Life is fleeting

Life is unexpected. You cannot know what each day brings or when you might see someone for the last time. Today I was saddened to read about someone's father passing away and a teenage girl who was bullied committed suicide. The hardest deaths are the ones that come without any warning and the ones that are taken before their time. You are left with a feeling of loose ends and goodbyes that you will never get to say. Every day is sacred and should never be taken for granted. Cherish the times you share with the people you are blessed to have in your life. Only God knows what tomorrow or even the next hour holds, so live a life you can be proud of and be confident that God is in control of the circumstances. Praying for peace and comfort for the families that lost their loved ones.

October Already??

I cannot believe how quickly this year is going by. So much has already happened in 2012 for me. I find it unreal that in 6 days, Daniel and I will already have been married for half a year! I am so blessed that I was able to marry my best friend this year. I love exploring life with him and figuring out the future as we go along. We have already moved twice this year, our first little apartment was only our home for three and a half months before we moved across the state line to our third floor apartment in PA. I am enjoying this place a lot more because we have more space and more windows to let in the beautiful sunshine. I am enjoying my new journey as a wife and I am so happy to have Daniel by my side. He is working so hard in school to be able to work as a physician assistant in 2 years and I am honored to stand by his side and support him during this time. I saw my sister graduate from high school and now get to hear her stories from college, this seems completely unreal to me because it seems like just yesterday we were playing playmobile and making leaf houses in the backyard. It is very hard to be separated from family and friends, even though the distance is not far, not seeing them daily is a reminder that I am growing (grown?) up. Next weekend I have the honor of being in my college roommate's wedding. I am very excited about this because weddings are a fun time of celebrating the couple and their new endeavor of exploring life together on their own. And having an opportunity to be in someone's wedding is such a privilege and I am very glad to be a part of the big day. I am looking forward to the holidays and starting my own traditions, I can't wait to decorate for Christmas and bake lots of pies for Thanksgiving. I want Daniel and I to enjoy these holidays both on our own and with our families. I think there is importance in both aspects. I am also eagerly awaiting the holiday season so that I can host my first game night in my own place! Game night has been a tradition of mine for the past few years and I love getting my friends together to enjoy a night of good food and funny games. I am very excited to see how these last 3 months of 2012 unfold :)


xox

God is in Control

When I was younger, my mom used to listen to a Christian artist Twila Paris, and for some reason I was reminded of her song God is in Control. The chorus says, "God is in control, we believe that his children will not be forsaken" and I am so glad that God brought this message to my mind. I have been rather unhappy at my new job and I felt like when I got it, everything was lined up so perfectly that it had to be what God wanted for me. By my second week there, I was asking God what do you want me to learn from this job, how can I be my best? I am learning patience and I am learning to put my trust completely in God. I am on a journey for a new job but I really want to seek God and believe that he will provide and place me in a situation that he knows I can handle. God has not forgotten me and he will not forsake his children.




1 Chronicles 16:9-12 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. 

Here is the song for your inspiration and listening pleasure.
Twila Paris: God is in Control 


xo
Emily

Cooking without recipes

As a new wife, I have found that one of my daily duties is to make sure that my husband and I are fed properly. But because our work schedules don't mesh very well I haven't had a lot of time to experiment with recipes and such. (There will be plenty of time in the future for that). Sometimes, when my creative juices are flowing I sort of invent my own recipes/meals of whatever floats my fancy. Tonight I made a chicken fajita inspired dish.
First I started by chopping up a small yellow onion and a yellow pepper.
I sauteed them over medium heat in a large skillet with canola oil in it.

Peppers and onions 

I let them cook for about 10 minutes or until the veggies were tender.
For the chicken I used boneless skinless chicken tenderloins, (my came from the freezer so I let them defrost a bit first in a glass pan in cool water) I added ranch dressing and chili powder to the chicken before adding them to the pan I cooked the veggies in.

The chicken in the ranch marinade

(I took the vegetables out to cook the chicken) I cooked the chicken until no longer pink in the center.
I washed out my skillet and then added a little more oil and warmed up whole wheat tortillas,
I put the peppers, onions, chicken, some diced tomatoes, mexican blend cheese, a little hot sauce and some more ranch dressing all on the tortilla and rolled it up :) A quick and easy meal that doesn't cost too much to make!

My finished product :) It was yummy!

xox

Pinterest

So my cousin told me about this cool website called Pinterest. It's kinda like flickr but it is for way more than just pictures (which flickr might be also, I'm not too familiar with the site). I'm still trying to figure out everything on Pinterest but so far I really like it.

As far as I know it's invite only so if you're interested just let me know and I'll hit ya up.

In the meantime you can follow me if you want to :)

xox

Here comes the bride. . .

Lately I feel as though my life as been consumed with weddings. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, it's just a fact. Being recently engaged, I now realize how much more work there is to planning a wedding than just daydreaming about the big day. I have enjoyed looking at venues but still haven't found the perfect one. I had a nightmare the other night that I wouldn't be able to find a wedding dress that I would like or look good in. There are just so many things to think about. I want all my guests to have a good time, so I want my wedding to be fun. And creative. And personalized to Daniel and I.

Current Favorite Wedding Themed things

Colbie Caillat's song - I Do

Emily Giffin's novel - Something Borrowed <-- Although it was definitely not what I was expecting!

TLC's Say Yes to the Dress, Bridesmaids - I hope never to be as obnoxious as some of those brides and that my bridesmaids aren't mean to me!

Theknot.com - Best website EVER. It is really helpful and I love it.

Classic Beauty

Beauty is subjective. I think in order to have true beauty, some of your beauty must come from within. Beauty does not have to be over the top. I think it is simple. Beauty is being yourself and loving who you are. Beauty does not have to appearance, although I think a lot of people classify it that way.

Here are some of the women I think are classic beauties of the past.

Ginger Rogers: 1911 -1995

She became most famous for dancing with Fred Astaire.

I have not seen any of her movies but it is on my to do list.

Shirley Temple: 1928 - Present

When I was younger I was absolutely obsessed with Shirley Temple.

I own many of her movies on VHS and I can remember singing along to them.

I still picture her as the cute little tot who sang about animal crackers.

Marisa Berenson: 1947 - Present

I had never heard of her before watching the movie Cabaret.

While watching the movie I noticed how pretty her eyes were.

Elizabeth Taylor: 1932 - 2011

She was an fashion icon. Her love of jewelry is known by many.

She was married many many times. And she was gorgeous.

xox