All moved in...

MOVING...not my favorite thing but my apartment, I LOVE!

Jen and I moved into our new apartment last Friday night with the help of my Dad, my uncle Doug, Walker, Pitts(a beast of a man) and Chris. Thank God for strong boys because I could barely lift boxes with my clothes in it. I would hate to think what I would have looked like trying to lift a sofa or my dresser! Actually I know what I would have looked like...broken and laid in a bed for a week because of massive back pain, haha!

Anywho, the apartment is shaping up. We need to get some rugs and frames up and then I will take some photos for you all to see. You're all gonna love it which means you all have to visit soon...VERY soon!

Pictures will be up soon :)

Love this verse...

Earn a reputation for living well
in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.

Proverbs 3:4 (The Message)

The World of Coke

Yep, we went!

Saturday we decided to take a little break from moving and cleaning and venture downtown. We were thirsty and what better way to quench a thirst than to get a coke! 64 for different types of coke to be exact!

Let me just give you a word of advice...the only types of Coke that taste good are from North America. The other 50 or so taste like nasty!



Here's my attempt to taste 'The Beverly' from Europe...

...and here's what I thought!

Straight garbage!

We had a great time and I hope to take many more tourist trips with Dad!!

Lacking Creativity

I apologize for my lack of creativity lately. My life has been on a whirlwind since I got back from Christmas break... but a good whirlwind!

I have so much to tell you and so many pictures to show you! Stories about moving into my new apartment, photos of my newest love(it's a car, no boy yet) and glances into what is next in the life of Shannon.

Hope you're ready:)

Three things

Three things:

I have awesome friends!
I hate painting and packing!
I need sleep!

- the end!

Fixated on the green

Painting...Painting...Painting!

For the past three days we have been painting non-stop. My eyes are totally fixated on green, blue and mocha colored paint. I am having dreams about blue painter's tape, clear drop clothes and rinsing out brushes. But I have to admit, I am not a fan of painting but since it has allowed me some time to hang out and learn more about my friends, it is well worth it (but I still dislike painting, haha).

Here are some quick shots of us painting...


Yep, that's a Piggly Wiggly shirt!

Jen is a tape master

Walker do you see that unpainted spot? haha


Walker, Katie, Shawn, Brock, Megan, & Drew, thanks for helping Jen and I make our apartment look awesome!

How could I forget?

So I realized this morning that I haven't even written about my amazing New Year's Eve extravaganza... What is wrong with me?

How could I forget the highlight of my week?

I'm slipping people...pray for me:)

Anyway, Wednesday night was a night filled with party dresses, silver and gold balloons, a toast as the ball fell at midnight and a hand full of my favorite people.

It all began at a little Thai restaurant in downtown Atlanta called Nan...I am still having day dreams about the fabulous dish I had. Yum!!! Once our bellies were full, we headed to the Ritz Carlton for a little music and dancing...Yes I said Ritz Carlton! I'm not even going to lie, I felt a little glamorous! I got to dance, see some friends rock out on stage and just enjoy ringing in the New Year Ritz style:)

Here are some snapshots from the night:

Dear 2009

Dear 2009,

Now that we have officially met and spent our first day side-by-side, there are few things we need to discuss before we further this relationship for the next 364 days. I believe a pact needs to be made on both our parts in order to make the most of our time together...

I need for you to promise me that you will be filled with new experiences, new places for me visit, new people for me to meet and a new chapter for me to write in my book of life! Create moments where I will be consumed with building solid friendships, dedicated to my ministry through my career and completely infatuated with what God has to show me.

My promise to you is that I will do everything in my power to enjoy the little things you provide, to embrace the situations that occur and to take things one day at a time. I will not rush through the laughter or scurry through the tears because I know that every moment is teaching me something...even if I have to wait till 2010 to figure it out:)

With this pact in place and both our signatures at the bottom, I believe that this could be the best year/relationship yet! See me for the paperwork:)

Sincerely devoted to you,

Shannon

P.S. I plan on turning in my red shirt this week since the season is over, so if we could add a sweet boy to the list of things you promise me, that would be awesome!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Looking back at an awesome year of transition, learning and growing and looking forward to a year full of laughter, friendship and new experiences!

2009 here I come...

What day is it?

What is today? I thought it was Saturday but I was sadly mistaken.

So I have been MIA for the past five days and there is a good reason! It's because of two very important things...Family & YEC!

I had an amazing time spending Christmas in North Carolina with my family. It was the first time I had stepped foot in my parents house since last Christmas which is ridiculous and I am determined 2009 will go differently. I got to see my 6 year old niece, Summer who is sooo tall. I swear she is going to be a model. She has super long legs and may be taller than me by the time she's 10...not really but maybe, ha!

I got to spend time with my Mom and Dad, having some home cooked meals and some awesome conversations. My brother and I got to do a little childhood cleaning on my old room.

Yes I said old.

I decided to turn my old room into my niece's new room. It makes more sense and she loves the idea. She also loves the idea of playing with all my stuff, haha. We'll work on that.

For the past three days I have been in MACON, GA with some great friends putting on a little thing called Georgia YEC- Youth Evangelism Conference. It has been three days of fun, music, the word of God, hard work, lack of sleep, laughing hysterically, magic, merch, coffee, and hundreds of people giving their lives to Christ.

We had three awesome bands...Leeland, Hawk Nelson and Fee. We had one mind boggling illusionist...Brock Gill(you are my favorite gypsy). We had some unbelievable BMX/Motorcross action...Brad Bennett & the Real Encounter team. And we had one amazing speaker...Landon Dowden.

I was the PPM this year...the Performance Personnel Manager...long title, awesome job, tired legs. My job consisted of taking care of the bands, speakers, illusionist(which is an everyday occurrence) and the athletes. I made sure they were on stage when they needed to be. Made sure they had all supplies needed to put on a great performance. Made sure they had rooms, food, transportation, and for the FEE band, I made sure they had someone to pick on >You are welcome guys<

It was a great three days and they went by way too fast. Not enough time to catch up with everyone. Not enough time to give all the hugs necessary to tide me over till Conclave. Not enough time to completely take it all in. Not enough time to annoy Aaron. Oh well, counting down days till the next event!

Oh and one more...we totally say the singer of ONE DAY NIGHT >insert loud, obnoxious, 13 year old girl scream here<

I even got a picture!

haha...nice pose Jason! You ROCK!

Lucky...Bang Bang

My niece got a fun new toy for Christmas that we seriously played with all day! His name is Lucky and he is the most well behaved puppy I've ever met:)

Check out his tricks...

Playing Santa

I am totally playing Santa Claus right now! Just placed the gifts around the tree and shared a delightful plate of cookies with my brother. Yum!

My niece is going to be so excited in the morning! Can't wait to see her face:)

I love being an adult!

Done flying!

I have decided never to fly again!

Let me explain why so you don't think I am just boycotting airlines for some dumb reason.

Last night, I had a 7:34 PM flight booked from Atlanta, GA to Newport News, VA. Everything was going great...I made it to the airport an hour and a half early without sitting in traffic for hours, got to catch up with my friend Shane and his new puppy Cooper, I had time to grab a little snack of cashews and a coke to tide me over till I landed and I even had time to jump rope a little around the terminal before grabbing my book bag to board! Sounds great huh?

Well at 7:05 PM, it all changed. The Delta lady came over the intercom and said we would begin boarding in just a minute and I was so excited that my flight was on time. Let's just say I was only excited for about a minute because the lady came back on the intercom and said "Due to maintenance issues, your flight has been canceled." No exaggeration, she said those exact words. I mean one minute we were boarding, the next minute I was seriously angry. I'm not even going to lie, there were several non-Christian words floating around in my head.

With a few tears in my eyes, I headed to the service counter in hopes of catching another flight that evening...that was a dumb thought. I arrived at Delta service counter along with about 200 other angry people who were trying to do the same things as me. This is where my long airport experience started.

Three hours and few cuss words later, I canceled my flight all together and made my way down to the baggage area to get my bag back so I could drive to NC...that was a dumb thought too. Let's just say, I am now in North Carolina(after an 8 hour drive) and my bag, well it's still missing...MIA.

Yep, I have no extra clothes, no toothbrush, no make-up and no gifts for my parents. Merry Christmas to everyone!

On the bright side, I am home! I haven't been here in a year and it feels great. The Christmas tree is lite, there is sweet tea in the fridge, fudge on the counter and my family all sitting around watching TV.

Who needs luggage when you got all that, right:) Although brushing my teeth would be awesome, haha!

I'll let you know if I ever see my luggage again! I'm praying I do and would love it if you would pary too.

Hooking in hockey

So, I went to my very first Thrashers game last night which was also my first hockey game! Two words...absolutely amazing! Why has this sport not come across my radar yet.

I loved every second of it!

* The intoxicated screaming fans.
* The delicious pecans.
* The fights that broke out among the players and the way they crushed each other up against the wall.
* The Thrasher head that hung from the ceiling and blew flames out of his mouth whenever we scored.

Everything about it was fun. I'm pretty sure I am obsessed with the sport now and you better believe I will be attending more games this season...after I brush up on my hockey knowledge.

Does anyone know what hooking means in hockey? And does that make him a hooker, haha!

I have a lot to learn:)

Afro Angel

Homemade cookie dough, homemade icing, original decorating skills and three great friends equal an awesome night!

These are the delicious cookies Allie, Katie and I made!

Notice the afro angel which was by far, my favorite:)

Buddy the Elf

Favorite Christmas movie... ELF!

I know, it's not a classic but still, it's my favorite.

I can pretty much quote the whole movie for you and because I can, I have decided to dedicate this blog to my favorite Buddy the Elf quotes:)


* First we'll make snow angels for a two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse Cookiedough as fast as we can, and then we'll snuggle.

* Buddy the Elf! What's your favorite color?

* What's a Christmas Gram? I want one!

* I'm a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.

* Francisco! That's fun to say!

* Puffin: Hey Buddy wanna pick some snowberries?
Buddy: Not now Arctic Puffin!

* The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

What's your favorite Buddy the Elf quote?

My Pale List

I recently re-watched the movie "Bucket List" and it got me to thinking...What do I want to do before I die. I feel as if my list would be three miles long if I wrote out everything I wanted to do before I died so I have decided to make a 2009 list...All the things I hope to accomplish in 2009! I call it 'My Pale List.'

Twenty things to get done and only a year to make it happen! Sheesh, this is going to be fun:)

1. Take a trip to Haiti and see the adorable babies at the Hands and Feet orphanage.
2. Read the Bible cover to cover
3. Throw a "Party with a Purpose" event in Atlanta.
4. Go to the Carolina/Duke game...this one might be impossible!
5. Turn in my red shirt and find a good guy to date.
6. Lead someone to Christ, actually lead a few.
7. Get Jill, Judy and Heather to paint their nails black...this will be fun
8. Record another song
9. Run a mile without feeling like I'm going to hyperventilate.
10. Go to the gun range and shoot a gun for the first time
11. Add a blue streak in my hair just because.
12. Teach baby Aiden to say Aunt Shannon
13. Learn how to properly cook my Mom's chicken casserole.
14. Fly to New York and go to a Broadway show
15. Embrace confrontation and tell a few people exactly how I feel.
16. Get another tattoo
17. Eat at Imperial Fez
18. Learn to like coffee
19. Flip a skateboard without breaking my neck.
20. Get caught in a tornado..wait I did that in 2008, haha

What do you hope to accomplish in 2009?

Sharing isn't easy

I think I have a hard time sharing!

No really, I'm being serious!

Sharing my clothes
Sharing my projects
Sharing my friends
Sharing my chocolate
Sharing the guys I date...I definitely have a hard time with this one, but hey you're not suppose to share guys right? Well you would think so but apparently it happens...Believe me!

I have a hard time with all of those.

But the main one right now is sharing my friends! You know, the whole friend groups combining and hanging out without you. I'm not mad about it, I just get a little >insert good word for jealous here<.

Lately, I have been extremely busy(on purpose and totally my fault) and I haven't had a lot of time to just hang out with people. I feel like I'm missing out on the fun but mostly I'm missing out on building those relationships.

I wonder if I am being selfish in feeling this way or I wonder if it's normal. Surely I'm not the only one!

Does anyone else ever feel like this?

No eye

No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (New Living Translation)

Counting down

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A Partridge in a Pear Tree
The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34)

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Two Turtle Doves
The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Three French Hens
The Three Theological Virtues: 1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Four Calling Birds
The Four Gospels: 1) Matthew, 2) Mark, 3) Luke, and 4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Five Gold Rings
The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch: 1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Six Geese A-laying
The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Seven Swans A-swimming
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Eight Maids A-milking
The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10)

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Nine Ladies Dancing
The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness,
6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Ten Lords A-leaping
The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Eleven Pipers Piping
The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14-16). The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Twelve Drummers Drumming
The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed: 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.