Tuesday, September 22, 2009

i think im crazy...

or maybe im just a scaredy cat! it's 3am, im sitting on the couch, watching a hallmark movie thats 'on demand', molly is cuddled up in my lap (side ponytail and all), im pretty sure i just ate half a jar of green olives because i was hungry (no im not pregnant...i just like them), im tired, but nicholas is working his first night shift and i honestly dont wanna close my eyes. new place, new people...its kinda scary. so i guess i will just ramble for a lil while...

first of all...i have the most WONDERFUL husband in the world!!! obviously he makes me feel very safe...i am totally fine when he's here!! i have learned to accept the fact that i dont have a job at the moment...of course im still looking...but i am really enjoying being a wife right now!! i have had a much more positive attitude the last few days and they have been GREAT!

last friday we got out and went to grapefest! it was lots of fun! it involved TONS of wine, lots of good smelling, fattening food, good music (it seemed like every band sang at least 2 songs about alabama), lots of people, lots of shopping, it was GREAT! we had a good time! i ate a funnel cake for the first time in a long time...it was delicious!! i really wanted to go to the balloon festival in plano this past weekend but nicholas found out he had to work all weekend last thursday. usually i would have pitched a fit and been a child about it, but i was a big girl!! at least nicholas has a job! the state fair starts this friday and im really excited about going to that! i've never been to a state fair before!

oh yea...my sissy is coming into town this friday too!!! im sooooo excited! she is the best big sis! she has always taken care of me and she always knows what i need!

i've been cooking almost every night and it has been fun! it's fun trying to cook things with the limited amount of kitchen supplies i have here. we didnt bring a lot with us, so we went to walmart and bought the bare essentials. im learning to make-do! it is actually becoming a 'fun' challenge trying to do things around here! i can already tell this experience has been good for us! we are really enjoying being together...just us, literally...we know absolutely nobody!! we are learning to rely on each other and appreciate each other even more! i have also realized all of things i sometimes take for granted!

i got breakfast to cook in the morning for my hubby, so i guess i should lay down now! not go to sleep...just rest. im waiting up for him! goodnite!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

He will restore me!!

i wanted to share a bit of my devotional this morning and a little bit of what i have been struggling with...especially the past 2 weeks!! a song that has been in my head for a while now goes as follows...

"i will cast all my cares upon You. i lay all of my burdens down at Your feet. and anytime, i dont know, what to do. i will cast all my cares upon you."

i remember my daddy singing this song when i was a little girl and i have never forgotten it!

i have realized here lately that i am not as strong of a person as i thought i was! like many people, i struggle with trying to do things on my own. well...im here to tell ya...loud and clear...it's soooo not possible!! i have given up on trying to do things my way!! one of my favorite quotes is, "let go and let God." this morning i chose to read 1 Peter 5. i want to share part of it with you!

v5. "...God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. v6. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. v7. CAST ALL YOUR ANXIETY ON HIM BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU. v8. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. v9. Resist him, standing firm in faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. v10. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eteranal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. v11. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. v14. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ."

i dont even know where to begin! first of all...i humble myself before God and my heart is open and receptive to Him! for the past couple of months, anxiety has been my middle name. NO MORE! i am laying it at Jesus' feet.

i am done trying to find a job on my own, im done trying to be the strong one, i am done trying to be the perfect wife, im done trying to live my life on my own! God is in total CONTROL!! Philipians 4:13 says, "i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It's not just me...it's me and the man upstairs! we are a team!! i believe that "where God guides, He provides." He has brought nicholas and i to dallas texas for a very good reason! He is going to use us in a very special way. i have got to learn to chill out and let Him use me for His purpose! with God's help i will find a job, i can be strong, and i will be the best wife that i can be!!

my mom reminded me of something a couple of days ago. she reminded me that i am way too blessed to be so worried and stressed out about things! boy was that a wake up call! she is soooo right! i do miss home more than anyone could ever imagine, but look at what we have been blessed with! we have a wonderful family, a wonderful home, and wonderful friends...life couldnt get any better! i am learning to accept the 'NOW' and have faith and great hope for the future!

this doesnt mean that i cant cry when i feel like crying, or miss my family and our house...i have just given total control over to my Savior. This is a great and fun time in our lives, but it is also a HUGE learning experience! verse 10 said, "And the God of all grace, who called you to His eteranal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." i by no means feel that i am suffering, but i have definitely been struggling! i will give God glory in every aspect of my life and in return He is going to restore me and make me strong!

thanx for listening...Have a BLESSED day!!

*WUFSPA*

it is true...on monday september 14, molly went to the spa for the very first time!! she got herself a new hairdo and a pedicure!! she has been needing to be groomed for a while now, and i have tried to do it myself and got nowhere! i thought i should let a professional try. i found this place here in dallas called WUFSPA. i originally was looking for a place to take her for doggy daycare while my sis and heath were here. daycare didnt work out, but i thought hey...why not let her go to the spa for the morning. i honestly felt like a real 'mommy' when we took her! i was soooo nervous about leaving her and once we did, i couldnt stop thinking about her! it's sad i know. you may even think im a lil ridiculous!

when we got there she was very nervous bc there were lots of other dogs there for actual daycare. they all started barking when we walked in and molly wasnt too sure about it. the most CRAZY thing is that she wouldnt even eat a treat! nicholas and i even tried to get her to eat one of hers (i keep them in my purse) and she wouldnt do it. right then...i knew it might not go well! she never turns down a treat! i talked to the groomer lady and told her what i wanted! really i didnt know what i wanted...i just didnt want her to be butchered when we got back.

the lady called about 2:00pm and told us we could come get her! we were excited to see what she looked like! they told me she did pretty good but was a wiggle worm!! they said she didnt eat a treat the whole time she was there. i guess molly was pretty mad at us for taking her there! she looked adorable though!! she looks more like she did when she was a baby! she was sooooo excited to see us! she ate a treat when we got in the car of course! she knew she was safe!

i kinda check out the daycare area and decided i probly wouldnt ever take her there for daycare. they do seperate the dogs by size but some of the s/m dogs were a good bit bigger than her! i would definitely worry about her the whole time she was there. i would die if anything happened to her! the ladies at the spa loved molly and really want her to come back and play!!

you though i was ridiculous before, but now you're going to think im even more ridiculous! i am already planning her 1st birthday party!! she will be one on november 17th! she's growing up! i am really sad that we cant be at home for it though...all of her friends are back home! i think we are going to wait till thanksgiving to celebrate bc we will hopefully be at my sisters house! i found a doggy bakery here! they make really cute cakes! i thought i would get her one for her to share with allie (my parents yorkie). it's going to look like one of her first and favorite toys! it's a soft, pink, squeaky bone i got from molly and max in cahaba heights! i also have someone thats going to make her a lil birthday hat! she's going to hate the hat but love the cake!

she is extremely rotten i know, but she is soooo good for us! she definitely keeps my mind off of things. she always makes both of us laugh! she's the best!!

everyone needs a molly!!!!!!!!!!!!

unacceptable....

i know, i know...i have lots of cathching up to do!! as of august 18th we were no longer employees of uab! well...i took a leave but plan to terminate when the leave is up in october. all of our wonderful uab friends gave us both great parties and we miss them all soooo much!

the following weekend on august 22nd, my bestest friend ashleigh got married!! we had a great time! the wedding was beautiful! we couldnt be happier for her and chris!

the day after the wedding, sunday, august 23rd...i had a baby shower at my house for cathy barrett! it was the cutest baby shower ever. they set everything up on the back porch and it was very pretty! i told my neighbors we were trying to have every kind of party we could think of. we had a great turn out!

after all of that...we were gun-ho on finding a travel job! at this point we had heard nothing. we had been submitted to georgetown in D.C. but got turned down bc they wanted previous travel experience. the problem is...lots of people wanted previous experience! well...how are you supposed to get it if no one wants you! i was beginning to get worried and very stressed out!
nicholas had been submitted to baylor grapevine (pretty much in dallas) and i had been submitted to a baylor hospital in ft. worth. nicholas did an interview with his nurse manager on wednesday august 26th and accepted the job! we were very excited bc texas is where we wanted to go! we came out here hoping that the job in ft. worth would come through for me! unfortunately they decided not to post the job. now i am hoping for at least a prn/per diem job somewhere. there are TONS of hospitals in this area! PLEASE PRAY that something comes through! i am getting extremely bored! i think working would help keep my mind off of home! i may actually try to get a lil job somewhere else...like in a cute lil shop in grapevine!

so we thought we were going to have to be in dallas by september 8th. then found out the day after he accpted the job that we would have to be here the 2nd! needless to say...i freaked out!! we had it all planned out and it just turned it all upside down! we still kept our plan but had to put a rush on all the things we had to do back home and all the packing that had to take place! we started packing on aug 28th and finished up on the 29th...and headed out on the 30th.

we drove to excel to spend the night with his parents for a night. on the 31st we drove to lafayette, la to spend a night with suz and heath. on sept 1st we began our journey to dallas, tx!! we were very excited, but i was very emotional as well! we really had no idea what to expect!! we did know that we would be spending at least 4 or 5 nights in a hotel...which was okay, but then found out we would be there for 8 nights. it was horrible!! i never want to stay in a hotel again! the hotel was okay, but we were soooo cramped for way too long! we were going stir crazy...even molly!!! being in the hotel made me depressed. honestly...i had a couple of major breakdowns and wanted to come home! that's a whole other story!

the hardest part of being in the hotel was that your not supposed to leave your pet unattended. molly has become even more spoiled than she already was! which i didnt think was possible! we literally took her EVERYWHERE! restaurants, stores, the lake, downtown dallas, ft. worth stockyards, etc. it got to where it was stressful! i actualy felt like a mom that needed some time to herself...away from the kid! bless her heart...she couldnt help it! she was extremely well behaved everywhere we went. we actually got TONS of compliment on how good she was and of course how cute she is!

on september 2nd, nicholas had to take a test. if he passed he would keep the job...if not, we had to go home! on sept 3rd we found out he passed!!! thank the good Lord above!!

*!* Here is what keeps me going...WHERE GOD GUIDES, HE PROVIDES...*!* God has put us here for a reason! i will admit...at times i have been a total disaster! i think i cried at least once everyday for the first week! i really hate to admit that! we have never lived this far from home and its very hard!! now i know how my sister and sister-in-law feel! its not a comforting feeling know that all of your friends and family are soooo far away! BUT it is comforting knowing that Jesus is right by our sides every step of the way! He is definitely protecting us and getting us through! Nicholas has been awesome! he has been very patient with me and understanding!

dont get me wrong...we are having a WONDERFUL, FUN time! it's just different and it's taking some getting used too! we have already done sooo much since we got here! okay...im extremely sleepy and we have to get up early for church in the morning! this will have to be...

TO BE CONTINUED....

Thursday, August 6, 2009

life gets in the way!!

sorry...i have been a slacker! actually...we have just been extremely busy and had a lot on our minds! i dont even know where to pick up!

i guess the most exciting news is that we are leaving uab, and we are gonna start travelin in about 3 weeks! our last day there is august 18th. as of today we have been submitted to georgetown university hospital in washington d.c. i would love to go there and nicholas has never been, so that makes it more exciting! how it works: the travel agency submits us, the hospital calls to do an interview, we have a lil time to think about if its worth going there, then we make our decision! we really want to go to texas bc we could be a lil bit closer to heath and suz, but for some reason its just not workin out. i would also love to go to the east coast/northeast! really...we will go wherever God wants us to go. nicholas wants to go to alaska and surprisingly there are two jobs available at the same hospital, but i think that's just a lil to far away to go our first time.

we traded our lexus IS 250 in on an expedition! it was soooo hard to leave that car on the lot, but i love the space in the expedition! we had to do something to have more room when we travel. i am somewhat high maintenance! i pack the car out just for a week vacation. i cant imagine how im gonna pack to go somewhere for thirteen weeks!

everyone asks...what are ya'll gonna do with molly. well...dummies...we are going to take her with us! i wouldnt go if we couldnt! she is our baby and we are more attached to her than i ever thought we would be! she is wonderful! heath and i think she is a little "marley". she is hilarious! her favorite thing to do here lately is literally get in the dishwasher and lick the dirty dishes! she loves it! she NEVER gets people food, so we let her do it. it's a treat for her. she also LOVES to play outside! she loves to play with her ball and frisbee. it's a small frisbee...just her size! she also chases every bird, butterfly, and insect that she sees. oh yea...she jumped in the river several weeks ago. i guess she wanted to go for a swim. she's a great lil swimmer. nicholas jumped in and got her though. she's CRAZY, but she's the sweetest, most loving thing you will ever meet.

the other exciting thing coming up is ash par's wedding!! its august 22nd! we are having her bachelorette party in nashville this weekend! it's gonna be lots of fun! i think i've gotten a lil carried away with it! she's gonna be the most beautiful bride ever!

we still absolutely love our house! we love living on the water. we gave up on looking for a boat for now. we decided there's no sense in letting one just sit around while we travel. maybe we can get one when we come back and settle down. it is beautiful here...rain or shine!

i really need to go perform my wife duties such as wash clothes, toilets, etc. i will try to update more often!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

newlyweds and paint...

i honestly believe that if you can stay married after painting any part of your house...you can survive anything! although my mom said, "try building a house." i know she's probably right!

the latest happenings in the parden household includes painting and redecorating our master bedroom. we painted our bedroom chocolate and our bathroom green. nicholas probly wanted to kill me before we even started painting because there are wayyyyy to many shades of green to choose from! it all turned out beautifully...i will try to get some pictures up soon! i am doing most of my decorating through pottery barn and flea markets.

i put up green drapes that match the bathroom walls perfectly. my bedding is white and cream with some green and brown accents. we want to use old lanterns and turn them into lamps to put on our nightstands...i would paint them cream. i have added other little touches here and there. there is still work to be done!

we had a yard sale a few weeks ago and it was a huge success! we have sold most of our stuff that we wanted to get rid of! i pretty much got rid of all the fake flowers that were in our house...thank goodness!! i am getting things done slowly but surely! i am having to learn that everything cant be done at once.

we absolutely LOVE our home! i always look forward to going home! we couldnt be more blessed!

im a slacker!!

i havent updated in forever!! i guess life has gotten in the way. another reason is both of our computers are old and wont work half the time. oh yea...the BIGGEST problem is molly wont quit chewing up the chargers! once i think she is out of her puppy phase, she proves me wrong! today i caught her playing with one of my bathing suits...you never know what your gonna find her doing! heath and i think she is like a small version of marley (from marley and me). she is hilarious and crazy, but soooo loving and sweet!

last week was the BEST! my parents, suz and heath, and nicholas and i went to gulf shores for 8 days! it was wonderful! although it was terribly hot! we had a great time playing in the ocean, eating, sleeping, laughing, i could go on forever! my mom says she did things she hasnt done in years such as playing in the massive waves and getting in the swimming pool! it was great to see her and my dad have such a fun, relaxing time! molly and allie went of course and they were both very well behaved! it was molly's first trip to the beach. it sucks that it is against the law to take her to the beach...i know she would've loved it!

i am so blessed to have such an amazing family! i am even more blessed to have a husband who fits in perfectly with them! nicholas and heath are a lot alike and they get along great! we were sad to have to come home on saturday!