Monday, January 23, 2017

Makeup Cupboard

When I bought my bookshelf, I also found a cute cupboard that I thought would work perfect for my makeup. My bathroom is small and my makeup has taken over the counter. It was hard to find anything and I needed more room. 

It was a little more difficult than the bookshelf to put together, but I managed just fine. It does mount to the wall, but about the only place to put it would've blocked my only electrical socket. But it fits perfectly on the counter. 

I love how organized my makeup is now! Everything is is so much easier to find.


Tuesday, January 17, 2017

City Trip - Single Event

Recently, I found a Christian Singles group on Facebook. They meet for various activities, but its in the city, which means a 2-1/2 hour drive for me. Since it was my birthday this week, I thought I would celebrate by taking a trip to the city and checking out the group. The dinner is potlock, so I knew the best way to win over the crowd was to bring Oreo cupcakes. My plan worked when I saw most of them going back for a 2nd one. 

While we ate, we watched the football game. When it was over, we played Mexican Train. I will admit, when I first got there, I was taken back about the age group, I felt a little out of place. But I loved hanging with people who love Jesus. The game was fun and I ended up staying until 1 am. 

I knew it would be a late night, so I had booked a hotel nearby. On Sunday morning, I decided to go visit a church near the hotel. I love that no matter where you are, when you seek God, He ALWAYS shows up. This weekend was a huge step out of my comfort zone to go to an event where I knew nobody and then attend a new church by myself. But I'm so glad I did. 

After church, I went to the Olive Garden and then I did some shopping at IKEA. I had some gift cards and was able to buy a book shelf, a cabinet for my bathroom and a few odds and ends. The bookshelf was heavy and I had to have help loading. Then, when I got home, my cousin came over to help me unload it and get the box upstairs. 

Last night, after I had burnt out on homework, I wasn't quite ready for bed, so I decided to assemble the bookshelf. I have not been a fan of living alone, but I also feel the need to prove to myself that I can do it. God has provided for so many of my needs. The fact that I got to keep my home in the divorce is proof of that. I knew, if I could put the bookshelf together, by myself, there won't be much I can't do. 

Or course, I did have a little bit of "help."


It took me about an hour, but I did it! Just looking at it filled me with pride and joy. I know that I will be okay on my own, at least for now. I still need to assemble the bathroom cabinet, but I think it will be easy enough. 


The first thing on it was books. But the next thing I put on the bookshelf was pictures of my nephews. They need updated, but those pictures always make me smile, so its hard to replace them. 

Thursday, January 12, 2017

My 34th Birthday

This is going to be my year. A year of self discovery, a year of growth, a year of awesome! As I drove to work on my birthday, I realized that 34 is the perfect age. I'm at the perfect age to start the next chapter of my life. I know the Lord has amazing things in store for me this year. 

I started the morning off with a few gifts. 

I decided to treat myself to a few new Alex & Ani bracelets and a new Pandora bracelet since mine doesn't fit well with my recent weight loss. 

I also decided to buy 2 new charms to go with it.They had a sale running that day and I was also able to buy a ring for almost half off. 

I love my birthday. I've never understood why people hate them. There is nothing wrong with turning a year older. I always try to spend the day in celebration. Those who know me, know I rarely eat these days. Most of my meals consist of protein shakes. But I decided to treat myself to some of my favorite foods. I started the day off with a frappe and muffin from my favorite coffee shop. For lunch, I went to Arby's, just so I could order cheese sticks. 

My growing collection of Alex & Ani bracelets. 

The best part of my day was having this lovely rose show up at work. I was kind of bummed that I would be missing out on flowers for my birthday. But "E" surprised me and sent me a beautiful rose. I've left it on my desk all week to enjoy. I find it so sweet that from another state, he would take the time to find a florist in my area and send me a rose. 


I had a few friends spoil me as well. Jessica got me a soft, purple blanket for my couch. 


For dinner, the Cairoli family took me to my favorite Mexican Restaurant. Being with friends was the perfect end to the day. Jana even paid for my meal. Jess got me a beautiful floral arrangement and Jennifer bought me chocolates and a gift card to my favorite coffee shop. 


My mom stopped by during the day to give me this cute sign she found. I love it!

Seriously, I just know that this year is going to be great. God has restored my joy and He is always faithful!

Saturday, January 7, 2017

New Years Weekend

Over New Year's weekend, I had a new friend, "E", come visit. He flew in on Friday and then flew home on Monday. It was an awesome weekend and we had a fun time. 

On Saturday, we took a drive up Uintah Canyon. There was a ton of snow, so I only stopped for pictures twice. 


When we got home, he was kind enough to do a few things around the house for me. Over Christmas, I mentioned getting a new table and he offered to put it together for me when he came to visit. It went together pretty quickly, but I was grateful to have someone who knew what they were doing or it probably would've taken me twice as long. 

While he was working on the table, he managed to bump his head into my low hanging kitchen light. (Anyone an inch taller than me has had that happen to them.) I mentioned that I had found a replacement at a yard sale, but I didn't know how to change it out. So he did that for me also. He even went above and beyond. After he installed it, he noticed it wasn't an exact match, so he took it down and we swapped it out for one in my spare closet. Now my kitchen light fixtures match and no one will hit their head anymore. He also hung a towel hook in my bathroom for me. I felt pretty spoiled having someone to work on my "honey do" list for me. 
I am in love with my new table. Over the years, I usually didn't have a table because my kitchen had a full size freezer instead. It was fun to cook over the weekend and eat at an actual table. 

On Sunday, after church, I decided to drive up to Flaming Gorge and show him around there. We first stopped at the resort for lunch. 


At the highest elevation there was a bit of snow, but once you started to drop down, there wasn't near as much. 






While we were driving around, he noticed a sign for a river access. I had never been down that road, so we decided to check it out. It took us to the bottom of the dam. 




It was gorgeous down there. 

Then we also stopped at the top of the dam for a quick look. It was pretty cold, so we didn't explore much. 







Dating still feels pretty new to me, but I think I am going to enjoy it.