Matthew's birthday

Matthew's birthday always falls on spring break and we love that! I wanted to take a couple days off over spring break but I was only able to take one day so of course I chose his birthday! After I got off on Monday we both loaded up the car and headed home!! I had dinner with my family Monday night and he had dinner with his family.   Tuesday I woke up at regular time because my internal alarm clock doesn't stop working just because I have a day off but that was good because I went and picked Matthew up and we headed to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. There aren't many things as good as Cracker Barrel's breakfast! We stuffed our faces and had a good time. I LOVE a good conversation over breakfast.

    We went back to his house and since it was 70 degrees we decided to get the enos out and put them up in his backyard. The weather was PERFECT and we had the perfect amount of shade and cool breeze :)  

 Matthew and his cat, Macy in the eno!!

  We met his mom and brothers for lunch at Pizza Hut and again, stuffed our faces! After lunch Matthew, Nathan and I stopped by to see their grandmother, she so enjoyed seeing her boys!!

 

I had a surprise for Matthew that afternoon but didn't tell him until we were on the way. If you remember last year for his birthday I had it all planned out with clues I had given him throughout the day but mother nature stepped in and it rained ALL DAY LONG so we ended up seeing a movie.   Well this year I didn't have all the fun clues but we went to play miniature golf and we rode the go karts there. Matthew LOVES go karts and has a certain face we like to call his go kart or running face and he had it on the whole time we were riding them. The weather was perfect for mini golf and we hadn't been in forever so it was good to go!!

 

so handsome ;)

 

  Matthew's dad grilled "daddy burgers" for dinner and they were SO GOOD and his mom made cheesecake!! Not just any cheesecake either...

That is 1 whole cheesecake but half of it is plain and the other half is chocolate chip with chocolate ganache!!!! It was SO GOOD!! Best birthday cake EVER.

 

The birthday boys were feelin 22...they sang that song all day lol





 

I love celebrating birthdays but I LOVE celebrating my man more!!

-->Frankly Chat<--

There are few things I do in my life that don't involve me using my phone. So with that being said I like to have apps that I can actually use every day and not just every now and then AND with that being said let me introduce you to a new way to text.

Frankly Chat  is an app that you can use to text your friends that have the app as well. The message will start out as scrambled but then they come together with you tap the screen. There is a time bar under the message that shows your how much time you have before the message is gone...forever. JUST LIKE SNAPCHAT. You can also resize your messages, just give a little pinch to resize that message.  And my favorite, you can drag your finger across the screen to pick the color you want to send your message in. Ever sent the message to the wrong person? Well now you can UNSEND any unread message. Y'all when I am about to fall asleep and I am texting 3 different people I am bound to send a message to the wrong person so now I can just unsend it. LIFE. MADE.
Don't take it from me, go download the app and find me!!

Spring pinning

--> SPRING <-- "No matter how long the winter, Lord willing, spring is sure to follow." So excited for all the fun and exciting activities this season brings each year. Although it's 30 outside I'm just going to pretend it's 75 and sunny :) Happy first day of spring, friends!!  

In honor of the first day of spring and throwback Thursday here is a picture from our first spring together 4 years ago! This has always been one of my favorite pictures of us.   And now for some spring pins I have found on Pinterest that I love! Just a few but you can find more on my Spring Time board :)  

{Source}

 

{Source}

 

This is literally my DREAM mantel, not how its decorated but the mantel itself. LOVE the white!

{Source}

 

I have a couple of old windows and this would look adorable!

{Source}

 

I want to make this banner!!

{Source}

 

{Source}

 

Can someone just buy me this bike please? PERFECT in every way.

{Source}

 

{Source}

 

{Source}

 

Here lately I have been obsessed with tulips. They are just beautiful

{Source}

 

Everything in this picture is gorgeous. Love all the colors, the centerpiece, and of course those mason jars.

{Source}

 

I am LOVING all of these pictures and I am SO excited to try and make a few spring decorations this weekend when I go home! I definitely am going to try and make the spring banner and maybe the mason jars.

 

Are you making anything for spring?

I don't do

I got this idea from one of my favorite bloggers over at The Chronicles of Ruthie Hart     I don't do...   Alcohol... I never have and I don't ever plan on trying it. I don't judge people who do drink because it's their choice. I just honestly don't think I need it to have a good time. If you disagree then we can respectfully agree to disagree :)   Sweet tea... I have lived in the south my whole entire life and I honestly don't think I would survive anywhere but the south but sweet tea is something I could live without for the rest of my life. I have grown up with all my family and friends drinking it but I just don't care for it. If there is a choice of tea or water I will choose water every time.   Sock on while sleeping... I promise you they will end up at the end of my bed hidden in the covers or thrown across the room, but I can't stay for my feet to be cold while going to bed. Weird, I know. That is why I have a heated blanket on my bed and usually turn it on about 30 minutes before I go to bed.   Smoking...or hang around anyone who does. It is disgusting. The smoke alone makes my eyes burn and water and it's an automatic death sentence if you ask me.   Lazy people... And I'm not talking about the person who goes home straight after work and lays down on the couch for a few hours one night, I understand every once in awhile. I'm talking about the people who don't work (I'm not talking about stay at home moms at all because that is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world), live off the government, have multiple kids and still walk around with material things expecting you to feel sorry for them. I don't for one minute and I am not afraid to tell them how I feel. I believe if you are not medically ill and I mean VERY medically ill then you should be working to pay for you nice material things :)    Diet Dr. Pepper... Gag me with a plastic spoon it is that gross....Dr. Pepper for that matter is too. I'm not sure what it is about them but I just can't like it or even try to, the sweet tea deal I can choke it down if I have to.   Ladies who degrade their boyfriend/fiancé/husband to other women... This has to be one of the most immature things. There are NO excuses, it is not acceptable. It's like a punch in the stomach every time I hear someone talk in a negative way about their loved one. 1.) They have no respect for them. 2.) It's NOT helping their marriage one bit. 3.) It could change their opinion of them and it's hard to undo that.

Why I blog

Why I blog? That's a question I get asked A LOT.
When ever someone finds out I blog they smile and ask why. Well, I blog because I like it. I like writing and being able to share things. I have all my old diaries from when I was growing up and I love getting them and just sitting down and reading through them. I love seeing how much has changed and how my thoughts and views have changed. So that's exactly why I like blogging, obviously it's not a diary for me because y'all don't want to hear about ALL my thoughts but I like sharing the bigger events. Even now, going back and looking at what was going on last year at this time, everything is completely different. I am living in a new town on my own and working a different job, I have made tons of new friends and my routine is completely different. Blogging is also a good way for my family and friends to keep up with everything that is going on in my life. It's something I enjoy and it's a fun hobby and I have been able to "meet" SO many wonderful women that I talk to weekly. Not only have I been able to "meet" so many new ladies I have been able to collaborate with some wonderful companies and help raise money for different organizations I believe in all while doing something I enjoy. So that's why I blog because it's FUN and I enjoy it!   Also I wanted to wish my best friend a HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY!!

This is the first time since 3rd grade I haven't been able to celebrate with her on her actual birthday :( but we sent plenty of love from good ole Cookeville!

Alby

 

I usually don't do these or even sign these petitions but this one I could not pass up and I hope you don't either. I have never met this little boy but I can only imagine how much his family is hurting and scared. It seems like every time I get on Facebook I learn of a new child being diagnosed with a horrible disease and it breaks my heart. There is a little girl back home who I have known since the day she was born and has been fighting Neuroblastoma since 2012, she flies to Philadelphia every couple of weeks for just a few days to receive treatments. Her dad was pretty much apart of our family since he lived right behind us while we grew up, always over at our house and now seeing him go through this with his little girl pulls at my heart. This past fall we learned of a little boy at our congregation here in Cookeville who was diagnosed with the same thing and it is just as heartbreaking. So walking into work this morning and seeing this in my inbox from our boss wasn't any different.

 

So today, take 2 minutes to click on this below and type your name to sign this petition, please.

Will it help? Maybe. Is it worth the try? Definitely.

 

 

$130 to J.CREW // Happy Friday

The lovely ladies below are the awesome gals who are throwing this party with me to make it
possible for one of YOU to win a $130 gift card to JCrew! So go say hello and thanks a bunch!

The Albrechts Blog // A Beautiful Exchange Blog // The Grand Adventures of Me // Grace for Gayle

Life w/ Mrs. G & the Artist // Love the Here and Now // The I Love You's // The Modern Tulip Blog

Simplicity is Key // Stay Crafty My Friends // Marry Mint // Love & Waffles

Oh, the things I'd love to buy with that gift card. The great news, though, is that one of you can win - and you don't have to be a blogger! Using the Rafflecopter widget below, you have MANY options for entries - following the above blogs on Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin, Instagram, or even Pinterest. These are all ladies I have met and built relationships with through blogging, so I'd recommend you follow them all ;)

Now go for it! And thank you, thank you, thank you. May the odds be ever in your favor.
This giveaway is open for one week, starting today!

*This giveaway is only open to entrants in the United States

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3.6.14

Last Thursday is a day I'll never forget. There are so many emotions, so many little moments and so many special words said from Thursday night that I don't want to ever forget. So as soon as I climbed into bed that night I wrote down everything.   I won't share everything because that would take too long seeing as it was about 5 pages in my journal so I'll give you the short version. Matthew and I have been talking about me getting baptized for some time now, he never pressured me into it because he knew it was a decision I needed to make all on my own. He would answer any questions I had and backed it up with scripture. I was baptized when I was younger but I didn't really understand it and just did it because I was told I needed to so I knew I needed to, I just needed the courage to finally do it. I have been praying for the past few months now and kept waiting for the right time. Well then it slapped me in the face Wednesday night that there was never going to be the right time. So Thursday night we had gotten back to Matthew's apartment and were sitting in the car I told him I wanted to get baptized. The look on his face when I told him is something I will never for the rest of my life forget. Just thinking of it bring tears to my eyes. After that everything was kinda a big blur. Matthew went into FAST mode. I had to remind him to slow down so we could make it to the church alive ;) We ran by my apartment so I could grab a change of clothes and then headed to the church to meet our campus minister and a few other ones. I was a nervous wreck and I still don't know why and I still don't know why it took me so long to finally make the right decision. Like I said, we had already talked about it so we both knew I wanted Matthew to baptize me.   Our campus minister came in the room and told us how everything was going to go and showed me the towels and then told me to wait on one side while he and Matthew went on the other side so Matthew could get ready. Time was moving SO slow those few moments and then finally I saw Matthew's big ole grin coming up the other side of the stairs and couldn't help but tear up.   I walked down to Matthew and then he baptized me. SO.MANY.EMOTIONS coming up out of that water. I do know that I made the best decision of my life, to devote my life to Christ and to be baptized for the remission of my sins last Thursday night.   There were about 15 people there to watch me get baptized and I am so thankful for everyone that was there, that hugged me and that loved on me and told me how proud they were of me and that celebrated with me after. I never imagined having all these friendships here in Cookeville but I am so grateful for them. After, we all went to Big O's to get donuts :)  

Here is the video Matthew's brother took for us.

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

(I forgot to hit the little "publish" button on this yesterday...oops!)  

(good ole matching shirts from fall retreat)   Happy birthday, my love. I am so thrilled to be celebrating your 22 years of life today! Words will never be enough to express my deep respect for the man that you are. You are so honest and thoughtful and make me laugh every single day. You work so hard, and do it without an unwavering persistence and a good attitude. You pursue my heart daily and put so much effort into our relationship, selflessly putting my needs first. You love The Lord so deeply and base the structure of your life and our relationship around Him, as everyone should. I'm humbled you chose me to be your girlfriend and I'm thankful for the ways you sharpen me while still loving me where I am now. You are the catch of a lifetime! I love you, Matthew!! -->HAPPY BIRTHDAY<--  

Spontaneous trip to Chattanooga

Valentines Day night we were indulging in the Oreo cheesecake I made and talked about what we were going to do the next day. We didn't have any set plans and Matthew didn't have any homework so we decided on making a trip to Chattanooga for the day! We went to Chattanooga with some friends back in August and loved it so we decided to just go back with no plans and do whatever we wanted when we got there.

So Saturday morning we were off bright and early with chicken biscuits in hand!

  They are an hour ahead of us so we got there at 10:30 their time. We got there and just drove around downtown, it wasn't as busy that early but there were still some people out and about. I showed Matthew were I stayed my junior year of high school when I went with my school's FBLA team for state. We stayed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. It is a beautiful hotel with an even prettier courtyard....in the spring time that is. I was so excited to show Matthew how pretty it was and didn't even think about it being in the dead of winter and obviously they didn't have any flowers so it was pretty much ugly. I had him make a picture anyways so I could send it to my friends.

  There is usually a fountain in there and its full of water...

Here are a few pictures from when we went in the spring of 2010...if you go I recommend going in the spring :)

After we left there we drove around some more and it was getting close to lunch so we went back downtown and ate at Cheeburger Cheeburger.

It was a small burger place downtown Chattanooga and I loved it. I think it's the best burger I have ever had at a restaurant. They play LOUD music from the 50's and 60's but you get used to it. We had about a 15 minute wait so if you are going to go expect a little bit of a wait, it's worth it though!!

After lunch we just walked around for a couple of hours. We walked downtown and on the pedestrian bridge. The weather was pretty good, mid 50's and sunny. You can't really tell in this picture but there were tons of people out running, walking and riding their bikes.

 

We walked across this glass bridge which went over a pretty bust street, I loved it and thought it was pretty dang cool but Matthew wasn't too thrilled about it. He kept saying "just don't look down & walk faster Shelby!!!!"

I promise I haven't gained 50+ pounds in these pictures. I had thick sweater on under this thick pea coat and that's my cross body purse sticking out on the side! Had to stay warm y'all!!

A lot of people asked what we did and why went but we really didn't have any reason other than just for fun. We didn't spend a lot of money. Just gas, parking and lunch! It was a lot of fun and as you already know we love taking day trips to different places and I can't wait to take another spontaneous trip somewhere with Matthew! 

We passed this on the way back home and there was a little pull off area so we stopped and got out to make a few pictures. It was pretty!

We

Love

Chattanooga