{exotic} pants in not-so-exotic places

One of the perks of being a campus minister with 70 plus young women? Sometimes they're from exotic foreign countries and bring you cool, billowy pants! And of course, I chose to wore these pants on an equally billowy day (ahem, see above). And how do you pair said exotic pants in a city very far from exotic? Simply; with a black tee, chunky necklace, denim jacket, and sandals worn approximately 3 weeks too early (worth it, my toes got to breeeeathe!). Originally, I thought these pants would be more of the beach cover-up variety but after trying them on, I've decided that they're comfortable and perfect and that I should wear them as often as possible! And these harem pants definitely deserve more than a brief trip to the beach:) 

 I know that some of you may not be as lucky in the exotic-friend department so I did a little research for you...and now I'm on the verge of a harem pant buying binge! Enjoy.

These black-and-white ones from H&M

Love this pattern from Abercrombie (they have lots of cool options - all on sale!)

And this fancier version from Express

xoxo

A+J

PS I'm selling some spring clothes over on my Instagram account (@alexandraghoman) all week. Check it out and help me do some spring cleaning!

the one with all the {remembering}

Ever had a season where things weren't quite what you expected? A time when you expected glory and victory only to be met with struggle and straining? Although I wish we could just go from strength to strength in our spiritual walk, it seems like we typically go from mountaintop to valley and valley to mountaintop over and over again. And during the valleys, I immediately forget the glory of the mountaintop! Instead, (and maybe I'm the only one), I bemoan the valley like I've never ever EVER reached a summit at all! A tad dramatic, right? Well, as I've been reflecting on this truth, I've come across something interesting in the Scriptures that I wanted to share this morning. 

Have you ever noticed that God constantly retells the same stories in Scripture? Repeatedly, he reminds the Israelites of his exploits on their behalf - that he chose their forefather Abraham, that he led them out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, that he rescued them and brought them into the Promised Land. I mean really, it's 500 years later and he's still telling them the SAME story! You know why he does that? Because they're still amazing! 

It's not that God is trying to be his own hype man or that he's being like that weird relative who keeps telling you about his "glory days" of yore (Uncle Rico, anyone?). No, he's trying to remind them - and present-day followers -  that he's powerful, that he's able, that he's still worthy of their trust. And not only that, he's reminding us that he is still capable of doing miracles in our lives today! 

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 

I will meditate on all your works

and consider all your mighty deeds. 

- Psalm 77:11-12

What about your mountaintop stories? Do you remember when God parted the Red Sea in your life? Do you remember the chains of sin he set you free from? What about the answered prayers you've witnessed or the things you've seen him do in the lives of your friends, family members, fellow Christians? 

Remembrance is a powerful thing. It helps us to keep going and keep trusting in difficult circumstances. It reminds us that things can change and that God has helped us overcome before - and he can certainly help us to overcome again. 

With all this in mind, I bought myself a new journal (is there any greater thrill?), and dedicated it to one thing and one thing only - remembrance. All week, I've been sitting down and writing the things I've seen God do in my life. I've written down the big, obvious things and I've written the things that seem insignificant now, but were HUGE at another point in life. I don't want to forget any of it. 

As I've been writing these victories down, my faith has been strengthened. After all, the same God who orchestrated the victories of the past is certainly capable of doing so again! I'll eventually reach another mountaintop, but in the meantime I can rejoice in what the Lord already done for me. I have plenty of lessons to learn in the valley and miracles to reflect on as I wait. 

I hope this has been helpful. 

Happy Thursday!

xoxo

A+J

the one with the {never-ending winter}

You guys. It's been so long since I've posted. Sorry!!

This blog consists of our daily adventures, my fashion finds, spiritual insights, and even the occasional cooking/baking exploit. But this winter, well, life's been a tad repetitive.  You might have heard that we received a lot of snow up here in Boston - 110.3 inches to be exact. Yep, we broke a record! To be honest, I just wasn't sure what else to write about after the third blizzard. I mean, do you really, REALLY want to know what we did for the millionth day we got stuck inside?

Allow me to summarize the average A+J Winter 2015 Week:

Monday: Snow. CANCEL ALL THE THINGS. Bake. Sleep. Netflix. FaceTime warm relatives. 

Tuesday: Ok but really, it's still snowing. Read Job 37:6-7. Again.

Wednesday: Burn 1,000 calories shoveling (or watch your husband do so), leave house fully bundled with 7 layers of pants on, discuss battle stories with fellow snowmageddon survivors.

Thursday: Slush, slide, slip down the side walk. Try to see over snow mound. Get stuck in a plow pile.  

Friday: "Hey, did you hear there's another storm coming?" Shiver. Laugh. Cry.

Saturday: Listen to weather report all day. Attempt normal schedule. Stock up on ice melt. Wonder if this is how polar bears feel.

Sunday: Watch the first flakes fall. Plan which movie to rent from Amazon Instant Video Watcher. Find relevant snow GIFs from 101 Dalmatians. Send to friends. Also, consider moving in with parents in Florida.

My winter fashion look can be summed up in two words: 

Snow Boots. 

Baking/Cooking Adventures: 

Chili

Chili with Turkey Meat

Cookies

LOTS OF COOKIES

So clearly, it's been thrilling! But really, it's been a little bit of a weird winter. And although I'm being a little silly about the snow -- some cool things did happen! 

We spent time with my family over Christmas and New Year's:

We visited two of our best friends in LA before the semester began:

Carly, my maid of honor / college roommate, SURPRISED me for my 27th Birthday:

Jesse was appointed as an Evangelist and Amber and I were recognized as Women's Ministry Leaders in our local congregation: 

All in all, it's been a solid, albeit snowy beginning to 2015. I have some over-due posts I'll be sharing with you over the next week! So stay tuned!

Love from Narnia,

A+J

the one with home and the holidays

It's 11PM and I've got nothing in front of me but headlights and interstate. We are driving the 12 hours to North Carolina overnight because we wanted to get "home" as fast as possible.  Home has become a relative term for me the last few years as every member of my family has moved multiple times. Now, home simply means a place where we're all together and surprisingly, I'm totally ok with that. So even though I may not always know what to put for my hometown on my Facebook profile (Athens? Cary? Somewhere in Florida? Boston?) -- I'm finally accepting that my scattered "homes" just make me a little more interesting. Knowing that my family is waiting on the other end of this crazy, exhausting drive with a fireplace, a Christmas tree, my brother in law's famous chocolate covered peanut butter balls, and lots of shrieking kiddos makes it all worth it. :) 

And because I so wish I could send all of you a sweet Christmas greeting from Boston to your home (wherever that is!) - I wanted to share some of the photos from our little Christmas card photo session. Thank you, Fergie for taking these pictures for us -- you da best, girl!

Merry Christmas, y'all! We hope you all find a little piece of home and happiness this season! 

Love,

A+J

the one about giving thanks

It's DECEMBER, y'all! Eeek! And as excited as I am to post about Christmas and all the upcoming merriment - it wouldn't be right to neglect Thanksgiving! This year, we stayed in Massachusetts and spent time with Jesse's family on the North Shore. We had so much fun watching movies, eating WAY too much food, shopping, and just spending time together as a family. It was an especially fun holiday with Collier around as our new brother-in-law. He's the perfect addition to our clan:)  

This year, I asked to put together the Thanksgiving tablescape and I loved being able to get a little crafty. The decorations were pretty simple:

- a large glass vase wrapped in twine and filled with autumnal gourds, berries, and pine cones

- 2 little lanterns from AC Moore (for only a $1 or $2!) that I'm using again this Christmas

- pinecones for holding the place cards and around the table

- cardstock and felt markers for the place cards

- postal paper (again, so cheap!) for the "I am thankful for" placemats. 

The placemats were a beast to cut (you should have seen my father in law wrestling the paper to the ground and both of us laughing hysterically on Thanksgiving Eve - quite the bonding moment) but led to a special table conversation. I loved hearing what everyone was thankful for in 2014:)

 It would definitely be an easy table scape to adjust for Christmas - I hope it gives you an idea or two for your home! 

Our Thanksgiving table. Amber (and her new beau, Esteban) joined us!

I found some South Georgia peee-caaans for my sweet potato souffle! My southern soul was pumped.

Lots to be thankful for this year!

As we head into the busy Christmas season, I'm trying to hold onto the message of the Thanksgiving holiday. A friend of mine recently posted a thought about the Scriptures' take on thanksgiving - that the Bible talks significantly more about "giving thanks" than "being thankful" and it got me thinking. Apparently, God desires an active form of gratitude even more than an inward or passive form. I don't know about you, but it's much easier for me to be passive in my thanks - to pray about what I'm thankful for or think about what I'm blessed with. But as we head into December, I'm trying to determine how I can be more actively full of gratitude in my daily life. How can I show my thanks to my God, to my husband, to my family, friends and the less fortunate? I don't want to just be inwardly thankful but externally and joyfully full of thanks! Join me, won't you?!

Here's to a wonderful holiday season!

XOXO

A+J

the one about happy lists and {october}

I thought September was my busy month. But, WHOA, did I seriously underestimate October. At the beginning of the month I was starting to go a little crazy at the thought of another month of 50-60 hour work weeks and so I decided that I needed to make a change. First things first, I called my mom (duh). Then, I had a great talk with a friend, prayed by the Charles River for an hour and made myself a "happy list."  I filled this list with about 13 fun autumnal to-do's and other favorite past-times that I wanted to accomplish in the midst of craziness. I figured that if I was going to be busy, I might as well also be busy with the extra things I enjoy! I was having major October FOMO (Fear of Missing Out...that translation was for you, Mom). It's amazing what a simple list, my mother, and Jesus can do to a girl's perspective. Although, I've yet to fulfill the entire list (my Rapunzel-like hair will have to stay for a few more weeks), I feel so much better and dare I say, ready for more insanity in November. Time to update the happy list!

In the words of Anne of Green Gables, 

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." 

Some of my favorite people in some of my favorite places this month - Parker's Maple Barn (a Columbus Day tradition) and Honey Pot Orchards for apple picking:) 

 

PS Anyone dancing with me to Tay today? 1989 just came out and ahhhh I still love that girl.

xoxo

A+J

the one where i wore white {after Labor Day}

Let's talk about the beginning of fall, shall we? When I lived in Georgia, there was virtually zero difference between the last day of summer and the first day of fall. I tried my best to transition my wardrobe (and my attitude) - but it generally took until October for me to feel like I could genuninely welcome autumn. But here in New England, the difference is a little more stark. The air feels crisp in mid-September, you need a jacket for every degree of difference, and you feel societally obligated to start eating copious amounts of apple pie/crisp/cider/cider donuts/you-name-it-I-want-to-eat-it. We gradually start saying goodbye to outdoor cook-outs, the laid-back summer schedule, shorts and tank-tops, and last but (definitely) not least - the heat.

But one thing I'm not saying goodbye to this fall? White denim. {Somewhere, some traditional elderly lady just fainted from shock.} Allow me to free you from one of fashion's biggest faux pas - I, Alexandra Ghoman, hereby declare on the 29th of September, that it is indeed acceptable to wear white after Labor Day. I don't know if you already knew this - but wearing white in the fall has been fine (and even considered cool) for awhile now. There's something so clean and edgy about pairing fall's deeper tones with stark white. So, along with wishing summer farewell and welcoming all of fall's delightful traditions and foods - I dare you to welcome rule-breaking and faux-pas bending right along with me! Everything, including the old ladies, will be fine. I promise:)

Jacket: Cichic.com

Plaid shirt: Old Navy

Necklace: Target

Jeans: Gap

Booties: Baker's

Happy fall, everyone!

xoxo

A+J