Year In Review

this year has been an amazing year for me
I've been so many places 
and met so many wonderful people!!


I started the year out In Charleston SC
I started at a new school Charleston Southern University
I absolutely love that school and that city
its such a beautiful place 
I know that this is the place God wants me to be right now!!


over the summer I had the opportunity to travel to
China and visit my long time friend 
who i meet freshman year of high school
it was so much fun seeing China and 
spending time with Wei in her home country
I also got to go on my first cruise 
with my 3 best friends to Bermuda 
I officially have been converted to a cruise vacationer from now on!!


half way through the spring semester at school 
I decided to Study Abroad
So in august I packed up my life in two suit cases
and set off to a country I knew nothing about 
for 4 and a half months
while I was studding I had the opportunity to travel around South America
I traveled to Peru and saw
 Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and Arequipa 
I went to Buenos Aries Argentina 
with my friend and her family
and the last trip 
was a 5 day hike in the Patagonia of Chile


This past year has been so amazing
I have loved every minute of it 
I am so blessed have been able to spend this past year
doing the things I love! 

Merry Christmas

"I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 

The Savior-- yes the Messiah, the Lord  has been born today in Bethlehem,

the city of David"

Luke 2:10-11

hope everyone has a day full

of Love and Joy

don't forget the reason for this day

its not the presents or yummy food 

it about the birth of our savior 

on this day in a manger

Merry Christmas

from me and my little Santa

Finding Direction

source

where do I go from here?

I'm at that point in life where I feel like I should know 

where I'm heading

I've got a year or so left in college 

then what do I do?

I've got to find a job, student loans to pay

but what if that's not the direction my life is to take?

lately I have felt this huge tug at my heart 

to serve orphans

I spend this past semester serving at a home for children 

and I feel in love with those kids

as each day passed I felt like I knew that was where I was supposed to be

I found my self picturing my life a few years down the road 

somewhere abroad serving orphans

they need love 

plain and simple

and I have so much to give 

I've been blessed so much and I only want to give back what I've been given

I know that I have student loan payments that have to be paid

but I also know that my God will provide 

and if I'm where He wants me to be then

my loan payments will be taken care of

so this is where you come in

I ask that y'all pray for me over the next few months

that I would be shown direction in  where I'm supposed to be/go

and that I would have the courage to follow Him

I would really really appreciate the prayers so much

now that you know my prayer request

how can I be praying for you?

Busy Bee

wow this has been such a crazy week for me!!

this time last week I was on a plane coming home

Its hard to believe that I've been home for a week now

time has flown by

I've been so busy I have not even had time to breath it feels like!

this past week

I've gotten to visit Charleston and see some of my favorite people

we went to the James Island Light Show 

and that was so much fun we also got to roast marsh mellows there!!

On Friday I hosted a Christmas party

It was a lot of work getting everything together and made for the party

but it was so worth it 

to get to see everyone together and having fun!

we made pinterest ornaments i found a few weeks ago

and they turned out so good 

we were supposed to have a camp fire and make some'mores

but the rain came and we couldn't do them.

today was the annual Shiflett Christmas lunch

I look forward to this every year

when all the family is together.

this next week is equally as busy so blogging will probably take the back burner

Hope everyone is have a wonderful holiday season!

Home Sweet Home

I've been back in the US for 4 days now

I been go go go non stop for the past 4 days

I've already been to Charleston and back 

and on Friday is my big Christmas party 

so today has been full of crafting and shopping

Being back in the US has been bitter sweet

there are random moments when I get extremely emotional

and really miss everything about Chile

but there has also been some sweet moments that I have had with all my wonderful friends

my time in Chile was unforgettable

those memories will go with me throughout the rest of my life

the friendships I made will always been so dear to my heart

(we already have trips planed to see each other)

I was so blessed to have been in Chile 

and I would encourage anyone who wants to study abroad

to go

its worth every penny!

Experience of A Lifetime

I will miss

these place

these people

these streets

these times

but I will not

be sad because its over

I will be happy 

because I was blessed

to be here

so I will smile because

I got to experience 

these places

these people

theses streets

and 

these times

the video is kinda long but i want to remember these
memories forever!

Beauty

What really defines beauty?

is it what is in those magazines?

or what others think of you?

I struggled with beauty and acceptance in my life

Until I found my answer in the Bible

"your beauty should not come form outward adornment, such as elaborate

hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine cloths. 

Rather, it should be that of you inner self, the unfading beauty of a 

gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight"

1 Peter 3:3-4

Modern society leads young girls and women to believe that beauty

is determined buy how much you have

and the way you look on the outside.

Only the girls who are

the skinniest,

have flawless skin,

have perfect hair,

and own all the popular brand cloths

are the women who are considered beautiful

in the eyes of magazines and TV

  

as a young girl and teenager I really struggled with feeling beautiful 

I was self concision about everything

 from the cloths I wore to the acne on my face

there would be nights that I would sit in my room and cry

 because I believed that I was not beautiful

(and I'm not going to lie I still struggle with this)

But the Lord has really been working on my heart and helping me

truly understand beauty in myself and those around me

the Lord has given me people in my life who remind what real beauty is

Its loving you Lord and savior with all you heart.

Its acceptance of yourself and those around you flaws and all.

Beauty is Love

It comes from your own heart,

the way you carry yourself 

and you "gentle and quiet spirit"

that make you beautiful in the eyes of the Lord

What is something or someone that has reminded you that you are beautiful in the eyes of the Lord?

I Need Help

So I've decided to make a quilt

I've been looking everhwere all over the internet for the perfect one

and I just cant find one I'm in love with 

so I'm going to branch our and try my hand at making one myself

so here is where I need your help

I can't decide what fabric to use

so here is all the ones I like 

take a look and then leave me a comment with the one you like the most!

1. Summer Floral

2. Ruby Red

2. California Girls

4. Blue and Green

whats your favorite? 

let me know!!

Weekend Rambles

It was the last full weekend in Vina 

and how did I spend it 

well I watched a lot of Grey's Anatomy

I know bad

but it was the good seasons where everyone was sick or dying 

I just couldn't quit watching

but other than that I spent a lot of time outside

I got a little bug bit

Its really really itchy

and the redness just keeps spreading

who knows what it is?

I don't know weather to be concerned or to just not be.

over the weekend Chile had their annual 

teleton

so I ventured out to the Vina Teleton event on Saturday 

it was really fun

and I got a little Chile flag to bring home

the Teleton is to support the children hospitals here

I didn't send anything in for the teleton

but I did buy a couple Christmas ornaments that supported the hospital

that's all for my weekend really

spent Sunday studying and just relaxing

and preparing myself for this last week of school

hope everyone has a good Monday!!

One Week

One Week 

that's all I have left

to finish school,

get all my last minute presents,

spend time on the beach,

pack all my stuff up in two suite cases,

& eat all the ice cream I can eat!

Its hard for me to believe that 4 months have already gone by

somehow time slipped right through my hands

and now I only have one week left.

my emotions are not thinking straight 

I really don't know how I feel about this

all I know is 

that I miss everyone at home so much 

but I am incredibly sad to leave everyone I've meet here

so here's to the last week in Chile

you will be bitter sweet 

but I'm ready to take you on!!

Kels!!

I met Kelsey through Lindsey at Young Harris

they were roommates.

the 4 of us (Lindsey C, Lindsey S, Kelsey and I )

became fast friends

we did everything together 

and we all formed a friendship that is so special and only God given

Kelsey and I are a lot alike in so many ways

we have the same personality and style

its kinda funny how we actually get along

cause usually if you are so much like someone it doesn't really work

but somehow we still manage to be best friends

we've had so many fun memories

like our trip to NYC freshman year of college,

our spring break trips to South Carolina and Savannah,

we've tried to go to a Lady Gaga look a like party in downtown Charleston,

and spent many many nights just cooking dinner and watching movies.

One of my favorites is when we hiked Brasstown Bald the day before we graduated Young Harris

Kelsey's dad hiked with us and wiped our butts on that hike

at the end when we were seriously dragging 

he was yelling at us from like 50 ft ahead to hurry up!

all of the memories are ones I will cherish forever

Kelsey has been there for me so much and I truly and grateful for our friendship!

Kelsey,

Thank you for always being such a wonderful friend

Thank you for all being there for me and always loving me

thank you for your support in my life

always know that if you ever needed anything I would be there in a heart beat

always know that I love you and will always be there to 

cheer you on and cheer you up when you need it!! 

I love you like a sister 

Hannah 

James 1:27

Over the past semester 

Once a week I get to go and spend time with 13 cute little ones

I goe to hold them,

play with them,

laugh with them, 

kiss their little cheeks, 

hold their little hand,

cuddle them where they were sad

and somewhere along the way they worked their way in 

to a special spot in my heart.

my time at Hogar Nino Amor 

has been such a blessing to me

since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to help the orphans 

and being here has really showed me how much 

this need to happen 

even if its just for a short period of time in my life

every child matters 

they need love, 

they need someone to hold them when they cry, 

and someone to laugh and play with them.

they matter and I never want to become blind to that

everyone wont be called to live over seas and work with orphans 

but that doesn't mean we turn our back on them

in the bible we are called to care for the orphans (James 1:27)

so that means we should give our time for them

we can pray, 

we can donate, 

and we can support missionaries

who have dedicated their lives to serve orphans

So I encourage everyone to find a place to plug in

even if that means you are just praying for that organization and the kids they help!

Libby Lou

In the 8th grade a new girl moved to my school

we had a couple classes together

she seemed nice enough 

so struck up a conversation

well at least that's how I remember it

Lindsay seems to think that I was not so nice to her those first few days

I don't know where she get this from I was a perfect little angel back then!

but anyways we became fast friends in middle school

and all through out high school

we spent many weekends and school nights staying up laughing and doing just crazy things

One of my first memories I have with Lindsay is around Christmas time

I went over to her house and we took a bunch of pictures 

that became a normal for us!

we skipped school and went to the tanning bed many times,

She did my hair for home coming court

got airbursh T-shirts at the beach,

we spent our springs breaks in the mountains,

meet a crazy boy and then followed him to North Carolina for a Hardee's milk shake,

saw NYC together,

and spent hours upon hours shopping and talking.

She has always been such an encouragement in my life

She is one of those friends where we can go weeks without talking 

but get together and its like nothing ever changed.

She always has my back and supports me in everything I do!

I always know that I will have one person who will support me no matter what.

Lindsay truly knows my life 

she know my struggles and the hardships in it 

but she still love me regardless

She was the person I went to in high school when my life was literally falling apart

she was there for me

her family was there for me

they opened their home to me and comforted me when I need it most

and Ill never be able to thank them enough for that

Lindsay will always be my forever best friend 

no matter where we are in the world we know that were only a phone call away 

NYC 2006

Lindsay,

Thank you for always being that constant friend in my life that I can always count on

thank you for loving me 

thank you for always encouraging me and supporting me 

you are always that one that I know will be there for me

Thank you for bringing laughter to my life when I need it the most

I am so grateful that God brought me the best best friend 8 years ago 

Always know that Im always on your side

I pray for you and only want the best for you

Im so proud of who you are and all the amazing pictures you take

your going to be the next great photographer I know it!!

never give up on you dream!

I love you so much

Hannah