Friday: pearls and french press

YAY! 

It is finally Friday! 

Every week I am so excited for the weekend, but this week it has really seemed true.  Nothing big planned for this weekend, but I'm ready for some relaxing time, and some warmer weather- without rain! 

Friday calls for some fancy pearls.  An awesome Christmas present from a dear dear friend! 

Look what else this awesome friend got me:

 Love it! And her! :) 


Oh, and I love these pictures of Zoey. I got to spend some quality time last night with Miranda and Marcie, Ellie {Marcie's adorable baby girl!} and baby-sit Zoey.  Who is stinking amazing.

Zoey and Ellie got to sit in some fun little chairs and just played and played.  So much fun to watch them!

It's going to be a beautiful weekend here in Virginia, and I am so excited.  I even have plans for Michael to pull out the grill for the first time of the season! {oh, how I loooove the grill!} 


But first, we must get through this Friday.  Thank goodness for my adorable Mini-French Press and amazing Harry & David coffee!

Have an awesome Friday! What are your plans for this weekend? 

Don't forget, it's Daylights Saving Saturday/Sunday.  So not pumped about loosing an hour of sleep- but I love that we will get more daylight! It will be so nice not to come home to darkness after work! 


 

new york {{monday and tuesday}}

Monday started off with an awesome trip to the Today Show.  We then had tickets to the Late Night Show with David Letterman.  Unfortunately, they wouldn't let you take any pictures in the show.  I did get this one in line though...

And guess who the guest was... I'll give you one guess.  Make sure to check out all the pre-teenie girls and paparazzi below...

Did you guess Justin Beiber? If so... yes you are right.  Yup- two times in one day I got to hang out {and by hang out, I mean meet once, and then watch at a distance} JB. 

Our show aired Monday, January 31st, and sadly, I don't think we made it on tv. :( It is quite an experience- and they make you fake laugh the whole time.  It was a little tiring.  Or maybe we were tired from getting up suuuper early for the Today Show.  Who knows.  

We decided to refuel.  And we did that here: 

A Bake Shop! :) I got a peanut butter cup, and Michael got a light blue snowy one. And a huge glass of milke.  They were SO good. 

That one to the very left, yes that amazing one, was my choice! yummmm!

Miranda got Red Velvet.  Equally yummy!

Heather, Miranda, and me with our cupcakes

 Sadly, that is all of the pictures I got on Monday.  The Today Show, the Letterman Show, and Cupcakes.  Then, the rest of the group went to see Phantom, and Michael and I went to a nice steak dinner, and back to McGee's pub.  It snowed this night too! 

Which then led to our problems the next morning...

All Southwest flights out of New York were canceled.  awesome. 

We ended up having to call around, renting a 15 passenger van, driving to Baltimore and reaching our connecting flight there to Raleigh.  Then driving the 2 hours back up to Lynchburg.  Quite the adventure. 

Randa and Jonathan on the shuttle bus to the rental offices

Michael, Randa, Heather, and Jenn and ALL of our luggage

The boys sorting out the rental car issues.

Our trip ended up costing us a ton more than expected, but it was a lot of fun! :) 

Have you ever been to New York? 

Has your flight ever been canceled? 

These were both firsts for me!

Beiber Fever

Monday, Miranda and I lost our minds.  

Well, we weren't thinking properly.  

We decided late Sunday night that we were going to get up and go to the Today show.  

It was early.  

and cold. 

Really really cold. 

We were pretty sure {esp after watching the show the week prior} that there wouldn't be a ton of people there, becuase it was in fact, so cold! ;) 

Well, we were a little wrong...

Turns out there were a lot of people there.  

Mostly pre-teen girls.  

Because there was a certain boy pop-star on the show....

That's right! The Beibs was on the Today Show!! 

He was super nice, came outside in the 20 degree weather, and met everyone that was there to see him. 

I'm totally a JB fan now ;) 

He's so cute. {Is this creepy for me to say?}

We got to meet Al and see the other anchors. 

We left a little after 8am.  It was so cold, I couldn't feel my toes and my eyes were watering the entire time.  

It. was. so. worth. it. 

these lights will inspire you {Saturday}

We had so much fun in New York this last weekend.  

We are both still recovering from the trip- and thrilled that it is the weekend already! Anytime we take a vacation, it's got to cut into the beginning of a week! Makes the rest of the week FLY by!

We started out by driving down to Raleigh, NC Friday evening for our flight early Saturday Morning.  And it was early.  Especially when you have those butterflies and can't sleep very well because you are so nervous/excited/tired. 

We arrived at the airport early Saturday morning.  I think my alarm was set for 4am or some ridiculous time of day. 

Heather, Miranda, and Michael

{Michael is not a flyer- he would much rather drive than fly.  Poor guy was nervous- but he did really really well on the flights!}

When we arrived in New York, a shuttle van picked us up and took us over to our hotel. 

All loaded up in the Van.  {taken on my phone}

We walked from our hotel for a bit, making a few very important stops.  First, Macys :)

Then, pizza! My very first slice of New York Pizza! It was super yummy.  I had a slice of chicken and peperoni!

There were SO many choices!

yummmm!

We continued to walk down to Times Square, where we went into a few of the shops, Toys R Us, Starbucks, etc. 

Miranda and Cindy at the Barbie Dream house in Toys R Us

New York mugs from Starbucks

Me, Heather, Jenn, Cookie Monster, Miranda, and Cindy

The weather the first day was pretty mild.  It wasn't too cold, so it was nice, we were able to walk around and not be looking for the closest place to duck into.  We continued walking down to Central Park, the Apple Store, FAO Schwartz. 

Snowy Central Park

 We made a few other stops along the way.  This church was so pretty!

Once 3:00pm hit, {check in time!} we went back to the hotel for some down time and a nap.  Being up since 4am, we were exhausted.

Elevator up to our hotel rooms

Times Square at night was SO pretty! It was so lit up- you couldn't tell it was night!

For dinner, we went out to Little Italy for the.most.amazing.italian.food.ever.
I had homemade Ravioli and Michael had Fettucini Alfredo.  Just thinking about it.  Yummm. I would go back to New York, just for this food! ;)

Jenn, Clif, and Heather

Me and Miranda

Our first day was packed with fun activities.  It was a great first first day in new york! :D

being real

{i really like reading other peoples blogs.  i love connecting with other women online and sharing comments and their projects. yesterday, when going through my reader, i read this post from Jami about being real.  Life isn't really just the  positive stuff we have going on, it isn't all fun little dates and a perfectly clean house and a project that is accomplished in 15 pictures.  life is messy, and frustrating, and overwhelming.  after reading her blog, i want to be real in mine. i want to share personal things.  i of course will still share our projects, and recipes, and fun dates and pictures, but I am also going to include life.}

i'm sitting here this morning and really reflecting on my small group experience last night.  you see, i've been going to this small group for a few months now, and even still, in this short time, i know that i belong there. 

you would not even believe the acceptance and the strive for God's love in this group.  this group has totally changed my view on friendships, relationships, and most importantly my relationship with Christ.

typically, i have found, when you have a group of women, and enter the room as a new-comer, i automatically feel judged, not good enough, and out of place.  not here. not even close. there is no judgment, no gossip, no pettiness.  just a shared love for Christ. it's awesome, and unreal, and hard to even describe.  

i say all of this from our small group last night. we were discussing the direction of our small group, because, well, we aren't so small anymore.  just a few months ago we were meeting in someones living room, and we have totally outgrown that. and now we are meeting in a small conference room. how awesome and how amazing is that!

Ephesians 1:17-19 {The Message}

"I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!"

we started off by breaking into groups of three. my group was two of my really close friends. {the same friends from our new years progressive dinner minus a few.} for me personally, i started going to small group to get connected.  Michael and I struggled, really struggle to find a church that we liked in Lynchburg.  so much so that most of the times we didn't go.  we tried church after church after church and just left frustrated.  our church that we attend now, Blue Ridge Community, was the first church we actually agreed on.  But there were problems.  It was a big church, there weren't classes or couples groups, and we knew that if we didn't get plugged in and meet people and have that community, we wouldn't continue to go.  So, I asked someone about a small group, and she invited me to hers.  and that changed my life. 

Ephesians 4:21-24 {New International Version}

" when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." 

Some other reasons I needed to get plugged in was to have that encouragement and reminder from other women about what God is doing in my life.  I can't even tell you how many weeks where I could go by with church on Sunday morning, and then not think about God, what he's showing me, what he's doing, until the next Sunday.  This group gives me a time to stop and think about what God is doing in my life. It gives me encouragement, accountability, and fellowship. 

 

Ephesians 3:16-18 {The Message}

"I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God" 

There are so many references talking about the strength of the God- the "incomparably great power" that Christ gives us.  What a relief because I know that I don't have the strength within me, I do not have the strength, the energy, or the capability to be who I am expected to be.  My house will not always be clean or organized, I am not able to cook dinner every night and spend time with my husband and friends and be rested for work.  I will always just end up exhausted.  But the good thing is, God has my back.  He's going to strengthen me with his power.  

2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 {The Message}

"My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."

a progressive new years

you probably won't believe this.  i can't even believe it myself, but I didn't take any pictures of our new years eve events.  not a single one! we did have a lot of fun though! 

The day started out by us... oversleeping! Not a good start when we had to pack everything up and drive the 4 hours back home, grocery shop, cook our portion of the dinner, and then drive out to the first house. We made it, about 20 minutes late, but we still made it :) 

The progressive dinner was a lot of fun and made the night fly by! We started with appetizers {cheese ball, piggies in blankets, etc} then headed to our house for soup and salad. Then to the main course of a roast, with veggies, and then desert, which was a frozen caramel pie.  yumm. everyone did such an amazing job with the food! I can't believe we were able to make it home in time, make dinner, and appear somewhat together for this! 

it was totally worth the stress, the sprinting through the grocery store, and the shoving everything in our bedroom while we have visitors ;)

Christmas...Snow

 It started snowing when we were home! They were first calling for 1-3 inches, which shuts down most things in the town.  We were so excited to have a 'white christmas!'

one of mom's cute little bird house on the deck :)

Overnight, it kept snowing and snowing and snowing! When we woke up the next morning, the back yard looked like this:

That's a lot more than  1-3 inches!! 

Awesome husband drove me around so I could get some pictures of the snow covered area! We first headed over to the bridge on Centerville- even the water was frozen!

Michael was so awesome to me, driving me around and around to different areas we thought would be cool! :D

A little bit of color! 

Love this shot. Love all this snow! My theory- if it's going to be cold- it needs to just snow! {especially if it gets us off of work! love those lazy snow days with my babes!}

Linus rode around with us for the afternoon! He was anxious to go and run around in the snow!

When then headed down to the Great Bridge Locks.  This place is beautiful already- add some snow- I'm in love!

One of my favorites from the day!

Awesome sail boat in the water!

The boys then got to run around and play in the snow! They had such a blast! :)

Sounds like most of the US is getting some snow- do you have any awesome snow day pictures or stories?