ten things i need to hear more often.

i. be happy, even when things look difficult. (for the joy of the Lord is your strength. nehemiah 8:10)

ii. you don't need their stamp of approval on your life or life decisions to be happy.
happiness doesn't exist in them- it exists in Jesus.

iii. kindred spirits are to be cherished. (they aren't replaceable.)

iv. just because things don't go as planned, it doesn't mean they don't turn out well.

v. everybody deserves a second chance.

vi. your decisions don't only affect you. they affect others around you in ways you will never know.

vii. sometimes love is quiet on the outside, but it's LOUD on the inside.

viii. it's okay to cry sometimes. tears have a way of healing.

ix. someday all the pain will be worth it. (He works all things together for the good of those who love Him. romans 8:28)

x. be thankful for every little thing. cherish the laughter. remember  the good times.

goodbye october, you were quite lovely. 
hello november, please be good. 
xx. marcia

also, i'm back from my trip to tennessee. actually i came back a week ago, but let's not talk about that. but, i have a few posts in the works to tell you all about the adventure. (1:00am flights, redneck flea markets, southern accents- i think yes.)
and a huge shoutout to the ever so lovely mikaliah, who ended up being the only guest poster that worked out, but i think she had enough beauty in that one post to cover the lack of posts in the entire month of october. if you missed it, you can read it here.

a letter to fall / guest post

you are many things;
smells, sights, emotions,
colors, feelings.
a myriad of colors;
a rainbow of deep reds,
dusky browns and bright yellows.
you are dotted, layered,
crinkled, dried, patterned.
dusky, at twilight;
soft, scattering shadows in
the misty morning haze.
vibrant;
the color of your leaves when the
weather turns and the sky turns dusky
with clouds of ashy grey.
you never seem to notice
the changing weather;
you only accept it for what it is,
like the sand welcomes the
rolling tide that comes and goes.
predictable, free.
every hour at the appointed time,
washing up reeds and shells,
indenting the shore with
the quiet ripple of the last rolling
wave that kisses the shore before
pulling away, leaving only
residue behind.
you don't notice change,
you are change.
the very essence of it,
reminding us that nothing
lasts forever.
nothing is predictable, or
untouched by the fingers of
alteration that the whole
earth is swept with.
clinging with rigid fingers,
turning white at the knuckles
as we hold on tightly to what
is inevitably leaving.
you sweep in, and fade away,
never resisting what is to come,
but refusing to be forgotten as soon as
winter's snow covers the traces of
your crumbling leaves and dried
grasses, raising the sweet
aroma of memories forgotten since
last year.
like a lost friend, you remember
your place among us,
nudging summer away when
the air begins to cool, and
enveloping the earth in your
embrace that shifts and
changes all that we grow
accustom to in the short months
between the fluctuating patterns
of life that are, although familiar,
never the same.

///////////////////////////////////////

hey there! i'm Mikailah. i'm a 17 year old, Christ following young lady with a free spirit, a passion for life, beauty, and a fondness for the unexpected. my home is in Arizona, but my heart is in the East. i drink tea like water, laugh at the strangest things, write at midnight, take pictures, gather memories like flowers, and am always ready for an adventure. you can find me writing and sharing bits and pieces of my crazy life here. nice to meetcha, friend! let's chat sometime, eh? 

pinterest / tumblr / blog / ask /

falling into fall / blog party linkup

Sweet Bethany is having a FALLing  into FALL blog party and I'm linking up with her party questions.

What's your favorite season?: winter. i love the cold weather and the snow.   

What's your favorite part of autumn?:  pumpkin flavored everything.

What's your favorite memory of autumns past?: i remember one autumn in particular, my siblings and i made large piles of leaves and then made tons of videos of us jumping and hiding in them.

What's some of your favorite autumn foods?: pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bars, chai tea, coffee, pumpkin pie...basically pumpkin. ;)

What's some of your favorite things to do in the autumn days? : drink endless amounts of tea, wrap in my favorite blanket, and reread some old favorite books.  

What's your favorite autumn wardrobe additions?:  scarves, scarves, scarves. 

Does your family have any autumn traditions?: honestly, I don't think we have any. other than processing a bunch of pumpkin and putting it in the freezer every year. 

Hot cocoa or apple cider? Do you like to add anything to it such as marshmallows or ice cream?: oh, I love apple cider. but I think herbal tea is my very favorite. 

Pecan pie or pumpkin pie? Why?: pumpkin pie. because it's pumpkin :)

Which is your favorite month, September, October or November? Why?: October. It's the middle month and fall is usually in full swing. 

*i'm not sure how much i will be able to post in the next two weeks as i am out of town, but i will try to pop in here and there. hopefully i'll have a few guestposts as well. *

10 things to be happy about

(just a photo from camping this summer + one of my favorite worship songs)

i: buying plane tickets (tennessee, here i come)
ii: chilly nights and the smell of fall in the air
iii. fresh brewed coffee
iv. new designs (a huge shout-out to sophie who whipped up this beauty while I was stuck in an inspiration rut. she's the bombdotcom, y'all.)
v. finding new favorite fonts.
vi. reading winnie the pooh books
vii. did i mention adventures?
viii. the chilly nights and the smell of autumn in the hair
ix. listmaking for the previously said adventures
x. good new music

what's been happy about your life lately?
xx. marcia

of rainy days + happy lists

listening to:

never let you go - jakaranda (from the parent trap ii soundtrack)

gone, gone, gone - phillip phillips

hello seattle (remix) - owl city

joy unspeakable - mandisa

start of time - gabrielle aplin

i love you, love you - johnny cash

take it all away - owl city

Lord, i need you - matt maher

fly me to the moon - frank sinatra 

hazy - rosi golan

reading:

a tree grows in brooklyn - betty smith

wives and daughters - elizabeth gaskell 

my old journals

the new setapartgirl magazine

loving:

the beginning of fall

the fact that I can drink hot tea without having to sit by the air conditioner

knowing that someone misses you

a clean room

hot cups of peppermint tea in my favorite mug

listening to the oldies

a journal piece / by gabby

a white pillow case / by mary

if not, He is still God

quoting:

"And now, leave me in peace for a bit! I don't want to answer a string of questions while I'm eating. I want to think!"

"Good heavens!" said Pippin, "at breakfast?" - j.r.r. tolkien

"Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?" - j.m. barrie (peter pan)

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." - a.a. milne. 

"But for my part, if a book is well written, I always find it too short." - jane austen

"Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than the people we are quoting." - john green

"I like people and I like them to like me. But I wear my heart where God put it, on the inside." - f. scott fitzgerald

what have you been quoting, reading, loving, or listening to? please tell me, I do so want to know. 

xx. marcia

p.s. it's rained a lot in the last week, almost to the point of a- well, you know- f l o o d. ;) in all seriousness though, we were completely untouched #benifitsofnotlivingnearariver, but a huge amount of the surrounding area was severely damaged. prayers would be so appreciated.