You Make My Heart Come Alive

So I started my blog tonight fully intending to only write my project 31 Post, but literally 2 seconds after I opened this new post, my best friend and I were texting about something, and I feel compelled to write about it.

So long story short I was talking about how the devil has just really been trying to bring me down these past few days. I have been having great quiet times and really feeling content and just great about everything in life. But then bring in a few difficult situations and all those peaceful content feelings were out the window. How can my feelings change so drastically? I have been letting the devil creep into my thoughts and make me feel things I shouldn't be feeling just because of something stupid. Well my friend said that I just needed to keep praying about it and I need to find new ways to spend time with God. The thing I loved that she told me was to "spice it up like in any relationship." Now, I am one of those crazy girls who dreams about what it will be like to be married and I have on more than one occasion thought about ways to keep the sizzle and spice going in a marriage ;) BUT I have never thought about doing that in my relationship with God. But of course. It only makes sense!! It is like any other relationship. I need to talk to him, spend time with him, and become close with him. It becomes mundane to do the same thing over and over. So, my goal friends is to think of new fun and exciting ways to "spice up" my time with God! And I want your suggestions! So seriously, anything you got throw them at me! I want crazy, fun, and lame ideas :)

Now onto Project 31. Today's challenge is to write a blog thanking someone who has made your heart come alive. Jeeesh, hard question. Obviously I want to say Jesus, but I think we all already know this and it is self-explanatory :) Sooooo I have to go with my niece, even though she will probably never see this. haha My precious little niece, Addison, is 18 months old and just the cutest thing you have ever seen. See above picture.....She's a cutie. Am I right or am I right? It seems like just yesterday she was born and it makes me sad to think how fast she has grown up. Holding her for the first time is one of my happiest memories.

My heart was so full of joy and love for this little human being that I had just met. I cannot even fathom how I will feel when it is actually my child. Holy cow, I can't wait for that feeling. Anyways, Addie, is just amazing. I cannot wait to watch her grown up and talk more and be able to stay the night with her cool aunt Jen! Hopefully she'll have lots of little cousins one day to play with too :) It's amazing how smart she is and how quickly she learns. I am definitely a proud aunt! There is something so special about babies. I really love any babies, but the fact that we're related makes it all that much better :) I pretty much think she is all that and a bag of chips :) So thank you Addie for bringing so much joy to our family and making my heart come alive with love and joy :)

Rain Rain go away..

This week was supposed to be full of sunshine and lots of laying out by the pool so Jennifer could get a tan for her brothers wedding on Saturday! But nooo it has to be stormy all day. I even went to the pool a few days ago with hopeful spirits and about 15 minutes in was greeted with a downpour. I know we need the rain, but come on mother nature can't you wait until at least 3 in the afternoon? My soon to be sister-in-law is Columbian, who obviously has great tan skin, and my brother looks like he could be Hispanic. I will not be the pasty white girl in the pictures we're going to look at for years to come. So, I have resulted to going to the tanning bed tomorrow! Hopefully 3 days will make a difference! haha Yes I know this is pathetic and I don't care :)

Soo day 4 of Project 31.. Today should be easy. Just post a picture of your favorite outfit. Well for anybody else they could probably just pick a picture of themselves wearing something they like. But, if you know me AT ALL, you know that I absolutely adore clothes. I have an unhealthy obsession with shopping. I fall in love with clothes and I'm pretty sure my heart physically hurts when I find clothes I love and I can't buy them, especially dresses (gorgeous ones at Banana Republic right now, but they are too much $$. I hated walking away from them!) I have not bought something before and thought and thought about it so much I had to go back and get it. My whole day's mood can revolve around what I am wearing. I vividly remember what I wear and when I wear it. I don't like to repeat clothes within the same month. I am one of those crazy people that will notice when somebody wears something repeatedly. I can tell my friends exactly what they wore to every school dance even when they can't, right Erika? ;) . I remember memories based on the clothes I wore. My clothes just make me happy :) So to ask me to post a picture of my favorite outfit is seriously impossible. BUT there is one thing I LOVE to wear more than just about anything and that is....

PAJAMAS!! :) I know I just said that I love clothes, and trust me I do, but nothing feels as good as my pajamas. As soon as I come home for the day I change into my Pajamas weather it is 1:00 in the afternoon or 8:00 at night. And I love those Saturdays where I go no where and can just wear my pajamas all day long. I especially love the winters where I can wear my hoodie and fuzzy socks too :) So this is me: shopping addict, clothes lover, and pajamas wearer :)

Sunday Fun-day!

Happy Sunday everyone! Church was fantastic today! I have been out of town so much recently this is the first time in about a month I have been to First Assembly on a Sunday morning and it felt great to be back! I LOVE my church family. There isn't a week where I don't feel like Pastor Mike is talking directly to me in his sermons. I am feeling thankful today for a great church where the Lord is definitely moving!

Well today is day 3 of my proverbs 31 challenge! If you've noticed I am not really doing this EVERY day because well I either forget or don't have time, but I will try and keep it up! Today's challenge is to write about someone who truly inspires beauty. It took me a little while to think about this because I thought of a lot of people. But the winner is Ms. Emily Sullivan!

I had a really difficult time picking pictures to display of this girl! We met all the way back in Middle School and have been friends ever since. We had some great times in High School and then we both came to UF where we only got closer. The picture on the far left is from high school and this was our senior year Homecoming game. This is one of my favorite memories of the two of us. We had to make our SGA float for the homecoming parade that afternoon and I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my entire life! The picture to the left is from our Junior year of college at the FL/GA game in Jacksonville and the last one below that is from the end of our senior year at a friends birthday party. I just love this girl so much. She's seriously one of the most beautiful people I know inside and out. She has a heart of gold and is the most genuinely caring person I have ever met in my life. She isn't one of those people who says hey how are you doing and doesn't really care about your answer. She just loves people. I have had the great privilege to lead a bible study with Emily for the past two years and this had allowed me to get to know her sweet self even better! I have never heard Emily say a bad word about anyone. She is uplifting and encouraging and seriously I can see Jesus shine through her so brightly. I for the life of me can't figure out why she is still single and some great guy hasn't snatched her up already! I do know that her future husband is going to be one lucky man! I cannot think of a single better person for this blog post today! My life is better because of Emily Sullivan. She inspires me to love God more. She inspires me to work out because she is so disciplined with it. She inspires me to love people. She inspires me to work hard. She inspires me to be kind to everyone I meet. She truly inspires beauty.

I hope that you all have someone like my precious Emily in your life. She is a one of a kind girl! Jesus, thank you for the friendship I have in Emily! I hope everyone has a great Sunday! :) Love you!

Uniquely Me

Life is great! My week off from school is great and I am NOT looking forward to going back on Tuesday. The only good thing I am looking forward to is we start tutoring! Last year I tutored a 2nd grade boy, and he was just precious! This is me and him!

We had a lot of fun playing football and baking! This year I have two boys, one's going into 2nd grade and another into 7th. I'm nervous about the 7th grader. I just know that he is going to have some major attitude, which I cannot handle. Give me the little ones ANY day! I can just pray he will be a sweet kid who wants to learn :) ha ye

eah probably not, he's being forced to go to summer tutoring! Regardless, I am already praying for these two, that I will be able to help them become superstar readers and in the process show them a little love and encouragement.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow! Lindy and I are going to the Haile Farmers Market in the morning! Ever since we went to that farmers market in Atlanta I've been wanting to go! Then in the evening we have plans to babysit our 3 favorite kids. It's our friend Sarah's anniversary so we're gonna take the kids off her hands and let her enjoy the night with her one :) I am so excited to spend time with them because they are moving to Orlando in August so we won't get to see them as much as we do now. :( And the littlest one, Camden, is getting soo big! Can't believe he is 4 months old! There will be lots of baby snuggling tomorrow :) Isn't he just precious??

Well this was supposed to be like day 3 or 4 of Project 31, but I am a slacker and already behind!! geesh! So this is day 2! The question for today is What Makes you Uniquely You. I actually looked at this question when it was supposed to be day 2 and I had NO idea what to write so I kind of put it off. I find it really hard to talk about myself, especially positively. We all know how to put ourselves down, but not build ourselves up. So this was actually a good thing to think about. I basically decided that makes me uniquely me is my joy. I am naturally just happy almost ALL the time. It is VERY easy to tell if something is wrong with me. People in high school used to ask me how are you so happy all the time. Now, I don't think I am one of those incessantly bubbly kind of annoying people (we all know those people) I just love life and God is so great how could I not be happy. Jesus Christ sent his son to die for ME on the cross and he loves me unconditionally. I really can't even fathom his love for me. And he has already taken my sins, my fears, my failures, my worries, and my anxieties off me. They were on the cross with him. I don't have to worry because I know that God has overcome the world and he has wonderful plans for my life. So in spite of anything that is going on in my life, I can be joyful because the maker of this universe loves me. Isn't that just a great feeling. :) Another thing I thought of that makes me me is that I love to encourage people and cook for people. It bring me so much joy to invite people over to my house for dinner. I just love cooking for people! A lot of my college friends don't cook often and tell me they aren't that good at it. Whereas I love to cook and do it all the time. So I like to share that gift with others and bless them with a meal. I know I won't be able to do that all the time when I am married and have kids, so I'm having my opportunity now to do it!

Those are just a couple things that make me uniquely me. They may not be the most unique qualities, but they describe little ole' me :) So friends, what makes you uniquely you? God tells us that we are his masterpieces, his workmanship. He has made each of us unique and special in our own way. Go embrace your uniqueness!

Project 31

So I got this idea from a friend's blog, thanks Meg, and I love it!!! It's called project 31 and it's all about women being inspired by their God given beauty! So every day for 31 days I am going to post a blog according to the following list :) It's based off of Proverbs 31, which you can read here if you have never read it! It is a great passage in the bible that describe a woman of noble character :)

THE LIST:

Day 1. What does beauty mean to you?
Day 2. What makes you uniquely you?
Day 3. Who is someone you know who inspires beauty?
Day 4. Style 31. Post a pic of you in your favorite outfit.
Day 5. Write a blog thanking someone who has made your heart come alive.
Day 6. Jaded beauty. Has the world's definition of beauty ever jaded you?
Day 7. Write a blog to encourage another beautiful woman.
Day 8. Have a beauty secret (e.g. hair tip, make up tip)? Share, please!
Day 9. What virtues do you value in yourself?
Day 10. What is Jesus teaching you as a wife, mom, or friend? (Or just woman in general?)
Day 11. Post a recipe. Or if you don't cook, try a new recipe and write about how it turned out (pictures please!).
Day 12. Write about what wears you out as a woman.
Day 13. Write about something you would like to change about yourself for the better.
Day 14. Style 31. Post an outfit pic!
Day 15. Write to encourage a friend. Inspire her beauty.
Day 16. Write a letter to your daughter, or a young girl in your life. Tell her what beauty means.
Day 17. Write about 3 things that make you happy.
Day 18. Describe your personality.
Day 19. Write about your favorite comfort food (we are women- we ALL have comfort food!)
Day 20. Write about your job and why you love it or hate it.
Day 21. Write a letter to your husband to encourage him (or if you are single- your future husband.)
Day 22. What are some needs that need to be met in your community? Blog about how to extend your hand to those who need you.
Day 23. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
Day 24. What is Jesus teaching you presently?
Day 25. Style 31. Post a pic of your favorite comfy clothes.
Day 26. What do you hope your grandchildren will say about you someday when you are gone?
Day 27. Write a blog to encourage someone and build their confidence!
Day 28. Write about your insecurities as a woman.
Day 29. Write about "a day in the life of me." (Pics are great!)
Day 30. Who is your role model as a woman?
Day 31. Write about your dreams and goals as a beautiful woman

I'm really excited to start this and I hope it encourages some of you and maybe you can do this on your own too :) So here we go, Day 1!

What does beauty mean to you?

Starting out tough! I think that beauty is so hard to sum up into one single thing and I think everyone is beautiful in their own way. For a long time I didn't think I was beautiful and I had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that I was beautiful even if I wasn't a size 2 and didn't look like the movie stars! I am beautiful because God says I am fearfully and wonderfully made! (Psalms 139:14) I think that beauty is confidence. Being confident enough to look at yourself and say that you're beautiful, shows so much beauty. Also, the love of Jesus shining through you is beauty. Beauty is also displayed through personality. If someone isn't the stereotypical "beautiful person" but is genuine, kind, friendly, loving, and honest..that is beauty. Beauty is so much more than our outward looks. I know we all have those bad hair days or days when we don't like any of the clothes in our closet. And if you're anything like me then your clothing choice for the day will make you feel 'beautiful' or not. But it's not about that, but about so much more. If you ever are having a bad day and don't feel beautiful, I encourage you to stop looking at your butt being too big, your boobs being too small, you broken out face, your thunder thighs, BUT instead look deeper, look inside and find something that is truly beautiful and makes you stand out! Chose to think about how you're a good friend, a good listener, great with children, encouraging, good in the kitchen, and a strong confident woman of God who has no reason to doubt her beauty. You are beautiful girl, inside and out! (and the guys who may be reading this) Embrace your beauty and go shine!! :)

The World is My Oyster..wait is that really a saying?

So friends, I went on a little road trip to Atlanta this weekend with the girls and I had an absolute blast!! Lindy and I went with our friend Caroline who lives in Sandy Springs, which is like 10 minutes from the city. Let me just say I LOVE it there!! All the houses are gorgeous and it's just so homey and southern! Everything in the south is better! :) I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to live somewhere like this! Now every time Lindy and I go visit somewhere we say "We're going to move here after college and get a job!" We said the exact same thing this time and it has really got me thinking. Since I am single, I have this opportunity to go where ever I want when I graduate in April! It is super hard for me to think about having to go be on my own. I always dreamed of graduating from college and getting married that same summer and moving into a cute apartment with the hubs and starting my real life. Well, obviously my plans are a little different from Gods. Although you never know what will happen in a year ;)

While in Atlanta, Caroline said that she feels like she is waiting for her life to really start and that for the past four years she has been living in this like waiting land and just waiting for her life to start. I realize I've been living that same way. College is just something I have to do to get a job and what not, but the two things that I have only ever wanted are to be a wife and a mother. So it's hard coming to terms with the fact that I will, in less than a year, be entering "the real world" most likely on my own. I've been waiting for that time to start my real life, but without a husband I feel like I can't start my life. I almost feel incomplete. Well my friends, change is a comin! I am living my life, RIGHT NOW! I am not in limbo land, just waiting for a guy to come sweep me off my feet! I don't need a man to make me feel complete and to make me feel like I can start living my life. I don't need a man to tell me where to move and what to do. I am a strong, independent person and I CAN and WILL be able to make it on my own. As much as it scares the crap out of me, I can do it with God and my friends/family.

So even though I have like a year to figure out where I am going to live next year, I have been thinking about it a lot lately. I keep getting asked the dreaded question "so where are you going to go when you graduate?" and my response "uhhh i don't know, a lot can change in year" See, that's my way of saying "I'm basically only waiting on a guy and hopefully he will get a job and I'll move where he has to go" lol I just want someone to tell me where to go :) lol That would make this a whole lot easier. But no, I get the privilege to do whatever I want! I could move to Atlanta if I wanted, or Nashville (another city I adore) because I don't have anything tying my anywhere! Lindy and I could pick up and move wherever, because Lord knows I wouldn't do it by myself! BUT the only problem is being so far away from my family. I don't want to miss seeing my niece grow up and I want to be there for any more future nieces/nephews. I want to be able to call my mom and go shopping on the weekend or have my family over for Sunday dinners. So, when it comes down to it, I honestly don't think I could move away from FL, unless my whole family wants to move to Nashville or Atlanta ;) But I also don't know if I want to go back to Melbourne right away either. If I were to move back to Melbourne and I was still single my parents would want me to live in their house, which I don't think I could do. It would be very difficult to live on your own for 5 years and then move back in with your parents. There goes my future dating life ;) So basically, who knows where I will be a year from now! I have a little time to figure it out. But I am going to embrace the fact that I don't have to rely on anyone else to make this decision but me! The World is My Oyster!

Welcome!!

Hi friends!! So I've decided to start a blog. I have been thinking about doing this for a long time, but something was always holding me back. Maybe fear that no one would read it, or fear or sharing too much about my life with people. But lately I have been reading about getting rid of fear in my life, and so this seemed like a good time to start this! And if no one ever reads this, but that's okay! It is a fun way for me to share what going on in my life. So enjoy :)

So, it took me hours, literally, to come up with a name for this dang thing! I began first by looking for backgrounds, because well that's what you first notice anyways! It had to be super cute and so ME! So of course I found this adorable cupcake template, which is perfect! So then the hard part, my blog name. My first thought was The Sweet Life because of the cupcake theme, but I thought immediately of The Sweet Life of Zach and Cody and didn't want my blog named after a Disney show. (Although we all know I love my Disney) So I ashamedly googled catchy blog titles and it didn't really do much. The Sweet and Saucy Life was a top runner, because well I am a little saucy sometimes, but something didn't quite sound right about that word to describe my life. So I was thinking and thinking and finally I thought of the single life! This one little word has been a key descriptor of my life for the past uhh almost 22 years ;) And it used to be a word I hated. I hated to be reminded that I was still single, and yes I have never had a boyfriend, never had a first kiss, and only in the past few months have I gone on a real date ;) BUT the tables are turning my friends. I am no longer seeing that at a bad word. Yes, I sometimes still feel that pain when some random person like my dental hygienist or the nail tech asks me if there is any special guy in my life and I have to say no, but that's only natural. I am embracing this single life. I am only 21 years old and it is okay that I have never had a boyfriend! I am being careful, picky, and guarding my heart. And I see nothing wrong with that. So next time someone asks me if I have a 'special guy' in my life and they look at me like they are sorry for me I am going to say "yeah, his name is Jesus, and his love is all I need right now. But I'll let you know when God brings me my second love." I am going to enjoy the most of these times because they won't be forever. There is a guy out there for me and one day when I get asked that dreaded question I will proclaim it to the nations, but for now I am going to enjoy my single-hood! So this is to enjoying life! I am going to go out with my friends whenever I want, take random road trips, and enjoy being my own person and being able to do whatever I want. This is the time to try exciting thing, be bold and adventurous. Sure, it would be great to do all this things in the company of a great guy, but for now I will do it with my girlfriends! Ok so, basically only Lindy, since she is one of my few single friends, BUT regardless we're going to have the time of our lives right now. I am going to live this crazy sweet and single life with God, following his plans and will. He says in Jeremiah 29:11 I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. The Lord has great plans for me (and you :) ) and I just have to learn to trust him completely. I am not going to live in fear, but I am choosing to believe what God tells us through his word is true. He's got my back, he know's what he is doing and I don't. And for the first time in a long time I am completely okay with that. I want what God wants for me.

Well, friends, that was a long story to explain the title of this new blog, but I hope you stick around to hear about my fabulous adventures with my sweet and single life. And like everyone else I will let you know if either of those two things change. If my blog changes to The Sweet and Smitten life that will be a good indicator ;) Love you friends, but most importantly so does Jesus! :)