Discrimination

Thanks for all your questions on the last post! Please keep them coming in, and I'll start answering them over the next couple days! :)

So last night Z was trying to apply for a job. There were pre-screening questions asking his race and sex. After answering white male, he was told he was not eligible to apply. This company has certain quotas they have to meet as far as employing minorities that give them tax breaks, etc. Z was not happy.

My best friend in high school got a huge scholarship simply because she was latino. She had average grades, I had a 4.0, but I didn't receive any impressive scholarships. I'm white.

Is it just me, or has racial discrimination reversed itself? Have we not gone so far to help minorities, that we have discriminated against the majority? Why has it become increasingly harder for white males to get the same benefits a black woman would get? Why did so many people vote for our current President based solely on his ethnicity?

Discuss.

Note: Parts of this post have been deleted to protect certain entities.

Miscellany

There's a lot on my mind lately.. but unfortunately I can't share anything via the blog.. YET. So, stay tuned.. lots of large updates to come!

• Z & I went to Indiana for the weekend to visit his cousin & his wife. They just bought a new house, so it was neat getting to see it.. and them, of course. Sat. night we went to Chilis, and then we hung out @ Lowe's. Us girls snagged some mistint paint and checked out paint colors and backsplash tiles for their new place (I'm living vicariously through others til we get our own). The guys looked @ power tools.. surprise, surprise. Sunday they taught me how to ride a [manual] four-wheeler. Let's just say.. I need practice. lol :) We headed back to OH around 2 & spent the rest of the day w/ his family & friends.
• Z's poison ivy is recovering. It was BAD. Like all over his body! Sucked for both of us- He was miserable and I couldn't even kiss him.. or anything else. :) Within another week, I figure it'll be totally gone.
• I swear if I didn't know better, I'd think I were pregnant! Of course, I'm NOT. See above point. :) I just feel slightly nauseous off and on all.the.time. Weird.
• I found an interior design school that I'm going to start taking classes at sometime this year. SO excited. 6-8 months from starting, I'll have my certification. :)

Since I can't mention a lot of what's going on in our lives right now on here at the moment, I thought I'd open it up for questions [not about the not-to-be-mentioned news though :). Anything you'd like to know? Perhaps you're wondering if I stuck my finger in an outlet as a child? Or what it's like up in the Northern-most part of New England? Ask away!! I'll do my best to answer!

Pieces..

.. of my heart.

I've talked about some of them before, like:

• Z
• My family
• Piano

But some of them I haven't really gone in to, like:

• Design. There's just something unbelievably satisfying and rewarding about creating beautiful spaces. To turn the plain or ugly into something warm, inviting, relaxing, exciting... something that makes you FEEL.. is unexplainable. The pieces are slowly coming together for my future in design. I have found a correspondance program where I can get my interior design certificate in a rather short time frame, and I've got a pretty solid plan for a business in mind. Honestly, I've been scared to totally share my love for design. I don't just want to be another girl who drools over a gorgeously styled space, but never creates the gorgeous space herself. Let's face it, the prospect of going out on your own and starting a business is scary. I'm so proud of the ladies I've met through this blogging world who have done this. They're a great encouragement, and so are all of you. Thank you so much to those who have commented, emailed, and supported. I don't talk a lot of design on this blog, that's what Project Pretty is for.. but I definitely feel much more free to share here, and the tone here is much more personal. So thanks for that.
• Ministry. God gave me a passion for people a long time ago. Specifically, teenage girls, and young women. The soul of a girl is so precious, so fragile, so beautiful- no matter what front she puts up. I did a good bit of work in youth ministry while still in high school. While I was in MI for college, I was flown back to ME to be the keynote speaker for a weekend women's retreat. I was in charge of the girls from 13-18. I've never felt so used before. Used as in, God was using me- big time. Do you know how touching it is to see the face of a 15 year old girl look up at you, and tell you that because of God speaking through you, she has given her life to Him? Amazing. That's worth living for. Since moving here, I haven't had a chance to be involved in this kind of ministry. But I think during this break, God has been refining my faith. I'm still so far from where I need to be.. but He uses broken vessels. And I'm so glad.
• Honey Bunches of Oats. [I had to throw this in after the last two being pretty heavy :)] Seriously.. when my parents dropped me off at college, my dad put a case of this stuff under my dorm bed. Love that man. Oh, and I love Sam's Club. They supply me with family size combo boxes that I shamelessly polish off on. my. own. :) I could eat this stuff all. flipping. day. long. :)

So.. now that I've shared with you all, what do the pieces of your heart look like? Do tell!

Happy Birthday Z!

Today I'm saying Happy Birthday to my hubby..


From back then..


To now...

You take my breath away


You make me laugh


You lift me up (sometimes literally)


You make me look good


You continue to sweep me off my feet


You are my leader, my inspiration


The reason for my smile..


I love you


Happy 24th babe, I wish you didn't have poison ivy. :)

Giveaways

FYI lovlies:

Lucy's having a giveaway.

So is Summer!

Check them out!!


*Btw, they're both awesome girls who I've loved getting to know- so make sure you stop by & say hi!

Closer to Love

Just wanted to share this song with you all.. I absolutely love it.



Here are the lyrics as well. So true.. in all of our lives, there's something that breaks us, brings us to our knees, and pulls us closer to love.

She got the call today
One out of the gray
And when the smoke cleared
It took her breath away

She said she didn't believe
It could happen to me
I guess we're all one phone call from our knees

We're gonna get there soon

If every building falls
And all the stars fade
We'll still be singing this song
The one they can't take away

I'm gonna get there soon
She's gonna be there too
Cryin' in her room
Prayin' oh, Lord come through

We're gonna get there soon

Oh, it's your light
Oh, it's your way
Pull me out of the dark
Just to shoulder the weight
Cryin' out now
From so far away
You pull me closer to love
Closer to love

Meet me once again
Down off Lake Michigan
Where we could feel the storm blowin'
Down with the wind

And don't apologize
For all the tears you've cried
You've been way too strong now for all your life

I'm gonna get there soon
You're gonna be there too
Cryin' in your room
Prayin' Lord come through

We're gonna get there soon

Oh, it's your light
Oh, it's your way
Pull me out of the dark
Just to shoulder the weight
Cryin' out now
From so far away
You pull me closer to love
Closer to love

Cause you are all that I've waited for all of my life
(We're gonna get there)
You are all that I've waited all of my life

You pull me closer to love
Closer to love
Pull me closer to love (You are all that I've waited for)
You pull me closer to love
Closer to love
Closer to love (Cause you are all that I've waited for)
Closer to love

Pull me closer to love

Lord, It's Me... Please Guide..

Father you know what I've been through with this whole house process. You know that I've been broken and that I've given up my desires for Your will. You are my hiding place in the flurry of acreage, contracts, lenders, offers, and square footage. I've shut down my feelings and heart on the whole shebang. I've gone into a stage where I let You and Z do the house hunting and deciding.

So Lord, I need to know if it was You yesterday. Was it You that shut down another house opportunity we were looking at? I need to know if it was You speaking to Z. Did You give him that feeling that he wanted to get out of here? Did You help him find that awesome house back home? Why have you slammed the "doors" in our faces on all these houses? Is it because we're really supposed to move back home?

You know how my heart has broken over missing my home and my family. You know about the countless nights I've cried quietly (sometimes violently) into Z's arms. You know the guilt I've felt about missing out on my sisters growing up. Lord, you know how much I've wanted to go back.

And just when I'd all but given up on doing that.. a glimmer of hope surfaces. Z's on the phone with my dad asking about job opportunities up there, and looking into renting moving vans. It's too real. It's too close to perfect. It's almost too much to handle if it's not going to happen.

I know You don't tease Your people, Lord. But I'm so afraid this is going to feel like a big tease. Lord, please guard my heart. Please take it and protect it from being broken again. Take my hopes and my fears, and in exchange, give me as much faith as you can spare.

I know you're preparing me for something great. I know you're building my faith so that I can share it. I know that no matter where we end up, you've given me the greatest gift I could ask for in my husband. And I will follow Him anywhere.. especially because I know he's following You. So Father, please just hold my heart and guide us..

*************

I'm sure you all get the gist of what's going on.. and I'd really appreciate your prayers. :)

& If you're a new reader & have no idea what's going on, you can look at the posts with the label "Houses".