Over Here

Today I am being featured in Courtney's series Microscope Heart on her amazing blog vintch.  Come on over and check it out, you won't be disappointed!  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Music to my Ears: Acapella and New Albums

It's been a while since I have posted in Music to my Ears, but this week is a great week for music. First, one of my favorite genres of music is acapella. While in college one of my favorite annual dates with Brandon was going to see the Grains of Time, our school's amazing acapella group. Then when I graduated college and an amazing new show came along, The SingOff! Well folks, it is back for it's third season and it premiered last night. If you didn't watch you need to start because it is ah-mazing! I fell in love with the all women's group Delilah. Talk about girl power! Loved it. Here is a video for your viewing pleasure.

In other music news, the new NeedtoBreathe album, The Reckoning, debuted today!  I preordered it so it automatically downloaded into my Itunes.  I am currently listening to it!  Anyhoo, happy listening!

Project 31 Day 12: Mean Girls

Day 12.  Write about what wears you out as a woman.

This is such a big question and I'm going to stay away from the obvious things that wear me out like having aunt flow visit every month and the fact that I have to blow up like a balloon when I get pregnant.  No, there is one thing that wears me out as a woman and that is other women.  Crazy as it sounds, other women wear me out.  The drama, the need to fit in, the general lack of self-respect in the world, the need to belittle others to lift yourself up.  Now, I know that not all women are like this, but there is a general theme throughout life I have noticed and it is the sheer fact that women can be mean.  

It wears me out that women are so mean to one another some times.  I see it every single day in my job.  Little girls saying things just to be mean, to make themselves feel better, to put someone else in the line of fire, so that they don't have to face their own insecurities.  Throughout my life I have seen girls be so ruthless in their words.  The passive aggressive game is exhausting and I frankly choose not to play it and this means that I often become the target.  

The sad thing is that this need to bring others down isn't just a characteristic of middle and high school girls.  No, it continues into adulthood and boy have I seen it first hand.  Sometimes I think women get cattier and more petty the older we get.  The jealousy, the selfishness, the rudeness, and the ultimate lack of respect for each other only brings me down.  I think this is why I have always had an easier time being friends with guys.  

This is why I am so thankful for each of the strong women in my life like my mom, my sister, and women in my church.  These are the ones who have shown me how to be a strong woman, who help me deal with others who aren't so strong.  I am thankful for each of you ladies who read my blog.  I see what a true woman of Christ is supposed to look like.  I see that each of us go through similar struggles and this is encouraging.  These are the women who lift me up, who don't wear me out.  I am encouraged and empowered by each of you and thankful for this influence in my life, which overcomes all else.   

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy birthday padre!  I am excited that it is football season and I get to share another year of Wolfpack football with you.  P.S. I am going to beat you in fantasy football this year, so get ready.  I am so thankful to have such a strong and wonderful father.  Happy, happy birthday!

Home Improvement

Hey everyone!  I know I haven't been blogging as much lately, but not too many exciting events have been occurring and I've been kind of in an emotional funk.  However, Brandon and I have been talking a lot about all of the home improvement projects we want to complete.  We haven't gotten the motivation or the funds to decorate our house yet, but we are finally going to take the plunge and tackle home improvement projects.  I thought I would share my list with you all.  

1. New Furniture- When we got engaged we bought a cheap couch from some sketchy warehouse.  Needless to say, two years later it is starting to wear down.  We did buy a nice recliner, so we really want to get a sofa and loveseat set to go with the chair.  The good thing about furniture is you can finance it.  We are tired of buying cheap pieces and are ready to invest in a nice and durable set. We are thinking about something like this.

 
 

2. Replace the kitchen light-  Currently we have an atrociously hideous light in our kitchen.  It is just awful.  So this weekend our plans are to get rid of the ugly and bring in the pretty.  I am hoping to put some modern yet elegant track lighting.  I would love to have some pendant lights but our bar isn't big enough.  Brandon is pretty handy, so he is going to install the new light himself.  I'm lucky to have an engineer for a hubby :)

 

3. Paint our bedroom and bathroom- We have a burnt orange-ish colored bedspread with brown and cream accents.  We want to warm up the bedroom with nice neutral brown tones.  This isn't a picture of our room, but it is our bedspread.  

 

 

 4.. Put up a fence- Piper is growing up and getting more and more energy.  She needs to run constantly.  It is somewhat annoying to have to walk her outside every time she needs to go out.  Plus, I just like having a fenced backyard.  It feels more cozy and private.  

5. Trade carpet for hardwoods- we want to change the carpet in our living room and put hardwoods in our whole downstairs.  We have laminate flooring in our entryway, dining room, and kitchen and just want to change the color.  I love dark stained hardwood floors and I would love to have that in our house.  

I know these projects will take a lot of time, saving, and effort, but I am excited to get started.  The first things on our list to get finished, which are the easiest too, are painting and the kitchen light.  We are hoping to find furniture soon too.  I'm glad I have something to look forward to and I am excited to get started.

Happy Birthday Sally!

Happy birthday to my mother-in-law, Sally!  She is an amazing and strong woman and I am so grateful to her for bringing such a wonderful man into this world that I am privileged to love every single day.  I hope you have an amazing day filled with laughter, family, and a yummy birthday dinner! 

Remember

I was 14.  A freshman in high school sitting in Spanish class without a care in the world besides how my hair looked and what outfit I would pull from my closet the next day.  But around 9:00 the world changed.  America was under attack.  The teacher turned on the television and I saw the planes.  I didn't understand what a terrorist was and my teacher didn't take the time to explain.  To my knowledge America was untouchable and nothing like war could be raged on her.  I remember thinking "guess my dad is going to be working late", he works at the airport.  I was scared, but the tremendous impact of what had just happened did not resonate just yet.  

I remember getting in the car after school and my mom saying "this means we are going to war".  Oh and then it hit that this wasn't just an accident, no it was an intentional act of violence, an act fueled by Satan and pure hate.  At that moment I knew that I was blessed to be alive and suddenly tomorrow's outfit didn't matter so much.  For, what matters is that I was alive, my family was not close to the disaster, but others were, and that I will never forget.  

Pray for You

Have you ever had someone say "I'll pray for you"  and you think to yourself "will you really?"  Prayer is something that should not be taken lightly.  It is our direct communication with God and I often wonder if people really are praying for me when they say they are.  I know that I am also guilty of this and it is something I want to work on.  

On the other hand, there are instances where I know people are genuine in prayer and I know without a shadow of a doubt that they are praying for me when they say they are going to.  Today someone told me they would pray for me and I believe them.  It is so reassuring to know that someone else is lifting you up.  It is too easy to get bogged down in my own prayer life.  I often feel like I pray the same prayers, ask for the same things, but there is something about someone else praying for me that makes me feel loved, cared for, and that they are concerned enough to include me in their prayer life. 

Oftentimes, the sad thing is that the people who are genuine in their prayer offerings are not my close friends, no they are strangers.  They are people in my church who lift me up; they are people in the blogospere (hint, hint that's you potentially); they are people who may never know me.  Why is it that people outside of my own personal life are more apt to pray for me and my struggles than people who know me the best?  

The good thing is that it shouldn't matter who is praying for you.  I am thankful for all of the voices that speak on my behalf, the ones who care enough to lift up my petty concerns and struggles.  I want to be one of those people, who cares enough to pray for a complete stranger who in fact is my brother or sister in Christ.  

How can I pray for you today?  Maybe you are feeling lonely, left out, having relationship issues, or just having a daily struggle.  Maybe you feel like no one else will pray for you in your time of need (I've often felt that way).  So what is it?  Leave a comment and know, I am praying for you and I mean it.