Stripes

Thrift stores are amazing, truly sent from above... In my eyes at least! Haha. I'm only kidding. But I'm partially serious...

I still marvel at the fact that I found this skirt at a thrift store in my town. So many people ask where I've gotten it, and I so wish I could tell them! The only thing I have to say to them is this: go thrift store shopping! I am a firm believer in thrift store shopping--oooobviously. :)

shirt: Madonna (it's my sisters)
skirt: Bali Emerald Design (THRIFT STORE)
shoes: Mossimo Supply Co. (Target)

>>>so I think I look like a red-head. I wish I was, that would be so awesome.

So I was down in Oceanside this past weekend, and I totally stole one of my sister Erin's shirts. For those of you who have siblings, you know that their wardrobe means a lot to you. When my older sisters left, YES I missed them so so much. But I missed their clothes as well;) hahaha.

I love love love dressing stripes! They are so fun to play with. Personally, I think every color looks great with stripes! I love putting bright bold colors with stripes for summer, it always gives it a super playful and fun look.

Accessorizing with stripes is SO FUN as well! Playing around with different colored accessories with your outfit is way fun, and stripes just make it look 100x better!

necklace: Forever 21
rings:
thumb- small shop in Gettysburg, PA
middle- Bella's Consignments in Orcutt
ring finger- CTR ring, from CTR Ring Shop

Summer is the best. You get to dress in bright and light colors and enjoy the summer heat--I love it! But MAN I seriously cannot wait for fall! I'll be spending fall and winter up at BYU Idaho so I'm more than eager to get some snow and the constant cold weather. I love love love looovveeee sweaters and dark colors for the fall and winter look, and I    can    not    wait to experience it daily!:D

SO EXCITED!

I can't believe I actually leave in ONE MONTH. I'm so beyond excited to start college and get busy. Life is just around the corner and I'm ready and excited to embrace it:) I'm so blessed to be where I'm at today. My heart is happy and full!

Have an amazing week guys, I hope the world treats you well.

Love, Megs :)

Discovering Photography

 Almost everyone who knows me knows that I'm a photographer.

I kept asking for a camera when I was about 12, and got one the Christmas after I turned 13--I think. It was so small, it broke. So I got a point-and-shoot. Then I needed to experience more, so I got a bigger camera, but still not the complete package; my parents wanted to see if this whole investment was worth it... And it turned out to be, thankfully;) And then, I finally realized I wanted to go somewhere with photography, and I was able to get a Canon t3i.

Best. Decision. Ever.

I used to take pictures like this(with my point-and-shoot):

Ignore the text, I was  o b s e s s e d  with doing that when I was like 13. Hahaha.

THEN I progressed to these...(my next camera was a step up from a point-and-shoot):

So at this point I wandered, not knowing how to excel from here. I'd wonder every now and then where this new hobby of mine came from.
A couple of years ago, I was visiting my family down in San Diego when I was about 16. One day, my family and I took a trip to see my great grandpa, who was sick with pneumonia and was 90 years old. We walked into their home, which I had been in countless times, and I suddenly noticed the pictures on the walls. My great grandpa took a trip to Spain in his later years, and had photographed some beautiful pictures from the trip. I walked around the house, looking at all of the pictures. It hit me then--this is where I got my talent of photography, I had inherited it from my great grandpa!
This moment was a huuuuuuuge moment for me... I finally figured it out, where this new hobby of mine had come from. It ingrained a new passion inside of me. It gave me reason, responsibility, and drive to move further in photography. I was, and still am, so grateful to have that link with my great grandpa.

In September of 2012, my great grandpa Judd passed away. As all people know, the passing of a family member is always a sad and hard thing to deal with. But knowing that I had photography as a connection with my great grandpa really strengthened my love and appreciation for him, even though he had left this earth. The last time we visited him was a couple months before he passed away. He was holding my hand and he told me to never give up on photography. This struck a chord, and it's stayed with me ever since. In that moment I knew that my great grandpa recognized a little photographer waiting to grow and experience life through the lens. I won't forget that visit with him that day, and I won't ever forget the new passion for photography my great grandpa has given me.
My favorite type of photography is landscape; you have to place yourself just right to get that perfect picture. You have to go out in nature and explore, and go beyond your typical limits. Photography for me is an outlet, a way to get away from the world and focus on one of the best things in this life: this WORLD given to us by our Father in Heaven. I think of the Lords creation, this earth, each time I get out and view this beautiful world we call home. I think of my sweet great grandpa for instilling within me this passion and love for viewing the world in such a different and beautiful way.

With my newest camera, a Canon t3i:

The Lord has blessed every single one of us with talents and passions, even thought we may not know of them yet. I know that through prayer and action we can discover them. If you're having a hard time figuring it out, ask Heavenly Father to help you figure out your personal talents and gifts He has given you. He's blessed me and my life with this talent, and I thank Him for that often.

When I look back at how far I've come, I remember how long it has taken me to get where I am today--and I'm still working on it. Talents only progress when you work by trial and error. But the important part is trying. When you reach goals you've made, it's the best feeling ever.

So keep moving, and keep a thankful heart in all that you do!

Love, Megs. :)

Cream Pencil Skirt

Saturday night I was planning my outfit for the next day, and I really just did not feel like making a huge effort to put together a cute outfit. SO I did this:

shirt: Target
skirt: thrift store (New York & Company)
shoes: Elle

>>>I call this the "Business" look. Haha. With some sass, which was not intentional...

I love pencil skirts, if you couldn't tell by now! I have a few plain, colorful, and patterned ones! I think it's good to have some slight variation because most of the time they can go with almost every shirt or blouse in your closet! It's fantastic! Haha. 

necklace: Forever 21
Here's a quote about modesty that I just found, I LOVE it!

"Modesty is so much more than conservative fashion! It encompasses both body and heart." --Anonymous

I really like this! It reminds me of when women would try to be as classy as they could possibly be. When women would scoff at the idea of revealing a certain part of themselves. When women wouldn't dare degrade themselves by dressing in a way that people would stare(in the bad way) or find offensive. I really miss those days. BUT it's now up to us to keep that class, and make sure that being modest in dress and manner is something we never let stray from who we are!

Love, Megs. :)

"One Step At A Time"

Over the past couple of weeks, the change is sinking in more and more...I'm leaving my home. My place of comfort. And I don't mean home, home. I mean my family, my ward, my friends, this area we live in...My home.

As the middle child, I've always been aware of the changes happening in my siblings above and below me. I've watched both of my older sisters leave home, and get married. I've watched my little brother and sister advance in school and grow literally before my eyes. And now I'm leaving, following my older sisters footsteps. Leaving my younger siblings to grow up, and I can't quite be there anymore.

My parents have guided me since I was a young teenager as to how I should live life, and how I could live life to grasp all of the happiness I possibly could obtain. Thankfully I've done so, but only because of them. I've watched them live their lives, and set amazing examples for me and my siblings to look towards. I've watched them give effortlessly to those in need, and love all who enter their lives. I'm sad to leave my little haven of comfort.

The place I'm at right now, is partially due to the people that I've been surrounded by over the past few years. I've grow up in a ward full of love, compassion, perseverance, and service. We are truly a ward family. Every time I go to church on Sunday, I look around and think about every individual and how they have impacted my life. I think about the individuals who have touched my heart thousands of times with their warm smiles, loving gestures, and open arms. I'm sad to leave them.

I have over a thousand memories with people I call my best friends. I've met a few young women who shine so bright it's almost as if they are angels sent here to better the lives of those around them. I've met a few young men who stand ready and willing to face the life placed in front of them. These youth have blessed my life beyond belief. I tear up at the thought of not seeing many of them for a few more years. I'm sad to see all of us move on.

This area I call home is an area that holds millions of memories ever since I was a child. The rolling hills, the valleys, the moody winters and summers, they have given me many reasons to be so grateful for the earth we have. My favorite thing is to be out in nature to witness and absorb this amazing world God has given us. I'm sad to leave it behind.

...

BUT, while all of this is very saddening, this is life. This is the plan the Lord has prepared for each of us to live. We are meant to learn, to love, to cry, to laugh, to trip, to fall...To grow.

He does not wish for us to sit back and continue in the place we are most comfortable in. We are to find that place and move from there, taking all that we have learned with us. We are to pave our own lives as our Heavenly Father would have us do.

This quote has been my motto for about a year now. One step at a time. We are meant to struggle, we are meant to have heart breaks, we are meant to fall time and time again... But the Lord has given us this gospel to help us push ourselves forward. We are in control. We make the moves. The Lord provides us with our plan, and it is up to us how we deal with it. As we ask for his assistance, He gives us the strength to move on one step at a time.

This struggle I am in right now is not a fun one. It's not for anyone. Changes, transitions, and new-beginnings, they are hard--but they are meant to be!

I have learned from my family, my ward, my friends, and this area we live in. Because those people and places I hold close to my heart have blessed me with strength and knowledge, I am now prepared and excited for my life to fold out in front of me!

So...

Yes, I will dreadfully miss my family. But they will always be there for me. Yes, I will dearly miss my ward. But I can, and will, always come home to them. Yes, I will seriously miss each of my friends. The ones who have touched my life will always have a place in my heart, always. And yes, I will really miss this area we live in. It's blessed me with a full heart as I've witnessed first hand the Lords creations all around me.

But I'm excited and ready to move on to new things. I'm excited to get to experience living on my own. I'm ready to better figure out how I'll be living my life from here on out. I'm excited to see what the Lord has planned for me. I'm excited to see where the Lord will take my family over the next few years. I'm excited to be able to come back to my ward and share with them my experiences, and feel their love once again. I cannot wait for the day I reunite with my friends and see how each of them are doing. I'm excited to come back a few years from now, and still return to the places that hold so many of my memories.

But I am even more excited to come back a few years from now, once I am more knowledgeable and experienced than I am today, and still be able to call this place my home.

One Day At A Time

Love, Megs. :)

Safety Town

So this last week was super fun, and super crazy! Haha. Safety Town is this little camp for kids ages 4-7 that teaches them all about being safe. Throughout the week we were able to have the Police, Firefighters, Paramedics, Humane Society, and some other people come and teach us about being safe! I've helped out with this camp twice in the past few years, but I haven't been able to for a while. So I jumped on the opportunity to volunteer at this camp when I found out I could actually go!

The woman who runs the camp is a member of my church, and we've known her for years! She's always been someone I look up to, and this week was really great, thanks to her!

There was 4 groups this week, and we were each assigned a place in the little town we set up each morning. The people who put on the camp make intersections and cross walks so the kids can learn how to safely cross the street, and how to 'drive' their bikes safely as well!

>>It's so fun seeing the kids run around the little town all week!

So here are the kids in my group!

I was really lucky to get an adorable group, just as the others! They all got to know each other very quickly, and were good friends by the middle of the week.

Sweet little Mia liked taking pictures with my phone all week. :)

My favorite thing about this camp is how much it teaches every person who is involved in it. The kids learn about safety and working with others, and the leaders learn more about patience with children! I loove kids, I babysit all the time and love it! But man, every time I do this camp I get to work on my patience and other qualities it takes to work with big groups of little kiddies. They became better at not listening as the week went on, but that's normal;) haha. They were so crazy all week, it wasn't hard at all to feed off of their energy! All around, it was so so much fun!

Sometimes it seems a bit crazy that this will be my life about 10-15 years down the road, having lots of kids! But I'm grateful that kids come one at a time. Unless I have twins or anything more than that--that'd be a trip! Everything is meant to happen for a reason, I can handle anything I set my mind to! Haha. I'm also really grateful to have such great experiences like this to prepare me for my future life. I really love being involved in events like this, they're nothing but uplifting in so many different ways!

--I volunteered at the Santa Maria Safety Town, but it originated in Santa Barbara. Click HERE for the link to their website if you have any questions or just want to check it out a bit more. :) 

Love, Megs. :)

B & W pencil skirt

I have a new love for pencil skirts. This is the outfit I wore on Sunday:

shirt: Fun & Flirt
skirt: White House | Back Market (THRIFT STORE)
shoes: Target

Cute?? Yes. Problematic?? YES. Holy cow, I can't tell you how many times I try a skirt on, thinking it's the perfect length, but then I sit down. That's  a l w a y s  the problem, for me at least. Knee length skirts are ideal for my standards, as well as the standards of modesty most of us know of!

So this skirt has an inch and a half hem on it, which means we can modify it. (We've done this with soo many skirts before it's not even funny!) So once I have that extra length from the hem, I'll have about an inch more on the bottom of the skirt, giving me more fabric to cover my knees more when I sit down.

ANOTHER huge problem I had with this skirt was a H U G E slit in the back... I have never had a slit this huge, and I realized it while I was running out the door (late for church already, I slept in 30min. more than usual because I'd felt a bit sick that weekend). So I quickly grabbed a big safety pin, but it broke off when I was walking out the door. SO I walked through church with a huge 7" slit in my skirt. Yea. I was not thrilled about this. I was walking like a robot with legs duct taped together. I asked my mom to help me pin the skirt asap. Neeeedless to say, we'll be sewing that up VERRY very soon here!

>>>Thankfully we are able to modify these major problems I'm having becasue this skirt is too cute to let go!!

necklace: Target
belt: I can't remember where I got this.

I've stated multiple times how much I love thrift store shopping. We have a Goodwill here, and it's fantastic. I go there when I want to find a certain item for an outfit or just feel like shopping--but not spending loads of money! I'm still in disbelief that I found this skirt at a thrift store! White House | Black Market is so classy and fun. I love window shopping there, but definitely not buying... Too pricey for me! BUT finding a cute item from there at a thrift store is a definite must-buy!! So thrift store shopping is well worth it. ;)

Family-Filled Weekend

This past 4th of July weekend was filled with family! Sweet little Abigail was baptized on Saturday, giving us a wonderful reason to get together.

I drove to Los Angeles to get Savanah and Cory from LAX, and holy cow was traffic AWFUL this 4th of July... No bueno. I loved getting them from the airport though, Nan and I talked the whole way home--I miss her so much!

>>>I seriously cannot wait to live in the same town as her in two months!! AHH!

So for the 4th of July we watched the Game (if you aren't familiar to my reference to 'the game', you must not be following the FIFA Soccer World Cup... But you should be.) Then after the game we went outside to play some volleyball and football, then we left for Avila Beach!

>>>please excuse the tacky cell phone quality. :)

Avila holds a farmers market every Friday night in coordinance with a few other places along the centeral coast throughout the week. We decided we'd all get dinner at the market. The fish tacos there are pretty good, but MAN are they hard to eat. Haha.

>>>a walk on the pier is completely mandatory at Avila! Loved spending it with my family, especially Nan and Cory!

Saturday was the day Abigail got baptized! Again we watched the games throughout the day, and then got ready for Abs' baptism. Mom made Abigail's dress, it's kind of a tradition in our family. Mom has made all of our dresses, so it was fun to see her make Abigails too!

Her baptism was small and intimate, and very sweet. The last of our family to be baptized, it was almost a little surreal. Haha. I felt so so much love and peace in that little room, I'm so grateful families are forever!

here's a little family photo for your enjoyment. :)

And this sweet picture of the only kids left in the Hulstine home... two gone, 3 left to go... Insanity!

>>>the three of us have gotten pretty close as we've gotten older. I love these kids with all my heart. Happy to be one of their big sisters. :)

When all was said and done, it turned out to be a pretty crazy weekend! But it was so much fun seeing some of our family there. I can't believe Abigail is 8! Time is flashing by so quickly, it's unbelievable!

Hope you all had a completely wonderful weekend, and filled it with family.

But I also hope we all remember the purpose of this holiday... There's meaning being the celebration we hold with fireworks, food, family, and vacationing. Our nation was given to us as a gift from God, and we celebrate that gift of freedom and love every 4th of July. Keep the purpose in your hearts forever!

love, megs. :)