I'm going to college!

Long time no blog, but I am SO excited to announce that I will be attending Auburn University this fall!! (yes this kind of news calls for multiple exclamation points). I am so excited and relieved that the college decision process is over. As I soon enter this next chapter, I plan on sharing more of my experiences and tips for senior year on my blog.

This past weekend I visited Auburn for the second time and fell even more in love (if that’s even possible). Most of our trip was spent hoping from apartment complex to apartment complex but I wanted to share a little about my trip today!

After an 7 hour drive, we arrived in Auburn on Saturday around noon. We enjoyed an adorable and tasty lunch at Crepe Mertyle Cafe. I ordered a roasted vegetable with basil pesto crepe which was delicious. Attached to the cafe is a fresh produce market that is also adorable. 

Like I said, Saturday was spent looking a (what felt like) hundreds of apartments. Saturday night my family and I had reservations to Amsterdam Cafe. I kid you not, I have been dreaming about this fried green tomato BLT ever since I visit Auburn for the first time back in April. After months of anticipation, it definitely lived up to my high expectations!

On Sunday morning, my family joined another family who lives in Auburn for coffee at Mama Mocha’s which is my new favorite coffee shop. If y’all don't know, I am a coffee fein and love finding new coffee shops. I was so excited to find Mama Mocha’s because it reminds me a lot of a coffee shop here in Florida that my friends and I often go to. 

After coffee, we all headed to the Church of the Highlands. All I have to say is wow. At this point in the trip, I knew Auburn was where I wanted to be but after this service I knew Auburn was where God wanted me to be. During the worship, God just made it so clear that this where I was supposed to be. It was truly amazing!

Then later on Sunday, we ventured out to Opelika which is like a sister city to Auburn. Here I found another one of my new favorite place. It’s called the Overall Company and it’s the cutest. We snacked on a salted caramel brownie, lemonade basil popsicle, and a cookies and creme popsicle for dessert. Between these sweet treats and the artsy feel, I can tell I am going to be a regular here come fall.

Monday was our last day in Auburn. I started the morning off, again at Mama Mocha’s, by having coffee with someone I met through the Auburn Class of 2019 Facebook page. I was so happy I got the chance to meet someone while I was in Auburn. Meeting new people is definitely one of the things I am most looking forward to while in college.

Most of the morning and early afternoon on Monday was spent on campus which I loved. We met with two different advisors and took a campus tour and took a TON (and I’m not being dramatic when I say a ton) of pictures. And you can’t visit Auburn with stopping at Toomer’s Corner for the ever so famous and delicious lemonade!

Well, I know this was a long post but thanks for sticking with me. I had an amazing visit this weekend and am looking forward for many more adventures in Auburn. It’s a good thing that Auburn has one of top ranked gym/rec centers in the country because will all these good places to eat, I’m going to need it! I am so excited to be heading to Auburn this fall and cannot wait to see how God uses me while I am there. If you are an Auburn alumni or starting this fall, I would love to talk and war eagle!

life is crazy

Hello y’all! I want to first start out by saying, I apologize for my absence. To say it’s been a crazy week would be an understatement. I finally had time to log into my Monogrammed Madison Instagram account last night, after a week hiatus, and was so surprised to see so many people left comments or direct messaged me with kind words and asking if everything was okay.

Today, I wanted to share about the crazy week I had. Last week was one of the most stressful yet rewarding weeks of my life. I really wrestled with some things but with the strength of God and encouragement of my friends, I made it through.

Last weekend while at a lock in type conference event at my church, I received heartbreaking news that Friday night a sophomore at my high school had committed suicide. Although I did not personally know him, I began to weep and thoughts filled my mind.

While talking with an adult leader and a close friend who also goes to my high school, I realized just how meaningful my faith is to me. This boy, Vance, at my school must have felt so hopeless that he saw ending his own life as the only option.

My hope comes from Jesus and Jesus alone. I realized that keeping my source of hope to myself and not sharing it with others is selfish. Often times I think sharing Jesus with others might offend someone or isn’t really necessary, but through this tragic event, it was made evident to me that sharing Jesus is not only okay but needed. We live in a broken world and everyone is searching for hope.

Throughout the week, my mind kept thinking about Vance and his family. I continually was praying for his friends and family. I cannot imagine what they are going through.

On Wednesday, my family welcomed my new baby cousin, Michael McKinley Isaac, into the world. It was so amazing to be one of the first people to see him and hold him. When looking at Michael, I couldn’t help but think about all that is to come for him. He could grow up to be a doctor, a football player, an artist, or anything he wants to be which I just think is really cool.

Like I said before, this week has been a stressful week for me. Between coping with a loss, spending lots of time with my precious cousin, and balancing school, I have been very busy. But over the past few days I have spent a lot of time talking with my friends, not about trivial things but deep, real life problems.

I’ve been reminder just how alike we all are. We are all trying really hard at this thing called life but at times just don’t feel good enough. We all want to be loved. We all face tough times. We all want to have something to believe in.

On this Monday morning, I just want to tell you that you are awesome! I know you’re trying really hard and your hard work will pay off one day. No matter how bad things seem, they probably aren’t as bad as they could be. Never forget how much your friends and family care about you and most importantly, how much God loves you- no matter what.

Life is fragile and you never know when it’s going to end. Life is also an opportunity to do great things. Today I encourage to try that thing you’ve always wanted to try, tell the people you care about that you love them, and focus on what’s really important. Happy Monday!

Please keep the Sanders family and the students at my high school in your prayers during this difficult time.