Oh great CNN....

Tell me why John McCain wearing a band aid on his forehead is news. Are we really running out of things to report?

Submitting to God means that I can breathe!!

God has touched my husband. In saying that, I mean taht my husband is hearing the Lord and the promptings of the Holy Ghost. He is suprising the heck out of me with knowledge and answers that can only come from the highest of beings.

I had been starting to freak out about his moving to alaska thing, and then in the car the other day, we were talking about him applying to BSU. He said he was excited and it felt right to do it... huh??? so I repeated back to him what he just said (more out of disbelief..) and he said that he had been fighting so hard to go to Alaska that God had to fire me to get him to see that the Lord doesnt want us to go to Alaska just yet. (this is a HUGE jaw dropping experience for me)

Wow. And again last night we were talking about school and I was telling him that I was unbelievably stressed out about it and he interuppted me and asked so what do you want to do if I dont get in since we are so close to the deadline? And I asked him, you're not going to blowup the world if you dont get in?? And he is fine with it!! He shrugged it off!! He is fine with hanging around here and saving and perhaps moving somewhere else and going to school.

Just when I think I know all the ins and outs of my husband he totally throws me for a loop. Im just excited that he is submitting to Gods will and knowing that God will provide no matter what.

Now I just need to sit back and remember that. I'm still a bit nervous about his enrollment, but I am much more calm. Lord, thank you for giving me such a wonderful husband!!

Im not even the one taking the test... why am I worried?

Why am I more nervous than my husband about all this??? I know I have the worry/anxiety gene in me, but I'm not the one even taking the test! I've done my part of this whole enrollment thing, so why am I freaking out?

I've also come to the conclusion that when I am overwhelmed and disorganized in my thoughts, my room gets messy. When Im calm and collected, my room stays very tidy. I suppose they do say that your surroundings are a reflection of the inner you.... As soon as Tues. hits, I suppose I can relax. I;m not even going to think about looking for housing in Boise until we know he is actually enrolled.

He got a call today (ofcourse I have the cell phone dangit.) for a job offer in Nampa... but he is taking his test and wouldnt have been able to answer it anyways.... aaaaauuuugggghhhhh....I am goin stir-crazy here!

Please pray with me!! Please!

I am a nervous wreck!! Zac is taking his placement test today, and registration is Tuesday and there are only 2 seats left and so were rushing and running about trying to ensure him a place in the program. Please help me pray for him as I have been losing sleep over this.

Please dear Lord, hear my prayer. Zac has to take his placement test today so he can get into the welding program this fall. I ask that thou please bless his mind that its focused, his hand that its steady and his confidence that it is unshakable. I ask that thou please let him excel on the math section, and that his confidence doesnt waver and that thou might remind him of the practice lessons he recieved through the week. I ask that thou please bless the time that we have that we get him in the program and that there are no problems and everything runs smoothly. I say this in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Fun New Blog!

I've discovered an awesome, witty blog called One Thing. I found it on Rocks in My Dryer. I'd encourage you to check out both as Rocks is already a big favorite of mine, and One Thing is becoming a fave.

Hurricane Dolly

I really, really am praying that this hurricane that is just touching down in Texas and close by is NOTHING like Katrina. Smaller hurricanes and storms are just as devestating to personal lives as large ones, I do not discount that, but speaking in economic terms, I just dont think that the US can handle another crisis like that. We still are cleaning up the financial messes from Katrina and that was what, 4 years ago?

I feel bad for the Katrina victims, but if hurricane Dolly is as bad or worse, those poor people wont be getting hardly any federal aid! It just goes to show you that when it comes down to it, you cant rely solely on the government. The thing that was the most impressive to me with the Katrina victims were how many Christians either donated in private funds/charitys that we knew went directly to the victims, and also how many churches and Christians temporarily relocated to the south to help out in cleaning, counseling and spiritual aid.

I am of the opinion that those victims got more out of personal charity and works than they did out of any state or federal even national orginizations!! If this storm turns out to be awful, or even just slightly devestating, we as Christians are this countries best bet for turning things around and making a difference.

It doesnt mean we must relocate right now, but perhaps calling the churches down there and see if your church can have a quilt drive or pillow drive or something to help out the basic human needs wouldnt be a bad idea. Perhaps if your church plans "youth activities" in the summer, like ours we have whats called a "super activity", maybe your activity could be used as a week-long "mission" to help out. I realize it would be quite a chunk of change for us far western states and others but if your church is close, within driving distance, why not?

As far as I'm concerned, with the economic state this country is in we need to really start relying on the charity and good works of others and to rely on God to push us forward in spreading the Good News.

Busier than ever.

1. Tutor Zac in math for Compass placement test
2. FAFSA fill out & student loans
3. Find old transcript
4. Find apartment that likes cats or convince mom and dad to be foster parents for 9 months
5. Sit and wait for my paycheck to get back on top of things
6. Figure out how to pay taxes
7. Figure out how to keep my darned room clean
8. Wash/vacuum car
9. Get Shannon the rest of bday gift
10. Figure out how to get more sleep without taking time away from family
11. Find Zac a job in Boise before all the college students take them
12. Enroll Zac completely in welding program


...and my dang list goes on. God is turning us in a different direction thatn we had imagined. Zac is going to school, I've got a better job, we are moving out of old energies.... there is just so much to do!! I know I leave the big stuff to Him, but the paperwork is my job. ICK.

Im overwhelmed and still not used to getting up at 6am and then by the time i get home its been a 12 hour day... I'm exhausted. And the only reason I get exhauseted is spending an hour in a black, unconditioned car in 100 degrees. It really wears you out. So I'm praying that things will just all fall into place.

Flyin Solo...

(this is a picture of part of downtown Boise where I work and we will soon be living)


So today was my first day being a solo desk-jockey. Its not rocket science, but there are just the little ins-and outs that I need to work on like mail. For the life of my I cant remember what goes to who because there are only development names on the envelopes, not to mention the ENTIRE office is our rafting today so I have to hold off on a few things until Monday, thats ok.

Sooo in the meantime, we are getting Zac all set for welding school up here in Boise, I am working in Boise, so now we have to get Zac a job in Boise and find a place to live that likes cats. I've got my hands full right now. Its funny since I had gotten laid off and now back onto a job, I havent had time for the entire layoff to just slug-out. And now Im back to work with absolutley ZILCH time to slug out.

It was nice though today being an urbanite. I work in the heart of DownTown Boise so there are soooo many things to do and eat on lunch. I went down to my favorite stop the Pita Pit. Gyros pitas are the best thing since sliced bread!! I just miss not having anyone to talk to or go to lunch with. Its definetly not as laid back and fun as my last job, but thats ok.

Im ready for the weekend.

IM EMPLOYED!!!

YAY! I interviewed and got the job yesterday and today was my first day!!! It is at NIA Kowallis & Mackey in "BoDo" (Boise Downtown) Its a moderate sized international commercial real estate brokerage/development company that does huge deals. I am the reception/admin asst/property management. I am in day 1 of training and that ends Friday and then I fly solo.

I really truly thank you all for your prayers and the help you have given us. I also give thanks to The Lord for providing us with a paycheck to keep us on our feet. So far so good.

I Love This!!

Mrs. Fuentes of A Wise Woman Builds Her Home posted this and I loved it so much I had to post it on mine:

"Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says.. "Oh no, she's awake."

-Unknown

And were back.

We just got back from 5 days in McCall. Or as I like to put it, "away from reality". And so I'm back trying to figure out where I left off. I'll blog some more later.

The Lost Gospels

I've rediscovered the best part of the Bible. The 4 Gospels. I have found that we tend to skip over Jesus' words and his changing the Mosaic Law and His message of peace too often. We tend to quote snippets of scripture that "apply" to a situation of ours but then when we do that we are forgetting that that particular scripture is used in a completely different context in the Bible. We are forgetting that what Jesus' words to His disciples were and we only focus on "The Christmas Story" or "The Story of Noah and the Arc".

We generalize His word so much that most of the contextual meaning is lost as well as the spiritual message! Believe it or not, even His parables are completely relevant in this day just as it was in His day. I understand that we do love our Saviour and we do know that He spoke the Word of God, but we are forgetting the little things He preached.

I realize that this may just be a personal observation, but while reading St Matthew I realized that I myself have been generalizing His word and focusing on just loving my Savior and less on what Jesus taught. There is a wealth of knowledge in those books on how to act and how to be and even if I am the only one who may follow it, then perhaps I might be able to be an example to others.

I am excited I have re-discovered the Gospels! They truly are the best literature I have ever read. I hope this post made sense, I'm having a hard time concentrating today.

When life is too much to stand...Kneel.

One of the greatest blessing we have received from our Heavenly Father is the power of prayer. It is through this that we are able to speak with our Lord. Even though He knows all and knows each and every one of us inside and out, He still is willing to listen to our hopes, our fears, our dreams and our askance. Through prayer we are able to truly repent our sins to Him and be redeemed. Through prayer we are able to ask for healing on behalf of someone who needs it. Through prayer we are able to gain our foundational testimonies of our Rock.

We know that through our testimonies that He is there and we are never alone. We know that His blessings are just that...true blessings even if we cant see His logic. We know what is true from what is false and we know that by sharing our testimonies with others that His Word will be spread.

Prayer offers us such comfort in troubling times. He is the only one to go to when no one else will listen. In our faith we have a saying, "When life is too much to stand...Kneel." What a powerful phrase!! The strongest you will ever be is when you are on your knees professing your self to Him. He wants you to pray, to let Him know that you really can't do it without Him. He loves you more than anything else, and by showing Him that we need His presence in our lives, it is showing Him that we love Him as well.

Bearing our testimony whether it is in our meetings or at a neighbors house, is just another way to be able to stand strong in His power. By sharing what we know to be true of Him, we are truly thanking the Lord for what He has given us. How selfish we would be if opportunities arose to share His word and we kept Him to ourselves.

We are ever thankful Lord for thy presence and thy blessings. Thou are a great God and I am thy humble servant. I thank thee O Lord for thy hand on my shoulder and for thy Spirit that guides me down the path of righteousness. I ask thee O Lord to please continue to show me how to serve thee best, and to please bless my efforts. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sunburns are a tradition.

Ooowww!!! Yes thats me whining about my poor shoulders and back and face and chest. We spent the 4th at our local water park. I think we spent about 6 hours there in the 100 degree sun. I am baked. And I've got the dang chills. Not fun.

My husband and I went to Roaring Springs with his family, and my sister and her boyfriend showed up. It was sooo much fun! Zac and I hadnt been there since early highschool. I think we spent about 90 percent of our time in the lazy river and the wave pool. For some reason the wave pool is about 80 degrees. Wasnt too bad.

We then went to a family friends house for a BBQ and got home at midnight. I had to take a muscle relaxer because on one of the rides, the Avalance, I got my neck tweaked up so bad I couldnt turn it to the right. Normally I would have felt the effects of the muscle relaxer, however I was so pooped I dont even remember crashing into my pillow. Man Ive got some awesome tan lines! I dont know why sunburns take so much out of you, but even today I had to take a 3 hour nap cuz I was just so tired!

Im getting antsy about this next week to see whether or not I get that job at Jus International. Ok Ive got more to say but I've got to go put aloe on my back. It hurts to even sit up. Although it wouldnt be summer without a sun burn... I'll write more tomorrow. My camera battery died so I cant post a photo of the contrast between winter, Irish skin and burnt-to-a-crisp Irish skin. Tomorrow maybe I'll be able to get some batteries.

I love my fellow bloggers.

In this time of "trial" that I am weathering... It is so nice and encouraging to have a support system of such wonderful people. I've gotten a few comments and plenty of emails with prayers and support and I just want you all to know how much I really really really appreciate all of you!

Things are looking up... I had an interview this morning for a distribution company... they want me to come back for a second interview next week, but it sounded like they wanted me...

I also qualified for a few jobs in Salt Lake City which would finally get us financially stable, but I am going through a screening process so I am trying to not get my hopes up.

My husband has been a great support for those intermittant "worthless" moments.. I know I'm not but its a wierd feeling getting up in the morning after 6 years of doing the same thing and realize you're not needed at that place anymore. Its felt like Saturday for like 3 days now!!

So for now I am applying like crazy all over Nampa and in the meantime going to work helping my husband with the Lawn business. (I have a new appreciation for him now... my arms and back are sooooooo sore!!!)

So thank you everyone for your support and kind words and ofcourse your prayers. You're all little angels to me :)

The Great Non-Depression

I got laid off today. I suppose I should have been expecting it, however I definitely wasn't expecting it so soon. So I went through the normal phases of disbelief-shock-tears-despair-dreading telling my husband-acclimation-its gonna be OK. So now we are relying on the Lawn Mowing business of my husbands which is doing marginally well considering the economy and unemployment as soon as I sign up. (what a pain by the way) I am however thankful that I was let go now when they were able to pay me rather than when the company shuts down and I wouldn't get paid.

I am a bit worried about bills. But this specific scripture keeps popping up in my mind:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you —you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today (Matthew 6:24-34). What comfort!!!

Our Heavenly Father knows our predicaments and apparently didnt want me to be in the Real Estate Field anymore. I shall not worry because my Shepherd accounts for all of His sheep and tends to all of His flock, never leaving one behind. I am proud to be a sheep.

I've already applied for a bunch of positions, still more I will tackle tomorrow. We're still looking for Zacs job too. We may be having to relocate to Salt Lake, because apparently the church liked my skills and resume they are reviewing me for positions there.. and not just $8 an hour positions. Im talking I've-never-made-so-much-money-in-my-life-positions.

It would be an ideal thing financially. But we are mobile and if God wants us in SLC, then we will go. (crossing my fingers?) I'm so proud to be a sheep.

Discipline is a virtue

I've got to get disciplined. I read these blogs of people who force themselves to joyfully get up at 6am every morning and do devotionals. And who study constantly and really sincerely give such a huge effort to bring Him into their lives. Anna and Miriam at Maidens of Worth are such great examples of this!! And then here I am... waking up 5 minutes before I have to leave for work, sometimes having a little time to say a prayer...constantly re-setting my alarm in the morning, browsing the internet when I should be tending to chores or spiritual matters.

Sometimes I think that peoples surroundings are what make it easy. I have no doubt its easier to feel Him in the middle of nowhere. But that shouldn't make a difference. Also I know it would be easier to get into a routine if I didnt have to be somewhere every morning at 8am, I wouldnt mind as much to get up early knowing that I've got the whole day ahead of me to get up early study and worship and still get things done around the house and even have time for a nap.. Like this past Saturday.

But I know those things shouldnt matter. I go to work at 8am and arrive home at 6pm. Usually I go to bed at 10, so that gives me 4 hours to do things. Even so, that should be no excuse for not setting aside time for Him. My husband and I fellowship together nightly over scriptures and prayer, but I am pretty awful at setting time aside for myself and God. Anna at Hope Road is currently helping me with devotionals and what to do and I've discovered they are quite easy and nice to do and really are a joy to do. I can stay up a half hour later to do them, its not that much of a sacrifice. To be disciplined as a disciple of Jesus. Im working on it.

So this is the good life....

What a wonderful day!!! I have found out how it feels to be a housewife and homemaker!!! Despite the fact that its Saturday, my husband went out to work with his dad so that left me all alone all day at the house. So I pretended that it was a Wednesday or something. I turned up the music, cleaned the bedroom, cleaned the bathroom, completely scrubbed down the kitchen, brushed the cat, took lunch out to hubby and his dad, stomped in some water puddles in the grass where the hose had been on too long and finished laundry. All on my own time schedule!! O how I wish that was how life could be every day.

Its been relaxing and I finally feel as if I have accomplished something instead of coming home hot, tired and irritated from a 9 hour day at the office to come home and do all those chores and make dinner on top of that and then all of the sudden it is 10pm and I have to go to bed to do it all over again the next day. That gets soooo old. And sometimes I just skip the chores. I cant spend my whole 4 hours at home with my husband every day doing chores and not paying attention to him.

I love Saturdays. Makes me really want to have kids and finally become a homemaker and a housewife. I'm going to go celebrate with a grilled cheese sandwich.

No one can serve two masters...You cannot serve God and money - Matthew 6:24

I've found that the times when I'm near broke are the times I grow the best in God. Yes, Im usually not happy that my bank account is so low, but each time my prayer gets a little stronger and I am able to withstand a little better each time.

I am thankful that I am able to run to Him like a true Father and be comforted. And the best part is that He always comes through for our needs. For instance a check will come right on time, or a family member will drop by unexpectedly with something we needed. He is so good to us.

I know I need not despair in times like these, however the stresses of life and especially putting moving in the mix really can grate ones will down to nothing. It really is true however that man cannot serve two masters. If he serves money, then he is serving the World which is not of Gods will. If you serve God, then money seems no object to covet and is there for only surviving in the world and God provides the rest.

How easy a concept, and yet how hard!!! I really admire those people who have their full faith and trust in letting Him provide. I am working on it, and through His grace I am starting to understand it, but I still struggle.

Oh mighty gallbladder

So I'm slightly dreading Friday and Saturday morning... I have to do a Gall Bladder Flush. Which is also called a liver flush... Gall bladder issues reign in my family and mine seems to not want to agree with alot of what I am eating. Im tired of eating dinner and having it either come right back up or eating 2 bites and feeling immensly full. Not to mention all the other side symptoms that go along with it.

So today, I can only drink apple juice or eat apples because the Malic Acid in it softens the stones or deposits in the Gall Bladder, then Friday I cant eat anything with fat in it (so it doesnt stimulate the gall bladder) so like oatmeal or fruit.. and then I cant eat anything after 2pm.

After that its 3/4 cup epsom salt water 3 times until 9:45pm and I have until 10 to drink an olive oil and grapefruit mixture and go to bed and let it do its work. (The olive oil stimulates the gall bladder so it spits out the stones) Im just not looking forward to the oil. Im big on textures and even if the flavor is good on something but the texture is too weird then I gag.

So wish me luck on this. I guess if you rid yourself of the stones your allergies can go away and your skin will clear up because when you have stones, its like putting marbles in a garden hose. The bile cant go anywhere so it backs up and solidifys so your liver cant break down fats and proteins properly so your liver gets backed up with toxins, which worse case scenario leads to cancer, but in the mean time just gives you awful digestion/indigestion, and skin problems and allergies. And the thing that got me was that if you have got these stones, they are porous so they will accumulate bacteria, cancers and parasites/worms!! ICKY!!

The best part about it is its all natural, and you can do this instead of having your gall bladder removed... but... ugghhh... olive oil..

And The Lord Comes Through, He Really is My Shepherd

Talk about getting your store of hope replenished! So I've been down in the dumps lately about Alaska, money, time, so on and so forth. And so in my prayers this morning before I left for work, I asked God to please give me hope and to relieve my stress that I may learn to trust more fully in Him.. Guess what I got in my email today? I get them on a daily basis, but the content was EXACTLY what I needed. They are the daily devotionals from Proverbs 31 Ministries. I must share it with you, perhaps it will fill your stores of hope.

This one is by Glynnis Whitwer at Welcome Home:

The story is told that when Dr. David Livingstone was working in Africa, a group of friends sent a letter saying, "We would like to send other men to you. Have you found a good road into your area yet?” Apparently, Dr. Livingstone sent this message in reply: "If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."

I wonder if God thinks this about us sometimes. I wonder if He ever calls us to obedience without showing us the path we will travel, or the end result, just to see what we will do. Kind of like a test. Will we obey without a road map? And I often wonder why following God isn’t easier. There are days when I feel tired of getting called out of my comfort zone to obey God. On those days I’ve been known to whine in my prayers asking God if there isn’t any way I can serve Him from the safety of my recliner. But that’s not God’s ways. God’s heart is to reach people in every cul-de-sac, city, country and continent, and that often involves a risk on our part. Maybe there is something within us that is revealed when we are pressured from without. Maybe the call to obey shines light on the truth about our faith. I know that in order to grow, faith must be stretched, and that’s often uncomfortable. You see, I have not learned to trust God in the easy ways of faith. I have not learned to trust God by reading a book or listening to a great sermon. Nor have I learned to trust God by hearing how my friend trusts God. No, I am learning to trust God by stepping out into an adventure of obedience and discovering for myself that He is trustworthy.

This happened when my husband and I started tithing (after I resisted for years), and watched God cover all our needs and more. This happened when I obeyed His command to write a book (even though I didn’t know what I would write about), and watched God open doors of opportunity. This is happened when we said yes to adoption, and are watching the blossoming of two little girls who now have a hope and a future. Obeying when God hasn’t revealed the steps along the way or the final destination is challenging. But when we choose to walk by faith and not by sight, God gets all the glory in the end because we KNOW we couldn’t have done it on our own!

Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for being completely trustworthy. Thank You for having my best interest at heart, even when the path to obedience seems scary. Help me to take the next step of faith, even when I don’t see where I’m going. I will choose to trust You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Hard Times.

There is so much hardship going on in the world today. And the worst part is that I can see it affecting people I know, as well as my own life! Things are tight and necessities are rising in price. It is hard to not get discouraged.

I havent written in a few days because of this discouragement. I know that once August 1st comes, it will be waaaayy easier for us to save money. We just have to get through July.

I am thankful for all the Lord has blessed us with, that we have a secure home and are able to if anything pay our bills. I am calling around to hopefully start waitressing a few nights a week on top of my day job, and hubby is looking for a full time position on top of his lawn company.

Perhaps this time is to really know what being humble in the Lord means. To realize that He is the only constant is such hard times. Please pray for us that we will be able to find second jobs and that we may become more humble in His name. Thanks.

Does anyone know how to keep linen from picking up lint?

If you know, please tell me!!!! I just bought a beautiful linen skirt and I hung it up in my closet for 2 days and just took it out and it is just like a magnet for lint!! it looks like i rolled my cat in it!!


PLEASE HELP!!

Summer is here.

And its hot. I live in a high-desert so therefore we thankfully dont have humidity, we just ended up gettin searing heat that you can feel your skin slowly cracking. On a good note though your hair stays curled..(as opposed to trying to curl your hair in New Jersey humidity.. impossible.)

The only time I really enjoy the heat is when there is a lake right next to me. Otherwise you can have it. I dont want it. We are going to McCall in a few weeks to the cabin... hope the water is warm! It snowed again up there about a week and a half ago, so that means there is still ice-cold runoff going into the lake. So dangit.. it had better be 100 degrees when we go!!

Zac just got off Lake Lowell with his dad and his dads friend. They went boating this morning while Im stuck here being a desk jockey. Not fair... O well. Lake Lowell is a cesspool anyways.

Its already 94 degrees... ick. Just makes me very very thankful that someone invented airconditioning!

Snot-nosed whiny brat

I want one. Im so stuffed up I cant think, not to mention that my nose is running to China at the same time. Maybe while it's there it can pick me up one of these. Uhhgg....

Another Salmon recipe. Waaaaaay good.

1/2 cup mayo
1/8 cup mixed up wasabi
2 tbs soysauce
1 tbs brown sugar
dash salt
2 salmon peices

Put in tin foil - slather sauce all over salmon and wrap up tightly. Put on grill for 1o minutes or so. Amazing!

El Sicko of the Rockies

Yessum that would be me. Its just one of the sacrifices of being married. Your husband gets sick and you may as well take a few days off in advance because you will get sick too. Although it is easy for us because he usually gets it first so i can take care of him, and then I get sick and I get waited on. The only thing is, he gets sick on the weekends so he has time to recuperate. I get sick and still have to go work 8 hour days. Lovely. I am just ever so thankful that I have him by my side to take care of me.

God really had it right when He said it was not good for man to be alone. (Genesis...) A marriage is such an awesome thing and a very powerful thing when done right. As a man hearkens unto God, so does a woman hearken to her husband. (again, Genesis, but Im so sleepy I cant think of the verses..) Such a sweet connection is made when both parties accept the will of the Savior. A marriage acted upon in the name and will of the Holiness is not only one that will ensue blessings by Him, but becomes strong in the Lord and is able to withstand stresses.

Last Sunday I taught a lesson on building strong testimonies of the Lord. I used a metaphor of planting a tree. You must plant the seed and then nourish it and take care of it so it will grow tall and strong, and if the word of God is your seed, then the more you nourish and take care of it, the stronger your testimony and commitment to God will be. I see this also in marriage. If you take the seed of marriage and plant it in both parties hearts and use proper care and nourishment (ie: God, love, forgiveness, etc...) then the "tree" of a wonderful relationship will grow strong and be able to weather out the storms.

Praise be to God that we have Him to lead us and to implant His word within ourselves that we may enrich our lives and the lives of those around us. Praise to Him for marriage within His name, and for all the blessings He gives when we are righteous. Amen.

What goes through the mind of a 9 year old?

When she grows up, she "hopes she is just as skinny as I am". These are the words of an adorable little 9 year old girl that I teach in Sunday School. My, what aspirations. To grow up to be skinny.

When I was 9 years old I was just worried about whether my sister was into my barbies, or making sure my homework was done or what dad was going to make for dinner and how much of it I would be able to stuff down and whether he had made dessert or not. Everyone looked the same to me and I could have cared less if anyone thought I was ugly or fat or whatever.

What a generational gap!! I was appalled that a sweet little child, yes that's what she is.. a child.. would even think something like that. Usually when kids tell you they want to grow up to be like you, it is regarding your profession or you being a mom or something of that nature. But a 9 year old who hopes that she grows up to be as skinny as her Sunday School teacher??? I haven't met her mom yet, but I am betting that she is at the forefront of this problem. Kids dont naturally gravitate towards outward appearances unless their role models, ie: mom is so concerned about their looks and thier "diets".

What a sad thing. A child needs to be a child. So moms, I beseech you... I dont care how fat you think you are or how much you need your make up or what diet you need to do... keep it away from your kids! You are the greatest influence they will get while they are still elementary age and especially when they really get into the age group of worrying about what they look like.

Help me pray for this little girl.

Giving it to God.

Easier than it sounds. I know that I am to give my life to God and let His timing work out, but I just can't stop over-analyzing and applying things to paper to make myself feel better. For some reason I can talk myself into feeling a bit better if I know where every last penny of my paycheck is going and how much we can save by when and what not. I just can't seem to let that go and let God take over.

I just got my new issue of the Ensign, and the cover story is about relaxing and giving it to God. I've got a date with a magazine tonight... :) Robe and slippers here I come!

And we're back.

Im back! And what a lovely trip it was... we were blessed with gorgeous weather too! The drive down wasnt so bad, 5 hours... in the back seat of a buick. (ouch.) But we made it. Thursday we had the most relaxing tour of Temple Square, every time we go we are so rushed we cant look at everything so I end up missing quite a bit. This time however, we were able to take our dear sweet time. We even got to sit in on the Tabernacle Choir practice! What a way to end the day! Such gorgeous music. And then we thought we'd go out to dinner at our favorite Japanese place Tepenyaki. If you are ever in Centerville Utah, go there. It is so worth it. But in Utah, no one beleives in road signs. So we ended up on either side of the freeway in the opposite direction we were supposed to go. Needless to say we ended up at a Wingers in Kaysville. (which is 2 miles from Tepenyaki. But they were closed by the time we found Kaysville)

Friday was Lagoon... It was just me, hubby and my father inlaw. Again.. perfect weather. We did basically everything you can do there, including just sitting and watching the interesting people go by. Then we went to Zac's cousins house to stay the night and went to eat at Lonestar Steak house... not bad. My shrimp was good and my steak was tender. Then we came home. I brought a camera but do you think I took any photos? Ofcourse not.

Today was our first day teaching our Primary class. We have the 10 year olds... 4 girls and 3 boys. I had to fly solo today because Zac was sick. It went well... theyre good kids. I just forgot how much 10 year olds like to talk. But they learned stuff so thats good. Now I just have a primary song stuck in my head and it wont get out. Well, thats life so far.. I could say so much more, but that would make for a really long post.

Indisposed..

YAY! I've got one hour of work left and then get to make the final packing preparations for SLC! So needless to say I will be gladly indisposed until Saturday night or Sunday after church... I say gladly because I am so super excited its not even funny. OH! and we are saving money too by cancelling the hotel for the second night and staying at Zacs cousins house in Kaysville. WOOT! We still have to stay in Salt Lake for the first night though because we have to be at our appt. at 7:25 in the morning on a Friday... dont want to deal with 6 lanes of rush hour.

I hope to have des photos by Monday... I hope. :) C ya!

Personalities

So awhile ago I posted on how some people just ooze purity and light... well todays question came up while reading my favorite blogs... Its so amazing to see each bloggers personality come through thier writings. Even though I dont know most of them, I can still tell that one lady is a very very strong lady with a very strong mind, and another is a really sweet open minded person that seems that anyone could get along with and yet another is just fed up with kids and the whole lot of it on the outside, but wouldn't ask for any thing better on the inside. I wonder how I come across? Probably a littly whiny/complainy sometimes... I try to stay away from that...

Its just cool to see so many personalities out there and not one of them are alike. They may have some commonalities, but they are each thier own. God sure thought of everything.

Rabble Rabble Rabble.

I really was trying to think up something inspirational... or even interesting. My brain knocked back and said "not today pal..." Soooo... I am in the mood to write, so maybe as I ramble on something interesting may pop up.

I'm soooo excited for Thursday! We leave early... I am trying to get my hands on 2 books to take with me for the rides there and back. The first is Stepping Heavenward recommended by Anna at Hope Road, and the other is The Sacred Ordinary, recommended by Brin at Messy Thrilling Life . I know Barnes and Noble has them, but I'm hestitant on the thought of going and using up that much gas, not to mention the time I dont seem to have... and I know I can get them at my public library for free, but I cant seem to find my card... 2 days and counting... I need something to do while sitting in the middle of the back seat of a Buick for 6 hours.

Today is a good day. I am hoping to go to our PO Box today and find some payment checks... (I hope!) Anything would be nice especially for our trip. My inlaws owe us, but we wont see that until after the trip. They are in the middle of billing right now too so when they get paid, we get paid. I've got to pack tonight. I guess I could do it tomorrow, but I'm neurotic about getting things ready ahead of time just so were not scrambling at the last minute trying to find things or wondering why our hotel room isnt available because we didnt call to confirm before we got there.. (Thank you mom for that gene)

I've decided I dont drink enough water. But I love tea so much!! Maybe this weekend will help me to cut back since I wont be drinking any at all... its not an addiction.. It just tastes good. So I am going to make an effort to drink more water and eat less sugar...as the bowl of Little Debbie snack cakes stares at me from the breakroom... they grow eyes ya know... and will stare you down until you break and have to unwrap one. (or three..)

Well... this just proves that nothing inspiring or interesting is going to come to me today... if inspiration does hit, I'll be back on.. otherwise I'm going to mentally call it a day.

Where is everyone?

Holy crap. I cant get ahold of even one member of my family, on either side, and all my favorite bloggers havent posted anything new in days either! Am I the only one left? I feel so lonely... :)

YAY for Vacations!

Guess who only has a 3-day work week this week?? Yup..MOI! This week is the week we are leaving for Salt Lake. I'm excited for Lagoon and for food, but this trip hold quite a bit more meaning for myself and my husband. (of which I wont say since it's rather personal) But I am really looking forward to getting out of town. Salt Lake City is one of my favorite places in the world. Its so pretty and calm, and the mountains are just gorgeous in the winter. If it werent so dang expensive, I'd love to go skiing at the resort around there. Even the summertime is nice. For an international city, it is clean and quite enjoyable. With very good restaurants.

Even if it is going to cost us more than we'd like, well... whatever. Were in a position where we cant do anything about it so Ive decided that I'm going to have a great time anyways. God will provide. We're going with my in-laws and one of Zac's aunts. (her daughter lives right outside SLC) So now I am just wracking my brains to get all the preliminary arrangements made (apparently I am the only one in the family who knows how to get things arranged..) and settled and reserved. And to make sure all our bills are paid up to date, make sure we wont red-line the bank account while we're there and so on and so forth. Crap. I just remembered I've got to pack.

I really wish sometimes someone would just take the reigns for me. I dont know why I'm the cheif travel agent, bookkeeper, reference/tour guide, etc.... o well. We're gonna have fun dangit. :)

Comparisons and Greener Grass

Why is it so easy to for women to compare themselves with other women? God gave all of us our looks because that is what He wanted us to look like. So why is that so hard to comprehend? I'm no expert, but I personally know that the World does want women to feel bad about themselves so that companies have some leverage when it comes to selling products that will "magically" make you look as sexy as Megan Fox or will make your hair look like you just stepped out of a Hollywood beauty salon. And yet we Christians know that it is just a fakeness and not of a Godly nature but it just seems to dig itself deeper into our psyche. Funny how the devil does that.

There are pictures everywhere of "beautiful people" that (and im not kidding, this was an actual headline on an undisclosed web browser) "women that your husband wishes you looked like". Will someone tell me how in the world that can in any way build self esteem? I mean, women in general are hard on themselves, I am guilty as charged! So if you are already a little insecure about yourself, how good is seeing or even reading that article that will get it in your head that you're just not good enough for your husband but he decided to settle for you anyways for your "personality..."

I am personally of the opinion that the magazine companies sell things that create low self-esteem so that the makeup and cosmetic surgery companies can booster thier sales while the "personal therapists" are raking it in listening to you whine about how awful you feel.

I will be the first to admit that unfortunatly, I am guilty of comparason. And its not just to celebraties, it could be another woman at the mall. Through prayer, Gods good grace and the love of my husband, I can say I have gotten much better. Using the word of God to realize that I am how He wanted me has gotten me to the point that I am able to see His work in other people and respect my God all the more. It is easier for me to snap out of it when I start getting down about it. It says in 1 Peter 3:3-4"Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel - rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." Worth memorizing.

If we as godly women can remember that we are indeed the children of God and therefore were made by His holy hand, we can gain His strength to overcome our insecurities and to remember that even those who you see as "better than you" , is one of His creations as well.

The suspense is killing me.

I dont even like suspense movies, so as you might imagine, suspense in real life is absolute torture. I dont know if our guy is going to offer or what he will offer on the truck, so I cant go get approved for the loan for the difference, but I need to find out if we approve before he offers so I dont have to tell him "oh sorry we cant approve to give you the title". Which means that I need to get ahold of my parents to see if they will cosign but they are the hardest people to get ahold of in the universe so needless to say the suspense here is killing me. Arg. And then someone gave us another option of going to the huge used car sale at the fairgrounds where they "work magic" on people with bad credit and are upside down in the loans, so we would trade in for a car and have lower payments and it would be easier to sell a car, but we have a potential buyer for the truck so i dont want to give that up and end up with another car. Goin stir crazy here.

Pep Talks and Truck Sales

*** This is a view from the park in the town we are trying to move to***

So thank you Anna at Hope Road once again for being an inspiration... she posted some audio from a Christian conference New Attitude (I guess its a southern thing... never heard of it in the Pacific Northwest...) that was a perfect pick me up, in fact, I listened to it twice since yesterday! Now I'm not used nor am privy to sermons that are theatrical and emotion-packed and loud, but I put my reservations aside and tuned out the rising and falling of the speakers voice and just heard the message he was giving. It really was what I needed to hear.

It talked about specifically Psalm 42 and your own self/emotions and how God comes into play with it. Its an interesting study. It also talked about talking to yourself rather than listening to the voice in the back of your head. You are able to talk yourself into anything really, why not talk yourself in to being worthy of the kingdom of God? So I tried last night when I was getting a little down in the dumps and gave myself a little pep talk, reminding myself of Gods promises and such and after that I found it was easier for me to pray. Gonna continue on trying this.

Now on to an Alaska note... well... it feels like the timing is right. When I did the math on how much we could save if this guy were to buy our truck, I got a good, warm feeling that Alaska was closer to being attainable. So now we have to find out how much he is willing to give for it, and then find out if we are able to get a loan to pay off the title or if we need a co-signer. I am hoping to try to talk my parents (with IMMACULATE credit) will co sign such a small amout. I have a feeling something will work out... I just need to have faith. And another pep-talk.

Not farming material.

***Before I start, I must say a quick "thank you" to my best bud Cecelia for letting me talk her ear off about my stresses and for her willingness to listen. I feel much better!***

So we went and thinned our part of the church orchard last night. Let me desribe it for you: It was cold, itchy, windy, LOUD, and painful! Why did it hurt? Because all of the kids, and even some adults decided to continue the longstanding tradition of hurling those little unripe peaches at just about anyone. I'll tell ya, those things are about as soft as rocks. I got pelted in the face a few times, many times in the rear, the back of the head and my lovely husband, who was on a ladder getting the tops of the peach trees decided to try launching as many as he could into the hood of my sweatshirt. He got quite a few in, but mostly I had little fuzzy rocks sliding down the back of my shirt. Fun.

All the kids from 5 years old to seniors in high school were busy grabbing peaches from anywhere they could find them and hurl them everywhere and run around and scream at the top of their lungs. Personally, I am not worried about ever running out of ammo in this "recession". We can just throw unripe peaches at the infidels. Feels just about the same.

So I've decided to never run away and join an orchard. Still haven't decided whether or not I prefer having little rocks thrown at me or too-ripe peaches in peach picking season. I can now say I have been subject to both instances... and they both suck but the latter is alot more sticky and gross, but they dont hurt as bad. Maybe I'm just being a weenie. :)

On my mind.

**this is part of the town where we are trying to move**

I feel like I am getting old. I am only 22, but it feels like Im running behind everyone my age. Everyone I know is settled in a home with a husband and at least 1 kid. I've got the husband part down. Maybe its because Nampa is such a small town and no one leaves. I went to highschool with people whos grandparents went to school in that town. I'll be turning 23 this year and its kinda scary. Makes me think about wow, I've been out of highschool for 6 years, and I will be 30 in 7 years. We better start having kids now before we get too old to run after them... we want 2-3 at 2 years apart. When we move to Alaska I think is when we would entertain the idea more. We both would like to start now, but things are way too up in the air to make that kind of commitment. I hope Alaska comes soon.

I am in desperate need to pray harder about that. Im so scared that we wont qualify for a loan and then we wont be able to move, or we will have to wait. I just dont want to disappoint anyone. I tell ya though, this whole thing is stressing me out more than ever. I am working so hard to try to make everything come together that I seem to have got it in my head that I cant relax until we get there. And its taking a toll on my health I know, but I dont know what else to do about it except pray and even then I only seem to get temporary comfort. I do know that we are working with God's time and if it is something that He wants us to do then we will go along with it and if not then we wont force it. It's just hard to remember that. I want a place to call our own sooo bad! I am tired of moving so much. I want a place to decorate, where I can bake and keep tidy and have kids running around. I am not saying Im not thankful for all the places God has led us to stay because each one has been a blessing in itself and my home is wherever my husband and cat are, I just would like to stay put for awhile. Writing it down makes me feel a bit better... but October is so close!! And I'll be 23 in September! I feel old.

Time to buckle down and pray my little brains out.

Very short "Ode to Tea"

I cant begin tell you how wonderful a properly brewed cup of tea is. It is soothing to the spirit and the mind.

Zitface McGee and other random stories...

Its amazing how stress affects people differently. Some people over-eat..some people under eat...some people sleep... me? Ha. I start harvesting zits. I've never had acne, and occasionally I would get one so small only I would notice it. But lately its been a fight with my husband over who gets to "connect-the-dots". The four that I have are finally going away... I give it until about Friday... Oh I can hear the masses of real acne sufferers coming with pitch forks to skewer me for complaining about four little infestations. (Sorry but for someone who has had great skin all their life, I'm panicking..)

So now onto a less stress-impacted part of life... Its raining!! We had a whopper of a thunderstorm Saturday night..lightning every 3 seconds. Was a great night to cuddle up and watch a movie or something. Well... Zac got a craving for something sweet at 11pm, so in the middle of said thunderstorm and the pouring rain, we drove into town to Dairy Queen. Was a bit scary if not wet... Sure did make that chocolate dipped cone of mine taste real good.

We are soooo close to selling the el-trucko!! Finally! It sucks we have to get rid of our newest vehicle, but I don't want to pay $450 a month for the thing. I am praying my little brains out that this is the buyer God intended for us.

Salt Lake is upon us... we have the cost whittled down from $300 to about $98. That is if we take out Lagoon which would mean we wouldn't have to stay a second night which would cut out paying for another hotel. Basically we'd just go down Thursday morning and then mess around Temple Square, stay the night, Friday morning go to our appointment and maybe hang around that place for awhile.. then maybe go to the mall, and then on our way home, it would be optional to hit Kaysville for Tepenyaki... I'd rather not go to dinner as that would cost as much as the hotel, but we still have a week and a half to decide.

Alaska is still on the agenda... slowly but surely. Ireland is still on my mind, but that is just a dream. I've been having a want to go back to France for a bit. I really really hope we can do this Alaska thing by October like Zac wants to... Even though I would love to teach dance for another year. O well. It will be what it will be. If we sell the truck that will be very much helpful in saving at least an extra $200 a month.

Allright, Im done for now before this gets too long.

How do they do it?

Every wonder why there are just certain people who just feel good to be around? Like spirituality and purity and Godliness and comfort just ooze out of every part of their being, and yet they are the relatively same age (22) as you? Even just thier presence on blogs! Its almost intoxicating. Are these people really just more enlightened than I? Or do they just have a better, stronger grasp at God's word than I do? How? How do I get to that point? I want to one of those people that minister by just, well... living! There is a warmness about thier presence that is a comfort, the World would probably label them as goody-two-shoes, but hey, whats wrong with that??

I know I'm not too awful good about studying scripture on a daily basis, but then these people I am talking about, they are just normal people that read scripture and pray and go to church on Sunday. I know they take pride in living holy, and yet they are still sinners in some sense. I don't know what else I can do to live like that! I love my Lord, I read scriptures every night, I pray in the morning, the evening and with my husband every day, I stay away from worldly things that are sinful, I am a good person who tries to help out, I live a profanity-free and modest life, I go to church on Sunday.... Dont get me wrong, I feel Gods presence in my life at all times, and I know that He is there helping me and I am so thankful for it!! But these people just seem to be radiating Him. How do I do that? Maybe I am just thinking I am seeing greener grass. I do know that I need to try harder to live His word. Something to mull over I guess.

Gettin' all political-like on y'all...

Gas is now $4.00 for the cheap crap. Olive oil is going to go up 60% in price because of "bio-fuel" from stupid corn. They are only just now releasing hydrogen fuel cells as a "green alternative" fuel when they've had this technology for years. It's like complete lack of foresight. It's like lighting a candle an inch away from a curtain and then looking at the burnt down house and saying "oh, i guess I shouldnt have had the candle so close."

Sometimes I wonder why God granted some people brains. Its obvious they aren't using them.

Darn.

Ive discovered that no matter how many times or how hard you try... Ramen noodles will never taste like shrimp scampe.

Goal #2

Ok so I've found that this whole "working out" thing is much easier if I set goals for 4 weeks at a time. Starting in May, I set the goal of I would work out every week day until May 23rd, because that is when we were leaving for California. And ya know what? It worked. I did it. And then it felt really wierd taking 4 days off. So starting 4 days ago on Monday, I started again and my goal this time is until June 12th, which is when we leave for Salt Lake. FINALLY! Something that works. Yes, if you couldn't tell, I'm proud of myself. :)

Inspirations

I've been inspired by two lovely people, one of whom I have never met. The first being my best bud Cecelia at Oh Cecelia! . She just found out she is pregnant and usually when my sis-in-laws or others were pregnant or just gave birth I got "baby fever" but then within the hour I had myself talked out of it cuz I realized...uh, yeah right. But this time it is different. I feel different about it. My marriage is awesome, never better... but I know that adding on is the way to add sweetness to life. I am inspired and motivated to work my little tush off to get to Alaska and get settled so we can start a family. We were going to last year and just stay here, but our plans for that got pushed aside for Alaska. Half of it is that I want the security of knowing that we own a house and that there will be no more dang moving so if i were to get pregnant by chance, there would be nothing to worry about.

The other reason I am inspired was because of a blog I was directed to...Brin at My Messy Thrilling Life . She is a single gal who is a great homemaker!! She has inspired me that even though I don't have kids or a house of my own, it doesn't mean that I can't expand upon my efforts to be a good wife and work on my goal of being a homemaker. I dont have to be a decorating diva or have up to the minute styles of whatever wherever I live. I have learned through her that home is where you make it and even if it is a little room in the back of a big house I can still make it a little piece of Heaven on Earth.

So thank you ladies for being you!

Midday delight

This hit the spot:

1 toasted eggo waffle
Hickory Farms Apple Cinnamon Jelly
Butter

Put as much butter and jelly on as you please and chow down. I think what makes it special is the Apple Cinnamon Jelly. Gives just the right "Christmasy".

Warm Fuzzies

I am calm. It is overcast and damp. There is little wind this morning. Reminds me of Alaska. The good side of Alaska, not the stress it is giving me. It reminds me of the last time Zac and I went and we both woke up at 3:30 in the morning and since it doesnt get very dark, decided to get up and take a walk around the quiet town. We walked and went and got hot chocolate with cinnamon and big, hot cinnamon rolls at 5 am. It is those moments that bring me peace and fill me with warm fuzzies.

I've always wanted a big, new farmhouse with a wrap around porch in the shadow of mountains or foothills, with a white fence and lots of aspen and maple trees. We would be a white fenced drive off the road, with lamp lights on either side mingled with the trees. To the right of the house would be the barn and the horses and to the left of the house would be my apple and pear trees and my garden. We'd have two dogs, labs or something, and a few cats and maybe a couple kittens. It would be beautiful in the fall when it is slowly closing in on winter, and Zac and our children could come in from playing and working outside for homemade mulled spiced cider and a hot apple pie just pulled out of the oven that I had spent the late morning fixing. I can just imagine what Thanksgiving would be like. I think I imagine this place in Wyoming or even South Dakota. Somewhere where winter gets snow, fall is crisp, and spring never really turns into summer. I could bake to my little hearts content, and it would be quiet and peaceful. Fall football games in the yard would be a family affair and taking the horses out riding in the snow covered fields just because we could would be fun. The kids would be able to walk down to the end of the drive to catch the school bus, and I could enjoy a hot cup of tea before getting my day started. Christmas would be a flurry of baking and eating, I'd have a big enough kitchen to fit my family. Sundays would be a day of church and just family time spent together. Early in the mornings would be spent on the porch with a hot cup of something with my husband, watching the sunrise over the treetops.

I know this will only ever be just a wish and a daydream, but I think I can make Alaska feel the same way. Your home is only worth what you put into it, so I know that it doesn't matter where you live... at the risk of sounding cliche... home is where your heart and family is. (are?)

Check out this blog...

My friend Cecelia found an awesome new blog I must share! http://messythrillinglife.blogspot.com/
Its about the life of a girl named Brin who lives a sweet and simple life in Texas. Check it out!

Back to reality.

We arrived back in Idaho at 7:30pm yesterday. Looonnggg car ride in a Ford Focus with 4 people, one of which is 6 feet tall... It was so nice to be in California again. The Bay Area is one of my all time favorite places. Especially in May, the weather was wonderful. It was definatly a jam-packed weekend, but it went at a very nice pace. We got in Friday evening at about 5pm and just slugged out with the family. Saturday we got up early and Zac, myself, Shannon, Mom and Dad drove down to San Fransisco and spent the better part of the morning driving around and eating. Zac had never been to San Fran so this was pretty cool for him. We ended up a Golden Gate park on the south side of San Fran and ate lunch, then walked over to the Japanese tea garden. You gotta hand it to the Japanese... it was gorgeous!!!! We probably spent around an hour and a half just walking the trails and looking at flowers. I was going to get a cup of tea there since it was a tea garden, but a wedding party came in and there wasnt a seat. Oh well. Just being there was a stress reliever. Hard to believe that a huge international city was surrounding it. The best part was that you never heard the city. We went back at about 4 in the afternoon to Grandmas house and had a big, yes BIG spaghetti dinner. We had 16 people and mom decided to make 16 pounds... yes POUNDS of sauce. We ended up with about 14 pounds left over. It was good though. Then Sunday we had Grandpas birthday party, catered mexican food was awesome! and then from 4-9pm all us cousins took the BART train to San Fransisco. We toured up through China town and got Sushi, went through the lobby and up the 32 story glass elevator of the St. Francis hotel, and walked around Union Square. Was a blast!! Then we left at 7:30 in the morning on Monday and had a 12 hour drive cuz we stopped a few times to stretch and eat. I will get photos posted when my sister emails them. Now Im back at work and trying to get my head wrapped around what I left behind last Thursday. Ouch.

Gonna buy me a horse.

$3.85 a gallon for gas now. We're turning into communist Russia. Soon all the people who are already rich will remain so or get richer, and the working-middle class and the poor will soon be equals in poverty. Let them eat cake... ha!

California here we come!!

WOOT! We are leaving for Cali tomorrow morning! Which means I've got to get my butt in gear and finish packing. Tonight's going to be a late night. Gotta run home after work and get church clothes, do church stuff until about 8:30, get to Wal Mart, run home and shove everything in a suitcase (if my dear husband hasn't done it by that time), then run to mom's house to sleep. We leave EARLY Friday. I'm looking forward to it. I'm really looking forward to the Mexican food on Sunday at the party. My family is catering in food from the best Mexican place in town. Oh yes... I'm drooling as we speak.

I'm interested in seeing how my cousins (all 3 of them) are faring. All I know is Jessie is 2 years younger than I am and on her own working, Marc is 19 and plays World of Warcraft, and Alyssa is 9 and is a pretty good figure skater. I wonder if they would be up for another yearly round of tag-hide-and-seek-in-the-dark as is cousin tradition at Grandmas house. We haven't played in 5 years cuz no ones really gotten together since then. I'm certainly not too old. :) The weather doesn't look like it will be much warmer than where we are now... I'm hoping for some good ol' California sunshine at least though. I might be able to get on the computer to blog a bit and get some photos up while I'm there, but no promises.

Color therapy.

I am on a color rampage. Im sooooo tired of browns and greys and whites and blacks. All the clothes I just bought I was attracted to the bright jewel tones, I switched my makeup to colors instead of brown and gray. So thus my blog got a bright makeover. Im not sure I really like the background, but I need the color so its good for now.

I am thankful for Him.

So we saw the new Narnia movie last night. Pretty powerful movie when you view it from a Christian perspective. Really made me think about recent events and just how easy it is to go to the darkness rather than forge ahead and work towards the light. But that is Satan for you... the easy way out. Of course its going to be easy to fall into darkness! Satan is the master cheater and liar, if he made it hard to get to him no one would fall! God is the light and He gave us His light that we might prove ourselves worthy of it. The more we go ahead and fight for the light, the stronger we get against giving up and giving in to Satans will. In the movie, Peter asks Lucy (paraphrasing here cuz I dont remember exact verbiage)"Why wouldn't Aslan give us some proof that he's here?" and Lucy answers "Maybe its us that needs to prove ourselves to Him." That is how it is with God. We need to ask of Him and to make ourselves worthy and prove to Him that we are on His side and have no intention of slipping back in with the Adversary. God wants to know that even if He doesn't show Himself at whatever moment, that we are still listening and we are still faithful servants and not doubting Him ever. The moment fear and doubt come into your mind, that is Satan reminding you that he is there ready to snatch you up as soon as you fall out of faith.

Satan is always so close, that we must remain so strong in the presence of trials. We are only human and as mortals Satan does know that we are weak without some power-source in our lives. God is our ultimate power source as we gain knowledge and strength through his awesome power. But Satan also is a power source and we can glean just as much strength from him. He will give us much at once and tell you its ok to use it as much as you wish, because you are all-powerful. But the difference is Satans power will waste you away and he will take back his power for himself and leave you rotted spiritually, mentally and sometimes even physically. If we choose to have God as our ultimate power source, He will give us the strength we need when we ask, we gain light and enlightenment, we gain faith that He is there to catch us if we do fall, and He will restore us through His love. The power we gain through God will never be taken away from us, He gives it to us for the asking and it will never leave us wasted.

How close we let the Adversary come to us! It is scary, but the moment you feel weak perhaps a financial problem arises and you get a bit depressed, or the death of a family member and you dont know what to do with yourself, Satan is just sitting and waiting for you to ask "God, why have you forsaken me?" It is at that moment Satan will say "Your God has left you, let me comfort you." And thus he does showing you alcohol, drugs, sex, suicide... sin. All things that cover things up temporarily, he promises they will make you feel good... but you must keep doing them and end up killing yourself to continue to feel good.

Our God is a God of truth. When you cover things up with the sins of the devil, you are just covering things up. Gods light and His amazing power will show you the truth of all things and when you accept that you are a sinner or have sinned, and are sincerley sorry for following the Adversary, He will warm you with such a love you have never felt before. He is our only constant in troubled times.