So. We're moving.
Yep, that's right, we're making the move. And we're not doing it alone. We are moving in with some friends...Ben and Alexa in particular...and we will be roommates. Here is how this came about:
Adam and I took a class by a guy named Dave Ramsey all about getting out of debt. So, now we are going crazy and trying to get rid of it! We sold our Ford Focus (the Debt Machine as Adam calls it), and we were trying to figure out what more we could do. Our friends were thinking of moving out of their place (they took the class with us) and so we decided to just take the move together and save a lot of money in the process! So, now each of us are only going to pay $400 in rent a month and decrease our monthly spending by a ton. It will be a BIG change for Adam and I, but we think that it will be very managable since we like them a lot :) And we are closer to family too by moving so that'll be nice.
Our goal is to get out of debt in less than a year. So, we'll see!
P.S. Today was Wordless Wednesday but I had too many words! So, maybe next week :)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Jesus & Inspiration
"It's because He gave it to me. My faith, my hope, my love - these are all copies."
I must have read that quote about 10 times. Here is some background. I read other people's blogs, and I came across this one. The lady had her second baby about 5 weeks ago, a little girl named Copeland, and she only lived 1 week after she was born. She had a chromosomal disease that caused her to die, and these are words from her mother who blogs about her feelings. It is powerful to say the least, and it changes the way I view my walk with Christ when I see this woman being so open and candid about her walk and how she doubts, but continually clings to the love of Christ. It makes my laziness towards reading my word, and soaking it in, and living it, seem ridiculous. This woman's blog has scripture weaving throughout it, and that is what keeps her going. Forgive me Lord for being so undisciplined!
Well anyways, that quote really hit me because it's so true. When we think about faith, hope, and love, it does not come from us it comes from the copy given to us by Christ. The other night I was sitting in my living room after talking to my mom, and I curled up into a ball and just sobbed. I was broken for my family. I was wondering why life had to be the way it was for them. Had God handed them a bad card in life? Why couldn't he just make it a little easier for them? When I read those words, I was reminded that God is where I am. He is also broken for them, and wants them to have peace and rest as well. My compassion, grief, anxiety, and brokenness comes from the love I have for them...which all comes from Him. I'm not experiencing something new, the hurt I feel is not unique. He feels it everyday when He sees his children hurting. We live in a sinful world, and there are glimpse's a rest and peace, but there is mostly brokenness and pain. But there is hope. A song to sing that never ends, and it's the hope of something eternal and better than this life. My pastor said on Sunday how we (as believers) are to be the healers. We are to do His work for Him while we are here. He gives us a copy of His great love that allows us to encourage, heal, and spread the hope that comes with knowing the God of the Universe. I am thankful for my copy. I am thankful that He feels the hurt and the struggle, and I'm thankful that He understands and cares. My little copy helps me to reach those around me. It encourages me and reminds me that if my love is so big, that I merely have a small copy of something that is much bigger and greater.
The link to her website will be posted under my "Special Friends". So check it out and be encouraged!
I must have read that quote about 10 times. Here is some background. I read other people's blogs, and I came across this one. The lady had her second baby about 5 weeks ago, a little girl named Copeland, and she only lived 1 week after she was born. She had a chromosomal disease that caused her to die, and these are words from her mother who blogs about her feelings. It is powerful to say the least, and it changes the way I view my walk with Christ when I see this woman being so open and candid about her walk and how she doubts, but continually clings to the love of Christ. It makes my laziness towards reading my word, and soaking it in, and living it, seem ridiculous. This woman's blog has scripture weaving throughout it, and that is what keeps her going. Forgive me Lord for being so undisciplined!
Well anyways, that quote really hit me because it's so true. When we think about faith, hope, and love, it does not come from us it comes from the copy given to us by Christ. The other night I was sitting in my living room after talking to my mom, and I curled up into a ball and just sobbed. I was broken for my family. I was wondering why life had to be the way it was for them. Had God handed them a bad card in life? Why couldn't he just make it a little easier for them? When I read those words, I was reminded that God is where I am. He is also broken for them, and wants them to have peace and rest as well. My compassion, grief, anxiety, and brokenness comes from the love I have for them...which all comes from Him. I'm not experiencing something new, the hurt I feel is not unique. He feels it everyday when He sees his children hurting. We live in a sinful world, and there are glimpse's a rest and peace, but there is mostly brokenness and pain. But there is hope. A song to sing that never ends, and it's the hope of something eternal and better than this life. My pastor said on Sunday how we (as believers) are to be the healers. We are to do His work for Him while we are here. He gives us a copy of His great love that allows us to encourage, heal, and spread the hope that comes with knowing the God of the Universe. I am thankful for my copy. I am thankful that He feels the hurt and the struggle, and I'm thankful that He understands and cares. My little copy helps me to reach those around me. It encourages me and reminds me that if my love is so big, that I merely have a small copy of something that is much bigger and greater.
The link to her website will be posted under my "Special Friends". So check it out and be encouraged!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Gilmore Girls
When I was younger I use to watch the Gilmore Girls every Tuesday night and I loved it. And I was recently thinking about it and thought it would be SOOOO fun to rent all the DVD's and watch them. I could have a huge house-cleaning day, laundry day, cooking day, etc, all while watching the Gilmore Girls! It sounds fantastic to me! :)
The only problem with this, is that I have NO TIME! It seems literally impossible for me to have a whole day off. How depressing. So, I will keep you updated whether or not it happens.
On another note, I never made the covers for my living room pillows :( Here is why:
1) I didn't have the money to buy the fabric.
2) I don't really know how to sew very well.
3) There wasn't even enough time to do that.
So, there you have it. When I do actually do them, I will for sure post pictures because I will be very proud!
In spite of being so busy lately, friends have definetely pulled through for me. I have been able to just be myself and vent my frustrations, cry, laugh, and be encouraged. It has been a real blessing :) This is an update from my blog a posted a few weeks ago on friends. So, thank you God for encouraging me in that way.
I finish my Nurse's Assistant Program tomorrow! I'm so happy :) I have managed to keep a good attitude through it all though, and be awake when all I wanted to do was sleep! I can't wait to feel the freedom of knowing that I passed and did a good job. And have some time to spend putting my life back into some kind of routine. I was getting tired of the routine before, but now I am missing it. But that's life I guess... :)
One last thing, Adam works at Wells Fargo as many of you know, and there have been some kidnappings of employees there this past week( not at his branch though) in order to get money, and I am scared for my husband! Not that he is not manly and can't fend for himself, but it seems like these people know what they are doing. So, pray for protection and justice in this whole situation.
Thank you all for reading all of my randomness in this blog...
The only problem with this, is that I have NO TIME! It seems literally impossible for me to have a whole day off. How depressing. So, I will keep you updated whether or not it happens.
On another note, I never made the covers for my living room pillows :( Here is why:
1) I didn't have the money to buy the fabric.
2) I don't really know how to sew very well.
3) There wasn't even enough time to do that.
So, there you have it. When I do actually do them, I will for sure post pictures because I will be very proud!
In spite of being so busy lately, friends have definetely pulled through for me. I have been able to just be myself and vent my frustrations, cry, laugh, and be encouraged. It has been a real blessing :) This is an update from my blog a posted a few weeks ago on friends. So, thank you God for encouraging me in that way.
I finish my Nurse's Assistant Program tomorrow! I'm so happy :) I have managed to keep a good attitude through it all though, and be awake when all I wanted to do was sleep! I can't wait to feel the freedom of knowing that I passed and did a good job. And have some time to spend putting my life back into some kind of routine. I was getting tired of the routine before, but now I am missing it. But that's life I guess... :)
One last thing, Adam works at Wells Fargo as many of you know, and there have been some kidnappings of employees there this past week( not at his branch though) in order to get money, and I am scared for my husband! Not that he is not manly and can't fend for himself, but it seems like these people know what they are doing. So, pray for protection and justice in this whole situation.
Thank you all for reading all of my randomness in this blog...
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
And Relaxation Came...
Hello Friends!
Well, Relaxation truly did come on our 3-day adventure :) It was peaceful, mind-less, slow, and reviving! Pictures will come soon (probably later tonight), but I will describe our little adventure in the meantime.
We got a late start going up because we had to make sure that our new OLD debt-free car was going to make it up okay. By the way, we recently sold our Ford Focus for what we owed on it, and a sweet couple in our church practically gave us car to replace it. And now we are well on our way to becoming debt-free! Woohoo! ...then we were well on our way. We finally made it to our Bed & Breakfast in Williams, AZ and it wasn't quite as picture perfect as it seemed in the photos...it was a little disappointing, but I think it had personality :) Our room was a lovely mixture of floral and chinese decorations! So random. The walls and bed were 100% floral, and they had a few chinese paintings on the wall, and a couple vases that looked like genie bottles! We then talked about what our 3 wishes would be if a genie did in fact come out, and Adam said that my wishes weren't cool enough...( I think it's because I didn't choose to be any form of a superhero!). The next day, we went to a small lake and walked around the whole thing and talked about all sorts of stuff. And I got blisters on my feet! Ouch! That night we went to Flagstaff in search of some "good necked" shirts for Adam. We were very unsuccessful. Although I did find a super cute purse at the Goodwill there! On Sunday we took the Grand Canyon Railway up to the Grand Canyon. That was really fun :) They had neat country music and little skits all along the way. When we got to the Grand Canyon it was COLD!!! And I was too much of a wuss to hike...I didn't make it very far! Meanwhile there were people along the trail that were wearing flip flops and shorts! But they were guys so I don't think that counts...they were just trying to show how tough they were! That night we got to go see my sister NAU. We took her to get some "real" food at Oregano's and checked out her dorm room. I'm so proud of her :) She is doing so good and gets more and more mature every time I see her. I love you Ash! And that was the End. We made our way home and finally got back at about 11:30pm. The next day I had to wake up at 5am to go to clinicals for my CNA class and needless to say, I am TIRED! So, that was it. Not much to it, but it was great!
P.S. I also made up a word while on the trip...Relaxful!...Adam graciously reminded me that relaxful was not a word, being the scholar that he is, but we liked it! And we thought it was a great word to describe our time. I think it could be a word though....
Well, Relaxation truly did come on our 3-day adventure :) It was peaceful, mind-less, slow, and reviving! Pictures will come soon (probably later tonight), but I will describe our little adventure in the meantime.
We got a late start going up because we had to make sure that our new OLD debt-free car was going to make it up okay. By the way, we recently sold our Ford Focus for what we owed on it, and a sweet couple in our church practically gave us car to replace it. And now we are well on our way to becoming debt-free! Woohoo! ...then we were well on our way. We finally made it to our Bed & Breakfast in Williams, AZ and it wasn't quite as picture perfect as it seemed in the photos...it was a little disappointing, but I think it had personality :) Our room was a lovely mixture of floral and chinese decorations! So random. The walls and bed were 100% floral, and they had a few chinese paintings on the wall, and a couple vases that looked like genie bottles! We then talked about what our 3 wishes would be if a genie did in fact come out, and Adam said that my wishes weren't cool enough...( I think it's because I didn't choose to be any form of a superhero!). The next day, we went to a small lake and walked around the whole thing and talked about all sorts of stuff. And I got blisters on my feet! Ouch! That night we went to Flagstaff in search of some "good necked" shirts for Adam. We were very unsuccessful. Although I did find a super cute purse at the Goodwill there! On Sunday we took the Grand Canyon Railway up to the Grand Canyon. That was really fun :) They had neat country music and little skits all along the way. When we got to the Grand Canyon it was COLD!!! And I was too much of a wuss to hike...I didn't make it very far! Meanwhile there were people along the trail that were wearing flip flops and shorts! But they were guys so I don't think that counts...they were just trying to show how tough they were! That night we got to go see my sister NAU. We took her to get some "real" food at Oregano's and checked out her dorm room. I'm so proud of her :) She is doing so good and gets more and more mature every time I see her. I love you Ash! And that was the End. We made our way home and finally got back at about 11:30pm. The next day I had to wake up at 5am to go to clinicals for my CNA class and needless to say, I am TIRED! So, that was it. Not much to it, but it was great!
P.S. I also made up a word while on the trip...Relaxful!...Adam graciously reminded me that relaxful was not a word, being the scholar that he is, but we liked it! And we thought it was a great word to describe our time. I think it could be a word though....
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Oh Vacations :)
Well, Adam and I are off to the Grand Canyon this tomorrow for the weekend. So fun! We are overdue for a little mini vacation. So it will be really refreshing!
I do have a funny story about it though...So, Adam has it in his mind that I have never been to the Grand Canyon. I have been twice to be exact, but everytime we talk to people about it, he says that this is my first time going! It's the oddest thing! And each time I remind him that that is NOT the case, and he remembers and apologizes... So, now we have an inside joke that everytime we talk about the Grand Canyon, we act like I've never been! So funny!
We are staying at a little country Bed & Breakfast, which should be really cute. And then we are taking a train up to the Canyon. It's only a 2 1/2 hour ride, but neither of us have been on trains so it'll be an adventure!
AND on the way up, I am going to try and put some new fabric over my living room pillows because I have been wanting to just get new ones, but they are so expensive and I can never find a pattern that I really like. So, we'll see what happens. I will be posting a lot of pictures of the trip, and hopefully my pillows when we get back!
I do have a funny story about it though...So, Adam has it in his mind that I have never been to the Grand Canyon. I have been twice to be exact, but everytime we talk to people about it, he says that this is my first time going! It's the oddest thing! And each time I remind him that that is NOT the case, and he remembers and apologizes... So, now we have an inside joke that everytime we talk about the Grand Canyon, we act like I've never been! So funny!
We are staying at a little country Bed & Breakfast, which should be really cute. And then we are taking a train up to the Canyon. It's only a 2 1/2 hour ride, but neither of us have been on trains so it'll be an adventure!
AND on the way up, I am going to try and put some new fabric over my living room pillows because I have been wanting to just get new ones, but they are so expensive and I can never find a pattern that I really like. So, we'll see what happens. I will be posting a lot of pictures of the trip, and hopefully my pillows when we get back!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
*Girls*
I have never realized until lately how much I need girl friends in my life. I want to be able to hang out and persued as a friend. I don't want to have to call all the time. And I feel like I always do. I have had this problem with girls ever since I became a christian. So, patience is a virtue that I need to cling to right now. Because this makes me really impatient...
On another note, I am so glad that my husband is my best friend. He is the Best! He can fill my girl needs sometimes...not that he is girly by any means! But we have so much fun together that it's easy to let him replace the need for women in my life. But lately I feel like God is telling me to invest in my friends. Or that they need to invest in me a little more. We'll see.
On another note, I am so glad that my husband is my best friend. He is the Best! He can fill my girl needs sometimes...not that he is girly by any means! But we have so much fun together that it's easy to let him replace the need for women in my life. But lately I feel like God is telling me to invest in my friends. Or that they need to invest in me a little more. We'll see.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Well, this will be short seeing as how my blogs are usually SUPER long!
I just wanted to fill you in on a few things I've been thinking about and talking to God about...
I was driving to Mesa yesterday morning on my way to class, and I noticed how many cars were on the road. It was so intriguing to me that there are so many people in the world. And I know that I have so many issues just by myself, and I can't even IMAGINE all the struggles and hurts all the people in the world have. We were all driving, in a routine, to either work, school, dropping the kids off, or to do some other tasks the day always brings...all the while carrying around heavy burdens...and all of a sudden I heard God tell me to just pray. Pray for all these people in their routines, struggles, victories, trials, and hardships. Immediately after I felt so small. And I found myself thinking, "How is my little prayer going to help all these people?" But I thought...it all has to start somewhere. If one person doesn't do it, who is going to? It was very overwhelming for me to think of, but I was so amazed that Jesus carries all those things with Him eveyday. He knows exactly what we are all going through...its amazing.
One last thing. I was driving home ( things seem to occur to me while I'm driving lately), and I saw a sign that said " Minor crash remove from major lanes." And that hit me so hard. It sounds kinda silly, but I realized that that is exactly what we do with people relationally. We are all FULL of minor crashes just waiting to happen. And when it comes, there isn't any compassion or encouragement most of the time, people are pushing you out of the way instead to leave you stranded on the sidelines. Everyone is in such a rush to keep their life going that they bypass all the hurting people. The sign should say " If there is a minor crash, stop to see if everyone is okay because one day this crash could be a fatal one."
I just wanted to fill you in on a few things I've been thinking about and talking to God about...
I was driving to Mesa yesterday morning on my way to class, and I noticed how many cars were on the road. It was so intriguing to me that there are so many people in the world. And I know that I have so many issues just by myself, and I can't even IMAGINE all the struggles and hurts all the people in the world have. We were all driving, in a routine, to either work, school, dropping the kids off, or to do some other tasks the day always brings...all the while carrying around heavy burdens...and all of a sudden I heard God tell me to just pray. Pray for all these people in their routines, struggles, victories, trials, and hardships. Immediately after I felt so small. And I found myself thinking, "How is my little prayer going to help all these people?" But I thought...it all has to start somewhere. If one person doesn't do it, who is going to? It was very overwhelming for me to think of, but I was so amazed that Jesus carries all those things with Him eveyday. He knows exactly what we are all going through...its amazing.
One last thing. I was driving home ( things seem to occur to me while I'm driving lately), and I saw a sign that said " Minor crash remove from major lanes." And that hit me so hard. It sounds kinda silly, but I realized that that is exactly what we do with people relationally. We are all FULL of minor crashes just waiting to happen. And when it comes, there isn't any compassion or encouragement most of the time, people are pushing you out of the way instead to leave you stranded on the sidelines. Everyone is in such a rush to keep their life going that they bypass all the hurting people. The sign should say " If there is a minor crash, stop to see if everyone is okay because one day this crash could be a fatal one."
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