Baby it's cold outside!

Ok, so ONE day ago, I was outside, playing with a bouncy ball with Nathan. Today I'm inside, watching the snow fall.

Well I wouldn't call it snow just yet.

It's more like freezing rain, or sleet. Actually, I don't really know what it's supposed to be classified as, I was raised in Florida!

But the weather people have promised us that by morning, it should be snow.

A part of me is sad.

This fall has been beautiful! It's been between 70 and 80 degrees about all fall, and just gorgeous out!

But a part of me is happy!

Winter is here, my favorite time of the year! I dont mind the cold as much now that I've been living here for so long. It's really not that bad. It's the wind that really kills it. And we are supposed to get 10 inches of snow! We'll see if that happens. i never trust the weather men here.

***
We didn't get to go and get our Christmas Tree on tuesday because David ended up having to work from nine to five, and then we went out to eat at Olive Garden, and then the mall. Poor baby was so tired that we decided to go home and let him sleep. He fell asleep at 8pm! He was so tired. I was a little dissapointed, but I understood that he had to work.

So today, we went out to get some decorations, and I got the cutest ornaments!! We were going to get our tree, but it started pouring rain and then we didn't get a chance. So instead we went home and David got ready to go to work, and I got ready to go to Jess's. Me, Jess, Megs, Ashley, and Jess C were having a girls night out, but all the boys ended up being there anyways, so it just turned out to be a really fun get together.

I cooked chicken parmesan for everybody, and everyone seemed to like it. It was a lot of fun and just a good time of fellowship. We definately don't get together often enough like that with our busy schedules.

Well maybe tomorrow we will have a tree to decorate. I'll let you know!!! :)

It's Christmas Time!!!

Whew! I've been working now for eight days straight and I need a day off! I work on monday and then I get a nice four day break, so it was well worth it.

I have lots of plans for my four days off, so I'll be sure to write and take some pics as well. David and I are planning on doing our Christmas decorating on tuesday. I'm so excited! We are going to get a tree and decorate it as well. We have had to compromise on how our tree is going to be decorated, since we have come from two different backgrounds and ways of doing things. For instance his family always decorated in white lights, and we did whatever we felt in the mood to do each year. Sometimes multicolored, red, blue, or green, and often times we would string popcorn and cranberries to add to the decorations. So we compromised and are doing the popcorn and cranberries, as well as white lights. I still don't know what kind of ornaments we are going to get, but we'll figure that out when we go shopping. We have stockings that we made last year. I bought two stockings from the dollar store (where I bought all my christmas decorations, but they are so cute!) We decorated the stockings last year, with puffy paint and glitter and such. I decorated his and he decorated mine. They turned out so cute, so this year we decided we are going to continue the tradition. We are going to try to decorate something every year together. I think this year we are going to do ornaments, or maybe picture frames. It'll be fun.

It's fun to think that now we will be starting our own christmas traditions and ways of doing things as a family. What makes it so fun is that it's a blend of how we both were raised and grew up. I'm sure some things will stick with us forever, and some things we will drop. It'll sure be fun to find out!!

A thanksgiving to remember

So I know I'm a little late with wishing a happy thanksgiving, but for good reason!

David and I spent our first thanksgiving together working at Mimi's Cafe. Michelle let him work as a food runner, because we needed an extra person. It was so much fun! That did make me his boss for the day, but you wouldn't have even known it. We worked so well together and it really did make the day go by quicker.
***
Funny story - I do have to admit, when I was bending over to put some plates in the bustub, and I felt a hand go briskly across my tooshie, I was abit taken back!!! Only to blush to realize it was my husband! Then I went over and whispered, you better be careful, that's sexual harrassment! We both giggled and went our seperate ways.
***
We ended up doing 21,415 dollars!!!!! That is an insane amount of money! Just to give you a picture... on a monday, we do about 4,000 dollars. On a friday, we do about 11,000 dollars, and on a sunday, we do about 13,000 dollars. So a 21,000 dollar day was just insane! We went to work at 10am, and we left at 9:45pm. At the end of the shift, Michelle had the cooks put all the leftover food in the slide, so we could all get something to eat, and she gave everybody who worked a double a whole pie to take home that was leftover. So Dave and I scarfed some food down and then went home and took a nice, long, hot bubble bath. I think we went to bed earlier than we have ever gone to bed before, 11:30. We were exhausted and slept like little babies!

It was definately not a traditional thanksgiving, and probably not how we would have wanted to celebrate it, but in the end, we were thankful for being able to spend it together and not apart.

We have a lot to be thankful for this thanksgiving, and we hope you are counting your blessings to. :)

Praise the LORD!!!

HALELUJAH!!!

I don't know what else to say, every time I think of the Lord's faithfulness I am overwhelmed that I just want to cry!

It's funny how things work out in HIS timing, only when He knows it will be good for us.

I have been doing management shifts for... well I went into training in January, but before that had done management shifts to help out here and there. It was explained to me that there was not a salary spot open, but she definately wanted me on her team, and once a position became available, it would be given to me.

So I worked.

And I worked.

I put all my effort into becoming a good manager. Learning how to listen to people better (cause people like to vent a lot if something went wrong) learning how to multitask better, learning how to be a better leader. I even learned things I didn't want to know, like how much ketchup we actually put into our meatloaf (and boy is it a lot!) and how much hidden fat is in a lot of products. Let's just say i know what to eat and what not to eat!

Well if you've been doing your math, January to now would make 11 months of being a manager, but not on salary.

That's a long eleven months.

A lot of people told me that I should leave, or that my manager was pulling one over on me, or that if I hadn't gotten it by now, I probably was never going to get it.

Read that again. What does it make you think of?

Bitterness.

There was a lot of opportunities to get bitter. But I refused! I kept thinking "don't despise the day of small beginnings." "trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he would direct your paths"

It was hard at times. I didn't want to be bitter! I love my job, and I have one of the greatest managers in the world. The Lord really guided me during these past eleven months.

So, if you haven't been able to tell already, she offered me salary this week!!

YEE HAW!!!! (that's Oklahoman for "i'm excited")

So I haven't even gotten to the really cool part yet.

***
I have this wonderful, hardworking husband who was raised to believe that the man should be the provider and the breadwinner for the family. (isn't he great?) It's scriptural, and I believe it as well.

But that belief has put a little bit of strain on us. Maybe strain is the wrong word. It wasn't a bad thing, you could just tell how hurt he was that my paychecks were more than his, and that my job was the job that was bringing in the most income.

I didn't care, I mean, we have no children, we're both working and saving money, it's not like he had no job! But that little voice in the back of his head kept telling him otherwise.

So here's the cool thing: after working really hard, and in a very short amount of time, he was offered a salary management position on tuesday!!!

Why is this so cool to us?

No it's not the money. It's the fact that he got it before me. It's almost like the Lord knew it would be a blow if I was on salary making even more than I was before. So we rejoiced when he got salary, and I know the rejoicing when I got salary was genuine from him. (he picked me up and spun me around a couple times while I screamed and kicked my feet) And let me tell you something else. All the pressure I had before about going to work, getting enough hours, bringing home enough money... BYE BYE!!!

What a relief!!

Needless to say we had a lot to be thankful for this Sunday at church, and we both shed a couple of tears, and cheerfully and thankfully put our tithe in the offering bucket. The Lord really has "thrown open the floodgates of heaven and poured out so much blessing that we haven't room to contain it all"

Lately my prayer has been that he would show me how to be a good manager. I remind myself that he had 12 people under him, to lead, guide, delegate, manage, and encourage. He did the same job I have!!! :)

God is good, and so faithful. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

It's my Mom's birthday!!! If your reading this, it was probably her birthday yesterday, on Nov. 17th, and no, I didn't forget. I just didn't have time to blog!!! I was looking over some pictures I have of my mom and I, and I couldn't help but remember all the good memories we have had together over the years. Here is us with Renee, my SIL, and her little boy Benjamin. It was actually taken at a family reunion. The next one is my mom and I. This is kind of a funny story. She had come to visit me in Tulsa and we were in a store shopping, and I saw these great pink cowgirl hats. So I grabbed one, put it on, stuck one on my mom and said, quick, lets take a pic! And we did! Right there in the store, then we ran away and giggled like little girls!
My mom was a huge help in my wedding to. I don't think i could have done it without her. She was the one thing that kept me going. She let me talk out all the problems with her, and devoted a considerable amount of time to making sure things went off without a hitch. And they did! Our wedding was so beautiful, and I will always be thankful for the role she played in it, even though she had to be so far away for much of it.
It's been hard to live far away from her and the rest of my family, but I know she is only a phone call away if I need her! I love you mom! Happy birthday!!!

Freedom is not free

I consider myself to be pretty patriotic. My grandfather served in the United States Air Force for twenty years and retired as a lieutenant Colonel. My brother served in the United States Marine Corps and fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan. But having family members in the service don't necisarily make you patriotic, but it does help in instilling patriotism in you.
One of the big things that made me really thankful for America was when I went on a missions trip to Ghana, West Africa. They were thankful for clothes on their back, for the little food that they got to eat every day, for shoes that didn't have holes in them, and what joy they still had! No tv's, no cell phones, only radios, and not digital ones. Dirt roads, cars that looked like they were from the fifties. They had nothing and yet had everything. I mean, when they bought a coke at the store, they had to bring the bottle back! People don't realize the freedoms we have, and often times they get taken for granted. I mean, how many people in this election voted? Do they realize that just this year Iraq got to vote for the first time? Women's rights? We have SO MANY rights. Women in Iraq can't even show their face, or leave their house without a man. They only recently were able to start attending school. We can go to school or get a job. We are free to ride bikes in the street and to play sports. Americans have so much freedom. I mean, in mexico, they aren't even allowed to protest, yet they can come to America and do it, because that's their right.
How did we get these rights?

WE FOUGHT FOR IT.

We fought for our independence, we fought to keep it, and we fought to be able to practice our own religion. Everything we have now is a cumilation of years of men fighting for what they believed in.

We are free because they put their life on the line. Someone once said that their are only two men who were ever willing to die for you, Jesus, and the soldier.

My friend sent this to me, and I thought it would be appropriate for this veterans day. Pray for the peace and safety of our soldiers, as well as their families here in America.


Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes.
He stays up for days on end.
You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water
You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.
He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward
You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt
You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags
You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.
You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.
You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.
You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.
Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.
You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.
You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.
You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.
You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.
You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet
You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.
You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.
You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told.
You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.
You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be awakened by gunfire.
You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him.
If only there were more men like him!

It's been a great two days off! On Thursday, I went over to Jess's house to hang out with her and the little boys. We rented a chick flick, because the boys won't watch chick flicks with us, and I got to hold little baby Jacob and roughhouse with Nathan. I think he only loves me so much cause I throw him up in the air and make his toys tackle him. He just gets back up for more every time. When Jacob woke up, I decided I didn't have any pictures of him with his eyes open, so I should take some while I could. Well Nathan has this little Elmo chair that he sits in, so I propped the baby up in that and snapped a quick pic: Isn't he just so precious?? Elmo's pretty happy to! Well Nathan, not missing a beat, ran over and as soon as I picked up Jacob, he sat in the Elmo chair to and gave me this big grin, like "look at me, i'm cute to" So I gave up Jacob so I could snap a pic of Nathan. Well Nathan wasn't as patient with me and wanted my camera more than he wanted me to take a pic, but I got a pretty cute one. I almost didn't post this next one, cause I look so horrible. I think I just rolled out of bed and went to Jess's house... but the baby is cute, so I figure I will sacrifice my bad looks for a cute baby. Dave had his meeting on thursday with his manager, his final meeting before he actually gets the job. It looks like everything is going great, and his manager told him to expect a call from him sometime around tuesday or wednesday with the good news!
I suppose this is a great time to dote on my wonderful husband! I am so proud of him for accomplishing something he set out to do. In the beginning, we said that if he didn't have a management position by January, then he would leave the company. It's November ,and it's looking good. But it hasn't always looked this good. He's had to stick through some hard times, and put in a lot of extra hours. :) The great thing is to know he did it all for us. I'm so lucky to have a husband who believes he should be the provider of the family, and to work as hard as he can to make that happen. I love you hunny! KISSES!!!
Danny called us today and invited us to go out to lunch with him and his girlfriend. We went to Mimi's (where else?) Danny seems really happy and his girlfriend is sooo nice. She was really easy to talk to and to get along with, and she has a really good personality. We really enjoyed ourselves and we hope to get together with them sometime soon!

Oh, and this is just an FYI... almost six or seven people recently have asked me about David and I having kids, and I just have three words...

no

No

NO

:) Not until we're ready, and that's not now. When we are prego, I plan to let everybody know in some fun inventive way. :)

Where are we heading?

What is wrong with the world?

I don't like to be a negative person, but seriously.

Why in the world would people vote for people who support gay marriage, abortion, and more government? I think we have enough government as it is.

And where are all the real women out there?

Why is it all the women we hear about in the government are bent on promoting pro choice, women's rights, and a bunch of other crazy stuff out there?

Will the real women please stand up?

The dems hold the house now, and the senate is doing a balancing act for the time being. We just have to pray that the Lords hand will stay on our government and our nation.

I honestly think that the only reason that America is still standing strong is our alliance and support of Israel. Think about it. We are only what, 230 years old? And in 230 years our country is steeped in more sin than sodom and gomorrah.

*sigh*

Just have to keep praying I guess.

Fork in the Road

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And being one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

On the first morning that David and I were in New Hampshire, we woke up super early (before the parents were up, it was like 6:30am!) We quickly dressed and set out for a walk in the crisp cool morning air. How gorgeous it was! It was really my first impression of New England. I wasn't in a plane or a car, and I could walk and look at different things slowly and closely. We ended up at a Dunkin Donuts to get some coffee, and then continued on our walk. We got to look at all the different houses and talked about what it would have been like to live back then. We talked about the foliage and the changing leaves, what it would be like to have that all year round. We walked on forever! All of a sudden we came to a fork in the road...we were on a dirt path and you could clearly take one path or another. The leaves were sprayed all over the ground, and leaves were slowly falling from the trees.

I stopped in mid sentence.

Dave noticed, and squeezed my hand a little.

I looked at him and said, "what does that remind you of?"

Without missing a beat, he said, "Robert Frosts poem"

Ok, so for the both of us to look at one thing and see think the exact same thing, you know it has to depict the poem pretty well.

I love this poem.

I could go on forever analyzing it, it's a lot deeper than most people look into.

Come to find out, Robert Frost was from New England, and lived in New Hampshire for much of his life. Wonder if he was looking at the same thing we were? :) Kind of fun to think about, if only I could come up with a poem like that from looking at a fork in the road!

He's Here!!

So it's been very hectic around here lately, mainly because Jacob decided to make his grand entrance into the world!! On wednesday, we got word that Jess's water had broke and she was starting to have contractions. They weren't strong, and Adam decided to still go to school, so I went over to her house to be with her. She was fine, and I just gave a hand with Nathan, he can be a handful sometimes!
At 1:30am Adam called and said they went to the hospital because her contractions were stronger and closer together. How exciting! When I woke up in the morning the first thing I did was call Megs to see what was going on. I knew she would know cause she was the one who stayed the night with Nathan while Mommy and Daddy went to the hospital.

Turns out he was just born at about 7:30 am! So I rushed to the hospital to see the new little bundle of joy! He is so different than Nathan was. He is much quieter, and definately has more of Jess's disposition I think. He has dark hair, which is what we were all hoping for, and I think his skin is more like Adams to, a little darker. He is so precious. I only got to see his eyes once, and for like two seconds, after he yawned.

Jess and Adam are staying at the hospital tonight, so Nathan is spending the night at our house. I've had him all day, and for the most part he has been very good for me. It'll be interesting to see how he is when he wakes up in the morning and realizes mommy and daddy aren't there!

Here is Jacob Andrew taking a little nap

Here is the happy new family of four... well, one was a little cranky!

Nathan wanted to crawl up on my lap while I was holding Jacob, it was just getting him to stay there for the pic that was the hard part!