olives

No matter how old you are, having olives on your fingers makes you laugh like a 5 year old with your best friend.

Anything can make you laugh like a 5 year old when you're with your best friend, for that matter.

-Love & miss you Paula

My momma taught me how to yard sale!

Today was very successful in the yard sale business. I myself took a couple things off your hands. I found some great things! Here is what I found..

First, this white board for $2.00 will serve for many fun nights of Pictionary!! Or maybe I'll find an isle and make it into a chalk board for

parties?? I don't know but I'm excited.

This small coffee pot I am MOST excited about because it was on the top of my "Don't have to purchase right away list". Finding it at a yard sale before buying in the store... is always fun.

$3.00

Jeff & I have small counter space and our large coffee maker is more than ready to be replaces by a "couples" maker as I call it. Just for two!! :)

It will give me a little more room for cutting veggies and preparing dinner! Best find of the day!

This Bridal Bag I got for $1.00 I will give to a friend who is getting married or I will put all my wedding hair styling supplies in it, to keep separate all the little items I need for Brides.

Speaking of Brides. These Peacock feathers I got for .50 cents I want to use to make a Bridal Hair piece for a friend getting married.. Or I'll make a head band with them :)

All together I spent only $6.50

to have a wonderful Friday morning at 3 yard sales in my neighborhood!

Decided to start a new blog for the biz yesterday and I am also going to try to continue to write some personal posts again. If only feels like yesterday I left a posting but it was two years ago.. two years ago!! TIME! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? I always love reading back and remembering the things that we going on at that time, so I saw push through and continue this blog (again) haha

Lets see.... hmmmm

Since I last wrote... I got married :) and it is.. .. .. . . . wonderful. God is so good, that is about all I can say on that. He knew Jeff before I did, but I also understand everything I experienced before meeting Jeff was purposed. Em is recently single (a week ago) from Phil and I can't believe how meaningful it feels to be able to cry with her and have her say "you know exactly how i feel". Gosh, God gave me a tool belt for young relationships while I was there myself. I learned so much about my relationship with Jesus through dating.

Jeff brings a sense of peace and hard happiness, nothing that shakes around anymore. Being married didn't come one day too late or too soon. I am so aware of God's perfect timing. I have had a great life, because Jesus is fun in the hard and happy times. All around, I have joy because He's my savior.

"Emily, you are going to understand why but it will be later. You don't have to change a thing about you. Turn your attention to where you are with God and goals you have. Have fun laughing with your girlfriends, because you are young and you never get younger." - the repeated conversing going on this month

I was so busy last Fall that I am finding myself enjoying all my own personal goals again. Whether with work or play. I have a lot more time for friends and Jeff and I get to plan our first family summer vacation. I am loving this season. I think we are going to try to go to Havcation and Houseboat Camp and then the OR coast at the end of July.

Plans for the coast will hopefully be fun, spontaneous camping... but I don't know a lot about spontaneous camping. Will it be more stress that fun? We shall see. Either way, beating the heat at the end of July sounds fabulous.

On the work side of life, I am busy with Wedding's. Wedding hair.. the blood pumping rush I give myself being put so on the spot while girls from all directions watch me with anticipation to the brides beauty. I love doing it and yet the stress isn't burning me out yet. It's a fun stress. I have a ton of clients and I am not looking to take on anyone new.

Jeff and I both are sneezing a lot but the weather is soo nice this week. We had rain and thunders last night and it's been beach weather, breezy and no clouds. He is in our backyard right now sitting reading and drinking his protein shake. I'm glad he's getting his vit D. I try to get a little, but SPRAY TANS are the way to go... no cancer solution to lookin good. :) I've got this Banana Boat summer mist that sprays on perfectly and is very lightly tinted.. I RECOMMEND IT!

My favorite things have been:

Talks with Paula overseas

Breakfast for dinner

cooking new receipts

spray tanning my legs

walk/jogging around my block

our awesome home

having opened windows all day long

documentation of May 23rd

today mom turned 47. it was fun to have the whole family at yaks instead of some busy place. After lunch there we had ice cream cake at the house. Ethan is getting so big, i love watching him get smarter and smarter. He is really aware of what he is doing and what others are doing, as he is starting to talk. Sophie has this cabbage patch doll that smells like my childhood. I picked up the doll and was burping her, just for old time sake. It made them laugh, but really.. it was fun to remember being a kid and pretending i was a mother. I kinda feel like the year has given me a few different twists because 4 months ago i had this feeling like 2009 was the year that i was going to probably meet the man i'd marry. And now i feel like it might be really far away still. Either is fine, it's just this year i have finally arrived into a new stage. no more schooling and side jobs. My focus is NO LONGER on just getting through, or seeing an end, or pushing through each day. I am here, i accomplished it.. im on my own. Im going to just focus on my business and wait to see what God does.

I never thought i'd be a career woman though. I was watching Marley and Me today and it made me think about how when i first wanted to do hair. I thought  i'd get the cosmo stuff done so that i'd be ready to have a schedule to raise kids. I wanted to help make money while having a bunch of kids.  Now, i have to take my job seriously because it's my "main event". Im surprised, but im sure it's a good thing for me to be focused on one thing at a time. And i might not ever have "husband/house/kids" i just have what i have today.. and i'm going to be happy with this moment no matter what i get or don't get in the future. 

I want to take this time to find out more about "giving". i want to search for answers that i don't have, when it comes to people in need. Another goal is to just study the word more. I also want to think outside the redding box with ministry opportunities and hobbies. 

I am excited because God is showing me new things about himself that i haven't known before.

I am tired today because i stayed out late talking with Nick last night and i'm still trying to come down off our conversation about God. It was so hard and so hard to walk away from. That is the third time, we've talked about his life and God for hours and again for the third time it came back to nothing and a circle that never ends. It is just this helpless feeling. Why will some people just never the real God? so many people talk about him, so few people are filled with his spirit inside them. 

I am thankful today that God is as big as he is and he's not afraid of my co-dependency on him doing the impossible work that i feel i will never be able to do or see happen. It's hard to hope for miracles.. i mean, that's why the word "impossible" exists!! because things seem Impossible sometimes... so so so impossible. and so he speaks about himself as the "I AM" .. that is just cool.

one week until Paula gets hitched.

Memorial day goal - have fun in the sun and remember that my body is a temple that doesn't need skin cancer.. so i have to cover up even though tanning is my middle name. Us sisters have a pact to stay in our suits all day sunday and monday. :)

I am watching the girls while mom and dad go to ashland for 2 days alone together. 

today i spent money at kohls.. i don't know how im going to save for New York!!! im suppose to stop shopping.. but it's hard.!

so tonight i reneted Hulk and the blockbuster guy said, "o no you dont want this one.. you want the Incredible Hulk, let me go grab it" and i was a little beezed by that because i wanted to watch the first one before the second and he just ran away, grabbed it and rang me up because he thought the second one was better than the first. And as i watched it.. i was beezed even more because i totally didn't know what was going on! i mean i did.. but it was lame to not see the details of how Hulk because Hulk.. so i don't trust blockbuster men anymore! i kinda just don't like block buster! 5 dollar movies are a ticket at the real show and shoot redbox is where it's at.. 

peace out

what's that smell?

ahhhww i just at a handful of peanuts and chocolate chips and it was a little too much.. im feeling like i shouldn't eat them past 9pm probably.. too late for such goodness to be enjoyed :)

hope your sunny Sunday was as good as mine!!! 

I love the Bible study we had tonight in Ezekiel 20. It says a lot about the blog from a couple days ago.. the one about my Life Point Average and sinning......

"I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm and with FURY poured out. And i will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples and there i will plead MY case with you face to face.

I will bring you into THE bond of covenant.

I will accept you as a sweet aroma when i bring you out from the peoples and set you apart. 

Then you shall know that i am the LORD, when i bring you into the land of Israel (a good place he as prepared) into the country for which I RAISED my hand in an oath to give to your fathers. And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. Then you shall know that I AM the Lord, when i have dealt with you for MY NAME'S SAKE not according to you wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings" says the Lord God. 

my mom always says that i "stink" when i act out in insecure emotions. She has seen my handle enough things with a Godly perspective, that when i act out differently.. she says i stink. And i'm glad she associates doubt and insecurities with "smelling bad" because here in Ezekiel God says that he will actually make us a "sweet aroma" to "smell good".. and it's true.. only God dealing with us pushing us to belief.. makes us good smelling people.. attractive to be around, liked by other people. And when i am rude to my sister just to be rude and my mom says that was "smelly" it's true and as a mean person or rebellious one to Gods ways, i stink.  Go mom, being so biblical in your motherly ways when i was younger.  :) thanks for loving me enough to point out my stench and remind me to deal with that before God. At the time i was mad at you, but i understand now.. .. you wanted me to smell good, just like God asks of us. 

wide angle lens

It was a lot of fun to help Heather with her photo shoot today. She did Kim Walkers wedding, which i really admire her music so it was fun to meet her and see her AMAZING wedding. It was a musical at the Cascade! so crazy.. i helped heather with all the before shots and then i left to go to the rodeo which the rodeo was dumb..  which made me sad.. with the right company it could have been a lot of fun but everyone was tired and quiet it seemed. I was thinking about how i wished i would have stayed and help heather and had a blast at an awesome wedding. :)  She called me when it was all over to say that i was the best assistant she has ever had. that totally made my day. She is going to start asking me to assist her from now on. I like it cause i dont desire to be a photographer so i am just a really good pair of extra eyes for details and i helped her move quick and stay on time. Plus i know she doesnt like bossing people around, but im use to it cause she has always been like my older sister.. and so i just walk in her shadow anyways.

Today reminded me of when i was working in my internship for Simpson and Phil Vaughn went to a houseboat camp that i was directing as my internship, and after it all his evaluations were that i was a rare person who could lead and follow all at the same time. He said i could get business done and also slow down to be flexible, and that usually people are either or. I'll never forget it, he was surprised that even though i was running the whole first day of camp craziness, i had time to still go on a boat and laugh with a bunch of high school girls. that meant a lot to me, what he said, i've never forgotten. And today i was feeling like a the really great assistant that i use to be in high school ministry with pastor chad. I miss those days sometimes, and i like being a really good helper.. and stepping aside. i like helping other people look good, and i also like to have my spot light sometimes too. Today was awesome. im super excited to have this new job opportunity with HeatherArmstrongPhotography! im totally gonna do hair on set for her now and help the senior girls pick out outfits for their senior photo's shoot. !!!! 

Im glad to be young and open to new things, i love when life picks up for the better and takes new turns. i'm glad God is knowing what we need even when we don't see anything new coming.

Great day!! 

PS. Paula's wedding is exactly two weeks away.. i cannot wait to see her and stay up all night talking.  

3.5 Life Point Average

is all i have is what other people think of me.

what pressure...

i've had my shining moments, i've had my ugly ones too.

the scale tips...

because of Gods great LOVE for me he deals with me...

and so it is good to feel like i've let him down (even tho i really can't)

but the conviction, that i do know better, is good LOVE of his... because it causes me to desire CHANGE... plan changing, distraction dodging, time thinking, laughter stopping... CHANGE.

I don't like ignoring what i know, and unfortunitely i know a lot. Once i notice what grieves my father, i stop. Somethings i've been hoping would be the "last" time the last 10 times.. 

 i just know what its like to hangout by myself.. because i'm sometimes the only person who knows how to brings out the best in me.

God is responsible for my reputation. If my ugliness shows it's face, i'll embrace it. If perhaps i shine, i'll thank him for it. I know i am worth nothing, and everything all at the same time. In the Emotions of my nothingness, there i am bombarded with the Fact that im made clean and valuable. I hate that, because it feels a lot better to be mad and self focused. It takes extreme selflessness to forgive yourself and move on in a valuable state of mind. 

the more i stay moping, the longer i get away without really changing. and sometimes i hate breaking free because i feel like i got off the hook. Guilt keeps me away from people, and it's when im free, fully confident in God and my captivating happiness and smile.. that i feel invincible again and shocked when i walk down that road again      and again.. habitual sin.

freedom might be more about remembering than forgetting. I pray my sin starts to taste like worms in my mouth... i'd just get so sick of it i finally stop. 

I see progress this year for sure. I do think we are given tests to pass or fail and it's good to feel proud of passing and sad for failing. I have both, but at least it isn't all F's. I've always maintained B's and C's..