30 Blogs in 30 Days: Day 5: Five Things That Make Me Happy

Yep, I haven't forgotten about 30 Blogs in 30 Days! I just took a detour & blogged about inexpensive makeup, Mary Kay, and George Bush's interview about 9/11. That's what my blog's all about: Blogging about whatever the heck I want, when I want! ;)

So TODAY I shall blog about whatever the heck Day 5 is supposed to be.

And day 5 is....

Five things that make me HAPPY {in no particular order} ... That'll be easy enough :)

1. Pampering myself
Any time I can find the time [and money] to pamper myself, I will. That could mean getting a pedicure, getting my favorite shellac manicure or just painting my nails, coloring my hair, getting a fresh new haircut or style [body wave not included], taking a lavender-scented bubble bath, putting masks on my hair [Lord please heal my hair], playing with makeup, $HOPPING, or getting some color on my skin [I still am on the look-out for the perfect spray tan!] - I am always looking for new ways to feel better about myself, and if giving myself a spa day does it, well, I guess I'll just have to do it. ;)

2. My boy
Alex Mullen drives me crazy, more than probably anyone, but Lord do I love that boy! 9+ years together will do that to ya! He takes care of me and makes me laugh and that's all any girl wants! He truly makes me happy and I can't imagine my life without him.

3. Capital G - O - D
Hate me for being cliche, or cheesy, or whatever you want to call me today, but I'm not joking y'all.. a lot's going on in my life, and a lot has gone on in my life. I can't imagine where I would be without my God. I can't imagine where I would be without the hope I have in Him. I can't imagine how anyone gets through anything negative [and healthily] without Jesus. He is truly my strength, my hope, my joy, and my future! I know that no matter what happens, He is there with me, guiding me along, bringing happiness to me in the oddest of ways. And for that I am thankful! :)

4. Doing what I do
I love my job. I love that I have the opportunity to assist others in bettering their lives. Doing therapy has given me the opportunity to help people see the bigger picture, feel better about themselves, improve their family, improve their relationships, and deal better [in more healthy & appropriate ways] with the things going on in their lives. Making them happier and healthier makes ME happy as well!

5. Hang Time
Being with my friends, hanging out, doing nothing or doing something fun, or even doing something stupid makes me really happy. I love all of my friends, past and present! I don't know what I'd do without some of them. We're all super busy, and have our own things going on, so it makes me really happy to get to spend time with them. We always end up laughing and what's not happy about that?!

an oldie but a goodie :) 

30 Blogs in 30 Days: Day 4: 10 Things I Would Say to my 16-Year-Old Self

This is a pretty interesting one!

Hmm... let's see... what was I doing when I was 16???

In September of 2003, I was starting my junior year of high school, so "16" was basically my junior year & the summer after.

Alex and I were on and off {of course} and I had some pretty great times with some pretty great friends.

Here's some random pics from my 16-year-old days...

Golfing with Alex for his 18th birthday

"Fab 4" night of trouble... 

There's a funny story that goes with the picture above.

I will sum it up with a Facebook photo comment from Summer (2nd from the right):

"hahahahahahahaha...i still can see you flipping out of the back of the truck..hahaha...and the car coming and you almost getting ran over...i thought you were dead...but of course im glad you're ok and everything but you know that was the funniest thing ever when you look back on it...lol" 

Good times, y'all, good times...

My 16th Birthday... at Hooters after the football game, lol

Oh you know, riding around ;) Taking pictures...
With that old Nokia phone- everyone who was cool had one ;) 

Junior Girls Christmas Party at my house

Christmas dance
I was in a "bold" phase

Homecoming Pep Rally with Alex
Look how young & skinny we were!

Softball girlies :) 

When you want a specific tan line, you wear 2 bathing suits.
You can do that when you're skinny.

My future college roomie!! Who knew?! :)

My twinsie, Meredith ♥

I definitely just scrounged through my old Webshots account and whatever is left of my Facebook pictures from this "era" and reminisced for about an hour. {Way to be productive, Nicole!} 

Oh, yeah....10 things I would tell my 16-year-old self.... 

1. You've got it, so flaunt it! You will start taking Depo-Provera next year, and your body will never like you again. 
2. I know you think you're overweight, but YOU. ARE. NOT. You can't compare your body to your peers' bodies. You wanna compare it to something? Compare it to your OWN body, 8 years later. You'll think twice and want to wear bikinis everywhere you go! 
3. Your hair was cute short. But at some point, please let it grow long.
4. You look beautiful without a ton of makeup! 
5. You're going to have fun. Things are going to get crazy. Live it up. You'll grow more cautious later. 
6. When Alex gets super controlling and psycho on you, don't call him. "It's meant to be," so don't call him. He'll act like he won't miss you, because he's young and big and bad, but do your own things. He'll miss you a lot. And he'll be a much better man eight years later, so, do what you've gotta do. 
7. Realize how lucky you are. You're surrounded by so many awesome things, memories, and people! Not everyone's so lucky.
8. Hoes before bros. 
9. Learn how to study, PLEASE. And get better grades. You're too smart to get lower grades just because you're lazy. 
10. Family is important too. 

*****

Stay tuned for Day 5: Five Things That Make You Most Happiest Right Now

Click to see my other blogs from 30 Blogs in 30 Days.

Sweet Surprises

Seriously, this is so unlike my life- but I have felt the love lately!! I have felt so blessed, surrounded by such positive, uplifting, encouraging people in my life. I recently talked about my girlfriends, but today I want to give a shout out to my fabulous co-workers.

As you probably know, I passed my NCE (National Counselors Examination). That was a Friday & I took the day off of work to take my test in the morning and to head to the mountains for one of my best friend's weddings.

Well, Monday morning when I got to work, this was on my desk:

That in itself was so nice of them to do! I felt so happy seeing that. Everyone congratulated me and we went out to lunch to celebrate me passing the NCE and a co-worker's birthday! It's not often most of us get to take off work for an hour, together, so that was nice! Then at the end of the day I got a surprise!

Some nice-smelling goodies from Bath & Body Works & a card signed from everyone in the office!!

Seriously, how sweet is that?! I am so blessed to work with such great people.

I often whine & gripe about things that annoy me....so I thought I would take this time to remind people that there are nice people left in thsi world...and I am lucky enough to get to work with them!! :) Thank you, Lord!

happy happy joy joy

There is no simpler way to say it other than I am excited!

I am excited...

• Because I have officially turned in my last piece of work for the Fall semester. Just waiting on grades now...
• Because I am getting an elective course credit (3 actually, if that wasn't assumed) for a week-long class this week. If I can get the work done this week and/or shortly after, then I won't have any work to do over Christmas Break or coming into the Spring semester!
• I got permission to walk in May instead of having to wait until December!
• I joined Mary Kay and within the first week have not one, but two fabulous recruits!! Much love to my awesome girlfriends Becky and Melissa!! 
• I got some free jewelry for having a Premier Design jewelry party...loving all the new shiny jewelry in my collection! 
• Christmas break is just days away...
• I get to see some girl friends this weekend... Carolina, Kelly, & Bethany! We're having a triple date at the Cheesecake Factory....I can taste it now....

Things will always go wrong. I will probably always have some sort of family drama or stress from work or classes... But one thing is for sure... there are reasons to be happy!  I will remember that, thank God, and rejoice in my current happy thoughts! :)

The dog days are over!

I love this song but the music video seriously creeps me out. So I'll show you this instead {it's the same song}....

Hickory Girlfriends

Last night I hosted a Mary Kay party for a friend, Dana. She's working towards her pink Cadillac. First let me say that I hate hosting parties. Not parties in general, that I would enjoy, but I dislike making people feel obligated to come and buy something. It's okay that I say this because I made that very clear to Dana multiple times. She's a trooper though and insisted I host a party anyways. Being so determined is how you become successful in the Mary Kay business I'm sure. I only invited about 9 or 10 girls & five showed up! I know the others would have came if they could have and I know everyone's got a million things going on. Which is why I was so thankful to have five girls show up! They didn't have to buy anything, but they did {probably because Mary Kay is so fabulous}. It's the fact that they took time out of their busy lives to join me at my party that made me so grateful for such great friends!

I am extremely grateful for the friends that I have made in Hickory. I love chatting, laughing, venting, MTV nights, walking around campus, & celebrating with them all! I really didn't know anyone when I moved to Hickory and now I feel so thankful that I have made girlfriends.

Girlfriends are vital to a girl's sanity.

I wish I had a pic with you all... We need a photo opp ASAP :) xoxo ♥

Our trip to Atlanta for Memorial Day weekend

Last weekend, for Memorial Day weekend, Alex & I drove down to Atlanta to spend the long weekend with our friends {and soon to be newlyweds!} Meredith & Brandon! We got to check out their new house & their "new" town & experience a little Atlanta! It was such a great weekend. They were such great hosts!

We didn't get to leave until around 5 that afternoon but the Memorial Day traffic wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be! When we got into town, Alex & I went to visit his college friend, Charis. She has an awesome apartment with a great view. Her apartment complex reminded me of the beach {which I can not wait to go to!} and I think it'd be awesome to pack everything I own up, and move far away from everything! I envy her for that. If I didn't feel the need to be close to my family at this point in my my/our lives, I would have so done that a couple years ago. I guess the Lord works in mysterious ways! ;) He wanted me "here" ... or close by at least!

Anyways, we got to Meredith & Brandon's late & just chit chatted til the wee hours of the morning. We spent the weekend $hopping, eating at some YUMMY restaurants, & hanging out with each other! We attempted to go to a Braves game together but the weather was iffy & the radar showed a huge storm heading our way so we didn't go. {We went to the movies and finally got to see Date Night, which is HILARIOUS by the way!} The boys made it to the Braves game the next day while Meredith & I had a girls day! We shopped, did a couple touristy things, and then went to babysit. We BOTH made $100!! Talk about worth it! We all went to Brandon & Meredith's church Sunday morning, which was HUGE by the way. We heard a great message too! :)

It was such a great trip and I can not wait until their wedding in Mississippi in July! I am also super glad Alex and I "have to" fly in because of his work schedule....Sorry guys, I love ya both but I was not looking forward to that drive/ride there!

Here's some of my favorite pics from the weekend ::

Meredith & I in our Atlanta Braves colors :)

his hugs are my favorite ♥

having fun in our crazy photo shoot

Meredith and Brandon, a match made in heaven :)

Funny story: We saw this guy getting on his motorcyle, and he had a full blown skeleton-looking biker's outfit on! Gloves, glasses, and all! It looked pretty cool, until he was riding behind us and I realized how scary/creepy it looks...haha...

a friend-filled three days

I arrived home Tuesday evening "for the summer." {Please note that it's only Thursday evening now.} Since I got home, I have spent an hour and a half catching up with my pal Lindsey {who I am so excited to go see June 25th!}, spent an hour on the phone today with one of my best friends, Caroline, walked 4 miles & caught up with another one of my best friends, Ale, had a Grey's night with the beautiful Meredith, spent time with Alex all three nights, & spent some quality time with both my grandparents!! This has definitely been a productive "summer" so far! Alex & I are planning a trip next weekend to go see our friends Brandon & Meredith {soon to be husband & wife} & then I finally scheduled my trip to the beach to see Lindsey!! By then her baby bump will be in full force & maybe I'll get to see their nursery all put together! Oh & her & Rhine's new house! How exciting! I just can't believe how much "friend & family" time I've had in just these short {not even} three days I've been home. I am absolutely loving it! {TRUE} friends are extremely important to me. I cherish all my girlfriends and love love love when we get to catch up and/or spend time together! I hate that all my close friends live far away- but as I talked to Ale about on Wednesday, the distance has not hurt my true friendships in any way whatsoever {other than the fact that I don't get to physically see them as much as I'd like}. That's what phone dates and roadtrips are for! :) I just wanted to share this & say that I am so proud of all my girlfriends... growing up, buying houses, getting married, having babies....or being the most fabulous camp counselor ever!! ;) I can not wait to meet Baby Jervis or Baby Zoe this Fall!! :)

Now I just have to hope that summer school doesn't suck all the fun out of my friend-filled summer I have planned! ;)

Numa Numa

I promise you, this video NEVER HAS FAILED to put a smile on my face. I can be in the worst mood ever, and come watch this, and I DARE myself not to crack a smile.

What Gets Me Going!

Do you ever have a song that totally gets you going? Ace & TJ on Kiss 95.1 a long time ago had radio listeners call in and tell them what song got them pumped or brightened their day. This was one of the songs someone called in to say that they always listened to when they were having a bad day and there was no way they couldn't start dancing in their car once they heard it. They played a little clip of it and I had to download it when I got home. It's by Michael Franti & Spearhead & it's called Say Hey (I Love You). I listened to it this morning as I got ready & it totally puts me in a good mood!! :) What do you listen to to get you pumped?

Coke brings happiness!!

my much needed time with friends and family! :)

The past few days have been filled with friends and family and I have absolutely enjoyed (almost) every minute of it! ;)

Thursday was Grey's night (of course) & I had Amanda & Mallory over! We had chocolate pudding in wine glasses and it was phenomenal, haha!

Friday I went to visit Pat in Charlotte, but not without running 23498372498 errands in Lincolnton first! I got to have breakfast with Ale, which was great because I love catching up with her! When I finally got to Charlotte, Pat & I went to get some Mexican to eat and then on our first trip to Ikea!! Needless to say (but I guess I will anyways) that I was more thrilled than he was...but he honestly didn't seem to mind!

Side note: Someone should have informed me of Ikea's processes before this day. We walked in upstairs to the furniture showcase rooms and had absolutely no idea what to do if we found something we wanted! I was scared to ask the guy, for whatever reason, so Pat did, haha! I also didn't know that you have to walk ALLLLLLL through the store to get what you came in there to get. I didn't have an agenda so it was interesting to see everything and go through the store with Pat as we commented on everything we saw. And no one told me that, for example, if you wanted a kitchen table, you had to write down on what aisle & section you found the tabletop, and then go find the legs (you can't forget the table legs- & again, no one was really around & there to tell us these things) & then take your info to the bottom somewhere & tell them what you want, they give the pieces to you, and you take it home and put it together. MAN, that sounds difficult. Good thing I didn't buy anything big. I luckily walked out of there only having spent $9. Dave Ramsey would have been proud.

Okay, that was a long side note. Anywho... I enjoyed talking with Pat, catching up on some things with him, and just hanging out, spending some time together! We don't get to do that nearly as often as I'd like!

Afterwards, I got to go see one of my best friends, who I had not seen in FOREVER! - Elizabeth :) .. We chit chatted on things going on in life, what our friends had been up to, and went to get some Japanese. (I ingested about 23948723894 calories that day- no wonder I was sick when I got home). I love Elizabeth and I had missed her so much! It's nice to know that time and distance can not separate two friends who truly care. :)

Friday night was supposed to be "date night" or something of the sort with Alex. Considering I didn't get back to Lincolnton until 10:30ish & had the WORST headache ever and felt like I was going to barf up the 23948723894 calories I had consumed, I kindly asked Alex if he would mind coming to see me at Mawmaw's before I went to bed. He didn't really argue or complain. I love that man! He understood how important it was for me to catch up with my long lost friend so he didn't say anything, even though I hadn't seen him all week and wouldn't be seeing him the next night (or so I thought), and came over to hang out with me for a little and search the house for headache medicine! He's a sweetheart when he wants to be. ;)

Saturday, Alex & my fabulous cousin Nick came to put a new desk in my room. MAN I wish I would have thought to take a "before" picture because my back room was a complete j-u-n-k room! Full of storage, dirty laundry, random pieces of things, this and that, whatever! It was a mess! It looks WONDERFUL now that I have a big desk to put things away in! I also about killed myself putting heavy boxes of storage in my cabinets ten feet in the air! That was a serious workout!

Saturday night Alex & I met Brandon and Meredith, Becky & Randall, & Matt at Dos Amigos in Hickory for dinner! What a fun group! I enjoyed it! I definitely impressed myself with my knowledge of season one Modern Family quotes! ;)

And last, Tori and I had a movie night at my apartment when I returned. She had never seen The Breakfast Club before so we HAD to watch it and let her know what everyone's talking about when they refer to that movie. I enjoyed it, again, and she seemed to too! :) Success!

I'm sure you couldn't care less about any of this stuff, but I just wanted to share with you details of my fun-filled extended weekend, filled with family & friends! :) I sure needed it, and thoroughly enjoyed it. :)

I recommend not only having girlfriends, but SPENDING TIME with them, talking to them periodically on the phone, catching up! It's free therapy, a stress reliever, & just good ol' quality fun! :)

Date day!

For a couple weeks, Alex has been asking me when I'd have some free time. School hadn't even started yet & already I had none! Even my Christmas break only seemed like a couple days of free time. So, I picked a day a week or so in advance that I didn't have anything really on the agenda yet (except the return of Grey's Anatomy). Somehow, some way, a week later the day came and I still didn't have anything on my agenda! So, all went according to (Alex's) plan.

Let me just say, in case you don't already know this tid-bit about me, I don't have much patience. It's something I pray for, a lot. I don't like being in the dark, or waiting, so, Alex purposefully keeping me in the dark for over a week about our plans for the day really drove me bananas! But he wanted to keep it a surprise, so, "I let him." haha

Anyways, he tells me that we HAVE to leave by 11:00 and for me to be ready to walk out of the door then. Well, if you know me then you know this did not happen. 11:15 and we leave, and decide to take my car (which is about 2,000 miles overdue for an oil change and needed gas) so, take a little time to pump gas & check the oil, ya know, make sure I still have some! & then we were off....

Rewind! So, Alex walks in my apartment and immediately I start hounding him about what we're doing. He says, "Okay, I'll tell you, but, even if you don't like the idea, pretend like you do." Then he tells me he's taking me to the Biltmore House! My face lit up and I think I clapped, haha.... and I was not pretending. I have always wanted to go to the Biltmore House and I don't know why I have never been. Things like that just interest me. :) I was pumped!

We had such a good time! It was a perfect day with perfect weather! You know me...of course I got some pictures!

I even managed to sneak some pictures inside the Biltmore House, when one of the 638,751 employees weren't standing around the corner. Here are some of our favorites...

the...game room?? pretty nice for 1900ish.

a beautiful view of the mountains!

cool paintings on the basement walls...

Alex is obsessed with all things superhero so, I took this picture for him. Why it was painted on the basement wall of the Biltmore House, I don't know...

& Alex's favorite...the pool!

I didn't get to take any pictures of the beautiful bedrooms. And the garden was all dead and everything since it is January so, we'll have to make another trip in the Spring!  :) I was also super fascinated with the ceilings in all the rooms...I would LOVE living in a place with such beautiful architecture. [<--saying this is a definite sign I am getting older.]

Alex gets an A+ for date day! :)

Reflecting on 2009

Where did 2009 go? Man it flew by! I say that...but a lot happened in 2009! I learned so many things this past year. I probably say that every year, but, I DO mean it! :) I was also blessed tremendously in 2009. Looking back, I can't even begin to tell you all the things God did for me. (But, I'll try!) First and foremost, God's timing could not be more perfect! I can not express how lucky I am to have had Him place Alex back into my life, for good! I am (still) so in love with that man of God & I can not wait to see what 2010 has in store for us! Alex graduated in May and has been searching for a job at least since then! He's been unsuccessful in finding a job and I am so proud of him. He keeps his head up and has the most positive attitude. He knows that God has something perfect for him out there and it's only a matter of time before He presents Alex with that opportunity. Until then, God has provided various odd jobs for him to provide him some gas money at least! That boy comes to Hickory ALL the time and I am SO appreciative!! During this time though, Alex has searched after the heart of his Father and has dove into the Word of the Lord and boy does it show! I am on a daily basis proud of the man he is, and the man he is turning into. I do believe that with the help of the Lord, people CAN change. As you all know, Alex & I have had our ups and downs, times together and times apart. Throughout it all, I've learned to stay true to your heart and that (how cliche is this?) "if it's meant to be, IT WILL BE." Either way, the past is in the past now and 2009 was a great year for us, and again, I can't wait to see what 2010 has in store for us!

Now, if you know me, you know that I have to make that money! I do not have the luxury of being able to take "time off" or anything of the sort. Bills have to be paid, right? The Lord has always been successful providing me employment and 2009 was NO exception! It all started in JANUARY and by the last week of JULY, the Lord has answered my prayers!! It was stressful but I learned that I need to stay faithful and the Lord WILL provide! In the mean time, God provided me temporary jobs to pay the bills & gain some learning experiences! I am very appreciative of all the people that prayed for me during that time. It obviously helped! I have never loved a job more!

Meet my staff! I think this pic is such an exact replica of our personalities!

 and meet my fellow RDs:

And lastly, learning experiences...I mentioned those, right? They definitely were a definitive part of 2009 and I will be forever grateful for those as well! I won't go into what all I learned, but I can tell you that I will take everything I learned from the beginning to the end of the past year and use it in the upcoming year(s).

I don't believe in New Years resolutions. If I ever made them, they didn't work out. I just want to work on making this year & every year after that better! My first Facebook photo album of the year is titled, "making 2010 the best year ever.." & that's simply what I'm doing! I'm going to do some prioritizing, some sifting, and work on devoting my time & energy into what helps me do that. I'm focusing on God, my family, Alex, & my true friends. If I do that, everything else will fall into place. I'm sure of it. :)

Welcome to Hickory, NC!

Ahh! My sleep schedule is SO messed up! I'll probably end up blogging late at night while I have a ton of energy. Living back in the residence halls have really screwed up my already pretty messed up sleep schedule. And I really reallly really wish I'd work on that more- because it really messes up your day!

About that---as most of you know, I've moved to Hickory, NC. I got a great job too! I am now a Resident Director at Lenoir-Rhyne University. I live in an apartment in Isenhour Hall on campus, one of the primarily freshmen "dorms." (Speaking of my apartment, it was a definite fixer-upper and I took before and after pictures! I'll have to share them another day!) Anyways, my job is to primarily oversee the RAs in the building (who, by the way are SUCH an awesome staff!) and the building itself, and handle any mishaps that happen along the way. Let me tell you, I LOVE IT! Isenhour Hall is crazy. My residents are crazy and I'm enjoying getting to know them this year. I hate hate hate the sound of my doorbell but I don't mind it when I hear it at 2 in the morning if someone is having issues.  It's such a great job to have while I work on my Masters. I can use what I learn in classes immediately and directly with students, which is great!

Again, in case you hadn't heard, I'm working here at LR on my Masters in Counseling. I couldn't decide which type of counseling I wanted to do once I had my Masters and I was seriously struggling with that decision. Usually, graduate schools have you decide which type of counseling you want to pursue: agency/community or school. Well, long story short: Lenoir-Rhyne has an awesome program that lets you do both! So, I added 12 hours to my course load and will be able to pursue a counseling career in either some type of community counseling or in a school! With the economy the way it is, the more doors I'll be able to open the better! And then there's the fact that I still have no idea what I actually WANT to do! So, I have about 2 years to figure it out. :)

I think I've figured that I'll graduate in August or December of 2011. I took two classes this summer and plan to take one in December. It's crazy--those 3 classes add up to only a total of 16 days but those 3 classes alone will knock a whole SEMESTER off my graduation date! You know me....trying to get in and out as soon as possible so I can move on to the next stage! :) However, my LR experience is a lot different from my experience in undergrad at Appalachian. I may blog about that later. :) Therefore I wouldn't mind staying longer if I had to/could. Ok, I've lived here like TWO months...I need to stop. I'm hoping things don't change but I need to stop counting my chickens. Hopefully I'll remember to keep blogging and give you an update on it later on, once I've experienced it all a little more.

true love never dies

In 50 years I hope to be just as in love as my grandparents were today. :)

My Pawpaw told me about how my Mawmaw had red high heel shoes on when they first met, "and a red dress too!" ... and how he thought, "I'd like to marry a girl like that." ... and then he said "and I did! I got to marry a girl like that." ... awwwwwwww now HOW adorable is he?? Really??

Please note how he said he "GOT" to marry a girl like that. He considered it a privilege. And that my friend is how it should be...always.

She told me about when he proposed and how he still remembers certain special moments from thier past, like the time they first met, and how thoughtful that was of him.... She said, "People will never forget the thoughtful things you do for them." How true.

I am actually blessed to be dating a guy that remembers those little important things- the time we first held hands, the DATE we first kissed, the time we first cuddled, the first movie we watched, etc. etc. ... I am a lucky girl :)