Peaks and Valleys

I've had plenty to look forward to this week....

• Some of Cory’s evening clients were out of town so we got to spend more time together during the evening this week. I’ve really enjoyed hearing his voice when I walk in the house. I also loved sitting down to eat dinner and talking about our day before 8:30pm.

• Girls dinner….I meet some of my girlfriends one evening each week for dinner. Last week we painted and had a blast! I don’t think I’ve picked up a paintbrush since Ms. Carrell's class in high school. I was a little rusty, but I think there might be more painting in my future. Tonight we meet at my favorite local Italian joint for dinner on the patio. Hopefully the rain will move out of Northeast Georgia by then. Some times a girl just needs girl-time! I'll take the Penne alla Vodka, thank you very much!

• I’m going home. Those words are music to my ears. There are few better feelings than the feeling of driving back to home (if home is a place you cherish). I’m spending the weekend with my sweet parents (while Cory's doing guy stuff) and I just can’t wait. Sleeping in my old bed, snuggling and playing with my little black pup, Chloe and her best bud, Crouton, having coffee with my parents in the sunroom…just like old times. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE my life now, but there’s just something special about going home.

• Hurricanes football…that’s right…I’m going to the homecoming game! I haven’t sat in the stands and cheered on my alma mater, the Monroe Area High School Purple Hurricanes in 6 years…but this Friday is homecoming and Monroe is undefeated thus far in the season (considering they’ve had really terrible losing records for years and years…this is a BIG deal if you’re from the small town of Monroe, GA). I’ll be in the stands with my parent’s who are also Purple Hurricanes. I doubt I’ll dust off an old out-dated ‘Monroe Area’ sweatshirt from my days as a cheerleader, but I’ll be there…probably wearing a sticker that says ‘Class of 2001’ = awesome!

This week has been filled with more than just good news. With the good comes the bad...peaks and valleys...ups and downs…right?

You see...I have this plan…it’s not written on paper…it’s not saved in some secret file…but I have it…in my head…in my heart…so to speak. And a lot (personally) is riding on this plan.

I was reminded this week (yet again)…that life isn’t always going to go as I plan. It’s not up to me. It never was and it never will be. Just because I really really really want something so badly, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen when, where and how I want it to.

So I’m swallowing some pride…re-evaluating….and grasping on to some faith that in the end…I have these desires for a reason. I’m not giving up on my goals, my sights are set on the prize. I’m holding tight to my belief that the perfect situation will work out in God’s perfect timing (not MY timing).

Somehow along the rabbit trails of blogs I follow…I ended up on a new blog today….and read this….

"Whenever God gives you a vision, He places obstacles in your path. Why? So that you can become all that He created you to be. God doesn’t place these obstacles in your path to destroy you but to develop you. His greatest desire is to work out what He has built in." ~Michael Hyatt

His timing didn’t fail me today!

photos from: flickr and other sources

Confession: I'm addicted!

I know some of you out there blog. But I also know many of you out there don't call yourself bloggers. Don't worry…this isn’t a post about ‘you should blog because it’s cool!’

I’ll admit…I was apprehensive at first. "A blog?!?! What in the world would I say on said blog?!?! No way… I could ever be a ‘blogger’…nope…not for me! Plus I’d probably just make people mad because I’m sarcastic...or maybe I'd just bore them to death! It’s not going to be a rainbows and puppies type blog. Seriously...people probably won’t read it." Well friends…I jumped the blogging fence and here I am on the other side….a blogger (not a great, dedicated, I update my blog every day-type blogger...but a blogger none the less)!

(Back to the point of this post…sorry for the rabbit trail.) Blogger or not, do you read other blogs? Sure, you’re reading this (not-so-impressive) blog, but do you read other blogs…you know...the I-can’t-stop-reading/this-is-the-most-amazing-blog-ever type blogs? Because if you don’t…let me tell you…you’re missing out! I'm addicted to reading a number of awesome blogs!

Maybe you don’t know where to look to find these oh-so-amazing blogs I speak of….if this is the case, allow me to share some of my favorite blogs with you.

Disclaimer: Sometimes I feel like a stalker because I follow these blogs women/men I’ve never met, I’ll probably never meet…but I know about them, their family, their summer vacation, their latest struggles and triumphs and I must admit….I LOVE IT!!!

Following other blogs has given me insight into future parenthood, decorating ideas, marriage, new recipes, vacation suggestions, fashion trends….seriously…the possibilities of things you’ll learn from reading blogs is endless.

No joke...I refer to these blogs as 'crack blogs'. My friends who also already read these blogs concur...they're ADDICTIVE!

If you find yourself with a few extra minutes to spare…these are a must-read….

(**side note…these are all blogs of people I’ve never met…not blogs that my friends write)

• Fly Through Our Window –get ready to be inspired (seriously…I want to be Darby!)
• Spilled Milk – real...raw…funny…mother for a 1 year-old balancing a career as a lawyer, a recent move to Savannah
• The Maddox Family – adventures of a family making their way in a new city, Seattle
  
• Young House of Love – Young couple and their new baby completely re-do their home…awesome decorating/remodeling ideas
  
• The Nesting Place – Hello decorating heaven! This girl knows how to decorate…on a BUDGET!
• Love Megan – Can’t get enough of this LA born and raised fashion guru
  
• MODG – Stands for Martinis or Diaper-Genies…enough said…get ready to LOL!(it's my guilty pleasure!)
• Get Off Your Butt and Bake – Looking for a new recipe to try? Trying to decide what’s for dinner tonight? Read this blog!

Okay…now you’re thinking…that’s a lot of blogs to keep up with, Brooke! (trust me...that’s not half of the blogs I follow…just some of the best) How do I keep up with all of these blogs? Do I type in the URL and check for new post every day? Nope. Do I add them to my book marks and run down the list everyday looking for updates? Not a chance!

I use Google Reader! The geniuses over at Google have provided us with this web-based feed reader to keep up with blogs and news. Take a look! You’ll love it. To keep up with all my favorite blogs I just sign into my Google Reader account each day and tadaaaa…there’s a list of all the blogs I follow. If there’s a recent update to the blog…it’s in bold with the number of updates beside it. It looks like this…

Feel free to leave me a comment if you have questions about Google Reader.

I left out a few of my favorite money-saving blogs...because I have plenty to say about those and well...that's another post for another day!

Let me know what you think about the blogs I suggested...

Shame On Me!

Hello 2 blog readers of Babbling Brooke! I can't believe a month has slipped by and I haven't updated my blog! Shame on me!!!
I doubt the 44 other blogs I write each week has nothing to do with it! The subject of my next blog post dawned on me today.

I'll try to post it after I run and torture myself on the bleachers of Flowery Branch High School this afternoon.

Here's a hint...
It involves recently captured candid shots and the ridiculously horrific faces I make!

In the mean time...I'll leave you with this...some pretty great YouTube videos you might have missed.....