house or home

right now luke and i are perfectly content with being in our little apartment as a little family...we are looking for a bit of an upgrade :) so we put in an offer on a cute little house. as much as we would love to get the house...if it goes to someone else we totally trust that the Lord knows what's going on.

i know that i'm not supposed to get attached to it by trying to decorate and stuff like that...but i've of course been planning ahead a bit!




this is what i'd like for the guest bedroom to look like...well kind of...i'd like for the detail wall to be the teal....and i'd love big white book cases to be built against a wall...is that too much to ask :)



i will also for sure have black walls with a stencil of black somewhere in the house....i've loved black walls for the bathroom since the harman's house. it's beautiful! i've also thought about painting this big center wall...that i don't know how to describe...aside from it's the surrounding walls for the pantry...that you can walk around to get into the kitchen, family room and/or the front entrance. hmmm...decisions decisions :)



i plan on painting the whole downstairs gray...well at least most of it. i'm going to do it in pigeon gray. it's beautiful...the area director and his wife have thier family room painted in that color. i'd like to be able to have a pretty uniform look...but to have accent walls etc.



this house doesn't have the best cabinets in the kitchen...the house is fabulous...just has cosmetic not so greats :) so anywho...something will have to be dont with the cabinets...i think that i'm going to paint them a blue color...i want to have something similar to what is in my kitchen now...that is blueish with a hint of green. oh and ps i love the floors! :)

so this is a bit of what i'd like for our home...i shouldn't get my heart set on this...but gracious...it'd be fun to turn it into this :)

thankful

it's november!!


that means it's almost thanksgiving! and let's be real...i've got so much to be thankful for!! I have an incredible husband, a cute little dog, a wonderful little home...and i get to change jobs this next week!!! ahh!!! :) i also have a really amazing family...and an incredible group of women that i'm friends with!

today...i am thankful for how the Lord loves me! he has worked out my little life with such intricate details...that...it's just crazy! i will get to start a new job on wednesday...and because of that new job...i may also get to begin a second part time postion...both of which would be involving things i love! yahoo!!


oh...and i'm so thankful that i got to be in a few of my best friends weddings! you know i truly am so fortunate! i got married this year...and i got to stand by two of my best friends during their weddings!! wow!!

can i say as glad as i am that we've at least got (i think)almost three months before the next wedding...i would love one to come soon...with the need to purchase a dress from j crew....they really are just beautiful! :)

a weekend away

so after a month and a half...we went our seperate ways...for a weekend!

luke went camping with the boys...he got to fish, sit around a camp fire, hang with the boys, and enjoy a little time away with no phone reception. it had it's drawbacks with the chilly weather and the non-stop rain...but he wants to go again soon....which sounds like it'll be a lovely thing to do later in the spring once it starts to heat up again...which I'm not wishing upon us anytime soon....the weather right now is glorious!

i went to johnson city...which was wonderful and terrible...if i'm honest! the weekend was amazing...we had a blast. i had the privelege of being in my girlfriends weddings...she was beautiful and got to marry a loving man who pursues her heart, body and soul :)

the best part of the weekend i got to spend time with the women who truly make me better. it's funny...jenn and i were talking, on our long drive to charlotte, about the love for each other and the awareness of the Lord that we have when we're together...i'm so blessed to have these women in my life. jess posted in her blog about us and life and the treasure that our friendship is...http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fjessgarner.blogspot.com%2F&h=c96aa
...i'm glad that we all feel the same :)

this week...begins a wild ride...i fill in details after i tie up some loose ends!

i'm thankful for the wonderful women in my life...but man, i was so ready to be in my husbands arms...it's a wonderful love that we have and i just enjoy having him at my side day in and day out! :) he's so good to me...and loves me so well....and pushes me to dream big....and pursue my passions :) what a gift.


i live the life :)

surprise

so why can it be so hard to believe something that is so straightforward?

...the Lord lets us know that we will have difficulty with how the world percieves us and treats us because of our relationship with him....and he tells us not to be surprised even if the world hates us. (1 John 3:13)

I by no means think that the people around me here in Phoenix hate me for my beliefs...but I do believe there is a good deal of dislike, dis-trust (is that a word), doubt, and disrespect because of my relationship with the Lord.

Of course this is not intended to be a generalization of everyone...but of a few. regardless it is really difficult...and if i'm honest...i wasn't prepared...i was in fact surprised.

generalizations drive me crazy...i'm not saying that i never generalize or judge...but i am saying that i think that it's absolutely ridiculous when people take one peice of the puzzle and think they know what the final picture will be.

i have always been so fortunate to have really amazing people surrounding me...to compensate for any negative that i had to deal with...and all that being said....i don't know that i've ever been so regularly, negatively judged for my relationship with the Lord.

anywho, i'm looking to the Lord...he's loving and teaching me.

i suppose now my struggle is...do i stay...know that it's normal...or do i walk away and wipe the dust from my feet and set out on a journey to a new town ?

not too long ago i got the opportunity to go to a YL leadership...where we disucussed Luke 9: 1-5 or Matthew 10...when Jesus sends his disciples out two by two into villages with nothing...to spread the word that the kingdom of Heaven is near...and Jesus tells his disciples to go into homes, leave their peace if the home will take it...but if the home doesn't welcome you to leave and dust off your feet before traveling onto their next town.

we talked about how the passage pertains to YL...that leaders should travel together doing contact work...for strength and encouragement...and to have a little peace. also that it is good to go to one place for some time...so it's good to love on and build a relatioship with a community (so that going deep rather than wife...or along with wide is good)...we also discussed that not everyone will recieve you well...and after coming into a town for some time and not being welcomed or listened to....that is is ok...and good...to move on (whether for a season or for good) wipe the dust from your feet and move on....meaning that it is good to not carry the burden, rejection, etc that is felt into the next stage...or else you will be burdened down by that which isn't necessary for one to deal with on thier own.

so now...i'm just wondering...does this pertain to life outside of direct ministry?

my brain runs all over.

i'm thankful for my friends,my family, and my life.

one year

so...i've now been married for just over a month...and we're celebrating the first weekend that we ever spent time together...yep, it's been a year now since we actually got to hold hands, ride in the same car, walk through Target and share a meal. how cool?!

and now...we've been married for a month! :)

tonight i cooked my first pork chops...and they were actually quite lovely...well, delicious...not really lovely...let's be real cooking is a really humbling experience...definitely something that i'm not all that good at! poor hubs.

thankful for the friends luke has...they love him well. thankful for the friends i have...they love me well. wish we could all just be together! :) oh...i get to be with them so soon...and luke gets to go camping with the boys...yay!

thankful for the life that i lead and the Lord who love me!

small two girl part dos

Being a "small town girl" isn't all bad! :) I really quite enjoy it!
I had this realization today. In a city people become obsessed with their own agenda with no appreciation or patience for that which they are surrounded by or for the people they encounter.
It has been funny trying to adjust in a town in which everyone is in such a hurry...why? where are they all going? what's so important? My little heart can't take the pace for sure...it gets all flustered when things are pushed to such a rate.
I'm hoping that although I don't want to adjust to the speed of life here...that I can adjust and enjoy where I am right now! I'm hoping that I learn from watching what I don't want to be.
It's a beautiful place! And there are beautiful people...inside and out! I want to enjoy all of that...and keep the small town pace.

small town girl

so tonight at work i was asked if i'd ever seen Devil Wears Prada...hello! do they know me at all?!

but to top it off...and the reason i'm emailing you...is that he compared me to anne hathaway!! eek...so if you want to be praying that i'd get my footing...just still feel a little unsure...ready to feel acclamated.

p.s. i asked him if he was telling me i was mousey...he said no...it was in reference to the fact that i'm a "small town, mountain girls who's just packed up for the big city" and am trying to gain my footing!

hmmm...i guess it's really fitting even though not necessarily what I wanted to hear...i'm hoping that since i'm starting like her...that i'll kick tail like her too...well except that i'll keep things in perspective and won't have to have a dramatic exit from my job!

it's amazing!

so it's amazing to look back at the past few years, months, weeks and days to see all that the Lord has going on in my life.

this morning i got to enjoy a hike up a mountain nearby with some women who adore the Lord, their families, their lives, and one another! it was really wonderful!
it was sweet to talk with them about life and all that i've been blessed with.

to be honest...i didn't even realize all of the blessings until talking it through today! just one little example...i was in nursing school...had been told for years "regardless nurses will always have a job!" i don't know if you know this but although there is a high need for more nurses there isn't any money to give new nurses so they're having trouble finding positions especially fresh out of college! strange how the Lord works :)

p.s. have you tried the new pretzel m&m's? mmm mmm good! seriously!! :)

life in abundance

wow! so life is just crazy!

this week has been an adventure...starting a new job...it's kind of like changing schools...i'm definitely the new kid on the block...and can feel it! some folks are really warm and excited to have me...some...not so much :)oh well, just gotta win them over i guess!

yesterday i wanted to look fun and sassy, so i put on my heels...bad idea! by the end i literally couldn't move...was ready to throw up cause me feet hurt! never fear...bandaid blister healer to the rescue!! they are snazzy little things! I'll be sporting them for the week I do believe!!



early this week...we went apartment hunting!! ahhh!! :) it was so exciting!! real life...i'll live with a boy!! WEIRD!! we'll continue the hunt for a bit...but it was super fun to start!


and today!!! i got my dress fitted!!! i'm getting MARRIED!! :) yahoo! seriously couldn't be more pumped!! the dress is going to look so great!!

oh and...have you tried the new pretzel m&m's? delicious!! as is the dryers strawberry granola frozen yogurt!! date night turned into the grocery and couch potatoes instead of a walk in the park because of the poor shoe choice!

well off to life again!!

adventures in la la land

so i can't lie...i feel a little like i'm living in an episode of Clarissa explains it all...like i should have aladder that leads up to my window that my bff climb up whenever he visits...or maybe on the set of clueless...i live in a beautiful house with people who have beautiful hearts. they have this massive dog that makes me feel loved and protected...he just wanders around the house behind meas i piddle around. i have zero responsibility and live an easy breezy life...at least for a few more days. the weather couldn't be prettier...the traffic couln't be wilder (i mean, i'm sure it coud...just not used to it) i for real felt like Dee the other day as I was gettin onto the interstate..."ahhh!! murry what do i do?!" only that it was luke not murry...and half the time it's just me yelling to myself :)

i finally got my room cleaned and settled into it. it's great...just enough me littered around the room to allow me to be comfortable without getting too settled before having to pack up and head out again after a bit. my new car is great! i'll register it today or tomorrow...i've been told it's like millions of dollars... whoopie (speaking of...did you know that whoopie goldberg got the name because of her bad gas?...learned it frm Glamour)

today i'm going to get lunch with Brenda...and just wander around the city a little to see what it has to offer. :) h&m here i come!! well after i start working and have a pay check...ha :)

can't help it

I can't help but smile as I sit at this computer typing this out in my pj's. I mean...I totally slept until noon Johnson City time! In just a bit Luke's parents, Betsy, and I will head out to see Babies!! (I don't know if you've seen the previews but it's a documentary that I'm totally excited to see!)
Another thing that I just couldn't help...was to laugh at every ridiculous thing that happened during the cross country road trip!
First of all the craziness in Nashville...I am so thankful that I was extremely fortunate to simply be a little delayed by the storm that has devastated hundreds. After that I got to go on a neat little route that took me through Alabama and Mississippi to see things I'd never seen. It was absolutely gorgeous outside...and there were lots of beautiful scenes that I couldn't help but stop and take pictures of. I also happened to buy my new car sight-unseen over the phone! I can't help but laugh a little at how ridiculous that sounds!
Then once in Collierville...packed and repacked in less than twenty four hours (which comes with it's downfalls...I left a bag with all my favs in the floor of my room...and I left a cd in my other car!) :)
Once mom and I hit the road it was smooth sailing...for about an hour :) Once we hit Arkansas we started hearing this rattle...and then we couldn't tell if the AC was just really new and high tech so it wasn't blowing hard or if it was broken. So we ended up sitting in a Mazda dealer in Arkansas while they figured out what had happened. Mom and I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that anything mechanical touched by either of us is bound to have issues!
Once we hit the road again..we'd lost about 3 hours of travel time...which ended up planting us in Elk Creek, OK for the evening! Our hotel was great and we had Mexican to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! It was delicious!
Early the next morning began world's longest drive...we thought it'd take us two hours less than it did. I don't know if you've ever driven through New Mexico...but it's got to be the windiest place on earth! Like when we got out to pump gas at one point we totally got pelted with sand! :) Hilarious!
We finally crossed in to AZ state line...and I saw this huge line of smoke! I should have instantly been concerned for anyone in the area...but I'll admit...selfishly all I could think was that it better not get in our way. It turned out to be a fire just North of Flagstaff...I haven't heard much about it since that afternoon, so I'm hoping all is well. It's remarkable that conditions are so vastly different from one side of the country to the other.
Finally we arrived. It has been a busy wild weekend...but good!
I can't help but be thankful for the Lord and how he works everything out! I also can't help but be so thankful for my mom...who has just been super encouraging, supportive and loving through all of this!

got it

Finally!! I have a new car!! It's a Mazda 3 with a little over 30000 miles! It's silver and has tinted windows. And it doesn't squeal when I drive down the road! Want a tour? You're in luck :)

thankfully...

after the long night in nashville...i just had to be grateful that i got to rest...and got home safely!

i also got to see some fun stuff along the way!!

...adventure begins

I knew that this was going to be an adventure...but I had no idea that it would begin on my routine drive from JC to Collierville! After a tearful evening in the gas station parking lot...ha...headed out to Knoxville to hang with Jess...we watched amelie...it was great! This morning we had our normal brunch at Tomato Head...mmm! After that...Collierville! Or so I thought...instead there was quite the storm system working it's way through....Nashville is nasty right now...praying for the folks who live here for sure! Selfishly, I was just pissed it delayed my trip across the state...it took me 10 hours to get from Knoxville to my hotel in Nashville! I sat on the interstate for quite some time...Jenni asked me to video...so here you go!!



well this has certainly started with a bang!

Also, I finally found a hotel with an open room and it was a "King Jacuzzi" room!! :) thought I'd give you a tour!!




time for bed...i'm pooped!!

good bye

well, the good byes have begun...leaving JC for Phoenix!! super excited about what's ahead...also super bummed about what will be left on the opposite side of the country!

hoping to help keep my sanity with all the change by typing it out when i don't have all my girls piled around me on the plaid couch!

oh the adventure that awaits!