Pictures and Posts of Life and Art

BoOkS!

2011-12-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

I Love to read! I especially love to read right before bed. I've been reading Emily Giffin's books, Something Borrowed and now reading Something Blue. I have more on my nightstand that I checked out from the library and can't wait to get to those! I highly recommend! (I kinda went crazy at the library the other evening and checked out a TON of books!--One of which I have also started reading--> Vanished by Jodi Piccoult (love her books!)

I tried to read Stephanie Meyers' The Host but can't get into it. It's definitely not as intriguing to me as the Twilight series.

Looking forward to seeing Breaking Dawn this weekend! Yes, I have still not seen it!

Hope everyone has a splendid weekend! Gonna celebrate a belated birthday for my Daddy. :)

Random pic from Pinterest -I want this color!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-12-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas time already! Wow does time fly!

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

2011-10-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

I am obsessed!

Pinterest

Love This Song!

2011-06-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Rise by Shawn McDonald

God Bless!

Ecclesiastes 11:1

2011-06-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

"Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again." Ecclesiastes 11:1

So, I was praying yesterday, talking to God and asking for his guidance. It seems like in life- when it rains, it pours...at least in mine anyway. I'm either up on the mountaintop or deep in the valley, not a lot of middle ground. Right now, I feel in the valley with various questions of what to do next. I'd rather not be specific about the questions but I'm sure everyone can relate to this so I thought I'd share. So I sat my Bible in front of me, prayed, and just flipped to a page. My eyes landed on this verse. Now, it doesn't quite give me an answer but it basically assures us that it's okay to take risks and go with it...knowing that we should definitely or definitely not do something-that assurance isn't realistic...we must choose a path and not be paralyzed by the unknown. Of course, this does not mean to not seek the Lord's guidance and pray about matters but we can't expect to hear God speak loud and clear and answer every question for us. I think if we pray first and then make our decisions based upon his Biblical Word-not going against them (although sometimes this can be unclear and confusing), then we should rest assured that there is no reason to regret the path we have chosen. AND, if we do choose the wrong path, go against his Word, we will realize it eventually, repent, and can know that we can move forward because we are forgiven.

God Bless!

Deep-Sea Fishing is Fun!

2011-04-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I surprised Pete with an 8 hour deep-sea fishing trip for his birthday! We caught 16 fish! He loved it and so did I. 8 hours was a little long (it took 2 hours to get to the fishing spot and 2 hours back to shore). We recommend just a wee bit of a shorter trip. Here are some pictures...

Year-End Post

2010-12-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

It's been forever since I've posted on the blog. Mainly b/c I haven't had that much to talk about OR I've been really busy with work and family. My parents came in November and Pete's family has been around in December. Our Thanksgiving was just the 2 of us and the animals. We did cook a small turkey and did a lot of relaxing! Then, Pete's parents came for a long weekend in early Dec. Pete's sis and her fam were here last weekend. We've also been going to church. Oh and I've been in a Christmas parade for work. Next, we go to NC for Christmas and New Years to see friends and family that we haven't seen in so long.

This has been a crazy year, I must say. Lots of new things happened from moving to a new job to new friends to new church to unexpected disappointments to stress in general to happy moments as well. I do hope that next year is a bit calmer; And if times aren't calm, they're happy, good, exciting times. I'm praying for a better year in 2011.

Here are some pics of what's been going on lately...

Me and Pete at the Genesis OB/GYN Christmas Party

Pete with our nephew, Ethan, at Build-A-Bear

Cooking with Ethan

Ethan, Santa, and Kathy

Snuggling with Ethan

Me, Ethan, and Steve at Build-A-Bear

Ashby and Ethan playing his ukelele

The Ladies of Genesis OB/GYN

fall is here!

2010-10-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

i haven't posted in awhile due to just getting caught up in busy day-to-day life. just a few new things to blog about around here. we've been attending destiny worship center off and on since we moved and have really been going on a more constant basis the past few months. i, along with some gals i work with, attended the women of destiny event with lisa bevere. lisa is a phenomenal speaker! i haven't read any of her books yet but plan to in the near future.

speaking of books, i have been reading a couple of joyce meyers books and am attending a women's book study on the power of a praying wife by stormie omartian. our first meeting was last night and God is really speaking through our group leader. to top off the great christian opportunities i've had lately, thanks to my boss, dr. seaton, (who also invited me to the book study group) i am attending a women's beach retreat next friday night to fellowship with some great christian women. God is good and knows when i need these opportunities to overflow and help bring me closer to him. i'm excited as i grow and mature as a christian woman.

on a different note-but another fun thing that i've done, pete and i went yolo boarding last weekend at eastern lake in santa rosa beach. it was pretty cool and amazing that i did not bust my tushie- i did not fall once...although i did not try any tricks either. sorry, no pics. :(

not much planned for this weekend, just church and relaxing. we may catch the new movie, life as we know it, with katherine hiegl. oh and my poor siamese has an infected abscess that i will be monitoring and treating, as she is quarantined away from her evil brother cat, elliott, whom i am assuming played a bit too rough with her, resulting in this wound. :-/

hope everyone has a fab weekend!!

Happy Weekend!

2010-09-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

I love weekends! I love working 4 days a week and having a 3 day weekend. It is such a blessing! I have a hard time being motivated to get out of my pj's and be productive on Fridays. It usually takes me until sometime in the afternoon to get up and do something, as is the case today. I have been watching Project Runway all morning while sipping on my coffee and playing on the computer. Have I mentioned how I just love Project Runway?? It inspires me to create something even if it's not fashion and clothing that I do. I wish I could sew and design clothing but that just doesn't come at all naturally to me. I do have such a craving to constantly redecorate my home. Right now though, we're renting and have less than 6 months left on our lease. Not knowing how long we'll stay here (and hoping to have a more permanent residence again whether it be here in FL or back in NC) makes me not want to spend money to go all out in making this place how I'd like it to be. Especially if I have to just take everything off the walls and pack up to move everything to another house, I'd want to decorate that differently anyway. Plus, this rental townhome is definitely not my dream home despite the fact that yes, it is awesome walking down and across the street to the beach so no complaining about that. So on a decorating note, I ran across this the other day:

http://www.tempaperdesigns.com/

I love this pattern!

This wallpaper rocks and I MUST try it one day! What do ya think?

I guess I'll get up off the couch and do something soon. I have a post office run to make, craft store run for scrapbook materials and whatever else I feel inspired to buy, Ireland pictures to label online so I can always remember what they're pictures of, recyclables to drop off, and I have work that I wanted to do from home today. I think I should've woken up before 10am! :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!

I'm back from Ireland!

2010-09-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

I finally went on a vacation after no vacay for over 2 years! 9 days in Ireland rocked! Look to the left and you'll see a link to view hundreds of pics on Snapfish. There's actually even more that I haven't uploaded yet. We had a fabulous time exploring the countryside, castles, drinking pints at the local pubs, listening to Irish music, navigating narrow roadways while trying not to hit cattle, shopping, eating Irish dishes then eating at Chinese restaurants b/c we needed more flavor, sneezing (I had a cold), trying not to get blown away while atop cliffs and mountains, viewing forts, tombs, and various rock formations, and the list goes on and on. Below are just a few pictures for your viewing pleasure in case you prefer to skip the 500 something in the Snapfish album. :P

Cliffs of Moher

Roadside View of the Countryside

This was our view and our friends we met right in the backyard of our first B&B.

I just like this picture.

Blarney Castle

Me kissing the Blarney Stone

Our shamrock-topped Guinesses that we drank after touring the St. James Gate Brewery in Dublin

Thirty.

2010-08-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post on this Sunday afternoon.

Yesterday was my 30th birthday . Really, I don't feel any older and don't find being 30 to be that big of a deal. It is just strange to not be able to say I'm in my 20s anymore. My 20s were some tough years, with a few awesome things added into the mix- graduating college, beginning my career, falling in love, getting married, making new friends and meeting up with old ones. I'm thinking the 30s are going to be an even better set of 10 years cuz I'm wiser, right? ;) I had a nice birthday with many birthday wishes from friends and family. Can't wait to spend the money from my parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, and boss (actually, I've already spent a lot of it :x), use my spa giftcard from my handsome and sweet husband, and cook up some yummy recipes from my autographed Giada cookbook from Rach! Thanks guys!

Our Ireland trip is completely booked!! We are pretty much all set, other than buying a few things to take and packing. SO VERY EXCITED! We have not had a real vacation in over 2 years!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! Back to the grind tomorrow. Have a wonderful week and God bless!

Ireland!

2010-07-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

We just booked our flights to/from Ireland!! Now, we are onto planning our itinerary in the next few days... :o)

LoVe

2010-07-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here's 2 of my babies cuddling. Gracie, our other cat, only cuddles with me. Elliott (the orange cat) and Ashby (our wiemeraner) sneakily cuddle and once we see them, they act as if they have been caught and the cuddling ceases. Aren't they cute?? Please excuse the fuzziness of the pic. I had to act fast before Elliott ran out of the crate.

this post is dedicated to my sis-in-law :P

2010-07-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

since you want a post to read, here's one dedicated to you, kathy.

WARNING-this post begins with blahness.

i haven't felt like i've had too much to post about recently...at least nothing that anyone else would find very interesting unless you like to hear about various types of stress in life, complaining, etc. work has been chaotic. home has been filled with my complaints of work and having no friends here and nothing to do. see, not exciting to write about. i miss home and having girlfriends to have dinner with. i complain to my husband, and it stresses him out. that sums up my life right now. poo!

not everything is horrible though. i am blessed to have a job at all. i am blessed to have friends and family even if they are more than 12 hours away. i am blessed to have a husband who is trying to put up with me. we are in the process of planning a trip to ireland for the end of august. i'm hoping we get flights and accommodations booked today-most of them anyway. we really need a vacation b/c we haven't had a real one for a couple of years now. hopefully, it will rejuvenate us!

what really saddens me is that we have put the baby plan on hold. i say this b/c i announced that we'd start trying on my 30th birthday which is at the end of this month. i wish i had never told anyone about that plan b/c now everyone mentions and asks about it. it makes me sad to talk about it, esp not knowing when we plan to readdress the baby thing. there is too much going on in our lives right now to add another stressor, granted it would be an exciting, happy blessing at the same time. so that's that. maybe everyone will read this and zip their lips about that. :)

on a way different note, i have started reading The Help by kathryn stockett. i'm only on the 3rd chapter but loving it! i already highly recommend it! also, on a side note related to buying books, i do lightspeed panel surveys to earn points that can be used for amazon gift certificates. so far, i have earned 2 $10 certif. and 1 $5 certif. i use them to buy discounted books on amazon. the library here has a horrible selection and barnes and noble is way too expensive. this has been saving me moo-la!

on another totally different topic, i have come across the most amazing artist that lives not far from me. his name is justin gaffrey. his work is amazing!!! i can't afford any of it but am inspired by it. therefore, i went to michael's yesterday and bought some more painting supplies. i have never tried to thicken my acrylics with a gel medium (that's what he does), so i'm planning to try it and see what happens.

this weekend has been a pretty good one. yesterday, we went to pensacola to check on my artwork that i have put up for consignment. it was all displayed but nothing is selling. it's ok though b/c it was just sitting in a closet. at least there's more of a chance for it to sell now. :) we walked around the mall there, visited the navarre pier, had a late dinner, and went to bed. today, we plan to work on ireland plans, maybe paint (canvas with the gel medium i was talking about-pete wants to try it too), and probably rent a movie to watch after i make some chicken concoction for dinner which i haven't decided on yet. the movie we're thinking...The Book of Eli.

hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. forgive me for my immediate debbie downer-ness in this post. you were warned! ;)

have a great week!

Weekend Fun!

2010-07-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone's having a fabulous weekend!!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

Yay for 4 day weekends!!! I'm up with a few things to get done then off to see Eclipse! Other than that, we have no big plans for the weekend. It's been pretty rainy here in the Gulf and we're hoping we can get some outdoor time in this weekend. Anyone have any great ideas or exciting plans of their own???

Guess what I found out last night?!? I was watching Raising Sextuplets and realized that this family lives just a few miles away from us! They go to the church that is right beside us (we have visited a few times but are indecisive about our church going cuz it's a problem we always have, anyway that's another issue) and the mom works at the hospital down the street. Very cool! The show comes on Thursday nights on We TV. Check it out!

Have a happy 4th!!

Pray for Chase

2010-06-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

This is for you prayer warriors out there! The son of a former manager and doctor I worked for fractured his neck while diving into shallow water on a Bahamas church mission trip. He and his family are in need of prayer. Please visit his Facebook and Caringbridge page to learn more and follow his recovery. For the Caringbridge page, it only takes a second to enter an email address and password.

Comments?!?

2010-06-25T09:43:00.001-07:00

Does anyone know why no one is able to leave comments on my page? Or if you are, can you pretty please leave one? I have had several people say they are unable to leave comments. I just tried and it won't work. I am completely clueless on why. I have gone to the comments section to review my options and everything looks correct. Please email me if you have any advice. It would be much appreciated!

~~This is my main email: tgw73180@hotmail.com~~

I FIGURED IT OUT! I believe it was d/t my previous page decor. :) Now, please feel free to post comments! :o)

7 Things About Moi

2010-06-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Fellow-blogger and high school French classmate, Amy, has passed on the fun to me of telling 7 things about myself. Thanks Amy. I'm not sure that mine will be as interesting as yours but here goes.

1. I am a ridiculous perfectionist, probably on the verge of undiagnosed OCD with how I like things to be done. This includes housework, work-work, etiquette of myself and others, you name it. It is good SOMETIMES but usually it just stresses myself and others out. I am working on it! This picture is an example how I have proudly refrained from cleaning my house ALL week. (I figure it's largely due to how I have been interviewing people all week at work and have come home even more exhausted than usual.) Rachael, are you so proud of me? Now, it's Friday, I'm off work and after this post is complete, I will be on a mad cleaning spree. Watch out! :)

2. I really hate it when people don't like me and when I don't like someone else. It bugs me! I care way too much about what others think. I want to "fix" everything to make everyone feel all warm and fuzzy toward each other. I'm learning that life doesn't work that way, people don't work that way, and you just try try try to be the kindest person you can be, you fail sometimes, but you move on and get over it.

3. I am constantly wanting to redecorate my home. I am obsessed with interior design blogs and wish I were rich enough to have an interior designer come help a gal out! I also love fashion but never seem to figure it out for myself and make myself look like a fashionista. I get lazy with the fashion thing and live vicariously through others' cute outfits.

4. I am addicted to reality tv...Real Housewives (all of them), Tori and Dean, The Hills, The City...the list just goes on and on. It's mostly all the cable network reality shows, not the regular tv ones. I am a crazy lady and will watch them, rewatch them, watch them on my computer when I am doing artwork or making diaper cakes. My husband thinks I have lost my marbles.

5. I am a shy person. When people first meet me, I am very quiet, reserved, and am nervous with meeting new people (I get sweaty pits, people). Sometimes I am slow to warm up to certain people but when I do, I am surprisingly way more outgoing than they imagined. I have gotten this confession of shock from many people!

6. I LOVE to travel but HATE packing and the actual tiring process of getting to and from my destination. I get grouchy until I am actually there and have had a nap. I enjoy new places and seeing, learning, exploring but then I realize that I miss home and am content to return to my animal children and my own bed...only to get home and then want to go somewhere else again.

7. I am a planner and dreamer. I really have my whole vision of how my life "should" be all planned out. I know it will never happen that way. So far, some things have had better outcomes than my plans, others not so much. This is opposite of how my husband is so I think it stresses him out. I do not plan and dream to stress, only do it b/c it's fun to live in my own fairytale world sometimes. Reality can be harsh, ya know.

Okay, that's 7. There's a ton more cuz I am one complex creature. ;)

Passing this on for their answers to:

Stephanie at Truth In My Pocket

Melissa at Threads

Melissa at Design Delights

Hope everyone has a fun weekend!

Here comes Monday

2010-06-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

I'm in bed next to my husband who is fast asleep, surrounded by pillows on all sides of him, eye mask, earplugs, and mouth guard all in place. hehe Oh and 4 fans and a humidifier all on as usual. It's storming out but I can barely hear it (and I like to hear thunder and rain but oh well).

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that Wendy Blight is doing a bible study and there are over 1800 women signed up. It's all through her blog. She posts a short video each week and then an assignment with questions. Everyone can comment and use this as a way to grow closer to the Lord. It started last Sunday but it's not too late to sign up! I am still working on last week's assignment-yes I am a slacker.

I made another diaper cake this weekend but can't post pictures until later. It's a surprise for the recipient. :)

Pete and I visited Alys Beach yesterday. It was quite pretty there. I planned to take some pictures but was miserably hot after walking just a mile. Check out the website and see pics of the Caliza pool!

What else, you ask...We rented Valentine's Day and It's Complicated. Both were cute and rent-worthy. Other than that, I cleaned, did laundry, made chicken and pasta alfredo, briefly enjoyed the pool which is now like bath water, and read my bible/working on Wendy's bible study questions.

Tomorrow starts a new work week and I pray for a good week both at work and at home. Praying that we all enjoy the simple pleasures, overlook the unimportant, focus on things above, show kindness even when we don't want to, and pamper ourselves--we must love ourselves in order to be able to effectively love and be loved by others.

Time for me to go to sleep! My (sometimes) sweet siamese, Gracie, is fast asleep on the other side of me--peer pressure is setting in. ;) Night night!

Pictures

2010-06-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

I promised pics from last weekend. There's not many and nothing close to professional but just a few to give ya an idea of my weekend. I can't wait to see the professional wedding pictures! Elizabeth and Mark had one of the same photographers for their special day as we did, Jessica Key. She's such a fun photographer and the pictures always turn out fabulous!

Wedding Weekend Getaway

2010-06-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

It's late and I can't sleep, so I will write. I haven't been posting blog entries as often as I used to. Excuse this one if it involves grammatical errors or doesn't make sense. I'm tired! :)

This past weekend, we went back to NC b/c I was a bridesmaid in a gorgeous wedding. I will try to post pics on Friday. It was great to see Elizabeth and Mark and meet many of their loved ones. The weekend was packed with manicures, pedicures, hairstyling, primping, eating, and socializing. Although I think I have developed some social anxiety when it comes to meeting new people and having to be a part of social events, I survived! I guess I have become too much of a home-body.

Pete spent most of the weekend (other than time with me at the rehearsal and wedding) working on house stuff. The joys of owning a house! Rachael is an awesome renter though and we are so thankful that she is renting our house in NC.

Going back to NC made me realize that right now my home is in FL and not NC. I miss my friends and family, but seeing Rachael's things in the house, knowing my cats were back in FL, and just not feeling at home so much made me want to be back in FL. It surprised me. Apparently and obviously, God wants me right where he has me right now. Who knows what the future holds but I do feel a bit more content and at peace with where I am. Now, if this dang oil would just stay away!

On a way different note, I think I have found a good deodorant...at least for now till it stops working, as most deodorants do and then you have to switch to another for awhile. Secret Clinical Strength, Waterproof antiperspirant/deodorant seems to be working. If only, I had known this a week ago, my pits would've been way more pleasant during my very social weekend! It seems to be getting good reviews, overall.

Has anyone read the new Stephanie Meyer book, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner? I just had to add it to my Twilight Collection. It was short and an okay read. I guess it can't be expected to be comparable to the others seeing how its focus is off of Bella and the other major characters.

I think I'm starting to fade and am going to try to sleep now. Pictures coming soon! I promise!

My Mid-Life Crisis!

2010-06-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's b/c I'm about to turn 30 in a little over a month? I dunno... These days, I am dreaming of what I want to do when I grow up, where I want to travel, what my passion is, what my calling is, what the future may hold (or may not), what I should've done differently thus far, what I should do instead of only dream of doing, how to make what I want and dream of happen, and so on and on and on.

I love arts, being crafty, making things, cooking, and anything that lets me create and do things however I'd like without having to do them perfectly. I had an etsy shop where I tried to sell my paintings and various artwork. I sold a ton to friends for awhile and one to someone I didn't know on the other side of the country. I was invited to sell my work at a festival but it rained and I didn't go. :( So that all sort of fizzled and I stopped posting on my etsy site. I took my work to a consignment shop in Pensacola over a month ago. Nothing has sold (or so they say). For the past few months, I've tried to pursue BabyCakes by Traci. A few people in the past have ordered diaper cakes and everyone has raved about how cute they are. However, I have not sold a single one since starting the blog and passing out about 100 business cards. Maybe I am an awful salesman. I am discouraged and frustrated. I have this dream of making a living by making and selling my creations. I just have no clue how to do it! I am not one to love to socialize and "sell" myself and my work. I'm actually quite self-conscious of my creations and don't even always love everything I make. Sometimes I wish I had pursued graphic design, as I had started to in college, instead of nursing. I'm too busy working as a nurse to try to pay off my tons of student loans to be able to pursue the arena I'm most passionate about. Anyway, blah blah blah, right? Am I boring you yet? ;)

Another thing that has been on my mind lately (other than babies, which my husband continues to be terrified to think of and discuss BUT that's a whole other blog post in itself) has been how I should be serving the Lord by serving others. I like to think that I do that as a nurse but I crave something more. I keep going back to the idea of going on a mission trip to another country. With that comes the fact that I feel bad for not feeling motivated to go to church, pray, or read my bible as much as I should. Being an imperfect human being sucks sometimes, don't ya think? :) I need to grow closer to God every day b/c I sure can't afford to go on mission trips constantly. I want to serve in my community here but never seem to do that on my 3 day weekends.

I want to travel, pay off my student loan so I do not have that burden, be a better wife, friend, daughter, granddaughter, niece, daughter and sister-in-law, and just a better me! Any inspirational stories out there from my readers to knock me over the head and motivate me to make things happen are welcome.

On a less dramatic and woe-is-me note, we are going home to NC for a long weekend. One of my best friends is getting married, and I can't wait to be a part of the celebration! Congrats, Elizabeth and Mark! I'm happy to visit home after being away for 4 months. I will post pictures when I get back!

P.S.- Please pray that God makes this whole oil spill fiasco disappear!! It is so sad to see the animals dying and the people in the Gulf struggling (fishermen, etc). We do not see the oil just yet but have heard that tar balls are washing up just a few miles from us.

Finally, a post!!

2010-05-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my boring blog lately with few posts. I get home from work and am too tired to post. I'm sure you understand. I have a couple of things to report on.

Last weekend, we visited my sister-in-law, Kathy, her husband, Steve, and our nephew, Ethan. We all stayed at their Venice, FL house and enjoyed the beach, good food, good company, and went to the drum circle (pictures below).

Last night, I helped represent Genesis OB/GYN at the Healthy Start World's Greatest Baby Shower and was also able to promote my diaper cakes. Now, waiting for more appointments at the office and diaper cake orders to roll in! :)

Yay for this weekend being a 4 day weekend in celebration of Memorial Day! So many men and women have died while serving our country, so let us all remember them and (pray for) their families.

We have been wanting to go to New Orleans for a weekend but that continues to be put off. Now my car's transmission might be acting up so maybe we should let her rest this weekend, as well as ourselves. I really want to challenge myself to relax, enjoy just being and enjoy time with my husband, while NOT cleaning the house! :) Please pray that my obsessive-compulsive cleaning issues dwindle, seriously. Not good for me, my husband, or our marriage. Anyone else have this problem??

I just got a new book from Amazon that I am going to start reading this weekend: Radical by David Platt. I believe it talks about how Christians lose focus on Christ due to the focus on the "American Dream." I'll let you know how it is.

Here's some pictures of last weekend and last night: