home for sale...soon!

i am always amazed and love how God always knows what is best and puts it into place all in his perfect timing!

i didn't think i would be saying this so soon, but darling husband and i are planning on moving again! for the past week, jared and i have been in fast mode to fix a couple of things around the house so that we can put it on the market next week. next wednesday, our dear realtor and grandmother to the dalring children i used to nanny for is coming over to take a look at our updates and put our humble abode out there for it to become someone else's. jared and i are in need of a bigger house. it is rather hard though because now after all this fixing up, i really love this little house. it is my very own little pottery barn cottage. back to painting.





anyone want to by a house?!?!

Secret Keeper

I have never been one to like surprises or be able to keep exciting news to myself...

soul owner
philosophy: let's review your only true assets. you own your values, your integrity, your thoughts, your words, your actions and therefore, your destiny. question: are you proud of what you own? what is your true net worth to the world and the people around you? are you really rich or do you just have money?

inner grace

i thought i would share yet another inspirational philosophy...

to know peace is to know God. within the context of peace, we can know joy, love, and happiness. in the absence of peace, we own nothing but the turmoil of our minds that jump from one negative thought to the next. to find peace, you must shut off your mind and open your heart to the only thing that matters, the gift of the present moment, peace personified.

may you be filled with inner grace.

i am....healed

this isn't going to be a long one, but this year already has been a challenging one. while in the car today I was listening to nichole nordeman, who I have listened to for years. i listen to these songs over and over again, and each time, i feel as though God is teaching me something new. being sculpted and molded for His Glory is never an easy process.

a new philosophy

one of the many joys of being home is the excellant shopping! when i was in high school and still living in pittsburgh, the shopping was nothing spectacular. now that i am gone, the ross park mall is amazing! haley and i went to ross park the other night just to get out and have a breather and girl's night together. one of her favorite stores is sephora. now i on the other hand love the store but can't fathom spending $30 on a 2 oz. jar of make-up that is only going to last me a month, if i use sparingly. i have bills to pay! so anyways, we went in and i found a brand that i fell in love with at first sight. not because of their products, but because of their philosophy. they have the cutest products, but what is even more so adorable are the little philosophy messages that are on each item.

ever since i saw them, i have been thinking about all their little sayings. not only am i in love, but i am inspired. here is just one inspirational philosophy:

"be grateful to have been given one more day, let alone one more year. remember to dance in your nightgown, sing in the shower, ride a bike, fly a kite, and take an occasional "wind bath" in your bare skin. give those you love big kisses, huge hugs, and the words "i love you" often and always. nurture your body rather than starve yourself with fad dieting. spend time with the old and the weary to better appreciate your life. on your birthday, call your mother and father wherever they are to thank them for all that they have done for you. watch the movie "life is beautiful" at least once a year. remember that you are not guaranteed tomorrow and that today is as good as it gets. thank God for everything, every day, every moment."

i think this philosophy is one that we all should live by daily. in a world that thrives on the negative and doesn't appreciate the gift of life daily; i think putting this philosophy into practice would make for a life alterating change!

we are called to live a life of passion.
we were created to be passionate beings.

giants come out on top

It's always nice to watch a game where the underdogs come out on top. I have always been fond of the Manning boys. Way to go Giants!

slowly going the way of the cupid shuffle

We all remember the days of group dances that consisted of the dreaded chicken dance, macarena and electric slide. The time has now come for those dances to step aside and retire because the Cupid Shuffle is now the new dance.

Back in November, Jared and I were in Orlando and went into a night club called City Jazz. This song started to play through the speakers and the dance floor was immediately crowed with dancers who were all in sync. I had no idea what they were all doing, but I found myself very intrigued.

In December, I was doing a wedding and heard the song again only to find everyone dancing. When I was in Birmingham, they were evening dancing to this song during the bridal gown fashion show! By this point, I was determined to find out what the song was and how to learn it!

So where else does one turn in times such as these....YouTube!



Browsing through all the homemade videos, I quickly learned that everyone from senior citizens to infants were jumping on the band wagon for this new infectious craze. Some I might add, were quite entertaining!

With Prom and Wedding season just around the corner, I thought I would fill you in so that you won't be that lonely person stranded along the wall in the corner. Go dust off your dancing shoes because it is time to learn some new moves. Next time, I'll post a Soulja Boy Dance video. I thought I would let you warm up a bit before posting more advanced dance moves!

I am now off to learn the Cupid Shuffle...

Dreaded Isicles

As wonderful as it is to come home and see snow white blankets covering as far as the eye can see, there are days like today that make me realize how grateful I truly am to be living in the sunshine state!

I woke up this morning to loud pelting noises outside my window. Looking outside, it was dark, dreary, and everything was covered in ice. Since my mom is on strict bed rest orders, I ventured into the God Forsaken weather. Let me just say that I can't remember a time when I had to pump gas in such miserable weather conditions. The 5 minutes I stood outside with sharp and painful ice pellets slicing my face, were 5 minutes full of foul and resentful thoughts and words. I'm sure all the cars passing by were distracted by my ridiculous dancing and movements along side the car trying to keep somewhat warm while I waited for the car to fill up. If there was ever a time that I was against gas guzzling SUV's with 25 gallon tanks, it was today!

I will admit that the trees covered in ice were a beautiful sight!

I look forward to getting home and slipping into a comfortable tank top and pair of flip flops! And to think that the beloved yearly spring breakers will be arriving in just 3 weeks!

Family Matters

So I knew 2008 was going to be a year full of surprises, but I didn't know they would all happen so soon....and not really the surprises I intended on. I have already met my fair share of hospitals this year and now I know why I steer clear not to mention the smell...

Jared having surgery was my first encounter. two weeks ago, Jared had to have surgery on his should or more precisely, the ligaments in his rotator cuff. That hospital experience was not a fun one for me or Jared. After much arguing with doctors, nurses, and plenty of pain medication, Jared came home and is slowly recovering.

Update: Jared is doing better now that he is able to bathe! He is healing quickly is and able to get around much better on his own. I guess he really didn't have a choice since I haven't been around much. As sad as it is to say, I have been working ridiculously stressful and long hours....hours that should have been spent taking care of him. I have to admit, I have been blessed with an incredibly wonderful and supportive husband.

Last weekend I was in Dallas and returned home on Monday. Tuesday morning I woke up only to find that I had missed calls from my sisters and dad along with a text from Afton to call ASAP. I knew something was wrong. Calling Afton, I soon found out the bad news.

On Monday evening, My mom and Haley were over at some friend's house and my mom went to go down into the basement. Thinking there was a railing she went to grab it and lost her balance and fell over the edge onto the cement floor. She was rushed to the ER where they found she had fractured her skull and broken the bones on the right side of her face. Because of the severe head trauma they sent her downtown to the UPMC trauma unit to be cared for.

Being close to my mother as well as being the oldest, it was hard not being home with my family. Not to mention my dad was on a business trip so that just left my sisters to care of her. I knew I had to get home.

So here I am in Pittsburgh. While sitting on the plane, I tried preparing myself for the worst and what my mom looked like. I don't think I did very well at preparing myself...she looked so much worse than I imagined. My heart broke seeing her and knowing she was in so much pain. I have the personality of being a "fixer," so not being able to do a thing is very hard for me to deal with. I dealt with the same feelings sitting beside Jared knowing there wasn't anything I could do. I hate feeling completely helpless. Seeing my mother and Jared, I suppose kicked my motherly instincts into gear because all I wanted to do is hold them and take away all their pain. All I can do though is to just be here...and right now that is all that matters.

At the end of the day, family is all that matters.