Fabulous Day! ~

I know I've said this a lot lately, but this was a wonderful day! It really was packed with lots of good stuff. First of all, I woke up and put on my favorite jeans and they were LOOSE! Imagine that!

Great cause for celebration for sure. Then I got up and got ready for church. We listened to an awesome sermon about "A Legacy" and I got to sit with a couple of really good friends. After church on of them wanted to take some pictures of me and I let her.

And we took some of her little monkey boy, Matthew. He is SOOOO cute!

After I left church, I went home and picked up Tug and we went on a field trip to Petco. Tug loves to walk around the store and have everyone ooh and aah over him and get petted. He also loves that they have treats that look like cookies. Look how excited he was!

After we got home, it was time to carve pumpkins! My roommate and I had picked out some nice pumpkins and used the 2 biggest ones to carve.

Let me tell you, those little pumpkin carving kits are made for ONE PUMPKIN ONLY!! But we made it work.

Turned out pretty cute, huh?! We saved the seeds and roasted them in the oven. It has been years and years since I have had them. We just dried them in the oven for 30 minutes then tossed them in olive oil and sea salt and baked for 30 more minutes. I have a feeling I missed out on how good they tasted...

So then after that I finished up the magnetic spice rack I've been working on this week. I had it all done, just had to hang it. I'll show you what it took to make it in another post. Pretty easy and pretty cheap too!

The lids are clear so all the spices can show through and I found some labels that have all the spice names on them. Oh how I love spices!

I plan to change the curtains soon so everything matches. 

Now I'm working on some cinnamon rolls and writing this blog while I wait for them to rise. Can't wait til they are done and I get to go to bed! It's been a long and fabulous day!

Lost? ~

I invited a friend to church this morning. He stopped by and picked me up and drove me to Denton.

Denton, Texas.

If you aren't familiar with Denton, let me tell you a little bit about it. I grew up there, lived there for almost 30 years (man that makes me sound old!) and go back there to visit my family all the time. 

-Denton is the Redbud Capital of Texas, so named for the many Redbud trees in and around the city.

 -In 2006, Money magazine named Denton No. 58 out of the "Top 100 Best Places to Live in America."

-Denton is sometimes referred to by its nickname "Little D". (a reference to "Big D" - that'd be Dallas, of course!)

It's a college town, has 2 or 3 of them, maybe more. It was smaller when I left but it has sprouted up shopping centers and restaurants all over the place. It also has history, a square with a malt shop, some bed and breakfasts, and a lot of little attractions.

But the streets are all messed up.

Not only are they bumpy and always under construction, they are also curvy. And the ones that are straight don't go just North and South or East and West. They also go diagonal. And then we could talk about the amount of one-way streets there as compared to any normal city in Texas. Having lived there for many years, I've still been guilty of driving the wrong way on a street for a bit before figuring it out. 

So, as we approached Denton, my friend started asking me which way to go. The conversation from that point to the church was pretty much me saying "exit here" or "turn here" or "no, get in that lane!" As we twisted and turned and avoided potholes, he finally said, "I am so lost!"

I didn't say it out loud, but in my head I was thinking, "No you aren't. I'm right here and I know right where we are."

And then I just started thinking. I know it's a shock but I really was. There are songs about being lost and then being found. But if you think about it, has God really ever lost anything? We may have been lost but God knew all the time right where we were. Proverbs 5:21 says,

"For a man's ways are before the Lord's eyes, and He considers all his paths."

That really doesn't sound like God has misplaced us and is frantically searching for us. And what about Psalm 139?

"Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways."

That doesn't really sound like He has lost track of us either.  Hmmm...

So, my friend was lost in Denton this morning but he really wasn't. I am in NO WAY comparing myself to God. However, I did know right where we were and I knew where we were going after the next turn. And after he followed all of my directions, he wasn't lost anymore. See how that works??

God knows where we are.  My heart takes great comfort in that. Sometimes I don't know where I am or where I am going but we aren't really lost. God knows right where we are, all the time.

Healer ~

We sang this song last Sunday in church. Oh my goodness, I was touched by it! And then we sang another song and it kind of knocked the lyrics out of my head, all except for "I believe You're my healer." So I kept trying to remember all week long. Then on Friday, I was driving to work, listening to KCBI instead of Steve Harvey. And guess what! It came on the radio! Here's the song that's been with me all week. It's called "Healer" and if you want to watch the video, then turn off the sound on my music box on the right side of the page.


You hold my every moment

You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands


I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need...

Fort Worth Rodeo ~ Yeeee Haaawwww!

A friend of mine scored tickets to the Fort Worth Rodeo for Friday night. Not only did we get to go to the rodeo, they also fed us a brisket and sausage dinner, complete with beans, cole slaw, potato salad, rolls, and cookies. Delicious!

This is how the rodeo starts - with the 6 flags over Texas riding out on horseback. After they take their places the participants and sponsors ride out to join them. My favorite part is when they passed by the AMERICAN flag. At that point, all the cowboys took off their hats and held them to their chest. It was almost a tearjerker for me.  Then when everyone was out, they said a prayer and we sang the Star Spangled Banner. Oh Lord, was I trying to keep my composure!!

These are two of my favorite people in the world! Cooper (left) is 10 and he calls me his "second mom." When his first mom isn't around, he just calls me "Mom."  :)  Matthew (right) is 9 and he was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to go to the petting zoo. We did, however, see Elsie and her baby, Bouregard.

Of course, Cooper wanted to take some picture with my camera and so I had to put on my very best face!

This is tough to see but it is a picture of what Texas kids do for fun. They let loose a whole herd of calves and whoever caught one got $500! Even the ones who didn't catch a calf got to go home with a new pair of Justin ropers. Those are boots, for you city folk :)

This Last Year ~

I did this last year because one of my friends did it and I'm a copycat. I'm doing it this year because I want to be able to look back and see what God has brought me through. I'm a little bit late because I seem to have had writer's block for the past couple of months. I even considered shutting down this blog (it's more for myself than for anyone else anyway) but I think I will hang in there. So here it is:

January ~ I traded my beloved SUV in for a compact car. Also, my divorce was final this month. I had no idea how difficult it would be but it took months to get through it and I may still not be completely past it.

February ~ Started working on the preparations for my parents' 40th Anniversary party. It was a lot of work but it was worth it. We are so proud of them!

March ~ I think this is the month I started working the day shift. Finally. We had the Anniversary party at the beginning of this month and it was a lot of fun!

April ~ This month I finally started making my apartment a home. I had lived there for five months already but I did so hated being divorced. I wasn't ready to accept it until around this time.

May ~ I started working for Mr. Korman at Hospitality Concepts. I love Mr. Korman, he is so professional and respectable.

June ~ Where was I this month?? I don't remember any of it!

July ~ Attended a mandatory First-time Home Buyers seminar that took up a whole perfectly good Saturday. Tug also was extremely ill the night before and the doctor said he had a stomach virus. I was so worried!

August ~ Looking for a house to buy, which actually started way back in June. August was some super-serious looking because time was running out. Then, just when I had given up, I found the perfect one!!

September ~ My birthday was this month but really nothing special happened for it. However, me, my mother, and my aunt went to San Antonio for a weekend and had a fun time. It was the first time I'd ever heard of a skunk egg. Yummy!!

October ~ Lost my full-time job. And that is all I have to say about that. I also started attending Richland Hills Church of Christ, a big shocker for me. But I love it and I am looking forward to meeting lots of new people and getting much more involved.

November ~ Closed on my new house and moved in! Still looking for a job.

December ~ This month is always fun for me but much of the spirit was dampened with worry and regret. I was still looking for a job. However, I finally came around and enjoyed celebrating the birth of Christ.

When I looked back over this past year, I realized that I had weathered some difficult things, some of them I haven't even talked about here. The second thing I realized is that I have learned something from all of it. In 2010 I plan to have more fun and make more memories than I did in 2009. I want to pack in as much as possible and really live life to the fullest!

You're Probably Tired of Seeing This ~

I drove by yesterday, as is my weekend ritual now. The forms were put in for the driveway and the sidewalk. There are also about 6 other houses being built on the same street, right next to mine. I hope I have good neighbors!

San Antonio 2009 ~

So I took a trip to San Antonio with my mother and my aunt Jan. We had fun but we were SO tired by the time we got back!

On the way there we stopped in West, Texas at a place called "The Pizza (and not just pizza) House and Restaurant."

This is what you get on the lunch special for $5.25! This is catfish fillet, in case you were wondering what that HUGE piece of meat is. Also potatoes and gravy, beans, a roll, a salad and a Kolache for desert.

This is an appetizer called a "skunk egg." It is sausage, bacon, cheese, onions, peppers, and a whole lotta other good stuff all wrapped up and deep fried. We don't know how they did it but it was really good! Right next door was a Czech bakery, which we czeched out and bought some pastries from...

We spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon at the Market Place in downtown San Antonio. We saw these guys making music right in the middle of the market. We also ate at Mi Tiera, a really good Mexican place that has a bakery attached to it.

Then we went to the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. Actually it is just a museum with a restaurant inside of it. We didn't eat there though. Inside was this picture of Bonnie and Clyde.

And this is a replica of the car they drove, bullet holes and all!

When we got back to New Braunfels (where we stayed) we visited the Christmas Shoppe, which is open all year round. I guess that could be Santa Claus sitting on the front porch but if so, he does not look at all like he did when I've seen him before!

This is one of the trees that was inside the Christmas Shoppe. I wish my tree could look like this one! They had all kinds of trees and decorations but this was my favorite!

That is all we did while we were there but that was a lot! On the way back we stopped at the same pastry shop to get some goodies for the people back home (and ourselves!). We had fun but we were really glad to be back home!!

Progress

Just thought I would post some pics to show everyone how my house is coming along.


First of all, I'm glad to see this "Purchased" sign where it used to say "Available" even though it happened to be laying down in the mud...

This is how far it has come along! Walls and even a roof!

This is the floorplan, just in case anyone is interested. The room right above the garage will be for my little boy when I get him.

40 Wedding Anniversary ~

These are pictures from my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. The date is March 7th, 2009. We are so proud of them!!

2008 ~ Coming to a Close!

2008 will soon be over. There were a lot of ups and downs ~ Here's what happened:

January ~

~Started my last semester of school.

~Quit my part-time job at the dentist office. I miss those guys!!!

~Started my externship at Impact Guidance & Counseling Center.

February ~

~Tried Japanese food for the first (and last) time - on Valentine's Day.

~Here is a picture of the cake I made and our little table I decorated for our Valentine's celebration :)

March ~

~Started visiting churches to prepare for our move to Dallas. We like the first one we visited so much that we stayed :)

~The rest of the month was filled with endless homework assignments and seeing clients for my externship.

April ~

~Saw the Symphony at Bass Hall. My friend had a flute solo :)

~I've never studied so hard in my life! I spent late nights wrapping up all of my assignments.

May ~

~Graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with MA in Marriage & Family Counseling ~ go me!

~Moved to the "Big D" ~ Dallas

June ~

~Started a temporary job that lasted a week and made me want to jump out the 3rd-story window next to my desk!

~Secured my Internship at the Pastoral Counseling & Education Center. I had 3 interviews with them before they finalized their decision to hire me.

July ~

~Took the National Counselors Exam (LPC) and PASSED!!!

~Had surgery on my foot. Darn bone spur!

~Started my internship at the Pastoral Counseling & Education Center.

August ~

~Kevin spent a couple of days in the hospital with chest pain. It was really scary!

~Resigned my internship at PCEC... (sigh)

~Interviewed for current job.

September ~

~My Birthday ~ we had a cookout with my family.

~Got a job at MHMR ~ my first job after graduation!

~Moved back to Fort Worth. Thank God for my friends...

October ~

~Started working nights at Jennings ~ in the ghetto!

~Filed for divorce :( This was on my anniversary. I spent most of the day in tears.

November ~

~Was blessed with Tug ~ my puppy, my pal

December ~

~Cookie Exchange at my place. There were soooo many good cookies and I even made a recipe book for all the guests!

~Christmas Eve at my brother's house. A family tradition where the extended family gathers and we eat and exchange gifts.

~Christmas Dinner at my house ~ a NEW tradition that I hope catches on! The Best Christmas EVER!!

I'll look back with both sadness and happiness but I'll honestly be looking toward the future with more excitement than ever~!