Weekend Wrap-Up

After a long, drawn-out, overly dramatic Friday evening (the short story is I am a worry wort, but ok), the Hubs and I grabbed some feel good food (aka Sonic) and headed home. I promptly ate and fell asleep. I had to get my rest for our BIG Saturday...spending time with Dad ( and Mom, sis, and the Hubs) for Dad's 55th Birthday!
Saturday morning, up we got up at 8...errr...6:40 (that's what happens when you pass out at 9...)...the Hubs enjoyed the extra hour and a half of sleep I missed. Anyways, we headed down to eat lunch at The Faded Rose. Dad, Sis, and the Hubs all got the Cajun burger, Mom got a Po'Boy, and I got Shrimp and Grits. Not sure if I've mentioned this, but my one of my food loves (Mexican being at the top) is Seafood. I also really like grits....so adding the two together is AMAZING!
After stuffing our faces, we left and visited some family just to catch up. Around 2, we left and headed to Diamond Be@r Brewery...per Dad's request. Diamond Bear is a local craft brewery that none of us had ever been to until then. We ponied up to the bar to grab a few beverages waiting for the tour. Mom even was able to drink! (There is a long story that goes with that statement...for another day...) We wandered around and looked at Laverne and Shirley (their stainless steel vessels where the good stuff was made)...and all in all had a great time!
We then went back to Mom and Dad's to rest...err for the Hubs to rest...and then made the trip back to our house where I promptly passed out.
Sunday, guess what?!...i couldn't sleep past 6:30 (argh!)..so I got up and hung out with the dogs where we passed out for a 2 hour morning nap. Woke up (Thanks to the alarm!) in time to wake the Hubs up so we could go to church! Pastor had a good sermon on Micah 6:8. I think that is going to be my theme for the upcoming months. After church, we went to my favorite Mexican restauant (I was having withdrawls since it had been over a week since I had had ANY Mexican :(). We made it home and rested the rest of the afternoon/evening. It sure made the waking up at 2:30 AM to no power as well as a normal Monday much more enjoyable. I guess all good weekends must come to an end.....

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Just another day...week in paradise...

Guys, it's 50 degrees outside! I'm not kidding! A week ago it was 14 and cold with snow. The weather change is not outside the norm for here, but feels so weird.

Anyways, the Hubs got a 4 day weekend because of last week's snow. I however got the normal 2 day...Saturday, we went to visit the 'rents to bring them our "old" exercise machine since we got the "new" one. We also went and ate lunch as well as did a little shopping..with really no buying. Sunday, I cleaned a bunch while the Hubs tried to get rid of a cold.

This week so far has been fairly uneventful for us. We did finalize our plans to visit NOLA with some friends in a few weeks. We are also gearing up to go celebrate my dad's birthday (a day late) with my family this weekend! Should be a great visit! Other than that we will spend time loving on our puppies and enjoy our home....

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Just In Case Last Week Wasn't Enough...

The weather decided we needed more snow. We got a couple (the Hubs says 4) inches at our house. Work only got about an inch. The Hubs got a call this morning that he didn't have to go to work. Me...of course, I do. This morning it was raining...seriously. RAIN. And yet schools were cancelled. I guess it was a good thing because by noon the ground was covered. And I was still working. Luckily, one of the men I work with offered to give me a ride home (though the Hubs offered to come pick me up...).

Said gentleman also had a piece of workout equipment I had offered to purchase (for $25!!!)...so we unloaded that into the garage this afternoon. I'm excited to use it! The Hubs is excited that our elliptical/bike will be travelling to my parent's house. Hopefully, they will get more use out of it than I did. I used it a few times, but it definitely didn't get what I expected. Praying this new equipment will....we'll see.

The dogs still are loving the snow...even though they come in shivering. They can't wait to go outside and play eat the snow. I have some good pictures that I'll post soon. Not only did we get snow today, but we are supposed to get snow tomorrow night, Sunday, and Monday....which leaves Saturday as the only non-snow day. We had planned to take the exercise equipment to Mom and Dad on Saturday...it may get post-poned a week. We'll see.

Hope all is well everywhere else! Hope you have a good Friday!!

Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas (er, Southeast Texas) anymore...

Well, after a hot August and a semi-mild fall, winter is here. Yes, it's colder than SE Texas...that hasn't changed. 2" of snow...Definitely not in SE Texas...Definitely a possibility happened here earlier this week...

Sign 1 you have moved out of SE Texas - well there are many, but the first is the Razorback stuff EVERYWHERE!!

Sign 2 - The land has other features besides being flat. Hills and mountains are as foreign to TX as is health food.....I mean, a blizzard.

Sign 3 - You only have to have a license plate on the rear of your car (YAY!!!!) See example of a prettier plate, Texas.

Sign 4 - On a Sunday night (like last), you might look out your window...er...go outside and see this....

And then you might go into your backyard....er...deck and do this....

And you know your dogs have made the transition from being SE Texans....when they do this....

Yes, the dogs LOVE the snow! In fact, we had to bribe them to come in to keep them from freezing...They also enjoy eating the snow... The Hubs also loves the snow, because it kept him home for two days...Snow Days can be fun.....unless you have to work (ME!) while your spouse stays at home (Hubs)! Then, it's not much fun!!! Except that the Hubs took me to work those days! Here's pictures from Monday....

And here's the view from our front porch driveway...

All of this is to say, in the last week, we shed the remaining statements (er...licenses) that we lived in Texas and experienced the Arkansas winter we love and missed! It's been a good week with an enjoyable weekend to wrap it up...Yesterday, we trekked to the "big city" to eat lunch with lil sis before she headed back to college. Then, we went shopping at Home Depot and Academy with mom and dad. Mom and Dad took advantage of us bringing the truck to get their mulch....and the Hubs bought a smoker/charcoal grill with a giftcard Mom and Dad gave him for Christmas. We hung out at Mom and Dad's to finish watching the Hogs BB game and some football. We finally got some energy and headed back home to spend time with the dogs. Today was a lazy day (after a few calls in the night - sister...not work)...but it was nice to just veg.. Now it is time to get ready for a busy week ahead!

Crazy Things of This World

This past weekend was crazy. It made me realize how nothing stays the same.

Saturday, we heard news of the shooting in Tucson. What a sad day for Tucson and the country! It's a sad state we are in, that it took violence to realize that we (America) needs to change. Who of us isn't tired of the politics going on, who of us feels like our voice isn't heard? Violence is never the answer. How desperate (or sick) was this man that he thought the only way was violence? And to kill a 9-year old in the process just makes my brain hurt trying to understand. Understanding this event will be something that is impossible for most of our country. Is there a clear lesson that would have prevented this? Probably not. But moving forward, I truely hope that all Americans (politicians included) learn to communicate, to chose peace over violence and continue to hope for a better place. Whether we agree or disagree on the current craziness that is going on in Washington, we must support those who have been elected. And if we disagree, write letters, have our voices heard, but within the lines of the Constitution and the law.

Sunday, I was catching up on FB and saw a post that I thought was strange. As I investigated, I was blown away. A couple that taught us Sunday School in highschool and whose daughter was our flower girl is divorcing. This makes my heart hurt. The couple was one of those that you looked at and thought they would be one of the ones who would make it. The looks of love that they gave each other were something that as a young adult, I remember thinking - this is what love and life are about. They were role models for us. Not that they shouldn't be anymore. This provides a new struggle. How does a seemingly "perfect" couple decide to divorce? Why does God let this happen? What has this world come to?

And so here I sit...wondering how these changes will affect our lives? And should they affect our lives? The first question is really dependent on the second. Should they affect our lives? Yes, if we want to learn and grow from these situations. But for most, the answer may not be yes. And if the answer is not yes, does this even affect you. Will you be moved to be more loving, to chose peace, to snuggle a little longer with your spouse, to talk a little more instead of becoming engrossed in this crazy, busy world? I know what I want my answer to be....

Is Jonah still stuck in the fish or hidden in his shelter?

So, we made it to church this morning (YAY!) 30 minutes ahead of start time. So what does one do for 30 minutes when it's the second time they have been to the church for service? Well besides say "Hello" to the people we know and be welcomed by others, I flipped open The Hubs' Bible (we only take 1 to service...when we remember...) and flipped around a few times before I hit the book of Jonah. His Bible is a men's devotional and has neat explanations at the beginning of each chapter and occassionally throughout the book.

Anyways, so I read the book of Jonah before church. (This is not written to impress.) I had forgotten how short the book of Jonah was. Anyways, it hit home. How many times are we Jonah? How many times has God called us to do something and we turn away?   Yes, the first part is huge and great teaching tool for kids (and adults).  So often, we get caught up and forget that it's not about US, but about him. The Hubs and I recently dealt/are dealing with this. We moved, but wanted to attend a church like the one we went to at the old place. Our list for a church was long. I'm not kidding....not that the list changed much from when we were looking before, but let's be honest, the old place had a lot more options. Not because it was more in the Bible Belt, it wasn't but because not only did we have our town, but also a larger city near by. Here, we have mainly our town.

We tried four churches (I know that doesn't sound like alot, but it covered the basics around here.).  Church 1 and 2 were the same denomination as the one we had been members of at the old house, but are VERY, very traditional churches. Church 3 is a more contemporary church (more our style), full of diverse people, but a realitively new church...oh and is Southern Baptist. Church 4 is also contemporary church, full of families and diverse people and is kinda a non-denominational church..kinda...it's hard to describe without letting the name out. Anyways, we hadn't really been impressed. Not because they weren't great churches, because they were. They just weren't our church.

When we visited with our old pastor, he made a profound statement that we need to pick a church for it's heart and get involved. That through involvement, we would find ways to make it what we wanted. (Not by force or anything for us, but to bring God's glory to it). I was deeply touched that he thought we could make that big of a difference. However, it brought back the fact that when we moved here, it wasn't just my job that I felt God calling me here for, but something more. Something to do with bring more young adults to God and finding a good community for the Hubs and I.

Since then, the Hubs and  I have talked about the words our pastor said and the churches we visited. We have pretty much decided on a church.  This church is a church seeking God. It's not big, and not the "popular" church in town. But it's a church that loves God and loves God's people. The church offers many free community events to help those who are less fortunate, not in third world countries, but in our own town.

But these side steps, even though they displease God are part of our journey. God still gets mad that we make these side steps.

The big piece that gets missed with the story of Jonah is when he follows God's word and gets angry at God for giving to grace to those he doesn't feel deserves it. And then gets mad at God when "God lets the vine die". How many times have gotten "angry" with God because he showed grace to others? Maybe those others were less deserving in our eyes, maybe they always received grace, or maybe we don't really like them (probably not a good thing for us, but let's be honest here..). Who are we that we should get to judge and decide who deserves God's grace? Why do we get mad when we expect things to stay good and alive without spending time on them and cultivating them?

How often do we EXPECT God's grace in all things rather than are GRATEFUL for his grace? How often do we sin and think "Oh well, God will forgive me. It's not like he hasn't in the past."? It never really states in Jonah that he learned from the lesson of the vine or his response to God's word of questioning. My guess is that he immediately thought back to being in the belly of the fish and felt foolish that he had judged Nineveh. That he thought of God's grace and was grateful for the times it had been given to him.

The Hubs' Bible had a blurb on this that when we judge others and feel that they are not worthy of God's forgiveness and grace, we are lessening the power of his forgiveness and grace. His forgiveness and grace is for all, despite our pasts, independent of our futures. All he asks for is faith in Son and the belief that his Son died and rose again. All he wants is to love and commune with us. How often do we  judge others for their sin when we are all sinners and all fall short?

Just some thoughts, from a 30 minute reading before service....

2010 Recap Version 2 - 35 Questions

So I saw this list of questions on another blog and thought it would be fun not only to answer the questions, but also to blog it so I can remember come 2012.

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Gosh, this question has many answers. I resigned from a job after going away on a sneaky interview trip and accepting another. I owned 2 homes at once. I started a blog here and kept up with it. I read more of the Bible than I ever had before...and the list goes on.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't remember if I set any last year. I think it was to lose weight which I did (only to put almost all of it back on). Yes! See posts below.

 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not last year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my grandmother made her trip to heaven.

5. What countries did you visit?
Here we go - Mexico, Ireland, Wales, England, and Paris (in that order).

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
More patience. More calmness (2010 was slightly crazy...) I'd say more time with my family, but the last half of 2010 was definitely good on that. So to continue the closeness with family.

 

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I'm sure there are more than this...like I said an eventful year!

March 20-25 - First cruise

June 8-17th - Europe Trip 2010

July 4th - the interview that changed our lives (way to go for the dramatic...)

July 13th - the day I got the call that the job was mine

August 2nd - my last day at my old job

August 5th - my last full day in TX

August 6th - the day I left TX for Arkansas and the last day I saw my grandma living

August 8th - the day my grandma made it to Heaven

August 13th-16th - the weekend of Grandma's memorial service

September 15th - the day we closed on the new home!

November 7th- sissy turned 21 and I found out how not very nice the people who were trying to buy our TX house were..

November 24th - the day we closed on the old home!

November 25th - Turkey Day - 1st held at our home

November 27th - Arkansas BEAT LSU! It was a great day spent with my hunny...

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Professionally: There were several I'm sure. At the old job, I led an initiative that got attention from a VP (as well as many accolades from our plant manager). At the new job, learning fast and becoming a contributor as well as my first product start-up.

Personally: Moving Home. Losing over 25 lbs.

 

9. What was your biggest failure?
Gaining back 15 of the 25 lbs lost.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Some scares of illness, but nothing that antibiotics couldn't cure....

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Are you asking me or my husband? My husband would say his new truck or our new home. I would say our new home.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My husband's for being so gracious to leave a full paid job and move with me. There were many others I'm sure thru the year that merit celebration.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Some lawmakers....

14. Where did most of your money go?
Vacations, Paying on mortgages, downpayments on a new house, paying on a new car, and some to savings.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving home, my brother getting married, our vacations, Christmas, Thanksgiving, my new job (and the list goes on and on..)....

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
 Hey, Soul Sister by Train and The Words I Would Say by Sidewalk Prophets and The Outsiders by Needtobreathe

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:  a) happier or sadder?  b) thinner or fatter?  c) richer or poorer?
Happier, thinner (but not by much),  technically more poor, but richer in life

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercising, spending time at home (1st half)

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Working and stressing

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Running around the state spending time with family. It was fun and great, just EXHAUSTING!

21. Did you fall in love with 2010?
I fell in love with my husband more this year. I also found new friends which we "fell in love" with back in our old town. Such great friends who visited and we visited....

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I have no idea..I love Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Grey's, Private Practice, Castle, Chase, White Collar, Rubicon, Rizzoli and Isles, and the list goes on and on and on...

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't hate anyone. There are people I can't stand and feel disappointed by, but I think hate is too powerful of a word for any of those people. 

24. What was the best book you read?
I read a ton of books...especially now that I have a Kindle app on my phone. Two favorites - Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers and the Miss Match  (Lauren Holbrook) series by Erynn Magnum

 

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Selected songs from Glee, Needtobreathe, Sidewalk Prophets

26. What did you want and get?
Alot of things - new everyday plates, a "new" DSLR

27. What did you want and not get?
I've been blessed with many things. I'm not sure that there is anything that I really "wanted" and didn't get..

28. What was your favorite film of 2010?
Harry Potter or Despicable Me

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 26 and I don't remember. I know we celebrated with friends but I'm not sure if we did that on my birthday....

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I'm not sure. It was a very satisfying year despite the sadness, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2010?
Classic

32. What kept you sane?
My Hubby, wine, Friends, Family, Love

33. Who did you miss?
Family and friends who live "home" and now friends that live back where we used to live..

34. Who was the best new person you met?
This list will go on and on...Rach and Donny and our Bible Study group. Select people from the Europe Trip group. My whole new work group.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
There really is no place like home. Love like there is no tomorrow. Don't let anyone make you feel like you are less than what you really are.

Just another reason I'm glad to live in AR....

So, this morning I received a text from my mom asking if we wanted to meet halfway for lunch. Halfway is approximately an hour (as we live ~2 hours away from them). We just saw them last weekend for Christmas. I'm going down there tomorrow for doctor's appointments and staying the night at their house. All that said, they still missed us so much that they wanted to come eat lunch with us.

To achieve something like this where we used to live, it would take a week's planning, 8 hours of driving (to halfway and back), and would have never happened. In fact, it never did. It was too far to drive for just a quick bite to eat.

I'm sure some of you question driving an hour to meet for lunch, but hey, what else is better on a Sunday than to spend time with your family. What else would we be doing on a Sunday afternoon? Sitting around watching TV, packing up Christmas (well I still got some of that done), or spend 4 hours (2 driving - 1 each way and 2 hours eating/talking/enjoying family time) to get to spend sometime with family. We did miss church, but in theory, we could have still gone to church and done lunch and made it home by probably 3:30.

It also gave AJ and I semi-quality time in the car to talk, listen to music, and enjoy the beautiful views. It doesn't take much to look around this area and see God's work. I'm so glad to be living here so close to family and surrounded by examples of God's beauty.

Resolutions

Since I started this blog, I feel like this not only a place to document our lives, but also a place where I can document goals and be held accountable. Yes, I used that dreaded word - ACCOUNTABLE. In a world where we easily blame someone else, I think that there is a need for the young people of the nation (including me) to be accountable. Instead of requesting and feeling as if we deserve things, we need to work hard to accomplish the things we want and be held accountable for our actions. I believe very little in life is "deserved", but much can be gained through hard work, perserverance, and good decision making. Before I step on my soap box and fully state my opinions, I'll share my resolutions with you:

1. To maintain my priorities in life. (This is such a simple statement, but such a hard thing to keep.) As an admitted work-a-holic, this means understanding when that sometimes it's important to go to the doctor on the first scheduled appointment. There are many different aspects to maintaining priorities and this resolution will be large and sometimes hard, but I believe it will be very rewarding.

2. To be more open to not setting high expectations and more quick to understand. Again, not an easy task. As someone who can be Type A with high expectations of self, family, friends, and circumstances, I tend to get worked up over small stuff. It's hard even at times for me to meet my expectations. I want to live with a little less worry and disappointment and ALOT more love. I feel like this is something I have gradually done over the past couple years, but I want to continue with this resolution.

3. For us to find a church home and become active participants. When we lived in TX, it took us a while to find a church home. Once we did, we fell in love. It was AMAZING. Now living here, we have been able to find a church that meets every little thing we want (maybe because there is a subconscious part of us that doesn't know if there could ever be a church to compete with what we had). Never-the-less, it is time to settle on a church home (I think we are close to this) and become active. In time, I'm sure we will think that this church is even more perfect.

4. To spend time each day growing closer to my husband and Heavenly Father. So at the beginning of last year, I began reading the Bible in a year. I stopped somewhere in October. (Not Cool!) I really want to finish this and begin again. Also, I have a list of other devotionals and Christian books that I want to read. Just as important as asking your spouse "How was your day", talking with the Father is important. To cultivate and strengthen those relationships are important and something I'm committed to working towards.

5. To enjoy this year (i.e. live with no regrets, spend time with family and loved ones, and continue to cherish life). With all the changes in the last year, I have learned alot. Last year will be a year of adventure and chaos. This year, I'd like a year of calmness, whether that happens or not we will see. This year, I pray will be a year of family and love, and of great memories that will last a lifetime.

I'm sure I have other resolutions, like I'd like to lose all the weight I lost and regained last year as well as more weight and to get 8 hours of sleep a night and to blog twice a week, but let's be honest. These type resolutions are fleeting. The 5 above are real, with real impacts on my life and finding peace/happiness. I will update regularly on my status with these resolutions. I'm sure, though, you will find these themes in my blogs.

Here's to 2011! May the year be blessed with happiness, love, family time, and the peace given from the Heavenly Father.

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