In His Grace

 Throughout my life, I've never really thanked the people who have largely impacted me and my walk with the Lord. I'm going to begin making it a point to do so. My grandfather was one of those people. Handing out his Gideon green bibles and talking with strangers about Jesus always amazed me. When I was in college at SEMO my freshman year, it was hilarious when I would be walking to class and I would see Grandpa Gene in the distance handing out bibles. It brightened my day and reminded me of how we can shine God's light everywhere we go.
 I remember as a young child, he would sing songs with me and hug me. He also taught me how to pray. From as far back as I can remember, he's the one person that taught me to pray before every meal. Thanking God for everything that he ate (including his snacks), he always asked for nourishment. He was also the one to teach me to tithe. He explained how important it was to give back to God because he gave us so much. He has also taught me about investment. Investing your life in good.
He was a man of faith that never feared or was afraid to share his knowledge of Jesus or the bible. I want to be like that.

In my small group through church, we are currently reading the book of Malachi. The theme is: A love that never lets go. With God, he let's his people fuss and cry and question God. God allows us to do these things so we will sooner or later look to him for his grace. We see that he is truly all we need. We also recognize that we are nothing without him.

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1938861.html

 

It's Not Really Goodbye

Yesterday, I received sad news. After school, I was trying to get some work done so I could pick up Everett early from Nana's. I sat down to make a phone call to our school Social Worker and Alex calls me instantly. I picked up the phone and it was a normal conversation, "Hey, how was your day, etc." I asked how to visit went with grandma and grandpa. He slowed down and said, "Lauren, your grandpa passed." I had no immediate reaction, I asked, "Passed what?" "He passed away this afternoon, around 12:45."
From there, reality hit. I began to cry and just thought about him. I told a few people at school and then I headed to get Everett. He saw grandpa Gene just hours before he passed, he's what I wanted to hold on to.


Yes, there have been tears in the past hours. But there's also been hope. Sitting with my grandma last night and hearing how she told me about Grandpa's last few days, I truly believe he's with the Lord.
She spoke about how the night before, as she was singing a few hymns to him and just rubbing his arms and hands, he was moving his lips. She couldn't quite hear what he was saying but she could see what he was saying. She said that it was just amazing watching his lips move the way they were. He was saying, "I see God. I see God." His eyes were towards the heavens and a bit later he mumbled, "Hallelujah." She talks about how it was one of the most miraculous things she's ever seen.
God truly speaks through us as well as other people. I'm so happy to know that Grandpa Gene is with the Lord and how we will see him again someday.

I know that he's probably up in heaven joking around with many others. He's able to eat all of the ice cream and chocolate he wants. He can run, walk, skip, laugh with joy, and rejoice with the angels.
In Heaven, everything and everyone is healed and always full of joy. God called him home to fight the good fight and to serve Him.

Without Jesus, we are nothing. I've learned this through hard times and troubles. If I didn't have the Lord in my life, this situation would be much different. I wouldn't be able to stand the fact that I didn't get to say Goodbye. What I must always remember, this isn't really goodbye. It's, "I'll see ya soon." :)

House Arrest

Today was a good day. Everett and I stayed home, all day long! It was nice to be able to be home and not have an agenda to be out and about. This morning we woke up around 7:00 and had breakfast. Everett was not interested in taking a nap this morning so instead we were bugging Daddy to wake up for work.

Around eleven thirty we had lunch. Everett loves salmon! It's so funny watching him try new foods. I had salmon the other night for dinner when we went out to eat wither another couple. I brought it home for leftovers and the next day, I decided to let him try a bite. He wanted more! He also loves loves loves green beans! After lunch and his bottle, he finally took a nap and slept for two hours!
He definitely was a happy baby after he woke up.

We've figured out why he's been so crabby lately. He's getting yet another tooth! He will officially have 5 teeth. 3 on top and 2 on bottom. Haha. We thought about calling him Hill-billy for awhile.

Tonight will be quiet due to E going to be at 7:30 and he will be tired!

To do list.

It seems as though I always am bombarded with a to do list. The question is why?!
I need to relax an realize that I am my own boss. I am in control of what I do an when. So the question is: When can I settle down and breathe?
I'm 25 ( yes, I know I'm not "old") but I am finding that my life is becoming a To Do List.
Well no more!
Starting tomorrow, Friday!!! I'm going to make a 4 square list. Things that I absolutely have have have to do and have no choice, things that I have to do and have a choice, things I want to do and have a choice, and then extra.
Let's just hope it works!!!

Crying is never fun.

Sometimes a good cry is needed. When you're sad, when you're tired, even when you're just frustrated of not knowing. I feel like that now. Maybe we are supposed to just look forward to the weekend every single day of the week. Life is too short right?
I would love a good vacation right about now. I also would like an SUV fully paid off. All of my debt taken care of would be nice too. If I had all of these things, would I be any happier than I already am? I highly doubt it but its nice to think about.
For now, I'll be content with each breath the good lord gives me.

Wakin Up with Mama

Yes, it's Saturday. Yes, I woke up at 6:30 kind of freaked out that it was a school day. I fell asleep on the couch last night watching a movie on Netflix. When Alex got home he got me up and took me to bed. Falling asleep on the couch doesn't happen too often. After having Maggie over to drink a bit of wine and to watch a movie while laughing constantly, I must have been tired.

As I wake up, I hear a "gurgle" coming from my bathroom toilet. It was doing it yesterday but I hadn't thought anything of it. I've discovered that it means that the fill valve (the tube that lets water in) may be too high and it's trying to let water out; or it's damaged. My challenge today is going to be to fix it. Yes, I need to grade a few papers and yes, I need to clean the bathrooms too. I would feel so productive if I were to FIX the toilet! I could call myself a plumber!

Sitting here typing, I have to laugh. I hear Everett talking in his crib and he's kind of grunting. We know what that means. It's so precious when I hear him yawning first thing in the morning too. That kid just melts my heart. He's a mama's boy through and through. Last night at Target and Lifeway, we got so many complements about how he was "such a good boy". :)

While we were at Target, literally as I was putting the last item we needed in the cart, Everett was in my arms and all of a sudden I felt something super warm on my side. Yes, that would be his diaper leaking on my shirt. I took that as a cue to head home. It was past his bedtime and we needed to get home anyway. Thankfully, mama wore a black Jackson shirt to school today.

As we got home, Everett went down to bed perfectly. Maggie and I stayed up watching "The Sweetest Thing" with Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate (one of my favs). Haha! We also drank a bit of wine with that. Much needed wine after our week of work.

So....Friday night turns into Saturday morning. Everett wakes up by 7:15, thankfully I woke up just enough earlier, and Papa Bear is catching all the snoozing he can get. This weekend, my goal is to try to get some relaxation in, cleaning, school work, and I'd also like to start a new craft. My next big project is to paint our front door red. Let's hope it works!

Welcoming the New Year 2013!

As we closed the 2012 year, I've come to realize that it was the hardest year and the most rewarding year of my life. At this time last year, we were anticipating the arrival of our lil' guy Everett. After he arrived in April, our world was complete. In late July, our season changed. Alex being laid off at DeVry, me going back to work, Everett growing. It was a hard change, but it was going to happen sooner or later. 

Going back to work after having Everett has been one of the toughest things I've ever gone through. It's gotten better of course, but I still remember the first day of school, crying, thinking about how I had to do my job at school instead of doing my most important job at home. 

This fall/winter season, things turned around. Alex got a job at Beef O Brady's, my class is wonderful and I wouldn't trade them for any other, and Everett is just such a sweet baby. 

In the fall, I decided to begin selling Vault Denim (jeans), and a month later, I decided to also sell Scentsy (wickless candles). I have a deep desire to sell products that I love. I also have a desire to comfort my family financially. Alex and I are determined people and we are doing our best to save and pay off some debt. I hope and pray that we are doing the right thing for our family. There are many direct sales options out there, but these two companies will help our family through our hard work. 

With the 2013 year here already, there are so many goals I'd like to make/experience. Our calender is filling up quite quickly:

April - Everett's First Birthday
May - School is out
June - Alex's Birthday/Teaching Summer School
July - A possible trip to CA to see Family/Ali's Wedding (good friend's wedding)
August - School starts
September - 
October - Maggie's Wedding (best friend's wedding)/Amanda's Wedding
November - 
December - 

My goal this year is to keep things simple. I'd like to get at least 2 people on my team with Scentsy and I'd like to begin saving for a new car/SUV/van sometime this year. I want to paint our front door red and the shutters black. I want to be able to spend one entire day reading. I want to take a vacation. I want to go back to school for my masters degree. I want to landscape for our house. I want to clean out our garage. I want to plant flowers. I want to begin getting ideas to finish the basement. There are so many things I'd like to do. I hope that I will slow down and focus on one thing at a time.