Challenge

Since I'm pretty much house-bound while studying hard for the next 2-3 months, I decided to try something to keep me posting regularly. I saw the 30 Day Challenge that some were doing on FB and I decided to try it (or an adaptation of it) on my blog. I don't always have the time these days to sit down and write, but I thought these would give me a little something interesting to write a few days a week. It's great to feel connected even when I'm crazy busy!  So...Day #1...Post a picture of yourself with 15 facts. 

15 facts:

1. I LOVE New York City. This picture gave me a good intro into my first fact. This is on the Staten Island Ferry and that is the City in the background. My aunt has lived in/near NYC for several years and I love to go visit whenever I can!

2. I'm an introverted person. I hate calling new people on the phone and meeting new people is usually difficult for me.

3. I once owned 2 goldfish named Buttercup and Wesley. Anyone know where those names came from?

4. I went on a summer campaign to Scotland in 2000. Amazing.

5. My dream location to travel to would be Italy.

6. I've known I was special ever since I was born. Just ask my Mama.;)

7. I once climbed a silo in the dark in Arkansas. Pretty sure we were trespassing illegally. I didn't really think about that at the time.

8. My favorite food is Italian.

9. I have visited the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, CA. I gotta say the anticipation was better than the real thing.

10. I take a bath pretty much every night.

11. I took a nighttime swim trip with JMK, RMS, and KGC to Heber Springs, AR.

12. The genre I like to read most is historical fiction.

13. My husband is certainly my best friend. 

14. I have never been on a cruise.

15. I talk to my dog pretty much every day. One day I am positive that he will answer back.

Double Digits!

What's that you say?  I have only 99 days of nursing school left?  We're in the double digits??  Heck yeah!  Now, I promise I will not countdown the next 98 days on here.  Promise.  There might be a couple of reminders along the way though.:)  I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Crazy Love

I just started the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Yes, I know I'm behind the times. I know everyone has probably already read it, but I'm just catching up. I've heard amazing things about this book and, just by reading the first few pages, I'm already believing it. I've already been reminded to constantly reflect on Him and think of His wonders:

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." Psalm 19: 1-4

Chan said something else I thought was interesting..."God didn't have to create so many kinds of laughter.  Think about the different sounds of your friends' laughs--wheezes, snorts, silent, loud, obnoxious." Isn't is great to think that God is in that detail??

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? I'd love to hear any opinions or thoughts.

Friday Goodness

I got a little bite of reality today and it was pretty scary and exciting at the same time.  Lord willing, I will graduate and be licensed as an RN in a teeny more than 4 months!  Whoa!!  I was really thinking about it this afternoon as I was putting the finishing touches on my resume and getting ready to send my first for real application.  Whoa again!  Can we get excited please??  This is what I will be spending some of my weekend doing.  Do you have big plans for yours?

I hope that your weekend is wonderful and filled with blessings.  The Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and give you peace!

Would You Rather...

be here: 

in a warm, cozy cabin in Aspen, Colorado

OR

here:

in a warm, breezy hammock on some beach, somewhere?

Me?  The warm cozy cabin is tempting but I think I'm going to have to go with the warm beach.  I love the snow, but really? 

Calling All Design Geniuses...

...and those who just like a pretty room...

This is what has been on my mind lately:

Chris and I have started looking and dreaming about our nest we hope to buy when I graduate. Graduation-coming soon May 7, 2011!  Can you believe it?  Anyway, we have been looking at neighborhoods and houses to get ideas about where we want to move.  We have found some great houses and possibly the house but I'll wait and share that with you when it's definite.  In the meantime I have been dreaming about decorating that house.  If you can't have it yet you might as well imagine, right?:) I love this living room.  I have to snitch and tell you that it's not Chris' favorite.  That's ok, he's entitled to his opinion. Mostly.:) He thinks we need a neutral sofa and I guess I can see his point.  If we wanted to change it I guess we'd be stuck with a red couch, right?  What do you think?  Any ideas on how to get the look but change it around a little?

Another room I like:

Now, you're not just going to walk in any house and find a kitchen like this.  We would have to make it like this ourselves, but I love these colors and ideas.  I'm loving turquoise right now and I think the cream and butcher block look awesome!  Nothing we would do right now, but I love the idea that one day we might!

Bedroom:

I love the feel of this room although there are some things I would change.  Love the coziness of it!

Guest Bedroom:

I like this cheerful color but I have a blue toile-ish quilt that I would like to put in a yellow room.  Too much yellow?  The blue in the quilt I would say is a porcelain blue.  What do you think?  With yellow pillows?

Last but not least...

The bathroom:

Haha.  Yeah right!  I think any space we have this big will be used for something else.  Isn't this bathroom awesome, though?

Thanks for dreaming with me for a couple of minutes!  It's fun to think about our house and make plans for the future.  Happy Wednesday!

Good Things

I've had a little bit of writer's block lately.  Everything's good, just not much to say.  Does that ever happen to you?  It's been a great weekend with Chris and friends and family.  I really start class tomorrow so I'm thinking that is what has been on my mind.  

Just thought I'd share a passage that really impacted me this week.

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father". The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.  Romans 8: 15-17

I love that I am a child of God and that I don't have to be a slave to those fears that plague me.  He's my Abba and what a beautiful belonging.

my dozen things

1. Silk chocolate soy milk. Yum.
2. Hours and hours of uninterrupted pleasure reading time yesterday.  Scarlett anyone?
3. Yummy taco soup leftovers in the refrigerator.
4. Dinner and a movie date night on Saturday.  Good day.
5. I started my final semester of nursing school. Yay!
6. Belated New Year's party with small group from church-Psychology, Cranium, and Moods!!
7. Multiple snowy days this season-love the UT snowman our neighbors built!
8. Going to bed in my new flannel pajamas-thanks Mom!
9. I've got a good exercise record going on the last couple of weeks-Kickboxing, Abs, and Sculpting-Oh Yeah!
10. Extra cuddle time with my husband this morning because school started late!
11. My little brother getting engaged to a great girl!
12. Dreaming with Chris about our future-house, children, etc.:)

12 on the 12th-this is something I found on another blog and I loved it.  Every month on the 12th, make a list of 12 things that you are thankful for or just make you happy.  It feels so good to think about the great things going on in life!  Are any of my blog friends up for the challenge?  What 12 things are you happy about?  If you don't have a blog, what is one thing you are thankful for?

No Place Like It

OK, I totally stole this from my cousin, Kitzie's, blog!  It is adorable and I wanted to share it with you. Melts my heart every time!

Jorge and daughter, Alexa

Go here for their story: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L64c5vT3NBw

Going to the Chapel

 Going to the chapel and they're going to get married!!  Congratulations to my little brother, Brian, and his new fiance, Emily!  He proposed last night!  Love them together so much!:)

Friday Thoughts

What a dreary kind of day around here!  Snow was forecast for this morning but we've just had a gray drizzle all day.  Brighter times are ahead, though, right??  Tonight we have a little belated New Year's shindig and tomorrow night is dinner and a movie date-night with my cute husband.  Has anyone seen True Grit?  I also just started my 6th book that I have read since my break a month ago.  I reread Gone With the Wind since my Mom bought me the awesome vintage edition...

Love this book!!  Now I'm rereading Scarlett-the "sequel" by Alexandra Ripley.  Definitely books to read multiple times!  I'm also reading The Prince and the Pauper and Reshaping it All.  Yes, I've been known to read multiple books too!  I've still got a list of books I want to read.  Don't know how many of those I'll get through right now, but the task is exciting to me.:) 

Now I'm off to the grocery to get ingredients for the dessert I'm making for tonight.  What am I making?  I think Paula Deen's gooey butter cake.  Not a resolution's friend, but we're still celebrating, right?  Moderation, friends, moderation.  

I hope your weekend is blessed and safe and filled with people you love!

The Snowy Day

Either I wasn't paying attention or this was an un-forcasted snow day in Knoxville.  Regardless, I had no idea it was going to snow today.  I saw the flakes starting-one at a time-and thought that it would be over soon.  Wrong!  This is the most snow I have seen since I have lived here.  I tried to take a snowy day nap but the day was beckoning me through the window.  Sooo...me and Bailey leashed it up and I grabbed my camera as we walked out the door for a snow walk.  I kind of felt like Peter in "The Snowy Day".

This is what my walk looked like:

Love this little tree.

Bailey loves the snow.  If it's blurry, it's because he was pulling me.:)

Puppy tracks warm my heart.

The lens on my camera was actually fogged up in this picture.  I thought it looked kind of cool though.

This one is just plain pretty.

No flash.:( and this is the last shot before my camera battery died.  I thought I would put it in anyway.

I don't know how much it's going to snow or how long the snow will last.  Probably not long, but the snow is always exciting to me.  Maybe school registration will be canceled tomorrow and I won't have to take my Math test. :)

new year, new...hair?

Heads up-any men out there-this is a purely girly post!:)

So I went to the salon today for the normal haircut and a few highlights.  Well, this time, I asked the guy who does my hair for something a little different-some warmer, slightly darker colors for winter time.  Well...this is what I got:

Not quite what I had in mind.  These pictures hardly do the copper highlights justice.  I guess I was thinking more honey/caramel color.  This is not exactly my style.  He said I could come back and get it fixed after a couple of days if I didn't like it.  Brace yourselves, girls, I think it might be growing on me.  Me-the blond girl, didn't get highlights until she was 25, never gets her hair cut more than a couple of inches girl.  Don't get me wrong.  This is definitely not a permanent thing.  I just think it looks kind of cool.  For now.  What do you think?

A New Year, A New Week

"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."  ~Author Unknown

My nice long Christmas break is coming to a close.  I have school registration on Thursday and class starts next week!  My last semester of nursing school!  That thought is both exhilarating and terrifying.  I'm going to be a nurse?  Whoa.

I'm glad I have these couple of days off before school starts to get my bearings about me.  I have lots to do-not to mention a root canal on Wednesday.:( That is NOT the way I had imagined starting the year.  I wrote about some possible resolutions for this new year a couple of posts ago.  I have decided that my goals this year will be about developing new HABITS.  Resolutions soon fall by the wayside, right?  Habits become a way of life.  I like the quote above because it outlines the way that habits-good and bad-are developed.  I am also reminded of the Fruits of the Spirit which are character traits that I would like to allow God to develop in me as well-Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, & Self-Control.

Although there are more, these are three of the habits that I am determined to develop this year:  

#1:  Be in His word DAILY.  

I love to read and sometimes many times my pleasure reading replaces my Bible reading.  My goal is to be in His word every day in some way whether through a study book or reading through the Psalms.  Along with that I would like to develop a better habit of prayer.  

#2:  Exercise!

I actually really like to exercise.  It makes me feel good and I love its effects.  I have, however, gotten out of the habit.  These days, with school, I have limited time for exercise.  However, I'm going to make it a priority to exercise 30 minutes a day at least 4 days a week.  That's totally doable.  I've got my new yoga mat and DVD and I'm gonna get moving!


#3.  Eat Right!  

How many of us make this our goal?  I've decided I'm not going on a "diet".  I'm making changes in the way I eat and what I eat.  I bought this book by Candace Bure, aka DJ Tanner which is about reshaping the way you make choices and make priorities.  It is all about physical and spiritual fitness.  I want to make eating right a habit for myself as well as for my family.  


So those are just 3 of the habits that I want to form and keep this year and through my life.  I know that these will help me to feel better and work toward being the person that God wants me to be.  Feel free to ask me about any of these during the year.  I certainly need accountability!  I would also value any tips or advice you have about any of these habits that you have formed yourself!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone's 2011 has started off wonderfully!  We are currently trying to recover from staying up all night at the youth group lock-in last night.  What were we thinking??? :)  Just kidding...I can't think of a better way that we could have spent New Year's this year-bringing in the new year with singing, prayer, and reading from the Word.  Of course, don't let me forget the food, games, and inflatables!  

May God bless you in this new year and may your lives be filled with peace, hope, and enough.

Farewell 2010

2010-
I have to say that I am not sad to see it go.  I know that these sentiments are not just mine.  I have read several blog posts and FB statuses about being glad that 2010 is ending.  There are so many things that happened in 2010 that I would just plain like to erase from my memory.  However, I would like to join with Jill and Mindy and believe with all my heart that 2010 will end with peace and hope.  After all, we have a Savior who never lets us go and will never let us down.  I have decided to go back through some of my older posts and repost some of the great things that happened in 2010.  Watch out, happy memories ahead!

New Year's in Atlanta

Awesome nursing friends

Spring Break trip to Savannah

 Anniversary trip to NC

Softball with Brian and Emily on a HOTT day!

Myrtle Beach!

Camping!

Youth retreat

Excellent friends!

Ditto:)

Me and Mama

My little brother graduates.

Christmas with my beautiful family.

I couldn't say good-bye to 2010 without remembering my Daddy.  I miss him just as much today as I did on May 23, 2010.  I know that time will help with the pain but there will always be a little piece of me missing.  I rejoice, though, that his suffering is over and he is in His arms.  On a road marked with suffering, blessed be Your name.

So good-bye 2010, hello 2011!