Finish This #16

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 by Nicole 13 Comments

It’s Week 16 of Finish This! If you’re new here, welcome. This link-up is hosted by LISA (COASTLINED), JEN (The Arizona Russums), BECKY (The Java Mama) and I.  If you’ve joined us before, thanks for returning and be sure you add your post to the link-up. If you don’t have a blog, don’t fret. Answer the prompts in a comment. Next week’s prompts are at the bottom of this post.

1. My favorite makeup item is …
BB cream. I currently use L’Oreal Magic Skin BB Cream in light/medium and it works great for coverage and sunscreen. It has a white beady texture that goes on smooth and blends to match my skin tone. I’ve tried several CC creams but haven’t found one I like. Do you use CC cream? If so, what brand do you like best? I wear minimal makeup but I need some coverage for my unevenness and blemishes. I wear sunscreen every day, whether I put on makeup or not.

2. The best book I’ve ever read was ____ because …
The Organic God by Margaret Feinberg because it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. My aunt gave me a copy of the book after she read it with a book club knowing it was something I’d enjoy. I loved it so much that I sent Margaret an email through her website, never imagining I’d get a reply, thanking her for writing such a beautiful piece of literature. Eight years later, I’ve read every book Margaret has written, listened to her speak at multiple conferences and Christian events, and blessed to call her my friend, mentor, and confidant. Any time she travels to the Dallas or Fort Worth area, she always calls and invites me to whatever event, seminar, TV appearance, or conference she is speaking at. I’m also a big fan of her super-tall husband, Leif, and super-pup, Hershey.

3. My favorite TV show is …
Wheel of Fortune, hands down. I’ve watched it, as well as NBC Nightly News since I was a young child. I can remember watching the local and national news while playing in my play pen and Mom cooking dinner. During dinner, we’d watch Wheel of Fortune and try to guess the puzzle before the contestants. I still yell out the puzzle answer to this day! And I still watch the local and national news while I cook supper. Hold habits are hard to break … and some I don’t want to go away.

4. The most spontaneous thing I’ve ever done is …
gone to Port-au-Prince, Haiti not once, but twice for mission trips. I was scheduled to go on a third trip last October but I was seven months pregnant! Serving and volunteering are at the core of my soul and it warms my heart to be a part of something much larger than I. Going on mission trips, whether it’s to Haiti or Oklahoma, is more of a blessing to me than I am a blessing to others. I have learned what it means to have a servants’ heart and to live simply and without excess. I am beyond blessed and truly believe to whom much is given, much is required.

5. I prefer DOGS/CATS because …
I really don’t have a preference. I was raised with dogs and cats, both inside and outside, and love them both. I want a Basset Hound one of these days and wouldn’t mind a cat either. One of the many things I love about going ‘home’ to Kentucky is spending time with all my parents’ pets. They have three cats (Miss Fit, Janie, and Ervin) and five dogs (Tess, Case, Ben, Cracker, and Speck). In a few weeks, they’ll have a red heeler puppy.

6. I met my significant other …
online before it was cool or popular. We started chatting (instant messaging and emailing) in July 2002, I heard his voice when he called me on my birthday (December), and we met face-to-face in February 2003 when he flew to Louisville, Kentucky for the weekend. He came back to Kentucky in May to meet my parents and I went to Texas in July to celebrate his birthday and meet his family. In August, I accepted a full-ride scholarship to Lamar University in Beaumont to play collegiate golf and we were finally living in the same state, albeit four hours and 300 miles apart. In 2004, I transferred to TAMU-Commerce and for the first time in our long-distance relationship, we lived less than 30 minutes apart. We still only saw each other on the weekends, but it was amazing to be that close after being so far apart for so long. I graduated in May 2006, we moved to Fort Worth in October, got married in March 2007 and bought our home in September. In December 2013, we welcomed our sweet boy, Kamden. Online relationships are not for the faint of heart and neither are long-distance ones. They take an incredible amount of dedication and commitment, not to mention patience and maturity.

Now it’s your turn. Answer these prompts in a post on your own blog or, if you do not have a blog, simply add your responses in a comment. Join us next Wednesday for another round of Finish This where we’ll answer the prompts below!

Prompts for WEEK 17 (April 30) are:
My last growing pain was…
I grow and nurture…
The guilt-free snack I enjoy most…
The best reason to stay up all night…
If I were stranded on a desert island, I’d…