Weekend//etc

I seriously have never longed for the weekend more than I did this week!

School is back and in full swing.

15 hours of classes. YoungLife. Keeping up with Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself study {so much work, but so so worth it!!} Figuring out how to blog while our WiFi at the house is turned off. Babysitting. Working. and trying to juggle relationships.

Shew! I get tired just typing it!

Last night, Logan surprised me with a date night-- all plans made by him.

We had dinner at a local Japanese resturant {one of our favs!} and then he drove to the movies. I asked what we were seeing and immediately said, "It better not be scary!" He laughed... going on to tell me he was going to make me go see The Devil Inside. After about 5 minutes of me freaking out and not wanting to get out of the car, we finally went in. We got to the ticket counter and he said "2 for Beauty and the Beast 3D." OH MY GOSH! I jumped up and down like a kid. I was surprised and so thrilled.

It was a wonderful night with my more than wonderful man. I'm so blessed to have such an awesome guy that will swallow his pride to fulfill the desires of my heart.

This weekend, I plan on:

Getting in bed early.

Hanging out with one of  my dearest friend, Kristen.

Doing as much homework as possible.

And celebrating my Grandpa's Birthday.

ahh. Sweet relaxation.

One last thing: today I'm guest blogging over at The Presutti's. Check it out!

Love y'all.

Guest blogger-- Celeste.

Hi there Editorial readers! I'm Celeste and I blog over at Life as Twiggy. I'm really excited to be here today and share a little bit of photos, things about myself & why I love blogging so much. 

Blogging has been a way for me to keep in touch with my distant family and meet other bloggers along the way. I love sharing inspiration from my daily life as well as keeping up with other inspirational bloggers. I own a teeny tiny Etsy shop that is filled with handmade paper-goods & a few vintage finds. I often like to blog about what's going on there and the new items that are listed along the way. 

Thanks so much for having me Tori! Now that you all know a little more about me, I'd love for you to stop by and say hello. Can't wait to meet you :)

xoxo

Celeste

{All comments turned off-- so go leave Celeste some love at her place}

Strong.

Throughout the word of God, the strength of the Lord and the strength He gives to his children is 

something unshakable.

something radical.

something unique.

Ruth had to cling to His strength when she left her whole world behind.

The Lord provided Esther with strength so that she would be able to save a nation.

Paul needed strength to proclaim the good news in dangerous circumstances to let His name be known.

What plans will He have in store for you and I when He provides us with this strength? 

With His strength-

I want be fearless of the days to come and all of the things unknown.

I want go unto the world. and be a light.

I want be forgiving to those who wrong me.

via

We are called to be...

 

Strong in letting His name be known.

"But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed so that all... might hear it."

-2 Timothy 4:17

Strong in being fearless in all situations.

"This is my command- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of discouraged. For the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go."

-Joshua 1:9

Strong in being different.

"But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, do not be frightened."

-1 Peter 3:14

Strong in being patient for His timing.

"Wait for the Lord. Be strong, and take heart, and wait for the Lord."

-Psalms 27:14

Strong in being changed.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone and the new is here!"
-2 Corinthians 5:17

But always remembering to be strong and humble.

All of my strength comes from Him.

Without Him, what am I?
Nothing.

"Have you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth. He does not faint or grow weary, His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. But they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not grow faint."

-Isaiah 40:28-29&30

I want to have the strength that only He can give me.
I will cling to that protection.

And with it, I will not fear the unknown.

And with it, I will be healed.

And I will be strong.

Join me?

Worry.

We all do it.
Some more frequently than others...

It is something I struggle with.
I love the Lord. I have faith in Him.
I know He provides for His children. I've seen it been done in my life SO many times in the life of my family.

But it's times like these...
When I'm in a good place in my walk.
When everything seems to be in place.
When classes are starting back in a couple of days and I go online to confirm my classes, and... Oh. I suddenly have a $639 gap in my account...
$639 I need to come up with by Thursday! Or if I'm lucky, the school will give me 30 more days to find the money.

I know it is God's will for me to be at my school.
It's a Christian school.
I'm plugged in.
I love my classes, my peers, my professors.
I'm involved with Young Life through my school.
And the list goes on...

I'm praying for a miracle. My God is a miracle worker.
I pray that I will keep my faith.
I pray that I will not worry, for I'm instructed to do so... {Matthew 6:25-27}

I'm writing this in the moment.
I can't wait to tell you guys the outcome of this problem.
Although I don't know it yet...
I pray that God is going to use this situation to remind me He provides, remind me He is ever present in times of trouble, and remind YOU that He IS alive and well and working all around.

{Update: Exactly TWO HOURS after I wrote this, God made a big move! Momma and I remembered of a old family friend in our church that runs a scholarship fund through his Sunday school class. Momma called him and explained what was going on and he immediately stopped her in her sentence and said, "Just come on down to the Sunday school class on Sunday and we will write you a check for the six hundred and odd that you need." Praise the Lord!
I'm telling' y'all what, I was so humbled by this experience and I was really taught about just how great my God is. I was saying over and over... Two days... That's all He has to work, I don't know how this is going to work out! But oh no, He worked in TWO HOURS!!}

I usually don't get this personal on the blog, but I really think this will be a lesson to others, like I, that worry and have anxiety.
We are instructed very clearly to not worry in God's word...

Matthew 6:25-27

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear? Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

The theme of the day{and everyday}- God provides for His children.
Amen.

XX,
Tori

glasses.

Ever since I was a wee little tot, I always hoped that one day I would need glasses.
In my childish mind, I always thought people with glasses looked so intelligent, so sophisticated, so "look at me, I have glasses and I'm cool."
Secretly, I still want glasses. I've even went and got cheapo plastic ones just to wear them every so often... Haha! I think they are cool, but I feel weird answering the question, "oh, Tori, when did you get glasses?" with "they aren't real..."
But glasses are so "in" now. Tons of celebs are wearing them- {and not just the weird ones... The really cool ones, too} Like Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Jenn Aniston, Megan Fox, and even the Biebs.

So, that being said...
I was recently contacted by this website, GlassesUSA.com, wanting me to check out their website.
Here is what I found-
1. Their prices are phenomenal!
2. Did you know that over 60% of adults wear eye glasses? Wow.
3. They have a good set up- organized and easy to use. And their price... Oh. My. Gosh!! They are unbelievably cheap for amazing {and even designer} frames.
4. All of their frames are so cute... I really want to need glasses :(

Here are some of my favorites online eyeglasses.




iSee 009 Brown, $78
I love love love these. I like the vintage-y look to them. I know a lot of celebs wear these in black, but I think the brown is a nice change. It seems more soft and more appropriate for everyday.


MG22 Brown, $85
Don't you just love these retro cat-eye glasses frames? I see these a lot in the blogging world. I really wish I could pull them off, but I just don't think they would fit my style, but I love any women that could.


First Lady, $58
These are probably the most realistic eyeglasses that I found for my style. They are elegant. They are good for everyday, and oh-so-simple.


iSee 025 Tortoise, $89
These remind me of a JCrew frame {if there was such a thing} I would definitely wear these for everyday, too. I think these are my favorites, and the price is very very reasonable- only $89!
You guys should really go check out the Glasses USA website. They have great prices and even better {and very fashion-forward} frames. Take advantage of your need for glasses! Hehe!!
Happy Monday!

best foot forward//

One of the best things, arguably, about the winter is the precious shoe trends. What can I say- I'm a sucker for holiday-hued heels and boots, boots, and did I mention boots?
Here are some shoes that I've been absolutely drooling over.
Anyone want to contribute to the "Tori Is A Poor College Student That Wants Needs New Shoes" fund?
:)

shoes

I'll start with these. Because they are amazing, but mainly because they are my latest purchase. And I'm so excited. Obviously they are on sale- regular $36. So not only could I not pass up the price, but also they're almost a spittin' image of {these} shoes that I love from JCrew. Aren't they wonderful?

shoes

Okay. Now-  Usually, I'm not a huge heel girl. I will admit I have a mound of them in my closet, but all of them have probably only been worn twice, maybe thrice...

But with that said... i.need.these

Specifically, for formal. I have two dresses in order for the event, one of the dresses (a previously worn black, lace-y, simple BCBG cocktail dress) would look superb with them. I need a pop of color. They are begging for my money. Do you not feel them staring back at you with those puppy dog eyes?

shoes

First of all, I don't care what anyone says, or how insanely irrational they may be for everyday TN college student life... But Jessica Simpson has the stinkin' best shoes.

They are so glam. So killer. So everything I need in a shoe.

Although they are a little over my price range, these boots are major, are they not?

Alrighty, y'all. That's all my wants... For now ;)
What shoes are y'all craving at the moment?
Happy weekend!

NYE. and some resolutions.

{Disclaimer: I know I'm a smidge late posting this... but oh well! It's the thought that counts... right?}
New Year's Eve was a tad different this year than what I'm used to. We didn't watch the ball drop, I didn't get a New Year's kiss, and I wasn't chilling out on the couch with just me and my man... {like we have for the last two years... yeah, we are really party people}. Instead, Logan, myself, and a ton of my closest friends were asked to help out with a youth shindig at church to ring in the New Year. It was such a blast- with a Tron-like basketball game, easy access to silly pictures in a photo-booth, and starting off the night worshiping the Lord... Would you expect anything less than awesome?!
I was so reminded of how blessed I am to be surrounded by such great friends, a lovin' man, and lots of laughter! Love my church fam and love this new year- I can feel it's gonna be golden.

With that, here are some of my New Year's resolutions...
1. Become a Vegetarian. {Which I've been successful with since Jan.1! haha- but really!}
2. Lose 3 dress sizes by April.
3. Be in the word daily like I should be.
4. Clean out my closet every season.
5. Make all A's this next semester.
6. Keep mighty faith that my life is God's creation, and all things will work together for my good.
7. Reach 200 followers.

How did y'all spend your sacred NYE's? And I have to know... What did y'all wear?