong major but I have learned that I can do anything I set my mind to regardless of my degree!

Five on Friday

This next week is going to be an absolute whirlwind with finals! I will try to post during necessary study breaks. I am linking up with the lovely ladies today for another Five on Friday linkup... Better late than never!
{one} I am such a list maker. I LOVE checking boxes beside items I write down in my planner. However, my goals and to-dos seem to merge together and I am really challenging myself to keep them separate. This month I posted my December Goals and I am having so much fun making them happen!  Coffee or Cupcake dates with friends over finals week. I had a perfect coffee date with my dear friend Sidney after our last journalism class together. Y'all, she is hysterical and incredibly talented (more on that later...PS scroll down). 

Emily and I enjoyed a cupcake date tonight after we put our class rings in the Bell Tower (more on that later as well!) This Butterfingers cupcake was D E L I C I O U S! There was even a surprise peanut butter filling...mmm

{two}I promised y'all more on my sweet friend Sidney and here it is! I have known Sidney since my freshman year at NCSU through Young Life. We lost touch over the middle years of school but lone behold when I walked into my journalism class this semester we were in the same class! Who knew I would make one of my best friends my senior year?! Her handwriting is absolutely to die for... I am always peaking' over her shoulder to see what she is doodling during class. 

She recently started a stationery and calligraphy business and is making gorgeous custom prints. Follow her on instagram @sidneyleescott or email her at slscott4@ncsu.edu for custom order information!

{three} I checked off another December Goal this week at the lovely Carolina Inn, Build a gingerbread house {or barn}. Southern Weddings hosted their third annual Gingerbread Barn Building Competition  and it was a merry ole time! My friends and I piled in a car and headed to Chapel Hill for some much needed stress relief. We spent the evening drinking hot chocolate, eating candy, and building a gingerbread barn. I am so thankful for the Southern Weddings gals and their kind hearts!

{four} Oh my word! Have y'all seen the new Southern Weddings website design?! It is cute as a button!! Those gals have been busy! Not only have they released a gorgeous website, they also just announced their partnership with Southern Living... Talk about match made in HEAVEN!! 

{five} Today Emily and I got to put our class rings in North Carolina State University's Bell Tower. In that moment, it really began to sink in that I am a senior and my time at State is ending. Our class rings get to stay the night in the Bell Tower so that the NCSU spirit is forever within them. I can't wait to get my ring on Sunday!

 Naturally, to commemorate this grown-up moment...we take jumping pictures!!

 Andd then of course it's time to hold up the Bell Tower with our muscles!

Happy Friday friends! Now off to the library...