Let's Get Honest!

Ok, I'm gonna go on a limb here and hope that no judging occurs. My spiritual life has not been the best lately. I'm not saying that I have been going out to "party" or turned my back on God or anything like that, but what I am confessing is that I am not taking part in that daily interaction with God. I hate it. Life has taken over in countless ways and I have allowed God to take the back burner since about February or so...and may I say, it feels so awful! During this storm I am discovering just how much I need God in my life--every single day!

As with any relationship, interaction between two parties is vital. In my situation, God is doing His part; I, however, am not. My prayer life is not as strong as it once was and I only read large chunks of scripture when it is required for my classes. Obviously, this is not good. I have found that my relationships with people are affected as well, when my relationship with God is not as strong. I am thankful for a more than understanding husband who has put up with my JUNK for the past couple months. I appreciate friends for their encouragement and prayer. Ugh, I just feel undeserving of these relationships at the moment because I feel as though I cannot return the favor. Bah...

This is where God's grace and power comes in. I know that God understands my every emotion, thought, and action. He feels my hurt that I hold inside. How beautiful is that? I know that only He can get me out of this rut and help me become "Lacey" again.

If you have any encouragement or suggestions of how to strengthen my prayer life or to get into the Word more often, please share. I have already received some suggestions from a wonderful friend that I intend to incorporate ASAP!

Thanks for letting me get all vulnerable and share a piece of my heart with you all..

God Bless <3

My Heart...

Dear God, 

How in the world did I get so blessed by You when you gave me this man? My life is going through the most crazy changes at the moment and I find that my strength comes only from You; however, you have blessed this man with an INSANE amount of love and compassion for me during this rough time. Countless nights have been spent with me crying and carelessly proclaiming that I am giving up my on dreams, but You speak through this man and he encourages me like none other. Today, he literally dragged me out the door to go on a picnic even though I took my frustrations out on him and treated him like a jerk. Honestly, this evening was one of the best nights of my life. I went from feeling more depressed than ever, to laying on a blanket at the park just admiring my husband and this love that he unconditionally gives. I don't know what I ever did to deserve him, but THANK YOU. Continue to help me be a great wife and team player. Help me to cover my husband in prayer over all areas of his life and to be the woman that he needs me to be and that You want me to be!

I am forever grateful that You wrote my love story

...You couldn't have chosen anyone better<3

32 Date Ideas

Summer is quickly approaching! EEKKK :) For me personally, this means a three month break from my master's degree, days filled with work, nights filled with my hubs, and getting my weekends back from evil homework! :D 

I love summer. And I love going on dates. Nothing is better than summer dates! I compiled a list of 32 Summer Date Ideas that are all relatively cheap or free.

1. Watch the sunset & then make breakfast together.

2. Picnic at the park.

3. Have a sleepover with your spouse in the living room. Include lots of movies and junk food :)

4. Go for a bike ride.

5. Discover a new favorite restaurant.

6. Have a water balloon fight.

7. Cedar Point or King's Island.

8. Go to a concert.

9. Play at the park.

10. Go for a walk.

11. Grab some ice cream and take a drive throughout the countryside.

12. Go for a swim.

13. Have a mini-BBQ with friends.

14.  Tie-dye.

15. Surprise your honey with their favorite meal.

16. Try a DIY project together.

17. Paint.

18. Take a mini roadtrip.

19. Experience a baseball game.

20. Take a canoeing trip.

21. Camping.

22. Create a recipe together.

23. Go on a double date with friends.

24. Go to a dollar movie theater.

25. Find a new TV show you both enjoy.

26. Look at the stars.

27. Try a live comedy show.

28. Putt-Putt.

29. Create your own ice cream sundae.

30. Go thrifting.

31. Visit a Bed & Breakfast for an easy overnight stay.

32. Recreate one of your favorite dates in the past.

Hope some of these ideas help! Cannot wait for a few dates with my amazing man :) 

<3

5 Week Challenge.

Wrightsville Beach, NC in oh, about 5 weeks!!!!! EEK!! Mike & I will be vacationing there for our 1 year anniversary! We both cannot believe we will have been married for 1 year next month! Where has the time gone!?!!? I guess the saying is true, "time flies when you're having fun!" :)

Anyways, I am starting my challenge tomorrow! I am making a goal to work out 3-4 times per week, limit my pop intake to 1 pop a week, and just eating healthier..aka no more baking chocolate chip cookies ;) ..now I know that "I don't need to do this", but life right now is stressful due to work, school, home improvements, and just life. Working out and staying fit has always done my body well by providing more energy, an outlet for daily stresses, and who doesn't wanna tone up!?! I need to look good for my hubby while on vacation :)

I am trying to keep myself accountable on here by tracking my progress and making sure I am sticking to my guidelines! Mikey & I went grocery shopping today...so I have no excuses for not eating well :) 

On a side note, prayers are appreciated for strength to get through school this quarter. I am on Week 7 of 10...I need to finish strong because June 4th cannot come quickly enough! 

Have a wonderful week :)

home improvements :)

Hello :) This week was a tad crazy. I stayed up late during homework most nights with my new little man ;)

:)

Last night was a reward for my insane week of work and schoolwork..

date night<3

For our dinner date, we decided to play it safe and go to Chipotle because I have been CRAVING it lately! After dinner, we hopped over to Lowe's to price and pick out new things for our floor and kitchen :) We decided that it would be best to remove the carpet in our living room and hallway and replace it with the same hardwood floor we will be using for the kitchen. We also picked out the new countertops we want, a newish paint color, backsplash, and a new color to paint the cabinets! 

While deciding on everything, it was apparent that this kitchen project would cost lots more than our other renovations we have made or are making in the future. Mike & I have been blessed to have the opportunity to work on all of our projects thus far DEBT FREE! However, for the kitchen, we are going to need some help by taking out a small loan. Thankfully, for our wedding last June, we received tons of Lowe's giftcards, which offsets the final cost! :) WOO! 

Here is what we have picked!

new countertop sample. we would love to get granite countertops and could afford them because we don't have much countertop space, but we don't plan on living in this house for too long, so not all our dreams will be fulfilled in our first home. also, the neighborhood in which we live, the houses are priced between $80,000-maybe $120,000. we don't want to put too many nice things and bottom out at a price when we go to sell and not make the profit the house deserves, even if we make the place super nice..(if that makes sense..) SOOO...laminate countertops it is :)

laminate hardwood flooring for the kitchen, living room, and hallway. this style is called 'soft plum' and i fell in love with it when i first saw it ;) happy medium between light and dark-colored wood.

this color is not definite, but will be used to paint our cabinets. currently, the cabinets are bright white and it looks great now, but with the all the new beige-y colors we plan on using, it may stand out too much. this is an experiment :)

we were already planning on painting the kitchen walls a beige color, but found this darker shade that we really like. again, kind of an experiment color.

i can't load the picture for the backsplash, but here is a link if anyone cares :) 

Mikey & I realize this is a lot of neutral tones in one room, but that is why accent colors are essential in a space such as our potential 'new' kitchen :) 

please pray that we can fit a loan into our budget...because it would help BIG TIME! ...and will give us a little extra money to start our little makeover for the exterior of our home! 

have a great weekend!