Awkward and Awesome Thursday

Awkward:

- Having minor panic attacks every time a school friend posts a status about going back to class. It is really weird for me to not be there. I am loving not having classes this semester - but it is weird.

- Never realizing how much of the psycho babble I use has to do with visual terms. That is, until I have a client who is blind, and then it makes almost every minute extremely awkward. 

- Encouraging a client to yell the same statement each time specific thoughts and memories come up - meaning to yell it when he is at home, in his car, etc - and having him start yelling in the session. With all the rooms full...it was awkward, but also totally awesome!

-  Some of the things people pin on Pinterest are just awkward. Like that weird chicken, green bean, potato thing. Who would eat that?? Who would want to eat that?? Just look at the picture, and stop pinning nasty/weird/awkward things.

Awesome:

- 5-day weekends!! That is what I will be experiencing after today and I could not be more excited.

- Getting to spend most of that weekend with these precious girls!

- This weekend also means the start of Sooner Football!! I'm just happy we won't have to pick a smoke-filled sports bar to watch the game in since we will be in Oklahoma where they broadcast the games.

- Getting to spend the weekend at a marriage retreat as one of the on-site counselors. Even if they did spell my name wrong (awkward)

- We have a dining table!! Well, for the next 18 months. It is Claire's, and we are storing it for her.

It looks great though, and the room is finally not completely empty.

Happy long weekend!!

Creativity Frustrating

When I started this blog, I had a vision of keeping up with it, 

and compiling it into a book each year.

This was going to take the place of my scrapbooks that I made the first couple years that Michael and I were married. 

This has been much more of a challenge than I thought it would be.

There are a couple websites I know of that can do this for you.

One, is Blog2Print.

This site is amazing.

You can import your blog address, and set the dates you want to print.

And voila - it's a book.

However, it does throw off your pictures-post ratio, among other things.

And being the perfectionist that I am...I just could take it.

The second option that I am a aware of is Blurb.

This one is definitely not as simple, but is much more customizable.

It is also fairly user-friendly.

This is the option I chose.

 The good news: My blog book will look exactly how I want it to.

The bad news: I have to make each page from scratch.

Yeeeaaahhhhh.

It is not awesome.

Especially considering the fact that from 2011 I have 119 posts to capture in the book.

Its a good thing I don't have classes this semester.

I am slowly making my way through, and so far I am extremely happy with the results!

In other creative news: Today was the School Year Kick-off Luncheon which means,

I finally got to show the summer video that I have been working on!

Click here to watch the video on youtube.

 It's pretty good, if I do say so myself ;) and I'm pretty proud of it.

Lastly, Michael and I were overwhelmed at the showering of appreciation that the parents poured on us at the lunch today.

We are so blessed to call JV our home, 

and even more blessed to have the support from parents that we do. 

God has richly blessed us, and we are humbled!

 

Give Blood

Sunday was a big day for me

I gave blood for my first time ever.

I was completely terrified.

Actually, I've been completely terrified my whole life.

After I turned 18 (or whatever age you have to be to give) I just told people that I was anemic.

I hate needles, and blood, and it was easier that way.

The church we are at now does a blood drive every six months. 

Part of the reason is that one of the members at our church

(and a great friend of mine)

is alive because of donated blood that was given to her in a time of need.

After hearing her story, I decided that I was going to give.

And that Michael was going to give too.

It was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.

The people were very nice, and pretty good with needles.

Unfortunately for Michael, he watched my bag fill up before they started his, 

so he was a little panicky. 

We survived though!

 Michael was busy all day so I didn't get a picture of him.

Because we signed up as digital donors, we found out our wellness report and our blood type.

I am A positive, and Michael is O positive.

He is the universal donor. 

Which means that he is going to be hounded by the donation center forever.

I'm a good wife though, and I promised to give every time that he does.

Even if it makes me dizzy and lightheaded.

Anyone that can, should give blood. 

So sign up and give today!!

Family Night

It is very rare that Michael and I have a Friday night free.

It is even more rare that we have nothing to do all day on Saturday.

But this weekend, the stars aligned, and we had two full days all to ourselves.

So last night we went out to the drive-in.

The best part about watching movies here is that we can bring this guy along.

And boy, was he excited!

We spread out our blankets and pillows in the back of the pilot,

had movie snacks, and puppy snacks,

and watched The Bourne Legacy.

We had planned to stay for the second movie too, but a fight broke out over a parking spot a few cars down from us, and we just didn't want to stay for that.

Plus, it was a little warm outside - even at 11:00pm.

Gotta love Houston in August.

And every other month really.

We will probably be waiting a month or two before we go again. 

Maybe by then it will be a little bit cooler. 

Hope your weekends are fun and relaxing!

Getting Organized

Graduate school has done a few things to me.

It has made me a complete perfectionist.

Any grade below a 92 might as well be an F

It has made me even more of a procrastinator.

Who even knew that was possible?

I don't even want to talk about how bad it is to combine these!

It has also made me extremely organized.

Every document for work fits neatly into page covers, which go neatly into divided sections, all enclosed in my neat little binder. 

The extreme organization has even followed me out of the office.

This week I made a calendar of our meals.

I even organized the groceries that we would need for each meal.

Just like I have been in a rut clothing-wise, I have also been in a cooking rut.

When the time came to cook dinner, all I could think of to make was pasta.

I'm a lover of Italian, but even I can't eat pasta for every meal.

Okay, we did have some frozen pizza too.

So, I went through my recipes and cookbooks, and made a schedule.

It instantly made me feel better about life.

I work late on Mondays and Thursdays, so I had to plan something easy on those nights

that Michael would be able to handle.

Not easy, just with clear instructions. 

So far so good too.

We had homemade pizzas and they were delicious!

Plus they made TONS of leftovers.

We have almost made it an entire week without eating out.

And that's a new record for us.

Does anyone else use a meal calendar??

Any good/quick/easy meals that I should try?

I would love any advice you have to offer.

Today's Trends

While shopping last night, a friend asked me what my favorite trends are right now.

And I went completely blank.

I could not think of any current styles that I was loving.

That's a problem.

I love clothes, and fashion, and being trendy.

It was then that I realized I have been in somewhat of a rut lately.

Maybe because it is summertime, and extremely hot

(I'm really more of a fall/winter clothes person)

or maybe because I am working now and professional clothes are a whole new realm for me.

I don't know.

But I am still trying to work out being fashionable and professional at the same time.

After thinking about it a little longer, I realized that I do have some favorite trends right now.

*Keep in mind, these could very well only be trends to me.

1) Peplum

I love that it is professional, with an extra ounce of fancy. 

2) Ankle trousers

This is me in ankle pants and peplum, both from The Limited.

I didn't buy either of these items due to the price.

But I found black ankle pants at TJ Maxx for $15 the next day.

Score.

And I will be back for that top.

I can't stop thinking about it.

3) Wedges

Payless

Dress Barn

I am obsessed with wedges.

I own both of these and it is a struggle to not wear them every single day.

4) Two-tone shoes

Jessica Simpson

Ann Taylor

I don't have any two-tone shoes, but as soon as I find the right ones, 

I will be buying them up.

5) Bubble Necklaces

This necklace.

This color.

I love it.

Jewelry just helps me to feel less stiff while in professional clothes.

What trends are you loving right now?

Do you have certain pieces of clothing that are getting you through this terrible 

in-between period of changing summer to fall?

Let's all think thoughts of fall weather this weekend, 

and maybe it will get here faster.

iphone Update

I wanted the iPhone 4 for the camera.

I use it all the time.

But sometimes, I forget to do anything with the photos

(other than add them to Instragram, of course)

So the following is an update on life, brought to you by my iphone.

Above are some of my favorite moments lately:

Date nights, puppy cuddles, summertime foods, H&M, best friend time, and watching every moment of the USA gymnastics team.

I'd say that pretty much sums up my life as of late.

Like I said before, you really aren't missing much over here.

4th Anniversary

Today marks 4 years that I have been married to the most wonderful man!

I don't know how I got so lucky, but I sure am happy that God chose me to be with him.
He makes me a better person, and gives me the support to be even more than myself.
He is my best friend.
He is the man of my dreams.
This year Michael we celebrated our anniversary with The Lion King.
It has been in town the past few weeks, and we absolutely loved it!
It was by far the most beautiful Broadway show that I have ever seen.
The sets, the lighting, the costumes, the dances, the songs...
it was all incredible!

 He also brought home these flowers for me.

 Hydrangeas are my favorite these days.
You can't have an anniversary without the traditional pictures.

And while we're at it, let's take a trip down memory lane from the past 4 years.

Anniversary 3.

Anniversary 2.

Anniversary 1.

Wedding Day.

*This could also be a timeline of how my hair has grown.

Wow it was short!

Embarrassing.

These 4 years have not always been easy, but nothing worth having ever comes easy.

(at least that's what I tell my clients)

I love this guy more than anything on this earth.

He is everything I ever wanted, and prayed to have in a husband.

And I can't wait to spend the rest of my years with him by my side.

Summer Youth Summary

Summer is coming to a close.

Soon the youth kids will be back in school, 

and Michael will be back to a (somewhat) normal schedule.

I will be honest, summer is not my favorite.

I love spending pretty much every day with the kids, and going on all the trips,

and other events with the group,

but I really prefer the consistency of the school year. 

This has been a great summer though!

Here are a few of the highlights:

We served at Impact Church of Christ.

Our group just loves spending the week with these kids!

We had VBS at our church

Without our youth group, this VBS would not have happened.

They showed servant hearts and a genuine love for kids this week.

We spent a week at Foster's Home for Chidren,

where we all fell completely in love with the kids, and everyone at the home.

We are counting down the days until we go back next June.

 We went on a few factory tours.

Dr Pepper Museum wasn't that cool.

 The Blue Bell Factory more than made up for it though

 

 We spent a day at Sky High - a trampoline gym.

Yes, that is Michael! 

He had a blast.

These were just our big events of the summer.

We had so many other things on the calendar: service days, bible studies, devotionals, 

swim parties, and camp.

 It has been a great summer.

A summer of growing closer together, and most importantly, growing closer to our Lord.

I have been blessed by these teens, and I can't wait to see how God uses them in this school year.

What's Your Style?

Last week I had the pleasure of helping my good friend Cindy (and jewelry lady extraordinaire) with some more photos of her beautiful jewelry. 

I had so much fun!

Any day I get to spend with Cindy is a great one,

but add in playing dress up and acting fancy - and you have the perfect morning!

She really made it super easy for me. 

I brought a few things of my own (clothes and shoes)

but when I got there she already had clothes picked out for me,

she did my hair for each photo,

and she put all the jewelry on me and posed me.

Then she does some editing tricks to the photos and just makes them gorgeous.

I really don't have to do anything but sit there.

Its awesome.

Anyway, here are some of the photos we took and the different styles she is using in her new show.

Casual Chic

Classic Lady

Boho

Polished Glamour

So, which one do you think is more your style?

I would say I am casual chic, but I love me some glam too!

 

Thanks so much again Cindy for letting me spend the day with you!!

I absolutely loved every minute!