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 -
21 August, 2008
09 August, 2008
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 -
05 August, 2008
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 -
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 -
22 July, 2008
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 -
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 -
10 July, 2008
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 -
- b -
27 June, 2008
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 -
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 -
22 June, 2008
:: 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 -
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 -
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