new stuff exciting stuff .. can we all say yay?!?!?!

Hello all,

Sorry for the delay since my last post. Life continues to be crazy but I push on to live not just exist.

Happy #1 -

I got the job at mcdonalds. My favorite? no, but it will do for now. I am not having the issues I had at BK so in that I am very happy. I know that I have made a decent impression on my new managers as my hours have gone steadily up. From training week of 10 scheduled hours, to 18 hours and this week 32. Yay! So the money worry isnt as huge as it was for me. This eliminates a huge stressor for me which great.

I did however get a tip on a full-time job starting this fall that I am looking into and hoping for. More details when I have them

Happy #2 -

I did some figuring and looked at my classes and such and figured out that I am on track to graduate next spring which is almost an entire year sooner then I expected. I am working my tail off this summer, taking 18 credit hours with only a 2 day break between spring and summer classes but it will be worth it.

Happy#3 -

I got enough financial aid that I was able to get some things that I needed for school including a new laptop. We have needed a new computer for a while now so this is a real blessing. We just put in the order for a Toshiba A660 yesterday. We will finally have a web-capable computer with Microsoft Word on it that wont crash every time the power cord gets bumped.

Thats all the post I have time for right now. I have a crazy week ahead of me - finals week for spring term, preparing for summer term, 32 work hours, etc. I do have another silly confessions post planned for later this week so stay tuned :)

LDJE

Confessions?

After enjoying a week off between school subterms I am back at the books. That week was fun but in many ways emotional so I have a lot on my mind. And in this I have a couple of confessions to make.

Last thursday I went to a wedding. My handsome husband was in the bridal party as one of the handsome groomsmen (sorry mr. groom but IMO my man was the handsomest guy up there) so I sat with some of my awesome guy friends.

Confession #1

Weddings are one of the few things that can bring out the girliest part of me.

They make me shriek, giggle and blush. I get excited about finding the perfect gift for the couple, knowing what the color theme is, what the flowers will be like, where the bride got her dress, reception centerpieces, where they are going for the honeymoon, and the mushy love story that every engaged couple loves to tell a million times over.

And weddings are one of the few events that I not only care about dressing up for but get excited about.

I have this pair of ridiculous 3inch heels. I wear them maybe once a year.. and even then they usually end up coming off half way thru whatever event I am attending. (I always have a pair of flip flops with me... ya can't go wrong with flip flops)

Yep, definitely got the girly out of me for a while. Don't expect to see me in a skirt anytime soon.

Confession #2

I cried a little at aforementioned wedding.

This does NOT happen. I never cry about anything. Not at movies, not at weddings. It was just such a beautiful wedding. And I was reminded of my own marriage. (Not that this was hard considering that my own hubby was standing 3 ft from the groom.) I was overwhelmed in that moment being reminded of how awesome it is to love and be loved by the right person at the right time.

*Tangent warning*

My relationship has been criticized many a time. Clint and I love each other so very much but we have quirky ways of showing it. I think the thing that a lot of people do not understand is that I truly did marry my best friend. I love just hanging out with my husband. He is my favorite person to do just about everything with. Yeah, we "argue" in public. If you spend enough time with us you learn very quickly that these "arguments" are just us messing with each other.

The other thing about us is that even in our rough patches there is always one thing we hold each other to. And that is God. God started out as the center of this relationship, he still and and will always be. We know know and acknowledge that with out him nothing in our lives could work. This is despite the disappointment and frustration we have faced in life situations. God continues to be our center.

Ok I better end this random tangent while I can cause I could rant about the things that people have said about our relationship for ever. But that is a post for another time.

*End Random Tangent*

Confession #3

I am the queen of knee jerk reactions.

Last week something happened that initially cause me to have a negative attitude and reaction. I was thankful that despite the fact that my reaction was knee-jerk, I managed to get by without saying something to someone that I would regret.

Self control is key when it comes to emotions. We are all faced time after time with situations that can cause a knee-jerk reaction. You know what I am talking about. Those times when you are told something and then you speak your emotions before you have a chance to think about them.

Sometimes knee-jerk reactions are accurate. Other times they could not be further from the actual reality of the situation, which was the case in the situation I encountered this past week. After some prayer and consideration I realized that I was wrong in my initial reaction. And while I am still not sure what exactly God is going to do in it, I know that my initial reaction was one of fear and a lack of trust.

~~

Well, that's about it for now friends. Only one more thing I want to mention- I have been reading a lot lately. It is something I am trying to make an effort to do more despite my busy schedule. This past weekend I read "The Christian Atheist" By Craig Groeschel. I have been wanting to write a blog post about it so I will probably do that tonight to post tomorrow.

I also started reading "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne which I am very excited about. Next on my list to read is "Exponential" by Dave Furgeson and Jon Furgeson. There is a story about how Clint and I discovered that book but that is a story for a future post.

(LDJE)

take it or leave it....

So I mentioned in my last post that I was excited because having quit my job I feel more like myself and in many ways less stressed out. I mean yes, I am stressed about finding a new job but in many ways I am so relieved to be out of there. If you know me at all you know that there were many reasons for me to get out of there and just how bad that job stressed me out to the point that it was even affecting my health.

I am just really excited because being able to wear my chunky earrings and my nose ring I feel more comfortable because like it or not that's who I am.

I am a crazy random girl. I love my tapers,my gauged out ears with a billion holes, my nose ring and short choppy messy looking hair (and someday colored). I love purple and fairies and black. My favorite clothes to wear are guys hoodies, dark torn up jeans, random goofy t-shirts and either vans or flip flops. I love goofing off with my friends, playing video games and watching crazy television shows like Dr. Who. I can be the loudest most obnoxious person in the room or the one sitting in the corner that you barely notice all depending on my mood and who I am around. I have a heart for people.I love studying psychology and criminal justice and i am eager to have my degree and start working in some capacity that uses it.

I have had people hint to me that I need to grow up. Forget about my tapers and crazy bunches of holes in my ears and my ideas for tattoos. People have said oh hey well if your gonna have kids some day you are gonna have to grow up. Get rid of all that and start looking like a grown up.

I counter back with this. I AM grown-up! Just because my looks, hobbies , interests don't seem mature or grown up to you doesnt mean that I wont make it in life. Like it or not times are changing.

I am not sure what career I will have but I am confident in the fact that my quirky looks arent going anywhere. Unless God leads me otherwise I will continue to be the pierced quirky person that I am inside and out. I know that God has a plan for me. Like I said, I dont know what my future job will be. But I dont plan on changing my looks for a job unless God leads me otherwise.

I feel like the world is changing is so very much and I want to be a part of it. I think the church is on the verge of change as well. There are so many problems with todays church that I think our generation is going to at least attempt to change. But that is a post for another day.

And as far as the having kids thing. I do not think that having short hair, piercings, tattoos or playing video games is being a bad example or make a person a bad parent. My husband has no problem with the way I look because he knows that it is who I am as a person. He encourages it.

Being judged is a part of this judgmental world. We are all guilty of judging books by their covers. Thing is I dont care any more. I am who I am unapologetically. Given certain situations I will tone it down in order to be respectful but I will not change who I am simply because some one thinks it is immature or unchristian.

Outward appearance does not determine salvation. God takes us as we are. Having piercings and tattoos and girls having short hair is not a sin.

This is something that I have been working on a lot lately. Being myself no matter what. I, like most people tend to care too much about what others think of me. I was fake for so many years. That is no more.

This is me. Take it or leave it.

(LDJE)