Dreams

When I was a little girl, I remember having 2 dreams for most of my life as I grew up. I wanted to be a teacher, and I wanted to be a wife and a mommy. Well, I actually pursued the teacher track for awhile and found it wasn't for me, so I'm okay for that dream to not have come true. And as for the other dream....it has sometimes seemed nightmarish over the last five years and sometimes it still feels like a dream that could come true.

It's interesting how as we live life and get a little older and go through more experiences - good and bad - it seems easier to just stop dreaming. Or to at least pretend our dreams don't matter that much. That way if they don't come true, we won't be as disappointed. And I do believe there is a fine line to walk with being okay with exactly where God has you, whether or not your dreams come true for your life, and not being afraid to dream. For example, if I am single for the rest of my life, if I never get to be a mom or a wife again, I will be okay. I will live a full life, I will make a difference, and my life will matter. But the dream of my heart still exists.

As much as I go through stages where I think I could never do it again - I could never risk again - something inevitably happens that leads me back to awareness of what my heart is really saying. This past weekend was Nikki's birthday, and we spent Sunday at the Magic Kingdom celebrating. While we were waiting to get on our boat at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, there was a lengthy delay. We, along with the rest of the line, watched as 3 people tried to get an older lady loaded into the ride. She was completely paralyzed from at least the waist down and it was like taking a limp doll and trying to get her situated in the seat. Once they got her down, her husband sat down next to her, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and adjusted her hat. I could just imagine him giving her a hard time about how cute she looked with her hat crooked, just to ease the embarrassment of the moment. All of us had tears in our eyes as we watched a visual representation of true love play out before us.

Then today at the mall, I was passing out fliers at the stores. I went into a children's store, and they had their Easter displays out. I have always loved the color lavender and if I were having a little girl would want to paint a nursery lavender instead of pink. They had the most adorable dresses that were lavender and white and lavender and other colors. It hit me like a ton of bricks - the desire that one day I might have a little girl I could put a dress on and have a lavender nursery.

I don't know what God has planned for me, and I know I truly will be okay with whatever He has planned. But the events of the past two days have reminded me that no matter how much the thought of marriage again someday scares me or taking a risk is terrifying, the dreams are still there. And after all this, the fact that the dreams are still there and I do still have hope....well, that is a miracle to me!

So I just wanted to share what I am pondering with all of you. Perhaps you could ponder it too. What are the deepest dreams of your heart? What are you afraid of? Jesus will meet you there, wherever it is. And He will love you enough to not let you stay in your fears and to fan the flames of your dreams so that His even bigger dreams for you can become a reality. I know this from experience! :)

Spring Is Coming

Hi everyone! It's been awhile since I've blogged, but there are a few things to share, so here goes.... First of all, I am feeling MUCH better now! I've been back to work and school for a week now and am completely over the flu/stomach thing I had going on. I am so thankful to be able to eat food again and to feel hungry, and I am enjoying being able to eat ice cream again. :) I did find out that my sinus cavity is still infected, so the antibiotic to try to clear up the infection did not work. I will be seeing an ENT to see what the next step is, but at this point it is expected that they will want me to have surgery to clean out the infection. Not sure if/when that will happen, but we'll see!

In other news, spring has sprung here in Florida! We have blooms everywhere, and it's so beautiful. I love spring. It's a little different here because it's green pretty much all year and it seems like something is always in bloom, but there is still that bursting to life of flowers and trees, and I love it. I love that God gives us spring to remind us that new life always springs forth from death and that sometimes when we least expect it, we will bloom again. I was going to try to take some pictures today when I got home, but my camera battery was dead, so you'll have to be okay with pictures from my phone. Here are a few examples of what I'm getting to see right now...



Another way that I know spring is arriving is because SPRING TRAINING HAS BEGUN!!!!! Hooray for baseball season not being too far away! And yes, I will be going to a few spring training games. What's the fun of living in the same place where the Braves train if you don't take in a few games? Don't worry, I'll take lots of pictures! :)

This blog could not be complete without a quick picture of my fabulous cat. I've mentioned before on my blog that my cat has her own pillow on my bed that she sleeps on. Think what you will, but it's better that than her trying to curl around my head and sleep on mine while she snacks on my hair. This is a much better solution for us all! Plus, she's so adorable....how can you not smile if you wake up to this?? :)

I will try to post again soon and fill you in on school and what's happening there. For now, I must go get some homework done, eat my yummy dinner of sweet potatoes, squash casserole and chicken tenders cooked in hawaiian marinade, and hopefully sleep some before a very long day tomorrow. Hope each of you is doing well, and as the earth begins to come to life wherever you are, you are reminded of God's faithfulness and how much He loves us!

Sickness Update

I ate 6 chicken nuggets and a few french fries for lunch today. Before this past week, that would not have been a monumental event. Now it is! I have been so ridiculously sick, and I thought writing a quick blog update would be the best way to keep everyone informed.

I got sick last Thursday, with a confirmed positive test for Influenza A. That was bad enough by itself. Prior to getting sick, however, I had been on an antibiotic for a month to try to clear up my impacted sinus cavity. I have always been very drug sensitive, and combining finishing a month long antibiotic, getting the flu, and coughing without stopping for four straight days became the perfect storm for my stomach to rebel. Beginning on the evening of my birthday, I got so nauseous, I could not eat or drink hardly anything. That lasted until Wednesday, when I went back to the doctor for help. I was pretty dehydrated by that point and was a little afraid they were going to put me in the hospital, but they let me try to rehydrate myself. I was given anti-nausea medication that took care of the nausea enough that I could begin to drink and eat again. I am still taking that once a day to keep the nausea at bay and to allow myself to be able to keep eating and drinking.

So what's going on? Essentially, it is believed that being on the antibiotic for a month destroyed my stomach, killing the good bacteria. There is concern that I have a bacteria in my intestines that takes over when the good bacteria goes away. So I have had lab tests run and should get those results back on Monday. If that is what is going on, it's an easy fix of taking medicine to get rid of that. I should feel better very quickly after that happens. But for now I have to wait until Monday to find out, so I'm just taking it easy and trying to continue eating and drinking. I am still quite weak and don't have a lot of energy, but I am hanging in there. I have missed work for over a week now and missed classes this past week, so that's pretty stressful, but it could not be helped. I'm hoping I'll get some answers Monday and feel better fast and be able to jump back into the swing of things next week.

My mom came back down yesterday to be with me since Nikki is back at work. It's helpful to have someone here because I haven't been able to drive myself anywhere. She will be here for a few days to take care of me until I'm back on my feet, and I'm grateful to have her around!

I'll keep you posted on what I find out, but continued prayers are appreciated. This has been a really tough week, and it's helped remind me how much we take for granted. We don't think about eating or drinking - we just do it. But when you can't or you feel sick all the time, you realize what a blessing it is to eat and to feel hungry and to have no trouble digesting food. I am looking forward to enjoying my food with more thanksgiving as I am able to eat more and more in the coming days. I can't wait to have some ice cream! :) More to come soon...

It Is What It Is...

Sometimes after class I feel the need to process something that was discussed because it affects me in a profound way or it irritates me or pricks my heart and I know I need to think more about it. A lot of the processing happens with classmates, the roommate, my mom or in counseling, but sometimes I like to share my processing with all of you. So here's a random tidbit of learning for you to think about as well....

Tonight in class my professor was talking about counseling and how that oftentimes, things do not go as planned. Maybe we had something in mind prior to the session that we wanted to do and the client refuses or doesn't really cooperate. Maybe we thought they'd go one direction and they go in the opposite direction instead. Maybe we have no idea what to say or do in that moment. He said some of the best advice he could give us is this: It is what it is....and God is in control. It is what it is - that moment is the reality you are dealing with, so be in that moment and go from there. Even though it's simple, I found that to be very profound. How often do we wish away a moment or wish that our reality was different than it is? But perhaps all God is asking of us is to be present in that moment...to experience all that He has for us, even if it means experiencing the pain or heartache that we desperately want to escape from. Or to be fully present in unimaginable joy, relishing the moment without looking forward and missing it. I don't necessarily have any answers or anything, but this is how I process. So let's process together! What would it be like to approach life with that mindset? It is what it is....and God is in control.

Remembering

This time of year is a cause for remembrance for a lot of people. It's a new year, a chance to reflect back on the year that has just been completed, to take stock and evaluate. It's a time to look forward at an entire year stretching out before you like a blank canvas, waiting to be filled in. It's a time to dream, to create resolutions, to wonder, to celebrate.... And for me, this time of year is a time of remembrance for a little bit of a different reason.

January 14, 2006 was my wedding day. Five years ago this Friday to be exact - well, the wedding was on a Saturday, but you know what I mean! And on this Friday, I won't be celebrating my five year anniversary. Instead, I've been divorced for almost four. There are times when that still makes me stop and shake my head. I wonder if I dreamed that part of my life or if any of it was actually real. So much time has gone by now that January 14th is really just another date. I mean, I think I'll always know what it meant when that day pops up on the calendar, but I really am okay. However, there's just something weird about the five year mark.

Five years is a long time. I think about all I would have been celebrating five years into a marriage. I'm one of those people that thinks it's cool to celebrate five years and ten years and such. Not that you don't celebrate the other years, but I love the "marker" years - the ones that make the year seem even more special, be it a birthday or an anniversary. I think I would have had fun with my fifth anniversary. I might also be celebrating the life of a child - or perhaps more than one child. Who knows. And while I can't help but wonder what life would have looked like, the truth is that it looks very different than how I would have imagined it. If I had written my story, I would not have included this script. But you know what? I wouldn't change a thing.

Don't get me wrong - divorce sucks and I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone. But I am who I am today because of the journey of the last five years. I would not be where I am in life, doing the things I am doing, having had some of the experiences I've had, without this story. I wouldn't be able to be in a counseling program, learning how to walk with other people through their valleys without experiencing my own.

When I walked down the aisle that day five years ago, I was walking toward my groom. But I was also walking to Jesus, saying yes to Him, and pledging to follow Him with my life. The groom might have walked away, but Jesus hasn't. So on this five year mark, I celebrate in new ways. I celebrate life and healing, hope and expectation. I celebrate salvation and redemption and joy. I praise God for loving me enough and caring about me enough to continue His refining of me - even when it's painful and annoying at times. :) And at this time of year, I choose to remember God's faithfulness to me.

Three years ago, I wrote a blog post on what was the first January 14th after my divorce. You can read that entry here if you'd like - it's a pretty good summation of that time in my life. At the end of that entry, I quoted part of a David Crowder song that says this: "After night comes the light, dawn is here.... It's a new day, everything will change, things will never be the same, we will never be the same..." Those words were true then, they're true now, and I think they'll be even truer five years from now. God is faithful to His promises. After night comes the light. He redeems and He restores, and we are never the same.

So happy day of remembrance to me! And a sincere thank you to all of you who have shared the journey with me in some capacity in these five years. I could have never done it alone. Much love, and may God continue to refine as we walk through 2011 together.

Sinus Issues

Greetings and happy Saturday to you all! I have a prayer request to share with you this evening that is somewhat random but important all the same. This is a post that includes a medical discussion about snot, so don't continue reading if that will gross you out. :) I went to the doctor this past week because I had a place on my throat that had been there for about 4 months and I wanted to make sure everything was okay. My throat was fine, which is good, but in the process of looking at that, my doctor told me that he was concerned that I was having constant nasal drip based on the appearance of my throat. Long story short, he took an x-ray of my sinuses and it turns out that one of my front sinus cavities is almost completely blocked with infection and has been for some time. I had no idea this was the case, but it does explain constant drainage and waking up every day with a sore throat.

I have been put on an antibiotic for a month because apparently no ENT will do anything with your sinuses unless you have first tried the antibiotic. At the end of the month of drugs, I will have a CT scan done of my sinus cavity. If it comes back clear, hurray for me - the antibiotics worked! If it does not, the only solution is to have sinus surgery where they will scrape out my sinus to remove the infection. Sounds pleasant, yes? Anyway, he said antibiotics only work on 2 out of 10 people. Here is where the prayer request comes in. Please pray that I will be one of the 2! :) I already barely have time to sleep with work and school and I'd rather not try to fit a surgery in there too.

I've been on the antibiotic for three days now, and for the past 2 days, I have been extremely nauseous as my body was adjusting to the medicine (I love being so drug sensitive..). Today I have not felt well. Either in a total coincidence I am fighting a cold OR the medicine is actually working and my sinus is beginning to drain. Regardless, I have lots o' drainage down my throat, my throat hurts and my head hurts. I was feeling fine until I started the medicine, but if this works, I'll take it.

So that is the news on my poor sinus that I never knew was infected. I'll keep you posted on what happens and again would appreciate the prayers that when it comes time for the CT scan, it will be clear. Another post to come in the next few days, AND school starts back on Tuesday! Have a great weekend!

What I Learned My First Semester of Grad School

Well, Merry Christmas everyone! And happy birthday to my fabulous dad on the day after Christmas! Hope you have all enjoyed your Christmas celebrations and spending time with family. I survived my first Christmas alone, mostly by pretending it wasn't actually Christmas. :) I did get to skype with my family as we opened presents together, and that was fun. I also got to chat on the phone with some awesome people throughout the day, but I spent most of the day on the couch reading. After the madness of the past weeks, it was just what the doctor ordered! I will admit that I hope next Christmas looks a lot different than this one did, but all in all, I'm thankful for the gift God gave to us and that He got me through the day. :) Oh, and Happy New Year too! I started this blog on the day after Christmas, but well....it's just now getting finished!

On to school....I haven't had much time lately to process my first semester of school, but I have time now, and I wanted to share my reflections of what I learned during these past few months. I'm going to try to add some of my favorite recent pictures to the post to help break up the writing. Enjoy reading about all I have learned....

*The professional is the personal
This was probably the one thing I was most unprepared for when I began this program. Any school experience I've had in my life prior to this has been just that - school. You learn some stuff, you do the assignments, and you move on to the next class. In my counseling program, however, everything is personal. Who you are as a person will directly impact who you are as a counselor. Yes, we're being trained and learning skills and helpful information. But through the process, I am being personally transformed. You cannot learn about how to help people through the stuff in their lives without changing yourself. Because of this element, school can sometimes be exhausting. I found myself always thinking about stuff and processing what happened in class or what I was reading because it all impacted me personally. I have grown in ways I never imagined, and I know that will continue throughout the upcoming months.

*Learning about something you're interested in is really fun!
The last time I was in school, I enjoyed it, but in undergrad you have to take so many core classes that you never end up using and that you really don't care about. Every class I am taking has something to do with training to be a counselor, and they are all so interesting! It is really cool to see how much better school is when you are studying a subject that you are excited about and know you are preparing for a specific type of career.

*God made me special and He loves me very much!
Who knew there would be so much wisdom found in VeggieTales? The truth of this statement is something that I continue to wrestle with. I would love to say that I don't care what other people think about me, but if I'm being totally honest, I have to admit that I do. I want to be liked and respected and thought well of, and in a school setting I want people to think I belong there, that I will be a good counselor and that I have good things to contribute to discussions, etc. But the truth of the matter is that I am unique. God made me special (just like He made you special)! There were times this past semester that I felt out of place. Perhaps all of my classmates liked a certain book that I didn't. Or they viewed a situation differently than me. Instead of focusing so much on what might be wrong with me because I see something in a different way, I am coming to realize yet again that God made me on purpose for a purpose. He needs some people in the world to think outside of the box. He needs creativity and different ways of thinking. And it's really about much more than being "right" or "wrong" - it's just being comfortable with who He has made me to be, knowing He loves me, and that is enough! I know this is an area God will continue to refine in me, but I'm giving you fair warning now - 2011 could bring Tiffany even more unleashed, and it could be scary!! :)

*God WILL continue refining
While this semester has continued God's refining process in my life, I know it will not stop now. I have already gotten all of my books in the mail for this upcoming semester. (They are currently out of the way so I do not stress out while looking at the big pile. Let's be honest, I needed this break!) In looking at the books and seeing the subjects I will be studying, it's amusing in a sick sort of way to see how God uses all parts of our lives to mold us and shape us and continue His work in us. It seems as though whatever I am wrestling with is somehow incorporated into my studies so that I am forced to continue working through and dealing with whatever those issues might be. While this can sometimes be annoying, I am very thankful because I do want to be healthy, and I believe that it is my responsibility to be as healthy as possible before I attempt to speak into another person's life as a counselor.

*When God calls, He equips
Even in this first semester of school, there have been times where I have questioned if this was what I was really supposed to be doing. What if I heard God wrong? What if this wasn't what He had in mind for me to do? But over and over again, He has confirmed that this is exactly where I am supposed to be. And I have discovered the truth that when God calls us to something, He really does equip us. Despite my struggles, ponderings, and wrestling, when I have needed to do something - be it an assignment, helping a friend work through an issue, encouraging a classmate or co-worker or whatever - God has equipped me with what I needed when I needed it. I am confident He will continue to do this as I keep going down this path He has made for me.

*Appearances can be deceiving
One very important thing I was reminded of this semester was how judgmental I can be. I tend to make snap assessments of people based on a first encounter - what they look like, an initial conversation... This is totally unfair in all of life but something I must stay away from as a counselor. Appearances really can be deceiving and it's not fair to assume you know what someone's life is like by how they look or by how things might appear to be. Everyone has a story, and everyone's story is worth knowing, no matter what they might look like or how they might act.

*EVERYONE needs counseling!
This statement pretty much sums itself up, but it's true - everyone needs counseling. We all have issues. And those issues affect our relationships and how we approach the world and the impact we have on others. As believers especially, I think it's so important to be healthy so that we can be in relationship with God and others as close to the way He designed it as possible. We miss so much because we stay trapped in our small lives, living in fear of what other people might think and say and do. So find a godly counselor and let 2011 be the year of freedom and health!

So there you have it - a small sampling of what I learned in my first semester of graduate school! It was a great beginning, and while I am fully enjoying this break, I am looking forward to all that is in store in this next semester and the continuing adventures of 2011. I'll keep you posted. Thank you for your prayers and support! May 2011 be a year filled with glorious adventure, grace, love, and growth for each one of us! More to come soon! :)

An Honest Moment

Hi everybody. I know it's been a long time since I've written a blog. It's been an insane month or so as I finished my first semester of grad school. But guess what?? I FINISHED!!!! :) I'm quite proud that I made it through the first semester. I learned a ton and my first semester reflection blog will be coming soon. I also have lots of fun pictures to share from my weekend visit to GA when we celebrated Christmas with the various sides of the family, and that blog will be coming soon too. For tonight though, I have a very honest post to share, along with some prayer requests....

First of all, Matthew had knee surgery today. It went very well and the doctor is confident he was able to clean things up to the point that it will hopefully reduce the pain he has been in. Prayers are certainly appreciated for a quick healing for him and that his pain levels will be as low as possible.

Secondly, my grandmother was taken to the ER on Thursday evening with severe pain. Turns out she had a blockage in her intestine, and they had to do emergency surgery in the middle of the night. They were able to remove the whole blockage but with where it was and what it looked like, the doctors feel pretty certain that it is most likely cancer. She had already said that if it was cancer she wasn't going to do chemo (she is 79), so we'll see what the results are and what her decision is.

Before that is even a contemplation, there are many other issues going on right now that I would appreciate your prayers for. I want to be very respectful of my grandmother and her situation, so I am attempting to explain as much as I can while saying as little as possible. My grandmother has struggled with alcoholism for a very long time. Because of that, there have been a lot of extra complications with this surgery that might not otherwise be there. There are a lot of problems with her heart and blood pressure. On top of all of that, we are now dealing with withdrawal and all that comes from that. Let's just leave it at this: it is not pleasant for her or anyone else. So I would really appreciate your prayers for this situation. Pray that my grandmother will heal quickly, that this stretch will go quickly, that her children (my mom and aunt and uncle) will be full of grace and love and patience, and that they will have wisdom to know how to handle the upcoming decisions.

Because of the situation with my grandmother and the unknowns with that, the original plans we had for Christmas are no longer going to be happening. Due to my work situation, my parents and Matthew had planned on coming down here for Christmas, and they will now be staying in GA. This is completely understandable, but this also means that this will be the first Christmas in all of my 32 years that I have not been with my family. Nikki is working all day and evening on Christmas Day, so I will literally be alone the whole day. Don't worry - I do have some options of some potential things to do so I won't spend the whole time by myself, but it's still hard. It's a lot harder than I thought it might be, and I'm sure that day will be tough as well. I'll make the best of it and enjoy the celebration, but for tonight, I'm whining. :) I'd appreciate prayers for me and my family as this Christmas will look different than we had hoped and that we'll be able to focus on what God has made possible instead of what isn't happening.

Finally, I'm personally just about done. With the madness of finishing school and the holidays making work crazy, life has just been insane. I'm exhausted and feel like I could use about a week's vacation but unfortunately, that is not a possibility. I'm working a ton of hours this week, and the mall is filled with tons of holiday shoppers. They are very un-jolly more often than not, which is never fun. There are some people I want to bash with my reindeer antlers, but that would not be a good thing. :) So pray for me that I will be able to make it through this week and maintain grace and kindness and Christmas cheer.

I think that's about it for now. I've tried to keep my blog authentic and real since I started it, and while ultimately we'll all end up where we need to be, this is an honest look at the struggles that my family and I are going through this evening. Thank you for letting me share them with you, and thank you for your prayers and support. More to come soon!

I Am Easily Amused

My parents left this morning to head back to GA. It was great to have them here visiting, even if I didn't get to see them all that much. We had a blast at Mickey's Christmas Party last night, and I'll post pictures from that soon. In the meantime, I am trying to get schoolwork done before I head to work for the evening, but I'm so tired all I want to do is sleep! :) So I am taking a school break to write this quick blog.

A few entries ago, I shared that I had a goal of getting a cute picture of me and Ellie in our matching Santa hats this holiday season. With the parents in town, it seemed like the perfect opportunity, so we tried to capture the moment yesterday. Ellie was NOT happy. She is not a fan of the hat, and she didn't want to be held with the hat on. I would pick her up, we'd try to snap one picture and then I'd have to set her down to try it all over again. Here is one we got where she clearly wasn't having any part of it...

This next one isn't too bad, but she wasn't looking at the camera.

This was one of my favorites...

And finally, we have the winner! This was voted the favorite of everyone who was here. Ellie is just happy that the photo session is done, and she has stopped running from me when I try to pick her up. :)

Yes, I have issues. But at least I have fun. :) Now, back to work. Have a great week!!!

On Shopping & Dishes

Greetings!! Well, it is official - I survived the Black Friday weekend!! Hopefully my body will recover quickly from the madness - I'm getting way too old for this. :) I worked 16 hours on Friday - from 2am until 6pm and then 10 1/2 hours yesterday. I have slept really well the past two nights - I guess when you're completely exhausted, you get some really great sleep. Today I finally get to hang out with my parents and then tomorrow starts the final push towards the end of semester for school. But I will think about that tomorrow! For today, a few stories to share...

I know I'm a girl and that most girls love to shop. I have never been one of those girls. Shopping is not my favorite thing to do, and if I do need something, I will go specifically for that item. I'm not much of a browser and going to shop without a purpose is not really fun to me. Maybe this is because I grew up with brothers and no sisters and spent most of my time outside playing. I don't know, but I have always been this way. I remember once in college I had a friend who loved to shop. She invited me to go to the mall with her, and I figured it would be a fun way to pass a couple of hours. What I was unaware of was that she was one who wanted to go in EVERY store and look at EVERY item of clothing on EVERY rack - even if it wasn't our size. That afternoon at the mall was my own personal version of hell, and let's just say I never went shopping with her again! :) All of this is just to convey that malls are not my favorite place to spend free time. If they were, however, the Black Friday weekend would cure me of wanting to shop ever again. It is nutty and one of the craziest things to me. I know there are good deals, and maybe one day when I'm not actually working on that day, I will enjoy partaking in the madness. Or maybe not. For those of you who were out in the insanity, I hope you had a great time!

In other news, we had a fun Thanksgiving. Matthew and my parents were here, and we enjoyed making a Thanksgiving meal with our traditional favorites. We also got to video chat with Michael and Bekah, so we were all "together" for at least a little while. I made a homemade banana pudding for dessert - it was delicious!!

I also made a green bean casserole. I found Paula Deen's recipe a few years ago, and while it is totally not healthy, it is the most delicious green bean casserole I've ever had and has become a family favorite. But all the food aside, one of my most favorite parts of Thanksgiving was getting to use my new dishes.

When I got married, we picked out very neutral dishes. When I got divorced, I kept most of the dishes. It wasn't that I necessarily loved them or wanted to have them around, but I like to cook. I wanted to have plates to put food on and I didn't have any money, so practicality won out and they stayed. I've wanted to change them for a long time, but I am a practical person who doesn't like to spend money, especially on things that aren't really necessary. I figured if I ever got married again someday, I'd just register for different dishes and deal with it then. Well, here we are four years later, and I've made some decisions. I don't know what the future holds - maybe I'll marry again or maybe I'll be single. Despite all of that, if I want dishes that reflect my personality and weren't picked out with my ex-husband, that's okay! My uncle works at Macy's, and with sales and discounts, I was able to replace my dishes very inexpensively. And here they are....

This is minus one color because I had to switch it out, but I LOVE them!!! It's so fun to open my cabinet or my dishwasher and see all of the brightly colored dishes. And I love that when people eat, everyone has a different color! I think these new smiley dishes reflect me very well, and I'm going to enjoy using them. There are other colors too, so if I ever want to add to them, I can just keep adding new colors. And if I do ever get married someday, I'll just register for Christmas dishes instead! :)

That's all for now. I'm going to go enjoy hanging out with my parents on their last full day here. We're going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party later today, and I can't wait to introduce them to the magic of Christmas there!! Pictures to come soon... Happy Sunday! :)