A List of Accomplishment

It's amazing how a "day off" isn't really a day away from work. I do feel good when I can accomplish a lot within my day away from work work. I started my morning by waking up to the sound of rain. I knew right then that I was going to have to REALLY motivate myself to get stuff done. Well, I got up, got Madison (11 1/2 yr old Yorkshire Terrier) her medicine and breakfast. I then ventured out into the laundry room where I began the first of a few loads of laundry for the day. After that, I got myself ready and went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and then on to the grocery store. Very grateful to get back to the house, Maddie kept her eye on the neighborhood while I vacuumed the house. Do you just have the good feeling after vacuuming? I sure do! I'm sure it's just the whole "clean" factor. One thing was automatically checked off the list of "things to do"...the watering of plants was done with some help from God. I was definitely thankful for that...since I hate for dad to return home after vacation to dead plants...Well, after the vacuum cleaner did its job, Maddie and I decided to relax for a bit and watch Something Borrowed and took a 30-40 minute nap afterwards. (BTW, the movie was super cute! definitely one that I want to buy) Well, other than switching out more loads of laundry, that concludes my day and it's only 7:30! I'm so tired, which probably isn't helped by my allergies that have been and are continuing to beat me up.

Something that's really interesting, is Maddie and her fascination with the front storm door.

This cat is the only animal she allows on our porch. We kind of adopted the cat after it (yeah...we have no idea if its male or female because it's too skittish of people) was left behind our neighbors. They will sit at that door and just stare at each other though! It's very interesting to me...as you can tell.

Like I said...it was an all-in-all productive day and can say that Maddie and I will sleep very well tonight!

Movies!!!

I don't know how, but I've managed to watch 2 movies...yes, I said TWO!...in the past two nights. I finally got myself to see The Adjustment Bureau. It was really interesting and got my mind thinking. The nice thing that I can conclude with is that my God controls everything that happens in the world. If something isn't meant to be, He'll make sure that I find that out within His perfect planning. It's such a relief to be able to know that my life is in the best hands that I could ask for. I just have to remind myself that I can't be the one to try to "take the wheel" (as Carrie Underwood states in her song "Jesus Take the Wheel"). I've got to be willing to allow God to take control.

The other movie I was able to watch is Robin Hood. This is the newest version of it that features Russell Crowe. Yes, I admit that he is one of the main reasons that this movie even struck me as interesting. There have been SO many movies written about the story of Robin Hood, all the way from cartoons to silly comical movies. This one was so intense and it depicted the beginnings of Robin and how he obtained that name of "Hood". No...I honestly haven't researched YET if this is truly how the book depicts the story, but I shall do so when I have more time. You know, I only have so much energy for getting myself to sit down and watch a movie, let alone do research on it! :)

Is that a breeze???

I was down in Florida this past weekend and I got SO excited because the evenings are getting darker faster and there was....wait for it....a CHILL in the air! And if there was a chill in the air in Florida, I KNEW I'd be coming home to cool evenings and mornings! Well, Aniston is officially at her 8 month old mark. AH! I need to the time to slow down! I did get an adorable picture from my sister of Aniston at the pumpkin patch in Gaffney, SC.

Her shirt says "Cutest pumpkin in the patch". I'm just glad that no one tried to pick her!

So...back to my happy smiley weather. This brings out my want of a comfy flannel blanket, a book, and a glass of wine while laying in a park. *sigh* If only work could be THAT every day...

Peace Love & Hip Hop

I have recently gone outside of my bubble and went to my very first hip hop dance class. It was GREAT! I was so excited and nervous, but had the best time ever! There's a local group that teaches dance classes to kids. Apparently they were getting requests from adults wanting to learn dance routines as well...and VOILA! There soon became an adult hip hop dance class. It's the most amazing workout and the music with the beats make for a great time. I have always wanted to learn to dance as well, so this just puts a lot of my "likes" into one evening. Check out the website for Peace Love & Hip Hop when you get a chance.

Catching Up

Wow...so I started this out towards the beginning of the year (blogging that is) and didn't realize how much discipline it takes to sit down and just type my thoughts and opinions. So here goes another try...

Have you every noticed the beauty of God's creation and then realize that that "beauty" is sometimes the things that you're scared of? Take the following picture for instance:

I'm no fan of spiders, but the way they make their webs so strong and durable just astounds me! Look at the beautiful design in the middle! I mean how could some creepy crawly critter make something so intricate and amazing???

We all know that September in Charleston means the weather will constantly be changing from humid to nice and breezy until it just turns cold. Well, September also means....FOOTBALL SEASON! Okay, so I'm not an avid football watcher myself, but I am a Clemson fan. So of course you know that I'm going to share another picture of my adorable niece as she enters into her very first football season!

Could there be anything more precious than a 7 month old baby in a cheerleading outfit?!?! (Let it be known that as she gets older, she will be wearing REAL sports jersey's instead of those cheerleading outfits) :)

My sister and brother-in-law have also found her halloween costume for this year...

...and yes, this has got to be the cutest leopard ever!!! (I'm not biased because I'm an Aunt or anything am I?)

3 Months and Changing Daily

I was able to make a quick trip to go see my sister and niece. I was SO happy since I hadn't seen them in about 3 whole weeks! (I know...that's a dramatically long time) I was happy to visit with Jen since she's getting ready to start her new job on Monday. I was able to be there as extra moral support since she's having to put Aniston in daycare. :( I will say, that this is not a "chain" daycare and that there is a lady who has been working there for over 30 years! Jennifer made a great point as saying that at least she knows that the people there truly love children since they've been there for so long working. Jen is sad that she'll have to leave her and she's afraid that she'll miss certain things as she still has lots of growing up to do. I know that this is for the best and that she's got good people taking care of her.

I will say that she is still the sweetest little stinker ever! I love her bunches!

They just moved to a new little condo that is in Clinton, SC and they are right across from Presbyterian College so the area is great. There's a pretty pond that we walked to one evening to go feed the ducks. On the way there, Jen tells me about this massive duck that is just about equal to a medium sized dog. Well, I was having a hard time believing this....but sure enough when we go there...THIS thing starting walking towards me...

Other than the gigantic duck that kept following me and freaking me out, I was able to have a nice walk with Jen and Aniston.

Spin, Spin as fast as you can!

The class of spinning. No, I don't mean twirling around in circles with long ribbons. I'm talking about an invigorating hour class at the gym where you're in a room with about 25 other people spinning the wheels of a stationary bike! Yes...I absolutely LOVE going to spin class.

I never thought I would be attending a class where I'm stuck on a bike (not for the fun of an outdoor bike ride like I would have done when I was younger) for an hours worth of time. However!...I will say that the crazy ton of sweat that I produce during that time has got to be the best feeling ever. I know it sounds crazy, but I love coming out of the class and I can physically see the sweat blotches on my clothes. I know how disgusting that must sound, but for someone who has created a fond new hobby of running and working out in general...well...this is honestly one of those highlighted moments that make you feel like you're on top of the world and can conquer anything. Also, I love the fact that my muscles feel amazing after this class. For those who have thought about taking a spin class or would like a great way to get in shape and tone those muscles...this is definitely a way to go!

Easter Sunday

I'm so encouraged knowing that more and more people these days are realizing the incredible importance of Easter and what it means. I am teaching Sunday School at my church (please feel free to check out the website and listen to past sermons at ) and our lesson today was on John the Baptist. We discussed how he was sent to spread the news that Jesus was coming. How wonderful it was for me to be able to talk to them a bit about the preparation for Jesus and how we celebrated how he was brought back from the grave!
I was also so encouraged by all of the people who are so proud to exclaim that HE IS RISEN! In a society that is filled with sin, it's really great to see God shining through the lives and words of others.

I also wanted to share Aniston's pre-Easter picture...

Oh! And as she is getting ready to turn 12 weeks on Tuesday, I have found out that she has said her first word...Can you guess what it is? "dada" :) Sadfully it wasn't "DeeDee" as I would have hoped. I might get into the story of how I got the nickname "DeeDee" at a later time.

The Phone Call of Dreams

A simple 5-10 minute phone call was able to turn a typical Friday into the most amazing Friday I could ask for! What kind of call was this??? Why, it was a call from one of the MANY places that I've been applying to for a job. YES! I have a face-to-face interview with them on Wednesday. I'm not going to mention the company that I'm going to be interviewing with, so you'll have to wait and see. This is such an answer to prayer though. As I've mentioned before, I've been out of a job since the middle of January. During this time of unemployment, I've gotten a lot accomplished with school, but I'll be SO happy to have that additional structure back in my life. It's been an experience though and I hope to be out of this experience sooner rather than later. My interview is on Wednesday of this coming week so I'm incredibly anxious!

On another note...I'm only 3 days away from being another year older. *sigh* Where does the time go? I'm going to be hitting the big 2-4...Still hard to believe when I think about it, but with the call about an interview today, this is making an excellent start to a "birthday" weekend! :)

Uncertain Future

It's interesting how your life can become so upside down in such a short period of time.  Being let go from a job during the middle of January and am still looking.  I never would have thought that I would have been in this situation.  It's definitely been difficult, but I keep reminding myself that God is faithful and that He will always provide for me.  I'm incredibly grateful to my family as I've been dealing with this struggle. My parents have been incredibly supportive and have helped me while I've gotten myself caught up on the bills.  I'm doing well with the money I'm getting through unemployment and have been dog/house sitting and babysitting on the side.  All-in-all, you can say I'm standing on my feet again and I don't feel like I'm drowning! :)

On other notes, my niece went to the doctors for her first shots today.  My sister said that she took them better than she thought.  I wish I could have been there to cuddle her during the shots.  I'm happy that I'll get to see her and Jennifer on Sunday.  She has so much expression!

See what I mean?! She's only two months and has the cutest expressions ever! I'm an incredibly proud aunt! I'm already praying that she will never have to go through hard times, such as losing a job. I'd be more than happy to go through the trial of finding a job for years and years if I knew it would mean she would never know what that felt like. Well, Sociology reading is calling my name...I suppose I should answer.