Friday Fave: Made by Girl Love Print

Posted on July 30, 2010 by lovealwayshannah

I’ve begun to notice a trend with my blogging… you know in all three of my posts… I seem to talk about shopping, shoes and cupcakes a lot… That’s probably something I should discuss with my shrink… but in the meantime I thought I’d continue the trend.

Here’s something that I’ve come across in my internet “travels” that I would consider a fave.

Jen from the popular design blog ” Made by Girl” has a shop were she sells a number of her prints. I LOVE this one (yes, I know I’m corny). We have the Lemon yellow one in our apartment. It’s so fun and simple. It adds a great burst of color to the room.

Check out her shop here. She just added some new colors of this print. So fun!

Have a great weekend!

Side Hugs and other Stuff that Christians Like

Posted on July 29, 2010 by lovealwayshannah

So… I love blogs… I read a lot of blogs… you should see my reader… It’s an addiction…I need help….I’ve decided to highlight some of my favorite blogs here… really, I just want you to join the addiction…I don’t want help.

Numero Uno: Stuff Christians Like

The brain child of Jon Acuff is HILARIOUS. Totally unreligious and sarcastic, it never ceases to mess with my world view. He takes a look at some of the things the “christian culture” in the US has come to accept as norm. All the while, challenging us to look at what it would truly mean to be a Jesus follower and not just a card carrying member of the “christian culuture”. I love it!

Here’s a snippet from one of my favorite posts:

#106 The side hug

Yes, God wants us to be compassionate and kind and tender with each other. Not only that, but he wants us to love our enemies and serve our neighbors. As long as there is no body on body action. I’m talking of course about a “full frontal hug,” one of those sinful abominations where you just wrap your arms around a friend and embrace them. That’s why Christians the world over have pioneered the “side hug.”

Read the rest here.

Get this… My roommate got her very own side hug today. She’s at the Echo Conference in Dallas(yes, I realize we might be something of conference groupies..what?!?!)

I’m so jealous.

P.S. He has a new book out by the same name. You can purchase it here.

Jer. 29:11

Posted on July 28, 2010 by lovealwayshannah

The future’s looking so bright I need my shades.

Bits of My Weekend – Volume 9

Posted on July 27, 2010 by lovealwayshannah

Bits of my weekend is a weekly post inspired by the fabulous Michelle of Six in the City. She started this awhile back and I’ve decided to join in the fun.

ummm… WHAT is it with Mondays recently? They’ve been kicking my butt, so here’s yet another bits on Tuesday… oh well at least that’s sooner than last week.

This weekend was wonderful… relaxing, fun, lots of surprises and cupcakes… oh yes, there were cupcakes.

The highlight of the weekend by far was our Christmas in July – Happy Half Birthday that we threw for my beautiful friend Nicole….

oh yes, she has the cutest pixie cut ever

I realized we had a minor problem on the day of the party… you see Nicole is born on Christmas… since she shares her bday with the Big Guy she tends to get overlooked with the bday partying… so that being said we decided to throw her a Christmas themed “Half” birthday party…some of you are already seeing the problem… ummm…. somewhere my Math teacher is cringing… you see it wasn’t until the morning of July 25th that I realized… oh yeah, 6 months after Christmas is June 25th…. oops…

We pulled out our mini Christmas tree for the occasion… I found out that it had been sneakily hidden behind our TV… my roommate was waiting to see how long it took me to notice… I guess only 6 months… wait.. scratch that…. 7 months.I have to say… it was a really weird feeling listening to Christmas music with 1oo degree weather outside….

It was supposed to be a pool party, however by the time we got everyone to the roof we stepped out into what was supposed be the blazing hot sun only to find that in a matter of minutes the sky had turned black and there were tornado warnings in the area ( not common for DC). We stood there for a moment watching the clouds roll in but as soon as the wind picked up one of the lounge chairs and dumped it in the pool we called it quits….

We retreated in doors to play games and some of my AMAZING friends went to work pulling together all the food… see we were going to grill but what with the freak weather that was no longer an option… they kicked me out of my own kitchen ( truly in the best interest of all involved) and made a feast…

everyone should have friends like that.

Wouldn’t you know as soon as we finished eating the black clouds disappeared and the sun came out again.

It’s true… I have fabulous friends… you can be jealous.

We laughed, we cried, we ate cupcakes

Christmas-themed cupcakes… of course.

Yet another glorious weekend. How was yours?

Bits of My Weekend-Volume 8

Posted on July 22, 2010 by lovealwayshannah

Bits of my weekend is a weekly post inspired by the fabulous Michelle of Six in the City. She started this awhile back and I’ve decided to join in the fun.

Sorry for my unintentional blog sabbatical… unfortunately, it’s been one of those weeks. It’s been great but super busy and this past weekend I’m going to tell you about went far too quickly.

The National Aquarium has started a new ad campaign in the metro. It makes me giggle every time I see it. That’s pretty much what I would do if I went to the

Aquarium… which might be why I haven’t gone.

It was a fairly quiet weekend… Had to catch up on some comics…

This also made me giggle… Did a lot of that this weekend… giggling that is.

One of the highlights of the weekend was going to the National Harbor in Maryland. Every Sunday night during the Summer they show a movie outside.

The setting was gorgeous. You could see the city in the distance and the sail boats going by.

If you looked back you could see the bustling new development. So many fun restaurants and shops. You can catch a glimpse of a new favorite.

That’s right.. they have an entire store dedicated to that wonderful, yellow, squishy candy that only visits us once a year.

At National Harbor you can have them anytime.

Bet you can’t guess what movie we watched?

Child of the 80s that I am… this was a classic.

Back to the Future!

Gotta love a movie that gave you lines like ” “…make like a tree and get out of here…”

Anyways, that was my weekend… how ever many days ago that was… How was yours?

TTFN= Ta Ta For Now

Posted on July 16, 2010 by lovealwayshannah

Happy Friday Dah-ling! Go do something fabulous!

LA Part Cinco: In & Out

Posted on July 15, 2010 by lovealwayshannah

I’m not sure at what point it becomes too late to still be recapping vacation….. 2 weeks…. 6 months…. a year. I don’t know. I think I might just be having a hard time letting go. The real world is so hard ( and no I’m not talking about MTV… that show is only hard to watch)

Yet another new and life-altering experience was visiting the famed In & Out Burger. I’d never been there but had heard tales of the bitter rivalry between it and it’s coast rival, Five Guys. The tales of violent feuding, burger offs and spilt ketchup had me intrigued. Could it possibly be true… could this foreign burger joint be that much better… really?

Our itinerary upon arrival in LA went something like this. Airplane – baggage- shuttle- rental car – In & Out. I think we had our priorities straight… never mind that it was 9:30 AM in Cali. We were prepared to have two lunches that day… we just blamed it on the time change.

My first glimpse of it’s inviting and shiny red awnings was invigorating. Who needed sleep when you could have french fries ( I think I might have a problem)

I was greeted with friendly smiles and the inside literally sparkled… Things weren’t looking good for Five Guys.

I ordered your basic cheeseburger and fries, and with one bite…. I was gone. Move over Five Guys. You don’t hold a candle. I’m still dreaming about its freshness and yummy flavor. Who knew meat and potatoes tasted so much better when they weren’t frozen and pre-made months in advance.

Alas, this story doesn’t have a happy ending kids. In & Out Burger only exists in the magical world of the West Coast. Something that, while sad, is probably for the best.

Have you ever tried In & Out or Five Guys? Which one is your favorite? Why?

LA Part Cuatro: God Chicks

Posted on July 13, 2010 by lovealwayshannah

Sorry if you’re tired of hearing about LA, but unfortunately, I’m not tired about talking about it yet. It was my first grown up vacation and probably my only big trip this year…. so you’re stuck with me for a while.

One of the main reasons that we traveled to LA was for the GodChicks conference put on by Oasis church in LA. They hold the conference for women annually and each year gets better and better. I mean seriously it’s so much fun! If you’re in the area (or even if you’re not) you should try to make it next year. It’s like a party with 2000 of your closest girlfriends. Every aspect of the conference is designed with you in mind. Each detail crafted to communicate value to the women who attend. Each volunteer prepped to communicate love and grace. Each message fine tuned to speak truth.

Here’s the recap video for the three days of conference : http://vimeo.com/13192742 ( I can’t figure out how to embed vimeo into wordpress… help?!?)

Holly Wagner pastors Oasis Church with her husband Philip and you can tell from the instant you meet her what a heart she has to see women rise up and fulfill their purpose. She’s experienced quite a few rise up moments herself as a breast cancer survivor. She’s got an incredible story and you can hear more about her here and here.

She’s written a great book called Warrior Chicks. It’s hot pink. For that reason alone you should buy it. On top of that it has awesome truths about living life. I loved reading it. She and her husband just recently co-wrote a book called ” God Chicks and the Men They Love”… Haven’t read it yet but I love the cover pic

The conference was filled to bursting with creativity. I wish I could convey the amazing music, dance and beauty that was interwoven into each moment. I was totally overwhelmed by it all. They had other speakers who were incredibly impactful and I know I’ll be going over their messages in the coming weeks, months and beyond. Priscilla Shirer spoke and I’m not kidding… she’s AWESOME…. like seriously…. AWESOME. I don’t know how else to describe her. She has three young boys and that alone gives her street cred in my book. Marilyn Skinner from Watoto Child Care in Kampala, Uganda also spoke. Uh-mazing! Talk about a woman who has chosen to rise up in her life. You know what I loved though. She was normal. Just a regular woman like you and I…. she has just made some incredible decisions in her life… which are in turn affecting a nation and their next generation of leaders… So inspiring.

I was so excited to be given the opportunity to sponsor a Ugandan woman through their Living Hope program. It’s such a blessing to be able to come along side a woman on the other side of the world and bring hope. I know she will in turn bring hope to her community. To learn more about sponsorship you can read here.

On the last night of the conference we were surprised with fireworks. It was like a brilliant display of the love of God. Extravagant in its beauty.

I walked away from the conference knowing that I am a woman of value and that I am called to speak value into those around me. That I’m at my post for a reason and that nothing can separate me from the love of God.

“His love was not cautious but extravagant…. love like that!” – Eph. 5:1 (msg)

Bits of My Weekend – Volume 7

Posted on July 12, 2010 by lovealwayshannah

Bits of my weekend is a weekly post inspired by the fabulous Michelle of Six in the City. She started this awhile back and I’ve decided to join in the fun.

I had a very special treat this weekend. My Mom and little sister were in town. I love spending time with them and we had a total blast.

We started our adventures at the National Zoo. Believe it or not, it was the first time in nine years of living in DC that I’d actually been. You’ll note from the picture above that I learned the finger in the camera shot from my Mother. We’re talented like that.

A definite highlight was seeing the Pandas. We didn’t exactly see them in their natural habitat as it was quite warm and they decided it was nap time. I have to say I don’t blame them. Right about that time I felt like doing the exact thing in a nice air-conditioned room. Unfortunately for us, the animals were smarter and most were tucked away in the shade or inside. Word to the wise – go to the zoo either early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Mid day = naps.

Since Saturday was my Mom’s birthday ( Happy Birthday Mommy!) we decided to celebrate in true family tradition… we went SHOOOOOOOOOPPPPING! I can only think that my Grandmother would be proud. On top of that we spent a total of about 6 hours in only two stores. It was good to know that I come by my love of TJ Maxx and Marshalls honest. My mother out-shopped both my sister and I.

This was pretty much how we felt by the end.