My Favorite Things

In honor of my birthday only being 5 days away, I thought I would do a lighthearted blog about some of my favorite things.....you know, in case you still need to get me something :)

I absolutely love 31 products. There honestly isn't anything they sell that I don't love. What makes it even better is that you can get it monogrammed!

I have read more books on my kindle than I ever imagined. I love reading and amazon.com gift cards are awesome!

Like 31, there isn't anything Vera Bradley makes that I don't like. It is more expensive but even a simple checkbook cover makes me giddy!

I received a pandora bracelet for my birthday right before I found out I was pregnant with Neela. I absolutely love this bracelet because I can put charms on it that describe what is most important to me. I got a baby carriage charm when I found out I was pregnant. A little girl charm when I found out I was having a girl. There is also a bible, an angel, a football (needs no explanation), a textbook (teacher), a dog (Bella), a heart (that Nick and Neela gave me on Neela's 1st Valentine's Day), a christmas charm because it is my favorite holiday, a december birthstone for Neela, and a garnet birthstone for mine & Nick's anniversary. I love receiving charms that have meaning behind them!

Having a dog really makes me have to work hard at keeping my home clean and smelling good. Scentsy is awesome! I love many of the scents as long as they dont' smell like trees or anything "outdoorsey." I love the fruit smells, vanilla, cinammon, and spice. I don't think you can ever have to many scentsy products!

Last but certainly not least is Sonic. I am obsessed with Sonic drinks. I go to Sonic every morning to get a large coke or cherry coke (on Fridays). People laugh when I say i want a sonic gift card for a gift but I am so serious.

Well there they are....just some of my favorite things. I am really not a high maintenance girl. Some of the items mentioned may be a little exspensive but that is why I cherish them so when I receive them. I mean really....does Sonic say high maintenance to you? I don't think so.

Have a great week!

Natalie

"It's not my job.."

If you know me, you know that I try way too hard to try and understand everything that is happening around me. It's as if understanding everything will make it easier to take in when in reality all it usually does it cause me more anger. I'm not saying it is this way with understanding people but it is this way with the majority of situations I have found myself in.

One day last week, on my way to school, I was listening to K-Love like usual and a woman came on and said something that was so relevent to me it was scary. This woman was talking about how she was in such turmoil trying to figure everything out and why things happen or don't happen. She said that it was affecting her health and relationship with others. One day while in the midst of all this worrying, she finally stopped long enough to listen to God and here is what he told her..."It's not your job to understand everything. It is your job to live for me and do the best you can with what I have given you." God was saying to me "Natalie! Shut up and let me do my job!" (I know this may sound harsh but you have to be very literal and direct with me.) This caused me to literally say outloud "OK God, I hear you!!"

I know I'm not the only one who struggles with this issue of having to know everything and have everything figured out and go the way I plan. But the good news is, there is still hope for us!! Since hearing this woman a week ago, I have had more peace than I have had in a long time. God doesn't want us to stop loving people and standing up for him but he also doesn't want us to continuously worry. He is the Creator of all things and instead of focusing on the bad, we need to be focusing on the blessings.

Trust.....what is it really?

I have started having a lot of trust isues in the past year due to the fact that people I thought I knew to be honest and trustworthy are actually liars and backstabbers. I'm not talking about politics or big business....I am talking about everyday situations. And I know it's not just happening to me! It is happening in job situations and even in churches which confuses me the most!

When I join a church, I am doing so because I trust and believe what is going on there. I trust the church leaders and count on them to be honest and portray christian values. Unfortunately, I am finding more and more that this just isn't the case and it makes me extremely sad. I completely understand that church leaders are people just like I am but when you are chosen and accept to be a leader, you have responsibilities not only to yourself but to those you are leading!

Anyway, other than constant prayer,  the only thing that helps me get through these issues is laughter and wise words. That is why I have included a few comics and some quotes. If you are having the same issues as me, I hope that these help to relieve some of your confusion as well.

“Love all, trust a few.” - William Shakespeare

“I'll start letting my guard down when people stop giving me reasons to keep it up.”

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.”

“We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy”

“You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough”

Until next time,
Natalie

Show Us Your Life

Today I am linking up with Kelly over at Kelly's Korner! (She is a dear friend of my aunt and uncle and she knows my sister!) Every Friday, Kelly has a link-up party titled "Show Us Your Life" and she has different categories every week. This week, it's single's week! Now, since I'm happily married obviously this isn't for me! However, my sister is single so I thought I would share about her!

Amy not only my sister, but also my best friend. She is 23 (almost 24 in March) and lives in Bryant, AR!  Amy graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in 2010 and she loved it so much, she decided she wanted to work there! So now she is an admissions counselor and her territory covers mid-south Arkansas and Tennessee.


Amy is a very passionate person. Whatever she is doing, she puts her whole heart into - whether it's her job, her friends, or some of her many talents. (We'll get to those talents a little later!) But one thing she will always be passionate about is her family. She has been the best aunt & godmother to my daughter, Neela Kate, as well as to her other 3 nieces, Alexis, Faith & Addyson! She loves getting to spend time with them and spoiling them! I know she will be a great mother when the day comes!

Amy doing her best friend Kate's make up for her wedding day!

Now on to her many talents. The four things Amy LOVES to do is cook, sing, do hair & make up, and plan events. And I will say that she does all of them amazingly. She fell in love with cooking when she took Home Economics in 9th grade. She has been singing since she could talk! She has done many of her friends' hair & make up over the years, even some for their weddings! And she has been the main event planner for her group of friends- planning showers, vacations and even bachelorette parties!


A few more fun facts:
• She loves to travel, even if its just a few hours away.
• Football and baseball are her two favorite sports.
• She's an avid Razorback fan, but also will cheer for Texas A&M!
• As you can tell in some of the pictures, she changes her hair color every now and then! She's naturally a blonde, and keeps that color for most of the time. But sometimes she'll go brown and most recently, she's had an auburn color!

Amy with her naturally blonde hair :)

My sister is going to make a great wife to one lucky guy someday! If you're interested, just leave me a comment with your info! Or if you'd like to know more - you can check out her blog!! www.amylynnwentz.com

Free to be me.....

As stated in a previous blog, my new years resolution is to become more confident in myself. What I have found, however, is that in order to do this, I have to come to terms with the real me. I have a lot of "titles" that I am known by....Coach Vaughn's wife, Amy's big sister, JB's little sister, Jeff & Susan's daughter, _____'s teacher, Neela's Mom.... and I love everyone of them. I know how blessed I am to have these but all of these "titles" don't describe the complete me. Looking inward at who I am and how I function is a very frustrating thing sometimes. There are some who claim to know the complete me and yet when I do or say something, it makes them run. Well I have come to a point where I am tired of trying to make myself do or say certain things to please others and not "rock the boat."

So here it is....are you ready for this?

Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I know that he is always in charge and is always there when I need him. I know I don't spend enough one-on-one time with him nor do I turn to him first in situations but these are both things I am working hard on. Some people call me a goody-goody because I don't dress a certain way, watch certain movies or TV shows, or even participate in some activities and if that is what a goody-goody is then yes, I am just that.

I am extremely blunt and to the point when it comes to my expresing my feelings about things. If someone is taking advantage, I'm gonna call them out on it. If I think something is stupid, I'm going to say "that is stupid." In my opinion, if you don't want to be called a jerk or a witch, then don't act like one.

I am passionate about my family. If you cross one of them, watch out cause here I come swinging. People may say "its not your problem" but when you hurt someone I love, it becomes my problem.

I despise dishonesty.......i'd rather be punched in the face than lied to.

I am extremely emotional. I do wear my feelings on my sleeve and I do cry alot. One of my stress relievers is to just sit down and have a good cry.

When I have a problem, 95% of the time I just want someone to listen...not fix my problem.

I struggle with anxiety/panic on a daily basis. I wish this was something I could just take a pill for and it would go away but it doesn't work that way. All I can do is take it one day at a time and do the best with what I've been given. I try and use my experiences to help others get through their struggles if possible.

I love to sing and I am extremely honored when asked to sing, either with a group or on my own. I know I'm not the best but I do give it my best.

As pathetic as it makes me sound, I do long to have friends. I don't handle lonliness very well which is why I get frustrated when Nick has to work alot because he and Neela are all I have in this town. I want someone, who isn't related to me, to actually care about how my day was or if everything is going ok. We have been living in El Dorado for 5 years now and I still have not found where I "fit."

I am not stuck-up. I have been told that when I am thinking about something I look mad and when I don't make up small talk, it seems as though I think  I am better than others. This is truthfully not the case at all. I am not one for making small talk. If I have something to say, I will say it. Otherwise, I am truly happy just listening.

I love to laugh and just be silly. I have a very corny sense of humor and find humor is small things. Maybe this is why I love being around small children....they enjoy being silly too :)

So there you go....there is a glimpse into what I have realized about who I really am. Why did I write all of this? Because I want people to know the truth. I am tired of being something I'm not. I do my best to treat people fairly and expect the same in return. I want friends but only if they accept the true me....not because of one of my "titles."

So until next time, be true to who you are!
Natalie

The new year....

I usually dont make New Year's resolutions because like most people, I don't follow through. But this year I did. I want to work really hard on becoming a more confident person. This is something that I constantly work on with Neela because I don't want her to ever think she needs to compare herself to others or worry about what they think.

My journey on the confidence train has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. I still find myself doubting my abilities and everything else about me. I know it is still January but i'm not getting off to a great start. I still get upset when i am treated like crap instead of just realizing if they don't want to be in my life, i don't want them to be either. So why do I care?? I get so stinkin frustrated with myself for caring so dang much.

I do have a question though: Why do people think it is ok to use other people? I mean they will talk to you till they are blue in the face but only when it is about themselves....they don't want to have to hear your struggles. And when you ask them about it, they start to ignore you completely. Then I start to wonder if I was wrong to confront them and what I did to make them not want to be around me. So once again, why do I care?

I guess I will stop ranting now.

Till next time,
Natalie

Happy, Happy Day!

On January 3, 2004, Nick and I began our lives together as husband & wife. He is truly my best friend! I heard an older song on the radio the other day that really reminds me of him! The words are "he thinks i'm pretty, he thinks i'm smart...he likes my nerve and he loves my heart!" This is so true! When I feel (and act) like a psycho crazy lady, he loves me anyway. When I am down on myself about what I don't know, he reminds me of what I do. When I have "fat & ugly days", he tells me i'm beautiful! These are just a few of the reasons why I love him so much. I know for a fact that God chose him for me because he knew he would be exactly what I need!

It has only been 8 years but it feels like forever (and I mean that in a good way!). I feel like I have known Nick my entire life. He has been there for me and with me through a lot of "firsts."  He was there when I was first diagnosed with Panic & Anxiety disorder and instead of allowing me to be upset about it, he was there to talk me through. He was there to encourage me when I went on my first job interview and then again when I started my first day of teaching. He has also been there for my first time to fly, my first misson trip out of the country, my first surgery, and of course my first time to ever become a Mommy! All of these "firsts" were huge milestones in my life and that is why it feels like I have known him for so long.

So enough of the mushy stuff....here are some pics of our wedding day!

I hope you have enjoyed traveling back in time with me! I pray that everyone is blessed with a spouse that loves you and appreciates you for who you are!

Natalie