Sophomore Year... CHECK!

And just like that, sophomore year has come to a close! I am still in disbelief that I'm a junior in college! This year has taught me so much about myself, my life, and my Jesus, and I am so thankful for every lesson learned. I am stoked to see what God has planned for me in my last two years of college (WHAT)! 

As a short and sweet way to reminisce, here is a photo timeline of my sophomore year:

August:
Celebrated Lauren's 18th birthday and visited with my sissy!

September:
Chopped my hair off, went to hockey games with my friends, and found out I was having a niece!

                              

October:
Did the Overflow Scavenger Hunt with my small group, celebrated my nana's 75 birthday, went to the Apologetics Conference, helped with my best friend's baby shower, and met Little Miss Kohen Lea!

November: 

Threw my sister's baby shower with my sister and mom, celebrated my sister's 21st birthday, had a photo shoot with sweet friends, and welcomed my beautiful goddaughter, Sophia Lorraine, into the world!

            

December: 

Had a fun, Christmas photo shoot with Al, finished first semester of sophomore year, and celebrated Christmas with my family and Al's family!

January: 

Celebrated my sweet friend, Abbey's birthday, continued to watch my Sophia grow, attended my lifelong best friend's first bridal shower, and welcomed my sweet niece, Lorelei MaGee, into the world!

February:
Celebrated my dear friend, Cassie's, 21st birthday, loved on Al for Valentine's Day, got to really spend time with Al's baby cousin, Lucas Avery, for the first time, attended my lifelong friend's 2nd bridal shower, and went bridesmaids dress shopping with my Alex!

         

March:
Had spring break vacation in Charleston with Al and got to visit with my Lilly, celebrated my little bug's 4 months of life, celebrated my 20 years of life, and got to love on Lucas some more!

    

April: 

Celebrated Easter with Al, celebrated one of my favorite people, Shayla's, 21st birthday, celebrated my roomie, Brittany Rue's, 21st birthday, and attended my sweet friend, Lilly's, spring dance concert with my college bff!

     

May:

I am currently celebrating being DONE with my sophomore year and am waiting for my grades to come in! I am also excited for all the summer shenanigans that are bound to happen! 

Thank you all for reading and seeing a snapshot of my life this year! I'm thankful to God for it all! May He bless you all this summer season! 

Xoxo, 

Morgan

Roaring Twenties!

Hey readers! As of last Saturday, I am officially two decades old! It is funny to think about life in those terms because when I started the last decade I was in, I was only a fifth grader. Now, I'm a sophomore in college, and time is flying by. I wanted to share with y'all some reasons why I am so excited for my twenties! While I'm going to write about some events I'm excited for in this season of my life, I am also so expectant of the things God is going to do in my life and my heart over the next ten years! 

Five Reasons Why I'm Stoked for My Twenties:

1) I will, Lord-willing, graduate from college at some point in my twenties.
            Graduating from college will be one of the biggest accomplishments of my young adult life, and to say I'm ready for it is an understatement. I have had senioritis since my junior year of high school, and it just transferred over to college. While I am enjoying my time here in college, I am looking forward to being a graduate. It will be the start of a very exciting (and semi-scary) season of my life. It'll be the first time in my life that I won't be in school, which will definitely be a change. It will also be the first time in my life that I have a "real job" (because according to my dad, babysitting is not a real job). I am looking forward to the start of that season because I know it has so much sweetness and excitement to bring.

2) I plan to get married in my twenties.
            Okay, for anyone who knows me, this is no surprise. I have been planning my wedding to Al Rising since the day we started dating (hey, when you know, you know). While I obviously don't know when our engagement and wedding will happen, I know that it will be at some point in the span of the next ten years, and I am more excited than words can express. I am a strong supporter of marrying young - who would have ever thought the phrase "marrying young" would refer to your early twenties? I am especially steadfast in this when it comes to Al and me because we want a big family, and I'm not trying to have babies when I'm forty. Marriage is such a beautiful representation of the way Jesus loves us, and I can't wait to have a marriage that reflects Him.

3) I will be seeking a career that is fulfilling and brings me joy in my twenties.
            The last part of that sentence is the most important to me. I am seeking a career that will truly bring my joy. I am hopeful that God will place me exactly where He wants me. I have learned, this year more than any other, that money is not everything. Yes, it is awesome to have and everyone desires to have enough to be comfortable. However, it is not everything. And while I would love a career that would bring in lots of dough to support my family, I realize that I may not find that career when I first get out of college. I may not find that career for several years after college. I just know who holds me in His hand, and I am going to be fully reliant on Him to provide for me in times of need and in times of plenty. I have no clue what I want to do as a career after I graduate, but I do know that I am looking for a job that will make me happy over a job that will make me bookoos of money, but leave me miserable. I just keep reminding myself of Proverbs 19:21. 

4) I hope to have my first few kids in my twenties.
            As I stated above, Al and I want a big family. Since we began talking about a family, the number of kids we want has continued to grow. We both just have a heart for children, and we can't wait to have some of our own. My twenties are an exciting time because, Lord-willing, I will become a mom. Anyone who knows me knows that my dream in life is to be a mom. As many of my friends continue to tell me, I have a very mothering nature. I pretty much mother everyone around me. I can't wait to apply that characteristic to my own kiddos one day. I am probably most excited about this event in my twenties because it is my dream.

5) I plan to travel A LOT in my twenties.
             I have always heard that the best time to travel is when you're young, and I could not agree more. Before I have any babies, I would love to travel to some of my top-pick places, including Spain, Greece, France, the UK, Ireland, Australia, etc. I would also love to travel to more places in the United States. While I want my kids to be well-versed in traveling, I want them to be old enough to remember what they see. Therefore, I will be seeing as many sights as I can see until my kids are old enough for me to take them to see it all.

Bonus Reason

6) I want to serve people passionately in my twenties.
             This year, I have been learning a lot about what it means to serve people. I have been looking deeply into how Jesus served people and what that looks like today. I want God to instill in me a passionate servant's heart, so that people will come to know Him through what He does in me. I hope in my twenties, with all these changes that are bound to occur, that I will always remember to put others before myself. Even during times of excitement and transition in my life, I pray that God will always allow me to see others' needs as a priority. I'm saying it here on this blog: My word for my twenties is service. I pray my life lives up to that word.
          
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These are all plans that I have for my twenties, but I know that God's plan and purpose for my life is so much greater! I can't wait to see what He has in store for me during these next ten years. I am trusting Him to lead me where He wants me. 

Thank you all for reading!

-Morgan

Catching Up

Hello, my favorite readers! I wanted to take some time to catch you all up on the happenings of my life and foreshadow a few of the exciting things that are coming up in the next few months! 

I have had a busy, busy, busy semester so far! I think in my last life post I had just started my first day of second semester. If I remember correctly, I was being relatively optimistic about how this semester would go, how I would love all my classes, etc. Well to say that is the farthest thing from the truth would be an understatement. I do love kinda love my classes, but this semester has been kicking my butt. The first few weeks my motivation level went from a 10 to a 0 real fast. I've had to kick it into gear lately because, let's face it, I'm Morgan Wade and not doing my best is not an option for me. Things are beginning to look up, and there are only 70 days left of this semester, or 39 class days - however you want to look at it (Thank You, Jesus!). I'm discovering a lot about myself as a COM major, and I've been able to successfully narrow down the career fields I would like to go into based on my strong dislike for large groups. I'm thinking about a career that is heavily reliant upon interpersonal communication, which is still a plethera of options! Just say a prayer that God leads me where He wants me! 

As for other life things, I have gained two new babies in my life that I am absolutely smitten over. Al's cousin, Mallary, had her second baby boy, Lucas Avery, on January 22nd. I've been surrounded by girls all my life, so a boy is very refreshing to me. He is so handsome, and I can't wait to watch him grow up! Al and I have already decided he is going to be one of our ring bearers when we get married in a few years - safe to say we'll have the cutest ring bearers ever. If Lucas is anything like his brother, Drake, he will be a firecracker and his mama and daddy will have their hands full!

The other new baby in my life is one who is especially dear to my heart. On January 31st, my sister gave birth to my very first niece, Lorelei. I've been waiting for the day I would have a niece basically since forever. I had planned in my head what it would be like to see her for the first time and hold her for the first time. I had a picture of what she would look like since I found out she was a girl. However, when the moment actually came and all those pictures became a reality, it was nothing like I expected it to be. The first time I saw her, as well as saw my sister being a mom, a feeling that I had never felt in my entire life came over me. Kayla and I talked about it later on, and she got the same feeling. It was such a peace and an overwhelming amount of love. Honestly, my heart is so full of love for her that it could very well explode. I have wonderful aunts that I am very close to. I know how I feel about them, and it makes me tear up to think about the relationship that Lorelei and I will have. I can't wait to watch her grow and see everything she is going to accomplish. She is stunning, and I am so in love. I will be spending my first few days of spring break with them, and I can't wait! I haven't held that girl since she was a day old, and I can only imagine how big she's gotten in a month! I'm so proud of my sister and Harris, and I'm so excited to finally be Aunt Moe!

I've also been watching my goddaughter grow up before my eyes. I literally cannot believe how big she's gotten. Part of me wants time to slow down (as does her mama), and part of me is excited to see her grow. She is such a special part of my life, and the place she holds in my heart is one that only she could fill. I could write an entire post on just the things I love about my Sophia Lorraine, and it wouldn't even begin to cover it all. I truly love her with all my heart, and my relationship with her is one of the most important relationships in my life! 

Al and I celebrated our three and a half years, as well as our fourth Valentine's Day together, and both were perfect days! I think we've both realized that the longer we date, the less we care about what we do together as long as we're doing it together. 

We spent our three and a half years laying out on the hammock for most of the day because it was the only remotely warm day we've had all winter. It's hard to believe we've been together for this long. Sometimes I feel like we just started dating yesterday. All I know is just when I think I can't love him any more than I already do, he does something to prove me wrong. 

For Valentine's Day, we just went down to the mall and shopped for a little bit, had an early dinner at Olive Garden, got home by 6:00, shared an Oreo pie, and watched Bridesmaids together. It was simple, and that's just the way I like it. I'm so lucky to have this guy as my forever Valentine. I love doing life with him! 

We'll also be taking our second vacation together the last part of my spring break, and I literally can't wait! Stay tuned for the Spring Break post that is to come!

One of the most exciting things that is happening in my life is that my best friend since second grade is getting married in May! Mine and Alex's friendship has always been one that I've treasured. We knew from a young age that a friendship like ours was one-of-a-kind, and we've both always held it close to our hearts. Alex is one of the most beautiful people I know, inside and out, and I'm lucky to be able to call her one of my best friends. I am SO excited that she has asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. I'm truly honored that I get to stand with her on her big day! We've been having some fun with wedding/bridal showers, as well as working on ceremony and reception details! This weekend we're going bridesmaids dress shopping, and I'm sure that will be an interesting and fun experience! I'm so enjoying helping her with the little things, and I'm soaking this time up because I know it won't happen again until it's my turn to get married! I love my Alex Wickel (almost Moss).

These are just a few of the exciting things that have happened in the past month and a half! So many more exciting things are on the way, but I wanted to give a little update! I am so blessed, and I'm so thankful to God for everything He has given me in this season of my life. I'm soaking up these last few weeks of being a teenager (My birthday is March 21, in case you were wondering hehe). Stay tuned for a post to recap spring break, as well as a post that explains why I'm so excited for my twenties! 

Thank you all for reading!

XOXO, 

Morgan

Seeking Him

Hello lovely people! After listening to one of the most spiritually challenging messages last night at Overflow (the college ministry here in Wilmington), I wanted to share some of my thoughts on this ministry that I have come to love... and maybe in another post, after I've pondered it a little more, I'll share my thoughts on the message that really stirred my heart. 

To begin, let me give you a little background on where I was spiritually when I came to college a little over a year and a half ago. I came from the most loving church in the history of churches - probably definitely a little biased in that regard. I started attending my home church, Jennies Branch, when I was 15 and instantly felt like I belonged. Over the course of the three years that followed, I was heartbroken if I ever had to miss a Sunday or a Wednesday at church. I learned so much about God in the three years I consistently went to JBBC. What I didn't realize at the time was how much it would change once I went away to college. I didn't realize that when you're on your own in a big world, you can start to feel very small. I didn't realize just how much I depended on my youth group and youth leaders from home to guide me in my walk with the Lord. That is the one thing I would tell upcoming, Christian college students to be prepared for: once you're in college, your walk with Jesus becomes completely your own and you choose how much you're going to invest in it. 

Cue PC3 Overflow. I heard so many great things about the college ministry in Wilmington before I ever came to UNCW. I decided in my second week of college that I would give it a try... well, let's just say I only tried once. I was so overwhelmed coming from a small, southern baptist church walking into one of the biggest churches I'd ever seen in the midst of a thousand college students. I was so out of my element and could not get past the picture of how church was "supposed" to be in my head. So, I opted out of going for basically an entire year, which ultimately meant I excluded myself from worshiping and learning with other believers for far too long. To say my first year of college was a struggle would be an understatement, and looking back on it now, I know that the reason has a lot to do with stepping away from church. 

Before this year started, I promised myself I would give Overflow a try again, but this time with an open heart and with the picture of how church was supposed to be wiped clean. And man... the Lord has blessed me so much. My walk with Christ has changed so drastically in the past five months, and for the first time in my life, I feel like I'm really getting to know God because I desire to. I credit a lot of that to Overflow because of the way it impacts my life. I have never felt as free to worship the Lord as I do when I'm standing in a room with a thousand other college students who love Him like I do. While we are all in different places in our relationships with God, we come together to praise Him for all that He is doing in this season in our lives. I've seen so many souls saved and lives changed in the time I've been a part of this ministry, and I pray the Lord keeps moving among us. 

In the past five months, I've learned more about who Jesus is and how much He loves me than I could have ever hoped to learn. I am not perfect, but my desire to seek God because I want to, not because someone is telling me to, has changed my life. In the book of Jeremiah, there is a verse that says "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Before this year, I was not seeking the Lord with all my heart. Oh, but what a difference seeking Him with all your heart can make because He is faithful to His promises. I have a long way to go in my relationship with Jesus, but I'm going to keep working at it and seeking Him until He calls me home or comes back and gets me! 

God is the one true King, y'all, and He is awesome! If you don't know Him, seek Him with your whole heart! I promise you'll find Him! If you do know Him and wish you had some people to learn more about Him with, come check out Overflow on Tuesday nights at 7 in Wilmington. We sing praises to the One who is truly worthy and really dissect the Word and figure out how it applies to this crazy college life! I've been so blessed, and I can't thank God enough!

I'm so glad you took the time to read this, and I hope you feel encouraged!

Until next time!

First Day of Class

Hey readers! Just wanted to give a quick update about my college adventures. I started the second semester of my sophomore year today (is this real life?). There is always a part of me that gets super nervous about the first day of school, but today was different for me. I knew that I only had Communication classes today, and it made me feel at ease. I think that is a good indicator that I'm in the right major. I felt super comfortable in my two classes today, and I have a good feeling I'm going to like my two other classes tomorrow. I'm sure there will come a point in this semester where I'll say, "I'm actually going to drop out this time" (because it always happens - sassy, college girl probs), but I think that feeling won't be as overwhelming this time around. Today I also got to spend time with my beautiful small group friends. I seriously love being around them because they are all so encouraging. Tonight we just spent time hearing about each other's breaks and playing fish bowl, but even in those casual moments with them I still feel so close to God. I'm so glad I found a group of friends to love me through these four years of overwhelming college life, and I'm glad I ended this first day back with them. 

I feel so fortunate for this opportunity. I know I take it for granted sometimes, but I do realize every day how blessed I am to be here doing what I love. I love to learn. I love COM Studies. I love Spanish. I love Wilmington. This is such a sweet season in my life. I've made such wonderful friends and memories in the past year and a half here, and I know my college years are ones that I will always remember. I'm going to try my best to write as often as possible. Last year went by so fast, and I don't remember a lot of what happened. This is going to be an exciting year for me, and I want some words to remember it by. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I love writing them. 

Before I wrap this up, I want to give a BIG birthday shout out to my sweet friend, Abbey! Even though we just met this year, I feel like I have known you for my whole life. We clicked instantly, and I know our friendship is going to continue to grow over these next two and a half years. You are so sweet and so encouraging, and I'm blessed to know you! I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow because you deserve it!!! I love you SO big! 

That's all I have for tonight, friends. Until next time!

-Morgan

Hello 2015!

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm having a hard time believing the year 2014 even happened because it went by so fast. It felt like every time I blinked, another month had passed. I would like to use that as my excuse for why I gave up on blogging after March, but honestly I just forgot. College life will do that to ya. However, I'm making it a goal (not a resolution) to document my life more in words and pictures this year, and I think this blog is a great place to start. 

I thought a good first post would be to do a recap of the big moments of my seemingly nonexistent 2014 (just following in suit with my other favorite bloggers out there). 

First

At the beginning of the year, I checked an item off my bucket list: Find One Tree Hill filming sights. Living in Wilmington would not be right if I didn't search out the houses and sights from my all-time favorite TV show. Luckily, I had some equally obsessed friends who went along for the ride, and it was an awesome day! There are still a lot more places that I have to see, but that was a great start.

Second

At the end of January, I gained a roommate and a best friend all in one little package. While I knew Brittany for a few months before she became a roomie, I didn't know the depth of our friendship until I was coming home every day to her long stories and overwhelming generosity. Brittany made 326-19 feel like home, and my college life (and just life in general) would not be the same without her. 

Third

I finished my first year of college - PRAISE! I grew as a student and a person so much in my first year. I learned a lot about myself and about the world, and I am so thankful for this opportunity God has placed in front of me. There were definitely times that I wanted to give up, but I got through it, and I'm that much closer to getting my B.A. in Communication Studies!

Fourth

In May, I found out that my best friend since sixth grade was expecting a little baby! A few weeks after Cynthia told me she was pregnant, she found out she was having a girl!!! And as if all of that didn't already have me overjoyed, Cynthia and Daniel asked me to be sweet Sophia's godmother! After much anticipation, Sophia Lorraine Cox made her arrival into the world on November 13th at a perfect 6 lbs 11 oz. I am absolutely smitten with this precious little girl, and I can't wait to watch her grow. 

Fifth

As if one baby isn't enough to make this girl the happiest in the world, in June my sister Courtney told me (in typical, perfect Courtney-fashion) that she was also pregnant!!! This season of my life has been so sweet, especially with Court. I spent a lot of this past semester focusing on Courtney's pregnancy, i.e calling/texting every day, making solo road trips to VA, dying to find out the gender, planning/attending baby showers, going to ultrasounds. In about a month, give or take, I will have my first little niece who I already love so much. I can't wait to spoil that sweet girl rotten.

Sixth

I celebrated my third anniversary with my handsome boyfriend in August, and although we've only have three anniversary dates (obvi), this past one was probably my favorite. It was super spontaneous, and I enjoyed just spending time with Al. 2014 was an awesome year for our relationship, and we got to do a lot of things we had never done before, including taking our first solo vacation & road trip! I'm so thankful for my man and the endless ways he spoils me!

 

Seventh

In the way of church activities, I had a busy and fun year! I got to co-lead Vacation Bible School at my home church with three of the greatest people. It was one of the most difficult and thrilling experiences of my Christian life so far because it was literally just us four young adults leading a room full of middle and high school students. I also fell in love with the college ministry in Wilmington called Overflow, as well as spent more time getting to know and love my small group girls. And finally, I attended an Apologetics Conference in Charlotte with some people from my home church, and I learned so much about the Word and about who God is. The Lord is always so good to me.

Eighth

In 2014, I got to spend a lot of time with family. I don't know if this has always occurred and I haven't appreciated it as much, or if it was only this year that I got to see my family a lot, but either way I am thankful for it. I spent a lot of time with my Nana while she has been in a nursing home. I was able to see my cousins on my mom's side quite often, as well as one of my cousins on my dad's side. I spent a lot of time with my parents and my sisters. I ended the year with my dad's folks, and I'm incredibly grateful for a year filled with family.

I am so thankful for an incredible year, even though it seemed like a vapor! I'm looking forward to seeing what 2015 holds for me! The Lord has awesome plans, and He is true to His promises! 

Thanks for reading!