I am a little late to the link-up party but I still want to join in the fun. Thanks April, Elise, Katie, and Zelle for hosting!
The first topic is to post our own Christmas lists. So... Pat and mom I hope you are reading =) Let me make a disclaimer. I OBVIOUSLY do not expect all or even any of these things. However, I do keep a running list throughout the year of things that I have a desire to purchase but save them to give as gift suggestions instead. I am NOT defined by the things that I have but by the person that I am. I am MUCH more excited about purchasing the perfect gift for all of my friends and family. Here goes:
The items ended up out of order in the links below the collage. Sorry =( It won't let me fix it. Anyway, have you guys started thinking about what you want for Christmas? Or more importantly, what you are going to GIVE for Christmas?
I love watching TV. Prop me up in a recliner with some comfy clothes, a soft blanket, a cold drink, and a handful of something sweet and I'm in heaven. In fact, my husband and I often accomplish series binging in what HAS to be record breaking speed. I am not even going to tell you how fast I finished all the seasons of Gossip Girl. We flew through years worth of Dexter in a matter of a couple weeks. Breaking Bad? Killed it. Friday Night Lights? DONE. A lot of people love television because they can be lazy and not do anything else. I enjoy it because of the stories. I love getting lost in a good story. I love entertainment and am intrigued by that whole industry while Pat is enthralled by the cinematography and production aspects (as well as the entertainment). I will watch any and all types of movies and TV shows. I don't even stick within a certain genre. I LIKE IT ALL.
Something is making me REALLY MAD right now though!! Why in the world does every single show or movie out right now involve/or revolve completely around an extramarital affair?!
Then you've got the ones that revolve entirely around an affair...
These are literally just the first few that I could think of... Why is this ok?! I am a sucker for a good drama but is Hollywood trying to make it seem like an affair is something that is inevitable in every marriage? The worst part about it? They make it seem like it is okay and normal and in some cases even want you cheering for the relationship! What the HECK? I sat through "The Best of Me" this weekend because it was a cold, rainy day and we had nothing else to do. Halfway through the movie we are sitting there saying "They want me to be cheering for this relationship?! She's MARRIED. So what her husband is a toolbag- she made a commitment to him for better or worse! Why are they trying to get me to want her to be with this other man?!"
I am scared that Hollywood is desensitizing us to the idea of affairs by making it look so common and normal. They even often present it as fun and exciting!
Here are a few things that the Bible says about adultery- for it is MY source of truth (not Hollywood by any means!).
"Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous." Hebrews 13:4
"Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is he who goes into his neighbor's wife; none who touches her will go unpunished." Proverbs 6:27-29
"He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away." Proverbs 6:32-33
"You shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." Genesis 2:24
ETC., ETC., ETC.!!! I have read references that say it is mentioned up to 70 times in the Bible.
The messed up part of our world?! THIS picture is causing an UPROAR right now. It has gone viral and is causing controversy like crazy!
Praise God for men like Tim Tebow. Hope he can continue to be a Light for God in the midst of affair -obsessed Hollywood.
Well those two weeks off from cheer FLEW by- basketball season has now officially started. SoOoOo... here we go again! You can find me most nights of the week cheering it up in the WCS gymnasium.
I'm too tired tonight to type anything of substance so here are a couple of outfit posts from this week and then a couple of other random things that are too good not to share.
It is officially FREEZING btw! Ugh... my urticaria can't handle it (hahaha)
Monday's attire
Tuesday's attire
I don't even remember where I got the dress I wore today and I am too tired to get up and look at the tag in the dress. But like... not a clue where it came from. Hmmm. TJ Maxx? Ya'll! I have no idea! The top in the first picture is fantastically slouchy and comfortable and it came from a local store. Will hit y'all back up with brand info later when I can get out of my recliner.
And before I go I will leave you with two things that I cannot stop obsessing over/watching/admiring/dying over/etc.
If you watch the show, Nashville, you may recognize these girls. They play sisters on the TV show. They are sisters in real life and freakishly talented musicians. Did I mention they are 13 and 8 years old?!
And last but not least, you have to go look for yourself on this one though.... if you enjoy or even admire athleticism, cheerleading, strength training, working out, in ANY way go check out these two Instagram accounts:
juliandaigres
austin_raye
Just warning you- prepare to want to hop in your car, drive to the gym, get on treadmill and not get off for the next 14923 days.
This is the feature that I am the most excited about on the blog. I know blogs have a tendency to turn very "self" focused. I put pictures of the things I have, and the things I want, and talk about all the things I want to do, and the places where I have been, and I I I I I.
Move-Me Monday has been developed because of the fact that I want to take this blog deeper. I want to write about things that inspire me- be it a person, a movie, a book, a current world situation, etc.
So here goes! The first "Move-Me Monday" is devoted to...
YESTERDAY'S SERMON
If you read my "Weekend Wrap Up" post from yesterday you saw that my church, Church of the Highlands, does a series every year called "At the Movies".
Pastor Chris uses movies basically as modern day parables. He takes movies that have redemptive qualities and preaches a message based around the movie. It is an awesome time of outreach for our church because people bring guests and honestly people who may be scared by the idea of church are much more likely to come join us during this series. Hey, whatever works right?!
Yesterday he kicked off the series with a heavy message based around the movie, The Impossible. The Impossible is a mostly true account of a family who was vacationing when the tsunamis of 2004 hit Thailand. Here is a trailer about the movie itself:
While the movie clips that they showed were gut-wrenching (I think everyone in the church had the tissues out for most of the service), the greatest part of it all was the message that Pastor Chris preached. I am going to try and kind of summarize what I got out of it:
We all have times in life where everything seems to be going great and then a catastrophic "storm" hits our life that leaves us broken, turned upside down, and searching for answers.
A death in the family.
A financial crisis.
The loss of a job.
A grim health diagnosis.
An addiction that is getting stronger.
A relationship that is struggling.
A looming divorce.
A son or daughter that is lost.
I am willing to bet that all of us have dealt with one of the above at some point in our lives. Pastor Chris says, "You are either entering a storm, embracing a storm, or emerging from a storm." See, God never promised us that when we become followers of Him we will no longer have any problems. In fact, He says the exact opposite.
There is NOTHING more important to God than finding His lost children and restoring them to a place of peace and hope! In fact, in one particular chapter of Luke, there are three separate stories about how important the "lost" one is- so important that the shepard goes and looks for the one lost sheep when there are ninety-nine sheep right where they are supposed to be. So important that the woman who has ten silver coins but has lost one, turns on a lamp and sweeps the whole house and then rejoices when the one is found. It is so reassuring to know that no matter what I do, or how far I stray, my God is relentlessly pursuing me!
Another huge parallel he drew between the movie and life was when Maria and Lucas have first found each other. They are in horrible shape. Maria is beat UP. They are faced with a choice, a choice we all are faced with on a daily basis, should they think of themselves and getting themselves through their storm or should they help others who were suffering? They chose to help others.
So this brings me to the next huge point. What if life is going pretty well for you? Guess you are just lucky? NO! Get up and help someone else who might not be feeling such "luck"! God tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Did y'all get that? Oh my gosh! We can't just "soak up" all of God's comforting for ourselves! We have to do something in return... yikes. That makes things a lot harder doesn't it?
My desire for everyone this week is to try and make God's focus (finding His lost children and reaching out to them) our focus. Even if you are in the midst of a storm yourself, look around you and find someone else who is also in a storm. Start by atleast just praying for them. Then be open to reach out to them even further if God leads you there. Just be ready! If you start praying for opportunities to help others in their storms you have to be ready to act on it.
Don't know where to start? One last line from Pastor Chris, "You can't do everything, but you can do SOMETHING. You can't help everyone, but you can help SOMEONE."
Just walking in the door after a fun and FULL weekend. Sadly, because of the fact that my phone storage is full I didn't get to take many pics =( Here is how it went down:
Friday- We had a girls night sleepover at my sweet sister in law's house. My older brother, Andrew, and Britnee got married this past summer. She is most definitely the sister that I have never had! We have such a great time together and I am so blessed to have her in my life. We did not even turn on the TV... we just talked and laughed and listened to music and ate WAY TOO MUCH =) Andrew and Pat had a guys night at our house while we did our girl thing at their house.
Saturday- Saturday we slept in and then got up and make PUMPKIN SPICE CINNAMON ROLLS! Who knew those were a thing? I didn't but man I am glad I do now!!
We watched football ALL day on Saturday. I prefer not to speak of the Auburn game :( It was heartbreaking to watch my team struggle so much after such a good season so far. We got our booties handed to us. They looked defeated. It was definitely hard to watch. Thankfully my other boys did work and after being behind most of the game they were able to pull of another victory in typical Florida State fashion!
See, I come from a unique football situation. I grew up in Pensacola, Florida. I lived there for close to 20 years. We were always Florida State fans- my dad went to law school there, all his siblings went to school there, my uncle was a trainer for the football team, my brother went to undergrad there, not to mention half of my high school classmates ended up going there. Now, my mom's side of the family all went to Auburn. I ended up getting an academic scholarship to Auburn and spent most of my college career there (I wrapped up my time at Jacksonville State University). Before I went off to college I was sure that I would be a Florida State fan for life (and I will always love Florida State because those are the games I grew up going to). But something just happens when you go Auburn... I spent every game day for three years in Jordan-Hare Stadium with 87, 451 others and I will never forget those experiences for the rest of my life. I love Auburn University and Auburn football with a love like no other. Nothing can explain the feeling that I still get when pulling up onto the Plains and see the stadium off in the distance. Nothing can top the feeling I get when the eagle soars down through the stadium before kickoff. Nothing! Up until the last couple of years, cheering for both teams wasn't really an issue. We play in different conferences, never played against each other, etc. etc. However, last year we ended up both being in the National Championship! I thought it was a dream situation because my two favorite teams were playing each other so I couldn't really lose... until the Tigers ran out onto the field and I realized they have my heart like no other. We lost in the most heartbreaking fashion. This year it looks like Florida State may get to the Natty again and Auburn... poor Auburn. Lol. So at least I will still have the Noles to cheer for when the playoffs come around?
Today we got up and went to church. We drive an hour to go to Church of the Highlands in Birmingham each week and man was it good today. They do a series every year called "At the Movies" where Pastor Chris preaches a message based off of a popular movie that has redemptive qualities. He refers to them kind of as "modern day parables". He plays clips from the movies and then preaches around the clips. If anyone is anywhere near a Church of the Highlands campus I HIGHLY recommend that you try and get to a service. This awesome series will last three more weeks! Check out their website for more information.
After church we went to lunch, saw a bad, cheesy movie because it was rainy and nasty outside, and then headed to my precious little brother's basketball game. I am so thankful he goes to college nearby so I can still go to his games! He is the cutest.
Now I am going to bed because tomorrow is Monday and the start of another long week. On the plus side- we get out early on Friday and then have an entire week off! I can make it. I think I can, I think I can...
WHAT the WHATTTT?!? Frankly I am getting a little tired of Olivia and her antics but last night's episode had me counting down for the winter finale that airs next week because we KNOW it will be cray.
2. Jaclyn Hill's Youtube channel. Ya'll. I want to be her.
I have been watching her videos for over a year now but it just hits me on random occasions how much I love her. Today is one of those random occasions. She is absolutely hilarious, gorgeous, and her makeup skills are on point. I am not going to lie- I get a little too excited when I see that she has a new update on her channel. Here is the link to her channel. Watch some of her videos- you won't regret it.
These are the pants that I have found myself reaching to put on each night when I get home and get in my "comfy" clothes. They are SO comfortable. Yes I know they are a little pricey for leggings but they feel like heaven on my skin. I think I could wear them forever! They serve a dual purpose too- if I feel like working out (LOL) instead of just being comfy in my comfy clothes they are actually athletic leggings great for barre, pilates, etc. I wouldn't necessarily recommend them for running as they don't have quite the compression I typically like for straight up running leggings.
4. This candle...
Oh my gosh YUM. I have been burning it for the last week in my classroom and the students love it as much as I do. It is by Tyler Candle Company and the scent is Warm Sugar Cookie. I cannot say enough about the deliciousness. They come in asking me to light it if it isn't already lit!
5. Korres.
More specifically Korres Jasmine Lip Butter. I picked this up at Sephora a couple of weeks ago and I cannot stop putting it on my lips. I must have honestly put it on 50 times in the last week. The scent/taste? is perfection and it FEELS SO GOOD. I don't know about you guys but I cannot go long without hydrating my lips in the winter. What lip product can you not live without?
