A picture says it all

LOL! Just thought I'd share how I'm feeling right now... and that is EXHAUSTED! So until I have the energy to update further... goodnight ;-)

Holiday touches... for all holidays, not just Christmas

Gearing up for Valentine's Day around here! I like to swap out little things like hand towels for holidays and different seasons. I think they are just cute details that people notice. The little things you put into your own home are the touches that make it warm & inviting! But let's be honest, even if no one ever set foot in my home, I'd still do this bc details make me happy :-) What decorating details do you add to your own space?

Love is in the air

What a beautiful day in Fort Worth! Cool temps & sunny skies! I enjoyed a nice walk downtown & a stop into Barnes & Noble. I went with the intent of picking up the Complete Guide to Weddings from The Knot, but I also found a ton of other things, as per usual in a bookstore, right? I picked up a few cute finds from the bargain rack including a novel about a wedding girl (obsessed much? Lol) and an inspirational read on how to be a leader (a girl's still gotta work during this planning!). I skipped my usual Starbucks & opted to walk across the street to the Cupcakery. I dove right into the wedding planning guide, and my chocolate cupcake, and sipped my hot coffee.

Ahhhh! Such girly fun today ;-) Now time to walk home super fast! It's cold & I'm packing an unnecessary cupcake!

Happy 2013!!

Oh my goodness! Can you believe it is already halfway through January?? And it's my first post of 2013?! Haha just like me to already be behind! Sooo... Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a very blessed holiday season! I'm excusing myself from my lack of posts these first 2 weeks of the year, only because life has been crazy busy since I GOT ENGAGED!!!

Everything has been a complete whirlwind! In a good way, of course ;-) Chris and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on New Years Eve, and that is when he popped the question! I'll save the juicy details for my wedding website (coming soon!!), but I will tell you, it was just as I imagined... simple and classic and romantic! Yes, Chris got down on one knee and everything ❤❤❤ And the bling! OMG! I'm so in love with my ring! Pictures online don't even do it justice! It's so sparkly and vintage-looking and even includes two sapphires, which he knows I love. I wanted something original, something I had never seen one of my friends with... I like to be extra sassy and stand out! ;-)

On top of this MAJOR news, I have other major news in my professional life! I have made a decision to move myself up into leadership! I already manage a group of amazing girls, and I'm making the decision to just keep adding more!! I WILL be a sales director in Mary Kay, and I'm SO excited about the opportunities that lay before me! Yes, that's right... that means I am saying there is a free Pink Cadillac in my future!! I have known in my heart for a long time that this is the direction I would be taking, and I am stepping out of any fear and taking on the challenge in this, the 50th anniversary year for Mary Kay! Making this move now will help me to contribute so much to my future husband and future family! Chris and I have big plans and big dreams for the future, and this is going to be amazing in helping us to realize those dreams!

I can't believe how unbelievable lucky I have been so far in the new year! I know 2013 is going to be so great and I'm excited for these new journeys I am beginning! This year will probably be a crazy rollercoaster but I am so ready for it! I am abundantly blessed by my God and it takes my breath away how He is working in my relationship AND in my professional career!! My He also bless you and yours in the new year!

Holiday Sparkle

I always love a little sparkle in my life... especially for holiday parties!! After having the flu for a week, I was excited to go out on the town to our Mary Kay holiday party last night! And true to form in Texas, I didn't so much have to worry about the weather. So here's my fun outfit... totally on a budget!! All that glitters is GLAM! <3
Black sweater: Chaps (Kohls)
Sequin tank top: Apt 9 (Kohls)
Blue skinny jeans: Mossimo (Target)
Peep toe pumps: Moda (DSW)

Outfit obsession

Spotted this morning on a tv special with HGTV's Sabrina Soto & Food Network's Giada de Laurentiis. I'm loving this adorable outfit on Sabrina Soto... the girly hot pink skirt contrasted with the more rugged & laid back denim shirt, and of course some beautiful bling around her neck. Even the hair is amazeballs! Simple & stunning! <3

Friday's Fashion

Today was casual... just needed something simple & comfy to run around town in! I mixed & matched flannel plaid with glitter leggings & my "cowboy" wedges! Now that's Texas SASS <3 Happy Friday! xoxo

Thankful

I LOVE Thanksgiving but it comes and goes so quickly! Just reflecting on our meal, our beautiful table set by my mom, the formal dining room we sat in that is truly "extra" square footage, the friends that joined us for dinner, and the many blessings that so many people in this world don't have. I am truly a lucky lady! God has blessed me greatly <3

Business trip down memory lane

I'm blessed to have a job where I can pick up & go schedule appointments in other cities. So, I do! I love being in my car, windows down & music up... for some reason it's the only place in life where I feel like I can escape & I'm just in control. Right now, there are lots of things out of my control in life, and the older you get, sometimes, the more you long for the simple time when you were young.
I know there are reasons my life changed the way it did when I moved, but there will always be a part of me that misses Kingwood so much. I've been praying for an opportunity to go there & just reminisce, just drive around without an agenda, without anyone else, just me & where I grew up. My prayers were answered when I was able to schedule a big Mary Kay party in Houston, with an old friend from Kingwood... it was totally unexpected but such a blessing!
After my party, I drove to Kingwood. I started crying as soon as I crossed the railroad tracks. And then I cried more as I drove past landmarks from my life like my church, my elementary & middle schools, the house I grew up in, the greenbelts I played on & the "pink house" of my dreams that I would someday live in... which isn't pink anymore btw, huge disappointment!
I miss it. I miss the trees & the greenbelts & the houses. I miss my home. I miss my relationships with people in Kingwood. I miss feeling at home there. I'm beyond thankful for my life to this point & the blessings that have come from my move 13 years ago, but there will always one true "home" to me, and that's it. And sometimes you just have to go see it & remember.
I wish I could have spent more time there. I had plans to visit River Grove & eat at J. Christoper's, but I plan on saving some things until Chris is able to come with me. It's probably good that he was busy working & I took the trip by myself; I feel like it's what I've needed lately. People can say they don't know me & I've changed or whatever, but I haven't. I know where I came from. And I think perhaps the reason I've missed physically being in Kingwood is because I finally mentally left Kingwood. That probably doesn't make sense to anyone but me... but idk, maybe it does. Things will never be the same & maybe I'm finally accepting that. Yeah, finally, after 13 years; some things affect people in ways you can't imagine because it's simply not the way it affects you (idk a lot of people that cry over a move the y had to make when they were 15, but I do, still). I don't think anyone will ever understand my story except me, and that's ok. But just because people move on, it doesn't mean you don't know them, it doesn't mean they've changed, it just means maybe they've finally found their path in life.
Mine started in Kingwood & has taken me elsewhere. But I always come home & back to where I started. My struggle in life now is looking at those memories fondly instead of longing for my life to be THAT any longer. I spent a lot of time being resentful instead of opening my eyes to a life that God was willing to offer me. Maybe I'm finally realizing there's a bigger & better plan. Maybe I lost my faith for a long time, and maybe it's coming back stronger than ever. Maybe at the age of 29, I'm finally starting to realize that the biggest blessings in life come from the biggest tragedies, or what seem to be tragedies at the time.
I have lived my life safe up to this point, but no longer. I can visit my past but not dwell on the things that could have been, but my God, Cassie, don't you see how much better it is now? Don't you trust that God knows far better than you?! I can visit, I can reminisce, but now I can choose to no longer be sad. And when I need to go to Kingwood & think back to my simple, spoiled life, I can. But I don't need to cling to it.
I don't care if I don't make sense or I'm not predictable anymore. I'm me. I have opinions, I have feelings, I have struggles as well as triumphs. I have FAITH. I have a God that loves me and a blessed life no matter what comes my way. I don't understand my life right now, just like I didn't understand the move back then. But I'm pretty sure 10-15 years down the road, I'll look back at where I'm living now and the life that's been happening,  and I'll know it was all leading to my even better life in the future. Just keep going, Cassie, don't look back. And pray. And trust.

Happy Veterans Day!

My favorite veteran, my best friend, my soul mate, the love of my life... my hero <3 Thank you to all of our veterans! God bless you & our great country!