My friend Mrs. R has a family theme. Last year it was "Come what may, and love it" and this year is "Hold thy peace." Mrs. R is a truly inspiring women. Following her example, Nic and I have chosen a family theme: "Trust God and believe in good things to come."
The last four months of 2010 were hard ( *insert Michael Scott joke* ). We had to make big changes in our life. Changes Nic accepted more than I did. I'm a stubborn, hard-headed individual. I tend to want things my way. And though my life experiences have taught me that this isn't how it works, I always tend to forget that the Lord is over all. I can't even begin to count how many times I have personally felt the Lords hand in my life, but yet I still struggle to let go and have things not go MY way. One day I'll learn (hopefully!).
With these big changes in our life have come adjustments and more struggles. But through all of it, one thing has remained true: I have felt the Lord guiding us. Because we have humbled ourselves and given Him our trust and faith, He has guided us. He has given us those small reminders of His love. He has answered prayers through friends and inspiration.
When things were hardest for me, I came across a Mormon messages video that featured Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. To this day the video (still) makes me cry. The message at the end is so powerful: "There is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon. Some come late. And some don't come until heaven. . .it will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."
Nic and I both know, and feel, that 2011 is going to be filled with new and exciting things for us. And we know that as long as we "trust God and believe in good things to come" all will be well.
Here is the video:
I've also decided there are a few things that I would like to work on this year:
1] Obviously trust more in the Lord. This is where I lack. I can trust Him in the small things but when it comes to trusting Him in the BIG things I'm scared. I'm scared about the "what if's." But no more! "Trust God and believe in good things to come." Bring it on 2011!
2] Have dinner at a regularly scheduled time (preferably when the hubby comes home from work). I've been doing good with this. We even got our kitchen table cleaned off so we're sitting at the table and not on the couch with our TV trays. Eating on the couch was something we did fairly often and I hated it! So nice to have the table cleaned off.
3] Set business hours. Being self-employed as a massage therapist and trying to kick-start my business, is very time consuming. I have marketing to do, research, networking, marketing meetings, answering emails, sending emails, more research, writing articles, more marketing. You catch my drift. I'm usually working from when I wake up to right before I go to sleep. Need to set hours so I'm not neglecting my responsibilities at home. Which leads me to number 4. . .
4] Fulfill my household responsibilities. I cook? Yes. I clean? Occasionally. I do laundry? Um, only when I'm in desperate need of things. To sum it up, I pretty much suck at life when it comes to getting these type of things done. 2011 will be anew.
5] (Really) Read my scriptures. This was Inspired by my older brother. He stopped going to church when he was 18. Recently he has started going back to church AND reading the Book of Mormon. Not just 'reading' it but really reading it. Like studying and pondering of every little thing. And if he doesn't understand a chapter he reads it again. He's told me he's spent a couple of days on chapters. Um, so not there with my scripture study habits. I read them and ponder them but I don't study them out like my brother does. So appreciative of his example.
6] Blog more, Facebook less. One of my friends said that she FBed so much that she stopped posting on her blog. And she didn't want that. I read an article that stated FB was the new blog. I don't want that. I can make a book out of my blog, but not my FB posts-even if they are pretty witty.
7] Get out more. When I was full-time and it came time for the weekend, I just wanted to stay home. But now I want to get out and LIVE! We have a book that's "everything Idaho" it tells you about different towns in Idaho and what they have to offer. I want to live this book.
8] Date my husband more. Even if it's just us hanging out and rocking out to Rock Band.
9] Take more pictures. I have a good camera. But I rarely take it out to just taken random pictures of us. Then I feel as if we have nothing to show the past year.
Bring it on 2011. It's going to be an amazing year!
*it should be noted for some reason I am having a very hard time typing "2011." For some reason, I want to type "2001." Weird. And yes, every time I typed "2011" in this blog it was first typed "2001."
Monday, January 3, 2011
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Viva La Mexico!
A week and a half after graduation Nic and I had the opportunity to go to Cancun for a WONDERFUL much needed vacation. People thought we were crazy because we had just moved three days prior to leaving, but it's something we needed. I had been very stressed with the move and things that were happening (or not happening??) in our life.
Nic is blessed with a wonderful boss. The trip to Cancun was made possible by him (in 2007 he took us on a Caribbean cruise-so much fun!). Here's a break down of our week:
Tues, 10/19: arrive in Mexico. Enjoy a buffet dinner and Michael Jackson show. I was a little disappointed in the show. It had potential to be AWESOME but it was lacking. All is well.
Weds, 10/20: Hang out at the resort and get acquainted to our surroundings. The water was BEAUTIFUL!!! So blue. So calm. So peaceful.
Thurs, 10/21: Visit Tulum. Visiting the ruins has always been something I wanted to do. Having the opportunity while in Mexico was amazing. I think I need to plan another vacation simply to visit more ruins.
Fri, 10/22: Snorkeling at YaKul. I have never snorkeled before and I LOVED it. I snorkeled a couple of times at the resort and Nic heard this bay was a good spot. It was amazing. We saw some beautiful fish. The only scary part was when we went snorkeling from the bay out into the ocean. The water was choppy and I had no life jacket. Water kept getting in my snorkel and one time when I came up to clear it out I had to put hurry and put it back on because a huge wave was coming. After that I was totally done. I turned around and Nic came swimming after me. I told him I was done and was turning back. Nic had to get the other girl that was with us. The whole time I was swimming back I was trying hard not to freak out and stay calm. I managed to make it back to shore, but that night as I was going to sleep I just kept seeing ocean waves come over me. I told Nic "I don't think I let my body react properly to what happened this afternoon." I did some relaxing breathing, cried, and then I was able to go to sleep. My mom says it's a good thing I didn't break down while I was out there because that could have been really bad.
Sat, 10/23: Xplor-this place was so cool! We got there at 9am and didn't leave until 5pm! We did two zip line courses, an amphibian ride (kind'a like a four wheeler), swimming in caverns and canoeing through caverns. I decided two things while we were there: 1) though I enjoy the water I am prone to freak outs in the water if I can not touch bottom and 2) canoeing is NOT my cup of tea.
Sun, 10/24: Shopping! It got a lot of Christmas gifts down there and I got a way cute purse. I let Nic do all of the negotiating for things and he did pretty well. Though he did make one shop owner mad. The guy was wanting $30 for two purses. Nic got him down to $25. Then he gave the guy $30 and asked for change. It was kind'a funny. But the guys was way upset.
Mon, 10/25: Enjoying our last day in paradise. The water was choppy and there was a warning flag posted to keep people out of the water, but it really wasn't too terrible so we ventured out into it. The cool thing was that we were able to see some sea turtles.
Tues, 10/26: said goodbye. We sported our Bronco gear on the plane ride home and actually got to enjoy some of the game on the plane. I don't think some of the other passengers appreciated us shouting (quietly) and waking them up from their slumber.
Mexico was wonderful and the food was great. Nic and I think that we like being at a resort better than being on a cruise. Though a cruise is nice and you get to go to different locations you feel rushed when you're in port. The resort was nice because we could do everything at our own pace. . . BUT having food available 24hrs is really a great thing. When I got the munchies late at night at the resort I couldn't get any food in my tummy. All is well. Can't wait to see what Dr. Spencer has in store for his staff next trip! Thank you Dr. Spencer.
Nic is blessed with a wonderful boss. The trip to Cancun was made possible by him (in 2007 he took us on a Caribbean cruise-so much fun!). Here's a break down of our week:
Tues, 10/19: arrive in Mexico. Enjoy a buffet dinner and Michael Jackson show. I was a little disappointed in the show. It had potential to be AWESOME but it was lacking. All is well.
Weds, 10/20: Hang out at the resort and get acquainted to our surroundings. The water was BEAUTIFUL!!! So blue. So calm. So peaceful.
Thurs, 10/21: Visit Tulum. Visiting the ruins has always been something I wanted to do. Having the opportunity while in Mexico was amazing. I think I need to plan another vacation simply to visit more ruins.
Fri, 10/22: Snorkeling at YaKul. I have never snorkeled before and I LOVED it. I snorkeled a couple of times at the resort and Nic heard this bay was a good spot. It was amazing. We saw some beautiful fish. The only scary part was when we went snorkeling from the bay out into the ocean. The water was choppy and I had no life jacket. Water kept getting in my snorkel and one time when I came up to clear it out I had to put hurry and put it back on because a huge wave was coming. After that I was totally done. I turned around and Nic came swimming after me. I told him I was done and was turning back. Nic had to get the other girl that was with us. The whole time I was swimming back I was trying hard not to freak out and stay calm. I managed to make it back to shore, but that night as I was going to sleep I just kept seeing ocean waves come over me. I told Nic "I don't think I let my body react properly to what happened this afternoon." I did some relaxing breathing, cried, and then I was able to go to sleep. My mom says it's a good thing I didn't break down while I was out there because that could have been really bad.
Sat, 10/23: Xplor-this place was so cool! We got there at 9am and didn't leave until 5pm! We did two zip line courses, an amphibian ride (kind'a like a four wheeler), swimming in caverns and canoeing through caverns. I decided two things while we were there: 1) though I enjoy the water I am prone to freak outs in the water if I can not touch bottom and 2) canoeing is NOT my cup of tea.
Sun, 10/24: Shopping! It got a lot of Christmas gifts down there and I got a way cute purse. I let Nic do all of the negotiating for things and he did pretty well. Though he did make one shop owner mad. The guy was wanting $30 for two purses. Nic got him down to $25. Then he gave the guy $30 and asked for change. It was kind'a funny. But the guys was way upset.
Mon, 10/25: Enjoying our last day in paradise. The water was choppy and there was a warning flag posted to keep people out of the water, but it really wasn't too terrible so we ventured out into it. The cool thing was that we were able to see some sea turtles.
Tues, 10/26: said goodbye. We sported our Bronco gear on the plane ride home and actually got to enjoy some of the game on the plane. I don't think some of the other passengers appreciated us shouting (quietly) and waking them up from their slumber.
Mexico was wonderful and the food was great. Nic and I think that we like being at a resort better than being on a cruise. Though a cruise is nice and you get to go to different locations you feel rushed when you're in port. The resort was nice because we could do everything at our own pace. . . BUT having food available 24hrs is really a great thing. When I got the munchies late at night at the resort I couldn't get any food in my tummy. All is well. Can't wait to see what Dr. Spencer has in store for his staff next trip! Thank you Dr. Spencer.
Graduation
On October 8, 2010 I graduated from Milan with a certificate in Massage Therapy. I LOVED school and the friends I made. The original plan was for me to get my certificate in massage (because it's something I wanted to do since 2002) and then return to BSU to finish my degree in social work. Well, now that's changed. Now I want to return to school and study kinesiology! So, we will see what the next few months and year may bring.
Here are some pictures from the graduation ceremony:
before the ceremony
getting my diploma
"It is what it is." My instructor would say this all the time so a classmate found this shirt for him.
Me & Tammi. We caused trouble in the corner :)
Charma-our clinic director. She is amazing!
Here are some pictures from the graduation ceremony:
before the ceremony
getting my diploma
"It is what it is." My instructor would say this all the time so a classmate found this shirt for him.
Me & Tammi. We caused trouble in the corner :)
Charma-our clinic director. She is amazing! Now that I'm done with school I'm running my own business and looking for a Chiropractic or Physical Therapists office to work at. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
We're alive!
We're here and we're still alive. We are in the middle of working, finishing clinic, graduating, packing and moving. I'll probably be offline for a while (again-sorry) but next time we'll have pictures of our new home up.
Trust God and believe in good things to come
After much searching and prayer Nic and I have found a place to live. We are moving to Nampa. Gasp! I know. The one place I did NOT want to move to turns out to be the one place where the Lord needs us.
As soon as we gave notice to our lender of our move out date Nic and I were constantly on craigslist looking for rentals. Driving around the areas we wanted to be, looking for places to rent and there was hardly anything. And if we did find something it was snatched in a second. We did finally find a property in our subdivision and checked it out.
It was a completely different style and way smaller, but we liked it. The only bad thing was the pet deposit-it was insane! I know, I know. Some of you are saying "just get rid of your cats" but after having to step away from our house, the last thing I wanted to do was get rid of my cats (only a pet/animal lover could truly understand this pain). We moved on to the next property. Another house in our subdivision. A little out of our price range but I figured we could make it work. We viewed it and fell in love and there was no additional pet deposit. We filled out an application and went on our merry way. I was filled with some anxiety, but I knew it would be okay. We could make it work. I called the owner the next day because we did have some more questions and we never heard back from her. Frustrated, we continued our search.
After the second disappointment and the deadline looming overhead, I really started becoming frustrated and stressed out. One day while I was looking on craigslist, Nampa came to mind and I quickly pushed the thought to the side. I did NOT want to live out there and I KNEW I would not be happy out there. And I KNEW with the additional distance we wouldn't be able to afford the gas. We found a 3rd property to look at. COMPLETE disappointment. Continued our search. The 4th property seemed like it would be a winner. Went to look at it and it was cute. A lot smaller but it would work for us. The owners were friendly, it was in our price range, and there wasn't an insane pet deposit. It would be sufficient. We filled out an application talked some more with the owners and left. But there was something unsettling in me. Though I knew the deadline was close, I felt as if we were rushing into this house. I shared my feelings about the house with Nic to see if he felt the same but he didn't. I then shared with him the thoughts of Nampa. I told him "I don't know if it keeps coming to mind because I know we can have the size of home that we want for cheaper than Boise or if it's where we're supposed to be." He didn't know either but agreed we could rent a bigger house out there for cheap.
I sat on it for a day and figured what the heck, we might as well just look to see what's out there. Mind you, I did this with 100% attitude. I was not happy about even searching for something in Nampa. Nic got an appointment set up on Sunday and we headed out. The whole drive out I was not a happy camper and mumbled under my breath. A lot. I decided I should say a prayer. As I bowed my head, the sticky note I had kept in my car for the last two weeks caught my attention: "Trust God and believe in good things to come." I told Heavenly Father that I wanted to trust Him. That we wanted to be where He needs us to be. I prayed that if this house was to be where we needed to be that He would give us those comforting feelings. We went inside and it was BEAUTIFUL! I could see us living there. We talked with the property manager and filled out an application. No thoughts or worries of "how are we going to make this work?" crept into my mind. I was at peace. Nic and I got in the car to head back home and he asked me how I felt. I told him that it just felt right and I wasn't filled with any anxieties or worries. At that moment, it felt as if someone was reaching out to me and saying "Thank you. Thank you for trusting me."
This whole journey of finding a place to live has truly been a test of faith and trust for me. At one point I prayed saying: "I know I need to go through this to learn more patience and trust but if you can help speed this up, that would be wonderful." I felt the Lord chuckle. So often in our lives it's easier to do things our way. It's the natural man in us. But how often when we do things our way is the journey filled with bumpy roads and more stress and frustration. All we have to do is put our trust in Him. The Lord will guide us. He will not lead us astray. Though the journey may still be bumpy we know that the Lord is watching us over us.
As soon as we gave notice to our lender of our move out date Nic and I were constantly on craigslist looking for rentals. Driving around the areas we wanted to be, looking for places to rent and there was hardly anything. And if we did find something it was snatched in a second. We did finally find a property in our subdivision and checked it out.
It was a completely different style and way smaller, but we liked it. The only bad thing was the pet deposit-it was insane! I know, I know. Some of you are saying "just get rid of your cats" but after having to step away from our house, the last thing I wanted to do was get rid of my cats (only a pet/animal lover could truly understand this pain). We moved on to the next property. Another house in our subdivision. A little out of our price range but I figured we could make it work. We viewed it and fell in love and there was no additional pet deposit. We filled out an application and went on our merry way. I was filled with some anxiety, but I knew it would be okay. We could make it work. I called the owner the next day because we did have some more questions and we never heard back from her. Frustrated, we continued our search.
After the second disappointment and the deadline looming overhead, I really started becoming frustrated and stressed out. One day while I was looking on craigslist, Nampa came to mind and I quickly pushed the thought to the side. I did NOT want to live out there and I KNEW I would not be happy out there. And I KNEW with the additional distance we wouldn't be able to afford the gas. We found a 3rd property to look at. COMPLETE disappointment. Continued our search. The 4th property seemed like it would be a winner. Went to look at it and it was cute. A lot smaller but it would work for us. The owners were friendly, it was in our price range, and there wasn't an insane pet deposit. It would be sufficient. We filled out an application talked some more with the owners and left. But there was something unsettling in me. Though I knew the deadline was close, I felt as if we were rushing into this house. I shared my feelings about the house with Nic to see if he felt the same but he didn't. I then shared with him the thoughts of Nampa. I told him "I don't know if it keeps coming to mind because I know we can have the size of home that we want for cheaper than Boise or if it's where we're supposed to be." He didn't know either but agreed we could rent a bigger house out there for cheap.
I sat on it for a day and figured what the heck, we might as well just look to see what's out there. Mind you, I did this with 100% attitude. I was not happy about even searching for something in Nampa. Nic got an appointment set up on Sunday and we headed out. The whole drive out I was not a happy camper and mumbled under my breath. A lot. I decided I should say a prayer. As I bowed my head, the sticky note I had kept in my car for the last two weeks caught my attention: "Trust God and believe in good things to come." I told Heavenly Father that I wanted to trust Him. That we wanted to be where He needs us to be. I prayed that if this house was to be where we needed to be that He would give us those comforting feelings. We went inside and it was BEAUTIFUL! I could see us living there. We talked with the property manager and filled out an application. No thoughts or worries of "how are we going to make this work?" crept into my mind. I was at peace. Nic and I got in the car to head back home and he asked me how I felt. I told him that it just felt right and I wasn't filled with any anxieties or worries. At that moment, it felt as if someone was reaching out to me and saying "Thank you. Thank you for trusting me."
This whole journey of finding a place to live has truly been a test of faith and trust for me. At one point I prayed saying: "I know I need to go through this to learn more patience and trust but if you can help speed this up, that would be wonderful." I felt the Lord chuckle. So often in our lives it's easier to do things our way. It's the natural man in us. But how often when we do things our way is the journey filled with bumpy roads and more stress and frustration. All we have to do is put our trust in Him. The Lord will guide us. He will not lead us astray. Though the journey may still be bumpy we know that the Lord is watching us over us.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Featured!
Where? Only the hottest blog on this side of the equator-The R House!
Mrs. R put out a request for guest bloggers. I volunteered and she picked me (and a handful of other wonderful ladies). I truly felt so honored to post on her blog. Here is a link to my guest post.
In the days that followed my post, I got called 'an inspiration', 'amazing' and 'strong'. Words I had honestly never considered myself. I'm so grateful to those ladies, who left those words of encouragement, they had helped me to be stronger.
Thanks for the wonderful opportunity Mrs. R.
Mrs. R put out a request for guest bloggers. I volunteered and she picked me (and a handful of other wonderful ladies). I truly felt so honored to post on her blog. Here is a link to my guest post.
In the days that followed my post, I got called 'an inspiration', 'amazing' and 'strong'. Words I had honestly never considered myself. I'm so grateful to those ladies, who left those words of encouragement, they had helped me to be stronger.
Thanks for the wonderful opportunity Mrs. R.
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