Today I want to share with you what finding a home church has meant to me and the story behind it.

When I first moved to Central Illinois, I only knew my sister, Bethany. Although my family moved every 3-4 years, I had never done it without the start of a new school. This time was different, as I had graduated from university. I decided that finding a church would be how I integrated myself into the community. Although I became a Christian at 16, I had never found a church to call my own. There was one in California that I would go to occasionally, but never felt like I truly belonged there.

This past weekend, one of my best friends from college, Marie, visited Chicago. She had a business trip earlier in the week, so decided to extend her trip so we could spend the weekend together. This is now the second time we've been able to do this - the first was when she was in St. Louis. This weekend, the weather was absolutely perfect - it was in the high 60s the entire weekend with tons of sunshine! We definitely took advantage of the beautiful day in Chicago, riding bikes and exploring with Marie's childhood best friend and her boyfriend (who now live in Chicago). We split our time between Chicago and Naperville (where my parents live), so on Sunday, relaxed, did some Southern Magnolias shopping, and spent some time with my parents. Below is a complete recap of what we did this weekend!

new (noo) adjective coming or occurring afresh

Have you ever thought about how wonderful it is that God grants us a new life through Christ? Our past may be full of things we're not proud of, but God doesn't care. He sacrificed His Son for us to begin anew. It's really such an incredible thing to think about. How lucky are we that God loves us so much that we're granted new life through Him? Below are some verses that speak directly to this new life we've given.

Isaiah 40:31 "But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."

Ezekiel 36:26 "And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."

Romans 6:4 "For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives."

2 Corinthians 5:17 "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

Ephesians 4:22-24 "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Colossians 3:10 "Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him."

Titus 3:5-6 "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior."

Revelation 21:5 "He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'"

To read letters A-M in my alphabet word study, click here.

Today I wanted to introduce you to my passion: Southern Magnolias. In September, my sister, Bethany, and I started a wedding and event planning business and we love it!

What is it?

Southern Magnolias is primarily a wedding and event planning company, however, we've recently decided to venture into the world of styling, as well. Most of our recent work has been styling photoshoots for photographers and we've discovered a true love for styling through them.

Who are we?

Photo by Meredith Washburn

We are a sister dream team! Not only are we sisters, but best friends, roommates, and business partners. Working together is such a blast! We're very similar in a lot of ways, but different in others, so we feed off of each other really well. Although we're both creative, I'm a little more logical and she's a little more artistic. When we get together, you get the best of both worlds.

What's coming in our future?

On Tuesday, we're styling an elegant, burgundy and gold shoot for Mager Image Photography.

In March, we're designing and styling the Reset Conference in Indianapolis.

In April, we're styling a romantic bohemian shoot for Kristen Winkler Photography.

These next couple months are going to be busy, but so much fun!

I thought I'd show you three of my favorite looks below! The first is from our first styled shoot with Wright Photographs and two are from our jewel toned shoot with Kaula Marie Photography. Be sure to head to southernmagnoliasevents.com to see more! You can also find us on Artfully Wed in the middle of March!

I can't wait to show you more of our work in the upcoming months!

morning (mawr-ning) noun the beginning of day

We are officially less than one week away from a day full of love and friendship. No, not Valentine's Day - Galentine's Day! It's a day set aside to celebrate all of the laughter and memories shared between your best girlfriends. For the past couple of years, I've made it a point to go out with my girls and celebrate, whether it be with karaoke, drinks, or a fun gift exchange. If you're like me and love any reason to give a gift to someone, this is the perfect occasion! Below are some ideas to help you spoil your best friends on this very Happy Galentine's Day.

Hello everyone and welcome to Lavender Elizabeth, a place to share some of my favorite things and memories!

This blog has been a long time coming. In 2012, I had the idea to create a blog where I documented life in my twenties called Love, My Twenties. In 2013, I created a wedding blog, Dear Wedding Day, where my love for event planning began. In 2016, I wanted a place to share my testimony, so started The Light that Carries Me. I constantly had ideas and wanted somewhere to share them, so started new blogs. I recently had the realization that there was no reason I couldn't combine all three - that's what a lifestyle blog is after all! And so, Lavender Elizabeth was created.