What's In My Bag? House Keys That Aren't Mine.

This post was inspired by the fabulous Whitney Yoga Pants. After crossing paths with this idea multiple times - spotting it in gossip mags, but never apply them to a future blog post. Fail - I thought I'd finally test it out and see what I would discover in my own bag. Although this is my everyday purse, I don't know if this was the right time to capture what I had inside because my purse is recently new, only about two weeks old! I know I accumulate more junk after a few months time, but when it's new you always try your best to keep it as "together" as possible.

Nonetheless, I did this little project and sure enough there were still quite a few unnecessary items I was shocked to find. Whether it was makeup products, trash, or my daughter's candy, I laid it all out there to share. Here's what I discovered, in bulk.

My key chain only consists of my gym passes, and two house keys that do not coordinate to my own. I don't even have my car keys attached. What's the point? Then of course, the empty wrapper of my Luna bar (new obsession, Chocolate Peppermint Stick), I'm assuming because there was no trash can in sight at the time. I'm pretty good with throwing my trash away; not that this photo is doing that truth any good. And to no surprise, extra bobby pins in case you need that last second fix up.

Also in the mix is my fun size wallet (love that thing, so light and convenient), and my little red card holder; a gift from my mother-in-law. It consists of everything from store charge cards, to our Zoo membership card, etc. It's quite handy! Not sure why I'm holding on to my recent Target receipt. Probably keeping it as a reminder as to why I need to stay away from that store!!!! Every time I go in for ONE thing, I come out with everything but that one item. It never fails. My husband is just as bad, if not worse. The funny thing... the final items purchased aren't even for ourselves. They're for the kids! I guess that makes us feel a little less guilty. Target, you are my weakness.

Of course, everyone needs two lipsticks, along with lip therapy vaseline. Just in case you aren't pleased with one of the two shades, you can always just go natural. Or just pick ONE and leave the others home right? Right. Although, as I said in a previous post, I usually don't go anywhere without my lip therapy vaseline. No excuse for the lipstick. Moving forward.

The few things I didn't find unusual or unnecessary were my cuticle cream, lotion and hand sanitizer. As obsessed as I am with my nails, I always like to have something near by for some upkeep on-the-go; hints the cuticle cream. I cannot stand when my hands are dry, so my miniature Aveeno is my bestest friend in those times of need. The sanitizer, duh. I have a child, aka germs all day-errr-day. These products usually jump from purse to purse. Although, I have about 4 of those small Aveeno lotions, so they are already in every other purse. Yes, I'm that person.

Last, but not least you can see I like to keep a little back-ups for my daughter. Crayons are always a great tool when we're out to eat, and the sucker or princess snacks (as she likes to call them) are for any other occasion when I feel the need to praise her. Although, I'm not sure why they're in a baggie. I really don't remember putting them in one, but that's how I found it. Who knows.

So that's it! That's what was in my bag. Nothing too exciting, but it was interesting to see that even after a week or two of owning a new purse, it doesn't take much time to fill it with nonsense.

What's In A Name? ... THANKS, HELENE!!

This has been something I've been battling for a little while now, and as luck would have it - believing things happen for a reason -  I came across this post from Helene In Between. She could not have put my stress at ease any better, and give me that boost I needed to get it done! What is it you ask, that has had me so unraveled? The dreaded... SHOULD I CHANGE MY BLOG NAME OR NOT?!! Yes, it may seem miniscule to most, but at the time being it is something that I've been contemplating, and weighing heavily on my mind for some time now.

I agree with Helene that we begin our blogs with an initial purpose, and all seems to flow steadily for awhile. My recent blog name A Little Bit of This and That suited me just fine, because that is exactly what my blog is about - a little bit of everything; this and that. But I wanted something a little more clever, and more importantly, shorter. So I brainstormed here and there for things that fit into something short and sweet that described ME. And as clever as I like to think I am sometimes and what my initial blog name may have consisted of, I wanted to incorporate part of my own name into the title. Thus generating: Merrily Mee.

You know when things just fit? Well, that's how it felt when I put these two words together. As I mentioned before, "Mee" derives from my Korean name and the word "merrily" simply means happy. And that is my life. No it's not perfect, and that's certainly not what I'm trying to imply. But for the most part, I am content and happily enjoy life; with the good and bad that comes along with it! I would still describe my blog as an "assortment of my life's adventures", just sharing it with a new name! ;)

My sweet little blog has not yet ran a year's course, and while I'm just beginning to accumulate followers I thought it would be a good idea to make the change now - rather than later. I'm hoping to keep things flowing as such, and that the name change doesn't make much of a difference. Here's hoping!

Tuesday LINK UP!

Today I discovered a new link up. The hosts are two recent favorites; The Dwelling Tree & All My Happy Endings . I'm excited to dig into some new blogs, and good reads!! Link up and check them out. In the last 10 minutes I've already found some more blogs to follow! Who knows what you'll discover. ;)

Happy Tuesday, everyone!!

Weekend Shenanigans

Yes, I'm aware we are approaching afternoon hours here, but this mama had a busy morning! I am usually more prepared with a quick post to keep things flowing, but not today... wutduhyado. This weekend was quite a busy one as well, with less than a few pictures to share. But nonetheless, I'll share what I have!

Friday night, the hubs and I spent the evening with my bestie and her husband. After making a quick grocery run, Jess picked me up at the house and we headed on up to her abode to save us from having two cars later that night; he was driving straight in from work. Although I only have two photos of that evening, I can surely vouch that we ate more than salad. The typical mistake of a blogger I'm almost always guilty of; start a photo stream... and then stop somewhere when the ADD kicks in. If by chance you're curious, we started out with some shrimp cocktail, salads, and a creamy mushroom chicken dish for our entree. Oh yea, and brownies for dessert (complimentary of her husband, Blake). It was a really fun night! Not done often enough. We'll have to schedule another very soon!

Saturday morning, my mother and I scheduled a girls road trip to watch the Providence volleyball team in the semi-state!!! I could not have been more excited; as we know, after sharing a bit of our own high school history the other day. The stands were full, and the team's dads had their Duck Dynasty themed gear on to get the crowd roaring and cheer the girls on into the finals! Yes... THE FINALS!!! The team swept through the semi-state matches and are on their way to the State Championship game this coming weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one game I can't believe I am going to miss, as we are leaving out of town for the week. I'm devastated to think we won't be there to see it .... this is the year, the year they will make it, I just know it... and I'm going to miss it. :'(  Serious tears here.

After witnessing the best team in the state, it was time to head back home because that evening my husband and I had dinner reservations. We were celebrating our ONE YEAR anniversary! Although, the actual day wasn't until Sunday, we decided to celebrate it a day earlier. No expensive steakhouse this time around. We decided to make it special by going to one of our secret (not so secret now) spots, that served our absolute favorite... sushi. Mmmmm. And let me tell you, it hit the spot! It does every time, but this time was more special given the occasion. ;) We topped it off with some cuddles and a movie, just the two of us. A perfect night.

Well, that was pretty much the gist of our weekend! Sunday morning we went to church, then relaxed that afternoon until dinner that evening with family. A perfect weekend if I do say so myself.

ONE YEAR AGO...

I married my best friend.

He's not only that, but an amazing step-father to my daughter (our daughter). To begin the infinite list of qualities this man withholds, would leave you reading for days. He's truly an exceptional human being. Throughout the beginning of our relationship, he knew that I wasn't looking for only a friend, but a partner in life. And after life's obstacles leading up to this point, I wasn't looking for just anyone. I wasn't in this alone. Another life was also being taken into account; Audriana's. A "packaged deal" as I liked to call it. 

As we grow up, we learn the importance of one's morals and values; how crucial they are when applied to a relationship and marriage. With my own life reevaluated, I was determined to not settle for anything less than what my daughter and I deserved; loyalty, respect, and happiness. It's funny how God answers those prayers the moment you least expect it. By His grace, and mercy, He presented to me a piece of Himself in the flesh... Chris.

Not a day goes by that I don't thank him for all he does for our family. He works hard, but even at its most demanding moments he never ceases to put his family anywhere else but first. From the beginning, he stepped up to the role of a loyal husband and father figure without hesitance. And for that I am forever grateful. He's a good man, who dedicates all he can to make sure our family is well and taken care of. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have him as my husband. We aren't perfect, and there are days that challenge our patience - as any marriage consists of - but we have learned to work at it as a team; together.

On this very day, last year, I will never forget the butterflies I endlessly endured the entire day. Just the thought of marrying the love of my life, finally making this fairytale a reality, was simply overwhelming. But luckily with my best friends by my side, we managed to get through the morning with nothing but laughs and excitement; rarely feeling nervous.

The girls and I had stayed the night downtown, at The Brown Hotel, so it altered as our dressing room the day of the wedding. My photographer, and good friend, was there to capture every developing moment. Her and I agreed we loved the historical architecture this hotel provided, not to mention the colors of the hotel were closely parallel to those of my wedding party. Win, win! 

But of course, the materialistic aspect is only a detail of miniscule importance. Today was the day I would vow my love and devotion to Chris, and we would unite together as one. 

When it came down to the moment of seeing him, we originally wanted to keep it as traditional as possible. However, we decided we wanted to have that special moment to ourselves before presenting it to an audience. Just me and him. And so we did. One of the best photographs captured that day, was the moment I walked out to greet my future husband.   

My thoughts a that time were of everything you could think of. "There's the love of my life... the proof of God's being and love... this man is about to be mine forever... I wonder if he's as nervous as I am... I hope I don't trip... Do we kiss yet or wait until the ceremony... OMGosh, this is reality...Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry..." 

That's really about the extreme of my momentary thoughts at that time. I was overwhelmed with emotion I couldn't control. It's crazy to think that a year has already flown by so quickly. The adventures along the way were nothing as I expected. They were so much more. Shortly after the wedding we moved into a house, renovated it from top to bottom, and now here we are with a baby on the way. In between all of that, we have grown so much as a couple. The loyalty, respect and happiness I longed for, has been well over exceeded by this man. I love him, I love him, I love him. 

Chris, thank you for the years of your love. You never fail to make to me laugh when I need it, or when I least expect it! You're truly the light in my life, and my rock when I need strength. I always see God in you, when you step up to be there for Audriana in every way you can. It's an honorary role you've accustomed with an open heart, and magnitude. THANK YOU, for that. I love you so much, with every ounce of my being. 

My angel, my love... you are.

Flashback Friday: State Finals!

I remember it like it was yesterday....

State Finals. Nov. 9, 2002: in the fifth game (best 3 out of 5) the opposing team serves, we play it out back over the net, they set up for a kill, we block it --- out of bounds. Game over. Score 12-15, them. Moments like those will never be forgotten. But the memories leading up to then?....even more embedded in our hearts for a lifetime. 

My own story and memories began back in the year 2000. Six players, six friends. We first began playing volleyball together when we were 14 years old. Our coach? The one and only, Coach Purichia. We were a pleasant bunch, as you can clearly see. At that time, the game of volleyball was just beginning to settle into our hearts as one of the best sports ever played. 

As the years passed, our bond as players and as friends only grew stronger. We weren't just teammates during a seasonal fall sport. We were sisters through a program that taught us the values of working hard together, and accomplishing goals while motivating one another every step of the way.

I credit that to our coach. Anyone who has crossed paths with this incredible woman knows the meaning behind her title "Coach". To me, she will always be the idol of that particular title. We not only exceeded in our individual talents through the years, but she taught us values that we carry on in our everyday lives; respect, honor, pride, and encouragement. 

I'm grateful to have played for her, and enjoy witnessing the multiple lives she's touched years after our own. With the current season at a close, they have now found themselves drifting through the Sectionals, and Regionals. With those victories behind them, that means only one thing. They are heading back to the state finals!!! Why this year, among others, has more meaning to it than ever? It's the infamous date of our own state finals history, November 9th. With the experience and relative emotions, I know they are beaming with excitement. This volleyball program will always be one of the most cherished memories in my life. What an accomplishing moment for these girls. I'm just so overwhelmed with pride! BLUE PRIDE!!! I wish them the best of luck and hope they can take it all the way this year.

Good luck, Providence!!!!! 

Here's a little diddy only those few of us will appreciate. Throughout our season we had the never-disappointing tracks of Garth Brooks to boost our energy before every big game! How it came to be him, it just was. This song will always be a true staple of those memories. Listening to it now just brought chills down my spine.