Out of the Proverbial Office

Hello lovely followers! I just wanted to let you all know that I'll be gone for the rest of the week, in a place where I have no access to phones or computers. Unfortunately I'm not savvy enough to know how to get my blog to update itself, so I'll be missing for the next few days. I'm going to one of my favorite places in the world, Grover Hot Springs, California, for some good old fashioned tent camping!

When I get back, I'll be sure to have a lot of great stuff for you guys, because I'll have lots of writing time in the great outdoors! (Plus there are some more giveaways in the works.) Don't miss me too much. ;)



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152 Insights Into My Soul

Ok... it's really just 50. The post title is actually from a movie. Can you name it?

So... I've never made a list like this because for some reason I felt like it would jinx me or something. Plus I don't want to be one of those girls who is single her whole life because she has a list of a zillion requirements that he can't possibly fulfill. I don't want to be the girl who refuses to date a man who drinks out of a straw. (Seriously, I saw that girl on Oprah.) But Mama Kat has issued the following writing assignment, so I'm accepting it. And yes, she asked specifically for 50.

50 Things I Look For In A Man

1. He loves Jesus
2. He cares about people
3. He makes me laugh
4. He thinks I'm funny
5. He's smarter than I am
6. He makes me feel smart
7. He's good with kids
8. He loves music
9. He's creative
10. He's outgoing (to balance me out)
11. He's honest
12. He's tolerant of all people
13. He accepts people (especially me) as they are
14. He's trustworthy
15. He cares about family
16. He's adventurous
17. He puts faith first
18. He knows how to be a leader
19. He's attractive! (To me)
20. He's attracted to me
21. He knows how to apologize
22. He knows how to forgive
23. He can communicate his feelings
24. He wants to be a father
25. He has Godly wisdom
26. He has a silly side
27. He's fun to be with
28. He's romantic
29. He's confident
30. He's humble
31. He's passionate
32. He's strong
33. He knows what he wants
34. We have chemistry
35. He has strong values
36. He's spiritual
37. He's generous
38. He can hold me accountable
39. He's compassionate
40. He's educated
41. He works hard
42. He plays hard
43. He can be spontaneous
44. He's good with his money (because one of us should be!)
45. He's respectful
46. He's sweet
47. He loves animals (or at least dogs!)
48. He seeks God's will for His life
49. He's flawed
50. He's perfect! For me. :)

I can't wait to meet him! And no, I did not jinx myself, and I'm not the girl with the 10 mile list of requirements. I'm waiting patiently for the right man, the one that God created for me (and me for him). And I'm not settling!

P.S. Please don't forget to check out how you can help send me to Haiti by buying Mary Kay products! The fundraiser ends tomorrow (Friday, June 25th.)



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The A-List

Hello all! Just got back from a fabulous weekend in wine country with my girlfriends, for my friend Mollie's beautiful wedding. Hopefully I'll be able to share pictures at some point, but my camera is being repaired, so the picture-taking didn't quite go as planned. :( It was amazing though!

Anyway... one of my favorite blog friends Melissa, at Miel et Lait, has paired up with Gigi from Kludgy Mom to create a new networking site for blogger's called The Blogger's Concierge. They are putting on an A List Affair, and I want to be part of it!



So... I'm supposed to share a bit about my blog... Well, I started blogging in August of 2008 to keep my friends and family in California updated while I was adventuring in Portland Oregon. About a year ago, I moved back to the small CA town where I grew up. However, blogging became a lot more to me than just updating my loved ones. It's a community of friends I never would have expected to make, and a place to share my thoughts.

I've been sharing about my faith journey in this post and this one and this one. Sometimes I share about my pups, Penny and Rocky. I also love to travel, and have been slowly but surely sharing pictured and anecdotes from my trip to Spain last summer. I recently had my blog re-designed by Penny Lane Designs (I stumbled on the site because she shares my dog's name) and I love it! And recently, I've been trying to raise funds through giveaways and other fun things for my mission/relief trip to Haiti in August. If you like Mary Kay, please check out this post about how you can help send me to Haiti while buying make-up for you! It's win-win. :) That fund-raiser ends this Friday, but there will be more in the future, and I'd love it if you came back to visit again!

I'm not sure if any of that makes me A-list worthy, but a girl can try, right?




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How To Be My Hero - And Get Some Fun Stuff For You Too!

As most of you know if you've been around lately, I'm going on a mission/relief trip to Haiti this August to bring the hope of Jesus and a helping hand to the earthquake victims.

Natalie, at Blonde At Heart has offered me a very sweet deal to help me raise money for my Haiti trip, and I hope you'll get involved. Natalie sells Mary Kay products and she makes 50% of the profits (pretty sweet, right?) She has offered to DONATE 45%of the profits to MY Haiti trip!(5% will go toward fees whatnot - she's not making anything off this fundraiser!) And I don't even know her in real life! Pretty amazing stuff. So I would love love love it if you would go here and buy some Mary Kay products for yourself! Shipping is $3, and because Natalie lives in Oregon (a no sales tax state) you don't have to worry about paying tax! Also, for orders $40 or more you will receive a free gift! After you go to her Mary Kay web site and look around at all the great products (some of them BRAND NEW!), you can place your order online. Then send her an email (nataliesmith82@marykay.com) that way she knows that your order is for my Haiti fundraiser. Everybody wins! Thank you soooo much Natalie!! And thanks ahead of time to anyone who participates. :) Happy shopping!

Also, the lovely Sippy Cup Mom wrote a blog post about my trip! So sweet of her! She has been an incredibly encouraging twitter friend too. Go pay her a visit!

Well I'm off to Calistoga for the weekend for my friend Mollie's wedding, so excited! See you all on Monday. :)

**This fundraiser closes on June 27th.



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Um... Spain?... Day 9 and 10 - Tavernes

Remember how I went to Spain? Oh yeah, probably not, because it was almost a year ago and yet I still haven't finished putting the pictures on my blog. But I finally got the doo-hickey that I needed to easily upload pics onto my computer, so I can finish my Spain blogging. Yay! In case you missed the first 8 days, please feel free to peruse them. (Warning: Be prepared for lots of pictures if you do. They are good ones, though, I promise.)

Day 1: Madrid
Day 2: Madrid
Day 3: Toledo
Day 4 & 5: Madrid-Barcelona
Day 6: Barcelona
Day 7: Barcelona
Day 8: Barcelona

On day 9 Adriana and I traveleved from Barcelona to Tavernes de Valldigna, a little beach town where Adriana's family spends their summers (lucky them!) We stayed in their lovely apartment with the most amazing views:

The beach was about 3 blocks away, so we spent the next day lounging on it. I had joked earlier in the trip that I was going to get nicknamed La Blanquita (little white girl) and then her aunt actually called me that! It was pretty hilarious.

We shared delicious meals with her extended family and watched the sunset while in the pool. Then we went with her cousin to the adorable little outdoor theater - the major exitement in their tiny beach town. We watched The Hangover in Spanish; luckily there was a lot of physical comedy in the movie, but I was still mostly lost. :)

It was an incredibly relaxing and enjoyable couple of days!



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Multitude Monday: Some Thank You's

I have been neglecting Multitude Mondays lately. And officially, I'm not continuing my list quite yet. I do plan to get back to it soon. I'm thankful for so many things!

I just wanted to take this particular moment on a Monday to thank a few people who have been great supports in the giveaway and fundraising process. Please go visit their blogs and say hello for me, because they are awesome.

Of course, a huge thank you to those who generously gave their products away: Lisa Leonard Designs, Spunk & Sass Designs, Just Simply Southern, and especially to Creative Creations By Cristin and Buddy Notes who have taken extra measures to support my cause.

And to 3 great bloggers who have and/or plan to mention my Haiti mission and giveaways on their own blogs - thank you!!

Miel et Lait
The Life of A Sippy Cup Mom
Love Comma Ashlee

And thanks again to those who participated, and especially those who donated to my trip. I'm not going to name you because I'm not sure that's in good taste, but I appreciate you!!

And I promise that soon I'm going to write some REAL stuff about my life. I just need a bit of time to process some of the things I want to share. It will be good though, I swear. ;)



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And the Winners Are...

Finally! Time to announce the winners of last weeks giveaways! Thank you SO much to everyone who participated! Some of you went above and beyond, and I will mention you specifically next week. But for now, thank you to everyone who came by and joined in the fun, and a HUGE thank you to those who donated. I am hoping to do more fundraisers on my blog in the next couple of months (because to be honest I didn't raise nearly as much as I'd hoped) so if you'd like to particpate at all, please let me know!

So, without further ado... the winners!

Creative Creations By Cristin - Paige from Some Days You Gotta Dance

Lisa Leonard Designs - Christina

Buddy Notes - Emily

Spunk & Sass Designs - Jennifer Norch

Just Simply Southern - Julie

Congratulations to the winners!! I am going to e-mail all those ladies as soon as this is posted, so if your first name is on this list, you'll know if it's you based on your inbox. Thanks so much again to everyone who particiapted! Come back soon for more giveaways!



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