graduation at the institute

 This is SUCH a bittersweet post! Ben & I are finally GRADUATED from the Kanakuk Institute, but are so sad that a great year is over! Hopefully past post like this one, and this one help you understand a fraction of what we have learned this year. God has blessed us so much with great friends, great ministries, and a greater knowledge of scripture as a result of this year. We are SO thankful.

 Here are Ben & I as we are getting ready for the Graduation ceremony to begin!

 I got to help sing in worship!

Ben's sweet parents came too!

 Scott is one of our awesome friends who also graduated from College of the Ozarks with us. So thankful to have spent another year with him!

Andrea was one of my bestest friends this past year. We were able to lead a small group together with K-Life & became dear friends. 

 You may be wondering why I post so many pictures of my "Timothy Group", but they were one of the sweetest parts of my year. We got to know each other so well & had so many great memories together! Here we had just given Lauren (center with frame) our gift for leading us so well. 

Thanks for a great year!

crafts at the foltzs

Marisa & I were joking that it seems like EVERY time I come down to visit we do some sort of craft project. Well, this visit confirmed that... x3! We had the greatest time crafting together (and even with a friend one night) & our sisterhood bond is so greatly unified under creating things together. We averaged about a craft a day during my fun visit here.

Project #1:
This project was a super easy, but turned out so fun! There is a new (...to me!) antique/gifts store in Fayetteville, AR that has the most anthro-ish products. I LOVE this milk/jar carrier that is so vintage! Marisa has been wanting a simple centerpiece for her table for the longest time & was so excited with the results! I love her creative fabric toppers on her mason jars & coffee beans on the inside of the jars.

Project #2: 
Flower headbands! These are my new FAV!!! Marisa is convincing me to open up a etsy shop and start selling them- I would love to do that, but still need a tad more confidence... :) They were so simple & really fun to make. I love making my nieces pretty things to wear, especially when the next day they love trying all of them on & look so cute!

 Project #3:
This last project super, super easy & perfect for organizing small objects. In our case it was little girl hair accessories. Marisa got these super tiny mason jars at TJ Maxx & I applied the little circle labels out of craft paper, tape & (first time use of) modge podge. I'm thinking about tying some cute ribbons around them to add ample cuteness. :)

I just LOVE coming down to visit the Foltzs & am so, so, so thankful for their sweet hospitality whenever I come down. Even though my parents still live halfway around the world in Chiang Mai, Thailand- I still have a home in America... and that home is filled with two loving parents & FOUR growing kiddos.

Camping with the Institute

Mid-week into our last week at the Institute we went camping! It was such a great time to enjoy the great outdoors & savor sweet friendships in our last days together. We truly made great memories together.

Ben took the top off his jeep and we enjoyed the 2 hour drive through the beautiful countryside of Arkansas.

 Brittany & I rode together during the last segment of the trip & had a blast. Brittany is such a great friend & I love her ability to have wherever & whenever!

Once we got to our destination, we hiked a few miles to this b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. scenic view. This cliff is miraculously suspended over a massive valley. Amazing!

 Gotta love this stud. :)

 Lauren and Andrea (closest friends) were my hiking buddies. I treasure these amazing girls & couldn't imagine the year without them! 

I also couldn't imagine the year without this hottie either. I love him SO much & am so thankful for being able to begin our marriage at the Kanakuk Institute. We are so blessed to be rooted in the same teachings of scripture & have grown so much this past seven months. So excited for our next adventure... together!

Dinner & Dancing at the Institute

Our last week at the Institute was kicked off to a great start due to our dinner & dancing event hosted by the Institute. It was such a great time getting dressed up & spending time with everyone. The Institute staff all served us great food & there was dancing afterwards.

Here are most of the Institute Girls. So blessed by them all!!

 The Seilers :)

My SWEET suite mates & roommate before I switched to living with my hubs. Autumn, Leesa Marie, and Tanya.

 Autumn and Brittany were such a blessing to know this year. LOVE you girls!

Our Timothy Group all together. Such great memories! Missing our fearless leader though :(

Weekend

Ben & I are enjoying some R & R this weekend with some friends from the Institute.
We are OFFICIALLY graduated & ready for this next phase of life, but it's still sad saying goodbye :(
Hoping that your weekend is memorable & full of great times with friends!
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enjoying a memorable moment

Well, tonight is the second to last night of the Institute. Right now I am sitting back enjoying watching the friends I have come to know & love over the past 7 months "kick it out" on the soccer field.
Ben & I's room is mostly packed up & the reality of this year being over is setting in. We have had such a great year & tomorrow will most likely be a sad, yet sweet day. I am really looking forward to our graduation & the closure it hopefully will bring.
We just got back from our camping trip where we had the greatest time being in the outdoors (minus the rough night's sleep). I am LOVING this weather & so thankful for the sunshine!!
I have tons of blogging in pictures to catch up on, but will enjoy these friendships while they are still here.

Elephant Art

I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these elephant paintings from my hometown in Thailand! "Things called Art" is one of my favorite stores in Chiang Mai & I always step out of the store with tons of their art displayed on cards & postcards.
Right now I wish that my sisters and I could be in Thailand right now all shopping together like the good ol' days :)
I hope you enjoy these beautiful works of art! :)
http://www.tca-artstudio.com/product.php?type=painting

Optimism

http://bitznpieces.tumblr.com/

Life as of late

Well, life here at the Kanakuk Institute has been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! This is our second to last week of enjoying life with these dear friends & the Institute has kept us crazy busy!
Ben and I both presented our final project this morning & now feel so relieved. Our Belief Statement gave us a run for our money- its basically the cumulative project from the whole year. The purpose of the project is to prepare us to be able to articulate ourselves with scriptural support when faced with hard questions.
We also have been spending a great deal of time outside lately getting ready for Kanakuk's family kamp to find it's home here after we leave. I just LOVE being outside in this amazing weather! :)
Next week our schedules will be jam packed with Institute festivities & Ben & I can hardly wait! Camping, dancing, picnics, & graduation! Can hardly believe this year is almost... over... :(
Here is a picture of me sporting all my floral prints before my belief statement presentation! :)

baby showers at the institute

It's baby season at the Institute! We just had a baby shower celebrating TWO pregnancies!! One of our own just entered her 2nd trimester (Institute-made baby:) & the other just had their second baby this Friday evening!

Here is the great medley of treats at the shower!

We played a fun game where we guessed the sex, date, & baby name. I hope their husbands enjoyed our silly suggestions. Mine were "Kasey" for KC & Bissy's little girl, and "Ca'Joshua" for Cate and Josh's little one :)

Our hostess also provided these itty-bitty diapers for us to write notes on for those "late night" changing/nursing times. It was so fun to write a note of encouragement to the sweet Mom-to-bes.

Bissy & I a week before her delivery! Check out the Cook's blog for pictures of little Joely Elizabeth. Just precious.

On the baby note, Ben & I are enjoying time together living the single life. Although having kids is a definite desire, we are loving where we are at in life right now.

But.... I am so excited to have a "Mom" blog someday... I hope our kids are cute :)

Ben & I at the Landing

Enjoying the WARM weather at the Branson Landing & looking for birthday presents for the hubs :)