Spring Where Are You?!?!

The title of this post pretty much says it all.  Like most of the country, it seems that winter has not been told that it has overstayed its welcome in my whereabouts.  It must not realize that today is MARH 26!  We got hammered with MORE snow over the weekend!  We got around 7-8 at my house when it was all said and done.  While I love snow at certain times of the year, late March is not one of those times. 

 

Fortunately, it melts pretty fast this time of year, and in a few days this latest winter storm will only be a memory.  Unfortunately, Spring break is looking more like winter break, and Palm Sunday looked more like Christmas, making me wonder what Easter is going to be like. Easter egg hunts are certainly not intended to be in the snow, and many of them were canceled or carried out indoors over the weekend.   One thing is for certain, the leaves will not be green and the flowers will not be blooming this Easter.

This crazy weather has many of us in the country asking the following question: Spring Where Are You?!?!
 

 

 

I'm over winter.......

 

I’ve never been more ready for spring!  Sunshine and fresh air can do so much for my mood.  It naturally gives me boost of energy and  seems to put a smile on my face; and believe me, I really need that this year.  January and February always seem to be so difficult to get through, because the sun rarely shows itself through the grey, dreary sky.  March comes, and I get a glimmer of hope.  Hope that spring is almost here! Hope that sunshine, green grass and flowers will soon follow. 

 

The only problem is that the weather can at times be unpredictable.  March hasn’t brought me much hope this year L  I think it may be confusing itself with its two predecessors. 

 

 

Instead, March has been somewhat of a tease.  The sun has on occasions peaked from the overcast sky and brought with it warmer temperatures;  however, the peak of sunshine is always short-lived.  It's not long before I am reminded that winter is still my reality  and with it SEVERAL days of grey skies, cold temperatures and even snow.

 

 

It’s just depressing really!  I can’t take much more of the grey skies!  I need sunshine….lots of sunshine!  And I’m certainly not fond of snow in March!  I love the white stuff around the holidays, but by this time of year I’m completely over it! 

 

I'm officially over winter! Sring, please come quickly! If you ask me, it can’t come fast enough!

Bone Dry......

          As of last night, Indianapolis has had .009 inches of rain in 47 days….that’s it….not a drop more.  Every time we’ve had a chance of rain in the forecast, the rain either goes north or south of us, taunting us on its way.  For example, this weekend was the first time in a while that the potential of rain looked promising.  The grey sky even looked like it was going to pour all day, but no rain fell from the sky at my house today.  Here it is, the end of the night, and our lawn is still bone dry.

            They say that this is the driest it’s been in nearly a hundred years.  It’s bad folks…it’s really bad.  Farmers are losing crops, and their way of life is being tested.  Several counties banned fireworks this year due to the fire risk.  Lawns that are usually green and lush have turned dry and brittle.  The few lawns that still look good, due to sprinklers or expensive irrigations systems, will soon look like the rest of our lawns due to the recent water ban.  And the heat….well the heat has been intense this year.  I am glad to say that we were on vacation for the hottest days of the summer.  We had a heat wave of several 100+ degree days!  Thank goodness we were gone for that!  We are used to hot and humid summers here, but we’re certainly not used to southwest dessert-like temps during the summer months. 

            At the beginning of the summer, our lawn started to look brown and pathetic resembling hay.  Matt refuses to invest in sprinklers, because it makes the water bill go up as well as the number of times he’ll have to mow this year, a chore that he absolutely despises.   Someday, I hope to change his mind about such an investment.  As for the flowers that we planted this year, they are more or less for me and my enjoyment. They survived the summer with lots of TLC….well they survived until we went on vacation.  I’m uncertain if it was the heat wave that killed them or the fact that we didn’t clarify with our house sitter how much to water the plants while we were gone.  I think it may have been a little of both, but either way this is what we came home to after vacation. 

            Following the discovery that my flowers now matched my lawn, I called my mother who has a green thumb and explained to her my findings.  She pretty much said there was no hope for my potted beauties, seen here when I first planted them in the spring. 

         This is the first weekend we’ve been home since we got back from vacation, and along with a few other things we needed to get done this weekend, replacing all of my potted flowers was at the top of the list. The good thing about buying flowers this late in the year is that plants cost less.  The bad thing about buying plants this late in the year is that the quality of the plant is also less than when buying them at the beginning of the year.  I think that with a lot of TLC, the new flowers are gonna survive the second half of the summer just fine.  We may still have a bone dry and brittle lawn, but so help me the flowers will look good if I have any say in it;)  Here's to keeping my flowers alive in the drought of 2012.

Untitled.....

            There are people in life who know no strangers.  They are the kind of people who have a knack for meeting others and instantly becoming friends with just about anyone.  You know, the kind of people who are comfortable conversing with anyone about anything.  I am often envious of people with these kinds of abilities, for I know that I am far too guarded and standoffish with people I don’t know.  It is very difficult for me to converse with someone I have just met. I say all of this, because I once knew someone with such envious characteristics.  This morning, I said goodbye to that someone as I attended the funeral of a very dear man, who with his wife, has been a great encouragement in my life over the past few years.  He was a kind, loving, faithful, warm, friendly soul who knew no stranger.  He loved people, and he truly cared about the individual wellbeing of those he came in contact with.                

            I struggled with sharing any of these thoughts on my blog tonight, but my blog is about more than DIY projects, house updates and fun outings with my husband.  I started this blog to journal different events, both small and great, that occur in my life….every aspect of my life. Tonight I briefly wanted to write this entry, not so much for my readers but for my own consolation, reflecting on the life a man who showed me Christ-like love at a time in my life, where if I’m honest with myself, I was a little bit lonely and needed that love. 

            I first met this dear man and his wife at my church when I moved out on my own and started teaching.   It’s no secret to those who know me that I don’t always give the best first impressions.  I am very much an introvert and don’t always enjoy being social with others.  When people try to converse with me, I am polite and converse back, but it’s not always with ease.  Upon meeting this man who I speak of tonight, he and his wife decided that they were determined to get to know me more, so they started inviting me over to their home for Sunday lunches in between morning and evening church services.  These lunches nearly became a weekly event for a couple of years while I was living in an apartment that came with a lengthy drive to our church.  Before I knew it, the man who talked my ear off on Sunday afternoons, and eventually I his, had wiggled his way into my life and heart. 

            As time passed and marriage, a new home and the busyness of life no longer called for weekly lunches, this sweet couple still remained grandparent-like figures in my life. Any news in my life that I shared with my parents, I also made a point to share with them.  When I met my husband, I went to them for wisdom.  When I married my husband, they were one of the few non-family members invited to the ceremony. When we bought our new home, they were one of the first to celebrate with us.  Any job transition that Matt and I were going through, they were one of the first to know and pray with us.  If the Lord sees fit for Matt and I to grow a family, they would be one of the first to know and celebrate with us.  As a result of their persistent effort to get to know me as an individual, they became two of my very favorite people to be around. 

            While I'm taking time to reflect on my memories of a man who had a lasting impact on my life, let it be known that I'm not seeking sympathy as I write tonight.  Furthemore, as I conclude this blog entry I must say that I don’t really feel sad for him or the loss of him.  He was very sick, and I know that he was ready for the death of this life.  I do, however, feel great empathy for his wife of over fifty years.  I can’t image what it must be like to share a life with someone for that long, and then to one day wake up to a life where that someone no longer physically exists.  I am filled with great sorrow when I think of this, but I am reassured that God’s grace is sufficient to those who love Him.  The few tears that I have shed over his loss are for his family, not for him, for I know he is in a far better place tonight.  To love his wife and family the way he did, I know leaves them with a great void in this present time.  He will greatly be missed by those he loved, but at the same time my faith assures me that I will see him again someday.  Someday, when my life on earth has passed, I look forward to being in his presence once again.  Until then, the memories I hold of him bring a warm smile to my face and will always have a special place in my heart. 

A Change of Plans.....

            I would consider myself to be a planner.  I like to know what’s going on and when it’s going on.  I hate it when plans change, but sometimes a change of plans is unavoidable.........

Here’s what was supposed to happen at our house this past weekend:

Friday- date night

Saturday – work on our floors 

Sunday – church (like usual)

Here’s what ended up happening:

             Matt sends me a text at 9:00 Friday morning, telling me that he threw his back out.  I ask if he needs to go to a doctor.  He replies with a no.  I remind him that we are scheduled to continue work on the floors on Saturday......and that there is a doctor’s office at his work for the employees (a free med-check, if you will).....and  that he should try to get an appointment scheduled before he comes home.  He tells me that he will "be fine".  At 6:00, Matt comes home from work hunched over and barely walking, but he's still telling me he is "fine"!  I tell him that I have muscle relaxers in the medicine cabinet from when I was having neck spasms and encourage him to take one.  He doesn’t think he needs muscle relaxers, because he is just  "fine" and just needs to lie down to feel better. 

           By this point, our date is obviously canceled, and I pretty much forced my husband to get in the car and go to med-check.  I know that I don’t sound like a very sympathetic person at this point in the post - that’s because I’m not.  Seriously, I really don’t feel sympathy the way some do.  I wish I did, but I don’t.  For some people, I think sympathy is a real gift.  For example, I believe that my mom has that gift, the gift to truly feel the pain that someone else is feeling and hurt with them.  I'm more of a fixer.  I'd rather exhaust myself trying to fix a problem than feel sympathy over a problem.  Regardless of my lack of sympathy, I tend to feel less of it when someone is physically hurting and refuses to see a physician (ie: a healer of physical pain).

             So anyway back to my Friday night…...we end up going to med-check….in concert traffic!  Yes, that's right, because we live just a few miles from where the concerts perform on the north side of Indy.  While everyone was driving to see Miranda Lambert, I was driving to med-check.  Did I also mention that I'm not a very patient person?  Wow, I'm revealing a lot of my character flaws in this post.   Half way there, Matt tells me that he has a medical card from his work (not to be confused with our insurance card), and  we can put up to $1500 of medical expenses on it.  I ask where the card is.  He tells me he left it at home!  I ask why it’s not in his wallet.  Get this…..he never uses it, so why keep it in his wallet!  Refusing to turn around in concert traffic, we go ahead and pay the co-pay for med-check and a couple hours later, the doctor tells us that Matt is having back spasms and prescribed….wait for it….the same medicine that I had at the house for my neck spasms!  MEN….why do they have to be so difficult when it comes to being sick or in some kind of pain! 

            In all seriousness I love my husband, but he drives me nuts when it comes to being sick!  I don’t doubt for one minute that he is in pain when he is ill, but whining to me about that physical pain won’t do anything!  I went to school to be a teacher, not a doctor!   Here’s a tip for all men out there, because this seems to be a man thing - if you want to feel better GO TO THE DOCTOR!!!!

            O.k. then, so that was my Friday.  Looking back on it now, I find the situation funny, but in the moment, it wasn't very funny....just frustrating.....yep, very, very frustrating.  Now that I got that off of my chest, I’ll move on to the rest of my weekend.

            Saturday, if you recall, we were supposed to continue work on the floors.  We had two good weekends of work around the first of May.  The past four weekends Matt’s brother (who lives two hours away, has all of the tools for the project and is soooo wonderful for helping us on this massive project) had to work, and our floors  were understandably put on hold for a month.  Well, after the med-check incident, Matt naturally called his brother and told him that he didn’t think he would be much help this weekend, not to mention Matt’s brother’s wife is due to have a baby any time.   In the end, the timing of things just didn’t work out for anyone this weekend, so the floors in our loft still look like this……

…… a ripped up mess!  I’m not sure when they will be finished.  I like things finished, so this drives me a little crazy.  At the same time, I’m kind of glad that Matt’s brother stayed home this weekend.  I was really worried about his wife and the baby, and I’m glad that he stayed home considering his wife's condition.   If Matt’s back didn’t go out, his brother would have probably come up (another man thing, I’m sure of it), and I would have been worried about his wife the whole weekend.

So instead of working on our floors Saturday, I went to work and took the girls swimming…….

…..while Matt lay in bed drugged up on muscle relaxers and pain killers…..

            Since the doctor told Matt that it would be bad for his back to stay in bed all day, we ended up having a weekend date after all.  It wasn’t what we had planned, but we ended up going out to dinner Saturday evening and doing some shopping for our upcoming California trip at an outdoor mall just a few miles from our house.  We had a really good time together Saturday night.  So much so, that I almost forgot how much my darling husband drove me crazy the night before;) 

And the moral of the story is…..

You can't control the uncontrollable.  Sometimes plans change…..just deal with it and make the best of what you can:)

           

Busy, busy, busy....

               Busy, busy, busy…..that’s what it has been around our house lately.  I feel like I’ve hardly blogged at all this month!  Trust me….there is much to blog about.  I just haven’t found the time to put it all into posts.  Part of why we’ve been so busy is because we’ve been replacing all of the floors in our house,  that has consumed much of our free time this month.  I’ve learned that it takes a lot of work and a lot of time to do floors!  We’ve also been busy getting the outside of our home ready for summer by planting flowers and doing other yard work.  I’ll try to post pictures soon.  Oh, and I’ve also been working on two different furniture re-dos. Can’t wait to share those with you!  One is finished, and I’m hoping to get a post out about it this week:)  Crossing my fingers that it will get done.  When you mix all of that in with family get-togethers, graduation season and just the ordinary stuff of life, this little blog has been put on hold lately. New posts will be coming soon though…..I promise;)

The Pinterest Plunge

It’s finally happened….I’ve been sucked in…..yes, I’ve taken the plunge….the Pinterest plunge, that is:)  I could no longer resist the undeniable inspiration and organization Pinterest has to offer.  I've been avoiding this for fear of becoming addicted to pinning, but it's too late.....addicted I have become:) 

The truth is, I really only took this plunge because a good part of my blog stats were coming from Pinterest.  I thought it was time to intermingle the two.   In doing so, I’ve added a Pinterest button to my blog.  Won’t you come along the Pinterest journey with me?  Click the Pinterest button on my blog and you too can follow all of my Pinterest fun.

Ready for Spring Showers With My Rain Boots

While I do realize that it currently feels like summer flip flop weather, spring is technically just two days away.  Around here spring time brings rain showers, and for that you gotta have a cute pair of rain boots;)

I got these cute Paris boots at the beginning of February.  It seems like every time I where them someone is asking me where I got them, so I decided to do a quick post on them.   

I found my boots at Stein Mart and paid $25 for them.  Stein Mart had a pretty good selection of patterned rain boots when I got mine.  In fact, the selection was so good that I had a hard time figuring out which pattern I wanted to buy.  In the end, I couldn’t resist the pink and black look of these Paris bootsJ

Spring is in the air....or should I say Summer....

I’m  lovin’ this warm weather! Spring is in the air….or should I say summer, because based on the recent temperatures, I’m really not sure. With temperatures hovering around the eighty degree mark all week, it feels more like June instead of March. That’s unheard of for this time of year, and I am  loving every minute of it!

It may feel like summer, but it still looks like March outside. Thanks to the gorgeous weather this week, the bareness of the winter months is sprouting new life as the spring season approaches. Blue skies, birds chirping, flowers blooming, trees budding and grass growing…..the signs of SPRING are all around us!

The spring/summer season has made its way into my home as well. Yesterday, I brought out all of our porch and patio furniture, and I traded out the warm smell of the hazelnut candles for the fresh smell of the lilac candles. And since we’re still waiting on all of the trees and flowers to bloom, I just couldn’t resist buying a bouquet of flowers from the grocery this week to help bring a little bit of spring inside the house. We’ve also had the windows open all week! I love fresh air! There hasn’t been any humidity and the breeze has felt fabulous. There’s nothing better than falling asleep to a gentle breeze and waking up to the sound of the birds chirping.

Normally, I would say that it is way too early for spring, and that Old Man Winter still has some more Arctic blast ready to throw our way.  This year, I may actually be convinced that warmer weather is here to stay, because we had such a mild winter. I’ve been waiting for ten inches of snow all year, and we haven’t had it yet. I think we might actually be out of the woods when it comes to snow, ice and frigid temps…..although anything can happen.  Last year we had accumulating snow all the way up until March 31, so I'll keep my fingers crossed;)

A Birthday With the Hubs

So I turned twenty-eight today.  That’s just two years away from the big 3-0….yikes, I’m gettin’ old!  Actually, twenty-eight doesn’t feel too bad.  I think I may think differently when I leave my twenties and enter my thirties.

My darling husband always says that he gets screwed, because my birthday is just five days after Valentine’s Day.  I have little sympathy for him.  I figure he can just get two big days of the year out of the way in one week, since we can’t change either date.  He’s actually pretty good about treating me nice for my birthday.  Since my birthday usually falls around President’s Day, we try to get away for the long weekend.  Things didn’t go quite as we planned this weekend though, and our getaway is being postponed for the time being.

The hubs did, however, do a really nice job trying to make my day special, even though I was kind of bummed that we didn’t get to go away this weekend.  This morning, he woke up and made me breakfast before our church services.  Then he surprised me and told me that he was taking me out to lunch, my choice of course, and afterwards he was taking me shopping.  Anywhere I wanted to go he would take me without any complaints.

The hubs was a real trooper today.  I chose Cheesecake Factory for lunch….no surprise there.  Shopping was fun too.  He didn’t complain one time, and we had a really great time spending the afternoon together.  A quick stop by Starbucks on the way home was icing on top of the cake:)  Overall, my husband is….well, he’s just a pretty awesome guy:)  He’s so thoughtful, and I feel very blessed to have him.  Here’s to growing old with the one I love:)

One Year of Blogging.....

           

          It’s hard to believe that I started this journey of blogging just one year ago.  It seems like only a few weeks ago I was writing my very first blog post.  When I decided that I wanted to start this journey, I didn’t even know how to begin, so I did what anyone in this generation would do when looking for a “how to” of something…....I Googled it.  By Googling  “how to start a blog”,  I discovered Blogger.  In just a few hours time Loving Life was created. 

            I really had no clue what I was doing when I decided to start a blog.  To be honest I still don’t always know what I’m doing.   It took me weeks to figure out how to edit a post after it was already published and months to figure out that I could respond to comments via my email.  And then there was the day I discovered various websites such as thecutestblogontheblock.com, and in the process discovered that I could give my blog a new look for free!  Now that I know more about the blogging world, I’m seriously considering paying a professional to create a web design for my blog, but one year ago, that would have never crossed my mind.           
         Once I started blogging, I discovered how to follow other blogs and how readers could follow my blog as well.   I remember thinking that I would be so happy if I had at least twenty followers in a year’s time.  Growing my blog has been a learning experience in itself.  Originally, I was only linking up my blog posts to my Facebook page until I discovered link parties in April of last year.  Today, most of my readers have come from linking up my posts to various link parties in the blogosphere.  Link parties have been a great way for me to meet other bloggers with similar interest, and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing other creative spaces on the internet that put this little ol’ blog of mine to shame.  Compared to other blogs, I still don’t have that many readers, but thanks to all of you who follow and read my blog, my little corner of the internet has gone farther than I ever thought it would go in one year's time!  As my blog grows and I am able to commit more time to it, a few of my future goals would be to begin hosting my own link parties and get connected via other social media such as Twitter and Pinterest.  For now, those are long term goals due to the limited amount of time I am currently able to put into my blog.

            While my blog has seen a few changes over the course of the year, one thing that hasn’t changed is the purpose of my blog.  My reason for maintaining this blog has been and always will be to allow me to have a creative outlet.  For me, my blog has always been a hobby and nothing more.  Perhaps some day I can really work on growing it and turning it into more of a part-time job, like so  many other wonderful bloggers have successfully done.  For now, it’s just a hobby that I really enjoy working on in my spare time……and for now, that’s more than enough for me.  So here’s to one year’s journey of blogging.   Thanks for taking the journey with me. 

February 1.....

           

          February 1….how can it be?  One month of 2012 is already gone.  Seriously, where does the time go?  Winter is almost over, and before we know it spring will be here.  Although, around here it has surprisingly felt like spring for most of this winter, considering our abnormally mild temperatures.  I hope that doesn’t mean that it will feel like winter when spring arrives.  Sadly, that wouldn’t surprise me one bit.  When it comes to the weather, anything can happen around here.

            We have had an exceptionally mild winter this year in my neck of the woods.  That was made clearer to me today as I was struck by an unusual appearance driving home from work.   While I was patiently waiting for my light to turn green in a nearby school zone, I noticed a high school boys sport team crossing the street in front of me.  That’s not uncommon really, but what was uncommon was the apparel they were wearing, or lack thereof, on this the first day of February.  Believe it or not, this group of boys was sporting their jogging shorts and nothing more.  No pants….no jackets…not even a shirt….and the crazy thing is that their choice of apparel is completely justifiable, considering the fact that the temps have been in the low to mid sixties this week.  
            More ironic to me than the fact that I drove by shirtless runners, in central Indiana in the middle of winter, was what the morning news brought to my attention today.  One year ago today, we were under a blizzard warning that turned out to be the huge ice storm of 2011.  Looking back on that storm and all of the other snow storms we had last year, and then looking out my opened window on this warm sunshiny day as I am typing this post, I am only reminded that you never know what kind of weather you are going to get in the Midwest ......or when you will get it. 
          It was said this week that the Indianapolis Super Bowl committee had to have emergency plans for snow, ice, rain, tornadoes and fog, because we have been known to have all of those things this time of year.  We’ve actually had all of those things in the past thirty-one days. However, today we only have warm weather and lots of sunshine:)  I’ll take that over snow and ice any day;) 
        Here's to warm February days!   May the remaing twenty-eight days of February be as beautiful as today.....I doubt that will actually happen, but I can dream can't I;)

Downtown Indy during the Super Bowl

            It’s finally arrived! After years in the making, Super Bowl week in Indy is finally here.  Now as a native to Indy, I may be a little biased when I say that I think Indianapolis is a great city to host the Super Bowl.  While some might say Indy is too small of a city, the very fact that everything in Indy is compact makes all of the Super Bowl activities conveniently close together and easy to navigate.  The hubs and I live only a twenty-five minute drive away from the heart of the city, so we spent Saturday enjoying all of the Super Bowl festivities.  I have to say that I think the city did a great job putting everything together.  It was very well organized, and there was lots of stuff to see and do for every age group.  The Super Bowl Village is free, so other than food and parking (which you need to plan before arrival), expect to spend $10 and a long wait in line for the zip line (if you think a three hour wait is worth it.....me, not so much) and $25 for an all day pass to the NFL  Experience.   To fully experience a day in Indy during Super Bowl week, one could easily spend $100 for two people.   Most of us locals justify the cost, because how many times does one really get the chance to live in the city that is hosting such a great event?  It certainly is a first for us, and hopefully it won’t be the last;)

Worth It All.....

       
           It’s hard to believe that one year ago today we moved into our new home.  What a stressful day that was!  I hope we never have to move again!  It was January 12, 2011.  I packed our belongings from the previous house on the 10^th and 11^th while Matt was at work,  and on the 12^th the two of us rented a truck and moved all of our belongings into a house that I fell in love with from the moment I walked through its doors.  It was a large home that we could grow in, and with a little TLC could be the home of our dreams.   It needed some work, but I saw its potential….and with the right price tag on it, the hubs saw its potential too;) 

            We had twenty-four hours to move out of the old home and into the new one.  My brother came to help us in between his classes that day, but for the most part it was just the two of us….well, the two of us and a lot of snow.  Yes, we moved in a snow storm!  What are the odds of that?!?  It wasn’t fun, that’s for sure.  We were slipping and sliding all over the place as the snow from our boots began to ice over on the hard, cold metal floors of the moving truck.   And then there was the obstacle of moving furniture in knee-deep snow….NOT FUN!  But as I’m sitting here in our bedroom drinking a cup of coffee a year later, on yet another snowy January day, I can’t help but think that the entire moving process was worth it….yes, it was worth every bit of the hassle!  It was worth moving in a snow storm.  It was worth only having two days to pack.  It was worth the headaches that the bank we purchased the home put us through.  It was worth all of the unknowns that came along with house hunting.  It was worth the last minute house showings that we thought were going nowhere.  It was worth every penny that we saved for the down payment and every penny that we continue to spend to make it our own.  It was worth it all!  It was even worth saying goodbye to our starter home…..a  house that we both put precious time, hard work and abundant love into making our own…..a house where Matt proposed and wonderful memories were made as we began our journey of marriage….a house that while I couldn’t wait to get out of, brought tears to my eyes as I alone gave its empty space one final late night cleaning before giving the key to the new home owner.  Yes, it was even worth that bitter-sweet moment of saying goodbye to something so special, because saying goodbye meant moving forward to something new and exciting for our family. 

                        Most days I look around our home and am reminded of the many projects that still need to be completed within these walls before Matt and I enter the next step of our married journey….creating a family.  And most days that thought saddens me, because I so very badly want to move onto that next step.  However, I'm overwhelmed with the awareness of the many unexpected financial setbacks that have occurred since we bought this house one year ago.  While those thoughts have the tendancy to weigh me down, today I can’t help but look around and thank the Lord for this home….unfinished projects and all! Today I am reminded of the progress that we have made in one year's time.  The progress on this home may not be moving as fast as this impatient girl would like it to, but we have seen progress.  In the right time this house will be finished!  It will be the house that I envisioned it to be when I first walked through its doors!  In the right time, not my time, we will have the new floors, the white picket fence and the finished basement.  In the mean time, we have what we have…...so today I'm reminded to be thankful for all that we do have.  So while most days my “glass-half-empty” spirit walks through this house and only sees the projects that we can’t afford to do at the this time, today I can only see a house that we are slowly but surely turning into our home.....and today, I am reminded that it was and still is worth it all!

A Quick Update....

         I feel as though I haven’t blogged in forever, even though it’s only been a week. I’ve been very busy this week, and I thought I’d post a quick update tonight before heading to bed. 

            I have a bit of good news to report tonight.  Last week we found out that Matt will be starting a new job on Tuesday, and for that we are very thankful.  It’s a similar job with similar pay to what he was doing, so we have no complaints about that.  After being out of work for two months, the idea of a steady income seems like we’ve just won the lottery.  We still don’t understand why the Lord allowed the whole job loss situation to happen, but we don’t have to know why.  We just have to trust and rely on the promise that all things will work together for good in His time.

            On a lighter note, we’ve had a crazy warm spell the past five days with beautiful sunshine, blue skies and temps in the mid fifties!  It seems unheard of for January.  It’s been kind of nice as it’s felt and looked like early April.  The weather has certainly put me in a spring cleaning mood.   I put the Christmas away over the weekend, cleaned my house from top to bottom and washed the windows inside and out.  It’s felt great to get so much accomplished, but alas cold, dreary January weather awaits us in the weekend forecast.  That means that my burst of spring-like energy will return to the normal sluggish sit-on-couch-and-eat-too-many-carbs “January blahs”  in the coming days.  But I don't think the "January blahs" will stay too long this year with Matt going back to work and house projects getting back to a steady pace.  Yep, things are starting to feel a little bit more like normal around here….and that is definitely a good thing;)

I Can Only Wish.....

The cold has found us…..I drove to work in what felt like single digit temps this morning, and I found myself wishing that I was where I was one year ago, basking in the Caribbean sun.  A year ago, I would have been sailing away from Jamaica and preparing myself to wake up to the white, sandy beaches of the Cayman Islands.  Oh how glorious it would be to wake up to that again!  I can only wish!  While I wish I was soaking up the tropical sunshine, I am only able soak up the memories;)  And I have to tell ya, that's not necessarily a bad thing:)