Good Saturday to you.

I've been feeling a bit down lately. My apologies for the downer, but it's true. The truth sounds much better than a lie right? Right. You guessed it though. It's because of all the sad commotion with the tornadoes. Also, I pretty much worked ALL day Friday and will be working ALL day today. Bummer. I honestly don't know how I pull a 7AM to 10PM shift on the daily. I really amaze myself sometimes. I am so thankful that I have the energy to do so though. I am also thankful that I can wake up the next day and see tomorrow. So, in turn...this post isn't really much of a downer at all. The little things in life that make my days are such as; waking up and the sun is out already, cooking lunch at home, a gas bill for less than $20, or picking up the phone to call Z and seeing that he is calling me already. I love when that happens. Our timing with each other has been becoming something oddly similar, but I don't mind it. So, while I'm slaving away at my own request...I hope you enjoy your Saturday.

Here is a video I found via The Rockstar Diaries that I enjoyed so much.

Meet the Brockintons from ashley brockinton on Vimeo. It really picked up my day and who doesn't love everything near or dear to Amélie? 

Love is all you need.

All my heart desires to post today are two quotes and a small voice to attempt to help.

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake."

- Victor Hugo

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6

If you would like to help, you may go to the Red Cross website or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Thank you all for your kind and heartfelt care. I appreciate it extremely and so does everyone else who has been affected by the disaster. Hopefully, I will be back in full blogging swing by next week. Please bare with me during this harsh time. Have a beautiful Friday.

[google image of alamaba tornado outcome]

Love for Bama

I'm not sure if any of you noticed, but I was not on blogger yesterday. I don't believe I was anywhere on the internet world. If you haven't heard yet, Alabama had a horrendous tornado yesterday. I was told that there was more than one, but due to the tornado, my power was out the whole day. It was a horrific experience to not have any power or any way to contact the outside world. All that we[Z, Carini, Doug, and I] had to rely on was our phones and the bad reception that it had. So far, everyone that I know of in Alabama is fine. Thanks to those who checked in on me. This is the post to let you all know that I'm ok. I've never felt so much love in my life. By that I mean that I love everyone that I know so much and I could not imagine loosing anyone. I felt a deep depression yesterday, not being able to be near many of my family and friends. I'm so glad that the horrible time is over. Unfortunately, news has reported that at least 178 died due to the tornado and storms yesterday. You can read more here. My heart hurts to hear of this bad news and my prayers/good thoughts go out to everyone who was negatively affected by this. Please everyone, keep Alabama in your thoughts. I will try to update when I can. Much love to you all.

Gathering Sanity Tuesdays

Good Tuesday everyone. Thank you all so so much for your kind remarks on yesterday's post. I was entirely too worried about something I realized to be so small. If you had questions on where the dress was from, you're welcome to go here, when I wrote about it first. So, time for another round up of things that have been keeping my mind from exploding. Well, that was quite a drastic statement, but I'm sure you know what I mean by that.

So, who didn't know that gifts were given on Easter? Self raises hand HIGH. At first I thought it was silly and I was quite open about this with Z. What I didn't know was that when I was being rude and close minded, chatting away with Z on the phone, he was busy buying me Harry Potter movies, lots of candy, an adorable stuffed bunny, and a freaken DVD player[my borrowed DVD player doesn't like me very much] for Easter. I woke up to the basket of goodies Sunday morning and at first I was so confused[It's not Christmas?!?], then realized it was Z's doing and I felt so horrible. I guess receiving gifts on Easter is pretty ok. I need to be prepared next year. Mr. Easter Bunny...we need to get together soon.

Lately, I've been craving Hmong food. I miss home and I miss home cooking. I'm so tired of fast food and bread. You know what I miss most? This delicious sticky purple rice. You've never had it before? You're MISSING OUT! It's not available at your local Walmart, because if it was, they'd be out of stock because of this lady[me!]. Sticky purple rice has always been a treat for me. It doesn't taste anything different from regular sticky rice, but then again it does. You'll just have to taste it to grasp what I mean. Thanks to the internet, I can actually buy it online here if I were desperate enough. It is always tastier grown in the backyard though.

Another item of Hmong food that I miss. Papaya salad! Oh my gooooooooooosh this picture makes my mouth water. I'm not going to even talk about this a lot because it just makes me sad. I can't wait to go visit SC in May, so I can eat some. I need to stock up on ingredients and the recipe so I can make it myself down here in Bama. It's just that my mom makes such yummy papaya. Nothing compares to a momma's cooking though, right?

The Garden Summer Trailer from Hailey Wist on Vimeo.

Speaking of food. Please watch this video. Thanks to Olivia. This is so inspiring. Seriously....for reals, yo....this is my dream summer. Possibly dream life.

This is a cool phone cover case.

Look how stinkin' cute these little toothbrush holders are? I want all of them. Well....I really like the seal one. Haha.

Writing this post cheered me up a bit...but in reality, I'm tired. Talk to you all later & have an awesome day.

[First three images via Google]

Weekend Wedding

So maybe this post might seem like Z and I are extremely nostalgic because it's "Z & M overload", but trust that we are not. In fact, we barely took any pictures at the wedding. It upsets me that we didn't capture much, but please take note that the wedding was absolutely beautiful. What I loved most about the wedding was how sentimental it was with the couple's belief. And yes, I cried like a baby. Speaking of baby, remember sweet Eden? She was there with her pops, our good friend Justin, and she was soooooo good throughout the whole ceremony! I loved seeing her and it's amazing how MUCH she's grown! Gah, I love babies. I'm sure you can sense that here if you've been reading my blog for some time now. Hah. Ok, onto our attire. 

Those weren't bags of trash behind us by the way, but were actually recycled cans. How sweet is that, right!

And finally a "good" one.

I have a funny and quite unbelievable story to tell you guys. Oh gosh...this might be a little long, but I have to share before I forget. Here goes. So a few weeks prior to going to the wedding, I had told Z in confidence that I was not comfortable with getting married in a church at this point in my life. Note that I'm not getting married any time soon. As of this time, who knows where life will lead me as in religion and faith, but as of right now...I felt that getting married in a church would just be bit of a hypocrite move for me. I have never been to church and I know nothing or barely anything of the bible or God. I felt that this made Z a tad disappointed, but being the wonderful man that he is, he did not judge me.

Fast forward to after the ceremony, I discovered that my zipper broke. Stupid zipper. It was so embarrassing, but thankfully no one noticed but me. I went to the church bathroom and literally had to take off my dress to fix the zipper. Mind you, there was no reception in the bathroom so I couldn't contact Z or anyone to come help me. There I was, stuck in the bathroom alone with a stubborn and very broken zipper. I was about to start crying because I didn't know what to do. Over several minutes[or what seemed like hours] later, I finally was about to quit and just be done with it. As a last resort, I prayed. I prayed to God that if he would help me...please help me with my zipper, I would get married in a church. Right as I finished praying, feeling a bit selfish, the zipper zipped. It zipped right up and went back to normal. This freaked me out so much and I have goosebumps right now writing this. I put my dress back on, walked as fast as I could to Z and told him. He had the biggest smirk on his face and I felt so happy at that moment for some reason.

I didn't mean for this post to become religious at all what so ever, but this is the honest truth that I'm writing. When that little moment happened to me in the bathroom, it felt like God was saying, "I'm here. I'm real." It's amazing to me to think that there is someone up there listening and this is all a bit emotional & surreal for me. I don't know where to take these feelings or thoughts next, but all I know is that I am thankful. I've never had any unwillingness to learn more about God, but that day was just another example to show to me not to be afraid. We'll see where this goes next.

DIY - Upside down veggies.

**UPDATE: I just realized that it's EARTH DAY! Haha! What a great post to go with the day. Woo hoo for that. Happy Earth Day everyone! :) **

Have any of you heard of a Topsy Turvy? Z believes that he invented this prior to the release of it and I just nod my head and smile at him.....but either way, this is still a fun & cheap project. It's also a great way to get outside and get your hands dirty! This is an awesome idea for those who prefer not to dig up a garden and/or maintain one. It is also awesome for folks who don't have a backyard. If you live in an apartment or somewhere that has a balcony, you're good to go! Hopefully, this DIY will get you guys to plant some of your own veggies. Ok, let's get started!

First, the items that you will need: 

Vegetable plants! Z and I chose three tomato plants and a green pepper plant. Really cheap at Walmart or even your local Farmer's Market, if they sell them there. 

Buckets! We got these from Lowe's because we were already there buying gardening items for his mama's garden. Of course with this item, you can always go smaller or bigger. Completely up to you!

Garden soil! Here you can simply choose what ever kind of soil that your little heart desires. Z and I just went with the most simple bag. Depending on how many plants you want to choose, you may just want one bag for 4 or 5 plants. Of course if you have extra left over, you can always keep that for other planting activities.

Rope! This is to hang the buckets. We found that it was more sturdy not to use the original handles on the buckets, but if you would like to skip this item, it is up to your decision.

The last few key items that you may need:

• Scissors
• Sharp knife
• A few cold drinks to keep you cool
• Enthusiastic energy

Let's get started!

First, if using the rope...remove the original handles from the buckets. Most cases on removing the handles, you should be able to simply unhook each side.Upon removal, use a small knife or sharp object to make the side holes an inch bigger. This is so the rope will comfortably fit through the holes.

Next, puncture a circular hole on the bottom of the bucket. The sizing may be determined by the size of the plant. Keep in mind not to make the whole too big because you do not want your plant or soil to fall out.

After the holes have been sized and punctured, double knot tie the rope on both sides of the buckets. During this action, you can decipher how high or low you would like your plant to hang.

After the knots are in place and secure, choose your hanging spot! Look for a place where there is a lot of sunshine or at least partial sunlight so the plant will stay alive! In our case, Z and I decided to hang the plants on his mama's back patio/porch as shown below.

After hanging the buckets, place one scoop of plant soil to start the base. There should be roughly an inch of soil prior to putting the plant in the bucket. Oh, and it's O-K if some soil falls out of the bottom!

Now to the fun part!

Take your plant(s) and lightly break them up a bit at the base like what Z is doing in the picture. This is so the plant's roots can easily spread and grow. Yay for growing!

After loosening up the base of your plant(s), clear the hole at the bottom of your bucket and carefully feed through the plant's stems/leaves/etc. This step will more than likely be the most difficult. If you break a stem or rip off a leaf, it is going to be OK...the plant will still live on!

After the most difficult task, fill in the rest of the bucket with plant soil. Z and I filled up our buckets roughly a little over half way. Make sure the base of the plant is covered over with 2-3 inches worth of plant soil. We did this so when watering the plants, it would reach the plant easier and it would be more convenient to add more soil later on if needed. 

Ta da -- you're done!

Easy, right? Z and I did this after we planted flowers at his mom's garden. We haven't been back yet to check on the plants, but we'll be back this weekend...woo hoo! I'm so excited to see little tomatoes and peppers growing soon. As soon as I spot any, I'll do an update to share! Oh...I can't wait one day to have a humongous backyard so I can grow many arrays of veggies. I love that Z and I both want to grow our own food. Well, not for everything...but it's so awesome to know that I'll have someone with me who wants fresh vegetables too! I used to hate gardening when I was younger because it felt like such a chore, but I'm so glad that my mom and grandma made me experience it because the reward of eating vegetables that you grow with your own hands is completely priceless.

What are you all up to this weekend? Any fun activities outside? With family? Camping in? Z and I, we'll be in Gadsden for a wedding. I really hope the dress that I've been talking too much about works out fine. All in all though, I'm just ready to enjoy my weekend. I'm not promising anything, but I might not be here on blogger this weekend depending on my schedule. We'll just have to wait and see! I hope you all enjoy yours too and get lots of sun!

Dear body

You're very welcome for the personal day yesterday. I feel like you bullied me into it, but my-oh-my it was a beautiful day. Even though the sun was not shining and the rain chased the day away, the thought of a free day to do absolutely nothing was statisfying beyond belief. Thank you for feeling much better after the horrific allergy attack on Tuesday. I'm sorry that I used napkins instead of lotion absorbed Kleenex. I'm sure you don't like me very much right now because of our peeling nose. Due to the lullabies of the soft rain, I let you sleep in really late but noticed that the later you slept in, the more tired you felt....so we'll both agree that waking up earlier isn't such a bad thing. I have not worked you out at all this week, but if Friday night is free...I'm going to make you sweat. I know we're both looking forward to starting school because that means, FREE GYM! I know, I know...we're both too cheap to consider joining a gym, but the free gym has an indoor pool so I know you're just as excited as I am and it will be worth the quick wait. Speaking of school.....brain has not been exercised in the Math department in the last few years. This is no bueno and also a reason why I forced brain to exercise last night for a good two hours with an Algebra book. I know we were both quite amazed[sadly] with all the information that we had lost throughout the years, but hopefully the good 'ole noggin' of ours will retain and succeed with the COMPASS test that we'll have to take soon. I'm crossing our fingers, but I'm betting that brain will do just fine.  

Oh, and I fed you this the other morning & you're very welcome. To another day, my dearest body.

I know I mentioned a DIY yesterday and I was going to post it today, then I felt that a letter to my body was a bit needed. I will be posting the DIY tomorrow in replacement of Inspriday. It will be regarding being outside, being active, and getting your hands dirty! Look out for it! :)

Heather! Heather! Heather! Heather!

Dear oldest sister, you are my favorite. I told you I wouldn't forget! Here is a special post & poem, just for you!

My oldest sister, the kindest of all.

Who nurtures and protects, so we never fall.

You are so strong and patient like no other I've met.

Giving up and failing, I have not seen you near this yet.

My life is so bright because of you.

If you look a bit closer, my heart is even brighter too.

You are my voice of reason.

The best older sister of all season.

I wish you a beautiful happy birthday.

And I wouldn't want to have it any other way.

I love you!

Personal Day

Today, I am taking a personal day off from everything. Work, responsibilities, blogger, and pretty much anything that requires me to think. My body[allergies] told me that this was mandatory, so I better listen. While I am gone today, here are some really random and probably awkward pictures that I have never shown on the blog before. Once I gathered them, I realized that a lot of these pictures signify something that I miss. Feast your eyes and enjoy while I'm away.

Nancy, Heather, me, and Tasee. I was 15, I think. I miss my hair being this short.

 A road in SC that I used to drive on every-single-day. Yep, I lived in the country. I miss that road too.

 Cheerleading days. Wow. I miss my body being that active.

80's party. I miss dressing up parties & I miss that awesome $2 sequenced jacket that I scored at the thrift store. I ended up giving it to the Indian lady as a present that worked at the gas station near my apartment. She was more in love with it than I was.

 My sisters and I in 2007 at my first apartment. I miss being only 15 minutes away from each of them.

Fake carrying wood for the fire...at the Hmong New Year 2010. I miss being closer to my culture.

When Z and I first started dating. I miss our random times spent at the awful waffle making funny faces. Oh yes, today is our monthaversary! Yes, we're one of those annoying couples who celebrate each month. Ha. I don't feel like writing three posts in one day, so I'm writing some things of why I'm thankful here.

Thank you for letting me have my silent treatment moments and not forcing me to talk when I really don't want to.

Thank you for your extreme patience with me, even when my moodiness has no excuse.

Thank you for letting me play with your hair and bug you about cutting it.

Thank you for making me laugh or trying so hard to when I'm having a bad day.

Thank you for wanting to make sure that I'm happy.

Thank you for allowing me to make you happy.

Thank you for all of your hugs, high fives, kisses, and smiles.

Thank you for not judging me when I finish my plate, while you're on the other end with half a plate left.

Thank you for being my best friend.

Thank you for being the one for me to confide in.

Thank you for trusting me enough that you confide in me too.

Thank you for showing me how to love and trust again.

Really though, thank you so much for being you and allowing me to be by your side in our lives.

I love you incredibly, my Z.

And, thank you friends for letting me spew my sappiness a bit here today. I hope you enjoyed it and got to know me more this way. Be ready for a DIY/tutorial tomorrow!

Now, I'm off to do nothing. Ta ta!

Gathering Sanity Tuesdays

What is a better way to gather your sanity than a beautiful sunny day, lovely flowers, and time with your loved one(s)? The saying, "stop and smell the roses..." has always stuck with me & helps keep me in a positive light. Attempting to make this short & sweet since this post is picture heavy, enjoy the pictures & though you can't smell them nor are they roses, I still hope they make your day just a that much brighter than before you stumbled across this post.