My first Wishful Wednesday!

'I wish' .... I could spend three
minutes in Taylor Swift's shoes!

I absolutely love her! I adore her long, blonde curls, her height (5'11"! Oh the envy...), and it's not just her beauty, she is so down to earth and mature for such a young star. Also, who doesn't love a girl who loves to rock dresses with cowboy boots! She's fun, quirky, sweet, and she writes the most beautiful songs (or at least I think so... :) ). And even aside from her talent and physical qualities, she is a good person on the inside, which is not always the case once someone enters stardom. I also love her style. It's feminine, sharp, yet still has the feeling of comfort. She isn't trying to pretend to be someone she's not; she's comfortable in her own shoes. She's also one of the more gracious artists out there. What's not to love about her?? Haha.

I recently read an article about her in InStyle magazine and love and respect her so much more. She is very focused and is a planner (like me, I have to be a step ahead all of the time) and she recently just bought her own place as a celebration of "adulthood" and is decorating it all herself. She says she's secretly obsessed with interior decorating (another commonality with myself, hehe) and is going to decorate it in a very whimsical, fairytale sort of way. I love the idea! She says her life is so real, so why shouldn't she be able to come home to something that's not. I'm definitely stealing that idea! Long story short: She is amazing :)

Close runners up were Amanda Bynes and Zooey Deschanel. Both fun, quirky, women who love to be themselves and make me smile :)

Pizza for Breakfast and a Weekend Hangover

Actually...I don't know if I can truly consider that I had pizza for breakfast... I mean I didn't wake up until noon, but it was the first thing I ate. And as for the hangover, well I don't mean an actual hangover...it's more of a metaphor. I had a really great weekend and do not wanna wake up from it...so I fully plan on staying in this haze of a dream until I am required to wake up and function like a normal human being. :)

Secondly, I apologize for my extended absence. My computer pretty much shut down for about a week and refused to cooperate with me, so I in turn refused to give it the time of day. That, and I was super busy! We'll play catch up real quick...:

Last Friday I had a "Spa Day" with my friend Lindsey and it was amazing, pure bliss...if only for a day :) and then that night I had date #2 which was just as equally amazing. I spent the rest of the weekend helping Lindsey move into her new and super adorable apartment, eating pizza, and watching movies. Then Monday came, boo! But the week flew by surprisingly fast, yes, even without a computer, haha. I worked mostly but did have date #3 on Wednesday night. We cooked dinner at his place. I made Chicken Piccata for the first time and it was delicious, I didn't give either one of us food poisoning either which was a definite plus. Then we watched Paranormal Activity which left me a little disappointed. I was looking forward to covering my eyes and holding my breath throughout the movie, but instead I giggled through most of it and didn't have to cover my eyes til the very end. Regardless of my poor choice in a movie, it was a great night. And then this weekend rolled around. If I had to use one word to describe it...it'd be: Perfect. He has a friend that's in a band, so we went to see their show at the Midland Icehouse Friday night, they were really good! So that would be date #4... And then later that night he popped the question!! No, not that question!! Haha, we did become "official" though, yay! And we spent the rest of the weekend together. Aaahh...so happy. :):):):):):):):):):) Don't you love that feeling though? Butterflies going crazy in your tummy... smiling every time you think of them... pretty much feeling like a teenager and having your first crush again.

I'm sure most of you are trying to control your gag reflexes by now, hah, so moving on... The Saints won last night! YESS! Hopefully they'll win the Superbowl. My youngest brother turned 18 on Saturday, so in the eyes of the law he is a legal adult. It's so weird. I look at him and still see my 8 year old brother that needs to be taken care of. Other than that, not much else is going on. Still trying to find a job, but everything else is right in the world so I'm not gonna complain. Oh! There is this new show called "Archer", and if you've never seen it, I recommend you start watching it immediately! It is hilarious. If you're a fan of one liners, then this is the show for you. Lindsey and I watched it this weekend and I was laughing so I hard I was crying. Well it's about time for me to get ready for work, I hope everyone has a great day and hopefully I won't have a week long hiatus due to technical problems this week :)

Dear Diary... JACKPOT!

Haha, I don't know if any of you watch Family Guy...but if you do then you get my title :)
I was thinking...if any one other than Jennie actually reads this, you may not have a clear understanding of the meaning behind all my posts because you don't know the person (that would be me...). So I'm gonna let y'all get to know me just a little bit better...

Well...first off, my name's Nicole and I grew up in the small West Texas town of Alpine. Alpine is a pretty small town of about 6,000 people and home to some of the most magical sunsets and starry nights known to man. It was a much a blessing as it was a burden growing up there. A blessing because it's small enough to walk everywhere, leave your door unlocked, and you get to know just about everyone. A burden because it hours away from the nearest "city", which are still tiny compared to places like Dallas and Austin, and you get to know just about everyone...and their business, just like they get to know about yours. But when it comes down to it, I'm glad I grew up there and hope one day, when I have kids, that they get to grow up in a place like that, too. I have two younger brothers who are as different from one another as night is from day. Although they're both over six feet tall, one is a bean pole, has shaggy hair, and plays the electric guitar and listens to heavy metal. The other is a 285 pound lineman, loves his video games, and eats, breathes, and dreams football. My parents are still married after 23 years and will probably continue to stay that way for 23 more.

After 16 years of living in Alpine, my parents were ready for a change and moved 2 hours northeast to the "city" of Midland, population 98,000 (or something pretty close). I went off to Texas Tech University for college, and was there for about 3 years. I got my degree in May 2009 in International Business, just in time to join all the other recent college grads that moved back in with their parents. Thank you 10% unemployment rate and terrible economic situation. While it's not what I dreamed of doing once I graduated, it could've been worse. So now I'm applying to as many jobs as I think I'm qualified for and praying God opens a door somewhere for me. I love my parents, but it's time for me to be a big girl and spread my wings.

Other than looking for a job, I spend a lot of my time with my friends Lindsey and Ashley. Such fun and crazy girls, I love them to death. I also spend quite a bit of time either missing my bestest friend Jennie (you can check out her blog at: jenniecarroll.blogspot.com) or driving up to Lubbock to see her. I also have two dogs...well, really one and a half. I got my first dog Schatzee before I left for college and my parents made me leave her in Midland and after that she kind of became their dog (although she magically becomes my dog again when she does something bad). And then, much to my parents demise, I got another dog while I was living in Lubbock and she has remained my dog since I got her. I love her like I would a kid, her name is Nala, she's almost two years old, and she is a mess! I'm not quite sure what breeds combined to form her (neither does the vet!), but she's absolutely wonderful. She has the best personality I could ask for, a little neurotic, but a giant love bug to everything that moves. I'm currently single, but went on my first date with a very nice, and handsome, man on Sunday. It was both exciting and nerve racking and we're going on our second date on Friday. I can't wait! But I'm not gonna say much right now, after all, it just began :)

Well that's enough for now, hopefully you'll enjoy my posts a little more now that you know me a little better :)

A Year of Dangerous Living

Oh how I love Sundays! You've heard my rant before, so I'll spare you this time... ;) So I know I talked a big game earlier this week about all I was going to do...and of course some of it fell through. That's what I get for counting my chickens before they hatch! I got so caught up in the book I was reading (and finished) that I lost track of time on Wednesday and didn't make it to The Pursuit, it was so cold Friday morning that I didn't think I'd be able to hack it outside and missed my friends' events at the rodeo, and I was a little short on cash this week that I wasn't able to make it to Lubbock for Loop the Lake yesterday, so I stayed here and worked instead. Jennie did run the race though, so kudos for her and makin' it happen! So from now on I'll just focus on the present and worry about tomorrow when it gets here. :)

So this morning at church, one of our pastors said some things that really spoke to me. The title of his sermon was "A Year of Dangerous Living", and I've adopted it and made it my 2010 mantra...or slogan or anthem, or whatever you wanna call it. In a nutshell, he posed the question, "What does it mean 'To live IS Christ, to love IS Christ', what is the IS?" He said, and I agree, that it is the same as using an equal sign: To live = Christ, to love = Christ; that by living as He would, we are living in Him. That we live our lives as defined by Christ and giving Him full reign over it, not using the "parts" of Him that we want and then compartmentalizing Him like we do with all other things in our life. Living dangerously means to be dangerously devoted to Christ. Four ways to do that are: 1. dangerous evangelism; 2. dangerous relational vulnerability; 3. dangerous release of the past; and 4. dangerous trust in God.

• Dangerous evangelism... How many times have we had the opportunity to share the love of Christ with someone and turned away from it? I have too many times to count, and why? By acting as He would or simply sharing the gospel a little, we could easily change someones life in one small, simple act. I don't know about y'all, but I think my biggest reasons for not doing it is the fear of being rejected or judged. What silly things to fear! I know God will never reject me and He is the only one who can judge me, so who then shall I fear? It blows my mind how easily I get caught up in myself and lose sight of God in my life. So from now on, I'm going to be brave and have faith and reach out when I think someone needs it. And if I get rejected or judged, hopefully I at least planted the seed, and that would be a success.
  
• Dangerous relational vulnerability... Kind of funny word, huh? This is exactly what it sounds like...being vulnerable in your relationships; and not just in your intimate relationships, but all your relationships. Allowing myself to be vulnerable is very hard for me. It means I leave myself open to all kinds of hurt and pain, yet continue to act in the opposite manner. It's being the first to apologize, showing mercy. picking up your cross and carrying it. Three characteristics that define relational vulnerability are unity, humility, and kindness. Unity meaning that you stick by the important people in your life. You don't bad mouth them or hold anger and resentment against them, which can cause dissension and more resentment that will eventually lead to bitterness, failure, a collapsing of the relationship. That doesn't mean to let them walk all over you, speak your mind, voice your opinion; but if things don't go your way, don't harbor ill feelings towards them. Pray and have faith that the Lord will work it out in His own time and in His own way. I think humility and kindness speak for themselves, just mirror Jesus. :)
  
• Dangerous release of the past... This one is easier said than done! Forget about your past. Jesus atoned for our sins so that we may live in Him. So why do we keep picking up those chains and dragging them along with us? I have some that I thought I threw off a long time ago, but when I hit a rough spot in my life and am only looking down, I can feel the weight of those chains again dragging me down. He wants us to cast them off and move forward in our lives, living free of those burdens so that we can feel true joy in what He has done for us and so that we can bring glory to Him.
  
• Dangerous trust in God... Going back to compartmentalizing our lives, which parts do we trust to God and which do we keep to ourselves? We should trust Him in every part of our lives, and yet I don't. I have the hardest time trusting Him with my finances. I know I will continue to struggle with this and will have to remind myself every day that God has a plan and is taking care of me.

Haha, well there was my schpeel for the day. I think this will have a profound impact on my life, and what more do I like than living dangerously? Well I better run, lunch is ready then I have to put myself together and go to a Bridal Show to support my friend Ashley who is doing hair and make-up for the event. Should be fun! Hope every one has an absolutely wonderful and blessed Sunday! :)

Baby it's cold outside!

Man oh man is it a cold one. I was watching the news after the game last night and it said that 25 states are in winter advisories, that's half the U.S.!! Crazy! I love winter, not ice though, and that's all this weather is bringing. No snow, just ice. Boo on that! So I am ready for spring, enough of this so-called winter, 'cause trust me, it ain't no wonderland. So I am huddled in a corner of Barnes & Noble trying to catch up on everything I need the internet for. My internet at my house is about as useful as a car with no engine and no tires. Fun to look at and see if you can get it to work, but not very useful, hah. So I came here to borrow theirs and use some of my giftcards I got for my birthday/Christmas... I love this place, it's my go to place when I need to get out of the house and have a mini vacation. Is it weird if I feel more at home here than I do in my own house?

Ahh...dreaming of warmer days...

I don't know if any of y'all caught the Texas v. Alabama game last night, but I sure watched it and boy was I disappointed. Now I bleed red and black (yours truly happens to be Texas Tech Alum), and it's not that I hate the Longhorns, or even dislike them...in fact, I respect them as a team, good players, a strong offense and defense, what's not to like really? Well, I was rooting for 'Bama because I thought it was time for someone other than UT to get a little piece of glory, and truth be told, they did have some slight advantages over the 'Horns. I was feeling all good about my decision until McCoy had to go and get hurt in the first quarter. What a disappointment that was! That took away all the excitement of what would have been a super close game. Sad day. I'm happy that 'Bama won...but I wish McCoy wouldn't have gotten hurt so we could have been them at the top of their game, not when they were hurtin'. Anyway, enough of that. Goodbye college football, see ya again in September!

On the bright side of things, I've been able to keep up with my exercise routine despite the cold weather that makes me want to stay indoors. I'm pretty sore this week, but that's what I get for being a bum the past 3 months. What doesn't kill me can only make me stronger...right? Haha. I've been spending a lot of time with two of my good friends, Lindsey and Ashley, and it has been wonderful to be able to have lunch dates, "grown-up" slumber parties, or just spend an afternoon running errands together and acting silly again. I've been without that since I moved away from Lubbock in May and have been missing it something awful. We're starting up Thursday Girl's Night this next week and I'm stoked! What more can you ask for than great friends, good food, and Grey's Anatomy? :):) I think the only thing that would make it better is if my best friend Jennie were here to spend it with us. It was with her that we started the tradition of Thursday Girl's Nights in Lubbock and I've transplanted the idea to here, but it won't be the same without her.

Well... I better wrap this up, this wooden chair is making my bottom hurt from sittin' here so long! Hopefully I'll have something more excited to share next time! :)

And so the battle begins...

So, now that I've made those affirmations (the easy part) now comes sticking to 'em (the hard part). I failed miserably yesterday, figuring that since a cold front blew in that meant I was supposed to stay in my pj's til 3pm, coincidentally the same time I needed to get ready for work. On the other hand, I may have redeemed myself somewhat today... I did my work out first thing this morning, which involved a mile and a half run (getting ready for Saturday when I head up to Lubbock for Loop the Lake, a 5 mile run!) and then what I like to call "Series 1" of my circuit training. If any of y'all are looking for a work out routine or want to change things up, I highly recommend circuit training. I've had a regular work out routine since high school, and am sorry to say it had been the same one, too, but this summer when I lived in San Marcos I joined a gym that included a day with a personal trainer and he introduced me to circuit training. The pounds literally melted off in a matter of weeks! It was awesome. So I accomplished my exercise goal for the day, and feel great! Thank you endorphins! :) Then I ran some errands, and thanks to working last night, was able to add a couple more check marks by paying some bills and applying for a couple of jobs. So I'm feeling pretty darn good right now. Which makes me wonder, why do we stop doing good things? I know crisis sometimes arise, but other than that, why? It's so frustrating to think about. Well, studies have shown if you repeat an activity for 30 days that it becomes a habit, and habits are hard to break. So here's to good habits!

I'm pretty excited for this week. I'll be attending my first night for the young adults at my church (it's called "The Pursuit") on Wednesday and am both excited and nervous. Excited because I'd really like to make some friends in this town and nervous because I'll be flying solo. Then there's the National Championship between Texas and Alabama on Thursday, which should make for a pretty incredible game; the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo is in town and I haven't been to one since high school and am super excited to get back to my roots a little! One of my friends will be competing in the calf roping and barrel racing events on Friday morning, so I'm looking forward to cheering her on. Then Saturday morning I'll be running Loop the Lake in Lubbock with Jennie and my dad...and I'm sure I'll also be embarrassed when my dad finishes way ahead of me. He's in better shape than I am! Then of course there's Sunday, my favorite day of the week! Why is it my favorite day? Because it's the only day when I am not obligated to do anything. I get to go to church and praise our wonderful God, then come home and watch a movie with my family and cook a delicious dinner. Just enjoy life without worrying about what tomorrow brings. If only every day could be like that...ahh the hopes of a perpetual dreamer. :)

Well...I best be gettin' back to my day, there's still lots that needs to be done! :) But as I go, I'll leave you with this...

There's always a silver lining :)

Here goes somethin'!

The beginning of a new year. Time to wipe the slate clean, forget about your past mistakes, and resolve to change for the better this year. Or is it? Studies show that most resolutions are dropped within the first three months, so why bother? I decided not to bother this year... Well...sort of. I didn't make resolutions, I made affirmations. The word resolution means to make a formal expression of opinion or intention made. Well, that is all very nice in theory, but consider this:


The dictionary states that to affirm something means to:
1.to state or assert positively; maintain as true
2.to confirm or ratify
3.to assert solemnly
4.to express agreement with or commitment to; uphold; support

Which would you feel more obligated to uphold? A resolution or an affirmation?

Haha, well enough of that, I'm sure no one likes an English lesson. The point is that this year I decided to really push myself and commit to things rather than hope for or want them. They are going to happen, just wait and see ;)

What are these wonderful things that are to come this year, you ask! Let me tell you...

• I will deepen my walk of faith by attending The Pursuit (it's a group for young adults at my church), completing Bible studies, and becoming more disciplined through prayer and tithing.


• I will take control of my finances by paying all my bills on time, saving successfully, and only spending on what I must.


• I will pay off my credit cards and my lenders by the end of the year.


• I will find a "real" job by the end of the year; one that provides benefits and experience.


• I will regularly exercise and do a charity run or similar event once a month. I will also do at least one biathlon or triathlon this year.


• I will learn to be a servant and put others' needs before my own.


• I will successfully save for and plan my Oktoberfest journey.

This blog will serve as my accountability. So, I am now accountable to Jennie, my best friend in the entire world, and to you...whoever you are ...if there is actually anyone remotely interested in reading this, hah. Well here's to a new year, full of possibilities and dreams waiting to come true!

P.S. Another challenge I gave myself this year was to find beauty in the every day, so I'm going to try to post a picture with every entry. Hopefully they'll brighten your day as much as they do mine. God created this wonderful world to enjoy, so why not open our eyes and delight in what the Lord has given us?

I took this picture while I was on a little back road headed to the interstate to get to New Braunfels. I knew it was going to be a hard day. I was going to get the rest of my furniture from the house I had shared with my then boyfriend and was not looking forward to having to face him again. It was a sudden break-up and I was worrying myself sick over it. Then I looked out the window and this is what I saw. At that moment I knew God was telling me everything was going to be alright, and it has been.

A little piece of West Texas beauty for you :)