Kayak Adventures

 I went exploring a few days ago and came across a river that was worth kayaking! A few friends went with me and we went exploring down the river!

 

 

 The weather was a little chilly but if we kept moving we were warm enough. There were times that the water was like glass! There was also a blue heron flying ahead of us picking up fish quite a bit.

 Although 11 miles was a little much I would do it again in a heartbeat!

The weather is finally nice which means beach weather!

XOXO ~Jackie

Fly away

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.  
      ~Leonardo Da Vinci


My younger brother has been interested in flying for quite some time. He had the opportunity to take a basic flying lesson and was allowed one guest. I guess he actually does love me because he asked me to go with him! 

Downtown Grand Rapids (It looks like a little clay model!)

My favorite part of the trip was the fact that we would be flying about 2000ft up over my home town. It was very neat to see everything from up high. We even saw our house!

Holland lighthouse

We dipped down to 200ft over the lake

Going in the afternoon meant that the air near the ground that had been heated up by the sun was rising making it bumpy. There were times it felt like riding a roller coaster my stomach dropped so much!

We also had to wear the huge headphones with the speakers in order to drown out the engine and hear each other. I was waiting to hear Tom Cruise from Top Gun start expressing his love for me over the headset! Alas it did not happen.


The take off and landing were a little frightening in such a small craft. With the breeze coming in from the lake we had to take off and land with the wings at a 39 degree angle from the ground. It looked like we were going to crash and I may have screamed into the microphone on my headset! 

My Brother and I after the flight (isn't he a stud?)

 Despite how fun it was and the wonderful view I think that I am going to stick to bigger planes and enjoying the view out of a nice thick window (when my brother isn't driving!)

Plenty more adventures to come! 

XOXO ~Jackie

El Salvador

I guess I started this blog thing at the wrong time. Between dead week (which is a very misleading name, I actually had a lot of projects due this week!), final exams, and my mission trip to El Salvador it has been far too long since I have posted. However it is now summer and I cannot wait to update on a regular basis!

I recently returned from a trip to El Salvador and I cannot express how wonderful it was. The next opportunity that I get I will be returning for sure! There was so much spirit and hope in this small country that has gone through so much turmoil. For those who have not heard of Oscar Romero or the civil war that happened in El Salvador, I suggest looking it up!

Here are a few snapshots from the trip:

Making Concrete

The Construction site

 In El Salvador we worked in a community about 45 minutes out of the capital San Salvador. The community was called Las Delicias. While many of the homes had running water and some had electricity, there were many that looked like the houses in the pictures here.
In the community we helped build the foundation of a health clinic. The community was very remote so we had to do everything by hand, including mixing our own concrete and cutting wire to build concrete support. For three days all we did was dig and move rocks to level out the land and make the trenches!

When we weren't digging, we had the amazing opportunity to play with the kids in the area. What was amazing about this was these children know that in a week or so you will be leaving. Despite this they love you unconditionally.  If everyone was so open to love people that they knew would only be in their lives for a short while, the world would be a different place.

My main squeeze Samual (sorry it is so blurry)

Every day little Samual would be waiting for me to play soccer. He was three and we both spoke about the same amount of Spanish!

We also had the wonderful opportunity to work with some orphans in an orphanage ran by the Carmelites.

City of Las Delecias

Overall it is impossible to express the trip in words. I am sure as the summer goes on I will be throwing in a post or two about El Salvador. It was a wonderful experience and I cannot wait to go back and be able to help the people more.

Faces of El Salvador

Even a smile can make a difference in someones life
XOXO ~Jackie

Dandelions

Shoes from papaya clothing

The Dandelions are out! As much as we try to get rid of them I cannot help but think they are beautiful!

There were also some beautiful red tulips blooming in front of my dorm.










After some unnaturally warm weather for Michigan things have gone back to normal, making it feel really cold! Looks like tights and sweaters for a little while longer, good thing I don't mind! <3

Off to continue studying for finals next week. One week and a day until I am completely finished with my undergrad!

Have a moment? Take a moment to look at the flowers.

XOXO ~Jackie

Swirl Ring

Happy Tuesday!!

 

I was bored at work the other day and lucky for me I had brought some arts and craft supplies with me. It seems that when I am most bored I create the neatest pieces. Of course the first one right below was the best. When I attempted to create the second one it didn't turn out as well, but still just as adorable! Take a look!

 

Want to make one? 

Here is what you do:

Supplies: Wire, a nail polish bottle to size your ring on, wire cutters and wire pliers.

Step 1: Determine the size you want your ring to be and wrap it around your nail polish bottle twice for a thicker band. (To size I placed a ring of mine on the bottle, marked where the band hit, then placed the wire in that spot)

Step 2: When the two ends meet, wrap them around each other tightly and slowly continue to wrap it to create the swirl around like shown.

Step 3. Take the ring off of the nail polish bottle once you reach the desired swirl size. I placed the ring upside down and pushed on the swirl to flatten it out. 

Step 4: Take the two ends and fold them back into the ring between the two wire bands. 

Step 5: Cut the axcess wire off with the wire cutters and using the wire pliers bend the ends into the ring so that they don't poke you!

Viola! A homemade ring personalized every time!

Bored? Pull out some art supplies, you would be amazed at what you can do.

XOXO ~Jackie

Butterfly Lace

Outfit Details: Sweater, heels, purse: Target. Butterfly shirt: F21. Earrings: gift

Happy Sunday!

I finally got to see Hunger Games today. It was good! However I cannot wait for the Avengers to come out. The preview looked very good!


  It was a beautiful sunny day so decided to dress up a bit!

I love the lace in the butterfly! It is so delicate and sweet When I saw the purse at Target I just had to purchase it!



Off to write a response paper for class. I cannot believe that I have less then two weeks in undergrad!

Have a wonderful start to the week!

XOXO ~Jackie

Spring Trolly

Happy Friday!!

Today was our new school president's inauguration so there was a lot of cool stuff on campus. One of my favorite things were the Trollies!

They were here to shuttle some of the families from the church downtown to Campus. They are just so elegant!

 Never mind my goofy face, but I loved my outfit today! It was perfect for a spring day that was a little more chilly. I got my heart cardigan and black shirt from forever 21and the purple skirt from Target. I wore some cute pale pink flats!

I cannot believe that it is Friday! Only two weeks of school left then it is off to my mission trip in El Salvador!

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Find of the Week!

 There is no doubt about it, Neon is in this spring. I have never been a fan of neon but when I saw this adorable skirt on sale at Target for just $8 bucks I just couldn't resist!

 

I saw the skirt on the racks two weeks before for $25 and just couldn't bring myself to spend the money on something that may be in fashion just for the season. However I waited it out and they were soon on sale! I found that it was because they are see through. Lucky for me I keep a slip laying around for all my thinner skirts and dresses! 

 

 I loved that it came with the bright belt too! I can easily match it to other outfits that I own. 

I found the turquoise sandals at Target and the pink ones at Forever 21. I just love the block color on the pink ones! Both of them I found for a mere $10 dollars!

 I cannot wait to mix and match these brights once it gets a little warmer here in Michigan!

 Have a GREAT weekend!

 XOXO ~Jackie