Monday, December 20, 2010

Blessed

We are so blessed! My family drove down from Muscle Shoals with lots of baby gifts. I was so excited to see everyone and was so happy Meme saw my house. She loved it as did everyone else. I have been cleaning off and on since I found out they were coming to visit. Our house stays so dusty; I would have to dust everyday to keep the furniture nice and shiny. (And that is not happenning)! Saturday night we put the bedding in the crib and it is adorable. The nursery looks great so far. I got off track but back to my family's visit. When they arrived I showed them around and we talked for a while then started opening gifts. It felt like Christmas morning! We are so thankful. We got the car seat and stroller; which is the real necessity since we could not even get William home without the car seat. My amazing husband immediately put the stroller together and test drove it through the dining room. I can not wait to see him with his son! He also got the car seat in my Murano (8 weeks early but you can never be too sure). I opened the jumper and asked, "Will he use this right away?" Needless to say I got an all around, "No!" I know William has to hold his head up to use the jumper but I am pregnant and my mind is crazy right now. :) My parents got us the baby monitor, yay, another item I think is a necessity to even have a baby in the house. I opened a lot of clothes, blankets, etc. and can not wait to use each and every thing. I did not know that I would be blessed with 2 showers and we are truly touched. It was nice having everyone here in OUR home for pizza and catching up. Changing the subject entirely, I GRADUATED! I am now home until I find a teaching job next August. Cross your fingers and toes that I find a job. I did get a job working from home which I am extremely thankful for because I do not have to be away from sweet William. As I was walking across the stage (again) I could not believe I completed a Master's degree. I worked very hard to get to that stage and I have so many people to thank for that opportunity. Graduation came at the right time because I think Braxton's Hicks contractions have started. I have to move around a lot and sleeping is a job in itself. I enjoy feeling my sweet boy move around and grow but I am ready for these next 8 weeks to come and go. We want to meet William and I want to be a normal size again.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Happenings...

I have been so busy with my internship in 2nd grade that I had to quit blogging. My life since August 30 has been crazy to say the least. However, I have learned so much about the life of a teacher and my cooperating teacher is amazing that it was worth the exhaustion. It went by so fast that I can not believe I will be walking across the stage to receive my Master's Degree in 3 weeks. I am looking forward to finishing because I can focus on preparing for William Christopher's arrival.
Not that many people follow this blog but if you do then you know I am pregnant. I absolutely can not believe our sweet boy will be here in less that 3 months. I think he will play soccer because this baby can kick! He has been kicking, kicking, kicking, and we love every second of it. Rudy puts his hands on my stomach and asks, "What's my baby doing?" I LOVE it. He will be a wonderful father and has been involved in everything "baby" ever since they told us "boy." We were both hoping for a healthy baby but a boy is just icing on the cake. (The next one better be a girl).
Although the nursery is not quite ready we have been doing some shopping here and there. The furniture is ready, bedding is bought (needs washing), we have more clothes than we thought (also needs washing), and the tub. I am in the process of getting everything washed and put away in its proper place. I am proud of the deals we found on clothes; Ross is awesome. There is still more to buy but we are trying to do it a little at a time. Right now I need to get through my last observation of internship and graduate then I will have plenty of spare time. My next blog will be about how I have felt during the pregnancy but I think this one is long enough.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Out of my Control

Some things are out of my control and I have to learn to rely on God to take the wheel of my life. I need to let God drive my life and just be the relaxed passenger. School is winding down and I feel so accomplished this semester. However, I took over the wheel mid-semester and did not rely on God as much as I should have. Most of us feel like if "you want the job done right, do it yourself" but what we forget is that He already knows the end while we are still stretching for the marathon. This week I started reading daily devotions again and have tried to bring God back as the center of my life. After receiving some discouraging news this afternoon I knew from my reaction afterwards that I am relying on my Lord to carry us up this mountain on this journey of life. Let me turn to some celebratory news: We are closing on our first home April 23. Not only does this day signify the beginning of a new chapter in our marriage but it is also Rudy's 28th birthday. We will take the whole month of May to update the home as well as move all of our belongings. Let me tell you how much I loathe moving; I would rather get dental work done for a week and I really dislike trips to the dentist. It will be a great adventure and hopefully Carmen (MIL) will come down and help. She is amazing at organization and I have not seen her since our trip to Spain last August. I miss my husband's family and wish they lived closer but that just way life is sometimes. I am out of class all summer so I should be able to keep this updated more often.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Runner

I can honestly say that I am a runner. I ran my first 5K this past Saturday and I feel so great about it. My husband and father were there cheering me on the entire time. At times during the run I wanted to stop but I just kept on and before I knew it I was crossing the finish line. I loved being in a competitive setting so much that I signed up for an 8K. I am more excited about this one because it is at the end of March and the weather will be warmer I hope. Training is going great; I am running 4 miles at a time this week and eventually will get up to 5 miles. I have never been considered an athlete of any kind but since running is an Olympic sport I consider myself an athlete. I may not be the best and I do not want to be the best. Running gives me an outlet for stress and I have a lot of stressful things going on in my life at this moment. We are looking for a house. House hunting is exhasuting and exciting at the same time. As we are driving to a potential home I feel my heart racing and my imagination is filled with scenes of our future. I see my sweet children running down the stairs asking for chocolate milk, I hear my husband working on the leaky faucet and I smell the fresh scent of a home filled with love. We are trying not get our hopes up because anything could happen with during this process. Not only are we looking for a house but I am in the whirlwind of graduate school. Assignments coming at me from all directions and the excitement of teaching students my lesson plans. I am ahead on my class assignments but my personality is always looking for something to complete. My dad is constantly reminding me to, "Relax." Of course, I am having to work at least 10 hours a week and serving tables is not a calming job. At times I love it and other times I want to scream. Just remember when you have dinner out put yourself in your server's shoes. If they are running around like a mad person do not ask them to get you a "to go" cup of diet coke. Just one of my pet peeves. Speaking of part time work: my sweet husband got a second job. He will be working at Blockbuster on the weekends which coincides with my work schedule. He will be tired but he is looking forward to the extra money. This is just a small bit of our busy lives right now. I will try to update this blog at least once per week because it does relax me to write.

Monday, January 18, 2010

"I will not give you more than you can handle."

I am taking four graduate classes this semester and working but I know God will only give me what I can handle. I try to say this to myself each morning during prayer. I have so many detailed assignments to complete plus lab hours; it is very easy to become overwhelmed. I have put my calendar (with every due date, appointment, work hours) in His hands; I no longer sweat over the small things. I take it day by day (I start projects early) but I know that I can do this work and be a wife with God's help. It is funny because you can not hear, see, smell, or touch God but I know He is right here with me all the time. Please notice I left out one of the senses: feel. I feel God's presence because I have chosen Him above worldly things and He gave His Son to forgive me for my sins. Although I went to a Christian school for 12 years I honestly can say it is up to you to make the choice to live a life according to God's will. Many times I felt forced to be something I was not or was not ready for but throughout those years God was working in me. One day over the Christmas break I opened my Bible and began reading verses. I had seen the verses before in Bible class but I was seeing the same words with new eyes and an open heart. I am not perfect and I still have a long way to go on this journey. I sin everyday and I still have personal fears but those fears are at rest more in this last month then ever before. One thing I am working on is to have a more positive attitude. I try to go into work or class with a smile and with positive thoughts. As hard as it may be to believe a positive outlook changes everything. There are still customers that are difficult and do not leave the best tips but it does not anger me as much now. I say to myself, "I know what I have been through but I do not have a clue about their lives." Everyone has bad days and I try to be understanding. This life on earth is not promised to anyone so I choose to LOVE each day I am given.

*I got a message from someone that has been reading my blog and this truly touches my heart. Writing releases a lot of feelings for me and if my words speak to anyone else; it is a blessing from God! Thank you!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Lifetime!

I received Lifetime Membership today at Weight Watchers. Success is a wonderful feeling; now I must stick to this lifestyle change. It is a lot easier to manage when I am in a routine. After weighing in this morning I had to work. Honestly, I need to work, I have been taking fewer shifts to rest up for next semester and it has caught up with the checking account. It was a blessing to go into work this morning and see that a co-worker had volunteered me for three closing shifts. Rudy and I had a discussion about my schedule and having those closing shifts put him at ease. Changing the topic, I have developed a curiosity for politics. After getting several books for Christmas, my conclusion is that my highschool was not up to par or I did a lot of daydreaming (lets hope the latter, my parents paid for that eduaction for 12 years). The information in the books is eye opening. A lot of people do not get the facts and I know you are thinking, "Well, you only have one side." That is true but the books I read show other points of view as well. I also intend to check out (refuse to buy books from the "other side") from the library books from different points of view. I will do this only to say I have seen both sides of the coin and I will be going with the logical one, Thanks! I do not have enough knowledge to debate and that is not why I write. I just promised myself I would read nonfiction in 2010 and I am off to a great start. Again, subject change, my dad gave me a DVD that he had transferred some home videos to. Of course the DVD will have my brother on them but have not yet watched it. I have seen the videos lots of times but the DVD is still in the case. The little boy in those videos was so innocent and happy. I saw a glimpse of one while my Dad was transferring videos to DVD. Christopher is in a play singing (really loud) and I immediately thought, "What happened?" He was so angry at the world and he thought everyone owed him something. Why? Again, I will never know answers to endless questions about my brother and I have to find peace with that. He is no longer doing drugs or getting arrested but I no longer hear his laugh or feel his hugs. As angry as he was Christopher had a big heart. I have to believe he is safer now then he was on Earth. I have to let God give me peace. What a random post but I felt the urge to get my thoughts out.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

It has a been a while...

I have not written in such a long time but I feel it is time. I had a wonderful break from class but I am actually ready to start back January 11. I enjoy a solid routine: school, work, time with husband and parents. When I am not in school I feel obligated to spend every moment at work(Ugh). Christmas and New Year's were both wonderful. My family is blessed and for that I am very thankful. I try to give to others as much as I can. We bought Christmas presents for one of Rudy's co-workers. Let me tell you, shopping for children is so much fun. Someone will have to stop me when I have children of my own. (We have been thinking about children but leaving that in God's hands). I graduate with my teaching degree in December (yay) and we are hoping to be pregnant by that time. I can not wait to be a mother. It is a blessing to raise a child and my prayer is that we are guided through the entire process. We will need help! I am also training for my first 5K; I am so excited. Running for me is a release of everything on my mind and heart. As I run through the trail behind my apartment I let it all go and I run over it each day. Make a goal and stick to it. I started Weight Watchers in September and will get lifetime membership this Tuesday (fingers crossed) and now I paid my fee for the race. As a child, I began a lot of activities and quit everything. This thought is depressing because I do not want to pass this trait to my future children. So, I started WW and reached that goal and it felt amazing. I did it with help from the Creator and on February 13 I will run a 5K. You will notice I have made several comments about God in this post. Recently I began reading my Bible as well as focusing on devotionals from a great website. Although I went to a Christian school my entire academic career I have just now realized how important a relationship with the Heavenly Father is for me. Each day I try to start with prayer and I am shocked at how my day is more at peace. (I will write another post on this at a later date.) I chose to visit Asbury Methodist these past two Sundays and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I relate to the pastor and the church is very inviting. I will end this post and try to write more frequently; school is starting back in a week but I'll do my best.