Mrs. Rogers Neighborhood

Do I have pictures? He would have been an idiot to not have a camera that day!  Here is a collection of pictures (with captions) of our very special day.  My First and Last Blind Date...   A Perfect Day in La Jolla  For All Those People Who Want a Picture of the Ring...  Where It All Went Down...   The Whole Group Looking Great!  

Ok, I know this isn't a typical question, but it really should be! What am I learning about love? What am I learning about Bill? What is being engaged teaching me about myself?!? I still want to participate in encouraging people this week, as I have done many weeks before this.   I want to encourage selflessness. I truly believe it is the key to success in relationship – yes, in a romantic relationship, but also in friendship and family and all that comes in life.   While my current excitement revolves around a wonderful romantic relationship, I have tried to concentrate on the other relationships in my life and giving them as much attention as I give my time with Bill.   I am truly engaged (lol) in all he is saying when we are together and I give him my full attention as much as possible.   I have even talked to him recently about putting my cell phone in my purse and leaving it there when we are together.   Media can be so distracting in this current society!  

What a crazy week it has been!  My announcement has been all over facebook and so I guess I should write it to the blog world - I'm Engaged :) I can't stop looking at my hand.  Bill completely took me by surprise and arranged an amazing proposal and story for us that I will never forget.I could not have dreamed up a better story or a better boy.  We fit together and I'm head over heels. If you have heard it, you can read about it again... If not, put yourself in my shoes.  I felt like the most beautiful, blessed girl and can not believe the wonderful boy that God has graced me with.  I fell deeper in love with him through this process and I cannot believe how amazing this day was.    So... here is our very detailed story.  I hope it brings a smile to your face and warmth to your heart.  I am not sure if I have let you all know about my bucket list, but it will be posted later this week :)  Bill knew I wanted to go on a blind date, but I took it off the

Friends, I cannot begin to tell you all that has happened to me succinctly in one blog post.  I need time to gather pictures and I need to let it all soak in and really enjoy it. I will be taking this week off from blogging, and I promise on Monday you will understand why! I love and appreciate all my readers and I hope I do not lose anyone's attention in one weeks time. Enjoy you Thanksgivings with your families and friends!   I am thankful for you if you take the time to read my words at all, and if you do it often, I am amazed and truly humbled.  Thanks again friends! 

Has anyone else taken advantage of a Groupon deal to experience a new restaurant? Well, me and my roomate did, and the results were wonderful!  We got two full breakfasts and 2 mimosas for $12, and spent time in a quaint little restaurant in Huntington Beach.  Our Hawaiian inspired french toast and slightly spicy eggs benedcit were good.  We enjoyed picking a few things off the menu to share and relished our mimosas.  It was a decent meal in a freezing cold restaurant with wonderful service. However, all that was put aside because the real highlight of this brisk morning was the company.  This girl has so much going on in her brain and her heart and it always inspires me to spend time with her and hear about her perspectives.  We are so different, and come from such different places; but our experiences can teach each other things, and I learn so much from her.  This morning spent together was so wonderful because we just fell into excellent conversation and laughed and t

There is something about sailboats for me... If you look through my blog over time, pictures of sailboats pretty consistently pop up.  I am not sure what it is about them, but images of sailboats bring me a sense of peace.  They relax me in a very unique way, and they make me feel rested and alive at the same time. I hope that this collection does the same for you.  Relax today friends, tomorrow is Friday!  Psalm 23:2b "He leads me beside quiet waters."

 My baby sister, Joy Noel posted this on her tumblr last week.  I have been asking her to guest blog for me for awhile, and when she asked me if I would consider posting this I welled up a little.  I am so proud to call this little one my sister.  She is so unbelievably mature for her age and she really has an amazing head on her shoulders.  I feel honored to give you a glimpse into her brain and hope she continues to express herself this way and guest blog for me. So without further ado, here is a piece of Joy's heart.  Pop over to her tumblr and read what she has to say from time to time.  She really is a gem. Patience is a Virture I must’ve heard this eight million times growing up. My mom would tell me this constantly as I was a very anxious child. I find myself learning the lessons of my youth all over again in a new and revealing way as God is showing me his grace differently than ever before.           I was always told, “Joy, when you get to college yo

I often forget to be thankful, but with the day of thankfulness coming up, I try to stay on point.  I love the tradition of going around the table and saying what you are thankful for, especially when people go the unconventional route and really dig deep about what they appreciate most.  I want to do that for you now, and encourage you to do it as well.  Get past the general, and burrow into the deep personal things you are grateful for.  Do not limit your minds wandering... search every corner of your brain.  Sometimes the things I am most thankful for seem subconscious.  I also encourage you to write thank you cards for thanksgiving.  Sounds random, but just thank people for being them and living life with you.  Wouldn't you love to receive that?  I know I would! I will be doing that this year for those I cannot be with that I never thank for being who they are and for being someone I love and admire.  Be unconventional. I am thankful for: The stillness

Bill and I volunteered with my work and joined forces with Re-Building Together to fix up a Boys and Girls club in our local area.  We arrived at 730 am, started chugging coffee, and got down to business.  We both volunteered for landscaping and found ourselves hard at work leveling a patio that had been long awaiting helpful hands... at 8 am.  We really had no idea what we were doing, but with the nod of the right people approving our hard work, we felt as though we were catching on.  By 9 am we had sunk into our roles gladly and could see the uneblievable progress unfolding. Once the patio was more level, we were assigned to building a planter around these trees to finish the effect and make the patio that much more attractive.  You wouldn't believe the before and after! While we took on this project with lots of other willing volunteers, there was a whole seperate group that spent time working on fixing the electricity problems they were having inside and paint

Ok friends, I do not know if you have heard of the Trader Joes cookbooks, but I really love them.  Everything in each of recipes comes from Trader Joes, and the number of cookbooks keeps growing.  I recently discovered a Trader Joes Cooking Website  and have been obsessed with grabbing recipes off of it.  I love Trader Joes :)  I love recipes.  The result was obvious... When Bill and I went over his parents house for dinner on Monday night, they had made a pumpkin chili recipe that they got when they were at Trader Joes and got their sample in the back.  They made it for us, and it was AMAZING.  Smoothe and rich and hearty and YUMMY.  His mom had even made cornbread from scratch.  Gosh, I'm drooling just thinking about it.  Time with Bill's parents is always something I treasure, and they make delicious food all the time.  So, it was no surprise that we had delicious food, wonderful conversation, and a lovely evening filled with laughter.  What a treat it is to spend

I don't know about you all, but I am obsessed with Pinterest !  I cannot get enough of it.  I keep finding food that looks awesome, clothes I want, home decor I love, and so much more.  I find myself looking at it a few times a day.  It is becoming an amazing addiction. I have been pinning alot of crafts I want to do myself, and some are holiday themed.  I hope by sharing these pictures with you, that you will become inspired to do something fun and creative for your holiday decorating this year.  Hop on over to my pinterest (linked on the top right of my page always), and try some of these crafts!  I hope they made you smile and bring you an extra dose of holiday cheer. Let me know which craft above is your favorite :) Happy Holidays!

 Just a few days ago, me and a few friends spent a brisk Sunday afternoon at an outdoor arts and crafts festival.   There was a collection of all kinds of handmade things that were edible, adorning, and entertaining.   We wandering back and forth throughout the rows and rows of goodies and tried different things on, pointed out what we thought was silly, and took it all in.   I love the energy and the atmosphere that creative folk make possible.   What I love most about these events is that the people match their crafts.   It reminds me of 101 Dalmatians opening, where the people look like their dogs.   What they are wearing and the jewelry they make and the crafts they embrace always seem to be just like them and it makes me so happy to see people obviously loving what they do.   I hoep to achieve that one day!

  Philippians 2 Be Like Christ "  1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus" These words remind me what is important in life - Working to be like Christ.   I watch a lot of reality TV and I realize how much of the world functions off of their selfish inclinations.   I am fascinated by the way that their minds work and the priorities they have in their lives.   The world is not worried about how their actions effect others, but we as Ch

Bill bought a topsy turvy tomato planter in March and it has produced one tomato... That's It.  We lovingly refer to this little guy as Tom.  We had to pluck him off because he was starting to be sad looking, with a slit through his entire self (which sadly the camera barely captured).  It was a depressing moment when we discovered Tom was struggling. I would love to one day have a yard and have a little vegetable garden one day, but until then we have to resort to measures like this for space saving.  I hope next year Bill's plant thrives and makes up for this season, but in the meantime we will have to smile knowing that we got Tom for a little while.  One sad tomato is better than none right?

 What a lovely image captured at the perfect moment. I wish I was her, barefoot and carefree. Take a deep breath and put yourself in her shoes (or lack there of) for a moment.  I want to challenge you to spend some time with the sun this weekend, either at sunset or sunrise.  Soak it in. Let sunspots melt you like they melt me.  I hope this brings you into your weekend with a smile on your face and a plan in your hearts. Happy Friday Friends!

 I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me. Psalms 42:7 - New Living Translation Different settings bring peace to different people.  As I have mentioned before, the goal of this series of posts is to find images to bring instant tranquility.  I have posted a sweet little picture and a settling woodsy scene - this image is now being added to the collection.  I know for a fact that the beach just does it for some people.  It brings them to a place of relaxation and helps people find a center in their busy lives.  Surfers are not the only ones who identify themselves with the ocean.  People love it there, and not just for the sunshine. The beach has this effect on me at night.  The sound of the waves and constant churning of the ocean are like a narcotic.  There is something relaxing about its consistency.  There is something about the air by the ocean as well - It's a different kind of refreshing.  I am going to need to sp

{That I Take For Granted} I haven't done a favorite things post in awhile, and I could (always) use a good healthy does of optimism.  I sat and thought about regular occurances and items that I should be more grateful for on a daily basis, and realized that I have alot to work on. Here is the list I compiled of what I will focus on taking a moment to be thankful for in the coming week.  This concept always seems so simple to write about, but it feels so difficult in life.  Why is that?  If you ask me, I am absolutely grateful for all I have and what I am surrounded by.  Why do I have such a hard time showing my gratefulness? If you see me, ask me how I'm doing.  Accountability never hurt anyone right?  Although, do not be surprised if I throw the question back at you.  It works both ways!  I think going into things looking for the good rather than the bad is a beneficial frame of mind.  I hope I can grow in this area in the coming months. 1. My Morning

"Our Hearts Are Restless Until They Rest In You" Read that again. Now again. Do you believe it?  If not, read it again. Do you feel rested?  I know I only do when I am right with God, and in turn right with those around me.  When I have released my bitterness, when I have reached forgiveness, and when I have turned control over to He who holds the power.   Feeling rested is not an easy task.  This is not talking about being tired.  This is talking about inner peace. We cannot reach that alone.  People try everything to fill the void they feel deep in their soul.  Friendship cannot fill it.  Sex cannot fill it.  Drugs cannot fill it.  Life experience cannot fill it.  Money cannot fill it.  Love cannot fill it.  There is nothing in this life that can make you feel whole and complete. Think about it, once we are born we start wanting and never stop.  Nothing is ever enough and we will always be found wanting.  How do we calm that voice in our head that k