Weekend Recap

This past Thursday (January 26th) was my 22nd birthday, and I spent the weekend with some of my best friends at Surfside Beach. Luckily for me my long weekend started on Thursday.

Thursday evening I headed to my sisters house to play with my new nephew Caleb and have a very small family birthday dinner. My parents picked up food from my favorite restaurant and after dinner we all spent time talking and playing with fighting over who gets to hold the baby. I stayed at my sister's house that night and got a bunch of sweet baby cuddles all night!

Friday morning- I slept wayyy too late. Got lunch, and started packing for my weekend with my friends! We made it to the beach around 3:30 and went straight to the grocery store to get groceries for the weekend. By the time we got back to the beach house, and put the groceries away, it was supper time! For dinner this night we order pizza from California Pizza! So yummy! Then everyone sang happy birthday to me and we ate a homemade caramel that my Grandma made for me! After that we all just hung around the house and played card games!





























Saturday morning we all woke up and cooked a big breakfast complete with eggs, grits, bacon, and toast. We got ready and a few of us went off to do a ocean front helicopter ride. Side note: I have ALWAYS wanted to do this, and never have, so this weekend I was able to do it with some of my closest friends! I was a little scared at first, but it was SO much fun! I will definitely be doing the longer helicopter tour this Summer when I go back to the beach with my family! After the helicopter ride, we headed off to the Market Commons, which is an upscale outdoor shopping area with shops, restaurants, bars, and Town-homes. While we were there I spotted the spa, and if you know me, you know I love a good massage, so I treated myself to a 60 min long massage and it was FABULOUS. Probably one the best I have ever had!

For dinner Saturday night we ate at Yamato's Japanese Steakhouse at Broadway at the Beach and it was fantastic. Japanese food is one of my favorites! It was pretty late when we got done eating, so we headed back to the beach house to hang out! The girls baked cookies- and we all hung around chatting and playing cards! It was a perfect night!

Sunday morning came to soon- and off we were back home! I went straight to my aunt's house to celebrate my Grandma's birthday with my family! Sunday night I headed back to Clemson (Gooo Tigers!!!!!)  to begin a new week!

I had a great birthday weekend with my friends, and I'm already looking forward to my 23rd birthday trip next year!


xoxo

Steph

trusting His time

This stage of life is hard. SO hard. Growing up is hard people - just plain hard. This stage of life is filled with many new friendships, heart breaks, new loves, chapter endings, and new beginnings, but its hard.

I'm 22 years old, so I'm young - I have my whole life ahead of me right? It doesn't always feel that way. In fact 70% of the time I feel like I'm running out of time. Trying to decide on a career in time, find a husband in time, get married in time, have children in time. But what's the rush?

We live in a Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook-filled world. Everything is on social media, and though social media is great, we can sometime become so obsessed with it that we forget who we want to be, and we start striving to be someone else. I know for me, Pinterest is my weakness. I could scroll through Wedding Pinterest boards for hours. Looking at the perfect engagement rings, dresses, decorations, and I find that I want that NOW. I pick out the perfect house, bedrooms, backyards, my future children's rooms, clothes, and I want that all NOW.

This is the time of life when I have friends that are getting engaged/married, having children, starting a new chapter in life, and I can't help but feel jealous sometimes. Since I can remember, I have wanted to get married young and have children. I thought my time for all of that would be soon (until a devastating break-up happened 6 months ago). I had everything worked out in my time; when I was going to graduate college, get engaged, get married, have children. I thought it was perfect in my eyes. I had MY plan, MY time-frame.

It's taken me a lot of time, finding myself, and a whole lot of praying to realize that God's timing is perfect. Way more perfect than the "perfect" time-frame I had for my life. No, I may not be married at 22, graduate college in 3 years, or have 3 children before I am 30, but no matter what, I know and trust that God's timing is always perfect!

XOXO

Stephanie

Caleb Byrnes Todd

"Every good and perfect gift is from above." James 1:7

Monday, January 16th 2017 at 6:35 p.m. the most precious baby boy was born weighing 7 lbs 9 oz and 20" long, and I am lucky enough to be his aunt! How cool is that?! Caleb, you have me wrapped around you teeny tiny finger already! 

I always knew I had an awesome big sister, but after being with her Monday through the whole labor and delivery process, she is def my biggest role model! Anna, has gone through a lot to get little Caleb here - a couple years of fertility issues, a miscarriage, and then out of the blue with no medication Anna found out she was pregnant!!!! I will never forget the day she called me to tell me she was pregnant - I was sitting in my car at our local Bojangles eating breakfast before work (nothing unusual) and she called and I could just hear it in her voice and then she told me! I was SO excited! As soon as we got off the phone I cried and cried, happy tears of course! I don't think I will ever forget that morning. It goes to show that God is good and He is faithful, always. 

Anna was sick most of her pregnancy and not just in the morning- she had ALL day sickness (no exaggeration.) After about 22 weeks (I think?- somewhere around then) she started getting better, which was a relief to us all! Throughout her pregnancy and all the sickness she endured, she never failed to give me a million reasons of why I am so proud to be her little sister!

Anna found out the gender of her baby in July- and from then on I went into full baby-shopping mode! Luckily - or should I say not so lucky for my bank account, I work at a women and children's boutique, so I was able to stock up on baby clothes right away! 

Before we knew it, January was here! Caleb's birth month! His due date was January 15th, and Caleb Byrnes made his grand arrival Monday the 16th, and it couldn't have been more perfect. I spent the whole day at the hospital anticipating his arrival - I was SO excited! When the time got closer and we all had to exit the room, my emotions went crazy! I was not only so excited that any minute I would have a brand new nephew, but I was also super proud of my sister, and thanking God for blessing Anna, and us with this precious baby! 

Our whole family was there; my parents, Kevin's (my brother-in-law) parents, K.C. and Kaden (Caleb's big brothers), and myself! We actually stood in the hallway outside of Anna's room and we were able to hear Caleb first cries. It. Was. Incredible. We were all bursting with excitement! Not too much longer we were all able to go in the room to see Caleb - and goodness he is literally PERFECT! I know I am probably biased, but really y'all - he is a beautiful baby! Both Anna and Caleb did great! 

Caleb is a blessing from God - no doubt about that! I love him so much already, and I am still so amazed at awesome God is! I can't wait to watch Caleb grow! Caleb- I will always be one of your biggest fans!

"God is Faithful." Psalm 36:5

xoxo

Stephanie 

Hey Y'all!

Hey y'all and welcome to my blog Stepping with Faith. For years now, I have wanted to start a blog, but could never think of a good name, and I finally found one that is perfect for me! I am absolutely NOT an experienced blogger, but I am super excited to see what God has in store for me and my new blog!

I decided on the name Stepping with Faith, because in my life, and well life in general, there are always steps. Whether it be stepping out of your comfort zone, stepping up to lead, stepping back when needed, and even literal steps in and out of places, I always try to step with faith. 

XOXO

Stephanie