serenity self defense

On July 16th I wrote a blog about a Primetime Special that I watched that had impacted my life so very much. The special was about a girl named Melanie whose life was taken by a random act of violence. That night, God did something incredible to my heart. I ended the blog with this:

God is doing amazing things in my heart and is stirring up an idea so big, so wonderful that I could burst. I can’t do anything to bring Melanie, Anne, or Eve back, but maybe I can help prevent this from happening to someone else. The Lord is moving in me with this idea and I am as excited as ever to tackle it head on. Last Sunday Pastor Fred told us that “God plants a dream in our heart with a thought in our head” and boy was he ever right. 

Well, the idea that was so wonderfully big that made me almost burst turned into an organization called Serenity Self Defense. "Serenity Self Defense is a newly formed organization that exists to educate women of all ages on the importance of knowing how to defend themselves. Serenity will offer self defense classes, training sessions on being street smart, as well as information about how to use different weapons. Professionals in the appropriate areas will also be recruited to speak at our training sessions. Additionally, we will raise funds for the Melanie Goodwin Scholarship Fund." These words were taken from the website that I created. 
~>  www.SerenitySelfDefense.com 

So many wonderful things have happened since this idea was planted into my heart. For starters, I have spoken with Melanie's mother, Mrs. Peggy, and have her full support. She has been so encouraging and kind and I just can't say enough great things about this strong woman. In addition to having Mrs. Peggy's support, a company called PepperEyes.com has also pledged to donate a portion of all proceeds to Serenity until December 18th! This is all such a blessing! It is my hope that Serenity will be able to use the donated money to gain our non-profit status, but most importantly we want to donate the majority of this donation to Melanie's Scholarship Foundation. If you guys could, please forward PepperEyes.com to all of your friends, family, classmates, etc. The more items that they sell, the more proceeds will be donated. 

I truly hope that this organization will continue to become a reality instead of just a dream. Please pray that God's hand would be upon this project and for his favor in getting the ball rolling. Also, if anyone is interested in getting involved with Serenity please let me know. 

***Serenity's blog is http://serenityselfdefense.blogspot.com/. Please add to your blog list! Thanks so much y'all!***

it's only life...

Lately life has been tough. Little issues like school, the wedding, people, work, etc. have turned into huge problems. Minor things drive me up a wall, I am super emotional, and I am losing my hair. Literally. I believe that each issue in itself was enough to slightly bother me, but not enough to ruin minutes, hours, days...

It took a very concerned friend and my fiancé to show me exactly how I had been acting. Once I realized that I was not being me, but an awful version of myself I completely broke down. I sat at my apartment crying so hard and I just kept asking "Why?" Why had I been so ugly? Why do insignificant things ruin my day? Why can't I let things go? While I was having my emotional breakdown Keith comforted me the best way he knew how. He held my hand, rubbed my back, and held me close. This was nice, but it was what he said to me that comforted me the most. He told me that sometimes God will purposely break us and that it is always for a reason. He told me that when our attention is elsewhere and our relationship with Him is suffering, sometimes God does things to bring us back. Once I heard those words I cried even harder. Once I heard those words I realized how much I had been neglecting my Lord. It all made sense. I began asking for forgiveness and praying for my focus to return to Him.

It's been about a week since this realization occurred and I am so grateful. I am so blessed to have people in my life that care more about my well being than about how I am going to respond to them. I am so thankful that I serve a God who refuses to give up on me. I know that everything happens for a reason and sometimes it takes being broken to fully heal and become you again.

Hanging in my office on the wall in front of my desk is a plaque that is constantly reminding me that everything will be okay. On the bottom is Psalm 136:1. "With God's hand beneath us we need not fear what lies before us." Ain't that the truth.

"When the tides of life turn against you and the current upsets your boat, don't waste those tears on what might have been, just lie on your back and float."

69 days

Call me crazy, but this is what I did today.....

There are 69 days until Christmas and I am so pumped! I don't know what it is, but Christmas lights make me veryyy happy! Every year on Halloween I put my Christmas tree up, but I just couldn't wait. I think it's pretty amusing that I love Christmas so much and I'll actually be one in about 5 months. Hehehehe... :o)

DIY adventure no. 1

Tonight I spent the majority of my time being a DIY-er. Before entering the wedding world I had no idea what DIY meant. Before wedding world I had never shopped at Michael's. Boy how things have changed! DIY means Do It Yourself. :o) I do not consider myself an artsy person. Other than collages in elementary school and a reeeeally bad paint job in my bedroom in Mandeville, I do not have experience in this area. However, after spending way too much time on WeddingBee.com and Etsy, I've been truly inspired. So inspired that I've decided to take on the following tasks for our wedding:

1. Invitations
2. Card Box
3. Decorations
4. Favors
5. Centerpieces
6. Boutineeres
7. My bouquet (MAYBE)

I may sound a little crazy, but I really feel like I can do this. Even though I have school and work and editing and church and KC and EVERYTHING, I still want my wedding to have an personal touch. Other than burning my hand with the glue gun, I had such a fun time! So without further adue, here is what I've accomplished tonight.

*Card Box*

*Outdoor baskets to hang on trees*

(Flowers will be added)

*The mess that I made :o)*

Soooo can you guess what my theme might be? Here's a little hint...

laughing is the best calorie burner

I believe in manicures.

I believe in overdressing.

I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick.

I believe in pink.

I believe  that laughing is the best calorie burner.

I believe in kissing; kissing a lot.

I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.

I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls.

I believe that tomorrow is another day,

and I believe in miracles.

-Audrey Hepburn-

I believe all of this stuff, too.

lindsey <3 keith

A few weeks ago I blogged about the clothes hanger that I'm completely in love with and today this gorgeous creation arrived! I am so completely happy with it! I'll probably only use it on the day of the wedding to hold my dress, but it was so worth the $20 bucks! I can just see it hanging on a wall in me and my soon-to-be hubby's house!  :o)

start spreadin' the news...

....I'm leaving today! I want to be apart of it New York, New York!!!!

The title of my blog is the title of an article that I read written by ESPN's Jayson Stark. The article basically said that the Yankees are going to win the World Series this year and I couldn't agree with him more. Love them or hate them, the Yankees are the best team in baseball right now. Says who? Says these guys:

• "A hundred and three wins in the AL East is pretty incredible," said an American League assistant GM.

• "I think the Yankees are the most balanced team in the AL," said another AL assistant. "I think CC [Sabathia] will put his past postseason demons behind him and lead the rotation. The lineup is as deep as any in the AL. And they have some guy named Rivera in the back of the 'pen."

• "They can pitch, and they can hit," said an NL executive. "And when you match them up with anybody, for me they win that matchup."

Okay okay...so a couple of MLB big shots complimented the Yanks...big deal right? Wrong. The facts speak for themselves:

The Yankees led the big leagues in runs scored, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, extra-base hits and walks.

They had the best team ERA, the best second-half ERA and the lowest opponent OPS of all the AL postseason pitching staffs.

They have a closer (Mr. Mariano Rivera, ladies and gentlemen) with a 0.77 postseason ERA.

They're riding the best clubhouse vibe, the best grade in chemistry class, of any Yankees team in maybe a decade.

They put runs on the board at home (5.7 runs per game). They put runs on the board away from home (5.6 per game).

They hit left-handers (.286 AVG./.365 OBP/.480 SLUG). They hit right-handers (.282/.360/.476).

They can bludgeon you early (.828 OPS in the first inning). They can mug you late (15 walkoff wins -- second-most in franchise history).

They win at home (57-24). They win on the road (46-35).

They crush the bad teams (29-12 against the Orioles, A's, Royals and Indians). They beat up the good teams (27-17 against the Angels, Red Sox, Tigers, Twins and Phillies).

They even won a series in Anaheim -- for the first time in five years. And they went 9-1 in their last three series against the Red Sox.

I don't mean to sound cocky, but I truly feel like this is our year!! After reading this article by Stark my feelings are pretty much confirmed. Although I'm confident in my team, I am not getting my hopes up. I know quite well that just because a team performs well in the regular season they may not always do well in the playoffs. Anything can happen in a ball game. However, after watching my Yanks win over the Twins (7-2) last night I am throwing my worries away and wearing my heart on my sleeve. Words are a very powerful, you know?! So, here goes...the Yankees are going to win their 27th World Series title this year, and I for one cannot wait!

**All text that is not bolded is from this article.**

day one

Last night KC and I began Day 1 of our P90X journey. As scared as I was to start this program I have to say...it wasn't all that bad! I know in about a week I'm going to take that back, but seriously it was kind of fun! Day one was Chest, Back, and Ab Ripper. I did more push ups yesterday than I have in my whole life. Well, the girl kind anyway. I'm hoping that I'll be able to do 50 boy push ups by the time we hit 90 days. We also did pull ups. KC put this pull up bar on my bathroom door and I literally thought the whole frame was going to just collapse! Lol I'm happy to report that it didn't. He did such a great job with his pull ups, while I on the other hand probably did a total of 1/2. I'm pretty sore today but I am so excited! Soreness means that I did something right! :o) I plan on documenting our crazy P90X/Weight Watchers journey so look out for more blogs to come! Please pray that Keith and I will stay focused and that we do not injure ourselves! Thanks so much!

*Keith's huge dumbbell and my tiny one. I think they're cute.*

blahday

I have come to the conclusion that Monday needs to be renamed and I am suggesting Blahday. I don't mean to be a Negative Norah but goodness Mondays are just so difficult. Like today for instance. It wasn't all bad, but it was blah. It started off dark, cold, and rainy. Had this been any other day I would have just wanted to stay in bed and read a good book. However, since it was Monday it just made me feel heavy. I also overslept...something I tend to do a lot on this day. Obviously, Monday is also the beginning of the work week. (This one's self-explanatory) Today was particularly difficult because it was my first day on Weight Watchers. Let me just say that it was HARD and I was hungry all day. Day one is always the toughest. I've been on Weight Watchers before and have really enjoyed it. I gain so much energy, lose some weight, and am a lot healthier. I know that in a few days I will have adapted to the portion control/healthier choices thing, but until then I will just be a tad hungry.

I am going out on a limb here to say that the only good thing about this day is Monday Night Football. (I'm watching the Vikings & Packers game as I type this.) Okay, okay I take that back. I know that I am lucky to be given each day. I know that I am extremely blessed. I love every minute that I spend with my fiancé. I love that I get to talk to my Maw-Maw every morning before work. I am grateful for the freedom that I have. Honestly, I am the happiest I have ever been in my whole life.

So this is my prayer. I pray that the Lord would allow me to look past these "Blahdays" and that I would enjoy the time that I've been given. I pray that the heaviness I feel and the blahness would be replaced with joy and hope. I pray that each Monday would feel like a fresh start of a new week with unlimited possibilities.

I'm sorry for ranting and raving, but sometimes you just need to let it out.

a downtown adventure

Today Keith and I went downtown Charleston and had such a wonderful time! The 75 degree weather from Thursday completely vanished and it was pretty hot, but we nonetheless we had a great day. The last time we visited was in March to see the Cinderella Ballet so this trip was definitely overdue. It's days like today when God just confirms over and over that Keith is the man I am suppose to spend the rest of my life with. Here's a recap of our outing! :o)

We started with lunch at 5 Guys and had the most amazing hamburgers.

Then, we headed to the the market where we found this Christmas store...

...and I bought this amazing wedding Christmas ornament.

Next, we decided to cool off in the Pineapple Fountain.

At this point we were prety tired so we decided to take a break and enjoy the moment.

While on our little break we saw this beautiful bride and her new hubby.

After a fantastic day we started making our way back to the car while walking on "our" street.

Realizing that we were too tired, we hopped on this bike taxi and bid farewell to downtown.

october = happy

Today is October 1st and I am so joyful! Any month that begins with gorgeous weather of 75, sunny, and not a cloud in the sky is okay in my book. It’s amazing how this kind weather can make you not have a care in the world. As I drove to work I was overwhelmed by the cool breeze and wondered how long it would stick around. I would love to go explore downtown Charleston this weekend with KC in this gorgeous weather. I know that I complain a lot about living in South Carolina (extremely bad drives, rude people, etc.) but one of the benefits of living here is having so much history at my fingertips. Lately I have been so consumed/stressed by the wedding, school and work that I’ve forgotten about this wonderful place that I live in. This little realization has made my perspective on things shift, and I have a feeling that October is going to be a great month! :o)

October Faves
Cool weather (sometimes)
Mellowcreme pumpkins (LOVE these)
Going to the fair
Candy candy candy
MLB PLAYOFFS
Pumpkin spice candles (like the one in my office.)
Leaves changing/falling (sometimes)

October Dislikes
The Halloween display at Walgreens (sooooo scary...)
Creepy people who take Halloween to a whole different level
Did I say Halloween?