Friday, March 2, 2012

OOTD - Birthday



Traced Trimmings Dress
Anthro - Traced Trimmings Dress (no longer available)

My mom bought me this FABULOUS dress from Anthropologie for my birthday! It was cold and rainy yesterday, so this is how I worked it up for the colder weather.


Dress: Anthro Traced Trimmings
Cardigan: New York and Company
Shoes: TJ Maxx

Dressing up and wearing heals just makes me happy. I had a great day on February 29, not only because it was my birthday, but because I felt great in this outfit too!



Thursday, March 1, 2012

Some of Hunter's favorites


A couple nights ago (around February 16), I was wondering what to do for dinner, I had recently stocked up on veggies at the publix sale and needed to finish off a sack of potatoes.

Hunter had some left over steak from our valentines night out and I decided to put it to good use. I cut up the steak and added it to a frying pan with some soy sauce, sauteed it for a bit and ta-da! A whole new meal. I baked the asparagus in the oven with olive oil and salt, and prepared a version of my friend Jackie's potato fries. I sprinkle them with a little salt and some crushed red pepper. Spicy foods are mine and Hunter's favorites.

Never forget to use up those leftovers! Make something new out of something and jazz it up a bit. The possibilities with food are endless!

Birthday

My birthday only comes around once every four years... Yep... you guessed it. I am a leap year baby, and a twin on top of that. One day, when I have time..  I will conduct a mathematical study on the likelihood of this happening.. Yep, I am a nerd.

Two of my best friends had birthdays this week, also! My friend Steph turned 22, and my friend Mary-Anne turned 24. Mary-Anne had a mini mid life crisis, which really got me to thinking.

24 - (or 6 if we are talking leap years) what do we have to look forward to? Most life milestones are gone.. or long forgotten. Now we just work, hope true love looks our way... and strive for retirement. That is when a co-worker and friend of mine said, you must set many more goals. Goals in life to keep you going, to keep you young.. to keep you strong. You can check out Clint's management blog here!

Life isn't over because we are getting older, we just have a new outlook on things. After all that has happened the past few years here are some things on my list:

Goals:
Graduate with my Masters (May 2012)
Get accepted to the PhD program
Get a teaching job, with my very own classroom
Get married (maybe one day...)

I believe after these goals are accomplished, another new phase in life will get started... then, a new perspective and yet another set of goals.

Perspectives:
Not much really matters in the grand scheme of things. Stephanie has taught me through her struggle to value life and everything that you are given. Don't worry about the petty pickings of those self absorbed drama lovers. As long as we have each other and know what is important... we can do this.

Have fun, working yourself to death when you are young will only kill you - I can thank Clint and Hunter, David Tingle and Mary-Anne for this one... IDK how many break downs I have had throughout this graduate school journey. And looking back to how much fun I had in undergrad. Working your tail off isn't worth if you didn't enjoy it along the way. Clint gave me an intervention pep talk about grades and perfection, and Hunter strives daily to take me away from the desk even if just for a little bit and make me smile (I have begun watching TV again!). DT and Mary-Anne, I wouldn't know what to do without their shoulder to cry on... through the tough times, it means a lot to have someone who will actually listen.

Take the time to listen, you never know what someone has went through, me included. Stop your judgemental rudeness and have a heart. Yeah world, I said it. ;)

Beyond it all, God can bring you out of and through anything.. it may not be the way you planned it, or the way you wanted it. But that is why He is God and we are not, isn't it?  This year I asked God to heal my friend Steph for my birthday, and even though He may have said 'no' or 'not right now' somehow... this will all work out... I haven't been in the greatest mood or mindset though all of this, and I am trying really hard, but it is harder still to watch someone you love suffer. But that is another post for another day.

Here's to another year, another goal, a blessed life from God and some of the greatest friends a girl could have. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!


Here is a wall shelf a friend handmade for me, for my birthday! :)

Click here to read a short article done by the local news back home for mine and Donna's birthday.