I Seriously Need Something to Blog About!

     I have not abandoned my blog. I promise! I have just been uninspired lately. Blogger's block, you might say. I'm not giving up. I will write again!!! 

My 30th Birthday

     Well, my 30th birthday has come and gone! I did not have a big blow out party, but I did get to spend time with my friends and family. A week before my birthday, I took a day off from work and so did my mom. We spent the day shopping and running a few errands. On Saturday, my brother and sister-in-law and my aunt and uncle came over for lunch and cake and ice cream. Yum, yum! Megan and Chad gave me a really cool necklace with my initial. And my dad gave me a can of really delicious mixed nuts that he picked out especially for me. After my aunt and uncle left, Megan and I convinced my mom to let us style her hair. I tried to part it the opposite direction to give it more body. Then, we got the straightener and flipped her hair out on the ends. It looked alright! Of course, she did not like it and it only lasted approximately 5 seconds after she looked in the mirror. Good thing I got pictures!!! You can see them below! Then later that night we randomly went to play putt-putt. That was my favorite! I can only think of one time we went when I was a child and I'm pretty sure it was the first time I have ever been with my dad. It was fun and I won!!! My brother and I were tied at the end, so we putted the last hole again. He got hole in 3 and I got hole in 2! So, I was the champion! On Sunday, my mom and I were on a mission to find a pair of tennis shoes for me since I tried on every pair at the Nike Outlet with no success. My mom finally found a pair at a different store that were just right. Apparently my feet like Reebok's lol! :) Then, she got me a really cute mint dress that I cannot wait to wear this spring! 
     On my actual birthday, lots of people called, texted, facebooked, and sent me birthday cards! It was so much fun! My friend Angie gave me this really nice dish for serving food. My friend Merrill gave me three necklaces that you can wear together and a cupcake from Gigi's! Then we went to dinner. The celebration continued the next day when my friend Meghan came to visit. Merrill, Meghan, and I went to dinner at a local restaurant and then went back to my apartment for dessert. Meghan made me the cutest cupcakes that had a Reese's on top to look like a baby cupcake on top of a giant cupcake! And her friend Kristin that I met once even sent me an M&M bouquet! I thought that was super thoughtful and sweet! One of my friends sent me my first ever facebook gift to Starbucks! So, the day was full of surprises! Several of my friends and family gave me such thoughtful cards that literally brought tears to my eyes!! It was such a fun time and not just because of the gifts....it's the thoughtfulness behind the gifts and cards that really means the world to me. That and spending quality time with my friends and family!!! 

Okay, so I did not include any pictures of my mom's hair because I knew she would kill me! I just wanted to scare her a bit! :)

My Last Day As A Twenty-Something

     I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling 22. And that is ok! Today is my last day in my twenties. As I was thinking about this past decade, I realized I've had a good run, lol! Here are some of the things that I experienced/learned in my twenties (in no particular order): 

*Moved out of my parents' house. Into Apt. 711 nonetheless :)

       
*Flew in an airplane for the first time and went halfway around the world to Ukraine.

*After a lifetime of being a picky eater, God helped me taste foods I never dreamed I would eat. 

*Survived Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. (A tree fell on my room in the house I lived in. I wasn't there at the time, but it took almost a year to be repaired.)

*Worked 32 hours a week during college.

*Earned a bachelor's and master's degree in speech-language pathology.

*Went on my first date, ha!

*Discovered my love for a good DIY project.

*Earned my Certificate of Clinical Competency in Speech-Language Pathology! (CCC-SLP)

*Walked in sunflower fields while on a mission trip in Moldova.

*Walked around Vienna and even ate weiner schnitzel.

*Discovered I have hypothyroidism after months of suffering with chronic hives :( 

*Landed my first job as a speech-language pathologist!

                                         

*Fainted while working out and subsequently hit my head shortly after completing my internship with traumatic brain injury patients.

*Lost a ton of weight after years of trying with no success.

*Moved to two new cities where I didn't really know anyone.

*Learned a thing or two about car maintenance.

*Completed a 5k and a 10k.

*Started writing this blog to share my story :)

*Got my sweet Effie whom I love so dearly!

*Experienced my first and hopefully last kidney stone!!!

*Experimented with different hairstyles and colors.

*Transitioned from college furniture to sophisticated, adult furniture, lol. :)

*Bought my first car.

*Met a ton of people and made lots of friends and just had a blast!!!

*And last, but certainly not least, grew in confidence and became more outgoing!!!

I can remember graduating from high school praying, "How am I going to do all the things an adult does? I have no idea how to do those things." I can see God's hand with me during all of these moments in my twenties. He was with me during the challenging and fun college years and through my loneliest and happiest of moments. He has provided for me, protected me, and guided me. Through all of this, He has made me the person I am now.....A very independent woman who is still learning who I am and finding my place in life. And let me just say, I am excited about my thirties!!! The best is yet to come!!! :) 

Southern Girl

     I am 100% a Southern girl. Born and raised! I say things like y'all, might would, and sometimes when I say why it rhymes with ha. ;) I drink sweet tea and eat boiled peanuts, fried okra, and fried chicken. Now, I know how to make boiled peanuts and fried okra, but I have never made fried chicken before. As a true Southern girl, I decided that is something I should know how to do. So, today that's what I did! It really was very simple. Surprisingly, it was delicious and juicy! I am so glad it didn't turn out tough! Here is the recipe!

I even used a cast iron skillet. Beautiful!

The Single Girl's Car Buying Guide!

     Ok, so the title of this post may lead the reader to believe that I am an expert in buying cars and that if you follow steps A-E you will get the perfect deal. That is simply not the case. I am no expert, but I AM a single girl who just bought my first car without having a guy by my side! I always envisioned having my dad or maybe husband/boyfriend going with me to buy a car as assurance that I wasn't being cheated. Well, my dad doesn't live in town and there is no husband/boyfriend in my life so scratch that idea! It's just me here in these parts, so I might as well research what I want and give this car buying thing a try!!
     A little history: I drove my last car for 11 years. It had 176,000 miles on it and squealed like crazy every time I cranked it. It is a good car, it just needs some TLC. A couple months ago, I went to a used car dealership and test drove a car. The salesmen would not even tell me how much the car was but wanted me to say "YES" I will buy this car tonight! I'm thinking, "Man, I don't even buy a sweater at JC Penney unless I know the price of it and it is on sale." Ludicrous. My personality can only handle so much. I try my hardest to say what I want, yet be very polite and cordial at the same time. When people don't listen, my fuse is very short. So after haggling me to buy a car they would not tell me the price of they bring out the manager to talk to me. That's when I blew up. I walked out on them as they were saying, "You need a new car. Your car is old." Yeah, whatever. 
     This week, my boss saw me in the hallway and said, "Candace, when are you getting a new car? I thought you would get one for Christmas?" I laughed it off and thought it was funny. Mental note: You know you need a new car when the principal notices. So that night, I looked online and found one that I thought I would like. I hesitantly placed an offer on it. Never heard from them. So, on Friday I contacted them again. Within 5 minutes a salesman had called me and left a message. He then texted me a lower price than the one on the internet. So, I negotioated a different number and asked to test drive it.
     On the way to test drive it, I whispered a prayer that I would not get cheated or feel pressured to buy the car, and that I could get it for the price that would fit my budget. So, the first number he showed me was a no-go. The second number was a no-go. I stood my ground and negotiated a fair interest rate and told them I wanted to think about it. They really didn't want me to leave without buying that car but I stressed that I wanted to think about it. So, that is what I did! I thought that God totally answered my prayer about not getting frustrated and not letting me get cheated!!! I also did a little search on the internet and didn't see another car I liked as much in that price range. On Saturday, I nervously bought my first car! EEEEK!!! Ha ha. It is such a huge purchase and I feel like I signed my life away lol. But, it's all good. I love it so far! It's been a long time coming. 
     Moral of my story for the single gals out there: don't let car salesmen run over you or pressure you into doing something. Do your research and don't be afraid to negotiate. If you don't want to buy it, you don't have to. This really made me feel empowered haha! I am strong and independent and with God by my side, I got this! 
     A little extra story: they were out of inspection stickers at the nissan dealership so they sent me to the toyota dealership to get one. (They are owned by the same company). Well, the Toyota car salesman tried to get rid of me. "Yeah, they aren't supposed to do that. You can go back over there on Monday, you won't get a ticket." Old Candace would have politely said, "Oh, okay, I will go back to Nissan on Monday to get it. Thank you so much!!" Oh no. Not anymore. New Candace said, "I am not doing all this running around." And then I called my car salesman back and asked him to call them. And so I got my inspection sticker. Go me. Now, I'm about to start using my new found negotiating skills/courage and apply it to the world of dating. ;) ;) 

Sabrina Elvira Flossie Minnie Pearl Sentra :)

Closing Out the Year: 13 from 2013

     2013 is coming to an end in less than 5 hours! It's been a pretty normal year for me. Not too many highs or lows {tangible things that people can see at least} I have had a year full of "small" fun experiences. Here are 13 things/memories/favorites from my 2013.

13. My 29th Birthday. I had fun parties with my family and friends!

12.  Favorite Book I read. (honestly, one of the few I actually finished, lol)

11. My Biggest Accomplishments: 5K and 10K and a 6.5 mile hike

  

 
 

10. My Favorite Music:

Red-Taylor Swift
Pioneer-The Band Perry
The Glorious Unfolding-Steven Curtis Chapman

9.  My Most Popular Blog Post: GPS

 8.  My Favorite Effie Picture:
 

7: My Favorite Bible Verses:

Psalm 46:10(a): Be Still and know that I am God.

Psalm 77

Psalm 143 

6. My Favorite Blog Posts:

Effie and Her Rabbit

What God Showed Me While I Was Making Jello

Truths From Gone With the Wind

5. Most useful thing I learned:

4. My Favorite Transformation:

 

3. My Most Daring Hair Experience:

2. Favorite Movies:

Thor

The Book Thief

The Christmas Candle

1. The Recurring Themes of My 2013:

God is sovereign and He has a plan. I don't always understand it, but He has a purpose for everything He does. He wants me to trust Him, and I've realized that is the hardest thing to learn to do. He keeps His promises and is faithful. He is the closest friend I will ever have or know. I can never know Him enough!

  Well, that's about it! Goodbye 2013!!!

Simply Having A Wonderful Christmastime!

     MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

     I have had a most wonderful Christmastime this year! I have been able to hang out with friends and family and do some fun holiday things! I actually decorated my apartment before Thanksgiving, just because it was so late this year. I think it turned out nice.

Smile, Effie!

Little reindeer!

One of the first things I did was go to the local Christmas parade with some church friends. Silly me didn't take any pictures, probably because it was sooooo cold outside that night!! Like, I could not feel my feet cold. Also, I had NO CLUE that the Clydesdale horses were such a big deal. But apparently they are. I was so close, I could reach out and touch them. But, they would have trampled me they were so huge! Here is a picture (from budweiser.com).

Such beautiful, magnificent horses!

Then, one weekend, my parents came to visit. We had the annual Christmas gathering at my aunt's house, about an hour from where I live. It was fun as always to hang out with the family. I especially love playing with my sweet, little 3 year old cousin. Little children make my heart smile! 

Effie loves her grandparents and they love her too! Even though they try to claim they aren't a dog's grandparents!!!

With my cousin Michael!

My sweet little friend! She was showing me her breath in the cold air!

The sweetest Mama in the world!

With 2 of my other cousins! Taller than me by the way.

Little doll.

With my Daddy

The very next day, I went to see the singing Christmas tree at Bellevue with my Sunday School group. It was fun! My friend Merrill gets credit for this picture. Once again, I failed lol. I wish I had taken a picture of the part where there were puppets filling it up singing! I did puppets at my church when I was a teenager.

So pretty!

On the way to the singing Christmas tree, one of the guys in our group had the idea to get dressed up one night and go out to eat. I was game! What girl doesn't love to dress up and go out on the town?! Plus, I got to wear that "red" dress I've been wanting to get!

Merrill and I :)

With Amy

Nice looking bunch ;)

On Friday, some of my college friends were going to come into town for a mini reunion. However, two of them were unable to make it. Meghan and I still got together for a mini mini reunion and we were able to facetime with our friend Lauren who lives too far away to come. We went to dinner at a new fun place in town, had coffee at Starbucks, and then went to a movie.

Both rocking our new hair!

That brings us up to Christmas with the family! Here are the pictures from this week!

She hates it, but it is so funny!

Me and the little Effie Claus!

Daddy trying to teach Effie to beg! haha

They came prepared for a picture for once, so I took it! Such a great looking couple! :)

Half the fun of presents is playing with the box, right??

Yay, sibling pic!

Effie loves my brother so so much.

Well, that's all! It has been so busy, but fun this year! I am thankful to be able to spend time with all the people I love!! I am mostly thankful for JESUS! He is the reason we have this season! He is truly everything to me.