December 31, 2015

Top 15 of 2015

Happy Last Day of 2015! I think it's always fun to reflect on the great things that have happened over the past year. Here are my personal top 15 moments of 2015. 

1. We rang in 2015 at a worship service at IndyCC. 

2. I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon with my mom at Disney World.

3.  We paid off one of my two student loans! This was huge for us, as one of our big time goals is to be debt free. Thankfully, we only had my student loans for debt, and now we only have one. Paying off the first one (with the highest interest rate) was so motivating to get this next one knocked out in the next few years. 

4. Brian and I celebrated five years of marriage. 

5. We joined a small group from church and really began to feel connected to various friends here in Toledo. 

6. We tried tandem bike riding for the first time?! I know, riveting. (Really I just love this picture.)

7. This past summer, I officially kickstarted this blog, focussing on fashion and lifestyle. I got to write a couple sponsored posts, which I didn't expect to happen in the first six months. There's still a lot more I want for this blog of mine, but I'm happy I started it. 

8. We took our high school students on our first mission trip to Buffalo, NY, as a student ministry.

9. And not too long after we got back, this happened... 

10. We hosted 14 family members up here over Labor Day weekend and broke the news to them with personalized coffee mugs. 

11. I found out my sister in law is due with a baby the day after me! We've been having so much fun being pregnant together and planning future cousin activities! 

12. I started a study on Revelation through BSF with some girlfriends. This book is so fascinating, mysterious, and awakening. 

13. Brian and I hosted a gender reveal party with some of our favorite people in the area and found out that we are having a little girl! What an amazing day. 

14. I found out that one of my friends up here is also pregnant with a baby girl and is due a few weeks after me. This also has been way too much fun ;)

15. Brian and I celebrated our last holidays with it just being the two of us (and Gunther, obviously). This was extremely bittersweet. It got us thinking about fun traditions we want to start with our kids. 

Reflecting really reiterates how blessed we've been this year. 2016 will be a whole new ballgame with us adding to our family...wow! It still shocks me thinking about it. I always said that once the new year hit in January, March 15th will be here before we know it. Here we are in the home stretch... I'm sure 2016 will be a year of many awesome memories and challenges, too. I'll be attempting this whole mama thing, continue teaching 4th grade, and having fun and learning alongside our awesome junior high and high school students at church. Brian and I will learn how to be husband and wife while also being mom and dad. I want to make this blog better, too.  I get butterflies with nerves and excitement thinking about 2016! 

Hope everyone has a great time celebrating tonight! More posts to come next year ;)

xx,
Court

December 23, 2015

Choosing Thankfulness

Well friends, it's been one of those weeks. After throwing myself on the couch yesterday afternoon after a loooong day of Christmas parties with 4th graders, I felt torn. Part of me wanted to complain about a week of fighting a fever/virus, being buried in work to do (both at home and at work), and the fact that I was involved in a little fender bender yesterday morning. Then, the Holy Spirit gently whispered all these sweet reminders of blessings I've received this past week. It was a weird feeling of being torn, smack in the middle between bitterness and gratefulness. It sounds cliche, but in that moment, I knew I had a choice. 

By no power of my own, I chose to thank the Lord for all of the blessings this past week. I started at the beginning: 

  • I thanked God that my fever never reached 102 degrees. This is the temperature that I have read becomes dangerous for the baby. My main worry last week with my fever was hurting baby girl and she is all good. 
  • I thanked Him for a field trip last week that ran smoothly, with all of my awesome chaperones there and ready to help our class have a great time. 
  • I thanked Him for administration that cares about the well being of their employees...I showed up to a meeting last week, pale as a ghost, with red puffy eyes. The sickness had gotten the best of my emotions and I had a mini breakdown moment while the kids were at lunch...minutes before an important meeting (embarrassing). Even though there were numerous teachers out for various reasons, and there would not be a sub available to cover my class, I was sent home for the rest of the day and the next day to rest and get better. 
  • I thanked Him for how minor the car accident I was in yesterday morning on my way to work was. I had just left the grocery store getting some Christmas treats for the kiddos and a car pulled out in front of me. Neither one of us were driving fast so there was no airbag or anything like that. Both of us were completely fine, and even though there's some (minor) damage to my car, and this messes up our Christmas travel plans a bit, it could have been so much worse. Baby girl is still moving around and I have absolutely no soreness, so we are fine. 
  • I thanked Him for not getting anything done yesterday...my plan was to get a bunch of papers graded while my class watched "The Grinch." This didn't happen, but for the very sweetest reasons. I had some cute little girls who wanted to talk about Queen Elsa, braid my hair like hers, color me pictures, and give me a shoulder massage during the movie. While we were sitting there, some asked me questions about Jesus (not kidding). While I may not get to openly preach the gospel at my job, I certainly will honestly answer legitimate questions, so I'm always thrilled when students start that conversation. 


At about this time, I dozed off on the couch, mid-prayer (haha). When I woke up, I found a pretty brown paper packaged tied up with string (you're singing the song right now, aren't you?). A sweet friend of mine had dropped off a Christmas gift. After thanking the Lord for even more blessings, I felt so empowered. When we choose thankfulness, the enemy loses. The enemy's goal is to bring us down, to make us tired and ineffective, and especially to make us bitter. However, when we choose thankfulness, we get the victory and God gets the glory. That's a win all around, don'tcha think? I have a lot to learn on this matter, but surely with His power in me (and with a lot of ups and downs), I'll get it! 


What can you thank God for when things don't go as planned?

Thanks for reading!


xx,
Court

December 17, 2015

Popular Hairstyles in Style for a Night Out On the Town


Whether you’re grabbing a drink with friends, going on a date, going out to a movie, or maybe just going around the town to shop, you will want to look at your best. Other than make-up, your hair plays an essential role. There are numerous beautiful hairstyles you can do to make you look fabulous. Today, we will go over some popular hairstyles that you could have for a night out on the town.


The Modern Bouffant

Image Courtesy of pixabay.com

The modern bouffant is usually a half-up and half-down style. This hairstyle has been gaining a lot of popularity these days because it’s easy to style yourself, plus it looks great too! This hairstyle is really suitable for you, especially if you prefer to keep your hair down. Moreover, if you have a round face shape, this hairstyle will give you a slimming effect because half of your hair is down. You might want to add some loose waves for a more modern-look.

Messy Bun
The messy bun is one of the easiest hairstyles you can do as you can literally do it in less than a minute. You need to pull your hair into a loose ponytail, tease it, and then pull it into a bun. This hairstyle can look good if you do it carefully, even though it’s called messy bun.

French Twists
The French twist might be a bit intimidating to pull-off, but it’s not as complicated as it may seem. There are a lot of simple French-Twist hair tutorials you can find on the Internet. This hairstyle is really elegant, which is suitable for a luxurious dinner date.



Curls
Image Courtesy of pixabay.com

Curling your hair is one of the quickest and simplest ways to style your hair for a night out as you just need a hair curler, and that’s all! You can do curls for both short and long hair; it does not matter. You can even style it to look sexy by making it glossy with big waves...just make sure you are creative to give yourself a sexy look that you’re comfortable with.

The Sexy Side Wrap
This is a sensual, yet simple and easy hairstyle that will leave your date in awe. All you have to do is to curl your hair, preferably the lower part only, and then French-braid it on one side. To finish it, you need to bobby-pin it behind loose hair, and you’re done! This hairstyle tends to look better when your hair is longer. However, you don’t need to worry if you don’t, as you can get natural hair extensions that look real!

Adding Hair Extensions
Not all women have long hair and in this case you should consider getting natural hair extensions. Many of the styles mentioned above require long hair and the bringing a new style into our life can be life changing at times, besides it’s good to have options. How do you know what to look for in hair extensions? Well, there are three specific things to look for in natural hair extensions that can be the difference between success and failure.


Today, we’ve seen some of the most popular styles to wear out on the town. The styles can simple and elegant to more complex. If you want to have a new change, and you have short hair, you have the option of getting natural hair extensions. Styling your hair can make all the difference in your confidence while looking your best, so choose a style that makes you shine.

This post was brought to you by International Hair Company.

December 09, 2015

Wish List Wednesday: Diaper Bags That Aren't Totally Lame


It can be hard to find a diaper bag that doesn't scream, "Mommy." However, there actually are a lot of options out there for moms to be functional without sacrificing style. Here are a few of my favorites: 

1. Timi and Lesli, "The Charlie II" Diaper Bag- I love the look of this one and how you would never know that it's a diaper bag. The color is amazing (it comes in several others, too) and it has several compartments, and insulated bottle holder, and straps that are specifically for attaching to the stroller. 

2. Perry Mackin' "Ashley" Diaper Bag-  This one is made of easy to clean nylon and also comes in different colors. This bag has more of a preppy look if that if your style. 

3. Burberry "Classic Check and Leather" Diaper Bag-  If you want to splurge, this one is classic and gorgeous. 

4. CALIA "Everyday" Tote- Okay, so this isn't technically a diaper bag, but I came across this in Dick's the other day and am convinced that it would make a great one. All of the compartments would work for diapers, wipes, bottles, and all the other things a mom needs. I'm loving the rose-gold hardware! 

5. Little Unicorn "Brookside" Diaper Bag- This bag has a nice, structured shape and also includes a changing pad and stroller straps. 

6.  Newlie "Gail" Satchel Diaper Bag-  I love how roomy this one looks on the inside. The lining is water resistant and there's an attachable cross body strap to carry it hands free. 


Which one is your favorite?! Any moms out there have any advice on what to look for in a diaper bag? 

Thanks so much for reading!


xx,
Court

December 08, 2015

It's Cute How I Thought I'd Take Weekly Bump Pictures...

| dress: Bailey 44 | headband: Anthropologie | old Anthro boots (loving these and these) |

26 weeks today! Almost in the third trimester...where has the time gone? One thing I thought I would do for sure is document each week's bump growth. This just hasn't happened. I've taken three so far. Three!  I typically come home when it's dark out and I'm looking just a little haggard...turns out that pregnancy glow isn't all natural! So the bump pictures have been seriously lacking. 

Annnnd let's face it, normally I'm looking like this:


Oh well...cute thought. I do still have 14ish more weeks to go so I suppose there's still time! Pregnancy so far has been pretty awesome, though. I love feeling our little girl move. She is so active! She seems to get an extra dose of energy around 11 p.m. The time has been moving so fast that I'm afraid I'm going to forget everything and how special it's been carrying her. I'm trying to soak in everything I can!

Happy Tuesday and thanks for reading!

xx,
Court

November 23, 2015

Our Gender Reveal...


Brian and I struggled on whether we wanted to find out the gender of our baby before the birth. We loved the idea of an incredible surprise, but weren't sure if we realistically had the patience. Plus, we thought it would be so nice to start planning a little ahead of time. I'm the farthest person you'll ever meet from "type-A," but this type of planning is different...and FUN! So we decided that doing a gender reveal party would give us the build up and element of a surprise, but still give us the opportunity to plan ahead a little. 

Earlier this month, we realized we had two free Saturdays until the end of the year. We decided to try for last weekend to get some friends together because we didn't want to wait until December! When I went in for my ultrasound, my stubborn little sweet pea was all curled up...and wouldn't budge. I jumped around, changed positions on the hospital bed, and nothing. So we left the hospital without any information, still wanting to find out the following Saturday. 

I was referred to My Little Me- an ultrasound boutique in the area that specializes in determining genders and 3D pictures. I called and was able to get in right away...and baby girl was much more cooperative this time. :) It was an incredible experience seeing my baby in 3D on a big screen right in front of me...if you're in the Toledo area, I completely recommend it. So we got the information we needed and in an envelope it went. I'm pretty proud of my husband and I for not peeking until the reveal.

So here are some photos and captions from Saturday. We had a few friends come for our last minute party and it was perfect. 


 I just love her little face and dainty hands! 


 We had people wear their guess...
 ...and then vote. 
Our friends brought these cute cookies!

We have some of the sweetest friends to make time to come on such short notice, help make cute decorations, bring cookies, take pictures, let us use their phones to FaceTime family...and my wonderful friend, Elisa, for taking the envelope and bringing the basket with the right colored confetti. We may not have our family here in Toledo, but we sure have some amazing people in our lives. 


 When we were under the basket, it dawned on us: We're finding out...right now! 
Cue the countdown... 
After what seemed like forever, we pulled the paper and out came PINK CONFETTI!

We're having a baby girl! I was shocked...I was totally expecting to see blue! 

 Complete joy. I loved catching Brian's eye in that moment. 
 And then doing this. 
 My cute husband is going to be the best daddy to our little girl. 

 What a day. We can't wait to meet our sweet girl...the little girl I've dreamed about since I was one. The little girl who is perfectly handcrafted by the most amazing Artist and loved by the most mighty Redeemer. Already praying that she will come to know this confidently and live her life for Him. 

Thanks for reading!
xx,
Court

November 19, 2015

We Can't Wait To Meet Our Little....

GIRL!!!! 

I am just beside myself. Full gender reveal post coming Monday. 

xx,
Court

October 13, 2015

The Best Shirtdress There Ever Was

| dress: Anthro | booties: Aldo (almost identical style) | crossbody: Michael Kors (similar) | sunglasses: American Apparel (similar)| 



This shirt dress is what my pattern mixing dreams are made of. Plus the cut is perfect for a variety of body types...even an 18 week pregnant one! I'm thinking this is going to last me a little while yet in my pregnancy and still be great post-partum. I was immediately drawn to this one when I was in Anthropologie a few weeks ago...and when I tried it on, I knew it was a done deal. 

I've gotten so much use out of it already, from church to date nights, to grabbing dinner with friends. It can easily be paired with tights and longer boots for the upcoming colder months. So basically if you're thinking about a new versatile dress for different seasons and body types... this is the one. Go for it. ;) 

Have a fantastic Tuesday. I am taking a professional day from work today and am at a youth ministry conference with Brian and some of our youth leaders. Thanks for reading!

xx,
Court

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October 07, 2015

Our Family Pregnancy Announcement...

Oh hello, Best-Surprise-Ever....

On August 3rd, we found out that our lives were about to drastically change... but we're pretty excited about it ;)


Now since Brian and I both live far away from our families, telling them in person was going to be slightly more difficult. We had to wait until I was almost 13 weeks before we could tell them the news. So we invited both sides to come up for Labor Day weekend. 

We played it off with us just wanting to get the family together for the holiday weekend. 

We went to the farmers market, ate lunch at Tony Packos, and enjoyed some time at Trapped Toledo. 



While we were at lunch, my sister-in-law revealed that she is pregnant with her third! And ironically she was 13 weeks! Now inside I am bursting with even more excitement than I can show at the time because omg we're due at almost the exact same time! But still, Brian and I keep quiet all. freaking. day. Longest day ever, btw. 

That evening for dinner, we take them to Zia's on the docks.  We eat a normal family dinner and then go outside to enjoy the view and some music... but not after ordering coffee and desert! While we're waiting for our dessert, we hang out outside and snap a few photos.


What our family didn't know is that while we were outside, our waitress was in on our plan and was placing special coffee mugs at everyone's seat alongside the dessert each person ordered. 

So finally we went back inside...

And it felt like years before anyone noticed their coffee mugs! Each coffee mug said "Grandma," "Grandpa," "Aunt," "Uncle," and "Cousin." In fact, I had to ask my mom, "How's your coffee??" before she realized what we were trying to tell her! 

Then there were hugs, tears, and O-M-Gs...and a few more pictures :)




We ordered our mugs from Personalization Mall and are really happy with the quality of the mugs and the fast shipping. 

And then this photo had to happen because my sister-in-law and I are due a week apart!





So there you have it... Baby Munafo. Coming March 2015. Already Loved. 

Thanks for reading!!!

xx,
Court




October 01, 2015

Head-To-Toe Black in Loft


| tee: Loft | seamed leggings: Loft | sunglasses: American Apparel (similar F21 pair) | crossbody: Michael Kors (similar) | sandals: Valentino |

Happy October! We are finally starting to feel true autumn temperatures and I THINK they might actually stick around! I've recently picked up a few new items to accommodate my changing body...I just hit 16 weeks on Tuesday. I love these knits from Loft...this tee is SO soft I could live in it. It's also loose enough to hide the awkward pregnancy stage, where I'm not completely showing yet, but definitely have a bigger belly. Same with these seamed leggings... jeans are beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable (I haven't bought a belly band yet), but these provide enough stretch around the stomach area ;) I also love how they are seamed and a bit thicker than regular leggings, giving them more structure. I paired them with my black Valentinos to give me a bit of length with the head-to-toe black. You can never go wrong with a few classic and slimming black pieces! 


Thanks for reading!

xx,
Court

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