exhibit A for why i shouldn't be a fashion blogger

hi, my name is lauren, and i'm a cheater.

i know that it's supposed to be steppin' out saturday, but let me just tell you that a greasy ponytail and grubby clothes aren't really a good look on me, and tales of cleaning toilets and folding clothes might not make for the most exciting post i've ever written.

so, steppin' out sunday it is, then.

sweater:  banana republic, gift from my ma
dress:  LOFT ($10!)
leggings:  h&m
boots:  jc penney
belt:  thrifted, salvation army
pom/poof:  me

we go to church in eric's hometown, about a half hour drive from our house in fort wayne.  about a mile away from the church, there is an antique mall that i've been dying to go to for as long as i've known it's there, but for some reason, we've just never gone.  well, we finally made a stop there today after church, and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint.


everything was so beautiful and organized.  all of the above pictures are from two booths, which i absolutely fell in love with.  i have a plan to purchase the drawer from the top right corner to hang on our living room wall, and add three old mason jars filled with billy balls.  i also found a small dresser, which is the whole reason we went, for only $20.  it looks pretty worn, but it's solid wood and nothing that a coat of paint can't fix.  i am in desperate need of some craft organization, y'all.

then it was back to eric's parent's house for dinner, which is something we do every week.  we always take the puppies down and drop them off in the "stable" while we go to church.  then, while we eat dinner, they get to run around outside in the woods until their little (or massive, in titan's case) hearts are content.

this is the part of my sunday that truly makes it feel like a day of rest.  the in-laws property is so peaceful.  my wonderful mother-in-law fills our bellies with delicious, warm food, and i find comfort in a mug of freshly-ground coffee and the company of family.



i have been finding more and more value in a Sabbath day lately.  i didn't have an opportunity for any rest last week, and the only word that i can manage to come up with for the way it affected my whole week is that i felt weary.  i understand why we are commanded to rest.  i've also come to understand that rest doesn't equate to laziness.  i find my rest even when we are away from home on these sundays.  i find my rest in family, in some solitude, and most importantly, in Christ.

Exodus 34:21 Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.


how do you recharge?

to say this weekend was a busy one would be a massive understatement.  friday ran into saturday, saturday ran into today, and now i'm left feeling a bit weary.

i went home for the weekend without the hubs, and for good reason.  friday night was spent with two out of the three of my best friends from high school.  my friend hope was leaving for nicaragua yesterday morning and i desperately needed to see her one more time before she left for four months.  i have to say, this was my absolute favorite part of the weekend.  it's amazing to me that although we don't see each other very often, and we don't really talk much outside of our reunions, we settle into such comfortable conversation.  we painted our nails, reminisced and caught up into the wee hours of the morning, and it was wonderful.

saturday was spent olive-gardening (bet you didn't know that was a verb) with my ma and the older of my two brothers.  we filled up on unlimited soup and salad and carbo-loaded on breadsticks to gear up for some shopping, and some animal-visiting at the humane shelter.  then i made them they happily volunteered to join in on the SOS action.

normally, i'm not all about kitties, but this one looked identical to an awesome cat we used to have.  seriously eerie.

then, in the evening, i met up with two of my college roommates.  it was paige's birthday and we ate mexican and went to see a sketch comedy show at shadowbox cabaret with a couple other friends of hers.  fun was had, but i was starting to feel a little ragged from all of the running around, so i took off halfway through the show to make it home to my pjams.

oh haiiiii birthday girl

getting out of bed this morning was, in one word, rough.  but up it was, to finish up my young life small group lesson and then head to my friend crystal's baby shower.  she is the third of my three high school best friends, the lone soldier that was unable to join us on friday night.  and who can blame her?  girlfriend has had a little bun cooking in the oven for about 8 months now and we didn't hang until 11pm.  she looked beautiful and the party was uber cute.  unfortunately, a) i forgot to take a pic of the gift i made for baby noble (which i was quite proud of, btw), and b) i had to cut out before it really even started to get back to fort wayne to lead small group.

loved it.

whew!  did you catch all of that?  at the end of the weekend, i'm a bit frustrated.  i hate that, although i got to spend a bit of time with everyone, i didn't really get to give all of myself to anyone.  time was given, but when there's so much focus on just surviving the weekend's demands, how much quality can really be expected from that time?  and where was my sabbath day?  bear with me this week, guys.  there's about a 72% chance that posts will be getting shorter and grumpier as the week goes on.

i apologize in advance, you know, just in case.  do you get really grumpy if you don't have a day of rest, or do you thrive on the go, go, go?

i was feeling quite studious today, so this is me...exercising my brain.  (please don't let them ask me what book that is)

just perusing the bookshelves for a good find.  maybe i should revisit ACSM's guidelines for fitness testing and prescription, you know, brush up on the old college bank of knowledge

i really need a pair of glasses.  dang you 20/20 vision.

this picture is actually very deceptive.  it doesn't even come close to doing the height difference justice.  at the beginning of each year, we meet up with my mother-in-law's side of the family at pokagon state park in angola, indiana.  this was my third year, and every year that i've been part of this tradition, at least one person will approach the family and ask if they are a sports team or point out how extraordinarily tall they are.  i love this family, but when we leave them, my neck breathes a sigh of relief.  if you would like a better glimpse into the lives of the tall women in this family, you should visit my wonderful sister-in-law's blog.

where was i?  oh, yes, poof love.  i had some free time tonight and decided to make myself a little something pretty.  introducing my newest poof:

don't mind the robe.  comfort is a prerequisite to a creative crafting mind and nimble fingers.  this isn't made up, it's a scientific fact.

wow, that was random and altogether unorganized.  thank goodness tomorrow is friday, y'all.

seriously.

you better believe it's bachelor time.  as you may recall all the way back from, well, yesterday's post, this show is absolutely a guilty pleasure of mine.  i started watching it with my mom back in the first season, when the guy wasn't ripped or good-looking in any way.  in fact, alex was kind of an all-around tool, which means, at the heart of it, this show hasn't really changed at all.

in high school, all of my girlfriends used to speed to my house from youth group to gather 'round, watch and discuss.  and on finale night, you better believe we used to have a sleepover...on school nights.  watch out, folks, we're getting dangerous here.

same story in college.  my roommates and i would all pour a glass of wine and meet up in the living room for some quality bonding time.  fast-forward another three years to tonight's finale and you'll find that nothing has changed.  at the last minute today, i texted some girlfriends of mine to see if they would be up for watching together.  i figured it would be a long shot, as the rest of the girls have children, but the bachelor is serious business, so they found a way to work it out.

as cheesy as it sounds, and as much as boys would roll their eyes over this, some of my favorite memories with my friends over the years have come from watching this show together.  on a special, last year, about the show's history and popularity, one group of women explained that this show is like the super bowl for chicks.

they were absolutely right.  we talk about and relate to each other over this show like men talk about and relate over sports.  just like each player has their stats, each female contestant has a list of pros and cons, and sometimes just plain crazies.

and that's why i've decided to make this season a bit of a competition among friends to thicken the plot.  i found cheat sheets with all of the women's names and pictures on ABC's website and printed them off for each of my friends.  we made notes as we developed first impressions, discussed, and before elimination, we voted on which girls would go.  only one of us even got half of them right.  seriously, brad, what were you thinking?  we even rewound the preview at the end to try to analyze which girls look like they'll be around for a while.  we'll continue to vote each week, only being able to select from the pool of girls we originally thought would go on.  it's like our own bachelor march madness.

based on first impressions, i think brad should stick with these three:

marissa, the sports analyst.  beautiful, down-to-earth, and seriously?  any girl that likes sports is more than welcome to take up residence as my friend.

emily aka holly madison (the resemblance is uncanny).  i love how the previews make it look like she is going to challenge him in a real way and actually question this experience and the relationship.

shawntel, the funeral director.  she was by far my best first impression and just seems so natural.  plus, hello, she's a funeral director.  awesome.  she wasn't featured much, so i'm excited to see more.

and now for the ladies i'm a bit more skeptical of:

ashley.  okay, yes, she's a cute nanny with a sob story, and she got the first impression rose.  but really, she grabbed his butt within 15 seconds of meeting him.  i also feel like she's trying to be tenley.  quality?  meh.

meghan, fashion marketer - did you see her huge pink shoes?  woof.

and for painfully obvious reasons, model madison.  fangs?  really?

who's on the top and bottom of your list?  i'd love to hear!  seriously, gossip away.

*all images from abc.com

the tree came down today, and the last of the presents found a proper home.

christmas lists have been traded in for new year's resolutions.

today is a time for reflection, and tomorrow is a time for new beginning.

there is something absolutely magical about this day, and my day truly summed up my 2010 experience.  i started it off with breakfast in bed.  the hubs made me eggs, toast and coffee (swoon).  the love that i have experienced from him this year has been more than i could have ever hoped for from someone.  wedding events and honeymooning were wonderful to us in 2009, but 2010 was the year that really solidified this whole marriage thing for us.  we finally met some days that tested us, which was a new experience as everything prior to that had been roses.  but you know what?  we still haven't had a real fight.  i think that speaks volumes of our communication and willingness to swallow our pride.  but even more than that, i think it speaks so highly of the ways that God works when you allow him to take the reigns.

today was also mind-boggling crazy.  there was a huge to-do list and not everything ended up getting checked off.  i have felt so often this year that i just fill and fill my time.  i started my first full-time job at the end of last year, so this is still fairly new to me.  on top of that, i have begun to go deeper with my leadership in young life, spending more time with girls outside of our weekly club meetings, and also taking on a small group on sunday nights.  i trained for three races this year, and as if all of this wasn't enough, got a new puppy and started a blog.  somehow it all just works, although nothing seems to ever get crossed off the to-do list, at least as far as my house is concerned.

2010 has really been a year of discovering myself.  i have explored my passions, my heart and my faith.  i have been tested in ways that i would have never imagined were possible and discovered both creativity and strength that i never knew i had.  heading into 2011, the sky is the limit.  my new year's resolution for 2010?  to run at least a half marathon.  what i accomplished?  two half marathons and a full marathon in which i raised $2900 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  take that, 2010.

watch out 2011, because i'm about to blow your mind.  especially with these three in my life.  as long as i've got their love, nothing can hold me back:

that's right.  i was spoiled for Christmas.  on top of numerous other things, the hubs, my in-laws and my bonus check all pitched in to get me what i've been patiently awaiting for a long, long time.



meet my Pentax K-x.  she obviously needs a name, and i haven't come up with one yet, but i am now accepting suggestions.  my initial thought is louann.



the hubs, doing what he does best (call of duty).

 


i can't believe how good our 5-month-old puppy is with our friends' baby, emmett.  at one point, titan snuggled up to the little guy and laid his head in his lap.



eric was making him laugh.  precious.





it's painfully obvious how much these two love each other.

 there is no better way to end a monday than with good friends and family in our happy little home.


click on it to see the close-ups.  i dare you.

please don't laugh at what i'm about to tell you.  promise?

okay, here goes.

i believed in santa until sixth grade.  and i fully believed that he lived next door to my great grandma.  this guy had a full white beard and a jolly belly and was just generally awesome.  i used to tell him what i wanted for christmas while he raked his yard in the fall.

i believe i was in third grade when my grandpa and i were spending some time together and he revealed to me that he would be dressing up as santa for our extended-family christmas gathering.  he asked me to keep it a secret.  i was so excited to have such exclusive insider information.  i mean, my grandpa was going to be playing the big guy, and none of my cousins were going to know!  that's power.  so when i spilled the beans to them, i immediately felt overwhelmed with guilt that ate away at me. 

and when it came time for santa's visit, i could tell it wasn't my grandpa behind the beard.  still, thinking about it now, i feel awful for taking that year away from him.  he wanted to keep the experience magical for the younger grandkids, so he found a stand-in.

it was after that year that i realized this wasn't the first time my grandpa was going to be the guy in red.  i began to look at pictures from years past and recognized those eyes.  and then i realized my grandpa had always, amazingly, managed to be off somewhere doing something else when santa came to visit us.  he always managed to miss santa, and now i understood why.

but you know what?  the magic wasn't lost for me knowing that the real santa never came to visit us personally.  in fact, there is so much more magic in the memories that i carry of my grandpa in this role than any real santa would have ever provided. 

so here's to my santa, whom i still very much believe in and miss with all of my heart.  the magical part of you will live on in me until i'm old and gray.



this picture doesn't need editing.  it's perfect just the way it is, in all of its 1986 glory.