This and That

I wasn't sure if anyone actually read my blog or not...so in the craziness of last semester I let it go. I was informed by my mother-in-love though that she reads it and that I am way behind :)

So, run-down....

I am finished with this semester of school. I will take chemistry in the summer before beginning clinicals in the fall. I worked for the school newspaper last semester and really got into photography and learned a lot of new 'tricks' on photoshop! I will post a few pics at the end. I have now completed my first sets of couples pics, senior pics, engagement pics, wedding pics and maternity pics. Along with a shoot I did for a family for Mother's Day. I am enjoying it a lot...editing is time consuming though!

We just finished up our spring gospel meeting and Focal Point. Also, Josh's parents just left this morning after visiting a weekish. This week we will begin painting the new house (still praying our in AL will sell). Hopefully we will be moving in the house the first week of June. Just in time to pack up and go to AL and to Reelfoot for camp! We will miss Sardis, but I think we will have a lot of fun at Reelfoot too!

I am also anxiously anticipating Sarah and Hilton's baby's arrival!!! It cannot get here soon enough for me! Next week the baby will be 'fully baked' as Sarah said. :) I hope she has it before we leave or waits until we get back! (like things run on my time table...ha!)

Am I missing anything?.....If so I will try to post again soon :)

over half way done!

I didn't realize my last post was Sept. 17...whew...it's been a while! Well, first semester of my second time in college is almost over. Only 5 weeks left :) I just got done with my second test in all of my classes (except history). It will soon be time to register for next semester.

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and Josh's parent will be flying in to spend about a week with us! Then, before you know it....Christmas break!!! I have been trying to talk Josh into letting me put up the tree...he says it is too soon :( Well, thats about all that has been going on...school, school, school...

school school school...toes!

This picture is from when Molly came to visit Josh and I!

Well, school has been going pretty well. The only class I am really working hard in is Physiology. I lucked out and the other 3 classes are easy. I had my first test last week (in art) and I made an A!

I have my first physiology lab test next week and then a physiology lecture test the next week...eek! That is a lot of Phys. in 2 weeks!

So...before I begin my hard core studying tomorrow I am going to a Pedi-party tonight at one of the college students house! I am excited....we will be doing pedicures, watching girly movies, and eating sweets!!! Then get to crackin tomorrow! Keep me in your prayers while I study and take my test next week!~

I know, I know!

Me on the second day of school....I think it was the second. I am wearing the backpack my mom got me for back to school. Also, me with my new toy.

Whew! What a week!

Here is the quick version of the past few months....

SCHOOL!

I have spent the past few months getting ready to go back to school. Cleaning out things in the house, getting supplies, being sure everything is up to date....except my blog obviously! So...this week was my 2nd week and school and I have felt so overwhelmed this week. I have had about a dozen cards that I have been needing to write and send for weeks! I haven't sat down and watched television at all in 2 weeks until today. Well, that is not entirely true because last Friday and Saturday I got food poisoning and watched tv while I was laying on the couch sick. SSooo... I had no idea going back to school could be this stressful! I came home from school crying Monday because I felt so overwhelmed and behind already! I have spent atleast 40 hours...honestly probably more than that studying this week! I am hoping I remember how to study soon and I pray that some of this Physiology will come back to me!

Also, why did nobody tell me that at a public college nobody wears clothes?! I walked around in shock last Monday when I got to class and 90% of the girls in all of my classes were wearing extremely short shorts....I am not sure if they even qualify as shorts! And the language!!! I have 4 professors this semester and I have heard all of them curse! Some on a 'every class' basis! On, the second day one of my professors cursed in class and said "Are anyones ears burning from that?" very sarcastically. Yeah, seriously! I guess that I was sheltered at the last college I was at...even though it wasn't a christian college, it was a private college and we had dress codes and standards! So, off that soap box now...

I am happy I am going back, I just wish I was closer to being done and that the college was more 'Christian friendly' (I'm sure there is better wording than that). Josh and my mom are so encouraging and that means a lot. Josh is helping me so much! He is amazing!

So, please keep me and us in your prayers as I continue my education and I beg you to continue to pray that our house will sell in Alabama. So many things that we need hinge on that house selling.

I hope all is well with each of you.

I can't say when I will be able to write again so maybe I should say Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas now! haha

SLCC you have a part of me!

Has it really been that long since I last posted?! Well...I guess I have some catching up to do, even though not a lot has happened! :)

This is one of my favorite pictures from camp!

First, we went and spent a week in San Marcos and went to the Focal Point workship. We had such a great time with friends and were so uplifted! We had a lot of fun staying with Trent, Lisa and Ella!

Next, Josh bought me a plane ticket to go home for Mothers Day (actually the week before). He bought this ticket right after Christmas and we kept it a secret for months....so hard! Well, the day finally arrives and I am a mess leaving Josh at the airport! 2 hours later I land in Memphis. As soon as I turn my phone on (SERIOUSLY!) my mom calls and asks where I am. I told her we were headed back from San Marcos. Then she asks "why did Josh say he missed you already on FB?" me "huh?" (while my brain is going nuts!) mom: "which one of you is coming home" me: "I don't know" (I have no idea wether I should tell her or not yet! She asks again :"which one of you is comin home?" me: "I don't know....I have to go to the bathroom!" So, then I called Josh and asked him about the post and he apologized and felt horrible! So, I called mom back and told her I would be there in 2 hours! She giggled like a child! It was wonderful! She kept saying "You are coming to my house, you are coming to see me?!" over and over. Then she called Josh bawling her eyes out and thanking him! Precious! So, two hours later we arrive in Dyersburg and mom is crying again...not because I am there though...a friend of theirs has just run over their beloved Max. So, needless to say it was an emotional week. But, we did have a good time between the tears.

So, after the visit with mom I rode back to TX with Evan and Christina (Josh's brother and his wife). They had been planning to come for a while and it worked out perfectly with my plane ticket! Evan and Chritina satyed for a week and we had a blast! We went to San Antonio and messed around here and just hung out and spent time together. The guys did a lot of fishing!

Then, it calmed down a little and we began getting ready for SLCC!

We left on the 10th and headed to TN to spend a few days with family before camp started on the 13th. I had forgotten how sticky it felt at camp! I also forgot about all of the bugs that seem to attack from nowhere when the sun begins to set! We had a wonderful cabin this year. I was a councelor with Molly (Joshs sister) and Victoria who was also the lifeguard. The beginning of the week went by so slow. But, by Wednesday I was wishing it would slow down a little! I am missing all of my buddies already! I am looking forward to next year. I always feel so uplifted when I leave camp! This year we had 7 baptisms and approx. 25 restorations. How can you not be uplifted!! Now that we are back in TX we get to relax a little while...until the first week of August when we go to TN and Josh holds a gospel meeting at Glendale. Well, my post is getting lengthy so I will go for now!

Hello again!

I will preface this blog by saying....I am not complaining! I am simply letting you in on what is going on in our lives! :)

So, since March 8th I have been sick...I know that is almost a month! Here is the breakdown:

#1 someone at church gave me the respiratory crud which I thought was just a cold...nope bronchitis

#2 the antibiotics for the brinchitits mutilated my stomach and intestines...so on top of coughing and stuff I was sick at my stomach from March 14-26...yep!

#3 on March 22 I woke up and couldn't walk! yeah...one thing after another. So, I went on the 24th and had xrays done of my hip and lumbar spine. Dr. said he wasn't sure what was going on, so I went to a local chiropractor.

Results: Don't get bronchitis, this is the 2nd time it has ended like this...really the first time I woke up and couldn't walk I had just gotten over brinchitis and stomach problems! So, now everything is cleared up except the back and hip. I learned last Friday that instead of having 5 lumbar vertebrae I have 6! Lucky me, God gave me a spare part! Mom said if I didn't have the extra I would probably be a 'little person'! So, the problem is that the bone can't decide wether it wants to be part of my lumbar spine or fuse to my tailbone....and somewhere along the way it got out of line and pinched my sciatic nerve. So, regular chiropractic adjustments and exercise should fix everything.

Now, for lessons learned:

#1 My husband is wonderful! He has taken amazing care of me! He has been so patient with me.

#2 When I cannot sleep (because I can't breathe, can't stay out of the bathroom or can't get comfortable because of my hip and back) I get really emotional! I cry at EVERYTHING! I know Josh was wondering at times if I would ever get back to normal!

#3 It really could be worse. I would tell myself this daily. But, when it is the worst thing you have ever been through it is hard to imagine worse. That is when I think about Paul...That is also when you go to your begging place and pray! I spent hours in the floor crying and praying.

God is so good! I am so glad that He loves me! I am so thankful that He blessed me with Josh. I am thankful that I am getting my health back and I can't wait to be able to exercise and take care of my body again! I am thankful that I will soon be able to take care of the home and my husband again like I want to and should. Thank you God for all of my blessings and teaching me faith and patience, but most of all thank you for salvation!

It is hard to complain after this ordeal. I hope I remember to thank God when my days are so full again that I can't see an end in sight! That is better than spending the day cooped up in the house sick!

Being Bossy!

As of Sunday Josh and I officially have a BUDGET!! Scary word huh?! We are both very excited about this! When we first got married I didn't understand why we didn't have an emergency fund of $5,000-$10,000 in the bank...I thought it was just there! So, as we began our lives together we began thinking af ways to save money...for emergency, taxes, vacation and so on.

First, we tried the 'cash only' approach because we knew we spent less that way. In addition, any time someone handed us a $5 back in change it automatically went into a savings envelope. Very quickly (about 2-3 weeks) we had over $60! We were so excited!

Second, when we moved to Jacksonville we decided to do our own "round up" program. Anytime we used the debit card we rounded up to the next dollar in the register. This also worked well...but it was hard to keep up with what was left over. Also, at the end of EVERY pay period (every 2 weeks) we would zero out the register and start with our new check...the leftover went to savings. This also worked well and we used it, well the zero out part, until last week.

NOW....Some good friends of our here in TX let us borrow to FPU kit. (Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey) It is WONDERFUL! We sat down and listened to the cds and did a budget. We started by writing down EVERY bill that was paid monthly and how much each one was. Then we budgeted in food....for us we only need $50/week that includes toiletries...we harldy ever spend more than that! Then calculated in gas. Now, with what was left we decided how we wanted to split it up for savings...Emergency, car tags, car repair, vacation, clothes, furniture, taxes and so on. We made a spread sheet to keep up with each catergory and we put a little in each one every month. Also, for groceries and 'play' money....we use cash becase it is harder to spend. Once it is gone...it is gone, unless you take it out of another cash category...but you can't replace what you take unless you replace with money from another category.

The key lesson is to tell your money what to do!!! Leave yourself a little cushion in the bank....but Once we budgeted everything out there is nothing in our bank accout because it ALL has a place to go! I told it what to do. We have the cushion there but it is not in our register. It feels amazing to have a GOOD strategy! We are so ready to see the results! I would highly recommend this to EVERYONE who wants financial peace!

We are so pumped about this and I couldn't help but share! ENJOY!

PS if you don't want to go buy it...check you library or give me a call and I will walk you through he basics!