Allergies

I'm feeling terrible! My head is heavy, full of congestion. My nose is stuffed up and yet running. My throat is itchy and raw. I've sneezed at least 20 times today. I hate feeling like this. ;o(
I hope that I feel better by tomorrow night! I have to serve homemade icecream & cobbler!

Grace

Grace... God gives me so much grace!!! Why is it so difficult for me to give people grace? There is a particular situation I am speaking of. Now, this person is named Dwight. In actuality, this is not her real name. She resembles Dwight from The Office so much though! However, she is not so funny and isn't as much fun. I know that sounds bad, but it's true. She loves our boss, and has an undying affection for our boss and anything our boss does, says, likes, etc... In other words, a major brown noser. I will do my best not to say anything more about this person and their characteristics in the case that a co-worker may read my blog sometime. My point is that "Dwight" is someone who gets so deep down under my skin. Everything done by this person just doesn't make sense to me. There is a lack of common sense about this person and they are somewhat selfish because of the life they have had to lead. I'm sure that God would say the same thing about me though. I lack the common sense to read his word which is usually chock full OF common sense! and I am VERY selfish because I have lead a life I've chosen for myself instead of the life God may have chosen for me. So... God has given me grace in abundance. There is no reason at all for him to do so. I have done NOTHING that would grant me such a gift. And that is that. It's a gift. Something I must simply receive. When have you ever told someone, "sorry, I do not want this gift." I mean, there have been gifts that I may have thought, "Wow! Total garage sale or eBay item in a year or two." But I've accepted the gift. So why, oh why can I not accept this gift of grace? I do believe with as much as I mess up, God has to give me grace daily. I accepted the first couple of times, and maybe every now and then. But it's like there's this back up of grace I haven't accepted. For some reason I want to think this whether it's theologically correct or not... But unless I start giving out grace myself, I cannot accept these other little boxes of Grace from God. It's like anything else... You have to get filled up so you can give out. Well, right now I'm feeling pretty full of grace. Yet I'm not giving it out? I don't know... My way of thinking could be skewed severely. But at least I'm thinking about this, right? Feel free to let me know how you think about it... I LOVE hearing what other people have to say. And no matter what, and, or how Grace "works"... I'm going to try and give grace to Dwight, my husband, even my dog! Ha ha... I think that giving grace is something I should do no matter what. Why not?

Finding a dream home

My husband and I have just been married a year. We've owned our home for almost 2. We spent most of the first year just cleaning and fixing up the house. Yet, I do not feel at home. Part of it I'm sure is that I lived with my parents in the same house for about 17 years. I moved out 2 days before I got married. So maybe that is one reason I really don't feel at home, but I don't think that is it. Maybe I'm just being stubborn. Either way, I found the most perfect home! I mean, seriously! I found it online just looking at what's even available in this area. You can't really find much unless you're going to spend at least $160,000. That's way over our budget right now. And we're not really ready to move, you know? I mean, we're just starting. But we are thinking about when we're going to have kids and we figure that in the next 2 years we'll probably be ready. I'd love to be settled down in a home where we can raise our children for the bulk of their life. A home where they can look back on and remember so many good things. Perhaps that is why I don't feel at home in our current house. Not too much has happened in only a year's time. So we'll see. I just really hate that this "Perfect" house is up for sale now!!! Can't it wait a couple years? ;o)
Here is the listing: http://realtycentre.illinois.remax.com/listings/ListingDetail_r4.aspx?LID=49568218&RFRSKNID=85&#aTop
The floor plan is just wonderful! It's open and spacious. LOTS of windows! Archway passages and the colors in the house are already perfect! Crown molding and hardwood floors. There is a dining room and a huge kitchen!! The laundry room could double as my sewing/hobby room there is so much ROOM! The master bedroom has plenty of space for a nursery when the children would be new born or even a little older. I just so wish it was the right timing. Oh well. I'm trying to remember that Phillip and I are really young. I'm only 21. There's plenty of time to find that perfect house. And who knows? There could be another great house that comes on the market at just the right time. I just wish I felt at home where I'm at. I'm not sure what else I could do to change that. I guess I just need to be patient. Thanks for letting me ramble on and on about this dream home! I know that some people keep their eye on a home for years and years and when it finally goes on the market, they're ready to buy it. Phillip and I hope to be able to put a huge down payment on our new home someday. So... maybe waiting will be a huge benefit. Depending on how long we wait! Yikes!

Saturdays

So it always seems that I have these plans for my Saturdays, and they never come to fruition. It sucks! Today I had planned to clean out our office and guest bedroom and make a pile of garage sale stuff. So we got up at like 9, went back to bed, made lunch, and took naps! Then we went to my parent's house, I cut my dads hair, went swimming, and we had dinner. We ate the left overs from what I made for lunch. It was pretty enjoyable. For lunch/dinner I made a form of carbonera pasta. But I didn't add any egg. It was so good! It had tomatoes, bacon, peas! Yum! And I tried a new alfredo sauce made with cream cheese. Wow! So... overall a good day. I wish there was something I could do to enforce my original plans though. Oh well for now. It doesn't matter for this upcoming weekend. I'll be busy every single day! Our church sells ice cream and cobbler for our town homecoming (carnival/fair). Usually my mom and mother-in-law are in charge of everything. However, my mom is going to Maine for my cousin's wedding to make her cake. I of course can't go, because of finances... But because of that I basically have to take my mother's place. So I'll be scooping ice cream and cutting cobblers. Oh what fun! ;o) It shouldn't be too bad. And it will be good for me to spend some time with my mother-in-law.

Giraffes

Also... I found this picture of a giraffe today. SO CUTE!

Sad

I am so sad!! A woman I work with in my department is transferring to another dept.!!! She is one of the most loving, thoughtful woman I have ever known. We almost face each other in our cubicles. It will be so empty without her! She is just doing a trial run at first to see if she will even like the position. As terrible as this sounds, I hope she doesn't like it. She was looking for a different position because right now she is doing phone work. She hates the phone. I have repeatedly told her I hate the phone too! (I really really do.) Hoping she will change her mind and we could be phone haters together. ;o) I really look up to her. She's a wonderful Christian woman. I hope to be like her someday. I mean, I know I need to be like Christ of course. But she emanates Christ-likeness. And sometimes is truly is easier to want to be like someone you are seeing right now. Also... Jesus lived among us as a man! And we all know how different men and women are! Ha ha...
I feel like this week has brought a lot of sadness to my life. An old friend from high school passing away and a good friend/co-worker leaving. I want to think that maybe God is wanting me to learn that you can still rejoice in Him even if things like this happen. I don't know? I am a very emotional person. I am not very good at having clear separate emotions though. I'm definitely like that analogy that speaker use... men have compartments for everything and women are like spaghetti. I'm a huge mound of Spaghetti! Wow... I do love pasta. ;o)

Pics!

I thought that I would just post a few pics that are pretty important to me!

1 year Anniversary to Branson, MO 6.16.08

This is us in the HUGE rocking chair in Grand Village.

Thanksgiving 2007 in Pennsylvania!

This is the family! We're not all here, but a good showing came!

This is all of us at Thanksgiving Lunch. A very long table!

Phillip and myself... He looks pretty happy for his first time meeting my family! He was kind of nervous, but I think he fits right in!
All of the Grandkids. I know that my grandparent's would be proud.

CLAIRE!

Claire when we first got her! 8-30-07

This is Claire a little bit bigger! Her ears started to stand up! I loved the floppy ears though...

This is Claire at Halloween!

She was supposed to be a Giraffe.

Claire with her hair really long. I think this is the longest it ever got.

Here she is again!

Claire after her

hair cut with a very thoughtful look. Too cute!

This is Claire's shadow. She loves sitting on top of the couch and looking out the window.

In this next picture, I'm watching the cars go by with her.

Wedding!

6.16.07

The rehearsal

The wedding Party
Phil & I w/the Flower Girls.

So in Love!

Me!

Random thoughts...

So today has been really frustrating. The system here at work keeps freezing or knocking us out of the system. And when it's not doing that it's painfully slow. Makes for a very long day.



I got up early again today. My husband and I have been doing this all week so far. I've been up before 6 each day which is amazing! I'm not a morning person at all. We've been trying to work out. I really enjoy the idea that I'm exercising, but I hate mornings!



Today I have to go to a viewing. The person who passed away was a guy I went to school with. He was only 21. We went to pre-school when we were 3 and 4 and then school all the way until our Sophomore year. He started homeschooling then so he could help out more on the farm. It's amazing to know he's no longer with us. He was just so young. I guess it has helped me realize I'm not invincible. Anything can happen. Now I know that God has his timing for everyone. Why it was this young man's?? Not sure. I don't even know if he had a relationship with Christ? I have been dealing with feeling guilty. Maybe I should have witnessed to him more? But I have realized that he was his own person making his own decisions. He knew that he could accept Christ as his savior. There is nothing I could have done. And it's not like we were in each other's lives the last 5 years. The last time I saw him was at least 2 1/2 years ago. I was working at Dairy Queen as drive-thru and he and a friend came through. When I gave him his change, I turned around to grab his food and he threw it back in through the window at me. I was really embarrassed. But that was the kind of stuff that he did. He was ornery but funny at the same time. I don't know if he even believed in Heaven or Hell. Either way, I will be praying for his family.






On a lighter note... I love my dog.
Her name is Claire and she's a Yorkie.
Here she is taking a ride! I just love this little fur ball. My husband told me that this morning he found her snuggled up in my covers. I just think it's so sweet. I'll have to add another picture on here soon. So you can see what she looks like without the wind blowing in her hair!

First Blog

So I don't usually blog. This is my first blog other than on Myspace. I'm not great at writing. But I figure that I can work on that here. I don't expect anyone to read this either. Which is fine. I just like the idea of being able to get my thoughts out there. I have a lot of thoughts. Not all of them are bright or extraordinary. Sometimes I'll have a good one though. I guess that's all for now. I'm going to try and learn my way around this thing.