"....I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." ~James 10:10~

Monday, December 31, 2012

A New Year Blessing

I was so BLESSED during my lunch break today and just wanted to keep the blessings rolling along to you all!

I have been SO tired and haven't fully recovered from our sleepless but WONDERFUL trip to NYC so I was kinda in a slump this AM. Not only that, I was stressed about my DISASTER of a cluttered home and how to possibly get it DEcluttered and be willing to let go of all the worthless things I don't need. Just thinking about it was making me NUTS! 

So,,,When the time (finally:) came I went home for a 20 minute catnap at lunch and woke up feeling refreshed :) (Blessing #1) Then on my drive back to the office, Michael W. Smith was being interviewed on His Radio and he shared the blessing he wrote and reads to his audiences after concerts: (Blessing #2)

"In the name of Jesus Christ,
I bless you with the promises of God,
which are “yes” and “amen.”

May the Holy Spirit make you healthy
and strong in body, mind, and spirit
to move in faith and expectancy.
May God’s
angels be with you to
protect and keep you.

Be blessed with supernatural strength
to turn your eyes from
foolish, worthless, and evil things, and to shut out
the demeaning and the negative.
Instead may you behold the beauty of things
that God has planned for you
as you obey his Word.
May God bless your ears to hear the lovely,
the uplifting, and the encouraging.
May your mind be strong, disciplined,
balanced, and faith-filled.

May your feet walk in holiness and
your steps be ordered by the Lord.
May your hands be tender and helping,
blessing those in need.
May your heart be humble and
receptive to one another
and to the things of God, not to the world.

God’s grace be upon your home,
that it may be a sanctuary of rest and renewal,
a haven of peace where sounds of joy
and laughter grace its walls,
where love and unconditional acceptance
of one another is the constant rule.

May God give you the spiritual strength to
overcome the evil one
and avoid temptation.
May God’s grace be upon you to
fulfill your dreams and visions.
May goodness and mercy follow you
all the days of your long life."

~Michael W. Smith

Let this sink in and make a difference in your day! I felt so encouraged after hearing him read it and couldn't wait to get back to the computer to share it with you. I really feel like God spoke to me through those few minutes and gave me peace to finish out my day strong. I might even try cleaning up tonight...Lord (continue to) help me!!! ;)

Love,
Laura

Over ALREADY???

2012 came and went like a bag of salt and vinegar tater chips....one minute you pop them open and the next minute your hand is scraping the bottom of the bag for crumbs and licking the salt off your fingers :) Over so quickly...but so GOOOOOOD!

That's how I feel about the past year :) Over WAY too soon but so delicious while it lasted! And I enjoyed every last "bite"!!!!

This year was one to remember for many different reasons but mostly because of all the incredible blessings and memories created with family and friends. And through all the difficult times that this year brought, I was able to hold God's guiding hand (and Trav's too:) and keep on walking forward with faith....and now I'm so excited to see what 2013 has in store for our family :) I'm looking forward to our BEST YEAR EVER!!!

P.S. Now would be a good moment for you to check out this LINK! (So you can have your BEST YEAR EVER, TOO!)

In other 2013 news.....I'll be starting 2 classes this semester...two nights a week from 5:30-9:30 plus 15 hours in a classroom PLUS my full time job so prayers for diligence and persistence will be greatly appreciated!

Also, please keep Travis and I in your prayers as we trust in God's plan for our future family :) Perhaps you will see a baby bump in the New Year! Whatever HE has in store for us....we know it is nothing but the BEST!

And so now---it's time to eat breakfast. A healthy bowl of oatmeal, almonds and a banana. Someone has to work off all that PIZZA from NYC!

Wishing you all your BEST YEAR EVER!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. ~Joshua 1:9 ~

Love,
Laura

Saturday, December 8, 2012

{Christmastime Update}

I really had no intentions of waiting 21 days in between blog posts...

between school, work, and CHRISTMASTIME (P.S. I debated back and forth on whether it's Christmastime or Christmas Time until I consulted the handy dandy dictionary HERE :)......

...so yes, as weird as it looks when you type it...I believe Christmastime is correct :) But who really cares...it's THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR however you spell it!

So I'm now have a month break from school----YAY!----plus between now and Christmas there are so many fun things planned to do with family and friends.

Starting with tomorrow's FAMILY PINTREST PARTY! My mom came up with this really great idea that all of us girls would find a Christmas craft on pintrest, buy enough supplies for everyone to make one, and set up stations for a day of rotating through each station to get to make one of everything. It's gonna be SOOOOOO FUN!!!! Plus---yummy treats and good company....sounds pretty much perfect to me:)

Look for party pics Sunday night! :)

As for now....I swear I just heard Waffle House calling me name. Yep, it's BIG GREASY YUMMY BREAKFAST-FOR-LUNCH TIME!

Love
Laura 


Monday, November 19, 2012

{Gobble with it...}

I'm getting SO excited about THANKSGIVING!!!

To get in the Thanks"giving" mood, Molly and I bought a couple birds for a local charity and dropped them off today at lunch :)
Rewind a few hours and I chowed down on what I consider a pricey and gourmet breakfast...
YUM! Nutrition facts made me happy, too!
Of course, I had to have the peppermint latte to go with it...such an indulgent morning:)

In keeping with such a great day, look who showed up when I got home from work!
TINK!!!!!!!!

Tinkerbell is our sweet 3-legged kitty who was "stolen"  adopted by our neighbors when we moved into our new house. I think she preferred the cans of wet cat food they put out for her 24-7 :) And that was fine with us...we still see her every now and then and their little girl LOVES her so much!
Thanks for visiting Tink!

Later, Trav and I went to Moe Monday (it's sorta becoming our Monday night tradition:)
 and I ate WAY TOO MUCH! At this rate, I'm going to be as big as a barn by Christmas!

Oh Lawd!!!

Love,
Laura

Sunday, November 18, 2012

{BURKES OUTLET HAUL!}

I would like to preface this picture by saying.... THIS THE REAL DEAL!!!
Untouched...unedited...I just woke up this morning looking THIS good!!!

It's not easy but somebody's gotta do it :)

Anyway...on to DEALS! DEALS! DEALS!!!!
I hit Burke's Outlet on the PERFECT DAY! 95% CLEARANCE!!!

The receipt was a MILE long (so now you know why there's no pic of it:)

The haul included:

4 pair of sunglasses
4 beach bags
5 pairs of panama jack flip flops
2 Almay liquid bronzers
1 Estee Lauder lipstick
2 pair of rampage sandals
2 pair of cute summer flip flops
5 pocket books
2 slip-n-slides
1 giant blow up walrus for the pool
2 kiddie pools
1 disc thrower game
8 new pair of panties
5 new pair of socks
1 witch to put up for next Halloween
1 bathing suit
1 adidas running shirt for Trav
2 Christmas cd's
1 pair of pajama shorts
2 sleep shirt gift packages

 ...Those new clothes :)...

And a Diet Coke!

The GRAND TOTAL: $42.30!!!! And I'm gonna have awesome beach bags made up for my sistah-friends next summer :)

Three items were at normal price, too and it was STILL such a good deal :) I love shopping there when I can find the good DOTS!

Yesterday, I fixed my hair....hehe!!!...
and we went to see the Clemson Tigers play! :)
...and today Molly and Makayla joined us for breakfast at iHop. Trav went to play golf with his Dad and the girls did a little Christmas shopping at the Holly Jolly Holiday Fair.

It was a WONDERFUL WEEKEND! I am more THANKFUL than ever for my family and friends!!!

Love,
Laura

Monday, November 12, 2012

{6 AMAZING years....}

Feels like just yesterday we said "I do." But it's actually been 2,190 days. So many good---a handful of bad---but through it all we've grown to love and respect each other more and more every day. I feel so blessed to have someone who knows and loves me so intimately to share my life with and to be my best friend.

Now...on to our celebration weekend :)
We decided to go camping! It's so pretty outside right now and we wanted to enjoy nature for the weekend. Plus it's super affordable and super relaxing!
Trav got the tent set up (it's getting a little easier every time...hehe)
After all that hard work, we went to the restaurant there on-site (we actually ate there every meal because it was much more convenient than cooking at the campsite) and had a delicious seafood buffet.
We chowed down on seafood during last year's anniversary trip, too. Some things never change I guess:)





Everything was so BEAUTIFUL!

And Glory was such a good girl the entire trip!
She had so much fun playing outside with us. From horseshoes, to tennis, to tetherball, and loooong walks...we did it all!

Although it got down to 37 degrees the first night, our little heater (plus some snuggling:) kept us warm :) At night we watched movies and played games in the tent. We slept like babies until after 9 am every morning and then went back up to the restaurant for a big breakfast.
Breakfast is my FAVORITE meal and I wish I could have one like this every morning :) One day it was actually free because their credit machine was down and they couldn't run cards so...Happy Anniversary to us...lol!

From then...
Edisto 2011
to now....
Hickory Knob 2012
...one year has given us so many gifts and memories to cherish forever! We are blessed!

Love,
Laura

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

{Rock the Vote}

I did my part!

My sticker was so super tiny so I thought I should put it somewhere noticeable :)



SO HAPPY TO DO MY PART!!!















Made a pot of homemade veggie beef soup to celebrate democracy (and a hopeful change!) :) No connection between the two---soup just sounded like a good dinner!

 I wore my new blouse and cool clear vintage belt today for a nice 64 cent goodwill combo:)
But I dropped a glob of raspberry vinegarette on it during lunch :( Boo!
 I once heard spraying a stain with hairspray would help so I gave it a shot. Laundry cycle should be finished soon so we'll see....

Another bummer today....
I went to Starbucks for a skinny peppermint mocha and after drinking about half of it I realized it was actually a white chocolate mocha (containing almost 500 calories!!!). I knew it tasted WAY too sweet but I was on my phone and not really paying attention. Sadly, can't get those wasted calories back but luckily Starbucks is giving me a free drink next time:)

So, cheers anyway!

Love,
Laura

Sunday, November 4, 2012

{Clear it out!}

Guess where we're going...
The Goodwill Clearance Center!
P.S Isn't Ali's thrifted outfit super cute?:)
Fran found a few treasures...
...and Ali found this awesome poncho/blanket which she let me have :)

...I found a cute silk top
....and a Christmas gown that was just a tad too little :( probably since it's for a child. Hehe! But I really tried to make it fit! :)

(Glory is gonna LOVE that ball!)
After searching through bin after bin we were ready for some din-din! :) Sorry...couldn't resist!
Hellllooooo Olive Garden!

Finished the night off with a Peppermint Mocha (pretty good but they didn't have sugar-free syrup:( I guess I was expecting too much from McDonalds...lol!)
 

Final Shopping Count:

32 items for $10.49!

Ironically that's 32 cent for each item :)

Can't wait to try it all out!

Love,
Laura

Saturday, November 3, 2012

{Saturdays are made for this....}

Just in case anyone ever wonders why I can't leave home without a lint roller! His favorite sleeping spot is on a freshly cleaned load of laundry :)

Today was such a nice, lazy day (see above:)

Molly, Makayla and I spent the day shopping and even bought a few Christmas gifts. BTW: I can't wait until BLACK FRIDAY!!!

At the mall, Makayla rode just about every thing that took quarters:)
We stopped in at Books-A-Million for an afternoon treat. The little girl had gummies and the big girls had peppermint mochas....HEAVENLY!
P.S HOW CUTE IS THAT?! <3

Got an amazing new candle...
...and started my basket of fun Christmas stuff to use the moment the Turkey crows for the last time:)
Yay! The MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR HAS COMMENCED!!!

Love,
Laura

Sunday, October 28, 2012

{Celebrating MaMa}

Romans 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

Last Friday morning, my special Great Grandmother, MaMa, went to be with Jesus. She also got to be with PaPa again...a day I'm sure he's been eagerly anticipating. I'm sure he couldn't wait for her to see how wonderful a place the Lord had prepared for her after she enjoyed a long and healthy 97 years here on earth.

I remember many special things about MaMa....

She ALWAYS had candy bars. She loved chocolate more than anyone I've ever known. She loved to give us Milky Way's and Three Muskateer bars when we visited. And we loved eating them!

She had a beautiful display of pictures in her home. A whole shelf that was FULL of framed family photos. I always loved looking at all of them and wondering what life was like for her and PaPa throughout all of those years and memories.

She loved beauty products. From a young age, I loved going into her bathroom and looking through all her body powders, lipsticks, and perfumes. Sometimes she would share her Clinique free gifts with us and we felt so fancy:) Perhaps that's where my obsession began...:)

She would not let her pocketbook leave her side no matter what. At family functions, if she lost sight of it, she would ask where it was and insist that someone bring it to her. She was buried with a purse in hand...they only way she would have wanted it. We loved hearing her hollar for that purse :)

She gave us all of her spare change. As I grew older, the change started going to the younger children and they enjoyed it like we had for all those years. I would always wonder if MaMa had a bag of change when she came to visit :)

I am so thankful to have these happy memories to help me remember my MaMa. I feel so blessed to have had a Great Grandmother for 29 years. I can't wait to tell my own children stories of MaMa and PaPa one day. 

Today was MaMa's funeral. Throughout the day I was reminded of the blessings of family. MaMa  lived an incredibly blessed life and thanks to her and PaPa, I also got the best papa (grandfather) in the whole world, too! Each generation is such a blessing to the next and each carries on the legacy of memories of those who have gone before them. I think it's so awesome how God designed families to work in such a special way:)

As I said goodbye to MaMa, it was with a full heart and much gratitude. I looked around at all the people I loved who were gathered around her and thanked the Lord for the blessings her life brought us all. 

MaMa is surely alive with the Lord. I can't wait to see her again one day!

Love,
Laura

Monday, October 15, 2012

{In need of a ROUTINE!}

Travis and I really are a match made in Heaven.

There are so many reasons why but tonight's post involves one that allows us to live in peace and harmony most of the time...

We are both incredibly messy, unorganized (sort of), and "fly by the seat of our pants" (totally!) kind of people. Since we are both this way, we never argue over who left their shoes laying in the hallway or who left the cap off the toothpaste. At any given time either one of us could be culprit. Since neither one of us is really that concerned with the proper way to load a dishwasher or the linen washing schedule we are never nagging each other to get things done. Although this kind of laid back lifestyle makes for lots of excitement...it can also lots of chaos!!! (As in--OMG!!!!---What happened to this house!???!!)

For example, we both need to be at work by 8:30 am and we're rarely out of bed by 8:05. This means, to make it to work on time, we run around like mad people, throw on some matching clothes, and hobble out the door with a slung together pb&j breakfast (if we're lucky:) and a cup of coffee---which Travis normally spills on his work shirt going out the door. Not again....

We have absolutely no rhyme or reason to our day. (other than going to work since their are bills that seem to show up in the mailbox every month for some reason:) There are no chores we do daily, no wake-up times, no bedtimes, no nothing...and this is scary because we don't even have kids yet and barely manage to get everything done in a day. Yikes! We do try to feed the pets most day. Kidding.

On the other hand, since we often DON'T get around to "important" things like laundry, breakfast, and doing the dishes, we are able to make time for the fun stuff like long walks with Glory, watching movies and snuggling, going out to eat late at night, playing family feud on the laptop until 2 am, and the list goes on and on.

What we need is a balance of the two. So I'm setting up a schedule that I think will help us manage to live like normal people while still having tons of FUN time, too!

New Rada Rules:

1. We will empty the sink and dishwasher every night before bed.
2. We will finish all laundry that is in the washer or dryer daily, including folding and hanging it all up.
3. I will shower at night and put my outfit together the night before.

These are so simple that implementing a PLAN to do these things might seem silly to some but for us they're a necessity. I think these three simple tasks will make all the difference in the world for having a tidy home and peace of mind...and more room for more spur of the moment fun stuff, too!

Hopefully, since we're also trying to start a family, this will help us prepare for the SHOCK of being a Mom and Dad for the first time. At least I hear it's quite the adjustment. Probably even more for us extremely left-brained couples:)

Well, since it's 11:15 now I'm thinking it would be wise to implement the bedtime rule now.

Love,
Laura 

Sunday, October 14, 2012

{Hunter's B-day + Pumpkin Carving Party}

Perhaps the best part of the day was the new church we visited this morning!

We went with family to The Bridge and we are super excited about visiting again next week:)

After church, we went to Carson's for Hunter's birthday lunch--Happy Birthday Hunter!!!
Bette ordered a sweet potato and asked the server to take this back and get her the right thing. However, upon tasting, it was actually an albino sweet potato...who knew?

Later in the afternoon was Nikki and Andrew's pumpkin carving party:)







Icky Guts!!!

YUMMY seeds for roasting!
One big happy Jack-O-Lantern family:)
                                               
Camryn won first place with her little grinning pumpkin! Mom and Dad's monster pumpkin and Morgan's "Let your light shine" creation tied for second:)
My silly creation got a whopping ZERO votes...which was quite comical actually:)
After carving, we were all hungry! Dad made homemade soup and Fran made chili, topped with Granny's cornbread muffins:)

...and for  a consolation prize, Mom and Dad gave me their 3rd place treat---they're so sweet!
Love,
Laura