hear me out

Another good day.

186.Gardening
187.Thanks to my sister for reminding me: Corrected my own highlights...so proud of myself.
188.Downtown firework gazing
189.4th of July park cook-out
190.Finished The Help in 24 hours
191.Started a Summer reading list
192.Starbucks songwriting
193.Hosted a wedding shower (I've done this twice before, but different couples so it counts...right?)

I'm such a failure when it comes to posting photos. Mostly because I take most of them with my phone and I'm either doing too much to stop and take them or they don't turn out decent enough to post. Also it takes 85 years to upload, edit and download all of them from my phone and camera, not to mention sorting, organizing and filing them so they don't get lost or accidentally deleted. BUT, I did get a couple that I can post from over the past few months.

I'm liking this Summer. It's been different and challenging, but it's pushing me to explore in ways I haven't before. I'm anxious to do some super fun things that I can share on the blog machine!

I miss those teacups.

Well, I hope all of you are very happy and warm tonight.
See you all back here another time!

xo

BC

trees to climb

Something about the log-in page of blogspot.com gets on my nerves.
It makes me not want to log-in ever. Weird.

I have just returned from a trip with 50 kids. Switching charter buses twice for mechanical problems, losing luggage and trouble with hotel rooms...but awesome times of worship and seeing kids lives changed forever. Insert "priceless" here!

SO much has been happening. I barely have a second to do any personal projects so most of the stuff on my NEW list are things I stumble across along the way. Here's a bunch since it's been another long leave of absence.

178. Stood on my head. Hey, it's something...
179. Taught Sunday morning leadership!
180. West Palm Beach (+ special WPB sunburn)
181. 2nd Disney trip of the year!
182. Painted a bookshelf...spray painted the same bookshelf, stripped it and then painted it and spray painted it all over again. Don't do it yourself.
183. Paper mache
184. Chinese notebook
185. Godiva chocolate

That's all I can think of right now. I know there's more. I specifically remember saying, "this is going on the blog" and now I can't think of anything I have done that would consist of something new and fun to type about. Oh well.

Your twenties are really intersting. And people are really interesting. I won't get into that, but it's true.

Tomorrow I must complete a wedding shower I have been planning for a friend of mine.
I'm so excited! I love throwing parties. I will post lots of pictures...maybe..unless I get super blast busy!

I miss people commenting. Where did everyone go? Goodness.

Well, I love thee nonetheless.

xo

BV

Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Majestic

Bloggedy-blog-blog-blog.

Just wanted to post a quick, "hello".

So there.

P.S.
I am:
1.loving life
2.learning more
3.scheming
4.relaxing
5.working
6.cooking
7.writing
8.packing & unpacking
9.decorating
10.alive!

colour

I saw this video and said to myself: "I must have this on my blog."
P.S. I had seen this somewhere a while ago and couldn't find the link, but I found it today.
Very cool.

the bitter is sweet

This weekend has been one that I'll never forget!

In order for you to understand completely and fully the depth of my love for this weekend I must use a few discriptive sentences, so, here goes:

I've enjoyed waking up from a nap with the sun burned into the bridge of my nose and tips of my shoulders just barely enough to tell that I have been basking and baking with elation.

I've experienced the bliss of wind dried hair and cool drinks that calm the soul while kicking up my feet beside a wicker rocking chair, writing my thoughts and discussing things through with God.

As I sit on this balcony that overlooks a bay full of tourists and rich locals I can faintly hear Mothers calling their children to a microwavable vacation dinner as the sun goes down behind the tops of the beach houses.

I can eat whatever I want and go wherever I please because there is no agenda.

The only real "problem" that I have is that the sun is always in my eyes and it makes it difficult to see this little computer screen....shame.

I think I did a pretty good job describing near perfection, but you can be the judge because you're the reader..!

(P.S. It's very interesting to write something and put it out there and wonder what people think of it. The truth is they probably never will honestly tell you if they think it stinks. And I don't think a lot of people think my blog stinks, but I'm saying it's an interesting process to put your words on the internet forever. I've done it for a long time and it's slightly creepy to not know who is reading them. But slightly comforting to know that you're being heard....)

As you can gather, I've been having a superb mini-vacation/honey-moon to re-charge my batteries. It's been a long time since my husband and I have been able to go somewhere without having to "do" anything! We are very much enjoying it.

I took some pictures along the way (of course, who would I be if I hadn't!?) that I hope you are dying to see. Imagine us flipping through a family photo album 20 years from now and remembering the good ol' days. You get to be a part of that, don't you feel special? Haha!

I feel ready to get back into things already; working and planning new ideas for the ministry and life. I will share some of those with you soon, but for now, here are some photos!

I look forward to meeting you here again next time!

171. Crawfish Festival
172.Journaling on a balcony
173.Brooke
174.The 13th Floor
175.Solitude
176.Sleeping late on a Sunday
177.Sabbath

XO

BC

off day

April has been a nice month...I'm liking Spring more for some reason. I guess because the weather has been nicer than usual. Excluding the windy two days we just had....

Enough weather talk!

157.Cake pop.

158.Baby ducks. Henry & Eliza. They have attitude.

159.Painted a giant sunset...and by giant I mean giant.

160.Easter play!

161.2nd round of intense couponing. B1G1=BFF

162.Picnic table.

163.Checker match.

164.Hair change.

165.Hobby store....*shudder*.

166.Baby elephant.

167.Foyer decorating.

168.Blue nail polish. In honor of Spring!

169.Challenge planning! (May 18th!)

170.Hotdog Macaroni.....haha!

It's been insanely crazy busy, but this week everything has slowed down and it's actually quite boring. So hopefully I will have some more time to do interesting things that make for good reading! Here are some pictures!

Okay, love you.

xo

bc

heaven in the real world

Here I am. Once again. Not torn into pieces like Kelly, but blogging with a vengeance.

I have discovered that the busier and more task oriented I am, the more strangled my creativity and inspirational newness becomes. So, in search of simplicity I will dedicate this blog to exposing my pursuit of stress relief.

I realize that blog posts are much more entertaining with photos attached, but I must do what I feel I must do, so if you are stressed, this is the perfect time to hit the snooze button! Sit back relax and stop reading this! Instead, close your eyes and smile for five minutes like some gurus suggest. Which brings me to my first "less stress" point.

1.Relaxation Practice

I googled 'Stress Relieving Techniques' and these 2 little words appeared. A relaxation practice is defined as a special time set aside to practice something that relaxes you (duh) such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation or even smiling, I guess.... "Experts" say to set aside 10-20 minutes a day for your relaxation practice. And if you would like to achieve even MORE stress relief to amp it up to 30-1 hour. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for breathing deep, but I would think that any stressed out, frazzled person with an hour to spare would most likely try to nap or veg out in front of the TV.

Maybe, I'm wrong. I haven't tried the whole smiling thing yet, but I think I will. I also think that maybe forcing yourself to feel joy is slightly odd because wouldn't that just stress you out even more having to will yourself to engage in an emotion you don't fully feel at the moment? Or maybe you do feel joy because you have time to sit still for 5 minutes and do nothing but smile....I dunno. I'm of course, not the expert.

I will say the progressive muscle relaxation looks promising. Google that.

2.A Good Cry

One website actually says that a good cry is what you need to relieve stress the natural way. Like sweating, it's healthy and effective for ridding your body of stressful "build-ups". But wait, it gets even more interesting! According to this website there are 3 types of tears..

Continuous or basal tears: Keep the eye surface permanently moist and protected and contain water, lipids or fats, proteins, and compounds that protect against infection.

Reflex tears: Contain a similar make-up, and are produced as a reaction to irritants or foreign objects.

Emotional tears: Have a different make-up, and include enkephalin, an endorphin and natural painkiller.

"Emotional tears contain higher concentrations of proteins, manganese, and the hormone prolactin which is produced during stress-induced danger or arousal.''- Dr. Carrie Lane of the University of Texas

Whatdya know? Maybe you learned this in Science class or something, but I never knew.

That said, I do agree completely with the Good Cry method of relieving stress, although I never willfully engage in a full on sob fest. It usually happens at inopportune times and doesn't end in a dreamy, Oscar winning, uplifting moment. I usually have a migraine after and look like I lost against Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter. But it is effective.

3.Relaxing Thoughts

In my research, (listen to me, I sound all brainy) I discovered a list of relaxing thoughts to recite to yourself when you're feeling tension in the brain. Enjoy.

This too shall pass. Don't take it personally. Be yourself. Stop overgeneralizing. There is no right answer. Control yourself, not others.

I could be totally off here, but most of these things sound like statements my Mother would make that would only make me more upset because they don't actually give me a solution. "Thanks, Mom, but I'm still not relaxed and I have to let you go because the dog tipped over my husbands drink and spilled sweet tea on my freshly steam cleaned carpet."

What does "stop overgeneralizing" mean anyway??

4.Exercise

The same website that listed those relaxing thoughts also gave these as stress relievers:

Do exercises that work your leg muscles, as in "Run away!" Use a treadmill. (It works for lab rats.)

Wow.

5.My Theory

Of course, there are pills and books and so much more to help you relax and live your life stress free, and let's not forget the saintly "too blessed to be stressed" mantra! I agree that recognizing blessings makes the stressing seem a whole lot less mind scrambling, but all in all, I think the best way to relax is to do what makes you happy.

I sound like a real guru here, but the answer is not in forcing yourself to smile until it comes naturally, it's in eating half a pizza and m&m's because you can and it makes you happy to let go of all the rules of being an adult for 10 minutes and forget that you have bills to pay and people that look up to you. It's not endorsing being irresponsible, it's rejecting a lifestyle of man made standards of perfection.

Try as hard as possible to stop comparing, quit overreacting, listening to the worlds' idea of success and do what makes you laugh hysterically and you will be fine, within reason though, people...stay saved.

The more of you that chooses to not be affected by negativity and craziness in your life, the more there will be contagious real happiness to go around. Having a plan is superb, trust me, I'm ALL about having a plan, but the plan can wait for 5 minutes of real smiling....or reciting relaxing thoughts to yourself, if that's your thing.

If you have nothing that you crave that makes you genuinely happy, you may borrow some of mine!

Go to the pet store to hold puppies.

Google pictures of adorable babies. Anne Geddes, what?!

Eat candy or cookies. Either will do. While listening to Disney soundtracks...but only if your female..otherwise, wierd.

Paint by Number! Paint your nails and read magazines.

Simple, yes, and they work. I have more that I would prefer to be my own. So, go find some for yourself! Let me know how it goes.

xo

BC

p.s.

See, less stressed already!

feels like home

Oh my, I've neglected this. Sorry for those of you that read it.

Tonight was my cousins wedding. And I added to my "new" list.

#154. Sang 2 songs at a wedding! I was so honored to be asked.

I love weddings!!

I can't think of many new things that I have done lately, to be honest, I haven't had much time to do the awesome life-changing ones. But, have no fear, I WILL complete the list and do lots of fun things for you all to read about.

Here are just a couple of mundane little bits to add..

#155. Made homemade spinach wraps. Picture is totally not necessary because they don't look appealing at all.
#156.Bought a new bed! Ah, phenom.

So, I loved the video blog thing. I need to make another. But better.

Maybe next week!

Thanks for reading as always!

Love,

BC

#153 video diary

Here it is, just like I said! My first video blog! Just a little glimpse...



Love,

BC

sunshine spectacular

This Presidents Day has been the best I have ever had!
I climbed a tree and did lots of other things. Which brings me to my list.

149. Climbed a tree that was marked "MY TREE". Sorry to whom ever it belonged to.
150. Treated myself to the freshest of yellow flip flops. Curtis thought it was funny when I said, "It's like walking on lemons!" I was outside in them all day, so I got some dirt on them, which is a bummer, but I'm not above scrubbing them up to keep em' fresh. Ha!
151. Played basketball! I was so sore the next day. Sports are so not enjoyable for me to play, but it was fun this time! I beat Curtis in P.I.G. so, that's probably why. I think I might do this again and again so I can impress people with my jump shot.....eh...
152. Sat outside on a blanket in my backyard, complete with bees and a little girl neighbor who kept peeking in on me through the slats in the fence. It was slightly uncomfortable, but I forced myself to stay put for an hour to enjoy the silence and put aside my cell phone and other distractions. This is what a cabin in the mountains is for.


I am determined to start video blogging, but I have no idea how. I will figure this out soon, I promise. Until then, keep the comments coming, I love when folks comment! I wish I had one of those blogs that had 40 comments on every post. That's amazing. But, you know, I'm still getting the hang of it AND I don't have the time that it takes to edit pictures all day and post and edit and post and blah blah blah. I admire those that dedicate so much time to it, I wish I could so my blog could be killer, but for now, what I've got will have to do!

When I video blog I will let you in on some every day life things and some compelling people I know, here's some pictures from the past couple of days.

p.s.
I really like the word "swag". I've been trying to find ways to use it, but haven't been able to....that's kind of discouraging because that means I probably don't know anyone that has it or knows how to use it, including myself, which brings me to my next question..can girls have "swag" or is that a guy thing? Hm.

p.s.s.
There is more where this came from...click the picture on the right sidebar to follow me on twitter!!

p.s.s.s.
My next blog will be dedicated to Twitter hashtags in some way...I think I'm going to invent my own hashtag for 7 Days of Something New....a la' Jimmy Fallon....keep reading!

Love,

BC

whenever i'm alone with you

Dear People,

Even though I was sick all week long and making those moaning cold noises that adequately relay my miserableness, I had a nice time cuddling with my dog and watching episodes of Super Nanny. I definitley had cabin fever by Saturday night and couldn't wait to get out of the house and do anything!

Yesterday was such a sweet, scrumptous time! My husband woke me up with a dozen white roses and my favorite chocolates in a heart shaped box. *swoon* I get that some people think Valentines Day is cheezy, but I choose to squeeze every drop of bliss out of it and wish the same happiness for others that I have experienced myself. Why not? Why be grouchy about a day dedicated to looooooove? That's dumb.

I was SO sick when I woke up, but after a little slumber of a nap I got all excited about getting dressed up and going to see the Bieber movie. My husband actually took me to see the Bieber movie for Valentines Day. Isn't that nice? I think he liked it....

So, now that you know some little tid-bits of my day yesterday let me tell you something new:

138. Ate M&Ms for the first time in forever. Forced myself to not care that for every M&M you eat it takes a jog across a football field to burn off the calories.

139. Purchased a nail polish solely for the name. "Lift theVeil", I mean, is that not the best?

140. Ate my first Amuse Bouche...google that.

141. Wore my tights inside out just because. I'm weird, I know. But it's fun.

142. Helped a stranger spell Ornery.

143. Fed my dog Fruit Loops. Does that make me a bad dog parent?

144. Re-wrote some Psalms for fun.

145. Put up a bird feeder in my back yard!

146. Listened to Neil Young and imagined. Brain excercising.

147. Ate Grouper! Yum.

And now pictures.

Me sick as a dog, with my dog.....#148. Posted a picture of myself without any makeup on! Yea!


Headed to celebrate!

I was stoked about those M&Ms.

My Valentine, who looks a little like the Biebs as a child....


I hear that guys find pictures like this annoying, but I don't care because 1)I'm married and 2)I haven't posted one like this in yeeaaaars. 3)This was me playing with makeup and trying to send pictures to Curtis because I was bored......I like it because you can see my closet in the background.

Thank you for reading, comment and give me suggestions for some new things to do!!

I want to go berry picking and boat riding and bird watching and ride a motorcycle.....so keep in touch!!

Love and XO's,

BC

p.s.
It feels really good to be me and know that I'm unique.
I'm not afraid of that.
Or the big bad wolf.





Or the bitter hearts.

If the trees had a mother and a father like mine...

Some happenings of late:

131. Taking a picture of the fog resting on buildings in the French Quarter, New Orleans.
132. Ordering take out ice cream in a cup from Pudgies in N.O. Not as good as I thought it would be.
133. Buying bundles of hydrangeas, my latest favorite flower.
134. Discovering old pictures on my parents computer and marveling at how simple life used to be. I never knew what was to come...not in a bad way, but in amazement at the fact of what God has required of me in such a short time!
135. Surprising my Mum for her 50th birthday! And pulling of a pretty little party for her with my sisters.
136. Re-decorated my guest bathroom as a spur of the moment impulse for something new! It's so much better now.
137. Celebrated my 24th birthday!

And many more.





Now see me curl up and watch a movie.....Eat, Pray, Love I think.

P.S.
Julia Roberts is fantastic. So is that sweet tea that tastes like Fruit Loops.

i really love you

Scrolling through some old photos I found some from Thanksgiving that I meant to post.
Cute lil' umpkins.

-BC

p.s.
What in the world should I do for my birthday?

love grows

Hello again, dear bloggies.

I have been deep in the thick of exciting-ness and some not so exciting mundane stuff as well, of course. I will not bore you with the details.

Since this is my blog and all the best blogs are supposed to be candid and honest, and being that honesty iz my favorite..

Currently, I find the following very annoying.

1)The very very bitter cold. Biting, rude and ugly, go away.
2)The sniffles.
3)Static cling.

p.s. This is not me, I stole this picture from someone else to illustrate my point.
4)People who text and drive.
5)People who wear tights as pants.....if you can see that much hiney it's not finey.
6)People who wear shorts in the winter time. Um, dear Pensacola-ites, that is WEIRD.
7)Comparison.
8)Super spirituality.


I find the rest of these to be lovely.

1)Traveling wherever I want. Not that I get to do this really ever, but once in a blue moon, ya know.
2)Flowy, drapy fabric.
3) Being re-tweeted.
4)Being followed. On Twitter, for all you stalkers out there. Not literally followed. Ew.
5)Encouragement.
6)Comments on this here blog.
7)Looking at other peoples blogs.
8)My dog.
9)The word "Panda". If I get another dog I think I would name it Panda or Humphrey...no not really, maybe just Panda.

Anyways, next time I blog I'll have some pictures of outfits and friends and experiences for you.

Oh, and yes I am still on the list. I'll have more of that too!!

xoxoxoxox

BC

new day

"Teach me to number my days, that I might gain a heart of wisdom." - Psalm 90:12

This is day #1 of what is going to be an incredible year! I wanted to post quickly because 2011 and I are already friends and I'm excited about it.

I hope all of you had a happy New Years Eve/Day and that you have healthy dreams and resolutions for the next 365 days!

I will post again soon with some New Years resolutions, maybe...

And more pictures, if you want...

Now I'm going to look for some interesting folks to follow on Twitter.

Love,
BC