The First Time (again)

I witnessed something incredible tonight......let me back up and start from the beginning.
A few weeks ago after the NY Giants won the Super Bowl I immediately got online and ordered a T-shirt and a Giants dvd for the biggest NY Giants fan I have ever met (also known as my boyfriend). Unfortunately the dvd was still being put together and wouldn't be shipped out until the end of February. I went ahead and told Luke that I had ordered it and it would be here soon....needless to say he was ecstatic.
Fast forward 2-3 weeks later, I came home from work on the windiest day in the history of the world and noticed a small package that had been blown to the corner of the porch, I instantly became excited because I knew what was waiting inside of that small package...a red and blue dvd that would make one Giants fan VERY happy on that windy day.
After dinner and a good ice cream dessert from Maggie Moo's the dvd was promptly inserted into the Xbox (also serves as a dvd player) and we began watching the season that just ended last month.
As Luke watched this season it was as if he was watching it for the first time. Seriously he cheered when points were scored, got excited about tackles, got angry when balls were intercepted, and yelled towards the TV about bad calls from the ref. All the while I sat in utter amazement. This was something that he had JUST WATCHED. It wasn't a season from 1998 that we were re-watching many years later, It was a season that just happened within the last couple of months. Yet he sat glued to the TV screen reliving every moment, enjoying it, taking it in, loving it. Watching it as if he was watching it for the very first time.
And in a weird way it made me think about my relationship with God. We have so many seasons that we go through in our life. Yet God wants us to get through all of them. Sometimes we feel like life isn't moving forward, that it is a hard time, yet God still wants us to sit through that same season with our eyes glued to him taking in every moment once again. Experiencing him as if we just met him. I'm sure there are times when you may feel that your relationship with God is dry, but I encourage you to look at your relationship as if you are experiencing it for the first time. Laugh with God again, rejoice with him, take in every season. I want to take that same excitement that this NY Giants fan had - and place it in my relationship with God. That every time I meet with Him, I want to go into it with such excitement of knowing Him, excitement of getting to meet with Him, excited that he has chosen me for this life - the same excitement I had when I very first met him.
Who knew that a Giants fan could teach me so much and reopen my eyes? For that I am grateful!

13 Reasons Why I am SO Ready for Warm Weather

Don't get me wrong I DO love the cold weather - BUT for about 2 months and then I am ready for warm weather. I do love all of the seasons - in their time, and then I am ready for the next one! This winter has felt like the loooooongest winter of my life. I am so ready for warm weather.

Here are 13 reasons why I'm ready for warm weather:

13. It is sunny until about 9:30 pm. More time in the day to have fun!!

12. Tank top and a pair of shorts - it is so quick and easy to get dressed in the morning

11. Tan Skin - I know that I could subject myself to the radiation that comes from those crazy death traps, ugh I mean tanning beds, but there is nothing better than a natural tan from the sunshine!

10. The Lake - I don't go all that often but when I do go I love it - and even if I don't go warm weather just brings the feeling of the lake

9. GREEN - I love green grass and trees full of green, so corny but it is such a beautiful sign of Life! I love the grass in this picture

8. Cookouts -

One of our cookouts last year with good friends!

7. Summer Vacation!!! I have no idea where I am going this summer - but hopefully I go somewhere.

6. Wedding Season - yes weddings happen all year long, but I love all of the summer weddings. This sounds like a weird one, but I do want to be a wedding planner one day and I love summer with all of the beautful weddings!
5. The Beach! I don't live anywhere near the beach, but warm weather makes you crave the beach. It is always warm and ALWAYS relaxing!4. SNOWCONES - enough said!
Me, Steph, and Will getting some snow cones last year.

3. Going to the park and zoo

2. Driving with my sun roof open

1. FLIP FLOPS - once the weather hits 70 degrees I am in flip flops everyday until it goes back down into the 60's. My toes need to breathe!! They get to cramped during the winter!! Gotta Love Old Navy Flops!

Wordless Wednesday: Roomies

My two roomies. For the past eight months I have lived with these girls and I have enjoyed every month! Tambra and I are old roomies but this is our first time to live with Melinda. We met Melinda at church and after weeks of Tambra and I looking for a place to live Melinda graciously opened her house to us - and lucky for us she is an AMAZING hair stylist.

Melinda just got engaged so Tambra and I have enjoyed hearing all of her wedding details as they come together. I have even been privileged enough to help her with some of her details - even going with her dress shopping, I loved it! BUT pretty soon Tambra and I will be looking for a new place to live once Melinda becomes a Mrs.

Anybody want two awesome roommates?!?!!?!?

My wordless Wednesday's are not very wordless.

Just A Rainy Day with The Friends

Today is one of those perfect rainy days where you don't feel guilty at all for hanging out in bed watching movies. This is something that I wouldn't want to do every weekend, but every once in a while it is nice. Some people don't like rainy days but I absolutely love them. Just hanging out watching movies (or in this case TV on DVD), eating cookies. What a great day!

Valentines Day Eve

I know it isn't Valentine's day yet, but it is the night before and I am already in the Valentine's Day mood. I love this time of the year. I don't know what exactly it is, but it is just such a fun time! I have never really 'celebrated' the day of Valentine's Day. But that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy the day - especially all of the candy.

I have many special people in my life that I care for and that I am thankful for - this is a special Valentine's day post dedicated to those people. Here are a few of them

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My family. I love them so much and miss spending Valentine's with them. I have some very special Valentine's memories with my family. I am so thankful for all of them and what they each individually bring to my life!

My Tambra. She takes care of me when I am sick. Always answers my weird questions. Listens to me when I need to vent. Runs into my room and checks on me when I wake up screaming (I had a dream that a snake jumped at me) and just puts up with me all the time.

Kara and Jodi. Two of my closest friends. Kara has been my BFF since 8th grade and still going strong! She is always there when I need some advice and somebody to basically tell me that I am crazy. Jodi: if I go one day without talking to her it feels weird. I know that she is always there for me when I need her. This picture is from last year when they drove up to suprise me for my birthday. I'm expecting this to be a tradition girls!!!

My grandparents. I have so many great memories of spending my summer, spring and winter vacation with them. I love them and I am so thankful for them!

Jayma Wayma. Even though we live in the same town I don't get to see her as much as I want, but whenever I do it is ALWAYS a blast! She is amazing in so many ways and I am glad she is apart of my life!

The Rountree Fam. Even though I am not officially a family member I am never treated like an 'outsider' I already have so many fun memories with them and I am very thankful for this family.

My Very Special Valentine! I don't get to spend Valentine's with him this year!! I sure do miss him! I am thankful for him in so many ways (as stated in the previous blog)

My Church. I am so very thankful for my church and the people in it!

Happy Valentines Day 2008!!! I hope you have a fantastic day!

Happy Birthday!!!

Today is a very special day. Luke (the cutest boyfriend in the whole world) was born this day 24 years ago!! Since today is Thursday Thirteen I thought I could list 13 of my favorite things about him....but that is waaaay to cheesy for me. So I will just post a couple of fun pictures in honor of his birthday. He will love it! (not really)

This is Luke and I on a snow day (no work!) He LOVES the cold. This is something that I will never understand about him. I do not like the cold.

Luke's graduation day!! May 2007. It was a fun day! (I also graduated that day, even though a walked the year before)

His first love is the guitar, so sometimes he forgets that I'm not a guitar and he picks me up and holds me like a guitar....

Even though most of our pictures seem normal: the following are two examples of what I go through just to get him to take a normal pictures....he keeps things exciting!

Happy Birthday Luke! I'm glad you were born!

O How I Love These Cookies....

It is Girl Scout Cookie time!!! I love this time of the year. I never know exactly when it starts but I know around mid February to start checking every Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and Blockbuster in town for those girls in brown or green vests selling cookies.

I was once a girl scout. I became a girl scout in 3rd grade and stayed active in it until I went into the 5th grade. I really enjoyed my time as aGirl Scout and I wanted to continue to do it, but I was deathly afriad to go to the big new Jr. High School as a Girl Scout. There was a true story (clearly a rumor) going around that there was a gang of girls in the 7th grade who beat up 6th grade Girl Scouts (isn't it amazing what we believed when we were younger?) I was sooo afraid, that continuing my role in Girl Scouts was not even an option. I remember my mom and grandma trying to convince me that it wasn't true and that if I wanted to stay in Girl Scouts then I should. But what the heck did they know?!? They didn't go to my school, and obviously a 7th grader wouldn't beat them up....

So the moral of the story is don't ever be afraid of what is around the corner. I let fear of the unknown (and untrue) hold me back from something that could have been great, and of course involved plenty of COOKIES!!!

Congratulations Giants!

When Luke and I first started dating I wasn't a big football fan. Sure the games were a fun hang out place in high school, but I never really understood the game. After I started dating Luke that slowly began to change. He is a huge football fan, which means during football season it consumes his life. He watches it at home, listens to it in the car, talks about it with friends, and when we go to a restaurant we have to eat at a table that faces a TV. So I had to make a decisoin, I could either dislike football and make myself miserable during the season, or I could embrace the sport and find a spot for it in my heart - so that is what I did, and much to my suprise I fell in love with it. I love football, it is so exciting! College, Professoinal it doesn't matter (although I will never understand why we have to watch the football recap on ESPN, right after we watched the game, it will never make sense to me) Luke's favorite team pretty much his whole life has been the NY Giants. So due to assocation, I have also taken the NY Giants as my favorite team. I must say I didn't think they had a chance at the Super Bowl, but Luke has always reamined hopeful. Well this year they are the champs! Congrats Giants! Thank you for winning! I didn't want to have to watch Luke pout for the next month...... So Happy!