To the Next Owner of my Car

The goal is to, within the next few days, sell my car and buy a new one.  I don't know how much we will get for Ricky because the check engine light is on, but it's worth a shot.    To the person who buys Ricky, here are some things you should know.     I got him as a birthday/graduation/college gift from my sweet Daddy when I turned 18. He came home with us on November 14, 2009.  He was spotless.     

  You may notice a lot of scratches on him the day you buy him (unless someone touches up his paint), but there's a story behind them all.  The back left side of the bumper is where I hit my sister's parked car in the driveway.  The scuffs on the lip of the trunk are where I had to load and unload a refrigerator from my dorm room.  The dent in the hood (that you can only see if the sun shines on it juuuuust right) is from where a friend thought he was Bo Duke and dented instead of slid across my hood.  The ding in the front passenger door is from where I was T-boned by a bird.    I know, I know, the paint on the handles and hubcaps are peeling badly.  Thank Suzuki for that one; it pretty much came like that.  The weather stripping in the back doesn't stay in the door frame... thank them for that, too.   I know, I know... the hood bounces a little when you get up to 70mph.  It has done that since day 1; you'll be fine, I promise.    Let me tell you about my first wreck since you'll see it on the Car Fax anyway.  I had just gotten my nails done for prom... I was heading to work. Someone slammed on his brakes, so I slammed into him.  It was never deemed my fault, and I didn't get a terrible ticket for it, but it left Ricky in the shop for 2.5 months.  Something else you shoul know... parts are rare, so if you wreck him again, you may have to wait forever to find them.    I don't care how many times you reset the clock, it's going to move itself forward.  It's missing a few miliseconds.    The stain in the driver's seat is a result of laughing so hard I spilled the sweet tea I had in my hand.  You may never see that, depending on what the dealer does to help you out.    Ricky has had three gas caps, has a brand new timing belt, and has had his oil changed every 3,000 miles.  He has a brand new (literally 2 weeks old) battery, and floor mats that my Nana bought for him. .. sorry about the hole in the driver's side one...   Ricky loves to travel, so you'll have to take him often. He gets close to 30 miles per gallon, so you can drive for days on one tank.  He knows the way from Cookeville to Murfreesboro (back to Cookeville then to Nashville) like it's written on the dash... and it's because he did it every Thursday-Sunday for the year I lived in Cookeville.  He knows where all the cops hide on 24E headed to Murfreesboro.  He has been to Gatlinburg twice; Chattanooga twice; Paducah, Kentucky six times; Savannah, Georgia; and on a few work trips to random cities in Tennessee.     Ricky has been the site of many many late night heart-to-hearts, has soaked up tears from when life got hard, and the tears from laughing so hard with my best friends.    He's a good little car. He has hiccups every now and then, but love him and he will love you back.  

 #tbt - 2009  

Growing Pains

It's crazy to believe that as of this Saturday, Jackson and I have been married for nine whole months!! That's 3/4 of a whole year!   Lately, we have been experiencing some little growing pains.  We are learning and growing and finally getting into the swing of things.  Our biggest issue, thus far, has been housework. No one likes it (unless you're me), and even if they like it, they don't want to do all of it all the time.    While I was gone over the last two weeks, things got a little out of hand.  It really made me realize that I do everything around our home.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing my husband at all.  If anything, it's my "just let me do it" personality that has gotten us here.  After an overloaded washing machine (my bad) and some tears of frustration, I realized that it's not that Jackson doesn't want to help... it's that he doesn't know how.  He kept saying "I don't know what to do around here to help."  Never had it occured to me that he just doesn't know what to look for.   We realized the root of our issue was that we were raised 100% differently.  I've been doing my own laundry and cleaning since I was ten or so; Jackson's sweet mama did a lot of the house work.  Does that make either of us wrong? No. Does that mean there needs to be a happy medium? Yes.   Insert a daily cleaning checklist here. 

(via)

 I realized that if I break down the things that need to be done over the five weekdays, the chores don't require a day of Tasmanian Devil type cleaning. For example, we have a four-section laundry sorter which usually results in five loads of laundry (the first bag has all of my work clothes and our t-shirts and sleep clothes and all, too. This usually makes two loads of laundry... or one... see above reference to overloaded washer).  There's no need to do all of the laundry in one day when, essentially, there is a load of laundry per day! It makes it so much easier! Here's my breakdown. I made it more simple on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, because we are usually busier on those days.   How did you conquer this mountain?!

Update!

Hey there! Long time no see!   As work slows down a little, and I'm sleeping in my own bed once again, I promise to get back in the swing of things.  I do miss writing, I miss all of you sweet ladies, and I miss keeping up with your lives!   Here's what I've been up to since my last update....   I went to Knoxville last week... our hotels were not as glorious as last time, and we got much much less rest.  We made a 3 day, 700 mile trip all the way to Greeneville and back.  I was so exhausted Friday night that I dozed laying in our living room floor.   Poor baby Ricky is done.  What that means? a - Car shopping we go.... I am an emotional wreck about car payments and finding the perfect vehicle and not being too picky.  So far, the contenders are a 2009 Toyota Rav4, a 2011 Mazda CX-7, and a 2012 Mazda2.  The RAV-4 has always been a dream of mine, so if you have one, spill all the beans!!   I'm finally catching up on sleep.   My mom (after what felt like pulling teeth) found out that I can stay on her insurance for 3 more years (until I'm 26) which solves my $140/month crappy insurance woe!!   We're having some little newlywed growing pains as we round the corner of our ninth month of marriage (??!!??!!!), but more to come on that later.  It is a reminder that we are growing and learning and changing daily!   I'm finally catching up on our shows.   I can't wait to jump back into our little corner of the internet here, and to catch up on all of the awesome in each of your lives!!

Warning: Mushy Gushy Ahead

I just wanted to take this morning (before work blows up) to stop and gush about my sweet husband.  I have been working like a mad woman the entire month of October.  Last week I was in Chattanooga, this week I'll be in Knoxville, and next week I may just crash.  I have a pretty easy-going job, so this is completely out of the ordinary for me.   Insert awesome husband here. 

  I never realized how important it was to have a partner who is willing to jump in and pick up the slack when you're too busy to carry it. I'm a "I'll do it, don't worry about it" kind of person, but when I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off, it's good to know he will be there to help me when I forget to marinate the chicken for tonight's dinner, or to not be upset when I fall asleep on the sofa while we're watching The Walking Dead.    I am thankful that he understands how to communicate with my quality time loving heart.  Last Saturday, we had a full day of just relaxing, enjoying life together, and reconnecting.  It's so hard to be on the go all the time... especially for me.   

  Lord, I come to you with a heart full of thanks... for my job, no matter how busy it has made me lately... for my husband and his ever growing heart... for our life, and the ability to slow down and really take in all that you have blessed us with.  Thank you for blessing me with a husband who not only works so hard to provide material blessings, but also works so hard to help me when I feel like I fall short.  Thank you for his servant heart, and his willingness to let you mold him into the husband you know I need; likewise, I thank you for continuing to mold me into the wife Jackson needs.  Father, please help us to never be too busy or to lose sight of what it means to take time for ourselves, for our marriage, and our relationship with you.  We know that all good comes from you, Lord, and we are so thankful to see your will playing out in our story. Please continue to mold us, to help us grow, and to help us continue to love unconditionally. Amen. Sorry for the gush this morning, I am just feeling especially thankful, and ready to be home from my last trip this Friday evening with my sweet man.   

Me Time

Earlier this week, Kayla posted about taking time for yourself.  I took her advice, went home yesterday afternoon, and pulled my unfinished quilt out of the stack of blankets in our living room.  I pulled my sewing machine out of the linen closet and went to town.    It's finally done... I started this quilt when I was sixteen, and six years later, I am finally finished with it.    

It's 100% imperfect, it's raggedy, it doesn't match one bit.

It's mine.  In this quilt, I see my desire to attend Auburn, I see the sailboat squares that got me through the death of my uncle.  I see the pictures of friends who got me through high school.  I see the purples for my Nana because it's her favorite color.  I see the blues for my daddy because it's his favorite color.  I see the sunflowers that are my favorite flower! I see 36 patches from 36 flannel shirts I hoarded in high school.  I see the Winnie the Pooh block that reminds me of my sister.   I see the sewing machine that my dad bought me for Christmas six years ago because he believed in me enough to invest in it.  I see the nights of tears because I was just so frustrated.  Most of all, I see this block and it reminds me of the people who were there when it all started:

  Thanks, Kayla, for reminding me how important it is to just stop and take time for what is important to me... not something that will result in something for someone else... but something that is 100% mine.  I had to force myself to make the time, but it was so worth it.    Not to self: don't get so bogged down in life and serving others that I am not helping fill my own cup.  

Life

Life has taken a toll here lately.  I miss all of you sweet ladies, and I've been trying to keep up with your lives while I've been on the road! Being in HR, we have one really busy time of year - open enrollment.  I was in Chattanooga this week, I'll be in Knoxville next week.   Here's life as of late... in semi-confession form..   I went to Chattanooga earlier this week for work;  we got to stay at the Doubletree downtown; it was beautiful.  I also got my own room! I'd be lying if I told you I didn't jump from bed to bed....

I went to Target with my daddy when I got back on Wednesday, and found this gorgeous top; it is a maternity top, and I didn't even know it until I came home, but I didn't even care.  It's so soft and comfy and flowy (obviously). I'm totally wearing it for our fall pictures! 
When I got home, I started the crockpot, worked on some laundry, and took an hour and a half nap.  I missed church, but I was so jetlagged it wasn't funny.   I made this chicken noodle soup recipe when I got home Wednesday.  It was yuck! The noodles got soggy, the rosemary was too much, and I had a whole crockpot of bleh to throw down the disposal. #recipefail     I haven't balanced our checking account in a week and a half. oops.   My boss didn't make us go back to work Wednesday when we got back at noonish. Love her!   Insurance has me ready to pull my hair out;  there is no way I could do this all day everyday.  The afforadable care act has made things so difficult for everyone involved.  It's awful.  I'm going to spend today catching up on e-mails, blog posts, etc.  Thanks for sticking around no matter how hectic life gets!!  

Friday!!

I am so thankful today is Friday!! I hope you have all had a wonderful week, and an even better weekend ahead!!   1. My brother in law and his wife finally announced that they eloped this week! Remember the secret I had back in July?! Whoop! There it is! They eloped back in July and have been waiting on rings to take pictures to announce it. haha.  We are excited to welcome her to our family, and even more excited to have them home for Christmas!

  2. We have had a rainy week in Nashville, but that's okay because with rain comes rainbows! This one ended on the runway at the airport, and I saw a plane go right through it.  Craziest, weirdest, coolest thing I've ever seen!

  3. I get to spend time with my daddy tomorrow!! Jackson is going to the duck blind to do some work, so I'm taking the free time to go hang with my dad!    4. I made the cutest leaves for garland for Friendsgiving! I made them with a clear vinyl pocket so we can put our "What I'm Thankful For"s in the inside!!  

  5. Yesterday, I went out to start my car and it just would not start.  Come to find out, I had a dead battery.  Probably because I've had the same battery since I bought the car.... $200 and lots of crocodile tears later, I got to spend some quality time with my sweet husband.

 

Linking up with Karli and Amy and Lauren and 5 on Friday

Why I Stay

Nashville is my home; it is our home.  I lived in the same house from the day my parents brought me home from the hospital until the day I was married.  Jackson has always lived in Nashville, too. We can't imagine raising our kids anywhere but Music City, USA. That's why we stay.   I can drive 30 minutes from home and get you to some of the most perfect moments in my life.   My first kiss was on the stairs of my alma mater.  Our first slow dance was in the gym. My first soccer goal was scored on that soccer field, and that field is where Jackson first asked me to be his girlfriend.  I can take you to our lunch spot in those hallways where I made lifelong friendships. 

Our first date was to the Opryland Hotel at Christmas to see the lights. We took our prom pictures on the stairs as it flooded, and "our spot" is right where Jackson popped the question.  We spent our wedding night overlooking the cascades.   We want to be able to drive past our elementary schools, our middle, and high schools and tell our kids about the wonderful teachers we have.  We want to be able to drive to the lakes where we learned to fish, the fields where we shot our first guns, and the homes of friends from years gone by.    We love the culture on Nashville. There is always something to do, something to eat, somewhere to go. It's where we've always been, and it's where we will always be. Years from now when we are in our forever home, we want to be able to drive back to our first little apartment and show our kiddos where we started out. 

Hello My Name Is...

 

Matthew West has a song titled "Hello My Name Is"

I began thinking about who I have been and it brought me through the steps of my testimony.

I have gotten emails asking if I had shared it, and I have not yet.

I figured, Hey. Where better to share it than here?

Here goes.

 

I didn't grow up in the church, with a supportive youth group, or with camps and lock-ins. I grew up shopping on Sundays and thinking nothing of it. We recited the Lord's Prayer every night before going to bed, and I found myself just going through the motions. My sister was in a church choir where she had Girl Scouts when she was younger. I made fun of her desperation for love from a God she couldn't see. I would find any excuse not to go see her sing in front of the congregation there. God never stopped reaching for my heart.

 

Middle school came and I met Jackson. We dated for a few months and I broke up with him for a friend of mine named Matt. Down the road, Matt broke up with me because I was not the Christian woman he wanted. I was hurt and laughed it off. Coincidence, I think not. Jackson and I rekindled our middle school flame, and he started talking about church and his love for God. I started wondering why there was no stirring in me. I started attending Fellowship of Christian Athletes and fell in love. I loved praying, having people my age who loved God, and learning more and more about Him. I found myself making the Saul to Paul transition. I persecuted Cameron for loving God, and here I was falling in love with Him.

 

Jackson and I started struggling with purity when we were sixteen.  We clearly were blinded by temptation, and we let Satan win over and over and over. Our love for sin overpowered our love for the Son.

 

Fast forward to Senior Year, Jackson asked me to go to church with him.

I didn't know if I'd like it, but I loved it. I went to church camp the following year, and was baptized when we came back.  There were a lot of things that changed, but temptation and how we dealt with it was not one of them.

 

God finally broke our hearts for what broke His; we broke up our Freshman year of college. It was the best thing that ever happened to us, as we were able to rebuild our foundation in Christ alone.  We took some time to ourselves, to rebuild our relationship with God, and to assess our expectations for our relationship.  We, after many months apart, came back together, dated for over a year, got engaged, then married, and here we are!

 

That's it. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. It's rough around the edges, but it's mine. I'm so proud of the woman I have become through my struggles. Jackson and I have grown so much in our love for one another and our love and appreciation for the Lord.  

 

Hello my name is Chrissy, daughter of the King of the universe. I am such a treasure in the eyes of the Lord. The one who knows the name of every star knows how many hairs are on my head. He has carefully planned my every waking moment and the rest of my life.

 

 

Our Home: 1 year later

At the beginning of last October, Jackson and I moved into our home sweet home.  We picked out a tiny 631 square foot apartment because we liked the listing on Trulia.  We signed our lease in July and got our keys on the first of October. 

The first day we moved in, Jackson and I layed in the floor watching Despicable Me on his laptop as we waited for Comcast to come hook up our cable to our 13" TV.  There has really not been a more overwhelmingly simple time in my life other than that. 

Four days later, we enlisted boys from church to help us move in our furniture.  We inherited almost every item of furniture we own.  That same weekend, we painted our chalkboard wall, and my sweet daddy bought us a kitchen table and chairs. I took so much pride in knowing that that piece of furniture was 100% ours, and I still love it more than Dad will ever know. 

  The week we moved in, the garbage disposal died, the dishwasher leaked, and somewhere down the road, the washing maching tried to kill itself.  Thank goodness for maintenance and not being responsible for the appliances!!   One of our favorite things about out home is the chalkboard wall. It has had something on it since the day after we painted it! Even if it was a result of a boys' night...  

  

  

  

   We have pictures on our walls, things that mean the world to us stacked on our tables and shelves, plates that we have painted are hung around the top of our kitchen, it is our home.    Believe me, sometimes I have fits because our tiny little home is a wreck. Right now, there are towels folded on our coffee table, there are clothes piled up in our laundry room, and I can't even see our dining room table.... but it is our home.  It is where we live, and it is the place we share life together.   Happy one year, 227.  Thank you for being the starting place for our lives, and the first Little Hiney Home.  Thank you for treating us kindly and being so safe.  I know that we will look back someday and miss the simplicity (and the very little cleaning required) of our little home.     

Friday!

This week has been a busy one.  Like I said earlier this week, work has been crazy lately.  Absolutely crazy!! But I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend with weddings and sleep.   1. Tuesday, I painted with some sweet ladies from church. I love how my pumpkin turned out, but now I don't know what to add to it!

  2.  I planned my vacation for the rest of the year and still have a whole day to use.  Boss lady gave me my birthday, the day after, and the whole week of Christmas off of work.  #win   3. We are having brunch with one of my best friends from high school to celebrate Jackson's birthday, our tenth friendiversary, and just life in general.  Love that girl!!  

the semi-beginning of our friendship in 2004ish

 

4.  Today is my sweet M-I-L's birthday! She's a wonderful woman, and we can't wait to give her her present!! This is hopefully the last year that Garrett will be thousands of miles away and won't be able to celebrate with us. Yay, freedom day coming this July!!   5. and Last but not least, we have a wedding to go to tomorrow! One of our sweet friends from church is marrying his lovely bride tomorrow! I'm sure it will be absolutely perfect!!    Who else has big plans for your weekend?  

 Linking up with Karli and Amy and Lauren and 5 on Friday

#DLVoxBox

I was chosen to receive the Dean's List VoxBox!  I was so excited when I opened it and found some awesome goodies!!  

First, my favorite of all of them: the Softlips Cube.

Holy chapstick batman.

I have always loved the Softlips brand, but I loved my eos for the shape!

Worlds collided and Boom! I have the best of both.

 

My second favorite was the wonderful pens.

The Pilot FriXion Clicker pens are the best eraseable pen I have ever used! You know how the stick pens don't really erase? These do! And they don't leave the nasty eraser gunk everywhere! 

The Sinful Colors - No-Text-Red was a huge surprise for me! I usually don't go for reds and bright pinks, but this one was the perfect red! It lasted with no chips for four days!  Now if I was only good at painting my nails period... 

The airhead's bites were like teeny tiny airheads! I'd be lying if I said I didn't eat them all in one sitting.  

The Covergirl Ready, Set, Go Liquid Foundation was not my favorite.  It was thick and sticky.  It left my face feeling heavy all day long.  It was great at covering my huge pores, though, and the color matched perfectly! Mine is the 115; it was much like the color of the Almay one I use.  :)

I tested out the Kiss® Looks So Natural Lashes for a wedding we are going to this weekend! I usually don't go for faux lashes, but these were awesome.  They stayed forever.  I usually have an issue with them making my already thick eyelashes look like one dark mess of eyelashes.  I didn't really have this problem with these; they added more length than thickness which was a plus!

 

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Our Wedding: The Seven Things

While planning my wedding, people kept telling me that there are seven things that go wrong on your wedding day.  Whoever thought it was wise to tell a bride that was obviously ready to die. It was true, whether I wanted to deal with the reality or not.  Some of the things that went wrong, I didn't find out about until just recently, but sure enough, there were seven things that went wrong on my wedding day.   1. Ours started the day before our wedding.  For the rehearsal dinner, I had a beautiful Calvin Klein dress; it was white with a navy blue stripe on it.  My sister was putting on her face makeup and it shot out of the pump and onto my dress. I ended up wearing the same dress I wore for our bridal tea.    2. After the ceremony, most of my family left for the reception with everyone else.  We planned to take family pictures in the in-between time we had between the ceremony and reception.  Our minister forgot to announce that families should exit to the back of the auditorium, so we didn't get pictures with everyone in them.    3. The lighter wouldn't light for my unity candle.  I remember Dad coming back to the back of our auditorium and saying "the lighter wouldn't light".  I jokingly said "What'd you do? Did you take your cigarette lighter out of your pocket to light it?" He looked at me and said, "Well, yeah!"  Watching our wedding video, that was one of the most hilarious parts of our wedding.   

4. We forgot the boutonniere for the minister, and I kept Dad's with me. I didn't let anyone know that, so my poor father in law was shafted at first. haha. I felt so bad.   5. During the reception, the boys took my car to Jackson's parents house because we used the truck as a getaway car. Our marriage license was in the car, so our reception lasted much longer than it should have because we had to wait for them to go back and get it. 

6. One of my bridesmaids' dresses didn't fit at all. Apparently, there was a crisis a couple of nights before my wedding, she took it the day of my wedding to get it let out, and she took an ungodly amount of laxatives the day of my wedding.

7. Jackson ran out of time and budget to get his groomsmen gifts. Looking back, totally not okay.  Did they notice? Not one bit.  I love how simple boys are.