Paul Fredrick Holiday Travel Tips!

Friends! I am looking down at my desk calendar and I cannot believe the Holidays are finally here! It's so crazy how it sneaks up on you isn't it!? Are you ready?! Wait, am I? I don't know about you, but I always have a habit of planning at the very last minute when it comes to getting prepared for the holidays, it's a habit I desperately need to kick! 

Lucky for me and you, Paul Fredrick, a fine attire of Men's clothing including an array of suits, dress shirts, pants, sweaters, you name it for the sharp dressed men in our lives contacted me with some helpful hints on being prepared for the upcoming Holidays, travel-wise! While our family only "travels" down a few country roads to our Thanksgiving/Christmas destination, we do have family who usually travel a good ways to get to us! I can just imagine the panic of staring down into my suitcase without one thought of where to start when it comes to packing things just so.. and neatly at that! Paul Fredrick wants to share with us their helpful travel tips today, I hope you will make your way to their blog page HERE to get the inside scoop, I know I sure don't want to miss out on some great advise!

Paul Fredrick also wanted me to share some of my Holiday travel tips, but since we aren't the traveling kind of folks, I decided to prepare a list of Holiday tips for being prepared here at home, I may leave a few out and if I do share them with me please I just may need it! So here are my Holiday Tips guys!

1. Don't Stress. Easy for me to say right? Holidays have to be the absolute most stressful times of the year, even worse since the idea of Black Friday came along! I hate to ruin the holiday mood simmering in the jolly pot, but Holidays are very much different than a few years back that I can remember. They are glammed up to such extremes these days the sole desires of our hearts are in these material things we think we must possess/give to make the Holidays just perfect for example:

Although the Ham and Turkey are indeed pretty important pieces to serve on the dinner table, if we don't get to it first in line you can bet we are going to have a holiday throw down at the local grocery store! At least that's how it pretty much rolls down here in the South. Not only that, it's important for us to have the best looking Christmas Tree fashioned with yards of ribbon, tinsel for days, the best of the best gifts nestled beautifully underneath it's whimsical branches lite to the max- all the while we forget just what/who the Holidays are all about don't we?

I know it's hard guys, I can just see myself scrapping the shelf for that one last pack of frozen pie shells for that genius Pinterest inspired dessert I will most likely wait until the last minute to "whoop up" but don't forget the importance of that special time we need to spend with our families, friends, spouses, co-workers. Holidays bring instant joy, share that happiness with your folks, show them that they are the reason Holidays are joyful!

2. Write It Down. Another thing that can add stress I can imagine, is knowing exactly what will go down on the very day of our Holiday exstravaganzas! Do these sound familiar: Who all is coming to Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinner? Do I even have a head count? Someone has a baby that will need a high chair, am I right? Oh, I know what main course foods I generally cook, but what was that dessert I made last year that was the highlight of the sweets?? Did you think to write it down on paper? It's a good idea if you haven't friends! Not only will it help you to logically prepare for all your Holiday must haves, but making lists and making notes are great ways to keep a record for the next Thanksgiving/Christmas to come. Just a thought.

3. Enjoy. Notice what word resounds at the end of the word Enjoy. Joy. Make that word echo loudly in your hearts this Holiday Season. Don't worry about getting everything done, when all else fails, if the turkey comes out blackened, a koolaid faced kid ramshacks your dessert table, Lord forbid you got punched in the snout for snatching up the last can of cranberry slices, the company of family and friends are generally always there and if they aren't there are people out there who will make you at home to their traditions and such. Also, make it a point in your day to Give. Give love, give hope to those people we see who have nothing but the skin on their backs most importantly, give with ALL your heart, that's how it counts!

I want to thank Paul Fredrick for contacting me and allowing me to share their wonderful Holiday Travel Tips to you guys! I love sharing great ideas, so when opportunities like Paul Fredrick come along, it's a given that I must share with my readers! I do hope you will make your way down Paul Fredrick's lane, they just may have that hint you haven't thought of so far for your travels! Not to mention, they may just have that perfect suit or tie for Holiday party/get together you and your husband will be attending! So go ahead, check them out, you won't be sorry!

Have A Safe and Lovely Thanksgiving Guys!

Eucharisteo.

Oh, I just adore Sundays. I look forward to them so much, I find rest in these day marks, I find so much rest in Jesus.

November blooms have been the sweetest yet. I have picked so many pickin's for my little medicine bottle flower vases and such that I have ran all out of prettys and have began asking my MIL for her November blooms, honest. I just can't get enough of this season, this season that I have escaped into bittersweet simplicity. The Lord is teaching me the meaning of true Eucharisteo: the greek word to mean, he gives thanks.

I will admit I gained this new food for thought from my newest page turner, Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts. It seeps conviction right into your soul with every page turned, her stories, the pain and scenario's that she bore, the questions she begged for reasoning from God.. they come right at home for me. I read through her stories so far and can't help but compare them to pains my loved ones have suffered as well in a sense, instances when I myself sought after God's reasonings in my everyday strif goings of life, and I am inspired as she is to write down my one thousand gifts from God down with pen and paper. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the complicatedness and the simpleness of this world and I am again reminded that darkness comes before light and good always prevails against evil. 

I am reminded that when I give thanks for even the microscopic, I make a place for God to grow within me.

Grow within me.

I never put into perspective all this time of thinking I knew God so well, that my very saving is associated with the gratitude I express to Him on a daily basis. And I just want to thump the side of my head for overthinking or should I say not thinking at all about the big picture?

Looking back, it's expressed numerous times in the bible of giving thanks, so why now am I coming to realization of this new word: Eucharisteo? It's because I underestimated His love for me, there I said it.

Our God is a just God, but He is also a very loving God and boy am I feeling His grace enfolding me nowadays. I am learning so much about that tongue winding word, the divine purpose behind giving thanks and I love to write down my Eucharisteo's everyday. I seek in finding my gifts whether it be #63. Tea stained boilers or #89. Warm greasy popcorn on fingertips or #94. Grandma B's giddyness, when I run out of new found gifts I sit and wait on more to come to mind, to heart. It's a beautiful thing naming and acknowledging to our maker the wonderful things/people that He brings to our lives on an every day basis. It takes the stinch out of the pains of this world and gives the mind something to give glory to rather than give grief or anger.

If you are struggling or dealing with some issues going on in your life, I encourage you to find refuge in this book. I promise, you will find peace and comfort, you will be able to more fully point out your blessings more than your problems after reading just a couple of chapters. Take out a pen and paper, and write down your gifts may they be big or small, even if your unsure if they are even a gift, I can bet they are.

I am thankful for the gift of this beautiful Monday and the heart of our veterans, what gifts can you give name to today?

Joy Filled Home.

I LOVE the month of November. It's filled with so much thankfulness, colors, traditions, family and love. Not to mention it's one of the most cozy-est months of the year! If you haven't already, I encourage you to join in on this months Instagram picture challenge brought to us by Nicole from Bloom and Michaela from MichaelanoelleDesigns. Every day we will post photos from our home each day expressing our thankfulness of this and that, I just know the Lord is going to bring so much conviction to our hearts about the blessings we overlook in our home on a daily basis. 

This morning, I posted this picture of my "favorite room" in our home. I can't verbally express what this room means to me. All I can do is list simple words that describe it: Love, Comfort, Jesus, Haven, Relaxation.

 It is the place where we step out of our shoes into each others arms on the sofa each night after a long day at work apart, it is a man movie with popcorn while I enjoy a nap in my husbands lap before bedtime, it is where I do my journaling, drift away from reality to Coldplay,  bible study with God, and where friends and family gather when they visit.

I love this room and the love that flows from it, the instant sigh of awe when we open the blinds to let the sunshine in on Sunday afternoons after church is so humbling. For us, it is home.

So.. do your heart a favor and jump in on this challenge! You can find more information HERE and don't forget to use the hashtag #joyfilledhomechallenge to all of your photos! 

Our 2nd Fall?!

Oh my goodness, where has the time gone? I am literally scratching my head looking back from our last first fall together and it seems like it was just a day ago! Bittersweet memories, take a walk down newlywed lane to our first fall season together HERE and our first halloween HERE.. I can't imagine any other fall comparing to that first one but oh how sweet this one has been so far. I think like wine, the seasons will just get sweeter and sweeter in time. I like to look back to those first seasons though, even while they were not so long ago. It's only been a year since we felt the sweet coolness of the change in weather together, but just as the leaves have changed yet again, so have our lives. Our home is changing every day it seems, our love for each other is stronger than ever and grows deeper every day that passes, we're building memories and preparing ourselves for the God willing seasons to come. 

After digging through some things in the attic, my mother in law remembered that she had a box full of fall decorations with my name on it! Talk about getting into the spirit of fall, this girl was on top of it after discovering leaves and tinsel galore! I was on a high, and I may or may not have gone a little overboard with the decorations, but the buzz I received from all the put up plastic goodies gave off such a homey feeling that I just had to keep going! So then I baked autumn cookies and whipped up a cup of hazelnut coffee. Fall was yet again at the smithies, no doubt.

I think I will like a child, have a fit when I have to take all of this cuteness down, but at the same time... I also found a couple of yummy looking christmas boxes in the attic that I'm sure I will fill their spots with as quick as I take them down! 

So how did I do thrifty pin sisters?

And how are you celebrating fall?!

It's Just A Season.

Seems it has been almost well over a month since my last post, and that I'm not proud of, but life has been eh kind of sideways here lately. We have been in a season. You know what I'm talking about, we are all in seasons. Seasons of prosperity, seasons of loss, seasons of mixed emotions and so for.. but the good thing is, it is just a season. God is good and He always turns the table for good reachings. We have been dealing with some things here at home that have made us become on edge of our surroundings but we aren't going to let those things shake the happiness of our home we have built. Life isn't always pretty and that's a fact, it's just all part of it.

I wish I could unleash all of our daily doings/accomplishments unto this one very post because friends we have also been in a season of busyness! Life has been somewhat a blur here lately, the weekdays are awfully draining at times and the weekends seem to disappear as quick as a vapor. And not to mention I haven't slowed my travels down enough to get in a good write or two. The good Lord has been nudging me to write these days down and I just kept putting it off and placing other wants and needs before my heart.

So after a year of being married, I finally sat down and made our very first photo album for starts. It needed to be done. I couldn't imagine being married five years down the road let alone two with the first thought of starting a photo album. After finding that we had well over 400 pictures from JUST our first year of marriage, I was overwhelmed to say the least. I was stunned, but I was even more enlightened.

Words can do the heart good, but pictures are worth a thousand more over. Filling the pages of our 420 page album in order was not only physically exhausting, it was so so humbling to my heart. Seeing our lives transform in so many ways, seeing our home change through the pages, was so dawning for me.We started off sitting on an old futon cushion for a couch living on the fresh scent of marriage and now our home is so FULL.

 Life is dawning if we see it in that same sense too. And home here lately has been made new a definition of it's soleness. Home isn't the door I walk past and enter going and coming, it isn't the windows that lend my eyes sight to what is outside of these walls, nor is it the walls that give us comfort from the rain and heat of the day. Home is my husband. A door would only be a door, the walls of my surroundings would only be walls and the windows would only be eye sores without him. If his arms spouted out shutters I would happily nestle myself under his cover because he is all I need in this world second to the good Lord above.

I'm not sure where life will take us, I'm not even sure the ground our feet are planted in is permanet, I do know our love is right where it needs to be though. God is so good.

Ramblings: Oh Clever Title

This weekend has been jam packed with so much fun, I know the only time you guys hear from this ol gal anymore is after my weekend ramblings, but I'm trying to sneak back into the blogosphere little by little. I do love this little space of mine but it takes a little living to make a little writing so life does indeed come before blogging. 

For starts, we celebrated my MIL's 52nd birthday! She may pinch me after stating her age to you all, but believe me she ROCKS 52 beautifully! She is such a blessing to me, I never could have imagined I would have such a sweet caring mother in law, a gem she is, and has treated me like a daughter from day 1 with my relationship with Garrett and I look to her as a second mother in so many ways. We treated her to a birthday dinner and a cake in her honor, it was great, she loved it all.

With nothing but sunshine in the weekend forecast, it was time to finally get that back porch repainted! I have been so ready to get our little casa groomed for FALL, again oh my goodness! Where has the time gone already!?  It's hard to believe it will be a year soon since we celebrated our first fall together, I love reminisicing over this post HERE. We were just two little newlys just starting out then even though it wasn't very long ago at all. So much has changed since that sweet first season together. We repainted the door along with a few other rooms, we have filled our home with many things that have come along the way that express both of us just perfectly, we've celebrated birthdays and holidays, but most importantly we have grown so much since then, and every day since June 16th has been such a blessing. 

Mila stayed up until two o'clock in the morning watching me make my first fall wreath along with watching a little episode of Ghost Adventures while the husby retreated to playing his new drag racing game on my Iphone. He is addicted, but I must say he is pretty cute after a win, you would think he was really racing! I usually don't even try to conquer Pinterest projects because they usually have way too many What You Will Need's to them, but this was simple. Bath towels, a few buttons, a wreath, and killa hot glue gun skills, all of which I had! It turned out surprisingly good! 

I finally got to put my birthday present into use my dear MIL and Husby made for me! I love putting my love for flowers into a pot of dirt and cannot wait to watch my little babies grow!

It is well with my soul, I can't deny it.

Life has been so kind and I hope it has for you as well!

A DIY Project: Picnic In A Suitcase Wedding Gift

While I'm not usually the most craftiest gal around the block, marriage has somewhat made me jump on the "hey I can do that!" band wagon a few times here and there. I found this little project while googling suitcase projects in hope of finding something clever to do with a couple of old two dollar thrift finds I had found. To my surprise, I found/created two: one being a kitty bed for Mila and the other, a sweet wedding gift for a dear friend of mine who is going to be getting married to her best friend in October! I had to wait until I actually gave it to her of course, before I could share my How To's: with you guys so that I wouldn't let the cat out the bag or should I say suitcase? I was going to initially wait until her shower to give it to her, but since my sister in law was so sweet to take her engagement pictures today, I thought, why wait!? They were able to use it in their engagement pictures which seemed like the perfect idea! I had so much fun making this little project that I had to share! I hope you enjoy making it as much as this girl did! Feel free to Pin this little project to your pin boards by clicking the yellow pinterest hover symbol on each picture!

Picnic In A Suitcase Wedding Gift

Most of the articles for this projects were bought from a craft store, Hobby Lobby being my choice, you can find yours at any craft store I am sure! Get creative because there are so many fun ways to make this project your very own! **Notice that my picnic silverware is all plastic, (cups, plates, bowls, forks etc..) they will keep alot better than glass silverware in a suitcase being handled around/stored away until the perfect picnic day.  You can find most of these items at your local dollar store for a little of nothing!**

So Here's What You Will Need:

- An Old Suitcase

(You can find these for a little of nothing at thrift stores, 

although my grandma was sweet enough to give this one to me.)

- Spray Paint 

(Tape up the parts of your suitcase you don't want spray painted and 

give her a new look! It's amazing what a little color can do!)

-  1 Yard Of Fabric Your Choice

(You will want to rip out the original lining of your suitcase before you start getting all Martha Stewart here. Beware of the smell of yester years, trust me it will get better. I modpodged the fabric onto the inner/sides of the suitcase first, and then used a heavy duty staple gun to make everything nice and pretty around the edges. If your not used to using such equipment, you may be a little sore afterwards, words for the wise yet wimpy.)

-Mod Podge

( I had always heard about this stuff but never knew how awesome it was until now! It has to be the crafters dream dope in a bottle! If you need something stuck real good, this stuff sticks better than fresh boogers, no kidding!

- Staple Gun

(There is absolutely no sewing to be done in this little do it yourselfer! Not for me anyhow! I used

this heavy doer mostly for attaching things like the fabric neatly around the edges of the suitcase and velcro-ed ribbon attachments for holding the plates, cups, and other things.)

-Velcro Tabs

(I wanted her to be able to put these items back with ease so I immediately thought of Velcro! I stapled each tab to the back and front of the ribbon and the back of the suitcase if needed.)

-Ribbon Of Your Choice

-Plastic Silverware/Dishes

( Like I said, it's best to go plastic on this project. I found all of my items from my local dollar store.) You will need plates, two cups, straws, forks, spoons, bowls etc.. get creative, I'm sure I missed something you have thought of!)

- Fun Stuff

( This part is limitless to the things you can find! I not only wanted to incorporate just silverware for eating, rather I wanted to make it fun so I added things like the pair of pinwheels, confetti for decor, a burlap rose to maybe place in a vase as a center piece for such a romantic setting, and a letter to place on the front of the suitcase representing the couples soon to be last name.)

This has to be my favorite project I have ever made yet, and what made it even more fun was that I was able to give it to someone to enjoy! It is such a cute, fun and unique project that I know a sweet southern couple (like my friend) will love and have as a keepsake! 

Weekend Ramblings.

This weekend has been such a busy one, to start off we thought long and hard on our decision to get Mila, our beloved furbaby as you know if you are a devoted follower of ours, declawed. Many people are strongly against such a thought and we did not necessarily want to go that route, but our furniture suffered so badly from her constant clawing that we had to do something, the glue on rubber tips just weren't doing the trick.

So call us inhumane if you must, but she is doing very well to have just had surgery. I was very worried about her recovery from it but when I let her out of her pet carrier when we first got home with her, she headed straight for her food bowl and has been trying her best to do everything she usually does on a daily basis, though I do have to correct her when she tries to jump up and down things around the house and she talks back, well meows back as a child would who just got told no. She is going to heal very quickly it seems and we are very pleased with that. The pain medicine that the vet gave us makes her very sleepy, so she just sleeps & sleeps and every now and then prowls around the house to see what me and the husby are doing. We are so glad to have her back home... and she cannot wait to wear her new pretty collar mommy bought her for doing so good!

If you follow me via Instagram, you've also seen that I  went through with my big decision to get full bangs! I have always told Garrett that I wanted to just woman up and do it, so I did & I am so glad that I did! Full bangs are intimidating am I right?! I didn't want to take any length necessarily from my hair but I wanted something different, something classy and I think I got it! The husby went head over hills over my hair and I swear he told me he loved my hair at least ten times, I was so proud he loved them because after all his approval was all I needed! His first words once he saw me as he came through the door from work was this: "Whoa lady, my wife will be home soon...." That man is something else, I love him so big.

Speaking of that husband of mine, I just started my newest read, Wife After God by Unveiled Wife. It is a thirty day devotional centered on marriage of course and is filled with encouraging words on being the wife God called us as women to be. Our marriage is one of the most important things I hold dear to my heart and the Lord is really teaching me during this second year of our marriage that it takes alot of love and respect. I have always wanted to "start off on the right foot" in my marriage and I really think it is crucial to keeping our hearts in the right place as we journey throughout lifes many bumpy and winding roads in the years to come. I have gained so much insight from just two days of reading this devotional and I just know it is going to take my heart far. I want to make my God proud and that sweet husband of mine. If you are interested in joining along, you won't regret it, it is only $12 plus shipping on Amazon and it comes in the mail in no time!

I do hope your weekend has been so good to you and I cannot wait to share what I learn from this devotional, I hope you too will join in on this opportunity to grow closer to the Lord and your hubby!

The Dreaded Thought: Grocery Shopping

I'm not going to even sugar coat it sisters, I despise grocery shopping. The very thought of having to go makes me cringe in agony. Sure, the first couple of times were blissfully engaging as I pranced down each aisle with my "new wife smell" but a few more trips later, I was whooped out like a piece of bologna in between two pieces of bread!

I can't decide whether it's the overwhelmingness of the crowd of people driving their carts histerically down each and every isle I go through or just the stress of knowing what to get, how much of this to get, or both but by the time I reach the register I seriously contemplate stretching out on the roller counter.  Bag me up while your at it, Lady! Because of my hate/hate relationship with the grocery store, I usually don't go for three to four weeks at a time and sometimes even longer sadly. But the good thing is, nothing spoils for the most part because we eat everything, down to the last crumb..literally. We are newly rats, it's true, roaches don't stand a chance at our place, they simply curl up and die from starvation. 

This morning I woke up refreshed, I knew it was that time again, so in an effort to charm myself into the idea of grocery shopping, I locked my lips on a warm cup of coffee and decided it was time to get serious.  Get serious you ask? Let me break it down for you, Two words: Meal Planning. Yes, this little wifey did the unthinkable, I actually took time this morning and planned out our meals for the next three weeks. Countless times have I heard how I needed to incorporate this little idea into my wifey agenda, but I always shook my head at the thought. It would come to me, I said. The strawberry jelly will voluntarily jump into my shopping cart and the mayonnaise will leep at it's first chance! But does it really happen that way? Of course not, because I always find I end up with three full jars of mayonnaise by the time I get home that I mistakingly forgot I already had, two unopened boxes of sweet tea bags minus the sugar needed, and did I really forget toliet paper again!? Thank goodness for paper towels, (you know you've had to, too) or did I forget that as well? Tell me I'm not alone in this aspect of life.

To my surprise, meal planning was a success. I knew exactly what I needed for each dish for each day, and I got it, saved some money too wouldn't ya know? Turns out you save money when you buy only the things you know you need. 

I even found I'm pretty clever myself, instead of using an entire package of hamburger meat which usually doesn't all get eaten because let's face it: there's only two of us, I decided to half my meat portion and separate them into plastic bags! So instead of two potential meals, I made four! And you know what that means? A few more days away from the grocery store! Hallelujah!

After a year of living this newlywed wife, it's finally beginning to sink in that there are loop holes in this beautiful thing we call marriage, but there is so much more to learn, Lord help me.

He wants our hearts.

It's amazing how nieve I can be with God, do you ever feel that way? It's moments like last night while doing my Ruth study, that I realized how difficult I make conversation with Him. I am able to graciously thank Him and praise Him in times of prosperity, but during the moments of trial and misunderstanding I tend to numb the blanks with a coffee cup full of ice cream or updating my Instagram feed in place of praying and asking humbly for His reasons.

Up until Kelly pointed out how maybe we do these things because we are afraid of what we'll experience once we state our peace or fearful that we won't hear anything back from God or even that He'll require something of us we won't want to give, I guess I thought well: He's God, and I shouldn't question His reasons, it would be silly to question Him right? Sure it's fine to question my husband when he eats that whole box of oreos in one sitting, but God? No way! He is the one person I shouldn't question, right?

Not neccessarily. I'm learning now that I can address my concerns, and it's totally fine with Him. Because that is exactly what He wants me to do. I cannot avoid God during adversity. It just doesn't work. I have got to express my need for His reasons before He can reveal them to me! It's kind of like that saying: "Well if you never ask, you'll never know" I suppose. 

I fell so hard in prayer after I realized how dumbfounded I discovered I was all this time. I wept like a two year old whose cherry-lime popsicle melted insanely too fast right in my hands, but oh it was a cry I needed and I pray the Lord heard it at my best. 

There are many people in the scripture that question God's reasons, many, many! Job for instance faced so much trial and even felt as I do sometimes, in a pit with no escape and asked God many times, "You made me God so why do you destroy me? And "God you hear my cries all of the time, or do you really hear them?". Job felt sometimes that he didn't have a chance with God and I can relate to him in so many instances, but I never took the time to ask as he did. You can see his cries toward God in these verses:

Job 9: 16-19

Job 10: 8-9

Job 19: 8-10

Regardless of my fears, I know now that God wants to hear my voice, any questions big or small, any doubt, any anger I'm dealing with, He wants to hear it all. Just as a healthy home thrives on verbally expressing differences of opinions in misunderstandings in order to "work it out", that's what it takes with God too. 

You can't expect to find healing when you don't even bother to point out the wound.

If your feeling frustrated about something God has put before you, don't avoid talking to Him about it. Really tell Him what is on your mind, ask Him why and just lay it all out before Him. He wants to hear your side, it's not a one way conversation and He wants you to know that. I felt inspired to write on this subject because it just touched my heart so good, and I can see how others can most likely feel the same way I have felt about verbally talking with God.

Things Change.

Early yesterday morning, I received a warm text from my dear friend telling me that she would be coming home to Mississippi, but just for the weekend. They had planted their roots now in Oklahoma near relatives of theirs and would be returning to bring with them back all of their belongings from their family home. If your a long time follower of mine you may remember her being the close friend of mine whose sweet daddy passed away in April, if not and you would like to catch up, read HERE and HERE but be sure to grab your tissue box. I was quickly excited as soon as my ears filled with the great news, but quickly let down as I thought about what this ultimately meant. This was it, my best friend was establishing her new life in Oklahoma but now for good. My heart broke again I won't try to hide that fact, I had settled in the fact before this news that yes, she was living her life too many hours away from me but I had also settled comfortably in my heart that yes, she does still have a home over here with belongings-she will be back. But now I'm just not so sure.

This morning, of course, I had to go see her. I hadn't seen her since the funeral, and no we really didn't talk too much during the time in between I sadly regret, but our lives obviously went different directions and in a hurry. Life gave us a full plate, sadly more heavily on her end of the table. When I reached the screen door to her house I like any other time, looked toward her daddys recliner to find that he wasn't there. It broke my heart, and flash backs from seeing her suffer that sad day came rushing back to my memory. That house would forever be stamped by his memory, and I could understand how staying would only make things harder along with the fact that they absolutely had no family really at all now that they could still call family in this town. 

There are a many of reasons along with new ones of why they are having to leave it all behind now, and if I were in the position she is in, I honestly would do just as she is doing. It saddens me that the circumstances she has encountered with family members have caused her to relocate her whole life, but at the same time.. she is happy, and that is really all that matters, isn't it?

Reading through my Kelly Minter Ruth study this morning upon leaving to see her, my eye just happened to catch the corner of the page that read: Although there will be weeping in this life, the direction in which we weep is what truly matters. I have no doubt in my mind, God drew me to this study because He knew I would need help coping with this new change in my our lives. 

I was being selfish, I was angry and I couldn't understand why things had to up and run the direction I just couldn't agree with. She isn't just my best friend, she is my sister, we grew up building each other up throughout lifes many speed bumps, and now we would only be losing contact slowly drifting apart I could only imagine throughout the years to come. Distance wouldn't be my friend would it? 

I realized then that I had to be happy for her. Yes, this part of life isn't easy to say the least and my friend is still weeping and will battle this sadness for as long as it takes, but the good thing about her weeping, is she is weeping forward, just as Ruth and Naomi. My friend, just as these two legendary women in the bible, lost it all and life is granting her a new beginning.I can't hardly argue with that. It hurts but deep down it is well with my soul and I know that God will provide opportunities of reuniting us somehow, although I did fall apart on the drive home from her last hug.

She would punch my arm if she knew I shared this
 but it sure makes me laugh when I wanna cry

God sees my tears, I can cry and I can wipe them, feel them.. but I won't let them stop me..  it is possible to cry and walk.

Just Listen.

Lately, I have really started to slow down and try to see the big picture guys. And if your wondering where I have been here lately, I've been a little obsessed with Instagram and a few small devotionals. I have been digging deep friends, and the Lord is really speaking to my heart during our second part of marriage. There have been a few times here lately while I've been processing it all that I just literally lifted up my head and said "I hear ya Lord!" because He speaks so loud and hits right on my soft spots! So I've been just sitting here quietly listening. The wheels of life are still steadly spinning but I'm really focusing on the ride instead of the drive.

A good friend of mine and I decided to give Kelly Minters living room series "Ruth" a try and boy does she make you dig deep in the Word! I have always been a huge note taker in school and it's kind of my best strategy to learn things, so with that said and from the evidence included, you can kindly see that the study questions are hidden beneath my chicken scratch writing. But hey, whatever works right? This study is going to take my heart pretty far and I can tell you it not only gives you more insight on the story of Ruth but it also brings it on the home front in areas of your life that you struggle with and face!

Another daily study I am doing is with She Reads Truth, you can find their website HERE. I'm one week in on the Women in the Bible study and it has been just what I've been needing. I have always loved reading about women in the bible so this study caught my eye big time! The daily lessons are pretty short and maybe take me fifteen minutes tops to do them, each day discussing different women for instance: Eve then Sarai and Hagar all of which fell short of trusting Gods plan for them, I'm finding that I'm a lot like these women and I have learned so much through this study. I encourage you to join in, you won't be sorry!

I Will Guard This Heart Of Mine

I'm in Day 2 of Living The Love Dare, it is a spiral flip book with 365 messages on leading the heart throughout a marriage and the message for this day really struck a cord for me. It says, "The world says to follow your heart, but if you are not leading it, then someone or something else is."

It also references to Jeremiah 17:9 where it says, "the heart is more deceitful than all else." "And it will always pursue that which feels right at the moment."

Ever since I learned of what makes the true anatomy of the heart, I've always felt only the good could possibly come from the heart, all else has to solely come from the mind, right? How could the underlying grim of my inner being evolve from my very core? I had trusted this part of me for so long only to learn that it before all of the other parts that make me the person I am would and can deceive me the most. That is if I don't guard my heart with all my might and seek wise counsel. 

(via)

The world can really be your worst enemy, and marriage these days isn't near where it should be. People give up easily, because the world tells them you CAN have it YOUR way. Divorce is an easy exit because the world states: Oh it's the norm, go ahead sign your name along that dotted line and you will have freedom once again though I do believe there are some circumstances where divorce is necessary. And the heart just doesn't pump in and out throughout all four valves anymore because who has the time for that anyway?

I know I'm only one year into my marriage and I still have so much to learn, but I don't want to be the woman who gave up when I could have stood up. I don't want an easy exit, if this road gets hard I want to pick up my feet and go with it. And I truly want to make time to show my husband how much I love him because time is love. 

Referencing through some other scriptures, I've learned it's very important that I guard this heart of mine from the things of this world that could easily seep in and influence it in deceiving ways. I want to be completely in control over my heart as well. I want my hands firmly on the wheel without anyone or anything trying to steer it for me. I have always had a tight grip on my inner lining but seeing as though it is possible for it to turn on me, I will guard it even more than ever before.

"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered."

Proverbs 28:26

What are your thoughts toward guarding the heart?

I would love to hear them!

Ephesians 5

I know I've emphasized how just being married has sky rocketed my relationship with the Lord before, but I just can't explain the depth it has taken my heart. And I've learned the reason behind it is this: God uses marriage to show us where we need to grow and deal with our self-centerness through the help of a lifelong partner. Here lately, my focus has been on the fifth chapter of Ephesians. While it isn't very lengthy in it's text, it's filled with so much insight on how we should live and love in a marriage and it just sets my soul afire as they would say! It also speaks of the "S" word most of us wives find hard to live by: Being submissive to our husbands. Being submissive to one another in the fear of God.

I read through the chapter a couple of times to myself and I thought: Why do I make this so hard? I make this concept God tries to imprint on my heart so difficult and I am so very selfish. I guess it's just the woman in us all that tends to react to opposition and just being told that we're wrong even when we know very well we are wrong indeed. We will fight that gravy train until the wheels fall right off and dang it when we're right we will let you know it, and a couple of times at that! But it shouldn't be like that should it? 

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord."

"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body."

It's hard when the world we're living in wants us to believe we are bigger than ourselves and our husbands have no control over us, but honestly we should trust in them and let them lead. After all, they were chosen to be the head of the wife and just as the church submits to Christ so should we wives submit to our husbands. It's a hard fact to swallow, but it all goes hand in hand with the endless cycle of love and respect I think. I know for certain that God designed my husband to lead me in the best ways possible for us, he is a great husband and he will be a great father to our future children, I'm very blessed to be able to say that. He doesn't know how much I look up to him as my husband.

Although our husbands aren't always right in a disagreement, I don't believe God intends for us as women to not have a voice at all in our opinions, I do believe he wants us to point out our thoughts and opinions of the matter in the sweetest of ways though. There's nothing wrong with conversating and talking your problems out, I really believe the Lord wants us to talk among struggles, it's the best medicine for rekindling our love back in place, but sometimes we forget to end at the appropriate moment, and just let things go and let love back in. Yes, I am very complicated in my womanly ways, but I am so proud to be able to be someone's wife, Garretts wife.

But what I love most of this chapter is how precious God points out how our husbands should love us as well. 

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."

"So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself."

We as each others mate both hold high responsiblites in loving and taking care of each other. Our husbands should love us as much as Christ loved the church and as much as they love themselves, their life. That is BIG to me, and I don't know about you but that makes me feel so valued as a woman. It makes being submissive and doing my best to live my role as the wife worth more than anything this world could ever think to offer. 

Tonight I really wanted to do something special for Garrett to put my Ephesian ways of love into practice, so I decided to surprise him with a candlelit dinner in our dining room, just the two of us. I made the table as pretty as I pleased and picked a fresh flower from our backyard and set out our never been used wedding plates from the china cabinet for the occasion, it was perfect. It was our first candle lit dinner while I kind of planned it spur of the moment, it was awfully sweet I think. 

Since we just came from vacation, we felt we needed to stand back from the heavy spending of going out, so I brought it on home instead. I cooked up my version of Teriyaki Shrimp over Fried Rice and warmed up some yummy rolls complete with cinnamon sugar butter. It felt nice and it will def be a memory to cherish, no it wasn't restraunt worthy in no way but the husband did compliment my first attempt at the dish and that was good enough for me. 

I couldn't help but tear up as he prayed the sweetest prayer and thanked God for his wonderful wife and the meal that I had prepared for him, if he would have noticed I would have blamed it on the caffeine from my vanilla coke for sure, but it sure made so proud to be his wife and that he values me with his life and cares enough to thank God for me in every single one of his prayers. It makes every role of being the wife worth putting into practice to hear the love that spills back from it.

Little Wifey Turned 23!

Oh, where have I been you ask! Panama City with my other halfs family, my family! We had a blast the four days that we were there, but we are so glad to be back home. There's just nothing like it. Not to mention we missed our little fur baby Mila as well, but luckily I have the best mom in the world who checked on her everyday while we were gone! I can't wait to share pictures but they will have to wait until my next post, because I haven't shared my birthday celebrations! They are past due but here they are!

I woke up that June morning bright and early to my amazingly sweet birthday card from that dear husband of mine. A year ago from that day I woke up to my newly wedded husband on our last day of our honeymoon at the Hard Rock & Casino Hotel, it was hard to comprehend this was my second birthday to spend with him as a married couple! Where did that time go?? I am so blessed to have him as my husband and I love that I get to spend all of my upcoming birthdays with him for the rest of my life! He is my treasure.

 I had to take my mother to her doctor appointment also that morning, the most thoughtful thing I could do on such a day. She birthed me 23 years ago I thought, what better way to start my special day than taking care of her. I treated myself to a warm cup of cardboard coffee while I was in the waiting room, yuck! I didn't let it ruin my day though.

My heart felt directed to read the Book of Ruth that day for some reason, it's the shortest chapter in the Bible but man is it a good one! I needed that book of scripture on that day, the heart of Ruth just captured mine that day and it inspired me in so many ways. I plan to order Kelly Minters devotional: Ruth as soon as I get to it, I've heard nothing but great things about it and I can't wait to dig in!

It was getting time for that husband of mine to get home from work and I just couldn't wait to see him! We really didn't have much of a plan but he had a cake and balloon ready for me, and that was plenty enough for me at that point. Later that evening my mil and sil came over with pizza and birthday gifts. Garrett pulled up a chair for me and lite all 23 of my birthday candles. It was such a sweet moment for me, he's has the best heart. After we ate, Garrett instructed me to keep my eyes on the ground and he led me to my big surprise! They had built me my own little potting table, boy was I excited! They know my love for plants all too well, don't they! I had always dreamed of having one of these, but never expected to actually have one of my very own. I love that they built it themselves, I will cherish it for years!

My only birthday request was that we would revamp the upstairs guest bedroom. Husband agreed to it so right after my birthday celebration we got straight to it! We both agreed on Rich Navy. It was a job indeed but we got it done pretty spiffy! I can't wait to share the finished project with you all, but that will come later as well!

Year One Photo Shoot

I know you guys must think I'm beating the horse with all our anniversary bliss, but I can't end all the mushy talk yet because I haven't shared our Year One pictures with you all! My dear sister in law snaps the best shots, she's just good at it, so of course I chose her for our little photographer! Every one of the pictures she snapped were perfect, it's very hard to chose which ones are my favorites but here are a couple that just tug real good on my heart snappers! Although Husby didn't seem too thrilled about taking them at first as any man is about pictures, he ended up making me laugh the entire time with his goofiness toward the whole idea of picture taking! He wouldn't let on that he enjoyed himself, but pictures are worth a thousand more words, eh? Take a look and pin away if you like by clicking the yellow "P" hover button on each collage.

These are only eleven of three hundred somewhat pictures that she took that day, I'm in love with every single one and it all goes thanks to her, thanks SIL. We will look back on these in years to come and smile!

One Year Celebrations: A Night in Natchez

While we had a blast camping the great outdoors, it was so nice to finally see home. It's true, one night was enough for both of us. As soon as our feet hit the gravel driveway, we headed straight for the pool for a quick dip. Refreshing it was! We couldn't stay here long though we had to get packed up for Natchez, a town run down from old age yet our special place in this world.

We grabbed our fast packed suitcases and headed out the door. We had a suite booked at the Natchez Grand Hotel, a tourists highlight right beside the water overlooking the bridge. We didn't really have much of a plan once we got there so decided we would play it by ear.

The room was nice, but honestly it wasn't as "grand" as they made it out to be on the many eye popping billboards on our way there. I walked out of the balcony and stretched my arms out thinking I was alone to soon find a lady right beside me sitting on her balcony with only a metal fence separating us! Well hi there vacating neighbor, they didn't mention that part in the description of this room I thought! All was fine.

There was a "Blue Berry Festival" going on right below us, tents lined up along the street with funnel cake stands, a man selling photographs he had framed up to sell, and a pair of dancers performing in the grass. By the time we made our way out of the room, they were getting all packed up to leave. Sore crowd I suppose, because the banner announcing the festival broadcasted it would keep going until dark. It was still early I thought, we were getting hungry at this point so we decided to grab a good bite at our favorite restraunt: Cock of the Walk.

We made our way to the casino after we ate. The moment we put our ticket in the machine it was bad luck from there. Usually we win at least ten bucks but we were sore losers this go around. We were really hoping to come out millionaires. Because that would have been a great anniversary gift ya know.

The last thing to do for the night was purchase a famous margarita from Fat Mamas. I usually don't go for such a drink but since we were here why not!? The drink ended up being a little too much for me but I managed to make it back to the hotel with the help of my dear designated driver husband. Classy way to end the night, right?

Natchez was great, the atmosphere was just what we needed but it was time to go home again. I don't know about Garrett, but the drive home was almost deja vu for me, I kept thinking of our drive home from our honeymoon and the thoughts I had in that moment then. Thoughts like: I'm someones wife now, this is for real! And how is it going to feel walking in our home and starting life together from here?

We were home once again, and were welcomed back with anniversary gifts just as we were with wedding gifts the day we came home from our honeymoon. Garrett surprised me with his "paper gift" he had made all by himself: A yellow paper rose. We had discussed how we wanted to go along with the special anniversary gift every year tradition and boy did he really put his heart into this one. My planned paper gift idea being toliet paper was to be a joke rather an actual gift, I kind of felt bad after he stunned me with his well thought of  gift! It is perfect though, it sits pretty on our buffet table and I will cherish it all the days of my life. I'm so blessed to be his wife, his heart is good.

There was one more tradition that couldn't be forgotten on this day though, we had to eat a piece of our year old cake! There were a many of times during the year Garrett had to slap my hand from snatching a bite from the freezer, but today was the day, the wait was over! I cut two of the prettiest pieces from the best side of the cake and handed one over to Garrett. At this point, I was a little skeptical about actually eating it. The icing was a bit slimy from defrosting from the freezer, so I made Garrett eat the first bite. To his surprise it was good! He even made the clever remark to put it back in the freezer for another year, silly husby. We wouldn't be doing that though, we decided to let the furbabies in on the celebration so they were handed the left overs!

 The evening was falling so we decided to go out to eat one last time, I had planned to cook him a meal but he insisted that we eat hibachi! I wanted to wear something special though, this wasn't just an ordinary date night so I pulled out my going away dress I wore leaving from our wedding to go to our honeymoon. I hadn't worn it since then, not that planned to wait for this day, but I never found the right place to wear it again. And it was because I was suppose to wear it again, tonight. I felt like I had that day, a brand new wife to my groom, it was a bittersweet feeling. I don't plan to wear it again though, I've decided to put it up for sentimental purpose, I would love to save it for in case I have a little girl, maybe she would want to wear it on her special day as well, but I just don't know if the material would keep good.

This anniversary was bittersweet, it will weigh heavily on our hearts on every anniversary that comes I do believe. I thought of being married for five years, ten years, twenty-five years gives me the love goosies and I know they will be just as perfect. The memories we will have made by then and the things that will come to be are beyond my imagination from where I'm standing now, I pray they are filled with even more love than I can comprehend.

One Year Celebrations: We went {tent} Camping!

Hi Friends! Well as you can see from the title of this post, we made it to the one year mile marker! Sunday, June 16th we celebrated our very special day once again, we couldn't have planned it any better if we had tried. But I guess you could say we aren't the best "planners" since we did indeed make them just a few days before they were actually set, but because of our work schedules and such we had to pick something to do that was fun yet somewhat spiffy, as in we had to be back at work Monday morning.

Our idea to go camping {tent} camping kind of came out of now where! Although Garrett had mentioned to me a few times before how he wouldn't mind going camping since he hadn't been in years, neither have I. So let's go camping I said! The weather was beginning to get pretty steamy leading up to the weekend and our plans almost hit a turn around but the forecast changed it's uphill climb just in time so we decided to keep our plans! We pulled out the twenty something year old gigantic tent from the attic and would you know was in perfect condition. We packed up a laundry basket full of goodies for the trip and hooked the boat up to the truck, we were all ready to go! Garrett had just the spot, he was excited, it was a spot his family had camped a many of times in the past, one including a surprise fathers day camping trip, another reason why I just knew this trip would be meaningful to him, it was a must!

We finally reached the camp site ,boy was it perfect, right beside the water just as he had explained but we were soon let down by a tall bold printed sign that read: No Camping Here planted right on his special spot. I felt so bad, he had put so much thought and preparation into this special trip, there had to be a loop hole somewhere right? We returned right back where we started, the lady at the desk. She offered two of the last camping spots equipt with water and electricity which would be an extra five bucks, but they just weren't what we wanted so we asked for our money back which turned into a fail as well. We hadn't even unloaded our things and were now out thirteen bucks. Lord we are in a rut now I tell ya, we were so upset we almost gave up and took the road back home until another camping site came to mind. I prayed the whole drive there that it would work out, the husby was way past the point of aggravation and I just knew if this didn't workout we wouldn't only be out thirteen bucks but also out of the price of gasoline.

To our surprise, it worked out perfectly. Praise Jesus. While we did have to pay yet again, it was well worth it this go around. We had numerous spots to choose from right on the water just as we wanted, water and electricity, and a fairly clean bathroom considering it was a camp ground site. The weather was nice and breezy and we had found the perfect spot to pitch our gigantic roomy tent!

While we were setting our little anniversary-moon tent up, we looked around the corner and wouldn't you know white tents were set out for a wedding. I was estatic! We were going to witness a wedding guys, on our very anniversary! There couldn't have been a more precious remembrance of our special day than this, and like Garrett said, "What's the odds that a wedding would be going on while we're here on our anniversary!?".

The wedding looked to be happening later on that evening, so we decided to go fishing and planned to be back in time to watch! We both caught a bass a piece and the weather was so nice. Of course I would have gotten a picture to show you, but the Husby just knew we would catch more. Too bad we didn't.

It was getting about time to cook up some steaks, so we made our way to our camping site and got our stuff together. While Garrett started on the steaks I sat on our nearby picnic table and watched as the wedding began to start. The bride was just about to come down the aisle, I didn't even know this person and I was giddy awaiting her presentation. The music started, "Something in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself,...". 

You have to listen pretty good to hear the song and don't you love my husbands sense of humor, "Hey which ones the bride? You think that's her in the uh... uh... uh.. purple? I mean green??"

You can hear me sing to Garrett during our wedding HERE.

She was walking down to her Groom to the very song I had pre-recorded for Garrett during our ceremony! Ok, this is getting weird now I said to Garrett! We just stood in awe while we listened, it was a moment for us as well as this soon to be wedded couple!

The night was beginning to wind down as well as the wedding, so we made a fire. What's a camp site without a fire right? We roasted marshmallows and enjoyed smores. This little trip was just perfect, we were so glad we didn't give up hope!

We planned to go fishing bright and early the next morning but overslept, I couldn't believe I slept so good although Garrett kept one eye open the whole night being the tuff guy he is. We went out in the boat for one last fish in the morning before the trip back home. But our little celebration wasn't over just yet, as soon as we reached home we would be packing our bags yet again to spend the night in the town where our love and journey began. Keep reading as I share that trip with you in my coming post!