home.

Today... I'm taking a break from my life, reality, and school (right before finals.. i know i know! dont give me grief! ) to go home!

Praise the Lord.

Daddy daughter date night tonight <3

this is much needed.

my home :) .. snow covered! it's not like this now! thank goodness! 

tulsa!! 

happy tuesday morning

I have to admit, this morning is bitter sweet. 


I woke up this morning fully rested for once. But instead of jumping right into the piles of work I have to get done before 5 tonight.. & by piles, I really do mean piles that includes three 10 page papers due tomorrow that I have not started, two online tests due tomorrow, and starting to study for the dreadful finals plus not to mention my out of school work! 


But this morning, I decided to put all that on hold for some "Bree time" full of my favorite tea, blogs, inspiration, and much needed comfort in my home! :) 


Hence the bitter sweet part.. 


But let's keep it sweet for a few more moments & let me share my perfect & comforting morning, with you!... Before I have to start my reality of homework and finals. 

I hope this blessing makes you as happy as it made me. 

I love that it includes the small things that make life a little bit more beautiful. 

This blessing was perfect this morning as I was cozied up in my bed sipping my favorite tea :) 

What is a relaxing morning without your favorites: 

- warm, neutral, wrap around sweater from Anthropologie

- my favorite mug from my dream dish set that one day I will be able to afford. 

as for right now, I just have one mug! Good start though! 

- daily morning reads from my favorite blogs 

- fresh coat of paint on my nails (Essie, what else?)

- web surfing for decorating ideas for my new house next year! 

I just cant stop looking a decorating ideas :) 
Please ignore the random globes on the pictures! That's what happens when you screen shot off websites! 

I've been looking for a jewelry hanger/ bathroom decorative

I love this for an office or extra space to put everywhere I've been! 

Dream bed and night stand! I have a bed spread similar already & it would be complemented in the sweetest way with that perfectly antiqued furniture 

Ignore the awkward woman sitting on the ground & add a few more colorful pillows and it's almost my perfect couch + pretty chair duo 

I love everything about this

perfect for a small extra space, nook, or corner 

obsessed with this kitchen!! I love the country shabby chic look. This is what I want when I grow up! 

I want this wall color! It doesn't match anything I have but I l.o.v.e. it! 

Have a good Tuesday! 

Encourage everyone you see today.

It will make them and you feel like a rock star!

God bless America

USA. USA. USA. USA. USA. USA. 

As well all have probably heard by now, Osama Bin Laden was killed yesterday. It has been almost a decade now since 9/11 and we, as a country and community, have some sort of closure.  All the families and friends effected by 9/11 now have peace.

Be sure to pray for those families and friends who were effected, pray that they receive peace and comfort not just from the killing of Osama Bin Laden but more so from the Lord; our Father, protector, and savior.

Yesterday was a monumental day in America's history and is to remembered forever. Yesterday was a day of history for the whole world and the fight against terrorism.

Thanks goes to our government, military, firefighters, police offers, and medics who fight for our freedom every single day and who did tremendous work in the last 10 years with the aftermath of 9/11!

I'm the first one to express American Pride so don't take my next rant as me being un-American or unappreciative of our troops and their efforts. But in the midst of this news about Osama Bin Laden  we need to remember the Bible and our Father.

"Let all that you do be done with love."
       - 1 Corinthians 16:14


"Finally, all of you be of one mine, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling.."
       - 1 Peter 3:8

Those two verses spoke volumes to me today as I read about the killing in the tabloids and news or from my friends status' on facebook or twitter. Let how we deal, think, and speak about the killing be done with love and be careful to not return evil to evil. Speaking hateful, nasty words about everything that happens does not make anyone feel better nor does it glorify our God.

In the very wise words of a wonderful man of God, Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." 


MLK had it dead on, we cannot drive out hate with hate, but only with love! Which comes to my next quote which is another one of my favorites by the peace icon himself.. John Lennon! "All you need is love." 


Maybe it is cheesy but let's rejoice in the fact that people most affected have peace. Let's rejoice in the fact that with this death maybe America can reach those of Al Qaeda and we can get closer to real peace!  But let's not rejoice in a man's death, because it is just one more man who died without knowing our Father & that my loves is nothing to rejoice about. 


"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins." 
       1 Peter 4:8 


"If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal" 

       - John Lennon 


"Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule."
       - Buddha 


"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice," 
       - Proverbs 24:17

open heart. open eyes.

I want to start off with just saying this...

The Lord is so great, faithful, loving, protecting, forgiving, saving, merciful, and graceful! 

take a moment.. 

& Praise the Lord for all that he is! 

Even when we are pushing & running away from Him - He is still there with hands wide open waiting, wanting, and begging us to come back to Him! 

Even when we mess up.. really really mess up - He is still there and has already forgiven us!  

Even when we dont know we need Him or think we dont want Him - He is there for us! 

He is such a great God. There is no God like him! 

His grace, forgiveness, love, and want for us to be close to Him is all we need in this life & in eternity! It honestly blows my mind daily how much He longs for us when we are so undeserving. The fact that He forgives us before we do wrong, loves us when we do not love Him or His children and look out for our well being plus He makes our lives perfect in His plan is completely and utterly humbling. 

I am humbled by the Lord daily, in both big and small ways.  But this last week has been a break through with my relationship with the Lord and has humbled me in a way that I've never felt before. 

Throughout conversations with friends & family, hearing Sermon's from many different Pastors, small group leaders, and The Bible - we all know we are supposed to surrender everything to God. Surrender so much that we sacrifice our most prized earthly possessions and risk everything for His Glory. I try to live radically and not be a luke warm Christian, but lets be real, who isn't luke warm some days and some seasons of their life? With that said, I still always considered myself to be in surrender to the King. I make the commitment to myself, my heart, and my Father very often. 

I know that there is nothing in my plan that is better than what is in His plan for me. 

I know there is nothing I want that is greater than what He wants. 

I know that there is nothing I cant do with Him by my side. 

And I know that a life with Jesus Christ is so much more than anything else. 

One day with Jesus Christ is worth more than a life time without Him. 

With that said, along with all my other rambling comments.. I would say that I am in surrender to the Lord. I wake up knowing that I cant make a better life that Jesus can for me so I surrender my all to God. 

Joke is on me. 

I thought I had surrendered a lot before and I thought I had surrendered to His Glory. I thought I had trusted him with everything but I hadn't.. at least not like last week. 

Last week I felt so convicted to hold a friend accountable for their life and the choices they had been making lately. But let me tell you something, holding a good friend accountable and having to minister to  them is a lot more difficult than I was anticipating.

& Yes it was hard - but what happened is not the point of the story. :) 

Throughout last week and everything going on, I had to rely 100% on the Lord to speak through me, give me strength, and love me unconditionally when the Devil was shouting awful things into my ears. I can honestly say that the conversation I had to have last week was hands down the hardest conversation I have ever had. It was emotionally draining by it's self, but having words in the form of bullets being fired at me from my friend (because of me holding them accountable and them not liking it) was awful.  Or it should have been. 

But in that conversation, I've never felt so safe, loved, protected, forgiven, and confident in my entire life. I could feel the Jesus standing in front of me taking the nasty words fired at me so that I would not feel them.. not one little bit. I could feel Jesus putting his hand on my heart telling me exactly what to say. I could feel Jesus holding me tight reassuring me that I was doing the right thing for His Glory. It was remarkable. I've never felt anything like that. I was not me, I was so filled with the Holy Spirit, I could not tell you what I said because it was not me talking.

The positive repercussions that have sparked from last weeks dependency on the Lord has been just as amazing.  I can proudly say that I have gotten rid of something extremely toxic in my life, started evacuating other cancer's in my life, learned a lot about God, fount more Joy than I've ever known, and received the confidence I wanted for my abilities to minister in Africa. 

All of the things I just listed above did not need to happen in my life but because of the Lord - He made them happen in the perfect way at the perfect time! Praise the Lord!! 

I know it's not detailed, sorry I'm not sorry. 

But I've rambling this entire post :) 

Spend time in the Word and with the Lord 

Rely on Him for everything. 

Surrender everything, especially the things that you're clinging onto. 

Thank God for all that He is and all that He does. 

Be a good friend, no matter how hard it may be sometimes. 

Listen to what the Lord is screaming and whispering at you. 

Love God above all else. 

Side Note: It's May 1st, 2011 & Osama Bin Laden is dead! USA! Praise the Lord. 

But pray that this death does not cause repercussions and more threats/ terrorism. 

Also pray for Osama Bin Laden - it's another brother who left this earth without knowing the Lord :( 

Pray that Bin Laden's followers find God and life before it's too late!!

Interesting fact: Bin Laden was found dead on May 1, 2011. Adolf Hitler killed himself May 1, 1945.
don. don. don. 

Remember: God loves EVERYONE equally. He loves no one less and no one more, no matter what they do, good or bad. Continue to love everyone. Including the difficult people like Osama Bin Laden and everyone in Al Queda. They are still brothers and sisters from our Father!!! Pray for their Salvation!! 

In the mean time.. have some American Pride! 

It is a day in history. 

lets talk about sex, baby.

Sex, always a topic of discussion with every circle of friends but yesterday it seemed to be the only topic for discussion between me and all of my friends I talked to yesterday.
Everything from sex with a boyfriend, sex with a stranger, sex for rebellion purposes, boys views of sex, girls views of sex, sex with an ex boyfriend, and of course.. saving sex for marriage.

I cant help but think God was trying to tell me something yesterday and I will admit, I learned a lot about myself and my life through this unplanned sex-filled day.

My heart broke so many times yesterday listening to my friends talk about sleeping around.
From the girl who had just broken up with her boyfriend wanting a good time with lots of different guys, to the boy who was trying to stay good and pure when surrounded by teammates who just wanted drugs, alcohol, and lots of sex from random girls, to the girl who has been a Christian her whole life and is now ready to rebel and explore what the world has to offer.
Every story is heart breaking hearing how sexual relationships effect so much more than just yourself.

But the best sex based discussion was between me and one of my best friends. It was through that discussion that I realized every struggle with sex before marriage is worth so much more than sleeping around before then.

As girls we want attention and affection from men and the thought of rejection is horrifying. But we have to remember that we are blessed, as Christians, to have the Holy Spirit living inside of us and remember our bodies are temples and the home of the living God!

I may sound like I'm preaching, and maybe I am. So what! My heart has been breaking the last 24 hours for girls and boys struggling with sex before marriage and I just pray that everyone sees how amazing they are! We are all children of God who deserve the most respect possible!

And if I am going to be completely honest, I did not understand the concept and importance of saving yourself for marriage until this past year and more so the past 6 months.  But now I agree with waiting until marriage 100%! All of us should be saved for Jesus and our spouses!

It's a daily struggle in everyone's life but it's just one more place in our lives that we must surrender to God and use His strength as our strength! We can do it! And centering yourself with friends who will hold you accountable and responsible for your actions will help.  God calls us to companionship but he also calls us to Godly companionships whether it be in friendships, relationships with the oposite sex, parents, teachers, elders.. everyone! And part of that Godly relationship is keeping each other in check, showing touch love when needed, and encouraging each other!

So be a friend! Be positive and real! Jesus was rejected and ridiculed first, there's nothing we cant do and nothing that can hurt us with Him! Jesus is our victory so dont let fear of rejection stand in your way from staying pure, holding your friends accountable, or ending a relationship that is sexually impure!


"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age," - Titus 2:11-12


"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people." -Ephesians 5:3


"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." -1 Corinthians 6:18

easter weekend.

Happy belated Easter! 

I must admit that this weekend was truly blessed for me! Growing up church, Jesus, and the truth was never important. In fact, I don't know that when I was younger I had ever really heard the story of Easter. This still holds true for my family, they are not big believers and their faith is not strong. But Jesus Christ, as always, worked miracles and put it on the hearts of half of my family to come to Norman and go to my church with me and experience the Jesus side of Easter instead of the bunny side. 

As heart breaking as it is, my littlest brother who is 10 had never heard the story of Easter and had never been informed of what Jesus did for us! After I told him everything and told him that Jesus loves him very much and wants to be with him thats why he died on the Cross for our sins.. my brother responded with "Thats the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me". It was the most precious, amazing, God centered and touching conversation I have ever had! Praise the Lord! No one else could have made that impact on my whole family but Him!  

Not only did God move in my family's hearts but he also moved in my roommate and her boyfriends heart as well.  After asking and talking about church all year they both decided to go with us on Sunday and really seemed to enjoy it.  Another miracle because I never thought I'd get them to church! Praise the Lord! He is so strong and mighty! Nothing is impossible without him! 

It was a great great Easter and I could not have asked for anything more! :) 

O the blood of Jesus washes me 
O the blood of Jesus shed for me 
What a sacrifice that saved my life 
Yes, the blood, it is my victory

Check that off the Bucket List!

Segway. Segway. Segway.
Last night was absolutely amazing. One of my best friends and I headed down to Bricktown to have dinner at our favorite Mexican place and go see the new movie, Water for Elephants!

Dinner at Chelino's, as always, was unbelievable. I will say that is one of the perks of living in Oklahoma, we have great Mexican food!

We had almost 2 hours to kill between dinner and the movie. The weather was absolutely gorgeous so we decided just to walk around and people watch. I will add that before dinner there was a storm blowing in & I'm pretty sure it's only in Oklahoma that you can drive through Bricktown and see everyone dressed up on the sidewalk looking up at the clouds making weather and tornado predictions!

Drum roll please...
During our walk we found the "Bricktown Segway Rental"!!!!!
Of course, we wanted to ride Segways! So we did it! We rented two for thirty minutes. And I can honestly say that it was the best, most fun thirty minutes I've had in a long time!

Segway-ing officially has a spot in my heart and a fund in my financial life.
The "get Bree a Segway fund"

Our night was ended with the movie, Water for Elephants! Which was the icing on the cake. We did not want the movie to be over! It was really good. Reese Witherspoon is drop dead gorgeous and did her own stunts on the Elephant, Rosie :) and Robert Pattinson looked .. well.. really really attractive for once!

It was a pretty perfect Good Friday night <3
Celebrating the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins! & praise the Lord for that!!