I am Leaving on a Jet Plane!

Dear Friends,

The blog has been quiet for months because I haven't known what to write about and life has just been weird since post grad. But I am breaking my silence to bring you some VERY exciting news. Since I was a little girl I wanted to attend a Wheels for the World Trip with Joni and Friends.

I finally get that opportunity in June 2016! I will be heading to Poland for 10 days on the outreach and I couldn't be more thrilled. I will be going along as the photo journalist and I cannot wait to capture this beautiful experience behind the lens.

I hope that you will follow along as I blog during my trip. We leave June 8th and return on June 18th.

If you would like to sponsor me please contact me on the blog and I will give you more information.

If you would like to learn more about the trip you can do so at the following link: Wheels for the World: Poland

I am SO excited to share about this amazing experience that God has blessed me with.

A milestone: May 16, 2015

On May 16, 2015 I completed one of my biggest accomplishments to date: I graduated college with a BA in communication and an emphasis in Ministry.

It was a momentous day and wonderful to spend it with the people that I love. The ceremony was beautiful and the speaker was incredible. I had an incredible time at college and I am so sad that it is over. But, I am thankful to live close so I can go back and visit. College was a time for me when I truly transformed from a girl to a young woman.

I came into college a scared little girl and I walked out about a month ago with confidence and my head held high. I had so many beautiful experiences that shaped who I am today. I am so glad and blessed that I studied communication and ministry two things that I am passionate about. I am thankful that God gave me a heart for those with disabilities and I cannot wait to see where God is going to lead me with that.

I am thankful for all of my amazing friends (you know who you are) and all of the professors that God blessed place in my life. But I am particularly thankful for my communication professor and advisor Dr. Lindholm. Man. I never knew that someone could bless me and help me in life as much as this amazing professor has. We quickly became more than just the typical student/professor relationship and I consider her one of my dearest friends. Dr. Lindholm has been a constant encouragement, prayer warrior and mentor to me during my four years at Trinity. God knew what he was doing when he put this amazing woman in my life. I told her recently that when I first started at Trinity, I decided that I was going to study communication based on the very first class that I had with her. She is such an excellent teacher and she truly makes the class material come alive with real-life examples and stories. She is an excellent public speaker and has encouraged me in that area too. I remember the first time that I was going to give a speech. I was so nervous for like a week and I went to her like every day and asked her if she would pray for me. She did so with a smile on her face and joy in her heart. This woman is one of a kind and I am so glad to have gotten the opportunity to know her. I have already seen her twice this summer and I am sure that we will continue to have many meetings over the coming years. (She is the one that is in the first picture with me.)


I am now trying to figure out what i am going to do post graduation. I have looked at a few options but still haven't been able to find a job. But I am trusting that God is going to provide something in his timing. I am continuing to learn and be reminded of the fact that my timing is NEVER usually God's timing....

without further ado, some shots from the day....

Dr. Lindholm and I

SO thankful for this woman and all that she has poured into my life over the past four years. She has been such a blessing to me. Her support, prayers and encouragement has been the main reason that I made it through college. I am so thankful for this wonderful friend and mentor. I am so thankful for the beautiful example of a Godly woman that she is to me. I am excited to see where God will take me in the future and I know that I am taking all that I learned about Jesus and communication with me as I go. Thank you so much for teaching me and teaching me about the value of communications in all aspects of life. You are a wonderful teacher and I am so blessed and honored to have learned from you!

My family is the best!

Acting crazy with my awesome parents!

So happy!

Me and the bro!

Happy Birthday Dr. Lindholm!

Today, I want to take a minute to honor a woman who has made a tremendous impact on my life!

 Dr. Lindholm has been a blessing to me since Day 1. The minute I met her I knew that she was going to be someone safe that I could talk to and she was just so warm and open.

My freshman year I was really insecure and I would come to her all the time with questions about things and she could tell that I was totally a college freshman.

As the years went by, I became more confident in myself but it was still awesome to have someone there to talk to. She has shared much with me and I have shared much with her. I can talk to her about anything and for that I am so grateful.

A lot has happened in four years and our relationship and friendship has grown and changed. As I am graduating in a few weeks, I often get chocked up at the thought of leaving her. She has made such an incredible impact on my life. Although I will be sad to go, I know that I will be back to visit and that we will keep in contact through e-mail.


Dr. Lindholm is truly someone that I am blessed to have in my life and she is such a blessing to me and so many other people on this campus. She truly is the hands and feet of Jesus and I look up to her in so many ways.

 She truly cares about her students and she views her job not as a job but as a ministry. When I ask her to pray for me, I know that she is truly praying for me. She has been there to celebrate with me the births of my five baby cousins. 

But she has also been there when I have needed to cry. I tend not to cry in front of people and so the fact that I allowed myself to cry in front of her was something very special.

She has been here for me in this season of the unknown with the end of college fast approaching. She has encouraged me when I have gotten discouraged with the job hunt. She has given me suggestions of places to apply and been there to cheer me on. 

Dr. Lindholm is someone who is unique and you don't find many people like who that are willing to invest in the lives of students the way that she does. I have been so blessed to learn under her the past four years. She is a wonderful teacher and I just love watching her teach. 

I know that she will impact many other students lives in the way that she has impacted mine. 

I hope that you have a beautiful and blessed day, Dr. Lindholm! 

I am going to quit school and become a model....

SO. MUCH. JOY.
Jake Preedin Photography

Don't worry Ma and Pa, I will receive my diploma in a few weeks! I am too close to end to give up now! But seriously the photos that my friend, Jake Preedin took were AMAZING. We went out on a beautiful Saturday a few weeks ago and these are the images that this amazing and talented man captured.

But first a bit about Jake! If you need a photography he is your guy!

Jake Preedin is the best photographer I have ever met! These photos are absolutely stunning. The time that he took to take these photos was such a blessing for me. He took so much care in how he positioned every single photo. He truly went about his work with a smile on his face and joy in his heart. 

He loves photography and you can see his passion come through even as he is taking pictures. If your looking for a professional photographer who is fun to work with, caring, organized, passionate, and prompt, Jake is your guy! Check out his Facebook page: just type in his name to find him. 

In addition to book him, www.jakepreedin.com and check out his Instagram feed (@jakepreedin) for more beautiful photography  

Jake Preedin Photography

Thanks so much Jake for these beautiful photos and you finally got me to smile with my teeth! You were a JOY to work with and I cannot wait to shoot again sometime!

Without further a do....my senior college photos. All photos are taken by Jake Preedin Photography

Jake Preedin Photography

So thankful for this amazing friend and all that he was able to capture. I cried looking at the photos the other day. I am blaming the tears on my anxiety and stress about graduation....but I think it was really because I felt beautiful in those photos and it was so beautiful to see myself captured on film in such a compelling light.

Jake Preedin Photography

Saving the BEST for last! I did not know that I could look that dare I say sexy......

My FAVORITE photo out of all of them!!
Jake Preedin Photography

And the same photo but in different lighting because when you look this good you have take it in various ways. REALLY love the lighting of this one:

Jake Preedin Photography

Lastly back and white of this beautiful photo. When I first saw this photo, I looked at it and thought, may I am BEAUTIFUL. Granted I don't always look like this but man.

Jake Preedin Photography

One month till the end of an era

One month to the end of the last four years of my life: college. I posted the following on my Facebook page early this morning (12am) and I wanted to share it here:

When I was born, doctors did not know if I was going to make it at my small but mighty size of 1 lb. 7 oz. But God had other plans for my life. One month from today, I will be graduating from Trinity with a degree in Communication and an emphasis in ministry. I know that is going to bless me in the coming years and hopefully I will get to work with people with disabilities. Although I am mostly scared of the next chapter, I am starting to get a bit excited for the things I know God already has planned! ‪#‎SeniorYear‬ ‪#‎micropreemie‬‪ #‎Jeremiah29‬:11

As I continue to reflect on the past four years, I remember the scared young girl that came to college oh so long ago. I actually was going to quit college half way through my Freshman year. But there were many things that fell in place so that I convinced myself that college was still a good idea. 

I have grown so much in the past four years. I have made so many wonderful friends. I met my best friends in the fall and I love them to death. Brooke, Sarah, Victoria, Wendy, Cheyenne, and Hannah, y'all are the BEST. It has been an absolute honor to call y'all my friends and sisters in Christ. Thank you for being the answer to my prayers after all these years. Thanks also for letting me crash on your couch countless times this year, it is super comfortable :-) But seriously, y'all bring so much joy to my life and it has been amazing getting to know each one of you! 

I have lived with different people every single semester of college except for this year. Emylee, Hannah and Sarah have been SO much fun to live with. They are patient with me and listen to me talk about my fears related to graduation. They let me borrow their clothes and they taught me how to apply make up in like 5 minutes. I had been trying for years to learn and they made it super easy. Each of them is so giving, beautiful and kind. They make me laugh and they make me cry but only for the fact that I don't want to leave them in a few weeks. They have made my senior year of college beautiful. God knew what he was doing when he placed each of these beautiful girls in my life. Each of them is wise beyond their years and we have had many great times together. They accept me for who I am and pray for me which I am deeply thankful for. I will miss these three SO much but I am so excited to see where God takes each of them in their last two years of Trinity and then beyond!

I have learned so much in my classes about God and other subjects like graphic design. I think the subject that I have grown the most in is graphic design. I used to not call myself an artist until I took a design class last fall. I started to see that I did have a very creative side to me. It has been fun to see that come out. I owe a lot of my success to my professors, Julia and Brandon! Thank you both for pushing me and for believing in me. Thank you for telling me that you are proud of me and that you know that I can do it. You saw the potential in me that at one point I could not see myself. I have blossomed into a beautiful artist and I am excited to see where God takes me in regards to my artistic talents! 

As if awesome people like Brandon and Julia were not enough; I have one of the best professors on the Earth that has taught me all of my communication courses in the last four years. Her name is Dr. Lindholm. Y'all, this woman is the real deal. She is genuine, caring and compassionate. I could go on and on for hours about how she has blessed and impacted my life. She is always there for me when I need something and our conversations are the best. She is super patient with me and answers all of my questions even if they are dumb. She brings so much joy to my life. I know that I am going to be able to come back and visit next year, but it is going to be different to not be able to go to her office to chat or see her around campus. I have also learned a lot about communication from this amazing woman. She is truly passionate about communication and it comes across as she is teaching. It has been a joy to learn and grow under someone who loves God so much and has so much life experience. I am excited to see where God takes our friendship in the coming years. 

College has been filled with the good, the bad and the ugly. But I have learned and grown so much and for that I will forever be thankful. There were two things that people told me when I started college: The first being that college will be the best and fastest four years of your life. The second being that you will make lasting friendships. I am here to tell you today that both are absolutely true. 

I walked into college a scared, quiet young girl. I will walk out of college in a few weeks as a confident, beautiful (still) young woman.

Photo by Jake Preedin Photography

Choose Beautiful

Last week, I saw a beauty campaign that Dove did called "Choose Beautiful" You can watch the campaign below:

The campaign really got me thinking how our culture defines beauty. We have such a warped sense of beauty and we focus so much on the outer appearance. I looked at every single woman in that video and I thought "oh they are really beautiful" and yet most of them decided to walk through the average door. I would be the first to tell you that for years I struggled with my body and self image and still do. It took me years to come to a place where I was okay with calling myself beautiful and I did not change my mindset until early in my college career.

What does that tell you about our culture and how we are teaching our girls to think. Is beauty about the latest and greatest make up? the latest clothes and hair style? 

I believe that beauty begins with the heart. As a Christian, God says that we are always beautiful no matter what. 

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

For the last few weeks, I have had a song by Francesca Battistelli called "He Knows My name." on repeat. It has been such an encouragement to me and I wanted to share it with you.

The song talks about how God knows our names and that we don't need our names in lights or fame because he cares about us even without all of that extra stuff that life tells us that we have to have in order to be successful women in today's society.

Sometimes it can take a lot to through off all of the things the world tells us, but I want to remember four simple truths when you feel like the world as a woman is too much to handle:

You are NOT average.


You are BEAUTIFUL.


You are WORTH IT.


You are LOVED.

Reflections on a life well lived: Wayne Kijanowski

The Trinity Community experienced a huge loss when we lost our director of the marketing Department this week. Wayne Kijanowski earned his seminary degree through our seminary in 1991 so he has been with the school for a long time and touched many ways. One of the ways that I process my grief through writing. I hope that you enjoy this piece that I have written to honor my friend Wayne. 

Reflections on a life well lived: Wayne Kijanowski 

How does one react when one who is loved is taken to be with the Lord so suddenly? tears, questions and anger? I have experienced all of these things over the past three days. I could just stay in a state of anger and questions. But thankful I don’t have to because as Christians we grieve with hope. Like it says in 1 Thessalonians 4, We grieve with hope because we will see those we love again in heaven.

Wayne was a man who loved and loved well. He truly cared for and loved his students, employees and everyone that he came in contact with. He was the hands and feet of Jesus and he shined the light of Christ with each step. 

I had the privilege of having Wayne for class my junior year of college. I had him for photoshop and Indesign which are both graphic design programs. I am a communication major but I needed to take those classes as part of my major. 

I remember the first time that I met Wayne during my night class, he was so kind and accepting toward me and everyone that he met. He told us stories in class about ways that the Lord was working in his life. He also told us his testimony which was amazing.  

Wayne LOVED Jesus. He loved his students and his employees but he LOVED Jesus more. He was a great designer but he was also an amazing example of what our lives should look like as Christians. 

Wayne was a man of extremely faithful prayer. One of his phases that he always liked to use was prayer works. He and his wife, prayed for each and every student every single day. At the end of the semester, we would present our final work and then we had a small party with cheese cake and candy. Wayne would take each of us aside and he would share with us how much he enjoyed having us in class and how much we had grown. He would then hand us a hand-written note and a small design project that he made for us. I will always remember how he took the time out to talk to each of the students. 

I would come into the design department to talk to Wayne often and to see the other employees that worked there. No matter what, Wayne would ALWAYS stop and talk to me sometimes for twenty or thirty minutes. I was never wasting his time, he truly loved and cherished interacting with students. I remember the last time that I came in there a few weeks ago, he stopped what he was doing and welcomed me in and we had a nice chat. I don’t remember what it was about but I just remember how much I enjoyed talking to him. I would always walk away from our conversations with joy in my heart and a feeling of acceptance and love. Wayne was truly an amazing man. He touched so many lives and his legacy will live on. 

I am so thankful that I got to know Wayne and that he was part of my life and that he impacted my life. I have never known another man who loved Jesus more than Wayne. Thank you for setting such a beautiful and precious example of what it is truly like to be Christ-like. 

Wayne would always say “Blessings Friend” as you were leaving his office. 

So in Wayne’s words: Blessings friend! I am sure that you are dancing with Jesus. I imagine that you have a huge Mac lab up there in heaven and you are getting to work on all of the projects that you never had time for here on Earth. 

You will be missed, precious friend.