Stress

I rarely get stressed out – maybe once a year. I’m not talking about “I have a lot of stuff to do” stressed out or “My life is crazy” stressed out – I’m talking about “oh my gosh my life feels out of control” stressed out. Let’s be honest – if it was the first two, I’d be stressed out all the time and you probably would be too – cause who doesn’t have a lot to do and whose life isn’t crazy? The “oh my gosh my life feels out of control” stressed out is not to be confused with “I feel out of control of my life” – because I never feel in control of my life, which is because I’m not – God is, but I’m not trying to be all “I turn my life over to God all the time and its easy peasy” it’s just that I don’t feel in control ever – If I was in control cancer would not exist, I’d award myself a masters degree without going to school, give myself a job, and not ever worry about money.

So when I get stressed it usually goes something like this: I feel great. Life is good. I wake up one morning and feel stressed. Then a minor thing happens and I get more stressed out. Something else that usually wouldn’t bother me makes me feel even more panicked. And so it continues for a day or two or five. Then I’m all like, “I should’ve seen this coming” because there are always signs.

Signs that I’m stressed: My room is a MESS. My inbox is full of unimportant emails that I don’t delete because I think I might need them the next week. I just want to sleep. I feel an urge to write down everything.

Also, I almost always get stressed about the same things – health, money, time... You know, all the things that I can totally control… Not. Oh, and parking in a parking deck. THAT will stress me out in a heartbeat, but that is neither here nor there.

Then I go through this period of feeling guilty because I think, “If you just let God handle it, you wouldn’t be so stressed,” and “You must not be close enough with God.” Then I’m all like, “GEEZ? Do you not know how powerful Satan can be? Just because he got inside your head, doesn’t mean that God’s not on your heart.” And then, I usually read this letter (that probably made you think I was Crazy with a capital C, but it was very liberating, and I encourage you to do it if you ever feel the same way – stressed, not Crazy I mean) and then I drink a mountain dew. And clean my room. Delete my emails. Go to bed early. Write my lists. And let God do His thing.

Ah… maybe I should add talking (or writing) really fast to the list of things I do when feeling stressed…  And run-on sentences.  Oh wait - I do that anyways.

Seven Years!

Happy...

Not one...

or two...

or three...

or four...

or five...

or six...

...SEVEN years!! 

Can't wait to celebrate with you on Saturday babe!  I love you!

Five Question Friday

I've been seeing this blog carnival for a while now, but I always seem to forget about it until after it's over.  This week I remembered, so here it is!

1. Do you have any nicknames and if so how did they come about?
When I was little my dad called me Peanut & my mom called me Fred.  I have no clue about the origins of those nicknames, but when I was about 4 or 5 years old, my parents thought it was a good idea for me to have bangs.  That was their first mistake... the second mistake came when Mom thought it would be a good idea to trim my bangs herself... using scotch tape as a guide.  Well, long story short - the tape was crooked a couple times and I ended up with centimeter long bangs.  It was then that my neighbor and family friend gave me the nickname "Laurason" (pronounced Laura-sahn). True story.  You can't make that stuff up.  And so began my hatred for bangs... & a terribly embarrassing nickname.

2. What is the birth order amongst your siblings?
I am the eldest and my brother is about 10 years younger than I am.  My parents always say that if Weston came first, he would have been an only child.  I guess my parents kind of have 2 only children since there's such a big gap between us.  Anyways, you know the saying that the 1st child is like the father, the 2nd is like the mother, and the 3rd is like the mother & father's relationship?  Well that is definitely true for us.  :)

3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other?
Matthew McConaughey!  He reminds me of Parker... and he is um... you know...!   Whew!  :)  Moving on...

4. What is currently your favorite song?
Ooo, tough one.  "Carolina In My Mind" by James Taylor would be #1.  Close behind would be "Let It Be" by the Beatles, "Your Hands" by JJ Heller, "Be Thou My Vision"... oh man the list could go on and on, so I'll stop now.

5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase?
The question should be what am I not saving money for right now.  Let's see... we're saving for house stuff, graduate school, wedding bands, honeymoon, house stuff, house stuff, and... house stuff (including but not limited to... furniture, paint, hardware, and appliances).

Another dose of Weston-isms

Weston-ism: [noun] cute and/or funny quotes spoken by Weston, also known as my 11-year-old brother now 12-year-old brother

Recently I asked Weston what his dream car was, his answer?  "A Mack Truck"

Then I asked him what his dream job was... he said "To be Santa Claus at the mall"

Later that week we passed a crew working on a billboard, and Weston said "Its my goal in life to have my face on a billboard."  A moment later he added, "I'm going to be on a billboard for being the best mall Santa Claus ever."

We were watching TV the other day, and someone said that someone was deaf and Weston started laughing.  Dad asked him if he knew what deaf meant.  Weston said "Yeah, it means you can't hear.  It's like you have ears that are blind."

I had to talk to the cashier's office the other day about my tuition bill, and I was telling my dad that I had no outstanding charges, and Weston said sarcastically, "I thought you were an outstanding student sis."

Dad takes Weston to hit balls a couple nights a week.  One night, Weston was "strokin it" according to Dad, and Weston quipped, "I told you I've been doing my pushups."

For the last round of Weston-isms (along with links to the other ones), check out this post.

Betty Bookbag

 

Breaking News

Recently, a Childhood Toy Conference took place in Myrtle Beach, SC. Five representatives of concerned citizens all over America met to discuss a major crisis in the toy world - Polly Pocket. The representatives, Roman, Lauren, Erin, Amanda, & Laura, spent a long afternoon sweating over the awful changes to the popular girls’ toy, though they were able to cool off in a nearby pool with several floats and cool drinks.

The group believes that Polly has been treated unfairly under the pretense of a so-called choking hazard. The women in the group balked at this claim, saying that they had never attempted to consume the small toy, and neither would anyone else who properly appreciated the greatness of Polly.

The group was further concerned that Polly’s creators had participated in false advertising, as the new Polly Pocket does not fit in one’s pocket. One representative who asked to remain anonymous said, “Polly was intended to fit in your pocket, and now with her enheightened size and accessories, I’m afraid she can only fit in your bookbag.”

The group believes that Polly’s creators took advantage of the criticism Barbie’s creators are facing in regards to body image. By making Polly bigger, the creators tried to make her more realistic. “She’s still made of plastic, even if she now has real hair,” one woman said.

The representatives want the toy industry to leave Polly alone! If you want to continue making this new doll, call her Betty Bookbag – Polly’s friend who is much bigger with much less self-esteem.

First Time Home Buyers

Every time I see this commercial I laugh... it reminds me so much of me and Parker.  :)

Resolution #10 - Wedding

New Year’s Resolution #10 – Stay stress free while planning the wedding.

I seriously do not think I could have an easier resolution!  I have been anything but stressed so far!  The big things have fallen right into place and the details are fun to pick out.  It has seemed like things on the wedding front are picking up pace a little bit these days though. We’re doing as much as possible now, before I go back to school and things get crazy. My mom and I “finalized” the guest list this week – meaning that we narrowed it down to 260 people total. We’ve planned for 200 people to come to the reception (seating & food wise), and I feel comfortable inviting 260 to a mid-summer wedding after asking around for other brides’ invited-attended ratios. I like the sound of 200 guests – intimate, medium sized group of close friends and family.

Mom & I also got down her wedding boxes from the attic so that we could take out her veil. I’m planning to wear it if we can find the right dress! I hope we can, because the veil is gorgeous. I am going to use the ribbon she had on her bouquet to wrap my bouquet. We bought the flowers for my bouquet yesterday. It’s going to have 8 white roses for the 8 years we will have dated, and some other kinds of flowers that I can’t remember the name of, haha. I love having these sweet sentimental touches!!

This past Friday, Parker and I went to apply for passports for our honeymoon to… JAMAICA! Oh my gosh!  I can’t wait!!

We also picked out our invitations and I LOVE them! They are perfect! Parker took Friday afternoon off from work, and we went to his office to look at invitations haha – I’m sure he loved that. We also picked out the program style we want. I think we’re just going to DIY the programs to save money, but use the style we like from the printers.

I asked my cousin, Rebecca, to play the piano, and she agreed. She’s going to help us pick out the wedding music and I am so thankful, because I think everything she plays sounds beautiful and that would be a hard decision. We’re going to have Carrie & Beaty sing “When I Say I Do” by Matthew West during the lighting of the unity candle, and “Be Thou My Vision” for the seating of the mothers. Other than that and “Here Comes the Bride,” I have no clue where to begin.

Mom & I met with Avis, the sweet family friend that goes to our church & happens to be married to my boss. I think that I mentioned before that Avis is a wedding planner and has offered her service to us as a gift to our family. I am even more excited after meeting with her and hearing her suggestions. She is really a blessing & I know things will be perfect in her hands the day of the wedding.

We’re going dress shopping on Friday and then Parker & I are meeting the photographer Friday night. Sometime this week, we’re probably going to scope out a few places with Mrs. Lydia for the rehearsal dinner. We decided to have a themed rehearsal dinner – it’s going to be a Luau!! I love the idea of not having to get dressed up for a formal event the night before! We like the plan to have a more relaxed atmosphere – its part of the stress-free event. :)

Oh, our first wedding related event is in the works! Parker’s Aunt Kitty and family-friend, Charlotte gave Candice a Bridesmaid Weekend at the Beach, and they are excited to do the same for me. It’s going to be sometime in May! We had such a blast at Candice’s that I can’t wait for this one!

See?  Everything is just falling right into place!  I have one question though. We decided to buy tablecloths instead of rent them, because it’s less expensive & I can re-sale them. I found great 120” light blue tablecloths. From what I can tell, 120” tablecloths fall 6” from the floor on 6’ tables. I think that sounds good. However, my mom and Avis think that we should have floor length tablecloths. I don’t have a problem with floor length tablecloths, but I can’t find affordable ones in light blue. So what do you think? 6” from the floor in light blue OR floor length in white?

Sorry that there aren't more fun pictures... there isn't much to take pictures of right now unless you want a picture of the guests list and my crazy calendar.  That wouldn't be much to look at though, so I thought that I'd spare you the boredom.

Hiatus & Book Reviews

Whew! I'm back.  I'm sorry for the blogging hiatus!  I've been visiting my family, doing wedding stuff, and hanging out at the beach with friends.  Last week Amanda, Erin, Lauren, and I went to the beach for Lauren's last hoorah in NC before heading off to pharmacy school in VA.  We had a blast in Myrtle Beach! It was so relaxing and fun!  I've been doing a lot of reading... get this, for fun!  Oh my gosh - I almost forgot what it was like to read for enjoyment.  Recently I've read these books...

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert was pretty good.  I honestly don't think it will make the best movie, but it does have some level of entertainment.  It's about Elizabeth "Liz" Gilbert, and her attempt to find herself after an unhappy marriage and messy divorce.  She spends a year in Italy, India, and Indonesia.  In each place she focuses on one thing - enjoying life, finding a disciplined spiritual life, and learning to love again respectively.  I think her spiritual journey can be a good example as far as dedication and discipline, but don't be fooled - it is not a religious piece.  Apparently there is a sequel, but I'm not interested enough to read it.  Maybe Julia Roberts can make the movie better than the book was... We can only hope.  I'd give it ★★.

Sisters, Ink by Rebeca Seitz was great!  It is by far the best book that I've read recently.  Rebeca Seitz is a Christian author, and this book is about Tandy Sinclair, one of four adopted sisters.  Tandy is a lawyer in the big city, and during a break from work, she decides to visit her hometown.  She gets to spend time with her family, scrapbook with her sisters, and, in a twist of events, reconnect with her high school sweetheart.  It's such a sweet novel, I can't wait to read the sequel.  It gets ★★★★★!

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin was pretty good, too.  Two friends, Rachel and Darcy, have established a life in New York - a far cry from their childhood in Indiana.  Darcy is getting married to the perfect man, Dex.  Rachel, the maid of honor, met Dex in law school and introduced him to Darcy.  But, what happens when Dex & Rachel fall in love?  I'm not a fan of affairs, so this book did not exactly sit well with me.  It was a good read, however, and I'd give it ★★★★.

Something Blue by Emily Giffin is the follow up to Something Borrowed.  This novel follows Darcy's story as she makes a life-changing move to England, meets her dream man, falls in love with someone else, and changes her character... all while being pregnant.  It's worth the read, but I must warn you that it's hard to get in to the first half.  The end is rewarding and I think you'll like it - ★★★★.

Finally, Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin.  This novel is alright, though it further confirmed that I'm not that into Emily Giffin.  It's another affair-driven plot line.  Ellen has the perfect man, Andy, who also happens to be the brother of her best friend, Margot.  As her newlywed life quickly moves to talk of a southern country club home and children, she chases after an intense, passionate previous relationship with Leo.  Will she choose Leo, the past, and a life in New York, or her perfect husband, the south, and a life that she always wanted?  I thought this was predictable, and fell short of Giffin's earlier novels - ★★★.

Hope that you have found time to read for enjoyment this summer!! :)

Sewing Projects

One of my New Year's resolutions was to sew more often.  I pretty much taught myself with a little help from my mom and grandma, so there are a lot of things that I probably do the hard way -- but it's "sew" fun! (Get it?? Ok, well I thought it was funny.)

I made an apron for my friend Lauren as her going away/new condo owner congrats gift.  It's pretty cute if I do say so myself.  I don't have a tutorial, because I didn't have a pattern to follow and I made it up as I went along.

The pockets are my favorite - click on it and zoom in... they are too cute!

Then I made a grocery bag holder with scrap material from the aprons that I made in this post.

Eh... it's okay.

I like the material on the aprons better... see?

That's all.

T-ball makes my heart happy

Holy smokes!  Can you believe it's AUGUST??!!  Well, technically it's only July right now, but when this blog post posts (hello tongue twister!), it will be August!

Last week, during my awesome time in Greenville, we went to see my cousin's son play T-ball.  Let me tell you Internet, if you are sad, watch some T-ball - it will make you laugh hard and bring joy to your life.  I, however, was not sad, but I still laughed hard!

Cute little Walker pointing to where he's going to run after hitting the ball hard! Haha

And that he did!  He ran all the way home.  Well, that would be a loose definition of "run" - meaning a skip, twirl, fall down, roll in the dirt kind of run.

Trust me.  He was not alone in his antics - everyone played in the dirt and fell down.  It's the cool thing to do, you know?

AND there were just about as many coaches on the field as there were players!  Haha!

My cousin Amanda and I tried to get a picture of best buds Walker & Weston... but this was the best we could do.

Thanks for the cooperation there bud!  Anyways, go see some T-ball!  It will make you smile!  Go Walker!