Two Steins From Texas

Birthdays and Big Decisions...

2011-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Well,friends, I turned a year older last week. I promised myself growing up that i would not be one of THOSE people not telling my age and always fretting about getting older, but I must say, i am tempted not to post the number! But, since my momma put up a birthday post and mentioned the year, i guess i am obliged to share before you start counting on your fingers: I am the ripe old age of 2-6!

We have had alot of big decisions on the table lately and birthday kinda took a back seat to it all this year. Joe has been offered a HUGE promotion (more details later when all the "legal" goes through, but so very proud of him!) but the catch: it's in Wisconsin (guess it's time to invest in a good snow-blower!). SO, after much prayer and looooong consideration (ok,so it wasn't THAT long), we are headed north...again! God sent the Children of Israel to the promised land, a land " flowing with milk and honey"...well, we are headed to a land filled with milk and dairy! (Sorry , bad punn, but i had to do it!)

It's a wonderful opportunity and we feel like this is where we are supposed to be at this point in life, but it is still bittersweet. We have not even hit the one year marker here in Pennsylvania and were really starting to settle in and love it here. Trusting that God has great things in store for us and that we will be blessed for our obedience and willingness to be flexible (although i secretly dream of a day when "flexible" does not mean being willing to move at a moment's notice and your skills on the matter are not tested yearly!).

So, as you can imagine, life has been a little bit of a roller coaster the past few weeks. We still don't have all of the answers to the "detail" questions, (things like when we will go, how much he will make, MINOR things, you know!) but we hope to have a better idea soon.

A friend asked me "How do YOU feel about moving?" Well, I love my man, and i knew that this was part of the deal when I married him. At this point in his career, to say "no" to a move like this would mean you would not be asked or offered again. I have to think back to a year ago when we were told we were moving to PA and my sweet friend Christy said, "Katy, you can dig in your heels and pout, or you can embrace it and make the best of it, but either way, YOU'RE GOING!" That wise piece of advice, harsh as it may have sounded at the time, keeps playing in the back of my mind.

I have to admit, I have really had to lean on God and search my heart on this one and not play the poor-little-me card! My job right now is to back my man and be his support system at home...he NEEDS me, and I know that it means the world to him that i am practicing my "flexible" muscles and choosing to have a happy heart. I know that should the tables ever turn, he would do the same for me!

We are a team.... our team just happens to be relocating home base to Wisconsin soon!

So, please pray for us. If you want to know specifically HOW to be praying, here is a list:
-Pray for clear guidance and direction every step of the way.
-Pray that we would have a smooth and easy transition to Wisconsin (and should we have children there, that they would not come out being Packers fans and saying things like "doncha know!").
-Pray that God would go before us and prepare a place for us; that we would find a good church and new, sweet friends as soon as we get there.
-Pray for peace as our lives are uprooted once again, that we would not turn on each other in frustration or anger, but lean and rely on each other and that our bond would be stronger than ever.
-Pray that Joe would continue to find favor and be blessed at his job, that he would learn everything he needs to in order to succeed at this new position.
-Pray that we would find a house with a fireplace and heated floors so we don't freeze our little bums off! ( And I'm only slightly kidding on this one!)
-Pray that God would continue to provide... my last day at Starbucks will be the last day of February in order to get the ball rolling on all the preparations that have to be made for a move like this (which i am becoming surprisingly good at...surely this should count as a marketable skill!)

The song that keeps running through my mind is by Steven Curtis Chapman. It says:

"GOD IS GOD AND I AM NOT,
I CAN ONLY SEE A PART OF THE PICTURE HE'S PAINTING.
GOD IS GOD AND I AM MAN,
SO I'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND IT ALL,
FOR ONLY GOD IS GOD."

Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." I love how the Message words it " Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure everything out on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume you know it all. RUN to God!"

Trusting and Leaning,
Joe and Katy

Merry Tex-mas Y'all!...

2011-01-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, Christmas has come and gone, but I am just now blogging about it, so hang in there with me!

This year, my momma and I had great plans...we would do Christmas up right and go to NYC like we have always wanted to! We had dates set for her to fly up here, time taken off of work, Broadway tickets bought and hotels secured. Then, on Thanksgiving, Joe's family called and said his grandpa was very sick and could we please come down and spend a little time with him. Joe looked at me, wanting to go to Texas so badly, but not wanting to break my heart after how excited i was to go to NYC for Christmas, but I told him not to worry, I would call my mom and we would figure everything out and make Texas happen. Thankfully, (only God can do something like this) we were able to get all of our money refunded for EVERYTHING in NYC and saved that trip in the back of our minds for another time.

Off to Texas we went...make that DROVE! 26 hours there to be exact, and 34 coming back. To you, this may sound nauseating, but to me, it was three solid days of alone time with my sweet man and i couldn't wait! We loaded all of our favorite Christmas songs onto the ipod and even a few marriage and family pod-casts from James MacDonald (Joe's idea), dropped the dog off at "puppy camp"( what i call the kennel so i don't get sad), packed up the car with luggage and presents and a cooler full of snacks and energy drinks and we were off into the night! We drove straight through, only stopping in Memphis to see sweet friends Natalie and Jacqui for a few hours and we were back on the road again.

We drove through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and finally, the motherland, some may refer to it as God's country...TEXAS!!!!!

There really is just no place like home. We pulled into town about 1 am on Monday morning, tired and ragged form a long drive, but so happy to see my mom I could just spit! (Don't ask me why we say this in my family- i have no idea...we just do! ) We got to see all the work she did on the house and it looked AMAZING! So proud of you momma- and Dave would be too! She got new windows, doors, paint throughout the inside and out, new knobs, switches...anything you can think of and it looks awesome! Great job! We had to laugh when we got there....my mom is the typical type-A who plans everything for everyone. There was a huge calendar on the table with all of our dates and times of Christmas activities and get-togethers...she had even called Joe's mom and gotten all of their dates and times so we would have a master list of everything going on that week! Thanks mom, you keep us very organized and prompt! :)

Enjoy the pictures from our trip...(kicking myself for not getting more with Joe's mom's side of the family.)

Christmas is in full swing at Starbucks! ( We get GREAT tips when we dress up! )

WE got to meet up in Waco with one of my mom's dearest friends, Patty R (i would be severely scolded if i said oldest friend!). Patty's kids grew up with us in Waco... we haven't seen them in YEARS, but so fun to catch up and feel like you picked up right where you left off! Sarah(who writes this blog), Nathan, Ava ( whose mommy Autumn writes this blog I LOVE), and sweet baby Nolan

The whole gang! ( Hey, Joe, i think i look pretty good holding a baby! *wink, wink*)

Aunt R came along too...we had such a great time! (BEFORE)

...and the AFTER. I call this one " Blackmail!"

THe sweetest, most polite little girl you have ever seen. THis was their "signal" so that when mommy was talking, Ava was able to get her attention without interrupting...i think she is 4 going on 14!
Patty and sweet Ava at Starbucks...she loves her "Baba"

Then, it worked out that we got to have breakfast with my sweet friend Lisa and her hubby Jerry, who was a hoot! (Not that you needed it, but we approve, Lis, he's a keeper for sure!). Lisa writes another great blog I follow called the Casting Dock.)

Natalie and Jacqui joined too.... no trip to Texas is ever complete without visiting the Monument in Georgetown, Texas at least once....mmm, peppered bacon! :)

I got to take Meg shopping and out to dessert one night.... Meg was my flower girl in my wedding only three years ago and here she is looking like a beautiful young lady! Time flies!

We went to Mozart's, a little coffee shop in Austin down on the lake and they had a light show that played to the music, and of course at the end of the music, they had to play the University of Texas fight song! Go UT!

Joe and his sister E

Me and Joe at the lights

This is a dear friend from middle/high school, Bethany and her sweet hubby, Emmanuel, who is a youth pastor in southern Texas. This was our first time to meet Emmanuel and their first time to meet Joe!

All the girls back together again.... I felt like we time-warped back to middle school! Sweet girls who will be friends for life.

We always have to take pictures on Christmas Eve by mom's tree.

I had to bend down...I was too tall with my heels on for her!:)

Tradition is, every Christmas Eve, we go to my Aunt R and Uncle M's house for the great "Meat Meal"...a whole meal of meat, and we don't even bother with sides. This year, we had six pounds of king crab legs, (RIP captain phil...anybody ever watch deadliest catch? now i feel guilty every time i eat crab!) three pounds of fried shrimp, and t-bones the size of your plate for everyone.... everything's bigger in Texas, Y'all!
A picture of our fearless flashlight grillers!

The designated Shrimp-cooker

We should have taken a picture of all the meat! It was amazing!
Aunt R and Uncle M

Three generations of handsome "Steins."

Joe's dad's side of the family

We got to see my brother, C, and his girlfriend (who we fondly refer to as "Jo2") before they went to her family's Christmas in Mississippi

It was so good to see family again. You really start to crave family when you live so far away, especially over the holidays, so it was wonderful to see everyone and even get to have a few meetings with sweet friends too! I feel so recharged....Glad we got to go...NYC will always be there, but this was JUST what we needed this year! ( And PS: my momma STILL would have been snowed-in in the airport in NYC, bless her heart! See, it just wasn't our year...next time!)

Although I don't think we will be making that loooooong drive again anytime soon, it was so nice to get away and detach from our crazy lives for a week and reconnect with ourselves and each other. Thanking God for the wonderful friends and family He has surrounded us with.

Hoping you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends, enough laughter to hurt your cheeks, enough love to fill the room and enough joy to warm your heart. Merry Christmas, er, TEX-MAS, Yall!

Christmas Card 2010

2011-01-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

Oh my what a year it has been for the Two Steins From Texas! In February, we packed up and moved with Joe's job from a tiny town in central Missouri (we're talking all they have is a Wal-Mart) to a bigger town in Southern Pennsylvania(they have a Target, hallelujah!). We arrived to our new little townhome we purchased with great hopes and dreams, in awe of the new scenery and the mountains that surround us. Less than a week into our stay, we experienced two back-to-back blizzards which produced the most snow Pennsylvania had seen in over 30 years. With everything we owned packed up in boxes piled to the ceilings, we did not know where boots, coats, or snow shovels were.... so that's how we met the neighbors! They had to come and help shovel us out!

Joseph was on the team that was in charge of the $135 million dollar expansion at his plant. He worked loooooong hours, nights, weekends, and everything in between to help keep everything on track and on budget. A few weeks ago, he gave me a highly classified tour of the new plant expansion and I was AMAZED! You cannot even imagine the size of this thing! Its almost 300,000 square feet! They have seven new milk silos to hold the milk that is received in by the truckload...each silo holds 40,000 gallons of milk! To put it in perspective, how massive it is, he lost ten pounds in a week just from walking all over the plant! He is doing a great job and continues to be recognized for his leadership skills as well as hard-working attitude and character... Good job Joe!

I unpacked and decorated, and started to settle into a new place. We found a church and great friends, which always helps. We bought a brand new townhome, which we quickly learned, is much like living in an apartment... you hear everybody's business through the walls and privacy is a thing of the past! But, we were very thankful to have a new home with a one year warranty that came in VERY handy on more than one occasion ( more on that later). It was nice to have a new home here and not another fixer-upper like we did in Missouri. Joe's job kept him very busy, so we were happy to have a house that did not have any necessary repairs and very low maintenance as far as the yard, trees, leaves, snow removal, etc. ( DID YOU KNOW: in PA, we have a city ordinance that states you have 12 hours to clear the sidewalk in front of your house, and should you fail to do so in the alotted time-frame, you will be fined! YIKES!)

We had the garage sale of the century, getting rid of everything that would not fit in our house (we do not have the luxury of a 2-car garage or a basement here like we did in Missouri!) and made quite a but of money. Our new motto: less is more! I had a few minor spills (never having a house with stairs before proved to be tricky for me!). I busted my tailbone around March and got to sit on a do-nut (ahem, "invalid ring") for about six weeks. The bruises were so bad, the doctor made poor Joe leave the room and asked me if I wanted to tell here what REALLY happened. :) I also hurt my neck carrying 60-80 lb bags of mulch across the yard because Joe was gone and I wanted to get my garden/ flower beds finished NOW! I bounced around from part time jobs, worked at my gym for awhile, worked at the Christian bookstore for a little bit, and now, I am working at the wonderful world of Starbucks ( where I slipped on wet floors where no one put a sign out to say "be careful," busted my wrist, and had to go to the ER, followed by a brace, a sling, and ongoing physical therapy!) for something to do to get me out of the house while Joe is gone so much! Needless to say, hoping 2011 will be injury free! :)

Tex, the dog, turned two this October (and yes, I am aware how pathetic this sounds giving you updates on my dog...proof positive that we NEED a baby soon! Over Christmas, my sweet sister-in-law said, "OK, I love Tex, but I'm tired of buying for a dog- it's getting lame and I'm ready to start buying all the cute baby clothes!" Me too, Anna, me too!). Tex has fenced yard where he loves to play and has a few doggy friends in the neighborhood that we make play dates with. There is an ice cream place in town where they will give you a doggy sundae if you bring your pup...he LOVES it there! Tex tolerates anything for a treat...he even lets me dress him up for the Christmas card...what a good sport! He almost lost his life about a month ago when the formerly well-behaved dog who never destroyed a thing in his life ate my favorite pair of heels and a one foot square section of our brand new carpet in a two week time period. He understands that he is lucky to be alive!

Looking forward to what God has for us in 2011... we have many big changes coming up that we will share soon! Wishing you a very happy holiday season and the best of His blessings in the new year!

Merry Christmas from the "Steins", Joe, Katy,................
and Tex the dog :)

The Sweetest Kind of Words...

2011-01-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of the book, Five Love Languages? You can be any combination of acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch, or gifts. When properly applied, your specific love language can fill your "love tank." If you have not read the Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman, you should pick up a copy...I feel that it was a life-changing book for me. You not only learn your OWN love language, but also start to make a game of identifying how others around you best feel loved. I like to re-read through this book every once in awhile and I always seem to glean new tidbits I never caught before.

My two are definitely, without a doubt, quality time and words of affirmation. When I spend TIME with Joe, I feel loved, and when I hear him saying encouraging things( even if he just notices that i did laundry that day and says thank you), my tank is filled even further.

Well, this week, I sat down and opened all the mail from the last week and a half that had piled up while we were in Texas (more posts on our visit soon to come). I had my cup of hot tea (Tazo, I'm sure) and sat in front of my pile and smiled. This is my favorite part of the Christmas season. Seeing other people's cards and pictures of their families makes me so happy. So, every year, i save the cards until i have a big batch and then i sit down with them and just smile and read them over and over again. It's so comforting when you are so far away- it makes me feel honored that I made their lists and they remembered us, and happy that I can share in a yearly snapshot of their lives.

I came to one small, very plain envelope from an address that I did not recognize and it simply said my name. Puzzled, I set it aside and saved it for last...chances are, it was probably a bill or something from Compassion International, Joyce Meyer, or Save the Children (all of which seem to follow me wherever we move! All good causes, but they send LOTS of mail my way! you understand...).

I opened the little white card after I was done with all the other ones, and much to my surprise, it was a letter to ME from Joe's plant manager at work. Now I was really intrigued!

The letter read:

"Dear Katy (it was even spelled right!),
Here at "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" (Joe's place of employment), we spend alot of time recognizing partners for their hard work and dedication. I know, however, that there are VIP'S at home that have even more of an impact and influence than those here at the plant. I want to recognize you for your patience, support, and flexibility during the past several months. I know you know this, but Joe is a very special guy individually, but with you by his side, you become a team that makes us #1! Thanks for all you do behind the scenes!

Happy Holidays,
Dave"

And then the tears came! I read and re-read the letter several times and my heart was so full. Being a wife to a husband who is on the "fast-track," so to speak, means I have to lay down and sacrifice a lot and be willing to move at a moment's notice across the country to a new place full of unknowns. I always know it means alot to my Joe that he has a support system at home, but to hear it from someone else meant the world. Those words blessed my heart so much, I cannot even tell you!

The Bible talks over and over about how powerful our words are. James 3:10 says, "Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." Choose to bless with your words today and think how much simple words or even a "thank you" could mean to someone around you!

The sweetest kind of words are the ones that come from the heart.

threeTHREEthree...

2010-11-02T03:11:00.000-07:00

November 3, 2007. The single best day of my life. The day, I married my best friend, my sweet man, Joe.

I love you Joseph "Stein"... you are a great companion on the road of life and i wouldn't want to share it with anyone else! Thank you for three wonderful years...looking forward to many, many more!!!

Early Anniversary Getaway...

2010-10-11T05:09:00.000-07:00

Our third anniversary is coming up in November! Wow, how time flies! Joe's weekends off are extremely limited, and I knew that should I get the job at Starbucks, (which I DID!) weekends off would be a luxury of the past. So, two weekends ago, my Joe took off Friday and we planned a very spur-of-the-moment trip to Niagara Falls. Thanks to all of Joe's travelling, we had racked up enough hotel points to stay in a very nice hotel with a great view and a HUGE whirlpool tub in the suite for FREE.... it was awesome!

We only stayed two days/one night, but we had a wonderful time and I was so glad we took a weekend to ourselves to be together and just breathe! It was much-needed! If you have not been to Niagara Falls, DO IT! One of the most amazing, awe- inspiring things I have ever seen!

My personal recommendations: 1) if you have your passport, stay on the Ontario, Canada side. It's much nicer with more to do and see and better views of the Falls... the US side is a little sketchy, which is sad 2) Ride the Maid of the Mist Boat that takes you into the mist at the bottom of the Falls. I was not thrilled about this at first, (Joe really wanted to do it) but it was the highlight of the trip 3) if you go in October, dress WARM, do not wear flipflops, and be prepared to get SOAKED (even with your complimentary poncho on)!

Here are some pics from our weekend!

We drove through Pennsylvania and upstate New York and the colors were amazing...i felt like I had never seen fall before! All this time, this is what i was missing!

The drive was so beautiful...a perfect day!

Passports ready to go into Canada

Entering Ontario at sunset

Dinner at an excellent steak and seafood restaurant downtown called "The Keg." It was on the ninth floor of one of the hotels and had an amazing view of the Falls lit up at night...They also did fireworks Friday night just for us :)

Joe took this amazing picture!

There are two sets of Falls ( i did not realize this until we got there) These Falls are named "The Bridal Veil."

SO over being soaking wet and freezing cold...can we get off of this boat yet???

We had a great time!

SIDE NOTE: See that black spot in the distance? That was the black bear that ran full speed at our car in upstate New York on the way home! We were going 60 mph and he was beating us! After he ran across the road and we realized he was not coming after US, we pulled over to try and get a picture of him... he was HUGE! I would NOT want to run into him outside of the car! ( The scary part was we were in a town within just a few minutes...i wasn't sure if we should stop and warn them.)

Happy early anniversary, love! Thank you for a fun weekend that I will never forget and for three very happy years together... you are a wonderful man and I love you very much!

When You Wish Upon a Star (Bucks!)...

2010-10-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

Good news friends! I was hired on as the newest Barista at my neighborhood Starbucks on Monday of this week! (Yay God!!!)

I am so very thankful for this job and it's just in time too! Joe is travelling much more and his hours are crazy--it's so nice to have a distraction during the days! I basically get paid to get out of my house, drink coffee, and talk to new people-- I mean really, could it get ANY better? I love it!

My mom always made us take first day of school pics in our new clothes ( usually holding new backpacks and lunchboxes) by the front door, so momma, this pic is for you... my first day as a Barista!

I love my new job and I look forward to going to work everyday! I had prayed for SO long! The first week was wonderful-- I've got alot to learn but everyone has to start somewhere right? So here's to new jobs, to being thankful, to answered prayers, and FREE COFFEE!!!! ( Dave Ramsey would be so proud...not only am i bringing in a second income, but i have also found a creative solution to eliminating my ever- increasing latte budget!)

The Job Hunt Continues...

2010-09-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been faithfully job-hunting for awhile now. I have GOT to find a full-time job, people! I did have a part- time job right around the time my neck went hay-wire a few months ago, but they could only offer me a very limited amount of hours, so unfortunately, I had to move on and start looking for something else. Everyday, I dress up nicely and set out to shake as many manager's hands as i can... you see, EVERYTHING as far as applications go, seems to be online these days. That makes finding a job more difficult, because you are reduced to words on a screen... it cuts out the chance you have to dress up and make a good first impression, to shake the hand of a future boss and look them in the eyes and be articulate and professional. So I have to be creative!

Today I had an interview that i was really excited about... it very well and i left feeling like i had it in the bag ( won't find out for a week). BUT, while in the interview, my phone vibrated ( because I have the decency to silence my phone when i am somewhere where it could interrupt others...unlike my rude gym buddy last week!) When I left, i listened to my voicemail and it was a manager from a place i called yesterday. She said,"Hey, Katy this is _____ ...remember yesterday when I told you we didn't have any openings? Well, I just had a resignation, and you were fresh on my mind and i would love to have you come in and interview for the job as soon as you can."

Can I hear a "HALLELUJAH!" I have been looking for weeks with no prospects, and within 24 hrs, I will have had two interviews! God is so good! Although I have not been officially "offered" either job, I feel encouraged and am praying that I will know clearly where I am supposed to be!

I'll keep you posted! Keep praying!

Date Night...

2010-09-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Oh, y'all! I just had the best date night with my sweet man, and I wanted so badly to tell you Friday night, (but let's be real, who reads blogs on weekends, right?) and I had already scheduled a post for the first of the week, so my "Date Night" post had to wait a few days...

Date Night is becoming a sacred institution at the ole' Stein Casa lately... Joe is working SOOO much, and the dreaded "start-up" at the plant is looming, which means lots of odd-ball shifts; some nights, some weekends, more travelling, and LOTS of time away from me and Tex. Boo. BUT, the saving grace of the whole thing? DATE NIGHT! I look forward to this all week!

Today was a long day for me. I got all gussied up this morning (just in case I got an interview) and went and personally passed out several applications to managers who I shamelessly sweet-talked, and then, to assure productivity and not fall into television temptation, I high-tailed it to Panera (yum!) for a while (which turned out to be almost six hours...yikes!) with my trusty lap-top to fill out even more applications online.

Joe met me at Panera for dinner (Bonus: i looked super cute-sy already for Date Night) and then we had a wonderful evening together. We went home and fed the dog and then went to one of our favorite little local spots for dessert! They do fondue there, which is a fun thing to do sometimes to switch it up a little. We picked the chocolate fondue for 2 and took it outside onto the patio (the weather was almost COLD, can you believe it?! Welcome, Fall!). We sat as long as we could and had great, long conversations( which I crave after being home all week by myself). Then, we drove to Maryland to see a movie (I just like saying that! It's really only about 30 minutes away.).

We saw "What If," which is a great Christian movie out in select theaters right now... and if it's in a city near you, GO SEE IT! Trust me. We will be buying this movie when it comes out. It was a "It's a wonderful life" approach to a man's life and he gets the chance to look back at his life and see what would have happened if he would have followed GOD'S plan for his life, rather than following HIS plans and chasing after money, making it his "god." I really appreciated how much Scripture was used and that they did not try to sugar-coat it and make this a Hollywood version of Christianity. I was totally impressed this was even being shown at our theater ( which kind of took the sting out of paying $20 for two tickets...ouch!).

Over all, great date night with my man. Nights like tonight make me remember all the reasons I fell in love with him! I love you Joseph... thanks for a wonderful time, for being attentive and talking, even when you have used up all of your "man-quota-words" for the day at work, for opening my door and pulling out my chair for me, even after almost 3 yrs of marriage, for holding onto me when i wear heels that are entirely too tall so I don't fall, for making me laugh, and for being the godly leader of our home. I love you so much and I can't say how thankful I am for you in my life. Lets have 60+ more years of great date nights together! ( I wish I would have taken some pics to post, but lately, every time I take pictures, Joe says "wait, is this going on the blog?")

(Keep praying that I get a full-time job ASAP! Thanks... I know God has one out there for me, I just need to find it soon so I don't go crazy here in this house! I'll keep you posted...)

Expecting!...

2010-09-21T03:21:00.000-07:00

(Baby S)

Ha! I bet you thought I was serious! No- I am NOT PREGG-O, I repeat, NOT PREGG-O! (Momma and Mother In Law,A, you can start breathing again!)

But i DO have a funny story ;)

SO......I'm at lunch today with my neighbor friend,D, who is from the Dominican republic and her sweet baby girl. I am on the phone trying to get an appointment with a dermatologist, but even though I went online and made sure they are covered by my insurance, they want a note from my Primary care Physician to say that i am being referred...even though I am not, and my medical records MAILED over, not faxed. UGH!

Have I mentioned how much i genuinely detest our doctor here and their entire office staff? One time, they took my ID and said, "No way are you 25! hey Betty look at this...this girl looks 15, but look at her ID- she's really 25- can you believe it/" ( and proceeded to pass it around the office!) Last time I needed to re-up my birth control, the lady yelled at me and ended up hanging up on me... bottom line: they won't give me my Rx until I get a pap. Fine, I can do that, I have plenty of time to do that. I have called every morning at 7:30am for three weeks trying to get a pap...no luck. You can only schedule appts one week in advance and my doctor seems to be gone half of the time, and you can only go to YOUR doctor!The lady said, you can come sit in the office and see if there are any cancellations and wait around...PLEASE! Come on people- I'm trying to do the right thing and play by your rules and get the miserable Pap... and REALLY, you won't give me birth control? I'm married for goodness sakes! Maybe I should just mosey on over to the public high school...im sure their nurse would take me for a high-schooler and give me free birth control samples! BEYOND FRUSTRATING!

So, I'm talking to the Dermatologist's office and I said, look, one woman to another, can I just make an appeal to you? (My mom taught us to ask this when we were young!) I HATE my doctor, they are so incredibly rude and i haven't found a new one yet. I proceeded to explain my troubles with trying getting a pap smear for almost a month now and how the office lady has yelled and hung up on me on many occasions. She got quiet and said, "Can I ask who is your Doctor?" When I told her, her mood shifted immediately and she said," Oh honey,I used them for years too and had the same horrible experiences. I can get you in the first of October!" ( D's baby now crying in the background) "Oh, my, you must have your hands full with a new baby too... maybe that's why you are breaking out- it's hormones, totally normal." I didn't want to interrupt Chatty Kathy Receptionist and say, no that's not my baby...after all, she had just broken all the rules for me, and as far as I was concerned, she had moved heaven and earth, and now she thinks i am coming because of post- pregnancy hormones! So I did the unthinkable... I replied, "Yeah, having a new baby IS totally exhausting! Thanks soooo much for your help! See you in a few weeks, Bye!" :)

So i think that i need to borrow D's baby when I go to my appointment in October! Oops!

No Cell Phone Zone...

2010-09-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

Most people's blogs that i follow are either (1) surprisingly inspiring and insightful with a daily life lesson learned and a Bible verse to go with it, or (2) pictures of their adorable kiddo-s and sweet little lives. But let's be real, you have to leave room for sarcasm SOMEWHERE...that's where I come in!!! What fun is life if you can't laugh! SO here's my funny, sarcastic, slightly off- color story of the day.

Dear Shanequa (with the ghetto booty):
When people go to the gym, they are there for a purpose...some for better health, some work out to fight that "beer gut," some people are there to get a break from their kids, and some are just there to get a smokin' hot bod. What do all of these people have in common, you might ask? Well, they have all taken precious time out of their busy days to come to the gym and unwind.

Look, don't get me wrong, I have to give you some credit for being at the gym, but please allow me to plead my case: (Hey, if Oprah can plead with people to make their car a "No Phone Zone," I figure I can make my case to make the gym a sanctuary, of sorts, and another "No Phone Zone.") I am at the gym to unwind, to sweat, to focus on some "me- time".... NOT to listen to your phone conversation with your "Boo"!

Although I do admire your "skills" as you balance your phone on any given machine you are at, and keep that loooong cord from tangling as you work out, keeping it perfectly in place so that your mouth is close to the mouthpiece, I have to make this one point: IF YOU ARE LOUDER THAN EVERY TV IN THE ROOM ( for over an hour, by the way!), YOU ARE TOO LOUD! No one wants to hear your whole, long, drawn-out, lame-o conversation with your "Boo," honey! This is what the Lobby is for... go there until you are done with your conversation, and then maybe your work-outs will be more profitable and you can work on getting rid of that ghetto booty...FINALLY!

Thank you for your consideration...
Yours Truly,
A disgruntled gym customer on the treadmill across the room

I think that our generation, being more connected than any before, is really just losing social graces by the LOAD! Riddle me this: Why is it that people can be in a room full of people, yet feel so disconnected that they need to call someone somewhere else in another room full of people to talk about absolutely NOTHING just so that they can feel "connected and in touch?" Hmmmm?

Ok, I'm done ranting and raving now :)

Landsharks Strike Again...

2010-09-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

My man works so much right now, and with the new plant starting up soon, the hours are only guaranteed to increase dramatically (if only the pay would too!). So when a friend from work asked if he would help coach U10 soccer this fall, I encouraged him to do it, just to have something outside of work that he could enjoy and be active and social... and lets be honest, I might have wanted to come along and meet new people too! :)

Their team is called the "Landsharks" (how cute is that!) and their first game was on Saturday... and they won 2-1! Way to go guys! I went and cheered and mingled with the moms. I also got to be the honorary team mom for the day since they guys forgot to assign someone to bring team snacks (ie: bananas, string cheese, granola, and oranges). I was happy to do it...that is SO my cup of tea-- I am totally volunteering to be team mom when i have kids!:)

Tex is the new team mascot!

Glad to see my man doing something he loves- he's so good with the kids and it does my heart good to see him like this!

They LOVE Joseph...they hang on his every word. So cute!

Looking forward to Saturday morning games(did i mention that the weather was only in the 70s that day...perfect fall weather)! Met some very sweet people and had alot of fun!

GO LANDSHARKS!

The "Grown-Up" Club...

2010-09-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sweet Aunt J and Uncle D came to visit last night. They are taking a roadtrip through the east coast and we were so honored that they stopped to see us! Anything historic, anthing to do with presidents, and especially anything to do with the Kennedy's is their cup of tea! So, they are visiting things like Gettysburg, Eisenhower's farm, Westpoint, etc... maybe they will even make it into the Kennedy compound! ( If anyone could do it, Aunt J would be the one!) They will end the trip in Bar Harbor, Maine.

(Aunt J wanted us to take pics in front of the house... Her daughter K told her she needed to take a pic of us on her cell and text the pic to her sometime during the night. J was very intimidated by her task, but Joe helped her out!)

We went to dinner at a local steak/seafood place that is inside of a cute little home from the early 1900's. After a great time and good food, we drove them around the square downtown (which is really more of a circle) and then went to our house for dessert. I made an apple pie from apples at the orchard up the road... it was "yum-0," to quote my girl, Rachael Ray. (I've been in a big pie mood lately.)

Aunt J is a great gift-giver... I think this is her love language. She brought me a house-warming gift wrapped so beautifully I almost didn't want to open it! When I did, I couldn't believe it! She got me this Lenox crystal bowl. I felt like I had finally joined the "Grown-Up" Club!

I had never gotten such a nice gift before. I like it so much because it is a more modern pattern (called Harlequin), not the regular old etched pattern you see in your grandma's china cabinet. I have no idea what i will do with it, but I know what I will not do.... I will not leave it in the box like my Great-Grandma did. It made us so sad after she died to find china she had gotten for wedding gifts still in the original boxes, never opened. I will use this all the time... even if I have to eat my cereal out of it!:) ( Just joking Aunt J!) Thank you, it's beautiful!

We had a great time and were so glad to see them! Have a great trip, guys! We love you very much...

Healthy Lifestyles Update...

2010-09-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well, in yesterday's post, I told you how much I was dreading the "HL" test this morning, but I prayed for strength and courage and drove myself to sweet hubby's work for my nine o'clock appointment. I told the lady, Nurse Ann, that i usually have to lie down and that i have problems with blood and needles. Joe asked her if I could go first so she could take her time because his usually goes very fast. She assured us there was plenty of time and said Joe would still be going first.

Four pokes and lots of digging later, I was in tears and very dizzy. (I am very leery of people who tell you how wonderful they are at their job-- my thinking is the "proof is in the pudding.") Thirty minutes later and still no blood. I told her I could not do anymore poking and prodding today. So, I will go back Friday for more vein-probing FUN!

Joe just called and said that she called up to his office...he thought she was going to appologize for torturing his sweet wife-y, but NOOOoooooo! She called and chewed him out! She said that we had held up the whole line of people and that if he had known I was going to be that much "trouble" we should have picked a less busy time of day for her to see me! Can you believe that!?! Some people have alot of nerve!
Here is what I would REALLY like to say to her!

"Dear Nurse Ann,
I am so very sorry to inconvenience you this morning. I should know that your time is precious and when you sit there poking my arm countless times as I am crying, I should really be the one appologizing to YOU for having bad veins and a weak stomach. I will happily re-do the fast for 10 hours and give up another morning this week so that another person can do the job you were unable to do! Thank you for further perpetuating my fear of needles. I will never forget you...Here's to hoping we never have to meet again! Have a lovely day!

Signed, another unhappy customer"

To make things even better, when I finally got home, I was greeted with a foul smell and puppy puke all over the carpet (did i mention we are having company tonight?)... when I went to go get the carpet cleaner and the woolite, Tex ATE his vomit. GAG!!! So, now I wait and hope he doesn't lose his lunch again. Oh brother...what a day this is shaping up to be!

This verse has a WHOLE new meaning(and mental picture) for me today!
"As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."- Proverbs 26:11

I think I will take a nap and start this day over again! Whew!

Healthy Lifestyles and Labor Day Fun...

2010-09-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow is September 8th, 2010... a day I have looked at on the calendar and dreaded for months. Know why? It's " Healthy Lifestyles" testing day. Joe's job does health insurance a little differently, and honestly, I think it's a great program. You take a health exam once a year, which determines how much you will pay for health insurance for the rest of the year, based on how healthy you are. You get an activity you have to complete (we watched movies on making healthy choices....ironically enough, i think that was the night we splurged on hot wings, coke and pizza..hmm). You also fill out a questionnaire- you get points deducted for things like smoking, drinking, driving without a seatbelt, and points added for things like working out, eating healthy, and leading an active lifestyle. They take measurements of things like your wrists, neck, hips, etc., take your weight, blood pressure, body mass index, measure body fat, and best of all, they take a blood sample. If you know me AT ALL you know how squeamish i get with blood- mention blood or needles in any conversation and i am liable to get very woozy very fast. I have a terrible track record of passing out when I get blood drawn. Everytime, they have to lay me down and it is so embarassing! I have very tiny vains and rarely do they find them on the first try... I can't think of the last time I didn't cry or pass out. Worse still, the tests tomorrow are at JOE'S WORK! As in, I have to drive twenty minutes and be around his coworkers I haven't met and they get to see/meet me at my teary- best! Fun, fun, fun! Maybe i will stop and get a halloween mask on my way so no one will recognize me!:)

Anyways, we had a great Labor Day weekend together. I had heard of a state park from friends not too terribly far from here called Cowan's Gap, so we decided to try it out. Much to our surprise, there was a manmade lake and beach with paddleboats you can rent, AMAZING views, great hiking trails, and most importantly, quite possibly the world's cleanest park bathrooms you have ever seen! (This is important to me... and I don't care if you think that's weird!!) Of course, as "Steins" we are by nature very competitive (I am told) . So, we have to take the trails marked MOST DIFFICULT. There was plenty of light left in the day, so we went for it! The trail map later told us that we had climbed 900 vertical feet, but once on the top of the mountain, the views were spectacular and well worth all of the falls and scrapes and hurting muscles. Joe kept saying how proud he was of me for making it to the top with him...I have a little competitiveness in me too!:) We never saw another person on the trail with us at the top for almost four hours, which made us feel like we had really done something no one else was brave enought to try. We have, however, decided that we NEED some hiking shoes--- tennis shoes are just not cutting it on climbs like that! Sorry, Dave Ramsey, this may be a "want" , but I could show you the blisters to prove that this is really a "need." ha!

Tex is happy to be in the car for a ride

Fall is coming! The leaves were starting to turn at the top of the mountain!

King of the mountain!

We will definitely be back again to see the leaves turn in the fall! So happy to find such a great place!

Tomorrow night, sweet Aunt J and Uncle D are in town on their great east coast road trip and we are meeting for dinner... very excited to see them! We are taking them to a nice restaurant in the area and then coming back to our house for dessert so they can see the house and meet the puppy. Looking forward to it!

Hope you had a great weekend too! Here's hoping for a smooth Healthy Lifestyle test and no losing consciousness in front of my hubby's co-workers! :)

Summer Days are Slippin' Away...

2010-08-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

My mom has this list that she has kept since I got married and moved away in 2007. Everytime we get to see each other, she rushes home to the list and writes down the date, so when we are lonely or missing each other we can say, "But we saw each other x-amount of times this year." It seems to help.

I have decided to review our time here in Pennsylvania in the same way. I have kept a list of every major thing we have done since moving here in February: ( Get ready, this is going to be a LONG one!)

In the last seven months, we:

-Moved cross- country to Pennsylvania, knowing no one

-Bought a new house

-Decorated and made our new house a home

-Had the "Garage Sale of the Century" ( made over $1300!!!)

-Survived one of the worst winters in thirty years(and the most snow we had ever seen!)

-Survived Pennsylvania's hottest summer since the 1800's (it felt like we were back in Texas!)

-Have been to DC a total of four times; once for Cherry Blossom Festival, once with Elizabeth, once with Chuck and Adrienne. (We have seen the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Monumets, The White House and the Capitol, The Smithsonian Museum of Natural Science and the Air and Space Museum, the Holocaust Museum, and much, much more!)

Cherry Blossom Festival

White House

Washington Monument

Chuck and Adrienne at the Washington Monument

The Capitol

-Have been to Gettysburg twice; once with Chris and Jo2, and once with my mom.

-Have been to Hershey three times; once with Mom, once with Chuck and Adrienne, and once for Joe's birthday to see Toby Mac and Skillet at the Giant Center

Giant Center

Chocolate World

Hershey singing cows

-Have been to Hanover, PA with my mom and Heather to meet with some of Dave's family and see where he grew up

-Went to Seattle for a week with my momma to celebrate Dave's life on the one-year anniversary, July 13th. ( We also went over into Canada for one day... honorary "canucks")

Mt. Rainier at sunset

Dinner at the top of Space Needle

Pike's Place market

Met up with Michael and Emily, who just got engaged

Victoria,BC

-Went to Texas in May to see Chris and Natalie graduate and got to see family and friends that we hadn't seen in a very long time

3 generations of handsome "stein" men

Sweet girls I grew up babysitting as a teenager

Dinner with Nate and Katie at the Hula Hut in Austin

Sisters I cheered with in High School

-Went to Philadelphia with Elizabeth for the US vs. Turkey Soccer game before the World Cup send-off

-Went to Ocean City, Maryland with Paul and Christy, our friends from Missouri, for a week

Tex and his best friend Shatzi are very happy to play together again

-Took many hikes exploring the Appalachian Mountains and local parks

-Planted a garden and got a bumper-crop of tomatoes, among other things

( No, I did not make him dress up to match the cucumber!)

I guess this is just what southern women do!

-Got to go to NYC with sweet friends and see the city, and best of all, go to see WICKED on Broadway

Central park with friends

WICKED!!!

-Got free tickets to see "Joseph" at Sight and Sounds Theater in Lancaster, PA

Of course, I had to buy the joseph doll...

and the shirt! :)

-Made many, many new friends through the church we are in the process of joining. We have done countless lunch and dinner dates, been to the fair, helped with a wedding, helped a special needs group play a softball game, did a play in church, took our puppies on playdates... lots of fun!

andrew and stina get married

Girls meet for breakfast

At the fair

Tex tries to figure out how he feels about babies ;)

4th of july with sweet neighbors

Softball Day

Puppy playdate with Lauren and her puppy, Kira

(went to the doggy park and then took the pups to get ice cream!)

-Have had MANY visitors: Mom, Chuck and Adrienne, Elizabeth, Chris and Jo2, Paul and Christy, and Aunt jan and Uncle Dan will be coming Labor Day weekend

-And seen many beautiful sunsets

It's been a long year so far with lots of changes, but God is faithful and has provided every step of the way. We have made new friends, as well as having plenty of opportunities to see old friends and our families. I look back and it feels much longer than seven months! So thankful for our new home in a wonderful place full of exciting things to do and see. I remember being so scared when we moved here- scared of the unknown, and hoping so desparately that we would find our place here... and we have! When I get down and miss my family or am sad that we are so far away, I will look at this list and be thankful for a very full summer and a great beginning in our new chapter of life together as Texan"YANKEES!"

The In-Laws Come to Town...

2010-08-31T11:45:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned before that I hit the "in-law jackpot" when I married my Joe? Well, I did. He has a wonderful, fun family who are sweet and considerate, and accepted me right in. So you can imagine how excited we were when they came to visit us in our new home here in PA this week! We picked them up on Wednesday night and dropped them off Monday morning... we had so much fun, but it seemed to go way too fast!

The first day they were here, we took them to Hershey, PA to see chocolate world...

We saw singing cows...

And we took them on the tour that we went on with my mom when she came over spring break. Unfortunately, the tour this time was MUCH different and they had geared it towards kids for the summer-time, upping the lame-ness factor by 100! I wanted to get off that tour bus within the first five minutes...they actually passed out songsheets and made people sing! We apologized to Chuck and Adrienne over and over again.;)

The next day we took them to DC. We stopped at Joe's favorite burger place called "Rogue States"...very yummy!

We went to the Holocaust museum (no photography inside)...it was very moving and really gave you alot to think about.

We did alot of walking...

We also went to the Air and Space Museum for the boys...

There was LOTS to look at...

rocket boosters

pod

Joe with the Wright brothers

Joe, the navigator of the day...

They are cuties :)

Then we went to see the Washington Monument

It was a beautiful day with a high of 85!

My favorite picture of the day! I think they were relieved to finally be toughing the monument and Chuck just laughs at her! Ha!

Looking over to Lincoln Monument... all day they were setting up for the rallies the next day on the National Mall where Palin, Glenn Beck, and Al Sharpton were going to speak ( separate rallies, of course!)

We decided to grill out for dinner one night...Chuck and Joe on the back porch with their root beers

Joe the King of the Grill!

Tex is ever hopeful food might get dropped

Adrienne and I made a German Apple Pie from scratch with apples we got that morning from a local orchard...yum!

I thought this was cute... they are sharing headphones!

Saying goodbye....

Back home to Oklahoma!

Thanks for coming to visit....we had such a great time with you guys! Hope we didn't wear you out! Come back and visit us anytime!

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of -NEW YORK!...

2010-08-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all, you know that I have ALWAYS wanted to go to NYC, and this weekend, my dreams came true! When we found out we were moving to Pennsylvania, my first thought was " I wonder how far we will be from New York?"

I was ready to go to NYC like THE DAY we moved here, unfortunately, snow over the roof of the car was a bit of a deterrent! Nevertheless, I hinted almost daily! My cell ringtone was changed to "New York State of Mind" by Alicia Keys and JayZ ( dont judge, i was trying to make a point!), I got an I Love NY shirt that i wear all the time, and I was always singing the lyrics to Wicked and leaving hints around like Wicked dates on the computer. Poor Joe!

Well, my good friend, A, who is the Pastor's daughter, and her mom invited me to NYC with them this week and I jumped at the opportunity! Although it was a very quick trip (26 hours in the city to be exact) we had a wonderful time! I got to see Central Park, Times Square, eat at some really fun little restaurants, and best of all, I got to see WICKED on Broadway!!! It was amazing!

Central park

Eating at a little pizza place called Artichoke

Funny Sidenote: Long story, but there were four of us girls and we were only able to get two tickets, so A and J hung out (they had both seen it already) while her mom D and I saw the play. We are sitting down and the lights are dimming and the music swells ( I'm so excited I could spit) and D looks at me and says, "So, like, does this have anything to do with the Wizard of Oz?" I laughed so hard! She had listened to the soundtrack all these years and NEVER realized what they were singing about!

Funny Sidenote#2: Joe and I were talking a few months ago and he starts talking about a guy who works with him at the plant and says, " Yeah, he needed time off so he could go see his daughter. She's in that play you wannna see....Wicked, right?" Me: Oh really who is she? Joe:" Oh I dunno... some green girl I think!" SHE'S ELPHABA'S UNDERSTUDY PEOPLE! THE MAIN CHARACTER!!!! Silly boy...says it so nonchalantly like it's no big deal! :)

Waiting in the raffle line to try to win $25 tickets

If you ever get the chance to see WICKED on Broadway, you MUST go! It was fabulous! I thought Lion King was amazing, but this easily beat it ten times over! ( You may be afraid of the flying monkeys like I was, but just cover your eyes!)

This was a girl who was my disciple now leader in high school and I ran into her and her hubby at the play ( small world!). He is a pro baseball player for the Mariners and they were in town playing the Yankees, so she flew in to spend the weekend with him. When I look back, I remember her being the one who encouraged us in high school/junior high to stay pure and save ourselves for marriage. It was interesting to run into her in a different phase in life, both being happily married. God is so good!

I kept saying "all I want for my NYC experience to be complete is someone to whisper 'bags/purses' and lead me down a back alley to a room full of cheap bags." Well, about an hour before we left, headed back to the subway, we were on canal street and a HUGE black man whispers "bags" and we followed. We were passed off to three different people, who led us into a "jewelry store", who called down to another person on walkie talkies "I'm bringing down four." They lead us into a room full of every kind of designer bag you can think of and I was like a kid in a candy store! I got a great "Coach" bag for $28. (I know some may think this was not a good thing to do, but I choose to look at it as "getting cultured." Plus, I think they are ripping you off in stores charging that much for a bag...come on! And, if you still think I was doing something wrong buying bootlegged bags, remember that the pastors wife was doing it too...so that must make it right, RIGHT?)

...And a great time was had by all! Looking forward to the next time I can get back to NYC already! Thank you, friends, for inviting me, and thank you hubby for letting me go and not getting too mad i followed strangers into a dark basement to get a good deal!:)

The Art of Contentment...

2010-08-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

This last week has really been a time of deep thinking and lots of praying. Once again, I approach Him with my list of requests; things that I know He already has the answers to, but still I stress and worry because it's all so unknown.

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?- Luke 12:25 (NIV)

Praises and answers to prayer:
1. My neck is about 100x better! I still am careful with lifting and bending, but overall HUGE improvements. All scans and tests came back normal- no blood clot or brain tumor! Praise God! I am still seeing a specialist just to see if we can figure out WHAT happened and WHY and HOW to prevent it from happening again.
2. We found a church where we feel like we have found our home. We will be talking to the pastor in the next few weeks about steps we need to take to join!
3. I have made more close friends here in six months than I have had all together in my lifetime. I am so thankful for the group of girls God had placed in my life to encourage and support me here in Pennsylvania!

Once again I'm saying, Lord, I need a full-time job with regular business hours so I can still see my hubby on occasion when I'm working. I'm asking him for strength when it seems like almost daily I hear another friend or acquaintance is pregnant and my heart aches for a baby of my own. I tell Him how badly I want to go back to school and finish my degree and make something of myself. I have all these gifts and talents for a reason and I want to know what HE wants me to do with them.

And then I hear Him speaking to my heart. What if all He's trying to teach me in life right now is just to be happy and content and wait on HIS timing. I can live with that. That doesn't feel overwhelming. I don't want to live for the future, always saying, "I'll be happy when..." All that will do is make me miss out on the gift of today. What if my job here is just to learn to love on my man better, to see needs of others, to improve on my relationship with God, and to rest in who He is and know He holds my future.

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
-Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

I have some wonderful things coming up... I have a sweet friend who invited me to go to NYC this weekend with her and her mom to see WICKED! So excited... this has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember-to go to NYC and see a Broadway play, and the fact that it's WICKED makes it that much sweeter! We're also looking forward to Joe's parents coming in a week. This is the first time they have visited us in Pennsylvania and we are really excited to spend time with them and show them around.

Patience and Serving...

2010-08-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

Lord, give me patience.

That was my prayer this morning. As I raced out the door, I grabbed a bottle of prescription pills off of the counter, assuming they were mine. I was already late to where I needed to be. The dog wouldn't potty outside because the grass was too wet(yes, he is a sissy) from the storm last night that woke us all up about 4AM; the storm that made my 100 lb "puppy" decide he was too afraid to sleep in his own bed and now he needed to be in our bed. Yup, that storm. I got about halfway across town, looked down at the pill bottle that rolled out of my purse as I stopped at a stoplight, catapulting my purse and all its contents all over the floorboard. Great! The pill bottle said Joe's name on it. I turned the car around and headed back home, later than ever now!

LORD GIVE ME PATIENCE! Allow me to fill you in... we got back from the beach Saturday, totally relaxed and ready to face the real world again, but both ended up spending the entire weekend in bed with high fevers. Joe's diagnosis: Tonsillitis. Mine: Urinary Tract Infection. Oh how fun!

Lord give me patience. That's all I could pray. I was on my way to help out with a new sweet friend's wedding, even though I did not FEEL like it today. I had gotten maybe a good two hours of sleep. But I knew she needed me. She doesn't have any family that lives within six hours, and the wedding is two days away with MUCH left to be done. I am a firm believer in helping take as much off of the bride's hands for the "day-of" as possible. So I am her girl this week. When she, on the verge of the "ugly cry," as we call it, said " I just want my rugs cleaned," I took them home and used my carpet cleaner to get them looking good as new. I understand being the bride. I understand all the emotions and how just one more thing on your plate can be the last straw between you and your sanity.

I want to be better at seeing past my immediate needs to those of others. Today was easy when my sweet friend S said "Can you please just do my dishes, clean my rugs and change the bedsheets." I knew exactly how to serve her and what would mean the most to her. But many times people are too prideful to ask for things straight out, and we, as women, want everyone to think we can keep all of our plates spinning all on our own- no sweat! I prayed that God would give me eyes to see the things I can do for others that they might not otherwise ask for help with. I prayed for patience to get through what is going on at the "Stein house" and see the needs around me.

Philippians 2:1-5a
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus...

Christ came to seek and to save the lost, but He also made a constant point of meeting people right in the middle of their time of need and loving on them, whatever it took. I want to be better at being "Jesus in skin" to those around me. I want to be a servant, whether that means buying my neighbor groceries, giving someone a ride, cleaning rugs...whatever it is, I am going to try to have eyes that are open to see those opportunities. I hope you strive to serve today too.

"HELP ME TO LOVE LIKE YOU LOVED
SERVE LIKE YOU SERVED
TO SPEAK ONLY WORDS OF TRUTH
HELP ME TO CARE LIKE YOU CARED
FOR A WORLD IN DESPAIR
HELP ME TO LOVE LIKE YOU."
-Johnny Diaz, from his new CD "More Beautiful You"

The Road Not Taken...

2010-08-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend before we left for the beach, Joe and I wanted to get out of the house and just go be together somewhere. We live in a beautiful place in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains and yet, we never get out. So we grabbed the dog and some granola bars and water, doused ourselves with bug spray, hopped in the car and drove to a park about twenty minutes up the road. We walked around aimlessly exploring trails for about forty-five minutes, but I could tell Joe was getting restless and bored with the easy trails.

So I asked him, "Joe, what do YOU really want to do?" He, of course, is a "Stein" and a very competitive male, and he wanted to go on the trail marked 'Most difficult.' I had a crisis; I knew the easy trails were designed for families and young children, and honestly, I was in my comfort zone there. But on the other hand, my man desperately wanted to explore and I was the only thing holding him back. Against my better judgment, I decided to go.

So we set out on the trail, having no idea how far it was or how high up the mountain it went. The weather looked like it might storm and it would be getting dark in a little over an hour. The beginning of the trail was an intense climb for a good twenty minutes at an angle that looked like if you fell, you were going all the way down...hard. It got steeper and rockier the higher we went and the trail was not as clearly defined as some of the easier ones we had taken that day. This was the road less travelled by that Robert Frost referred to in The Road Not Taken, I was sure of it.

We would go for about twenty minutes and look around, trying to tell if we had reached the top. The woods were so thick and we had no real point of reference. Joe walked in the front, Tex in the middle, and I pulled up the rear. The darker it got, the more we had to watch our footing on the rocks. Neither of us had cell service up here and if one of us got hurt or turned an ankle, how would we call for help? Would we have to spend the night up here? I know there have been bear sightings in the area and the whole time we heard rustling around us in the bushes. I tried not to let my mind go there. Joe was my teammate and he was in the lead role. Wherever he went, I was going too. We had no idea what would be up ahead, but whatever came, we were going to face it together. I realized how much we were desperately relying on each other for strength, encouragement and support. You may think,"Katy, come on, its just a hike," but at that point, we had no idea if we were one mile or ten miles from the car, a storm was coming, and it was getting so dark we could hardly make out the markings on the trees to tell us we were still on the right path. Not thinking that it ws going to take us this long, we had left all food and water in the car as well.

I began to think that night about how our hike reminds me, at times, of my walk with God. We take the easy roads in life, stay in our cushy comfort zones, love those who are easy to love, and choose not to take too many risks. God is saying if you will trust and seek me with ALL your heart, follow me daily and pick up your cross, even through the hard times, I will reward you! He will bless us beyond our greatest expectations if we will walk by faith and not sight, following in HIS footsteps. That night, we made it to the car after almost three hours total, just as the sun was about to hide behind the hills for the night. I had never felt like I leaned and relied on my Joe that much in our three years together. I began to think what my spiritual life would look like if I would cling to God with that same intensity.

He loves us so much. I am daily reminded of this, whether it comes from reading the Word and seeing how faithful He was to His people, or something as simple as taking a hike. I hope that today, you would follow closely in His footsteps, and even though you may not be able to see clearly where He is leading, I pray that you will trust Him wholeheartedly and believe that He has good plans for you.

"The Road Not Taken"
Robert Frost. 1875–

TwO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jog...

2010-08-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

I find myself up right now at 2am because yesterday we got back from a week at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland and I pretty much slept straight through since then....and now, I am wide awake!

I have mentioned our friends Paul and Christy before on the blog. I call them our "life-saver" friends in Missouri. Do you have friends like that in your life? Ones that you know were sent straight by God to teach and encourage you? Their first day at our church was the first day I was back in MO last year after Dave's funeral. Paul started to lead worship at our little church, Christy sang back-up and learned to play the base guitar to help him out. They were so quick to get plugged into their new surroundings and we were always in awe of them. It can be so tough to find "couple friends"...you know, where not just the wives get along. But with P and C, we just "clicked" right away. They were such good friends to us at such a hard time. We were so very sad when we learned that we would be moving because we hated to leave them behind, especially since we had all become so close in that year together. But Christy encouraged me to put my whole heart into our newest chapter in life...after all, she is a military wife and after something crazy like ten moves in six years of marriage to her Paul, she had lots of advice to give. So, we said our teary goodbyes and moved to Pennsylvania in February.

She mentioned when we were all in MO that their family and friends all get together in Ocean City, Maryland each year for a week at the beach and asked if we would want to go...well, as time grew closer, she asked again, and to our shock, we had moved less than four hours away from their timeshare! This was such a God-send. Joe has been working his little tail off lately and we both needed a breather, so to have someone offer us a free weeklong vacation was the biggest blessing. I can't even tell you how excited we were!

They recently bought a little plane since they travel often and both have their pilot's license. So, they flew in to see our new home last weekend and stayed for a day, and then we met up with them that week in Maryland.

Paul and Joe having deep engineering-type plane conversations, I'm sure!

He is a very brave man to let her fly!

Tex was so happy to see his good buddy Shatzi again. They ran and played all day together at our house!

My first time in the Atlantic Ocean (I had seen it once before on a trip with a friend in middle school, but I dont think we ever got IN it...it was COLD)! I got grief all week because I slipped once and called it the Pacific...geography NEVER was my strongsuit! :)

Relaxing and catching up...

The boys worked very hard on this sand sculpture for hours! I think it was supposed to be like an ancient Mayan Temple. Between them, two were Mechanical Engineers, so you KNOW it was all planned out from the start! :) People came by in awe all day...we teased that they should have put out a tip jar.

At the boardwalk one night...

All the girls on the trip...

The whole gang! These two families are best friends who have vacationed together for the last 15+ years! Every year they go to Ocean City, MD, but three years ago, they all went to Hawaii and ever since, the tradition is to wear their shirts from that trip out to dinner one night. I think they were all good sports to wear them... I just don't see this tradition going over very well in my family! ( I think my brother would burn or "lose" his within the first year! )

The week went by too fast, but we got to see our friends again,(and make some new ones too!) and spend one wonderful, relaxing week together at the beach. Thanks Paul and Christy for your friendship and encouragement! We love you both very much and are so thankful that God brought you into our lives.

Driving back home to beautiful Pennsylvania... a good time was had by all!

God is in the "Sign Business..."

2010-07-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Got back from a wonderful, relaxing time in Seattle/Canada with my momma on Friday. We prayed the whole trip for extra special blessings throughout this week as we remembered Dave's life and spent precious time together. While walking through the busy Pike Place Market in Seattle one day, I heard my mom gasp as she looked down. And then we both read it:

" I have always known that at last I would take this road, But yesterday, I did not know that it would be today."

I believe God truly is in the sign business! Sometimes it comes in a still small voice, and sometimes, in an otherwise meaningless plaque in the middle of a dirty sidewalk on a bustling corner of a very busy city. He hid this for my momma and me that day. I believe that.

The other thing I beleive He ordained before we even left, was for us to meet sweet Judy and her brother Bill, who were our travel companions on our day cruise over to Cananda. Judy actually sat by me on the flight into Seattle and when we began to compare itineraries, we realized that we would be on the same ship all together later on that week. She is also a first grade teacher, in Florida, and got along wonderfully with mom.

God loves us so much that he speaks to us personally. I don't know about you, but I am blown away by that fact. Flying over the city and seeing people and cars begin to look like ants, it boggled my mind to think how much He loves each and every single one of us...and that with as much as there is going on down here on earth, He takes the time to hear ME, to touch MY heart, to comfort ME, and to hide away things for just ME and Mom to find. He is so gracious and loving.

More pics soon to come, just wanted to share this with you. (And ps, thanks for praying, my neck felt better on this trip than it has in an entire month! Went to the hospital all morning to get more scans and tests out of the way...will hear back as far as results on Wednesday...just pray for SOME kind of answers so we know what to do if it happens again.)

Linking here to my momma's blog. One year after losing Dave...there IS still "joy in the journey."

In Memory...

2010-07-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today, we remember Dave O'Brien, who went to be with Jesus one year ago. These are a few of my favorite pictures and memories of Dave that I hold dear to my heart.

TBCH Chapel where Mom and Dave were married, Joe and I were married, and later, where we had Dave's memorial service.

This is one of my favorite wedding pictures. Dave had just had his leg amputated weeks before and was unable to walk me down the aisle, but he gives me away at the front, where we all gather for a family prayer.

We all did a walk/run in downtown Kansas City in October in memory of Dave. Joe's sister Anna and I did the half marathon that day. We all wore pictures of Dave running his first marathon.

Joe and Dave celebrate their birthdays together at our home in Missouri.

This is my favorite picture of my Momma and Dave. They look so happy.

I am so very thankful for Dave in my life. He was a godly man who loved my mom and went above and beyond to take care of all of us kids. He was the father I never had; he was kind and patient, and a man of integrity. He was so loved and is dearly missed.

A Sound Mind...

2010-07-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you, today ranks in my books as a pretty bad, all-time low. I woke up with the same overwhelming pain in my neck that has now, as of today, been with me consistently for 30 days- no break in pain whatsoever. (My chiropractor said it would last only three days, to put it into perspective for you.)

Allow me to tell you what I have done in search of some relief, in case you think i am just sitting on the couch saying "ouch, i hurt" and not doing anything about it.

In the last thirty days, I have:
-Been to the chiropractor everyday for the first two weeks for adjustments and therapy. Not cheap.
-Been to Physical Therapy through the hospital three times a week where my arch-nemesis named Eric twists and turns and stretches me, puts my neck in traction, and does ultrasound and muscle- stimulation. He asked me the other day what I would do first when I felt like myself again and my simple answer to him was "I will punch you. HARD." (He thinks I'm joking!) Not cheap.
-Been to my family doctor three times, who each time gives me ungodly amounts of pain pills, muscle relaxers, and anti-inflammatories that turn me into a zombie. (Sometimes, I honestly think she will just hand the scrip' pad over and say "write whatever you want.")
-Been referred to the hospital twice for xrays and testing. (I'm pretty sure we will be making the radiologist's mortgage payments this year.)
-Went to an hour-long massage this morning, which costs quite a bit, by the way. It felt wonderful and gave me relief...for all of about two hours!

Believe me, I have tried everything I can think of!

So, to say that i am aggravated and frustrated would be an understatement. I have alot on my mind with Dave's one year anniversary creeping up on me, AND, momma and I are supposed to take our long-awaited, much-anticipated trip to Seattle on Monday, and I SOOOOO want to enjoy every minute of it and NOT be in intense pain!

Poor hubby finally gets a day off work today and ends up taking me to all kinds of therapy, massage, Dr. appointment, and of course Target to re-up my Rx's that could over-medicate a small country. I love him so much, but as any married couple can tell you, "If momma (me, in this case) ain't happy, Ain't nobody (Joe, in this case) happy." Are you getting that it's been a long month in the ole' Stein house? Hmm??

So, we are sitting in the doctor's office yet again and she is baffled, yet again, and thinking outloud. I understand that Doctors deal and think very systematically, trying to rule things out in order to reach a proper diagnosis. While I, in comparison, think from my emotions and feelings. She looks at me and says, "I am referring you to a specialist." Fine, I expect that much by now. And then, this lovely little phrase just floats out into the room very matter-of-factly. "I want you to get a CT Scan and an MRI as soon as you get back from your trip, you know, just to rule out a blood clot or tumor in your brain."

I absolutely fell apart.

Then and there and the rest of the day, I repeated those words over and over, and seeds of fear started to creep up. The "what-ifs" felt overwhelming. Especially since Dave is on my mind alot lately and the last big surgery he had was to remove a very fast-growing tumor in his brain that had taken up 25% of the space in his skull by the time they caught it.

So, I am asking you to pray with me. Pray that the pain will ease and I will still be able to enjoy Seattle. Pray that the doctors and specialists will be able to give me some answers and solutions from the MRI and CT Scan results. And pray that I will not let fear overtake me. I am resting in the fact that no amount of worry on my part will change the outcome. It's all in God's hands. Even if my worst-case scenario came true, and the MRI or CT did in fact find a tumor or blood clot, like the doctor said, there's nothing I can do about it. Nothing. He says He will never leave us nor forsake us, He says He will walk through the valley of the shadow of death with us, and I have seen that throughout everything with Dave with my own eyes. I have to come to a place of peace and say that I can't carry this by myself and give it all over to Christ. "God has not given us a spirit of fear; but a spirit of power, of love, and a sound mind."-2 Timothy 1:7

"His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. He'll carry us when we can't carry on. Raised in His power, the weak become strong. His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect." -Steven Curtis Chapman

One Year Later...

2010-07-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

I tried to remember today what we did last fourth of July weekend and it all came back and hit me like a tidal wave. Dave was very sick now and the end was in sight. My Joe, in all his wisdom, said that we were going to go shopping to day for funeral clothes...just in case. We made the best of it, took a trip to Kansas City for the day, saw a movie, ate at a great restaurant, and made a quick stop in Macy's where we found everything we needed for a funeral we still prayed would not happen. Joe tried to cheer me up and assured me that if Dave recovered and we didn't need the clothes that we could burn them and throw a party, but somehow we both knew deep down it was coming.

I was a wreck. We all knew it was going to happen soon, but no one knew just exactly when and my silent prayer was always, " Lord, please tell us when to be there." Texas was a good thirteen hour drive from our house.

My mom called that next week and updated daily, even hourly. He was getting weaker and eventually when she called and said they were going to take him to the Hospice Hospital called the Christopher House in Austin, Joe looked at me and said the word. We quickly and quietly packed our bags, called our jobs, booked the dog in the kennel, and drove through the night. I have never had such a long, silent car ride. Dave's kidneys were failing at this point and there was not much else to be done.

I prayed and cried and prayed some more. In seven years of cancer and major surgeries, he had always bounced back and gone into remission, stunning the doctors, so part of me still held out hope. Still, something felt different this time and I couldn't explain it.

July 12, 2009
We got to the Christopher House that next afternoon. This is where it gets blurry. I know that we all sat and sang and held his hands and told stories. We kissed and hugged and patted his hands. I know he could hear us, but there was a fog and a distance in his eyes as if he were already leaving.

We left that night hoping for a miracle.

July 13,2009
The next morning, we were getting dressed and there was a call from my aunt. Get here NOW. We raced through Austin, only to walk into a room where the doctor had just stepped in to tell the family today would be the day and time was very short...it was down to hours and minutes now, no longer days and months. Even then, I still believed God for a miracle.

I think the hardest thing of my young adult life was sitting around that bed and watching him slip away. What if I didn't tell him i loved him enough? Did he know how much of a difference he had made in my life? I never painted that picture he asked me to do...none of it mattered now. And then the prayer that took our breath away. My mom took his hands in hers and kissed him softly on his head. We all held hands around the room. (There were about thirteen of us in the room now. Everyone was here except my younger brother who was stuck in Costa Rica studying abroad). She started to tell him how much we loved him and what a wonderful man he was. He had lived a full life and accomplished evertyhing God had put him on earth to do, but now it was time to give himself permission to let go...just let go. I have never seen such strength and grace. She told him, so unselfishly, to go and be with Jesus. Everything was taken care of and although we would miss him terribly, we would see him again one day and we would all be fine.

Within just a few short minutes, he breathed his last breath. I stood there and held his hand for what seemed like forever, just looking at him, crying, not knowing what to do next. I pulled myself together and grabbed my mom's cell phone and began making the calls. I think you sort of go into shock. I called all her closest friends and asked them to call her coworkers and anyone I had forgotten. I called the pastor, called a few of my friends... I couldn't even really tell you what I said, but I knew I had to be calm for my momma and do this for her.

In the days that followed, we planned a memorial service for Dave. it would be at the Texas Baptist Children's Home chapel two days later on that Thursday. Just a year and a half earlier, Dave had given me away at my wedding in this same chapel. Twelve years earlier, he married my mom in that chapel. It only seemed fitting to have it there. Friends and family showed up in droves to come support and love on us. A friend asked if he could tape the ceremony for us to watch again later. I have the DVD, but still havent been able to go there yet. Jacqui, a dear friend of mine and a former student of my mom's many years before sang the Chris Rice song "Come to Jesus." I don't think there was a dry eye in the whole place.

I later realized we had gotten our miracle, in a sense. Dave was now with the Jesus he loved so much and was no longer in pain. He was whole and happy and healed. The other miracle was that everyone was able to be there on that final day to love on him and surround him in those last hours. I cannot tell you how thankful I was that he did not die alone in the house. That was my greatest fear. God gave so much grace and peace through the whole process. I began to understand what the verse means when the Bible says,"and the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." We had that peace. I honestly cannot imagine how people who do not know and trust the Lord deal with death and the finality of it all. We have hope in the end that we will see him again in heaven one day.

One year later and it still brings me to tears just to relive those few days and short hours we had left with him. Death seems so final, but with Christ, it is not the end. We are all dying, from the moment we are born, the clock starts ticking. What will you do in the "dash" between the day you are born and the day you die? I hope that you find truth and love, that you stand for what is right and just, and that you find Jesus and cling tightly to Him alone. We are not promised easy, carefree lives, but He does promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us. You have a God who loves you and cares so deeply for you and I hope that you find Him and live the life He has planned for you.

On the actual anniversary this year, my momma and I will be in Seattle for a week taking the trip she and Dave planned to take together last year when he got sick. We will be remembering him and scattering his ashes. It will be sad and bittersweet, but I am so glad we can be together. Hoping to make new, happy memories on this day and still believing that God is good and gracious. He is enough, He is our comforter, our Rock , and our strong tower. He gives peace and rest and Hope for the future. What a wonderful, loving God we serve!

Dumb, Dumb, Dumb...

2010-06-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well, today marks the two week mark of when i did something dumb. Very dumb. Sweet husband has been working hard and travelling a lot lately and i decided i couldn't wait anymore, I was going to do my garden by myself! So, I dragged and hauled 60lb bags of dirt and mulch acroos the yard when there was a loud,"POP!" in my neck and a pain like fire shot down my back and arm. Bad news bears!

The next morning, I could not move my neck, it had locked up. I saw my chiropractor everyday for a week, he swore that it would only be three days to heal, but after a week and a half of being miserable, it was time to try somthing else. I called my family doctor and made an appt. She was concerned and sent me to get xrays "STAT" ( i learned that little word pulls a lot of weight in the medical world!) and see a physical therapist "STAT."

I now have three medications daily, which make me feel like a total zombie:one anti-inflammatory, one is a muscle relaxer, and a pain pill. It is Thursday and I couldn't tell you what i even did Monday thru Wednesday this week. I go to the Physical Therapist three times a week for a minimum of six weeks and chiropractor in between.

I had to call my new job that i was so excited about and tell them to take me off of the schedule for all of July...they will call me if they decide to replace me. I feel like I am not making any progress. I was so excited to finally get out of the house and have a job and feel like I was doing something other than being a housewife.

For now, I am at home with orders from the doctor not to lift more than ten pounds and orders from the therapist not to lift my arms above my head or bend at my waist...what am I supposed to do? I think I will waddle around like a penguin, that'll show them!

I keep telling God, "Okay, You MUST have something you need to get me still enough to tell me, so here I am! Bring it on!"

Pray for healing. Pray that my muscles will loosen up enough to bring some relief. Pray that God will show himself to me and be my Healer and Provider.

(I think my mom and I need to get together and take care of each other...she has a terrible eye infection.)

Facing your Fears Head On.....

2010-06-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have a wonderful husband,Joe, who i brag on all the time. This post is about his wonderful sister, E.

Families are funny. With some wonderful spouses come a dysfunctional family and you wonder "How in the world did THEY come from THAT?!" But, in my situation, I think I got the best-case scenario: the" holy-grail-of-families-to-marry-into," if you will. I married into a family full of wonderful, fun-loving, genuinely HAPPY people that were so enthusiastic about me joining their ranks and becoming a "Stein." Now, they are a hilarious, very quick-witted and sarcastic bunch, which means I usually lay-low and let them tell the jokes for fear that they will "zing" me and I will have no comeback( I always come up with what funny retort i should have said hours later....tragic!).

But, more on Joe's sweet sister, E, ( the one who just visited us and wanted to go to Philly and run the 'Rocky Steps') has started a blog! Yay! So glad she's joined the bloggy world! You can link to her page here. Looking forward to this blog! It's called "365 things that scared me," and each new day she will attempt to face yet another fear. I read the first one today and it was a hoot... i'm intrigued how she will face the fear of ball-pits!

***Side note:Personally, I TOTALLY understand that fear! I remember being at Chuck-E-Cheese's when I was younger and discovering that things like tokens and tickets fall out of kids' pockets when they are playing in the ball-pits, so a friend and i would scour the bottom of the ball pits looking for treasures that others had left behind unknowingly. We were very proud of ourselves and our new-found riches until i pulled up (of all things!)....a dirty diaper! NO JOKE! Never have been able to face another ball-pit since!

She has such a great sense of humor- every time I am around her I am laughing so hard it hurts! Good luck to you, E, on your first blog- wishing you well as you confront a different fear everyday with smashing success! We love you very much!

PS: I have your next two fears for you right here...you already conquered the subway in a major metropolitan city without getting lost or losing an appendage to the doors that close too fast and will not re-open, and you conquered your fear of alligators (Joe saved you in the nick of time!)

LONG weekend...

2010-06-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! Hope you enjoyed a long relaxing weekend, because I sure did NOT!

Have you ever had the pleasure of experiencing something called "cervical torticollis?" Well, I have many times, and though I had not had it for a very long time, it came and visited me this week. Yay!

Torticollis is basically a fancy was of saying you have a very bad crick in your neck, but in my case, my neck literally freezes in place to where i cannot turn it for several days...again, NO FUN!

So, my weekend consisted of three trips to Dr. M, my saint of a chiropractor, and ungodly amounts of muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories, missing a day of work at my new job, and sleeping so much in between that i completely lost track of what day it was! Thank you, sweet husband, for taking care of me and keeping track of my meds so i didn't take too much, driving me to appointments and waking me up to eat...you are wonderful.

Ready to feel normal again and get back to working out and taking care of myself...minus all the pills!

In other news, my Sweet Man is officially "Fully Vested" in his company, as of today, at age 27! Five years with his company straight out of college! Way to go Joe! I am so proud of you, love! Keep up the hard work- you're doing a great job...I know the long hours are hard on you, and at times you feel run down, but you do everything with excellence and others notice! Keep on being "Jesus in skin" to those around you at work, and lead with intergrity and honor!

Today also marks one month away from Dave being gone for a year. I can't believe it's been that long;I can't believe that life just kept on going after July 13th,2009. I remember that being one of the hardest things to grasp, walking out of the funeral and seeing kids playing in sprinklers and eating snow cones and thinking "why aren't they sad too? Don't they know what today was?". Going back to work the next week i was racked with guilt because I was resuming life as usual, which felt so wrong.

Mom and I have planned a trip to Seattle together over the actual anniversary week so that neither of us have to be alone on that day...I think it will be a good thing just to get away and think, to scatter the ashes, and to make new happy memories on that day.

Still looking for a church home and good friends, although we are starting to feel like we are finding our place more and more every day! God is good and is bringing some great people into our lives to fill the "friend void" that opens up when you move to a new place. Keep praying!

The Dairy Widow....

2010-06-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend, A (who writes THIS blog), is the very patient, loving wife of her man, J, who is in law school right now. She has referred to herself at times as a "Law Widow."

I, friends, am a "DAIRY WIDOW!"

You see, my sweet man works for a company who deals in dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt, cream cheese-you name it, they do it.

This has made for an interesting married life. Taco spice days at the cheese plant were the pits. My Joe would come home smelling so strong I would run to the other room so he could make it to the shower before I could smell it, but despite our best efforts, I would sneeze the rest of the night!

Joe used to work at the cheese plant, and he would joke that he "cut the cheese all day long." But now, we are in the yogurt division and he likes to say he is"going to work to get more cultured!" Funny guy, that Joe! Cheesy, but funny.:)

Being a dairy widow was never something I thought about or aspired to. It just found me.

But I can tell you how I cringe when I see Subway is running another "five dollar footlong" promotional...that song haunts me in my sleep. They run that commercial and you can bet my man will be pulling weekend shifts trying to fill all the orders for that week! Now that we are in yogurt, you can imagine my disdain when shows like the Biggest Loser add in copious amounts of shameless product placement throughout the show for the new Greek yogurt that Joe is making. Drat!

(Greek yogurt is a newer thing...its zero fat and very high protein, so its a great breakfast with fruit and granola, or a really good snack after working out! The texture and sour-ish aftertaste take a little getting used to, but I really like it...try it! )

On the flip side, the dairy business does have its perks. I always have a nicely stocked Greek yogurt shelf and cheese drawer with every kind of cheese you could ever imagine or want! On top of that, Joe's company is a private label company, meaning they shred the cheese and put it in the bag with, let's say, your supermarket's name on it and sell it as generic. Well, what's the first thing do when the economy tanks? Stop buying name brands like "K_R_A_F_T"( the enemy) and buy the cheaper stuff, which lets just admit it...it's the same cheese people! And what does Joe's company do when the economy tanks? Has the best sales quarters on record, of course! ( Joe has asked me not to divulge the name of the company on the blog.)

So, since we are here to start up this new yogurt division, Joe has lots of business trips and late nights. Lots is actually an understatement. I miss him when he's gone, but appreciate all his hard work. He's a good man with integrity and good looks to boot!

In the meantime until this project is finished though, I remain faithfully yours, "Katy the lonely little Dairy Widow!" :)

(PS: I forgot to tell you, I got a part time job at a Christian bookstore in the area! I needed something to just get me out of the house a bit! One prayer answered....keep praying for friends and a church!)

A Tale of Two Cities...

2010-05-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....." Best because we had a GREAT weekend with Joe's younger sister, Elizabeth, and worst because after two jam-packed days in two very different cities, we are so worn out and have the blisters to prove it!

E flew into Baltimore late Friday night and the next morning, we headed out early for Phiadelphia, which we have decided since we have now visited, we are allowed to refer to it as 'Philly.' Joe and E are HUGE soccer fans, and back in March-ish, E called and asked if we would be interested in going to the US vs Turkey soccer game. We said yes, so she bought her plane ticket and made her way to PA!
E had never experienced a subway before! We had been on the metro in DC, but were in NO WAY prepared for the "stank" of the whole place, as the little black boy next to us articulated so well...not stink, "STANK!" As the day went on, we learned that the whole city seemed to have its own distinct smell, and not a pleasant one.

We got off the subway and walked around JFK Plaza downtown in search of a good cheesesteak before it was time for the soccer game...of course, Joe and E had to take pictures :)

I didn't pose them, they just are this crazy naturally! Makes for a fun time!

I appologize for this one! He's a hot mess...get it?!

We stopped to ask several people for reccommendations on good places to get an authentic cheesesteak, but they take this VERY seriously! After each person would tell their favorite place/hole in the wall, they would follow it up with "But I don't want to tell you where to go."We got a little nervous when even the police were telling us things like " there's a good one over there, but you don't wanna go down that street, it's in the hood." Note: it was in the middle of the day!

We found the "LOVE" in the city of brotherly love. Couples were taking engagement pictures by this, which I thought was so cute!

( E is holding the drink we had to buy at McDonald's to use their bathroom, and by this point we would have paid fifty dollars to use ANY bathroom. Again, the "stank" smell emerges, at which point E and I have decided the stank is attaching itself to us and our hair.)

Can you see the man in the background wearing the lavendar leisure suit and safari- style hat...interesting!

So, the place we settled on for our authentic cheesesteak experience was called Mamma Mia's, which was not in the "hood" as far as we could tell and it was quite yummy. We were, however, confused when they were blaring Mexican music...E swore it was a drug front, but we made it out safely!

So, after a successful lunch in downtown Philly, we hopped back on the subway and made our way to the stadium along with 50,000 other crazy body-paited, fans with American and Turkish flags around their necks. The stadium was amazing! Looked like it was going to rain, but it held out for us. We were eight rows back behind the goal!

These people across the field were called "Sam's Army." They were pretty extreme. After a good play or a goal, they would light flares in red, white and blue or shoot streamaers. This would quickly cause about ten security guards to swarm and eject them from the stadium...small price to pay, I guess. They go to every game. Dedicated.

I am not a die-hard sports fan...love my Longhorns, but couldn't tell you sports stats to save my life, but I had a great time and learned I could really learn to love soccer because the game is only ninety minutes and a short halftime inbetween, whereas football can stretch to four hours with all the time-outs and penalties,etc!

US won 2 to 1, so we were very happy! Great time had by all. Please note, I think I am the only one in the stadium not wearing red, white, and blue! OOPS!

Afterwards, we headed downtown to the "ROCKY STEPS." You have to understand, Joe and E had three requirements for this trip: 1) soccer game 2)cheesesteak at a legit place 3) go run up the steps in the Philadelphia Museum of Art where Rocky ran up the steps. They are huge fans and have seen all the movies, and so we went...but first had to stop and take pictures at a George Washington Monument( I think the alligator is eating E's arm! Joe's a good brother for trying to save her!)

HOOK 'EM!

So, of course, we had to wait in line to take pictures with the Rocky statue. Everywhere we went. people were singing the themesong and reliving the movie scene. I thought it was hilarious, but Joe and E were taking it very seriously, so I kept my feelings to myself! ( By this point we are all too sweaty to be confident enough to lift our arms up and do the Rocky pose! )

They're ready to race up the steps. I willingly volunteered to stay at the bottom and wait til they made it to the top to take pictures.:)

I think that they are happy! I still wonder how they always have so much energy!

The view of downtown from the top of the steps was AMAZING!

So, Day 1 over and all of E's Philly wishlist complete, we left the "stank" and quickly went home to wash it off of us!

Day 2, we decided to go to DC since we had nothing else to do! E was leery about getting on another subway after her not-so-favorable first experience in Philly the day before, but we assured her, DC has a much cleaner feel, so she trusted us and we set off on a new adventure!

We got off at a random subway stop and found a very cool little area with chic little shops and specialty gourmet restaurants...very fun! The restaurant we found was called "Rogue States"and they did gourmet burgers and had their own chef...very tasty- I think we found our new favorite burger place!

We got off the Subway and E, the history buff that she is, was wide-eyed in amazement and ready to explore!

Note: this day was the day E and I took one for fashion. The skirts were a great choice because of how hot it was, but in order to wear the cute skirts, you have to wear cute shoes. Mistake number one.

Elizabeth wanted to touch the Washington Monument! I think it took some of the thrill out of it since it was "ok" to touch it, but she's happy!

It brought a whole new meaning to all the monuments and memorials to go and see them over Memorial Day Weekend.

After the Washington Monument, we headed over to the National World War II Memorial.

Behind us are pillars representing each state, set up geographically and divided between the oceans. People had left pictures of loved ones lost and flowers all around that day.

Proud Texans...we found people from Houston who agreed to take our picture!

Then, we made our way over to the Lincoln Memorial, which Joe and I had not seen yet, so we were very excited!

Sweltering day! Bomber Pops were in order!

Joe's mom kept saying "you have to find Albert Einstein, " so we did. The little girl kept trying to pick his nose.:)

Then, we found 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue! If you look really closely, you can see the snipers up on the roof.

The Obamas wanted us to come over for lunch, but we had places to go and things to see, so we politley declined. Maybe next time!

So, we walked and walked, and walked some more to the Smithsonian. We will have to go back because you could spend weeks there and still not see everything- so interesting, and it's all free! (E, being an inner-city second grade teacher, was so impressed by the kids saying things like "whoa, look at that geode!" and "I especially like this sarcophagus." ) We saw dinosaurs...

...and whales in the under- the -sea exhibit.

The Hope Diamond.

I loved all the historic row-homes!

Back to the looong tunnel down into the subway- very steep! ....I had a death-grip on the side rails!

One more stop on our way out of town at the scenic overlook...Note: the man without a shirt on asleep on the wall....hmm.

We had her back to the airport by ten this morning, and she was back on her way home to teach the last two days of second grade!

Seven hundred miles added onto the car and two wonderful days of adventure in two VERY different cities. Overall, a great time had by all! So glad you got to come visit, E! We love you!

Gettysburg and Ghost Tours...

2010-05-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

So, Chris graduated on Friday, and by Sunday he and Jo2 were off on their whirlwind trip cross-country and up the east coast. They made it oi our house in PA about two in the morning on Thursday, the day after I got home from Texas.....AND WE'RE OFF on another adventure! No rest for the weary!

Originally, we were going to take them to DC,but since they drove 13+ hours the day before from Indiana, we decided to do something a bit closer. We picked Gettysburg- we had never been there before, but had heard it was amazing!

So, we took them to our newest favorite Menonite restaurant in town and hit the road.

**Side story: right after this picture, we are all sitting down to a sweet lunch together, and Chris pulls out a notebook and writes down the cost of their lunch and looks at Jo2 and says something along the lines of,"ok, i covered this one, so you get the next one."How romantic! All day, we would look at him and say things like ," Hey chris, we paid for gas here, which was approximately $14.78 so you buy dinner!"
We see a statue of Abraham Lincoln, and what does Chris do? Picks his nose of course! Nice, Chris...how old are we again, Mister college graduate?
Jo2 plays by the rules and takes G-rated pictures. Thanks you Jo2, at least someone can behave!

I love red doors... Chris was taking pics all day with his new camera he got for graduation...probably like 1000+ pics taken since we got to Gettysburg, but when I said I wanted one with me and Joe by the red door, he said that was dumb, and obviously not Nikon d5000 worthy, so he took the picture with my little Cannon. Geesh! :)

WE went into a hat store on the square where they specialize in civil war re-enactment hats and I took a pic of "Indiana Jones Joe"...clerk looks up, says nothing.....

But then, right after we took THIS pic, she flipped a lid and we were quickly asked to leave the store. Too bad, I was seriously contemplating buying this Amish bonnet:).

Next, we went to a Civil War monument on one of the best-preserved battlefields. The entire base of the monumnet was names of those who had fought, and those that were mortally wounded or killed on this field. Very sobering.

Chris was ever-planning his next photo-op ( but the red door does not make the cut! ) Don't worry, I'm not bitter!

This was the monument.

They are cute and lovey- dovey standing right by the edge.....

But SOME of us do not do so well with heights!

Joe took this one from the top of the monument. The arrows pointed to the other battlefields around and gave the distance of how far they were from that point.

We ate at the Historic Dobbin House Restaurant. The food was no good, to be honest ( and WAY overpriced), but they had a great little outdoor patio space.....can you guess what Chris did the whole time? Really, just take a wild guess!

After dinner, we went to see the movie "Babies," which I enjoyed, apart from the fact that I never wanted to see that many boobs sitting next to my little brother! It was a cute little documentary about how differently we raise children from people in other countries... my favorite part was when the baby in Ethiopia, I think, pooped on the mother's lap. She, not disgusted at all, wipes it all over her skin like a moisturizer....sick-o-rama!

Then, since Gettysburg claims to be the most haunted place in North America, Chris and Jo2 wanted to go on a ghost tour, which started at nine that night. It was interesting. They tried really hard to scare you, but it was just basically a history tour at night-time with a person who gets WAY too into ghosts and paranormal activity!

Good time had by all...Chris and Jo2 left the next morning for NYC where they would spend a few days with friends and then eventually made a stop in Maine before flying back to Texas.

Thanks for coming to visit guys! Love you.

Graduations Galore...

2010-05-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been home for a week now, so I think it's about time I posted pictures from our Texas trip! ( Just doing my momma proud!) We had a wonderful, refreshing, relaxing time, and I am so glad we got to go!

If you have a "Bucket List" you need to add Monument Cafe in Georgetown, TX to it! Great food...just trust me, order the peppered bacon once and you can die happy!

(Chris and Mom joined us for breakfast before graduation.)
Mom and I decided we were both due for a pedicure, so went and got side-by -side massage chairs and they pampered us for about an hour...wonderful! We have decided this will have to be a new tradition.
Mom loved it so much she couldn't keep her eyes open! I would look over and she was slumping down in the chair and, I swear, drool was about to touch the floor! ha! Love you momma! ( She's worn out from those first-graders!)

Pretty toes...mom forgot to wear open-toed shoes ( the cardinal rule of pedicures, next to shaving your legs), so she had to wear these out which were about ten sizes too big!

On our way to Chris' graduation...this is one proud momma!

Me, mom, aunt R, and great, great aunt W who is almost ninety and still as sharp and sassy as ever!

It POURED during graduation, so loud you could barely hear what they were saying over the speakers, but we're all so happy for Chris we dont care!

**On a side note, this is the first sighting of "Jo2" on my blog, Chris' girlfriend. Since I already married a Joe, she is affectionately known as Jo2. She hates it, and Chris signs everything "Chris and Jo1", but despite his best efforts, she will always be Jo2 because my Joe married in first! Sorry guys! ( the other day on Facebook, I wrote something like "Chris and Jo2 are coming to visit us today" and a very concerned friend wrote back and said "Oh, Katy, what happened to the original Joe?!" Glad someone is looking out for me! )

I was Not in the mood for photos in the rain. Note, the people behind us are barefoot at this point, practically wading thru the water, but no not us, we stop for a photo op!

We ate at an awesome restaurant in Austin for lunch called Moonshine...you should try it if you are ever in the area! Joe's parents drove all the way down from Oklahoma to celebrate with us!

These are Jo2's sweet parents, Rick and Kathy.

Momma and sister Aunt R...so much alike it can be scary at times!

My love! What a guy!

Later, we went back to mom's house to give presents and have dessert (day two of the vacation and the workout regimen and diet are already out the window! )Chris wanted a Nikon D5000 for his present so he could take great pics on his roadtrip the next week.

Be warned: if you ever go to a party that my mom throws, chances are you will have to wear one of these, along with all of your guests, and if you take it off, you are shunned! ( this was Chris on his first day of Kindergarten)

Chris and Aunt R and Uncle M

...and Aunt W...everyone was so proud of him!

We love them...wish we lived closer!

So after all the fanfare, and a long day of posing for pictures, Chris was tired of wearing the cap and gown. As my older sister-ly duty, I will post these next two pictures out of pure obligation, knowing that he will have no way of taking them down:) That's what older sisters are for, right?

Not sure what was goign on here- I think he was swinging the tassel? hmm....

So, ON TO GRADUATION NUMBER TWO! Saturday morning, we got up at an ungodly hour and made the four hour drive to Denton, Texas to the University of North Texas to see my best friend Natalie graduate!

This is her younger sis Jacqui, who we all love...sweet, sweet girl!

Natalie graduated with a degree in photography and will be moving to Memphis in August...yay nat! We are so proud of you and excited to see what God does in your life!

The happy graduate ( who looked BEAUTIFUL, by the way!)

We went to Nat's house and ate, mingled a little with family and friends and then hit the road back to Austin...four more hours in the car with my sweetie:) Beautiful sunset in the town of West Texas ( go to the Czech Stop too...add that to the bucket list and get kolaches...yum!)

Over the next few days, we got to see lots of family and sweet friends. This is three generations of "Stein"men...great guys who love the Lord, take care of their families, hard workers, and it doesn't hurt that they are handsome as well! :)

We also got to see some friends in town...I told you about these girls in the last post...the sisters I cheered with in high school? Well, it was so good to see them! This is "E" who is quite possibly the cutest little man I have ever seen! Quite a big boy, which is why I thought this camera angle was so funny! He is only four months and I think she said he is like 98th percentile for a six month baby! BIG boy!

B lives so far south in Texas that it's almost Mexico, I now live in PA, and R lives in Japan, so it was so great to see everyone together again for the first time in a long time! Love you girls! Praying for your sweet dad that he will heal quickly!

Well, at this point, I think that I am making this more of a "where to eat in Austin "post than anything, but I have another suggestion for you: Hula Hut on the lake in Austin-- it was about a two hour wait(on a TUESDAY!), but I love it! This is my friend Katie who was a friend from college, and her sweetie, Nate. Great couple! Nate put up with us talking for over three hours, which means he's a winner in my book! ;) ps: the dos equis was nate's ...i call it his "listening juice!"

These are the sweet McK girls that I babysat for so many years ago.( minus the oldest sister, A) We met for breakfast before they had to go to school...I was so impressed to see what godly young women they are growing up to be( and so beautiful!)L, in the middle, will be in high school next year, and K, on the end, will be a senior next year. They are both 4.0 students! Good job girls! So proud of you!

This is their mom, M, who I love so much. She is such an encourager with the most genuine heart you will ever see. She is a wonderful mom to those girls and is so solid in her faith. She always gives the best hugs and advice. I love you Mrs. McK! ( can you tell by the bags under my eyes that this was the last day of a looong trip? Ready to go home and see my Joe!)

As an added bonus, Allen, my middle school and high school youth pastor, who also was the minister at out wedding, was in the booth behind us at breakfast! ( His wife , who is one lucky duck, is in the Holy Land right now with Beth Moore! I bet she's having the time of her life!)

So, I hopped on a plane after breakfast and went home to see my sweet Joe, who went back two days early for work. He greeted me at the airport with beautiful flowers and I loved how every girl would look at him, and then me and my flowers, and then look at THEIR guy with the "why didn't you get ME flowers" look! :) (By the way, weird lighting, my purse in yellow, but Joe's jacket is khaki...dont think I would let him out in public wit a yellow yacket...that's what firemen are for! )

When I got home, I could tell Tex had missed me and was glad to have all his "people" back together again! Great trip, loved every minute....so glad we got to see so many friends this trip!

A Bittersweet Day...

2010-05-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

Today may be just another day to you, May 24th, 2010. But today, for our family is one more special date on the calendar that Dave is not here for.

Today would have been my mom and Dave's Anniversary. They were married for twelve years. I remember the wedding like it was yesterday. It was at the TBCH chapel and I remember that Dave wanted us to be part of the ceremony. They gave all of us kids something special and we made our vows together, as a family. I still have the james Avery ring that they gave me that day. A sweet lady who we lived with at the Children's Home sang a song called "We are a household of faith." I remember feeling so proud, so grown up, and I remember looking at Dave's face when my mom walked down the aisle. Priceless. He was a lucky man and he knew it! My mom, who had been through so much hurt and pain, was glowing. She was beautiful.

Mom, I've been praying for you all day today, I know this has got to be a tough one. I know that we all thought the dates on the calendar wouldn't affect us, but as we face each holiday, birthday, and special time together without him, I realize how very wrong we were. There's a word for that: oh yes, its called "DENIAL." I'm hoping that next year will be easier for all of us.

Dave, you were a wonderful man who we loved so much. You are so missed. You made my mom happier than I ever saw her- even through all the years of cancer and dismal circumstances and grim prognosis, she was truly happy with you. You showed us all what a godly man looked like. You gave Chris and I the father figure we never had, you taught us how to love, and you left a legacy we will never forget. We all love you and miss you.

- THIS POST IN MEMORY OF DAVE O'BRIEN.

Quality...

2010-05-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I do not consider myself a person who has "countless casual acquaintances." I would so much rather have just a few "quality friends" that you can count on when things get tough, and God has truly blessed me with people in my life who I would consider quality, lifetime friends.

Today after a day with just my momma and me and many good talks, I got to see two long-time friends who I cheered with in middle school and on. They are sisters and their youngest sister just got married this past Saturday, but earlier that week their dad suffered a stroke and was unsure if he would be able to walk his last sweet girl down the aisle. ( He did, thank you God! Please continue to keep him in your prayers as he goes through physical therapy.)The thing that struck me, though, sitting in their living room today, was that they were just so happy even though they were in the middle of this storm they were facing. They have QUALITY of life- they know what is important in life and when things get tough, they have each other. Sweet family.

Tonight, I got to have dinner with a sweet college friend. Her car broke down at work , so her husband decided to come as well after he rescued her ( I still maintain that he came because he wanted to see me, not just because he knew since she was out with a quality friend, he would have to fix his own supper! ). It's strange not knowing all of your friends' husbands yet- we're never all in town at the same time, but I have to say, my quality friend found a quality guy! Although I am sure he wished he had not come after we talked for three hours straight, he was gracious and engaging and held his own and I was so glad to meet him...he passes the test!

This trip has been so good for me. Being in a new place, in a new state, in a new part of the country where your closest family is 26+ hours away can be a bit hard to swallow at first and you really do start to crave those friendships and miss those people who you feel "at home" with, even if they aren't family.

Tomorrow morning i will fly back to Pennsylvania, but wanted to see one more family who i babysat for back in middle school/high school. Love them. Dear, sweet family. Even then, God was helping me to meet wonderful, quality people who loved on me and followed up with me all of my teenage years and even into adulthood. I called and set up breakfast with the mom and to my surprise, she called me back and asked if we could meet at 7am instead because her three precious girls wanted to come to breakfast BEFORE school so they could see me. Can I just repeat that again in case you missed it: three teenage girls are getting up and out of bed two hours early to see me. Honored. Shocked and honored is all I can say.

My love tank is full and my heart is so touched. Sometimes when you move away for so long, you start to think "will anyone even remember me or care enough to see me when I'm in town," but those quality friends always come through!

I have now said "QUALITY" so many times it is starting to look funny like it's not a real word. Oh well, you get the point! Pics from my trip soon to come! Love you all...seek out the quality in your life!

Happy Happenings...

2010-05-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

If you read my mom's blog at all, you know that she gets "blog- happy"...some may call it "trigger- finger"...I call it the over-achiever in her, but if we do anything "blog worthy" together her pictures are up within a matter of hours. Mine on the other hand, are usually up within the week, and I consider that an accomplishment. We cannot all be Type-A's!

This weekend was my little brother's graduation and within twelve hours of the celebration, NOT ONLY did she have up a blog with 20+ pictures, she left early the next morning for the local Walgreens before anyone woke up and printed out multiple copies for every family member she could think of which were promptly sorted in to stacks with a post-it note saying whose pile it was, passed out and mailed to those who were unable to attend. If nothing else, she's organized and efficient FOR SURE!

I love my mom but boy does she make the rest of us look like slackers!:) (And PS, I stand firmly by the excuse that my camera cord is in PA and that is why I have not yet posted pics, but if you want to see pics, you know where to go...the over-achiever's blog here. HA!)

We've had a great time in Texas. The last time we were in town was for Dave's funeral, so we were all very happy to have a fun reason to come this time. Chris graduated Friday from Texas State San Marcos and faithful friend Natalie, who was my maid of honor, graduated from the University of North Texas on Saturday in Denton. Between graduations, we visited both of Joe's grandparents in the area, saw aunts and uncles and dear friends and ate WAY too much good food that we will be working off in the gym for months to come.

So, for the question I'm sure you are all asking yourselves but afraid to ask..."how's my mom doing?" Well, in my professional "daughter-who-can-see-thru-the-fakeness" opinion, I'd say she is doing WONDERFULLY! We have seen her several times in the last year and worry how she is "really" doing often, but I have to say that she was just so...happy this time, and that is a welcome sight after a long hard year. Of course there are still days where I am sure the sadness settles in, but it did our hearts all kinds of good to see my mom settling into her "new normal" and doing it with a big ol' smile on her face! One thing I admire about her is that she allowed herself to grieve in her own time. She didn't try to stuff it and pretend like things were ok; if she knew she needed a long, hard cry, that's just what she would do.

But this weekend seemed like a new chapter had begun: a happier chapter, and I can't say how good that feels for all of us! God is good all the time! So, congratulations, Chris and Natalie, and thanks for giving us all a great reason to get together in Texas...it's been way too long!

My Joe heads back tomorrow to real life in PA. He will get the house all to himself for two more days until I come back...I'm just having too much fun and I needed a few more days with my momma!

Real Blog to come when I get back and have a camera cord... I know, I know...SLACKER! Gosh! :)

Mother of all Garage Sales!!!

2010-05-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

You have seen the pictures of boxes to the ceiling and know that we are seriously limited on space in this house, which means it was time for a MAJOR purge! So, I posted ads in the paper and on craigslist that said "Mother of All Garage Sales", made signs we posted around the neighborhood, borrowed tables from the church, and decided to have a garage sale Friday and Saturday.

Joe had HAD it with all the stuff and kept saying " let's just take it to Goodwill, we're not going to make any money on all of this!" I was adamant- I would do all the work, but I was going to have this garage sale and see how much we could make!

This is what the house looked like for about a week pre- garage sale...everything was sorted in to categories and priced in boxes around the downstairs.

Well, Friday morning we started carrying things out and setting up around 5:30am and by 6:00 there was a swarm of people. Several people actually asked me if they could come in the house and see what we hadn't brought outside yet, to which i said a firm "no."

Both days we were supposed to go from 7-noon, but both days we actually went til about three because people just kept coming! Several times I would look up and there was a line to pay for things...i counted 25 people at one point!

The 5'x10' dog crate didn't sell by the end of it and we were bummed because it takes up a lot of space and we really wanted to sell it- it was only a year old, but we didn't have a place for it here. The next day a lady called and asked if we still had i the crate...she came and picked it up later that day and gave me $175!

SO, drumroll please...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................the grand total was right around $1,300! Woohoo!!! I say let's have another garage sale!:)

With the money, we are taking a trip to see family soon and we will also be organizing the garage and office. No more clutter, we're only keeping what we absolutely NEED- I don't ever want to make the move again with that much stuff!

2010-05-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

Day four of not having a husband home till after 9pm...this is a tough thing to get used to. Sometimes lately, I feel single. I look at my neighbor who is a military wife and think,"God, is this how my life is going to be?" He reminds me that He is in control and that there is fullness of joy- even my sweet neighbor finds a way to make it through, and I can do this too. I can be brave.

On the one hand, I am selfishly wanting MY husband to be home with ME. But on the other hand, I realize that this is why we are here. This is the job that is paying the bills and allowing me to stay home for now. I have to keep reminding myself that this is only a phase, but I miss how things were in Missouri(never thought i would say that). I miss living so close to our jobs that we saw each other everyday at lunch. I miss the predictability of knowing that i could have dinner ready by six and he would be home before it got cold. I miss having hours to just "hang out" together before we had to go to bed. Now days, he is so tired when he gets home, we are lucky to have ONE hour.

( Am I the only wife who daydreams about throwing her husband's ever- ringing Blackberry in the toilet, out the window...the list of how i dream of destroying it never ends!)

But, the light at the end of the tunnel? TEXAS! Thank you, younger brother Chris and best friend Natalie for choosing to graduate in May so that we could have an excuse to escape PA long enough to recharge our batteries! Soon, we will be leaving, and when we step off the plane, I feel like I will be able to breathe again. Surrounded friends and family is a wonderful place to be, no matter where it is...our place of peace just happens to be Texas this time. Looking forward to a wonderful visit!

Please continue to pray for us...I am still looking for a job(preferrably one that would afford me the luxury of nights and weekends off so i can see my husband, even if it is only occasionally). Pray for friends and a church home, pray for us to find our purpose here in Pennsylvania and pray that God would help us to hold on during this tough season in life.

Thankful for a break on the horizon!

The Waiting...

2010-04-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggy friends...it's been a while, hasn't it! I have debated back and forth whether or not to even mention this, but I think that sometimes, you just need to get things off of your chest and once you have said them, you feel huge weight lifted and now have the support and encouragement from the dear friends you've entrusted with your most intimate thoughts.

So here goes: We were not telling ANYONE, but I had gotten off the pill and was taking prenatals and were so hoping to have great news to share very soon with friends and family. We agreed to pray for God's timing together for a week and then we would continue, but after a week, Joe came to me with a heavy heart and said "I think we need to talk."I love my husband and his wisdom- I really do respect his opinions and the man of God that he is, so when he has reservations, I know that he has thought and prayed long and hard. Joe explained that he had taken a very close look at finances and that we could be totally debt free(besides the mortgage) in less than two years, but if we added another large expense, like a baby, now, it could take us five or more years with the interest that would build up. Even though it was the farthest thing from what i wanted to hear,I knew his heart and respected where he was coming from as the provider. He wants me to be able to stay home once we have kiddos and that puts even more pressure on him to provide. So, we prayed, and cried and decided that we could wait two more years.... God will be faithful.

As hard as it is now to put hopes on hold, I believe He will bless our hearts and our faithfulness and help these two years to be some of the greatest and most fruitful years of our marriage so far.

"While I'm Waiting" By John Waller
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Drawing Near...

2010-04-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

God has been very present in my life this week. I shouldn't say that. He is ALWAYS present- sometimes I just am so caught up in the things of the world to realize how much distance I have put between us. But this week, I can FEEL Him, and that, my friends, is something I truly love!

I have been praying and praying for a job- we have been here two months now and the stir-crazy feeling is setting in- I need to get out and be around real people again- you know the feeling? Some people like to be quiet and to themselves, but I feel like I thrive when I am around people... that said, I was offered a job this past week and I jumped on it.

Yes, I prayed first... but God wanted to teach me something- clearly.

I worked there only two days and knew right off the bat that I did not agree with their business ethics. I really struggled with it. I know that we are called to be lights in dark places, but they were asking me to tell bold-faced lies to customers and do very dishonest things that no one else seemed to have a problem with but me. I told God honestly that NO job is worth compromising my morals for and that even though i need a job right now, I am going to trust Him and I know that He will honor my heart and integrity. They might be able to sleep easy at night knowing they did dishonest things to make sales, but at the end of the day, I am accountable to God and will have to answer to Him for everything I say and do.

So, this week, I am committing every morning to spend time with Him and draw near to His heart as I seek to find the path that He has for me here. He WILL show me and I am confident that soon I will be able to tell you how He provided!

Hope you have a great weekend and know that God will reward you for standing up for the truth and being a light to those around you by not compromising!

Philippians 4:8 NIV
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Looking for a great book to read? I am not usually a reader, but can't put down "A Woman After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George...very encouraging and challenging-I would highly recommend it!

Cherry Blossom Festival...A+!

2010-04-04T20:32:00.001-07:00

Sweet hubby and I got a chance to spend some time together and since he got a few days off work for Easter, we decided to be adventurous and go explore! We had heard about the "Cherry Blossom Festival" in DC and the news kept saying the blooms were in "peak bloom," so we decided to book the dog in the doggy hotel for the weekend and took off Saturday to DC to see what it was all about. Originally, we were going to spend the weekend there, but one day was plenty. The drive was less than two hours and then we found parking close to a metro station for only a dollar( no, neither of us had ever done public transit), bought our passes to the train, and thirty minutes later, we were in downtown DC!

I think our mouths hung open catching flies all day- it was amazing to see all the monuments and statues and symbols of freedom that we have seen on tv and in history books all of our lives, but to see them in PERSON is an entirely different thing altogether! Midway through the day our camera battery died and without a store in sight we gave up on taking any more pictures (our camera only takes a special lithium-ion battery, so it wasn't as easy as dropping into a walgreens to grab some AA's). But, while the camera was working, we got some great pictures!
Washington Monument

Jefferson Memorial...if you look really close, you can see hundreds of cherry blossom trees in the background- there were over three thousand of them in total! We later learned that the National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.

I'm not going to lie, the subway was quite...unnerving to say the least! I was literally almost in tears the first few stops- it goes SO fast and we sat in a place where we were moving backwards, so looking out made me nauseous. Joe was gracious enough to hold onto me and calm me down, but be prepared- they take awhile to get used to! By the end of the day, I was an old pro:) and very proud of us for finding our way around in a whole new city AND mastering the public transit! Quite an accomplishment if you ask me! We will definitely go back soon to see more with charged batteries in hand! The amount of people was INSANE...it felt like we fought with crowds of thousands of people all day long and walked probably ten miles or more, so maybe next time we will have to go when there's not a national festival going on! So much we still wanted to see!

Lessons learned:
1)Get ready for 45 miute lines to porta-potties that have no toilet paper or sanitizer- BRING YOUR OWN in your purse!!!
2)Hold on to the subway rails for dear life...the train comes to very sudden stops and will catapult you towards the front of the car. On a similar note: stand back from the platforms when the trains are coming in...the wind from them feels like it will knock you over!
3)Listen to the warnings on the intercom in the subway "CAUTION:If you are riding with us for the first time, you should know that our metro doors are not like elevator doors...if an arm or a leg is caught in the door, the door will not reopen like an elevator!"
4)Wear VERY comfy shoes-- i wanted to go hug the girls that looked so cute in their heels and say "God bless you honey, because your feet are going to KILL you later on!"
5)Buy a map...pronto!
6)Heed traffic cops and their whistles...people drive CRAZY and you dont want to be in the street at the wrong time!

All in all, a wonderful time, perfect weather, great day and quality time spent together, which is always a plus! If you are in the area this time next year, I would HIGHLY recommend it- pictures just do not do it justice...it's truly breathtaking to see!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Weekend in Review...

2010-03-28T19:19:00.001-07:00

Even though I don't have a job right now, ( god will provide in His time) I SO look forward to weekends because it means I get my Joe to myself all weekend long. At the new job here in PA, he works LONG hours and is so tired by the time he gets home, so the weekends are nice to relax and get to work on projects ( I know, those two don't exactly go together). The weekend is almost over, but I had a great time with my man... he makes me laugh so hard.

Some of the funniest things came out of his mouth this weekend...
- We were at the furniture store looking around (sometimes we just like to look- he looks around while i plot out my new someday-couch to replace the "lima bean"). Joe saw the new Paula Deen line of furniture and said "Look, Paula Deen, I wonder if they mix butter into the paint?"
-Joe is trying to work on "words of encouragement"- my love languages are quality time and words of encouragement. He called me Friday from work and asked me out on a date and told me to get dressed up. We tried out a very nice Italian restaurant about 30 minutes away and we're holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes, candlelight setting the mood and sweet hubby looks at me and says, "katy, you're so ...special, but not short-bus special." Killed the mood but we had a good laugh! He tries:).

We tried a new church this morning, bought a new desk for the office, got things more organized for the garage sale of the century, and just spent time together inside since we have had so much rain that our backyard looks like a swimming pool at this point.

Great weekend. Looking forward to a short week since Joe will get a 3-day weekend for Easter!

If you want to know how to pray for us, please be praying for:
-Katy to get a job that I will not have to work too many late nights or weekends so I can still spend time with Joe.
-Joe to do well at his job, to have integrity and that his character would show.
-That we would find a church home quickly where we can plug-in and serve.
-That we will continue to make progress on getting out of debt and that God will reward our faithfulness and help it to go more quickly than we think
-That God will lead us and give us direction on big life decisions to come...

Thank you TBCH!

2010-03-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know how they do this, but somehow, the Texas Baptist Children's Home found my blog and the quote I made about "God is a God of chocolate-covered strawberries" when I wrote about Joe's suprise birthday grill... look here for the link! Very exciting! Since they are listening, I'd like to say a personal thank you:

"Dear Don Cramer and TBCH Family,
I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you did for me and my family. You gave hope, you gave us a chance to get back on our feet, you showed us so much love, and you were 'Jesus in skin' to us every step of the way. When some people hear our story they are shocked and start to say that they are sorry for us, but I quickly assure them that this was God's very best plan for us at that point in our lives. When we look back on those days, I don't remember all the terrible things going on with an absentee father abandoning us or the fear of becoming homeless or not knowing where our next meal would come from. Rather, Chris(my brother) and I remember some of the best times of our lives. I remember feeling like we were at a year- round summer camp, and I remember that is where I really believed for the first time that Jesus loved ME and was going to make sure that I was taken care of and loved no matter what. You cannot possibly ever know the true impact you make on the lives of everyone who passes through your doors. When I got engaged and we started talking about the wedding planning, there wasn't a question in my mind where i wanted my wedding- TBCH of course! They became like family and we are forever grateful for you love and selflessness. Thanks for the best time of our lives in the middle of some of the worst storms. You are passing on a legacy that will touch countless lives to come. God bless you all- thank you for everything you do- stars on your crown in eternity!! Love you all so much!

Love, Katy Stein....."

Welcome to our Home!

2010-03-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

Although some rooms still look like this....
....we have made significant progress in most rooms- enough that i am willing to share pictures of the house with you! So as promised, here are pictures of our new Pennsylvania home...enjoy!

This is the front of our home...i put this wreath up when there was still snow on the ground because i was SO ready for spring!

Due to the fact that i could see who was walking by outside from my couch, I frosted the window on the front door with some film I bought at Lowes that you apply with a squeegie...genius!

I couldn't find a coat rack or halltree that was in my budget, but i found this great little bench with storage underneath at target.com...it came in two days and was super easy to put together. The frame and wall hooks are from Hobby Lobby...the scarves are from my own collection :)

This is the dining room which I guess is technically an eat-in kitchen. I love the molding and the open floor plan in the downstairs.

The kitchen...

The sacred kitchen aid mixer... I use it all the time!

The stove

Half-bath downstairs

This is our big green couch that I affectionately refer to as Joe's lima bean couch-- he bought it by himself right out of college and picked it because, in his own words, "It's a great napping couch." This would never be the reason that a girl would ever pick a couch! Oh, boys.

Joe put up blinds throughout the house... since we only have windows on two sides of the townhome, being a middle unit, the windows we do have are huge and the house stays pretty bright. ( Can you tell that Tex is trying to get in as many pictures as he can!)

I hated the look of all the DVD's being in one tower, but i still needed some kind of storage on either side of the tv, so I got these ladder shelves at Lowe's that matched the tv stand perfectly and got two DVD baskets at Target that hide all the movies so I don't have to look at them all the time.

Here is a close-up of the bookshelves so you can tell that they aren't cluttered...Joe's not convinced- he thinks there is too much "stuff" but I think they turned out cute! ( The black wooden block with the quote says " Today's Test is Tomorrow's Testimony")

This is the master bedroom- we have a platform IKEA bedroom set that my aunt and uncle got us for our wedding, which looked fine in the last house, but this house has extra tall ceilings and it looked dwarfed in the room, so I found fabric that matched and upholstered six canvases and then got some plaques to go in between. I saw it on HGTV.

Guest bathroom that has already had a broken toilet , broken vent, and nails popping thru the shower insert! Geesh!

Guest room...the things above the bed are placemats I got at Kohl's and the flowers I found on clearance at Michael's , painted wooden blocks for the background of each, and then hotglued them together.

Guest bedtable... picture of my momma and Dave:)

So that's the house for the most part...selective rooms ( office, garage, master bath, closets, and pantry) have been left out since they are still a work in progress:) Come visit us soon friends! I have a guest room waiting and I promise to cook you breakfast every morning!

On a different note, we fired up the grill for the first time...does this look like summer or what! Can't wait till we have nicer weather!

Doing Dave Ramsey Proud...

2010-03-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

Before I go any further, you may be confused with me mentioning so many DAVE'S, so allow me to clear it up:

-there is "David" who is the biological father who we don't speak of often
-there is the "Dave" who is my sweet step dad that passed away less than a year ago
-then there is "Dave Ramsey" who is a Christian financial strategist who has a radio show and writes books on how to get out of debt and be a good steward with what you have...

Clear? K, let's begin!

Can I just brag for a quick moment? I think you need people around you who will celebrate life's little victories and cheer you on...so here goes:

Joseph and I were married November 3rd...almost two and a half years ago now! Quickly after getting married, money was TIGHT and we were spending the majority of our takehome pay on interest. We sat down and looked at our finances and we were coming up six hundred dollars in the hole each month! We each came into the marriage with loads of debt- we paid for our own cars, colleges, the wedding, each had several small credit cards, and Joe had a brand new sports car with the price tag to match. Bottom line, we were living beyond our means and were slave to the creditors who could hike our rates at any time for no reason! This was foolishness!

So, we both read a book called the "Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. He talks about being on the same page with your spouse on financial issues and making a "SNOWBALL" where you take the extra money each month and build it towards the smallest debt and then when it is paid off, you have more monthly to put towards the next largest amount you owe... so on and so forth til you are debt free and then you get to call into the radio show and scream because you earned it!

Well, we have been living by these principles for two years now and have made significant progress! It isn't always easy, but we are learning to budget and deal responsibly with our finances and someday (una dia) we will be able to get those things that we want and pay cash...no more being slaves to the lenders and the creditors!

Last night, we sat down together to pay bills and we paid off two more entire credit card balances and Joe's truck![We would have both cars paid off at this point, but a week before we moved here, my old Neon kicked the bucket ( it was paid off) and we had to get a new car to drive to PA in.] This was a HUGE victory for us! We have gotten rid of $44,875.24 in debt in two years! I truly think God honors you when you say its all His anyways, and you want to learn to be responsible with what He has blessed you with.

So, for now, the perfect Pottery Barn home and Nordstrom and Coach bags can all wait!

Hearing Loss...

2010-03-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

I think that couples need to constantly be looking for ways to reconnect with each other, which is why when i heard on the radio a few weeks ago that Toby Mac and Skillet were coming to Hershey in concert on the eighteenth, it was something I had to do. See, no offense intended, Mr. Mac or Mr. Skillet, but they are both very LOUD Christian groups, but I knew it was something Joe and I could do TOGETHER and it was a way i could serve him, taking interest in his interests.

So, last night, Joe got home a little early and we headed down the road to Hershey, equipped with earplugs, of course, and set out for a night of fun. I went in thinking i was doing this just for Joe and would suffer through it, but I actually ended up enjoying it more than I had anticipated.

Although neither band is my ideal music of choice, I have so much respect for those musicians for not selling out to be more "Alternative". They preached a very strong message about loving Jesus with all your heart and not losing your soul to the things of the world, and although at times it was tough to decipher the message thru all the , ahem, screaming in to the microphone, I know the teenagers around us were listening 100%. Who am I to judge when they are reaching out to our youth and coming across with a message of hope that teens so desperately need to hear? I say scream all you want- those teens were worshiping and it was awesome.

Here are some pictures of the night.

Joe ready to go into the concert...

This is us doing our best to fit in...we were on the floor, fourth row from the stage surrounded by sweaty teenage boys.

Skillet

The Skillet concert, complete with smoke machines, blasting columns of fire, fireworks, platforms that would project the artist thirty feet into the air...you know, all the ingredients of a good concert.

This is Toby Mac who appeared about four feet from us on a small stage and then crowd-surfed to the main stage...good entrance.

Confetti falling at the end of Toby Mac- felt like we were in the Super Bowl or something!

A good time was had by all!

So, don't call me if you need me for a few days, I won't be able to hear the phone- I think i have permanent hearing loss after last night, but it was worth it.....if you saw how big my Joe was smiling, you would understand!:)

Visit from " the Madre" (that's Spanish for "the Momma")

2010-03-19T17:56:00.001-07:00

Well, like they always are, the visit with mom was too short and I miss her already! It was so good to have her here and get to explore our new state! If you follow her blog (here), you know that she posted not one blog, but TWO while she was here and one since then (over-achiever!), but I am just now writing about our time together...I've had alot going on,k? Geesh!

This was mom at the airport...she is still happy because we didn't realize her bags were in Denver at this point... minutes later, one of my favorite quotes of the trip,"Quick, look for someone about my size with straight hair, their clothes will fit and i bet they have a blow dryer and a CHI-- i can take their bag and make a run for it!"" We made a day out of Baltimore and hung around for about six extra hours waiting on her bags to get flown in, but had a great time and ate our first Maryland crab cakes- my mouth is watering just thinking about them!

The Hanover Reunion where we met up with Dave's brother, Kevin and his daughter Katie, Dave's sister, April, and Dave's oldest daughter, Heather. It was very interesting to see where Dave grew up and Kevin gave us the grand tour...a great day that meant so much to my momma...we're the short ones if you didn't guess!

We spent a day at Chocolate World in Hershey, PA..."The Sweetest Place on Earth"

Clearly, this was where the excitement was! Mom blogging and Joe looking at March Madness probably.

Mom and Joe with his b-day gifts; he got a LED maglite (Light Emitting Diode...we looked it up) and a signed CD from his favorite artist, Todd Agnew, who my mom stalks on a regular basis at sports day I think. :)

Todd Agnew signed this for Joseph...

We had a great time... so good to see her...now back to the gym after all that food! One night we even had a "whoopie pie-tasting"...yum! Miss you momma-- hope to be coming your way soon!

My other favorite quotes from the trip:

-Joe in a Vera Bradley store " So I don't get it, are they purses or like grandma pillows?"

-Little Boy in Hershey who didn't understand the FOUL manure smell "Dad, that sure doesn't smell like chocolate to me! "

Just call me the "Surprise Queen!"

2010-03-12T05:49:00.000-08:00

First off, Joe was out of town this week so it was up to me to hold down the fort on my own... and wouldn't you know, the first day the toilet clogs! I bought a plunger and fixed it all by myself...I was pretty proud.

Okay, on to the big surprise news!
Since Joe was out of town, I had a plan. Maybe your man is like this too...he works SO extremely hard and provides for you but never does anything for himself...well that's my Joe. He recently bought me a Kitchen Aid mixer that i absolutely love and since his birthday is coming, I wanted to surprise him back. Mind you, I am terrible at surprises, so this one was really tough to pull off! Well, Joe recently gave away his little charcoal grill to the neighbor across the street who needed one, and since the weather is getting nice, I took him to Lowe's to look at the new grills. He put his hands on one after looking at them all and said "THIS is the dream grill, but this one is more in our price range." So when he left, I snuck off to Lowe's to buy my hubby his grill (and no, Dave Ramsey, this is not a step towards our snowball, but I did pay with cash thank you very much). As the man at the counter was looking for the item in top stock, I noticed a paper hanging up ( I had prayed before I walked in that if I was not supposed to get this grill that God would make it very clear)...the paper was a safety recall for the very model I was about to buy and listed numerous problems and fire hazards. I showed the salesman, Steve, and he was shocked and said they weren't even supposed to have this out on the floor and for fear of lawsuits, they would not be selling me this grill, understandably.

Saddened, I got my things together to leave empty-handed and Steve said, "Ma'am, can you wait one minute?" He came back with a big grin, put his hand on my shoulder and said "Ma'am, can I ask you a personal question? Are you a Christian?" I said well...yes, why? Steve informed me that this never happens, but the manager had agreed to sell me the DREAM GRILL at the same price since they messed up by having the bad grill out on the floor!!! He said, "You looked like you were praying, that's why I asked." WOW! I was so blown away! Now not only did Joe get a grill, he got THE DREAM GRILL!

So I got a neighbor with a truck to help me get it home, since Joe had taken our truck to the airport, and it took four of us to get it out of the truck and into the house. When Joe got home from Ohio last night, this is what he saw!

He was very happy...he SO deserves it! Happy Birthday, Love!

When my biological father left us when Chris and I were very young, God looked after us every step of the way. He took a homeless, single mom and her two young children and helped us to find a home at the Texas Baptist Children's Home where we were able to get back on our feet- God bless those people! We had nothing- we even went to the commissary for food, but God always provided and we never went without. I remember one year, it was time for the famous Lamme's Candy chocolate-covered strawberries to come out, but a freak ice storm left the trucks unable to deliver their shipments, so they donated them to the Children's Home. Ever the teacher, my mom used this time to teach us a wonderful principle about God; not only was He providing, but He was providing for our every need according to His riches and glory...after that, we always said "God is a God of chocolate-covered strawberries."

When the salesman at Lowe's came out and said they wanted to give me a grill twice as expensive for the same price, I began to cry. I hugged him, hugged the manager, hugged the person helping me check-out. They probably all thought I was an emotional basket-case, but all I could think is "God, you really ARE a God of chocolate-covered strawberries!"

The Inheritance Giveaway...

2010-03-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

I follow a blog called Baby Bangs that is absolutely precious, and although I do not have kids yet, I feel like I can totally relate many days. Her name is Amanda and she is actually one of Beth Moore's two daughters and she has two young children- great blog, I would highly recommend it.

Anyways, I was looking at my Dashboard and catching up on blogs and this one pricked my heart. Her Post today was titled The Inheritance Giveaway. Basically, they are a group of three girls who have all moved on in life and gotten married and started families, but one of the girlfriends is not able to have children and wants nothing more than to be a mother. She and her husband feel like God is calling them to adopt and have been matched with a birth mother and soon will have their own little bundle of joy...but adoption is expensive! So to help offset the cost a little for their friend, they are selling tshirts that say " to the least of these" based off of Matthew 25:40.

Sometimes it seems like everywhere you turn people are asking for money for another cause or another kid has a fundraiser and wants you to buy ridiculously over-priced chocolate or wrapping paper, but this really stuck with me. I feel like I know Amanda thru her blogs and her friend is in need and the shirts are only $25 with tax and shipping included...that I could not resist. I think that it is an awesome testimony that God has such a huge plan for this tiny baby already and I couldn't help thinking about my friends the Himes who just lost their tiny Anna less than a month ago. If it was me, I would want people's help and prayers- every little bit helps. A tshirt is such a simple thing and $25 such a relatively small amount in the scope of things....

Give it a look and maybe you can help too- what great friends this girl has! I know she would appreciate anything, even if it's just prayers that you can give right now.

God can even speak through HGTV...

2010-03-11T05:05:00.000-08:00

In our house, we watch alot of HGTV. Doing the Dave Ramsey thing, he encourages you to cut out anything extra, so for our fist two years of marriage we only had very basic channels, no cable. I so missed my HGTV and Joseph missed his sports, but we had a house to work on and two full time jobs and plus, it saved us about sixty dollars a month to put towards debt.

When we moved to Pennsylvania, the cable was the same price as the basic we were paying for in Missouri and on top of that, they gave us a box, so we get OnDemand and all the new HD channels. Life is good. I have my Decorating channels and Joe got SOME sports, but was bummed to find out we do not get the Big Twelve.

Our favorite HGTV shows are things like House Hunters or Property Virgins or My First Place. We are not home renovation experts by any means, but being in our mid- twenties and having a demo/reno under our belt and having purchased two homes, I think we are much more cautious/observant than others our age buying their first home. I think what happens when a new home buyer starts looking for that first home, something inside triggers a mechanism that makes their eyes automatically glaze over. They are so intent on looking for everything on their checklist that they forget to remember the important things. My mother-in-law is a realtor and I am sure that she can attest to this... they just have no home-sense, so you have to have the right realtor who wants you in the right house and will talk you down from the ledge of a home that is not right for the home buyers as opposed to a realtor who is only concerned with closing as many deals as they can to benefit their own pockets! A good example of this is a little couple friend of ours here that was looking at a house that was a short sale...nice home, but the previous tenants had absolutely trashed it, meaning a lot of extra work for them should they purchase it. Their realtor was telling them that they needed to move FAST and put in an offer TODAY and they did not, in his opinion, need to get an inspection. WHAT! This realtor does NOT have their best interest in mind. Joe and I tried to gently insist that you should never buy a home without inspection, especially when you know the previous owners did not take care of the place.

So last night I watched the most unbelievable episode I have ever seen of My First Place. The couple was having their first baby and momma was VERY pregnant. Classic case of the eyes glazed over. They love the house, love the wood floors, love the new appliances, and then there is a smell and they walled down into the basement...cue the scary music! There is over a FOOT of standing water. The sewer has backed up and since it is unoccupied, no one notices, but it was awful! I SO wanted to call our young friends and say "turn on the TV-- this is what happens when you don't get an inspection...something like this could happen and you would be stuck with the cost!" But, I resisted the urge and continued on. The unbelievable part was the husband still WANTED the house! He thought this was a great way to get a price reduction on the house! Can you imagine? So, they have the city drain the water and bring in an inspector and the inspector immediately tells pregnant momma to leave--- there is so much black mold that no one is safe and the bank is only willing to give a 3% credit to remedy the problem, even though it will probably cost in the neighborhood of $60-80k for everything that needs to be repaired and all the mold removal.

So, where am I going with this? Well, I just thought, that is so disgusting- why would anyone WANT to live in that home? But, you know, that is exactly what you and I do daily in our hearts. We look so good and churchy on the outside, but inside there is stinky crud everywhere...and this is where we invite Jesus to live! I have been so convicted lately that I do not want to live a life that is fake, but a very real and honest life that others can see how God used me, faults and all. I think that is what turns people off of Christianity altogether- they see through the fake-ness and are disgusted. What they need to see is Christians being very open and laying it all on the line and being real. They need to see that there are no perfect people, just a perfect God who loves us all, even with our stinky filth.

Today I start spring-cleaning in my heart, making it a home that I will be proud to offer Jesus. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

"Come and make my heart your home.
Come and be everything I am and all I know.
Search me through and through, till my heart becomes a home for you.

Let everything I do open up a door for you to come through,
so that my heart would be a place where you want to be."

-Watermark

My Tex is no Ava!

2010-03-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

Really, do they get any cuter than this?

So, my friend, A, who writes a darling blog called threelocketts ( which I would link you to here if i knew how to!) and is always sharing cute stories and pictures...even VIDEOS of her sweet little princess, Ava, and what do I have...a dog who licks his own bottom. Exciting, I know! Someday I hope to have a little baby too, but in the mean time, Tex is our only child. Last night I was catching up on A's blog and little Ava was singing a song on the video-- Tex was freaking out trying to find where this new noise was coming from...he was dead asleep, he shot up and started running around the room searching for where the song was coming from. We were laughing so hard...i bet we played the song ten times to watch his reaction ( and hear sweet Ava's voice of course).

So, A, your baby may be cuter and sing sweeter, but mine is hair-ier and smellier...ok I give, you win on all counts! Man I think I need a baby!

So here is Tex watching Ava sing( he's a little tamer seeing as this was probably the tenth time he had seen it in a row!)...enjoy!

Customer service at it's finest...

2010-03-09T06:02:00.000-08:00

I have worked customer service for many many years and I know you can get some ugly customers, so I always go out of my way to be friendly in stores-- they get enough crud from others without me being pouty.

So, this morning, I called Sam's Club. It is in Maryland (only 20 minutes away) and I do not have a membership. Here is how the conversation went:

Me: "Hi, I don't have a membership, but is there something like a day pass to try it out?"
Customer Service Person who woke up on the wrong side of the bed: "Yes."
Me: "OK good, so I can just come in and shop to decide if I want a membership?"
CSPWWUOTWSOTB: "No. That's not how it works."
Me: " OK can you tell me how it works."
CSPWWUOTWSOTB: "Do you have a guest pass?"
Me: Not yet.
CSPWWUOTWSOTB: " Well then you can't get one."
Me:"What, why? I thought you just said that I could get one?"
CSPWWUOTWSOTB:"Yeah but you have to find one in a magazine or email."
Me: "OK...Is there SOMETHING I can get just for today to make sure I would USE the $40 yearly membership before I buy it?"
CSPWWUOTWSOTB:"Yes, it's called a Browser pass."
Me: "OK how do I get one of those?"
CSPWWUOTWSOTB: (who is now taking a nasty tone with me)"Maam, you come to the service desk."
Me:"OK I'm just trying to make sure so I don't drive all this way for nothing. SO, you're saying I can come in and get a 'Browser Pass' and shop around for one day, right?"
CSPWWUOTWSOTB:"Maam, (very huffy now) I said you could BROWSE, you know, like walk around, but not actually BUY anything...that's why it's called a Browser Pass!"
Me:" So basically, unless you find one of these magical "day passes" that don't actually exist, you have to buy a membership to buy ANYTHING?"
CSPWWUOTWSOTB:"You got it."
Me: " Why didn't you just tell me that in the beginning?"
CLICK.

ugh! I hope you dont have to call in to Sam's in Maryland...they are not the friendliest today!

Knock, knock!!!

2010-03-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

Nothing motivates my young adult heart to hardcore cleaning like a few simple words: "MOM'S COMING!"

I love my momma dearly (and I'm not just saying that because I know she will be reading this) but I just cannot have a dirty home when she comes to visit. Maybe it is a subliminal way to prove that I am an adult now since she had to deal with a very messy version of me growing up. It's almost like I'm showing her that I have departed from my teenage slobby ways and can be a grown up.

So, my momma's coming on Saturday to come visit for the first time since we have been in Pennsylvania and I am so extremely excited! We haven't seen each other since Christmas and I miss her big time-- I always love when she comes to visit because I feel like I get my bearings back- she just gets me ( something you would have never heard coming from my teenage katy mouth!). Mom's famous saying is "Leftovers and house guests get old after more than three days." There ARE some house guests that get old, but my momma( and my momma-in-law for that matter) are not included in that list by any means. They are the "refreshers" that you love to be around and after a few days with them, you feel totally renewed. I want to be that kind of person!

So, mom, looking forward to seeing you and a wonderful visit... Pennsylvania is BEAUTIFUL and I think you will really like it here. I will work on cleaning and getting your guest room ready!:)

A few of my favorite things...

2010-03-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

I am a gadget junkie...seriously! I love new things that claim to make my life easier, and even more so when they are kitchen gadgets that really work.

So here are a few of my favorite things in the kitchen (besides my new Kitchen Aid mixer of course!)

I love all things OXO and Simple Human- smart designs that simplify my life! I could go to Bed Bath and Beyond and spend hours in the kitchen section looking at all their cool ideas.

This is the OXO Good Grips one handed paper towel holder. The nice thing is you dont have to touch it with two dirty hands when you need a paper towel- just grab the end and pull. Plus, the bottom is weighted, so when you pull it doesn't fall over.

This grater comes with a little tupperware that hooks onto the bottom and a lid so you can grate cheese and then store it in the fridge. Good idea.

This is a green plastic knife that is for cutting your lettuce... they claim that by cutting it with plastic, rather than metal, it helps the lettuce edges not brown so fast- I think it works pretty well.

I registered for this as a wedding gift because my aunt had one and loved it so she insisted that I needed one too. I wasn't sure if I would use it all that much, but I use it all the time-- makes chopping things up so quick.

This salad spinner is so nifty- you rinse in the colander basket and then places inside of the bowl, press til it starts spinning and now your lettuce is clean and dry...so nice!

Okay, this can opener is seriously cool. You crank it all the way around the can and then grab the can lid with the other end and lift the can top off with no sharp edges to cut you!

This avacado tool is from Crate and Barrel. With one tool, you can scoop out the pit, separate the outside peel from the avacado "guts" and then turn it over and mash it up for guacamole- yum!

You've seen an apple corer, well same idea, but this is a mango splitter...great idea! They also make a larger scale version of this for cantaloupes, but I would rather cut it by hand to save space in my cabinets (it's pretty big).

This Simple Human stainless steel trashcan was a major splurge, but it's so nice! Not only is it sleek and clean and easy to keep clean, it has a pedal and when you push it to open the lid, it has something in there that makes the lid close slowly so it doesnt slam... the other nice thing is the trash can has a hidden bin inside that the bag tucks in to so that you can't see the bag hanging over the edges and it never falls inside when you throw away something heavy.

Okay, this is my favorite new one by far! It's a pineapple corer! You slice off the top leafy part of the pineapple and center the tool, stab it in and start to twist. When you get to the bottom of the pineapple, you pull up and not only is it cored, but it sliced it in a spiral as you twisted down- so cool! LOVE IT...

This is the finished product!

Told you I was a junkie... is it totally lame that I get so excited about these kinds of things? Please tell me SOMEONE else gets excited about cool gadgets?!? Anyone?

YES MAN

2010-03-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the movie YES MAN with Jim Carrey? Well, I haven't personally, but being the intuitive young lady that I am, I 'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the movies revolves around a guy who says YES to everything...am I close?

Well, my sweet friend Christy who is a military wife had many loooong talks with me before our move and gave me some great advice- harsh at times, but good nonetheless. I think the greatest thing she said to me was "When you get there, you need to be the YES MAN." Confused, she continued to tell me that the way she gets to know people when she moves to a new place is simply to say "YES" to whatever situation she is put in.

So this last three weeks or so I have made that my goal; I am the YES MAN.
Meet new neighbors and bring over cookies and snacks to each: YES.
Go try new churches every Sunday: YES.
Make lunch dates with potential girl friends: YES.
Find a running buddy: YES.
Go with a neighbor to pick out a Bible study we can do together: YES.
Make dinner dates with other couples: YES.
Have people over even though the house is not finished and totally unpacked: YES.
Join a new Gym: YES....spinning on Tuesdays with Jenn: ...um,MAYBE.

I know how important friends are, and I also know how lonely it can be to lock yourself inside in a new house all day in a new town with feet of snow on the ground. Girls NEED each other. We have thousands of words each day to use up, while our poor men use up their meager few hundred at work... girls, we have GOT to stick together! So, my goal is to make healthy relationships quickly and find the people that God has chosen to bring into my life on this move and pray for direction. Moving can be hard, new places can be lonely, and the thought of meeting all new people can be tiring and sometimes scary, but this is where God has brought us in this season of our life and we just want to make the best of it all and have "joy in the journey" and "happy hearts" as my sweet momma says.

So, here's my challenge for you today: find something that you can get out of your comfort zone and say YES to-- it might just turn out better than you think!

Catastrophic Cookies!

2010-03-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

Not to toot my own horn, but I think I might possibly be in the running for making the best chocolate chip cookies...EVER. Ok, maybe it is bragging a little, but everyone has something, right? Well, mine is cookies and it makes my sweet husband so happy when I make them. He rolls his eyes and pretends like he is embarassed to take the extra plate to work the next day to share, but deep down, I think he's really proud to get to show them off like a little boy at show and tell. That's what I picture in my mind at least. But he always comes home with an empty tupperware... and yes, we have had "THE TUPPERWARE TALK." You know, the one where you write your last name all over it and then threaten them within an inch of their lives if they don't return your prized tupperware home that same day because we all know that when women see good tupperware left at the office, it's as good as gone! Back to the empty tupperware, the thought has crossed my mind before that maybe the cookies never even made it to work; maybe he ate them all on the drive! I digress.

But seriously, cookies = my thing. K, end of story. If you think yours are better, we can have a bake off and I'm putting my money on me (shocking I know!).

Well, I keep my super-secret, highly-coveted recipe written on a very old, very worn index card that is usually kept safe in my index card box in the kitchen by all my other recipes. This is where the story gets intense: I made cookies right before we moved and the super-secret, highly-coveted recipe did not make it back into the box...GASP! I seriously think Martha Stewart snuck in again to try to steal another recipe from me. BAD MARTHA, BAD GIRL... remember prison, hmm? you wanna go back there? THEN RETURN MY RECIPE! Okay, being a tad dramatic, but THE COOKIE RECIPE IS LOST...this is serious stuff, people! You think you have made them so many times you could do it from memory, but not so my friends!

So, today, I thought I can do this, just think hard, look at the Nestle recipe, and modify it til it looks like the old one. Well, let me tell you, it was a flop. Disastrous, resounding, stinking flop. (Is that enough adjectives for you?) I tried to tell myself it was because of the higher elevation, new appliances that I'm not used to, a new mixer...see! I was so desparate that I even blamed my new mixer-- something's very wrong here!

So tomorrow i might try again but for now i think the birds will have cookies for a long time. If I lent you the recipe, can you PLEASE send it to me. I'm just sick about it!

CAUTION: Do not be fooled by new construction!

2010-03-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

I just have to vent quickly: new construction has NOT been all it's cracked up to be so far!

Our last home in Missouri was built circa 1968, so understandably it needed lots of love and remodeling, which we did and made a pretty good little profit. We had originally intended to buy another fixer-upper here in PA, and even were under contract on a GREAT 1920's colonial, but ultimately, we decided to go with a brand new home instead. The choice was tough to make; i LOVED the old home and all the original hardwood floors throughout and all the character-- it did my little designer's heart good! But, with Joe's schedule and hours still very much unknown, we just didn't want to put all of his time off into the house and miss this beautiful place and all the great things there are to do around here. So, we sucked it up and paid a little more to get a brand new townhome in a very up and coming neighborhood. I think our general assumption was "it's new, so there will be nothing for us to do!" WRONG!!!

Now, before i go any further, let me stop and say that i am truly thankful for our new little home and I know that we are so very blessed...don't get me wrong, we love it here and this is exactly where we are supposed to be right now in life.

That said, we were in NO way prepared for the number of things that can go wrong in a new home! I have been here a month now and I have had a different contractor/ painter/ handyman here almost every single day! There is NO WAY I could have a job right now and still be able to coordinate everyone! This is all at the builder's expense, of course, because we have a year warranty on everything in the house, thank goodness! But seriously, the ceiling drywall had to be redone, multiple cracks in walls, baseboards and molding separating from the walls, windows broken, brand new energy star appliances breaking, sliding door locking me out beecause it slips off the track, bubbles in the floor, cracks and chips in the tub/shower surrounds,a potty that was broken, a vent that didn't work, a leak in the sink that almost flooded the kitchen...COME ON PEOPLE! I email the builder on almost a daily basis...I know he is probably totally fed up with me by now, but I just bought a brand new home, and that's exactly what I expect to get for what we paid!

I told Joe today, "You know, I think T.M.(our builder who will remain nameless...for now) should have to live in one of his own houses so he can see the quality of work he is putting in to these new homes...just like Obama should have to get the healthcare that he's proposing for the rest of the nation instead of his own Cadillac insurance!" Whatever happened to people taking pride in their work...hmmm? So there you go, I solved the world's problems once again!

I like to experiment....

2010-03-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you are like me, but I get SO tired of the same old meals over and over again. I have resolved to try new things and new recipes, even if they sound scary or above my head. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? Well, I bought a "Real Simple" magazine and picked a few recipes to try. The first was a shrimp and corn chowder. I mainly picked it because it was cold and I wanted some kind of hearty soup for dinner, but I also picked it because it had veggies I have never tried and we have an awesome grocery store that has an amazing organic produce section-- I am in heaven!

And the never before eaten veggies are:

leeks and fennel!

Now, I am not a mother of young children, so I don't know how to make kids try new things and eat healthy, but what I do have is a hungry man who is willing to try my home cooking if it smells good. My secret: I don't tell him what's in it til after he tries it! So, for the shrimp and corn chowder, would you like to see the secret ingredient? Hmm... well here it is!

The funny thing about this recipe is I was grocery shopping the day before and I saw Clam Juice on the shelf and I said ( out - loud by the way) "sick!" Boy, did I eat my words! They even make a drink up here called "Clamato" because people can't get enough of the stuff! It's basically the clammy version of v8 with clam juice and tomato all in one...yum! OK, I'm honestly gagging just thinking about it!

But, the chowder was a huge success! I was proud- we tried new things and I have expanded our food tastes. I say bring on the picky eaters!

I have to tell you one last funny story. When I leave to go run errands, I usually leave either the tv or the radio on so that the dog has some noise. Living in a townhome with neighbors that share the walls with us, there are so many new noises and the dog really freaks out, so I leave a little bit of background noise so he's not so paranoid and feels like someone's here with him. I know, it's silly and it's a waste of energy and electricity, but i use energy efficient light bulbs and I recycle, so I think i can afford to do this every once in a while!

So, you know how in a previous post I talked about how I am such a sucker for QVC, not that I buy, but just that I get sucked into their presentations even if its something I don't need. Well, I came home and the tv is blaring loud and it's on QVC (I distinctly remember putting it on HGTV) and this is how the dog is sleeping.

Now, tell me, is he my dog or what! :)

2010-03-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

So much has happened since i wrote last! The snow is melting, March has arrived, and I have never been more excited for spring! Much to our excitement, we have grass- actual grass under the snow! You forget how exciting the little things can be when you have hunkered down indoors for several weeks!

We officially closed on our house on the nineteenth of February and are now proud Pennsylvania homeowners!

If you know me at all, you know my middle name is NOT grace! Well, on Thursday, I fell down the stairs while Joe was at work. I knew it wasn't bad enough to go to the ER because i could still walk, so I iced it and took lots of ibuprofen. After seeing the baseball size purple bruise that popped up, Joe decided to stay home with me Friday and take me to the doctor. Finding a new doctor in a new town that accepts your insurance is never a fast or easy task, and is especially difficult when you are in tremendous pain! Joe found me a doctor quickly and got me there- what a guy! I told him not to take it personally if the nurses thought that I was being abused- everyone tries to play the " I fell down the stairs" bit, but it takes a truly gifted person like me to actually pull it off! So, after a brief (awkward)doctor visit, the doctor said I had probably fractured my tailbone, but there is nothing you can really do for tailbones besides rest and meds. Boo. So, lots of meds and ice and sitting on a donut, which i am embarrassed to carry around with me.

As if it's not bad enough having to use this thing, look what they named it!

Watching tv Friday night we saw that Macy's was having a huge sale and Kitchen Aid mixers were going to be 33% off on Saturday morning. I'm telling you, I cannot remember a time when i didn't want one of these! I always joke with Joe and tell him "If you think i am a good cook now, JUST WAIT till i get a Kitchen Aid mixer!" So, Saturday morning, i forgot how bad my bum was hurting and we got in the car and drove to the nearest Macy's and I am now the proud momma of a brand new silver Architect Series 5 quart Kitchen Aid Mixer! The neighbors across the street go look for churches with us on Sundays, so I invited them over for breakfast before church. They were laughing and said "we've never been invited over for breakfast before," and I said well, then you've never known anyone with a new mixer that is dying to use it! So, thank you sweet husband for my coveted mixer and I promise to deliver with yummy treats as a result! Love you, love the dog, but right now, I think I love my mixer the most!:)

We tried a new church yesterday named Christian Life Church and we really liked it. The people were genuine and they seemed to be right on with what we believe. The best part...YOUNG PEOPLE EVERYWHERE!!! yay! You have no idea how much this simple thing excites us at this point! So we stayed after service and talked to all of them and found out they have a 20-something group that was meeting for tacos and games that night. I was really hurting, but I was NOT going to miss out on this chance to meet so many new friends! So, I popped another pill ( this just does not sound right before going to a church function!) and we went. We ate and played charades and came away very excited and encouraged about our new group of friends! Thank you God!

So, back to cleaning the house and getting things in order. My mom will be here in less that three weeks and I just can't wait to see her! It's only been since Christmas, but I really miss her and am excited to show her around Pennsylvania and our new home!

Come on Spring!

Heavy heart this morning...

2010-02-12T06:45:00.000-08:00

While in Missouri I was so lucky to meet a great group of girls. There were ten of us in our Bible study from all different churches and all different backgrounds, but it just worked. Saying goodbye was hard and i miss them all so much already. On my way out of town, Kelsey called me and asked me to come see her nursey before we left. She and husband Bryan had already been through one very difficult miscarriage months earlier and she was so excited about baby Anna. We had showers and sent cards, and decorated...we were all so happy for Kelsey and Bryan and just knew that they would be excellent parents.

Whitney, one of Kelsey's very dearest friends, called me this morning in tears. Kelsey felt some extra movement and later learned that the baby was strangled by the umbilical cord. She was nine months pregnant and only one week away from her due date. I just do not even have words to tell you how heavy my heart is this morning.

Kelsey will still have to give birth to the baby either today or tomrrow, which sounds just awful, adding insult to injury. I know that these kinds of things happen all the time without any explanation, but the fact is, it's never hit this close to home and my heart is just broken for my friends. I think the very worst thing I keep playing over in my head is them coming home to that empty nursery. This should be the happiest time of their life, and yet, it all changed in an instant. Lord, be their peace and walk them through this valley of the shadow of death.

Below is the email I sent to my Bible study girls this morning.

"Girls, be the hands and feet-- i so wish i was there to help. Think of what you can do, whether it is to bring food, send cards, just sit with her or be a shoulder she can cry on, walk her dog, clean her house, clean the nursery out when she is ready, whatever it is, we need to be there for Kelsey and Bryan.

Can I pray? Will you agree with me?
God, we don't understand your ways and your will and timing, and we are all hurting for Kelsey and Bryan during this awful time of overwhelming sadness. We just pray that you would bring the peace and comfort that only you can bring and hold them in your arms right now even as we pray. You love them so much and your Word says that you will restore what the locusts have taken away and devoured, and in Jeremiah you say that your plans are to prosper and not to harm us, to give us a future and a hope. We believe that you still have the plan and as hard as it is, we believe that you will help Kelsey and Bryan to grow from this and to not only grow closer together but also closer to your heart. Lord, bring peace. Bring healing. We dont have words to say, but at the end of the day we trust you and that is all that we can do."

If you want to send a card to Kelsey and Bryan Himes, even if you don't know them, their address is :
203 N. James Drive
Clinton, MO 64735

Because I think it helps me more to pray when i have a picture in my mind of who i am praying for, here is a picture of the sweet Himes family taken just weeks ago at our going away party.

"The pathway is broken and the signs are unclear,
And I don't know the reason why you've brought me here.
But just because you love me the way that you do,
I'm gonna walk thru the valleys if you want me to.

Cause I'm not who I was when I took my first step,
And I'm clinging to the promise that you're not through with me yet.
But you never said it would be easy...
You only said I'd never go alone.

So when the whole world turns against me and I'm all by myself,
And I cant hear you answer my cries for help,
I'll remember the suffering your love put you through,
And I will walk throught the valley if you want me to."

-Ginny Owens

LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

A bright day in the middle of the blizzards of 2010!

2010-02-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was especially exciting! Right before all the snow came, I had several visitors.

My first visitor was the plumber who came to fix the broken toilet...nothing special there. ( Believe me, new construction has not been all it's cracked up to be! I think we found more things wrong in this brand new house than we did in our home in Missouri built in 1968!)

My second visitor was a sweet little old round man named "Guy Music" ...isn't that such a happy name! He was so sweet. He was from the church we visited this past Sunday with our neighbors M&O and he braved the snow to come give me a giftbag with information on the church and the best homemade cinnamon bread you have ever tasted...makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

And apparently i had a third visitor too, but they didnt knock or ring the doorbell, so when i went to get the mail, this was on my front steps! How they ever made it up my street in the snow is still a mystery, but i'm sure glad they did- it really brightened my day! Thanks Keek!

Inside was this sweet note from one of my dearest friends from high school,Ciarra ( the lucky duck who is in California! Rough life!) Her hubby is in the military so she has made several moves with him already in their few short years together...she totally gets it!

And inside the box were these BEAUTIFUL flowers! Gerbera Daisies are my favorites! So pretty!

Anyways, so I think for only being here for two weeks we have done fairly well... we have had dinner or gone to hang out with another neighbor couple almost evey night, which has been nice not to have to cook and plus we get to make new friends! It will be my turn soon to have everyone over to our home, but for now, my house looks like this in just about every room...boxes to the ceiling!

I did cook the other night for Joe's first day of work-- I made fresh grilled salmon with olive oil and seasonings, couscous with pine nuts,(which Joe affectionately refers to as "that rice-y stuff")and a caesar salad...can you tell we're working on portion control!

Joe gives the thumbs up, so I guess it will be a repeat meal(even though the house smelled strongly of fish for the next three days!)

I was grateful for all my visitors and a bright spot in an otherwise nasty week!