Moving Announcement with Basic Invite - Truly Custom Invitations

I’ve partnered with Basic Invite to share more about their products. While this is a sponsored post, all thoughts + opinions are my honest own!

The day has finally come for us to share our big news! We’re moving… to Florida! After nearly nine months of research, planning and pro + coning our hearts out we decided to make the sunshine state our new home! We couldn’t be more excited for this next step in our life together + will be sharing all about our move, decor + design, and all things DIY over at Let’s Staj Home - our YouTube + Blog!

While we’ve been spending time decluttering + packing, we’ve also been savoring + looking for all the small ways to celebrate and share this exciting time with friends and family! Though we can’t be in person to celebrate, there’s something so special about getting exciting news in the mail + that’s where Basic Invite comes in! Despite the unassuming name, Basic Invites invitations are far from basic + it’s been a joy working with them as we craft our own moving announcements!

While we’re still figuring out our exact change of address, we’re already dreaming up our stationary! We wanted our announcements to mimic our housing palette + elements (something we talk a ton about over at Let’s Staj Home). So far these are some of our favorites:

With over 180 colors to choose from, finding our palette was a breeze! Honestly there were so many versions of all of these we’ve loved in various combos of our color palette it’s so hard finalizing. One thing I love about Basic invite is your ability to order a printed sample of the invite, announcement or really any piece of customized stationary before ordering! You can ensure everything is just right + make adjustments if you want to before ordering! I definitely love this in our situation as we’re still waiting for our exact address, but, want to get an idea of how the announcements will actually look!

Basic Invites not only offers essentials for anyone moving + wanting to celebrate with change of addresses or home warming events but any other type of stationary you’d need for any event! Heading into this time of year we have LOTS of birthdays to celebrate so I’m also excited to have all their amazing birthday card options right online! We know things are different right now - birthday parties are a little more FaceTime + Zoom than real face time, but these sweet birthday invitation cards make those virtual moments that much more special. Whether you’re celebrating a little one’s exciting day or a 60 years young milestone, Basic Invite has options for you!

While Cody hasn’t popped the question just yet, looking into their wedding stationary has us so inspired and in love with how highly customizable each piece is. Beyond the 180 different color options I mentioned with our moving announcements, they also have over 40 different envelope color options to choose from making customization for the beginning parts of your big day truly possible! Another bonus with envelopes? They’re peal and seal so no paper cuts or icky taste when it comes time to send off invites to our many guests! As a creative + visually driven person, these (many) options make Basic Invite an exciting no-brainer of convenience, stunning design + personalization to the highest degree.

Even though we aren’t to the point of choosing details like our save the dates or invites, I can already tell you I’m leaning towards these stunning clear options! So simple + timeless with the fun and fresh impact of the clear is just so lovely! You can even keep any foil colors like gold, silver or rose gold continued to the outside of your envelopes for the perfect, classy look!

Until I can start dreaming up even more about our wedding, I'll be spending spare time between packing boxes + searching on Zillow tweaking our Announcements to be just right! If you’re interested in using Basic Invite for your next stationary needs, be sure to use code 15FF51 to get 15% off your order!

Looking to keep in touch? Be sure to check out Basic Invite across social platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram!

Harry Potter Inspired Candy & Bar Trolley

Whether it’s from being safe at home for a bit too long, our plans to visit the Wizarding World being canceled or some new & budding projects calling for some Harry Potter fun, we wanted to celebrate Harry’s birthday this year with a bang! The best way to start? Making our own version of the Hogwarts Express Trolley! Fit with all the candy you could think of - Wizard inspired takes on Muggle candy - and plenty of Muggle booze (giggle water?) I’d say we did a pretty good job! Overall, creating this Trolley cart was super fun and really doable predominantly with things you already have! Below I’m sharing some behind the scenes of setting it up, tips on sourcing materials for it (and direct links to purchase some of the same items we did online) and of course links to our HP inspired cocktails!

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Anything from the trolley dears? ✨ ⁣ Putting this at-home trolley together was SO much fun! While we added the traditional treats & sweets 🍭 we also added on our favorite Harry Potter inspired cocktails! 🍻 (Blog Post on those coming tonight!) On the blog I’m sharing how we did it plus some tips on creating one of your own! ⚡️🍭✨ ⁣ What’s your favorite Wizard (or Muggle) treat? 🍭🍭🍭

A post shared by Cara | Social Media Consultant (@acaracollective) on Jul 24, 2020 at 12:11pm PDT

The Cart + Containers

For the cart we actually just repurposed our current bar cart! While we grabbed ours at a local vintage market, you can purchase a cart basically anywhere and at a ton of different price points! I’ve included a few below that I think are a great mix of price and style (and would look good all the time) candy trolley or otherwise!

As for the candy containers, we only had to purchase a few larger candy dishes to pull this off! If I could do it again, I would purchase glass apothecary jars (as linked below) because you really can use them for so many things and they’re absolutely beautiful! As for the jars we repurposed, some were old candles others were old jam jars. We’re really big on saving + repurposing anything we can these days and it certainly paid off on this project!

The Candy + Booze

Now of course - the important part(s)! As for the candy we mostly got Muggle candy as Wizards candy wasn’t really available at most of our local stores (and buying from the park was super expensive). Thankfully we were able to find candies we love - lemon drops (Dubledore’s favorite), Red Hots, Green Rock Candy (Acid Pops), Butterscotch Candies, Bertie Bot’s Every Flavor Beans, Gummi Worms, Licorice (Wands) and a mix of Whoppers + Bridge Mix (Dragons Eggs) to complete our cart! All of these and more are available online and can be customized to whatever you wish! Getting creative here is the fun part!

As for the booze, we actually on displayed those which we used in the HP Inspired Cocktails (we have loads more - we love trying out cocktails from around the world + different time periods) You can find the HP Inspired Cocktails here - including Butterbeer, Amortentia (Love Potion), Chocolate Frog and Pumpkin Pasty.

The Baked Goods

Lastly we of course have to mention the plethora of baked goods we added on! All from our local bakery - Sweet Dee’s - as part of their yearly celebration of the Boy Who Lived! We purchased a mixed box and couldn’t be happier. Don’t live in Arizona? No worries! Many if not all of these are easily made at home with your own magic! I’ve linked pins below to amazing recipes that will surely bring you those delicious & festive tastes and treats at home!

Spring Training Outfit Round Up

Spring training IS about the baseball - one of my favorite seasons - but it’s also about the cute outfits, just sayin! I’ve rounded up my faves from Etsy! Click through to shop or head over to LikeToKnowIt to shop directly!

Galentines Day Ideas Round Up

Galentines is upon us so naturally I’ve been spending all my time on Pinterest seeing all the AMAZING ways to celebrate with your gal pals! I’ve rounded up some of my favorite ideas right here from Brunch to Movie night, these pins got you covered! Make sure to click through for more info, tips & more!

Brunch

Movie Night/Sleepover

Pizza Party

Photoshoot

Get Baking

DIY It

Bad & Boozey

Valentines Home Decor Refresh

I don’t know about you but after the holidays when everything is put away and your home gets back to “normal” things can feel a little sad and bare. While we haven’t gone full send like we do during the fall or holidays, we have decorated here and there to make things a little more festive for the month of love! I’ve linked everything below & on the Like To Know It App to make shopping that much easier!

Valentines Day Outfit Inspo

Valentines Sweet Charcuterie Board

One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is charcuterie boards! No matter the theme for making them they’re the perfect way to up your snack game, customize to the occasion and any dietary needs! For valentines day I put together something extra fun (and extra pink) I hope you’ll love!

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To build this board, I started in the candy aisle (duh!) Valentines has so many fun, colorful options in heart shapes and is in so many ways the second Halloween (or first?) I’ve linked everything I snagged below including Valentine’s M&M’s, Hershey’s, Conversation Hearts, and JuJu Hearts!

My favorite little sweet treat I made are these pink, heart shaped mini rice treats! To make these I mixed up rice treats per usual - rice cereal, marshmallows and lots of butter - and added red food dye to the mixture. I recommend doing this with the butter so it goes in more evenly and you don’t get any streaks or paler pieces! Once mixed, press it into a baking dish or cookie sheet with raised edges and chill until set. Once set, take a small (or whatever size you’d like) cookie cutter and cut them into your hearts!

I added drizzled chocolate and sprinkles - or even dipped chocolate with sprinkles for added Valentines flare! Get creative with these & its even more fun!

For the other rice treats, I made them the same way but instead of dying them left them plane & cut into larger squares. If you don’t feel like making these but still want the added Valentines fun of chocolate and sprinkles or candy, head to the store or order pre-made Rice Krispie Treats online. All you have to do from there is unwrap, dip in chocolate and decorate to your liking!

To make the pretzel rods & mini chocolate dipped & drizzled pretzels all you need to do is take a piece of wax paper and place on whatever cookie sheet or large tray/plate you’d like! Place the pretzels out evenly and make sure they’re not connected or else the chocolate will keep them together! Once placed, melt your chocolate - I used milk and white - and drizzle over or dip them in, using a spoon to add on additional where empty spots may have been. Once done, you can use candies or sprinkles to decorate to your liking! I personally recommend using smaller sprinkles - the large hearts were super cute but could be a little to much to chew on when we tried them out!

Ingredients:

Tips for Creating Your Board:

Charcuterie boards can be so intimidating! I remember looking at the ones on Pinterest and thinking I could NEVER make one that beautiful but honestly, it’s something anyone can do! Here are my tips for making it happen!

1. Start by laying out your biggest bits! For this board, the rice treats, pretzels rods and strawberries were the biggest pieces! I laid them on one at a time in a way I thought looked nice! I check the look of things by looking at the board from the top and various sides!

2. Figure out your fillers! Fillers typically are smaller pieces - mini pretzels, M&M’s, JuJu Hearts, etc. Once you’ve got these figured out you can slowly begin to place these in to fill in the gaps! I suggest placing them around the board so any side can access that bite without having to reach across the entire board!

3. Adjust as needed! Even though things can start looking good, they can also move or mess up! Don’t fret- just squeeze things around and see what you like!

Valentines Lingerie & Lounge Favorites

Valentines Gift Guides - Significant Others

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JORD (pronounced Yode) is the maker of Cody’s Apple Band that he’s loving! We’ve both picked out a few different watches & bands we love! Currently, I’m running a giveaway for you to win a $100 gift card with JORD - to enter, just follow this link here & submit your information! The winner will be emailed directly & all entries will receive a 10% off coupon as well simply for entering!

Wooden Wrist Watch

Valentines Gift Guides - Fur Babies, Besties & Little Ones

Valentines Day comes up FAST and with so many different people (or fur babies) to show love to I made sure to round up some of our favorite gifts or new ideas I’ve come across I hope you’ll love!

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A Cara Collective Ultimate List of Valentines Movies

Holidays are some of my favorite times to watch a ton of films & Valentines is no different! I’ve rounded up the ultimate list to fuel your VDay binge!

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Pride & Prejudice (2005)

La La Land (2016)

The Notebook (2004)

Romeo & Juliet (1996)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Magic Mike (2012)

Love & Basketball (2000)

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Valentine’s Day (2010)

About Time (2013)

When in Rome (2010)

50 First Dates (2004)

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

Walk the Line (2005)

Titanic (1997)

Love Actually (2003)

I Hate Valentine’s Day (2009)

Sleepless in Seattle (2004)

Say Anything

Dirty Dancing

Brokeback Mountain

You’ve Got Mail

Bridget Jone’s Diary

My Best Friend’s Wedding

Sixteen Candles

As Good As It Gets

Pretty Woman

The Vow

My Bloody Valentine

Notting Hill

P.S. I Love You

Serendipity

Leap Year

Made of Honor

The Last Song

He’s Just Not That Into You

No Strings Attached

Love and Other Drugs

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Crazy Rich Asains

The Big Sick

Her

Singin In The Rain

The Princess Bride

Up

Moulin Rouge

Hitch

A Walk to Remember

The Ugly Truth

One Day

The Specktacular Now

Silver Linings Playbook

Carol

Call Me By Your Name

Can’t Buy Me Love

Isn’t It Romantic

Return to Me

Becasue I Said So

Forever My Girl

Crazy Stupid Love

Southside With You

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Brooklyn

Blue Valentine

Cassablanca

Moonlight

New Years Eve Outfit Inspo

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Come have a drink with me while I share some of my favorite glittery, sequin looks for ringing in the new decade 🥂 Pieces linked on @liketoknow.it at http://liketk.it/2IwaK

A post shared by Cara Lentz ✨ (@acaracollective) on Dec 26, 2019 at 11:15am PST

Twenty Three Lessons I Learned Before Turning Twenty Three

Earlier this year I came across Taylor Swift’s “30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30” article in Elle Magazine and I’ve had it on my mind ever since. With it being my own birthday today, I wanted to share 23 things I’ve learned before 23 in a similar fashion, and hopefully this little list of mine can hold at least half as much wisdom & inspiration with you as hers did with me!

ONE

Busy IS a decision. Growing up I certainly did all sorts of things but come high school and especially college I was always doing something. Whether that be studying for perfect grades, attending (later running) meetings, working on some new passion project, participating in events & seminars - I was (and am) almost always busy. Initially after college I though busy was a badge of honor - like being able to say “I’m just so busy” made me extra special or as amazing as I’d hoped to be. The matter of the fact here is that being busy isn’t really all that special at all and as you get older you’ll come to find most of us are. What’s important here is that your busy is fulfilling & purposeful - not just something you mention to seem whatever it is you think being busy esteems you to be. There’s no shame in being busy, but really taking time to figure out if that busy is serving you & those/what you love matters.

TWO

You ARE entitled to your sick days. I really don’t give a damn what anyone has to say about this otherwise - I’m calling BS on anyone who says you aren’t. The culture & expectation many of us were raised in to stick it out at the office or school if we’re sick (physical, mental, etc) is a bunch of Boomer/Bootstrap BS that needs! to! go! If you’ve earned sick time - take it! Use those precious hours to take care of yourself, do something exciting, etc. No one will ever be on their death bed wishing that wouldn’t have taken their EARNED time off but I can guarantee they’ll regret missing out on time that could have been spent outside the office.

THREE

Not everyone will like you. Whether it be peers, friends, co-workers, etc - not everyone will like you and this (though hard to understand at a younger age IMO) is totally ok! You - nor anyone - is meant to be for EVERYONE. Our Lord & Savior Jenna Kutcher talks about the concept of “repelling” a lot and as much as it applies to business it also should and does apply to all other aspects of our lives! Repelling means making it easier to find those & connect with those we attract. If and when you can - focus on that. That’s where all the good stuff is anyways.

FOUR

NEVER stop learning. I don’t care if you’re one of those people who swears they hate school or learning - you need to keep growing that brain of yours! That can mean learning or developing skills (graphic design, a musical instrument, hobbies, crafts, etc.), traveling, reading, writing, or really just about anything that challenges you or invites you into a new smidge of understanding yourself, this world & those you share it with. For me, I have always loved school and academics especially and when I was done college and moved into my first “real” job I struggled. My brain felt like mush & like I wasn’t doing anything meaningful with it (something I considered to be incredibly brilliant if I do say so myself) so I made a switch. I decided to learn graphic design, social media analytic analysis and more. THIS got me through some of the toughest times in that job and propelled me into what I’m doing now. NEVER. STOP. LEARNING.

FIVE

A bad day IS NOT equal to a bad life. While I haven’t talked about this much on here, I think this is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my whole life so here I am. A little over two years ago I survived the mass shooting in Las Vegas at the Route 91 Country Music festival alongside one of my best friends & mom. While I find no need to give you a play by play, in the moment I was calm & the true trauma of it all didn’t hit me until almost 6 months later when my dad and I got stranded on the side of the mountains in Northern California. In that moment - and many other moments of trauma, panic attacks, anxiety attacks and more - I found myself thinking I had this bad, difficult life. Carrying the burden of surviving - not making enough of myself in the memory of those who can’t - feeling stupid and silly for how I had flashbacks at the slightest loud noise. What I came to understand through a very difficult trauma is that having a bad day will never mean you have a bad life. Never.

SIX

Pick your battles. Growing up my mom said this all.the.time. and I HATED it. I don’t know it I hated it because it didn’t really work for my inquisitive, confrontational personality or if because I knew when I was older I would agree with her - but I hated it. Now that I’m older, I can tell you she was right. As much as I love arguing & debating - going one to one with people on just about anything - it’s freaking exhausting and drains energy in way you just don’t need. Plus, it can really weigh on your relationships. Learning to pick your battles helps you prioritize relationships and learn to fight for the important stuff.

SEVEN

It’s no one’s job but your own to put yourself first.I’m probably the worst about putting myself first in certain ways but I have also been in certain situations - friendships, collaborations, family experiences, and so on where I decided to put me first and it was something I had to decide to do. It sure isn’t always comfortable - in fact, it usually is awfully uncomfortable - but you’re in charge of this & that’s damn important.

EIGHT

If you have an opinion, be educated. Now more than ever it seems like just about everyone has an opinion about something or another. As someone with both educational, personal and professional experiences in government, politics, and related fields I couldn’t say how important it is to be educated and informed on what you have an opinion on. I don’t care if you’ve never read an article a day in your life or have never spoken to someone affected by what you have an opinion on - you need to. You MUST educate yourself and make sure whatever opinions you decide to put out there - online, over dinner, etc. are informed & educated ones.

NINE

You don’t have to finish just because you start. Growing up I was always told you have to finish what you start. I know to some extent this is to give a human the concept of commitment, follow through, etc. but as an adult there have been many times this mindset was incredibly toxic. Whether it was staying friends with someone for too long, staying in leadership of an organization that was mostly BS, or sticking out a program not meant for me - I killed myself because I didn’t want to quit. In reality, “quitting” ended up being the best thing I did for myself.

TEN

Be nice to your skin. I never had any skin issues growing up outside of some sports related acne in the summers from softball but as soon as I moved to Arizona & got off Birth Control my skin freaked!out! I had to totally do a 180 and give a shit about when/how/with what I took care of my skin with. You don’t have to have every million dollar product but finding what works for you through trial & error, help from a dermatologist or recos from a trusted source take this stuff seriously!

ELEVEN

Realize your shit & work on it. We all have trauma & shit we need to work on. Bad habits, childhood issues, family issues - the list goes on. While we all can acknowledge this aspect of the human experience, we also need to acknowledge how important it is to work on it. Don’t get me wrong - a lot of resources are not available to all and to even have the option to work through many of these things is a privileged- but if this a privilege you are afforded and/or can provide to others - do the most with it! Seek counseling and/or therapy & encouraging & normalizing it with those you know!

TWELVE

Relationships aren’t forever but they’re important. Having graduated college & in some ways who I was during college there have been friendships, romantic relationships, etc. that have changed a lot. Maybe we don’t talk anymore due to space - figurative or literal - but those relationships are fundamentally different than they were. At some points it’s been hard to not feel like a failure or unsure about leaving things different in the past - maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough to stay in touch, maybe this person was more important than I’ve let them be currently. Despite all the uncertainty I am sure that in coming into adulthood your relationships with everyone will change. If you don’t want them to, it’s on you to figure it out but the changes shouldn’t be a bad thing. Those college friendships were important when they were & its ok if they’re not the same now.

THIRTEEN

No one knows what they’re doing. The biggest scam of our lives is that we’re told or assume growing up that adults know everything - have all the answers, know the recipe to happiness & success. But truth is no one knows what the fuck they’re doing & we’re all just chilling on a planet going day to day hoping our educated decisions & shots in the dark make our lives ok! Don’t ever feel bad about not knowing what you’re doing - no one does.

FOURTEEN

It always has - and always will - take a village. I absolutely hate that our culture has come to expect everyone can do everything on their own. The idea of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps & self-made whatever is a load of BS. It takes a village! To learn, to grow, to love ourselves and others. In your life you will need a caregiver, a mentor, a friend, a lover - the list goes on. We were not made to do anything alone or by ourselves. Ask & seek help - offer & give help.

FIFTEEN

Not every loss is a loss. This lesson I learned a pretty painful way while in college after a stressful & emotional month or so of higher ups kicking out a ton of people from my sorority. While I’m not here to drop tea on that (maybe another time?) I can say I learned not every loss is a loss. I had a friend or two who was kicked out and it hurt at first. Like really freaking hurt. But looking back it allowed them to spend their time differently, find what they loved and do some pretty kick ass things. Additionally in that situation there were people who really needed - for one way or another - to not be apart of things and in some situations I really think it ended up benefiting the larger whole. If this explanation doesn’t work for you, think of it as closed doors sometimes bringing you to much better open ones!

SIXTEEN

If it won’t matter in five years, don’t let it matter longer than 5 minutes. I got this advice as a freshman in college from a much wiser graduating senior and it’s stuck ever since. I am someone who dwells - hard core - on all sorts of things. What ifs, whys, etc. and this really works as my mental check to have an appropriate amount of time in my head, thinking and feeling but also knowing when it’s time to move on. If you struggle with similar things I recommend implementing this as a mantra of sorts.

SEVENTEEN

Life is a whole lot of grey. Whether it’s because I’m a type 1 or just because it’s how I’ve always been wired, I really often look at life & its complexities in black and white. Very recently certain life situations, relationships and experiences have pushed me to realize there is a lot of grey in our experience as a human. While this has been terrifying its also helped me have a little more grace with myself and others - past & present - and is something I think is really important & came just in time for year 23!

EIGHTEEN

Travel, travel, travel. While I realize this is something that is not always accessible to everyone & I do hold my experiences as a privileged I can’t say enough how important it is to travel. To travel with people, by yourself, as often as possible, to places unlike your own. In college I visited over 12 different countries and in the US have traveled to over 25 states. In all of these travels I’ve learned incredibly valuable lessons, like how to put snow chains on your tires, the kindness of (most) strangers, the reality of life for all sorts of people from the wealthy to college students abroad to refugees escaping hell. I know for a fact those times traveling - the good, bad and especially the ugly - have made me a better, more knowledgeable and kinder person.

NINETEEN

Apologizing for something doesn’t take anything away from you. This one right here is from T Swizzle and damn this is some wisdom. I am a stubborn, stubborn person and apologizing to me (also highly competitive) for a lot of my life felt like some concession that hurt me. Looking back, it’s kinda dumb and immature to think that way. Ever since reading this tidbit from Taylor I’ve put it into perspective and while I don’t have hard, factual data I would venture to guess I am even more likely to apologize now than I have been my whole life. I can speak from experience this is very true and in fact, not a single apology has taken any thing from me yet.

TWENTY

Celebrate what excites you. If you’re stoked for something coming up - talk about it, make a countdown calendar, be excited! I think a lot of people believe growing up means not finding & expressing joy about what excites us and thats some sad, cold, heatless BS.

TWENTY ONE

Clothing sizes are a scam. Having worked in retail for one of the largest retail companies in the world with in house & out of house brands I can tell you sizing is bullshit and should, in no way, determine how you value yourself or others. If you wear a 12 at one store but a 8 at another and maybe a 16 somewhere else - rock it sister. Worrying about this is a waste of your time & joy.

TWENTY TWO

Listen to Podcasts. I really did not get the appeal of podcasts until this year because I thought they were something stuffy adults did but honestly they’re awesome and really help you remember that out there is someone who loves what you love, can answer the questions you’re dying to have answered and teaches you something new! My personal favorites are Lore, Goal Digger & My Favorite Murder.

TWENTY THREE

Just GO FOR IT. I mean - make a plan, get the education & details - but freaking do it! This year I decided in July I wanted to really start taking blogging, content creating & learning all I can about social media seriously. I sat down for about a week straight every night making the plans - how I’d finance things, how I’d launch, what I’d do, etc. - and come later on in the summer I made it happen. I started trying to put as much as I could into what I did and did things super out of my comfort zone. I still have so much to learn, accomplish and do but at the end of it, I know I’m happier having done the damn thing & failed or messed up a time or two than to still be wondering what if.

Hello 2019!

Here’s to a clean slate, new opportunities & more blessings (even when they’re disguised as struggles)

This year I’m hoping to…

• be more creative

• re-learn (and use) Spanish

• be more intentional

• serve my community

• go abroad

What are your goals???