Full of Pooh?

Bring It On

2011-01-28T23:22:00.000-06:00

I’ve really been struggling the last few days. I just feel “off.” I’ve been impatient. I’ve been questioning everything. There has been no peace, only angst. I realize this is not God’s desire or plan for my life. This is my sinful nature shining through. This is the Enemy’s plan. He only seeks to kill and destroy. I knew at the start of this year that it was going to be a year of great change, I knew that it would be difficult. Trust is not my strongpoint. I could delve into the whys and wherefores, but none of that truly matters. What matters is that God demands that I trust Him, trust Him as I did in my youth, trust Him as never before. This is going to be hard for me. It’s likely going to be 2 steps forward, 3 steps back most of the year. But, I look forward to the final outcome of this journey, a journey that will last far beyond the end of 2011.

I always listen to music, always. Generally I have Disney music on. And if not Disney, I generally listen to 50’s music, Big Band, Sinatra, Classical or Dallas Holm. Tonight when trying to decide what I wanted to listen to I was drawn to my Steven Curtis Chapman playlist. I really wasn’t thinking about my choice, I just went for the first that that caught my attention. I was running around the house, fixing dinner, taking care of the dogs, getting myself something to drink and not really sitting at my computer. When I first sat down to actually listen the song “Bring It On” was playing. I remember when I first bought this album, I loved that song. It always got to me, but I had forgotten about it. I was just singing along, not thinking much about it, until it got to this line “Bring it on; Let me be made weak so I’ll know the strength of the One who’s strong.” Wow, huh?

And, suddenly I knew why I played this list, why I was so preoccupied and this song just “happened” to be the one playing when I sat down. It wasn’t chance, it was Divine providence. Once again, God Almighty, reached out to speak to my torn, broken heart. He wanted to remind me to trust in Him. He wanted me to remember that trials are here for a reason. He wants me to LEAN on Him, not on myself. He wants, no needs, my total dependence on Him. Suddenly, I understood, my eyes were opened. I can see what’s going on, clearly. Things aren’t going my way, but what about God’s way? I said I wanted to learn to trust Him again, but I had forgotten the personal sacrifice that requires on my part. I have to be willing to sacrifice myself, my wants, my needs, my dreams. I have to be willing to lean, completely, on the never failing arms of the Lord. I have to trust that every trial, every negative, He will work out for good. I have to put my faith in God’s promises. I have to remember that God truly never fails. I have to remember that even though I may not see it now, there is a silver lining, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. God does have a plan for my life and even if I don’t know what it is, He does, and that’s all I need to know.

Sometimes this is hard medicine to swallow. For me, this is ALWAYS hard medicine to swallow. I plan everything, I try to think out every possible outcome, negative, positive, be prepared for every contingency. This is not how life works as a child of God, as a follower of Christ. I must follow and obey, without question, with complete childlike faith. It will be interesting to see how this develops, how I do, how often I get angry and question. Thankfully the God I serve is ok with questions. He still loves me and accepts me for who I am.

Bring It On lyrics:

I didn’t come lookin’ for trouble

And I don’t want to fight needlessly

But I’m not gonna hide in a bubble

If trouble comes for me

I can feel my heart beating faster

I can tell something’s coming down

But if it’s gonna make me grow stronger then…

Bring it on

Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow

Bring it on

Let the trouble come, let the hard rain fall, let it make me strong

Bring it on

Now, maybe you’re thinkin’ I’m crazy

And maybe I need to explain some things

‘Cause I know I’ve got an enemy waiting

Who wants to bring me pain

But what he never seems to remember

What he means for evil God works for good

So I will not retreat or surrender

Now, I don’t want to sound like some hero

‘Cause it’s God alone that my hope is in

But I’m not gonna run from the very things

That would drive me closer to Him

So bring it on

Bring it on

Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow

Bring it on

Let the trouble come, let it make me fall on the One who’s strong

Bring it on

Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow

Bring it on

Let me be made weak so I’ll know the strength of the One who’s strong

Bring it on

Listen to the song on YouTube:

Has it really been 2 months?

2010-04-27T15:50:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I've let 2 months slip by without blogging. Oh my, bad blogger! In my defense, they've been a crazy 2 months. I ended February and started March with the flu. In the middle of March my brother and sis-in-law came to town for a few days with my nephew (he was born in November and this was the first time I met him). Within 2 weeks of that visit I took a trip with my sis-in-law to Ohio to help her bring her brother back home with her. Then April has been busy with looking for a new house (our lease ends in May) and then deciding to NOT move... Of course, I'm ALWAYS dreaming and planning our next vacation. Oh, almost forgot, I'm way ahead of schedule on my travel agent training. I may actually be done by the end of June verus the end of August. That makes me most happy! We also took our dogs to the vet over the last couple of months (our vet is 60 miles away, so it's quite the adventure). Not to mention that I babysat my parents dogs 2 or 3 times during that time frame. Yep, it's been busy! My hubby has been working late most nights, he's been putting in close to 12 hour days most every day. So, we're lucky to eat before 8pm. Most importantly, I've been doing lots of scrapbooking, digi mind you, but still LOTS of fun! I need to figure a way to pull out my paper supplies and make some pages that way too. I found a new digi community that I adore. You should check out Log Your Memory. They sell an awesome log book that helps you keep track of your daily memories as well as great chats and challenges. Yep, I like it there!

Upcoming plans? Well, my new travel agent goal is now to be finished with the training and license by the end of June and finish up the Disney portion of it (not sure what all this includes yet) by the end of August. We're planning to finish catching up on most of our bills from the unemployment period by the end of July. Hopefully, this coming fall, we'll be going on a vacation. That is still very much up in the air, but I'm trying my bestest to make it happen. I'm going to do some serious budget culling in order to increase vacation savings!

Insurance woes... Humana insurance is evil! Enough said. If we use in-network doctors, which means switching ALL of our doctors when we live in the same town where they are, and go to the other hospital network which has maybe half the choices and not as good of a reputation (plus, with my lung disorder, switching to a new doctor is just stupid) our deductible is still $2500 individual, $5000 family. If we use our doctors, doctors that we trust, have a relationship with and are comfortable with, our deductible goes up to $5000 individual, $15000 family. And our premiums aren't cheap either. We could get more affordable coverage going through private insurance. And yes, I do mean that our premiums AND deductibles would be less, not to mention that the coverage would be equivalent to what we currently have. Anyway, that's one of my HUGE frustrations right now... Affording a doctor's visit!

So, this weekend I get new glasses! :o) I scratched my current pair (which are 3 years old) really badly about 2 weeks ago now. I saw the eye doctor last week and my new contacts are in, now I just need the glasses. And I am so excited about it too! Lens Crafters here I come! :o)

This weekend is iNSD, enough said! :o)

Think on these things

2010-03-03T14:59:00.000-06:00

So, getting out of my self-pity slump is easier said than done. Philippians 4:8 is a great verse to remind myself of in times like these. I learned this verse when I was 7 years old and in Prims. For those of you not familiar with Prims, go here: http://ngm.ag.org/ and you will find information on the updated version of the program. Keep in mind, I was 7 well over 20 years ago! So, in keeping with the verse, I am going to list the things in my life that are honest, true, just, pure, lovely, of a good report, have virtue and deserve praise.

My husband
Our 2 dogs
A roof over my head
Food in our fridge and cupboards
A dependable car
Fresh water
Electricity
My hubby's job
Salvation
My computer
My iPod touch (I must admit, I adore this little gadget)
Oatmeal Scotchies
The sun is shining today!
My job because it provides needed income and allows me to work from home
Our espresso machine
Central air
Family, specifically my parents
Relatively good health
Digital cameras (I love to take pictures)
Cherry coke
Memories of vacations past
The United States of America and freedom
High-speed internet
My glasses (I can't see without them!)
A fenced-in yard
Netflix
Our washer and dryer
Indoor plumbing
My wireless phone
The Holy Spirit

And the list could go on and on and on. Now, don't get me wrong, there are still things in my life that I'm not happy about, but most of those things are beyond my control. My problem is that I want to control the things that I cannot and I then choose to ignore what I can control - my attitude!

One of those days...

2010-03-02T16:44:00.000-06:00

Do you ever have a day where no matter what you just feel blah, like you're not yourself? Well, that's me today. I've been fighting the flu for over a week now and all in all am getting better, but today my body is just worn down and achy. Our gray, cloudy weather is not helping my mood any either. It's one of those days where I feel as if I'm up against a wall with no where to go. It feels as if the weight of the world is on my shoulders. Yes, I realize all of this is drastic and not realistic. But, as I said, it's just one of those days. I need a vacation, a temporary break from the reality of life. Unfortunately money does not grow on trees and our money is already going in too many directions at once. Maybe next year we can take a vacation. I need to find the positives in today, in life, in this year, in everything. I tend to focus on the things that I cannot control and change and fret over them. I know that life truly isn't that bad, that I have more blessings than I deserve. But today, today I am having troubles seeing them. Today all I see is that I'm sick, with a stupid lung disorder and the flu. Today all I see is that I hate my job and long for something more but don't have a clue what. Today all I see is that vacation seems a million years away. Today all I see is that I seriously have NO one to call and just chat with, to go out for a cup of coffee with. Today all I see is that I'm not a mom and am not getting any younger. Today all I see is an old, worn out car and no money or credit to get a new one with. Today I feel alone, unimportant, unseen, unwanted and unneeded. The Bible tells me that I should rejoice ALWAYS, regardless of how I feel and what life's circumstances are. I know that in my head, but getting it to my heart, well today that is proving to be difficult. Today I seem to be enjoying wallowing in my own self pity and loathing too much to find joy in anything.

Tomorrow... Tomorrow will be a new day. Tomorrow I am determined to throw off this gray mood and to find joy and beauty. Tomorrow I want to truly be able to say "the joy of the Lord is my strength." Tomorrow, with God's help, will be a new day, will be a better day, and I will be a better me. Many of the things I'm seeing today won't have changed, but the God I serve is faithful. I can honestly say that He has never failed me, He has never forsaken me. Tomorrow I need to be the woman that God created me to be. Tomorrow I need to cast off today, I need to change my attitude and outlook. I need to be joyful and thankful. Maybe I should start tomorrow today...

More to this life...

2010-02-18T14:32:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been faced with quite the conundrum and am still finding no easy solution. I have this urge that my life is meant for more than what I am doing, that God has much bigger plans for me. I am faced with various talents and abilities that He has given me and I know that He means me to use these for the good of His Kingdom. But how? Where? What? Here I sit, closing in on 33 years old much more quickly than I care to admit and I still don't know. I used to be so certain of what God's call was on my life, but now I wonder if I heard Him correctly. Everytime it seemed that I was to move forward EVERYTHING fell apart, there were so many roadblocks and no open windows. So now, I wonder, did I hear Him correctly? What is my purpose in this life? Why did God place me on this earth? What are His plans for my life? My plans honestly do not matter. The only thing that really matters in this life is God's plan for me and my doing my best to live my life according to that plan. We are God's creation, here for His purpose, He created us to worship and serve Him. The worship part is easy, the serve part can prove more tricky. Sure, I serve Him in small ways, daily, but I know there is more that He wants from me! And I also know that until I discover what that is I will forever be in this state of limbo.

Disney Dreaming

2010-02-17T00:56:00.002-06:00

The plans are being made, just in the early stages mind you, for our next great Disney adventure. We have discussed what all we'd like to do, how long we want to stay, and have figured out how much it will cost. Our next step is to determine if our BIG trip is worth waiting for (it will take a year for us to save up, assuming finances stay as they are now) or if we would rather cut down and go in early December. Now that IS a dilemma!

In case you're interested, the next time we go we'd like to:

Stay for 2 weeks
Buy a 4-day 2-park Universal Studios pass, the Harry Potter area will be open! :o)
Go to Sea World
Spend a day at Discovery Cove
Go to the beach, I'm voting for Cocoa and Ron Jon's
Stay at a moderate Disney resort (not including the days we'll spend at other parks)
Disney Dining Plan (for the win!)
Park Hopper with Water Parks and more option
Flying is a given
Rental car (no taxis or depending on park transportation, we're too impatient!)
Board our dogs
Have plenty of souvenir money :o)

Unfortunately, those things cost money, and we'll need time to save. We could always cut down the length of our stay and cut out Sea World altogether as well as cut our Universal pass to only 2 days... Or, since Allegiant now flys to MCO, we could just do Disney again and use the Magical Express and Disney transportation. Unfortunately, that will cut down on our time to be actually on park, so that is something to seriously consider. As well, we could leave the dogs with my parents, but they are so stressed right now I don't know if they're up to watching 4 dogs (they already have 2).

Anyway, the plan is this... starting March 1 we are going to STICK to our budget and save save save. We have several bills we still need to pay off from the time without work, so those are top priority. And my husband really needs a new computer so we won't be putting that off for a vacation. I guess only time will tell which option we go for. I bet a lot of it ends up banking on our stress levels. It's been nearly 18 months since our last vacation and we desperately need one! The good news is, we have a general time frame - no more than 1 year from now - until we can go again!

Dreams

2010-02-03T18:14:00.000-06:00

I have so many dreams, always have. I'm not referring to dreams while sleeping, but those hopes for your future, things you want to happen. With me now? My dreams have changed over the years. If you ask a child what they dream about, what they want for their future, it generally will be greatly different than what an adult will say. The upcoming Winter Olympics remind me of a dream I've had since I was about 8, to be a figure skater. I remember seeing the Icecapades with my Girl Scout troup and when I first learned how to ice skate. It was over for me, I KNEW I wanted to be a figure skater. Unfortunately my parents were unable to afford the lessons, so it never happened. What's funny is that I still want to be a figure skater! Granted, I am too old to become a world-class skater now, but, I still could learn more than my basic skills!

Another dream I've always had since childhood is to be a mother. Yet again, this dream has not yet been realized. Lord willing, this will change soon! The older I get the more anxious I get (yes, I know, biological clock...), but it doesn't change the dream. As crazy as I am, I want 4 children (2 boys, 2 girls). I used to just want 4 children, NOT twins, but as I get older twins sound good! Time is running out, biology is kicking in. My husband is in his 40's and I'm in my 30's. Granted, not too old, but we're getting there. I have 4 step-kids ages 20, 15, 14 and 12. So, I think I feel older than I truly am due to the step-kids!

I always dream of Walt Disney World. Disney World is my most favorite place in the entire world. As I've said before, Disney is magical. It is the one place where I can get away from the reality of life and be a kid again. The last time I went to Disney was December 2008. I'd go again, tomorrow, if I could. Unfortunately budget seems to say that the next time we will be able to go is sometime in 2011. We have so many bills to catch up on from my hubby not having a job for nearly a year. And, it's going to take some more time!

The Bible talks about dreams for the future, about desires and hopes. In Psalm 37: 4 says "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Jeremiah 29:11 says "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" There are many other references I could list, but my point is that God has a plan for my life, for your life. God will, if I allow Him to, lead and guide me, make His desires my desires, and ultimately direct me down the path He has for me. Sometimes, all too often, when it comes to the serious stuff this is hard to follow. I tend to want to take back control, to not trust God, to not believe that He has my future in His hands, that He has my best interests at heart. I need to trust more, question less, listen more, follow more and stop leading. My future is in God's control, and thus my dreams are at His mercy. Do I truly want a dream of mine fulfilled if it's not in God's plan for my life?

Resolutions

2010-01-18T15:33:00.001-06:00

Ok, so I know I'm totally late in posting this. I had the best of intentions, I truly did! I always seemed to find other more pressing matters :op So, I'm going to post my New Year's Resolutions, along with a status on all of them!

Complete a Project 365. I'm doing really well with this so far. I've taken at least 1 photo every day and have been keeping notes of what the photo is for journalling and scrapping it later.
Lose 30 pounds. I'm not doing so great here! I've been so busy and stressed that we've been eating way too much fast food. Luckily it's only January 18th, so I still have plenty of time to get better!
Finish our May 2008 Disney scrapbook album. This is an old-style album. If I use digi, it'll be hybrid. But I've got TONS of cute stickers, papers, Cricut cartridges, etc... So, I think totally old school will be the best way to go. I've already printed all of the photos I want in 4x6 format. When I want larger ones, I'll use our photo printer.
Excercise 30 minutes every day. I guess this kind of goes hand-in-hand with my losing weight goal, but at the same time it's different. I need to get in better shape, just for the sake of my health. So, whether or not I lose weight I must excercise.
Walk our dogs 3 days a week. Totally failing this one! In our defense, the weather this year has been kind of cold and snowy. And, with my lungs acting up again, well, cold air and I don't exactly get along nowadays...
Finish my Penn Foster Travel Agent course and get my license. I'm doing ok here, I just need to get busy and get the rest of the coursework done. It's not hard, I just need to be more disciplined.
Learn Photoshop CS3. I have books to teach me it. I just haven't started yet. My computer doesn't exactly like to run it. I totally need a new computer! But, I really don't have a good excuse!
Complete 150 digi scrap layouts. Ok, I've done 2 thus far... Not good! I need to get busy! The computer issues I'm having do NOT help at all. Plus, I lost my entire organization system late last year when my computer crashed and I had to start over. So, lately, I've been focusing on organizing (and unzipping) it all again.
Start my business. This requires my travel agent's license though. So, I need to get busy and finish #6 first! But, in the meantime I can create a business plan, do some research, etc and have a foundation built for when I'm ready to get started.
Find a church home. This one is difficult for me. Not for the reasons you may think though! So many of the local churches are so large and make it difficult to get involved. And, being married to a divorced guy unfortunately carries a huge stigma in most church circles. As well, my dad casts a large shadow on many of the local congregations, combined with my degree from Central Bible College... well, let's just say that people tend to have certain very high expectations for me...
Go to Walt Disney World again! This is easier said than done, simply due to budget constraints. Our last trip was December 2008, and was a total blast! Unfortunately I'm experiencing full force withdrawal symptoms! I need my Disney fix!
Learn to ballroom dance. I haven't started this process at all. I need to find a place to take classes. I'm sure there must be such a business here locally!
Blog once a week... Well, this is #2 for 2010, so I guess I'm not doing too terribly bad here... Just a habit I need to get into!
Find a hairstyle I like. Ok, ok... I know this sounds totally funny and trivial, but for me it's a biggie! I hate my hair! It's super fine, but I have a ton of it. And I have absolutely NO patience for fixing it! It's pretty much always been the exact same style, for basically forever. Not because I particularly like it long and one length, but because it's easy! I realize it's anything but flattering... but I honestly have NO clue what would be flattering AND easy. And for me, easy is key!

So, there's my resolutions for you! In all their crazy glory... Maybe by actually writing them down, for the world to see, I'll actually do better and keep some of them!

So Blessed

2010-01-07T01:37:00.000-06:00

As I've stated before... I'm terrible at this! I need to get better. Actually, it's one of my New Year's Resolutions... to blog once a week! But right now I'm not talking about my resolutions, I'll do those tomorrow, hopefully! :) Today (or I guess yesterday now) was one of "those" days. Know what I mean? My hubby and I sat down on the 1st and talked about our various blessings from 2009 and wrote them down. I figured it may be a good idea to share them for others to read as well. Maybe you've had one of "those" days too and could use the encouragement! I know I need the reminder right now.

We started out 2009 with my husband being unemployed and on unemployment. Every job lead we had only came at in January and February, but my Valentine's Day all job leads had dried up. We were scared and stressed. Very much discouraged. The ONLY thing that got us through was our dependence on and trust in God. He never failed, that I can tell you. We honestly could have survived a few months longer on unemployment if my lung disorder hadn't acted up again. But, God knew what we needed it and when we needed it, before we did. On August 24th, 9 1/2 months after my husband lost his job, he started working again. The pay isn't as high as his previous job, but the company is SO much better to work for. So, in the long run, it is actually a better job. If any teenagers are reading this, money isn't everything! Money can't buy you happiness! We currently are doing well, catching up on all we got behind on, and feeling very blessed.
Our car is a 2000 Malibu. It has over 100k miles on it. It's a great car, but it needed nearly $3000 worth of mechanical work done on it. Our next door neighbor is a licensed mechanic and does work for people as a ministry. He charges for labor, but not as much as a mechanic shop would. And, he takes payments! Crazy in this day and age! He was able to do all of the work (except for balancing the tires since he doesn't have the machinery in his house's garage) for basically $1000. You can see how that was a HUGE blessing. We honestly doubt our car would have made it through the summer without his help. Thank you, Randy!
Since my husband did not have a job, we did not have health insurance. By God's grace we both stayed in good health the entire time. No injuries, no crazy sicknesses, etc. God upheld us by His grace each and every step of the way! He even arranged it so right before my husband lost his job I was able to have surgery that I desperately needed (my gall bladder gave up the ghost). I was able to see a doctor, get diagnosed, and have the surgery completed all in less than a month. Anyone who's ever worked with the medical system knows how amazing it is that things were put together so quickly! Another blessing!
All things considered, even with losing 70% of our income, we were extremely financially stable. We were able to juggle payments as necessary (yet still make them) and the few times we weren't able to make a payment on something one of our bill places worked with us. Our bank account stayed in the black (barely in the black, but still in the black). We always had food on our table, our utitlities were always on, clothes were always on our back and gas was always in the gas tank. The few times we had an extra expense (like our dogs needing their annual vet visit) God always arranged someway that we had a little extra money come in. Thank you Lord!
Many marriages fall apart under such stressful circumstances. Yet, amazingly enough, our marriage and relationship grew stronger. We learned to rely on each other more than ever before. All in all, we improved our communication skills too. Sure, we had our spats, every marriage does, but we always were able to work through them, get over them, and still love each other at the end of each day.
Some people think pets are a nuisance. And, you know what, they can be. But, we adore our dogs. They can be totally obnoxious, demanding, spoiled brats at times. Yet, there truly are a blessing. When we needed a laugh they would do something silly. When we needed a hug, they would jump in our laps to cuddle (kind of difficult with one dog weighing nearly 45 lbs!), they kept us busy, helped keep our minds off of the stresses of life. I highly recommend that everyone own a pet!
Starting in August my lung disorder began flaring up again. My husband had literally JUST started working, and we really couldn't afford for me to quit working, but we knew it was our ONLY option. So, I talked to my employer in late September (after having missed a bunch of work from being sick) and explained the situation to them. They have worked it out for me to be able to work completely from home. I don't work full-time now, only 20 hours/week, but it's EXACTLY the additional amount of income we need to finish getting on top of things. Once again, a blessing.

I'm sure there are many things I've forgotten to list here. All I can say is that God is faithful, regardless of how much we do not deserve His faithfulness. He continutally rains His blessings down on his people. So often the "little" things we take for granted truly are God's blessings. A close-up parking spot in nasty weather... The milk lasting until the next paycheck... The car not running out of gas when there's no money in your checking account... Not getting the flu when EVERYONE around you has it...

I'm reminded of an old hymn I grew up singing, "Count Your Blessings."

     When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
     When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
     Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
     And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

     Refrain

     Count your blessings,
     name them one by one, Count your blessings,
     see what God hath done! Count your blessings,
     name them one by one,
     And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

     Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
     Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
     Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
     And you will keep singing as the days go by.

     When you look at others with their lands and gold,
     Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
     Count your many blessings.
     Wealth can never buy your reward in heaven,
     nor your home on high.

     So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
     Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
     Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
     Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

When I was a college student and going through a particularly difficult time God drew me to James 1:2-8. There it talks about trials and being tested. It says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." And, over the last year these verses came to mind again and again.

Anyway, I'll leave you all with that for now! I need to come back, post some pictures, tell you my Resolutions, and other fun stuff like that!

Happy New Year!

So much to say, so little time!

2009-12-05T02:41:00.000-06:00

As I've said before, I'm *terrible* at blogging! Almost 2 months? Oh my? So, I'm a perfectionist in every area but this one? Hmm, maybe? I'll have to see what kind of nice story I can come up with to blame my poor blogging skills on :op

So, what's new in my life? My brother and his wife had a baby the day before Thanksgiving. They named him Cayleb Reed. I'm not certain when I'll be able to meet my nephew, I'm guessing sometime next summer. Distance and money make things difficult. Thus far the only pictures I have are what my brother's posted on Facebook, so nothing I can post here. Sorry guys! Cayleb is healthy, although a little small (he was born about 2 weeks early). I guess he's not wanting to sleep when he's supposed to and apparently is already quite the stubborn little guy. My brother says the other day they had him wrapped in 2 swaddlers but he managed to wiggle his way out of both of them! I can remember my brother as a baby (yes, he's younger than me)... Payback is all I can say! :o)

Oh, my Christmas tree is up! I LOVE Christmas! I'd keep the tree up year-round if my hubby would let me! We bought new decorations this year. I still need to take some pictures of it. Maybe this weekend... Anyway, instead of my typical burgundy and gold formal look, it's now in red, green, white, turquoise and pink. And, all of the ornaments are either metal or shatter-resistant plastic! Totally not planned, but that's what we found for ornaments that we liked in looks and price! Christmas music is playing (Holiday Traditions from XM Radio - actually channel 801 on our DirecTV). When I go grocery shopping I'm going to get some stuff for Christmas cookies. I love baking Christmas cookies! I'll try and post pics of those too. :o)

Tonight (since I'm writing this at 2:30 am) is my husband's company Christmas party. I'm a little nervous. I'm not big into group parties. I don't know why, maybe I'm more shy than I care to admit. I've only met about 2 or 3 of the people that work with my husband (there's about 50 in the company), and all can bring a guest. So, potentially 100 people I don't really know! Yuck! My hubby is MC-ing part of the party, so I will come with camera and hopefully be able to get some good shots for scrapping! Yesterday evening (only a few hours ago, actually) we went shopping for some new clothes for the party. I'll try to get some pics of us taken and see if I can actually succeed in posting them. I really like what we got (and I LOVE the prices)! We saved more money than we spent! :o)

Oh, I'm in serious Disney World withdrawal. Any donations for our next trip are kindly appreciated! :op My computer desktop is ALWAYS some WDW pic. Currently it's of Downtown Disney and the fountain at the entrance with all of the poinsettas and the clay pots from last Christmas. I think I want to go to WDW at least every other year at Christmas time! Hopefully this next year we'll be able to take another Disney trip. I sure could use a vacation right about now! Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily complaining. I am so thankful that we've done as well as we have with my hubby not having a job for nearly 10 months. The problem is that we had gotten so used to our yearly vacations and now the soonest we'll be able to take another one is next fall which will be 2 years from our last one... Way TOO long! And yes, the plan is WDW! :o)

I'm still working on my travel agent stuff. I'm going to try and kick a bunch of it at Christmas time. I've been working part-time from home and haven't had as much study time as I had hoped for. It's taking me longer to heal from my last relapse than I had hoped. And, sleep is paramount if I want to get better! Maybe when we do go to Disney again I can write part of it off as a business expense? Now that would be nice!

I still need to finish working on this blog. I've got links to add galore! I need to add some pics and slideshows. I'm so bad! Maybe, just maybe, I'll get motivated to get some more done soon... But I don't recommend holding your breath!

I'm so bad at this...

2009-10-14T14:04:00.000-05:00

Yes, I must confess, I am *terrible* at blogging! I forget to do it, don't know what to say, etc. But here I have several things that would be perfect "blog material" and I still don't get on here. No excuses... So, let's see, where to start...

Why am I working from home? I have a lung disorder (hypersensitiviy pneumonitis) which means I am sensitive to certain types of molds. The short story I will give you, 'cause the long one is quite long. Basically I am sensitive to certain extremely common molds. The don't react as a normal allergy, but rather build up in my blood stream (yes, the molds) and my immune system goes wonkers. The primary damage is done to my lungs (inflamed, irritated, etc) and it can lead to conditions such as asthma (which I did have until God healed me of it), chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. Basically I have to avoid high concentrations of these various molds for extended periods of time. Due to how common they are it's basically impossible to completely avoid them. By the grace of God this condition was caught and diagnosed just a few weeks before it would have gone chronic and caused permanent damage (scar tissue in my lungs and other chronic lung disorders). So, my current prognosis is really good, as long as I take it easy, don't over-exert myself, get plenty of rest, and avoid the molds (which means no office building). This cold, rainy weather we've been having lately is not helping me any, but I am slowly improving!

Ok, next fun story... On Monday of this week... so Columbus Day... someone tried to break into our house. Freaky, I know. So, anyway, my desk is in our entryway, maybe 5 feet from our front door. So, someone comes up to the door (our doorbell is broken, so not ringing it means nothing) and opens the screen door. I figure they're dropping off a flyer or getting ready to knock... Next thing I know they start moving a fall wreath I have hanging and are trying to look inside... I'm trying to figure what I have handy for a weapon, what to do and just trying to comprehend that this is really happening! Next thing, they try several times to open the door (the door was locked, thank goodness). Even after this they hang around for a bit. All of our neighborhood dogs are going crazy. I quickly get my dogs in and watch him walk away. I never was able to see him as we have a mini-blind on the window of our front door. But I sure was scared. I called the police, told them what happened, requested patrols on our street... We'll see... Thankfully the person wasn't determined to get in, otherwise it could have been bad!

Last story... and this is a funny one! I pride myself on making good sweet tea, especially for being a northern girl. I could tell you stories about my adventures in the south when I was in college, but I'll save that for another time... So, anyway, I was sitting at my nice, little desk, working away, drinking my sweet tea... And since I'm such a kind and generous heart, I decided to share it with my keyboard... Yep, you heard me right... I went to take a drink and totally missed my mouth, but shared nicely with my mousepad, desk and primarily my keyboard. What killed it though was my trying to dry it off with my blow dryer. The heat warped the plastic, or at least that's what we think happened. Thankfully my techie geek of a hubby was able to discombuberate (read as take apart) it find the problem then whittle down (and yes I do literally mean whittle) the various plastic pieces. My space bar had started getting stuck... Now it works, it just doesn't always register. I have to be careful to hit it in the middle and not on the side!

Off to do some layouts. I'll try to get them posted later. Last time I tried to post an image Blogger went totally stupid on me, so we'll see. If nothing else I can add links to the galleries (Yes, I know I still need to do this... like I said, I'm terrible at this whole blogging thing!). Have a good day all!

Life as I know it...

2009-10-02T15:58:00.000-05:00

So, my 2 dogs are greatly enjoying this change. Mommy being home seems to make their hairy worlds go round and round! First they want out, then they want in, then out, then in... Then it's kill mommy time, then it's kill each other time. Now, for those of you who don't know my dogs, they think they're big and mean when it comes to playtime, but neither one of them are. Both are hairy sweethearts and about they only thing they kill is the squeakers in their various toys! And, then after playtime, they both sleep around my feet (which is what they are currently doing). It would seem that my not working makes my 4-legged daughters most happy.

Speaking of happy... my hubby is enjoying this arrangement! He's missed my baking and cooking. It's kind of hard to make home-cooked, from scratch meals while working full-time. Let alone make cookies, brownies, cheesecakes, cakes, etc. So, the list currently consists of puppy chow, homemade chai and hot chocolate mix, several kinds of cookies, runzas, spaghetti sauce, cheesecake... I think I'm going to be busy!

So what am I doing? Working on re-organizing my computer files (I recently had to reload my operating system), catching up on my scrapbooking (both digi and paper), taking some pictures, working on my travel agent's license and maybe some painting and decorating. This house does not look "homey" yet, even though we've been in it for a year. I guess I need to get busy! Oh, almost forgot, I'm trying to teach myself how to use Photoshop CS3... I'm fairly confident with PSE7, but CS3 scares me... Wish me luck!

Now, off to eat my first batch of cookies, although I must admit I cheated. Nestle Toll House White Chocolate Macademia Nut.... Nummy!

Unemployed?

2009-09-30T13:53:00.000-05:00

So, as of lunch today, I'm basically unemployed... Crazy, huh? Nearly 5 years ago I was diagnosed with a lung disorder due to a mold allergy. Anyway, it hasn't caused me any problems for the last 3 1/2 years, up until about 2 months ago. And, just like before, it just gets worse and worse the longer I expose myself to the mold. Unfortunately, my office building seems to be the source (can we say allergic to work?). Anyway, I was trying to tough it out. Due to my hubby just starting work a month ago and having been unemployed for over 9 months, well, we're a little behind. This Monday I felt that I needed to quit, just then and there, and just trust God to provide for our needs, as He always has. But, true to me, I wasn't sure, was worried, tried to figure another way, etc. Each day this week I've been getting worse and worse. Today was bad, it took me nearly 4 hours after arriving at the office to actually be able to breath (my muscles and joints were all screaming at me from lack of oxygen). So, after listening to advice from my dad, I talked to my boss and told him I had to quit, today. Scary! Anyway, he took it really well. I am now basically a contractor for the company. My hubby and I are going to go back to the office tonight or tomorrow night to set it up so I can access the network remotely, and then I am going to do all of the work from home, as I am able to. I'll just bill them for how much time I work and get paid on my normal schedule. My boss is determined that we'll make this arrangement work, somehow. We'll see what happens, but I'm not too concerned. My hubby got an opportunity today for a work-from-home short term contract to write a computer game for some company. As well, I am in the process of getting my travel agent's license, and once that is done I hope to open my own home-based travel agency for Disney travel. All I can say is, God is good, all of the time, regardless of how undeserving we are. God truly is an awesome God! Now I just need to rest up, avoid mold, and get better!

Grand Opening Sale!

2009-09-11T16:31:00.008-05:00

Totally Twisted Scraps is having their Grand Opening Sale at Pretty Scrappy. All kits are on sale for $2 from September 11-20. Now is the time to stock up! http://prettyscrappy.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=125 Ok, Amanda, Tracy, etc... So, I couldn't figure out how to link the image... :sheepish: So if you want to show/tell me how, I'll update! But, I got the link in! :o)

Exciting news!

2009-09-10T13:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, so anyone who knows me knows I'm terrible at blogging! But, I have a good reason to get better... Amanda, the CT team leader for Totally Twisted Scraps invited me to be a member of their CT. (CT is creative team for those of you who may be wondering.) Anyway, I must admit, this happened about 3 weeks ago now, so obviously I'm still terrible at blogging. I waited until I had update my blog's look. I still have a few small things to finish up (like linking blinkies, adding faves, posting some pics, etc) but overall it's done. Yeah me! And I did it all by myself :o) Later on I need to do another post about some more news, but for now, this will have to suffice.

Thanks Tracy, Amanda and gals for giving me an excuse to blog! And thanks for the invite. I'm so excited to be a part of your team!

I will survive

2009-05-08T21:08:00.002-05:00

So much has been going on the last several months that sometimes I think I'll lose my mind! The majority of it cannot be discussed in a public forum. Nonetheless, it still has been stressful. The good thing is that I'm a stubborn woman. I may be down, but definitely not out!

As well, my husband has been told that the job market is picking up and looking much better. Lord willing that means that we'll have a new job, and hopefully soon.

It's definitely time for a change!

Blessed beyond belief

2009-05-02T19:25:00.003-05:00

Talk about a whirlwind year thus far! It's been full of ups and downs, struggles and victories. Lately I've been trying to focus on the blessings! My husband was laid off back in November (day before our anniversary, btw) due to our wonderful economy. Thus far he has been unable to find a new job. Understandably, this has led directly to much of the drama in our lives! But let's see, the blessings...

I will be getting a substantial raise at work, as of my one year anniversary (June 2nd)
Our landlord is working with us on paying rent
We are current (or have been able to work out arrangements) on all of our bills
We've been healthy (no insurance means getting sick or hurt is scary)
My hubby has been able to get small programming contracts whenever we've absolutely needed money

As one can see, God is truly good. Even though we honestly do not deserve His blessings, He still chooses to bless us. There have been times when I've been angry, depressed, discouraged... and the list could go on. But I know that I know that I know that God is still there, He still has a plan, and He will make a way. So often, when I'm at the end of my rope, someone who knows the situation will ask "is there anything specific you need prayer for?" What a blessing!

I won't lie and say that things are wonderful. Things could be much better, but they also could be much worse. We have a roof over our heads, food on the table, electricity, a vehicle to drive to and from work, etc. Many are much worse off than we are. I am thankful for the small, everyday, blessings we receive!