winner of March MK give away

And the winner is...

My dear cousin MANDY!!

(Mandy & her husband)

Keep an eye out in the next couple days for the APRIL Mary Kay give away :)

Last Chance!

First off, sorry that I have been absent from my blog recently. School has been very stressful and time consuming.

Second, tomorrow is your LAST CHANCE to enter my March MK giveaway! Thursday evening I will announce the WINNER...so stay tuned!

Then on Friday I will be starting my April MK giveaway and discounts! 

Hope you have a great week!

busy, busy, busy

This week has been VERY busy for me with school. So I have not had a chance to blog. And tonight I have to study... so this will be a short one.

I spent the weekend with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew since they were here from MD for a wedding. I miss this already and hope they can move back to MN soon :) 

(pic of niece & nephew from my phone)

School has been crazy and stressful so far this semester. I am hoping to do better on my tests and bring my grade up because right now it is just discouraging. I could use some prayer and encouragement in this area if you think of it :)

I got the last 2 books in the mail from the series by Karen Kingsbury that I am reading. So excited to finish them!!

I also ordered more MK stuff that just came out this season. I am excited about the new products, and building my business. If you want to hear more about the opportunity or are interested in supporting me and pampering yourself - email me! 

Well, on a note of getting things in the mail... Today I got my copy of "It Started With a Blog" by Steph Page. I would recommend checking out her blog. She is a new blog friend of mine and the sister-in-law of a dear friend from the Honor Academy. She is so encouraging and I cannot wait to meet her in person!!

(click here to check out her blog & devotional)

Well, I'm gonna hit the books till my wonderful, handsome hubby gets home from work.

Fabulous Friday & the Weekend

I'm joining my dear friend Ria @ Life as a Wife! for FABULOUS FRIDAY!!

Today my to do list consists of:

-washing dishes/cleaning my kitchen

-laundry

-trip to Target :)

-grocery shopping

-lunch w/ Jarrett at the Mexican restaurant

-making dinner (might have company, but hubby works)

-painting my nails! something for ME

-oh...and reading my book 

Tomorrow: I get to watch my niece and nephew! I am so excited to see them... I haven't since our wedding back in August. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are coming up tonight for a wedding that he is in tomorrow. Everyone else works, so I get the kids to myself for a couple hours until my hubby and father-in-law get off work and join me. I am excited for the time to spend with family :)

(Justin & Annie and their kids)

(me & my niece at the wedding...she was ADORABLE)

(one of my favorites of my niece & nephew)

Sunday: We plan to go to church and then I am going to do some studying and hopefully have a Skype date with my sister while Jarrett is at work. Then we are heading to my in-laws again for the evening. Maybe I will bring groceries and cook dinner since my mother-in-law unfortunately has to work.

YAY for weekends off work and NO school :)

March Give Away!

Remember that this month I am offering 30% off a $30+ purchase on my website!!

Also, don't forget to enter into my give away for this great product

(Mary Kay Cream Eye Color)

See details here!

back to school

Today I had my first day back to school after Spring Break. Wow... what a change to dive right back into a unit of lectures that we started - what seems like - forever ago. I sat in class surrounded by my classmates who's names I know, but personally have never actually met. I spend so much time in this classroom, but not with the people. Many seem so consumed in themselves and their lives outside of class. 

I long to know people and make friends in this stage of my life. I feel stuck without the surroundings of Christian supporters and friends. After spending time at the Honor Academy and living with wonderful Christian women, I realize how much I may have taken that for granted. In this season of my life I do not have to opportunity to be completely surrounded by friends who have the VERY same love that I do. It breaks my heart sometimes and I wonder why I am here right now. My purpose and future seems so unclear. My life is consumed by school work and hours spent working at my part time job. But today as I observed the environment I am in... I realized that even if everything else is foggy - I can be a light. I don't have to conform to the life of my classmates in order to "fit in" or have someone to hang out with. How important is that? Maybe here an now it is nice to have the company? But is it good company? and how will it effect my life? I am reminded of a verse in 1 Corinthians that says, Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 

I long to find my identity in Christ day after day. And right now, it is something that I need to be diligent about and constantly think of. I don't know how many days I have ahead of me. I can't plan to do something about it tomorrow when today may be the only day that counts. Do something different today. Stop and talk to someone you don't know. Help someone who is struggling to put their groceries in the car. Even the small things that seem to be nothing make a HUGE difference!

His Love

Today I am trying to grasp how much God really loves me...

UNCONDITIONALLY!

I know I have taken it for granted countless times throughout my life, but He is still there, still running after me, waiting for me, longing to hold me. How can you even begin to wrap your mind around that? Psalm 136:2 says, "Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever." There is so much simplicity in that statement. He is forever, never failing, ETERNAL. 

Today I dedicate to loving and worshiping Him. I get so busy in life and what needs to be done that I don't take the time I need to rest at His feet.

trip to the Cities!

Yesterday I was able to make a day trip to the cities with my husband :)

First we stopped in Blaine on our way down to get some Chipotle...MMMMmm it sounded so good and I was getting too hungry to make it to Bloomington without eating. Unfortunately our friends Josh and Ria were working and we weren't able to see them.. NEXT time for sure!

Then we headed over to the MOA. I decided against going to IKEA because I figured I would never come out once I went in! So that trip will be saved for when we have money and can actually buy the things we want for our home. We spent several hours walking around the mall and were able to meet up with a friend from the Honor Academy. I hadn't seen her in about 3 years. It was so fun to spend some time with her and enjoy Caribou :) Miss spending time with her and taking in some of her creativity! While we were there Jarrett got a new "toy" at the brain store. Take a look!

(they actually take quite a bit of concentration)

After enjoying coffee, we headed to the airport for our REAL reason for the trip...
To pick up Corrissa. She has been in Cambodia for the past month doing clinics. Praise the Lord for her safety and the amazing opportunity that she had over there. She is such a caring person and is going to make a terrific nurse.

(here is Corrissa working a clinic)

Now today I plan to tackle some house work and get some studying done! 

Have a blessed day and be encouraged! 

"The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing." --Zephaniah 3:17 (Amplified Bible)

Bring on Spring!!

I don't know about you, but I am getting sick of the snow and am ready to see some buds on the trees and some green grass. Oh, and some beautiful sunshine would be GREAT too :)

I am kicking off my Mary Kay business again in celebration of my ONE YEAR anniversary and SPRING!!

Visit my website and place a $30 or more order and receive 30% off ALL month!

Also, get your hands on one of our new pots of MK Cream Eye Color in your choice of color. Just follow my blog and leave a comment with your email address, eye color choice (check them out on my website), and your favorite MK product!

Friday Fun...

Today I am so excited to be starting SPRING BREAK! Although we are not going anywhere, it will be so nice to have the week off school and try to get caught up on everything that has been lacking attention. The fun begins TODAY! I get to go to Duluth with my Hubby (which is something we have not been able to do for a while, and I love it!) 

First thing on the agenda is... Olive Garden! We received a gift certificate for Christmas and have yet to use it, so today we are splurging on the eating and enjoying some soup, salad, and breadsticks. 

Then some errands around town. I have grown to love Target more and more over the past several months. Last night I spent an hour or so gathering coupons and making my list. Our fridge is somewhat depleted right now and I'm excited to stock it with Archer Farms Organics, Horizon Organic Milk Boxes, and Amy's Kitchen Dinners. Some of these items are great for our crazy, busy, on the go life - and they don't have all the extra junk in them. What a BONUS!

Then tonight we have some friends coming for dinner. I love having people over and cooking, but unfortunately we don't have much time and don't have many friends in the area. Our friends - Seth & Renee - are expecting their first baby together next month! I am so excited for them and their little GIRL! My husband - Jarrett - works with Seth at Tradehome Shoes. And I just enjoy having coffee dates with Renee on occasion... a girl needs her Caribou every now and then! Tonight the menu is:

-Sesame Chicken

-Pea Pods

-Sweet Potatoes seasoned w/ chili powder, salt, and pepper

-Cream Cheese Wontons

- and....German Chocolate Bars. 

I have LOVED finding new recipes and cooking healthy! I'll try to share some favorites every now and then.

Just wanted to share a little pick me up and I listen to when I am stressed or just for the reminder :) I first heard this when I was at the Honor Academy. My core advisor - Noelle - shared this with us and it just blew me away. It is so powerful! Just sit back, relax, sip your favorite hot beverage, and enjoy what God is doing in your life TODAY!

Here it is... Graham Cooke's: The Nature of God part 1 & part 2

About Us

This is where you write about you and your husband

Finally!

After many months of attempting to "perfect" my blog layout before launching it - I have decided that it is good enough.

I hope to keep up with this and share what is on my heart and the events of our life as we continue on this journey!

So...HERE I AM!