from the corner table

new years day: and yes, i even made a resolution

2012-01-01T21:20:00.005-05:00

(originally written as i was thinking through a class discussion for the college aged sunday school class i head-up. )

My daughter loves to find all of the Baby Jesus’ she can in everyone’s decorations. At home, at Grandparent’s houses, at church, everywhere! (My child also is very aware that there are at least two babies in the Bible stories, and wasn’t quite sure why we don’t also have baby Moses decorations in the house to go with all of the baby Jesus decorations. )

It is difficult for my 20 month old to understand that people grow from babies into big kids and then adults. We were watching Tangled this weekend, and because it begins with Rapunzel as a baby, my little one spent the next 45 minutes of the movie watching now-grown-Rapunzel in front of her eyes, while asking where the baby was and wanting to see the baby again.

But…how easy is it for each of us to also forget that baby Jesus is the same Jesus Christ, our savior. He grew through boyhood and into a young man. He ate, he slept, he walked, he had friends, he cried, he laughed, he felt discouraged, he felt every weight of sin at his death. He really did live, and he really did die.

Now that my daughter understands that Jesus was a sweet little baby, I have to help her learn to understand that Jesus grew from that tiny baby, into a real man who experienced real life, with all of its messiness…and that He is fully God…and that He brings healing, and peace, and that He did it all to save His people from their sins.

Now that those around us have just seen depictions of Jesus all around them and heard his gospel in the Christmas songs in the shopping centers and light shows, How can we help them understand the Jesus who grew up to be their savior?

In order to help all of these confused people, though…I first have to look myself at my view of Jesus. The baby. The man who really lived. The man who called me to be holy. He demanded that I leave everything for the sake of following Him. The person who called me to love my neighbors and pray for my enemies. I cannot help my little ones or my lost neighbors understand Jesus unless I live each day for the man who lived and died to save ME.

I must confess…I feel as though I’ve “missed” something this Christmas..and it all has to do with the fact that I haven’t taken the time to get alone in the Word on any kind of regular basis during the business of the celebrations. I’ve let the days fly past me. Days filled with plenty of singing and carols and focusing on the truth and teaching my child—and other people’s children—about the importance of Christ as a baby, but I didn’t give Him His proper priority as The King in my heart this December. My new year’s resolution: step away from the manger and follow the man. I’m going to make time in the Bible a priority and along with that, draw nearer to Jesus in humility and worship of Him as great and mighty and more important than all of the grand things He has blessed me with. He is creator, healer, King, ruler, and without Him, I’d be absolutely destitute—in every way possible.

1 Corinthians 15 (if Christ was not raised from the dead, then nothing in our Faith counts for anything)

Galatians 2:19-21 (I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.)

Resolved: 1. read the word 2. Pray fervently

Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief, Haiti 2011

2011-07-04T21:04:00.010-05:00

Its only been a little over a month since my previous entry, but it feels like i haven't written in ages.

We've left for and returned from Haiti. Somehow it doesn't even feel to me that we went to another country....it simply feels that we went to another community where almost everyone speaks a language we dont understand...and we got creative with ministry and creating VBS lessons on the fly, or at least in very little time--praying that the gospel was seen and heard in spite of our stumbling and some grumbling. It was a lesson in letting go of my control on a situation and being extremely flexible--not knowing what was going on from day-to-day very far in advance--trusting each moment to God's all-knowing hands. It was a study in embracing down-time, getting lots of rest--but waking up by the rooster call at sunrise. And even though i wasn't on a trip chaperoning a youth group or anything, It became an opportunity to no longer be one of the youngest adults on the trip, but to have the tables turned to be one of those middle-aged and more "experienced" people. It was my first time out of the country--my first time off the ground, even.
That's the short of it...here are some more details:
On Saturday June 18th we left Augusta about 3:30am. By about 3:30 in the afternoon we were arriving in our home for the week in Leogane, Haiti. During those twelve hours we rode in a van for 2.5 hrs, sat in an airport for 2 hrs, rode in a plane for 2 hrs, rushed through another airport eating and getting to the gate in about an hour, rode in another plane for 2 hrs, waited in lines and baggage claim in the immigration area at another airport for about 45 minutes, then jostled around in a tap-tap for another 2 hrs.
The trip was organized by the Georgia Baptist Convention Disaster Relief. GBC has a house rented in Leogane for the mission teams to use, which includes 1-2 disaster relief volunteers trained to facilitate and supervise all the incoming teams. the house can support about 24 people besides its Haitian staff and the GBC volunteers. This particular week the 24 people were: 8 of us from the Augusta area, a group we'd formed from two sister churches (Lake Park Baptist and Curtis Baptist), 14 GA baptist college students aged 18-27, plus the husband-wife team who lead them. The 8 of us didn't know each other very well, and turns out the 16 of them hadn't all met one another either, so it was a bonding experience all around.
We arrived, rather uncertain what our job would be in Haiti. Not many think of VBS as disaster relief work, but if you stop and think about it, children are deeply impacted by disaster, and very often looked over in the very important things of being shown love and compassion, and more than anything else-they need Jesus. We knew we were "likely" be working with children, but we didn't know how they would be grouped up, if we'd see the same group daily, or if they were churched or unchurched to begin with.
Because we were so uncertain what to plan, we didn't plan anything at all prior to our flight, which God allowed to be perfect, because when we arrived at the GA house, we were shown a beautiful stockpile of supplies at our fingertips! craft kits, outdoor game supplies, construction paper, beads, string, evangelism tools in their Haitian Kreole language, you name it, we could probably find it there in the stairwell!

Our team of 8 worked with 2 churches. The first was what we like to call the "country church" and the second was the "city church." The country church was literally "over the river and through the woods." because a bridge was closed, we drove through a riverbed! (the rainy season wasn't strong at the time, so the river wasn't a big challenge, but it keeps the story interesting!)
We spent Sunday through Tuesday at the country church. This congregation has been in place for over 40 years, and their ministry is vibrant. I saw our time there was a great encouragement to the pastor, who is aging and not feeling well, and the other layleaders within the congregation. We were encouraged to meet several ladies who are great at leading the children in scripture memory and a great worship rally. They were a great help to us and I feel good about the future of that church with women like that helping bring up the truth within the children we met. They currently meet in a tin and wood-frame tent type structure, but have a foundation and are beginning the process of brick-making for rebuilding their church building. We saw 25 to 100 kids, depending on the moment.

Wednesday through Friday we were at the city church. The church has about 100-150 members, but hosts a school of over 400 children. The pastor at the city church is the pastor in charge of lining up churches for all the GBC teams to work with each week, but it is not every week that his own church gets missionaries. It is a Save the Children food site, and directly on the main highway through town. School was on holiday during the days that we were there, due to some testing many of the students were attending. We had about the same numbers at this church, but in a much larger facility. Their church was made of tarps instead of tin, but similar construction. there were "school rooms" set up adjoining the "sanctuary" area. We only used the main area for our activities. (we gradually learned that one translator means keep everyone together as much as we can!)
We didn't see mass-conversions or get any life-changing, mind-blowing testimonies from our time with these churches, but we know that the gospel was shared multiple times, and that there is a strong ministry within each of the communities in which we were able to serve. We know that we planted and watered some seeds. God knows the growth which will occur due to our willingness to love these little ones. It could change the nation of Haiti. But even if it doesn't, it certainly will change more than one or two lives.

Our work at the churches was typically wrapped up each day by about noon, and the final meal in the house was served about 4, so we had a lot of evening time to bond with the other teams. One night someone decided it would be neat to share testimonies, and it caught on so well that it took the span of three evenings. By the time we'd all shared, it seemed that a theme had formed: invest in the life of someone around you. (testimonies about those who'd been invested in, testimonies from those who'd done the investing, requests to find Christian community now that they've returned from college, etc...)

I think it is interesting that we went to another country to be impacted with the message to put our passion to work right where we are. I think we all-too-often try to push off ministry till we are "on the field" someplace...neglecting the fields all around us.
We left the GA house on saturday June 25th just after breakfast, spent about 1.5 hrs in another tap-tap, about 5 hours in the Port Au Prince airport, 2 more hours in the air, 3 hours on US soil in another airport thankful for trash cans and government officials who regulate their cleanup, 2 more hours in the air, them 2-3 more hours by van--arriving home about 4:30am Sunday--And 3 hrs of sleep, up for reuniting with Jenbug and going to church!
I'm so thankful for this opportunity to be able to go. Now I'm eagerly looking forward to continuing and taking up new ministries here through our new church family at Woodridge and through deepening intentional relationships already established. I'm also looking forward to getting some more stamps in this passport of mine within the next 10 years!

amazing things: 1. God sustained our family-we made it through being divided for a week. I cannot imagine making it a whole week without my little girl without God having given me the strength. 2. During a particularly unstable/uncertain experience our team was kept absolutely 100% safe. 3. absolutely no fear of flying (i was fairly confident it would be fine, glad i was right) 4. full provision of all our VBS "resource room" needs, even left tons more for future teams use!

2 Prayer requests:
1. Pray for the pastors of each of the churches we worked with, that they would be encouraged and that workers would raise up alongside them within the community.
2. Pray for those of us who have returned, that we would keep the vision we came home with.

Shabby Apple Overboard Dress Giveaway

2011-06-13T16:07:00.000-05:00

Shabby Apple Overboard Dress Giveaway

from Let the Nations Be Glad-by Piper

2011-05-27T14:09:00.000-05:00

"Missions exists because worship doesn't."

Just started reading this book today. I haven't been much of one for finishing the books I start, but I hope I stick with this one.

from the corner sewing table

2011-05-18T10:35:00.005-05:00

I've been crazy about my sewing corner recently! most of them have been refashions or re-purposing of fabric. so many finished projects i need to post....

listing them here, hopefully will remind me to add all of the photos from them soon

1. ribbon socks and bows, from ribbon jenbug got for her birthday

2. breezy tank top turned baby dress
(i did not make the flower clip on her headband...did make the headband, though!)

3. "Bali Bliss" outfit from online free pattern...made in a weekend from fabric purchased on sale about 8 years ago for a project i never did. will probably make this again with some tweaking..the top is a little too small and the pants were way too baggy...but since jenbug is adorable, she can pull off any look :)

4. jeans turned skirt....a project i've done a couple of other times. great fix to favorite jeans which have gotten a hole worn in the seat, or to a pair with too low of a rise. This time i added a little flare to the shape...love it! but hope to lose some weight soon so it can be converted to a maternity one for next pregnancy. (i have two more pairs of jeans that dont fit, which i am considering making into skirts to sell...i think they are size 13 or 15...anyone want to give input as to the length they'd like?)

(no photo yet)

5. long sleeved white cotton nightgown turned short sleeved. (saving the sleeves to maybe make some bloomerish pants for jenbug

(project not complete...photo after!)

i credit most of my inspiration for these projects to following grosgrain. you should follow her blog too!

The Toddler Days

2011-05-18T10:09:00.002-05:00

since my last entry, my child has become a toddler, much of life has become a series of following and cleaning up after her. Since she is now only a few days fro thirteen months old, I would apologize for the delay in updates, but since she hasn't even had her twelve month doctor visit yet, i don't feel too far behind.
Photos may not come soon, but not today because i am posting this from my parent's computer (internet at our house is kinda of in and out recently...working on that)

Jenbug turned one on April 22nd, Good Friday. I'd already decided to postpone her party till the following weekend, because i know uncle Nick wasn't going to be able to make it during Easter weekend, due to his own church obligations in Columbia. After invitations had been ordered and mailed, we found out that Grandma Linda was going to be able to come to town from MS for the weekend, since its a school holdiay! So, though the official party wasn't till a week later, plenty of celebration occurred during bug's birthday weekend! Friday night jen got to open gifts from her mississippi family, and practice smashing up some cake, which was a huge hit (great video from that can be found on my facebook!) That Saturday we spent the morning at the Riverbanks Zoo and had a picnic lunch in the wooded picnic area afterward.

The official birthday party almost had to be canceled, because jenbug caught something mid-week which had her fever up for a couple of days, whatever it was seemed to have mostly worked itself out by Party-day, so celebration continued- Ladybug birthday cakes and all! i was a little disappointed that the "real" smash cake wasn't as big of a hit as the previous weekend, but overall, it was a great party with good family time had by all.

at one year and one week old, jenbug took her first observed steps! 2 or 3 at a time, then a few more the next day during her party. Now she is able to cross whole rooms, though much of the time she chooses to crawl instead. It is lots of fun watching her develop and cheering her on in her successes, even when she falls at the end.

only the start of this role of encouragement as a parent...growing up is so full of mostly-successful attempts which may end in a little failure....Lord, help me continue to cheer my children on as they grow. Even if they eventually fall, let me encourage the good attempted!

12 month pediatrician appointment is tomorrow morning, so we'll find out how our eager eater is growing. According to wi-fit, she has caught up well to a healthy weight! 19lbs yesterday, which for a 13 month old, charts about 10%! way up from where she was at 9 and 10 months!

belated 9 month pedatrician appointment stats

2011-02-16T12:20:00.002-05:00

so, jennifer turned 9 months january 22nd, but got her 9 month checkup on february 14th (happy valentines! have some shots!)
i was hoping the delay might make her chart a little higher, cheat the system a bit, you know? but instead, she came in soooo tiny!

my child weighs 14lb, 15 oz, (3%)
she is 25.5" long (3%)
and her head is still big for her size, at 50% (didnt get the inches for that)
which means her proportions are still the same, she just hasn't grown much overall. i had suspected that she was a little bit small, but i thought she was in the 16lb range...she wasnt even to 15 yet?

otherwise, she is a very healthy and active little girl. due to her teeniness, we're adding a 4th meal to her day (Taco Bell advertises 4th meal, right?) and making sure she gets lots of good healthy stuff in that tummy! though she has always eaten breakfast and dinner very well, lunch has been sometimes hearty and sometimes sparse. so we're working on a fuller lunch, plus a full snacktime too.

she got caught up on her hep and flu shots and goes back in may for more stat checks :)

Valentines from the Corner sewing Table

2011-02-05T22:14:00.010-05:00

I have been spending a lot of time at my other corner table recently. Last week i set up a designated craft space for my sewing machine and all of my artsy supplies to be at arms-reach rather than in a closet or under a bed. This has been dreamed of for years!
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Being a teacher this Valentines Day, I thought I should get something little to give to my class of 3yr-olds, but since we are tight on finances, i decided to make something for them. After a couple of days trying to think of something which would be fairly simple, made from materials i already have, and look cute...here's what I came up with!
first i cut out the felt. two squares of one color and a heart in a contrasting color. the hearts are 2", the squares were about 2.5"-3" each
next, with the sewing machine loaded with a contrast color as the main thread, and blend in color of bobbin thread (white, in this case) I zigzag stitched the heart to one of the squares. be careful as you make turns...with the needle DOWN, lift the presser foot and slightly turn the fabric, stitch a few, repeat as needed. make sure the needle is down when you lift so it doesn't lose your place. go slowly and it will turn out great.
(photos to show what settings i used...zigzag width and stitch length)
then I trimmed the edges of this square with pinking sheers. I originally waited to trim both layers after finishing, but i thought they looked kind of like ravioli with both edges trimmed, plus it was harder to cut through both evenly...these sheers are not new, and also kind of small. 12 students had me choose to spare my hands the agony.
next i reset the machine to a narrower zag and a slightly longer stitch to finish (totally your choice, but these are what i used.)
sew both squares together on 3 sides, stop with the needle in the DOWN position, but don't remove your work from the sewing machine.
Add a little bit of stuffing (they are tiny, so a little really will do fine)
then continue stitching the 4th side.
trim up any uneven edges.
lastly, with a yarn needle i stretched the felt and poked a hole in a corner and slipped a piece of ribbon through and attached the card. (I've found it difficult to use a hole punch on felt.)
these would also make cute pincushions! This last photo shows what i meant when i said my first ones looked kind of like ravioli! anyone looking to make some toy pasta? that would be an interesting play set....

9 months and so busy :)

2011-01-26T12:20:00.006-05:00

Dear Jenbug,
You have been outside of my body for as long as you were inside of it! While I will always be amazed at how much of you was pieced together within, you have grown and learned so much in the time you've been out here with us, too!
You sometimes say "papa" for daddy, though once when he was gone you said "dada!" You say "baby" when you see pictures of babies, or your babydoll, or your reflection. You say "bye bye" when we tell it to you first, and you put all kinds of other sounds together when you have something to say. If only we could understand you now!

You can crawl everywhere and stand up when you get where you want to be (while holding on still.) You can dance a little and "sing" and love to play music with drums, shakers, rattles, and bells.
You like to "read" your books, and are very careful while turning the pages back and forth. You enjoy petting the dog and getting doggie kisses (or hitting her in the nose...or using her as a pull-up spot...)
You have recently been playing your own version of chase, or hide and seek...which involves you crawling out of the family room and waiting on someone to come after you, when we find you, you grin and begin crawling quickly away! You just got a swing in the backyard, and love to be pushed fast and high.
You are very snuggly just after a bath when you're wrapped up in your towel, and also when we are out around people you haven't warmed up to yet. I love how you shyly tilt your head in toward me, letting others know you want to stay with your mommy.
While you still haven't cut any teeth, you are a very good eater most of the time. You still eat lots of purred foods, but also love Cheerios, Kix, pieces of banana, black eyed peas and other legumes, chunks of sweet potato, pieces of crackers or bread, and really got into eating pieces of the apple cinnamon pancakes we had a few weeks ago! You're very good at holding your cup, but still trick us into holding it for you sometimes.
Your 9 month pediatrician appointment is going to be a few weeks late, so we don't know your growth chart marks yet. We do know that you are smaller than "average." You started wearing size 3 diapers about 2 weeks ago, and while we are starting to pack some of your small clothes away, most of your clothes are 3-6 month sizes. You have some 6-9 month sizes in rotation, mainly because the season change required them! You still have a pair of 0-3 month pants in your regular rotation! I think you weigh between 15 and 16 lbs...we'll find out on Valentines Day at Dr. Davids office (your first trip to see him as your pediatrician!)
Your father and I often find ourselves gazing at you while you sleep in your bed, bragging about what a sweet little baby we have. I look at pictures of you from when you were first born and can't believe how tiny you were compared to now. I know you're growing up, and even in these images of you, you will appear tiny by comparison as you grow into a young lady.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-23T16:31:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We're enjoying spending time sharing Jennifer with her extended family during all the celebrations! She is 8 months now, crawling and cruising around, jabbering, and always the center of attention. Earlier in the year I thought my Christmas note would be about how "Texan" we'd become, but now we're Carolinians! Arrived in North Augusta in November, transferred our cars and licenses to South Carolina a couple of weeks ago. However, we did round out the year with a Texas-born child, and Mike owns a nice pair of Texas boots too! We are thankful for the time we were able to spend in Fort Worth and the many great friendships which the transition brought us. Looking forward to what new things the Lord will show us in the coming year!

We hope that you are seeking His face too!
Love, The Springsteads

6 months...now almost 7 months!

2010-11-20T21:02:00.006-05:00

(i had meant to post an entry at 6 months, but things got really busy right about then.....)

Dear Jenbug,
You will be seven months old on monday! can't believe we've had you in our lives over half a year already.
You're such a sweet and easy baby...and still healthy too! at your 6 month appointment you weighed 14lbs 3 oz and were 25" long, average for a 4month old, but your head was still big! 17" is average for an 8 month old!
You're very smart and curious, so our packing may have motivated you to get moving. You began crawling one week after turning 6 months, the day that we began loading our truck to move to Georgia! every time i'd put something on the floor to get a box ready for it, you'd find your way right to the item! you looked like a little wind-up doll with your perfectly planned arm and leg motions. You also began pulling up on low items the same weekend.
About 2 weeks ago you began going back to a seated position on your own from crawling. This skill has made you unstoppable! You are able to crawl to something, sit and play with it, crawl some more...sit some more....
You handled the long-distance move pretty well, though you certainly weren't quite as eager to ride in the car this trip than on our visits over the summer.
You have recently become quite attached to mommy, which makes sense with all of the changes we've tossed your way. If you're on the floor with several people you know around, you go straight for me most of the time. thankfully, i have lots of extra hands around to help with you, which should also help prevent too much separation anxiety in the near future, thanks to your aunts and grandparents living next door!
I like to think that you know you are saying my name when you say "ma ma ma ma ma" but your daddy is quick to point out that you say the same to him, so we really think it is your word for "i need help with something"....which makes me think that must be the baby-talk word for it and is what babies everywhere have named us....
I really think that today i heard you say to me "my ma ma" and then you looked at your daddy over my shoulder and i heard you say "...and daddy"
You are learning to self-feed cereal and other finger foods, and get frustrated that you cannot eat all of your meal on your own...but seem to not like holding squishy foods, so spoon feeding is definitely required for some things.
I started pureeing some foods for you in place of using only store-bought babyfoods, but you seem to dislike the peas and carrots unless they are from the baby aisle. bananas and sweet potatoes are your favorite in any form.
One of your favorite "games" since we moved into great-grandmas house has been to make a bee-line for Goldie (the aging dog) so that she pays attention to you and smothers you with licks. You are one frequently-bathed baby by dog-standards.

obviously, i love packing, right?

2010-10-07T22:38:00.002-05:00

God's plans are so different than our own, aren't they?

We moved to Texas 14 months ago, and in about a month we will be moving back to the Augusta area.
Our sweet baby was born just before the end of spring semester, which made for a difficult wrap up, and through various occurrences its been quite a rough beginning to this semester. This week it became clear to us that Mike seriously needs a break from school to regroup and refuel, which we realized two days ago means withdrawing now to prevent failing grades at the end of the semester (because failing at this point would lead to a whole year delay in his schooling.)

We plan to move back to North Augusta, SC for a while to stay with family and save some money to replenish what we've been using up here. Mike also plans to take a few online classes through SWBTS while we are gone. This afternoon Mike submitted forms to completely withdraw from classes, and to reapply for classes (yes, both forms had to be submitted in this circumstance, strange aint it?) He also gave the housing office our 30 day move-out notice. It's official. By November 6th we'll be all packed up again and moving.

I can not say that this whole year was a waste. I don't feel that way at all. If this had been our choice last winter, I know that I would have felt that we'd wasted our time and money in making this huge move just to go right back, but from where I stand now, I am able to clearly see several amazing blessings which we have received and been able to give through our time here, plus some very important faith lessons.

1. the life we were living in Augusta prior to moving here was wasteful. We thought we were making just enough to live on, but now that we've been here, i can easily see that we lived in a too-big home with two full incomes, bringing in twice what we really needed to live on and spending out of control and living in twice the space we required (though by many standards we weren't making that much, when compared to the way we've learned to live here, we were living extravagantly)

2. If we hadn't moved and hadn't had difficulty finding work here, we couldn't have afforded to pay for the birth of our daughter. Being broke has had its benefits.

3. I think i have learned to better manage wants-vs-needs, and also have begun learning the coupon thing, which will benefit our family for a long time. Even if we ever begin to make more than we need to live on, we want to be able to save and to bless others as we have been so very blessed during our needful times.

4. God showed us and our extended family that He is faithful when we are obedient to follow Him, even if it is to a strange place where we know no one. I never felt lost or alone here, even with job hunting and pregnancy and having to build new friendships, I always knew that we were in His faithful hands.

5. We began having planned family devotions here with a through the Bible reading plan and specific prayer for those close to us. I'm not saying that we couldn't or wouldn't have begun that from our previous residence, I'm just saying that it is something that we weren't doing before.

6. We have been able to be a part of an amazing church family here, where we have been able to grow be taught, and develop hearts for ministry, and to be challenged by what it means to live out the gospel in our lives every day. I learned that there is a group of churches which i agree with strongly in the Reformed Baptists. Its where the Baptist in me and the Presbyterian in me collide and make sense. I also learned more what the church as community should look like through our care group and the love we've received and given there. (This is the part I will miss the most from Texas)

These are just some of the lessons and blessings we've gained from our time here so far. I'm sure I'll continue to look at this short time and be able to count many many more great things.

People will ask me in the coming month if this move is temporary or if we'll come back to Texas later, and I can't answer that with any certainty. I thought a week ago that I'd be in this apartment for a few years at least, maybe have another kid or two before we moved again. I cannot plan to settle in one place because I am not in control of our future. This may be a short term restarting to get us focused and replenish our funds, or this might be a longer term settling for mike to take some distance classes while our children get to know their great grandmother, grandparents, aunts, and uncle in SC. It might be that we move back to Texas, or Kentucky, or Asia, for all we can see. If I've learned anything though this, It is that we need to be willing to go wherever God would take us, and live our lives that way.

Philippians 4:11-13¹¹Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹²I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

five months old!

2010-09-25T17:25:00.002-05:00

Jen turned 5 months this past wednesday. she began sitting pretty well with minimal help about a week ago, and yesterday we began the baby cereals twice a day. she's very vocal and loves to splash in the bathtub. she scoots around pretty actively, but doesnt have direction control very well yet, so she very often ends up scooting away from the toy she wants, much to her own dismay. on tuesdays she gets to go with me to a small moms day out class i teach, where she is the youngest of 4 babies/toddlers in the class. on thursdays she gets to go to another childcare program i work at where she gets to go to a different room with babies her own age and teachers who aren't her mommy for a change. she's still a very good-natured baby who is very easy to take to new places and shop with and such, but she has had a few off-days recently where she was actually fussy in the nursery instead of all-smiles! everyone meets her still falls in love instantly, though. she's quite the charmer :)

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-08-28T18:15:00.000-05:00

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

found out about this machine on http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2010/08/silhouette-machine-guest-giveaway.html

Dear Jennifer

2010-06-23T22:50:00.003-05:00

Can you believe this has only been two months?
Can you believe this has already been two months?
I feel like we are the experts you, yet you still are such a mystery.
I am so excited to be with you as you learn to do new things, but I don't want to rush through the time we have now.
I love it when I catch you smiling at me while I've been looking the other way,
but at the same time, I feel like I shouldn't ever have looked away to begin with....because I almost missed it.
What else did I miss before I noticed you smiling at me?

I love you so much!
Mommy

in the summertime

2010-06-21T15:20:00.005-05:00

one road trip down.

we drove from fort worth to st louis a couple of weeks ago for the wedding of my dear fersis. (one of the jennifers whom ours is named for)
our jennifer traveled better than we deserved, and even began sleeping longer stretches beginning our first night away!

This weekend we get to move into a slightly larger apartment. I'm really excited about making an office for Mike out of one closet, and getting to set up Jennifer's room after we've unpacked and get her some furniture. (no ferniture! hehee! ...okay so only two people get that joke....)

but my packing keeps getting interrupted by my being mommy....

HUNBABA Mei Tai Baby Carrier Guest Giveawayy

2010-06-12T10:53:00.000-05:00

HUNBABA Mei Tai Baby Carrier Guest Giveawayy

these carriers are so pretty and functional! (i'm posting this so i can be entered in the contest to win one for free!)

Jennifer's Birth Story....in facebook status updates!

2010-05-20T14:09:00.007-05:00

after having attempted to sit down and write out the events surrounding Jennifer's birth...i can tell you how valuable access to facebook turned out to be for us in labor and delivery. If it hadn't been for Mike using the hospital's wireless internet and posting updates throughout our birthing process (when he wasn't needed directly at my side,) I wouldn't remember how to tell this story! I keep finding myself with holes in the story and uncertain exactly when different things occurred.

the following is a collage or my journal entries from the week after her birth and mike's status updates surrounding the hours spent in labor.

April 19 at 5:39pm ·
"Michael David Springstead has heard from the momma, and we are going to the hospital Tuesday night to have Becca put down- er, I mean induced! Definitely planning to have her induced!"

On Monday afternoon of April 19th, Jennifer's due date, I went to one final doctors appointment at which my Dr suggested we should go ahead and induce labor before the baby got to be too big to fit through. We scheduled the induction to begin the following evening. I felt a little panicked at the thought of having a time set, instead of just waiting on things to happen. I now knew when events would begin and worried that my anxieties might be worse for having a definite countdown in play. I was a little overwhelmed and anxious.

My friend Jenny Mills and I had already made plans to get a "still pregnant on my due date" pedicure...which took place after that Dr appointment.(because i hadn't been able to reach to trim my nails in about 2 months..and they NEEDED it!) Turns out that i REALLY needed that pedicure not only for the trim, but for the time of relaxation in order to process the thoughts i had about the coming induction. sitting for awhile with my feet in a whirlpool and my back and neck being treated to a massage by the spa chair was very good and well-timed therapy.
Several phone calls later, mom, dad, nick, and the twins decided to make the trip to join us for the birth (if possible) and some days afterward. They hit the road on tuesday afternoon from south carolina and drove to Monroe, LA from where they would make the remainder of the trip wednesday morning...hoping to arrive before jennifer's birth.

"Michael David Springstead , in the face of a planned Tuesday night induction for their little girl, has to quote his wife: "I sure do hate waiting for good gifts!"
April 20 at 3:17am"

Tuesday found me feeling achy and nauseated on the couch all day , which forced me to rest instead of running all over town doing errands...turned out to be a good thing!
That evening we got smoothies for dinner (since i was required to cease taking solid foods) then we packed the car and checked into the Labor and Delivery at Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest. We got settled in and began Cervidil (a "pill" to ripen the cervix and start labor) about 9pm. by early morning the Cervidil had done its work and my water broke, along with some contractions beginning.

"Michael David Springstead is letting folk know that water broke just before 2:30 a.m. (We're on our way!)
April 21 at 3:34am"

"Michael David Springstead wishes it to be known we're about 1.5cm, and the nurse is administering Putocin to intensify the contractions.
April 21 at 5:37am"

The pitocin made the contractions stronger (read: more painful and more frequent) by 8am, when the dr stopped in to check on things, i had had about all i wanted to handle. Nurses were given permission to allow me to have pain meds. For months preceding this, i had feared the epidural needle, but by this point, i was very ready for its help. i don't remember feeling afraid of it at this point..just ready. It took some time to get the anesthesiologist to our room. when he arrived my contractions felt like they were right on top of each other. it was about 9:30. I remember asking him what would happen if a contraction hit while he was administering the needle. his response: "you will just breathe through it and don't move." (don't move? are you kidding me???) once he was done, things began to calm down, and stayed calm for a while. i could see on the monitors that contractions were happening, but i didn't need to breathe through them and hang on till the end of each one. i was able instead to rest (and apparently respond to emails, though i don't remember doing that...i have proof that i did)

"Michael David Springstead is catching you folks up: water broke about 2:30 am; epidural administered around 9:30 am, around 3 cm; doctor checked before lunch, and we're at least past 4 cm - mom has been good and relaxed, but we're still moving along.
April 21 at 2:31pm"

I don't remember what time it was, but i did begin to feel the need for more medicine through the epidural @ some point that afternoon. the lower contractions were again becoming more painful than i could cope with alone.
I don't remember what the times were, but i remember that my dilation began to progress, though slowly (1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm...then 6cm,) and we began to think we'd have a baby before the day was over (still wednesday)

"Michael David Springstead wishes it to be known that Jennifer's head is at -1. Still waiting. (I have a funny feeling we're gonna have this baby TONIGHT.)
April 21 at 5:31pm"

we used the verse cards I'd made to help me remember God's promises to be with us and be my strength. I remember reading them myself during the easier times, I sent the stack with my family to read over while they were in the waiting room, my mom read them all to me, and then when it got really tough, mike read them over me while i agreed with them. Taking every thought captive and correcting them with the truths of scripture. I was shaken so much by my need to be reminded of these simple known truths. I'm very glad that I had the cards were the review and focus on.

"Michael David Springstead Around 9cm dilated for the last hour or so. Still waiting, but perhaps not for much longer.
April 21 at 8:37pm "

by 11pm I was stuck at 9cm...and needed more meds in the epidural to cope. I was afraid to get more because I didn't want it to delay the labor any further, but i also didn't feel that i could endure pushing through delivery without the relief of the epidural. I finally asked for more and received another dose. still no sight of my Dr (we'd seen him at lunchtime but not since) I was exhausted , and still feeling pressure and pain, and still not dilated far enough for birth.
Around midnight the dr showed up, checked me, said he'd be back to check again after another delivery (since i wasn't going anywhere yet) but if no progress was made by then we might talk about a c-section.
it felt like for-ev-er till he came back,and by then i had made up my mind that i "couldn't" push after all of this, and unless progress had been made, i wanted the c-section.

"Michael David Springstead After little change in four hours (and a third dose through the epidural), we're about to switch to the operating room for a Caesarian section. Jennifer is about 6 days larger than average, so she gets extra help coming out!
April 22 at 12:28am"

By 1am we were on our way to surgery and at 1:16am Jennifer Mikaela was born. It was a long long day or two, but worth it! the Lord Sustained us through it.

"Michael David Springstead got to see Jennifer Mikaela at 1:15 am, when she weighed 7.9 lb and was 20.5 in! Strawberry blonde hair and good cry. (A little congesty starting out, but with her parents, that's to be expected.)
April 22 at 2:17am"

by about 2am we were back in the L&D room. my arms were numb and my entire body shaking. but i was holding our baby! i was scared to feed her because i was so numb, shaky, and exhausted. but i was able to get a little into her system before i decided (about an hour later) that i couldn't safely hold her anymore, and passed her to Michael. she was SO wide-eyed! seeing them stare at one another was the first of many sweet moments. i slept for about an hour and then they transferred us to our recovery room about 4am..where i slept while michael went with jennifer to the nursery to watch her receive her first bath.

"Michael David Springstead is guessing Jennifer was sleeping through part of that day of labor. Our little bug came out at 1:15, saw some family, nursed for about a half hour, then stared at her worn out parents until about 4, when she was taken to the nursery for her bath. No sleep! (Fortunately, though - remarkably peaceful disposition.)
April 22 at 4:52am"

they talk about not "remembering" the pain after its all over. i remember it, it just all runs together. i dont want to forget the pieces of this big event in our family. thank you facebook and michael for helping keep the pieces so i could reassemble them. it really does feel like i had to "make" this memory. I'm glad, too.

best part ever...i have a hard time remembering what it was like not having a baby :)

better update coming soon

2010-05-03T21:46:00.003-05:00

we welcomed Jennifer Mikaela to our family at 1:16 am thursday april 22nd. all is well :)

pictures and thoughts later, i have sleeping to catch up on while she's sleeping ;)

a note to my little girl

2010-04-15T21:32:00.003-05:00

Dear Jellybean, little Springstead, Ladybug, Jennifer,

You've had several names since we first found out about you...as we've tried to imagine what you'll be like.

Your daddy and i experienced together the excitement of feeling your first big moves inside my belly.

We've laughed together at your tendency to crowd into only one side of my tummy. (especially recently!)

We've jokingly questioned the wisdom of the people who decided it was a good idea to give us license to parent any children at all, as odd and silly as we are.

We've tried to guess when you'll meet us face to face, assuming it will be at the very moment that i've put a loaf of bread into the oven to bake, or that it will be right after your daddy has pulled an all-nighter in order to write a paper for his classes

Tonight makes 4 nights till your due date. I don't know if you'll decide to show up before then, or if we'll just have to be patient to wait on you a little longer. I sure do hate waiting on good gifts! Thank you for staying so comfortable inside of me, and for growing so healthily! I know that in the future you'll give us many surprises which might cause us to worry, but so far, you've been the perfect little baby.

Of course, We know that the reason for your outstanding health thus far is due to God's blessings on us. Lots of people are praying that you'll continue to be as healthy throughout birth and the rest of your life.

We just can't wait to meet you! come soon, but come healthy.

Love, your mommy

Scriptures for labor

2010-03-26T13:49:00.002-05:00

i haven't decided exactly how i am going to utilize these in actual labor, but for now i am using them to keep anxiety down and help keep my focus on Christ as i wait and plan for this little baby to make her appearance. i might print them onto index cards or colored paper and focus on them, or use them in between contractions to remind me of where my help and strength come from.

for those of you who've been there, did you use scripture during your labor experience and if so, how?

any suggestions and scriptures to add are welcome!

Psalm 139:14

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

Isaiah 26:3

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 40:29-31

"He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Psalm 18:6

“In my distress I called to the Lord, I cried to God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”

Isaiah 41:10

“So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

2 Samuel 22:33

“It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

Isaiah 43:1-7

“1 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. 4 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. 6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."”

Philippians 4:4-9

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:12-13

12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Psalm 119:165

“Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”

Isaiah 54:10

"'For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,' says the LORD, who has compassion on you."

Isaiah 54:13

“All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

2 Chronicles 15:7

"But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded."

Exodus 15:2

"The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will exalt him."

psalm 28:7

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him."

Psalm 121

"1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?

2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore."

Nehemiah 8:10b

"Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

Philippians 1:6

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

Psalm 22:9-10

"Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God."

Psalm 71:5-6

"For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you."

Matthew 17:20b

"For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'move from here to there', and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you."

Psalm 56:11a

"In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid."

Philippians 4:6-7

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

1 john 5:14-15

"And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked of Him."

Matthew 11:28

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."

Psalm 37:4-5

"Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it."

Psalm 34:3

"I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears."

Psalm 37:7b

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him."

Hebrews 4:16

"Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need."

2 Timothy 1:7

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and sound judgment."

Psalm 46:1-3

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam though the mountains quake at its swelling pride."

Psalm 105:4-5

"Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,"

Psalm 29:10-11

"The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!"

Ephesians 1:3

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,"

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."

John 14:26

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

1 Samuel 7:12

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, "Till now the LORD has helped us."

Lamentations 3:21-26

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.' The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."

33 weeks. 5-9 weeks to go!

2010-03-02T04:40:00.003-05:00

i suppose the last baby update here was when i found out our little one is a girl. now its over 3 months later!

I'm feeling pretty good. some aches when i wake up in the middle of the night, but most of the day i feel great. Dr. visits are every two weeks now, and my 32 weeks sonogram fell between two visits, so it feels like i'm already down to weeklys!

we've taken our childbirth class, breastfeeding class, and hospital tour. All of those fell between my 27 week appointment and my 31 week appointment. i was so nervous and full of questions from everything that i'd been reminded to think about at the childbirth class! i asked a huge list of questions at my last dr visit and somehow i feel amazingly more calm now than i did two weeks ago. i'm sure that feeling of calm will come and go a few more times between now and when i get to hold our daughter.

baby showers are both this saturday. one here with ladies from our care group at church, and another in Augusta with ladies from Lake Park Church. my mom will be the guest of honor at the Augusta event, since i wont be able to attend. After showers, i'll start baby laundry and stuff.

I'm wishing that i'd magically start cleaning the house right about now. i know the nesting thing may or may not kick in. i feel that i shouldn't just wait on it to be automatic, and set little cleaning goals for each day. part of me says i can just wait till i am done with work (april 1) and use those free afternoons to get organized, but part of me thinks that our little girl might make her appearance early, and i would like to be able to bring her home to a little bit of organization.

work is going great, though i am starting to notice the pregnancy more than before. i don't even know if i posted anything in here about having a job. mid-november i started working part time as a preschool teacher to 12-24 month olds. i had originally interviewed for a full-time position and was hired for it, but after talking with the director about childcare options at the school, i quickly confirmed that it just wouldn't be worth it for me to pay for the in-school childcare and work, or to have someone 20 miles away keeping her at home while i worked all day long. i am so very glad to have made the decision to stay home with her! i agreed to work part time till i couldn't work anymore, and completely believe that full-time with those kids would have been too much. 3rd trimester has meant taking in 9-10 hrs of sleep a night, plus not sleeping as well, so going to work after lunch is perfect for this time in my life.

mike is working part time during class season and will be allowed up to full time during the summer, so we will have the summer months of full time working daddy and stay at home mommy before we get to see how else God will provide our family income for the fall. we're hoping that provision will come in the form of a church job for mike which he could begin during the summer so he wouldn't have to adjust to a new church situation in the midst of fall classes.

i feel as though this became long rather quickly, with adding work updates and all....news from 3 months ago. maybe i'll be better at keeping this thing fresh. (though likely not!)

specific ways to pray for us:
1. praise God that we've come this far without any complications in baby and mommy health. praise for God's provision of very affordable baby classes through the on-campus clinic nurse. pray for continued health for jennifer mikaela and myself as we approach her arrival. also pray for mike and myself as we turn our anxieties into trust in God's plan and power.
2. praise God for his provision financially through work that we both enjoy and a few scholarships. pray that mike and i would continue to trust God with these financial and family unknowns.
3. praise God for the church family we've been able to be a part of since moving here. the community and encouragement through the body of Christ at Redeemer church has been awesome. pray for our hope that God will provide a church job beginning this summer, in which to minister, grow, and be provided for through.

(the bloggy version of our Christmas card)

2009-12-24T01:50:00.004-05:00

…and they shall call his name “Immanuel" which means, God with us. (Matthew 1:23)

2009 brought with it many changes for our little family,
but throughout it all God has continued to remind us that He is with us in our daily lives.

He was with us through deciding to sell our home
in the midst of a failing housing market,
And provided a buyer quickly so we
would have money to move with.

He was with us as we said goodbye to friends and family
to move across 4 state lines to Fort Worth, Texas,
And has provided both our families
opportunities to visit.

He was with us as Mike began classes at Seminary
After 7 years out of the studying environment,
And brought him through his first term.

He was with us as we struggled to find jobs in our new
home town even when it felt like it wouldn’t happen,
And provided both of us with new
jobs which we enjoy.

He is with us as we wait on our daughter, Jennifer,
to become fully formed within Becca’s body ,
And He is providing health, energy, and
resources to fend off our worries.

He has been with His people throughout generations,
And provided His son, Jesus,
as the way of salvation
for those who will receive Him.

Merry Christmas!

Trusting Him to be with us through many more blessings!

Becca and Mike
(and little Jennifer)

Christmas time is here

2009-11-27T19:47:00.006-05:00

i made this wreath in preparation for Advent...

and bought some nativity items...

...one them our Christmas tree this year!

i also made a new wreath for the door....

...and found enough items leftover to make a mistletoe sprig!

and our music for the first official day of Christmas is...
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Jewel - Joy, a holiday collection
Over the Rhine - snow angel
Andrew Peterson - Behold the Lamb
Sixpence None the Richer - Dawn of Grace
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - jingle all the way

Enjoy the season!

somehow we both just always knew

2009-11-19T12:20:00.003-05:00

as we've begun preparing for this little baby, i've always kind of laughed when people would ask me "what do you feel like its going to be?" (girl or boy) but somehow, i've been thinking this entire time that we'd have a daughter. its not that i always grew up waiting a little girl first. honestly, i loved having an older brother so much that i'd always hoped i could set up the same kind of beginning in my family.

however, as the weeks have added up...i'd become more and more worried that if this one turned out NOT to be a girl, i'd have to reset my mindset and start thinking "boy" because i've just felt pretty certain that we'd have a daughter in april.

Mike has had the same feeling. As we talked about potential names, we found a girl combination we loved rather quickly, but kept changing the boy names around and just not settling on anything.

(really good news is...i was right and dont have to worry about having loved a son as a girl for the past 4 monthsand worry how that may affect his future...or have to pick out another name!)

in April we will welcome little Jennifer Mikaela Springstead to the outside world!

(please note: i am not saying we had any knowledge from another source to lead us to believe she is a girl before the visual evidence. i'm just saying i'm glad we were both correct in our guesses)

Trust

2009-11-17T11:53:00.004-05:00

My faith is being stretched so much in everything involved in our moving here. We knew that we'd be here jobless in a hurting job market. We also knew that while we'd made the decision to move in a bleak housing market, our home had sold within days...proving that God still does more than all we ask or imagine. We moved here with the knowledge that we had that house money to carry us through this first semester. sometimes having the money makes faith seem much easier. Then, once we'd arrived, we discovered another turn of events....our pregnancy.

that put us here: miles from "home" and family. jobless. about to have all kinds of medical bills. and then another person to care for. we knew we could make it through one semester with what God had given us. But did we trust Him with carrying us through the unseen?

Now its November. the semester is rolling to a halt. I've been to seven or eight job interviews but applied for a far greater number than that. Mike has had to cut his classload down just to barely keep up. It has begun to feel that we were in over our heads.

This all began to really feel burdensome to me last night, as I was thinking about what Christmas would look like this year and if we'd get to see family at all. My answer has been lately "If i get a job, We might not have time to go see family due to scheduling, but if i don't have one by then....we might just have to move home during the holidays....before we are too broke to make the trip."

At what point do we say "enough" and go back where we started?

I keep having to be reminded of how quickly God sold that house....

God is faithful.
1. we haven't run out of money yet. He never promised we'd have more than enough. having the house money was more of a blessing than most get in these circumstances. I have certainly been taking that for granted.
2. I have been approved for Medicaid (being jobless and pregnant helps that become a simple process, i suppose) which means most, if not all, of the medical bills will be covered.
3. I received a call back this morning from the director at a job which i interviewed at over a week ago, explaining that she's been very busy with state and corporate inspections..so she is just now getting around to making my reference calls. She wanted to know that i'm still available before she made them. (not hired yet...but at least they like me and are pursing me!)
4. minutes after the job call, I began my morning devotions. (I've been reading in Genesis, then looking up a passage in the concordance on the word "Glory")
I'd left off last time in Genesis..chapter 15..where Abram is doubting that he could possibly be made great when he still is childless. Abram was looking at his circumstances logically and humanly, just as I have been. God reminded Abram of His promise and made a new covenant then and there. It was in that passage that Abram was commended for his faith. Just after Abram's moment of doubt and practically accusing God of being a liar, He still had faith. He was considered righteous.
And then guess what my "glory" verses included? Philippians 4:19..."And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

i feel sometimes as though my faith is so small...yet i do have faith. and everyday I wake up believing that God will carry us to whatever He would have us do. yet, i still try to work out all the details on my own understanding....

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.

boy or girl?

2009-11-15T11:34:00.002-05:00

almost time for Dr. visit number three! tomorrow we're at 18 weeks. today we're siting on the couch coughing and sniffing due to a bit of a cold.
This Thursday we'll get to see our little one again on screen...and hopefully discover which little springstead is: boy or girl. Everyone's trying to guess....which do you think it is?

2nd dr visit

2009-10-19T11:23:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry guys! i never thought i would go so long between entries! today I went to our 2nd dr visit. 14 weeks! start of that 2nd trimester. this visit was quick. ask the nurse some questions, check bp and weight, pee in a cup (all my life i've had difficulty with this), hear the baby's heartbeat (which was much easier to find this time), make next appointment.

our next appointment will be the 18 week sonogram...and we'll get to find out if we're having a boy, or a girl springstead! I can't wait to see this little one again! That appointment is one week before thanksgiving day!

I have a job interview at a local coffee shop this afternoon, and my parents and sisters are coming to see us this weekend! otherwise, no other news, really. I'm feeling good!

1st doctor visit

2009-09-24T11:54:00.001-05:00

Monday morning we had our first visit with the new doctor. I am very happy with Dr. Irwin's helpful staff and friendliness! They were very focused on making sure all of our questions get answered...which is what they are supposed to be focused on! When we went in for the exam, since it looked on paper that we were right at ten weeks, the doctor began by listening for the baby's heartbeat. It was very nerve-wracking, because he hunted around for what felt like an eternity trying to find that little heartbeat. Without that heartbeat, the only proof I had thus far of being pregnant is my home pregnancy test and the obvious lack of cycle. A lot of what-ifs entered my mind in those few minutes as the doctor searched. He gave up on simply hearing the heartbeat and switched to the sonogram machine to find it...which was much quicker and with much releif, we got to see our tiny baby...whom we weren't supposed to get to see till another visit or two! Little Springstead does indeed have a healthy heartbeat, and we were told that it does look by size and everything to be exactly 10weeks, and everything appears to be going just fine. Praise God! Since this was not the scheduled sonogram, we didn't get any pictures of it. Honestly, it wasn't very clear anyhow...so for now rejoice with us that there is a healthy little baby being formed in our family and mark your calenders for April! The “due date” is April 19th.

Recently we have.....

2009-09-18T18:44:00.001-05:00

(written sunday september 13th, 2009)

shopped for and found a new (previously leased) sofa! (we've been without our own comfortable living room for a couple of months now. It immediately became simpler to unpack the rest of our things now that I had a vision for what our living room would look like. I moved furniture to proper locations on Wednesday, the sofa was delivered on Thursday (another benefit of buying from a furniture store instead of getting something from a yard sale or thrift store is that we didnt have to move it..and not having a truck or friends that we know have a truck...that came as a huge benefit!) and I was able to hang some of our pictures on Friday! It finally feels comfortable in our living room! Mike and I are both slouching on the couch now...while he studies and I write this entry. It is so NICE to have space to be comfortable in our home!
The past week also brought a lot less of the fatigue i'd been feeling (which helped the room-arranging along greatly!) The last time I took a long nap (like i'd started to think would be the trend for the rest of my pregnancy) was last sunday! I've mostly stopped feeling so queasy too, my friend jennifer elliot suggested that I take the prenatal vitamins before bed to sleep through the nausea. Seems to be working a lot better. Is till have some bouts with feeling icky...but not as long and not as frequent.
Speaking of pregnancy...we got our insurance all lined up and I have my first doctor appointment next monday! Those weeks of waiting and not knowing how long we'd hbave to keep waiting were difficult...but thankfully, everything seemed to be going normally as far as we could tell. I mean, God's been doing this baby-growing thing for centuries....He doesn't really NEED a doctor to tell me He's doing in correctly this time. Trust trust trust.
I'm about 9 weeks along now...and will be 10 weeks when we get to go to the doctor. Isn't that the age the choose-life people said those baby-footprint pins were supposed to represent? And the little plastic babies they had too? It makes me smile to realize that the little springstead is that detailed already. Eyelids and fingers and toes and beginnings of fingernails....and so much more going on in there! God is not a procrastinator. If I were making this thing on my own, a lot of those little details might accidentally get skipped or at least put off till the night before the due date. Glad i'm not doing this on my own! (our poor child would never survive!) I love you, little springstead!

swbts (“swibbits”) ..so far

2009-09-04T16:21:00.001-05:00

class taking:
though not “the student” in our family, I have started a few classes. I'm temporarily/permanently a member of the handbells group. Temporary...because if/when I get a job, odds are I wont be able to rehearse with the group anymore on tuesday and thursday afternoons. Permanent...because the director likes me so much, she hopes i'd still be able to ring concerts with the practices we've already had behind us...even after I get hoped-for job.
I'm also in the “wife of the equipping minister” class. A class which meets on tuesday nights geared toward new ministry student's wives. It covers many aspects of being in a ministry family...from personal relationship and time with God...to caring for your family...to hosting church family....and on and on. It is taught by the school president's wife. I really feel as though I “get” her (she's more organized than me!). And I also feel very blessed to be able to learn from her life experiences. We have to give a 3-5 minute presentation about something I know how to do and how it relates to ministry life. I'm thinking of doing it on rearranging furniture, actually. Its something i've used a lot when I really want to change my home but cant afford to buy new things. It also helps when you're moving to a new place....so you know where the big furniture goes before you get there...so it doesn't have to be moved around with all the other unpacking. Totally helpful for students wives in small spaces with small budgets! (thanks mom, for teaching me about graph paper models!)
I had also intended to join the Masters Chorale as a community member...but they meet on Monday nights...and so far every monday night for the past 2 or 3 weeks i've been feeling kind of yucky with pregnancy stuff...so mike's had to join that without me. i'm okay with it. I'd rather start off this way, instead of getting into the group, paying for music, and then finding myself not feeling up to concerts down the way.
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church hunting
last night there was a fair on campus to introduce new students and their families to several area churches. Free chic-fil-a and a lot of information about churches..which is good, because in our three weekends here, we have honestly run out of churches we could find on our own! Its not that there is a shortage of churches, it just feels like they are a little more hidden around here. I'm glad to be armed with some information on some of these before we enter their doors. Maybe I wont be so full of questions as we visit these...and can pay more attention to what is actually going on...instead of wondering if its even an SBC church and what sort of activities they have and so on.
Tomorrow night at the RAC (recreation and activities center...aka..the gym) there is a meet and greet sort of thing with swbts members of an area reformed sbc church which a friend of mine (from handbells) is a part of. I've got the most information on their church...probably because holly gave me a big handful of their stuff as soon as she saw me at the fair:) i'm particularly interested in meeting this congregation,. That little presbyterian part of me is very interested in it! We'll see, through.
People at the different church booths kept asking us “what are you looking for in a church?” and my answer is simply “the place where God wants us.” can't think of any better reply...because that's it. Truth in teaching and practice is a must...but size is variable. Music style is variable...as long as its where God wants us. Honestly, I have to be careful not to let those personal preferences get in the way of what God might be leading us to. I don't want to just be comfortable someplace...i want us to be challenged to be a bit uncomfortable if it is necessary to be in God's will.

33 weeks and counting

2009-09-01T22:38:00.003-05:00

it's been two weeks now since we found out about our little springstead. i'm about 7 weeks along, by our calculations. (we haven't gone to a docotor yet, because we're waiting to hear about our insurance approval.) In just two weeks i've already had so many adjustments to make regarding how I plan my days and how I eat. I can't just say “i'm going to the store and to run these errands tomorrow” because I have no idea if i'll feel up to all of that when the day actually comes. I've had to learn to make tentative plans, and leave room for rest before classes or other commitments. This alone has been a huge change for my list-making mentality. I'm used to being able to schedule my life and accomplish my list and then some on a good day. Now its a good day if I get one thing on the list done. I've started making lists of things to do if I have a good day...or a good hour. I see it as very good training for when I actually have the little springstead in the outside world to fit into my plans. With a baby I might not always get my lists completed, but learning now to rejoice in a little accomplishment will help that not come as a shock in 7 or 8 months. (Mom, you're a list maker...tell me how you adjusted to this!)
i'm also being reminded of lists I should be making...like if I had been writing down everything I eat and how I feel everyday...i'd know if what I eat for breakfast has a bearing on how well I feel the rest of the day. I'm testing that theory now. I had a good day today...so eggs will be considered “good.” cereal is iffy..because I had cereal yesterday and felt awful most of the day. I have had more good days then awful...so that's promising.
I started writing letters to the baby....explaining where we are in life now and just before finding out about him/her. I don't know if its something they will ever want to read, but it will at least be a good record for me....a clear telling of this chapter of our lives.
its amazing to think about just the little ideas and glimpses of what this childs life will be like with us and as they grow into adults. i often find myself looking down at my not-yet-growing belly and saying "i love you, little baby."

job hunting

2009-08-24T08:43:00.000-05:00

during the first hours of our drive to fort worth, I was surprised to receive a call from the seminary's office of human resources, in response to one of the several applications I'd submitted with them. Because I was driving at the time, we set up a phone interview for the following morning.

The next morning we were in Caledonia, MS...which on and off again reception for cell phones, so mike and I went to a coffee shop[ in Columbus (a few minutes away) where we could look up the job description again, and I could also be available to receive my interview call.

Upon reviewing the job description, I still honestly couldn't tell you what all the job entailed....it looked involved.

20 minutes later, my interview was finished. The phone conversation had gone well, and I had been asked to come in for a face-to-face interview with the HR director. Of course, since we weren't IN fort worth yet, that interview had to wait 5 more days...till monday.

On Monday I located the office for the interview, spoken with the woman I'd been interviewed by previously, and waited to meet the director.

The interview went fairly well, I thought. I was told I was the final of a few interviews, so I'd know later that afternoon either way.

That afternoon while I was in the grocery store I received the call back from the HR office. Strangest non-hire call ever. They said they liked me, liked my background and wanted to find me a job which would fit me...though they had found someone better suited to that position. He told me to keep applying for seminary jobs and their office would also keep their eyes out for something for me, and if I hadn't heard from them about any in a few weeks, to check with them again.

I guess when the job you interview for is in the human resources department, it is almost like interviewing for a job placement office and instead getting put into their potential outside hires pool?

At any rate, I spent about three hours online saturday morning applying for jobs...child care jobs, administrative assistants, secretary jobs, office assistants, receptionists, etc...I'll check back on those lists in a few days to see if anything new has come up. For today, I'm just waiting.

Home, sweet home

2009-08-24T08:33:00.002-05:00

I've missed about a week of updates....so in case you were wondering: our things arrived on schedule, Friday Aug 14th.

I've since then, gotten three out of four rooms set up (bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen)
The bedroom was mostly setup, except that until about two days ago, we still had suitcases all around for our unputaway clothing.
the kitchen was the biggest task...14 or 15 boxes of things and not sure where they'd all go. I'm very pleased with how it turned out...but I don have pictures of the finished product yet.
the living room is the catch-all room for now...and since we haven't gotten a couch or shelves yet...its not a room we'd get very comfortable in right now anyway.

I hope to find a good deal on a couch at a thrift store...but if it gets to be too long waiting on that deal, we might look at buying something new from Ikea or someplace else affordable (any suggestions?)

2009-08-14T11:01:00.008-05:00

Monday night....we loaded/packed/crammed as much as we could into our two small cars...remembering to leave room for ourselves and our overnight baggage. We came to realize that more should have gone into the moving cubes than was sent...but it was too late...cant change the past...so we fit whatever we could, and stored the rest at my parents house. (with what we'd previously decided to store, as well.) somehow in spite of leaving things behind...we managed to pack our tent and sleeping bags...which is interesting..considering that in the two years we've been married..and the two years we dated before that...we've never gone camping either together or apart. I think the tent has been used about twice in its lifetime. We owe it a camping trip here in texas, I suppose.

Tuesday morning... found more things to pack and/or leave behind. Crammed more stuff into holes and tiny gaps than michael thought possible. Said goodbyes to my family...and began our drive. I in my car, michael in his car. I carried my music and one lonely houseplant to keep company. Michael had himself and some music. The weather was great most of the day. Clouded up and showered a little beginning in alabama. As we entered mississippi the rains came down fairly hard..but by then we were on slower roads anyhow. I did take a few interesting pictures through the rainy windshield, but those are on my phone and I dont have a way to get those on the computer as of yet. We detoured up to the columbus area to visit family for a day before our move. Had diner with michael's parents and then fell into bed quite sleepy (and ill-adjusted to central time.)

Wednesday morning... was rather laid-back. We went to a local coffee shop for a little while (for a phone interview which I will write about later,) drank lattes, and made facebook updates. Afterward we spent most of the day hopping around looking for people michael grew up with or worked with when he was in caledonia...to tell them “hi” and “bye” before the big move continued. Our last and very important visit was with michaels grandmother. From there, we continued down to brandon (outside of jackson.) the drive to brandon is when I really began taking the random on-road photos. When we arrived in brandon we met up with mark...who joined us for the rest of the trip...and stayed with paula (sis-in-law) and the kids.

Thursday morning... early, though not as early as we maybe should have...greeted by morning coffee: mike, mark, and I loaded into the two cars again. this time with mike and I in one car...mark driving the other. It was nice to have a traveling companion again. Two days of lonely car rides and a houseplant to keep me company was getting to me. On our way, we made a previously arranged stop, though a little later than planned... in rayville, LA to see my friend Deanna, we figured out that it may have been 11 years since we'd seen one another! Far too long...but we caught up a bit over breakfast at McDs. Good times. Still the same two girls..trying our best to do whatever God leads us to....we're both just a little older now. We vowed to meet again on another trip along i-20....now that it will be a regular holiday route for us. Upon leaving mcDs at 10am...mike and I realized that we would be hard-pressed to make it to SWBTS by our 3:30 housing appointment...knowing that the office closes at 4pm...but we pressed on (leaving mark very far behind us in the following car)...and traffic cooperated. I believe it was 3:37 when we sat down to sign lease papers. Praise the Lord! We received our keys, paid our rent, and opened the door of our new home. With the help of a few new neighbors, we unloaded what we had with us and soon decided to treat ourselves to our new favorite restaurant....vallartas mexican seafood. (amazing..amazing...amazing...and right across the street!) (they automatically serve water with lime slices...just the way I always order it!) I couldn't begin to describe how completely at home and happy I felt that night as we finished up our meal in our new city. i also found a grocery store and found my way back home afterward.

Friday morning...we awoke slowly and I began to sort some of our things out. I remembered that we would by now have a mailbox loaded with mail...and also realized that I had no idea where our box would be located. I wandered around our complex and found where our po box should be...but looking at the box labels, couldn't figure out which one would be ours. Our apartment is #204. our parking space is 18-b, and the post office boxes are labeled 1-A through 12-L and 1-M through12-Z.... not 204. not 18. I walked back into our apartment with a very confused look on my face and asked michael to come help me test our keys in all the boxes. Ours turned out to be 11-k. Makes perfect sense.....right? Now we've called uhaul about getting some hand trucks, i've paid a couple of bills, looked through the new Ikea book, and we're waiting to hear from the packing cube company about our delivery. I think my brain is still in eastern time...it feels like lunchtime should already by here..but its not yet 11am.

still to come.... getting our furniture from storage cubes. figuring out where everything goes. replacing bookcases which we didn't move with us. (ikea trip! yay!) possibly finding a couch and a microwave too.

the job hunt has begun

2009-08-06T13:37:00.003-05:00

i really want to work on campus....so i can get to know the seminary family and be close to home. i'm not against applying for off-campus jobs, but if i can get something in that area, i'd be really happy. (the campus coffee shop has not posted any job openings as of yet)

i hope it doesn't look over-eager to have just submitted 4 applications to the online job listing at swbts....i figure each one goes to the person in charge of each individual office...so i should cover all the bases. im particularly excited about the conference center event coordinator job...i'm starting to learn that i thrive in that sort of atmosphere. i hope i said enough good things about myself in that application! i applied for a few secretary jobs on campus a few weeks back...but i didn't have a current resume to attach, and i forgot to add more than one past job (because you have to click on a button to get fields fo more than one job history...) here's to waiting!

i'm thinking i'd rather wait till we get to town to apply for off-campus jobs, so i can see how far they are from our home...and see the businesses in person first. i promise i'd be less picky and more "give me anything" if we didn't already have that house-money in our bank account. i like being able to be a little choosy and relaxed about this.

how our house went from "on the market" to "under contract" in less than one week

2009-08-05T09:53:00.003-05:00

once we'd found out that we were officially heading for seminary life, we had to begin the daunting task of getting our townhouse ready to sell in a declining economy while we both worked a little over full-time. i will not say that the prospect didn't make me more than a little bit nervous. God will provide.

i spoke to my realtor friend, Delane, to get the ball rolling and figure out exactly what all we needed to do to get our home sell-ready. Delane assured me that our house was in a good neighborhood and that the summer is the best time to try to sell property such as ours..and that on average these things turn over in about 90 days. (the day i spoke with her was exactly 90 days before classes began!) God will provide.

we returned from our seminary visit at the very end of April. i had an appointment to get my wisdom teeth removed the following week...which the dentist decided to do in two sessions...so i had one week of recovery at the start of may, and another at the end of may.
needless to say...i wasn't able to get a whole lot of cleaning out and packing done during the month of May....God will provide.

i hunkered down and got the house into a really good look by mid-june., gave away our cat (she isn't allowed in student apartments)..and listed the house on saturday, june 20th . (remember...we're planning to move to Texas in August and pay for school, rent, etc...without a job in place as of yet) God will provide.

a few days went by without hearing a peep from other realtors to show the place. my prayer through this entire process had been that God would lead the right person to our home at the right time..and no one else who viewed it mattered. God will provide.

on wednesday june 24th i recieved a call that we were getting our first viewing. i had a few minutes before work, so i quickly went home and straightened up a little bit extra, prayed that i wouldn't get discouraged if this wasn't the person for our house, went back to work and waited. God will provide.

when i got off work i recieved a call which confused me. "the realtor who showed your home left a contract on your table for you to look over" i honestly thought delane was telling me that they had lost something in our house and just wanted to be sure we got it back to them....it took a second for the clouds to clear and for me to accept the reality that this first viewer wanted to be the buyer! God will provide.

When i got home, i looked over the contract and just couldn't contain my excitement and disbelief (Lord, help me.) They wanted to pay exactly what we were asking and the only thing which wasn't what i would call perfect, is that they wanted to close the deal in just 4 weeks! Thankfully, it was Wednesday, so i was able to take my excitement to church and get the people of God praying and praising with me. God will provide.

Before the night was over we'd renegotiated the close to 10 days later, which gave us that much longer to get packed and out while working. in the midst of praising God for the provision of our buyer, i began to worry about how we would pay for our moving expenses. in that very moment of worry, i came home to find that Michael's parents had offered to cover our moving truck or whatever we chose to use in our move. we were able to move our things out on the 25th, clean the house the rest of the following week, load our relocubes and send them off....and close on the 31st. God certainly does provide!

we're pretty much nomads for now

2009-08-05T08:22:00.003-05:00

i've been thinking of starting this back up....journaling and such....especially with our move on the horizon. i feel like it would be both good for me, and good for those who would read it...to keep in on the things which are going on in the life of myself and michael as we begin our life in Fort Worth.

i posted about this in my facebook notes, but i'm pretty sure it never made it into my blog...so i'll update everyone real quick: After much prayer, in April of this year Mike and I visited Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and began the process of enrolling him in their MDiv program. We feel very much that this is where God is calling us to go for now and will follow Him wherever He leads. Mike was accepted into the program and now we are on our way!

a week and a half ago we loaded everything up, packed most of our belongings into a couple of relocubes, moved out of our townhouse, and into my grandmother's house with whatever wasn't being shipped off ahead of us in the cubes. we've been living out of suitcases ever since.
we have almost another full week to go in this...and it hasn't been so bad..really. i love that it puts us so close to family. grandma's house is next-door to my family's house....so we kind of stay at both places.

since then, we have cleaned out and officially sold our house, donated a lot of things to thrift stores, almost completed our days at each of our jobs, and nearly gotten the items we are storing in mom and dad's attic packed away. we also got this new computer! (a necessity for the seminary student in the family)

(i had a list of all the "last" things i will do this week...but it was kind of depressing..so i took it out)

next tuesday we'll hit i-20 and be on our way. we're actually not scheduled to move into our 520sq ft apartment till that thursday...but we chose to leave a day sooner so we could see Mike's family a little before school begins.

I'm sure if i'd let myself think about it, i would get sad about leaving our friends and family here in the Augusta area...but right now I'm just so ready to be done driving, done unloading our things, and done living out of suitcases without my own kitchen...i want to begin setting up our home and getting to know the community and the area we'll be in for the next several years. it all feels like a great unknown adventure from here...and considering that i know the One who knows the paths this adventure will take us on and He is leading the way...i'm not scared one bit. just very excited to be in it as it all unfolds...

huh? (or...top 5 responses i should have given)

2008-01-28T08:36:00.000-05:00

yesterday afternoon on the way home from church Michael and I stopped at Sams to pick some things up for the coffee shop. As we and our shopping cart made our way down one of the aisles, we were faced with the obstacle of three people on one side of the row trying to decide what kind of cake to buy, and their shopping cart on the other side of the aisle.

approaching the first of the three shoppers, I said a polite "excuse me" expecting that he and his companions would simply step out of the way or move their cart so we could pass.

instead of this simple thing, his response: "why?"

(why? why????)

i was dumbfounded by the question. I responded by stating what i thought was obvious: "um...because you're on this side, and your cart is on the other side...so we can't get by"

he said something about trying to look at cakes and sounded as though we had inconvenienced him to a high degree...but did move aside for us to pass

on the way back up the aisle, we found that he was still staring at cakes and again had the aisle blocked with himself, his two shopping friends, and their cart. shoppers without carts were barely squeezing by..without this group making any effort to clear a path.

i kept thinking about this man's reaction all the way home. is it so uncommon to be asked to move out of the other shoppers' way when you're completely blocking the way? was i supposed to wait several minutes on him to decide what kind of pastry items he needed? would he have rather we moved his cart for him? (that is what would seem to be more bothersome to others, id think)

so..as i pondered the question and response : "excuse me" and "why?"
1. because you're taking up the entire aisle and not moving
2. would you like to take a survey?
3. why? why??? why???????
4. because other people are trying to shop, too
5. i hear that in some cultures it is more acceptable to nudge people with your shopping cart rather than verbally ask them to move. would you prefer that method?

close call

2008-01-17T11:23:00.000-05:00

my family had to make a trip to the ER last night. Christina slipped coming into the house & hit her head on the brick wall by the kitchen door. Lots of blood...slight concussion...2 stitches. She's doing great--not even a headache. She & Catherine both handled it well--no tears, no panic.

i'd have cried.
i nearly cried just hearing about it this morning.
thank God my little sis is alright!

trainer....trainee

2008-01-16T08:44:00.001-05:00

trainer....
i haven't trained a new barista (person who makes coffee and espresso drinks) in maybe 2 years or more...until now.
i was always kind of nervous about training...and felt better when it was someone else's responsibility to give the overview of why we make drinks the way we do. I preferred when Nick trained my newbies first..and I got them after they had made a drink or two. Nick was always better at explaining the science of steaming milk than I am. I always worry that i'm going to say something in a confusing manner, or get mixed up and say the complete opposite of what i mean.
...and when i have trained baristas in the past, i was never training with the mindset that within three weeks or so, they'd be working completely by themselves. I was training toward being able to be within ten feet of a fully trained employee who could answer questions and give vocal direction as needed. We didn't leave these newly budding baristas alone in the shop for several months, at least.

but here I am...training the new girl, Laura, in how to properly steam lattes and cappucinos, the art and mechanics of pulling proper espresso shots, how to make and remember dozens of drink varieties, how to run the register and close up shop, how on earth we get everything put away and cleaned up in 30 minutes...it is kind of overwhelming to ME to see that list...so how do i explain it and teach it to her in a way that is not frightening...and is easy to remember? I suppose just..a little at a time..until we both suddenly realize that we've covered it all and she feels completely comfortable being left alone with her new identity as a barista.

trainee...
i've mentioned that i'm learning to be a runner, haven't I? A couple of months ago I asked my friend Julie some running questions and she suggested that i train to run the Cooper River Bridge Run with her, and a group of people from first pres. She promised to help me prepare for it. Along the way, Julie formed a whole team of us ladies to train together.

Yesterday began week two of official race training. there were 5 of us. we ran nearly 1.5 miles in the beautiful hill area neighborhoods of Augusta. Considering that I started out knowing I had slightly strained my hamstring the day before (in a sudden burst of cold air, non-running)...I'm not surprised that I was at the back of the pack...but I made it. Julie stayed back with me...asking me how i was doing...giving me beginner tips..like how to make your side stop cramping up..and how to breathe better...and other encouraging words.

After the long run...we began hill sprints (actually more like hill bounds, in this link)..which i was very unsure of, with my hamstring..but decided to give them a try. I made the first three sprints, but noticed it was going to starting hurting. on the 4th one i had to stop within about 10 feet due to pain in my left leg...and watched the other girls finish their 8...then came home and iced my leg for the evening. I'm not hurting today...so as long as I continue to rest it, I hope to be able to join the group to at least walk while they run tomorrow's downtown route.

I'm continually amazed at how my body is reacting to becoming a runner. i ran much farther yesterday before walk-breaks than i thought I would/could. I'm having to change my eating habits from those of a working, singing, sleeping american wife...to that of a working, running, singing, sleeping american wife. adding that one other thing has drastically changed the way i have to think about food. I cannot forget a meal..i cannot just eat a plain ham and cheese sandwich on light bread for lunch. i also cannot eat right before i run..so i need to plan ahead so i have fuel in my system an hour or so beforehand. I'm starting to understand why there are so many types of power bars and quick energy foods. granola bars don't always cut it when your body is begging for the protein it needs. I look at other runners differently than i used to. I used to meet someone and find out they ran...and thought of them as a different type of human than myself. i thought that there were people who were made to run, and people who weren't..and i saw myself in the second category. Now I'm realizing that we weren't all that different in the first place...we just were using our time differently. It takes months to get from being a walker to a full-on runner. Now when I'm in my car and see someone running up a hill, i find myself inwardly cheering them on...and hope that others do the same for me.

remembering that God has used the least qualified

2008-01-15T12:09:00.001-05:00

the liars, the stubborn, the selfish...

Adam and eve...disobeyed..and then hid Genesis 3
Abram...lied TWICE about his wife, risking the lives of whole cities Genesis 12 and Genesis 20
and then his son, Isaac, did the same thing Genesis 26
Jacob stole his brothers birthright Genesis 25,(twice, actually)..and lied to his father..and then had to run for his life for fear of Esau.. Genesis 27
...yet God used Jacob's line to continue the fulfillment of his covenant with Abraham Genesis 28

only a little over half-way through Genesis..and there are already so many flawed people in the line to our salvation....and yet I so often feel as though I'm inadequate to help in this plan?

2008-01-10T13:51:00.000-05:00

happy birthday to me! for my birthday i got a book of my favorite day:
click here to see our wedding album

click "view larger" in order to read the story which goes along with the photos.

i've got the real story book here..and i've been showing it off to everyone at work...they all love it! (maybe i'll get sarah some more gigs this way!)

say what you mean...and say it in love

2007-11-29T08:43:00.000-05:00

I think one of the best pieces of wisdom I've received and worked to apply to my life has been this:

Life is too short and precious to withhold complements when you have them to give....or to cling to your possessions too tightly.

I learned this from a woman named Lynda Schevitz, whom i met while singing in the alto section of the choral society. I learned from the few years of sitting near Lynda, that she often takes hold of opportunities to say what she thinks about people..for the good..for their encouragement!
I noticed that Lynda seems to always makes sure to do so in a fairly discrete manner, not drawing attention to herself. If she likes someone's scarf...she says so. If she notices a certain quality of someone's personality...she lets them know she appreciates it.

She also takes any compliments to her personality or appearance with such grace....that if someone were to say they like her coat..she'd offer to let them use it anytime they want...and she MEANS it! (I say this as fact..because she actually let one of the altos borrow her mink coat for a Chicago vacation a couple of winters ago)

Lynda stands by a standard encouragement and of sharing the gifts with which she's been blessed with others.

I hope to be able to teach this sort of living and loving to those I encounter each day...just like Lynda does.

Can you picture a world in which even just a small percentage of the population began living this way? Lets do it.

shopping spree!

2007-11-19T10:43:00.001-05:00

Friday and Saturday Michael and I spent the remainder of our target and walmart gift cards!
(except that we still have to return one item [paper shredder] to target because when we brought it home Saturday....it was broken)

we now are the proud owners of....
a stanley 1 liter thermos (green!)
a 40 gallon 5-day cooler with wheels
a double-high queen sized air mattress with pump
a water and fireproof file safe
a rake
an electric drill/screwdriver
a big maglite flashlight (not as big as the one michael wANTED to buy)
D batteries for flashlight
a diamond knife sharpener
a set of interchangeable dumb bells
a lint roller
2 christmas plush toys (a reindeer and a teddy bear) for Eisley (michael noticed her puppy was beyond hope..and threw it away before we ended up with stuffing everywhere...and we knew it would take 2 stuffed animals to replace him)

and hopefully soon, a paper shredder

ANd i just made and drank my first peppermint mocha of the year!

a running partner found me

2007-11-19T07:56:00.000-05:00

As I was taking in my Saturday morning run...a neighborhood dog decided he liked running with me...so he joined up for about a block and a half. When I took a walk break..he even nudged my rear with his nose to make me run again!

As amusing and encouraging as it was to have this large black and tan dog running my route with me, I thought it best to stop at the end of his street and command him to stay...I could probably get in some trouble for dog theft if I let him follow me home.

On the way home, I made sure to check a couple of times over my shoulder to be sure he hadn't decided to follow. I'm a little disappointed that he never showed up again to nudge me back into running. Maybe we'll meet up again, next time I run his street.

ramblings and goals

2007-11-08T14:08:00.001-05:00

i realize that with all of the networking and friend-connecting sites we're involved in...few really read plain old blogs anymore....especially when we are told SO much on those other sites...without having to scan our eyes across an entire entry of thought-out text.

i realize this...

but i still love this blog. i refuse to leave it alone for too long..and always feel as though...even if no one reads it...even if its just me pouring out my thoughts in phrases and paragraphs...if that is all....that is enough. i NEED this from time to time. i need to be able to go back and read where my thoughts have been. i need to remind myself later of what i've accomplished. i need to remember the things i've enjoyed, and get excited about what used to make me excited.

now that i've got THAT out of my system....

i've recently begun calling myself a runner.
i think this began about a month ago.
i own running shorts and a wicking tshirt.
the other night when it suddenly turned cold..i went straight out and bought some running pants and an ear warmer headband so i wouldn't miss my scheduled run.
i know the mileage of our neighborhood.
3 times a week. 25-45 minutes....depending on how i'm feeling.
If i didn't know better, i'd call myself someone who walks a lot with spurts of running tossed in.
I haven't even run 1/4 mile straight....but i have run.
i'm certainly still "in training"
(though from what i understand, a runner always is.)
my current goal: run the cooper river bridge in Charleston come April. (10k!)

roses and kisses and love notes...

2007-09-07T09:12:00.000-05:00

God loves me very much...and for some reason, has chosen to show it to me in lots of ways today!

* woke up feeling rested and very loved and in love
* all green traffic lights when i was running 5 minutes late...made me only 1 minute late!
* no spills or mistakes in a 40-customer, $75 hour
* the next hour was almost as busy! yay!
* marked the wrong card..told customer she had a free drink..when i looked at what was really her card...she did have one!
* tasty fair trade coffee
* discovered that the reason the sales report i printed off for last month was low was because i'd left out a week of sales...found that week and added it in to the total..yay more money for this little corner!

help us light the night

2007-09-04T12:18:00.000-05:00

Michael and I have signed up to walk and raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk.
click the link to see our fund raising page:

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnAtlant/2085_becca11

thanks!

photos from the honeymoon

2007-08-13T11:24:00.001-05:00

adventures in marriage I

adventures in marriage II

a few wedding pics

2007-08-07T09:22:00.000-05:00

(Click)Haley belle gets credit for these

(our pro-photos will be out in a few more weeks..sarah took over 1,000 shots..so now she has to narrow them down to the best ones!)

the bride is

2007-07-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

Googlism for: the bride

the bride is an overcomer
the bride is a lover
the bride is much too beautiful
the bride is
the bride is finally ready for the coming of her lover
the bride is ready
the bride is chosen
the bride is your daughter—well she's your daughter and if she's your daughter
the bride is both touching and funny
the bride is to see that the bride's wishes are carried out the bride's way
the bride is presented to the groom's ancestors in the presence of both parents during a wedding in ho chi minh city
the bride is extremely successful on both accounts
the bride is undoubtedly in the most enviable position
the bride is expected to combine warmth and wit into one short address
the bride is the daughter of mr
the bride is definitely not an exception of ms
the bride is part of a crowd
the bride is selecting gowns for her attendants
the bride is a young girl
the bride is chock full of comforting suggestions from women
the bride is blessed and given some silver coins
the bride is assisted by the driving rhythm of the music
the bride is white satin
the bride is the one wedding participant who is likely to feel the most left out during the organisation of the wedding
the bride is not without certain charms
the bride is traditionally the first person to greet the arriving guests in
the bride is proof
the bride is a harmless time killer
the bride is a breakthrough in the field of eschatology
the bride is often given to a son or daughter
the bride is a success
the bride is selected by the boy's family the couple exchange rings in a ceremony accompanied by serving of sweets
the bride is a loose remake of the 1935 horror classic the bride of frankenstein
the bride is brought to the mandap
the bride is an important release for a couple of reasons
the bride is your one
the bride is given a ritual bath
the bride is the most memorable vision of any wedding
the bride is rubbed with ointments and cosmetics daily
the bride is essentially an argentinian version of treacly middle
the bride is a heartwarming story about personal transformation that is consistently fresh and funny
the bride is just what it appears to be
the bride is free to decide what she wants to do at her wedding as long as she keeps it tasteful
the bride is getting more gifts
the bride is even now in the process of being perfected
the bride is given to the groom by her father
the bride is the holy city

next weekend!

2007-07-18T10:32:00.000-05:00

in case you're wondering: still not nervous.

ive made so many lists and timelines, that the only way i could miss any details is if i just plain haven't thought of them yet....and if i haven't thought of them yet, they must not be very important ;)

creative urges

2007-07-05T10:44:00.001-05:00

i love to to create...i think i live for it

i think creating this wedding is temporarily starving my other creative outlets.

i mean, i've had more than plenty of opportunities for creativity within the wedding planning: choosing the dress and everything to go with it, reception and rehearsal planning, reception setup, SO much flower arranging, wedding cake planning, how i'll do my hair, making the jewelry, addressing envelopes, writing thank you notes, arranging the invitation and program texts, drawing maps for the invitations, keeping in touch with everyone involved, rearranging the house so that both michael and i will be able to have our things in it comfortably, and figuring out the most cost-effective and enjoyable favors for our guests...it goes on and on...and thats a lot of creativity being pulled from me out of only 7 months!

honestly, until now, i had not realized what a creativity machine i've made myself into these past months. i suppose i was wrong about being starved of creativity. i think its closer described as having the creativity switched on to overdrive...where i must create even when the urges aren't there...and everything i've created in 2007 is centered on the same end focus....its all about our "big day".

i feel as though i want to take just a few hours away from this..and make something else...write something else...draw something else...glue and assemble something else...paint something else...

yet, every time i find myself with a pencil and moment...i end up sketching out a wedding dress

excited doesn't really describe it

2007-06-26T12:53:00.000-05:00

its the kind of excitement that sends a rush of chills all over my body

in just four weeks, we'll be decorating the sanctuary..

in four weeks and one day, out of town friends and family will begin to arrive..

in only four weeks and two days, we'll be decorating the fellowship hall for the reception, and i'll probably be packing my bags and cleaning the house a bit...

in four weeks and three days, we'll be getting ready for the rehearsal and then relaxing a little..

and in four weeks and four days, dressed in the most beautiful dress i've ever worn, in the shoes i looked for longer than any shoes, with the veil i stayed up far too late decorating, carrying the flowers i saw in every magazine and then was able put together...i will walk (dance) down that aisle without a thought of any of the garments....focused on the man i've fallen crazy for, has taught me much about myself and about relating to others, has loved me tremendously already, who has honored me and upheld me through these few beginning years, has pushed me just enough to use my gifts...but not so much that i ever resented him for the pushes, has brought me over and over again to the truth and to remember the grace we've been given, has waited patiently (mostly) and encouraged me toward patience for the timing for this moment...

and we will be joined together...to one life.
a new ministry.
and then we will praise our Father...our Lord, who gave us the pure gift of Us.
and many will rejoice with us.

My Love, we're so near that day.

waves of change

2007-06-18T11:42:00.001-05:00

*sigh*
i just finished sending a rather heart-wrenching and difficult note to friends and leaders in my church family...explaining how much they've meant to me but having to tell them why july 1st will be my last sunday in their membership.

nobody ever said that following the Lord's leading would be an easy thing
but rarely does anyone tell you that even when you're in a congregation of God-honoring fellowship and discipleship, that leaving that can also be the Lord's will.

the responses are trickling in with sweet encouragement...i just may break into tears in front of a customer today for this.

2007-06-11T10:22:00.001-05:00

blogger is so fickle......it makes me like it less and less

2007-05-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

one thousand five hundred seventeen hours and sixteen minutes

counting down

2007-05-25T11:40:00.000-05:00

nine weeks
twenty-five hours
eighteen minutes

finally!

2007-05-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

for the past MONTH i haven't been able to log in to my blogger account!

i've had lots to say and had to limit it ALL to facebook "notes" instead of including my bloggish friends in my rambles.

sad days

but maybe this will continue working for me...and maybe i'll have lots more nice thoughts to share soon.

ps...if you're not on facebook, i think you should be.

the unexpected

2007-04-17T10:20:00.000-05:00

grace....receiving what you do not deserve...have not earned...did not ask for...did not expect

like picking up our wedding invitations from the print shop and being told there is no charge...but
have to be told again..because the fact is so surprising

lights

2007-04-03T09:48:00.000-05:00

He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light.
For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life.
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

job 12: 22, Proverbs 6:23, Romans 1:19, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Psalm 43:3, Matthew 5:14-16

making some adjustments

2007-03-28T13:23:00.000-05:00

(this starts out a little tedious..but i promise i will make my point by the end of it!)

early this week i noticed that half of our track lighting was burned out...but, to my surprise, my boss actually got me replacement bulbs fairly quickly. light is shining.

today i came in and noticed that-yes, the lights were bright. but also, the lights were making the area a bit too warm. also, the direction of light wasn't doing anything for me or doing much to help people see the board much better than before the lights were replaced.

as i looked around the area...i decided to come out from behind the counter and do a little adjusting. aiming lights so that the nearest spot wasn't the one shedding light on the area..looking for glares on the menu from customer perspective...tedious..a little daunting at times when i just couldn't figure out where the light was going....but upon considering my work complete...i stood back and enjoyed the look of it.
a few hours later...i noticed, not only does the menu look nice...but it is feels cooler (less warm) than it was before and, as an added bonus, i seem to have achieved a bit of fung shui in this setting, too!

it wasn't simply a matter of replacing the bulbs that were burnt out..though...having full capacity of lighting is very helpful....what made the difference was how the light was being distributed.

i'm sure if i ponder this long enough...i'll find the spiritual application point. its there....

maybe its that once we've been given all that we need in order to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, it doesn't do to just go through the good works and motions of life...it doesn't feel like we've got everything where it ought to be if we just take what he's given us and keep doing what we were doing to begin with...

it is then that we should ask that the Lord interrupt our lives and move stuff around...to shed some light on the areas that we've left in shadows..and take some light off of what we had thought was so important before.

caught up with you

2007-03-27T12:03:00.000-05:00

after weeks of reading....i finally caught up on all of the entries of QC i'd missed

*sigh*

now what do i do with the time between customers?

it feels good to be reading about real people today

2007-03-23T11:46:00.000-05:00

invitation paper is purchased (and at a steal of a price, too!)

invite lists are almost complete

invite design is closer to ready

facebook is my new obsession.

i agree with chelsea....forget myspace...facebook is where its at!

(i especially like that i can post the same entry to my blog and facebook without having to actually post it to both of them myself. did myspace ever give me that freedom? well...if they did....nobody ever told ME.)

hello! i am Too-Much-Coffee-Girl!

2007-03-20T13:43:00.000-05:00

(not that there could ever be too much of coffeegirl...but rather..that the coffee girl has had too much coffee!!!!)

the machine here is set to pull two shots of espresso at a time...which means that anytime someone orders a drink calling for only 1 shot....or for three shots..or anyone odd number of caffeiney goodness...the lone shot either gets poured out....or drunk. (my coffee is drunk!)
(actually..most coffee shops are set up to pull doubles...so as you read on, imgine that every barista you have ever encountered has had days like this...)

today..i forgot to monitor my coffee intake...and i began my sleepy morning with a cup of regular brew....or two...then added a bit of leftover latte to the tummy...then i had a cup of green tea (make that two, also)...then i had a straight shot ( because someone ordered a shot cuban style...brewed with yummy raw sugar in the portafilter! those are too yummy to waste...and sooo fast to take down...)
..and from there i just lost count....but i can FEEL that it was much..and i can feel that this hyperness is lonely..because i work alone..and the afternoon is slow...and i realy realy just want to goof off and make wisecracks with a fellow barista when i feel like this...dangit.

the only thing that would make this any worse would be if i'd had that teriyaki chicken for lunch today instead of diner last night...because Michael and i discovered that the sweet red sauce Sun and Moon Kitchen uses on that realy gets the system into hypermode, too. (dont do that sort of thing before attending small group discussion-oriented bible studies....the rabits are many...)

all of this to say.....what was i saying?

if only we could get away with this sort of treatment somedays

2007-03-16T12:42:00.000-05:00

this reminds me of life before the corner coffee kisok
life when i had co-workers
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=375

"that's how life usualy is, honey"

2007-03-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

i spent my saturday late-morning and early-afternoon traversing from store to store in search of those perfect shoes.

my well planned trip took me to only three parking spaces, but i was able to cover dozens of stores (4 free-standing, and one mall included...adds a lot there)
the whole time i searched, my dear friend fer came with me via telephone. (because its hard to find someone who will actually come with me in person to hop stores as quickly as i ...just searching for that one pair of perfect shoes. )

my first stop, i discovered the most amazing shoe store..which i'll have to reattend on a day when i can permit myself to browse for non-wedding shoes..it was HUUGE and had so many different types of shoes to behold....but did not carry my perfect wedding shoes.

2nd, 3rd, and 4th stops were no good. lots of fall and winter clearance items..no white shoes...welll... none except for those pumps that resembled something from 1985.

at the mall i kept finding fancy silver shoes and gaudy gold shoes and no white satin shoes. i found some white casual platform sandals..but nothing wedding appropriate. nothing at all.

after nearly three hours of searching..and no moments of finding...and no more stores in the immediate area to shop in...i decided to put my search on hold til another day...to move on...to buy groceries...to finish my saturday without the perfect shoes in my possession.

i got my groceries...i went home..i unpacked my groceries...then i noticed that my "plan" for the day had been to be finished with shoe shopping and grocery buying around 3pm..but it was only 2:15 at the time...there was still shoe search time alloted!

i decided to look at one more place today..afterall...it was nearby..and wouldnt take very long just to check.
i drove about 1 mile...maybe less...to the shopping center where Shoe Carnival has recently been added. i HATE going into shoe carnival....thus why i had not looked there to begin with. to get my nerve up, i went into Goody's next door first...before facing the game-show-like employees of the dreaded shoe store. remembering that i'd found one of my favorite pairs of dress shoes at goody's once..

..i took a venture to their shoe department. on the first aisle i saw a pair of nice looking shoes..definately better than what i'd seen in all of my galavanting at the mall previously...but they weren't WHITE..they were BONE (which is a little bit nearer to ivory) i tried them on..and they looked okay...but the heel of them was brown like wood..instead of being white...and they did have pearls on them like everything else i'm wearing...but they also had some not as pretty beads.they were 1/2 price... i was about to just get them to have "in case"...when i turned around...and exactly behind me were the same shoes..but PERFECT.

they were white.
the heels were white.
the beads were EXACTLY like my jewelry.
(i felt certain these would be the most uncomfortable shoes on the planet. )
the moment i slipped my right foot into the shoe, another shopper --who, to me, seemed like a very wise woman-- said "oh my goodness! those look perfect on you!" and "You've got the legs for those" (and no one has ever told me that i have legs for any sort of shoes)
(and the shoes weren't uncomfortable at all.)
i looked at the woman and told her how i had just spent hours searching for these shoes ...and here i come to the nearest shopping center to my home, and there they are.
she replied "that's how life usualy is, honey"

i tell you...when i turned and found the shoes, i was pretty certain about them already...but she was like a messenger from the Lord.

because samantha asked how plans are going...

2007-03-06T12:47:00.000-05:00

...and i have so few regular readers, i like to respond to them as proptly as i am able!

(i'd realy love for my readership to go up again...darn me taking so much time away from this blog!)

my goal for this week is to finally choose where we're ordering invitations from and what those invitations will look like.....hopfully all the way down to the wording...but that depends on when michael can work with me on that part...because i have a feeling he'll be better at it than i will.
(....i like run-ons....)

i'll at least make all the needed print shop visits and various phone calls and such this week to know where i can afford to best decide from...
...and by the end of next week weed down the invite list some more and redefine it...and fill in the blanks....
...and before march ends...we'll have them ordered so that we can get them back, address them, and have them going places before summertime is on us.

(ps....email me addresses if you would like to be included in the mail outs....i'll do my best to send to those who want to come! rjgosey at hotmail dot com.)

i also get to start deciding about shoes. i know shoes dont seem like anything difficult to choose to some people...but for me, i have a few criteria which must be met.

1. white shoes. not clear...not silver...not with gaudy metal stuff....not with ribbons to wrap around my leg.
2. heels with a little width. i cannot stand on toothpick heels...i'd die trying. but...i do want heels...otherwise, i'd just buy some slippers at belk and not be concerned with this at all. i am concerned. i want shoes that make me a little taller. (or maybe just a touch above short, as the case seems to be)
3. do not cost a rediculous amount. we're on a budget here. i like $20 enough.... i do not like $40... i'd need medication if i spent $70.
4. would go with things i wear after the wedding. i dont have any white shoes anymore...so while i'm shopping for some..they should be a little bit univesal.
5. dressy shoes. not flip flops... or brown heeled casual sandals...or the other beachy wear trend of white shoes i keep seeing.
6. i have to have this by the end of april. thankfully...its almost spring..so i should be able to find these soon.

recap: 1. please read my blog. 2. invitations soon. 3. shoes also soon.

If you see them, will you love them like i do?

2007-02-28T13:05:00.000-05:00

as i stand here in this hospital..day after day...and i smile at as many people as i possibly can...and i know that i'm here for THIS...i begin to wonder..what is "this"?

what do i say to the woman who buys a smoothie or two every time she has an appointment..and tells me how well they settle her stomach during her chemo treatments?

what do i say to the man who says "pile on all the good stuff" as i make his hot chocolate...who is trying to decide where to go for his hospice stay while he simply waits on the end of it?

how do i encourage those who are stuck roaming these hallways..day after day...feeling trapped because of something they cannot change...?

i watch some go from wheelchair..to walker..to cain..to freedom....while the others i see fall in the other direction...from cain..to walker..to chair...and then i just dont see them anymore...

i watch men objectify women and say all sorts of improper things..and i watch women (and men, too) feel unlovely, lonely, or forgotten

yet...i love being here..i know that what little i do is something...but what more can i do...from behind this counter?

If You See Them
(sherri youngward)

My Father’s heart broke today
His children ran away
His children slipped out the back door
His children He loved and adored
And He said
Have you seen your brother Have you seen your sister
Where is your brother Have you seen your sister

If you see them will you love them like I do
And maybe they’ll remember who I am
I’d give anything and everything I have
Just to bring them back again

My Father paces the floor
I’ve never seen Him like this before
He says He won’t restUntil they’re all safe and sound
He says He won’t rest until they’re all found

five months from tomorrow

2007-02-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

i'm in a bit of calm right now....its its rather surreal.

the first month was a whirlwind of teling and reading and deciding and making lists

this month was the realization that i dont have to do it all at once..and that i can't do it all at once

next month will be the calm moving forward with just what needs to be done

then the following few months will be when i have to take this planning brain up another notch again

and i dont even want to think about what all will have to come together those last couple of months

but in five months....i'll be collected and ready and excited

read all instructions

2007-02-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

credit for finding this link goes to the kids at the coffeegeek forums

the coffee mug owners manual:
http://www.cyclofiend.com/salsa/salsa_mugman.html

update on my lenten thoughts

2007-02-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

i decided that i'm sacrificing:
a. listening to music/radio in my car
and
b. watching tv (unless i need to know the weather report) at home

and during times that i would normally turn on the tv, i'll read from the gospels and/or consider various aspects of Jesus's life and death...and how they affect my daily living.

when its quiet in my car, i'll be able to reflect on my recent readings, and better hear from the Lord as i'm going from place to place.

(also, how horrible of me..i had no idea how short a time it would take to read through ALL of the gospels! if i just read 2 chapters a day and 3 chapters on sundays, i'll finish the whole set before Easter. if i read my Bible more often, i'd probably have realised how quickly one can read through four books from it..before now.)

side: i just witnessed my first Ash Wednesday participant customer! (when i lived in the heart of Catholicism [Louisiana], seeing ash-smudged foreheads didnt excite me as much as it does now that i'm in the heart of Baptistism [Georgia])

joyous sacrifice

2007-02-20T10:11:00.000-05:00

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for Your sake and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the church." Colossians 1:24

lent. the days between fat tuesday and easter.

a time to remember Jesus' great sacrifice(his life lived in earth..and his death) and suffering(the pain of crucifixion...and the weight of all sin). a sacrifice that is made worthless unless we live in light of it, accept his payment for our lives....and tell the world about it. honestly..it shouldn't take a certain season and observance to remind me of how much he gave...but i'm human..i need big reminders.

i usualy start thinking about this like..two days AFTER the fact...so i'm going to jump start it..and figure out my plan today.

i wont give up something that is BAD for me. thats not sacrifice....just an excuse to do what i should already do.

i should give up a thing i enjoy..and usualy consume or do frequently....otherwise its not hard to give it up. its not a sacrifice. this needs to take effort.

a certain food: bell peppers, salad dressing, cheese, turkey sandwiches, chocolate, coffee, tea, caffeine in general...
or an activity: wearing contacts, watching tv, knitting, listening to music in the car... (THAT would be sacrifice!)

or maybe stop NOT doing something? no. that gets me into the list of bad habits which just are not what lent is about...its realy hard to think of things that i WOULD give up...that are not things i SHOULD have already quit...like "i'll give up eating bread" or "i'll give up not excercising" or "i'll give up staying up too late at night" "i'll give up picking at my face"...these are not lenten vows..these are just good ideas for every day life...these are not sacrifices which would remind me of what he gave for me.

"Let us fix out eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" Hebrews 12:2

it should be something which...after the lenten season is over, when Easter comes..i can enjoy that sacrificed thing again...and remember the absolute smallness of that joy compared with the joy of Jesus' reunion with His Father in heaven..and the comming reunion of all believers with the Father, too.

what's your stance on this season of lent?

may i help you?

2007-02-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

yesterday afternoon as i was arriving home from work, my phone rang and this is about how the conversation that took place proceeded:

me: hello?
caller: hi, this is erica from David's Bridal, i was just calling to make sure you have everything you need for your wedding.
me: (laughing) um...no.
me: its kind of in process
erica: (laughs also) oh, i'm sorry, i guess that was a silly question.
(conversation continues briefly...but that was the amusing part)

add to that the customer earlier that morning who was insisting that i am not prepared enough and that i should have already picked out and ordered my invitations and flowers and food, etc...

she simply would not rest assured with my claiming that i do have a timeline and lists to work from...she proceeded to make her own vocal list of things for me to prepare.

..and i just cant tell my daily customers "please shut up and let me do this myself! you are certainly not being HELPFUL with your *advice* "

if this keeps up, i'll just start lying to people... like this:
them: so do you have everything ready for "the big day"?
me: (option a.) we elloped. (option b.) yep. everything's planned and paid for.
them: (option a.) well, that's nice. (or, if they are paying attention.... b.) are you serious???

stand back or i'll shoot!

2007-02-05T15:38:00.000-05:00

wedding brain continues!
we spent the weekend playing with happy laser guns and are since registered at target, bed bath and beyond, and walmart.
after the whirlwind of gift registery had ended, i found myself pondering a great deal more over who might purchase our towels and the fact that my wonderings about how many items people actually recieve from these gift registery lists might finally come to a conclusion....instead of thinking as much about important things...such as what michael and i will be doing in way of ministry and how we will go about adjusting to living in one place and paying bills together.
i'm not overly concerned about my seeming unbalanced perspective at the moment..at least i know that Michael is thinking about it a bit more than i am...and that--even more importantly--God knows what He has in store for us....just got to trust Him...but need to come away from registry-brain and catering prices long enough to pray about it and let go of what i cannot change.

things on my mind

2007-01-29T14:16:00.000-05:00

checklist upon checklist!

things to do..things to shop for..things to price..things to register for...things to remember to do later...lists lists lists...

thought: registering seems realy exciting before you start trying to imagine what you actually want people to buy for you and how your list reflects on yourself....and the places which you can get the best worth from the list...and are the most convenient for everyone.

thought: some things which i was sure we could save money on by doing ourselves are starting to look like the expense is worth not having to do them ourselves...and some things are actually ending up cheaper if we dont do them ourselves....crazy!

thought: when i wasn't actually planning a wedding, i thought i was going to have a very small very simple event.. i'd even picked out a nice little outdoor location which would seat about fifty. now that i'm in the midst of plans...its bigger than that...and this is without anyone else telling me how they want it yet!

thought: if it weren't for all of the helpful checklists i've found in books, the internet, and have made (every single day i make a new list!)...i'd forget to think about cake and flowers and doctors and social security cards. ...or else i'd think about them all of the time, instead of when they come up on the timeline. thank God for the timelines!

thought: its realy hard to sit back and let michael decide on the honeymoon destination. its realy easy to waste time searching for places on my own.

thought:God knows why the craft store stop putting 40% off coupons in the sunday paper every week. it is because God doesnt want me to shop for anything when it isnt in the timeline. God, please give me another coupon when i want to shop some more :)

thought: i hope that i dont get so wrapped up in planning that i dont let anyone help me besides my mom.

thought: in less than six months...a lot of these thoughts will be done with. then come all the new ones.

i've run out of things to do

2007-01-25T14:35:00.000-05:00

i'm at work.
i'm ready to be home.
i've just finished drinking a "leftover" latte'.
i'm dancing a little bit to sufjan's Illinois album.
i'm wishing that i hadn't waited for a good reason to get back in touch with my friends.
i'm enjoying those i've found again.
i'm still wishing they all could move to where i am...even just for a little while.
i'm going to invent something to eat tonight.
i'm glad the library has movies for free.
it's felt like friday all day.
it's not friday.

lets go play outside.

coughy girl trains music man

2007-01-17T12:54:00.000-05:00

since opening this new store, i've had the strangest difficulty in finding someone to work the hours which i cannot. we began by utilizing a couple of people from the first shop....but things kept comming up where that wasn't working well...schedule conflicts and undertraining and inconsistency from having too many people filling in...
...so it was suggested that i hire someone new to work here with me and here only. what i hated about the idea was simply that first of all, trusting someone as a new hire to run the place when i'm not here is hard....and training them for this would be rather complicated considering the cramped spaces. i needed someone i knew, trusted, and wouldnt have to take long with training.
cue my brother...who has just started masters work and cannot work his full-time print job anymore...and was a great asset to the shop in his day!
the nick spent the last few hours of this morning "in training" here at my store. he'll be working in my place a couple of mornings a week, giving me two mornings to get other things done...and preventing me from working 55 hrs a week...letting nick have a flexiable work schedule during his music study. i think this is a perfect soloution!

another perfect soloution might be that nick knows the ins and outs of the print shop and suggested a great way to save money on wedding invites!

so..i worked in coffee for 3.5 years so that nick could work there so that nick could meet his boss at the print shop and work there so that he could then go on to finish his music study while having a nice part time job helping his sister at the job she was born for...coffee...and he's able to save his sister and friend money on their wedding invites....because of the print shop job.

my God works in mysterious ways

infection control is after me

2007-01-12T12:55:00.000-05:00

why is it that EVERY time i get a cold, i lose my voice?
it always made sense when i'd keep working when i felt bad...thus using my voice...but this time i made sure to keep pretty quiet and took a sick day and everything...and now my voice is almost inaudible.
its okay..though. i'm only working 4 hrs today...a stark contrast to my usual 10. when i get home, i wont have to talk anymore:)

who is coffee girl?

2007-01-09T11:56:00.000-05:00

i know i've done this before..but it always amuses me just a little bit....

Googlism for: coffee girl (with my comments)

coffee girl is still mumbling to herself (this is usually true)
coffee girl is actually at work today (mostly...i'm rather out of it)
coffee girl is not on my links
coffee girl is cute too and has a lip piercing (...used to think i wanted that...more leaned toward a nose piercing, though. never got myself either)
coffee girl is nice enough to get him coffee (always true!)
coffee girl is a mostly acoustic 10 song collection which displays her genre eclectic style (i am not a compilation disc)
coffee girl is damn lucky to have captured your respect/attention (yep.)
coffee girl is on board (if this means "knows what's going on" then...no.)
coffee girl is pissing me off (i hope not)
coffee girl is pricelss (absolutely!)

i cant catch you

2007-01-08T12:16:00.000-05:00

between attempting to organize my home...and beginning the wedding planning prcoess....i've come to realise that after a year and a half of internet-less-ness...and many moves and others moving...i have a grand total of THREE current addresses for people i love. Please bring me up to date with a quick email to rjgosey at hotmail dot com. (especially send such information if you would like to be included in the invite/announce list for the becca-michael wedding!)

hello world of interweb. it is nice to see you today.

2007-01-05T14:14:00.000-05:00

this afternoon of coffee is rolling by dreadfull slowly....after a morning which flew....so i dont feel bad at all about posting an entry to this thing. (trust me...if i thought that i could make you more money by sitting on the ice box instead of standing here at the counter...smiling and speaking to everyone whom i see..as i post this..i'd do it, boss...i would!)

i've found that the only journal i can acess from the only place i regularly find any internet(work)...is blogger...so here is where i may be more frequent...should you care to/need to know.

also means i will be keeping up with very very few of you through blogger or typepad...and no one else.

also also means i check my email every day now, instead of only once or twice a month...this is big big news! i haven't been at a place where that was possible in well over a year.

so....any of you (you know..the two people* who view this EVAR) who know people who know me...should pass on that i'm back online a little...and may be reached and spoken to in ways other than my cell phone. comments and emails...being those ways.

*make that THREE people...because a mr. roderick just commented on my previous entry THIS morning! woo! i'm becoming increasingly popular with the people!

Merry Christmas 2006!

2006-12-20T18:19:00.000-05:00

Let me tell you a story about how one should never jump to conclusions regarding the potential of a silly christmas song which begins by telling your cat "merry christmas."

Once upon a time on Friday night, Michael asked Becca to hear a song he'd written for Chrstimas. Becca had been present for the original formation of the song as michael played with a new-loved chord progression, and now looked curiously forward to hearing what had become of it. So Becca, unassumingly, took a seat in front of the computer where Michael had loaded a recording of the completed song. The song progressed much the same as it had when she'd first heard bits of it, with just a few words moved and pauses shifted. Then suddenly, as the second verse began to play, Becca's life began to change and she didnt even know it. for ease of explaination, the song:
(i may have messed up the words little....i left my napkin copy at home)

refrain:
Merry, Merry Christmas
Merry December 25th
(even to the cat)

1.I have a girlfriend
who i dont like
just to be my girlfriend

2.i went to see my pastor
who is my girlfriend's father
and he said "ok"

At the conclusion of this new second verse, Becca exclaimed "is this a true story!?" to which the answer became "yes."
Hugs and kisses and a couple of gold rings later...It became known that Michael and Becca are to be married in July of 2007.

here's my newest song

2006-08-02T17:29:00.000-05:00

becca's got a new car
becca's got a new car

old and new

2006-07-02T16:19:00.000-05:00

michael moved here one year ago as of this past friday!
which puts us dating as of...about a year...its hard to nail down the actualy day we officially said "yeah...so we're dating now."

also...just gave blood for the first time ever. i was scared....but not as terrified as i get around roaches...so i suppose i'll be alright. i did have a hard time afterward with lightheadedness and starting to black out. i tend to need to be very careful with that stuff. seems any shots and stuff make me prone to it. i remember one day when i was at WCC i went to a clinic for a shot to clear up the sinist gunk for NATS..and when i was making my payment at the counter, i said to the receptionist "um...i can't see you" and she promptly found me a room to sit in for a while to recover.

short of it

2006-06-25T16:44:00.000-05:00

i'd almost just go in and delete all of my old journal accounts...but i use them to read-up on everyone when i do ever find myself using the internet. just...seems like i end up spending so much time deleting and responding to email...browsing around things i need to look up...and then still feel like i should read what is going on with everyone..and then i'm supposed to every once and again post little blurbs about my life too? all of this when i'm only online maybe every other week for 45 minutes or something...

yes..this is your update post.

actualy..its your non-update post..because i dont feel like posting blankets of "this is whats going on" so..if you have my number..call me and i'll tell you how my life is these days. i like to talk to the voices rather than the screens :) if you dont have my number..ask somebody else for it.

okay..okay..okay. mini-update: i'm happy, loving, and loved. i saw my fer-sis-best-friend the other day for the first time in two years. the south is still hot and humid.

bubye

becca

these are a few of my favorite things

2006-01-17T22:21:00.000-05:00

"...your favorite things... y'know...color...":
when i was little...like..6 and younger...i was always in pink or had things which were pink...or somehow...was near pink..always. after about 7 or so...i started to hate pink. along with pink, i hated red..as well. my favorite colors during my "hate of pink" stage were yellows and greens. then...i decided that blue is the end-all be-all of colors..because i theorized that there is no ugly shade of blue...at all...and it seems as though there are more blues than any other sorts of colors. i've also re-embraced red..and have recently had a lot of pink going on. i carry a pink purse with me ever single day and my shoes for work are pink and grey. its really amusing how the circle goes.

"...flavor of cake...": strawberry cake...made with strawberries in the cake and in the frosting..really really yummy...and its pink! grandma used to make it for me..durring my pink stage...and recently our cake-baker for the coffee shop reintroduced me to how yummy it is...funny..again..that circle of pink :)

"...ice cream...": peppermint...or cheesecake with raspberries...or "gingerbread cookie"...or chocolate with dark chocolate swirls and fudgey stuff

"...coffee ~~flavor~~ varieties (even if it changes daily)..."
im partial to costa rican coffee and mexican..and a realy nice light roasted guatemalan. i also enjoy having a single espresso shot(more on the bitter side than some shops use) with just about the amount of milk and foam to make a 4-6 oz latte. del-ish!

"...stuff like that..."

and..a topic is born!

..and now you're even older

2006-01-15T12:10:00.000-05:00

over a month since my last entry...seems to be the norm for me what..with no frequent computer usage, and all of that.

i had a birthday 6 days ago...i've been here now two-dozen years...and six days...and about two hours

im not looking forward to just making an entry of random updates which let you know my life is much the same as it was last month....so lets choose a topic, shall we?

respond in comment with any topic..and i'll try my best to post an entry on the matter.

go!

and you held my hand on my journey from funk to jazz

2005-12-11T10:02:00.000-05:00

the title sounds like a chapter heading in a book regarding developments in modern american music...but its more just likely a description of my friday evening.

an evening which began with me in a rather poor mood...(becca as a glum and grumpy person..is not the one you want to spend much time with)..then placed me in a most obscure restaurant situation..(imagine this: small chinese restaurant. empty buffet. no staff or customers in sight. colored mini lights strung all around..and chinese techno music playing overhead. now...que the young waitress with a bad attitude! the whole thing started me on an upswing from my funk right away)...and ended with a concert of the preservation hall jazz band followed by yummy cheesecake and darjeeling tea.

there you have it. the progression begins with funk..then asian techno...then jazz.

leaves are falling..and something's calling me here

2005-11-16T11:07:00.000-05:00

...and those of you who know the line from which the title comes need not worry, i sense no "state of depression" to follow that lyric with

but leaves are falling..and the southern fall weather has me never knowing in advance if im to need a jacket or sandals when i leave my home every day.

my home is a fun thing to piece together, though sometimes i think i obssess over it a little bit much. last night my newly painted black and burgundy table was brought back inside to be used and was promptly topped with new placemats, black diner plates, and cloth napkins in cute little napkin rings (rings from the ever-dangerous $1 bins at Target...)

work is becoming a much more relaxed thing...since my bosses figured out that their store is too young and new to be run out of their grasp and removed much of the responsibilities from me....which cuts down much of the communication issues we were having previously. im still doing much the same thing as before..in that im forever reminding the bosses what to do..while trying to remain tactful in doing so because there is a fine line between being helpful..and insulting your leadership's intellegence. im happy..and i think my fellow assistant mangers are happy. we're all doing the job together now and we dont have to answer to the man as often..just the man's wife. the man's wife gets to answer to the man..and she know better how to handle the man.

speaking of the mans wife...im forever thankful to her for working out the thanksgiving week schedule at the last minute to allow me to be able to take a little vacation with the boyfriend to his family's house for thanksgiving. yes..i get to leave work for three..possibly even FOUR days in a row..and i get to meet more of the people who have put up with the boyfriend (though not with him as "the boyfriend" to them) longer than i have! ;)

and what is this with the christmas music which started blaring weeks before thanksgiving??? premature holiday festivities make this girl into the grinch. i do not want to be in the midst of still accepting that it is november and already have christmas songs stuck in my head without my consent!
i love christmas in december...i despise it in october and november.

dont it always seem to go that you dont know what you've got till its gone...

2005-08-31T16:53:00.000-05:00

the city of my heart is burried in filthy water
dear friends will find themselves homeless
im sitting here a thousand miles away
where all the locals care about seems to be the rising cost of gasoline
and my face burns with hidden tears
for frustration
and feeling so detached
and unhelpful
i cant give money
i cant get in
and watching the footage just hurts

even though ive never been fond of singing in french

2005-08-12T15:56:00.000-05:00

im quite fond of being the newest chorus member of the augusta opera :)

i'm going to be quite a busy young lady these next two months

tales of hoffman

bring it on
bring
it

things becca wants for her new house:

2005-08-03T13:22:00.000-05:00

table and chairs for dining area
area rug for dining room
queen sized bed (or double, if its free or realy cheap)
paint to redecorate the second bedroom
rice cooker
bunn coffee maker
vacuum cleaner
dvd player and possibly a larger tv
nick is letting me use some of his packed up cookware..so i have no idea on that

im not dead..........i feeeeel happy!

2005-08-02T16:55:00.000-05:00

after a couple of weeks of internetlessness (how's that for a word?) ill post a little update

i am almost completely certain that i have found a house! i'd post pictures..but
1.my digital camera went for a swim in the atlantic ocean
and 2. the house is FSBO so there's no online listing to show you

my dad, myself, my realtor who is my friend, and the owner of the house meet tomorrow around lunch to discuss stuff and make up a CONTRACT!

*giddy becca*
:)

oh dear..i haven't said much!

2005-07-10T06:27:00.000-05:00

we're a little out of date here..it seems

1. i have had my car back for a week and a half...still havent moved my things back into it...because im afraid to become too attached

2. speaking of getting attached....i have become wrapped into the arms of this boy
(does it sound strange to anyone else to be...over 19 and saying "boyfriend" (or "girlfriend" of you're on the other end)? it sounds very strange to me...we should come up with a newer and better name for this attachment of sorts)

3. i witnessed the marriage of my friend/exroommate carrie and my friend jason yesterday afternoon. ten weeks of crazy planning and now its begun. i always knew i was a fan of short engagements..but that was maybe the least amount of time she could have possibly pulled such an event out of..no room for any changes or whatever. but you know what? she was completely happy with it..and even after only 10 weeks...ready for the planning and all to be over and now she's married and doesnt have to anticipate it or worry about the catering and dresses and anything anymore. congrats to carrie and jason miller!!!

2005-07-02T13:52:00.000-05:00

8-thirty am: awakened by the sound of my roommate talking to someone. try to figure out who it is. remember that today is the 2nd of july and therefore today is carrie's wedding shower. in a state or almost panic...look for shower invitation. "saturday july 5th at 5:00pm" *whew* safe. i have a few hours to make it look like i hadnt forgotten.
peeks out of window to see what's going on. furniture being moved. open bedroom door and ask carrie about her past housing mix-up. "oh, that was all just a misunderstanding" well..that's good.
"hey, if you feel like packing, we could use some help" okay...im dressed and helping within five minutes.

now its about 5 and a half hours later...and im in desperate need of two things:
1.a shower to make msyelf unstinky
2.a shower gift to make myself look unforgetful

jen is out of the country for two weeks
carrie is almost completely moved out
the house is mine alone for two weeks
and i hope i have a house for me in that time
so i can be moving out in the following two weeks
idealy

it seems i always am the one helping people move
i wish i could call on someone just like me when i need the extra hands

2005-07-01T04:27:00.000-05:00

dont have my car back yet...am supposed to pick it up today after work...hopefully this time it is all better..its far too disapointing to go pick up your car and find its not completely fixed yet..like last time

michael springstead has temporarily moved into my parents house in hopes of finding work in the augusta area..so that he can have money and pay bills and things like that which seem to be important

i dont like sunburns

im REALY sleepy this morning..but off to work i go

things

2005-06-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

spent the entire overcast afternoon at the lake..most of that time spent on the Thackston's boat...which means i unknowingly got sunburned a little bit..but its pink, rather than red..and its not a large portion ot the becca having been burnt...and it will go back to a nice whiteness sooner than you would think possible.

tonight i will sleep very well..because days of water have that effect

tomorrow i'll see the new door to the new room in the store..i hope its not messy in the morning..and i hope it wont be long till we finish the floors in there

tomorrow i get to go swing dancing again (as previously mentioned...im excited enough to post it twice)

and tomorrow i get to have an old friend move into town...i think this is the most fun news in this entry

2005-06-28T16:15:00.000-05:00

1. my car had worse problems than just a hose broken..but not nearly as bad as an entire transmission...so far, anyhow.
it was a broken transmission *fluid hose*...caused by a short somewhere which was also fixed...and a stuck accelerator cable--which could have been a much worse issue... my brother had the exact same problem on his '76 oldsmobile when we lived in new orleans..but it made his car want to go faster and faster..where mine made the car barely want to go at all.
--at any rate...it will now the THURSDAY before i see my car again,...bwahh! i miss driving my own car!
1.b. im in the market to sell her and get something new(er)...pobably another honda, though :)

2. speaking of thursdays....its swing dance night with first pres :)

3. tomorrow we're closing the store early and having a work party at the lake! horray! i cant believe its almost july and i havent YET gone to the lake this year. its the saddest circumstance in which to find myself.

4. i WILL get to tybee island to see jason and jennifer in july. i WILL. somehow it will fit into the schedule, and i will get there. oooo..and its the beach, too!

5. im not feeling real comfortable with going to the eisley concert this weekend. im thinking its because of the craziness at work..with people swapping and switching and leaving and comming and walls comming down and computers being strange..yeah..i just dont feel like i should go to this one. it doesnt matter how much i love the band...im seeing the unimportance far outweigh its importance this go-round.

6. my roommate is getting married next saturday. she's packing up all of her things now and will probably move out of the house this weekend...move her stuff into their new apatment and move herself into her parents house for a week.

7. my other roommate is going to the dominican republic for two weeks..leaving this friday.

8. i think i'll start packing things up, for myself..too. even though i haven't yet selected a house for which to purchase...