Hey, remember that time when I said I was probably going to fail this? Oops! Wedding planning, work, bachelorette weekend, two showers, and life got the best of me, but, I’m back! For now.

Five things that bring you joy.

Confession: I had plenty of time to do this post when it was the day to write it, and the next, and the next, but I avoided it because I just didn’t want to. I wasn’t feeling joyous and didn’t want to write about joy so I avoided it. And then life got busy. Good news! I’m no longer feeling that way. Joy has returned! The culprit: busyness convincing me I didn’t have time for Jesus. Gets me every time. Joy is restored and now I’ll tell you things that bring me joy!

1. Time with Jesus. The list could end here really. Joy comes from above! The other things I will list do give me joy, but even they don’t bring me joy if I’m not connected to the true source of joy. NECESSARY! I’m desperately dependent on Jesus for helping me see joy in all of life.
2. William. I mean it’s cheesy but true. He makes me laugh more than anyone else. He reminds me that I need Jesus. He loves me so well and by doing so reminds me that my Heavenly Father loves me. Doing life with him brings me joy. Hanging out with him in our house brings me joy. Doing things for him like cooking and packing his lunch and praying for him brings me joy. The fact that I get to marry him in 22 days and spend forever with him brings me JOY!
3. FALL! You know this. But for real. All of it. Decorations even if it’s hot. Seeing pumpkins in the store. All the scents. The glimpses of fall on the horizon via early morning temperatures, the coolness of the shade (way cooler than summer shade), and the less humidity. All the pumpkin-y goodness. Falling leaves. The clothes. The shoes. The scarves. Scarecrows. Thanksgiving. And that it all just perfectly leads to CHRISTMAS! Constant and instant joy galore.
4. Cooking/baking and anything related to it. I love the kitchen. I love kitchen supplies (had a Pampered Chef shower this weekend and officially obsessed with all things Pampered Chef now too). Cooking for people. Baking for people. Recipies. I LOVE IT ALL!
5. Knowing people and being known by them. I LOVE truly knowing people. Knowing that they don’t like onions or olives or peppermint flavored things. Knowing their favorite color. Knowing about their family and best friends. Knowing their favorite foods. Knowing how they like their coffee (or that they don’t like it at all). Knowing them enough to pick out a perfectly personal gift. Knowing what makes them happy, what brings them joy. Knowing the scars on their heart. I just love really knowing people.

Create a playlist. What are you listening to now? What encourages you? Holiday favorites?

In the mornings I listen to a worship music playlist either on my iPhone or my Amazon Prime streaming music. I usually listen to that at work too, but I have now started listening to my Spotify Christmas playlist (394 songs and counting) that I’ve been building on for three years. On the way home from work I usually scan local radio stations – the top 40 pop one, the best of the 80s, 90s, and now one, and the two country ones (trying to like country at least a little since the soon to be hubby likes or listen to music I’ve purchased or downloaded via Amazon Prime Streaming.

Worship music encourages me, sets my mind and heart in the right place, and helps me not leave space for sin and temptation to easily invade. I really do try to listen to it A LOT. I don’t think there is a magic formula, but for me it helps me think about worthy things and fight thoughts of unworthy things. “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8) Music about Jesus and what He’s done for is my go-to. And even though all Christmas music isn’t holy, Christmas music does the same for me because even if the world doesn’t acknowledge it, Christmas is about Jesus being born to die so that we could live.

Here’s some of my current favorites from all the categories of music I listen to:

Radio Pop:
Can’t Stop The Feeling – Justin Timberlake
Treat You Better – Shawn Mendes
My House – Flo Rida
Lost Boy – Ruth B

Radio Country:
Comeback Kid – The Band Perry
Peter Pan – Kelsea Ballerini
Vice – Miranda Lambert

My Music:
The Best Day – Taylor Swift
Everything – Michael Buble
Crazy – Ben Rector
Diamonds – Johnnyswim
Brand New – Ben Rector
Home – Michael Buble
Live While You’re Young – Johnnyswim
Million Years Ago – Adele

Christmas:
I Heard the Bells – North Point Christmas
Dawn is Breaking – North Point Christmas
Unto Us – North Point Christmas
Hallelujah – North Point Christmas
O Holy Night – North Point Christmas
Christmas Saved Us All – Jon McLaughlin
The First Noel – Lady Antebellum
God With Us – All Sons and Daughters
Hark the Herald Angels Sing – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
Away in a Manger – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
Merry Christmas Tonight – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
What Are You Doing New Years Eve – Johnnyswim
Christmas Day – Johnnyswim
O Come All Ye Faithful – Johnnyswim
O Come Let Us Adore Him – Hillsong Worship
Emmanuel – Hillsong Worship
We Have a Savior – Hillsong Worship
Unto Us – Hillsong Worship
Our King Has Come – Hillsong Worship
Evermore – Phil Wickham
Little Drummer Boy – Phil Wickham
Christmas Time – Phil Wickham
The First Noel – Phil Wickham
Heaven Everywhere – Francesca Battistelli
Christmas Is – Francesca Battistelli
You’re Here – Francesca Battistelli
December 25th – Francesca Battistelli
Christmas Dreams – Francesca Battistelli
Emmanuel Come – Pentatonix (also most versions of this song, North Point, Gloriana, Leona Lewis, Phil Wickam, Hillsong Worship, etc)
This Christmas – Pentatonix
All I Want for Christmas – by everyone (Mariah, Dave Barnes, Michael Buble Justin Beiber, Lady Antebellum, Glee)
I Celebrate the Day – Relient K
Cold December Night – Michael Buble

I mean just to name a “few” favorites that I never get tired of…

Worship (easier to name artists!):
All Sons & Daughters
Amanda Cook
Bethel Music
Hillsong United
Steffany Gretzinger
John Mark McMillan
Lauren Daigle
Shane & Shane

What was your most memorable birthday?

Oh man. This one is hard! I don’t know that I can pick just one…

My 21st birthday was amazing! All my friends dressed like me complete with drawn on star foot tattoos and fake nose studs (I had one at the time).

My 25th birthday was great! I was determined to do something off my bucket list before 25, and riding a train was on that list. My friends and I dressed up in formal dresses, road the train from Hammond, LA to Baton Rouge, LA. Our two guy friends, also dressed up, picked us up in a borrowed  minivan, and we played putt-putt golf and ate a nice restaurant (all in formal attire).

But, I’d have to say my most magical birthday was 31. I hosted a Fairy Garden Party at my house. Everyone brought “fairy” sized food. We had an outdoor fairy movie, Hook, that played on the side of the house. There was a painting station for kids to paint fairy houses. There was a Scrabble table. There were outdoor games for guys to play. There was a photo booth. The decorations were pink and yellow and fun everywhere. I made edible fairy wands (pretzel rods dipped in chocolate and glitter sprinkles), chocolate and glitter sprinkle covered marshmallows on a stick, toadstool skewers (grape tomato halves with cubed cheese sticks), and fairy dust popcorn (kettle corn with edible gold dust). And there were movie watching stations complete with blankets to sit/lay on, blankets to cover up with, bug spray, movie candy, popcorn, etc. It was a blast (and way over the top haha).

Now that summer’s at an end, share a list of favorites from the season!

The summer went by super fast, and as a lover of fall I am NOT sad about that. But let’s see, my favorites from this summer:

Beach vacation with the fiancé and our family and friends.

Hosting a memorial day bbq at our new house for my best friend and her hubby in from out of town and William making ribs, my favorite thing my dad used to make.

Hosting a big family gathering at our new house for July 4th.

TOMATOES, and pretty much an endless supply thanks to William’s granddaddy finding out I liked them.

Hosting a backyard bible club at our house and getting to see teenagers and our friends and family worship and do ministry in our yard.

Pretty Little Liar nights with my friends!

Acquiring a super cute pair of seersucker shorts.

One thing I’m sad about: I didn’t eat a single slice or watermelon!

But other than that to summer I say, BYE!

Wearing my seersucker shorts and white jeans this weekend one last time in honor of your departure. See you next year!

#falliscoming

Share a list of your current goals.

Well, I started out the year with great intentions! See my 2016 Goals post. However, I didn’t plan to fall in love, get married, or get a new house.

My goals changed a bit, but right now this is what I’m working on:

• GET MARRIED! lots of to-do lists come with that one
• drink 4-5 big yeti’s of water a day
• don’t buy ANYTHING that doesn’t qualify as a need (having to pay for a wedding kind of helps with that)
• get completely settled and unpacked in the new house before the wedding (work in progress, but really close!)
• finish reading Tim Keller’s The Meaning of Marriage
• start (and finish) Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
• lose a little bit of weight in my face before wedding pictures
• get back into major meal planning after the wedding
• enjoy and savor every moment of this once in a lifetime season!

My Blogtember Posts 

My good friend Jessica over at Meet the Magnolias inspired me! The 31-days October challenge that I did last year is totally out of the question this year since I’M GETTING MARRIED IN OCTOBER!

Side note: doing the 31-day challenge last year (and not finishing it until JANUARY) was totally meant to be. I reconnected with my soon to be Hubby at the end of December/beginning of January, and reading those posts (which apparently he did before we ever went on our first date) was a major part of what made him fall in love with me.

The Blogtember Challenge seems a little less daunting and way more doable!  I will probably majorly fail at actually getting all of these posted, but it has writing prompts! Amidst the hustle, bustle, and stress of last minute wedding planning, I feel drawn to this project and it’s writing prompts as a good outlet and reason to be still and calm down for a minute. It won’t be fancy. There will most certainly be typos. I probably won’t have pretty graphics (but I might, I like doing that), but I’m gonna attempt to do as many as possible!

I’m already a day late, but here goes nothing!

Introduce Yourself

Most of the people who will read this probably know me, so this will be a reintroduction, but in case you’re new, hey!

I’m Kasia – pronounced Asia with a K. I am 33. I have freckles and red hair (fake, but it should have been real). I am obsessed with fall and most things pumpkin (sometimes they take it too far… chips?! no). I am also proudly obsessed with all things Harry Potter. And as previously mentioned, I am getting married in 1 month and 11 days!

My soon to be husbands name is William Allen Twiner III and you can read our story (and see pictures!) here – The Prequel, here – The Proposal, and here – The Perpetual Blessing.

2016 has been a year FULL of change. I started a new relationship in January, started a new job in February, became a fiance in March,  bought a house with my fiance in May, in July I moved out of the rental house I lived in with my roommates and started living alone (something I haven’t done in A WHILE) in the house we bought that will be our first home, got a new car and said goodbye to one I had for almost 10 years in August AND started going to a new church, and in October I will get a new last name and forever become Mrs. Twiner. It’s been beautiful, but so refining! BEST. YEAR. EVER.

Other fun facts:

Hufflepuff for life (William is a Slytherin, fun combo).
ENFJ to a T.
Self-proclaimed meal planning expert.
Professional list maker.
I want to write a book.
I work in Higher Education and have for 6 years.
I love cooking, baking, organizing cabinets, reading, and writing.
I hate folding/hanging clothes. It’s a problem.
I’m OBSESSED with fall and even have a favorite day that revolves around fall AND I happen to be getting married on that day.
We’re going on our honeymoon to New England and I’m SO excited.
I’m scared of anything even remotely scary.
I have a favorite everything.
I don’t believe in eating foods out of season: soup is for winter/fall, watermelon is for summer.
I am a supporter of the quirky, endearing Southern rules of fashion like not wearing seersucker after Labor Day or before Easter but I’m also a supporter of you making your own rules and wearing whatever you want to.
No TV show will ever replace Gilmore Girls as my favorite.