{And So...}

This is my life at the moment. Lately, I have been overwhelmed in excitement for what is to come. Every day I thank God not only for what He has done in my life, but what He will do. God stirs me and moves me on a daily basis. 

As of Monday, Benji and I decided on, and became renters, of an apartment. For a while I was almost convinced that the woman renting the apartment to us, was more excited than I was! She practically gave the darn thing to us in comparison to what moving in there would typically cost. I don't know about you... but when I am very excited about something, and someone else shows excitement for it as well... I almost feel like I may... possibly... pee my pants. Of course I kept my composure though, because I am a lady. Also... Benji told me not to get excited about anything so my expressions of excitement became nonexistent. Whilst inside I had a grin stretched across my face. We are very excited now, though. Move in is next week (for me at least) and Benji will follow in March. God is so great.

~Do you remember your first place? 

~How did you feel? 

~Did you rent or buy? 

~What were on your list of "must haves"? 

~How long was your lease? 

~Did you stay there for a long time?

~How far from work/school/or church, were you?

Challenge Day: 8

Three things you want to say to different people.

When I first read today's challenge I was like, "Seriously?? How dumb." But then I thought about it a little more and realized that sometimes we don't get to say everything we want to say to people. Or sometimes we will think about something we want to say to someone and never get a chance or never get around to it. With that being said....

Mom~ It brings tears to my eyes and my heart to even try to fathom how a girl growing up would feel without their mother there every step of the way. I don't know what I would do without you. Besides the Lord, no one's love has ever been so constant in my life. I just want to say thank you. For EVERYTHING. I would be completely lost without your undying love and wisdom.

Christopher~ I've been your sister for your entire life. You've only been my brother for part of mine. Seeing you grow up has been awesome. I remember how cute you used to be with your little dimple cheeks and mushroom cap hair. I'll never forget when you had to carry around a machine to help heal you after your surgery. I could see the pain on your face when you told me you were afraid people would make fun of you. I just wanted to take the dang thing and throw it on the ground. We were all so relieved when you healed wayyyy faster than you were supposed to. Anyway, you've come a long way and grown up so much. I feel like you were my baby brother just a few days ago. Now, you're taller and stronger than me and you have a much deeper voice. Where did the time go? I wish you could see the kind of man you're becoming through my eyes. You don't give yourself enough credit. I pray that one day you will find a girl who's heart matches yours. You're one of the good guys, Chris. Although they say the good guys finish last... they fail to remind people that they usually come out on top and win the best. That's you! Don't rush life and don't rush your relationships.... please. I hope you have learned that from watching me through the years. Always ask God for guidance first. You'll always be on the right track and you'll always be in good hands.

Benjamin~ I can't wait to stand before you, our friends, family, and most importantly God, and to say "I Do." From the beginning, I put our relationship into the Lord's hands. I was in a tight spot and I had a lot of baggage. Sometimes I feel like He put both of us through hard times so that we could learn wrong and right and so that we would be stronger for each other. You are a blessing in my life and I am a completely different person because of you. My life did a 360 when I met you and when we started dating. I've never been this happy in my life and I thank God every single day for you. You are such an amazing man and I have unmeasurable love and respect for you. You're a keeper. ;)

Challenge Day: 7

Do you read? What are your favorite books?

Of course I read, silly!!! I think everyone and their mother should read, no matter how old you are. Children should read and older people should read as well.

My favorite book would definitely be the Bible. No other book in the world can compare to the Word of God.

One of my favorite series is a series by Libba Bray. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy. I believe the first book is A Great and Terrible Beauty, followed by Rebel Angels, and then The Sweet Far Thing. The trilogy is fantasy which isn't always something I would choose, but after picking up the first book... I read straight through every single one during one of my summer vacations in high school. Not only is Libba an amazing author, but she's also very nutty and humorous. I plan on reading more of her writing in the future!

What are some of your favorite books? I would love to read them. (:


P.S. I found my wedding dress yesterday!! I am so grateful for my mother who payed for me to have such a beautiful gown on my wedding day. Thank you Mom! And thank you to Cheryl, Elizabeth, and Lily for helping me decide and tagging along. I love you all! You guys rock!

Challenge Day: 6

I wasn't very fond of today's blog challenge, so instead, I'm just going to do some rambling.

Yesterday, my  mom and I went looking for some invitation ideas for the wedding. At the end of the day I stood in Joann's with a box of 50 cute invites in one hand and a bunch of stamps and ribbon to create my own, in the other. After asking my mom and brother multiple times if I should opt for the easy way out and just get the box... they both kind of liked the idea of homemade invites but wanted me to do what I thought I would be happiest with. The end result? We came home with 100 sheets of cardstock, a plethora of stamps, an ink pad, and ribbon. Not only did I choose to make the invites because I love DIY, but the stamps I chose were more Benji and I. They express us and make it more unique. I can't wait to get started! Lots of work ahead!

Today I'm going shopping for the wedding dress! I know there's a big chance I won't find "the one" today, but a girl can hope! It would be nice to slip into a wedding gown and just be like.... THAT'S THE ONE. Hopefully having my mom and Benji's mom there will help a lot! I don't know what I would do without mamas.

My mom offered to give Benji and I the furniture in our storage unit from our condo in Virginia. What a blessing! I'm hoping that we can use the extra day off for Labor Day to go through some of it and figure out what we have and what we still need. Then we can start putting together our registries. 

The storage unit will depend on how Benji is feeling though. Poor thing. He's been sick since yesterday and overly-tired from his new job and working over-nights. Please pray for him to be in better health and to be rested. I can't even describe how proud of him I am. Benjamin is a hard-worker and I have so much respect for him. He's going to be an amazing husband. Is it March yet? ;)

Challenge Day: 5

5 places you want to visit.

I had an idea of places that would be interesting to visit but never thought I could narrow it down to a list of 5! There are many more of course, but here is a list of some top places I'm interested in!

• Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve in Texas
• Amsterdam
• Iceland
• Seychelles Islands
• Ireland

Hamilton Pool. Hamilton Pool is like a giant natural pool in the shape of a circle I believe. You can swim there when it is permitted but you have to call ahead because they randomly close it down because of unsafe swimming conditions. There is a waterfall in the pool as well. I'm a sucker for swimming! Especially in new places and historic places.

Amsterdam. I'de love to visit the house of Anne Frank and tour their museums one day!

Iceland. Really? Not only is it GORGEOUS, but Iceland also has a swimming area that I am fond of and would love to visit. It's called the Blue Lagoon. It's said to be pretty pricey and overcrowded, but it is so worth it! Supposedly, it is like a giant spa bath... mmmm! And who could forget the Northern Lights? Something I have ALWAYS wanted to see. I would also love to go dog sledding. Sounds like so much fun!

Seychelles Islands. Again... I just want to swim man!

Ireland. One word. Castles!

Challenge Day: 4

The meaning behind your blog name.


One of my favorite times of the day is the early morning. I love waking up early and having enough time to sort out my day and get around to small things that I wouldn't otherwise have time for or make time for. I also have a love for coffee. Coffee is one of the only reasons I can even get up early in the morning (when I do). It perks me right up and gets me going for the day. I consider my mornings to be my coffee breaks. A time to relax and organize before my day begins. This is where I got the idea for the name of my blog!

Challenge Day: 3

Your day in great detail.

Well, this morning I woke up a little later than intended. It was just about 8:30 in the morning I believe. I texted my office manager to find out if our office was still open for the day since all of the commotion about the hurricane caused my school to shut down for the day. After she confirmed that the office was indeed open for the day, I jumped out of bed and threw on some scrubs. I quickly threw my hair in a bun, put on some eyeshadow and jewelery, brushed my teeth, and grabbed some socks. Then, I grabbed my phone off of the charger, shot Benji a quick good morning text, got a big mug of coffee, found a poptart, and left for work.

It took me about 10 minutes to get there and since I drive a manual, I have to put my tennis shoes on when I get to the office. My work shoes are always in my car! When I got inside the office, I clocked in to work and began working on my usual medical records. Throughout the time I was there, I worked in our attic and filed some paperwork as well. I finished up around 1:30 in the afternoon and clocked out for the day. Once I got back in my car, I took my shoes off and fired up the Altima. I checked my phone and noticed that both my mom and brother were wondering where I was so I called Chris to tell him I had been at work all morning. They invited me to Books-A-Million but I wasn't home yet and they had already left so I declined.

When I got home, I went in the house and called Benji. We talked for about 10 minutes until he had to get back to work.  After that, I checked my Facebook and emails. Then I heated up some leftover pasta from Olive Garden (yum!). After I ate I just kind of mingled online looking at wedding things and replying to Facebook notifications. And now, after writing my post about my engagement, I am writing this post.

Later tonight, I plan on seeing Benji for a little while and then I have a dinner to attend which I planned for some of my closest friends to talk about things that have been going on in each other's lives and to talk about the engagement and wedding plans. They don't know that I actually plan on asking them all to be my bridesmaids as well. We will see how the night goes!