My First Home DIY Project!

Ok, it's not that exciting, but I saw this idea on Pintrest about putting cork board on the inside of kitchen cabinets to pin up lists and recipes, and I thought, I could do that! So I did! Here's my work!



First, these were my supplies (corkboard, scissors, and a pen):




















So I measured about an inch and a half strip down one side and then cut it and this is what I came up with:

















I did this with two pieces of corkboard and then used the adhesive that came in the pack to put it up in the cabinet (I also added some flare with push pins :) ok, I'm not that creative!):






























Ta Da! I felt quite accomplished when it was done. Now to find some recipes to pin up there...

Weddings!!!

Yesterday was my friend Danielle's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful and I was so happy I could be there for her big day! It was the first time I've stayed for a whole reception and the first time in years where I literally danced for a consecutive two hours (I didn't feel bad for skipping the gym to go to the wedding!). That said, it was a lovely day (even though the bf couldn't come :( missed him a lot). Here are some pictures to prove how lovely it was :)

Leaving for the ceremony

Above: Danielle and I at the ceremony

Below: Jeshon and I at the reception

What's a reception without a few good buddy shots??







LaWanda and Gina looking lovely!

Group shot of us at the reception

Danielle and I (again at the ceremony)

Such a nice day :) (and my first set of pictures on my blog! woo hoo!)

Well Hello Autumn!

I forget every year how much I adore Fall. It is poking it's head out for the first time today and it's so lovely! It doesn't hurt that I got a Salted Caramel Mocha this morning, and while I don't particularly like Starbucks most of the time, this drink is a win.

I'm cleaning out my apartment (and life) of things I don't want, need, or use anymore and I've been pleasantly re-energized with the results. That coupled with the beautiful weather change and my conscious effort to see how great life is daily has really reinvigorated my smile. Can't wait for the weekend!

Side note: Currently listening to Known by Audrey Assad. Perfect musical accompaniment to the weather and the coffee :)

12 Months

So... today is the one year anniversary of the day that my significant other and I became an official couple. I don't know if it's silly to celebrate anniversaries, I feel kind of silly, but I also look at it as a sort of accomplishment. These last 12 months have been filled with lots of ups and a few low downs, and at times I didn't think it would be possible to make it as far as we have. I want to take this time to celebrate 12 of the best qualities of my man :) maybe I'll even show him this blog one day!

1. Your honesty. I have never known a man to be as honest and trustworthy as you are. I thank God for placing that quality in you!

2. Your love for your children. I don't think there is anything more attractive than a man who loves, cares for, and provides for his children. I am lucky that I get to see you with them as much as I do. I have never known a man to care for his kids the way you do, and certainly not someone your age.

3. Your willingness to help others. You amaze me sometimes with the way you care about other people, and your willingness to do whatever you can to help them accomplish what they need to.

4. Your intelligence. You are constantly keeping me on my feet. I appreciate that, as the Bible says, "Iron sharpens Iron".

5. Your ability and willingness to trust God. I know that when I go to you for advice, you will tell me what you think, but ultimately you will tell me that God will always have my back. You've kept me grounded more than you know in this past year. I may not always like what you have to say, but I respect the fact that you know the Lord and that you lead me to Him like you do.

6. The way you love your family. We of all people know that families are not perfect. They are all messy and they sometimes fail us. I love the way you interact with your family, even after they've hurt you or let you down in some way.

7. Your smile. I absolutely adore your smile. It's so genuine and I love how it makes you light up.

8. Your passion for life. I can be so complacent in life sometimes, and you really push me to do what I'm made to do - to be more. You never look at anything like it is too big, and you make sure I know that it's not too big for me either.

9. Your cooking. This is probably the most superficial quality I love about you, but hey, you're an amazing cook. I literally cannot think of ONE thing you've made me in the past year that I didn't love. And I know I sometimes use the word love too loosely, but I really mean LOVE when I say this.

10. The way you motivate. You are always making me feel like I can accomplish more than I would aim for if it were up to me. You have more faith in me than I do in myself and that's the best motivator I can think of. I appreciate that more than you know.

11. The peace you bring. I'm a natural worrier. You are not. I love that! When I'm frantic and freaked out about something, you bring me back down to earth and let me know that God is always in control, not me. It's a great balance that you bring to my life.

12. You are so easy to talk to! I love that we can talk for three hours at a time and it seems like no time at all. I love that I hate to hang up the phone at night even though we've been talking for hours because I could literally talk to you all night long. It doesn't have to be about anything important, but it can be about the most important thing in the world. And you don't care if I cry! I love that. Thank you!

So thankful for these 12 months. I have learned so much about myself and so much about love and relationships that I would never have figured out on my own. I wouldn't have wanted to spend them with anyone else.

Feeling Good!

I woke up this morning feeling fabulous! I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I woke up late, thinking I was going to be late to work, only to remember that I had a doctor's appointment this morning and didn't need to go into work. Maybe it's because the doctor gave me a clean bill of health. Maybe it's because I got to stop into my favorite coffee shop and use a gift card I've been saving. Or maybe it's because I got to spend a good amount of time with a wonderful friend last night, just talking and shopping. Sometimes I forget that it's good to just chat with friends. I think God uses that time to refresh and renew.

All I know is that today I feel like I can take on the world. Last night I took on my closet which was a bigger endeavor than I had originally anticipated. The result though is an immaculately organized dresser and an organizer with two free drawers! woo hoo! I also cleaned out one of my kitchen cabinets (5 million more to go!) so I felt pretty accomplished by the time I went to bed. In my attempt to live my life more simply, I've also decided to de-clutter. Which means getting rid of lots of things - starting with shoes, clothes, and random kitchen items I don't care about. My plan is to be down about half of my things by the time I move this fall. Let the donations begin!!

Looking forward to the rest of my day - not really sure why :)

Dreaming Big?

So the name of my blog page is "Dream Big" and I try to do that. But lately I have been discovering that sometimes I dream so big that I overwhelm myself and end up dreaming big but doing little. That is the opposite of what I want to do. SOOOOOO my solution to this is to start being practical with my "doing" while still dreaming big. I'm going to start blogging about things that seem small, but isn't that what life is all about? The small things? I want to make sure I don't overlook small things and opportunities to "be" or "do" just because they aren't the "big" picture.

I want to live my life. I don't want it to pass me by. So I know that no one really reads this, but I'm going to start documenting life on here. Isn't that what this is for anyway?

I don't have anything profound to say today. I'm actually really looking forward to my night, because I get to spend it with a good friend, doing a little female bonding over sushi and shopping and maybe I'll write a little about it sometime later this week. Who knows. I just know I want to stop missing my opportunities to enjoy things - even things that seem so small. I've done too much overlooking in the past year and I regret that. I don't want to look back on another year and regret it all over again. Here's to living :)

Random shout out: Audrey Assad's album "The House You're Building" is completely amazing. Get it if you haven't already!!