Looky Looky!!!

Guess What? No I am NOT preggo.
No Frankie did NOT get a sister.  And no we are NOT moving the wedding date up ... hahaha But, speaking of weddings ... 
Guess who got a sneak peak teaser of their engagement pictures??
Ahhhh.... 
I am obsessed. No words. 
The amazzzzzzzing  Alicia @ Aesthetiica Photography  has outdone herself.  Let me just say I am going to do an "engagement picture info" blog post as soon as we get the rest of our pictures to see, and that is when I will REALLY rave about Ms. Alicia and how awesome she is ... :)  But until then, I will just say she is awesome. Period. Love her <3 And have no fear for all you non-Kentucky brides ... she travels ... like every weekend ... ha!  And she would be TOTALLY worth it ...  Drumroll please ....  Only two pictures for now but more to come, hopefully soon ... such a tease! But a good tease ha! 

And for my very favorite ... 

I was so excited about this shoot and my props ;) Notice my little angel in there too? ha Frankie=Model ... not a lie.  Are you loving them? What do you think? Click HERE to see her blog and the pictures are a little clearer and larger too! :)  Can't wait to see more ... then the tough part will come ... deciding on which one to use for our  Save The Date cards ... I may have to take a blog vote lol ;) great idea!  Happy Saturday!

Thankful Friday ....

thank·ful

 

[thangk-fuhl]  Show IPA

adjective

feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.

That is straight from the dictionary friends :)

I have been reading some awesome posts lately about everyone and what they are thankful for ... like Brooke's post yesterday which was so great I read it twice haha, not joking. If you're not a follower, go check out her blog... because it is great and you will love her... she is so genuine and you can tell when you read her "Thankful" post! 

I love that! 

I stole borrowed that from Megan's post about thankfulness that I also loved reading! Check hers out as too! You will love it! :)

So what am I thankful for?

Here is a semi-short list ... even though there is SO much more... of the serious and "not as serious but still thankful for" things in my life! 

* I am thankful first and more importantly for my Heavenly Father and Savior and the grace and forgiveness that he gives me every day, and for the sheer fact that no matter what life brings, I know that He never gives you more than you can bear... and that, like any father, He wants to bless us with all the blessings in the world! THAT is what I am thankful for! 

* For my best friend ... and fiance ;)

I really can't begin to tell you all the reasons I am thankful for Chris... but to name a few... he is my source of normal. In a crazy world where work is crazy, family can be crazy, friends can be crazy, EVERYTHING can be crazy, he is my normal. He grounds me. He protects me. He is my biggest supporter and fan. He puts up with Frankie even when he gets on his nerves ha. He helps me make good decisions. He has helped me overcome fears. He loves me for me. He is appreciative of when I do things for him and tells me often which makes me feel good. He doesn't get upset easy and rarely angers. He is the perfect person for me and I just love him so much and am so thankful to have him! And even more thankful that in 7 months he will be my HUSBAND! Say what?? Craziness. Can't wait!!! 

* I am thankful for my family ... my parents, my brother, Chris's parents, my mamaw and papaw, my aunts and uncles and of course my cousins :) I am thankful that my family is MY family, and I wouldn't want any other! 

**Yes, that is me and my dad when I was a baby and NO, the sunglasses he is wearing weren't mine... apparently those were cool in the 80's hahaha ;)

* I am thankful that my Aunt Cathy is Ovarian Cancer FREE!

Now that is def something to be thankful for ... because she has too much more life to live and Jesus wasn't ready for her yet! She was so strong and I'm so thankful for her health and the way she fought to beat it! Thankful that she is enjoying a vacation right now and relaxing celebrating her 22nd wedding anniversary!

* I am VERY thankful for my career & clients ... I am thankful that I get to wake up every morning and do something that I truly LOVE and have a passion for. So thankful for all of my clients and the friends that put their business with me, and the referrals I get on a daily basis!! So So thankful for them! (Which is why I like to share pics of all my clients, its so fun and I am so thankful to have them!)

Thankful that I can help people and they can rest assured knowing that I will do my best to work hard for them. That I have been blessed enough to be successful during a very difficult economy and housing market, and been able to develop a team I feel reallllly good about and I know that it will only continue to grow! Gentry-Jackson & Associates WILL be a major real estate team in Lexington, KY if I have anything to do with it ;) I'm so thankful for Maria and Leslie ... they are a great asset to my team and I love working with them every day! 

* I am thankful for the normal things that we take for granted: a car that gets me from place to place, our house which we have made a home, my health when so many people are not healthy... 

* I am thankful for my friends ... the best ones who have always stuck by me ... the ones I have had and then strayed from and then had again ... the ones I talk to every single day and the ones I talk to once a month but it's always the same no matter how long since we talked last, new friends who feel like we've been friends for forever... 

and I'm even thankful for the friends who were so so close that have now faded away or lost touch... because every friend who was a friend, was a friend for a reason at the time... and I think it's easy to forget that sometimes :(

* For not normal things, but things that I just love ... like sweet tea, Orange Leaf, television, magazines, bloggers and technology, multigrain cheerios and lasagna (not together ha gross!), pictures and my camera, SUNGLASSES (I could not go outside without sunglasses!) my office that I work out of, google that I use on a daily basis, my Bible that is practically falling apart but I still refuse to get a new one, lipgloss & chapstick, string cheese, deviled eggs, Pinterest, DVR and the sunshine that I miss so much on days when it is dreary! 

* I want to say I am thankful for these sweet babies 

(well not babies really but that is what I call them ha) ... 

This is a different kind of thankful. 

I am thankful they are in my life ... BUT ... I am more thankful of the way they are to me, and the way they treat me and have treated me since day 1. They are so sweet to me, all the time. They always respect me, they always want to cuddle and love me, and they always know that I will do whatever I can to make them happy ... and for that I am beyond words thankful. In the midst of crazy adult fighting, or parents that don't get along, or busy schedules, or days when not everything is cotton candy and rainbows ha, they are the sweetest kids to me and I am just so so lucky to get to experience that. 

They teach me new things... 

(did you all know Pluto wasn't a planet anymore?? I did not and apparently that is what you're taught in school now ha?!)

They make everything more fun! So much more fun! They give me a reason to do arts and crafts which is one of my favorite things to do ;) 

They know I am not their mom, and they know I would never try to be their mom...

(although their new favorite thing to say is step-mom, which totally cracks me up! But I like that they love to say it and think it's so cute!) 

 but they love me as a friend and a care giver and provider, and they trust me, and that is what's most important to me with them... and will always be <3 

They say it is not easy being a "step parent" or caring for a spouses children that aren't you're own ... and sometimes I can see that being the case, but not when it is 3 kiddos like these ;) They make it easy peasy!

* This is a NO BRAINER but I am so thankful for Frankie ... 

If you are not an animal person you won't understand this, and really I am assuming you probably don't read my blog regularly lol 

But Frankie is my first born, period. And I adore him. 

Let me just tell you why I am thankful for Frankie ... 

He is such a mama's boy hehe and I love it, he would protect me until the end of time, he has NO fear, he is the best cuddler on the planet, he lets me do anything to him including opening his mouth and kissing his little white teeth ha, if I was sick and in bed for 5 days without moving he would not move either, like literally he would pee the bed before he would leave me ;) I am obsessed with him and love him so so so much and am not embarrassed to say that some days he is just the little cutie I need to cheer me up! :) 

Ok maybe that was a little longer than I thought ... 

and I could go on and on about everything I am thankful for. I am just thankful, Period. 

Would love to hear what all you other ladies are thankful for too! 

Please let me know if you do a post and link up! 

TGIF! 

Happy Friday!! 

#SPD Thursday Link Up!

One of my latest and favorite Pinterest DIY projects ... 

Linking up with two of my face bloggers today ... 

Stephanie and Katie for Saw It, Pinned It, Did It :) 

This is a kid SPD project ;)

Prelude to this... is that Jake is in Kindergarten and has "site words" to help him learn to read that he is supposed to be practicing ... which is not one of his favorite things to do as you can probably imagine ;)

So I thought, there has to be a fun way to help him want to learn the words ... and I decided to just search the handy dandy Pinterest ... and low and behold I found the best idea ever! 

This was SO easy and he literally LOVED it! 

It required buying a white posterboard, that's pretty much it! 
(they have the ghost ones with little lines on them you can't see to help with the lines!)
Then I just drew the "parking spaces", ended up having exactly enough parking spaces for site words and even one extra which I wrote his last name in because for some reason it's been a tough one ;) 

I cut out a Hot Wheels Logo out of the new Walmart Christmas Wish List Catalog and taped it on there for a little something extra ;)

Then we went and got all of his cars from his closet and that was it!

You call out a word and the child "drives it around the block" until he finds the word then parks it in that spot! Chris was making car sounds and Jake was dying haha we had a blast and he wanted to play all night! 

After 3 rounds I was the one ready for a break, and HE wanted to keep practicing?!?

Say what?? 

I know... really strange, but true! 

Would totally suggest this to anyone struggling with site words, it took me 10 minutes to make and he will be practicing site words 24/7 now! 

Maybe he will be the best in the class ha positive thoughts! ;)

Tuesday Devotional... Dana Style!

Church on Sunday was awesome ... 

I typically don't share a lot of church posts even though it is my belief and church is very close to my heart, I just have always steered away from them. However, yesterday totally hit home to me and so I thought it might be nice to share ... in my own words :)

We learned about Martha and her life in the Bible.

She was a little OCD, (don't judge her ha!) always doing something, never sitting still, had to be on the go go go alll the time, preparing for everyone else and their needs.

She was cooking, cleaning, doing this, doing that, while Jesus and her sister, Mary, just relaxed on the couch and didn't have a worry or a care in the world. Martha was resentful to them, because while she was slaving away in the kitchen, they were always just cool, calm and collect, not really even asking if she needed help!

Martha on the left, probably scrubbing that big pot ha Jesus & Mary on the right just hanging out :) 

If you are like me, and you were in Martha's shoes, you would be like "excuse me, get your butts in here and help me, I'm running crazy!" ... and, well, that's pretty much what Martha did. She confronted Jesus asking him why Mary did not have to do the things she was doing, and why was it fair? She needed to come and help!

Luke 10:39-40

Do you know what Jesus replied to her?

"Dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these DETAILS! There is only one thing worth being concerned about, and Mary has found it. And it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10: 41-42

This is the story of my life ha! 

I am ALWAYS consumed with all these silly details!

I never slow down... 

and like Martha, might have a tad OCD ;) Just ask Chris .. and it's especially bad when we are getting ready to have a party or have people over, it kicks into high gear and I am a raging lunatic to put it nicely ha (but a nice raging lunatic, not like a total pyscho!) 

Our pastor gave 3 ways to change and better deal with feeling like this all the time, feeling like your life is always pushing the boundaries and you're never slowing down.

It is NOVEMBER ... does anyone else besides me feel like we just had Christmas?

I have no clue where this year has gone, and it is time for me to place some boundaries and enjoy my life!

AMEN? Amen. Ha. ;)

1. Remember our days are numbered by God

Job 14:5

I know people don't like to talk about it, and I am one of these people ... but everyone will die. So we need to live life how we really should be living it.

 #YOLO ... You Only Live Once! 

That is my new motto! :)

2. Prioritize Your Time Knowing Your Days are Numbered

When you schedule something on your calendar, no matter what it is, think "Is this the wise thing to do with this time" ... we tend to do the URGENT things before the IMPORTANT things ... at least I know I do that all the time! Thing about what is important to you, and your schedule should reflect that. :)

3. Make Time Alone w/ God a Priority

And pray the prayer of Psalm 90:12

"Heavenly Father, teach me to number my days that I may grow in wisdom."

That is what is on my home screen on my phone now. 

I want this to be what I wake up to in the mornings now, not my facebook newsfeed, emails buzzing, text messages and the weather for the day, lol ... which is usually what my morning consists of the second I open my eyes. 

I hope this hit home with at least one other crazy busy nonstop person besides myself :) 

Remember... 

And ... 

You can watch a video of the sermon on Sunday at http://www.southlandchristian.org 

they usually post them on Thursdays I think after that weekend so it will be towards the end of the week, but worth watching! He did a great job! 

Happy Tuesday!

Oh, and GO VOTE ... 

I won't say who I'm voting for.....

 but it's sure not Obama!

(Thanks Raven, I couldn't wait to use that ha!) 

And if you for some reason still aren't sure who to vote for ... take a quick read to one of my friend's Facebook status last night... she hit the nail on the head! Go Whit!! Preach it sister! ;)

Sorry it's blurry, I don't know what happened? :(

XOXO,

Monday Photo Dump... Halloween & More!

Hello lovely friends!

It's Monday and today I am taking a break from the office and getting things done around the house, hoping it will clear some clutter and make me feel better :)

I'm going to save Pinterest for another day and play catch up today...
**WARNING: Picture overload today! If you don't like pics then you might want to scroll quickly**

I can't believe I haven't shared Halloween pics yet!!
The kid's costumes were awesome and they were so freaking cute! 

Let me present to you ... 

Batman the Dark Knight, AKA Jake 

Said he was "climbing an invisible rope" in this picture haha! ;) 

Next .... 

The Cutest Cowgirl EVER ... AKA Ava

She was precious, so excited about her outfit, ever since their birthday when we got them so faux cowboy boots they have been obsessed with them and she instantly said she wanted to be something she could wear them for Halloween ... and she totally rocked it! :) 

** I may or may not have super glued my pointer and thumb together putting those feathers on her hat, and literally had to trick or treat with them together until they finally broke apart, I am still peeling glue and skin off to this day, not one of my finer crafting moments hahaha **

I'm saving the best for last ... 

Brace yourself ...

The Queen of Hearts, AKA Ella 

How awesome is she??
I loved that she wanted to be something that we could do face makeup haha! It was so fun! While we were trick or treating everyone was commenting and staring and saying how awesome she looked! She was on cloud nine lol, it was so cute!

It was a little bit cold (43 degrees and rainy to be exact ha) but they were troopers and went the entire 2 hours! I drove the car around while they walked and then they would hop in a warm up for a few minutes then head right back out!

Their candy stashes were pretty good, of course we had to come home and dump them out to see who's was the largest lol ...

I think it was a pretty successful Halloween by the look of this face ... 

This past weekend
We went to some friend's I went to high school with's beautiful wedding downtown ... Emily & Matt!

My pictures were so crappy :( Can't wait to see some good ones on Facebook because she was a beautiful bride!!! It was a great night! So much fun catching up with everyone and sharing their special night! 

How cute were these party favors ... ?

Horseshoes!! Loved them! Great idea! 

Me and Emily (not the bride) one of my other BFF's named Emily also ;) 

Two Dana's (you might know the other Dana from HERE when she used to grace us with her blogging stories! COME BACK!! haha!) ... both red dresses and same nail polish color, it's gotta be the name ;) 

It was such an awesome night!

Congrats Emily & Matt :) Love you! XOXO! 

Lastly,  just a little small wedding detail to share ...  I found a wedding dress yesterday!!!!!!!!! WoopWoop!!
I was beginning to freak out a little bit, but yesterday I actually found THE ONE and I am obsessed with it!  I wish so badly I could share pictures hahaaha but everyone will have to wait for next June for that ;)  We had so much fun looking .... 

** Bridesmaid Kim, Bridesmaid Whitney, Matron of Honor Chrissy, my cousin Kenzy, Bridesmaid Kelly and moi :) Missing Emily, my friend & bridesmaid, she couldn't make it so we did some facetiming haha, gotta love Apple technology!**

We ALMOST wrapped up bridesmaid dresses, don't have the final ones yet, but we are not going all matchy-matchy ... 

I was loving these long, flowy, neutral blush tones so that's what we are going with :) 

Everyone will be soooo pretty!

Can't wait! Love you girls!! 

Ok I think that is it, shew!

 Long Monday Post! ;) ... Enjoy your day!! 

Sunday Social Link Up

Happy Sunday Ya'll!

I have had a GREAT day!
Got to sleep a little more with clocks going back last night, went to church this morning and it was so good (will post more on that in my next post!), went to lunch with Chris and the kids, went to Walmart and got some things, then came home and just hung around and played with the kiddos :)

I wanted to link up for Social Sunday ... it's been a while!



Link up with Ashley or Neely and see everyone's else's Social Sunday write ups :)
Here are mine ...

1. What is currently on your wish list?
Hmm tough question, Chris keeps asking me over and over what I want for my birthday (in 3 weeks) and I can't seem to think of anything, very unusual for me lol. The only thing I can really even think of at the moment (besides a sister for Frankie!) is a cleaning lady just ONCE for a really good deep clean on our house! I am OCD and keep things very tidy but I have been so busy I've been slacking on the real hardcore cleaning and I just need ONE good clean from someone and then I can keep it up from there ha! 

2. Share a new iphone, droid, ipad app you have recently discovered that we all need.



I think the newest iphone app I have gotten that I love is Instaframe! I have an obsession with Instgram anyway, so now being able to put them into collages and different frames is amaze. 

3. What is a new fall TV show you have added to your DVR?
I have so many where do I begin?? 
But my two favorite would have to be ... 

I LOVE Nashville.... 

And I am OBSESSED with The Good Wife ... 
it is Chris and I's favorite show to watch!

4. Share your Social Media links for us to follow you on(pinterest, twitter, facebook, etc). Tell us which is your favorite and why.

Pinterest: 
http://pinterest.com/danagentry/
Twitter: 
https://twitter.com/DanaKyRealtor
Facebook:
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dana-Gentry-Realtor-Lexington-KY/108614562489834?fref=ts

My favorite would have to be Facebook and Pinterest, for two seperate reasons. Facebook is still how I keep up with people and friends, and also how I grow my business... I know so many people have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon and given up on Facebook but not me! Pinterest I am purely addicted to and LOVE LOVE LOVE! I don't even know what people did before it?! Ahh love it! 
My only beef with Pinterest is that you can't block people!! I don't want some people seeing all my pins and ideas :( but oh well, imitation is the biggest form of flattery they say! ;)

5. What is a TV show or movie or song you could listen to or watch over and over and over and never get tired of...feel free to name one of each!

TV show I could watch over and over again would have to be Honey Boo Boo because it literally cracks me up!
 
  
Movie I could watch over and over ... 
ELF, love it, it's almost time to start watching this again for the season :) 


Song I could listen to over and over would def have to be "Be Still" by The Fray ... my very favorite song, love every word in that song, and sometimes it is nice to just listen to it and really be still for a few minutes when the days are full of craziness and chaos! 

You can listen to it HERE:

Next week's questions

 

These are all about Thanksgiving!

 

1. What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?

2. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?

3. What is a Thanksgiving tradition you and your family have?

4. Show us a favorite Thanksgiving picture(or 5) from years past

5. What are you most looking forward to about this Thanksgiving?

Can't wait! I LOVE Thanksgiving. It's my third favorite holiday :)

Tomorrow I will be sharing some Pinterest, Halloween pics, AND some pics from our friend's wedding we went to this weekend! So fun! 

Go link up for Social Sunday!