Craft Day!

Today I decided to be crafty again. Mainly because the MAIN craft I wanted to make yesterday was unsuccessful…I couldn't find the supplies I needed!

But today I improvised! It was pretty simple and I feel the need to share it.

I made 2 of these, but I only have the picture of this one. This is my mom's. Of course, I had to make one for my new house too :) Maybe I'll put a picture of it up once it's in it's spot.

I used a jar of jalepenos (cleaned out and dried) for this one, because my original idea failed. I bought a plate from the DG and spray painted it white. Once the paint dried, I used E600 glue and put the jar to the bottom. I set a book on top and allowed it to dry. VOILA! Done. I put a dish cloth over the plate first because I didn't want the paint chipping off. Mom was happy. Success!

[The one I made for myself I used the same plate, only I found a clear candlestick holder and used it.]

This was just a little extra project I did today because I found our family scrabble game that we never play. I'm ready for Christmas now! :)

Have a fantastic day!

Wanna-Be Crafty Woman

Pinterest. Who hasn't heard of that website? If you haven't, you are undoubtedly living under a rock ;)
Well, one of my favorite "boards" to look at would be the DIY and Crafts board. I go through it and I pin things that I "will try someday". Up until recently I didn't feel like I had a crafty bone in my body...but I was wrong! With the internet like it is, anyone can be crafty. It's easier than you think! 
Here are some of my recent creations...

This is for mine&Justin's room. I can't wait to hang it up :))

This is for mine&Justin's house as well. Somewhere in the living room/kitchen area, I'm thinking.

Got the idea here: http://southernbellesoulmountainbrideheart.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/quotes-of-amazing-father-diy-quotes-on.html

Saw these, loved them, HAD to get them for my new kitchen. They match and they're just too cute!

Like them? Print them out here: http://www.overthebigmoon.com/fun-kitchen-printables/

And this was something I just thought was sweet, and I hope Justin&I will really write something on it daily :)

Want the print out? Get it here: http://www.lifesweetlifeblog.com/2012/01/free-printable-i-love-you-because.html

Well, that's all for now. I'll post more things as I do them, and trust me...I WILL do them ;)

Recap of the last year. YIKES!

WOW! It's been a year since I've written! I said I would post weekly, and I didn't. Guess I was a little busier than I thought I would be...well, can't change that now, just gotta start fresh! As I sit here now, I try to decide how I'm going to sum up this past year without boring the people reading this to death....
I'll start with my last year in nursing school. I can't give it one word. It was hard, stressful, overwhelming, torture (haha that may be an exaggeration). But hey, I made it through! I graduated in May and I passed boards in June. I can now add that precious 'RN' behind my name and I'm so proud of that! Do I have a job yet? Nope. I haven't applied anywhere because in October I'll be moving to Alabama...which brings me to my next subject...
Back last October, my parents came home from a visit with my brother&sister in law in Biloxi, MS. and my mother began telling me about this "very handsome, sweet, southern gentlemen" they had met. He was one of my brother's Air Force buddies and he was just "wonderful". My reaction? No thanks mom, I'm not interested, I'm focusing all my energy into school and I do NOT want to date anyone. Thanks anyway. That lasted maybe 24 hours! Then I started getting it from my sisinlaw....Keagan, you really should add him on Facebook and get to know him! You'd love him he's so funny! I was somewhat frustrated and agreed to accept his friend request just to please the family...he was charming, cute, and seemed to win me over right away! We exchanged numbers and began texting. I was still hesitant at first, but I could resist for long ;) We planned to meet at my brother's house, so we did and it went VERY well. We went on a date then next week and I was hooked, and so was he! As of  3 days ago, we've been together for 9 months and I can honestly say that he is the man of my dreams! Is he perfect? Absolutely not! I gave up looking for that a long time ago. I'm not perfect so why would I kid myself in looking for some "prefect guy"? I will admit, though, he's pretty stinking wonderful! Perfect for me! We knew pretty soon that this was something we wanted to treat and do right. It scared me, I must admit, because it was SUCH a good thing and I had never felt the way I did with him with anyone else before. I knew it was real and that I couldn't let go of it! In April when I passed my final exams, he surprised me the very next day with the most GORGEOUS ring! I said yes, OF COURSE, and we will be getting married in 55 days :)) I'm lucky, for sure! Some people probably wonder why it is happening so quick, but my response is, "Why wait!?" We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God placed us together and we were made for each other, so why put off the inevitable? We're already so blessed and there's nothing holding us back from this. God's hand has been in this before we even met, and it's so humbling to be living out his plan for the both of us. So, yeah, that's my love story! (It was so funny for me to go back and read my post from last August...my oh my what a year can do!)

Let's see what else I can update on...I now have 3 nieces! My sister and her husband had a little girl back in September, and my brother and his wife had another little girl back in June. All 3 precious little girls...but someone needs to start working on me a nephew! haha ;) 

My little brother is in 8th grade. WHOA! He's growing up too fast and it makes me feel old. I hope he keeps a good head on his shoulders and keeps his focus on Jesus Christ. 
My parents are still as awesome as ever. They have been VERY helpful with all the wedding planning and they're helping to make my dreams come true. I love them more than words could ever express, honestly. It's going to be a huge adjustment for all of us with me living 3 hours away, but it will all be fine because it's in the Master's plan. I understand that it's hard on them, and I pray that God will give them the strength to be okay with it. And they need to know that mine and Justin's door will always be open for weekend visits ;)

Okay, I tried not to write a book, but with me that's almost impossible. I want to be a blogger, I want to write weekly, but I can't make promises. I'm trying to also become crafty (thanks to Pinterest!) so maybe I'll share some crafty things with my blog readers occasionally. Thanks for reading! Hope you have a fantastic day :))

My Summer.

Well, today is my last day of summer break. It's actually pretty sad to me because it was my last summer of freedom. Next year at this time I will be [hopefully] a college graduate with a real job. It's exciting and terrifying, but this summer was all about living it up while I could. And I did, to be honest. It was probably the best summer I've had since I was a kid. I just want to talk about some of the key moments in this blog...
In May I went to Disney World with show choir. THAT was truly one of the best vacations ever. I had only been to DW once before, when I was 12, and I think I enjoyed it more this time! To all the friends that made it memorable, thank you. I will never forget that amazing week.
June was filled with new friendships and experiences. VBS at church was so awesome and growing closer to my church family made this entire summer incredible. July came and went pretty quickly. Going to Texas was probably the best trip I've ever gotten to go on. God was working and His Spirit moving and I grew as a person and a believer. The people who I've grown up with who were there to grow with me and grow closer to, I thank you. Y'all are all fantastic and I wouldn't trade a single moment we experienced these past few months. It's amazing to know that I now have lasting friendships with people who I can turn to for help, strength, and encouragement. I hate that this summer is ending because it's the moments with all of you that I'm going to miss the most. 
Now, some personal notes to different people...
To my best friend who is off doing God's work. I am SO proud of you. I pray for you daily and that will not stop for the next 6 months. I can't imagine what you're going through, but I know that God is right there with you, so I don't worry. I don't know how I'm gonna make it this semester without you, but I get my strength from Christ so I should be just fine. I love you so much and I cannot wait to see you in December! :D
To the girl who I've neglected the past 2 years. All I can say is I'm so sorry. I wish we could've been close like we should've but we weren't. We can't change that, but I am SO glad to have you in my life. I feel like God brought us back together for a reason and I am very excited to see where He takes us. We will not fall apart again. I hope you know that I'm always here when you need me and I pray that you will never take your eyes off Him. Remember Whose you are. :)
To the man who I am more than proud to see growing up. I am so glad that you are stuck with me forever as a cousin and a brother in Christ. I'm glad we've grown close and that you're there to tell me when I deserve better than what I give myself credit for. I can only hope to find someone who's like you (minus the family-relation part, haha) and who you will approve of. ;)
To the 2 gentlemen who have been by my side for pretty much this whole summer, thank you. I enjoyed our random movie nights and Taco Bell runs. I think this is the part I'm gonna miss the most, to be honest. Hopefully we can still do things occasionally. I will miss what we had but I will not forget the memories we made. Shake n Bake! :)
To the beautiful young lady who I got to spend time with for the first time in a LONG time, I will miss you when you leave for school. I pray that you will grow as a Christian and that God will open many doors for you. If you ever need someone, text me! I will never forget when you cried with me in the hotel in Texas. Haha. You're such an amazing person and I hope you never lose that. I'm glad we hung out this summer and I hope we will hang out again soon. :)
To the others of you who I didn't mention, just know that you all hold a special place in my heart. You are my friends, but you're also my brothers and sisters in Christ, and even though this summer was AMAZING, just think of the experiences we will all have in Heaven together! That makes me excited.So as I close this chapter in my book, I can only smile about it. There were tears, awkward moments, laughs, and serious times, and I enjoyed every second.
This summer may be in the rear-view, but it will stay in my heart forever.

Love.

Love is a hard thing to describe. You ask a group of people, you'll get a variety of answers. (Trust me, I teach a class on Sunday nights at church and I handed out a piece of paper that said "What is love?" and I got lots of different responses). I think about 'love' a lot and I honestly have no better definition than the one God gave us in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. No way can I say that I have acquired that kind of love because, it's WAY hard. Don't believe me? Open your bible right now to that passage and replace the word 'charity' or 'love' with your name. Keagan suffers long (or, is patient) and kind. Keagan envieth not. Keagan isn't puffed up (or, self-centered). YIKES! If I truly believe that's the way God intended for 'love' to be, let's just say I've got a lot to work on. I think I'd be right in saying that we all do. BUT that's not the point of my blog today. I want to talk about love between a man and a woman. I haven't experienced TRUE love yet, but I'm learning so much lately that I never realized before and I honestly cannot wait to feel that kind of love [not that I would ever rush it though because that is completely ignorant!].
Let's take it back to the beginning of the world. God creates the world and man. Then He decided that "It is not good that the man should be alone" [Gen. 2:18] So He creates a "help meet" for him. Aka:Eve, the 'woman'. She was created FROM Adam, FOR Adam. WHAT? The way most women act these days, it would seem as though the man is supposed to be all for the woman. But if I read that correctly, it's the other way around. There are numerous places in the bible where it tells the 'wife' what to be for the 'husband'. Now, it talks to the man too, but my focus is on the woman. She was created to help Adam. There are tons of 'women' jokes that boys like to throw in our faces about how we're supposed to cook for them and clean the house for them and blah blah blah...and I NEVER thought I would admit this but, ladies, they're kind of right! We are by no means to be a 'servant' to men, we only serve one person and that's Christ. But we are to be a "helper", right? That's why woman was created! I told this to a friend recently when I was asked for advice, 

"Show him that you care. Be extremely sweet and let him know that you are there for him. Boost his confdence every chance you get by complimenting him or something. Remember God created US for THEM. Not the other way around. We aren't to be their servants, but we are to be their help. So do everything you can to let him know (without coming out and saying it) that you are ready to try and be everything he needs you to be. If that's his best friend to talk to about everything, be it. If that's his shoulder to lean on when he needs it, be it. If that's his spiritual mentor/prayer partner, be it. If that's his "cheerleader" when he does something he feels proud of, be it." 

That's actually kind of hard for me, because anytime I've ever dated a guy I usually feel like he's supposed to be all about me and treat me right...and I'm not saying he doesn't have to do those things because I know I deserve to be treated with respect and such, but I have failed [miserably] to act the way the bible tells me to. I've been doing a ladies bible study with some of the women from my church. Most of them are older and have families of their own, so I have learned SO much from them and from the teaching we've been going through. It has truly changed my image of what I'm supposed to be for a man. I can only hope and pray that I will find the guy who I can be what he needs. Love is not a two way street. It is an uphill climb that starts as 2 separate walks towards Christ, and then eventually you end up side by side...still on that same journey towards Him.

Think about it. <3

I need to stop focusing on the details.

Today was a pretty boring day. I've had a lot of those lately, actually. To be honest I've done a whole lot of NOTHING this summer. I'm sure one day I'll look back and wish I could come back to that. Ha. I try to enjoy it while I can!
Anyway, this evening we rented Soul Surfer and I couldn't wait to get home and watch it. It was very inspiring and I was pleased that they quoted bible verses and talked about the Lord. Super awesome! My favorite part was probably when she went on the mission trip to Thailand to help with the Tsunami victims. This lady was telling her about how she lost her family and everything in the storm and it broke Bethany down. I think what she [Bethany] realized was that she thought she'd lost everything, but she really hadn't. I can't imagine losing a limb, but losing EVERYTHING. Wow. I know I tend to get caught up in my every day "problems" and I think I've got it bad. No. I'm beyond blessed. I have everything I could ever need and then some. God has been better to me than I deserve and I am sometimes forgetful of that.
I get caught up in the little things and the details, and I forget to step back and look at the big picture. It would be great for me to just say, "God, it doesn't matter what small problems come up today because You are the Creator of this day and You are going to allow everything to fall into the place You want." How much better would my day go if I woke up and said that every morning?! There's a verse I want to share and then I will be finished. It's found in Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end"
In other words, God thinks peaceful things about us and He's gonna give us an end that we desire. We read all these amazing stories in the bible of these "sold-out" believers who truly focused on Christ and lived amazing lives, and we wonder what's wrong with us? 
I challenge you to start focusing all of your energy on Jesus in the mornings and keep it up throughout the day. It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it! :)

Getting started...

Well hello there! For those who may read this and don't know me already, it's nice to meet you! My intentions of starting this blog are not to bore you with the lame details of my every day life, but just to share stories of things I may encounter during this next year (if it's God's plan to allow me to still be here a year from now). If you don't already know, I'm a nursing student at PRCC. I've completed a year and I only have a year left. I'm very anxious, nervous, and excited. It's hard to believe that I'm only 20 years old and I'm about to start my journey in the real world. TALK ABOUT SCARY! I've got a lot of big decisions to make and sometimes I just have to cry under the stress of it all. Growing up is fun to imagine when you're younger, but once it's knocking on your door you kind of just want to lock the deadbolt and yell for it to go away.
So I'm stressed, overwhelmed and wishing I could stay young forever...who doesn't feel that way at certain points in their life? It's also not my intention to whine in this blog in hopes that someone will listen. To tell you the truth, I don't know my intention. All I know is I love to write and I thought this would be a good way to do it. Some blog entries may be humerus, some sad, some exciting, some disappointing...I don't know. But I hope you'll take this journey with me. I can't promise I'll write every day, but I hope to write at LEAST once a week. So here it goes. Today is a new day and a new beginning to the rest of my life. HA! That's probably a line from some movie I watched recently. Oh well, give me a break! I'm just getting started...  :)