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Sunday, April 22, 2012

Amanda's Baby Shower

Yesterday was my friend Amanda's shower! Everything went so well. It was my first time helping to host a baby shower, and I had a great time! Love Amanda & the other hostesses! It was also fun seeing some friends I hadn't seen in awhile! 


That cake was the best cake I've had... in... a long time?! Yes, I did have a piece. It was carrot cake & it was SO AMAZING! The quilt in the top picture is something Amanda MADE for Baby Judah! She has become all crafty since getting married! ;) The rest is just the food & decor for the shower, everything was yellow & gray, like Judah's room. It was cute! 

 I finally got to meet my friend Heather's baby, little Brock! He is a CUTIE PIE!

 I also got to meet my friend Candice's baby Kinley. She is a doll & certainly knows how to smile for the camera! 

I had a great time visiting with Cherish at the shower. She even showed me a few things my camera could do! (She is an amazing & experienced photographer!)


Pics above are of Amanda & her friends and family. The top left picture is with her mom; top right is with her sister-in-law, Jennifer, who is also having a baby boy; below that is with Victoria (I kind of freaked out when i saw her... last time i saw her she was about 4 or 5! She's 11 now!); bottom right is me & Becca with Amanda - love these girls! And bottom left is Amanda with Angela, her other sister-in-law who is also pregnant! The shower was at her house & it was just beautiful.

Amanda with all the hostesses: Me, Jennifer, Kacie, Katie, Becca, Brandi, Angela, & Rebecca!


There she is! The beautiful mama-to-be! Due June 30th! Can't wait to meet Little Judah!! 




Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Long Way Around

I was crying literally 3 or 4 minutes into this sermon. It just hit home to me sooo much. 

I don't know why some people get instant miracles, and others don't. I don't know why. But sometimes God takes us the "long way around". And, even if you don't see it now, you will. And you will be glad it happened the way it did. (Trust me... i am going through it, FOR REAL! And not for the first time!)

The link to this sermon was sent to me by two different people - they don't know each other but they knew what i needed!

If you have struggled with being in a waiting season - when everyone around you seems to have it so easy - then THIS IS FOR YOU! (CLICK HERE!)

She talks about her struggle with infertility - and, being honest, that is what spoke to me the most. But even if you have no idea what that is like, I am sure you have still had to wait on God at some point in your life. Or maybe you are now. If so, please listen!

I think of friends waiting for their Mr. Right. I remember what that was like. I think this could minister to you, too. Even though it's still hard. Even though you still wish God would hurry it up, already! 

But if you are struggling with infertility you DEFINITELY must watch it! 

It's so true. So impacting. So GOD.

You can also download it on your phone to listen to it by audio, but i think the video version is best, just because there are some visuals you would miss if you only listened to it.

Take the time. It's worth it. (I actually downloaded it on my phone to listen to again. And again. And again. And so on.)

The speaker is Charlotte Gambill. She's my new favorite person.

i love...

Thought maybe I should balance out my last post with this one. :) 


Things I am loving this week!

{BETTER FOOD CHOICES!}
I've been REALLY struggling with the whole eat right & exercise thing, but this week it seems I've gotten back a little control! Ha! I finally brought my lunch to work everyday this week. I made salsa chicken in the crockpot & it is EXCELLENT to take to work with high fiber tortillas & some toppings. (Pinterest won't come up for me right now, but seriously...throw some chicken, salsa & taco seasonings in a crockpot for 5-7 hours & then shred...amazing!). So easy to make & so delicious! And then Brad had to run by my parents yesterday after work, and my mom sent some supper home with him! So today i had that for lunch: pot roast, brown rice & green beans. SO GOOD! 

{THIS PARK!}
I found a great place to go run/walking after work! It's a cute, recently re-done little park about 3 minutes from the theater. I went Monday & Tuesday after work & got a 30 minute workout in before rehearsal. It was PERFECT! Can't wait to go back! Great stress relief! 


{REHEARSAL}
I love the theater. Theater people are awesome. The show I am doing, 39 Steps, is hilarious. 


{AMERICAN IDOL}
Best season ever. I ended up missing rehearsal tonight, and got to watch. My top favorite is Jessica, after tonight. She is FLAWLESS. I also love love love Hollie & Joshua. And Elise. And Coltyn. And Philip. And ... CRAP! They're all good!

{GOOD FRIENDS}
I went to a baby shower for my friend Katie on Saturday, and it was soooo good to see some old friends!

 Terri & Vanessa

 Me & the mommy-to-be!

 Me & Lindsay (auntie-to-be)

{GOD'S DIRECTION}
He has been leading. And I've been [trying to] listen. ;) It's good. I love Him.

{GOD'S HELP}
It's no secret to some of you that work has been trying at times! But I feel blessed with a very understanding boss, a new assistant director who is going to be a great help to me (it's only her fourth day & she has been already!), plus some really great coworkers. Not to mention, friends who have prayed for me!

{MY MAN}
Truly meant to be... that's all i can say! We had a date to have dinner & see Titanic last weekend, and i had so much fun with him. I love him SO MUCH! He is so good to me.




What are YOU loving this week?

To each his own!!

Kate just did a "Things I Hate (that other people love)" post & I thought it was kind of fun!

There are a lot of things I love that other people hate - or are just indifferent to. (I can hear my English teacher saying, "Never end a sentence with a preposition!" Oops.) Some examples: American Idol, my iPhone (okay, i know, anyone who has one loves it!), JLo, blogging, and Titanic. And that's okay. To each his own, right?

Well, here are some things I hate or could care less about that everyone else seems to love: 

1 - GLEE 
oh, the disappointment that show was for me!

2 - Sushi 
People say you have to acquire the taste for this. But i don't understand why you would need to ACQUIRE a taste for something! That makes no sense!

3 - Sports
 I actually do respect & admire athletes. I just don't care to watch any games or freak out if we lose.

4 - Siri 
She is not quite as helpful as the commercials try to lead you to believe!

5 - Body By Vii
Sorry... but if one more person suggests this to me when i announce that i've lost another pound... I'll scream. This is not the answer for me. I have found the answer. I just gotta keep working at it!

6-Bikinis 
I can't imagine ever wearing one - even if i suddenly had the perfect bod. It's kinda like walking in your panties & bra. Right? ...Speaking of, i keep noticing parents putting pics on FB of their daughters at the  beach - in a bikini. Christian moms. Do they not consider who might be glancing at these pics of beautiful and innocent christian young women? Just my two cents.

7- Twilight
I liked the first book or two? Kept reading to see how it all ended. Saw one movie & now i hate it all. Ha!

8 - Harry Potter 
Just couldn't get into it.

9 - Dr. Pepper & Root Beer
GROSS.

10 - Cherry flavor
Also gross

11 - People with no cell phone etiquette
Everyone will agree with this one...and then they'll reply to a text during a movie. 

12 - Phrases that everyone says because they think it sounds cool. For example, "Epic Fail." 

13 - Lady Gaga
I just look at her & go, "HUH?"

14 - High Heels
Don't get me wrong. They're gorgeous. And sexy. And make your legs look amazing! But i want to stay upright... and not look like i'm drunk-walking... for real!

I guess that's enough of that! 

What do YOU hate that most people seem to love???

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter!

Today was a great day. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, never getting above 80 degrees. Sunny & not too hot. Love it! We went to church with my parents, and I am glad we did. It was a great service!


After church we went home & I made Green Bean Casserole. I know that is usually reserved for occasions like Thanksgiving & Christmas, but it was a special request. ;) It turned out PERFECT! Yay!

And then we went to have Easter lunch at Brad's Aunt KK's with lots of family. We had a great time!

This just cracks me up. No, our family is not that rude! This was during the 5-10 minutes where we have nothing to do anymore but wait for the food to be ready - and we were STARVING! Someone started talking about Draw Something (hilarious game you can play on your smartphone) & next thing you know everyone is playing it. Haha. Had to snap a photo! (Look at the concentration there!)

Later, the kids showed up - Brad's cousin's kids. They're so cute. Oh my goodness. 

That's me with Baby Cayde - he's so sweet & cute! There he is with Whitney too (his auntie). Above pic is him & Whitney with his sister's Kiersten & Rylee. There's another sis, Hayden, but she's a little shy. ;) (I just noticed that i cut off Cayde's face! Poor baby!)

I got my baby fix!

We had a great time eating & talking & laughing together! I also got to walk over to Granny's old trailer...Brad's parents are moving there & in the process of fixing it all up. I am excited about this because it's just the perfect place to bring the kids (one day) & let them play while you sit & drink coffee on the porch. :) 

It was an amazing day. We came home & napped. Haha. So sleepy!

Happy Easter, everyone! Hope your day was wonderful & hope you were reminded again of what God did for you... how his death & resurrection is what gave you the freedom, healing & joy you have in Him. 

xoxo

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Gorgeous Day in Louisiana!

Today was awesome. Seriously. First of all, it's GORGEOUS outside. 

Second, it was full of family & sunshine & well, driving. Which can get old, but it wasn't too bad!

My sister & her husband bought a new sofa (a leather sectional & it is NICE!), so they gave me their couch, chair-and-a-half & ottoman. I am SO excited! We've had mismatched couches for awhile now, both with slipcovers, but slipcovers can be a pain! I am excited to have couches without them! We gave away both of our other couches - to very good causes as it turns out. And mom & dad came with me today to bring my new furniture home! 

We almost went in just dad's truck. I am so glad we decided to bring mom's car "just in case"! The couch cushions & throw pillows wouldn't have fit in dad's truck once we got the furniture on! 

So on the way, my parents & I stopped at Chic-fil-a for breakfast. I thought i might see my friend Robert, because, well, he is OBSESSED with chic-fil-a. And guess what? I did! So he got to meet my parents, which was fun. We sat outside, because the day was too pretty!

We headed to Michelle & Michael's (incidentally, their names are WAY too similar! I have accidentally texted him meaning to text her! And his sister said she always second guesses herself when posting something on his Facebook wall, when she means to post on Michelle's. And vice versa. But anyway.)

We visited with them at their house for awhile, and then decided to go to lunch. My sister lives in Mandeville & I LOVE IT. Such a pretty clean city. Very nice. I could totally move there! They also have low crime, which is crazy to me since Baton Rouge & New Orleans are high crime & Mandeville is on the way to New Orleans from Baton Rouge! ANYWAY, we drove to Madisonville for lunch and ate on the riverfront. I was still full from breakfast, so i just had a side salad. I was kind of mad, because they had boiled crawfish & I've been DYING for some... but we had breakfast too late not knowing we were going to be having lunch! Haha. Oh-well. ;)

We had such a good time visiting! It was GORGEOUS! I was so wishing i had my Canon; I told Michelle I'm coming back just to take pictures. (These were taken with my iPhone.)

(Top left pic - that would be alligator nuggets. Yes, i live in Louisiana. Those are Michael's, but i did have one. Really good. Tastes like chicken! Haha.)

After that we headed back & stopped & got Snowballs. Let me just say. I am not supposed to have those. It was amazing & I enjoyed every bite, but I gotta get it together!
After all of that, we headed back to their house & loaded dad's truck & mom's car & drove back home. 

I LOVE my new (to me) furniture! It looks great in here & saves room. And I'm SO comfy right now.
 
 (That bottom pic? That is "my spot". So much COMFORT. LOVE!)

Tomorrow is church & we decided to go with mom & dad for Easter Sunday. Afterwards, we'll go to Brad's Aunt KK's for lunch. Yay for family time!

How is your weekend? {{Group Hug!}}

Giveaway Winner!!

GIVEAWAY: EMBRACING YOUR FREEDOM
Well, I regret to inform you that I didn't do the drawing for the giveaway last night, as promised. I also didn't do it a "fun" way, like usual - with silly pictures to accompany the drawing process! But. I did the drawing today. Without pictures. And i have a winner! 

The winner is RAINEY

Rainey blogs at Sunshine on Rainey Days. I actually met her in person when i went to visit Laura & i love her! Excited that she won the book! 


Congrats, Rainey! I think I have your address already. I'll mail it out to you this week! Hope you enjoy it!


Sunday, April 1, 2012

Bella Pop!! {Photography classes}

I've been meaning to tell you all about Bella Pop!

 

Not too long ago, I was invited to participate in the first Bella Pop photography class. I was super excited! You see, I had started shooting in manual on my camera, but still wasn't sure when or why to use certain settings. I was ready to learn more, but needed a teacher. Enter, Brandy with Bella Pop


This is Brandy. She is so cute!  The class she held was called SHOOTING IN MANUAL 101 & it was to teach us the basics of aperature, shutter speed, ISO & white balance.

Each week, Brandy had a video on her website for that week's lesson. I really enjoyed the videos. She explained things very well and without making you feel completely overwhelmed. I also thought they were very well done (aka, professional!). Loved them.
 
 Through the week you could take practice shots & post them in our private facebook group. We got feedback on our pics there, and could retake the pic using her advice & repost our improved photo!
 
Regretfully, due to a very stressful new job, I ended up not being able to participate in the class as much as I had hoped. I did in the first week or so, but then my practicing fell by the wayside, so i had nothing to post! I was overwhelmed with my life, but let that not be a reflection of her class! It was fantastic. Even though I didn't participate as much as I had hoped, I definitely use manual all the time now & play with each of the settings before taking a pic. So I am learning! And my pics are improving. 
 
I will definitely sign up for another class of hers at some point! 
 
Brandy offers tons of great classes for all different levels. Her classes are filling up fast, so you should really check them out if you are interested! 

***THANKS, BRANDY!***