Trails

"We pray for blessings, we pray for peace Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering...Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights Are what it takes to know You’re near? What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?"
- Laura Story

My husband was a Marine and is now a student- he receives a monthly stipend to cover his bills and pay for his tuition and books. He has had a terrible time getting his benefits in a timely manner- surprise surprise when dealing with the government. NOT! Well this month instead of his $1500 he gets $300. SERIOUSLY VA?! They will "back-pay" us when they get a chance.

I LOVE when this happens...NOT! Luckily we have enough savings to get us through, but that $$$ was set aside to help with baby expenses. However we are thankful that we have the money there to cover the bills.

Ryan and I decided that we will make a contest out of it- who can spend less. I plan one weeks meals and buy for them. He does the next. Then whoever can spend the least on anything "extra"- cokes, energy drinks, fast food. I think the best thing to do is to make a fun time out of it!

He has applications into many different places and hopefully we will hear back from SOMEONE soon who wants to hire him! :)

I am sure that everything will work out- but while we are waiting for it to work out this will be a FAITH WALK! But I am thankful that we have what we need and we have people in our lives who love us and understand that we are not going out and spending money!!!

BIG NEWS

On June 3oth Ry and I found out we are going to become parents! We have gone through the exhausted the entirety of the human emotional range since finding out! We expected to have to "try" for a couple months before getting our positive, but NOPE- we got it on the first try!

We have both been thrilled, scared, excited, worried, terrified, overjoyed, you name it- we've felt it! But hey- I hear that's all normal!

So today I am 7 weeks and have had some wicked morning sickness- speaking of which- whoever named it morning sickness CLEARLY did not have it because it should have been named all-times-of-day-and-night sickness. My mother-in-law was TERRIBLY sick with Ry and he came out with an immune system to end all immune systems so I am hoping that all this puking will result in a baby who does not have my crappy immune system!

We went to the dr at 5 weeks 6 days and saw the baby and it's little heartbeat. I was thrilled! The dr said that everything looked good and that put my mind at ease SO MUCH! We go back to HEAR the heartbeat near the end of Aug.

I have a feeling that it's a boy, don't ask me why, I just do. Everyone has called it a boy since we found out so I guess I'll just go with that for now.

I am so thrilled about this- nervous, oh who am I kidding, scared SILLY-but still thrilled!

Thank you everyone for all of your support!

Are you who you wanna be?

We all know the old Switchfoot song "This is Your Life" but today it was in my head as I read my devotional. I started Rick Warren's daily devotional today and he was talking about claiming God's promises for you. I know my long term goals, but I STRUGGLE in the daily work of achieving them. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am capable of doing what God has called me to do, however it's the on the path that I fall so often.

Just like a runner can not buy shoes one day and run a marathon the next; I cannot achieve my ultimate goal without first learning everything I need to know along the way. DANG! Guess that's why I'm such a pathetic runner! :) lol!

Rick Warren talked about first you must assess where you are currently. Not just spiritually, but emotionally, financially, physically, and occupationally. If you want to get somewhere you have to know where you are starting. Then you make a goal for where you want to be. Sounds easy huh?

I know my goals and I am committing to work on them not just daily but minute by minute. It is an uphill battle, but I have learned that even though the learning sometimes hurts, and more often than not I end up flat on my face; I have always had people there to pick me up, help my wounded pride, and walk with me.

I have learned to laugh, enjoy the moment, and be thankful for whatever comes my way. I know that the journey can be hard, but I know it is sooooo worth it.

Not only the journey to my career goals, but my physical goals, my emotional goal, my financial goals, and my goals with my family. :)

SUMMER!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."


SUMMER IS HERE!!! YAY! YAY! YAY!

Wednesday we had our end of year party, Thursday we made scrapbooks of our year, and I sent them home for the last time, Friday we said goodbye to some dear staff members who are leaving us and then we left for the summer.

Kinda.

I have a training on Monday, but hey, at least there is no kids! :)

As I plan out my summer I realize something- if I don't make a conscious effort I have a feeling I might waste my whole summer.

I know this about myself. I do best when I have 15 THOUSAND things on my plate, when I have ample time, I procrastinate and never get anything done. So as a wise woman,a woman on a mission with a passion and a vision, oh heck who am I kidding, as a girl scared to death of not doing ANYTHING all summer- I printed out DAILY PLAN SHEETS!

I am committing to post it DAILY on the refrigerator so that Ryan can see exactly what I am SUPPOSE to be doing and give me a gentle nudge- or a kick in the butt- to GET IN GEAR!

So today I woke up at 7:30, got everything ready for my open house, realized I had not had a quite time yet, took a shower, turned on the coffee pot, sat down to listen to God, I am now reflecting, and will soon, make the coffee, get dressed and out the door for Nicole's open house, come home, cook lunch, get Blake a FABULOUS 2nd birthday present, nap (hopefully), make some calls, head to Ben and Kat's for Blake's birthday party, come home and CRASH!

I am not wasting this season in my life, I intend to make the most of it. With lots of prayer, as much self-discipline as I can muster, as many people in my life as I can cram into it to help hold me accountable, and a HUGE dose of faith, just watch me SHINE!!

This is going to be a great summer!

Bittersweet

Today feels like a closing of a book somewhat. I am having my class end of year party (even though we have another 1/2 day tomorrow) and I've had these kiddios for 2 years, kinder and first. I can not believe I have to give them back to their parents and hope that they don't screw them up! LOL!

Every year I look back and decide well I did the best I could, and this year is no different. I did the best I could with these kids, and I think I got them well prepared for second grade.

But I feel a shift in me. I feel myself being pulled away from the classroom. Away from the politics I can no longer sit by and watch, away from the parents who don't care about their kids (not all parents in my class are like that, I have A LOT of amazing parents, but I always have some) and away from the broken education system that leaves the kids who need the most help without. I am so excited about the new path I am pursuing, but I know I am not ready to leave the classroom yet, emotionally or financially, LOL!

But here's to the future and the path God has laid out for me

Whirl Wind

I have never been a "glass-half-full" kind of gal. I am not easily prone to look on the bright side of things. In fact, I have been know to get in a funk, pout, and basically throw my self an adult sized pity party when life doesn't go my way.

I have recently begun a journey to tame my negative tongue. It was not one I began willingly. I fought tooth and nail against it in fact.

It all started a couple months ago when I decided I could not teach forever, the politics of the education system are so broken that it tears me apart to see the kids who need the most go without every day. It was never my dream to be a teacher, quite simply, it is not my calling.

I knew I was called and uniquely gifted to work with women. My heart is there, my passion. I have never know how exactly, God never showed me the path, just the end-game.

Only recently has God brought to light the path and has silly as it sounded to ME, it's through Mary Kay. I was shocked, and a little taken aback. But who am I to question God. I have found it never works out well for me. So after much debate, oh I'll quite sugar coating it, after much pouting on my part (this was not the path I thought I would take) I decided to bite the bullet and do it right!

I knew to work with women the way I wanted to I was not going to a consultant, but a director. That is where I would get to work with the most women, in the fashion I desired to. So I called my director and we talked about how to do it. That is when she started talking like a mad woman.She told me I needed to say affirmations EVERY DAY.

Affirmations? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I am not the type of woman to look in the mirror and say "I choose to be.... blah blah blah".

I decided that she was coo-coo and I was NOT doing it.

However, God, in that subtle little way He often does to me, KNOCKED ME DOWN! I thought I had this thing all figured out, and BAM! Down I go!

When I stopped to look at why- GLARINGLY OBVIOUS- I woke up with Proverbs 18:21 in my head- "The tongue has the power of life and death" DANG! I hate it when I am wron... wron... not right. :) I had been speaking NEGATIVE over things, I had been so busy being a "realist" that I missed the opportunity to speak LIFE into my LIFE!!!!!

So Julia Mundy, YOU WERE RIGHT. I guess those affirmations are helpful. So starting today I CHOOSE TO SPEAK LIFE INTO MY LIFE, MY FAMILIES LIFE, MY FRIENDS AND MY MARY KAY BUSINESS.

And that's just one of my affirmations

Teacher = Mom

I kinda feel like death today. Well maybe death warmed over. But I am so excited to take my kids to the zoo today! Because I teach in a "challenging" population I realized yesterday that over 1/2 my class has NEVER BEEN TO THE ZOO! We live like 10 miles from it and they have never been. Their little eyes lit up when they realized we were going! I would soooo love to call in a sub, crawl in bed, pull up the covers and sleep off this death virus, however, because I am these kiddios "school mom" as they call me, I am up, making hot tea and getting ready to go on a FIELD TRIP!