KICKIN' OFF SUMMER 2011

To kick off the summer, my best friends and I went to two great concerts in a row.

Our first concert of was to see the Josh Abbott Band & Bart Crow Band! The best part was it was FREE and literally 20 mins from the house! 

It was so much fun to lay out on our blankets with a huge cooler of drinks.

&

 Scout got to ride on a bus for her very first time! She was soo excited.

Scout & Aunt Tandis

We even got to watch fireworks!

Scout & Kristin dancing the night away!

Scout made a new best friend.

Best Friends

Love birds :)



The next weekend we all loaded back up to see The Eli Young Band at Lonestar Park! They are from Denton and always put on the best concerts.

It was packed. We sat in traffic for hours trying to get in. But in the end it was a blast listening to our favorite songs. :)





Great way to kick off the summer! :)

OPI Black Shatter

As many of you may know I work for a distributing branch of Sally's Beauty Supply. When I started here in February the #1  product was by far Katy Perry's "Black Shatter." For months know we can't seem to keep with product on the shelves. This nail effect was popular back in the 80's and it is back in a HUGE way.
 
How to use Black Shatter:
Apply a base coat of your favorite seasonal nail color. Currently my favorite is from OPI's Texas Collection called "Big Hair... Big Nail." I love the bright color and the way it looks under the Shatter.

After you apply the base coat you then apply one coat of Black Shatter over it. The polish goes on thick and begins to break and crackel (Shatter) as it dries.

It dries quickly so you don't have to wait long to apply a clear top coat to give it a nice shine.
 
EXCITING NEWS!!
In June OPI is releasing a entire line of different shatter colors. (blue, red, silver, white etc.) Below is a picture of the new line coming!

You can purchase Katy Perry's Black Shatter at your nearest Sally's Beauty Supply or Ulta! What are you waiting for? Let me know what you think of this polish?

How Mean Girls Changed My Life

How Mean Girls Changed my life....




When my parents moved me to a new school, I was scared and excited all in one. It was the summer right before my sophomore year. I was a little timid and nervous but ready for a change. I wasn’t involved in anything that most peers would consider “cool.” I was the band nerd, on the student council, loved speech class, and always the star of the theatre productions. How I ever ended up being on homecoming court… I’ll never know.



My sophomore year, was not too bad, I made lots of friends being involved with all the programs at school. I wasn’t afraid to introduce myself and I was always known as class flirt. I was still awkward and trying to find my place. Growing up in a family of mostly guys and being the oldest on my mom’s side I fit In, naturally, as one of the guys. I always had one close gf and tons of guy friends.



Over the next summer, high school became a blast. I had so many (guy) friends and my weekends were always packed with fun times with my friends. I was loving life. I was suddenly “Ms. Popular.” I always made it a point to try to be friends with everyone… whether they wanted to be my friend or not. Then I was nominated for homecoming court and won. You’d think that this would be cool for a high school girl… but it turned out to be one of the worst things to ever happen to me.



It felt like overnight… within weeks there were so many rumors going on about me. I didn’t have any clue where they were coming from. My closest guy friends were getting girlfriends and all their girlfriends hated me. I was a virgin…. But was known as the school slut. Kinda funny now since I never slept with anyone. But at the time it was devastating. I remember going out to my car or to a teachers classroom to always eat my lunch. Sometimes I would sit in my car and cry all through lunch period. I hated school and had no friends. At one point so many rumors were going around that I was called into the school office and told that the rumors were distracting for the classrooms and that I needed to put a stop to it. I contemplated moving schools… but I didn’t want them to get the best of me. So instead of blaming people for the rumors… I just owned up to them. I thought… they are going to think these things whether I say they are true or not. So I accepted it and knew that I would always be an outcast from then on out. The hardest part was losing all my close friends, they were embarrassed to be seen with me anymore and angry that I admitted to rumors that weren’t true.



My senior year, was totally different. I joined the school work program so that I wouldn’t have to be at school but a few hours a day. My boyfriend, all through my senior year, was from a different school, so I spent most of my time with him and his friends. I found a way to live my life “normal” again. I still hated school and I knew that when I graduated I would never look back.



Now four years after high school…. I’m thankful for what I’ve been through. I don’t like to think about high school memories. The good were tarnished by all the bad. When I return to hometown football games to watch my brother, I can still feel eyes on me and hear whispers. But now I just laugh. I’m finishing school, have a great job, and a good head on my shoulders. My relationship with Christ is stronger than ever and my career is on the right path. I have a few close friends that are very near and dear to me. The gossip made me become independent and an over-achiever that wanted to prove everyone wrong.



I wrote this for the girls in high school. I’m sure there are plenty of you going through similar trials. Just know that high school isn’t your whole life. People will say hurtful things… but don’t ever let them win. Be who you are and do your thing. What’s important is that you and the Lord know the truth and who you are. To the mean girls… have fun mocking, gossiping, and bullying them cause one day you’ll be wishing you were them.



Lastly, remember High school is not everything. It is 4-years of a long life that we get to live. You’ll never see those “mean girls” again. So smile and think… I made it and keep striving for your goals. God made you just the way he wanted you to be.

Why Good Girls Fall For Bad Boys

In my dating life, I’ve always found myself hooked on the bad boys. Even the famous stars that I find attractive are the typical bad boys, Keith Urban, Johnny Depp, Collin Ferrel etc. I’ve found myself wondering… why is it that the good girls always fall for the bad boys.




The "you complete me" love cliche transforms into "you excite me" when good girl meets bad boy. In a way, he is foreign to her; exciting, unpredictable. A good girl jumps in with no awareness of who she is dealing with while a bad boy has the art of manipulation down to perfection. He is excited by the prospect of a new "game" the good girl has to offer. The truth is, typically the good girl picks the bad boy because of how he makes her feel; fascinating, needed, pursued, and good. He is a rush and a big, part charity case too- he's got a lot of issues and If she tames him or helps him, it will be the ultimate good deed.



Good girls love a hero. Bad boys have a willingness to do whatever it takes, even break a few laws. No hero conquers anything at the end of day by asking nicely with superior gentleman-like manners. Heroes act before thinking, exactly what bad boys are known for, and nice guys, well they get to be the "friends" or ran over in the high speed chase.



Also a bad boy helps a woman escape her busy mind and become someone totally different. Good girls live under a heavy burden of expectations from others, always doing the right thing, saying the right thing and being pleasing. It's nice to simply not care and relax.



Good girls are pleasers and bad boys are takers- perfect example of opposites attract or yin and yang. In love, there is always the dealer and the addict- they need each other. Good girls have a natural instinct to give and nurture and not think twice about expecting anything back. In fact, it makes them happy to give to a guy who is good at taking- they feel needed. The bad boy may also require a little extra nurturing due to a rough past and inability to love deeply or unselfishly. He is used to being resourceful and using what he can to take what he can- a survival mechanism or maybe a game. Either way a good girl is a prime target; she never knows exactly what she is getting herself into.



Good girls find the good in everyone and even she sees the hurt little boy behind his bad boy facade. When she is with this guy, she is always thinking she will be the one to help him or "he only opens up to me", and somehow that will feel like a compliment. She won't give up on him as quickly as most people will. She gives him endless encouragement, feeding his needs and hers simultaneously.



There is something about a nice guy that makes many women feel as if their life is over right then and there- it will be predictable and mundane forever. Bad boys are different- they make women feel sexy, exciting, and free. Women's fantasies, movies, and romance novels are usually based on a rebel or bad boy- a smooth talking, confident, against all odds, survivor and fighter. All this makes women explore a different side to themselves as well as a secure feeling- he will be our hero and protect us.



Bad boys are mysterious. Think of Johnny Depp, he has a quiet, artistic, somewhat tortured soul vibe to him. He is a mystery. Women love a good mystery. Men love a good chase and hunt, but women love a good nut to crack, somebody to figure out, and even fix. She makes a mystery out of nothing sometimes. Women love to make things difficult- it's the truth.



There are 5 major signs of a bad boy:



1. Appearance, appearance, appearance! Tattoos, piercings, smirk, extra sharp well-dressed OR extra tattered rough clothing.



2. Attitude- vague answers, aloof demeanor, and confident/cocky.



3. Addictions- alcohol, drugs, smoking, women, violence/fighting, dares, speed/fast cars, etc



4. Stands out in a crowd- attracts a crowd or remains by himself, either way is intriguing.



5. Make their own rules.

Worshiper of Worshipers

Something for you to also dwell on:








Away in my quiet place… so many thoughts run through my mind; thoughts that are about life, family, future, and love. But sometimes my mind wanders into a different world. I begin to think about things that are beyond me. Locked away in my room with so much heavy on my heart; something stopped me in my tracks. I thought to myself… I wonder what it would be like to hear Jesus sing or worship. Music and worship is my passion… the gift that God chose for me. We all have our own way to worship. But just stop and think…. When Jesus slipped away into His quiet times to worship His Father, what was His worship like? My mind can’t seem to wrap around it. I close my eyes and I try to imagine. I’m sure that His worship was none like we’ve ever seen or heard. It must be beyond our senses. However He worshiped… I want to worship just like Him. I’m reminded that He is All That; all the time. But today I thought, He is the Worshiper of all Worshipers, the Musician of all Musicians. For the rest of my life my worship and music will be devoted to worshiping as He does. I know, that when it’s all said and done, I’ll be rewarded when I walk through the gates of Heaven. It is there that I will worship and sing with the Worshiper of all Worshipers.







-Kandis Moody

Stand Still or Dance?

Stand still. Stop and listen. Seasons come and go. People live and leave. I’ve learned that there are things that we are not supposed to understand. One of these things… is life. Watching the lives of others and dealing with my own; has had me captivated the past few days. It seems that so many people are moving along at the right pace in their lives while I’m still at a stand still. Engagements are being announced and precious babies are being born daily. Where has the time gone? I’m still young. That’s what I have to repeat to myself. I know that God’s working in my life and that His time is perfecting timing. But I wish I had more patience. I don’t want to take charge of my life… I give it all to Him. Cause after all… he knows best. I’m striving to change. To find myself. Spritually I’m longing and desperately clinging to him for comfort and direction. I can’t seem to get close enough. Physically my body is weak but he gives me strength. I want to better myself… eat better, sleep more, and smile constantly. I wonder… why am I not accomplishing things as fast as others. I’m then reminded, by the Lord, that my calling is beyond my imagination and this suddenly turns my sorrow to joy and mourning to dancing. The great Bishop Joseph Garlington once said “sometimes God wants to step in and say can I have this dance.” With this new year and new season dawning I’ve grasped ahold of this thought. I’m placing my hand into God’s and letting my heart and mind dance away to the beautiful melodies that He will create. If I can do this whole heartedly then I’ll be moving at the perfect timing… the rhythmic timing of God’s melody that He has created just for me. What a beautiful picture. I’m overwhelmed. With such a strong calling on my life I’m not enough to try on my own… so I’ll let the Lord lead me through the steps, twists, and turns of this beautiful dance. I’m sure that there will be some stumbles as I’m still learning… but with such a great leader… I’ll never fall or give up. What will you say… when God says “Can I have this dance?” Will you continue to stand still… or enjoy the dance?








-Kandis Moody

A Flower

To me, being a woman is like being a flower. As the seasons of life pass from one to the next, God presents new roles for us to take on, new things for us to learn, and new challenges for us to conquer. As these challenges arrive, we call upon God's great grace and tackle them full-on. We put God's wisdom and our education to use. We tap into all the strong character traits and solid learning skills gained through our hours and days and years spent in school. And we draw upon God and His Holy Spirit to strengthen us and help us walk along life's way. And then, through this process of growth, the flower of our life develops, blossoms, blooms, and flourishes as we serve God in each and every place where He plants us. The days pass. The decades pass. The flower grows. And then one day we meet our Lord face to face. And it is then that we present ourselves to Him, in full bloom.