May Day, May Day! Time is flying!

    Time has been flying by these last two weeks. Anytime I travel over the weekend I feel like life a hamster on a wheel. I did have fun though, visiting with family and celebrating my little sister's 21st birthday. I must admit, a night out on the town was something I had been craving. Glad we had the perfect excuse. My sister and I, her two friends and one of my old college roomies went to Blueberry Hill on the Loop in St. Louis. It was quite eclectic! We were dressed a little too sorority-like for the joint, but we had a great time anyway.
    Last weekend I attended a college graduation for my friend Kristen. She was receiving her master's. My older sister recently informed me she is going to start classes to get her masters and for a brief moment, I thought I might want to get mine too. Trust me, the moment was very brief! I have no desire at ALL to go back to school In fact, I'm not sure someone could even pay me to go back. I did after all, pick a profession that requires me to write papers every day of my life. Seriously didn't think that one through.
    In other recent action in the thrilling life that I call my own, I have been busy getting ready for garage sales this week. You never realize how much stuff you have that never gets used until you start picking through it! Hoping to get rid of most of it so if you're in the area, please come by, the prices are right!
    I have been thinking a lot over the last two weeks about my goals for the year and am still not finished with the list. I've decided however that I need to be my own advocate for a few things I seem to always put last. Namely sleep, and here I am writing this after midnight on Tuesday. Geesh! I never learn.
    I also need to get organized. I'm thinking the garage sale will help de-clutter a bit, especially in my closet. But more than that, I am never home for long periods of time, which leads to random things placed on any available surface. This habit, I blame, on my parents. Sorry mom! But seriously, this is one habit that I have to break. I've done well this week, consciously taking the extra two minutes to go through the mail and file appropriately, or the extra 10 steps I need to take in order to properly put away an item. It makes a difference for sure.
     So, sleep, organization, and the third thing is discipline. Reading through "Disciplines of a Godly Woman" with a ladies group on Wednesday nights has brought to my attention all the areas of my life without discipline. Which turns out is pretty much everywhere. Last week's chapter on contentment raised some serious questions into my life. The author noted that if you are content in your relationship with God, then the other areas of your life won't suffer as much because the most important thing is taken care of. Since I struggle with contentment in every area of my life, that was a clear warning sign that my relationship with God isn't where it should be. I, of course, already knew this. I am learning more and more the importance of knowing who God is and in turn worshiping Him with my life. Discipline is not an easy goal for me, but with small steps in each area of my life I hope that eventually it will become natural to me.
     So, with that said, I should probably get to bed.

Little pleasures for the week include:
-An amazing design in the sky today by the one and only creator. Amazing clouds! I snapped a picture so I'll share that in the coming days.
-Feeling the reality of my upcoming Uganda trip and knowing God will provide the financing as I begin to fund raise.
-Spending precious time with my friend Kelli on the phone last weekend.
-Seeing the possibilities God has in store for me in the future.

Homemade bowls, shot guns, and diy

As exciting as it may have been, I won't recap my entire last year. I will, however, share some highlights from the last few months.

Like over 10 million others around the world I have been addicted to Pinterest. I am, however, a pretty picky pinner. Or at least I would like to consider myself picky. I am a big fan of the "like" button because I can still bookmark the post without it actually being re-posted to my boards. Anyway, if you aren't on Pinterest, please, do yourself a favor and get on it! I have found so many fun things I am planning to make from that site. It has also turned me on to several great blogs. I will hopefully share some pictures of future projects that WILL be getting done. Haha..that was motivation for myself.

Bowls, Bowls, Bowls

I did a story at work recently on a worth-while fundraiser for the local food banks in northeast Iowa. Empty Bowls is an annual event where people pay $20 and get to pick out their very own handmade bowl. There are several different kinds of homemade soups and breads along with some live music. This was the first year I went to the event and I'm sure I'll be back. The amount of bowls to choose from was ridiculous. I had such a hard time committing. Not only did I get to have a bowl, and enjoy some great food, but I also helped a great cause. Oh, and I had a lovely friend accompany me and we made the day of it. So fun!

Don't you love my outfit? lol. It was cold so I borrowed a jacket.  Matches my skirt so well.

I didn't get to go home for Easter this year, as like the last 2 years. But no worries, as my adopted families here took care of me. I spent the afternoon eating lunch with Bob and Judy Rothlisberger and their daughter Kelly and her husband Chris. I just love this family! They are just the right mix of class and redneck. lol. What better way to celebrate Christ's resurrection  than to shoot clay pigeons? It was a super windy day, but I managed to hit one! (out of like 12, lol.) After a fun time with the Rothlisbergers I was welcomed for dinner by the Butikofers, Jensens, and Bensons. I am so blessed to have "homes away from home" where people invite me in for their own holiday celebrations. Not to mention the food was fantastic! Thanks everyone for making my Easter a great one.

What I'm loving this week....
• Finding time to read for fun
• Planning to spend time celebrating my sister's 21st birthday (stay tuned for a post about the big night!)
• Finding some great new recipes in cookbooks I already had! (mini carrot cakes and mexican cheese guacamole bites! Yum! )

I'm back! For reals. Promise.

Hello world!

Wow! It has been WAY too long since I contributed to the blogging world. While I'm still just as busy as ever, I am going to get back into the habit of blogging. Promise!
I recently celebrated my 25th birthday in March and quickly realized there are some things I want to accomplish in the next year. I've detailed most of my ideas in my journal and will enlighten you all in the coming weeks of what I'll be attempting to do this year. Hopefully I can also share my experiences as I fulfill the goals. I wouldn't be opposed to a little encouragement either.
Since it is almost midnight and I've got lots of things on my agenda for tomorrow, I bid thee goodnight.

As always, here is what is getting me through the week:
1. Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest. Just loving all the inspiration. Makes me wanna complete my own projects!
2. Tentatively planning the third annual St. Louis Cardinals game weekend for this summer with my old college roommates.
3. Jenny and Tyler music. They seriously have got me hooked. Have a listen!