Reflection // Thank You

For a wee bit, I was following this lovely lady on Tumblr who was a Graphic Designer, living in Auckland - low and behold did I know that she was going to be the door way into my first (industry) job!

I was only in my second year of uni when I started contracting for Opus.
I instantly thanked God for landing me a part time job in design. We had been told time and time again how hard it was to get into the industry as a grad - so this was God-sent.

I can't honestly thank Michelle, Danelle and Aishia for putting up with my stupid-as-questions and dealing with all my mistakes. For helping me deal with difficult clients and guiding me in the right things to say. Going to all the best places to eat and chatting about anything and everything on our way home.

Honesty didn't think that I was going to stay at Opus for this long, but it was the people that made me stay in the end. And I couldn't have wished for a better team to grow with!

Hopefully will be seeing you somewhere along the line!

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart xx
Dawn

Explore // Detour!

You know that feeling in your gut when you know something is going to happen?
Well I had that feeling this morning as we were traveling to the airport.

Turns out that you need your passport valid for at least 6 months prior to leaving. And if you hadn't guessed already… I had less than 6 months.

So here I am. Wallowing in pity that I wasn't able to make the flight that everyone else was on.
I feel so stupid that I let something like this slip from my mind - I remember checking my passport's expiry date several times, but never did it occur to me that there was a minimum amount of time.

The good news is that I am in the process of getting an emergency passport and re-booked to fly this Thursday and from there will meet up with the team on the other side.

Before my flattie left, she said to me "There will be a good reason why you missed this flight", and I like to believe so. Today has been a major test for me, in patience and faith. Fingers crossed that Thursday will be more positive.

Faith

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 

Romans 1:17

It's too easy to just live day-to-day on our emotions and dealing with what gets thrown at us daily on our own... But to trust God, no matter what, that it will all workout in the end -- that's what I still find a challenge.

Explore // Konnichiwa

Never would of thought when I woke up last week, that I would be travelling with a bunch of my closest and dearest friends to Japan!

My initial thoughts once we booked our tickets was ' what the heck are we going to do now?!' There's 10 of us going, some for a week, the rest for two weeks - and we have no idea what we're going to do! Having to plan around 10 people can be quite a mission. The plus side is that though, we tend to get large group discounts. Can I get a holla!

What I do know, however, is that I want to go to Disneyland / Disneysea, Tokyo tower, visit an owl cafe, Shibuya crossing, Kyoto to see temples and geishas, watch a Sumo match, Harry Potter world (Universal Studios) and do a whole lot of shopping! But of course, you can fit a lot of stuff in just 2 weeks!

If you have any recommendations of what we can do and visit, leave a comment or tweet me @divinelimits! I really would love to hear them!

#wonderlust

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling twenty-twoooOOOo..

Tomorrow is my 22nd birthday. It's been an interesting year - but there has a lot of growth and maturing - which is what all adults do eventually right? *UGH that word - adult*. I love that story of when you're with a child and they need an adult - and you realise that you're the adult!


Highlights of the past 365 days

• Purchasing my first car
• Hiking 6 hours on Christmas Eve
• Renovating Drew's bedroom
• Riding a Horse
• Seeing Wills and Kate
• Cooking Gnocchi (and pretty perfectly if I do say so myself)

What I'm looking forward to doing within the next 365 days of 22-ness! So in no particular order:

• Flatting!
• Travel to Greece or Canada or Tokoyo!
• Being more independent
• Learn how to bake something, gracefully and skilfully
• Participating in the Colour Run
• Having a marriage, not just getting married
• Going to Disneyland
• Be a more confident designer
• Going to the South Island of New Zealand.

What else should I have on my list? Do you have any suggestions?

Matthew 6:1

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven."

Matthew 6:1

The things I do, I don't do for you; or you; or you. You may not understand the choices that I make or the actions that I take - that's because they weren't assigned to you: but for me and my purpose on this Earth. That is not an excuse either for my actions, for at the end of the day we aren't judged by man, but by God. 

-

Everyone fits in somewhere - here or there, but once we find our little cosy corner, it's natural to want to give and serve and sow into the church. And that's where I find myself now. 

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Something big is happening at the end of this month...

It was decided about a month ago, that my Mum and Brother are moving to Australia!!!!

It's a scary thought for me, knowing that I won't have my Mum around to help me and tell me what to do, but the sliver lining is that I have more independence. Even though I'm 21, Mum has always kept a close eye on me - still doing those 'Where are you going?', 'Who are you going with ?', 'What time are you going to be home?', keeping me accountable I guess - plus still living at home, she still dictated a lot of my life. Not in a controlling way, just in the 'I'm the Mum, I'm the boss' way.

Mum asked me if I wanted to travel across the ditch with them, but honestly, I don't find that there is anything over there for me. Sure, the cost of living isn't high as NZ, but I would be leaving my friends, family, church and Drew. Sure you can meet new people and make new friends - but I've known a lot of these people for 5+ years - and they are the glue to who I am. Leaving them is not something I'm willing to do easily!

So what that means for me here, I've had to find a new home and a permanent job (currently I'm contracted). I'm fine on the home front - even though for timing I have to move twice - but I can't wait! The plan is to move to where I am currently for about a month or so, until I move with some good friends from church. What I'm looking forward to the most, is having more creativity with my space and letting my style free of the confines of my bedroom. Me and Mum's styling is quite polar opposites! She's the more simple, clean, refined - where I like… mixing modern and vintage, showcasing what I have in an organized clutter? Is that even a way to describe something? Ain't that an oxymoron!

If you have any style advice for my new room, or any words of encourage for when my family's left me behind…  leave me a comment below, I'd  greatly appreciate it!