Where Art Thou, Blog?

Oh, blog, how I long for thee....


Actually, I don't but I really do want to be better about blogging consistently. There have been many instances when I'm driving down the road or walking through the grocery store and have a brilliant idea and think to myself, "I could make that one FUNNY blog post". Then I get home, eat dinner, watch TV, read hundreds (or at least ten) other blogs and realize that I in fact, am not that great of a blogger. I digress.


We've been busy. Still. I realize that we're young and don't have kids and this is the time to really do life and enjoy ourselves, but goodness gracious sakes alive. We've been busy.

Brad got a new job and in doing so, pretty much changed careers. He packed up (or really just relocated) his massive toolbox of wrenches and other gadgets and is now working for a continuous emissions monitoring company. They do all sorts of things related to the stuff plants emit out of their smoke stacks and it requires him to travel 25-50% of the time. So far, he hasn't been gone too much but the longer he works there and the more he learns, I have a feeling he'll be traveling more often.

I was accepted to grad school at UT Tyler for my MSN in Nursing Administration and will start in August. I'm freaking out and excited all at once but if I don't do it now (you know, before kids and whatnot) I'm afraid I never will. So I'm enjoying the three months I have left before I become a student once again. Hisssss. ;)

I haven't been blogging much but I HAVE been baking. Which leads me to my next post so stay tuned...

Symphony

I hate being late. I really do. In fact, I like to be early. My dad used to tell me that his dad said this: If you don't leave early enough to have a flat tire, fix it and get somewhere on time, you're late. Considering I've never in my life changed a flat tire, I would have to leave at least 1.5 hours early in order for that to happen. But I like my sleep too much for that. Nonetheless, timing is important.

I have to be honest, here. I've struggled the last few months with faith and trust and letting go in order to let God. I'm a type A need-to-know when-and-who-and-what-and-why-and-how planning freak. I like organization and when something is out of sync, I try desparately to get all the players on the same sheet of music.

I've had an urge for a while now that it's time I move on from my current nursing role and take on another.

I struggle with when to apply to graduate school. And for that matter, which degree to pursue.

Brad and I still have a desire to move to Colorado.

I see my friends getting pregnant and bringing life into this world and feel it tugging at my heart strings.

Brad really wants a truck and expresses those dreams periodically.

We really want to get out of Houston.

But what role does timing play in all of those? Do I jump on the first leadership opportunity at work and risk being satisfied? Do I start pursuing my MSN in the fall or spring? If we move to Colorado, what about school and CARES and our friends and family back in Texas? Do I really want to sacrifice my coveted sleep for crying and pooping? Do we need a truck and what are our financial goals and how will those be affected? Can small town life can wait?

And just when you think you've got everything figured out, life throws you a curve ball. A punch to the gut. A blow to the ego. A rejection. A test result that could change your life completely. A big, fat "Not yet".

And then I remember, I'm not the conductor here. I'm not ultimately in control of my life. Sure, I make decisions and pursue opportunities that affect me long-term, but God is the orchestrator.

He's the one with the baton in hand bringing in one instrument, one skilled player at just the right time to make the melody oh so beautiful.

He's the metronome.

The time keeper.

And His timing is always right.

Where Does the Time Go?!?

I swear (except I really try not to) that Thanksgiving was literally last weekend. No? Oops! I follow a lot of blogs and you'd think that after reading those updates, I would be reminded and/or inspired to write my own. However, it seems that a few months have come and gone and I have yet to update. So are you ready? Hold on tight as this post will cover those months, mainly in photos...

I worked Thanksgiving Day and then we drove to Marshall to spend time with my family. It was beautiful...see?

(I LOVE me some East Texas piney woods!!!)

The following weekend began Christmas party season with our Sunday School soiree at the Klasings. I envy this woman just a smidge. She has an entire storage unit dedicated to Christmas decorations. Literally, every nook and cranny has something Christmas-related in it. And somehow, it's not overdone. I think Brad sweats a little every year knowing that we have to go over there for me to gawk :)

(Most of our small group ladies! Love them!!!)

(Me, Brad and his five o'clock shadow :))

That same weekend, we celebrated our second anniversary. I'm really not sure where the time has gone, but December 6 came around quickly! I have to admit, our second year was much better than the first and I'm hoping that is how it continues :) To celebrate, we ate dinner at a very nice restaurant (the same one we ate at right before we got engaged!) and stayed at a fancy hotel here in Houston. I don't have any pictures, so here is one of my favorites from our wedding day, instead.

I decorated the apartment for Christmas:

(Dining room table decor w/ tree in background)

(No more fireplace, so the entertainment center will have to do)

We held a few CARES events before Christmas day:

(One of our residents is an EXCELLENT cook, so she did a demonstration/class for us)

(Our Gingerbread House!)

We spent time with the Fischers at Mamaw's (Brad's grandmother's) the weekend before Christmas. We got some good stuff from the gift exchange (a steam mop -- the most coveted gift -- and some DVDs) and had fun playing with Callum "ouside"!

We attended a going-away party for one of my dear coworkers. Shannon has beome a great friend over the last few years and she and her husband moved to Tyler (her hometown). I'm a little happy it's at least Tyler because there are possibilities of seeing her when I go visit my parents! She's an awesome person!

(Ashley, Shannon and me)

We then made the six-hour trek to Wichita Falls (after I spent Christmas Eve eve doing ALL of my shopping :)) to spend Christmas Day with Brad's family. We stayed in a really cool cabin (because there wasn't much room in the Litteken Inn), opened some presents and visited with the Darnells and Spurlocks.


The weekend between Christmas and New Year's, I went to Marshall to help host a bridal shower for one of my oldest friends' sisters. We had so much fun! I can't believe she's getting married :)

Me, Miranda, Alissa (the bride-to-be) and Colby

We hope you ALL had a fantastic Christmas centered around Christ and family and that 2011 brings you much peace, joy and love!!!

Thankfulness

I am thankful for:



1. My God -- who is eternally present for me, sufficient enough for me and my rock and Redeemer



2. My husband -- who loves me even when I'm a brat. which is often.



3. My parents -- for teaching me to be who I am. Encouraging me through my childhood and young adult life. For being a listening ear and a sounding board. For giving me advice (but not pushing their ideas and or beliefs onto me), whether I take it or not. For demonstrating unconditional love.



4. My brothers -- we may not talk everyday but I know if I ever needed anything, either one of them would be there in whatever way he could be.



5. My in-laws -- for raising up a son in a loving, Christian home and making him the man he is. For accepting me and welcoming me into the family with open arms. For encouraging me in all that I do.



6. For my siblings-in-law and their precious little boy -- for being cool and entertaining :), and also for loving and encouraging me. And for sending me pictures every once in a while of Callum, because let's face it -- he's TOO freakin' cute!



7. For my job -- it's tough and stressful and frustrating and rewarding and challenging all at the same time. I love leaving work everyday and being proud of what I've done, yet wishing I could've done more.



8. My FRIENDS!!!! There are WAY too many to name, but every single person I call a friend is truly that. I'm horrible with picking up the phone, calling to catch up, but when I do get a chance to, it's like no time has passed at all.



9. My small group Bible study (who all fit into number 8) -- we truly have an open and honest and "real" relationship where we can share just about anything. They've prayed for us, praised with us and on occasion cried with us. We're watching each other grow in a Mighty way and it's really cool.



10. Our CARES residents -- they came into my life half-way through this year and I LOVE them! I love the diversity and differing backgrounds and stories they have to share. We are truly blessed to have the opportunity to serve them and love doing just that. Does it take up a huge chunk of my "off" time? Yes. Is it worth it? TOTALLY!

11. The upcoming Christmas season -- first of all, for the reason! [see number one] But really, the decorations, music, Spirit of love and giving, cold weather (when it comes around), family time, etc. I LOOOOOVE Christmas!

12. [appropriately numbered] My Aggies -- thank you for coming out of what seemed like a bad season and beating the hell out of those Longhorns. A&M is a culture, not a school and I love that! WHOOOOOOP!

I have a reason...

I didn't participate in 30 Days of Thankfulness this year because, let's face it: last year, I failed miserably. It's not that I don't have anything to be thankful for, it's just that in everything else going on, I honestly don't remember to log on and journal these thoughts on a regular basis. Yesterday in worship, Hillsong's "Desert Song" was played/sung and it really spoke to me. I won't say anything except that the lyrics speak for themselves:

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayers in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conquerer and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

[Bridge]
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

Ramblings

What have I been doing lately? The usual...working (and when I say working, I don't just mean the six twelve-hour shifts every two weeks. In fact, I mean those six shifts plus committee work, writing exam/cross-exam/opening and closing arguments for the short stint as a make-believe lawyer for a conference we're holding soon, conjuring up something creative to say for a powerpoint that will be presented to our nursing leadership team, developing a talk on professionalism and accountability to present to the PICU staff...you know...working.), CARES team duties (our last event was CHOCtoberfest and was a COMPLETE success...keep reading for more details on that), not training for our half-marathon (yet not giving up just yet...keep reading for those details, too!), attending Aggie football games, having fun and well...I guess that's it.

So yes, our last CARES events were both successful. We had a breakfast early in October and probably set a new record for attendance. Brad and I have been praying that we could get different people to attend and the Lord heard us! I mean, we LOVE our regulars and wouldn't want them to stop coming for anything, but we were trying to think of ways to get different people to start coming. Out of the 60+ residents that came, probably half of those were brand new faces for us! This last week, we held CHOCtoberfest in honor of Halloween. We didn't want to have a Halloween party, per se, so we served all things chocolate and stole the creative name from some dear friends (and another CARES team) of ours. I made much of the treats, but then also let some local eateries and chocolate stores do some of the work for me :) Again, we had a big crowd (40 or so), especially for a week night and pretty much ran out within about 45 minutes. [Note to self: these people love chocolate!]

Brad and I decided about a month and a half ago to conquer the White Rock Half Marathon again. Of course, with our schedule as loaded as it is, training has been difficult. According to the schedule we're using, we should be running 11 miles this weekend...I've only gotten up to 4. Oops. We're not giving up. In fact, we're re-writing the schedule ourselves and are going to hit the ground running (literally) to prepare ourselves for the race, which is just 4.5 weeks away! Speaking of hitting the ground running...I did just that last night during our jog. See? Isn't it pretty?

See the goose egg? Well, more like a small bird's egg...

I'd turned around to Brad to tell him how good I was feeling and the next thing I knew, BAM!!! Face, meet concrete. Concrete, meet face. I tried to catch myself with my hand (as it's torn up pretty bad) but my chin and cheekbone took the brunt of the hit. Naturally, we were on the feeder road of the Beltway during rush-hour traffic so I'm sure I was the source of laughter for some commuters during their drive home. I sat there for a minute processing what had just happened, got up, walked about 20 yards then finished the run. I have to admit, I'm a little proud of myself. Brad thought I should turn around, go home and perhaps visit the Doc in the Box (urgent care clinic) to get checked out. Eh, I'm a nurse. I'm good. Let's finish up this run. The adrenaline help me out, I must say. All without ONE tear shed! Woke up this morning with a splitting headache and a [more] swollen eye. Trying to decide if that trip to the clinic is worth it. Kind of want to check out my cheekbone, but don't necessarily want to pay a bunch of money for x-rays that will 1) show nothing or, 2) show fractures, for which nothing can be done. Think I'll apply ice, take some ibuprofen and suck it up.


It's been a busy semester and the season is FLYING by! I can't believe Thanksgiving is just 3 weeks away. I need to drag out my fall decorations and get them up before it's Christmas :) I love the Holidays...especially this cooler weather we're experiencing. I think I was meant to live in a colder climate, because I eat. This. Up.


Until next time...I'll try to stay away from Mr. Concrete as much as possible!

PRIDE!!!

My dad has been waiting 15 years for this. Me? Well, pretty much my whole life because I can't really remember the last time I was this excited about postseason baseball. It's easy for people to be fans of teams that win (Yankees, Longhorns, etc.). It takes a really special FAN (a true fan) to cheer on and stand behind a team during the good and bad seasons (i.e. Rangers, Cowboys, ahem, Aggies). Apparently, I'm bad luck for all three. But this year, Rangers, you've really made me proud! I know you don't know me from Even, but keep it up...hand it to those obnoxious Yankees and let's see you in the Series!!!