Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Why Did The Turkey Cross The Road?

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I am often amused by some of the things that I see on my drive to work. Every now and then I see something that gives me a much needed laugh. This morning my much needed laugh came in the way of a turkey. As I was driving a turkey crossed the road in front of me. While to some this might not be strange seeing a turkey, this is not the norm for me. In fact this was the first time I had ever seen a turkey near my house. Perhaps he knew he was going to be Thanksgiving dinner and was on the run? Who knows…..it made my morning though.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Getting Personal

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I was reading one of my favorite blogs today, Living in Yellow, and Erin was taking a moment to interview herself and ask her self some tough questions. After reading her questions and responses I thought it would be fun to do the same thing. So the time to sit down and ask myself the same questions. I thought this would be a great way to reflect on life and ask myself those though questions.

1. If you could do one thing differently in your life, what would it be? When thinking about how to answer this question I do not like to think of it in terms of what regrets do I have, because I do not want to regret any decisions or choices that I made. Yes, there are decisions that I made that I wish I would have made differently, but I think those decisions eventually got me to where I was supposed to be. It just might have taken longer to get there. One thing I wish I would have done differently is that when I went to college I chose to go to a Bible College that was affiliated with the church I went to at the time. Part of me went because it is what I thought is what I was supposed to do, and it seemed logical. While I am grateful for the time I spent there, I quickly realized that was not the path I was to follow. I do not regret going, but I do wish I would have chosen differently. 

2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? This is a great question. I honestly do not know. I am not sure where I will be living (I do not even know where we will be living in 6 months seeing as how our house is on the market), I do not know if I will be at the same job, I would like to hope and believe that we will have a kid or two, but there is one thing that I know I do want to be content and satisfied with where my life is. I want to think that I will be happy.

3. Do you honestly want kids? If you would have asked me this question last year I would have said sometimes yes, sometimes no. But over time I have had more and more of a desire to have children. I feel deep within that I am meant to be a mother and that God will bless me with my own child/children. So, yes there is nothing I want more right now than to have a kid or two.

4. What has been the best moment of your life so far? Hands down the best moment in my life to this point would have to be my wedding day. That is  day I will never ever forget. It was a day filled with so much joy, promise, and hope. There have been other amazing, wonderful moments, but I think this one is my favorite.

wedding 

5. What is your life theme song? Good question. I will have to get back with you on that one.

6. What is one thing you have yet to accomplish that you want to do before you die? I have always had a dream of visiting Victoria Falls in Zambia. I have always had an obsession with Africa. And while I was able to accomplish my dream of going to Africa, I still long to see Victoria Falls. To me it is pure beauty.

Vic-Falls-Sunset

7. If you could choose one thing to be known for, what would it be? My integrity. I want people to think of me as an honest person.

8. If you could do anything you wanted right in this very moment (no consequences, no fear, etc), what would it be? I would grab my husband and head off to one of our favorite vacation spots and just enjoy the peace and relaxation from being away from the cares of the world.

9. What has been the most challenging moment in your life? Probably going to school and working full time. While I know I will appreciate my education more, it has been challenging going to school and working full time at the same time. I have had to make a lot of sacrifices along the way. But in the end I know it will be worth it.

10. Summarize yourself in one word. Mysterious

That’s it folks.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Dreaming….

I am dreaming of a place where I can get away from the worries and cares of this world. A place where I can find rest and relaxation. A place where I can find peace. My body and mind longs to just get away from all the hustle and bustle. I need a vacation! Here are just a few places that I am currently dreaming about.


Source: curbed.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Shelley on Pinterest

Friday, April 19, 2013

Friday’s Letters

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Dear Mountains, I am so looking forward to visiting you tomorrow. It was been way too long. It is going to be nice to get away if only for a few hours to enjoy some peace and solitude from all that has been going on lately. Dear Friends, it has been hard knowing what to write the past few days. My heart breaks for all who have lost their lives or have been injured in the bombing in Boston and the explosion in Texas. There are no words to really express what I am feeling. The only thing I can really do is to pray. After all that has happened the past few days it reminds me of how much we really need Jesus now more than ever. He is our only hope.

 

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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

When I Have No Words

 

Today there are so many emotions I am feeling it is hard to find the words to express my sorrow and outrage for what is going on in this world I call home. Today I chose to not dwell on the negative but look to God and remember that His mercies are new every morning.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Friday’s Letters

 

 

Dear Husband, I am so glad it is the weekend. I feel like I have not seen you very much this week with me working late and school I have missed my time with you. I am looking forward to spending some time with you this weekend. Dear College Students, please flush the toilet after going to the bathroom. We are not in grade school anymore. So please be courteous to others. Thank you. Dear Self, just one more week until a break from school. You can make it! Dear Darby, I am a little worried about the red little bumps on your skin. I hope it is nothing serious. Dear Blog Friends, I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

 

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Thursday, April 11, 2013

Two Week Wait

If you have ever been on the journey of trying to conceive then you are probably familiar with the two week wait. That is the two weeks after ovulation before aunt flow is due to show up. Through our journey it has become two of the hardest most difficult weeks of my cycle. It is so hard not to overanalyze things that you “think” are going on with your body and convince yourself that you just might be pregnant. I have found it hard not to give into temptation and scour Google for hours looking at pregnancy websites. If you are not careful it can drive you mad obsessing about it.

Why is it that we drive ourselves mad like this? I often wonder if it would be been easier trying to get pregnant back in the day when they did not have the internet or any of the modern conveniences (or annoyances) that technology has provided us with. It is everywhere….from books on conception, to fertility monitors, to websites…..it is never ending. So it is no wonder that one does not end up obsessing about what is or is not going on with their body. It is truly hard to find a balance and find a place where you are paying attention to what is going on, but not obsess about it. Hopefully, I will be able to find it soon, because this whole waiting game is just driving me crazy!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Making A House A Home

making-a-house-a-homevia

Recently our house was put on the market and it got me to thinking about what truly makes a house a home. Growing up we never lived anywhere really long enough for me to form an emotional attachment to a home. There were homes that we lived in that I liked more than others, but none that I really miss. The house that I live in now is the house that I have lived in the longest. I thought about it and I don’t think I will miss this house either. It got me to thinking is it really the house that we hate leaving or is it actually the memories of that house that cause us to feel emotionally attached to it.

Looking back over my childhood and the many places I lived there are some houses that have better memories than others. But the best memories I have are those that my family and I shared together. There were the family game nights, the house where my dad taught me how to ride a bike, the house with the basketball goal where we would play games together, the house where we always have Easter egg hunts in the backyard, or the first house that my husband and I have lived in together. All these houses have great memories and some that I will never forget.

So for me what makes a house a home is my family. I think as long as I am with my family I will always be at home. That is where I find my happiness and where I feel most at home.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Friday’s Letters

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Dear Spring, I am so excited that you are starting to arrive. I am enjoying the sights and sounds that you bring. I am loving that warmer temperatures are on the way! Dear Friday, it has been a really long week. I am so glad to see you. Dear School, I cannot wait for you to be over. I am really looking forward to a break. Dear Husband, I just want to say…..I love you. Dear Blog Friends, I hope you all have a great weekend!

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Thursday, April 4, 2013

Reagan the Ninja Cat

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Reagan (the black cat in the picture above) lives the life that every cat would dream of. She has a mom and dad that spoil her rotten and pretty much lives the life of luxury. She spends most of the day sleeping in her bed and wakes up and runs in the kitchen when she hears the garage door open because she knows her people are home.

Reagan loves, loves, loves people food. Some of her favorites are eggs, tuna, cheese, and chicken. And whenever she smells some of her favorite food she comes running and begs for a bite.

Reagan possesses special skills that no other cat I know has. Because of these skills we often call her ninja cat. Her all black coat and lightening fast moves have earned her the nickname ninja cat. When she sees that we are eating she has to come and check it out. And if you are not careful she will steal your food. Once she stole a chicken bone off someone’s plate and we had no idea she had done it until we saw her with the bone. And once when I had turned my back for just a moment she stole a piece of hamburger meet off of the slice of piece I was eating.

Over time Reagan has perfected her lightening fast skills and you may not realize something is missing until you see her run away with it in her mouth. She is “Reagan the Ninja Cat.”

reagan (trying to be sneaky by “hiding” in a box)

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

A Day on The Trail

IMG_1811 So over the weekend my husband and I went on a hike at Laurel-Snow State Natural Area. It is one of my favorites to hike. It is not too difficult of a hike and there are lots of cool things to see along the way. I think my favorite part of the hike is that for the majority of the hike the trail follows the creek. If you are a photographer or just enjoy taking photos there are lots of great photo ops.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s there was a lot of mining and logging that took place in this area. And there are still some remnants of the mining that you can see along the trail today. You can see an entrance to one of the old mines below.
L_S_trail1 There are two falls on this trail, Laurel Falls and Snow Falls. Due to all the rain we could only go to Laurel Falls. In order to go to Snow Falls you have to cross a creek and we were told that the creek was too high to cross. This was a bummer because the last time we hiked the trail we could not go to Snow Falls due to the high water.

After hiking for about 2.5 miles you reach Laurel Falls. The waterfall this past weekend was amazing. All the rain that we have had recently made for a wonderful site to see. Here are a few pictures of Laurel Falls.
IMG_1807 IMG_1799 IMG_1803 After hiking to Laurel Falls if you choose you can hike on to Buzzard Point, which offers great views of the area.
The hike was a lot of fun and we had a great time even though we got rained on a little. Luckily we were able to get the whole hike in before it started to pour.

To learn more about this hike go here.

Stay tuned for more trails that we embark upon this spring/summer!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

It’s The Little Things…..

coffee

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that bring me the most joy. Like that cup of the coffee in the morning that helps get me through the day. As silly as it might be there are some days that I enjoy my coffee more than others. And today is one of those days.

darby

Or it could also be the unconditional love of a pet that can make a bad day seem not quite so bad. It is strange how our animals know when we need a little extra love.

Or it could be that little heater that I have in my office to keep me warm on those chilly days.

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Or it could be a day in the mountains that reminds me of the beauty and splendor that surrounds us.

No matter what it might be, sometimes it is the simple things in life that bring me great joy. Whether it is spending the evening on the couch with my husband watching our favorite TV shows or spending a day hiking one of our favorite trails it is the simple things that remind me how blessed I am. It is the simple things in life that remind me not to take things for granted and to be grateful for everything I have been blessed with.

What are the simple things in your life that remind you of how blessed you are?