Oh, the Places You'll Go!

I just got home. It's almost 8pm. 11 hours straight at the big ol' BBC. I didn't even leave for lunch today. Erica graciously picked me something up and I scarfed it down in between mouse clicks and work conversations. It's a good thing I love my job and the Bible study I'm in for the next few weeks. And I mean absolutely LOVE. Now to finish up dinner and take it to Nathan. I can't wait to crawl into bed!

I got my new passport in the mail a few days ago. You know, name change and all. And last night Nathan and I spent about an hour scouring the internet for lodging during our trip to Greece. Man, are we excited!! In Santorini, we are staying at this hopefully really awesome little place that is right on the cliff overlooking the beautiful water. Yes. Be jealous.

Below are a few pictures from last weekend when I was in San Antonio for Allison's competition. They won first place again! Next weekend are the State Championships. I'm betting they'll get first again : )

Ready to start. Allison's the only blonde one. Over on the left.

Blurry because she never slowed down!

We were bored while waiting til the awards show...

This picture was of a very interesting (read: scary!) performance by a school. Their whole show was about drug addiction. Notice the sign in the back says "Meth." And the guy in the center with the cut up shirt with exposed skin everywhere... Umm, yeah, he was down right creepy.

Warning: The child has on blue lipstick... Nobody really knows why... Isn't she cute, though? She planted her blue lips on my cheek right after they had their little team hurrah for winning. That's what the picture below is supposed to be of, but you can't see it on my face, thank goodness! She got Matt too while we were walking out.

Warning 2: I was tired and I look it.

Sibling pics at Grandma's house : )

The Blind Side

I just watched "The Blind Side." Great movie! One of those that makes your whole heart soar. Of course, everyone already knew that. I was so impressed by the strength of character in the mom. And somewhat in the dad too. I was expecting to be. But do you know what impressed me the most? The reaction her two kids showed to Michael moving in. Talk about good parenting. I believe the normal response would be to complain, to be embarrassed, etc. There was none of that. It was obvious that her children were well-versed in caring for others. In being selfless. My goodness do I want to instill such values in the children Nathan and I have someday. I think those values are two of the most absent in our society today. Too many parents cater to every whim of their children, only encouraging their egocentricity. There is no room left for children OR parents to think about anyone else. We remain in our own houses, worrying about our own problems, all the while ignoring the entire world around us and teaching all who follow after to do the same. I am not in support of the government taking care of people. God gave people the task of taking care of people. When we ignore the command of loving our neighbor, which does not mean just waving at them when pulling into the driveway, we are ignoring the heart of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are placing ourselves first, not last. I am not saying Nathan and I do a great job of this all the time. I am saying that people like the family in the movie remind me of what my priorities should be. Sacrificing for others. All of the time. It is what is pleasing in the sight of God.

I said I wasn't gonna...

tan again! But I just couldn't resist... I have my excuses. It's not that I think pale isn't beautiful. It's that my makeup is the lightest shade they sell and it's still too dark. Plus the rays somehow calm my otherwise awful complexion. And we are going to Greece soon where it will be sunny and I don't want to burn while on our trip. AND it's only for two months, then I'm canceling. See?? It's not that unreasonable... Don't judge me. Maybe next year will be the year I quit.

"Say what?!" {Part 2}

There are three phrases that people seem to say often. Three that I don't agree with.

1. "I found God."

I don't think so... I would have to say the accurate statement is "God found me." Jesus explicitly said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." (John 6:65) We don't hold onto Him. He holds onto us. Our salvation is not credited to us in any way, but to God and God alone.

2. "I deserve it." (said in reference to something good)

The only thing we deserve is full separation from God because of our sinfulness. Everything else "good" we receive is a blessing that we most certainly don't deserve and is a direct result of God's mercy and goodness. Other things that some people refer to deserving, like respect and love, are actually not things we deserve at all. Most of the time, we are so far from deserving either. Instead, God commands us to do both (especially in marriage) in complete spite of someone's deservingness. (Is that a word - deservingness??)

3. "God wants me to be happy."

God's desire is not to make us happy. He is concerned with our holiness. Marriage, children, jobs, all experiences and circumstances are in place to make us more like Christ, to bring us closer to God. And all of that should bring us JOY.

We are still alive...

Alright. It's about time I updated. Let's see if I can cover the gamut.
The Bachelor: He picked Vienna and I almost cried for Tenley. I'm over it now. He's officially an idiot. And she is officially a man. A very trashy man.
Greece: It's getting SO close! We are planning to book our hotels next weekend and I plan on using my monthly allowance and my half of our tax return on some cute summery clothes for our trip. My mom said she has no idea where I get that from - wanting new clothes whenever I'm on a trip. We will definitely know where our kids get it from if they are like that : )
Our place: I bought a small shelf for our bathroom and Nathan hung it up this week while I was at work. I didn't even ask him to - I love that man! And we are really liking the shelf. We had too many things on our counter. It felt so cluttered to me. Plus the shelf brings your eye up closer to the ceiling which makes our bathroom look bigger. Yes, I learned that on HGTV when I was like 12. Thanks, Mom! Maybe I will take a picture and post it on here. It really is lovely.
The weather: It has been so wonderful this week. Somewhere in the 70s and sunny. I have never noticed such a shift in the weather before. This whole winter it has been so gloomy with the rain every few days and the freezing cold. I never believed that weather could so affect your mood until now. Not that I was depressed before, just that I have felt so cheery this week. I can't wait to bust out the flip flops and tank tops. If I could live where it is 90 degrees everyday, I would. I love the heat!
Nathan: He's leaving Monday to go on weather flight visits and won't be back until Friday. AKA he is going to be driving around Arkansas and Mississippi to just see what the weather guys do at some of the bases. Lame. The only upside is that we might get a little money of it. Always nice. especially since this girl needs some luggage!
Me: I'll be working until Friday afternoon and then I'm driving to Dallas to fly home. Allison has a flag competition on Saturday. The only one I can possibly make it to. Bonus - I get to see Matt. I haven't seen that kid very much in the last year. Then it's back to Dallas and a drive home on Sunday night. So between Nathan and I being gone, we won't see each other for a week straight. So. Totally. Lame. But, as my mother pointed out, he will most likely be gone for two months before we leave here, so I better get used to it. I hate when she does that. Cuts my complaining off. But it's true, so I will find my big girl panties and wear them proudly. It does mean that I have an excuse to watch all the movies Nathan preferred to not see, like The Blindside.