The Simple Things

Today, my thought process for "What I'm Loving Wednesday" is a little bit different. Yes, I still love my husband, my new nail polish, that Brad picked Emily, etc...but today is different. Today I am content.

I spent time with some of my best friends from college yesterday, along with their sweet babies. It was simple. It was joy. It was life, pure and sweet. 

We sat on the back porch, we watched babies shriek and squeal and play. We kissed scrapes and bumps, we ate pickles and cookies, we felt the sun on our skin. We blew bubbles and watched the babies try to catch them. We talked about life and marriage and God...we lived the way that life is supposed to be lived. Slow and simple, with lots of joy. And it was good. Life was good. No technology. Just us, sun, grass, and sky. Life from a babies view is so much sweeter. 

A smile just isn't complete without cookie crumbs.

Clothing optional (for the babies).

On the way home, I heard a song that I've heard several times. I've sung along to it before. This time, I heard it differently. God laid it on my heart...I sung it as if my life depended on it. 

Sometimes I,
I just want to close my eyes
And act like everyone’s alright
When I know they’re not.
This world needs God
But it’s easier to stand and watch.
I could pray a prayer and just move on
Like nothing’s wrong.

But I refuse.

‘Cause I don’t want to live like I don’t care.
I don’t want to say another empty prayer.
Oh, I refuse to
Sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself.
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse.

I can hear the least of these
Crying out so desperately,
And I know we are the hands and feet
Of you, oh God.
So, if you say move,
Then it’s time for me to follow through,
And do what I was made to do.
by Josh Wilson

That is my desire...to stop living selfishly and live as God has called. To spread His word and help this hurting world. I am blessed. Not everyone is so blessed. 

If you haven't heard this song, I highly recommend it. 

Love, love. 

Honeymoon #2

Happy happy Friday!! : ) I am off all day today and so far I have enjoyed sleeping in, watching tv, and blogging! : ) What are y'all doing today??

So, let me tell y'all a little story about our honeymoon. I haven't really talked about it yet on here or posted any pictures, but I have some important (aka exciting) news to share today!! 

We went on our honeymoon on October 3 last year. We were *supposed* to go to Sandals Negril in Jamaica. When we arrived in Jamaica and went to the Sandals desk, we were informed that a tropical storm had hit Negril and the resort was flooded/damaged. They told us that we would be going to another Sandals in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Now I know that this is not really horrible news, but I almost burst into tears. For one, we had spent FOREVER picking the perfect Sandals and we loved Negril. Also, I am a big baby and I was freaking out that my parents wouldn't even know exactly where we were anymore. 

Needless to say, I got over that real quick. We were still in Jamaica going to a fabulous resort for our honeymoon! We were thrilled...a beach is a beach and all inclusive is all inclusive! : ) When we arrived at the resort to check in, the manager asked to speak with us. She informed us that because of the issue and their inability to tell us before we arrived, we would be getting a voucher for another vacation! Hello!!! A free vacation!!! Does it get any better than that?? Thank you, Sandals!!

We recently sent in our voucher request and I just got the confirmation email today!! My adorable hubby and I will be going on our second honeymoon for our 1st wedding anniversary! HOORAYYYY!! We are going to Negril. We spent a lot of time trying to decide where to go and almost picked St. Lucia, but I just feel like we were *supposed* to go to Negril, so we should go there. It is stunning (in the pictures I've seen). It is also rated the best beach in the Caribbean. We are literally SO SO excited and grateful that we will be able to make this trip. Thank you, Jesus, for Your sweet blessings!!

Here are some pictures of Negril, all from the Sandals website:

The room we will be staying in is the beach front swim-up suite...aka amazing and fabulous. 

Ahhhhh, I can't wait...only 6 more months!! : ) 

Thanks for sharing in our excitement. I love you, blog friends!

I need one more favor. A couple that we know is in the process of adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia. They just received news that Ethiopia is considering decreasing adoptions by 90%. This will definitely delay their baby boy coming home...and stop many other couples from being able to adopt. A petition has been started. If you feel so inclined, I'd love for you to click here and sign the petition. If you don't want to sign, please offer my friends and ALL the orphans in Ethiopia up to the Lord for prayer. Thank y'all so much!

Love, love!

Hott with Two T's

Last summer, July to be exact, we took our engagement pictures. We obviously were not thinking clearly. It was July. It was hot. It was Louisiana. 

It was 99 degrees, with a heat index up to 106. 

We took them outside...of course. Aren't we smart??

Needless to say, everything started out great, but about 30 minutes in we were literally sticking to each other. Not out of love...out of sweat. Yum. My makeup was running, my face was sweating, and my hair was frizzing. For two seconds, I almost cried. Then, my sweet love smiled at me and we both started laughing our butts off. We ended up having SO much fun. Neither of us had ever done any kind of photo shoot, so it was quite the experience. I don't think I could ever be a model. The "serious face" and my face do not agree. 

I got to choose two outfits and I let my hubby choose one outfit. Y'all can guess who picked what. 

Our amazing photographer was the one and only Brandon O'Neal.

We credit him for somehow hiding our sweat. 

Here are a few of my favorites. 

(Photo overload below) 

This is one of my favorites. 

He's a doll, huh?

Bling, bling!

I think this one is my favorite. 

If you made it here, you are awesome. : ) Thanks for checking out our pictures. 

Love, love

And Many Moreeeeee......

Happy blog birthday to me, happy blog birthday to me! 

Guess what? Today I have officially been blogging for one whole year. Y'all can read my very first post here. Don't judge though...it's a little bit rough. I wasn't the best blogger in the beginning. I only blogged once or twice a month. I didn't realize how much blogging had to offer! Now, I am SO thankful that I gave blogging another chance. I have made SO many wonderful friends and grown so much as a person. I really can't say enough good things about blogging...even if my hubby thinks I'm a freak. : )

Thank you. 

Thank you. 

Thank you. 

As a result of being my blogging bff, YOU are cordially invited to my blog's first birthday party!!

Where, you ask?

Right here!! : )

I have goodies:

We are going to twirl and dance the day away...while wearing fabulous dresses, of course.

I am going to wear this...just because I can. It's my blog's birthday, after all. 

(all images via)

So STOP working, STOP blogging, STOP texting...

and come to my party. 

I love you. The end. 

PS: This is what I'm loving today.

Love, love

Favorites

I decided to create a post about my favorites. Won't you play along? Pretty please?

Favorite time of day - I'm a night owl

Favorite season - Fall, hence the October wedding

Favorite month: November...it's my birthday month

Favorite holiday: Christmas

Favorite subject in school: Science

Favorite channel: Lifetime

Favorite color - Pink (so typical, I know)

Favorite song - "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait (our 1st dance song)

Favorite movie: Serendipity and Armageddon - tied

Favorite celebrity: Taylor Swift and Gary Allan

Favorite kind of music: Country all the way

Favorite tv show: Grey's Anatomy

Favorite thing to do: Blog, obviously

Favorite place in the world: Home is where my heart is

Favorite hobby: Read and scrapbook

Favorite kind of animal: Cashmere and Diesel (aka dogs)

Favorite place to live: I'm happy where I am now (Louisiana)

Favorite place to vacation: ANYWHERE! I'd love to go to Europe (Hint, Megs!)

Favorite restaurant: Currently Cheddar's...it changes all the time

Favorite food: Dessert : )

Favorite thing to cook: Can I say nothing? Haha. 

Favorite drink: Diet coke

Favorite chore: Vacuuming

Favorite makeup: Bare Minerals and Covergirl

Favorite hair products: I buy something different every single time

Favorite lotion: St Ives Whipped Silk

Favorite perfume: "Very Sexy" by Victoria Secret

Favorite memory: October 2, 2010

Favorite blogger: Ahhh, I'll never tell ; )

Favorite thing to blog about: Anything and everything

Favorite books: Wicked, The Other Boleyn Girl, Redeeming Love

Favorite Verse: See yesterday's post

Favorite thing to wear: Dresses

Favorite kind of day: A lazy, snuggly day at home with my loves

Favorite job: I love being a nurse, but hopefully I'll get to be a SAHM one day!

I'm going to tag Michelle, Melissa, Megan, and Rebekah to do this, too...if they want! Really, I'd love for anyone to play along and do it! Let me know if you do! 

Happy Monday! Love, love! 

PS: I'm about to start recapping our road to "I Do." Finally! : )

PPS: Look for a giveaway tonight or tomorrow! 

PPPS: I'm skipping "This Blog Rocks" today. 

Sunday Funday

Hi loves! Hope y'all had a great weekend!

I was tagged by CMae and (somebody else, but I can't remember...sorry!) in a handwriting post. 

This is what I had to write:

1) Your name and blog name

2) Your blog URL

3) The quick fox jumps over the lazy dog.

4) Favorite quote. 

5) Favorite songs. 

6) Favorite artists. 

7) Something random. 

8) Tag others. 

Here's mine:

Y'all do know it's Mardi Gras, right??

I'm having a lazy much needed pajama day. I really had no choice. Ask Lifetime. It's "Stay in Bed Sunday." I'm serious. They named today. I promise!

You can just call this Fashion Sunday. ; )

Don't hate...pajamas and beads. That's how we roll in Louisiana. 

Love, love!

A DIY

So I am finally getting around to sharing a little DIY that I did about a month ago. I first saw something like it at Shanty 2 Chic. I knew right away that I wanted to make something like it. I am not normally all that crafty. I scrapbook...and that's about it. However, I'm trying to convince my hubby that I should be a stay at home mom once we have kids, so I am "attempting" to be more crafty/creative. Please forgive the terrible pictures to come...I had to use my crappy point and shoot. 

I bought a 2 x 6 piece of wood from Lowe's. Everything else came from Hobby Lobby. 

Supplies:

2x6 board, cut into 6-8 inch pieces (depending on the size you want)

Wooden candlestick

Wooden platform

Scrapbook paper

Spray paint color of your choice

Mod Podge

Wood glue

Finial if desired

Decorations if desired

These are my decorative pieces.

Here is my platform and the candlesticks and finials. 

The platform was 50 cents and the bags were less than $2. 

Modge Podge, wood stain, and spray paint!

(I only used the wood stain on the white one, since it wouldn't show up on the darker ones.)

So I forgot to take pictures at first. Oops. Bare with me. 

The first thing you need to do is cut your wood down into pieces. Mine were about 7 inches...done by the hubby. Thanks, hubby! Then I used gorilla glue to glue one of the wooden candlesticks to the platform, then the candlestick to the wood piece. I let this dry for a couple hours. When I was sure that it was glued together, I spray painted the whole thing. I chose black to match our bedroom. The next step is to sand the edges, if desired. This gives them a "distressed" look. I like it. 

The next step is to apply a light layer of Mod Podge to the front. Cut your scrapbook paper to fit and place it on top. Then apply another light layer of Mod Podge. Be careful when doing this or it'll have bubbles. 

I chose to layer another piece of scrapbook paper on top, the same way as the previous one. 

Now it's time to add any decorations that you want. 

I spray painted a mini clothespin (from Hobby Lobby) and glued it to the front. I then added a gold M for our last name (also from Hobby Lobby) and glued it to the front. I spray painted my finial and glued it to the top.

It was missing a little something so I added gold sequins where I thought they looked good.

The finished product. : ) I love it. It is proudly displayed in our bedroom right now. 

I decided to make two for my best friend, who just had a baby boy. She decided to do white and brown for his nursery, with accents of blue. They turned out SO cute, but I forgot to take pictures of the finished products. I am a terrible tutorialist, I know. Oh, that's not a word? Oh well. 

One of them...I added a clothespin to it for her to hang a picture.  

The other one. I spray painted two Fleur-de-lis in white and blue and glued them onto the front. 

What do y'all think? It sounds more complicated than it was...promise! Really it was just paint and glue!

Second thing for the day:

CSN has contacted me to do another giveaway. I can't decide. I definitely want to do a giveaway for reaching 400 followers, but I was thinking something new. What do y'all think? Would y'all want a CSN gift card/code? Let me know! : )

PS: Go ask me some questions...then I'll do a horrible vlog. I've gotten some very interesting ones so far!

Love, love!!

Edit: linking up here!

And here with TT&J!