Nicole Dianne

afternoon walk

the storms have continued here in California,

thunder and hail pelted us around 3pm

and by 5pm it was sunny and beautifully crisp outside

so i went on a walk with my roommate..camera in hand, of course.

you never know what beautiful things Jesus will place in your path.

today was no exception .

all images © Chestnut Tree Photography

thank you Jesus for the beautiful, calm & crisp air after the storm today.

thank you for this precious child that reminded me how fun playing with sticks can be.

thank you for the ducks, seeing this little girl's excitement over them really made my day.

thank you for the amazing views you gave me at sunset on the river.

thank you for my awesome roommate who brought me outdoors when i tried being a hermit.

thank you for your promise to never leave me.

thank you for feeding the flowers with rain so i can see them bloom someday soon.
thank you for my husband and family who constantly encourage me.
thank you for a sweet email from a friend today, she didn't know, but you knew i needed it.

thank you for loving me despite my negative attitude most days.

thank you for showing me your power through the thunder storm today.

Be still, and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

caught my fancy

all of these pictures caught my fancy

and inspired me for future photos.

each is so lovely in its own perfect way.

i especially love the colors.

i love His promise.

a basket full of books

what a nice day!

a suitcase full of some classics and some new,

what an even nicer day

so much fun

that ring...

can i go here?

awesome, thanks.

just love love this!

'tis true.

no one is like YOU.

you can thank Jesus for that

all images via

tired

another rainy day.
i slept til noon,
who does that unless you're 17?

it's the rainy days that
i don't want to leave the house.

they're my excuse days to stay in
and let the world pass by.

i can stay in my pajamas all day
and nobody will know.

i'm going to a wedding tonight.

it'll be amazing to see the beginning of a new love,

but i fear i will miss my own love
in such an excruciating way.
the trickle of the rain
makes me long for my love.
i don't feel strong, and yet i'm told i am
by so many.
sometimes i don't want to hear it though
because i'd rather be weak and
let the truth show through.
i see the pictures on my walls
and try to bring myself back to those times
the giggles
the kisses
looking into his eyes
i wish so badly for that right now.
i feel terrible complaining
as so many people have forever lost
loved ones in Japan.
my pain is fleeting,
but there's will last a lifetime.
i know it's selfish and not the end of the world
but it still hurts
and it's still my here and now.
i suppose i should make myself a happy list.
things i'm grateful for
reasons to love and live.
i should go in detail because
the details make up some of the most
beautiful memories of things i love.
delicious food
beautiful pictures
sunny days
beautiful scriptures
a good book
and i will.
at some point.
just not today.
i need the sun to shine
i'm tired of this rain day after day.
how depressing is this,
i really am a happy person
but the dreary gray skies just aren't
my cup of tea.
clearly.
just a glimpse of sun, please
i'm tired of rain.

DIY baby shower

This past weekend I hosted a baby shower
for one of my best friends.

She's due in April and I'm seriously so excited.

I was the first friend to get married
and this will be the first friend to have a baby.

Here's a few pictures from the day.

I kept the cost of the shower at almost $100
by using things I already had lying around my apartment.
There were also some DIY's, thrifting purchases, and dollar store finds

to help with the budget!
[enlarge the pictures to get a better idea of the details]

The "table cloth" is just a piece of fabric
I purchased for $5 at a fabric store.

I wrapped hemp around the top of each mason jar,

some I found at a thrift store and

then I purchased a 15 pack at our local grocery store for $12..

simple and my new favorite vases!

I made this banner with a Cricut, the best investment you'll ever make
if you enjoy crafting and scrapbooking! I used paper that I already had
and the hemp I've had for years. Total cost of banner: $0

Extra decor around the house and colorful food.
gumballs were from the dollar tree, pitcher from the thrift store, $2 I think
and baby blocks were $12 for a HUGE bag full that I can use
for future maternity photo shoots!

I used a TV tray as a small table for one of the games.
The pen holder is just an old yankee candle that I rinsed out,
works perfect as a vase too!

Well I hope I gave some of you fun ideas for future parties
or just decor around the house. I have a lot of this stuff up in my
house still because it's all so cute and great for springtime!

the best advice

Sometimes I have really good days and
sometimes I have really bad days.

Two days ago was a really bad day.

Not for any real reason in particular,

I just had a pitty party

because it felt like everyone around

me had someone special

to cuddle with and love on

in front of me.

In most cases I try to keep

pitty parties to myself
because they are frequent as of late
and

Mr doesn't need to
hear my whining and complaining because

He has bigger things to worry about

and I don't want to add stress to what he's already going through.

Make sense?

But this particular day I was whiney to him.
I just wanted to hear that it was

okay for me to not like other couples very much
and be anti-social and whine, moan, groan and
complain that I don't get my love
here to cuddle with so nobody else should either.

A little selfish? Yes.

But sometimes I'm not the most

selfless person in the world.

Oopsies

But instead of being annoyed with my whiney self.

Mr decided to make me smile and laugh.
He gave me some advice for when I see
other couples loving each other and being
annoyingly cute.
In his words:
"You have two options.
You can either throw water balloons at them
(but only if they make you cry)
or think of us cuddling when I get home"
So..
you have been warned.
Unless you want to walk around sopping wet
keep the cuddling to a minimum around me,
I got permission from Mr so
I can't be held responsible for my actions
;)

Surviving Deployment: The longer the waiting, The sweeter the kiss

I have decided to feature

someone who is going through a deployment
each week here on my blog.

I hope that through this
we can all learn a little more about each other

and hopefully encourage one another
as we endure such a hard time

in our relationships.
This week's feature is the sweet and lovely

Jeanna from The longer the waiting, The sweeter the kiss.

Her love is currently overseas serving our country.

Here's a little about her story
and how she's dealing with deployment!

aren't they just the cutest? :)

Tell us a little about yourself:

I'm 20. I'm a full time college student. I work at The Y and I LOVE it! I live in Georgia and wouldn't have it any other way :) I'm completely in love with my fiance, Cliff and we are very much looking forward to this year long deployment's end!!

What is your relationship status?

Happily engaged to my fiance, Cliff! We'll be officially tying the knot October 22, 2011 :o)

Do you have kiddos? If so, how has the transition to "single parenting" affected you?

No babies, yet...at least for not a couple more years! But we do have one fur baby named Kiera and the single parenting is going well, but she misses her dad :)

What branch of service is your spouse/significant other?

He is in the Army National Guard..Hooah!

What is your duty station?

His unit is out of Graniteville, SC... but the cool thing about National Guard is you're basically a civilian during the week and drill about one weekend a month. Kind of the best of both worlds :) So he gets to live at home...no real duty station!

How long is this current deployment?

He has orders for 13 months and we are praying for only 11!

How often are you guys able to communicate?

We have been really lucky and have usually been able to talk once a day if not more. In the beginning it was really hard because I would go a week or two without hearing from him. They finally got internet and ever since then it has been pretty good! I really can't complain. Skype is wonderful :)

What kind of support (group) have you found during this deployment?
(other milspouses/blogging/family)

Even though other people have warned me not to get involved with the FRG, I have found that it has been AMAZING! We meet once a month and I have met some really great people! No matter where you go, there will be people you don't get along with, but if you go into i with an open mind it's really not bad at all. We put on a lot of fundraisers to benefit a homecoming party for the guys and girls when they come home and it has been going wonderful! I love being apart of something that's helping the soldiers, because they do so much for us. Also, blogging has been wonderful and I have 'met' so many great women who have beautiful blogs! I love reading about real love and that to me is the love between a girl and her soldier...because as we all know it's not easy by any means....but WELL worth it :)

Does your family support your spouse/significant others' choice to serve?
When I met and started dating Cliff he was already in the service, so it has never been any different to them. And my whole family is very proud of him :) Who wouldn't support someone wanting to serve their country? It is the most selfless act someone can do.

What have you found that helps you cope best with the stress of deployment?
(blogging/religion/journaling)

Blogging has been great, but the thing that really helps is setting small things to look forward to. A party with friends in a month, a concert in 2 months...that way, when the event you have been looking forward to comes, it has already been months down and you don't even realize it! Also, I read somewhere to count weeks, not days. Have a set day every week that you can cross off the calendar such as garbage day. 52 is a much smaller number than 365! It has really helped so much and I can honestly say that this year has gone by so fast for me. I am SO thankful for that!

...

I'm really having so much fun with this and I have been so
encouraged to meet other girls going through
the same emotions I have been dealing with.
I hope you all have been just as encouraged as I have!
Thanks so much, Jeanna for letting us all see a little deeper
into how this deployment is affecting you and your fiance,

I really enjoyed reading your answers and

I can't wait until your love comes home

so you two can get married! :)

Don't forget to check out Jeanna's blog

and encourage her through this deployment!

If you're currently surviving deployment

grab this button and let us know so we can encourage

you too!