Love Actually

Well, I'm still alive. Barely. This week starts finals week and by Wednesday night I will officially be a senior in college. Who can believe that? I can't. And I can't believe that I've gone so long without posting, but I've just been pretty busy. But, I have had something on my mind for awhile, so I thought, what better time to write it out, then when I'm suppose to be studying?

I've never been in love before Brandon. I have dated boys, but have never been in love with them. And if you've ever read this blog or my Twitter, you'll recognize pretty quickly that I'm in love with Brandon, and it happened pretty quickly. But, it's definitely love and it's definitely nothing like I expected.

Love is hard.
Two completely different people coming together as a couple. Two personalities, two opinions, two decisions, etc. Your whole world is no longer just you. It's now another person, you have another person to think about, another person's feelings to protect, another person to consider. It's a big deal, and takes a lot of work. You have to work at it, and there will be days where you fight and where you don't want to deal with that person, but all of those hard days are worth every second of the good ones.

Love is about sacrifice.
You no longer get to be right all of the time. Even if you ARE right, you may not be allowed to be right. With love you pick your battles. You decide that the other person's happiness is more important than being right, or more important than your pride. You will see movies you don't want to, you will go to the restaurant that is your least favorite and you will be okay. Love is a give and take, and a lot of the times it is more give, but that's okay. You love them, you want to give them the world. Not only do you sacrifice a lot, the other person sacrifices just as much. And when you doubt this, you're in trouble. Every sacrifice looks different, and holds their own weight, and if it's a working relationship, you're both going to sacrifice a lot. At this point, Brandon and I haven't had to sacrifice in huge ways, because we just aren't at the point in life where we have many big decisions or choices to make, but we still make sacrifices. And those sacrifices show me more and more that Brandon loves me and I love him.

This weekend, Brandon really showed me love in a big way. We were having a disagreement in the car (and I was wrong), and I got upset and decided to look at the window and not talk, even though I knew I was wrong. I said sorry, but I still kept to myself. And Brandon after awhile of us not speaking, reached his hand over and grabbed mine and held it. That's all it took. Every wall I had up, broke down, all I could think was "I don't deserve this" and "I don't deserve him." Because at that moment, I didn't. I did not deserve to treat him the way I did when I was wrong, and then for him to break the barrier. It wasn't his fault, it was mine, and I should have been adult enough to say sorry, and not act like a brat. But, I didn't and Brandon did. My respect for him grew leaps and bounds that day, and I fell even more in love. All it took was him to hold my hand. And that my friends, is sacrifice. He knew he was right, but he sacrificed that pride to make us better.

Love is worth it. 
You have a built in support system, and every day encouragement. You have memories that make you so happy your heart could burst. You have another human being to share all of life's moments with you and you never have to do it alone. I can't explain how many days I lay down at night just thinking about how incredibly lucky I am to be in love. To have someone to share life with. And I just can't help but think every sacrifice, every fight, it's all worth seeing him smile, hearing him say he's praying for me, being with him. He makes me laugh so hard, and he gives me such good days, that I wouldn't trade all the bad days if it meant less good ones. I'm so thankful.


Love is not at all what I thought it would be, but it is much better. It's a lot of work and sacrifice, but it's all worth it to experience life with the one you love.

It's been far too long since I've posted. My life has simply consisted of work, deadlines and school. It's been really fun and really hectic, but I'm definitely ready for summer!

In 19 days, I will head out for a European adventure for three whole weeks! I can't even wait! Woo!

Big things are happening for the TOMS business. I've re-designed my store & I'm working on a whole new re-branding!  You can check at the store: www.paintedperfect.bigcartel.com or check out the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/paintedperfectTOMS

Also, there is a new animal print ^^ so check it out!


Thanks for sticking with me even through the quiet days,

DIY: Candle Holder

I found this photo on Pinterest a couple of months ago and thought that it was such a neat twist on typical candle holders. I tend to find candles are a fun accent to rooms and homes, but I’m usually less than pleased with the look of most of them. So I decided to add a candle accent to my dorm room, using the inspiration above.

First, you will need some supplies. I gathered them all at my local Dollar Store, Walgreens and Walmart. They were pretty easy finds, but many of these items you may already have at home. The supplies include: rubber bands, a can of spray paint, a glass candle holder and a tea light (I used a battery operated one due to no open flames in the dorm room). You can choose whatever color of spray paint you want, I just chose white because I thought it would go the best with my decor.

Next, you will prepare your candle holder to be sprayed. Make sure that your rubber bands are tightly fitting around the glass holder, otherwise you won’t get crisp lines. Also, fill the holder with paper towels or paper to keep from getting spray paint on the inside (so you will be able to see through the lines).

Now it’s time to spray! Make sure before you spray paint your holder, you go outside (because spray paint has a lot of fumes) and put the holder on something that you’re okay with ruining. I turned my holder upside down to help ensure that no spray paint would get inside. The key to good spray painting is to do very thin coats (3-5). And the paint should come out as a mist, not a solid stream. This will help you avoid runs and clumps of paint. Also, wait 5-10 minutes between coats. 

Next, you have to wait. This is probably the hardest step, because you’re so ready to see how the creation turned out, but it is crucial that you wait until the spray paint has completely cured (30 mins to an hour). If you take the rubber bands off before the paint has completely set, then you risk ruining your pretty crisp lines. So this step is very important!

                            

 

Finally, take off your rubber bands and enjoy! Remove the rubber bands and light a candle, turn off the lights and relax. You have transformed a candle holder into a modern piece of art.

And to prove that anyone can enjoy this fun craft, I’ll share a breakdown of the cost and time requirements:

Supplies
• Candle holder: $1
• Spray paint: .89¢
• Rubber bands: $1
• Battery-operated candle: $1.50
TOTAL: $4.39 

Time
• Prep (collecting supplies, putting on rubber bands, etc): 40 minutes
• Spray painting ( + drying): 1 hour
• Finishing (take off rubber bands & add candle): 10 minutes
TOTAL: 1 hour and 50 minutes 

See how easy, quick and affordable crafting can be?! I had a lot of fun and I’m so excited to have some new decor for my dorm room. I hope that you can find some time to create something fun to add to one of the rooms in your house, or maybe even give as a gift!

Warning: BDA

BDA = blogger display of affection. If you get queasy at sappy love stories, then this post probably isn't for you. You can just go back to your regularly scheduled Facebook stalking. 

Many of my loyal blog readers have requested time and time again for the story of Brandon and I, first mentioned here. And then they got a little taste of our story when he wrote a post about it on Valentine's day which you can read here. And I've slacked off and claimed that I had no time to write my side of the story. But really, I've just struggled with being able to put it all into words. It truly is a unique story, one that has been perfectly crafted by God and that is completely evident when we look at every detail. I'm so excited about our story and I'm so ready to share! So here we go: 

Our story started about a month before we even met. I decided to go to Europe for three weeks in May and I needed money to go on this trip. So I decided that I would apply to work at Belk like I did last year (2010). I didn't know if they would remember me or even hire me again. But a few days later I got a phone call and they wanted to interview me. There was a new store manager and they wanted me to meet him and interview with him. So I did, and that's when he asked what school I went to and he shared that they have a guy that works there that went to Henderson. I didn't know any details about this boy, and I didn't ask. I got hired on the spot and scheduled my "re-training" weekend. 

Fast forward a month. I'm struggling with a past relationship. One that went from dating to friendship and was going no where. It was toxic and I was having a hard time letting go. But on November 17th, I wrote this. I gave it all over to God, and I walked away from a friendship that just wasn't what I needed or what God had for me. I officially moved on, and I knew that God had a plan, He had a perfect plan and it was His timing, not mine that was necessary. So I was following Him. 

I went home that weekend to work my "re-training" weekend, and it was a nice break from the world that was school. I worked Friday afternoon and had a lot of fun working with some of the girls I had worked with before, and I was excited about my shift on Saturday (Nov. 19th). My shift on Saturday was pretty normal (except we got to wear jeans, wooooo!), and pretty non-eventful, until that lady walked to my register. She walked up with just a few items, and the first thing she handed me was a shirt, WITH NO TAG. The fun part of my job is finding an identical shirt with a tag to ring up her shirt. And of course the shirt was from a department all the way across the store. So I quickly walked back to that department and went to the cash register to look for someone who might could help me find the shirt quicker. There were two people there and they were looking at the Belk ads (neither of which I recognized from last season). I asked both of them if they worked there and if they could help me locate the shirt. The boy said he didn't work in that department, but he would help me... 

So we walked to the section of the department that held that brand and began to look. Well, I began to look, he just kind of stood there. I made small talk, asked his name, where he was from, etc. He said that his parents lived in Conway, but he went to school in Arkadelphia. Wait, what?! ME TOO. So this is the boy that the manager was talking about when I interviewed. Ohhhhkay. I shared the secret that I had the same story, although I was from the better side of the ravine (OBU). And he proudly made rude remarks about my beloved school. That's okay, Horvath, wait until our little ones go to OBU. Then you'll see ;) Anyways, at this point I had been gone way too long and hadn't found the shirt (I got a little distracted), so I went back to my department where the lady had already left, because they had gotten the situation figured out while I was gone. Oops. 

Several times during the rest of my shift the Henderson/Belk boy walked past my department and shouted Henderson profanities at me. I was not amused and quite annoyed. But, he definitely caught my attention. So during my lunch break I decided I would do a little creeping, and found out this boy's last name. Perfect. My shift ended and to Facebook I went. I had to learn about this boy that I would be working with for a month. And I may have been a little intrigued too. I sent him a friend request in the parking lot. And then I went home & never thought about it again. I got on Facebook after a little time of being home and had an IM from the boy. He was being cocky and once again, I was not amused. But, we continued to talk, and eventually we exchanged phone numbers. 

The rest is pretty much history. We went to Walmart and Sonic Sunday night. We texted all day Monday, had our first date Tuesday, stayed up 48 hours straight on Black Friday and on day ten we made it official to each other and to Facebook. He was my new boo and I was his. Definitely the best decision I've made to date. And the happiest. 

Brandon is the most genuine boy I've ever met. He loves with his whole heart. He would do anything for anyone, just give him the chance. He is the first to admit his faults, but has SO much to show for how hard he has worked to be different. He's grown as a person and I'm so proud of the man he is. Brandon works hard at everything he does: school, work, being a good son, being a good friend and being a good person. He goes above and beyond, even when others don't recognize it. He does it because he cares. He supports me in everything that I do and he encourages me constantly. He never gives up on me and forces me to never give up on myself. He pushes me to grow and to learn and he loves me, despite my faults and failures. He makes me happy, he makes me laugh and he loves my family. He wants to grow with me in life and in faith. He is just everything.

I never thought that I would fall in love or not anytime soon, especially in such a whirlwind fashion. But I did. And I'm so happy. I'm so happy to know that someone wants to do life with me. And I wholeheartedly want to do life with him. Life with Brandon is good. And although it's only been three months, I've completely forgotten how life was before him.

So there's our story. Ours. And I love it. 

Today I have lost. I've been defeated. I've given up. Today I let Satan steal my joy, control my mood and dictate my relationships. Today I let the world consume me. Today I checked-out. And today I forgot who I was.

Sometimes it's hard to believe how far I've come, and it's hard to see that I don't have much more left. Sometimes it's easy to let the responsibilities consume our thoughts. I did this today. I gave in to the thoughts and feelings that can completely destroy you. I have been consumed with fear, feelings of unworthiness, tiredness, stress and overall discontentment.

I'm thankful for the life I have, I really am. I'm thankful for my opportunities and the people in my life. I'm thankful for my blessings and the abundance of support I receive. But, sometimes I'm just worn out. And sometimes I forget all of these things, I see only the bad and sometimes I just lose.

I'm praying for a better day tomorrow. I'm praying for a day where I can remember who I am. Remember the Savior that I claim to follow. Remember the love that I'm shown. Remember the blessings I have received. And remember to DO life.

Valentine's Day Fun!

Many of you probably see the title of this post and are groaning, whether it be because you don't love Valentine's day or because you're tired of hearing, reading and seeing the sappiness that is me and the boy, but I'm hoping that you will keep reading. Not so I can show off, but simply so that you can understand that there ARE incredible men out there. It's easy to get burned with past relationships, which often leads to bitterness towards relationships and Valentine's day, but boys can be good and full of love, and it's completely incredible when you find that, and I've been so blessed to find it in Brandon.

Many of you have asked about the story behind me and Brandon, but I'm not going to get into that story tonight. I have a lot more to share, but I will post that story soon. For now you can check out Brandon's side of the story here!

Now, onto the goodness of today's post! For the first time in my 20 years of existence, I had a successful Valentine's day. Actually, more than successful. An incredible, breath-taking and wonderful day! I posted a picture on Facebook last night, and since then it has gotten such a huge response, and so I told everyone I would share with them about my Valentine's day. So here we go:

• This is the picture that I posted last night (early this morning) and it was the start to the most incredible day! After receiving this text, I could hardly sleep. I woke up a good thirty minutes before my alarm was to go off and I just couldn't wait to get the whole day started! 

• At 8:15 am, I walked outside of my dorm to find Brandon's big red truck parked in front of my dorm. And he got out of the truck carrying these. OH. MY. GOSH. They are the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. This picture doesn't even do them justice, they are big and tall and breath-taking! Also, this is the first dozen of roses, I've ever received! After I dropped off the flowers in my room, Brandon walked me to class! I was so happy. Although he just lives across the street, we never get to walk to class together, and I was so thankful that B took time out of his day to do this! 

   

• The next part of my day was when I walked to my post office box and had mail! I hardly ever get mail, unless I buy something for myself, so I was happy. Then I noticed it was from my love! In the card was instructions for part 2 of the Valentine's date! I couldn't wait for 6:45 pm to get here. 

• 6:45 pm arrived, and I promptly showed up to Brandon's apartment. When I walked in the door, this is what I found! He cooked my favorite meal (chicken spaghetti) and had the table lit with candles. It was so sweet of him, and the food was delish! 

• Next, we exchanged gifts! :) And my sweet boyfriend got me this BEAUTIFUL necklace! I was so incredibly shocked. He did SO good! The necklace is beautiful. It has some intricate detailing on the side, and I love that he picked it out just for me! 

So here we are! After a long day of class, work and Valentine's day fun.  It was seriously the best day of my life. I'm so incredibly thankful for the man that Brandon is. He is so encouraging and supportive, and he is also so very sweet! He planned this whole day, just for me. I've never been so happy and I never knew that life and love could be so good! I will never forget this day and I will forever remember the thought and love that he put into it.  Words just simply cannot describe the love I have for Brandon and the appreciation for all that he does.

I hope everyone else had an incredible Valentine's day and has a wonderful rest of the week.