Blog Challenge #6 & #7

#6 {Your last random act of kindness}

I really do try to do random acts of kindness often.  I love being able to bless others when they least expect it. As I read this though I couldn't remember the specfic time that was the last random act of kindness I did.  SO I am now challenged to do something very soon!  I will update what I decide my random act was and how I was able to bless others.

#7 {What is your dream job?}

WOW, this one is hard I have so many things that I would love to do.  My dream job would be a mixture of a bunch of things.  I would love to not have to have a job and not have to worry about money.  With that I would love to be a personal shopper for people.  I would love to spend time baking and maybe have a cupcake shop (similiar to the one in 2 Broke Girls lol), I would love to just help people decorate thier homes and do the shopping for them.  I would just love to do the things that I enjoy to do in my freetime for a living!

Blog Challenge #3-#5

#3 Post your favorite picture of yourself, explain why it's your favorite

This is one of the first pictures ever take of me and I L-O-V-E it.  That is me with the yellow bow and that's my older brother Marc looking over me.  He has always been my protector and looking over me and I love this picture!

#4 What is your favortie Comfort Food, post the recipe!

Ice Cream!  I love all kinds of ice cream and it's my go to comfort food.  About a year ago I got a kitchenaid stand mixer (the best gift I have ever given myself!), along with that I the ice cream maker attachement.  While I have made many great types my favorite (which I have yet to name) is a mixture of Cookie Butter and Nutella.... here is the recipe I use....

2 large eggs 
¾ cup sugar 
2 cup heavy or whipping cream 
1 cup milk 

1/2(ish) cup Cookie Butter
1/2(ish) cup Nutella

Mix eggs until frothy, add sugar slowly until mixed.  Add cookie butter, nutella and mix until blended.  Add milk and heavy cream.  Refridgerate for a few hours before making the ice cream

#5 Top 10 songs you are loving right now

10) She's singing my song by Songbird Jones (local Fort Worth guy)
9) Million Times by April Geesbreght (another local whose made it big)
8) Loved the Hell by Joey + Rory
7) Beam me up by Pink
6) Roar By Katy Perry
5) Little Drummer Boy by Pentatoix
4) ALL OF SHANE & SHANE (I couldn't pick just one!)
3) 5:19 by Matt Wetrz
2) Wake me up by Avicii
1) When My Heart is Torn Asunder by Phil Wickham (This has been the anthem to my life and espeically 2013)

Blog challenge 2014 day #2

{10 things that make me really happy!}

10) Heated car seats
9) Chai tea
8) My pups
7) Matt Wertz
6) Live music in general
5) The beach (especially at night!)
4) A good meal (steak & lobster!)
3) A good bed
2) Cookie butter {ice cream}
1) ALL the amazing people in my life. What really makes me happy is how blessed I am to have so many amazing people in my life. I am blessed to have friends who I can laugh with, those I can cry with and those I can just be still with. Relationships are what make me happy!

Blog challenge 2014

I have wanted to start blogging more and so I decided to give myself a jump start with a 31 blog challenge. My goal is to blog every day of January. So here we go..,

Day #1 Write the story of your life in 250 words or less (this is gonna be hard!) and a current picture

Born in Minnesota, grew up both there and Florida. Was introduced to Jesus when I was 11 which has directed the rested of my life. Graduated high school in Vero Beach. Tried out a few colleges spending most of my undergrad years at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Involved with CRU, traveled to Brazil which gave me a heart for the nations. Moved to Texas, lived with 8 teenage girls and learned that The Lord wanted to use my story to bless His name. Spent 18 months at Heartlight. Moved back to Minnesota. Joined staff with CRU. Left staff. Moved back to Texas. Got bachelor and masters degrees in social work. Got an amazing job I love. Trying to live my life to honor The Lord. Am blessed to be able to walk alongside people who are struggling and have amazing people in my life who love me well!

I am now 32 years old and life is great! It sure doesn't look anything like what I thought it would at 32 though.  I'm Assistant Director of Crisis Services for a mental health agency, I oversee seven 24 hour crisis programs.  I've lived in Fort Worth for almost 7 years and love it. I have 2 sweet dogs (Daisy & Bella) My love language is Quality Time and I love doing crafty things, playing board games, reading a good book and traveling!

I'm guessing if you don't know me you will get to know me well over the next 30 days! Here is a picture my dear friend Marti Aiken took!

2 weeks and counting...

It's 5:00 in the morning and I don't have to be up for another 2 hours. I don't know why I'm awake, it's been an exhausting week/weekend! Life has been super busy as of late, but I'm making it and I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Over the summer I was given the opportunity to submit a proposal for a new program. I had two weeks to develop a program and write the grant. I spent many long days at the office those two weeks but it paid off when we got the letter of approval in August. We were being awarded $4.5 million to open a 12 bed crisis respite unit for adolescents!!

Since then I have been working hard to get the program started. We did what seemed liked 5,000 interviews and hired the 28 staff needed to run the unit. It's an amazing staff and I'm so excited about the leadership! We've spent countless hours coming up with the policy & procedures, rules, and schedules (who knew how hard making a 24-hour schedule was?!?).  I don't know how long I spent debating between furniture.  I love that kinda stuff but it's hard to pick out furniture from a blank slate and hope if will work! $58,000 later the furniture was picked out and sent to order.  I have spent hours upon hours and thousands of dollars shopping for the unit.  I've had overflowing carts of towels, pillows, and home goods.  We packed the work Tahoe full at IKEA, and then I went back a week later to get even more stuff! I spent this last weekend doing even more shopping and have much more to do this week.

It's all coming along though! We are set to open December 2, 2013!  The furniture is being delivered today, the building renovations are almost complete and we are having a community sneak peak this Thursday! It's crazy that all the hard work is coming together and we are about to open our doors in two short week! I am so excited to be able to serve this population and to love them well while they are in our care! I also look forward to being able to rest once it is open!

Yesterday I got to spend the day with sweet friends from Heartlight. It was so good to be able to reconnect with them and to reminisce about our time at Heartlight. I love how Gid used each and everyone one of us while we were there and the relationships He formed. I pray that this new unit will have the same result!

I love seeing how God is using my past to mold my future and I love the opportunities I get to love people well!

Thankful for Today 5.18.13

1) My dear friends Kati & Erin! It's crazy to think that it was almost 5 years ago that I met these two sweet girls at Panera.  I had just gotten back from Thailand and needed community in a bad way. I was invited to join their small group and met up with them and a few others that day at Panera. Only God would know that over the next few years we would grow to become dear friends! Our lives are all {a lot} more busy than they were 5 years ago but we make time to continue to walk through life with one another. Today we grabbed lunch and helped Kati with wedding registry stuff. It was so good! I just love those girls!

2) Sundress weather! It's so funny how with every season I look forward to the next! But right now I am so glad that it is Sundress weather! I love wearing skirts and dresses. If I could wear a sundress and sandals every day I would. I'm so glad the season is officially here! I'm sure I will shortly be longing for sweater weather but for now I'm thankful for the blazing hot sun!

3) Shoe designers who still make size 5 shoes! I don't know when the trend happened, if a study was done and people were found to have larger feet than in the past but I'm so thankful for those faithful designers who still make shoes in size 5. I really wear a size 4 but those are near impossible to find in Northern America. I have learned the tricks of wearing shoes a size too big for me but add an extra 1/2 size and I'm a loss cause. Most designers start makes shoes at size 6 and it makes my heart a little sad when I cannot find cute shoes. I was a Dillard's today and after a long search finally just said bring me out ANYTHING you have in a 5.  Ten minutes later the sales clerk returned with A pair of shoes, yes just one! So thank you Nine West, Jessica Simpson, and all the others who remember the small {footed} people!

4) Air conditioning! Today was in the 90's here in Texas, and I think the humidity was at like 352%! So maybe I'm exaggerating but seriously the humidity was crazy! My said sundress what sticking to my body, my hair laid limp on my head and I sweat in places I only knew sweat once I moved to Texas. Today such as these make me so thankful for air conditioning. I love that cold blast you get when you walk into a store after what seemed like a mile hike from your parking spot. I don't know how people did it before central air!

5) That I am part of the grand story of redemption seen in the Bible! I am so thankful that God is in the business of redemption and restoration! I have failed numerous times and yet God is restoring my relationship so that I can bask in His presence... I could not be thankful for anything more!

Thankful for Today 5.15.13

1) Have I mentioned that I have AMAZING staff?  If not, then let me tell you now... I HAVE AMAZING STAFF! I never thought I would want to be in admistration and supervise people but I L-O-V-E my job and for a large part its because I have such great staff.  Today I threw out my flowers I got for my birthday.  This afternoon I got back from lunch and found an BEAUTIFUL bouquet of flowers sitting next to my computer.  One of my staff said she heard me say last week that I always want fresh flowers in my office so she bought me some!  I am so thankful for how my staff love me well!

The Beautiful Flowers I got!

2) Comfy clothes!  I haven't been feel great this week.  I've been sore and achy all over and these Texas Allergies are killing me.  The best part of my day today was when I was able to get out of my work clothes and put on my yoga pants and my new Shane & Shane t-shirt (which happens to be THE most comfortable shirt ever!)

3) Brewed.  What is Brewed, you ask?  Well Brewed is my new favorite restruant in Fort Worth.  They have lots of locally brewed beers on tap, and many deliciously brewed coffee drinks! As amazing as thier drinks are, the food is even better.  They have duck fat sweet potato fries {Yes you heard me... duck fat fries, as in fries cooked in duck fat} They are melt in your mouth amazing!

Braving the storms at Brewed, enjoying our time with Kate

4) Community & Fellowship.  A few girls from my home group and I went to above said establishment to enjoy some of the last hours we have before our friend leave to go serve in West Africa.  We ate, played Heads Up and just had a great time!

5) Thunderstorms.  A huge storm came through tonight.  Numerous tornados touched down in the surrounding areas.  I pray everyone is ok, but I just love thunderstorms.  To me they are so calming!