Last Chance

Today is your last chance to enter my GIVEAWAY.  I will announce the winner tomorrow! Happy hump day friends!

It Takes Courage

I was sitting at dinner the other night at one of my favorite restaurants with my sweet hubby sitting across from me.  He was making good conversation and it was a great night.  I couldn't help but notice, I was feeling stressed.  I told Brandon that I was feeling stressed.  When he asked why, I said I don't know.  The problem was, I knew exactly why.  I was thinking about those people who had hurt me in the past.  You know, the ones you thought would be there for you forever, but weren't.  Yeah, we all have these people in our lives.  I quite frequently find myself thinking back to those moments.  The ones that changed my life forever.  The ones that changed me forever.  That brought me back to reality and the fact that people are fallible.  

I saw the above quote on Pinterest after dinner and it resonated so loudly with my situation.  I was vulnerable with these people.  It took a lot.  Since that time period, I find that I am more guarded, less apt to be vulnerable.  I'm afraid to share my deepest feelings.  When I saw this quote I instantly knew why.  It took courage to share my pain.  I was vulnerable and raw.  I opened myself up, but the courage was not recognized.  Why does it take so much courage to show our feelings?  I wish it didn't.  I wish our feelings didn't make us feel ashamed.  Feelings are God's mirror to our souls.  Please handle them with care.  

These relationships are cracked and part of me wants to repair them, but the courage is gone.  I think about it all of the time.  I want so badly to be able to build this courage again, to be able to let my guard down and dive into the depths of friendship, but I am scared.  I find that I am doubting myself and my feelings of discomfort scream so loudly.  There is hope though.  Through this situation I have found that my courage should come from Christ and with this I find my inner strength.   

So friends, if someone comes to you with any feeling, you may not agree and may not know how to respond, regardless, remember to recognize the courage.  For courage is easily squashed and often the trust to reveal our feelings is quick to go with it.      

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On a completely different note, go enter my GIVEAWAY.  There are only a few entries so your chances of winning are very, very high. 

Friday's Letters Link-Up Party

One of my favorite bloggers, Ashley, over at Adventures of the Newlyweds hosts a Friday's Letters link party every Friday.  I thought I would join in the fun this week.  So here ya go, my Friday's letters.  

Dear Thanksgiving, thank you for giving me the excuse to justify my eating habits.  Even though I feel a strong urge to go to the gym for a mega workout, it was all worth it.  Dear Brando (yes, Brando), thank you for being you.  I am truly thankful every day for you, not just because it is Thanksgiving.  Dear Piper, I love all of your sweet puddles ("puppy cuddles") that you so graciously give me each night before bed.  They make my heart melt.  What does not make my heart melt is the fact that you believe you are a human and you think that our queen size bed is made for three people.  I would very much like my leg room back, please and thank you.  Dear Pinterest, thank you for all of your fun Christmas decoration ideas, but please loosen your grip on me, you are becoming addicting.  Dear Wolfpack, I am so thrilled for your amazing victory last weekend.  Please don't screw it up tomorrow.  Dear Bloggy friends, go check out my very first Giveaway.  I would love to be able to give you an early Christmas present!  

 

Happy ThanksGIVING!

Happy ThanksGIVING friends!  I am so thankful to the Lord for all of the blessing in my life and for all the things He has done and is doing in my life.  I am thankful for each of you and for the inspiration you give me daily.  Hope y'all have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love, food, and blessings.  I have so many things to be thankful for, what are you thankful for this year?

Also, don't forget to enter my very first GIVEAWAY!!  You have a really good chance of winning, so go ENTER (remember to leave a comment for every entry, even if you are already a follower, leave a comment)

 Elevation Worship's Newest Album, For the Honor

My church, Elevation Church, has some of the most talented worship leaders in the world.  Back in February I had the privilege to attend the recording of this live album, For the Honor.  It was one of the most powerful nights of worship I have ever experienced.  They wrote every song on the album, which makes it even more special.  I thought this would be a great giveaway!  Also, proceeds from the album go to support Compassion International.  So here you go!  

How to Enter:

1. Follow this blog.

2. Go to the Elevation Worship Blog and tell me which video is your favorite (songs start about 3 videos down)

3. Follow me on Twitter 
4. Tweet about this giveaway, you can tweet @christina323 and @elevation_wrshp too

Please leave a comment for each entry.  I will draw the winner on Dec. 1.  So get to entering! 

My Very First Giveaway

Hi Friends!  I have been wanting to do a giveaway on here for a long long time.  Since it is the holiday season and all, I am feeling in a very giving mood.  So here you go, for my very first giveaway ever on this little blog...

 

 Elevation Worship's Newest Album, For the Honor

My church, Elevation Church, has some of the most talented worship leaders in the world.  Back in February I had the privilege to attend the recording of this live album, For the Honor.  It was one of the most powerful nights of worship I have ever experienced.  They wrote every song on the album, which makes it even more special.  I thought this would be a great giveaway!  Also, proceeds from the album go to support Compassion International.  So here you go!  

How to Enter:

1. Follow this blog.

2. Go to the Elevation Worship Blog and tell me which video is your favorite (songs start about 3 videos down)

3. Follow me on Twitter 
4. Tweet about this giveaway, you can tweet @christina323 and @elevation_wrshp too

Please leave a comment for each entry.  I will draw the winner on Dec. 1.  So get to entering! 

Ain't No Party Like a T-Swift Party

Last week the night I have been waiting for for an entire year finally arrived...the Taylor Swift concert, duh!  I was so excited and I was in need of a night of fun.  Originally, she was scheduled to play in Charlotte in July, but she got sick so it was postponed.  My sister was supposed to go with me, it is one of our favorite shared joys, but when it was rescheduled for a Wednesday night she was not able to leave college to make the trip.  No worries though, my sweet Mom came with me!  Another thing that made me so excited about this concerts was that NeedToBreathe was opening for her.  Two of my favorite music artists on one night, I was in heaven.  P.s. we just bought our NeedtoBreathe tickets for their headlining show in March, super stoked about that.      

If you know anything about me, you know that Taylor Swift is one of my favorite people in the world.  She is so genuine and I can relate to any music she writes.  She knows how to speak to a woman's heart and express what we are all feeling.  Needless to say, her concert was amazing, even from three rows from the top of the arena.  I tried to convince Brandon to make the flight to NYC on Tuesday for her final show, but he said no.  Why you gotta be so mean?!  Anyways here are the best shots I could get from the top of Mt. Everest.

 

His Best Friend's Wedding

This weekend we had the opportunity to celebrate a very special occasion with our good friends, Justin and Courtney.  By a stroke of luck in 2008 Justin moved into Brandon's college apartment.  He was just the subleaser, a replacement roomie for the summer, at least that's what he thought.  Turns out, this would become one of his closest friends.  This was the summer that I was studying abroad, meeting my own close friends in my own random situation.  The Lord truly does place people in your life at a strategic time with a careful plan in place.

If you were to meet Justin and Brandon, you would think they have known each other for a very long time.  They both have such a sense of humor and are a perfect match, if you will.  When I returned from Peru that summer three years back I was introduced to this new bromance and was instantly so thankful that Brandon had met such a great friend.  Friends share such a special place in our lives.  I was also incredibly blessed to be introduced to Courtney, Justin's girlfriend at the time.  She is so sweet.  Over the past three years Brandon and I have kept in touch with Justin and Courtney.  We have had the opportunity to go to football games together, celebrate their engagement, and we even spent a long weekend at the Mangy Moose with them this summer.  We have shared their happiness through their engagement and this weekend we were so blessed to share their wedding, Brandon serving as a groomsman.

 

It was a perfect fall day.  The crisp breeze was blowing.  The guests looking out over the golden fields, the beautiful fall flowers contrasting the slightly grey skies.  The bride and groom were both glowing.  They said their vows in the presence of the Lord and we celebrated in an old refurbished barn.  There was laughter, there were tears of joy, and most importantly love.  Weddings are always such a great reminder of how blessed each of us is to be partnered with our mate, handpicked by the creator himself.  This particular wedding was also such a wonderful reminder of the relationships that warm our hearts.  We are so thankful to call Justin and Courtney our friends and we can't wait for more celebrations in the future.  

Eleven

Today is 11-11-11 and being that it is November, the month of thanks, I thought it appropriate to share 11 things I am thankful for.  So here you go!

1. To own my own house and be able to build a home with my hubby.

2. My E-group at church.  I love having a group of people who you can live life with and who you can count on to build you up spiritually and in friendship.

3. My job.  I love being a school counselor and cannot imagine a better school to begin my career. 

 4. The freedom to be able to worship whenever I choose.

5. My education.  I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to earn a Bachelor's and Master's degree.

6.  My friends, specifically Justin and Courtney who are getting married this Sunday!

7. All of your blogs!  You each inspire me daily!

8.The ability to be active (work out, hike, be outside, softball, etc.)

9. My family.  My mom, dad, sister, mother-in-law, sister-in-law.

 10. My furbabies.  They are a huge joy in my life.

11. I am SO incredibly, absolutely thankful for my husband.  The Lord has picked out the perfect mate for me.

What are you thankful for?

Take a Hike

In an effort to clear my mind and get some fresh air Brandon and I decided to take the pup hiking.  We went to church on Sunday morning and then headed to Crowder's Mountain.  Ever since I had the opportunity to backpack the Inca Trail in Peru I have adored hiking.  I love that in hiking you are always working towards some goal whether it is a destination or pinnacle.  In this case, we set out to hike to the pinnacle of Crowder's Mountain.  

The trail up was like rock climbing.  You should have seen my little mountain dog scaling those rocks.  This was her first time hiking and she LOVED it.  She is a natural, much better than her mommy.  It was a tough hike up, but the view at the top made it all worth it.  The fall leaves have fully set in down here in the south and the fall colors over the city were beautiful.  I am so thankful for the ability to hike, to enjoy the outdoors, and breathe in fresh air.  It truly is healing.