Christmas Time

Well, Christmas has definitely come and gone... I hate putting all my stuff away... maybe that is why I plan to keep it out until... well... probably next weekend... after New Years! :)

I got some great gifts-- including Christmas dishes for next year! Wahoo! They are SUPER fun!! I got some clothes, some slippers, and Damon and I bought a TV for our bedroom for our gifts. (Though he definitely got the better end of the deal-- you see, since I am a planner, I had already bought him a wallet and shoes...) I am sure that I got my fair share of stuff throughout the year though! :)

Damon got a sweet video camera! My parents thought that he should go ahead and have once since we are talking about kiddos... a definite must to capture all the most crucial moments!

As the years comes to a close, I have been reflecting on what all has happened, from losing my job (a definite blessing in disguise), through tears for friends who lost their baby, joy for friends who had babies, buying a house, getting a new WONDERFUL job, and much more... I can't help but thank Jesus for yet another year... He is definitely the reason for the season and so often we forget that... Shame on us. Damon and I even talked about how we like to help others out at this time of the year, whether through buying friends a tree or putting an extra $20 in the offering bucket... but we failed miserably... gosh, how come we get so wrapped up in ME, that we forget everyone and everything else... I hate that!

All that to say, as the new year approaches, my prayer is that I will remember the true reason for the season all year long and remember to focus on others, not me!

November... what?

I mean really... I have no idea what happened to November and the first two weeks of December... they were here and now they are gone!

We celebrated Thanksgiving up in Minnesota-- which is always fun, though the driving is always a little much. We keep trying to get them to come here for a holiday, but it never happens! We got to stay with my cousins, who just had a little baby boy Tyson, which was so fun! The other part of the time, we stayed with my Uncle Brent and Aunt Michelle and their kiddos-- which was also a blast! To make things even more fun, Damon's little sister Ellie came down to Arkansas a couple days before Thanksgiving and made the treck to Minnesota with us! :) We came back to Arkansas and got to spend a couple more days with Ellie, setting up the Christmas Tree, etc! :) So fun... I LOVE this time of the year and wish that it moved so much slower.

I also celebrated my 25th Birthday! I still can't believe that I have hit 25 and I realized and said to my mom that I was closer to 30... my mom preceeded to tell me that I wasn't that close yet, but that she had thought about it and can't believe that she has two kids that are closer to 30! CRAZY!! My great husband bought me a Nintendo DSI for my birthday which has been so much fun!! :) The games are great! :)

I have been busy making more invitations and Christmas cards... which I LOVE!! I will have to post some more soon!

Oh, and Damon got his yearly review-- which went GREAT!! I am so proud of him! His boss told him that he was the only one out of 15 reviews that was getting a raise and he got an even bigger bonus that he anticipated!! YEAH! The owners told him that in 30 years of business, he had never given a review like this... and in a good way!! They just complimented him over and over again!! We also had his company Christmas party-- which was great!! It was at 1620! We had Butternut Squash Bisque Soup or Duck Salad for the appetizer (I got soup, Damon got salad) and then Filet Mignon for the main dish and Souflee for the dessert! AWESOME!! :) The company at our table was pretty good as well!! It was fun to finally meet everyone Damon works with-- you see, even though he has worked for them for a year and a half, I haven't really met people because the Christmas party last year was cancelled due to ice...so it is great to finally put some faces with these names I have heard forever now! :)

Well, it is about time to leave work (speaking of which, I still LOVE my job!!) and we have to get some Christmas shopping done... FINALLY!! Until later!

Lindsey

Well, I am officially EXHAUSTED!! I (along with a few others!) successfully pulled off a baby shower, and a SURPRISE anniversary party for my parents in 2 weekends... and then this last weekend, Luis Palau! Wow... All I have to say is that iti is amazing I am still breathing... so forgive me for not updating lately... I have been just a LITTLE busy!! :)

The baby shower was great!! Magen looked beautiful... and the shower was perfect timing-- less than 2 weeks later and little Audrey is here!! YEAH!! :) We already love her! I know they are going to be great parents... and if she turns out half as great as her momma (and daddy) she will be one of the greatest little girls you have ever met! There are a few pictures below of the shower and Audrey!

Here is the invitation... :) LOVED IT!

The Food... YUMMY! I put tags on all the food and had all the recipes printed off for people to take with them!

Decorations!

We put diapers out for everyone to sign... It was fun!! That way, whenever Magen is up changing diapers at 3:00am, she will at least have some fun notes to read!

More Decor...

The cake!! IT WAS SOO CUTE!!

Lamp post outside-- help everyone find the right house!

Magen with the hostesses!! YEAH!

My parents surprise party went sooo well and they were SHOCKED!!! My mom started bawling when she walked in, which proceeded to make all of us girls start bawling... Gosh, thanks mom! :)

All of us kids (including Damon and Kathrine) wrote them letters-- just telling them thanks for everything they have done... I would post that, but then we would all be in tears again... (and the fact that it isn't on this computer!!) We also had a couple of visitors via video-- which again, made everyone tear up... and then my dad talked... and cried... and then everyone cried again... My goodness... sounds like we just had a cry party, but it was really so much fun!! :) Pictures will come later, for now, you just get to see the invitations... :) Told you I had been in a crafty mood--- I just had to wait to post them!

Luis Palau was fabulous!! My daddy did an awesome job with everything!! Oh, and speaking of which, as if my life wasn't busy enough, my dad asked me to 60 centerpieces for the luncheon he was in charge of... My goodness... This involved rolling 600 newspapers!! AH! I got it all done though and they looked FABULOUS if I do say so myself-- however, there are no pictures... I just forgot in the craziness... BUMMER!!

Ok, well, that is the scoop for now... Hope !
everyone is doing well... Now that my crazy life has calmed down... I hope to see all my friends again and get back to "normal" life. :) Oh, and if you want to see some of my other invitations that I have done... See the link below... Good bye
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026753&id=183501030&l=4843031450

Pictures

I told you they would be coming soon-- so here you go!! :)

Master Bedroom-- I LOVE the new bedding! :)

The Bed...

New Shower Curtain

Living Room- Upstairs... Pretty much new everything!

New Couch, New Lamp, New Art

New Chairs (my absolute FAVORITE!)

Most of this we had-- other than the bamboo thing in the corner-- which I think is really cool!

Laundry... Told you my "artsy/crafty" side was coming out lately!

Continued improvements downstairs... still haven't gotten to the intimidating shelves!

New art-- I had to convince Damon that these were really cool!! I LOVE THEM!

Mark's Room-- one of the roomies-- we have been working on his room as well!

Brian's Room-- other roomie-- Mark and I did this room as well (minus the plants).

Well, now you have seen most of the house... all decorated!! I know that it will be continued work-- as I will find more I like and things I want to do-- and eventually a baby's room! :) Hehe! That's it for now though! Night!!!

Man- This is not EASY!

I have found that I am not the best about keeping up with my blog... I have been ridiculously busy... with work and life... and making invitations... and finally finishing our house!! I feel like I haven't really slept a lot... and my eyes are tired as I write this.

It is nice today because my boss had to go to Birmingham-- and the phone hasn't been ringing much, so I am having a little bit lighter day... which is GREAT! I have a little music playing, and other than the occasional phone call, I am working on catching up... blogging, and finishing up some invitations as well. Ahh... now if only I had a pillow, I could catch up on some sleep!

I can't believe it is already the middle of September... it just seems like time is going by soooo fast... Christmas is around the corner. We are really hoping that some of Damon's family can come it, but we are not sure if that is going to happen... tickets are SOO expensive!! Why?! I mean, we are still quite early to purchase plane tickets for December, right?!

I have noticed that lately, I am more likely to cry... not sure why, but I just tear up more easily. I mean, there have been a lot of tragic things happen... Some of our good friend little boy passed away in his crib in June... and that just makes us want to die! My heart just breaks for them-- though we all know that God is in control and HE IS GOOD! Then, the husband of one of the couples in my parents community group passed away... I didn't know them personally (just through my parents), but he was only 28/29 years old with 2 small children at home. It is just something that you never think anyone should have to go through... as a wife, child, mother, father... Tragic. I just have to remember that in all these circumstances, and with my life, that God really is good... and He has a plan for me... and EVERYONE!! We HAVE to hold on to that to have any sort of peace in our lives!

I have been doing a lot to the house and I can't wait to post pictures to show everyone!!! I just have to actually take pictures.. maybe tonight!! The living room upstairs is the room that has been most recently completed- compliments of Heather Fuller! My mom gave us a house warming gift of her coming to decorate this room for us! I LOVE IT and it was so nice to not have to think about that room!! YEAH! I also got some new bedding for our room, and new art for downstairs-- as well as knick-knacks everywhere-- which definitely makes it more "homey".

I also can't wait to share with you my recent invitations/programs I have done... I have been in the "artsty/crafty" mood lately... and it has come out in this area (as well as our home). I promise... Pictures soon!!

Job and More

Well, I have officially been at my new job for about a month now... and I am LOVING it!! :) It definitely plays to my strengths of organization, etc. I can't believe how God just provided something for me... when I wasn't at all expecting it! I miss Sephora a TON! Gosh, it was such a fun job-- I mean what girl doesn't want to spend all day doing other people's makeup?! :)

I am working with Men's Fraternity as the directors assistant. I just get to organize, book flights, hotels, etc on a daily basis... I am doing well and the director keeps encouraging me!! I felt more appreciated here after 2 weeks-- than I did in 2 years of working at Ink. I hear that they laid off a bunch more people again... I am kinda sad for them... which is a huge deal because before I was so angry with them, that I wanted to see them fail! Praise God for bringing me to a place of almost complete forgiveness!!

On another note, my dad finally has a job! Though it is temporary... it is with Louis Palao (sp?) Association. I think it will be a great place of service for him. And I am excited because it means for now, he will not be moving anywhere.

We have also continued to plug away on the house! We finally got our tax credit in!! So we bought furniture for upstairs and new bedding for our room... Now we just need to get new furniture for our room and finish decorating the upstairs living room!! Not far!! I will post more pictures soon so you can see the updates! :)

Enough for now... I am at work and better get back to it!!

The House!!

Well, I have been a little MIA lately because we haven't had any internet or cable with moving into the new house!! We have loved the house and have loved decorating and working on it! The only problem is, there is just not enough furniture!!!!! Going from a one bedroom apartment to a four bedroom house, has been CRAZY!! I know it will all get done eventually, but I want stuff done NOW! Ha! :) Here are a couple of pictures!

House Update

Oh man!! I can hardly believe that I am typing this out!! WE HAVE A HOUSE!! God definitely provided a perfect one for us! The inspection was just completed and even though there were a couple of major things that had to be fixed, God has graciously provided a great seller who is going to fix all of it- no questions asked and even better than he is required to!! The house is about 2600 square feet-- way bigger than we thought we could afford-- in the Treasure Hill area! It is 4 bedrooms and 2 bath so we can definitely grow into it! It also has a HUGE yard, which was really important to both Damon and I! He has redone much of the house-- including the carpet, wood floors and tile! :) WOO-HOO!! Anyways, it looks like our closing date is on schedule for May 22- just 1 week from today!! I can't wait!! Pictures will be coming!

Update

Well, I guess that house wasn't so perfect-- right now anyways! We made an offer, but the guy wouldn't accept it! We offered him his asking price and just asked him to pay closing costs and he kept telling us he wanted us to pay for the closing costs... well, we just don't have that kind of money laying around! BLAH! So... the search continues! I know God has a place for us somewhere... :) We looked at about 9 houses yesterday... nothing that really caught our eye though... REALLY? After 9 houses?! I don't think I am really that picky... but maybe I am... Oh gosh, that is a totally different subject for a very different conversation!

On another note, when it rains, it pours! Usually that has a negative connotation, but in this case, it does not. I interviewed and was offered a job this week... and I just don't know what to do about it!! I mean, it sounds like a great fit, but I am just not feeling a "yes" or "no" from God... and I have been praying about it! I want 2 weeks paid vacation up front and they don't have that... so I think that is the hardest part. I also am in the process of another interview... and I have to say yes or no to the first one before I know about this other one... So if I say no to the first one, I am banking on being offered the second one, but if that doesn't happen... then I am... for lack of a better term... screwed! If I say yes to the first one, then I am saying no to the second one... and what if that is the better fit?! AHH!! And to make matters even more difficult, I really LOVE my job at Sephora! But when people call you out of the blue (both jobs I did not even call about), you have to think that maybe God is providing something!! Because the retail hours are really hard for me!!! Please pray with Damon and I as we strive to make the best decision for us and our future! I'll keep you posted!

Houses & History

Well, Damon and I have once again been house-shopping! :) I LOVE looking at houses to find the perfect one-- in the perfect neighborhood!! I know that it will never be PERFECT, but it will be perfect for us!! :) We found a super cute one that I could totally see us in!! I think about baby's rooms and little kiddos growing up, having friends over... EVERYTHING!! It is all just perfecto! :) Please pray for us as we move forward... that everything would come together if this is the house that God has for us!

It has been really hard lately for me, because I feel like all my friends are getting pregnant... and I have never wanted anything more than to be a mom. I am struggline with a little bit of jealousy! I suppose it is kind of how you feel when you are single and all your friends are getting married... though I never felt that one because I was the first pretty much... But that is another reason I think I struggle with it... because we have been married longer, so you think we would be in that place already!! Damon keeps telling me that I need to quit comparing myself to "everyone else", but that is hard to do!!!! With that said, I know that right now is not the time. Damon is not ready and even though I think I am, I know that there are some things that I would like to have done before we start this process of starting a family. I know it changes everything!! However, there is a part of me that wonders if I have enough faith in God's timing to just go off birth control and see what the Lord has planned... Is that just being careless though? I don't know... I always think about it...I mean, I would never do that without talking to Damon first and knowing that there would be a higher risk involved, but if God wants us to have a baby, who are we to stop that from happening!! Sometimes, I just wish that finances would be taken care of... that would make the decision a no-brainer!! But I know that finances are a reality and I definitely want to bring our children up in a home that we are able to provide everything they need... but not everything they want!!! :) Anyways, you can pray for that as well... So many decisions...

You know, I was thinking a lot about what we learned on Sunday in FSM. Dr. Joey Dodson (I think that was his name) talked about how parts of the Bible do not make sense if you don't know the actual history of what was going on during that time period! I thought about that a lot in college because in a class I took we actually had to look at it, but I really had not thought much about it since then... but it is soo true!! I mean, if you don't know what the Roman Empire was like, the fact that Barnabas was taken off the cross and Christ was put on... means so much less... But when you realize just how "just" the Romans were during that period... You realize just what it meant that Barnabas was released! I think I may invest in a new commentary... The Bible really is so much more interesting when you look at it from a historical standpoint! It explains so much!! Just a thought...

Well, I think I best run off to bed about now... It has been a long day! Good night!

Life

As much as some days I still get really frustrated with my past employer (this morning was one of those days), I have realized that I have a really high sense of justice. I want to portray to this man that it is not just a job he is messing with, it is people's lives! For example, he hired 2 people to replace me (well, technically, 3, but that is another story). Neither of them had been with the company even 4 months, when he decided to lay them off... I mean, they had moved one guy and his family here from Fayetteville to take the job. Don't they think about this?! I mean, they knew they didn't have the money. The other thing that irks me is that it is always my dad's team that has to let someone go. In the not even 2 years that my dad has been there, he has had to lay off 5 people-- the owners-- 2... And those 2 guys were fired because they were not good at their jobs! The 5 people my dad has had to let go, only 1 of them was fired... The other 4 were laid off because of finances (or in my case, the owner being stupid!). Anyways, I guess I just need to rest in the fact that they will have to answer to someone higher up some day-- Jesus and they will receive judgement for their decisions. I just have a really hard time with these decisions because they are not right... on any level, but even more so for them because they claim they are a company who hold Christian values... well, I hate to say it, but they are hypocritical... and I think that they actually turn more people away from the faith based on the decisions they make everyday!

Anyways, on to happier things!!! My new job has been a blast!! I have been training for the last 5 weeks or so. The first 2 weeks of training is called SOS (Science of Sephora) where we learn all about Sephora and take tests to become certified to work there! (I passed all 5!) We learn all about skincare and what ingredients help acne, or aging, or environmental damage, etc. If I may offer a suggestion, PLEASE WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERY DAY!! 94% of our aging comes from the sun... so if you wore sunscreen every day, you would look 94% younger! We also learn how to apply make-up and the different eyeshapes and how to make them appear differnt (like making wide eyes appear closer together). I am sure learning A LOT!!! I just had NO idea what all this would entail!

The last 3 weeks have been brand training. This is where all the brands that Sephora carries come in and tell us about their products! I was told that we would get gratis from all these brands, but I had NO idea HOW MUCH we would get!! Seriously, I have gotten thousands and thousands of dollars worth of skin care and make-up! I mean, I have mascara and eye cream out the wazoo!! The other day, I was given 2 moisturizers (valued at $125 a piece) and that was just one part of what the brand gave us! In a time where I definitely can't afford these luxuries, it has been such a blessing to receive this stuff!! I have also started to wash my face EVERY DAY, twice a day which is a totally new thing for me... I had NEVER washed my face a day in my life before this... it is amazing what it does though! :) Ha! Well, if any of you have any make-up questions or needs... just let me know... I am now a Beauty Expert!! Ha! Yeah right-- I still have so much more to learn!!

JOB!

Well, I FINALLY have a job!! I am really excited about it and feel like God just opened all the right doors to get to this place! Even the timing was perfect, we literally had enough money to make it through mid-February and I start February 17! It is at Sephora- which is about to open up in the mall here!! It will start out as part time, but they believe that I will move to Assistant Manager and full time within a short time as they think they projected their sales lower than what they will actually do! I mean, make-up, hair, and all that is RIGHT up my alley!! I think I will love it!! I start 6 weeks of training and store opening next week. Please pray that I fall into place their easily and that God continues to open up the right doors for me to move to full time and Assistant Manager!! Woohoo!!

I am excited about this for another reason as well, because we get to finally look at houses!! I can't wait to own our own place and decorate- oh what fun!! The next step- KIDS!! Haha!! Although I think that is probably still a little ways away! :) Our God is so good at providing for us-- just when we are getting so discouraged! Thanks for all the prayers you guys have said on our behalf!! It is much appreciated!

The Weekend

This weekend has been so much fun!! To start off, Damon got me a Blackberry Pink Pearl!! I LOVE IT!! We have had a blast setting everything up on it!! Last night, my sister came into town for the weekend with her friend, Ashleigh. We all had dinner together last night- STEAK! :) Woohoo!! Today was great fun as well! :) Damon and I got to sleep in a little (though he always gets up before me!) and then we went out to lunch with Lisa Benedict-- a friend from Friday Harbor (who now lives in Branson) and a friend that I had yet to meet! We had TONS of fun and it is always great to meet new friends! Damon then drove around down town Little Rock with her while I went to a movie with my family. We went to see New In Town... and oh boy did I LOVE it!! Haha! Talk about what it is like hanging out with my family when you are from the south!! I highly recommend seeing it! You will get some good laughs out of it- yeah, you betcha will there! Well, I know that this is short, but I have a hubby who is anxious for me to watch the Gonzaga Bulldogs defeat the Memphis Tigers right now!! Until later...

Lindsey

Job Search

As I sit at the computer, I am a little... what's the word... I guess discouraged would work. I mean, I am supposed to be looking for a new job, but I have been looking for the last 2+ weeks and I am just sick of it! I know that God has a special place for me somewhere, but I wish that He would just let it be known where exactly that place is. Seriously, I have probably applied to 30 or more jobs... and people don't call back hardly EVER! I mean, don't put it on your website or in the newspaper if you don't need someone... or at least have the decency to call anyone back! The other part of this is, the longer I have to wait, the more frustrated I get with Ink... I worked so hard there and because the owner is scared and can't talk to my dad because I work with him, I suffer. And then to have both owners walk out the back door on my last day to avoid seeing me and saying good-bye... STUPID! Grr ... It get's my blood pressure rising just thinking about it. Anyways, all this to say that I am just sick of job hunting and really just wish that I could start a new job that I love. Pray that I have patience. I know our God is good and I really do believe that He has place for me... I just need to be patient and persistant in figuring out where and when that is. In the meantime, I will just enjoy being at home and relaxing!