50 Shades

Well, a few days ago I finally finished the 50 Shades series.  Aside from the really graphic and intense sex scenes, which I skipped over in many cases, as I found out many of my friends did as well, the books got better.  Especially the third book, which actually was suspenseful and more of a thriller (although mild) at times.  It added elements that gave you something to focus on other than these crazy sexcapades.  The book was really, really predictable in many instances, but that wasn't too terrible of a drawback. 

Would I read them again?  No.  Am I glad I read them?  Yes.  Why?  Well, if I hadn't, I'd have been left wondering what all the fuss was about, and they were entertaining.  Would I recommend the book to others?  Some, yes, others, no.  These books are not for the shy and faint of heart.  Nor are they for the easily embarrassed or narrow minded. 

I did like how the epilogue really did a great job tying up all the lose ends.  No questions were left unanswered, which was nice.  The story was finished nicely, wrapped up in a nice bow!

Thankful Thursday

Thankful for many things today, and they're all over the board, so here you go:

1. Hair appointment today! :)  Getting rid of these roots!
2. My friend is going to be okay after his terrible motorcycle accident.  A long road to recovery is so much better than no recovery at all, and he was very seriously injured.  People, be careful...
3. I get to hang out with the amazing Heather for a photo shoot this Saturday!!  That's two in one!
4. Vegas next week!!
5. Birthday festivities!
6. M friends and family, as always.

The Value of Relationships

Very recently, I found out that an ex boyfriend of mine's brother had been seriously, I mean seriously, injured in a motorcycle accident.  Having not kept in touch with the ex or his family, I was very hesitant to reach out and offer my thoughts and prayers.  Way back when, when the ex and I were dating (high school, early college), I was close with his family,but when we broke up the relationships I had formed with his mom, step dad, brother, etc. all faded away. 

Well, I just couldn't sit around and not let the family know that my thoughts and prayers were with them.  So, I sent a message to my ex's mom.  I simply told her I was praying for all of them and would continue to do so.  She was so kind in her response, and she even said that she was glad I contacted her. 

Just because people don't remain a constant in our lives does not change the fact that you care about them.  We meet people all the time, and people come and go in and out of our lives constantly, but just because you may lose touch with someone doesn't make it wrong to reach out and let them know that you care, especially in a situation like this.  Do I have anything to do with my ex or his family?  No, but for a long time, they were all very much a part of my life, and I certainly don't want anything bad to happen to them.  Quite the opposite, actually.  I wish them the best, and I was so concerned about the accident and what it meant. 

I thank my ex's mom for being so kind to me as to fill me in and let me know what happened.  To this day, she means quite a bit to me, as do so many people from my past.

I think this post is about not being afraid to reach out.  There are so many circumstances that come up where we want to tell someone how we feel but we are scared to for whatever reason.  Fear is something that should not hold you back from telling someone you care about them.  I hope that no one feels that I hold ill will towards them because I don't talk to them anymore.  People grow apart and change; life takes us in new directions, but this was a learning experience to me.  I didn't expect my ex's mom to thank me for contacting me.  I don't know what I expected, but I was so happy in the response I got.  Not the news of the accident, but that she now knows that I'm praying for a full, speedy and hopefully painless recovery for her son. 

People are put in our past not to be forgotten, but to learn from.  And we should never stop loving those that have held a place in our heart.  It's sad it took a very serious accident for me to reach out, although otherwise, I wouldn't have had a reason to contact her.  But it's sad that I was scared to.  In any situation, if you feel the need to reach out, please do so.  It's really the only option, other than possibly facing terrible regret for not expressing your feelings.  Imagine if he hadn't made it?  I shudder at the awful, awful thought.

Negative, negative, negative

I probably shouldn't even write a post like this, but, it's my blog, and I've got a lot on my mind that is causing some major negative emotions and writing may felt me figure them out. 

First off, I've been watching the Bachelorette for the ENTIRE season...  I knew that with the finale being on Sunday, that may cause some problems because we've got other things that we tend to watch on Sundays.  But the finale was 3 hours long, so after an unexpected dinner with some friends, it was just too late to start the 3 hour finale.  It irritates me to no end how the VERY FIRST thing I hear on the radio when I get into my car is the outcome of the show.  Of course, I call Husband, who (of course) informs me that I knew that would happen...  Thanks for that, Sweetie.  I think it's so rude of people to announce spoilers SO quickly after the show ended.  Really?  I know I'm being a bit ridiculous here, but I'm so frustrated.

On top of that, I had a major case of cabin fever this weekend.  Although Husband offered to do something after dinner on Friday, we ran into the exact problem we do every Friday.  Where do we go for casual drinks to celebrate the beginning of the weekend?  I'm sure it's not that hard to find a place in this lovely little town we live in, but nothing ever comes to mind.  This makes me miss the actual city.  Not that I'd come up with anything if we were there, but right now, I feel like my options would be more open.  Who knows...  So, we went to bed early.  Sometimes, I choose to stay up late and read, but I wanted to get up early and run, so I went to bed early, too.  And I got up way too early.  It's perfect for running, but when I couldn't make myself get a nap in, it just made for a long day.  We didn't do anything that evening, and I was literally waiting around for it to be not too early for bed.  Pathetic. 

I'm very aware that this is all my doing.  I simply needed to say, "Hey, I want to do this or go here," and I'm sure he'd have been happy to do so, but sometimes I want him to take the initiative.  He knew I'd been sitting on my ass all day.  Of course I'm bored.

Sunday.  Not much better.  I took Sunday as a rest day because I knew I needed one, and I figured I'd get up and restart the workout on Monday.  I managed to stay in bed a little later than normal on Sunday, which was nice.  I guess I needed that 10 hours of sleep.  I went to the grocery store, but that was it.  Husband had suggested golf, but I don't want to play every weekend.  Every other weekend is fine for me.  I'll get burned out.  Plus, he takes it too seriously.  Part of me almost wishes we'd never started this venture.  When I complained about the cabin fever, he said that he would have suggested other things to do, but I apparently don't like to do much. No, I don't like going to the movies.  Especially after sitting around all weekend watching t.v.  There is also just something about movie theaters that I don't like.   I don't know if it's the germ, the people, the noise, being confined...  It's just not my thing.  It never really has been.  It's not normal; I understand that. 

Any other suggestions as to what we can do?  I didn't want to suggest dinner because he'd spent the day cooking a brisket, but when we got the call to meet our friends, he wanted to meet them, and I was happy to get out of the house and visit.

I didn't get up to run this morning, which disappointed me, but I was tired, and after sleeping so much Saturday night, I can't help but think my body just really needed some rest.  But maybe that's a good thing, seeing as now I can just hop on the elliptical when I get home and watch the (spoiled) season finale of the Bachelorette. 

Aren't I a ball of sunshine today?  At least it isn't too late to turn it around.  I'm looking forward (no expectations though) this upcoming weekend.  And week, to an extent.  Girls' evening tomorrow, date night Wednesday and hair appointment Thursday.  This weekend- photo shoot with Heather!! and pool day Sunday!  Early birthday celebration. :) I'm milking my birthday as much as I can!

So, there you have it.  Positives and negatives, and the revelation that I need to force that good mood and positive attitude.

And the Weekend Continues!!

Once again, I'm up too early on a Saturday! 

Last night was very low key, and we went to bed early, which may have something to do with me waking up at 6:15! :/  And grouchy.  Yep, I will admit it; I was a bit of a morning grouch today.  But no one had to put up with me, seeing as hubby left pretty early for golf.  I didn't want to run, but I made myself, and it really improved my mood! :) One of the many benefits of working out!

Not sure what today will hold...  But I hope it's something fun!!  Pool?  Nap?  Shopping?  Only time will tell! I've already cleaned a little around the house and worked out, so I've been pretty productive.  Good job me!  Happy Saturday morning!!

So Far, Really Good

Awhile ago, I posted about not having expectations because they tend to lead to disappointment...  My theory was that if you don't have certain expectations for something, you can just sit back and enjoy whatever happens to come about.  And if things don't go well, well, you aren't disappointed.  I've had hits and misses with this whole experiment.  I'm going to try something a little different, but along the same lines this weekend (key word "try").  I'm going to try to blog throughout the weekend, giving updates on what's going on, focusing on the good stuff.

This idea came to me because I have already had such a great morning.  First off, I got a ton of sleep last night.  Good sleep.  And I woke up feeling rested and ready for the day. I got a good run in, along with a pretty good workout.  Then, while working out, I checked my Facebook updates, and... I found out that one of my best friends booked her flight to Vegas for my birthday trip!!  Such a wonderful surprise!  I was hopeful that she'd be able to make it, but I wasn't positive.  So, that was pretty exciting!  Things are starting to come together with the trip.  We're figuring out where we'll go...  Club, pool, dinner...  All the *big* stuff!!

I'm trying to not  look ahead to the rest of the weekend, but I am supposed to have lunch with a friend and then dinner with the husband.  Maybe go out for a drink after, but seeing as he has a tee time at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, that may not happen.  Trying my best to not let that get me down.  I'd like to actually have a fun Friday night, but if we don't go out after dinner, there is always tomorrow. 

On a sad note, a sweet friend of mine is putting her dog do today. :( My heart breaks for her.  But she gave her sweet puppy a wonderful life, and saved her from the animal shelter.  I know that doesn't make it easier on her, but she is doing the kind thing by giving her sweet little girl a way out of the pain she is in.  :'(

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that the sun is shining again!  The rain has been nice, but it's also nice to see the some reappear!

I'm also thankful for a laid back weekend to look forward to!!

Raining and Training

I'm not sure what's going on with the weather here lately, but it seems like we've gotten more rain over the past couple of weeks than we've gotten in the past year!  I'm certainly not going to complain about this, seeing as how droughts have been all too common over the past few years, but it certainly is an adjustment.  It does, however, cause some potential setbacks when it comes to running.  I really didn't slack this past week in my training for the half marathon, but I don't feel like I got the best workouts I could have.  I no longer feel that the elliptical cuts it on days that I need to be running outside.  I've mentioned that my work schedule calls for me to change up my off days and make other changes to my training schedule, but there's not much I can do about that.  I am, unfortunately, realizing that I'll probably have to add some evening runs to my schedule here pretty soon.  This is going to be a tough one.  There are days when I have to get to work just a little too early to get a morning run in.  If it's raining (which, as I mentioned, has become very common), I don't mind hopping on the elliptical...  Something is definitely better than nothing, right?  But if it isn't raining, I think it's time to step it up and face the heat.  I think the best way to go about this major change is to keep the runs short and stick close by my house.  Maybe even break them up into two parts so I can stop for a water break.  It seriously is dangerous to try to run in such drastic heat, especially when you've become accustomed to the cool mornings (cool being a relative term here).  So, I'm going to try to implement this idea and see how it goes.  Skipping my long run this past Saturday really messed up my routine, but it was pretty much necessary.  I was exhausted from Friday.  That goes back to listening to your body.   Despite all my naps and sleeping in much later than I'm used to, I'm still struggling to keep my eyes open today.

So, no more slacking!!  If I'm going to do this (and I'm going to do this), I'm going to give it my all! :)

It's still not too late to sign up and run with me, so consider it!!

Ladies' Nite and Weekend Recap

Friday night was the Chamber's annual Ladies' Nite.  This event is just for the ladies, and other that helping set up during the day and clean up (which was a breeze) afterwards, the staff didn't have any real "job" to do during the event.  This is by far one of our most fun events!  This year's theme was "Prom Rewind," so everyone either broke out their old prom dress or found something on the formal, yet gaudy side to wear.  There were some crazy dresses.  The guys on the committee put on the entertainment, and this year, we had a Prom Queen Competition (yep, pretty much a drag show), and we were treated to a performance from NKOTB!!!  Priceless! 

The dress I wore was the actual dress my manager wore to her prom the year I was born!  Very cool!  I just happened to have the petticoat from my wedding dress at my house (for the photoshoot with the very talented Heather on the 28th), and it worked perfectly with the dress.

Here are some pictures from Friday:

Two of my co workers and me...  All the blondes wore pink...  And pretty much looked like Barbies. :)

Yep, the dress was LARGE!!

My boss and me. :) He cleans up pretty nicely!

So, Friday was a long day...  It was actually the last day that I ran.  Shame on me for slacking this week.  I only ran a few times, but I did manage to get the elliptical training in a bit to try to make up for it.  Here is one of the reasons I love morning runs:

It's so pretty!!  There are so many positives to running early, and I don't know if I could handle the heat anymore if I tried to push it into the afternoon anymore. :/  It's also so peaceful early in the day.  I love it!

But, as I said, Friday was a long day, starting with a 6:25 a.m. run and going through the event, which wasn't over until 11:30, then we had to clean up.  When I got home, some friends were visiting, and I don't get to see them all that often because they have a sweet little baby that likes to go to bed early, so I took full advantage of their visit...  And was up WAY too late!!  Getting up early on Saturday did not happen...  Shame on me, but I need to catch up on my rest BADLY!  I spend some quality time on the elliptical, but it just isn't the same.  I totally flaked out on my long run this weekend, and I feel bad about that.  I didn't even run today.  I needed an actual "rest" day because I haven't had one since last Sunday. 

Yesterday, Husband and I went to an early dinner and sat on the patio to have a few drinks.  There was a bad storm that we got to watch come it, and it caused the wait staff to put down the plastic window things to keep us from getting soaked, but it was still fun to sit outside during the storm.  We were joined by some of our friends who will be going to Vegas with us so we could try to make plans...  I think we have a good idea of what we'll be doing and when.  Now, it's just deciding on which pool to go to and which club to get in. 16 days!!!

The storm coming in.

Random picture from last night.

Another random one. :)

Today, I intended to try to run, but we already know that didn't happen.  So, on my rest day, I played golf.  This was the first time Husband and I played with just the two of us.  It was fun, but VERY muddy.  I think I've improved a bit since I last played, which was a few weeks ago.  That doesn't mean I did well, but I did do better! :)  Husband did well too!!

Really hoping the running goes MUCH better this week!!

Vegas, Baby!

In 22 days, I will be in Las Vegas to celebrate my 28th birthday!  Not being a huge fan of getting older, I try to make the best out of birthdays by having lots of fun activities to celebrate with family and friends!  ...and, as many have put it, getting older certainly outweighs the alternative...  Vegas is such a fun city, and it hold so many wonderful memories for me.  It's even where Husband proposed to me! :)  Although we go a couple of times each year, Vegas just doesn't get old!  Husband and I go alone most of the time, but for this trip, we will be joined by a few of our friends!  I'm so excited about that!  We'll still have time to do our own thing, but we'll have a group for our pool day and enough people to pull off a fun night at a club!  All in all, I am getting more and more excited about this trip as each day goes by!  Vegas certainly isn't for everyone, but it is definitely for us!  Besides gambling and walking the strip (and watching all the crazy people), we make it to the occasional show, eat at amazing restaurants and make so many random, wonderful friends!

Not the best picture, but this is one I just found...  Anyways, this is what the background to our engagement looked like!  I'll post some pictures from our actual engagement at some point.  Probably for an anniversary of our engagement post in September.

This is the hotel we stay at most of the time! Love it!



And here are a few from our last trip:

Sorry for the poor quality...  But this is about the spot where we got engaged! :) <3

Yep, that would be a VERY nice hand at Pai Gow!!

Again, not the best quality, but I thought this was a pretty cool picture!!  Champagne in Vegas?  Why not?! :)

Mommyhood

As you may know, I've gone back and forth about a million times about whether or not babies are in the cards for Husband and me.  If they are, when?  When is it too late?  Is it ever too late?  Is there ever a right time?  So many questions...  But it seems that lately, I've just been bombarded with kids.  Friends having kids, meeting new people with kids, spending time with family and friends who have kids...  The list just goes on and on, and the common factor that comes to mind in so many of my recent encounters would be kids.  I'm almost 28, and thought by now that I'd have at least one child, possibly two, but that's not the case.  I don't feel ready, but like I said, are you ever really ready?

I spent Sunday with my friend and her two little boys (5 and almost 4).  I love these little ones to death! I really do, but they were a handful.  I guess I spent about 6 hours with them while their dad and Husband played golf.  Their mom is a great friend of mine.  She's probably the most patient and understanding person I know!  She stays home with them everyday, and she is just so loving.  Even when she's punishing them, you can tell it hurts her more than it hurts them. 

But back to my point, this weekend gave me a new insight into what being a mom can entail.  And I just don't know if I'm ready for that!  I really had no idea how much of an actual job it is to raise kids.  Yes, it is more than a full time job.  A full time job means you work 40 hours a week.  Her work never stops.  I admire all of my mommy and daddy friends, and I can't say that I have what it takes to do what they do.  I've heard it all changes when they are yours, but from the outside looking in, parenting seems like a pretty much impossible task.  Being a parent was always part of my life plan, and I'm not saying that that's changed, but I see it as a completely different thing now.  Kids are blessings, but they do change the dynamics of your marriage and every other aspect of your life without a doubt.  Husband and I wouldn't get nearly as many trips, we wouldn't be able to go out nearly as much...  Basically, we couldn't be as selfish as we are now.  That's just the truth of it.  Are we okay with that?  What would our relationship be like? 

*Sigh* Big decisions!!  BIG decisions!

Qualities

I like to think I'm a decent person...  I try to be.  I know I'm certainly not the best, but I always work to be the best me that I can be.  Below, I've listed some qualities that I think are really important for a person to have.  I left out things like "pride," or "bravery," not because I don't think those are important, but because those aren't the most important to me at this point in my life.  They aren't my focus...  I'm guessing you'll pick up on the theme of my important qualities.  These are things I strive to be; things I strive to have.  You may learn something about me! :)

Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Compassion: Sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

Humility: A modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness.

Strength: The power to resist strain or stress; durability. The ability to maintain a moral or intellectual position firmly.

Dedication: The quality of being committed to a task or purpose.

Grace: Simple elegance or refinement.

Understanding: An agreement of opinion or feeling; adjustment of differences; harmony.

Self Discipline: Training and control of oneself and one's conduct , usually for personal improvement.

Determination: Firmness of purpose; resoluteness.

Caring: Displaying kindness and concern for others.

Positivity: Characterized by or displaying certainty, acceptance, or affirmation.

Courage: The ability to do something that frightens one. Strength in the face of pain or grief.

Selflessness: Having, exhibiting, or motivated by no concern for oneself.

Patience: The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

Open Mindedness: Receptive to new and different ideas or the opinions of others.

Self Worth: Dignity: the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect.

Respectful: A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

Not really sure where this post came from, but it seems important right now.  I like to understand people, and part of understanding people is knowing what is important to them, or what they value.  So, here you go... Now you know a bit about what I value in myself, or hope to be better at.  Nothing too fancy; just good.  I want to be a good person.

XO

Thankful Thursday

1. I am thankful that I didn't have to work yesterday!  It was a great day off!!  Pool time with friends to celebrate the 4th of July!
2. I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday!
3. Hopefully, I'll get to see lots of important people this weekend! :) Mom, Dad, Sang, Andrea, the little Lees, and other friends!
4. I'm looking forward to Sunday's wine event at Perrine!!  That should be lots of fun!
5. I am thankful for sunshine!!
6. I am thankful for positive reminders that I get from all my friends on such a constant basis.  I love them, and they really help me so much!!
7. I am thankful for the verse Romans 12:12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."  Such great words to live by!!

Here are some pictures from our 4th of July Celebration!!

I'm going to try do a better job on my "thankful" posts... But for now, that'll do! :)

Thankful on a Tuesday, too! :)

1. Good time with a good friend.  Had a special lunch date with my lovely friend, Anna!  I hadn't seen her in far too long, and one lunch date barely scratched the surface of all the things we needed to catch up on.  I have no doubt we will make up for the rest of it as soon as we can! :)

2.  So thankful (again) for my friends...  I love how sometimes people really come out of the woodwork, unexpectedly, and truly help you because they care. 

3.  Guess who gets tomorrow off!  I do!!  Thankful for that!

4.  Guess what I get to do on my day off!  Hang out at a pool party with my lovlies!!  Thankful for that!

5.  I am SO thankful that my Vegas is okay.  Thank you, Lord.  I was so worried.

6.  I am thankful that my birthday trip is coming up.  I love birthday festivities!  Not so happy about getting older, but I love the fun of a birthday!  Seeing family and friends and getting to go to Vegas this year for my birthday...  This will be a wonderful birthday!!

I know I'm supposed to save thankful posts for Thursdays, but I had an urge to do one today! :)  Be thankful!!

All Time Favorite

I wanted to share one of my all time very favorite quotes.  The quote is from the movie Secondhand Lions, and it is just amazing.  The movie is great.  I didn't want to watch it at first because it didn't seem like my "type" of movie (I really don't have a movie type, but I didn't think I'd like this one), but it turned out to be so wonderful for so many reasons.  I highly recommend it.  I randomly saw it on t.v. one day, but I wasn't going to watch it.  I'm so glad Husband insisted I give it a try.

Well, here are some of the most beautiful words you will ever hear:
"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe the most.  That people are basically good.  That honor and courage and virtue mean everything; that power and money... money and power mean nothing.  That good always triumphs over evil.  And I want you to remember this... that love... true love never dies!  Remember that boy... remember that.  Doesn't matter if it's true or not, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in... got that?"

Love. That. Quote. I hope you like it, too! :)

Dreaming

I've been plagued with some pretty off the wall, disturbing dreams lately.  It doesn't seem to matter how much sleep I get or don't get; they're there.  When I wake up, I typically can't recall many details, but I can recall the disturbing feelings that they leave me with.  Disturbed, uncomfortable feelings.  Feelings that something is not right.  Once I wake up, I realize that they were just dreams, but they seem so real at the time, and they unortunately stay with me for some time.  Popping into my head just often enough to keep me a little distracted, and to be honest, worried.  Not about anything that I can put my finger on, but worried that maybe I have some unresolved feelings or issues that I need to address, but don't know how to or haven't recognized yet. 

The past few nights I've had dreams that make no sense, and I can't remember enough of them to put anything together; I just remember very vague bits and pieces.  What I am really good at recalling is the very uncomfortable feelings I'm left with, and a sense that something just isn't right. 

I am very lucky to have a friend who is patient and very undersatnding to how these dreams really get to me.  She even offered to attempt to interpret them for me.  She is a great example of everything a Christian should be, and that shows through in how she interpreted my dreams.  The specifics that I do remember from my dreams are that (from two nights ago) I was in a castle that was embedded in a very high wall, and I had to jump from the castle, which would result in my death.  Very morbid, I know.  Not only that, but I had to make a decision as to who would jump or die with me.  I can't be sure that the dream meant that we would both die, or if just the other person would die, but it was very disturbing.  There was much more to the dream, but not much really comes to mind other than the really terrible feelings associated with the whole thing.  My sweet friend interpreted this to possible mean that the castle was my home, but I feel stuck, and I feel like I can't do anything right without messing up.  She also said that it may mean that I feel like any decision that I make will mean a severance or loss of some kind.  I feel trapped by feelings that I have and worry that if I don't cut them off, or deal with them, them may hurt someone or hurt a relationship by killing it (it being the other person in my dream).

Wow!  These are pretty much exactly the things that go through my mind when I'm in a very introspective mood or am feeling sort of down on something, a situation, a person...  I just never thought that it would be so clear in my dream, and it wasn't clear until I heard her analysis of my dream.  Spot on in regards to things I worry about. 

That was only one dream.  Last night I had another troubling dream.  I remember fewer specifics about this one though.  I recall that I was somewhere unfamiliar, but with people that I know and care about, but I was making mistakes.  These were moral mistakes, but I don't recall exactly what they were.  They weren't mistakes like putting something in the wrong place, or forgetting to call someone back.  In my dream, I felt so out of place, and nothing felt right or okay.  There was just this overwhelming sense of "not right."  And again, my sweet, insightful friend helped me look at what this dream could mean.  She said that I was in an unfamiliar location because it symbolized some unknown territory for me that I was not at peace with.  Not sure what this unfamiliar territory is, but I have a few ideas, and I will certainly pray about it and hope for clarity and understanding.  But I was in this place with people I love.  I don't remember who they were.  Maybe family or friends?  I don't know if the underlying message is that I'm not at peace with a relationship with someone, or if the underlying meaning is that these people will help me find peace in this place (certainly hoping for the latter).

So, there was so much help in her analysis.  Still so many unanswered questions, and I hate to read too much into my dreams, but when they are laid out like that, with possible explanations that make sense, it is hard not to think that our subconscious is telling us something important while we dream.  I've got plenty to think about, but I have a feeling that a weight has been lifted because I have a better idea of how I should look at my dreams.

If you find that you have troubling dreams, and if they tend to stay with you for some time, look into them more closely.  Get the opinion of someone you trust, who you have faith in...  We can learn a lot from the thoughts of others who truly care and believe that God may be using dreams to communicate to us.  Don't let dreams scare you.  Embrace the lessons you can learn from them.  That's what I'm trying to do. 

And, thank you, sweet Jenn.  You're an amazing person.

One More Month of 27!

It is almost unbelievable to me that I will be 28 one month from today!  I don't feel that old...  I still feel like I'm 22.  Twenty-eight just sounds so old.  :/  I didn't think my life would be what it is at 27, if that makes sense.  Looking back to five years ago, I saw myself in a different place by now.  Kids, probably a different job in a different city, but that's definitely not to say that I'm not so happy with life as it is now!  I have a great job and work with some of my best friends, I'm happy in College Station (little town that it is :), and I really don't think I'm at a place for kids to be an option yet (well, that was my mentality until last night, more on that later). 

But 2-8 is late twenties!  When did that happen??  Wow!  Time really flies the older you get (and I know I'm not old), so I can't imagine how fast it'll go when I get even older.  So, I'm definitely going to do everything I can to make the most out of every opportunity I get. 

But since I'm almost old, making the most out of every day doesn't mean that I want to be really busy and necessarily doing something all the time.  I'm almost old, and I get up early (trait of an old person, I think), and sometimes I like low key days.  For example, today I'm tired because Husband and I drive home really late last night from his mom's lake house after celebrating an early 4th of July.  Even though we were up really late, and I could have slept in, did I?  Of course not!  Up early, worked out, did laundry, showered, went to the grocery store...  All before 11:00.  So, I've had a lazy afternoon.   Watched Contagion and Wanderlust (Contagion was pretty good; Wanderlust, not so much), did some reading, watched a lot of the Kendra Wilkinson "reality" show (I have to get my weekly dose of reality t.v...).  Lazy before a Monday back at the Chamber.  But this should be a pretty easy week.  Work two days, day off, work two days, weekend! 

Now, about the baby comment!  Yesterday, I got to meet my neice, Camdyn!  She's four months old, and she is so precious!  I held that baby all day!!  I definitely didn't share much. :)  And I could have kept holding her for hours!!  Not going to lie...  There was a little part of me that thought, "Hey, I could totally have one of these!"  Lol!  I also got to play around with Ridleigh, our other sweet neice.  So precious!!  She was so animated!  A little over three years old is a very fun age.  Good kid experiences this weekend!  I'll have to keep those in mind when I get irritated with other kids, although I'm lucky enough to have friends with super cute, well behaved children. 

July's Photo Challenge

I give myself an F on June's Photo Challenge because I just didn't do it!  Shame on me!  Still hoping to get caught up with the 40ish pictures I'm behind on... eventually...  :/

There is a challenge for July, and here is a link to it.  I'll give you the assignments if you don't want to go to the link but are interested:

1. self portrait
2. busy
3. best part of your day
4. fun
5. on the floor
6. chair
7. garden
8. lunch
9. big
10. your favorite color
11. letter
12. texture
13. open
14. building
15. finger
16. sign
17. your addiction
18. plate
19. animal/insect/pet
20. eyes
21. 9 o'clock
22. upside down
23. mirror
24. a stranger
25. heart
26. sunshine
27. on the road
28. cup
29. last thing you bought
30. calm
31. toothbrush

Good luck!! :)