A Little Bit of Everything...

Remember those tulips from two posts ago??

Well look at 'em now!

and remember this post on Idol about my favorite male contestant that was going to win hands down? Well... I've changed my mind. I'm loving Lee!!

And who is upset about DWTS? I mean, c'mon... Kate Gosselin?? She'll never survive another week. It makes me feel bad just watching her try and move on the dance floor.

On the other hand, I think that Maks and Erin are my favorite couple. I think they're both just really darn cute and I think they have a good chance at winning!

I just got back from a fabulous weekend in Tupelo and if you'd like, you can click here and read about my experience!

If I may, please let me encourage you to pray for a beautiful weekend. We're having our big church Easter egg hunt on Saturday and there's a chance of showers. We NEED great weather!!

I Loathe My Wavy Hair!!!!!!!!

Can I please tell you that one of the best things in life is going to the "beauty shop" and getting a good haircut. I look forward to that time the minute I schedule an appointment.

If you're one of my few faithful readers (ha!), you know that I'm going to Trinidad in May. TRINIDAD!!! Hot. Humid. NEAR THE EQUATOR. You get my drift?? I'm getting ready for some FRIZZ action with my head of hair.

I just sent my hairdresser a text and said for her to mentally prepare herself for what will be taking place at her station tomorrow. Not only am I going to get my final haircut before the summer (I basically live on the road from camps, to VBS, to day trips, etc... I'll be needing to pull this mess up!) but I want her to experiment with some products to see if I get these natural waves to turn into some curl. This having to wash, dry AND straighten every morning isn't going to cut it when I'm in 100 degree weather in a few weeks!!

If you have wavy hair, how do you get it to curl and STAY curled??

Blooming

It's not spring to me until I've seen these...

I LOVE Tulips and this is the first year we've ever planted any!! I'm so glad that they are blooming!!

Happy Wednesday!

Playground for Jesus

(Please click on the collage to make it bigger)

I spent my whole day Saturday along with tons of other people from our church, and many other people from the community partnering with Keep America Beautiful to clean up the neighborhood around The Wesley House.

Not only did tons of people pick up trash, spread flower seeds, plant flowers, spread mulch and take unwanted furniture from people's homes, but we did some MAJOR work on the Playground for Jesus. If you're not too sure what the Playground for Jesus is, please let me give you some background.

This past summer, the Sunday School classes of our church were challenged to go outside of the church walls and do something for the community in the name of Jesus. One of our classes had the idea that they wanted to raise money and create a safe playground for the children in our community that go to the Wesley House and live in the surrounding areas. Between $40,000 and $50,000 later, the basketball court was poured, a fence was put up, mulch was brought in, a pavillion was built, a new playset was donated, and the whole project started coming together.

So this past Saturday, we spent the whole day getting the place ready for the dedication ceremony and fun day that will take place from 10-6! I hope that you will take a few hours out of your day this coming Saturday to go and see the great things taking place in the East End community!

I'm Getting Another Stamp...

...passport stamp that is!!

I'M GOING TO TRINIDAD IN MAY!!!

I've been praying for another mission experience like I had last year in the Dominican and this one just fell in my lap!! I'm really excited and can't wait to see what's waiting for us when we get there!!

Show Us Your Life- D.R. Style

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner Blog is hosting a "Show Us Your Life" Mission Trips blog carnvial today. She usually hosts blog carnivals about your weddings, your baby showers, etc., things that I've yet to experience. However, I'm excited because I get to participate today and link my blog on hers so that other bloggers can read about my experiences!

My one and ONLY mission trip so far was to Sabeneta, Dominican Republic. I experienced so many "first time jitters" like, um... applying for my very first passport, flying for the first time, going out of the country, etc. But I had SO much fun.

One of the things that made this mission trip so fun was that I got to travel with people that I enjoyed being around: my co-staffer and Associate Pastor, Matt, my friends Neil, Amanda and Ben and another pastor in our area, Justin. These people made the trip interesting, hilarious and helped me make some of the best memories of my life thus far!

Here is a part of our group (minus Matt) with the Missionaries Jose and his wife, Yoannia and their babe Isaii (far left) and those two adorable twin girls and their brother were with their mother at the house church we attended one of the nights we were in the Domincan.

I experienced PLANTAINS...

and GOAT. yep... I ate it and it was pretty good!

The only time on the trip that I was in a state of panic was at the market. People bring EVERYTHING (from bananas, to cows and pigs, shoes, underwear, jewelry, etc.) and they sit it all out on tarps and beg you to buy. It was such a sad experience.
This is Amanda and me whenever we were about to leave the market. See the smile of relief. Actually, this was right next to these men who kept saying things to us in Spanish, and was also trying to sell LIVE birds. Their poor legs were tied together... talk about pitiful!
One of the main things we did in the D.R. was prayer walking. We walked to all of these different neighborhoods and prayed for the people in houses, listened to the missionaries share the gospel with them in Spanish, played a little baseball and basketball, and just tried to share God's love with so many people. The main barrier was that we couldn't speak Spanish. However, we all serve the very same God- no matter what our language may be- and sharing His love is what we are called to do!

A little closer to NYC...

As I mentioned in a post down there, my youth are scattered all over the place this week for Spring Break. My sweet Shelby is in NYC and I'm super jealous!! I was telling her how much I've always wanted to go and she was so excited about shopping, going to Regis & Kelly, seeing Wicked and yada, yada, yada. So, when she arrived on Tuesday, she sent me this picture text...with the caption of "Just Landed :) "

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and then that night...

she sent this picture with "View from our hotel!!!!!!!"

I can't get that underline to go away :(

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and then the following day... "New York City Skyline taken from the base of the Statue of Liberty!! :) "

I was in Jackson yesterday, so I quickly replied... "Well, so what!! I'm in Jackson and the view from hobby lobby is fab!" Haha!

To say that I'm stinkin' jealous is an understatement. I've never been to NYC and I'm just dying to go... but for now, this is as close as I'll get!!

You can NEVER go wrong with jewelry!

One of my very favorite gifts to receive is jewelry. As a matter of fact, one of my new favorite stores is Charming Charlie because it's just an accessory store. Earrings, bracelets, rings, shoes, clutches, you name it, they have it!! The store is even divided into colored sections. All of the pinks are together and so are the greens and blacks and so on and so on! It's really a great place!!

Anyway, my friend Lauren gave me a new necklace for my birthday. She got it from Turkoyz in Birmingham. They have one in Jackson, too!! Anyway... I love little necklaces that I can wear everyday.

So cute, so trendy and such a great gift!! Thanks, LAHH!!

SPRING BREAK!! WOOOHOOOO!!

Oh Ya'll!! It's been a whole week since I've blogged! It's really been because I haven't had much to say or anything to share but I'm back and rejuvenated and ready to start a brand new week!

IT'S SPRING BREAK!!!

And I'm not exactly sure what that means to you, but to me, it means that a break is here and that's indeed what I'm taking. Yesterday in church, I polled a few of the students that were in Sunday School about where they were going. Most of them had already gone somewhere and some of them are leaving today. All in all, I have students in Telluride, Breckenridge, New York City, Memphis, Kentucky, Louisiana, Destin, Orange Beach and they're all updating their facebooks making me quite jealous that I'm here... in my office today.

That's okay though. I have a full week of things planned.

Number UNO! Play Catch-up!! As hard as it is for me to admit, I still have several thank you notes that need to be written from my birthday back on Valentine's Day!! I have the whole summer to plan for the kiddos and youth here at FBC. I have an easter egg hunt coming up in two short weeks and I must begin filling those hundreds of eggs!! The list goes on and on...

Number two: I'm getting to spend this week catching up with my friends that don't live in Meridian anymore. I spent a fabulous weekend with my best friend Lauren and will get to have lunch with Kristen tomorrow. I enjoy every second I spend with these girls and love them oh so much!!

Number thee: We're painting a room in our house. So... tonight we'll begin the dreaded job of "cutting in" so that we can prepare to roll the walls tomorrow. It's time to clean out my closet, get some spring clothes out, break out the flip flops and chacos and get ready for SPRING! Can I please tell you that this is my least favorite time of the year for no other reason but the ugly heat. I DETEST sweating and I know that my hair will be nothing but a total frizz ball!!

So, I hope you're ready to sweat because that time will be here before you know it!

Monday Funday!

Happy Monday, Ya'll!! I hope that you're having a great day!!

Can I please tell you that I watched, um, maybe the last hour or so of the Oscars last night. I really don't ever watch because I don't know a lot of the movies that are nominated or haven't seen them, and absolutely don't care who won what award for best music, costume design, etc. However... did Sandra Bullock not look amazing and make you so proud for her win as best actress in a lead role?? She absolutely deserved this award and her speech was so sweet and heartfelt!!

And I'm not sure what the name of this Avatar lady star is, but her dress was my absolute favorite. Classy, yet fun!!

I'm in Clinton today in class and am driving home tonight to watch Molly & Jason get hitched tonight on the Bachelor wedding. I was totally disgusted when he broke up with his first pick, Melissa, on live TV and he and Molly decided that they'd try to make it work. Disgusted, I tell ya! But, I'm going to watch tonight... it's just too tempting!

On a totally different note, I've been following McMama's blog about her trip with Compassion to Kenya!! Oh. My. Word. The pictures are heartbreaking and so beautiful, all at the same time. There are a group of bloggers with her who all sponsor a child for $38 a month through Compassion and they've gotten the chance to meet their sponsored daughter. I'm not one to be too emotional, but every one of her posts tugs at my heart so much! The picture below is one that was taken when I was in the Dominican Republic last May. The Dominican is a third world country compared to the U.S. and Kenya is a third world country compared to the Dominican. I can't imagine. I've been praying for a while that God would use me to serve on a short term mission trip soon. I'm just waiting for an answer in His time...

Random...

It's the first of three gorgeous days that we were told to expect here in Meridian and I took full advantage of the weather and met some friends for lunch at Bonita Lakes today. Aren't you jealous of the view?? Beeee-u-ti-ful I tell ya!!This is the first weekend in a while that I don't have any formal plans and I'm just thrilled. I don't have anywhere to be, nothing to get up early for in the morning and the very thought of that is plain glorious. I plan to spend my day tomorrow just hanging out in the back yard with a new book I picked up... I know, I know... a book?? I NEVER read. Something's just gotten me on a kick lately and it probably won't last long.

On another note, my mom is slowly turning our guest room into a study. We have a couch and oversized chair that is covered in a brown fabric... just kind of plain jane. Nothing fancy, too contemporary... just a plan multi-tiny brown stripe. For the past few weekends, we've been to Lowes and she's bought several sample paint colors and we've put them on the wall. We have everything from avacodo green, to mustard seed, to chiminea, to khaki, to appletini... and we couldn't make up our mind. She bought a new rug last weekend while I was gone and I'm not so sure that I like it. So, I took it upon myself while I was in Jackson last Monday to pick out a rug so that we could choose the paint according to it's color scheme. Here's where you come in...

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Rug #1

(and yes, before you ask, I'm the kind of girl that will lay an object out in the floor of a store to snap a quick picture and email it to get someone's opinion...)

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Rug #2

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Rug #3

Which one do you like??

These are just the little 3x5 accent rugs and ours will need to cover most of the floor space.

Here's a sneak peak of what my girls night will consist of tonight...


Reeses peanut butter cookies!!

Just pulled them out of the oven and am heading over to friends house for our girls night... which always consist of comfy clothes, curbside take-a-way from outback and a sweet dessert!! Good time!!

Happy weekend :)

Season of Waiting

I received a text today from a friend and she said, "Um... have you dropped off the face of the earth, blogging babe??" Haha!! I really am still here. Just taking it easy this week. For weeks, and I mean, weeks, I've been going non-stop!! I've enjoyed it, but I am tired.

First of all, I must tell you that I've been trying to write this post for a few days. Just trying to think about what I want to tell you. When I began blogging back in 2008, my blog was used as a way to keep up with my family and friends that didn't "facebook." Then my baby cousin got really sick and went through mulitple heart procedures and I used the blog as a way to update about her progress, post prayer needs, etc. And almost two years later (after the blog started) I have truly found my place for this season of life and I want to share as much about my life as I can. The good, the bad, the ugly, the spiritual, the emotional...all of me. So, this post is just kind of plain... nothing too exciting, but something that I feel like sharing because a few of you faithful readers may find yourself in the same boat, too!

As I mentioned in my last post, I had an incredible weekend with my youth family from my church. We had an amazing time studying God's word, spending time with each other, eating, eating and eating some more. It was CRAZY fun!

While we were in the conference, God revealed some things to me... MANY things actually. However, I think I came home with a totally new outlook for my 24 year old life and the way that I see things. I am in a season of waiting. Yes, I have a career. Yes, I have a fabulous family. Yes, I serve the most high God. Yes, I am blessed beyond measure. But, I continue to wait on the "next step" in my life.

I can honestly say that I've told God "NO" so many times to the things that He's placed in my life, only to find myself right smack dab in the middle of where He wants me and I don't necessarily want to be. And, slowly but surely, I find that I continually need to thank Him for directing my path into unknown territory because those situations have brought me great joy.

I also need to thank Him for all of the things that I've begged for, only to be told "no" by Him in some way or another. I want my life to truly glorify Him. He holds my life and knows what is best for me, but I have to trust Him... His plans... His time. Oh, how I'm such a better follower of Him now because I've had to trust Him and all of his "no's."

So whatever, wherever, however you're struggling today, I pray that you will listen to God and follow His will for your life-- even if it goes against what you want.

Father God, you are good. I don't think I can ever say that enough. There are so many people that are in a season of waiting. Lord, I thank you for all of the times that you've told me "No" and for all of the times that you've pushed me to draw closer to you because of a certain situation. You bring so much joy into my life and you've placed me in a city, a family, a church family, and a circle of friends and believers that constantly build me up. Thank you for not making our lives easy as believers. Thank you for making us work a little harder and most of all, thank you for never leaving our side and for loving us. We are yours!!

Happy Birthday...

to Dr. Seuss!!

Today is March 2nd, which means that kiddos all around the country are having a big ole birthday celebration for one of the greatest people EVER!! If you know me REALLY WELL, you know that I started collecting Dr. Seuss books when I was in my Junior and Senior years of college. I loved to make lesson plans using them as I was student teaching and if I ever gave my students the chance to choose which book they wanted me to read, they would almost always choose a Dr. Seuss book because they loved all the tongue twisters (and probably because a lot of them are really long and it put our Math lesson off just a little while longer). Ha!!

Here are the books I have so far:

Do you collect things?? Leave me a comment if you do-- I'd love to hear!

On a side note, I had an AMAZING weekend with some of my very favorite people in the whole world this weekend. I can't wait to show you pictures and tell you about the things that God revealed to me this weekend! Until then...