Wedding Video :)

One of my wonderful friends, DaisyJo, over at Daisy Petals made me a video of my April wedding. I am over the moon happy with the video. All the songs she chose were from the actual wedding, and I had NO CLUE she had gotten actual live footage of the ceremony. WOW. I was so shocked HAPPY to see that! I hope you enjoy this video as much as me.

Happy Tuesday (last day of May - Can you believe it?!) Friends!

XOXO

Memorial Day, Guest Blogging, & Stencils

First and foremost with today being Memorial Day, I'd like to thank all of our service men (including some of my cousins) and women, past and present, for all that they've done, and continue to do for our great country. I hope that at some point today you take the time yourself to stop and remember the true meaning of today. All gave some, but some gave all.

Secondly, I am excited to say, I did my first appearance as a guest blogger! Yay! It was extremely exciting. Thank you Laura from Between the Lines for giving me this opportunity. Check out her blog today to see my guest post. And might I add, Larua is an Army wife, and she and her husband have been through two deployments together. May God continue to watch over and bless her little family.

Lastly, I have to blog about this because though it's a small find, I am so super stoked to have found them today.

STENCILS! or  "die cut letters" whatever the dollar store wants to call them. Either way, I've been looking for them for MONTHS now. See, my friend had bought some last year, and we used them to make some of our charity car wash signs. Well, I've been in need of them for various projects over the year and could never find them.... until today. Coincidentally me and that same friend happened to run into the dollar store today, and VOILA! There they were... for a $1 a piece. Yup, I bought one in every color, and may just go back for more.

The car wash sign was my project of the day.

I set up a car wash for my brother in law whom needs toy for a missions trip he's taking to Nicaragua with our church in July. Actually, quite a few of my friends are going, so I was happy to use set this car wash up.

Anyways, I am going to get off this ol' computer and go find something to do (that's NOT the beach or pool as they are way to crowded on holidays)

I hope each and every one of you enjoy the day, and as I said above, take a moment to remember the real reason we celebrate Memorial Day.

XOXO

8 weeks to a better me: Week Five - Loving Life and Having Fun

Today I am starting to participate in a project that Danielle over at Sometimes Sweet started. It's called 8 weeks to a better me. Here is how the project works, taken straight from Danielle's blog:

So here's how this is going to work, and I encourage you to join in over these next two months:

Each Sunday evening during the months of May and June one of my eight participants will present us with a guest post on their topic. They'll be discussing how and why their topic is relevant to them, and will also be giving us inspiration and motivation to move towards setting goals relevant to the subject matter. For instance, this week's topic is "Blogging Inspiration," so our participants (this week we have a husband and wife duo!) will be sharing what inspires them to blog.

At the end of this and every post, I will be setting three goals for the week that have to do with the subject at hand. So this week I'll be setting three simple goals in relation to blogging.

If you're inspired and interested, I encourage you to join along for this week, or all eight weeks!

Essentially at the end of the 8 weeks, we will have all done a little more, tried some new things, set and achieved goals, and truly become a little better than we were. I'm definitely excited, and I think you guys are really going to enjoy the amazing bloggers I have lined up!

Sounds pretty interesting, eh? I am excited to start on this journey with her. I am joining in on week five, so I can link up with the other bloggers on time, and then I plan to back track to weeks four, three, two and one. I know, I know, I'm a weirdo. Sometimes doing stuff backwards works. We shall see :)

  

I'm jumping in on the perfect week. The theme this week? Loving Life and Having Fun. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I love my life. So many people take for granted how precious and short life really is. We get so caught up in culture and thinking we must do this and that to be loved and accepted, that we don't even comprehend that our life here on earth is so short compared to our time that will be spent in eternity. 

I totally agree with the guest blogger this week, Lauren from Busy Bee, on her number one tip on enjoying her life: find beauty in everything and document it. I love photo's. That is one of the best ways to share a memory with someone. 

You can't take life too seriously, you have to sit back and enjoy the time you have here. Take time to truly look around you, and enjoy the beauty you see.

Laugh Every Day

Be Goofballs

Yesterday while driving, I had to stop for a minute and look at the breathtaking view before me. I was driving past an empty field, with some horses in it. It was so tranquil for me at that moment. It's spring, so the field was a vibrant green, with two brown horses eating some grass, but at the same time, we had perfect blue skies yesterday with an abundance of big puffy white clouds. This view brought so much joy to my heart. Our earth is so beautiful, scenes like this just make me love my life even more. We are so blessed to be here. I wish I'd had a good camera with me yesterday, to capture all that beauty around me. Today is another beautiful day, blue skies and white puffy clouds. I think I will go lay outside (in the 100 degree weather) and enjoy it.... for as long as I can last. Haha.

 1. Take time to enjoy the small things more. I will start today, with going outside and laying around, enjoying the big beautiful clouds we have over central Florida this weekend.

2. I am going to have to agree with Danielle, and take one of her goals: not to say one negative thing about anyone this week. At one point or another, we've all gotten sucked into the gossip drama, whether it be workplace or just with friends. It's as simple as being out at Walmart and seeing someone and mumbling "WHAT on earth is he/she wearing?" Nothing good comes out of that comment, and it's actually pretty mean. Who knows what he/she is going through. So, this week, I am going to work on changing that within myself. I will not judge people this week, afterall, who am I to judge?  

3.  Do myself up. We generally feel better about ourselves when we know we look good. I am very laid back, and while I love the way I look when I have makeup (natural looking) on, I am a bit too lazy to apply every day. I rarely wear makeup, and am fine with the way I look, but this week, I am going to wear makeup everyday (oh my!) and see if it makes a difference at all in the way I feel or present myself.

Have a great week friends!

XOXO 
 

Around the house.

The hubs and I decided to make a Lowes run today and buy some stuff for around the house. We bought:

1. a cap rack
2. window stoppers that make it so our windows can not be opened

We needed a cap rack because the Hubs is definitely a hat guy, and has quite a few. It's kind of like the shoe or purse obsession some of us women have. :)

With the recent robberies on my side of town, we felt it necessary to go ahead and install the window stoppers. We figure that, and the security system we just had installed should help us have a bit of peace of mind. Granted, where there is a will, there is a way, and we know this is not foul proof, but it's sure worth a shot. And hey, it's Florida, we won't be opening windows for at least the next 6 months anyways. It's 100 degrees out there.

I was the helper

Preppin'

And go!

New towel rack on the back of our door :)

CAP RACK!

Imagine that FULL of caps.

This weekend is SO exciting because it's the first one that we have both had off in awhile. We are just thrilled to be able to be spending one on one time together, even if we are just working around the house.

Yay to long holiday weekends. Though I think it more important to say THANK YOU to our service men and women, past and present.


Have a blessed weekend. :)



XOXO

Some scary things...

Some scary things have been going on around my town lately. We've had quite a few home invasions. 7 to be exact since May 7th. See, my city has just under 95,000 residents, well, that was as of 2008. I'm sure it's closer to 100,000 now. BUT, we have a north and a south side, and they are totally opposite ends of the city, literally. It's almost like driving into a whole different city. Well, these home invasions have been on my side of town. Another one actually happened just last night/early morning today. It was walking distance from my house, within a mile. I am pretty freaked out. I am already a natural worry wart, and this is not aiding in that AT ALL. Since I found out on Monday, I have had pretty sleepless nights. I am thankful there are quite a few people that live in my household, and that someone is always home, but I still fear, naturally. This guy is quite brazen, invading homes in the middle of the night, and holding people to gunpoint, often demanding they take him to their ATM. Here's a blurb from some of the flyers that went around to warn local residents:

     Tuesday, May 10th, 4:00 a.m. – The female victim got up to use the restroom and was confronted by an unknown black male suspect standing outside her bedroom door. He pointed a handgun at her and demanded she and her husband stay in the bedroom. He then rummaged through her purse, their closet, and the bathroom, looking for money, credit cards, and prescription drugs. He then fled the scene.

       Wednesday, May 11th, 3:30 a.m. – The female victim was awakened by an unknown black male suspect pointing a handgun at her, demanding she wake up and drive him to the bank to withdraw money from her account. The suspect disconnected the electricity and phone before breaking into the home. After taking her cash, the suspect fled the scene.

Does that NOT scare the crap out of you?! I've had nightmares about being robbed ever since I was a young girl. You can say it's one of my greatest fears. So yeah, I am pretty spooked.

While it doesn't make me feel 100% safe, I did get a home security system installed. That gives me a little peace of mind. Though I won't be completely satisfied until I see that they have apprehended this guy. Please be in prayer about this situation.

Anyways, on a less stressful note, HAPPY FRIDAY everyone! The hubs and I went to Bed Bath & Beyond today and got to spend some wedding gift cards. That was pretty fun! We got a Biggest Loser Brita Filter & Water Dispenser, some glass storage/cook ware, organization stuff, a sleep mask, and a new beard trimmer (that one's definitely for the hubs). It was wonderful to be able to buy some things that we didn't truly NEED, but wanted, and were able to splurge on, thanks to wonderful gifts from friends. So, if any of them are reading this, THANK YOU!

Oh yeah, my friend over at DaisyPetals created a wedding video that she just finished and posted for me last night, so that will be coming soon. I am so excited. I love it. I hope you guys will enjoy it as well, it's the perfect keepsake from our wedding day. YAY!


I hope you are all geared up to have a wonderful (long) holiday weekend.  We don't have any major holiday plans beyond just relaxing locally. And that sounds just perfect to me!

XOXO

Insta Thursday.

I've been in a bit of a rush today, running around, doing a ton of things. So, I've decided today is Instagram Thursday. I'll show you parts of my day, via Instagram :)

Warning: Photo Heavy Blog

On my way to get my hair done :)

Foiled & Drying

My Stylist & I

AFTER: I have bangs, and less blonde

BANGS.... and freckles from the sun :)

Sonnys lunch date with my hubs :)

Pulled Chicken & Cornbread... corn nuggets as well

SALAD!

Great sweet tea, but I had water :)

Notes from a meeting at work. Lots of changes that effect my position

Finally upgraded my cell

Green Tea Smoothie. Mmm

So that's pretty much been my day! I also met up with someone I sold some leftover wedding stuff to. Nice to get rid of more stuff. I don't like clutter lying around! Now I think I'll spend the rest of my night trying to figure out my new toy blackberry. Before that, I'm going to get my walk on with S. Though my back is still in pain, I'm making myself walk a small mile a day, gotta stay lose so the Spondy doesn't get even more stiff.

XOXO

Support for Joplin, MO

I came across this info on another blog today, and had to share. It's a way we can send care packages of support to those effected by the horrific storms and tornadoes in Joplin, MO.


Needed Supplies
Baby supplies (including diapers, wipes, A&D Ointment, baby food and juices)
Convenience food (snack type)
Deodorant
Diabetic Monitors with Strips
First aid supplies
Over the counter medications (mainly tylenol)
Pet food
Shampoo and Conditioner
Soap and body wash
Soap Powders and Cleaning Supplies
Sunscreen and Bug Spray
Toothpaste and Tooth Brushes

They are asking that we refrain from sending clothing.

Please send the boxes to:
Disaster Relief
c/o Pentecostal Church of God
4901 Pennsylvania Avenue
Joplin, MO 64804

If you want to see the original post about this, click HERE to go to the couponing to Disney blog.

If you are able to support this cause at all, please please put together a small or large (whatever you can afford) care package and ship it on out. These people need all the love and support they can get right now as they start the rebuilding process. 

May God provide them peace and comfort in this difficult time.

Live simply, so that others may simply live.

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.    1 John 3:17-18

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do. - Edward Everett Hale 


Make sure you take time today (and everyday) to tell your loved ones you love them. Tomorrow is NOT a gurantee.

XOXO

Girl Power on Biggest Loser Finale

It was definitely Girl Power on the finale of the Biggest Loser last night.

I started watching The Biggest Loser at the start of season 8. I was immediately hooked. I don't have time to watch too many shows regularly, but the Biggest Loser became one that I would DVR and watch every episode of. Tonight was the finale of the 11th season. I just find this show so incredibly inspirational. While my BMI number does say I am overweight (I am 135ish, and need to be 120ish - which is especially important because of my back), I am nowhere near where these contestants have been, but watching them helps motivate me. After all, if one of them can go from 400lbs down to 200, and lose 50% of their body weight, then I should be able to lose a measly 10lbs, right? When I see them push themselves to the limit, it inspires me to want to do the same. If a 300lb person can jog one mile, there is no reason I shouldn't be able to do the same.

Some of the quotes  I love from the two main trainers on Biggest Loser are:

If you really take care of yourself, your body will take care of you - Bob Harper

The past doesn't define you, your present does. It's okay to create a vision of the future because it affects your behavior in the "now," but don't dwell on past mistakes. Learn from them and focus those lessons in the moment. That’s where change can really happen. - Jillian Michaels


Can you do it? You bet you can! - Bob Harper


Why choose to fail when success is an option?- Jillian Michaels


Is it easy? No! ... It has to be a conscious decision. - Bob Harper

Anyways, back to the finale. The final 3 this season broke a record, the first time the final 3 were ALL FEMALES. And on top of that, two of the three were SISTERS Hannah & Olivia.

Watching the BL from episode one to the finale is unbelievable. I remember when I was younger and had problems with weight, and I'd see an advertisement for weight loss, and the person didn't even look the same, I'd say "there's no way that's the same person, they don't even look a like". Now I know, it IS possible. When you watch these contestants slowly change, the transformation is just beyond belief. Makeover episode is always one of my favorites. :) I'm going to share with you the transformations of the final three, Irene, Hannah & Oliva, who also happened to be my favorites. I am so happy and proud of these women (and ALL the contestants for that matter)

Final 3: Hannah, Irene & Olivia

Irene

Starting Weight: 255

Ending Weight: 139

Lost: 116lbs

Before

Makeover

After

Hannah

Starting Weight: 248

Ending Weight: 128

Lost: 128lbs

Before

Makeover

After

Olivia

Starting Weight: 261

Ending Weight: 132

Lost: 129lbs 

Before

makeover

After

Each of these ladies have their own story to tell, part of Hannah's is that as a former athlete, she broke her back in college and led a "couch potato" lifestyle after doctors told her she shouldn't work out much as it could cause her more pain. Well, it caused her to gain weight, and emotional pain. Watching her evolve on the show, and see that she could still be athletic, was just amazing. 

So remember ladies and gents, when you think you can't: You can!

XOXO

Something Old, New, Borrowed & Blue

It's been a bit before I posted more stuff from the wedding, so here we go. And I promise the rest of the pics will come soon. When you got married did you follow the ol' "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue"?

I did. Here are mine.

old: ring that was my moms

new: dress

borrowed: veil

blue: garter

Just thought I'd share, and glad I did. It reminded me I need to give my friend N back her veil. :P

On a unrelated note, if you could be in prayer for me please. My Spondylolisthesis has been acting up A LOT over the past week and I have been in constant pain. I even missed work yesterday, and that's never any good. 

XOXO

2 months ago

I scooped up a new member of the family.

Of course, I didn't know this at the time - or did I?

Honestly, it wasn't the plan. Two months ago I made a quick impromptu trip up to Micheals (which was my usual hangout as I prepped for the April wedding) and Target. As I was walking over to Target, I could see people scampering around looking at a puppy that was running the lot. I, of course, went over to help. He was skittish, scared I'm sure. Finally, another person caught him. Then asked "okay, I caught him, now who will take him?" I volunteered as I am a volunteer for my local SPCA, and have rescued many a dog. He had a collar on him, which made me extremely hopeful that he had a home, and had just escaped. I immediately headed towards my vet so I could have him scanned for a chip. No chip. I figured there was still hope, so I took him home with the intent to keep him for a week while I continued to look for his owner. I placed multiple found ads, and scoured the lost ads, to no avail. Of course, all the while, I am drowning in wedding plans.

Well, here we are two months to the date, and Bullseye (appropriately named after being found in the Target parking lot) has already had his first annual, and has an appointment this Thursday to get neutered and chipped.

Yup, it's official. He's a permanent part of the family. He found his furever home.

You can read my previous posts about Bullseye here:

Introducing Bullseye

Welcome to the family, Bullseye

And now, some pictures to enjoy. The various facial expressions of Bullseye. How can you NOT love that face?

 

He truly just melts my heart. I get so much joy by just watching him and Chico romp around the yard. They have SO much fun together. What a blessing this puppy has been to our little family.

XOXO

Beach Bound & Shark Found.

Well, I WAS beach bound.... YESTERDAY.

We had a stranger take this pic... She barely got us in.

Some of my friends and I decided a beach trip was overdue. So we planned it. 5-21-11 Anna Maria Island. And that's what we did :) 

We met up at my church at 8am, and followed each other out in three car loads. Granted, we could have all fit in two, BUT different people wanted to leave at different times. My car had to leave by 2pm as I needed to get home so I could go see one of my friends daughters perform in a dance recital (too cute I might add). My friend H drove my car, as this past week has been a really bad one as far as my pain goes with my back and neck. When I have such stiffness it causes me to have dizzy spells, kinda like vertigo, and that's not the best when you are driving. SO, thank you H for driving! I was MORE than happy to let her drive. I truly am not a fan of driving and am perfectly fine being a passenger any day.

Anyways, back to the beach. My car reached AMI first, so we pulled off at the area where we planned to get our picture taken and waited for car two and three to arrive. They really weren't that far behind. Once we'd all gathered, I attempted to find someone to take our picture. I asked a large group of grumpy ladies. They volunteered one of their friends, whom didn't seem too thrilled to be doing us such a huge favor, but she came none the less, and snapped a few pics... most of which didn't even have any of us in them. We got a leg shot. Haha. BUT, thankfully, the one above came out, though my friend DaisyJo barely made it in the photo. Check out her blog to see some more pics from AMI! :)

The water was perfect. Not too warm, but definitely not too cold. And there were even decent waves going on, which you don't always find on the Gulf. Most of the gang hopped in the water right away, though I stayed on shore with a new found friend, S, whom I met just this year. We were talking back problems for a good while, as she suffers from a back ailment as well. As we were talking, we were also watching a guy to the left of us fish...Our friends came back out of the water, and we were all laying around when I looked over and saw that fisher guy had caught a baby shark. Dun dun dun. Now I thought it was a hammerhead, because that's what it looked like. So I called to my friends "hey, look, he caught a baby shark" they all ran over to investigate further, and this picture was taken of my friend H holding the shark, before she let it go back in the water.

Baby Bonnethead Shark. We released it.

 As it turned out, fisher guy informed us it was a bonnethead shark, which I looked up, and read that they are NOT a threat to humans. Apparently before he caught that baby, my friends had actually got out of the water because as he was fishing, he saw a bigger shark swim by, and called to them "hey, just wanted to let you know I saw a three footer swim by, and he was heading your way" EEEEEEK!! Say WHAT?! I am SO glad I wasn't in the water at that time. I very well may have pee'd my pants if I'd been told that. I don't care if Bonnetheads are nice or not, swimming with sharks is scary business... business I don't want any part of. And who even knows IF the three footer was a bonnethead?

Surprisingly after the baby shark incident BUT before I knew about the three footer, I make some splashes in the water, and I had such a fun time doing it. It felt great. Being in the water is very therapeutic for back problems. I so wish I had a pool. 

I made sure I got out of the water in time to dry off a bit, as I am NOT a fan of driving home in wet clothes. I actually changed when we stopped for Ice Cream at Banana Cabana's this amazing little joint in AMI. :) I had a double scoop, one of Chocolate Delight, and one Mint Chocolate Chip... topped with, of course, fudge. Aahh. So delish. Sadly, I couldn't finish it all. Too rich for me.

We made it home in good timing and I had plenty of time to take a shower and even relax for a bit before I headed off to see Miss K's recital. She was simply adorable. I wish I'd been able to snap a good picture of her. I will have to see if the friend I went with got any.

So, that was MY Saturday. Hope yours was just as fun! :)

XOXO

9 years ago...

I graduated high school.

Wow. Time sure does fly.

When I look back, I just cant believe that next year will be time for our 10 year reunion. Wow. Just wow. Man, it seems as a kid we counted down the days until our birthday, nowadays they are just flying by so fast, I don't want to count, I don't want to be reminded of one more year flown by. I can say I am at least happy with where my life has taken me. I am a newlywed, looking to buy our first house. I do things I am passionate about, and don't waste my time trying to please others. I have learned that you can not make everyone happy. You will end up unhappy yourself if you try.

Anyways, I wish I could have found some more photo's of actual GRADUATION DAY, but when my desktop crashed I pretty much lost everything. A friend was able to recover it all, but unfortunately it is all jumbled together, and now a mess of high school, travels, parties, holidays, etc etc. BUT, I am happy he was able to recover it AT ALL. One day, I'll attempt to organize them all :D

Until then, here's a few pictures from my high school years...

Still friends with both of these ladies, was just in S's wedding Oct 2010

Yearbook crew C/O 02

Homecoming

Halloween

Senior Photo

  XOXO