An Unexpected Tender Mercy

Recently, I’ve been trying to keep track of the tender mercies that happen in my life on a daily basis. And let me tell y’all, God has a sense of humor when it comes to showing me his hand in my life. Nonetheless, I’ve been very grateful for the tender mercies I’ve seen. One tender mercy, in particular, is not exactly what I expected.  

Let me start with a background of the situation. I am DEATHLY afraid of bugs! When I come face to face with one I immediately go into a panic attack. I’m not kidding. I HATE them! 

Since Justin and I have lived in our apartment, I’ve had four encounters with a nasty creepy crawly. And it only happens when Justin isn’t around. Go figure! One of the four encounters happened just yesterday. I was doing laundry and as I was switching our clothes into the dryer, I found a nasty roach at the bottom of our washer. It was dead, THANKFULLY, but it had been washed with our clothes. I immediately stopped what I was doing and waited until Justin came home to remove the little vermin. 

I had to wash our clothes again because I didn’t want the feeling of roach on my clothes. As I was putting our clothes back in the washer, I realized that I forgot to put laundry detergent in with our clothes the first time. So, they weren’t really washed to begin with. If that roach had never revealed itself we would’ve gone wearing dirty clothes for the next week.  

Now, I know this isn’t an extraordinary story, but I realized that tender mercies can come in any shape or form. God’s mercy is always there. You just have to look for it. I know that because I’ve seen it happen in my own life. 

Start looking for tender mercies in your life. You never know what you’ll find. I just hope it’s not a roach.

My Love for Relief Society

There is no greater friend than a sister. I love my three sisters so much, but I’ve realized that a sister is not just a family member. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taught me that.   

My beautiful sisters!

The Relief Society is the Lord’s organization for women. It is the oldest women’s organization in the world! This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend a Women’s Conference put on by my Stake Relief Society where we celebrated 172 years of the Relief Society. It was a great experience! 

One of 10+ Birthday cakes

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I just recently moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. When Justin and I moved here we knew absolutely no one. It’s not exactly easy meeting new people in a new town, but because of our wonderful church, we’ve been able to meet some great people.  

I’m a pretty outgoing person, but when I’m put in a position outside my comfort zone I tend to get shy. This is the position I’ve been in for the past month. It’s tough! I heard about the Women’s Conference every Sunday during Relief Society. I knew I should go, but I was nervous about going because I didn’t really know anyone and I hate going to activities by myself and feeling like a loner! I decided the only way I was going to meet people is to go to the conference.  

Heavenly Father was most definitely on my side because I felt anything but alone at the conference. I felt so much love from all the sisters I met. This is why I love being a part of Relief Society. Even though my family is in Florida and I’m in North Carolina, I know I have family in Relief Society and in our ward.  

I’ll admit, when I started attending Relief Society when I was 18 I thought it was only for elderly women or married women with kids. Being a young single gal in Relief Society and now a young married woman with no kids (yet), I’ve learned that Relief Society is for ALL women no matter what stage you are in life. I’m so thankful for the role Relief Society has played in my life I just had to write a post about it! If you have had a great experience with Relief Society I would love to hear about it. Or, if you aren’t familiar with what Relief Society is learn more about it here.  

Thanks for reading! xo

Finding Joy in my Journey

Graduation came and went. Wedding day came and went. Now, reality is setting in. 

I feel like you can never prepare for the real world until you’re experiencing it. That’s what makes life so fun. You never know what to expect! I have been adjusting to my new life as a college graduate and a wife pretty well. There’s no homework, no projects, no wedding planning stress. It’s great! But, all my life I’ve worked towards a goal. Whether it was school, work or wedding I’ve kept myself busy, and now I don’t have a lot going on. It’s been an adjustment, and something I’ve been struggling with because I thrive off a busy stressful life. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. 

So, instead of sitting at home all day while my husband is at work, I decided to get off my lazy bum and do something about it, and I did.  I’m currently working two jobs…for free. Yes, for free. As a recent college graduate, you would think I would be on to bigger and better things. The reality of that is, it takes time. I firmly believe that if you want to be successful you have to pay your dues of hard work even if it means you only get paid in experience, like me. I know the experience I’m getting from my jobs will help me land a full-time paying job later on down the road. 

I’ve learned a lot about the real world the past month. Sometimes life is going to kick you down, but you have to pick yourself up and keep going. I refuse to give up until I’ve reached my goals. And speaking of goals, I’ve decided to set some goals for myself so I can have things to stress about and work towards. Here they are: 

~Get fully dressed even when I’m working from home (it's a struggle)

~Give each of my jobs everything I have as if my life depends on it

~Finally start training for a marathon

~Get involved in my community

~Find ways to serve other people besides myself

~Be an uplifting person

These are just a few goals that have been on my mind lately and things I’ve been wanting to take part in. Life has more meaning when you have something you are working towards. We are put on this earth for a reason. God doesn’t want us to run around idle. It can be hard to take that initial step towards achieving something, and if you agree then know that you’re not alone.  

Setting goals has helped me find joy in this new journey I’m on. I hope it helps you on whatever journey you’re on.

Mrs. Geek in the Pink

Say hello to the new Geek in the Pink, Mrs. Ebanks!

I can’t express, exactly, how great it feels to finally be married to my best friend! Our wedding day was full of rain, wind and cold weather, but all the love from our friends, family and each other made it the happiest day of my life. Everything was absolutely perfect!

Captured by: Alyson Sivek

Venue: Historic Dubsdread

Dress: Allure Bridal

Shoes: Audrey Brooke

Flowers: Roses, Garden Roses, Hydrangeas, Ranunculus

Days away from being a Mrs.

No big deal, but I’m getting married in 10 days. 10 DAYYYYSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, the longest engagement of the century is coming to an end. FINALLY! I’m so excited!!! 

It’s crazy to look back and see how far Justin and I have come. A year and a half ago I thought the wedding would never get here. Now, we’re just days away from the happiest day of our lives. Being engaged so long was not the easiest thing. I had tons of friends who got engaged after me and married before me. I was dying for my day to be here, but it always seemed so far away. Now, my turn is here and I couldn’t be happier. 

 

Justin and I managed to survive long distance, the stress of school and a military deployment. Cheers to love! Soon I’ll be Mrs. Justin Ebanks!

Cheers To A Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I know it’s 2 weeks late, but better late than never, right? This year is going to be the best year of my life because I’m GETTING MARRIED!!! I’ve been planning my dream wedding for almost a year and a half. So, needless to say, I’m ready for February 7 to get here! I can’t wait to share my special day with y’all!

I ended 2013 with a bang! I graduated college! Here are some pics from that crazy, cold, but awesome, day:

This chapter in my life has come to a close, and in 3 weeks another chapter will begin. I frequently look back on my life and love seeing how far I’ve come and reminiscing on all the experiences life has given me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the love and support of my friends and family. Love you all! xo

Graduation Countdown: What I will miss #2

#2 The BYU-Idaho Campus

It’s the day before graduation and I walked on campus for one of the last times. I went to pick up my cap and gown. There was so much excitement on campus as graduating seniors filtered through the MC to gather their graduation essentials. I realized today how much I am really going to miss this campus. The people here are so happy and friendly. If I was having a bad day, there was always someone to brighten my day with a smile. I’m going to miss the people, and the atmosphere on campus. I’m going to miss praying before every class and feeling the spirit of Ricks. BYU-Idaho is truly the Lord’s school. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be a BYU-Idaho student. 

As graduation nears, I find myself saying goodbye to so many great friends. Tears and emotions are flowing rapidly through me. This campus and the people walking through it every day have shaped me into the person you see today. I want to personally thank everyone I have ever met here. You have had a significant impact on my life and forever will.