lately

I feel as if I haven't written on here in a while but honestly, I just have not felt up to it. These last couple months have been hard. I am hanging on to the words of James 1:2-4...

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Take me out to the Ball Game....

This weekend my dad had the fun idea to get all of my little sibs in their baseball/softball uniforms and have a little photo shoot. It was fun spending time at the baseball field taking pics of my family and our time ended with a little home run derby competition which was super fun. So get ready because here is a picture overload of a few of my favorite shots!

6 different team = 6 crazy different schedules this season

Oh Timmy, he didn't play baseball this year and you could often find him on the bleachers reading a book.

1st time ever playing softball and Taylor rocked the pitchers mound this season. 

These two represented their high school on the baseball and softball teams. I am so proud of them and their good attitudes through all the "politics" of Highschool sports!

Taylor's team were the Saints as in Saint Bernards. Taylor came with her own mascot!!

Oh and P.S. Timmy won the SCIENCE FAIR! 

The family genius did an awesome science fair project and won first place for the whole school.

May Cara Box Swap!!

This month I joined the Cara Box Swap hosted by Kaitlyn at Wifessionals.

I got paired with two very lovely ladies Rebecca & Andi. The theme this month was "Let's Get Regional". The idea was to send a box all about the state or region you live in.


Andi- I got to send a fun box filled with Hoosier fun to Andi.  She is a 1st grade teacher living outside of Detroit, MI. It was fun getting to read her blog and getting to know her through email. Go check out her blog and see the goodies got to send her.

Rebecca sent me a sweet box from the coast of North Carolina. Rebecca is a Marine Wife, originally from Chicagoland. She sent me  a really cute box.  The goodies made me super excited for summer.  I was so excited when I got the package slip on my apartment that I went back out in the rain to go get the package from the front office and it was worth it.  Go Check out her blog!

Now on to pics of the goodies I received:

 She sent me:
* A Marine Chocolate Bar and magnet to represent their life on the marine base and how big of a part of their lives that the USMC is.

* A postcard and Pepsi cup  from the pharmacy where Pepsi was invented, which is just 30 minutes west of the base she lives on.

* A super cute infinity scarf (that I can't wait to wear!!), pedicure set  and aloe for the beach. Rebecca lives 30 minutes west of the Alantic Ocean.  The Aloe came in handy today after a day at the water park yesterday!


I absolutely loved the box I received as well as sending the box. It was super fun getting to know these ladies.  Thank you so much Rebecca for the awesome box!

Check out the Cara Box swap over at Wifessionals and sign up!!

I am going to be an Aunt!!

Here are the pics from Rachel and Jami's baby announcement pics. I took these for them back in March but just kept forgetting to post some here on the blog.

Baby Girl Richards is due in September and I am so excited to become an aunt! Little peanut will be sooooo spoiled :)

Hold Unswervingly...

I'm holding on to these words today.

print from Take Heart

Dresser Redo

I got this dresser as a hand me down a couple of months ago and have been wanting to redo it since my dad and brother carried it in to my apartment. I really liked the size and style of the dresser but the colors were awful. The dark blue and primary color knobs just did not go with the white/coral/blue i have going on in my room.  I decided to go with this pale blue with Coral knobs to compliment the pillows and the throw my grandma crocheted me that are on my bed.  I really love how it turned out.

I wasn't very good at taking pics during the process and I am not very good at giving DIY instructions. Basically, I just used the hand sander and sanded down the dresser and then used sand paper to sand the knobs. For the 1st coat of paint I used a paint brush but I didn't like the streakiness that it left so for the 2nd coat I used a foam roller.

The Paint Colors:
The dresser: BEHR Sparkling Spring
The knobs: Youthful Coral

24!

Today I am 24! 

My 23rd year of life was really hard in a lot of ways but also had a lot ups as well. I am excited to see what God has in store for me in my 24th year of life. 

Highlights/Lowlights of year 23:

* Said a tearful goodbye to Missy and Katie as they graduated and moved from Chicago 

*Got to join my family in Daytona Beach for Vaca after missing it the previous year 

*Got to take a bucket list vacation to Vegas and California with my Bestie Elizabeth to see our good friend Whit

* Got hired on by the State of Indiana, Quit my job at Lydia and moved back to Indianapolis

* Reunited with the besties for a super fun weekend in Chicago

* Cheered on my favorite 5' 2" guard as the baby sister entered the world of Highschool sports

* Got to go to my 1st ever regular season Colts game

* Ebeth came to Visit me in Indy

* Watched as my Grandma's health started to go down hill and she prepped me for her death in her own way

* Grandma went to be with Jesus. On the same day, Grandma went to be with Jesus, I found out that I am going to be an aunt. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. 

* Took a random trip to Chicago on Good Friday to hang out with WillyG

* Weekend trip to Minneapolis to visit Katie

What I am looking forward to in year 24:

* Vacationing with the fam 

* Katie's Wedding

* Becoming an Aunt!! Baby Girl Richards is coming in September!!

* Training for the 2014 Mini Marathon (On my Bucket list and it just happens to fall on my 25th b-day so this year is a MUST to train for it!)

I am excited to see what God brings my way this next year.  If it is anything like this last year I better hang on tight :) 

It is God who arms me with strength

    and keeps my way secure.

³³ 

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;

    he causes me to stand on the heights.

Psalm 18:32-33

Minnesota Getaway to see the bestie!

A couple of weeks ago I got to go up to Minneapolis, MN to spend a weekend with my bestie Katie. The weekend came right when I needed it and it was such a blessing to be able to getaway from work for a bit. The weekend was full of a lot of laughter and a lot of chatter about Katie's up coming wedding. We consumed lots of coffee and explored different parts of Minneapolis. Katie even impressively ran a 10 mile race in the freezing cold snow. That girl is impressive, I tell you. Our weekend also included shopping at the Mall of America, a ghetto dinner and a movie place, frozen yogurt and attending Church at John Piper's church. Saying goodbye always sucks, and so it was a quick tearful goodbye at the airport. I can't wait until August to go to Iowa to celebrate her wedding! Katie is such a sweet friend and I value her friendship so much.  I have so missed being just down the hall or upstairs from Katie, like we were at Moody so it was so good to have a whole weekend together. I am excited for her as she prepares for her upcoming marriage and taking on the new adventure of becoming an Army wife.

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Grandma

On Tuesday in the wee hours of the morning my grandma went home to be with Jesus. I am saddened by her death but I rest in fact that I know she is in heaven with her precious Savior.

My Grandma was my biggest supporter and my loudest cheerleader.  From as early in my life that I can remember, she taught me all about Jesus and his love for me. She encouraged me to grow in him and have a personal relationship with my Savior. Not only did she tell me about God's love for my but she demonstrated it in so many ways.  Growing up she taught me how to cook, no bake cookies were my favorite to make with her. Cooking is a way we bonded and how I spent many of Christmas, Summer and multiple other school breaks. Grandma's house was my first home when I came home from the hospital as a baby and then was my second home all growing up. I wanted to be there whenever I could, I can even remember pretending to be sick from school so my dad would drop me off there on his way to work.

When I got accepted to Moody, my Grandma was so proud and she made sure I knew. Every time I came to visit before heading up there, she made sure to tell anyone who happened to wander into her room, including random nurses aids and the maintenance man. When I came home for my first Christmas break from college, Grandma was so worried about the cold Chicago winters, she crocheted me several scarfs and hats. She wanted to make sure I stayed warm in the windy city. Grandma was my biggest supporter while I was at Moody, always checking in on my through email, facebook or a handwritten card. I love getting her comments on my pictures I posted and having to explain to her one of my crazy college expeditions.  After being in Chicago for the majority of the last 5 years, I was so excited to move back to Indy this past summer. I loved that grandma was just 10 minutes up the road and no longer did I only get to see her on holidays and special occasions. Wendy's chili for dinner and talks about life became our thing these last couple months. During my last few visits with grandma, I got the feeling that she was preparing to go home. She made sure to tell me how proud she was of me and that she knew I was doing good work. She even sent me home with things from her room to keep. 

Last Sunday, I went to visit Grandma at Methodist Hospital, little did I know that was the last time I would see her alive. She was in the ICU, not doing well and in a medically induced coma. There were so many tubes and machines hooked up to her, it was a little unbearable for me to see. Not being one who is very comfortable in hospitals in the first place, I was unsure of what to do. Should I talk to her or just sit and be with her? I had no idea of what to do. So I sat and prayed for her for a while and then decided to play some hymns on my phone for her. The last hymn I remember playing and singing to her was, Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus. That time I had, singing that sweet old hymn to her is a moment I will not soon forget. I am so thankful that I had that little bit of time to worship our Savior with Grandma. 

As the words of the sweet hymn go, "Jesus, Jesus, How I trust him, how I've proved him o'er and o'er", My biggest life lesson I've learned from my Grandma is to trust Jesus because throughout her life she trusted him with so much faith and proved him o'er and o'er to me!