August has been so fun! I officially moved to Chicago, which has been amazing. It's been such a blast getting settled into my new home. This month, most of what I've been loving has been moving-related - check below for proof. 

My Apartment

I'm loving my apartment. We're still getting settled, but it's really coming along. We have our bookcases set up, pictures hung, and boxes unpacked. Plus, our neighborhood is the cutest!

Ikea

I bought so much furniture for our apartment at Ikea. Five bookcases, a dresser, dining table and chairs, and kitchen accessories. I love to build furniture, so Ikea is a dream for me.

LC by Lauren Conrad

I went out on a limb and bought a colorful comforter. For the last few years, I've had neutral comforters, but I found this one by Lauren Conrad and fell in love. Bonus - it looks so nice in my room!

Rekindled Friendships

At the beginning of the month, I flew to Portland for a friend's wedding. One of my favorite parts of the weekend was spending time with a high school best friend, Daphne. We hadn't seen each other in a couple of years, but fell right back into our relationship. Absolutely loved catching up with my best friend.

The Sinner

My roommates got me onto this show. We started watching season 2 and I was instantly hooked. Which of course meant I watched season 1 on Netflix almost right away. SO GOOD!

Tell me: what did you love this month?

shield (sheeld) noun a person or thing that protects

Back in April, I resumed my Alphabet Word Study where I look into a word in the bible for each letter. Today, I'm continuing with the letter "s" and the word shield.

We are so lucky to have a God that protects us. Regardless of situation, He is there for us to take shelter in. We've all been through something scary or hurtful; the joy is that God protects us. Through each circumstance, we learn to trust God a little more. There are many verses in the Bible that reference God as our shield, particularly in the book of Psalms. Below are some of my favorites.

Deuteronomy 33:29 "Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights."

2 Samuel 22:31 "As for God, his way is perfect: the Lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him."

Psalms 3:3 "But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high."

Psalms 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him."

Psalms 33:20 "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our hope and our shield."

Psalms 84:11 "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

Psalms 91:4 "He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

Psalms 119:114 "You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope."

Psalms 144:2 "He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues people under me."

Proverbs 2:7 "He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless."

Proverbs 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."

Ephesians 6:16 "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

To read letters A-R of my alphabet word study, click here.

This past weekend was my move into the city! I've shared why I chose Chicago and today, I'm sharing why I (along with my roommates) chose the neighborhood of Bucktown.

Mojitos are one of my favorite drinks! I love that they're both sweet and refreshing. Today is National Rum Day, so what better day to make a fruity mojito!? Today's recipe will allow you to make a mojito with whatever fruit you'd like. Create the base and add the fruit - simple as that!

For the past few months, I've been feeling really disconnected from God. There was no big moment that separated me; it was a slow progression. I took a break from reading before bed, rarely went to church, and stopped praying as often. I had a moment during my weekly Bible Study where I realized just how far away I felt from my faith. I knew then that I needed to make a change.

For a long time, I've always felt very connected to Christ through music. It's one of my favorite parts of church and also how I experienced my first overwhelming moment with the Holy Spirit. Because of this, I decided the first step I'd make to regain my relationship with God would be through music. I started gathering some of my favorite worship songs and putting them into a playlist. My goal was to listen to it at least twice a week, on my way to work. For the past two months, I've tried really hard to stick to this goal. There's definitely been some weeks where I've missed the two time mark, but overall, I've done pretty well.

The result: I'm feeling more connected to God. There's been something so nice about starting my day praising Him. Not only that, but I'm being encouraged to pray during my worship time, as well. 

The top five songs on my playlist?

Even If by MercyMe

I know You're able and I know You can

Save through the fire with Your mighty hand

But even if You don't

My hope is You alone

One Thing by Hillsong Worship

If only to know You

To be where You are

And go where You lead

My God, I will follow

Air I Breathe by Mat Kearney

You are the air I breathe

You are the song I bleed

You are the war that I can't win

This is my white flag in the wind

Every word you speak

Is the air I breathe

Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave

I see the work of Your hands

Galaxies spin in a Heavenly dance oh God

All that You are is so overwhelming

I Am Yours by Lauren Daigle

Let the waters rise

I will stand as the oceans roar

Let the earth shake beneath me

Let the mountains fall

You are God over the storm

And I am Yours

If you're interested in my Morning Worship playlist, follow along on Spotify.

Last month, I flew to Portland for one of my high school best friends' bachelorette parties; this past weekend, I returned to watch her marry her forever love. I had the most amazing weekend, but let me tell you, it was a rough start.

Happy National Watermelon Day! To celebrate, I created a twist on classic sorbet - tasty popsicles. I knew that watermelon would be a sweet flavor, so I wanted to add a little something to the mix; that's how I chose a hint of pineapple. This was my first time making sorbet and let me tell you, it was so simple! And even better, so refreshing. In the kind of heat we've been having lately, refreshing is the best kind of dessert.

Have a wonderful August!