Our Christmas Card 2014

Photos Taken by my sweet sister Kelsie @ The Candid Photobooth

We've done yet another DIY Christmas card this year and I am so proud of how it came out! Kelsie is a budding photographer on the side and we love getting our pictures taken(yes, we're attention-hogging theatre kids) so another Holiday shoot was a must. She did a beautiful job with our photos two years ago so now that we are back all living in Texas it was super easy. I love the light airy quality of her editing style and I added in a few Christma-y touches of my own with Picmonkey and ipiccy.com. I can't wait to print these and get them sent out to our family and friends!


Happy Holidays!

Let The Morning Bring Me Word

*I found this print on Pinterest, but sadly the link led me no where. If you recognize its owner, please let me know!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Yesterday morning I was greeted with good news. I have been fully accepted into the Masters in Reading Program at UT Tyler. I applied a little while back, turned in all of documents and waited. 'You must have an interview' they said(well, not quite like that but you know...) and I had to wait again until our internet officially worked. Interview: check. I was hoping to hear word before we left for Break, but no such luck. That's when I started feeling really doubtful. I told myself a lot of very negative things and put myself down. I thought maybe they didn't like my lack of experience or the fact that I waited five years after graduating to start my masters again. I worried. A lot. Just like I always do. I began to lose hope and faith in myself and God. I was so promising in school and now I'm a failure. I didn't sleep Sunday night at all--I sat in the bathroom floor, in the dark, and cried. Loudly enough that my sweet husband came creeping in to hold me until I fell asleep. Where is He leading me, I felt so lost.

But wouldn't you know, my answer arrived. I came to work Monday morning determined to email the Admissions department if I didn't hear back that day about my acceptance. Nothing at 8am.

 *Mild freak out ensues as I decide what kind of email I should send: Sweet and urgent or scathing and accusatory. I chose the former.

I log-in to begin said email and there it is. I don't even click it open; I speed read the preview looking for one word and find it instantly.

 Congratulations. 

That one word melted away so many feelings of regret and sadness. I have been praying that God would lead me where He wanted me to go, that He would give me a path. I'm interested in so many things that I don't often know where I belong. I'm hoping that this is His answer to my questions and my longings to be successful and whole. I have been missing a career path since I graduated and I want so badly for this to be the right choice. God has opened a door for me and shown me His love; I now must pray that I can rise to His challenge. 

Weekend Waco Exploring!!!!

This weekend the weather was gorgeous here in Waco so the hubs and I decided to spend most of our free time outdoors. We explored the parks around the Brazos River, walked downtown, and made our way to the zoo just off the river. I was pleasantly surprised at how much there is to do downtown and I can't wait to visit the places we walked by!

A Rant Post for Thursday

After I left my job in Tennessee, the college closed my email account (for good reasons of course). When I got back from my whirlwind summer at Camp Wamava, I finally sat down to try and post again only to find that I had linked my blog to that old work account....fast forward and I was able to gain access again but now all of my pictures are gone. Boo. Even the profile picture I worked so hard to crop and shape into the perfect 'blogger circle.' It's my own for not actually using my Photobucket to host pictures but alas it is too late now. Someday, when I find the time, I'll try to remember all of the pictures I had up there but I'm pretty sure that's impossible....


Thursday Rant Over. And now, because I need it.....Here are Kittens and Rainbows. Enjoy.

This Weekend

Happy Cold, Rainy Monday!!! It seems that Fall has finally decided to descend upon Texas--it only took half of October, but we'll take what we can get! I'm not sure why, but this weekend seemed especially long to me--perhaps it was because we didn't head up to my parents house for a crazy adventure but I'm not complaining. It was leisurely in that warm, fuzzy way that makes you want to curl up in bed with a good book or movie and have plenty of cuddles. 

The weekend wasn't entirely wasted though, because the hubs finally built me my table!!!  

I found the plans for this gorgeous Farmhouse table here and I am beyond pleased with how it turned out! It only took a few hours on Saturday to shop, cut, and assemble the whole thing. Now my job is to sand and stain it a beautiful dark brown and then I'll be hitting up craiglist and garage sales for chairs! I will definitely post more pictures when I'm finished--I'm dreaming of warm family gatherings and someday seeing little ones playing underneath. It's so sturdy, this baby is gonna last a long time!!!                   

Taking Stock: 10/10/14

Now that we've more or less established ourselves in our new home of Waco, TX, I thought it was about time to Take Stock again.

Making : Picture frames to decorate our bedroom and the hubs is going to make my dream table this weekend (See it here)

Cooking : Tonight we will be dining on this lovely dish--Pesto Chicken!!!!
Drinking : Water. From the Bubba Jug. 
Reading : Insurgent and Blood of Olympus--I'm a sucker for YA books
Wanting : To figure out my calling; I don't know quite where I belong in the working world and I'm losing heart...
Looking: At the pile of packages in our mail room that need to be sorted soon
Playing: Solitaire like nobodies business. I've become suddenly and overwhelmingly addicted....I even play it with real cards!
Wasting: Talent. I know I'm meant for so much more I just need to focus and let God lead me.
Sewing: Belt loops back onto my husband's jeans...he wears those pants out!
Wishing: I could go back to the last two weekends my whole family spent together at the Zoo and State Fair--we haven't had outings like that basically since we all left for college/marriage/etc and it was kind like being a kid again. I cherished it.
Enjoying: The sound of birds singing in the courtyard outside of my office
Waiting: For 1pm so I can get off of work and go home! Happy Friday!
Liking: My new favorite snack: Plain greek yogurt, a little honey, and mix in some sunflower kernels. Healthy and delicious!
Wondering: If husband made it to work ok....we are having some car issues that need to be addressed.
Loving: My husband--I don't know what it is, but lately I can't get enough of him! I always love him, but I go through these random periods of time where I simply adore him and everything he does.
Hoping: That we can start a family soon. My best friend is pregnant with her first child and we always wanted to have kids together so I'm hoping we sort our lives out and be blessed with little ones too.
Marveling: At the peace God can bring if you let Him. It's a daily power struggle for me and I'm having to learn how to let go.
Needing: More encouragement. My heart and mind are a little bit lost at the moment and I could use a few good pep talks.
Smelling: The quietness of the Lobby where my desk is located. You know how people have distinctive smells? Well, it's just me today and although I love my perfume, it smells a little lonely in here....
Wearing: My Baylor t-shirt for Spirit Day. At my old office we never got to wear jeans, here it's every Friday! Huzzah!!!
Following: New people on Instagram. I haven't had mine for very long so it's fun to find new people. You can find me at thesetwohearts411  :)
Noticing: My silly handwriting on the announcement board...I swear I write like a 7th grader...
Knowing: "Is half the battle!" Sometimes not knowing feels so much better...
Thinking: About all of the life decisions I need to make. You're mid-twenties are so full of possibility and I just hope I open the right doors.
Feeling: Anxious about our future; student loans are really weighing heavy on me right now. 
Bookmarking: All of these...
Opening: The new books that the hubs surprised me with last night!
Giggling: This. Just this whole thing. Watch it. 

I am one blessed girl. :)

I'm Back!!!

It's been quite a hiatus but I have finally made my way back to my blog again. I've made my from Tennessee to Texas, to Virginia and back again! I'll post more of my latest adventures later when I've given myself ample time to celebrate the fact that I can actually get back on my site(details to follow)!!!! Hip, Hip, Hooray and Happy Monday!!!!