My day started out this morning with a very rude owner of a mechanic shop yelling at me and accusing me of "trying to pull something on him." After taking my car to simply get a signal light bulb replaced and leaving with my air conditioner broken, the EPC light on, the brake light on, and an incessant beeping that is driving me crazy, I was very upset. If the car was fine when I took it to him and messed up when he left, he should fix it. Crying, and barely being able to get a word in edge wise over his harsh tone, I finally ended the conversation by saying, "I've never had anyone talk to me as disrespectfully and unprofessionally as you. I will never be doing business with you again."
I couldn't stop crying (if you make me mad enough to cry... you better look out). I have to get my car to pass the state inspection so I can get my tag renewed or they will cancel my insurance! So, a friend of mine at work suggested I go talk to someone in our car department here at AAA, so I thought why not, I might as well see if they can help me.
Well, after telling a man named JR my whole story, he cheered me up and went out to take a look at my car himself. He is a car salesman, not even a mechanic, and he went out in the heat, got down on the ground to look under my car, opened the hood and hooked my car up to machine. He got out the manual and explained everything to me. He thinks the reason all these things went out at once is simply a fuse that can be easily fixed. He went far far above and beyond and that made such an impact on me. But that's not all! He even called a friend of his, who just happens to be a manager at one of AAA's car car facilities and he's going to take a look at my car first thing in the morning, for free!
It's amazing how one good deed from what was practically a stranger turned my whole day around. Yes, there are mean, hateful people in this world.... but, there are also good, kind people in this world who would give the shirt off their back to help someone in need. When is the last time you went out of your way to help someone? You never know what a difference you could make!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
21
One mysterious thing about blogging is that although I can see how many times my blog has been viewed, I can't see who is viewing it. In honor of today being my 21st birthday, and not knowing whether I personally know all my readers or not, I have decided to share 21 facts about me today:
1. I got saved when I was 5 years old. Without Jesus, I would be nothing and I am so blessed to have developed a personal relationship with Him at such an early age and grow up in a Christian home.
2. My grandpa, who died my freshman year of college, was my very best friend. No man will ever love me like he did and I miss him every day. What a day, oh glorious day it will be when I see him again!
3. If I had to pick anywhere on earth to live, it would be in the mountains of North Carolina. Aside from loving it because of it's southern charm and the fact that most of my family resides there, I can't think of any better place to raise a family.
4. I love to read. Although I don't get to nearly enough, I am a bookworm for sure.
5. I'm fiercely independent (This is both a good and bad thing).
6. I'm just like my Momma.
7. I never considered going to college anywhere other than Appalachian State, and it has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.
8. My family means the world to me. I am so blessed to have an aunt that's just like a second Momma to me and a grandmother who loves with her whole heart. Although I was the baby of the family for a long time, now I have 5 little second cousins (the great-grandbabies) that have completely stolen my heart.
9. I love to write. Obviously, I have a blog... but long before this blog ever happened, writing has always been one of my favorite pasttimes.
10. I'm in love with my best friend.
11. I'm very free-spirited.
12. I want to be a stay-at-home-mom and would love to have 6 kids and live on a farm. Call me crazy, but that's what I truly feel like my calling is.
13. I'm a bit of a spitfire and love to debate. Lets not get started with politics.
14. I love photography. It intrigues me so much that I changed my minor to technical photography last year, went on a study abroad trip for photography, and spend much of my free time taking pictures.
15. Fairs make me happy. One year I went to 6 different county fairs.
16. My life is organized chaos, just like my planner.
17. I'm a procrastinating overachiever.
18. Southern belle doesn't even begin to cover it. Most people ask where I'm from the first time they hear me talk. I'm so proud to be from the south!
19. I love white houses with wrap around porches and white fences and big trees in the yard.
20. Charleston is also one of my favorite places. Southern charm at its finest.
21. Sweet tea, coffee creamer, lipstick, handwritten letters, and nail polish make me smile.
1. I got saved when I was 5 years old. Without Jesus, I would be nothing and I am so blessed to have developed a personal relationship with Him at such an early age and grow up in a Christian home.
2. My grandpa, who died my freshman year of college, was my very best friend. No man will ever love me like he did and I miss him every day. What a day, oh glorious day it will be when I see him again!
3. If I had to pick anywhere on earth to live, it would be in the mountains of North Carolina. Aside from loving it because of it's southern charm and the fact that most of my family resides there, I can't think of any better place to raise a family.
4. I love to read. Although I don't get to nearly enough, I am a bookworm for sure.
5. I'm fiercely independent (This is both a good and bad thing).
6. I'm just like my Momma.
7. I never considered going to college anywhere other than Appalachian State, and it has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.
8. My family means the world to me. I am so blessed to have an aunt that's just like a second Momma to me and a grandmother who loves with her whole heart. Although I was the baby of the family for a long time, now I have 5 little second cousins (the great-grandbabies) that have completely stolen my heart.
9. I love to write. Obviously, I have a blog... but long before this blog ever happened, writing has always been one of my favorite pasttimes.
10. I'm in love with my best friend.
11. I'm very free-spirited.
12. I want to be a stay-at-home-mom and would love to have 6 kids and live on a farm. Call me crazy, but that's what I truly feel like my calling is.
13. I'm a bit of a spitfire and love to debate. Lets not get started with politics.
14. I love photography. It intrigues me so much that I changed my minor to technical photography last year, went on a study abroad trip for photography, and spend much of my free time taking pictures.
15. Fairs make me happy. One year I went to 6 different county fairs.
16. My life is organized chaos, just like my planner.
17. I'm a procrastinating overachiever.
18. Southern belle doesn't even begin to cover it. Most people ask where I'm from the first time they hear me talk. I'm so proud to be from the south!
19. I love white houses with wrap around porches and white fences and big trees in the yard.
20. Charleston is also one of my favorite places. Southern charm at its finest.
21. Sweet tea, coffee creamer, lipstick, handwritten letters, and nail polish make me smile.
Product Review: Cotton Snaps
I stumbled across these practical little cuties a few months ago and instantly fell in love. I've been using Croakies for years, always getting frustrated at how short they are and how it messed up my hair every time I pulled them over my head (and they were so hard to attach to my sunglasses I didn't dare unattach them every time). All those problems are solved with Cotton Snaps!
Grayson got me these adorable pink and white seersucker Cotton Snaps for my birthday:
Find this exact pair here: http://www.cottonsnaps.com/seersucker/
They attach by magnets so that you don't have to mess up your hair when you take them off!
They are much longer (and hang much lower) than croakies, which is nice because it doesn't interfere with shirt collars, big necklaces, etc.
Though they are a bit more pricey than Croakies, I think they're well worth it. They come in a wide variety of cute patterns for both guys and girls! Check out the website here: http://www.cottonsnaps.com/
Friday, June 14, 2013
The "Can't Wait" Boat
There are so many things I "can't wait" to do. For instance... planning a wedding, decorating a new house from scratch, traveling, and having babies are at the top of my list.
Sometimes I catch myself getting so caught up in waiting for all those things to happen that I can't enjoy the present. Because, as much as I'd love to be a twenty-something-year-old newlywed who's having a blast decorating her new house and traveling with her husband on weekends... I'm not. Right now, I'm a (almost) 21 year old about to go into my senior year of college.
While I do think it's normal to have feelings of impatience like this at my age, I don't think that it honors the Lord. Ecclesiastes 3 says that "there is a time for everything, a season for every activity under the Heavens." So today, if you're in the same "can't wait" boat that I'm in, why don't you take some time to slow down and thank God for all the blessings you have where you are in your life right now?
Sometimes I catch myself getting so caught up in waiting for all those things to happen that I can't enjoy the present. Because, as much as I'd love to be a twenty-something-year-old newlywed who's having a blast decorating her new house and traveling with her husband on weekends... I'm not. Right now, I'm a (almost) 21 year old about to go into my senior year of college.
While I do think it's normal to have feelings of impatience like this at my age, I don't think that it honors the Lord. Ecclesiastes 3 says that "there is a time for everything, a season for every activity under the Heavens." So today, if you're in the same "can't wait" boat that I'm in, why don't you take some time to slow down and thank God for all the blessings you have where you are in your life right now?
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Product Review: Planner
If you're anything like me, one thing you couldn't live without (or at least stay sane and be where you're supposed to be without) is your planner. Ever since I first started high school, I've used mine every day to keep track of where I'm supposed to be, when I'm supposed to be there, and my to-do list for school, work, and in my personal life. For years, I've sworn by this kind of planner, which is made by "Blue Sky" and can typically be found at Walmart, Target or drugstores.
This past year (from January to December 2013) I have been using this one, which I purchased at Walmart. I chose it because I like the pretty pattern on the front. It was about $7.
This is what the monthly overview looks like. I like it because the squares are big enough to write multiple things in and they're lined so it stays nice and neat.
This is the weekly overview. I use this to write down my assignments for each class during the school year and to-do lists and appointments for work during the summer.
Life during the school year gets a little crazy, but as you can see, there's still plenty of room.
I like that there are monthly tabs that make it easy to open right up to where you need to be and they're plastic so they don't get dog-eared.
However, I found this new planner at Target and although I typically never stop in the middle of one planner to switch and go to another, I couldn't help but buy this one and can't wait to start using it in July. The company that makes this is "Studio C" and this particular planner is called the "Hot to Trot by Liz Diller" (this product can also be found at carolinapad.com). It was only $5.
I love the fun polka dot pattern on the front and the way it has the year on the front (for easy reference if you save them like I do). Another great thing about this planner is that it lasts from July 2013 to December 2014!
It also has fun colorful plastic tabs for easy reference.
This is the monthly overview. The boxes aren't lined, but they are bigger and have cute little things on special holidays!
This is the weekly overview:
And one of my favorite parts about this planner is that there is a cute inspirational quote for each month!
There is also a place to write down important dates for each month, which I think will be very helpful. This would also be a great place to write a list of goals you set for yourself each month.
Hope this is helpful!
It's Just a Number
People say "age is just a number" all the time but have you ever stopped and really thought about that? I hadn't until a few weeks ago in Europe I encountered a couple that made me do just that. There's no way I could blog about everything I saw and experienced during my three and a half weeks in Europe, so I've decided that as I remember special details like this one, I'll blog about them individually. It seems like I just wouldn't be doing it justice to lump everything together, anyway.
I was exhausted from a long walk from our apartment to the train station in Florence. Loaded down with my 65 liter pack on my back plus another pack loaded full of camera equipment and my laptop is not exactly my favorite way to travel. Anyway, we were traveling that day from Florence, Italy up to Basel, Switzerland and as tired as I was, I was looking forward to the 6 hour train ride through the Swiss Alps.
A few minutes after we got seated on the train, I looked out the window and saw an older man and woman, with all their luggage, frantically running to catch a train, making their way through the crowded train station. The next thing I knew, they were coming down the isle towards where I was sitting across from a girl in my Study Abroad group. Sure enough, they had the window seats beside us. Of course, we helped them get their luggage in the overhead compartments, as they were very out of breath, but little did we know that we were in for a very entertaining 6 hour train ride.
The couple was so impressed that we had been so courteous and polite to them that they called for the attendant and ordered the four of us two bottles of wine to share! Turns out, this lively little couple was from Florida and were touring Europe on vacation. At 80 years old, they were still having a ball, traveling, laughing and loving life.
Listening to the two of them bicker in the way that older couples do and playfully recalling stories of the past was one of the highlights of my trip. I'll never forget Ralph and "Fussy Gussy," as he called her. What a blessing it was to encounter a couple who made me realize that there is so much to look forward to in this life. Age really is just a number, because life is as fun of a party as you make it.
I was exhausted from a long walk from our apartment to the train station in Florence. Loaded down with my 65 liter pack on my back plus another pack loaded full of camera equipment and my laptop is not exactly my favorite way to travel. Anyway, we were traveling that day from Florence, Italy up to Basel, Switzerland and as tired as I was, I was looking forward to the 6 hour train ride through the Swiss Alps.
A few minutes after we got seated on the train, I looked out the window and saw an older man and woman, with all their luggage, frantically running to catch a train, making their way through the crowded train station. The next thing I knew, they were coming down the isle towards where I was sitting across from a girl in my Study Abroad group. Sure enough, they had the window seats beside us. Of course, we helped them get their luggage in the overhead compartments, as they were very out of breath, but little did we know that we were in for a very entertaining 6 hour train ride.
The couple was so impressed that we had been so courteous and polite to them that they called for the attendant and ordered the four of us two bottles of wine to share! Turns out, this lively little couple was from Florida and were touring Europe on vacation. At 80 years old, they were still having a ball, traveling, laughing and loving life.
Listening to the two of them bicker in the way that older couples do and playfully recalling stories of the past was one of the highlights of my trip. I'll never forget Ralph and "Fussy Gussy," as he called her. What a blessing it was to encounter a couple who made me realize that there is so much to look forward to in this life. Age really is just a number, because life is as fun of a party as you make it.
Worth the Effort
What does love do? Love challenges you and sometimes it makes you madder than you've ever been. Why? Because you care. You aren't complacent, you can't be still and let it slip away, you can't keep your mouth shut- you're passionate- because it's the most real thing you've ever felt before. So real that no, there aren't words to explain it, you don't have one reason, you just know. Love makes you better, it doesn't let you compromise who you are, it builds you up, it doesn't tear you down. It reassures you of all your doubts, it calms your heart while at the same time it makes you feel like if your heart beats any faster it might just explode! Love gives you confidence and makes you feel driven. It plants a fire down in your heart that you really can't control. Love is selfless, it makes you realize just what that love the Bible is talking about when it says "the way Christ loves the Church" because it's yours and you get to take pride in it because it's something you've invested every ounce of your heart and mind and soul and strength into and it started as just this little seed of something you really couldn't even begin to explain but with love and hard work and time you've watched it grow and blossom into something beautiful and delicate. You take pride in that. You finally understand the effort it takes to form something so beautiful and healthy and wholesome. Maybe it took a few times for you to get it right, maybe at first you didn't know if it was worth it, maybe you didn't think you were worthy to have the responsibility of nurturing something so fragile and precious. And then -you see a couple, married for over 60 years, still holding hands, still looking at each other with that glimmer of passion in their eyes - and you realize WHY the tedious work, the energy, the effort ... is all worth it.
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