There are those days when…

I know it’s going to be a difficult day.

I can get away just ONE MORE DAY without washing my hair b/c duh, it’s still raining.

I smile at people and they don’t smile back, and I want to smack them.

I say something nice to someone, and genuinely mean it, and they give me a smirk w/sarcastic words.

All I want to do is cry b/c I’m so overwhelmed and everyone wants “just a minute of my time” but all those minutes add up to hours, and who has hours???

I want to chunk my phone across the room in an effort to relieve the frustration it is causing me.

I wish my phone and computer never existed.

I feel so huge that I know my jeans must be mad at me. They all cower in the back of the closet screaming “please don’t pick me!!!!!”.

I don’t make my bed, and regret it when I come home.

I wonder what the heck I’m doing with my life.

I have more dirty dishes in the sink than clean ones in the cabinet.

I have only enough money to make it to my next check.

I miss my sister so much it hurts.

I miss my whole family so much it hurts.


But then there are days when…

My brother sends me random texts and they make me smile.

I get the most awesomest Chrimmuh tree ever, accompanied by sparkly snowflakes.

I realize I do still a can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup in my cabinet for the rainy day.

My best friend emails me just to say hello, and I realize how thankful I am that God blessed me with her!

I get to help my sister with math homework.

The sparkly shoes I’ve been wanting for months go on sale.

I get to visit with people less fortunate than me, and I realize just how good I have it.

I wake up, and realize that everyone I love in my life is alive and well, and knowing that, well that’s enough to make up for all those days when things don’t go my way.

Do something nice for someone today!

Much love!

whoever said you can't go home

They were lying. Thomas Wolfe, you don’t know what you’re talking about I tell ya. Maybe you just didn’t have the right home to go back to. But luckily, I do.

This weekend I went home for a childhood friends wedding, and it was fabulous. I got to spend an entire weekend with the girls (now women) who shaped and molded who I am today. Each one of them holds a very special place in my life.

Brittany was my “first” friend that I actually remember. We went to 3 year old daycare together. Then we both went to Miss Mozel’s where we met the bride, Elizabeth. We have been friends since. I am so proud of both of them. Britt is going to be the bestest nurse ever, and Elizabeth is going to have a wonderful life with her new hubby!

Kayla went to church with me when I was tiny and then was my summer camp buddy for years. She is one of the one’s that “got out” and now is in cosmetology school and is kicking butt! I know, she did my hair this weekend!

Aimee went to church with me and then moved schools with me and everyone thought we were twins. I don’t think I could have made it through middle school without her. She helps children with speech problems everyday and does a fantastic job. She also has the most precious house ever, complete with husband and tiny tiny dog! ϑ

Jill was this girl in choir with me in middle school and she was my first real new friend at my new school. She was totally different from me and we had very little in common. But our differences is what made us awesome friends. I don’t think I’ve ever had a fight with her or even an argument. Yes we’ve disagreed, but hey, what friend agrees with you all the time? We pretty much lived together in high school. We ate every can of green beans we could get our hands on, and my mother considers her one of her children. She now is the best bank teller Wachovia has ever seen and is in school…how she does it, I don’t know.

Normally you don’t become friends with someone after high school that you didn’t hang out with in high school, but Delana that person. She was definitely my saving grace when I thought life I knew it just couldn’t go on (insert stupid teenage girl and you’ll get the picture). But she knew I just needed a beach trip and a shoulder to cry on, so there you have it. She is the person who’s gonna keep my teach clean for me! If I can just get her to move here! Haha!

God has so greatly blessed me with friends who loved me at my ugliest (see 6-10th grade) and still love me now. I never get tired of being around them, laughing with them, getting in trouble with them, dancing at weddings, and being the life of the party with them.

Girls I adore each of you! ϑ

Yay for Monday of a short week! Do something nice for someone!

Much love!

put a smile on

I am an unusually happy person I think. I hardly ever look at the glass half empty; normally I see the good in people, and always like the find the good in every situation. Growing up my mom always used that quote about taking less face muscles to smile than to frown, and yall? I’m all about less effort on my part.

So you ask, why so happy? I can sum up why we all should be happy in 3 points:

1. God is in control. How can you not be at least a tinsy bit happy when you know that the guy who created the universe is still taking care of you? That’s a no brainer.
2. People are good. Yes I understand not everyone is all good, but I believe everyone has a good side, and if you’re a positive person, you will bring that out in them. (see “what the world needs now is love”…melt)
3. It isn’t all that bad. Are you alive? Yes. Maybe you don’t have all your family, but are you healthy (or vice versa)? Not everything is a major catastrophe. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

As thanksgiving approaching I can’t help but be happy. I sit and think about all the blessings I have, and it’s a total duh moment that I have nothing to be sad about. Yes, there is tragedy in the world. But have you ever noticed the people in other countries who are in such awful conditions still seem happy?

We live in a country where anything is possible. We have everything at our fingertips. We can be anything we want to be. When we get sick, there is a doctor who can help us, and we don’t have to drive 48 hours to get to them. Yes medicine is expensive, but at least we have it. Yes water/gas/electricity can get pocket heavy, but be thankful you don’t have to go down to a river to get water, and not even clean water at that.

So yes, I can’t help but be a happy person. The outlook you take on life determines how you feel, as well as how the people around you feel. I know you’ve been around someone who is mopey and depressing and just blah. And they bring you down and you totally don’t want to be around them. But get around that happy person, and you can’t get enough of them.

So if we all made just a small conscious effort to be happier, I think we would all see we really are the lucky ones.

It’s Tuesday of a short week! Get excited about vacay! Do something nice for someone!

Much Love!

oh if today weren't friday, i think i'd force it to be

It has been that week.

You all know the week I’m talking about too. Most weeks for me are great. Life just bounces along nicely, no big speed bumps or hurdles.

But this week, God has enjoyed watching me this week. I don’t think I took one breath on Monday. I ran around like a crazy person. It was our first payroll week with our “new and improved” payroll system. Let me just say the new system is crap and I hate it. I normally am all about change. Change is good. It helps you grow. The changing from my old system (which I just learned to love) to my new system has been no ride in the park. I’ll take the old system back thankyouverymuch.

Then Ali and I did an “anything goes” class. Pat I’ll take “Things I regret in my for $800 please!”. Oh my calves were still screaming at me yesterday. Definitely too chubby for that class. And it didn’t help the self esteem that Methuselah to my left didn’t even break a sweat. Brat.

Tuesday just wasn’t my day. Nuff said. That was the day God really out-did himself! He was pulling out all the stops! ϑ But on the good side, I got a gorgeous ceiling fan from my grandma and my handy friend got it put up. When he asked what kind of fan I wanted my reply was “one that moves air”. It was really that kind of day.

Wednesday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner and it was AMAZING! So so so good! If you go, get the Key Lime Cheesecake. Divine.

Thursday all I did was file. And file. And file.

And now it’s Friday! Yaya! One of my dearest friends is getting married this weekend and I am super excited for her and her future husband! Hopefully I’ll have pictures next week!

Its FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do something nice for someone!

Much Love!

Things I appreciate about my mom...

Things I appreciate about my mom…

It’s not mother’s day or mom’s birthday, but you all know how I adore my mother so here goes.

1.       She never called my siblings and me by our real names.

We all have beautiful names but I was always something like “Lilla-bet” or Libby, and William was “Will-ham” or Bubby, and Alexa was/is “Lex-Roy”. Now I don’t know where she got those names, but she used/uses them. And there’s no question who she’s yelling for in a crowded store.

2.       Her spirituality isn’t forced.

She loves Jesus and it is evident. She taught us to never be “forceful” Christians. We should always be open to sharing our beliefs, and we should live them in order to be a positive example for Jesus.

3.       She cooks every day.

Maybe not now so much since there are only 3 people in the house and most nights they don’t get home until late, but when I was younger, there was dinner on the table every night. Some nights it may have just been Hamburger Helper and green beans, but still. You always knew you were going to get a good meal.

4.       She has clever sayings for her rules.

She had this rule when boys would come over to our house that “four feet on the floor” was necessary at all times. Love her for that now.

5.       She is serious about nap time.

She used to would put a sign on her door when we were little. This is exactly what it said, “If you are coming in this room to wake me up, there better be vomit, blood, or a fire” and boy did she mean it.

6.       She allowed us to be individuals but also gave us boundaries.

If I wanted to wear a pink striped skirt with purple leggings and a red top, she let me. If I then wanted to add the largest clip earrings known to man, she would help me get them on. If I lost one, she would cry with me (b/c after all, every pair was my favorite). She never let me wear the short skirts in middle school that everyone else wore and at the time, I was sooo mad at her. But again, she knew what she was talking about.

7.       Even when she’s sad, she handles herself with grace.

Someone dies in our family, you know my mother is sad but she’s not dramatic and falling on the ground or ridiculous stuff like that. She grieves, cries until she feels better, then wipes off and keeps going. She doesn’t meddle in sorrow. Her theory is “there’s too many things in life to be happy about. Why spend your life crying about things you can’t change?”

                Side note: this is also her theory about going to see sad movies or listening to sad songs.

8.       She never gave me a hard time about being in a sorority.

Some moms don’t get it. It’s expensive, can be nothing but a popularity contest, and sometimes is just silly. But my mom NEVER said a negative word about it. Anything we put on, she was there volunteering. She initiated me, was there for bid days, parties, fundraisers, you name it.

9.       She came to everything.

If we were in it, she was there. It didn’t matter if it was 3 hours away, she was there. Even now as an adult, if my choir is singing, she is there. She would drop everything right now if I called her and told I needed her here.

10.   Her love for her children and family is evident.

Have I ever disappointed my mom? Yes. Has she ever been angry at me? Yes. Have I ever been angry at her? Yes. Have I ever doubted my mom loved me? NEVER. I went through a stage in high school where I thought my mom might be the devil. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t let me do what I wanted or that she was mean, but I just didn’t want to be around her, and it broke her heart. She didn’t tell me this at the time, but she would cry almost daily b/c I didn’t want anything to do with her. Then one day my loathing of her just ended, and she’s now my best friend. And honestly that’s what a best friend is. It’s someone who loves you even when you are down-right evil to them. I am so blessed to have a mother who shows her love to her children and family on a daily basis.

I know I should end at 10, but oh well.

11.   She whistles. Every time I hear someone whistle I miss my mom. It’s like her thing. She doesn’t sing much, but she whistles everything.

Yay for I’m running out of T words Tuesday! Do something nice for someone!

Much love!

JC Penney Christmas Catalog

Growing up, my brother and I always got so excited about the Christmas catalog coming in. About 3 weeks before Thanksgiving it would come in the mail and it was like someone had told us we had won the lottery we were so excited! The toys in the catalog you couldn’t get in our store so it was always such a surprise to see all the amazing things!

Mom made us take turns looking at it. It was almost an inch thick so there was a lot to look at. My brother and I would spend HOURS dog-earring pages with everything we wanted. My mom gave us both paper and a pen and told us to write down everything we wanted. We were write list after list. Each time we would strike more things off the list and “re-order” them with the things we wanted the most.

In my mind, we were getting everything we wrote down (silly, I know). But my mom never said anything was out of reach. Obviously, my parents did NOT buy us everything on the list. That would be silly. But I remember that excited feeling of getting to pick out what Santa was going to bring me.

This weekend I was at home and there on the table was the Christmas Catalog. I almost lost my breath I was so excited. I picked it up and hugged it. It wasn’t as big as I remember it being. You can thank the internet for that. There weren’t as many toys. You can thank gameboys and x-box for that. There weren’t as many dolls. You can thank American Girl for that. There were a few things that were the same, but mostly different.

But Christmas is different now. When I was little my mom shopped for Christmas gifts, but not too much. Now, people start shopping in October. My parents budgeted $150 for each of us for Santa gifts. Now parents spend thousands on their kids for a holiday about Jesus.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t buy gifts for Christmas. I love gifts and I love giving gifts. But I have to wonder how much more of the real reason is going to be cut out each year…how much more “real” Christmas do we really have?

Life Lessons: things to learn from Forrest Gump

The other day while walking with my friend Ali, we were discussing our favorite lines from Forrest Gump. I remember being a little girl and sneakily watching that movie at my friend BreeAnna’s house. We drug the TV onto her sunroom balcony so her mom wouldn’t know we were watching it. It was rated R after all (gasp!!)! So after our walk I was on my way home and I started thinking about how much I wanted to watch that movie. So I did, and this is the things I learned while watching it as an adult.

Forrest knew…

1. The value of generosity. He had money yet he wasn’t trying to get rich. He cut people’s grass for free, built a church, and donated money to a hospital. Yet, he still had more money than he knew what to do with.
2. The value of loyalty. When Forrest met Bubba you had to laugh b/c he seemed sooo intrigued by his new friend. But later in the story he gives half his wealth to Bubba’s mama b/c he made a promise to him. And people around him were telling him that he was stupid to do it, but Forrest knew what he was doing.
3. The value of a “glass half full” attitude. Think about how many times “his Jenny” turned him down. He still fought for her b/c he loved her, and he knew she loved him. He kept a consistently positive attitude.
4. The value of knowing no prejudice. He looked at everyone exactly the same. Not everyone does that. Those are the kinds stupid people his mama talked about for sure.
5. The value of being a steadfast friend. He never gave up on Lt. Dan and the life change he believed could occur, the shrimpin bidness with Bubba, or that one day Jenny would be won over by his unwavering love for her.
6. The value of simplicity. He didn’t try to tell people what to do, although he did love to quote his mama. “Stupid is as stupid does” is such a simple phrase, yet it is SO true. Watch the news and see all the stupid things people are doing and you will totally agree.
Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Per Forrest Elvis may have died “because he sang too many songs.”

Most of the truths from Forrest revolve around his attitude of being happy with whatever situation he was in.Being in church my whole life I can save I’ve heard just about every verse in the Bible. Everyone knows Philippians 4:13, but the verses before it are sooo powerful and I came across them one in my devotion and they ring true to this analogy, and is very uplifting.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11-13

It’s Thankful Thursday (2 weeks early)! Do something nice for someone!

Much love!

one week from today.

I love birthdays. Like love them. I don’t love them just b/c I like getting presents. That’s really not it at all. Maybe it is the attention you get all day long by everyone who knows you. Maybe it’s the wonderful thought that you’ve successfully survived/barely came out alive of another year.

I don’t fear growing old. Me and aging, we’re good with each other. We understand that no matter how much I plead with it to stay away, she’s a comin’ to punch another hole in my time card. And normally I’m A-OK with it.

Not this year.

This year is different for me. I am dreading 23. Not because I think it’s an old age. No, 23, you numerically do not scare me. But what has me quivering in my bootz is that 23 is pure grown up age. Most people get out of college when they’re 23, and they grow up, and become rational adults.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “Liz, you’ve already done those things!”. And although that may be true, my life plan is not going as planned. When I was in elementary school, in one of my Sunday school classes our teacher had us write down our life plan. Let me just tell you. All the other girls are looking at each other like “what’s a life plan?!” and I’m scribbling away at my paper like a crazy smart kid who just got his final exam. Here is how my list went (feel free to laugh at it, b/c it’s ridiculous):

1. Graduate high school as valedictorian. Yeah right. I did make straight A’s my senior year, but other than that, I was at school for the social aspect.
2. Go to a large university near my parents. Baha. I went to a small liberal arts college that is over an hour away from mom and dad. Best deviation from the said plan EVAH!
3. Meet the man of my dreams at freshman orientation. Day 1 we would know. And let’s get it straight. He wasn’t going to be my age. He was going to be a senior. Totally into those older men.
4. Drop out of college to marry said McDreamy who had since graduated law school in 2 years and was at an extremely successful firm.
5. Get married by 20, 21 at the latest (for real, that deserves laughter). Live in a house too big for a young married couple.
6. Pop out babies like a toaster pops out bread. First one starting about a year after marriage and then one every 2 years until I was bored with pregnancy or when we ran out of space in our massive house. I know I know. My how things change.
7. Live happily ever after.

Yall that was legitimately my list. And I am a “go getter” so I had every intention of doing it exactly like that.

People say that God laughs at well thought out plans. Well God plus every angel in heaven had a field day with my list. Let’s examine the things on it that HAVE happened. Ready GO! Ok so now that you’re done, you will concur that NOT ONE of those things has happened.

Up to this point, I had been totally fine with that. But now I’m a real adult. Granted, I don’t want the same exact things as I did when I was 10. Do I still want some of them? Hecksyes! So this “age” meltdown isn’t about getting older. It’s about me being super OCD and freaking frack when things aren’t just so.

“For such a time as this…” is one of my favorite phrases. Queen Esther from the bible said that. I can relate to her. She moved away from her family to a place where she knew no one b/c she knew it was the right thing and was what God had in His heart for her. And He blessed her. She didn’t understand what God was doing in the beginning, but God allowed her to help save her ppl and she knew God had placed her where she was “for such a time as this” and I know it’ll happen for me.

And maybe, just maybe, 23 is the year it’ll happen.

Bring it on Father Time.

Yay for Wondrous Wednesday! Do something nice for someone!

one week from today.

What a weekend...

This weekend was Alexa’s birthday party. Not just any birthday party, but a sleepover birthday party. Now, to my knowledge, this is the first of its kind for our darling girl and we’ve always been reluctant to allow it for a couple of reasons. One, our house isn’t big enough. For a single friend to come over, sure there’s enough room for that, but multiple friends is pushing it. Two, it’s a LOT of planning. What do we feed them? What do we entertain them with? Who is allergic to something? On and on and on. Three, its costs are equivalent to purchasing a nice handbag (and we all know how much my mom and I adore handbags).

So we started discussing numbers the invite and settled on 10. Good even number. The day of the party we had 9 RSVP’ed, which one of those girls being a maybe. I of course was even more thrilled with 8. Mom, Laura, and me chaperoned this shindig, and the ratio of 3 to 1 was really working for us. But that was soon to change.

Now, if I wasn’t invited to a birthday party that everyone else in my class was invited to, I would be upset and of course, share this disappointment with my mom. And my mom, being the wonderful mom she is, would take me shopping or to a movie and I would forget all about the party. Well since Alexa had a limited number of girls she could invite, not everyone got an invitation. I mean come on, we can’t invite the entire 5th grade class, or even all the girls in her homeroom.

So here we are, 830, which is 2 hours into the party and a mom calls. I’ll pause while you gasp the way we did. She actually called my mom and asked if she could bring her child to the party. Now, this child has been to our house before, it was nothing short of a miracle that we didn’t take her home before midnight. Her manners lack, her attitude sucks, she feels entitled to everything that isn’t hers, and she’s a whirlwind of emotions. Needless to say we were all standing behind mom doing the “NO DON’T DO IT” hand motions. But mom doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, so she said “sure, bring her over.” Crap.

I honestly think the child didn’t realize she wasn’t invited. I think she thought she just “missed her invitation” in the mail.

So that definitely made the party interesting. It is amazing how one individual can change the entire mood of the group. Everyone was bouncing along just nicely, but you throw in the wild card, and everyone goes batcrapcrazy. I have to say, I was very proud of the other girls at the party. They all knew before hand that this child wasn’t invited, but no one pointed that out to her.

As I observed this situation, I saw what my mom was talking about my whole life. The actions of one individual can either help or hinder a situation. For my sister, I’m glad the other girls were able to be sweet and caring people towards this child. I saw tolerance, and acceptance, and gentle spirits. So even though it was a party, I think the girls learned a very valuable lesson too. If they can learn that one simple truth now, life down the road will be so much easier for them. And that’s all because one child has a gutsy mom, and I have a compassionate one.

Yay for “Team Player” Tuesday (b/c that’s totally what happened)! Do something nice for someone!

Much love!

What I'm thinking....

I’m currently reading a book called “A Man Worth Waiting For: How to Avoid a Bozo” and in the book, the author lays out her opinion about the types of men that Christian women should look for. And so many things she says, I’m like “duh liz, you know this stuff” but then I look back, 6 months to a year, and see I’ve done things or settled for those guys that she calls Bozos. And then I could just kick myself.

One of the things she outlines I being the woman that deserves a Godly man. You can’t expect to be able to get this wonderful man you don’t truly believe you deserve that, and that he deserves someone like you.

She uses Proverbs 31 to illustrate what I, as a woman, should be in order to be what God wants me to be. And this isn’t just as a future wife or mother, it’s also as a child of God.

So let’s unpack some of the key futures in P31 that I see. God read the chapter and then these will make much more sense. This is my own person translation of the verses keep in mind.

1. A Godly woman is willing to work and serve. As a wife, she does things for her husband and her children. My mom was an excellent example growing up of being willing to serve. My mom did everything she could to let us know that we were priority for her through her actions.
2. Provides for those who are under her care. That doesn’t necessarily mean that she works outside the home, bc a lot of great moms don’t work outside the home, and in the same breath, there are a lot of wives without children that don’t work. But the mom/wife works to make sure her children are always fed, clothed, and to school. She provides those things for them.
3. Strong. Emotionally and physically. She doesn’t have to be able to lift a bus, but she doesn’t let the weight of the world seem heavy on her shoulders. She is there for those in her life when they need her emotionally, and she is rock strong.
4. Dignified. NOT haughty or acting like the world owes her something, but demands respect and acts in a respectable manner both in actions and in tone.

5. Keeps her house in order. This one confuses me. Is God saying that if your house is a mess that you’re not a Godly woman? I don’t think that’s it. But one way to look at it is this: If God blessed you with something wonderful (Duh, your house and all that’s in it), don’t you think it would be only fair for you to keep it clean? Be proud of what you have and always keep it at its best.
6. Fears the Lord. This is the most important. Because if you do this one, all the others will fall into place. God will give you a willing spirit, will provide for you and your family, will give you strength to face anything, we give you a sense of dignity, and place order in your life. And with all of that together, it is no wonderful that God says you will be “worthy of praise”.

Yay for Wonderful Women’s Wednesday!! Do something nice for someone!

Much love!

It’s Monday…so it’s ok for me to be ill.

I know, bad attitude Elizabeth. But today, it has been one of those days for me.

I work up this morning late. Reason being, I had “rolled” over on my phone and turned it off in the middle of the night. Great. So I woke up at 6:55. I have to be at work at 7. Yippee great. So I started off badly.

Finally got dressed, got my coke, and as I’m walking out of the kitchen I hear a splashing sound. I like splashing in puddles, but not in my kitchen floor. Now I know my kitchen so when going to the fridge I never turn on the light. So I walked and turn the light on and my kitchen is under water. I’m talking gallons and gallons, and all the way out into my carpet. My new carpet. So I’m trying to clean up all this water and I don’t even have enough towels. I’m scooting water across the floor and laughing at the irony of what I was doing. There was so much water I couldn’t even figure out where it was coming from. So I get the majority of the water up and get the towel hung up and report my leakage, and get out the door.

Then it’s on to Peachtree Industrial or as I refer to it, the Devils Highway. OMG. Speed limit if 45, people go 30. Really people?! WTW!!! I wanted to go all Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes on the people in front of me. But I can hardly afford my insurance premium now, so adding an anger accident probably wouldn’t help me very much.

I balance my checkbook every morning and realized I missed a check. It was only a $20 check, but I HATE when I miss something. Hate it. It frustrates me. Ugh.

It’s also a payroll Monday. And no one considers me getting the payroll done a priority. They would if they didn’t get a check I betcha. I should try that.

But the afternoon get better. I got all my mail open, all my checks written, all my filing done, and get an unexpected surprise. So yeah, it totally made up for all the things that were crappy. God has it under control. He’s looking out for me I tell ya!

Yay for Magnificent Monday! Do something nice for someone!