The Crazy Life of LT

All Natural...

2012-01-20T20:48:00.002-05:00

As you know, Pinterest is my crack of choice.
I honestly feel like I have an abnormal excitement that arises in me when I open it up and admire all the lovely things I pinned.
I digress.....
So one of my new pins was a natural face cleansing method.
It promises to give your skin radiant results!
Basically it's olive oil, castor oil, and any other oils that may serve a good purpose!
I've used it for two nights and so far I'm very impressed.
I'll keep you updated - who knows, I may turn into a zit head, but I'll show you the results nonetheless!
Want to know more about it?
Check out the details HERE.

Bubbly Beard Has Arrived!

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

First off, let me say this is my 500th blog post!!!
Anyone else amazed that I've had enough to talk about for 500 posts?!?!?

I've got some exciting things happening and I thought my 500th post was the most perfect launch pad!
So, I'm not sure if I've mentioned before, but we're totally revamping my photography business.
We're moving towards an edgier, cooler, more creative style. I'm just ready to take it to the next level.
And with that, we've changed the name to BubblyBeard Creative Storytellers.
We've got photos.
We've got video.
And we've got a blog!
The logo is pretty cute too - if I say so myself. You might recognize the people. haha!

So, I encourage you strongly to........

check out the new site and let me know your thoughts! http://www.bubblybeard.com/
Follow our blog over there - http://bubblybeard.com/bloggy-time/ we'll have some pretty cute little stories about each of our sessions and a few general life posts too!
Follow us on twitter: @bubblybeard

Most of you have been following me since I started my business a little over 3 years ago....so this is a rather exciting venture for me to share with you! Thanks so much for all of you followers. ALL of you!

Living Adequately

2012-01-17T09:31:00.002-05:00

Do you ever feel inadequate?
I know I've spent my fair share of days in that land.
Often times, I feel inadequate as a Christian.
I sometimes feel like my prayers are falling on deaf ears, mainly because I'm so rushed and not focused.
Needless to say, when we started the Daniel fast, I didn't know what I was in for.
I had never truly fasted before.
So, instead of spending my focus on what most would think (baby Thomas) I focused on something COMPLETELY different.
See there was a verse that spoke to me in Jeremiah 29.
The Message breaks it down like this: ^13-14"When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed."

And there was my focus - to get serious about seeking God and wanting it more than anything else.

It's so easy to become complacent in your faith.
So very easy.
But the last 17 days, it's like I've got a little revival going on in my heart.
God is my number one desire.
I've been saying that for years, and meaning it the best I knew how.
But now, it's different.
He's my only true desire. Everything else in life stems from that.
Everything.
The more I desire God, the more I desire my husband.
The more I desire time with God, the fuller my heart is.
The more I SPEND time with God, I become better in every aspect of life.

I used to be this way. And my prayer for the last year really has been to get back to that point. To truly feel God again.
It's amazing how when you actually make TRUE time for him and let him become your #1....life just....well it's better. So much better. So good. Because, well, God is able and I am not.

And as an added side note....I got a new album yesterday that's totally reflecting everything I just wrote about.
It's Jesus Culture - Awakening.
So worth getting.

Life Lessons in 2012

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

So I realize it's only 13 days into 2012, but I'm already learning this year!
Let me share!

Chris and I started doing the Daniel Fast at the beginning of January. It's supposed to last 21 days, but we made it 8. And I have to say, I got a lot out of it. We're going to try it again for realio in a couple of months. Basically the fast requires you to eat only natural items. Nothing processed, no meat, no dairy, no bread/white flour. Just fruits, veggies, beans, nuts and whole grains. Oh and filtered water only to drink.

Needless to say, it was quite the experience. It actually wasn't THAT bad. I discovered the beauty of a peanut butter and grape smoothie = PBJ. Delish! Oh and almond milk was another wonderful discovery! Sooo good!

I was more energized through the day with no late afternoon crashes. My mood was better. I lost about 4 pounds. And after 3 months of my body refusing to have a period, I magically had one when my diet completely changed. Call it what you will, but I think it's all connected.

Apparently, my body quite enjoyed an all natural diet. Like really liked it.
Because, when I came off the fast and enjoyed some pizza as my first real meal, I got sick as a dog. I mean for real sick. Ewww.

And then the next day, when I thought "Ok, just readjusting" and I had the deliciousness of Zaxby's fried chicken sand and I then got really sick again.

So that got me to thinking about all the horrible things we put into our body and it just makes me nauseous to think about. I mean seriously, we really pay no attention whatsoever to the toxins we are poisoning ourselves with.

We went to dinner last night to use a gift card we had received for Christmas. I can honestly say that the food I ate was so unenjoyable (i think i just made that word up). I didn't even want to finish it.

And so, I'm on a mission to love my body more. To be more focused on what I'm eating. To go natural where possible. It's a bit more expensive of a lifestyle but so worth it. I think I'm going to cook as often as possible so I can control my ingredients. We will have 1 freebie meal, not day per week, but everything else will be thoughtfully put together. Now, I'm not heading the direction of becoming vegan or vegetarian. Just the direction of being more focused on what I consume.

New Year, New Goals!

2012-01-01T17:59:00.001-05:00

Wow, I honestly can't believe that today is January 1st! Last year went by so fast!
In looking back on the goals I set last year, yet another year has passed without me fulfilling them.
So this year it's time to follow through on a few more targeted goals. Here we go!

Give Chris my best. It's so easy after working a long day to come home tired and give only my leftovers. I've really been feeling convicted the last couple months of this - that Chris and I both get caught up in work, photography, socializing and that has resulted in us giving our best to everything except each other. So this year, I want to make a conscious effort, no matter how tired I may be, to give my best to Chris. To not be so snippy and moody. This may take a little more work, but I need to do it!
RUN the Thanksgiving 5k. This year I ran part and walked most, but I'm giving myself almost a year to be able to run the whole thing. This will happen.
Schedule and Budget Makeover. I think that I need my schedule and budget to be a very regimented part of my life. The two, for me, go hand in hand. I need like a military type schedule for quiet time, working out, date night, weekly menus, etc.

I think if I can tackle all of these and give my best to Jesus and grow in Him, then 2012 will be epic. Epic I say!

What are your goals for 2012?

The Blowing of the Tubes

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

as most of you know, i'm currently riding on the "i want a baby but can't have one" bandwagon.
it's not exactly a fun wagon at the moment.

back in october i had a procedure known as an hsg (hysterosalpingogram). basically they insert some dye through my fallopian tubes and take an x-ray to ensure there are no blockages/problems/etc.
can i just tell you how uncomfortable that was? it didn't hurt but definitely made me want to throw up! my doctor knew with my pcos pregnancy would be difficult, but she was concerned because we had been trying for a year with no luck, so she wanted to make sure we didn't have any additional obstacles.

mine came out normal - no blockages, so that was great!
for most women, this tends to make them a bit more fertile and pregnancy usually happens within a couple of months after the procedure.

of course this wouldn't be the case for me. as life would have it, i've yet to have a cycle since the procedure. without a cycle i can't take my fertility medication. and no, i'm not pregnant. however, 25 people around me are. no, that's not an exaggeration, seriously 25 people around me are preggers.

it's actually become quite comical if you want to know the truth. i mean honestly, how does that happen? about every 4-6 days someone else announces a pregnancy on facebook. it's pretty funny at this point.

now i'm not gonna lie. i did have a slight meltdown. and by slight, well....it was actually pretty ugly. you know, the ugly cry where you look like a mutated beast. and let's not forget the demon red eyes that then turn into major puff balls. but i needed to get it out. for so long it was so easy to just suppress all the emotions and become numb. release was needed and by golly release is what i got.

but i'm still here and still holding on to the promise of ephesians 3:20 - my god is able.
and when it happens, it is going to be the most beautifully perfect representation of how awesomely able my god is.
and well, i just can't wait.

Life of Who?

2011-12-26T21:26:00.001-05:00

october 30th.
yep, that was the last time i blogged.
i'm a very bad blogger!
in my defense, life has been quite the adventure the last several months.
most days i didn't know if i was coming or going!
but i'm back now....i think.
there has been crazy work hours, crazy photo hours, crazy meltdowns.....you know, typical for this time of year!
maybe if i blog about everything one at a time that'll be enough material to get me blogging back on schedule!
i just got back from an awesome week in texas visiting my family, so i have lots to share and lots of photos to show!
but until then........sleep tight!

Loving the Busy Life

2011-10-30T21:09:00.002-04:00

Yes, I realize October 10th was my last post.
Eeeek!
That is WAY too long!
But, let me fill you in on the marvelous things that have been consuming my life!

So we're making some changes to our photo biz. Name is changing to Bubbly Beard. I'm the bubbly and chris is the beard. We're doing a hubby/wife innovative creative photo team that offers unique vido too. Im super excited! Here's one of our new logos.

Yesterday I did a maternity session in a cotton field. I have been seriously dreaming of shooting in a cotton field for years and finally had the perfect couple to do it! I can't get enough of these photos!

And then of course it's quite the season for senior pictures! Meet MacKenzie. She was beautiful!

And of course family sessions are a huge hit this time of year. Here is the Holland family:

And this is the Swenson fam. Um....can I tell you how much I LOVE their dog! It's a goldendoodle and I need one asap.

More senior pics.....meet Meredith.

And her dog Charlie.

Love this photo of the Kalman girls sooo much!

And this is the Dozier family. Little hams.

Alright, well that gets me somewhat caught up! I'm gonna work really super hard to be more active here....I promise!

Taking it all in...

2011-10-10T07:30:00.000-04:00

over the years i've blogged a time or two about our desire for a baby.
it's something that i normally don't really talk about too much, but it consumes my heart always.
most couples feel like it's time for a child a couple of years into marriage.
well here we are coming up on our 7th year and we're more than ready for that next step.
but you see, our situation is one that needs some help from God.
i have pcos and that's a huge ordeal in trying to get preggers.
now let me say it is a blessing that we haven't had a child up to this point.
chris and i have been through some pretty dark times with circumstances in our lives that would have been very difficult to go through with a child. i mean there were times that we didn't know how we would be able to make our bills with just us, much less add another life to the mix.
but nonetheless, i am a woman, and we were created to create.
it's a desire in my heart that i was created to have.
and with chris just turning 30 and me approaching 30, it's something that is really a big deal for us.
however, i struggle with using fertility treatments.
i want more than anything for this to happen naturally.
i don't want to force it to happen.
i also think there's a fine line in trying to have a baby and trying to play God.
you know, maybe we're a family that's called to adopt.
there's just lots of underlying issues here.
it's the little things that get me - like what if i never know what it's like to hear a baby born from me cry for the first time?
this has been a multi-year struggle with me and god.

***Note: this is about to get spiritual***

since the new Hillsong album came out, there's a song called God Is Able and it has spoke to me since the first time I heard it. It's like it's God's song to me about this whole ordeal.

so lately, the want for a baby has been on my mind quite a bit.
wednesday night i was helping with our high school students at church and worship was awesome.
then the next song the band plays is God Is Able.
ok so i lost it.
and it was one of the most spiritual moments i've ever experienced.
i swear god spoke to my heart and asked "do you really believe what you're singing? do you believe i am able?"
seriously god?
wrecked me.
and of course i answered yes. and i felt him nudge me "then raise your hands and praise me in the midst of all this."
powerful stuff.
and it has changed me. it has given me more hope than ever before.
i know there are tons of people out there who are experiencing difficulty in starting a family.
and i wanted to share this, so that if it's you, or someone you know, that you may find some hope in it too.
and in honor of that god moment - here are they lyrics to "God Is Able" by Hillsong.

God is able

He will never fail
He is almighty God
Greater than all we seek
Greater than all we ask
He has done great things

[Chorus]

Lifted up
He defeated the grave
Raised to life
Our God is able
In His name
We overcome
For the Lord
Our God is able

God is with us
God is on our side
He will make a way
Far above all we know
Far above all we hope
He has done great things

[Chorus]

Lifted up
He defeated the grave
Raised to life Our God is able
In His name
We overcome
For the Lord
Our God is able

God is with us
He will go before
He will never leave us
He will never leave us
God is for us
He has open arms
He will never fail us
He will never fail us

[Chorus (x2)]

Lifted up
He defeated the grave
Raised to life
Our God is able
In His name
We overcome
For the Lord
Our God is able

For the Lord
Our God is able
For the Lord
Our God is able

Party Greatness

2011-10-08T12:50:00.001-04:00

So a couple of weeks ago, my dear hubby turned the big 3-0!

And to embrace this new decade of life, we had a little outdoor bonfire party.

A HUGE THANK YOU to our buddies the Hollands who let us use their property for the party.

It was just beautiful.

And of course, I wanted to share some photos with you -

a) because I loved it and

b) because I'm overly excited about my budget decor, so read all the way through!

I set up a picnic table with all of the food. Pumpkins were on sale for like $1.88 a piece, so I got a couple for the centerpiece with the balloons.

See those little two teal baskets? 2/$1 at the dollar store. I'm in love! They are currently being put to use in organizing granola bars in my kitchen!

This was the entrance to the field where we had the party. I just love this picture! And what you can't really see is that we had tiki torches lining the drive in. Awesomeness!

I just can't get enough of balloon pictures as you can tell.

Me and the birthday boy!

And then the birthday boy himself!

Ok, now for my favorite part....my little bouquets! I had one on each end of the table.....grand total for both = $8!

EIGHT DOLLARS!

I got everything for them from the Dollar Tree. Love me some Dollar Tree.

So 2 vases, 2 bags of glass rocks, 2 sets of orange flowers and 2 sets of the straw. $8.00.
Isn't it pretty???? Doesn't it just make you think of something you'd find on Pinterest? By the way, if you're not already following me on pinterest, click the button under my profile pic here on the blog!

Ok back to the party.....cornhole. Have you ever played cornhole? It's really quite fun.

Ummm, so I messed up the settings on my camera momentarily and created this (unintentionally) and I just love it!

And this one too! See Chris' new head lamp!
He's holding up a box of moustache bandaids that our friends got him. Too funny!

And then they got him a bubble pipe!

Here's our friend Eric with his manly pipe and Chris with his bubble pipe.

Several weeks ago Chris tried to smoke a pipe .... twice actually. Turns out he had an allergic reaction which caused his tongue and lips to swell up huge for days! Here's what that looked like:

So the bubble pipe was to poke fun at him. LOVE it!

Dave Is Taking Over

2011-10-05T07:30:00.000-04:00

well, it's in full swing.
our new budget, that is.
it's happening in a fierce way.
meet dave -

this is dave ramsey and he is quite the financial advisor.

he has a proven plan that works.

and while we've been playing with dave for 7 years on and off now, we've never embraced the program to it's fullest. we've just picked bits and pieces.

but dear friends, the time has come to completely commit to the entire dave ramsey total money makeover.

the joke this weekend was that i wasn't sure i'd be able to implement a budget and revamp the healthy lifestyle in the same week.

i know myself all too well and while i've had no need to spend money, the fact that it's all divided and spoken for in all these envelopes did something to me. and so last night i needed some fried chicken. it's been almost a year since i had true fried chicken. and since i knew dave would not approve of my spending at chick-fil-a or zaxby's, i was a good budgeter and came home and made it!

yep, fried chicken, biscuits and gravy.

it was delicious.

and gym time is in desperate need to work it off.

back to dave.

so yes we're on dave's plan fully.
envelopes have been created.
allowances given.
a new lifestyle in place.
3 days now of not eating a single meal out....for me at least.
this is huge.
and it's hard.
not the actual budget or the plan.
but the implementation of the budget.
it's hard to change your way of living.
but here's how we're looking at it......
we want to bring a baby into the picture soon, and well we want to make sure that everything is in place and ready to go.
we're going to need money to move when that baby comes along.
we're going to need a savings account that's fluffy for when i'm out on maternity leave.
we're going to need to be able to live month to month and not have that as an additional stressor.
we're going to need to be able to set up a college fund....my child will not go through what i am going through with trying to pay for school and pay back student loans.
and while none of these things are happening in this moment, we need to be good stewards with our money enough to plan for them.
and i believe that god wants to bless those who are faithful with what he provides.
faithful meaning using our gifts to be blessings to others.....not spend it all eating out every meal or buying random crap.
and so, here we are.
living on a budget.
or like dave says - temporarily living like no one else so that you can live like no one else.

New Music Tuesday

2011-10-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

Hi friends!

I love Tuesdays. I love that new music comes out every Tuesday.

And for the past few Tuesdays, I've purchased some awesome tunes!

It's just not fair for me not to share so.....

One band I've recently been turned onto is Gungor. You may recognize their song "Beautiful Things" from a video I posted here several weeks ago. You can click HERE to refresh your memory ;)

But now they have a new album out called Ghosts Upon the Earth. So good. The more I listen the more I like it. Every song is completely different - they don't all sound the same. It's ranges from folky to post-modern rock.

You have heard me profess my love for Need to Breathe plenty of times before. By far one of my all time favorites. They have a new album that just came out called "The Reckoning". This band is definitely southern rockish with songs that definitely have some Jesus loving undertones without being in your face. Awesome as always!

Now today, Phil Wickham's new album came out called "Response". I first heard his music last year while photographing a wedding. The bridal party and bride and first communion was all accompanied by different Phil Wickham songs. It was just beautiful and I was instantly hooked. I went home and downloaded the album. He's a contemporary Christian artist who's style is a bit folk mixed with acoustic rock and maybe a little bit like Coldplay. He's awesome. I can't wait to get this one!

And last, but not least, I'm so excited about this one. So this is Music Inspired By The Story. Basically the bible was taken and written into a book called The Story so it actually reads like one solid story. So various Christian artists came together to make this album including Natalie Grant, Mandisa, Bart Millard (Mercy Me), Mark Hall (Casting Crowns), Matthew West, Mac Powell, Jeremy Camp and many others (23 total). There are some awesome songs on this. So far my faves are "Alive" by Natalie Grant - all about Mary Magdalene and then "Born for This" by Mandisa, all about Esther. Ugh so good!

Here In The Real World

2011-09-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

Well friends, it's back to the real world. Vacation was officially over on Sunday.
But it was soooo good.
Like seriously wonderful to just be able to do whatever, whenever.
But all good things must come to an end.
Here are just a few photos from the days we did nothing.
I took these all with my phone - for some reason, I felt no reason to break out the big-daddy camera on this trip.

As you can see, hub's beard is out of control! Ick!

The Dunes.

Sunset.

Morning stroll...

Shopping Craze!

2011-09-22T22:59:00.000-04:00

There's something about being on vacation that gives me the illusion that I have lots of money to spend. Just to clarify...I don't. However, the outlet malls down the street from our resort completely took control over me!

So on this particular day, we started out with a yummy to our tummy breakfast at a place called Another Broken Egg.

I had the most delicious chocolate milk ever in the universe!

Let's take a closer look at that.....do you see that? Whipped cream on chocolate milk!!!!

After that indulgence, we headed to the stores! As you know I have a weakness for all things teal. Needless to say, when I saw these, they were a must have! Possibly the highest heel I've ever owned but I love them!

Chris had a little fun at Eddie Bauer. He said this one made him feel like a blueberry. I got a couple of things here too...

All that shopping worked up quite the appetite, so off to Panera it was! I ha a French onion soup bowl. SO good. And here I am exhibiting Eating habits o a hyena while attacking my bread bowl.

This day was only the beginning of my uncontrollable urge to swipe my plastic!

You Never Know Everything

2011-09-20T09:12:00.001-04:00

the hubs and I are on vacation right now. I'm up early staring out the window looking at the beautiful ocean (and blogging) while my prince charming is snoozing. Yesterday was our official first day of vacay. I think I mentioned earlier that this is our first adult real vacay in the 7 years we've been together so we're enjoying ourselves immensely.

We spent almost the entire drive down here brainstorming for my photo business and getting super excited about that. Lots of changes in the works...name change, logo, biz plan, services, etc....
Needless to say...we're pumped!

One thing that caught me by surprise yesterday (and I instantly knew I would blog about) is how much we are still learning about one another. Just when you think you know someone inside and out, something brand new pops up.

Last night we took a walk on the beach. Well actually we didn't make it very far. You see we are here at the beach in the "off" season. Therefore a lot of things are closed or have odd hours.

*sidenote: I grew up coming to the beach and walking in the dark on the sand. Chris did not. And therefore crabs are a real problem.

So we get down to the beach and it's dark. Duh - it's night time. Somewhere in hubby's sweet little head he imagined the beach to be fully lit. Umm no.
I did manage to buy flashlights so we took those with us - I mean after all, I knew we would need to shine the crabs away. The flashlight was his security----and I took it and ran! Bahahaha! I'm evil. He freaked. And so we left the beach!

Ok that story isn't he point to anything but it was too good not to share.

But through all of that we got into this discussion of what "relaxing" or "vacation" means to us. He wanted to sit and watch the beach at night - I wanted to walk it. He wanted to swim in the pool at night - I wanted to curl up and read. We're just on very different ends of the spectrum. It's funny to learn these type things 7 years in to it....but I guess since we've never really vacationed together this is all new to us. Every trip we've ever taken has had a ton of stuff crammed into just a couple of days, so being here with no itinerary is quite the new territory.

Today's plan is to hang at the beach all day....we'll see how that goes.

-- Post From My iPhone

Me - a runner?

2011-09-17T07:30:00.000-04:00

Well to answer my title, no I'm not a runner.....yet.
However, my boo Ashby and I decided it would be awesome for our non-running selves to register to run a 5k. Now, we can walk if necessary, but the thing is....I've walked plenty of 5ks. I need to run one - or at least part of one.
Race day is Thanksgiving morning.
I'm super excited for it. It's very motivating.
So motivating in fact that I haven't been to the gym in 3 weeks and I'm on vacay next week.
Yep, looks like I'm gonna be in superb shape for a run!

Soooo....Ash and I have created a contract - and yes we have signed it.
It says that we should basically be able to lose another 15-20 pounds by T-Day.
And if we don't.......
Well then a photo of ourself in a bathing suit becomes our facebook profile pic for one week.
That my friends is the ultimate most horrible thing that could happen for me.
I hyperventilate just putting my bathing suit on in front of my hubby or close friends.
To put that out there on the world wide web, well that's just not an option.
NOT an option.
So my big ol' rear has to get in gear asap!

Now I feel the need to clarify that my schedule has been ridiculous for the last 3 weeks and the gym just hasn't been an option. The good news is that I've maintained my 30 pound loss and haven't regained anything. Praise Jesus!
So at least I'm not exactly behind.

I really want to lose the 20 pounds by T-day because that would give me a 50 pound loss for the year so far! Woot woot!

And if you remember, I have severe anxiety when I go see my dad and that side of the fam about my weight, so it would do wonders for me to be able to go out there without that weight on my shoulders, literally.

Well that's the weight update as it stands for now. I'll definitely keep you posted as the running training begins....I'm a little bit scared!

Sinfully Delish!

2011-09-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

Dear friends - I bring you.....Sin Dip!
Oh my word, it's so flipping delicious in a very sinful way.
I found this recipe on none other than pinterest - pinned to this website.
Which, by, the way, are you following me there? Am I following you?

Ok, ok, sorry....back to sinning.
So I made this a couple weeks ago for a football party and it was a hit! Not a drop left!
Dying to know what's in it?

Here ya go:

16oz sour cream

8oz cream cheese, softened
2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup chopped ham (I hate ham, so I used bacon instead. YUM!)
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 tsp hot sauce (I threw in more like 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
French bread loaf

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, except French bread; stirring until well blended.

Cut a thin slice from top of bread loaf; set slice aside. Using a gentle sawing motion, cut vertically to, but not through, bottom of the loaf, 1/2 inch from the edge, to cut out center of bread. Lift out center of loaf. Fill hollowed bread loaf with the dip. Wrap loaf with foil.

Bake dip at 350° degrees for 1 hour. Serve with reserved bread cubes, crackers, or potato chips.

Now I give you permission to go indulge in sin.

Festivities!

2011-09-15T11:32:00.001-04:00

So Tuesday was my birthday! I turned the big 2-8!

I did not like my husband on my birthday, so I have no birthday pics with me and him.

He did not perform up to standard. It's always a good idea to actually wake up and acknowledge such a day as a birthday. That is all I shall say about such things.

But I did get some quality birthday time with my Granny!

And the hubs tried to redeem himself with balloons....

Then last night my most favorite chica Holli was in town, so we had birthday festivities at a restaurant called the Bone Garden Cantina.

Very cool.

This is the entrance:

And the inside...

Then we went SHOPPING! Love some retail therapy!

Aren't we just precious?!?!

Weekend Fun!

2011-09-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

What a great weekend! Saturday night we went to a bonfire with some of our friends.
Our friend Eric made the CUTEST candle lighting!

And there was the roasting of weiners.

Chris embraced his inner-outdoorsman for a brief moment.

Me and Bobbiejo. Love her!

Me and the hubs.

So Sunday was the 10 year anniversary of our church. Chris has been working some RIDICULOUS hours lately to pull everything together for it. After the service, our church threw a huge party at a nearby park. So much fun!

Me and intern Rachel! love this girl!

Me and Carmen....love her too! Precious girl!

Yes, it was a great weekend!

T Minus 8 Days Until...

2011-09-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this is our first real adult married vacation in 7 years! Did you hear me? S.E.V.E.N. years!!!

To say we are excited, well that's just an understatement!

We found an awesome deal at a resort in Florida and absolutely cannot wait!

In 8 days I will be sitting here....

And partying here...

Ok partying is a bit comical. Chris and I don't exactly know how to party.

But it is vacation so maybe we'll channel our inner wild child!

my birthday is next Tuesday and Chris' is the Sunday we come back, so it's quite the perfect bday for both of us!

We just don't know what to do with ourselves. This is only the 2nd week long vacation that we've ever taken together.

It's going to be lovely.

Even if it rains the entire time, it will be lovely.

500 is a comin'.....

2011-09-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

I am officially less than 20 posts away from 500!
And yes, we shall celebrate this with giveaways!
Lots of them!
So definitely be on the lookout for more details!!!

In other news:
I haven't shared photos with you in quite a while, so my dearies.....enjoy!

Birthday Love...early!

2011-09-08T12:49:00.001-04:00

Chris and I have a serious problem.
You see, we have never been good at holding gifts.
Meaning that unless we purchase something literally the day before or day of a holiday/event, we will cave in and give presents early.
I can honestly say that we've never had presents from each other to open on Christmas because we can't contain ourselves.
So, being as my birthday is Tuesday, of course he couldn't hold presents for another week! Last night he gave me my goodies and boy were they goody!
I've been in love with Vera's new perfume Lovestruck. (I avoided writing Vera Wang because I like to think she and I are secretly friends and on a first name basis!)
Anyway it smells lovely and I now smell lovelier!
Next he got me some lens bracelets...they look like the tops of camera lenses. Awesomeness!
And last I got a mug that looks like a camera lens! I shall bow wear my bracelets and take my mug to every photo session. I now have super powers and am a force to be reckoned with!
Good job hubby!

-- Post From My iPhone

Do You Know What Happens When....

2011-09-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

.....the temperature is in the 60s????
It makes me giddy.....like a kid on Christmas morning.
And you know what else?
It makes me giddy about the holidays.
I can't express how much I love September through December.
Seriously the most wonderful time of the year.
I'm giddy with anticipation of Thanksgiving and day after Thanksgiving shopping!
I'm giddy about buying Christmas presents!

And I'm super giddy about seeing my dad and brothers!
My dad and I are trying to plan our annual holiday trip and so I'm on overload right now.
So many things I can't wait for!
High school football games to watch the bro-in-law and sis-in-law (she's in color guard).
College football.

Hot chocolate.

The smell of leaves.
OH MY!

What's That In The Air????

2011-09-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

Y'all, today I woke up to a lovely 59 degrees!

59 DEGREES!!!!!

I'm officially in love.

It's my most favorite time of year.

A person really shouldn't get this excited about a season!!!

Pinterest loves fall too! Here are just a few things that are adding to the pitter patter of my heart!

Love. That is all I can say.

How cute would this be for a center piece? Looks like I need to go to the apple orchards asap!

I MUST have this outfit. LOVE!

Umm and yes please, I'm going to need to host a party like this immeditately!

Maybe for Chris' birthday? Hmmm....

Beautiful Things

2011-09-02T21:34:00.000-04:00

So for the past four weeks, our church has been doing a series called "I Quit".
We've quit making excuses, complaining, living in fear and the last week was comparing.
Each week we've had a personal story from people in our church. The hubs did a great job on all of the videos.
As I mentioned earlier this week, last Sunday was my story on comparing. And in my true fashion, I had a really hard time watching me on the big screen....it's tough when you've spent so long not liking yourself. (by the way, I like myself just fine now. we had a tough time there for a while though).
This is a topic that I have struggled with my whole life and it runs pretty deep through me.
I am by no means over it, but I'm a lot better than where I was.
Learning to enjoy MY story instead of stealing someone else's....now that's a tough one.
But I'm getting there.
And I'm loving me.
At the end of each service, we had chalk boards for people to write the things they were quitting (you'll need to know that for the end of the video to make sense).Here's my story....

It's Tuesday....But The Weekend Was Great!

2011-08-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hi friends!
I've just got to share my crazy (for me) weekend stories.
It was one of those where we went into it with no plans.....and then just did things spontaneously.
I love that.

So Friday night I had a girls night out with some of my faves from church.
We went to Fredrick's of Hollywood - you know the crazy lingerie store!
Yes I said my church friends.
What? God made sex.....and we're all married, so it was time to have a little fun.
We spent at least an hour trying on outfits and cheering each other on for what to buy!
So. Much. Fun!
And so out of character for me.....I'm proud of myself!
After outfits were purchased we headed out for sushi! Yuuuuummmmm!

Saturday Chris and I chilled out a bit and cleaned. I just LOVE the way a clean house smells and it has just made my week so much better waking up to everything clean!
Not that we usually live in a pigstye, but the last couple weeks we've been going like tornadoes!
So later that night, we decided a trip to walmart was in order.
I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but we got Chris a new-to-him truck.
It's a 96 Toyota 4Runner. With a 3 inch lift. And subs.
So needless to say, we cranked up the country music Saturday night and bumped right on through that walmart parking lot!
Hahaha! It was so funny.
And then we went to sonic, got us some yummy drinks (I'm loving the cranberry limeade) and drank them under the stars.
Just a good ol' fashioned redneck evening and it was lovely!

Sunday was awesome - church was fabulous. Our pastor spent the day talking about the struggle of comparing. This is something I've struggled with my whole life. I was in a video about it too!
I'll post it up here soon for you to see......love the song that goes with it. And my hubby made it. Awwww.

So that's about it. I know you're so glad you stopped in to read about my weekend - haha!
Happy Tuesday!

It. Is. Finished!

2011-08-19T22:53:00.008-04:00

Hi friends!

Well as I've mentioned a million times, Pinterest has utterly taken over my life!

Now when I first got on there months ago, I found this picture and it was exactly what I wanted to do with our mantle. So for about a month I have been collecting things to create this masterpiece! And finally, finally today, it is finished and I absolutely love it!

Here is my original inspiration:

This is from Dayspring and is about $65. My whole project was under $30.

So I took a trip to Michael's and purchased a few pre-cut wood pieces at $1.99 each.

And for a little spice, I picked out some scrapbook paper.

The wood pieces had a raised insert in the middle, so I traced out the shape and hand cut each piece of paper. Once the fit was just right, glued it down with some mod podge and then painted two coats of mod podge on top.

Next I painted the wood letters and the outside of the wood pieces. I knew I was going for a distressed look, so I figured a teal like color would be just the pop I needed.

Once dry, I painted a thin layer of distress crackle paint along the outside of the wooden pieces.

CRACKLE! Unfortunately it wasn't as prominent as I had hoped, so I sanded it.

Proof of my sanding:

Next - the gluing of the letters. Just a little bit of Weldbond did the trick!

And here are the knobs to hang the rod.

Here's a little look after the paint cracked and sanding was done.

So Molly felt the need to assist with every step.

I brought in the manly man for drilling holes.

Put C hooks in the holes to hang on the rod.

Now, for hanging, we put screw anchors into the wall to screw the knobs into. I punched holes into ribbon (that I doubled up for added strength) and put those around the screw of the knob. I found the curtain rod for $3 at Ross. Cheap and serves it's purpose!

And VOILA!!!!! Finito!

Veggie Pasta Bake

2011-08-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

So the other day my BFF was going through a rough time so I decided to take her dinner.

Now, I couldn't think of anything that would travel well - she lives about an hour away.

Then it hit me.

I could make a pasta bake - cook it all the way except for the actual baking part.

Perfecto!

Now, you could make this with a premade sauce - I just decided to do my own homemade sauce.

Here's what you'll need:

Pasta:

Choose any variety you like. I chose Dreamfields Penne. This brand only has 5 digestible carbs per serving and tastes like normal bad for you pasta.

For the sauce:

Crushed tomatoes

Whole peeled tomatoes

Italian seasoning

Cavender's Greek Seasoning

Crushed red pepper

1 zucchini

1 small onion, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic finely diced

1 can sliced mushrooms

For the bake:

Panko bread crumbs

Parmesan Cheese (or any Italian blend)

Here we go.....

First of all, I don't like onions, therefore I chop them very finely because I don't want to bite into one. If you're a bigger fan of onion, feel free to chop them more coarsely. Either way, this next step is CRUCIAL:

In the saucepan you plan to simmer your sauce in, heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil. Saute onions until transparent. Add garlic and saute for another 45 seconds to a minute.

Next add 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes and 1-8oz can of crushed tomatoes. Use a potato masher to chop up the tomatoes.

Next add 1 teaspoon of salt, a couple turns of freshly ground pepper, 1 TBSP Cavender's seasoning, 1 TBSP Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of splenda (or other sweetener of your choice), 1 pinch of crushed red pepper, zucchini and mushrooms. Feel free to adjust these quantities based on your personal tastes/preferences.

Let sauce simmer for 30 minutes on low heat.

Mix sauce in with pasta.

Next pour into baking dish and top lightly with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown on top.

Now if you need to transport this dish....let the pasta and sauce cool in refrigerator. Right before leaving, top with breadcrumbs and cheese. Now just deliver with baking instructions.

Delish!

Better Together

2011-08-14T22:48:00.002-04:00

There's no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard
No song I could sing
But I can try for your heart
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things
like a, shoebox of photographs
with sepiatone loving
Love is the answer,
at least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? and where do we go?
And how come we're so hard?
It's not always easy and
sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing its always better when we're together

Chorus:
MMM its always better when we're together
look at the stars when we're together
its always better when we're together
Yeah, its always better when we're together

And all of these moments
just might find there way into my dreams tonight
But I know that theyll be gone
when the morning light sings
and brings new things
but tomorrow night you see
that theyll be gone too
too many things I have to do
But if all of these dreams might find there way
into my day to day scene
Ill be under the impression
i was somewhere in between
With only two
Just me and you
Not so many things we got to do
or places we got to be
We'll Sit beneath the mango tree

its always better when we're together
Somewhere in between together
its always better when we're together
Yeah, its always better when we're together

MMmmmm MMMmmmm Mmmmmm
I believe in memories
they look so, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when I wake up,
you look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is no time,
and there is no song I could sing
and there is no, combination of words I could say
but I will still tell you one thing
We're Better together

"Better Together" by Jack Johnson

Video With Alex Respess

2011-08-09T19:48:00.002-04:00

This is awesome! I hope you can watch the message in it's entirety, but if not, at least watch the video at the beginning that my hubby did with Alex. Pure awesomeness!
If you can't see the embedded video, here's the link: http://vimeo.com/27461479

Pastor Greg Towler interview with Alex Respess from xroadschurch on Vimeo.

Dear Husband,

2011-08-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

In case you haven't thought about it yet, my birthday is in exactly one month and 4 days.
It's coming soon!
And I figured since we're vacationing the week of yours and you get a party.......
well I want one of the items below. You can pick!

Option 1: Kindle. The DX is more $$, so just a regular Kindle is fine!
Now I know this is your fight for an iPad, BUT it's my bday present and I don't want an iPad.

Option 2: Coach Poppy Flower Perfume. Smells delish and it would be the only Coach item I've ever owned!

Option 3: A handheld camera for my purse. I am a photographer and I am far too often caught in a great photo op with no camera. This shall solve all the world's problems.

No choice is a bad one! Love you!

xoxo,

Wifey

A Very Cool Kind of Weekend

2011-08-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

This weekend was definitely one to blog about.

So a few months ago, a show aired on ABC called Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition.

One of the guys on there, Alex Respess lived in Georgia.

Through the fabulous world of Twitter, Chris and Alex started tweeting back and forth.

This weekend our church kicked off a new series called "I Quit" and the topic of today was to quit making excuses.

Well Chris had the bright idea that it would be awesome if we could get Alex to come out.

And well, one thing led to another and voila....he came!

Awesome....i know!

Here's a look at Alex's before and after....

Just so happens he's dating Courtney from Biggest Loser Season 11! Yep, she's my new bestie!

So they came into town Saturday night and we had dinner with these super cool peeps and just hit it off! And then we pretty much spent the majority of the day with them Sunday. They are awesome.

For realz!

Alex did a great job on stage for our services and the people loved it!

Aren't we a cute crowd?

Seriously, they are awesome! I'm super excited about our new friendship!

They're so very inspiring and real. LOVED them!

I'll post the video from the service as soon as it's ready!

How was your weekend?

What equals an "unhealthy" obsession?

2011-07-26T07:43:00.001-04:00

What exactly denotes an unhealthy obsession with something? Whatever it may be, I'm pretty sure I have reaches the level of unhealthy.
There are two things currently consuming me: Paris and teal & red.

I mean it's serious! I have thoughts of these things multiple times a day!
I think I realize it this morning while walking through the airport. I passed the gates where air France was and there were so many people waiting to go to Paris. I know most of them were French and well that just made me want to go sit beside them in hopes that something French about them would rub off on me!
I really don't know why I'm so enchanted with Paris. Often times I feel selfish with how strong my desire is to go back...8 hours there once in my life just wasn't enough! But I know there are so many people who never see other parts of the world and I'm so blessed to have traveled to the few places I have.
BUT - it's Paris! And something about it captivated me! I need to go back....for my sanity!

And then there's my color palate of teal and red. You know that scene in indecent proposal where they roll around naked in all their money? I want to roll around in things of teal and red! For realz....I LOVE it! I can't get enough - it's in every room of my house.

Unhealthy?

Savannah

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago Chris and I packed up and headed to Savannah for an engagement session. My friend Bonnie is getting married down there next Spring.
Have I ever professed my love for Savannah?
Well I love it dearly. I spent a lot of time down there as a kid.
Anyway, it was a perfectly hot southern weekend, but so much fun!

Dearest SCAD, you are my dream school. If only you weren't $12,000/quarter, I'd be one heck of a photog!

This is the famous fountain in Forsyth Park. In front of this beautiful masterpiece is where the wedding will take place. I'll have engagement photos to share soon!

After the shoot on friday night, we headed over to Uncle Bubba's Oyster House. In case you didn't know, Bubba is Paula Deen's brother. Oh my word, it was SO incredibly yummy!
When it comes to eating out, I'm pretty predictable. But for this trip, I went all out of my box and ordered food I'd never tried. Char grilled oysters in garlic butter with melted Parmesan cheese. Oh heavens, it was to die for! And for dessert....chocolate creme brulee. Why I've never tried this I do not know, but it was life changing! Seriously.
I'm super excited because the rehearsal dinner for the wedding is going to be at The Lady And Sons - Paula's restaurant. Yuuuuummmmmm!

***sidenote: I am frustrated with the lack of photos I post in my regular posts, so I'm trying to get better at giving eye candy! I'm doing pretty good so far right?***

Weekend Festivities

2011-07-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ever have one of those weekend where you do nothing you had planned?
I had all these great intentions for this past weekend, but instead, we did everything but.
And you know what? It was really refreshing and wonderful!

Saturday I met up with some of my favorite ladies for lunch. We haven't hung out in a while and it was so lovely to see them. The four of us worked together at the drug store during our high school/college years. We've been through all of our major life events together. I love these girls something fierce! It was so wonderful to spend time with them and catch up.
Afterwards, Chris and I took a lil' trip to the mall and then a spontaneous trip to his parents' house for dinner. We haven't seen them since the beginning of May, so it was good to catch up. And while waiting for grub on the grill, we posed for a little picture:

What you aren't seeing in that pic is a yellow jacket that had crawled up my pants.
It only made it as far as my knee before I felt something crawling and smacked my leg which then resulted in the stupid thing stinging me! That's right, my first yellow jacket sting. Not fun. At all.

Sunday after church we felt the need for a little pampering. See, I am a compulsive nail biter, but for the last few weeks I haven't been biting. I wanted to get a manicure and get a lil' acrylic put over the top to make them last longer. So I did.....and Chris decided he was overdue for a pedicure. He's a man that loves a little pampering!

Part of the reason I've been so absent on this here bloggy is because I've been swamped with photo editing, and I do mean swamped. AND I still have quite a bit looming over me. BUT the most exciting part is my new packaging!!! I'm in love with it. Like so in love! This picture makes me smile every single time!

Would you be excited if you found that in your mailbox? I know I would!

Expanding My Music Culture

2011-07-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

So a couple of our besties have a bestie that works in the music industry. He goes on tour with lots of really cool people.
Last week we got offered free tickets to the Sade/John Legend concert.
AHmazing!
I can honestly say that I had no idea who Sade was....she was a little before my time and not my general taste of music. The only song I knew was Smooth Operator.
However....she put on an amazing show!
The opening act was John Legend.
I love me some JL.
He's just the cutest thing ever.
He opened the show strutting out in his little white suit....mmmm mmmm mmmm!!!
Ok enough chatting...now for a few pics!

Sorry for the poor picture quality - low light and a iphone. Enough said.

But I just have to say that it was simply fabulous!

The Weigh Things Are Shaping Up

2011-07-19T12:48:00.002-04:00

Hiya friends! Happy Tuesday to ya!
Well I guess it's about time for a weight update.
I'm a slacker.
So current weight loss to date is 27.8 pounds! Wahoo!
That's also a total of 18 inches lost!!!!!
The last month I haven't lost as much as I had hoped, but the fact that I'm still LOSING makes me happy!
So I decided to put things into perspective.
Here's a picture of me at the end of December (I'm on the left):

And here's a picture of me from this past weekend in a new dress I bought myself as a reward.

Can you tell a difference?

I can absolutely FEEL it! I'm feeling great!

In other news, I'm training for a triathlon. You heard me right! My friend Ashby and I are planning to do a sprint tri - it's the wimpy version, but a tri nonetheless. We've also signed up to RUN the Thanksgiving 5k. I've got to get on the ball with learning to run for more than 60 seconds. Totally using the couch to 5k program.

I think I've told you about our weight loss challenge here at work. I'm behind my goal, so to catch up Ashby and I are doing two-a-days at the gym. Today is day 1. We started at 6am with body works and we'll end at 6pm with bootcamp conditioning. we haven't tried that one yet - a little nervous.

And to finish up, I have a new life verse for my weight loss adventure.

Hebrews 12:11 - No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Peace.

Wednesday, Wednesday...

2011-07-06T16:00:00.000-04:00

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July!

Mine was spent in a recliner with a roll of toilet paper making a mountain of snot rags!

The dreaded summer cold has found it's way into my head!

Extremely rude of it!

Saturday however, we had a blast watching fireworks in the next town over, and well, let's just say it was the redneck gathering of the year.

Oh yes, it was wonderfully red!

I love it!

I'm the loser photog that didn't bring her camera tho.

What is wrong with me? I never miss an opportunity for a cheesy photo!

I am super excited though because Friday we're heading to Savannah for a couple of days to shoot an engagement session of my dear friend Bonnie Jo! I'm pumped! It's going to be a blast!

And today is this here handsome fella's birthday! My sweet baby brother. I heart him so!

He's a wonderfully talented musician - a new CD is on the way and you better believe I'll be promoting it!)

Loves him some Jesus.

Stands up for what he believes.

And he's a kick-butt brother!

I love you Cody Lee. Happy birthday!

And that is all.

Some of My Very Favorite Things

2011-06-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

life is funny. it has a funny way of sweeping you a way and getting you lost in the everyday.

but then there are certain things, moments that make you inexplicably happy.

it kind of makes the world stop for a minute and you can simply......enjoy.

and they're those kind of memories and moments that you want to savor - never forget.

and the same thing happens with marriage.

you get comfortable.

you get caught up in the busyness of life.

and then...then there are those special moments that bring back the butterflies in your stomach the giddiness in your life.

today i was thinking about this.

there are a few things that chris and i have that from the outside, sound so dumb, but they are absolutely some of my absolute favorite things about the marriage we have.

and so i thought i'd share them.

mainly for the simple fact that i'll have this in writing to look back on ;)...but to encourage you also to find your happiness in the small things.

every year on christmas eve, chris and i eat dinner at the waffle house and we always leave a big tip. it's literally part of our christmas budget. it started our first year of marriage - we lived about an hour from our family and with all the traveling we did on that day, it was super later before we actually got to eat and it was the only thing open. from then on, it was a tradition. i love it so much...so simple, yet so us.

this past christmas we were on our way home on christmas day to get ready to head to the next family gathering. we happened to drive by a starbucks and saw they were open so we stopped and got coffee. now it is very rare that we go to starbucks. and i don't know, there was seriously just something magical about going to starbucks christmas morning in our pjs. we decided right then and there we would add it to our christmas tradition.

now something that is super exciting is that it's almost college football season! goooooo dawgs!

we got really in to college football a few years ago and it is absolutely one of my favorite things that we do together. i love that our saturdays revolve around a football game. i can't explain it in the least, but it makes my heart so super happy.

you see, to the everyday person, this isn't anything to write home about.

but for me, for my heart, it's shear bliss!

Sunday Grace

2011-06-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

A Little Healthy Inspiration

2011-06-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks Pinterest!

I'm really not a couch potato, but....

2011-06-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

I feel like I'm always blogging about a new tv show.

And y'all, I'm seriously not a couch potato. I just always have the tv on in the background while I work.

You know, multi-tasking.

So recently I've been "multi-tasking" with The Braxton Family Values.

Now, I was born in the 80s. Which means I am a fan of music from the 90s. Personally I think it was one of the greatest musical eras! But anyway, I loved me some Toni Braxton.

For realio.

And she lives in Atlanta.....holla!

But she and her family have a show on We right now and I'm totally sucked in!

I love it!

And I think you should check it out.

And that's all for a little random Friday post! ;)

30 Before 30....An Update

2011-06-23T07:30:00.000-04:00

I finally decided to take a look at my 30 before 30 list and see if I had made any progress. I've completed 4 things off the list. 4!!! I'm pretty sure it's been almost a year since I created this and I've only managed to complete 4 things! I've got some work to do. And now I've only got 2 years to make it happen. I realize some of these won't make it, but honestly, I can do better than 4.

re-cap: Ok, so far, here's what has been completed:
1. Spend a weekend watching movies
2. I completely enjoy working out now
3. I have definitely expanded the music collection and it is still expanding
4. And I most certainly started a non-profit. Now, it needs A LOT of work, but it exists nonetheless.

So I think my goal for the next 6 months is to complete the following:

Read 6 new books (I have a few in the Que: The Help, Happier, Made to Crave, Heaven Is For Real)

Go hiking

Plant an herb garden

Go to a wine tasting (which technically I did in Oklahoma last December at Girls Gone Wine, but I'm thinking for this I need something more like Chateau Elan)

And losing the 80 pounds. So far I'm down a little over 20, so that's really only 60 to go. And well, by August I have to be down another 30 for a challenge at work, so really from August to the end of the year lose another 30 and I've hit it!

What are your suggestions for actually achieving your goals?

Drop Dead Happy!

2011-06-22T08:30:00.001-04:00

The last two weeks have been spent deep in the throws of photo editing! It is wedding season after all!

But I did have one great joy while spending endless days staring at the computer....Drop Dead Diva. Now I've told you about my love for this show before...and that was only season 1! Chris discovered all of Season 2 on demand with our cable, and it was only available until 6/20. So I watched all of Season 2 this past weekend and the best part? The Season 3 premier Sunday night!!! Wahooo!

Yes, the show is cheesy at times, but overall I'm completely addicted.
And you know what else?
It's filmed right her in the great state of GA! Holla!

Healing.

2011-06-10T08:00:00.005-04:00

So just a warning...this post will talk about my monthly visitor.

You know, Aunt Flow.

If you don't want to hear about her, don't read.

But if you do, I promise it's not nasty.

Okie dokie.....

I'm pretty sure I've said before that I have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).

This lovely ailment has caused me to never have a regular period and does not allow me to get pregnant on my own.

It is also the source of my weight gain.

I went on birth control at 15 to regulate my period. When I got married, I went off of it and gained 65 pounds in a year. Of course that alarmed the doc and with lots of testing, we found that PCOS was the culprit.

So pretty much for 7 years I've been off of the pill. I have two to four periods in a year on my own.

And it's also no secret that I want a baby....really really bad. I mean most couples have their first child within a couple years of being married. Not almost seven. And God has heard my cries and seen my tears in the most awful of ways.

But something has happened in the last six months.

You see, since January, I have had a regular cycle every month.

EVERY month. NEVER happened.

I've been joking with Chris that "maybe God decided to heal me".

But then something hit me tonight.

Why am I joking about that?

Do I not trust God's promises enough to believe that He could/has truly healed me?

Or am I just scared this is some fluke?

Why wouldn't I boldly declare that this is only the works of God?

And no, I'm not pregnant now, but the fact of having a regular cycle is something awesome in itself....something most girls take for granted and hate.

And then.....THEN....I ran across this tonight:

This is what the Lord says: "I have heard your prayers and seen your tears. I will heal you."

~2 Kings 20:5

And of course there's this song by Hillsong:

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

Hmmmmmm.

The Weigh Things Are Going

2011-06-09T08:00:00.003-04:00

I just realized that I haven't given a weight loss update lately!

Ok, well I've still been on track with working out and eating right. This past Saturday I hit the 20 pounds lost mark! Woot woot!

I've still got a ways to go, but I'm in it to win!

So this Monday we launched a Celebrity Fit Club at work. We all weigh in with one person...whose sworn to secrecy and being judgement free!

Ick! First time someone has seen my weight in years!!!

But we're all in this competition and I'm ready to win it.

I have a really good chance.

I want to lose 40 pounds in 12 weeks.

It's totally doable.

Completely.

I have to consistently lose 4 pounds a week for the first few tho.....stepping it up.

It's been really funny in the office because we're literally lunging through the halls!

I'm about to buy pedals that go under my desk so I can exercise and work all day!

I love it!

I'm still living the low carb lifestyle, and doing surprisingly well. I'm pretty proud of 20 pounds gone in 2 months.....I really feel like I've got this.

Praise Jesus!

I know this is an area He's going to give me victory in....I can feel it!

I have a serious, serious obsession...

2011-06-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

....with the colors of teal and red. It seriously makes my heart pitter patter like nothing else. This is my inspiration:

Just a few things...

2011-06-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

So this weekend (while editing photos) Chris and I had a Dexter marathon of season 4. OMG, we're seriously addicted. And I seriously feel like something is wrong with me for my love for this show. I mean come on.....it's about a guy that's a serial killer. And somehow, you find yourself on his side and insanely intense. I don't know what the appeal is, but I'm hooked.

I'm totally rocking out this CD right now - Mandisa's newest "What If We Were Real". Ummm....so so so super good. For realz!

I would just like to publicly declare that I think Need To Breathe is one of the greatest bands ever to grace the radio. I heart them mucho!

And that is all.

Love These

2011-06-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

So I literally did not move this weekend. All day Saturday and Sunday was spent completely immersed in photo editing. I managed to narrow 3500 pics to about 1000. Craziness. Still a lot to go, but I love it. Here are a few of my faves from the bunch! Love these two!

Asian Beef Salad....Mmm Mmm Good!

2011-06-06T21:22:00.002-04:00

Marinade and Dressing Base:
4 green onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pushed through a press
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons no-sugar-added rice-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon granular sugar substitute
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon dried ginger

Salad:
1½ pounds beef sirloin, cut against the grain in 1/8-inch strips
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 cups mixed salad greens
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 can (8-ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained

Directions:

1. Mix green onions, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and sugar substitute in a small bowl.
2. Pour half into a resealable plastic bag; add steak and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. To remaining soy sauce mixture, add curry powder and ginger.
3. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over high heat until very hot. Drain beef and discard marinade; quickly stir-fry beef 2 to 3 minutes in hot oil for medium doneness.
4. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add salad greens, bell pepper, water chestnuts and reserved soy dressing. Toss to coat.

Nutritional Information
Per Serving:

Net Carbs: 6.0 grams

Fiber: 4.6 grams

Protein: 40.7 grams

Fat: 15.3 grams

Calories: 361

Recipe Information:

Makes: 4 servings

Prep Time: 0:15:00

Marinate Time: 12:00:00

Cook Time: 0:05:00

Cool Time: 0:00:00

Patterson Family - Maternity Session {Atlanta Area Photographer}

2011-06-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

you may recognize this family......

they are some of my favorite repeat customers!

holly and brannon are expecting their second child, so naturally we needed to document this!

we had a lot of fun with this one....balloons are my new obsession.

i mean seriously, doesn't a balloon instantly bring happiness?

sand in tha toes!

2011-05-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

i feel like lately that my posts have been lacking pictures.

that is completely unacceptable!

so today is a recap of our vacay....all in pictures!

this is the lighthouse at Harbour Town in Hilton Head.

Tourists at the top!

sittin' on the doc on the bay....

famous river street in savannah.....oh and me being a cheeseball!

magnolias. sweet, sweet magnolias!

the coastguard was giving a demonstration on the river...you know in honor of memorial day

random church in bluffton, sc. it's right on the bay. so pretty!

i love me some spanish moss.....instantly lets you know you're near the beach in the south!
me in a tree. dumb tourist.

just for fun.

ahhhhh......

Heeeelllloooo!!

2011-05-30T18:24:00.003-04:00

Well, well, well.....it's been a while friends.

I wish I could say I had taken a break from the blogging world due to some spiritual journey.

Sadly, that's not the case.

I've just been really super busy.

Like for realz.

And quite honestly, I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post.

May 18th to be exact.

And my sweetest cousin Holli took it upon her self to make sure I knew that I still had a blog and that it hadn't been updated!

So this one's for you Holli!

(You remember Holli right?)

So let's see, in the last couple of weeks I've shot two weddings and a maternity session. The pool at our apartment opened, and well no offense, but it was a little more intriguing than my bloggy here!

Oh and traveled to VA Beach and Hilton Head for work AND made a little mini vacay out of Hilton Head.

Whew!

So yes, the pool opened. And I am one of those fair skinned people who burst into flames when in the sun for more than about 20 minutes. And that's WITH sunscreen.

Somehow, my dear hubby convinced me that I did not need sunscreen for our first visit to the pool. And I'm the stupid one who believed such a story.

This literally resulted in me shoulders covered in blisters and lots of geometric shapes on my back from my bathing suit lines. Now that's hot.

Last time this happened, I had a tan line on my back from my bathing suit for about 2 years! This one will last a while I'm sure!

So for about 1 week exactly, I was quite miserable. In fact, today is the first time I've been able to move without pain!

With all that you can imagine that my travels through the airport on Tuesday were tons of fun. So. Much. Pain!

This past weekend Chris and I took a little mini vacay attached to my work trip in Hilton Head. It was lovely! This was my first visit to HH, and I have to say, it's definitely worth visiting again. It's one of those places to go if you truly intend on getting a little R&R. If the nightlife scene is what you're looking for, HH is not for you! It's also only about 30 minutes from Savannah, so we spent a day there as well. Savannah is by far one of my favorite places on earth. I have lots of childhood memories there. I don't want to make this post too long, so pics of that trip are scheduled to be posted tomorrow!

Now I've already posted a few photos from one wedding I shot this month, and I shot another wedding yesterday. It was beautiful. The two families that were joined together were from Jamaica and Trinidad. Can I just say that the reception was rocking! Those people know how to have a good time. No pics just yet...haven't even got them off the camera yet!

BUT....last weekend I did a maternity session. I have lots of pics to share, but for now, I'll leave you with one of my favorites from the batch:

And that's all for now.....but seriously, I'm making a true effort to get back on my blogging schedule! Love you all!

L.O.V.E.

2011-05-18T22:16:00.002-04:00

Stayce and I have been friends for about 7 years. I love her. She's one special girly!

AND....

this past weekend she got married!

YAY!!!

The wedding was just perfect!

And I had the lovely privilege of photographing it!

Wahoo!

I've got tons and tons of photos to go through, but here are just a few:

Can We Be Friends?

2011-05-17T12:58:00.002-04:00

.....like on Pinterest?

My obsession is getting worse by the minute. I'm seriously in love with Pinterest.
I don't know why it's talking to my heart like it is, but seriously....I'm giddy with excitement about it.

So I want to know if you're on there.....and if so....can we be friends! I need a lot more to look at and drool over.

It's like one place where all the happiness of my heart...all that describes me can be in one place. I'm in love.

I seriously just sent Heather an email to tell her that I'm sure my excitement over this website must be what it's like for those addicted to porn!
Hahaha!

So for real....get an account and lets be friends.

You can find me under Lauren Thomas or @laurenthomaspic

For real people....get on it!

Obsessing.

2011-05-16T22:30:00.002-04:00

There are two things consuming my life at the moment:

1) All things teal/turquoise and red - words cannot express my love for this color combo.

and

2) Pinterest.
I. Can't. Stop. Looking. At. These. Fabulous. Things.

Seriously taking over my life. Thank you Heather!

That is all.

Happy Day Ahead

2011-05-15T08:14:00.004-04:00

Hiya friends! Yesterday on of my sweetest friends got married and I was the priviledged photographer! Woohoo!

While I'm waiting for the pictures to download from my camera, I figured I'd take a minute to catch up with you all.

All that to say I don't have a wedding pic to share just yet! I have about 4,000 photos to look through, narrow down and edit! Whew!

Today I'm super excited. Me and my girlfriend Ashby are having a fun-filled afternoon! After church I'm taking her to Charming Charlies for her first experience. I heart that place SO much. Like seriously!

And then tomorrow, well Operation Bootylicious is revamping into full swing with a minimum of 5 days/week workout.

My total loss if 15 pounds in a little over a month and that's with a couple weeks off from the gym. I know once I get the gym routine back in swing I can say goodbye to quite a few more pounds.

See last Monday we tried a new class - Body Works plus Abs.

Oh. My. Goodness.

It was ridiculous.

We of course thought it would be a breeze...just using light handweights? Oh we got this.

Ummm...NO. No we don't.

The workout kicked our behinds in the worst (good) way.

Seriously could barely move for 4 days. So needless to say we only had a 1-day gym visit.

This week we're determined to push through.

I'm in a wedding in November, which has been a big source of inspiration.

And while that's 6 months away, the time for trying on dresses is not!

SOOOO.....we've got to get this show on the road!

Ok enough about that.

Friday night I went to the rehearsal dinner for the wedding I shot on Saturday. Can I just tell you it was the cutest thing ever?!

Stayce's colors for the wedding were bright pink and bright yellow.

The rehearsal dinner was a cowboy theme using those colors.

And I DO have pictures of that...so....take a gander!

It's been a little busy....

2011-05-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

...but I absolutely love it!

Super-dee-duper!

2011-05-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

As you know, I've been on this weight loss kick.
Now....honestly, you can look back to some of my very first posts - weight issues have always been a part of the bloggy blog, well because...weight issues have always been a part of me!
Always.

But something has changed in me....as I've mentioned recently.
And I'm actually seeing major results!
So far, I've lost 14 pounds in about a month (and that's with a 2 week gym break too).
Woooo-hoooo!
AND a little over 7 inches!
Can I get a what what?

And do you know what that means? At this point, I officially have less than 50 pounds to hit my goal! 49.50 pounds to go to be exact! ;)
What?
How is that???
I'm so excited (and proud of myself)!
And that means that if I keep up at the rate I'm going, my goal should be reached within 6 months. AND that means that come 2012, a diet will not be on my new years resolution list!

And on this here Tuesday, that was something I just felt the need to share!

Happy week!

How Did This Happen?

2011-05-08T22:55:00.002-04:00

This weekend my sister in law went to her first prom. She's finishing up her sophomore year.

She's grown up so fast. I just need to know....

How did she go from this:

to this???

Rolling In The Deep

2011-05-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

So Sunday, my fabulous friend Ashby performed at our church. She did Adele's "Rolling In The Deep". I've attached the video from our message. It's a really awesome one on marriage. I encourage you to listen all the way through. But if you don't want to do that, at least watch the skit at the beginning. It's a good laugh. And the her performance is at about the 10:27 mark. I'm so proud of her!

AWANKENING:Marriage from xroadschurch on Vimeo.

Major Easter Recap

2011-05-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

i've realized just how behind i am when i decided to give a recap on easter!

but it's so worth it.

this easter was absolutely amazing.

chris and i are completely in love with our new church.

i mean seriously.

and this year, our church had 5 easter services - 1 friday, 2 saturday and 2 sunday.

all were amazing.

chris and the team he's a part of worked tirelessly for 15 days straight getting everything in place to make it perfect.

i can't even describe what it was like to be a part of something so awesome, to be a part of a movement of God.

we had almost 3,000 people in attendance over the course of the 5 services and that's just adults!

but here's the amazing part -

91 people made a decision to follow christ!

we also held spontaneous baptisms to which 54 people got baptized.

how awesome is that???!?!!??!!

i mean crazy awesome stuff happening in the life of our church.

i'm so grateful to be a part of it.

there's more to this story that hits in a very personal way, but that's gonna be another blog post this week!

Catch Up Catch Up Everybody Everywhere

2011-05-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

so moving right along.....

a couple months ago i relaunched my photo blog.

www.laurenthomasblog.com

you should visit.

on fridays i put up tips and tricks for the everyday person.

keep an eye out for it...you might find something of interest.

AND if you think of any topic that you want to know more about.....leave a comment and i'll add it to the list!

Back To Life

2011-05-02T07:00:00.001-04:00

alrighty peeps, let's face it.

i've been MIA for a couple of months really.

i do apologize.

may day job has been ridiculously busy in a fierce way!

but, after tomorrow, i'm thinking things should slow down an bit!

however, as a result of my blogging absence, i have quite a bit to catch up on....

so i'm gonna do it over a series of posts!

i figure that's one way to get back in the swing of things! LOL!

so let's go back to april 16th.

i photographed a birthday party with a petting zoo. of course there are more photos to come, but this one was just too cute!

and then, i photographed one of my most favorite repeat clients, shiloh. she's heading into the modeling industry!

and THEN.....

a few of the ladies in my family all got together for an outing slash surprise birthday party for my cousin. we all met at the ok cafe for dinner.....

and then took a group shot...

and then we headed to Atlanta to see Menopause the Musical!
now granted, i was by far the youngest person in attendance at said musical, but i must say it was quite hysterical! so funny! i highly recommend that you see it if it's playing near you.

while waiting for the show to start they played all oldies music. i absolutely LOVED seeing my grandmother, aunts and cousins all reminiscing and singing along. i mean seriously, this could have been the most fun i've had in a long time. kind of makes me long for the kind of life lived 50 years ago.

it was truly a different world. life was simple, yet completely fulfilled.

in this day and time, you can never get enough.

sometimes i really feel i was born in the wrong era!

well that's all for back to life part 1!

Consequences? Seasons? Maybe a little of both.

2011-04-26T19:06:00.003-04:00

From the age of 17 - 19, I interned with the youth ministry at my church.
The absolute, by far, greatest time of my life.
It was everything I needed at the time.
It was all the people I needed.
I met some of the most amazing people and loved them dearly.
I mean these people I thought I would be friends with forever.
Now they're all just those "acquaintances" on facebook....memories of a distant past.

I led this 8th grade girls Bible study for two years - the same group of girls and I just moved up to 9th grade with them. I can honestly say I truly loved those girls. I mentored one of them, she was precious. And her family, oh my, her family. Couldn't have loved them any more than I did! They were wonderful. It's funny how 10 years later I can still remember the smell of their house....Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar. That may secretly be why I have that same scent in my own home. While I invested in their daughter, they invested in me. I remember a birthday party they threw for me with homemade cookie cake because they knew I hated regular cake. Like I really can't even describe the connection I had with them.

But then...I started college.
And the first day of college I met a guy. You know because mom always said I'd meet someone in college, so he had to be from God right?
I was SO strong in my faith...maybe the strongest I've ever been.
But yet, this guy....he was my project. I was going to turn his life around.
I mean he was an altar boy as a child, so technically he had a church background.
Funny how Satan can manipulate us into believing the stupidest things.
Rather quickly, he began absorbing all of my time.
And before you knew it, I was living a lifestyle that I was ashamed of.
So rather than break it off with this guy, I quit what truly was most important...the internship.
And with that, I drifted away from all of those wonderful people who invested so much into my life.
i chose a boy over what mattered.
And that entire first semester of college is what has come to be known as the biggest mistake of my life.
And here we are, 10 years later, and I still deeply miss those people. I miss who I was. I miss all that I missed out on. It's not normal for me to think about them as much as I do. But they were precious to me and I basically walked out on them.
All for a boy.
A stupid stupid boy.

And often I wonder....were they just here for a season of my life? Or is this longing for them the consequence of my sin? Because you know, there's always consequences.

Or maybe a little of both.

Whoot Whoot!

2011-04-18T22:13:00.003-04:00

I know, I know.

I seem to have disappeared here lately.

Work's been crazy, and I do mean crazy!

Today marks 1 week of being on the Atkins Diet Induction Phase.

And.....I have lost 5.4 pounds in this week and 6.5 inches!

Wahoo!!!!

I've lost a total of 8.4 pounds since March 31st. And I'm on a roll.

Something has clicked in my head.

I look at food differently...and I like the change.

I actually get grossed out watching others eat some of what used to be my favorite foods.

But I'm not gonna lie, I'd desperately love some Zaxby's!

I've got to make it one more week to complete the induction phase, though. I can do it!

I've become a bit of a gym rat too. I really have come to enjoy exercise and I miss it when I don't do it. I'm really proud of myself. This is really, really huge for me.

Today I started day one of couch to 5k....I'd like to run one with heather memorial day weekend. However, I'm not sure that I'll be up for running the whole thing, but for me to run any of it will be more than I ever have before!

So although it's been quite busy, things are going well!

Humbled and Blessed and Thankful and, and, and...

2011-04-11T21:24:00.002-04:00

I had quite the experience at church Sunday morning.

I serve on our first impressions team. We handle things like greeting, the info booth, seating ushers, etc.

Yesterday we had a new family join our awesome team.

They were so pretty. Like the perfect pretty little family.

On our team, we usually serve one entire service and attend another.

So in between services, me and the pretty little new girl were chatting.

And somehow, as conversations travel, she ended up telling me her story.

Turns out this pretty put together lady in fact had a very ugly past.

She was addicted to drugs at the age of 12. Her mom was her dope dealer.

She then got into meth. And then moved into trafficking meth from Atlanta to Macon for the Mexican drug cartel.

She lost her kids.

Lost everything.

She said she had heard God knocking at her heart many a time, but felt too ashamed.

She thought He could never love her.

She thought people were born Christians....either you had it or you didn't.

She knew she would never be the cute little girl on the front row that has her life together.

And then she said it was in that moment that she felt God speak to her.

That he said "you're right. YOU never will be that girl on your own. that's why i died for you. so that you could be..."

Now I've heard many a story of transformation.

But there was something about this one that completely wrecked my heart.

I think it was the fact that the night before I was having a little internal pity party the night before of how Chris and I may never live the lifestyle to just go out and get each other nice gifts.

You know, evaluating my haves and have nots.

I was completely humbled because although I've been through a lot of really bad things, I never got to that point.

I'm so grateful that God found me when He did. I'm so endlessly thankful for His death on the cross. And that he did it for me, and for you, and for girls like the one I met Sunday.

I constantly stand in awe of the transformation God offers.

His endless love.

I am so thankful because I am ever so blessed.

And I want the entire world to know that feeling.

Something about her story made me step back and remember why I serve. Why I do this "Christian" thing. How unbelievably transformed my life is as a result of it. And how I would never ever in a million years un-do it.

Inspired.

2011-04-09T15:46:00.003-04:00

So on my way to the gym this morning, I had the most fabulously inspiring music mix going. Truly the perfect way to start the day. So I thought I'd share the music videos for each....I'm telling you, it's an awesome way to start the day!!!!

Good Morning - Mandisa:

Dance, Dance, Dance - Mandisa

Freedom Song - Mandisa (it's only slow for a few secs)

Shadows - David Crowder Band w/ Lecrae

Shackles - Mary Mary

Revolution - Kirk Franklin

so proud.

2011-04-06T21:21:00.002-04:00

dear friends,

i am beginning to ENJOY working out!

this. is. huge.

so tuesdays and thursdays is water aerobics.

ashby and i call this "swim team". lol!

and i'm absolutely loving it. we've done 4 sessions so far, tomorrow will make 5, and each one has been with a different instructor getting totally different workouts.

woot woot!

now, tonight we added in cardio kickboxing.

at this moment, it is taking a lot of effort to type.

i am so sore all over.

but let me tell you, i am sooo proud of myself!

i was the biggest girl in the class and you know what? i did an hour of cardio kickboxing and didn't stop once!

not once!

yay me!

had i been at home doing this as a workout video, i surely would have quit.

but i didn't.

i persevered.

i pushed myself to the limit.

i totally almost threw up, but i pushed through.

i feel like this is the beginning of something wonderful for me......

my bootylicious booty is on it's way!

2011-04-03T21:23:00.001-04:00

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Is Marriage Sacred Anymore?

2011-03-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

little girls all over america grow up with the dream of happily ever after.

i guess we have walt disney to thank for most of that.

but i mean seriously we're raised with the illusion that our prince charming will come sweeping in on his white horse, provide you with a fabulous castle, and you will live happily ever after as royalty for the rest of your life.

after all, every little girl is a princess right?

but then as we get older, we realize that life isn't quite a fairy tale.

there is no castle.

no horse.

no royal life.

but we learn about the true prince charming, jesus, and the happiness he truly can offer for ever after.

and when we're lucky enough to find our own prince charming that loves him some jesus, well then we've hit the jackpot.

right?

what i'm seeing more and more though, is a society that has made it far too easy to give up, slip up, mess up and walk out.

i heard a story this weekend of a pastor (who's church we used to attend) who had a two year affair with his assistant.

at what point in two years do you not realize it's wrong and that you should seek help?

at what point as a pastor, or anyone for that matter, do the vows you spoke no longer matter?

whatever happened to the promise behind the vows?

every day i hear stories of heartache and sadness over broken marriages and broken homes.

and that breaks my heart.

especially when it's those that love them some jesus.

can it really fall apart so quickly?

here's the thing....we're all human.

we all screw up.

but seriously, what happened to the willingness and "want to" to make your marriage work?

when i got married i was in for a wake up call.

marriage is not a disney fairy tale.

it's another full time job that requires you to be all in.

it's not 50/50. it's each person putting in 100%. 50/50 doesn't cut it.

there are days that i get so angry with chris that i want to take a baseball bat to him and beat him like a rag-doll (usually over issues such as laundry, cleanliness, laundry).

but at the end of the day, he has my heart.

he has my promise.

and that's a promise that i'm not going anywhere.

and i know i have his.

maybe my outlook is a little different.

i just really wonder where the sanctity of marriage drifted off to.

when did it become more of a fad than a commitment?

Operation Bootylicious

2011-03-28T21:44:00.002-04:00

What up peeps?!

I've decided this whole little weight loss journey needs a name.

Yep, that's right....I think it shall be called "Operation Bootylicious".

Yes, I like it.

I'm also pretty sure I'm going to set up a page header on the bloggy blog here to post all things related to this "journey" of mine. I'm really pretty pumped about things changing.

Tonight I attempted Pilates.

Loved it.

And oh my what a burn!!!

Sidenote: i think i need to add to my bio the love I have for exclamation marks.

Anywho, the new workout schedule has been established.

Tues/Thurs is water aerobics and Wednesday is cardio kickboxing.

SO excited.

And that's all I have for this lame-o blog post tonight.

LT - out.

Well On My Weigh

2011-03-26T17:18:00.002-04:00

Clever little blog title isn't it?

Came up with it all on my own. I'm brilliant like that ;)

So I'm on the way to breaking free from my "shackles".

Yesterday I joined LA Fitness with my buddy Ashby. She and I work together and are planning to take about 3 classes per week right after work. I really feel like this will work out well since we don't have time to go home and get distracted from working out.

This morning we jump started our efforts with Aqua Fit a.k.a water aerobics.

Let me just say, I had NO idea, and I do mean NO idea that water aerobics was such a workout.

For realz.

This said workout occurred at 9am. It is now 5:30pm and my arms are still like noodles.

The instructor did have sexy arms, so I am in full hopes that mine will get to that point as well.

I'm super excited!

And I'm pumped because I'm actually doing something...not just talking about it.

Whoot whoot!

Monday afternoon is Kickboxing Cardio. We'll see if I survive....

National Pillow Fight Day

2011-03-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

Did you know there was such a thing?

April 2nd - National Pillow Fight Day!

And do you know what happens in Atlanta (and cities everywhere) that day?

A HuGe pillow fight!!!!

And do you know what this gal will be doing?

I will definitely be there taking some photos of such an event!

It sounds fabulous to my photographer's heart!

YAY!!!! I'm so excited!

Alright, now for a few less exclamation points.....

I tried to make a scrumptious dinner last night and failed miserably.

I tried to make a chicken concoction which consisted of smoke, smoke alarms and some very, very black chicken!

Hideous!

So it definitely resulted in an order from Pizza Hut.

Kind of made me sad because I never do this!

I'm usually a good cook, but I guess we all have our bad days.

But most of all, have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Shackles....Get 'Em Off!

2011-03-23T08:30:00.000-04:00

We all have something that weighs us down, holds us back, limits us, etc.
For a long time I felt that something was wrong with me because I didn't have that one big sin area in my life. You know, that one big thing that I should be constantly working on. And I knew there had to be something....I'm very FAR from perfect.
So I had been praying for God to show me the areas in my life I need to work on.
You know, for Him.

And over the last couple of weeks, it's getting clearer and clearer.
It's my weight.
Truly.
Currently, "I" am letting my weight hinder everything in my life.
My relationship with God, my day to day activities, social interaction, home life, friendships, my relationship with Chris,....you name it, it's being affected.
I am in a constant state of feeling that everyone is judging me and feeling like a failure.
No one has ever said anything mean to me about my weight, but I just "know" their thinking it.
Anyway, it's been a struggle to say the least.
I spend more time thinking about weight issues, what to eat, when to exercise, am I a failure, etc than I do anything else.
So let's just add that to my list of my unhealthy lifestyle.

Going down the road the other day I was listening to my iPod when "Shackles" from Mary Mary came on.

God moved me through that song.
My weight is the shackles holding me down.
And it's time to get them off. This is not what God intended for my life.
In Deuteronomy, God says "You've circled this mountain long enough. It's time to move north."
So now, I am starting each day listening to my new theme song - "Shackles".
I'm ready to dance and praise and live - no matter what my size.

Here are the words to my new daily inspiration:

Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise You I just wanna praise You
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise You
I'm gonna praise, praise you

In the corners of my mind
I just can't seem to find A reason to believe
That I can break free
Cause you see I have been bound for so long
Felt like all hope was gone
But as I lift my hands I understand
That I should praise You through my circumstance

Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise You I just wanna praise You
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise You
I'm gonna praise, praise you

Everything that could go wrong
All went wrong at one time
See so much pressure fell on me
I thought I was gonna lose my mind
Lord I know You wanna see
If I will hold on through these trials
But I need You to lift this load
Cause I can't take it no more

Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise You I just wanna praise You
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise You
I'm gonna praise, praise you

Been through the fire and the rain
Bound in every kind of way
But God has broken every chain
So let me go right now

Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise You
I just wanna praise You
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise You
I'm gonna praise, praise you

Good Stuff

2011-03-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago in North GA. You can find a link for free Photoshop textures (which is what I edited these with) by heading over to my photo blog!

My New Crush

2011-03-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Well I'm about two years behind, but I'm completely smitten.
With what you ask?
Drop Dead Diva.
It's a show on Lifetime.
I heard about it when it came out, and for whatever reason thought it would be lame.
So with no cable and our recent move, I've been hitting up Netflix.
Drop Dead Diva just so happens to be on there.
And I'm officially hooked!
I absolutely LOVE it! I mean seriously love it!
You seriously need to watch it!

Here's the idea:

The series revolves around vapid blonde and aspiring model, Debbie (Deb) Dobkins (played by Brooke D'Orsay in the pilot and in flashbacks), who is killed in a car crash. As her soul enters the gates of Heaven, she finds herself declared a self-centered "zero" (meaning she has performed zero good deeds and zero bad deeds during her time on earth; she is simply shallow) by the gatekeeper, Fred. After not liking what she hears, she presses for a return to her former body, hoping to get back to Earth. Deb gets her wish, only to be brought back to life in the body of a recently deceased, intelligent, overweight lawyer named Jane Bingum.

Initially horrified, Deb – in her new human form – discovers the meaning of inner beauty as she finds the ability to juggle legal cases, aided by her assistant Terri, while attempting to reconnect incognito with her still-grieving boyfriend, Grayson Kent, who just started working at Jane's law firm. At the same time, Deb begins to rediscover her past while learning more about her inherited body's current life, and how Jane was treated when she was alive. In addition to Fred (who was demoted to guardian angel and had been assigned to watch over her at the law firm), only Deb's long-time mortal friend Stacy knows Jane's true identity.

Oh, and happy St. Patty's Day!

BETHENNY!

2011-03-15T21:01:00.003-04:00

Are you a Bravo TV junkie like me?

I can't help myself...I love it!

Real Housewives of New Jersey is my favorite, but New York is a close second.

Do you remember Bethenny Frankel that was on the first two seasons?

You know, Skinny Girl margaritas, books, etc??

Well she was in the ATL Friday night and me and my bestie had tickets!

That's right, we were sitting pretty at the Skinny Girl Night Out with Bethenny.

She was so funny!

She talked a lot about her books...she has a new one coming out this month.

But her regular chatting other than the book was great.

It was definitely a neat experience and I'm glad I can say I went.

Saturday afternoon my aunt and I took a trip to Barnsley Gardens. I'm working on the photos, but will post soon. So lovely!

And the rest of my life equals unpacking!

Oh, and of course there's the marathon I'm having of Drop Dead Diva.

It's on instant play from netflix.

That's all we have until the cable man comes Friday!

A New Dawn, A New Day, A New Decor!

2011-03-10T11:30:00.001-05:00

Hi my fabulous friends!
Well, we are officially moved!
And really all that means is that everything we own is stacked in boxes in our living room!
Last night was our first night in the new place.
And instead of unpacking, we ordered pizza and watched a movie.
When In Rome.
Cute movie!
The kitties were quite amuzed with the loft. It's their play room apparently. Molly is quite intrigued with the banister and thinks she can do all types of balancing acts up there.
This almost caused complete and utter hear failure last night for me. She has an obession with getting on the highest points possible.

So with this new pad, we're changing up the decor....as we do everytime we move. However, this time's a little different. We're trying to go with something that's totally "us" and I couldn't be more excited.

So here's the sofa we're getting. RED! LOVE it!And then here we have the inspiration for the dining room. I want turquois/teal in the dining room. My kitchen accessories are red and the living room will be red, so this is the perfect splash of color to be in between them! And do you see that marvelous little red flower at the bottom that brings it all together?!?!!

I CAN'T even begin to tell you the happiness my heart feels with this! I have dreamed of using teal/turquois since I was 9 years old. For realz.

So then the bedroom is going to be decked out with this:
Jealous?

You can have it too by shopping at your local Target! ;)

The sheets however are a bright teal color....you know for a little pop.

And yes, I realize that I may have accents of teal in everyroom....but they're different shades and I love it and that's all that matters!

Now my most perplexing item of the apartment: The Fireplace.

I want it to look cool....not just a bunch of figurines and photos on the mantel. I'm in serious need of help and I haven't found anything online to model it after yet.

Any advice?

Alrighty, well that's all for now.

Aftermath.

2011-03-08T12:50:00.004-05:00

Happy Tuesday!
So, our big move occurs tomorrow! 9am!
Super excited and ready for it to be done!
Chris and I spent the night at the new place on Saturday....you know to get a couple extra hours of sleep. We stayed on an air mattress in the living room. Now, not sure if you've seen us, but we're not exactly light weights.
The air mattress was quite the experience.
See, we forgot a sheet to go on it.
And the top was velour, so we kept sticking to it.
So Chris tossed and turned all night. And every time he did, he would throw his whole body up and flop around like a fish out of water.
Needless to say, that about threw me off completely a couple times. It felt like I was in the wave pool at a water park.
So in an effort to sleep in an extra hour, I, in all reality, got no sleep at all.
But we love the new place. For realz.

Last night we went to see Hillsong United at their Aftermath tour.
Ahhhhhmazing!
Like seriously amazing.
If they're coming to your city, you need to go.
The title track to their new CD, Aftermath is a fabulous song. It's all about how we're found in the aftermath of the cross. Fabulous.

And I felt the title was appropriate since I'm about to be in the aftermath of a move!

Here we are having a little pre-show fun.

Last night while waiting for the show, I got a little emotional. I didn't cry, but my heart was happy.
Happy because I'm just so thankful that I married someone who is passionately in love with Jesus. I'm thankful that our idea of an awesome night is worship. So many people don't understand that and think that worship is some backwoods country church thing. But it's so not.
Not at all.
It's amazing.
And to be able to have full comfort to worship God with all my might in front of my hubby is just plain awesome.

Moving on, I think I'm going to use Lent to my advantage this year.
I don't practice it. Our church doesn't really focus on it at all.
However, my friend was talking about using it as a starting point and goal marker for a new diet plan.
So tomorrow I will begin the nutritional straight and narrow with Easter as my goal. Hopefully in 40 days (that's when Easter is) I'll have created a ritual/routine that will become part of my lifestyle and then I can set another mile marker. We shall see how it goes!

I attempted yoga for the first time Friday.
Not pretty at all.
Not one bit.
I mean this lady totally folded into herself and she wants me to touch my nose to my knees?!
Bahahaha!
It was a bit hilarious.
Not to mention distractions of Chris making faces and the cats.
OMG the cats! Molly thought it would be a fun time to attack my feet, climb the entertainment center, etc, etc, etc. So needless to say, I totally missed the point of relaxation.
So now my routine for this will have to include me locked in a room...or the cats locked up somewhere and Chris out of the house!
He says he's gonna try it with me.
Now that should be interesting!

The Deets.....

2011-03-03T08:29:00.002-05:00

Ok, now that I have a second, let me fill you in!

First of all, yesterdays post title was You Are Bigger Than We Let You Be.
That's a line from a worship song that I'm super loving right now. It's from Newspring Church in SC. They have a CD. It's awesome.

Anyway, the line from that song so speaks to me right now. We put so many limits on God and I think we limit our faith in Him as well. He's bigger than that. SO much bigger. And that has become more evident to me over the last few months.

See, Chris wasn't looking for a new job. It just kind of fell in our laps. Remember when I told you how our life had come full circle? Well it really has. Chris is absolutely loving the new job. He's never had such creative freedom and that's something he's been craving. He is now the Visual Arts Director at Crossroads Church. And I seriously love this church! Haven't been able to say that in a while.

But anyway, God has just created this opportunity for us and everything is falling into place so inexplicably awesome. Yes, I only have a week to pack, but we've done it before!

The apartment we got just kind of happened too. Chris went to look at them Monday (we weren't planning on moving until the summer) and of course the rent was cheaper that we thought and if we moved in in March, we got $300 off the first month's rent! Um, yes please.
AND the apartment provides a washer and dryer. And a dishwasher....I'm so excited for a dishwasher! I hate hand washing dishes! And let's not forget that the water is a flat rate of $20 per month. I seriously can do as many dishes and loads of laundry as I want! And long showers. Not that I take long showers. There are just so many little hints of God's handiwork all over this right now and it's awesome!

So of course, with a new move, comes a new decor! I'll be sure to post pictures as we go along. Definitely including teal in the dining room and turquoise and black in the bedroom. That's as far as I've got. ;)

So all in all.....YAY!

Oh and also, I had my first photo shoot for my nonprofit last week. I'll post pics soon....I'm so behind on that right now! If you're on facebook, search for I See Love Foundation and become a fan!!!!!

You Are Bigger Than We Let You Be

2011-03-02T17:48:00.002-05:00

Hey y'all!
Whew, I think I have like 30 minutes to come up for air before I'm swamped again. And aren't you glad I chose you to spend it with? :)

So we're moving again.
Yes you heard, no, read correctly. Moving again.
But can I tell you a secret?
I have never ever felt the hand of God working in my life and being in control more than this particular moment.

Chris has his dream job.
We are moving to a loft apartment.
Next week.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
I promise, promise, promise, and detailed post is coming.

ExCiTeMeNt!!!

2011-02-26T21:09:00.002-05:00

Ok friends, I know I've been a little MIA.

BUT I've been working super hard on getting a few things up and running.....all while trying to bill 1400 clients at an accounting firm!

Needless to say, I've been a teeny tiny bit busy. ;)

BUT, BUT, BUT....I have won the battle.

I officially have a new photo blog. This has been a VERY long time coming.

So, um yeah, you should check it out. And yes it currently only has one post. I know.

www.laurenthomasblog.com

I plan to post a lot more frequently on it, including tutorials, helpful tips, guest posts, and of course pictures and give aways! I'm so pumped!

The next HUGE thing I've been working on is my nonprofit. A while back I posted a rather cryptic post about starting this. Now it's officially incorporated.

Woo hoo!!!!

I cannot even describe how full my heart is. Sunday I have my first client.

The organization is called I See Love. We offer free photo services and products to families struggling with children suffering from critical and terminal illness.

I spent months trying to come up with a name. And I do mean months of thinking nonstop about it. Everything we came up with, I hated.

However, every time I would think about it, this song popped in my head, I See Love, by Mac Powell and Steven Curtis Chapman. Really just the chorus, that has these words:

But I see love (I see love)

I see love (I see love)
Light of heaven breaking through
Well I see grace (I see grace)
I see God's face (I See Gods face)
Shining pure and perfect love
When I see you
I see love

I mean honestly, when you think about it, most children that suffer from diseases have a special spirit about them and this chorus sums it up. When I told Chris how the song kept popping in my head, he said "well why don't you just call it that?"

Hmmm.

Genius.

Never thought of it.

And so a name was born!

The site for it is up and running too. We're still making a few tweaks here and there on the appearance, but at least it's up. Give it a visit: www.iseelove.org

We'll be sharing the stories of all the children we work with, there.

Seriously, my cup runneth over.

Bout to Xplode!

2011-02-24T21:23:00.001-05:00

Hey ya'll! I've been a little absent lately.

So sorry.

Been extremely crazy busy!

And I have SO much to tell you!

So the plan this weekend is to get caught up.

Please don't give up on me!!! I haven't disappeared!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Made to Crave. Made for so much more.

2011-02-15T09:27:00.002-05:00

Happiest of Tuesdays to ya!

A few posts back I told you about this book I was going to read: Made to Crave.
Umm.....can I just tell you how its rocking my world?
Like seriously.

I've been saying for a few years now that this weight issue I have is so much more than just about a diet.
The author of this book gets that!

I'm really trying to make this a spiritual journey. It's something that's really important for me.
But most of the time I make all these goals and try to do it all alone.

Not this time. I've enlisted a few people to hold me accountable. To really make sure I'm following the plan. I'm also going to get a few people to commit to praying for me on this.
This weight crap is stuff I've struggled with my ENTIRE life. But I've never asked anyone to actually pray for this area of my life. It's kind of refreshing.

I'm telling you, if you struggle with weight, you NEED to read this book. It's seriously like it was written just for me.

One of the things I'm taking from it is to pray every time I have a craving. Use it as a prompt to pray...even if it's about food.

See, the thoughts of food consume my entire day. Not necessarily wanting to eat it, but thinking about dinner, healthy choices, my weight, etc, etc, etc. No one person should be this consumed by it.

I want to be that consumed with God. Not food.
Because you see, I was created for so much more than this. So were you.
I don't want to define my worth by the numbers on the scale anymore.
My weight does not define me.
But in my head, it does. And I'm really trying to work on that.

This topic is really putting myself out there. But I know there are so many of us that struggle with it, and my hope is that in helping myself, I'll be able to help you too.

But seriously, did I mention you need to read this book?

me monday - love edition

2011-02-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

happy valentines day!
personally, i think it's a bit of an overrated holiday.
but in the spirit of it, today's me monday is all about love.

i want to know what the top 10 things you love about your significant other are OR the top 10 things you look for in your future significant other. play along!

well this is my man.
meet chris.

he has my heart. cheese fest i know, but it's true.

there's tons that i love about him, but here are my top 10:

1. he seriously loves me unconditionally. i'm not easy to live with and he manages to survive.

2. he can't stand a fight. we must always, always resolve our issues before going to bed.

3. he makes me laugh uncontrollably. for realz. even when i'm mad and don't want to laugh, i laugh.

4. he loves to travel.

5. and oh how he loves him some jesus.

6. he knows how to respect a woman.

7. he's my very best friend.

8. he encourages my every dream. he believes in me.

9. he's understanding and likes to listen to what i have to say (most of the time)

10. and most of all i love that he's mine.

Friday Happenings

2011-02-11T09:52:00.005-05:00

Happy Friday to my fabulous bloggin' peeps!

I hope you have some awesome things planned for your weekend!!!

You definitely need to chek out Kelly's Korner blog (she's on my blogroll on the sidebar) because today's she's linking everyone up with beauty secrets! Woot woot.

In other news, my hubby is on the good list right now. For realz. He got me the most awesome necklace from The Vintage Pearl. You need to check out their website. I absolutely love everthing there! This necklace originally said "Shutterbug", but Chris added a personal touch for me with "I See Love". You see, that sounds special in itself right? What you don't know is that "I See Love" is the name of the nonprofit I'm starting and this necklace has melted my heart like no other. It seriously is the best gift I've ever received. For realz.

I love everything about it.

And stay tuned......more info on the nonprofit is coming very, very, very soon!

I'm SO excited!!!

Please don't forget about Me Monday coming up! Monday's theme is the top 10 things you love about your significant other or look for in your future significant other. I hope you play along!

Enjoy your weekend!

circle of life.

2011-02-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

how many of you now have the "circle of life" song from Lion King in your head now?
if you didn't before, bet you do now!

ok, so in my post yesterday i mentioned how life has come full circle for us.
it's funny, because about this time last year i wrote a post dedicated to circles.
i'm sensing a theme.

anyway, with the new job that chris has taken, it has brought us back to the same people and area as our first year of marriage.
this has been a god ordained plan in the making for 6 years.

allow me to explain. and please, try to keep up.

above, in the picture, is the brief version.
when chris and i got married we moved way out to R-town. now this was about an hour from our families, but we moved there to work at a church. that didn't go so well, so when we left that church, we started attending another random church during our healing process. through that we met some pretty cool people. chris and carson, one of the guys, started a band....now that's a whole other story in itself! anyway, the band thing didn't work out, but through carson, chris met brian. as we moved on in life, chris and brian stayed in touch. they had talked about the possibility of working together for years. well, just in the last few months, the opportunity presented itself and chris and brian are now working at the same church. however, this church brings us back to the same area of town where we started.

isn't that amazing?

i think it's something special. i mean seriously, what are the chances?

i truly feel, and hope with all that's in me, that this is where we'll stay and settle. i love the new church. i love how god brought us there. i love how god never ceases to amaze me and how intricately he has woven our lives.

it's a good thing.

Overflow.

2011-02-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

there's so much on my mind today.
so much i feel i want to share, but to do it all at once would create a post of unacceptable length.
i think i'll break it up over a few posts.

i'm feeling a little overwhelmed by life at the moment.
see, god has given me some pretty awesome dreams for my life.
and i want them all right now.
and honestly, i feel like now is the time to start.
however, i get so overly anxious about the details, requirements, stress, etc that i give up before i even start.
sad.
these are things i've been noticing in myself for a while.
i over think and get stressed about the possibility of getting stressed.
what's worse is having someone call me out on it.
luckily it was just my hubs. but he hit the nail on the head.
"you've given up before you've even tried."
hmmm.
never fear......i am making an appointment with a life coach.
i just need a little help and encouragement.
my extreme need for someone to spiritually invest in me has led me on a self-help book binge.
i know i'm not going to get everything i need out of a book.
i just need to start somewhere.
maybe open my eyes to a few things.

maybe i'm too scared of failing.

failure.
that's a scary word and no one freely accepts it.

but it finally feels like chris and i are taking a good turn in life.
he has a new job at a new church that we've been praying about for months.
i know that will change my outlook on a lot of things.
mainly because in the past year i've been to church only a handful of times.
i just didn't fit with the last one.
but this one i do.
and i'm so excited!
i need this in the worst way.

you wouldn't even believe how god has brought us full circle. i'll have to save that for another day - it's a post in itself.

i'm just ready for a big change.
like a really big change.

Me Monday - Favorite Things To Eat

2011-02-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

ok, so this week's topic is all about some grub!
which i know is totally ironic given all my posts about weight issues.
diet or no diet, i love a good meal.

here's a list of my faves:

cheese and jalopeno nachos from la parilla. mmm, mmm, mmm. and i love to dump a big bowl of salsa right on top too. call me crazy, but i love the texture the cheese gets with the acidity of the salsa breaks it down.
buffalo chicken sandwich - pretty much if it's on the menu, this is what i'm guaranteed to get. throw some blue cheese on there and i'm even better.
chick-fil-A - anywhere, anytime. enough said.
french fries in wing sauce. oh yes.
french onion soup from longhorn's - but i then pick out the onions. still yummy.
taco casserole from my own kitchen. oh how i love it.
i love our homemade fajitas. TASTY!
a new fave is the spinach and pasta vinaigerette from my own kitchen as well.

i am now officially starving for all of the above! haha. and from the looks of my first few items, it is truly no wonder i have a weight problem!

what are your favorite things to eat? go ahead and post on your blog about it.....and let me know so i can come visit!

Breathe.

2011-02-06T10:16:00.002-05:00

i'm reading this life coaching book....how to achieve your dreams through god.

the chapter i read today is about exhaling.

it really spoke to me.

see, for a while there, i was sort of numb....just waiting for the next catastrophe to hit.

i was breathing shallow in a sense, as a sort of security blanket.

i feel that i have improved greatly.

but i still need SO much work.

so much.

but there was one quote that really hit me today.

the greek translation for holy spirit is breath.

breath.

god is the breath of life.

and that makes me want to breathe deeply.

Read Much?

2011-02-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

for whatever reason, i've been on a book kick.

i keep buying them.

my goal this week is to actually sit down and read some of them.

Women, Food and God. This book is supposed to help me figure out the deeper issues of my eating habits/weight loss journey. We shall see...

As i've mentioned before, i've been thinking about seeing a life coach. yesterday i decided to buy one in a book. i'm really excited to start this one. like for real excited.

and then this one, Made To Crave, well, i'm really looking forward to this one too. I follow Lysa's blog and she always has some great insight. Not too long ago, she sent out some helpful scripture to read when having one of those bad food days. i don't know, there's just something that draws me in to doing this journey with God and making it about Him rather than going at it alone. After all, if i could succeed myself, i wouldn't still be on this journey binging on self help books!

i'm hoping that as i read through these that i will find some awesome stuff to share with you fine people.

also, here's my latest dilemma. i am looking for a daily devotional to assist me in a daily quiet time. however, i have not had any luck finding a good devo. either the books are for students, singles, or women - but most of the women devos deal with being a mother.

i just want one for busy women who are married with no kids. something i can identify with. so if any of you know if any......please please please share!

Reviews.....Good Ones!

2011-02-04T12:00:00.001-05:00

it's finally friday.
holla!
woot woot!

over the last couple weeks, i've seen a couple movies, bought a couple cds and i think you all need to add them to your collections!

seriously that good.

first off, let's go to the movies.

No Strings Attached - a MUST see. oh my, it was sooo good. a total chick flick but oh so cute. and it helps when you have ashton kutcher to look at!

my favorite part of the whole movie - he makes her a period mix cd. it has songs like sunday bloody sunday, i've got the world on a string, bleeding love, etc. SO funny! i love it!

now for some tunes. ok, if you've not heard of the civil wars, you need to look them up. they're a country-folkish type feel....great chillin music. they're sound is awesome. you need this on your ipod. for realz.

and adele. oh my. her voice is stunning. i've seriously been looking at this cd for a couple years. i have no idea why i waited until last week to buy it but i seriously love it. LOVE it! and she's got a new album coming out this month that i'll definitely be buying. her first single from it is out and i'm hooked!

now here are a couple individual songs that i'm loving. matt maher's hold us together is AHHHMAZING! amazing i say! love it to the nth degree!

and then chris august has a song called starry night that i'm obsessing over.

well i hope that leaves you with a few things to explore this weekend! if you check it out, please let me know your thoughts on all these!

later homies.

B-B-B-Beautylicious!

2011-02-03T09:11:00.004-05:00

oh my, i have fallen behind on sharing my beauty secrets from my super special beauty book that i got for christmas!

so today's here's a couple tips for your reading pleasure:

What's the best way to hide a raw nose when you have a cold? find a moisturizing concealer that contains vit e, jojoba oil, or beeswax to replenish dry skin. a concealer with blue undertones will help mask the redness.
Deodorant marks on your clothes? use a facial cleansing wipe to remove them instantly.

moving right along... i had the most fabulous photo shoot on sunday. we chose a random barn on the side of the road and i luh-luh-loved it!

and that's about all i've got to say on this here thursday.

You Have To Try This Recipe!

2011-02-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

so as you can tell, I've been on a roll in the kitchen!

a healthy kitchen i might add!

friday night i made a spinach-pasta salad.

so very good!

i must share!

let's start with the recipe for the vinaigrette itself. it can be used lots of ways.

1 1/2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil

1 TBSP white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

combine ingredients stirring well with a whisk.

easy peasy!

now, for dinner, i cooked some bow tie pasta, added some baby spinach, and tossed in the vinaigrette. awesomeness.

the recipe called for sliced red onion as well, but i don't care for onions, so i didn't include.

here's the exact measurements:

1/2 cup pasta

3 cups baby spinach - uncooked

1/4 cup red onion (optional)

Yield: 4 servings

Calories: 106; Fat 5.4g; Sodium 108 mg.

other variation:

you could mix the vinaigrette and spinach on top of a baked potato with feta cheese crumbles for 225 calories. Haven't tried this one yet, but i might!

Me Monday - Favorite Vacays

2011-01-31T08:00:00.004-05:00

this week we're looking back on our favorite vacations.

chris and i are still young in our marriage, so we haven't been as many places as we'd like.

we're working on it though.

growing up, i loved family vacations. so. much. fun.

we usually went to the beach in florida and the mountains in tennessee.

oh how i miss those.

unfortunately, i haven't scanned in any of those photos.

however, i'll tell ya about a few of my faves with my honey!

first off, i'd have to say paris. now, technically, we were on a mission trip in slovakia and paris was just a layover that we missed - so we got to spend a night there.

it was beautiful!

i literally drool when i think about going back.....i saw just enough to make me want it!

another favorite was our trip to nyc this past summer. chris was sick most of the trip, but it was still nice to be there with him and see it all together.

the summer of 2009 we headed of to our great nation's capital for a lil' trip. loved it.

there was soooooo much to see and so much we didn't see!

but it was definitely one of my favorites.

i know i already mentioned nyc above, but i took another trip last may to photograph my baby brother's wedding. it was beautiful and magical. a memory i'll never ever forget.

january 2009 we went to charleston, sc. b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.

for realz.

i seriously would like to go back and see more of the city and do more.

we had such a good time.

that about sums it up!

lots of fond memories from all those trips and i can't wait to see what we add to the mix this year!

i know for sure we have a beach trip lined up, but hopefully we can throw in a few others!

i want to know all about your favorites! don't forget to comment if you're participating so i can stop by and see!

Italian Beef Stew. Super Yummy. And Under 400 Calories!!!

2011-01-29T09:39:00.002-05:00

so i decided to share the most fabulous recipe for italian beef stew!

i changed it up a little, so i'll give you the original and my version.

original:

7 TBSP olive oil, divided

1 1/2 C of chopped onion (i used 1 cup)

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1 TBSP minced garlic

1/4 C of all-purpose flour

2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into cubes (i used 1 pound of the pre cut stew meat found in the meat dept of your grocery store)

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp black pepper

1C dry red wine

3 3/4 C chopped seeded peeled plum tomato (about 2 pounds) (i'm not a huge tomato fan, so i just used 3 plum tomatoes, which equaled about 3/4 cup)

1 1/2 C fat free, lower sodium beef broth

1/2 cup water

2 tsp chopped oregano

2 tsp chopped thyme

1 bay leaf

(for all the fresh herbs, i actually used an herb paste found in the produce dept of Publix. i used 1 TBSP of it to cover all the herbs needed. you could add more/less to taste)

1 (8 oz) pack of cremini mushrooms, quartered (i used about 1/2 cup of baby portabella mushrooms)

3/4 cup sliced carrot (this is optional. i did not add this portion of carrots, just those above)

2 TBSP chopped basil

1 TBSP chopped parsley

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil to pan. Add onion and carrot; saute 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; saute for 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from pan.

2. Add 1 TBSP oil to pan. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper; dredge in flour. Add half of beef to pan; saute 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure.

3. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 5 minutes). Return meat and the onion mixture to pan. Add tomato, broth, water, herbs and mushrooms, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover (stir in sliced carrot if you choose). Simmer for 1 hour or until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp of salt.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size 1 cup).

Nutrition facts: 334 calories; 13g fat (3.9g sat, 0.8g mono, 6.6g poly); 40.6g protein; 12.2g carb; 2.4g fiber; 86mg chol; 4.1mg iron; 387mg sodium; 51mg calc

Enjoy!!!!

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine Jan/Feb 2011

My Granny

2011-01-29T08:16:00.002-05:00

Today is my beautiful granny's birthday.
I am so very thankful for her 76 years of life here!
She's precious to me.
And lovely.
And quirky.
By no means perfect.
But perfectly perfect to me.
She cries with me when I'm sad.
Laughs with me when I'm happy.
But my favorite thing about her -
The fact that she's mine!
Happy birthday granny!!!!

-- Post From My iPhone

Slacka

2011-01-28T12:00:00.001-05:00

Well happy Friday to ya!

I've been quite the slacker lately when it comes to blogging.

It hasn't been intentional.....it's just been crazy busy around here!

I'm transitioning into a new role at work, so life has been hectic! But in a good way!

Randomocity in the life of LT:

I finally saw Despicable Me. Could possibly be one of my new favorites! LOVED it! "Liiiigggghhtt Bulb." Watch it and you'll see.
In recent weeks, we've amped up the Netflix que. Last weekend we watched Emma....the one with Gwyneth Paltrow from years ago. SO good. Why have I never seen it? I love, love, loved it. Chris hated it in the most horrible way. But he sat through it.
Tomorrow I'm living life by having lunch with my granny at a Japanese restaurant. Love me some hibachi!
This week I've been trying out a few weight watchers recipes. Can I just tell you that they quite possibly could be some of the best meals ever....and good for you. How can that be? Delicious and healthy? Unheard of. So needless to say, my motivation has increased! I made Italian beef stew one night, and last night i made pecan chicken with mac and cheese. oh my, so good! Tonight we're trying chicken jalapeno tacos.
A hair cut is desperately needed and shall happen tomorrow! yippee!
Chris has been quite sick for the past 3 weeks and pretty much hasn't left the house. As you can imagine, it's been quite the culture shock for us. I'm desperately waiting for the new meds to kick in. And I do mean desperately.

And there you have it. That just about catches everything up. Have a marvelous weekend!

Me Monday

2011-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

it's time for our second installment of me monday!

yay!

the topic of choice today: your favorite celebrities.

these are in no certain order.

just my absolute favorite actors...all of which i would love to be best friends with!

let's start with sandy.

sandra bullock that is.

LOVE her.

love her lots.

love every movie she's in.....yes, even all about steve.

next on the list, lauren graham. you may know her best from gilmore girls (which is next on my netflix que to watch). i personally love her in her new show, parenthood. i think she's gorgeous.

oh dearest julia roberts. i heart her to the infinite degree.

she is my absolute favorite forever and always!

for me she can do no wrong.

yes, i am team jen all the way! still haven't got over her break up from brad.

and for the record, i love the movies she's in.

they never seem to be big box office hits....why is that?

i think most of them are really good!

now ladies, this is a man.

mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.

droooooool!

i love him mucho.

he's my get out of jail free card.

i mean look at him!

gerard butler....enough said.

the fabulous anne hathaway. love her too. i think she's so classy. she reminds me of a modern day audrey hepburn, who, we all know, that i absolutely adore.

and finally, amy adams. i just love her. according to her latest interview with marie claire, i believe, she's not as innocent as everyone portrays her to be. she's got a little wild side.

and she's preggy!

nonetheless, she's cute as a button and i like her!

ok, tag you're it!

i want to know who your favorite celebs are!!!