WHEW!!

What a week!!!

Tonight's luau at our complex was the culmination of a week of total exhaustion and accomplishment. It's unreal how one week can bring so much growth, change, emotion... I'm relieved that it's over!! I had a great time at the luau, but I am definitely glad to stop thinking about it, for sure. Next events on the agenda are a birthday party, bridal shower, and ice cream social THIS WEEK. Not to mention, a huge meeting on Friday - Reese's new teacher!! WHOAH. Reese loved Ms. Pam last year, so I'm hoping the attachment wasn't strong enough to keep her from enjoying her new teacher. I'm sure she's adaptable. =) But I'm really excited. Mostly I'm excited to meet the person who will begin teaching her as of NEXT TUESDAY!! I love love love love love the company of my daughter. But I also love pre-school. =) I love that she gets to have the interaction with the other kids, that she has the structure that I'm not that great at giving her, as much as I try, and I love how much thought and time and energy goes into the program she is enrolled in. They truly try to help parents feel they are not missing out on their children even in those mere 10 hours they are away from us. I CAN'T WAIT! I know she will love it.

This week also brought a Cowboys pre-season game with my sweet friend Sarah, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" with Jackie and Stace, and a life-saving playdate for Reese and Emma! There was a lot going on.

Friday... wow. Are you kidding?! Friday was out of control. I have not had a day that long in such a long time!! Since we had to get ready for the luau, Friday was the day I had set aside for a lot of planning, purchasing, visualizing, etc. Of course, I didn't really take into consideration that I ALSO had timesheets due, expense reports due, the monthly prayer morning!!, A DENTAL APPOINTMENT IN DALLAS, AND A STAFF LUNCH, not to mention everyday work!!! ARE YOU KIDDING?!!?!?!
So, my day was packed, and by the time it was 5, I finally sat down for about 30 minutes before Reese woke up from her nap (oh yeah, did I mention I had her with me during ALL of this - including dental appointment!). And, okay, noooo I did not pray all morning like my schedule had called for. I did however, pray in my car as I was running errands. And I really mean that. =) I had a lot to pray about!!

So, by the time evening rolled around, I did some grocery shopping, somewhat in a fog of disorientation and exhaustion, and went home to bake 4 boxes of brownies for the luau.

TODAY... Holy cow. Today. Luau extraordinaire!! Party was successful, and I'm sure Niles will post pictures on his blog. It was such a great time, and the setup was awesome, the food was awesome, the people are ALWAYS awesome, and overall, I am beyond thrilled. We got a water volleyball net (and ball), a DJ, a pig which had been roasting since 4 am... So many people came out and I actually think they are still out there.

I'm soooo tired because as soon as it was all over, we still had to take everything down, take all the dishes up, and CLEAN them all. blah. It's 12:45, and I'm still up, basically because this is the first time I have been able to sit by myself, and just... yeah. It seems so rare now that I get these moments, and I can tell that even though I wish I had more of them, I am right in my element, doing what I am doing. Because I feel energized, I am excited, and I am already looking forward to the next party! I absolutely love my residents so much, and I feel so blessed and happy being where we are. I absolutely feel that God has placed us here for a reason, and I don't doubt it for a second. I forget that we have only been here for only 2 months!

Thank God for purpose and change and relationships.

Lately...

Lord is life ever busy right now. Maybe that's why I physically feel sad when The Hills is over. But seriously, life is full of wonderful things right now, but I have to say, I would love to feel like I actually have time to do anything relaxing, rejuvenating, refreshing...

I really just want an hour by myself to sit, read, not think, not plan, not check emails or answer my phone, and escape.

Let me be clear that I am totally thrilled with my job, my opportunities... even the busy-ness is great and right up my alley. But I also know it gets really easy to slip into survival mode, neglect relationships or family time, and let the obligations overtake the joys. I am determined to ensure that my family gets what they need from me, as well as ensure that I get what I need from life. And most of that means allowing God to really fill me up when I get empty... really allow Him to fire me up when I burn out... and listen when I hear the prompting of His voice to slow down, stop talking, and mostly stop worrying!!! Everyday I have to remind myself that God only gives us the grace to deal with today, because He specifically tells us not to stress over tomorrow because it will take care of itself.

Right now I find myself giving out sooo much, and expending so much that it's not till later that I realize I am exhausted or that I can really take in the experience that has already past.

Well, I know that I am walking in God's purpose for my life. I know that Niles and I together are on the path God has set before us, and we will continue that way, knowing that at times we will fail, we will screw up, and at times we will actually accomplish things, and make progress, and be successful! The objective is to make sure that God takes pleasure in our lives and is blessed by what we do. And right now I will have to realize that sometimes that means stepping back, maybe stepping out, not being in control of every situation, knowing I can't fix everything, everyone. Realizing that I may disappoint people because I finally take care of myself instead of them... And I will totally be uncomfortable!!

I'm guarding my heart, letting God direct my steps, my words, trusting Him to go before me and make a way for me as He always has. Trusting that He will answer my prayers and hear what's in my heart... And I know He does. Time and again He has shown that my prayers do not fall on deaf ears, and why I ever doubt, I do not know.

Some more pictures!

Me and Jessica at the Legacy Ball her church held.


And with our mommas


That was an amazing night!
I love ya Jess and I'm so glad you invited me to come. I will expect an invitation to the head table at each and every one.
=)

What I think about the Hills.

Okay, since you asked...

Loved it. Loved the premiere and for whatever reason, thirty minutes just does not seem long enough for this gem.
I know, I know, It is the obsession of no-life, too-much-time, teeny boppers... I just cannot get enough!!

Here are the reasons I should not love The Hills:
1. I'm 30.
2. I can never have hair like that.
3. I'm 30.
4. I will never have clothes like that.
5. I'm 30.
6. I am a mother, and those girls should scare any parent of a girl.
7. Lauren has nothing to say on any date she ever goes on. Really nothing interesting to say... ever.
8. Heidi absolutely reminds me of my stupidity in past relationships and noone wants to remember that stuff!
9. Spencer.
10. I'm THIRTY.

But I can't stop it... It is an unstoppable force!! It is the proverbial train wreck that must be watched over and over!
So, since it will not and cannot be contained, I must comment.

I love Audrina. She has made some dumb decisions (justin bobby) but she seems like a good friend, maybe a little naive, but pretty level-headed. I think Lo was completely and totally out of line with her little attitude in the final conversation and it was so infuriating to watch! But, this will make this season that much more interesting.

Why is is that Lauren seems like she never says anything interesting... at all?! ESPECIALLY on dates?! I don't get the fascination. I don't. She is beautiful, she is well-dressed and fashionable, she has great hair... and she seems like a good friend, albeit a little Type-A, but why are we interested?!?!

Whitney - flawless.
Spencer - I mean, seriously!!??1 Is he for real?! Does he know the level of disgust people feel towards him? Is he content in his soul with that?! Oy. The boy needs to be sent... away, or... something. Just banish him!

I Love American Swimmers!

Geez, Louise.
Are all our American swimmers required to be great-looking?! (the boys anyway)

I'm such a nerd. I just watched some of my DVRed Olympics and saw a few swimmers get gold medals... I freaking cry every dang time I hear the American anthem.

I taught Reese to say "Go America!" every time she watches the swim meets.

Sliding

Such a Girly Girl

Quiz

I feel loved when...

The Five Love Languages

My Primary Love Language is Acts of Service

My Detailed Results:
Acts of Service:	10
Quality Time:	8
Words of Affirmation:	7
Receiving Gifts:	3
Physical Touch:	2

About this quiz

Unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. It can be helpful to know what language you speak and what language those around you speak.

Tag 3 people so they can find out what their love language is.

Take the Quiz!
Check out the Book

Grrrr

I'm having a rough day.
=(

FINALLY. Some pictures!!!

Okay, so after all your ranting about my non-posting, you get like 5 posts in a few days, AND, PICTURES! What the heck?!?! No, I still cannot find my camera cord, so these are all from Niles' phone. Luckily, he has an overpriced, fancy schmancy phone that takes magnificent photos.

So, to catch up...
These first two are from the FC Dallas game. The glorious, hot, hot, smoldering hot day watching David Beckham. (I love you Niles.)




We've learned recently that the way to get Reese to smile, is not to say "cheese", but to say "B". B is her blankie, B is her muse, B is everywhere. B is us, and we are nothing without B. I should probably spell it Bea, since we refer to "her" as a person. "Bea is taking a bath". "Bea is so tired, she needed to stay home - mommy did not forget her." "Bea, for cryin out loud, would you please stop slathering yourself in tomato sauce and dirt!"

These last two are of the kitten that many of you have yet to meet. The kitten who has started to make me realize why I've always preferred dogs. This cat goes by many names. A few of our favorites: "Nighttime Eye Gouger"; "Leaping Way Too High at My Face"; "Claws Too Long"; "Freak Out Furball"; "Where the Hell Did You Come From, Stabbing At Me Like That".
But, oh she is cute.


This is when Reese watercolor painted her back.

If you don't already know...

The Olympics are on. =)

So I'm totally committed to watching as much as possible of this year's sports. Even if some may be ridiculously boring or without any of the melodramatic cutaway stories that I love.

The story I learned today just completely broke my heart, though. In a good way. If you haven't already heard, you absolutely must look up the story of Lin Hao, the little Chinese boy who walked with Yao Ming in the opening ceremonies. He was a hall monitor at his Chinese school during the earthquake. He crawled out from the rubble, went back in two or three times to RESCUE other children, and then walked another 7 miles to go find help for other children!! (I'm summarizing) It's just amazing. And not to mention he's totally adorable, and itty-bitty cute.

I'm totally excited about women's gymnastics this year, and I watched Michael Phelps win the 400 IM this afternoon. My DVR is doing some serious overtime right now, as just one of my Summer Olympics "shows" is 8 hours long. So far today, Reese and I caught up on Dara Torres and her relay team, May and Walsh doing some beach volleyball, and now we are watching the U.S. play China in men's basketball. This could potentially be the one time I will cheer for Kobe or Dwyane Wade especially.

It has been a very long week... One I am at once glad and sad to say is now over. Niles' parents have been here, which is always great, and we had a pretty successful CARES event Friday... but all in all, there have been many instances this week, including a very bad stomach-ache today which almost had me in tears, where I was ready to close the book on this week.

Note to self: Never schedule a dental implant, evening CARES event, in-laws coming in town, setup for job orientation, late movie night with friends, and the Olympic opening ceremonies in a one-week time period. It's just too much.

Another note to self: When scheduling the Olympic Ceremonies in the future, remind self to purchase ticket to be present, and also remind self to have a million dollars.

Additional note to self: Also remember, if they are asking you to schedule Opening Ceremonies, dont' accept less than a million dollars, for cryin out loud.

Itching...

I have baby fever.
Bad.
It's so bad.

We're in negotiations. Niles' excuse is that we hit the jackpot on our first try (see adorable daughter hanging face down on the big girl swing... top right corner) and we are just setting ourselves up for disappointment. =) Well, as weird or sweet or maybe a little inappropriate, but loving, as that is, I THINK I just might have a little more love in there for another one. Perfect or not. Seriously... it's sooo time.

sigh.

Mi Vida Loca

I have no point for writing, except that since I have been out of the loop for such a while, I feel the need to consistently update. Life is good. I have had an interesting, busy two weeks!! Last Saturday (almost two weeks ago) I went out and trained with my new job team, for the White Rock Half-Marathon I foolishly signed myself up for. We had to run 5 miles, because I guess that's where we are supposed to be at right now. Yeah, right! BUT, I knew if I signed up to run with everybody, my pride would definitely not let me quit. So, I ran the ENTIRE 5 miles! I have to say, I'm not a good running buddy. I am so impatient and I was determined to find out my pace, if I could really run the entire way, and how capable I was of doing this half-marathon thingamajigger. Anyways, I have just determined that running/training by myself is probably best because otherwise I am guilt-ridden thinking of reasons why I would abandon someone on the running trail.

Sunday afternoon we had a pool party for my apartment manager. It was a total blast, and so many people came out! We are lucky enough (both as a CARES team and as RESIDENTS) to have several restauranteurs who live with us and are overwhelmingly generous!! I am amazed at the kindness of our residents and the heart of our community. It is so enjoyable to be around, and it definitely makes our job here much easier. We are very very blessed.

So this week I was supposed to go in and get my dental implant. I went in, got put under anasthesia which was unnecessary, but totally up to me, and I love that happy anasthesized place I get to go to once every 6 months or so. =) Anyways, during the surgery, my Dr. realized that there was not enough bone for the implant to stay in, and he ended up taking the entire thing out, doing a bone graft and having me reschedule for another 4 months from now!! GRRR. So, I have seriously had this big swollen left cheek for about 5 days. It's sweet. Really beautiful.

Well, it's 4:15 am. I cannot for the life of me fall asleep, which tends to be the case lately. No matter how tired I am. Last night, Reese came and got in bed with me, which is sooo sweet and sooo precious, but also keeps me from totally RESTING. So, on top of that, I had the longest, most odd day today... A lot of things on my mind tonight and until about Noon tomorrow, I will probably not relax. SO, it looks like I'm in for a night of random Summer Olympics, catching up on Project Runway (which I'm shockingly not as into this time around), and of course, blogging for no good reason. Cheers!

Daily Funny from Niles

Niles: "Okay, if you were saying the phrase, 'to make ends meet' how would you spell the word 'meet'?"

Me: "Meet"

Niles: "Oh. You mean it's not 'meat'? Like to make ends 'meat'... Like you're working to bring food to the table?"

Me (hand over mouth, jaw nearly hitting table, eyes starting to fill with tears of laughter); "Uh, no."

Niles: "Doesn't that make sense? Making ends to turn them into meat?"

Such is my life. =)

Hangin Tough

No, the title should not mislead you to believe I am actually attending the sacred revival of New Kids that will soon be in my area. Although, I would LOVE to!
No, I am just referring to my current status since my last blog two months ago!!

I can't believe it has been this long since I've written, but actually I can. It has been a roller coaster ride since that last blog. So much has changed. New apartment, new job, new ministry opportunities, new kitten, new friends (not to replace the old, just bringing in some new!)... Basically life is about 180 degrees from what it was at the end of May. Niles and I are now the official CARES team for our new complex. We hold parties, brunches, basically just "serve" our community in any way possible... and we LOVE it. We have a great apartment, we are meeting a ton of new people and we really are enjoying the opportunity to bring something to the table of our community. And if I am at all enticing you to follow in our stead, let me know because I would love to recruit you. =)

But there have also been a ton of changes going on around us as well, that have nothing in particular to do with us, but that are profoundly affecting our lives. All in all, when I say life has done a 180 in two months, I sincerely mean it!

So, here's what's going down lately: had our third Book Club meeting where we talked about "The Shack", which I have to say, thoroughly disappointed me!! After all the hype, I guess my expectations were set so high, there was no where to go but down. Granted, I did have to rush through it, I didn't finish it, and I didn't start it until the day before Book Club, SO... could be that circumstances may have affected my judgment. I went and saw Mamma Mia which I loved, took Reese to go see Veggie Tales with her BFF, Emma... We went to the FCDallas game where I sat 50 yards from the GLORIOUS David Beckham. I even held Reese up so she could get a good look at quite possibly, the most attractive specimen on the planet. She needs early exposure. I just don't want her to settle, ya know?! I must say, it was entirely too smoking hot outside to BE outside, but we braved the heat to watch the FCD team take down L.A. What was more enjoyable was that we got to spend time with our dear friends (who abandoned us to go live in some ridiculously barren place like an HOUR away)and their son, Reese's future sugar daddy, Carson. They are so cute together. They copy everything each other does, including running, screaming, and leaving a path of destruction in their wake. They also sat next to each other at the restaurant and fed each other from their plates. Seriously. Carson gave Reese some of his corn dog, right off the stick, and Reese would hand Carson a french fry. It reminds me of my early dating days with Niles. Except I would never give away a french fry.