Baptism

A few days ago I mentioned that I would be getting baptized in Church and that happened this past Sunday. I believe that baptism is a public declaration of one’s faith in Jesus Christ and one’s commitment to a life of service and obedience to God. My Dad is an ordained Pastor and he serves as one of the Worship Leaders. Since he is ordained he was able to baptize me… It was a really special moment for my Dad and I because he has been such an important person in the development of my faith. My best friend Kelsey was also baptized and her dad, who is also a Pastor at church. We do not baptize at infancy, but rather allow parents to dedicate their children as a promise to “train them up in the way they should go”. We believe that individuals later make the decision to follow Christ and at that point can choose to be baptized. At my church someone reads our testimony as we walk from our seat in the sanctuary up onto the stage and into the baptismal pool, so I’ve copied mine below: 

I accepted the Lord as my Savior when I was five years old. I was raised in a Christian home and had been attending church and Sunday school since I was born. My parents had a huge influence in helping to ignite my faith at a young age and continued to do so all through school. In high school, there were many events that caused me to be cynical and I used them as an excuse to justify my lack of commitment to God. I never strayed too far because I knew God was in control but, I did not place much importance in my relationship with Christ. I wanted control of my life and thought I could figure it all out on my own. I graduated from high school in 2009 and began college at Philadelphia Biblical University. I wasn’t too thrilled about leaving home but, I wanted to learn more about God, the Bible, and redemption. I felt that I needed to learn more before I could take the next step. And, learn I did. Not only did God teach me about Himself, he taught me about myself. This past January 1^st, I began to experience some health and emotional problems and decided that coming back home would be the best decision for me. On one hand, I felt like a failure because I withdrew from school but, I knew God wanted me home. I knew that He was demanding control of my life. In my lowest time, I was confused and lost but, I surrendered to God. My anxiety and depression quickly subsided and I felt such a peace about my decision and my future. I have no idea what I want to do or what I’m going to do with my life but, God does. I am trusting in Him wholeheartedly and feel that now is the time for me to get baptized. I can now say without a shadow of a doubt that I am trusting God with my life and I am going to serve Him with my life. 

Here are some pictures… 

 







If you have any questions about my faith, Jesus, Easter, Baptism, or something else- PLEASE feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment!!

Bandwagon Wednesday: TSwift

Sadly… I am NOT on the Taylor Swift bandwagon. And there are many reasons for this – none of which include the fact that everyone loves her so I’m being a devil’s advocate. I just actually don’t like her. But I used to.

My family and I aren’t too picky about our music – we don’t discriminate against anything other than screamo annnd maybe that’s it. We’re country lovers for sure. And I can remember my freshman year of high school falling in love with Tim McGraw. I thought her lyrics were amazing and I loved the story. She’s from around my area so I felt a certain loyalty to her. And she personalized the song for tons of radio stations so when she sang XTU I was super proud.




Then something happened. Something called Love Story. Which I also loved. I downloaded it from itunes right after I heard it. The whole world loved it. The whole world loved her. And her long curly blonde hair. And the fact she was so young and wholesome.


And then something else happened. Something called every song sounding the same. Something else called she talk-sings. Something else called people killed  Taylor Swift. People went bonkers. And I stopped liking Taylor Swift.

Back to December wasn’t too bad. But Fifteen and You Belong With Me were.  And Teardrops Of My Guitar kinda made me wanna cry and scream. Simultaneously.



What I will say is this: She is talented. She can play the guitar really well. She writes lyrics and music really really well. She knows who she is, what her style is, and she goes for it. For that I like her. She’s not swayed by everything else. And when Kanye ruined her moment I felt really really bad for her. That was plain wrong. Even though I think Beyonce should have won – he shouldn’t have done that. Poor thing. I wouldn’t have had that much class or poise… not in a million years.



I was in fact a fan of the relationship with Jacob. If that had worked out they’d both be named Taylor Lautner. HAHA. Too funny.



So to all the Swift fans I say go for it. But I just can’t get on the bandwagon for this one. There are a few things I like but she bores me. 

And Side note:  It is also upsetting that our culture goes WACKO over people. Justin. Taylor. People actually go crazy. I feel bad for her cause there are probably some real weirdos out there… Maybe you’re one of them? JUST KIDDING!!! I love Justin so I’m totally in the celebrity-obsessed category. But I don’t have a Mrs. Bieber shirt. Not yet anyways.

Hope I don’t get any hate mail for this one :) But if you want to sway me to hop on board let me know!!

Finally Finished

Doesn’t it feel great when you finally finish something you started. Maybe it’s that book that you HAD to have and felt super awesome buying at Barnes & Nobles, maybe it’s the home improvement project that slipped to the bottom of the to-do list, or MAYBE it’s the blanket you promised your brother-in-dating you’d make him for Christmas and then his birthday. I have to say I’m pretty proud of this one… I thought it would never ever end. But alas it is finished. Just in time for Spring… perfect timing, I know! ;)

TA DAA

Only two weeks late. Or three and a half months late. Or not late at all. Depends how ya look at it :)

My $10,300 Purse

Actually mine was $20 BUT a few days after I bought it I saw an almost identical bag by Hermes at the King of Prussia Mall in the Philadelphia Wedding Magazine (because we have lots of those around the house as bathroom reading material).

I originally wanted a bag that would hold my manila folder full of work papers, magazines, books, and my calendar along with the usual purse stuff. I looked at a bunch of stores and fell in love with this one when I saw it!! I got it at New York & Company and they are having HUGE sales. Everything is 50% off right now and there are other daily deals online. So hit that up if you’re in the need of new clothes/accessories!!

The first picture is more accurate in displaying it’s color. It’s not as orange as it looks below. Very camel-leathery. Also a very technical color name :)

 

I’m a happy camper :) I love it! It’s practical, stylish, and affordable!!

My Adopted Brothers

Mark has two younger brothers. I have no brothers. I always wanted brothers – but Sarah came out a girl… True story. Kay and I cried at the ultrasound appt. when they told my mom it was a she not a he.  So when Mark and I first started dating I wasn’t sure what was kosher and what wasn’t in a house full of sports, belching, farting, and boxers. They may still think I’m a real big loser because I mostly am – but I love them. And I think they might like me a little too :)

 

It was C’s birthday a week ago… the big ONE-SEVEN! He’s got his sights set on a car and probably won’t be satisfied till he’s cruisin’ down the BLVD with his friends :)

I promised the boys a while back that I would crochet them blankets just like the one I made Mark for his birthday last year. They were supposed to be for Christmas but I didn’t finish one – let alone two! I decided I would try to complete C’s for his birthday and I failed. He’s getting it a week late. My friend Amy taught me to crochet and I needed her help sewing the sections together. Her husband just got back from a missions trip to Ecuador and was really really sick in the hospital so I couldn’t finish… It’s his school colors: Blue, Gold, and White  :) B will get his when he turns 14 in December :) I think I’ll be able to finish by then…

Bridal Shower Invitations!!

When my mom and I first got together to talk about the invitations we looked online for a template or idea that we liked, but nothing really seemed to stand out. So we figured we’d create our own. I had the idea of making the base sheet long and folding it at the bottom to make a pocket in the back. We knew we’d have some additional inserts in the invitation and the pocket would hold them perfectly. We also just got a book of scrapbooking paper at A.C.Moore and then a bunch of matching solids. So not every invitation is the same. There are probably about 30 different invitations. My mom made all of these – so I take ZERO credit. But here’s the finished product:

This is the pocket. We had a 3x5 card for the guests to bring their favorite recipe, the registry info card from Bed, Bath & Beyond and Macy’s, and a little directions/map sheet. It all fit perfectly in the pocket! And the best part is when people hang it on their fridge everything will stay together and they won’t lose certain pieces. When they want to go shopping they’ll know right where to go to find the info! 

 
^^These are the actual wedding colors. Navy and White. The accent color for the wedding will be a springy-sage green. But my mom loves these navy ones the best :)

I think they turned out really really well! And I hope Kay likes them when she show her after the shower! It’s a surprise! Hope we don’t spoil it!!

I'm MOVING!!!!

Yes! You read that correctly! I'm moving!!!

To this very old, very ugly, very in need of love home... Which happens to sit right across the street from this beautiful dairy farm

And has a huge spacious back yard with room for a swing set for grandkids eventually (scary thought) and hopefully a hot tub?!

The kitchen is so pretty. Lots of sun light and a great pantry that my mom LOVES!!

And then the living room... The fireplace is not exactly our style but it's not too bad compared to the other things that need to be fixed... Like the nasty spots on the wood floors. And the lack of landscaping. And the old windows. And the NASTY master bathroom.

But... we're up for the challenge. We love it. It's over an acre of land and it'd be a great thing to invest in, make our own, and have once our family grows. I am so excited!!!

APRIL FOOLS!!

I wish we were buying it, but it'd be a ton of money to make presentable and livable. My parents have decided we like our house just fine :) It was a nice dream for a few days... but I'm happy right here at home :)