Good Friday + Links

(completely thought I posted this on Friday. I completely didn't. fail) 






Man, Good Friday brings on a totally new meaning this year. After just getting back from Israel less than 3 weeks ago, I have a newer, much deeper appreciation, for this holiday we call Easter.
      I was listening to this song this morning and it was absolutely perfect. I'd encourage you if you have a chance to listen to this song by Leeland: Via Dolorosa. It's one of my very favorites!

On other notes, I have some super fun links to share this week :)

~Jess and Samuel shared their gender reveal video. I'm so in love with her blog and her sweet family.

~Neely is having a blog sale! A bunch of Anthro jewelry and some fun purses/clutches

~Kara and Matt also did a super cute gender reveal video. Be sure to check out her blog too! :)

~Mary Kay's daughter Becca had her 12th birthday this week. Last Saturday, while I was working at the ziplines, they came in and celebrated her birthday. She wrote this post and I loved it! It also will give you a little peak of what I do at the ziplines :) Also, if you don't follow her blog, you should.  

~Neely is having TWO giveaways this week! enter here and here!

~Have y'all seen this video? What are your thoughts? Miraculous much?

~Ummm this dance video is legit. Please watch it.

Happy (Good) Friday!

Love,

E

Bloglovin Testing

Testing....

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

It's OK Thursday

It's OK that:
*I have literally told every single person I can that I ran for 20 minutes WITHOUT stopping last night! That is a B-I-G- deal for a couch potato-just started running 6 weeks ago-kinda girl! I'm SO happy and excited!!
*I haven't started packing for Israel, but I have been doing some online shopping for backpacks, luggage, clothes etc
*I straightened my hair for the first time since Christmas. lazy much?!
*I'm so tired and all I want to do is sleep.
*I decided to do another random giveaway! 
*I get excited with each new blog follower I get! 57 and counting!
*I have a HUGE crush on Channing Tatum. I mean who doesn't? Seriously.
*I'm going to watch The Vow again! I LOVED it!
*I'm skipping a really good concert tonight to have a coffee date with someone that I LOVE :)
*I bought new running shoes this week! eeep I can't wait to use them!
*I'm going to STL this weekend with the Jr. High Kids from youth group for a conference! I can't wait to hang out with some of the sweetest, coolest kids around! 


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,

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,

Giveaway Time!

It's giveaway time!!!

In honor of my new blog design, and the 1000 hits on my blog, I'm doing a giveaway!!

Here is what's up for grabs....

~A Starbucks Gift Card~

Entries valid through October 25th-November 5th, 2011

How to Enter:

~Mandatory Entry: Follow my Blog, and leave me comment saying so.

~Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about the giveaway, make sure to mention me.

~Follow me on Pinterest.

~Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link to your blog post.

~Become a Blog Sponsor (email me for details: abeautifulbeginningblog@gmail.com)

No duplicate comments.

I will contact the winner within 3 days of the giveaway ending (November 8th), and give you further instructions :)

PS: If I get to 100 followers, I will giveaway a second Starbucks Gift Card! Tell your friends!!

Good Luck!!

Starbucks Giveaway on Fit, Fierce, and Fabulous!

My friend Cait, is doing a Starbucks giveaway! It ends tomorrow! Be sure to enter!

There are 5 different ways to win!

~Following her blog,

~Following her on Twitter and Pinterest

~Blogging about the Giveaway

~Tweeting about the Giveaway

Good Luck!

Thankful Thursday!

Yesterday, was not a good day! Cold, rainy, and miserable. You could probably tell in my blog rant, yesterday. But today, I thought I would make a list of things I'm thankful for to cheer me up, and for a great reminder. :)

* Sunshine! It's 50 degrees right now! Must better than the 30 degree weather yesterday

* Heat! We turned the heat on last night to break the chill. I'm thankful that it works!

* My car with heat! double blessing

* Hot Chocolate. Daily.

* I'm healthy. Not battling the flu, a cold/cough, at the moment. *knock on wood*

* Making almost $100 on Ebay last night! Win!!

* New Music that came out. Perfect for fall relaxation.

* Starbucks Mochas and Lattes. I wish these were daily. But alas, I have a budget.

* My jobs (Cold Stone and the Ziplines). Thankful for the hours I get.

* Time with Kyle today. Just the two of us, hanging out! :)

Thankful for this day,

E

I bit the Blogging Bullet

Well, I did it! I finally paid to have somebody re-do my blog. Jenn over at In Munchkin Land did a wonderful job!! I absolutely LOVE it!!

I started blogging last winter/spring, and designed what I could by myself. I used free templates, designs, and post "pretties". (I used Shabby Blogs) It was a great way for me to write, and journal my life on the web for family and friends. It was cold and icy outside, so it seemed like a perfect way to spend my time. Then summer came, I worked 50-60 hours a week, at two jobs, and free time was little to none. If there was any it was catching up on sleep, not blogging! :) The summer came to an end, and I started my senior year of high school! I worked about 10 hours a week, and my schedule really slowed down, well sorta! All that to say, I've picked back up blogging, and I love it! But, what I didn't love was the plain-ness of my blog. I wanted something new and fresh, cute and girly! I think Jenn did a wonderful job!

To back it up, I heard about Jenn through Callie. Callie had just redone her blog with Jenn. I found Jenn's website and I began to email her, and she had tons of ideas! We emailed back and forth about 30 different times. She helped me come up with a Title and Tag Line. Then we started working on colors, patterns, etc. I chose the Basic package for now. :) I added the $5 Post divider too. We got the basics figured out. I paid Jenn half of the total. She designed it, and put it up on a "test site". I looked over it, critiqued it, and let her know what I wanted to change. She did everything exactly how I wanted. I could not have been more happy! I paid the final half, and she implemented it onto my blog today! I'm in love. I smile everytime I look at it! I really, really love it! If you ever decide to use Jenn, let her know I sent you :) You will not be disappointed!

Happy Monday!

Love,

Sunday Randoms

My Weekend Randoms

~ I worked 15 hours yesterday at Adventure Ziplines

~ My big brother is on the homecoming court for Evangel

~ Our family went to see Courageous on Friday night! You must go see it.

~ I've realized that I'm blessed with some really, really awesome friends.

~ I love the weather outside. It's beautiful. I've been wearing scarves, and cardigans alot :)

~ I love boots! I really do. I have a pair of Uggs, some tall suede boots, and a new pair of leather boots!

~ I'm getting my blog re-done this week by Jenn! I can't wait to see it!

~I just love our new youth pastors! They are awesome!

~I can't believe October is here!

~ I graduate in 223 days.

That about wraps it up!

Happy Sunday!

Love,

E

Simply Linked

I recently stumbled upon Simply Linked. This website allows for your followers to link back up to your post. I'm going to try and do a tester run today! Let me know how it goes :)

Happy Sunday!

Emily