To DIY or not to DIY

I have quite a dilemma these days. What is it, you ask?

To DIY or not to DIY...that is the question.

For those of you who may not know, DIY is Do It Yourself. In the realm of weddings, there are so many creative ideas, tutorials, articles, and magazines devoted to those who enjoy DIYing (or DIT...Doing It Themselves). Being the craft lover that I am, I get sucked in. I want to DIY (or DIM...Do It Myself). But the question is how much is too much? How many things should I decided to DIY (DIM)?

I love craft projects, but I'm guilty of over committing myself to projects and hobbies. I think that I can do it all myself. I have a hard time using that handy tactic that I learned in 5th grade-"Just Say No". In attempting to plan a budget friendly wedding, it's ESPECIALLY hard to say "no" to the money saving crafts. Can't you see my dilemma?

There are several things I'm contemplating DIY...DIMing...Doing myself...whatever. Right now, invitations are on the top of my "maybe I should DIY (DIM)" list. We shall see.

So do I DIM? or do I let someone else DIT and pay them for it? Such a predicament.

Here was my latest DIY (DIM) project! It comes with a tutorial as well.

HOW TO MAKE SUPER FUN WEDDING SHOES:


You will need:

• 1 plain, boring, simple pair of pumps

• 1 brooch that you've had for 2 years

• lots of prayer that someone is selling the exact same brooch on ebay

First buy the plain shoes.

Find a brooch that fits perfectly.

Pray for and buy the matching brooch on eBay.

Voila! Super fun wedding shoes! 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pardon me while I prop up my feet...:)

Like Manna from Heaven...

I am often amazed at God's provision in my life. I have never been without something I didn't need, and often times without something I didn't want. I am overwhelmingly blessed by the family I've been given, my significant other, my wonderful friends, the opportunity to go to college and study music, the opportunity to go to a CHRISTIAN college, the experiences I've been able to have, etc. Lately I've been overwhelmed at the Lord's provision for wedding plans. Things are falling into place quickly and pretty easily (or it seems that way).

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about decisions and shoes. Since then, I found a truly awesome pair of shoes! Then I returned them. I know, kind of an anti-climactic story. It gets better, I promise.

I returned those awesome shoes to Dillard's and decided to look for some different truly awesome shoes. Wesley was actually with me, so I asked his opinion. Of course, he picked out the simplest shoes. Plain Jane. Boring. Cute and comfortable, but still not very interesting. I actually went ahead and got them...he's quite the persuasive one. I got them home and finally admitted to myself that I actually liked the simple more than the elaborate ones that I had first gotten. I still wanted something to spruce them up...some bling, some flowers, some something! I looked on etsy.com for shoe clips and found some interesting ones, but nothing that "struck my fancy" as my mother would say. I thought I was going to have to walk down the aisle with boring, plain ole blush/champagne colored shoes. Yes, I realize no one will actually see my shoes, but knowing that they're there will make me stand up straighter, I promise. Just go with me on this one.

So I was in my room last week writing a lesson plan. I looked down at my plain wedding shoes and thought "I need to find something to do with those." I looked for some type of jewelry that I could put up to my shoe just for a visual example. I saw a brooch on my dresser that I had gotten a couple years ago to wear with a dress for a recital I played in. I thought, "Hmm....that's pretty. Maybe I can find something like that. I'll try it to see what it looks like." ( Yes, I always think in complete sentences...) So I put it on my shoe. Then, something AMAZING happened.

It fit PERFECTLY. The shoes are peep toe and the narrowest part is 2 inches...the back of the brooch is 2 inches. It was meant to be!!

"But wait..." you say (as I did). "You only have one brooch, and you have two shoes." You are correct. It made me sad to realize this. I racked my brain to remember the brand of the brooch so I could look it up online. I remembered it was Liz Claiborne, and typed "Liz Claiborne rhinestone brooch" into Google. Lots of brooches. None of them were the ones I needed. I went to eBay expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.

I typed it in the search and scrolled down, and I saw a blurry picture of a rhinestone brooch! Could it be?! I clicked on it to get a closer look...my computer was taking forever! I grabbed my brooch and ran into the living room and pulled it up on Mom's computer. I held my brooch up next to the picture and got a second opinion. After discussion, we decided that YES!! It was the exact same brooch!! I had to order it! I bid on it...but then I had to wait 4 days until the auction was over. It was nerve racking....but fear not! Today, I am the proud owner of 2 brooches for my 2 wedding shoes. It should be coming in the mail the day after tomorrow!

It turns out she bought the brooch 2 years ago and it fell behind her dresser. She recently found it and didn't need it anymore. Thank you, Lord for allowing her to misplace that brooch!

So while brooches on shoes may seem like just another fun detail to the wedding, they are much more than that for me. When I put on those shoes on September 24th (8 months from yesterday), those brooches will be reminder that my God is Jehovah Jirah. He will provide. He provided something as small and seemingly insignificant as the brooches on my shoes. I know I can trust in Him for my future.

Matthew 6:25-34

25“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^g 28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I'll post a picture when I get the other :)

I'll leave you with a blast from the past. This was March 2006. Before we were dating...ahh the memories...

Confessions of the Complexity of a Twenty-something Year Old

Thursday night before I went to bed, I saw on Facebook that Old Navy was having 40% off on their already reduced clearance stuff. I, being the "bargainista" that I am, had to check it out just to make sure I didn't miss out on anything amazing.

After school, I headed on over to Old Navy. I walked straight to the clearance items, picked up anything cute I saw in my size, and went to the dressing room. I tried on 3 pairs of jeans because I've gotten clearance jeans at ON for 8 dollars or less in the past. However, they hugged all the wrong places and were about 6 inches too long. I was actually relieved...I didn't need to buy jeans anyways!

I tried on 3 shirts, all of which fit and were around $4 a piece. They went into my "yes pile." I also tried on a skirt that was a strange color of purplish grey. I had decided not to get it because I didn't know what I'd wear with it, but then I reminded myself it was "only $5" (as Emily Bass and I always say). Thus, I changed my mind, put it in my "yes pile", and took it home to see if I had anything to wear with it.

The last thing I saw when I was making my final sweep around was a pair of capris for $7. They were regular length so I figured they'd be just right as straight jeans on me...why not try them? They were only $7!

I checked out and headed home. On my way home I had an epiphany. As you can tell by my previous posts about decisions, I'm an indecisive person. I'm a very careful decision maker. I consider all the possible outcomes and over-analyze the situation to death before I make a decision. EXCEPT when it comes to clothing. I'm an impulse buyer. I get chastised at Christmas time because if I see something I like, I just buy it for myself instead of telling someone I want it.  When you put impulse buyer with bargain shopper, it can be a dangerous combination. ESPECIALLY if something is "only $5!"

I also realized that while I'm a planner and feel better when Vera (my Vera Bradley planner) is by my side, I'm an intense procrastinator. My motto is "why do it today if you can do it tomorrow?" I work better under pressure anyways. Maybe it's that I always procrastinate so I force myself to work well under pressure...I don't know. Another realization was that while I like to be organized and clean, my room and car are terribly unorganized and messy. I like to call it organized chaos. I know where things are, but no one else can find it. Why am I so complicated?! I confuse myself.

I don't have any explanations or solutions to my complexity. The only thing I have is thankfulness to the Lord that he takes my complex mess of a life and understands all the complexities that even I don't understand about myself.

Back to my shopping spree. I got home and showed my dad all my deals...since he was dying to see them all, I know. (That's another complexity...even when I know the males in my family don't care about the clothes I get or the cute things I make, I show them anyways...) As I was pulling out my super awesome deals I noticed a couple things. 1) I got a shirt in XL when I meant to get it in M. 2) The capris I got were ACTUALLY skinny jeans. I have never in my life worn skinny jeans. Not only were they skinny jeans, but they have dark blue sequins all the way down the side...I'm not one for sequins, especially on my jeans. Especially if they're skinny jeans...If I'm wearing skinny jeans I don't want anything else on them that might add extra attention. I immediately put it in my "take back pile", along with the XL shirt and purplish grey skirt that I couldn't find anything to go with.

However, I had to model my clothes for my parentals, so I put on the jeans. At first, I almost threw up in my mouth. "No way, Jose." I said to myself. Then I put on a shirt I got for 3 dollars. The jeans grew on me with the longer shirt. I put some flats on to complete the look. I actually liked it. WHAT?!!? Sequined, skinny jeans?!?! Yeh, I still can't believe it myself. They're now in my "keep pile".

My, oh my. How complex I am.

Preparing to teach and planning to wed...

I made it through my first two days of student teaching this week! Of course, I didn't actually teach anything this week, but just having two days under my proverbial belt makes me feel better about this spring. I'll start teaching Kindergarten and 1st grade music classes in a couple weeks, and then build from there. After watching my cooperating teacher teach every grade over 2 days, I realized something about Kindergarten kiddos. They think EVERYTHING is funny. They tell you random facts. They raise their hand to tell you that their birthday is in July. I already have 2 Kindergarten kiddo stories after 2 days.

1) Upon the music teacher introducing me to the class as "Miss Lindsey" a girl raised her hand and said, "I had a dog named Lindsey once! But she died." The teacher responded, "You had a DOG named Lindsey?? That's a girl name!" The little girl said matter-of-factly, "Yeh, it was a GIRL dog!"

2) The second isn't quite as interesting, but it made me laugh. After the teacher explained why an unfamiliar girl (me) was sitting at her desk, the whole class stood up to look at me. They all waved with blank stares like they weren't so sure about whether I was going to be nice or not. Then one little boy, who was staring the most intently out of the whole class said, "I like your necklace", and immediately sat back down. I'm so glad that my fashion sense was confirmed by a 5 year old boy! :)

Another funny thing happened after a 3rd grade class in which the teacher had introduced me and given a small tidbit of my life. She told them where I went to college, that I am engaged, and that I am getting married this year. After class, two 3rd grade girls asked to look at my ring. I don't think I even knew what an engagement ring was in 3rd grade. Just kidding, but seriously I wouldn't have thought to ask to look at a ring in 3rd grade. I'm used to college girls and women asking to see my ring, but 3rd graders was a new experience. It was an experience that made me laugh, nonetheless.

It should be fun, but I just have to work on my comedy act for the Kindergarten classes to get them laughing...which shouldn't be too hard. Yesterday they thought a song about hippos in the snow was the most hilarious song ever written! Yet another reminder that the next 2 months will be fun and filled with stories!

Well wedding planning is in full swing. I still don't have any super awesome shoes, but it will come. It's funny to look back each week and see how much has been decided or changed in the wedding plans...even in a week. This week we set the date.

We are planning to get married September 24th.

I didn't want the date to get lost in the rest of the words. Mark your calendar, save the date, circle the number, etc. I'll let the blog world know if it changes, but I don't think it will now. Having a date makes it so much more real, and it gives us a goal to work towards and a specific time to look forward to. We're excited! :) I feel like it's all going to come together, and hopefully for a reasonable price. My goal is to be practical and simple, but still classy.

I came up with some themes the other day while I was cleaning my room. Prepare yourself. The awesomeness of the alliterations may have the potential to blow your mind. Just kidding, but I really like alliterations so I'm proud of my themes.

Neutral and Natural. Linen and Lace. I like the neutral and natural colors, and I think linen and lace add a southern charm of sorts. We'll see if I stick with these themes. Hopefully I will because if I don't, I'm not sure if I can come up with anymore alliterations...

Be inspired by this inspiration board by  Every Last Detail blog

Decisions, Decisions....

As of yesterday, I have been engaged for 5 weeks. Although I haven't made a huge dent in the to do list of planning the wedding, I have made a dent in my research. I have come to a conclusion. There are about 1239874234 decisions that have to be made between now and the time I get married. Such as...

What color do I want the bridesmaids to wear?

What shade of that color would look good?

What material of that shade would be good?

What flowers should there be?

What shade of those flowers would look best?

How many of each shade would be good?

How many pew markers should there be?

Will we have a singer?

Who will sing?

What will they sing?

At what point will they sing?

Where should we register?

What should we register for?

When should we register?

How many towels should we register for?

What color towels do we want?

How many lamps do we need in our house?

What color furniture should we get?

Oh...and where will we be living?

Geez Louise. Yes, I'm getting a little carried away...mostly for dramatic effect. But as I participated in a best friend's wedding a couple weeks ago, I realized something. There are a bajillion decisions that go into one day...3 hours really. Of course some of the decisions on registry and where we will live are life decisions... (no pressure), but the others effect 3 hours of our life. At the end of our wedding day, we'll be married. Whether we have cake and punch or a sit down meal, we'll still be married. Whether we have roses and peonies or wildflowers, we'll still be married. Whether my bridesmaids wear gold or chartreuse, we'll still be married...but probably short a few girl friends :) Basically, I've come to the conclusion that I want to take it all in stride, enjoy the wedding planning process, and most importantly-take it ONE DAY at a time. ONE DECISION at a time. 

Today, I made a decision about my shoes. I decided I want fun shoes. I don't know if I'll have colored ones, but I do want interesting ones. After all, pretty shoes make you feel pretty! In less, of course, they're uncomfortable, then they just make you irritated. So I guess I just made another decision... I want fun, semi comfortable shoes. Another decision! I'm on a roll. 

I've already begun my quest to find said shoes. I started with Ivory just for my conservative side's sake. In my search, I found these super awesome shoes!

While they are, as previously stated, super awesome, I've decided not to get them. At least not right now. I came to this conclusion for 2 reasons. 1) They're in Europe and I don't know my size in UK shoe sizes, 2) They're $70 and I can't justify buying them impulsively without trying them on knowing that I'll probably only wear them on my wedding day.

Either way, they're still some of my favorite shoes to look at. Excuse me....at which to look. (Thanks to my 6th grade English teacher, every time I end a sentence with a preposition, I get onto myself. )

Yet another decision made today. Whew, I think I might turn my decision making off for now and enjoy this New Years Day.

Happy 2011!...a year of many decisions and exciting times :)

Oh, the Future...

I have officially been engaged for 2 weeks...actually 17 days...and 8 hours...but who's counting?

Last week was my very last week of class in my college career...ever...hopefully...;) This week I have 1 exam on Tuesday, and then I'm free! Where did 4 years of my life go? In some ways it flew by, it some ways it crept along. But it is so surreal to think that I'm almost finished with college, I'm engaged and planning a wedding, and this time next year I will be married and not a dependent of my parents.

Some years we write Christmas letters that go out with our Christmas card, and the letter just tells what's gone on in our family's life throughout the year. Some years there is a lot of major life changes, and some years it seems like nothing happened. When reflecting on the past year, however, it is clear to see that it has been a major year in our family.

My brother graduated college AND got a big boy job. I worked in Orlando with him as my boss for 7 weeks this summer (that's a major thing :)...he was a good boss though). He also changed jobs this fall, and moved to ATL...he will officially never live permanently at our house again...WEIRD. My parents finished off the upstairs of our house that they've been working on for a while (and it looks great). I passed the Praxis, observed an obnoxious amount of hours, finished my senior recital, got engaged, and finished my last semester of classes in college...and that's only been in the past 3 and a half months.

So much has happened. The Lord has provided strength when there was none, peace when we were uncertain, and grace when we didn't deserve it. One of my favorite things to do is reflect and see God's provision and faithfulness throughout life's happenings. I'm already humbled by his provisions for our wedding, and I've only been engaged for 17 days...and 8 and a half hours.

I'm excited to see what is in store for 2011. Although, I know the general plan for me to student teach, look for a job, and get married, I know God has so much more in store than just those things. I know that God will use this time of uncertainty to teach me more than I could imagine, and I pray that my eyes and ears are open to Him as he shows me. There are so many questions of "How?" running through my mind as I reach my first year of being a "grown up". How will I make money? How will I cook when I can barely boil water? How will we find somewhere to live?

As I was at the church that Wesley's music group, Impact, was playing yesterday, I was thinking about all those things. I had just prayed that the Lord would help me to know he is in control, and they sang this song.

If you have a minute...or 6 minutes and 21 seconds...listen to it. It is a wonderful reminder of God's sovereignty and perfect plan.

 "Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,"

even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day
for darkness is as light with you."
Psalm 139:7-12

First Engagement Festivities

After Wesley and I got engaged on Friday, our sweet friends John and Emily asked if they could throw us a party. How can you turn down a party?! Of course, we said yes. They invited our close friends, and it wasn't a surprise, but nobody mentioned anything to me about coming, so I wasn't expecting about 90% of the people that came. It made the non-surprising party a pleasant surprise. :)  The following are pics documenting the fun night of engagement party-ing...

The cute set up

the engaged girls...

Very different rings for different personalities

Sweet home and school friends

We're actually engaged at the same time! (for a few weeks :))

Reenactment of the proposal

At TCBY with J and E after we got back into town...very sleepy, but happy to be engaged :)

Thank you again for everyone who has made this time special for us! We're excited about what is to come.

My Black Friday Adventure

Black Friday.

A day for shoppers to get deals, retail store employees to get exhausted, for me to get engaged.

ENGAGED?!? Yes. Engaged! I'm getting married! When, you ask?! I don't know. But I'll let you know when I find out.

Would you like to know how it happened? Okay...here it goes.

On Thanksgiving Day, Wesley called me and said since we had to be at work 4, he'd come get me at 3:15. Let me just tell you, I'm very protective of my sleep. So when he said we could leave my house 45 MINUTES before we had to be there, I immediately disagreed. I believe my exact words (with caps making emphasis) were "it does NOT take 45 MINUTES to get to work!" So he settled for 3:30. I went to bed at 9:30ish, and slept soundly until 2:30 when I rolled out of bed to start preparing for the day. As I was putting my mascara on, he sent a text that read "Can you come let me in?!" I read it and thought "Well, he's perky for 3:30 AM", and then proceeded to go let him in. He came in the house, and while I finished getting ready, my parents woke up and came in the kitchen. (Sometimes if I'm making noise or the lights get turned on and I happen to wake my parents up, they come say hello before I leave, so it wasn't abnormal for them to have gotten up.) They wished me a good day, I told them to go back to sleep, I grabbed me and Wesley a couple cokes, and we headed out the door.

We walked out the back door into the 45ish degree weather and darkness, and I began to walk to the car. Wesley didn't move from the back steps, and asked me to come back to him. I just figured he wanted to hug me before a long day, so I went over to him and hugged him. He said "are you tired, Babe?" and I obliviously said "uh huh"...and he said "I might have something that will wake you up." Then he moved the jacket that had been draped over his arm the whole time he'd been at my house, and held up a ring box as he got on one knee. He asked me to marry him, and I, shocked, stunned, and so excited, said, "um, yes!"

We went back inside, where my mom had the camera ready to take some pictures...of course :)

Needless to say, my Black Friday working experience was not as dreadfully long as I'd expected it to be. The proposal was perfect and turned what normally would have been an ordinary day into a fun, memorable day. When we got back from work Friday night, we celebrated with both of our families at my house and had a great time. 

Oh the ring is perfect too...I love it. He did VERY WELL!

We're excited to be engaged, and start planning not only for a wedding, but for a marriage. The next few months will be filled of uncertain times, but I know they will all be adventures of faith. 

Thank you to everyone who has congratulated us, supported us, loved us, and prayed for us. We are SO blessed, and so thankful! 

Until next time, my friends...

May I have that pen? I have things to mark off my TO-DO list...

I love me some to-do lists. My Vera Bradley planner (affectionately referred to as "Vera") is very accustomed to my daily, weekly, and even long term to do lists. I make lists of all the projects I have to do, and then I make lists of the things I need to get done within those projects. Excessive? Maybe. But I'm graduating on time :)

One of the major things I marked off my to-do list this semester on September 18th was the Praxis. If you get out your reading glasses, or get really close to the computer then you can see that...

I PASSED!!!! WHOOO HOOO!!!! Marking that off of my "Things I need to do to graduate" to do list was a wonderful feeling. 

After the Praxis on my to do list came "Figure out observation stuff". In my blog about TB tests and Sonic Blasts I mentioned that I had to do 205 hours of observation. At that point I had 35 hours listed in my file. Now I am happy to say that I will have 330 observation hours when I finish in December! Where did they come from, you ask? Well independent hours can come from any time you work with children...including babysitting, children's choir, camps, VBS, etc. I had 41.5 of those hours, and since I worked at a student conference for 7 weeks over the summer, I put 200 of my hours from that down. I've also been observing on Wednesdays and other days that classes get cancelled. I'm almost there!

The next big thing on my to-do list was my Senior Piano Recital. Want to see the awesome poster my brother made?

Didn't he do great? I agree :) My recital was this past Friday. This is the thing that has seemed untouchable for 4 years. I felt like I'd never get there. But it came WAY faster than I thought it would. As I've prepared for it and thought about it over the past several months, the thought has always made me a little queasy. I'm done, and it still makes me queasy to think about! 50 minutes, on stage by myself, in a formal dress when I'm used to practicing in shorts and a sweatshirt, playing everything from memory while people watch me? That's still nerve racking. But somehow, I WASN'T NERVOUS that day! Yes, I was very happy to get it over with. However, I wasn't miserably anxious like I thought I'd be. I say somehow, but I know how. Not only did it put me at easy having my family there and hanging out with them, but I know that the prayers that were prayed on my behalf helped the most.

This week I had several lasts:

-last paper in college

-last time to play piano at the University of Mobile

-last time to sing in the University Singers

-last Christmas Spectacular performance

-last time to wear a velvet top choir dress (hopefully)

From here, I have write a lesson plan, do a group project, take finals, and participate in wedding festivities for one of my best friends. Not much left!

It's so crazy to me that I'm almost done with classes in college. Although part of me feels like it can't come soon enough, the other part of me feels like I just moved in yesterday. I do know one thing though. I would not be where I am today without the support and encouragement from family and friends the past few months. When I thought about the fall semester in the summer, I felt overwhelmed. I knew it'd be a hard, long, and stressful journey. However, I have enjoyed the journey, and I know that I did not go on the journey alone. Thank you to all of you who prayed, supported, and encouraged me the past few months as I crossed over major hurdles in my life. 

Well, maybe I'll blog again soon...I marked something else off my TO DO list recently that is very exciting :)

George W. and Scuffed Shoes

This post is a week late, but better late than never! Last Thursday, I got the opportunity to attend the University of Mobile's Leadership Banquet. The set-up was beautiful, and the turn out was great. It was all wonderful...especially the speaker.

George W. Bush.

I'm officially a big fan. I already was, but this up-ed his stats in my heart. He was funny, entertaining, down to earth, and all other good things. I did not get to meet him...He ate at the table front and center, and I ate at the table FAR back and WAY to the left. I was in the same room with him, however, so that's good enough for me. Although I did not get to meet him, I was able to get close to his table...

Yes...my hand was on his place setting. Here's a closeup...

Yes it kind of looks like George W. Blush, but I promise it's Bush. 

Anyhow, picking out my outfit for my first experience of being in the room with a former president was quite a dilemma. First, I had to pick out my outfit several days in advance. For anyone who knows me well, you know I had a hard time with that. I firmly believe that it is my "prerogative" to change my mind...at least that's what I'm told. I picked out my outfit at school, and then realized my closed toed black pumps were at home....dun dun duuun. Fortunately, I went home for Sony Star class last Tuesday, so I was able to get them then. However, there were a lot more beat up than I remembered...(Mom, have you been using and abusing my pumps?!) 

See, I've had these pumps since my senior year of high school. I got them for Homecoming...let's reminisce, shall we? :)

 Notice the shine of my shoes...oooh...ahhh...shiny...

You can't see my shoes here, but I just like this picture with my Daddio.

Back to the shoes...

As you can see they're pretty scuffed up...

What's a girl to do?! 10:45 PM the night before the banquet...no shoe polish...no time the next day to buy any...quite the dilemma...

Naturally I did what any girl would do in such a situation...I got out my black Sharpie.

Yes...I colored in my black pumps. I had to do something! I was going to be in the same room with George W!

Before

After

 Granted, they do have a purple/bluish tint where the sharpie was, when you're standing up, no one can tell...

Good as new!

Now, in my family we like to make fun of each other because we pick the most random times to do things. For instance, changing the pictures in picture frames 5 minutes before we're supposed to leave for Wesley's college graduation. I, however, did not pick a random time to fix my shoes. I chose a time when I should have been doing something else. Something important. Something that was due at 12 that night. Something called homework.

I began my homework at 11:25, thinking it would only take me 10 minutes based on past experience with that class...WRONG! A friend came in at 11:48 and started talking to me, and I never looked up from the computer or quit typing. So I finally finished at 11:52...with time to spare!

I've been told I'm like a vegetable cooker...I work better under pressure...:) Ironically enough, I'm now off to do a project that I've been putting off for 3 days...I'm going to plan a music field trip...oh the fun projects of a Music Ed major!

TGIFB...Thank God it's Fall Break. (almost...)

It is almost fall break, which means the semester is half way over, which means I only have 8(ish) weeks left of class in my college career (hopefully), which means I am very happy! Time has definitely flown the last couple months. I hadn't been home all semester until yesterday.

I went home to speak at the Sony Star Class dinner. For those who do not know what that is, please allow me to explain. Sony was my high school's Adopt a School sponsor. We were 1 of 2 schools in the USA who had "Sony Star Class"- a scholarship program in which students turn in portfolios of community, church, and school activities as documentation of what they have done. Sophomores turn in portfolios and they typically choose 12 of those as finalists. Those finalists turn in another portfolio near the end of their senior year, as well as go through an interview process. After that, one student is chosen for the "Sony Star Class scholarship." I happened to be that student in 2007 (and I am able to type this because of the Sony laptop that came with the scholarship!) So last night I went to the dinner and just gave the class of 2012 some advice and encouragement.

Not only was I glad to go see people I hadn't seen since I graduated, but I was also just glad to go home. School isn't hard right now, but it is at times slightly overwhelmingly busy. Vera (my Vera Bradley planner) helps me out, but it was a good treat to go home. PLUS, my brother was home, which is always a rare treat. He actually attended the dinner with me and my mom. Something happened when we walked in that has never happened before. Wesley was "Lindsey's brother"...nobody knew who he was! Everybody knew who I was!? If you know both of us well, you know that our personalities are different. As the younger, I have always accepted the fact that I'm "Wesley's sister". (If he was a terrible person, I'd have a problem claiming it, but for now I'll claim it) 


Not only was he known as "Lindsey's brother"- His nametag read:

HA...I'm saving this forever.


On a different note...while driving to Dothan yesterday, my gas light  came on. Typically I have about 30 miles before I run out, so I figured I'd just wait til I was on my way back to Mobile to fill up. This morning when I filled up, I put 13.5 gallons in my car...that may not seem like alot, but my tank averages about 11.7-12.3....13.5?!?!...I was so shocked that I got out the owner's manual at a red light to see how big my tank was. FYI: it holds 14.1 gallons. I was .6 gallons away from being stranded. Using my mathematical part of my brain, along with much thinking time between Dothan and Mobile, I figured out if I had driven for about 5 more minutes, my car would have died. Thank you, Lord, for strategically placed gas stations.

TB tests and Sonic Blasts

Today I went to see the Associate Dean in the School of Education to discuss student teaching. We went over my file (sounds very official, doesn't it...) and discussed what I have left to do before student teaching. Here's what I found out...

I'm a planner, yet a procrastinator. I know what I have to do, I just choose not to do it until later.

We're required to do 205 hours of observation for Music Ed. According to my file, I currently have 35 hours. Awesome. If you do the math, you see that leaves....yes, 170 hours before December. Needless to say, most of my free blocks from Monday to Friday 8-3, I will be at a school. I figured out if I observe every Wednesday, and the mornings every other day of the week, I can have all my observations done the week before Thanksgiving! Good news-I get my observation hours. Bad news- I don't get to sleep in until Thanksgiving. But worse things could happen :)

I also found out I had to have a TB test. Actually I already KNEW I had to have one, I just hate shots, blood, and all other things related with medical things. So I put it off for 3 weeks, and today was my TB test day. It was awful. Worst experience ever. Just kidding, I hardly felt it. Afterward, my awesome significant other insisted on taking me to Sonic after the intensely traumatic medical procedure I had done-I think it's mostly because he wanted some tea...but I didn't question the motives, I just went with it and got a Sonic Blast out of the deal :)

Other than those 2 things, I didn't find out anything interesting. I'm on schedule to graduate...if the Praxis was nice to me...and now I just have to stop procrastinating and get on the ball.

Realization: Making a PLAN to be productive...WAY easier than actually being productive.

Observations here I come.

PS. I thinking about being domestic soon...I think this VERY cute apron from etsy.com would help me do so.
Just throwing that out there.

This is the day, this is the day...

This is my last semester...hopefully. I keep going over the things that I have to do before Student Teaching, and when I think about it all, my shoulders raise, my face tenses, my air flow cuts off, I turn blue... just kidding. My shoulders don't raise.  :)

Anyway, I have to remember to just take it one day at a time. This is the day that the Lord has made and I WILL rejoice and be glad in it...even if I have to do 23409847 things before I can graduate in May. I'm not really THAT stressed out...today anyway. But that's probably because I have had a very productive day thus far. I don't have classes on Wednesdays. (Later in the semester I'll have to observe, but for now I'm enjoying my day off in the middle of the week.) I walked about 3 miles this morning with a dear friend, and not only got some nice physical activity, but also fit some quality talking time in there...it was a great start to the day. Then I did some things and got ready to go to lunch, when low and behold, my significant other asked if I wanted to ditch the caf today and go to Momma G's! What kind of question is that?! It's $1 Nacho day...OF COURSE I want to go to Momma G's. I had a nice lunch, and although he raised my blood pressure because he made me 3 minutes late to piano lessons (and he was talking about gross medical procedures just to watch me gag), I had quite an enjoyable lunch with that Wells boy (as my dad calls him).

Piano lessons were...well, we won't go there today. Let's just say I have 4 weeks to perfect 10 songs by memory. Moving on....After piano, I went by the mail room to pick up packages. I got 2 packages and thought both were books, but one was a packet of flashcards for the Praxis! Now, I was expecting them (since I ordered them), but I read reviews right after I bought them and saw that they had terrible reviews. HOWEVER, after looking through them, I realized the "reviewers" were probably just bitter because they did not use the flashcards to their full potential and probably failed. These flashcards are awesome! Is it weird that I'm really excited to study my Praxis flashcards? It's okay if it is weird. I think I'm excited because I'm a little more confident in my ability to pass it since I have some help. Plus I learn better with flashcards, I just HATE making them. So I'm thinking that money with be well worth it.

I think it's easy to rejoice and be glad in days like today...when I have no school and have time to blog in the middle of the day.  It's days like yesterday when I have to remind myself to breathe that I struggle with rejoicing. The thing is- I do not necessarily have more on my plate than I can handle, but I have more on my plate than I can handle if I don't keep my focus on my purpose. It's the difference in focusing on the whats instead of the whys. If I get caught up in the "whats" by looking at "what I have to do" and marking it off my list, then I've completely lost the point of life. If I strive to remember why I'm doing something, I'm ultimately remembering the bigger picture-which is about more than just me.  I think it's important to prioritize tasks, but I also know it's beneficial to keep the goal in mind. Sometimes the tasks can fog the goal, and that's why I get short of breath when I look at my planner. Student Teaching will be worth it, my senior recital will be worth it (especially when I hit the very last note of the last piece), school will have been worth it in May. Marriage will be worth all the dating and waiting, whether I get married on my timeline or not. Every good thing is worth the work and wait. There are lessons to be learned everyday, and EVERYDAY is a day that the Lord has made and I am to REJOICE (not just endure) and be GLAD in it. Now if I can just remember that, I'll be good to go. :)

Today has been full of rejoicing. My latest smile came from my Papa as I typed this...He called, I answered, and my 78 year old Papa said "What's up?!" Thank you Lord for smiles in the midst of days when I take day to day tasks too seriously.

P.S. Here are some pieces I made before I came to school. I'm hoping Mom will send some supplies by way of a friend that's going home this weekend...I need something for stress relief...I mean, to help me rejoice :)

made from my grandmother's necklace

silver brooch made from a vintage clip of earring of my grandma's

Made with 3mm glass pearls and vintage green brooch

Another year...another blog post.

Another year has passed. Time for another post...and this time the plan is to be consistent. We'll see how that goes!

As of last Monday, I am a senior in college. Whereas some people have the hardest semesters academically at the end of their college career, I do not. It's not necessarily "easy", but after 6 semesters of taking 18 and 19 hours each semester, I have a huge 15 hours. I have Wednesdays completely OPEN. I didn't know what to do with myself last week when I looked at a weekly schedule and saw a lot of open space...then I remembered I have a senior piano recital (Oct . 29th), 2 big exams to study for before student teaching, and 17 days of observation. I might also be working 10 hours a week in an office at school. Needless to say, my "open" schedule became "closed" quickly, but I know I'll survive.

This summer I worked at a student conference for 7 weeks where Compassion International was a sponsor. There was a promo video played every week, and every week I had tears in my eyes after the video. It was so moving, and so burdening at the same time. The 3 minute video really opened my eyes, and the packets and packets of children that need sponsors made my heart ache. Then I asked myself, "But what can I do?" The first couple weeks, I just dismissed it as me being overly emotional. But around week 3, it really hit me that it wasn't just emotion. It was a burden from the Holy Spirit.

A sponsorship is $38 a month. It doesn't sound like much, but when you don't have an income, it is alot. But the video they showed weekly was made for students. Students that don't have jobs, or a steady income. The video showed 3 adults who shared their childhood troubles, but gave testimonies of the teenagers who sponsored them and gave them hope of Christ when they had no hope and no one to show them love. I was overwhelmed by the fact that I wanted to help, but didn't know how. Then it hit me.

Right before I left for the summer, my mom and I went to a jewelry making class. We learned some of the basics and got some good ideas for designs. When I got home that day, I started looking through my grandmother's old jewelry to see what I could take apart and make into something new (mostly because I didn't want to spend money on beads). I took apart some things and began to experiment, and soon I realized I had a new hobby.

Repurposed necklace

So when I was thinking about what I could do to get some money, I thought of the jewelry I had made. Not only did I enjoy making it, but I could use that "talent" or hobby to make a difference for the kingdom. So when I came home after SLU, I began brainstorming, creating, investing, etc. I'm still praying about and figuring out the details, but it's coming together. I may not be able to do anything with it for a few months since I have to graduate and finish all the things that comes before that, but it is exciting to think about.

It's not just that I like making "pretty stuff". I think there's something beautiful about taking apart something that's not so pretty and making it new. It's like what the Lord does to us when we become a new creation.

3rd times the charm...

I'm not really sure if it's supposed to be 3rd times the charm, a charm, or just plain charm, but either way we all know what I meant. It has been about a year and a half since I've actually blogged about anything, but my dear friend Jenna encouraged me to procrastinate from packing for going back to school and write something. So if for nothing else, this is for Jenna-Bug.

So my journey of the 3rd year of my college career will begin this weekend. 3rd year at Mobile, 3rd year on the 3rd Hall. That's a lot of 3's. And I'm living in 303...even more 3's! Anyway, school. Yes. The question everyone asks before school starts..."Are you ready to go back?!" My honest answer...I don't know. I'm ready to be done with my Summer classes...word to the wise...never take a science class online. I'm ready to have a routine again. But ready for classes...mmm...not so much. I'm ready to see my friends, and ready to have some fun adventures with them, but I've seen this summer what I do have at home.

FRIENDS...I've seen too many times when friends move away from each other they automatically drift apart, but somehow my friends from home have only gotten closer as time has moved on. The more we all mature and grow, the more our friendships have grown as well. I think it's because we started out as a Bible Study group so as we grew in Christ together we grew closer together as well. And don't worry Jenna...we won't grow up and leave you =).

FAMILY...Anyone who has been at my house for an extended period of time knows that my family is close. As Wesley and I have gotten older, we've become friends. (but don't tell him I admit that...=) just kidding) I've not only become friends with my brother though, I have become friends with my parents as well. I've realized that there is a very special, and unique relationship between both a daughter and a mother and a daughter and a father. Or at least this daughter. I am blessed beyond description to have grown up in this family and I wouldn't trade it for anything. One of my very favorite things is spending time with my family, and I'm not talking about the family time when all 4 of us are in the same room on 4 laptops...that, my friends, is not family time. But it does make life interesting when we're all in the same room, facebook chatting to each other, and commenting on the same person's status at the same time...welcome to my family.

I had the privilege of working as a cashier at Eagle Eye Outfitters for the summer. I learned a whole lot from working there. For example, when standing on your feet for 10 hours, wear comfortable and supportive shoes. I bought 5 pairs of shoes while working at Eagle Eye. Also, I learned to say Credit or Debit, and Can I see your ID? But other than that I learned that you don't have to work a camp to minister during the summer. Opportunities to show Christ or be a Christian example come up everyday, but the issue is whether or not those opportunities are taken. At Eagle Eye, the customer is to be treated as family. Some people get annoyed when they get asked 5 times by 5 different people, "How ya doing? Is there anything we can help you with today?", but the point is to serve the customer. Working as a cashier also gave me a new perspective of people at other stores, and taught me to be a good, friendly, and appreciative customer. I think all in all this summer has made me more outgoing, which is definitely good for me. I also worked Wired this year, and had an amazing group. It was busy, and somewhat draining, but at the end of the week it was very rewarding. Praise be to God!

So what will be different about this year? hmm...well that's a good question. First, I'm kind of adopting my father's motto of "one life to love." I want to seize the day when opportunities come to love someone or offer them encouragement. Also, I want to be adventurous...not stupid, but kind of adventurous. I'm planning to start next weekend when I go camping with some friends. (If it doesn't rain...)Yes, camping...don't worry I'll take pictures. I'm kind of nervous, but I'm pumped! at least right now...the closer I get, the more I'll probably rethink this excursion.
I'm not planning on having a job this semester(at least not right now), so hopefully I will have the opportunity to do other things. I have a feeling I may not know what to do with my free time, but I will try to force myself to do something like practice piano since my major is Music Ed with piano. And I also want to do a better job of taking care of myself- eating better, sleeping more, exercising regularly, breathing deeper, etc. We'll see how that goes. Maybe I'll blog about it. I won't make any promises though.

So that pretty much sums it up for this summer. I promise I'll try to blog more, Jenna. I think you're the only one that reads it. =) But you're enough for me. Well Jesus is enough, but you know what I mean.

I'm off to bed to rest up for year 3. And so it begins...

shopping trip observation

Saturday my mom and I went shopping in Dothan. She was looking for a gold candle ring that she just had to have...(it's a need, right up there with food and water.) Anyways, so we looked at Pier 1, and we had no luck. She said it was either at Michaels, Stein Mart, Kohls, or Inside Accents.

Let me remind you that it is a Saturday afternoon...about 2 and a half weeks before Christmas....in the busiest part of Dothan. Oh, and for those who don't know, I love shopping. and for those who can't tell, that statement is dripping with sarcasm. I definitely have to be in the mood to shop, and I just wasn't really in the mood to look at 4 stores for Christmas decorations, especially when we don't need any! I mean, come to my house, it's basically a winter wonderland without real snow.

However, my mother did not seem to care about my opinion. So we left Pier 1, and started off to the next store. Then my mom remembered that she needed to buy my 2 year old cousin a baby doll, so we made a quick turn and pulled into toys r us. I honestly haven't been there in years. We went in and finally found a Cabbage Patch kid that was the same hue as my cousin and didn't have the name Alfondina Alsya (that really was the name of a light hair, blue eyed white baby). So we bought the doll named Sharon Naomi, and left the store. When we got in the car and pulled out of the parking lot, I shared an observation with my mom.

See in toys r us, we saw a lot of parents. I especially saw a lot of moms. Then when we were leaving, I saw 3 SUVs with women driving them. They all were alone, and all looked like they were on a mission. My observation/ question that I shared with my mom was I wonder how many of those women are shopping for their kids who believe in Santa Claus and expect to get those presents on Christmas day. and how many of those moms feel unappreciated and lonely as they buy for their kids and probably don't get much thanks. I know that the joy on the child's face on Christmas will bring the parents joy, but still. Then my mom said, "they probably feel lonely as they shop and then they'll get home today and have to clean up the house, cook dinner, and do laundry. See what you have to look forward to?!"

Now don't think my mom is trying to make me not want to have kids, or make me feel like my brother and I were burdens as children. And we all know that Wesley and I were appreciative children because I found out about Santa from my sweet big brother when I was the young age of 5. (but I'm not bitter). I think she was saying you can't give and expect anything in return. Whether independent, professional women like to admit it or not, the role of women in the household has been and probably always will be the keeper of the house. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. And I'm sure many women get lonely as they do their motherly duties. I don't know what goes on because I'm not a mother, but I hope I will be one day. I'll just have to remember Hebrews 13:5 when we're reminded of God's love, and he promises never to fail us or abandon us. Don't know about you but that gives me the warm fuzzies.

By the way, we did find that candle thing...and it goes so well with the other festive decorations...

So today has been a great day! and it's only 10 35! See I got in bed at 10 15 last night, which is a record for me for sure. I slept until 8 30, took a shower, got ready, and was about to walk out the door when I decided I didn't want to go to class. It's theory lab, I don't think I'll miss too much. If I do oh well, I got a chance to chill a little today. I've just been reading, studying, writing, blogging, etc. It's pretty awesome. But don't worry, I won't make a habit out of it.

I'm pretty excited about this Friday! See, I haven't seen my best friend Caitlin Marie Shepherd since before school started, and I'm having serious withdraws! I'm supposed to meet her at the fair on Friday and I can not wait! I love her and miss her very much... =( We've been best buds since like 3rd grade and we've never had a fight. I know I can depend on to be there for me when I need somebody to talk to, or if I ever need anything at all. She's a ray of sunshine and I love being around her. She's not afraid to tell me what she thinks about anything, and I absolutely love that. Her opinion is very important to me, especially on the subject of guys. =) luckily she likes Wesley Wells! Anywho, I just can't wait to see her!! I couldn't ask for a better Bee Eff Eff.

So as a started this week yesterday, I thought it was going to be a stinkin' drag. But God has definitely shown me that I need to trust Him and that deciding how I think my week is going to turn out within the first few hours of that week is stupid. He knows all, and I know nothing. HE's basically amazing, and He has blessed me beyond comprehension. The week is only as bad as I let it be, or imagine it to be!

Have a blessed day!

a rose by any other name

Last Friday was October 19, 2007. aka...mine and Wesley's four monther. =) precious, I know. Well we planned to leave when I got off work at 4 30, grab some food, and head to the beach just to chill ( I don't do much of that). Anyways, I got in my room from a long afternoon of answering phones and saying "Enrollment Services. How may I direct your call?", and talked to Ashley for a second. Then I looked over and low and behold...I had roses on my desk! That sweet Wesley...so thoughtful. I don't think I could have asked for a better one! The roses were so pretty and full of color. They're just appealing to the eyes. I really did appreciate his sweetness.

Well yesterday, I woke up and they were all wilted...=( sad day...(they stunk too). But I had heard before if you spray hairspray on them and hang them upside down that they will keep the color and last a really long time. So I poured out the water, pulled off the excess leaves, and saved the prettiest ones. One thing that I noticed that makes the beautiful roses somewhat of an eye sore (and finger sore) is the thorns. I just don't get what the purpose is. But oh well. I'm still waiting on the results of the hairspray experiment...

So back to the thorn thing. In Christian Worldview today, Dr. Rob said that if he was Adam, the would bring Eve the prettiest roses everyday, afterall they wouldn't have thorns on them. The class was confused and he said "Don't you remember? Thorns didn't come until after the Fall."
Genesis 3:17-18 says...

"And to the man he said

'Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grown thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.'"

So because of the sin of Adam and Eve, the earth has thorns. Adam and Eve represent all of the human race so basically because of our sinfulness, thorns have cursed the earth. The thorns represent our sin. And where else do we see thorns in the Bible, boys and girls? That's right...
When Jesus was being mocked before he was crucified. The Romans put a crown of thorns on His head to mock His claim of being the King of the Jews.

Matthew 27:29 says...

"They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head..."

I mean, I pricked my finger with a thorn and it hurt, but on the head?? and I seriously doubt those Roman soldiers were kind hearted and gently placed it on Jesus' head. It makes me cringe just thinking about the pain.

Anyways, let me try to piece together the puzzle I have created so that you can experience the realization I had today in class. If the thorns represent the Sin we have as humans, and Jesus was crowned with thorns, it's like a literal illustration of Jesus taking on our sins and bearing them for us. It shows how our sins caused Jesus so much pain. Now obviously, just believing that Christ was crowned with thorns isn't the way to salvation. It's believing and confessing that he DIED a HORRIBLY PAINFUL death, and rose 3 days later to tell about it, and to tell his followers to tell about it. (it being God's amazing and truly awesome power and love) It was just a cool connection for me.

Everytime I see a rainbow, I thank God for pretty colors, rain, and His promise not the flood the earth ever again. From now on, every time I see a rose, I will thank God for His simple, yet beautiful creation, His mercy on me, and the sending of His Son to bear my sins in pain. Thank you God! (and I don't think I'll ever complain about being pricked by thorns ever again...)

Busy, busy, busy....I feel like that's all I know anymore. When I have spare time, I know there's something I should be doing. It's so hard for me to just chill, and not worry about something. Like today for instance...I'll have an hour this afternoon to do something, but other than that I'm busy the whole day. I have a paper to write, a book to read, and a God to spend time with. Finding time for those things can be hard at times. It should be easy to spend time with God, but unfortunately I end up thinking about what I need to do the rest of the day. I just need to sit...in silence...and focus on Him.

How often do I sit in silence? I can tell you. Unless I'm up at midnight studyining and my roommates asleep, I dont sit in silence. Why? That's a darn good question. But I think it's in the silence that God reveals to us what He wants to show us. When I stop worrying, thinking, and trying to solve the world's problems, that's when I can humble myself, listen to Him, and soften my heart to let His word sink in. It's not easy for this busy girl who has too much to do, but that's what makes it all the more worthwhile. When I can set time aside and spend time with my Lord, I find strength in Him to face the day. Isaiah 40:30-31 says it all...

"Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.
THey will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and nont grow weary.
They will walk and not faint. "