Dear Self

Dear Self,

If you'd been asked what your first month of marriage might look like, I don't think you could have answered correctly.  

I mean, you knew Adam would be sweet.  But did you know that he would pack your lunches and drop your work you left at home on your desk saying, "These looked important--thought you might need them."  I don't think so.  Did you know that you would go to bed laughing and wake up laughing together, too?  Did you know he would set up all your utilities and grocery shop when you didn't have time to go together and just take extra-good care of you while you're super busy?

You might have guessed that the month would fly by with boxes being packed, but did you think that you'd not have to buy a single one?  It's the little things that make a big difference!  Did you know that your mom would come over and pack and pack and pack, and your dad would bring both of you lunch and you'd all hang together out and watch the Baylor game?  I don't think so.  And then could you have guessed that mom and Adam would come back over and keep packing and taking things off the walls and doing little things that were so helpful, you just didn't know where to begin?

Did you know how hilarious it would be to keep the boys with Adam?  You might have guessed it, but nothing could've prepared you for the laughs and the lessons you both learned that night at the ball park. I'm sure you could've guessed what happens when Knox eats a huge scoop of beans at Dickey's BBQ...but you couldn't have known it would go through his little body so quickly and make such a loud noise for such a small person.  (The kid can toot...)

Did you know that you'd be getting to do so many cool things at work and smiling about your job all. the. time?  I don't think so.  Even though your first big event to plan there is coming up, I don't think you could've forseen your experiences filming a segment at Channel 5 or getting your photo taken with the Mavs' NBA Championship trophy.

And I don't think you would've guessed that your mom would show up at your doorstep with a tiny little ball of fur named Bella.  She has become your new little buddy, and even came to work with you one day when you dog sat for her.

And after nearly a year of growing out your hair, would you have guessed you, too, would go with the "post wedding chop" like so many brides do?  You surprise yourself sometimes.

It's been a great (almost) month so far, and it's flown by.  Who knows what adventures you'll have next!

Weekend Eight: Take a deep breath

Friday, I got home from almost a week in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Unfortunately, it was for work, and the view of the beach is pretty much all I saw of it until the last night we were there.  Fortunately, though, I did get to hang out a lot with Amanda, since we get to work together.

I think it's been since college that we've been able to spend that much time together at once.  It was really a treat!  {I have a few pics of us out at the beach, but they're trapped on my camera--I can't find the charger.  Boo.}

Claire was in Jamaica all week on a mission trip, and I didn't feel like going home to an empty apartment, so I came home and spent the night with my Aunt Laura.  We addressed wedding invitations (the first time) Friday night and Saturday morning.  She and I did get to catch up when she got home, though.  We spend a lot of time in these spots on the couch, talking and watching Gilmore Girls.  It was so nice to catch up, and hear all about her experiences in Jamaica with other teachers.  They gave a teacher conference all week to better equip Jamaican teachers with resources they're typically unable to receive.  

Saturday afternoon,  Adam and I finally got to hang out! He took me out for a steak dinner at the Yellow Rose Steak and Chop house, and we got to catch up in person.  He'd been in Colorado for his Bachelor Weekend with a buddy from home.  They hiked and camped and explored the mountains. Colorado was, of course, nice and cool, so I know he hated to come home to Texas in a massive heat wave.  

I don't have any photos of this weekend, and I honestly can't remember what I did, other than that.  I remember telling Adam that this was pretty much the last free weekend we had before the wedding, which was now exactly two months away! 

I know this wasn't a terribly exciting weekend post, but since I'm documenting the rest of them, I didn't feel like I could just skip it.  :-)  So stay tuned for the next weekend, which was the opposite of this: loud, busy and crazy!  But fun!

Food for Thought

Desiring God's recent blog post about how to make God known at work really got me thinking. 

Graduating from a Christian high school and college, I'd been in a non-secular world for more than half my life.  One thing that was difficult for me to grasp as I decided on what kind of job I wanted was how to merge my personal faith with a mainstream job. 

This week we have several new faces around our office.  We don't know each other very well yet, but I'm hopeful we will soon enough.  I think these five things are a really good reminder of what I can strive for each day as I go into my office.

"I have in mind at least five things—five ways to make God known through your secular job and all of them are important. When one of them is missing, the witness to the truth of Christ suffers.

1. The excellence of the products or services you render in your job shows the excellence and greatness of God.

2. The standards of integrity you follow at your job show the integrity and holiness of God.

3. The love you show to people in your job shows the love of God.

4. The stewardship of the money you make from your job shows the value of God compared to other things.

5. The verbal testimony you give to the reality of Christ shows the doorway to all these things in your life and their possibility in the lives of others."

Excerpted from "Tentmakers" in Minneapolis. John Piper, 1988.

Sum-Sum-Summer

For some reason, working during the summer has come as a harsh reality this year.  Perhaps it's because Claire is busy but not working a job most of the day like last summer.  Sometimes on his days off, Adam hangs out at the pool for a bit before I get off work.  Knowing that they're both off having fun without me is a bit of a bummer!!

Perhaps this reality is hitting extra hard because I'm saving most of my vacation for September to go on our Honeymoon and don't have the luxury to take a personal day just because I feel like it.  Whatever it is, I find myself racking my brain for a profession that would ideally be part-time hours for full-time pay.  (Hey, a girl can dream, ok??) 

So, in an effort to combat my summer blues, we (Claire and I) have declared all days after 4 p.m. and certainly all weekends as SUMMER.  This includes eating at fun restaurants, trying new recipes, swimming, popsicle eating, back-porch sitting, taking walks at night and getting frozen yogurt at 9 p.m.

Last week, Adam and I made breakfast for dinner and had Claire and Anna over to my parents' house while they were gone.  They have a big griddle and lots of counter space, and it was just fun to have free-reign of the house!  He makes some mean french toast, and we had fruit salad and bacon to go with it.  It was quite tasty!

We ate out on the back porch by the pool and talked and laughed to our heart's content.  It was a great evening.    So here's to lots more of those!

Meeting Kelly Clarkson

I don't typically talk about work on this blog because, well, it's work.  And while it's where I spend a good chunk of my time, when I come home, I just like to be home.  That being said, however, there are some things that are really big...like a walk that 40,000 people attend, and one Kelly Clarkson in particular.

While it may sound a bit cheesy, Kelly Clarkson actually had a rather big impact on my singing start.  While on a church choir tour/mission trip in high school, I pretended to be her in a skit our family group did, and knew that I'd really have to own "A Moment Like This" if I was going to be the "good singer" on our version of American Idol.  The rest of the week, I sang my solo "Here I Am to Worship" with a lot more confidence, and people started asking me to sing more often.  I sang at Baylor, at church, and now at weddings and any chance I can get!

{Me, Molly, Kelly & SMoo}

I shared this info about our special guest with my Dad the night before the walk.  He was so pumped and was determined to meet her and get a photo.  {Most of the time I try to stray away from being "Gary's Daughter" at work because I don't want to be treated any differently than anyone else.  However, he's been really involved in the organization and very instrumental in making a difference, so it's kind of hard to ignore, which isn't always a bad thing!}  He made sure that the girls got a pic with the very first American Idol.  Thanks, Dad!

Molly snapped this photo of me and Dad at the top of the bridge.  40,000 people cross under it as they move past the start/finish line, and it was my first time to be up there and see this part of the walk.  

I was born too soon and spent three weeks in the NICU with spinal meningitis after I was born, so our family has been involved with the March of Dimes for a very long time because it's near and dear to our hearts.  I started going to the walks with my dad every year growing up, and it was always fun for us to share that together.  While I don't remember each one of them, the last three stand out quite vividly.  As it turns out, the walk has become a way for me to mark seasons in my life, and each year I go back, I wonder where I'll be next.

In 2009, I was fresh off a plane from studying abroad.  I was about to graduate from Baylor and didn't have a job yet.  I was anxious and wasn't looking forward to graduating.  To say that summer was challenging would be an understatement.  But in August, the March of Dimes offered me a full-time job, and I was thrilled to work where I'd interned one summer in college.  

In 2010, I worked my first walk.  I learned all the behind-the-scenes tasks that have to be done by our small staff to pull of this event.  It was a cool day.  I had also been dating Adam for about a month, and couldn't stop smiling.  I wasn't sure where it was headed quite yet, but I was having a blast with him.

This year, I had more of a handle on what my role would look like, and I even got to drive a golf cart this time.  {People think you're quite helpful when you can haul them from point A to point B!}  And a year later, Adam and I are engaged, and we'll be married by the time the next walk rolls around!  

The Lord has continued to be so faithful in my life, and I am grateful for a way to look back and see how He works in our lives.  

  Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; 

   it is fitting for the upright to praise him. 

 Praise the LORD with the harp; 

   make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 

 Sing to him a new song; 

   play skillfully, and shout for joy.

 For the word of the LORD is right and true; 

   he is faithful in all he does. 

Psalm 33:1-4

Top Ten Lately

                                                        

Recent highlights taken from my phone...

1.  The roomdog and I tried a new Chinese Takeout place near our a-p-t.  We watched Gilmore Girls and were hoping that our delivery experience would rival Lorelei and Rory's.  Unfortunately, it did not.  We'll stick to Pei Wei, but at least we tried.

2.  Dinner at Fish City Grill with SMoo on Friday night was delicious.  We ended our two hour talk-fest with a rocky road ice cream brownie.  And yes, the brownie was warm...we double checked to make sure.

3.  AMP and I play Monopoly at Albertson's.  We collect game pieces and have recently discovered that winning the $1M may be harder than we suspected.  The best is when the cashiers give you more than they're supposed to because they like us.

4.  I'm convinced I look like a camp counselor driving a fifteen passenger van with my camo hat and wind breaker.  We had our big walk for work this past Saturday {more on that later!} and part of my job was to help pick up these vans.  It was also the day of 50 mph winds {I kid you not}, so driving that big tank was quite an experience.

5.  Last night, I got to spend some quality time with my Aunt Laura.  This must happen more often.  We browsed some wedding invitations to get ideas, ate at Mi Cocina and perused dishes at Dillard's.  Turns out, they have a better selection than Macy's.  When I shared this tidbit with AMP, he said, "Well, I guess we'll be switching our registry to Dillard's!"  What a guy.

Things not pictured, but highlights nonetheless...

6.  Adam stopped by work yesterday just to give me a hug.  I needed it.  It really made my day.

7.  Phone calls from Amanda and Mary Ellen to catch up.

8.  Finding time to read a book or two lately.

9.  Getting organized around the apartment and finding time to cook again.

10.   Lunch with Papa & Jonita on Sunday.  We had a great time catching up.  I'm so thankful to be back near my family again!

11.  And one more for good measure: tonight I get to spend some quality time with AMP.  I.  Can't. Wait.