Benadryl and the long month.

Well I haven't written anything in awhile! I guess I should get around to uploading the glitter shoes pics (which turned out fantastic by the way!). In the meantime, I'm up late and kinda loopy on benadryl and decided I needed to get some things out.

First of all, you may have heard about my grandma Gill passing away. We will be going to Texas on Tuesday to attend her funeral and see some extended family. I am really excited. If you're not a mormon, you may wonder why. Here's the deal. My grandma was almost 88 and suffered from dementia. She was living in a nursing home and usually sick and very forgetful. I know without a doubt that she is now in heaven, spending time with loved ones and meeting the people who's genealogy she strove diligently to complete. I also know she is done with her pain and problems and looking out for us still on this earth. I know some of my family members don't understand this and will have a lot of heartache and grief to come but I am excited to see them again (it's been ages!) and share the love of Christ with them.

This last week though has been pretty tough. I've shared interesting stories of Taco Bell (which isn't a terrible place to work) but, alas, I've quit there. The main reason is medical. I suffer from eczema and washing dishes, wearing gloves that hold sweat against my skin and dipping my hands in sanitizer buckets all day just doesn't cooperate well with my body. I've had rash spots popping up all over my hands and arms and it has been very painful. I also finally had an interview with my stake president and was excited to almost be ready to turn in my papers when another obstacle popped up. Apparently, you are not supposed to leave for a mission until a year after your last panic attack (for those of us who have those). Unfortunately, my last was in December. I had explained that I was on the wrong medication at the time and we may be able to cut that wait time down but I still have to have another interview with someone a 50 minute drive away on Monday and try to have a successful nanny interview earlier that day! It's been stressful and I've felt like I can't catch a break.

Now that I've got the complaints out, I wanted to share the miracle. Last night, I was up past 4 a.m. with my arms and hands hurting ridiculous amounts. I couldn't sleep or clear my head and I knew I really needed to feel the Spirit. I went downstairs to wake up my dad and ask for a blessing. I needed my hands to be better and to be able to sleep so I could get all the things done that I need to. He took a few minutes to dress and prepare himself mentally and spiritually then we sat in the living room. We talked about what I really needed then my dad laid his hands on my head and gave me an unforgettable blessing. I can't share everything but it addressed every issue in my life that's been bothering me and I haven't even seen my dad long enough to tell him all of that! As he addressed specific ways that the Lord would comfort me, I felt my hands relaxing and my breathing slow. It then sped up as I felt the Spirit so strongly that I cried. It's hard to describe the exact feelings but I knew in that moment that my Heavenly Father knew everything I've been going through and was extending his great love and mercy to me. It was such a wonderful moment that really strengthened my testimony in priesthood power and the love Heavenly Father has for all his children. My dad shared a scripture with me after the blessing and the words were about Heavenly Father's power being with you and making you untouchable to Satan. I felt so wonderful because every step closer to a mission, I feel that Satan tries a little harder to stop me.

I'm not sure how to end this post but I hope that if you have questions about anything I've talked about, I would love to explain more, especially if it's at a normal time during the day. I would also like to request you to pray for me and continue being the wonderful person that you are and that you have the potential to be.

Pinterest 2

First of all, I would be doing a mission preparation update but I'm still waiting on my interview with the stake president...so that'll come later

So I decided I wanted to try another pinterest DIY and settled on GLITTER SHOES!!! I had an old pair of black 5-inch heels that I don't wear that often anyway and figured if I mess up, it wouldn't be too bad. The first problem I encountered was the various posts for the same walkthrough. Some people would use a lot nicer products and glitter to make the shoes etc and I just didn't want to spend a lot on this. So I finally settled on Mod Podge and chunky blue glitter. I also had a makeup sponge (unused!) and I grabbed some cute black bows to hot-glue on later (may or may not do still). The next problem is that you have to wait for the mod podge to dry....and it can take awhile.

Basically, I poured some mod podge into a paper bowl and dumped a lot of glitter in. I stirred it around with the sponge and used that to start dabbing on the shoes. I did a few coats that way and had to leave them over-night so I could see how it would look totally dried. For those of you who don't know, the mod podge will go on white but dry clear so I had to see which spots needed more glitter. Unfortunately, I left for Chicago the next day and only just got back to them today! They looked pretty darn good and I'll post some pictures later. The next problem was the fact that you could still see spots of black through the glitter so it was time for more layers! I've done another thick coat of glitter/mod podge and am currently waiting on that to dry. When I have the finished product, I'll write the rest of the review and include pictures!