This Week's Happenings...

This week has been super, super busy and full of all kinds of fun things but my Friday is now bogged down with catching up on work and doing loads upon loads of laundry. But I had to sit for a second and blog because I have been ignoring it for far too long and I need to get back into some sort of blogging routine! 

Anyways...

Our week started off by trying out a new church Sunday morning and we absolutely loved it! There are a few others here in town that we've enjoyed but this one had a different feeling... it just felt right. I'm really looking forward to going again this weekend. The rest of the day I helped my hubby with his Fantasy Football... and I'm kind of hooked and I've decided that I'm totally doing it next year! The football fun was a little much for Carson to handle. I looked over and he had his monkey tucked under him taking a nap, haha. That pup is always doing funny things! He entertains me every day! 

Monday was an early morning. B and I got a little baby practice and babysat his cousin's son... he is seriously the cutest, happiest baby I have ever been around! We had a blast and got a little taste of what a day in the life of having a baby will be like... thanks for the practice Christian and Becca ;) 

Tuesday night I went to cheer on my hubby and his softball team. He joined with his cousins and uncle and it's pretty fun to go watch. The wives have matching t-shirts and I think the guys are just having fun with all of it. We're 0-2 but hey... no biggie! I'm feeling a win next week! 

Wednesday night we all went to dinner to Cheesecake Factory (yum!) and B and I came home to this little friend on our back porch window. We named him Fred. He hung out all night and caught pesky bugs but our buddy was gone in the morning. The wildlife that hangs in our neighborhood is crazy... no snake sightings yet so I'm totally fine with it! 

B and I also found this awesome table for our entryway. Thank you HomeGoods! Our house is finally starting to come together and we are so, so happy! 

But the highlight of my week was our doctor appointment yesterday morning. We got to see Baby H and he/she is healthy and growing right along. The doctor was pretty impressed with how long and skinny our baby is... if it's girl, I'm already envisioning leotards, tutu's, and dance shoes ;) I'm 14 weeks tomorrow and time is flying by and we're loving every second of this pregnancy! I'm pretty certain that next month we get to find out boy or girl... we honestly have no preference... we just want a healthy and happy baby! 

Hope y'all had a fantastic week and have an even better weekend!

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Being A Biblical Wife in A Modern World

Respecting The Authority 

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men." ~ Titus 3:1-2~

I want to talk about earthly government today. It seems only fitting since the Presidential election is in full swing and both parties have officially declared their nominee. As an American citizen, this is an exciting and overwhelming time for our communities and our country as a whole. We are so fortunate to have the freedom to be able to vote for our nation's leaders. It is a right that is so easily taken for granted but one that is so valuable and special to the United States of America. 

With voting and elections comes campaigning. Heated debates are bound to occur and politics are most likely seeping into our everyday conversations. Most of us know who we are going to vote for and many of us are vocal about our choice... that's what campaigning is all about! The freedom of speech is essential in an important event like choosing our next President of the United States of America. But as a Christian, where do we draw the line? How do we choose to voice our vote? Are we building our candidate up or tearing the opposite party down? 

I came across today's verse from Titus as I was flipping through my Bible to find my way to a verse in Hebrews... and I am so glad that this caught my eye!

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men." ~ Titus 3:1-2~

I was anxious to dig a little deeper about these two particular verses and my study Bible states:

*New Testament teaching is not confined to the area of personal salvation but includes much instruction about practical living. Although believers are citizens of heaven, they must also submit themselves to earthly government and help promote the well-being of their community. 

*The terms "rulers and authorities" refer to all forms and levels of human government. 

When I read this I immediately found myself focusing on some things that I have seen floating around on Facebook recently... the bashings of our current President, the bashings of his fellow nominee, horrible political cartoons, distasteful articles poking fun of our leaders. But what disappointed me the most was that these things have been posted and proudly supported by Christian men and women. Now... I am not perfect in all I do or say (that could be a WHOLE other post!) but I am a firm believer in truly supporting something that you love instead of putting down something you dislike. I've seen a banner on Pinterest that pretty much sums up these feelings:

Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate. 

I am aware that the above statement is not from the Bible but doesn't it follow some of the teachings of the Bible? As Christians, we should try to remain uplifting, positive, helpful, humble, and obedient. We should not judge or put others down- even if we do not agree with everything that they stand for. We can promote our faith and beliefs in a Godly way and that includes promoting our Presidential nominee of choice. 

Before we open our mouths or press "send" on our computers, we should take a moment and make sure that what we're saying or doing is Christ like. We need to be exercising our rights as American citizens but we need to be obedient to His Word as well. Our verse from today clearly states that we need to respect our leaders (regardless of political party!) and continue to campaign and fight for our communities but with compassion, consideration, and humility. 

I really try to not get involved in political chats, especially using social media, but seeing some of these articles and postings by fellow Christians has been extremely disappointing. I am hopeful that for the next two months we can make an intentional effort to promote our nominee in the most positive of ways and to remember Titus 3:1-2 as we deal with what is already a sticky situation... politics. 

Labor Day Weekend Fun!

Hope y'all had a fabulous 3 day weekend!

We had a blast down here in the sunshine state. B had to work Friday-Sunday but I was able to fit in some much needed "me" time. Errands, a good book, a little online shopping, and a mani/pedi made for a good start to the weekend. 

Yesterday we spent most of our day at a cookout with some family members... we enjoyed ribs, chicken, corn on the cob, pasta salad, and some yummy appetizers and desserts. We seriously had such a fun time catching up and spending time with each other. Of course... I forgot my camera so I wasn't able to snap any fun shots... boo! 

The hubby is off this week so I'm looking forward to spending lots of time with him! 

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo

Headed to My Old KY Home

I am super, super excited to head back home today! I love going back home and visiting KY. Work is bringing me to town but I'll fit in a little play time too ;) And the best part of this upcoming flight- it's direct... thank you Allegiant Airlines! I am forever grateful for no layovers! 

I so enjoy staying and seeing my family and visiting all my spots that only KY can offer! I literally plan my days around all of my favorite restaurants... so sad but so true! 

I of course will miss the hubby and our pups since I'll be gone for a whole week but I'm traveling back  next month and B gets to tag along that trip.  

Stacks of clothes are waiting to be packed and a load of laundry awaits me downstairs- packing is definitely not the fun part of traveling! 

Here I come My Old KY Home- I've missed you! 

I've Been A Little Preoccupied...

I have definitely been laying low here on my blog, not because I haven't had anything to write about but because I had one HUGE thing I wanted to write about but it just wasn't time yet...

B and I are expecting our first, little dash of sparkle this spring! 

What?!?!? Crazy!!!!!

Yes... our thoughts exactly! 

We had only been in Florida for 3 days when we found out and I'm pretty sure we just walked around in a state of shock for a few weeks. This was a big, big surprise but we are beyond thrilled and so excited to begin this journey together. 

And we're so excited that the doctor gave us the green light to shout it from the rooftops- it's been very  hard to talk with friends and not spill the beans. This has been the only thing on my mind and I just couldn't think of anything else that I wanted to write about on here so I figured it was best that I just steer clear of the bloggy world. 

So there it is... come March 16, 2013 our lives will change forever.

We saw our baby for the first time yesterday and I'm certain we're already in love with the little peanut!

Our first family photo:

Each day brings a new mix of emotions- happiness, anxiety, nervousness, fear, joy... but it is seriously the best feeling ever. 

We are so thankful and feel so blessed!

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Friday!

xoxo

Weekend Plans and Some Fun Finds

The hubby is working some long hours this weekend so I get to enjoy a little "me" time over the next couple of days. Besides continuing to get our house organized and get some final boxes unpacked, I'm planning on enjoying this down time.

I picked up some reading material at the book store:

Nothing mind blowing but the perfect chick-lit for the weekend. I love kicking back with a good book and hopefully if this rain holds off, I can relax by the pool with one of these books in my hands :)

A mani/pedi is much needed:

I've had this Essie color ("Fiji") for awhile now so I think I'm finally going to give it a go. 

And now for some fun finds from this past week:

Thank you Anthropologie for this delightful bubble bath and jar of bath salts... they smell divine! I also got a large bottle of soap for the kitchen. I'm kind of obsessed with this stuff!

I discovered this new candle after randomly visiting an antique shop- I walked in and the store smelled so yummy! This scent is "Praline Caramel Sticky Buns" by Keepers of the Light. And... if you're ever in the Winter Park area of Orlando you must stop into the store "French Nest". It is a tiny shop and literally only takes a few minutes to walk through the entire place but it is full of awesome vintage finds. I'm in the process of convincing B that we need a dining table from there as well as a guest bed and a beautiful mirror. They are in great condition and sooo affordable and I love that there is some history behind these pieces of furniture. I am fascinated by antiques and find them so interesting. 

The hubby and I are really enjoying the Sunshine State and getting to know the city more. We love exploring new stores and restaurants- this is us on our way to a dinner date last night. I feel so extremely blessed :) 

Happy Friday!!

xoxo

What I've Been Up To Lately...

I have been out of the bloggy world for the last several days. Between unpacking, getting to know our new town, and trying to get in some sort of "routine" my blogging has fallen to the wayside. I will try to do better! 

Here's what I've been up to:

Enjoying the Florida life! So far, we're loving this sunshine and warm weather. And having this as our backyard view isn't too shabby either...

Settling into our new home. There's still boxes laying around and we have furniture we still need to purchase but we're really enjoying our new place and we're finally starting to feel at home. I love these bright flowers that I picked up last week...

Getting to know the wildlife has been interesting! One of our first nights here there was a frog in our garage (not a fan!), I've learned to steer clear of fire ants, and I've found some new friends on my nightly walks...

These birds are huge! I'm not sure that this pic does them justice... they come up to may waist!

Between sneaking in some work here and there I've also become a total Olympic junkie... seriously... between the hours of 8:00pm and midnight just assume my television is on and I'm completely zoned out. Love cheering on the USA! 

Have a Happy Monday!

xoxo