PART ONE: I have never been one to choose a word for the year or get really serious about resolutions, but this year the word joy was placed on my heart – so I decided to make that my word for the year. I was so excited to find joy in every little thing and let my joy overflow into the lives of others.
Well let me tell you, Satan had very intense plans to strip away all of my joy. In the month of January, my windshield got cracked all the way through & had to be replaced, my apartment flooded, walked through a very tough season, and ended up sick and in the ER. It felt like I was getting hit left and right with things going wrong and I had no idea how I was still standing.
I have recently started a new bible study & it is so good. Something I have learned that is so simple is this: “God is where the joy is”. Just think about that for a second. We always say that we want more joy, we want to overflow with joy into other lives that need more – but that can’t happen if we aren’t getting our joy from Jesus. Nehemiah 8:10 says “The joy of the Lord is our strength”. Finding joy in the Lord is how we share joy with others, as well as, have joy in our own life.
Just a little bit of encouragement for your day! No matter what your circumstances may be, try to find joy in everything because I promise, even though it may not look or feel like it, there is joy somewhere hidden in what you are walking through. Keep your head up and remember, God is where the joy is!
PART TWO: The first half of January wasn’t bad at all! It’s easy to forget all the good and only remember the bad things that have happened, so I don’t want to steer away from the great moments at the beginning of January!
I had a beautiful wedding on New Year’s Eve. Talk about a way to celebrate! Afterward, I headed down to Orlando to visit Isaiah & his family for a few days. It was the perfect break before getting back into the swing of things. Disney World gets most of the attention in Orlando but let me introduce you to another thrill The Orlando Skyflyer. Picture the swings ride at a county fair, then stick it on a 450-foot high pole. Once you get over how high you actually are, the views are absolutely breathtaking (and even offer views of the Disney parks). With the way I am talking, you would think I was sponsored lol!
For those of you who know a little bit about me, you know I am an only child and my cousins are basically my siblings (also referred to as “the boys”). Brenn and his fiancé, Sophia (their wedding is Nov 2023 so you’ll start seeing them around the blog and social media) have a business called Tailwind Farms, where they offer horse lessons, training, and leasing. They had a horse show at The World Equestrian Center, in Ocala, Florida – so obviously I had to stop by to watch them do their thing! I am so proud of them and all of their hard work.
I got to attend a wedding for a change! Isaiah and I flew out from Birmingham to Dallas for a family wedding of his. The family stayed at the absolute cutest AirB&B and we had the best time. With everyone being in different stages of life and spread out all over the East Coast, it is very hard to get us all together at once and this was the first time we have all been together since I have been on the scene! We laughed and got to dance the night away with the newlyweds & the rest of his family. Core memories were definitely unlocked!
There are a few other highlights down below so you’ll have to scroll and see. If you’ve made it this far and are still reading along, I am impressed. I know this was a long one but I hope that someone who needs to be encouraged, was!
The World Equestrian Center is absolutely stunning. Could you imagine a wedding here?
I wouldn’t be opposed to living in Texas one day. The western girl in me would absolutely thrive.
If you haven’t been to SoHo Taco in downtown Homewood, GO! It is, hands down, Isaiah’s new favorite restaurant in all of BHAM!
For non-Samford peeps, this might be a little weird. We wrapped up the month with Step Sing, one of Samford’s largest and most anticipated traditions. Isaiah participated in his fraternity’s show and they won Best Men’s group or second place overall! So proud of all of their hard work and everyone that participated in this fun tradition! I had major FOMO!
I hope everyone had a wonderful January and is looking forward to a great February, even though we are already about halfway through.
Until the next In Every Season,
Mads
