advertisement + prayer request

As most of you know {or maybe don't know?}, I was recently laid off from Colonial Insurance Agency, where I worked for 6 years. The poor economy isn't favorable to the insurance industry, as you can imagine, and layoffs were a last resort for Colonial.

Anyway, I was laid off, along with another {former} co-worker of mine. I have been blessed to have another job opportunity {which, by the way, will be a GREAT job for me - 5 minutes from the house, 4 days a week, wear jeans to work, finally get my own office...}. I will start work next week. However, my friend Stephanie hasn't been as fortunate to find another job as quickly. She desperately needs something soon. She is a young single mom of two great kids. She has been looking for a job in the insurance industry, but of course those jobs are few & far between right now. In the meantime, she is advertising two "side jobs" that she has had for several years now. She offers eldery caregiver services, and she also offers commercial & residential janitorial services. If you or anyone you know is interested in hiring her either as a caregiver or for janitorial services, please let me know & I will e-mail you her information. If you need either of these services, please consider Stephanie for the job - if anything, as a ministry to her in her time of need. If you don't need either of these services, you can still pray for Stephanie as she continues her job search. She's got to find something soon so she can take care of her kiddos!! Thanks everybody!!

tat.

I posted a picture of this {along with a shorter explanation} on Facebook awhile back, but sometimes I inadvertently neglect the blogosphere because of my addicition to Facebook. So, I hereby apologize for neglecting those of you who still read my blog. If anyone is even still out there. Anyway, what I was saying was...

I got a tattoo.

This is a HUGE deal for me, as I am a HUGE wimp. I have a low tolerance for pain, and I have a needle phobia. Those two do not add up to a desire for a tattoo, and yet I have wanted a tattoo for awhile now. The two hindrances {besides pain + needle} were: a) where on my body to get one so as not to look like white trash, and b) what design to get. Since it's such a huge deal for me, it would have to be something significant; otherwise I wouldn't go through with it.

Well, back in July, Baron was on Wilderness Trek in Colorado with some of the teens from church. While he was out of the state for 9 days, I got this wondrous idea to get a tattoo while he was away. So of course, since I got the idea, and decided it was wondrous, I had my mind set on it. I had already decided I wanted it on the inside of my foot, below the ankle, but I didn't know what design to get. Something that signified my relationship with Christ. A cross? Maybe. A Jesus fish? No, cause I don't want to copy Judy. :-) An inspiring word written in Hebrew? Nah. I thought & thought & thought about it. Finally...it hit me. Romans 8:28. I wanted to somehow incorporate this scripture in my tattoo.

Some of you have heard Baron's story about why this scripture is significant to him. For those of you who haven't, I'll summarize. We were sitting at the wedding of two of our friends only a couple of months before we got married. The date was June 26th. Baron noticed the date on the program, and thought, "oh that's clever - they're getting married on 6/26, so it will be easy for him to remember his anniversary." And then it dawned on him - he & I were getting married on August 28th...8/28! And when he thought of the date that way, he thought of Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." This scripture was significant to Baron because he had been in a really bad relationship before moving back to Montgomery and eventually dating me. Because of all of the rotten stuff he went through, he was molded into the man that walked into my life and swept me off my feet. God brought us together - there's no doubt about that. But Baron had to spend some time "in the pits" {both figuratively & literally, when he was working in the grease pit at a machine shop} to get there.

Fast forward to our marriage. Since we've been married, we've been through 3 hurricanes & 1 tornado, dealt with infertility for 3 years, and & lost a precious baby through miscarriage. Through all of that - we are so much stronger. We are closer to each other than we thought we could be. I am closer to my God, when I didn't even realize I needed to be. I cannot even describe the difference inside of me since my miscarriage. Losing a baby after wanting one for so long - that kind of trial will take you one direction or the other, and I am so blessed that I grew closer to God through that horrible time in my life. So many blessings have come from these difficult times for me & Baron. And it can all be summed up by Romans 8:28.

So...that is the significance of the tattoo. All the junk Baron went through before meeting me, all the junk we've endured together since getting married...it's all for the good. God is working out His plan for our lives, and someday we will realize what all the mess was about.

remembering.

Tomorrow, on September 11th, a lot of people will remember. We will remember where we were when that first plane hit the tower in New York. We will remember the emotions we felt: shock, disbelief, fear, anger, sadness, uncertainty. We will remember the strong sense of patriotism that this country experienced after those horrific events. We will remember, if applicable, our trip to New York and the view from the top of the World Trade Center. We will remember all of the heroes that emerged on that day eight years ago. And hopefully, we will remember our desperate dependence on God to get our country through that time. It is good to remember. Remembering helps us deal with grief, helps us move on, and hopefully makes us stronger.

Tomorrow, on September 11th, I will remember something besides the attack on our country. I will remember the life that began inside of me 9 months ago. I will remember when I first found out I was pregnant after trying for 2½ years. I will remember the emotions I felt: shock, disbelief, and finally, excitement. I will remember telling our family. I will remember the best reaction EVER from Baron’s mom when she all but screamed our ears off. I will remember telling people that my due date was 9/11, and getting the “oh, wow” response. I will remember discussing baby names with my pregnant friends. I will remember rooming with Judy at the ladies’ retreat & getting comments about being in the “pregnant room”. I will remember the strong aversion to chocolate I had, and how I didn’t care because I just wanted a baby. I will joyfully remember the first heartbeats I heard during my early ultrasound. I will remember every detail about my pregnancy, including the sad parts. I will have to remember the day we found out the baby was no longer living, and those horrific days that followed. I cannot forget those dark feelings I felt – loss, discouragement, anger, frustration, confusion, disbelief, sadness. But during all of that, the more significant emotions were those that were showered over us by friends and family – comfort, encouragement, sympathy, understanding, love. God truly does love us. If he did not, why would he bother placing these overwhelming feelings of hope in the midst of such devastation?

Yes, tomorrow we will remember. But let’s not only remember the devastation, loss, hurt, anger, frustration. Let’s remember the wondrous things that God has done for us during those difficult times. Let’s remember the hope He gives us – hope for redemption, hope for salvation, and hope for an eternal life with Him.

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. ~1 Chronicles 16:11-12

new book!

My uncle has written a book! Check out the website, and order yours today! Come on people, it's only $10. :-)

**Also...new post below. Either y'all haven't read it yet, or you just don't have a comment, or no one is reading my blog anymore. :-)**

mom jeans

Well, I'm not a mom yet, but I bought some mom jeans. I was deceived by the fact that they are from Old Navy. I have put on a couple of pounds in the past few months, and while I may not look bigger, my jeans/pants definitely fit smaller. So, while we were in Foley last weekend, I did the inevitable: jean shopping. I hate jean shopping. On the one hand, I am 29 years old. I want "hip" jeans. {Does it make me un-hip that I just said that?} But on the other hand, I am 29 years old. My metabolism is slowing, and the ultra-low-rise-super-skinny-mocha-latte jeans just don't work as well for me any more. So, there I stood, in Old Navy, about to begin the process.

Probelm #1: Leg length. I am 5' 4" so it's hard to find the right length. At Old Navy, they conveniently have short, regular, and long lengths. Which is great, if you're short, regular, or long. But I'm in-between short & regular. So I am either flooding or dragging. I prefer to drag, so I got the regular length. Problem #1 = not solved, but settled.

Problem #2: Choose your fit. Weekend, Diva, Sweetheart, Flirt, Dreamer. Sounds cute. Very confusing. Low rise, mid-rise, classic rise. Relaxed fit, slim fit, straight fit. Boot cut, skinny cut, trouser cut. I AM SO CONFUSED. Ok, let's try process of elimination: no relaxed cut. That means baggy, right? No thanks. I already have a pair of Diva jeans, and while they are flattering, they are like super low rise or something & I have a severe case of muffin top when I wear them. Finally, after researching all of the different fits, I narrowed it down to two: Sweetheart and Dreamer. Problem #2 = almost solved.

Problem #3: What size do I wear again? {I am not going to reveal my jean size, in an attempt to make people keep thinking I am skinnier than I really am. I probably wear a bigger size than you think.} First of all, the size varies depending on where you are shopping. JC Penney has different sizing than, say, American Eagle. At American Eagle I am apparently a heiffer. At JC Penney I feel skinny. Whatever. Old Navy stands nicely between the two, and I can buy a size that I feel comfortable purchasing without feeling too big or too small. So, I went up one size from the last pair I purchased here, since my too-tight jeans I last purchased are the reason I'm jean shopping to begin with. Problem #3 = solved.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of digging through stacks & stacks of jeans to find the right cut/size/length/shade of denim that I wanted, I find The Pair. And since this is an outlet store, and everything is 40% off, they are only $20. Score. I am so pumped to wear my new perfectly-fitting-except-for-the-length {which I will perpetually struggle with} jeans! I get home & wash them, in an attempt to shrink them a little in the leg/butt area {yeah they were a little droopy-drawered in the store, but my jeans ALWAYS shrink too much so I went slightly droopier than normal}. Wednesday night = church night. I love wearing new clothes, so I'm pumped about these new jeans. I put them on. What are these? Did I choose these jeans? THESE ARE MOM JEANS! I chose the Dreamer cut, which is a "classic rise". Which sounds mom-ish, but I don't remember them being so mom-ish in the store? What have I done? Stacy & Clinton would throw these in the garbage for sure. They come way too close to my belly button. Fortunately I am long-waisted so they don't actually touch my belly button, but still. This is very unusual for me. I have so much room in these jeans, I could run laps. I do NOT look like the model pictured in this ad for "The Dreamer" jeans.

But...they are comfortable. I don't have a muffin top. Maybe I can even get invited to a few play dates with these jeans. We shall see.

new fave site.

This is my new favorite "waste time surfing the web when I should be doing laundry" site. Shout out to Jon Owen for recommending it.

Check it:
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