Our New Car

We bought ourselves a new car!

We've been needing something to drive for the winter time. Chris is driving 20 minutes to work each morning and evening. I'm driving 35-40 minutes to work each morning and evening. He has to be at work at 6, I don't have to be at work until 8. It isn't practical for me to sit in the truck every morning for 2 hours in his work parking lot and then for him to sit and wait 2 hours for me to get off.

We traded in Christopher's 2008 Suzuki Boulevard for a 2011 Chevy Aveo. It's a beautifully simple car with great gas mileage and we got an AWESOME deal on it.

Next on the agenda: APARTMENT HUNTING!!! We're going to look at one today!!!

Pet Peeves

It seems as if all of my biggest pet peeves have been highlighted these past couple of weeks...and maybe I'm just extra moody, but maybe not.

1. Correcting me (or Chris) on a public forum...ie facebook. If someone puts up a status about something like that they are working and they are tired...don't write something like, "Well, just thank the Lord you have a job, many people are without jobs." Just because we're tired doesn't mean we aren't praising the Lord for our jobs! We're just at work and we're tired! What's so wrong with that? What if we were at home and tired, would you say to us, "Just thank God you have a home!" Seriously? We ARE grateful for our jobs (and the home we live in)...we're just tired!
2. Telling me the way that I feel is wrong. I can feel however I want to feel. Feelings are like opinions...they really can't be wrong.
3. If you ask for my advice, I'm going to do my best to give you sound advice. If you aren't going to take it, that's fine, but seriously, don't dispute or come up with an excuse for everything I say. If you don't like my advice, don't ask for it!
4. People giving advice I didn't ask for. I didn't ask what you thought, so don't tell me.
5. People who don't care, and those who don't try to care. It's just annoying.
6. Not replacing the toilet paper roll when you empty the roll. It happens all the time...at work, at home, at school, at church. It just seems a little lazy and disrespectful. If you finish a roll, replace the roll.
7. Wet socks. I hate it when I put on a pair of socks and then step into a puddle of water. Grr.
8. Grown men and women who are more than capable of getting a job whose parents pay for everything for them. Get up and get a job! I've held a job since I was 14, that was 10 years ago. I think you can handle it.
9. People who are constantly complaining about their situation. Fix it! If it can't be fixed, find something else!
10. Extra lazy people--would it kill you to take a couple of steps to get what you need/want?

Crazy Dreams

I have had a LOT of crazy dreams since Chris and I got married (Mom thinks it's the birth control) and this is just a couple of the MANY!

 

We were in the bank hosting a blood drive. All of the desks in the lobby were gone and there was a line of chairs in front of the teller station. Brandi and I were welcoming customers in to donate blood. It was really dark and really scary.

 

There was a doctor and a nurse. The doctor was Satan and the nurse was one of his demons. Creepy, I know. 

They told me that they needed all the blood they could get and if anyone found out who they were, they would kill me. If they didn't get enough blood, they would start to float in the air and if anyone noticed and figured out who they were, they would kill me. 

Well, of course I didn't want to give them any blood because it was Satan for goodness sakes! So, I delayed the best I can. Brandi and I were standing near them and the demon started to float in the air and she noticed and her mouth started to open and she started to say something. I quickly hushed her up and made her go to the bathroom with me. I told her who it was running the blood drive and that they would kill me if they found out that anyone knew. 

But then Brandi, being the voice of reason said, "Leah! You don't have to be afraid of them. You're a Christian and you can get rid of them!" It was cool. Anyway, so we got paper towels (which were black btw) and wrote messages on them to warn people. Then we ran out into the lobby screaming and telling people to get out. Another girl said we were acting crazy and there was nothing wrong with these people but we were frantic. I ran over to the boss, who was sitting at the end of the row of chairs in front of the teller line and told her what was going on and she also told me I was crazy!

Then the demon came over with a huge needle and was going to stab me in the neck to sedate me and he kept stabbing others along the way and no one but you would listen to me!

Then I just looked at him square in the eye and started quoting every Scripture verse I could think of....and I woke up.

 

My body was so tense and stiff when I woke up that I couldn't move. It was like a huge amount of pressure was placed on my body and I couldn't get up. It was awful. Eventually I had to use the bathroom so I rolled over and woke Chris up and made him go with me. I was scared!

 

On a funnier note, Saturday night I had a dream that Chris and I moved to Texas and I told him the only way we could go is if we lived near my friend Liesl (who also lives in Texas). I also insisted that we get a discount on anything that WAS normal size because "everything is bigger in Texas." So I spent HOURS in a grocery store trying to buy a normal-sized cantalope because "everything is bigger in Texas."

 

I can't make this stuff up!!!

 

Have a great day!!

Struggling to find the Lord's will....

Lately Christopher and I have really been struggling with God's will for us as a couple. We aren't exactly sure where He wants us to be.

We've been struggling a bit with our jobs. Is this where I'm supposed to be? Is this what I'm supposed to be doing? What is my purpose in being here? Am I doing the right thing?

We've been struggling a bit with our choice of church. Is this where we're supposed to be? Is this where we're supposed to serve? How can we serve in this church?

We've been struggling with our finances/expenses. We bought our truck without financing the title and taxes (NEVER do that!). Between the truck, moving, and me not having a job for 6 weeks, it really put us behind on bills. We're just now getting to the point where we are caught up and starting to manage our money.

We've been struggling with our living situation. Don't get me wrong, we are both very thankful to have a bed to sleep in and a place to stay. However, a newlywed couple living with someone else is harder than you could ever imagine. I do not recomment anyone trying it...it's not good.

We have finally turned to the Word to help us with our struggles. We've tried to set a time together every evening before bed to spend time alone with each other and with our Bibles. It helps. We just need to get even more involved in it.

So...family, friends, loved ones, passerbys....please pray for us. Pray that we will continually seek the Lord's will and to figure it out for ourselves...maybe we'll see a neon sign?

Waiting

There was something that Chris and I had agreed upon before we got married....in that we would wait to kiss each other.

Is that mistletoe?

I know it isn't usual, or even considered "normal" but it's what we wanted to do. It was actually him who approached the idea first and I really didn't like it, but after thinking about it and considering the benefits of it...I went along with it. The temptation at times was almost unbearable...but I believe with all of my heart that it was SO worth it.

Our first kiss!

I've shared this with a few of the people that I work with in the past couple of weeks and they don't believe me!

It's not common in this day and age for a couple to marry as virgins, and it is even less common for a couple to marry without kissing each other. I have a few friends who have done this, and I admired their strength at the time but thought to myself, "There's no way I can do that." BUT I love Chris so much that I respected his wishes, understood them, and abided by them.

It doesn't mean we'll have intimacy issues, it doesn't mean that the wedding night will be uncomfortable or awkward and that we won't be able to do anything. It doesn't mean we will seek that intimacy from another source. It means our marriage will be stronger, our love will be purer. Who wouldn't want that? Why do we selfishly jump into our sinful desires and waste that intimacy on someone else?

If I could, I would encourage girls nowadays to WAIT for that first kiss. WAIT until your wedding day to kiss the man that you love. The man that will wait will be the man worth waiting for!

When God Writes Your Love Story....

When Chris and I got married, I truly felt as if I was marrying my friend. Now, 3 months later I still feel as if I not only married my friend, but more and more he's become my best friend.

Chris and I met when his family started attending our church in Richland. I actually recognized his sister first from softball or basketball. When I saw him though I can remember thinking to myself, "Sweet! A boy our age!"

I don't remember much after that, other than on Saturday when my family went to his family's house to hang out. We played outside in their huge backyard and Chris took his baby sister Emmalee for a ride on the lawn mower so she would go to sleep. I think that's when he really captured my interest. We flirted at church and became friends, eventually deciding to "go out" behind our parent's backs. We didn't do anything other than sit by each other in church and on the church bus during youth trips--every once in awhile we'd hold hands, until someone *ahemHeatherahem* would say, "Are you guys holding hands?" to which we'd immediately let go and say, "No!"
Chris and I used to spend every Saturday together cutting firewood with our fathers. I think it was supposed to be a punishment, but haha Dads--we pulled on over on you! :) We enjoyed that time together, it was just us, no brothers or sisters.

One day in 8th grade, it was announced that they were moving back "home" to Indiana. What? Heather and Chris were two of the bestest friends I had, why take them away?

And then they moved. It was the hardest thing my poor little 8th grade heart had ever had to endure. I remember the intense pain as they pulled away and we walked back to our house. I also remember going to JV that same night (we were going to Westside then) and having to explain over and over again why my eyese were so puffy and why I'd randomly burst into tears. Mom made me go to school on Wednesday and Thursday but let me stay home on Friday because I had had such an emotional week.

Heather and I kept in pretty good touch, writing letters back and forth every so often and talking on the phone when we could. Chris and I kept in so-so touch, talking more between boyfriends/girlfriends.

In 2007, the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college, I interned at Awana in Chicago and had the long Memorial Day weekend off, so I went and visited the Morgan family. Chris and I spent a lot of time together that weekend, staying up late and catching up--and we rekindled the flame. We lost touch a little bit after that but then regained that touch in 2009 after I graduated from college.

In December of 2009, Chris flew me down to visit him and I got stuck in Memphis with a canceled flight. He and his mother hopped into the car and drove 6 1/2 hours in the middle of the night to pick me up and then drove 6 1/2 hours back to their house. That's when I knew that I would marry him.

In July of 2010, after many months of talking on the phone and on skype, Chris came to Missouri to visit me. During this visit, we sat down with my parents and discussed that our relationship needed to go further and one of us needed to move so that we would be in the same city. After a series of fortunate events, Chris moved up to Missouri about a month later.

He proposed in November of 2010 and we were married April 30, 2011.


You know how, when you were younger, you would have your best friend over to spend the night and you'd stay up all night with the giggles or watching movies/playing games? It's like that for us, except better. There are some nights where we just lay in bed laughing about something that happened during the day or we talk about hurts we've experienced in life, or we talk about our dreams and plans for the future.
We talk about the nightmares we have, or our greatest fears. We talk about the most embarrassing moments we had or memories of our years together when both of our families lived in the same neighborhood...
It is so much better than sleepovers with your girlfriends because I trust my husband more than any other person in the world. There are no secrets between us and no lies. I know he won't go to work the next day and spill everything we talked about the night before (like girl friends did in high school). I know he won't use my fears and disappointments against me.

I also trust my husband to hold me when I cry, and to have my back when I need to be defended. I can trust that my husband thinks I'm beautiful even in shorts and a t-shirt or sweats and a hoodie. The words "You're beautiful" always come at just the right time.

I can count on my husband to protect me from danger, drive safely from place to place, and come home to me when he gets of work. I can count on him to be honest when I say, "How does this look?" as I'm trying on clothes in the dressing room at Target or just for church on a Sunday morning. He'll etiher say, "You look cute" or "I like the other one better" or "What about the ____ shirt?"

I knew when I was younger that I wanted to marry a good friend, or even a great friend, possible even my best friend and the Lord provided. He "one-upped" my expectations.

Christopher Aaron is my best friend and the man I will be spending the rest of my life with. I'm looking forward to the sweet kissed when he gets home from work. I'm looking forward to the rough evenings when we're both cranky and tired by have the option to lean on each other. I'm looking forward to the joy that will come when we have our first child (and second, and third...). I'm looking forward to the many sleepless nights when we're laying in bed talking (or he pushes me off the bed with his butt because he likes to cuddle while sleeping). I'm looking forward to furthering our walk with the Lord together. I'm looking forward to serving in ministry with him. I'm looking forward to the future--to a long and happy (but not necessarily perfect) like with my Chris.

I love you Chris. Happy 3 month anniversary!

God is good!

All the time!

I've been unemployed for about 7 weeks and it's been driving me crazy. I can't just sit around all day and do nothing, it drives me insane!

So, in Sunday School on Sunday, Chris mentioned to our class that I had been searching for a job and was having no luck! So, we spent some time in prayer. 

Prayer pays off!
I applied everywhere I could think of....prayed A LOT....and finally it paid off!
I am unofficially unemployed at Wal-Mart of Seymour, Indiana.
I say unofficially employed because they offered the job, but the computer server wouldn't accept it so we had to reschedule the appointment to get the "paperwork" and drug test done. Wal-Mart doesn't skip around on anything.

Also, Chris worked 8 hours of overtime last week and will have 8 hours of overtime this week, bringing in a little bit of extra money for us.

In other news, I finally found the library! Well, I actually finally looked it up last night. I used to read all the time when I was younger and lost that desire when I went to college and didn't have time to read. Now that I've graduated college and have a bit of extra time, the desire to read is back! I am very excited.

Chris's sister Heather and her family are coming over tonight for dinner/games and to spend the night. I LOVE spending time with my sister-in-law (we've been good friends since we were 11!) and her family. It's sure to be a good time.

Ha! I just got a phone call from a hotel here in town. They want to interview me tomorrow afternoon!

SWEET!

Moving + Job Hunting = LOTS OF PRAYER NEEDED!!

I'm not gonna lie. Moving and job hunting is frustrating.
The Lord has provided as far as housing and transportation go. We're living with Chris's grandparents in Columbus and we always have some sort of transportation. Chris has also been provided with a job since almost day one.
I, however, cannot find a job if my life depended on it! I spend my days online (or head buried in a phone book) hunting, my evenings brainstorming with my husband and family, and my nights tossing and turning. The stress of finances is starting to get to me....and I'm just SO READY to be back out there working! It's so frustrating spending day after day on the phone and internet and nothing turning up. *Sigh*

In other news, better news, Chris and I visited a GREAT church yesterday. We've been to a different church every Sunday and this is one that we mutually agreed that we liked. I had looked it up on the Awana website (surprise, surprise) and then cross-referenced it with the Southern Baptist Convention website. We wanted to go somewhere that lined up with our beliefs and that's where we were led. We attended the morning service and then went to the evening service again. After the evening service, we drove around town a little bit and can really see us living and working there in town. So, my job search has expanded to not just Columbus & Edinburgh, but also Seymour.

Last night we poured our hearts out to God. We asked HIM to show us what's next and to show us what to do.  We asked him to provide for our needs and to help us with our decisions.

Until I can find a job though, PLEASE pray extra for me. Pray for our finances, and that we will be able to catch up in a wise way. Pray for my frustration and that I will trust the Lord with what happens next. Pray that I will find a job and that it will be a GOOD job and I will enjoy it and work hard and get our finances caught up. Pray my friends, pray!

Weekends lead to Mondays....

I love weekends.

Everyone is home. We don't have to work. We go to church. Chris and I went to Noblesville on Saturday to pick up his last check from Two Men and a Truck and then we went to hang out with his sister Heather, and two nephews Ethan and Eli. That time was so precious.

At first, the boys wouldn't come near us. They were so shy. Now, they climb all over us and LOVE us. It's wonderful. So, we spent the afternoon/evening with them. We met them at Wal-Mart and shopped for a little while and then we went and hung out with them at their apartment. We taught Ethan and Eli how to play spoons. It was soooo funny when Ethan got it. Of course we went a little easy on him but when passing him the cards he would go, "No. No. No. No. YES!" And then he'd grab a spoon and say, "I win! I win! I win! I win!" It was awesome.

Then it was time for baths and bed. The boys needed haircuts and I volunteered to do it for them. They were excited about that until Chris scared them. You see, the first time I cut his hair and trimmed up the back of his head, I cut over a mole and made him bleed. He told the boys that when I cut his hair the first time I made him bleed. Thanks Uncle Chris! He finally told them that I did a good job and they let me buzz their heads. They sat so well, I was pretty impressed.

We left when it was time for them to go to bed. They go to bed a lot better when we aren't there. :)

Sunday we tried a new church, Friendship Baptist Church in Franklin, Indiana. It was about a half hour drive for us. It was pretty good. They did a little bit of traditional, a little bit of contemporary. I enjoy churches like that. Everyone was super friendly and was "glad that we could join them." I guess the church name really reflects its members! Pastor Fred spoke on Philippians 1. "For me to live is Christ. To die is gain." The main question was, if you aren't ready to die, then are you really ready to live? Is your life an example to others? It was a good sermon. It was FREEZING in the sanctuary though, so that made it a little distracting for me.

I seem to enjoy/understand sermons more when they put the outline on the screen. I guess it helps me understand and comprehend what the preacher is teaching about....it's that visual learning thing. :)

Then comes Monday....Mondays are the worst. It's the beginning of a new week. Now, some people would say that they love Mondays because it gives a new start, a new beginning. For me, it's another day of searching for a job. I DO have an interview tomorrow at a staffing company. Chris thinks that it means that they have a job for me and they just want to make sure I'm not a crazy person. I'm hoping so! My interview is at 9am. We'll see what happens!

Here goes nothing....

Okay, here goes nothing.

I've always enjoyed writing. I used to keep journals when I was younger. You know, the "Why does everyone hate me?!!?" kind of things...I used to also keep an xanga (which is still online in case you wanted to know). It's been forever since I've written on that.

Now I'm married and life is dramatically different from high school and even college. My friends have changed, my attitude has changed, my role in life has changed. BUT I'm still Leah....just with a different last name.

I'll try to keep this interesting, but I can't guarantee it!

Comments/suggestions/helpful hints are always appreciated!