Its been a while since I've blogged! Life has been so crazy with Bennett on the way and the end of school.

Thought I would fill you in on what has been going on lately!

4. What we've been up to...

Nathan and I have been saving for a while to get a sprinkler system because our yard is so massive and we finally got it this week! Here is a panoramic pic of the yard trenched. It is going to save us so much time!!!

5. What I'm dreading...

I really need to work on my long term sub plans while I'm on maternity leave but I really just don't feel like working!!! #teacherprobz

I am loving this summer vacation WAY too much. :) And how is it almost July already?!?!

6. What I'm working on...

I have been trying to get Bennett's room together little by little. This is what we have so far. I know I want to do a gallery wall over the dress and need to get knobs for the dresser. My aunt also made him the sweetest quilt. I just love it!

7. What I'm excited about...

My cousin had her baby boy this week! They named him Cole Michael and he's the cutest little chunky monkey ever. I wish so bad I was in Houston to love on them!! 

8. What I'm watching/reading...

I am in the middle of this book...its pretty good so far! I have been reading A LOT this summer. Nathan keeps making fun of me actually because I will easily finish a book in a day. :/ 

I am just loving the summer and can't wait for our baby boy to get here!!! 

Its been awhile since I've blogged! 

A LOT has happened in the last couple of months. 

First off...I'm pregnant! 15 weeks and 5 days. :)

Second...It's a BOYYYYY!!!

I am a boy mom. I cannot believe it.

I have thought since before I knew I was pregnant that I was having a girl.

I would have bet my house on it!

We went yesterday for the gender ultrasound and when she told me it was a boy I screamed "what?!" 

I cannot believe it is a boy! 

I did not really care what the gender was...I just had a feeling it was a girl.

After the ultrasound we went to Target and just looked around at all the cute boy stuff. 

I can't wait to hold HIM!

Here are a few of his first selfies and more.

 Little nugget is just over 9 weeks in these pictures. :)

The next pictures are the most recent. Just over 15 weeks. And definitely a boy. ;)

So one thing you should know about me is I'm a HUGE Bachelor fan. I've watched almost every season and I can't get enough. Each season is truly the most dramatic season yet! ;)
So I was SO excited when I was reached out to by a rep of Sean Lowe's to provide a guest post about his new book!
I can't wait to read it!!!!!
#insertgoofygirlgrinhere

So without further rambling...here is Sean's post... 

This is an exclusive guest post written by The Bachelor’s Sean Lowe. Sean fell in love with Catherine Giudici and they married in a nationally-televised fairytale last January. But this is just the beginning for the newlyweds.

In his new autobiography, For The Right Reasons, Sean tells all about the backstage drama that fuels The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, how he overcame heartbreak to find his true love, and the personal struggles and Christian faith that have made him the man he is today.

One of the things that gave us a great start was going through premarital counseling in our church. We’ve really gotten plugged-in at our church, and we’ve stayed connected to the counselors there.

We’re not perfect and marriage takes work. There’s so much to learn about ourselves and each other, but it’s important to never stop working on it! Our overall goal has been to strengthen our marriage on a daily basis, to take it one day at a time. It’s not always easy, but it’s the goal!

Catherine’s involved in a number creative freelance ventures. She’s very skilled! She worked her way up at Amazon while she lived in Seattle, and she’s an incredibly talented graphic designer and has a background in marketing.

Needless to say, she does a number of things. Nearly every day she get’s a call from someone asking for help with this or that, and she just loves it! She’ll tackle anything that gets her creative juices flowing, so she definitely keeps busy.

I’ve started to get involved with the oil and gas industry again. It’s what I did after I graduated college. Living in Dallas has led to some great opportunities and I’ve been lucky enough to meet some people that helped get involved in that field again.

I’ve also been a part of some real estate ventures here. That’s been a lot of fun for me! I’m entrepreneurial. I personally can’t stand sitting behind a desk all day. It works for a lot of people, but not me. I love being involved in ventures that keep me active and on my toes!

Learn more about Sean’s new autobiography here, For The Right Reasons, America's Favorite Bachelor on Faith, Love, Marriage and Why Nice Guys Finish First

Its about that time again!

I can't believe its Wednesday already.

I feel like we just had a hump day.

In case you missed what was on my wishlist last week, you can check it out HERE.

I can't believe I haven't blogged since last Wednesday.

My brother and his fiance came in from college for the long weekend and I guess time got away from me.

Regardless...there are a couple of things on my wishlist! 

So I decided that each Wednesday I'm going to make a little list of things that are on my wishlist. 

They may or may not be off the wall ideas sometimes. 

But that's me...

Off the wall. 

So lets start with today...

Kendra Scott cracked earrings found HERE

My friend Hannah got this in a necklace and OH MY GOSH girls its GORG!!!
The girl at the store said it is part of their "holiday line" so if you like them enough, you might want to go ahead and purchase them.
I love Kendra Scott jewelry so much! Its pricey, but so worth it.

Anastasia Brow Wiz found HERE

So I currently use Maybelline Define a Brow (similar look to this pencil) but it is a little hard and sometimes pulls out my eyebrows.
I don't need help with making them thinner lol. #tattooedeyebrows
So I am curious to see if something of greater value like this would work better.
It kills me to spend $21 on a brow product that I know I will have to replace at least once a month, but I guess beauty is pain....

Monogrammed Rain Jacket

It rains a lot in Georgia.
But the difference between Georgia rain and Texas rain is it is usually cold when it rains in Georgia.
I have a cheap rain coat from TJ Maxx from a couple years ago.
But I would love a real rain coat that is monogrammed on the front and hood.
#stereotypicalgirl
#monogrameverythingplease

So that's it! That's my little wishlist for this Wednesday.

In case you didn't get to check out my last post...go see what I got this Christmas break.
I'm obsessed with all my new clothes!

I have so many things to be thankful for. I most certainly do not recognize them enough. So with Thanksgiving being this week, I thought I've give ya a little something to hopefully get you thinking about what you have to be thankful for.

1. First and foremost, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for the sacrifice that he made for me. I am certainly no where close to perfect and he accepts me as I am, but doesn't want to leave me there. 

2. My family. All of them. They are crazy and sometimes drive me crazy, but I am so thankful for their support, listening ear, humor, love, and shoulder to cry on. I miss my Texas family so much some days that it hurts.

3. My husband. I know that he is my family, but he is so much more than that to me. Other than Jesus, he is my rock. I love him so much and take him for granted way too often.

4. My job. I have always wanted to be a teacher and love it so much. Some days are frustrating and I walk away from a day at work wondering if I made a difference, or even taught the kids anything but I love my job so much. When a student tells you that you are their favorite teacher and thank you for coming to their sporting events, plays, and concerts it means so so much and puts meaning behind all the lesson planning and paper grading.

5. Coffee and coca cola. I am so thankful for these equally. They give me energy and can make me so happy when I'm having a bad day.

6. Running, clean water. We are so fortunate to have running water it isn't even funny. And we take it for granted everyday. There are so many people in the world that die because of the water crisis and we need to be thankful that we will not be one of those people.

7. Pinterest.Yes, it uses up a lot of my time where I could be spending it on more productive things...BUT I get a lot of recipe ideas, hosting ideas, etc from pinterest that helps me bring people together for great community time.

8. My iPhone 6. {I know, shameful plug that I have the newest iPhone} But honestly, I'd be thankful to have any smart phone. It is such a privilege and the ultimate #firstworldprob to have a magic box in our hands at all times. It can literally tell you more things than you would ever want to know. What an amazing gift! Plus it is so great that I can FaceTime with my loved ones when I really miss them.

9. My car. It gets me a lot of different places that I love to go and some places that I have to go to help others. I am on my third car and not many people are privileged to get one car, let alone have 3 in their lifetime. I am thankful for the ability to drive and the ability to have a car that is fancier than I really need. What a blessing.

10. Don't laugh, but Netflix. I know...it takes up a lot of time that I could be spending on more important things (like cleaning my very dirty house) but sometimes I just really need a break and what a better way than to catch up on what Dereck Shepherd and Meredith Grey are doing. ;) Or watching Safe Haven for the 239874 time.

...last but DEFINITELY not least. I am thankful for this blog. I know that I have a very small audience right now and I also know that I haven't gotten to post regularly this semester, but I enjoy it so much. Thank you for reading and I hope you have/had a safe Thanksgiving!

Caution: sappy post

Today is my dad's birthday. I love my dad so much and miss living so close to him. He has taught me so much in my life. Way too much for those little space. Just wanted to post a little diddy about him and say happy birthday! Thank you for supporting me, encouraging me, giving me grace and mercy when I don't deserve it, teaching me about the love of Jesus, providing for all my needs and most of my wants, and loving me through all the tears and stubbornness. I love you dad....love, sweet pea.

1. Dating: I wasn't really dating in 10th grade. I had liked this boy my freshman year & it didn't work out so I just wasn't really interested. Honestly, I was enjoying getting attention from guys. It wasn't until Spring Break of 10th grade that I started to even want to date someone. That someone was Nathan. 

2. Eating: I LOVED caesar salad. Like obsessed with it. We would go on family vacations & no matter which restaurant we went to, I was ordering a caesar salad. I also could eat whatever I wanted & would gain no weight. It was actually kind of scary. (the second picture above is at Fuddruckers where I order a caesar salad that is HUGE.)

3. On the weekends: I'm sad to admit this, but I was in band. 10th grade was my last year that I was in band before I quit. So a lot of times on the weekend I was at a football game playing in the band or I was at a band competition. Otherwise, I was spending the night at my best friends Jessica or Taylor's house. 

4. Doing: I hung out with my friends a lot. But I also hung out with my family as well. I just loved being around people. I was super involved in our youth group so some afternoons I would go to youth events at the church or hang out with church friends.

5. Feeling: I don't remember really feeling a certain way in 10th grade. For certain I remember feeling like I couldn't talk to my parents about boys. I remember them poking fun of me when I was younger so I just started hiding it from them because I didn't want them to poke fun of me. 

6. Dancing: I. do. not. dance. Ok...really, I just cannot dance.

7. Driving: I started driving the day after I turned 15 & could get my drivers permit. I got my license the day of my 16th birthday in 10th grade & 6 days later my dad bought me a car. I was super excited about it even though it was in no way my dream car. I drove that car for 2 years though! Not to shabby.

8. Trying: What I remember trying the most in 10th grade was not trying to quit band the first semester, & then trying to quit band without my band director knowing it the second semester. It was horrible. He was mean & vindictive. He would make you feel/look like an idiot in front of everyone & I left so many band classes bawling. Finally after a week straight of me coming home sobbing, my mom said I could quit.

9. Dreaming: Mostly I remember dreaming about Nathan after I realized how much I liked him. We'll just leave it at that. If you haven't read about our story, you can here.

10. Forgetting: When I was younger (I would say before I was 20) I did not forget stuff. I just didn't. My family would make fun of how creepy my memory was. I still have a pretty good memory, but nothing like it was. 

What a fun post! It was interesting going through my pictures & trying to remember which ones were from 10th grade because I was friends with most of my friends through out high school. I got the idea for this post from Melissa Faye Blog. You should go read her post...just as fun! 

Comment & let me know what you were doing in 10th grade. :)

Tindell grew up in a Christian home. In fact her brother is Kristian Stanfill, a very popular Christian artist on the radio even! She had everything going for her. The only problem was she wanted so bad to be part of the "popular" group and have "real" fun. This is her story of her life & how she came to know Jesus through what she experienced in high school. Tindell gives real life examples of how being Popular isn't all that it cracks up to be. It is NOT as fulfilling as everyone makes it seem like & you probably aren't as popular as you really think you are. 

Here is a quote from page 128. Its probably my favorite quote of the entire book because the amount of truth behind the words. "Becoming a Christian doesn't mean all your problems fade away, & it definitely doesn't mean all your old habits die with your old self. You'll still be tempted to act the same, tempted to put your hope in the same things & tempted to think the same. The hardest part of Christianity isn't accepting Christ; it's what comes after that. It's when He asks you to walk away from relationships, friends, & a life you were accustomed to. God asks you to make these decisions so you can see that He only wants what is best for your life. If you can walk away from the really hard stuff, then huge blessing are waiting at the other end." -Tindell Baldwin.

Many have asked in my last [almost] 4 years of marriage how Nathan & I met. To which I reply, “well, how much time do you have?” 

If you have heard even a piece of our story then you know its not a short one.

But none the less, I thought I would share the basic idea.

Nathan & I grew up at the same church in Houston, TX. My family started attending when I was in 6th grade, & his dad was our senior pastor. In March 2004 my youth group started a tradition to go to Cofradia, Mexico for Spring Break for a mission trip. That’s why I started to go every year. Nathan tagged along March 2005. The only thing was, he wasn’t in the youth group anymore. That’s right…I was 16 & he was 21. [this is where you can gasp.] 

It was on Nathan’s first trip in 2005 that I realized how much I liked this guy. Maybe part of it at the time was that he was in college and would be interested in a little ole me. But regardless of the reasons, he liked me too. Looked like my dreams were coming true! We talked on & off that year until the next year in 2006 when we both went back to Mexico. That just grew my love even more. He said that he liked me & felt the same, but he was dating a girl at the time who was “holding him back”. [that’s what they all say…] The truth is that it was not a healthy situation. It was in no way good for either of us. I was lying to my parents & friends about Nathan and he was lying to his girlfriend about me. Again I repeat, not good. & my parents definitely didn’t approve. 

Despite that, we still continued to talk. He still continued to make me feel like he liked me when all he liked was that I was a challenge. I can remember once that he was telling me that I had all these qualities that he was looking for in a wife, & the next time I saw him he was engaged to his girlfriend. Heart broken doesn’t even begin to describe it. 

I went off to college in 2007. He ended up breaking off the engagement sometime during my freshman year. When I came home for the summer between my freshman year in college and my sophomore year, I gave him an ultimatum. I said he had till the end of the summer to decide if he really thought that our relationship [whatever that meant] was something that he could see happening long term or if it was just for fun. Unless the answer was long term, I would be done talking to him. The last day of summer, he told me that he was scared of long distance but that he wanted it to work with us. That I was worth the long distance for. [this is where you can say “awww…”] He called me the next day & told me that he thinks he has actually loved me for a long time, but he was too afraid to admit it to himself. 

We started dating [for real this time] & it was amazing! He treated me so different. Our conversations had meaning. He made efforts to come see me at school [5 hours away from Houston]. Our family & friends were so happy for us [the most shocking were my parents who admitted that before it was just terrible timing of age differences]. We were both growing as people in Christ. 

The Christmas after we started dating, I got to come home for a month & see him almost every day. It was the best time of my life. Our families had dinner together & just got to know each other on a personal level. While I was home my parents asked when we were going to get married. I said “when I graduate I guess.” They asked why. I told them because I didn’t want to pay for my school. They told me that they would not make me start paying for school because I decide to get married before graduation. I shared that news with Nathan & we got totally excited! I went back to school totally heartbroken because I realized how much long distance was not what I wanted to do. I decided a short time later to transfer to University of Houston to finish out my degree. We dated long distance my entire sophomore year and then I moved back to my parents to go to UofH. Nathan proposed that next month [June 5, 2009…my half birthday!] We got married May 21, 2010. It was the absolute best day of my life. I thank God for Nathan everyday. I do not know what I would do without him. Or the family that I married into. 

Is it a crazy story? Yes.

I have told you half of it? Nope.

Do I recommend to date someone almost 5 years older than you when you’re at an illegal age? Heck no.

But I guess like Queen said…its a crazy little thing called love.

Simply complicated means just as it sounds. Things are sometimes simple. Things are sometimes complicated. Things are sometimes even simply complicated. There is no way to argue that when something is complicated and you just can’t seem to wrap your head around it, then its simply complicated. Admittedly, this is sometimes how I feel about my life. 

My thoughts. 

My future. 

My taxes (ha ha…no, but seriously). 

My bad hair days. 

When I run out of under eye concealer. 

How to comfort someone who is grieving. 

What color to paint rooms in my house.

How to get students 11-18 years old realize that their identity is not found in what others think of them, but who Jesus Christ is.

…just to name a few…

I am so excited to share things in my life that are simply complicated & more.