October 1st

I know you're expecting me to talk to about our first anniversary celebration, and I will in another post, but not here.

And maybe you're expecting me to reminisce about last year, our wedding day, but that's not my plan.

You see, I want to tell you about the twenty-three October firsts that came before 2011.

From 1987 to 2010, here is everything that happened on an October 1st that stands out to me.














Absolutely nothing.

You see, October 1st was just another day in a year.

And now, it's one of my favorite and most important days in every single year.  For the rest of my life.

It is amazing to me how marrying TJ changed so much about my life, for the better, of course.  Even a day of the year has now forever been changed for me.  A new day to celebrate a new life together, forever.

And soon, I'll give you all the details about our One Year Anniversary Celebration.

Throw Up Thursday

Throw Up Thursday: The most consistent thing on this blog.

I threw a party and basically turned the house upside down in preparation for it.

He didn't complain once.

Throw Up Thursday

Another reason Thursday is better than Wednesday (other than being that much closer to Friday, of course)

I'm not very good at sharing sadness.  I tend to try and hide it when I'm sad.  And I'm good at it.  Most people in my life can't tell. 

But he can.  And that makes all the difference. 

30 Day Challenge - Day 17 - Something You're Proud Of

Day 17 - Something that You're Proud Of

Recently I made breakfast for my husband and myself.  And this is huge because my husband and I have completely different preferences for food: He like's his bacon still oinking and I don't think it's possible to burn it; he prefers scrambled eggs and I like over-easy.

Well, I successfully cooked two separate breakfasts at the same time and we both loved what we ate! Yay!

30 Day Challenge - Day 16 - Something You Always Think "What if ... " About

Day 16 - Something You Always Think "What if..." About

What if ... I had a different name?  

Does a name really have any influence on a person? Would anything have been different if I was a Tiffany or a Britney or a Stephanie?

I really love being a Kelly.  Whatever that means. 

30 Day Challenge - Day 15 - Your Zodiac/Horoscope and If You Think It Fits Your Personality

Day 15 - Zodiac

I don't believe in horoscopes, as in what can be found in a newspaper or magazine, because it is statistically impossible that 7 billion people are each having one of only twelve days. 

My birthday is September 24 which makes me a libra, or the sign of the Scales.

I'll let you be the judge, based on the descriptions included in the pictures below, if I am a true libra or not. 

Bad Libra

Good Libra

The answer: Yes, I am absolutely fabulous.  :)

30 Day Challenge - Day 14 - What You Wore Today

Day 14 - What You Wore Today

Today I wore my favorite black shoes from Forever 21 and the heel broke off. :(

Today I wore my comfy jeans and by the end of the day they were my "mom" jeans. :(

Today I wore my pretty purple shirt that I got for a great price at Goodwill. :)

Today I wore my princess cut fake diamond earrings. :)

So I pretty much broke even on the smiley/frowny face scale of clothes I wore today.

30 Day Challenge - Day 13 - Your Body

Day 13 - Your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it.

My body is temporary. It changes every day. I accept the fact that I am no longer as skinny as I was as a child and that I can no longer shop in the Juniors section. Hip-hugging jeans are no longer an option.  

My body will continue to change, weight fluctuating from one place to another and from one size to another.  I will work at staying in a healthy weight range, but it will only become more difficult as I age.  

My hair will become stark white, not the beautiful silver I hope for (as evidenced by all of the older ex-redheads I know now).  My skin will lose it's battle to gravity and yet it will bunch up into wrinkles at the same time.  Hopefully I have more smile wrinkles than frown ones. 

If I ever become pregnant, my body will no longer be mine alone.  

My body is temporary and constantly changing.

My body is not who I am. My soul is. There is a quote by C.S. Lewis:

My body does not define me.  I don't live my life in an attempt to control my body's shape or weight, but to take charge of my soul.  

My soul is eternal.  My body is temporary. 

2 Corinthians 4:18 - "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

My soul is eternal. My body is temporary. 

I fix my eyes on what is unseen because it will be with me forever.  

One day I will die and my body will become dirt.  But my soul? 

My soul will shine in the presence of the Light of the World (John 8:12),

My soul will sing songs of praise to the God who rejoices over me with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

My soul will rest in the company of He who promised rest for all (Matthew 11:28).

My soul will rejoice for the One who rejoiced over me when I was found (Luke 15:6, 9, and 32).

My soul will approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrew 4:16).

My soul will never meet its end, but it will meet its Maker.

Throw Up Thursday

Another reason Thursday is awesome; other than being the day before Friday, of course.  Wait, have I used that one before?

My love tells me the truth, even if I don't want to hear it.  I never have to second-guess what he says. 

It is the most amazing feeling to be able to trust my help-meet so completely. 

30 Day Challenge - Day 12 - Five Guys You Find Attractive

Day 12 - Five Guys You Find Attractive

5) Jeffrey Dean Morgan

4) Will Smith

Any man who does this on the red carpet for his wife automatically makes my top 5.

3) James McAvoy

2) Joseph Gordon-Levitt

1) TJ Shinn

HUBBA HUBBA HUBBY!

Throw Up Thursday

The one day per week I let all the warm-fuzzies out in public.

My husband can sing. He can sing well. And he does it often.

Who needs an iPod when you're married to a talented musician?

30 Day Challenge - Day 11 - Your Family

Day 11 - Your Family

Well, my family is my husband and me.  No children. No pets. Just the way we like it (for now). 

One step out from that would be my mom, dad, step-mom, older brother, sister-in-law, two nephews and one niece (the most precious babies ever!!!) and my two little brothers.

For the hubs, it's his mom, dad, step-mom, little sister, older sister, and brother-in-law. 

I would describe my family as ecclectic.  Everyone has their own unique personality and no one acts like another.  It's definitely been interesting to expand my family to include him and his.  Not because any of them are difficult, but because I don't like change.  And I'm not always the best with people; I definitely have my socially-awkward moments.  

Our family, because we are now one giant family, is there to support us through our marriage.  It's great to have a support system like that.  

Ok, I'm done. 

(see, socially awkward, but that's seriously how I end conversations sometimes) :-/