You are BEAUTIFUL.

This is a message to all the girls out there, young and old.

Just in case you didn't know this about yourself...you are beautiful.  Yes, you, reading this right now. Why is it that when people tell us this, we either find it surprising, or we assume they're just saying that either out of kindness or because they're biased?  Could it be possible that it is a truth--that we are all beautiful? To answer simply, yes.
 
No two people look exactly the same.  No matter how hard you try, you'll never look exactly like someone else.  There's a reason for that--we're created differently on purpose, so embrace it!  You are unique, just like every other girl out there.  And that is a really cool thing, actually.  

Your friends will love you no matter what you look like.  And honestly, if you're happy with how you look and are comfortable in your own skin, it gives you greater confidence and that makes for better relationships.  Most people think they have to look nice all the time, but true friends can look like a hot mess around each other and no one cares.  Heck, if you have friends like mine, they may even tease you (lovingly) when you do put effort into how you look!  The point is, great friends think you are beautiful no matter what, and they're right.  You are.

Your future husband is going to LOVE the way you look.  Just the way you are.  No add-ins, no take-outs.  Your size, height, hair and eye color--all of it, he'll love.  My sister once told me that a girl's future husband is going to be designed to love her the way she is naturally.  God has created that guy to love everything about you, including what you look like.  So don't try to cover up who you are with layers of masks and makeup.  (Besides, the more makeup you wear, the more your face will break out anyway.  And guys like natural beauty anyway!)

God doesn't make mistakes.  If God wanted you to have a different hair color, a smaller or larger waist, or different eyebrows, He'd have made you with those.  Now, I'm not opposed to putting effort into looking nice--I put on mascara most days, and have no problems with experimenting and having fun with hair colors!  But it's important that we know that our beauty doesn't come from how much makeup we use or how "put together" and "fashionable" we stay.  God created us beautiful naturally, and when you embrace it, it shows.  Many girls who go without makeup find that they feel stronger and more confident in their own skin--they also have been known to get more compliments on their beauty because others can see they are okay with how they look!

Would you want to change the way your best friend looks?  Odds are, you love her freckles and dimples, her eye color and her cool/crazy hair.  You want her to know that she's beautiful inside and out!  It works both ways--so are you.  Really, you are.

You are beautiful.

5 things NOT to do if you want to ask out a girl!

Boys--believe it or not, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about asking out a girl.  In a collaboration by Emma and Laurel, here are things you should NOT do if you want to ask a girl out.  Do not...

1)  Send her anonymous gifts. 
You're thinking, "Hey, she likes flowers!  I'll send her flowers.  But I'll keep it anonymous."  The girl is thinking, "Uhmm, some random person sent me flowers and I have no clue who...that's creepy... Is this a serial killer signal? Do I need to hire body guards?" Gifts are cool, but just put your name on the dang tag. Actually, having said that, if we don't know you well, that's going to be creepy whether it's anonymous or not... So rephrase to, only send her a gift if you know her pretty well and are going somewhere with it.
Key tip: Hopefully you know her well enough to be aware of what her love languages are, because for some people who aren't super huge gift people *ahem both of us,* asking her out by giving her something will just freak her out in general.  She may not even like gifts, unless it's Christmas or a birthday or something. And on the opposite side of the spectrum, there are those girls who are just plain gold diggers who will only stick around because you gave them a gift. Bottom line-- tread softly with gifts.

2) Pour out your soul to her.
This is something that, while we love to grow in deeper relationships with people, you should really save until after you two are dating. Opening up with someone by telling them everything you feel about them is kind of a big deal. I mean, it takes a lot of guts to open up such personal information to somebody, so pouring out your soul (in conversation, in an email, in a letter, etc.) is ultimately a way of trusting part of your heart to someone. Unfortunately, if you're not dating, she might not be ready to be put in such an intimate situation. Once you tell someone every lingering detail of how you feel about them, there's no turning back, and it's a lot of pressure to figure out how to deal with the information, even if she likes you back. If you're asking her out or letting her know you view her as more than a friend, just tell her those facts and leave it at that. If the feeling is mutual and you end up in a relationship, then and only then can you proceed and give more details about "the longing of your soul," and whatever else you have to say that would otherwise sound creepy.

3) Talk to her via electronics when you don't know her well.
This sounds a bit weird; most people talk via texting, facebook, or other social media nowadays.  But to a girl, if you're consistently trying to talk to her online when she hardly knows you in person, it'll freak her out.  When you want to get to know her better, try doing so through face-to-face communication. Then, once you have a pretty basic friendship (i.e. you know the basis of her family, education/work, living situation, and vice versa) it probably wouldn't be creepy to go for electronic conversation, but even then, don't be that person that texts her every waking moment. And a key tip: if you keep sending messages, and she doesn't respond, it's because she doesn't want to-- you probably need to keep working on that "getting-to-know-you-in-person" thing.  Also, keep in mind that if she wants to talk to you, she will.  You don't have to force a conversation. 

4) Talk about her to everyone you know (except her)!
Okay, this is a major NO.  Seriously, guys.  If you like a girl, you're free and welcome to tell her.  The worst she'll say is that she's not interested in you in that way, and if you really care about each other otherwise, you can still be friends.  When you talk to everybody who'll listen and tell the whole world you are in love with this girl but never even tell her this information, it's going to send her running for the hills! It's almost like that "pouring-of-your-soul" incident--in her mind, you went from "Wow! I'm so happy I have this great friend," to "Oh my gosh, he was planning to have my children!!" in 0-3 seconds. It can come off almost predatory at this time because it seems like you've had intentions for her that everyone else knew about and expected, but she had no say in the matter. Also, girls can get offended that you are essentially sharing this deep information with everyone except her.  Uh, hello?  Is there a reason you told some random guy you're in love with me while keeping me in the dark?  Just keep your feelings of love between you and your best bros, rather than everyone you know...

5) Call it "hanging out." 
If you want to hang out, cool!  Girls will, in their minds, see it as just that.  Two friends hanging out, nothing going on between you.  If you want to ask her out, ask her out.  On a date.  Don't think we're joking when we say this. We have both experienced this for ourselves, and it just doesn't end well... ever! In this day and age where it is socially acceptable for girls and guys to be "just friends" (supposedly), even if we're attracted to you, we will see you as a friend until you mention otherwise, and all friends "hang out." So if we're just friends, let's "hang out," but if this is something more in your mind, you. must. call. it. a. date. And don't try to find loopholes by saying,  "Fine, I'll ask her to 'chill' instead," there are no loopholes, and you're deceiving yourself if you think you can find one. Don't be afraid to ask; it'll mean less confusion and better communication, which is a big plus for girls.

To the ladies out there...did we miss anything? What things should guys not do if they are interested in asking you out?

It was one of those days

We all have those days...The ones where, despite the normalcy of life, you can just tell there's something different.  Thursday, of all days, things are different.  And it was a beautiful day.  Here are some ways in which that day, whether in the tiniest things or huge things, I saw God in a big way.

1)  The sunrise.  The sunrise was like every other, I'm sure, because the sun rose from the east right when it should have.  Unlike most school days, I ended up waking up long before I intended to and was out the door 15 minutes early.  Because of this, I got to actually see the sunrise while driving.  It was beautiful.  Though I could've been complaining about how tired I was, I chose to look at how gorgeous that orange sun looked as it began to rise above the horizon.

2) My math grade.  I do not like math, and math does not like me.  I do alright, but I never do spectacularly well.  When my test score was handed back to me, I nearly cried.  (Don't judge)  I got a 98.  For me, that's unheard of.  Especially considering the fact that it's an 8am math class!  I knew immediately, looking at the score, that one big reason I did well was that in addition to studying (as I always do), this time around I was constantly praying and lifting up my concerns to God.  He heard me.  It may sound like a trivial thing, but He definitely heard me!

3) Daily Bible Verse.  I have an app on my iPod that sends out a daily Bible verse.  Thursday's was so awesome...and this one takes a bit more explaining.

For the last month or two, I've been praying something that sounds a bit odd, and perhaps it is.  But I've had a burden for it and I know it's what I need to talk to God about.  I've been praying for ISIS--specifically, that one man in that group to come to know Christ and give his life to God.  One man who can experience how powerful Jesus' love for him is, and who wants to radically change.  Others in the weekly prayer group I'm part of have joined in on this, and every week we lift up this man to the Lord.

Sometimes it almost feels like there's no way God's hearing this weird prayer...well, the other day, my friend texted me and asked that we spend the day constantly in prayer about this.  She said she felt that something--she didn't know what--was going on or going to happen.  I passed this on to several others and they also joined us in prayer for this one man, whoever he is.  We may never know the outcome of our prayers for him, but we have been diligent in praying for him.

Thursday's Bible verse came right after I finished praying silently for the man in ISIS again.  Literally, like right after.  It was Psalm 28:6-8.  The perfect verse I needed to see: God hears our petitions!  We can rejoice.  We can thank Him for all He's done.  He is a stronghold of salvation!

4) The value of life.  There's been a lot of talk lately about a woman with Stage 4 cancer who moved from California to Oregon so that she would be allowed to end her own life.  I read in the news today that she has decided to rethink the idea of ending her own life--now, I certainly can't identify with her struggles, but it brings me so much joy to hear that she's choosing LIFE instead of death!  Even if it's just for today, that's a small change of the heart.  I rejoiced so much when I read that headline.  I continue to pray for her and her family; not just for healing, but for a beautiful relationship with Christ to come from her suffering and for her testimony to be a powerful one that can reach a lost culture.

Even though on Thursday I saw in unique ways how powerful and how closely involved in my life He is, it was also a great reminder that every day is like Thursday.  I just don't see it all the time!  God is moving--not just in my life, but also in yours.

November, here I come!

We college students are halfway through the semester (give or take a week) at this point.  I have officially hit that oh-so-familiar wall and I really do not have motivation to get schoolwork done right now.  I realized, however, that my schoolwork is reflecting my creativity as a whole.  It seems that lately, I have not had time to write much.  Piano is something I have been doing less often (though I still work at it every day, in some sort).  The creative juices, so to speak, aren't really flowing all that much at the moment.

So I have decided to do some crazy things that just might work!  Granted, they may go horribly wrong and I may regret getting myself into them.  I often take on too much and realize it later on.  However, I want to give 'em a try, so I'm going to!

This year, I am signing up for NaNoWriMo.  50,000 words in 30 days?  Psh, that'll be easy...right?  But wait, there's more.

I'm also signed up for GrammoWriMo.  This is Grammarly's attempt to break a world record, and I'll be helping out with writing a group novel...I have no problems doing this one because each person is only supposed to write around 800 words.  Easy stuff. 

And then there's a monthly worship "jam session," as we like to call it, that I'll be starting/heading up for a while.  My team wants a chance to play around, learn new things, and get to know each other more.  And there are a lot of people who aren't on the team who would like to be able to worship together; we want to come together as a group and have a fun time working on stuff.  It'll take a few extra hours of homework time, but will it be worth it?  I certainly think so.

Because I have decided to attempt a half marathon in the spring, I will also be starting to go jogging quite often.  This may not sound "creative" per say, but I have found that when I go for a jog, I tend to spend the rest of the day happier, more energetic, and I have more creative ideas floating around in my mind.

Oh, and also, Emma and I are officially launching our photography business.  We already have some clients all lined up and ready to go.

November will be a month of creativity for me!  I'm quite nervous, but very excited.  Anyone else getting ready to try new things next month?  "November resolutions," anyone?

The Wonders of Words

I posted this story on Facebook a long time ago, but thought it might be a good idea to send this out to some of you who I don't know personally... Enjoy!

         One of my fondest memories takes place on a very special Friday a few years ago. Some like to call this day "The Day of Extreme Shopping," others might title it, "Capitalism at its Finest," and yet, to most Americans this day is known as Black Friday.
         It was around 6 am when I was sitting on a bench at the mall, a good distance outside a department store where my mom and her friend were looking for the latest thing-a-ma-bob. I was so tired after a full night of shopping and I wasn't necessarily looking "my best" (whatever that means). I was in serious do-or-die-shopping-mode that night, which meant I didn't have time to worry about makeup getting smudged, hair getting in my way, or unnecessary accessories clanking around... in other words, as said by the famed artist, Drake, "Sweat pants, hair tied, Chillin' wit no makeup on."
I didn't really care, and considering my particularly hangry mood, it was nice that the part of the mall near my bench was pretty deserted. I was just about to fall asleep on that bench when I noticed two young men walking past me. However, it wasn't their walking that got my attention, rather, it was the fact that one of the guys stopped in his tracks and stared right at me, while the other kept on his way.

      "Oh come on. Not now, let's go," the fast-paced man said to the deer in the head lights.

      "Nah nah, hold on," The frozen man replied with a laughing smile across his face.

     "Oh no," I thought. "I do not want to deal with this right now. Can't he tell that I am tired beyond belief? I would think that anyone within a 500 ft. radius would be able to tell considering the insanity that is the bags under my eyes. Doesn't anything about my body language cry, LEAVE ME ALONE, I'D RATHER NOT DEAL WITH YOU RIGHT NOW?!?!?!??"

As I scrambled my thoughts, trying to think of a good way to kindly & firmly reject this guy, he walked closer, and closer, and then he did the unthinkable-- He sat down on the bench, right next to me!

"WHAT KIND OF WORLD IS THIS?" I thought. As I smiled at him and tried my hardest to remember the number for the rejection hotline, he said something I never expected, and something I'll never forget.

The man said, "You are beautiful. Really, you are beautiful, and no matter what anyone says, don't ever forget that, okay?"

Blank. That's what my mind was... blank.

I had no idea what to say to this stranger. Eventually, I croaked out a, "Thank... you,"
But he was already starting to leave as I was thanking him. And that was all.

       Even more quickly than he came, he left, and I never saw him again. I felt like I should have done more, I felt like I should have chased him down, but then what would I do? Just say 'thank you' again? I didn't know. I contemplated the event for the rest of the day simply wondering, "What compelled him to do that?"
      Whether it was the look in his eyes or the tone in his voice, I couldn't tell you, but I knew that he was being completely genuine-- more genuine than I'd ever seen anyone be. In this moment, I knew that he wasn't trying to get anything from me or use this as a moment to dance around some underlying intentions. He simply noticed something, and wanted to make sure I understood what he was seeing.

Photo by Emma Bailey

   
  I don't remember this moment all the time. But every once in a while, it pops into my brain and I smile at the recollection. That man will probably never know the affect that he had on my life, and perhaps I never will either, but I can say that the one simple comment I received from a stranger that day, really did change my life (even if it was years later that I realized it) and here is why:
   

I don't think that words alone can solve many of the world's problems, but I do think that words alone have caused many of the world's problems. I think many problems are caused by the fact that too many people don't say exactly what's on their mind, and too many people say exactly what's on their mind too often.



       I don't know about you, but I think a lot of positive thoughts about people that I believe I should express more often. In fact, on a daily basis I might recognize one person's beautiful eyes, another person's great work ethic, and many people who are thoughtful, interesting, pleasant to be around, and kind. In that same day, I might not mention any of those things to any one of those people.

That's sad.

      In fact, it's a tragedy that many people aren't willing (or don't think) to point outEspecially when at home, on the street, in friend groups, and at school people are hearing that they're ugly, unworthy, no-good, and useless.

Photo by Emma Bailey; Model, Kaylin Rutkowski

points of others' beauty on a daily basis. We let it come from songs and media that emphasize the importance of "being yourself," letting, "your true colors shine," and showing those, "freckles, dimples, true eye colors, etc." and while these are all good things, the messages we hear in the media can only take us so far.
       Not to mention, there are the too many of us that are these very people in our homes, our schools, with our friends and on the street reinforcing each others' failures and flaws (in our minds & out-loud). It's not even that our negativity isn't true, because sometimes negative statements are true, but more often than not, it's just not necessary to point out the negativity.
      Most people don't need to be reminded of their failures-- they're keenly aware of them, but the same people might not ever realize they've even had any successes. Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime, and then committed suicide. I wonder what would have happened if someone told him he was a great artist... Or even if they simply mentioned that they loved his passion for art, regardless of their thoughts on the piece's quality.
      All this to say, thank you, random man, for saying something really nice to me when my hope for humanity was at a low point. From that moment, I've realized that one of life's greatest adventures is the ability to make someone's day every day. From that simple experience, I've learned that the world would be a better place if everyone had the courage to approach other people and give them genuine and specific compliments.

Live Loved,
        Emma

This one's for the girls

Photo by Laurel Burlew

Dear single girls waiting for the right guy to come along,

Let's stop wasting our time and searching for the wrong type of attention.  How about instead, we actually start doing what we say we're doing--waiting?  How about we stop advertising our singleness and stop chasing after guys?  How about we stop treating guys like eye-candy and start treating them with the same respect we say we want?  Can we stop missionary dating or settling for a guy who isn't passionate about God?  Can we do that?  Great.  Let's get started.

Photo by Laurel Burlew

First off!  Did y'all know that there's a difference between saying "I'm waiting for such and such" and actually waiting?  It's true.  This isn't just the case with relationships; it's true in many areas of life.  Waiting means having patience, and that word literally means "long suffering."  Basically, patience sometimes means suffering for a long time.  If you're at the point in life when you're waiting for the right guy, it's important to actually wait.  When we feel the desire to have a Godly relationship but it just hasn't happened yet, it can be easy to start searching (even if you don't admit it or tell anyone that you're searching).  We take our eyes off the main goal--loving Christ and making Him known--and instead we spend our time constantly thinking about this guy or that.  Dropping hints.  Pursuing them.  Gettin' a little to friendly.  One guy today, another tomorrow.  It's time for a break!

Photo by Laurel Burlew

Secondly...If you're single, cool.  If you're in a relationship, cool.  Both are stages of our lives and we won't ever be completely happy or have a perfect life in either case.  If you're single and lovin' it, then there's really no need to constantly post on social media about how content you are and how you are just loving your life--go out there, live it!  Be an example to the rest of us by living a life on fire for God.  If you're content with where you are, wherever that is, don't be concerned about telling people.  When we see a woman like you living that content life happily and wonderfully, we'll notice.  It'll inspire us to do the same.

Photo by Laurel Burlew

Third, respect.  We all want to be respected, especially by guys, but girls in this culture have one big issue: we don't respect men!  Man Crush Mondays when we drool over celebrities.  Posting pictures of celebrities all over social media.  Creating secret boards devoted to pictures of hotties.  Talking about how hot this guy is and how gorgeous that one is.  Think about it this way: if a guy in your life were to always be posting about, posting photos of, and talking about how "hot" a female celebrity is, would you respect him?  Probably not a whole lot.  Like me, you might even get a little offended.  It's a two-way street, ladies!  If we want respect from others, we need to give respect to others.  So, please, for your sake and for the sake of everyone who you are associated with on social media, stop posting about guys.

Photo by Laurel Burlew

Finally and MOST IMPORTANTLY!  A man whose heart is not after God's should not be after yours.  Remember in the Bible, where we're told not to be "unequally yoked" to non-believers (2 Corinthians 6:14)?  It's really, really good advice to follow.  When your main goal in life is to follow God and a guy's main goal in life does not match up with that, a lot of things are going to go wrong. Commonly known as 'missionary dating,' girls tend to meet guys who are nice, per say, but not Christians...and we think if we date them, they'll become believers.  Maybe he'll change.  Maybe he'll realize how awesome God is!  However, it's a lot easier to be pulled down into the mess of the world than to bring someone up from it.  Relationships with non-believers really aren't a good idea.  God has someone in mind who is going to love Him in a way that will make your relationship 100 times more amazing than it could be if you date a non-Christian.  So, please, wait for that guy! 

Ladies, y'all are awesome.  I love my sisters in Christ!  And I know it'll be a challenging road, but it will be oh so worth it.  Take heart, ladies!  You are not alone.  None of us--no matter what we're going through in life, no matter what we're facing--are ever alone. 

Bursting with creativity

When we started this blog, one of the purposes was the expression of creativity.  Going back to our "dreamers and doers" post, we basically said that we want to be both.  Dream big, fantastical dreams and turn them into reality.  Since the beginning of this blogging journey, creativity has become something much more to me than it was before.

Photo by Laurel Burlew

The imaginative world is all around us--yet sometimes, we don't see it.  Our creative senses are dulled by the pull of the practical world.  Hurry from point A to point B; get x, y, and z done now; apply for this job; work hard; stay up late studying.  None of these things are wrong or bad.  As a college student, I am in those places right now.  But it's important to take some time out of our daily stress-filled lives and focus on the creative side of life.

The great thing about creativity is that you can never run out.  The more you use, the more it comes to life inside of you.  One idea leads to five new ideas, which all lead to abundantly more ideas.  And when these ideas come to life, beautiful things happen.  We are all creative people!  Yes, even the left-brained people.  Y'all are creative too!  Don't let anything hold you back from making your dreams become realities. 

Photo by Laurel Burlew

Since we started the blog, I have made it my goal to do at least one creative thing every day.  Some days I feel more accomplished than others, but looking back I have found that my goal has been reached.  On the days when I have a plethora of time, I write.  When I do not have adequate time for that task, I read.  (Yes, this is creative!)  During prime photo-taking seasons, I photograph.  Though I am not talented at it, I doodle and draw while in school.  And maybe once a week, I Instagram--yes, this is creative!  Then there's playing piano, listening to music, and creating music.  (Basically anything music-related)  The list goes on and on, as I'm sure you know. 

As I compiled a list of the creative things I have been doing on a day-to-day basis, I became even more excited about living a creative life.  The world is full of life and adventure--why not find new ways to be part of it?