adventures in lace knitting

The time in Alaska wasn't simply spent sightseeing. Namely. . . 

I knit my first lace shawl thanks to a Craftsy class. With the final stitches in place,  I arrived home quite eager to try my hand at blocking. . . 

Now I not only feel like a more legitimate knitter, but I also feel quite excited for autumn!  

Anything on your needles, crochet hook, or project pile? 

& April

& here we are marching into April! That is, with this post. . .  happy official May:) But while April is still fresh, here's my recap of the month. . .

First off, I'll admit that April contained phrases like 'piano recital', 'college visits', and 'checking account' that made me nervous. A lot of good filled up a lot of days, keeping my attention more divided than usual. . .  

I'll begin by sharing things of which I don't have pictures:

A few special opportunities popped up for me at church in the forms of talking about the Ark of the Covenant in the girls' Bible study, reading a passage of Scripture in church, and then helping with the Maundy Thursday service.

At dance, I finished learning choreography for the Helen Keller ballet. I am continually amazed at my teachers' gift for choosing unique stories and portraying them with both depth and beauty. So much joy to appreciate visually and audibly even as we dance about someone's joy despite their lack of sight and hearing.

On the school end, life was quite normal. I reached the point in the year when you see the end of subjects, yet still have a ways to go. 

Now for the things of which I do have pictures: My dad took the photo above when we went to see a play of The Screwtape Letters. It followed the book to a T and was very well done! 

As it was quite a drive for us to get to the theater, I had time that Saturday to finish my triangular knitting project. 

Another fun project was making these panda cupcakes for. . . 

Youngest Sister's birthday! (yes, she has a cake in front of her. . . no, we didn't go into a sugar coma. . . the cake was enjoyed on her actual birthday and the cupcakes at her family birthday party :) 

The third project of the month was decorating Easter eggs a bit differently—not sure we quite got the hang of it, but it was an enjoyable experience :) 

Another enjoyable experience? Celebrating Easter along with my Meemaw and Youngest Sister's birthdays! 

Then my week of crazy started. School and dance Monday.  My first college visit Tuesday. 

(Best part of the visit? The library. Coolest. Place. Ever. )

School, dance, then my second college visit Wednesday into Thursday. This visit was more fun as it included going with a friend and staying with my cousin in her dorm. . .

I was delighted to enjoy their sweet company along with ginger peach tea at the local coffee shop! 

School, piano lessons, dance, and a piano recital finished the week off strong on Friday. 

And, despite my nerves, the month unfolded somewhat beautifully. 

Looking forward to what awaits in May. . .  

Also, do you have any advice for me on college? I'm definitely in the gathering-information stage. As far as a major goes, I'm torn between english and physics. 

Looking up as well as forward. . . 

Room Redo

At the end of December, my parents promised me the birthday gift of a room redo. Unfortunately, I didn't take any good "before" picture. So I dug through miscellaneous pictures until I found this. . . 

Not a comprehensive view, but you get the idea. Things have changed in just the way I hoped they would, but it's been a journey. Rearranging furniture and painting walls a lighter shade of blue (covering the beautiful Bible verse my dad had painted above my bed when I was seven- thankful I can still see it in my head). . . 

Finding the right chair for beside my bed- one I now sit in to do most of my school work. . .

Choosing a solid bedspread after much thought and discovering the right pop of color to go above it. . .

Settling into my new bookshelf. . .

Getting organized at my desk. . . 

There are still a few pictures to be hung, but my room has transformed. . .

The only problem? I don't want to leave! :) 

Mountains and Bison and Bears! Oh My!

A mountain view. . . 

A delightful stop at a tea bar. . .

Driving up, higher and higher. . . 

Braving Bear's Tooth pass. . . 

Seeming to reach the sky. . . 

Snow spotting the mountains. . . 

Incredible views. . . 

Beauty overload. . . 

 Purple flowers thriving. . . 

 Driving through east Yellowstone. . . 

Getting our feet wet with wildlife. . . keeping eyes open for bears!. . . seeing bison. . . 

Finishing a kind of cowl. . . 

Thinking the colors of a peach look very good with white and grey. . . 

Tons of people stopped. . . spontaneously stopping too. . . SEEING A BEAR!!!!!. . .  

Bison hanging out by the side of the road. . . 

Tourists wild with bison-excitement. . . 

 Upper Falls of Yellowstone. . .

Water so blue. . . 

 Reflections of beauty. . . 

Elk from afar. . .  

Smoke rising from Dragon's Mouth. . .

Mud bubbling. . .  

Terrible smells. . . 

Fascinating, dangerous ground. . . 

Mountain mystique. . . 

Mountain profiles. . . 

Thus ended Day 4. More Yellowstone Monday- Tetons tomorrow! Blessings~ Megan