And it's over.

As fast as it came this year, Christmas is gone just as quickly.
This year just didn't seem as exciting as in years past but I will say I got to spend many fabulous hours with family and friends I don't get to see nearly enough.
I will have to post pics later as I'm in Nashville to see my Preds play (Christmas present from my Meme!)!
So, I hope you had an amazing Christmas, an awesome New Year, and be sure to cross your fingers and send a prayer up for my Preds! They've had a rough couple of games! :(

I just HAVE to share the newest addition to La Cass de Kacie! Meet Magnus!

I think he likes his sweet puppy sitter!

Why am I sad!? It's Christmas!!

I'm coming to realize that the older I get the more little traditions, especially around the holidays, really matter. Decorating the Christmas tree has always been a huge thing for me, and my family always joked that I was the traveling "decorator". I literally went from house to house decorating the trees of all of my aunts and my grandparents year after year. It is my absolute favorite thing about the holidays.

I thought after moving in to my own home my love of this holiday and all of the little traditions my family has carried on through the years would only grow. I was really surprised when after digging out the Christmas trees (yes, I put up 3 trees, don't judge!) and beautiful ornaments that all I really wanted to do was sit on the floor and cry.

All of these memories of dragging the trees out of my aunts' attic, hanging the stockings, stringing popcorn, listening to Christmas music...they all came rushing back, and honestly made me a little sad. I can't believe I'm doing these things alone this year.

At this point I'm really just convinced I'm some kind of freak. I mean, I moved five miles down the road from my parents and the house I grew up in. It's not like I moved half way across the country, BUT sometimes it feels that way.

This year my Christmas present to myself is to love on my family a little more than usual, even if that means spending time with the crazies (because lets be honest, we all have crazies...some more than others...we have A LOT of crazies).

So, Merry Christmas to you and yours from me and mine!


(And I had to share these precious pictures of my favorite kiddos! Snow days are great for photo shoots, btw.)

The loves of my life! Could they be any cuter!?!

Vaca Bliss!

There are some days/weeks/months that my job drives me to pure insanity, and then I see the light at the end of the tunnel...VACATION!!!

The last couple of days have been pure bliss. Sleeping in past 6, going to the gym whenever I feel like it, not changing out of my pajamas. Yep, pretty much decided I could do this vacation thing year around!

I have also had the chance to spend time with two amazing friends that I don't get to see nearly enough!

On Tuesday I met up with the fabulous Ashley to do a little exploring in the super cute town she now lives in! Highlight of the day was a quick stop in this little shop owned by the most eccentric, fabulous and downright hilarious lady. The shop was filled with hundreds of paintings she had painted herself, and let me just say, she is mad talented...and did I mention hilarious!? We left this shop learning new things about our local "culture", how to angle men vs women when photographing them, and with the promise that if we ever needed advice on love, well, we know where to find her!

I had a blast exploring, taking pictures, window shopping and just catching up! Can't wait til next time!

Oh Em Gee!!!

First trip back to the gym in like...a year = PAIN!!!

After realizing that I weigh more now than I ever have I made a run for the gym yesterday. I had a great 1 1/2 hr workout and was feeling great...and then I woke up this morning. My arms hurt, my legs hurt, my stomach and back hurt and even my freakin' ears hurt!!! How in the world does that happen!?!

People laugh at me because I have always said after a good workout that it "hurts so good". This pain, however, makes me feel on the verge of death. BUT, after being completely disgusted with myself for letting things get SO out of hand, I really feel like I have a new mindset for the first time. I am going to make myself go to the gym today and I will figure out a way of healthy eating that works for me, as that has always been my downfall!

So, pray for me. This could be interesting, for sure!

My Love Letter

If I ever disappear just please know that I have simply run away to my favorite city on Earth.

I always thought before I bought a house near my family I would have lived in Nashville for at least a little while. Well, after the seemingly perfect job fell into my lap at home I bought the house and never made it to TN. The desire to live there has not left me though.

I don't know what it is about Nashville  but it is honestly such a magical place. I love that even though the City is actually huge it has such a small town feel. People are friendly. Shopping is plentiful. Nashville Predators and Tennessee Titans are playing. Basically bright lights, big city, small town feel. Good stuff.

SO...if you ever decide to go to Nashville here are a couple of places you MUST go!

*Parthenon...it is an absolutely beautiful place to visit, take a picnic, go for a walk, have a photo shoot by the super cute pond, do whatever, just go!

Friends and I visiting the Parthenon last fall!

 *Love Circle...simply for the view, there is no view more amazing than Nashville at night!

Not my photo, borrowed from Google, but absolutely beautiful!

*Downtown...no reason needed, just go!

Again, not my photo, but I LOVE it!

*Bridgestone Arena...go to a game! I understand everyone is not a hockey fan. I won't lie, I hadn't thought twice about hockey until a friend wanted to go to a game and bought me a ticket so she wouldn't have to go alone. One game and it was all over. I might have a slight obsession...maybe.

Who wouldn't want to be a part of this!!! (Again, not my photo. Thanks Google!)

*Maggiano's...you have to eat here...and if you go at the right time the view is fabulous ;)

*Opry Mills and Green Hills Malls...both are fabulous and have everything from Forever 21 to Tiffany's!

*Grand Ole Opry...one of those truly magical places in Nashville. So much history! (And yes I am a huge Country Music fan!!!

Carrie Underwood at the Opry during my first visit!

So, go to Nashville. For a day, a week or just run away with me. Just go!

Curl Genius-aholic

So in my crazy Black Friday shopping delirium I actually made it out of a store with at least one really good deal! And it was by accident!

After spending all night shopping in the town closest to me (my town has two dollar stores, two gas stations and a handful of restaurants...definitely no shopping here) we decided to go to next "big" town over. After looking for everything on my grandma's list and looking for a few cute things in Old Navy I decided to visit Sally's (basically because it was the only store within 100 miles that didn't have hundreds of people at the checkout line).

I had yet to buy myself anything so when I laid eyes on this Curl Genius I just knew I had to have it! This curler was regularly $150 but was on sale for $99. Great deal, right!? Well when I got to the register to check out they started piling other things in my bag. Slightly confused I asked the lady what she was doing, I didn't want those things. Well apparently I missed the huge sign on the door that said if you spend $45 you get a free flat iron. Awesome! Well there was another sign right below the curler that said if you bought the curler you got a free hair dryer! Double Awesome!

Long story short, I made it out of  Sally's spending $105 and got some super fun things! And if you haven't used a Curl Genius, your life is not complete. Really. Try one! It curled all of my hair in less than 10 minutes and the curls lasted forever!!!

Ignore the lack of makeup, but for real, curls in less than 10 min.!

Thankful Today

I had the most fabulous Thanksgiving "vacation" filled with tons of family, friends, food, shopping and a quick trip to Nashville for a Predators hockey game!

I did miss posting my week of "thankful's" because of all of our crazy activities SO I will play catch up now (before I start with full blown Christmas craziness!)

This year I am so extremely thankful for...
*my family...we don't always agree on things (not even half of the time) but we love each other and always have each other's backs!
*my friends...the ones I see/talk/text every week and the ones I see MAYBE once a year...I love you all and I have no idea where I'd be without each of you (not that you'll ever see this bc I won't tell you the address! :) )
*my church family...they have seen my family and I through so many good and bad times and have loved me through them all! (And they've even witnessed my ugly cry!)
*my home...I know I am constantly complaining because I haven't had the time or money to completely redo everything I would like to but I am enjoying my little house with its 70's flair while it is a work in progress!
*my fur babies...while I still do not consider myself a cat person, my little strays that have taken over my house are growing on me. And of course, I am completely obsessed with my sweet old man chocolate lab!
*vacations...whether it be cruising to Mexico, the Bahamas, Jamaica or the Cayman Islands, or taking a quick weekend trip to Branson or Nashville, I so enjoy this time. I know that I will not always be in a place that I can just up and go so I want to have as many wonderful vaca experiences as possible!!
*fall/winter...sweaters, flannel, leggings, boots, Christmas movies and decorations...this list could go on and on...this is totes my favorite time of the year!
*the simple things in life...Pinterest nights with the besties, dinner with old friends, a walk through the woods with my baby brother, Sunday lunch with the family, night drives to nowhere...

There are so many things that I am forever thankful for but I am most thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and having the opportunity to be raised around so many wonderful Christian examples.

Time marches on...

So last night a friend and I were quoting lines from my all time favorite movie, Steel Magnolias.

One of my favorite quotes has always been, "Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it's marchin' across your face." -Truvy

This was a favorite until I looked in the mirror this morning and noticed these absolutely horrid lines permanently engraved on my forehead! (And other random places across my face!) I started making different faces at myself in the mirror to figure out what expressions I absolutely had to be void of from this point forward...ya know what I found!? These lines show up the most when I'm at my happiest! The bigger I smile the deeper the lines around my mouth get. The goofier the faces I make with my baby cousin, the deeper the lines on my forehead get.

So as I sat on my bathroom counter, making faces at myself in the mirror and thanking God that I still live alone so no one would catch me doing this, I realized that I will gladly keep these lines (for now...who knows, I may be rich some day and can afford botox! ;) ) because they truly do express me!

"Smile! It increases your face value!" -Truvy

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Big Girl Say What!?

I am a big girl, or as my late aunt would say, "you ain't fat, you're just fluffy!" I personally like to consider myself "large and in charge". All of this being said, it is extremely difficult to find *cute*affordable*tasteful*fabulous* clothes for myself and my fabulous curvy sisters.

I would consider myself a fashionista regardless of the fact that I have to work twice as hard as my skinny sisters to find clothes that I will actually wear. SO random posts are likely to pop up now and again giving some love to some of my favorites! (Brands, stores, specific pieces, etc.)

If you are a skinny sister, well, I like jewelry too. No worries! ;)

I'll leave you with one of my favorites at the moment (hopefully will be in my closet soon!)...

(This is the Jacquelin Maxi from Kiki La'Rue (kikilarue.com ...check them out!)...How gorge is this!)

Almost That Time of Year!

The holidays are so quickly approaching and I, for one, am ecstatic! There is nothing better than Thanksgiving and Christmas! I LOVE spending time with my family cooking for Thanksgiving dinner and then of course eating until we are nauseous! Even more than the cooking though, my favorite part of getting ready for the holiday season is decorating. After moving out on my own last year I finally have the freedom *and space* to decorate how I want and when I want, and that is enough to make me want to do a happy dance!

SO, for the next couple of months I will likely be blogging a lot about the holidays, Thanksgiving favorites for my family, and of course the fabulous decorations I will have up for Christmas. For now I'll just post a few pictures of my Thanksgiving decor that is up now and Christmas pics from last year! Hopefully it will get you in a festive spirit too! (Like, I'm so festive right now I've already starting watching Christmas movies! What!)

 Ok, so I really had to throw back to Halloween. I painted this super cute little bucket for my baby cousin to take trick-or-treating. She thought it was fabulous and absolutely loved it!

 Halloween again, I painted this just because I thought it was cute. It ended up in my moms office. Her co-workers have decided we are having a painting party soon! Excited!

 Ok, now we are getting to Thanksgiving! This was thrown together very quickly but I thought it turned out pretty cute!

 Took my mom to a painting class to prove to her that she can paint too! This was our cute creation for the night!

 My first attempt at painting pumpkins! I kinda like them! :)

 And finally, my favorite! Christmas time in La Casa de Kacie! Reds, Browns, Golds, Blacks, Leopard Print and of course, anything that GLITTERS!!!

Ain't Nothin' Wrong With the Same 'Ole Same!

Well, it has been a minute. A lot has happened. A lot has changed. A lot has stayed exactly the same, and for that I am so thankful.

I have been thinking a lot lately about all of the crazy things that happen in this life, and while I am all about change and mixing things up, I will forever be grateful for the things that simply stay the same. There is nothing like a morning wake up call from my daddy, or a "Gnly" (Good night, love you) text before bed from my momma. "Lovins" from my sweet baby cousin, bye kisses from my grandma and great grandma and head rubs for my papa. Even the 2 a.m. phone calls from my baby brother (who just turned 21!!!) to come and unlock the door are always welcomed.

These are things that I take for granted. These things will not always be here, but right now, while they are, I will enjoy them. I will kiss on my baby cousins. I will spend a little extra time with my pup even if it means I'm a little late for work. I will rub my old man buddy's head when I walk behind him at church every Sunday. I will laugh out loud when I get a stupid meme texted to me by a friend. I will then do my best to reenact whatever the meme says to then laugh at myself. And yes, I may spend a little too much money on road trips with my girls.

I want to live for me, do what makes me happy and learn to be truly happy with the constants in my life. Today that means loving on my family and friends, doing the best I can to keep my work people happy, planning a vacation or two, growing in my Jesus, and simply doing "me", whatever that may be.

Ruger, My Lovie

So, I have another sad post. :( My sweet boy Ruger passed away today. Ruger was one of my two chocolate labs and they were my babies (even though they are old). When I bought my own home and moved out of my parents house this past October, I needed something more to make my house a home. To accomplish that I went to the local animal shelter and adopted the two cutest old labs I'd ever seen! I named them Browning and Ruger and they became my guard dogs, best friends and my entertainment. Ruger has slowly gotten worse over the last few months (He had really bad arthritis when I got him so he took pain and joint medication daily) and the last couple of weeks have been pure torture watching him fight so hard. Today he couldn't take anymore and he left me and Browning to try to figure out where to go from here. Dramatic, I know, but he has been a huge part of my life and my new home and things will definitely not be the same without him. So, this post is for you, Ruger. You were such a sweet old man and I will forever be grateful for the way you made my house a home. Love you, Oldie!

Remembering a Great Man

Today we laid to rest a dear friend of my Grandpa's. While he may have been 81 years old, it seems like his time was cut so short. Just diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago, he went so fast. It's almost like we didn't have time to say goodbye.

This man, we called him Little Bill because of his small stature, was like a second grandpa. He was my Grandpa's side-kick and partner in crime. From their trips every morning to the local McDonalds for coffee with the boys, to spending hours getting their sprinklers in their gardens working just right, my Gramps and Little Bill spent just about every waking moment together.

Little Bill, thank you. Thank you for being a constant companion for Papa. Thank you for celebrating holidays, birthdays, graduations, births, and housewarmings with us. Thank you for treating us like your own grand kids, and thank you for praying for us, because although you never said you were praying for us I know you were. You will be loved and remembered always.

Much Needed Mini Vaca!

It doesn't take a lot to make me happy. A great movie night with friends, loving on my babies (aka cousins and my babysitting kiddos), chillaxin with the family, all things Nashville (especially Nashville Predators hockey), the beach, roadtripping, etc.

The last few days has been filled with all of these things! (Minus Nashville, but hockey was involved! The Stanley Cup Finals were this weekend and the Blackhawks kicked some Bruins tail!!!) I had several vacation days that I needed to start taking so I took Mon-Wed off this week and convinced my friend Heather and my baby brother, J, to join me on a road trip to the beach. We started our road trip with a stop in West Monroe, LA to visit the Duck Commander store (I was just here over Memorial Day weekend but the bro and Heather hadn't been). Unfortunately we did not get to meet any of the Robertson's but we did take some fabulous pictures (I will be sure to post as soon as I get them on my computer!). After our stop in LA we drove another 6 1/2 hours to Galveston. I absolutely love Galveston so I was really excited to get to show my brother and Heather around this cute little beach town. Unfortunately, because our trip was planned so last minute we didn't have reservations at a hotel and apparently everyone and their dog decided to go to Galveston the same weekend. There was not a single vacant room in Galveston or within 30 miles in any direction. We ended up driving another 45 minutes at 11 p.m. to a little hotel in the middle of nowhere (Angleton, TX) to pay $160 for a room that had no electricity. Yes, you heard me right. No electricity. One outlet in the room worked and the t.v. was plugged in to it so at least we had a little bit of light. It was for sure a crazy experience but we made the most of it and were pleasantly surprised the next morning when we learned that there was a beach only 16 miles away!!!

We were honestly a bit nervous about this beach because we had to drive through a little community that consisted solely of electrical plants. Interesting surroundings to go through on your way to a small beach town. As crazy as it was to see all of the plants, it was absolutely amazing to cross over a huge bridge and see the most adorable little town of brightly colored houses on stilts, old boats converted to bait shops and the most gorgeous (and not crowded!) little beach. We had landed in Surfside Beach, TX, and I have to say I may have a new favorite place!

We spent two days laying out on the beach, watching some of the locals do some crab trapping, admiring the "Super Moon" from the beach and taking walks on this fabulous 1 1/2 mile fishing pier! It was definitely a great relaxing trip that we all needed!

With yesterday being my last day of vacation, my wonderful friends Mary, Tabatha and my cousin Alisha and her baby girl, Roxy, came over for a quick visit! Nothing like a movie night with Japanese take out and some of your favorite people. 

Today has been a great day back to work but let me just say I am so ready for a quick trip to Nashville next month and my family vacation to Jamaica and Cayman Islands in September!

Theme Days...Sure, Why Not?!

I really enjoy reading other people's blogs. One of my favorite things about certain blogs are their "theme days". Some of my favorites are "Man Candy Monday", "Twin Tuesday" (a co-worker has the funniest twins and she uses this day to simply talk about their shenanigans!), and "Throwback Thursday".

Because I do love these theme days so much I have decided that I need to also rock a couple of "themes"...the only problem is I still don't know what those themes will be. Maybe "Macaroni Monday", and I can make cool noodle art. Or "Why Me!?! Wednesday" and I can use that day to vent! :) 

Ok, so maybe those are not great ideas, but my brain is a churnin' so stay tuned for an ever clever theme day! :)

Blessings...Remember Them and Be Thankful!

While going through some journals last night I found one "article" in particular that I wrote on August 1, 2011. I still remember the moments I wrote this. I vowed to myself that I would remember these words and think of them daily. Since the day I wrote this article I have looked over it maybe two times and then I have forgotten about it with the hustle and bustle of life. I am going to rewrite my words again on this blog so every time I log in I will see the title of this blog and remember.

8-1-11
Blessings...I feel that I have honestly been blessed beyond measure. My whole life I have had what I needed, sometimes it took a little hardship and a whole lot of faith but God has always provided.

Lately I think that I have taken all that I have been blessed with for granted. A lady at church last Sunday repeated a saying she had heard. It was something like... "what if you woke up in the morning with everything you thanked God for today?".

That really shook me! What if that were to happen? Have I thanked God for all of the blessings he has poured out on me or just the things that seemed above and beyond and the rest I just kind of expect from Him.

He is an almighty God and I am far from deserving all of the awesomeness he has placed in my life.

My prayer today: God I thank you for EVERYTHING you have blessed me with! My family, friends, health, faith...there is not enough time to list all of the things I am thankful for. Most importantly though, thank you for sending your Son to die for my sins!

Inspired, Simply Inspired!

William Borden...does this name sound familiar to you? It didn't to me either when I heard a pastor mention it in a church camp service this week. But boy, am I glad to know the name now.

William Borden was literally born a millionaire. His family is the famous (and wealthy) owners of Borden, Inc., better known as the producers of Eagle Brand milk. Anyways, what makes Borden really special isn't the fact that he was born into money, but that he willingly gave it all up.

Just after finishing with his schooling Borden traveled the world. During these travels he began to hurt for the people he encountered. He once remarked that in every country he saw souls that desperately needed salvation. When Borden returned home to Chicago he informed his family that he was giving up his share of the company and he was leaving this life of luxury behind to travel to China to work with the Muslims.

Borden did just that. He packed his bags and headed out. He decided to stop in Egypt on his way to get a little experience working with the Muslim people. While there Borden died of cerebral meningitis. He was only 25 and he never made it to China.

As the preacher spoke of this mans life I began to ache for him, for his family, for all of the people that would have been touched by him in China. Then the preacher continued.

Among William Borden's possessions that were sent back to his parents was a journal. In this journal was something that could touch people much further down the road than just him traveling on to China. Just after telling his family that he would give up his fortune to travel to China as a missionary Borden wrote "No Reserve". Later, after being told by his father that he would never be welcomed back to work for the family business, he wrote "No Retreat". The part that really got me was just hours before he died in Egypt Borden wrote "No Regrets".

This man who died in 1913 at the young age of 25 has forever inspired me. He gave up literally millions and was turned away by his own father to follow his calling. He may not have made it to China but his story has made it in to the heart of a 22 year old in 2013, something he likely never imagined would happen in a million years.

I hope that I can be half the Christian that he was and I hope I get to shake his hand and hear his story from his own lips as we relax on the bank of the crystal river in Heaven!

Well Hello There, Beautiful!

So I am trying to get back in to this writing/blogging thing. In the one year (and a couple of months) since I graduated from college I have pretty much completely stopped doing the one thing I loved so much while in school; writing.

I'm not sure where I will go with this blog. Maybe I'll talk about my family and friends, maybe my travels, or maybe even my attempts at various Pinterest projects. Maybe I will just talk about life in general and all of the things that make my life just that; simply mine.

In my 22 years (and 8 months) I have not lived an extraordinary life, it has been quite common actually. I was born to a small town couple living a small town life. We were joined two years later by a cute blonde haired, blue eyed baby boy, I often refer to as Bubba. Out little family has had more than our fair share of drama, chaos, health issues, etc. but through it all we have stuck together . We are still working on "us" as a family but we love each other none the less. (Notice I said love, we definitely do not always like each other!)

I say all of this to give any of you that don't know me a little history. As time goes on I will elaborate on certain parts of my life I am sure, but for now I want to focus on who I am in this moment. 

To write about myself in the "now" is actually really hard. Mostly because when I thought things were starting to become stable I realize that couldn't be further from the truth.

I mean, if we want to get technical, right now I am employed by a great organization that saves over 400 lives every day! How many people can say that?! I have been very blessed with this job! Right now I am living in a super cute house I purchased on my own almost 8 months ago. I have the cute little flower bed out front with the bird and squirrel feeders and two of the cutest (and oldest...they were rescued from a kill shelter at a fairly old age) chocolate labs in the huge fenced in back yard. 

Sounds picture perfect, right? I thought so too until I realized that I could be missing Gods calling on my life. This calling is something that has been on my heart for years, since before I was even old enough to really understand it. It has taken me all of these years, though, to decide to stop fighting against myself.

I know now for sure what my calling is. In what capacity it will be fulfilled and when, I have absolutely no clue. I do know though that God equips the called, and while I can do nothing on my own, with Him all things are possible!

Whoo! So apparently I may even preach on this blog! Who knew!