THANK YOU!

Okay girls, I just wanted to tell you all THANK YOU for posting those lists of favorite products! Being a newlywed and living on my own for the first time, there are still products that I am searching for to meet certain needs! Because I am so new at buying and using products, I love it when others share their wisdom and knowledge with me!

So I am making a motion today, that when one of us finds a great product we love, we should share with everyone! I greatly appreciate the help and experience of all of you girls, and I am always anxious to hear about what works and what doesn't!

Thanks again! :D

Thursday 13

Well, I decided to play along with Jaime and Annie and add my 13 favorite products! I love Johnson's baby lotion, any kind really. I especially love the Shea and Cocoa Butter 24 hour Moisture Lotion!! It makes my skin feel so moisturized without feeling so "creamy."

These are my Pottery Barn Emma dishes that I love SOOO much!!


I love the Dove deodorant. I NEVER, and I seriously mean never, get razor burn!

I must agree with Jaime, Advil Liqui-Gels have changed my life. Any pain, I pop 2 of these and I am fine for the day!

I cannot live without my Burt's Bees Lip Balm, I think that I might be addicted!

This may be a little personal, but I love this tissue. It never hurts my bottom!

Method products are the best. These wipes are 100% biodegradable, made from all natural products.

The Method hand wash in Sea Minerals scent that is wonderful. Method is sold at all Target and Bloom stores.

The Method Tub and Tile spray is awesome. It doesn't have that terrible amonia smell like all the others. It is 100% natural and safe to breathe in while cleaning! I love environmentally friendly products! Method has a whole line of products that I love and they are all 100% natural and biodegradable!!

This is the face wash that keeps me from breaking out! I am like Annie, I never had trouble with zits until my 20's and this cleanser really really helps!

I LOVE my MAC Select Sheer Pressed Powder. I apply it with a brush and it is so light, but looks like I have just the right amount of make up on!

My Mario Badescu moisturizer is the best. It is for normal - oily skin. It is very light and does not feel cakey or creamy! I love it!

I love Mario Badescu products. This Aloe Lotion Toner is fabulous! It is a toner and moisturizer in one. It is so refreshing to my skin, I love getting out of the shower and putting it on my face!

My Favorite Things...

Some of the other girls have included lists of their favorite things on their blogs and it inspired me to think of all of the things I love. I am not purposely being a "copy cat," but I just wanted to share. I like reading other lists so I can try new things, hopefully you can do the same with mine! :D So here goes:

* Lieu's Chinese Bistro
* High Definition TV
* WalMart Online Photo Center
* Key Lime Pie
* Rachel Ray
* the Food Network - Giada's Weekend Getaway is my FAVORITE!
* Crane Paper Co.
* Johnson's Shea and Cocoa Butter Lotion
* Starbuck's Iced Mocha
* Hawaiian Pizza
* Target (EVERYTHING!)
* My NorthFace Mountain Bike
* Patagonia's Women's Retro-X Fleece
* Football season
* Pottery Barn (for decorating ideas)
* my Pottery Barn Emma dishes
* my Williams-Sonoma cooks tools
* playing UNO with Hal's family :D
* Snapple Raspberry White Tea
* the Venus Fly Trap
* Godiva Chocolate Truffles
* The Fresh Market (especially the cookies)
* Mirassou Pinot Noir
* sushi
* Marble Slab Creamery (chocolate swiss with kit kats)
* planning our next big vacation
* my quiet time
* blogging, of course :D

Another favorite thing I must note: When Hal comes in off night shift and wakes me up with a kiss it is the most wonderful, fulfilling feeling in the world!! :D

Hope y'all are having a great day!!

Now I understand...

When I was about 2 years old my parents got me a puppy. I named her Candy, and she was my buddy growing up. Being that I was an only child, she was my playmate most days. After 13 years of being the neighborhood pet, Candy died. Being a teenager, it didn't really bother me much, as I had so much else on my mind. I was sad, yes, but I was so wrapped up in my own life, I had forgotten about my precious Candy. I don't even remember if I cried.

About a year later, in October of 2000, I was given another puppy as a gift. Dixie, as I named her, was a precious baby Boxer, was given to me as a surprise. I had always wanted a Boxer, and I was SO excited! I got to watch her grow up, and I got to take pictures of all of the funny memories along the way. She developed her own human-like personality and emotions. I came to love her as if she was a family member.

In February when I moved out of my parents house, I couldn't take Dixie with me for 3 reasons. First, I was going to be living in a small apartment that would be too small for her. She had been used to living outside in a big yard, she would not be happy pinned in. Second, she was just as much my mom and dad's dog as she was mine. They would have been devastated had I taken her. Last, we have a black Lab, Wes, who loves her so much. There would have been no way to separate them. Needless to say, I left Dixie with my parents, and I moved out. I do get to come back everyweek and see my babies, but I miss them so much!

About 3 years ago, Dixie developed 2 growths on her neck. Immediately my mom and I took her to the vet to have them checked. He told us that they were very similar to human zits, and that they would eventually "pop" and go away. Unfortunately they never went away, and one became an open wound. We never thought much about it, because the vet told us it was just a zit.

Saturday, I called my mom to talk, and she told me that she and my dad finally broke down and took Dixie to the vet to have the open sore checked out. Dr. Patch, the vet, came in and immediately told them that most likely Dixie's zits had developed into CANCER! They immediately admitted her for surgery to remove her cancers. He said that this is very common in Boxers, but we were all stunned. Cancer? Can dogs even get cancer, we thought. The vet told my parents that there was nothing he could do for her. She could have chemo and radiation, but it can really debilitate a dog. He said he would never recommend that for any dog. As my mom told me these things over the phone, tears were streaming down my cheeks. At that minute I really understood the "man's best friend" phrase. Our pets are like our family members, and honestly we treat them as such. I thought, if we lose Dixie, we will be losing part of our family! Dixie had to stay at Dr. Patch's office until today, and then she could come back home.

I met my mom this morning at the vet to see her. I honestly was expecting the worse, and I didn't want my mom to have to go alone. We went in and told them we were there to pick Dixie up. So we waited and waited for what seemed like an hour (but was really only about 10 minutes) to get her. Suddenly, the door opened, and out came our Dixie girl! She was so happy to see us, and she was OKAY!! It seemed like nothing was wrong! My mom and I, although neither of us acknowledged it, were so relieved.

We haven't found out for sure if she has cancer, but we will find out when she goes back in 10 days, just what the prognosis is. We got Dixie in the car, and she and my mom were headed for home. As I drove away from the vet's office, I began to cry. I don't know if I have ever cried tears of joy, but today I did. I was so thankful that, at least for now that Dixie is okay.

I didn't understand until this weekend, how much joy and love, pets bring to our lives. I love my dogs, and in some way, my life is happier because I have them.

It has been a while!

Well it has been a week now since I have posted, but not much has been going on around our house! I hope everyone is having a great summer!

I went to Greenville Tech yesterday and officially registered for my classes, whew!, what a headache. I definately didn't miss all the paperwork and running around that you have to do while in college! So, I am enrolled in Anatomy and Physiology 210 and Microbiology 225. I am a little nervous about this I must say, being that BOTH of these classes are LABS, and I work a full time job! I guess I will be running off gasoline for the next 4 months, because it sure won't be sleep that will keep me going!

I also forgot how expensive school is! Funny how in just one year you forget so much, huh? I kept apologizing to Hal for totally draining our savings account. He made me feel better when he told me that I was his "investment" and that one day I would definately be worth it! I am very excited about my new endeavor, though!

Hal and I saw Live Free or Die Hard last night, and I LOVED IT. Okay, I must admit, I do tend to have a tom boy side, so I really love action movies. I tell you what though, by the end of the movie I was worn out! It was so intense! It was packed with action and suspense from beginning to end! I highly recommend this movie to EVERYONE! Bruce Willis was FANTASTIC!

On another note, I have really enjoyed this warm weather, and summer is such a great time of the year, but I am SO ready for fall to arrive. I am not necessarily so ready for the cooler weather as I am FOOTBALL SEASON! Hal and I live and breathe football from August to January, and I have grown to miss it! At heart, football season is truly my favorite time of the year! I am so excited to see Willy Korn make his debut as a TIGER, I think he will do great things for Clemson football and the morale of the fans! I do have to admit one more thing, I am a Clemson fan, but I have grown to love Carolina too! Maybe its because Hal crams it down my throat 24/7, but I do have to say I am a Gamecock fan! heehee :D I am sure, come August, I will talk a lot about football, so I will spare you now!

TGIF!! :D

Have a great weekend!

Wow, I am so glad that it is Friday! I cannot wait to sleep late in the morning! I still have not gotten used to getting up early and I have been doing this for a year now! I probably never will.

Hal actually gets tomorrow off, so I plan to spend the day with my hubby! I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

2 Corinthians 12 : 8-10

This week is a pretty slow week at my job being that my boss is on vacation. I have had a lot of time on my hands to sit and think, and think. Since I don't have much to write about today, I thought I would share one of my favorite bible verses.

Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in my infirmities, in reaproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In the previous verses Satan had put a thorn in Paul's flesh, and Paul asked God to remove the thorn. The thorn in this verse represents something which frustrates and causes trouble in the life of the one afflicted.

Instead of removing the the thorn from Paul's life, God gave Paul grace that would be sufficient to meet all of Paul's needs. There are two ways of bearing a burden though. The first is to remove the burden completely, or instead of removing the burden you can strengthen the shoulder that bears the burden. The latter is exactly what God was doing for Paul, He made him stronger to bear the load.

Great tribulation brings out the Great strength in God. If we never feel inward conflicts and sinking of soul, we do not know much about the upholding POWER OF GOD!

God's grace can meet our needs because it is available all the time, and grace is the very strength of God.

In this verse Paul says "I take pleasure in my infirmities." He is rejoicing that God has forced him to rely solely on Him, and therefore he can say "when I am personally weak, I am strong because of the grace of God."

What a triumph it is that when we are at our weakest moments, mentally or physically, we can rely on God and we can be stronger than EVER! What can the world do to such a man so firm in the grip of Jesus? God did not allow Paul to be weak for the sake of weakness, but to show that there was a devine strength in Paul that he could only find in the Lord.

There have been many weak moments in my life, but I always knew that God's grace would get me through. It is like the "Footsteps" poem, when we are so weak, God's grace carries us through! WOW!

HALLELUJAH!

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update as I am sure Meredith is busy at the hospital tending to her duties as a new aunt!! I received a message from Stephanie's mom today letting me know that Perrin Clyde Dale was born at about 3:30 this afternoon. He was 7 pounds 14 ounces and 21 inches long! I don't have any other details at the moment, but I know mommy and baby are doing well! I will talk to Steph tomorrow and I will give another update!! Continue to pray for Stephanie, Jonathan, and little Perrin. Jackie said that she expected Stephanie to come home sometime Friday!

My All Stars!

Last night as I sat and watched the Major League Baseball All Star game, it made me start to think of my lifetime heroes and all stars. As Willie Mays threw out the first pitch, the players stood around him in awe of his presence and of his truly God-given talent. Wille Mays is the epitome of a "baseball hero" I would have to say. "The Say Hey Kid" as they call him hit 661 career home runs and played in the MLB All Star game a record 24 times! He did all of this in an era when being black and playing a professional sport was socially unacceptable. Without using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, Willie Mays is arguably one of the best baseball players of all time. I guess I would be star-struck too if I were standing within feet of him!

I was so delighted to see the stars in Jose Reyes' eyes as he caught the pitch thrown by Willie Mays. When he caught the ball, he walked up to Wille and pulled a sharpie marker out of his glove. He asked Willie Mays to give him an autograph! A man like Jose Reyes, who gives autographs everyday, who makes millions doing the same thing Willie Mays did, you would never think he would do that. You could tell how excited he was when Willie handed him the signed ball and gave him a hug. Even the heros have heros and it made me think, who were mine?

My first and most important member of my All Star team is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Because of Him, I have an eternal life. For me, He gave it all. Without Jesus in my life and my faith to lean on, I would be nothing.

The next pick would have to be my precious husband, Hal. I have never felt love in my heart like I feel for him. His accomplishments in life make me so proud of him. No matter how hard he works or how tired he may be, he never complains, but keeps going strong instead. I have watched his faith in God grow over the years and watch everyday how he tries to walk so closely with the Lord. Of course, if I had an athlete for a hero, it would be him too!

My mom is also a hero of mine. Her unwaivering faith and her strong will to survive and succeed have always been an inspiration in my life. For those of you who know me, you know it has not always been easy for my mom and me. Because of her, I have turned into a woman with Christian values and standards that she raised me with. I look back at my childhood and I realize the many sacrifices that she made for me and I could not be more grateful to her. She has given me so much and I am so lucky to have a wonderful mother and friend like her!

My stepdad Frankie also plays an important role on my All Star team. This man came into my life and loved me as if he were my own father. When I needed the guidance of a father, he has always been there to help and love me! To him, I am not his stepdaughter, but his daughter, and I would have it NO other way. I love him as if he were my own dad and in my heart the technicality of father/stepfather does not exist!

My mothers parents have always been heros of mine. My MaMa and PaPa, as I knew them, were two of the most wonderful people that I have ever known. I was their youngest grandchild by at least 10 years, so needless to say, I was their baby! They never spoiled me with toys and gifts, but spoiled me with their unconditional love that I miss every day of my life. Their love for my family was unmeasurable. In love until the day they died, they were married for 67 years! I cannot think of a better testament to the marriage vows than them. The love I still feel for them fills my heart and the wonderful memories I have with them are some of my most precious posessions.

The people I have listed above are my support system and my daily inspiration. I do find support and inspiration in others as well. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends who I love so much, and who love me in return despite my quirks and flaws. I am thankful to my heroes, family, and friends for the love they give me everyday and for being who they are!

"Go back a little to leap ahead"

In the last couple of months I have been praying daily about a decision that I needed to make, and one that I felt strongly that God was leading me to make. I have felt His strong guidance in this direction for the past four years, unfortunately I subconsiously and consiously chose to ignore it and to go another path. One day, I signed onto Facebook and I looked at my fortune on my "fortune cookie" application. The fortune read "Go back a little to leap ahead." I am not at all the supersticious kind of person who reads horoscopes and believes that fortune cookies write my destiny, but on this day, I felt like God was speaking to me in a different way. I always learned growing up that God will speak to us in ways that we may not recognize or realize, and that we do not necessarily have to hear His voice to receive his guidance. I believe that this was God's "flashing light" to guide me. So right then and there I said a prayer and I made my decision!
My decision was to go back to school. I know it doesn't sound like much, but to me, it has been something I have been wrestling with for a long time. I have a bachelors degree in Political Science which I am very proud of. I love government, history, politics, and law, and I did very very well while pursing my degree. I always said, while getting my bachelors, that I would go on to get my masters and pursue some kind of career in government. It is not my masters, though, that I will be going back to school for. I am going back to school to be a nurse! When I first started college, nursing was my major, but I didn't apply my patience or motivation, and I gave up very quickly. For all of my years in college my desire to be a nurse and my love for people never changed, it just got pushed to the back burner. Now, I know in my heart, nursing is what I am supposed to do.
Today I am attending a nursing seminar at Greenville Tech and then tomorrow I am meeting with my admissions counselor to sign up for my classes. At this point I will be a part time student at night. I am going to start at Greenville Tech and receive and Associates Degree in Nursing and become a Registered Nurse. My plan is that once I become an RN and get a job as a nurse, I will pursue my BSN.
In this time, I am so thankful to God for Hal. I cannot tell you how supportive he is of me, and how he is not worried at all that I am spending our money that we have worked hard to save, so I can pursue my dream of becoming a nurse. For the last year, he has been the birdie in my ear telling me that I should go back, and even told me that I could quit my job and get something part time so that I could go to school full time! I am just so lucky to have such a wonderful cheerleader behind me, pushing me all the way! Hal is actually going to sit through the 2 hour seminar with me tonight because he is so happy for me!
I am very excited and motivated to do this. This is what I feel like I am supposed to be doing, and I want to succeed in every way. I want to follow through completely with God's plan for my life! I know it is not going to be easy, but I am excited about the challenge ahead! I know God would never put anything on me that I could not handle.

Our "Child" named Earl

Well, as it turns out, we got back from the beach safely and had a marvelous time! Those two days just went by so fast! I am hoping next year Hal and I will get to stay longer! Here are a few pics from our trip: ( I will get to Earl's introduction later in the post!)

This is my precious husband getting a tan...a much needed tan I must say!!

Hal and me on the golf cart, coming back from a great day at the beach!!

Hal and I at our favorite seafood restaurant Orginial Benjamins!

We are yet again on the golf cart riding until they MAKE us go home!

My precious parents!

We tend to pout when we have to leave! :D

Hal and me in the car on the way home, we are both pretty bummed but really ready to get home!

Well let me get to my introduction of our "child" named Earl. First let me start by saying that we live in a very small one bedroom apartment. Obviously we do not have any real children yet, and Hal has just recently agreed to let me get a dog. His condition of me getting a dog though, is us moving out of this tiny apartment and moving into a real house with a yard and all of the trappings and comforts a pet might need that you would never find in a one bedroom apartment. We both wanted some kind of a pet/"child" that we could take care of and love. One day my mother-in-law called and said she had just what we needed, and so she proceeded to bring over her "grandchildren." Here is a picture of Earl! (Hal gave him his name)

Earl is what is known as a Dionaea muscipula or a VENUS FLY TRAP! Our weekend project this weekend is to get him a new home. There have at one time been 14 traps on tiny little Earl, he is growing out of his pot! Six of the traps have now died but we have 3 babies that are growing very fast! At the moment we have 8 active traps! I must mention that about 8 weeks ago, when we first got him, he only had 4 traps!! Hal is in love with this thing! He catches bugs for it, feeds it, and seriously takes care of it like it were really a child. He gets really distraught when he sees that it hasn't caught anything in a couple of days! It really is fascinating to watch this thing catch bugs though and it does a great job! It catches mosquitoes, flies, spiders, and all kinds of other nasty little pests!!

What we really love about the venus fly trap is that they are NATIVE TO SOUTH CAROLINA! How cool, huh? They are indigenous to the South Carolina swamps and wetlands in the lower part of the state! So, this is the closest thing that we have to a pet or a child, and I felt it necessary to introduce everyone!! We are actually "babysitting" another venus fly trap this next week for my boss's son. Here is a pic of his trap as well!

For now, I am going to go, but I would like one favor! If you all could, please say a prayer for my good friend Stephanie who is due TOMORROW with her baby boy Perrin. Her doctors aren't very optimistic that he will ever drop or that she will dialate. She does not want to have a c-section nor be induced! Just say a prayer for her to have patience and for Gods hand to be on her as she endures labor and delivery very soon!! Thanks for doing that! Have a great weekend!

SO ready for a VACATION!!

Hal and I are leaving first thing in the morning to spend a couple of days with my parents at the beach, and gosh I have never been so ready to go! For the last 22 years of my life my family has spent the week of July 4th at Myrtle Beach in Oceanlakes. This is such a staple in my summer, I could not imagine doing anything else for this holiday! I am so glad that Hal and I are able to just go for a couple of days. Laying on the beach all day, riding the golf cart all night, ice cream that melts right off the cone in seconds, and just spending quality time with the most special people in my life are things that I look forward to ALL YEAR LONG!! I CANNOT WAIT TO GO!!

Hal is on third shift this weekend and it really stinks. I never realized how much I miss him until I have to go to bed alone at night. We have only been married for 3 months and I am already so used to him being beside me everynight, it is hard for me to sleep. I would say that is the worst part about him having to work swing shifts, I tend to miss him so much when he is gone! One good thing about the swing shifts though is I get to spend time with my girlfriends that I have lost touch with over the years. This weekend I got to catch up with my great friend Loren, who was one of my best friends in high school. We had lost touch over the years because our schools, our jobs, and our social lives took us in opposite directions. I am so thankful to have had this time to catch up with her and rekindle our great friendship. It was great because it felt like we just picked right up where we left off!

Also this weekend, we found out that things are working out and we are probably going to be building a house very soon! We are super excited about this big change and cannot wait to own our own house! Living in this apartment has really made us realize how much we want something of our own, something that we can take care of, and something that we can be so proud of! My friend Stephanie and her husband have just recently moved into their own house, and I just absolutely love it. When I walked into her house, it really felt like a home, and a wonderful place to raise a family! They definately have something to be proud of and can call their own, and I am so happy for them. As of right now, the builder is hoping that we will be able to move in around the first of December. I am so nervous but so so excited!

Okay, well I am off to bed because I will be on the road before many of you wake up in the morning! I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July holiday! I hope when you are celebrating this Wednesday you will remember to thank God for the blessing of INDEPENDENCE and for all of our liberties that so many people in this world do not have! I know I am so thankful for the life I have been blessed with, and so thankful for the soldiers risking their own lives right now so that I may have this independence! Happy 4th!! :D

Love from the Chafey house!!