A Little Game of Tag

My sweet friend, Laura, tagged me in a little blogger game. And because I'm "it" you get to find out 11 fun facts about me :)

the rules to tagging:
1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
5. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.

1. What are you wearing right. now. 

p.j.s 

(specifcally--white pj pants with multi-colored polka-dots, an XL shirt of the hubs, and a UGA sweatshirt. and socks.)

2. If you found $100 in your pocket what would you buy today?

I would stash it away and save it in the "I want Frye boots" fund.

3. If your parting gift from the Zoo was an animal of your choice, 

which one would you take home with you?

An elephant, of course.

4. Would you rather have a perpetual scab on the tip of your nose or perpetual eye goop? 

(choose wisely)

Probably eye goop. That's way more normal than a nose scab. I don't think I'd want to be  "the Scabby-Nose face" girl. Plus it would itch and I'd probably scratch it and then it would bleed and then I'd have to put a band-aid on it and that would just look WEIRD.

5. What is the greatest lesson you learned from your mother?

I wouldn't call it a lesson, but my mother taught me how to be a wife and has set a beautiful example of what it means to be a mother. I've loved watching our relationship grow from mother-daughter into wives. And one day she'll show me the ropes of being a grandmother.

6. If you were given a free Super Bowl ad what would you advertise?

I would use that 30 seconds to blast my favorite jam and require everyone in the entire world to dance. ridiculously. I mean, seriously...how great of a mood would that put you in?

7. What is your favorite photograph?

This picture came from my uncle's camera. 
He took it during our first dance at our wedding.

8.  If you could change your name, what name would you choose?

I'm not sure...I like my name. But I did love the name Nicole when I was little. Whenever I played house/school/office/whatever with friends, my name was always Nicole. And she was way cool.

9. What is the most unusual gift you ever received? (or best, or worst)
I'm having a hard time thinking of best/worst/unusual. BUT. I do have a funny story about a gift. One day my in-laws came over to watch football with Frank and I was out babysitting. They needed to use the can opener but couldn't figure out how. My sister-in-law was so annoyed, she decided to buy us an electric one for Christmas! It was hysterical! She laughed so hard when we opened it and I did too -- I had never been gift-pranked before! I don't think this is the last people will see of the electric can opener. 
Watch out, Jessie.

10. What one clothing item or accessory do you wish you could pull off?

Hats. Any kind. I look silly. And then my hair looks terrible.

11. If you had to decide which movie you would teleport into (because that is naturally how this would be possible), 

and live out for the rest of your life, which movie would you choose?

I'm not a huge fan of the TV show/movie, but I'd have to say "Sex & the City". I'd love to be able to play dress-up with the wardrobe of that movie!


~

My 11 questions for the people that I've tagged...

1. If you could have someone do one chore for you for the rest of your life, 

what chore would it be?

2. Which song do you always sing at-the-top-of-your-lungs-super-loud-yelling style in your car?

3. Publix or Kroger?

4. What instrument do you wish you could play?

5. What did you eat for breakfast?

6. If you had to buy your clothes from one store for the rest of your life, 

what store would you choose?

7. What is one quirky thing you do that others may find strange?

8. What TV show is your guilt pleasure?

9. What is your favorite season of the year?

10. When was the last time you felt homesick?

11. If you could be best-friends with a celebrity, who would he/she be?

...and I'm tagging these friends:

Lindsay @ Have Faith

Kathryn @ Two Story Home

Candace @ Mrs. Southern Belle

Lucy @ romance

Alex @ The Faucettes Leak

Mallory @ MTB

Jenny @ Love Lavished

Allison @ The McCleskeys

Ashley @ An Inviting Abode

Heather @ Notes from the Nelsens

Carrie @ Punkie Pickle

New Year

Happy 2012!!! 


When I woke up this morning, I grabbed my Jesus Calling devotional and turned to the first page. January 1. What a crisp, fresh feeling that brings. I read the passage with excitement, and was offered this encouragement:


"Do not cling to old ways as you step into a new year."


I am extremely motivated by this because there are plenty of old ways I'd love to leave in 2011. Control is a constant struggle for me. Every time I try to demonstrate my knowledge of what is best, I get knocked down. I end up fighting an even bigger battle than I started with, and uncover the common theme of control issues. 


When I was on my mission trip I experienced 8 WHOLE DAYS of letting go. God was in control. I have never felt so peaceful and protected in my life. Humbled, I came home longing for that again. But with the hustle and bustle of life, that peace slowly dissipated. 
Recently, I have been craving that peace and protection. 
I have never wanted anything more.


So, for 2012, I am letting go. 
I am trusting God.
And I am going to live happier.

For I know the plans I have for you, 

declares the LORD, 

plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

SwitchUp

Yes, I changed the name of my blog. Back to what it originally was when created it. The only thing that comes to mind as I am writing this is the Black Eyed Peas song, 
when they say "switchup" really fast. 

Switchup.

Back to running on grace. Allow me to explain. 

When I decided to start a blog, I had a hard time deciding on a title. I wanted it to wrap up my faith and something that I loved into a sweet, little, "tied-with-a-bow" blog title. 
I wanted it to represent me. So, I decided on running on grace. I wanted it to represent my love for running but also illustrate the fact that my life is, in fact, "running" or being fueled by the grace of the God (need I mention the fact that I am able to run by the 
grace of God? No? I figured y'all caught that one). 


About a month into blogging, I began struggling with old behaviors and listening to lies I knew weren't true. I was spending more time worrying about what a looked like from the outside than focusing on the inside--my heart and spending time with the Lord.


The truth is, I was enjoying running more than I was anything else. I spent more time thinking about it and would get frustrated with myself when I didn't try my hardest or do my best. So, what should one do with they find themselves in a spiritual warfare, you ask? 
Change the name of their blog.

Right? Wrong.


Why is it so easy to be proactive about changing the way I workout when I feel like I am slacking, but so easily brush off the fact that I haven't cracked my Bible in a good 2 weeks? 
Because I am a sinner. I became tired of hating myself and I began relying 
on the Lord for direction, patience, and provision. 


Then, last night, it hit me. I want to be running on grace again. I want to do exactly what my original blog title represented -- my faith, something that I love, and ME! 
Isn't that what living is about?

Thanksgiving

With my family celebrating Thanksgiving in Ohio, Frank and I spent the entire day with his family.

I started my day by running the Gobble Jog 10K, then met up with Frank and his parents to walk the 5K.  (I obviously didn't take any pictures because I didn't bring my camera because I didn't want anything else to slow me down. Because it was cold and I wanted to run as fast as I could. Because I had turkey to eat later.)


After rehydrating and getting ready, we went to Frank's parent's house for an afternoon of hanging out and preparing dinner. Some of the guys hung out in the back, by the fire, while the rest of us were in the front. We had to be outside--it was such a gorgeous day!

family friends: Ann, Max, and Lee

my sister-in-law, Jessie

Not much happened after this picture, just the usually Thanksgiving day decline -- change to PJs, turn on the TV, and slowly fall into a coma. No big deal that it was 6:30...

On Friday, Frank and I decided to take advantage of some of our best friends being in town, so we hosted a small house-warming/get-together. We watched football, snacked on non-Thanksgiving food, and had great conversation. We never seem to have a problem picking up right where we left off, even if we haven't seen each other in months. 
That's a sign of real friendships.

bestfriend.

husband.

Even though this weekend was packed and we felt like we were going non-stop, we got to catch up with some of our best friends, spend time with family, and watch the Dawgs stomp Georgia Tech! 


Today will consist of church and....nothing. Ahhhh.....

Mr. Fitz

Meet Fitz.

He is another CCI dog-in-training that lives nearby.

And starting tomorrow, he is staying with us for 5 whole days!!

Dressers

Remember the furniture in the junk room I told you about? 

Well, look who made it out to the garage!

(Please excuse my trash cans. They didn't get a makeover.)

I was inspired to paint these a "Pottery Barn" black after seeing a DIY tutorial on Pinterest. 

I followed the pin to the blog and got moving.

Since the lady in the blog used Benjamin Moore products, I made a stop to 

my local Benjamin Moore store to grab my supplies.

Foam roller, brush, primer, paint tray, gloves and the paint.

             

This isn't the exact paint the blog used but after talking to the guy at the Benjamin Moore store, he recommended I go with a satin, oil based paint (make sure you wear gloves and have plenty of mineral spirits on hand or this paint will NOT come off of you!)

The furniture didn't have a strong finish on it, so just some light sanding did the trick. Then I added one coat of primer so the paint would really have something to grab on to.

I allowed these to dry overnight, and started painting the next day. With the help of my mom (this wasn't her first rodeo), we cranked these babies out in a few days.

We applied 2 coats of the black paint, allowing 24 hours for each coat to dry. 

As the last coat was drying, I made my way to Hobby Lobby to pick out some knobs. Are you ready for the best part? I got 16 knobs (10 for the dresser, 6 for the desk) for $24!! 

Thank you for your generous bargains, Hobby Lobby. 

I chose small, clear, glass knobs for the desk.

And broze colored ones for the dresser. 

I used 2 fancier ones on the top drawer,

and on the bottom 4 drawers, I used simpler detailed ones.

The final product? 

This is in our sitting room, which is an area on the other side of the kitchen from the living room. I have the intent of it being a cozy, reading nook.

The dresser is in our upstairs guest bedroom.

While shop was set up, I decided to do our dresser in the master bedroom. 

I followed the same process. It looks really good...in our garage. 

It seems to be taking longer than expected to get that one finished, for whatever reason. 

But I don't mind. 

Laundry is so much easier to put away when you don't actually. put. it. away.

the GRACE project

Please visit my friend, Laura's blog

twirl [lbr]

She is one of my dearest, sweetest friends.

She has such a pure heart.

(And an amazing blog!)

Scroll down

See that cool icon labeled

The Grace Project?

Click on it.

It's pretty cool.