It's a Vera Merry Christmas!

Well I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas as I did. This year I was really prepared, and even though I was not able to start my Christmas shopping until FIVE days before Christmas, I knew what I wanted to get so I just went out and got it after I had earned a little money waitressing. The theme for presents this year seemed to be Vera Bradley. I guess that is because I am now obsessed with it ever since Alex got me a backpack purse for our 1 year anniversary. But in case you don't know about Vera, it is very nice, quilted bags and wallets and luggage/totes, etc. You tend to pick a pattern that you like and then collect over time! As patterns get older, they are retired and then become more valuable (or less valuable) depending on their popularity. My pattern is Frankly Scarlett, and here is a sample picture of what the design looks like...



So over time I have now collected a duffle bag, backpack purse, wallet, wristlet, and hair straightener holder. I have a Vera laptop case, but it is a different pattern, and I am pondering selling it and then purchasing the Frankly Scarlett. Me & my mom got my sister Danielle the Daisy Daisy pattern (see below) & I got my mom the Cafe Latte hair straightener holder (also see below). These items are really great gifts, and also fun to collect. I know some people do not like the whole style because they think it is "old ladyish," according to some people I know, but I love it and wanted to share my interest with all of you! Just out of curiosity, if you are into Vera Bradley, what is "your" pattern or favorite? (New or Old!!) I would love to hear about yours. I will have more Christmas updates later ... Enjoy this break with your families!





- b -

Merry Christmas!

Here is a little something to pass the time until my Christmas video & pictures (there are only a few) are uploaded!

This is a list of things that I have done! (The ones are bolded, but you have to look really hard to tell them apart! Sorry!)


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (I don't remember it, but I've been!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Pass it on!! :)

- b -

Christmas Festivities

So ever since Thursday night, I have been running from Christmas party, to party, to party, and it is really wearing me out!! If you know me, you would know that my ideal weekend would be hanging out with a friend for a few hours and then catching up on a book or with work around the house and hanging out with my puppy & boyfriend (notice the order :) just kidding!!), and I think that these past 3 days have done it for me! Thursday night was the 2008 pledge class of Alpha Tau omega (Alex's fraternity) held their annual "Let It Snow" party, and it was a BlAsT! The main room had the most amazing decorations. The entire wall was covered in wrapping paper just like a big present! Also, Santa was there :) & the snow did fall! Friday night was the Alpha Tau Omega Winter Formal & the lodge that they have it at every year. I was so lucky to go with my amazing boyfriend of 14 months & a few of my very close girl friends. The night was amazing, & I loved seeing everyone in their pretty dresses (not to mention the delicious food that they served). And then Saturday night me & my roommate Catherine had a Christmas party for a group of our close girlfriends. We had a cookie exchange & played MadGab like crazy! It was so fun! But because finals are drawing near, most of us didn't have that much time to put in our cookies (let alone any at all) so many were store bought or just slice and bake. But we had a very fun time anyways. So that was my weekend.. the last one before Christmas break, & here are a few pictures from all the festivities. Enjoy!









^^ This is a picture of me in my new car that I got over Thanksgiving break. It's a 2008 Kia Rio SX. It's also a stick shift, & I love it! :)






My roommates & I!!




So I hope you enjoyed the pictures! :) I have two final exams before I leave to go home on Wednesday afternoon. I am actually not going straight to Louisville, but I am going to spend a few days in Lebanon, TN with Alex & his family. I've missed them so much. So that is what I will be up to this week, and after that I will be home for Christmas!

- b -

The Real Reason For The Season

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2



- b -

I'm Back!

Ok, so I KNOW that it has been over 3 months since I have posted, and I am SO incredibly sorry, but life has a way of just .. happening. A lot has happened since September. This 15-week semester has absolutely flown by. I started taking my Education classes, and I had a *BlAsT*. I have had the opportunity to observe in two public elementary school classrooms, and although I have always had my heart set on teaching in a private, Christian school like the ones I grew up in, I have changed my mind!!! For me this is such a big deal, but after experiencing this semester in a public school, I have realized that this can really be my mission field. Other than my three education classes, I have taken Public Speaking, Physical Science, and Arts in Western Civilization. They have all been good ... not too hard but not too easy. I have enjoyed spending so many fun times with my friends here at school. I am going to post some pictures from throughout this semester. And even though there have been some bad times, and I have lost a couple people in my life that I really thought were my friends, I have gained so many more. Currently I am awaiting finals next week (I only have two!) as well as the ATΩ Christmas party on Thursday night and ATΩ Winter Formal on Friday night AND mine & my roommate Catherine's Tacky Christmas Party on Saturday night! So this weekend is going to be so much fun before finals begin!! :) So that is just a quick update in my life thus far. Alex & I are doing wonderful, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!!

- b -



This is me and my friends Megan & Claudia at the Howdy party at the very beginning of the semester. That party is like a welcome back party for everyone to catch up from a long summer!



This is me & Alex about to go out to eat with my little sister when she came to visit!! :)



This is me & my friend Claudia & my roommate Catherine at the ATΩ flag football game one night! Us girls play on the same team ... we are the Diamonds!



And this is me & Katie & Claudia after we built a fort one night out of their beds!! It was so fun!! We even had a dance party after ;)

A Little Dose of Biblical Medicine

So tonight at church I learned a LOT. Ben's sermon definitely hit home, & it is so weird because I haven't gone to the Post *Southeast's college ministry* in a month, & for some reason I decided to go tonight, & it was amazing. So as I said before, Alex & I are doing a devo. book called 101 questions before you get engaged, & when we were doing in a while ago, one of the questions was, "What emotion is it hard for you to express?" And it didn't take me long to write down the word SYMPATHY. It's not common for us to think of sympathy as an emotion, but it is; it's a state of your heart. And a lot of times I really find myself not caring about what other people are going through or I do care what they are going through, I just don't sympathize with them at all. It's really a struggle that I have because like I learned tonight, God has given us so much grace and so much mercy that we do not even deserve. And He has given that to us because He loves us & wants us to show that same attitude towards others. A lot of times when people tell me they're going through a tough time or something bad has gone on in their life I always think of a way to justify it. Like "Oh, you made a bad decision, & now you have to pay for it," kind of thing, & that is not the right attitude at all. Sometimes bad things in life just happen. Sometimes people have to go through a situation to build character, & no one knows why or when or where or how but only God knows that kind of thing, and only He can judge us. Ben talked to us tonight about how the opposite of mercy is being bound to the trivial things in life, & that is so true. I think that because I do this little thing right & that little thing right that because of ME, I am going to be rewarded. But the truth is, nothing that I do will ever gain reward. I am only who I am today by the grace and MERCY of Jesus Christ. Nothing have I done to earn his love, & nothing have I done to earn His forgiveness except choose to follow Him. How do we get a heart full of mercy? Well Ben was talking about the beattitudes in Matthew chapter 5 & the way to have a merciful and sympathetic heart is the be meek; to hunger & thirst for righteousness; to be poor in spirit. They are all ways of how we deal with God, & when we realize our brokenness, we can fully understand and sympathize with the brokenness of other people. I am going to work on this a whole lot. I truly want to be a girl o f mercy. I want to be a friend that will cry for you when something spirals out of control in your life. I want to genuinely feel for others who are hurting, and that is my prayer right now; for a heart of mercy.

- b -

Some things just cost a little *ExTrA*

So lately I've been coming to realize that some things in life you just have to pay a little extra for. And realizing that has been a little difficult for me! I hate spending large amounts of money on things that I believe should be cheaper and more affordable. For instance, I had this new digital camera that wasn't even six months old. It got dropped and was going to be 130 dollars to repair it. That was CRAZY for me to think that I just paid 170 dollars for a camera, and now it was going to cost pretty much the same price to get it fixed! How lame. So I thought it over for a while and came to the conclusion that it would just be well worth my money to buy a different camera (brand new) for only 50 dollars more. It makes sense, right? I get a whole new camera + a whole new warranty for give or take 50 dollars. And then we have the clothing issue. I just HATE spending a whole lot of money on clothes. Sure I can drop 110 for a Ralph Lauren jacket, but I feel that is rediculous to pay 75 dollars for 2 pairs of jeans from American Eagle. Am I missing something? because something just doesn't feel right at all. I've just realized that sometimes it is worth spending more money on something that will last than paying 20 dollars here and there and everywhere all year to fix some cheap thing that was broken or useless to begin with. So for entertainment, I am going to put a list of things up here that I will spend a little extra $$$ for and some things that I just can barely spend a penny on without cringing.

WORTH MY MONEY

-Jeans
-Bras *cringe* i hate to say it because i don't act it out, but they are just something you can't buy cheaply!
-Cell Phones & Cameras
-Cars & Computers
-Make-up (who wants to look like an orange pumpkin all day long?) NOT me
-Healthier Food


SOOO NOT WORTH MY MONEY

-Bathing Suits
-Tennis Shoes
-Lotions & Perfumes
-MOST purses *I do divulge about once a year / year & a half*
-Lip Gloss
-Car Stereos & anything else to "sup" it up inside OR out
-Nail Polish

So out of curiosity, what would YOU spend money on & what could YOU care less about?

- b -

Annoying Neighbors

Have you ever had that one set of neighbors that just constantly drove you nuts? If not, you're lucky, but I'm sure everyone has had there share *or will get their share* in the future. I'm sure people think we're annoying because we have 4 - 5 - 6 dogs at a time, but I would just like to vent on what has been happening over the past few months. Our old neighbors moved out last summer I think. I really didn't care because I was going to college and wouldn't be around that much, but boy should I have. Our new neighbors are 2 brothers in their 20s or 30s. They're never around except when they're smoking on their back porch or mowing the grass. The only problem I have with them is their PARENTS. Gram and Gramps are over 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!!! They are constantly doing yard work and cleaning and hiring people to fix their house and rebuilding. I can understand if their sons were helping them do all this, but they aren't. The parents are over every second of every day and they don't even live there! It's not their house, and I think it's about time Timmy and Tommy learn to break away. No wonder I've never seen any girls (ahem, women) over spending time with them because they are too consumed with their mommy & daddy! It's just frustrating especially when every time we pull into our driveway, their parents are up at our window wanting to talk to us for no reason at all. THEN the other day we were getting our driveway repaved and enlarged. I guess mommy next door wanted the guy that was doing our driveway to do hers to, but when she called he was busy so she got someone else! Well the moment he pulls up to our house, she stomps over to his truck and starts throwing a little temper tantrum and yelling at him .. IN OUR YARD!! Finally he tells her off and says, "Lady, I don't have time to deal with you. Stay on that side of the grass." Oh, I wish I had beaten him to it. :] So she just stomps over to "her" yard and supposedly calls the BBB & corporate on this man and his company. Come on lady; get a life! Let your boys fend for themselves, and leave our workmen out of it. We are getting our house ready to put up for sale, and I cannot wait. Because every time I see her when I pull in, I want to run and hide forever. I would absolutely LOVE to hear any of your! annoying neighbor stories :]

- b -

Do NOT Be Fooled!!

So today I was driving home from shopping at Target, and I decided to stop by Wendy's to get a salad for dinner! Good choice, right? .... WRONG. That's what I thought at first, but once I got home I was curious to how "healthy" I was actually being. I was SHOCKED to read on Wendy's Nutrition Guide that my beloved salad contained 53 grams of fat and over 750 calories! WHAT?!?!?!?!?!? It was a BLT Grilled Chicken Salad for goodness sake! Well come to find out, most of the calories and fat grams came from the salad dressing (Honey Mustard), but still, I thought it completely rediculous. The drive-thru workers don't even tell you there is another option for dressing (Lite Honey Mustard) that is SO much better for you!!

I've never been the junk food police, and I've never been obsessed with checking calories and fat grams and all that junk, but it can never hurt to look! After what I learned today, I can still get the same salad in the future, just ask for the Lite dressing instead of the regular packet that comes with it! Also, if you compare, the exact SAME salad from subway, it is so much healthier for you especially with a lighter dressing. I work at Steak 'n Shake, and so many companies JUST LIKE the one I work for are so tricky when they advertise. For example, our new Light Fruit & Frozen Yogurt shakes are absolutely NOT good for you. They are over 350 calories each, some over 400. The only reason they are "healthy" as advertised, is because they are healthier than lets say, a mocha shake or a vanilla shake. But they still aren't healthy!!!! So I am just encouraging everyone who is reading this to be aware of what you are putting in your body. It's not wrong to eat fast food or have a burger every once in a while, just try to make wiser decisions and decrease portion size. Doesn't everyone feel so much better when they are at a normal weight & happy with the way they look? I sure do WITHOUT a doubt. So don't fall into the trap of thinking that you are being healthy because you are eating a salad. Restaurants do not care if you are being healthy; they only want your money. Be aware; be wise; be smart.

- b -

Some Really Good Books!

This summer I have had the greatest pleasure of finding some of the best Christian books (that I really have needed) to spend my time reading. The first series was recommended to me by my roommate Catherine Jenkins. It's the Redemption Series by Karen Kingsbury. It's about a family in Bloomington, Indiana that just goes through so many trials in their relationships (family & marital & friendship), but continually trust God and His plan for their lives & how He works through them. It is just a really neat series that I have LOVED reading. One if its focuses is on how love is a decision, not a feeling. You decide to love something or someone and your actions follow that decision no matter what. For any teenager, newlywed or mommy, I recommend it because it reaches out to people in all stages of life, young or old.

This next book is a devotional that me and Alex have started doing together. It's called "Before You Get Engaged," and as you can guess, it's for any dating couple possibly looking towards marriage in the near future. We have just started it, but already after tonight, I know this journey together is going to bring us closer to God, and closer to each other as we look for God's will in our lives and continue to pursue that.



Another study I have been doing with the women's group at Southeast, is of Randy Alcorn's book "Heaven." This book has gotten me so excited about Heaven!!! There are so many things that I am so suprised that the church doesn't teach on a regular basis that it should! I am so glad that our church did this study because I feel like a part of me has been pieced together after reading this book. Heaven is our eternal home, and not knowing what it will really and i mean REALLY be like should leave us empty. God gives us so much information in the Bible about Heaven that all we have to do is look look look!

So these are just some books I highly recommend. If you have read any of them feel free to let me know what you thought as well!!

- b -

Bored in Louisville

So it has come to the point in the summer where either A) I am in need of a vacation or B) I am just ready to be back at Union. I've been at the same routine since the end of May. Go to work, go to school, take care of Colby, go to church and repeat the same cycle every week. I'm pretty sick of it by now, and I just need some fun in my life. Normal people get to take vacations in the summer. Not students who have stupid class to worry about. I don't regret taking this class at all; I just want to do something fun. Any ideas? I'm thinking about going to the waterpark sometime next week ... maybe. Who knows. I wish I could have gone to Niagara Falls with my family, but no. Oh well ... give me any ideas if you all have any!

- b -

Camping Disaster ... AGAIN!

So it seems like EVERY time that my family decides to go camping it rains. Not just the little drizzle kind of rain but a downpour!!!! Last time that I remember camping was in middle school with the Pattersons and my AWANA girls. It rained then, and we had to leave. Before my brother was born, my family used to go camping all the time, but the last time we did, EVERYTHING got ruined and my mom just left the tent there and declared she would never go again. We gave away our tent, and she remained true to her word. Since over a decade ago we have always gotten a floating cabin on the river or a little bunkhouse, but this summer my mom decided that since my brother is now 10 years old and has never been camping with the family in a tent, we would give it a shot.

Well yesterday evening after I got home from school, Alex, Danielle and I packed up his 2008 Dodge Ram and headed for Green River Lake in Campbellsville, KY. We got there in about two hours and checked in at the campsite. We started setting up camp and getting the tent put up. About 40 minutes into our camping experience, the clear blue sky was suddenly filled with dark, dark rain-clouds and the wind started blowing, and the rain came ... who would have guessed?

We stood there trying to think of WHAT to do. We decided on unpegging the tent, putting it under the picnic table so it wouldn't blow away, getting the rest of our things and then finding shelter until we could think of what to do. We got in the truck (soaked to the bone), wrapped ourselves in Colby Jack's little dog blanket and then drove to Sonic to wait out the storm. We went back after it stopped raining, rolled up the tent and put it in a big bag, and then drove 2 hours home with the heat blasting the whole way. WHAT a camping trip. This always happens. Come on, can't we ever get a break?

Here are some photos and a video of the lovely trip.











We are gonna give it a second shot on Sunday when the weather is supposed to be nice. We rented a boat, so we'll go out on that. PRAY for better weather ... I want SOME fun out of this trip!!

- b -

:: Integrity ::

Sometimes it's the little things in life that reassure me that there is still some good and generosity left in the world. At work I rarely see any of that. Especially when people yell at you for things that you have no control over ( I am a waitress at Steak 'N Shake ), leave without tipping and sometimes without even paying at all. Parents constantly leave their kids' messes spilt all over the table and complain when they order 5 cups of cheese sauce and they have to pay for them. Nothing ever seems good at my job, but on Friday night there was a guy that showed a little integrity and motivated me in my own life ( and I'm pretty sure he had no idea the impact he made ).

They were a young man & a woman. I'm pretty sure they weren't dating. How do I know this? Most couples request a booth and snuggle in next to each other or if they do sit across from each other they hold hands or make silly, lovey-dovey faces at each other . ♥ But no, they sat in the back corner at a table across from each other. I'm not sure if he was a pastor or not. He was young ( late 20s / early 30s ), but little snips of their conversation as I cleaned off the tables around them included statements about baptism, past sins as a child, the church, etc. gave clues that she was seeking his counsel. He ordered a salad and a drink while she just got a milkshake ( i'm pretty sure ), but when I came back to check on them I noticed his salad pushed aside, hardly touched. I asked him if there was something wrong with it, and he replied that it just didn't hit the spot. I offered him something else to replace it, and he ordered a cheeseburger and I told him I would bring it out shortly and take the salad off his ticket. He insisted that he would pay for it, and I walked away pretending like I would let him pay for it. Of course I wasn't going to make him pay for it. Our salads aren't that great to begin with so I'm pretty sure it wasn't that good and he was just being polite. I had my manager Jennifer take the salad off his ticket and brought out his cheeseburger and the new ticket. They sat there for a long time ( over an hour ) and I was getting ready to leave and was filling up salad dressings in the back near the door when he signaled my attention and he said this.

"I saw where you took that salad off my check. Are you going to get in trouble for that? I can pay for it."

"No sir. I talked to my manager, and she took care of it. Don't worry about it."

"Alright. Well I was just going to make sure. Thanks so much. Have a great night."

The fact that he went out of his way to come and find me ( it was a busy night! ) and offer to pay for the salad that he didn't even care for after I had already taken it off his ticket just hit me. He was truly an honest guy, and even though it was just a $6.00 little salad, he wanted to do the right thing. And that's how I want to be in my life. I want to have integrity in the little and the big things. So I just thought that I would share this little story with you in order to encourage YOU to have integrity no matter what circumstances you are in.

1 Timothy 1:5 "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

- b -

Mid-June Update!

Well lots has happened since my last blog. I started summer school last Thursday, and it going to be a really good class I think. So far it's not too hard, and all the busy work that Union requires is all condensed. Basically, we get the lectures online and print them off before class so we can just pay attention and add to our notes instead of write write write. It's a small thing, but I am thankful for that. My goal is to get an A in this class, and I really think it is quite achievable. We'll see how it goes :)

Alex has been here since Friday, and it is great having him around. He got a job as a soccer coach at River City Soccer Complex. He starts coaching tomorrow morning right after my Bible study, and he is still waiting on a call from Dicks Sporting Goods that is supposed to come tomorrow evening! That is the main job he wants. So I guess I should start moving all my stuff to the good ol' basement.

Work is going good .. it's just frustrating sometimes because sometimes we are slammed and sometimes we are so dead. On my way to work I always try to guess if everything will be ready to go or just a mess all over the place. But I love the people that I work with, and it is really good money. I love not working on the weekdays (Tues/Wed/Thurs) because it gives me time to just relax and catch my breath. I received an $164.83 vacation paycheck on Saturday, and I was really excited because I wasn't expecting it at all. Even though I was on educational leave since Feb., I was still technically an employee of Steak 'N Shake so I got my vacation pay! I don't know anyone else my age that gets that! Haha

We had a good Father's Day yesterday. Church was so good and I loved how Kyle and Dave did a duel sermon. It was funny yet touching all the same. We went to lunch as a family at Buckhead's Mountain Grill. Yummm :) Then we were going to go to an Open House in Adams Run (where we might be moving), but it had gotten cancelled for some reason. So we turned around and drove 30 minutes back home. I took a little nap, and then we were on our way to drop Nick off at camp at Country Lake! I LOVED Country Lake when I was little. It's such a good camp. So he's there now, and I'm about to watch the Bachelorette (as we do every Monday night) and then read some chapters in my bio. book for class tomorrow!

Hope you all are having a great summer! Let me know what you are up to!

- b -

The Pieces Are Falling Together :)

So I was very happy on Monday to receive an e-mail from one of the professors at Jefferson Community College. As you know, I've been trying to get into this Biology lab so that Union will accept my credit from JCC. I was worried for a little while because I had not heard from him, and the beginning of class was drawing nearer and nearer, but Monday afternoon I got a message from him, and he assured me that he could find a spot for me in the lab!! I was so excited!! Now I have something to actually do with my summer, and after the class is finished at the end of July, it's just one check on my to-do list. SUCH a relief. So now I will be going to school taking Introduction to Biology on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30 - 7:00. It's such a long time, but somehow I don't think it will be THAT bad. I hate science, but I'm praying for the Lord to just give me an open mind and to understand and actually WANT to learn. Now, I just hope the book doesn't cost me a lot! :o) Today, I also start tutoring this little boy named Joseph. He's about to go into 7th grade and is struggling with math. As most of us know, once you get behind in math, it takes forever to catch up and sometimes you even can't! So hopefully this summer we can make some big improvements or get him completely caught up for his 7th grade year. I don't know how great of a teacher I'll be, but hopefully it'll be fun. We're going to start with multiplication so I bought a big bag of M&Ms and Skittles for some visual (and edible) fun. :o) So after I meet him today and we hang out at the pool a little bit, we'll start with the basics and see how it goes from there! Please say a little prayer!

- b -

New Addition to the Merante Clan ???

No my mom is NOT pregnant !!! :) But since Alex recently (as of < 24 hrs. ago) left his job at Jackson Golf & Country Club, we might have a new "Merante" for the summer. Hopefully he will get the golf position available at Dicks Sporting Goods on Hurstbourne Lane and start there possibly within the coming weeks. I'll be crushed if he doesn't, but the Lord opens and shuts doors accordingly. While my new (possibly) home will be in our "furnished" basement :/, it will all be worth it if it works out, and he gets to stay with us! Of course he'll have his chores and responsibilities around the house just like everyone else ... maybe. It will just be very interesting to see how he handles this situation. And I am just going to sit back and laugh. Haha ... welcome to the family!

- b -

Love

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Exactly Where I'm Supposed To Be!!!

So because I am going to school to be an elementary teacher, I thought it would be a good idea to volunteer with the elementary kids at Southeast this summer even though I'll only be home for a few months. I've been toying around with thoughts of what age group I would want to teach, and I've come to the conclusion that I just absolutely love 1st graders. And my conclusion was confirmed this morning as I played with them and worshipped with them and taught them their Bible lesson. 1st graders are just so cute, and they're still in that stage where everything is new to them, and they're eager to learn. The boys still have that sweet side, and will hold your hand and talk to you and love on you. It's just a cute age. I was kind of nervous today because I thought I had figured things all out and then church was going to be completely the opposite of what I thought it would be. But my worst fears have no control over what God has planned!!! Just sitting there with them, with this big smile on my face gave me the peace that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. No questions asked.

"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other." Psalm 85:10 NIV

I have no doubt in my mind that I love these kids, all of them. I can't wait for classroom observing in the fall. First, because I'd better enjoy it because I have over 30 required hours in just one semester :o) and second, because I don't get a choice in which grades I get to have (I get 2 different classes). This will help me be open-minded to wherever God wants me to be at and will also give me further reassurance in my preconceived feelings already. I'm just so excited about this summer and the rest that I am going to get to experience!

- b -

THE little THINGS HE DOES :O)

Alex came to visit about a week ago, and every time he is with my family I am simply amazed at how much he loves me and how much he has to put up with. He is so cute with them, and I appreciate him so much. When he came a few months ago I remember we were about to go somewhere, but he was outside playing basketball with Nick. It was such a cute moment and so sweet that I just sat at the computer and watched them through the window. Memories like that are ones I will never forget because they mean so much to me. Nick really looks up to him, and I know that Alex will one day be a wonderful big brother to him just like he has been with Katie. Even though when he comes here we don't really spend time with my friends, just watching him interact with my family makes him the greatest ever. He helps me cook dinner for my family [ and I can probably say that he knows more about cooking than I do ], he cheers on Nick's team even though its the Yankees [ booooo .... ], and he buys my dad lunch and brings it to him at work. He's just an all around sweet guy and throughout this whole relationship I have seen God work daily in his life. I told him that when we met I thought he was the most rude, selfish, and arrogant person I had ever met and that I was up for the challenge :o). And although a lot of people say it's the fact that I'm in his life now that is the reason he is so different, it really isn't. God's timing is perfect, and I nor can anyone else try and take away His glory and His work.

One other thing that I really appreciate about Alex is that he let me get Colby even though I lived at school and couldn't have a dog. Alex has his own puppy Otis, and after the tornado I just got really lonely because everyone had been split up, and it was such a disaster. Having Colby has really brought happiness and more love into my life, and although to a lot of people think he's "just another dog," he means a lot to me because he came to me at a time in my life where I just needed someone to be there and listen even if they couldn't talk back. But since this mess is mostly over I'm excited to get back to school and build relationships and have fun with my friends, old and new. It's going to be such a fun time.

So thank you Alex for all the little things you do in my life that may go unnoticed at times. I really appreciate everything you do for me, and I love you so much!! I know you truly care, and I can tell when you pray for me during the hard times and during the easy times. Hearing those sweet prayers just gives me enough to keep going. You're my world now, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.


Below are some pictures of when my "little family" went to the park a few weeks ago. Enjoy!












Hope you all are enjoying the beginning of summer!

- b -

"Beauty" Defined

No wonder so many American girls, even grown women fall into the lie that this is what true beauty is [see video above]. Magazines, television shows, and advertisements tell us how we should look and what we should wear in order to be "beautiful." As Christian women, we need to learn to embrace our inner beauty and that confidence will reflect just as much on the outside. NOBODY could ever live up to the standard that Hollywood has set for American women. I myself have bought into this lie that outer beauty is all that matters, and it is something that I struggle with daily. Everybody has flaws, but we need to embrace the good inside each of us. Even runway models will tell you that they have flaws, and they try to take peoples' attention off those flaws by embracing their positive features! Models are not perfect, and shows like America's Nest Top Model pour lies and lies into our minds. They make it seem like the girls on that show are the underdogs that make it, when in all reality, they are just 5 inches taller than everyone else and the rest of them is photoshopped. Anyone can learn to walk like a runway model, you just have to have 5 inches on everyone else, a good photo editor, and you're all set. Take a look at what I mean ...






Even "TOP MODELS" have to be photoshopped. What does that tell you? We have such an unrealistic expectation of ourselves, and when we don't match up to what we're "supposed" to look like, we get all depressed and start extreme dieting and exercising like we're going to be in the upcoming Olympics. Look at the pictures below. These are B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L women without all the glam. So instead of focusing on our outward appearance, I challenge you to look on the inside just as Christ does.







Proverbs 31:30 - "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting: but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."


1Peter 3:3-4- "Let your beauty not be external – the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes – but the inner person of the heart, the lasting beauty of a gentle and tranquil spirit, which is precious in God’s sight."


1 Samuel 16:7 - "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."



To me, THIS is beautiful


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How will you define true beauty?

- b -

We Grew Up ... So So Fast

I'm really really excited to get to go to my best friends graduation (from Sacred Heart Academy) today. Rachel has seriously been the one friend that has stuck by me no matter what even though we went to different schools our whole life and college separated us last August. Still she has been there for me through it all, and I can't believe that we have grown up and are no longer 9 years old and playing "school" in my basement.

We met on the street we both grew up on, Trentham Lane, at our mayors yard sale. My mom told me there was a little girl about my age over there and that I should go meet her. Little did I know that I was going to meet my best friend in the whole wide world. These past few years haven't been the same because we've been working, gotten boyfriends, started college, etc. But I really hope this summer can bring us closer than ever, especially if my family moves at the end of it. Rachel, I look up to you so much. You're such a hard worker and a dedicated and loyal friend. We're so much alike, and you seriously probably know me better than anyone I've ever met. I can't believe that I've let time and distance get in the way of what could be a FOREVER friendship. Even though it might seem really childish, I still want what we always dreamed of doing. Sure, we're still not going to be college roommates (obviously since we go to different schools) like we planned, but we can still get married and our kids can be best friends, and we can live right here in Louisville like we always dreamed we would. Yeah that might sound crazy to other people, but it's funny how friendships work out. I wish you the best after graduation, and I hope I'm still here in your life when you graduate college, get married, become a nurse and have those kiddies!! I'm here for you, and I hope that college is everything you dreamed it would be and that you make memories that last a lifetime ... just like the ones we already have. I love you girl and Happy Graduation. Best Friends Forever and Always,

- b -

P.S. Rachel, today is the Westwood yardsale, and there's one going on right across from my house :o)

* SWEET * Summertime -?-

So this is the first post on my brand new blog, and I cannot wait to see where this thing leads me. Or where I lead it I should say. I've been out of high school for a whole year now, and my life has completely changed. I really do miss being around everyone in my class, but I've grown up a lot and experienced life "on my own" (with a few parental financial contributions; ok that is an understatement ... a LOT of parental financial contributions). I guess I can't really say that I've officially been on my own until I can fully support myself, but for a girl that just turned 18 and is almost a junior in college, that is a BIG step for me!

This summer is hopefully going to have a big impact on my life. I'm going to be taking a summer class at Jefferson Community College to help me in my goal of graduating college as quickly as possible. I already have 40 credits after my "freshman" year, so that's not too bad for a start! :o) I really just want this whole education period of my life to go by quickly so that I can get a real job that I love, be able to get married to the LOVE of my life and be free from time consuming ... S-C-H-O-O-L. I know this is the one time of your life to make friends and make memories (which I have) but sometimes it all just seems childish and something that I really don't want a part of. I'm not the type of girl to have a huge group of girl friends that go out on the weekends. I'd rather spend my time with a couple close friends or my boyfriend and just sit home and watch movies and spend time together. I'm not much of a party person, and I don't think I ever will be. And I've finally come to the point where I accept that I'm not as outgoing or social as people think I am.

I was really bummed out when I found out that my mission trip to Guatemala last March was going to be canceled because of the tornado in Jackson. If you haven't quite heard about that I'll be sure to post about it sometime in the near future. I was really expecting it to be a time to grow close to the Lord and be able to feel like I am doing something for Him. I guess I've just been in a spiritual slump ever since the tornado. I never really found a good church in Jackson. Sure there were good preachers and good music ministers, but none felt like a home for me where I could grow in my faith and that was definitely a setback. I'm really looking forward to the women's Bible study at Southeast this summer. Last summer was amazing, and I really grew by studying the book of Daniel. I just can't wait to have that all back, and be able to go into next school year strong (yet still looking for a church .. sigh ..)

Also, my family might be moving in August or September. It will be sad to leave our home that I've pretty much spent my whole life in, but I think we're all ready for change. It'll bring us closer. I'm just really unsure of how this summer is going to work out. Everything seems so BIG and vague and unclear, but I'm trusting that God is going to be at work in my life and in my family. I just pray to make the right decisions and try and do the best that I can in whatever situation I am put in.

- b -