3 years later...

The last time I blogged on here was October 2012.
Just a few things have happened since then. I won't elaborate much more than lists. :)

- We had a baby boy in January 2013. He's 2 now. His name is Coleman Daniel Lee.
- When Coleman was just 5 months old, we found out we were pregnant again!!
- In August 2013, Coleman and I got into a car accident, we bought a van, Chris lost his job and we moved to a different house.
- In January 2014, the day after Coleman's 1st birthday, we moved back to Missouri! Chris had gotten a job at the jail where he works now. Whew!
- In March 2014, we had another baby boy. His name is Caeden David. He's almost a year and a half now!
- Just recently, Chris has decided to join the Air Force. We're waiting on transcripts so that he can go to MEPS and then off to Basic and Tech School!

I think those are the main highlights!

Vent

Is it just me or do we all have those people in our lives whose main life goal seems to be to make sure that you're miserable no matter what?

We have someone like that in our lives.

I will spare details but sometimes it feels like neverending CRAP that we can do nothing about. I'm so tired of it I'd like to rip heads off and puke down their throats. Seriously.

I cannot take it anymore.

Update.

Wow! It's been awhile.

Chris and I have moved to a house! We found us a cute little 2 bedroom home not too far from where we were living before. I can still walk to work and we are close enough to everything else to make it worthwhile. It's the perfect little home for us and our little one....when he gets here! In the meantime, come visit us! We're here!

Which by the way, in case you weren't already aware....we are having a little BOY! At first I was a little freaked out about having a boy because I have NO IDEA what to do with a boy! I was 8 when my brother was born and didn't help at all with changing his diaper, feeding him, etc, etc, etc. We were just too young. I know that when he gets here it will all come naturally and I'll be his expert. :)

His Daddy and I are very excited about him being here. We are eager to meet him and watch him grow and are already praying for him, his life and his future bride.

By the way, his full name will be Coleman Daniel Lee Morgan. And no, Cole is not an acceptable nickname.
Coleman was the name that Chris and I agreed on, Daniel is after my Daddy, and Lee is a family name on Christopher's side.

I'm in the last week of my second trimester now. My pregnancy has been alright. I'm tired all the time and am very hormonal. I frequently feel yucky, but nowhere near the way I felt during the first trimester!
I don't really crave anything in particular....in fact, most of my food cravings haven't changed at all. However, Chris got me a Wild Cherry Pepsi today on accident and that sounds wonderful right now!

It's after 3 in the morning as I sit here and type this up. We got a new bed this week and were up late setting it up. Who knew that a bed could be so complicated? Then we made a quick Wal-Mart trip (I"m sure we set a record for ourselves) and after getting home and feeling how wonderful it felt outside, we got out our lawn chairs and sat on our porch in the dark until 2 in the morning. After going to bed, I couldn't sleep so I got up and showered and here I am now. I really should get some sleep but am just not feeling it right now. I will most definitely pay for it in the morning!

I am still really loving being married to Christopher. Marriage is HARD but it is much easier when you know you married the person that God intended for you from the beginning. It also doesn't hurt that he's my best friend and has been for years! Isn't God's plan the BEST? I probably don't tell Chris enough but I love him and all that he does for Coleman and myself. I love how much he loves me and isn't afraid to express that love to me. I"m a pretty lucky girl!

Chris's family recently moved nearby.. I still miss my own parents and siblings greatly but am happy to have some family so close. We are very blessed to have such good families. 

Hmmm....I really should keep up with this more often. I don't write on it enough! :)

Negativity

I am eliminating negativity from my life. I'm tired of drama, negative comments, and discouragement. We don't need that. We don't want that.

I'm tired it not being able to enjoy myself, my pregnancy and most of all my husband.

I have no problem hurting feelings of those who have hurt us. If I delete you on Facebook, or don't talk to you in person, then it's because you are bringing me down. I don't have to put up with it...and I won't. I'm tired of being a doormat. I'm tired of being run over time and time again. I'm not putting up with it anymore.

We are putting on a positive attitude. We are taking care of ourselves and the life that is growing inside of me. There will always be negativity in the world, but my home does not have to be a negative place. I want my child to feel safe, secure, and loved...and we can't give them that security if we don't have it ourselves and we are taking care of that now.

So long negativity. You are not welcome here.

Pregnancy Update

Well, we are 9 weeks today! I've had a fairly easy pregnancy thus far...just a lot of nausea, fatigue, and a but of irritability. Oh, and weight gain. Yuck.

I know we announced really early that we were pregnant but we have a lot of faith that the Lord will protect us and our little one. Plus, if something bad were to happen, I would rather people know and we would be able to seek comfort in the best of places.

On a brighter note, there are 2 other women at church that are also pregnant and due exactly 1 and 2 weeks before me!! It had been so nice to compare notes with them and seek wisdom from them (they both have one already).

My brother and sisters are very excited about our news. They keep asking when we find out the gender and when he/she is coming. It's very fun.

Keep praying for us my friends. Keep posting for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Keep praying for Chris as he has to deal with my fatigue and mood. Keep praying that we will be good parents and teach our children about the love of Jesus in our walk and talk.

A Baby is Coming!

We're going to have a baby! Our due date is mid-January.

Chris and I are so very excited.

We told our parents last week, after we found out that we were pregnant. We told the rest of our family and friends tonight as we couldn't keep it a secret any longer!

Our siblings are SO excited. The screaming and carrying on that happened for the next few hours was almost more than we could handle! We are so very blessed to have brothers and sisters who love us and are excited with us!

We're only five weeks along and I am well aware that the first 12 weeks are the most dangerous for our little one. However, I have faith that God is going to protect us and our child. Please pray for us as we navigate these next 7 weeks.

I wish I had more time (and energy) to tell our story but alas, I will save that for another day.

With much love,

Leah

They told us before we were married that the first year was the hardest. I didn’t believe them. “How could the year after you’re first married be the hardest when you’re so in love?” I thought to myself.

Oh boy. They were right.

I understand it now. You go from the single life where you come and go as you please, you spend money however you want to, you sleep by yourself diagonally across your bed, you set your alarm to go off 20 minutes before you actually need to so you can hit the snooze alarm several times, you are responsible for you and only you. Then you get married and you are responsible and accountable to someone else. You learn to share a bed, a bathroom, and other living space. I thought it would be much like living with sisters but it is most definitely not.

Our first year definitely had it’s ups and downs.

We moved 4 times before the end of the year. Once to our apartment in St. Robert, once to Indiana, and twice after the initial move to Indiana. In St. Robert, we lived a mere 0.4 miles from my job and 1 mile from Christopher’s job. Our schedules matched up and we were able to eat lunch together every day. We bought a truck with the intention of only using it for a few miles a day.

Then came the decision to move to Indiana. The next 5 months were AWFUL. We lived with family (not exactly nice for a newlywed couple) and had to learn how to live with them AND each other. It was difficult, very very difficult and yet it made us stronger and made us love each other more.

I spent 6 weeks jobless when we first moved to Indiana and it was very rough on us financially. Chris had decent job but we knew that for the time being we couldn’t live on his income alone. And I was BORED. Finally, after many days of combing the classifieds and searching the internet, I found a job that helped us get back on track. I loved the people, but hated the hours. It decreased the time we were able to spend together, sometimes we had completely opposite schedules. We knew I needed to find something else. Now I have a good job.

Shortly after that we were able to move to Seymour, where we attended a great church. We found a GOOD apartment at a CHEAP price. We were able to pay our bills on time and build up our savings account.

We dealt with the difficulty of Chris’s schedule. He went from working 6am-4pm and then some overnight shifts (pure torture for me) and then finally 7am to 5pm. We get home at about the same time.

We learned that even though we DO know what we’re talking about, people may not listen to us.

Then we started to learn more about the people around us and learn that we were wrong in our perceptions of them. It’s earth-shattering thinking that someone you know is one way and it turns out that you were completely wrong. It broke our hearts.

I had to learn that my parents aren’t going to be able to fix EVERYTHING. We also learned that our parents are not perfect.

We learned that even though we’ve moved out and are hours away, our siblings can still annoy the heck out of us. And sometimes it’s just better to communicate our issues to them so they know when they’ve hurt you in some way, even though it was unintentional.

We learned that neither one of us is perfect like we thought the other was before we were married, and that it’s just me that’s perfect (kidding!). We learned to communicate our feelings and frustrations and not to go to bed when we’re hurt, angry, or frustrated.

We learned to lean on each other. It’s so easy for me to go to another room and cry my heart out but sometimes it’s okay to let Chris hold me as I cry.

We dealt with terrifying, vivid nightmares as a side effect of birth control (ask me about chicken babies, blood drives, worms, and stalkers sometime). We also learned that my body is going to retaliate against me for going OFF said birth control. We learned that even though our parents were able to get pregnant right away, we have to wait on the Lord’s timing…no matter how badly we wanted it to happen 2 months ago.

This past year has had it's ups and downs, it's highs and lows. However, I wouldn't trade the love that Christopher and I share for anything else this world has to offer.

Happy Anniversary Christopher Aaron. I love you! 

Thoughts

Disclaimer: I am not here to judge. However, this is my blog and I have a right to my own opinion. Please respect my opinion.
 
Have you seen that commercial about depression? The one that says that depression hurts...and that depression hurts everyone. Well, it's the same with divorce. Divorce hurts...and it hurts everyone.

Divorce hurts the woman.  Divorce hurts the man.  Divorce hurts the children.  Divorce hurts friends.  Divorce hurts family members.  Divorce hurts the church.  Divorce hurts everyone. 

I'm not talking about myself. Chris and I are very happy. I'm talking about others around me. I'm talking about people I know well. I'm talking about people who used to mean a lot to me. I'm talking about half the church.

When Chris and I got married, we made vows that said, "Til death do us part." I meant every word of that vow. Chris is going to have to die to get out of our marriage. I will die before I get out of our marriage. Others say that too, but why don't they follow through?

Especially if they consider themselves Christians?

What does the Bible teach about Divorce? Read this.
What are the Biblical ground for Divorce? Read this.

Divorce is wrong. It hurts everyone.

It's so funny that I was thinking about this during my shower the other day (where I do all my best thinking) and composed the first half of this blog post. AND THEN, that same day as Chris and I did our devotions before bed, the book we are working through touched a little bit on divorce. He and I had a great discussion about it and agreed on everything we discussed.

I believe that divorce is an act of complete selfishness. Seriously, get over yourself. LOVE  is a choice. We learned that as teenagers in our "True Love Waits" conferences. So, when you CHOOSE to divorce, you are CHOOSING not to love someone anymore. I don't believe there's such a thing as "falling in love" or  "falling out of love." It's an excuse. Divorce is lazy. Why take the easy way out? Divorce is costly, yes, but it's easy to just leave someone behind isn't it? Why not TRY a little harder and WORK on the marriage. When Chris and I got married, we were told that marriage wasn't easy. I believe that wholeheartedly now. And I love Chris and I honor and respect our marriage and commitment enough to WORK on it, even if I don't want to.

Both mine and Chris's parents drew a picture example for us before we were married....and it looked an awful lot like this:

And when we lose our focus on God, our triangle becomes lopsided, unbalanced.

Now, I'm no expert on marriage...in fact, I've only been married for a year. BUT I'm not an idiot. I know it takes three (God, Man, Woman) to make a marriage work and it takes two (Man, Woman) to break it apart. And once you take out that third element, you're in for a world of hurt.

Divorce hurts....everyone.

Thoughts?

"I Am"

Someone put this post on their xanga wall about six years ago and I haven't forgotten about it.

I have the day off so I went searching for it and found it. I'm not sure why she labeled it "For Leah..." And I don't even know if she really meant it for me or someone else.

It's the lyrics to the song "I Am"  by Nichole Nordeman.

And here is a Youtube link to the song... http://youtu.be/-b7vXuslOGQ

Sunday, January 22, 2006

For Leah... Pencil marks on a wall I wasn't always this tall, You scattered some monsters from beneath my bed, You watched my team win, You watched my team lose, You watched when my bicycle went down again, And When I was weak unable to speak, still I could call You by name, and I said “Elbow healer, Superhero, come if You can,” and You said “I am” Only 16, life is so mean, what kind of curfew is at ten PM You saw my mistakes, You watched my heart break Heard when I swore I’d never love again When I was weak, unable to speak, still I could call You by name, and I said “Heart-ache Healer, Secret-keeper, be my Best Friend” and You said “I am” You saw me wear white, by pale candlelight, I said forever to what lies ahead two kids and a dream, with kids that can scream too much it might seem when it’s two AM when I am weak, unable to speak, still I will call You by name. “Oh Shepherd, Savior, Pasture-maker, hold on to my hand,” and You say “I am.” The winds of change, And circumstance blow in and all around us so we find a foothold that’s familiar, And bless the moments that we feel You nearer Life had begun, I was woven and spun, You let the angels dance around the throne, who can say when, But they’ll dance again, when I am free and finally headed home I will be weak, unable to speak, still I will call You by name “Creator, Maker, Life-sustainer, Comforter, Healer, My Redeemer, Lord and King, Beginning and the End, I am, yes, I am.” ~Nichole Norderman

A Hair Experiment

Sometimes I get a little tired of the same ol' same ol' when it comes to my hair.
So this afternoon, after taking a very relaxing bath...I spent some time in front of the mirror playing.
I'd been surfing pinterest and the blogs linked to them and got some inspiration...

I took a whole lot bobby pins...

Yes, I used ALL of these!

 Used a dab of gel and then twisted and pinned them to the top of my head until I came up with this...

It looked better in person.

Charming, yes?

(Every now and then yelling from the bathroom, "Honey! Come look! Did I miss anything?")

After finishing the pinning, I waited about 2 hours, then took a diffuser and blow dryer to finish off the drying process (my hair takes FOREVER to dry), pulled out the bobby pins and got this!!

Curls!

It wasn't exactly what I was looking for but it was fun to experiment!

And hey, even Chris liked it. :)

The Unloved One...

I can't help but repost this....it's one of my most thought-provoking posts and I just love it.

Wednesday, 14 November 2007

The Unloved One.....

So I was thinking about how in Genesis there was a man who loved a girl. Yes, he did. He worked 7 years for that girl....and he ended up with the wrong one. Thus, he worked another 7 years for that girl....and he ended up with two wives. What a lucky guy.

But this man loved one of his wives and not the other one. Sad day.

I feel sorry for Leah...yes, Leah...Jacob's wife.

A lot of people have some sort of bitterness for the Leah of the Bible. Like it was her choice to let her father trick Jacob into marrying her before marrying Rachel. Thus making Jacob work another 7 years for Rachel again.

A little hard work never hurt anyone.

Did anyone ever think of the way that Leah might feel about this? I mean, back then women didn't really have much of a choice in the matters of anything, right? What about Leah? She had to obey her father....she probably didn't even want to marry Jacob. I'll bet he wasn't even cute. Yet, she had to and he did not love her. She could've found someone who loved her. She gave birth to many children of a father who did not love her. What a shame. How do you think that made her feel? Here she is giving birth to many many sons and the father of her children doesn't love her....and he treats those sons differently than he treats the offspring of him and Rachel.

How rude.

Leah....the unloved one. I feel sorry for her. I would have hated to be Leah back then.

EDIT: So I was talking to David about this today...and we went through and discussed the first four sons of Leah....

Genesis 29:
31 When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now." 33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon. 34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." So he was named Levi.
35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "This time I will praise the LORD." So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

If you notice, every time she had a son she thought to herself, "Maybe my husband will love me now." Then at verse 35 she gave birth to Judah and praised the Lord....and then she stopped having children and her sister was very jealous of her.

Do you know that the line of Judah is where Jesus comes from???

Yes, that's right....Leah's son Judah is an ancestor of Jesus.

What now Laban, Jacob and Rachel?

Update

So, I'm terrible at keeping this updated. At least I've already done so once this year! Which is more than I can say for....other things....like dusting. Oh well.

Chris and I FINALLY got cable and internet. It's so nice to not have to watch DVD's all the time. We enjoy shows like, "Criminal Minds," "Once Upon A Time" and the NEWS!!! It's also nice to sit out in the living room surfing the internet at will while Chris watches his weird shows.

I was finally able to get my hair highlighted and cut today. Oh my it makes me feel so fresh! :)

Chris's work schedule has changed. He now works 9am-7pm. It has kind of messed up our lifestyle. We no longer go to bed before most elderly folk but instead are living more like college students, up past midnight. I can't handle the 2 or 3am nights anymore though. I'm not that young anymore! However, it is nice to cuddle in the mornings before I have to get up for work. And the couple of hours by myself in the evenings is nice for getting some things done...like dusting.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!

So what if it's already 7 days into the New Year? I am a busy woman!

So many changes happened in the year 2011.

At the end of 2010, I was an engaged woman. I was getting the awesome chance to marry one of my very best friends of my awkward junior high years. Hey, if the guy chose to hang out with me THEN he's a keeper right? :)
The months of January-April were "wedding, wedding, wedding." I know I drove my parents nuts, just found out I drove my co-workers nuts, and Chris....yeah him too. I don't understand why any woman would want to get married more than once. It's stressful!

Finally our day had arrived! It was wonderful and all that I had been imagining in the previous 6 months. My groom looked handsome, bridesmaids and groomsmen wonderful, parents beaming with pride, and joy overflowing my heart as I said "I do" to the boy I had loved for years and the man he turned out to be.

We spent the first couple of days after our wedding learning how to share covers, and live with someone of the opposite gender....among learning other things.  ;) Three days after we were wed, we traded my Silver 2007 Cobalt for a Maroon 2009 GMC Sierra. I was sad to see the Cobalt go but knew that we needed something better for the both of us.

By mid-May, Chris and I were both ready for a change. During the wedding weekend, Chris's brother-in-law Joe and sister Heather joked around that we should move to Noblesville and be near them. Little did we know. After a couple of phone calls, Chris had a guaranteed job and I had an interview in Noblesville, Indiana.....so we moved!

June 4th we (with the help of my parents) packed up all of our belongings into our truck and a small U-Haul and made the 7 hour trek to the Indianapolis suburb.
After 2 weeks of my failure to land a job and Chris's meager checks from his job, we decided that Noblesville was not where we were supposed to be. So, on Father's Day, we packed up our belongings again and made the hour and a half trip south to Columbus, Indiana to live with his grandparents until we got back on our feet. Chris quit his job in Noblesville on Monday, came back to Columbus and started our search with an employment agency. His Aunt Christa works for one and was able to land him a "temp-to-hire" position at Impact Forge Group, a company that forges steel parts for vehicles and other equipment. We walked into her office on Monday, interviewed on Tuesday, and started on Wednesday. Do you think God had a hand in that?

I, on the other hand, could NOT find employment. However, after 7 weeks of searching in Columbus, I finally had an interview with Hotel Indigo, an upscale hotel right in downtown Columbus. They offered me a position as a Customer Service Representative and I took it.

Working at a hotel is much different than working at a bank. I loved it. I loved the people I worked with and especially the managers above me. I think that the general manager and front desk manager are the best people I could have ever worked for and with. However, the hours were very hard on me and the time I got to spend with Chris was minimal. He went to work 6-4 every day and there were some days I worked 3-11. Therefore we would only get to see each other before bed and when we woke up in the morning. That's no good when you're starting a life together so I started looking.

We had been attending a church in Seymour, Indiana and had expressed our concerns to the pastor there. He got us in touch with a bank in the area (where our music pastor just so happens to work and have high standing in) and I was able to apply online, get an interview and be hired. It was a $1.63 higher an hour and we knew that's what we needed at the time.

Shortly after getting the job, we decided that we needed a second vehicle. It was tough on gas for me to drive 35 minutes each way to work and for Chris to continue to drive his 20 minutes one way to work. We were ready to be on our own anyway and started searching for a place to live in Seymour.

And oh boy does the Lord provide! We were able to find a good apartment for minimal rent AND only 2 blocks from the bank! We use the car to save on gas and I walk to work! It's a HUGE blessing!

Shortly after moving to Seymour, Chris got a promotion AND raise. He still works for the Impact Forge Group, however, he is employed at Net Forge, a sister company of Impact Forge. He's a Quality Engineer and does a lot of work on a computer now. It's a salary exempt position which means he's salary for the first 40 hours, and then gets overtime pay for anything after 40 hours. It's been a really big blessing for us to have that extra income.

Now we just live day-by-day, trying our best to serve the Lord and glorify Him in all that we do.
We miss our families and friends but know that the Lord has us where He needs us for now. We cannot wait to see what HE has in store for us!

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!