God is always there...

Hello friends! So many blessings are happening around us right now with our family! Like I mentioned in the previous post, Corey's oldest sister had her second son in February! He is such a cutie! And yesterday Corey's other sister had her first baby boy! We have so much to be thankful for as a family!

As promised, I would like to share how evident God is in everything that we do, even if we don't immediately realize it. Back in February, I was working for a company and wasn't excited about going to work, but thankful I had a job considering there are so many people who don't. A new job would be nice, but I wasn't aggressively pursuing it. Maybe complacent would be a good word for the situation. One day a friend called and said that the company (Company A) she is working for was looking to hire someone as a contractor, and she wanted to know if I was interested. I told her yes because it's something that I would like to do and I would be getting experience in things that I haven't done before. She said someone would call me to set up an interview and talk more specifics. Two days later, a lady called and got my information. She said she would pass it on to the lady who would do my phone interview. So, I prayed about it, giving it to God because I have learned that it's always best to leave it to him and not let "me" get in the way! But I didn't hear from the lady for a week, then two weeks so I thought it wasn't meant to be.

During that second week, my previous employer (Company B, a contracting company, not confused with current employer!! Haha.) called, asking if I was interested in going back to work for them in the office. I didn't have any complaints about Company B, so I told them I was interested in coming back! I thought "maybe this is why God was holding me back". Like I could ever know what God knows!! : ) After a couple of calls back and forth, I verbally accepted the offer and was waiting on the offer letter in the mail. The day before I received the offer letter, Company A called back asking if I had heard from the lady scheduling the phone interview. I told her I hadn't and that I had accepted a job at Company B, so to me, that was the end of that.

The next week, I filled out my paperwork for Company B, set a start date and thought I was ready to go. Meanwhile, Company A called Company B to ask if I could interview for them since they are a contracting company! So long story short (even though this has been a little long), I still got the job I wanted at Company A, working for Company B. : ) I wonder how many ways I could've messed all that up, trying to interfere with God's plan and doing things in MY time frame. He had it all lined out and I feel like he blessed me more because I trusted him. I really love my job and the people here are so friendly. PLUS, it's 5 minutes from "our" house and that's amazing!! God is so amazing and he's always there! He's in control, we just need to really lean on him and he'll lead us through!!

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him." Jer 17:7 (NIV)

Bloggy Hiatus

Well, I didn't realize I was not going to blog for 5 MONTHS!! So much has happened that I can't begin to explain in one post!! So I'll do a recap and "hopefully" I can blog more to catch you up!!

• Well, January was pretty low key, if you want to call it that. Of course, wedding preparations were being made like nobodies business so that added the stress of finding "the place" on "the date". It was a little much but we figured it out!! Mardi Gras season was starting and that is always fun!!



• February - After 3 years, Apple finally made all my dreams come true. I got an iPhone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know if you can understand my excitement!! Everything I have now syncs together, Calendars, contacts, EVERYTHING!!! (Ok, I have to make this disclaimer...my iphone comes second to Corey! Although without it, I'm not sure how I would function now!! Haha) We also had a new addition to the family!! Corey's sister had a cute baby boy!! (I'm an aunt now! Haha!!) And at the end of the month we had my first wedding shower!! That started the almost weekly wedding events that would lead up to... dum, dum, DUM...the wedding!!



• March was jammed packed with activities! We had another wedding shower for my family and friends, a bachelorette party in Houston and a lingerie party at my house. (The last hooray at my house...sniff, sniff. I'm going to miss that place!) Oh, and during all that craziness I got a new job!! Which is definitely going to be a blog post in itself. It's got God all over it, so of course I have to share!! : )



• Then April was finally here. It FLEW by!! All the hard work and preparation was over in the blink of an eye! Friends have said that they hardly remember their wedding day because it happens so fast, that it's a blur and it is so true!! I wish I could rewind and replay everything so I could remember. I'm glad we had a great photographer and videographer!! Can't wait to see everything!! We also had an amazing honeymoon in Puerto Rico!! We stayed for the week and relaxed and did all the touristy things! It was pretty awesome! And since we've got home, it's been full speed ahead!! I've had so much stuff to do, I'm still waiting for the lull! I'm thinking that it's just not going to happen!! : )



• May is officially my birthday month!!! This year it was a little harder for me to get into it. I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting older, or that I've had so much stuff going on...I'm hoping it's the latter!! I just LOVE to celebrate my birthday! So we had a couple of dinners with family and friends then I planned a night at Painting with a Twist for the girls!! It is so much fun and I recommend it for anyone! I definitely want to do it more! Let me know if you go, and I'll go with you! : ) Last weekend, we went to the beach with friends to celebrate the awesome May birthday's!! It was a lot of fun!! I'm ready to enjoy the summer!!

Well, since I wrote this it doesn't seem like that much, but trust me, it's felt like ALOT! We've had baby showers (with more to come!!), Relay for Life (another blog post!!), baptisms and just hanging out with friends and family! It's been pretty crazy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!! And God was evident in everything that went on! The last post I wrote talked about the verse Proverbs 16:13, about God establishing my plans and I really feel like he did these last couple of months!! There were so many things that just happened to "work out", to be a coincidence. It was God.

It's really weird looking back because I didn't really freak out or get too obsessive during all the wedding stuff, and that's CRAZY considering my OCD tendencies!! It was totally God. I'm so thankful for his grace.

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord; the one whose confidence is in Him." Jer 17:7 (NIV)

Establish my plans

God is so amazing and shows himself to us in the neatest ways. I am so thankful that He decides to show himself to me and that I know that He is there! I love being a child of God.


Well, now that you know about the "Big News", I'm sure you can imagine what preparations lie ahead and what doesn't help is that I want the wedding before April 29th. Well, it's sort of a long story but I'll try to keep it short. Last year, at Relay for Life, people cut their hair and donated it to an organization to make wigs for cancer patients. I have donated my hair once before and just feel it's a worthy cause. Since Relay (last April), I have been growing my hair out (it is so looonng!!!) so I can donate it this year at Relay on April 29th. Cue December proposal and me not wanting to have short hair for my wedding... (Every girl wants long hair for their wedding!!) So, I just figured I would have the wedding before Relay, that can't be too bad right??


A few days after the proposal, I started looking online at wedding stuff and registered for theknot.com. Little did I know they would have a countdown till my wedding AND the number of tasks I have to complete. Since I didn't know the date yet, I just put in a random Saturday and saw that it was only 135 days left and 165 tasks not completed. Well, that sent me into OCD overload and I think I almost had a panic attack right in front of my computer!! I immediately emailed Corey and asked him if he thought I was crazy! 135 days!! He tried reassuring me, telling me that we can do it and he would do everything he could to help me, which helped a little bit but I was still stressed. (BTW Corey has been so helpful with the plans! I'm so lucky!)


The next day (or at least I think it was the next day), I was looking for a memory verse that I was 8 days late on (1st and 15th Memory Verses!!)!! I looked through the verses I jot down and the 4th verse I read was meant just for me..."Commit to the Lord in whatever you do and He will establish your plans." Pro 16:3. Wow! That is exactly what I needed. A reminder that when I give it to God, He handles it in his time and his ways. I have felt so much better since then. It's so awesome when God shows you something like that, like in your face, where you can't deny it or question it. I trust Him that everything will work out ok in the end. I'm sure there will be some "bumps" in the plans but we will get through them. We can get through anything with God. So please keep us in your prayers, I'm sure we will definitely need them! Hope you have a Merry Christmas!


"Commit to the Lord in whatever you do and He will establish your plans." Prov 16:3 (NIV)

Extra! Extra! Read all about it....

Well, some of you may know...I have some really big news!! REALLY BIG!!! My boyfriend FINALLY proposed!! I say finally because we have been talking about it for a couple of months and I have been waiting, and waiting...so you think I wouldn't have been too surprised. Nope, I cried like a baby!! It's really funny how it happened, so I'll tell you the story...

Every year, my family takes a trip to Canton, TX. If you don't know what Canton is, it is a huge flea market, acres and acres of stuff just waiting to be sold. This year, Corey decided to come to hang out with my family and to see what Canton really is. (It's hard to explain Canton, you just have to see it for yourself!!) So we loaded up my car and headed out Friday after work. It's about a 4 hour drive from where we live so we had alot of time to chat and jam out with my iPod. About half way there, we stopped to switch seats (I drove the 1st half) and so I could use the restroom. So, as you faithful readers may know, Pam (my iPad) is always with me. She was actually our navigator on this trip! Well, Corey knows that I constantly have Pam with me so he put my engagement ring in the side pocket of her case, expecting me to find it as soon as we restarted our trip. Well, let’s just say that the ring must’ve fallen to the bottom of the case because I didn’t find it all weekend!!!!!!! Corey checked the pocket every morning and night, just to make sure I didn’t lose it! And this might have you thinking I didn’t really use Pam that much, but I did!! Every night I would check the news on the internet and read my book on my kindle app. So yes, I had the ring the WHOLE TIME and never found it!!

On to the second part of the story, we went out Sunday morning to catch a couple of shops we missed the day before and I found a porcelain hand (the one that holds rings) that I wanted. I’ve been looking for something to hold my necklaces and bracelets since they just sit on my dresser! When I got home, Corey started helping me unpack and he put the hand on my dresser. I just kept unpacking, oblivious to what was about to happen. Corey got the ring from Pam’s case and put it on “the hand”. When I heard it clink, I was confused (imagine that!) and it didn’t even cross my mind he was proposing! When I finally realized what was going on, I just started crying. Corey said my face was priceless and when he asked me to marry him and all I could do was shake my head yes! Haha. It all happened so fast and it was really sweet. He did a great job, even though I foiled his plans more than once without knowing it!! Can you imagine the stress he was under all weekend, waiting for me to find the ring!?! I couldn’t have kept my cool if the roles were reversed! It’s definitely a funny story to tell…and I’m sure you are all wondering what “the hand” looked like. Well, wonder no more…

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor 15:57

Things I'm Thankful For...

***I really planned to have a Thanksgiving post about the things I'm thankful for but here it is December and I haven't even finished it yet!! And to think...it's the name of my blog!!!!!***

Well, bloggy friends, I have so much to be thankful for and it really helps to look back and realize what you have. You can always focus on the negative but why do that when it always brings you down?? I have done my fair share of focusing on the negative (sometimes it's so easy to do!!) but I have realized that being thankful and calling on God, I can get through many of my sour times. It may not happen instantly, but I can see a change and I feel like it works for me.

So, here are a few things that I am soooooooooooooo thankful for....
1) I have to put God first. He is the reason I am where I am today, and I couldn't do anything without him! Thanks for being my rock!

2) Corey is number 2, because he is the sweetest, most caring person I know. I am so glad I met him and I have to thank #1 for that!!! : )

3) My WHOLE family. Yes, they are crazy and sometimes I wonder how I am related (I'm sure they do too) but I am really glad that they are my family.

4) My friends are so great! I am really glad to have them in my life. It's so funny how God brings people in your life, especially when you need them. He does it in different ways, and half the time we don't even realize what he is doing. It's so amazing to witness it!

5) My Church family is so important to me. They are like my second family and I'm so thankful that we have grown up together (from the small sanctuary with the orange carpet...anyone???) It has been a very bumpy but God glorifying ride, but I'm glad that we continue to strive to get closer to God. We always need to keep him first.

6) I'm just so thankful for where my life is right now. It definitely has it's up and downs still, but I feel like the good times are outweighing the bad. I believe that God has a purpose and a plan for me and I trust that He knows exactly what he is doing. I can't express how grateful I am!!

7) I just have to throw this in here...I'm thankful for Apple products. My iPad is the coolest thing I have ever had, except for my iPod Touch and my MacBook....Oh, and I guess I'm thankful for all those years in college (I wasn't too thankful at the time) so I can afford everything Apple comes out with. I don't think it's an addiction until I acknowledge it, right!?!?

God is so good and I am thankful that He has been with me through it all and I can say that I made it here today because of Him. Let God handle all your worries and cares. He loves you and will hold your head up high. Thanks and hope you have a good weekend!!!

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thes 5:18

Busy, busy bee

Hey guys! I know I have been off the radar for awhile, but I have been busy. I know I say this a lot but I really mean it!! Almost every weekend in September and October are booked with things to do. I'm just thankful that I have things to celebrate and friends & family to share the good times with. So...let the good times roll!! : )

I have to admit, I have been in somewhat of a slump lately. There have been a couple of things come up that have brought my joy down. And if we really want to get technical, the way I have acted has also brought me down too. I have really been trying to have peace and patience in two different situations and it's just not happening. Ok, without getting into too many details, one situation is getting a little better and the other, I just get so annoyed so easily. It's a constant struggle. And what makes it worse is that I know I shouldn't act that way, but I don't realize it till after the fact. But I do know that God is intentionally working on me because the other day I was catching up on an old Sunday School lesson and it was about exactly what I am going through, especially that day!! So I know the end result will be awesome, it's just that in the midst of the trial it's hard. So, if you think about me, please lift me up that God will continue to strengthen me and give me the peace and patience to make it through. God knows I could use the help!! : ) Thanks and hope you have a great weekend!!

"Better is a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city!"

God Ordained Collisions!

Hey everyone!! Hope everyone is enjoying getting back into the school routine! Sometimes I wish I was back in school because I now realize that things were definitely not as stressful as I thought they were! : ) Oh, and I would LOVE to have a summer break!!! Today I am thankful that God hears us and answers us on his time. It’s such as hard concept to grasp, and it’s a lesson I have learned (and will continue to learn) time and time again, but one you can only appreciate when you look back over your life. I am so thankful that things aren’t dependent on me, because I have no idea where I would be now!!!

I recently told you about a bible study I was doing over Ruth (by Kelly Minter). It was a great bible study and had so many topics that I would love to discuss but one keeps resonating in my mind. I can’t remember what week but the homework talked about “God ordained collisions” and it has got me thinking (which could be scary…). I have had so many collisions in my life that I know could only be God ordained. I wish I could easily sum them all up and let you see how good God can be, but we definitely don’t have time for that and I know I couldn’t remember them all. (I also wish that I would’ve had a journal or something to document all the small things that I know God did for me, that would be really neat.) So I will just pick a couple to share and hope that you can see that they are definitely God Ordained Collisions…

A few months ago, I participated in the So Long Insecurity blog on Beth Moore’s website. Women from all over the world were participating as well, but I was drawn to two women who I had no idea would become really great friends. (Yo April & Beth!!) We started commenting on each others’ blogs and then emailing which lead to us doing the summer bible study online together. It was really interesting doing the study online since I have never done one before, but even though we were many miles apart, we still provided encouragement and insight on some problems that we had in common. While trying to become more secure, I found two friends who I know God brought to me.

Another collision happened recently, but I will give you a little back story. I attended a women’s bible study last summer while I was unemployed. There was an older lady there who lost her husband a few months before and my heart just went out to her. She was obviously having a hard time dealing with it. Being the emotional-phobe that I am, I sent her a card telling her that God has a plan for her and he is definitely watching over her (since I was too scared to do it in person!!). The next time I saw her, she thanked me because that week she really needed the encouragement. So every now and then I would call or send her a card, just to let her know I cared. Well, last month I lost most of my contacts in my phone, including hers. I tried contacting someone who would know her information, but couldn’t find anyone. A week later, (in an old notepad I randomly found in my car) I found her address. I don’t know how she has been doing, but I just feel like God wanted me to send her an encouraging note. We all need those every now and then. And he brought me the means to be able to do it again.

I think I have said it before, but I truly feel like God uses us as angels on earth. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, but just letting someone know we care can mean the world to them. It also shows them God’s love, and isn’t that the most important thing?? I’m not telling you this to get credit or a pat on the back, I just want to maybe encourage you to listen for the opportunities to bless someone. It really does make a difference. Hope you have a great week.

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.” Rom 15:4