In Over My Head

You know the ugly cry? Like you hear something and you can't help but crumble into a ball and just cry? And if you're a woman you definitely know...you can be having a great day. You might possibly even be laughing and then out of nowhere your tears turn into crying? Oh, I'm the only one? K.

I was getting ready for work this morning and this song came on Pandora. I had a rough start to the day but was working through some stuff, and then this song came on. Instant chills. And then the ugly cry came. Get a mental image of me straightening my hair (rare) and then this song coming on and me crumbling. It's okay...it's pathetic and funny and embarrassing all in the same. But after you listen and read the words...don't say I didn't warn you.

But really. This song touched me in a way I can't explain and I hope you enjoy it. The grace we're given day after day amazes me. His mercies are new every morning. I love you guys! Thank you for continuing to read my posts!

I have come to this place in my life
I'm full but I've not satisfied
This longing to have more of You
And I can feel it my heart is convinced
I'm thirsty my soul can't be quenched
You already know this but still
Come and do whatever You want to

I'm standing knee deep but I'm out where I've never been
And I feel You coming and I hear Your voice on the wind

Would you come and tear down the boxes that I have tried to put You in
Let love come teach me who You are again
Would you take me back to the place where my heart was only about You
And all I wanted was just to be with You
Come and do whatever You want to

And further and further my heart moves away from the shore
Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours
And further and further my heart moves away from the shore
Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours

Then You crash over me and I've lost control but I'm free
I'm going under, I'm in over my head
Then you crash over me, and that's where You want me to be
I'm going under, I'm in over my head
Whether I sink, whether I swim
It makes no difference when I'm beautifully in over my head
Whether I sink, whether I swim
It makes no difference when I'm beautifully in over my head
I'm Beautifully in over my head
I'm Beautifully in over my head 

Over It

I'm over it. I'm over people tearing other people down. I'm over women putting each other under the bus because we're jealous of another woman's success. I'm over the constant nagging, judging and belittling. I'm flat out over it. 

Here are my thoughts on the matter. Take them however you want. Maybe someone will agree with me and if you don't, that's okay! That's what this entire post is about.

We are a society SO consumed with ourselves that when something good happens to someone else, the first thing we do about it is critique. Someone from around here could become a published author and someone would have to make a comment about how awful their writing style is. 

Someone will always have something negative to say. And here's the thing: it's way easier to critique than encourage. But be bold. Say something to someone that will make his or her day! Don't you love it when someone compliments you when you've been having what feels like the worst day? Be that encouraging word for someone else. You never know whose day you'll make better by being kind.

Instead of tearing others down, why not build them up? And if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all! Isn't this literally the first thing we learned in kindergarten? I'm not trying to be annoying or over the top. I'm just OVER people tearing others down, whether it be to their face or behind their back. Both are equally as bad. Is it that hard to be happy for someone? 

Someone posted their new dress for homecoming on Instagram? Cool. Instead of texting your best friend how hideous it is, really have an open mind and try to find it in you to be encouraging. That being said, DON'T BE FAKE! If you truly don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Someone got engaged? GREAT! Good for them! Instead of saying, "Everyone's getting engaged and I'm just over here eating my pizza...", how about you congratulate them? Is it that hard?

It's not rocket science. But somehow, somewhere along the way, it became cool to be mean and extremely critical. And I'm just flat out over it. 

I'm going to take a dose of my own advice here. I'm not saying I never have a bad thing to say about anyone. But I'm serious, the world would be a much happier place if we built each other up instead of constantly tearing each other down.

 

Farmhouse Fresh

In no way am I being compensated for this post. {I'm not that big in the blogging world - ha!} All of these opinions are 100% my own. That's how much I love this product!

Okay. This may be cheesy. But I'm blogging about this product because I am completely obsessed with it and just want y'all to get on the bandwagon with me. 

This stuff is THE. BOMB. 
It's just a body oil you put on from the neck down after your shower. I normally just put it on both legs and use a Shea butter from Bath and Body for my arms and torso area. 

I went to Puckett's Jewelry's 'Ladies Night' a few months ago and we got a goody bag full of freebies: Cellar Door Chocolates, Farmhouse Fresh Lotion, and this Farmhouse Fresh Agave Nectar Body Oil.

Straight from their website:

If you love a deep-soaking, luscious after-shower body oil, Agave Nectar will love you back! The scent is heavenly light - an oat/milk scent (comparable to a to-die-for tiramisu dessert) that women and men alike adore. But it's so much more than a body oil. Made with a special blend of extracts tested and proven to reduce the rate of your skin's water loss - one of the culprits in signs of aging. Barley, Sandalwood and Amurense bark combine with Agave Nectar and a blend of natural oils to deeply hydrate without a greasy afterfeel. This bottle of glistening comfort even turns white in the water, so any droplets on your clothing or sheets remove clean in the wash. No staining. How brilliant!

It's Paraben & Sulfate Free. Sweet! I can't sing loud enough praises about this product. When it says it doesn't leave a greasy feel - it really doesn't! The only time I noticed feeling sticky was when I got too much out of the bottle and didn't want to waste any, so I put it all over my legs. I like to put on pants or leggings after I use it - my legs stay so soft and hydrated feeling all day long. The best part is getting to use the excess on your hands after you're done applying. Your hands are smooth all day long!  

It comes in a few other scents but the Agave Nectar is by far my favorite. It's a super light, clean, airy smell.

Plus, with every purchase from Farmhouse Fresh, some of your money is donated to saving a furry friend. Awesome product, awesome cause. 

On their website it goes for $18 plus shipping. You can get it at Puckett's Jewelry in Benton for $19 and take it home with you that day! Worth it! Here's their Facebook page - don't go another day without getting some of this! 

I hope you love it!

-a

Enjoy the Music

In a world of nothing but hustle and bustle, it's super hard to slow down and enjoy the simple things. Am I right? Every once in a while we'll find it in ourselves to slow down, and it'll hit us like a stack of bricks. 

"Wow. These are the moments life is all about," we'll think to ourselves. You might catch a whiff of cookies baking and the smell can transport you back to being a little girl and pressing your tiny palms against the oven window, watching the treats rise with anticipation. 

Or a song that you loved 8 years ago might come on shuffle at just the right time in your library that has 5,000+ songs and you close your eyes and literally see your 14 year old self sitting at your desk, knees propped up, journal opened & your pen moving as quick as you could write the words down as you recorded the day's happenings...only to have that song playing in the background.

Those moments are what REALLY get me. 

 When I hear a song and it brings back a gazillion memories at once, I'm so overcome with emotion. I can't even put it into words. Isn't it amazing? I think what blows me away about the concept is that we have a Creator who gave us this gift. I have SO many songs that do this to me. Somehow, our brains are capable of locking in memories when we see, hear, smell certain things. And then we may not see, hear, or smell those things again for years. But when we do, all the memories come flooding back. Certain perfumes take me back to awkward first dates, chaotic drama-filled youth group trips, and family trips to Disney World. Hearing a song I used to love takes me back to the EXACT moment I loved it the most. 

I think I love music so much because I was the teenage girl who relied on music to make things better. I would journal out prayers, but always with music in the background. Broken heart? I had a song to fix it. First date jitters? There was a song for that. Developing a crush on a guy I couldn't quit thinking about? Song. Mad at the world and what it had become? Naturally, I found a song that sang about what I was feeling. Happy moment that required celebration? I'd find a song for that too.

I could probably write from now into 2016 about songs that have made an impact on me over my life. But here are a few of my favorite memories...

-Everything is Alright x Motion City Soundtrack
This song takes me back to my ENTIRE seventh grade year. It was the year my precious self ditched the glasses, figured out my hair was curly and started branching out of my little shy-shell. I can hear the very first second of this song and I'm transported back to my English class every single time.

-Slide x Goo Goo Dolls
Same - I hear this one and I go back to Benton Middle School. I loved this song so much, and I'm not really sure why.

-Be Good to Yourself x Journey
This one always takes me back to listening to 80's music with my dad on our way to school. It carried over into my adult life because now we listen to 80's music when we're at work together by ourselves. This one is a regular on our station!

-Pieces x Sum 41
This was the song I was referring to in the third paragraph up there. I wrote in my journals with this song playing in the background more times than I can count. I'm listening to it now, ironically enough :)

-Beauty Will Rise x Steven Curtis Chapman
This song was my saving grace when I got my heart shattered into a gazillion pieces my senior year of high school. The CD skips on this song every time I play it to this day. I'd turn my car on after another agonizing, anxiety-filled day at school and let the tears roll down my cheeks the entire drive home. Somehow through it all, this song was the most comforting thing I could find to cope through it.

-A Part of Me x Neck Deep
I heard this song for the first time when Jonathan and I went on a double date with our friends Tanner and Mariah to Matt B's in Murray. It's one of my all time favorite songs by them because Jonathan was the one who discovered them for me & it always takes me back to our first time listening to them. They're my favorite band now!

-Healer x Kari Jobe
Every time I hear or sing this song, I'm taken back to when we sang it at church and I was in desperate need of physical healing. I'll leave the specifics out, but I was so discouraged with myself. The song came on and the tears came freely. This song holds such a special place in my heart because it came on at the perfect time that one Sunday.

-All I Need is You x Jesus Culture
I played this song on repeat every day at my job my freshman year of college. I despised my job, I hadn't met Jonathan yet and I was in the worst rut. I know I was still relying on the Lord because of the song I was listening to, but I remember just feeling stuck. When I hear this song to this day I'm taken back to feeling so lost and out of control but there being an undeniable peace lurking around somewhere.

-With Me x Sum 41
Jonathan played this on our drive home after our first date. The first words are, "I don't want this moment to ever end -- where everything's nothing without you." He told me to listen to the words because they described how he was feeling that night. It's our song :) 

-The One I'm Waiting For x Relient K 
This entire album takes me back to a much, much simpler time. I can't explain the feeling other than this album lets me close my eyes and gives me peace. When things are going crazy in my life, or when something tragic makes the news, I still turn on this album. The first time I ever listened to it all the way through was the summer after my 6th grade year on the way to church camp. These songs were cool, this was a band that sang the way I liked, and I knew they'd forever be a favorite. I saw them about a month ago and they're still one of my favorites. 

Those are just a few. I seriously could go on FOREVER but I'll spare you because I'm probably boring every single on of you to tears. I've linked all of these songs just in case you want to give any of them a listen. Think of one of your favorite songs. Go play it and revel in the memories. Our brains are so complex...and Jesus LETS us have the complexity.  Is anyone else floored by this concept? I'm almost positive I'll never get over it. 

-a

The Word

Jonathan's side of the family had our Christmas get together on Christmas Day...it was a wonderful afternoon of fellowship, laughter & love. While we were visiting before our meal, my sister in law Katherine & I got to talking. She was telling me about how she was trying to choose "her word" for 2016. Intrigued, I asked, "What do you mean?" She then continued explaining how she planned on choosing a word to pray over her life & her family's lives over the entire year. She was torn between a few and my brain got to spinning: what word should I choose? Will I actually stick to that? Hmmm..

The longer I thought about it, the more discouraged I became. I couldn't pick a word that stuck. One of my friends from church, Jennifer, gave me a journaling bible a few months ago. I decided to put it to good use. I was searching on Pinterest and IG for inspiration, and then I saw it: someone had chosen the word harmony for 2016. It resonated with me like nothing I can describe. Yes! This would be my word for the upcoming year.

Harmony is just a more beautiful word for balance. In 2016 I hope to balance my life in terms of work and rest, serious and play, keep a balanced diet (ahem, less Mountain Dew, more water is probably a good start), etc. I hope to live in harmony with Jonathan, my friends, my family, my customers at work...anyone I come in contact with. To top it off, I'm obsessed with the harmonies in all songs. I sang alto in choir throughout high school. Now, I believe I carry the melody a little better... but different lines of different notes going on at the same time, the harmony, absolutely floors me. Harmony makes music beautiful. And I believe harmony can make life beautiful, too. Here's to a harmonious 2016.

I got lots of cute journaling bible supplies for Christmas this year from my parents. Excited that I finally had something to journal, I broke out the concordance in my regular study bible and began searching for a verse I'd base my word on. I settled on 2 Corinthians 13:11...

Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

Christmas 2015

First things first...yes, this is a different blog than where I've been for a year. I decided I don't write enough to pay for a personal website, at least for now.

With that being said, here I am! This is a minimalistic space that I'll use for posts here and there. I hope that's okay with you all!

Today is Saturday, December 26. The hustle and bustle of Christmas has come to a close.  I always fight the sadness the day after Christmas. I work retail, so I'm back to work today. The gift buying and giving, the early morning opening of presents, the yummy food and the quality family time the Christmas season brings is over for 364 days.

Jonathan and I had a very wonderful Christmas. As we were driving back to my parents' house last night for some more family time, we couldn't help but to feel overwhelmingly loved and blessed. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

I got lots of special presents this year, but the most special gift of all was getting to spend the day with Jonathan and our families. I truly cannot get over how fortunate we are. The holidays aren't as special for everyone, and those families are in my hearts and prayers. I can't imagine what some people go through and the dread the holidays bring for some families. If you're reading this, know you are being thought about and prayed for right now.

I just thought I'd stop in and show you all my new space. One of my resolutions for 2016 is to write more, so hopefully I can be successful with that.

-a