Oh Boy!

I have mentioned before that my best friend is expecting her first baby in February. How exciting!
I cannot wait to meet my little nephew. Yes, he will absolutely be my nephew. If you don't get it, that's a you problem. :) Sorry.
I got together with her mom and we threw a fun shower. Nothing says "boy" quite like trucks, so that was the theme. Now for some photos of the festivities...

 

The parents to be. Even if she wasn't my best friend, I would still think she was the cutest prego ever!



I love some flag decor! :)

 

Cakes and cupcakes galore!

 

Sweet

 

Lots of friends  :)

 

 

And there you have it. A small snippet into the land of baby showers. :) This really was such a fun time. I love my friend, and I am sure I will love her sweet boy very much. 

 



What Matters

The tragedy in Connecticut is absolutely heart-breaking.  Honestly, since I heard the news, I have been trying to put it out of my mind and go on as normal.  Obviously, I pray, but I haven't done a lot of talking about it. Unfortunately not talking about it won't bring back the innocent lives taken and putting these tragedies out of our minds is part of the reason that things like this keep happening, and with more frequency. I still don't want to talk about the gunman.I will never understand the amount of selfishness and anger one must feel to commit such an act. That being said, I do want to talk about the victims. The family of this murderer, the first responders who will never live another day without horrific images haunting them,  the teachers and administrators whose first instinct was to protect kids that weren't their own, and of course the babies and parents who hugged goodbye for the last time that morning. I cannot comprehend the amount of grief that all of these people must be feeling. I pray I never will, and I pray that these families are able to find peace one day, although I'm certain that day won't come anytime soon. I hate that tragedy is what brings people together, that it takes other peoples' pain for the rest of us to remember what really matters.
I thank God for family, for selfless teacher's who have the biggest hearts and know just what to say, and for the ability to trust in Him even when I don't understand Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swag Swap Fun!

Earlier this month I posted about the swag swap that was going on over on Kassie's blog. If you don't remember I was matched up with a girl named Lindsay from Florida. She gave me some good clues as to what some of her interests were. I may have gone a little overboard with the pink in her swag bag, but I love a theme! ;) I'm so glad she seemed to like everything, since it was so much fun for me to pick out. You can see the goodies I sent her on her blog Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone. She's new to blogging like me, so head on over and show her some love.
Now, on to the important things. ME and the AMAZING treats that I got! Lindsay did such a good job that I think she might have a future as a psychic!

I arrived home to this bright, shiny, polka dot box. So fun! As well as a sweet note telling me why she picked what she did and some encouraging words. :)

 

I LOVE this scarf. It is so cute. I already tried it on, and can't wait to wear it later this week.

 

Next up were some foodie treats. Seaweed snacks,(I'm intrigued!) a protein Luna bar, and hint water.(Which is already gone. I didn't tell her this, but I am a HUGE fan of this water.)

 

This may be my favorite item in the box. I have been looking for a water bottle to take to work, but because I have issues am picky, I hadn't gotten one yet. This one is just perfect, and I adore the color.

 

Lindsay treated me to some coral(my favorite color!) essie nail polish. The color is perfect and I can't wait to give it a try! Now, on to the mascara, this is how I know Lindsay is psychic. I was in Target last week getting a few things when I remembered that I'd been wanting to try Mama Lauglin's favorite mascara because her lashes always look amazing! BUT, my phone was in the car so I wasn't able to look up what kind it was. I am so, so excited that it magically arrived right at my front door. ;)

 

Last but not least were these two little gems. She sent me some of her favorite seasoning from Florida. I am very excited to try it on my brand new spaghetti squash. Yes, she sent me a spaghetti squash in the mail. I actually laughed out loud because it was so unexpected and clever.

 

 

I hope everyone else was lucky enough to get a fun and thoughtful swag partner like I did! Thank you so much Lindsay! This totally brightened my day. I can't wait to use all my goodies!

In Pictures

Here is a quick glimpse into my Thanksgiving Break:

My dad and his beloved Bogie. Bogie LOVES to have his photo taken. All I have to do is show him the camera and he immediately stops whatever he's doingto "pose". Soon after this he jumped in the pool and went back to being his usual self.

 

I think what I loved most about our laid back Thanksgiving was taking off my make up and throwing on my stretchy pants and t-shirt before dinner dessert.

 

I went with a friend to pick out this adorable kitten. I'll share her name and more pictures of her out of her prison cell once she gets fixed and officially goes home to her owner tomorrow.

 

My best friend and her husband are having a little boy! His expected arrival is Valentine's Day. Fun, huh!? Today I took a few pictures to have out at her baby shower next weekend. I made them shirts and since her husband likes to fish, hers says, "Daddy's getting a new fishing buddy". This is one of the outtakes, but I think it's super sweet.

 

Happy Sunday!

 

Thankful

I have had a lot to be thankful for lately, so a special day dedicated to just that came at a very appropriate time. I start all my prayers with a 'thank you' and I say "thanks" in my day to day life pretty often. Still, I sometimes feel like that's partly just habit. I also need to remind myself that if I complain about xyz, just as much as I say I'm thankful/blessed/lucky to have abc, then what's the point? So, here's to living the next year with much more positivity! :)

What I've been thankful for recently:

My family. They really are the best. I've already talked about what makes them especially great in previous posts. The other day Steel told me he thought it would be fun to hang out with my family just based on stories that I tell him. He's right. :)

The new job! I would say that I'll shut up about this new job sometime soon, but I probably wont. I'm in love.

Mutt, Bogie, Lucy, Leon  Animals make life better. Everyone knows Mutt, and I have mentioned Bogie and Lucy before. Leon is my parents' cat. I like 'em all. One day I'll show you a picture of Leon...after he gets out of rehab for his catnip addiction.

Friends I have the very best friends. And I'm having much more fun now that I hang out with who I want to because I want to and not because I feel obliagted to. All of my friendships are different, but I cherish each and every one of them. (M, A, M, B, W, D, L, J) <------- Hi favorites! :)

Starbucks I don't know what they give those employees, but they are more than happy to make my iced, grande, skinny, vanilla latte, half decaf. Service with a smile.

I am thankful for so much more. But it would take me hours to list, and you've probably had enough by now! I hope everyone is enjoying their leftovers today!

Busy Bee

Buzzzzzzzzzz...I have been very busy with the new job this week. The holiday season is the craziest time of year for this company, so I jumped in head first. It has been fast paced, intense, very demanding, and I freaking LOVE it. Yes, I know it's only been a couple days, so no need to point that out and go rainin' on my parade just to make yo sun shine brighter. ;)
I'm sure there will be more to tell later on, but one last thing; my office does have a tray ceiling. This is only exciting to me, I'm aware. But, I thought maybe, just maybe I'd find my long lost soul sister who loves a tray ceiling as much as me!



Holly is hosting a little link up to talk about Thanksgiving. I thought I'd join in with my answers to these questions:


1. What do you look forward to more: the food, football or parades? Food (Would have said family if that were an option.

2. What is your favorite non-traditional Thanksgiving Day dish? Only recently have we started breaking tradition and having things like brussel sprouts. I'd choose brussels w/ bacon over that canned green bean casserole thing. (I'm sorry. I have a "thing" about casseroles. And canned green beans. But bring on those crispy little onions that go on top!

3. After dinner, is it football or a nap? It's time for 'Love Actually'.

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Which is your favorite float? I like it to be on in the house while we're cooking. This is the first year that we are actually planning to eat Thanksgiving dinner at dinner time, but I'll still catch a glimpse while I'm getting ready in the morning.

5. Where do you go to celebrate and eat your big meal? Who is there (family, friends)? 20 minutes away. Lucky me! This year it will just be my mom, dad, and myself. I'm pouting, whining, embracing it.

6. What is your favorite turkey day dessert? stuffing.


Head on over and see how everyone else answered.  Lots of people are answering in the form of Vlogs. Fancy! :)

Permission

The past couple weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster ride. Mostly fun, kind of scary. The last week of October I got a call from a company where I previously had an interview. My first interview was over 6 months ago, and I didn't get that job for various reasons. Long story short, I did get the job this time around.(!!!)  Sometimes I have a hard time accepting, but absolutely do believe that everything happens in God's time.

In this situation, God was definitely saying, "Not yet", and now I can say I'm thankful for the delay. In the words of Steel, "You(I) used to be kind of a mess.".  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm still a bit of a mess, but I'm on the mend. It has been a long time since I have given myself permission to believe that I honestly deserve all the good stuff in life. Still, I can't believe that I am getting this opportunity, but I DO believe I deserve it. Finally.

I did not find my dream job when I first got out of school. Congratufuckinlations to all of you who did. Bitter? Who, me? Kidding! I made my bed, and I laid. For a year and a half. Actually, I was pretty excited about my first "Big girl" job. I am grateful for the experience, but it just wasn't fulfilling enough for the long haul.

Of course, I never had any of these "tantrums".

 

I drove A LOT for my job. I kept telling myself that I would have a new job before I hit 50,000 miles on my car, and at 48,497 it happened! Sadly, that means that I won't be taking nearly as many pictures that look like this: 



The end of the car headshot era.

 

I am So, SO happy, blessed, lucky and overwhelmed by the new adventure I'm about to take. I am also very thankful to have so many people in my life that are happy for me.

 

Something I sincerely plan to do.