hmmm...

kinda wondering whether i should keep blogging........

hmmm...

sunday mornin' rain is fallin.

this weekend the pups&i had some sweet visitors.

my big, lisa, came to visit and brought her sweet pupster bella. macy & bella had a blast together. i wish i would have made a video of them playing with one another. they slept very well, that's for sure.

lisa&i went downtown & ate lunch at this amazing place called our daily bread. i had an amazing apple walnut salad which was amazing. the walnuts had a bit of candied goodness on them which was sweet while the vinaigrette added the salty flavor to it. yum-o.

then, we met up with my sweet friend jennifer at the habitat for humanity restore. while i was unsuccessful at this trip to the restore, they found some treasures.

then, went downtown to some of the shops and just had fun looking around.

then, we went to eat some yummy mexican food down the street from my place. it was oh so yummy, & i ate wayyy tooo muchhh. [[who doesn't at mexican restaurants anyways?]]

 

this morning was a lazy morning. we woke up pretty early and then started pinning on our pintrest apps. [[of course]] fell asleep a little longer & then my sweet big&bella were on their way back home. it was a very good visit. i probably have not spent time with her like that for about three years now. crazy how time flies. we are both so similar, down to earth, chill, and get distracted easily. meant to be big&little!

 

it was a maroon 5 lazy, sunday morning..[sunday mornin' rain is fallin']

making lunch for this weeks lunches&watching the steelers WiN! wahoo! & troy was in for this game! double wahoO! it has been a good sunday so far. two weeks from today i will be going to a church here. i haven't completely decided where i will attend yet...we shall see.

 

more great posts this week including crafts&food! :]

yummmyyyy!

stay tuned bloggos.

happy fall y'all!

one of my recent obsessions is finding recipes & changing all ingredients to make the masterpiece gluten free! i am obsessing on pinterest&other crafty blogs i follow to do these things.

also, i have been getting lots of ideas to decorate for fall! eeekkkk. doing that this week & posting all of my results! so, stay tuned for gluten free goodness&awesome fall decorations in the coming weeks! :]

because let's be real, october is my favorite month for multiple reasons.

happy fall y'all!

progression.

i get so annoyed with myself. because i have been doing so much research about new things to cook & try to be domestic, & then i forget to take pictures of EVERYTHING!

 

i've made so many cool things lately. all ideas from other peeps while making my own adjustments; but not sharing them! how do i ever think there will be any progression for me in the blogosphere?! i do need to get better about these things. taking pics of my crafting&cooking, baking&instagramming, & everything in between as well.

 

i am totally on a pinterest high right now. getting ready to do so many things on pinterest! yay! decorating for the apartment to make it feel like homeeee.

 

i need furniture tho. a friend of mine came up yesterday & the first thing was "nice furniture." i would post a picture of my furniture right now, but it's just too embarrassing. literally, you would be traumatized by the photo! i'm using a storage bin as a tv stand right now, & my pieces of furniture consists of my favorite papasan chair & a tailgating mesh chair! whoa.

 

needs to go soon! i will be getting something soon hopefully! maybe the furniture fairy will come knocking on this non-profit girls door!

 

anywho, i begin a small group next week with a group of girls. i am really excited about this opportunity to have community and just meet this lovely ladies.

 

a lot of rambling going today on this journey.

 

much love, blogees.

humane society.

guess what?

if you know me, you know exactly what. however, if you don't, then it's going to be a total surprise! :]

 

my pupster is finally moved in! yay!

it's been the best thing ever! she moved in on sunday, and monday could not have been more of a long day at work. i was so excited to come home and her be here with me. she is so great at being a great companion.

 

i rescued the pupster the day after i graduated college. i had been wanting a dog since my previous dog ran away, and obvs never came back, in middle school. also, my parents weren't really fans of me having a dog not knowing what was in my future. sometimes on saturdays i would go to petsmart to browse the pups because it just put me in such a good mood. the day after graduation, move out was just insane. i was stressed and needed some time. while i was checking out all the sweet pups, one really caught my eye. she was just beautimous. even though she was sleeping in a crate, you could tell she was full of personality!

 

after having lunch i decided to go back to just get some additional information about her. while talking with the humane society volunteers, they were informing me of the 7 individuals&families that were interested in her! immediately, i called my parents, burst into tears, and said i was going to get this dog & pretty much begging them to finally let me get one! [[even if i had graduated, i was going to be living with them, so kinda needed the okay]]

 

i ran back inside and signed the papers while bawling my eyes out and saying crazy things. good thing no one was with me because i would have embarassed them half to death!

 

rescuing a dog is definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life. knowing that my pup, 'macy' could have never lived past a certain period of time because of numerous different things is so upsetting. for a couple years, i wanted to buy a dog for hundreds of dollars. visiting humane societies and hearing the stories of different animals really opened my eyes to the option of rescuing a pup.

the pupster right after adoption!

 

if you do anything in your life, rescue a pup & adopt. there are so many animals that have been abandoned, mistreated, and many other things for no reason.

 

adopt. 

reassurance.

okaysies. now for more deets on my super cool job-O.

if you're new to this thing i like to call my bloggity blog, hi!

but, to get you up-to-speed little bit of what happened in the past year or so.

to make a long story short...

got a job in july 2011. quit november 2011. 

went into a season of waiting with the Lord really asking Him what He wanted for me & not what i wanted for myself. really great time of patience&reassurance from the Lord that He has everything in place for me when i need it to happen & to really trust in Him abundantly.

got a seasonal position at bath&body works [i liked all the great perks!] & worked at chick-fil-a. was promoted to a training director. hated it. boo.

so, back to the present.

i am with a company that i just adore to pieces, Samaritans Purse. if you haven't checked it out make sure you google it. anyways..we have devotions every morning which i love how our whole organization gets togeths every morning to do that. so great to see faces in other departments&make relationships with them. it has been really great getting to know the community at work & i only hope to do that as well in other aspects of my life in my new town.

if you feel down&out about where you are in life, you may just need to take a breather. the Lord is calling for you to come&rest in Him. to talk, ponder, teach&inspire you. the Lord took that time in my life to teach me many things through many different life experiences. He also taught me how to put things into practice. some of those things i am just now being able to put into practice. it's been an amazing journey up until now, & i know the Lord is saying "the best is yet to come."

seek&rest in Him today. 

exploring.

moving is such a crazy thing.

i'm still not really settled...

my little pupster isn't here yet, but will be soon! so, that's good news!

i think exploring will be a lot more fun when she is here to share that experience with me.

my job is great&i'm really excited about it! i love it up here, & i will only love it more once i meet new friends.

fall i believe has arrived! :] i'm loving the crisp aiR...

toodle-loo.

deal with it.

what an awesome, exciting time in life!

i just moved & haven't completely gotten settled in to my new lifestyle; still trying to figure out my routine. but, i'm taking it baby steps at a time.

 

there's many things i have been wanting to share, but haven't been able to!

what i want to really share today tho is a book i am currently reading.

it's awesome because it describes me so well&is going to help me A LOT!

some of you may laugh, but it's really great.

titled delivered from distraction, this book helps those who have ADD kinda just like deal with it!

anyways, the thing was, i either keep complaining about how ADD my life was or do something about it! so, i'm taking all this information in with everything i have and really putting some of the practices into my lifestyle.

 

when struggling with some type of disorder or even an illness, becoming knowledgeable about what you are going through can really help you move forward and make some changes. you become aware that you aren't the only one who struggles with this&more facts that help you realize even minor changes you can make to make your disorder easier on you!

 

i don't think it will change the type of person you are either. if anything, it makes you build upon your strengths instead of focusing on your weaknesses. because guess what, WE ALL HAVE THEM! & if anyone thinks they are perfect: all of us have sometime in our lives said we were sorry. whether when we were younger or it could have been five minutes ago. therefore, you aren't perfect. anyways..back to my original stuffs...the traits that you are strong in can only become stronger when you focus on them.

 

so DO IT! go out and be confident with it&go buy a book on what you struggle with. you can only get better if you study it. :]

 

& no you aren't crazy. if anything, you're smart for being proactive.

olympics.

holy goshness. my life has been consisting of a lot lately.

work, reading, work, sleeping, gluten free research, gluten free cooking, work, funerals, work, weddings, friends, road trips, work, checkin' out other blogs, job searching, interviews, work.

Jesus is definitely saying, slow down ames. slow the mess down.

however, what has been really fun is watching the olympics.

when the olympics first came, i was just confused as to why it would be really intriguing because i just never had time to watch the olympics when they came on during summers & winters in the past.

i have enjoyed the olympics so much this year. to hear of amazing stories of passion and dedication to different sports is amazing. i am so proud to be from a country of such talented individuals, but also to see others from other countries succeed as well! God made us all so different and it's so neat to see how Olympians from other countries compete with those with a certain common denominator of a certain sport.

i'm really excited about the next few weeks.

concerts&weddings! :]

resting.

whew.

tons o' changes && just stuff going on right now. i have three jobs, two that are on the side & i have become engulfed with work it seems. this would happen to me because i can never say no. issue.

working on that.

i'm going gluten free for a bit to see some changeee in my lifestyle. as some of you know, health can be an issue for me at times, & i'm a fighter! so, POW! take that gluten!

& my glutenless diet is going swell! feeling great! had some issues by not eating enough the first couple days, but like i said. fighter. [[&& the Christina Ag song fighter...i know all you 90's babies were singing it.]]


needing to find that balance.

with work, summer events, & researching my new lifestyle of eating [chomp!], i've been thinking about the things i miss like reading & spending time with Jesus. also, been contemplating a lot of my passions. i'm a deep thinker.

however, [my] thoughts lead to over analyzing while prayer leads to resting.

keep my eyes on You, Lord.

loves in life.

here is a little glimpse of my loves in life lately.

[the precious pup, of course!]

[the super, awesome background i got from my super, awesome great gee!]

&& last but certainly not least...

[the relaxing holiday the 4th brought.]

hope everyone had an amazing 4th && has a wonderfuL weekend.

happy monday.

because of an appointment out of town, today was a day off from work! sweet! i love those!

my day off consisted of..

- frantically losing my phone

&&

- taking me about 20 minutes trying to find it..[darn when it falls in a hiding place in the car]

- stopping to fill up the gas tank [which i'm using my mothers tanK this week..!]

- 45 min drive with lovely starbucks treat for myself :]]] yumm-eeeee.

- appointment went fantastic

- lunch with this sweet, sweet friend. such a jokester she is.

- finding AWESOME vintage pieces to use in the home&&found a vintage button down that is amazing to say the least. here is a little sneak peek to my fab-O finds. [more to come on the fab items]

- then car inspection&car related things.

my first blog post with pics. from my phone until i can get a handy-dandy, awesome snapper.

happy monday!

society.

oh hi!

sorry for the delay in blogging. life has been crazy whack. ready to get back to the grind.

i am so [disturbed&disgusted] by the ridiculousness i found on the internet the other day. i was looking at a couple things on twitter, just browsing through some profiles when i came across this nonsense:

"Sorry slut, your vagina doesn't have a delete history button."

tweet from @CauseWereGuys

i am appalled by this & how society makes women out to be a "slut" for being with numerous people, but giving men no responsibility for actions.

let me make myself clear on this however:

i am not saying that men will not take responsibility for a woman sleeping with multiple men. women ARE responsible for sleeping with multiple people. however, i am upset at how men can sleep with multiple women are nothing is said, but if a woman does, she is viewed as a "slut."

a woman's number could be the same as a man's, however she is viewed differently.

i think this is completely wrong and disgusting especially for our society to be at this point.

&& women, if you are affected by this type of negative talk, there is grace..

there is a "delete history" button in the sake of JESUS. He gave his life to take away our mistakes.

there is NOTHING that we can do to take the gift of grace and love that Jesus gave us away.

You are HIS, not that of the world. You are His daughter. A Daughter of the King.

whether your number is 1 or 101, there is grace. repent and step away from the enemy who has grabbed hold of you. 

at the same time, someone who agrees with the quoted tweet above would never be a man in my book. these people are not loving people like Jesus; and someone who thinks this is even funny is repulsive.

In His Love-

choose to trust.

church today was just amazing for me. i've always had trust issues & today was really eye opening to the chains that have been binding me on this issue. here is the sermon we watched today at church & it was much needed not only for me but everyone! we could always use reinforcement on how important trust is in relationships.

i always knew i had trust issues, but this really put it into perspective for me. it is my choice whether to have trust issues or not. & it comes down to my choice to change it. same goes for you. it is your choice to change whether you are going to choose to trust.

the whole purpose of the life apps sermon series at Journey is to apply these vital sermons to our lives. that being said, i am excited to apply the things i've learned over the past few weeks to my life. especially this because i've had such a struggle with trust. trusting friends, guys, family even. & like Andy says in this sermon, everyone says they have someone that is the exception to the rule to this trusting application. no. did the Lord have an exception of people he chose not to love? & we should strive to be like Christ; therefore, trust.

i just think this sermon is great & if you have about 30 minutes just watch it. it's really great & has lots of tips on how to trust&love how the Lord tells us to.

in His Love--

who we become.

so, it took me 2 whole months to read the book captivating. what's the reason it took me so long you ask? because i learned so much from this book. sometimes i would read a page a day & just reread it because i wanted to take in everything it had to say. however, i know i do not remember every single line out of that book. i did highlight many parts & look upon them often to remember certain areas that i may struggle with. i have to say that it is a book every woman should read. this book came at a very great time for me as well. the Lord placed this as my first book to read after Christmas because He knew what i was going to endure.

i have grown up with the feelings of not being good enough for a lot of people, my family, boys, friends even. i wrestle with those thoughts&feelings every day. the only person who needs to validate my beauty and worth is the Lord. no one else. not friends, not boys, not family. & that should be enough for all of us. we shouldn't need the attention of a million people to validate what we do, say, feel, look like; we shouldn't need people to validate who we are or who we become.

today, my prayer is that you and i keep our eyes fixed on this fact: the Lord is enough for us. the Lord will provide everything we need.

no family, no relationship, & no friend can do that.

in His Love--

loves in life.

being alone really makes you find out what your loves in life are.

i'm finding those things out little by little.

it's almost time to act upon a few as well.

adventure&risk,

here i come.

& living it to the fullest.

freedom.

here it is, February, & everyone is basking in the sunshine outside. caa-razy. but, also really great. i love this kind of weather. not too hot, not too cold, & beautiful to be outside, reading, pondering with a cup of coffee & being in the company of my best friends [duh, Jesus & my dog].

so, it's been like 3 weeks since i posted. what's been on my mind you say? well, a lot actually.

a ton.

however, the Lord has brought me Peace in that because every time my mind starts to wander off in la-la-land or to thoughts that are worry some, He brings me back to Him. He focuses my thoughts on that which is eternal. He has taught me a lot in the place that i am in right now. He has taught me to take compliments with more thanks than bitterness. if any of you know me, i am the worlds WORST at taking compliments. i will steer away from any compliment anyone gives me. He has taught me to embrace who i am even when perfection seems to get the best of me. i will not please everyone, but i strive to be more like Him every day with my life. i will fail others at times, & i will continue to be human & sin every day of my life; but that is no reason to intentionally act like a crazy person & do whatever the heck i want. He has taught me to embrace my true&genuine heart. in James 5:16 it says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other & pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful & effective." with confessing your sin comes freedom. freedom in who you are, freedom in who has died for you, freedom of who has paid that debt for you. & with that comes thankfulness & righteousness. i want other people to be open & honest with me because i want prayer to revolutionize me, our generation, & in turn the world.

when i rang in the new year with one of my best friends, we made prayer walls. this was our promise for 2012 to make it a year to completely revamp ourselves into prayer warriors. the Lord has been revamping my prayer life in so many ways. i have probably spent more time in prayer this past month than i have my total life. i know crazy right! but, i have found out so much about myself & God as well. prayer is a form of worship & it's totally not about me at all. worship is ALL ABOUT THE LORD. it is for HIS Glory, HIS Praise, & HIS Pleasure.

i'm so thankful to learn new things every day about my eternal Savior & the Life he has planned for me. a life called for His Pleasure.

In His Love.

Amy.

figure out.

sometimes when i have so many thoughts in my head to try to figure out everything in my life at the moment & for the future, i just go outside to pray & read.

it's a huge breath of fresh air to add some Jesus to the stuffiness of my flesh-like brain.

forever grateful.