Oh, Say Can You See!

 

What a great Independence Day weekend!

 

There is nothing like spending time with family and friends to remind you how blessed you are.

 

Sarah, the sweetest Grandma in the whole world and I playing around with the selfie stick while we waited for Susan and Alyssa to meet us

 

Thursday, after my doctor's appointment, my cousin, Sarah, who was visiting from Indiana, and my aunt Susan, cousin Alyssa and I headed to Nags Head for a day at the beach.

 

A ridiculously oversized chair we had to snap a picture in

Despite all of the shark attacks, Sarah was determined to swim. I waded in about mid-calf deep but the water was unseasonably freezing. I decided to stick to the sand and not take my chances with hypothermia or Jaws.

 

Is that a shark behind you, Sarah?

About 1:00pm I got a call from Tanner's mom saying that we had a new addition to the family. Carter Jerome Hardy was born at 11:19am at 7 pounds and 11 ounces. He is so precious and has so, so, so much hair and bright blue eyes like Mommy and Daddy.

So Sweet!

 

Once we got back from the beach I took the quickest shower of my life and met Tanner at the hospital to meet our nephew. We grabbed a quick dinner at Cheddar's and got home around 10:30, Thursday night.

Friday mom, Sarah and I went to a few stores in Greenville and had lunch at McAllister's. After that it was time to head back home to get ready for the streetdance in Belhaven. Tanner was a trooper and agreed to drive 5 crazy ladies to the streetdance and we all had a blast. We ended up going to a restaurant called The Tavern that turned out to be a really neat spot.

Lyndsay and Sarah

Tanner and I

Saturday we woke up about 8:30am and headed to the river to celebrate the 4th. We had a great day laying out, swimming and eating with all of our friends and family. Around 4 a storm looked like it was heading our way so we packed everything up and headed back up to the house. Sarah snapped this picture just as it was getting cloudy. God is an amazing artist.

Beautiful!

 

 

Saturday evening we met up with the girls again and headed Downtown Washington to catch the fireworks. There were a ton of people downtown. We found a good spot and got the hear the band finish.

This weekend was chaotic, busy and wonderful. The 4th of July is one of my most favorite holidays!

My Nexplanon Experience

Hello, ladies! Last week I ventured into a new territory with birth control so I thought why not take you along with me?

(Men, not sure you'll care to read this one.)

First, I must make a confession. Because I am the world's best procrastinator, I had been putting off visiting the lady doctor for quite some time. I know, I'm married, therefore obviously sexually active, and should have taken care of lady business a while ago, and I've learned my lesson.

Now, the main reason for my visit was a pap smear, with the intention of talking about birth control. Not only do I need something to make sure that Tanner and I do not bring an unplanned little one into the world (not that there's anything wrong with that, we are just not ready), but something to regulate my cycle. Since the 7th grade I have never been regular and it's time I get a handle on this.

After the whole pap smear, which was cringe worthy but not as bad as I expected, my doctor came in and talked with me about birth control options. There are 4 basic options; the pill, IUD, Depo shot, and Nexplanon. I knew right away that I did not want an IUD (too many horror stories) or the depo shots (a shot every 12 weeks, no thank you) so basically I had a choice between the pill and Nexplanon. My hang-up with the pill was that I knew I would probably forget to take it every day and I knew there was a possibility of weight gain. The doctor gave me a pamphlet about Nexplanon and said she thought that would be a good option for me. We talked a little more and I was on my way out. When I checked out, they gave me an appointment exactly 2 weeks away for my Nexplanon implant.

 

 

Nexplanon is a small bar that goes into your arm, between your shoulder and elbow, that releases hormones which cause your ovaries not to release eggs. You can leave it in up to 3 years, or if you decide you want children before then, you can schedule an appointment at any time to have it removed. I did a lot of research about Nexplanon and it seemed that the reviews were about 75% positive and 25% negative, so I decided to go for it. I arrived to the doctor’s office at 8:20am on July 2^nd. After check-in I peed in a cup, had my vitals checked then was put in a room. My doctor came in and asked me to lay back on the table with my left arm up. I had two small bug bites in the area where they normally put the implant so she put it about an inch lower than normal.

 

 

I wasn’t super nervous about the implant but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt a little. The worst part was the Lidocaine shot they gave me to numb the area. After that, I could feel the gun in my arm, but there was no sense of pain or anything like that. The whole process took maybe 2 minutes. The medical assistant in the room put a steri strip and band-aid on my arm then wrapped gauze around it. The doctor said that I would probably bruise and be sore for a day or so.

 

Boy, was she right. By the time I’d gotten home, I had a huge purple welt wear the implant was. It was little freaky to look at and if I touched it very gently I could feel the implant in my arm. By the end of the day my arm was pretty sore but it wasn’t until Friday that I started cramping. While shopping with my mom and cousin, I started having small cramps. I’m still having them today, but not as bad or often. Several reviews I read said they experienced heavy spotting and bleeding for the first month or so, but I haven’t experienced that, yet. So far, I don’t have anything very bad to say about the Nexplanon implant. Aside from the cramps and bruising, I forget it’s there. I’ll keep you all updated!

 

 

We Moved!

Whoever decided to move the same week as Vacation Bible School has absolutely no sense at all......

Oh wait, that was me. And what a week it was!

Tanner and I were scheduled to move in Sunday, June 21st, but plans changed and we had to wait a day. I had to work Monday so my sweet husband took the day off, recruited some family and friends to help and by Monday evening almost all of our belongings were moved! Have I said how amazing he is lately? He is one hard working man.

Vacation Bible School started Sunday night so we spent every night that week at church until about 8:30pm. Although we were swamped when we got home, I managed to unpack a few boxes every night. My mom and stepdad were lifesavers Saturday, June 27th. Michael hung the new blinds at the old house, mom helped me clean up a little and then she helped me unpack at the new house. My family rocks!

As of right now (July 6), I have about 6 more boxes to unpack, but other than that we're settled. I've made a few trips to TJ Maxx and gotten a few little things but other than that I haven't gone décor crazy.

 

The couch came with the house and the pillows were pretty dated so I found these 3 at Wal-Mart. I'd like to get another blue one if I can find it. The throw I found this past week at TJ Maxx for $14.99! It was meant to be.

 

Here's a shot of our bedroom currently. The bed is pretty plain so I'm in the market for some silver-y pillows and maybe a throw similar to the wall color.

 

This is just a close up of what's on our dresser. I love candles!

 

 

This is just a shot of the house from the front before we moved in. Super cute, right?

We are beyond blessed to have found such a great space. Monday night we prayed over the house that we would make great memories and that it would be a place that harbored love. I can't wait to see what the future holds for this new Bright household!

 

Movin' On

It’s almost that time! We are so excited to be moving at the end of this week. The lease is signed and all of our belongings are in boxes, well almost.  I still have a lot left to pack. It’s amazing what you can accumulate in just 2 years of being in one place. Here’s a list of a few thoughts I’ve had while packing over the last 2 weeks:

 

How many golf tees does one person really need?

When did we get this cake pan?

What’s a radioactive food warmer?

We have 2 griddles? Why aren’t we having French toast more often?

I’m going to need more boxes.

Where are we going to put all of this stuff?

8 camouflage hunting coats?

We have a ridiculous amount of bowls.

How necessary is this pizza stone?

I’m going to need more boxes.

So many wreathes.

There is no easy way to store Christmas ornaments.

What if Jaz doesn’t like the new house?

Don’t forget to buy some Clorox spray.

When did we take this picture?

If I find one more golf ball….

MORE BOXES.

 

 And so many others. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little sad. I always loved coming down the dirt driveway and seeing the old, little yellow farmhouse with acres of beans, corn or wheat behind it. It became home us as soon as we moved in and we’ve made so many memories there. It’s where Tanner proposed, where we had our first garden, and where we had our first Christmas as a married couple. I’ll miss the low ceilings, that heat and cool so well. I’ll miss the gas heat that somehow seems warmer than electric heat. I’ll miss the way the rain sounded on the roof. I’ll miss the stuffy upstairs, with its original bead board walls and the sight of Jaz sitting in the second story window waiting for us to get home.

But I’m also extremely excited. Our new place is sure to be filled with lots of laughter, the letter B and, yes, more golf balls. I’m also looking forward to having two bathrooms! Though I love Tanner more than anything, private time is something I cherish. (TMI?) I’m also looking forward to having a real laundry room, woo hoo! Tanner is especially thrilled to have a dishwasher, since that’s his chore of choice.

 Either way, boy are we blessed! I forget sometimes what a loving and perfect God I serve, and that there’s no reason for me to worry when He’s in control.

World's Worst Blogger

So obviously I totally stink at blogging. I have good intentions, I promise!!

I really want to make this blogging thing work, if not just for the sole purpose of having some type of scrapbook to look back on because, like sticking with something, I am terrible at scrapbooking. (Who has time to arrange all those tiny pieces of paper, anyways?)

 Here's a little recap of what's been going down on The Bright Side:

Early March: Tanner and I attended his cousin's wedding in Savannah and it was totally perfect.
Seriously the sweetest couple in the world and the bride was gorgeous.

End of March: Tanner's birthday and our 1 year anniversary!! My sweet man turned 24 and we had a great one year anniversary. He gave me a gift certificate to have my toes done (they needed it, badly) and I gave him a framed copy of our vowels. Can't believe it's been a year since we said "I do".

April: Not much happened in April. Had an Easter Egg hunt for the younger kids at church, attended an amazing Easter Drama in Kinston at Tanglewood Church (seriously, amazing. I cried.) and it was my bfffffff's birthday!! Weren't we the cutest??

May: was a blur!! We had a shower for Tanner's sister the first weekend in May. She got lots of great things and we're so excited for Baby Carter! Mother's day was a success, my brother, stepdad and I bought my mom a patio lounge she'd been not-so-subtly hinting at for a while. She was super excited to see it! (Note to self: much assembly was required). We also celebrated two of my cousins' birthday, both born on May 28th. Love those goobers!

 

So far June looks like it's gonna be a little crazy. At this end of this month we're moving to Goose Creek and I'm going to miss our little Maggie Lane house so much. We've made some of the best memories there. Sarah, the oldest cousin, will hopefully be visiting around that time and I'm so looking forward to spending time with her and hopefully by July 5th Tanner and I will have a little nephew to love on! This year is proving to be just as insane as last year but somehow, I don't think I would trade it for anything. We are so blessed!!

Thanks, Mom

-for  dance parties in the kitchen
-for always knowing what to say
-for giving me self confidence despite my big nose and teeth
-for always coming to the rescue
-for being yourself
-for your sense of humor
-for your love of musicals
-for teaching me to be myself
-for giving me independence
-for chocolate molten cakes
-for Celine Dion
-for your hard work
-for your love of crafts
-for our ESP
-for my brother
-for your voice
-for taking me to church
-for supporting me in everything
-for loving Tanner
-for accepting me
-for being hard on me when I needed it
-for Mexican pinwheels
-for letting me have meltdowns
-for listening to my rants
-for being honest with me when I didn't want to hear it
-for the gift of gab
-for not being afraid to get dirty
-for your round face
-for not letting me take myself too seriously
-for laughing at me when I accidentally shave my eyebrow off
-for movies like Practical Magic & The Holiday
-for letting me do your hair/makeup
-for watching all my plays and musicals
-for loving me even when I disappoint you
-for understanding me
-for telling me when something is unflattering
-for shopping with me
-for being my +1 at uncomfortable events
-for beach trips
-for James Taylor
-for not letting me cry over stupid boys
-for not letting me settle
-for your love of trivia
-for vanilla bean frappes


I want to be you when I grow up.

East Bound & Down

Last weekend Tanner and I took our first vacation as a married couple to Hilton Head Island, SC. Tanner plays in an amateur tour in Eastern NC and each year they hold the tour championship in Hilton Head. All of the GolfWeek tours from all over the country come together and have a major tournament with luncheons, club demos, etc. We got to meet some really cool people and even though I don't golf, it was actually pretty interesting. Overall there was about 800 golfers in the tournament, the youngest being only 12 years old! We left Thursday and it took us about 7 hours to make the trip down; we stopped a few times and really tried not to rush, we wanted to take our time.

 

Once we got checked in to the hotel, we unpacked and I started on my hair and makeup. I'd left fresh-faced and wet-headed that morning since we left at 7am. Ain't nobody got time to go full glitz for a 7 hour drive. Once I looked half-way decent we drove over to Port Royal golf club to register and check out the competition. I begged Tanner to let me take his picture and he finally agreed.

 

 

 

 

Once we registered we headed to Savannah, GA to have dinner with Tanner's cousin Hannah and her fiancé Jackson. Savannah was only about 40 minutes away and wasn't a bad drive at all. I really wanted to get more pictures of that night but all I got was a picture of the sunset while we were coming over the bridge. Maybe next time I'll remember to take more pics...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday was the first day of the tournament. We woke up at 6, met some of the other golfers at a diner for breakfast and I dropped Tanner off at the course he was supposed to play. I headed back to the hotel to take a shower and get dressed then off to the Tanger Outlets I went. I'd planned an entire day of shopping in each of the 132 stores and couldn't wait to get started. I'd even made a list of things I'd wanted to find: pants, sweaters and a new purse. Little did I know as soon as I walked into Kate Spade I would find exactly what I was looking for. I'd also picked the right day because everything was 40% and I got a 30% coupon from one of the employees at the door. For those of you who can't do math, that's a 70% discount. The bargain queen inside of me was doing cartwheels when I saw this porter bag. I ended up buying it for a total of 75% off of the original price. Yay bargains!

 

 

After Kate Spade I went over to Gap and got a sweater and, surprisingly, wasn't in the mood to shop anymore. I think I was still on a high from the deal I got at Kate Spade that I felt like I should maybe stop while I was ahead, because I probably wouldn't find a better bargain that day. Now that my bargain queen self was happy, I decided to take a walk on the wild side. I headed back to the course Tanner was playing and hopped on a golf cart while no one was looking (after giving myself a pep talk to do it in the women's lobby) and jetted off to find my golf lovin' husband.

 

 

I found him on the 7th hole and followed him for the last 3 (he started on 10, so he'd played a full 18) and managed to get some really good pictures of him! Once his round was over we headed back to Port Royal for lunch and to check out everyone's scores. Tanner didn't play his best, but he had such a good time and is already practicing for next year.

 

 We went back to the hotel after lunch and he took a nap while I freshened up and watched a little tv. For dinner we went to Giuseppi's Pizza & Pasta (thanks for the suggestion, Hannah!) and it was so good that we actually ended up going back Sunday night for takeout.

 

 

Saturday Tanner played a different course so after I dropped him of there I went to explore the beach. The sand was hot and the water was warm. I couldn't believe how great the weather was for mid-October. I'll definitely make a point to spend a whole day at the beach if we come back next year.

 

Tanner called around 2 and I picked him up so we could go check out the scores. After that it was getting close to dinner so we decided to walk to an Asian restaurant from the hotel. It was an Asian buffet that had Thai, Chinese & Japanese food. It was pretty good for the price, nothing spectacular.

Sidenote: Why do Asian buffets always have jello on their dessert bars?

 

After dinner we walked another 2 blocks down the street to a Pirate themed Putt-Putt course. We played both courses and I can say with confidence that I kicked his butt on the first one. I got 3 hole-in-ones! By the second course I was over it so I goofed around while he worked on his putting game. We met a really nice couple from the UK who were both here on internships at golf clubs. They said so far, they loved the states, go figure!

 

 

 

Sunday was the last day of the tournament and I let Tanner take the car to breakfast and the club. I spent the day packing most of our stuff and finishing the second season of America Horror Story Asylum on Netflix. It felt so great to just relax and not do much of anything. Tanner picked me up around 2 and we went to see the final scores of the tournament. We hung around until about 5:30 for the closing ceremony where they passed out all of the trophies. After that we picked up our pizza and headed back to the hotel to chill out and finish packing.

Monday we hit the road around 8:30 and started the trip back. Instead of going down I-95, we decided to take the scenic route through Charleston and Myrtle Beach. We stopped for lunch in MB and Tanner went to a few golf stores but wasn't really impressed. We made it back about 6 that night and had dinner with my mom.  I started some laundry, and went to bed, only to get back to the grind on Tuesday.

 

Overall, we had a great time. Even though I didn't do much while Tanner was golfing, it felt wonderful to just be away from work and the stress of every day life for a few days. I'm so thankful that we had the means to take our trip, especially because it made Tanner so happy. Now that it's over, time to start Christmas shopping!!

 

 

5 Signs that Prove You're Adulting

Adulting (verb-ing) :

The natural act or process of becoming an adult, much like puberty (again), but with less body hair.

There is no definite age for the right time for someone to begin to Adult, but it usually happens right around your mid-late 20s. Adulting is a natural process in which one becomes less concerned with things that happen from 9pm-3am and more concerned with things that are happening between the hours of 8am and 5pm. Here are a few symptoms so that you may diagnose yourself:

1. Watching the news - once something dreadful that your parents did, you have found yourself voluntarily catching the morning/evening news and sometimes even the Today show. You are beginning to be aware of things going on outside of your social bubble. A person who is in the advanced stages of adulting may even plan to watch the news and perhaps might enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while doing so.

2.You get excited over very small things - You will most likely get excited about things that you would have once considered lame or boring. You will soon experience the joy of ripping open a piece of mail (yes, actual mail! in your own mailbox!) and finding that your electric or utility bill is $30 lower than last month's bill. This is an especially large feat because you can now buy those practical and comfortable shoes you've had your eye on at JC Penney.

3. Going to bed by 10pm is a treat - Yes, a full 8 hours of sleep! Now that you've done the dishes and folded laundry you get to go to bed. Maybe you'll even read for a few minutes or watch that show you keep missing. You'll most likely lay in bed and scroll through Twitter for 30 minutes, though.

4. You check your credit for free at least once - What is your credit score anyway? Every adult should have some type of idea what their credit looks like. You'll need this info when you go to purchase your first car by yourself.

 

5. Your wardrobe is changing - Slowly, but surely, that section in your closet for "club clothes" is dwindling. You replace your bandage dresses with wrap dresses or sensible dress pants. Your t-shirts are replaced with button-ups or the occasional Polo t-shirt. You consider buying a suit. You find yourself questioning how comfortable those 6inch stilettos will be in 4 hours. You stop shopping at stores with the word Body in the name (ex. Body Central, Body Shop).

 

 

 

Honeymoon, finally!

 

 

Sort of. As most of you know, Tanner and I had a very small wedding in which you can read all about HERE so we never really got to go on a Honeymoon. I had also just started at Gregory Poole a few months before and didn't have any vacation time built up. Also, if you know anything about Mr. Bright, you know that he adores the game of golf. This year was his first year participating in the Down East Amateur Tour and he's loved it. Each year they have a Champions Tournament on Hilton Head Island, SC  in October and I knew as soon as I saw the tour's schedule my better half would have to be there, so we've decided to make it a mini-honeymoon. We're going down that Thursday night and coming back on Monday, since the tourney is Fri-Sun. Along the way we plan to stop in Wilmington, Myrtle Beach and Charleston, since Tanner has never been to any of those, and we are so excited! You may be thinking "that's not a honeymoon if he's going to be golfing 3 out of 5 days" but let me tell you, it is. We'll get to have lunch together and spend the evenings together but while he's doing his golf thing, I will gladly be wasting away at the Tanger outlet mall in Bluffton. And I LOVE a good bargain. It's like I can smell them almost.

 

Anyway, we still have about a month before we go, so I have plenty of time to plan an itinerary. Do you guys have any suggestions of some cool places in Hilton Head?

Why You Should Care a Little Bit

Lots of people care "too much", others don't seem to care about anything at all.

 

This could probably apply to a lot of different things but today, I'm talking about appearance.  We like to think there are two kinds of people in this world: The ones who wear pajamas in public and the ones who can't go to Wal-Mart without being full glitzed (lipstick included). I, however, think both parties could learn a few things from the other one and create a smart and stylish third party.  On one hand, you should always stick to yourself. If jeans and a tee is your thing, than rock it. If you need to feel put together always, do it. But be appropriate and always know the expected attire wherever you're going.

 

For some people, it's easy to not care. Not worrying about doing your hair, wearing something nice or putting on foundation saves you a lot of time that you could potentially use for other things like sleeping, or another episode of Orange is the New Black. But think about this ladies: What if that day you choose to "bum it" and just happen to meet your future spouse. Do you really want that to be his first impression of you? Imagine, it's your 25th wedding anniversary and he stands up for his speech and opens with something like "as soon as I saw her ramen noodle stained sweatpants and ill-fitting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt I knew she was the one for me" ?? I hope not. I hope you have a little bit more pride than that. A woman who takes care of her self says she's confident. And confidence is the most attractive thing there is.

 

But that's just an example, please, please, please don't do it just for a man. When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good you're bound to have a way better day and outlook on things. All women are beautiful, no matter what color, size, nationality, whatever. We are all beautiful. So flaunt it, baby!

 

For others, appearance is everything. Taking hours to get ready. Perfecting the smoky eye. Must. get. winged. eyeliner. even. The perfect outfit. Often, these women spend so much time on their appearance, they forget to dress themselves with other things, like good qualities and attitudes. If you fall into the category of always having to look perfect, maybe it's a deeper issue than perfectionism. Maybe you should borrow someone from the first group of people, get them to teach you how to like yourself after you've taken your makeup off, then you can share some tips with them on how to look put together, but not too overdone.

This post may sound a little condescending and I'll admit that it was tough to write, because I wasn't quite sure how to get my point across. I guess my point is that, like everything, there is a healthy balance. Be confident with who you are, and let your outward appearance reflect that.  

 

Waiting..

I am always waiting. Waiting for 5pm so I can leave work. Waiting for an email. Waiting for Summer to be over and for Fall to kick in. Waiting for my sister-in-law's wedding. Waiting for the weekend. I am always waiting for something.

When Tanner and I started getting serious and I realized he was the one I wanted forever, I couldn't wait for him to propose. It was like I was about to explode. Everywhere we went I drove him crazy with hints that I was ready to say YES any day now. It got so bad that he finally had to grab my shoulders and shake me (literally) in the middle of Wal-Mart and tell me that he got the hint, and if it was up to him he would have proposed yesterday, but "diamonds are a little out of the budget right now".  After that, I calmed down a little.....not really though, I just didn't mention it around him again. Instead, I would spend my Saturdays floating around in my best friend's pool, both of us daydreaming about our significant others popping the question (sorry Izzy!). And trust me ya'll, when he finally did ask me, I was so happy and ecstatic and felt like I had a million butterflies land on me all at once. I wanted him to propose so bad because for some reason I felt like if we could just be engaged, then life would start. Then we could have everything we'd ever wanted. But then I did it again........ I started waiting.

2 months later we were married. We just couldn't wait any longer. We both decided that a big wedding wasn't what we wanted, nor could we afford, so we invited a few of our close family members and were married at the beach in March 2014. It was absolutely beautiful and I wouldn't change a thing. But then it happened again............ I was waiting.  This time I was waiting for a house. I thought that once we were married and had our own house, then life would start. Then I would have it all. A husband, a house, a good job. A house was the final key because it was something of our own. But then life happened. Car issues, more bills, etc. Then, one Saturday in my best friend's pool, I had an epiphany.

Life is happening. Right now. Our first year has already had so many ups and downs that we can look back on and laugh. We've already made so many of our own memories as The Bright family. And if I don't slow down and try really hard to pay attention to what's going on now, I will spend the rest of my life waiting for the next thing to happen even though I have so many beautiful things already happening. I hate to use this cliché, but I really have to stop and smell the roses.

Weekend Bits & Pieces

What a busy past few weeks!! We are so blessed to have such good friends and family. We've gotten to hang out with some very special friends, see some out of town family, and lots more.


Last weekend, Tanner got his second win on the Downeast Amateur Golf Tour. Isn't he handsome?? Not to mention his trophy makes a great candy dish! I couldn't be more proud :)

Eastern NC has gotten some serious rain the past couple of weeks and what better way to spend a rainy Saturday than shopping? I got to spend all day with my mom and my two favorite girls in Raleigh. I found some major deals in Charming Charlie at Triangle Town Center.

 Wednesday night youth group has been deemed as "service night". This past week's service project was taking cards and cookies to various members of the community to show appreciation. First we hit up the hospital nurse's stations then we went to both fire stations in town. Everyone was extremely grateful, and the firemen even gave us a quick tour of the new station. It's amazing how much fun you can have spreading God's love.

 

 

 

Friday night we got to celebrate our friend, and my cousin, Kimberly's birthday with some pretty special people. We went to Sappari Japanese Steakhouse and, as always, the food was great and I ate way too much.

 

Saturday morning was full of errands as we awaited the arrival of some out of town guests. Tanner had a tournament in Clinton, NC so I got to spend the day with some of our family from Maryland and Virginia. We finally got to meet cousin Matt's girlfriend, Kellie, who we absolutely love!

Sunday after church Kimberly and I went to a baby shower and ate our weight in finger foods. There is nothing like a good veggie tray, am I right? Not to mention all of the precious tiny toys and clothes for the baby boy. Almost cute enough to make me want one...........................almost.



Too often do I stress over being so busy, and I let small worries become big problems. I get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of all the things I feel like I have to do, that sometimes I forget to enjoy the things I get to do, and it's been really great being able to spend time with friends, family and God. We are so blessed to be surrounded with so much love and we are so thankful for the life God has given us!

#blessed

Technically, there are no guidelines as to what we can and can't consider as blessings, however, I'm noticing more and more that the things people are saying their "blessed" with are material things. Forgive me, but I don't think your new Michael Kors watch is a blessing from God.

*****Disclaimer: This post is my own opinion and may sound a little harsh. And yes, it is possible to be a Christian and wealthy. End Disclaimer. *******

True Blessings:

Family
Friends
Spouse
Church Family
Jesus
Career
Significant Other
Talents
Education

Not Blessings:

New Cars
Large House
Beats headphones
David Yurman bracelet
3 karat engagement ring
Christian Louboutin heels
Good hair days
the latest iPhone
Nice boat
300 Twitter followers


Get the picture? Again, I'm not knocking being financially successful. In fact, if you used that financial success for the glory of God, then that would even be considered a blessing. You see, the problem with saying that we are blessed with material things is that we're giving the impression that unless you have these things, you are not blessed. And that's just wrong.While you consider your possessions a blessing, there are people in the world who consider just being able to wake up a huge blessing; due to the genocide going on in their country. And they would take one look at your Instagram (if they had access to the internet) and see the picture of your brand new Tiffany necklace with #blessed written underneath it and they would probably think that you were the most silly person in the entire universe and that you should go back to the Bible and see how the Lord would define a blessing.

To go even further, to consider yourself blessed because of your possessions is a form of idolatry, don't you think? If the material things we acquire make us happy, or so we seem to think in today's world, then maybe we should examine our hearts and rearrange our priorities. Think about Job. His wealth, his children, his health, his home. He lost it all. If we lost literally everything, but we still had God, we would still be blessed.

And because he still counted his blessings, even when it didn't seem like he had any, God blessed him with even more than he had before.

So, to conclude, count your blessings often, but be mindful of what is truly a blessing.

How to Send Out an "I'm a Jerk" Signal

Can I just rant for a minute??

Everyone has their pet peeves. Their list of things they absolutely cannot tolerate. I, myself, have several of them, but there is one specifically that I feel the need to rant to you about today.

The closest I've ever come to working in fast food was when I worked at a family member's bakery for a few months in college. Most of the time it wasn't too bad, but on holidays like Valentines Day things could get a little crazy. I was fortunate enough to have never been actually yelled at by a customer, but I have experienced bad attitudes and rude remarks. I also worked at a hotel for 2 years and if you think people are funny about their food, they're even worse about where they sleep. We kept things under control most of the time, but every now and then we'd accidentally check someone into a room where the bed was unmade or give them 2 queen beds when they specifically asked for 1 king on the 2nd level not near the parking lot or street lights. Things could get ugly pretty quickly, but that particular guest would leave eventually and things would continue as normal.

Needless to say, I have a history in the service industry. I have used every customer service line there is from "I will personally make sure I take care of this issue for you" to "I agree, our prices are a little high, let me see what kind of discount I can offer you. Even in the job I do now, when a customer calls with a problem they expect me to solve,  I really do try my best. But I recently saw something that really made me mad.

I was creeping on Facebook as I so often do, and someone on my news feed posted a paragraph long complaint about how their fast food wasn't exactly the way they ordered it. Now, here's the thing I don't get about people who complain about fast food. For one, it's called fast food. You chose that drive thru because it was quick. You wanted your food in less than 10 minutes. So how can you be but so upset if your order is altered a little? To be sure you're not the only one at the whole restaurant. And after all, we're humans. We make mistakes. So maybe we should be a little more forgiving when the 16yr old working the drive thru to put gas in his car is doing his best. Not to mention you're only paying about $5 for it. You get what you pay for, Ladies and Gentlemen.  Are there exceptions? Of course. But is it really all that necessary for you to park, go inside, demand to see a manager and get your food free just to make the point that your order was wrong and someone made a mistake? No. If you really want quality food prepared especially for you, then buy your own groceries and cook your own food.

This also goes for everyone who feels the need to be rude to wait-staff at a regular restaurant. How you speak to a waiter says a lot about you, and when you make a huge scene about your steak being medium when it was supposed to be medium-well, you look like the jerk, not the restaurant. There's nothing wrong with sending your food back, after all, you are paying for it. But there is a right way to do it, and there's a very wrong way to do it. Be discrete, be polite and understand that mix ups happen. Don't have an attitude, say you're never coming back again, or expect a discount, unless you want the restaurant's chef to treat your food like you're in the movie Waiting (you don't). And also, don't post about it on social media. Let everyone form their own opinions please, plus it just makes you look stupid.

You're welcome.

Not So Bright, Recently

Ok, guys, coming at you from a long overdue period of no posts (again).

 

Last time you heard from me I was basking in what was my brand new marriage. We have now been married almost 3 months, and I have just one thing to say:

 

Anyone who says marriage is easy, is lying.

 

In a card someone gave us on our wedding day, the inside read that marriage would be the hardest, yet most rewarding, thing you'll ever do. Those words could not be more true. Marriage is hard, ya'll. I can't say it enough. 

 

Now, you're all probably thinking "you've only been married 3 months and you're already having problems? Won't last long then..." but don't misread what I'm saying. I still love it. It's still fun. It's still a big sleepover, most of the time. But lately, things have been rough. And it's mostly, if not fully, my fault. You see, women do this thing where when we're frustrated we take it out on the people we love the most. And, more often than not, the thing we're frustrated about is something that we can't even control. So here's a few examples of what we've been dealing with in the Bright household:

 

Car issues - A few weeks ago, my car broke down in the middle of town. Dead, nothing, not a movement. We finally figured out that the pulley from the oil pump broke off, causing the timing belt to jump, which, in English for those of you who don't speak car, is VERY BAD. We were faced with the choice of a new engine or a new car. Neither of which are in our newlywed budget.

 

House issues - I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I am a creature of habit and plan. I have to have a plan for everything. And I am very slowly learning the lesson that things almost never go as planned. Upon approaching Tanner with the mindset that we needed a 5 year plan and to immediately discuss when we will buy a house and where, and going to see a few houses, then realizing we could never afford these houses, I launched myself into a full blown stress-fueled meltdown. I'm telling you guys, I have been the biggest monster the past few weeks.

 

Vacation Bible School - Anyone who has ever been involved with Vacation Bible School knows that it is probably one of the biggest events of the year for a church. And you know that it can be incredibly stressful. Mom and I have taken on the teens again this year, and while this can also be extremely rewarding, it's a job in itself.

 

Financial Adjustments - Upon my car breaking down, I realized that we need a much larger emergency fund. But instead of being a normal, calm person, I threw myself into a panic and assaulted my dear husband with graphs, spreadsheets and statistics that only showed him how bad we are at saving money. This was, yet again, a bad move on my part. I'm pretty sure that if he ever hears the words "We need to talk about money" again he'll pack his things and go live in the Pro Shop at the country club.

 

Volleyball - As if I didn't have enough planned, I decided to coach for a new volleyball league our town is hosting. My team is a group of 13-15 girls who have either never played, or think they're Misty May-Treanor. There is no in between. Thanks to the moms who think their daughters are stars, and the eye-rolling and general laziness, I will begin praying that I have only sons should Tanner and I ever have children. (Again, I'm being dramatic. The girls aren't really so bad.)

 

Church - One of my first blog posts was about my home church. We were going through some things, and as much as I wish I could say it's gotten better, it hasn't. This has been a huge issue for Tanner and I, and one that we're still working through.

 

I go into detail about all of this not to whine, or make it seem like my life is harder than others. It's more or less a therapy, and it's also to give you some insight as how to not do marriage. Through all of this, I've gotten so wrapped up in my "struggles" that I have completely forgotten to thank God for everything he's blessed me with. So here's a list of the things I am thankful for from the past month:

 

-Family being close by to car pool with, and even let me drive their cars (thanks, Mom!)

-My husband for being SO, SO, SO patient with me, and gently telling me that I need to chill out and that not everything is about me, and that I need a major attitude adjustment

-The sweetest mother-in-law who does everything she can for just about anybody without an agenda or expectations

-My dad for always promising to do what he can

-Our landlords for always answering their phone, should we ever need anything

-The house we have that protected us from that crazy storm Friday night

-The company I work for, for letting me have an extremely flexible schedule

-Good friends, who let me vent and cry to them just about any time I need

-Ray's Hydraulics who have promised they can fix my engine without buying a new one

-My stepdad for letting us use his washing machine and dryer

-Our crazy cat

-Some of our church family that always have an encouraging thing to say

-The Gillis men who seem to know everything about anything with a motor and wheels

-God for giving us this crazy, wonderful life that we get to share for the rest of our lives

 

And so, so many more.

 

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:5-6  

Again, I've been a most unpleasant person to deal with recently, and for that I am sorry. Why is it that it takes such a bad thing (or things) to happen for us to realize how good we have it?