On A Much Ligher Note...

Here is a little bit about me.

I know that yesterdays post was not the lightest and quite frankly, I didn't want it to be the first post people saw upon entering my blog for a long time, so I decided to fill out this little questionnaire. A few people have recently filled it out and all of them were fun for me to read, so I thought I'd join in on the funness.

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while your blogging?

This would be hands down, Dove Milk Chocolates. I’m enjoying one right this very moment. They don’t get your hands all sticky and dirty when you’re typing. Plus, sometimes those inspirational sayings get me all inspired. Profound, I know. (Shout out to my 2:42 loves!)

My two most current inspirational sayings:

“Success is the sum of many small efforts.” “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.”

If those words don’t change your life I don’t know what will.

2. What is one thing you don't want to live without?

Water. Not really for drinking, (although I do love drinking it) but more for bathing. I am OCD when it comes to shower cleanliness and after spending a week in Mexico with only one shower, I’ve come to the conclusion that I do not like living without water.

3. Beach, Mountains, or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?

This is a huge tossup between the mountains and the beach. I have to say though, that if you lived by a beach you could only really be able to enjoy it for so many months, whereas the mountains you can enjoy year round. So, I’ll go with the mountains.

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?

I’d have to go with laundry. I don’t mind putting it in the washer and dryer, it’s the getting-out-and-hanging-up-or-putting-away-before-wrinkling that I really loathe.

5. Who do people say you remind them of?

Not a fat clue. But one time my aunt told me I looked like Jennifer Garner. True or not, I’ll take it!
6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying home with the fam?

I love both. I’m such a people person and love, love socializing, but I also really enjoy some comfy couch time at home just relaxing.

7. What's your all time favorite movie?

This is super hard! I’m easily entertained so I enjoy a lot of movies, but I think I’ll have to go with Father of the Bride. It’s such a classic and without a doubt I cry every time as George (Steve Martin) is about to walk Annie (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) down the aisle. In his words, “This was the moment I'd been dreading for the past six months. Well, actually for the past 22 years.” Tear.

8. Do you sleep in your make-up or remove it like a good little girl every night?

I am a very, very good girl. I haven’t missed a night of washing my face since 7th grade. And I’m not even exaggerating or kidding. There are few (okay, maybe not “few”) things in life I’m anal about and this is one of them. Let’s face it, I didn’t go on Accutane two years ago to ruin my face now by not washing it. We’re not going down that road again!

9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?

Maybe it’s my obsession with Biggest Loser? I don’t know, but I think it would be fun to be a Personal Trainer. That’s so weird, I know. But to make it non-weird, I also think it would be neat if I could dance really well. Or maybe even be a counselor? I honestly have no clue. There is a fog in my brain and at the moment it’s all I could come up with. So much of a fog that this was the last question I answered. I was that lost.

10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?

I don’t know if it’s strange, but I think I’m pretty good at planning events. I am a very detailed person so this really helps in the process. I’m also strangely good at making custom plates for people with my super neat handwriting. Or writing on anything for that matter. (Another thing I’m good at, I guess?) Speaking of those plates, I’ve totally fallen off that bandwagon for the time being. I’m just too busy to actually sit down and do them.

11. What first attracted you to your spouse?

This is not applicable to my life. But if I did have a spouse, I’d like to say it was his eyes and sense of humor. And if you want Godly, I guess how much he loves Jesus! Hey, a girl can dream can’t she? See #2 quote on question #1. Words to live by, folks. Words to live by.

12. What is something you love to smell?

I love the way Clorox bleach smells. It’s that super clean smell that gives you a sense of satisfaction. But I also love Laugh by Brighton. Hence why I wear it.

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.

Besides talking about my singleness…Ha!

No, I’m not the best about staying in touch with those who live far away. I would much rather see them face to face and enjoy their company, which makes talking on the phone super hard for me. I do it, but I’m not the best at it.

14. When you have extra money, what's the first thing you think to do with it?

Easy. I’m a girl. I love to shop.

15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?

Again, both. Most times I start out loud, with a super high pitch at the end, but if it continues to be funny, or I’m really tickled, I go into the silent, snorty (is that a word?), hard to breathe laugh. To say that laughing is my favorite hobby would be the biggest understatement of my life. I’ve been known to laugh a time or two during inappropriate situations. Like say funerals, or when a deaf man took my order at TGI Friday’s once, or when my BFF and I were singing at our other BFF’s wedding and during the middle of the song, the unity candle popped out of the holder and we were worthless. Thankfully we pulled it together, but really? Worst timing ever.

16. Where is your favorite place to shop?

Target. Forever 21. Ross. TJ Maxx. Gap. Macy’s.

17. What is one thing you would do more often if you had more time?

I would probably read and write more often. Although I’m not the best writer, I do thoroughly enjoy it.

18. Are you a big spender or frugal?

I am frugal for the mere fact that I never buy anything at full price. I am a super great bargain shopper thanks to my mom, however, I’ll spend a chunk of money, on non-full price items every few months.

19. Who is your favorite character of all time? (from a movie or a book, can't be real)

I’d have to say either Michael Hosea from Francine River’s Redeeming Love or Michael Vaughn from my all time favorite T.V. show Alias. Two completely different characters, yes, but I think the way they’re both passionate about what they do and fight for the people they love is why I love them so much. How ironic that they’re both Michael’s? I just realized that. Maybe it’s a sign. But it’s probably not.

20. Would you want to be famous?

I go back and forth. I think for a time it would be fun. Not super famous like Oprah, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt or so on, but I think it would be fun to excel at something for enough people to notice where you get all the perks of being famous. What I would not like is the fact that I’d have no privacy and people constantly judging every cookie I put in my mouth or step I took. And I always wonder if famous people are really happy? I mean, where does their joy come from? The fact that people love them and are obsessed with them? I think that’s strange. So maybe it’d be fun for a day or two.

There you have it, folks. The randomness that is Lindsee Lou. It would be fun if you did this, too!

Practicing What I Preach

Last week was an odd ball kind of week. I've written this post in my head about a gazillion times, and have not been sure how to start it, so there you go.

I don't find it ironic at all that after I posted about Band Aids on Wednesday, I was basically handed an opportunity to practice what I was preaching.

To practice loving people where they are at, holding no judgment whatsoever, listening to what's really going on in someone’s life and just being there for them. In the good, bad, the ugly and very, very ugly.

You see, last week I heard the news that a friend from college, not just an acquaintance, but a dear friend was put in jail for making a very poor, poor choice. To say that I was shocked, horrified and sad for her all at once is a complete understatement. I was truly speechless. My mind was going every which way and I just sat there in amazement.

When I sat in bed that night, till 2 a.m. mind you, trying to take my thoughts captive but with little success, I wanted to think that what she did was something I would never do. That what happened was completely crazy. That I was clearly a better Christian because I've never, nor will I ever do such a thing.

However, it was the complete opposite. Instead of taking my thoughts captive, I put myself in her shoes.

In her jail cell shoes.

The truth is, the minute I think that is the minute I let pride have its way. By no means am I past any sin whatsoever. Without the grace of God who knows what sins I could/can commit. Without the grace of God, I would be a walking mess. This whole situation has done nothing but humble me.

To judge her would be judging her with human standards. Human standards are not God’s standards. We have to keep our focus on God, because we’ve all fallen terribly short of God’s standards.

To be completely honest, since the moment I heard of it, it's literally all I can think about. Like I said, in a time when taking my thoughts captive is of utmost importance, I am failing miserably. I just can't get it out of my mind. I'm so broken for her. What if that was me? How would I want people to react? What would I want people to do? How would I feel if my sin were broadcasted on the 10 o'clock news for all to see? Fortunately for me, it never has been, but unfortunately for her, that's exactly how I found out. Along with the rest of Houston.

During all my unfiltered thinking, few things have come to mind time and time again.

Lindsee, love her where she's at. Show it. Go visit her. Write her. Pray for her. Pray for her. Pray for her.

I don't think I've ever prayed more for a friend to know the forgiveness of Christ than I've prayed it for her. She is indeed a believer, but I need her to know it. To claim it. To believe it. I need her to know that she is dearly loved and that we will support her in all of this. I pray that all that nasty guilt and shame is taken away by the love of Christ. I've prayed that over her life constantly the past few days.

I've also been sick to my stomach the past few days. It's kept me up at night. Can you tell it's bothering me?

I'm truly just so humbled by the situation. I'm hurt. I'm disappointed, but at the same time, I have to practice what I preach and that is forgiveness and love and accepting people where they are at despite the awful circumstances.

It means that if I have to visit her in jail, even with a huge knot in my stomach and sweaty hands I'll do just that.

Not because I'm a good person at all, but because that's what God has called me to do.

I'm not good. The bible says I'm not good. I'm only good because of Christ in me. He makes me good.

And she needs to hear that.

I'm not better than her.

I'm not holier than her.

I love her and she needs to be shown the love of Jesus now more than ever. I strongly believe that.

Sometimes life is hard.

Join me in praying for her, will you? She is currently out on bail, but has a long road ahead of her.

Not with a spirit of condemnation, but a Spirit of forgiveness and freedom.

It would not be wasted on her whatsoever.

“So where does that put us? Do we Jews get a better break than the others? Not really. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it: There's nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God…in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:9-24

“There is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalm 53:3

“And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Luke 18:19

The Average Sunday Night Recap Of The Weekend

I'm not sure I can recall the last time I actually blogged on a Sunday night. It stinks that I used to have such a good routine for blogging, but somehow, somewhere along the way, the routine was lost. So much has been going on and I miss just blogging about the day to day, so here's to hoping I get my groove back.

We'll start plain and simple. This weekend.

After a crazy, weird week I was so ready for the weekend to be here. It wasn't a calm, relaxing weekend per say, but I knew it was a weekend filled with super fun things!

Friday the weather was absolutely perfect here. And I mean perfect. We really haven't had much Fall weather at all, so the minute the skies are blue, the humidity is gone, and the temperature drops every person in Houston gets extremely giddy. There is just something about that crisp Fall air, and since it's so few and far between these days, it just makes it all the sweeter.

After work I went immediately to get my haircut. It was much needed! And folks, can I tell you just how much I love my hair lady? She is seriously one of the sweetest things I know and knows how to cut some thick, wavy hair. Sister never disappoints. Have you ever thought about how much therapy stylists do? I can only imagine all the stories they have to listen to. Bless them!

I left the salon with an even greater attitude because my new do was sassy! And by sassy I mean she puts the best bump in it. If only I could do it that great. I headed straight for Blockbuster to rent The Proposal because Claire had yet to see it, and I just love it, so we enjoyed a nice evening just resting and laughing our heads off.

Saturday the day began at a baby shower for sweet Debra. Do you know her? If you don't, you should go read her blog. Now. She's so fun and super, super cute. (How many times can I use the word "super" in this blog post?) Sometimes I like to think I'm somewhat creative, but then I head over to her blog or photography page and I'm immediately put to shame. We celebrated her and baby Jude that morning. Her due date is Christmas Eve! What a fun gift, no? I think my favorite part of the whole shower was meeting her daughter, Carly. That sweet girl does not, and I repeat, does not have a shy bone in her body. She was hysterical. I'm thinking Debra and I need to have a lunch date soon and she needs to bring Carly along. She's that entertaining and I loved every minute of it! Debra, thank you for letting me celebrate with you!

Check out our height difference! It's quite humorous.


Right after the shower I drove straight back to my church for our annual Fall Festival. Our high schoolers are always in charge of the booths, so the first two hours of setting up were pretty hectic, but once the festival got started, everything went pretty smooth. Thankfully, I even had a moment to run home and change into some more appropriate clothing. Not baby shower clothing! (Outfit #2 of the day.) I do feel like I was at church all day, but it was good. The weather was perfect and y'all, we had over 1,700 people come out for it. Can we say praise the Lord? Such a good day. (I have no pictures for the mere fact that I ran around most of the time. But just picture people everywhere and little children filled with glee because of candy and moonwalks and games, oh my!)

Once everything was cleaned up I went to my office to help a sweet high school girl of mine, Laura, to get ready for homecoming. She had asked me to do her makeup and I was just thrilled. I love me some makeup, y'all! It was so much fun and every time someone walked back there they just looked at us like we were nutty. But hey, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! She was such a trooper because she had just spent all day outside helping at the fall festival, got ready in my office and then went to homecoming. Wow. All I'm sayin' is that as a sophomore in high school, I would have skipped the whole festival in general to get ready for the dance. But that was me. Laura is so sweet and such a servant. She looked beautiful after all was said and done! I'd do her makeup again in a heartbeat. (Or any of those girls for that matter. Hey, it's ministry, isn't it? It's the new makeup ministry. Ha!)




Fixing some of the curls!

Doesn't she look so pretty?

The girls who helped her get ready.

I was just a bit worn down by then!

Even though I was completely pooped after all these fun festivities, I still had one more event to attend to. (Outfit #3) Jen was in town and asked if I could have dinner, and hello, when homegirl lives in Ft. Worth, you don't miss an opportunity to see her! We met up at Texas Roadhouse and literally closed the restaurant down. Laura joined us too and that was super fun because I hadn't seen her since her wedding. All my friends are so grown up and wifey. Is that weird? Needless to say, I love them to pieces and so enjoyed my time catching up with them. So much so that I didn't get home until 12:30 a.m. I am officially nuts.

I love my Jen.

Me, Mrs. Jasper & Mrs. Sanders.

How cute are they?

Love me some Laura, too!

Even though I was gone for literally 14 hours straight on Saturday, I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Fun, busy Saturdays like that, as exhausting as they can be, are also so refreshing. I enjoyed my time with every person I got to see on Saturday. I am truly blessed by the people in my life!

Unfortunately, my alarm clock came super quick and I was up and at 'em for church this morning. It was great! I had every intention of leaving a bit early to stop and get Starbucks, but my intentions didn't come to fruition. My bed seemed like a better idea than a Vanilla Latte. After church I ate a Pei Wei with some of the students, came home and got ready for my senior girls. As I've said before we're going through Living Beyond Yourself and this week we learned about patience and y'all, I can't think of a better way to start a week. The Word was a good one and left me so much to chew on this week.

Needless to say, I had a fabulous, beautiful weekend and I hope you did as well. Many hugs to y'all.

And with that, I'm off to bed.

How's that for a lame ending? Ha!

Band Aids

As most of you know, I am Girls Ministry Director (a.k.a. GMD as some of my girls say) and amongst many other tasks, I get the privilege of leading a small group of senior girls every Sunday evening. It is by far one of the highlights of my week because they have truly stolen my heart. Our small groups are based off of the verse Acts 2:42 which is which is why we call them 2:42 groups as opposed to just small groups. Some things just stick! However, that is completely beside the point.

Acts 2:42 is all about the fellowshipping of believers. Praying together. Learning together and so on and so forth. It’s just perfect for what we long to accomplish through our small groups. In the Message translation of this verse one line says “the life together” meaning they’ve committed to do life together and folks that is what we’re all about. We’re all about, in our small groups, coming together as fellow believers and strugglers in Christ to simply do life together. It’s a beautiful thing if you ask me. Especially when you get a group of high school girls or guys that mesh well and actually let the group minister to them and grow them.

I’d be lying if I said at times it isn’t frustrating because you long so badly for your group to mesh and they just don’t. Or if you know there are huge issues going on behind closed doors and they just don’t care to share. Yes, that is frustrating for the mere fact that I am so jealous for them to be free in Christ. And freedom in Christ frankly, takes vulnerability. Something that I didn’t “get” until my senior year of high school.

The truth is, vulnerability takes guts. Major guts. And a major dose of the Spirit for Him to spit the thing right out of you. But, it only takes one. One girl to open up and lay it all out on the line. One girl to be the catalyst. Because let’s face it, if one person opens up to share their struggle, there is a sense of freedom in going next because you know you’re not alone. You know you’re not the only one who has royally screwed up. Ugh, sometimes I just want to beat that nameless creature against the wall because of the lies he feeds our students. Number one being, they are completely alone in whatever they’re going through. It ticks me off!

So, imagine my surprise when last Sunday, one of my girls started the meeting by sharing what’s been going on with her for the past YEAR! Yes, my heart hurt for her. Yes, I wanted to put a huge band aide on it and tell her everything was going to turn out okay. Yes, I was wishing that wasn’t true for her. But more than anything, my heart was smiling for her. You see, my number one prayer for these girls the past year is that they would leave this youth group in May with no regrets. I don’t want them to think, “If only…”. I want them to leave free in Christ ready to tackle the world that is college. The absolute worst thing would be if they left feeling like the body of Christ, the church, meant nothing for them. Like they don’t need other believers surrounding them to encourage them in their walk but that they can do it alone. Let me tell you a little secret, we cannot do it alone.

After this girl shared, almost immediately everyone else chimed in to tell her that not only was she not alone, but that they too had dealt with that same exact thing. I sat back and took it all in before I even uttered one word. It was the sweetest thing to watch. After all the girls shared their encouragement I spoke up.

Let’s face it, life is plain hard sometimes.

What I didn’t tell her is that the Lord is going to take care of it and heal hear. I didn’t tell her to not worry about it. I didn’t tell her that in 20 years this will all be gone. I didn’t tell her that it’s going to be easy.

She KNOWS all that. And knows it well. I feel like sometimes we immediately resort to saying these things because we’re not sure what else to say, when the truth of the matter is that they don’t need to hear these things, they need a listening ear. They need someone to validate their feelings. Hear them and tell them that yes, indeed it is a crappy situation.

And that is what I did. I validated her where she was at and told her that sometimes, life is stinkin’ hard. It’s in those times I feel that the Lord wants us to be brutally honest with Him instead of telling Him that we know He’s going to take care of it. He knows our hearts anyway so to tell Him that we’re confident in His timing and perfect will would be a lie. Tell Him straight up how you feel! I have found that to be the most healing thing.

What I am not saying here is that He’s not going to be all those things to her. Yes, he is our mighty healer and WILL, without a shadow of a doubt hear and heal her. But I think if we’re constantly putting a band aid on our feelings, we never let Him really heal us where we’re at. He can’t even begin to heal us if we’re not willing to own up to our crap.

However, I also did pull out some tough love on her. What she and we all need to be doing is believing what the Lord says about us and not what any other person on the planet says about us. And from there, it’s all a cycle. We start believing the lies, get caught up in some sort of sin or another, struggle with this or that, don’t bother to tell anybody because of what they might think of us, and then end up living a lie and completely defeated. All because we’re afraid of what people might think of us. Do you see it? Oh, I do.

Not only do I see it, I know it all too well. It is indeed, my testimony. Up until my senior year of high school I was a walking lie. So much was going on below the surface than I ever cared to own up to. All because of fear of another human being. Folks, what do you have to lose? Nothing. Nothing at all. You have SO much to gain when you’re brutally honest with yourself, the Lord, and an accountable group of friends that wouldn’t judge you even if you murdered someone. Disappointed? Sure. Judgmental? No way.

Needless to say, that night at bible study we spent almost 3 hours just talking about this situation. We didn’t even watch our video for that session or even speak about the fruit of the spirit we were on that week. We simply talked about life. How hard it was. I didn't sugar coat it for them. I listened, shared past experiences, and I felt that in the midst of that not only was our sweet Jesus thrilled that we were honest, but that he healed a piece of everyone's heart because we invited Him there. We welcomed Him into our midst to do a work. Yes, I did speak truth into her life because yes, she needs to hear it. But, oh, if we would realize how important it is to be completely and utterly vulnerable with Him and others. It only takes one, folks. And that one thrilled my heart because she was a catalyst for change in our group.

So, the next time I want to put a band aid on my current situation, or not own up to what’s really going on in my heart, I am going to remember my sweet girls. Sometimes life is hard, y’all. And at the end of the day I don’t want to hold anything back. I want myself and those I serve to be completely free in Jesus.

Bottom line: Tell it how it is. He already knows anyway!

“This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God.” 1 John 3:19-21

“God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what.” Hebrews 4:12-13

“Mark well that GOD doesn't miss a move you make; he's aware of every step you take. The shadow of your sin will overtake you; you'll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark. Death is the reward of an undisciplined life; your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.” Proverbs 5:21-23

Two Weekends All Wrapped Up In One Post: Creative, I Know

Somehow I’ve managed to not blog about my past few weekends, but I’ll have you know they have been extremely productive and relaxing.

Last weekend I got to see one of my precious friends, Jonathan, marry his lovely bride, Tara. To say that we are proud of him is the biggest understatement ever. He has been dealt some hard cards in his life and it has been so neat watching the Lord turn it around and see him succeed at so many things. Plus, he is the ONLY boy that I have ever kissed, and I’m proud to say it wasn’t at his pursuit. It was an attack made by me on our pre-school playground. Classy, I know. I’d say I have a “Go get ‘em” personality when it comes to boys, but that was apparently only true when I was 5.

If I was only as bold now as I was then? Who knows who I’d be married to. Ha!

Anyway, back to that weekend. The wedding was beautiful, and tearful, and fun, and proud and tons of other things. Definitely a sweet memory.

After the wedding Kevyn, my little brother, and I went to see FAME. It was definitely different than I expected, but I absolutely loved it. Anything that involves any type of singing or dancing will surely steal my heart. I especially loved the ending scene. Why are those always the best? Needless to say, the FAME soundtrack has been quite popular on my iTunes playlist as of late.

Onto the next weekend which was this past one…

I had been staying with my parents for a few days last week because Claire’s husband was home from training for a few days, so needless to say, I left them for those few days.

Friday night my parents and I decided to try out this new organic pizza place near us, and folks, it did not disappoint. I know it sounds funny, but I love anything organic, so this was right up my alley. The pizza was de-light-ful. We even had organic water. I definitely plan on going back! There were just too many things to try out to not go back.

Saturday, I woke up, put on my polo hat and headed back to my “new home.” For months now I have been planning on painting my old college furniture that I am now using again, but I just haven’t had the time to do it. Well, Saturday I made time to do it. I met my friend Dana and her daughter Megan at my house and we got to work. Dana started on my bed frame while I did a French manicure on Megan for homecoming that night. It was a win-win situation. Once I finished Megan’s nails, Dana had finished my head board so she showed me how to do the rest, they took off to go get Megan all pretty, and I headed back to Lowes to get more paint.

Folks, I used 8 cans of spray paint . Eight cans. And I’m pretty sure that not only was I high after all was said and done, but to this day I have the biggest hand cramp ever. I’m not even exaggerating when I tell you I’ve taken Tylenol before bed each night just for my hand/wrist cramps. Bless my heart.

The bed painting process took all of 4 hours, but once I was done, it was so worth it. I love the way it turned out! And now I feel confident in re-painting furniture. I’m so domestic like that, y’all.

After I cleaned up, got rid of my hang over and took a shower, I went to the movies to see Love Happens. I absolutely loved it! You definitely need some Kleenex if/when you go, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. As did Angie. I also enjoyed my popcorn and M&M’s in honor of Jen. I’m so sorry if you have seen it and didn’t enjoy it as much as I do. But frankly, I am easily entertained.

Sunday was the average church (I guess church shouldn’t be “average”, but you get the point), small group day and it was delightful. Hot, but delightful.

Then Monday rolled around. Mondays are my new days off and more recently they’ve consisted of me laying on the couch catching up on my DVR’d shows, or going to the grocery store and what not, however, this Monday I was bound and determined to put my bed together. Yes, it was painted, but it had yet to be assembled. Oh folks, this is a feat I’ve never set out to accomplish on my own, and now I remember why. Three and a half hours later, I had an assembled bed and was praying over it that it would just please hold me up at night. Normally my father dearest completes such a task, but father dearest works on Mondays. I about gave up at the very end of the assembly, but held strong, yelled at the dog a few times because she was the only living thing in sight, and eventually everything came together. I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud of myself.

Pat on my back.

Oh, and what I forgot to mention is that this is IKEA furniture, folks. Hence the praying over the bed and yelling at the dog. European furniture is funky to say the least.

Since I’d accomplished such a task, I felt very motivated and decided to get a million other things done.

Needless to say, when I put down my computer and focus on certain tasks at hand, I can be very productive.

I literally spent all of 20 minutes on my computer the whole weekend, and I have to say, it was the nicest feeling.

So, now I will leave you with picture of said painted bed and side tables.

Note: The bed is done. The side tables are done. However, my room in general is not done. We’re still contemplating painting the wall behind my bed and I have yet to hang any pictures or anything personal. So, I hope you enjoy what I have at this moment!

Jonathan (Groom to be), Mark, Me, Jen and Brien (My oldest brother) - This was the night before the wedding at the "Post Rehearsal Party"

Their first dance.

Jonathan and his sweet mom.

Mr. & Mrs. Crittenden

Me and Sohpie. (I'm not sure what kind of smile she's sporting here. But homegirl is a doll!)

My crazy family!

My "normal" family!

Brothers! (Please excuse my bangs. They were going wonky at this point.)

Jonathan hopped in the photo with us. It seemed appropriate!

Need I explain?

Me and Mark. He works out! (Totally an inside joke!)

Who doesn't love a fruit tree? Mmmm.

Adios!

No onto the bed painting...Before.

After.

Nice look, no?

I'm quite the painter. Thank you, Dana, for your "mask." It decreased the amount of toxins I took in.

Side tables! DONE!

The finished product.

Now all I need to do is hang some pictures, paint the wall, and I'll be good to go. But for now, this will do!