Top 10 Tuesday: Food

I'm so excited to be bringing to you Top 10 Tuesday! Today's Top 10 is Food! Make sure to link-up with me showing your Top 10 Favorite Foods! Here we go!

1-Black Olives. I eat them by the can. My record for an entire can is about 2 minutes. Ridiculous much? I'm convinced I'm Italian deep down. Dark hair, eyes, and I yell almost everything I say.

This picture is pretty ridiculous!

Every year I go to Olive Garden on my birthday.

They bring me out a plate of olives.

Olives are gone within 5 minutes.

2-Mashed Potatoes. I made some last night and loaded them with cream cheese, sour cream, butter, salt/pepper, heavy whipping cream, and more butter. Paula Dean should be proud.

3-Cheez-Its. My favorite flavor is White Cheddar. File under foods Emily eats in large quantities in small amounts of time. I need intervention.

4-Biscuits. Biscuits and Gravy. Biscuits with Soup. Biscuit Pizzas. Biscuit Sandwiches, you know like the ones from McDonalds for $1. Yeah.

5-Corn. Corn on the Cob, Canned Corn, Creamed Corn, Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn on the Cob makes me think of summer. Eating it outside at a BBQ with friends. I miss summer.

Butter and Salt makes life complete.

6- Chips and Salsa. Need I say more?

7-Chocolate. I mean what girl doesn't love chocolate? I love Ghirardelli milk chocolate bars. I love a warm gooey chocolate chip cookie. I love chocolate ice cream. I could dedicate an entire post to this. In fact, I might have already. I don't remember. File under one of Emily's obsessions.

8-Lettuce. I know shocker! Y'all thought I was a bad eater. I especially love iceberg lettuce, like the crispy white parts at the end. Don't judge. I do love a Subway sub with lettuce, or a good crisp salad in the summer.

9-Pop-Tarts. Best breakfast food ever invented next to biscuits of course! Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tart with a tall glass of milk. Perfection my friends.

10-Pretzels. Favorite afternoon snack. I love dipping my pretzels in ranch dressing. Weird I know. or frosting, peanut-butter, the possibilities are endless.

What about you? What are your Top 10 Favorite Foods? Be sure to link-up with me!

Happy Tuesday!

Monday Randoms

*big brain dump ahead*

~I'm back from Kansas City! Our varsity team from church went up to KC to complete in "olympics". We left Friday afternoon and got back late last night. My weekend was filled with lots of pictures, tons of snacks and eating out, uncontrollable gut laughter, and taking 4th place. Not too shabby :)

~Friday morning, my dad completed my FAFSA and set it off to CofO and Evangel. I didn't think all the necessary paperwork would be received/done it time, but we got all of it and it's DONE! Such a relief! Now I wait and see what happens! CofO's priority deadline is February 15th. That is where I really want to go to college. Waiting is the hardest part.

~I officially completed week 4 of C25K last week! I'm half way there. Crazy. I'm finally getting my endurance up and will begin longer runs this week. I think I can. I think I can. I'm actually starting to enjoy running, something I NEVER thought I'd say.

~The high today is 65 degrees. Branson has had one of the mildest winter's I can remember. I think this calls for a run outside this afternoon :)

~I haven't worked since Black Friday weekend at the ziplines. I miss it like terrible. I miss my 2nd family. I miss my big brothers. I miss taking pictures of crazy tourists. I miss answering the phone a thousand times a day. I miss driving the ATVs. I miss eating Jimmy Johns 6 days a week. I miss watching the sunset over the zipline towers. March come quickly!!

~I have been doing a ton of homework for my Israel trip. I've been researching major cities, religions, and other important information. It's coming up so fast. In 39 days I'll be boarding a plane and flying halfway across the world. It's still so surreal to me.

~One of my childhood friends, had a sweet baby boy last week. I've known her since I was 4 years old. I'm 18 and she's 21 now. I can't believe that she is married and starting a family. After 30+ hours of labor, Winston Daniel made his arrival. I'm so happy for her!

~Speaking of marriage and children, I've had several friends get engaged recently. I have 7 weddings on the calendar and I'm sure there will be more. I on the other hand, am happily enjoying my singleness. That will be another post soon.

~On a more serious note, I've really been realizing how fragile life is; how special and priceless it is and how much I really take it for granted. One of my friend's cousin passed away last night in NY. It happened so fast and it is heartbreaking for me to watch her grieve like this. If you think of her, please pray for K today. Then yesterday, one of my guy friends was in a car accident with his mom. They are ok, but the car is totaled. I saw both of them yesterday morning and hugged them goodbye, not having a clue what events would happen later in the day. I hugged my family a little bit tighter last night.

~I'm so excited for my new link-up tomorrow! Top 10 Tuesday! First off, will be Top 10 Foods we love. Easy and fun! Be sure to link-up!

~Saw this quote and loved it: once you realize your mess can become your ministry, you actively look for ways to provide security and protection for others with that struggle.

~Cait has an awesome giveaway this week! make sure to go check it out!

Happy Monday Lovelies!

Music: Mercy Me: Beautiful

My friend, Addie, that I've mentioned before, sent me a song today. It could not have come at a more perfect time. Listen to this song, and let it change you, as it completely changed my thinking today.

Days will come when you don’t have the strength

When all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart, they’d see too much

You’re beautiful
You’re beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You’re beautiful
You’re beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred
You are His
You’re beautiful

Praying that you have the heart to fight
‘Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you’ve held inside so long
They are nothing in the shadow of the cross

You’re beautiful
You’re beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You’re beautiful
You’re beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred
You are His
You’re beautiful

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You’re the one He madly loves
Enough to die

You’re beautiful
You’re beautiful
In His eyes

Mini Blog Makeover + Blog Button + New Link-Up!

Whew! How's that for a long title? This week, I upgraded my blog to the Deluxe Package from Munchkin Land Designs. As always, Jenn did an awesome job! New font for blog post titles, 4 sidebar titles, and a personalized blog button.

As you can see, this isn't a button for my personal blog. It's a new link-up I created for Tuesdays! Top 10 Tuesdays will be different every week. For example, the first one I will do (January 31st) will be your Top 10 Foods. Me, being a lover of food and snacks, I thought this would be perfect! :) I'm already brainstorming a list for the future: foods, blogs, vacation spots, books, places to shop etc. It'll just be a fun way to connect with others and get to know each other. What do y'all think? I can't wait to give it a try this Tuesday! I think it'll be fun!

oxox,

Emily

Wordless Wednesdays: Running

Sometimes and Always: Round Dos

Linking up with Megan again for Sometimes and Always Round Dos!

Sometimes: I want to have pretty nails every single day

Always: My nailpolish is chipped on one hand.

Sometimes: I try to make my bed neatly

Always: It is left in a heap of blankets and pillows

Sometimes: I try to wash my face every single night

Always: I miss a couple nights every week

Sometimes: I try to be a funny when I blog

Always: I am not

Sometimes: I try to rotate my music I listen to

Always: When I like a song, I listen to the same song, on repeat

Sometimes: I try to not overcommit myself and say no

Always: I end up always putting more on my plate than I can handle

Sometimes: I wonder if I'll miss highschool

Always: I count down the days till graduation (101 by the way)

A lesson on: Communciation

Communication is a vital aspect of life. For me communication is important with friends, parents, siblings, etc. You get the idea. I've had alot going on lately and I've been holding it all in, hoping that somehow things will get better (this will be another post this week). Hoping that friends include me, drama stops, I will succeed, I get into college, I'll find the right friends. The list could go on. I worry with the what-if's all.the.time.

Sometimes, as I'm learning, I need to deal with the here and the now. What's really going on, in the present, and deal with it like a big girl. I need to stop letting my mind wander and end up stressing, being fearful and full of anxiety. (As I said, that will be a another post this week) I've also learned that if there is a problem, I need to deal with it and move on. Address the issue at hand, and move on. Anyway...

I do have a funny story to tell y'all tho! This greater proves my point that going straight to a friend, talking and communicating can be the best thing sometimes.

Last week, I had one of my guy friends helping me with my iPod touch; updates, apps, etc. I didn't really occur to me that I had all of my "girly" apps on there. Need I say more? So, he accessed my account and was fixing it. I didn't think anything of it. He sent me some texts last week that were something along the lines of, do you have a minute? I need to ask you something, like something important. I, being the completely clueless person I am, was like sure thing! It went something like this...

"Hey, can I ask you something Emily?"

"Sure"

"Well, umm I don't wanna u know be awkward or anything but I saw some apps"

"Ohhh okay, what's up?"

"Well, to make a long story short I saw you had some pregnancy apps on your iPod when I was updating and can I just ask you? Are you pregnant?"

(Insert: I was now at this point, dying laughing and I sent him a baahaha text back)

"My reply to said person (after much laughter): O my! Me and my friends were all being goofy and naming our future children. We downloaded a bunch of apps with baby names on there! To answer your question, I am NOT pregnant!"

.

.

.

.

.

After much laughter, and sifting through confusion, He replied by saying that he would have felt awful if he wouldn't have asked me, thought I was pregnant, and just assumed rather than coming to talk with me!

The moral of this story:

1-communication is key in life

2-if you ever have a guy updating your ipod, make sure you clear all girly apps prior to said maintenance check.

3- i am not pregnant!

Happy Monday Lovelies!

Flashback Friday: Adventure Ziplines

Adventure Ziplines

Summer of 2011

One of many staff Tees! :)

Coffee: summer staple

Some of what I did everyday :)

Happy Friday!!

It's OK Thursday

It's OK that:

* I went to school on MLK day

* I'm a little (alot bit) freaked out by the SOPA/PIPA stuff

* I skipped youth last night to come home and do homework

* I've worn sweats 3 days this week

* I really need to re-color my hair and haven't

* I wore Chacos and Nike shorts on Monday.....in January

* I got tired during C25K training yesterday, but I didn't stop

* I'm upgrading my blog again, thanks to Jenn!

* I love alone time

Happy Thursday!

Love,

E

Wordless Wednesdays: Hiking at Busiek

Sometimes and Always: #1

I LOVE finding new blogs to link up with! I did my very first Target Tuesday post last week with Tara! (see her post here) I thought about linking up again, but I decided to try Sometimes and Always with Mackey Madness! But I will be linking up with her more! I love target :) I started following her blog this week and I LOVE it! I'm going to try this...here we go!

Sometimes: I try to get up when I first hear my alarm

Always: I hit snooze at least twice

Sometimes: I try to limit social media

Always: I fall asleep scrolling through facebook and twitter

Sometimes: I try to clean my room

Always: There is something on the floor

Sometimes: I try to blog every single day

Always: I miss one day a week

Sometimes: I dream of being a big name blogger

Always: I remind myself that I only have 44 followers and that won't happen

Sometimes: I try enjoy the moment(s)

Always: I want time to fly by, especially in highschool. Graduation come soon!

What about you? Link up with Megan and share your Sometimes and Always moments!

The Little Things:

Sunday Randoms

~I did watch the Miss America Pageant last night! It was the first time I had ever watched. I LOVED it! There were so many good stories, talents, and pretty girls for lack of a better term! ha! I loved Miss SC's suit. She rocked the white and the bikini and looked fab! I loved Miss Oklahoma's Irish Dance. I'm really not a big fan of Opera tho (Miss NY). Miss Iowa did an amazing job singing You Raise Me Up! It was so pretty! I really wanted Miss OK to win! But, congrats to Miss Wisconsin for winning Miss America!

~On a side note, I watched the MAP in sweats, ponytail, no makeup, and stuffing my face full of food!

~Yesterday, I did a mini-road trip to Springfield with some girls from church. We're having a pillowcase party on Monday night for our upcoming trip to KC! We bought fabric and had lunch together at Chick-fil-a! Branson doesn't have a Chick-fil-a :( There are rumors that Branson might be getting one in the near future! SO excited if that actually happened! haha

~Our family finally took down the Christmas tree today. It's been long overdue! This is the new record for how long our family has keep it up. January 15th.

~Speaking of overdue, I know y'all are dying to know my countdowns: 111 days till graduation and 54 days to Israel! I can't wait. They are both sneaking up SO fast! I'm glad time is flying!

~I had to give a speech in my public speaking class on Friday. Scared.out.of.my.mind. I hate public speaking, but I made it! We had to speak for 3 minutes so it wasn't too bad! I spoke on my mission trip to E. St. Louis. I've gone every year since 8th grade and it's something I'm passionate about, but still.

~I finished week 2 of C25K! Enough said. Tomorrow is a new day, a new week, with more running. baby steps.

~I'm reading Kisses from Katie right now. Incredible book. You might also fall in love with her blog! She is so inspiring and I can't wait to do a book review post on her book soon!

~Tonight, I met with our Lead team from youth group. I'm excited to see everything that God is doing and what He will continue to do through us in 2012.

I've got a crazy, full week ahead!

Happy Sunday!

Emily

Today: Chatting with Emily B :)

Saturdays are perfect for calling friends and catching up! Today, I called Emily. I sure miss her. She lives all the way in Delaware. Hopefully she'll be able to make it out for graduation!

5 Question Friday

I first heard about 5 question Friday from Emily! I love her blog. She has the sweetest family of 3 plus one on the way! :)

1-What is the last thing you bought yourself?

I bought a Cranberry Vanilla Slush from Sonic during happy hour today! The best $1.12 ever spent! :)

2-What is your favorite meal on a cold winter day?

I love potato soup especially in a bread bowl! In fact, I was in charge of dinner last night and I made this yummy Crockpot soup w/ homemade bread! so good!

3-Have you started looking for swim suits this year and do you buy a new one every year?

I have NOT started looking yet. It's January and Target already has suits out but I haven't looked yet! I usually do, just depends on where we go on vaca, summer plans etc.

4-If you could buy any candy what would it be and why?

Starbursts. Addicted. Favorite Fruity Candy. Handsdown.

5-What are you most passionate about?

I shared a little bit of my heart here. Feel free to go re-read that post. I'm passionate about helping girls and encouraging them not to settle for less that God has. I'm currently leading a Bible Study with my friend Emily. We lead it with about 10-15 girls on Friday mornings. It's on the book Lies Young Women Believe by Nancy Lee DeMoss.

I'm SO excited for the weekend! This week has been long and full! Happy Friday my friends!

It's Ok Thursday

It's OK:

* There is snow on the ground. Branson is finally in for some winter weather

* That today is a sweatpants day *see above statement*

* That I've gotten 13 more followers on Twitter this month

* That I want to graduate SO bad. Senioritus much? 114 days

* That I LOVE painting my nails, but don't always make time for it

* That I'm tired, but I'm finished the first 5 days of C25K

* I've had Coffee or Hot Chocolate every day this week

* I've had multiple Starbucks dates this week too.

Wordless Wednesday: Brothers

Target Tuesday #1

Linking up with Tara today for Target Tuesday. I stumbled upon her blog last week and I love it! I'm literally obsessed with Target too. I thought this would be the perfect link-up for me :)

What I'm loving from Target this week: Umbrellas! Branson's weather is so unpredictable. It was 60 and sunny on Saturday. This morning it was cloudy and in the 40's. Rain is happening right now. Our weather is so unpredictable. Most of the time I love it :)

Missoni for Target:

Calore

Futai Smart Brelli Auto-Open

Totes Stick Umbrella

LOVE plaid :)

Futai Smart Brelli Auto-Open

in Cheetah :)

What about you? What are you loving from Target this week?

Carolyn and Aaron's Wedding 1.08.12.

Carolyn and Aaron

1.08.12

One of my favorite couples got married last night in a beautiful ceremony at Integrity Hills Chapel. Carolyn was one of our youth helpers for many, many years! She spoke into numerous lives every week and poured into my life as well. It was so fun to be able to go and see her and Aaron get hitched! :) This is the first wedding of 2012 that I got to go to. There is at least 5 more on the calender! I can't wait! I went with my friend Hannah and my younger brother, Kyle! Hannah was so sweet to come over and do my hair before we left. I LOVED the final product! It was such a fun evening filled with laughing, dancing, eating and lots of pictures! They brought in a photo booth for everybody too! so, so fun. enjoy the pictures!

Hannah burned my nose on accident :)

We snapped a couple of pictures right before we left!

I LOVE how they turned out!

Miss Julie is awesome!

She leads our mission trip every year!!

Miss Lori is our smallgroup leader!

and we LOVE her :)

Carolyn was stunning.

so happy for her.

We sat with the Conner Fam :)

I LOVE Brianna! She sang last night

and did a beautiful job. She was my

team leader the first year i went on mission trip,

in 8th grade. so, so sweet.

Happy Monday!

Emily