Thoughts

Time for a list.

1. This past year has gone by so quickly (minus that whole being pregnant thing). It has been an important year for me. I faced several challenges, and I believe I grew in them. I'm so thankful for the faithfulness of a Father who teaches me so diligently and patiently.

2. Lucy is truly a bundle of joy. There's something very unique and special about her disposition. I anticipate seeing how God uses her to bring life and wholeness to others.

3. Sam is starting to grasp little bits of what it means to know God. Little bits. I continue to pray for more fruitful conversations with him. His little heart is so beautiful.

4. Maryn has increased the volume of her screams--especially in the last few weeks. I think the lack of order in the house (due to the move--boxes, etc) are coming out as frustrations. I'm discovering that she needs to have constructive control over certain things. I'm thinking of some ways to give her things to be in charge of--feeding the dog is one of them. Will take other suggestions. :)

5. My life is too hectic right now. Too much to do. Too many places to go. I'm looking forward to the country life.

6. Sweet Lucy has been a bit of a poor sleeper the last few nights. She's teething (though they haven't broken through yet--just swollen on the top) for her top teeth. Night before last, I got up SIX times with her. Last night, I didn't even count, but I know I got roughly 4.5 hours of broken sleep. I'm sleepy this morning, but I already feel God's grace on me. Thank you, Lord.

7. I'm getting as much packed as possible today. We also have to pack for our summer "retreat". We leave Thursday afternoon and come back Sunday after lunch. We close here on Monday, moving van loads us up on Tuesday, we drive to Arkansas on Tuesday night, and close on our house there Wednesday morning. Yes, all in three days. CRAZY.

8. It's 9am, and I haven't eaten or had my coffee. BUT, I did get important stuff in the mail, give Lucy a bath (she was all sticky from the dose of Tylenol she spit out in the middle of the night), and washed a load of clothes (containing sticky sheets and blankie).

With that, I close.

Randomosity

Not sure if that's a word, but who cares, anyway? I can only have so many posts titled "Random".

I bought two pairs of eyeglasses (aka spectacles) at http://www.zennioptical.com/. One pair was $8 and the other pair was $9. Shipping is a flat fee of $5 no matter how many pairs you buy. That's a grand total of $23 plus tax. It took about 3 weeks or so to get the glasses. They are good quality. They are actually better than the cheap $90 glasses I bought at Wal-Mart 8 years ago. This is their price for frames AND lenses. I'm not joking. There is no middle-man, no advertising, and they come straight from the factory. They are not name-brand unless you consider their name, "Zenni", a brand. I'm very pleased with my glasses. When you order, it helps to have an old pair of glasses around so you can measure the dimensions you want for fit. You also have to obtain your prescription from your eye doctor including the pupillary distance (not normally on the prescription, but they can measure you for it). By law, they are always required to provide this prescription, and pupillary distance is a part of it. Your doctor shouldn't charge you for this. I highly recommend Zenni Optical. And I'm not being paid to say this, I am just satisfied with their customer service. They've become popular because of satisfied customers. I hope you'll give them a chance. I haven't taken pictures of myself with them on, but rest assured, they look rockin'. I'll have Dave photograph me soon in my spectacles.

I did finish the three skirts I was making. I'm quite happy with them, and they are serving me well to keep me cool this summer. It was 94 yesterday with a whole lotta humidity. I have plans to make more once we get settled in our new house. Oh, and they cost about $8-$9 each to make. I could make them even cheaper if I went thrifting for fabric (or used some free fabric I already have!).

Emerald Green Seersucker (my favorite one--love this fabric--it flows well and is very breathable and SO comfortable)

Brown Linen (reminds me of some skirts my roommate, Meggie, made in college)

Lightweight Cotton Print (love the antique look here)

In other news, Samuel got a haircut. I think it had been 8 or 9 months.

Before:

After:

He's adorable either way. We're partial to the longer style, but it is summer and as I mentioned before, IT IS HOT.

Packing and moving is going fine. I'm okay with it. Not too overwhelmed with the packing--mostly just the goodbyes.

And, Maryn is feeling lots better. She's more herself. I'm so thankful.

And, here's a video of my sweet Lucy. She LOVES to kick more than anything else. Sorry it's sideways. I always forget that.

The Goodbyes

Goodbyes are sometimes AWESOME--like when you can't wait to leave a place.

But, most of the time, they're AWFUL--like when you don't want to leave people.

Our goodbyes have begun, and there are an awful lot of them. We said our formal goodbyes to the attending physicians and their wives two weeks ago at a banquet. That was okay, but still not fun. Last night, we said our goodbyes to our small group (of which only half the members were present thereby requiring more goodbyes when we can meet up with the missing members).

In this process, I've discovered something. Saying goodbye is only hard when you've invested yourself. If you never make an effort to invest in people's lives--you stay holed up in your house only interacting with people on a surface level, then goodbyes shouldn't be hard for you. It's only when you are transparent and vulnerable with people that saying goodbye to them is hard.

When you sow sparingly, you reap sparingly. If you don't invest yourself in relationships, you will not get a good return. If you want to have meaningful relationships, you must sow generously and that is not just with time--it is with your very self. Being vulnerable with people isn't easy, and it is something that should be reserved for trustworthy friends. You certainly don't throw your life out there for any person on the sidewalk.

But, if you want to have meaningful relationships, you have to be real with people. You have to spend quality time with them. You have to encourage them. You have to allow people to see you struggle and see you conquer. You have to let go of the tendency to only do what works for you. You have to consider others better than yourself--their needs above yours (and do you really know what you need?). You have to allow them to see you without your makeup and in those hideous sweats you can't bear to part with.

You have to GIVE yourself.

You have to DENY yourself.

You have to BE yourself.

So, when the time to say goodbye comes, I hope that you can say it was hard. Because if it's easy, you're missing out.

Remember Me.

When the day just isn't starting out right...
When the illness isn't subsiding...
When the money isn't there...
When the reconciliation just isn't happening...
When the cupboards are bare...
When the children won't obey...
When the car won't work...
When the friends turn their backs...
When the death doesn't make sense...

Remember.

Psalm 77:7-15, "Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"

"Selah." (stop and listen)

"Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High."

"I will remember the deeds of the LORD;

yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago."

"I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? "

"You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph."

"Selah." (stop and listen)

Psalm 103:1-5, "Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

He's more than enough, people. He's big enough. He's strong enough.

And He won't forget.

Show Yourself

Okay, so I know a bunch of peeps are visiting my blog b/c of my little counter. So...show yourself. I'm curious who still reads my blog. I ain't gonna lie--I love me some comment love. You guys needs to show it!

Nah...really, I wanna know who is reading and if you care about my ramblings and to-do lists. Or...do you have any requests?

Not a piano bar, just a blog. For realz.

So, Maryn has an ear infection. I got about 3.5 hours of interrupted sleep last night. I fell asleep about 1:30. I got up and fed Lucy at 3:45. Went back to bed around 4. Got up with Maryn at 5:30 and never got to back to sleep because Sam was up at 6:15. Maryn is just pitiful when she is sick. Her fever got up to 103.2 (under the arm) last night. She whimpered like a little puppy all night long. She's napping now. I'm about to feed Lucy and take a nap myself. I need some sleep!

Okay, there's the update. Now, tell me you stopped by!!!!!

Things We've Been Doing

It's raining. Drenching kind of rain, you know? It's actually slowing down as I type. The kids are BORED. I've packed away a lot of things, so it is forcing us to be creative. Yesterday, I started to make lunch, and I realized we didn't have any bread. Dave also had the car. So, the kids ate a low-carb lunch with ham and turkey, pears, and carrots. Then, Sam and I made bread.

I found this recipe online, and I LOVE IT. I am not a bread-making pro and would appreciate some tips on kneading the dough and getting it to rise (I don't have a bread machine anymore, and don't plan on buying one...I also don't own a Kitchenaid mixer with a dough blade...AND my food processor dough blade is a wimp, so yes, I need tips on how to do it by hand.). That was the longest parentheses ever, I'm pretty sure.

Anyway. Aside from all that hullabaloo, the bread actually turned out alright. It uses half whole-wheat flour and half white flour, but there are directions for making it 100% whole-wheat. I only had enough wheat flour for the original recipe. It is delish.

See?

Maryn painted some watercolors in her Dora paint book, but Sam wasn't having it. So, I told him to make a game. I gave him a pack of round garage sale stickers, some paper, scissors and a pen. Not sure how to play just yet, but I'm sure (positive) the rules will change 100 times.

Then, Maryn wanted something NEW to do. So, I gave her scissors and an old magazine to cut pictures out of. That lasted 3 minutes. I'm not kidding. In fact, now, she is sitting on the floor huffing and puffing and won't tell me what she needs/wants.

And this book was a godsend. My Great-Aunt Kathy gave it to Maryn for her birthday. It's been delightful to read to the kids. It has all the great Seuss stories in it.

I'm washing diapers. Lucy is supposed to be napping. I just found her gnawing on the crib bar...wondering if more teeth may pop through soon.

Dave gets off early today, and we're going on our date later. We're torn between seeing "Up" without the kids or seeing "Angels and Demons". We were both disappointed with "The Da Vinci Code". It could have been SO much better. It didn't do the book justice. I'm speaking from merely an artistic point of view--the content is fairly deplorable. But..."Angels and Demons" will more than likely be at its best on a big screen...hmmm....any recommendations?

I did get everything on Craigslist and Freecycle. I've had several inquiries and promised pickups. We'll see.

Now Maryn is all-out crying and REFUSES to communicate with me. Does anyone have any tips for the stubborn child who has the vocabulary of a much older child but refuses to talk when she is upset???? Well, I just discovered...she has a fever, and an ugly throat. Waiting for Dave to call back...hope it isn't strep.

Off to make lunch!

Moving Right Along

I've gotten a lot accomplished since we last spoke. I've gotten all the utility set-up and disconnects taken care of. I found a satellite ISP since we live out in the boonies and can't get cable internet or DSL. Moving truck/movers is established and scheduled. I've changed addresses where I can. Some I have to wait on. Talked to the bank about new checking accounts. We're keeping our current cell service. We still haven't decided if we're getting satellite TV or not. Part of me says "yes!" so that we can have Oscar parties and Superbowl parties, but we rarely do that anyway...so "no!" seems more acceptable. All of the shows we watch are online...and our TV screen is about the same size as our computer monitor anyway (I'm not kidding.). I just measured them. Our computer monitor is 17" and our TV screen is 19". Yeah, the 2" doesn't make too much difference.

So that's going well. I've continued packing. I love packing. I'm good at it, too. I think I get it from my mom. I don't know how, but I did. She and I both know how to pack things really efficiently--the dishwasher, the trunk of a car, a suitcase. You name it. It must just be how our brains work. I can make it fit. I bet I could win a packing contest, too.

I've got a few things on the calendar as well. Date night tomorrow night...trying to decide what movie to watch. I'm guessing it will either be "Angels and Demons" or "Land of the Lost". We're saving "Up" for netflix with the kids. May go to OKC to see Sweesha. Birthday party for Funke on Sunday. Small group goodbye sometime next week. 2 or 3 baby showers. 2 more weeks at church. :( Last book club. :( Get to see David Asher this evening. Still need to work in all those other goodbyes...

Made some iced coffee this morning. Yum.

Dave and I went to bed before 10 last night. I can't remember the last time BOTH of us were in bed before 10. That :never: happens.

Today I have some Craigslist goals. I need to photograph several items and get them all posted on there. I really need to sell some stuff before we move. Well, I think I've overstayed my welcome in this post, so I'll mosey along and get stuff done. xoxo

Mental List

Okay, so it's not entirely mental b/c I'm typing it out for my blog...but you know...

1. Make a list of places I need to change our address.
2. Get info from new bank regarding new accounts there.
3. Reserve moving truck/movers etc...
4. Make list of places to stop services--gas, electric, etc.
5. Determine what kind of internet services are available in our new town.
6. Determine best cell phone coverage company for the area.
7. Figure out if we're getting satellite or cable or bunny ears. lol. We've only had cable for 6 months during our marriage, and it was a gift for my birthday. We watch most of our shows on the internet anyway.
8. Check out auto registration in Arkansas.
9. Find out all the utilities to turn on in Arkansas.

Am I forgetting anything? My mommy brain needs your assistance.

Surely Goodness and Mercy will follow me...

I have sure got a lot on my plate. When I begin thinking about it for too long, I get incredibly overwhelmed. I heard the Lord saying last night, "Enjoy the simple things. Simple. Simple. " That is my goal today. It doesn't make my list any shorter, but it gives me little bits of down time in the middle of the craziness.

The Lord is so good to show His love. Yesterday, I went to a prophetic teaching time at church. I mostly went to support my friend, Kathy, and to pray with other people (have really been desiring that lately), but wouldn't you know, the Lord showed up and smothered me in His abundant love. I was reminded of how much He enjoys me and loves who I am. I was reminded that He loves my personality and that I make Him smile. I was reminded that He is growing me taller and taller. I was reminded of the beautiful giftings He has given me and that He is going to use me. It was a sweet time to be with Him and feel Him lifting me out of the ickyness I had been feeling. Life gets harder when you try to live it on your own. I've been reminded more than ever that I am not self-sufficient and cannot live a self-sufficient life. I was bought with a price, and I am not my own.

He is so faithful to not leave us in our own mess. Aren't you glad?

Today, as I think through my list, I am really needing to just get organized. We have an appraisal tomorrow, and I need to clean the house and pay bills. Those are my priorities for today. Dave is at work. It is his LAST call at the hospital here. That is hard to believe!!! My list might seem shorter if I take a little nap...my eyes are a bit droopy.

Let the oil of the Lord's love soak you today. Just enjoy His refreshing.

Friday? Already?

I can't believe it is Friday again. This week is zooming past me!

I also can't believe I forgot to mention that Dave and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary on Tuesday! It was very nice. We got to go out last weekend and enjoy some yummy Indian food and a movie. That's pretty much the perfect date in my book. If you give me Indian food, I'll be happy.

Indian Corner has the best spicy pumpkin and vegetable dishes.
Kolam has the best honey balls (sorry, Sammy at Star of India, but it is true)
Desi Wok has the best Chicken Tikka Masala.
India Palace has the best chance of getting salmonella. For realz.

I love my husband. He can still make me laugh (but not with old jokes). He made me laugh a lot this anniversary. I'm so thankful for the years we've spent together and the ways God is growing us and teaching us. We're a good team.

I went to bed early last night b/c I hadn't slept much the night before. Maybe 4 hours? I was up with Lucy a lot and I got to bed late. Es no bueno. Dave let me sleep in again today. So nice. I think I actually got some decent rest (even with waking up in the middle of the night).

Today, we're going to bake a cake for Brooke's birthday party tonight. We're also going to go visit my Great Aunt Kathy for a little bit. Brooke's party is at the bowling alley. Can't wait to watch the kids bowl! They're always fun to watch.

Take out some time today to put lotion on your feet. It'll work wonders. Seriously.

Update

Sorry I've been MIA lately. I've got SO much going on. My head is spinning from so much activity. So, here's what we've been up to:

• We went to Arkansas to celebrate Maryn's birthday with our families. None of my pictures are visually pleasing enough to show you. It was way too dark at the pizza place.


• We got to see our friends from med school, Jake and Melissa and their three kids. It was so good to hang out with them.
  

Our kids together (the only picture where you can actually see all their faces).

Amanda and Melissa

Dave and Jake

• We counter-offered these same people on the house. They really want it. After a couple of times back and forth, we've reached middle ground. We have a contract! I refuse to get excited until the appraisal is completed. Inspection went well so far as I could tell. We will get everything in writing as to what they want repaired.
• We will close on the house before we move to Arkansas. It will be nice not to have any loose ends here in Oklahoma. I'm packing again since I'm not showing the house. It's going quickly. I've been told to hire people to do this. I'm at home a lot, and I actually enjoy packing. It's not been that big of a deal. In fact, I leisurely packed 13 boxes today (of various sizes). We have more furniture than we had before, but we really don't have that much more stuff. (sigh of relief)
• Yesterday was Senior Day. We were out all day in meetings talking about our soon transition out of residency. It was a very helpful and productive day. I realized how many people I need to set aside time for to say good-bye. Graduation is in 23 days!
• I've had four friends give birth in the last three weeks. Insane. I've gotten to visit lots of babies...still one I need to visit (can't wait!!!).
• We had to get the speed sensor replaced on our transmission. Very tricky with one car... Thankfully we have good friends to transport us.
• Have a cold or something. Not bad, just annoying.

That's about it. If you think of me, say a prayer that I will be patient and productive. MWAH!

It Pays To Tell the Truth--Literally.

I took Sam to Target yesterday to pick up some clothes for him and Lucy with some money my mom gave them. I also needed to pick up some other stuff. Well, I had a few coupons for chocolate and baby wash. One of the coupons was for free chocolate from M&M Mars HERE. I got up to the check-out, and the guy scanned all my stuff. I gave him the coupons, and he scanned those as well. On a free coupon, the store has to enter the amount of the product for reimbursement. It rang up as .94, so he had to go in and enter the coupon for that amount.

I noticed that I had saved a lot of money on that receipt--like +/-$13, and really, I should only have saved a few dollars from my coupons. I headed out the door with Sam, got my bags in the car, and then looked closely at the receipt. Instead of .94 for the chocolate coupon, the cashier had entered $9.45!!!!

I explained to Sam about how to make it right, and that the cashier would get in trouble at the end of the day because there wasn't enough money in his drawer. We went back inside, and I found the cashier. I explained his mistake to him, and he called his manager over. She looked at it and was so glad I had come back in. She didn't know the easiest way to have me pay the deficit. She told me to hang on a second while she stepped away to talk to someone, I guess. She came back and told me, "We appreciate your honesty. Don't worry about it. You can have it."

Target paid me $8.50 for telling the truth.