Catch Up Time

Before I start this blog you should know three things:

Thing One: God will put you where he wants you when he wants you there.
Thing Two: I love my house and where I'm living now.
Thing Three: Our timing has this insane ability of being convenient and exciting, but not always right.

Now let's back track a little. Hello, blogging world. I've been a little AWOL for a month now. I told myself I wouldn't let that happen, but it did. So now here I am, writing this blog. But not only am I writing this blog, I am waiting for the worlds best blueberry muffins to get done baking and getting ready for church. I'm not bragging, but if there was an award for mufti-tasking you'd think I'd be trying to get it, I'm just saying.

If I could, I'll start with thing two. I love my house. My family has graciously furnished it with unwanted items that my sister and I adore. The heat works in this cold weather. The electricity bill is never too high and the water bill is at a comfortable low. Rent is great. I think, though, that when I move into a different house (or the dream being one day build my own out here) I will invest in an oven/stove combo that a) is electric and has a timer built in two it and b) has a light inside the stove. In theory, this dream is not to big to be attained my friends.

And while I'm on the subject of the stove, let us discuss Thanksgiving. My parents came in town to spend the week with us. They brought their dog, Smokey, and took over my room. It's okay, though. I got to move in with my Nana and Virginia friend Ambah for the week. Now, there are many stories I could tell about Thanksgiving, but I'll start with this one: my house smelled like burn all week long. I would come back to get more clothes or shampoo or whatever I needed and open the door to this awful burning smell. But that didn't stop my mom, bless her. She cooked and cooked and cooked all week long. And the house smelled and smelled and smelled all week. So finally, my old man is investigating the stove because surely it can't smell that bad forever, right? Right. On the bottom of the oven, caked into a blackened mess beneath the burner, was what appeared to be a clump of old paper towels. So, my brave pap-pap cleaned it out for us. Needless to say, I can bake now and the house smells lovely instead of just awful.

In other news, I leave to go back to Texas in a week. One week! And what's crazy is this: while I love my family, my other family and all of my friends I'll get to spend time with; I already can't wait to come back here because of all the amazing things God is doing in this area.

I am blessed to have been put in a place where I can serve, where I can be used to reach people and where I can get to know people who push me to be closer with Him every day. Whether it's my new boss giving me words of encouragement or one of the kids from church giving me a huge hug just because I'm there, the level of encouragement I feel here makes it seem like all of this is right. Like this move wasn't just another risk in my plan, but it feels like it's where I need to be. Where He wants me to be.

In these past few months I have been given the chance to serve with The Bridge Ministry under the Jefferson Street Bridge in Nashville, and now I get the chance to go back again this week. He has also granted me the opportunity to serve with the children's ministry in my church and get to know 30+ kids. All of this aside, He has blessed me with a group of young adults in my church (14 of us, mind you) that I can grow with and learn from and talk to. I haven't gone hungry, I haven't been broke. If that doesn't say God is good, I don't know what does.

Now thing three.

I signed up on a free dating website a long long time ago. Now, once you're done going "whhhhhhhhy??" Let me explain myself: I have no idea why. I don't feel like I'm in a place right now where dating is the best idea, anyway. I still have, what, two years of school ahead of me before I can get a big people job and figure things out from there. While dating isn't an awful idea, I am just trying not to rush into anything silly at this point. And then I do this:

I say, "God. In time you're going to reveal my husband to me, or you're going to keep me single forever. Either way, I'll be happy with this life and I'll serve you no matter what. I'm giving this to you so I won't worry about it anymore. All in your time, Amen."

But then, I turn around and get my hopes up about every single guy that messages me. And I get really excited about some of them. "Good Christian guys who are excited about Jesus?! Sign me up!" And then I start talking to them and I find out some things about their beliefs, one example being that they love God but just "want to have fun" right now, and I'm not talking about playing Putt Putt, okay? So then I shake my head (after 45 minutes of bashing it on the keyboard, mind you) and go:

"Okay, God. You got me. I really am giving it up to you now."

And I'm so ready to do that. My Aunt Bren was leading the kids Bible Study the other day and she said "And then do you know what God had planned? Romance! I bet you never believe God planned for Romance!"

And she was right. I always felt like God had so many plans but romance was in my court, even if I said I believed other wise. So now, I'm taking a step back and focusing on me. Centering myself back around Him. His timing, not mine.

I'm so excited about this journey I've been living for the past few months, and more than pumped about what's to come. :D

Pumpkins and Pinterest

Halloween has come and gone. Surprisingly this year it wasn't a huge deal for me. It's one of my favorite days of the year, you know? I bought a doctors costume from WalMart (a flimsy piece of material that may as well have been stapled together) and helped out with trunk or treat at church.

By the way, I joined my first church again. It's a weird feeling "coming home" when I was so young when I left. But I feel like that church is where God wants me at this moment in time. He is doing amazing things with the people there and I'm so excited to be a part of it.

Anyway. This year my aunt had a Halloween bonfire/hayride at her house. Now, when I was younger we would do this. We would all get together and then we'd all get on this hayride only to have our wits scared out of us by our cousins and aunts and uncles. But we looked forward to it every time. So this year, being an older kid, it was a very different take on it. It was too much fun, egging the new wave of young kids on when we'd see a shadow in the woods. Too much fun.

Priceless

Highlight moments:

At trunk or treat, my cousin dressed up like a gorilla. And then he made a friend.

One of my cousins friends laid down in a shallow grave with a piece of rotten plywood on top of him and patiently awaited for us (being me and my sister who is afraid of zombies but was willing to go along with this one time thing) to flip it over. Then the zombie look alike launches himself from the grave and basically tackles my sister before going and chasing all of the little ones. Priceless.

.And lastly, for the second year in a row my sister and I carved the same pumpkin. And this time we were two states away from one another.

My sister's pumpkin.

My Pumpkin

So now I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. Getting to see my parents and a close friend of mine. So excited.

And lastly, have you heard of Pinterest? Soon, and I hope very soon, I will be posting pictures of one or two projects I will have completed from Pinterest by that time. Yayyyy crafting!

Customer Service

If anyone has worked directly with customers, you'll relate.

Don't you just hate it when someone comes in and yells at you? They assume whatever happened that was wrong you did on purpose and therefore you're the scum of the earth for not doing it right? Obviously you couldn't manage to do it right anyway because, let's face it, you're just in customer service. If you had a brain you'd be a lawyer or doctor, not working with customers.

I have had my fair share of people throw drinks at me, throw bags of food at me, call and complain about me, cuss at me, spit at me, or refuse to leave a drive thru window because of the littlest things: I forgot to give them a straw; or I only gave them fifteen bbq sauces when they asked for sixteen, or I breathed funny or answered a question from a fellow co-worker and broke eye contact. You name it, I've been there.

That is part of the reason I try and be so careful when I handle people in customer service. If I have to call any service department for any reason, I check myself going into the phone call. Am I angry? Should I cool down first? Can I address the problem reasonably without making the person on the other end of the line feel like I'm the customer that ruined their day? Should I wait a few days, hours or minutes to collect my thoughts so it's quick and painless for everyone?

Even though I ensure the answer to the last three questions is a solid yes, there is still a point in the conversation that I can feel the biting sarcasm or general frustration yearn to kick in.

Example: This morning I was on the phone with a Customer Service Representative from AT&T. A small billing problem, and let's face it, billing problems are the worst. Kudos to anyone who works in billing; you're pretty brave. After being told that I misread terms and agreements that I read clearly, I felt it coming. My general frustration for the last week tried to get the better of me. I bit it back, I refrained from raising my voice (not that I have much of a voice to raise today,) and tried for patience.

The problem was resolved in 18 minutes and 43 seconds. I left both of the women I talked to with good reviews, claiming that I was indeed a satisfied customer.

Now, I like to connect dots. Maybe God put me at Chick Fil A four and a half years ago so that I could learn to be more patient. So that I could enter that adult world of bills and problem-solving with a little more understanding so I won't be that lady with the Christian bumper stickers who gets out of her car to yell at other people because they are being impatient. Either way, you have to appreciate all of life and it's little lessons.

In Review

So much has happened since the last post! Much I probably will fail to mention today, but oh well.

I have gone to Virginia and back. The trip was exciting and trust me when I say well needed. Those Virginians that I love so dearly know how to have a good time. Downtown Richmond flew by, but the restaurant and hotel were lovely. I'd like to go back someday, I think. Really explore it. Maybe next time? We also went to the Peanut Festival (a kind of county fair that was actually really cool) and to Busch Gardens. Now here's the kicker:

I love roller coasters. I adore them. For the past few years, though, I've been unable to ride them. This, as you could guess if you knew me and weren't being the sweetest people I've known, is because of my weight. And every time I go to an amusement park I feel that sting. So, I need to get on this. And not just so I can ride a rollercoaster, though that would be amazing! But, for my health. For my over-all well being. For my future. It may sound silly to some people, but though God accepts me and loves me for everything I am, this isn't the way he intended me to be. God gave me a body, to move and dance and serve and ride rollercoasters, and I have taken this body and limited myself with how much weight I have put on it. Truth be told, I believe (and I may be wrong) that I'm supposed to be a mom, and at my current weight having kids isn't healthy, believe it or not. So, having said all of this, I'm making a plan and putting it into action.

Update: Our church Volleyball team is 3 and 2 in the league. While winning three and only losing two is pretty good for our little team: It's just fun. I look forward to it every week.

In other news, one of my favorite bands put out a new album yesterday. I enjoy having good Christ-centered bands that are encouraging to listen to and stray away from the dry, mundane sound that a lot of Christian Artists stick with. Now, don't get me wrong. I still think the five members of FF5 are good, Christian guys. I love listening to them pray, I love reading interviews with them where you can see their passion for God. I'm just wishing I could see it in their music again. I'm sure I'll like some of the songs. It's just they've gotten so far away from the original premise of Family Force 5 ("We want to make music that is for God, but at the same time, we want to make music that people enjoy and that they're not turned off by.") While I will give the album kudos for having some pretty cool beats and catchy lyrics, the idea that having to try and find God in the lyrics between Dang Girl (which sounds like 3OH3! should have recorded) and Mamacita troubles me a little. After the EP was released the mentioned having more spiritual songs on the album and (given I've only previewed most of the songs) I'm not finding them.

I promised pictures in an earlier post, and you're going to get them. Next time, though. Methinks I need a good clean up before I post it for anyone to see.

In case you were wondering: I love living here. I love the cold, I love the rain, I love the country. I miss my Texas friends just like I miss Alaska and England, though. I keep saying this is an adventure and it is: a new chapter in my life I'm nowhere near used to yet. And it's exciting, don't you think?

Working 9-5...

Or 6-4. Or 11-8. Or 2-10:30. Regardless of the time:

What a way to make a living. 

I banked this last pay check, 78 hours to be precise. Out of that, a third of it is already gone and I just got paid yesterday. One of these joys of getting grown, right? Today I am paying for internet and car and insurance, waiting on water and electric, Sunday is Tithe and then October 1st starts rent. The song "Bills, Bills, Bills," has been running through my head all day.

As I've mentioned before I am so thankful to have this job. God provides. And not just financially. God provides peace, He provides understanding. He provides kind people to work with and understanding on their parts when it comes to me and my craziness. He knows my heart and provides accordingly. He is good, and great, and worthy to be praised.

In other, non-financial, news I am on my church's volleyball team. You heard me right (despite that record screech that went through your mind.) I am the substitute for the substitute for my sister but that was my choice. Firstly, I have never played volleyball before so it would have been silly for me to start games, right? Secondly, my work schedule is so up in the air from week to week that it was impossible to just promise to be at each and every game. All of that being said, we scrimmaged this past Monday and had a blast. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Athleticism, who knew?

Also, I have purchased a desk and a chair. The desk I am tackling tomorrow. Well, not tackling because that would hurt and leave me bruised I'm sure. But I have already pieced the chair together so the desk is up next. And it looks like I may be investing in a 15 dollar bookshelf from Wal-Mart because that seems like less of a headache than trying to get all the pieces to my old one to go back together now that most of the hardware is missing.

Spoiler Alert!

Once everything is finally pieced together I will be updating this blog with "before" and "after" pictures.

Who's excited?

A mouse, a few chickens, and a tree.

Sounds like the beginning to a bad joke, doesn't it?

Well good news, everyone: I have internet at my new house. Currently I am typing in the floor, in front of my bed. My tower is beside my endtable that my monitor, lamp and alarm clock are all sharing. I need a desk. And a computer chair. And a bookshelf, while I'm at it. Can someone say shopping time?

And good news it's shopping time, because I have a job. That's right. 4 days after the big move I started working again. God has blessed me with this opportunity and placed me in a company that as a whole truly cares about their employees. Through a simple email from my old boss to my new boss, God provided me with a job where I'm already getting 40 hours a week. The new chicken hut is way different from what I'm used to, but in time I'll learn all the differences and all will be good.

Back to the idea of shopping. It's almost humorous to me how timid-to-spend I am. I spent the last year saving up a good chunk of change so I could relax and not stress over money as much after the move, and now I'm afraid to spend any of it. Maybe it's because I'm not sure what to expect as far as bills go yet, or maybe it's because surprises have already tried to get the best of my sister and I.

For example:

I moved in 11 days ago, my sister 14. Wednesday, the day I started work at CFA, my sister made her way into my bathroom (the master bathroom, located in the middle of the house.) TMI Warning: I suppose she noticed that the water in the toilet had risen to the top, but I assure you it was water- much like that that is in your toilet. So she went to fix it, trying to plunge it like any good sister would do, and the water began to drain... And came back up into my shower. So she turned and began to try to plunge the shower drain, and the water began to drain... Only to rise up in my bathtub. So she attempted to utilize Liquid Plumber, which didn't work. The next 36 hours we spent trying to use the water which was still running fine and using a bucket to bail it out of my shower and bathtub. So we resorted to calling a plumber.

$165 later, (the bill that our "landlords") so graciously took care of, he had found the root of the problem. Pun intended. This tree in our yard was literally growing into our main septic line. Joy. But all is well and fixed now. Lessons in life, right?

Another small, furry example:

We may have to look into a exterminator. The lady who was renting the house before us left our parents a note, mentioning that the center cabinet/island in the kitchen occasionally had a mouse that made its way into it. Just a field mouse, or two. So I had the pleasure to meet our furry little friend one night when I was looking for my spare keys. Our furry friend launched itself out of the drawer I opened, onto my hand and then scurried off into the laundry room.

Maybe we should get a cat.

Either way, this whole thing is an adventure so far. <3

The Newest Chapter

I am twenty-two years old. This happened a month and twenty whole days ago. And in that month and twenty days, so so so much has happened in my life.

First - I survived the second annual (and hopefully final) best-friends-losing-an-organ-extravaganza.

Secondly - I saw the final Harry Potter 5, count them, 5 times. (and cried every stinking time.)

Third - I went out of the country for the first time in my life. (To Cozumel, Mexico on a cruise with my family.)

And finally...

I moved.

This, being the biggest news, is probably what I will spend the majority of this blog talking about.

Sometime a year ago my sister mentioned moving to Tennessee and that I should go with her. Whether she was joking or not, it got the wheels in my brain spinning.

It was a crazy idea. My immediate family all lived in Texas. I still had good friends in Texas. I had a whole other "family" in Texas that I would be leaving to make the switch. But I also felt so very "stuck." I had been doing the same thing for the previous four years and was looking at continuing to do the same thing should I stay. Another thought that helped my decision making was that some of my closest friends had moved on with their lives and seemed to be thriving in their new atmosphere. We'll call them England, Alaska, Pupcaak and LiteBrite.

So after months of considering it and saving up enough money to comfortably make the move, I went through with it. I said goodbye to my friends, my 'other' family and my family; loaded up my car with everything I didn't take on my U-Haul trip in July and left for my new place August the 26th.

In these three days I have...

• Unpacked things.
• Reconstructed other things.
• Went on the first of many 2 mile walks.
• Leveled up in Star Wars: Clone Wars.
• Bought groceries.
• Installed curtain rods.
• Ordered DSL which should be installed next week.

You know, the basics.

This morning I found the water bill from last month on the counter. Apparently my parents handled that one, since we weren't there, but forgot to mention it to me. So I have also endured my first mini-panic attack.

Stay tuned! Listen closely and maybe, just maybe, you can see hints of me trying to grow up in this crazy world.