It’s official…

…..

…. I got my permit. *happy dance around the room*

In other news, I have a random question.
Anyone going to The Gospel Coalition’s Women’s Conference in Orlando, Florida?

Enjoy the rest of your day and have a fabulous weekend

What has been happening?

 

1. I finished my sophomore year of school! God has been very good to me in sustaining me through this school year. I can’t hardly believe next year I will be a junior AND a freshman in college through PSEO. Crazy!

2. It has been quite a while since I updated my blog. And I have been thinking about the modesty devotional I would like to do on this blog. Haven’t gotten to it yet but I should have more time now to update more frequently now that i’m done with school

3. I went to prom on May 11th and it was one of the best nights of my life! This year’s prom was so much more fun than last years and the night went by too fast. I think its safe to say I was having tons of fun! Here’s a picture of me

Details:
I found my dress at a place called Bride to Be Consignment, a bridal shop with tons of prom dresses as well for consignment prices but very good quality dresses! Mine was a David’s Bridal and all we did was add straps!
I found my scarf at Target for $12 and had my hair done at Fantastic Sam’s.
Shoes are from Target, found them last year.
Clutch from Savers, $4.
Flowers from Target and a friend.

Here’s a picture of my hair

4. My parents have been gone for almost three weeks in Europe and they are coming back tomorrow! So excited to see them and tell them all about prom

5. I’m so excited for this summer! Missions trip, going to Florida and Georgia, and starting college this August are some of the things I’m really looking forward to

thanks for reading, lovely people. Thankful for each and every one of you.

A Sunday for Compassion

Tomorrow is Compassion Sunday. A sunday specially designed to introduce you or reintroduce you to a fabulous organization. An organization called Compassion International, where you can support a child for $40 a month. For some that is a sacrifice, for some it is not. I have sponsored a little boy named Juan for 2 years now and it has been such a blessing for me and I know, for him. He writes me letters, and I write him back and I just feel so thankful to have him in my life. Maybe you have thought about sponsoring a child before, and maybe you haven’t. Whatever the case, I pray that you will at least take 5 minutes or so to take a look at my sponsor page, and maybe Compassion International’s home page. Read some stories, see some of the sweet faces, maybe this sunday you will take a leap of faith and sponsor a child yourself.

Here is my sponsor page : http://my.compassionsunday.com/e/talithapiper

Here is the main website : http://compassioninternational.com 

and here is a blogpost my momma wrote : http://noelpiper.com/haveaheart 

After you’ve visited my page, I would love it if you commented back that you have and maybe some of you will feel compelled to share a story or a thought. I would love to read them.

Blessings as you worship the King this weekend!

Fashion God’s Way : Part 5 – Frequently Asked Questions

This post could be the end of my series, Fashion God’s Way. I’ve chosen to have one last part after this, a devotional on modesty.
This has been such a fun series. I have loved getting all the comments and suggestions. I love hearing from my readers. Don’t hesitate to email or find me on twitter or instagram (talithapiper – username) or just leave a comment!

I am going to go through 5 frequently asked questions about clothes and modesty in general. Feel free to ask any others on your mind or to add to my answers in the comments. Or if it is too private, email me at godwardblog@gmail.com.

1. What’s the big deal about modesty anyway? It doesn’t matter what I wear as long as I like it!
Modesty IS a big deal. And yes you should feel comfortable in your clothes and you should like them. But too many times we like our clothes so much that it blinds us. It blinds us to the fact that when we wear a low shirt or very short skirt, it is causing our brothers in Christ to stumble. And I know how hard it is to walk away from a shirt or dress because it is immodest. So you if you feel discouraged after shopping, its okay. Remember that modesty should be important to us not just because its good, but also because God loves it when we love others. And we are loving our brothers in Christ when we are choosing not to dress immodestly. Is it hard sometimes? YES. But is it good to dress modestly? YES.

2. Everyone else is wearing it. I need to fit in!
Do you really need it? Ask yourself that question after seeing that cute top or dress. If you can fix it to be modest with a minimal amount of work and your mom agrees, go for it. But if you just want it to fit in with everybody else, no matter how immodest the item of clothing is, thats a problem. You need to be YOU. Don’t try to be someone else. Wear what you feel comfortable and modest in. Don’t go with the flow. Swim upstream in your choice of clothing. Be modest!

3. How low is too low?
For me, the answer to the question is what my mom says. If I lean over, and she comments that I should pull up my shirt, its probably too low. Or if she, or any of my friends for that matter, keep telling me to pull up my shirt, its probably too low.
A simple way to fix this is to grab a tank (make sure its higher than your shirt) and put it on under the shirt you wear. If you are wearing a black shirt, grab a colorful tank to put under. That way you are expressing fashion through modesty

4. How short it too short?
Generally for me, I don’t wear dresses or shirts above the knee. And in the dressing room, I always sit down to make sure it doesn’t come above the knee. I know different people have different standards. So ultimately go with what your parents have agreed on for modesty.

5. The shirt I like is too tight. I don’t think so, but my mom won’t let me buy it. What do I do?
I know this may come as a hard pill to swallow but buy a bigger size. Find the size that works for you. Don’t pay so much attention to the letter on that tag, pay attention to how the shirt looks and hangs on you. I know nowadays girls are very worried about how it will look to their friends when they are shopping when they have to go up a size on something. Don’t worry about what other people think of you. God made you just the way he wanted. And people are different. Its okay.

And since I’m so used to putting a photo in my blog post, I will put a photo of a celebrity wearing a modest dress. Rare I know
I love the simplicity of this summer dress. I love that Taylor Swift wore it over shorts. I love her.

comments, questions, suggestions? comment below! happy shopping!

:::of college and summer playlists:::

This afternoon I got a phone call to tell me that I’ve been accepted into the PSEO program at North Central University, which is just 5 minutes away from my house!

*cue happy dance and difficulty of breathing*
What?! ACCEPTED! COLLEGE! where has time gone?!

So i proceeded to call two friends and babble incessantly about how excited I was to them.

And then I made a summer playlist for summer 2012.
Since its comprised of 200 plus songs, I will list my top 10

1. Someone Like You, Adele
2. Give Your Heart a Break, Demi Lovato
3. Safe and Sound, Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars
4. A Drop in the Ocean, Ron Pope
5. Faint Not, Jenny & Tyler
6. Stereo Hearts, Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine
7. What Makes You Beautiful, One Direction
8. Like An Avalanche, Hillsong United
9. White Flag, Chris Tomlin, live from Passion 2012
10. Defying Gravity, Wicked, Idina Menzel & Kristen Chenoweth

So I’m ready for this summer and bound for college next fall? Crazy!

Fashion God’s Way : Part 4 – Shirts- [T-shirts]

It’s been a long time coming but finally here is the fourth post in my series, Fashion God’s Way!
This week its all about t-shirts! Why? Because they are 3/4th of the shirts I wear and even tshirts can be immodest!

I love t-shirts. Love them I tell you. I love wearing t-shirts to school, out and about and just chilling at home in my sweatpants.
But you have to remember even if you’re wearing a t-shirt, you still have to find ones that are modest.

A few things to remember when shopping:
1. Make sure the shirt flatters you especially in the bust area. You don’t want a shirt that draws attentions to your chest. And I will not lie, my stomach isn’t the flattest in the world so I make sure the shirt doesn’t hug my stomach either.

2. If the shirt is too short, go get a undershirt that is long and layer! Layers look great plus you are modest!

3. If the shirt is too small, go a size bigger. Don’t worry about your size, worry about modesty! A lot of girls, including me, think about how your friends would see you if you don’t wear a extra small or medium in shirt size, Wear the size that flatters and fits you! Don’t think about others! Wear what’s comfortable, what looks good on you, and whats modest!

Okay for some of my favorite t-shirts…
1. 116 t-shirt, white – I love this shirt! I have it in yellow and its probably my favorite Lecrae tshirt!!

2. Don’t Waste Your Life shirt, red and black tape – I love this shirt too!

3. Forever 21, floral shirt – I have this shirt and I LOVVEE it!! I wear it with a under shirt and its light and comfortable and wonderful!!

Also a word about off the shoulder or wide shoulder cuts, I personally love these cuts of shirts! But I do wear a undershirt that has WIDE straps under them. Why? so it doesn’t look like my bra strap

4. Minnesota Twins Shirt, feminine cut – I really like this feminine cut! Rep MN! I also like the more baggy tshirts as well

Happy shopping for tshirts!
Questions, Comments, Suggestions? Leave a comment or shoot me an email at godwardblog@gmail.com

Giveaway Tuesday Winner!

Congratulations to….

Joshua Gervacio!
I was blessed when I read your comment about your father. What an excellent godly role model! Blessings on your family!!!
I will be emailing you for postal information so I can send your cd asap!

Thank you to all who commented! Enjoyed reading about your role models! Also thank you to new subscribers!
Soon I will be posting part 4 of my series, Fashion God’s Way, so watch your feeds!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Giveaway Tuesday

*NOTE*:You can comment but any comment posted now will NOT be entered in the giveaway! Giveaway is currently closed! Stay tooned for winner!

Its that time again, GIVEAWAY TIME!

This time is very unique because I would like to really target the men. Now I know most of my readers are probably women but I do have a few male readers!

This time I am giving away 1 copy of this…

Looks pretty sweet right?
This is the newest album from Reach Records. Reach Records is a group of christian rap artists, including well known, Lecrae Moore. This pack includes a dvd and album featuring Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, Pro, KB, Andy Mineo, and Sho Baraka.
Now you understand why I am looking for the men this giveaway, hence the title of the album, “Man Up”!

All you have to do is tell your friends, preferably your male friends, to read this post and comment on it and they will automatically be entered in for this giveaway. You don’t have to subscribe or anything. I am making it super easy.
If you would like, here’s a question to answer in the comments : Who is your role model and why?

*Women, you can comment but you will not be entered in for giveaway. So sorry! I am really looking for the men for this giveaway.*

*Deadline* 12pm on tuesday, the 7th of February!

Comment away!

Fashion God’s Way : Part 3 – Prom Dresses

It all starts when you hear those magical words, “Will you go to Prom with me?”. Or for me, it was saying to myself after seeing the announcement of prom, “I’m going to prom!”. Then the thoughts in your head start spinning with dress options, shoes, hair, makeup, etc. One of the hardest parts of prom is… picking a dress. Strapless or straps? halter or wide straps? yellow or black? blue or purple? short or long? 40 dollars or 400 dollars? (hope you go with the lower one!) the list goes on and on. For me, it was harder though. I had to think what dress would be stunning while also modest. It was a hard search and for some girls it goes on for days and days and days. Sometimes the enchantment of prom goes out when you trudge home after another fruitless prom dress shopping trip. Don’t worry! God has the perfect dress out there for you and he has a perfect plan. Trust him!

You also want to find the dress that flatters your figure the best. If you are petite, shorter dresses and the mermaid style dresses look especially good. (At least I think so)
If you are slightly bigger, then the ballroom dress style looks good.
But I always say, ballroom style looks good on everybody!

A few things to remember while shopping:
1. Price! This is a tough one for some girls! You want that special dress but its just out of your price range!
Look online. Keep watching the store for any special deals or sales. Maybe a better dress will turn up for your price.

2. Style! Like I said, you really want to make sure the style flatters your figure! Don’t get discouraged if a dress looks different on you than on your friend. Find the dress YOU like and that YOU feel fabulous in! Its your night!

3. Modesty! Ouch! For some of you thats a pain in the rear. Its not bad if you want to look stunning but lets remember that stunning doesn’t always mean immodest! Make sure the dress is high enough and that when you lean over, nothing shows! Also be sure that the dress length is ok. Always check with your parents to make sure what length they are comfortable with you wearing. Then obey and respect them! Obviously if the dress is floor length, length is not a issue But if the dress is knee length or below the knee, make sure when you jump or sit down, nothing shows! We as women want to honor men by wearing things that don’t cause them to stumble!

All that being said, here’s some fabulous dresses!!

1. Ballroom style, my favorite This is a gorgeous color and a beautiful dress! One thing, I would add straps.

2. Just below the knee style! Love this dress! (Also would add straps)

3. Straight and sleek style! ( I would add straps )

:Bonus:

:Bonus: You have to have a great clutch and some great heels! Here are my favorites!

Clutch

Heels

Just one more thing, This post marks the halfway point of the series! 3 posts down, 3 to go!
Love all the feedback! Feel free to comment or if it is too personal email me at: godwardblog@gmail.com

Okay all that being said, my apologies on this long post, Whenever it is, have a rockin’ time at your prom! Happy Dress Shopping!

1 Year Ago…

1 Year Ago… I liked photography.

1 Year Ago… I had a cheap digital camera that sometimes surprised with decent photos.

1 Year Ago… I wanted a better camera.

1 Year Ago… I received my wonderful Nikon L110 from my wonderful parents.

1 Year Ago… I found out that instead of just liking photography, I LOVED photography.

Christmas 2011 marked the 1 Year Anniversary of having my camera. Its been an incredible year of finding out new things, getting excellent tips from other photographers and being able to travel with my camera. This last year I started a facebook page, a photography blog and was able to do my first photography session with a adorable wonderful family from my church!
God has blessed me with friends who constantly encourage me as well as give me great tips on how to take a better photo.

I am blessed.