My happy heart :)

There are some things that just make my heart smile! Like driving home: there's nothing like driving down a long country road, windows down, and the music up! There is something theraputic about that. And I know that when I get home I'll be greeted by Smokey at the door and my momma in the kitchen.

Smokey :)

Me and Momma

TRAVELING!! I love going new places and experiencing new things! Infact, wouldn't it be awesome if that where my full time job? I would go to Greece, Israel, Ireland, London, and the list goes on.....

Johannesburg, South Africa

MUSIC! I love all sorts of music and I love to sing! (Not for real singing though!) And music is good therapy. I have songs that remind me of particular situations or periods of my life. For example, David Crowder-Our Love is Loud cd....sophomore year of college. Sara Groves-Add to the Beauty cd....my summer in Africa.

SUGARLAND! one of my favs! :)

FRIENDS, of course!!! I am very lucky to have such awesome friends! I have learned and grown so much thanks to faithful friends!! And they make my heart smile REALLY big! :)

Me and Heidi

And above all, I love and appreciate the love of God. There is nothing like experiencing the patience of the Lord, the revelation that comes from the Holy Spirit, and His grace upon grace! This brings more than just a smile to my heart.....

Passion 07

Although this is a very short list, I encourage you to think about the things that make your heart smile. I know this phrase sounds a little childish, but I think it's true. There are things that we love and when we experience them our heart smiles. So think about it for a little bit......what makes you happy? what brings joy to your life?

Have an awesome day!!! And don't forget to smile a little!!! :)

A Change in the Season....

NEW ADVENTURES FOR LESLIE!! That's right, I'm trying something new! I hesitate writing this because if I'm honest I feel a little silly, but what the heck! Here it is.......I'm now a Mary Kay Consultant. That's right, I'm in the make-up business! For those of you who know me, you know that I love color and I love make-up! I must admit, I don't wear make-up everyday; infact, I can go days without putting anything on my face, but I think it's fun!! I enjoy playing with the colors and getting creative with my eye shadow! SO, if you love make-up or getting little facials, let me know!! I have a challenge to give so many facials in 30 days AND I need the practice! (Or if you simply want to order make-up, I can help you do that too!!)

Well, there is certainly more to write, more to tell....but until I clear my head a little, I'll wait. I think I'll go to the gym and do a little sorting out by myself, then share! Hope you guys have an awesome day!!

Home Sweet Home

On Friday I went home to visit my family and pay my little sister a visit on her eighth birthday! I can’t believe my little Ashlee is growing up so fast. She’s quite the character let me tell you! She snaps those fingers, rolls her head, puts her hands on her hips, and will give a command like it’s her job! I just absolutely love her! And I am flattered that she looks up to me. Ashlee wants to be like her big sissy and do the same things I did. My prayer is that she would be a woman who falls in love with Jesus!

Ashlee and I

On Tuesday I will be returning home for my dad's birthday dinner. (His birthday is Thursday.) We have a really cool tradition in my family where we eat together with my grandparents every Tuesday night. When it’s the week of your birthday you get to be the lucky one who picks the meal for that Tuesday night. (These are FAB meals made by my nana.) Some of my personal favorites are her meatballs and rice, her green beans, chicken and noodles, baked macaroni, and her butter toasted bread to name a few. Mmmm...it all sounds so good! I can’t wait to see what we’ll have this week. HOWEVER I’m even more excited to give my dad his birthday present. My mom surprised him with tickets to the Tennessee vs. Georgia game, which is in Knoxville this weekend. And for those of you who don’t know, my family is huge Tennessee fans. Our basement is practically orange and our dog is named Smokey. Anyways, both my mom and dad will be surprised to know that I will be contributing to their hotel stay. My parents are really excited about this trip and it's much needed and very much deserved on my dad’s behalf. I hope they have a wonderful time and GO VOLS!! I’ll be singing Rocky Top from Greensboro!!

Me and Marty

*I would also like to note that I LOVE being home and driving in this weather!! There is something therapeutic about driving down a country road with the windows down and the music up! And my left hand out the window of course! :)

Here's to another beginning!

I had this blog in 2007 because it was required for a class. Never really used it much, but I figured I'd give the whole blogging thing a try. Plus, I really like to read my friend Alex's blog. She's an amazing writer and insanely intelligent. Two of the many reasons that I adore her!

Speaking of Alex, I thought of her today when I went to ULTA. Major mistake!! They had a pretty good sale and I couldn't walk out without purchasing some new eye shadows. The colors I got today are: Mint, which is a silvery green color; Turquoise, which is a bright, sparkly blue; and Moonbeam, which is a soft baby blue. I'm excited to play with the new colors. I have a slight weakness when it comes to eye shadow. Some of my excitement stems from a girl named Kandee Johnson. I randomly found her on youtube and I love reading her blog and watching her videos. She has a really neat story.

Moving right along, I'm a working girl and a lot of my thoughts are consumed with my job. Sometimes it gets so bad that I can't sleep because my thoughts are consumed with work duties. Like all jobs, being in management can be challenging, but I feel like I'm learning a lot. I'm learning what it means to run a business, what professionalism looks like, how to relate to all sorts of people, and how sinful I am. Gosh, if I could only be the perfect assistant manager things would go so much better! It's so easy to get frustrated when people snap at me or ask me 750 questions (which drives me crazy when people ask loads of questions!). I find myself getting impatient when people are indecisive and when there are 10,000 things to do and I can't seem to get one of them done! Maybe it sounds a little like your job, but my sin is ever before me at work and sometimes I just wish I could get a hold on how I act. I desire to set a good example, but so often I feel as though I've failed. As I pray that God continues to work in my life, I hold to the promise that Paul wrote to the Philippians in Phil. 1:6 which states "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." I'm glad He's not finished with me yet!



Also, here are some things I enjoy! Maybe you will too!!
John Piper
Mark Driscoll
Compassion: Maybe you will consider sponsoring a child!
CNN News
HGTV

Have a good night guys!!