100th Post!!!

In celebration of my 100th post, I would like to tell you 100 things about myself. 

In case you've never tried to come up with 100 things about yourself...it's hard and 100 is a big number!

Some of these things are more serious and some are completely random. 

So here it goes....

The Basics:

1. I was born on February 25. 

2. I was born in Dothan, Alabama.

3. I grew up in a small town outside of Dothan, Alabama.

4. I lived with my parents and younger brother, Jacob.

5. I have dark brown hair.

6. I have hazel eyes. They often appear brown at first glance, but when looked at closely they have green in them as well. At certain times and especially in brighter light, they appear more green. 

7. I graduated from my small town's high school in 2006.

8. I graduated from Troy University in 2010.

9. I have a degree in Elementary Education.

10. I married Lee on July 17, 2010.  

My Faith: 

11. I am a Christian, Christ Follower, Disciple of Christ

12. My spiritual gifts are giving and service.

13. I grew up attending First Baptist Church in my small town. 

14. I now attend Theresa Baptist Church where my husband is a youth minister.

15. Radical by David Platt and Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis are two books that really impacted my life. 

16. My favorite verse to explain my salvation is "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10

17. My favorite verse to challenge me to give and be less selfish is "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" 1 John 3:17

18. If I had to choose only one album to listen to for the rest of my life it would be Glory Revealed II. All of these songs are so beautiful and they are singing scripture.

19. I am currently reading through the book of Romans in my own personal time with the Lord.

20. My husband is leading our family in family devotions reading through the whole Bible. We've just started so we're currently in Genesis. 

Favorites: 

21.  My favorite movie is Titanic.

22. My favorite book series is Harry Potter.

23. My second favorite book series is The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.

24. My favorite book (not in a book series) is The Thornbirds by Coleen McCullough.

25. My second favorite book (not in a book series) is Gone with the Wind.

26. My favorite Nicholas Sparks book is Dear John (I didn't like the movie).

27. My favorite color is orange although yellow is coming in a close second.

28. My favorite TV series is The Vampire Diaries.

29. My favorite holiday is Christmas.

30. My favorite hymn is this version of Be Thou My Vision.

Pet Peeves:

31. Bad grammar irritates me.

32. I'm a neat freak. I want everything to be in its place. I can only stand things out of their place for so long.

33. Whistling is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

34. Adults who don't act like adults also irritate me.

35. Belly buttons gross me out.

36. I hate when people don't follow road rules. (Ex: not using blinker, not stopping at a stop sign)

37. I hate when people don't understand how a 4 way stop works and you're all sitting there awkwardly waiting for someone to go.

38. Those people who are 'know it alls' or like to 'one up' everybody annoy me.

39. It irritates me when people are on their cell phones all the time. When you're having a meal with someone or visiting with someone-you don't need to have your phone out messing with it.

40. It bothers me when people honk their horn at you the instant a light turns green. That is a real bad habit of people in the Raleigh area. I like to sit there a moment longer when people do that. :)

Guilty Pleasures: 

41. I love listening to the 90's Pop Pandora station.

42. I Google most questions that pop into my mind-no matter how random.


43. I love eating cookie dough.


44. I enjoy watching reality TV shows.


45. I enjoy singing songs from Glee, Disney, musicals, etc. in my car while pretending I am a part of the movie, TV show, etc. 


46.  I like reading celebrity gossip magazines when I'm relaxing at the beach.


47. I enjoy watching cheesy movies-like the ones that always come on TV.


48. I love taking naps.


49. I love being comfy. I would wear pajama pants, sweat pants, comfy pants and a t-shirt everyday and everywhere if this was socially acceptable.


50. I love to floss.

Random Facts: 

51. I'm not a night person. After a certain time, I'm useless. I also don't function well if I get less than 8 hours of sleep.

52. I love Oreo Blizzards from Dairy Queen.


53. I also love those frozen yogurt places where you make your own. 

54. I love M&M's and mini Reese's.

55. I firmly believe in the 5 second rule.

56. I always flush with my foot in public restrooms.

57. I like things to be organized and planned out. It bothers me when things aren't that way.

58. I enjoy traveling.

59. I enjoy watching college football and my favorite team is University of Alabama.

60. I collect snow globes.


Bucket List 

61. I would like to learn to sew.

62. I would love to visit all 50 states.

63. I would love to visit Italy.

64. It would be neat to write a children's book. 

65. I want to see a Broadway play.

66. I would like to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person.

67.  I want to take a random road trip with no plan. (If my organized, like to have a plan self could handle it)


68. It would be neat to be an extra in a movie.


69. It would be awesome to be a part of a flash mob.


70. I want to live out this quote-" I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You don't know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count." -Jack from "Titanic"

My Past

71. I played the clarinet from 6th grade to 12th grade.

72. I was a member of my high school's marching band colorguard from 10th to 12th grade.

73. I was a part of Troy University's marching band colorguard during my freshman year of college.

74. I was co-valedictorian of my graduating class.

75. I am my class' senior president.

76. I was on the yearbook staff in high school.

77. I took piano lessons for about 6 years. I wish I was better at it and could play well today.

78, My friends and I loved to play with American Girl dolls when we were younger.

79. I played softball from the time I was 4 until I was in 6th grade for the city. Then, I played with my church's youth softball team from middle school until I graduated from high school. I've only ever played slow pitch, though.

80. When I was a young child, I did not like loud noises. Fireworks terrified me. I also didn't like the firetrucks and marching band during parades. 

My Hobbies

81. I love to craft.

82. I love reading. I always have and hope I always will. 

83. I enjoy working out, but have a hard time getting motivated to do it.

84. I enjoy singing and miss being a part of my church's choirs and singing with my friends.

85. I enjoy baking. I wish I was better at it.

86. Pinning-Is that a hobby? I find so many wonderful ideas on Pinterest.

87. I'm wanting to become better at photography. I am very jealous of people with great photography skills.

88. I am working on making blogging a new hobby. I have been doing it seriously for about 5 months now.

89. I used to love to design houses when I was a teenager. I used to even have a computer program that you could design houses on.

90. I enjoy having "me" time. Again, not sure if this is a hobby, but I am an introvert who loves spending some time with myself. Don't get my wrong, I enjoy hanging out with others, but I need my alone time too.

If...

 91. If I had pursued the job I wanted in elementary school, I'd be a fashion designer. Which is funny because I'm not a "fashion" person. I just liked to draw and design dresses when I was bored in school or at home, so I thought designing dresses would be a neat job.

92. If I didn't want a family or to be settled in one spot, I would work for the Travel Channel or a travel magazine. I love traveling to new places.

93. If I had pursued the job I considered for the most years, I would be an architect or a drafter. I loved designing houses when I was younger.

94. If I ever were to get a master's degree, I think I would get it in school counseling.

95. If I could have a superpower, I would want to be able to become invisible. Although, I would use this power for evil rather than good. I would definitely be nosy and spy on people if I could become invisible.

96. If I could give myself a talent, I would want to be able to dance. I love to watch people dance on shows like "Dancing with the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance."

97. If I sit still long enough, I will start to daydream. I am a daydreamer.

98. If I had to be a contestant on a game show, I would want to be on "Wheel of Fortune." I'm awesome at "Wheel of Fortune." :)

99. If I could be in the audience of a talk show, I would want to go to "The Ellen Show" during Christmas time. I love watching her show and she give out great gifts at Christmas time.

100. If I could have one wish right now it would be for Lee's stomach problems to go away and never come back.

Well, there you have it- 100 things about me. Hopefully, you know me better now.

Thanks for reading and following my blog! 

I love seeing the numbers go up of how many people read my posts.

I love getting comments. I love finding new blogs to follow.  

I love getting new followers.  

Blogging has been so much fun so far, so here's to 100 more!

Meet the Mr.

This is my handsome husband, Lee

He is originally from a suburb of Jacksonville, Florida. His family consists of his mom and dad; his older brother, his brother's wife, and their five children; and his younger sister.

He went to the Baptist College of Florida in Graceville, Florida where he received his bachelor's degree.

He is now attending the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina working on his master's degree. He is also a part time youth minister.

Lee loves hunting, fishing, and guns.

Lee enjoys watching football, but he especially loves the Florida Gators.

He is a very encouraging person. I am jealous of his ability to talk to anyone about pretty much anything. He is also very thoughtful. 

 

I couldn't ask for a better husband.

10 Things I've Learned in our 2 Years of Marriage

July 17 marked 2 years since Lee and I got married.

It's been a rough, but great 2 years. We have definitely had ups and downs. 

We've been through a lot that many newly married couples don't experience.

I am in no way a marriage expert and I am in no way saying that our marriage is perfect.

However, I would like to share with you 10 things that I have learned in our 2 years of marriage.

1.  Spend some time cuddling. 

 

There's something special about being comfortable and close to your spouse. Research has also shown us that all human beings need to have physical contact with other human beings. It is important for helping you feel connected to your spouse. When you go long periods of time without physical contact, you don't feel as close. While watching TV and before going to sleep are some great times to cuddle.

2. Eat dinner together at your table with the TV and other electronics off. 

 

When we first got married, we came in with some bad habits. Lee had been a bachelor living with another guy for many years. Their small table was used as a permanent dish drying rack. They always ate in front of the TV. When I lived in the dorm, it didn't have a kitchen. So, if I ate at home, I ate on the bed or on the floor in front of the TV. So, what did we do when we first got married? We ate in front of the TV. We did this for over a year. I noticed that I was feeling a little disconnected from Lee. So, I suggested we start eating dinner at our table. It has made a huge difference. It gives us time to talk without distractions. It's important to me especially because one of my primary love languages is quality time.

3. Appreciate the small things your spouse does for you.

I saw this "I love you because" idea on Pinterest. So, I made one for us. Lee and I both write things on there that we love and appreciate about the other person. It's easy to remember to thank your spouse for the big things, but we often forget all the little things they do every day. They need to know that you appreciate those things too. This is a hard one for me because I appreciate the things Lee does, but I don't think to tell him. One of his primary love languages is words of affirmation, so this board is a good visual to remind me to show him my appreciation.

4. Be your spouse's "behind the scenes" support system.

Your spouse needs to have your support especially in their job or if they are in school. Lee and I both have jobs that require a lot of "behind the scenes" work and preparation. Lee is also in seminary. We both help each other out by doing things for the other person's job or for Lee with school. For example, I am available to discuss ideas with Lee as well as to read over his papers, emails, flyers, etc. He helps me by shopping for supplies I need or doing something as simple as cutting out the things I laminated. Another aspect of this is being a "cheerleader" for your spouse. Let them know that you believe in them and are there for them.

5. Spend quality time with your spouse "unplugged" from the rest of the world.

It is so easy to stay connected to the world these days with quick, wireless internet, text messaging, social networks, and smart phones. However, staying so connected  to everyone else can make you disconnected from your spouse. I am actually thankful that neither Lee nor I have smart phones so we don't have that temptation to always be connected. If we go out on a date or vacation, we can focus on spending quality time together.  One of my favorite times to spend with Lee is in the car. When we go home to see our families we have anywhere from an 8 to a 10 hour drive. We also have an hour long drive to church on Sundays. These are some great times for conversations. Lee and I have talked about all kinds of things on these drives from our beliefs on different subjects to our hopes and plans for our future.

6. Spend time as a family in God's word and in prayer.

 

If you want to keep God as the center of your marriage, then you need to spend time in His word and talking to Him together. This is something we have implemented recently and it is such a blessing. I love talking with Lee about what God is showing us individually as well as together. It is also so special to discuss prayer requests together and then pray over them together.

7. Complement one another.

Find areas where you are weak but your spouse is strong and areas where your spouse is weak and you are strong. Then, utilize your spouse's strengths and let them utilize yours. A marriage is a partnership of two people walking through life together. Lee has strengths that I do not have and I definitely take advantage of those things. Sometimes your spouse can even help you strengthen a weak area of your life.

8. Remember that you are still an individual.

Even though you are married, you are not defined by that. You can still have your own individual hobbies, interests, and friends. While it is fun to do things with and hang out with your spouse, you need time to do things you alone enjoy. I enjoy arts and crafts while Lee does not. Lee enjoys hunting while I do not. Sometimes an outlet is needed to relax and relieve stress. As long as Lee and I keep each other the priority and spend quality time together, we are both still able to individually pursue things we enjoy doing.

9. Think of your spouse before yourself.

By nature, humans are selfish. In a marriage, you have to learn to put the other person first. You have to do things that you don't want to do. When you do something for your spouse that goes against your nature or is something you don't want to do, you are displaying true love. Lee makes the bed (almost) every morning because it's important to me. I read over Lee's school papers because it's important to him.

10. Communication is key.

Most of our arguments in marriage have been due to a lack of communication. Your spouse is not a mind reader. We have found that it is important to communicate thoughts and feelings to your spouse. It is also important to communicate things like your plans, what you hope to do during the weekend, what you're fixing for dinner, etc. I have learned that Lee does not just know how I'm feeling or what I'm thinking or what I want to do. The other side of good communication is good listening. When Lee is telling me something, I need to listen and take it in so that I understand what he's thinking or what he wants.

What about you? If you are married, how many years have you been married and what are some important things you have learned in your years of marriage?