getting there

Last night, Otis, our new puppy, was able to make it through the night without making a mess in his cage! This may seem like a small thing to most, but to us, it's wonderful becuase we didn't have to give him what was turning out to be a daily morning bath! Plus, he was quiet in his cage until about 6:30, so that was great too...I was able to get almost all the sleep that I normally get!

It's the little things in life that are important, right? :)

another year older

This weekend I celebrated my birthday. It started out great with lunch with some people from work and the wife and kids of one of my bosses. After work, I headed home and relaxed with Josh for a bit and then headed to the FedEx location to pick up the present that my mom and dad sent me...fun fun! My mom told me I had to wait until Saturday to open it becuase that was my actual birthday.

So, Friday night was spent hangning out with Josh and our dogs...that's right....DOGS. We already had Daisy, the puppy we adopted last summer, but Josh got me another dog for my birthday! His name is Otis and he's a Schnoodle. He's mainly poodle with a bit of schnauzer in him. He's only 3.5 pounds right now and will only get up to about 10 pounds, if that. He's adorable and the dogs are getting along fairly well, which is good.

Saturday I started my dad with a few recieved phone calls of birthday wishes and then headed to the church we've been going to. They were offering a "class" about the church and their beliefs. It was very informative and the best part was that I was able to get connected with a few women from the church....praise God! That was done around 12:30 and then I headed home to hang out with Josh and the dogs again. The afternoon was spent at the mall and then later we went to dinner at Macaroni Grill, which was delicious!

Sunday we went to church and then I took a nap in the afternoon....it was delightful!

Birthdays

Usually for my birthday (March 28), we would be in Florida spending time together over Spring Break without my dad becuase it's tax season and well, as a CPA, he can't really leave the office, let alone the state! Now, this year is a year of change in regards to birthdays as well. This year, I will be spending my birthday with Josh while my mom and sister are on their way to Panama City Beach, FL to soak up some sun! Not only do I miss my family and friends, but I miss the traditional way of doing things.

It is my hope that soon enough I will have friends that I can celebrate with here. I am still praying that God provides in that area.

Memories

Since moving out California, I have had time to sit and think about the great memories I have of my childhood and how blessed I am to have the family that I have. I just want to put down some of these memories for my own personal enjoyment:

I remember when my grandma used to take me shopping at Orland Mall and she would take me to the Cookie Factory, which is no more, and she would let me get a cherry icee and a M&M cookie.

I remember summer vacations down to KY where we would spend all week on our boat in the water with other families and just genuinely have a great time together boating, playing cards or just enjoying each others company.

I remember making yearly trips down to Disney World with my family and loving every minute of it! Disney is truly the Happiest Place on Earth :)

I remember when my Aunt Donna would come babysit me every now and then and she would do her workouts on the floor at my parents house and I would try to mimic her.

I remember listening to my Grandpa Workman's prayers each Sunday or at any meal time at their house and he would list out every grandchild's name and asking God to bless each one of us and our parents...he still does it and I miss hearing it now!

I remember going to my grandparent's house and playing on my Grandma's HUGE organ that she had and not being able to reach the pedals. I also rmember sitting down at the piano and playing with her or watching her play and thinking it was the best thing ever!

I remember going to my other grandparent's place in IN and driving my Grandpa's pontoon boat around their lake and driving the gocart that he had....what fun!

I remember my dad taking me out on a "date" when I was a little girl and he took me to Dairy Queen...I don't think I could have been more excited to spend time with him!

I remember spedning a day just hanging out with my mom and not wanting to go to my part-time job, so my mom called me in sick and all we did was laugh about it and knew that it was "our little secret".

I remember my dad and Grandpa teachign me how to play pool in my grandparents' basement and not being very good at it, but they were patient with me.

I remember the day my little sister was born and when my dad said she was really skinny and had long arms and legs I had a picture in my head of what she would look like and it was nothing like the real thing.

There are more, but I'll keep it at that for now.

randomness

Yesterday afternoon started off with a run...that's right, a run! I don't typically enjoy working out in any sense of the idea, but it's something I know I should do to be a bit more healthy. So, I took Daisy and we went running. We didn't go far because she's little and I didn't want her to have a heart attack, but I am sore today which tells me it's something I needed to do. So, I'll have to keep moving forward with this running thing and see how that goes.

Today was another rough morning in getting out of bed. I've just been so tired lately that I just want to stay cuddled up in bed.....sounds delightful! Here is the rest of my to-do list that I made for myself for tonight:

1. go sign papers for the house
2. make/eat dinner
3. clean
4. clean
5. clean
6. put clean clothes away
7. relax

Needless to say, our apartment needs a good scrubbing and instead of doing it over the weekend, I think tonight will be a good night for that and putting all of my clean clothes away....FINALLY!

This weekend doesn't include baseball, which is quite exciting! I am hoping I can sit outside on Saturday and Sunday and get some color....that would be nice! Friday night we're going out for a friends birthday, so that should be fun. Other than that, it's time to relax!

Leadership and Encouragement

On Monday of this week I headed to my weekly Bible study that I attend (BSF) and before the study got started, we had a time of fellowship that we share in once a month. This is a time for the women of our group to come and share what is actively going on in their life, how God has blessed or to share prayer concerns that they may have. This week, a fellow group member shared how her husband did not make it into the residency program that he had hoped so long for to get in to. Now, because God has taken this away from him, he is questioning his wife, his faith and wondering why God would do this to him. He has worked so hard for such a long time to get his schooling completed and to be able to be the amazing doctor he wants to be. It brought tears to my eyes as I watched and listened to this Godly woman share her story with tears and that she is fearful that her husband may give up on his dream and his faith. I shared with her that unfortunately there is a spiritual warfare going on between God and Satan and it is affecting her husband and that I had seen a similar thing happen to Josh when he became a Christian....baseball (his livelyhood) was taken away from him completely after he accepted Christ.

AFter I got home that night, I felt it in me that I needed to send her a note of encouragement and I happened to have her email address, so I shot her a quick email. I just wanted to tell her that all of her answers during BSF were so educated and her Bible background was incredible; her answers are always so educated and deep! I just wanted her to know that God would work something out for their good, but it would be in His timing. Little did I know, that she would end up encouraging me the next day. I recieved a response from her the next day in the afternoon and the timing could not have been more perfect as I was going through a struggle myself. Her encouraging words were sweet and uplifting. It is just incredible to me how God works in the smallest ways....God's definitely in the small stuff!

As I was about to leave BSF on Monday night, my leader approached me an asked if I had ever considered a leadership position. Being that it is my first year of attending this specific class, I had not thought about it; it never even crossed my mind. She told me that she is praying for me and that I should to do the same to see if God is encouraging me to lead. We are learning about Moses and his trip to the Promise Land with the Israelites, but that all started out with God calling him to the leadership position. Like Moses, I have my excuses as to why I won't be a good leader: I'm too young, I don't know enough, I am not a good speaker and definitely don't do well in front of groups! Moses told God that he wasn't a good speaker, he was too old and other excuses, but God was still able to use him. I spoke to my mom (a BSF leader back home) about this conversation and she said that I should consider it because I have the gift of encouragement and she thought I could be a good fit. I just don't know how people will view me as a leader....I have zero life experience compared to a lot of the women that attend this study. I guess all I can do is pray about and see where God takes me; I just have to be willing to let him lead me and not fight it.

Well after last week, a few things have changed for us. We are waiting to hear on a closing date, but we are first-time home owners as long as everything goes through smoothly. We have been approved and have signed the contract with the builder, but sometimes you just never know what could happen. There have been no signs of anything bad happening to prevent us from moving into this house, but with the market how it is today, you just never know.

We will be moving out Clovis, CA at the end of April and are very excited about it. The house is brand new and has a lot to offer. We are so thankful to have been able to act on this opportunity!!!

Also, last week Friday Josh was told that if he left school without a pink slip, that we was going to have his teaching job for next year.....he didn't get a pink slip! So, thankfully Josh will be able to continue to teach out in Fowler. WE have a lot to be thankful for and we are so appreciative of all the prayers that everyone prayed for us! We love you all!!!

Just a couple things going on that I would like to share:

1. Josh and I have decided to buy our first house! We are going to sign the final documents tonight and then we will be homeowners for the first time! We have prayed about this decision and feel peaceful in that God has provided this opportunity for us and we know it is the right one for us.
2. By Friday of this week, Josh will find out if his contract will be renewed for next year. Being that he is a first year teacher, he is not guranteed anything. So, our prayer is that the district he teaches in likes the work that he has done there and that they are able to keep him on staff. Josh truly enjoys working with the students at the continuation school and he is very happy there. It is our hope and prayer that Josh will be able to go back to Fowler Unified School District next school year.

This weekend was a good one, but it went by WAY too fast...much like every other weekend that comes and goes. This one was spent celebrating a friends' birthday on Saturday, so that was a good time.

Josh and I also found out that the house we put an offer in on is now back on the market. I don't know if it was ever officially taken off the market, but a few days after we put the offer in, it was no longer listed on the search sites for homes for sale. Josh was searching for properties for us and came across it. So, now we're not sure what is going on with this! I immediately emailed our agent, so hopefully we will hear something soon as to what the status is.

Right now, it seems like a lot of people need prayer support. Off the top of my head I can think of a small group that has health and/or family concerns and are in need of prayer. It is my hope and prayer that God will touch those families that are going through difficult times and that he reaches those that have not opened up to the idea of giving their life to Christ yet. I pray that God heals those that need healing spiritually and physically and also reaches those that are lost.