My Favorite Things...

Thought I would be more light-hearted today and share some of my favorite things in life!

(Things, not people or this blog would go on all day ;)  and also, these are in no particular order.. I enjoy all of them equally!

1.  Herbal Essences "Totally Twisted" Mousse. OK, this stuff is my life saver. I know I can't be the only girl in the world with incredible frizzy curly hair, but apparently I am because I've had DOZENS of hairdressers get stumped with my hair and product. So, I tried this, it works flawlessly. Gives me curls with just enough hold to avoid frizz but not weight my hair down. I even use a dab when I straighten my hair just to give it some hold and shape! Love it.

 2. My Coach tote bag- I think this is almost like a security blanket to me. Not to mention my entire world and then some can fit into it. Great travel bag, great book bag, and classy as always. I can't get enough compliments on this thing!

 

3. Orbitz Sweet Mint Gum. An old friend of mine got me HOOKED on this stuff. I haven't chewed another type of gum in years. I always have a pack and it's the perfect hint of freshness without being too spicy or hot. Great stocking stuffer :)

4. These are a new addition to my closet but seriously?! Most comfortable things I have ever owned not to mention the acid wash is just amazing. Looks great with flats, boots, any color. Just perfect!

5.  My iPhone 4G. I honestly don't remember how I used a smart phone before this. Blackberry's will always be foreign and complicated. I am an Mac user all around. iPod Touch, MacBook Pro, iPhone 4... still waiting on the iPad but it will be next to join my Mac collection.

6. My car. Mini Cooper is seriously the best automobile in the world. It drives like a dream, not to mention you always feel like you're in the Italian Job when you get behind the wheel. It is British, enough said for me. And it is unique. It is girly but not obnoxiously feminine like a pink cadillac or a VW Bug. I just love it... When I have a family I will probably get a larger car, but Mini will be a household name as far as I am concerned.

7. The book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. This book in monumental for every young woman. I feel like every girl should have the pleasure of reading this book at some point in their early adulthood. The book shows girls how God created us to be exactly who we are, and that in His eyes we are perfect when we are living our lives to glorify Him. Not when we have the perfect body, style, or personality. It also explains human error on the part of young ladies' fathers and the boys who break our hearts growing up. I read it at the most perfect time in my life, after I was heart-broken and felt abandoned. It really conditioned my faith and made me a stronger Christian and woman in general. If I could ever recommend something to young girls, this is it. READ THIS BOOK.

8.  Nothing warms my soul quite like a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. I don't get to enjoy this often, but it is definitely cultivated some of my most peaceful and thoughtful times in life. I am a huge fan of chamomile tea and sometimes even earl grey with just a hint of sugar. Great way to start the day! I have a HUGE burnt orange coffee mug like this one and it will last me several hours and quite a few chapters in a good book.

9.  John Mayer. The man is incredible. I have every single one of his albums and somehow each one captures a period of my life perfectly. Every time I want to reflect and relax, I throw his playlist on. I plan on marrying a guy who will play guitar for me... even if it isn't John Mayer ;)

10. Finally, my all time favorite movie. The Holiday. Hmm.. story of my life? I have definitely seen this movie over 100 times. Sometimes even 2 or 3 times a day. A few years ago, I watched it at least once daily for a couple months at a time. Such a great story, love the atmosphere, love the actors, music, all of it. Just lovely.

Can I Be Human for a Minute?

That question is a very mature way of asking can I whine and throw a pity party for a day or so and not be judged because everyone has "off days".
So, that's what I am going to write about..

I've had an interesting couple of months here lately, and I would say that I ended my summer and began my fall season with a mentality of "enjoy as much as possible: do as much, see as much, spend time with friends as much as possible and whatever you do.. Do. Not. Think."

The great thing (and in this case terribly inconvenient thing) about our minds though is that we never really forget anything. We tuck it deep into the shadows and corners of our minds, but it never goes away. So if I get myself alone long enough (something I avoided for months): I start thinking. Then everything I thought I had forgotten about or was numb to starts to resurface.

It is really wild the things we tuck away and bring back to light to punish ourselves over and over again. Our insecurities, our doubts, our fears, our diminished dreams, our failures, our what-ifs...our past is so haunting.

There is a bright side (Amazing, I know).
2nd Corinthians 12:9-10. Do some work, look it up for yourself.
Incredible, that in my weakest, most insecure, down-trodden moment Christ is perfectly strong, perfectly secure.

That's a pretty good pep-talk.

Simple enough, right?
Next time you want to throw a huge pity party (which I'll be the first to admit I am a fan of pity parties) just know that the Creator of the universe wants you to trust in Him so He can show off his perfection in ALL things. Paul even says to delight in weakness because then Christ's perfection can be shown fully.

How comforting it is to know that I don't have to have it all together by myself. That I am free to hurt, to be insecure, to be off my A-game... as long as I trust in Him.