Monograms

Has the vinyl monogram-on-the-car trend made it to your town or is it just a southern thing? After lusting after one for months and months I broke down and ordered one last week. I went to Etsy and found one for $4! That's right people, $4!!! I ordered it on a Thursday afternoon and would you believe it came in the mail on Saturday? Two days!!!! Because I know you want one also, here is the link for the shop I ordered mine from AJC Inspiration


She has lots of colors to chose from. I chose white because it needed to match the fleur de lis on the other side of my back window.



GEAUX TIGERS! Is anyone else on pins and needles waiting for college football season to begin on September 5th?

Take me out to the ballgame...

This girl loves sports. Seriously. Football, especially the SEC, makes my heart race. I can't watch baseball on television because it bores the mess out of me, but I love attending a game. Turner field in Atlanta is such a neat place. We attended the Braves v. Marlins last Saturday and had a blast! There were six of us that went: Me, J.D., Matt, Travis and Jason and Justin. Somehow Matt, Justin and Travis escaped being photographed!

Me

J.D. and Jason, couldn't you just squeeze his cheeks?

Jennifer doing the tomahawk chop

Chick-fil-a cow doing the tomahawk chop. This girl loves her some Chick-fil-a!

Me and Jason

J.D. and Jason

We had so much fun. You know what is really fun? Being the only two girls in a group of four guys!

What happens when you kick a Smurf...

Yikes! Those really are my ugly feet!

When you kick a smurf, your feet turn blue. I willingly chose to paint my toes that color! Ugh! Coincidentally, it matches the monogram on my purse. Why did I do this? I *thought* it would look good. A group of us are going to the Atlanta Braves game tomorrow night and I have this cute outfit all planned out around the colors of brown and blue. My favorite pair of brown pants became high waters last year so this past week I took them to the tailor and had then turned into bermuda shorts for $6.50. Add a white fitted polo, brown and blue flip flops, my cute monogrammed purse, some turquoise jewelry and you have a cute outfit, right? Blue toes could only enhance the look, right? WRONG! Can I tell you that when my feet hit the floor this morning and I glanced down, they frightened me?!?!

Time for a color change.

Where I've been... as if I know!

Yeah, if only I could answer that question! I feel like I have fallen off the blogger earth. It's been a busy summer. To be honest, we haven't done much on the house since my Dad, stepmom and little brother came to visit in early July.

I have done a few little things here and there and I've taken pictures of those things. However, those pictures and the SD card they were on were destroyed by the creature seen in the photo below before they could be uploaded.

I love her, but she is going to make me crazy. Do you know that she PEED ON ME Sunday night in the middle of the night? Oh yes she did! She has since been sent back to her crate at night. Jerk.


I would like to introduce you to my Dad's mini-me. Meet Zach. He could also be known as Michael, Jr. I wish I had a picture of my Dad at six years old to show you because these two are twins.

Don't you love a toothless grin?

I loved having Zach here visiting. He is such a charming kid! I think he is one of those kids that every parent wants; the child who is a perfect angel at school and makes great grades but also has a great sense of humor. Zach started first grade last week. He had an awesome kindergarten teacher last year and Zach must have really paid attention because he knows all sorts of facts and figures. While he was visiting we had a conversation that went something like this:

"Hey Sissy, did you know that Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States? Do you know two good things he did for our country? He defended the country during the Civil War and helped to end slavery. He wore a stovepipe hat. He was shot in the back of the head in a balcony by John Wilkes Booth at Fords Theater in Washington D.C. After he shot Lincoln, Booth jumped on the stage and broke his leg."

Yes, I was amazed. Seriously. My brother who just finished KINDERGARTEN told me all that. I think the child is a genius. He must take after his sister. HA!

Help!

I know I am probably really low-tech because I follow blogs from my blogger dashboard and not in some fancy reader and this is now kicking me in the pants! I need help from all of you smart bloggers out there; when I go to my blogger dashboard it is now telling me that I am not following any blogs even though I am! I have spent a year finding all of these great blogs and now it feels like they are gone forever. When I happen to remember a blog address and go to it and try to "follow" it again, I can't because I am already listed as a follower. What is going on? I need help!

Another post in which I am entirely too honest...

We had a wonderful Wednesday night dinner this week. I really should have taken pictures! The shrimp and grits were a huge hit. Matt, one of our good friends from Sunday school and a close family friend was there with us. After supper, Matt, JD and me were talking about dating and how you can stray so far away from your values and what is important to you. This led me to explain my standards or "deal breakers".

1. no use of tobacco products

2. good money management skills ( wealth doesn't matter, but being able to manage what you have is important)

3. anti-abortion

4. Christian

5. involved in church

6. does not consume alcohol

7. no pre-marital sex

That's my list. I don't compromise anymore. I used to compromise on some of these issues and I had some pretty cruddy relationships. I know that these may come as a shock to my family and friends and may be more than my Dad wants to know about. Sorry, Dad! Though I think you might be proud of what I stand for.

You might notice that physical attributes aren't on this list. For me, physical attraction is only about 5% of what draws me to someone. It's amazing how attractive someone can be when you see eye to eye on what matters to the two of you.

Something you should watch...

OK, my cousins tried to show me this YouTube video last Christmas. I took one look and said "interpretive dance... I don't think so" and turned away. J.D. watched it though and it touched her. Eight months later I finally watched it and it is amazing and beautiful. Watch and enjoy.

Care for a swim?

Remember this post? That's right, the one where I whined and whined about the heat and wanting a pool? Guess what?

We're getting a pool on the compound!!!

(People tell me I need to stop referring to the fact that I live on acreage with several different houses with my family as a compound. They say it makes us seem like a cult. We aren't. )

A bona fide, in the ground pool. No, we aren't digging a hole in the dirt and filling it up with the hose. My granddad, who lives two doors down, is putting in a pool for the grand kids! Last week he had the pine trees taken down got the permit from the county and construction started this week! I have no idea how long pool building takes but I am hoping that it will be done by Labor Day weekend. Hopefully we will be able to use it until mid-October, being that this is Hotlanta and all.

Tonight my cousin Daniel is going to be in town and I am making dinner. Shrimp and grits baby! I am using a different recipe this time. I bought 8 POUNDS of shrimp last night!!! Hopefully that will be enough to feed 12-16 people. Some of those people are children who don't eat much. I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow!

Fear

What does fear keep you from? What goals could you reach if fear wasn't an obstacle?

I have lived my entire life in fear of one thing or another. When I was a small child I feared burglars and the Wicked Witch of the West and the flying monkeys and E.T. and an invisible monster at the foot of my bed underneath my covers, which resulted in me sleeping at the head of my bed in the fetal position. I've realized recently that I might still be living my life in the fetal position; curled up and waiting for something to hurt me. That isn't living.

Life is hard. People can be cruel. Words hurt. Judgement stings. We internalize all of those hurtful words and actions, we feed on them, gobble them up and let them poison our souls and keep us from being our best selves. Suddenly, we expect people to be unkind. Our shield is up before we walk out the door in the morning. We limit possibilities for fear of judgment and rejection, beginning each day curled up in the fetal position, ready to roll quickly through our day making sure to avoid the monster at the end of the bed.

I have had enough. I don't want to live this way. I'm tired of feeling like I am not good enough, not talented enough, not pretty or thin enough, not smart enough; feeling like I will not measure up. You know what? I AM ENOUGH! We are enough. You are enough. We are amazing miracles of God's design and creation, created in His image. Isn't that enough?



Today I am joining the party at Emily's for Tuesdays Unwrapped.