Sunday, February 28, 2010
A House to a Home
Since January, Mr. GrapeJuice and I have been looking for a house. We think that it is a perfect time to buy since the interest rate is low. Plus, the added incentive of $8,000 doesn't hurt the process either. At some points, we were overwhelmed and didn't know what to do. But, we took our week long vacation to think about it and decided to pursue a house. It is a lovely, cozy 1940s cottage style home. {fingers crossed}
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wishful Wednesday
I wish...
my wedding dress was here.
I want to put it on and have it fitted to my body!
May can't come soon enough.
:)
photo : the sunday telegraph
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Lenten Promises
You may or may not know that I am Catholic. I have mentioned a few times that we will be having a Catholic ceremony since Mr. GrapeJuice and I are both Catholic. Right now in the Catholic world, we are in the Lenten season. Some times people get confused by this so I'd like to explain. {Please, don't take this as preachy or me trying to convert you. I am just sharing information.}
Lent is...
about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ.
The three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and alms-giving. The key to renewed appropriation of these practices is to see their link to baptismal renewal.
Prayer: More time given to prayer during Lent should draw us closer to the Lord. We might pray especially for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more fully.
Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it. The early Church fasted intensely for two days before the celebration of the Easter Vigil. This fast was later extended and became a 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter. Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God.Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the injustices of our economic and political structures, those who are in need for any reason. Fasting can help us realize the suffering that so many people in our world experience every day, and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering. Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals.
Alms-giving: It is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life we began when we were baptized. [information found at catholic.org]
For this Lenten season, I haven't really decided to "give up" anything but to try and work at some things. I'd like to work on...
Lent is...
about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ.
The three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and alms-giving. The key to renewed appropriation of these practices is to see their link to baptismal renewal.
Prayer: More time given to prayer during Lent should draw us closer to the Lord. We might pray especially for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more fully.
Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it. The early Church fasted intensely for two days before the celebration of the Easter Vigil. This fast was later extended and became a 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter. Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God.Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the injustices of our economic and political structures, those who are in need for any reason. Fasting can help us realize the suffering that so many people in our world experience every day, and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering. Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals.
Alms-giving: It is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life we began when we were baptized. [information found at catholic.org]
For this Lenten season, I haven't really decided to "give up" anything but to try and work at some things. I'd like to work on...
1. Not getting angry over little things
2. Not arguing over trivial information and midunderstandings
3. Not yelling/getting upset after my directions are not followed
4. Being more peaceful and understanding towards everything in life
{I'll let you know how it's going at the halfway point and at the end.}
Monday, February 22, 2010
Winner! =]
I am so excited to reveal the winner of my first giveaway! I have to say that it was quite successful. And, I want to thank you all for entering! :) I hope to hold more in the very near future.
So...
without further ado...
the winner of...
the personalized notecards
&
the personalized hanger
&
the gift card to MyWeddingFavors.com
is...
Natosha @ Big Spoon + Little Spoon
Congrats, girl!
E-mail me within the next 48 hours to claim your prizes.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
2 Years! (& a Giveaway)
I honestly cannot believe that Mr. GrapeJuice and I have hit the two year mark! It seems like we just met. I'll never forget that night.
It was January and nearly midnight, and it began to flurry outside {in NC}. My college BFF K-Bean {who is
from Savannah} and I got killer excited and started prancing around {and making fools of ourselves} in the snow! We were thoroughly enjoying it knowing full well that school would be closed the next day. However, Mr. GrapeJuice told us we were wrong and that we would have class the next day. K-Bean and I bust out in laughter. Everyone in the South knows that even a small dusting of snow means that school will be canceled.
from Savannah} and I got killer excited and started prancing around {and making fools of ourselves} in the snow! We were thoroughly enjoying it knowing full well that school would be closed the next day. However, Mr. GrapeJuice told us we were wrong and that we would have class the next day. K-Bean and I bust out in laughter. Everyone in the South knows that even a small dusting of snow means that school will be canceled.
{K-Bean and I being silly. We were practicing our show choreography.}
{I'm the girl in the dark red jacket; he's the guy on the right side of the picture in the gray jacket.}
{This is when he's telling us that what's falling isn't enough to cancel school.}
For the next month, Mr. GrapeJuice and I started to hang out a lot. Apparently, during the fall semester, we had admired each other from afar without even realizing it. About two weeks after knowing each other, I told K-Bean that I thought I might have a crush on Mr. GrapeJuice. In February, Mr. GrapeJuice and I were jokingly lamenting our lack of Valentine's; so, we agreed to be each others. Easy fix! We didn't exactly get to Valentine's Day before he asked me to be his girlfriend. It was like 2 minutes until midnight though. =] He got me some adorable cute things though. A bear, which I still have to this day, a rose, and a sweet card for our first Valentine's Day.
I didn't have class for awhile that day so I relaxed in K-Bean's room and watched Love, Actually, which apparently a poor decision as Mr. GrapeJuice had planned to watch it with me later that night. However, that night he took me to Chili's for our first date. He kept it a complete secret from me the whole day; so sweet. I had to rush out of my class and all the way back to my dorm to get ready in time. We had to rush to eat because I had to be at rehearsal at 6:30 for the show I was choreographing. We still had a wonderful time eating dinner and getting to know each other!
Without a doubt, these past two years have flown by. I had no idea I would be here or doing this. I mean, getting married? Teaching at a school I used to attend? Buying a house? Planning a wedding? Phew! Best two years together. I can't wait for the rest of our lives. =]
In honor of being together for two years, I have decided to host my first giveaway. [I also happen to have 50+ followers now too.] I will be giving away a set of personalized note cards from Just Wright Designs, a personalized hanger from Lila Frances, and a gift card for MyWeddingFavors.com.
I didn't have class for awhile that day so I relaxed in K-Bean's room and watched Love, Actually, which apparently a poor decision as Mr. GrapeJuice had planned to watch it with me later that night. However, that night he took me to Chili's for our first date. He kept it a complete secret from me the whole day; so sweet. I had to rush out of my class and all the way back to my dorm to get ready in time. We had to rush to eat because I had to be at rehearsal at 6:30 for the show I was choreographing. We still had a wonderful time eating dinner and getting to know each other!
Without a doubt, these past two years have flown by. I had no idea I would be here or doing this. I mean, getting married? Teaching at a school I used to attend? Buying a house? Planning a wedding? Phew! Best two years together. I can't wait for the rest of our lives. =]
In honor of being together for two years, I have decided to host my first giveaway. [I also happen to have 50+ followers now too.] I will be giving away a set of personalized note cards from Just Wright Designs, a personalized hanger from Lila Frances, and a gift card for MyWeddingFavors.com.
To enter my giveaway:
1. You must be a follower {and tell me that you are in a comment}
2. Tell me about how you and your honey met or tell me how you would like to meet your future honey {in a separate comment from the one above}
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway {in a separate comment}
4. Post about it on your blog {leave another comment with the url}
That's FOUR ways to enter!!
:)
I will announce the winner on February 22, 2010!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Ashley's Bride Guide
Most of you are aware that I work with Ashley at Ashley's Bride Guide. It has been a great experience. If you haven't checked out the website, then you really must do so. It's is the best local resource for Middle TN brides. And, even if you aren't from the area, there is a ton of inspiration on there. Recently, the site got a little face lift. So, if you haven't visited us recently, you really need to hightail your butt over there to check it out. It's completely revamped and ready to meet your needs. And, be sure to let us know what you think about it. Feedback is always welcome! :)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
AHHHHHHH!
Ladies {and gentlemen?},
I am so,so,so,so,so,so,so,soooooooooooo sorry that I have abandoned you, but you would not believe the past two weeks I've had. It's been one thing after another after another. This past week was Catholic Schools Week. If you're not familiar with it, basically I don't get to teacher at all. =] There's always something going on in the classroom, like Parent's Day when the parents come in and do different activities {not academic work}, Celebrity Reader where the Mayor came and read to my class, having the high school band come and perform at your school, etc. See, how there's no room to teach in there at all? That's why I was at my wit's end and unable to think of anything. So much stress. Blech. I only have one more week until my cruise, and then everything should calm down. So, please, just bear with me. =]
In other news, Mr. GrapeJuice and I may have found a place to call home after searching for a little over a month. It's going to be a huge step in the right direction for us. I'm hoping that all the nitpicking will get ironed out too; we've been a little less than kind to each other with all the stress between us. =[ But, also, I've made it to 50+ followers, which means that I'll be having a give away in the very near future so look for it!!! Please don't leave me yet. I promise things are looking up! Wedding plans are being made. =]
I am so,so,so,so,so,so,so,soooooooooooo sorry that I have abandoned you, but you would not believe the past two weeks I've had. It's been one thing after another after another. This past week was Catholic Schools Week. If you're not familiar with it, basically I don't get to teacher at all. =] There's always something going on in the classroom, like Parent's Day when the parents come in and do different activities {not academic work}, Celebrity Reader where the Mayor came and read to my class, having the high school band come and perform at your school, etc. See, how there's no room to teach in there at all? That's why I was at my wit's end and unable to think of anything. So much stress. Blech. I only have one more week until my cruise, and then everything should calm down. So, please, just bear with me. =]
In other news, Mr. GrapeJuice and I may have found a place to call home after searching for a little over a month. It's going to be a huge step in the right direction for us. I'm hoping that all the nitpicking will get ironed out too; we've been a little less than kind to each other with all the stress between us. =[ But, also, I've made it to 50+ followers, which means that I'll be having a give away in the very near future so look for it!!! Please don't leave me yet. I promise things are looking up! Wedding plans are being made. =]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
