Friends

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12

Two are better than one,
   because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
   one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
   and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
   But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
   two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. 

I have often thought about this verse in terms of marriage... but the Lord brought it to mind as I thought and prayed for my friends today. I feel so completely blessed to say that I have so many amazing girlfriends. The Lord truly provided us with some amazing "couple friends" through our Sunday school class at church. We had a couples super bowl party last night, which would be more appropriately described as the men watching football and the ladies sitting around talking and laughing. When we left, Blake said, "it sure sounded like y'all had a good time... y'all were loud!" haha! And I must admit, we were a bit out of control with laughter at times. But laughter is the best medicine, right? If that is true, I would say all of us ladies are "well-medicated" from all our laughter last night.

I just wrote this to say how thankful I am for how the Lord provides. Most of my close college friends have all graduated and have moved away from Auburn. I am so thrilled that we have been able to stay in the loveliest village on the plains and have been blessed by all the new friends the Lord provided. So thanks, friends!! Love y'all! =)

P.S. We need to be better about taking some pictures together... we never do that!

Applique

My new obsession with my sewing machine is doing appliques!! Here are my latest works:

One of my sweet friends at work, April, was saying how she wished she had ordered her son (John Carter) a special shirt for his birthday. So... I told her I would be honored to make him a shirt!!

He is having a "barnyard" themed birthday... perfect!!

After putting the picture of JC's shirt on facebook, I got another order for a birthday shirt from a friend in Mobile! I love how it turned out!

Love how girly and cute this is!

I am so excited about getting more into applique. I think it is so adorable and the possibilities are endless! If anyone else would like me to make something for them, their child, or a friend... just let me know!! I absolutely love this as my hobby and would love to make it a real business one day... I'm still dreaming about that one. Haha! I can't wait for more projects!! Let me know what you think of my creations!

Oh... and P.S. I am ditching the 30 day challenge. I stink at blogging regularly. I don't need that kind of commitment to my blog. haha! Sorry, blog.

Day 18 & 19

Day 18: Something you regret
Well... I don't really regret anything in my life. I believe that everything happens for a reason, but there is one thing I WISH I could have done recently-- going to the national championship. While I wasn't able to go because I had to work... but I have to say Toomer's Corner was wellllll worth staying in Auburn!!!!

WAR EAGLE!

SOOOOO many people and SOOOOO much toilet paper! haha!

National Champions!

Day 19: Something you miss

3 words... "The Hammock House"

Miss you girls so much!!! Hope you are all doing well in Ataugaville, Hartselle, and Nashville!!

Day 16 & 17

Day 16: Dream House

 I absolutely love a "cottage style" house like this. I hope that our first house is somewhat similar to this style

I also LOOOVE big porches like this!!

Blake's idea of his dream home is a log cabin... I think we're going to have to compromise sometime.

Day 17: Something you are looking forward to

In March, I am headed back to Ecuador with Auburn's nursing school to run a women's health clinic. I went last year and absolutely loved serving the women in the community. I am so excited to see all the Lord will do this year!!

2011 is a HUGE year of wedding...

My twin (Amanda) is getting married on March 19th in Austin, Texas!

These two love birds (Matt and Summer, my sister-in-law) are getting married May 7 in Huntsville... I cannot wait to be a part of their big day!!! =)

My old roommate (Meghan) is getting married in June in Auburn... so excited for her!!

These two friends are also getting married in 2011... but not to each other. haha! They caught the garter and bouquet at our wedding, and we are so excited about both of their weddings this year!

Emily is getting married in April and Judd is getting married in August... can't wait!!

Justin and Bayleigh have been some of our best friends through college. They will finally be tying the knot in December... it's about time!! =)

Those are all the weddings I can think about right now. I am realizing I need to start wedding present shopping now. haha! It's going to be a busy year!! So looking forward to all of them!

Day 14 & 15

Day 14: A picture you love

 Skiing at Sugar Mountain in North Carolina. My favorite man and a fun vacation with 21 members of his family!!

Day 15: Bible verse

These are two of my favorite Bible verses:

Psalm 34:3 - Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

   ---This is the verse that the Lord really used in my dating relationship with Blake to show me that He was the one the Lord wanted me to marry. I pray that we always put the Lord first and glorify and exalt him as a couple.

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

   ---This has been my favorite verse since high school. I love the word delight... If I could truly just delight myself in the Lord, I know that my desires and wishes would be in line with the Lord's will.

Day 12 & 13

So... I have become a real slacker on this 30 day challenge... So I am going to try to double up and do 2 days at a time so maybe I will finish before 2011 is over. haha!

Day 12: What you believe

I believe in God the Father, Son, and Spirit.

I believe Jesus died for my sins and yours and loves us beyond what we can imagine.

I believe Jesus rose again and will come again one day.

I believe there is a purpose in everything.

I believe God is guiding my steps and that I am walking in his Will.

I believe in being a faithful spouse and that marriage is for life.

These are just a few of the things I believe...

Day 13: Goals

This is something I have been thinking about recently with all the "new year's resolution" talk. I don't really make new year's resolutions, but here are a few things I would like to accomplish in the next few years.

-Get in (some sort of) shape- I have never really worked out regularly, but feel like I need to be healthier and in shape

-Spend more regular time in the Word- It's so easy to get in the routine of life and put this on the "back burner." I am tired of doing this and don't want to settle for being mediocre.

-Cook at home more- We want to save more money and be healthier... so this is an easy way to do both of those

-Keep the house cleaner

-Blake graduate and get a job- who knows where God will lead us in August after he graduates...

-Save money- Blake and I hope that we will be able to have a nice down payment saved when we get to the point when we want to buy a house.

-Buy a house- with the large down payment we save for... haha!

-Buy a "family car"- Blake has a truck, so when we have babies to tote around, the truck will have to go...

-Start a family (more of a long-term goal... haha!)- Blake and I looove just being married and realize that this is the only time in our lives when it will be just us, so we are enjoying this time together. We also really look forward to the day when we have children of our own.

Day 11

Favorite TV Shows

My favorite channel is definitely HGTV... I could watch it all day long, every day! I love it!

My current favorite TV show is The Sing-Off. It only lasts three weeks, which is the worst part about it. It is an all "a capella"(no music... just voices). They have so much talent on the show and it is sooo entertaining! Blake and I love watching it... we just wish it lasted longer.

Love, love love... Food network. And one of my favorite food network shows is definitely "Ace of Cakes." Duff (the owner of the cake shop) and all the designers are so funny! I love seeing how artistic they are and how they can make anything out of cake.

Another favorite on Food Network is "Food Network Challenge." If you have never seen one, you should definitely watch it soon!

And last but not least... one of my all time favorites is Gilmore Girls!! Love me some Lorelai and Rory!!