We made it!

We've landed in Maine!! I'll be back with updates later, but finally, after 36 hours, we're here!

Burried in Boxes

I haven't blogged in almost a week and I have a billion things to update you guys on, but I only have a quick second to thank you all for your support lately. Your comments on my last post truly touched my heart, and proved again what I've known for a while: I have some of the best blog friends ever.

It's 9:30pm right now, and I probably have a good 3 hours of packing ahead of me before I can even think about laying down to sleep.. in a sleeping bag.. Because I washed our sheets and packed them. Oh boy..

This moving thing is rough. It's my 6th time in a little over 2 years doing this.. but I do believe this time is the hardest. We're not just moving to a different suburb.. we're moving 1200 miles away with a ton of stuff.

Anyway, I've got oodles to do and a back that isn't going to hold up much longer, so I'll have to catch you all later. I'm working on catching up and commenting on all your blogs.. but I'm afraid it's hard to keep up when I have so many things to do here. It'll get better soon, I promise. Until then, I love you guys!! :)

S.O.S.

So leah had a post titled this the other day, and I had to follow suit. For the same reason as her.. and then some.

Guys... I'm exhausted. My apartment is an absolute disaster. There are boxes literally taking over every room. Disorganization stresses me out. I've been staying up late trying to get everything done.

And what's worse... I don't even dare to talk about online. Let's just say I found out some information (that was no doubt meant to be hidden from me) today at work. I feel hurt, cheated, lied to, and downright furious. This would never have happened if my other boss were still here. I miss him so much... and now that he's gone, things just aren't the same.

I have never been more ready for a change in my life. What I found out today at work just put me at my wit's end. I wish I could just tell you all... and I wish I could have taken action today.. but I can't do either of those things because I can't risk it getting back to the wrong people and hurting me down the road.

I am trying so hard to give my anger and resentment over to the Lord.. but at this point, I feel I'm failing miserably.

I learned a hard lesson today... sometimes those you trust and admire will not only let you down, but be the ones that deceive and hurt you. And... as painful and infuriating as it can be, you can't say a word or do a single stinking thing about it.


I also learned that a full body exfoliating scrub is NOT for the timid.. but more on that later...

Can. Not. Wait.

After work today I'm heading to my fave spa to relieve a little "moving process stress". I've got one of these:

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{Facial}

...And one of these

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{Full Body Exfoliating Scrub}

..scheduled. This day cannot go by fast enough! :)

Weekend Recap

Friday night Z and I headed up to Michigan. We spent the night at my Aunt and Uncle's house. They live in the same town I went to college in, so the next day we went to church with some old friends from school. We got to see my gorgeous girl Tacyana. Here's a photo of Z, her, & I:


Love her! She's a religion major & totally a woman after God's heart. Although she's a couple years younger, we clicked back several years ago on a trip to Texas for a prayer conference.

We spent the afternoon with my aunt, uncle, and cousin at their house. My cousin Jonathan is thinking about switching his major & switching schools so that he can pursue a degree in furniture design. Yummm.. we've decided that he's going to design all my custom furniture for decorating clients once my little business is started. How fun is that??

Saturday night we headed to one of my absolute favorite cities in Michigan- St. Joseph - to meet up with fellow blogger, Kristen and her [super tall] hubby Jordan.

I have to tell you- Kristin proved her fab taste in food when she recommended the yummy little asian grill we went to. It was ssoooooo good! :) I definitely wish we were going to be living closer- we had a great time with them!

Sunday we headed to yet another friends' house & spent the day with them. Unfortunately, I didn't snap any pictures. We got home last night at 11:30 pm and were exhausted!

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Moving update:

We're set to leave one week from tomorrow. I'm into my second week training my replacement at work. Blah. I'll say no more.. [see mom, I'm being niiiceee!! :)] it's just not my cup of tea.

Our house is a maze of boxes. It gets worse by the day. I'm working on a little "packing tips" post for you all- gotta have something good come out of all this mess! :)

I've gotten 3 calls for different interviews back home.. but of course they want me there now.. and it'll be another 10 days, officially putting me behind any other candidates. Strangely enough, I've had total peace about finding a job. God is leading us to Maine, and He will totally provide. If any of those jobs are where I'm supposed to be, it'll work out. If not, I'll find something else. It's as simple as faith. :)

Big God or Big Government?

You're in for a treat today, folks! Since Z's been home with a hurt back, he offered to guest post for me. I've been crazy busy at work (training the new lady is nothing short of a headache.. but more on that later), so it actually works out well. One of the things I love most about my husband is his passion. He's just honest, raw, and sincere, and I wouldn't have him any other way. What he's going to share with you is something he's been learning lately, and has become quite passionate about. Enjoy! :)

My wife C has been asking me to do a guest post on her blog for some time now, and I have finally come up with what I want to write about. It’s something that’s been on my mind for quite some time now. I’ve been doing some reading and studying and now understand how we need to think about our government.

I believe in inalienable rights which are our rights given to us by our Creator. These rights don’t stop at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence. In Judges 8 vs ²² The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian." ²³ But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you." Here Gideon Respected their God given right to be ruled by God rather than men.

Again in 1^st Samuel 8 it says, ⁶"But when they said, 'Give us a king to lead us,' this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. ⁷ And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." Here we see proof of our God given right to be ruled by our God rather than men, and when we give that right away by electing a ruler, we reject God as our ruler.

I think our founding fathers knew this and that’s why they instituted a federal government that was very limited in power- just basic enough to do for the people what they could not necessarily do for themselves. It was also set up to be ruled by a body of people, not a sovereign king or czar. They understood that when we give power to our government it is a rejection of our LORD ruling us and shows our distrust in Him. This is why I believe in small government- that we keep the right for God to rule over us.

Every step we take in the direction of bigger government (who use their police force to take from those who have to give to those in need), we lose our trust in God to supply what we need. History has proven that when people have the power to take and give to whomever they please, corruption will gradually creep in. This corruption will ultimately destroy the nation from the top down. Because of this, the only One we can trust to give to those in need is our perfect Father in Heaven. We know that He loves us and has promised to supply our needs. Since He is perfect in every way and cannot be corrupted, He is the only one we should trust to rule over us.

I believe this truth is one of the most important factors to think about when trying to get a bill passed in congress, or even in daily decisions. We do the same thing when it comes to our employers. We not only rely on them for a paycheck, but for health insurance, retirement, and a number of other things. We should not so eagerly welcome these things into our lives without considering that we might be rejecting God like the Israelites did when they requested an earthly king. So, next time you're thinking about giving someone else more power over your life, stop and ask yourself of who's really in control. It's your choice. Me? I'd rather trust God.

-Z

:: Husband Down ::

I had plans to blog a bit more tonight & catch up on all of yours some more, but we had a little incident come up. Z hurt his back today at work. He came home early and once I got home, I took him to the ER.

Poor guy had to take a shot in the arm AND one in the... uh.. bum. They said it's probably just a sprain and put him on anti-infammatories & muscle relaxers. So.. he'll be out of work for at least a day or two.. or more. He's not doing too bad thanks to the drugs, but he's having a really hard time getting comfortable. No position seems to do it for him.. I'm afraid we won't get much sleep tonight.

Your prayers for his speedy recovery would be mucho appreciated. We'll be leaving for Maine in exactly 2 weeks, so we're really hoping he's better by then. A 21 hour drive would be NO fun with a bad back.

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In other news, I've started training a new lady at work to take my place. And let me just leave it at this: You REALLY should know how to ATTACH a file to an email in Outlook, & know the difference between SAVE and SAVE AS in MS Word if you want to keep an office job. I'm seriously questioning why anyone would hire someone without these basic skills for an office management position. Drives me nuts. My guess is once I'm gone they'll realize their mistake. Oh well. 2. MORE. WEEKS.

My house is a disaster. It's covered in boxes. And if you've gotten to know me at all.. you can understand how this causes my OCD tendencies to go nutzo. Oh well. 2. MORE. WEEKS.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! I'll be back with more interesting updates later, & again, your prayers for Z would be much appreciated! :)

Compromise

We had homemade pizza last night (yes I cheated and bought the crust), this is what it looked like:

Meat on the left. Veggies on the right.

Compromise is what happens when a former-vegetarian New England girl marries a meat-loving midwestern man. :)

Really?

Anyone else seen this stuff yet?? It's Maybelline New York Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara. I'm pretty sure Estee Lauder and Lancome have a vibrating mascara as well. I definitely don't see this trend lasting long.

Because really.. I equate this stuff to applying mascara while driving down a bumpy road in an old Chevy truck that's lost its shocks. If you don't poke your eye out.. you WILL get it all over your face.

FYI: If you're brave and/or have a super steady hand, you can buy it here.

Bittersweet

Well, all things are a go with the move. We've started to pack and plan. If all goes well, we'll be outta here in 3 weeks. I am incredibly excited about going home. About spending time with my family. But I think I'll be leaving a part of my heart here too.

The statement, "You don't know what you've got til it's gone" is so true. When I was growing up, I always wanted to get out of my small town & never look back. So I did. I moved to the midwest.. only to realize my heart was partly back home. I missed it like crazy.

It' been 2 years since I've lived in Maine. I spent a good part of that time missing it. Now we're going back.

And as much as I expected to feel only excitement, that's not all there is. Somewhere between wishing for my mountains and lakes back and wanting my family closer, I got attached here.

As many times as I complained to Z about my crazy co-workers, it broke my heart to tell them I was leaving. We all grew so close together because of the death of my boss 2 weeks ago. I'll miss them.. and I don't know if I'll ever have a better employer.

As much as I love my own family, I've fallen in love with Z's as well. I'm going to miss them so much. His sisters have become friends, and even those flat cornfields have become somewhat beautiful.

And as blind as I was to it, I've learned a great lesson.

1 Timothy 6:6 (New International Version)

⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain.

It's not enough to try and follow after Christ & be like him. Because how can we really be like him if we're not content with our lives?

It's tough to feel content when we're thousands of miles away from people we love, when we've lost someone close to us, or life's just seeming unfair.

But, God doesn't tell us stuff like this without a promise. The last part of that verse says ".. is GREAT GAIN". And really, God's pretty much the best at giving rewards. If he says that godliness with contentment is going to benefit me, I'll believe him.

I've wasted so much time in my life wanting what I don't have. Whether it's where I'm living, the career I'm in, or even petty stuff like new furniture or a prettier, more popular blog. What a waste.

So, friends, please don't make the same mistakes. You may look back on the little apartment you're in with wonderful memories someday. Enjoy where you're at. Be thankful for what you do have. Don't wish the moments away- embrace them. GROW because of them. Every single situation you come across is an opportunity to grow, and to inspire others. I only wish I'd embraced this lesson sooner. I want to live my life like Paul, and be able to say,

".. for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Phillippians 4:11b-12)

It's Official

Remember that certain something that I couldn't tell you all yet... Well, we've given our notices at work, and are planning on being moved back home (to Maine) by the end of the month! More details to come!

I'm Still Here!

Whew! Where were we again? Apparently I get an F in blogging lately. But then again.. life gets in the way, and sometimes it's good to take a break. What have I been up to?? Let me fill you in.

Left for Kentucky Friday. Got there just before dark. Set the tent up All.By.Myself. Tried to sleep even though my back was yelling at me for the minimal padding between it and the ground. Woke up. Jumped on the back of Z's 4-wheeler, and rode around for a few hours. Held on for dear life while getting covered in dust. Had fun though. Went back to campsite for lunch. Washed grit out of my teeth and ate a PB&J. Took a nap with A (Z's cousin's wife) while the boys (Z & said cousin) did some "real" 4-wheeling. [sidenote: apparently it's not real 4-wheeling unless you're doing like 55 mph in the woods] Drove to the "lake" with A, only to find out it was filled with algae & would no way get me any cleaner than I was. Went back to campsite. Took "shower" in little water spiget that came 2 feet high out of a concrete slab. Felt fresh again. All was well. Boys got back. Made supper over the campfire. MMMmmm, pizza pie! Made s'mores. Colapsed into sleeping bag. Woke up, ate muffin. Packed up all our gear. Took the tent down All.By.Myself. Did a wee bit more 4-wheeling. Headed home.

If you just read that, you're a trooper, and I love you. :) The only pic. I have with me at work is this one, of our campsite.


Once we got home we showered & went to the viewing for my boss. We waited in line for 3 hours just to see the family, but I wasn't annoyed at all. I was so happy that many people were there. The estimate was 1,000 people. Crazy. It was pretty tough, not gonna lie. Seeing so many pictures of him, and momentos from his office on display was such a stark reminder that he wasn't there anymore.

I had monday off for the funeral, and so Z took it off too. We went an hour early just to get seats. If I thought the viewing was tough.. whew! The funeral was way worse. They opened it up for people to share memories of him, and several people barely choked through theirs to get words out. Like I'd said before, he crashed with his good friend, who survived the accident with minimal hurt. Well, his friend was there, sitting a couple rows in front of us. He got up spoke only a few words because he was so choked up- he said that he didn't understand, didn't know why he hadn't seen him that night, that he was such a good friend, etc. Oh my gosh.. there wasn't a dry eye in the place! The line of cars to go to the graveside was so long they had intersections blocked off and police escorts. It was hard, but I'm doing well. Please continue to pray for his family- It's going to be a long time before anything feels normal for them again.

After all of that was over, my WONDERFUL hubby took me south for a little retail therapy. We hit up a new outlet mall, and somehow I only walked away with one shirt from JCrew. Don't know how that happened! We went to Ikea after and let's just say.. I walked away with slightly more than that. :) Check out Project Pretty in a day or so to see what we scored.

Now, we're all unpacked, the house is cleaned up, and we're back to work. Still feels eerie looking down the hall at a closed door, but life is going on. And that's what he would have wanted.