red wine. and a single thought.

I'm sitting at my make-shift desk in my cozy living room. NCIS is on in the background. My cute little pup is walking around the table, sniffing everything in her path. And licking my face. I have a pile of laundry on my zebra-print couch. I have pictures that need to be hung on my slate-gray walls. I have a glass of red wine to my left. And a semi-cold cup of Starbucks Grande Americano. (I love that the Starbucks guy always calls me "flower".) I'm wearing my new skinny black jeans and my brown flat boots. I'm typing this on my hot pink laptop, while my iPhone with its hot pink cover sits next to me...beckoning me to check my Facebook or Twitter one more time. This is my little life. I feel as though you need to know this inside information--for me to paint you a picture of my surroundings; my environment. You see, God is calling me for a grander purpose. Something larger than my little life. Something that I can do with the gifts He has given me, to glorify the Kingdom even more. So things are about to get personal. Real personal. Today and more days to come.

I went to a Bible study tonight at church--my first in a long time. We watched a video with Priscilla Shirer. And things she said spoke to me in ways that only the Holy Spirit can reach. I've been struggling with this thing for a while now. This one thing. And finally today...on the fourth day of this new year...I've found peace. And a new calling. For the past 24 hours, God has been trying to tell me something. In my waking thoughts--it my sleeping dreams. During my yoga meditation (yes, I do yoga on Mondays. don't ask me about my Downward Facing Dog). Through my dear friend Mary, even though she has no idea what she said to point me in this direction. Crap, even I don't know. The power of God is in me....and I'm ready for this journey.

The one thing I've been struggling with....is being single. I'm 28 years old and single. S.I.N.G.L.E. I spell it out for you because I feel you need to understand the importance of this. Understand the importance of this season of my life. I always thought I would find the man I was supposed to marry in college--get married--have babies--quit work--have more babies--be happy and married (with a giant rock on my finger...c'mon now, let's be honest). But alas, that is not my life. That isn't even close to my life. It never has been. And the single life isn't as glamorous as Carrie Bradshaw would lead you to believe. Sometimes it down right sucks. It sucks having to have your parents as your emergency contact people. It sucks worrying about where your next date will come from...or your next NCMO :). It sucks being on one income, paying all your own bills with just one income. And yet, still having to live up to the same expectations as all your married "coupled" friends. Yes, there are definitely some upsides to this singlehood--but they are shortlived. Yes, I can pick up and leave whenever I want (after I drop Yankee off at my parents). Yes, I am independent...I know I can support myself and I know that my life is not dependant on someone else. These are all important lessons. But c'mon...who wants to learn lessons all the time?

So what is my realization, you ask? Good question. One single thought. Are you ready? Seriously, are you?

Being single is the season of my life right now. And this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

As a Christian, I know that God never gives me more than I can handle. This knowledge is good to know when you're going through a rough time...but why do we look at being single as a rough time? As a Christian, I should know that God always puts me exactly where I need to be. Even better? He has prepared me for this season of my life. I am 100% prepared for this journey. Why does it take us such a long time to understand the simplest of lessons?

So here's what I know. I am single. Because I am single, I am somewhat an expert on this topic. I am outspoken. I have an opinion about everything and nine times out of ten, you will know my opinion. I seriously view my outspoken nature as a gift. And lastly, I love God. WIth my heart. Mind. Soul. Strength. Have you put two and two together yet? I am feeling very much led to be a voice for us single, Christian woman. I am feeling led to educate you on how we feel when we hear sermons telling us that we should be married. I am feeling led to enlighten your world on our thoughts. Our struggles. Our victories. Our lives. We love the Lord. We want to serve him. And if I'm being honest...Proverbs 31 gets on our nerves (or maybe that's just me). We're independent. We're vocal. We're honest. We're trying to be content, no matter the circumstances. Stories about Ruth (being "redeemed" by a man) and Mary/Martha (being a hostess with the mostess) kind of drive us crazy. We are strong. And we are a revolution.

Welcome to my journey. I hope you enjoy the ride.

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twenty ten. resolutions. bring it.

I honestly can NOT believe this year is almost over. The older I get (and obviously, more mature I get), the quicker time flies. This year has been a complete roller coaster, but I'm so glad God granted me the ride. (don't worry...the year in review is coming...shortly.)

2009 was the very first year that I seriously maintained and kept most of my New Year's resolutions. I feel very accomplished with this. And it is inspiring me to make some awesome resolutions for twenty ten. For a recap of last year's... read here. In 2009, I ran a marathon. I did it!! Even now, two months later, it is still hard for me to believe that I actually did it. But I did! Twenty ten is going to be a crazy year with the elections and everything, so I don't think I'll get a marathon in this year...but I'm going to run a couple halves. In 2009, Burgess and I officially launched Shortcake for 2! We did a few craft shows, learned a lot, and launched our own Etsy site. (http://shortcakefor2.etsy.com). I think twenty-ten will be even better for us and our little business. But most importantly, I'm so loving the fact that I get to do something I love with my most favorite person in the world (my sister...in case you were wondering). In 2009, I made a career move and I'm loving every minute of it. I left Cincinnati and the horrible memories/experiences that were there and threw myself back into the wonderful world of Indiana politics. I love my fundraising job. I love working for the Chamber. I love being back in Indy.

Anyway...the twenty-ten resolutions are exciting--for me at least. Are you ready for this? Here we go:
#1. Learn how to sew. I got a sewing machine for Christmas and I'm so stoked about this. If you know me, you know I'm a slave to fashion (hello...Vogue and InStyle are literally my moral compass). I'm so excited to be able to make my own clothes, design my own look, and just make awesome wears!! I'm going to tackle the sewing machine this weekend for the first time and make a stellar t-shirt blanket. I literally have hundreds (maybe not that many) of t-shirts from high school (Go Dragons!), travel softball tournaments (Indy Attack baby), and Purdue (Boiler up!). I can't bring myself to get rid of them, so I'm going to sew them up nice in a blanket. Stay tuned for pictures.

#2. Travel more. Adrianne and I are already planning a rad road trip this summer. We're renting a Winnabego and driving to some of the most random places in the US. I'm so excited about this! Don't worry, we will have a video camera to document all of the most random moments of our trip. This is probably the thing I love best about Adrianne--most of my most funny and random memories include her. I love that she's in my life--she's literally one of the best people in the world. And a super friend. We are also planning a trip to some place relaxing after the November elections. I wanna go to Vegas--neither one of us are gamblers, but we are shoppers. And we love laying out by the pool. And we've never been to Vegas. So there you go. Also, my cousin is studying abroad in Hong Kong next fall. I'd love to go visit her...I want to go back to Asia so badly and I would love to spend time with my Katie while doing it!

Which leads me to...

#3. Reconnect with my family. If you know me at all, you know my family (Hicks side..holla) is crazy. Hilarious in a "I can't make this stuff up" kind of way. Do to family drama and circumstances beyond my control, we've all become very disconnected. So I'm taking it upon myself to bridge the gap. Katie and Ali have recently come back into mine and Burgess's lives and it couldn't be sweeter. I have this great vision for twenty-ten: to reunite all the Hicks Girls (there are 8 of us for goodness sake) and all the Hicks baby boys (8 Hicks Girls = 5 "Hicks" baby boys. Seriously. I must be destined for boys...). I pray that the Lord grant me the patience and forgiveness and serenity to accomplish this.

#4. Make a name for myself. This is vague. And I don't really know what it means...but this is just on my heart to do this year. Stand out. Be the woman that God created me to be. I have so many creative ideas in my head...and I know that they were put there for a reason. So I just need to do it. I'm an outspoken individual. It's high-time I made use out of that. I have so many opinions. It's about time I made them known (to people outside of my friends and family). This is just my prayer for twenty-ten...we'll see what God does with it.

What about you?? Any resolutions for this awesome new year?

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mini photo shoot

My girl Kaitlyn Meeks (who is one of the best photographers in the land) came over last week to snap some photos of my crochet wears. I really want to get some "professional" pictures of my stuff and I knew Kaitlyn was the girl to do it. (I personally feel you are more attracted to things if the pictures are good.)

While Kaitlyn was over, she snapped some pictures of me and Yankee (aka the Doodlebug). I LOVE how these turned out. It's funny--as I look at these pictures, and then look at pictures from this time last year, I feel I've changed so much. So much in my life has changed, but I didn't think I looked any different. Wow...the hair is long!!

Anyway, thanks Kaitlyn for being so great.

xoxo

Kelby

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Twilight Party!

Call me 13. Call me a teeny bopper. Call me whatever you want. I don't even care!! But I LOVELOVELOVE Twilight!! Love it. Love the books. Love the cheesy, stupid movie. Love it! (IF you don't believe me, read here.) The best part? My friends not only support this addiction of mine, they encourage it. And they lovelovelove Twilight too!!

Sooo, in honor of the New Moon movie coming out this week (btw, we all have tickets to the New Moon premiere in Indy on Wednesday. Yup, two days before it opens. That's how we roll), I hosted a Twilight Party at my home last night!!

I got TONS of ideas from random internet searching, and the party was awesome!! Everything was red/black/silver themed. Included the punch.

We had chicken enchiladas for dinner (recipe courtesy of my sister!)...because that's a meal that Bella served Charlie one night.

I made sparkly red apple cupcakes to go with the whole apple/Twilight book cover theme. They are delish (Red Delicious and just plain yummy).

No party is complete without party favors!!! (Seriously. I don't think I've met a theme that I didn't love!) I made red/black flowered gloves for everyone, along with bright RED lipstick and nail polish. The gloves are in case anyone ran into Edward or any of the Cullen gang. They are, after all, cold vampires. One must wear gloves to keep warm.

I know, everyone is on Team Edward. I, however, am on Team Emmett. Love me some Emmett. Plus, I have three favorite scenes in the Twilight movie.

#1. When the Cullens are walking into the cafeteria for the first time.

#2. When Jacob and Bella are on the La Push beach and he says, "It's just an old, scary story."

#3. Thunderball. When Rosalie whispers to Bella "That's my Monkey Man." LOVE IT!

Mandy, however, is on Team Jacob. So she was sporting her La Push gear.

Addie is edible art. Always the artist, that girl.

Sarah loves Thunderball too!!

And Lily, sweet Lily, is Renesme! Isn't she so stinking cute holding that apple?! Good to know Sarah is starting the Twilight obsession early!!!







I think it has been decided that this is the FIRST annual Twilight party. Sweet!!!! So excited for all of the movies and the movie premiere tomorrow! Holla!!!

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Our Etsy site is up!!

http://shortcakefor2.etsy.com.

It's up. It's running. You can buy stuff on it. It's ah-mazing!!!

We will be posting more pictures throughout this week...but this is a great way to get a jump-start on your Christmas shopping!! Don't forget...ANYTHING can be customized in a color that you prefer! We will work with you to make sure you are in love with your item!

We're just two sisters who love to make stuff. :)

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26.2 miles. On foot. Here we go.

Finally, some pictures of the marathon! Sorry, some of them are not the best. And if you want the full recap of race day... read here.

Packet pick-up/Expo day. Bib #9874! woohoo! (everyone who was working at the Expo were Marines. It was so neat! They would walk past my dad and say "oo-rah sir!" I love it!!)

This is what 26.2 miles looks like on a wall. Yup, looks far even here.

Miles...the Marine Corps Marathon mascot.

How cute is he!?!? Dad was stationed at miles 17 and 19 (the Memorial Mall). Mom was at miles 10, 16 and 22. It was great! The first half (13.1 miles) I felt great...but I definitely needed the motivation from miles 16 on. It was so fun looking for the yellow signs and finding my parents. If you ever have anyone you know running a race, go out and support them! It does more than you could every imagine!

This is at mile 10. I'm still smiling. I felt GREAT here!!! Little did I know how the remaining 16.2 miles would be.

After the marathon. Using my Dad to help me stand.

Post marathon, waiting for the metro. I'm smiling but I can barely move. I'm gripping on my Mom for dear life.

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Washington DC and Baltimore

Yes, I chose to run my very first marathon in Washington DC just because of all the sights. I lovelovelove politics and I lovelovelove this country and I lovelovelove DC. I love the fact that I can go see these monuments and get choked up and feel tons of emotion. I love that these monuments were built in honor of people who loved this country so much that they were willing to make HUGE personal sacrifices for it. I hate that the average American citizen has lost this feeling of pride and patriotism for our homeland. Our motherland. Our country. So DC is a mecca of sorts for me. It feels amazing being so immersed in our culture while you're there. Everywhere you turn, everywhere you look, you are 100% surrounded by American pride. And I absolutely love everything about it. I joke with my sister that DC is her Disneyland. But I think that holds true for me as well. If you cannot have pride in your past, you cannot have pride in your future. You cannot know where you're going until you know where you've been. And that is what I love so very much about DC.

I flew out to Baltimore the Wednesdsay night before my race. Mom and Dad were staying on Fort Meade (thanks to my Dad for being D.O.D. it's a perk.). On Thursday, we took the metro into DC so that I could see some of the sights. Mom's family is from Virginia--some live in Fairfax and very close to the DC area. It had been awhile since I had been a tourist in our Nation's capitol and I was so excited! There were just a few sights I wanted to hit. I had to go see the WWII memorial. My granddaddy was a WWII vet--Battle of the Buldge where he earned his Purple Heart. He passed away last fall and his death is still very fresh. My family is tried and true American soldiers and I love that. Granddaddy was Army. Poppie, my Dad's dad, was Navy. Mom and Dad were both Army. Patriotism isn't an option for us. It's in our blood. And I love it. I have some very vivid memories of my Granddaddy talking about Army stuff. He didn't talk WWII a lot, but he always had a hat on or a pin or something representing his love of this country. I cannot tell you how proud I am that my granddaddy served our country in the war. One of my memories from his funeral was the playing of Taps, and everyone saluting his casket. Or the Army medallions on the corners of it--one of which my Mom kept. So going to the WWII memorial was the first thing I wanted to do. I wanted to see it. I wanted to go to the kiosk and search for my sweet Granddaddy's name. I wanted to read the quotes engraved on the limestone that spoke of a level of patriotism that my generation is quickly forgetting.

From the WWII memorial, I had to see Lincoln. Being a Republican, this is a sight that every elephant-loving, conservative must gaze upon. I also wanted to go to the Capitol. Spending as much time as I did in and around the Indiana legislature, I wanted to go see it on a grander scale.

Dad was (and is) still recovering from his knee replacement surgery in August. So he let me and Mom just go off on our own to see some things while he rested or read a book (or tried to locate a Starbucks for me!).

Walking from the WWII memorial towards Lincoln.

My mom, her cousin Deborah and I golfing. The golf course where we played had some AMAZING views of the monuments from just about every hole. It was a great pre-marathon destresser.

WWII Memorial with Washington in the background.

Since we were staying at Fort Meade, Baltimore was only a hop, skip and a jump away. I had never spent time there and I love exploring new cities. So we went down to the Harbor for the day. I was carbo-loading but also wanted some serious seafood! (I HEART crabcakes!) While we were there, I shopped (shocking!) and then we toured the USS Constellation, which was a ship used during the Civil War for anti-slave trade. I love history and this ship had 4 levels that you could explore. I loved it!

Me and my dad. Love this man.

Me and my mom with the USS Constellation in the background. I love that we are fun travel buddies!

My Granddaddy's picture at the WWII memorial. He was so handsome. (I cried.)

We love selfies!

At the WWII memorial. Gotta represent the Promised Land :)

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