So thankful.

     My Thanksgiving post is belated because I've spent the past few days at my sweet college friend K's house with her family. Plane tickets to Maine are expensive and since I spent fall break at home I had to stay down south for Thanksgiving. It's been a lovely week filled with sleeping in, watching movies, shopping and fellowship. K's family has made me feel part of the family, and for that I am so grateful. :-)

      I did want to do a brief post though expressing my gratitude for some important things in my life. And I'm not just doing this post because I feel that it's a blogger's duty to do the annual good ol' Thanksgiving post. I'm writing this because God has blessed me immensely and being at college has made me realize that.

     I'm thankful for:

• My parents: I'm an only child so I've always been close to both of my parents. I didn't always appreciate them when I was younger and during my high school years I frequently complained to everyone at school about how I thought they were too strict, or too hard on me, or too unfair, etc. Now that I'm living 1000 miles away from them I realize how wrong I was. They weren't too strict at all- what they were was being good parents. My mom especially instilled in me how important Christian values are. Yes, back in the day I may have held grudges against them for not letting me wear a ton of make-up at 14 or let me get my license the day I turned 16, but now I realize that this was all for the better. They put up with me through all of the moodiness that came with being a teenager, and still put up with me now (via the phone). ;-) Seriously though, they're the best. They're the most caring parents ever, and they go out of their way for me all of the time. Even while I'm at school I know that they're always a phone call or e-mail away. 
• My college: The school that I attend in North Carolina is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have grown so much in my faith since coming to college, and also gained much educational knowledge. I'm thankful that I like (most) of my professors, and that the things that I'm learning at school will help me in the real world someday. I'm so blessed that my college had a radio station that I'm able to volunteer at, even just being a first semester freshman. Having college radio experience on my resume will help me with finding a job after graduation. I love going to a Christian college. Attending the weekly student-lead chapel services and belonging to a girls' bible study group is awesome. But most of all I'm thankful to get to go to school in such a safe and friendly place. The climate of my college is totally the opposite of that of my high school. Seriously, everyone is so nice and approachable. That brings me to my next topic:
• My college friends: Being a Christian girl with morals in a public high school wasn't the easiest thing in the world, and it took me a long time to find good friends in high school. So I definitely wasn't expecting to make friends in college so quickly! All of you guys are so different, unique and beautiful people in your own ways, and I love you all the more from it. Some of you I met on our class Facebook page last spring before school started, some of you I met at orientation in July, some of you during the events the first week of school, some of you through my classes and some I just meet (and often those are the best friendship stories!). There's honestly too many of you to list here but y'all know who you are! I know that we will be friends for life, and I can't wait to see where our lives take us. And shout-out to M and B who are the ones that usually take my pictures for fashion posts on this blog!
• My best friends from high school: There's far fewer in number of you then my college friends, but I'm grateful for y'all just the same. It may have taken me 3 years to find you guys, but you taught me what true friends look like. I may be the "different" one among you guys, but you love me for who I am. We had some amazing memories during my senior year that I'll never forget. I can't wait to see you guys in a few weeks over December break! Always stay in touch, your Facebook chats, texts and skype calls make my day.
• Bloggers that inspire: Elle, Julianne and Emily, you three ladies have blogs that never cease to encourage and bless me. You all write the best posts; sometimes the make me laugh until I cry, sometimes they warm my heart, and sometimes they make me truly think about my relationship with God. I hope that someday I can meet each of you in person, and be able to call you a friend outside of just the blogging world. :-)
• God: Lord, you have blessed me with so much. This little list that I've made doesn't even begin to cover it. Going to college has opened my eyes wide as to how great You are and how lucky I truly am. I hope that I continue to grow in my faith over the next few years and stay true to my faith. Use me to be a light to others. 

     And a few other important things:

•  Netflix (An easily distracted college student's dream)
• Bojangles, Chick Fil A and Cookout- aka the best fast food in the world. I don't know how I survived for almost 18 years without these amazing eateries. 
• Vera Bradley- because everything that company makes is adorable. And for going to a college where almost all my girlfriends share my love of Vera!
• Spotify- I mean who doesn't want to subscribe to my awesome playlists that sample the best Christian, country and late 90s/early 2000s pop songs?! 
• Cheaper gas in South Carolina 
• The generous amount of Mexican restaurants that are fairly close to my college.
• The fact that many of my college friends are interested to hear about what life is like in Maine and enjoy my stories (strange since I don't find Maine to be a very exciting place).

     What are you thankful for?

     "...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV

xoxo Miss ALK