Christ-Smith-Mas

The last few years Christmas has been on a Sunday or the only day we had to travel. Chase and I have wanted to celebrate Christmas at our home and not rushed so we started the tradition of Christ-Smith-mas. We pick two days before we start our travels north to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas together. Don't get me wrong we love spending Christmas with our families, that's why we travel on the holidays in the first place, but it's nice to have our own little Christmas Eve and Christmas traditions that we're beginning for our family!

Merry Christ-Smith-mas to all!!

Driver Fail Church Van Style

The following weekend, to my previous story, TSM (our student ministry) had a sleepover. In the morning, we were loading up the van and my hands were full. I sat a few things down to put my bigger items in, then loaded the rest. 

When I pulled out of the driveway I said to the girls "I don't remember the driveway being that bumpy." Looking out my side mirror I realized it had never been that bumpy. 

I ran over my purse and game bag!! Needless to say a few things were CUHRUSHED!!!! Including wii game boxes (not games, shew), all of my lip gloss (into a lovely pink goo all over my purse), Catch Phrase (my fave game), and some pretty important pills. Obviously, I was most torn up over Catch Phrase. It had provided so many phrasy times over the years. The girls and I said a few kind words about her and sent her to a better place. 

Well, there you have it my great masterpiece posts after a long blogging hiatus! I hope I'm not the only one with crazy driving stories!! Share if you have any. 

Driver Fail

In a matter of a week I had a few ridiculous car experiences. Some might call them mishaps or accidents but I prefer experiences. 

One morning I stopped by subway to get my lunch for a field trip.  Although the sign said they opened at 7 A.M. the inside was completely dark when I arrived around 6:55. I thought if I got there a little early whoever was opening would have things ready and be able to take my order so I wouldn't risk being late for work but that wasn't the case. After deciding to wait until 7:03 I sat back in my car listening to my morning pick-me-up K-LOVE. 

Two minutes went by and a car zoomed into the parking lot to park their car nose to nose with mine. As she exited her car, I recognized her green subway shirt so I got out to ask her if it would take long to set up the food. Mid sentence she starts interrupting me with wild hand flails. Finally I realize she's trying to tell me my car is drifting towards her front end. 

Frantic I stick half a leg in to try to slam on the brake as my head is looking at her shouting OMG I'm so sorry and crazy. Ahhhhh how did I do this?! My foot found the brake petal simultaneously to my bumper finding her bumper. Luckily ole' CiCi the Civic hadn't picked up enough speed to do any damage. I guess, sitting there I never put my car in Park, and apparently thought I did. Ugh!! 

If that wasn't bad enough now I had to walk into Subway with the girl and order my sub. Talk about awkward. She kept apologizing for being late. I gushed apologizes for hitting her car. Our conversation pretty much went back and forth like that until I was out the door. What a way to start the morning?! 

Driver Fail Part Two later this week...come by again for confirmation that you're not the only goofball out there. 

Color Run Fun!!

Last Saturday, we ran the Charlotte Color Run with my friend Heidi!! It was a blast! It was so great to have her come down and visit. Plus, the color run was such an awesome event!! If you have one coming up in your area, you should register. Tons of people were walking, running, and even walk running...it's just a 5k so anyone can do it.

Recreating Pumpkin Show

Envying everyone's Pumpkin Show Facebook status's then driving with an Adele CD in is a bad combination. It made me sad! So I got to thinking and Chase was so sweet about deciding to spend our evening recreating the greatest free show on earth!!

The pumpkin patch was our obvious first stop. A local church sets out tons of pumpkins in their front yard and sells them as a fundraiser for their mission trip. Willow helped us pick out the perfect pumpkin, not too big, not too small, pretty rounded but not perfectly.

For a fair-like dinner we went to Uncle Bucks where fried food can be found everyday. The next time you're there try the bunless burger with 'mashed taters.' delish!!
The closest thing to the large variety of sweets the pumpkin show has to offer was Sweet Frog, our local froyo shop. Too bad they didn't have pumpkin flavored froyo.

That night we had plans to attend the downtown ghost walk. The tour goes through the historical district, tales of the cities history as well as particular individuals history were shared by our guide who is a local pastor. Our group was bigger than average which made the experience of walking city streets hemmed in by a crowd of people even more authentic for our purpose.

Recreating the Pumpkin Show was a complete success. The Pumpkin Show is a must see so visit Ohio in the Fall and make sure to go the third week of October! If you ever find yourself pinning for some hometown traditions think outside the gourd and recreate.

Catalyst 2012

Chase and I attended a leadership conference for church leaders a few weeks ago, called Catalyst. I wanted to share an inspirational nugget from some of the speakers who SO inspired me.

It's better to make a difference than to make a point. 

~Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Ministries, Inc. in the Atlanta area

An introvert just has a longer runway to get to where they are comfortable. 

~Susan Cain, author of Quiet

If I love those around me I owe it to them to enter into the danger of accountability. 

~Patrick Lencioni, founder and president of The Table Group and 

author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

 We need to realize the full dignity of every human being.

~ Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director of Equal Justice Initiative

Stewardship means to do whatever you do better than you were asked right where you are right now.

~Perry Noble, Senior Pastor of NewSpring Church

We can't lose our identity because of our failures. 

and

We get to make along side the God who fixes problems with parties (reference to the Prodigal Son).

~Jon Acuff, Blogger, Stuff Christians Like and author of Quitter

These are just a hand full of the speakers who challenged and encouraged us over the two day conference.  If you work in a church or lead in some sort of ministry, Catalyst was awesome and you should totally check it out.

Partners

Chase and I started running fairly consistently in the mid summer.  At first we had some bad experiences working out together which had nothing to do with me being slow and whiny.

I, like most girls, have a hard time working out without a partner. I thought what better workout partner than my main man, my partner for life.  Well...our ideas about working out, our pace, and our attitudes are totally different which caused a few humorous and probably overly dramatic tiffs.

I mean, you know, when you are out of shape and you run a mile or two it's not a great time to be asked "are you ok?" "why are you breathing like that?" On the other hand, trying to get into shape with a partner who runs the pace of the tortoise from the good ole story The Tortoise and the Hare, could be challenging. In my defense the tortoise does end up winning!!
 
I think you get the picture, we had a rocky start.  Through this workout war we've compromised, negotiated, cheated, encouraged each other, and become better partners. It took some time, a few trial and errors, several apologies (ugh that darn pride'll get you every time), and time management but I think we've found a good routine for ourselves.

Here's to being ready for the Color Run and the Tough Mudder (just Chase)!!

Today we enjoyed a nice soggy run through a local park.

Everyone Loves Friday

This conversation took place in my class today:
Boy 1: Friday is my best friend!
Boy 2: where is Friday?
Boy 3: Hey, today is today!

I'm not 100% sure what that means but today certainly is today and that day is FRIDAY, our best friend!

No pics of students allowed so here's our awesome word wall!

Friday Letters

Dear Friday you may be bringing a lot on this weekend but I'm so glad you're here! Dear Week you've seemed so long and busy that this morning I washed my entire body with shampoo and then tried to open my classroom with my house key but I forgive you since it's friday! Dear Mallory you had some awesome toenail polish on the other day! Thanks for the neon inspiration. Dear 77 Please give us traffic free and cop free travels. Dear (Chase's) Grandma  I hope you get back to feeling well. We're excited to see you...very soon!! Dear Homework go easy on me these last three weeks. I learned my lesson to ease into a program rather than try to overachieve...although that's pointless now unless I start another Master's degree, yeah right!! Dear Girl's Small Group I've really enjoyed our time together so far. Keep the good conversations coming! Dear Husband you've been amazing since I started classes. Thank you for all of your help around the house. Thank you for understanding my slow and steady work habits and giving me tips to speed up the process. Dear Friday Letters I've finally decided to jump on the band wagon...I just enjoy reading everyone else's so much that I figured it was high time I gave you a whirl. Dear Readers I have not been very consistent lately so I'm thankful to all of you who have stuck around. I feel so honored that you take the time to stop by! Have a fabulous Friday!!

Linking up here

September 11th

During our trip to NYC we visited

 the area where Ground Zero is located. 

A nearby church (visit them at trinitywallstreet.org) 

has an amazing memorial 

to those who lost their lives 

and 

to honor that time of our history. 

Different stations around the sanctuary allow you 

to remember precious lives

to relive the stories of unity and support

to light a candle in prayer 

and

to take a ribbon proclaiming
"for a world of good." 

God

comfort and give peace

to all of us impacted by this day

Amen

Sorry the writing is blurry, it explains that ironworkers recovered steel from the rubble to create symbols of hope.

Pool It Together

Over the weekend some friends of ours had a pretty rad idea!! A large out building stands right by their outdoor pool so we set up a projector and watched JAWS while lounging in the pool. Talk about atmosphere!! I jumped, I yelled, I squirmed, I jerked (not the dance). Did I mention that was my first time seeing the movie? Pretty unforgettable...not to mention I'm slightly terrified of sharks!!


Awesome Labor Day Weekend shindig even with the two hour search for Chase's lost keys!!! We couldn't have done it without the help of our great friends!! Thanks a ton for a fun time!!

Favorite Things: August

WOW!! With August being a half summer month and half school month I feel like it lasted the same as two months! Which is perfectly fine with me because I LOVE summer and all of its goodness!!

My fave things of August

1. Coconut M&M's
If you haven't had them yet you've gotta try them.


2. FROYO: Sweet Frog specifically

This last month I had a renewed passion for my spring love!!

3. The Rolo McFlurry 
One of those limited time only offers...probably good because I might eat them way too much!!

 

I promise I do more than eat so my final favorite has nothing to do with food except that we ate a lot of delicious food while we were at the beach.

4. Our family Vacation

Get all the dets here!!

I really love this link up!! Thank you to Dancing with Ashley for putting it out there!

I especially love what she did with Favorite Things this month, very creative blog!!

Computer Fail

This Fall I'll be taking online classes toward a Master's in Counseling. My first week of class just ended Sunday. That afternoon I needed to turn in an article review and do a timed quiz so I turned on the computer and opened the Internet to find it wasn't connecting.

Oh No!!!!

This had never been a problem before, of course the time it acts up is the day of a deadline. Isn't that just how it seems to go? No fear though...my terrific husband came to the rescue and stayed on the phone for over an hour working everything out!! I love that guy!

Big Advice on a Small Miracle

The other night, lying in bed, my heart constricted as an anxious feeling welled up inside of me.  What if I'm never ready to be a mom? What if I'm always too fussy, too nit picky, to insecure to decide it's time to take another human's life into our hands? While talking to a friend, I brought it up and she gave me some really good advice.

Accept your kids for who they are.  Don't try to force them into who or what you want them to be.  If they aren't an A student then they aren't an A student and that's OK. 

The child God creates and gives natural gifts and personality to will be miraculously better than the person I try to contrive into my "perfect" little mold.

For now I'll just have to practice on these too!!
 

Operation Retro {2}

My mother~in~law found this dress for a great deal. She very kindly offered it to me and it just so happens to fit into my Operation Retro wardrobe. Yay!! 

With Labor Day quickly approaching I couldn't pass up wearing these white wedges. They were a Payless find from three years ago, I originally bought them to wear with my wedding dress but decided on pretty white slippers for comfort (an idea I totally recommend even if it's a switch to comfy shoes once the reception starts). 

I paired my summer shoes with some pearls to pull it all together since the dress probably would have looked best with black heels.  My bracelet was gifted from a great college friend and my necklace was a bridesmaid gift from my sister~in~law.

If my dress was browns and reds I'd blend in!!

Garden City 2012

Last week, we vacationed at the beach with Chase's family. To say we had a great time would be an understatement.  It was a blast!! My in~laws exemplify "full of life" they enjoy life, laugh often, and possibly dance like no one's watching.  If in~laws were flowers I'd pick a giant bouquet of the ones I already have!! I just love them. 
 

  

Thanks to my momma for the dress!!

Ingredients for the Perfect Beach Week

1. 1 night of Karaoke with a pinch of Faithfully by Journey
2. A plate full of crab legs
3. Sprinkle in shopping
 












4. 2 helpings of Bocce Ball 
5. Mix with an attempt to fly a kite
6. A dash of Putt Putt

 












7. Add Fro Yo (generously)
8. Stir with a boogey board 
9. Sift out husbands to go golfing 

10. Pour all ingredients into a large bowl of: "where should we go today beach  
      or pool?" 

Finally enjoy with family while listening to a beach week theme song: 

Haters Gonna Hate

One Day Trip to VA

This week my family has been with their youth group in Virginia for a mission trip. Early in the week we were able to drive up for a day to visit. I LOVED seeing my family for the short but sweet time.  We also enjoyed time with their youth group and the youth pastor and his wife!! Not to mention a friend from my days in youth group who coordinates the work projects in Virginia!

One of the coolest parts is that: when my sister and I were counselors together at Nipgen Jr. Camp we had all of the girls who were on the trip in our dorm!! I'm very sentimental and nostalgic so we had to get a picture. Each girl is growing up to be so beautiful. I love to see how their personalities have grown. Seeing them serve Jesus in this way and to spend their week working for God puts a smile on my face! 

The three ladies to my left in the back weren't in our dorm. lol!

Favorite Things

July's Favorite Things  

This romper I bought from Marshall's last summer for my sister-in-laws' rehearsal dinner.  Happy One year Anniversary!!!

That seashell wall paper is also...GONE!!!

Spending the mission trip and just everyday time with Xalt students! If you aren't already involved in a church whether it's attending the main service or a small group, give it a shot! It just might brighten your life!

$10 floral wedges from The Shoe Department

The midnight premier of The Dark Knight Rises and all of the conversations  since then dissecting it with the ultimate Batman fan aka my husband!! If you have a question about the trilogy he's seriously the person to ask.

The dance for Sunday's So You Think You Can Dance message about Career {video to come} and the super fun ladies who joined in, the guys are pretty cool too (and amazingly talented) I just don't have a picture of them.

Our one day visit to Virginia!! {that's a post in and of itself...more to come}

Thanks to Dancing with Ashley for the link up!!

 

Jogger's Baked Salmon

Since my parents introduced me to Advocare several months ago, I have been trying to cook more lean meats and veggies.  About a week ago, I found a recipe on cooks.com that turned out just right for our post jog appetite.  We've had it twice now and really liked it!!

Jogger's Baked Salmon

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking pan with olive oil.
Start off with Salmon fillets or steaks, as many as you will need to prepare.
Spread a light coat of mayonnaise over each piece (you cannot taste it once it's cooked).
Sprinkle the following over the fillets:
            garlic powder
            onion powder
            Mrs. Dash
            Paprika
Be generous with all of the spices but add to your own taste.  

Bake for 10 to 20 minutes.  I baked mine between 15 and 17 minutes and they were perfectly done.


 

I had a frozen summer vegetable medley from the frozen veggie aisle at Wal-Mart that I boiled.  Then I added to some cut up green peppers and tomatoes and sauteed all of that for a few minutes in a small amount of olive oil.  I tried sauteing tomatoes for the first time and we both loved the flavor they added to the vegetable mix.     
   

Let me know if you have any tasty fish or chicken recipes or how it goes if you try this one.

Accessory Awareness

Inspired by a college friend and fellow blogger I decided to post about my jewelry space savers. I had the problem of my jewelry not being easily accessible. These items helped me to have full awareness of my organized accessories so it's easy to wear them more often.

Something like this can be purchased at T.J. Maxx or Marshall's. It has plenty of storage for earrings.

A cork board with some snazzy push pins can do wonders for a mess of necklaces.  I love love love this idea...{for the life of me I can't remember who I got it from, so if you know who you are...thank you and please feel free to comment!!} If you are more creative than I, you can secure fabric over the cork area before you apply the push pins.  You could use fabric that matched the room or give a splash of color to your vanity area.

 

I've had this little beauty for quite a while. It was a gift from my parents for Christmas when I was in high school.  It holds all kinds of things.  The middle door has a ceiling rack with hooks for bracelets or rings. The floor of it has rows to insert your rings.  I store chunkier bracelets in the drawers.  

The two side doors have hangers on the door and on the inside of the compartment, perfect for necklaces.

 

sorry this pic is darker...with all of the glass the flash seemed blinding.

There you have it...all of my jewelry space savers. 
What are some of your cute and creative organizers?

You can't handle the truth...or can you?

One beautiful thing about Jesus is that 
He sees who we really are and loves us any way.  

The crazy thing, though, is that we have to be able 
to see the truth about ourselves before we can fully accept His grace.  
It might be ugly, in fact if you're anything like me, 

it definitely will be 

U.G.L.Y!!

{Pretend that spoon holds the scum I've come to face.}

I want to experience the fullness of God's grace so I wrote down the truth about me as it came to my mind, probably not everything but some things that I'm wrong about.  I found out something amazing while I was doing this...I didn't feel overwhelmed by my sinfulness, I didn't feel disgusting. I saw that yeah...while things in my life {how I speak to people, trying to control every detail, being critical or judgmental, etc.} are sinful; Jesus knows they are part of my life but is just waiting for me to give them to Him, to ask forgiveness, and accept His grace.  I don't have to wallow in that scum.

His grace wants to let me experience His love even though I do sinful things after being a Christian most of my life.  His grace waits patiently to forgive me when I finally admit I've been wrong.  His grace offers compassion to me so that I can be changed from speaking hatefully to speaking with love (1 Corinthians 13), from trying to control to trusting God's timing and plans (Matthew 6: 25-34), and from criticizing to being open and loving (1 Corinthians 13, again-it's that important). 

Truth is the front door to the warm, inviting home of grace.  

You can't know the second without embracing the first.

~Jen Hatmaker in Girl Talk

Breakfast for Dinner

Who can resist french toast for dinner? 

Definitely NOT us!!

Last night after swimming a few laps 

we cooked up some french toast.

Swimming for exercise and french toast for dinner...

probably cancel each other out but oh well!

My legs were jello but my stomach was full of goodness!!

 

There is just something about breakfast food 

during a relaxing weekend

that puts the icing on the cake! 

Maybe it's because growing up and still when I travel home

we eat an amazing weekend breakfast

or just the word "SYRUP" (say it to yourself a few times)

Weird, huh?

What I do know is I love breakfast foods!

They remind me to stop and smell the rose shaped pancakes.

What do you do to top off your weekend?