So I'll definitely miss my friends while I'm gone and I'll be a bit stressed about what I may have forgotten to do at work before leaving, but I'm SUPER EXCITED to see my family. I haven't seen them since Christmas.
So here are some things I'm excited about:
- Shopping with my mom and sis
- Spending time with my niece Makenna
- Fishing with my dad and hubby (not my most favorite hobby, but it's always fun to do with them)
- Lounging by and in the pool for hours
- being lazy
- long talks outside with the family around the pool and grill
- wrestling around and getting beat up by my younger yet larger brother (I miss the days when I was still stronger than him)
- Playing some kind of board game that will inevitably result in an argument between my sis and myself because she's a bit conservative and I'm, well, kind of loud and hyper.
- Letting my mom take care of me
- Getting my dad to brush my hair
- Reminiscing about the "good ole days"
I'll be sure to post lots of pictures while I'm gone. I can't wait to see my family but I'm sure I'll be more than exciting to be back in NC once it's all said and done.
It's HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIME!!!!
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Wow- July is full of birthdays. the 11th and 27th of this month marked my bosses' birthdays. Next Week, July 30th is my colleague's birthday and she will celebrate her baby's 1st birthday the very next day, but most important to me is today, July 24th.
Today Lauren's baby boy turns 2 and we'll all celebrate him tomorrow at a cookout where I'll finally get to hang with my girls after two very long weeks. But today also marks my dad's 50th Birthday!!! Can you believe it? The big 5-0! Well, I guess I can believe it because my sister just turned 31 and I'm 25 but 50 used to seem OLD to me, but when I look at my dad, I still see the same young man that taught me everything there is to know about Softball, Fishing, Golfing, Shooting the Bow and Arrow and even cars. My dad is still SUPER MAN!! And I know that all I have to do is say the word and it's Super Man or Super Dad to the rescue......like picking me up from the airport when my flight was screwed up and driving me 13 hours to my husband.
No matter what, my dad has always been there. So he deserves to be celebrated. Unfortunately I only have this really bad picture of my dad on my hard drive since I cleaned it out, but it'll do until I get back from Bama with some new ones. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! I LOVE YOU!
Today Lauren's baby boy turns 2 and we'll all celebrate him tomorrow at a cookout where I'll finally get to hang with my girls after two very long weeks. But today also marks my dad's 50th Birthday!!! Can you believe it? The big 5-0! Well, I guess I can believe it because my sister just turned 31 and I'm 25 but 50 used to seem OLD to me, but when I look at my dad, I still see the same young man that taught me everything there is to know about Softball, Fishing, Golfing, Shooting the Bow and Arrow and even cars. My dad is still SUPER MAN!! And I know that all I have to do is say the word and it's Super Man or Super Dad to the rescue......like picking me up from the airport when my flight was screwed up and driving me 13 hours to my husband.
No matter what, my dad has always been there. So he deserves to be celebrated. Unfortunately I only have this really bad picture of my dad on my hard drive since I cleaned it out, but it'll do until I get back from Bama with some new ones. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! I LOVE YOU!
Yea Yea....I Hear Ya! I get it now...GEEZ!!
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So it comes as no surprise to those who know me best that my husband and I have experienced some EXTREME financial hardships during the last 3 years that he's been in school. So I've prayed,and prayed and prayed and God has come through moment to moment but never on a consistent basis. And I thought, that's because God is teaching me a lesson through my struggle. Well....I could be wrong, but I think lately he's been trying to teach me that lesson-but not the lesson I thought he was trying to teach.
The lesson he's been trying to teach me is faith. I love Church at the Triangle (CATT), have found a new family in CATT, am active at CATT but other than $5 here and $10 I haven't really given God his fair share. I've thought, God can't REALLY expect me to give him 10% of my paycheck every month when I can't make it as it is....oh but I think he does and I think he does because he wants me to have faith in him. If I want to see CATT grow, then I need to help CATT grow by giving him what's rightfully his.
While I wasn't really questioning my faith, I think God was...I've been stressed about money, but I knew that God was trying to get my attention when I had a great conversation with Lauren about the fact that she and Steve just give God his part every month and just have faith or at least try to have faith that he'll take care of things.....as she told me this, I'm thinking to myself...yea, but I'm the only person bringing in any real money,Jarrad tries hard to do what he can, but I'm the one with the regular 9:00-5:00 so I know God can wait until Jarrad graduates from college before we give him 10%. WRONG! I was totally wrong...at least that's what I think God was telling me. When Jarrad gets out of college and starts a job, we won't struggle as we do now and I won't feel the need to seek God as desperately as I do now, financially anyway.
Well, Lauren's words, unbeknown to her, have been eating at me for weeks. With that I've been reading a book, "Blue Like Jazz," and have found both inspiration and God speaking to me through this book on several occasions. So Friday night I decided to take a nice soak in Kelly's very large bathtub as the one I have isn't large enough for someone of my height to truly relax. And Just as I thought God was providing inspiration and words to help me through one prayer I've had over the last couple of months, regarding faith, the book quickly shifted to talk about finances(which inadvertantly goes back to faith). Long story short, I finished that chapter, closed my book and just looked up to the heavens and grouchly said to God: "OK OK, I get it. I must have faith in you and that you'll pull through for us. To do so, I need to give to you, what's rightfully yours. GOSH" OK- I added the Gosh part just now but my whiny reply to God was starting to remind me of Nepoleon Dynamit.
You know, a while back I said it would just be easier if God could just slap me on the head and I'd know right away what it was he wanted....well, I felt like this chapter was that slap on the head.
Sometimes I just need my friends to very directly say to me: "Christian, you know you should really....." That's a whole lot easier because apparently I'm a true blonde and I don't do well with hints.
So I figured I need to get this out, post it to my blog because if I make it public, I'll have to stick to it. This is my vow to God, that I will give him what is rightfully his on this upcoming pay day and not only will I do that, but I'll have faith that he'll come through and take care of my needs for that month and the months to come. With that, no hinting around, Lauren and Kelly- it's your jobs to make certain i stick by this promise.I get paid on August 1st and the first check I write needs to be to CATT.
This is my oath, this is my vow....have a great day...YAY GOD! ;)
The lesson he's been trying to teach me is faith. I love Church at the Triangle (CATT), have found a new family in CATT, am active at CATT but other than $5 here and $10 I haven't really given God his fair share. I've thought, God can't REALLY expect me to give him 10% of my paycheck every month when I can't make it as it is....oh but I think he does and I think he does because he wants me to have faith in him. If I want to see CATT grow, then I need to help CATT grow by giving him what's rightfully his.
While I wasn't really questioning my faith, I think God was...I've been stressed about money, but I knew that God was trying to get my attention when I had a great conversation with Lauren about the fact that she and Steve just give God his part every month and just have faith or at least try to have faith that he'll take care of things.....as she told me this, I'm thinking to myself...yea, but I'm the only person bringing in any real money,Jarrad tries hard to do what he can, but I'm the one with the regular 9:00-5:00 so I know God can wait until Jarrad graduates from college before we give him 10%. WRONG! I was totally wrong...at least that's what I think God was telling me. When Jarrad gets out of college and starts a job, we won't struggle as we do now and I won't feel the need to seek God as desperately as I do now, financially anyway.
Well, Lauren's words, unbeknown to her, have been eating at me for weeks. With that I've been reading a book, "Blue Like Jazz," and have found both inspiration and God speaking to me through this book on several occasions. So Friday night I decided to take a nice soak in Kelly's very large bathtub as the one I have isn't large enough for someone of my height to truly relax. And Just as I thought God was providing inspiration and words to help me through one prayer I've had over the last couple of months, regarding faith, the book quickly shifted to talk about finances(which inadvertantly goes back to faith). Long story short, I finished that chapter, closed my book and just looked up to the heavens and grouchly said to God: "OK OK, I get it. I must have faith in you and that you'll pull through for us. To do so, I need to give to you, what's rightfully yours. GOSH" OK- I added the Gosh part just now but my whiny reply to God was starting to remind me of Nepoleon Dynamit.
You know, a while back I said it would just be easier if God could just slap me on the head and I'd know right away what it was he wanted....well, I felt like this chapter was that slap on the head.
Sometimes I just need my friends to very directly say to me: "Christian, you know you should really....." That's a whole lot easier because apparently I'm a true blonde and I don't do well with hints.
So I figured I need to get this out, post it to my blog because if I make it public, I'll have to stick to it. This is my vow to God, that I will give him what is rightfully his on this upcoming pay day and not only will I do that, but I'll have faith that he'll come through and take care of my needs for that month and the months to come. With that, no hinting around, Lauren and Kelly- it's your jobs to make certain i stick by this promise.I get paid on August 1st and the first check I write needs to be to CATT.
This is my oath, this is my vow....have a great day...YAY GOD! ;)
I Miss My Hubby
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This is night number two without my hubby and I MISS HIM LIKE CRAZY!!!! I can't believe I have another night to go before I can see him again. This sucks so bad! I love snuggling next to him every night and feeling the warmth of his body...I never realized how cold it is without him and I never realized how I thrive off those few moments every night where we snuggle in bed, talk about our day and wrap our arms and legs around each other for a few minutes before rolling over and zonking out.
Mommy for the Weekend
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Friday evening through Sunday evening I stepped in and played the role of mommy for a beautiful 9 month old named Peyton. She's one of the sweetest little girls I've ever had the privilege of taking care of and I have to admit I've learned a lot about myself and my potential as a mother...pat on my own back...now back to the post.
First let me just say, I have an all new prospective on motherhood and I'd like to give MAD PROPS to all the moms I know. The first night was very simple and I thought, this is a piece of cake, but the second night I got a taste of what it would be like to deal with a baby running a fever, teething and dealing with a belly ache all at teh same time. Not once did I get impatient or agitated, but I also can't lie and say it's easy to be awakened every 2 hours to a baby screaming but the hardest part wasn't having to wake every 2 hours, it was knowing she was in pain but having no means other than a little baby tylenol and a lot of comforting to try to easy the pain even a little.
So here's the great things I learned about myself:
* I love being awakened in the morning by a smiling, laughing baby
* I love listening to her talking to herself and cracking up at whatever she says
* I smirk a little when other people try to hold her but she cries because she only wants me
* I love that I mastered the art of bathing both myself and the baby...at the same time
* I love the peacefulness of holding a sleeping baby...even more I love that I'm able to singe her to sleep
* Mostly I love that I'm able to provide her withh a place that allows her to feel safe
Negatives- well, there really aren't any major negatives but.
* The lack of sleep is a bit hard
* OH, Big one- planning a weekend around having a baby.....babysitters are EXPENSIVE, trust me, I know- I'm usually the babysitter and at $10/hour who can afford to go out?
* Getting dressed...yea, that's a bit complicated with a toddler that likes to pull up on everything and is in to everything and wants to be held 24/7
* And...ummmm..yea....that's about it
So the weekend was great and I was extremely sad today when I no longer had a baby to take care of.
So do I have baby fever? YES
Would I be OK with having a baby now? YES
Do I think I can handle it? YES
But am I OK with waiting 2 more years? Well, YES simply because I'd rather be in a better place financially and oh yea, it'd probably help if Jarrad was done with school :)
First let me just say, I have an all new prospective on motherhood and I'd like to give MAD PROPS to all the moms I know. The first night was very simple and I thought, this is a piece of cake, but the second night I got a taste of what it would be like to deal with a baby running a fever, teething and dealing with a belly ache all at teh same time. Not once did I get impatient or agitated, but I also can't lie and say it's easy to be awakened every 2 hours to a baby screaming but the hardest part wasn't having to wake every 2 hours, it was knowing she was in pain but having no means other than a little baby tylenol and a lot of comforting to try to easy the pain even a little.
So here's the great things I learned about myself:
* I love being awakened in the morning by a smiling, laughing baby
* I love listening to her talking to herself and cracking up at whatever she says
* I smirk a little when other people try to hold her but she cries because she only wants me
* I love that I mastered the art of bathing both myself and the baby...at the same time
* I love the peacefulness of holding a sleeping baby...even more I love that I'm able to singe her to sleep
* Mostly I love that I'm able to provide her withh a place that allows her to feel safe
Negatives- well, there really aren't any major negatives but.
* The lack of sleep is a bit hard
* OH, Big one- planning a weekend around having a baby.....babysitters are EXPENSIVE, trust me, I know- I'm usually the babysitter and at $10/hour who can afford to go out?
* Getting dressed...yea, that's a bit complicated with a toddler that likes to pull up on everything and is in to everything and wants to be held 24/7
* And...ummmm..yea....that's about it
So the weekend was great and I was extremely sad today when I no longer had a baby to take care of.
So do I have baby fever? YES
Would I be OK with having a baby now? YES
Do I think I can handle it? YES
But am I OK with waiting 2 more years? Well, YES simply because I'd rather be in a better place financially and oh yea, it'd probably help if Jarrad was done with school :)
Light at the End of the Tunnel
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10 months to go! 10 Months before Jarrad graduates with a degree in Simulation Game Design and Development and considering where we live and the high demand for entry level programmers, I'm pretty excited about this graduation. As a matter of fact, the only city that has more gaming companies than the RTP area is Austin, Texas- they have 64 to our 32 gaming companies.
As I think ahead and am sailing to that light, I can't help but to think about some of the things Jarrad and I have been through in order to get to this point. Before marriage, Jarrad was off fighting in war then, during our first year of marriage, Jarrad worked full-time as a mason's assistant to help support me and my senior year in college. During that year I took 18 hours of class, worked 25 hours a week for a paid internship in order to help pay bills, 5-10 hours a week in the financial aid office on campus, and then any and every odd job I could find to help pay bills rather it be painting someone's kitchen, dog sitting, baby sitting, even stepping in as nanny for a week at a time as well as playing on the college softball team. Needless to same, I rarely slept.
During this time not only did we struggle to take care of ourselves, but we also struggled to help support his brother that was living with us at the time. After graduation, I jumped in to my 9-5 and it was finally Jarrad's time to start school. Through it all we've both worked whatever odd job we can find on top of my full-time job and Jarrad's part-time. We dealt with some major family issues, fought with the financial aid office on a regular basis because they don't understand the meaning of broke and living every day simply trying to figure out how to survive the next.
Finally, as that light at the end of the tunnel begins to shine through, our life is starting to shape into some form of normalcy. While only renting, we're still living in a house, with land and no more rude neighbors, we've established a great core group of friends, we're beginning to actually plan for our future (a discussion we've avoided these last 4 years because it seemed so far away)and while financially we're still a bit shakey, I can take comfort in the fact that I know my major bills will be paid each month(or at least every other month), food will be on the table and I can grab a beer here and there during a girl's night out without too much worry. I can't wait for graduation, I can't wait for that new turning point in our marriage and I can't wait to celebrate Jarrad's accomplishments and OUR accomplishments.
Most importantly, today, I'm proud of my husband. Through good times and bad Jarrad has pushed through each semester, never even taking advantage of Summer breaks. Instead he continues to push forward. And while I'm not sure he realizes how proud I am of him, I am most definitely proud. Jarrad has his eye on that light as well and he pushes himself, hard to reach that goal. I look forward to celebrating Jarrad's accomplishments because at that time, a time when I hope to be surrounded by both friends and family, I look forward to standing up in front of everyone and telling them about that hard work and letting them know how much I love, adore and admire Jarrad for all he's been through.
As I think ahead and am sailing to that light, I can't help but to think about some of the things Jarrad and I have been through in order to get to this point. Before marriage, Jarrad was off fighting in war then, during our first year of marriage, Jarrad worked full-time as a mason's assistant to help support me and my senior year in college. During that year I took 18 hours of class, worked 25 hours a week for a paid internship in order to help pay bills, 5-10 hours a week in the financial aid office on campus, and then any and every odd job I could find to help pay bills rather it be painting someone's kitchen, dog sitting, baby sitting, even stepping in as nanny for a week at a time as well as playing on the college softball team. Needless to same, I rarely slept.
During this time not only did we struggle to take care of ourselves, but we also struggled to help support his brother that was living with us at the time. After graduation, I jumped in to my 9-5 and it was finally Jarrad's time to start school. Through it all we've both worked whatever odd job we can find on top of my full-time job and Jarrad's part-time. We dealt with some major family issues, fought with the financial aid office on a regular basis because they don't understand the meaning of broke and living every day simply trying to figure out how to survive the next.
Finally, as that light at the end of the tunnel begins to shine through, our life is starting to shape into some form of normalcy. While only renting, we're still living in a house, with land and no more rude neighbors, we've established a great core group of friends, we're beginning to actually plan for our future (a discussion we've avoided these last 4 years because it seemed so far away)and while financially we're still a bit shakey, I can take comfort in the fact that I know my major bills will be paid each month(or at least every other month), food will be on the table and I can grab a beer here and there during a girl's night out without too much worry. I can't wait for graduation, I can't wait for that new turning point in our marriage and I can't wait to celebrate Jarrad's accomplishments and OUR accomplishments.
Most importantly, today, I'm proud of my husband. Through good times and bad Jarrad has pushed through each semester, never even taking advantage of Summer breaks. Instead he continues to push forward. And while I'm not sure he realizes how proud I am of him, I am most definitely proud. Jarrad has his eye on that light as well and he pushes himself, hard to reach that goal. I look forward to celebrating Jarrad's accomplishments because at that time, a time when I hope to be surrounded by both friends and family, I look forward to standing up in front of everyone and telling them about that hard work and letting them know how much I love, adore and admire Jarrad for all he's been through.
It's the Simple Things in Life
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It's the simple things in life that make me happiest. As I reflect back over just the last few months in my life, I've thought about just that. Rather it be capturing a cute moment, girl's night out, the calming sound of crashing waves on the beach, watching a lightening storm in the summer, long walks, time with my hubby, time with friends and LOTS AND LOTS of WATERMELON!!! Below are just a few of those moments captured.....enjoy.
AND LOTS AND LOTS OF WATERMELON!!!!!.........
AND LOTS AND LOTS OF WATERMELON!!!!!.........
You worry too much about pleasing others.........WHAT!!??!!
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So I recently had a meeting with my bosses. Occasionally they like to pull each of us in individually and praise us for our strengths as well as talk about some of our weaknesses in an effort to help us continue our growth within the company. The meeting went well and I wasn't surprised but much said except one thing. I was told "you worry too much about what other people think." This statement surprised me but I started to think about it and at first I thought.....is that really a bad thing? I was convinced that pleasing everyone would help me grow within the company but I took their statement and I thought about it.
Well, guess what? They were completely right. As for work, trying to please everyone else stunts my creativity, affects my writing and causes frustration. Then I started thinking more deeply about their statement and realized that I do this with all aspects of my life and it was causing me to become easily agitated.
You know, there is definitely one thing I remember from my childhood Sunday school classes and that's "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." And I've always felt that I should go through great lengths to please everyone because this would ensure someone will be there for me when needed. And, while that will still be one of my mottos and I will ALWAYS "do unto others.....," I've also got to learn to focus on myself.
So I put the theory to the test last night. Over the past month I've been helping a family a lot, helping to take care of the baby, cleaning for them, etc.....so much so that I was ignoring my own house, my own needs and my pups. So yesterday after work was about me. I went straight to the gym after work and let the class instructor kick my butt, then I went home and took my dogs on a nice long walk, cleaned up a bit, threw a couple of pizzas in the oven for dinner, did some budgeting and then snuggled next to my hubby to watch TV, pig out and just relax......then remarkably I'm in this AMAZING mood today. So I'll continue to help anyone that needs help, but I'm going to vow that from this point on I will not forget myself, my husband, my puppies and my life in the process.
Well, guess what? They were completely right. As for work, trying to please everyone else stunts my creativity, affects my writing and causes frustration. Then I started thinking more deeply about their statement and realized that I do this with all aspects of my life and it was causing me to become easily agitated.
You know, there is definitely one thing I remember from my childhood Sunday school classes and that's "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." And I've always felt that I should go through great lengths to please everyone because this would ensure someone will be there for me when needed. And, while that will still be one of my mottos and I will ALWAYS "do unto others.....," I've also got to learn to focus on myself.
So I put the theory to the test last night. Over the past month I've been helping a family a lot, helping to take care of the baby, cleaning for them, etc.....so much so that I was ignoring my own house, my own needs and my pups. So yesterday after work was about me. I went straight to the gym after work and let the class instructor kick my butt, then I went home and took my dogs on a nice long walk, cleaned up a bit, threw a couple of pizzas in the oven for dinner, did some budgeting and then snuggled next to my hubby to watch TV, pig out and just relax......then remarkably I'm in this AMAZING mood today. So I'll continue to help anyone that needs help, but I'm going to vow that from this point on I will not forget myself, my husband, my puppies and my life in the process.
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