Snow is Stupid

How's that for a catchy and clever title?

I'm reserving the right to not be catchy or clever since I just sat in traffic for 5 and a half hours going someplace that would normally take me 30 minutes max! It took me an hour and half to go a tenth of a mile! Are you getting the picture that traffic was awful?

Why the ridiculousness? Snow. Don't be fooled, it's not pretty and it's not fun. It's evil and makes people act crazy and mean. Apparently snow means traffic laws not longer exist. Red lights and green lights now mean absolutely nothing and it's okay to make U turns in the middle of the road. It's every man (or woman) for him (or her) self.

Surprisingly though this post is not about how stupid snow is. It's about being thankful. Being thankful for the few people who do know common decency and understand that everyone on the roads are trying to make it home. Thankful for music that kept me from going insane. Thankful that people did get home safely, and thankful for buildings that keep us safe and warm.

Most importantly I'm so very thankful for my husband. Long story short he saved the day. I had to pee. At one point I was crying. It was bad. The radio stations were telling everyone to just pull over use the restroom. Um, hello, minor problem, it would have taken 45 stinkin' minutes just to pull over! The husband (safely and legally) abandoned his car (he was already on the side of the road for being in a minor fender bender) and ran to where I was to rescue me. We'll just end the story with sometimes you do things you swore you never would do.

On that note I'm so thankful for Starbucks this morning. The cup came in very handy! Just another reason why my Starbucks addiction is actually a good thing :)

As for where I am now? The husband and I made it safely to his office where we may be spending the night. Dinner tonight looks like it's gonna be collard greens, popcorn, and goldfish. At least we're together, warm, and safe.

If any of y'all in the south got stuck in the nastiness outside I hope you and your loved one made it home safe!

Here's to being thankful! Maybe I'll like the snow tomorrow. Today, I think it's stupid.

Five on Friday, Vol. 15

Y'all, this week was rough. 

It probably didn't help that I was sick, but it was the week I thought would never end. I won't bore you with all the details. We'll just leave it at crying just feels good, and I'm so glad it's the weekend!

I'm linking up with Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha to share the things that made me smile this week!

 

{O N E}

I got NAKED!

This was my mom's gift for me for driving her to the airport yesterday morning. So so excited!

Mom sent me this seemingly super inappropriate text. Took me a few seconds to figure what she was saying. She makes me laugh.

{T W O}

Old School Herbal Essences

Do y'all remember this stuff?! I was in 1st grade when I smelled this for the first time. I was immediately obsessed. I died a little inside when they changed their scents. I may or may not have screamed and happy danced in the store when I found out they were bringing the old school stuff back. The smell is everything I remember and more. So much happiness and good smells in every bottle. 

Source

{T H R E E}

This candle.
Not only does it smell good but it sizzles and crackles while it burns. I keep it burning in my office all day. It keeps my heart smiling.

Woodwick Sand & Driftwood

{F O U R}

This show.

The days I'm home at 11am I get to spend some quality time with Loreli and Rory. Mom, Sis, and I use to have Gilmore Girls marathons. They have a special place in my heart.

{F I V E}

This guy.

Mom is off to Minnesota and Dad is out West skiing. That means James and I get to hang with this sweet boy all weekend! I miss living with Riley and love when we get to puppy sit.

I hope y'all have a happy weekend!

DIY: Bookshelf

I haven't done a DIY post in a while and I really love how this project turned out. When I first found out I was getting my very own office I knew I needed a bookshelf for all those books I collected in grad school. Do you have any idea how expensive bookshelf are? There had to be a better way. Mom and I are super ambitious and Dad builds things. Between the three of us we had to be able to figure this out.

Before we get started I have to share this again. Dad was out of town for the night. Mom and I decided we had this under control. We figured we could handle the belt sander ourselves. We couldn't. This still makes me fall on the floor laughing.

We used 3 2x6x10 wood boards. You can find them at any home improvement store and in pretty much any length or width you want.

They had to be sanded...a lot. We obviously gave up on the belt sander and used the much safer electric hand sander. You can sand down the knots if you want, but I left as many as I could because I like character :)

Pre and post sanding: 

Make sure to round the edges. Don't want to bump into any rough sharp edges!

Then the fun part! Staining! I'm on a dark wood kick right now. We used dark walnut mixed with a little ebony to get this color. We "painted" it on, waited about 5 minutes, and then buffed it off. Super easy!

After we let it dry for about 24 hours we painted on a satin polyurethane to protect the wood and finish it off. 

To create the shelves we bought 24 3/4'' black iron floor flanges and 3/4''x16'' pipes. We just spray painted the pipes black but you can probably find black pipes pretty easily. The floor flanges are about $10 each at home improvement stores, but we found them much cheaper online. Do some research to get the best prices.

We added 6 2'' black wheels on the bottom to make it easier to move around. 

Finished product! It turned out even better than I hoped it would! I wouldn't be upset if it ended up in our home one day :)

Please excuse the totaled car in the back. Sis and I got in a wreck on the way back from one of my wedding showers. We were fine. Carlos, the CRV, was not :(

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Five on Friday, Vol. 14

Happy Friday!

Linking up with Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha for Five on Friday! This weekend we are off to yet another wedding. Thankfully this one is in town, so we have some down time to just hang out around the apartment.

Here is today's super random 5!

 

{O N E}

Sis' wedding was featured on Southern Weddings! I know I'm bias, but I seriously think this was one of the best weddings I've been too. Super proud I had a small part in helping making it special! 

Check out the entire feature here.

{T W O}

Have y'all ever heard of Grace and Lace? The husband and I first saw them on Shark Tank. Then, the husband surprised me and got me the socks below for a Christmas present! If you've never heard of them before check them  out. They're awesome!

{T H R E E}

Today is going to be a full on craft day over here. Hopefully everything turns out!

 

{F O U R}

I had to share last night super yummy dinner! I don't always work on Thursdays, and when I don't I try to make a special dinner. Last nights salmon, roasted broccoli, and lentil salad hit the spot. Even though it was full of veggies, the husband gave it his seal of approval.

{F I V E}

This past week I've shared with y'all a bit more about myself and why I stopped running. I just have to add a heartfelt thank you to all of you! Thank you for your support, encouragement, and super sweet words. Y'all are seriously the best!!

Wishing you a very happy weekend!!

"You Don't Know Me"

Is it weird that the husband and I jokingly yell this at each other at least once a week? Probably, but I'm betting you do weird things too. Plus, that title sounded better than: "Things you may not know about me just from reading the blog." Plus, I was working on this post when Jenni from Frankly My Dear nominated me for the Liebester Award! I thought I'd combine the two posts and fill y'all in on some things you may not know.

The Liebester Award is a series where bloggers who have under 200 followers are nominated by other bloggers to share more about themselves and meet fellow bloggers.

11 Random Facts About Me

1.  In my "for real life" I'm a counselor. I have my masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. I specialize in working with clients who struggle with eating disorders and addictions. It's no walk in the park, but most days I love my job and the people I work with. 
   
   Source
   This made me laughed out loud. No, my clients don't lay on couches. Through some have tried.
2. I hate bananas. Like deep deep hatred. I can't stand the taste, texture, or smell. I can't even be in the same room as someone who is eating a banana. 
3. I use to be a preschool teacher. For six months in between graduating college and starting grad school I worked as a Pre-K teacher. I loved it! My sweet little babies were adorable and I have some great stories!
4. I can't dance but the husband and I make up dance moves all the time. We have a "happy dance," a "birthday dance," and a "New Years dance." Essentially they are the same dance move with minor modifications. Sometimes we're mean and make people dance with us. 
   
   "Birthday Dance"
5. I don't think it comes across here, but in real life I'm super sassy! The husband will be the first to tell you I've got some serious sass in me :)
6. I could eat tacos every night of the week. We're constantly looking for new fun taco places. If you know of any please share!
7. I still sleep with my childhood safety "blanket." It's actually a pillow and the longest I've ever gone without sleeping with it was when I was in Costa Rica for 6 weeks. 
8. Big groups of people make me uncomfortable. I can be super awkward, so I prefer small groups of people I know. 
9. I'm allergic to pineapple. I ate a ton of it once and my face swelled up and itched like crazy. I was in another country. It was awful!
10. I got made fun of for being "too pale" in 6th grade. I'm still self-conscious about my skin color.
11. I don't really know how to dress myself. More often than not my mom and sister help me pick out clothes. Following fashion bloggers has really helped me learn how to dress.

11 Questions from Jenni at Frankly My Dear

1. What is your dream job & why?

     I love my job, but my dream job would be a photographer. I love love love taking pictures!

2. If you could travel any where in the world where would it be?

     Greece or anywhere in Europe really. I've always wanted to go there!

2. What is one thing you would change about yourself?

     That I didn't care so much what other people think of me.

4. What's your biggest goal in life?

     To be a mom :) Not yet! But hopefully one day.

5. If you could be any character in a book or movie, who would it be?

     Anne from Anne of Green Gables

6. What is your favorite food?

     Mac & Cheese and tacos. I'm 5 years old at heart.

7. Where/What is your "happy place"?

     Beach, river, water fall, or lake. If I'm anywhere near water I'm good!

8. What's your most prized possession?

     Wedding rings. Love everything they symbolize.

9. If you could meet anyone in the world (dead or aline) who would it be?

     My dad's dad. He died when my dad was only 10, and I've always wanted to meet him.

10. What is one thing you cannot leave the house without?

     Cell phone. It's a problem.

11. Top reason for blogging?

     Meeting new people! I initially started blogging to document our new life. Now, my favorite thing is      meeting new people and forming new friendships!

11 Questions from Me to You!

1. What's your favorite favorite quality about yourself?
2. What's your favorite TV show?
3. If you could travel anywhere in the US where would it be?
4. If you could learn one hobby/skill what would be & why?
5. What's your #1 must have makeup product? 
6. What's your go to outfit of choice?
7. What do you keep in your purse? 
8. What would your dream meal consist of?
9. What's your dream job & why?
10. Favorite thing to do for exercise?
11. Favorite thing about blogging?

My Five Nominees Love these girls!

1. Khala at The Birdie Bowl
2. Melissa at Loving Life Moore
3. Julie Joy at Just the Joy's
4. Mary at Eat, Drink, & Be Mary
5. Alyssa at Southern Abundance 

Thanks Jenni for nominating me!

We're Breaking Up

After a 15 year relationship of ups and downs plus plenty of sweat, blood, and tears, we're finally putting a stop to the madness. This wasn't an easy decision. I put in lots of long hours in trying to make it work, but it's time to face the facts, I just can't do it anymore.

So, it's official.

I'm breaking up with running.

This truly is a case of "it's not you it's me." Running didn't do anything wrong exactly. The problems started with how I view running. For you to really understand this decision we've got to back up a bit.

This is from a triathlon a did a few years back

Growing up I was a swimmer. It pretty much took up all of my free time. I was in the pool 6 days a week for 2 to 2 and half hours usually with an extra hour added on for dry land {weights, running, etc} a day. In the summer and even towards the end of my swimming "career" we did two-a-days. Weekends consisted not of parties and hanging out with friends, but traveling to swim meets or extra hard practices. Are you getting the picture that it was my life?

I loved competing and loved being in the pool, but I've just now started to realize how much it influenced how I think about exercise. Even after I quit swimming, going to work out 30 minutes or even a hour a day 3 times a week wasn't enough. In my mind, it had to be 2+ hours everyday or it was none at all. I would get obsessed with working out and then when I couldn't maintain that routine because life got in the way I would quit all together.  When I would try to get back into a working out I would get so overwhelmed and frustrated with my body not being use to handling that kind of stress that I would quit again. It became a vicious cycle. *I am in no way blaming swimming or competitive sports for my way of thinking. I know that I'm naturally prone to that "all or nothing, black and white" thinking,*

Recently I was on a walk, where I was judging myself for walking and not running, when I began to think about the unhealthiness and craziness in how I think about exercise. Then, on July 4th a friend and I were running and we started talking about we really didn't enjoy running at all. It hurts my knees and it gets kinda boring. I got to thinking "if I'm not having fun why the heck am I doing this?!" It had never really occurred to me before that I didn't have to do this.

And so, that's how I decided that I'm breaking up with running.

Obviously, running isn't the problem. The problem is in how I think about exercise. Running just happens to be the one exercise I always thought I had to do.

I'm not saying I'll never run again, but from now on I'll run because I want to and not because I have to.

Five on Friday, Vol 13: Lessons Learned

Happy Friday Y'all!

We're heading to Savannah for a wedding last today. Before we head off to hopefully warmer weather, I'm participating in my favorite Friday activity with Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha!

  

Today I'm posting about 5 lessons I've learned this past week:

{O N E}

If you post pictures about having cravings people automatically think you're pregnant.

I posted this picture on Instagram with the caption: "My donut craving is finally being satisfied! Why am I craving donuts?!" Evidently if you mention cravings friends think you might be pregnant. I'm not, but it I was I can guarantee there would be a lot more visits to Sublime Donuts!

{T W O}

Guest posting is fun!

I did my very first guest post ever over at Melissa's blog Loving Life Moore earlier this week. It was a great way to meet new bloggers and get new followers!

{T H R E E}

I like winning giveways!

Taylor over at Tattered to Taylored hosted a giveways recently and I won! I'm super excited to get my new shirt.

{F O U R}

Yoga is pretty cool!

I've been in a serious work out rut lately. I've blamed it on mourning the lose of my beloved Bar Method, but I'm out of excuses. I just started doing Erin Motz's 10 Day Yoga Challenge, and so far I'm a fan. I've wanted to get into Yoga for a while now, so hopefully this is my start!

{F I V E}

Cold weather is not fun.

So, temperatures dropped down to 6 degrees at the beginning of the week! I decided I deserved a coffee treat for getting out of bed on such a cold day {I live in Georgia this totally makes sense}. I got to Starbucks and attempted to roll down my window but it was frozen shut. Cue freak out. I then proceeded to sit in the parking lot for 15 minutes with the heat blasting waiting for the window to thaw. Never once did it occur to me that all I have to do was open the door to order. My Northern mother was pretty embarrassed that this never occurred to her Southern daughter.

Here's to a happy and hopefully warmer weekend! 

10 Favorite Things: New Year!

Today I'm linking up with Brianna to share my 10 Favorite Things about "a new year." My list consists of things I'm looking forward to in 2014. This year's gonna be a good one. I can just feel it.

1. Celebrating our one year anniversary and finally getting to eat wedding cake

2. "New starts" and accomplishing the goals I set for the year

3. Starting the house hunting process and maybe buying our first home

4. Having Valentine's Day date night with my husband where we had our rehearsal dinner

5. Getting into a work out groove again... it's over due! 

6. Keeping up with this little blog

7. Summer and warm weather! I'm so over this cold thing

8. Learning more about golf and maybe even playing one day

9. Spending time with friends

10. Puppies and babies... totally kidding! Just checking to see if you were still reading :)
The exciting unknown and seeing where God takes us

January Goals

If you missed my goals for 2014 you can check them out here.

1. Love my husband: Date my husband
When James and I were dating I would plan surprises all the time. I would give him little gifts for no reason and take him out on surprise date nights just because. Now that we're married I've stopped doing a lot of those things. This month I want to get back into the mindset of continuing to date my husband. 

2. Be intentional with others: Put my phone away at dinner
This is almost embarrassing to admit, but I'm pretty bad about not ignoring my phone during dinner. I won't take calls, but if I get a text message or an email chances are pretty good I'll look. Dear self, it can wait! This is one of those goals that isn't just going to last one month. My phone will remain untouched during mealtime and everything can be dealt with after dinner. Family and friends: please hold off all emergencies until after dinner. K? Thanks.

3. Go on Adventures: Plan our adventure for the month
We're going to a wedding in Savannah this weekend. Rather than just going down and coming right back we're making a weekend out of it with friends. Self-admittedly I'm pretty snobby when it comes to Savannah {Charleston has my heart}, but I'm actually really excited to get away for the weekend for some fun.  

4. Time with God & Love my Husband: Read through Wife After God
Devotionals help give me direction in my daily quiet time. This is a book I've been wanting to dive into for a while, and this is the month I do it! I'm looking forward to seeing what God reveals to me about my marriage through this book.

5. Organize: Get caught up on work notes
I'm so behind on my notes for work. I'm constantly thinking about it and have had a few sleepless nights worrying about everything I need to do. This month I stop worrying about what I have to do and actually do something about it.

Okay, I'm officially over all this "goal" talk until the end of the month!

{Guest Post} Loving Life Moore

Hey sweet friends! 

I'm so excited to be guest posting {for the 1st time ever} over at Melissa's blog, Loving Life Moore, while she is off honeymooning with her sweet new husband! Head on over to check out my post on Marriage and Relationship Advice from the Pros. 

Making Things Happen in 2014

I've told y'all before that I'm a huge fan of setting goals. Big, small, long-term, short-term doesn't matter I love them. 

Random fact: I'm not good at working out unless I have a goal of working toward something specific like a race, but that's a post for another day. 

The husband and I were at church yesterday when the pastor talked about how important it is to set goals and/or resolutions; "having a personal vision is a catalyst for wise decisions." I love that. If Andy Stanley agrees with me about goal setting I think I'll stick to it :)

For the past week or so I've been working through Lara Casey's 5 part series on goal setting for 2014. I'm not being dramatic when I say this stuff is game changing! I've learned so much about myself and so much about where I want to go. I've had to get honest with myself about somethings I didn't want to and open myself up to making some changes. 

I won't bore you will all of the details of all my steps. However, I will share some of the big things, not only to have somewhere to refer back to for myself, but also to maybe encourage y'all to create your own goals for 2014.  

My favorite step was creating a 2014 inspirational board on Pinterest. An excuse to spend hours on pinterest finding quotes and images I like? Sign me up! These are a few of my favorite images:

Now there are a bunch of steps from here, but you can just take me word for that. Let's just get to the good stuff:

1. Spend more time with God: This is pretty self-explanatory. More time with God daily, more time in prayer, and more time with God as a couple. I know, for me, life just works better when I make God a part of it.

2. Love and respect my husband: Truth: over the past 6 months I haven't always been a great wife. I've been selfish, stubborn, and even mean. There are many ways I can work on being a more loving and respectful wife. and I want to challenge myself to really work on this.

3. Take care of myself: Emotionally, physically, and spiritually. This looks like a good year to start working on being less negative and more positive. 

4. Be intentional with others: I want to work on being present when I'm with people I love.

5. Organize my life: I feel better when things are organized. I have organizational work to do in lots of areas.

I know I know these aren't SMART goals. They may be Attainable and Relevant, but they are also super broad and they aren't measured. The monthly goals I make will relate back to these larger goals and will be Specific, Measurable, and Time-bound. I've already got some ideas in mind for monthly goals and I can't wait to get started!

James and I also created 2014 marriage goals. We have some big goals for 2014 and hopefully our smaller monthly goals will help us get there. 

And finally, my word(s) for year:

I didn't realize how much I let fear dictate how I live until recently. So often I don't do things or don't put myself out there because I'm afraid. Afraid of failing, afraid of making a mistakes, and afraid of judgement. What do I get with allowing fear to control me? Absolutely nothing but regret!

 In the spirit of transparency: I also struggle with trusting God. I like control {just ask the husband :}. Problem with that? I want God to live my life for God and in order to do that one of us needs to give up control {hint: that would be me!}. 

This year I want to constantly remind myself to trust God without fear.

Whew! That was a lot of words. If you're still reading along major props to you! 

Here's to making things happen in 2014!

Five on Friday, Vol. 12

Happy Friday and Happy 2014!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! I haven't been the most consistent blogger over the past two weeks, but family time was my priority and it was so wonderful! I have really missed this Five on Friday link-up though! I'm so excited to get back to linking up with the lovely Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha!

Instead of doing a big Christmas and New Years recap {my camera got neglected over the holidays}, I thought I'd share some of the highlights from over the holidays. Follow me on instagram for a more detailed recap :)

  

{O N E}

Celebrating out first married Christmas! 

It was so much fun to wake up with my husband in my parents house on Christmas morning!

We always go to the eleven o'clock candlelit service at church. Wanna know a secret? I wore my Christmas Jammies to church and loved it!

{T W O}

We traveled a lot over the holidays. South Carolina to Georgia to North Carolina to St. Simons to Hilton Head then finally back to Georgia! We spent lots of quality time with the car. This 6 disc CD set really helped to pass the time. Garth Brooks was my first concert ever, so there is a special place in my heart for him :)

{T H R E E}

Mom, sis, and I took a golf lesson! The men in our lives have tried to get us to play for years and it's just never happened {we've avoided it at all costs}. Well, this year in Hilton Head it finally happened. True story: a 3 hour golf lesson makes you really sore! I'm not about to go play 18-rounds of golf anytime soon, but it was fun... when I hit the ball. I have awful hand-eye coordination; that's why I swam and never played ball sports!

{F O U R}

Lara Casey's 2014 Goal Setting is rocking my world! I've never been a big on resolutions because they don't work for me. However, I've always been a goal setter. The way she encourages you to look at the past year and plan for this year is pretty incredible! I can't wait to finish it up and share what I've learned with y'all!

{F I V E}

I bought this devotional, Wife After God from Unveiled Wife, for my kindle a few months ago and never got around to starting it. Two of my goals for 2014 have to do with being a better wife and spending more time with God. This devotional seems perfect for that. Plus, two of my favorites {Jenni and Elise} are going through it too and a little accountability is always helpful :)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!