In my early twenties I was absolutely consumed with meeting the right guy, getting married and having babies.  It was all I thought about.  When I went to the grocery store, the mall, out to eat with friends, etc., I'd wonder if that was the place I'd meet him.  It sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth and I'm certain I'm not alone.  I'd date here and there, but there was nothing promising within those dates.  This went on for some time.  It became frustrating.  I began to question myself by wondering if I were too picky.  I did have a list of things I wanted in a man and didn't stray from the important things.  I wanted a Godly man who loved Jesus more than himself or anyone else, even me.  I didn't want a lazy man because there's just nothing good about that and I also wanted him to want a family.  These are just a few of the things I had on my list.  I believe this list was my saving grace and kept me focused on the important things.

After a while, I got tired of dating.  I'd graduated from college and started my career and was loving it.  I was going different places, I traveled and just really enjoyed "myself".  Though, I still wanted to be married, it wasn't top priority in my thoughts.  I even prayed to the Lord that if it wasn't His will for me to get married, change my desire.  I knew marriage wasn't for everyone when I prayed this and the way everything had gone, I'd rather be single than with the wrong man.  I wanted to be happy in a marriage and divorce was not an option for an easy out when things went wrong.  So, I was no longer searching and no longer actively caring like I did before.  Don't get me wrong, I still wanted to get married, but it didn't consume me.

Not to bore you with all of the details, several years later I married my college sweetheart.  Wait, what!!? I know, I know (we may cover that story in another post).  I will say this; sometimes, things are not meant to happen when you want them to or think they should.  However, in saying that, if you are looking for love, marriage and babies, lol, here's what worked for me.

1. Stop looking! Patience is key. Sometimes when you always looking for someone or something, it's easy to settle.  I look back at some of the guys I dated and know I should have declined the date.  They weren't bad guys (that type wasn't my thing), but they weren't right for me even as a date.

2. Love yourself!  Enjoy being with you, doing the things you enjoy.  If you don't really know what you're into this would be the time to get into hobbies.  If you don't know who you are and what you want, getting into a serious relationship may not be a good thing.

3. Know what you really want in a man and what you don't.  Make that list, girl!  If you love Jesus, you don't want to get with a man who doesn't love or believe in Him. The list can keep you focused on the imporant things and less shallow. It will be harder to settle when you know what you want.  Marriage is a commitment and it's too serious to take lightly.

4.  Have self respect.  I don't care what magazines, talk shows or reality tv tells you/portrays; how you carry yourself and how you dress will determine who you attract.  Carry yourself like you're a diamond and you will be treated like one.  Dress the way you carry yourself.  You don't have to show off your assets (if you know what I mean).  I'm not saying you need to dress like the women on 'Little House On The Prairie', but you don't need to show the goods to catch a man. Now, there will forever be jerks in the world, but you don't want to be a magnet to all of them.  I promise you; self respect, self respect, self respect.

If you're looking for "The One", "Mr. Right" or the "Love Of Your Life" and what you've been doing hasn't been going well, I hope that the things that worked for me will help and give you a few things to think about and consider.  Everyone has there own love story, so always be willing to share what worked for you with others. I'd love to hear your thoughts and your stories, so feel free to leave a comment.

Thank you so much for visiting me here.  I really appreciate it!

XOXO,

Nae

It's just something about Valentine's Day that makes us want to go all out, especially when it comes to preparing for that date night with our husband or boyfriend.  That's fine, but you don't always have to do that with your makeup.  It can be simply done, but look so beautiful and elegant at the same time.  Sometimes with makeup doing a little can have a bigger impact.  Also, with most men, when you don't wear as much makeup it makes you appear more confident and because of that, more attractive.

On my eyes, I combined a light and medium pink eyeshadow right above the lid.  Above the outer side of the upper lid and onto the outer corner of the lid, I added a burgundy shade of eyeshadow.  I blend each shadow in as I go so that the shadows appear seamless.  On the mid portion of my lid and all the way to the inner corner I added a bronze shade, and this shade just adds a gorgeous focal point to this look. I added a black eye liner onto the upper and lower waterline of my eyes.  I then took the light pink eyeshadow on a thin makeup brush and blended it onto my lower lash line.  I added the medium pink and did the same as with the lighter pink.  With the burgundy shadow I only added it to the outer corner to combine with the makeup on the upper lid and blended out to the mid portion of my lower lash line.  I added a very natural looking, light weight, thin banned false lash to my eyes, but this is very optional.  A good black eyeliner on both top and bottom lashes can create a similar result.  I used a black mascara for my lower lash to complete the eye look.

On  my face, I used a powder foundation.  I lightly contoured my jaw line, cheekbones and forehead and blended it all out.  Then I used a rose colored blush on my cheeks to give a very natural finish. I added a champagne colored highlight to my upper cheek bones, the bridge and tip of my nose, as well as my upper lip area (cupids bow) and the mid portion of my forehead.  This gives a subtle, yet natural glow to my skin.

For my lips, I combined a dark brown and a pink lip liner to outline my lips.  I filled them in lightly with both lip liners and used a rose colored lipstick to complete my lips.

Products Used: Tarteist Pro Palette (chic, mod & drama), Revolution Vivid Baked Bronzer (for lids), Loreal Pencil Perfect Eyeliner in Carbon Black, Evoke Lashes in style Chris, MAC False Lash Extreme Black mascara, MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NC43, Wet N Wild Baton De Maquillage Contour in #805 Call Me Maple,Milani Rose D'Oro Baked Blush, Colourpop Super Cheek in Flexitarian

If you've been looking for a simpler and gorgeous approach to your Valentines Day look this year, then I hope this ends your search.  Thanks for stopping by!  I truly appreciate it.

XOXO,

Nae

It's easy to have goals, but it can be a bit tricky to achieve them depending on what they are and if they're long term or short term.  I have 5 ways that have worked  for me even when road blocks occur.

I hope this gave you another point of view on how to achieve your goals.  It's never easy to wait on something you want so badly, but oh, how sweet the reward is when you see how all of your patience and hard work has paid off.

Thanks so much for spending a little bit of your time here. I really appreciate it!

XOXO,

Nae

If you've been telling yourself, "I'll never get out from under my bills" or I'll never be debt free; STOP IT!  When my husband and I first got married, were in debt with school loans and credit cards.  Not too long after we married, we had a medical emergency and of course there was another bill to add to the mix.  Talk about overwhelming.  OMG, it felt like falling into a dark hole where there is no light to lead you out of it.  For me, being in debt is the worse feeling I've ever felt and I'm certain my husband felt the same way.  I can honestly say, that we weren't living life freely the way everyone should live.

After several years, the church we were members of at that time offered a class called "Financial Peace University."  My husband and I knew we needed help and something needed to be done financially.  We knew we just couldn't keep living this way.  Though we knew we needed to do something, we had our reservations about this class. Would it really help us with the mess we put ourselves in; how much of our mess would we have to talk about, etc. Despite all of our reservations, the need to take care of our situation became more important.  We signed up for the class, and without a doubt made one of the best decisions of our lives.

Dave Ramsey is the creator of Financial Peace University.  He's a well known financial advisor and author.  When it comes down to it, his program just makes total sense.  In this program, you learn how to get out of debt and how to save money at the same time. You learn to continuously add to that savings and keep building it (he calls it the emergency fund) up, so if there is an emergency, you're ready financially. This course teaches you how to get out of financial stress and move into a comfortable, peaceful financial situation. You also learn the best order in which to pay your bills. 
This course isn't rocket science and having this tool to take you step by step to lower your debt is so powerful.  It definitely can take time depending on your level of debt.  The most important thing is to start.  Don't go another year going further into the pit hole that debt is.

What I learned from "Financial Peace University":
1. I don't apply for credit cards - It's so easy to get sucked into a new credit card especially while shopping.  "You can get 15% or 20% off your perchase.  I just say "Thank you, but "No" thank you!"
2. I don't buy whatever I want, even if I can afford it.  Sometimes I just tell myself, "Not today."  One reason for this is that it really stops me from getting things I might not actually use and it also is an example to what I always tell my kids, "If it's meant for you to have, it'll be there."
3. Be ready to give. Having money isn't all about me or my family, so it's important to be ready to give and help others all year long. We know we can't help everyone, but we want to be prepared for whoever God calls us to assist.

Are we completely debt free, nope, but we're in control and have gotten down to just a few major things.  We're continuously saving, paying things on time and feeling so blessed to be able to do so.  If you're carrying the weight of your debts and are looking for a way to live life the way it should be lived, head over to www.daveramsey.com  That program will guide you to that light at the end of the tunnel. Though, there are other financial programs out there, I can only vouch for what worked for us. My point is to find something you feel comfortable using and get it going. 2018 has just begun, so it's the perfect time to attack your debt in an easy to follow format, learn to be smart with your money and ultimately live a life that's debt free. You can do it!!!!

XOXO,

Nae