8 years ago...

My baby sister was born!

At 11:54PM, she was the last baby born in all of San Diego in 2004. Pretty cool, huh? 

Happy Birthday Milissa!

I am so blessed to be your big sister, and am so proud of the big girl that you have grown up to be. 

I love you so so so so so much. 

You're the best little sister in the whole wide world. 

2012 - A Year in Review

2012.

You were a truly amazing year. I am amazed when I think back to where I stood a year ago from today, how much I have changed. 

How much God has changed me. 

And I am so thankful and blown away by the work that He has done and is doing in my life. 

I can't wait to see what He does with 2013. I know it's going to be amazing. 

But for now, 2012 - A Year in Review:

<< January: Kicked off the year with some Fit Club goals and resolutions (most of which were kept!) and went to San Francisco! Also wrote my first honest post about the break up that lead into the new year >>

<< February: Spent plenty of time enjoying beautiful Santa Barbara. Celebrated Valentine's Day with my amazing roommates >>

<< March: Had a reunion with the college roomies, and some more visitors for a birthday! Had the best time celebrating St. Patrick's Day! >>

<< April: Celebrated Easter twice! Once with the roommates and once with the fam. Hosted a Murder Mystery party for one of our own's birthday, and had an amazing time at Stagecoach (to be repeated this year!) >>

<< May: Had the most incredible trip of my life to Boston, and ended the month with a trip to Vegas with the girls >>

<< June: Visited Sacramento to see some of my favorites and to meet a new babe! Watched my not-so-baby bro graduate high school, and turned 23! (See my 22 recap here) >>

<< July: Had a blast celebrating the 4th of July and road tripped up to surprise one of my very best friends in San Francisco! Kicked off the Olympics in style (and yes I did repeat my 4th of July outfit, how could I not?) >>

<< August: Wrote one of my personal favorite posts on faith. Went to a Toby Keith concert (who I'll be seeing again at 2013 Stagecoach, woo!!) and had a blast at two baseball games! >>

<< September: Had a blast on Labor Day with a best friend in town! Watched my brother kick butt (game winning goal in overtime, nbd) in his college soccer game! And ventured across the country back to Boston with a stress fractured foot. >>

<< October: Officially changed jobs. Had a blast at another round of Beerfest. Said goodbye to a good friend who moved all the way to Wyoming! And celebrated Halloween in true Santa Barbara style (6th SB Halloween! See Memory Lane here) >>

<< November: Finally signed up for Pinterest. Got to bring out the kid in me for an epic game of Capture the Flag. Celebrated Thanksgiving with the fam, and got to reunite with some friends while back home in San Diego >>

<< December: Went back up to Sacramento to celebrate a special little one's first birthday! Went to my first NFL Football game and got to see my little Jr. Charger Girl cheer at half time. Got into Christmas spirit by visiting the Living Nativity. Got the best gift of all which was time off to spend at home with the fam! >>

Whew. And that ends the recap. 

It truly was a wonderful year, and I feel oh-so blessed. 

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday!!

Doubt

I'm reading this book right now:

and only about half way through, so no where near close to finishing it. But I've come across a few quotes that I felt deserved to be highlighted. 

And dog tabbed. 

And one in particular that deserved it's own blog post. 

If Christ played with doubt, so must we. 

If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, 

if He burst out from the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

then surely we are also permitted doubt. 

But we must move on. 

To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility

as a means of transportation. 

Bam. 

So, so good. 

I feel like I have tried to portray this so many times, and this quote just sums it up perfectly. 

It's okay to doubt. 

It's okay to be confused. To have questions. 

And it's okay to not have answers. 

It's called faith because we don't have all of the answers, and honestly, we never will no matter how strong our faith is. 

I will be honest, recently I've had a few intense confrontations with God. 

I've gotten mad at Him. 

I've wondered why I don't see response to my prayers. 

Why can't I run to Him when I need a hug? (literally speaking here)

Why can't He yell loud enough for me to clearly hear? 

Why can't He fix this broken, broken world? 

And specifically, why can't He fix the broken people around me?

Why can't He fix the broken areas of my life?

And if I'm being truly honest, sometimes I get frustrated when I feel like I don't get "rewarded" for obeying Him. 

Because sometimes, obeying Him and living His way in this world is just plain hard for me. 

How twisted is that? 

I get frustrated when I don't get a pat on the back when He came and died/suffered/was humiliated for me. 

But that's what I love about Him. God doesn't ask me to be perfect. And He loves me through these little temper tantrums of mine. 

Jesus warns us that living a Godly life will be hard at times. 

But it also will be worth it.

He doesn't expect me to not have doubts. He simply wants me to bring those doubts to Him. 

To bring my questions, concerns, fears, anything to Him. 

So don't let doubt keep you from the Lord. 

Let it bring you closer to Him. 

Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have,
for God can be trusted to keep His promise.

Hebrews 10:23

Living Nativity

Merry 2 Days after Christmas!

I hope you had a wonderful one!

One thing I forgot to mention in my Holiday Tradition vlog was going to my church in San Diego's Living Nativity.

I probably didn't mention this because I hadn't gone since high school, but after visiting this year, I don't think I'll be missing another any time soon. 

It's such a special way to get in the holiday spirit, and a great way to really convey the message of our Savior to kids of all ages. 

Not to mention there are camel rides, a petting zoo, an ice skating rink, and they actually manage to make it snow in San Diego. 

Pretty magical, right?

The holiday magic was followed by a delicious food truck dinner. 

(No pictures taken because it was demolished in point 5 seconds)

It really was the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit, and I can't wait to make a yearly tradition out of this. 

XO

Merry Christmas!!

I would have posted a picture from last night's Christmas Eve service. 

But due to some time crunches (or I guess you could say poor planning), I attended in what would have been running clothes had my Mom not saved the day with one winter coat and boots. 

I don't even have "I was getting the kids ready" as an excuse. Go me. 

Needless to say it was the perfect reminder to take the focus off my lovely (& sweaty) self and to put it on our wonderful Savior, Jesus. 

After all, that is the reason for the season, right?

Merry Christmas!

Girl Behind the Blog - Vlog!

Holiday edition!!

Linking up with 5ohWifey and Kerrie for today's Girl Behind the Blog!

I'll go ahead and let the vlog do the talking, so without further adieu:

A few of my favorite things about this video:

1. The YouTube selected freeze frame. 

Such a beaut. 

2. The fact that I chose to record this video on my best hair day of all time. 

Keepin' it real, folks.

3. The point where I can't think of what the green plant above my sliding back door is called. 

And the fact that I still can't. 

Any ideas?

4. The lovely awkward ending where I don't know how to end the vlog so I end it like any other conversation. 

Except instead of saying "Have a great day" I say "Have a great night"

As if you're going to be spending your Friday night watching my vlog. 

Of course you are. 

Happy Friday!!

California Girl

I'm a born and bred California girl.

Southern California girl, to be exact.

That means the word hella came out of my mouth unintentionally exactly one time before I washed my mouth out with soap.

No offense to any hella say-ers out there.

This also means that I was raised to be a water lover.

Love the beach, and all things with water.

Swimming pools? Lakes? My kind of places.

Living so close to the beach is definitely something I want to take advantage of more often next year.

I don't get there nearly enough for someone who's loved the beach for her entire life.

Can't you just see the look of excitement and joy on my face?

Total beach lover. Born and bred.

Today's my Friday, and won't be back to work until the 2nd (insert leaping for joy here).

Best part of the new job was the incredible holiday schedule.

I'll be linking up for the Girl Behind the Blog vlog link up tomorrow, and you should too! Would love to see all your lovely faces :)

Have a wonderful Thursday!!

Running

So, if you're new around here, here's a little history run down of my relationship with running.

I have never been a runner.

I repeat: never.

This past year, I started getting really into going to the gym. I had weekly classes I would take, my favorite being Lower Body Blast.

But when I went home to visit the fam, I didn't have a gym to go to. So when facing the issue of how to get a workout in without the gym, I resorted to running.

I vividly remember gearing up for that first run. It had been a while since I ran, so I was fully prepared to struggle.

I'll walk when I get to that stop sign, I'd think to myself.

And then I'd get to the stop sign, and lo and behold, I could keep going.

I didn't realize it, but all of those gym classes were building up my endurance. So suddenly I could run much farther and for much longer than I ever had been able to before. That first day I think I ran about the distance of a 5K without stopping.

Something I had certainly never done before. 

So I decided to sign up for a few races. A 5K mud run, and a half marathon.

I was so excited to start training for something. It felt amazing.

Until it started to feel not so amazing, and I noticed pain in my foot. I kept running on it, thinking it was probably nothing.

Insert lesson learned here: Do not run on pain. Get it checked out, especially if it persists/gets worse!

Cue stress fracture. (Fun times)

But now everything's all healed, so it's time to get back on the training horse.

I've officially signed up for a 10K!

This one, to be exact:

And in case you haven't noticed from the pics, I've got me some new running shoes:

I'm gonna be real though, if I can do this, anyone can.

I went for 2 runs this past weekend, and I am literally in horrible shape.

I'm talking can't even run a mile straight without stopping to walk.

Total speed with all of the walking is about an 11 minute mile.

Looks like the break from the stress fracture took a toll, huh?

So here goes nothing! Back in training mode, hoping these apps will help kick me back into shape:

Ignore the Turtles, Huh? game on my phone. I'd like to say I downloaded it for my sister to play with.

I didn't.

So anywho, there you have it folks. Got 2 months to get myself back into running shape.

Ready, set, run!

Silence for Sandy Hook



Weekend Rundown

According to Instagram:

Got me some new running shoes. And signed up for a 10K. 

More on this coming in a separate post!

Went home to San Diego. 

Yes, that is the lovely wall paper collage from my freshman year of high school on my bedroom walls. I should be an interior designer, I know.

Played some Pretty Pretty Princess. 

And lost three times in a row. 

Sad face. 

Got in some good time with the family and friends. 

Went to my first NFL game! 

And left after half time because the Chargers suck, but that's okay.

Got to see my sister perform at halftime with the Jr. Charger Girls! Too cute! slash I'm jealous she got to be that close to real life NFL players. 

And that's about it!

I realize this is extremely boring if you follow me on Instagram (@sweethomesb), but hey, that's what happens when I get home at 11PM on a Sunday night. 

How was your weekend?

Liebster!

Anna from My Semi Charmed Life awarded me the Leibster Award! I've given this award once before, and I just love getting to answer the fun questions.

Also, find my answers to Mosby here.

1. If you could listen to one CD for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Hmm, this is tough. Probably a T Swift CD, I think I listened to the one with Forever & Always on it for like a year straight.

But I'm also kind of obsessed with worship music, so any sort of worship CD would work too.

2. What's the first website that you go to when you open your browser?

Gmail. Definitely gmail. If you sign onto gmail, there's a good chance I'm on too. So feel free to chat and say hello if you'd like :)

3. What's the background on your phone?

The shoreline on the beach. An iPhone default pic, kind of like this:

4. What are you currently listening to? Music? TV?

Building 429 Pandora station. "One Thing Remains" by Soul Survivor to be exact.

5. What is one thing you would love to have in your dream house?

Hmm, I'm gonna cheat and say 2 things. Any sort of island in the kitchen, or a lazy susan on my dining table.

Preferrably, ones that look like this:

With the wine included, please.

Any one feeling like getting me a Christmas present?

6. Biggest pet peeve?

I had to answer this question in my first vlog, and at the time I didn't really have too great of an answer. To be honest, I still don't. I feel like anything I say, there's a good chance I've done before, sooo there's that.

7. What's something crazy/exciting that you'd love to do but are too scared to do?

Sky diving. I'd love to go sky diving, but the idea of jumping out of a plane kind of scares the crap out of me.

But never say never.

8. Are there any songs that you know 100% of the lyrics to by heart? 

Too many to count. I'm notorious for singing along to songs regardless of who's around me. I usually don't even notice I'm doing it.

Sorry if that's your pet peeve...

9. If you could invent something, what would it be?

Free travel.

Free and quick travel.

Now that's not shooting for the stars or anything.

10. You win a contest to create a new Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor. What would be in it, and what would you name it?

Vanilla ice cream, with fudge swirls and almond butter.

And cheesecake bites.

And it'd be Non fat. Bam.

11. What is your current ringtone?



The standard iPhone ringtone.

Super original, I know.

Can you tell by the 2 references in this post that I'm still borderline obsessed with my phone? The novelty probably should have worn off by now... but it hasn't.

Thanks, Anna! for awarding me the Liesbter Award! Loved your questions!! ((Be sure to go check out her blog and leave her some love))

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!!

My Faith in Jesus (part 2)

To find part 1, go here.

I mention January 1st a lot when I talk about my faith. It truly was the single most defining moment in my relationship with Jesus, even more so than when I first invited Him into my heart. 

Exactly 11 months ago, I wrote what I referred to as my first honest post. I wrote about the events that led me to the state that I was in that day. I won't delve too far into that right now, but since the original post is a fairly long one, I'll summarize to say that I was feeling broken. 

January 1st was the first day that I went to my now church, Reality. In the post mentioned above, I talked about what happened that day. But I want to go a little deeper right now. I never want to forget the things that I felt on that Sunday.

I never want to forget that initial worship set, reaching my arms out as far as they could extend, simply trying to get as close as I possibly could to God. 

I never want to forget the words "I'm desperate for you, Lord" playing over and over again through my mind. They weren't the lyrics to any songs that we sang that day, they were simply the words of my heart. 

I never want to forget the realization that I couldn't continue living the way that I had been living. Realizing that if I ever wanted to be happy the way that I so desperately wanted to be, I would need to live the Lord's way. 

I never want to forget the comfort that flooded my heart as I finally told God that I surrendered my entire life to Him. My relationships, friendships, Friday and Saturday nights. I begged Him to take them. To take them all, and do what He wanted with them. 

I felt comfort in finally relinquishing control over my life to the Lord, because I knew that He would make something beautiful of it. 

And no, it was not an overnight change. Changing my life to live according to the Bible has been and will continue to be an ongoing process. 

But what did change in a single instant was my heart. There was no denying that this heart was transformed. Although I may fall short each and every day, this heart no longer lives for itself. This heart lives for Jesus. And I know this by the convictions that I feel when I do fall short. The beautiful convictions that tell me that I no longer belong in this world, but in His. 

And so, where does community come into this? 

Through out all of college, I made one strong friendship with another Christian, Kristen. 

Just one, out of the many incredible friendships that I formed. 

That one friend is who led me to Reality that day. In my broken state, I sought comfort from the Lord worshipping Him with Kristen and her roommate, my now great friend, Corinne. 

Two people I knew in that room full of hundreds. 

If there is one thing that I've learned, it's that as a Christian, it is so important to have strong Christian friendships. 

As Christians, we are so privileged to be able to share God's love with one another. Any time we are brought together, it's an opportunity to feel Jesus' presence and His love. It's an opportunity to grow in our faith by just a short conversation on His word. 

We show His love by loving one another. We hold each other accountable to help us grow closer to Christ. We truly are brothers and sisters, and it's a beautiful, beautiful thing. 

I spent the majority of high school lacking in community. I spent all of college lacking in community. 

And I could have spent the rest of my life lacking in community. 

But God said No. 

And this year, He has blessed me with the gift of the second best thing, compared to His love. 

The love of my brothers and sisters. 

Who build me up when I fall. See me for the person that I want to be and can be, not the person that I am today. 

And I am in no way saying that these friendships exceed my friendships with Non-Christians.

I am simply thankful for the gift of having friendships where I can share my love of Christ with someone who gets it, you know?  

And the best part is, I didn't find these people. 

God found them for me. 

When I can't understand or fathom how incredible His love is, I look to these people. And I think I have an inkling of understanding. 

Thank you Lord, that you did not design us to ever be alone. You designed us to embrace in the wonderful gift of community, and that in doing so, we can show the world Your love.