Weekend Top 5 - Atlanta

So we had a pretty busy and exciting weekend. To be completely honest, our adventures on Friday and Saturday left me really tired and lethargic on Sunday. I basically laid on the couch watching TV and reading until about 4:00. On the flip side of that though, I feel surprisingly rested for a Monday.

Here's the weekend top 5:

#5: Figuring out a new aspect to this blog.
Beginning next week (hopefully) {mr}blogbacktome (aka Jason) will be adding one post a week to my blog. His posts will consist of music, movies, tech tips, and all things media or technology related. He knows SO MUCH about that kind of stuff. We constantly have friends asking us about music, movies, and technology related things, so I thought I'd give him a little platform to share information about what he knows best. I think you'll all really enjoy it. I'm going to archive his posts on the page that is currently "under construction" called Morales Media. The idea is to have an archive built up so that if you're looking for new music, movies, or books, you can just go to that page and have plenty to choose from. I'm considering giving him another section about tech related stuff, but we'll just have to see how much he's able to talk about that sort of thing due to the restrictions he has with his job. I'm also trying to figure out the name for his blog posts because I want them to all have the same name and then just have the specific subject as a subtitle.

I'm thinking either Morales Media Mondays or Media from the Mister.  

What do you think (blogbacktome at the end)?

He makes my heart smile.

#4: Going to Ikea and Pottery Barn.
So, I wasn't aware that Mr. Jason Frank Morales had never been to Pottery Barn before. Well, that changed a lot on Saturday. We went to the Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta and just happened to mosey into their HUGE Pottery Barn. After about 5 minutes of Jason walking around saying, "That's SO COOL!!" I asked him if he'd ever been in a Pottery Barn before. His response: "What's that?" Oh man, oh man. So we spent close to an hour in Pottery Barn just getting ideas for our future house and then gasping at the prices. On our way out of town, we decided to swing by Ikea just to ease our minds after seeing such ridiculous prices at Pottery Barn. Our style is definitely more Pottery Barn because they use warmer colors and it's almost a little bit more rustic, but Ikea's prices are definitely more in our price range. I walked away from Saturday very interested and excited to see what it's like once we actually buy a house.

Just trying out Pottery Barn.

The Mecca of furniture and household items.

#3: Grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. 
I've been reading blogs for a couple of years now. Almost all of the health, food, and fitness bloggers I follow love shopping at Trader Joe's. We tried to go to one in NYC while we were there, but it was so crowded and the line was literally wrapped around the store. It was also raining when we went to that one, so we didn't want to carry around paper bags for the rest of the day while walking around NYC in the rain. I knew there was a Trader Joe's in Atlanta, but I didn't know where. I also didn't really think about looking into it because I figured that Jason would not want to spend time in a glorified grocery store while on our little road trip adventure. But, as we were driving to Lenox Square Mall, I saw it. I was complaining about sitting at every red light, and then my eye caught the sign and I started freaking out. Being the kind and selfless man he is, Jason said, "Do you want to go?" and my untruthful response was, "No, we don't have to do that." Again, Jason being amazing, said, "Let's go," and he turned into the parking lot. About 3 grocery bags and $75 later, we have enough nonperishable items to last a few months.

When I saw this, I started freaking out on the inside.

Best coffee I've had in a while. Only $6.99 for this. They basically were giving it away.

Happy Jessica.

#2: Reading the book of Ruth.
As I've said before, I'm doing Guthrie's plan to read through the bible in a year chronologically. Saturday I was supposed to read all of Ruth, but we were so busy that I just never found time to. So yesterday, while I was being ridiculously lazy, I read Ruth. After I read it, I decided to go back and listen to each part of the four-part series on Ruth that David Platt preached in 2009, which was before I went to church at Brook Hills. For this series he asked our incredibly talented friend Mandi to write a song about each book/sermon part for Ruth. I've listened to these songs since Jason and I started dating (he played "Love Story" for me on our second date under the pretense that it's a great song a friend of his wrote - he's very smooth), but I hadn't listened to them in the context of the sermons or scripture they were written about. Yesterday, I read Ruth and then listened to the first sermon. After I finished the sermon, Jason suggested I listen to the song So Long, Familiar that goes along with the sermon. Even though I'd heard the song multiple times, it was really just a blessing to hear in context. I plan on doing the same thing for each sermon part and finish up on Wednesday. 

#1: Reconnecting with Atlanta friends.
I told you all on Friday that we were going to the Braves game (which was awesome) with my college roommate and her husband. We literally had the best time with them just catching up and sharing stories about newlywed life. It was encouraging, refreshing, and everything I knew it'd be and more. But we also had an unexpected visit with some other friends. Let me go back in time a bit...
--------------
When Jason was in 8th grade, he became a believer. He wanted to be involved in youth group and he wanted to get plugged in at the church all of his Christian friends went to, but because his mom worked, so he didn't ever have a ride to church on Sundays or Wednesdays. When 9th grade rolled around, a man named Darren was his Sunday School teacher. Jason told Darren that he wanted to keep coming to church, but he literally couldn't because he didn't have a ride. So Darren found an easy solution to that problem - he and his wife Sarah started picking Jason up for church. Darren was also the person who ran sound (I'm probably saying that wrong) and was the tech guru at their church. Because of that, he had to be to church early, which meant Jason did too. Since Jason was there early, Darren used that time to teach him all about running sound (still probably saying that wrong...Jason: you can make fun of me later). So one thing led to another, and Jason found a place and a purpose among a large youth group in a large church. Jason's friends and experiences from his youth group impact his life today on almost a daily basis. Jason's youth pastor, you may have heard of him - Mark Hall - and their youth band, you may have heard of them as well - Casting Crowns - went on to be a award winning and popular Christian band and Darren was their head production person (sorry, I don't know the official title). Jason was able to tour with them multiple times after he graduated from Samford doing sound stuff, and then eventually breaking into the merchandise realm which has taught him an unfathomable amount and led to where he is in his career today.
--------------
So, all of that to say, Darren and Sarah are VERY special to us and we got to have dinner with them and their three hilarious kids on Saturday night. We are eternally grateful for their lives that have been devoted to ministry for many years, and we're blessed by their friendship as well.

At the Braves game - this is what we call "Chillaxin'"

Ashley and I after the game...and after the rain.

My first experience at the Varsity.

Leaving to come back to Birmingham.

Let me also just take a moment to encourage any of you who are involved in student ministry. I know that the school year has or is coming to a close and you may or may not be off for the summer in your student ministry duties. But either way, be encouraged that what you do matters. The hours you pour into your students, the time you spend praying for them, the events you plan to invest in them, the tasks that you do that are completely out of your way - that ALL matter. Not only are you following after God's calling for your life, but you are impacting students just by being there for them. They may be snotty and stuck up sometimes, but your ministry and your life DOES have an eternal effect on them. So please, be encouraged by the story of Darren and Sarah. They're still doing student ministry today, even with three kids of their own. Jason will turn 27 this summer, and he reaps the benefit of their ministry daily, even 13 years later.

So that all being said, how was your weekend?!?

Moving & Moving Forward

Wow -

As I began this Monday I now have a sister who is a high school graduate. Jason and I enjoyed Carlee's graduation weekend in Destin/Fort Walton.

Friday consisted of good food, lots of family, and that memorable moment when they said, "Carlee Anna Sansom" and she walked across the stage. After graduation, my parents and Carlee's boyfriend's parents had put together a wonderful party for them just down the road.

Carlee and Tyler (her boyfriend) were "Preschool Sweethearts" (as we like to say).

They're old pros at this whole graduating thang :)

My wittle swister is moving forward.

By the end of this week, Jason and I will hopefully

• Have Jason moved in to his summer residence 
• Have a lot of Jason's stuff moved into my apartment for storage
• Have a working and functional washing machine (finally!)
• Have tons more wedding planning done
• Have our engagement pictures taken (finally!)
• Have done tons of random things in between all of these huge things and both worked a 40 hour week!

Jason and I are moving forward - and Jason's a-movin'! 

In the midst of all of this, I MUST get back to eating right. Last week I got my blood work results and everything was fine except my cholesterol was a tad bit high and my insulin levels were high. Praise God that there is nothing more serious. I know that I MUST focus on eating according to the plan that the doctor gave me (I'll share that later this week) and exercise regularly. I also know from experience that during a time of lots of celebrations and transitions, it's very very hard to stay focused on a healthy lifestyle. I am praying for focus and discipline during this time.

I am wanting to cook dinner at home a couple of nights this week, so stay tuned for recipes. If all goes as planned, I may have some good ones up my sleeve :)

Now that you all feel sufficiently caught up on my life, I'll quit rambling. Happy Monday everyone!

Prayer Focus of the Day: Today I am praying for focus and discipline. Titus 1:7-9 says, "For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." I am praying myself and for each of you friends and readers that these characteristics would define our inward and outward lives. 

'Tis the Season

Well, today marks the beginning of summertime in the South.

Growing up, Memorial Day marked the beginning of "the season" for everyone I knew. When you live in Destin, or any coastal town, Memorial Day marks the beginning of a three month long Black Friday.

So...in honor of my hometown and - well - we'll call it "heritage," here's my "Top 10 Summertime Favs"

10 - Less Traffic in the mornings

Source

As much as I absolutely loved growing up in Destin, I do not miss the summer traffic at all. Although I appreciated it, because I knew that it meant that people were supporting our economy, I have to say that sitting in traffic for hours a time just to get to work, the beach, the mall, or to a friend's house was not ideal. In Birmingham, summertime means less traffic. School is out and everyone goes to...well...Destin. Although my family may get annoyed at the hundreds of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee tags that they pass (or rather sit in traffic with) on the way to work, it means that I get to leave for work five minutes later than usual.


9 - Baseball

I don't get as much into the sport as I do into the atmosphere. I love all kinds of baseball in the summer - from tee ball to pro ball. I grew up going to the occasional Braves game with my family and during high school, I was privileged to get to see a couple different really cool games around the country. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about the big leagues, but I also love going down to the ball park and just watching the kiddos play. Obviously, Jason and I don't get to do that because we don't have kiddos (or even really know any up here), but those are definitely some of my favorite memories from growing up.

Jason and I went to a Braves game last summer and it was really a blast. We're trying to plan a fun little trip back to Atlanta this summer to and go to a game.

8 - Parks and outdoor events

Sunset Cinema at Railroad Park
Source

I'm a sucker for anything outdoors. I love concerts, movies, food, picnics, markets, garage sales, plays, and truly anything that consists of sitting outside in the warm air with a cool breeze.

Again, growing up in Destin, I feel like I've been conditioned for outdoor events since birth. My parents would always take up to events out at Seaside or Baytowne Wharf. It's kind of fun to get to do things that tourists do and then go home and sleep in your own bed at night.

Birmingham has fun things to do outdoors in the summer as well. I'm just learning about them as we go along. I guess that's part of the transition from living in Destin (either full-time or even just in the summertime) and living in Birmingham full-time. Jason and I enjoy outdoor activities, so if you hear of one nearby, let me know...we'll be there with shorts on!

Jason & I at Harborwalk with my family last year for the 4th of July

7- Pool time

I didn't know this until I permanently moved to Birmingham last year, but most pools apparently don't open until Memorial Day weekend...or may a week or two before. I'm a big fan of clean pools. I love being able to lounge on a raft (like our friend Mr. Speedo Man) or lay out for a little while and then jump into a refreshingly cool pool.

6 - Weekend getaways

You're probably tired of hearing me say, "Growing up..."

But, growing up, my family and I would sometimes go stay on the beach for a weekend or some short amount of time. We knew a lot of people who would come to town or who owned houses/condos on the beach. Occasionally, we'd go stay out there. I loved doing that because I still got to hang out with my friends and go about my normal routine, but when I wanted to feel like I was on vacation, I could.

Source

Jason and I have a lot of little weekend getaways planned this summer. Starting this weekend, we're in Birmingham very little over the summer. I cannot wait for those Friday afternoons (and some Thursdays) when we get to jump in the car, turn on some good music, and drive out of town.

5 - New movies

There are not many things that can top the opening weekend of a movie you've been waiting to see for months. Many times, new movies that we've all been waiting for happen to open during the summer.

This year...here's what we're waiting for...

Source

We actually just discussed going to the midnight premier. We'll see if it happens or not.

4 - Sales

Summertime caterers quite specifically to the shopoholic. Now, I'm not sure that I fit quite into that category (especially since I've been "on my own"), but I do love a good sale. Lucky for girls like me, summertime also brings with it lots and lots of sales.

Source

Memorial Day sales
Fourth of July sales
Back to school sales
Tax holiday
Labor Day sales
Spring clothes clearance rack

Need I keep going?

3 - Vacation days

Oh the joys of vacation days. I've learned very quickly that there are vacation days and then there are vacation days.

Vacation days are days that you're actually on vacation. Most of us go on a summer vacation every year or so, and vacation days laying out by the pool, laying on the beach, nice dinners out, shopping, and sight seeing are familiar to us.

Vacation days are days that you don't work, but you're not on a vacation. These are used for days when you don't go to work because you've got things to do (yucky errands) that can only be done between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

None of this...
Source

So far this year, I've only taken vacation days. I'm so excited about getting to take vacation days this summer!

2 - Wedding season

Summer is the seasons of weddings. This year there are quite a few that Jason and I will be attending as well as few that we can't make it to. Summer weddings have always been part of my life. If you've been on the beach in Destin/Pensacola/Panama City on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evening I'm sure you've seen a wedding ceremony.

Source

I'm sincerely excited for all of my friends getting married this summer (and next) and I can't wait to become a married woman myself.

1 - No school

Unfortunately, this one only applies to my life indirectly these days. I was always a huge fan of summer vacation. One year I heard rumors about how our county (or state?) might be going to year-round school and I cried...literally...sat down and cried.

Source

Now, I'm no longer in school, but summer means that my family is way more available for me to hang out with them! Having two sisters in school, a mom who teaches, and a dad who is a principal has made me feel a weeeee bit left out this year :( Luckily, now that they're all going to be on summer vacation, I get LOTS of family time!

------------

I hope that each of you have a wonderful holiday weekend. I will be heading home to Destin as soon as work gets out today. For those of you traveling, be safe! For those of you taking a little staycation, enjoy your relaxation!

I'll be taking a break from rambling this weekend...but next week I want to know: What are your summertime favs?

Both Ends of the Rainbow

Good morning everyone! Today is a special day...especially for me!

Today, I turn 23. It's the first of my "adult" birthdays. I know that people say that you're an "adult" when you turn 18, and then some people say you're an "adult" when you turn 21, but I don't believe any of that boondoggle. In my opinion, you're an "adult" when you go to work on your birthday.

Don't get me wrong, I could have asked off for today, but the truth is I kind of wanted to come to work. I have great friends at work and I love being around people on my birthday. It's also hard for me to take a lot of vacation days pre-wedding.

I even got some presents! Folger's Vanilla Biscotti, Summit gift card, cute earings, and a summer scarf!

I'm super blessed to have great friends at work.

I also realized this morning that this is the last  birthday that I'll ever have as Jessica Sansom. Next year, I'll be married woman and rockin' a new last name!

I'm super excited to celebrate with Jason and some more friends tonight! Stay tuned for that post tomorrow :)

Now it's time to backtrack to Saturday night-Sunday. I'm still trying to get my blogging schedule down pat, so you'll have to bear with me on the weekends for now.

Saturday night:

 I made some cookies to welcome Jason home and also to give to my sweet next door neighbor. Mr. Fritsch (my neighbor) is in his 80s and his wife just passed away a couple of months ago. I try to give him some sort of goodies and a note just to let him know that I'm thinking about him and praying for him whenever I can.

Cookies and Cream Cookies (recipe adapted from Lovin' from the Oven blog):

Yields 24 Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 stick softened margarine
• 6 Tablespoons Stevia in the Raw
• 6 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ¼ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt substitute
• 11 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter, and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.  
2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in the Oreos and chocolate chips until just combined. 
3. With a medium spoon, scoop onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked, but still soft.
4. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. 

Each cookie came in at about 56 calories. Not too shabby for a yummy treat!

The outcome = delicious 

Sunday:

The day had finally arrived. Jason was coming home for good! I woke up thinking that I was going to be late picking him up, but in actuality, I woke up about three hours too early. Oh well. Better early than late, right?

I took it slow, ate some breakfast (boiled egg), drank my coffee (yum), and did the 30 Day Shred (ouch). Then I hopped in the shower and headed to Montgomery where I was supposed to be meeting the buses. 

I arrived about 30 minutes before they did, so I hit up Ross Dress for Less. I had a successful little shopping trip. I walked out of there with a new welcome mat and wreath for the front door, a can opener, new lunch box, and a dress for less than $60. 

Finally, I got the call. The bus had decided to stop at a different exit, so they dropped Jason off at a Raceway gas station. A few minutes later, he was in my car and we were headed off to lunch!

We decided to get back on the road, so we stopped for lunch in Prattville. I was being a very indecisive eater, but we (I) finally settled on McAllister's Deli. 

Jason went with the French Dip with macaroni and cheese while I rocked the Veggie Club with fruit. 

When we finally made it back to Birmingham, we just relaxed and hung out. I couldn't believe that he was home for good and we didn't have to squish a whole week's worth of time together into two or three days. It was seriously so nice just to chill. 

After a little relaxing, we got ready for church. While we were driving there, we came across the most amazing rainbow I've ever seen. 

It looked like we could see the beginning of it and we drove under its perfect arch. I was just reminded of God's promises, which I know might be a bit cliche, but who cares. We serve a Savior who is faithful to the promises in his Word. 

Birmingham rainbow - the beginning

I sent a picture to my sister Carlee, and she sent this back to me.

Destin rainbow - the ending

We were five hours away from each other, but connected by rainbows. God is truly amazing.

At church, I felt so blessed to be able to dive into God's word specifically referring to a place where I am in life. The sermon was on Matthew 19, which is primarily about divorce. But, being engaged, it was necessary to truly listen and get everything I could out of it because to be divorced, you have to first be married. The whole entire sermon I kept thinking to myself, "I must be a wife who depends on solely on the Lord. My marriage must reflect Christ."

 I've heard him say it multiple times, but when David Platt said, "Take heed lest you fall," it pierced my heart like never before.

After church we grabbed dinner with  some friends who we haven't spent a lot of time with lately. It was so wonderful to reconnect with them! 

When we got home, Jason came over for a little bit. We had so much fun just talking and laughing. Like I said, it's really nice to just be able to hang out and relax. I don't like feeling rushed. 

Welp, that's about it as far as my weekend goes.

I did find out this fun fact today: 

Yes, while this was happening, I was being born. What a wonderful day May 7, 1989 truly was :)

Instead of rambling on, I'll leave you with a gift...

For all of you fellow Nutella lovers, here you go.

A Thing of the Past

Oh May oh my.  May is just one of those months that I love. One reason is that it's my birthday month. But I also love May because it usually comes with endings and new beginnings. School years end, and summer begins. It marks the beginning of things we look forward to.

Speaking of ending seasons and new beginnings, Jason leaves for the last run of the tour tomorrow. I am sincerely sad to see this season ending, because I know that it has meant so much to him, therefore it's meant a lot to me, but it's also helped us to grow in our relationship in ways I could never have imagined.

BUT, I'm am sure glad that he will be back in Birmingham full-time.

Since Jason has been gone so much, we always do a "Monday Date Night" because that's the only night he's always in town. Sometimes that means cooking and staying in and watching a movie. Sometimes they're big extravagant dates to nice restaurants and a little something out of the ordinary. Usually it's dinner and a movie at one of our local favorites. 

Last night was our last necessary "Monday Date Night" and we sure did end this season with a great date! Not that all of you are dying to know what Jason and I did on our date, but we actually got a lot accomplished and had a great time!

It all started with some pretty "May" flowers.

Then a BOGO meal at Genghis Grill (my meal was full of veggies, chicken, and shrimp).

Then we ventured over to the Galleria Mall. First we went to Sears to look at washers and dryers as well as TVs. No purchases, but we got some fun ideas.

Jason picked out his wedding band and I bought it. We also took my wedding band to get re-shanked, re-sized, and re-newed (I'm using my grandmother's 67-year-old wedding band that I was given on my 16th birthday as a purity ring).

After that we walked down to Starbucks so I could get some herbal tea and Jason decided to try a coffee drink...and he loved it!

We went to sit down at a table and just talk and hang out for a few minutes, and Jason gave me an early birthday present...beautiful pearl earrings!

After the mall we went across the street to Barnes & Noble. One of our favorite things to do together is just go into a bookstore and browse for a bit, grab some magazines, and then sit and relax. Jason looked through some entertainment magazine. Meanwhile, I looked through two wedding magazines...no surprise there!

After that we went to look at the place where Jason will be living for the summer. A family that we know in Birmingham has generously offered their guestroom and basement area for Jason to live in this summer. Since both of our leases end in June, Jason was in a hard position because he didn't need to renew his lease because we're getting married three and a half months later. I'm renewing my lease, because when we get married, we're going to live in my apartment (or I guess it's really our apartment). When we told this family about our living situation, the graciously offered their guest area and we are so blessed by them!

We even timed the distance on the way home from their house to find out how far it is from my apartment...15 minutes at the most. Not bad at all! It's also super close to The Summit (that's where Jason will be working once he's home full-time).

All in all, we had the most wonderful last necessary "Monday Date Night"! Next Monday is my birthday, so I guess the tradition will live on a little bit longer, but at least Jason won't have to leave a couple days later!

I'll quit rambling and leave you with a bit of truth:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Day 7: The Last Hurdle

Source

I can totally relate with every emotion this little guy is experiencing. All day I've been carrying this track race analogy around in my mind.

For closer examination of this picture, I'm the little dude jumping. My face is saying, "The finish line is right there! It's so close. Just one more hurdle and I can do it!" The people behind him watching are all of you! I've had so much encouragement along the way and I'm so thankful for it! The people behind him standing up and looking are all of you who are saying, "Girl, you crazy!"

This morning I got up an hour before my alarm went off because I'm so excited to go home. I usually roll over and check all of my random emails that I get throughout the night and when I did that this morning, I came across this...

...thus the reason for my excitement.  David's Bridal, I am eager to see you as well!

Today, the cleanse is supposed to be all about the soup. I packed everything up in my handy-dandy Publix bag, packed my car with dress shopping supplies, clothes for the weekend, and my ice chest full of fruit and I was off to work. About 4 miles away from my apartment, I had to pull over and rearrange how the soup was situated because it was spilling.

I was planning on just eating some soup around 10:15 or 10:30. But by the time I got to work, I was really hungry. Since soup was about the last thing I wanted at 8:30 a.m. I decided to cheat just a weeeee bit and I grabbed a handful of grapes from the ice chest. I very highly doubt that eating six grapes first thing in the morning on day seven is going to ruin my cleanse (but if it does, I'll let you know).

Out of curiosity and excitement, I checked Jason and my wedding website to see how many days we have until we say, "I do."

I almost squealed at my desk. Less than 150 days!

On a side note, but still an important note, today is the one year anniversary of the tornadoes that affected so many lives in Alabama. I hope and pray that those who have lost loved ones as well as dear possessions will rely on the hope that we find in Christ alone.

Growing up on the coast of Florida, I feel like I know all too well the power that a storm can have on our lives. In my almost 23 years of life I believe that I've also experienced storms spiritually and emotionally that affect each one of us in different ways. Whenever I hear reports of storms on the news, or experience them first hand whether literally or figuratively, I am reminded of Job.

Job 1:20-22 says (after all of his possessions, wealth, AND children had been taken from him), "Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."

A dear friend of mine, Mandi Mapes, wrote a song after the earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010. I believe that the lyrics of this song are true in our lives in any type of storm.

In Your Arms (by Mandi Mapes)

 To read the rest of the lyrics to this song, go to the Radical Experiment page. If you'd like to read the story behind these lyrics, visit Mandi's blog. If you'd like to buy this song, go to iTunes.


So onto soup...

Eat to the smile!

I ate my first soup around 10:50 a.m., my second bowl around 12:30 p.m., and my third bowl around 1:00 p.m.

I was able to leave work today around 3:15. It was so wonderful to get on the road a little bit early.

After four hours of driving, I entered Destin with this beautiful view.

I truly do love my hometown. I'm proud to have been born and raised in paradise.

When I walked in the door, I was greeted by my parents and my beautiful sister, Carlee. I was starving. I had only eaten about 150 calories today, and I was in need of something...but not soup.

I heated up my soup and took a bite. I almost gagged. I've heard that a lot of times when you change your diet drastically, your body will give you cravings when you're in need of a type of food (I don't think this is true with ice cream though, unfortunately). 


This is what I ended up eating for dinner:

PROTEIN!

Dinner:
Mom's leftover ground turkey
Corn
Black beans
Kidney beans
Watermelon

Although I "broke" the cleanse tonight, I feel good about my decision. You have to listen to your body. And I didn't break out a gallon of ice cream, I just reverted back to the previous day's eating plan (poultry and veggies).

Well, I'm going to call it a night and spend some quality time with my family. My mom just said, "I think I'm obsessed with wedding stuff right now." I think that's my queue!

Tomorrow = COFFEE!
Cleanse = COMPLETE!

P.S. My mom just said, "Ruching does amazing things for people." We're watching "Say Yes to the Dress" preparing for tomorrow! AAAHHH! I'm convinced my mother is a cartoon character.