After a quick weekend vacation where flying is involved its impossible for Monday to NOT become maddening. Today’s activities included fighting with the alarm clock a little more than normal. Searching my still unpacked luggage for lost makeup. Checking emails at work… all 43 of them. Eating lunch at my desk so I can catch up on work. Trying to drink TONS of water so hot yoga won’t kick my butt more than it should.

All I have to say is how thankful I am… even with all the annoying Monday {After Vacation} Tasks I am still full of happiness and thankfulness! I am so blessed. The trip to NJ/NY was beyond wonderful!!! I will have a full report later this week but for right now here are a few things that have made me smile today…

1. My wonderful daily devotional book Jesus Calling said “Relax in MY sovereignty, remembering that I go before you, as well as with you, into each day. Fear no evil, for I can bring good out of every situation you will ever encounter.” Seriously… how could you not be filled with happiness when you read that?

2. The normal Monday Chicken Enchilada soup had a little switch up to the recipe at my normal lunch spot {Joel’s Java in downtown Greenville} and I think the changes made it EVEN BETTER!!!! Yes, folks… apparently it is possible. It was more of a broth based soup instead of cream based which I’m sure my skinny jeans will appreciate!

3. The above mentioned hot yoga class {that did completely kick my butt but I gladly welcomed it} made me so happy. Last week I didn't make it at all. NOT. EVEN. ONCE. Man, oh man… I could tell all weekend and I did not like it. After a ton of walking on Friday I could feel my joints tightening and I wanted to kick MYSELF for not making time last week. Making up for it this week for sure!!

4. Bethany Dillon songs on shuffle all day at work ALWAYS makes my heart happy!

5. My sweet, sweet friend Amber {so happy I met her on Instagram} received her surprise package that I mailed to her!!! You all need to check out her lovely blog… she is such a beautiful person, inside and out, so thankful for her!! So glad you got it, Amber!! 

Happy Happy Happy! :) Hope you all had a happy weekend and I will fill you in on mine hopefully tomorrow! 

a few things I'm NOT a fan of....

Packing. Unpacking. Flying alone.

But I'm a happy gal because....

Even though all of these annoying tasks will be done this weekend it’s so worth it!!! I get to spend some quality time with the man I love and I couldn’t be happier. I get to see his wonderful family who I have missed a lot! There will also be a road trip from NJ to The Hamptons and road trips are one of my FAVORITE things to do with Peter. We will listen to awesome music, eat watermelon seeds (I chipped my tooth once so I may skip this part), talk, laugh… making memories. All the things that girls love to do with their man.

So, I can look past the torture of packing… what will I need? Will I really want to wear this? Do I have enough shoes? All these little bottles in this plastic bag just do NOT seem like enough? Crap, my phone charger!

I can look past the unpacking… even though I know it will sit in my floor for a few days before I find motivation to wash it all.

I can look past the flying alone… Hopefully I will have some pretty clouds to take pictures of. Hopefully I won’t be delayed. Hopefully there won’t be any scary bumps. Hopefully I will have a nice person sitting next to me.

Yup, I can look past all these monotonous things because I will have a wonderful trip with a very special person. AND I will take way too many pictures to bore you with later especially since we are planning on spending Friday in NYC. Woot!

Now I'm going to sip on some wine and eat some pizza with my Mom enjoying some quality time before I leave tomorrow! :) Prayers are still GREATLY appreciated. Hope you all have a beautiful weekend and I will be back on Monday! Hollaaaa! 

If you are happy and you know it...

Clap your hands!! Well, this girl is clapping! 

I am so stinkin' excited to have a little weekend get away next 

weekend and this is what I am picturing...

{The Hamptons} 

I'm very excited to attend the wedding of the sweet and so in love couple, Jordan and Lissa in Hamptons, NY. I've known Jordan for about 4 years now and I've never met Lissa in person but she is so precious. We got to know each other a little bit on Instagram and then we became Facebook friends. I knew she was a sweet heart when she left me a comment wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving. Seriously, who does that? 

For the past few months I have witnessed Jordan and Lissa's anticipation for their big day with the sweet comments and the countdowns between the two of them, I can't believe its finally here so of course I can't imagine how they must feel. I can't wait to celebrate and enjoy the beautiful views... and meet Lissa in person of course!! 

Prayers are appreciated for my flight to NJ a week from today... I don't have a happy history with flying alone but I'm going to stay positive. And pray. A LOT. Starting tonight. ;) 

Midweek Randoms

A little random time is always appreciated on Wednesday…. Yup.

1. I had lunch with the two best friends and one of their men (Adam is a lucky man) and I had some of the best chicken salad. Sadly this was not my meal… it was Jocie’s. I never order chicken salad because you rarely find any without onions. I loathe raw onions. I’m very happy to know where I can now find a tasty chicken salad sandwich. High Five Saffron’s!

2. Apparently a bartender from one of my favorite places (The Green Room) described me as the “Pretty Redneck”….? I have mixed feelings about this.

Pretty, thank you… redneck, excuse me? Larry and I will be having a conversation about this ASAP.

3. I woke up super early this morning and went to yoga. It was still dark outside when I pulled into the almost empty parking lot. The class was fantastic… I think I’m going to make the early AM class an everyday occurance so I won’t have to worry about my plans after work. I can do whatever I want… girl time, dinner, visit family, catch up on my dvr, take a nap, you name it and I can probably do it because my yoga will be complete for the day. awesome!

4. Invitations for Jocie’s Summer Shower were ordered today!!! The only thing I love more than weddings are showers and when they are for your best friend they are the BEST ever! Can’t wait for all the DIY fun for this shower. The Fall Shower for Katie was a ton of fun and I’m so thankful I have another sweet friend to celebrate with!

5. I’m officially obsessed with Game of Thrones. If you don’t know what that is then you need to check out HBO right this second. Woah daddy… its gooooood! I’m fighting the urge to finish the first season but I will wait for my man to come home this weekend. I’m a keeper.

6. Yes, man… he’s a keeper too. :)

Hope you all had a fantastic humpday… it was beautiful here in Greenville, SC & since I don’t have to rush off to yoga I've already taken my sweet pup for a little walk and now I'm going to paint my fingernails! Yoga. Cardio and Mani…. High five!

….yea, I like high fives. Haha!!

attention ladies...

I know I mentioned on the last post about the exciting conference at my church but exciting just does not express it accurately! It was so incredible... I know I can't explain everything I learned and tell all the amazing stories I heard but I thought I could share some of my favorite parts! 

"A woman, as an ezer, reflects God as an Ezer, as someone who comes alongside, nurtures, and lends strength.  Being an ezer is the core of who a woman is. It is not a role she plays, nor is it defined by her season of life. On the contrary, because it is who a woman is, it translates across all roles and seasons of life as mother, daughter, employee, employer, mentor, grandmother, single, widow, or empty-nester."

"Our Self Image has become our Body Image." - As a worldly woman we lose sight that our body and soul is intertwined. Our given beauty is from our Creater... He made us with purpose. God was sovereign in our conception and we are GOOD the way He made us. 

"The act of sex creating life is unspeakably Glorious." - It is a God-like activity within marriage and He made it to be good, powerful & necessary. 

"We are confessed sinners and we won't be perfect until we see the face of Jesus." - He wants to restore, rebuild and renew us but we will never find perfection here on earth. 

"A man's desire to pursue is not wrong- but when it is broken from faith it is lost." - When men use what God has equipped them with to love and protect we {women} become the winner. 

"What we do with our bodies does matter" - It shapes who we are, it shows how we feel about God because we do not own our bodies. He does. {1 Corinthians 6:15-20} Who we are in Christ does matter... righteous, holy, blameless & spotless, heirs to the Kingdom and we should live up to all of that. He is not ashamed to identify with us so we must live to what we've already attained. 

"We are created as women in the image of God to be helpful and we don't have to wait for a husband to serve that role." - we are able to have a healthful expression as a woman in many ways. We need to fully engage and impact the world with our womanhood. 

"Jesus is Lord and King, not our boyfriend." - If we try to make Him that we are robbing Him of saving us. We must submit and rely on God, not come alone beside Him

"God will give you the desires of your heart." - BUT we take this verse and switch the meaning so often, He will shape the desires of our heart to match what He desires. Our legitimate desires doesn't mean we are entitled to them. 

"Purity is not our highest goal- Worship is." - This should help us sustain from our wants as a single woman because our bodies are made to worship Him, not ourselves. 

Mmmmm, everything I learned on Friday night and Saturday morning will stick with me forever. I absolutely loved it. If you enjoyed the little bit that I shared I encourage you to take a look at the Ezer Blog that my church so generously updates frequently. I also heard that they were going to have the audio added so you can even listen to what I heard over the weekend. Happy Tuesday, friends!! :)