Be Missed

The church that we have been attending and plan to make our home church has been in a sermon series entitled "Be Missed." The idea being that our lives should be such a light that if we disappeared, we would be missed. 

Well, this has resonated in the vacancies of my heart. I knew moving away would be hard; it is. August was a crazy month: we got the green light to move on July 30, and drove off that Saturday. Here's a little picture synopsis to get you up to speed.

That little lump doesn't even know!

Saying goodbye to dear friends- but can't put that baby down!

Zorro was a trooper on the 9+ hour drive

Zorro made a new friend!

A warm welcome

Hello, Old Friend.

This is an all-too-familiar sight.

Inaugurating

On the way in I laughed at the twine station. On the way out, it laughed at me. 

First day of school!, I mean, work!

A broken engine? Seriously? At Target?!

Not the same, but better than nothing. 

Happy Birthday, Kevin the Knight!

Kennesaw Mountain- Historical Battlefield

I felt like a hiking poser- these people are serious!

This is what it's all about- Cru @ KSU

Reppin' UCF for Tailgate Tasty Tuesday!

We are having some grand adventures up here, but we are anxious to find community. And we are finding there are more complications in being away from family than just love- finding a dog sitter, for instance. 

P.S.- We have a guess bedroom- come visit!

Obsessed

I often say that I am not a very passionate person because I don't get over-excited about things. But the truth is that I just don't get excited about the normal stuff like sports, music, food and alcohol. I do, however, have a history of obsession with a number of things.

Let me introduce you to my latest obsession:

Daisy Love

This is that long awaited niece I told you about months ago. She is the greatest, cutest baby in the world! She made me this picture frame for my birthday!

So you can see why I am obsessed. I try to not be overbearing about it, but everyone knows who wants to hold the baby when she's done eating!

Here's a few more pictures for you enjoyment:

Daisy at the beach

Daisy's first Independence Day

Daisy holding Aunt Lydia's hand

I can't wait til she can wear her "Auntie gives the best candy" onesie! That is, if I can unpack it in time!

Quotes

My family takes the cake when it comes to quotes! It's like an improv trivia game every day, especially for outsiders. Kevin hasn't even seen half the movies we quote regularly, but now he knows which quote is from where.

Sometimes we even quote ourselves, because as 6 year old Deborah would say, "I especially like the way I talk." I mean, can you get any more quotable than that?!

One very quotable movie is the epic Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. I pick Fellowship because 1.) I have seen it the most and 2.) I think it has the best lines. My most favorite and the most epic line and scene is Gandalf's "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" I like to recreate this any time I have a large stick in my hands.

Recently, due to upcoming changes in our life, I have been thinking of another great line from Gandalf at the very beginning of the film. As Gandalf arrives to the Shire on his cart, Frodo confronts him with a smirk, saying, "You're late!" Gandalf's response is perfect: "A wizard is never late, Frodo. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

Isn't that just like God? I am in a constant state of wishing to be further along in my life, to have something I don't yet have, longing for something that seems just outside my grasp. Why am I wishing my life away for things that are so far outside of my control, no matter how much I believe I have power over it? For a year and a half, Kevin and I have been expectant of a change we thought was just around the corner at any minute, not understanding what was taking so long. And still we can only grasp at benefits of waiting and growing, but ultimately the answer is that God is never late. Nor is He early. And we are precisely in His timing, just as we have been all along.

If only that would just stick in my head for longer than one minute!

Cats

Have I ever told you the story of Whitey? No? Ok...

When I was growing up, Whitey the cat lived next door to my grandparents, but often trespassed into their yard. Initially, we children eagerly stretched to pet the kitty while asking Mom if we could have one.

But Whitey was never satisfied with a pet-and-go situation, so she would surround you with her body! She would rub up against your fragile, stockinged legs, arch her back and purr. Should you attempt to escape, then out came the claws!

Needless to say, I do not have a fondness for felines. Let's just think about those famous cats we all know and... love? I don't think so. Garfield? Ugh. Sassy (Homeward Bound)? If you can even get past the frustrating, aimless wandering, I'm sure the spoiled, mean cat is gonna be your favorite character. Felix. Now, maybe a bit more likable, but kind of violent; am I wrong? Tom. If we look at this one realistically, we would probably appreciate our cat trying to kill that obnoxious rodent living in our walls, but he's just so brutal about it! And little Jerry's not hurting anyone!

Now, I know many people who melt over their cat and I just never understood it.

And then this happened:

I'll admit, I was a little scared for my life. And one of my shirts did get torn by claws, but that was my own fault. 

Here's what happened: Hubs and I were house sitting, which included looking out for these 2 guys and their reclusive brother in the upstairs bedroom. 

We named them Milkshake and Cheeto. You can figure out which is which. Cheeto actually reminded me of Zorro. Zorro really acts like a cat sometimes. For the most part, they just ran away from me! It was great! And then they would cuddle when I was reclined, and just purr away! I think I get it!

But here's one question: How do you deal with ALL THAT HAIR?!

First Aid Kit

We all know how much I love Target! 

Well, this week Target is promoting first aid with this special offer:

FREE Johnson and Johnson first aid bag when you buy 3 listed items. 

I used this blog to help me prepare my coupons. And then I bought the cheapest things that I didn't already have. I may never use them, but let's just call it insurance. Plus, I am sure it will be a lot more handy when bite-size Eatons enter the scene. 

Using this list that came in the bag, I gathered my materials.

What's in my first aid wallet (Following the list):

Clean

-Alcohol Wipes

Treat

-Antibiotic Treatment

-Disposable instance heat packs (I hope it's okay so substitute hot for cold? Incase it's not, I added some hot/cold rub stuff, also.)

-Pain Reliever (I am partial to Ibuprofen, even though Acetaminophen is cheaper.)

Protect

-Adhesive Bandages (one size fits all)

-Sterile Gauze Pads (one size fits all)

As for the accessories, we'll just trust that we have our swiss army knife around. I did, however, add other things I found in my medicine bin: 

-Band-aid Blister Preventer (not the official name)

-Hand Sanitizer

-Tissues (not pictured)

After assembly:

Ready to go! 

And it coordinates perfectly with my car :-)

Dresses

Just a little update on my #2 summer goal:

Last week, I wore a dress 5 out of 7 days!

I don't have pictures of every day (what was I thinking?), but here's some proof:

Dress 2: Birthday celebration with the fam.

Dress 3: Birthday!!

Dress 4: (the one I'm pulling out of the bag) Bachellorette party (not pictured)

Dress 5: Wedding

About when we hit Macon, it hit me that we had forgotten our hanging clothes! Oh man! So, we went to Ross and I got ANOTHER DRESS! And Kevin got another pair of dress pants and another dress shirt. 

I have gotten 4 new dresses in the past week. Good thing it was my birthday! Good thing I made my summer goal!

Disconnect

Last night we returned home from Atlanta. The trip was great! We attended a beautiful wedding of great friends, at which we were also able to catch up with old college friends!

I attended a pretty crazy bachelorette party, filled with giggles and fun. We visited and caught up with friends, and also met new friends! We were able to meet with some people to share about joining our ministry team. We scouted out Kennesaw for places to live. And we even got to visit the Atlanta Historic Center for National Public Gardens Day!! What a treat! Check this out:

I didn't even think about missing Zorro! ...I always miss Zorro.

Don't be fooled. He never misses me.

It was a really great trip and I had a lot of fun!

However, as we drove home, with each mile my heart got tighter. At first I thought I was just worn out from all of the social interaction, but it was more that. I didn't want to be alone to rejuvenate; I wanted to be around the people who know me. We came home to an empty house on Mother's Day- no mother, no father, and no Zorro. I felt lonely. And the scary part is that this will be my life in x months. I trust that the Lord has a plan and that it is good, but I am preparing myself, knowing that it will be hard.

There are so many wonderful people in Atlanta, and I look forward to building friendships with them! But in the meantime, I live in a perpetual state of disconnect.

Man, I never knew I was so socially crippled until I hit post grad. Watch out, grads! It'll getcha!

Summer Goals

Normally I don't like to set goals. Not because I don't have goals, but more because I prefer to have the freedom to change my mind :-)

However, I have decided to set a few summer goals:
(I figure summer is a short enough time that I should be able to manage it)

1. Do some kind of athletic activity every weekday, even if it just going for a walk.
2. Wear a dress at least once a week. - The only way I can justify continuing to purchase dresses is to wear them more regularly. Husband thinks this resolution also includes shaving my legs... we shall see.
3. Reach 100% ministry funding. - This is mostly out of my hands and in God's, but I can do what I can do.
4. Move to Atlanta. - Again, Lord willing.
5. Spend quality time with my favorite people and make sure they know how much I appreciate them.
6. Have a niece.
7. Spoil my niece.
8. Love my niece to pieces. Nieces Pieces.
9. Learn to respect my husband well.
10. Pray every day.

There are other things that I would like to happen, but I'm taking baby steps people!

Tomorrow I turn 24 years young. To many people that is young. But life is happening here, and I don't want to miss it! It's time for me to get busy! (Ya, busy's not really my style, but you get the idea.)

Daisy's Baby Shower: Cupcakes

Originally, we were going to get daisy cupcakes from Publix or Sams. However, being the family that we are, we decided "we can do that!"

And we did.

About a month ago, I began the endeavor of creating a professional quality cupcake (or at least the look). 

We bought a Wilton cake decorating kit and I began to practice. Let's take a look at the past 4 weeks, and 3 attempts. 

Attempt #1: Canned icing

When i realized that I was not gonna get the look I wanted, I sought alternatives.

I did some research and realized I needed to make my own icing. 

Attempt #2 I have no pictures of, but things went terribly wrong. I experimented with 2 batches, and concluded that I needed fresh ingredients. 

Attempt #3 came out well; though the icing still seemed to melt quickly, it tasted good. During this attempt I learned the difference between cake decorating tips and cupcake decorating tips. If you are trying to create the lovely cupcake swirl, you need large or jumbo tips. For our final result, I used a Wilton 32 star tip. It may be even easier with a larger tip. 

I used this cream cheese frosting recipe and her decorating tips which I found through Pinterest. 

Fourth and final attempt: Moment of Truth.

Cutting mini marshmallows in thirds created these daisy petals which were the prefect accent! (I got that one from Better Homes and Gardens!)

I was very satisfied with my work, but am not sure I would want to make a hobby of cake or cupcake decorating! I suppose it is a handy skill to have though.