Steps to Grace

Does It Matter?

2009-10-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

Does it matter? This is the prominent question in my life over the last week. I have been wrestling with some inner thoughts and struggles and my husband has been the best during this time. We have been working at the same office since the end of July and I can truly say that this is a blessing for me. Most people don't think they could work with their spouses, day in and day out, but I grew up with my parents doing it with no problem and I am the same way.

I have always been one to focus too much or even entirely on what others' think or what society thinks. I worry over what others think of my clothes, my weight, my lifestyle...bad, I know but it is true. I have always been this way and God has seen me struggle with this and blessed me with a wonderful, inspiring, patient husband. My husband truly is an example of what God wants us each to be - he is always patient, never quick to anger, very laid back, very goal driven, accepting that he knows God must be present in our lives and accepting of me as I am. I have always been a plus size woman and to be honest, I may always be this way. But this does not mean that I don't feel pressure from society and others to be the "accepted" and desirable size 8.

This situation has been forefront in my mind lately since my husband and I have decided we are going to try and start our family next fall. Saturday evening we went out to dinner and at dinner we talked about our priorities and what we need to work on next year. My husband wants me to focus and work on my priorities only - not my weight, not my lack of exercising - my priorites. He wants me to accept that my priorities should be God, spouse, children, family, friends. NO society - NO others -NO people I will never see again. He says that when I begin to worry or doubt myself or concern myself with what others think, I need to stop and say one thing "Does it matter?" Nine times out of ten - the answer will be no. So this is my goal for the upcoming year...to focus on things that should matter, nothing else. My husband says when I do this and make it a habit, then everything else will fall into place. That sounds heavenly to me.

Two Weeks to Enjoy Before BUSY time!

2009-10-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this picture look wonderful? Oh, how I wish Matt and I could do this...we both secretly long for a vacation. Unfortunately, Matt won't start earning vacation until the end of July 2010. So right now we just have to dream about it and talk about how wonderful it would be. We have 1-2 weeks of trying to get some resting and relaxation in before our busy November starts. It is unbelievable how busy November is shaping up to be!

Starting with Tuesday, October 27th - we are going to the Dallas Mavericks game, the season opener, after work.

Then on Sunday, November 1st, we are going to the Dallas Cowboys game (at the new stadium), playing at noon versus the Seahawks.

For the whole week of November 1st-7th, we are going to be house sitting and dog sitting for my parents who will be out of town.

November 13-15th, I will be in Houston, spending the weekend with my college roommate and going to the famous Nutcracker Market.

November 18th, we will be going to the Dallas Mavericks game versus the San Antonio Spurs - our rivals!!

The very next weekend, November 20-22nd, Matt and I will both be in Houston visiting his brother and his family. Then, that next week is Thanksgiving!! WHEW!

And last but NOT least, Matt's birthday is on November 30th.

I don't know about you but we are going to be BUSY!! Once all this is over with, it will be December and Christmas!! The end of this year is going to fly by....but on a good note, I did some awesome shopping yesterday and got my college roommate's Christmas gift all done as well as the gift for my Christmas Swap Partner, Anne Marie.

Little by Little

2009-09-05T17:18:00.001-07:00

Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone! Hope everyone is having a relaxing and blessed Saturday....hubby and I's day started WAY earlier than we planned. We were both up around 6-6:15 am, not something we planned but our bodies were against us. So since we were up, we stopped by the Starbucks drive thru where we each had a grande no whip White Chocolate Mocha...yummy!! We then stopped by the Allen Premium Outlets to see if we could pick up any deals...only really found one, I was able to get a pair of Eddie Bauer denim capris for $15.00. After the outlets, we stopped by HomeGoods and looked around for decor for the house and we got LUCKY!! We have been looking for some sign or picture to hang above our kitchen sink and we finally found one! And it was on sale for $5.00!! We both love it...see what you think.

Overview of sign above sink

Closeup of sign

Tomorrow we are planning to do some odds and ends around the house and have a late lunch/early dinner with hubby's parents. We also need to complete our monthly budget and meal plan for the upcoming week. What fun things are you doing this weekend??

First Item Done on 1001 Things to Do List

2009-08-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I completed one item from my 1001 Things to Do List! One down and 1000 more to go....the item I am referring to is going to a Dallas Cowboys game at their brand new stadium. Well hubby and I were blessed with this surprise on Friday afternoon when we got the call, asking us if we would like to go to the preseason game Saturday night...for free! Two tickets and a parking pass to the new stadium, all thanks to a customer of my father. We were thrilled to go and boy, is it a thing to behold! I have seen pictures of it on TV but trust me, they do not do it justice...you have to see it up close and personal to take it all in. Here are some pictures from our night on Saturday....

And guess what?? We were blessed enough to receive another set of tickets for a real season game on November 1st versus Seattle Seahawks....from another customer of my parents! We cannot wait to go back but we did have dinner before we went to the stadium at the TGI Friday's nearby because we are NOT paying $18.00 for a hamburger! Sorry Jerry!

Do You See Seagulls?

2009-08-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

When you look at the above picture, do you see the brilliant blue of the sky with the tiny wisps of white? Do you see the teal to crystal clearness of the ocean? Can you just imagine the calmness and gentleness of being in those surroundings? Or do you just see the seagulls?

A saying my mother says to me when I overworry or doubt is "Don't put seagulls in your picture". In other words, do not worry about things or obstacles that are not there - do not force things to appear in your situation or your life that wouldn't necessarily have been there to begin with. I wish I didn't do this, I wish I don't worry or "put seagulls" in my picture but I do. How else do you think I have memorized this saying? My poor mother has said it to me over and over again and sometimes still says it.

Today I heard one of the most disheartening things I think I have heard in awhile. My husband and I have been working on losing weight for about a month now. We have both lost about 14-15 pounds. This last week has been very bad for us, diet wise. We splurged a few food items that we haven't had in over a month. I asked my husband today if he could be happy the way he is right now....and he said no. He said he wants to lose 20 more pounds. Please keep in mind that my husband is 6 feet tall and if he loses 20 more pounds, he will be 180. That is thin for someone of his height - I think he looks great now but he doesn't agree. I wish the goal was for something more detailed like "lowering cholesterol" or "better blood pressure reading" but no, it is for overall look and clothing. How far has our society come that everything is based on how you look in clothes? Not if you are happy with yourself or your life, not if you are a Christian and know God but if you wear a certain dress size. I think that this is extremely disheartening.

I mean I know, more than most, the struggle of weight and scale readings. I have always been what some would call a "plus size" girl. I even wondered through high school if I would ever meet that special person who would accept me for me and not a certain dress size. I did...my husband was the first person, ever, who saw me for me and allowed me to be the biggest nerd (which I know I am). I just seem to have gotten sucked back into the society mainstream of how we should look and what we should dress like instead of wanting to be better for me. In fact if we weren't planning to try and start a family late next year, I don't think I would be worrying about a diet. I have to find a way to live life as it comes, to encourage my husband towards his goals and to not get discouraged when I have so far to go to achieve mine. How do you stay above the water and stay on track? Especially with something that seems insurmountable.

(photograph borrowed from National Geographic Photography)

Fabulous and Wonderful!

2009-08-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

Today has been a busy day, that is for sure. It started with me up at 6:45 am. Hubby and I were house and dog sitting for my parents who were moving my brother and sister into their colleges this weekend. So I guess being in a different surrounding and a different bed encouraged my body to get up and out of bed before 7 am. Hubby wasn't far behind me so we decided to stop by Panera Bread Company and get 2 chocolate chip bagels for breakfast, along with our MUCH needed coffee.

After a quick stop at Walmart and taking my parents' dog, Jake, on a walk, we were headed to Grapevine for the day. Hubby had his fantasy football draft with guys from the church he grew up in and I was having lunch out with my mother in law as well as taking in a movie. We had a lovely lunch at Panera (see a trend here?) where I had 1/2 bowl of garden veggie soup and 1/2 classic cafe salad. We made a pitstop at Barnes and Noble and then to the movie theater where we saw the BEST movie! Julie and Julia! I was interested in seeing it when I saw the previews for it but it was so much better than I expected.

Meryl Streep and Amy Adams are wonderful! Meryl nailed Julia's accent and her entire lovely personality and Amy was just SO lovable...I think everyone can relate to this movie. It was so inspiring and FUNNY! I, for one, cannot wait for the DVD to come out. I highly recommend you see this....go now...don't walk, run!

It Seems It is Over

2009-08-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

I am finding out today that there is one dream I am going to have to accept will never come true. I have always grown up with a dog in my family. I am 27 years old and ever since I was born, we have owned a dog. In the last 27 years, my parents have had 6 dogs - ranging from Cocker Spaniels to Norwegian Elkhounds to Labs. I love dogs and as I got older I fell in love with pugs. I loved the small, squished faces and their overall personalities. My husband and I have been married for 5 years now and during that time we have tried to have a dog twice.

During our first year of marriage, while hubby was in law school in Lubbock, we made the mistake of getting a pug puppy. She was adorable and so cute..unfortunately the timing wasn't right and we couldn't give her the time and attention she needed. Luckily, the breeder was very understanding and took her back and promised she would find the perfect home for her. The second time, we rushed into adopting two pugs from a rescue. They were "supposedly" brother and sister which we found out was completely untrue and even more so, they fought a lot. I think the previous owners found this out and tried to pawn them off on the rescue. Unfortunately, the rescue would not allow them to be separated so we did not keep them. We only had them for maybe a week, if that.

I was secretly hoping and hinting to hubby that I would still like a dog. We both have a stable job now and a house with a nice backyard - perfect for a dog. Unfortunately, hubby says he has been "burned" twice and any time I bring up the notion he ignores it or doesn't say anything. I thought I found the perfect dog online...available at the Humane Society, a corgi/dachshund mix who is very laid-back, crate trained and house trained. I showed the picture to hubby...he didn't want to have anything to do with it. I asked when he thought he would be ready for a dog since we have decided we are going to be trying for a child in the next 12-15 months and I would like to have a dog settled and at ease before bringing home a baby. He didn't have an answer to that and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he doesn't want a dog anymore and he just doesn't know how to tell me. Sigh....

I have never been one to accept changes easily...I have to figure a way to wrap my head around the new change and I have a feeling, that for someone like me who has always grown up with dogs around, this will be hard.

Still Trying to Figure It Out...

2009-08-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

I was thinking over some goals today and I got to thinking how I "think". When you think of things you want to do or to accomplish, how do you "think" about them? Do you focus on the here and now or do you see the "big picture"? It seems I don't do either of them well. I was talking to a co-worker today about wanting to move. My husband and I love our house and we have only lived here a year but we have to drive 45 mins to a hour one way to work every day. We would like to live closer and we had mentioned it before so I thought it was a good goal, one of our soonest to accomplish.

Well at lunchtime I talked to my husband and he didn't seem to excited about the idea. I asked him what he was thinking and he said that the idea of moving probably should be put on the backburner because we probably wouldn't have any equity from moving out of this house and the economy is still down. So there went that idea from my head...so I then asked him what he is thinking of, goal wise. And he said he wants to pay off our credit card first and foremost. Don't get me wrong, this is a great idea and we do not have that much to pay off (less than $2000) but this wasn't what I thought he would say. He said after paying off the credit card, then he wants to build up an emergency fund. And then lastly, he wants to start trying for kids.

Again, before you start throwing tomatoes and cursing at me, I do want kids and I am anxious to start our family. However, I am not overly thrilled because our original goal of having me stay at home when we have kids doesn't look like it will come true. So now I have to wrestle with the idea of having my kids in day care, day in and day out. There is nothing wrong with day care - I was a child of day care, I was at the day care center at 6:30 every morning and was picked up around 6 pm every evening but I do not want my children to grow up that way. My husband was lucky enough to have his mother at home while he was growing up so I sometimes wonder if he truly understands where I am coming from. It just seems like all my goals I had are changing or are gone. That isn't very encouraging to me...I am trying to stay positive and optimistic about them but what do you do when your goals all change and not necessarily for the better?

New Books and Unbelievable

2009-08-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope each of you are having a wonderful and relaxing weekend. Mine has been busy, which always seems to happen when I least expect it. My weekend started off Friday evening, after work. Hubby and I went to Grapevine and met up with his parents and had dinner out at Red, Hot and Blue BBQ. YUM! I had the Idaho Pig which is a BIG baked potato loaded with everything and then some pulled pork on the very top. DOUBLE YUM! Needless to say it probably wasn't at all Weight Watchers friendly but we knew this week hadn't been the best for us so we weren't stressing over it.

Afterwards, hubby and his dad went back home and my mother in law and I went to Mardels to the book sale they were having. I was SO pleased on how I did. I told myself on the way to dinner that I would not spend over $20.00 at Mardels and guess what? I got 4 books (one is a hardback) all for $17.01, that includes tax!! I was so happy with my finds...I have included a pic of them below.

I bought The Covenant by Beverly Lewis, 1/2 Price Living: Secrets to Living Well on One Income by Ellie Kay, Cultivating Contentment study guide by Women of Faith Conference and Red Helmet by Homer Hickam. I have already started the Red Helmet book..I am so anxious to see how it is. If any of you have seen the movie, October Sky, the main character is Homer Hickam and his true life story about the rocket he and his friends made in high school. Well the author of Red Helmet is the very same Homer Hickam! For those of you who have not seen October Sky, I highly recommend it...here is the trailer for it.

To continue my weekend, Saturday morning hubby and I got up and went to the gym to workout for the first time in 6 days. Needless to say, the gym kicked our rears! Geez! Those 2 miles of jogging on the treadmill just about did me in - guess that is why you need to make exercise a habit and not start/stop it. Saturday evening I went out to dinner with my sister and then we saw G.I. Joe. I was pleasantly surprised - I actually liked it. I told hubby I will have to take him back next weekend, after payday, to see it. As of today, we were heading back to Grapevine to see hubby's grandparents and aunt who were in town from Arkansas. On our way there, we took some scenic routes through the very well-to-do town of Southlake. Hubby grew up in Grapevine but because of school district lines, he went to school in Southlake. Talk about VERY nice and having the best at your fingertips. Just to illustrate what I am talking about with "well-to-do", look at my picture below of a house we found today in Southlake....

UNBELIEVABLE!! I really hope like 20 people live there but somehow, I know better...what do you think? All I can say is I would HATE to clean that house!

My hometown girl won!

2009-08-02T19:11:00.001-07:00

Tonight was the season finale of The Next Food Network Star and it was down between Jeffrey Saad and Melissa d'Arabian from my town of Keller, Texas. Melissa has been the underdog throughout the entire season and she has continually surprised everyone. Her whole concept is teaching others, in particular, mothers who don't have time to spend hours but still want to cook yummy meals. Her show idea was called "Kitchen Survival Guide with Melissa d'Arabian". Matt and I watched the finale tonight and multiple times we kept saying, we want Melissa to win but Jeffrey will get it. He has just won over and over again. And guess what....much to our surprise - Melissa WON!! We were stunned and thrilled. The mother of 4 girls from KELLER, Texas won and her show will be premiering on the Food Network next week!! I can't wait to see it. So congrats to all the mothers out there who think they can't achieve their dreams and still be a successful mother. Melissa did it and so can we!

THE List

2009-07-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

After reading Vanessa's blog posting about the 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days List, I just knew I had to do this! Her list was so inspirational. I am amazed that she found that many things to do because she is always so organized and on top of things! In fact she told me it wasn't hard for her to think of 101 Things...you go girl! It was a little difficult for me, but I made mine and I am posting it here for everyone to read and to help keep me on track with it as well.

Becky's 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days:
Start Date 07/31/09 - Finish Date: April 27, 2012
(the items are in NO particular order, but I do have them broken up by categories)

Travel:
-Go to New York and see a musical on Broadway
-Take a road trip along the East Coast, in the fall, with Matt
-Take an Alaskan Cruise
-See the real lions from Ghost and the Darkness movie at the Field Museum in Chicago
-Go to Harry Potter Theme Park in Orlando, FL after it opens in 2010
-Go to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA
-Visit Yellowstone National Park

Health/Beauty:
-Lose 10 pounds
-Take a vitamin every day for a month (0/30)
-Find a good skin care regimen and do it daily for a month (0/30)
-Spend an entire DAY at the spa
-Visit a dermatologist for a skin and mole evaluation
-Use lotion after showering, every day for 2 weeks (0/14)
-Drink only water for a week (0/7)
-Lose 10 pounds
-Lose 10 pounds
-Lose 10 pounds
-Lose 10 pounds
-Paint my fingernails black
-Go to the dentist
-Go a month without drinking soda/coke (0/30)
-Have a professional massage done every 6 months

Learning:
-Sew a quilt
-Sew a pair of pajamas for me and for Matt
-Clip coupons and USE THEM
-Learn how to make homemade apple pie
-Buy a bread machine and start making own bread
-Embrace the Crock Pot for meals
-Make a family photo wall in my house
-Make a list of 101 Things that make me happy and print copies for kitchen, purse & desk
-Make homemade laundry detergent
-Complete my wedding scrapbook
-Start recycling at home - plastic, paper, aluminum
-Learn to can food
-Make homemade natural house cleaners

Entertainment:
-See a midnight showing of a newly released movie
-Sit in a suite at a Dallas Mavericks basketball game
-Read the entire collection of Harry Potter books
-Read The Five Love Languages book by Gary Chapman
-Play Guitar Hero
-Try out Netflix for movies, instead of renting/buying
-Watch Gone with The Wind
-Read three biographies (0/3)
-See Shrek the Musical
-Watch Singin in the Rain
-Watch 100 movies on the IMDb Top 250 list (0/100)
-Finish a 500 piece puzzle
-Watch 5 James Bond movies with Sean Connery (0/5)
-Watch Season One DVDs of True Blood
-Watch Season Three DVDs of Bones
-Go to a Cowboys game at the New Stadium (going November 1, 2009 for free!)
-Find and buy Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella DVD, the one with Ginger Rogers and Lesley Ann Warren
-Buy a Wii Fit
-Buy and read Dan Brown's new book, The Lost Symbol
-Have an Anne of Green Gables marathon - all three movies (0/3)
-Attend another Dallas Symphony Orchestra performance (going April 3, 2010!)
-Post on my blog everyday for a month (0/30)
-Make and maintain a books read list
-Make and maintain a movies owned/wish list

Frugality/Organization:
-Live strictly on cash for everyday purchases
-Pay off law school loan
-Make a Home Management binder
-Make a recipe binder of all our favorite recipes, organized and labeled
-Pay back parents the money they loaned us
-Buy reusable shopping bags and stop using plastic ones
-Put $100 into savings every month for a year (0/12)
-Make meal plans every week for a month (0/4)
-Make an emergency kit for each car (0/2)
-Write down and track my spending every day for two weeks (0/14)
-Start paying bills online
-Go an entire week without buying anything, except groceries/gas

Inspirational Growth:
-Begin our family (children)
-Unplug (no TV/computer) for a weekend, three times (0/3)
-Pray daily for a month (0/30)
-Become a SAHM
-Send a message in a bottle
-Keep a prayer journal as well as the answers to them
-Complete a Bible study program at home

Material:
-Buy a brand new car, using at least 20% as down payment
-Adopt a dog
-Eat at the Melting Pot again
-Buy a homemade Amish quilt
-Get professional portraits taken
-Buy a new vacuum

Miscellaneous:
-Find a penpal
-Stay in my pajamas, in bed, for a whole day - watching movies, reading, whatever
-Wear a dress/skirt everyday for a week (0/7)
-Write a letter to my future children
-Pick out clothes for work the night before and lay everything out, for a month(0/30)
-Watch three sunsets (0/3)
-Write out a thank you card for every gift I receive
-Participate in two 5Ks (0/2)
-Re-join ancestry.com and work on family tree
-Get a library card
-Surprise Matt with a gift/outing every month
-Start collecting the state quarters, try to find both mints (Denver/Philadelphia)
-Visit Steffany every November and go to the Nutcracker Market in Houston
-Send Hayley a care package at school, just because
-Send Travis a care package at school, just because
-Send flowers to someone, for no reason
-Make a new 101 Things List!

I hope my list inspired you to make one for yourselves!! If so, please let me know so I can read yours. Can't wait to get started....

A Whirlwind Weekend!

2009-06-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend all of hubby's side got together to celebrate his father's retirement from Verizon after 30+ years. It was very nice to have the whole immediate family together. Middle Brother and Sister in law from Houston and their two little ones came in as well as the Older brother and Sister in law from Austin and their daughter. We had a full house at hubby's parents! Brother and sister in law from Houston came in Friday night and we were lucky enough to have Mom and Dad babysit the two little ones while hubby and I took the brother and sister in law to see Star Trek. Since our nephew is almost 3 and our niece is only 5 months, they don't get out much so we were happy to share this time with them. I think they loved it, just as much as we did the second time! But we definitely realized we don't stay up as late as we used...we saw the 9:55 showing of Star Trek so we didn't get home and in bed until 1:15 am. LATE bedtime for us!

Then we were up around 6:30 am-7 am Saturday morning to clean our house since we were sure to have some of the family staying at our house that evening. We finished up around lunchtime and then drove over to have lunch with Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister in law from Houston and their two kids. The other brother, sister in law and their daughter from Austin arrived around 3-4 pm. After everyone had arrived, we all went out to a little local Mexican place for Dad's retirement dinner - it was very good! Needless to say we all loved it, even the kiddos. After dinner, we retreated back to Mom and Dad's where we had cake....OH MY GOSH! Our lovely sister in law in Houston made the retirement cake, from scratch, with fondant and gum paste and it looked SO professional!! She did an AMAZING, JAW DROPPING job. It looked so real. She made it into a baseball cap and along the side she wrote all the names of the companies Verizon had started out as in the beginning and Dad had stayed with them all. Here are the cake pictures of her masterpiece.....

Front View

Side View

And it was SO YUMMY too!! Inside it was chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache. Don't you think she outdid herself?? I am totally jealous of her abilities! Oh, and if that isn't enough, she and brother in law gave us their extra laptop to use! We had been having computer problems at home and they gave us an EXTREMELY nice, fast, state of the art laptop that brother in law had got through his work. Hubby and I are still flabbergasted that they would bless us like that, but B and L we really, sincerely appreciate it! Thank you again!! Everyone started their drives back home this morning and hubby and I went back to finish our cleaning on the house. He cleaned cars and cleaned out the pantry while I cleaned up the office. After that, we drove over to Plano to have hamburgers on the grill with my parents for dinner and watched New in Town with Harry Connick Jr and Renee Zellweger. So I am still in awe that it is already 9 pm! But like I said, we had a whirlwind weekend! Guess it is time to go back to work to relax!

Survived 2 Days of Torture by Nature

2009-06-12T06:04:00.001-07:00

This is a picture I took of the storm that came through Wednesday night and totally took a beating of the Dallas/Fort area. Hubby and I were watching TV around 6:30 pm Wednesday night and they said the storm would be hitting our area around 7:15 pm. Well, ten minutes later, this is what we saw. We got hit HARD! Our fence is gone, all blown down. We almost lost our 1-2 year old tree in the front but it hung on even though it was pretty much almost bent over in half. We had several power blips off and on throughout the evening and the local news even reported that they think a tornado rotation touched down around the Flower Mound area. Our power officially went off for good around 8 pm and by 9:45 it still wasn't back on. We decided it would be best for me to head to Plano (45 mins away) to stay with my parents who had power since I had to be at work the next morning. On my way to Plano, around 10:30 pm, hubby called to say power still wasn't on and that he was driving to Plano himself.

We woke up Thursday morning around 5:15 am to an ongoing thunderstorm. Hubby got up and left to drive back home to check the house and to see if we had power or not. I left around 6 am to head to work only to arrive on site and found out we had no power, no nothing at the office. Hubby arrived home to find still no power at our house either so we both sat in the dark, me at the office, him at home. The power at our house came on around 11 am but the power still had not come back on at the office so we had a generator brought in from our other local office so we could try and get something done. We finally had power back on at the office around 1:30 pm - still no phones though. We were able to get the timesheets entered and some paperwork done before it was time to close down at 5 pm. I finally arrived back at my house at 6 pm last night and let me tell you, I was pooped!! I knew I needed a break before the storm and now I think I need two vacations!

SO excited!

2009-06-02T06:12:00.001-07:00

Okay, for all of those who have read the Twilight series books, did you see the new teaser trailer for New Moon?!? WOW!! So ready for this movie...too bad we have to wait until the Friday before Thanksgiving. I think I have watched this about five times already....for those of you who haven't seen it, here it is:

Besides my excitement over New Moon, I received an email from a co-worker with things/tidbits from Jeff Foxworthy about Texas. Since I am a born and raised Texan, I had to share some of them with you because they, in fact, are true statements!
"If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Texas"

"If 'VACATION' means going anywhere south of Dallas for the weekend, you may live in Texas"

"If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Texas"

"If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everyone's passing you, you may live in Texas"

Just a few things I chuckled over this morning while reading my emails...for those of you who live in Texas or have, you know how right these are. Last little announcement, husband and I have decided to get back on the weight loss wagon - doing it ourselves. With our budget being tight, we can't afford to join WW and go to meetings so we are going to try and do it ourselves. I am apprehensive about starting this well known hard journey on our own but husband says it is all about attitude, nothing more. I guess we will see how my attitude fairs up.

A New Look

2009-05-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

Surprise! I didn't disappear, I just had a makeover! Doesn't it look amazing?? I loved the new look of one of my favorite blogs, Living to Love and so I found the creator of the look and emailed her. Patrice, you did such a fabulous job!! She was so courteous and very speedy - you should totally check her portfolio out at Purrfect Designs.

Life has been going, not exactly how we would like but we have to remember we aren't on our own time schedule. I have been working same as always, trying to get as many hours as I can. Hubby is still looking for a full time job - he was blessed enough to find a summer job for three months that has a probability of going full time so we are keeping our fingers crossed there. He hasn't started the summer job yet but we are hoping all the paperwork processing will be finished and entered so he can begin next week.

Lately we have been struggling with insurance in regards to getting hubby's jaw surgery approved. It was determined by the orthodontist and oral surgeon that hubby needs to have jaw surgery, pretty detailed one too. After three months of fighting and calling the insurance company multiple times, we were told today that the procedure and the hospital has been approved for surgery but the oral surgeon has not. The insurance is claiming he is not in network and that he will fall under the out of network category meaning less coverage. So we are working with the oral surgeon to see if they can help us out any and in the meantime we are going to see if we can get some assistance. If not, we might have to forgo the surgery due to cost complications.

I did have a down day today after spending hours on the phone with the insurance company and then I unloaded all my stresses and struggles to hubby on the way home from work. Once home we watched the movie New In Town with Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. that just came out to DVD and were able to relax. I am just hoping that we are allowed to see the light at the end of the tunnel very soon. I think my new blog is a great start, don't you?

Accepting

2009-04-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

How does one accept? This seems to be the underlying issue I have been wrestling with for last almost two months. I didn't drop off the face of the earth but it was very nice to hear from my mother-in-law who said she missed my blog. So I have decided to start posting again and I have been reading my friends' blogs daily, even if I haven't been posting.

Back in the middle of March I started having some stomach issues - going to bed with upset stomach and waking up with some dull cramps. This happened for a couple of days until I finally took hubby's advice and went to the doctor. I was told that I have an reflux problem, a less common one in the fact that I don't have the sensation of acid in my throat - mine is more constant turning of my stomach from overproduction of acid. So I was given a prescription to take for two weeks and some blood work was drawn. When I returned for my follow up appt two weeks later, I was SO relieved to hear that my lab work was ALL normal! However, I was switched to an older form of the drug I had been taking which is less expensive than the current samples I took for two weeks. I was instructed to take the new drug for 3 months and to come back in for it didn't seem to help as much as the samples I took.

Well, I thought I was doing well and back on the right track - I had taken the older drug for 9 days without any problems. On day 10 & 11 I woke up in the middle of the night with the cramping and uncomfortableness again. I was able to roll onto my side and fall back asleep without too much hassle but for the last 2 days I have been fighting off and on again stomach cramps. Hubby requested, firmly, that I go back to see the doctor again and maybe get switched back to the original medicine I was taking. So I have an appt this afternoon at 2:45 to see what the doctor thinks. The changes over the last 4 days hasn't been a positive thing for me. It is somewhat frustrating. I just want to be normal, I want to be able to enjoy everything and not be constantly fighting a stomach issue. I guess the strangest part for me is that I have no idea what triggered these changes to occur. Part of me wonders if it isn't stress mixed with the overproduction of acid. Last week was HORRENDOUS for me at work, things just kept coming and coming.

So to make a LONG post shorter, hubby thinks I need to try and learn to accept things that are out of my control. To try and enjoy the good things in life instead of focusing on the negative. But how does one do that?? I will be honest and say that I have been struggling with my faith lately as well - I try and pray but it is hard for I don't feel like I am getting answers. Sorry, didn't mean for this post to be such a downer, but this is my current situation - hoping it will change VERY soon!

Clean Swap from Homespun Heart

2009-03-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite blogs to read is Monica's. She is so warm, friendly, caring and a true role model for those women and mothers who are looking to draw their families better to God. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that Monica was hosting a clean swap with Carrie. I had seen a couple of her swaps before but I had never participated in one. I decided to take the plunge and ask Monica if I could be allowed to join in the fun on this Clean Swap. And she said yes! I was thrilled!

First, we had to answer a questionnaire in which we explained our favorite smells, our favorite duties and our least favorite duties associated with cleaning. We also got to describe our perfect day if we had no duties that needed to be completed and what area of our home life, cleaning wise, we would like to improve and how. My biggest hurdle with my cleanliness at home is the laundry. I truly do think that it multiplies when I am sleeping! Once we answered the questions and submitted our answers, Monica and Carrie paired us up with another swap member who had similiar interests/likes and our goal was to put together a shoe box for our partner, full of little things that represented cleanliness, that represented our partner and that offered encouragment and helped to bridge the gap in starting a friendship.

My partner was Katherine from Wisconsin - I had such great fun learning about her and her home. We asked each other more questions about ourselves and then we mailed our boxes and BOY WAS I SURPRISED!! Katherine did an AWESOME job! She totally got me, she knew me and I was SO spoiled. I told her that I was going to boast ALL about her because she is the BEST! I truly believe I was blessed with the best partner. I have enclosed three pictures for you to see my blessings!

This is the overview of my stuffed box of clean swap goodies!! She had every item wrapped in a pink ribbon, with a pink cardstock Scripture passage!! (My favorite color is pink, by the way)

First picture of a closeup of my goodies - she got me a three pack of sink scrubbers, handmade soap, pink dish scrubber, room freshener spray in Clean Linen scent, and a mug with a Scripture passage from the Book of Matthew (which also happens to be my hubby's name!).

Second picture of the closeup of my goodies - a handmade red/pink mini tote, a handmade tea bag holder, handmade cards with envelopes, handmade holder with some cocoa inside, a small bag of homemade sink cleaner/freshener, two laminated pages about getting out laundry stains and laundry symbols AND a handmade schedule, laminated, so I can plan out my cleaning duties for the week and check them off when I am done!!

I LOVED this swap and I am truly thankful for my partner. Thank you SO much again Katherine. You truly were the best!! I hope you liked your box as well - you went above and beyond. I hope we can do this again in another of Carrie and Monica's swaps!! Thank you girls for hosting this swap. I had LOADS of fun!

Caught A Bug

2009-02-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well, today I am starting to feel somewhat back to normal. Yesterday was a day I don't ever want to relive. I woke up at 2:30 Wednesday morning and was up for a hour and a half before my stomach decided it had had enough. After that icky experience, I laid on the couch and feel asleep for about a hour or so. I was then back up at 5 or so with stomach rolling again. It went on that way until about 11 am when hubby convinced me to try and take a cool shower. I guess that was the catalyst my stomach needed because my stomach decided to let go of what else it had, with my hubby helping me. I was so exhausted after that - I had 1 piece of dry toast and took some anti-nausea pills before taking a nap.

I woke up around 2:30 pm and ate another half of dry toast and some animal crackers. That lasted for a hour or so before I took another nap until 6:10 pm. Dinner consisted of 2 more pieces of dry toast and some warm 7UP. I tried to watch some TV with hubby when I began to feel very warm and hubby mentioned my eyes were glassy. We took my temperature and was surprised to see it was 100.7. So hubby got me some Tylenol PM to help with the fever and to help me go to sleep. I went to bed around 8 or so. I proceeded to wake up at 9 pm and took another anti-nausea pill before going to sleep and was lucky enough to sleep until 5 am when hubby came in to retake my temperature. It was back down to 98.6 so I was back to normalcy there. I went back to sleep until 7 am or so when I got up while hubby was getting to leave for his appt.

I have been on the couch, relaxing and resting while I watch TV/movies. I am hoping and praying that this "bug" is over and gone. My mother seems to think that I caught a stomach flu. I definitely don't want it again if that is what it is. I was hoping for a day off of work but not this way. And poor hubby has been helping me and looking after me, Lord bless him. I truly know what kind of husband I married - one who doesn't mind seeing me without a shower, messed up hair, pale, getting sick....I truly am blessed to have such a loving and patient husband. Now if I can just get back to my normal self and show him just how much I appreciate all he has done for me. One thing at a time...

Downward Spiral

2009-02-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

Why do these things tend to happen? Like dominoes, once one begins to fall then it seems everything else follows its example. I really don't mean for this to be a pity party but I just need to vent...a little at least. If you have been reading my posts over the last while, you know that my hubby is still unemployed and is still actively trying to find a new job. I am not venting about that, per se, since lots of people in our country are in the same boat we are. But it just seems that hubby and I cannot seem to catch a break and all of it adding up is starting to make a crack in my tough skin I have tried to develop.

Over the last 2-3 weeks, hubby has been battling a sinus infection. He suffers from them off and on over the years so it wasn't anything new, or so we thought. Well, on January 22nd he went to the doctor and was given some antiobiotics and was told to call back if he wasn't better by the time the medicine was gone. Well the 10 day supply ended yesterday and he is not any better so he called on Friday and made an appt for this morning at 9:30 am. Well the doctor diagnosed him with chronic sinusitis and gave him a steroid shot in the office, a different antiobiotic and a steroid nasal spray. And he told hubby that if he was not any better in another week to come back in and then he would have to undergo xrays and go from there.

When hubby called me to tell me this, I just about crumbled. My faith and my hope seem to be wavering - I know I am putting the "cart before the horse" here but I just can't seem to help it. The looking for a new job, the sinus problems which have not cleared up yet....and on top of that hubby has had braces on his teeth for almost two years now with no ortho appts. My parents graciously said they would help pay for the treatment so hubby can get them taken care of and off his teeth before they start to do damage for being on so long without maintenance. So he has an appt a week from today at 3:30 for a consultation with my old ortho doctor so he can tell us how long, if anything, hubby will need to continue to wear them and when we might be able to take them off. So that is another thing that needs to be taken care of - not to mention all the normal bills, car stuff, etc. *SIGH*

I am sorry - I don't mean to sound like I am picking on hubby for I really am not. It is not his fault - he doesn't want this stuff any more than I do and marriage means being there during the good times and the bad. But I am so longing for the good times. And I am trying SO hard to not think of all the things we are having to do without in the meantime...like I haven't had a haircut in over six to eight months. It is growing so long which is making it harder for me to manage. We only go out when one of our parents graciously takes us out and pays for us. I know not eating out is NOT the end all of the world but just little things like that I miss. Sorry to dump all this on you guys...I know it isn't a happy go-lucky post. I really shouldn't be focusing on myself...I should be posting and prayers for others, like my dear friend Steffany who found out that her father has skin cancer, or for AllyJo's husband who is having to go through his mother's possessions after she passed. I should be more thankful that we are not going through one of these situations....one more thing I need to work on.

So, I guess, my long post is simply meant to ask you to pray for us. We would appreciate it.

A Fan Of.....

2009-02-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been a fan of something just because of their mascot or symbol?? I am sure a few of you are going, "What?" But it is true, I am a fan of this adorable guy....

and he is the mascot of the University of Georgia!! I have never, nor as anyone I know, gone to the University of Georgia but I love their mascot!! Go 'Dawgs!!

What else am I a fan of? Hmmmm....

Pink VW Bugs...I don't own one but I secretly jump for joy when I see one out on the road

Books!! I love books - I keep my favorite ones and I have stacks of ones I still have to read...I get lost in bookstores and could be there for hours

Purses and totes....it is my weakness, I am sorry to say. Some girls like shoes and clothes...give me a new handbag anyday and I am happy!
(picture borrowed from The Hickory Stick)

These are just a FEW of my favorite "things"....what are some of yours??

Unknown Things

2009-01-27T06:17:00.000-08:00

I was reading my lovely blogging friend, AllyJo's blog this morning and I noticed she shared "25 Facts About Me" and if we were reading it, then we were considered tagged to do the same.

So here goes my chance to educate you, my readers and friends, on 25 Random Things About Me:

1) I truly love the color pink! When I was a little girl, my mother said I would pick any OTHER color than pink - I hated pink - but not any more!!

2) I listen to a wide variety of music - from Christian (like Hillsong and MercyMe), Pop (Celine Dion, Madonna, Beyonce) to Easy Listening (Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Celtic Woman/Celtic Thunder) and Country (Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, Josh Turner, George Strait). My absolute favorite is country though - sorry hubby!

3) One day I would love to learn to speak Italian. The country and its people are so passionate and full of life and tradition.

4) My hubby and I have a similar meeting/dating story that my parents have. My hubby and I met on a blind date, set up through a mutual friend - my parents did also. I am exactly 4 months, to the day, younger than my hubby - my mother is the same, 4 months younger than my dad.

5) I would love to try and work in a veterinary practice. I love all the animals - but I am not sure if I could handle the part of when they have to be put down.

6) I have a very good memory - especially when it comes to names, billing, things I do at work. My hubby thinks I am weird like that!

7) I can pretty much handle any animal EXCEPT snakes!! I LOATHE snakes! If there are any snakes ANYwhere remotely near me, they better be dead ones.

8) I have fears and doubts about becoming a mother - not that hubby and I are planning anytime soon. In fact, we are still talking about waiting 3 more years but you never know.

9) I LOVE the TV show Big Bang Theory!!! It is incredible!! Sheldon is my absolute favorite! If they had tshirts with him on it, I might get one!

10) I cannot stand people who give themselves airs or think they are better than everyone else. Please! You are no better than us!

11) I get everywhere early - not on time - but early. If I am on time, I feel like I am late. When we were visting the church down the street from our house and the service started at 9:30, we left the house at 8:50-9 am.

12) I text people a lot with my phone. I love sending texts and it helps that I can type fast as well.

13) I cannot sew - I would love to learn one day. To be able to make clothes, tote bags, quilts, anything! Right now I just live vicariously through friends like AllyJo.

14) My hubby and I owe lots of movies! I haven't actually counted them one by one but I know we have over 200.

15) I went to a private all-girls high school in Dallas. And I would do it all over again if I could. I didn't have to put up with a lot of piddly stuff that goes along with high school - I could just focus on school and friends.

16) I have a Bachelor's Degree in Radiological Sciences (x-rays) but I don't work in the field anymore.

17) My hubby and I have a girl's name and a boy's name already picked out for when we do decide to have kids.

18) I am secretly hoping that my brother will end up marrying his high school girlfriend - they have been together for two years so far but they are starting college in the fall and we aren't not sure where either of them are going yet.

19) I didn't set out to do this but I collect purses and tote bags. Some women like shoes and jewelry - I like them too but if I was going to spend my money, it would be on a new purse or bag.

20) I am fascinated by all things Amish. I used to spend my summers up in Illinois with my grandparents and the small town they live in has a good size Amish community in the country. We used to shop at the Amish salvage store for some groceries and handmade goods.

21) Unfortunately I tend to be more pessimistic or realistic before I am optimistic. When a situation happens, I tend to worry or get anxious over what MAY happen instead of what actally does - I am trying to improve on this with prayer and God's guidance.

22) The one chore of housework I absolutely cannot stand is laundry. I would rather do anything and everything else before laundry! If I could hire someone to do one thing at our house, it would be to do the laundry.

23) I am a major Dallas Mavericks basketball fan. I can watch football but I don't get into as much as I do with the Mavericks. My favorite player is Dirk Nowitzski. And since I love the Mavericks, that means I cannot stand the...other Texas team....ummm...the one by San Antonio.

24) I have been to Las Vegas twice - once with my family and once with my old work in Lubbock - and I cannot wait to go back! And I don't even gamble that much - I just play the slots. But there is something about the atmosphere there that is infectious.

25) I continually try to have the "perfect normal" life - I don't know why. I tend to compare my life and my currect situation to others I know. I just need to post the quote from the movie Tombstone everywhere so I can keep seeing it....Doc Holliday (played by Val Kilmer) says to Wyatt Earp (played by Kurt Russell), "There's no normal life, Wyatt. There's just life."

Okay, hopefully these little tidbits were insightful and not too boring to read. I hope everyone who reads this considers themselves "tagged". If you do continue this on your blog, please let me know! I would love to read your facts!!

New President

2009-01-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

(photo taken by Jason Reed/Reuters Inauguration)

Today, Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States. I was lucky enough to watch his swearing in and his inaugural speech. I will not hide and say that I did vote Obama but I do have a distinct duty to pray for him and his administration. I do hope that he can, with God's grace, bring this country back from the downward spiral it seems to be on. Everyone could use extra prayers these days, even more so the man who has assumed the role and the responsibility of leading this country past all the "problems", be it financial, environmental, global or inner struggles here at home.

I have enclosed a list compiled by Andrew Stanley from "A Diamond in the Rough", adapted from The Book of Psalms.

People with Character:
They walk with integrity.
They do what is right.
They tell the truth.
They don't gossip.
They don't mistreat people.
They side with those who are right.
They keep their word.
They lend money to those in need without interest.
They don't take advantage of people for financial gain.

From Psalm 112, verse 6: "Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever."

On a more fun note......

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THIS PICTURE??? SO ADORABLE!!
(picture from Lori)

Help and Prayers Needed!!

2009-01-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

DH and I are desperately needing your prayers, support and advice! We have only lived in our neighborhood for almost 6 months and there is only one house next to ours. That house used to be the builders' office but they have since moved out and we have been patiently waiting to see who will be our neighbors. Well, we got the answer and we are not happy about it! It seems a couple from Staten Island, NY bought the house but are renting it out to.........a group of young, white, single guys. The house only has three bedrooms, two baths but for the past 2 nights, there have been at least 5 cars there. And it never fails - someone has to park in front of our house. This may not seem like much but it is one of my pet peeves and on top of that, there is an empty parking lot on the other side of their house that used to be for the builders.

So this morning I go out to my car to leave for work and I see two cars in the driveway, two cars parked in the parking lot on the side and then one truck in front of my house. Why do people do that?? Why can you not park in front of your own place? So DH and I are realizing that we are going to have to talk to them which is something we were hoping not to have to do. With this problem already, we are both worrying about noise and parties they might have. What are the odds?? I mean everyone in our neighborhood are young families - I mean our neighborhood is directly across the street from a high school for goodness sake. What do you think? What would you do?? I mean I just want them to understand we bought this house, we are planning to be there for a long while but they are just renting, they can leave whenever they want - we do not have that luxury. Ugh!! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

What to Do?

2009-01-15T12:11:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed that time seems to be going so slow when you are praying it would hurry up and then it seems to fly by when you wish it would just slow? That seems to be my life now. Certain things make me want to have the days go by quickly, things like mundane tasks at work (filing) or waiting and praying for DH to find a new job. While, on the other hand, things like the weekend go by far too quickly. It seems to be me that our life is in limbo right now - we are on the road to a place, to a goal but we haven't arrived yet. In the meantime until we reach that goal, we seem to just be doing the motions, trying to take it one day at a time.

My DH has asked his old boss, a sports minister at First Baptist, if he needs any help with the leagues and stuff going on so that way he can be earning some part time money while he still searches for a job. Of course his old boss was more than willing to help out but the idea of going back to a job he had in high school/college is somewhat downing to my DH. He starts back this weekend with the children's Upward basketball league so that means Friday evenings he will help run the practices for 3 hours and then he will be refereeing the games all day on Saturday. I am grateful for the assistance, truly I am, I just don't understand why it is going on 5 months and DH hasn't even been called for an interview.

The other thing that seems to be so "down"-ing for me is that a dream I had seems to be dying. Reality and life are showing me that my dream of being a stay at home wife and mother (one day) may not be possible for us. Some people have that luxury and can make it work while others just cannot. DH's brother and sister-in-law in Houston are very blessed to be able to do that, to have our sister-in-law stay at home with their 2 kids while DH's oldest brother and wife in Austin both have to work. In fact the sister in law in Austin is going back to school next week. This is reminding me of a quote from one of my favorite movies called The Matchmaker with Janeane Garofalo. In the movie, Janeane's character is asking another why he gave up being a full time journalist to become a PR guy in the middle of small town Ireland. The guy's answer was, "Things rarely go according to our youthful heroic plans. Sometimes the easy way out is the right way out."

I guess I just need to vent this stuff to someone once in a while - I can see where this might come across as a pity party and for that I apologize. Thinking and acting positive is very hard for me right now. Don't worry - I can put on a fake act and a fake smile for anyone when I need to, like right now at work, and pretend everything is okay. But really all I want to do is to breathe easier, to know that my bills will be paid for, to know that our dreams will come true and to know that things will get easier. Have you ever told a white lie to a family member or a loved one just to appease them? By telling them that things will be okay, that you have utmost confidence in it only to turn around and when you are by yourself start to cry and worry if that is true. I feel like that sometimes now with DH - I am trying to be positive and reassuring to him, to let him know that I am with him and that he will find a job very soon but in the back of my mind I am silently screaming and wringing my hands with worry. I guess we each have to face our tests and to see if we can overcome the obstacles and still remain as strong or stronger afterwards.

"Everyone thought I was bold and fearless and even arrogant, but inside I was always quaking." - Katharine Hepburn

Greeting A New Year - 2009

2009-01-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

It is 2009! A new year is beginning - and with it, all our dreams, goals, hopes, aspirations begin. Have you thought about what you want this year to be for you and your family? I, for one, could not wait for the new year to be upon us. 2008 was a major year of growth for my husband and I but we are ready to embrace all that 2009 has to offer. To help us reflect on the past year and en"vision" the new year, I turned to Simple Mom. She designed and graciously made two papers for each person to download and fill out - one is entitled "Reflection Questions for 2008" and the other is entitled "Vision Questions for 2009". I highly recommend them! I filled them both out and would like to share with you some of my responses (I won't list all of them, just a few).

For Reflection Questions of 2008:
1) What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
- Being able to buy our first home

2) What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
- My husband having two kidney stones within two months' time

5) Pick three words to describe 2008.
- Experience, learning, overcoming

17) What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
- Fighting with the builders, Coleman Homes, and pushing them to get our house
finished in time for the closing

20) Create a phrase or statement that describes 2008 for you.
- A hard year that I am glad has ended and a jumping point to a new, better year
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For Vision Questions for 2009:
1) What skill do you most want to learn this year?
-To be faithful, to rely on God more

10) Think of an important relationship aside from your spouse and children. How will
you nurture that relationship this year?
- With God, little steps daily. Through reading the Bible and surrounding myself
with faithful people and joining a new church

15) Have you ever created a family mission statement with your spouse? If so, why not
do one for this year?
- Mission Statement for 2009: "To accept life's challenges and rewards with an
open heart, an open mind and a faithful spirit in Christ."

17) What is something that is continually undone in your life? What will you do to
fully complete it this year?
- Allowing my sense of happiness and faith to fall apart. I will start to go to
this new church with a sense of hope and purpose, I will keep a journal and
begin to enrich my life from the inside out

20) Think of three words you'd like to describe your 2009.
- Hopeful, fulfilling and rewarding

"Happiness is the realization of God in the heart. Happiness is the result of praise and thanksgiving, of faith, of acceptance; a quiet tranquil realization of the love of God." - White Eagle

I hope and pray that this new year fulfills all your hopes and dreams for you and your family and that God continually blesses you. I look forward to reading more from you, dear blog friends. And to my stubborn, adorable niece in Houston.......you can come out now! We are so anxious to meet you!!