Lately I have really been thinking about listening to the lies of Satan. He really knows my weaknesses and likes to hold them against me, let me tell you! "You are not pretty enough. No one will ever want you again." "What are you thinking trying to live on your own and take care of yourself financially? You WILL fail!" "You are never going to amount to anything since you never went to school." blah blah blah and on it goes. Try as I might to ignore those lies, they really creep in and get right to my heart.
On my way to work this morning, I was rockin' out to my good old "Jesus tunes" (aka, worship music) and the song "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns came on. I have heard this song a MILLION times but the words never truly sank in, until this morning. "But the Voice of Truth tells me a DIFFERENT story. The Voice of Truth says, 'Do not be afraid.' The Voice of truth says, 'This is for my glory.' I will CHOSE to listen and BELIEVE the Voice of Truth. AMEN!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwsvqVmFV6Y
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
God
Sometimes I wonder, "what did I do to deserve a heavenly daddy like I have?" Gosh, he sure knows how to take care of his little girl! I was just pondering with a friend last night about how I can't seem to shake financial worry. It's the one thing that gets me EVERY stinkin' time! I leave it at the thrown and five seconds later, here I am, sneaking back over to the feet of Jesus, trying to take it back. I'm mean, REALLY?!?! What is wrong with me?! He never gives up though.
Lately, my car has been nothing but a worry. In November, I hit a deer. Oh joy, $500 for the deductible, that I don't have. In Jan, a huge crack showed up on my windshield, randomly. I chose to ignore it because I don't have $250 to replace it. Later in Jan my battery dies, completely. Gosh, another $250? Sure, let me go get that off my money tree. Oh wait, I DON'T HAVE ONE! Ugh....it seems like the never ending battle!
Well, in dealing with this never ending battle, while getting my battery changed, I happened to mention that my windows haven't been rolling up properly. After being rolled down with the drivers pannel they refuse to go back up without finagling. A week after mentioning the problem, I got a call from Hyundai. They said, "your part is in." "Excuse me? I didn't order any parts." "Yeah, for your window." "Um, is that covered by the warranty?" "Yep, it's covered for full parts and labor until 60,000." The day I took it in (only a few days later), my car was at 59,000 and something odd miles. God is good.
Due to all of these issues as of late, I have been looking for ANY way to make my monthly budget lower. One of the things I was looking at was a cheaper insurance company. After about 4 months of research I finally pulled the trigger on Saturday and changed to a cheaper option. During that process, I noticed that my current policy (which effectively won't end until a month from now) said something about "full glass" on it. I had never noticed this before. After emailing and asking what the heck that meant, they told me to call their "glass claims department." Soooo, I have a $0 deductible and a company coming to my doorstep to replace my windshield on Thursday. God is good.
I seriously can't believe how good he is. If I could just STOP DOUBTING and start TRUSTING, all would be well with the world. So continues the humbling saga......
Lately, my car has been nothing but a worry. In November, I hit a deer. Oh joy, $500 for the deductible, that I don't have. In Jan, a huge crack showed up on my windshield, randomly. I chose to ignore it because I don't have $250 to replace it. Later in Jan my battery dies, completely. Gosh, another $250? Sure, let me go get that off my money tree. Oh wait, I DON'T HAVE ONE! Ugh....it seems like the never ending battle!
Well, in dealing with this never ending battle, while getting my battery changed, I happened to mention that my windows haven't been rolling up properly. After being rolled down with the drivers pannel they refuse to go back up without finagling. A week after mentioning the problem, I got a call from Hyundai. They said, "your part is in." "Excuse me? I didn't order any parts." "Yeah, for your window." "Um, is that covered by the warranty?" "Yep, it's covered for full parts and labor until 60,000." The day I took it in (only a few days later), my car was at 59,000 and something odd miles. God is good.
Due to all of these issues as of late, I have been looking for ANY way to make my monthly budget lower. One of the things I was looking at was a cheaper insurance company. After about 4 months of research I finally pulled the trigger on Saturday and changed to a cheaper option. During that process, I noticed that my current policy (which effectively won't end until a month from now) said something about "full glass" on it. I had never noticed this before. After emailing and asking what the heck that meant, they told me to call their "glass claims department." Soooo, I have a $0 deductible and a company coming to my doorstep to replace my windshield on Thursday. God is good.
I seriously can't believe how good he is. If I could just STOP DOUBTING and start TRUSTING, all would be well with the world. So continues the humbling saga......
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Thankful for the Little Things
When I got home from work today, there was a Target gift card in my mail box. It's for ten dollars. Right about now....that is crucial. I'm blessed.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Parents
Recently I have been presented with many opportunities to reflect on how blessed I am to have the parents that I do. Most often in life, children tend to rebel against, reject and insult their parents. Me, well, I did all of that A LOT. As I've grown, I've learned that they are a fountain flowing with a wealth of knowledge. I need to draw near to that, not push away from it. It's funny the things you start to appreciate more when you don't have them standing right in front of you.
You know the saying, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder?" That is probably one of the most true statements I have ever heard in my life! However, I hate being so far away from them. The thought that there is a 99.9% chance that we will never live in the same state again, kills me! But, I know that God has a plan for us all and this seems to be in His cards right now.
Their move has had more of an effect on me than I thought it would. It has been horribly difficult to picture them living somewhere other than home. But, our family has been through a lot in the last few years and this is just another hurdle to jump over. It seems like, through the trials, we have learned to appreciate each other more than we normally would. Heaven help us to keep seeing Jesus through the good times and the bad while holding tightly to the memories that we share.
This is the end of an era.
You know the saying, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder?" That is probably one of the most true statements I have ever heard in my life! However, I hate being so far away from them. The thought that there is a 99.9% chance that we will never live in the same state again, kills me! But, I know that God has a plan for us all and this seems to be in His cards right now.
Their move has had more of an effect on me than I thought it would. It has been horribly difficult to picture them living somewhere other than home. But, our family has been through a lot in the last few years and this is just another hurdle to jump over. It seems like, through the trials, we have learned to appreciate each other more than we normally would. Heaven help us to keep seeing Jesus through the good times and the bad while holding tightly to the memories that we share.
This is the end of an era.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Cute!
I just found a totally adorable blog back round site! It's called shabbyblogs.com. Loving it!!!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Heavy
Ok, I'll say it. It STINKS that "home" is changing! I am MORE THAN excited for my parents to be following the will of God and moving to Washington! I really am! Buuuut, I already miss home (CA), A LOT. Knowing that they won't be there anymore makes this girl's heart heavy. They were keeping my connection with home alive. It was still realistic to tell people, "See you when I come home to visit." Now I don't know what to tell people. When I vacation, I will want to go see my family. Especially now that Kai, Seth, Jefri and my parents are all in the same state. This is a good thing. No more immediate family in CA, however, is not.
I know I will be able to stay with friends and/or extended family when I come to CA. Having a place to put my suitcase is not really the issue. I don't get much vacation time and like I said, Washington will be vying for my time. Also, it won't be the same knowing that someone (strangers) is going to be living in MY HOUSE! I grew up in that house. There are countless memories that will forever live in that house. I know everyone feels this way at some time or another in their life. It's just....weird.
I have been keeping this to myself. Partially because I didn't know it was bothering me this much. Partially because I didn't want to make it harder for my parents than it already is. God is in control. He knows what's best. These are the things I keep telling myself.
I know I will be able to stay with friends and/or extended family when I come to CA. Having a place to put my suitcase is not really the issue. I don't get much vacation time and like I said, Washington will be vying for my time. Also, it won't be the same knowing that someone (strangers) is going to be living in MY HOUSE! I grew up in that house. There are countless memories that will forever live in that house. I know everyone feels this way at some time or another in their life. It's just....weird.
I have been keeping this to myself. Partially because I didn't know it was bothering me this much. Partially because I didn't want to make it harder for my parents than it already is. God is in control. He knows what's best. These are the things I keep telling myself.
Monday, December 31, 2012
The Infamous Year In Review/ New Years Post
Yep, I'm gonna be "that person," right now. You all know the person I'm talking about, right? The one who gets all optimistic about the new year and the new opportunities to come, all because we move from one 24 hour period to the next and the last number at the end of the current year moves one number up in numeric order. Some people say, "It's just another day." I actually believe the exact opposite! I think as the humans beings that God made us to be, we crave that chance to start over..be forgiven....get a new outlook on life....see the end of the tunnel where the light has been shining for so long! Anyways, If this is the kind of post that annoys you, I would suggest that you stop reading now. :)
In order to move forward though, I always think it's a good idea to take a look back at the good and the bad of every year. The things that made us change and grow into the person we are today. Facebook started this new thing called "my year in review" where it compiles a lot the photos you have posted over this year and makes a collage. It is pretty cool but not very accurate. See, Facebook has no way of knowing when the picture was actually taken. So, if you choose to repost an old picture as a reflection, it was still being used in the collage. Oh well. All of this to say that, hopefully, my year in review will be accurate.
January:
I don't even remember how I rang in the new year. Must have been pretty awesome, huh? What I do remember about Jan is, My friends Andrew and Amy welcomed baby Emma in to the world.
My grandmother passed away so my family and I all met in Oregon to say our goodbyes. While we were there, Seth, Rebekah and I had some much needed conversations. It was good.
My Caleb turned one!! Jacquelyn, my mom and I threw him a big one year party at my parent's house! We did a Disney Cars/sports theme. It was super fun and everyone, including the birthday boy, seemed to really enjoy it!
The next major event was, I was getting pretty serious about my intensions to move to Oklahoma. God had been nudging me in this direction since I went to visit in Nov of 2011. It seemed like a very likely opportunity, so I was desperately praying for some direction. By the end of the month, I had decided not to renew my lease on my current apartment (which would be ending near the last week of Feb) or look for a new apartment. My parents graciously offered me their spare bedroom, providing I would only stay for a few weeks/months.
February:
The next big one year birthday was this month! Caleb Park (the little guy I nannied) is only a few weeks younger than Caleb Stilson. Kimberly (Caleb's mommy and my good friend) threw an amazing (as always) Circus themed party. Everyone had a blast!
During the same week as the party, I became a member at Village Bible Church. This was my home church for over 12 years. My family went there as well as most of my friends. Even though I had a strong feeling that I was going to leave soon, I felt God calling me to join the body in membership. So I did!
Other significant events were: Alleena came to visit. The decision for me to move to OK was finalized. I moved out of my apartment and in with my parents, while my life went in to storage. Discussions with IEW (Institute For Excellence In Writing) about me coming to work for them, began.
March:
The month started out with a bang, as I was officially offered the position at IEW. This meant, not only, was my move REALLY TRULY OFFICIAL, buuuut, I had a job to start upon arrival! YAY! Talk about relief!
Next up, Conor Anthony Martinez was brought in to this world by Kristin and Jonathon Martinez. He was born on the 8th at 11:30am weighing in at 7lb even and 20 3/4 inches long. I was honored to be one of Kristin's Doulas. They did a home birth, so, it was a lot of work, but, birth is such a miracle that is was all well worth it in the end!
The same day Conor was born, Rebekah flew in from Texas to begin the saga of our 25th birthday! I say saga because a looooot of good and bad happened, but we won't go there. We celebrated that weekend at the roller rink, kickin' it 80's style! We had a ton of fun (other than me almost breaking my arm! ;)) with family and friends. Then, we went to dinner at Richardo's, which is one of our favorite mexican restaurants in So Cal.
Another baby boy entered the world on the 20th! This one being my blood nephew, who was born to Jefri Peters and my brother, Seth Tribble. His name is Kai Anson Peters Tribble and he arrived at 11:37am weighing in at 7 lbs 6 oz 21 inches. My family was thrilled to welcome the first blood grandson!
Final adventure of March was a road trip with my favorite Amber! We stopped in Fresno, where she stayed with her sister for a night and I stayed with Karl Strube (one of my adopted brothers). We went to dinner at this AWESOME Mediterranean restaurant before I headed to the Municipal airport for FLIGHT SCHOOL!!! The next morning I flew a plane. It was no big deal. ;) Ok, It was SOOO COOL! That afternoon, I grabbed Amber and we drove up to her childhood home, where her parents still live, to visit. She showed me around their little town where she grew up. It was a blast!
April:
This was a long and emotion filled month. Amber, my mom and I threw a baby shower for Kristin and Jonathon on April 1st. We did an outside garden party theme.
My last day at Mabel Paine Elementary, was the following week. :( I'd say, 4 years was a pretty good run. That was probably the HARDEST job to leave, EVER! Katie and her family are some of my closest friends and they came out of that job. I still miss them a lot! Not to mention how much I miss my students! I also had to say goodbye to my precious Park family! I can't even begin to describe what a blessing this family was to me! Not only did we fill each others needs (them needing child care and me needing another job) but we were also the answer to each others prayers. God is pretty awesome like that! They will always be a part of my heart!
I had some special dates with people to say goodbye. Amber planned a whole day for us which involved doing everything we loved to do together (IE..go mini golfing, the dollar tree, Starbucks...etc). The Parks took me to dinner. Katie and Robbie let me take the boys on a special lunch/park/ice cream date. Finally, Ron, Susie and the kids had me over for dinner.
After the sad goobyes, came a welcome hello when I got to meet Kai and the Peters family! What a lovely bunch of people they are! They welcomed me in with open arms and allowed me to spend much needed cuddle time with Kai. I loved every single minute of getting to know them! Jefri, Kai and Jefri's family (Bailey, Lars, Kashton, Keaton and Genie) are all such a lovely addition to our extended family now! It has been so easy blending our families together thanks to their welcoming attitudes! YAY for family!
My plane landed in Orange County on the 14th at 6pm. My mom picked me up and we made a mad dash to storage to grab everything we could fit in to my car for the drive to OK. The 15th was my going away party. Finally came the ultimate goodbye as my mom and I packed up my car, said a VERY sad goodbye to my daddy and drove off in to the sunrise towards Arizona on the 16th. We stopped in the Grand Canyon for a night to see April, had to get two new tires the next day and FINALLY made it to the Walker's house in Broken Arrow on Wednesday afternoon. That was a very LONG two days of driving. The Walker family allowed me to crash with them for a few months as I began my new life in OK. My mom stayed for a few days then flew home. That was also a hard goodbye.
Then, came many more hellos, as I began working for IEW. I started attending Memorial Bible Church and building friendships there too. Rebekah came to visit me from Abilene for the first time.
May:
Not too much happened in May. Diane and I went to a convention together and began a very lovely friendship. We were both nervous at first because we did not know each other AT ALL but of course it ended beautifully. We make a great team! :)
I also became an official OK resident when I got my drivers license and license plate.
June:
Things started to get busier at work.
I went to visit Rebekah and my grandparents in Abilene for the first time. Shortly after that, my grandparents moved back to California.
I put a deposit down and got the keys to my first OK apartment! Rebekah came for a few hours to bring me furniture that my grandparents gave me.
July:
I settled in to my new place.
Things got REALLY crazy at work! Katie "quit" working at the office so she could move to far off college lands!
I helped Diane coordinate her wedding. It went off with just a few hitches. But, what wedding doesn't? :)
August:
Things got REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY crazy at work! That's pretty much all I remember.
I had a house warming party.
The weather was crazy. It was HOT!
September:
I went on our church family retreat near Arkansas.
I also went to a Tulsa Shock Women Basketball game.
Diane, her brothers and I went on a CRAZY adventure to Arlington TX (5 hours away) to see the Angels play ball. It got rained out. hahahaha! It is still a super funny memory! We did hit up In-N-Out and Trader Joes, which made the madness worth it my opinion.
Things slowed WAY down at work. I started working for the School Division.
October:
Went to the Tulsa State Fair.
Fall weather and foliage began!
Rebekah went home to visit and got my dogs and my stuff.
I Went to Abilene to visit my dogs and my stuff. Oh yeah, I saw my Rebekah, Seth and Kelly too. ;) Rebekah pureed a HUGE pumpkin. I met the Salmin family and fell in love with Rebekah's church before driving home.
November:
I Filled my two Operation Christmas Child boxes.
Hit a deer and dealt with insurance.
FINALLY, the long awaited trip home come about. I was able to visit for two weeks. The day after I arrived was a Sunday so it was a blast surprising everyone at church! I met Mathia and Gen Gen for the first time as well as saw many family and friends. While I was home, I went on a Cruise with work and worked a convention. So it work/play. It was so awesome being able to celebrated Thanksgiving with both sides of the family. Jefri, Kai and Seth came to visit while I was in CA with my parents. Jefri and I had fun hanging out. I also got to see Annie's new Condo and spend much time with my Suzi in Crime (aka, my cousin Jacki). We went black friday shopping with Emily. At the end of the two VERY full weeks, I flew home on the same flights as David and Julie.
December:
Rebekah came to visit and we found an awesome Sushi place. We (ok, she) decorated my apartment for Christmas and had a Christmas/come meet my sister party.
I got internet at my apartment and started working from home two days a week.
It started to get REALLY cold. I learned/am learning how to dress for cold weather.
I was able to go to Abilene and have A WHITE CHRISTMAS! On Christmas eve we spent time with our aunt, uncle and cousins. It was a total blast and blessing to be with family curing the holidays! On Christmas day we went to Salmins house. They are so sweet and included us right in as family. Their extended family even had little stocking stuffers for us! We felt very loved and accepted. :) To end the lovely time, I almost died while driving home. lol! I drove on ice for 300 miles on Christmas night (weather report LIED).
Last week, we had our work Christmas party.
On Saturday I went to see my friends in their choir performance followed up with Les Miserables at the local theater. It was AMAZING!! I seriously was floored!
Tonight I will ring in the new year with people from church and thus ends my year in review!
Whew! You know whenever you watch a TV series and they do a flashback show? (I am particularly thinking about Friends because they did those a lot) That is what I feel like just happened! hahaha! That was exhausting! As you noticed, I got more and more in to short hand/"bullet point" type thoughts as the months moved on. lol!
Anyways, it was so good to have to stretch my brain to remember everything that has happened because it caused me to see all of the ways God has moved in my life! Hence, the reason why I love doing this.
Looking forward, I have a feeling God has some MAJOR things in store for this next year. He always does but this year feels different. The start to my life in OK has been amazing and I know it will only get better. I seriously can't believe I have already lived here for 8 months!
It's going to be really exciting to see my parents new life take off as they move (in two weeks) to Washington State to become missionaries in a small town named Endicott. It only has 400 people in it. God provided an AMAZING opportunity for them and I am SOOO excited to see it flourish! Hopefully I will be able to visit them in March around my birthday.
I will end this here. Hopefully you all have a safe and lovely new year! Don't forget to take some time and at least think through your year in review to reflect all of the amazing things God has accomplished in your lives! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
In order to move forward though, I always think it's a good idea to take a look back at the good and the bad of every year. The things that made us change and grow into the person we are today. Facebook started this new thing called "my year in review" where it compiles a lot the photos you have posted over this year and makes a collage. It is pretty cool but not very accurate. See, Facebook has no way of knowing when the picture was actually taken. So, if you choose to repost an old picture as a reflection, it was still being used in the collage. Oh well. All of this to say that, hopefully, my year in review will be accurate.
January:
I don't even remember how I rang in the new year. Must have been pretty awesome, huh? What I do remember about Jan is, My friends Andrew and Amy welcomed baby Emma in to the world.
My grandmother passed away so my family and I all met in Oregon to say our goodbyes. While we were there, Seth, Rebekah and I had some much needed conversations. It was good.
My Caleb turned one!! Jacquelyn, my mom and I threw him a big one year party at my parent's house! We did a Disney Cars/sports theme. It was super fun and everyone, including the birthday boy, seemed to really enjoy it!
The next major event was, I was getting pretty serious about my intensions to move to Oklahoma. God had been nudging me in this direction since I went to visit in Nov of 2011. It seemed like a very likely opportunity, so I was desperately praying for some direction. By the end of the month, I had decided not to renew my lease on my current apartment (which would be ending near the last week of Feb) or look for a new apartment. My parents graciously offered me their spare bedroom, providing I would only stay for a few weeks/months.
February:
The next big one year birthday was this month! Caleb Park (the little guy I nannied) is only a few weeks younger than Caleb Stilson. Kimberly (Caleb's mommy and my good friend) threw an amazing (as always) Circus themed party. Everyone had a blast!
During the same week as the party, I became a member at Village Bible Church. This was my home church for over 12 years. My family went there as well as most of my friends. Even though I had a strong feeling that I was going to leave soon, I felt God calling me to join the body in membership. So I did!
Other significant events were: Alleena came to visit. The decision for me to move to OK was finalized. I moved out of my apartment and in with my parents, while my life went in to storage. Discussions with IEW (Institute For Excellence In Writing) about me coming to work for them, began.
March:
The month started out with a bang, as I was officially offered the position at IEW. This meant, not only, was my move REALLY TRULY OFFICIAL, buuuut, I had a job to start upon arrival! YAY! Talk about relief!
Next up, Conor Anthony Martinez was brought in to this world by Kristin and Jonathon Martinez. He was born on the 8th at 11:30am weighing in at 7lb even and 20 3/4 inches long. I was honored to be one of Kristin's Doulas. They did a home birth, so, it was a lot of work, but, birth is such a miracle that is was all well worth it in the end!
The same day Conor was born, Rebekah flew in from Texas to begin the saga of our 25th birthday! I say saga because a looooot of good and bad happened, but we won't go there. We celebrated that weekend at the roller rink, kickin' it 80's style! We had a ton of fun (other than me almost breaking my arm! ;)) with family and friends. Then, we went to dinner at Richardo's, which is one of our favorite mexican restaurants in So Cal.
Another baby boy entered the world on the 20th! This one being my blood nephew, who was born to Jefri Peters and my brother, Seth Tribble. His name is Kai Anson Peters Tribble and he arrived at 11:37am weighing in at 7 lbs 6 oz 21 inches. My family was thrilled to welcome the first blood grandson!
Final adventure of March was a road trip with my favorite Amber! We stopped in Fresno, where she stayed with her sister for a night and I stayed with Karl Strube (one of my adopted brothers). We went to dinner at this AWESOME Mediterranean restaurant before I headed to the Municipal airport for FLIGHT SCHOOL!!! The next morning I flew a plane. It was no big deal. ;) Ok, It was SOOO COOL! That afternoon, I grabbed Amber and we drove up to her childhood home, where her parents still live, to visit. She showed me around their little town where she grew up. It was a blast!
April:
This was a long and emotion filled month. Amber, my mom and I threw a baby shower for Kristin and Jonathon on April 1st. We did an outside garden party theme.
My last day at Mabel Paine Elementary, was the following week. :( I'd say, 4 years was a pretty good run. That was probably the HARDEST job to leave, EVER! Katie and her family are some of my closest friends and they came out of that job. I still miss them a lot! Not to mention how much I miss my students! I also had to say goodbye to my precious Park family! I can't even begin to describe what a blessing this family was to me! Not only did we fill each others needs (them needing child care and me needing another job) but we were also the answer to each others prayers. God is pretty awesome like that! They will always be a part of my heart!
I had some special dates with people to say goodbye. Amber planned a whole day for us which involved doing everything we loved to do together (IE..go mini golfing, the dollar tree, Starbucks...etc). The Parks took me to dinner. Katie and Robbie let me take the boys on a special lunch/park/ice cream date. Finally, Ron, Susie and the kids had me over for dinner.
After the sad goobyes, came a welcome hello when I got to meet Kai and the Peters family! What a lovely bunch of people they are! They welcomed me in with open arms and allowed me to spend much needed cuddle time with Kai. I loved every single minute of getting to know them! Jefri, Kai and Jefri's family (Bailey, Lars, Kashton, Keaton and Genie) are all such a lovely addition to our extended family now! It has been so easy blending our families together thanks to their welcoming attitudes! YAY for family!
My plane landed in Orange County on the 14th at 6pm. My mom picked me up and we made a mad dash to storage to grab everything we could fit in to my car for the drive to OK. The 15th was my going away party. Finally came the ultimate goodbye as my mom and I packed up my car, said a VERY sad goodbye to my daddy and drove off in to the sunrise towards Arizona on the 16th. We stopped in the Grand Canyon for a night to see April, had to get two new tires the next day and FINALLY made it to the Walker's house in Broken Arrow on Wednesday afternoon. That was a very LONG two days of driving. The Walker family allowed me to crash with them for a few months as I began my new life in OK. My mom stayed for a few days then flew home. That was also a hard goodbye.
Then, came many more hellos, as I began working for IEW. I started attending Memorial Bible Church and building friendships there too. Rebekah came to visit me from Abilene for the first time.
May:
Not too much happened in May. Diane and I went to a convention together and began a very lovely friendship. We were both nervous at first because we did not know each other AT ALL but of course it ended beautifully. We make a great team! :)
I also became an official OK resident when I got my drivers license and license plate.
June:
Things started to get busier at work.
I went to visit Rebekah and my grandparents in Abilene for the first time. Shortly after that, my grandparents moved back to California.
I put a deposit down and got the keys to my first OK apartment! Rebekah came for a few hours to bring me furniture that my grandparents gave me.
July:
I settled in to my new place.
Things got REALLY crazy at work! Katie "quit" working at the office so she could move to far off college lands!
I helped Diane coordinate her wedding. It went off with just a few hitches. But, what wedding doesn't? :)
August:
Things got REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY crazy at work! That's pretty much all I remember.
I had a house warming party.
The weather was crazy. It was HOT!
September:
I went on our church family retreat near Arkansas.
I also went to a Tulsa Shock Women Basketball game.
Diane, her brothers and I went on a CRAZY adventure to Arlington TX (5 hours away) to see the Angels play ball. It got rained out. hahahaha! It is still a super funny memory! We did hit up In-N-Out and Trader Joes, which made the madness worth it my opinion.
Things slowed WAY down at work. I started working for the School Division.
October:
Went to the Tulsa State Fair.
Fall weather and foliage began!
Rebekah went home to visit and got my dogs and my stuff.
I Went to Abilene to visit my dogs and my stuff. Oh yeah, I saw my Rebekah, Seth and Kelly too. ;) Rebekah pureed a HUGE pumpkin. I met the Salmin family and fell in love with Rebekah's church before driving home.
November:
I Filled my two Operation Christmas Child boxes.
Hit a deer and dealt with insurance.
FINALLY, the long awaited trip home come about. I was able to visit for two weeks. The day after I arrived was a Sunday so it was a blast surprising everyone at church! I met Mathia and Gen Gen for the first time as well as saw many family and friends. While I was home, I went on a Cruise with work and worked a convention. So it work/play. It was so awesome being able to celebrated Thanksgiving with both sides of the family. Jefri, Kai and Seth came to visit while I was in CA with my parents. Jefri and I had fun hanging out. I also got to see Annie's new Condo and spend much time with my Suzi in Crime (aka, my cousin Jacki). We went black friday shopping with Emily. At the end of the two VERY full weeks, I flew home on the same flights as David and Julie.
December:
Rebekah came to visit and we found an awesome Sushi place. We (ok, she) decorated my apartment for Christmas and had a Christmas/come meet my sister party.
I got internet at my apartment and started working from home two days a week.
It started to get REALLY cold. I learned/am learning how to dress for cold weather.
I was able to go to Abilene and have A WHITE CHRISTMAS! On Christmas eve we spent time with our aunt, uncle and cousins. It was a total blast and blessing to be with family curing the holidays! On Christmas day we went to Salmins house. They are so sweet and included us right in as family. Their extended family even had little stocking stuffers for us! We felt very loved and accepted. :) To end the lovely time, I almost died while driving home. lol! I drove on ice for 300 miles on Christmas night (weather report LIED).
Last week, we had our work Christmas party.
On Saturday I went to see my friends in their choir performance followed up with Les Miserables at the local theater. It was AMAZING!! I seriously was floored!
Tonight I will ring in the new year with people from church and thus ends my year in review!
Whew! You know whenever you watch a TV series and they do a flashback show? (I am particularly thinking about Friends because they did those a lot) That is what I feel like just happened! hahaha! That was exhausting! As you noticed, I got more and more in to short hand/"bullet point" type thoughts as the months moved on. lol!
Anyways, it was so good to have to stretch my brain to remember everything that has happened because it caused me to see all of the ways God has moved in my life! Hence, the reason why I love doing this.
Looking forward, I have a feeling God has some MAJOR things in store for this next year. He always does but this year feels different. The start to my life in OK has been amazing and I know it will only get better. I seriously can't believe I have already lived here for 8 months!
It's going to be really exciting to see my parents new life take off as they move (in two weeks) to Washington State to become missionaries in a small town named Endicott. It only has 400 people in it. God provided an AMAZING opportunity for them and I am SOOO excited to see it flourish! Hopefully I will be able to visit them in March around my birthday.
I will end this here. Hopefully you all have a safe and lovely new year! Don't forget to take some time and at least think through your year in review to reflect all of the amazing things God has accomplished in your lives! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
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