On my way to becoming a Home Owner

So the buying a home process is exhausting. I don't see how people buy 4 or 5 houses in their lifetime, but kudos to those who have! The process started about 4 months ago on an adorable condo in Huntsville, that my boyfriend and his investor flipped. Turns out, after 4 months of trying to get this deal to go through, the HOA property was majorly in debt and just had some major dependencies  so all in all, it was a BLESSING IN DISGUISE that it fell thru.

I was bummed at first, but then realized that God has had me on this path that he has been paving, and he has put everything in place the way HE wants it to go, so I moved on and starting on the search again. I had to be out of my apartment October 9th, and in the weeks before, Derek had shown me a cute little house that he had completely flipped from an AWFUL train wreck. Not sure who the homeowner was, but I don't think he cared much about his house. Anyways, I trusted and had faith in my beau that he would have this house looking extraordinary so I waited until it got down to the wire to go back and see it and ALAS, it was so cute!!

Here is a before and after picture of the exterior view of the house that HOPEFULLY, at the end of November, will be able to call "my home". Derek and I have big plans for this little house and hopefully soon (hint hint) we will call it "OUR" first little home together until we are able to build our "dream home".

More pictures to come, but this is just a starter house to be able to save up some money to one day build a home we can stay in and raise our chitlins' in. Hope you like!

UPDATES!

So with a little help from my adorable handyman, we got half of the cabinets (his drill died on us) installed with hardware.

 

They didn't turn out exactly how I pictured them to look. They look a little "too" dirty for me, but Derek ensured me that he liked the look.

Not too bad for my first run at this.. I can (hopefully) only get better!

Arts and Crafts, Oh My!

So, I have finally developed a knack for Do It Yourself crafts, due to the most awesome website, www.pinterest.com. I was recently blessed with the most adorable little house, so it got my brain tinkering on different ideas on how to fix it up and make it fit my personality, since I had so much space now to work with,coming from a one bedroom apartment.

My first DIY project was taking the plain, cream colored cabinets in my kitchen, and transforming them into a antique-y worn look. It was quite simple to do. I read and read about how to do this process, but the way I did it, seemed much easier. Here is the before picture of the  kitchen (it's a bit blurry) and a few before, during, and after pictures of the cabinets drying.

Here are the before pictures of the cabinets. Just an off white/Cream colored paint. I skipped several steps it said to do on all the researching sites I looked at, but my cabinets were not finished or coated, so it eliminated the steps I needed to do. 

Sanding wasn't necessary because my cabinets were not finished, but to get a few scratches and chipped paint, I thought it would look better with the look I was going for.

Wax on, Wax off.. Easy enough!

 I used Aged Oak, gel stain. Websites said to use a "glaze", but I liked the gel better because it was much thicker.

 I let the stain sit for about 2-3 minutes before wiping it off. You can go over as many times as you want until you get the desired look you want.

Here is one of the finished cabinets in the drying stage. I let them dry for 24 hours. I will post more when I finish! Hope you like! I think they turned out really well for my first attempt at this.

Girlfriend Getaways - 2011

 Well, the time has come and gone so quickly, as our annual girls getaway trip came to an end. We had some good talks, and some great catch up moments with a few of our girlfriends. I really enjoyed the trip this year, because several of us have and are continuing to start new chapters in our lives, and it is so exciting to see what the 2nd half of this year has to offer! Lots of new things are happening, and I cannot wait to be a part of some special moments this year!! Here is a recap of some pictures that described the majority of this years trip! But as we said our farewells with hugs and kisses, we realized that we have all grown together and will continue to do so through the upcoming years and will always put aside a time to spend and catch up with our gal pals...

So what... we love taking pictures of ourselves.. wouldn't you too if you had girlfriends as beautiful as mine? That would be a yes!

Date ideas: The ABC's Game..

OK, so in my research to try and find cute ideas to do for Derek on Valentine's day, I ran across this fun game called the ABC's. How it worked, and you can tweet this to fit realistically in your relationship, but the two of you come up with cute, everyday adventures to go and do on a date, starting with A and so forth. Example would be....

Arrange a picnic for two,  
Build a love fort,  
Climb a tree to see who can reach the top, and so forth.

The idea is to be spontaneous, fun and creative, and I am sort of border line retarded when it comes to being creative, so this is a challenge for me, but I really think it would be something fun and entertaining for you and your significant other to do. So, what would be some of your suggestions that you could think of to do? You can make this as extreme as possible, or as sweet as can be. You make it to fit your relationship's personality!


Share your ideas!

The struggle with 'unsurity'

For the past few days now, an issue has really being weighing heavy on my heart and on my mind. 'CHANGE'. As a lot of you know, I have really been struggling with having, making, and fulfilling goals in my life, and its something that I struggle with at a pretty high level, and am unable to figure out what the 'purpose' of my life is, if that makes sense. What am I good at? What have I done with my life? Who have I helped in theirs? What can I say I am proud of?........ Answers to these questions are empty. I know that I have always had the heart to want to help other people. Helping others brings happiness to me, even if it is just sharing an ear to listen. My biggest struggle in my life is full commitment, but not towards other people, but towards myself. Finishing school is my number 1 goal in my life, and it has been such a struggle for me to figure out what I WANT to do in my life. I have been pulled in many directions, and I feel like its never going to end and I am never going to fully figure out what I will be good at. I look back at my life and I have truly accomplished nothing. I cannot sit here and think of anything worth 'bragging' about in my life and it has really hit hard for me here lately. I don't have any hobbies that I can say I really love to do or anything that I am really good at. This comes from listening to my boyfriend share his goals with me, and when he shares stories of his life and his accomplishments and his goals. It makes me so happy to be with someone who loves what he does, has had a wonderful and successful life, but at the same time, it really makes me think about me and mine and I am just at a big rut in my life with being 26 years old and nothing to show for my life. FEAR has been my biggest enemy in setting goals and working towards them. I am all about positivity, but at the same time, it is just something I struggle with in a huge way. There are so many things I would have done differently, but I cannot dwell on the past, because that is exactly what it is, my past. It cannot be undone, it can only be changed in the future. In thinking about this, this morning, a verse that I just happened to read today was tied into this. "The unknown can overwhelm you, but God is omniscient, which means he knows all things, including the future. He can prepare you for the future in ways you can't prepare yourself, and he works all things for the good of his followers (Romans 8:28)

I will be praying very hard for God to help me find 'my way' in my life, and I BELIEVE that if I put my prayers into him, he will open the path that I am so unsure of, for me. Thanks for listening,

Brandi

The Best 'Valentine's Day'

Derek sent me flowers today, and they were so beautiful and smelled so wonderful. We had a romantic night in with a nice homemade dinner prepared by Derek himself, a tear jerking card, and a nice movie while in our PJs. I couldn't have asked for a better Valentine's Day.

'Adventuring' Ahead

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

So, I am ecstatic to share some of the travels that have been and will be in store for me the first half of this wonderful 2011 year!



December 31, 2010 - HAPPY NEW YEARS! We kicked off in Nashville for some New Year's Eve 'dancing the night away' fun. We went into the lit up streets at midnight to watch the Guitar drop and where Derek and I had our 'first kiss'



February 12th, 2011 - ATL is where we will be making our way to celebrate the wonderful birth of our dear friend Julie! She will be turning the BIG 2-5 and we all have been there on that one.. your half way to 50 Jules!! We will be making our 2nd appearance to the infamous OPERA club to dance the night (and calorie intake) away!



April 28, 2011 - Sandestin Wine Festival - We will be accompanying "Silver Fox" to the 2nd annual Sandestin Wine Festival for a full weekend of 'Class' and wine drinking.. Ok, so maybe not the full weekend, but there will be several hours of wine intake going on... We will be staying at the awesome Le Jardin Village that sits in the middle of the entire wine festival!


May 7th, 2011 - Company retreat to the Western Caribbean! We will enjoy a nice, relaxing(partial) 7 days aboard the 'Triumph' ship making its way to Belize, Cozumel, and Island Roatan in Honduras. We will be enjoying excursions, cocktails, all you can eat buffets, dancing, shows and spectacular views!



June 9th, 2011 - GIRLS BEACH TRIP!!! We will celebrate our annual GIRLS trip in Flo-rida with all of our closest and best GIRLFRIENDS!! Sun, fun, and dancing our booties off!



Stay tuned as the ole calender fills up with more and exciting trips to come!!

B

What a GREAT start to a GREAT year....

Hello fellow bloggers,

I have taken quite some time off, but I am back to share the new and exciting news and events that have happened over the last 7 months.. I followed my heart, after much thought and hesitation, and moved back down to the good ole South! It is good to be home, let me tell you!! My good friends Lindsey and Jamie opened their home to me for a few months while I settled back into reality of being home again.. Things didn't work out in Green Bay, but they were definitely for the best! I am a much stronger and independent person now, and it was truly great and needed to see different perspectives in new culture. The North was great, and COLD, and the people were so friendly in welcoming me, but it just wasn't quite 'home' for me. I got a new puppy and he is the cutest thing ever! (Yes I am a little biased). His name is Kipton, aka Kip, aka Kippers. I settled into my first cozy apartment by myself about 4 months ago. It is very nice living by myself for once, but it did make me realize how much I missed having my roomies to share things with and to talk to. Dreading it, I recently got back into the dating world after being single for several months, but only to find a guy that is so amazing and just wonderfully charming. His name is Derek and he is a Real estate agent/co-owner of Capstone Realty. He makes me laugh so much, he comes from a great family, a great group of friends, and he is quite the adorable looker. Things are going very well between us and it's hard not to go on and on but I'll make it short and sweet. He has ALL of the qualities that I have been looking for but unable to find, so keep praying that God will continue to push us forward with one another and continue to provide happiness for us both! Ok, I have to get some work done, but I'll be back shortly.

Love you all,
B

Verse of the day....

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here

Dazed and confused......

So.... I have been wanting and itching to get back into to church. After going the other weekend with Taylor, Linds and Jamie, and reading Kelsie's latest blog.. it just got me really upset because I want to be in a relationship where the person I am spending my life with wants to be involved the same ways I do. I listen to all kinds of stories, Kelsie's included, and I really do feel like if we both dedicated our lives and most importantly our relationship and handed it over to God, that we, in turn, would be closer to one another, be in a much deeper connection with one another, and just make our relationship great. I have started reading a book, how to let God solve your problems, and its really good so far. Just talks about how when you feel like your all alone, and you think your problems aren't good or big enough for God, stop, and ask him to help you. He will. Its really good so far. I just want the opportunity to have the best relationship I can get, I think I deserve it. I pray that he somehow finds God, and I will keep trying, but I eventually want to live my life with someone who wants God in their life. I just feel like it will make EVERYTHING so much more amazing. I keep asking for God to help me make the right decisions, and he eventually will tell me. Until then, I must just ask and pray day after day, until my prayer is answered. HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL THURSDAY!!

Dating Mr. Right??

A relationship without trust is doomed from the start. But a relationship with abundant trust? A fabulous foundation for real and lasting love! Built over time, trust is based on the simple belief system that your partner has your best interests at heart and will never intentionally hurt you (and vice versa). If and when you discover that Mr. Next is 100 percent trustworthy, you'll have no trouble giving your heart to him. In return, he'll most likely give you his heart and pave the way for a lasting, loving relationship to unfold.

In the wrong relationship, he tears you to emotional shreds, brings you down, and in general drains your energy. In the right relationship, he enriches your life, inspires you to be your best self, and brings a sense of peace and possibility to you. You'll know Mr. Next is enriching your life if and when he encourages and supports you professionally, personally, and spiritually. Then he will turn into Mr. Right...

*MOST IMPORTANT* - So often, women feel the need to sacrifice some part of themselves to make a relationship work. In the right relationship, there's no need. You don't have to hide, tone down, or apologize for any aspect of you or your fabulous life. With the right partner, you're not only able to be yourself, but you're better able to be the best version of your most authentic self -- no compromises needed.

Remember, finding your life partner isn't always easy, but by being clear, honoring yourself, and acting accordingly, you'll cut down on wasted time with Mr. Wrong and Mr. Next, and ultimately make room for Mr. Right.

It's beena a while...

Hello fellow bloggers, it has been a couple of weeks since I have blogged, not really much to talk about...and being very busy. We recently got a new addition to our household. His name is Kolt and he is a silver Weinheimer. He is a handful and a half to keep up with. I don't see how mothers with multiple children do it and still maintain a job... whew!! raise my hands up to them! I recently took a trip back home and it was Wonderful to see everyone and to have people to do stuff with!! Met some new friends who are amazingly talented and so much fun to be around!! I cant wait to come back home to hang out with them again! It was an interesting visit back home. Some unexpected things developed which kind of threw me left field... It was great, but unexpected. I got to see my niece and nephews which was really nice! My parents are getting a divorce and my mom will pretty much be homeless.. She is living in my grandmothers old house that she had turned into a thrift shop. So sad, because my mom always relied on my dad for support, so she has nothing for herself to fall back on.. thats why i will never rely solely on a "man" to keep my stable. You have to learn to fend for yourself and to be able to support yourself, as she is finding out the hard way. It saddens me even though I know it is for the best. My mother has not had a "happy life" for as long as I can remember. She never gets to go out, she has minimal friends, she doesnt know what a date is, and she has never had someone to just make her happy. I love my dad, but .... In a positive note, this terrible situation just motivates me even more to get my degree, get a great job, and to do the best I can to set up a good financial situation for myself. .... -b

Thirsty Thursday..... Oh how I miss those days........

Good morning from Wisconsin. It is yet again, another FOGGY, groggy, rainy day in the Northern State. School is out for 2 weeks and I am scuba excited!! Now to focus on work and partying it up in Alabama. Ha Ha. Today, I am going to buy my first laptop! I know, right.. welcome to the real world Brandi! How have I not had a laptop yet?? But I am excited!, that I can actually afford to buy one! So we figured out last night that it is 10 hours to drive from here to Kentucky. HOLY MOLY. I thought it was only about 6-7 at the most. So not sure I want to do that, and drive through Crummy Chicago unless I drive in the middle of the night with less traffic. Scary! And I am pleased to hear that JB will also be accompanying herself to HSV next weekend! Yay!! Now we just need Lala, Kels, and KT.. so I am going to need y'all to get on this! haha. JK.. I know y'all have your lives to take care of. Jenn and I are having our cook night tonight, so If you read this and have any yummy ideas, send em my way! Ok, I am going to go to work now, talk to ya soon.. *muah*

WOO HOO

I GOT A 90 ON MY FINAL! WOO HOO!!

A dreary, dreary day

SO, Monday the weather was just beautiful and gorgeous! I think I smiled all day long that day. Today, FOG , rain and coldness.. I do not understand why God is taunting me with this. LET IT BE SUNNY! makes the whole day just so much better. So I got a perfect grade on my Psych test today. Pretty stoked about that! I have my last Econ Class tonight and hopefully I do well on my final. *crossed fingers*. I have started curling my hair with a curling iron and I am really liking it! It makes me feel a little more dressed up even when I am not. IF you stayed in your lounge clothes everyday, all day you would TOTALLY know what I am talking about here. Makes you feel just blah and yucky when its everyday. My mother is going to start working with us and the callcenter since she sits at home everyday, so I get to teach and train her when I come into town next week. I am excited for her, since maybe this will give her something important to do, and make some easy money. I cant wait to come home and see everybody. I am trying to make all these plans, but thats probably not a great idea. I just get so excited, I feel like my entire week has to be completely filled!! I have not worked out today because its my long school day so I don't feel great about that right now. I have gotten myself in such a habit at the gym, that if I dont go or I skip a day, I actually feel bad and lousy! Never have I been dedicated enough to feel that way, so that's a good thing that I get that way. It is slowly becoming more of a lifestyle than a hobby. Speaking of hobbies, I still have not been able to find something that I can really say I enjoy and want to make a hobby. I have gotten suggestions, but nothing has fell into place. Hmmm.... Well not really much else to say, gotta keep studying.. Talk to ya soon! *muah*

Long day today

Today has been a very long day. I have two test and a final tomorrow so wish me luck! Went and got my hair fixed tonight. It took her two different times to get MOST of the red out. Not entirely sure what happened, but I am do know for sure, I will not be going to her again. I do not like looking like a firecrotch, as I called myself. Cooked a great dinner for the boys tonight. I am really trying to get into cooking, so hopefully I will get more creative as the weeks pass. I am looking so forward to coming home next week. I hope to get around to seeing everyone and spending enough time with my family so they don't get angry with me. Cant wait to see my nephew, he has gotten so big since I last saw him, which was when he was born. Not too much to tell tonight, just about to go to bed and rest my body for the big day tomorrow. GOODNIGHT TO ALL...... *kisses*

Saying for the day

Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness,heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.

The start of a NEW mindset

3/8/2010 - Today, is going to the be the start of beginning a new mindset for myself. I have been SO SO SO negative in everything new that has happened to me in the last 9 months. Instead of bracing it and considering it a new challenge, I have been feeling down and sorry for myself. I am constantly reminding myself of all the things I cannot do. I am constantly finding things that do not make me happy in my relationship, instead of finding the things that Do make me happy and finding ways to fix the things that are not. Not sure where to start with this new goal, but i am really going to try. I am so tired of feeling the things I have felt the last several months. Its bringing my self esteem down, my feelings toward Kael down, and most of all, its turning my once PEPPY, LOVE THE WORLD, personality to a complete opposite. I am finding that I no longer am the fun, get crazy, love my life, happy person I once was, and I know its because I have been looking at everything that has happened and changed in my life, as an negative. NO MORE. I will need the help of my best friends for added motivation. I CAN DO THIS. I CAN DO THIS. I want to start a hardcore workout plan, getting outside and doing things out of my comfort zone. The weather is starting to be beautiful again, so hopefully these things will get accomplished. I want to come up with things to make my relationship better and stronger with Kael. This cant be a one way deal, but I am going to have to step up and make it that way, because he doesn't get it. So, I am going to start off with being positive, something I have lacked very much. Hope this is a goal that gets reached! Stay tuned........