Speechless? October 21, 2008

Life has been an adventure lately.  So much so, in fact, that I have been rendered speechless… and it takes something pretty major to leave me short on words.  Well, we have also been busy, so I guess I should mention that.  I do want to be fair.  Last Thursday night we went to the TCU/BYU game/slaughter.  It was a ton of fun.  I really enjoyed myself… and Lance got himself on the big screen, so he was very proud.  Granted, he was wearing an ACU shirt, but it was purple, so I don’t think the camera guy cared.  On Friday, Lance stepped WAY out of his comfort zone and argued with the Hawk Electronics folk until they agreed to release us from our contract with them.  In the 16 months we have had our account with them, they have made mistakes on our bill 13 times.  That’s 82% of the time that they’ve screwed up.  It got really old… largely because their constant errors caused Lance to be grouchy every time we got a bill.  Anyway, thanks to my impeccable organizational and filing skills, we were able to find every bill we’ve paid to them in 16 months and figure out how many times they have been wrong.  The answer to that questions was A LOT.  Friday night, we went out to celebrate our new-found freedom from the evil that is Hawk with a celebratory dinner. We had a pretty laid-back Saturday and went over to the home of a coworker of mine for a cookout.  He grilled burgers and smoked chicken and had Mexican cokes (heck yes!), and we had a grand ol’ time.  He has a 16-month-old daughter, and she is at that precious age of being independent and yet so dependent all the time.  She’s also such a sponge, which is adorable.  Sunday, Lance taught class and led singing and then we had small group right after church.  THEN there was an area-wide thing all afternoon on Sunday, but I had to work on my freelance draft, so I didn’t get to go.  There was a lot of screaming on his van though… so much so that he got a headache.  We were talking on the phone as he pulled into the parking lot, and he couldn’t hear me (thanks to said screaming) and just hung up.  Lovely.  Ha.  I felt bad for him – it hurt MY ears through the phone! 

Okay, so that kind of catches me back up to the present.  

I have a lot of emotions churning inside me right now, and I have SO much I want to say… I am going to try my hardest to choose my words carefully.  Up until about 5 years ago, I had never been to a funeral.  Since that time, I have been to several.  I had never seen anyone really grieve until about 5 years ago… but now I have seen that grief, and I have grieved as well.  I had never had anyone I was very close to get really sick.  Since that time, I have seen people I love struggle with major illnesses… and I have even dealt with major ailments myself.  I feel like I’ve aged tremendously in the past 5 years of my life.  Moreover, I feel that I’ve aged tremendously in the past 5 days of my life.  I have never been more humbled and incredibly thankful for the man I married or the life we share.  I feel older now.

God is faithful.  He is working.  I look forward to seeing the blessings that will come.

Personal Assistant/Maid Needed October 12, 2008

Everyone just left our house from small group (well, I say “just” – it’s been about 45 minutes), and there are dishes in the sink and a card table and chairs in the middle of the living room.  I need to work on my freelance writing stuff, and Lance is up at a youth event at the church.  Actually, he left before our small group even left.  I would love it if someone decided to take up a personal assistant/maid position for me at the astonishing rate of like $2.50 an hour.  It’s hard to do it all.  Okee doke, well, it’s time for me to write some fabulousness now.

A bit o’ peace October 7, 2008

Well, I am back at my old job… and I’m so happy I am.  Man, I struggled SO much in my other position.  I am so thankful just to be happy.  I didn’t realize that happiness was such a commodity!  I have come home from work in a good mood pretty much every day since the move (or as my now-ex-boss calls it, the “major retreat” in my career).  It is so worth it to be happy.  My current (and wonderful) supervisors are allowing me to come in at 7:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and leave at 4:30.  Oh my goodness – so wonderful!  Lance and I spent two hours together before he left for Bible study!  Fantastic!

I also just submitted my first draft for my freelance job… so we’ll see how that goes.

Lance and I went to the Cowboys game on Sunday and had a great time.  Here’s a pic of us in front of Texas Stadium:

It was really cool to get to go since this is the last season in the stadium.  They brought in all 4 decades of DCC, and it was so neat to see women who cheered back in 1979 still out there dancing their hearts out.  I love dance.

Okay, well, i got up at like 5:45 today so that I could start my new 7 – 4:30 schedule, so I am pooped.  Thankyouandgoodnight.

Fighting the good fight part deux October 1, 2008

Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to go back to my old job with my friends and with managers that genuinely care about me.  I am still struggling to understand how it is fair for me to be treated the way I have been treated in the past days, weeks, and months, but I am thankful for a positive change.  I still eagerly await the revelation of your will… just the ability to see your plan for my life.  You are, however, faithful.  You have delivered me from pain and fears and a hole in my back, and you will deliver me from this.  I believe that.  It is a daily struggle to cling to that… but I still believe.  How could I not, my Rescuer and Redeemer?  I ask for strength to stand for you, courage to trust to you, patience to be able to exemplify you, love to show you to others, and hope to boldly face each day.  I thank you that I left work with a smile on my face today.  I want to be a light for you.  Make me shine.  Thank you for your extravagant love.  I’m so blessed to be your child.