Summer Weekend Highlights

A couple clearance finds at Old Navy
Date Night
The beautiful city sites
Italian Waiters
More Gelato than we paid for
Marley and Me
10 hours of sleep
A great time of study
Bike rides to the Farmers Market
Fresh squeezed lemonade
Grown Ups (though I still haven't watched the end)
Reading in the swimming pool
Seeing good friends
Karl Strauss burgers with the Lowell's
Caramel apples
a spontaneous visit to my parents'
girls beat boys at Islander
An encouraging sermon at church
changed oil and rotated tires
an awesome Discovery Channel special on Seal Team 6
more reading in the swimming pool
familiar names and faces in the neighborhood
Intern Class
Dinner and great discussion with the Kookers
finishing Firefly Lane (tissues needed!)
Cuddling. love it.

What were the highlights of your weekend?

I Heart Weekends

A couple highlights from this past weekend...?

A freshly washed car
Finishing a great book
A good phone chat with my mom
Going for a swim
Date night with Jeremiah
A clean home
Slurpees at the swimming pool
Shrimp & Crab Fondue with the McDougals
An inspiring/challenging service at church
BBQ Tri-tip sandwiches with Lys & Joe
An afternoon of successful errands
Dinner, Games and a Birthday Celebration with my Cousins

#iliveforweekends

Oh, Happy Day.

Remember this bike?
I totally just bought it.

=)

What's the damage?

3 Little pieces of fabric for a new home decor craft
3 Pairs of Shoes (2 Pumps, 1 Flats)
3 Sweaters (1 Cardigan, 2 Pullovers)
2 Bags of delicious candy
2 Bras
2 T-Shirts
1 Pair of Jeans
1 tin of yummy loose-leaf tea
1 Pair of Jeans
and 1 new Skirt

Successful week of shopping?
I'd say so.

The problem will be getting it home.
Wish me luck.

San Frany: Day 4

San Francisco: Day 4

Well, mom left today.
And I missed her the second she left.

Starbucks with mom before her flight.
The final day of one of my classes
Street hot dogs. Num. Num.
Lunch hour window shopping.
Silly putty. Toy figurines. Pipe-cleaner art.
Shopping Round #?...well, I don't even remember at this point.
A quick solo dinner
Email catch-up and random TV shows in the hotel room.

Mom. Come back.
I may be "old enough" to go on work trips.
But I'm not "old enough" to be without my mommy. :)

San Frany: Day 1

San Francisco: Day 1

I've been here quite a few times before.
With college roommates and with Jeremiah,
but never with my mom and never for work.

Morning Starbucks
Flight delayed due to rain
A co-flyer on the verge of puking
Too much luggage for one girl
Two bell boys, one's a dog
Finding that dance club we happened into a couple years ago
Lunch + Dinner all wrapped up into one
The Cheesecake Factory
Mother-Daughter chats
Shoe shopping success
Starbucks Round 2

Yup, it's true. I love the city.

Prez Weekend Highlights

A good conversation with a stranger at Starbucks
A successful spur-of-the-moment Target trip
Good conversation with a good friend
A new Pampered Chef pizza stone
Watching my roots return to blonde
Saturday afternoon Bible Study
Dinner and a movie with fun friends
Another free birthday drink at the bucks
Meeting new people at church
Family lunch at Phil's BBQ
Shopping with my sister
Pushing Daisies marathon
Presidents' Day
A sleep over with my seester
Hawaiian shaved ice
Wearing pajamas all day Monday

Three-Day Weekends are Bomb.com!

Thankful for: Little Drummer Boy

I wandered around the craft store last night
and in the short time I was there
Little Drummer Boy played not once, but twice.
One of my favorite Christmas songs.
A special treat.

And such a fitting place to play it, I thought.

This song has been
such an encouragement and a challenge for me,
specifically since I heard Silas (now FoF) play it
a handful of years ago.

It challenges me:
to do my best
to lay my gifts before the King
to believe that my talents are worthy,
but that my worth is not in my talents
and to remember the humble beginnings of baby Jesus.

It encourages me:
to see the community gather around the drummer boy
and to know the Lord smiles upon the gifts we bring Him.

Today I'm thankful for:
The Little Drummer Boy

Thankful for: Amra

I spent the afternoon shopping
with my favorite almost-fifteen year old (?!) on the block.

For the past three years, we've made it a tradition
to go Christmas shopping together.
[And one of my favorite Christmas traditions it is.]
This year, it had been a little while since I'd seen her last
which made our outing extra special.

This girl is insanely wise and mature.
She's classy. She's modest. She's humble. She's fun.
Girl's got a great head on her shoulders.
And deep down I know,
we're soul sisters.

I am so thankful for her friendship.
And for the absolutely beautiful woman she is becoming.

Today I'm thankful for: Amra

For Adults and For Me

Last night,
my sweet friend E and I
browsed the aisles of Home Goods
after a tasty meal at The Brig
[ Perfect Date, I might add :) ]

As we strolled down the aisles
gazing at B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L things,
I mentally categorized everything:
"For Adults" or "For Me"

"One day, I'll decorate like an adult" I promised.
But each year, I get older and older
and my eye is still drawn to the more "childish" decorations.

I'd be the first one to tell you
that Shopping and Christianity are
Two. Very. Different. Things.

But when I read this passage during my morning devotional,
I was reminded that
we're not always called to be adults.

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'
He called a little child and had him stand among them.
And he said: 'I tell you the truth,
unless you change and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck
and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.'"
Matthew 18:1-6

Mad Discounts, Yo!

Because of my impeccable coupon-ing skills,
what should have cost me over $300 for a customized craft station,
only cost me about $118.

Yes, you read that correctly.
Way. Over. Half. Off.

Thank you to my sweet husband
for helping me put it together...

Much Needed Rest

This weekend felt so cozy and relaxing.
I was relatively productive, but still enjoyed
Much Needed R E S T

Dinner out with my weekend boyfriend
Packing & Moving (Unpacking is yet to come)
Snuggling up and Sleeping in
A hair cut complete with head massage
Staying in the same sweats all weekend
No Make up/No Shower
Keeping up with the Kardashians marathon All.Day.Saturday
Working on Christmas cards
A few errands
Putting together a little Halloween gift for the hubs
Cozy fireside church service
Laundry: Clean clothes and clean sheets
Hearty chili and warm cornbread muffins
Friendly texts
Coupons galore
Putting together my new desk (see above)
Subway Sandwiches
Movie night with the Mister

Delightful I must say.

Me loves the weekends

Remember that relaxing catch-up weekend I talked about?
I'd say that was a pretty fair prediction.

Aside from working until 7p on Friday,
the weekend consisted of things like:
Purchasing a new couch
A couple Starbucks stops
Catching up on DVR'd shows
Watching a few movies
Starting on Christmas cards
Stops at Home Depot, Lowe's and Ikea
Columbus Day gifts from Mom and Lys
A little bit of leisure reading in the sunshine
Dinner at my Parents' house
Football Games and MLB Playoffs
Christmas shopping
and a Sunset Double-Date Night on the Harbor

The sunset was beautiful.

Christmas Wish List

Well, it's that time of year
where little girls pine for big barbie dream houses
and little boys wish for planes, trains and automobiles.

What's on my Christmas Wish List?

A Yellow Bicycle
A Polaroid Camera
This Book
and
Magazine Subscriptions

Nearing Summer's End

Well, another weekend has come and gone
Far too quickly if you ask me.
But then again, I'm normally of that opinion.

What were some of my favorite parts of the weekend?

Bomb.com blister band-aids
Gilmore Girls Re-runs
Feeling ridiculously sore after Friday's softball practice
OTB's Creamy Red Chile Sauce
Finding a potential couch for our new living room
Chocolate Malted Crunch on a cone
The Ugly Truth
Getting Carried to Bed
A Good Chat with my Fahj
Starbucks' Refreshers
A Spa Pedicure
Subway Sandwiches
Love Letters in Sky-writing
A Successful Shopping Trip
A Sweet Text Message from my Mother-in-Law
Spaghetti Dinner with the Fam
Pre-Season Football
Pictures developed before expected
Scoring FAB-ulous tickets for Mary Poppins next month
Jacuzzi Time
PS: I Love You
2 Timothy 2
Not having to run the AC all day
A Sleepover at my Parents' house
Another challenging sermon at North Coast
Family Lunch
Hanging out with Crane
Dinner with Boffe and his roommates
Welcoming home the Hubs upon his return from Vegas

Is it seriously almost September? What the hey!
As much as I love, love, love Fall...
I'm just not ready to say good-bye to the short-lived Summer
that is just now starting to show her face.

ABC & 123

It's mid-August
and though I have been out of college
for over a year and a half,
I still get that little thrill
when it's back-to-school time.

The pencils, pens and highlighters,
notebooks and dividers,
reams of paper, new book bags
and back-to-school clothes...
Gah, I just love it!

Since I won't officially be heading
"back to school" this August,
I've decided to indulge myself anyway,
with a few simple pleasures that is...
(far better than actually going back to school!)

-- Simple Pleasure #1 --
A trip to the office supply room at work
to stock up on fresh Sharpees, a clean stack of post-its,
and a new notebook to fill with random To Do lists.

-- Simple Pleasure #2 --
A ten minute break
to color with my brand-new Smencils
(I wouldn't mind finding the Holiday collection
or the Tropical Smens in my stocking!)

-- Simple Pleasure #3 --
Thumb through old pictures
from my first-days-of-school in the past.
And take a trip down memory lane,
to remember the many back-to-school shopping trips
with ma, lys and gram.

Ah, freshly sharpened pencils...
I can smell them now.

Mm Lovely

Once upon a time,
I snagged quite a deal
from my very sweet friend Ali.


Thanks, friend!!

Christmas in July

As I listened to 94.1 this morning,
AJ shared the news of Christmas in July.

Because a lot of the retail stores are hurting,
they are promoting another round of
Black-Friday/Cyber-Monday,
but during the summer
This week, in fact.

As it goes with most morning shows,
people called in to voice their humble opinions.
Would you support this?
Do you think this is pushing us to prepare for Christmas
six months in advance?
Or do you think most folks will shop for themselves,
buying things they don't necessarily need,
just because they are on sale?

I started to think about it.
And as much as I love to shop,
the sales weren't what caught me.

It was the Christmas part.

What if we really did spend six months
preparing for Christmas?
What if we spent all year?

(This is where you can feel free to point out
that I'm an over-eager plan-a-holic,
and I DO prepare for Christmas during the summer
by making Christmas cards poolside...)

But seriously...
What if we were constantly preparing for Christmas?
Not by shopping, but by preparing our hearts
for the birth of Jesus.

Holy God as a humbled man.

Welcome Home, Diana

Yesterday, my mommy gave me
this minty little beauty
as a very-thoughtful-just-because gift

I can't wait to start playing with it!
Thank you, Mom!

Run, Forrest, Run

So you may have heard...
we went on a rather MeSsY hike this weekend.
Well, aside from the exercise, the good time with friends,
and the gorgeous natural views,
there's one other little perk: New Running Shoes!!

I wore my only pair of running shoes on our hike
and well, they're quite a mess now.
While I run them through the washing machine a few times,
Jeremiah got me these little beauties (in green!) as replacements
And, they're just in time for
the Fourth of July Fun Run
that Jeremiah and I just signed up for!

(Insert dad saying, 'what happened to my daughter?')

I'm excited to get out there and support youth sports in our community.
Plus, going for a run will probably make me feel a little better
about spending the summer holiday in my bathing suit.
Two birds. One stone, baby!