Refreshing

I fail.

Every day.

But I am so thankful that my God still loves me.

He accepts me every time I come back to him.

I spent about an hour praying and spending time with the Lord this morning. I'm not really sure when the last time was that I have truly done that, with no distractions. Why don't I remember how refreshing it is to spend time with my Savior?

"for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

So Many Things to be Thankful for

Several people I know have done the "Thankful" challenge either on facebook or on their blogs. I was tempted to do it, but I knew with my track record, I would fall behind and end up only writing about 5 things I am thankful for. So instead, I wanted to wait until Thanksgiving (tomorrow). I wanted to really think about everything I am thankful for, and not just post little things that are really unimportant.

God has blessed Landon and I beyond our wildest dreams this year. We have had lots of ups, lots of downs, and lots of just a-ok's. Through it all, God has been SO faithful to us.

1. God has so graciously provided jobs for Landon and I. When the education system looked like it was going to fail us, God had a bigger plan.

2. In the midst of our job crisis, The Lord opened up a door for us to be able to buy our first home. While there are many home improvements we would like to do, we are so thankful that God put this home in our path at just the right time.

3. While it might seem silly to some, and it might have even seemed silly to me a year ago, I am thankful for my 2 crazy dogs, Ranger and Myla. They sure keep things interesting around here, but they are great company when I'm home alone, and they definitely keep us entertained. I will admit, I am officially a dog lover:)

4. Last October, Landon and I changed churches. Landon had been leading worship at a satellite campus in which they decided to shut down that campus. Landon and I prayed about where God was leading us, and we wanted to be where we could be in community with people in our stage of life. We are so thankful that God led us to The Village, and opened a door for us to join a homegroup of wonderful young couples who love the Lord. We have been challenged, encouraged, and loved on in just the few short months we have been with them.

5. Today marks 2.5 years of being married to my husband. I couldn't ask for a better person to share my life with. Landon is my best friend and my soul mate. I'm so thankful that God allowed our paths to cross:)

6. Both Landon's and my family have been such a huge support to us over the last 4 years. They have been encouraging when things are rough, and rejoiced with us in our victories. We couldn't be more thankful of 2 families who love and desire the Lord.

Give thanks to God, for he is good. His love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1

Halloween

Landon and I dressed up as a couple for our first Halloween party together. GUESS WHO WE ARE?????

Kat Von D and Jesse James :)

(Landon told me when I dyed my hair red that I looked like a tattoo artist.)

We also had our first Halloween in a neighborhood where we had trick or treaters. It was a lot of fun, but after spending almost $40 on candy and my dog bursting out the door to attack another dog who was trick or treating, I'm glad the night is over.

Let's just hope my kids are too high on sugar tomorrow, or else it's going to be a LONG day!

short and sweet

I've been wanting to get this written down but just haven't known how to write it and answer all questions but not write a book. So here it is.

Landon joined the military. There are many factors that have led to this decision over the last several months, and it has finally all fallen into place. Yesterday he signed with the National Guard, which is a reserve branch of the Army. There are so many benefits that will happen because of this decision that we had a hard time just brushing it to the side, the biggest being that Landon's nursing school will be completely paid for by the military which means no loans. And he really is excited about this. Joining the military has always been an interest of his, but he knew he wanted to go to school first. Now that the opportunity has come up, he has been excited to take on this challenge.

So here is what the next year looks like for us (in my head anyways)

• Landon will begin training with his unit next month while he finishes off teaching this school year. He will go train with them 1 weekend every month.
• He will leave in May for basic training in South Carolina and will be gone until August.
• He will return in time to star another year of teaching until he gets into nursing school.
• He will continue training with his unit 1 weekend each month and will be training to be an Officer which will take 18 months.

I think over the last several months with our jobs and now with this, the name for God that has been revealed to me has been Peace. God has definitely been my peace through this. While I know there will be difficult times, especially, being alone, I know God is going to take care of both me and Landon.

Please keep us in your prayers as we figure out how we will transition into this new military lifestyle!

help!

I want to paint my front door, but I don't know what color because of the color of our brick. Any suggestions??

Here are a couple pictures of my house. Not the best, but it's all I have on my computer right now.

Never Once

This song brings tears to my eyes every time. It's truly how I felt between March-July when dealing with Landon and my job situation. God has been SO faithful. It's only through Him that we had such a peace through the entire process and it's only through him that we are where we are today, standing on this mountain top.

one more

I really want to learn how to sew. When I was younger, I did 4-H, and I made a vest (yes, I actually wore it, and yes I know, pathetic), and I probably made a pare of flannel pants, but I don't remember anything. I want to be able to make my own simple things like pillows, curtains, sew the hem on pants and shirts, etc. So I'm going to learn. I'm going to get a sewing machine, and I'm going to learn!

My List

I have been making a list in my head over the last year or 2 of different purchases I would like to make and things I would like to see happen in the next few years. I finally decided to put them into writing so that maybe I will actually have more motivation to make them happen sooner rather than later.

1. Pay off these ugly suckers!! I'm on a mission! I'm going to get them paid off before I am actually "projected" to get them paid off. I'm going to buckle down! I'm determined!

2. Since high school, I have always been interested in Photography. I thought that was what I wanted to go to school for, but the school that I was set on going to didn't have a photography program. I could spend hours on different photographers websites just looking. Even if I never did it as a business, I would love to be able to capture "life" is a unique and beautiful way.

3. I'm going to try my hand at refinishing furniture. I have a couple of pieces in my house that I have redone and I have been fairly impressed with myself. I LOVE Craigslist, and I have been able to get a few really good deals. My goal is to be able to sell it one day for a little extra "student loan payment" or just for some extra spending/saving money.

Not the best picture, but this was my first piece.

I'm sure I have more, but those are the ones that have been on my mind most recently. I'm looking forward to seeing these things happen!

He is faithful

The last few months have had the potential to be stressful, chaotic, and hard on a marriage, but God has been so faithful to us.

Everyone in the whole state (or US) is dealing with budget cuts in the education system. Landon and I were concerned, but we knew God was in control. On March 25, the day we were supposed to find out if we weren't going to get our contracts renewed, I told the Lord, on my way to school that I knew he was in control, he already had a plan, and to just give me peace with whatever that plan was. The rule was "Last in, first out". Landon and I were both hired in July of 2010, so our principals came in and gave us BOTH the news. Both of us were losing our jobs, and in just 2 weeks we were supposed to close on our first home. While we were both upset and a little nervous, we knew the state was not in control of our future, but God was.

We decided to go ahead and close on our house (HUGE leap of faith), and both decided to get jobs in the summer. We knew we would be getting paid through August, but our summer money would be for our September and October house payments if it came down to that. Landon got a job selling fireworks in Louisiana for 2 weeks, and I got a job teaching summer school.

We had so many people praying for us and our situation. We could truly feel the peace of God from those prayers. I was applying for other jobs, and Landon was applying for jobs at hospitals, but nothing was opening up. I had 1 job interview, but that job was given to someone else. Even through all the rejections and lack of job openings, we still had such a strong peace that the Lord was going to take care of us.

Two weeks ago, the Denton ISD school board had a meeting and rehired 30 teachers that were previously let go. Landon and I were not in that count, but we did receive an email that we were going to be recommended for rehire at the next board meeting. We were ecstatic, but still not wanting to get our hopes up. Two weeks later, the meeting was held, and the new budget was passed! We got our jobs back!! We don't know exactly where or what we will be teaching this coming year. Because of all the switching around and loss of positions, we more than likely won't be at the same school we were at, but we are so thankful for our jobs.

The Lord has been so faithful to us. We have had such a peace through this whole process, and we give all the glory to God. We are so thankful for the prayers from our friends and family! God is so good! (and now we get to go on a trip with our summer job money!!!)

I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

Psalm 89:8

May

May in a nutshell:

• hot weather
• got a dog: Ranger, black lab
• 2 year anniversary: best day of the year so far!
• husband's IronMan: 16 hours long
• end of my first year of teaching: bittersweet
• sister moved to Denton for the summer: SO EXCITED
• the lake with wonderful friends

all good so far! on to June!!

i'm a proud wife

My husband is one of the most disciplined and goal driven person I have ever met, and it is one of the biggest things I admire about him. Last summer, Landon decided he wanted to compete in an IronMan. If you are unaware of what that means, let me fill you in. Basically he decided he wants to wake up at the
butt
crack of dawn, swim 2.4 miles, then get on a bike and ride 126 miles in the heat with only jells, water, gatorade, and protein bars to eat or drink, and then run a FULL marathon, 26.2 miles. If you add all of that up, it will equal 140.2, and could possibly take up up to 17 hours. My husband is psycho committed! He will be competing in this in just over 2 weeks, and I am so proud of him.

A couple weeks ago, he competed in his first half IronMan competition (70.1 miles). He did an awesome job, and I was extremely impressed with just the half. I'm looking forward to the full in a couple weeks, and Landon is too. I'm not sure if he is more ready to have more free time (workouts are intense) or to say he is finally an IronMan.

At the end of the bike (56 miles)

I think he ate 6 pieces of pizza after the race!

home:)

Landon and I have made the trek from renters to homeowners in the last couple of weeks. We have experience the worry of hail storms, tornado sirens, and strong wind in this short time as well. Being a homeowner brings all of those things into a much different light than just being a renter.

We had our first big "shin-dig" on Easter for lunch. We had some of Landon's family over for lunch. I cooked enchiladas (i know, very "Easter traditional" food) and everyone else brought over the sides. It was a big success! We are hoping to now have a big get-together with our friends! We are loving having so much space! The second morning of sleeping at the house, Landon woke up and made the comment, "I guess I'll make the mile hike to the kitchen!"

We love our house! I feel more like a grown up:) Please continue to pray for Landon and I in our job situation as buying a house could become a little big stressful. We are trusting the Lord that he will take complete care of us!

I'll post more as I get the rooms cleaned up:) Come see us!

Craig is my Best Cyber Friend

I'm a fan of craigslist. I mean, a BIG fan. I could spend all day on there looking for furniture to redo or furniture that is in great condition. When Landon and I first got married, that's where we shopped to furnish our small 1 bed 1 bathroom apartment. We got our couch, dining room table with 6 chairs, and our small accent chair all on craigslist. They were all in great shape, and our small little apartment began to look more like home.

Now that we are about to move in to our first house, I started looking on some other furniture websites and furniture stores. I may be spoiled, but holy cow! Furniture at retail price is expensive! (compared to craigslist). So I went back to craigslist. I knew I wanted a new dining room table, one that looked more "grown up". After days of searching, I found one for $150. It was beautiful and worth well over $150. I sold my other dining room table (made a profit of $15) and was very pleased. Next, I needed some sort of love seat to fill up my larger living room. I wanted it to match my couch, but knew that in all reality, I might should just look for a whole new set. I didn't want a "hodge podge" of furniture. I ended up fining the exact love seat that goes with my couch (keep in mind I bought my couch almost 2 years ago)! Now, all I need are the cute pillows I found at Pier1.:) (I will probably end up spending more on the pillows to go on the couch and love seat than I did on the actual couch and love seat.

We have been very blessed to have found the things that we need (and will use for a long time) at such a great price!

Run Down of each room and the amount of money we have spent on furniture:

Living Room:

• Couch: $100


• Love Seat: $125
• Red Accent Chair: $75


• Coffee Table & Media Cabinet: Free (gifts)

Dining Room:

• Table & 4 Chairs: $150
  

Master Bedroom & Guest Bedroom:

• 2 beds: Free (gifts)
• 2 tall dressers: Free (gifts)
• 1 small dresser: Free (gift)

My next goal is to find night stands that I can redo. So to total up the furniture that is in my apartment right now, we have spent a total of $450. Now you can understand why it is hard for me to buy a couch at retail price for $700 when my whole apartment is furnished for less than that!

What are some great buys you have found on craigslist???

Growing Up

Landon and I are coming up on our 2 year anniversary. It's only 2 months away! It's hard to believe that 2 years ago, I was planning to marry the man of my dreams. Landon and I have grown up and changed a lot in the last 2 years. We have fallen more in love in the trials and the successes that we have gone through together.

We are now about to face our next exciting moment in our life together. A house! Over the last month, we have been looking more seriously into buying a house. We finally went out with a realtor to see what was available. We found a few that we liked and even put an offer on one. Someone else had put an offer at the same time, and the seller took the other offer. We were a little disappointed, but we knew our house was out there somewhere. I found another house online that I really liked, but after talking to our realtor, we found out it was already in contract. Again, disappointment! Once again, back to the internet. I found a few that I liked, showed them to Landon, and he told our realtor. Our realtor said we could go look at them the next day, but I had to go pick up our new dining room table. Landon went to look at it and loved it! I was going to look at it the next day, but our realtor called and said someone was putting an offer on it, so we put an offer on it even without me having seen it! I went the next day, fell in love, and then played the waiting game. We finally got the call the next night around 10:00 that they accepted our offer!! We were/are so excited!

We are supposed to close April 7th if all goes well. I can't stop thinking/dreaming of how my first home will look.

the day of LOVE

a couple weeks ago, husband told me that he had a surprise date for me for valentines/birthday (which is a week later) in which he was very excited about! he said we would be going on Sunday the 13th. I had no idea what the surprise might be, and i didn't even want to try to guess because i LOVE surprises.

about a week ago, we were walking around the Denton Square and went in to a little boutique. he told me that for our date, i would need a new dress, but he wanted to pick it out. So he picked out a black and white, one shoulder dress (pictures to come). i absolutely loved it, and i was even more anxious as i had to wait a whole week to be able to wear it. finally, sunday morning rolls around, and the first think landon said when he woke up was, "do you want to know your surprise?" he was just an anxious about it as i was. he ended up telling me that we would be leaving around 2:00 for oklahoma city where our wedding photographer and dear friend would be taking some fun "valentine" pictures of us, and then we were going out to a nice dinner with her and her husband! i was SOOO excited! i absolutely love photography, i love our photographer, and i love photos with my husband:)

the day ended up being a wonderful day! our photographer's husband and landon had never met, but they hit it off right away. it was a great evening with friends and each other!

to top it all off, he sent me flowers at work on valentines day!! I am truly blessed:)

snow and ice!

last year, husband and i didn't get to REALLY enjoy the snow days because we were both hourly workers. therefore, snow days last year=no pay. this year, we have been able to enjoy them A LOT more knowing that our pay check will not change! we are getting paid to sleep in and snuggle! today marked day 2 of no school, and we already got the call that tomorrow is also cancelled due to inclement weather.

yesterday we spent the entire day with some friends who live in our apartment complex, starting from breakfast, all the way to dinner with black ops, biggest loser, and a game of spades in between! we did venture out to the grocery store, but came back and didn't leave again.

today, we slept in, cooked breakfast, ran some errands, and now we are back home. it is WAY too cold to be out much, but we are getting a little bit stir-crazy...especially that husband of mine:) we may venture out to a movie or the mall later.

tomorrow, our options are endless! landon will probably work on some of his homework at some point while i watch hgtv or read a book, and then we will probably have to get out again to keep our sanity!

stay safe and warm! right now it's 18 degrees with a windchill of 3 degrees! brrrrrrrr!

$MONEY$MONEY$MONEY$

over the last (almost) 2 years of marriage, husband and i have been trying to figure out our money. our first year was a bit rough seeing that we both only had hourly jobs. we wanted to be on a budget, but we felt that we didn't even make enough to have a budget. we simply just tried to survive. it was rough, but we did survive!

now that we both have full time jobs and are nearing the end of our second year of marriage, we have started looking into the future. we have talked about things we want to happen in the next year, 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years. we have talked about buying a house, buying a new car, and starting a family to just name a few. all of these things require money, and more money that we have right now. together we have finally been able to come up with a budget in order to make these dreams of our reality one day. this first month is kind of our trial run. we just made up some numbers and are both doing our best to stay within that budget. we might be WAY off, but at least it's a start.

the way i viewed our money was like a hole. i felt that each month we started at ground level. as we spent money, we dug a hole. at the end of the month, when we got paid, we simply filled the hole back up to the top, but there was not ANY extra. we were right back where we started, ground level. now, i'm hoping to see a little mound at the end of the month. i'm hoping the mound of dirt gets a little bigger every month until it's Mt. Everest (ha just kidding), but really.

a few things we have started doing to save money is:

1. cook more. i have started cooking more, and when i cook, i cook big meals so that they last us for several meals. i'm so thankful my husband doesn't mind left overs!

2. i have started couponing. it's very new to me, and i'm still not completely sure of what i'm doing, but i do know that i saved $36 last week on my grocery trip, and that's enough to keep me going at it. i follow www.couponcloset.com and get a lot of ideas from her.

3. use cash. husband and i never used cash. we only used our debit cards. for me, when i use my debit card, i'm not seeing the money, so it's not as big of a deal to me. now, i am using cash for groceries, clothing, and entertainment. the rest goes on the debit card. cash is easier to manage.

what are some things you do to save money? i'm open to more ideas!!!