enchanting.

i was driving home from work and a spell of enchantment came over me. i was unstoppably happy and every square inch of our little town held beauty.

i looked at my car as i drove and smiled because it gets me around and i have fallen in love with its wagon body and its ability to hold a summer's worth of possessions for two.

i admired the tidy picturesque houses and the in between of winter and vibrant, summer green lawns.

i drooled over the Blues as they shone in the 5 o'clock sun and i felt blessed to enjoy their view.

i opened the windows and smiled as i saw Kingsley gracefully leap from one object to the next until he felt the cool breeze through his fur.

its in moments such as these that i truly feel renewed. i gain a sense of peace and hope about all the many decisions on our hearts.

i know that my Father in Heaven knows me personally. He finds ways to connect with me and show me that His hand is in everything i do, and in return i will forever strive to find beauty and meaning in His creations.

pizza for breakfast.

Today I made hot cereal (steel cut and 5-grain oats mixed. the bomb!) for breakfast. We have it everyday after juice. We (meaning me) are a liiiittle into routine around here. I put in more salt than usual, because usually there's not enough. (that's what the extra sweetness is for!) I was so excited to eat. I got up at 5 to study, Jiles was about to go snowboarding. We took bites and pretty much spit them out simultaneously. TOO MUCH SALT! It was gross; oops! So Jiles had left over pizza for breakfast.... He was already snowboarding that day, and pizza for breakfast?! I don't think I've SEEN a happier guy.

We received three Papa Murphey's giftcards for Christmas. Do you know how awesome that is? Those days when you're driving home from school a little too late and you don't know how you can possibly think of something to eat, or how your low blood sugar will hold off until you get a bite of food in your mouth. But then, OH!, all I have to do is call in my order and preheat the oven. And I don't have to pay for it. Yessss! And yesterday it was much needed. After a long day, I spent nearly an hour in the computer lab figuring out how to scan some pages of my book into the computer and flip the pages the right way to print double sided. While we're talking about routine here... this girl needs to get with the times and learn a few tricks of the trade, because I rely on Jiles for everything technology related and it must  be getting exhausting for him.

But you know, sometimes in life you just need pizza for breakfast. Substitute your pizza for cinnamon rolls if you'd rather, or substitute the breakfast part for a night out for dinner or dessert. Sometimes the little things just mean the world; like eating pizza with your love and knowing that life is good my friends. 

Or you could substitute pizza for McDonalds! 

In honor of #throwbackthursday on Instagram {@magnoliawrites follow me!}

I found a picture with my oldest friends! I didn't think I was going to allow

my future littles to eat at McDonalds, but this may be changing my mind...

I mean it's where dreams are made! ;)

in which my political opinions may or may not become more clear

It has become very evident to me, in my twenty-two years of living, that there are many things in which I do not have control.

I cannot decide who will become the next president (Thank goodness)
I, ultimately, cannot control other's decisions and opinions
I can't choose how my instructors run their courses,
or the content they provide for the course.
I cannot decide for others what is right and wrong, and I certainly can't make choices for them.
And on a more personal note, I don't know where life will lead us after college, or if a job will be secure. I don't know that we'll ever make "enough" money. I don't know for sure if my children will emulate and be submissive towards the Christlike life that I have promised my Heavenly Father I will instill in them. I can only pray and have faith that such things will come to pass.
//
I could create an overwhelmingly long list of things I cannot control. But there's gotta be something I can....

A friend of mine once shared a quote with me, and I have never found a time in my life in which it is not extremely evident and pertaining.

We see things not as they are, but as we are. 

--Unknown

My (general) happiness and contentment amidst the election and all of the evils throughout the world could be mistaken for ignorance, but I assure you that is not the case.

Sure, I wish I were more informed. (Certainly no one's fault but my own)
Sure, I get swallowed up on a daily basis by the mass amounts of knowledge I do not know, and by the tens and thousands of books I have not read.

But that is not my point. My point is that we have a choice to be happy and feel free, (albeit those are ambiguous terms) and that is extremely liberating.

Is it just me, or is the above quote really true? If I'm having an off day, or receive bad news, or something just isn't going my way, I tend to view things more negatively. Often my reactions to situations directly reflect my mood/state of mind. It continues to fascinate me.

choose to be in love with the life you lead and by all means, change it if that is not the case

because you can

Happiness is....

..getting through a week you thought impossible

..waking up to a text at 6 a.m. with word and picture that your newest niece has been brought into the world. And not being able to fall back asleep because you're too excited

..friends coming to visit, so excited to see you and venture the place you call home

..fall photo shoots full of laughs

..the complete dive of Nell's Drive In, but dreamy cream drinks and deliciously greasy food.. and more laughs

..24 hours of fun and feel good with some of your favorite people that you couldn't have planned better if you tried

..feeling loved and that you have enough

..somehow getting your homework turned in by midnight without completely crashing the party

..facetime with family, where you are so excited to talk you keep interrupting one another

..hardly being able to hold back the tears talking about the newest little Thompson baby (name TBD)

..the smell of baked pumpkin cookies filling the apartment, and for once not stuffing yourself full of them

..crisp, fresh autumn air that somehow makes life feel new

..wanting to freeze time, but knowing you can't because there are more good things to come

This is happening happiness

we don't do this
because we have to
but because we want to

in ten years we will look back
on our twenty-something selves
and laugh while we hold our screaming children
on the front porch

we will remember when we used to go on dates
the two of us
and when it was quiet
when we tripped on shoes
instead of toys

but we will know
we have never been happier

and we know it now.