ten names

Since today was the fifth Sunday, they do that special kind of lesson in church that's combined. I'm not sure what it's called, but I like it! I told Ryan that we should only go to the whole church service when it's the fifth Sunday.. he didn't like that idea.

Anyways, this lesson was the best lesson I've heard in a while (mainly because there weren't any annoying kids screaming or climbing under my seat). The lesson was about pride, what causes pride and how to cure pride. Some people make us feel pride, like "Oh ya? So what if she has a better car than me... I've got a nicer TV! (...I just made that one up) So at the end of the lesson, he gave us homework; this is what he said:

Take a piece of paper and write down ten names. These ten people are people who have offended you in the past and/or have caused you to feel pride. Keep these names by your bedside and pray for each of these people each night. Pray that they get everything they pray for, everything they want. Pray also that they get everything that you want for yourself.

I have made my list, and it is in my pillow case so I remember to pray for my ten people each night. I really feel like this is such a good thing to do, especially if there are still any hard feelings out there.

And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
-Ephesians 4:32

oh new england..

..how I've missed your Nor'Easters.
We went to bed and no snow. We wake up, and WHOA!
i had to dig out my car! my neighbors watched from their window upstairs and occasionally yelled down tips like "Try backing up your car! Shovel the snow from the top first!"

the front yard

my front steps

Last night, when I was on my way home from work on my way to the T station, I took this. Note, I was walking on the busy streets of Boston and couldn't exactly stop to take a picture. But picture this: the snow was coming down in those giant puffy flakes in front of the bright lights of downtown Boston. It was so wonderful and I am SO happy to be living here.

a wonderful sunday

This morning in church, I bent down to look at my phone and all of a sudden a got this SHARP pain in my upper back that shot into my chest! As I sat up, it continued up into my neck! I guess I slept on it funny, but it happening during church was God probably telling me not to text in the middle of a service!

We left church because it hurt too much to sit there (this isn't a "have pitty on my" story, I promise...). When we got home, I made Ryan a nice lunch: rice, Italian sausage, and an organic salad with apples, arugula, baby spinach, cucumbers, tomato and cheese. Yummy lunch for my baby! So yummy-looking I took a picture!
Once I was done photographing my creation, I called into the other room to Ryan that his lunch was ready. I went into our bedroom where he was and saw what he had done:

He folded down the sheets, plugged in the heating pad, and put the remotes on the pillow...

He put out my comfy clothes... (note the face of Jennifer Aniston)...

AND he put in Friends all ready to go!

I have the best husband ever!

surprise!

Last weekend Ryan and I went home because my Aunt Wendy was flying in from Texas, so Friday night we were all going to have dinner at my grandma's house. Well, as we pulled off the highway, my other gramma called and asked that we stopped by so she could give me my birthday present. As we pulled into her complex, Ryan goes, "Hey, does your gramma have a clubhouse?" And I'm like, "Well, ya, but it doesn't have a pool or anything." Being used to his random questions, I ignored it for a bit. We drive farther and I point out the clubhouse. "See, Ryan? There is the clubhouse. Oh, and look! Someone is having a party! Wait... that's Justin's car. And wait... THAT'S BEV!" As we pulled past the clubhouse, I looked in the windows at my family and friends who had all gathered for a surprise party for my GRADUATION!!!

I honestly thought everyone had forgotten about my graduation, and I was actually really bummed; I had convinced myself that maybe it was because I had lived so far away from everyone that made them forget.

My family did the best job getting everyone together that I care about and would have wanted there. EVERYONE! Everyone but my Aunt Wendy; the weather kept her in Texas, but I'll get to see her when it's warmer out and she comes to visit.

I left my pictures from that night on my mom's computer in Connecticut, but I'll come back and upload them here when I go home next! It was so wonderful and such a surprise!

On a side note, I am sick of my brown hair. I am SO indecisive about my hair. It's naturally brown, like ugly poop brown. So I've used a box to make it a prettier brown, with like warm tones in it (it said that on the box.. not sure what it means though. But it's pretty). So I'm going back to the golden highlights. My Jennifer Aniston look so my hair finally has depth to it again and isn't so flat!

Now I just need to save up for that salon appointment, since I just side-swiped my neighbor's car and now there are white streaks on his black bumper, and a giant black streak across the passenger side doors. I really am a fabulous driver, aren't I?

a letter

Dear Spring,

Please come soon. Christmas came and went, and everyone has taken down their pretty white lights. I hate dirty snow and weathermen who claim a snow storm is coming when it really isn't. And why is March such a long, cold month?

Please come soon, Spring.

Please bring only a few April showers, but just enough so the May flowers are beautiful.

Please bring warm weather, preferably in the sixties, where I can open the windows in my house and let the breeze blow open the white drapes through the sunshine.

Please bring picnics with friends and walks in the park, ventures into the city and walks along the cool and windy shore.

Spring, please, hurry the heck up.

xoxo
me

P.S. Please make March go by fast.

what's been happening?

Seriously, not that much.

Ryan is sick right now. I really really want him to get better because he is miserable when he is sick! AND he won't go see a doctor. He NEEDS an antibiotic but won't go to a doctor. PLEASE TEXT/CALL HIM AND TELL HIM TO SEE A DOCTOR because he won't listen to his wife.

Bev and I went shopping at the Derby Shops Friday night, and we had so much fun getting away from our normal lives that we decided to go shopping AGAIN Saturday. It's more of a social thing than spending-money thing. But I did get an adorable pillow for my new bedroom that I am putting together! Bev actually picked it out because it matched my new bedding so well :) It looks something like this:

Except the one I got is more of a grey-teal. I wish I could find a picture online of what the bedding I picked out looks like. I guess I could just take a picture of it and put it on here. Eh, maybe another time. It's a white and yellow floral quit. I got two Euro shams that are white and ruffly, a little something like this:

But Ryan gave me a budget and I have to stick to it. All I have left is to get drapes and pictures for the walls. And a rug or two. But... I went through photos I've taken of flowers and played with them a little, so I am going to try and use those to save money. I'll just need to buy frames! Here are the pictures I played around with. Now I just need to pick my favorites :)

I'll take before and after pictures and post them when I put everything together. I'm seriously wicked excited about this! It's going to look completely different than it does now.

Thanks goodness.