WILW

link up here

Here's what I'm diggin'...

I'm loving Grayson's nursery-in-progress.  Like most things about my Sister -- her nursery sense of style is the same as her fashion style and lifestyle: simple, charming, and elegant.  Grayson's nursery is beginning to come together after we were up there helping her set up the furniture & new floors.  I snapped a sneak peek to share! And, I'm definitely loving it and can't wait to love on him.

I'm loving how freaking cute my Sissy is as a 6-month pregnant lady! No further explaination needed, just look!  She's going to be a wonderful Mommy! (She's had almost 24 years of experience being my second mother, trust!)

I'm loving that I got to spend some quality time with Chaceface! We remember the ol' best friend turned boyfriend turned ex-boyfriend turned good friend again, right??? Being as he was the very first person I met at Alabama (summer orientation prior to freshmen year) it is odd look back on our journey the past 5.5 years.  We are so much alike, yet we are polar opposites.  The good thing is, we always find solid ground (after lots of brother-sister type of fussing at and teasing one another) and I am forever grateful for him being in my life.  We are sugar and spice, I tell you what.

Pray for him and his family and their community of Pleasant Grove, Alabama.  The tornado took everything from his childhood home where he was living, along with his older sister and parents.  My heart breaks thinking of the things that he cherished so much that are spread across the state of Alabama because of an F4/F5 tornado was relentless in it's destructive path.  He and his family were the ones who were there for me last year when I had nothing.  That home is where I had my first home-cooked meal after the hellacious fire, and where we looked out over hills and into the Southern summer skies, and where we broke-up and ended the romantic chapter of our relationship.  But, just maybe, this is what brought a special and cherished friendship back to friendly grounds.  After all, real friends walk in when the rest of the world walks out.  I think that's true.

I'm loving this favorite road-tripping snack of mine!  If you do not like the smell of boiled peanuts, never plan a trip in the car with me.  Yes, I would choose the boiled peanuts over an anti-b.p. fan!

By the way, looking through my camera roll I just realized that I either take WAY too many pics of my food or I eat ENTIRELY too much.  I think I'm just photo-happy! Ha.

I'm loving that I caught this precious "napping" session yesterday. Poor Daddy was so tired after traveling, donating, and putting back together my Sissy's house that was all torn up (not from the tornado, but from getting all of her floors redone) - to be honest, it sort of looked like a miniature cyclone had ripped through her house.  But, it's looking good now!  Daddy though, he was tired and decided to snooze on his office floor & the dogs had missed him so much they chose to pile around them (and on top of him!)

Of course my little nosey-butted thing had to be the closest to "Big Butch" and she looked so darn cute doing so!  I missed that little wiggle worm while I was away - and I missed Lola and Jackson, too!

I am loving my best friends 3-month old baby, Piper!  This was the most beautiful and precious and well-behaved baby I have ever spent time with.  "The Pipelette" definitely got me itching to be an Aunt Sissy, so it's a good thing I only have to wait 3 more months!  Oh my goodness... I couldn't stop kissing and loving on this precious little thing that was always adorned in pink and smothered with love from her parents.  I am SO proud of Elena and Taylor -- they are such special friends and I feel priviledged to have shared this journey with them!  I was around for their getting together, their breaking-up, their getting back together, the pregnancy, (sadly, I was in Orlando for the birth), but now I am going to get to see this little booger grow up and I am so excited.  Gosh, Elena still just glows!

I am loving that so many people are still praying for Alabama!

Thank you!!

Peace & Love

Baily

WILW

What I'm Lovin' Wednesday

 

I'm loving this quote because it reminds me of my life and I'm touched by it...

"Looking back on what I said all those years ago - all the hopes and dreams I had, I've come to the conclusion that if having things turn out the way you wanted them to is a measure of successful life - then some would say I'm a failure.  The important thing is not to be bitter over life's disappointments.  Learn to let go of the past and recognize that not every day is going to be sunny. And when you find yourself lost in the darkness and despair, remember it is only in the black of night that you see the stars and those stars will lead you back home. So don't be afraid to make mistakes, to stumble and fall, because most of the time the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most - so maybe you'll get everything you wished for.  Maybe you'll get more than you ever could have imagined.  Who knows where life will take you - the road is long and in the end, the journey is the destination."

-One Tree Hill

<weheartit>

I'm loving my Brother-in-Law on his 27th Birthday today!!!
He is the most wonderful husband to my Sissy.  I always say that I will
NEVER settle for a man who doesn't look at me the way that Tyler looks at her.
He loves her, she loves him, and their love story started when I was in 7th grade and my Sissy was in 9th grade, Tyler was in 10th.  That's a long time!!!
I'm so glad he is in our lives... he is the brother I never had & always wanted!

Tyler and Ashley

Ashley, Tyler, and I

I'm loving my visit back to my old "stompin' grounds" last night when I went to the Oviedo vs. Haggerty girls' soccer game last night. 
I met one of my bff's/former teammates, Beth, up there.  Her sister was the keeper for Haggerty, but she and I are Oviedo girl's soccer alums!!!
My BlackBerry camera did not bring it's "A-game" last night - sorry...

I'm loving my new bikini that I bought at Forever 21. 

I am excited about replacing all of my bikinis that I lost in the fire. 

ESPECIALLY SINCE I AM A FLORIDA GIRL AGAIN!!!

I'm also loving these jewels I got there, too!!!

Lots of turquoise, of course ;)

I gave some mid-week hugs to these babies today. 

I took Jackson, Lola, and Millie with me as I ran errands today.

I'm offically the 'crazy Boxer lady' around town, I do believe!

I'm loving that it is NATIONAL SIGNING DAY in the College Football world!

As of now, we have the #3 recruiting class... let's go BAMA!!!

Roll Tide!

I'm loving all the opportunities that have opened their doors to me, as others have shut in my face.  I'm talking about school options, work options, mean ex-boyfriends and a new dating life, new friends, the blog world: accessories swaps, guest-posts, and giveaways, and all sorts of other awesome stuff about my life!  Basically, I'm finally at a place of contentment - a peace of mind and lots of love! More things are starting to fall INTO place rather than OUT OF place!  About damn time. Ha!

weheartit

Ooo, oooh! Almost forgot...

I'm loving that I'm planning a getaway with one of my favorite girls. 

We're thinking somewhere COASTAL and CHIC.

weheartit

peace & love

bai

mm

link up here

One.

I'm loving this quote today:

"If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.  This makes it hard to plan the day." -E.B. White

Story of my life.

Two.

I'm excited that Susan is coming over to watch The Bachelor with me tonight.  You can always count on Sus to love reality TV!!! I think it is just as much her 'guilty pleasure' as it is mine.  And I'm starting to like this season a lot!

Three.

I love the sermon at First Baptist Orlando yesterday.  It was on prayer.  The series, beginning with the New Year, has been "Seek" - a series through Matthew 6.

This is extra special to me, because Matthew 6 is the chapter of the Bible that got me through the overwhelming emotions I faced in the days surrounding the fire.  Someone from my sister's Sunday School class had asked my sister to read a passage to me from Matthew 6.  The sermon series at FBCOrlando hasn't gotten to this particular part - about not being anxious - but to be honest, I can't wait to hear Dr. Uth preach on my favorite passage... (and am totally anxious, but in the good way!)

Anyways, this past Sunday it was on PRAYER and the sermon was awesome.  Dr. Uth is a good teacher and church leader and that is something I respect more than ever.  A huge point that he preached about was that if we do not forgive others, God does not forgive us.  That is why I am such a fim believer in FORGIVENESS and every single person I've ever dated or been super close friends with knows that to be the complete truth.  So when people won't forgive me or won't TRY to forgive me, I am unable to understand it.  I believe the Gospel is about love, and love is all about forgiveness so that is why it is the greatest lesson of all and something that the Lord DOES NOT compromise with.  At the end of the servivce, we were asked to put down on a small piece of paper the names of people that we need to forgive in order to move on and receive the blessings that God gives us when we decide to forgive and love our enemies and to remember the most important part of being a Christian - forgiving others.  I prayed that these people would also forgive me for the things that have crept between us and caused the tension.  I wrote down three references to people that I pray for reciprocating forgiveness from:  C.M., C.S., and P.C.  I felt free - that I had broken the chains that have loomed over me for a long time - some longer than others.  They are all people who mean a lot to me, in completely different ways, but forgiveness issues always kept us away from ultimate happiness - and that is why I hope some of my prayers will be seen now that I have decided to forgive them in my heart.  Freedom in forgiveness is the surest way to peace of mind, I continue to learn. 

Four.

I love this quote, too:

"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be." -The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Has anyone else read that book... don't you just LOVE it?

Five.

I'm really pumped because JOSHUA RADIN is coming to Orlando soon and I'm pretty sure I'm going to freak out if I don't see him perform. 

He handles my blues oh so well.

Joshua Radin - One of These Days from Paste Magazine on Vimeo.



Six.

Hello NEW FOLLOWERS!!! You are the coolest :)

peace&love

baily

WILW

Link Up Here

I'm loving the SUNSHINE that I woke up to this morning...

it's another beautiful day in Orlando (even though we've had some severe thunderstorms lately but we're used to that here in the Lightning Capital of the World)

I'm loving my new shoes that I bought last night!!! I have wanted these since LAST spring, and they are on sale and still as fabulous as ever in my eyes!  My itty-bitty size 6 and extremely narrow foot fits PERFECTLY into Jessica Simpson pumps.  I can't wait to rock these in Orlando one night! ;)

They are that really pretty patent-leather pearly color.

I dig!!!

I'm loving that our movie theater is only $5 on Tuesdays.  Last week I went to see Black Swan with Michelle and last night I went to see Country Strong with Momma.  With my Regal Card I was able to get some good, buttery popcorn for only $2!  A $5 ticket + $2 popcorn = DEAL!!!

I wasn't loving the part about our 'movie night' last night when the projector-reel BROKE and was not fixable!!! So Mom and I got to see 70% of Country Strong and we are welcome to go back with our "FREE READMISSION TICKET" that the Regal Cinemas manager gave us.  I was a little bummed, because I was TOTALLY INTO THE MOVIE!  It was wonderful.

Gwyneth was awesome and I am offically OBSESSED with Garrett Hedlund now.  Cowboy, take me away.... (just sayin!)

via

I'm loving that it's almost time for my favorite Spring-time fashion!

Bohemian Dresses!!!

...if you don't think I rock these all Spring, you're crazy! ;)

I'm loving this ANTHROPOLOGIE one...

Ya dig?!?!

I'm loving that my hair is finally growing!  It must be my extreme paranoia about it's inability to grow more than an inch past my shoulders.  I swear, it gets to this length and just stops.  It's ridiculous!  So I've been taking my vitamins, washing it when it's dirty but not over-doing it and drying it out, wearing it wavy & straight so that it's not damaged by doing it the same over and over, and keeping my fingers crossed that I can get it back to being as long as it was in high school.  It probably helps that I got it cut in DECEMBER for the first time since JUNE!  Sooo bad, I know.

Is anyone else bad about that?!?

I'm loving my NEW FOLLOWERS!!! Y'all are awesome & I look forward to learning more about you and reading up on y'alls blogs!!! I really do love how I have met SO MANY amazing people via this wonderful world of bloggers! It is the coolest thing, I wish more people "understood" haha ;)

peace and love

BAILY

the miscellany

One.

I'm in love with this song right now...

Two.

Yesterday I went to First Baptist Orlando with my parents and Michelle and heard a great message on "fasting" and how we can grow closer to God by giving up something that distracts us from spending time on our spiritual relationship.  I really enjoyed it and I think the pastor, Dr. David Uth, is an awesome speaker!

Later last night, I went to "Status" with Savannah and felt another tug at my heart that it is time to take my relationship with God to the next level. I know that I have a special heart for missions work, volunteering, and serving, and I am so ready to get out there and help people in some way!!! I am praying that God points me in the right direction to serve where HE wants me to serve, not just where I want me to serve.

I signed up for a couple of small-groups.

I think I am going to take a class on "Love" that goes off of C.S. Lewis' books.  I also signed up to get to know some of the people in the "Living Water Surf Ministry."

I visited with some of the guys and this really nice girl, Grace, and they invited me to be a part of their little group ministry - I told them I don't surf but I would love to take pictures and video with my Bloggie & Holga camera and hang out with people who enjoy the ocean!  Plus, grow closer to God??

Sign me up! ;)

Three.

I am thinking about saving up some money to buy a monogramming machine.  Does anyone have their own and do their own monogramming? 

There are shops EVERYWHERE in Alabama that monograms everything under the sun - for cheap! But not so much in Orlando.  The Southern girl's love for monogramming everything we own isn't as prevalent in this part of the country - although there are enough steel magnolias and sorority girls around here to get some business if I learn how to do it well enough!

If you have one, help me out & tell me what machine is best and all that good stuff! Thanks :)

Four.

 I was making some munchies to take over to my friend Susan's tonight when I got attacked by the kitchen sink.  Of course I was wearing one of my really classy white wife-beaters and I was pretty much white t-shirt contestin' it for a second there.  I had dogs sliding in my mess, but I got everybody dried off...

I got a good laugh out of it (and of course I was by myself so I'm sitting in the kitchen floor laughing hysterically and Millie is cocking her head like why is my Mommie so weird?!?)

I had to change after the hose-down by the sink...

I'm just trying to make some Jalapeno Poppers :)

Five.

I'm so ready for SUMMER to get here!

via 

"I've never dropped anyone I believed in."

-Marilyn Monroe

peace and love.

baily.

the miscellany today

Link up here

One.

This is what I get every single morning - a bunch of Boxer kisses, limited leg room, and lots of wiggling little nub tails.  These dogs crack me up and make my life full of smiles and good laughs.  I can’t tell if Lola (center) and Jackson (right) are sick of Millie (left) living here in Florida with them.  They seem to be getting along great, but then again Millie is hoarding a lot of attention to herself and I’m beginning to think “Aunt Lola” has about had enough of it! Ha!

Two.

I am going to spend a great deal of the day shopping online for furniture so I know what I want to go look at in person when I blitz Orlando’s furniture stores later.  I have been looking forward to ordering a piece of furniture to call “mine” ever since the fire.  It has been fun and all to shop and buy a new wardrobe, but I wasn’t your biggest shopaholic to start with… I am pretty tired and exhausted from replacement shopping – it isn’t very therapeutic anymore.  I’m going for the coastal/sea-board cottage-y look… what do you think??
I'm crushin' on this Stanley Furniture 'Coastal Living' collection...

I just find it so Southern, so coastal, so clean, so happy, so what I need!!!

Three.

Please pray for my ‘Papaw.’  He had to be taken to the hospital yesterday.  He seems to be doing fine, and they just kept him to run some extra tests and stuff, but pray that it was nothing too serious!!! He’s probably the coolest grandfather I know, and he reads my blog so – HI PAPAW!  Get to feeling better! I love you!

Four.

Michelle and I had a BLAST at the All-Star Acoustic Jam last night.  I am so glad we got to do that & we saw some pretty amazing entertainment, if you ask me.  I heard SO MANY of my favorites that I don’t even know which one I would say was the best.  I do have to say that at the end – the encore part of it all when the entire line-up all came out together – they played my absolute favorite HANK WILLIAMS, JR. songs – ‘DINOSAUR’, then it spun off into some Vanilla Ice, then to some STEVE MILLER BAND’s ‘JOKER’ (which I wish my sister was there to enjoy!) and then somewhere in their little encore mix was THE BEATLES’ ‘HEY JUDE’ and I seriously got goosebumps!!!  It was like the the very best (and live) country-fried, party playlist ever!  I had a really good time - thanks Michelle! :)

 

so of course she caught me doing my infamous wildflower dance...

Before the show started I had to tell her...

 "now... my Sis makes fun of me because when I hear music

I just go into my own little world and throw my hands everywhere and wiggle

so I apologize in advance if I embarass you..."

Click here to visit Michelle's fantastic blog & leave her some love!

I promise you will adore her.

(And check out the pretty cupcakes she made this weekend...

I may or may not be scarfing one two down right now.)

Five.

I’m doing my first blog swap with Teaching In Heels.  It’s an accessories swap and I’m so excited – I think you should probably mosey on over to her blog and sign up for it yourself.  It should be a good time! Click here to join the swap!

Quotable

I believe humanity was born from conflict. 

Maybe that's why in all of us lives a dark side. 

Some of us embrace it.  Some have no choice.  The rest of us fight it. 

And in the end, it is as natural as the air we breathe. 

Some point, we're forced to face the truth... about ourselves.

-Penelope Garcia

Peace & Love

Baily

Weekly Recap

with Letters From Coco

In one word or phrase

Something good’s coming…

I’m dreaming of you

This Pier 1 girly-bohemian slipcover for a sitting chair…

Cute, huh?

Song on repeat

Gotta write it down

Love is the answer at least for most of the

questions in my heart like 'why are we here?',

'where do we go?', and 'why is it so hard?'

-JACK JOHNSON

Lesson Learned

I am not in control of my life.  I never have been.  I've found peace by renewing my faith in the fact that His plan is always better than mine.  His journey has a glorious destination for me.  And I'm okay about that - oh the emotional drama you save yourself when you TRUST GOD.  I never thought I was as strong as I found out this week that I am. 

PROVERBS 31:25

She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

Picture to Frame

I probably shared this pic with

y’all before, but I just love it… sorry.

Weekend To-do List

Movie night {Country Strong} tonight, hanging with friends/family, starting my redecorating project, then the ALL-STAR ACOUSTIC JAM on Sunday night at the Hard Rock Live with Michelle.

-LUKE BRYAN

-KIX BROOKS

-THOMPSON SQUARE

-CHUCK WICKS

-CRAIG MORGAN

-LEE BRICE

-LOCASH COWBOYS

...this cowgirl is pumped!

I hope this year is full of lots of music and I get to

experience shows and festivals of all my different genres.

This past Spring & Summer turned so crazy and hectic after the fire so I didn't get to live the season to it's fullest.

But that's why it's a new year! :)

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?

Any music festivals you plan to attend this year??

FILL ME IN!!

peace and love

-bjj-