ten on ten [may edition]

[1] morning commute. crazy spaceship looking things on a train.   [2] shhhh... touching up my toenails at work!   [3] reading evaluations from students graduating this weekend from seminary. things like this make me feel blessed to do the work i do.  [4] part of a gift for our doctoral students. an pottery student made each one a set of communion elements. so much talent!  [5] packaging the gifts up!  [6] our latest art installation on the brevity of life. photos of every person who died in the county in 2011. this exhibit has been one of the more powerful ones i've seen since being here.  [7] one of our cohorts at the seminary made it through the "core" (2 years of intense classes!). they were the first (and only!) cohort i helped to bring in while i worked for admissions. i can't believe it's been that long, but i'm so proud of each of them for making it through!   [8] oh gas prices, please come down. i want an adventurous summer.   [9] western new york in all its' summer glory.   [10] breakfast for dinner. yum! john said my apartment smelled like a diner. best compliment i received all day!

 

ten on ten [april edition]

friends, i have a confession. i cheated a little on this month's 10 on 10. i visited my family out of state this weekend for easter and knew i'd be on the road most of the day today (the 10th). not only did i not want hours of shots of me in the car, being home gave me a chance to play with my sister's dslr, so i started my 10 on 10 yesterday, a little early. i hope you don't mind. ;)

[1] morning coffee [2] the last trace of my niece's birthday party from over the weekend [3] relaxing [4] one of my dad's five catches of the day [5] sweet finds from an antique shop in jersey [6] easter flowers [7] one of several new beverages we tried over the weekend [8] just one shot of me in the car (:  [9] snack on the road [10] these were waiting for me when i got home (:

sometimes

sometimes your soul needs space to breathe. 

sometimes your mind needs time to think. 

sometimes your spirit needs quiet to hear its own voice.

and then sometimes you find you hold in your heart the hope that a new season brings.

happy first day of spring, friends.

"see, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare;
before they spring into being I announce them to you.”
[isaiah 42:9]

mercies

this has been my go-to song when life get overwhelming.

car troubles, wedding planning, health issues, living situation, loneliness, insecurities, struggles with anxiety...

today i'm claiming His new mercies for me.

through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed,

because His compassions fail not.

they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness.

[lamentations 3:22-23]

nothing can separate

even if I ran away

Your love never fails

i know i still make mistakes 

but You have new mercies for me everyday 

Your love never fails 

You stay the same through the ages 

Your love never changes 

there may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

and when the oceans rage i don't have to be afraid 

because i know that You love me 

Your love never fails 

the wind is strong and the water's deep 

but i'm not alone here in these open seas 

cause Your love never fails 

the chasm is far too wide 

i never thought i'd reach the other side 

but Your love never fails 

You make all things work together for my good

[jesus culture]

linking with sweet kelly and jamie

mr. & mrs.

i have had the opportunity to review a few products for dayspring in the past, but none have gotten me more excited than the package i received this month.

the products from dayspring came a few days before the road trip to erie. i took it as a good sign of things to come. (: and if not for me, i had some friends in mind to gift them to! but i'm kind of glad i get to keep them!

inside were mr. and mrs. mugs. each have a little heart in the bottom of them. so cute!

i can't wait to drink my first cup of coffee as a mrs.!

also included was a coupon book for spouses. john and i are already looking forward to using the book to love on each other when we become husband and wife.

once again, dayspring has created products that are cute and meaningful. as the summer wedding season approaches, i'd definitely recommend any of the products from their mrs. and mrs. love collection as gifts!


please note: i received these products in exchange for a review. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[freedom] sunday

Not For Sale | Faces of Slavery from Not For Sale on Vimeo.

there are more than 30 million slaves in the world today, more than at any other point in human history.
not for sale equips and mobilizes smart activists to re-abolish slavery—in their own backyards and across the globe. not for sale believes every individual has a skill they can contribute to fight human trafficking, and together we can end slavery in our lifetime.
-not for sale campaign 

today around the world churches are recognizing freedom sunday, a day to inform, equip and empower people to take a stand against modern-day slavery.

we can all make a difference:

buy fair trade
every purchase matters. buying fair trade allows workers and farmers to be justly compensated and to build sustainable businesses. the money you spend on day-to-day goods can improve an entire community's day-to-day lives.

use the free2work app
this app grades companies based upon how their products relate to modern-day slavery. from risk levels of forced or child labor to assessment of the supply chain to availability of written policies and procedures to provision of fair wages, this app will help inform our purchasing decisions of consumers.

give to support the abolition of slavery or sponsor a child
international justice mission works to bring rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. they are gathering signatures for a petition to ask president obama to take a stand to end slavery once and for all. international childcare ministries uses child sponsorship [of just 82 cents a day] to provide education, meals, clothing and basic medical care to over 21,000 children in 30 countries.

pray and fast
"is not this the kind of fasting i have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" [isaiah 58:6-7]

"justice at it's best is love correcting everything that stands against love."

-dr. martin luther king, jr.

[insta]friday fun

i was feeling kind of lame about not having an iphone to make photos look more fun with instagram, so i decided to cheat and send pics from my not-so-smart phone to my itouch. where i was able to start an instagram account! so if you'd like, now that i'm a cool kid you can follow me on instagram @sarahbchamp.

linking up with jeannett and heather for a look at the last week or so!

i thought getting this box of sweets half off the day after valentines was going to be the highlight of my day...

and then i thought this might be...

but then, this happened...

which was the highlight of... my whole life? (:

we love shrimp.
every few weeks we'll buy some and cook them with some lemon, onions, and olive oil.
for this dinner, we added toasted rosemary and herb bread. 

my thrifted finds of the week.

we had the prettiest snow the night before. big fat flakes that turned everything into a white wonderland. the kind of snow where you just have to stop and take in its silence and beauty.

which meant i was finally able to wear my northface gloves. they were a present from my stud for christmas and we've had such an usually mild winter i haven't been able to wear them much!

working from home today. there's no better office than one with a fuzzy blanket and a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

the weekend is so close. i'll be gym-ing it up tonight. tomorrow will be a day of planning and dreaming about the wedding! sunday i'll be helping my small group as we share with our church about freedom sunday, which is a day dedicated to the awareness of modern day slavery. because, unfortunately, it still exists in the world today. this is a great resource to find out ways you can help.

trash to treasure

yesterday at work our staff association sponsored a trash to treasure event. basically, we could bring in our "trash" and take home anyone else's that we deemed a "treasure."

um, hello, my name is sarah and i'm addicted to thrifting. add in the prospect of scoring some sweet finds for free?! well... you remember old yeller.

arrrr... here's my treasure, matey!

i laughed at myself after i got back because everything i picked up kind of all matched. blues and browns. two of my fav colors (:

a pretty mug ... candlesticks i'll sand and then maybe stain or spray paint ... wooden bangle bracelets

...oh yes, and a glass vase. [i'm convinced you can never have too many.]

and although it's nice to finally be getting some snow this winter, yard sale season can't come soon enough.

is this real life?

thank you all so much for your love and support! it is so amazing to finally be able to say that i'm marrying john! [and know that it will be sometime soon!] our story has been unfolding for a long time and i'm still a little in awe when i think about the guy that i saw playing a guitar on stage 8 years ago becoming the man who will be my husband. God is faithful.

it's been a whirlwind of a week, calling and seeing friends and family to share the good news. i have felt so blessed since our engagement. so many lovely words have been spoken and written to us. we have amazing people in our lives.

this season of engagement will most likely be a short one. we're hoping to get married in august! which, i'm finding, means taking care of a good number of big details pretty soon. it's been a little overwhelming, but we are committed to make this time a meaningful one, not a stressed one. i have a bit of work to do there, seeing as how i'm a type-A, planning, detail-oriented kind of girl. but that's why john is so good for me. he reminds me to take a breath, to enjoy the here and now, and really, to not worry. after all, what it really comes down to is, i'm marrying my best friend.

and that fact right there makes it really hard to keep a smile off my face.

a life changing road trip

i'd originally intended to write a little post today to celebrate my blog's 3rd birthday. however...

after a spontaneous [for me ;) ] little road trip to erie, pa last night, i am so happy to say that i am ENGAGED to john! 

i am so excited to become mrs. beckler and to share the rest of my life with him.

four hours of driving, some chick fil a and a proposal later...

the love of my life right there!

and i'm working on writing out our love story to hopefully share soon (:

linking with finding beauty, captivated by grace, and rolled up pretty

ten on ten [february edition]

today is my mama's birthday! i'm bummed i can't be there to celebrate with her, so i'm dedicating this ten on ten to her! happy birthday, mamacita!

one photo. every hour. for ten hours.

[1] an apple a day...   [2] yummy, crunchy breakfast  [3] my friday jam. [why have i not heard of this band before?!] thank you, sam!  [4] a gift from my sweet coworker, jillian! it is friday after all! (:  [5] beautiful piece of an art display at work  [6] working for the weekend...  [7] home sweet home. package waiting at my door. (:  [8] my new toy!  [9] getting reacquainted with an old friend  [10] the part of the day i'd been most looking forward to... slipper time!