celebration station

February 19, 2014 Rachel Atwell4 Comments

Valentine’s 2014 and G’s 27th birthday are in the books. This was our first Valentines together {last year G was in California, and the year before we hadn’t even met!} so I was happy we were able to spend both days together this year!

I knew G was getting me something for Valentines but I wasn’t sure what it would be. He just told me I wasn’t allowed to look at our bank account for the days leading up to Valentines Day {#JointCheckingProbz}.

A delivery man showed up on Friday with these beauties and some chocolate while G was at work. So sweet! I decided not to get him flowers but instead went with an Olympics themed Valentines {because nothing says love to a guy like “USA! USA! USA!”. Wait, what?} I made him a “I won the gold when I met and married you” card, “gold medal” cookies, and found a Team USA Olympics tee. Practical, no?

Friday night was spent at home as planned and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Grilled pizza, brownies, and You’ve Got Mail? Yes, please, and thank you.

Saturday night we ventured out to the mall for some window shopping and then we pre-gamed dinner with UNO {yes, the card game} at Barnes & Noble. Again, wouldn’t have had it any other way 🙂 We headed to a late dinner and sometime after our soup, things started to get a little foggy for me. I remember not feeling 100% when I was eating my entree, but by the time I got home I thought for sure I had food poisoning. Ha! Thankfully, I think it was just the combination of eating a very full meal later than normal. By morning I was golden.

When Sunday came around it was time to switch over to celebrate G’s birthday mode! While he was taking a nap, I snuck out for “groceries” but really just went to pick up Krispy Kreme. How cute is this tin that Krispy Kreme was selling? Maybe doughnuts will be a birthday-eve tradition?

For his actual birthday, we had dinner at The Chop House. The atmosphere was a little different than expected, but we both really enjoyed dinner and the service. And bless, he even smiled for a picture with the cake that he didn’t want them to bring.

At dinner, I gave him a card – the first part of his birthday present. It was “tickets” to a Braves game of his choice. I thought it would be a good idea to let him decide what game he wants to go to most and I’ll take the rest of the planning from there. The second part of his present was hidden at home in our guest shower – a Braves basket, complete with foam finger! This was fun basket to put together, minus the baseball cookies I made that qualify for the “nailed it” website.

I’ll give you one guess which ones were store bought…Since G had dessert at dinner, I decided to wait and serve his cake last night at dinner. Since it was just the two of us, I made sure to sing Happy Birthday as loud as I could. By the expression he is making in the picture below, I obviously “nailed it” on the song!

So glad I got to celebrate you, G!

101 in 1001

89. read one book a month

February 18, 2014June 10, 2015 Rachel Atwell13 Comments

One of my 101 in 1001 goals was to read one book a month. Reading books isn’t something I’ve done alot of since college but I know its important so I thought this would be a good challenge.

When I set this goal, I didn’t limit myself to a particular type of book {i.e. fiction, biography, faith, etc} so its been good to discover what I like to read. Each month when I finish a book, I’ll post it below.

November 2013 – Decision Points by George W. Bush

I enjoyed reading this book although some chapters were a little slower than others for me. Two of my favorite things from reading this book were 1) insight into how Bush communicates with people from all types of cultural and religious background and how he found common ground with them; 2) a renewed sense to pray for our president and leaders, and all the decisions they face each day.

December 2013 – Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

One of my favorite movies is Pride & Prejudice. I even gave the book to my sisters as a part of their bridesmaids gift {and conveniently purchased one for myself too}. I decided after a few months of sitting on my shelf it was time to read it. The book goes into much more detail than the movie – which I liked and is beautifully written. It did require a little bit more attention because of the language used and I actually didn’t finish this until January because we got busy with the holidays and traveling. One of my favorite things? Some of the quotes from Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth! “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” How romantic!

January 2014 – Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey

We’ve been reading/listening to some things by Dave Ramsey for the last several months {read about our goal setting and budgeting} so I was happy to read this book. It was a very quick read – he writes like he talks and its very motivational, especially if you’re working on the baby steps like we are!

February 2014 – Eat To Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

This was the hardest book for me to get through so far, so much so that I just skimmed the last 50 pages. The book is very informative about why a plant based diet {not vegetarian, just limited meat} is ideal for our bodies. It gave me some good ideas on how to approach food and the importance of fruits and vegetables.

March 2014 – Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

Loved reading this book. Not only was it filled with sweet stories about Katie Davis’ as a mother to her adopted Ugandan girls, but it also was a beautiful reminder of the strength that we gain through Christ to do the impossible.

April 2014 – The Case for Easter by Lee Strobel

A quick read on the defense of Easter. Interesting to think about questions that people might have about the authenticity of the Bible.

May 2014 – What Is the Gospel by Greg Gilbert {currently reading}

June 2014 – Connect: How to Double Your Number of Volunteers by Nelson Searcy

As I get more and more involved in my job, I’m realizing the importance of volunteers and a good system for them. This reminded me that people want to serve and to give them opportunities to serve!

July 2014 – A Meal with Jesus by Tim Chester {currently reading}

August 2014 – Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist

This is one I had been wanting to read for awhile, and my request finalllly got filled in the library. I loved how easy of a read it was and enjoyed Niequist writing style, and how tangible her words felt. She is definitely a great storyteller.

September 2014 – The Honest Life by Jessica Alba

I thought I’d enjoy this book more than I would, but I was a little disappointed. While I think it’s good to be aware of what is going in and around our bodies and our families, it was a little bit of a downer.

October 2014

November 2014

December 2014

January 2015

February 2015

March 2015

April 2015

May 2015 – Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin

A practical book on why we should and how to study the Bible. While I know Bible literacy is important, it is definitely a discipline where I lack. Wilkin gave practical examples and ways to study the Scripture to increase our love and understanding for a God who has provided His Word for us.

June 2015 – Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney {currently reading}

Any good book recommendations? What’s your favorite type of book to read?