2013: A Year in Review

I have wanted to do a Year in Review post every year since I began this little blog.  But of course, things always got in the way or I didn't think my year was exciting enough to review!  I decided to make it a priority this year.  This year was hard, personally.  I certainly didn't share that with many people or really anyone.  But it was also full of some great memories, lots of firsts and an enormous amount of blessings!

January 2013:

I rang in the year with the Avett Brothers and some amazing friends!  What a great start to the new year.  Visited with some of my favorite people in Lynchburg to celebrate a special little gals birthday!  2013 started with a bang!


February 2013:

I decided in February that I needed to step up my game in the accessory department and thought a little fall in my driveway would be a good way to do that!  This was the month of "the boot"!  I wobbled around the NCTIES conference and enjoyed time with friends.  Luckily no permanent damage done with this "accident".

March 2013:

March brought a visit to Atlanta to spend time with my favorite little cousin Billy Mac.  While there we were able to see him play ball, which was certainly a treat!  I also met sweet Callie and spent time with her big brother and mom!  I will always cherish those meetings in Gaffney now that the Edwards family has moved to Alabama!  Also celebrated a "big" birthday with a dear friend!

April 2013:

No better way to celebrate a friend then with a Girls Weekend at the Grove Park Inn!  Loved being able to share my city with these dear friends.  Trips to the piano bar, Chocolate Lounge, the GPI Spa, and delicious food. One of my favorite weekends of the year by far!  Glasses of wine on the porch at the Grove Park, laughter and sweet friends.  Loved being able to celebrate Jeri!

May 2013:

Change has been something I am a huge fan of, but May brought some big changes.  May brought my time at South Newton Elementary School to a close.  I said goodbye to my first classroom, my first big girl office, some of the best friends I could ask for and the amazing students who shaped me into the teacher I am today!  It was such a bittersweet time!  I loved my time at that school and treasure all those memories!

June 2013:

A girls trip to Atlanta started off my June and I was able to cross something off my bucket list.  I joined the Cadwallader gals on a little trip to the Cabbage Patch and then a weekend in Atlanta!  So much fun and lots of great memories!  And then celebrated a special little girls Gotcha Day!  Our lives have certainly been blessed by the addition of Tali Lemke!  June even allowed for a mini getaway to the beach with a dear friend!  Yay for summer!

July 2013:

What can I say, in July I learned that everything is bigger in Texas!  Packed up the car and took a road trip with the Alfaro ladies to visit their home state of Texas.  Such a great trip full of laughter and memories!  I might have fallen in love with Texas on this trip!  Also went tubing with friends, went to the last Bele Chere and enjoyed a show by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors!  July was packed full of fun!

August 2013:

Happy Birthday to my and the little brother!  In a rare moment when all my closest friends are in town, I was able to celebrate my birthday in Asheville with dear friends!  What a great girls night!  Our family was able to take a little beach trip to beautiful Oak Island!  Just so happened that we were there on mine and Zach's birthdays!  We loved having Mamaw with us and enjoyed a week of sun and relaxation, oh and some yummy martinis! :)

September 2013:

When my time at South Newton ended, I really did not know what my future was going to be.  But the Lord certainly knew and provided an opportunity for an Instructional Coach position at Balls Creek Elementary School.  This is my new office and with this new position came some growing pains.  Being the new girl at a place is not easy, but with time I found my place at the great school!  I have enjoyed making new friends and getting to know the families and students at this school!  It's been a great experience!

October 2013:

October was my month of firsts.  Well really just a weekend of firsts!  For my 35th (still hard to type) birthday, my friend Kristi gave me a 5K!  3 miles in a 5K for my 35th!  What a great gift!  So we finished my first 5K, The Color Run!  Such a great experience and one that I hope we can do again!  Then in that same weekend, she took me to my first Panthers game and I am hooked!  I LOVED it!  I was also able to spend a Girls Weekend with my gals from college, a tradition we started many years ago!  I love that we can come together and pick up right where we left off!  So blessed with these sweet friendships!

November 2013:

Justin Timberlake, Elf the Musical, a Weekend at Windy Gap and Monday Night Football!  What a great month November was!  I was able to have a getaway in Raleigh with my sweet mom and enjoyed JT and Elf while we were there!  We spent Thanksgiving with the family and really counted our blessings.  So much to be thankful for!

December 2013:

Joy, really is the word for December!  Friends, Auntie Christmas, and family have been some of the highlights of this month!

2013 was a great year with many more memories that I have not listed here!  

I must say 2014, you have a lot to live up to!

Happy New Year friends!  What was your favorite memory of 2013?

Let's Go To the Movies...Top 5 Christmas Movies

I love when my schedule allows for a lazy Sunday afternoon, curled up on the couch watching Christmas movies.  Really there is nothing better!  So here are my top 5 Christmas movies in no particular order.

#1.  Elf

Ok, I am sure this one comes as no surprise to most of you.  I adore this movie.  If you are lucky enough to get to watch it with me, you will have the pleasure of hearing me recite most of the script.  My mom and I even took a trip this year to see the musical version.  This movie makes me smile, and as you all know, smiling is my favorite!  

#2.  The Holiday

I could watch this movie on repeat for days.  I love the story, love the actors, just love this movie.  Kate Winslet's little cottage reminds me of my little house, well, they are similar but different! I love the idea of house swapping for vacation and exploring new parts of the world.  And well friends, Jude Law, is such a cutie!  And Jack Black's songs...so cute!

#3.  Christmas Vacation

You serious Clark!  This movie has some of the best lines.  I must give my great friend Sarai some credit for really helping me fall in love with this movie.  When I watch this movie I laugh til my sides hurt.  Sometimes I think my family might have a little Griswold in them as well!  :)

#4.  Home Alone

When this movie had first come out in the theaters, my family went to see it and took my Grandmother.  I think it might have been the last movie she went to see in the theater.  I have never seen someone laugh so hard at a movie.  I love that this movie takes place in NYC...one of my favorite places!  Kevin is such a sly little guy and has some amazing adventures!   This one is a must see you filthy animal!  

#5.  The Family Stone

I really love the house in this movie!  I love the hustle and bustle and all the family memories that are shared during this movie.  It's a good reminder to me that families will change, but that times like Christmas remain the same.  And the cast, well they are amazing!  

What are your favorite movies to watch at Christmas time?  Maybe I will find a new favorite :)

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer...Top 5 Christmas Songs

We are certainly in countdown mode at the schoolhouse, please come quickly Christmas break.  So to help this week go by a little faster, I thought I would do a Christmas Top 5 each day.  Today, we will dedicate the Top 5 to Christmas songs!  

Who doesn't love Christmas music?  If you don't, you should probably keep that opinion to yourself.  I absolutely adore Christmas tunes.  They are catchy, meaningful, and one of the best ways for me to get in the Christmas spirit!  It is not unusual for me to sneak in a little Christmas music goodness before the holiday season begins.  It really will be difficult for me to choose just 5 songs that are my all time favorites,  but here goes!  

#1:  O Holy Night (Shane and Shane version)

For those readers who know me, you are probably not surprised by the version that is my favorite.  Shane and Shane are one of my favorite bands, and their version of this song is truly my favorite (with the Sara Groves version running a close second).   I really love how they change up the traditional version and make it their own.

#2:  A Christmas to Remember (Kenny and Dolly)

One of my all time favorite Christmas albums has always been, Once Upon a Christmas by Kenny and Dolly.  I have fond memories of singing these songs with my dad in the car on the way to my grandparents for the holidays.  Such classic country songs by 2 of the best!  Who doesn't love springtime feelings in the middle of December?  (The video is a little strange, but the song is just as good!)

#3:  Little Drummer Boy (Pentatonix version)

So many times I feel like the Little Drummer Boy, feeling like I have nothing to offer Jesus.  My gifts are not worthy of the one who gave up so much for me.  But I am quickly reminded that the best gift I can offer is my gifts and talents, my service.  I love the line in this song that says, "Then he smiled at me".  What a beautiful picture of how the Lord looks at us. And this version, well, it speaks for itself!  

#4:  It's a Marshmallow World (Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra)

Once upon a time some friends and I had a CD exchange.  We would make mix CDs for each other each month and send them in the mail.  It was probably one of my favorite things in the world.  My friend Beth included this song on her Christmas edition and I fell in love!  Love this song and it's catchy tune! 

#5: You're Here (Francesca Battistelli)

I am afraid to even say this, but this might be my all time favorite Christmas tune.  Every time I hear this song, I am overwhelmed with the idea of how God came to earth as a tiny baby in a dirty manager just for me.  This song is written from the point of view of Mary, a teenage mom who was holding the Savior of the World.  I can't imagine the feelings and thoughts that were running through her mind.  I love how in this video Francesca is holding her own baby as she sings about the tiny savior who was born. 

What is your favorite Christmas song?  I would love to hear!

Slap in the face

Sitting here this evening doing a little blog stalking reading and came across a post that honestly stopped me in my tracks.  Does that ever happen to you, someone else has written something that honestly is a verbal slap in the face.  Today a post at (in)courage has certainly done that for me.

We notice a problem but think it’s going to be too messy, too risky, too complicated to fix right now. So we make do. We work around it. We ignore it.

Yep, that is me for sure!  I am an avoider, especially an avoider of conflict.  I will run from it at pretty much any cost.  And I guess in that, I think that if I avoid a situation, that it will magically go away, but the truth is that it NEVER happens that way.  I am learning that the hard way right now.  Those issues that we keep ignoring, just put stumbling blocks in our path.

Are you ignoring a communication breakdown, a disappointment, a mistake that you can’t truly move past? Are you telling everyone who asks – even yourself – that you’re past the pain, over the heartbreak even though you continue to hurt and bleed? Are you pretending like everything is okay, while going out of your way to avoid a person or a place or a topic of conversation?

Is it possible you’re paying the price of the problem, even though you have chosen not to face it?

As I continue to avoid so many things in my life, push the problems deeper and deeper below the surface, I never really thought that I was paying the price of my problems even thought I had not decided to face it head on.  I am a mask wearer.  Most days, I find it easier to put a smile on my face and play the game of the girl who has it all together, only to come home exhausted from playing those silly games.  I make the conscious decision to not face my problems head on, but to mask them in various ways.  So what would be the price if I chose to face my problems?  Freedom?  Happiness? Joy?  Why is it that we are so stubborn and continue to accept the exhaustion, the hurt and the pain instead of dealing with those things that are obstacles in our paths.  

Maybe it is time to stop the pretending, to let the mask fall off and to deal with it.  Maybe it is time....

day 31 :: stranger things have happened

If you had told me 31 days ago that I would have actually blogged almost everyday this month, I would have told you that you were insane!  I know me.  I know that I love to dream big in my mind, think about lofty goals and big plans, but that tends to be where they stay.  In my mind, sometimes little steps are made but honestly, nothing really happens. 

The fact that I can say that I did this blog thing for a month is quite an accomplishment. It has taught me that I really can do things that I set my mind too.  Those big dreams that only the Lord and I share and talk about, those things that in my mind are virtually impossible, are possible.  He even promises us that in scripture...

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man that is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  matthew 19:26

I am thankful for this new outlook this month of blogging has given me.  While I understand that I am not the best writer in the world, I have really enjoyed being able to write or type my thoughts and feelings.  It has been a great release for me and something that I am excited to continue.  I have learned that every post doesn't have to be earth shattering or eloquently composed.  But this will be my place to share the song that is on repeat, the recipe that was delicious, the photo that captured that perfect moment, the scripture that is stirring my heart, the ways that the Lord is working in my life.  

So here is to another month of blogging friends, thank you for visiting this little corner of my world!

Hugs...

day 29 and 30 :: don't put off til tomorrow what you can do today

As soon as I saw the reflection in my rearview mirror, I knew.  Yes, it was dark.  But I knew.  And then the blue lights.  I was on the phone with my mom at the time and quickly told her, 'Hey, I am getting pulled over'.  Her reply, "Right now?".  Oh yes mom, right now.

Before the cop could even get to my door, I knew why he had decided to pull me over in front of all of Hickory.  My tag was expired.  I knew it, I had known it for a while.  But I just kept putting it off.  I knew going to the DMV office was not on my way home, it tended to take longer than it should, and it just wasn't as important as those weekly (or daily) trips to Target.

When the officer came back to my window, my fingers were crossed for a warning, but no luck.  He handed me the dreaded pink slip, told me my court date and sent me on my way.  I suppose I could have turned on the water works or the charm, but really, what argument did I have.  I simply had put off getting my tag renewed.  No way out of this one!

How many times in life do we put off the things that we know need to be done?  It might be something as simple as doing the dishes or putting away laundry.  Will my life be drastically turned upside down if those things don't get done, if I put them off.  Chances are no.  But I think there are those times when we have that feeling that we need to do something.  Reconcile with a friend, break away from a relationship that is unhealthy, call our parents just to say I love you.  We get that feeling in the pit of our stomachs that something needs to be done, but instead of acting on that feeling, we put it off.  Maybe it is because of fear, comfort, or shame.  But the longer we put it off, the harder it might be to take that step of faith and do what needs to be done.  What are you being prompted to take care of today?

I certainly learned my lesson today, not worth it to put off something as simple as that '14 sticker for the tag on my car.  What do you need to take care of?

day 28 :: music for your monday

each monday during this month of blogging, i have been sharing a song that i can't get out of my head, or one that has a message that speaks to my heart or just one of my favorite songs.

today's selection is not a new tune but one that i seem to have on repeat these days.  i am not sure the real message of the song is one that is telling the story of my life right now but the title, just speaks volumes to me.

so john mayer and a little heartbreak warfare.  sometimes i feel like my heart is in a constant state of warfare.  from relationships that make no sense, to things that truly break your heart, to not understanding the current set of circumstances i have been dealt.  everyday is a battle, and i am trying to pick love as the war rages on inside.  what song is speaking to your life?