What are you looking forward to?

I have been trying to keep a countdown so many different ways.  You see, I have a countdown on my computer, on my phone, and on my planner.  I wanted needed something in my room.  And I made it where the caption can be changed out periodically.

Are you ready to learn how to make this?

All you need is:

A wooden plaque

Printer paper

Sponge brush

Mod Podge

Ribbon and/or Decorations

Nail/Hammer

Something to set it on, or hang on the wall with

Clothes pin

Scrapbook paper or fabric of your choice

The first step is to measure your plaque so that you can make your paper or fabric fit exactly to the shape of the plaque.

I used two different sheets of paper...so it complicated the measuring BUT made a huge different on the look of it. :)

Once your paper or fabric is cut, use your sponge brush to coat the plaque in mod podge.

Mod podge is basically a strong clear glue...so do not be afraid if it gets on the outside of the plaque where it will not be covered.

Quickly, lay your scrap book paper or fabric over the coated plaque and let dry for 3 minutes.  Once this is dry re-coat mod podge over this scrapbook paper (you dont have to re-coat for fabric).  The re-coating of the mod podge will make the paper look shiny.

After this dries...for about 5 minutes or until not sticky to touch, you can start decorating.  I used ribbon and flowers bought at my local crafts store.

After the decorating is done, I used the same method to mod podge the boring clothes pin with the left over scrapbook paper that I had :)

Next, hammer a nail into the middle where you would like to hang your caption.  You can do it this way or you can simply glue or mod podge the caption to the plaque.  However, if you do it with the nail, the caption can simply be changed to say other things like "Until graduation, Until Christmas, etc."

I then cut out some scrapbook paper for the caption and modpodged over what I wanted it to say so that it was shiny also. I punched a hole in the top, tied a ribbon, and hung that on the nail.

The last part is gluing the clothes pin to the plaque, and making the numbers on any paper you'd like.

Andddd waaaa lah! 

I hope you like it. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Get your countdown on!

Nothing to do with Strength

Most days, I don't know what I'm doing...I'm just everywhere.

A while back proved no different. I spent DAYS scared out of my mind about one doctors appointment because of my fainting habits.

Turns out anxiety...stress...my crazy mind is what causes it all.  The doctor told me that I needed to squat down when I felt faint...that I needed to drink more water.  The doctor gave me a few medications to calm my anxiety.

Told me things I already knew.

I could and can do a lot of things. But in the heat of that moment, in the thick of it...I needed help.

I needed the reassurance from a medical profession as to why I was fainting.

I need someone to tell me it's ok. I need someone to hug me tight when I feel like breaking. 

I need to get to and from school and school every day, because it means I get out of the apartment- multiple times a day.

Who cares that I throw clothes on and walk out the door... The point is that I walk out the door.

The last year has taught me a lot about myself especially being in the relationship I am with SJ... it's taught about who I am and who I hope to be. I hear, "I admire your strength," or, "You are so strong," more times than I care to count. The thing is... It's not about strength. We all have the strength to survive anything. It's just buried deep inside. It's about asking for help when you need it, and just simply getting things done.  It's about perseverance and the will to keep going.

Here we are in the beginning of the month number 9 and things are getting more difficult.  We haven't seen eachother in months.  We get frustrated with eachother more easily, but we cherish our time to talk more often.

But this I know...

I have class 4 times a week.  I have to BE there 4 times a week.

I have work 4 times a week.  I must BE there 4 times a week.

Groceries need to be bought.

Homework needs to be completed.

Girls nights need to be planned.

Friends need to be hugged.

Skype dates need to be happening.

The coffee shop will always sell me coffee.

Bedtime will come.

And this long distance will not be forever.

This long distance will end.

I just gotta keep going....

We will keep going.

I'll take it...the Good and the Bad

Sometimes this capstone class, while doing an internship, while maintaining a long distant relationship is tough. Ok...all the time. I feel like we aren't talking about "important" things while we have the time to. Or I have one of those days where nothing goes as planned and all in all the day was a complete failure in school. Or I am at work completely exhausted to the point where I have to do anything possible to keep my eyes open and stay productive...I can't help but think maybe I'm not cut out for this. And then the doubt starts to creep up and I think about how much would change if maybe I had an easier degree, or maybe I spent less time doing school work and more time visiting with him. Or maybe I should have the job I had...before this internship.  Or I distinctively remember having more time to do homework in my day.  Oh, wait thats because my job wasn't an internship.  It wasn't a huge blessing for my future career.

It's easy to get that "grass is greener" attitude when things aren't going my way. Just when I think about throwing in the towel and going an easier route rather than the route God planned for me, then I think of SJ. And I think of that degree. That degree is the reason I work so incredibly hard every day. And he's the reason for this season of my life...and together we're going to "get" this. Just when it seems like things are going perfectly, I have days like today, days where everything seems overwhelming.  Its like SJ said tonight...sometimes its as if I can see the finish line and I can imagine being done so easily, it makes it hard to endure what I am going through to get there.

I'm sure this is the normal ebb and flow of life. I think back to when I was a TA and how I would have given anything to have an Event Coordinating internship. How I wrestled with what I would do when the time came to get one. How I was at complete and total peace with my decision when the time came. But sometimes I let the perfectionist in me get the best of my thoughts.

I long for this proverbial balance as a student, with a internship, and in a long distance relationship. But, wait, I didn't have balance when I wasn't in a relationship. And school has ALWAYS been tough for me no matter what job I had.  It's that unpredictability that makes life what it is. If everything was balanced and structured...If plans never fell through, if Shelby and I didnt have nights where we talked about boring things such as my capstone class, fainting, or the uncertainty of the Army...how it ruins our plans, if I didn't make bad grades in the past. Then what would drive me to cherish my time with him? What would drive me to want that degree? What would drive me to be a better Christian? If I didn't fail at this live I'm living once or twice a week (or once or twice a day, sometimes) would I really be growing? No.  Would we as a couple be growing? No.

It's these reminders that cause me to slow down. These small failures that cause me to stay up late on a Saturday night finding ways to have more time with him during the weekends, or to finish the assignments that aren't due until next week. Or to work on that marketing project that needs to be done tomorrow. And when the days are hard and long and tiring? It's HIS faithfulness and grace that gets me through all things I can't do on my own.

And this guy of course :)

Power of a God Encounter

Lately, I have been working on and off with my blog design.  I am finally finished! Do you like the new look? 
While I was working on it I watched a sunset. During this time, I put my computer down, grabbed my bible, and my journal.  


I had what I like to call a God Encounter.

In Philippians 3:12 Paul says "Not that I have already obtained all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus."

Personally, I take comfort in the character of Peter, the disciple. Peter's life was marked by unexplainable God-encounters, and yet riddled with incredible moments of weakness and failure... but still God never dismissed his abilities. Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we get it wrong, but take courage that Jesus still saw the potential in Peter, and when we can leave the past behind us with our eyes focused on the prize, we will do great things for God. You see, when we encounter God...something changes. God-encounters give birth to new things, God-encounters open doors, they take ground and renew strength in our hearts, clear the clutter in our lives and make room for the devine.

Psalms 34:8 says "Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him".  As Christians, we need to live with the expectation that our walk with God will be full of life changing encounters with Jesus. I pray that we will always be people with a Kingdom focus, and a spirit that says "God, I need an encounter with You, I am ready for the unexpected, and I have a heart that will do whatever it takes".

Let's be people that refuse to be robbed by the voice of critical and religious thinking, doubt and unbelief, but rise above the crowd and the noise with a Holy fear and expectation that God will encounter us when we seek Him wholeheartedly.

Imagine if we were christians not known for what we stand against; but what we stand for. Christians known for unwavering hope in Jesus, a house of prayer, a place of freedom, where people reach their potential, and the hurting and broken are healed and restored!

In the New Testament, the Pharisees missed the power of Christ because they were too busy with everything going on around them. Yet, I've learned that most God-encounters are NOT going to fit into the box of familiarity or restricting religion, because we are serving a God who does things out of the box!!

Let's not miss the power of Christ, or the opportunity for a God-encounter because we are too busy with other things. Instead, lets lay down our agendas, turn off our televisions, and any other distractions and seek after God's embracing the hurting, inviting the unsaved into the House of God and praying with fervency for wisdom and inspiration. Finally, let's always be looking to move from a place of complacency into a place of surrender, under an open heaven, where we ourselves can have a God-encounter.

What kind of God encounters have you experienced?

High Five for Friday!!

I am linking up with Lauren at From my grey desk!

1. This awesome email I got from my mother about going to Honduras in May!

2. My favorite part of my days

3. Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast (Quick Sand)

4.  Our capstone paper is FINALLY done!

5. The WONDERFUL cold weather that came to South Texas! (Or relatively chilly weather) :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

High Five for Friday!!

Here are a list of my five favorite things from last week (I'm linking up with Lauren at From my grey desk blog):

1. I spent my last couple days with Shelby before he went back to Ft. Drum. We wen't to spend a lovely weekend on the coast in Rockport, Tx and caught a beautiful sunset (even in the massive, thick fog!)

2. Starting this blog! I have been reading everyones blogs lately and absolutely had to try it. So please, follow me here French Kissin' Life.

3.  The new season of the BACHELOR!  And oooohhh yes, there was already drama. Okay, don't laugh at me. I really love this show. I loved Ben last season but Ashley went with the other guy instead...so I am happy to have him back.  Do you have a favorite girl so far? Shelby and I decided we like the Texas. go figure huh? ;)

4.  My extremely yummy Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake.  So fabulous, so easy. Please comment below for a simple run down of the recipe!

5. This great Sonia Kashuk Brush Set I picked up at Target. Not too expensive, but GOOD quality brushes.  I used this as an alternative to MAC brushes (which are also wonderful!)

(Check out that cute little case that comes with!)

I hope you all have a wonderful day! 

Happy Friday!

My Magic Happy Potion

After a insane semester in college, I realized just how badly I wanted to save the money I have been spending on Starbucks coffee and get a Kuerig instead.  This Christmas I received the "toy" that caught my eye from Shelby. 

If you don't already know what exactly this is, I will explain.  It's simply a one cup coffee maker.  (That makes coffee super fast!) All you have to do is heat it up for a few minutes and place a K-Cup into the K-cup holder and press which cup size you prefer.

I received a box of 48 K-Cups for Christmas as well. So far my favorite is the Donut House Cinnamon Roll flavor. Soo yummy!!

I was shopping around online this morning and found this lovely coffee mug made by Suzy Toronto for $17.95 that says:

There are some days that I have no idea what I am doing out of bed.

I simply don't do mornings.  Well, actually I do morning...I just don't do them well without my morning fix.

So, just a word to the wise...if you want anything from me I'm happy to oblige...but just make sure you don't ask me before I get my magic happy potion, that alluring brew that transforms me into someone capable of pretending to be normal. 

(And no, I am not one of those people who has a problem with drinking too much coffee...I just have issues with drinking too little of it.)

I thought it was too cute! I may just have to purchase one. You can see more information here: Coffee Mug

Do you own a Kuerig? What is your favor flavor K-cup?