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

Monday Randoms: back to the real world

~Christmas break is over. No more staying up till 1am or later watching movies and drinking hot chocolate. No more hanging out with friends during the day or all hours of the night. No more being lazy in PJ's all day. These two weeks have gone by way too fast.

~This also means no more sleeping in till 11am or later. boo. 6am here I come. I am NOT a morning person.

~I start back school tomorrow. I'm not excited to start, but I am excited to know that this is my last semester of high school. ever. period. i'm done with high school after this. am i really this old??

~I'm hanging out at Starbucks with Addie tonight. It'll be fun. It always is. I LOVE being with her. It'll be a perfect way to say goodbye to Christmas break.

~I'm starting C25K today. I'm excited to be exercising and getting in shape. It's a 9 week program. My goal is to run a 5K by March. I need all the encouragement I can get! :)

~ We're hanging out with Celia today. She's flying in to Branson and we get to spend the day with her! I love her :)

~I have a ton of talk about. I'll probably end up writing a 2011 recap post and a 2012 looking forward post :)

oxox,

Emily

It's Ok Thursday

It's OK that

* I've spend the last 3 days at the Hilton selling merchandise for 7 different bands

* I almost lost hearing last night after some great concerts

* I've gotten 14 hours of sleep in 3 nights

* I danced with 4500 other teens doing the cha-cha slide, the chicken dance etc

* I walked around with an all access pass and helped behind the scenes

* I forgot my camera and only took pictures with my blurry iPhone camera

Teens that broke barriers in 2011

Today, this was one of the highlighted stories on my email newsfeed. It was about 40 teens who broke barriers in 2011 and did the impossible; teens who changed the world.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

E

It's OK Thursdays

There are alot of things that I'm ok with this week:

* that i'm turning 18 tomorrow

* that i'm having one last day of childhood today and being a total goof

* that i haven't gone to bed before 1am this entire week

* that i drove around town with a friend, jamming to music just for fun

* that i still have presents to wrap and gifts to buy and Christmas is in 3 days

* that my room is a total mess because of wrapping, parties, and family time

* that i only have one semester of high school left

* that i spent alot of money on a pair of Miss Me's on Sunday. I LOVE them :)

Happy Thursday!

Love,

E

Monday Randoms

I haven't done one of these posts in a looooong time! my apologies. So, here we go! Get ready for this, it's going to be long!

~Christmas Break. It's finally here. I can't believe my last fall semester of high school is done! Time flies.

~2011 is coming to a close. It's the 19th of December. Time flying by again. But honestly, I'm ok with it. I'm ready to be done with High School.

~I picked up my final check at the ziplines today. I can't believe that the 2011 season is coming to a close. I won't be working there again until Spring of 2012. I will miss it for sure! I'm blessed with wonderful bosses and I've made some of the best friends, and big brothers that a girl can ask for. It was a highlight of my summer/fall/2011 for sure!

~Tonight, we went to Dixie Stampede for their Christmas Show. The show is good but the food is incredible. I ate all of my food, plus some of my siblings. I enjoy food, what can I say :)

~Speaking of food, I eat alot and that being said, I need to get in shape. I'm tired of being tired. I'm tried of being out of breath and having awful cardio. I just wanna feel better and get fit. I bought the C25K app this summer and did nothing with it. It sat on my iPhone. I looked at it and refused to try it. But, after talking with multiple poeple and reading blogs (Dawn, Mary-Kay, and Katie) I've decided to give it a go! It's a 8-9 week program, so hopefully by Spring I'll be running a 5K!

~I had coffee with Addie last night! literally love the girl! O and she agreed to run a 5K with me. She'll push me and that's what I need.

~This week I found out that one of my guy friends in going to Israel with me. That means my friend Emily, myself, and Malachi will be going! I am SO excited! There is also a group on facebook for Israel2012, and I got to connect with some of the other High School seniors who will be going. I can't wait!!!

~I love Christmas break because it means staying up late, sleeping in, drinking hot chocolate, coffee, and watching Christmas movies!

~On Friday I turn 18. I'm old. I don't plan on doing anything crazy.

~NBA starts in 6 days.

~Because my birthday is this week, my inbox has been flooded with all my free offers for Starbucks, Cold Stone, Fuddruckers etc etc etc. More reasons that I need to run a 5K

~I bought my first pair of Miss Me's last night at Apricot Lane! I've been wearing them today and I LOVE them!! They were totally worth the money I spent. I also love the back pockets and the way that they sparkle. Butt bling ha!

~My car is almost to 90,000 miles. Random fact from the queen of random.

~I only asked for 3 things for Christmas/Birthday combined. They were 3 pairs of shoes. One of my favorite quotes is from Marilyn Monroe. "If you give a girl the right shoes, she can conquer the world"

Happy Monday!

Love,

E

It's OK Thursdays

Today, I'm linking up with Cait and talking about It's OK. This is my first time participating and i'm very excited!

* That my senior year is flying by. My 1st semester of high school is almost done

* My CofO interview is tomorrow which is the final step in the admission process

* It was 55 degrees in Branson yesterday

* I'll be 18 in one week

* I leave for Israel in 85 days

* I graduate in 142 days

* I have my graduation party planned. Date, location, and invites done.

* That somedays my hair goes into a ponytail.

* I have less sleep because it means staying up late with the people I love the most

* I have over 50 Christmas movies at my house to watch

* That I've had Starbucks 6+ times in the past 10 days

What are you ok with?

Happy Thursday!

Christmas Ornament Exchange 2011 Partners

Alright Ladies! It's time to find out our partners for the Ornament Exchange!! Yay!! If you signed up through my blog and don't see your name, scroll down and go to the blog that will be hosting your name/letter :) *I have the names Les-Mol

Remember $10 limit and mail your packages out by November 30th! Happy Shopping!

Leslie and Lindsey B

Lindsey K and Mandy

Megan C and Megan

Meghan and Meghan

Melissa and Melissa

Mia and Michelle

Miranda and Molly

I'll be emailing everyone this afternoon! :)

A - Ashely: Addie's blog, Just Another Day in The Life

Ashleigh - Be: Ashleigh's blog, This Lil Heart of Mine

Br - Co: Ashley's blog, Ashley's Carnival Ride

Cr - H: Faith's blog, Walk With Me By Faith

J - Joa: Jenn's blog, Knee-Deep in Munchkin Land

Jod - Kil: Kerbi's blog, So Are You to Me

Kim - Len: Leah's blog, The Imperfect Momma

Les - Mol: Emily's blog, A Beautiful Beginning

Mon - Sonja: Karah's blog, Chateau Stracener

Sonya - W: Sonya's blog, Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Boxing

Happy Wednesday!

Love,

Monday Randoms

***Remember, this is the last day to enter the Christmas Ornament Exchange! There is already over 100 participants. It is going to be so much fun! I will post partners on Wednesday

~Last Monday, we went to the EU at CofO basketball game. CofO played awesome. Evangel did not. Of course I would be wearing my EU hoodie. Walk.of.shame.

~Youth last Wednesday was incredible! Keith Chancey spoke from Kanakuk Institute and it was on trusting the Lord through our struggles. That.really.hit.home. I'll be sharing in my part 2 of to trust Him more.

~The weather here today is gorgeous. It is about 70 degrees and sunny! Feels like spring. I took a nap with the windows open yesterday. Perfection.

~This weekend we had our youth fall retreat, SHINE! Our guest speaker was Jeremy "Bub" Thomas, and we had an amazing guest band lead us in worship every session. The food was yummy, the friends and the small group talks were a blessing, paintball was slightly painful, but a blast! (I DO have some nasty welts to prove it), and our leaders/host homes were awesome!! There were many points to take home. My favorite three were: 1-Remove your old, dirty clothes. 2-Put your sin to death, once and for all and 3-Clothe yourself with righteousness, kindness, humility, and compassion. Colossians 3:12. This was probably my most memorable fall retreat, and my last :(

Here is our group!

This was for a photo content on 11/11/11 at 11:11pm

~Today is my grandpa's birthday. I sure love him :)

~I'm SO excited about Thanksgiving. Only 10 more days! I can't wait to have our house filled with college kids, family, and friends. It is one of my favorite times of year!!

~Speaking of counting down, only 40 days till Christmas, 38 days till my 18th birthday, and 173 days till graduation!!! Can u tell I'm excited?!

I'm off to enjoy this beautiful day! :)

Happy Monday,

Love,

Christmas Ornament Exchange 2011

Hey Everybody,

It is time for the 2011 Christmas Ornament Exchange. Shout out to Jenn from In Munchkin Land. She is heading it up, she made the Google form, and the grab me button with coding. She is amazing! Isn't it cute? :) Jenn did a fabulous job!!

So, here is the instructions

Head over to the right column of my blog. You will see the Ornament Exchange Button. Click on it. It will take you to the official form. Fill it out, in as much detail as possible :)

Here is your date timeline:

Friday, November 4th, today, is the day we start accepting entries

Monday, November 14th is the last day you can enter

Wednesday, November 16th I will post partners with their emails/and other notes

Thursday, November 17th-SHOP. Find the perfect ornament for your partner

Wednesday, November 30th- Mail your package, no later than this date.

Also, there is a $10 limit!

Here is list of all of the participating ladies and their blogs!

addierose8 - Addie from Just Another Day in The Life

ashleyo23 - Ashley from Ashley's Carnival Ride

emilytheduncan - Emily from A Beautiful Beginning

kerbih - Kerbi from So Are You to Me

leahkait - Leah from The Imperfect Momma

ashlovebash - Ashleigh from This Lil House of Mine

SonyaRK - Sonja from Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Boxing

karahsfCa06 - Karah from Chateau Stracener

FaithyMay1 - Faith from Walk With Me By Faith

In_Munchkinland - Jenn from Knee-Deep in Munchkin Land

I can't wait to get my ornament in the mail! How about you?

The weekend is here! yahhhh

Happy Friday,

Love,

Today, well it's cold!

Today: *Excuse my Rant*

It's freezing cold. It was 29 degrees when I woke up this morning. It was 79 on Sunday. I feel like we skipped fall and went straight to winter. Hello, Missouri weather. I'm in 5 different layers, socks, boots, and a pea-coat, and still cold. I've been drinking coffee, tea, hot chocolate, anything that will warm me up! Did i mention wearing a scarf?

Winter seems to put me in a sad mood. It's cold, school started, my seasonal jobs ended, (or severely slowed down), and I just don't like it!!

Trying

to

think

happy

thoughts....

64 days till my #18th birthday

66 days till Christmas

140 days till S-P-R-I-N-G break!!

205 till graduation.

You will be seeing these numbers often!

Happy Wednesday,

Love,

Sunday Randoms... on Monday

~ My friend, Emily, came from Delaware this week. We had a b-l-a-s-t- catching up, going on walks, laughing, eating, and staying up late! I love her. I'm really going to miss her!!

~When Emily was here, we watched To Save a Life! If you haven't seen it yet, you need to. It will open up your eyes.

~I had a movie night at CofO with my friend Becca! We watched chick-flicks and ate double stuff OREO's!! My kind of night!

~I worked at the ziplines for the morning shift on Saturday! It was our busiest day for reservations yet! Almost 300!! It almost feels like summer. *sigh*

~ My friends leave for a 10 day trip to Israel in 16 days! SO excited for them!!

~New LOVE = Ebay. Addicted!

~Fall Nail Polish! Love it!! Here is a fun little quiz on your polish style :)

~Yesterday, we had a Photoclub! This assignment was to take pictures of maps! (I'll try to post pictures soon). We spend half our time at the Rec-Plex, and the other time at Stockstill Park!

~Last night was an amazing concert!! Kutless, Newsong, Anthem Lights, and Dara McClean. SO, SO good! My favorite was Kutless though! They sang alot of my favorite songs too! I couldn't hear, and couldn't speak ;)

~ The weather has been beautiful. Perfect for long walks, and talks.

~ 68 days till Christmas. Justin Biebs comes out with his Christmas Album! I'm excited, not going to lie ;)

~ 207 days till graduation. Almost there, well not really!

Happy Monday,

Love,

Pinnable: Starbucks

Pinnable Me: Starbucks

I just stumbled upon Pinerest! I'd heard about it before, but never signed up. Well it is awesome! Hello to my new LOVE :) I started my own set of boards. I'm working on a Coffee board right now. I love Starbucks. It's the best. I love passionfruit sweet tea in the spring, a double chocolate chip frapp for the summer, pumpkin spice latte for the fall, and peppermint white chocolate mocha for winter time! This is making my mouth water right now!!

Here are some fun "pins" I found today:

Look at the Caramel dripping off the side! I want one right now :)

Can't wait for Christmas Time!

This is sweet :)

Salted Caramel Mocha! Another Fall Fave

I hope my kid is this cute!!

Happy Tuesday ya'll!

Love,

E