TobyMac Hits Deep

Brandon Heath

Friday night was amazing!! My sisters, my cousin, and I all were able to go to the TobyMac concert. Traffic was crazy so we got there about 30 minutes later than we had planned (good thing we planned on being an hour early!) but it was still tons of fun. There were so many amazing artists there: Jamie Grace, Britt Nicole, Mandisa, Chris August, Group 1 Crew, Brandon Heath, and of course TobyMac and his band.

TobyMac

Britt Nicole

For the last song, everyone on the tour came out and sang a Christmas song.

And look who we got to meet! :)

Britt Nicole! <3 Love her!

Jamie Grace! This girl is awesome! By the way, did you know she was homeschooled all her life?

Brandon Heath! My cousin, and two older sisters had met Brandon while Olivia and I were waiting to see Britt. Olivia and I wanted to meet Brandon but we walked up to his table right as a security guy came and said, "Okay, Brandon's gotta leave now." But Brandon saw that I had my camera out and asked if we wanted a picture and when we said yes, he told the security guy to wait and actually had him take the picture for us... :) It was pretty awesome.

A Trip to the Zoo (and Other Random Things)

 Last Friday (most of) my family and I took a quick and quite unplanned trip to the zoo. We were only there for 1 1/2 to 2 hours because Livi had soccer practice but we still had a lot of fun! The BR zoo has a petting zoo where they have goats, sheep, rabbits, ducks, cattle, prairie dogs, wallabies, and bats. (Although you can't actually pet the bats or prairie dogs... and the wallabies never get close enough for you to pet them.) But you can actually go inside the area where they keep the goats and sheep.

And... the goat ate my paper :/

 

 

 

Since then, not much has been happening. Just the normal stuff - work, school, and housecleaning. But tomorrow... I GET TO SEE KARI JOBE LIVE!!!! :) So excited! All Sons and Daughters and Kari Jobe will be at my church tomorrow night! And, speaking of concerts, two of my cousins, Tori, Olivia, and I are going to the tobMac Hits Deep concert at the end of November. I'm really excited because I LOVE all of the bands/artists that will be. Lineup includes: tobyMac, Britt Nicole, Chris August, Group 1 Crew, Jamie Grace, Brandon Heath, and Mandisa. Can't wait! :)

While writing this post, I've been listening to Christmas music and drinking peppermint hot chocolate from a Christmas mug. Plus, I'm excited because, due to rain, the weather has cooled down quite a bit... it's only 76 degrees right now and tomorrow the high is only 82! When you've been experiencing 100 degree weather for the past 5 months, when the temperature is lower than 90, it feels amazing!

Is it Christmas yet?

New Year's Resolutions

Maybe it's the fact that we've finally had a day that the temperature stayed under 90; or perhaps it's because I've been listening to Christmas music since Labor Day (I blame K-Love Radio for this!); or that Starbucks once again has pumpkin spice lattes; or that I was talking about holiday recipes with a friend; or it could be a combination of all of the above... but, whatever the reason, it remains that last night I started my annual list of NYR's.

Every year, usually sometime from December 26 - December 31, I make a New Year's Resolution / Things To Do This Year list and every year I think that it would be neat to have the same number of resolutions as the current year. I don't think I've ever even made it past 30 before.. But that's about to change. I currently have 27 things on my 2013 list and I'm hoping to make it to 213 (because 2013 is a LOT)... AND THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN!

Please comment below with anything you think I should add to my list of things to do in 2013!
It can be a serious resolution or a completely random activity. Anything works! :) I may or may not add your suggestions to my list so please don't be upset if don't use yours.

Here's what I have so far:

1. Read the entire Bible
2. Journal every single day (I tried this in 2010 but I didn't succeed)
3. Stargaze
4. Have a sleepover
5. Go to a concert
6. Sing and dance in the rain
7. Color/highlight hair
8. Write a poem
9. Host a party
10. Pass a CLEP test
11. Go bowling
12. Stay awake for 24 consecutive hours
13. Make someone smile
14. While driving, roll down the windows and sing along with the radio
15. Go to a nail salon and get a manicure
16. Read at least 50 books
17. Watch all 8 seasons of 'I Love Lucy'
18. Ride a roller coaster
19. Go horseback riding
20. Listen to all of BarlowGirl's CDs in one day
21. Watch an episode of 'Quigley's Village' (it was my favorite TV show when I was little)
22. Wear an excessive amount of makeup (and probably don't go anywhere that day...)
23. Rewatch season one of 'Once Upon A Time'
24. Climb a tree
25. Learn (or, at least, attempt) to play Britt Nicole's "All This Time" on the piano 
26. Read "Romeo and Juliet"
27. Go mud-riding on a four-wheeler (my cousin and I have been wanting to do this)

Ready, go! :)

Random Recent Life Happenings... (With Pictures!)

So, I know it's been quite a while since I've posted... (Why do I always feel like I start all of my blog posts the same way??) But I have a post for you now! :)

This picture was taken in early July while we were out of town. Yes, it's true... I'm addicted to Chick-fil-A. Even on my day off, even if I'm out of town, I can't stay away from Chick-fil-A. If you know my family, you probably know we're crazy Chick-fil-A people... My two older sisters and I all work at the same CFA and my three younger siblings (ages 12, almost 10, and 4 1/2) are counting the years until they are old enough to work at Chick-fil-A. Hey, my four-year-old brother already plays like he owns a Chick-fil-A. And when I told my boss that my brother does that, he collected pretty much one of every type of container, bowl, box, cup, etc. that we have at Chick-fil-A and gave to it to Zach so he really would have CFA stuff to play with. It's kind of insane but that fits right into our family. ;)

This picture was also taken when we were out of town... Josh and Zach got bored one day when we were just sitting around the hotel so they put on Tori's and my high heels and spent about 10 minutes trying to walk across the room without falling... It was pretty funny to watch!

For those of you who may not know, the reason why we had to go out of town at the beginning of July was due to the fact that a very, very close family friend was nearing the end of her time on earth. What was supposed to be a weekend trip turned into a week long trip because our friend went to be with Jesus sooner than we all expected. That was a pretty hard time for me but knowing that so many people were praying for me, my family, and my friend's husband helped so much and it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be... Anyway, the kitty in the picture is Amelia and she was one of my friend's three cats. Even though I'm a cat person and like all cats, Amelia is definitely my favorite cat ever. <3

And this is my cousin's new puppy, Pippin. I love this little fur ball and just thought I'd share her cuteness with all of you. :)

These cupcakes (which we had at my GrandDad's birthday party) are to represent the three family birthdays we've had recently. My dad's dad's birthday was the 14th, my mom's mom's was the 15th, and my sister Olivia's was on the 17th... So many birthdays. :) And the picture to the right is my not-so-little sister Olivia and me.

Guess who just started taking piano lessons again... I did :) For obvious reasons, I had to quit when we moved. But in the 20 months that we've lived here in Louisiana, I hadn't found a new teacher. Now I have! I've only had two lessons so far and I'm have to review a lot of stuff simply because I haven't been diligent about practicing since I stopped taking lessons... Oops! But it's all going well so far and I'm super happy to be taking lessons once again! And now, as you can see, my piano is constantly cluttered with music books, sheet music, and chord charts. ;)

THE NEWEST TEAM LEADERS AT CHICK-FIL-A

(And yes, that's me and my sister Tori in the middle.)

That's right! I got a promotion at work! :) So excited! I loved my job before but now I think I love it even more. (In case you're wondering, the "levels" at Chick-fil-A are team member, team trainer, team leader, supervisor, manager, general manager, operator/owner.)

These next three pictures are just for fun.

First are my gorgeous red wedge heels - I love these shoes but they're suede so I don't like to wear them when it's wet outside. And it's been raining on and off for the past several weeks but I did wear them to church tonight... with a matching red scarf. :)

Next up, my lovely new outfit I just bought tonight at Target. Lavender tunic style top / dress (it has ruffles all down the front - love it!) and black ankle length leggings. I just wish I had some purple flats to go with it. Hmm... looks like it's time to go shoe shopping! Haha ;)





This is just a random picture I took when I was trying to get a picture of my new outfit. I look a little tired (who doesn't look tired at midnight?) and am wearing almost no makeup but I love it! (Is is weird to like a picture of myself that much?)








Last picture, I promise!! My family and I have had a little visitor every night for the past couple of weeks... This little bird has been sleeping on our porch. So cute :) And I think I'm going to follow its example and go to bed. Goodnight!

Support Chick-fil-A!!!

If you haven't heard, Dan Cathy (CEO of Chick-fil-A) made a comment the other day regarding Chick-fil-A's views on marriage/family: 

"We are very much supportive of the family – the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."

"I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.' I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we would have the audacity to try to redefine what marriage is all about."

Liberals and the media in general have taken this to the extreme.. They are saying that Chick-fil-A is a horrible company simply because of their views. This is absurd!

In response to all the negativity Chick-fil-A has been getting, Mike Huckabee has started a Chick-fil-A support page on Facebook. Mike Huckabee also announced Wednesday, August 1, 2012 as Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. If you support family, the biblical definition of marriage, Christian values, and enjoy good food, be sure to go to your local Chick-fil-A on August 1st. And mention to your cashier why you're there! Today at work I had so many customers comment that they decided to come to Chick-fil-A because they agree with Chick-fil-A's Christian values. It was great to see that so many people support traditional marriage and companies that are willing to take a stand on the Word of God.

The event page on Facebook mysteriously disappeared for twelve hours yesterday... Facebook said it was a mistake but I'm inclined to believe it wasn't an accident. This was posted by Mike Huckabee on Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day's event page:

"Could it be we were attacked because of our beliefs? Could it be that Facebook has a glitch in their system with a VERY NARROW target? Who knows if we will ever know for sure, but one thing we do know for sure is that we are back up and running and we need your help to keep this going. We have one week until Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day and that is a long time to get others involved. Don't stop inviting your friends, tell them why it is important to you and get them on board. So we got knocked down, but hey! WE ARE BACK UP!"

Check out isupportchickfila.com for more information.

As the cows would say: EAT MOR CHIKIN!!! :)

Happy 236th Birthday, America!

Happy 4th of July! Our day wasn't too exciting. We pretty much just sat around home all morning and then about four o'clock we went over to the neighbors' house for food and fun. :) The neighbors across the street had bought tons of fireworks and other explosives. They had Roman candles, sparklers, fireworks, firecrackers. The cul-de-sac was lit up for about two hours tonight... It was kind of crazy but it was fun. :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July!

Beignets Anyone?

So, today Nicole and I finally got to meet each other in person. We met through Mrs. Rue's Real Life blog and have been emailing for a while. Well, Nicole and her family are on vacation and they're currently staying an hour and a half away from my house. Anyway, it all worked out for us to be able to see each other! So this afternoon, we met up for beignets, conversation, and fun. :) We had a great time. We pretty much just sat (and stood - right, Nicole?) around and talked. Nicole's dad and brothers spent a good portion of the time outside with my three younger siblings. They were playing frisbee and football in the parking lot. And, as far as I could tell, they all had a great time out there. Our moms stayed inside chatting with my sister while Nicole and I walked around aimlessly before finally sitting down at one of the outdoor tables. The beignets were delicious and the company fantastic. All in all, I'd say it was a fabulous day! :)

Nicole and me

Love this picture!

We thoroughly enjoyed our snack! :)

The Versatile Blogger Award

Okay, first off, I must apologize to you all for not updating my blog for 21 weeks. *GASP* I know! Sorry! But you can all thank Nicole (forgivenmess.blogspot.com) for awarding me with a blogger award...because if she didn't I really don't know if I ever would've even thought of posting here anytime soon.

Well, on with the show!

 

1. Thank the person who awarded you.
2. List seven random things about yourself.
3. Award 15 others with this award.

Thank you so, so much, Nicole!! :) Like I already said, if you hadn't awarded me, I probably won't be posting on here now. Haha

And now... seven random things:

1. I just recently turned 18 but apparently I look a lot younger... Customers at work ask me ALL the time how old I am. My favorite is: "Are you even old enough to work here?" I so want to tell them (with a straight face), "No, I'm breaking the law. Don't tell anyone, okay?"
2. I'm a Team Trainer at Chick-fil-A.
3. My family has two dogs - a Yorkshire Terrier named Snickers and a Rat Terrier/ Chihuahua mix named CeCe.
4. I'm the third out of six kids.
5. I quote "Pride and Prejudice" quite regularly.
6. My favorite TV shows are "I Love Lucy," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," and "The Big Valley." (All older shows but my favorites nonetheless!)
7. I am horrible at keeping up with a blog (but I think you kind of figured that out already...)

I award...

1. Mary Catherine (http://glitteringcompositions.blogspot.com)
2. Melody (http://summerbucketlisting.blogspot.com)
3. Alisha (http://mercymiracle.blogspot.com)
4. Rachel (http://whatdoyaexpect.blogspot.com)
5. Chelsea (http://clubchea.blogspot.com)
6. Talia (http://girlzofgodbook.blogspot.com)
7. Emii (http://girlz4godrok.blogspot.com)
8. Any other blogger who would like to do this :)

11 Things

I got this from Talia's blog (http://girlzofgodbook.blogspot.com/). You're supposed to tell 11 random things about yourself, answer the 11 questions the tagger asked, make up 11 new questions, tag 11 people (or however many you want) and let them know on their blog. Here we go! :)

-Eleven Random Things About Me-
(1) I love the BBC's adaptions of Jane Austen's books.
(2) I can pretty much quote all of 'Finding Nemo' due to the fact that my little brother used to watch it at least once a day.
(3) For college, I want to get a music education degree and teach private piano lessons.
(4) I took gymnastics lessons for 8 years.
(5) I have lived in three different states.
(6) I quote movies/TV shows all the time (usually just when it makes sense in the conversation).
(7) I know how to knit, crochet, sew, and cross-stitch but I rarely do...
(8) My favorite colors are pink and purple.
(9) I hate alligators and crocodiles... They scare me. I don't even like them when they're in cages at the zoo.
(10) I love speaking in "old English" just simply for the enjoyment of doing so. :) I try not to do it in public too much because people tend to give me weird looks.
(11) I do not like driving over bridges - especially long ones.

-My Answers to Talia's Questions-
(1) Favorite movie? The 1995 version of "Pride and Prejudice"
(2) Most tolerable kids' TV show? I love VeggieTales
(3) Favorite number? 47... don't know why...
(4) Top 3 favorite hobbies? Reading, playing the piano, and baking
(5) Favorite dessert? Anything with chocolate! :)
(6) Pie...apple or pumpkin? Apple
(7) Favorite Bible verse? Isaiah 26:3-4 "You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."
(8) A cause you care about? "Be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
(9) A name you love? Boy name: David     Girl name: Elizabeth
(10) Favorite Bible story and why? I've always loved the story of Esther and the story of David... I guess because both of them were just simple and common people but God chose them to be royalty and used them to do great things.
(11) Favorite Bible character and why? Same answer as #10 :)

-My Questions for You-
(1) Of what are you most afraid?
(2) What is your favorite book of the Bible?
(3) How many times have you been on an airplane?
(4) What is your favorite TV show?
(5) Are you more of a morning or night person?
(6) Which musical instrument do you wish you could play?
(7) What is one of the best things that has happened in your life?
(8) Do you prefer casual or dress clothes?
(9) Would you ever consider going bungee jumping?
(10) What is your favorite day of the week? Any particular reason why?
(11) If you were able to invite any person (living or dead) over to your house for the day, who would you pick? Why?


-Tags-
Nicole (http://forgivenmess.blogspot.com)
Mary Catherine (http://glitteringcompositions.blogspot.com)
Sylvi (http://luvtruebeauty.blogspot.com)
Alisha (http://mercymiracle.blogspot.com)
Rayray (http://whatdoyaexpect.blogspot.com)
Chelsea (http://clubchea.blogspot.com)
And anyone else who reads this and wants to do it!! :)
Have fun!

Hey, Hey -- It's an Update :)

After spending a total of eleven days in the hospital, my grandfather got to go home!! :) He's getting better and better as time goes on - still can't swallow so please keep praying.

Life has been crazy with the holidays, out-of-town company, my grandfather's surgery, work... but it's finally slowing down and I'll maybe be posting on here a little more consistently than I have. Right now I have to go but I'll try to post again before the end of the week!

RL ladies - I will try to get on the blog again soon. I promise! Maybe after I get off work tonight..