daydreaming...

...about the day when my sweet almost-husband will work 8-5 and then come home to me. i miss him.

he is such a hard worker. he loves what he does, and he does it well. i appreciate the little things...

today, he helped me find a return flight for july, paid our cell phone bill, made time to chat with me, made me laugh, and still made his flight on time...back on tour for the next three days until he picks me up in Birmingham!

Someday, he'll go to work in the morning...and come home to me at night. sounds lovely.

waiting.

i lack patience. i am inherently, stubbornly, impatient. right now, i am waiting for the next 5 days to pass so i can head to sweet home alabama and see my Love! i'm waiting to graduate. waiting to leave for the carribean. waiting for our wedding. waiting for real life to start. waiting for the fall term of school. waiting on some concerts. waiting on a paycheck. but waiting only accomplishes so much. i have to continue to focus on other things, because Life keeps right on happening. Life never slows to accomodate complacency. God expects a challenged heart even in the waiting season. I love john waller's song "waiting", where he says,

"While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait


We can run the race while we wait. We can worship while we wait.

I was chatting yesterday with another band wife; her husband is gone much of the year on tour. She said, "isnt waiting the worst? you feel like your heart is literally going to explode until you can see him again!" and i said, "oh i know!" then she said, "but God uses that time, grace! He grants you extra patience and every time it doesn't get easier but you get stronger. and it strengthens your love for your husband and your dependence on the Lord. and oh, how it makes you depend on the Lord!"

so i choose thankfulness today, instead of impatience. i will watch God work in the next five days even as my heart wants to badly to run right by the next few days. I will be eagerly anticipating time with my Love, but also time for God to do what He wants in the next few days :)

the very best of forever 21

I have decided to highlight the very best of Forever21's summer collection. I love very select pieces from forever 21, though their clothes do not last and tend to wash very badly. However, for summer clothes, I have found some very chic pieces that i love! so here is the best of their online store:



This is a darling madras romper, with cute vintage details like the criss cross back and nice color scheme.



This darling mustard skirt is soooo cute and looks more Urban Outfitters than Forever21. I love the studs on the back pockets.



This sweet little top is very Blair-esque and would look so great tucked into a black skirt with flats for a professional summer look.



A darling mickey and minnie tank that i would tuck into a fitted black skirt and pair with a pink hairbow and wayfarer glasses.




I would belt this cute chiffon dress and pair it with saddle shoes and a beaded headband.

this is where i'm headed...

IN SEVEN DAYS...off to sweet home alabama to see my Love! it's been over 40 days since i last saw him, so i am very excited...
i'll be going to orange beach while im there...looks lovely, huh?



then...off to HERE in september!!! St Maartens island in the Caribbean!!!! headed there with 8 of my best friends for a girls trip to celebrate our last summer together before graduation next summer!

well....

the enthusiasm about sewing that i had last week (i even went and bought yards and yards of beautiful fabric, zippers, and thread) has quickly dissolved into exhaustion as i have been working 40 hours a week. add to that my twisted ankle and bruised knee and pretty much i have been asleep after work every night...i stay awake long enough to talk to drew and thats about it. last night, a few friends and i started a summer movie club. we watch one war movie a week. its sort of depressing, but they definitely make you appreciate the military. brandon, my friend from nursing school, was in the Navy for 7 years, so he has tons of military hats. he made us all wear one (yes, seriously) for the ceremonial watching. we watched 'stop-loss', which was a fabulous movie (though it had tons of language) that was sobering and thoughtful. i highly recommend it if you can overlook the language (most of it is in the context of war, which seemed to make it less offensive, since it was realistic and not gratuitous).
i am ridiculous excited about the new twilight and the new toy story 3. i dont think i can talk drew into seeing both of them, but i bet he would like toy story more (he agreed to watch twilight because he is a good fiance, but i feel kindof bad making him sit thru that ;) drew is wrapping up his last few dates in FL with chris and conrad...no one is happier about end of tour than ME! actually, everyone on the tour is pretty wiped out and ready to see their families too. the tour went pretty well, but alot of things were more work than they were anticipating, so needless to say, drew is ready to be home. he gets back to montgomery on tuesday, then gets a few days of rest, then back out for a one-off and then to birmingham to pick ME up! i cant wait to see him! when i see him again, it will have been 45 days since i last said goodbye. this life is definitely rough on these long runs, but we are thankful for his income and the experience he has gotten, even though it keeps us apart.
i am very excited for vacation...

i am in the midst of applying for every scholarship i can think of...i'm so tired of writing essays i cant even think anymore! it's like working on top of working my regular job. blech. in more exciting news, i am working with a new indie artist...he shows alot of promise...i'm very excited about it. and i am also in the process of beginning to freelance write again for the summer! the income is so good, and though i was happy to have a break, i'm ready to get back into it. i miss the community of writers i used to work with. lots on the horizon. God is always good and faithful and we are so thankful!

-g&d

i have a special talent

today, i wore a new dress to work, my "fiesta" dress, a mexican inspired dress with tiny pompoms and bright green mixed patterns...so cute. well when i went to grab my morning starbucks, i was coming back into work and slipped and fell. i fell up the stairs, slammed my right knee (and my bad knee, injured four years ago from a snowboard accident) and fell all the way down the flight, bruising my right hip and twisting my ankle. it takes special talent to fall up the stairs.

" Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you' re just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have YOU... The one who turns to his friends and says, thats her... " ~Unknown

Kristen Bell's cute fashion

I think Kristen Bell does the best job of flattering her petite frame. I love these dresses and sweet outfits

Dress Collection

I have an enormous dress collection. However, at the prodding of my precious fiance, I have been getting rid of the ones that don't fit and don't work for my petite frame. I have been really smitten with nautical blues and whites for summer, and have been leaning towards one-shoulder and tailored styles. Here's a few of my favorites:



i bought this DARLING tailored dress...i LOVE the fitted waist and the crisp khaki skirt and my favorite part is the detailing of the bodice. the ruffles add a girly flair to the professional pinstripes.



i found this sweet skirt on forever21.com. It wasn't something i would normally go for, but it's suspenders made it fun and still professional for my summer job. I will pair it with a modest white tanktop and some silver and white earrings and white wedge sandals.



I haven't bought this beautiful dress yet, because my size is out of stock, but i'm in love with the darling colors! It's nick and mo brand, and i think it's absolutely beautiful! I would pair it with a yellow hairbow and mustard color sandals. isn't it cute?

a random update

21 days until i'm back in Bama, hitting the beach and spending long and lazy days with my Love and our dear friends.

Excited for events like the arrival of Baby Willis, and seeing our Rush of Fools family, and spending time with my friends while Drew is on tour for a few days. Hopefully going to Orange Beach or Pensacola if the oil spill hasn't ruined the water. Can't wait! I'm bringing new books, dozens of dresses, my iPhone, and a hat for the sunshine! busy summer ahead, full of travel and work and hopefully, fun and sunshine. i'm heading on a raft trip on wednesday, camping with the nursing school and braving a class 3 and 4 river! as long as we all make it alive, it'll be awesome...at least we're all nurses, so there's no lack of medical care :) i get to meet my new nephew, jack, this summer too, and watch five of my friends tie the knot...just watched seven friends graduate and can't wait to being planning my wedding and graduation. this is definitely a weird time period...i feel old. Lots of life changes; my beloved roomies Liz and Em are moving out, which is bittersweet. Definitely looking forward to getting married and moving ahead in my career; college is getting old and tiring. i'm ready to be a wife and a full-time nurse.

21 days...hopefully it zips by!

happy birthday, Love

To my Drew-

You are 23 today...I wish I could celebrate with you, Love!

You are in Oklahoma City today, working hard as usual...

Thank you for all you do.

For working so hard and always taking care of finances and budgets and flights.

Thanks for being better at cars and changing tires and pumping gas.

Thanks for always saving my macbook when it breaks.

Thanks for late night phone calls and morning text messages.

Thanks for airport signs and googly eyes.

For always making me laugh when I'm crying.

For taking good care of me, for loving me.

For always updating our iCal so I know where you are.

For loving Jesus more than me.

For wanting a family and kids and letting me know that we will always come first when we are married.

For setting and keeping a date night.

Thank you for being the man that you are.

I love you.