(Semi) Wordless Wednesday

We've actually had some pretty nice weather here the past few days. It was HOT last week and throughout the weekend, but thankfully the temperatures have left the 90's and it's not *quite* as humid. We've had a little bit of rain too, which is always nice. I got to see THREE rainbows on Monday evening! One was a single rainbow and the other was a double! And the clouds that evening were phenomenal! I was sad I was driving so I couldn't get any pictures. I did get a picture of the double rainbow though!

The sky one morning last week.

The double rainbow!

The BIG fluffy clouds yesterday afternoon outside work. I was sad that I have all these power lines outside my building to obstruct my view!

I hope the skies have been just as gorgeous where you reside! It sure does make for some pretty pictures and a nice reminder from God that He creates everything perfectly. I think it's also a great reminded that He REALLY loves us. Think about it, if He is so great that He creates the skies AND He loves and cares about us, we must be really special! =)

Cindy

Godlight

This past weekend I went on a women's mini retreat. The retreat was scheduled for six hours on Saturday, however, my book club decided that since we were the ones hosting the retreat we would do our own mini sleepover the night before at the retreat center. Both events were fantastic and I was so glad to spend so much time with my girlfriends! We laughed, cried, learned, grew closer to God and to each other, and barely slept. =) The weather was just gorgeous and the retreat center we were at is right on the water so it provided for some spectacular views of Friday evening's sunset! It was some seriously awesome Godlight! The ladies were making fun of me because I was so excited about taking pictures of the prettiness!

The theme for our retreat weekend was HOPE. It's so encouraging to know that because I am a child of God that I have hope in every circumstance. My hope rests in Christ, the solid rock on which I stand. Jeremiah 29:11 states that God knows the plans He has for my life, and those plans are GREAT. So I can place my hope in Him because I know that whatever may come, it will be great and used for God's glory!! It's my hope that I can share and spread the hope that comes from God with everyone that I meet!

Cindy

A Story of God's Provision (Part 5)

In case you need to catch up you can find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here.

It had been about three and a half years since Collin got let go from his job with the defense contractor, and just over three years that he had been working in automotive. We were both so tired of having "just enough" money to get by, so tired of Collin coming home from work tired and dirty, so tired of not having normal weekends. We had been praying like crazy and feeling like God wasn't listening. We knew He was, He'd proven to us time and time again that He was, but it was really frustrating that Collin still didn't have a better job.

I mentioned that Collin had talked with both Air Force and Navy recruiters. His parents suggested while we were living with them that maybe he should consider the military. I was NOT pleased with this prospect. I struggled with it so much. It caused lots of arguments and many tears for me. I just didn't feel a peace about the decision, but I supported my husband. If it's what he wanted then I would "join" the military with him. He got pretty much nowhere with the Air Force recruiter though. It felt like she kept stringing him along. And it's not like he isn't completely qualified. The man got a 93 on his ASVAB; super impressive!! He more than qualifies for the physical qualifications (run, situps, pull ups). We just couldn't understand why the recruiter wasn't being more proactive about him enlisting. So Collin began to consider the Navy. He met with a Navy recruiter and he seemed really interested in Collin. But then he never returned Collin's calls, was never in the office when Collin would go by, failed to set up appointments, he failed to keep Collin in the loop. I know this isn't the case with every recruiter but it was VERY frustrating for us. Collin hadn't given up on the military yet, but he was just about done trying to force them to accept him, especially when it wasn't really something he was completely passionate about. He felt he needed to join the military as a way to support the two of us.

The end of January 2013 came and I got a text message from my dad's best friend, Randy, who happens to be a Project Manager for a defense contractor in the area. He (along with everyone else we know) knew that Collin was still looking for a job, so he sent me a link to a web posting for a job he wanted Collin to apply for. Collin applied immediately and was called in for an interview the next week. His interview went extremely well! Afterwards Randy couldn't wait to gush to my parents about how well Collin did in his interview! A few weeks went by and we hadn't heard anything yet, though we were very hopeful that this could be the big break we'd been waiting for! The third week of February Collin got an e-mail telling him that he HAD been selected for the job but they were waiting to send out official offer letters until the program finalized its budget. WHOA! We were super excited, but still trying not to get our hopes up because in the contracting world, budgets fall through all the time. Five days later Collin got a phone call telling him that everything worked out and that he could come pick up his offer letter and they wanted him to start on March 11!!

Collin started this new job almost three weeks ago. And so far, it is great! We are finally working the same hours, he's actually making more than me now, which creates some financial security for us, and the company will pay for Collin to take college classes! This is the job that we've been waiting for since August 2009.

Looking back, all those "unanswered" prayers about Collin getting a new job, all the frustration, the military seeming to not work out, having to live with Collin's parents, living in a tiny one bedroom apartment, it all seems perfect now. Everything we experienced, everything we went through has prepared us for this new job. God's timing is absolutely perfect! Sure, things would have been a lot easier and less stressful on us if neither of us lost our jobs shortly before moving, but we wouldn't be the people we are now. That job that Collin lost was at a locally owned company that shortly after merged with a much, much larger national company; and many of the people got laid off then or quit because they were treated so poorly. What if that had happened after we were married? Or that job that I lost that I was miserable at. I wouldn't have been able to be so relaxed during the month before our wedding if I had that job, and I certainly wouldn't be in my current job at a company I love surrounded by coworkers who are so fun.

The military not working out was exactly what was supposed to happen. I would have been miserable as a military spouse. It would have brought so much stress to our relationship. I can barely go a weekend without having Collin around so how would I survive six weeks of boot camp and then however many months for A-School? And what would I have done if he got deployed? I knew that the military was not the direction God was sending us, but we didn't know what else it could have been.

Living with Collin's parents, though stressful and hard, was so awesome. It allowed me to get to know them in an intimate way that I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Since moving out I have a much, much deeper appreciation and love for my in-laws. Living with them helped me to feel like an actual part of the family instead of just an extension of Collin. Plus, there were all the financial benefits that we had living with them.

I think the biggest thing about all this, if we both started out with decent salaries or if we didn't have to worry about our finances much, I don't think we would be as close as we are. Because we struggled, it brought us so much closer together. We know how to have fun without having to spend money, we know how to find great bargains, and we figured out how to get by with the things we have. These are all habits that I know we will continue to live with!

One of the amazing things about the past three years is how God didn't once let us down. When we thought there was no way we were going to make it he provided for us in more ways than we ever could have imagined. God is so, so faithful and He always does and always will provide!

A Story of God's Provision (Part 4)

If you need to catch up, Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, and Part 3 is here.

When Collin and I realized we needed to move out on our own again we began looking for a cheap one or two bedroom apartment. It is VERY expensive to live here in Southern Maryland. We live in the 14th wealthiest county in THE UNITED STATES. That's a big deal. There's a rather large Navy base here that pulls a lot of engineers, logisticians and other high salaried people to the area. Plus, we're less than 2 hours from D.C. so people even live here and commute. Because there is a lot of money in the county things are more expensive. But that makes it very hard for the people who don't make what those other people do. Sure I may work for a defense contractor, but I don't make anywhere close to the salary of some of those people. And with Collin working at Wal-Mart on cars, he certainly didn't make much. Now granted, if it weren't for my student loans, we would be okay, but those pesky payments are just enough that we really have to pinch our pennies.

We searched for a little while for an apartment and we found a cute little one bedroom in a community that we had previously wanted to live in. It was just the right price for our budget and we put down a deposit! We signed the lease and moved in May of 2012. It was a relief to finally be in our own place! We knew that when we moved we would have to be even more frugal with our money than we were living with Collin's parents. We would have expenses that we didn't have while with them, but we knew we could and would make it work.

We had not been making any of these decisions alone. Throughout every step we prayed and sought God's guidance for what we should do and each time we felt like the decisions we were making were the ones that He wanted us to choose. Therefore we knew that with His help we would be okay.

We were so glad to have our own apartment. But once we moved out and had a little perspective and a little bit of distance from living with Collin's parents, we saw what a HUGE blessing it had been. God provided us with a wonderful home, wonderful parents, and a chance to get our lives back together. That plan we made to live with a roommate that fell through before we moved in with his parents would have been the worst mistake, ever. If we had gone through with that, we would have had enough money from our paychecks to cover our bills but we never would have been able to pay down our credit card as fast and we certainly would not have been able to save money! Plus, that guy we were going to live with turned out to be in worse financial shape than us and we would have had to cover his part of the finances as well as our own and we would have been even worse off than before!

So after two years of marriage, we were finally at a place financially where we weren't freaking out and having to go into our reserve funds to pay for stuff. Money was still tight but we were managing it a lot better; eating out less, buying less clothing (in my case), being mindful of the groceries we buy, etc. However, we were still dealing with Collin's work. He had been at Wal-Mart for over two years and was miserable. The hours he worked were less than ideal and the only day that we both had off was Sunday; and those were usually busy because of church and then wanting to spend time with people as a couple. Throughout all this Collin had been applying for jobs all over the place. He even talked to both Air Force and Navy recruiters. He was tired of working at a dead end job, getting treated so poorly and barely making above minimum wage. Collin wants to finish college and do something exciting with his life.

In June of 2012, Collin got a new job at a locally owned tire & auto garage, one that had better hours and slightly better pay than Wal-Mart. At this job, Collin worked from 7:30-5:30 Monday through Friday and from 8-1 on Saturday. His base pay was less than what he made at Wal-Mart, but because he worked 55 hours a week he got overtime pay which was time and a half. It ended up being a good bit more than his pay at Wal-Mart. This seemed like a great step up for the time being. And it was for us financially and relational. We had a little more security with money and we were finally able to have somewhat normal hours together. Collin still worked Saturday mornings, but we had the whole afternoon and evening together! It was wonderful! But the job began to take its toll on Collin. He was so tired from being on his feet 55 hours a week. And his boss (the owner of the garage) was very firm and completely different from his boss at Wal-Mart.

At this point, the Navy was really starting to look like our best option. So we kept praying and waiting for an answer from God... just waiting like we had been doing for three years!

A Story of God's Provision (Part 3)

In case you missed them, you can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

March 2011 arrived and there we were with a credit card balance of almost $4,500, a savings account with less than $1,000 in it and paychecks that just didn't quite pay all the bills. It's not like we had been spending our money on ridiculous/frivolous things, or even big ticket items for that matter, we were really quite frugal. However, we definitely ate out more than we should have and I definitely bought more clothes/goodies than I should have. We were unfortunately living in a place that we just couldn't afford. Even with Collin's minimal annual raise in January and the small annual raise I was expecting in May, we knew our financial situation was not good.

A couple months before our lease was up, Collin's parents sort of casually mentioned to us that we could always live in their basement for a little while if we needed. I was dead set against that because I wanted to be independent. We were married now. Married people don't live with their parents. However, after our other plan fell through to move into an apartment with a roommate we prayed long and hard and felt God calling us to move in with Collin's parents. It was so uncomfortable having to approach them and see if the offer still stood for us to live in the basement. Of course they were more than gracious to help us out. And we even had our own private living quarters in a way. We had our own living room, bedroom, bathroom, fridge/freezer, microwave and sink downstairs. The only thing we needed to go upstairs for was to use the kitchen and enter/exit the house.

Before we moved in we sat down with Collin's dad and had a talk about our financial plan for while we lived with them. They wouldn't let us contribute financially to living there, but the deal was that each month we would put $500 into savings and $250 would go towards the credit card to pay down our balance. We still had to pay for our cell phones, insurance, car loans and my student loans, but our expenses drastically decreased! This was a huge, huge blessing for us! We could finally get out from under this money cloud that loomed over us.

Living with Collin's parents was not all easy. It was very difficult at times for me to live in someone else's house, especially after having lived on our own for a year. I felt like his parents, his mom especially was trying to do everything for us and I wanted to be as independent as possible. I wanted it to seem like we were still living on our own even though we were just underneath our parents. But I couldn't be completely independent; and so it made me very bitter and very frustrated with not being able to be the wife I felt like I should be. This caused some tension between Collin and I, and at times some tension between his mom and I. Collin and I even sought some counseling from our pastors at church (a husband and wife team) because we were fighting so much and couldn't figure out why. We had been married about a year and a half and it felt like we just fought all the time. We weren't headed for divorce, but we just wanted to be able to go a day without having a fight.

After about a year, I finally knew that it was time to move out. I was becoming a very negative person (totally opposite of my usually cheery, bubbly self) because of my attitude toward his parents. I LOVE Collin's parents. They are amazing people and so, so gracious. But I just couldn't get past the need to be independent. I couldn't see them for the wonderful people they truly are because all I saw was the couple "preventing" me from being the wife I wanted and to have the independence I wanted. We both knew that if we wanted to have a good relationship with his parents (and a good relationship between ourselves) we needed to find our own place again.

We were able to pay the credit card off by the beginning of 2012 and our savings had a bit more money in it than we started out with. It was still not a lot though because I got so antsy about paying off the credit card that I did take some money from savings to pay it. But with the debt gone and another annual raise for each of us we decided that if we found an apartment that was cheap enough we could indeed move out on our own once more.

A Story of God's Provision (Part 2)

In case you missed part 1, you can catch up here.

May of 2010 came and went and we were blissfully happy! We were married and living on our own, both of us for the first time. Before we got married we joined bank accounts, combined all our finances, and decided that to get the best benefits from our credit card we would use our credit card for all of our purchases to rack up points and earn cash back. This seemed like a really great plan. We would pay off the credit card every month with the money from our bank account, and we always had enough. Until we didn't.

We paid for everything we possibly could with that credit card; rent, gas bill, electric bill, phone bill, insurance, groceries, water/sewer bill, clothing, eating out, Netflix, etc. It all got charged to the credit card. This was in addition to the money that was automatically coming out of the bank account each month for my student loan payments, car loan and our tithes to the church. And then there were the unexpected charges like when our cat, Stank, got really sick and we had to take him to the vet. Or when our "built-in" pantry shelves fell down and we had to buy something new to replace it with. Those things really add up, especially the unexpected charges!

Eventually it got to the point that we started having to take money out of savings to pay off the credit card completely. Our pay checks were just not enough. It started out as not much, just $25, then $50, then $100 and it kept increasing until we'd dwindled our already not very large savings account to just under $1,000. When this happened we ended up not being able to pay the credit card in full every month. Granted this didn't happen right away, it took several months for us to start racking up this debt. But by this point, my spending habits had been formed and it was REALLY hard for me to cut back. Before getting married I was so used to buying clothes whenever I wanted. I've ALWAYS been a thrifty shopper, but when you are really struggling financially, even being thrifty doesn't make up for buying frivolously. I never hid my purchases from Collin, but it got to the point where he would get really upset with me for buying something new that wasn't a need. And I would get really defensive and many arguments broke out because of my spending habits.

The first year of marriage is hard enough on its own, adjusting to life together, figuring out all the idiosyncrasies of living with a new person, but to add financial stress on top of that is no cake walk. It was hard. Very, very hard. We fought a lot and most of the fighting stemmed from something dealing with our financial situation. And it didn't make things any better that our work schedules were so different. I worked "normal" hours from 7-4:30 and had every other Friday off (still do), while Collin's schedule changed all the time. Working retail will do that. At this point the TLE (Tire & Lube Express) was open from 7am-9pm. Most days Collin worked from 12-9. However, that didn't mean he would get off at 9, sometimes it was close to 10 when he would get home from work and by that point I was ready for bed. And then even once the TLE began closing at 7pm, most days Collin would still be at work until 8 or 9, including Saturdays! That was hard in and of itself. We didn't have a "normal" life as I had always imagined it would be.

So our first year of marriage was quickly going by. We weren't getting to spend much time together (another bad thing for my shopping habits... when I was bored/lonely I would shop), and we were quickly accruing credit card debt. It came time for us to begin thinking about either renewing our lease or moving somewhere else. When we got our renewal notice in the mail, of course our rent had been increased. We both decided that there was no way we could stay in our town home, especially not with a rent increase since we couldn't afford it at the price it was. We started praying about what we should do and where we should move. We thought we had it all figured out but then our plan fell through. However, God provided us with a solution. It wasn't one that I embraced with open arms. But as I look back now, it was the absolute best thing for us at this point.

A Story of God's Provision (Part 1)

In July of 2009 Collin and I got engaged! One of the prerequisites we'd set for ourselves to get married was that we both needed to have full time permanent jobs. Until July, Collin had been working full time with a contractor but only on a temporary basis. He was then offered a full-time position with a new contract that was being awarded. Great news! Collin proposed and we were so happy. Then about a month later, Collin got let go from that job, we're still not completely sure why. We were crushed! We'd already set our wedding date; already started planning. So we kept up with plans, praying hard and just knowing Collin would find a job in the 8 months until our wedding. However, after months of looking, applying at all the government contractors and not even getting an interview, Collin knew he needed to just get any job. A friend of ours worked at Wal-Mart in the Tire & Lube Express. He urged Collin to apply, and though it wouldn't be an ideal job, at least it would be something until a better job came along. We'd been praying for something to come along, and this just seemed like it was where God wanted Collin to go for now. Collin was hired and started at Wal-Mart on January 1, 2010. Things were looking pretty good. With my salary and Collin now having at least a steady job (even though it wasn't the best pay or best job) we put a deposit down on a town home to move into once we got married.

March 2010 arrived and we were so close to our wedding! Things were going good and we were both really excited for the future! Then I find out that I'm being let go from my job. I'd been there just under a year, and though I didn't love it, it paid really well. My last day of work with that company was March 26, only 29 days from our wedding, and the exact day that we signed the lease on our town home and Collin moved in. You guys, this was scary. Collin working at Wal-Mart was NOT enough to support us. Not even close. I immediately applied for unemployment benefits, not sure that I would get them, but thank goodness I was approved. I hated having to use government help, but without it, we would have struggled much more. Having a rent payment, two student loan payments (that add up almost to our rent payment), cell phone bill, a car loan, and now all the expenses of living on your own (utilities, food, etc.) we needed that unemployment check.

I began praying hard. I didn't know why God would do this to us. So close to our wedding day; so close to beginning our future. I had no idea why God would let me lose my job. But I prayed, knowing that He could and would provide me with a new one. Fortunately I found a job within two weeks of my last day of work. However, I didn't start until after our wedding, because really, I would need to take a week off after only working for a week. I discussed this with my new boss and he was perfectly okay with me starting my job on May 3, after the wedding and honeymoon were over. And this is when I realized that God used the loss of my job for good. It allowed me to focus solely on wedding planning. That final month before the wedding would have been the most stressful month of my life, but because I was unemployed, because I found a job shortly into my unemployment, I was able to focus all my time and attention on the last minute details of our wedding. It was the BEST blessing, ever. So after the wedding was over and we returned from our honeymoon, I started my new job. And as excited as I was for my new job, I was NOT excited to have to take a $4/hr pay cut. When we looked around for where to live months prior, we took in to account our salaries. That pay cut was going to hurt, but little did we know how much!

My Thoughts on Pop Culture

Something I don't understand... why is pop culture such a big deal? Really, how do celebrities affect "normal" people's lives? Why do we care so much about what people are doing, wearing, eating, driving, how they look, etc etc? It's all just a bunch of hyped up nonsense. Sure trends and ideas might come from them, but does that really matter? I feel like if people spent as much time focusing on themselves and the people around them who directly affect their lives as they do focusing on celebrities, everyone would be much happier. We wouldn't be striving for things that are hard to obtain because there's no "superhero" ideals to live up to. We would be striving for the very best for ourselves. Not striving for the things of someone else, someone famous.

The media and pop culture completely over play celebrity deaths, and I'm not saying I'm heartless and don't care that *insert celebrity name here* passed away, but death is a natural part of life. Lots of people die everyday and they don't get days of media coverage. People make such a big deal out of celebrity deaths but it's someone who they didn't even know! Is it really that much of a hardship that they passed away? Is it really going to affect your life so drastically for you to react that way? And like I said, I'm not heartless, I feel compassion for the friends and family of those who died, but most people are not friends/family of the deceased. They don't even know them. So what's the big deal?

When something "news-breaking" happens, you hear about it for days. People talk about it incessantly. It's like it's the biggest thing to ever happen! People get so worked up, so fired up over some dumb little thing that doesn't even affect them. Really, put that passion into something constructive. Why don't we ever talk about God the way we talk about celebrities? Isn't Jesus the ultimate celebrity? Shouldn't we be worshiping Him like we worship pop culture? Or rather, shouldn't we be worshiping Him ALONE and NOT pop culture? Shouldn't we be striving to live like Jesus lived? Shouldn't His ideals be the ones we want to live up to?

Just a thought... let me know what you think, if you agree/disagree/have something to add.

Cindy

Happy Valentine's Day!

The past two Valentine's Days I posted about love, Valentine's Day and what this day means to me. You can read that post here because it still all is very true. However, today I want to do something a little different. Today I am going to participate in a Valentine's Day Link Up where Collin and I each answer some questions to see how well we know each other. Or rather, how well Collin knows me. ;) Melissa at Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife is hosting this fun little link up!

How long have you been married?
Him: Working on three years.
Her: It will be 3 years on April 24!

Where was your first date?
Him: Chick-fil-a
Her: Chick-Fil-A and a walk around Target.

Where was your first kiss?
Him: I believe it was on her parent's living room couch, but I may be crossing wires between stories.
Her: I think it was on the couch at my parent's house.

Who first said, "I love you"?
Him: She did when I put on the score from Braveheart.
Her: I did. I just couldn't hold it in any longer. We'd only been back together for like 3 weeks but I just knew. I knew he was my future husband! He didn't reply then (I told him he didn't have to), but by the end of the week he realized he felt the same way!

What were your wedding colors?
Him: Blue and yellow.
Her: Blue and Yellow.

What is her most commonly used phrase?
Him: "Interesting"
Her: "I don't know." (What do you want to eat? - I don't know; What do you want to watch - I don't know. lol)

Who is her celebrity crush?
Him: Cuba Gooding Jr. *In his defense, I really do like Cuba!*
Her: I don't really have one, but if I had to pick, John Krasinski.

If she was ordering drinks for both of you what would you each get?
Him: Water for her and sweet tea for me. Both with no lemon.
Her: Water for me and Sweet Tea for him, both without lemon.

What is the best meal she has ever cooked you?
Him: Hmm... I have a bit of talent show syndrome here (where the more recently experienced things seem better) so I'm going to say the tamale dish she made a few weeks ago.
Her: Oh man. He seems to like almost everything I cook. I'll say, Chicken Club Brunch.

What is the worst meal she has ever cooked you?
Him: Something with long noodles that weren't cooked all the way and bad sauce. I forget what it was called. *Totally what I was talking about!*
Her: I have no idea. I block the bad things out. Oh! Probably this spinach and artichoke fettuccine one time. It was so gross we couldn't even take more than like two bites each.

What is the most-played song on her iPod?
Him: I wanna say... Embracing The Sunshine by BT
Her: I listen to my music on shuffle pretty much all the time. So everything gets a mostly equal play time. But I suppose "The Birds and the Bees" by Patrick and Eugene is up there.

What would she say is your most annoying habit?
Him: That I'm always trying to help or not helping. Whichever is the one she doesn't want at the time is what I'm doing usually.
Her: Not putting his pants in the drawer when he takes them off if he doesn't want them washed yet.

What is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?
Him: Before GOING to bed, she brushes her teeth and takes out her contacts. Before sleep, she puts Vaseline on her lips and lotion on her hands.
Her: My goopey stuff as I call it. Putting Vaseline on my lips and lotion on my hands.

If you could throw out one item of her clothing what would it be?
Him: Just one?... The yellow tights but I believe those got a hole in them so I don't have to worry about those anymore.
Her: He likes pretty much anything I wear. But he would definitely throw out my "jaundice-colored tights" as he calls them. (I thought they would be more mustard-colored when I bought them...)

What would you say is your favorite thing about her?
Him: Her love for music. *Totally not the direction I took this question...*
Her: My butt...

What's her go-to drink at Starbucks?
Him: If she ever even went to Starbucks, it'd probably be the pumpkin spice latte.
Her: I don't go to Starbucks (or really drink coffee) but when I do I usually get a chocolate chip creme based frappacino.

What's her blog's name?!
Him: This and That
Her: This and That

Wow! He did really well!! I knew he would though, sometimes I think he knows me better than I know myself! I just think marriage is so much fun. The fact that we can answer these questions so similarly and even agree on most stuff is just great! I love my sweet hubby and I can't wait to celebrate many more Valentine's Days together!

I hope that you guys enjoy your love day! Go love on those people in your life you just can't get enough of! Whether it be your spouse, children, parents, siblings, or even friends, go share some love!

Most importantly though, don't forget to show some love to the One who makes love possible! Tell God you love Him. You can't ever say it enough to Him!!

Love to you!

Cindy

Welcome, 2013!

Happy New Year, friends! I am so excited for 2013. I love the idea of a new year with new things to accomplish and places to visit.

It's this time of the year that everyone makes Goals and Resolutions. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's just not right for me. I almost never stick with my resolutions and when I fail at keeping it, it just makes me kick myself and feel really bad and that's not something I should be doing.

So this year, instead of creating lists of goals and aspirations or lists of things I want to improve about myself, I'm going to give myself to God and let Him accomplish in me what He wants! I think that's a pretty great way to spend a year!

I'm not sure what this year has in store, but with my life in God's hands, I know it will be spectacular!

I hope that you'll put your year in God's hands, too! Let's begin 2013 filled with peace, love, joy and belief in The One who has control over all!

Cindy

Princess Party!

I mentioned yesterday that my church hosted a Princess Party for girls and their moms, aunts, grandmas, etc at our church on Sunday. This was a fun event for the girls to come dressed in their princess attire and to just spend an afternoon being reminded that we are all truly princesses because we are daughters of the King. I think it's so neat that since God is our Father and He is King of all Kings we are royalty, too!

Anyway, at the party, the girls got to walk across the stage in a pageant of sorts where they were introduced and had their pictures taken. The girls seemed to really enjoy being in a pageant and showing off their pretty princess attire! And I got to be the photographer they came to at the end of the "runway" to have their picture taken while sitting on the throne! It was so fun! And after the pageant, the girls were able to eat snacks, decorate picture frames to put their photos in, paint their nails, play games and eventually they opened up the dance floor and danced the rest of the afternoon away!

I want to share a few photos from the afternoon with you guys. I will preface however that I didn't take all these photos. Most of them I did take and but others were taken by other ladies who used my camera while I was busy doing the pageant photos.

The girls getting ready for the pageant. See me in the background with the tripod getting ready for the photos?

Waiting to decorate their picture frames.

Nail painting - they loved this!

Me, my mom, and my sister

Me and my sister

Pastor Lori came to the party but she didn't wear a dress. However, it worked out perfectly because the girls all got to make Pastor Lori into a pretty princess!



Pastor Lori and her lovely fashion design team. =)

My sister Kaity relaxing on the throne...



Dancing the afternoon away!

What a fun, fun afternoon we had! And I must say it was pretty awesome dressing up as a princess! I felt so beautiful! And it didn't hurt that after I got dressed and was getting ready to leave Collin looks at me and says "Wow... you look really beautiful!" =) The best part of the afternoon though is knowing that even without the fancy dress and the tiara, I am a princess!

I think everyone should have a Princess Party. It was so special to those girls to feel like royalty for an afternoon and to be reminded that they are. If you want to throw a Princess Party and want any ideas, don't hesitate to ask! I'd be happy to help out!

Cindy

Hodge Podge Weekend Fun

This weekend was an exceptionally good one! Nothing too amazing or wonderful happened but it was just relaxing and fun! Friday morning I headed over to my in-laws house and my mom-in-law and I made cards together! I had a great time spending the day with her chatting and crafting. Then when I was done making cards I picked up little Faith and we snuggled for a bit. =)


I thought she was so cute how her head was resting on the counter.

On the drive home to meet up with Collin so we could go out to dinner with friends I saw the most beautiful sunset. It was about 4:30 so it wasn't completely in "sunset" mode but it was just so spectacular! And I love all the sunbursts and little sunspots it created.

Saturday morning I was a little sad because we initially thought Collin would have off this Saturday. However, due to a coworker's issue, Collin had to work. Fortunately Saturdays are only 8-1 shifts. But it still was stinky. So I watched Greek on Netflix and cleaned the house! It felt so good to get some cleaning done. And while I watched tv the boys kept me company on the couch! They're so good for that.

Once Collin got off work we ran some errands and then played frisbee golf! It was so nice out! Definitely warm enough to be outside playing! We hadn't played since Labor Day weekend and even then we didn't play a full 9 holes. It was a glorious day! And of course I took some pictures along the course, even though it did annoy Collin a little...

That evening we met up with some friends at the bowling alley. We didn't actually bowl (money is tight) but we enjoyed watching and hanging out with some friends we hadn't seen in a long time! And being in the bowling alley during Cosmic Bowling is so much fun!

I don't care that this picture is really blurry because I love it so!

Sunday was a fun day too! We had LOTS of technical difficulties at church during rehearsal but we prayed hard and sounded great! I love how it works that way. The Sundays that we're really struggling and having lots of issues turn out to be the best. It's very humbling. It's a good reminder that we really can't lead worship without God on our side! That afternoon the ladies of my book club hosted a Princess Party at church. I have some pictures I want to share but they're still on my camera and I don't have it with me to upload them. So I'll show them tomorrow probably! But the Princess Party was great. It was an opportunity for girls (and their moms, grandmas, aunts, etc) to come to the church in their princess gowns and just enjoy an afternoon of princess-y activities and being reminded that we are all princesses because our Father is the King! How neat is that??

I hope you dear ones had a great weekend, too! I'd love to hear about it! Send me an email, leave a comment or give me a link to your blog post about your weekend. Happy Monday to you all and happy week!

Cindy

Weekend Update

This past weekend was really good! I took a total of two pictures. haha! But we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. My weekend started Friday because it was my CWS day. So Friday I did some stuff around the house and then had a dentist appointment. Blah... But I don't have any cavities so that's great! Friday evening Collin and I went to Agape Club at church which is a ministry for people with disabilities. Several months ago the couple that runs the ministry had asked if Collin and I would help with their music time so we've been going ever since! Afterwards we went and got some frozen yogurt which was a surprise to me! It was a good surprise, too! I love when my husband surprises me. It makes me feel very special and so loved!

Saturday I met my mom at Kohl's for some girl shopping time. We had a great time and both made out really well! I bought two pairs of pants and a really cute cardigan that was on clearance. I wore one of the pairs of pants yesterday and I totally should have taken a picture of my outfit because it was great! Collin got off work a little early on Saturday so that was spectacular! After we had lunch we ran errands and picked up the apartment a bit before Jeff and Jeannie came over for dinner. We had a really nice evening with them! Jeff and Collin even got to podcast together! I hope that it becomes a regular thing for the two of them because they did a great job! You can check out the latest episode here!

Sunday we had a great church service. Our regular drummer was away for the weekend so our substitute drummer played and I love it when Little Mike plays! (he's Little Mike because our regular drummer is also Mike and Little Mike is 16 and the other Mike is not. =P) Big Mike is a great drummer, there's no doubt about that and we are so blessed to have him but Little Mike just adds a certain flair to our songs. It's always so fun to have him! Plus, our pastor's sermon yesterday was wonderful! He talked about ways to stay in love with God and with others and one thing he said really stuck out to me. He said that something crucial for being in love is to touch. And that is so true. Touching your significant other really is important to your love. But how do we touch God? Our pastor said that Communion is a way in which we can touch God. How neat is that?? After church we had lunch with our friend Megan and then later that afternoon we met her again at Rita's for some end of the summer Italian Ice since yesterday was their last day for the season! It was SO delicious. I had pumpkin pie ice with chocolate/vanilla twist custard. So, so good. I wish I had of discovered that earlier this month and gotten it more than just the once because it was fantastic! Then we went back to Megan's apartment after our treat and played a game called Moods which was really quite funny! So that was our good weekend!

I was so surprised to see this! They may not be getting along too well but at least Stank is allowing Seabass to get close to him!

Such a funny video of Seabass from Friday afternoon!!

My delicious gelati!

How was your weekend? I hope it was as splendid as mine! Did you get to do anything fun and exciting? I'd love to hear about it!! Send me an e-mail or leave a comment below! Happy Monday friends!

A Day to Remember

Today marks the 11th Anniversary of the most horrendous attack on the United States. The day the world stood still because they couldn't believe someone would/could attack our nation. I remember it very well, I was in 10th grade and was walking between band and lunch (it was a little after 10 o'clock) and someone ran down the hallway screaming "WE'RE GOING TO WAR!!!". I didn't think much of it until I got to lunch and one of my friends told us that someone had bombed the World Trade Towers in NYC. Later I learned that it was two planes that crashed into the World Trade Towers and an additional plane had crashed into the Pentagon. Because of our proximity to D.C. and because we live in a very populous Navy town (they were afraid of another possible attack) we got sent home from school a few hours early and were even out of school for an additional 2 days. I remember leaving school and getting off the bus and my dad was waiting for my sister and I. He took us back to work with him because he knew we'd be a bit freaked out. I remember watching the news and seeing the videos of that morning's events replayed over and over again. I remember the devastation that encompassed our nation. I also remember the overwhelming sense of unity and compassion that encompassed our nation.

My friend Courtney posted this today and I want to share it with you all as well.

Have you ever thought, "Where was God on 9/11 when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked?" Well, I know where my God was on the morning of September 11, 2001, and He was very busy!

He was discouraging people from taking those four flights. Together they could accommodate more than 1,000 passengers, yet there were only 266 aboard. He was on those four flights giving the terrified passengers the ability to stay calm. Not one of the people who was called by a loved one on one of the hijacked planes mentioned that passengers were panicked, nor was there any screaming in the background. And on one of the flights, God gave strength to the passengers to overcome the hijackers.

God was also busy creating obstacles to prevent people who worked in the WTC from getting to work on time. The work day had begun, more than 50,000 people worked in the two towers, yet only 20,000 were at their desks. On that beautiful morning, God created scores of unexpected traffic delays, subway delays, and commuter train delays. A PATH train packed with commuters was stopped at a signal just short of the WTC and was able to return to Jersey City. And far more meetings were scheduled elsewhere than was usual.

God held up each of the two mighty towers for a half hour so that the people on the lower floors could get out. And when He finally let go, He caused the towers to fall inward rather than to topple over, which would have killed so many more people. The foundations of six surrounding buildings were demolished by the fall of the towers, but God held them up for many hours until all the occupants were safely evacuated.

And when the WTC and Pentagon buildings went down, my God picked up almost 3,500 of His children and carried them to their home for all eternity. He also sat down and cried that 19 of His children could have so much hate in their hearts, that they did not choose him, but another god that doesn't exist, and now they are lost forever.

He sent people trained in dealing with earthly disasters to save those that were injured. And he sent in thousands of others to help in any way they were needed. And He brought people together across the world in a way that moved thousands to tears and hundreds of thousands to prayer—and caused millions to turn to the one true living God.

He still isn't finished. Every day He comforts those who lost loved ones. He is encouraging others to reach out to those who don't know Him or believe in Him. He is giving the leaders of our great nation the strength and conviction to do the right thing, to follow His will, not a popular poll.

So if anyone ever asks, "Where was your God on 9/11?" you can say, "He was everywhere! And, in fact, he is everywhere today and every day." Without a doubt, this was the worst catastrophe most of us have ever seen. I can't imagine getting through such a difficult time without God at my side. Without God, life would be hopeless.

What an amazing perspective that story gives. I will always remember that even during the most tragic day I have experienced in my life thus far, God WAS there. He is here now and He always will be here. Amen.

Cindy

Sunflowers, My Favorite!

Ever since Collin came into my life I've had a new-found appreciation for sunflowers. I've always enjoyed and liked them (especially since my best friend and sophomore year college roommate loves them) but Collin really made me appreciate their complete beauty.

Do you know about the Golden Ratio? I'm not going to get technical on here, but basically it's 1 : 1.618....(the number is infinite). And this ratio is apparently the most pleasing ratio to the eyes. There is SO much in nature that uses the ratio and artists and architects actually use it to make their work more visually appealing. It's even used in music! You can read a little bit more about it here. I just think it really proves though that their is a God because no "coincidence" could be so amazing. God most definitely knew what he was doing when he created nature and this pattern.

Anyway, all that to say that the "swirl" pattern that you see in the center of sunflowers is the Golden Ratio. And my dear husband loves and is fascinated by this ratio. It is something to be pretty impressed with! And because of that he loves sunflowers and when he explained it to me it deepened my love for them as well! Plus, they're just so beautiful!

Last Saturday I really wanted to buy some sunflowers to have in our apartment. And I really wanted to buy them locally. So I headed on up to a shop that the Amish have set up and bought myself a bunch of sunflowers! And I couldn't resist taking some pictures of them. And since I told you I'd share them this week, here you go!

Anyway, I'm still enjoying my beautiful sunflowers! I love late summer/early fall because they are everywhere! I hope that this brings you a new-found appreciation for sunflowers and nature!

Cindy