Do You Have These in a Nine?

Oh for the love of shoes!

Yes.

It is true.

I have a love obsession with shoes.

If I were a rich girl

(throwback to some Gwen Stefani days)

I would have the most extravagant collection of shoes EVER!

Trust me,

the right pair of shoes will fix anything!

My fabulous weekend started on Thursday night

when Daphne High School was featured on

 the Bright Lights Football on Fox Sports South

in the series called Us vs. Y'all.

They played Fairhope High School,

which is like ten minutes down the road

so it is a HUGE rivalry.

Since my high school did not have football,

seeing how seriously they took this game was crazy!

They had a huge jumbo screen set up for replays,

a flyover by the Coast Guard,

fireworks when someone scored

and confetti for the winning team!

It was nuts!

So fun and Daphne played great as usual!

Then Saturday,

me and Lu went shopping!

Her Homecoming dance is two weeks away

and she needed some shoes to go with her dress

and who better to shop for shoes than me right?

We hit Old Navy first and they were having a HUGE sale,

and we both racked up on some cute clothes!

Then we got in my car to check out Shoe Station

and what do ya know

I'm out of gas!

Yep.

Completely out.

As in the car won't even start.

I have never had this happen before I swear!

Anyways, luckily Daddy was just around the corner watching football

at my Grandmother's house

so he brought us a gallon of gas!

Hehe...

Once we made it to Shoe Station,

Lu didn't find anything,

but I found some precious nude suede wedge heels!

Oh my gosh they are so pretty!

And they were on sale!!!!

I sprayed them with some Scotch Guard when we got home

so they won't ruin if they get wet!

I CANNOT WAIT TO WEAR THEM!

We then hit Dillard's and Lu

found the perfect pair of Jessica Simpson red heels

for her dress!

We got her dress at a little boutique two weeks ago

it is a black one shoulder and she looks GORGEOUS in it!

The shoes just completed the outfit!

AAHH she is going to be the most beautiful girl at the dance!

We had fun shopping and bonding

and of course finding some awesome shoes too!

This afternoon,

me, Lu and our cousin went and saw the new Footloose.

It was SO good!

I just recently saw the original

and the remake stays true to the storyline

it is just updated!

We all agreed that the dancing, acting and singing

(they redid the original songs)

were great!

I came home to find my very own coffee pot on the kitchen counter!

Mom got me my own so we don't have to share anymore!

She and Daddy drink much stronger coffee than I do

so we always have to wait for each other to be done...

it was a pain, but now I have my own!

YAY!

Thanks Mommy!

Just finished folding laundry and cleaning my room

and I am SO ready for bed!

I'm getting too old to stay up this late...

great!

AMEN!

Is This Real Life?

Well ladies and gentlemen,

the time has come...

I am officially a grown-up.

Maybe not in ever aspect of the word,

but working 7-4 Monday through Friday

in the corporate office

with casual Fridays

and paying for insurance

sounds like adult life to me.

Where have the years gone?

I miss the says when all I had to worry about

was who I'm gonna play with after school.

Cheeseburger or chicken nuggets with my happy meal.

What else can I use to build my fort.

Oh the sweet innocence of childhood.

It's been a while since I have given y'all an update

so I will try to keep it short!

About a month ago I started a new job in Mobile.

It is a temp to hire position so I don't want to go into detail

but I LOVE it so far!

The people I am working with are amazing

and I love everything about the job so far!

Praying that God will keep

opening and shutting doors for me!

Living with the parents is difficult at times,

but it is great to be home after three years away!

Missy LOVES her aunts

and is enjoying having a big yard to run around!

My grandfather passed away about a month ago.

He had been in the VA nursing home for about a year and a half

when he caught pneumonia.

He lived a full life and is now walking and talking with Jesus!

At his funeral service, he was buried with military honors after serving 23 years in the Navy,

and they had a 21 gun salute and presented a flag to my grandmother.

It was one of the coolest things and I am so happy

that my grandfather was honored that way!

It has been a change not living in Tuscaloosa during football season!

It is strange to sit on the couch and watch the games.

But we are having a GREAT season

and I am gonna make it up to ttown for the Tennessee and LSU games!

ROLL TIDE!

Gotta catch up on my DVR shows now!

Hahaha oh what a life...

Long Time Gone

Well it has been a while since I have written. Let’s just say it has been a busy past two months!

I am still working at the wedding rental company and loving it!

Our wedding expert has taken me under her wing and is showing me the ropes of wedding and event planning!

I am thrilled to be learning so much and it makes me so excited to start my own wedding and event planning business!

Just a shot from Mel's 21st Birthday!

July held many fun events and I did a lot of traveling!

First I went to Gulf Shores with the whole Peacock muster (that’s the scientific term for a group of peacocks) for the fourth of July!

We stayed at a condo that had a lazy river so obviously I spent the whole weekend floating and relaxing, which was much needed!

My former roommate Taylor happened to be five minutes down the road from our condo so I went and spent some time with her family!

I always seem to bust up in her family vacations and holidays, but they welcome me with open arms so I feel like one of their own!

After a refreshing weekend with the fam, I hit Gulf Shores again for Mary Ellen’s Bachelorette party which was a blast!

Mary Ellen's Bachelorette Party!

It was so great to spend the evening with the girls celebrating the end of Mary Ellen’s single life!

We had dinner at Cobalt which was fabulous and then headed to Flora-Bama for some dancing and drinks!

Mary Ellen looked ravishing in her 80’s wedding dress and we definitely got lots of attention being a Bachelorette party!

Then two weeks later it was off to Birmingham for Mary Ellen’s wedding!

The church in downtown Birmingham was beautiful and Mary Ellen was a stunning bride!

Luckily I had a handsome date to go with me, thank you Drew, and we danced the night away with the new Mr. & Mrs.!

The girls at Mary Ellen's wedding!

The following weekend I drove to Oxford for my bestie Taylor’s engagement party!

I adore her family and had the best time just hanging around the house!

We spent Saturday preparing for the party and I definitely put some of my tricks to use!

Mama Edwards had an awesome spread of boiled shrimp, new potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, bread, strawberries and cream cheese/marsh mellow fluff dip and banana pudding!

Taylor's gorgeous ring!

It was a comfortable and laid back get together!

We even played corn hole and ladders which made for some intense competitions!

I stopped in Birmingham on my way home and had lunch with one of my closest friends Cat.

I am so thankful for her friendship and I hate that we are so far apart!

Overall I got to spend the month of July with my family and friends which is such a blessing!

At the beginning of August I decided I had too much time on my hands, so I started working at Wintzell’s Oyster House again.

Last Christmas I waited tables over the break and loved the people I met and the cash that quickly filled my pockets, so it seemed like an easy decision to go back!

So for now I am a workaholic and loving it!

I am looking forward to heading up to God’s country/the City of Champions for some Alabama Football starting in September!

Every now and then we get a cool evening and it makes me lust for fall weather!

I promise from now on I will be better about posting!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Love y’all!

I Want You to Want Me

I have always considered myself a good friend.

I am extremely loyal, loving, honest,

a shoulder to cry on and a ton of fun!

I have been through my fair share of friendship troubles.

High school was a roller coaster of highs and lows

when it came to friends.

But now that I can look into the past,

I realize I am a better friend because of the experiences

I went through.

Flashback to Mel's 20th birthday!

After celebrating one of my close college friends

birthdays this past weekend,

I gained some astounding, yet not surprising, insight.

We all want to be wanted

I expect a lot out of my relationships.

If I feel I am putting forth more effort than the other person,

that's a problem.

It all comes back to human nature,

we all want to be wanted.

That is why we are constantly searching for love,

compliments, friendships, and a place to belong.

As humans, we are not perfect.

This is something I tend to struggle with

when it comes to my expectations of people.

I will never find the perfect relationship here on earth.

We will continuously be looking

to fill the emptiness which can only be made whole

by the love of Christ Jesus.

People will let you down.

Period.

But I hope and pray that I can be the

kind of friend I would want to have

no matter what the circumstances.

With all of this being said,

I want to take the time to apologize

to those I was not a good friend to.

We all need time to grow and come to terms with

our mistakes and hopefully

do our best to avoid those same mistakes in the future.

I have been given some amazing friends

who mean the world to me

and make me believe that

I can have loving, lasting friendships!

So thank y'all for that!

Sorry for such a deep post,

but I am just trying to keep it real!

Happy Monday!

Love y'all!

 

My Loves

Long time no blog!

(I know I can be really cheesy sometimes

but you know you love it!)

After an awesome trip to Washington DC,

(blog post to follow at a later date)

I began thinking about all the things I love in life!

#1 The South

Let me just tell you how many people

love the south!

While in DC, I of course talked a everyone

and when they found out I was from Alabama

they were so enthusiastic

and wanted to talk about the differences

and listen to me talk!

We really are blessed to live somewhere

people take the time to be neighbors

and aren't always in a hurry!

And we have REAL sweet tea!

#2 Falling asleep listening to thunder

Oh my gosh!

I sleep SO well when it is raining or thundering outside!

Rain is so calming and I love curling up for a good book or movie

and fall asleep while it is thundering!

Many times on our road trips from south Florida

to Alabama for Christmas

it would rain,

and I just loved riding in the car with Lindsey

in the backseat watching movies on the mini TV and VCR

Mom rigged up for us!

#3 Sewing (my new hobby)

So this is my new obsession!

I am in the process of making some "happies"

and I am loving learning how to sew!

There are endless possibilities with fabric and sewing

and I am thrilled to have another creative outlet!

Blog post and pictures to come soon!

#4 Making the people I love "happies"

On that note,

I also LOVE giving "happies"!

Giving gifts is my love language

so happies just come natural to me!

Definition of a "happy":

Anything that makes someone happy

by giving it to them!

I recently painted some cute little cupcakes

for my Gigi's girls!

Before jetting off to DC,

I was able to stop in Tuscaloosa

and give the paintings to my girlfriends!

So much fun!

#5 The wonderful people in my life

God has truly blessed me with some

amazing relationships!

I could not ask for a better family or group of friends!

I love you all!!!

My girlies with their happies!

Happy Wednesday!

 

Let Freedom Ring

What does it mean to be free?

Sometimes I think it is hard for people to be truly thankful

that we, as Americans, are free.

We have the ability to praise whatever god we choose,

we can speak our minds,

we can go where we want, when we want

and we can pretty do as we please

to a certain extent of course.

With Independence Day less than a month away,

and Cat's man Kaden being deployed today,

I have really been thinking about the cost of the freedom

that we so often take for granted.

One of my favorite movies of all time

is The Patriot.

Mel Gibson plays a South Carolina colonist

who wanted freedom from Great Britain

but not at the cost of war.

His son convinces him that the price for freedom

is worth the sacrifice of war.

This movie always makes me realize

why it is so great to celebrate our freedoms

and to be thankful that the colonists

took a stand and fought for those freedoms we enjoy today.

But this battle to remain free is still raging on today.

There are soldiers around the world

who are constantly fighting and defending our great country

and protecting their fellow Americans from threats against

our rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I don't think our troops get the respect and thanks

they deserve.

Anytime I see someone in uniform or find out

they have or currently are serving in our military,

I try to make it a point to say thank you.

So thank you to those who bravely risk everything

to protect my freedom to write this blog

and praise my God!

Be safe Kaden!

We love you and will be praying for you constantly!

Get ready for some creative care packages too!

Pumped about my week long vacation starting Friday!

Yay!

 

God Gave Me You

So incredibly excited to announce

that my BEST friend ever

is getting married!

AH!

Michael FINALLY proposed this past weekend

and now Taylor is engaged!

I am beyond happy for these two

and I cannot wait to celebrate!

Taylor and I are so alike in the fact that we

have had our weddings planned

for years now!

I am pumped to help her carry out

her dream wedding plans!

God has blessed me with some amazing people in my life

and I am truely thankful for the relationships

I have!

I know Taylor and I will never lose touch

and we have already planned

our trip to Disney with our children!

BFFL (Best friends for life)

One of my other best friends, Cat,

is having to say goodbye to her man

this weekend as he is being deployed!

I am so glad I got to be apart of their relationship 

from the beginning and I'm sure we will be taking

Disney trips together as well!

Expect some awesome care packages

Kaden!

We love you 

and thank you for your service to our country!

Easter! Zach, Cat, Kaden, Me and Jason

Love all the people in my life!

SO glad it's Friday!

Happy weekend!

 

Positive Thought of the Day

Hope everyone had a great three day weekend!

Papa grilled hamburgers, chicken and ribs

before Mom and Lu left for Gatlinburg

I so enjoyed spending time with the fam!

Mom and Lu traveled to Gatlinburg for the week

with my aunts and cousins for a girls trip!

I wanted to go but since I got this AWESOME job

I couldn't take off!

Well enough chit chat!

Just thought about this quote today

randomly.

I love it!

Be who you are and say what you feel

Because those who mind don’t matter

And those who matter don’t mind

-Dr. Seuss

Put together this beach wedding table today at work!

LOVE the way it turned out!

Happy Tuesday!

 

Life Can Only Be Understood Looking Backward

In my short twenty two years,

I have come to realize that this is true.

“Life can only be understood looking backward.

It must be lived forward.”

-          The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Things don't make sense when you aren't seeing the big picture.

This past week has made me think a lot about life

and the "big picture".

A month has gone by since the tornado hit Tuscaloosa.

Peoples lives have been devastated.

One of my daddy's co-workers lost his 11 year old son.

The tragedy of losing a child is something I pray I never have to go through.

But through all of these terrible things,

God paints us a bigger, more beautiful and meaningful picture.

We may never understand why things happen the way they do,

but we can find peace and acceptance in the fact that

there is a reason for everything

no matter what it may be.

Who would have thought that the tornado

would have forced me to move home,

find an awesome job that I love,

and has given me something that I actually want to pursue

as a career?

It might seem selfish to be thankful for the tornado,

but don't hear what I'm not saying.

For me personally,

the tornado provided a positive outcome.

From what I have seen,

this natural disaster has brought the state of Alabama

and the nation together.

And although for some the destruction was a severely

negative thing,

people may look back five to ten years from now

and be thankful,

because if the tornado had not flattened their home,

they may have never seen their long lost brother

who opened his home for them to stay.

I'm rambling but hopefully you get my point!

In other news...

I put together a Fourth of July theme table at work the other day

and if I say so myself

it is FABULOUS!!

I love it and think it turned out so well!

Gorgeous centerpiece

 (fake flowers but hey gotta work with what ya got)

My table settings!

Beautiful bamboo chairs with a white beaded sash!

Silver charger with glass plate over my Fourth of July celebration menu.

So happy God has placed me where He wants me to be

and I am so amazed at how absolutely perfect everything worked out!

Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of summer!

 

A Fresh Start

Things don't always work out like we had planned.

Sometimes this can be a good thing!

I know I tend to preach about how much God is in control,

but y'all He so is!!!

Read on and you will see what I mean!!!

I have moved back home with my parents.

God has blessed me with such understanding parents

and they welcomed me and Missy with open arms.

I got an amazing job at a Wedding/Event planning and rental store.

I actually look forward to going to work!

This is exactly what I am supposed to be doing

and I am so thankful that God has opened and closed the doors

that have lead me here!

After all of the uncertainity and feeling so lost,

I am more than confidant that God has me where He wants me!

I can honestly tell you that we have a faithful God!

Through all of my hard times I rested in the fact that

God was in control

and He has shown me that my trust is worthy!

Not that God has to prove Himself to me,

but being human I need that kind of reassurance.

For the time being I am planning events and managing the retail store

in Daphne and I absolutely love it!

Maybe sometime in the future I will think about finishing my degree,

I am very close but just do not have the drive or desire

to finish.

So if you know of anyone needing a wedding/event planner,

I would love the chance to build my reputation

and show people what I am capable of!

On the bright side,

my experiences with weddings and events will

make for some very interesting posts

and shed some light on

The Resentful Singlette & The B***H

But for right now I'm just taking things

One Step at a Time!

Love y'all!

 

If One Door Opens To Another Door Closed

Well, I have moved back home for the summer!

Maybe longer but who knows!

I have decided to take things one step at a time...

yea I'm cheesy sorry!

Me and the Parentals went up this past Saturday to gather up my belongings.

It was weird to move all my stuff for the third time in three years...

and to know I might not be coming back!

TEAR!

God has a plan!

We also drove through Tuscaloosa to see the damage firsthand.

It was heartbreaking to see the destruction of the town I have lived in and loved for so long!

The rebuilding efforts could be seen everywhere

and that brings me comfort knowing that people are getting help!

Me and Daddy talked about going back to volunteer soon

after all the hype dies down.

Still praying for T-town!

I have enjoyed being home though!

It has been a long time since I lived with my family

so the dynamics are getting settled again!

I have been blessed with such an awesome support system within my family

and I am so thankful for the love they give me!

Missy loves being around her Aunts!

She sleeps SO well at night cause all they do

is play play play!

Sweet girl hates when her mama leaves!

How cute is this picture?

Happy Monday!

 

The Most Perfect Combination

There are some things that just go together.

Peanut butter and chocolate,

Saturday and Sunday,

hamburgers and hot dogs,

Alabama Crimson Tide and National Championships.

Sometimes it is hard to figure out what fits and what doesn't fit.

This is true in every aspect of life.

Trying to put things together the right way

is difficult.

But don't fret my friends!

God has the ideal puzzle pieces to combine

for the most beautiful and well thought out

picture you could ever imagine.

So put your trust in Him and He will bless your heart.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
      And lean not on your own understanding;
  In all your ways acknowledge Him,
      And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Celebrate We Will

Because life is short but sweet for certain.

So I am not a Dave Matthews fan...

yes I know I must be crazy but I just don't get the hype about him.

But I love this quote.

This past week has been a whirlwind of emotions for my family.

From Lu's car accident, a family emergency, the Tuscaloosa tornado

and now Bin Laden has been taken care of!

Life is difficult sometimes.

Things don't always go as planned.

We cannot control what happens,

but we can turn to the One Who does control it all.

I will be the first to tell you that I struggle with life everyday.

One of my biggest fear and issue in life is my future

and accepting the fact that I cannot plan what happens.

The only way to enjoy life

is to please my Heavenly Father!

And although that is not always easy,

it is more fulfilling than any other option!

But I CAN rest assured that God is in control!

Well I have spent a few days back at home

and I am longing to be back in Tuscaloosa to help rebuild/aide the people

who have been devastated by the storms!

I am trying to find something locally I can do to help out

so if you know of anything in the Daphne/Fairhope area please let me know!

Lu is fine, she just hurt her ankle!

And my apartment has power as of today so I may be back soon!

Love y'all!