mer's minutes

waiting.

2009-04-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

well it seems that we're playing the waiting game. waiting on blood test results. waiting on clear direction for job stuff. waiting on a perfect name for little bambino. waiting waiting waiting. i'm having to let go of my plans. for me, the one who hates to miss a party - or anything for that matter - i'm realizing that pretty much everything is out of my control and i'll have to just wait and see what the Lord has in store for us. His plan is always better that I could have dreamed up, so there is no fear or disappointment to be anticipated. it's just the waiting game.

inspired

2009-03-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

it's been coming for awhile now, this little inkling of inspiration to blog again. but honestly, it's hard to pick up after not posting for so long. but i'm over the procrastinating and i'm back. hopefully with photos, but they always made me so mad when i couldn't get them to line up just how i wanted. so no expectations, no time commitments, just saying, you might hear from me once and awhile. hopefully sooner rather than later.

2 best ways to watch the game...

2006-09-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

friends...

fam!

sorry for the lack of posts lately...a lots been going on. we had our first small group last night at our house. it was so great! we've ben praying for it for awhile and it was so neat to meet the people that the Lord led together. we are excited to see where He takes us. i'll try to take a picture next week....i forgot to this week in the hurry of cooking dinner for all 14 of us! it was crazy. but totally worth it.

i'm busy at work. trying to stay well...we all know how my body shuts down when i go on no sleep too many days in a row. i'm totally loving Arbonne...i'm going to the top of the company. just watch. i love it.

and some of you may recall a few months ago when our own hanna lombardi was spotted moonlighting on stage in DC (caught on Bill's blog), well her hubby made his debut in Bham recently...

Ted and Ev are putting their house on the market and heading north to Bham with us! that means in the days to come i'll get to hang with these little guys all the time! how exciting is that...

and a few shots just for fun!

quick update

2006-08-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

it's been busy...working hard for cases going to trial, trials getting postponed after working hard...camp friends moving to town...new Arbonne business is exploding...refinished some furniture to match the new couch (see jared's blog)...and had a going away part for one member of our small group (it's off to Texas for the Sain's)...our small group has to "break up" pretty soon to branch out and start new small groups, but we're secretly (ok its not really a secret) going to stay together under cover. we love our church, getting tired of my job, the ocean's been calling pretty loudly lately....i need to answer it soon!

here's the newly refinished china cabinet....so pottery barn, right?

and here's the small group...we love them!

(this is everyone except the morrows and jason(the father to be) we missed them!)

and lastly, as you all think you are off work to celebrate Labor Day, just be aware that it is actually our 2nd anniversary hidden in a national holiday!

on the road again...

2006-07-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

so we've spent more money on gas than food lately...that's just not right...but seeing these precious faces along the way puts it in perspective...

i promise josh isn't stuck in a cage or anything...he's in the playground thing at chic-fil-a. we shared a tasty oreo cream shake...only found at auburn chic-fil-a's!

from auburn we went on to NC to spend a short weekend at camp...it was great to see a ton of friends, but kinda a tease since we were only there for maybe 48 hours. now i'm back at work. wishing i had a more felxible schedule.

we've been painting a lot at home, rearranging, waiting for a new sofa to come. once we get to that point we'll be sure and post some pics of that.

cheers for samford hall...

and though we complain about being on the road so much and half our income going to gas-up the car....there may be another road trip in the works quite soon...i'll keep you posted.

little louanna

2006-07-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

i got to spend the last 24 hours with the newest member of our family...louanna justice! she is one week old today (wednesday) she's just so precious that words can't even explain, so i won't even try. just take a look...

you can't tell completely from the pictures how small she is... but you can get an idea. she was 3 weeks early, weighing only 4 pounds 3 ounces (much smaller than a bag of sugar) and was 17 inches long. she's just a little peanut. but she is the sweetest little thing there is. i was really greedy while i was down visiting at their house and held her for probably 20 of the 24 hours i was there...at least she knows i love her!
i can't wait to see her again!

this weekend vs. last weekend

2006-06-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

hmmm, get up at 5:45 a.m. on a Saturday to greet customers who didn't speak my language at a yard sale???? (don't worry we apprecaited all of our customers...we made a killing) but i did get great use out of the crayola house apron...makes a perfect money bag!

OR...

hangout with some of the coolest couples ever on the Tennessee River! fun in the boat, proving to myself that I could still ski, watching Jared wakeboard and jump off extremely high cliffs, getting to play with babies-then give them back to their parents, eating great food, and creating our own trivia game!
what more could you ask for....
to top it off we had a major rain storm come in one late afternoon and i sat in a plush chair reading a cheesey novel while listening to the rain on the tim roof!!!
gah, the Lord's provision amazes me....what a blessing.

and one more little one to look at....a good friend/co-worker had her baby last week, when i went to see her i was kinda in shock, for as long as i've been working here she's been pregnant so it was WEIRD to see her skinny! crazy...(she's also the one who buys paintings from me for her children's room...kinda my first real customer!)

worst nightmare ever!!!!!

2006-06-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

::DISCLAIMER::the words you are about to read do not in any way accurately depict my friends, their hearts for me, or our friendships::

so i woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night....and no i didn't have a fever. i had a horrible dream...

i think the root is that i talked to billie-babe very briefly last night. we were both multi-tasking, didn't get very deep, kinda hung up with little "ugh" feeling, like i wish i could have driven on over to her house and had a real conversation.

but i couldn't.

so my dream...
i don't know where i was but all of the sudden han, ray, d and bill were standing there and they were telling me how they had been plainning a huge trip (not sure where, but i wanted to go). i was kinda confused, thinking, "gah, why haven't they asked me to come?" so i finally chimed in and invited myself...which is a little odd when they are my bff's. they looked at me like, "ok you've got to totally commit right this very minute and pay up right now to get a flight, and if you don't get on board right now you can't go"

a little abrupt, i know.

so my wheels are turning and i'm thinking, i should probably run this past jared first, before i spend a bunch of money and commit to being somewhere...what if he had other plans for us?? so i naturally said give me a little while to think about it. they all make this face at each other and i say "it kinda feels like you want me to say no, and you're making this hard on purpose" and one of them said "yeah, thats right, we want you to say no" (no sarcasm, completely truthful)

a little confused, i just stood there. finally one said "see you've been away from us for awhile, and you never do anything with us, so we are just ready to CUT ALL TIES!!!!"

now do you understand the whole waking up in a cold sweat deal?

that was it, no more dream, woke up, completely confused, tried to process the thoughts in the shower, only got more upset, not a good way to wake up.

so i've thought about it some:
1--i thought i was over my insecurity of being "replaceable," and i thought i was confident enough to know that my friends like me for me, not how flexible my plans are, how much money i have to jump on a plane with them, or the spontaneity factor. so i guess i realized i need to spend a little while focusing on my worth.

2-i don't talk to/see my friends enough! i mean i miss my girls so bad i'm having nightmares about it! i know we can't all hop on a plane and have a little rondevouz, but would a conference call suffice? and when i go weeks without calling, or have a crappy surfacey conversation, know that my heart longs for community with each of you. it's true.

so maybe the title of my blog should simply be "i miss my girls"

a day in the life....

2006-06-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

yeah for me and my friend suzanna who are trying to have fun at work!!

kinda cheating.....

2006-06-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

sorry-no new news here....no time right now....but to get a quick glimpse of the past week or so, check out jared's blog...

www.jaredsmiths.blogspot.com

the call of the ocean

2006-06-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

it is soothing, creates a calm in my soul, and beckons me to listen for Father's voice. it is surrounded by laughter, growing relationships, encouragement, and good food!

the past week in santa rosa was amazing. jared and me are so blessed with a gracious family. each day was relaxing, held a new adventure, and always a little competition.

the classic sand castle cake was made, the girls cooked a feast, barry took us all out to extravagant dinners, the boys made up games on the beach, and ty and amanda got a few more good memories before they're off to Tulsa.

it was great to hangout with Slade and have early morning conversations with Kat.

The beach will always make me miss my girls.

I read 2 great books and made up songs of my own. (remember from a post a long time ago how i wanted to write songs for my family....)

i'm glad to know that stress knots in my shoulders melt away in a few short hours of beach time.

i'm back at work now. actually enjoying it. you know that feeling of "it's good to be missed," well i definitely feel that here. everyone is so glad i'm back and i am enjoying work again. we have a trial week after next and i'm excited about it. life is good. not many people are excited about their work. i feel blessed.

one more day of work and then it's the Justice Family Reunion....does it get any better than this??

a few more moments to share...

2006-05-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

better late than never....

2006-05-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

did i say wednesday??

2006-04-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

i was wrong....closing has now been moved to monday. on one hand its frustrating to not be able to move into our new house tomorrow...on the other hand it's a relief cause we haven't packed at all! so at least now we will be organized for the move on monday.

hopefully we'll have some pics by then to post on here....thanks for all the excitement though.

scrub a dub

2006-04-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

i'm cleaning my new tub!!! yep, i have never been so excited about cleaning before...but now it's our own stuff! it makes it so much better...give it a month though, i wont be excited to clean toliets then i bet.

but this weekend we are cleaning the new house so that the carpets can be steam cleaned on monday and be ready for us to move in on wednesday! wahoo!

at work we are in the middle of a major trial, which i have gotten to observe and loved!!!, but that means tons of extra work and no time to pack up the little apartment. there will probably be boxes of shoes, dishes, clothes and books all mixed together in one...it will be chaos to unpack since we are gonna pack so quickly. but who cares. it'll happen whether it's organized or not. so all of you who are passing through in the near future, just remember when you see the place that we have been working and in class during this whole process so it prob wont be organzied and decorated very soon...

but come visit anyway! i could use a good round of hugs...until then...peace out.

we bought a house

2006-03-25T18:48:00.000-08:00

its true. you'll have to come visit! we are hoping to move in on easter weekend...please keep praying for this whole process as the details of closing come together...we are so exited and only wish all our friends could be here to celebrate (and help paint!)

playing the waiting game...

2006-03-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

that's right, i am constantly looking at my watch to see if it is any closer to 5:00 today. my stomach is in knots.

we made an offer, and a quite good one at that, on a house last night. jared has a confident peace about it. i'm not sure if i'm anxious because i wonder if they will take our offer, or because we might have just bought a house!!! either way, my stomach is killing me.

i'm so glad it's spring break, even though i'm at work, because all my attorneys are off with their families somewhere exotic; which leaves me here to do my own thing UNINTERRUPTED!!! i cant imagine how hectic it would be right now if they were here asking me to do things right now. i cant exactly concentrate, all i keep thinking about is what color i want to paint the kitchen!

laugh with me...the kitchen is currently the second shade of butter that the crayola kitchen was. you know, the one that was more like highlighter yellow! yikes, that will have to go.

anyway, i will try to post again once we've gotten a response to our offer. hopefully it will be a good one!

just the surface, there's more if you dig deeper...

2006-03-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

i've been having issues with blogs lately, i love reading them, but after i read them i feel like i have connected with the person, when in reality i have not. my phone calls to friends are becoming fewer and farther between, and i think it's the same on the receiving end as well. so, i'm torn. should i not read? should i not write? i think i will only write superficial surfacey things so that i'll still get the ocassional phone call for a real conversation.

so here's to surfacey updates:
a new friend at work cleaned out her closet and gave me tons of new cool clothes. i'm not afraid of handouts. i havent tried them on yet, but they look great!

we found a church! its great. i work in the two year old class. it meets at WorkPlay Theatre downtown. the people are really fun.(so are the little two year olds)

still looking for a house.

i am so excited that karen and bryan are getting married....not only cause it is a totally fun adventure awaiting them, but that means all of our friends will be in one place (minus a few who live to far to come home). but some are better than none right? i cant wait to see han and rach.

i'm getting a sister! (ok ok a sister in law....) and i'm totally excited about it. Ty and Amanda are engaged and are getting married in May. it's been really fun helping amanda do some little things for it...and we have a super huge party coming up for them...margaritas for everyone!

i hear the call of the ocean. i wish i could answer it soon....

work is so hard. i got physically overwhelmed yesterday and had to stand in the hallway with my back to my office so i couldn't see the huge stacks of things to do staring at me. i kinda had that gut wrenching feeling i used to get before i walked into a classroom to take a final. not so fun. but the stacks have dwindled a little today and should be looking much better by friday (my two attorneys are out of town so i should finally get some work done!)

but i still love work. its hard. its challenging. its something i never thought i'd end up doing. and some days i hear the Lord speak to me through jumbled up medical records, a subpoena, or even a memo. it's fun to converse with Father in monotanous tasks.

i love jared. whats more to say about that? i love my husband. cheers to the bride and groom to be....congrats Isbells!!!

hope to see you all soon!

He even plays the bagpipes...

2006-02-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

it was a much needed soothing time for the soul. attention given to much too often neglected places. sincere interest. isnt that what we all need and crave.

in reality it was a birthday gift certificate that i finally cashed in from my brother. i got to spend some time relaxing in the spa and then got a full body massage and then relaxed some more of course. i left with crinkles on my face from it being smooshed down in the circle (you know, the hole in the table you put your face in??) yeah, my back was much less knotted up when i left, and my legs were all wobbly feeling, but the goodness it did on the inside is uncomparable. i didnt realize the lack of silence i have in my world these days. just laying on that table for so long with nothing but my thoughts was really refreshing.

and as much as i could have walked away thinking, wow, that was just plain good, i cant help but think of all the preparation that went into it. most of you probably dont know, but i have a sincere appreciation for the bagpipes. i really wanted to walk down the aisle at my wedding to them, but that didnt work out. they give me chills. there's something about them that is romantic and majestic at the same time. i've yet to figure it out. but i know i love them and they speak to my soul. my sweet jesus used the bagpipes to reach me in highschool through a silly song on the end of a CD i had from the 80s. its silly. most of my friends laughed at me then, but i'm ok with that. jared still is not a fan of that CD. but somewhere along the way, i forgot about them. but as i got out of my car at the spa, i immediately heard the bagpipes and i knew there was much in store for me. this spa has a man that plays the bagpipes every afternoon just to set the mood. how great is that??? perfect in my case. i stood at the foot of the stairs all by myself with my eyes closed, just smiling. a personal concert!!! that sound meant i was being pursued. i love being pursued. between the sweet soothing of the bagpipes and the silent thinking time, my soul was renewed.

i've been feeling like i needed more jesus lately, i've been trying to make him appear in a quick five minutes of reading, or a few minute prayer, but i was taught once again yesterday that i dont have to manipulate him into my crazy schedule and i dont have to look for words to have meaning on a page or in a sermon. it's not the knowledge of him i'm missing....it's him. him in silence, speaking volumes to my heart. thats all i needed. simple, right? if only i could remember more often...

but when i do think that i need to figure out a way to get to jesus, all i have to do is remember that he is pursueing me, even to the point of playing an individual concert on the bagpipes for me...

i am the beloved's...

where would you want to come visit us???

2006-01-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

as i spend my days at work, my cell phone constantly interrups me with news of the latest house jared went to see. we have a great agent working with us who takes jared to see all kinds of houses then takes me to see the ones they liked at night. we've seen some interesting things. some out of our price range, others that would need some serious elbow grease....but at least i have learned my way around some new areas of birmingham through it all. so, look through some of these pictures and let me know what you think. i won't let price confuse you, your true opinion is what we seek.

(ok confession, i cant figure out how to make the pictures of the houses come up...i'll get jared to help me in a little while...sorry!)

in other news, we are living it up/being worn out in a wonderful home in mountain brook this week. taking care of 4 kids wears on you, i mean how do you go from cooking for 2 to cooking for 6 every day??? it's crazy. but the paycheck when the parents come home is quite nice. and it's fun to get out of our apartment for a change of scenery. i really recommend this new career of ours to all those who are looking for extra cash....housesitting is the way to go!

work is still great, yet it really makes me laugh that my stress level and vacation schedule revolves around when a case is going to trial. my life used to revolve around what time a kid needed a nap or when a parent had an appointment that i had to cover for...now my world is on hold when a judge calls me. who would have guessed. but i seriously love 99% of my days at work. but sadly, one of my favorite people will not be there when i get to my desk tomorrow morning. Eleanor retired last week. it's crazy that in less than three and half months i could grow to really enjoy someone who is in such a different chapter of life than me. she could be my mom, much less my grandmother, but we still laughed constantly as we worked on cases together and tried to keep up with all the super important documents that the attorneys seemed to have lost. it never ceases to amaze me how they can handle such difficult things and at the same time have no clue what they did with a sheet of paper in the last five minutes. hilarious. there will be many moments of silence, or just plain old laughter, as my thoughts turn to El throughout the days to come.

i've taken rakita's advice, i'm just going to tell myself that i am well. we all know that my immune system isn't the greatest and it obviously went on vacation lately. i've been sick for about 3 whole weeks now. some days more miserable than others. but i think rach is so true in her thought that it's all psychological. so-either i'll be tons better because of my mindset, or i might be found coughing my lungs out because i should have stayed on the dumb medicine. either way please thank rach.

i promise to attempt to be a more up-to-date blogger. i find myself spending so much time reading your blogs and then i have some great thought to post, but i am all out of time. maybe i will have to just post on mine first, then enjoy everyone else's thoughts. anyway-here's to hoping...

in a nutshell...

2005-11-30T10:12:00.000-08:00

so the au/bama game was fun...but the people i saw made it a lot funner...

and then Thanksgiving happened. i know i said i would write a top ten list of the things i'm thankful for...but the people in these pictures sum it all up....family, laughter, silly faces, reasons to eat tons of good food, and the tradition of singing together after the fish fry shows so much. you see jared and uncle butch playing guitar for us here. we sang silly songs from the 80s, country music, the classic "grandma's featherbed", and the incredibly unforgetable "saint and the grizzly bear", written by my uncle about his parents (my great aunt and uncle). every year we sing it, every year half the crowd cries. the "saint" and the "grizzly bear" are both gone now, but the strength they instilled in our family grows stronger...man i love my family. it was a good time to say the least!

and this week my own little family got a christmas tree....

me and jared were talking last night about how we focus on the day of christmas mistakenly, instead of the entire season. funny right? we prepare for this single day as if it is all that really matters. but in reality we should celebrate the whole season...make it a time of focusing on all that the one day actually means, what the birth of christ has done and continues to do! its like the analogy from premarital counseling..."dont focus on the wedding day but on the lifelong marriage". i'm encouraged to chew on the lifelong change that this day has brought, instead of the short 24 hours that we typically celebrate.

wahoo!!!

2005-11-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

i just had to let everyone know that i love the place i work!

they are letting me go super early for thanksgiving and still paying me...i get to head to the gump and start cooking with mom! i'm so excited about this thanksgiving weekend...fish fry at the farm, hanging out with tracie and justin, maybe, just maybe, a quick visit to billie's house, but...of course there will be no horseback riding for me! tons of family in town and lots of friends too....plus the good food, whats not to be thankful for??? i am just glowing!

i'll definitely have to do a top ten list of things i'm thankful for...as should we all!

on a different note, our family experienced a loss today. i'm not sure the details, but my cousin's brother-in-law passed away this morning (i've never met him because he's my cousin's other side of the family) all i know is it was abrupt and we will be surrounded by a mixture of joyous and grieving family for the next few days. so please pray for peace to transcend all questions and joy to abound amongst us. i'll give details when i have them. thanks for the prayers in advance.

i sure am thankful for all of you and wish we could all celebrate together!! maybe fry a turkey and hang it from a tree in the front yard???

happy birthday biscuet....hope it's fabulous!

life in the dorm...

2005-11-04T14:32:00.000-08:00

so, now that i've made it out of the second middle school....you know, life after college is like middle school...i've entered the dorm, again. sounds fun right?? most days it is, but right now i'm just plain bored. my office is great, the people are great, and most of the time the work is great, but when there's no work to be done and you still have to be here, the minutes seem like hours. kinda like those awkward hours in between classes when you'd go back to the dorm, everyone else would be studying or in class and you had NOTHING to do. i cant just run chat it up with my new friends cause they have things to do today. (though i sure was good at interrupting studying in the dorm! maybe i should let that habit run over into my office life! ) so just as if i was bored in the dorm, i resort to shopping online or snacking--just dont really want to gain that freshman fifteen, so that's not the best plan!
but seriously, i think my office is like a dorm-- everytime someone walks by the door they speak, often stopping in just to see what i'm doing, see how i've rearranged, and if i've started decorating this little room. somedays when the workload is rather large, the short interruptions are great breaks, and others they are just something slowing me down and making me work later. but i definitely have enjoyed getting to know the folks in here. most are extremely cool. and just like you take a tour of the dorm and see people's rooms, i often casually stroll through the halls to catch a glimpse of people's personalities based on how crammed their office is with important things. at this point mine is a little bare. but somedays i have to step over huge stacks of papers just to get to my desk....so that says i deal with important things sometimes right? i'm not the only bored one today-just the only one on the time clock. my lead attorney was bored today too. but he doesnt have to sit here. he went to play golf. yeah-must be nice. since i cant just up and leave like him, i find joy in taking fieldtrips with suzanna to weird places i didnt know existed in my office, like the new cool break room, the gym (yeah a whole huge gym with showers and everything), a huge library with our own librarian, and the founders office-quite nice. and i go look out the best view of the office to make sure all the pretty trees are still there. so, i took a pic of the pretty trees from the break room and as soon as i find the cord to my camera i will load it for you!
view from the dorm to come...

recap on life...

2005-10-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

so i work. who would have thought that i, the one who passionately loves working with kids, would end up behind a desk all day in a law firm? surely not me. but i LOVE it! it is so cool to meet so many people with just as crazy as a background as i have, and we all come together and try to figure this mad legal world out. i've discovered that as long as i can fake it while someone important is talking to me, it buys me enough time to go research what in the world someone is asking me to do. so it's fun. it's challenging. somedays i am a little overwhelmed, others i'm completely caught up on my work and am bored crazy. thank goodness for blogs to read. so here's a little shot of my office. you can't tell much-but it consists of lots of really important legal documents-hope i dont get them in the wrong spots-and cool medical stuff since we deal with all medical cases. oh-and i actually have two jobs currently...but that's about to end-i've been doubling up and working a few nights a week at Ann Taylor LOFT. sure was fun to have that great discount while it lasted.

on top of the two jobs, i was commissioned to paint some artwork for a children's room. here's one of the 4 that i did. you know-in my spare time-it was GREAT extra cash and a fun little gig. but of course the lady wanted it when i was the busiest i have been in a long time. this picture doesnt do it justice. it's really cool and textured and has ripped up magazines stuck in parts and painted over. you'd have to see it.

and somehow in all of our busy days, we had our first anniversary and my birthday! how could i neglect to share those great days? i was kidnapped. jared blindfolded me and took me to this amazing castle place and we spent the weekend playing in the pool, relaxing in the sauna, and reading in the spa. twas amazing. just had to put this picture up. and then for my bday, mom and mimi came up for a fabulous lunch at the cheesecake factory, and then me and jared went to the one and only outback for dinner. it was definitely a good food day. and this weekend we get to celebrate dad's bday too! good days keep on coming.

and then there's the faithfulness of the Lord to talk about. it all comes back to that. Afer days and weeks of doubting if i would ever find a job, find a church, make any friends in bham...we have been blessed. i had like 5 or 6 job offers in the past three weeks...crazy. and we have visited several churches, still seeking one out, and i'm making friends! at work, both works, and through some of the girls in seminary with jared. but, dont worry, i have not neglected my one true bham friend...KTB. i'm actually writing this from her apartment right now. i bring my lunch here from the law firm-its on the same block, i have a key, eat by myself, watch TV and love the amazing place of rest this apartment offers me. what a blessing. the Lord has been faithful through our financial situation of jared in school and me unemployed for so long. He keeps suprising us with odd methods of meeting our needs, you know-like a random lady paying me $150 for a painting i did one night. amazing! when i reflect at His faithfulness it stirs an excitement.

tribute to my bham girl...

and one for the man in my life...

love is in the air!!!

2005-09-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

well, the weirdest combination of emotions ran through me last night as han told me the details of her engagement. i just couldnt help but cry i was so excited, but then there was this odd feeling in my gut, like its just not right that i cant leap through the phone and give her the biggest girly hug and squeal of my life. those technological geniouses should really work on phones and teleporting. (that was for you ryan). but i really am just thrilled about all this. its fun when two of your best friends decide to spend the rest of their lives together. and what an adventure marriage is. humbling, exciting, faith-building, and just plain fun! so here's to you future Lombardi's! i love ya!

before the newsbreaking phone call, i was enjoying the company of a camp friend. justin rosalino was playing at a coffee house at samford, so we went to the show and took him to dinner afterwards. tons of fun. its odd how after spending three months with him this summer i felt like i got to know him so much more last night after listening to the songs HE wrote instead of the ones camp made him play. music showed me how expressive it can be. i really got a glimpse of his deeper dreams through it all. i love writing and journaling, but something in me has an itch to write songs and sing silly lines that only make sense to me. i figure if he can make himself so known and vulnerable through that, maybe music is the next step to being vulnerable in my life. just a challenge. not that you will ever hear any of my simple creations, but there are lyrics stirring. and i just wonder, how often do i tell myself not to sing just because i've never heard the song before? hmm...

the cosby show

2005-09-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

so i'm at my "other" home, ktb's apt. just using the internet, applying for random jobs online, and enjoying cable. conveniently the worlds best family sitcom is on. good ole bill. as i watch rudy learn to earn money, vanessa learn to get along with her siblings, and theo learn about girls, i notice there is a lot of learning going on. mr. and mrs. huckstable sure do a lot of teaching in the few down moments of their home life. it makes me wonder, am i paying attention to all the teaching going on around me? i would like to think yes, but i'm sure it's one of those infinite possibilities. we could always be learning more right? so my challenge for myself today is to open my eyes just a little bit wider. maybe i will be suprised at all that my little brain can take in through one day. here's to hoping

i went bowling last night, and we all know how competitive my husband is in any arena. i was so proud to be escorted out with the winner! beeson had a "get to know you" for new students, their wives, girlfreinds, whoever. it was tons of fun and i really enjoyed getting to know all these new people that jared always talks about. since the prize for the highest score was a cracker barrel gift certificate, the night ended with free dessert there with two new friends. i hope there's lots more of these encounters...

speaking of encounter. i heard a cool thing. ktb told me how some random guy from argo, alabama (she met him last night with a group of friends) was talking about how his pastor read something off the internet to the whole congregation about a group of 1000+ college students meeting weekly in auburn, who gave shoes and lots of money to hurricane relief, and then the whole congregation stood and applauded. when ktb mentioned she was a part of that small group they thought she was a movie star (ok, not really, but it was cool.) just enjoying the ripples of grace campus.

what you've all been waiting for...

2005-09-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

tada! i hope you Frazerites get a kick out of seeing trevor and murray with little max. he was too cute. and since han was the most involved in the guessing game, you get a prize. not sure what that is yet-i'll get back to you.

so i am babysitting today, as the first day of my every day commitment. its true, i have something to do every single day now. praise the lord. the job hunt continues though. i cant just babysit forever. but it is a little pocket change for now. i am trying to patch together a few part time jobs now to see how they add up. i'll let you all know how it goes. not too much else happening here. but for those of you who experienced the best cookies in the world back in AU, there are dozens of my famous white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies on the table right now. yumm. wish you were here to share a glass of milk and cookies. doesnt that sound simply wonderful? we all need to connect again soon. until then...

Gas and Highschool Football...

2005-09-02T23:40:00.000-07:00

So i couldn't help but laugh as i saw this exact image on my way to exit 222 (ft. payne). these are the crazy people that the media pushed over the edge. driving in a huge SUV with extra gas tanks (just in case the whole southeast runs dry) strapped to the bumper. the best part is, i heard a prediction of drunk drivers out on labor day weekend and all the wrecks that will happen. they said the goofs with gas strapped to the outside of their car might blow up if they get hit! so dont get too close friends.

The other bit of excitement today was the Wildcat Spirit Line!! I'm in the green pants cheering on my brother-in-law, Slade, as he ran out for the big game tonight. I shared this experince with Kathryn, Koki (his first football game ever), and Kris. FP led the game until the last minute. It was a disappointment. What a night.

Star Struck in Bham

2005-09-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Though lately we have been talking of boredom in birmingham, KTB and I had an eventful outing in the area this afternoon. After a quiet dinner with our coastal friend (that's us with D after dinner) last night, who would have thought we would see another exciting person today??? But we were very excited to see the parents of this little guy in a random aisle in Target! You'll have to take a few stabs at who it is and keep checking the updates for the revealing of the STAR!!!

oh yeah, i forgot to tell of last night's exciting game of egyptian-rat-slap!! i won twice!

who wants to be called the lazy kid???

2005-08-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

so i'm having trouble distinguishing between laziness and trusting. i've been waiting anxiously by the phone for my number one job pick for over three weeks now. i've been strung along and dont know when to move on. i keep thinking that if i simply get a quick job, even waiting tables or something, will the Lord laugh that i think i'm in control of my situation. but at the same time, bills need to be paid. i'm sure as soon as i try to get another job this one will suddenly come through. but until then, do i soak up my days of nothing and pretend to be productive? its honestly hard to watch other people have things to do. todays big adventure was to take my jar of coins to the machine at brunos. i feel like i made sixteen bucks, but as jared reminds me, that money was already mine to begin with. man, it was nicer to feel like i had a little income for the day. and dont worry, we arent broke or anything. i just feel lazy. i am thoroughlyexcited about jared starting classes this week. now at least we arent both at home staring at each other all day. but we have discovered the dollar movie theatre. six great movies i havent seen are playing there. so it looks like i'll be enjoying matinees solo for the next week while he's in class...unless i get the long awaited call. here's to hoping.

and when you look at it like this its a great situation...i am so glad that i wasnt working last week and could pick up and go to ATL wih the girls. it would have stunk to be the one who couldnt get off work to hang out. eww...thank you Lord for your perfect timing of freedom. it was much needed.

girls, i'll be expecting lots of those hangout times in the coming months! and dont worry...i'll get some cool pics on here sooner or later...gotta find my cable to hook up the camera first. oops.

settling in

2005-08-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

only a week or so in b'ham and we are feeling at home. we've cooked a few meals, had a few houseguests, and even watched some "west wing," so it's officially home. still no regular schedule, but it's always fun to have the freedom to be spontaneous. don't you agree? only a week left until jared gets a real schedule...here's to hoping i find something soon! who knows what that will look like. but it's always an adventure and Father has proven faithful consistently so who's to say He won't this time. i'm looking forward with anticipation to see His promises fulfilled.