• Life

    101 in 1001 (the ultimate to do list)

    August 18, 2015

    Hi friends! Since I started blogging I’ve been reading other people’s blogs like crazy. I really like to go back through older posts and read through them to see how they’ve gotten to where they are today. This helps me learn things to do to grow my own blog. I’ve found on a lot of people’s blogs from a long time ago a list – 101 things to do in 1001 days and I felt really inspired to do one myself. This actually took way longer than I would have though to write, I started it yesterday. So without further ado… here’s my 101 in 1001 list 🙂

    Start Date: August 18, 2015

    End Date: May 15, 2018

             F A I T H

    1. Get involved in a community group
    2. Serve on a team at church
    3. Make Christian friends
    4. Read through all books of the bible (1/66)
    5. Read 15 Christian books (0/15)
    6. Get into a habit of praying for Tommy every day
    7. Go on a missions trip
    8. Invite someone new to church
    9. Pray out loud in front of others/someone else

      R E L A T I O N S H I P

    10. Get engaged
    11. Get married
    12. Surprise Tommy with a weekend getaway trip
    13. Go on at least 2 dates a month (0/34)
    14. Go on a date to the drive-in movies
    15. Attend a country concert together
    16. Attend pre-marital counseling
    17. Go pumpkin/apple picking
    18. Go ice-skating
    19. Go to the Bronx zoo
    20. Go to an aquarium
    21. Take a trip to Maryland
    22. Go white-water rafting
    23. Watch all the Lord of the Rings movies with Tommy (0/3)
    24. Cut down a Christmas tree together
    25. Bring Tommy breakfast in bed

      T R A V E L

    26. Visit 3 countries (0/3)
    27. Take a trip to Wildwood
    28. Visit the Bahamas
    29. Visit the Punta Cana
    30. Take a trip to Hawaii
    31. Visit a state I’ve never been to
    32. Go camping for a weekend
    33. Visit my grandparents in Florida
    34. Go on a road trip

      F I N A N C E S / C A R E E R

    35. Save at least 100 dollars each month (0/34)
    36. Create a budget for Tommy and I once we’re married and follow it
    37. Create an emergency fund
    38. Create a retirement fund
    39. Find a new job/establish a career
    40. Pay off at least half of my school loans

      H O B B I E S

    41. Crochet two blankets for the twins (0/2)
    42. Create 15 DIY projects (0/15)
    43. Read 25 books (0/25)
    44. Reread the Harry Potter series (0/7)
    45. Learn how to use a professional camera
    46. Buy a professional camera
    47. Complete 2 puzzles (0/2)
    48. Learn how to knit
    49. Learn to ride well enough to buy a new dirt bike
    50. Get up on the wakeboard

      B L O G G I N G

    51. Learn how to create a layout
    52. Get 1000 followers
    53. Learn how to make money blogging
    54. Increase posts to at least 2-3 a week
    55. Attend a blog conference
    56. Make three blogging friends (0/3)
    57. Take a blogging course
    58. Comment on 50 different blogs (0/50)
    59. Write a blog post every day for a month

      F I T N E S S / N U T R I T I O N

    60. Make a meal plan and follow it for a month
    61. Make a habit of working out at least 3 times a week
    62. Do cardio at least twice a week
    63. Do weight training once a week
    64. Cut out sugar completely from my diet for a month
    65. Cut out processed food completely from my diet for a month
    66. Do a color run
    67. Get in the habit of drinking at least a liter of water a day
    68. Perfect making my own sauce
    69. Learn how to cook meat well
    70. Take a cooking course
    71. Take a hot yoga class
    72. Exercise every morning before work for one week
    73. Increase amount of vegetables eaten daily

      M I S C E L L A N E O U S

    74. Host a holiday party
    75. Finish Friday Night Lights all the way through for a second time
    76. Re-watch Gossip Girl
    77. Be in a bridal party
    78. Save a deposit for a house
    79. Make homemade ice cream
    80. Buy a new bed
    81. Send out Christmas cards (0/2)
    82. Write 3 people handwritten notes (0/3)
    83. Make pizzelles
    84. Get nails down once a month for 6 months (0/6)

      P E R S O N A L  G R O W T H / K I N D E S S

    85. Pay for 10 peoples drinks behind me at Starbucks (0/10)
    86. Learn how to change a tire
    87. Take a social media break for a week
    88. Send a care package
    89. Whiten my teeth
    90. Take a photography class
    91. Floss every day for a month
    92. Start writing a book
    93. Write a list of 101 things that make me happy

      A D V E N T U R E

    94. Ride a street bike
    95. Go to 10 new coffee shops (0/10)
    96. Go paddle boarding
    97. Learn how to change the oil in my car
    98. Go to a Broadway show
    99. Take a weekend trip with one of my girl friends
    100. Hike 5 new trials (0/5)
    101. Try snowboarding

    So there yah have it, I’m super excited to see how many I can complete. How bout you guys? Does anyone have a list like this? Send me a link, I thought it was really fun reading other people’s and would love to check it out 🙂

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  • Faith

    A Secret About Your Fears

    August 15, 2015

    I felt like God wanted me to write about this specific topic earlier today but I reasoned with myself and told myself that I didn’t really feel in the mood to write at the time so I decided not to write about it.

    What I wanted to write though was that God has really been trying to show me the secret of why I fear things is because I picture the fear without God being there. 

    God’s really been telling me over and over again lately that He is always with me. And that this is the most important thing that I can remember, especially in those times that I’m worrying about something in my future. If I think back to my past, about the hard things I’ve gone through (and there have been a lot if I’m honest), and I realized that He was always there through all that, and that He is still here for me now, then I need to start picturing Him in the future as well.

    I just read my devotional, Jesus Calling for the day and I want to share it with you:

    Sit quietly with me, letting all your fears and worries bubble up to the surface of your consciousness. There, in the light of My Presence, the bubbles pop and disappear. However, some fears surface over and over again, especially fear of the future. You tend to project yourself mentally into the next day, week, month, year, decade; and you visualize yourself coping badly in those times. What you are seeing is a false image, because it doesn’t include Me. Those gloomy times that you imagine will not come to pass, since My Presence will be with you at all times. When a future-oriented worry assails you, capture it and disarm it by suffusing the Light of My Presence into that mental image. Say to yourself, “Jesus will be with me then and there. With His help, I can cope!” Then, come to the present moment, where you can enjoy Peace in my Presence”

    Once I read this I knew I had to write about it. This is the secret to conquering our fears. There’s no reason to worry about the future because He will be with us and He will give us the strength to get through whatever may cross our paths. What an awesome God we have.

    “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” –Deuteronomy 31:6

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  • Recipes

    #nationalsmoresday // what’s going on in my life currently

    August 12, 2015

    Hi guys! So for the past two days I have wanted to write this post but am not entirely sure what has kept me from doing so to be completely honest lol

    Some fun facts about the past week:

    1. I’m blogging today from my new Macbook Pro! 🙂 woohoo, it’s awesome and I love it. I got it last Thursday I think.
    2. On Monday, August 10 it was National S’mores Day and I really wanted to celebrate by posting my favorite S’mores recipe that Tommy and I make all the time, but instead we just celebrated by making and eating it (sorry not sorry).
    3. I’ve been a little stressed out over small things in my life and I feel like that’s why I haven’t had the energy to actually write the blog post that I’ve wanted to. I almost put it off again today but reminded myself that writing helps me to process things and makes me feel better. So I figured I’d share with you guys one of my current stressors. When Tommy and I were driving up to Lake George about a month ago I got a ticket for failure to move over. There was a cop on the shoulder who had someone pulled over and there’s a law in New York (and apparently New Jersey too) that you need to yield to the cop and move over to the left lane or slow down. I didn’t know that this was a law and the cop pulled me over and gave me a ticket (I did slow down). But anyway, tomorrow I am driving an hour and a half to Athens to fight the ticket because if I don’t it will be points on my license and I really don’t want that. I’d appreciate your prayers for the situation if anyone actually happens to read all this haha

    Okay so on to the fun stuff 🙂

    I really wanted to share with you guys the most amazingly, awesomely, delicious dessert you will ever taste – that is if you’re as much of a chocolate enthusiast as I am (that’s what Tommy called me today so I have decided to adopt the phrase). But really, he loves it as much as I do.

    Smores Brownies
    How To Make The Most Amazing S’mores Brownies Ever*
    Ingredients:
    For the graham crust
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
    For the brownies
    • 10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter
    • 1¼ cups (8.75 oz) granulated sugar
    • ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons (2.5 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 large eggs
    • ½ cup (2.25 oz) all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup milk chocolate chips
    • ½ cup of dark chocolate chips
    • ½ cup marshmallow fluff
    • 1 cup mini marshmallows
    Directions:
    1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray; set pan aside.
    2. In a bowl, combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press into prepared pan. Set aside.
    3. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, sugar, cocoa, salt, and heat on high power to melt, about 45 seconds. Stop to stir, and heat in 10-second bursts until mixture has melted and can be stirred smooth (mine took 45 seconds + 15 seconds). Batter will be very granular.
    4. Add the vanilla, eggs, and stir vigorously until batter is thick, shiny, and well blended. Add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
    5. Dollop half of the marshmallow fluff all over the batter and swirl slightly with a knife. Spread the remaining batter carefully over the marshmallow fluff. Repeat with the remaining marshmallow on top of the brownie batter. With a knife, carefully swirl the marshmallow fluff slightly into the batter. Don’t swirl too much!
    6. Bake until a toothpick in the center emerges slightly moist with batter, about 25 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 375°F. Top with mini marshmallows and bake for another 3-5 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned on top.

    *Adapted from http://www.bakerita.com/smores-brownies recipe. The picture is also off her website. I took one of my own but I just couldn’t resist using hers cause it was much better. The girl who runs this website is a baking genius, I have made a lot of her recipes and they all have turned out great. She’s especially good for patriotic ones.

    So there you have it. Tommy and I make this quite often cause we love it so much. When we eat the leftovers we microwave them so that the chocolate melts again, it’s delicious. If anyone ends up trying it let me know how you like it!

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  • Life

    bloglovin’ :)

    August 7, 2015

    If you’re interested here’s my Bloglovin’ link:)

    I’m still new to Bloglovin’ but I’m starting to LOVE it to find new blogs.

    http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14254633/?claim=ws7ms3h8y2f

    So exciting. How do you guys connect with other blogs? I really want to find others and build a community like I know many of you have. I’m really interested to hear tips you guys might have. Thanks:)

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  • Faith,  Life

    how to experience J O Y in every day life

    August 6, 2015

    Okay so my computer has a virus and that’s why I haven’t been blogging all that much. I’m currently on my work computer (shh don’t tell anyone). But my plan is to buy a Mac, hopefully tonight actually.

    I love sharing what God’s doing in my life in hopes to encourage others too. God’s really teaching me how to experience joy amidst my every day life.

    Joy.

    Real joy. Something that I’m not too familiar with if I’m being honest. God’s really teaching me how to really enjoy my life. Wanna know the secret? Focus on the good. Only the good. Acknowledge the bad, sure. But focus on the good. Dwell on it. Be thankful for it. All of the good, even the small stuff. Especially the small stuff.

    A fresh cup of coffee

    Sunshine at lunch

    Good smelling lotion

    A cute coffee mug

    A sweet kiss

    There’s so many good things to be thankful for on any given day, it just takes us to direct our attention towards them to realize they’re there. I also found this is the key to struggling with contentment as well. It’s hard to be wishing for more when we realize just how much good we already have. We are blessed, truly blessed and I don’t ever want to forget it. Join with me and let’s commit to never getting bored of the blessings in our lives.

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  • Faith,  Marriage

    Life Update: God Cares About The Small Things Too!

    July 29, 2015

    Disclaimer: This is super long and way more personal than my prior posts. I hope you guys will enjoy learning more about my life and what God is doing in it. I’d love to hear about yours as well! Leave a comment with your blog website and I’d love to check it out 🙂

    God is SO good guys! My main reason for documenting this is because I really want to be able to clearly remember how God showed up and answered my prayers in such an amazing way. My hopes is that it encourages you too and helps you to remember that God is always here with us and cares so so much about us.

    So let me let you to what’s currently going on in my life a little bit. As I’ve written about in an older post, I have been dating Tommy for quite some time now – tomorrow is actually our 9 month anniversary! Tommy and I by no means have a perfect relationship, we have our struggles just as everybody else does but I know that this is the man that God has made for me to marry. He is the most thoughtful and caring guy I have ever known. He loves Jesus, most importantly, which is what makes our relationship so great.

    Tommy and I have gotten to the point where we know that we want to marry each other but we are trying to figure out the details and getting ready for that point. Obviously this means that we would both need to be financially able to live on our own. I am most likely going to have to find a new job within the next six months or so because my bank has been pending a merger for about 3 years now (lol) so if/when that goes through I will be let go. I just graduated from college in May though and am not too worried about finding something, just because I know that God will provide and take care of me.

    Tommy happens to be two years younger than I am and he has not exactly figured out which direction he wants to go in when it comes to jobs. His dad is a welder and for a while his plan was to learn from his dad and become a welder also. This path however is a little uncertain because his dad would have to be able to get him a job at the quarry that he works at and we weren’t sure that this was 100% going to be able to happen. Tommy also has an interest in business and has been debating continuing his education and getting a business degree. (Did you catch that?? He’s hands on (wanting to be a welder) and also super smart when it comes to managing money… am I a lucky girl or what?!)

    But this has been tough for me because I can be quite an impatient person sometimes and always one to want to be in control of things. Both Tommy and I have felt that our relationship is at the point where we want to take the next step (& get engaged!!) but we obviously need to make a mature decision and make sure that we can provide for ourselves once we’re married. So to the impatient part lol I have realized that if Tommy chooses to continue with his education that we will most likely have to wait until he graduates before we are able to get married, which could be about 2-3 years. I’m not going to lie I went through a time where I was really struggling with this. I admit that I don’t want to wait that long, and I had a time where I was really unhappy thinking about him doing this. But I also really wanted to be able to support him no matter what he chose to do and I wanted him to make the right decision for himself. I spent a lot of time praying and telling God how I was feeling about it and I can honestly say that He gave me the grace to trust that His plan was way better than mine and be 100% okay with whatever Tommy chose to do, even if that meant that we had to wait 2 or 3 years to get married.

    Now to the exciting part… God seems to really have answered Tommy and I’s prayers in a crazy way. Right when we felt that working with his dad was not really an option anymore, God brought this option back and I can’t tell you how grateful I am. Tommy’s dad is planning to try to get him learning more about welding throughout the rest of this year and hopefully get him in at the quarry sometime early next year! When Tommy told me about this I couldn’t believe it, I’ve never had God surprise me in such a way and it really shows me how much he actually cares about the details of our lives. If Tommy gets the job with his dad, we will be able to get married, and he will also probably have enough time to go back to school to learn business as well. It’s a win all around and so amazing.

    Although I do recognize that God could change his plans again, and it is possible for Tommy to not get the job with his dad, I still am insanely grateful for the hope that He has given us that this is the path that He is leading us down. I’m so excited to see what He has in store for us, even if things do change and Tommy and I aren’t able to get married for 2-3 years. I just am so grateful to have such an amazing man in my life and a God who loves us so much that He takes the time to care about the small details and leads us down the correct path.

    If you managed to read all of this and make it this far, you’re the best!! This was super long haha but something I felt I really wanted to share. Would you mind just praying for Tommy and I – that we would keep following down God’s path for us? Thanks so much guys!

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