Just another day in paradise…

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, for all of you who live under a rock and didn’t know. Like I have mentioned before I don’t embrace the idea of loving your husband or wife more on February 14th just because a holiday dictates it. I do however embrace gifts, and thus Drew and I did celebrate this manner. Although the day was a little different than a usual Monday since Drew was off work due to a minor dirt bike injury, it was really not much in the way of a holiday. I was however struck by the idea of how amazing my life is. While it was a day of love and bliss, I realized that the same love and respect my husband showed me on Valentine’s Day is the same love and respect he shows me 365 days a year. 

Drew and I did temporarily lose our minds and went out to eat at Longhorn, thanks to a gift card from my AMAZING mother-in-love (aka Drew’s mom). It was a nice time, and the food was good because it always tastes better when someone else is paying and cooking. But like I said aside from the ridiculous crowd this day was just like any other.

I don’t keep reiterating this to make it seem like I had a bad Valentine’s Day, I say it to magnify the fact that everyday with Drew is nothing short of amazing. Some say chivalry is dead, obviously they have not met my husband. Yes, we have our moments, but who can stay mad at their best friend? Even when the day didn’t go as planned, and even when it seems like the ups and downs will never stop; I know that at the end of the day it will be all right because I am laying down next to the man that God made for me.

I consider myself a very lucky girl, I don’t need a special day set aside for my husband to prove his love for me, because he does it EVERY day. So yes, yesterday was nice, but it was really “Just another day in paradise.”

i LOVE random things…

I love LOVE letters, and letters in general. I feel like with the age of Facebook and e-mail that the art of letter writing is being lost. I love a letter, and the thought of opening that envelope carefully sealed with thoughts of me. I also wish I had a pen pal…

 

I love Rosie the Riveter. I actually just love the idea behind her. WWII is by far my favorite war to study. Although it was a time of horrendous injustice towards the innocent, it is a shining moment in American history. This was a time when Americans bonded together over a common cause, defeating the enemy. I am amazed at the lack of support for our troops these days. In the age of WWII the country joined together each one giving of themselves to support the troops, the country and the cause.

 

These suitcases, I need them in my life.

 

I would love a day/week full of these movies! Someone make it happen!

 

These verses. They bless my heart!

my top five men circa 1994

Ok so everyone knows that Drew is my leading man now, but back in the day there were some other men that ranked pretty high up there. Keep in mind that I was a rather strange child, but to go with my theme of Valentine’s Day and LOVE I thought you might all enjoy this. So here are my top five men circa 1994…

5. Bob Howell

Yes, I realize this is Bob Howell from channel 12, but back in the day he was my hero. Everyday at 6 p.m he came into my home via WSFA. It was watching Bob Howell and Kim Hendrix back then that made me choose Communications as my major to begin with, so I guess the strange awe I had for him back in the day was all part of God’s plan to get me where I am, so thanks Bob!

 

4.

 Johnny Carson

Ok, so back before I started school I would get to stay up late with my mom while she sewed. These late nights meant 2 things more Bob Howell and Johnny Carson. I remember watching his last episode on The Tonight Show and being sad that he wouldn’t be coming into my home anymore. Watching reruns on Youtube now I am amazed that I enjoyed the show, because it was kind of grown-up, and I honestly probably didn’t understand any of the jokes. All the same I loved Johnny and looked forward to hearing that famous voice of Ed McMahon saying “Here’s Johnny!!!”

 

3.

Mr. Rogers

You all know I can’t talk about my leading men without mentioning my neighbor Mr. Rogers. I think I liked Mr. Rogers so much because in many ways he reminded me of my great-grandfather Clarence Frasier. They both wore sweaters and had this calming air about them. I just recently finished a book called The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers, I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. Not only did it lead me to believe that my favorite neighbor was a believer, but it also solidified what I believed all along, the person Fred Rogers was on TV was the same encouraging and pleasant person in real life. It was an excellent book and if you get the chance you should read it.

 

2.

Andy Griffith

Let me preface this with the fact that when I was watching Andy Griffith reruns as a child I didn’t know Andy Griffith was a very old man. That being said I LOVED the sheriff of Mayberry, in fact I was pretty sure I was going to marry him when I grew up. I had VHS tapes and I even had a set of cassette tapes with some of his comedy routines. Yes, I even had a picture of Andy Griffith in my room. I wrote him a letter once, I’m not sure if he got it, but I sent it all the same. I think it is ironic that having loved this Andrew for most of my childhood, that I ended up marrying my own Andrew as an adult. Little things like that humor me, but then again as you can see I am clearly not a normal person.

 

Last but certainly not least my number 1 man circa 1994 and still the standard I hold all the other men in my life to…

 Jim Collier

That’s right this guy is pretty much the greatest, in fact I like him so much I married someone just like him. I was a daddy’s girl back in the day, and I am still a daddy’s girl. To me there is almost no problem he can’t fix and if he can’t fix it he will at least make it better. So much of who I am I get from my daddy. He is hilarious, hardworking and humble.I LOVE him more than this blog can express, thus I feel he is very deserving of this spot.

i LOVE cupcakes!!

My LOVE item for the day is cupcakes. Although my consumption of them has become quite limited since my change to a healthier lifestyle, I still love these mini cakes. When I think about cupcakes, not only are they pretty to look at, but they give you an excuse to eat a WHOLE cake at one time. I am not sure who first thought of making these little pieces of heaven, but I commend them on there amazing achievement.

I love all cupcakes, but perhaps the best cupcakes I have ever eaten came from a place called “Cupcakes” in the Jacksonville, FL area. AMAZING!!!! I think even if Drew’s parents didn’t live there I would make him take me there every now and then just to visit this home of cupcake perfection. If you are ever near there you HAVE to check it out. I assure you, you will not be disappointed.

Now that I have written this and am thinking about those cupcakes, I suddenly have a craving. I think a trip to Jacksonville is in order…

i LOVE a movie

So since I know how much Jenna Sanders loves Valentine’s Day, I have decided to devote this weeks posts to things and people I love. (Somewhere in Brasil she is gagging and refusing to read this week’s posts, although I know she will read them and secretly enjoy them.) Today I will share some of my favorite movies that make your heart go pit-a-pat and are just all around sappy.

 The Time Traveler’s Wife. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this movie! I literally cried so much that the next day I had to go to the eye doctor. If you decide to watch this beautiful and tragic movie, make sure you have LOTS of tissues. SO GOOD!

 

 PS. I LOVE YOU. This is another tear jerker, but I love it oh so much. I think that I have a problem seeing as I enjoy these tragic love stories so much, but all the same this movie is in my top 5.  Even if you hate the movie, you can at least enjoy looking at Gerard Butler the entire time, and if you don’t share my love of Gerard, Harry Connick Jr. is in this one too.

 

The Notebook. I will admit there are some scandalous scenes in this one, but you can fast-forward. There is just something so precious about a man willing to spend the rest of his days reminding his wife of the love they shared that she has forgotten. Thank you Nicholas Sparks for this beautiful story and movie.

 

Pride and Prejudice. Last but certainly not least, I must include this adaptation of Jane Austen’s AMAZING book. Aside from the timeless tale of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, I love Kierra Knightly so this one is just plain good all around.

 

Enjoy some movie love and be prepared for lots more blog love coming your way.

All things LOVE!

It is that time of year again—the time when hearts, pink and red and cupid’s arrow abound. While I do not hold to the tradition of showering the one you love with more love than normal just because it’s Valentine’s Day, you all know gifts are my love language though, so I will embrace the holiday in that aspect. I feel like I love Drew everyday, but if I am going to accept the gifts this festival of pink and red bring, I suppose I will go all in and give you a post to prepare for this blessed event.

When I think about classic love stories of course the normal ones come to mind Eric and Ariel (you know I can’t forget The Little Mermaid), Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Anne and Gilbert (Please tell me you all adore Anne of Green Gables as much as I do!) but I suppose my favorite love story is that of my grandparents.

This is a classic tale of two people from different worlds. My grandfather being from rural (and I mean rural) Georgia and my grandmother being from Michigan. My grandmother was used to the finer things, while I remember my grandfather telling me he could see the chickens through the cracks in the floor of his bedroom. My grandmother’s uncle was married to my grandfather’s sister and they told the two about each other. I think my favorite part of the story is the fact that while my grandfather was serving our country in Guam (during WWII) my grandmother was writing him letters in study hall. It seems rather humorous to me. The two ended up getting married after my grandfather’s return. There are no pictures to commemorate the day they were married, but that didn’t matter they were Mr. and Mrs. Hunnicutt. Times were not always easy for these two, back then being in the ministry was a full-time job without full-time pay. They survived though, on love and with help from above. I am proud to say that my grandparents were married over 50 years, a feat most people these days don’t achieve. Theirs was a timeless love, and one that I am glad to have witnessed.

I love, LOVE! So to go along with this theme of love an bliss here are a few pictures to get you in the spirit…

 Who doesn’t love Norman Rockwell?

You have to love Old People!

Conviction

So this is where I am. I feel like I am in the space in between—in a place where I really don’t know where I am. I understand that I got here by allowing bitterness to creep into my life, and that is not ok. I know that I am no longer growing and sometimes I feel like the only growth I get is learning from the kids I teach in Sunday School. Yes, they teach me EVERY WEEK. Although I have known all this, I think it came to a head today driving home from working out. I had my Third Day Pandora station playing and this song by Brandon Heath came on.

The rain on the outside of the car came inside the car in the form of my tears. I realized that so many words of this song are a reflection of where I am. I can’t fight Him anymore. I think most of it wasn’t necessarily intentionally fighting God, but rather situations that I haven’t been happy about and definitely don’t agree with. I have allowed my heart to grow hard, and that is most definitely a sin.  I don’t know what all it is going to take for me to get back to where I once was, but it has to start with me allowing God to work in my life through my Quiet Time and prayer life. Once growth starts there,then I feel like the other areas will have more clarity.