F I V E | Passion

Passion is an undeniably hard topic for me to write about, and I'm not sure why. Maybe because there are entirely too many things I've passionate about. 

God.

Politics.

Our military & veterans.

Ending human trafficking & sex slavery.

Education.  

All of these are such hot button items, and all of them would require hours of conversation, so I'll spare you all the details.

F O U R | Fashion Trends

I tend to shy away from fashion trends.  Not because I don't like them, but because I find that I lack the time, energy, and patience to shop often, put together outfits, include jewelry, etc.  I wish I were one of those girls that just always looks put together, but I'm not.  Quite frankly, I feel like a hot mess 99% of the time.  I think a lot of is deals with the weight I've put on in recent years, a lot of it is lack of self confidence.  One of these days I'm just going to have to get it together, because work will demand it.  

So, a fashion trend I love...

Maxi SKIRTS!  They are so easy to throw on, add a cute top, a necklace, and bam. Love. Them.

A fashion trend I hate...

Peplum tops, dresses, etc.

Unless you are a size 2, with no curves, it's incredibly hard to pull of this trend. That's not saying that some women bigger than a size 2 don't rock this trend, and look fantastic.  I'm not one of them.  Between being top heavy, then adding ruffles around the middle, it's just NOT a good combination.

T H R E E | Growing Up is Overrated

I've often pondered this question... what do you want to be when you grow up?  I wish I had an answer.  

{Professionally} I'm pretty much on point with where I want to be.  I wish I were a little bit further ahead (having finished my CPA license, gathered some more experience, making more money) but overall, I'm usually pretty happy with where I am.  If I had it to do all over again, knowing what I know now, I might {would} have made some different choices.  Hindsight is 20/20.  I still stand by the idea that the world can't expect an 18 year old to make a decision about the rest of their life.  It's impossible. 

{Personally} I've struggled a bit.  After a disaster of a marriage, a miserable divorce, I'm finally H A P P Y.  It's an incredible feeling.  But my patience?  Yeah, not so much.  I'm ready for the next step in our journey.  It'll happen in time, I have faith in that.  There's a lot of changes happening, and it's going to all work out and be amazing in the end.  

R E C A P | August Goals

Um, holy moly.  I feel ridiculously productive this month.  Other than the "health" section, I actually can CHECK OFF EVERYTHING ELSE!  :-)  And, not only did I complete {almost} everyone on my goals list, I completed stuff that WASN'T on my goals list per say, but has been out there to be done for YEARS.  How's that for an awesome August?  

Here are my August goals:

Just for your info:
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Relevant
T - Time-Bound

HEALTH
1.  Work out.  Period.  30 minutes, at least.  3 - 5 days a week.  Just do something.

 HOME
1.  Hang curtain rod & curtains for living room.  Goal date:  8/10/2014  A little later than my original goal date, but um, it's done.  And really, that's all that matters.  I can't even remember how many MONTHS this has been on my to do list.  Oops.  I forgot to take a picture of this, but maybe I'll remember tonight and update tomorrow.

2.  Hang IKEA shelves above desk, and organize the office space.  Goal date:  8/10/2014  Same goes for this one.  I figured since I was getting ready to start a new CPA section, the least I could do is start with a clean slate desk wise.  Ignore the cords underneath.  I haven't figured out exactly what to do with them.  And, I'm not sure that the wire drawers will stay there.  I also need to do some more decorating on the shelves, but for now, they look great!  :-)

PERSONAL
1.  Take the FAR portion of the CPA exam.  I tackled this test on 8/29.  I'm not too confident that I passed, but we'll see.  

2.  Celebrate Adam's arrival, and get LOTS of baby snuggles!  Oh my gosh, this baby boy!  He was born on 8/11.  And he's precious.  It's been a week since I've seen him, but man, he needs to stop growing already!  Isn't this little burrito baby adorable?  I most certainly think so.

3.  Plan one evening out.  Do something fun & spontaneous to break up the boredom of always studying.  Live a little.  Alex & I have tried to make it a point to spend time together and do more things outside of our house in August.  But I won't lie, August was a HORRIBLE month.  I'm glad it's September.  Hopeful for big things coming our way!  I tried to take a selfie, but when you are a foot shorter than your boyfriend, they tend to turn out like this. :-)

And here's all the projects I finished in August...

The first  embroidery project was started in 2012, to be ready for the "fall" season.  Um, yeah.  I clearly didn't make it.  The second one was started & finished this weekend, AND I learned a new stitch which is fun.  :-)

And these pillows... the paisley pillows were sewn by my mom when I moved into my first apartment after separating from Marcus.  All I had to do was stuff the pillows & close them. Needless to say, I just got around to it this weekend, but I love how they kind of complete our bed.  :-)

And I also put together a fabric bunting of Halloween fabric to decorate my desk at work.  I love making these buntings.  They are high impact without much work.  :-)  This is the 4th or 5th one I've made.  

T W O | Happy, Happy, Happy

As I continue with Brave Love's The Blog-tember Challenge, I find myself really thinking about what makes me happy.  Today's blog prompt is to write about what makes you happy, from the little joys to the huge game-changers.  Not that I'm not inherently a happy person, but I think I sometimes struggle to find joy and happiness in the little things.

When I think about things, no matter what they are, I often find myself googling Bible verses to help sort out my feelings.  And happiness, for me, is no different. I stumbled across this verse:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22 - 23

For me, that really means something.  The Spirit is {LOVE}.  The Spirit is {JOY}. Peace. Forbearance.  Kindness.  Goodness.  Faithfulness.  Gentleness.  Self-control.

That makes me happy.  

But, what else makes me happy?

Alex & our fur baby, Chloe.  My parents.  Friends.  Sweet baby noises.  A place to call home.  Hot tea, warm blankets, and long chats with my love.  Rain.  Clouds. Everything Fall.  The holidays.  PUMPKIN.  My career.  {All things pink}  Office supplies, mostly colorful pens.  BOOKS!  My sewing machine.  An ability to create something new.  Baseball.  Football.  Queso.  Spontaneous plans.  

O N E | Who I Am

Hey guys!  It's Day 1 of Brave Love's The Blog-tember Challenge.  I'm super excited to be on this little journey with you, because well, um, IT'S FUN!  I've always had a thing for writers, books, and their stories, so I think this was a perfect little prompt to get the *challenge* started!

Sept 1st:  Imagine the front sleeve of a hard cover novel.  Give us your "About the Author" so we can get to know one another, and for fun tell us what your imaginary novel would be about.

So here it goes... 

My name is Christina.  :-)  I was born in Kansas, in May 1983.  That makes me 31 years old.  I am a natural born red-head with green eyes and freckles, so growing up all of my teachers called me Dorothy.  Plus, I had a yorkie dog that definitely resembled Toto.  I have a brother who is two and a half years younger than me, to the day.  My mom is my absolute best friend.  I get my stubborn, independent ways from her.  I am a firm believer in education which is why I currently have an Associates of Arts, Bachelors of Science in Finance, a Masters in Business Administration, and am two classes away from a Masters of Science in Accounting. I'm a CPA candidate, which means all of my free time is spent studying.  But really, those are things you can read on a resume.  Who Am I?

I am:  A believer in Christ, Alex's girl, a daughter to her Mamma, a {best} friend, Chloe's mom.  

I am:  stubborn, strong willed, opinionated, intelligent, optimistic, pessimistic, dedicated, focused.  

I long to be:  a wife and mom, someday.  

I will be:  successful in life and in my career.

I strive to be: an amazing friend, a giver of praise and laughter, someone with a big heart who put others first, and a loving girlfriend.

I want to strengthen:  my relationship with my Lord and Savior.

I struggle with:  accepting help, knowing my limits, saying no, and taking care of myself.

The Blog-tember Challenge

I'm one of those people that start a LOT of projects, but never seem to have the time to finish them.  I don't know why that is really.  Maybe because I work a full time job, and all my free time is spent studying.  But that's no excuse.  I always find myself coming to my little corner on the interwebz whenever I have something trivial or not so trivial to say.  But, you know never when I'm going to pop up!  

So when Brave Love announced The Blog-tember Challenge, I thought, well, why not?!

Hopefully I'll be able to keep up.  And if I slack - um, tell me to get it in gear!