Shutterfly is Awesome!

We absolutely love Shutterfly! It is one of the best photo products companies out there!

We have a few favorite products of theirs. We love the photo books! We have ordered two photo books so far: a wedding album and one from when we first met until we got married. I am already planning three more: one for our two years in J'ville, one for our year in Birmingham, and one for the three years of law school (i.e. Wyoming). The photo books are really easy to make and are very high quality! If you love the look of a scrapbook, but don't have the creativity or time to make one, Shutterfly photo books are the way to go. Check out photo books here.

Another favorite of ours are the Christmas photo cards. We have sent these out every year that we have been married and we are planning to again this year! These cards are always a hit and people actually hold on to these from year to year because they are so unique! These cards are also very high quality! They look much better than anything you could order elsewhere, are comparably priced (sometimes cheaper!), and because they have so many styles to choose from and they are so customizable, you won't end up with the same holiday cards as everyone else (you know what I'm talking about: Wal-Mart). You can check out Christmas cards here and Christmas photo cards here.

Looking for great gifts? You can personalize mugs, ornaments, mouse pads, coasters, magnets, and even create books starring your child. There are also tons of other gifts here.

There are so many products available at Shutterfly and they are so easy to make! Trust me, if you try them, you will love them! Plus, right now, you can try them out and you get free shipping on orders of $25 or more! Just use promo code: SHIP25

Also, when you sign up the first time, you'll receive 50 FREE 4x6 prints! What better time to start your holiday shopping than right now?

What's New with You?

We've been so busy I haven't had time to blog in FOREVER!

Last month, I went to a national training workshop in West Virginia for work. I had a layover in Atlanta, so I got to visit with Momma and Patrick for a few hours. It was GREAT but way too short! We had planned my flights so that Alan and I would not miss a day seeing each other, but when I got to the airport to head back to Denver, they told me my flight was cancelled and they couldn't get me home until the next day. The airline paid for my hotel and dinner/breakfast, but I was pretty upset about that for awhile because we had never gone a day without seeing each other since the day we said "I love you" to each other. Maybe that sounds corny to some people, but we like it that way and don't ever want to go without seeing each other.

Shortly after I returned from WV, I came down with an awful cold. I didn't have time to go to the doctor (thanks to none being open on the weekends and a conference that I HAD to go to during the week). It took a few weeks to finally get rid of the cold, but I'm still having some lingering effects from it. I haven't really been able to go running since I got sick and I'm having to gradually work my way back up to running because my lungs still hurt pretty badly when I run.

We started re-evaluating our finances a few weeks ago and realized that Christmas in Alabama wasn't going to happen if we didn't get some more money coming in! After talking about it, we decided that I needed to look for a part-time job (Alan can't work because of law school regulations). I applied at a few different places and have a few interviews and ended up working as a cashier. The pay is good (almost what I was making working for Extension in AL!) and I get some great discounts! I get my first paycheck on Wednesday and it is MUCH needed! It makes me feel really good to know that I am helping us financially.

Speaking of me being the breadwinner, recently I've noticed little comments from people and in conversations insinuating that I was a "career" woman. Boy! I don't even know where exactly to start on that one! First off, if you think I am a career-driven woman or a feminist, you have OBVIOUSLY never had a conversation with me! Yes, I am currently working 45-55 hours a week and in grad school and considering getting a paralegal certificate, so just looking at those things, I could see how I might seem career-driven. However, consider these facts:
1. I'm working hard right now so my husband and I don't accumulate very much (if any) debt while he is in law school.
2. My husband is going to law school so that, hopefully, when he graduates and gets a steady job, he will be making enough money so that I don't have to work and can stay at home and raise & home-school our children. (Note: this isn't the only reason he's going to law school, it's always been a dream of his, it just happens to fit well with me staying home).
3. I want to stay at home and home-school our children (when we have children).

Also, I've been told recently (this isn't directed at any one person, just at people as a whole) that because my husband and I don't want to have children right now, we aren't following God's will for our lives. Well, I have to say, you aren't God so you don't know His plans for my life either! I've been told I don't have enough faith that God will provide if we do end up pregnant. I have loads of faith! I know that He will provide! I also know that He provided me with wisdom and foresight to plan ahead and know that, if I want to stay at home and raise my children, I could do it without financial hindrance if I wait a few more years. I also know that I am not ready to be a mother and Alan isn't ready to be a father. We know ourselves well enough to know that we aren't ready for children in our lives at this stage. "But aren't you worried you might not be able to have children if you wait?" I've been asked. Well, not really. I believe that if it is in God's will for me to have children, I will get pregnant when He sees fit. I also know that, even if I can't have children, there are so many children out there who need a loving home, that I don't have to worry about that. God knows that it is a deep desire in my heart to one day be a mother and I know that He will provide for me, whether it is through natural methods or not.

Well, I guess I'll get off my soapbox for now. This is just something that I've been thinking about lately and needed to get off my chest. Just because I'm a married woman in my mid-twenties does not mean that I want to have babies right now, nor does it mean there is something wrong with me because I don't want to right now. Any questions or comments? Please, let me know :)

Busy, busy, busy

Boy, have we been busy! Alan's in law school, I'm working for the university 20 hours per week, babysitting 10-12 hours per week, and going to grad school part-time (1 3-hour class). Sometimes it can seem a little overwhelming, but I'm really enjoying it here. We've made some friends at church and I really like everyone there. I don't think I'm going to make any 'lasting' relationships in my current grad class. The girls don't really seem to like me. Oh, well. I'm not really concerned with impressing them. I'm 25 and that's ANCIENT to them! Plus, I'm married! You might as well call me a grandma!!!

Anyways, my supervisor is booking my tickets for West Virginia this week! I'm really sad that Alan isn't going to be able to come with me, but I'll only be gone for one night. I've never flown by myself, never stayed in a hotel by myself, so I'm pretty nervous about it, but excited too. It's a great opportunity for me and hopefully I'll learn a lot that will be beneficial for my job too. I've got some ideas for a newsletter, blog, and possibly a facebook page, so maybe that will be in the works soon. I started duplicating our files today (my office isn't in the same building as the previous coordinator so I have to make copies of everything for the other office across campus). It's good because I'm getting to go through all of the files and get an idea of how things are done. I'm still trying to get a grasp on what exactly my responsibilities are, but it's exciting learning all the different aspects of the job.

Well, I'm working on a little crochet project you can check out here:
here

Alan is studying and I need a little time to just relax so I'm going to go get to work!

And so it begins...

Well, Alan started orientation for law school yesterday. All day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday...ugh! He already has homework and classes don't even start until Monday! I'm really proud of him though. He's worked so hard to get into law school and to get to where he's at.

Work is going well. I rearranged my office a little today. It still needs some work, but I'm excited about it. My supervisor wants me to go to a conference later this year. I hate that I'll have to be away from Alan, but the good news is that my flight will have a 4-hour layover in Atlanta, so maybe my mom or brothers can come see me. That would be really nice.

I worked a full day today because I had a conference call in the afternoon, so I'm off tomorrow. Lots of housework is in order. We're having two couples from church over for dinner Saturday night so I've got to get to cleaning! I'm also wanting to get my sewing machine out :)

Missing Home

We left Alabama almost 7 weeks ago. To be clear, I don't really miss Alabama. I do miss the people though. Before we left, I had it in my head that I would get to go back home at some point between summer and Christmas. Right now, that really just isn't seeming feasible. If we don't get to go back until Christmas, it will be 4 months from now before we go back. This has already been the longest I've gone without being in Alabama. It's really weird.

Something else weird: growing up, you can't wait to get away from your siblings (at least I couldn't). Now that we're grown up, I realize just how much I love them. Don't get me wrong, they can still get on my nerves like nobody's business, but I love them and I miss them. I hate that I don't get to see them very much.

About 2 weeks ago, one of my brother's, Patrick, had an accident at work (carpentry shop) and lost two fingers. Dealing with this has been hard on me because I'm so far away. I cried when Ray called to tell me what happened. To be honest, that was the first time I've cried since before the move. I guess I've kind of "turned off" the part of me that cries because it's so hard thinking about home. I love it here, but I miss my family a lot. I'm really hoping that I can get them to come out and visit soon, but I know it's just as hard on them to come here as it is for us to go there.

Anyways, just been thinking about that lately...

July and August 2010

So July was pretty crazy. Since we had already paid for the storage unit for a month, we kept our stuff in there and slowly moved a few boxes a week until we got everything in. Like I mentioned in the last post, we ended up with a three bedroom, even though we were looking for a two. This one cost the same as the two bedrooms we had seen and it came with a washer and dryer, which we needed since we sold ours in AL to make room on the moving trailer. I had an interview with the university the first week we were here and it took about 2 weeks to hear back, but I got the job!! I found out last week that part of the reason it took so long was that HR changed their hiring procedures and they had to do a lot of paperwork because they weren't supposed to have interviewed yet and they had already decided they wanted to hire me. Anyways, I have my own office which I love! In Birmingham, everyone in my department had to walk past my office to get to the front door, to the kitchen, or to the administrative assistants' area. Needless to say, one person in particular spent a large amount of time in my office, which made it difficult to get any work done. Where my current office is located is great because it's sort of private (I can close my door) but I'm not closed off and completely away from people either.

Back to the month of July: We didn't do a lot because money prevented us from being able to do much. We went camping one night and almost froze to death! Not really, but it was extremely cold! We definitely weren't prepared with our Alabama camping gear. We've met a lot of interesting people here and the church here is great!

So far, August has been great! We got a new mattress which was delivered on our anniversary. That was pretty awesome since we didn't have a bed, so we had been sleeping on the hide-a-bed, an air mattress, the couches, or the floor when everything else got too uncomfortable. The first night, we slept about 11 1/2 hours! We went to dinner here in town for our anniversary because we didn't want to drive all the way to Cheyenne just to eat. Alan got me an 8x10 of one of our wedding photos and an 11x14. I've got to find frames for them now!!!

I started work on Monday and I love it! My boss is pretty flexible about what hours I work, as long as I get all my hours in. I'm really excited about work because one of the things I'm working on right now is updating the website. It needs a lot of work, but it's not as bad as a lot of the other state projects' sites. I also got another job babysitting for a couple that are both in school at UW. They are foreign and I'm not sure what country they are from, but they seem really nice. I'm excited about that because it's a baby that I'll be taking care of so I'll have time to study for my grad classes which I will hopefully be starting next week, but that will depend on if I can get in. I've got a lot of paperwork to do before I can get registered. Oh, and not that it's that important (sarcasm?) but I need to pick a major...hmmmmmm. I'll have to do some more thinking on that one.

Other than all of that, we've been pretty laidback the last few weeks, just trying to get settled in.

Life in WY

Okay, Alan is on the phone with his family so hopefully, I can actually get a blog posted! A lot has happened over the last month, so here goes:

I'm gonna start with our road trip here. We left on Wednesday afternoon after being up until almost 4 Tuesday night and getting only a few hours sleep. Packing...ugh! We stayed in a hotel in Arkansas the first night. Arkansas was flat and bland. The next day we stopped in St. Louis and went to the Gateway Arch...incredible!!! We had a rough time there because Alan's pathfinder starting going schizo and wouldn't shift out of park. Considering all of our belongings were in a trailer attached to the pathfinder, you can imagine my panic! Thankfully, we found the instruction manual to the car and got it to shift out of park. We stayed in a hotel in Missouri Thursday night. Friday, we drove through part of Kansas, Iowa, and into Nebraska. We stayed at a KOA in Nebraska that night. We got there after dark, 25-30 mph winds, and we had never put our tent together before. Needless to say, it took us a good while to get the tent together and we didn't sleep very well that night. We got up Saturday morning and figured we would stop in the next town for breakfast. Too bad it was 10 when we left the KOA and the next town was 45 minutes away (i.e. breakfast was no longer being served). We had an early lunch instead and hit the road for Wyoming. I drove ahead of Alan and arrived about 2 hours earlier so that I could try and get a storage unit for our stuff, but everyone was closed since it was July 3rd (holiday). Anyways, I ended up not getting a storage unit so we had to keep our stuff in trailer an extra day. We drove around town and found a decent hotel with a good weekly rate and got checked in.

Sunday, we went to church services at Laramie church of Christ and loved it! Everyone was so friendly and we made some friends who took us out to lunch and for a drive through the Snowy Range mountains. On Monday, our first objective was to find a place to store our stuff. We found a storage unit and got our stuff unloaded and took back the Uhaul. We got a copy of the local paper and just started calling places about apartments. We looked at two that were okay, one that could only be described as a dungeon (I seriously almost didn't even go in, and I wish I hadn't!). The fourth apartment we looked at was incredible! When we arrived, we found out it was actually a three bedroom instead of two! It came with a fairly new washer and dryer and the kitchen was remodeled! We talked it over and decided that we couldn't do any better than this so we decided on this apartment! We started moving stuff in on Tuesday and we love it here!

Well, I'm getting tired of typing and it's getting close to dinner time so I'll write more later!

Updates

Only had time to update the layouts and stuff tonight...maybe I'll actually post a blog tomorrow :) We'll see!

Whew! What a month!

Wow! I am getting really behind on my blog! So much has happened over the past few weeks and I haven't had any time to write because I've been so busy!!!

We did find an apartment here and only had to look at a few until we found the PERFECT one! We got to move right in, but are still in the process of getting everything moved in and set up how we want it. Also, I had an interview a few days after we got here and I GOT THE JOB!!! I got an email this morning and I should receive the formal offer letter in the mail tomorrow! It's part-time, but I'll be making close to what I was making in AL working full-time, and Alan will get a discount on his tuition! How awesome is that?!? Anyways, I'm very tired from all of the excitement today, so I'm going to bed soon! I really will write more later and I'll post pics too!

We're here!!!

No pics yet because our computer isn't hooked up at home yet. We are here though! I can't believe it! No time to write much more right now, but I'll definitely post road trip pictures and pictures of our new apartment when I can!

Only a few more days!!!

I am getting so excited/nervous!! We leave in 6 days! I'm going crazy trying to coordinate seeing everyone one last time, spending time with family, packing, trying to prepare for my interview, finding a place to live, etc., etc., etc.

Whew!!! I don't know if I've got it in me to make it through a road trip too! I've been staying up late at night and not getting a lot of sleep. Last night I stayed up til 5 (would've been 4, but I started thinking about not seeing everyone and cried for about 45 minutes). I had to get up at 8 because I had a doctor's appointment this morning. It took about two hours at the doctor, then I went by Curves and got in a great workout. I stopped to get a Frutista Freeze at Taco Bell (we have some coupons for some free ones), at lunch at home, and packed up something I had sold on eBay. I thought I would get more done, but I ended up taking a 2 hour nap and then my mom came by and we went for a swim (no one was there...yay!) and then we went and grab Logan's to-go for dinner, came home and got ready for Bible study, went to Bible study, came home and heated up dinner and ate. Had to run by the pharmacy and get my prescription filled and now I'm about ready to collapse. Oh, did I mention I have a dentist appointment tomorrow at 8? In j'ville? Which means I have to leave here by 6:30 at the latest! I need to sleep!!! I need to pack!!!

Does anyone else think I'm losing it? Good. I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Seriously though, I am trying to stay calm, but I'm starting to freak a little. I'm just really worried that we are going to forget something or someone. Well, I really do need to go to bed!

Yard Sale

Just wanted to post some pics from the yard sale :) I love the show Clean House!

The setup

The crafty sign made by Alan and me :)
We added the "Make us an offer" when we started getting desperate to get rid of things on Saturday!

The Yard Sale Diva!!

The Sexy Go-To Guy :)

We made: $380.60!!!

Turned out to be a pretty good weekend!

And then the rain hit!!! Thankfully, it didn't hit till after we packed up!

There were a good many trees down from the storm!

And of course, the dummies who insist on driving in the mess! :)

Packing!!!

Okay, so the past few weeks have been CRAZY! We are trying to get packed up since we are moving in less than 3 weeks! At least we have more notice than last time (6 days)! We had a yard sale last weekend that went really well! We've also sold some things on Craig's List and eBay. Thankfully, we sold the washer & dryer (actually sold them for $25 less than we paid, so that was great!). We are trying to slim down the furniture we are taking with us so that we can rent a UHaul trailer instead of renting a moving truck because we would also have to rent something to tow one of the vehicles if we go with the moving truck.

I'm actually pretty excited about the move! I can't believe that it's almost here though! I'm really going to miss our families and all of our friends. I truly think that us moving to B'ham was God's way of easing us into being further away from our families. We have been blessed in so many ways! I think I've mentioned this before, but I don't have to get a job immediately after we move, so I'm excited about having the opportunity to really look and find the job that is right for me!

On a goofy side note, I have Christmas presents in our living room! Last year, we bought Christmas presents for 21 people (each other, parents, siblings, g-parents, and friends) and only spent $500, but it was about $2500 worth of gifts. Yeah, I'm that good at shopping :) Anyways, since we will probably be flying home for Christmas, the amount of luggage we bring back will be a concern, thus the amount of gifts. We could do gift cards, but we wouldn't be able to give near as much as me going shopping for gifts (since I'm so good at finding sales :)). Since shopping for actual gifts instead of gift cards is a more reasonable option, I am trying to purchase gifts now and wrap them so that I can keep them at my mom's until we come back to AL for Christmas. I'm already done shopping for Erika and Ashley :) and only have a few more things to get for my brothers! I'm pretty excited!

Well, other than that, pretty much all we are doing right now is packing!

Oh, this next week is my last week at work! I have a lot to wrap up before I'm done! I'm finishing two classes this week and doing post-assessments on both...which means more paperwork to complete! And I have two DHR sessions, which is also more paperwork! I am excited about Tuesday though...Momma is coming to see my office and we're going to dinner together! Monday is going to be a long day! Hopefully, I can get off a little early on Wednesday to make up for it! Friday morning, I think they are having a going away reception for me...I'm hoping I don't cry! Even though certain people I work with drive me crazy, I'm really going to miss everyone there! I'm not going to miss some people at the higher level (A&M), but that's another story!

Well, I'm going to try and get some Bible reading done and get a little more packing done before I go to sleep tonight so good night!

And the winner is...

WYOMING!!!

That's right! We are moving to Wyoming! After looking at all of the options, costs, benefits, advantages, and disadvantages, we have decided that Alan is going to the University of Wyoming School of Law! We are moving at the end of June and will be making our trek across country with moving van and two cars!

We are very excited about this next phase in our lives, but also nervous and anxious about what the future holds. I currently do not have a job there, but the cost of attending there is so much less than the schools in the area here (I would actually have to get a second job if he were to stay here) so we will still be better off financially going there versus staying here. If you have any questions, advice, or tips, please feel free to let us know. More so, we would appreciate the fervent prayers of all our friends and family! This is a huge step for us and we couldn't do it without the loving support of all of you!

More about this to come soon...

Where we are going :)

So, we think we might possibly maybe potentially have made a decision. Decision? What? Where? When? Why? I know these are all questions that you inquisitive minds would like to know the answers to. And guess what? I'm not giving you what you want...not yet, anyways.

We still have lots to consider and we are overwhelmed by information. It seems like every law school in America has the best this or the best that. We want the school that is best for US. It has been a difficult process, but we are drawing closer to our decision. Also, if we do decide to go to a school where I will have to leave my current job, it is only right to tell them before I broadcast it on the internet. Especially since some of the people I work with might read my blog. :)

Well, that's all for now. I'll post about our trip later. Must get back to work now :)

Thursday!!!

Okay, it's officially going to be a crazy trip and week!!! I worked 10 1/2 hours yesterday, after I go to the store to get food demo supplies I will have worked over 9 today, I'll work at least 11 tomorrow and at some point I've got to get packed! On top of the nervousness of the trip, I got a call today and I have an interview on Thursday with UW's financial aid office!!! The pay isn't as good as one of the other positions I applied for (that one is still being reviewed), but it's more than I'm making now, so that's good! I can't believe it! I'm so extremely excited and nervous! It's really weird because I had an interview on my birthday last year. That was the job in J'ville that I (thankfully) did not get. Hopefully this interview will turn out differently! Another thing that makes me nervous is that I think they will want me to start pretty soon, which means packing and moving and finding an apartment pretty quickly as well as leaving my current job and Alan leaving his job. VERY VERY VERY NeRvEwRaCkInG!!! I can't wait though! This trip is going to be great though! Even though the forecast is predicting snow! Yes, that's right...snow at the end of April!!! Guess we better get used to it if we are moving out there!!! Brrrrrrr!!!

Anyways, I'm really excited to see how it goes but I still have to pack AND make it through work tomorrow. Wednesday's are my busy Shelby days, so at least I won't have too much time to think about it!

Well, I've got some laundry and packing to do so I'm going to get to that! I will let you know when we know something for sure!

Yankees?

Well, we visited two schools last week: University of Louisville and Ohio Northern University. While UofL is a Tier 1 school (rank #98), we would have to pay out-of-state tuition the entire time he is there and he hasn't been offered any scholarships yet. Ohio Northern was really great. We both liked the school and the area tremendously. Here's a recap of the trip, in photos :)

This is crossing a river in AL. I love water shots!

This is us eating at Jack in the Box...our first time there too!

The trip went okay until it started raining on Thursday, as pictured above.




We finally arrive in Ohio!!!


This is our hip to the cool rental...we put some miles on this thing!



We did get a little surprise on our trip...SNOW!!! We checked the weather on Thursday night and it said snow! We figured it would just be light snow, not that much. Well, we were pretty surprised to wake up to 1 1/2 inches and freezing temps! There was so much ice on the sidewalks that it was hard to walk and not slip!


The above picture was taken from our hotel window :)

My sweetie almost froze his hands off to write this on our hood!





In spite of the snow, we did eventually make it to the school. We had very DELUXE accomadations, provided by the school :)This is the law school building. We really liked the campus because it was small like JSU.



This is us in the car on the way home. I think we look so happy here :)
And the final one, us stepping foot in Indiana! We just crossed the bridge in Kentucky, so we didn't go very far into IN, but at least we can say we've been there!

All in all, it was a great trip! The rain on Thursday got us a little down, but the snow more than made up for that! The weather was also great on Friday and Saturday. The best part to me though was just spending so much time with Alan. He is so awesome! I'm so proud of him for working so hard to get into law school and the fact that he's been offered so many scholarships is just incredible!

So what's the update on where we're going? Well, we really liked ONU, but we still haven't seen a lot of the other schools. We are going to visit the ones in AL sometime in the next few weeks, and visit Wyoming in April. Can't wait! This will only be my second time flying so I'm a little nervous :|

A Prayer Request

I am asking everyone who knows us and anyone who reads this blog to please pray for us! We have a lot of big decisions coming up over the next few weeks. I've blogged about this before, but these decisions are proving to be very difficult and costly.

Alan has been accepted into 6 schools (so far--still waiting to hear from 6 more):
1. Faulkner University
This school is affiliated with the Lord's church, and that is a big selling point for this school. Alan was also offered a very generous scholarship. While we like all these things, neither of us is particularly fond of Montgomery. We are going to visit in the next few weeks and see if they can change our minds. Also, they have a large seat deposit due on April 15th and June 15th, as well as a scholarship deposit that is by no means a small amount. Any seat deposits to all schools are non-refundable, but the money goes toward your tuition if you attend that school.

2. Michigan State University
This school offered Alan no scholarships, which was a little shocking because they aren't really a 'off-the-charts' kind of school. Given that and the high cost of tuition, we have decided they are off the table.

3. Ohio Northern University
Neither of us has ever been to this area, so we want to visit the school before we make any big decisions. Unfortunately, their two seat deposits are due on April 1st and April 15th. Seeing as the amount is rather large (especially on our shoestring budget), we want to be fairly certain before we put any money down. Alan also received a very generous scholarship from them. This school is in a very rural area, so we have to keep in mind that it may be difficult for me to find employment in this area. We will be visiting the campus this weekend to learn more about the school and area.

4. University of Wyoming
We both really like this school and, even though I've never been here, Alan has told me that this part of the country is absolutely beautiful. Alan was offered a very generous scholarship (not as much as the others, but UW's tuition is much lower than the others, so it evens out). Also, there is a job that was posted the day before he found out about the scholarship and the position is only going to be posted for two weeks, which narrows the number of applicants (hopefully). The pay for that position is a good deal more than my current one and it's also there at the school, so we wouldn't have to be as concerned with our home location. We've talked a lot about this particular school and have agreed that, unless he gets a reasonable scholarship from Samford or if he gets in to UA, if I am offered the job here, this will be our school.

5. University of Louisville
This school is ranked #98 of the Top 100 law schools, so it is a very good school. Other than that, we don't really know too much about the area. While it is one of the lesser expensive schools, we really just need to know more about them before we make any decisions. Hopefully, we will be able to visit their campus soon as well. One benefit about UL is that the first deposit is refundable before June 1, so we could make the deposit and decide later.

6. Samford University
While this school is very close to our current location and I do have a job here, my pay is not enough for us to live on alone and tuition is extremely expensive here. Also, if he receives no scholarships here, we would end up owing more here than any other school except MSU. We really like this school, but the expense (we would owe about $45,000 to $80,000 more after graduation) is just too great right now.

We have a lot to think about over the next few weeks, as all of the schools have seat deposits due either April 1st or April 15th. With prayer and guidance, we hope to make the right decision. Thanks for listening!

Organization and boxes...oh, my!

Well, I've been really looking forward to having some extra time on my hands to get some household projects completed. Last week, I had most of Friday off and all day Saturday, so Alan and I used a lot of that time to catch up on some housework. Now that we are caught up on all of that, I have time to tackle some more time-consuming tasks. I really want to get our second room cleared out and organized so that I have a crafting space and so that guests can also stay in there instead of having to sleep in the living room. This is going to be a very long project to tackle because we still have a lot in boxes from the move because we simply don't have space to put some things, so it's just easier to keep it in the boxes.

We've decided that, even if we stay in this area, we are going to move apartments when our lease is up. There are just too many things that we were told would be fixed that nothing has ever been done about and we also just want something different. When we moved here, we saw six apartments and had to make a decision that day...then we packed up and moved 5 days later. Needless to say, if we had had more time/money, we might not have selected this apartment. We are planning ahead so that our next move is not as crazy as the last one. Things that I know we won't need again until after the move (like winter-wear) will soon be boxed up so that it is ready to go and out of my way. We're also going to try to find a place that has a washer and dryer in the unit or purchase new ones when we move since ours are so old (the dryer is definitely older than both of us!), so if anyone knows someone who is looking for either, let us know! We are probably going to sell the set for dirt cheap (~$100).

So, where might we be moving??? That's a great question. There are a lot of possibilities that hinge on a lot of "unknowns." I had an interview earlier this week that would result in a 50% pay raise. If I get that job, we will almost definitely stay in this area. If not, the door is a little more wide open.

Hear are the possible locales:
-Faulkner University (Montgomery, AL) 75% scholarship...I'm so proud of my hubby!
-University of Louisville (Louisville, KY)
-University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY)
-Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
-Ohio Northern University (Ada, OH)
-Samford University (Birmingham, AL)

While the easy choice is Samford due to proximity to our current location, that would also be our most expensive choice of all the schools he has applied to.

There are also some schools that we are waiting to hear back from:
-University of Alabama
-Indiana University-Bloomington
-University of Colorado
-University of Mississippi
-University of Wisconsin
-University of Minnesota

Unfortunately, the schools we haven't heard from yet are the Tier 1 schools (ranked in the Top 100 nationally). Hopefully we will start hearing from them soon. We did hear back from University of Tennessee today and he was not accepted there. I know that this has him down about whether or not he will get into some of the others, but I am so proud of him and I know that he is going to excel no matter where we are!

Pray for us and keep us in your thoughts. These next few months are going to be very difficult for us!

Best Day with My Best Friend

Today was so much fun! It snowed a lot here! We got almost two inches!!! I had to go in to work, but we got off at 11:30 because of the snow! Here's a pic from one of the windows at my office:



I had to drive home in the snow, which was coming down pretty heavily at that point.



Here are a few pics we took from our bedroom window and stairway balcony:




After we ate lunch, we went out and played in the snow! It was absolutely wonderful! We built a snowman:




We also had a snowball fight...so much fun! I felt like a kid again! And we made snow angels:






That's me in the green jacket! I had on two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, two t-shirts, a sweater, the green puffer jacket, gloves, and a toboggan! I've been sick, so I got extra bundled up!

I had so much fun just playing in the snow with Alan! He is my absolute best friend in this world! I know a lot of people say that about their spouse, but I really mean it! After playing in the snow, we sat on the couch and he fell asleep leaning against me, so we went to bed and took a nap. After we woke up, we decided to go on our Valentine's date tonight and we went to Cheesecake Factory. It was expensive, but SO delicious! Luckily, we both have half our cheesecake left and I also have half my dinner left! When we got there, they told us it would be a 40-minute wait, so we walked around outside, but NONE of the other stores were open, so we sat in the car and talked! It was so wonderful to know that we could just sit in the car for half an hour and just talk. I love that man so much! When we finally got seated, we were in a booth (our favorite--we like to sit next to each other). Dinner was great and very romantic, even though neither of us was dressed up...we were just ourselves. The best part is that, after our date, we got to go home together and I get to spend every day with him! I can't wait for the marriage retreat either! We have worked so hard to pay off all our debt so that we don't feel guilty about going on this trip and, aside from student loans, we will have our debt paid off as of Tuesday!!!

I am so blessed that my best friend is also my husband! I love him so much and can't imagine any day without him! He holds the key to my heart! I love you baby! <3

Changes

It's weird when you start taking a look back at things and changes. I can't believe how different our lives are now compared to a year ago. We were doing okay financially, Alan had a job, I had recently graduated. There was a tiny possibility that he might start law school in the fall of 2009.

For anyone who doesn't know, this was also the time that Alan got ExTrEmElY sick! He had pneumonia, bronchitis, pharyngitis, AND sinusitis. Needless to say, he didn't feel very well. My dad died from pneumonia, so that's something that I didn't take lightly. Speaking of my dad, I really miss him a lot. He died on January 28, 1998. I was only 12. I went to see his grave this past weekend when I was back home. I can't believe I've almost spent more of my life without him than I have with him. I miss him so badly and sometimes I feel like there is no one else who could ever understand what I feel. I guess I've been thinking a lot about him lately since the anniversary date of his death was recently. Maybe I'll write a blog about this another day. I don't think I can handle it right now.

Well, a lot has happened since Alan got the quadruple illnesses. He got "let go" from Jacksonville, for reasons that I don't agree with, but then again, a lot happened/is still happening there that I don't agree with...but that's another blog too. Well, we had a little in savings because I had been doing housework for someone, but May and June were especially difficult for us. We relied heavily on the credit card because neither of our families were in situations to help us greatly. Alan got the job selling cars and we found a place that gave us the first month rent free, so we made the move. After we moved, we found out Alan's vehicle needed a brake job...a $1400-1500 brake job. Luckily (Thankfully!), he had the job at the dealership and got a great employee discount! At the beginning of August, Alan was offered the job working security (i.e. steady paycheck!) and I got the job at the fabric store. Things were going really well. Even though we weren't making enough to pay our bills, somehow we managed (did I mention that the credit card was maxed at this point?) In October, my brakes went out and had to be fixed...not as expensive as Alan's, but still, money that we didn't have. On October 6, while we were getting ready for work, I checked extension's website and saw the job that I currently have, posted! I squealed and applied! December and January have been pretty difficult because not only have I not been getting the bi-weekly paychecks from the fabric store, but I didn't get paid from extension until the day before Christmas eve. That check was just enough to catch us up. I finally got paid this Monday and I also received my travel reimbursement for December. We filed our taxes earlier this week and, between my salary and our refund, we will be paying off our credit card in full later this month/early next month!

I'm writing this to let anyone who is struggling financially know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel! It feels so wonderful to know that we might finally catch up! We still don't have anything in savings, but at least our debt will be paid off and we can start focusing on saving!

I am so thankful to God, because His providence lead us to where we are! If Alan hadn't accepted the job with the car dealership, he wouldn't have been offered the security job and I wouldn't have been offered the job with extension. We are so blessed to have been lead by His merciful hand through this challenging year.

As a celebration for Valentine's Day (and this newfound freedom from debt), we are going on the marriage retreat to the Smokies in two weeks. This is something we have been to every year that we've been married. I couldn't imagine missing it for anything, but it is something that we didn't think would happen this year...we just weren't going to be able to go, but we have been so blessed! AND, we get to see some of our very good friends there who we haven't seen in TOO long!

Anyone reading this can tell that we have been through a lot this year. I am so thankful that I had Alan by my side through it all. He has been so supportive and encouraging. I love him so much and can't believe I get to grow old with him!

My God is Strong!

Prayer is powerful. This is a quote I have heard preachers, teachers, and leaders at lectures and seminars say so many times. While it is said with the best of intentions, I believe this to be so incorrect. Prayer is not powerful. I will expound upon why I have come to this realization.

Is prayer to Mary powerful? No. She is still in a tomb. Is prayer to Allah powerful? No. Allah is a fictional god. Is prayer to anyone/anything powerful? NO!

The power is not in the prayer. The power lies in whom the prayer is DIRECTED to! God in Heaven is all-knowing and all-powerful. If we pray to Him, He has the power to grant us anything we ask of Him! This is not to say that He will give us anything we ask, just that He has the power to.

I've been thinking a lot about prayer lately and this realization has helped me to understand that the power does not lie in my prayers, but in the Almighty God whom I pray to. I am so thankful to have One to whom I can cast all my cares and burdens upon and know that He cares for me!

"Back" into the routine

So, I wasn't working at the office long enough before the holiday to really get into a routine, but tomorrow, work starts again and it will be a long time before I have a break like that again. We are planning on going to the marriage retreat in February, but I will probably only take Friday off and just a half day on Thursday. We are also planning to go on a trip (where and how long is still a mystery) at the end of the summer, before Alan starts law school. One of the great things about him going to school is that they get 5 or 6 weeks off for Christmas break, so we will both have time off for the holidays this year!

Anyways, I have made out a schedule for doing chores around the house so that I (hopefully) can stay caught up! I'm also working on getting into a routine, at least on weekdays, so that I will have time to eat a healthy breakfast AND exercise every morning which means me waking up around 4:30 and going to bed about 9:30. This might not be a big deal for some, but I am the night owl...I have ALWAYS stayed up late, even when I was a little kid, I would stay up late with my dad (good memories :)) and I just never got out of staying up late. Guess I'll have to work on that!

A part of the routine that is also changing is grocery shopping. Since it basically would take up my entire afternoon if I went during the week, it will work best if I go on the weekends. And, since most sales start on Sunday, it's much better (around here anyways) to go grocery shopping on Sundays. That means in between services I will be doing my grocery shopping! So much for relaxing Sunday afternoons! I guess that's what happens when you become a "grown up."

I really enjoyed my time off for the holidays, but I am honestly looking forward to having a structured routine, especially since I have never really had one! We got a lot of great gifts for the holidays, which I will post pics of later, but for now...I must go, for the grocery stores are calling my name!

New Year...New Me

Well, in our culture, it's traditional to set some resolutions at the end of a new year. Many people set goals that are completely unattainable or that they don't really even intend to complete or fulfill. Most resolutions fail because there is no resolute plan in place for how one is going to carry out or fulfill the goal. I am working on putting plans in place to fulfill the following goals, with the reasons for setting these goals noted.

1. Pray to God EVERY day. I want to grow closer in my walk with the Lord. I want to speak to my Heavenly Father regularly so that I can have a more intimate relationship with Him. One of the ways I am working on this goal is by reading The Power of a Praying Wife and I plan on reading The Power of a Praying Woman after completing the first.
2. Read the Bible EVERY day. Part of growing closer to God is about talking to Him (see #1), but I also need to let Him talk to me! If I'm going to talk to Him every day, I need to give Him a chance to respond through His inspired Word. I am going to do a chronological reading (the same one that I did this year) that can be found at www.thebible.net/read/chron.pdf This is the way I have read through this year and I have learned so much! My tip for anyone who chooses this method is to print the 80 page document (yes, it's 80 pages), and use the last two pages to mark your completed readings. This year, I read through in the NLT and I plan to use the ESV in 2010. If you mark your readings using the last two pages, you will only have to reprint those two pages each time you plan to read (so if you are a couple, you can share and only print the two pages twice).
   
3. Get healthy. Yes, I said get healthy not lose weight for a reason. Even though part of this goal is to lose weight, I wanted to have all positive resolutions. I plan to be at a healthy body weight by this time next year. For my height, the healthy weight range is 125-169. I am only a few pounds away from the upper end of this range, but ideally, I would like to reach 135. I would be content with 140, however. Some of the ways I plan to achieve this goal are: a combination of the 3-hour diet and Weight Watchers diet, 8 Minutes in the Morning workouts, wearing my new Shape-Ups (thank you "Santa"), using my new Shake Weight (I can already feel the burn!), and walking on the track at work on my lunch break (this means eating while I work...fun!). I have struggled with my weight for this past decade, but I am finished with struggling!!! I am going to get in shape and I am going to be healthy! Even though I have set a goal weight, I am more concerned with being healthy than the number on the scale. I do have certain "assets" that are larger than most people's that must be taken into consideration (and yes, I'm one of those lucky people whose "assets" don't get smaller, no matter how much weight I lose). Also, I plan to be very active, which will mean more muscle mass. I'm okay with weighing 150 if a lot of the weight is attributed to muscle.
   
4. Be the wife God wants me to be. So in our society, this one is pretty tough. Tell people your New Year's resolution is to lose weight, they will offer tips and suggestions. Tell them you want to be a more submissive wife and you want to give your husband the respect he deserves, they want to have you committed! Nonetheless, I am committed to loving Alan more every day and I want to be what God commands me to be. Hopefully, goals #1 & 2 will help me in working on this goal. I don't think this is one that I can truly "complete," but I plan to work at it every day for the rest of my life.

Well, this is my list of resolutions for 2010. If you have any tips or advice, please feel free to lend it my way. I am always interested to hear people's suggestions! I hope that I can also encourage others to make positive goals for their life by my example.

Happy New Year 2010!