Thursday, October 8, 2009

*fun at the fair*

okay...the texas state fair has to be the biggest state fair in the country!! it was huge! my sister flew into dallas on friday september 25 to spend a few days with us before her conference. we had a blast! we went to the opening night of the state fair. the fair grounds is around the cotton bowl! of course i pulled out my cowboy boots and blue jean skirt for this event! it was fun eating fattening food like funnel cakes and nachos! they had fried butter, but we couldnt bring ourselves to try it. of course i just knew it would feel funny in my mouth! that's the biggest turn off, or maybe the biggest turn off is that it would clog my arteries and i might die. we also watched the pig races. i dont know what it is about pigs running in a circle that is soooo darn cute and hilarious! it was very entertaining! we didnt ride any rides bc they all went round and round at thousands of miles per hour...maybe not that fast. i dont do round and round and straight up and down, but i sure do love roller coasters! go figure. we did play some games. nicholas played lots of games! it was fun being a kid again! i wanted to win a texas longhorn and i did, so i was very happy! suzy got lots of pics so i will try to post a few soon! i love it when she comes to visit bc she takes all the pictures. if it werent for her we wouldnt have any!

me and suz went to the pool on saturday while nicholas watched football. it was a beautiful day! for dinner i had my first sushi experience. i didnt try anything raw, but it was good. some of it felt funny in my mouth but overall it was a great experience!

catching up...

i got lots of catching up to do! our computer decided to finally die! luckily our the office at our apartment has a computer i can use! i do have my iphone but it's way too much trouble to do anything on it that involves lots of typing!

first of all...i was reading my last post. i saw where i typed that grapefest involved TONS of wine. well it did, but i didnt mean that we drank tons of it. to be honest...we didnt drink any!! im too cheap to pay to try different kinds of wine when there's really only one kind that i actually care for, and i really dont like that one kind all that much. okay...glad that's cleared up!
secondly...i said i was REALLY enjoying just being a wife! well i am, but the housework and only the housework is getting kinda old! i love to cook and make a nice home for me and my hubby, but i HATE doing laundry and i HATE unloading the dishwasher! i am sooooooo ready to find a job and get out of the apartment every now and then! most people know...there is a CURSE in my family! not everyone has the curse, but for some reason i got it! thanks mom and uncle dan! i have to clean my house and wash the bed sheets at least once a week if not more! and i mean seriously deep clean! if i dont...im in a horrible mood! speaking of...today is the day!! (poop...i dont wanna clean!!)

the job issue still continues! i have peed in a darn cup more times this week than i please! okay...just 3 times, but that's enough! EVERYTHING has been done for every agency that i have been working with. hopefully no more paperwork for a few days! PLEASE PLEASE PRAY that one of them calls me soon and says they need me and i can start orientation! i have been informed that we will not be able to be home for christmas unless i get a job and make some extra money. there's no way we could afford to be off for that long in between assignments. we have applied for our permanent california licenses, so we are thinking we might want to go to another city in texas next assignment if there is a need. we will see where God leads! i continue to have more faith than i ever though i could! i know He will provide for us in His perfect timing. Maybe there is a reason God wants me to rest right now! even though i am tired of resting...i know there's a reason for it!

we have almost been married a whole year! i cant believe it! as most of you know...we didnt really have the typical first year of marriage! it all started out with me getting pretty sick and having to have surgery! yuck! it is getting close to that time! maybe God is resting and healing my body so it doesnt happen again! i do believe with all of my heart that God is still healing me. in more ways than one! we chose not to find out if my left fallopian tube is still viable...i have faith that God is still healing that part of my body. one day we will know, but there's no need to know right now!

we need your prayers! i definitely need a job very soon! we also need clarity on what to do after this assignment! you all know that i have struggle being away from home, and i honestly believe deep down inside that nicholas is struggling too! he misses being away from home just as bad as i do. he just handles it all a lil bit better. if he wasnt so strong, we would be a total mess! he keeps me from coming apart! thanks for listening!

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!