An update on my decision making blog from 2 MONTHS AGO...has it really been that long!?
What color to paint our bedroom? Or do I paint out bedroom?
YES!! We picked 2 shades of a blue/gray - Autumn Fog & Winter Flannel. We have almost finished our bathroom and will hopefully get the bedroom done before we leave for the summer.
How, where & when to dig a french drain in our yard...so that water doesn't sit on my foundation?
Well...it's been raining yet again...and we have a lake in our backyard as usual. Still not sure the best option.
Should I build a pergola in the back yard, or just a lattice wall?
Should I start walking in the morning at 6:15 or wait until after work when Jon can walk with me?
I didn't start walking, however I did start going back to Tae-robics...which is by far my favorite workout! Though it's only once or twice a week, I feel so much better!
When do we purchase a new car? Or do we just let one of our cars die before we think about it?
I'll blog about this real soon...but Jon's car finally gave up the fight. It died 3 weeks ago at just over 152,000 miles. Jon was very sad...for now we will remain a 1 car family and save some money over the summer.
Where an when to do we take a vacation this year?
As my friend reminded me...there's always Disney World! Not sure if we'll go again or not, but we are planning to take a couple of long weekend trips to Dallas and possibly Chicago.
Do we have children or not? ( I know. This is pretty huge decision compared to the others)
This one is still up in the air!
*****************************************************************************
We leave a week from Friday for the first 4 weeks of MOVE. We go to Anderson, IN for 2 weeks, then on to Holland, MI for another 2 weeks. We have a really great group of interns this year. They have only been in the office for a week, but are knocking projects out like crazy!
I've been "officially" off for the summer as of May 15...but somehow I'm still working between 6 & 10 hours a week...hhmm...
I have been cleaning out all of the closets in our 3 bedrooms, taking things to Goodwill, throwing things out, and selling books and other random things at a local flea market!
Book recommendation of the week (not that I'm one to regularly recommend books!):
"The Shack" by William P Young.
We read this book in our CIY wives book club a few weeks ago. It's blowing my mind! I highly recommend this as a summer read!
Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post next time :)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
I have decided...
So there's this thing about me. I have a hard time making decisions. For example, it took me almost exactly 1 year of my life to decide to go ahead and date Jon. Then it took another full year and a half to decide it was okay to marry him. He called me out!
He delicately pointed out to me that I am a fence walker. I love standing on top of the fence because I can see both sides. When I'm on a fence I can enjoy both sides of the situation, see them from above and manage them both. But when I am forced to jump off the fence and into one yard or the other...that's where my problem begins. Did you know that if you jump off the fence and into the one yard...you can't see the other side anymore? But what if the flowers are blooming over there and they aren't in the yard I picked? What if the grass is greener? What if the house is bigger? What if...what if...what if?
I do great once I decide to make a decision. I have very little trouble following through, but deciding to decide is a big problem! And believe me, I can find just about any excuse in the book as to why I can't make a decision. This problem carries over into much of my life. Some days are better than others...deciding what to wear...deciding what to make for dinner...deciding which chore to do when I only have 15 minutes...what TV show to watch when I am home by myself...
This is why, as many of my friends already know about me, I like routine. In routine, I've obviously already made the decision sometime earlier and I can just follow through with the decision that has been made.
I lay in bed almost every morning at 6:15 asking myself, should I get up know and take a walk around the neighborhood...or should I go do a little bit of yoga...or should I get up and read my Bible...or should I...or should I just hit the stupid alarm and get my feet on the floor? Instead I lay there for at least another 30 minutes until I absolutely have to get up to get to work on time...I just need to make the decision to get up at 6:15, and once that decision is made, then I can move on and decide what I need to do once I'm up...
Current things I want to make decisions on in my life:
What color to paint our bedroom? Or do I paint out bedroom?
How, where & when to dig a french drain in our yard...so that water doesn't sit on my foundation?
Should I build a pergola in the back yard, or just a lattice wall?
Should I start walking in the morning at 6:15 or wait until after work when Jon can walk with me?
When do we purchase a new car? Or do we just let one of our cars die before we think about it?
Where an when to do we take a vacation this year?
Do we have children or not? ( I know. This is pretty huge decision compared to the others)
It's not that I have to know the answer to all of these questions tomorrow. It's more the fact that I need to decide that I'm actually going to make a decision on them...or none of them will ever get dealt with...
To some of you reading this, this seems completely ridiculous that I can't just make a dumb decision! But to others of you, I know you have this problem too!
To give myself a little credit, I did make the decision to read through the Bible this year with the help of my Through the Bible in a Year. So far I am caught up to date. Almost 1/4 of the way through the year. One decision down...lots more to go!
He delicately pointed out to me that I am a fence walker. I love standing on top of the fence because I can see both sides. When I'm on a fence I can enjoy both sides of the situation, see them from above and manage them both. But when I am forced to jump off the fence and into one yard or the other...that's where my problem begins. Did you know that if you jump off the fence and into the one yard...you can't see the other side anymore? But what if the flowers are blooming over there and they aren't in the yard I picked? What if the grass is greener? What if the house is bigger? What if...what if...what if?
I do great once I decide to make a decision. I have very little trouble following through, but deciding to decide is a big problem! And believe me, I can find just about any excuse in the book as to why I can't make a decision. This problem carries over into much of my life. Some days are better than others...deciding what to wear...deciding what to make for dinner...deciding which chore to do when I only have 15 minutes...what TV show to watch when I am home by myself...
This is why, as many of my friends already know about me, I like routine. In routine, I've obviously already made the decision sometime earlier and I can just follow through with the decision that has been made.
I lay in bed almost every morning at 6:15 asking myself, should I get up know and take a walk around the neighborhood...or should I go do a little bit of yoga...or should I get up and read my Bible...or should I...or should I just hit the stupid alarm and get my feet on the floor? Instead I lay there for at least another 30 minutes until I absolutely have to get up to get to work on time...I just need to make the decision to get up at 6:15, and once that decision is made, then I can move on and decide what I need to do once I'm up...
Current things I want to make decisions on in my life:
What color to paint our bedroom? Or do I paint out bedroom?
How, where & when to dig a french drain in our yard...so that water doesn't sit on my foundation?
Should I build a pergola in the back yard, or just a lattice wall?
Should I start walking in the morning at 6:15 or wait until after work when Jon can walk with me?
When do we purchase a new car? Or do we just let one of our cars die before we think about it?
Where an when to do we take a vacation this year?
Do we have children or not? ( I know. This is pretty huge decision compared to the others)
It's not that I have to know the answer to all of these questions tomorrow. It's more the fact that I need to decide that I'm actually going to make a decision on them...or none of them will ever get dealt with...
To some of you reading this, this seems completely ridiculous that I can't just make a dumb decision! But to others of you, I know you have this problem too!
To give myself a little credit, I did make the decision to read through the Bible this year with the help of my Through the Bible in a Year. So far I am caught up to date. Almost 1/4 of the way through the year. One decision down...lots more to go!
Friday, February 29, 2008
My words, or lack there of
I find it very intimidating to blog after reading all of my other friends' quippy and clever thoughts on their Facebooks and blogs.
Do I have anything to say? I like it better when I'm just a wallflower. I can sit back and listen, comment and laugh at appropriate times and walk away with a happy heart.
I do have things to say. I'm just not sure if anybody else cares about the things I have to say. It makes me nervous to have the center stage in a conversation. When I'm talking, I usually walk away, not with a happy heart, but with wondering questions..."did I talk too much?" "did I waste people's time?" "is what I said really important or was I just bumping my gums to hear myself talk?"
It's just easier sometimes to be quiet. This isn't a pitty party by any means. Just an ongoing thought I've had most of my adult life.
The Matthew 12:34 says "For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks."
What do my words, many or few, say about my heart?
Do I have anything to say? I like it better when I'm just a wallflower. I can sit back and listen, comment and laugh at appropriate times and walk away with a happy heart.
I do have things to say. I'm just not sure if anybody else cares about the things I have to say. It makes me nervous to have the center stage in a conversation. When I'm talking, I usually walk away, not with a happy heart, but with wondering questions..."did I talk too much?" "did I waste people's time?" "is what I said really important or was I just bumping my gums to hear myself talk?"
It's just easier sometimes to be quiet. This isn't a pitty party by any means. Just an ongoing thought I've had most of my adult life.
The Matthew 12:34 says "For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks."
What do my words, many or few, say about my heart?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Today
10 reasons to be happy today
1. Waking up to a thunderstorm in February (followed by sleet & ice!)
2. Turning 32 today!
3. Sharing my birthday with Krystle and Brittany!
4. My parents came from Illinois for a visit
5. Listening to Corinne Bailey Rae on a rainy/snowy afternoon
6. A girls' lunch at Bella Peppers!
7. Feeling loved by so many amazing FRIENDS
8. "Praise to the King of Kings" after every singing of "Happy Birthday" at CIY!
9. Starbuck's and dark chocolate
10. Text messages from SOUTH AFRICA!!
Thank you to all of my friends who remembered me today. I'm so thankful for all of you.
1. Waking up to a thunderstorm in February (followed by sleet & ice!)
2. Turning 32 today!
3. Sharing my birthday with Krystle and Brittany!
4. My parents came from Illinois for a visit
5. Listening to Corinne Bailey Rae on a rainy/snowy afternoon
6. A girls' lunch at Bella Peppers!
7. Feeling loved by so many amazing FRIENDS
8. "Praise to the King of Kings" after every singing of "Happy Birthday" at CIY!
9. Starbuck's and dark chocolate
10. Text messages from SOUTH AFRICA!!
Thank you to all of my friends who remembered me today. I'm so thankful for all of you.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Our last week with Martin & Jani
Since the last time I wrote, so much has happened. Most recently though, 2 of our closest friends moved back to South Africa. This past Tuesday they left Joplin to go back home indefinitely. Good thing their last few days in America is something they will remember for a long time!
They stayed at our house the week before they left. We met with our small group.
We had our last meeting with our Financial Peace University small group.
Jani made us Roobis tea almost every night and we sat around in our pajamas and watched Mythbusters! We ate the Donut Hole donuts on Saturday morning.
It was great!...until our power went out Sunday morning because of the ice! They were supposed to have a big "good-bye" party on Sunday night that ended up being canceled due to the ice storm.
We stayed the night at the Spurrier's house, which then lost power Monday morning. We had to scrape Jon's car off which I'm sure made Martin & Jani glad they were going back to summer in South Africa!!
We stopped at Starbuck's, picked up kerosene and drove back home so Jani & Martin could back pack the bags they were flying with. Martin felt terrible, so he laid on the couch the entire day while Jani & Jon crammed as much as they could in their 4 checked bags and 4 carry-ons...in the dark.
Thankfully we had gotten a kerosene heater from Jon's parents when we got married. We were able to keep the living room temperature at about 65 all day. We got a little creative with our meals and our house smelled like the Yankee Candle Company! We had a slumber party in the living room that night. Martin felt much better the next morning. We were able to warm water on top of the kerosene heater and on our grill, so Martin & Jani could at least feel somewhat clean before they traveled for 40 hours!
Tuesday morning Peter Buckland and Scott Boudreaux picked Martin & Jani up to take them to the airport. They left on time and arrived in South Africa on Thursday morning.
We love you friends and we miss you so much already!
They stayed at our house the week before they left. We met with our small group.
We had our last meeting with our Financial Peace University small group.
Jani made us Roobis tea almost every night and we sat around in our pajamas and watched Mythbusters! We ate the Donut Hole donuts on Saturday morning.
It was great!...until our power went out Sunday morning because of the ice! They were supposed to have a big "good-bye" party on Sunday night that ended up being canceled due to the ice storm.
We stayed the night at the Spurrier's house, which then lost power Monday morning. We had to scrape Jon's car off which I'm sure made Martin & Jani glad they were going back to summer in South Africa!!
We stopped at Starbuck's, picked up kerosene and drove back home so Jani & Martin could back pack the bags they were flying with. Martin felt terrible, so he laid on the couch the entire day while Jani & Jon crammed as much as they could in their 4 checked bags and 4 carry-ons...in the dark.
Thankfully we had gotten a kerosene heater from Jon's parents when we got married. We were able to keep the living room temperature at about 65 all day. We got a little creative with our meals and our house smelled like the Yankee Candle Company! We had a slumber party in the living room that night. Martin felt much better the next morning. We were able to warm water on top of the kerosene heater and on our grill, so Martin & Jani could at least feel somewhat clean before they traveled for 40 hours!
Tuesday morning Peter Buckland and Scott Boudreaux picked Martin & Jani up to take them to the airport. They left on time and arrived in South Africa on Thursday morning.
We love you friends and we miss you so much already!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Bald River Falls - Tellico Plains, TN
One of our core values at CIY is community. We add specific elements into our events that allow youth groups to experience community. I love when our staff gets to experience community! Because we have so much fun together!
Yesterday the TN 5 & 6 team got to sleep in, then we ventured about and hour and a half east to Tellico Plains, TN. We spent the afternoon playing in the river. Some of the guys went fly fishing while others climbed on the rocks and hiked some small trails. We ended the trip with a dinner at a hole in the wall BBQ place.
We all came back refreshed and ready for our final week of Conference, that begins today!
Bald River Falls
Sydney French
Jon & me
Jennifer & me
Jayson ready to fly fish
Everyone wading in the river
Yesterday the TN 5 & 6 team got to sleep in, then we ventured about and hour and a half east to Tellico Plains, TN. We spent the afternoon playing in the river. Some of the guys went fly fishing while others climbed on the rocks and hiked some small trails. We ended the trip with a dinner at a hole in the wall BBQ place.
We all came back refreshed and ready for our final week of Conference, that begins today!
Bald River Falls
Sydney French
Jon & me
Jennifer & me
Jayson ready to fly fish
Everyone wading in the river
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