a birthday

it's amanda bean's 23rd birthday!! happy day to my best best sister friend for life! youre my favorite hot mess =D=) xxooxxoo love, ringo

"strenghten your hearts, for the coming of the lord is near"

sermon notes from james 5

1. we are to face struggles with patience- james 5:7 when youre mistreated, don not erupt in a fit of anger. be patient for the lord is coming. jesus will handle the situation in his own, perfect way.

2. we are to face struggles with courage- james 5:8-10 strengthen your heart when you are struggling. the lord's coming is close, and that is what should strengthen our hearts. be steadfast and understand that he is coming again.

3. we are to face struggles with endurance- james 5:11, james 1:2 the testing of your faith produces endurance. dont seek to run away; stay under it until god moves you. running away from your struggles does not olease god (i.e. job) job 1:22- through all of his struggles job did not blame god. he kept trusting and pursuing god's will. job 42:10- god dealt with mercy. he restored job and he became twice the man with half the pride

It's Thanksgiving! Let's be thankful!

It's November 26- Thanksgiving day! I'm so ready for that turkey and pie =) I have much to be thankful for this year. Especially dad and my mema. Oh the things that they put up with day in and day out. It's been a rough time in our family for a while now, but I'm so thankful, everyday, for these 2. I'm also thankful for my brother, Richard, and my sister, Amanda. I do love April and Elizabeth to death, but these 2 are my absolute BEST friends! So what if we all wanted to kill each other when we were kids LOL I'm thankful everyday that I have them in my life and that we are so close to each other. I just wish I saw more of my brother more often =( April and Elizabeth are next. These are 2 of the most amazing girls I have ever encountered. It is so important to have such sweet friends in your life, and these 2 are no exception! And what little missionaries they have become! especially in the last year =) I can't wait for April's return home in less than a month! wahhooo!!!!! =D

Of course there is more to be thankful for, but i just wanted to let these sweet peoplel in my life know how special they are to me. we go together!! Happy Thanksgiving!! xoxo to all!

Proverbs 31-- November 23

"a good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long...she's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day...first thing in the morning, she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started. she senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day. she's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking. she's quick to assist any one in need, reaches out to help the poor. she doesnt worry about her family when it snows; their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear. she makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks. her husband is greatly respected when he deliberates with the city fathers. she designs gowns and sells them, brings the sweaters she knits to dress shops. her clothes are well made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile, and she always says it kindly. she keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive. her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise: "many women have done wonderful things, but youve outclassed them all!" charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. the woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the fear-of-god. give her everything she deserves! festoon her life with praises!"

Ashleigh's wedding day --October 17, 2009

Alright! So, Ashleigh got married a couple of weeks ago! woohoo! She made a GORGEOUS bride. I'm so proud of her! The wedding came together beautifully =) I just wanted to get on here and share a few pics from Ashleigh and Jason's special day:

the guestbook

Some of the guests (who shall remain nameless)

me and Liz

Ashleigh and Jason saying their "I do's"

THE kiss!

The cake (which arrived 2 and a half hours late! talk about a freak out moment!)

the first dance =)

me, Liz, Kristi, and Amanda with the newlyweds

Ashleigh and Jason making their grand exit through a cloud of bubbles

They are such a beautiful couple! I'm so happy for Ashleigh!! She pulled that entire wedding together pretty much by herself. Shes's quite the talented one =) Now if I can only see her now that she's married LOL I cant wait to hear all about her bear encounter =D

"My dear girl," said her ladyship. "I suggest you take this contest seriously. My ninjas will show you no mercy."

"it is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."

ok ok ok. just a little quote from a totally amazing book that im reading, pride and prejudice and zombies. not too shabby, huh?? so fall is finally upon us here in sunny jacksonville. nothing says fall like a 95 degree day, right? i should say so. work has been terribly busy lately. it seems like there is a new event everytime i turn around! exhaustion! if it is at all possible, stay out of retail! i feel like i have one foot in the grave already! eeek! all i can say is "vacation! please come soon!!" october 17th to be exact =)

there are lots of fun things coming up. first, like i said, vacation!! woohoo! i dont care if i have nothing to do; im excited! also, miss ashleigh's wedding to jason on the 17th! im so excited!! hmmmm oh and universal/islands for a few days at the end of october as well. and then...dun dun dun...my 24th birthday! say what??!??!! i know. it's insane. oh and of course there will be a not-to-be-missed halloween party =) maybe ill go as a jane austen zombie =D ha!

this is it for now. just thought i would share some thoughts. hope everyone is doing well! I MISS YOU APRIL TACCATI! COME HOME NOW!

jude law shows his poker face and then kills jimmy fallon

nothing to say...

...but here's a new blog design! my life is freakin boring right now so that's it =D peace

Ringo & Astrid =)

Rare and never-before-seen (atleast for me!)

Post #22: 500 Days of Summer

probably one of the best movies ive seen in a while. everyone go seeeeeeee this movie! jgl really rocks it out in this scene. he's amazing! its qute refreshing to see a non love story every once in a while =)

Post #21

hello dear readers! (all 3 of you),

it's been a while since my last post. i guess im not cut out for the blogging world =/ much has changed in my life over the last week or two. elizabeth has returned home from france. it felt like she was gone for so long yet this summer has gone by way too fast! my dear sweet friend april left for london on monday. i didnt think her leaving would be so hard for me. she is such a huge part of my little life, so i guess thats why i just wanted to cry and hug her and not let her go! she's in london this week for her orientation and then she's off to paris! what an amazing opportunity for her! she's going to grow so much over these next 4 months. i hope i recognize her when she gets back =)

im still on the hunt for a new job. my money situation is totally going crazy! ive decided to give it completely to God. ive been convicted lately of how i spend my money. this is something that is going to take a while for me to get a handle on. im not going to be perfect and i know im going to have slip ups, but tomorrow is a new day! if i mess up, just start over; and keep in constant prayer for God to help me any time im tempted to spend! as you can imagine, its hard to go to work everyday and see all of the new and beautiful things coming in. and of course, I just have to have it all! for some reason, God has given me the characteristics of a crazy shopahilic! please keep me and my love of looking adorable in prayer =) and a fabulous new job to come way!

As far as this layout is concerned, it's awesome, and you all know it! a happy pirate flashback from 2003 can never go wrong! i cant decide if i should've lived in the 1960's or if i should've lived in the good ol' pirate days of captain jack! haha oh to dream...

that's it for today! i leave you with our last pics with april (til december, that is)

for april

i changed my design for april =) this weekend will be ruckus!

The Return of a Long Lost Brother, Elizabeth

she's baaaaaaack! Elizabeth is finaaly home! she's been in Franvce since May and now my heart is complete =)

Brother Moment of the Day

I couldn't resist!!! Please enjoy...as I have! =)=)=)

Paul McCartney=LOVE

So Amanda and I spent a weekend in New York City July 17-19 for a grand total of 2 Paul McCartney shows at the Mets' Citi Field. It was quite an experience! Everyone should have the opportunity to see this man live. What a fantastic showman he is! We are so sad it's over, but we had an amazing time and some "great" (ha Paul's favorite word) experiences. I can't wait to see him again. He's playing a show tomorrow on (Tues. July 21) and it's so sad to think that I won't be there =( Here are some pictures from our adventurous weekend:

I think this was "My Love"

Paul on the big screen

Amanda ready for Paul concert #2

John Lennon's IMAGINE in Strawberry Fields in Central Park

Me in Central Park

Ready for Day 2

With our Friday night Paul tix

Me with my FABULOUS new necklace

Amanda in Times Square

The naked cowboy in Times Square

Thanks to Sir Paul McCartney for an INCREDIBLE weekend in NYC! I'll see you again! Love, Steph

4 Days

Countdown Clock by Zoodu.com

How exciting! 4 days until Paul McCartney weekend! yay!!!!!! I Paulified my blog just for the occasion! Enjoy =D

This is just for Amanda

I hope this is to your liking:

oh...and 9 days!

dont pass by ringo's birthday

Today we celebrate Ringo's birthday! The Beatles wouldn't have been the same without him. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. STARR!!!! XOXO