Keep Up!

I've been a busy girl.

Between work, planning a friend's bridal shower & celebrating lovin' my MR, I've barely had time to watch mindless television.  ALMOST ;)

Let's start with the mindless television watching, shall we?

After MR falls asleep I turn it to Bravo & hope that a re-run of one of the Real Housewives will be on.  The other night I as blessed with another show that made me cringe, laugh & question my intelligence all at once.  What show could I possibly be talking about, you ask?

 Why, Pregnant in Heels, of course!  Clearly, this woman is not pregnant(though she'd like to be, bless her heart)... she is a baby concierge or something of that nature.  I can't remember the ridiculous title that has been bestowed upon her.  On this episode of Pregnant in heels, Rosie(baby whisperer) has been hired by a couple expecting their second child/first son to help them choose a name for their baby.  They refer to it "branding" their baby.  UHM, WHAT?  Rosie then puts together a "think tank" of "experts" to help decide the name of this lucky(not at all doomed b/c his parents are certifiable)child.  One of the "experts" is Rosie's assistant.  I'll let his picture do the talking...

 [baby naming expert extraordinar]

Yeah.  I'm being serious.  Soooo, clearly I have to continue to watch this show b/c it's so bad it's good.

Moving on :)

I've been doing Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown, which I am referring to as "Power Yoga", because it makes you a hot sweaty mess.

There are a few times a workout that I shout at Jillian, 30 Day Shred style, but I give the workout 2 thumbs up overall.

MR & I decided to celebrate our Anniversary(which was Sunday) all weekend long.

Friday he showed up at my house with a lovely bunch of purple iris'(such a sweet man he is!) & took me to dinner at the place we had our first "real" date.  It was perfect.

Saturday we hopped in the car and headed to the French Quarter for French Quarter Fest.

Here are a few pictures from the day:

 We grabbed dinner at Acme Oyster House where we had raw oysters(me=2, MR=22... I kid you not!), cold beer & a fried oyster & shrimp poboy.  It. Was. Yum.

 Relaxing and listening to some tunes.

(French Quarter Fest is a music fest where a ton of bands play at multiple different stages throughout the Quarter.)

[yes, I went choppa style on my hair and got rid of 5 inches... also, my eyes are picking up the green in MR's shirt, they aren't normally that green.  They are brown with flecks of green and gold, but this looks green to the extreme!]

[2 thumbs up for a seriously tacky hat]

[Not sure why I went with the Wonder Woman pose for this one]

MR snaps some photos of a bad hat dress up session while on an impromptu bad souvenier shop stroll.  I just can't pass a hat rack without trying a few on!

Oh & Sunday we had a crawfish boil with MR's fam!  It was great... and also yum!  I had a delicious weekend, now that I'm thinking about it.  Guess I better do a little more of that Power Yoga, eh?

Now I'm elbow deep in tissue paper, making pom pom flowers for the bridal shower & just remembering I have yet to buy a gift.  MUST. BUY. A. GIFT.  I have made so many cute decorations that I can't wait to show y'all though!  Next week, my friends!

xo

Weekends are for learnin' y'all

Things I learned this weekend:

- Sometimes pizza and beer are just better than any fancy schmancy gourmet meal you'll ever have.

- I have a knack for losing gold cardigans.  It hurts my heart... which goes pitter patter for gold cardigans.

- French fries, coke & a bubble bath do a hangover good.

{not necessarily at the same time!}

- 4:30am is just too late/early for an old lady like me to be going to bed.

- 9am is apparently NOT too early for an old lady like me to go to bed the following night.

- Fergie is a very masculine woman & The Black Eyed Peas are lacking.

- My boyfriend is a major dream boat.  Maybe I've known that all along ;)

Lacey Appreciation Day

The weather here the last few weeks has been very cold & therefore, much of my time lately has been spent indoors. Maybe that has something to do with my downer attitude & anxiety lately?
Sooo, last weekend MR decided I needed a field trip. He declared it Lacey Appreciation Day, scooped me up & we headed into the city to play.
[maybe I mentioned there should be a national lacey appreciation day at some point... maybe not? ;)]

We strolled through the French Market,
where we grabbed a sweet vintage goody for my bff's birthday

We stopped in to the cigar factory & watched as men hand rolled cigars! MR bought his Dad a couple :)

We popped in a little shop called Red Lantern & got MR a pair of cute socks!

We went to Crescent City Brew House & had a yummy lunch and did a beer tasting!

& When we got home, MR gave me a Lacey Appreciation Day gift!
& I'm in love!
[with the hottie above & with the gift]

via

[it was an additional Christmas gift he had ordered but wasn't going to come in for Christmas... hence, 'Lacey Appreciation Day' when it came in. He totally overdid it with Christmas, so the little break between gifts was good! Plus... just because gifts are the BEST!]

It was such a wonderful day & filled my brain with happy, positive thoughts!

[feel free to send a link to this post to your man... I believe the title should be "fill in your name here appreciation day" ;)]

Like A Child

I was tired. I yawned & wiped my sleepy, watery eyes. I peeped over the fluffy comforter to see my boyfriend's handsomeness, completely lost in dreamland. I ran my hands over the covers in search of the remote, dying at this point to turn the television off and drift away to dreamland alongside him.

TV off and eyes shut, I twisted and turned. My heart began to beat faster & my chest became heavy. I felt the urge to cry. I did laps around my brain, searching for a reason to feel this way... but I came up with nothing. I panic. I try to get back to where I was a moment ago.

Remote in hand, i fumble for the power button and soon the room fills with glow.

I am in my cozy bed. I have my very necessary hugging pillow in my arms, my sweet boyfriend is an inch away & as far as my eyes(and brain) can see... all is well. This is something my mind and body just can't grasp though. I continue to grow uncomfortable & anxious. I fight the tears and tell myself I'm fine.

MR rolls over and gives me his routine "Go to bed, babe", and then scoots to where our faces are across from one another. "I feel uncomfortable & anxious", I tell him. He becomes alert and concerned "What is wrong?" he asks. "I just don't know..." I murmur, "I want to cry." He pulls me in close & kisses my forehead. "Relax honey. It's just me and you and everything is just fine." I take a deep breath and try to get my mind right. And then there were tears.

via

He held me and let me cry and feel whatever it was my brain was forcing me to feel. He whispered sweet words in my ear and kissed my tear wet face... "Whatever this is that you're dealing with..." he said, "you're never going to have to deal with it alone." I'm so lucky to have MR, who is so understanding of all of this. He holds me and loves me and stands by my side during my very worst moments and my very best.

I can't explain why I felt that way or why I've felt a little down since that night. The last time I couldn't explain my anxiety, I was a child. And I suppose that's how I've been feeling these last few days. A little scared, a little empty, a little lost... like a child.



post edit:
hi guys :) A few answers to questions in the comments and email messages:
1) No, I did not draw that picture! It's via we♥it ... there's a linky under & to the right of the picture :)
2) If you've been around here a while, you know this isn't my first rodeo with anxiety. I've had a disorder my entire life, so unfortunately, I'm used to it. It's just been a while since I had to deal with it. This is also the first time I've been completely and utterly happy in a relationship and dealt with it.
3) thanks for the love

New is good, right?

Hello there 2011. It is lovely to meet you!
I am Lacey and I'm hoping you and I will be fast friends.

Honestly, I am hoping for a lot from you, 2011.

I hope you'll bring my sweet friends beautiful babies.

I hope you'll bring my MR a bit of good luck.

I hope you'll bring my dear friend a beautiful wedding day.

I hope you'll bring my family & friends good health.

I hope you'll spread some happiness and help heal last years pain.

I hope you'll bring me motivation, inspiration & better time management.

I hope you'll bring nights of love and laughter and perfection.

Be good to us 2011, and we'll be good to you.

(pst, it's 1-1-11... isn't that weird?!)

via

Next Stop: Lacey Land

I've been working.

A LOT.
I wake up and immediately begin working. Mid-day I usually have to hit up the fabric store or have some other necessary errand & then it's right back home to continue working. I work and work and work until I simply cannot process thoughts any longer. Seriously, last night I sat there staring at thread and a needle trying to remember what I was going to do with it. [Uhm, thread the needle, Lacey... duh.] My work days have been ending no earlier than 10:30... no later than midnight. To say I'm tired is an understatement, but I'm lucky to have the work... so I push on.
As level headed as I can be about it... parts of me simply don't understand.
For example:My feet are craving a massage.My hair is craving a trim.Call me crazy, but I swear I actually felt my fingertips craving glittery polish today.And my stomach? Is most definitely craving sushi. GOOD sushi.

And all of these things are like, "Hey woman, what the hell is going on? Give us the goods!"
KnowwhatImeanVerne?

So SOON, very soon, I plan to shut the world out and give them what they're craving.
Because I have to be honest, I may go crazy if I don't.
Oh yeah, and I'll continue to look a hot mess.
Once they are all content, I can dive back in to my crazy little world of work.
Maybe I'll even feel so spiffy that I will be inspired to create something new & pretty for ya!?
Just maybe...

How do you stay grounded when your life gets too busy?

Back and forth and misery

There are a lot of people I see in relationships that I just want to scream, "Get out! You can do this! You'll be happier someday!" Because I see it in their eyes, I hear it in their voices... they are settling into something because it's all they know.
They are settling because they are scared to start over.
They are settling because they fear they won't ever find anyone else to love them.
I know because I've been that person.
I was in a relationship where I wasn't appreciated. I was a fixture in his life & he just revolved around me. I thought if I worked harder & made him love me more, things would get better. Surely, one day he would open up his eyes and see all of the work I was doing.
I read books on how to fix my relationship. I planned surprises. I prayed. I tried to be prettier.(Pathetic, but I'm being honest here, people.)
I worked my butt off.
I talked openly about the way I was feeling & how I felt like I was doing all of the work...
& at some point he agreed. HE AGREED!
But things didn't change. He kept right on the way he had been, because he knew I would continue to work for what I wanted...
& why should he do any work when I was managing all by myself?
He was right.
I did, indeed, continue to work for what I wanted. & At some point, I realized I just didn't want him anymore.
What he didn't realize is that I would eventually gain the strength & self confidence I needed to walk away... for good.
That's right, because this wasn't my first rodeo with him. This went on for two years.
Back and forth and misery.
My point here, everyone, is that sometimes love falls apart.
And maybe if you look at it from the right angle, you'll realize it was never held together by anything more significant than the WANT to keep it together.
But if you don't go to bed with a smile on your face, butterflies in your stomach, comfort in your soul & love in your heart because of the person that is laying next to you...
Why do you want to keep it together?
Forever is a long time to settle.
Forever is a really long time.
Wait for the person that you can't wait to spend forever with.
They're out there.
I just know they are...[photo via MR's sister :)]

& They're Off

The MR. & I got home from our weekend away, took a deep breath and began to pack
for our next adventure.
First thing in the morning we'll be on a plane to Chicago to explore,
spend time with his family & attend a wedding!

Don't worry... I won't leave you hanging all lonely over here...
I have a couple of guests who will be occupying my space while I'm away!

Meghan, Melissa, Kenli & Summer B.

I'll be seeing you soon... with pictures & stories, I'm sure! :)
xo

Hot Air, Cool Nights & Mint Julips

The MR & I hopped in the car Friday evening, picked up some friends & headed to Natchez, MS
for The Great Mississippi Hot Air Balloon Races.
The entire sleepy town wakes up & parties for 3 days... it's great!

We strolled through downtown Natchez, had BBQ & Mint Julips, shopped a little, watched balloons pop up into the clear blue sky, saw the Gin Blossoms perform, danced, ate fried fair goodies & laughed. Lots & lots of laughing.
It was a perfect weekend!

Blessing Counting

Oh, Hello Friends!

I am up bright and early with the sun today.
I have a bit of a cold & medicine and long bouts of sleep just don't mix well in my world.
Soooo, here I sit.
My window is open and I have a cup of coffee letting off steam next to me.
It's a nice morning & I'm reflecting and counting my blessings.
That's something I've found myself doing lately...
Blessing counting.
I went and had a facial yesterday
& as I lay there letting the lady scrub my face & massage oils on my neck,
I found myself counting my blessings.
Of course, there were the obvious:
My health, my family, MR, MR's family, my friends, and so on.
But also the not so obvious:
being exactly who I want to be, exactly who God wants me to be... & also being the girl that MR wants to spend all of his days and nights with. I have finally found the right mix.having a sister who is my best friendbeing able to find inspiration in unlikely sourceshaving the ability to come up with an idea in my head & then make it with my own two hands
being able to pick up the phone at any time of the day & knowing that I could dial 10+ numbers and each of the people on the end of the line would care about whatever I had to say.
My blessings are endless, aren't yours?
I find that it helps me relax, because for just a few moments in my day,
I am thinking of nothing but happy things.
No to do lists, no bad news, no hatred, no worries...
just blessings.