The Man Behind The Woman Behind Love and Lattes

Can I just talk about the guy in this photo for a minute?

Allow me to introduce you to my darling husband, Justin.

He is my favorite person in the whole world.

He has the best sense of humor of anyone I know.

He is kind of a movie buff and loves modern technology.

Like his PS3, and our iPhones, and the HDTV he picked out for us.

He has a thing for purebred Golden Retrievers; they can do no wrong in his eyes.

He loves God, and he loves me, and he's not afraid to show it.

He's a nice mix of responsibility and silliness.

I love him with all my heart.

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to the very first edition of Thankful Thursday! I've seen so many fun blog carnivals lately that I thought I'd start one of my very own. If you want to participate (and I'd love it if you would!), all you need to do is blog about something you are thankful for.

It can be something small, like a much needed compliment you received or a great cup of coffee that warmed you on a cold day; or it can be something big, like a new house, or baby, or good news at work! After you've written your post, copy the code underneath the Thankful Thursday button over there ----> and paste it into your own blog entry.

Finally, add the URL to your Thankful Thursday post on the nifty MckLinky list below so others can read about what you're thankful for. Enjoy!

Today, I am thankful for my faith. I am so lucky to have been raised in a Christian household, and while I didn't always stick to the straight and narrow path, I somehow always managed to come back around to the truth. My God is the glue that holds me together when I feel like falling apart. My faith in Him allows me to stay sane even in the toughest of circumstances, because I know that there is more to life than the here and now. And that gives me hope. Even when I fail, which, let's face it - is more often than I'd like to admit - He sees me at my weakest point, and forgives me anyway. He loves more fiercely and unconditionally than any human being ever could, and for that I am truly thankful.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."-Psalm 4:4-7

Quotes to Live By

This morning, I came across this quote by Henry David Thoreau:

When we are unhurried and wise, we perceive that only great and worthy things have any permanent and absolute existence, that petty fears and petty pleasures are but the shadow of the reality.

This really struck a chord with me, because I have been feeling a little bogged down by the "petty" little things that make up a typical day for me. Sometimes it's good to be reminded that there is more to life than the "lather, rinse, repeat" type of schedule that so many of us follow. Not to say that it's bad to have a routine, but sometimes I just want to take a day off, sleep in and do absolutely nothing on a Wednesday. Know what I mean?

So here's a challenge for the day: Try to pinpoint a few of the "great and worthy" things that fill your life with purpose. Try not to focus on the little details, but instead keep your sights on the big picture.

Ahem...

See that nifty little button over there on the right, with the lovely copy-and-paste-able text box underneath it? (That took me way too long to figure out, by the way!) That's right, readers. I have decided to start my very own blog carnival. Look for my first Thankful Thursday post on.. well, Thursday!

I hope you all are having a fabulous week!

Who, me? (Yes, you!) Couldn't be. (Then who?)

Guess who ate three pieces of pizza and several breadsticks in one sitting over the weekend? And guess who indulged in some Mrs. Fields' white chocolate macadamia nut cookies that same day? Not me! It was also not me who justified those bad eating habits by working out on the Wii. Surely the two cancel each other out, right?

I certainly did not roll out of bed extremely late on Sunday and almost miss church because of it. I would never do that! My internal body clock always wakes me up in time, and I always remember to set an alarm, just in case it doesn't.

What have you not been up to lately? Write your own Not Me Monday post and go show it off at MckMama's blog!

Until next time...

Free write

Today my husband and I watched two movies together.

Pan's Labyrinth.

Visually interesting, but.. strange.

And sometimes a little confusing.

The Invention of Lying.

Funny, but not really my style.

We also ate pizza and played the Wii.

I did my Wii Active workout and was glad I did.

I got my hair cut at a local salon.

Tried a new stylist.

She's the third I've been to at this particular place.

Sweet girl, but went a bit shorter than I asked her to.

I'm really liking the cut, though.

It's growing on me. (No pun intended)

***

Change of subject: Let's talk Conan.

O'Brien, that is.

I love that man. I really do. I am "Team CoCo" all the way.

Even though NBC screwed him, I'm sure he'll be just fine.

I expect to see him on a new channel (Fox, perhaps?) sometime in the next year.

***

Things I'm loving today:

My husband.

Sleeping in.

Mrs. Fields' White Chunk Macadamia cookies.

Wii bowling.

Snuggly puppies.

Laughter.

More to come...

Mad Skills

Confession time: Lately I have become a message board nerd. I joined the boards at The Nest quite some time ago, and just recently I went back to see what was going on. I may have gotten a little addicted. :)

Last night, I was particularly bored and wandered over to the Baby Names board at The Nest's companion site, The Bump. I wrote a post entitled "Let me name your baby." I offered to follow any rules, stipulations, and must-haves, and provide a first and middle name to each mommy or mommy-to-be who asked.

Over the past couple days, I have come up with names for about 30 women, and unless they were just being nice, all of them had great reactions to the names I chose! One lady even said, "You should start a blog or something and charge people a buck a pop." Wow, what a compliment!

So, apparently I have this special skill for naming other peoples' babies (or phantom babies, as the case may be). Just a fun little tidbit I thought I'd share. If any of my readers out there are looking for baby names, feel free to post and I'd be glad to offer my services. ha!