Thankful Thursday

 My sweet bestie Addie and I are kicking off our Thursday with lots of thankfulness! 

I absolutely LOVE this series because no matter how busy my week is I always have to carve out a bit of time to sit back and reflect on all of the wonderful things I am thankful for! 

Incredibly thankful for my mom and grandma!

Words just cannot begin to describe how much I love these ladies! They are constantly encouraging me, supporting me, and loving me, even from 5 hours away! I am thankful for phone calls and FaceTime with these gemstones! 

 I am thankful to share a birthday with my sweet cousin!

Courtney and I were both born on July 7th exactly 2 years apart! It has made celebrating my birthday over the years extra fun! 

This was us celebrating my 21st birthday and her 23rd birthday a few years ago! 

 I am thankful for my sweet Dave & crossing things off 

the wedding to-do list! 

Goodness gracious, friends! Time is just flying by and my wedding to-do list just seems to keep growing and growing! Luckily I had a few moments to spare this week and I was able to cross a couple things off the list! Couldn't be more thankful for my better half who has kept me sane through this wedding planning process! He knows how to tame "bridezilla" ;)

I am thankful for pretty blooms!

I just love pretty flowers! Pops of color make me smile and always remind me of just how big and wonderful our God is to have created something so little, yet so beautiful! Love these settle reminders to embrace the beauty of life even amongst all of the craziness.

I am thankful my apartment no longer looks like this....

Looking at this picture makes me feel like I am going to have an anxiety attack! I am so thankful this step in the moving process is behind me! Stay tuned for updated pictures in the near future! 

I am thankful for memories with my sweet Nana

Heaven gained a precious angel this week. I am very thankful for the moments I had with my great-grandma! This picture was taken right after David and I got engaged! 

What are you thankful for this week?

Friday Favorites

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Happy Friday Everyone!!! 

The weekend is finally here!!! I am kicking off the excitement with another link-up of Friday Favorites with some of my favorite bloggers. Check out Andrea's blog called Momfessionals, Erika's blog called A Little Bit of Everything, and Narci's blog called Grace and Love. Their blogs are so inspiring and they are a must read! 

Graduation is still a FAVORITE! 

Remember that one time that I dreadfully counted down the days until college graduation. Well it came and it went and I am still processing the fact that I am now officially apart of the Purdue Alumni Clan

 It's been a little over a month since graduating and the feeling is still one of my favorites!!!

Prepare yourself for an excessive amount of graduation pictures... I am feeling somewhat sentimental today! 

My friends, definite FAVORITES! 

What made me love Purdue so much, you may ask? 

Well I hit the jackpot with college besties! We went out with a bang and did some of our favorites! We even took a little road trip to Chicago and spent way too much time taking selfies with the famous, iconic "Bean"! 

Truth is these girls are my absolute favorites. 

Do you ever just sit back and think about how much better your life is because certain people have been apart of it? Well these girls have filled my life with so much laughter, joy, love and support! They have truly made my life richer. 

I spent most of my time at Purdue inside the building in the background. 

I have a hate/love relationship with Lambert.

Ann Tweedale Cooperative brought us all together and that's just one of the many reasons why it is my favorite.

Hunter Rain Boots, Lifesavers & FAVORITES! 

My wellies. 

They have saved my life countless times this month. What's better than cute and practical? Not much! Especially in daily torrential downpours! 

I am kind of obsessing over how cute these pink ones are! So fun for spring! 

Quiet time and Jesus Calling are two of my morning FAVORITES

I am a HUGE believer that quiet time is good for the soul. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by my to-do list and life stressors that I can't just sit still and listen to God. This inspirational pin from Pinterest really resonated with me this week! 

Amen to that! 

My favorite place to enjoy my quiet time is on the balcony of my apartment. 

It's so serene and peaceful.

My favorite devotional to accompany me during my quiet time....

Jesus Calling!!!!

It is my absolute FAVORITE daily devotional. It doesn't matter when I read it, where I read it, the mood I am in when I pick it up, it always speaks directly to my heart, ALWAYS.

Oh, and I can't forget my mini morning quiches!

These are a new FAV! 

These little guys have been such a blessing in the morning! I heat them up in the microwave for 30 seconds and then BOOM! I have a yummy, nutritious breakfast calling my name! 

To find the recipe for these easy quiches click here. 

Thankful Thursdays are my favorite too! 

My sweet bestie Addie and I started a new weekly series, called 

Thankful Thursday!

  

Thankful Thursday's are all about setting the stress aside, forgetting about your to-do list and capturing all of the positives in your life. 

I don't know about you, but sometimes it's easy for me to get wrapped up in day to day life and I let the little things overshadow all of the great things in my life! This series is a great way to remind myself of all that I am grateful for. 

We would LOVE for you all to join us as well! Grab the "Thankful Thursday" graphic & link-up with me or Addie, at She Who Longs to Be next Thursday! 

We are so excited to hear about all of the wonderful things you all are thankful for! 

Happy Weekend, friends! Thanks for stopping by! 

Thankful Thursday

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

My sweet bestie Addie and I are kicking off our Thursday with lots of thankfulness! 

Man oh man do I have a lot to be thankful for! I couldn't be more blessed to live the life that God has given me.

I am so thankful for calm and serene nights where I can just relax on my balcony and invest in God's word. Quite moments are good for the soul. Nothing rejuvenates me more. 

I am just so incredibly thankful for date nights with my man. We may be on his dinner break in the middle of a hospital cafeteria, but our date night was filled with lots of laughs and fun wedding conversations! 

I have the sweetest and most creative aunt in the world. Look at this adorable "Happy New Apartment" gift she sent down to me! It just absolutely made my day! I am blessed beyond measure with the greatest family and friends! 

I am thankful for lots of wedding festivities and moments with my besties! 

Love my sweet Addie so so much! 

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday

My sweet bestie Addie and I are kicking off our Thursday with lots of thankfulness! 

This past week has been a complete whirlwind for me. I graduated from college, moved into my very first apartment and started my first ever real full-time job. Just a tad overwhelming to say the least. Despite all of the chaos I can't help but sit back and reflect on all I have to be thankful for. 

Just as our "thankful Thursday" logo says the Bible tells us to give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for us. In my eyes, truer words have never been spoken. No matter how hard a situation may be, how bad the struggles we are going through are, whether we just won a million dollars on a lottery ticket or we just scored a huge bonus at our job, there is always always something to be thankful for. 

With that being said, here are the things that I am extra thankful for this week!

1. How much support, encouragement and love I felt throughout my college experience from my family. They truly pushed me to be the best student I could be and I don't think I would have made it through college without each and everyone of them! 

2. My wonderful Ann Tweedale sisters. Love them more than anything.

3. My apartment! A place I can officially call my own.  

4. A wonderful second family that I officially get to join in October. Blessed beyond measure for all of my in-laws and the love and joy that add to my life. 

5. My grandparents and parents for all they have done to help make my life transitions go smoothly. They truly have been my rock and support through all of these big changes recently.

These are just a few! What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday

My sweet bestie Addie and I are kicking off our Thursday with lots of thankfulness! 

If you are anything like me you know how hectic life can be. Sometimes I lose sight of the many blessings, big and small, that fill my life with so much joy everyday. 

I love Thankful Thursday because it forces me to reflect on the many positives throughout the week and allows me to truly be thankful for the beauty amongst life's craziness. 

There are so many things that I am thankful for this week, here are just a few:

1. that Christ died on the cross for our sins

2. friendships that bless me daily

3. laughter

4. the show Parenthood

5. family who mean everything to me

6. Purdue University

7. late night talks

8. iced caramel lattes from Starbucks

9. rain boots

10. honesty

11. the ability to sing horribly but have fun while doing it

12. a good nights rest

13. sunrises and sunsets

14. random acts of kindness

15. answered prayers

16. good, sweaty workouts with friends

17. spiritual accountability 

18. my coffee shop work friends

19. memories of my grandpa

20. God's will for my life. 

What are some of the things that you are thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday

My sweet bestie Addie and I are kicking off our Thursday with lots of thankfulness! 

If you are anything like me you know how hectic life can be. Sometimes I lose sight of the many blessings, big and small, that fill my life with so much joy everyday. 

I love Thankful Thursday because it forces me to reflect on the many positives throughout the week and allows me to truly be thankful for the beauty amongst life's craziness. 

There are so many things that I am thankful for this week, but there is one that stands above all of the others. 

I have always had a passion for children, especially children with disabilities. 

I firmly believe that the ability to play is crucial to the social and physical development of all children. Children with physical and cognitive challenges have the same desires to build strength, increase social skills, and test their abilities as do children without disabilities. While we as a society might not be able to find all the cures that are needed, we can do something to fix the world around them. 

I have been working on a project for a little over three years to build an all inclusive, accessible play environment that allows all children to feel like they belong in my small little hometown. The town has been in desperate need of a playground the suites every child in the community and allows youngsters of all capabilities to interact with one another.

I am so thankful this week for SDI who graciously closed our fundraising gap and donated $25,000. The news was announced at the City Council meeting this Tuesday evening and I could not be more overjoyed or blessed. God is good. My community is good. 

Here is the Columbia City Park director presenting the project and final check to the community. 

I am teary eyed thinking about all of the generosity and love from members of the community who have supported this project and who have encouraged me throughout the way. 

I can't wait to see this gem of a playground being played on! So extra thankful this week.

What are you thankful for this week? 

An InLinkz Link-up

Thankful Thursday

My sweet bestie Addie and I are kicking off our Thursday with lots of thankfulness! 

If you are anything like me you know how hectic life can be. Sometimes I lose sight of the many blessings, big and small, that fill my life with so much joy everyday. 

I love Thankful Thursday because it forces me to reflect on the many positives throughout the week and allows me to truly be thankful for the beauty amongst life's craziness. 

Here are just a few of the things that I am thankful for this week:

#1. Date Nights With My Man

My love language is most definitely quality time. I can't even believe I am saying this, but David could seriously buy me a million pairs of Tom wedges and caramel lattes from Starbucks (and I would be thankful of course), but I would rather spend a few hours chatting with him and joking around.

I love this.

This semester our schedules are polar opposite and we really don't get a whole lot of time to spend with each other outside of studying at the library and going to church, so this week I am EXTRA thankful for a Friday night date night with my main squeeze. 

We went out to dinner and then to see Sister Act on Broadway. Can I get an amen?

source

#2. Family Time 

Remember that quality time thing I was just talking about? Well the rule applies to my family as well. I cherish some time spent with my fam bam too! I am thankful for the love they bless me with daily and the wonderful support system and stability that they constantly give me. 

David and I met my parents, my brother & his girl friend and my sister & her bestie in Indianapolis on Sunday for a little lunch date and to watch the Pacers play against the Philadelphia 76ers. It was pure bliss getting to spend the day with the ones I love the most. 

#3. Pinterest Inspiration

I try really hard to think about what the world was like before Pinterest and I honestly just can't remember. I have no idea how people planned weddings or dressed themselves. It stuns me really. 

I am so thankful for a place where people can share their ideas, their passions, and their creativity for all of the world to see.

I will be the first to admit that I spend WAYYY too much time on Pinterest than I would like to admit, and I have an excessive amount of boards, but hey, it's cheaper than retail therapy, so I think I will continue obsessing over it until it gets to the point where I stop showering and eating because of it. 

Here are some of my favorite boards on my Pinterest.

Follow Maddie Hinen's board {inspire.} on Pinterest. 

Follow Maddie Hinen's board {Fashion.} on Pinterest.

Follow Maddie Hinen's board {Creativity.} on Pinterest.

#4. The Ability To Dream 

What kind of life would it be if we didn't have the ability to dream about our future and all of hopes and desires? 

source

A few months ago, I blogged all about my Dream Board. It is a simple DIY cork board that I use as a place to store pictures of all of my dreams. I have it hanging right above my desk as a constant reminder of why I do what I do. Life is hard sometimes, but my Dream Board pictures give me motivation to keep pushing through the hard times. 

source

I am thankful for passion, devotion, love, and desire that ignite my desire to dream about the future.

I dream to...

own my own business.

travel outside of the country.

get my masters degree.

be a wife.

be a mom.

adopt a child.

host an exchange student.

visit all 50 states.

start my own nonprofit organization.

To read more about my dreams check out my Bucket List.

What are your dreams for the future? 

#5. My Readers 

Friends, I am so thankful for you! Truly, my blog would not be the same without each one of you and your support. I am so thankful for this happy place of mine and the ability to share something I love so much, with all of my friends! 

What are you thankful for this week? 

Much love, friends! 

An InLinkz Link-up