tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72164416971681668522024-03-21T06:49:51.557-05:00a Creed and a PsalmThe life and times of a brand new military couple starting the journey, both into marriage and the Air Force officer world. This is the story of a love built on the Airman's Creed and Psalm 91.A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-66570145547825139332013-02-01T09:26:00.002-06:002013-02-01T09:26:54.059-06:00It's Been Awhile...but I have a good excuse!It's been a while. I know. It's awful. I have a good excuse! Promise!<br />
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Our beautiful son, Kaleb, was born on December 13, weighing just 5.11 lbs but cute as a button. Since then I've struggled to figure this mom thing out all by myself as my family is 11 hours away, and have also gone back to work. So I've been a little busy.<br />
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But I've found a new passion: blogging about the things I've learned since being a first time mom. Cloth diapering? Co-sleeping? Working? Colic? Breastfeeding? Trying to stay sane? It's all up for grabs. So I have created a new blog called If Only I Would Have Known, and I truly hope you loves will follow me over there and read about all of our daily trials and triumphs as we figure out this new world of parenting and Kaleb puts up amiably with my lack of know-how.<br />
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Thank you all so much for supporting this blog and for following me on my journey of trying to conceive - your support and comments and love have truly helped get me through some of my hardest times. I really hope you'll come check me out on my new site and support me in that venture as well.<br />
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Here's the address: <a href="http://wouldhaveknown.wordpress.com/">http://wouldhaveknown.wordpress.com/</a><br />
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Happy reading, friends :)<br />
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<br />A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-60208533604931729802012-10-25T11:31:00.003-05:002012-10-25T11:31:34.665-05:00Another Blog Fail<div style="text-align: center;">
Wow</div>
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yet another blogger fail....</div>
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I'm coming to realize I'm terrible at keeping up with this thing,</div>
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but it's hard to have the heart to let it go</div>
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since it's our whole struggle all in one place</div>
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and helps me to look back and be grateful.</div>
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I can't believe it's been almost a year since we were labeled as infertile</div>
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and now we're 8 weeks away from welcoming our baby boy into the world.</div>
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I still cry when I think about it,</div>
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mostly because I'm amazed that it happened,</div>
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but also because I still know so many people out there trying.</div>
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It's weird to be on this side of it all.</div>
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Now I know how friends of mine felt who had been in my shoes and then gotten pregnant,</div>
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how even as happy as you are you feel angry too</div>
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that other people are still struggling all around you.</div>
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It seems so unfair.</div>
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I also feel blessed though that I had that struggle,</div>
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because there hasn't been a day that I've taken this pregnancy for granted,</div>
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I'm so much slower to complain about anything pregnancy-related,</div>
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and I've taken more joy in little things than I have about anything else in my life.</div>
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I hope that I'm doing my friends proud</div>
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who are still out there praying and hoping and dreaming;</div>
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I hope that they know how much I appreciate this,</div>
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and how I still pray daily on hands and knees for them to have the same.</div>
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I've recently had two very good friends who had been trying finally learn they are pregnant,</div>
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and I'm hoping to hear of more. </div>
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This baby has been my saving grace,</div>
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my catapult back into my faith,</div>
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my determination to become a better person overall,</div>
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and the beautiful product of my marriage.</div>
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So, I continue to wait for Christmas Eve,</div>
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when our son will be born</div>
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and I'll finally hold him in my arms.</div>
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And don't worry,</div>
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the irony of his due date isn't lost on me ;) </div>
A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-10322158063815227292012-07-03T20:57:00.000-05:002012-07-03T20:57:51.130-05:00Drumroll, Please!<div style="text-align: center;">Wow everyone,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I can't believe I have been this neglectful!</div><div style="text-align: center;">I truly am sorry. </div><div style="text-align: center;">We have been swept away by so much the past few months,</div><div style="text-align: center;">it's still hard to believe.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">First of all, </div><div style="text-align: center;">BE finished his program and I finally got to pin on those beautiful silver wings.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't think I've ever been so proud of anyone in my life!</div><div style="text-align: center;">We also found out we will be a very happy B-52 family!! </div><div style="text-align: center;">I jumped up in tears when I realized that we had gotten our first choice.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am so grateful that BE worked as hard as he did through this program</div><div style="text-align: center;">so that his scores would enable us to go where we wanted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0fIoK2fwYurc7bQ92S1iufFLa45l1l6ZIzUxt7URJNyw7OlLwpDd2Q1BiyaER4RjsgrlWembJXIzHlzsWXpwetioI4u0XCTay6lDAnqARF1-auYMPjrjI7eUMah-NhZV3WDMnuO4TYM/s1600/IMG_7787-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0fIoK2fwYurc7bQ92S1iufFLa45l1l6ZIzUxt7URJNyw7OlLwpDd2Q1BiyaER4RjsgrlWembJXIzHlzsWXpwetioI4u0XCTay6lDAnqARF1-auYMPjrjI7eUMah-NhZV3WDMnuO4TYM/s320/IMG_7787-35.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Then, just this week,</div><div style="text-align: center;">we got official notification that after his training</div><div style="text-align: center;">(which will be 8 months in Shreveport, Louisiana)</div><div style="text-align: center;">we will get to stay in Shreveport at Barksdale AFB long-term</div><div style="text-align: center;">instead of getting transferred to the other B-52 base in Minot, North Dakota.</div><div style="text-align: center;">My mom cried when I told her we would be staying close!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHG5KdqJ50zNwSKHYkUsotqg8O6D3P9aNohcqu_hPoML9D2z9XHNM48N5D3GLCwUj5oQ4H5h-RtPiD5bfJDMWO6Eqy3LHZViC3tmVuOYbdVIzgwXnBsC7ebB_Rdkx1LLvr9kIWPdpSKG4/s1600/WonTheToss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHG5KdqJ50zNwSKHYkUsotqg8O6D3P9aNohcqu_hPoML9D2z9XHNM48N5D3GLCwUj5oQ4H5h-RtPiD5bfJDMWO6Eqy3LHZViC3tmVuOYbdVIzgwXnBsC7ebB_Rdkx1LLvr9kIWPdpSKG4/s320/WonTheToss.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We also had our renewal of vows ceremony,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and it was so beautiful!</div><div style="text-align: center;">It was all I ever dreamed, and so so so much more,</div><div style="text-align: center;">probably because while we had all of our family and friends there,</div><div style="text-align: center;">we got to announce that</div><div style="text-align: center;">FINALLY....</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXk7nbnnhypFM93VX7wR3FOSnJ6_cnz0ZVX7ztI7uo8ttWeK15pSPCCUkdGv87TVe6TpYfnzN8U8yNH1GW1_zucx_IOK43lkSuWePOVMTD55QBdIEutCFPN7tjbOTFQ1niFNwylQm4js/s1600/Wedding-1506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXk7nbnnhypFM93VX7wR3FOSnJ6_cnz0ZVX7ztI7uo8ttWeK15pSPCCUkdGv87TVe6TpYfnzN8U8yNH1GW1_zucx_IOK43lkSuWePOVMTD55QBdIEutCFPN7tjbOTFQ1niFNwylQm4js/s320/Wedding-1506.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">WE ARE PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I still can't believe it myself.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think we are both sincerely in shock,</div><div style="text-align: center;">mostly at just how absolutely HUGE God is</div><div style="text-align: center;">and how much more than us He knows. </div><div style="text-align: center;">We had finally gotten in to see a reproductive endocrinologist,</div><div style="text-align: center;">which was booked 4 months out for a first appointment</div><div style="text-align: center;">(ridiculous)</div><div style="text-align: center;">so we had just decided to lay all our trying aside </div><div style="text-align: center;">and fore-go all the methods our regular doctors had had us trying</div><div style="text-align: center;">and we said we would just pick back up with whatever the RE told us to do.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Then, days before our appointment,</div><div style="text-align: center;">we found out that we were pregnant. I was at work and went downstairs and had a tech draw blood for me as a favor, and sure enough, when she handed me the paper back,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I swear I expected the millionth negative result.</div><div style="text-align: center;">But there it was.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The most beautiful word I have ever seen.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Positive.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I literally fell to my knees in tears.</div><div style="text-align: center;">All I could do was sit there,</div><div style="text-align: center;">crying and praying with all my heart.</div><div style="text-align: center;">After so long,</div><div style="text-align: center;">all those tearful heartbroken months,</div><div style="text-align: center;">all those disappointing tests,</div><div style="text-align: center;">all our friends' announcements after a month or two of trying</div><div style="text-align: center;">(or not trying at all),</div><div style="text-align: center;">all those nights spent crying into the carpet,</div><div style="text-align: center;">begging God to just tell me why He wasn't making me a mother.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I was one.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To make it even more perfect than it already was,</div><div style="text-align: center;">guess when we are due?</div><div style="text-align: center;">Christmas Eve.</div><div style="text-align: center;">GOD IS GOOD. ALL THE TIME. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Sometimes I think He does it on purpose,</div><div style="text-align: center;">just to remind us of our place in the world.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And I'm so glad He knows better than I do :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFy-MfS0gmwkOl1OzNz9WEN_7bQN0zf0YRrXmy5_0Wf5V5WajmQaYckui3lBsEqIQcDYmsKhaXjMTDFfG-9EDMDX5HMWc9VdBx-Js5TNVokpRQ9509XJWQKfQbq7glQCc7dAmHyHIWzHI/s1600/Wedding-1203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFy-MfS0gmwkOl1OzNz9WEN_7bQN0zf0YRrXmy5_0Wf5V5WajmQaYckui3lBsEqIQcDYmsKhaXjMTDFfG-9EDMDX5HMWc9VdBx-Js5TNVokpRQ9509XJWQKfQbq7glQCc7dAmHyHIWzHI/s320/Wedding-1203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-89142349127781097882012-04-24T14:12:00.002-05:002012-04-24T14:12:47.572-05:00Rooms<div style="text-align: center;">
Wow, </div>
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100 posts. </div>
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I can't believe that I have shared so much of my life with all of you!</div>
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Hopes</div>
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Dreams</div>
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Fears</div>
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Sadness</div>
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Travel</div>
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Everything, really.</div>
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I am kind of overwhelmed today.</div>
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The sky is blue and cloudless and it's so nice and warm and breezy out.</div>
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We will be finding out our platform and where we will go</div>
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in 45 short days.</div>
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Our vow renewal is in a little over a month,</div>
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and we've had some very exciting news this past week</div>
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that we can't wait to hopefully share soon.</div>
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Our world is about to change,</div>
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much like it changed when we got married</div>
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when we packed up our little apartment in Auburn</div>
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when we both started our careers,</div>
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when we found the Lord,</div>
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when we got here and learned new road names.</div>
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Soon we will be learning everything all over again</div>
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and the thought is intimidating,</div>
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but exciting at the same time.</div>
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It's sad though, to realize that soon our group of friends here will all split up,</div>
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everyone will go to their separate planes and bases</div>
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and we will never be "this" group ever again.</div>
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I am reminded of my favorite episode of House, where a patient tells him,</div>
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"I'm going to base this moment on who I'm stuck in a room with.</div>
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It's what life is.</div>
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It's a series of rooms and who we get stuck in those rooms with</div>
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adds up to what our lives are."</div>
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We have loved this "room" of our life here in Pensacola.</div>
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We loved our room in Auburn.</div>
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We loved our separate rooms in Georgia and North Carolina.</div>
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And now I wonder if I will end up loving the next rooms in the same way.</div>
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Have you ever been stuck in a room with someone and had them say something so profound</div>
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it has stuck with you?</div>
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In what "rooms" have you learned the most?</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-2653737546099953952012-04-10T10:55:00.000-05:002012-04-10T10:55:42.556-05:00I Smell Barbeque<div style="text-align: center;">BE and I are hardly ever home.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I got a second job</div><div style="text-align: center;">and he's about to hit the flight line again.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And that means hardly any "us" time.</div><div style="text-align: center;">But here are some things we have done lately:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">gone to a bluegrass festival on the water</div><div style="text-align: center;">had two dozen friends over for Easter lunch</div><div style="text-align: center;">spring cleaned</div><div style="text-align: center;">spent the day on the beach</div><div style="text-align: center;"> filled out paperwork for my new reproductive endocrinologist</div><div style="text-align: center;">and tried out a new restaurant.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But these things have also happened:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">BE: "You know, it's a good thing that everything you do in the kitchen turns out this good. Otherwise, I'd have to fire you."</div><div style="text-align: center;">Me: "Oh really. And who would you get to replace me?"</div><div style="text-align: center;">BE: "...Colonel Sanders."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">singing Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love To You" in the car while parked in the garage at our house just to prove we knew all the words</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">As I'm bending down to plug in my rolling computer at work:</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Yeah, girl, you plug that thing in!!!"</div><div style="text-align: center;">*moment of embarrassment and shock*</div><div style="text-align: center;">BE: "hahaha did you think I was a patient? Please tell me you thought I was a patient!"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Turning on a romantic song in the car to try to set the mood...</div><div style="text-align: center;">BE: "Hey, do you smell barbeque? I swear I smell barbeque. They must have known I would be driving down this way!"</div><div style="text-align: center;">Me: "Remind me to not try so hard anymore, ok?"</div><div style="text-align: center;">BE: "huh?"</div><div style="text-align: center;">Me: "Just remind me."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So, needless to say, it's been fun lately.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And that's so important when you're busy.</div><div style="text-align: center;">You can be all the busy with life you want, but at the end of the day,</div><div style="text-align: center;">it's important to be busy having fun together too.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And I think we manage that quite well.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-29749188523580110442012-03-15T22:03:00.000-05:002012-03-15T22:03:31.965-05:00The Days Go By<div style="text-align: center;">It is warming up here in Pensacola</div><div style="text-align: center;">(yay!!)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately that means turning on the A/C (yep, I caved)</div><div style="text-align: center;">which means high power bills again already...</div><div style="text-align: center;">I can't believe it's March and I've lived here over a year now.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Something else hit me the other day.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Namely that we have only a few short months left before BE finds out which plane he's on,</div><div style="text-align: center;">which also determines where we move next,</div><div style="text-align: center;">which in turn determines which bases we could be at for the rest of his career.</div><div style="text-align: center;">My heart about stopped when I realized that by Christmas</div><div style="text-align: center;">we will be setting up in a new home</div><div style="text-align: center;">in a new place</div><div style="text-align: center;">in a new state.</div><div style="text-align: center;">WOW.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But you know,</div><div style="text-align: center;">that's one of the cool things about being in the military.</div><div style="text-align: center;">We will have spent our first three Christmases all in different parts of the country.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I get to decorate another house the way I like it,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I get to explore new towns,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I get to experience new climates,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I get to expand my small Southern horizons.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And that is just so darn cool.</div><div style="text-align: center;">You get to keep the friends you've made</div><div style="text-align: center;">and yet still start over fresh somewhere new.</div><div style="text-align: center;">My husband gets to feel fulfilled and do a job he loves,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and I get to experience a life I never would have otherwise if I hadn't married the Air Force.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I just know that God is brewing something amazing,</div><div style="text-align: center;">that he has already hand-picked our next assignment,</div><div style="text-align: center;">is working on piecing together our new chapter together.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And that just absolutely excites me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">What is something you find neat about the military? </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-42972205400653587592012-03-12T23:06:00.000-05:002012-03-12T23:06:11.038-05:00Engagement Session<div style="text-align: center;">I couldn't be more excited right now!!</div><div style="text-align: center;">I put up my second post on my brand new photography blog</div><div style="text-align: center;">featuring some of my favorite pictures from a shoot I did this past week</div><div style="text-align: center;">of two of BE's and my friends</div><div style="text-align: center;">who are recently engaged!</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think they turned out amazing</div><div style="text-align: center;">(if I do say so myself)</div><div style="text-align: center;">and I'm so excited to finally see the vision of what I wanted to be doing from the start</div><div style="text-align: center;">starting to slowly but surely</div><div style="text-align: center;">begin to take form.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I had so much fun,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and it just made me realize more than ever that this is something I want to stick with.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Since I am still learning,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I welcome feedback,</div><div style="text-align: center;">so please go check out my other blog and let me know what you think!!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;">(oh, and please follow me on there too!) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://alliemariephotos.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/carol-brad/">CLICK HERE!</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">:)</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-46221458265059699932012-03-05T20:49:00.000-06:002012-03-05T20:49:29.492-06:00Spring Has Sprung!<div style="text-align: center;">Ahhh</div><div style="text-align: center;">Spring air</div><div style="text-align: center;">Open windows</div><div style="text-align: center;">Short-sleeve shirts</div><div style="text-align: center;">and a puppy happily sunning himself in the yard.</div><div style="text-align: center;">All the makings of a perfect day off!</div><div style="text-align: center;">Which was much appreciated after the crazy weekend at work.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I also had a new toy</div><div style="text-align: center;">:)</div><div style="text-align: center;">I finally bought a 50mm f/1.4 portrait lens.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I saw.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I drooled at the mouth.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I debated.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I caved.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And I think I'm in love.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My poor husband and dog!</div><div style="text-align: center;">They quickly became my test subjects,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and as they rolled their eyes at me,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I happily snapped away.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am super excited about how well I am getting the feel for my lens,</div><div style="text-align: center;">because I have a dear friend coming into town tomorrow</div><div style="text-align: center;">and I get to do her engagement photos!!</div><div style="text-align: center;">I absolutely can't wait!</div><div style="text-align: center;">Knowing that that was coming up also prompted me to *finally* make myself a site</div><div style="text-align: center;">just for my photography.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm hoping it will prompt me to schedule more sessions and really get my passion off the ground</div><div style="text-align: center;">so it can grow into something more.</div><div style="text-align: center;">It intimidates me sometimes</div><div style="text-align: center;">being in a town surrounded by a multitude of established professionals,</div><div style="text-align: center;">many of whom are my friends.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't want to go asking them a ton of questions</div><div style="text-align: center;">because I feel like I'm being a bother,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and I don't want them to feel like I'm trying to sink into their market.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Right now my focus is to photograph as many people as I can</div><div style="text-align: center;">so I can get the feel for my camera,</div><div style="text-align: center;">get the feel for directing people,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and get the feel for how this whole thing works.</div><div style="text-align: center;">But I'm enjoying it so far :)</div><div style="text-align: center;">I love being a nurse,</div><div style="text-align: center;">but photography has become a great release for me on my off days</div><div style="text-align: center;">to help me get rid of all the stress I accumulated </div><div style="text-align: center;">from being in such a high-flow environment all week.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Other than that, things are going great here.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The weather is perking up</div><div style="text-align: center;">and life is good :)</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'd like to invite you to go see the first Spring post on my photography page:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://alliemariephotos.wordpress.com/">HERE</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">and let me know what you think!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-81029203923205495252012-02-26T21:03:00.000-06:002012-02-26T21:03:53.674-06:00Special People Deserve Special Somethings<div style="text-align: center;">Hey everybody :)</div><div style="text-align: center;">I hope the weekend has left you as rested and refreshed as it has us!!</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think any time I looked over at BE with my typical,</div><div style="text-align: center;">"so....what do we do now?" look,</div><div style="text-align: center;">he promptly replied,</div><div style="text-align: center;">"um...naptime!!"</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sometimes between him and the dog I wonder if I really need a kid ;)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Anyway,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I come to you with a special request.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I mentioned this wonderful family back when I first had my blog,</div><div style="text-align: center;">but now that I have so many more amazing fans,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I figured I would re-spread the word!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Meet the Prowse family.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC81kNsjh41b2B6ULQrdqo4bJs8-ohckNQdqpS3qNX0FbyTlNSQsYos-OtyUTC1zWKAbIhwKQ7uDAkLp2V0AKKjeNADl6UBhd6J2s5ItzEl9TrUOVLCtFbaTkr79DafZ9_rFCZJhz4dM/s1600/adoptfampic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC81kNsjh41b2B6ULQrdqo4bJs8-ohckNQdqpS3qNX0FbyTlNSQsYos-OtyUTC1zWKAbIhwKQ7uDAkLp2V0AKKjeNADl6UBhd6J2s5ItzEl9TrUOVLCtFbaTkr79DafZ9_rFCZJhz4dM/s320/adoptfampic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">They are dear friends of ours (a.k.a. Brinn kept me sane while our husbands were at OTS</div><div style="text-align: center;">and Blandon kept BE sane, and then there's Harper, who is just plain handsome)</div><div style="text-align: center;">and they have the most beautiful family.</div><div style="text-align: center;">But after a long trial with secondary infertility,</div><div style="text-align: center;">they decided to venture into the world of adoption.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Now, they are done with their application paperwork,</div><div style="text-align: center;">AND THEY NEED YOUR HELP!! </div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't usually post things like this, </div><div style="text-align: center;">so you should know how special they are.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Brinn and Blandon are truly one of the sweetest, most loving, most optimistic, and just plain good-hearted couples we know.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Go read their story</div><div style="text-align: center;">(disclaimer: you WILL need tissues)</div><div style="text-align: center;">and please contact them if you think you can help them</div><div style="text-align: center;">or even if you just want to throw some words of encouragement or prayers their way!</div><div style="text-align: center;">Visit them <a href="http://www.prowsehouseadopts.blogspot.com/2012/02/we-need-your-help.html">HERE</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">ok...now GO!! :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-45020428132745639472012-02-25T10:56:00.000-06:002012-02-25T10:56:17.025-06:00An Ode To Fitting In<div style="text-align: center;">This will be a slightly rant-tastic post.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Mostly because I clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Or maybe because I worked six 14-hour shifts this past week.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Or maybe because I'm just frustrated today.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't know.</div><div style="text-align: center;">But whatever the reason,</div><div style="text-align: center;">be warned.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Today I really hate it that I can't get pregnant.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I know I talk about this all the time,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and I know this makes me a whiny person.</div><div style="text-align: center;">But today, I'm just mad at the world.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have seven friends who have already had babies this year,</div><div style="text-align: center;">four more who have announced their happy news all over facebook in the past week,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and five more who are expecting in the next few months.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am literally surrounded by everyone's happiness but my own.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And it's crushing.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I want to delete my facebook,</div><div style="text-align: center;">just so I don't delete every friend anyway because I'm sick of seeing their hourly baby pictures</div><div style="text-align: center;">or hourly status updates.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am so sick of failing every single month.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Failing as a woman.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Failing as a wife.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Failing to myself.</div><div style="text-align: center;">For something I can't even control.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Being a military wife makes it even worse,</div><div style="text-align: center;">because you literally don't fit in unless you have a young child.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Our spouse's group online is pretty much just there so people can coordinate playdates</div><div style="text-align: center;">or ask advice of other moms.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Even our adult bible studies that we used to love</div><div style="text-align: center;">are now just playdates for toddlers</div><div style="text-align: center;">or forums for everyone else to talk about how great being a parent is.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Gee, I wish I could contribute to those conversations.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh wait. We can't.</div><div style="text-align: center;">So we just sit, and listen, and feel as out of place as we are. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I get asked at my job daily whether I have children,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and honestly I'm sick of responding with,</div><div style="text-align: center;">"no, but it's not for lack of trying".</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I thought I had gotten over this.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I thought I had come to some kind of peace with it when we hit the year mark.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I guess I didn't.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm bitter.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm angry.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm sad.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm jealous.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm resentful.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And I feel like an outcast.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> If someone tells me they are pregnant, my first instinct is to practically shut them out of my life</div><div style="text-align: center;">just so I don't have to live with the daily reminders that everyone else's body seems to function like it should.</div><div style="text-align: center;">When you say, "Being a mother is the best job in the world!"</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think, "I'm sure it is - I wish I knew."</div><div style="text-align: center;">When you say, "I love seeing my husband with our son!"</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think, "My husband should have married someone who could have given him a son."</div><div style="text-align: center;">When you say, "One day it will happen for you!"</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think, "How in the world can you possibly know that?"</div><div style="text-align: center;">When you say, "It's only been a little over a year, you know."</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think, "Obviously you didn't know this pain for a year or you wouldn't say that."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm happy for other people,</div><div style="text-align: center;">but at the same time, I'm hurting so much for myself.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I know it's selfish.</div><div style="text-align: center;">But some months, it just sucks.</div><div style="text-align: center;">This is one of them.</div><div style="text-align: center;">This month, I realized that I didn't even allow myself to think I could be pregnant.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I just went and bought pads and tampons,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and prepared myself for Aunt Flo's monthly visit.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I realized this month that I don't even think it can happen for me.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't know how people do it,</div><div style="text-align: center;">who actively try for years and years</div><div style="text-align: center;">and live with this disappointment</div><div style="text-align: center;">and don't go insane.</div><div style="text-align: center;">We're barely over a year of trying and I feel like a shattered vase some amateur glued back together,</div><div style="text-align: center;">that is just waiting to fall back into a million pieces again.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I want it so bad.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I crumble to the floor in tears whenever I realize that I have no control over this,</div><div style="text-align: center;">that my greatest dream,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the only desire I have for my life here on earth,</div><div style="text-align: center;">may never come true</div><div style="text-align: center;">and there's nothing I can do about it.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I feel trapped</div><div style="text-align: center;">and helpless,</div><div style="text-align: center;">while I watch 70% of the world around me experience what I may never know.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have dreams about being pregnant so real I wake up and reach for my belly.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm sorry for the rant.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm sure my husband is sick of hearing me say all of this at least once a week,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and there aren't any other friends going through the same thing I can talk to.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Everyone we were trying with this past year got pregnant.</div><div style="text-align: center;">So all I have left is a random rant on a blog every once in a while.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Plus, it's my party and I can cry if I want to, right?</div><div style="text-align: center;">I just hate living in a world of constantly having to put on a smile</div><div style="text-align: center;">and be super happy for everyone else,</div><div style="text-align: center;">when I'm drained inside.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I just want to know how it feels</div><div style="text-align: center;">to not be empty. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-22272124487678209052012-02-13T17:27:00.000-06:002012-02-13T17:27:28.525-06:00Brick By Brick<div align="center">How good it feels to write again with a light heart.</div><div align="center"> In short, things have gotten better.</div><div align="center">Much better.</div><div align="center">Both of us have come to terms with the fact that we are making a choice,</div><div align="center">a choice to fight.</div><div align="center">My choice to not believe him when he said he wasn't in love,</div><div align="center">his choice to forgive things from the past,</div><div align="center">our mutual choice to decide this wouldn't be the end.</div><div align="center">Because you see,</div><div align="center">it can't end.</div><div align="center">In my moments of the whitest-hot anger,</div><div align="center">when all I heard ringing in my ears were all the voices saying,</div><div align="center"> "you don't deserve this, you should leave,</div><div align="center">he says this or he says that,</div><div align="center">you need to just give up"</div><div align="center">it seemed easy to accept the worldview that says that it's ok to stop wanting your marriage to work,</div><div align="center"> that it's ok to no longer pray "God, please keep us together, please restore our love"</div><div align="center">and instead pray, "whatever happens happens".</div><div align="center">No!</div><div align="center">It's not "whatever happens happens."</div><div align="center">Don't you see?</div><div align="center">It CAN'T be.</div><div align="center"> No matter how much you're hurt,</div><div align="center">no matter how easily you could imagine yourself with a new life,</div><div align="center">no matter what angry words are said,</div><div align="center">no matter what everyone around you says,</div><div align="center">it's your MARRIAGE.</div><div align="center">And everywhere I looked </div><div align="center">trying to justify myself if I gave up and stopped hoping for it to work out,</div><div align="center">I only found scripture telling me I was wrong.</div><div align="center">It's painful when you've blamed the other person the whole time</div><div align="center">and then realize that you had faults too.</div><div align="center">Me?? Have contributed to this?? No way!</div><div align="center">Yes way.</div><div align="center">It's painful.</div><div align="center">But it's true.</div><div align="center">And once I was done licking my wounds,</div><div align="center">I realized that I had no justification to quit on my marriage.</div><div align="center">God wasn't going to back me up later.</div><div align="center">God wasn't going to look at me and say,</div><div align="center">"You know, I would have done the same thing. He was being so mean to you! You were such a strong woman to go be on your own and start over like that, and just kick that jerk to the curb!"</div><div align="center">I would get no pat on the back from my Father.</div><div align="center">In fact,</div><div align="center">I don't think I could have ever lived enough good deeds to justify the fact that I, a human,</div><div align="center">had help destroy something God had put together.</div><div align="center">"Let no man put asunder..."</div><div align="center">And I realized, as hurt as I was,</div><div align="center">I still love that man.</div><div align="center">And I know he still loves me.</div><div align="center">And I've seen so many amazing changes over the past few weeks;</div><div align="center">I have watched our love shine through the fog,</div><div align="center">I have seen a miracle.</div><div align="center">We hold hands again,</div><div align="center">we help each other around the house,</div><div align="center">we find ourselves fighting to make the other coffee in the mornings,</div><div align="center">even when we otherwise could have slept in.</div><div align="center">He winks at me across the table at dinner,</div><div align="center">I watch his stupid movies.</div><div align="center">I write love notes in dry erase marker on his side of the sink,</div><div align="center">and he makes me dinner on nights I work late unexpectedly.</div><div align="center">GOD MAKES ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL.</div><div align="center">My faith sometimes stumbles.</div><div align="center">I am not a perfect person.</div><div align="center">But I am working toward a perfect relationship with the One who has given me everything.</div><div align="center">And it is restoring my soul.</div><div align="center">Brick</div><div align="center">By</div><div align="center">Brick.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">"Though one may be overpowered,</div><div align="center">two can defend themselves.</div><div align="center">A CORD OF THREE STRANDS </div><div align="center">IS NOT QUICKLY BROKEN."</div><div align="center">Ecclesiastes 4:12</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-40078232126154153102012-01-28T12:01:00.001-06:002012-01-28T12:02:43.748-06:00The Trick Is...<div style="text-align: center;">So I've learned a little trick about marriage recently.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's loving an imperfect person...perfectly.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And it goes both ways,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> this imperfection.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> In the past month we have had to confront our imperfections</div><div style="text-align: center;">both as individuals as well as a couple,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and it brought out the worst in both of us.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We were intolerant,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> unforgiving,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> resentful,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> scathing,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and unhappy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Soon that unhappiness that we couldn't place</div><div style="text-align: center;"> turned into a panic to escape it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The D-word was thrown out</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and our world spiraled faster than either of us saw coming.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We were watching, star-struck,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> as our marriage started to crumble.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We did things purposefully to hurt each other,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> we said things meant to cut to the bone,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> we both emotionally checked out.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And now we're busy trying to put the pieces back together.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The stress of trying for kids,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> the stress of our jobs,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> the stress of his schedule,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> it was all just too much.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So we've stopped trying.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We also have cancelled the wedding,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> which broke my heart,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but I know it's for the best</div><div style="text-align: center;"> so we can concentrate on us as a couple,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> on what we are going to do to fall back in love again.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Because the D-word should never enter a marriage;</div><div style="text-align: center;"> it's like a black fog that comes in and covers everything</div><div style="text-align: center;"> clouds the mind</div><div style="text-align: center;"> places blame</div><div style="text-align: center;"> makes you lose all that beautiful white fairy-tale love that brought you together</div><div style="text-align: center;">makes you lose sight of the big picture.<br />
We have kept this very private,<br />
and intend to keep it that way.<br />
But I wanted everyone to know that I hadn't disappeared,<br />
and I feel like this will be an amazing testimony in the end.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> But God is working at clearing the fog.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I haven't stopped praying since it all began.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sometimes I got bitter,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> that me, the "baby Christian", was having to carry all the weight of trying to pray our marriage out of this on my own.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But now I realize it's the best thing that ever happened to me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> God has entered my life and my heart like I had always wished He would do.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> For the first time in my life, I FEEL Him. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> Deep down.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And know he's there, influencing everything, protecting me, giving me grace.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> This weekend we are going on a weekend-long date,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> getting out of the house for a while</div><div style="text-align: center;"> so we can talk on neutral ground.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Things have been great the past few days,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but we need some "us" time.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Time to watch those awful papers finally leave the kitchen table</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and go up in flames where they belong.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "REJOICE EVERMORE.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD IN JESUS CHRIST</div><div style="text-align: center;"> FOR </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <u>YOU</u>."</div><div style="text-align: center;"> 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-22552314286031386422012-01-09T22:22:00.000-06:002012-01-09T22:22:56.464-06:00One Step Forward<div style="text-align: center;">Sometimes</div><div style="text-align: center;"> in love, in careers, in life,</div><div style="text-align: center;">things get hard.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Lately we have gone through a rough patch</div><div style="text-align: center;">and it hasn't been easy getting out of it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I finally got health insurance through my work,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and could finally go to an OB/GYN of my choosing.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> After telling him our whole story</div><div style="text-align: center;"> he labeled me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The one word I have been terrified of hearing for all this time,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> the one I had so much hope I could avoid,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> the one I never wanted to associate with myself.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Infertile.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> BE couldn't be with me because of his classes,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> so when I came home I told him about the Clomid prescription they've put me on</div><div style="text-align: center;"> the tests they want run,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> the samples they want from us both,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> other treatments that may come down the road.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But with all the medical jargon,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> some lines got crossed,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and we had a big misunderstanding</div><div style="text-align: center;"> about when things would be done</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and how much they would cost,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and it created a sudden fissure in our relationship</div><div style="text-align: center;"> that very nearly destroyed it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And may I be the first to say,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> that infertility is one of the worst words you can hear</div><div style="text-align: center;"> when you're not rich.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Because that word alone means money will have to be put out somewhere down the line.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> A lot of money.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's scary.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The huge-ness of what this diagnosis could become.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Fortunately we were able to dig our way out of the darkness</div><div style="text-align: center;">and remind ourselves why we decided to do this in the first place.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Remind ourselves that we are a couple first,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> that our marriage is more important than anything,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and that we need to get better at communicating.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> This is something we want so badly,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> to be a family,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but it's stressful.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'm hopeful for the Clomid,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> mostly because I'm just trying to stay hopeful.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Hoping I can still do this myself</div><div style="text-align: center;"> without crazy interventions</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and test after test.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> My new doctor is wonderful,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> caring and willing to undertake this challenge with us,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> even willing to refer us to a reproductive endocrinologist if the Clomid doesn't work.</div><div style="text-align: center;">It has made us confront the difficult questions:</div><div style="text-align: center;"> just how far do we take this?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Do we eventually talk about IVF,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> or do we say enough is enough</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and look into adoption?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Those questions fortunately won't have to be answered for a long time,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but at least we have talked about them.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We're also still planning our renewal of vows ceremony,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I had a car wreck the other day so now we have to have those repairs done,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'm interviewing for a second job so we can save some,</div><div style="text-align: center;">paying college loans,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and now wading through this new course of action with getting pregnant.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's a lot,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but I'm heading into it all with high hopes,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> a light heart,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and a renewed drive.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We will figure out our way through this</div><div style="text-align: center;"> with smiles on our faces</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and happiness in our hearts.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Five friends have had children this month,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and two more will within the next week.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'm trying not to be as sensitive about it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Mostly because it's too exhausting.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But nothing changes the fact that I wish I could know how it feels to be pregnant.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Maybe within these next 6 months</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I will come to know </div><div style="text-align: center;"> :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-71508664014573243672012-01-01T14:14:00.000-06:002012-01-01T14:14:02.635-06:00The Year of Miracles<div style="text-align: justify;">Christmas was hard for us. The end of November came and went with no visit from Aunt Flo, and needless to say we were getting pretty excited. I probably jumped the gun a little and started imagining all the fun ways we could tell family when we traveled around for the holidays (how perfect, right?) I could see my whole family gathered in my grandparents' living room, all holding identical boxes that I would make them wait to open until the suspense had properly built up. I watched myself grab the camera to catch every second of their reactions when they opened them to see the little cards I had placed inside that read, "You're going to be a Nana/Grandpa/Great-grandma/Pop-Pop/Uncle!" I could see the tears, the hugs, everything. But instead, Christmas just happened like every other Christmas happens, with no mention of the fact that despite being two weeks late, I had started just before we began our trip. No mention that there was almost a baby. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The end of the year marked a huge space in time for me - an entire year done and gone and still we are a couple, and not a family. We got invited somewhere for New Year's Eve, but declined to go once we knew that one of the very pregnant girls in our group was going to be there. Not exactly how I wanted to ring in the New Year, staring at someone else's about-to-burst belly. I feel like 2011 passed me by. I got my RN and a job, but other than that, nothing happened. I see peoples' statuses on Facebook talking about all the amazing things that happened to them last year, most of which included babies, and it tears me apart. For the most part, I try to be happy and positive and light about the situation, and I think that's why it always upsets me when I have a down day and I get jumped on for it. Everyone is so quick to remind me of what I do have and the blessings I've been given, as if I don't already know that stuff. It's not that I don't think I'm blessed at all, or that I'm complaining about what I have been given, like a loving husband and a good job, I'm simply saying that it's frustrating, it's tiring, it's saddening to want to complete your family and to have been trying this long and there is still no end in sight, no answers on the table, no way to know if it will ever happen for us. I don't feel like I'm wrong to get down about it once in a while. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> This past year, all I've heard is, "Don't worry, it will happen for you soon!" from women as they bounce their toddler on their hip, "God's timing is perfect!" from unmarried young mothers, and, "You know, it will happen right when you stop thinking about it," from women who either got pregnant the first few months of "trying" or have five kids racing circles around the house. I just agree for the sake of not starting an argument and roll my eyes when I turn away. Cliche phrases do nothing to comfort someone whose heart is broken. I know people mean well most of the time, but these days I almost wish I could just lock myself in my house and avoid the whole pregnant world. Like the other day when I saw an EMS worker come into my hospital who had told me a few weeks ago that she couldn't go into a certain patient's room because she was pregnant. I went up to her and asked her how the pregnancy was going and how she was feeling, and she promptly replied, "Oh, I'm not pregnant. My boyfriend and I just decided we didn't want a baby anymore, so I just went and had the surgery and got rid of it." As if that was the obvious thing to do. All I could say was, "Oh" before I had to leave the room to avoid crying in front of all my coworkers. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyone who has ever tried for a baby can tell you that once it's rooted somewhere deep down in your brain, and the motherly instinct has kicked in, you can't NOT think about it anymore. You can't NOT try. Even in a spontaneous moment, when your actions weren't driven by a baby-making agenda or a thermometer on the bedside table, afterwards the thought always is there - "maybe that time was it..." It might not always be your conscious thought, but it's always there, somewhere. I bought my own health insurance through my job just so I could go find a doctor who will actually run a test or at least try to figure out why this year has gone by with no luck. I have an appointment with a new OB/GYN on the 3rd, and I'm just praying that this one is proactive. We also requested a packet of information from an adoption agency, even though I'm hesitant to send it in. My only motivator is that I know how long that process, too, will take. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm hopeful for 2012. So many times passed this year that would have been "perfect" if I could have gotten pregnant - now we get into the territory where my husband's future deployments are inching closer and closer and family members are getting sicker and sicker. I hope that this is the year when we find out we will be more than just a man, his wife, and their dog. I hope that this is the year when all of our prayers get answered and we realize that there was some purpose to all of this heartache. I hope that this is the year when I will know what it feels like to be a mother, to have something greater than myself to live for. I hope that this is the year when our lives change and we finally weep with joy instead of defeat. I hope that this is the year of miracles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-38584506610726846042011-12-11T22:27:00.000-06:002011-12-11T22:27:08.647-06:00Have You Thanked Someone Today?<div style="text-align: center;">Today, I saw a police officer eating lunch alone.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And it made me realize just how many unsung heroes there are in our communities.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> My husband gets thanked often,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> asked about his service. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> I have had countless military friends have hands shaken,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> meals anonymously paid for,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> favors done in kind.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But I have never seen anyone walk over to a police officer</div><div style="text-align: center;"> or a fireman</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and ask them about what led them to their job,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> or thank them for their service.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'm not saying that no one does,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but I feel like in military towns sometimes other public servants go somewhat unnoticed.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sometimes it's harder to tell,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> like with teachers,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> or nurses, </div><div style="text-align: center;"> or childcare workers,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> who wear normal clothes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But I have decided that I am going to make a point this season</div><div style="text-align: center;"> to thank someone that I think may never have been thanked before.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Take a plate of cookies to my local volunteer fire station,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> pay for a police officer's meal,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> tell my friends who are teachers that I don't know how they do what they do</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and keep their sanity</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (because I don't).</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Your local EMS?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> They've probably saved the life of someone you know.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Your garbage man/woman?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Does a job you wouldn't want to do, thanklessly.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Your mail carrier? </div><div style="text-align: center;"> Would probably love a Christmas card this year.</div><div style="text-align: center;">A waitress?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Only makes about $2.00 an hour, and literally relies on tips to make ends meet</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (and I know this because I waited tables for 8 years for people who thought we at least make minimum wage...we wish!!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So, the moral of this story is,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> while you're in the holiday spirit</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and sending out checks and donations left and right to charities,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and buying tons of presents for people you know,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> do something small for someone who goes largely unrecognized in your community,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> whomever you think that may be.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I promise, they will appreciate it</div><div style="text-align: center;"> more than you realize.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Imagine the joy you could bring,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> just by doing something simple!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So, I challenge you:</div><div style="text-align: center;"> GO OUT THIS WEEK AND DO SOMETHING NICE</div><div style="text-align: center;"> FOR SOMEONE YOU NORMALLY WOULDN'T THINK OF,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and then post about it!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Link up below this week to the post talking about your random act of kindness,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and we can all have fun reading how we have enriched lives.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And really,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> isn't that what Christmas is about anyway?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> :)</div><br />
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</script>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-33551226425231738012011-12-02T13:51:00.000-06:002011-12-02T13:51:04.754-06:00Hello, World. I Have Arrived!<div style="text-align: center;">I am super excited to announce that my Etsy shop is open for business!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I got my first three photographs stretched onto canvas</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and now my babies are spreading their wings!! (so to speak lol)</div><div style="text-align: center;">So go check me out at: </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LivingLens">The Living Lens</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">and tell your friends about it! </div><div style="text-align: center;">If I get good feedback on my shop I will start adding more.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I really want to see some of my Blue Angels photos on canvas too.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> For right now I'm just excited to be up and running!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> This is the beginning of a dream I've had in my head for a long time.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Being only an amateur photographer</div><div style="text-align: center;"> it's a dream I never thought I would see come true. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> So it might only be a start,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but that's just the point -</div><div style="text-align: center;">it's a start.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> :)</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-37445606343396266422011-11-27T22:01:00.000-06:002011-11-27T22:01:46.034-06:00"Thanksgiving is over! Christmas is now!"<div style="text-align: center;">To preface the title of this post,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> the hubs and I had a funny moment the other night.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I asked him to put up THE TREE.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> To which he, as always, rolled his eyes and whined.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> You know, like men do.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Since men don't understand women's obsessions with things</div><div style="text-align: center;">(like Christmas).</div><div style="text-align: center;">After much convincing, he proceeded to comment that,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "Thanksgiving was just yesterday, though."</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and to which I replied,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "Thanksgiving is over! Christmas is now!"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Needless to say, our tree is assembled in the corner</div><div style="text-align: center;"> glowing in Christmas beauty as we speak.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> lol</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Got some bad news this week.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Apparently the place we picked to have our wedding ceremony in Atlanta,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> which overlooks Piedmont Park,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> will be on the road that will be shut down on our wedding date</div><div style="text-align: center;"> during the exact hours of our ceremony...</div><div style="text-align: center;"> for a Red Bull soap box derby.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Which means thousands of drunk idiots all over the park</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (where we were going to take pictures)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> being loud and obnoxious and probably being the reason my whole family won't find our wedding location because they are all out-of-towners and roads will be closed.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Honestly, I'm worried that we won't even be able to hear ourselves think.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Of course our coordinator waited to call and tell me the news</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "so as not to ruin our holiday".</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Awesome.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Good thing we already bought all of our save the dates.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> With the date on them.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And the venue.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And they shipped.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And they're already in envelopes at my house.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Seriously?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So now I don't really know what to do.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Grin and bear it?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Hope it's not that bad?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Because I can't really change the date thanks as always to the lovely Air Force,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and I can't really change the location because it's printed on 200 paid-for save the dates.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Advice?</div><div style="text-align: center;">What would you do?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Also, I'm entering this picture on </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.andthen-shesnapped.com/search/label/show%20%7Boff%7D">and then, she {snapped}'s blog</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">on the show-off page!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I just ordered this picture as a canvas to become my first shop item on Etsy!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'm super excited about this.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I plan to sell a whole line of canvasses of different door-knobs,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> because I'm weird and they're my photography obsession.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I hope there are other people out there who like door-knobs lol.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Have a great week everyone!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJVCwq1rijBuUlTc6Gbg7zU5d-F6RgqKvzFbQ3P8p4u2P2BDvvHh5DaYDBzoGlw4LJ-7VUSVUOQj99bwDOiLFFKYkwDMrkWjovJLfvYMeV5yocWwaYLKywsGKcI6cChBRdBqbQdLRRmo/s1600/lighthouse+front+door+handle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJVCwq1rijBuUlTc6Gbg7zU5d-F6RgqKvzFbQ3P8p4u2P2BDvvHh5DaYDBzoGlw4LJ-7VUSVUOQj99bwDOiLFFKYkwDMrkWjovJLfvYMeV5yocWwaYLKywsGKcI6cChBRdBqbQdLRRmo/s640/lighthouse+front+door+handle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
<center><a href="http://andthen-shesnapped.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="and then, she {snapped}" src="http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j52/drexgal/and%20then%20she%20snapped/showoffbutton.jpg" /></a></center>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-5306317995743318202011-11-17T22:29:00.000-06:002011-11-17T22:29:31.097-06:00Life As A Nurse<div style="text-align: center;">I feel terrible that my updates are so sporadic these days,</div><div style="text-align: center;">but work has been taking up all my time!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Today ended my first week off of orientation,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and I'll tell you what:</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Big Girl Panties are scary.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I had that shift last week,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> you know,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> the one that might as well have had Murphy's Law stamped in bright red all over it?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Everything went wrong,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I ran around all day and night</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and didn't even realize I hadn't stopped to pee once since 6 a.m.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I should have just inserted my own catheter.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Hauling the bag around would have been easier.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> But then, I had one patient,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and as he stood there telling me about how much his necessary medications cost,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and how hard it is for him, </div><div style="text-align: center;"> I had my first "ah-ha" moment as a nurse.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I was TRULY listening to him.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Not just HEARING him.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Really taking to heart what he was saying,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> feeling my heart break for him as he looked so defeated by the system,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and so I sat.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Even though I was busy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I just sat, facing him, and I listened.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And it really opened my heart. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> I was reminded of a verse:</div><div style="text-align: center;"> James 1:19 "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> slow to speak, and slow to anger."</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I was so frustrated by the shift, </div><div style="text-align: center;">by feeling like I just couldn't get caught up to save my life,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but in that moment I began to pray all of that away.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And I listened.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I heard not only the words my patient was speaking, but WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO SAY.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And as I left later, he looked at me and said,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "You know, I've had lots of fine nurses, but you've been one of the best."</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Talk about a heart bursting.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Bursting with appreciation that for that shift, I had gotten that opportunity,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and that God had given me ears to listen.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Wishing that I could solve all the problems of every person in the world,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and having the knowledge to realize that I can't.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But also to realize what I CAN do.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And that's be more than just a waitress with a fancy title,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> more than just a medicine machine,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> more than just that girl who pops her head in every once in a while.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can be an example.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can be a picture of how a Christian woman should be.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can be the one person who truly cares,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and takes the time to do as much as I can about it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can be the person who knows my patients backwards and forwards</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and advocates for their best interests,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> even when the day has been long and I'm already behind.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can be the one who sits with them when they are scared and tells dumb jokes when they need a laugh,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> explain things to them instead of telling them it's "because the doctor says you need it,"</div><div style="text-align: center;"> the one who makes things right by them.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can be what it truly means to be a Nurse.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And if I can be that,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> no matter how stressful my week was,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I consider it a complete and total success.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-50781526740219595322011-11-10T14:07:00.000-06:002011-11-10T14:07:00.111-06:00Lots of Exciting Announcements!<div style="text-align: center;">Hello fellow bloggers!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So much has been happening in my life lately!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It makes me kind of tired just thinking about it :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But it's all good and exciting stuff,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> so I guess I'll let it slide.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Just this once.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> For starters,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I said YES to a dress!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I got to go shopping in Atlanta</div><div style="text-align: center;"> with my mom and my brother's girlfriend</div><div style="text-align: center;"> last weekend,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and boom!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> There it was.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's so unique and simple and lovely,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can't stop staring at it!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Since the hubs doesn't read the blog,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can show you guys :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27BINrs67AWZqH0kea3cVyvh8P3MD9zNtLQ0SiYWSOAlFCsg_SjhzAkeTu75MaQQD8It1UwCxnItCcMv6SCV-U-wr8NiOAGdWW36y9_6_whJwnozy6Mqctzmi1aIsR1wSEOyg-Mf2l0c/s1600/IMAG1004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27BINrs67AWZqH0kea3cVyvh8P3MD9zNtLQ0SiYWSOAlFCsg_SjhzAkeTu75MaQQD8It1UwCxnItCcMv6SCV-U-wr8NiOAGdWW36y9_6_whJwnozy6Mqctzmi1aIsR1wSEOyg-Mf2l0c/s320/IMAG1004.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtTlT0y3aPG3PkyWQ0PU6d83r0RjCs_mOkqbTlLxWFzuI8ypuiaXpB17NaufSbKE42huCu3Ue6rHAg_zVlzGbWH8TQ3n9ZIV-_Y2uAHwhVM6wJ-m-btwF4nNFzvfol9VR1jG_h6i32vE/s1600/IMAG1006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtTlT0y3aPG3PkyWQ0PU6d83r0RjCs_mOkqbTlLxWFzuI8ypuiaXpB17NaufSbKE42huCu3Ue6rHAg_zVlzGbWH8TQ3n9ZIV-_Y2uAHwhVM6wJ-m-btwF4nNFzvfol9VR1jG_h6i32vE/s320/IMAG1006.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Another exciting piece of news is that I am now officially a</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://bravotangotees.com/">Bravo Tango Tees Affiliate!!</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Go check out their website by clicking on the link on the side of my page.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Another link will shortly be posted to my Facebook page.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> There is a Veterans Day Sale going on if you buy from me</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and use the code VETS</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://www.bravotangoaffiliates.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=106_0_1_8" target="_blank"><img alt="Bravo Tango Tees - Veterans' Day Sale " border="0" height="500" src="http://www.bravotangoaffiliates.com/idevaffiliate/banners/vets-day.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">or use <a href="http://www.bravotangoaffiliates.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=106">THIS LINK</a> to buy from me!</div><div style="text-align: center;">I LOVE their shirts, and they make great gifts for military friends and family!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> They also have some great motivational shirts on the site as well!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Check them out!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> My Etsy shop</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "The Living Lens"</div><div style="text-align: center;"> will also be up later in the month!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I am in the process of getting my first group of items together</div><div style="text-align: center;"> before I list them.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I am so excited!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I will be selling some of my own photography stretched onto canvas,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> hand-painted canvasses with Bible verses on them,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and even some custom canvas work for your photography!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> My dream is to take peoples' wedding pictures and superimpose their vows into the background <3</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> My husband has started his next phase of training,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and nursing is taking me away from home for a few days each week,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but it's been amazing and busy and wonderful</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and I'm thankful for it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> BE and I also want to send out a huge thank you to all the Marines out there today,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> as they celebrate the birthday of the Marine Corps!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Thank you men/women, and your families, for all you do!!</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-75564164698968299922011-11-02T20:09:00.000-05:002011-11-02T20:09:31.653-05:00Help!! Blogger In Technicality-Induced Distress!!<div style="text-align: center;">I am losing hair.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Literally AND metaphorically.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Wanna know why?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> ETSY.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I am drowning in a sea of legal know-how</div><div style="text-align: center;"> that I don't have a clue how-to.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> A few days ago I had some friends look through my photos</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and mention that I should try to blow some up and sell them.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I laughed.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Then I considered.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And now I'm committed.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can see some of my beach scenes above fireplaces,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and Blue Angels pics posted on some little boy's bedroom wall.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So I'm going to transfer some of them to canvas</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and try to share with the world a little passion of mine.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But I'm not very Etsy-savvy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And therein lies my problem.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Because, </div><div style="text-align: center;"> as with EVERYTHING in this world,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's not "just that easy".</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> In short, I want to get all the legal mumbo-jumbo done</div><div style="text-align: center;"> before I create the actual shop.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But what all do I actually need?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's just me, in my living room,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> printing pictures onto canvas.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> That's it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> No employees</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (the dog works for treats)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and no real workspace.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Here are things I've been told I need:</div><div style="text-align: center;"> a Florida business license</div><div style="text-align: center;"> a Business Tax Receipt (BTR)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> a DBA</div><div style="text-align: center;"> a "fictitious name" (not sure if that's the same as a DBA)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> an EIN</div><div style="text-align: center;"> a Sales and Tax Exemption Number</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and something for Income Tax.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> You've got to be kidding me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I have NO CLUE what all this stuff means,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> or even if I really need it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I just don't want the Law coming knocking at my door</div><div style="text-align: center;"> ready to take me away in handcuffs because I forgot some form.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So, Etsy loves,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> help??!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> If anyone knows anything about any of this,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> please please please shed some light for me!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Either respond here or email me at</div><div style="text-align: center;"> acreedandapsalm@gmail.com</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I will love you FOREVER.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sincerely,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> your business illiterate friend,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Me :)</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-64825012134212181832011-10-27T21:39:00.000-05:002011-10-27T21:39:47.577-05:00As Time Goes By (a.k.a. I'm A Slacker)<div style="text-align: center;">I'm a bloggy slacker.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So, to the blogosphere,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'm Sorry!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I started my new job</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (YAY)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and so that has been taking up a lot of time</div><div style="text-align: center;"> with orientation</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and then actually being on the floor (eek!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but it's nice to finally be a "Real Nurse"</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (which is what I'm convinced RN really stands for lol)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> even though a lot of days </div><div style="text-align: center;"> I forget that I'm not a student anymore.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I had a patient who found out I was married to the Air Force,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and from then on every time I walked into the room he would raise an eyebrow and say,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "Oh, look. Fly Boy's wife is back"</div><div style="text-align: center;"> LOL</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Made me chuckle.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Things with the wedding have been going well - </div><div style="text-align: center;"> I have kind of a dilemma though.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I have a very good friend from college,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> who I had originally asked to be in the wedding last year,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but she disappeared off the face of the earth a few months ago,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and I figured we were at odds over something I was unaware of.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I tried to re-establish contact, with no luck.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I shrugged, and moved on.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Suddenly, she contacted me out of the blue today.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Problem herein lies,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> that I planned the wedding in the meantime,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and since I never expected to hear from her again,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> asked other people.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sigh.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> What to do?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> BE and I have been busy lately,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> celebrating our One Year anniversary a little early.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We went to Disney World!! </div><div style="text-align: center;"> A first time for the hubs.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We ate SO. MUCH. FOOD.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Oh my word.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It was ridiculous.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But for anyone who ever wondered,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> October is apparently the best time of the year to go to Disney,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> because we didn't wait in a single line at any park over 30 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It was bliss,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> especially since I've experienced Disney during the summer.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Torture?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Doesn't even do it justice.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It was a wonderful trip and we enjoyed being together,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> being silly,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and remembering why we're "bestest good friends".</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can't believe it's been a year already.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The best year of my life :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Hopefully that bodes more amazing years to come.</div><div style="text-align: center;">We went to the Magic Kingdom early one morning</div><div style="text-align: center;"> to watch Mickey come in on the train and open the park for the day,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and I started crying when they played</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "When You Wish Upon A Star"</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and welcomed everyone in.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And my wonderful husband just grabbed my hand,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> squeezed it silently three times for "I Love You"</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and was sweet enough to not laugh at me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> What's your favorite anniversary memory?</div><div style="text-align: center;">Do you and your significant other have any special little unspoken tokens of affection like our hand squeezes?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I hope you have a MAGICAL day :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYdNd06TeI0cLqp3tBj12R_UqiBC6QLAcRTm65CNNgjJCgpac2G1GfzFpx_EXweO99K76osGmFdumMCIvSDbp3pmj6y6fReu-izSOc6XGPzvtfDXn_G0DhbscfrwLGGH8Ydw48mxw2tc/s1600/IMG_4310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYdNd06TeI0cLqp3tBj12R_UqiBC6QLAcRTm65CNNgjJCgpac2G1GfzFpx_EXweO99K76osGmFdumMCIvSDbp3pmj6y6fReu-izSOc6XGPzvtfDXn_G0DhbscfrwLGGH8Ydw48mxw2tc/s320/IMG_4310.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZzCDNOMnj8BrU2sPAk47YNxlwCGeqzW0PIcLXBXRj-rB7mj3FTDCPdlc5I9NqP3i4PWQ7zcJJjTM3lf94-KSftGdG6N06GEGw4NuhNaj0OP1CXNT_EWLB9YgpMVzLW3adAog85NV24U/s1600/IMG_4645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZzCDNOMnj8BrU2sPAk47YNxlwCGeqzW0PIcLXBXRj-rB7mj3FTDCPdlc5I9NqP3i4PWQ7zcJJjTM3lf94-KSftGdG6N06GEGw4NuhNaj0OP1CXNT_EWLB9YgpMVzLW3adAog85NV24U/s320/IMG_4645.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-34975804576088507092011-10-16T23:18:00.000-05:002011-10-16T23:18:19.236-05:00Scrimps and Wedding Surprises :)<div style="text-align: center;">We went with some friends of ours to the Shrimp Festival today</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (my husband calls them Scrimps)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and I ate carnival food and crab cakes </div><div style="text-align: center;"> like fat wasn't even a word.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It was fab.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I also saw tons and tons of pictures</div><div style="text-align: center;"> that people had blown up and had printed onto canvas</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and were selling for OBNOXIOUS prices.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I mean, I know I'm not a pro or anything,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but I have some pictures that I think are pretty darn good.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Maybe I should look into that,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> selling some of them.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Which brings me to another point,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> of the fact that I can't wait to decorate our next house.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Our furniture was all hand-me-down</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and nothing matches</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and there's really no theme in the whole place.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> When we move again we hope to get new stuff</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and hang some of my photography</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and make it look more cohesive.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can't wait.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> BE and I are trying to plan a trip for our 1-year anniversary</div><div style="text-align: center;"> coming up soon!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sadly, there isn't a single cabin still available in Gatlinburg</div><div style="text-align: center;"> or anywhere close.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Figures.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So who knows where we will go?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We've thought Disney,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> or Charleston,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but we're on the fence.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Also trying to figure out how much we can afford to spend,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> with me paying on wedding stuff.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I may quite possibly have found my dress this week!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> EEEK!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's gorgeous.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Taffeta, empire waste, buttons down the back and Swarovski crystals.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> AND POCKETS.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'M OBSESSED WITH POCKETS.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Like, you don't even know.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I almost have to buy this dress on principle. </div><div style="text-align: center;">It's that bad.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I also decided on navy blue bridesmaids dresses,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> white hydrangeas,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and silver shoes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I think I am going to have fun making this stuff DIY :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's kind of nice that this is our ceremony,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and not our actual marriage,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> because there is so much less stress!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Who cares if it goes off without a hitch?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> That everything looks absolutely perfect?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Nobody.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Because they're coming to show their love for us,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> not to see us put on a show.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I can't wait!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I already have a SUPER SPECIAL SURPRISE</div><div style="text-align: center;"> that I'm going to do for BE at our reception,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and he has NO IDEA.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So glad I can share it here!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I play piano, and I am obsessed with a certain song.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So I bought the piano score for it the other day,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and I'm going to practice it when he's not home,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> so I can play and sing it to him before our first dance.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I think it's going to be adorable</div><div style="text-align: center;"> if I can do it without bawling like a baby. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Hope you like the song :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Fnn9JlqqTE4" width="420"></iframe>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-57019587089254253542011-10-06T19:20:00.001-05:002011-10-06T19:21:41.003-05:00YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!<div style="text-align: center;">Today,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I am stupidly excited.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And girly.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And I'm not girly.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> But today,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I am caving in with a giant <br />
"EEEEEKKK!"</div><div style="text-align: center;"> of unrestrained giddyness.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And I'll tell you why.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Last year,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> when the hubs and I decided we were in LURVE and wanted to get hitched,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> we had very little time to do it</div><div style="text-align: center;"> before he was supposed to report to OTS,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> after which he would be moving to Florida,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and I couldn't go with him</div><div style="text-align: center;"> unless we were married.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Stupid housing rules.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So we decided to elope (pretty much).</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I was too stubborn to just go to the courthouse,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but I was in the middle of nursing school and there was NO WAY a big wedding was going to happen.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So we decided to go up to the mountains in Gatlinburg</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and seal the deal,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> just him and me</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and have our shindig later.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> My mother had other plans.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Suddenly, we had about ten guests,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> flowers,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> a dress,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and cake.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sigh.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We couldn't win.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So we went on with it,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> knowing that we still wanted to have a wedding</div><div style="text-align: center;"> where all of our friends and family could come</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and celebrate with us.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I have been dreaming of said wedding since I was about 4,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> when I was a bride for Halloween.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Fake bouquet, clip-on earrings and all.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Welllllll,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> we have been trying to plan said event</div><div style="text-align: center;"> since our marriage last November,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> but every date ends up falling through. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> Yay training.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It got to the point where I was embarrassed to tell my girlfriends</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "so we think we may be able to do it ______"</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I think they probably didn't even believe me anymore.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But today, it has happened.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We found a place.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We booked it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We set a date.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And I started planning.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> What my mother doesn't understand is why we still feel the need to do this,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> when in her eyes we had a "perfectly nice wedding" last year.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The reason we feel we need to do it</div><div style="text-align: center;"> is because none of our friends got to be there.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And then we left town and moved here,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and haven't gotten to see many of them again.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We want all of our friends</div><div style="text-align: center;"> in one place</div><div style="text-align: center;"> to celebrate our marriage</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and renew our vows</div><div style="text-align: center;"> because our lives are going to change so much in the next year.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We don't even know where we'll be living.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Yay training.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Plus,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I never got to do all the girly stuff.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I never got to plan.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I never got to pick colors and food and bridesmaids dresses and centerpieces.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And I'm kind of selfishly excited about all that.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> And my husband loves that I'm a DIY girl :)<br />
<br />
(p.s. if you follow me on Pinterest,<br />
I apologize in advance for the spewing of wedding junk<br />
that is about to ensue on my page).</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-65460886637515187792011-10-03T21:55:00.000-05:002011-10-03T21:55:29.353-05:00Lately<div style="text-align: center;">Man, I've been busy lately.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Mostly busy not being busy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I need work to start now!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (before I lose my mind in this house)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> because it can only get SO clean...</div><div style="text-align: center;"> my husband called me the other day</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and asked why I sounded out of breath on the phone</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (and probably thought, 'It's finally happened; she's cheating on me WHILE I'M ON THE PHONE WITH HER') lol</div><div style="text-align: center;"> he got home, bust through the door</div><div style="text-align: center;"> to find me on my hands and knees scrubbing the daylights out of our ugly linoleum kitchen floor.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Our house STILL smells like Pine Sol.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> His response?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "Oh. Well, you can cheat on me with cleaning products anytime."</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Men.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> My grandparents came down for a visit,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> which made my week because neither of them is in the best health,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and now that we live here it's difficult to see them.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I got to see my little brother and his girlfriend for dinner tonight too,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and that was great because he's old enough now to where we can talk like adults</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and that's a really great thing.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I love how close we are.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (even though he'll seem 8 years old in my head his whole life probably).</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So I've been blessed to see family in the past two weeks.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> BE and I are also into our group Bible study on Sundays too,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> dissecting Romans</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (the book, not the people)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and it has been very enlightening for me,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> because sometimes when I read the Bible,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I feel like an idiot </div><div style="text-align: center;"> (not gonna lie)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> so it's nice to have a dense book like Romans</div><div style="text-align: center;"> put into terms I can understand.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I found it much harder to really get excited about my faith</div><div style="text-align: center;"> when I couldn't even grasp what I was reading.</div><div style="text-align: center;">We are also into Lesson 2 of our Fireproof study</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and that one has been pretty eye-opening as well.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'm glad we can carve out a few hours a week for these things.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I think our marriage has gotten better because of them.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> You get to learn a little more about the other person</div><div style="text-align: center;"> by hearing how they interpret things.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I love the fact that Fall has finally decided to arrive in Florida.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> My house is decorated,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> the "Fall Leaves and Spice" AirWick's are in place,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I baked a loaf of pumpkin bread today,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and Buster is really enjoying getting to be out in the yard for longer than 5 minutes</div><div style="text-align: center;"> without me worrying about heat stroke.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I absolutely LOVE getting to have the windows open all day</div><div style="text-align: center;"> and my air conditioner not kick on :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Now, as promised,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> some pictures from our recent adventures!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCET4zN44aL6lxmnegxVrsc02VCFYuDVESHEQO7XSi0xIii8pFYbDCYf-FTn_v3wIXL2MNFGwDpLHF9Xm7W0FshGaz-NdKvLNxBPJULcZpT_kyAIdiYqNqeXCdYwom5KD8x_U7sps8JZ0/s1600/IMG_3277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCET4zN44aL6lxmnegxVrsc02VCFYuDVESHEQO7XSi0xIii8pFYbDCYf-FTn_v3wIXL2MNFGwDpLHF9Xm7W0FshGaz-NdKvLNxBPJULcZpT_kyAIdiYqNqeXCdYwom5KD8x_U7sps8JZ0/s320/IMG_3277.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216441697168166852.post-82705333919639852582011-09-28T22:24:00.000-05:002011-09-28T22:24:55.837-05:00Just Rambles<div style="text-align: center;">I'm mostly writing</div><div style="text-align: center;"> because I want to win the giveaway today</div><div style="text-align: center;"> over at <a href="http://skinniepiggie.blogspot.com/">Skinnie Piggie's blog</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">for an Air Force sign!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> They are so cute.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> So no offense, but I'd rather none of you enter</div><div style="text-align: center;"> so I can win :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> lol </div><div style="text-align: center;"> as if there weren't a million people already entered.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Oh well,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> maybe this will be my first giveaway win?</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Who knows!<br />
She is running a giveaway every day this week as part of... </div><br />
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<center><a href="http://skinniepiggie.blogspot.com/" target="blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajK-cYSb3s4G1GG-VsL8X9VS8lEuSINaOxlvr1UjyXrLbrWNkjw_7QVKDkKCyty1FGGpS5x3Gu46THM1IugRtxuuStJRl7kICam51FeK6vkZz7US_E0f7qgw6T6dhL4eadHqlhabkjIfI/s400/spbdaypalooza.png" /></a></center><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">So go over and enter some giveaways</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (just not this one) ;)</div><div style="text-align: center;"> haha!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>A Creed and A Psalmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654620709909031663noreply@blogger.com2