Lately....

Our sitting getaway was wonderful. It was so quiet and peaceful. We were able to sleep in and rest. We got school things done, but mostly we just enjoyed not being in the hustle and bustle of things. We had lots of time to pray together and just sit in the presence of God without noise, like the super loud train that goes by our apartment seemingly every 5 minutes. It was a great little marriage retreat, even though we weren't in a fancy hotel or anything. Ethan is incredible and any time I get a chance to spend lots of time with him is amazing!

Last weekend we had Couple's Night at church, which is always fun and quite a treat. We meet up at the church, draw names to split into groups, and go out to dinner together. The kids stay at the church so it's adults only. It was such a nice way to get to know some new people from the church. And the food was good too!

We finally have been able to start our prayer group back up! Each Monday night, Ethan and I meet some at some friends' house with other friends from church and just pray for each other and our church. It is an incredible time! Last semester, we saw God move in so many incredible ways that we praying together in groups is something we will never give up. But since the beginning of the year, someone has been sick or out of town each week so this was the first time we were able to be all together. It was amazing! I love praying with others and this experience has truly opened my eyes to God in a new way.

The rest of the week was pretty laid back. We did get to go to a concert at the House of Blues. Our friend from church has a brother in a band that had a cd release party on Friday. It was a sold out show and I completely understand why. They were amazing! The band is called The Early Republic and you should totally check them out! It was nice to feel "young" again and do something cool and fun and we got to support a great band in the process. We love music so it was a great way to spend a Friday night.

Neither Ethan or I really love Valentine's Day. But since it was Saturday night we went out like usual. This time we ran some shopping errands. I had some birthday money to spend so I was able to get some new jeans (finally!). We went to Pei Wei to try the new dish, Thai Mango Chicken, and we highly recommend it! We went to Target to get some odds and ends and then grabbed some coffee and a movie and had a relaxing evening at home, still in bed at a decent time for church the next morning.

This coming week should be pretty good. We have our version of disciple now, called Winter Blast, at church this weekend. Ethan and I are both helping out and it's always a good weekend. We're ending the weekend with cajun fest at our house to celebrate Mardi Gras. Also, I am getting my hair colored on Tuesday. YAY! Bye bye grays!

House Sitting Getaway

My aunt and uncle live about 30 minutes away from us near Dallas. They are out of town this weekend and we are house sitting. Really we are more dog/cat sitting. They have a beautiful house and wonderful pets. It is so nice to be able to get away from campus and just relax. We have no obligations, there is no noise out here. We only have each other. We are really looking at this weekend like a marriage weekend getaway. We didn't bring too much to do. We plan on spending a lot of time in prayer together, reading Scripture, reading some stuff for school. Who wouldn't love a weekend to spend with your spouse and God with no other distractions (besides feeding the animals of course)?

Finally Fixed

Well, I got the blog fixed! Found a new background that I liked. Seeing it back and looking nice makes me want to blog again. So here's what has been going on.

I finally got well! It took about 2 weeks, but I am back to fully myself. I hate being sick. Thankfully I have a fabulous husband who took good care of me and a sweet momma who came over to Texas just to be the "live in nurse." Unfortunately, right after I got well, Ethan got bronchitis with a sinus infection and was feeling really bad for a few days. He's better now too and we are enjoying it!

I got a job!! I am working for Camp Fire USA at an elementary school here in Fort Worth. I work in the after-school program doing enrichment type stuff. This week I am teaching them to play chess. It's really fun. I love the kids already and I really enjoy my coworkers. We are blessed that this job opportunity opened up. God provided it for us, that's for sure!

School is definitely rolling. Ethan's classes are really challenging him and my one class is going very well. I had a fabulous birthday. It was right at the end of me being sick, so it was so nice to get out of the house. We went to dinner at our favorite sushi place and then went shopping. I got some great things on really good sales! It made the day even better!

Other than that, things are normal around here. We love that God has provided and provided and continuously shows us his care and love for us in the small things as well as the large. We know He's doing big things around here and we're excited to be a part of it!

New Layout Problems

I wanted to change my blog background from the Christmas theme finally, but the background I wanted is having some issues. I decided just to use it anyway until the site can get it fixed. Then, I will add it back on so it will look better. I found it on simplychicblogs.blogspot.com Anyway, enough of that boring stuff.

I have a job interview today with one of the after school programs I applied with. We will see how it goes. I am a little nervous, but mostly excited. The people there have been nice each time I've talked with them. I am hoping to have another interview with a different after school program soon. I am praying that God makes it clear what to do. I know he will.

I am feeling so much better. Thank you so much for praying. This strep thing is pretty serious apparently. Luckily I got on antibiotics pretty quickly. It could have been worse I suppose, although I would hate to think what that would be like. Yikes. Now Ethan's at the doctor getting checked to see if he has a sinus infection. We are falling apart! It's all pretty good timing though, seeing as school hasn't really gotten back in the full swing of things.

I'll keep updating with news on jobs and illnesses!

Have a fun day!

Perhaps the Longest Week

So this past week has probably been one of the longest weeks of my life. Monday I was feeling horrible and rested all evening. Tuesday I was still not feeling well, but stayed at home and got a lot of things done. Tuesday night I woke up in the middle of the night with a super high fever. I got it down and Wednesday made an appointment with the doctor. Turns out I have strep throat! Which I though would be no big deal...get some antibiotics, sleep for a day or two and then be done with it. No such luck. Apparently strep in adults is one of the worst things you can get. I was feeling so awful on Thursday afternoon I called my mom and she came over to help out. Ethan had class and work and was behind because of taking care of me. Mom was a huge help! I was feeling better on Saturday to the point where my mom decided I could probably get out of the house for a little while. After 1 1/2 hours of not really even doing anything, I was miserably exhausted. I came home and tried to sleep but my blood pressure was so high that I could not get comfortable. My sweet husband brought me back to the doctor and she said that I was fine, just my body was overworking itself to get over the strep. She drew some blood to check on some things but she wasn't too concerned and sent me home to get some rest. So basically, I am sitting here on the couch waiting for those tests to come back and to get the go ahead to get up and do things. We'll see. Hopefully today!! But I have been getting better slightly each day so that is good. As long as I'm not getting worse. I am just not the type of person to sit on the couch and do nothing for a week. It is not fun at all. I have watched so much TV and movies it's ridiculous. I just want to get better and get a job!!

But God's timing is always perfect and I am sure He has something in store for all of this. I needed time to be able to rest and get better and I also needed to not jump at the first job offered to me. Because of that, I may have a good shot at a job I really really want instead. We are still praying and waiting. God is good.

For Kimmie...

So my dear friend Kimmie always does these question things and I never have tried, so I will submit to her request this one time and oblige her with some answers!

1. Where is your cell phone? on the coffee table right in front of me

2. Where is your significant other? at band practice...he's so talented

3. Your hair color? in desperate need of a boost

4. Your mother? is amazing and loving. she's the best

5. Your father? i'm his number one fan

6. Your favorite thing? I'm going to have to go with love also. my relationship with the Lord.

7. Your dream last night? don't remember. i had a bad headache so i hardly slept

8. Your dream/goal? to be the best wife/friend/mother/Christ follower i can be

9. The room you're in? living room, which in our apartment is also the dining room and kitchen

10. Your hobby? i don't think i really have a good one. i love music, both listening and playing. i also love spending time with Ethan

11. Your fear? cancer or losing ethan

12. Where do you want to be in six years? done with school, a mom, and wherever God has us

13. Where were you last night? at home...it had been a long day

14. What you're not? feeling good

15. One of your wish list items? trip to australia

16. Where you grew up? jackson, ms

17. The last thing you did? cook dinner

18. What are you wearing? black pants, blue shirt, and purple fuzzy socks. hot, i know! this is what happens when you don't have a job and stay at home and clean all day

19. Your TV? a gift from the in-laws

20. Your pet? i wish we could have one

22. Your mood? at the moment, anxious...looking for a job, not feeling good, etc.

23. Missing someone? my husband who's not here. i have hardly seen him today and he is the BEST! i love love love him

24. Your car? gets me where i need to go

25. Something you're not wearing? my wedding rings. me either, kimmie. i don't wear them when i clean

26. Favorite store? origins or lush

27. Your Summer? working. also a WC project in New Orleans. maybe Wicked

28. Love someone? ethan and all my friends and family. i am full of love :)

29. Your favorite color? lately, it's been green

30. When is the last time you laughed? earlier today watching the ellen show while cleaning

31. Last time you cried? this morning. i hate not feeling good. i'm such a baby

Ok that's it. Who's next??

Action Packed Month

December was a full month! We finished up exams thankfully. It was a long semester. Also, on the 11th I found out that I was going to be losing my job. The seminary decided to shut down the children's center where I worked for financial reasons. It was a super sad few days following that news. My last day at work was December 31st. It was a lot of work getting the classroom ready to be locked for 2 years or more. I was exhausted by the end of the day. But it is done. I have worked there for 1 1/2 years. I have really grown close to some of my co workers and children and my boss, but thankfully we can keep in touch. It was hard to walk away, but I am ready for this new chapter in my life.

Christmas was great. We went to Ethan's parents' house first and got to relax a good bit. We slept in, ate a lot of good food, got some good presents. It was really nice to see them. Then we went to my parents' house, which was also great. We got to relax and visit some good friends, got some more good presents. Then we came home. We were glad to be back in our little tiny, quiet apartment.

Ethan preached the Sunday after Christmas and did a fabulous job. You can hear it at www.bearcreek.cc. I am very very proud of him!

For New Year's Eve, we went to our pastor's house for a little party. It was great fun. We ate a lot of food, played a lot of guitar hero, watched the LSU game. Even though I was super tired from work, it was really nice to be around good friends.

And for the past few days, we have done next to nothing. We have really enjoyed being super lazy. We did rearrange our apartment and we really like it, feels like a new home. I also tried making authentic chicken curry on my own and it was pretty good. The trip to the Indian food store was an adventure, but I liked the store.

As far as job searching goes, I have applied to probably 15 or so different jobs. Something has got to work out! I'll update when something comes through. I know God has all this in control and has another job in store. I would just really like to know what it is!