Overcommitted

My name is Chrissy, and I don't know how to say "no".   Seriously. Last Friday night was the result of feeling burned out.  I have the bad habit of overcommitting on the weekends and getting so busy and tired by Monday, working all week, and being a grouch about overcommitting the weekend to follow.  It is a vicious cycle that usually leads to me sleeping through something important because I'm so tired.   For example, last weekend we had the Golden Age Banquet, stayed until 11 to hang with friends on Saturday, church on Sunday, hung until 3:30 at Jackson's parents' house, back to hang with friends until 11. We are both working all week and I have Friday off (Thank goodness). But next weekend we have the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, a VBS Planning meeting after that, and I'm sure we'll stay to hang out. We will have Easter service on Sunday, it's Jackson's Dad's birthday, and (as bad as it may be) I'm hoping everyone else has family stuff so we can have a night to rest on Sunday.   I get so tired that I start to dread the things I've committed to, even if they're fun things.     How do you overcome not being able to say no?  How do you balance everyday life, resting, and not becoming overwhelmed?

Weekending!

Our weekend was such a busy one. Like I'm sitting at my desk about to fall asleep. Happy Monday to all, and to all, a four day week.   Friday night, the plan was to go get dinner, do groceries, and come home to rest.  What actually happened was I got in a funk about not having time to rest, we sat in the car talking for an hour, got groceries, and ordered pizza.    Saturday, I woke up and went to decorate the gym for the Golden Age Banquet. The theme was the Wonderful World of Disney. So Naturally.....  

  Jackson dressed up like Goofy, and Lou dressed up like Elsa.  It was great!  

  Sunday was also busy.  Church, lunch, hanging with Jackson's parents, going home to clean and relax, going back to church and having a bonfire until 10:30. 

I hope your weekend was just as full and wonderful!!   

That One Time I Went To The Doctor Alone...

As a kid, I had asthma.  I feel like 3/5 kids has it, carries around their inhaler, and grows out of it.  I grew out of it when I was in middle school.  When I went off to college, I started having trouble breathing.  The Infirmary on Tech's campus told me I had asthma. Surprise? nah. They gave me an inhaler and I was golden.  Fast forward five years (or so) to this week.    I woke up Sunday and was having some trouble breathing.  It's like I try to take a deep breath and can't fill my lungs up 100%.  So I decided to go to the urgent care clinic on Wednesday after fighting it for a few days.  

I walked in, they checked my vitals, and the nurse knew exactly how I felt. She sent in the clinician and it was all down-hill from there.    He walked in and asked me why I was there. I said I thought my asthma was back because I was experiencing shortness of breath.  He looked at me and said "What does 'shortness of breath' mean to you exactly?" So I explained (my problem was that I lead with "you know how...") when I breathe that I wasn't getting a full breath which lead to the anxiety of "I can't beathe!" Because I started with "you know how..." He looked at me and said "no. I don't know. that doesn't happen to me."  He then started asking me question after question to see (or so it felt like he was trying to see) if I was making it up. It was the worst experience of my life.    He ordered an EKG, a chest x-ray, and a breathing test.  His results? I have asthma.    I was livid. I was terrified having to do all of it by myself, but then to come to the conclusion I told him he would come to anyway... that sent me over the edge.  I called Jackson who started joking and I busted out in tears.  It was the worst doctor experience of my life and I will be calling ahead of time to see if that joker is working so I don't get stuck with him again.  

XO VoxBox

This VoxBox has been one of my favorites so far! 

I got lots of awesome stuff!! 
The first thing I used were my Tide Pods with Febreeze.  I used them in Jackson's work clothes and they smelled heavenly. Seriously. For it to take on that level of yuck, they had to work hard. 
The Skinfix Hand Repair Cream was probably my least favorite thing in the box.  It made my hands greasy and slick. I ended up using it on my feet (!?) because they're jank this winter. It worked wonders on them. 
I hated that I couldn't use the Colgate Optic White Express White Toothpaste. I have to use Sensodyne toothpaste because of my super granny sensitive teeth   The Frizz Ease Shampoo, Conditioner, and Primer  worked like a charm. My hair is so dry and dead during the winter and is a frizz nightmare. They made my hair manageable. I may or may not have gone and bought the full size ones! ;)  After getting my hair cut, though, I had to pull back to using them once every other wash because my hair was getting too oily too quickly.
I used the AdoreMe coupon for Valentines Day. I, however, didn't read the fine print and got charged at the first of the month. womp. I'll definitely be more aware going forward. I loved what I got, though. :) 
"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

Spring Checklist!

 Our Winter was busy, then came to a complete halt for the ice nonsense that tore through Nashville.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't love every moment of it, though. It was full of cuddles, movies, coffee and hot cocoa, sweaters and boots, and best friend time.   Here's how we did on our Winter Checklist! Almost all of them were crossed off, and the one that should have been a given... well... we just got too busy. We didn't realize we hadn't seen the lights at Opryland until we drove past and they were taking them down. It was tragic and I may have cried ugly tears:   Put up our tree and decorate it the day after Thanksgiving Make our Traditions Lists Go see the Opryland Christmas lights on December 23rd Build a Gingerbread House Get Matching Pajamas for Christmas Eve wearing! Go to the Jellystone Christmas Drive-Through Light Show Slow Down and Enjoy Take More Pictures Invest in Christmas Decor   
  So, without further adieu, our spring checklist (maybe if my list is shorter I'll cross everything off):
Camp the Crap out of Spring As mentioned in a thousand lists before, we have an awesome tent and I love camping. I want to camp with Jackson, make hobo packs for dinner over a campfire, gaze at stars and maybe fish a bit.
Spring Cleaning! I plan to deep clean our kitchen, our bedroom, our bathroom, purge everything we don't use or need, and declutter our lives! 
Visit the Nashville Farmers' Market We have lived here our whole lives and have never been to the Farmers' Market. I can't wait to wake up early on a Saturday and go! 
Spend Time Outside Jackson loves frisbee, football, and being outside. How much fun would it be to go to the park, throw a frisbee, fly a kite, feed the ducks, etc.?  I also plan to go to the Zoo and spend time hammock-ing.
Dye Easter Eggs We haven't done this since our Senior Year of High School. We were tiny babies. It was so much fun!

Take More Pictures I can't wait to see the green and flowers and sun! It's my goal, while spending more time outside and doing fun things, to take pictures to document it! I've been okay at it lately, so let's hope I can keep up as life gets busy!  

The Dilemma

When I started blogging, it was to document daily life, to get my thoughts out somewhere, and to be able to look back and see how much I've grown. I had a blog during college that.. looking back... I'm embarrassed. Honestly. It's really funny to read back about what life was then.  I met a lot of great women through that blog, and it grew into something more than my personal space. It grew into a place where I could share life.  
When I got married, I felt disconnected from that person. I was no longer that collegiate, engaged, silly girl that stressed about Pretty Little Liars. Okay the last part is still true. 
I started meeting some of the same people, and branched out and met some wonderful new women! 
This little space of the internet has grown much slower than the last, and I realized I am in a dilemma.  Do I want to put myself out there enough that my everyday real-life people may possibly find me here and see the deep insides of life? Or do I want to keep it small and private and limit things like linking up to keep possibility of being found to a minimum? 
How did you decide how to expose your blog? How did you shake the fear of being found by people in your everyday life?!

Man Crush Everyday

I don't devote a whole lot of time to talking about my sweet hunk of a husband.  I am so thankful for the man he is, and I learn about him and from him every day.   Last week, Jackson went to Memphis and worked there for the whole week to help that shop stay in compliance with the transmission tech regulations (or whatever). Wednesday night, I got this text from him:

It was a little tiny glimpse into my husband's heart and I couldn't help but smile.  He is such a giver and a servant and will go out of his way to do things like pay $100 for someone's meal.  He teaches me to let go, not stress about money or our own problems, and do for others. He teaches me, daily, to use what we have been so blessed with to bless others.   I am so thankful for my sweet husband who allows God to work through him daily. 

Friday!!

Our week has been a little bit of a roller coaster! Parts of it have been really awesome, parts of it have really not been awesome. Jackson's been in Memphis for work, so I've been a little antsy and missing him.  But hey, that's life, right? So at the risk of sounding too "TGIF"-ish, here are the best parts of our week!  1. We got to spend quality time with our sister-in-love, Jackson's parents, and this sweet gal.

2. We scored $35 in free groceries for using our credit card for rewards! 

3. It snowed. Again. But we got some pretty adorable visitors. Well, what I assume were adorable visitors. All they left were these raccoon-y footprints.

4. While at Dad's this week, I found my label maker in my sister's room. Win. Everything may now have been labeled in our home thanks to my snow day off. 

5. I say I should have a day off of work every week. All of the laundry is done, meals are planned for two weeks, the bathroom sparkles, the kitchen smells like lemony heaven, and I watched all of the Harry Potters... again...! :) 

I'm Inn

This year, one of my main prayers has been that God will use my gifts for His glory. Of course, it took some reflection for me to really figure out what my gifts are so that He can use them.   Challenge: Sit down and write down things you're good at It's so empowering and fulfilling. My list included painting, cooking, embroidery, and a few others.  Once I knew what I was good at, I could pray a little more specifically. Lord, please use my cooking to Your glory.  Lord, help me use my embroidery and painting to further Your kingdom.

(via)

I signed up last Fall to help with Room in the Inn, a church ministry that brings in homeless men and women giving them a place to sleep, a meal, and supplies to shower.  God was working in my life before I ever prayed.  I was asked to work with the sweetest woman (our wedding coordinator) and three of my friends to make baked spaghetti, french bread, salad, and dessert. I was able to use my cooking to further the Kingdom.  Not only did we cook for them, we ate with them. We broke bread with our brothers and learned more about them.   It was humbling. It was a blessing. It was so fulfilling. What are you good at? How can you use your gifts to work for something good?!

Confessions

I haven't done these in a while, but they're always fun.   /// I almost bought a really cute diaper bag that was $20 this week.  We will need it eventually, right?

/// I am not digging work lately. Everyone is on edge and snippy. 

/// I scheduled my wisdom tooth extraction yesterday and regretted it the second I hung up the phone.  I'm so not looking forward to that one.   /// Cameron's birthday present is on its way here and I'm really excited about it. We are only 2.5 years apary, but she is turning 21 and I'm feeling like a super old older sister.

   /// Jackson being on a work trip is really cramping my style. I can't sleep because I miss his snoring, I can't manage to only cook for one, and I don't like having to do his chores. Excuse me while I pout.

/// I had a sleepover at my dad's last night. Can we talk about how much an old house creaks and moans in the wind and rain? I didn't sleep well there either. 

  /// Also, staying at my dad's allowed me to go through a lot of my old stuff. and my sister's stuff. I inherited my old label maker! #TypeAwin
/// I got more enjoyment from putting $100 in our savings this week than getting new shoes. 

 

When I Retire...

I love retirement parties. Love them. Even if I barely knew the person.   It's not about the cake or the finger foods or anything else besides listening to people love on this one person. I love looking at pictures and hearing stories of things from years gone by.    We had a party for the second person ever hired with our company who retired after 24 years.   She is seriously the sweetest person. She was the first person to take me under her wing and make sure I was okay when I started working there.  The sweet words spoken by our president, our commissioner, and all of the employees she has inspired and loved were tear worthy words, and she cried and cried and cried. Grown men, friends, shook as they sobbed on her shoulder and thanked her for taking a chance on him.  My heart.  Our company started in 1991... the year I was born... and it was so awesome to see pictures from before then of people I was standing next to at this party.  
It got me thinking.... when I retire, I want people to sob on my shoulder. I want people to love me the way people love her. I want to be able to look out in the crowd of people and tell funny stories about each of them.  I want people to think about how awesome it was to have worked with me. A little vain, yes, but honest.  
I love my job now, but it's not necessarily a company I think I'll retire from... which then sends me into a tailspin of what will I do for the rest of my life? My job now is family friendly, will be helpful when we have a baby, I have time built up that I can take when that happens, and (for the most part) I love my co-workers.  Yes, I am only 23, but it makes me wonder what I will do when I grow up (ha). 
I've been working on giving up my plans. I mean, if we're 100% honest, my plans don't matter in the scheme of God's plans, but hey, they're fun to make.  If I'm meant to stay in my current job until I retire, if that's God's plan, then I will be content and happy with that. If not, when the time comes, I will take the leap of faith to start a new chapter.  For now, I will live for the day I'm in, and enjoy what I'm doing. 
What are your thoughts on retiring? What do you want people to say about you?