Blessed.

 Blessings by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

(Chorus)
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Chorus

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Chorus

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise



I often forget how blessed I am... Growing up in a christian home, with awesome siblings... 
Being a Pastor's kid and Missionary's kid... 
Having an awesome church family, and a great home church.  I could go on and on.

Thank you Lord for how you've blessed me!

I HAVE BEEN BLESSED!!! 

xo,
Johanna 

What I Wore Wednesday- For the love of Penguins!

It was a cool morning in April, and my family was driving down to a friend's wedding, some 10 hours drive away.

As I scanned through my closet, I searched for something comfortable, yet presentable. Something, Casual and fun.

My eyes rested on this sweater that I had never worn before. It was neon yellow, with a bright penguin on the front. Not the most stylish, but yes, very comfortable.
Not the most exciting, but yes, quite casual.

I pulled it out. It was warm, which was what I needed. The only people I was planning on seeing that day was anyone working at a fast-food restaurant, so this was perfect.

I pulled out an old denim skirt from my dresser, and threw on some converse style shoes.
There it was. Today's outfit. Easy, fun, and casual, this was perfect for a day of driving.

I slept in it most of the drive. The other half was spent running around parking lots at rest stops and fast-food chains. 

 About halfway into the drive, while we were stopped at a rest stop, my sister snapped a couple photos of me. I think this was in  WV.

 It was really windy outside, so any fleeting thought that might have been given to a "good hair day" was promptly blown away! :P  Doesn't it always happen that way? :)

 These shoes are like my favorite. So comfortable, and so cute! I picked them up at Dollar General for $8! What a steal!

I got the top at Walmart for $3 on sale. It's so comfy and adorable, I just want to wear it all the time! :)

For just grabbing it out of my closet at the last minute, I think it served it purpose very well! :)


Have a great weekend, my peeps!

XO,

Johanna

On the Road

When asked to describe life living out of suitcases, I would have to say this.

For all the places you go, people you meet and fun you have, it is totally worth it.
Yep, it's hard to drive 12 hours some days and stay in a different hotel every night, but it's so fulfilling!

Some of the questions I've been asked while on the road are these: 

Driving!

What's it like living out of suitcases?

 It's tough, but it could be a lot tougher! :) Having 6 people in a minivan gets pretty crowded, so we tow a small trailer behind it for our instruments, suitcases, etc.

Hanging out with nephews and nieces :)

Do you get tired of driving?

Yup. At first it was especially hard doing "nothing" all day, but now, once we start driving, I sort of forget about it and do other things, like reading or listening to music! :p

Do you fight with your siblings, being so close together for so long?

Sometimes. We all understand that it's easy to get frustrated or annoyed with each other in such a tight space, and it's really drawn us all closer. If someone else annoys us, we basically just let it chill and forgive.


 

What kind of places do you visit and see?

Tons of things! We went to an amusement park last month, and I was able to ride a roller coaster for the first time, something I've always wanted to do!! :D We also visit different places that we're nearby, like national parks and things like the Creation Museum in Petersburg KY. We did that 2 days ago!

 

Hanging out in a hotel room!

My family has been on deputation for 2 months now, and I am so looking forward to being back home in just two more weeks! YAY!! :)

Broomball with Peeps

Dodgeball!

 



I thank the Lord though, for all the awesome meetings he's given us and all the amazing places we've been able to go to! I'll definitely miss a lot of things about traveling!

Have a great week, peeps!

xo,
Johanna

Tips on Traveling

Hey ya'll!
Since it's summer, a lot of people are preparing (or already have gone) for their summer vacations. My family is no exception!

The only thing different this year than most years in my family, is that this year it's a much longer vacation than usual. Actually, it's hardly to be called a vacation. More like... deputation. Since my dad is a missionary, most years we're gone all year long, but since October of two years ago, we've settled down to start a church.
This trip is a little out of the ordinary for us, so it's important that we prepare carefully for it.

Here are a few links to sources that I've found very useful in preparing for this particular trip, and several others.

I hope these will be of use to you as well! :)

This is a PHENOMENAL site for creating your own trip list.
http://listfortrip.com/

Some essentials for your road trip are:
http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/destinations/road-trips/10-essentials-to-bring-on-a-road-trip.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Pack-for-a-Journey/Travel-(Teen-Girls)

This is a cool idea for a fun travel box. This is really useful if you have kids, or even if you're one that gets bored easily on long drives! ;)
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Fun-Travel-Box

How you pack your suitcase is very important on vacation.
http://www.wikihow.com/Pack
http://www.wikihow.com/Pack-a-Stylish-Suitcase-(Teen-Girls)


These are great for carry-on bags in planes, or by car.
http://www.wikihow.com/Pack-a-Purse-for-a-Day-Out
http://www.wikihow.com/Pack-for-an-Airplane-Trip-for-a-Teenage-Girl

Have fun with these tips, ya'll! Now lets go out, and travel the world!! :)

xo,

Johanna

How To: A Full Facial!

Facials and girl parties go together. At least I think so. So why not get a bunch of besties together for a spa day? Pedi-manis, facials, you could go all out, or just do the basics!

Yesterday evening, my sis Lydia and I had a couple hours to play around with, so we decided to do a full facial! We invited our mom and sister too, and sort of made an evening out of it!
So much fun!

Why don't you try it too? It's so relaxing... and it's fun to have some girl talk in the process! :)

Enjoy!

             1. Wash your face using a mild cleanser. 
I used Olay Shine, Shine go away! Shine minimizing cleanser.

            2. Use an exfoliating scrub in a circular motion on your face and neck.
For this step, I used St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub Face Wash.

            3. Pat face dry with a clean towel.

           

              4.  Apply a facial mask and leave on for about 10 minutes.
 I just used a cheap, but effective mud pack from Walmart.

 

            5. Wash off the mask with warm water and a wash cloth. 



            6. Apply an alcohol free toner to a cotton ball and wipe on face, especially to the t-zone. 
I use just use Witch Hazel! Cheap, but awesome!
 
 

           7.Apply a moisturizer and you should feel clean and smooth and have a nice glow to your skin.
Coconut Oil is great for this. It's light, but oh so smoothing!

Lastly, have fun!!
:D

Chou! 

Johanna

Fashion Friday- Springing into Spring!

Springing into Spring! by janna-raub featuring Forever 21

Ralph Lauren Blue Label raglan shirt
stylebop.com

Joules mid length skirt
 zalando.co.uk

Stuart Weitzman platform pumps
zappos.com

Forever 21 sunglasses
forever21.com

Linea Weekend navy blue belt
houseoffraser.co.uk




If I could have every outfit I made on Polyvore, believe me, I would!
This outfit was inspired by a paint add in a magazine! Their lovely model (in a beautifully painted room, of course) was wearing an outfit quite similar to this one.

I love this outfit, because it speaks so clearly of spring!
I think I'll have to stick to my long sleeves and jackets for another week or two, but when the weather warms up, I'll be using this outfit for an inspiration.

Cheers!
-Johanna