Day #10-Something You're Afraid Of

I've been slacking a little on the whole 30 Day Blog Challenge, but today I'm supposed to write about something I'm afraid of. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I have a deathly, abnormal fear of BIRDS!!!

We have NOT been able to figure out why I don't like birds, but it honestly, is a true fear of mine. I don't like any kind of bird. Most people say how pretty they are and don't understand why I don't like them, but thing is, I'm scared of birds, the same way others are afraid of the dark, or of snakes or spiders. I can't stand going to the beach and having tons of seagulls quacking and squaking at me. I will go inside in a minute! I've seen videos of people being attacked by birds and while most may think that's funny...it terrifies me! I know it's weird, but it's just me!

Day #8-Place You've Traveled To

I'm having to do 2 days in one because I haven't been able to keep on track since I've been at work the last 3 nights. But now I am off for a week (YAY!), so hopefully I will be able to keep up this week. Today, I'm supposed to write about a place I have traveled to. I honestly haven't traveled to alot of extravagant places in my life. I'm hoping to do lots of traveling later in life. :) But I think the neatest place I've traveled to is.....

LAS VEGAS! I went to Las Vegas in September 2009 and it was SO much fun. It was a neat experience and I hope to go back again one day to see more. I got to see the Blue Man Group which was so neat.

It really is the biggest little city in the world. So much to do, so much going on....VIVA LAS VEGA$! :)

Hope everyone is having a happy Thursday!!

Day 7-Favorite Movies

I'm a day or so off because of work. When I work, all I do is eat, sleep and work it seems like. But today I'm supposed to write about my favorite movies. Gosh! Where do I even begin??

(Listed in random order..)

1.) Love Actually
2.) Monsters Inc.
3.) Sex and the City 1&2
4.) All the Twilight movies
5.) Legends of the Fall
6.) Hocus Pocus
7.) The Notebook
8.) The Holiday

I'm sure I have tons of other favorite movies, but it's hard to think of them all!

Day #6-Picture of Something that Makes You Happy

I was thinking about what makes me happy and that are lots of things that make me truly happy. I'm not sure I can narrow it down to just ONE thing. But if I had to choose one thing, it would be....

My fiance and best friend, Ben, is something that makes me truly happy. Sorry to get all sappy, but he is the BEST guy I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and one of the best people in general that I've ever known. Ben has such a caring, servants heart. Some of the things he does and says just blows me away. He is your typical, southern gentleman who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He doesn't meet a stranger and is an excellent leader. I can't wait to marry him on April 16th and have him as the leader of our family and get to call him MY husband. Never in my wildest dreams did I think God would have blessed me with someone like Ben.

A few other things that make me happy are:

1.) Christmas
2.) My dogs, Lacy & Gracie
3.) Big family get togethers
4.) Bonding with a patient at work
5.) Killing my first deer :)
6.) Being at the lake, riding in a boat
7.) When God shows me something new

Day #5-Siblings

Today I'm supposed to write about my siblings. Well...I have one brother. His name is Luke and he is 19 years old (will be 20 in January). Surprisingly he is an awesome cook (he works at Archie's Oyster Bar in Auburn as a cook and he is the kitchen manager) and he also can do awesome yard work (he works for Williamson's Lawn). He loves to work on his truck, hunt, fish, mud ride....anything that a typical southern boy likes to do. Luke is excellent at fixing stuff and is such a handy man. He may be tall and skinny, but that boy is STRONG.

I never would have thought that I would be that close to my brother because we are 7 years apart in age, but the older we get, the closer we get. It makes me feel good to know that I have a brother who loves me, takes up for me and does anything he can to protect me. I feel that's what he's supposed to do....

Opelika game 2007

Summer 2008

Christmas 2009

St. Patrick's Day 2010

"There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother." ~Astrid Alauda

Day #4

On day #4 of the blog challenge, you're supposed to write about your parents, but I have a little something else I would like to share today.
Yesterday I killed my very first deer, the very first time I ever went hunting. It was SO exciting and fun! I am still feeling the excitement! It all started with a little target shooting yesterday at Ben's farm. I had been telling him that I needed to target shoot because I eventually wanted to go hunting. I was a little nervous about shooting the gun because I know guns usually "kick" and I was scared it would hurt. I went out to Ben's farm right around lunch time (yes, in the nasty rain) and we practiced. I was so surprised that the gun I shot didn't kick me at all (well...it didn't hurt at all.) After several practice shots, Ben said I was good to go.
At the last minute Ben decided that it would be a great day for hunting (because of the weather) and figured we would see some deer if we went as long as I could stand sitting in a tree stand with it raining some. I decided that I needed to take the chance, so we both suited up and headed out to his lease land. The scariest part was climbing in the stand! I couldn't believe how nervous I was about that. I'm not normally scared of heights, but I think it was the fact that the wind was blowing, therefore the tree was moving and it just made me nervous. Within 10 minutes, we had already seen 3 doe and a 5 pt that was way too far to shoot. We saw several other doe (one that I ALMOST shot at, but hesitated and she walked away) and then saw a spike walk RIGHT in front of our stand at about 8 yds away! It was really neat. There was a green field that we kept eyeing just waiting for something to walk out. I started getting pretty cold and my hands were like ice, but Ben said it was getting to be "prime time" and I decided I was not giving up now. Then all of a sudden, a doe walked onto the green field...I started getting excited....so I pulled the gun up, found the doe in the scope and watched her...I waited a little too long b/c she walked behind a tree. There was a smaller deer right behind her, but I knew I wasn't going to shoot that. Then all of a sudden another one walked into the green field...what appeared to be a good size doe. I lined it up, and didn't hesitate. I shot the deer and it literally dropped like a sack of potatoes at about 90 yds away. Ben was so excited...I think he was more excited than me at first. He was like "ahh you dropped it, I can't believe you dropped it!!" Ben grabbed the gun for me and was going to shoot the other doe that had been in the field, but she ran away. We got out of the stand and walked to see my kill and realized it was a spike!! I know normally you don't shoot spikes, but it was my first time and we could tell that it was a spike from the stand. We met up with Ben's cousin Chris Adams and the photo shoot began. I got a little blood on my cheeks and started posing away. :) After loading it up, we went by Chris Schnarr's house to show it off (and take more pictures).
It was such a fun and exciting experience. I never would have thought that I would have actually ENJOYED hunting. I always wanted to go just to go and maybe even kill a deer (just to say I killed one). But I sorta can't wait to go again and hopefully kill a bigger buck next time. I am blessed that my first experience deer hunting was a good one. Saw lots of deer, it wasn't TOO cold (although I got pretty cold) and I ended the hunt with a kill. Doesn't get any better than that!!

"Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me..."--Genesis 27:3
Here are some pictures from the night...

Day #3-Your First Love

"This is how we ought to know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."--1 John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son. That whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life."--John 3:16

Growing up I always heard the song, "Jesus Loves Me", but didn't really understand what it actually meant until I was much older. I went through elementary school and high school knowing that God loved me and He had a plan, and knew what I should do, but I didn't necessarily do it. I wasn't a "bad kid" by any means, but I didn't have a strong relationship with God like I do now. Most people drift away from their beliefs and their relationship with God when they go off to college. They start experiencing new things and somehow get caught up in the everyday life, forgetting what's truly important. The opposite was true for me. I started college and immediately began going to church by myself every Sunday morning. That lead to me getting involved in the college ministry at our church as well. Once I started going, I jumped in head first and haven't regretted it since. After learning how important a strong faith and relationship with God is, my life changed. I saw things in a different way...it really is true when the Bible says,

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."--Romans 12:2

I experienced a full-on "renewing of my mind" and it was such an exciting thing to experience. It's all been history from there. Sure, I have my times where I don't spend as much time reading the Word as I should...I don't spend enough time in church or at bible study, but one thing I do know to be true is that God's love never fails. We may experience heartache and other people may disappoint us (more than once) but it is HIS love that is constant. I know that His amazing grace has been poured out over me even when I don't deserve it. But that's why God is SO good. He loves us even when we fail. He has the true "agape" love for us.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. "--1 John 4: 7-12

See, God is in the business of love. That's what He does best. I strive each day to love others, even when it's hard because He loves me even when I am unlovable...