Twenty-Four Days until . . .

freedom!
feeling like everyone in my home loves me first, judges me second!
rug selection!
feeling free from the weight of, "I just wasn't raised like that."
I can finally put my pots in some cupboards!


I am so spoiled! Thank you, Lord, for this abundance!
I get my own place! My first place! :)

24-days. woo. hoo.

The Big Picture

There is a couple I respect very much. They have been such good friends and have set an example I aspire to emulate.

They have a pretty strict budget. One time, M was talking about Budgeting, and she said something like, "We are hard on ourselves because we want to spend our money on what's really important to us."

Looking at the big picture really helps.

The bottom line is-- I have more than all I want. I have more than all I need. By the grace of God, I've paid off most of my debts, and can spend my money with better intentions. I have a plan/schedule/vision for my finances, and keeping faithful to the plan is so important to me that I will not fritter away money on bubble gum, fancy crackers, and clothes!

This is pretty exciting! I love you, envelope system.

New Year. New Focus. Wind in my Sails.

Aubrey

Pocket Change

My new year will be
like pocket change.

I'll collect my moments in a bank
until its full enough to break,
and then I'll bust it open.

I'll dig around and find value in forgotten corners,
and I'll re-purpose it.

I'll consider more wisely how I'm trading each coin that passes through my hand.

I want to understand more fully what it means to be a steward.

-010. Get moving, girl. Shake it.

New Year

smoky mountain birthday

Joyful Little Number

Growing Up

ATL aqua

Flood

The Real Church of the South

is college ball.
The question isn't what pew you warm on Sunday, it's who will you be rooting for AFTER church?

Real Southern Ladies talk softly, get their nails done weekly, and scream like banshees for Georgia Tech.

1. Let's be real. I don't really care about football. I do like things that bring people together and get their spirits up.

2. It's a good excuse to hang out and make copious quantities of chicken wings.

3. If I cared, I would most assuredly be a UGA fan. Something about little Ugga XXXII warms my heart. Georgia Tech fans always strike me as a bit pretentious. Engineer degree? You can design a field, but honey, can you run it?

4. Let's be real. I am not a Southern Lady (more a mule than a peach). I like "down home" folks, and if football is a part of that, bring it on! However, if I have to *love* football to be a part of your circle of friends, save my invitation to your birthday party.

Playing > Watching. Love. Sun.

Aubrey

I just wasn't raised like that

Yo Mama was.

Why is it everyone seems to think they are flawless drivers?
(Listen Pancakes, you roll through Stop Signs, too).

Why is it everyone seems to think they were raised in The Perfect Way?
(Listen Buckwheat, you leave cereal crumbs on the floor sometimes, too).

Let's find some Truth Serum, mirrors, specks, and logs and have a party. Only sucky drivers are invited.

Love. Sucky. Drivers.

Aubrey

Another Rainy Day

I heard Michael Jackson say in his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, "Art is our attempt to communicate with God." Michelangelo expressed it long before Thriller.

















Maybe Art is one of God's ways to speak to us. Maybe all Art is worship . . . of something.

Filling Resevoir, Love the Dehumidifier, A House in March,

Aubrey

The Case of Kinkos Catydid

I can't say I ever thought a bug was cute. When I was a kid, I thought they were squishy and fun, but nevah c u t e. Yesterday changed my mind.

I went to Kinkos to (finally!) print some copies of some photos I've been meaning to frame. It was drizzly and soupy out. The Romanian dudes next to me at the Rent-a-Puter were soaked in Axe. "What's up?" yourself.

I printed my pictures and put them under my shirt while I sprinted across the concrete lagoon to my car. I was deep in thought, planning my smoothest merge into crazy-six-o'-clock-traffic when I turned, responding to some natural awareness of eyes on me.

There was a leaf bug (or so I THOUGHT) with its head carefully cocked to one side, staring at me. Observe the following:



How did it get in my car? How could I get it OUT of my car?

Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to kill it; I couldn't "shoo" it either. So, I ignored it.

It showed up at random times over the course of the next two days--perched on the back seat, head cocked to one side.

Strange that a wild little bug could look so interested. I wonder if it thought I was a tree. Had we coexisted long enough, perhaps Catydid (yeah, I Googled it) would be Aubreyflauged.

Hmmm... and these are the days of my life. ;P

The Fog

Ok,
I guess it's time to start blogging again!

Three months of work, sleep, weird dreams, new park, new friends, dates, de-humidifiers, furniture refinishing, one red dress, and a rocking chair later, I've come to a few conclusions:

1. Trucks are better. They can do everything a car can, but more. My next car will be a truck. A cute one, of course.

2. The amount of time people are a part of my life is not at all proportional to their impact. Some people seem to affect me in concentrated doses.

3. Life really is sweeter having shared my heart.

Cozy. TN. Birthday.

It's about dang time--some CO pics

Day Six and Heading Out

I just had a great weekend with Kelly! :) She has such great ideas. It was mischief and hanging out and exercise.

P90x is kicking my tail. I wonder if I'll be in a constant state of soreness for 3 months. The hardest so far have been the pull ups and wall squats. Plyometrics and Yoga were pretty tough, too. Downward dog is a beast disguised as a . . . beast.

So, I'm headed out for a week in Colorado! Pics to come.

Love, Truth, Hugs,

Aubrey

Day One of P90x

July 8 - October 5

So, I saw the infomercial just over a month ago and started checking out YouTube and blogs to see what people had to say about p90x. What I found was a network of people with changed lives. I know that the condition of my body and my level of physical activity impacts my spiritual and emotional lives, too.

Here are my goals:

--Increase flexibility
--Sweat everyday
--Break my sugar addiction (baby steps, I'm going to have a dark chocolate reward per day, so I don't break down and chase the HagenDaz truck)
--Increase core strength, thereby improving my posture
--Do ONE pull up (aim high, I know...I'm at a 1/4 pull up today) :p
--Know that I can push myself and achieve a big goal! :)

I'm not posting my before pics until I have updated pics...at least at
Ooook, I have a feeling today is going to tear me up. Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X.

Time to bring it!

Day 1, Time to get real, love,

Aubs

If I ever turn into my mother, I'll be pretty proud of myself. Love ya, Mom. :)

Paradise Lost

From Philip Yancey's work with Dr. Brand...

It's interesting how much of the world fights against medical plagues like
malaria
dengue fever
polio
leprosy
etc.
People in those societies might think, "If we could just get rid of these things, we'd be in paradise."

In the U.S., we have essentially eliminated the list above. The US list would be
tobacco-related cancers and illnesses
obesity
drug-related conditions
STDs
It's the condition of the world is that even paradise creates its own plagues.

Hmm.

Aubrey

New Game for Work

Who can be the first to use the words on this list (without misstep) in conversation at the coffee shop? I'm going to w i n!! :o)

Torpid: sluggish or numb
Pert: saucily free and forward
Scrappy: having an aggressive and determined spirit
Trappings: outward decoration or dress
Seesaw (v.): back and forth; to change one's mind