Super Cute Shoes & Super Great Cause!

My favorite big brother, Ranger, sells Tom's Shoes in his vintage clothing store in College Station, TX. With every pair of shoes purchased, Tom's shoes gives a pair of new shoes to a child in need. A few weeks ago when I was in College Station, I got my first pair of Tom's shoes. My brother has a wide selection of Tom's shoes, but of course I picked the super girly glittery ones. They are so cute and comfy. Everyone should have at least one pair in their closet! When I wear my glitter Tom's I get tons of compliments. Last time when I was at the mall wearing my comfy glitter shoes, several girls stopped me and said, "Those are the cutest shoes!!", and "Where in the world did you get those shoes!?" Who doesn't love to be "that girl" who gets stopped at the mall because of her cute shoes?! It's crazy/awesome to think that my "statement" "attention getting" shoes are the ones that impact a child's life. I wish all shopping was considered a good deed and could help others.

These will be my next pair....Can you tell I'm hooked??!

"SURPRISE I'M HOME!"

One of my good friends used to say, "Don't expect too much and you won't get let down." It's a great way to protect yourself from undesirable circumstances and outcomes. Well, that's exactly what my Huz and I recently did. His most recent trip to Hawaii and Japan had no exact return date, but due to all the delays we estimated his return to be a couple of days after my birthday. We wanted to be prepared for Nator not be home on my birthday, so we wouldn't be disappointed. So, we decided it would be fun to just celebrate the weekend after my birthday.

Well, let's just say I was beyond surprised at 3 a.m. on the morning of my birthday when I heard my huz crawl into bed and wish me a happy birthday. I could not believe he made it home so much sooner than we had expected. Having him home was the best present I could have ever received! We had the best time together on my birthday, enjoyed scrumptious munchies and had a whole TCBY cake that my sweet friend Ashley brought over. White chocolate mousse TCBY cakes are the ultimate birthday treat-I am borderline obsessed! My huz prepared an awesome and hilarious scavenger hunt, and planned a relaxing day at the spa for me. The Lord sure has been spoiling me recently with so many "too good to be true" surprises. After a few weekends of the Lord blowing me away with His goodness and love, I am learning that when we learn to be content and have joy in less than optimal circumstances, it is then that we can truly appreciate the "icing on the cake" blessings that the Lord loves to sprinkle into our life!

After this weekend I came up with this new quote to help me remember the kind of attitude I want to have in all situations:

"Be joyful even when your circumstances aren't the best, because then when you have the best of circumstances you know how to be truly thankful!"

This picture of my Nator captures his fun-loving self & his love for lounging out in his robe. He also looks forward to waking up every morning to enjoy his morning news, coffee, eggs, and toast. He is a simple man with a big Heart! I am beyond thankful for him!

I love Birthdays!

My birthday is in  2 days, but my family is already sending me packages in the mail.  Y'all are the best!  My mom even had a delicious b-day cake delivered to my work today!   She is a pro at making people feel special....I feel so loved:)   It's fun to have family that loves  gifts and celebrating.  THANKS EVERYONE!!   

A Musical Treasure!

Singer/Songwriter Diane Birch recently debuted her first album and it's sooo good! Listening to her is like listening to a combo platter of my favorite female artists. There is no way I could describe Diane Birch's music in one word..she is very eclectic...Her music is soulful, jazzy, catchy, bluesy, and easy to listen to.

So, if you want an amazing album beginning to end...You gotta download her's-DUHH! It's only 7.99 on itunes. You can even listen to her music on her website: http://www.dianebirch.com/

MG, you will love her-She reminds me of Carole King!

It Works and It's Free!

Disposable paper toilet seat covers are the best thing since sliced bread! I'm not even kidding.... Recently I heard that these seat covers could be used for blotting excess oil off your face and keeping you shine free. Well, today I tried it.....and yup they work just as well or better than the Clean and Clear blotting sheets you get at Walgreens. They might not be the most glamorous thing to carry around, but these little toilet seat covers definitely save you from a summer meltdown and spending money!

Now we can freshen ourselves up for free & feel like smart resourceful women!!

2 of my favorites - BFF'S & FROZEN YOGURT!!

This weekend was so much fun:) My college BFF, Caroline came for a visit! She is such a sweet & fun friend. My husband and I have an obsession with giving our friends silly nicknames. Caroline has several- Carol, Party, and Clownfish. It was such a treat to hang out with Clownfish this weekend, and her visit couldn't have come at a better time. My hubby has been gone for about a week. Today he's in Wake Island and will be leaving for Japan this evening. He has been sending me pictures (via text) of the most beautiful beaches, and is enjoying the gorgeous scenery that is surrounding him! I need to hide in his suit case next time he leaves for an amazing tropical island!

I was so thankful that I did not have to spend a weekend by myself. Carol and I talked and talked and talked ...I won't be surprised if I wake up tomorrow to discover that I lost my voice. On a side note- The first weekend Nator (my hubby) and I met we stayed up til 4 in the morning talking, and he lost his voice! It was awesome. Clownfish and I also had the best time walking around downtown Philly and checking out all the historical sites. We ate lunch at the Reading Terminal Market which is a HUGE farmers market with every type of food imaginable. We had to take a few laps before deciding what to order. After leaving Philadelphia we decided to try this new yogurt shop. This new yogurt shop, Sprinkles, is pretty much the ultimate way to experience frozen yogurt. It's self serve with about 15 flavors choices. You can mix as many yogurt flavors and toppings as you want. I was in munchy heaven...everyone knows I could live off frozen yogurt! They just weigh it all at the end and charge you based on the weight. Well...Let's just say that I got a little Outta Control! My cup was pretty much over-flowing with about 6 different flavors 2 toppings and some chocolate fudge. It was spilling all over me(typical). One thing my grandpa used to say to me is "You can dress her up, but you can't take her town". I always know how to spill things on myself! When the guy rang me up I couldn't believe that I was spending $8 dollars on yogurt just for me! It must have weighed about a pound. This whole buffet style, money making, get you fat fast yogurt scheme might just be dangerous for us yogurt fanatics....but it was soo good. And everyone deserves a little treat. I can't wait for my Nator to try it out!! He should be home in about a week. YAY!! Hope you are ready to try it next weekend, Mama Gator.

Hair Help!

I absolutely love beauty products...Make-up, body lotions, perfumes, brushes, gels, creams, exfoliators, masks...you name it...I've tried it!   Yesterday, as I was cleaning my bathroom I was reminded of my ridiculous collection of hair products.  I'm convinced that I have bought, tried, researched, or at least thought about buying more hair products than anyone I know!  When you have curly, frizzy, crazy hair like me you want to believe that there is something out there that will give you shiny, bouncy, non frizzy curls; and a product that will give you straight, silky, glistening hair when you want to style your  hair straight.  It is  imperative that I am stocked with plenty of products to combat any type of weather...especially now that I live in the ever evolving conditions of Dirty Jersey.  My huz is part to blame for my hp collection because he loves for me to change up my hair style.  So, in part I am doing it for him!!  Okay Okay-that is a bit of a stretch, but I do like to look good for my Nator!  

With a degree in marketing , I am continually amazed by the way I buy into the marketing schemes.   A few days ago I bought a product called Curly Sexy Hair desperately hoping it would be that magic wand product I have always dreamed of...just hop out of the shower, towel dry my hair, and let the product work it's magic.  After waking up yesterday and trying the "curly sexy hair" product, I was tempted to take out a black marker cross out "sexy" and write "Frizzy Tangled Mess"  on the bottle. Someone at work even told me I look tired.  All I could say is "thanks"(definitely got 7+ hours of sleep..thank you very much!).  I immediately pulled out my mirror to find that my hair  looked like wet dog hair .  I mean, what are you supposed to say when someone says you look tired.    They might as well have said that you're lookin gross today-because telling someone they look tired is never a good thing.  Another guy at work walked by my desk and gave me an odd glance and said (or asked...I couldn't really tell if he was asking or telling me) "new hair do.?".  I never quite know how to respond to those half question half comments either...Maybe, I am just defensive because all I acquired from this "sexy product" was odd glances,  a rude comment, and a tangled mess.   All I wanted was beautiful sexy curly hair and a few compliments!  Oh well, I guess the quest continues.   In the near future I plan on organizing my bathroom and chunkin some of these BAD BAD LIAR  products out the window.  If you have curly or frizzy hair stay tuned because soon I'll be posting the scoop on  my favorite hair products and any other beauty products I can't live without. 

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

Elizabeth Brazeal is my beautiful Sister-in-Law! Thought I would write a little acrostic poem that describes her!

Excellent listener
Loves the Lord
Innocent
Zeal for life
Artistic & Athletic
Beautiful
Elegant
Thoughtful & Talented
Has a Huge Heart

Love you Liz!!

Thankful!

Finally, I have decided to let everyone know what’s going on in my life and in my head!!
Friends have asked me why I don’t have a blog, and my usual response is "my life is just not that exciting". So, I have decided to spice up life a little by blogging about it.

This past weekend the Lord taught me so much about his impeccable timing and his kindness & thoughtfulness towards me. He truly does care about every little detail. My journey started when I arrived in College Station last Thursday to celebrate my baby brother, Zack graduating from College. My itty bitty baby brother was never supposed to grow up….tear tear. Zack if you are reading this, I am so proud of you. You have grown up to be such a Stud!! My husband, Steve, stayed in New Jersey because he had to work. At the last minute he was put on the schedule for a 2 week trip to Hawaii & Japan that would be taking off on Saturday while I was in College Station. For those who don’t know, my husband is a pilot for the air force and flies a big air-to-air tanker...more on my husbands plane sometime later. I was excited to be with family and see my brother graduate, but I was also torn because I wish my husband could have been with all of us. Throughout the trip a piece of my heart was heavy because I was not spending time with Steve before he left on his trip. My flight out of Houston was scheduled arrive back to New Jersey on Sunday at 10:00p.m. I decided to change my flight to an earlier one, so that my parents who would be driving me to the airport on their way home to McAllen (a 6 hour drive) could get an earlier start on their return home. The change would also allow me to get some rest and unpack before a full week of work. I had to wait until Sunday Morning before my flight to see if they had any openings. When I called Steve on Saturday I discovered that his take off time would be delayed until Sunday Morning.

So, on Sunday morning I woke up early and called the airport and had no problem changing to an earlier flight. My new arrival time would be 4:30 pm. When I called Steve, I discovered he was once again delayed, and now scheduled to leave early on Monday morning. I was sooo soo happy & thankful!! The Lord was giving me a whole evening to enjoy with my husband. When my plane landed that afternoon, I was overjoyed to see my HOT & AMAZING husband there to greet me at the airport and we enjoyed a wonderful evening together before he left for his trip! This was all truly a gift from the Lord, and a reminder to me that He loves to take care of every little aspect of my life!!

Ooops.. I forgot to mention I had the best time while I was in College Station. It was so great to spend time with my family, see Zack graduate, enjoy Megan and Ranger’s beautiful new home, and eat yummy munchies. I seriously have the best family ever! Love y’all :)

Happy Aniversary Mama-Gator & PJ!!

One more thing, My parents are pretty incredible. They just celebrated their 33rd aniversary this past weekend! Love you & thanks for showing me what it means to love unconditionally:)