Nesting

I am nesting for our fur baby.

Feels good to get that off my chest.

I can't even imagine what I will be like for our real baby if I am already like this for a dog. To tell you the truth, Mr. B and I aren't really dog people. These next 34 days we dream about life with her and love her so much... day 35 might be a nightmare. There is no guarantee. We love the idea of a dog and being a little family, but time will tell if we really do love having a dog. I am feeling confident though.

This weekend we went to a yard sale {love yard sales}, we bought Roxie a crate for $25. The day before we were in the store looking the crate we need and it retails $179.99! Our love isn't that strong....yet. I saw the crate online being sold at a yard sale, asked them to hold it for us, bartered the price a little and BAM just like that we now have a wonderful crate for her. Hoping the crate training will be just as easy.

Next on the list was a dog bed. I decided I was going to pick out my own fabric, save some money and make her one. We quickly agreed on the bottom fabric that would be used, it was the top decorative one that was the divider between Mr. B and I. This was a whole experience in itself, I wanted something girly and Mr. B wanted sports print, or burnt orange for Texas. We had this same dilema choosing her collar and leash to match {thank you etsy}. I'm sure you can imagine how this went over. He doesn't see why Roxie needs girl things....um how about because she IS a girl. If he was smart he would be soaking in this whole process because it is keeping me distracted from my severe baby fever.

Anyways, we finally agreed on a fabric {wohoo!}, it was $14.99/yd and 50% off, we brought it up front to get cut and the lady told us it was priced wrong- it's $9.95/yd and 60% off!! Not only did we agree on a fabric, we were rewarded for our compromise. The little marriage lessons in the everyday life, so touching.

So this weekend we washed and touched up the crate and I made Roxie her adorable bed, and a crate cover. Once we get back from our trip to NH I will make her another little puppy bed, hoping to save the bigger one for when she is more mature and won't pee on it and rip it to pieces. I am bringing home a little sample for my parents' dog, to see how fast she will rip it apart so that my expectations are set.

The two fabrics:

The colors look much better in person

The whole package :

Crate ($25)+ Dog Bed ($9.50)+ Crate Cover ($6.50)= $ 41

Amount Saved: Approx. $195.00

34 more days until we meet our precious pup!

**Posting from NH!! :) **

Top 2 Tuesday: Random Things About Yourself

Today's Top 2 over the Undomestic Momma is: Random things about yourself. I hope you will still be my friend....

1. I am SO afraid of caterpillars. Honestly, I don't even want to talk about them. They give me the heebie jeebies...big time. I hate how they are furry, have a million little legs and stick to you. Yuck. Ok I am done, I can't write anymore I already feel them crawling on me. Which could lead to a number 2. I am a hypercondriac, but we will save that for another post and bring you to my real random number two.

2. I had one giant tooth for a good year and a half to two years of my life. Unfortunately it didn't look any better when the second one came in. Maybe even worse, if you can believe that. They were big. They were separated. The other teeth decided to grow behind them instead of next to them. THANK THE LORD FOR MY PARENTS AND BRACES. Can I get an Amen?!

Since the theme is random, I am going to throw in some other random points as well....

1. Did anyone watch DWTS last night? Was Jake not hilarious?!? He was extremely funny looking, but the tux, bow tie and high waters totally fit his personality. I thought he was surprisingly good, but so funny. It makes me laugh when I replay it in my head, they showed Vienna laughing too- how could you not, really?

2. Still on the topic of DWTS, Kate needs to go. She is really just making herself look worse. She was also hilarious last night, but for different reason. She was so bad. She looked like she just wanted to stop the show, run out the back door with tears streaming down her face and curl up in a corner and hide. I don't blame her. Also, if you're arguing with your dance partner and he quits on you too, I think that says a little something about your personality. She really needs to learn how to communicate her feelings more effectively, clearly her current way of dealing with situations doesn't exactly fly with most people. I know she has an unusual/messed up life, but she is starting to bother me because she takes everything so seriously and personal. She needs to have fun, let loose and stop overemphasizing that she's doing everything for her kids.

3. Another DWTS note, because obviously I think I am a professional critique. Nicole from the PCD...how is this even fair?? She is a dancer! She choreographs. She has workout/dance DVDs. She got two 9s the first week and two 10s the second week- c'mon. I would be so mad if I was another contestant. Last night she said "we even added some PCD moves into this routine"...umm..if you have your own moves I think you're a dancer. Chest pumps and booty dips../you're still a dancer. I think it's funny how a few seasons ago the judges were so mean to Mario Lopez when he was so good and now Nicole is the same way and a dancer and they are treating her so much better. I still love you Mario.

4. Pamela Anderson drives me crazy! Why must everything be so sexual? She can't even stand like a normal person for .1 second, she's all over her partner, she's got her head tilted back, her body constantly moving, she's winking, licking her lips..seriously?! Ew.

5. Thanks for putting up with that vent session. I guess writing it out is just like when I tell Mr. B - I get no response but I continue to talk anyways. Except this time I am hoping for a little response or agreement from you. Please?

6. All of a sudden my name has become so popular. So popular as in I have seen it in 3 shows in the past two weeks. For me, this is a big deal. There is a girl Jordan on Amazing Race, Jordynn on 16 and Pregnant and a woman named Jordan on Castle. I will let the Castle woman pass this time, but I don't know if she really counts because she was a little too old to be named Jordan and that makes it little unbelievable to me. She is just a character, while the others are real girls. I will appreciate the fact that they even made it a girl's name on Castle though. Jordan is making it's way to the girl side - woot. woot.

7. Today is our dating anniversary, after 8 months of us dating in denial, Mr. B asked me to be his girlfriend {at Target-I know, so romantic} and it became "official" 51 months ago.

8. We are flying home to NH this afternoon!! Mr. B has a bunch of interviews over the next 3 days and we are looking at a potential place to live when we move in May. Please pray that the Lord would lead us and open up doors where needed. We are trusting and walking by faith through this whole process, it's not easy, but it will be rewarding. It's a humbling experience- that's for sure! It's also refreshing knowing that God has a plan and a purpose and He will work everything out- even when we don't know anything about what the future holds.

9. Here is a hint to my project. I will post about it tomorrow. You know this is almost as exciting as when MckMama posts a picture and leaves you hanging, don't deny it.

A Good Deal Is A Good Deal.

Mr. B and I finally had a productive weekend, the weather was perfect, we actually got dressed and went out, we got a lot done and we enjoyed every minute of it. As soon as I am finished with one of my projects I will post about our weekend and show you what I made- hopefully tonight! Since I haven't blogged all weekend, I don't want to disappoint and leave any one hanging one more day so I'll leave you with some busy work read {which I always hated in school btw}.

I forgot to mention this story last weekend...

While Mr. B was taking his test and Mama K, Smelly Sr. and I went to a few shops, Smelly Sr. went into a golf/sporting store to look for a hat. He came out wearing this hat...

(onlygolfapparel.com)

Except it was burgundy, not black, but that really doesn't matter, I would just hate for you to get the wrong visual description for this story. Just taking care of my followers nothing new...

So he came out with this great-Nike-perfect-fit-to-his-head hat. He's all excited about how wonderful the fit was and how nice of a hat it was for only $15. It was on clearance. Perfect. Mission accomplished.

He asked Mama K and I if we knew what the "TW" stood for and we had no idea (shocking I know). Wilson Tennis, with the letters in the wrong order?? That's the best I could think of, but decided it was best to keep it to myself considering the fact it was primarily a golf store and it wouldn't exactly make sense to put the letters in reverse order. Over the years I have learned to keep certain comments like this in my head. Where they belong. Instead of making a fool of myself. Anyways, we shrugged it off, agreed on the good deal and continued our way back to the apartment.

When Mr. B, a big sports guru- knows everything about everything, arrived home the conversation went something like this:

Mr. B {sarcastically}: Nice hat, Dad.

Smelly Sr {in all seriousness}: Yeah! You like it? On sale- only $15 across the street. I don't know what all this means though. What does the "TW" stand for?

Mr. B: Tiger Woods.

Everyone mumbles:

Duh, that makes sense.

Well that explains why it's on clearance.

Real nice.

Way to represent.

Smelly Sr: Oh...well it's still a nice hat and was only $15.

Because sometimes a good deal is a good deal and that's all that matters.

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!!

Show Us Your Life- Cleaning Tips

It's Friday!! Today over at Kelly's Korner is Show Us Your Life- Cleaning Tips.

I really don't have many tips, but I am interested to learn some new ones.

Now that I am home all day our apartment is always clean, it's been so nice. Usually Saturdays are our cleaning days, but not anymore. I get everything done during the week so now we can enjoy the whole weekend.

As far as tips:

1. Clean to loud music. Very important in the motivation/adrenaline department. I love me some K-Love or Country on iTunes Radio. It all depends on the weather, time of day and my mood, but either way it's a must. Talking on the phone while cleaning is a good distraction too.

2. We always make our bed. Okay, not always we haven't made it 6 times. Yes, we have moved onto the second hand, I'm in total disbelief and disgust as well. With a pretty small size room, having a bed that is made makes all the difference.

3. We never leave dishes in the sink. I personally have no problem leaving a few in there and saving it for the next day, not Mr. B. He is a bit OCD and hates going to bed with dirty dishes. So between the two of us they get done. Usually when I am cooking dinner, I wash the dishes right after so the cleaning process doesn't take too long when we are finished eating. We don't use too many dishes between the two of us so the dishwasher is run every 3-4 days or so. I could use some tips on this one, our silverware usually doesn't look clean when it comes out. I guess we have really hard water here and it leaves stains all over. I have tried vinegar and it helped a little, but it is still pretty nasty. We were also told to use better (more expensive) detergent, but we don't care that much.

4. Love Clorox Wipes. Target brand is cheaper and works just as well.

5. Tide to go. New product from Mama K that I just started using recently- works great!

6. Dish Detergent. Great for getting grease stains out of clothes. Clearly, I am a big fan of products that remove stains, somehow food always ends up on my clothes.

7. Spray bottle from the dollar spot at Target filled with half water-half bleach. Use it for everything. Makes our apartment feel clean, look clean and smell clean. I use it about 3 times a day. Love it.

I can not wait to get the Shark Steam Mop. I have heard great things about it. Once we have enough floors and money, I am so buying it. I convinced Mama Grace to buy one, they have the perfect floors for it. I can't wait to try it out next week!

PS. Sometimes it's hard to have a themed post because then I don't know when to blog about the various important things that occur during my day like how the baby girl on 16 & Pregnant this week was named Jordynn. So jealous, that's exactly how I wish my name was spelled {wish my mom would've communicated with me in utero to find out what I'd prefer. ugh.}. I will admit I have practiced my signature and spelled it like that...you know just to test it out and dream a little.

PPS. Yesterday when I was doing 30 Day Shred {about to complete Day 9 thinking about going to Level 3!} I was watching Bonnie Hunt and Jillian Michaels was on. It was a little bit of a Jillian overload, but I pushed through regardless. Jillian actually looked really pretty, she was wearing make-up and a skirt! Can you believe it?? Just in case you can't, I took a really bad picture for you to kind of get an idea...

That's by far the best I have ever seen her look.

Bonnie on the other hand, I have seen her look like this a lot. Apparently this is her favorite outfit, I wrote about this a month ago when she wore it for a like a week straight and now I have a picture for all you visualizers out there. To bring it back just one month later is just a little too soon...especially when you can wear whatever you want and you probably have a stylist...in my opinion.

Back to cleaning: Do you have any helpful cleaning tips? Any tricks for the dishwasher? Do you have the Steam Mop? Do you make your bed everyday?

Happy Friday!! Enjoy your weekend! It's going to be a beautiful one here in FL!

Important Lesson...

Chapstick + Sitting in hot car = FAIL.

I knew it was going to be a little melted so I tried to apply it at a slow rate. Apparently it was more melted than I thought and one little swipe across my lip resulted in a big huge chunk on my lip. Awesome.

Now that I blog, I capture the little stupid things that happen in my day for nothing other than your viewing pleasure. You're welcome.

Totally different story, but it has to do with Chapstick so I'm gonna roll with it. I had a chapstick that was perfectly rounded. You know how they come flat? Well I like mine round, I had spent months getting it to be perfect and just how I like it. My wonderful friend asked if she could borrow it, she commented on the perfection of the shape and I proudly agreed and then....she dug her little nail on the top and ruined it! (VAL! I will never forget that haha, but I do forgive and miss you!)

Whats your favorite kind of chapstick? I like the kind that give the shiny feel, like the one above is Blistex Silk & Shine- love it. I am also a fan of Carmex and Soft Lips.

Do you just do one coat or are you like me and apply it for approximately a minute going back and forth, back and forth over your lips a million and one times?

Pack Rat

First, I would like to start off this beautiful Wednesday morning with a shout out to my wonderful husband, Mr. B. Today is our 8 month anniversary! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by, I am so thankful to be married to my best friend, we are so close to officially starting our "grown up" life and it's so exciting- love you, babe.

Second, shout out to all of my wonderful followers! I have been blogging for almost two months and to have 101 people "addicted to the smell" is so encouraging and amazing! To think that just last month I was dreaming about having 25 followers, and yes I do realize that is a little pathetic and embarrassing to be dreaming about. I just had that much going on in my life that apparently this was top priority in my mind. So thank you all!! One day when we aren't in the poor newlywed phase maybe I can have a giveaway to show my appreciation. Until then you get just a get a big THANK YOU!

Speaking of officially starting our grown up life, Mr. B and I have 39 days left in FL (or approximately 39 days, it's not like we are counting and know the exact amount of days or anything). This chapter in our life has been wonderful, but once he graduates, gets a real job and we are settled in NH where we will have a lease longer than 9 months, be plugged into our home church and close to family, everything will feel a little more real and "official". These next few weeks are going to go by so fast and I am wasting no time. Seeing as I have nothing to do, but clean, work out, tan and watch TV all day, I thought I might be able to squeeze in some time to start packing. Another sign that we are one step closer-hallelujah! I spelled that right on my first try...umm impressive much?? So yesterday I conquered the closet, I decided I would get rid of a bunch of my clothes, pack up the ones that are out of season and leave out enough to last until we move. I looked at is as a 5 week vacation so I left out certain outfits and packed up the rest.

Admitting is the first step to overcoming and I will admit it...I am a pack rat. I hate to get rid of stuff: junk, letters, cards, clothes, pictures, shoes, undies with holes...anything. I am convinced that someday I will use it or in the case of my undies I have used them too much and can't bear to separate. So going through my closet goes something like....

I know this is way too small , but once I am all shredded it will fit and look great.....

I know this is too big and super unflattering, but it is perfect for when I'm bloated....

I know I have 3 other good pairs of jeans and these jeans are ripped, but they are my favorite pair and they make my butt look good....

I know I've had this for about 2 years and the tag is still on it, but I know one day I will wear it....

I haven't worn this in 5 years, but one day I might want to.....

It never fails.

As I mentioned above, I was leaving my closet as if I was going on vacation for 5 weeks...

Just like any other vacation, I may have over packed a little. There also might have been a load of clothes in the dryer as well to add to the "vacation" attire. Even though I typically only wear about 4 of those shirts you never know what could happen in our last month here, it's good to be prepared and maybe I will want to wear something different. Maybe.

That's my side of closet and I also get the bottom cubbies. This is Mr. B's side.

Equality at its finest.

"A bunch of clothes" to give away

It was a little (please note how little the little is) easier to make a pile of clothes that

I might be able to make money from that will go towards my haircut fund.

Incentives are helpful in overcoming this obstacle.

The clothes I could not part with and are packed away in an oh-so-classy trash bag.

I also have a bunch of winter clothes packed in space bags in the storage closet. Do I need all of these clothes?? Absolutely not. I just can't get myself to give them away because of the "what ifs". It's a problem. Never mind the fact that I am dying to go shopping and buy more.

I'm not really a shopaholic, but I do have my moments when given the opportunity. I am hoping for an opportunity in the near future, but it's not looking too hopeful.

Bottom line: I am a pack rat.

Are you??

Top 2 Tuesday: Things I can't live without

It's Top 2 Tuesday over at the undomestic momma! Today's topic is two things you can't live without, this excludes the obvious things like Jesus, Mr. B, family, friends and TV.

So here we go, my top two things:

1. iPhone. I can't even imagine having a normal phone any more. Honestly I am not even sure how I could live. Ok, that might be a bit of a stretch. But really...it would be so weird to not be able to go on facebook, twitter, blogs, check my emails, google anything, follow the map when I'm lost, listen to music, watch movies, take pictures, record videos- everything. The real question is- what can't I do with this phone?? A sad, slightly embarrassing fact about me: when I wake up in the middle of the night to check the time I always go on and check fb and twitter too. It's a habit.

Cute little Roxie ( I hope we get new pics soon!!) as my wallpaper, I am aware that the time is an ugly, odd number and yes it is bothering me, I debated whether or not to take another picture, and I am also in love with my phone cover.

2. Fan. It's an inherited trait in the Grace family. I can not sleep without a fan. I can if I absolutely have to, but it takes me for.ever. It normally takes me a long time anyways because my mind never turns off {isn't that so frustrating?? Why is it necessary to replay the entire day and think about the next 50 days?} I hate sleeping in silence. Who am I kidding...there is no silence with Mr. B's snoring, scratching, talking and various mouth noises he does in his sleep, but I can't sleep with that either. I love white noise and the hum of the fan is the perfect sound to drift me off into dreamland.

One day Mama Grace told Papa G to pick up a big fan for the living room because it was a really hot summer day. Well he took her very literal and he came home with this beast. A huge industrial fan that sounded like a plane taking off --wasn't exactly what she had planned for the living room. It was impossible to watch TV and have the fan on at the same time which is clearly a BIG problem. Although this fan was not the right fit for the living room, it is so amazing to sleep with. I think about it all the time, specifically when our current fan fails at completely blocking out the love of my life while he sleeps, therefore results in waking me up. Not a fan. No pun intended. Yeah right... totally intended that pun. Pretty clever if I do say so myself.

What are 2 things you can't live with out??

PS. Just finished Day 6 Level 2!

Pretty Nails

Can you guess what my favorite color nail polish is??

I love my nails painted, I paint them about once or twice a week. There is something about it that makes me feel much more feminine and put together. Mr. B is a fan of the natural look, so every once in a while I give my nails a chance to breathe don't paint them, for no other reason of course other than to make him happy. I don't see what it matters to him anyways so when I say every once in a while, I really mean maybe every two months or so. Dark colors are my fav, in case you didn't catch that from the photo above (shout out to Courtney- miss you and the special nail bond we have!) I think this has been the longest I have been without painting them- it's been about 3 weeks! The nail polish and I have a little date tonight, while watching Dancing with the Stars, to beautify these nails of mine that have been begging for some paint. I'm pretty excited. Anyone watching DWTS? Should be a decent season, I am hoping it is anyways. I wasn't sure Jake could be any cheesier, but I feel pretty confident he won't let us down with this show either. At least I'm a fan of his partner Chelsea, she was on So You Think You Can Dance a few seasons ago, so that should make the dancing a little more bearable. I also think Kate should be an interesting one to watch.

Anyways....What's your favorite color? Do you go for the expensive like O.P.I? I wish I could, but I just can't get myself to spend $9 on a bottle...of course then I pay for it when my 99 cent one is chipping the next day so it's probably worth the extra money.

P.S. Had to show off the perfect shape of my meatloaf tonight. It usually comes out looking like a very messed up brain. I was proud-this is an improvement.

P.P.S I realize the title to this post is SO lame, I apologize.

A Very Smelly Weekend

This weekend was filled with extra smelliness because Smelly Senior and Mama K- the original Smellys- were visiting. This was their first time seeing our place and in 5 weeks they will be helping us pack it up, but at least they got to see it once while it was all pretty and put together.

They arrived Friday night and we went to The Mongolian Grill.

A restaurant where you make your own stir-fry. It's fun and tasty, you put all your ingredients in a bowl and then you take it to these guys and they cook it up for you. This may be the one time, I thought it was nice to only be allowed to eat gluten free food- Mama K didn't have to wait in the long line and got a personal cook.

Saturday was a b-e-a-u-tiful day, 80s and sunny. The perfect way to kick off the spring season. I hope it lasts! Mr. B had to take a test in the morning, so Smelly Sr., Mama K and I went out for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. Then we walked through the shops and Mama K surprised me and let me pick out a shirt, she brought me to Loft- a store that for some reason had never been into and now I am in love with. Mr. B returned and he and Smelly Sr. went to a few stores while Mama K and I talked and soaked up some rays.

Mr. B had to go to a tennis match- a requirement for his Tennis Class, yes, that really is a class he is taking...and paying for, since the weather was so gorgeous we all went and watched. After that we had a late lunch at Sonny's BBQ before we headed to see the Jeremy Camp concert. I forgot to take pictures at the restaurants we went to, but you'll have to trust that we went, we looked good and it was delicious.

Ready for the concert with my totally-adorable-perfect-size-matches-with-everything-faux-Prada purse they bought me while vacationing in the Bahamas. (Awesome pick, Mama K!)

Waiting for the concert to start.

Jeremy Camp's wife, Adie, opened up for him. She has an amazing voice and she is from South Africa and has an accent that makes you jealous.

There he is- Jeremy Camp, woot woot. He is so talented and sounds exactly like he does on his CDs. His life is living proof of God's faithfulness, he has such an amazing testimony.

He brought his adorable little girls on stage to dance to one of his songs. It was so precious.

I have seen Jeremy in concert a few times before, but never with his wife. They are the Christian version of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (I've been to their concert too), you feel like you could watch them sing together all night. Although Tim and Faith's concert are completely opposite of this one, it was such a blessing to see the two of them worshiping Jesus together. Talk about a testimony these two share- wow! This is clip of their version of Jesus Loves Me, so fun!

After the concert, we had a late dinner at 10:30- way past all of our bedtimes which may explain why the pigment in my eyes are no longer there. Of course we ate at no other place, but the one and only GrillSmith and ordered the best filet ever.

Today we went to a church in Tampa that Mr. B and his family used to go to many years ago. This church is HUGE.

This is the foyer that was pretty much like the entrance to a really nice resort.

They even have a special room where you line up and..you won't even believe this...YOU get to meet, if you're lucky maybe even get to talk, with the Pastor!! How thoughtful is that?! We found it quite comical, I felt like you might even be able to get your picture taken, sit on his lap and tell him your prayer request.

They also had a fountain in there, Mr. B was embarrassed to be taking a picture in front of it, but hey it's there, it's pretty and might as well be used for something, right?

This is the sanctuary. Our home church is the size of the left side with the blue seats for the choir. Not kidding. (Shout out to BCC peeps- we miss you!) Notice the additional advertising for the opportunity to actually meet the pastor.

This did seem like a great church though.... just a few thousand too many people for my liking.

Today's weather is not nearly as nice as yesterdays.

We took our flip flops off and ran to the car, Mr. B was going to drive around and pick us up...along with the other thousand serving, Christian, wonderful husbands, so we ran and met him halfway instead.

Take 1. Wet hair stuck across face

Take 2. Wet hair stuck in mouth

Take 3. Mama K and I (sporting the new Loft shirt btw) wet with our barefeet. A picture that was totally worth 3 shots for the sole purpose of being on this blog. Mission complete. I am feeling pretty confident you are appreciative of us for capturing this moment so you could find as much excitement in this adventure as we did.

The weekend went by so fast. so. so. fast. It was certainly a quick trip, but it was a pleasure. Mr. B and I are so blessed to have such awesome parents and we love having them visit.

Thanks Smelly Sr. and Mama K for a great weekend!! We miss you and love you!

I think it's pretty obvious, a 35 day Shred is what I will be needing in order to work off all of the tasty food I consumed this weekend. Awesome.

That explains a lot...

When it's time to use these babies, I always find myself thinking, "Yup, sounds about right. That explains a lot." Justification, if you will.

Happy Spring!!

Show Us Your Life- Missions

Over at Kelly's Korner it's Show Us Your Life- Missions. I went to a Christian high school and we were blessed with the opportunity to go on mission trips during our spring breaks. I am excited to give you a glimpse of these awesome experiences.

My sophomore year we went to Mexico and we teamed up with a Christian organization. This was a unique missions trip because the focus wasn't so much on serving the poor on the streets, but rather about coming along side these people, supporting them and praying for them. The Lord used us to refresh and rejuvenate this organization.

This is where they slept. A giant circus tent with a bunch of twin beds. There was a tent for women and a tent for men. Married couples had little trailers for them and their families. Our team also slept in here. I had to sleep on the complete opposite side of my friends {I may have been a little scared}.

These were the bathrooms. A challenge to see how long you can hold your breath.

The shower. The.coldest.shower.of.my.entire.life.

We played with some of the children whose parents are part of the outreach team.

And held their cute little babes.

We ate real Mexican food....just a little different than Moe's or Taco Bell.

This includes rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We went on a "Jesus March" through town. They have a microphone and speakers they bring with them, they sing worship songs through the street and then they stop at a corner and preach.

This was a great experience. It wasn't exactly life-changing, but it was amazing to see God's people so devoted to preaching the gospel. And as always it puts your own life into perspective. Why did I complain about something silly like the lack of water pressure in the shower at my house, a big, clean, bathroom with hot water and soap? What am I doing for God's Kingdom? Would I devote my whole life like these people?

My junior year, I went to Romania. On this trip we all had host families. The team was separated all through out the town and we lived with different families from the church we were working with. This was Mr. B's first year at the school and he joined this trip as well.

The very beginning of "Ms. J & Mr. B"

We went to a children's home where we sang and made some crafts with them. These children really touched my heart. Many of them were left on the street. Many of them had mothers in prostitution. So many precious, innocent, happy faces.

We gagged enjoyed all the Romanian delicacies. Lots of soup made with God only knows what. Wedge of warm mushy cheese, little hot dog type thing and yogurt for breakfast every morning. I need to stop talking about it because it makes me sick thinking about it.

Some beautiful Romanian children on the streets.

Some of us from the team went to a little church, we led worship, prayed and preached.

These are the children from their Sunday School.

There's cute babies all over the world. I'll find them wherever I go!

This trip was my first trip where I really got to interact with the poor, with the "outcast". I got to love on children that are not loved by their parents, we got to show them the love of Jesus and see their faces light up with the littlest things. So touching.

I also got to connect with the most awesome man who 5 years later became my husband. That's a plus.

My senior year we went to the Ukraine. We stayed at a really nice place called the "Nehemiah House". This is a building that host many conferences and pastors around the world and on this trip they hosted us. They have nice rooms, nice bathrooms, kitchen, a little store, a computer etc. it's an awesome place.

This was a Big Brother/Big Sister trip. We were paired up and each assigned an orphan that was "ours" for a few days. So fun. This is me and my friend Rachel with our orphan, Maria.

We had a field day for our orphans filled with face painting, games, balloons and candy.

Mr. B with this adorable little orphan and Maria.

So cute.

Towards the end of the week we went into a gypsy village and had a bbq outreach. We played with the children while the leaders shared the gospel with their parents.

I told you, I find cute babies anywhere.

One of my favorite days. We were given the opportunity to go to a children's hospital. These newborns were found on the street and many of them were very sick. So sad.

We had another field day at a school. These are some of the students.

Then we said good-bye. We dropped them back off at their orphanage and drove away...

with many tears.

My freshman year of college, I went to the community college. They were having a spring break trip to Biloxi Mississipi where they teamed up with Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity to build new houses for Katrina victims. I went. This trip was so out of my comfort zone, to this day I can't even believe I went. I knew no.one.zero.nada.nobody. I am a girly girl, I went on a trip to work with tools and build houses. It's quite comical, really.

It costs me like $50 or something because it was sponsored by the school. My spring break was different than all my friends', I figured I might as well go. I prayed about, applied, got interviewed, got accepted and there I was building houses.

I slept here with 20 other girls from different colleges. Not that it mattered because I didn't even know the girls from my own college.

But it didn't take long for them to become my friends. This was by far the scariest moment of my life. If you ever need to make friends, I suggest doing something you have in common, like being on a wet slippery roof sweeping off the water so you can begin nailing in shingles and you are both shaking out of fear you'll slip right off and die. It is sure to bring you together.

It's a lot easier to pose with a hammer than to actually use one.

FYI: I'm a Red Sox fan, but the Chief hat was on sale for $3.

Nothing new...just nailing in some shingles. No big deal.

Cutting some siding for the house. I still don't believe it either. Me + Table Saw....Ha.

The siding is finished.

Each one of these trips has allowed me to grow and strengthen me into the woman that I am today. I am so thankful and blessed for these amazing opportunities that have opened my eyes to so much more than my normal everyday life.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 (NIV)

Happy Friday!!

Congrats and thanks if you made it all the way to here!