Lately...

This week has been a rather crazy week for me.  The sister and brother-in-law left for Destin this past Sunday, and I volunteered to house-sit for them.  Only house-sitting is not just house-sitting at their house... it's also Millie Cat sitting.  You know, no biggie... I'm only allergic to cats and all.  (No chances of this girl ever becoming the "crazy old cat lady."  Hallelujah!)  

I was scheduled for jury duty Monday, so I needed to be in Baxley anyway.  (In case you don't know what's up, I currently live in the small town of Douglas... about 45 minutes away from my hometown, the even smaller Baxley. I'm in the process of moving back to Baxley this summer because I'll be teaching there next year!)  So... since I didn't know how long I'd be on jury duty, I thought it best to hold down the fort at my sister's house.  

So... problem #1 - Mandy took their laptop and MiFi thingajig with them.  So, I had no internet access at her house.  Which posed two more problems:  #1 - no blogging, and #2 - no convenient access to my grad school work.  No biggie.  I found solutions for grad school.   I pretty much lugged my laptop and alllllllll of my school stuff (and my journal and Bible and Bible study stuff just in case I got a chance to blog) to my Mama and Daddy's every day.  Thank the Lord for their wireless internet!

Sitting around my Mama and Daddy's table this week, there was a LOT of discussion about where I should live, the furniture I should or shouldn't buy, budgeting, school, etc... Lots of high stress.  

One of my biggest headaches right now is trying to find somewhere to live.  I've thought about buying, I've thought about renting.  I have recently come to the conclusion (after touring 6 or 7 homes in my budget) that I finally have a good reason for "needing" a husband... DUAL INCOME.  Haha!  All the homes I've found in my budget have been decent... but they're going to require several updates (although mostly cosmetic) that I just can't afford if I'm stretching myself to make a house payment.  So, I've decided that for budgeting sake, it just makes sense that God would send me a husband.  Hahaha!  In the meantime of making this decision, I've decided that it's in my best interest to rent an apartment for now.  I know I'm in a hurry this summer to move, and I don't want to make a mistake because I'm in a hurry.  I am going to wait for the perfect house to come along!

Speaking of stress... furniture buying.  Ok, maybe not really.... but yes.    I need you to picture me pouting and whining.  This definitely came out of my mouth this week: "If I can't have the husband and children I want, I should at LEAST be able to have the pretty sofa and chair I want!!!"  Hahahahaha!  I can't believe I just admitted that to the free world.   A little background... my sweet, money-saving Daddy-knows-best Daddy doesn't think I should buy nice furniture for an apartment.  Ha!  Best yet, he thinks I should just prance my happy behind into a Goodwill and snap up the first couch I find.  Does he seriously not know me well enough by now to know that I am way too high  maintenance for all that?  I just can't imagine living on someone else's couch.  Maybe that's strange or weird or snobby for me to say, but I just can't even consider it.  Buy a good base and reupholster?  Maybe.  Buy a used couch from someone I know and slipcover?  Sure.  But my heart wants to buy furniture.  Good furniture.  Because my apartment is going to be a home, and my home deserves the best I can give it.  (More on that later!)

So, crazy week... Millie survived me, and I survived her.  I had good time with friends, church family, and my "real" family.  (More on that later, too!)  I'm back in Douglas tonight, and I am SO excited to be sleeping in my own bed for the first time in a week! 

She Reads Truth

So, have you heard of the She Reads Truth community?  If you haven't, you are LIVING. UNDER. A. ROCK.  Haha!  Kidding!  I only recently stumbled across it... seriously... like two  days ago.  But let me tell you, it's already changing my life!

Basically, a couple of women decided they needed to get in the Word.  And so they did.  They picked a plan from the YouVersion app, and off they went!  And it spread like wildfire.  So now there is this awesome movement of women who are reading the same scripture each day.  And they're sharing what the Lord is saying to them through Instagram and Twitter and Facebook and the blog world.  And it's huge.  And it's awesome.  And I'm so thankful that I found it!  Whew!  There's nothing more I love than reading the Word of God and discussing it with other women.  I just love growing in God with other women!  So, it's serving a dual purpose for me: it's holding me accountable and connecting me with other women believers!  YAY!  I'm excited!  

I started the first plan, Soul Detox, today.  It's the original one they did together.  It's ended for them now, and they've started another one - Living a Life of Surrender.  Detox was 35 days, and Surrender is 21.  Surrender started yesterday.  I'm going to TRY to get through both Detox and Surrender in the next 21 days so I can be on track for whatever plan they choose next.  I'll probably blog about it some.  I'm going to be very transparent in my blogging.  I probably won't edit out some intimate, personal stuff.  Be kind, be gentle, and be prayerful as you read.  :  )

If you want to know more, head on over to shereadstruth.com, and check it out!  Get in the Word, ladies!  : )

Father's Day 2012!

This past Father's Day was amazing.  For real.  Like best EVER.  We normally do the whole cook-Dad-lunch-and-give-him-stupid-presents-like-clothes-he-doesn't-really-want thing.  Normally.  Not this year.  (Ok, that's a partial lie... we did, in fact, give him a few new polo shirts!)  This year, we went all out.  (Ok, so maybe not we... my sweet sister and crazy brother-in-law went all out!)  Mandy and Chris scored sweet tickets to the Braves game on Father's Day.  And not just any tickets.  Box seats.  So, we all loaded up and headed to Atlanta for some tomahawk chop fun!  (We took our friends Matt and Carrie along for the ride, too... but honestly, they're just as much family as friends!) 

Here are some of the highlights! (I'll go ahead and apologize... not many action pictures... lots of family photos!)

This is Mandy and me in front of Turner Field.  Had to take cheezy pictures, you know!  : )

 

Me goofing off as usual!

This is why I CHOP!  : )  This sticker was on the floor next to my seat.  I thought it was cute!

 

The field, pre-game.

 

Daddy and me!

Our view to the right

Our view to the left

 

Mama and Carrie

 Chris and Mandy

 

Mama and me

 Daddy and his girls!  So sweet!

 

The fam: Me, Mama, Daddy, Mandy

 

Plus Chris!

 

Mandy and me!  She was mad because I was making her take another picture!  Haha!

Even though the Braves lost (grrr!), it was a great day of family fun!  This was the first game Mama and Daddy ever attended, and they had a blast!  Daddy said he loved watching Mama enjoy herself more than watching the actual game.  We made lots of memories that we'll treasure forever!  

Seeking Him

So... lately... there's been a lot going on.  Haha!  : )  Right before school ended, I got word that a high school English position had opened up in my hometown of Baxley.  I had not really been looking for other jobs, but I'd always kept Baxley in my back pocket.  There's just something about the draw of home, you know?  I applied, interviewed, and was offered a job.  I accepted it with no hesitation the minute the principal called.  It just felt right.  I prayed and prayed that the Lord would either open or shut doors according to His will. Everything with my new position at ACHS literally fell into my lap, and I really felt at peace about the whole thing.  

So what's so bad about that, right?!?  Nothing really.  I absolutely know it's the right thing for me to do right now.  (Not to mention how super excited I am to be closer to my family again!)  While this whole moving-back-home thing is a good thing, it has also caused some stress in my life!  I'm packing up my life (sort-of), and struggling to balance a career change, house hunting, and two classes for my EdS degree program.  Talk about stress!  Whew!  I feel crazy most days.


Other than stressing over trying to find a place to live and moving, my only other concern about my impending move home is the lack of community I think I'll find in Baxley.  And I don't mean the community itself.  I love my little itty bitty hometown and all of its small-town goodness.  I've been hem-hawing this idea around in my head for weeks, trying to put my finger on what was gnawing at me on the inside every time I thought about moving, and I finally nailed it on the head.  I am worried about losing the community I've found in Douglas.  More so, I'm worried that I won't find personal community and spiritual, corporate community in Baxley.  (It's actually really funny.  Just as I came to this conclusion, Jessica over at SingleRoots posted about the very same thing.)  


After well over a year of commuting, I finally bit the bullet and moved to Douglas this past January.  Yep, less than six months ago.  I immediately started the "great church search," and I found an awesome church and ladies' small group to plug into.  I strengthened friendships from my school, and I made new friends through church.  I was just starting to feel like I belonged. (After all, don't we all just want to feel like we belong?!)  And now I'm screwing everything up and moving back home.  To the desert.  Haha.  

South Georgia is hardly the desert, but it sure does seem like it sometimes.  I joke around all the time, "I sure do hope the Lord knows what He's doing, because I HIGHLY doubt I'm going to find a husband in BAXLEY."  Haha!  I am moving to a place where I can count the single people (men included) on one hand.  Eeeeek!  Who am I going to hang out with?  Who will walk beside me?  Who will lift me up and encourage me?  My heart longs for those strong bonds of community.  And I'm just worried it's not going to be there waiting for me back home.


But then I sit back and realize how selfish and whiny I'm being.  Didn't God tie this job up in a nice little package complete with curly, fluffy, flouncy bow?  Yes.  Didn't I pray for His will?  Yes.  God is bigger than my self-wrought worries.  He's bigger than the questions that rage about in my mind.  He's for me.  Period.  He is faithful to provide.  And just like I had to throw myself into seeking out community in Douglas, so will I throw myself into seeking community in Baxley.  I have to do my part.  I will seek Him and pray for His guidance to lead me to a church where I can not only be fed but also serve.  You see, the big idea here is SEEK Him.  Actually seek Him.  Search for Him.  That makes all the difference. 

My friend Nicole and I talked on the phone today for four hours.  Four.  It was amazing.  She is one of my absolute best friends, and she loves the Lord oh so much.  She and her husband are two of the sweetest, most genuine people I know.  Nicole and I talked a long while today about church.  The struggle with discontent.  The desire to be connected.  The yearning to grow closer to the Lord than ever before.  The intense need for worship.  Sometimes we feel like we're alone in pursuit of the throne.  We know many believers.  But are they actually growing?  Do they genuinely want to grow in their faith, or are they attending church out of duty or obligation?  I want to be around like-minded people.  People who want to grow closer to the Lord each and every day.  I need accountability.  I need encouragement.  I need motivation that often comes from seeing others taste and see.  This is where the seeking comes in.  Seeking Him and allowing Him to provide for me.  He knows what's best.  He knows what I truly need.  

Quite simply, I need Him.  I'm beginning to wonder if he's calling me back home to Baxley in an effort to help me slow down and genuinely seek Him.  On my own at first, maybe.  But hopefully, in the end, alongside other believers who are seeking Him just as steadfastly. 


It really is all about seeking.
 

B's Wedding Weekend!

This past weekend, I had the privilege to stand beside one of my best friends as she promised to love and cherish her new husband.  What a blessing and honor!  

The wedding weekend took place in beautiful Jacksonville, Florida.  I was super excited to have the chance to explore the downtown area a little more while spending time with great friends new and old.  Not to mention the promise of PF Chang's and a little St. John's Town Center shopping experience to wrap up the weekend. : )

Jennifer spent the week gallivanting along the East coast of Florida, so I picked up J in Hoboken on the way through and we met Jenn down in Jacksonville.  If y'all know me in person and have ever been on a trip with me, you know that I am the queen of overpacking.  Since Jenn, J, and I were sharing a hotel room, I decided to gank a luggage cart from the hotel and hide it in my room to serve as my own personal valet for the weekend.  Please be aware that this is only 1/3 of the clothes that were hanging in the backseat of Pearl.  : )

We started out the night by walking to dinner.  TGI Friday's was right outside of our hotel.  We made a quick trip to Target to pick out "neutral pink" Essie polish, and then we chilled at the hotel until Matt and Nicole arrived. 

 Once we freshened up, we left to meet the bridal party at Whiskey River.  We got to catch up with some of the girls we'd come to love at the Bachelorette party, and we were finally able to meet Chip's sister, Allison, and Lindsay. Most importantly, the 4 Seasons were reunited!!!

We grew tired quickly, so Matt, Nicole, Jennifer, Jeremy, and I went back to the hotel for some more catching up, laughing, and snoring on my part!  

Friday morning was the Bridal luncheon at Chip's Aunt Reina's house.  It. Was. Beautiful. Just look:

We had some amazing food and the best peach tea I've ever tasted all while celebrating my dear friend Bridgett.  She surprised us with a few more wedding gifts, and we surprised her with a book of photos and quotes from all of her "girls."  The last part of the morning was spent in prayer over Chip, Bridgett, and their marriage.  I don't think I could possibly describe the sweet, sweet spirit in the room that day.  All I do know is Jesus was all over that place, and there was not a dry eye in the room.

After lunch, we headed to the nail salon to have some quality girl time!  It took us FOREVER to pick out the perfect shades of neutral pink, but we did it!  Believe me when I tell you those massage chairs were the craziest, best chairs I've ever sat in.  : )

We barely had time to make it back to the hotel to freshen up for the Rehearsal and Dinner.  I think I got ready in record time: less than 10 minutes!  The rehearsal dinner was at Friday Musicale near the waterfront.  It was such a cool place. 

The Seasons

Nicole and me

Alli and me

Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful!  It was a breezy day, and the weather could not have been more perfect.  We had a leisurely morning... breakfast at the hotel, girl time while another Bridgett fixed our hair, and a particularly uneventful drive to the church.  (It's amazing how much less stressful driving is without the boys and the GPS.)  We all piled up in one of the upstairs parlor.  It quickly turned into a place of worship, a lunch gathering spot, and a makeshift beauty parlor.  

Laura Kate, Nicole, and me...

 

Bridgett getting more beautiful!

 

Our beautiful Spring Season ready to become a Mrs.

Nicole, Mindy, and Jennifer

 

Nicole and me...

We took pictures and lined up for the big moment... and cried and prayed some more.  Before long, Bridgett Lauren Payne became Bridgett Payne Stroud!  After the ceremony, we took more pictures and then loaded up on the bus to head to the reception...

Jennifer and Nicole

 

Lindsay, Alli, and Melissa

Dan and me

The whole crew.... well, most of them!

The reception was The Garden Club of Jacksonville.  It's located right on the water downtown, and it was gorgeous!  They introduced the bridal party, we made our grand entrance, and then it was time for the first dances - Bridgett and Chip, Bridgett and her Daddy, and Chip and his Mama.  So sweet.  Then we ate.  Then we DANCED. LIKE. CRAZY.  So much fun.  

First dance as Mr. and Mrs.

My favorite of the night: Bridgett's VState Cheer Days relived with Dante and Ben.

Jennifer and me

Somehow I got lucky enough to be escorted into the reception with not one but TWO groomsmen... here's Ben and me.  So thankful his wife let me borrow him for a while!

 

Another one of Chip's "boys" - Jimmy and me

 The 4 Seasons!

It was an absolutely beautiful weekend that I won't soon forget!  So thankful that I had the opportunity to be there for Bridgett in such a neat way on her wedding day.  I loved visiting old friends and making new ones.  We've all already decided they need to have a vow renewal next year so we will have an excuse to hang out again!  : ) 

Blessings and much happiness for years to come to Bridgett and Chip Stroud!  I love you guys!a