Sweet Satisfaction...

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have!"

For as long as I can remember I have been looking forward to my future. Always the planner; always excited about what was to come. Whether it was moving from the JV to Varsity cheerleader squad, moving out of the dorm into my first apartment at Auburn, or graduating from nursing school to start my first nursing job, I anticipated what was coming so much that I didn't even realize what was happening in the "here and now." And those are just a few examples of the many times I have skipped out on joy because of my impatient attitude and discontentment. So now that I am pointing out the error my ways you must think that means this is something I have beaten, conquered, and over come----WRONG! This is a feeling I continually battle. Just this morning I woke up to a big ole' party....a pity party that is! All I could think of were the things in my life that I was waiting to change, as if this were some brief, unimportant, temporary phase. And for a moment I thought that I couldn't be happy or settled until this "temporary phase" was over. Oh boy, how many times must I learn this lesson??!! God wants me to embrace this time...live in it and soak it up. He wants me to grow in Him and trust in His timing. Right where I am is where He wants me to be. After a good long chat with my mom (an incredible woman--if you've never met her) I realized that I have to choose to see the blessings in my life and understand that if I am always looking toward what is coming I might miss out on what is happening right now!! I started thinking about all the blessing I currently have in life. I was a little overwhelmed! I remembered back to the times before where I have been too anxious to enjoy the present. I found some pictures of me as a JV cheerleader, as a freshman at Auburn living in the dorm, and as a nursing student trying to make the grades. I realized these were fun, happy times of my life that I almost missed out on cause I was too busying paying attention to what was just around the corner. My challenge this week, this month, or even this year is going to be to embrace the stage of my life that I am currently in with sweet satisfaction, knowing that there is a season and time for everything in life and God's timing is best!

Enjoy these pictures....they are blasts from the past:

Me, Katie Caroline, and Shelley. I was a JV cheerleader and Shelley was on Varsity. KC loved to wear her Auburn cheerleader outfit to the games and cheer along! :)


Me with my roommate, Lauren, in our dorm room in Sasnett Hall.


Me with some friends from first semester of nursing school. We had a fun day at the pool after we took our final exams!!

Groovin'

Bennett was enjoying the music on American Idol the other night so much that he broke out in a little dance. haha Once we realized what he was doing we all started laughing and clapping for him and he loved it!! The whole family came over my house to make homemade pizzas and watch American Idol little did we know our entertainment would be right here in front of us!! Isn't he just adorable?! :)

Crazy Love

Brace yourselves folks...I am reading a book! Yes, Natalie Ann Bennett is actually sitting still and quiet for a moment in time and reading :) To put it lightly, I have never been a book worm nor did I ever think that I would define a book with the words "addictive and contagiously wonderful"-- but friends I am here to tell this book is just that!!

It is a written challenge to not only call yourself a Christian by avoiding those "big sins" and being a "good person" but to go beyond that and recognize God's crazy love for us and embrace the passionate love relationship that He longs to have with me and you. This book wants you to say to yourself, "So long status quo... it is no longer good enough!" Francis Chan describes vividly how different your life will be once you encounter His love. After all when you are wildly in love with someone, it changes everything! This book looks at how the Bible calls us to live our lives and Francis stresses the importance of measuring our spiritual health not by the people around us, who are pretty much like us, but by God standards. Remember God's not grading on a curve like your high school English teacher! Sure it is fine and politically correct to believe in God, but to really love Him is a whole different story.

I am so excited about what I have to learn and change in myself from this reading this book...I encourage you to pick it up and take a look. It is an easy read and one that I think will be well worth your time (and $14)! Oh also the website www.crazylovebook.com has some incredible videos (especially"Just Stop and Think") check them out! Let me know what you think...

What a sweet day!

This Valentine's Day was a great one! I spent the day in Birmingham with Ryan and we had lots of fun events to keep us busy! The day started off with his nieces' beauty pageant. This was my first pageant so I was pumped about seeing what it was all about. We had fun and they did great! (Way to go Bailee and Brooklyn!!) Here are some pictures I took of the girls, they looked fabulous.


Bailee waiting for the judges to make their decisions.


Brooklyn accepting her prizes.


Brooklyn with her flowers after the pageant.


Ryan, Bailee, and me after the pageant.

Ryan and I went to lunch with his parents and his grandmother. The food was yummy and the conversation was good! Then it was back to the Murray's house for some more chatting. Y'all know how much I love pictures, so when Ryan's mom pulled out the family photo albums I was thrilled!! I got to see some cute (and funny) picture of Ryan when he was little. She even popped in some old family videos just for giggles. Let me tell you two things: 1. Don't believe Ryan when he says he can't sing. His solo in the church play proves that he has some vocals!! haha AND 2. He also has got some killer dance moves and there's a video of him grooving to the Surfin' USA by The Beach Boys to prove it---it was PRICELESS!! haha

Then it was back to Ryan's "home sweet home" for some rest and relaxation before our dinner reservations. Much to my surprise Ryan got me flowers and even arranged them himself!! (Sweet guy, huh?!)


Finally we finished up the night with a yummy steak dinner at Ruth's Chris. My favorite part of the meal was the sweet ending: homemade Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce!! Coffee and dessert along with great company...what more could a girl ask for?! Oh what a lovely day :)

(Thanks Ryan for making it so nice!)

Our little afternoon ride

One sunny Saturday afternoon Katie Caroline, Daddy, and I decided to take the horses for a little trail ride. Here are some pictures mom took of us all geared up for the ride. It has been a while since I have ridden so it took a little bit for Rambo and I to get used to one another again. All in all in was a good trip except for Star (the baby) stepping on my foot (ouch!) and Rambo setting out into a fast gallop when he got a little anxious to get back to the barn (ahhh!)!! Maybe I should ride more often if I am going to be a real cowgirl, as I mentioned in my previous "Tagged" blog?!

This is not mine (or Rambo's) best angle!! ha


Daddy with baby Star...she's trying to get used to her halter.


Daddy with Star, KC on Satin, and Me on Rambo getting ready to go on the trail behind the pond.


Daddy even let Bennett "ride"-- me, Momma, and Shelley were all squealing for him to get down. We were nervous wrecks with him up there plus he didn't seem too impressed. Don't worry "Rooster" maybe one day he will be your little cowboy! :)

WOOF WOOF!!

What a message! My aunt sent me this video and it really spoke to me about being obedient to God ...hope you enjoy!! :) Don't forget to pause my "Playlist" so that you can hear the video.

Tagged!!

I've been Tagged by Jamie to tell you 10 honest things about myself. So here it goes...

1. I love to laugh!! Mostly I end up laughing at myself but really who cares the reason for laughing, I just love a good ole' giggle. My favorite is a deep belly laugh that even brings tears to my eyes. There have been many-a-laugh shared around the kitchen table with my mom and sisters over the years and here lately I have had some fun filled phone laughter (thanks you know who!!) Really any occasion or time is the perfect time to sit back smile and laugh!!

2. I adore cooking :) Ever since I was little I have been interested in learning to cook and trying new recipes. My mom used to let me sit on the kitchen counter and "help" her-- oh what a patient woman (thanks Momma!!) One summer when I was little I took a cooking class at the rec center and then again a few years later I took a cooking class from a caterer---so much fun! I have recently been very into learning how to decorate cakes also...eventually I am going to take a class at Hobby Lobby. I have an obsession with cookbooks and I have a large collection. Mostly I use a homemade cookbook that I made out of a big red notebook. It has all the "oldies but goodies" recipes and it comes in very handy!!

3. From a very small age I have been fascinated with babies. I loved playing with my baby doll, Huggums, acting like I was her mommy. Growing up everywhere I went, I gravitated toward babies and loved to talk to them, cuddle with them, and just look at them. When my mom announced that she was going to have Katie Caroline it was a dream come true. I had a book that told about pregnancy and the development of the baby week by week, I read that thing like it was the Bible...then I would fill my mom in on what was going on inside her belly! :) Ironically now I am a "baby nurse" and I get help bring babies into the world!!! Wow talk about a dream job (most of the time!)

4. I am the most HOT natured person in the world. In the dead of winter I am always burning up!!! So you can only imagine what I feel like in the summer. I love to turn my air up full blast in my car and let it just freeze me out! In high school I carried around a little fan to all my classes and would pull my desk over near the wall so I could plug it in--haha-- yes I was made fun of ALOT! :)

5. I am what they call a "social butterfly." I whole heartily believe in the saying "The more the merrier!" I always think, if two's company and three's a crowd---then let's have four and make it a party!! :) I love being around friends and family and lots of 'em!! Big football parties, holiday gatherings, and birthday parties are my favorite! So next time you have a get together---don't forget my invite!!

6. I LOVE MY MOXI!! I couldn't live without it. I just recently made the big plunge and upped my cable bill to get my DVR and now I am hooked. There is nothing quite like recording TV while you are away and then fast forwarding through stinkin' commercials--yay!! I can watch an hour long show in about 38 minutes, see how much time I am "saving!" (Yeah I am justifying being a couch potato.) This season I am recording: American Idol, The Bachelor, The Closer, Cold Case, House, Lost, 24 (sometimes), The Secret Life of the American Teenager (yes I know it's dumb!), The Unit, and The Amazing Race. Send me your suggestions I am always up for new shows!!

7. Deep down in my heart I think I am a "real" cowgirl... I love country music, cowboys!!, and wearing jeans with boots. I enjoy riding horses and going to the rodeo and even getting dirty on the farm. My mom and dad recently moved onto some land and got some horses and chickens and I just love going out there and playing for the day. Also I love riding through the country on a summer afternoon and looking out at the big, bright sun setting over a green pasture full of hay bales and cows--wow creation at it's best! :)

8. My parents means the world to me!! For as long as I can remember my life has been full of fun family memories from camping all over the US, to annual beach trips, to popcorn balls at Christmas time, to Friday night pizza and movie night (just to mention a few) my parents gave me the best childhood that a kid could ask for. My daddy once put a note in my over night bag when I went to camp that said "You are this sweet..." and enclosed three bags of sugar: one white sugar, one powdered sugar, and one brown sugar. My momma made me a scrapbook of my entire life from birth to 12th grade and gave it to me for my high school graduation. It was amazing how much time, energy, and love she put into the whole thing. I have heard before that the best thing a parent can do for their kids it to: "Show them that you love the Lord, that you love your spouse, and that you love them." Thanks Momma and Daddy for doing just that! :)

9. I don't shop much but when I do, I am a bargain hunter. I would rather die than pay the full price for something. I can't enjoy a sweater that cost full price but oh boy when I find one for a discount like 6 bucks---I am all over that!! My favorite store is Fringe, a small consignment store downtown. They have the cutest clothes for the best prices. Best of all they put together the outfits on the mannequins (even down to the jewelry) and since I am not a fashion diva myself, I need all the help I can get!! :) I even take my clothes up there and sell them sometimes, so lots of time I am making an even swap when I find a new outfit. It's funny when I leave I am always so proud of myself!!

10. Finally I confess...I am a dreamer and a planner. From the time I was little I was thinking about what life would be like. What career I would have, who my hubby would be, how many kids I would have, what kind of house I would live in, what kind of car I would drive...the list goes on and on!! I have always been the one wondering "Where will I be in five/ten years??" I am still like this alot. Actually it is something I fight on a daily basis. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Although I know this verse by heart my human nature still lets my thoughts wonder to dream, think, and sometimes even worry about my future. I remind myself often that God is in control and His plan is the perfect one!!

Thanks for reading....hope you enjoyed. Ok, so now it's time for me to tag some others so they can share 10 honest facts about themselves. I tag: Crystal Peoples, Amy Callaway, Michelle Watts and Carrie Watts. Come on girls...can't wait to read about you!! :)