What I'm Reading

This post contains affiliate links.  If you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site or any related social media platforms, I may make a commission from it. I will always disclose if a post is sponsored.
image via Amazon

The forecast is calling for basically 100% rain and thunderstorms all weekend here in South Georgia. I'm looking forward to snuggling with the pups, and spending Saturday morning on the couch with a good book. Rainy days usually make me super sleepy, but after a little downtime, I have got to spend some time organizing my house! I'm trying to be thankful for the rain, which we need, and also being forced to stay inside and work on somethings.

I'm currently in the middle of The Hypnotist's Love Story, and read The Husband's Secret one beach weekend over the summer. I really love the author Liane Moriarty, and am planning on reading the super popular Truly Madly Guilty next! Her style of writing kind of reminds me of older Meg Cabot books that I loved in high school, so it brings back the "warm fuzzies" of reading that I've been looking for the last few years.

I'm personally working my way through Kingdom Woman in my Bible study, and will probably start the 90 day devotional once I'm done. It's been great so far: practical and applicable, while still pushing you to be your best {aka a "Woman of Excellence"}. It's a really easy read, and I like how it presents a lot of information, but then also encourages your own exploration of the topics within the Bible as well.

Next will be Grace Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy by Emily Ley. Besides being the most beautiful book ever {hot pink and pineapples anyone?!}, this book speaks to my desire to simplify, organize, and be less stressed! With a lot coming up in the next few weeks, and a huge desire to purge all the junk that has accumulated in my home over the last two years, I think this read will be very engaging.

What have you been reading lately? I love getting suggestions, especially for good young adult/romance series!

Prepare 2017

Well hello, 2017. Ten days later, and finally getting around to a "new year" blog post. Oops. No excuses other than an amazingly busy start to the year which is clearly going to be setting the tone for the months to come.

I spent a lot of time the week before January 1 thinking about this next year. It'll see us celebrating our first year of marriage, Christopher's first full year as a pharmacist, and many more milestones. In some ways I was worried that after the wedding, things would just become kind of blah. That's definitely not going to be the case!

Instead of setting resolutions for the new year, I know a lot of people focus on an all-encompassing word the focus their minds and actions, which seemed right up my ally. I'm very futuristic, and focus a lot of my time on planning...everything. From what I'm going to wear each day of the week, to when I'm taking my next trip, or going to work on the blog, it's a never ending calendar and checklist of things going through my head.

Sometimes that can seem negative, but I'm trying to focus that energy into something positive. That introduces my word for 2017: prepare. I love being prepared. I hate being caught off guard. As much as I enjoy surprises, I don't like to be surprised by a problem or a situation that I don't feel comfortable tackling immediately. This part of myself, this resistance or fear or whatever it is, can be refined through preparation.

I also want to prepare my heart and my family. Christopher and I don't see each other every day, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to prepare to be the best wife, housekeeper, cook, laundry person, etc. I want to prepare my home to be ready for guests, and to be enjoyable for us to spend time together. I want to prepare my heart to love my husband and my family in the most Christ-like way I can. I need to prepare time for friends and investing in relationships around me. I pray for a warmth and acceptance to flow from me to all those around me.

Yes, yes, this is probably the most "safe for a Type A person" word of the year. But it's practical and attainable. And is something that my heart craves. I'm so thankful for those of you coming on this ride of a lifetime with me in 2017!

"Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong." -- 1 Corinthians 16:13

Marrying McAfee | Getting Ready

My mom made me a clover crown, just like
she used to when I played outside when I was little

{Read about the pre-wedding events here}

 After the rehearsal dinner, the girls and I all came back to my house for one last sleepover before the wedding. They surprised me with a box full of sweet notes and letters to read right before bed, which was the sweetest thing ever. My bridesmaids didn't miss a single detail the entire time, and I am so grateful for such precious memories. 

On Saturday morning, we got up early and headed to the wedding venue, Quinney Oaks Plantation in Millen, GA. Hair started at 9 a.m. as there were a lot of heads to do! We spent the morning relaxing, setting up some of the decorations, and listening to music. For lunch, some of the moms brought us Dairy Queen box lunches which was delicious and very needed after a week of not eating much due to nerves! Plus, who doesn't want a hot fudge sundae before they get married?! 

After lunch, I started my make up and my MOH's pageant pro sister came to do everyone else's make up for them. Once we had all hair and make up done, the bridesmaids put on their gowns and were ushered out of the room while my mom and my maid and matron of honor helped me dress. I was thankful for those moments with my mom and Kirstie and Niki, two of my longest friends. It was a great quiet time to reconnect briefly before things really kicked into high gear. 

We did a special little "first look" with my ladies in our dressing room and I love looking at pictures of their priceless reactions! My mom then prayed over me and my marriage which really turned on the waterworks for everyone. I'm so blessed to have such a godly example of a woman from my mother, and love these pictures that Ari Merritt Photography captured of that moment! 

Hair by Jordan Reddick at 30 Volume Salon in Statesboro 

Trying to cool off with my gin bottle!

My amazing Matron & Maid of Honor

Happy Reformation Day!

I don't do Halloween.

 Essentially, I am the Grinch version of Halloween. I want to go and steal all of the candy {on Nov. 1 from Walmart, when it's 75% off, and they put out the candy cane Hershey's kisses} and then crawl back to my cave {bed} and eat it all, alone.

Growing up in Christian schools, there were always debates about the appropriateness of Halloween, and costumes, etc. I hail from the land of "Harvest Festivals" on Halloween night, held in church parking lots with "family-friendly" costumes. Even Trunk or Treats were a little too progressive at the time.

Anyways, the school I attended through middle and high school was a non-denominational Christian school, but we learned a lot about all the different sects and how they came to be. Basically my whole 8th grade year was a study of Calvinism, which has ultimately developed some really weird beliefs for this Southern Baptist girl. We always had "Reformation Week"  leading up to October 31--the day in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door which argued against the pope and his teachings. Each day was spent reviewing all the "Solas":

1. Sola scriptura--by scripture alone
2. Sola fide--by faith alone
3. Sola gratia--by grace alone
4. Solo Christo--by Christ alone
5. Soli Deo Gloria--to God alone be the glory

This week was always one of my favorites. It seemed kind of silly at the time, but we all got really into it, and I appreciated the time to break apart my faith to the core structures of what I believe: salvation in Jesus Christ alone, by grace and through faith only. We learn how to live our lives, shape our beliefs, and be Christ-followers through Scripture {that's it.}, and our ultimate purpose in life is to bring glory to God. It's all there, in just a few simple Latin phrases.

I don't condemn Halloween. I am a great lover of tradition, and I think Halloween can be fun {I just really don't like to be scared}. But I do like to take the time each Halloween to reflect on the teachings of my childhood, and what this day actually means for me and those I love. Happy Reformation Day everyone! Now go out and eat some candy...

*all pictures via Google Images*

2018 update to include this gem:

Smile Because it Happened

Whoa. What a year. As I look back from the time I started this blog on April 24, 2013, till now, it kind of knocks me off my feet. This year has been an absolute whirlwind, full of ups and downs, tears and smiles, opportunities and closed doors.

The new season of my life started in a flash: Christopher and I got engaged on April 28, 2013. Two days later, Christopher was accepted into pharmacy school...in Savannah. Two weeks later, I graduated college. Two weeks after that, I moved to my own place in North Georgia and away from my home in South Carolina as my family was getting ready to relocate to North Carolina, nine hours away from me.

Fast forward a few months, and my family and all I've ever known is crumbling around me. The perfect picture of what I thought I ever wanted for my future was shattered; more like ripped from my hands and shredded into hundreds of tiny pieces. Couple that with living a day away from the people I so desperately wanted to protect, and five hours away from my fiance, and I wonder how I even functioned some days. The amount of tears and feelings of loneliness I've experienced in the past ten months are things I hope I never have to experience ever again.

Needless to say, this year has not turned out to be anything like the one I expected when I started this blog last April. I suppose if you don't have expectations, you avoid disappointments, but I've not managed to make that work for me. I feel like if you don't have expectations, you don't have a focus or a plan, so how do you get things done?

As always, when I let go, God steps in. Prayers for guidance and focus, as well as to be close to loved ones have been answered. I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted a position at the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce as the Communications and Special Events manager! I will be relocating back to Statesboro in just a few short weeks to join an amazing community that I love and have missed. I am incredibly thankful for the experience I've gained during the past year, but am so excited to be back with all of my best friends and only a short drive away from my fiance! Finally, I can say I am once again looking forward to the upcoming changes in my life with positive energy--I can't wait to see what comes next, and hope you'll continue to follow along with me.

My sweet new home in Statesboro

Easter 2014

My sweet love 

"The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances." -- Robert Flatt

Ever since Christopher and I started dating, we've spent Easter with his family in South Georgia. This year, we had the opportunity to visit with my mom and brothers in South Carolina for the weekend. Christopher came into town on Saturday night, and we went to dinner with my brother and his new lady friend. After dinner, Christopher and I went to Redbone Alley, a Florence staple, and enjoyed after-dinner drinks before heading home to get in bed before the 'Eater Bunni' visited. 

Sunday morning, my mom and I got up to make macaroni and cheese before church. We all went to the Newspring Florence campus for church {watch the amazing service here}, and had lunch with some friends that afternoon. Pictures followed lunch, and then the sweet boys put my mom's birthday grill together before we all left to head back for Atlanta/Savannah. Too short of a weekend, but so much fun! Looking forward to another great weekend this week as well! 

My handsome, grown up brothers!

P.S. Update from Newspring Church---how amazing is this? If you don't have a church home, or are looking for a great community that encourages your faith daily, please check out Newspring Church. They have so many amazing resources online and on Facebook, and are starting an online Bible study today! I've never attend a church so real, encouraging, and practical as Newspring! 

Distance Makes the Heart Grow

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder." Of what exactly? Miserable miles on I-16? Being on totally opposite schedules leaving little time to talk? Doing favorite things alone? No, distance makes me irritable and irrational. Unsatisfied with the people and things around me. Distance makes my heart scream, "It's not fair!" while stamping it's foot. Distance makes me question, and makes me feel alone.

     The quote to the left was something I stumbled upon on Pinterest, and I thought it was mostly accurate. Distance may not be for the fearful, but there is still a lot of inevitable fear just like there are a lot of inevitable miles. I think the hardest part of the quote is that distance is not for the bold. It seems as if it is for people who are willing to put things on hold, sometimes indefinitely. But how do you put your life on hold when the world is moving and changing around you? Ultimately, distance changes people, just like visiting a place you haven't been to in years--there are new shops, new roads, new rules--but this time, the change is inside you directing your steps.

      I've stumbled across different articles that say weathering a physical separation proves a relationship's strengths. From what I've seen, it only magnifies it's weaknesses. Whether it be family, friends, or fiances, distance does little to build a foundation for the future. So what does one do when dealing with distance? Ignore, fight, embrace it? I don't want to do any of those things. Those aren't the answers I want to accept. Distance places you in a no-man's land, sometimes rather realistically when dealing with loneliness, that is void of relatively easy logic and understanding. Distance makes people who are so great together, struggle to remain great apart.

So how do you deal with distance?

Lent 2014

Can this be in my Easter basket? 

What are you giving up for Lent?

Growing up Southern Baptist, Lent was one of those things that some people did and some people didn't. I don't really remember it being talked about in church all that often. It wasn't really until I went to college where I saw how this old church tradition crossed denominations, ages, and roles. While I've never had the privileged of participating in a Lent service at a church, seeing my friends proudly walk through campus with the cross of ashes on their foreheads was quiet inspiring.

So what are you giving up for Lent? And what are you going to start doing, giving, serving? I know one time in high school, I gave up Diet Coke. While it may not sound like a lot, for me it was a really big deal. I still remember the sweet sting of that first sip from a Sonic Route 44 after 40 days without my beloved beverage!

This year, I'm giving up sweets. This is going to be so hard, and really no fun. But its something that has always had strong grips in my life. It's cute to joke about a "sweet tooth," but it's not so cute when it starts to affect your body physically. I hope that this refocus on health during Lent will motivate me to continue with my Year of Change and making myself better, happier, and stronger. But I still can't wait to have something yummy on April 17.

I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet. I want to do something that will give back to others, and inspire them for the day. So the question remains...

What are you giving up for Lent?

Inspiration to Change

I'm pretty excited about how this year is turning out so far. It's not been easy, but the changes I so desperately needed are happening. My relationships are improving, as is my health, and I credit it all to God and putting my "the desires of {my} heart" in his hands {Psalm 37:4}. I wanted to take a moment to share a few sources of inspiration that are helping me on this journey. My family has started attending Newspring Church in Anderson, S.C., and while I'm not there most Sundays, I've really been enjoying the podcasts of Newspring's pastor Perry Coble.

They're currently working through a sermon series about change on Sundays, and this week they have been posting daily vlogs about "5 Days to Change". These are great little three and four minute videos that really get you thinking and your day started off right. Another great resource is "Journey to Change: A 21 Day Bible Study" that follows 21 different people who had interactions with Jesus.

This series and church have me really excited about my faith, and I hope these resources will inspire you to make changes in 2014 too!