10 things more important than...

I have been so busy for the last week or so with school and have not been feeling the greatest. Sorry that I totally ignored you guys! I promise to do better this week (even though it is gonna be a heck of a busy week!).

I found something in Glamour magazine worth sharing with you guys today... It's funny how the simplest things make us feel better sometimes. I am gonna get a little personal and tell you all that I have gained a few (7) pounds since the wedding and it has been driving me crazy! It seems that no matter what I do I cannot get the last five off. It has almost been to the point of becoming obsessive about it. I know it is stupid and ridiculous but I have not been able to let it go- until I found the Glamour list in the September issue titled "10 Things More Important Than Those Last Five Pounds". How fitting huh?? Here is the list:

1. Birthday Cake!!

2. Falling in love, running a company, buying a home- you know, the real stuff?!

3. Friends kind enough to post only the good photos.

4. Dumping the guy who answered, "Uh yeah," to "Does my butt look big in this?"

5. Magic underwear (Why do you think our grandmas always looked so good?)

6. The baby/law degree/743 fabulous Mexican dinners that put the weight on in the first place.

7. Going to Paris for the cheese, and San Francisco for the sourdough.

8. Legs strong enough to hike you all the way to the top.

9. Perspective. It's just five pounds. No need to act like it's 50.

10. World peace. Or maybe even inner peace.

Thank you Glamour magazine for making me realize that there are a lot more important things in life than losing five pounds... thank you for real.

Weekend Recap

My weekend consisted of LOTS of football:

Good football...

This is my house brother, Steven, dominating in the Westbrook vs. Ider game Friday night. Westbrook (#6) beat Ider (#3) 35-7 and they are looking like they have a reallll good shot for the 2A state title.

HORRIBLE football...

Ohhh my gosh Florida State... sooo embarrassing. Yikes.

Birthday celebrating- I woke up early Saturday morning and decorated a little bit for my husband's birthday. Just a sign, homemade card, and white Christmas lights =) I made him some coffee and was about to begin cooking him breakfast when he came in and declared that he wanted to take a trip to Waffle House! Yummm! We headed to Waffle House then went on a 2 hour Walmart excursion to get all of the necessities for the long day of football and eating. Andrew came over and watched football with us and we ate Rotel cheese dip like champs and finished off the evening with a delicious Southwest Soup.

I have had some requests for the recipe so here it is:

1 box of chicken broth (48 oz)

1 jar of salsa verde (I only used a little more than half the jar)

1 rotisserie chicken shredded with a fork

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can corn

Dump all of the ingredients into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Once the soup begins boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese. Soooo delish.

Family and school today- We went to church with my family and ate a good lunch at Applebees. I tried to be good and got a grilled chicken entree topped with portobello mushrooms and onions and red pepper. YUM. Will definitely be getting that again. Got home around 3 and been doing lesson plans since! AHhhhh! Save me!

Lessons 31-40

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

This is another one of those things that is comforting and scary. If the situation is bad... it's comforting to know that the situation will change. If it's good... it's scary to know that it will change. Change is something so hard to accept for me but is also something that keeps life so exciting.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Great point. It's kinda like the people that completely lose touch with their friends when they enter into a new romantic relationship. Then... they break up with that person and have no friends. We have all been there. Friends are sooo important. Make ones that you will have for life.

33. Believe in miracles.

Oh yes. How can you not when you see things come together the way they do... or a life being brought into the world?

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

I love this and need to be reminded of this a lot! This is not an excuse to just go crazy and forget about Him... but it is comforting to know that He loves us regardless.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

I agree with this. I look back at hard times in my life and realize that I would not be who I am today if I had not experienced the things I have.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

Ahhh dying young... so scary. I want to grow old so badly. I want to love forever. I want to travel and have children. I want to see my children grow up and be parents. I want to accomplish life goals. I pray everyday for a long life for me and those around me.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

There is nothing that breaks my heart more than seeing a child that has no relationship with their parents. I was (and still am) so spoiled in this aspect. I have amazing childhood memories with my parents- vacations, camping, boating, beaching, riding bikes, playing ball, etc. I wish every child had the opportunity to experience this. I know mine will.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

This is kind of cool to think about. I have never really thought about it that way. I love reading Psalms- they are the best prayers.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

There is nothing like a beautiful summer day. There is nothing like a beautiful fall day. Ahhh. I love being outside and seeing God's creation up close and personal. It literally BAFFLES me sometimes when I really think about.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

Love it! I always think my problems are so bad and then I see what others are going through. Imagine being homeless or not having anyone to love or that loves you? I think mine are pretty small in comparison. I NEED to remember this.

Hope you guys are still enjoying these. Only one more day!!! Have a wonderful Sunday. Off to write a billion lesson plans... OUTSIDE!

Lessons 21-30

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

I love this. Why should you have to have a specific reason to do these kind of things? I think I might have some good ideas for the near future =)

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

I WISH I lived by this motto. I tend to do what is necessary and I do good at that. Life would just be a whole lot simpler being overprepared.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

I don't really think of myself as an extremely eccentric person. I am ok with that though. And what's wrong with purple? I love purple! ha

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

Totally agree. Nuff said =)

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

I HATE when people blame their unhappiness on others. You may be able to blame a situation on others BUT you are completely in control of whether you are happy or not. I have to make a COMPLETE effort some days and literally decide, "I am going to be happy today no matter what". It works. Try it.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

I tend to be a little dramatic sometimes when it comes to this stuff. It is hard to think of the future when the now seems disastrous right? BUT- it helps to avoid overreaction sometimes.

27. Always choose life.

Totally, 100%, always.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

My dad always said, "Never go to be mad... at anyone". I will never forget that and I try very hard to follow it. You never know what could happen in an instant.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

Haaa. Love putting it that way. I have gotten better about this thankfully. I am good with not knowing negative things others think about me. My family doesn't think it and my friends don't so why should I care right?

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

Time heals. Hard concept. It is a very true concept but it is very hard to accept. I, along with everyone else, obviously would like an instant fixer. I think that is why a lot of people turn to alcohol and drugs? AVOID IT. Give it time- much more permanent fixer.

Ten more tomorrowww. Off to watch more horrible football games.

Happy Birthday Hubs!

Happy Birthday, Patrick Ryan!!

I would like to take a moment to say Happy Birthday to the most wonderful husband in the world! Pat blessed this Earth 23 years ago and am so thankful! I cannot imagine my life without him and I hope and pray that I get to have him around for about 80 more years =)

Thank you for:

- Treating me with the utmost love and respect

- Being and inspiration and role model for a TON of people

- Being such a hard worker and always pursuing more

- Having goals and a vision of where you want our life to be

- Loving and giving more than anyone I know

- Having morals and values and beliefs similar to mine

- Being you! Sweet, special, and pretty dang cute =)

Lessons 11-20

I got some good feedback from friends and family on the life lessons that I posted yesterday so here are the next ten!!

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

Everyone messes up. In order to move on and allow for a good future, the past MUST be settled. If you dwell on your past, how can you fix things for your future? LOVE this one.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

I can't really relate to this one because I do not have children- but I'm sure a lot of you can! I feel like a lot of adults have this thing where they want their children to think they are SO tough. I think that is important but it is also important for them to know that you are HUMAN!!

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

I am SOOO guilty of this. In fact, I do not know anyone who isn't. I find myself constantly thinking..."If only I had..." etc. Then I remember- I have NO idea what they are going through, what they have been through, why they have what they have, etc. Be THANKFUL for what you have!!

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

This is SO true. I am all about some honesty.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

This one gives me chill bumps. It is scary- but exciting. I am a true concrete sequential, so routine is very crucial for me. That may be the reason that this idea scares me more than excites me. Change in general just scares me!

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

Oh lordy. I hate a pity party. I can't pretend like I am not guilty of this sometimes. I had a small one today actually... things were just kinda rough at school. I got in the car feeling kinda sorry for myself, etc. The chorus of "It's a great day to be alive" was LITERALLY beginning the second I cranked my car and I realized... get it together, Haley! I love the quote, "Get busy living, or get busy dying".

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

We have been studying a lot this week about characters in reading. Our main character for our story this week is a VERY determined kid who works hard to help his family. I found myself thinking a lot about determination and do believe that it is one of the best qualities! With hard work and determination, you CAN achieve your goals.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

Thank you, Regina! I appreciate this. Seriously. I try to pretend sometimes that I am a "writer", yet I do nothing to further this dream! Writing takes practice just like anything else. I need to get on it =)

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

I had a fantastic childhood. EXTREMELY blessed with amazing parents. I would say I had an amazingly happy childhood. Thanks Mom and Dad =)

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

This goes RIGHT back to those determination thoughts earlier. Love this. I mean hey, I got Pat to marry me right?! =)

God Never Blinks

"God Never Blinks" is the title of a book recently released by Regina Brett. Brett is a columnist/novelist from Cleveland. GNB is subtitled, "50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours". I am going to share the lessons ten at a time over the next 5 days. Here goes the first ten:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

I would have to agree with this lesson. I think life goes a lot easier if you just kind of accept the fact that sometimes... it's not going to be fair. Someone is always going to be smarter, skinnier, more fashionable, more financially free, etc. Accept it and embrace who you are!

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

I bet so many people (including me) FREEZE whenever things are unsure. Why take a step if you don't know where it will lead you? Well, why not have an adventure and go for it?!

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

This is one of my favorites. I can't imagine going to bed knowing it was my last night alive and having issues with someone. I am going to make it my goal to clear up all of those issues and make life all about loving. It's much more pleasant.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

Haaa! I can guarantee that I do not take myself TOO seriously. Sometimes, I catch myself doing it and I am kinda embarrassed =( I have to learn not to always take OTHERS so seriously... to lighten up and not let negativity affect me.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

Don't have any and don't plan to ever get any.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

I don't know about you guys... but I need help with this. Something crazy comes out of me in an argument and it's kind of scary! I cannot stop until I win! I need to go to God for some guidance in this area =)

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

There is nothing like a good cry. Something about crying is so soothing and healing once you get it all out. I know I embrace this idea... I think more men (and women!) need to try it.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

I think we have all been here before... it's easy to get angry with God. It's also easy to use being mad at God as an excuse for a lot of bitterness and slack relationships with Him. Yell, get it over with, and then remember who He is and what He has done for you. Ummm- gave you life?!

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

Ohhh lordy that is a long way away. I like this idea though. Too bad my paychecks are going to be teeny tiny =) I think I am going to make this a pact when I get a job though...

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

You tell em, Regina!

*Hope ya'll enjoyed these... ten more tomorrow?*

A night under the stars

Last night, my husband and I decided to spend the evening outside (we had to cross it off my 101 in 1001 list!). It was the perfect night with no school or work today so... why not?! Here is a summary of our evening:

Pat pulled his Jeep up in our yard to block off our spot:

Then we dragged a tarp and our guest room mattress outside to assure a good night sleep =)

Pat got a fire started in the fire pit we got our parents for Christmas:

We roasted hot dogs and smore's over the fire:

Pat burnt his a little bit =)

My smore was deliciousss

It was SO hot, I had to roast my marshmallows like this:

I set up our beds...

Grabbed Chloe to come hang out with us... she was going crazy inside and proceeded to go crazy outside:

Retired to the bed to watch the Bama game from Saturday night...

As soon as we got cozy....

Guess who came back?!

Hahaha he loves us =)

Today, we enjoyed the day off and having a bed outside in our yard. Let's just say it was too hard to sit inside to do lesson plans... so I packed it up and headed outside :

I did this...

While Pat did this...

Ok, I might have joined him for a bit. Don't laugh. We love our life =)

Date day

Me and my husband had a GREAT date day yesterday. We watched the early afternoon football games, played some soccer in the yard, went for a 3 mile run/walk, went to the store for Velveeta and hot dogs, cooked, moved the TV outside, and spent the rest of the evening outside watching Auburn kick some bootyyy. Here are some pictures to recap our night:

Our "setup" outside:

Signature girl kissy face?

Pat was SO excited about the chips and Rotel dip...

I'm predicting a gooood season with this guy... Cam Newton =)

This little guy joined us for the game...

Then this cutie...

So then this big boy strolled up...

Then this cute black lab...

THEN ANOTHER DOG CAME! A yellow lab! I am not kidding guys... we had a dog party in our yard for half of the football game!

HAHAHA! I never could get a shot with all five of them in one frame... but believe me, I tried! I don't know why I found this so humorous. I don't think Pat thought it was quite as "cute" as me.

We called it a night when the game ended and it got a little chilly:

I'm off to go outside for a fun night under the stars... I'll be blogging about it tomorrow, trust me you wanna see =)

Nothing like game day in the state of Alabama

I'm back!! Sorry I took a short little leave of absence this past week. I don't know what my deal was to be honest. I was SO exhausted that I literally would come home at about 8 pm (from a full day of teaching, class, etc.) and crash on the couch. I had no desire to do anything! Blog, read, watch TV, etc. Literally, all I wanted to do was sleep. BUT after a break from working out for two days, a good nap on the couch yesterday, and sleeping until ten today- I HOPE things will get back to normal. Anyone know what could cause this??

Anyway, we had a fun week at school. Morning duty meant getting up 3o minutes earlier all week (maybe that's what threw me off? haha) but I was in charge of teaching Grammar and Math all week. We had some fun =) I love my sweet kids... I have a little posse that surrounds me all day everyday. So funny.

I'll catch up on picture posts...

DAY 25

"A picture of what you did today"

(this is from yesterday that I missed)

It was Auburn/Alabama day at school... this is our sad little Auburn group =(

Ughhh our teacher is a Bama fan! =)

Still cute... even in their Bama gear ;)

I LOVE this picture.. they are hilarious!

How precious are these girlies?!

Haha they played with my hair for about 20 minutes... you can't see but there are two boys in the back who actually started it!

What a fun day! Now- it's GAME DAY BABY!!! So... I'll be retiring to the couch for the remainder of the day. WAR EAGLE!

All you need...

Day 23

A picture that describes my life...

image courtesty of weheartit

Today we have officially been married for a THIRD OF A YEAR. I know that sounds silly but... it just hit me today. Four months of marriage under my belt. It just gets better everyday- honestly. Yes there are days that are hard and sometimes we bicker, etc. (who doesn't?) I love my sweet hubby more and more everyday. I am so thankful!!!

The reason I chose this picture is because- well, let's be honest. We don't have a whole lot of money right now (who does when they are first married?) and we are honestly surviving on love. The love we have for each other, the love we have for our Savior, and the love we have and are shown by our families.