Gators

I know, I know. I'm a horrible blogger! I apologize because I know that by not blogging, you are less apt to read my blog, assuming nothing new is there. I have decided there are a couple of reasons for my lack of blogging. One reason is that I don't have tons of pictures right now to share with you. I used to blog a lot because I took a lot of pictures and wanted to post them. I don't like posting many blogs that are just words, so there are fewer now. I'll try to get better about taking pictures! Another reason that I haven't blogged much is because sometimes you just don't have a lot to say. For those of you who know me well, I know that is a shocker. :) But I am processing through so much in life right now that I don't know how to get it on paper. I will someday though, and I'm sure you'll be waiting with anticipation for that day. :)

For now, I thought I'd share a little fun story for the few of you who might still be reading. I live in Florida now, and there are many gators here. If there is a pond around, you can pretty much guarantee that there will be a gator living somewhere in it. We have several of these ponds in our apartment complex where we live. Nikki and I have now seen 4 gators in different ponds around here. So far, they are babies - cute and (we hope) relatively harmless. They appear something like this...

They might actually be a little bigger than that, but so I don't have nightmares, let's pretend they are always this cute and tiny. Here is another picture of the alligator that lives in the pond behind my balcony.

You have to look closely, but you should be able to pick him out in the grass by the water. This is Alan the alligator. Yes, we named them all. :) The other gators in our complex live in different ponds. We named one Samson and one Oscar. Today, we were driving home from church, and we passed Samson's pond. It was a lovely sunny day, so he was out sunning himself on the grass. And next to him was another gator! He has a friend!! So of course we named that one Delilah. :) Yes, we have issues, but at least we live a jolly life!!

I hope you have enjoyed my gator story. As a reminder, always run in a zigzag pattern if chased by a gator - he can't catch you that way. Here's hoping our gators stay tiny and don't chase anyone. Although if they want to eat the dogs that live below us, I won't mind.

This week we are counting down to Michael and Bekah's wedding!! Only six days to go! I am super excited, and I know they are too. I am heading up to Boston on Wednesday, so there will be many posts to come because I will be taking many pictures! Hope you all have a great week!

A Weekend With The Sibs

So Michael is getting married 3 weeks from Saturday - CRAZY!!! Instead of having a bachelor weekend, he decided he wanted to come to Florida, have Matthew join us, and have a weekend with the siblings in the sun. We had lots of fun hanging out and laughing and enjoying "one last gathering" with just the 3 of us. We all understand that life will be changing forever for our family - and most certainly in a good way - but it was nice to have a special time together. We laid by the pool for an afternoon, which was glorious, and then Matthew and I took Michael out for dinner to talk about his upcoming marriage, encourage him, and give him a fun gift. I can't post pictures of what we gave him, but let's just say we hoped to add some fun and laughter to his honeymoon! :)

On Sunday, we spent the day at Epcot, and it was great fun. Here are a couple of pictures from when we were riding Test Track.



And just because I love my brothers, here are a couple more pictures of us!


Aww....I had a blast with the brothers. I am so proud of the men they have become and look forward to seeing all that lies ahead for them both as they begin these next chapters in their lives.

In other news, I have fully applied at Reformed Theological Seminary, and I just found out that I have been invited to a review weekend in April. That weekend will be a weekend of individual and group interviews as they determine who they want to invite to be in this year's new class. I should know one way or the other by the end of April if I have been accepted there. I am also in the process of applying at another school - Palm Beach Atlantic University, and once I get all of the stuff completed for there, I will know very quickly if I have been accepted there. Once those things are known, I will have to make a decision about which school and figure out the financial piece of it. We'll see what happens, and I'll keep you posted!

I also have a new part time job. I am working as the marketing director for a Chick-fil-a store in a local mall. I am very excited about this new position and am now trying to find another part time job to fill in the gaps of time and money. More to come on all of this soon! Hope you all have a great weekend!

February Greetings

Hi everybody! I have lots of thoughts swirling around in my head and much to update you on. We'll see how much makes it into this blog and how much will be reserved for future blogging. First of all, I am now 32! :) I had a great birthday and felt very loved and cherished. It's sometimes nice to hear from people that you matter to them, and my birthday was a great day of celebration and fun. My mom ended up getting to stay and visit for 9 days because of the horrible snowstorms in Baltimore, so that was an unexpected blessing of time together, and we made the most of it! We got to go to Disney and visit schools and hang out, and it was great. She has most of the pictures on her camera that I have to get from her, but here are a couple.

Ellie loved having Grandma here - she was very spoiled by all the attention!

On the day my mom flew back to Baltimore, she and Nikki and I met Jenn and Bella for a brunch, and it was a lovely time of hanging out with the girls.


As I mentioned in a previous post, I am seriously considering going back to school to get a Masters in Counseling. I am super excited about this possibility, as I feel that God has been preparing me for this for quite some time and that these past few years were a necessary thing to go through in order to be ready for something like this. I am looking at a couple of schools in the area, and I have been able to visit both campuses and learn as much info as possible about each program. There is a part of me that can't believe I am considering the option of going back to school - it's been a LONG time since I've been in an academic setting! And yet the other part of me can't really imagine not doing it at this point. In some ways I feel as if I have been made for this and my journey through life to this point has been for this specific purpose. You can be praying for me if you'd like as I walk through this process and make decisions. Obviously I have to be accepted into a program and finances would certainly be an issue to work through. I want to make a wise choice and I want to be exactly where God needs me. There will be many more posts coming about this in the future and I will certainly keep you posted!


This weekend, both of my brothers are coming into town, and I can't wait! In lieu of a bachelor party weekend, Michael decided he wanted to have a "weekend with the sibs" in the warm sun, so we're all gathering here to hang out and have some time with just the three of us before he gets married. We're all really excited and can't wait to have some time together! I love the fact that my brothers are my friends. :) I'll be sure and post some pictures from the weekend.

Nikki and I have found a church that we really like and are looking forward to getting further involved and expanding our world here. Having a community to share life with is so important, and while I am super thankful for her friendship, I know we are both excited about getting to know new people and making some new friends.

Spring training is just around the corner and I am SO EXCITED!!!! I will definitely be attending a few games since they'll be played right down the street from me, and I am looking forward to the upcoming baseball season. Pitchers and catchers report this weekend, and it's such a fun time. The start of baseball season reminds me that hope springs eternal, you never know what might happen, and spring is coming! I love the warmth, the game, and the fabulous sound of the crack of the bat as it hits the ball! :)

These past few years have been an amazing journey for me - the hardest thing I have ever walked through. I hope to put some of my ponderings "on paper" soon to share with each of you who have had a hand in walking with me through this time. I will say, as we come up on the 3 year mark of when life changed for good....I am truly thankful for all that God has allowed to shatter in my life because He has used it to bring me to where I am today. And I wouldn't change that. Spring really is coming - it's just about here!

A Quick Update!

Hey everyone! My birthday is on Sunday (yay for birthdays, and on Super Bowl Sunday no less!!!), and my mom is in town to celebrate with me, and we're about to head out the door for some shopping fun. Lots has been happening in the last week or two in my life that needs to be shared, so for now I thought I'd give you a very quick update with "teasers"... More info to come on all of this in the coming days!
• My temp job unexpectedly ended this past Monday. No warning at all, and it is no more.
• I currently have no job! But I have had some interviews and have a couple next week and am hopeful something will work out.
• I am seriously considering going back to school. Yep, crazy thought that it is! I have applied to one school already and am visiting that and another school next week. For what, you might ask? Well, much more to come on this soon, but I'm looking at a Masters in Counseling degree.
• I am very excited about the possibilities that God has in store in the coming weeks and months.
• I have NO IDEA what anything will look like! :)
• I have the most splendid roommate!
• My brothers are coming for a visit in a couple of weeks!! So are my Gloucester pastor and his wife and family. Yay for sharing Disney!
• IT IS ALMOST MY BIRTHDAY!!! :) :) :)

The end for now.

On Sunshine And Snot

Greetings, faithful readers of the blog! Thought it was time for a blog facelift. Do you like it? I am sitting on my balcony in the sunshine in shorts and a t-shirt while I type this, and can I just say it is completely glorious?? Temps in the mid-60's, and beautiful blue skies and sunshine that is warm but not too hot....some of the many reasons I love living here! My cat really likes it too. She would live out on the balcony right now if I let her. :)

As far as the snot part of my blog title goes, yes, I have a cold. It's a pretty bad one, too. Very annoying and hard to breathe, and I wonder how one body can produce so much nastiness?! :) I usually get a couple of colds like this a year, and I know it's only January, but I'm counting this as my spring cold. It's spring-like outside, right? Besides, colds are going around here right now, so I'm going to say this is definitely a spring cold and hope I don't get another one in March or April!

In my latest counseling assignment, I am supposed to be coming up with a "life plan". What are my life goals? And then working from that, what steps can I take to achieve those goals? Obviously some things are out of my control, but what am I going to do about the things that are in my control? I think we are all often guilty of sitting around talking about what we want to do or where we hope we end up in life, but then it stops there and nothing happens beyond that. I am being challenged to take action - put my money where my mouth is, and go and do the things I say I want to do. And if I don't go and do them, then do I really want to do those things? I'm about to celebrate my birthday in less than 2 weeks (yay for birthdays!!!), and I want this next year to be one of being proactive - not sitting around waiting for life to happen to me. Lots to ponder.... I don't know about you, but I don't want to get to the end of my life and wonder "what if?" I don't want to have undone a bunch of things I wished I'd tried but just never got around to doing it.

So perhaps in 2010, we can all become a little more action-oriented. What has God put on your heart? Think about that and if you know, then go and do it! Be courageous and see where He leads. And at the end of this year, we can all compare notes about how our lives have changed because we took action. I'm excited to see what is in store!

And now excuse me....I must go blow my nose! Love you all!

Weddings And More

Greetings from finally warm again Sunshine State! For a couple of weeks, I feared that the Great White North had followed me here, as we went through an extremely cold time. I never thought I'd actually need my puffy in Florida, but I did! Now, we are back in the low 70's, with lots of sunshine, and I am enjoying every minute of it. I love being able to wear flip flops pretty much year round!!

Anyway, updates on life.... As most of you probably know by now, Matthew asked Lindsay to marry him on Saturday, and she said yes! So we will be adding two new members to our family this year - Bekah in March, and Lindsay in June! We are all very excited, and it should be a fun time over these upcoming months. I for one am so proud of Matthew and the person he has developed into, and I am excited to watch him enter into this next season of life. I took pictures for them as a Christmas gift, but I suppose we'll have to take a few engagement pics the next time I am in town! For now, here is the happy couple!

In a recent counseling session I had, my homework assignment was to come the next week with my definition of trust and of love. Have you ever thought about that? How would you define love? Or trust? Not in a textbook way or reciting what the Bible says or using typical cliches, but how would you personally describe it? It's a lot harder than you might think to put into words - or at least it was for me. I challenge you to think about it though and see what you come up with. After thinking about it for quite some time, I ended up compromising. I see the world in pictures, and when I thought of the two words, specific images came to mind. So I ended up combining pictures and words to give a more complete definition of each word, at least for me. Here are two of the pictures I used. Which one do you think was for trust and which one for love? :)


Things are going pretty well here. I am in the interview process for a position with Chick-fil-a that would allow me to be a contract employee for them and work from here. I just submitted my official application last night, so we'll see what happens. Something has to change very soon though, as I am only working around 20 hours a week with my current temp position. I'll certainly keep you all posted!

My birthday is coming up in 3 weeks, and I am very excited to celebrate! I am looking forward to this next year of life and excited to see what God has in store. I have recently been reminded of the importance of choosing life in each moment that we face. No matter what our circumstances look like, we have the ability to choose life or death. I'm ready to choose life. :)

I will try to be a more frequent poster of blogs, but thank you for your continued prayers. Hope you all have a great week!

Reflections

Greetings and Happy New Year! I always love this time of year because it gives me a chance to look back over a year and see all that has transpired, as well as look forward to a year that stands before me as a completely blank slate. There is much to share and catch you all up on, so let's get to it!

First of all, as I look back over this year, I am sometimes amazed at where God has brought me. Let's be honest - 2009 was not my favorite year, as it was a difficult one to walk through. And yet, it was also a great year because of where God has brought me. I began the year in the Great White North, with this as my reality...


I will admit that I miss the snow. I loved watching it fall and seeing what the world looked like blanketed in fresh new snow. But that is all I miss of the Great White North's winters!!!

In February, I came down to Orlando to go to Disney World for my birthday with my mom, Nikki and Jenn. We had a blast, and it was during this trip that I was secretly looking around, determining if this was where I was going to move or not. In the end, the chance to share life with my "sisters", living near Disney, and being in the warm sunshine helped me decide that this was going to be the next step in my journey.

Then March arrived, and with it, the beginning of anxiety attacks and a journey that has been unlike anything I have ever walked through. For those of you who have followed my story, you know that I have struggled with anxiety and such for most of this year. I have tried it all, including medication - none of which worked because I am so sensitive to drugs. I haven't shared much lately on this front, so let me do so now. After trying several medications, we all reached the conclusion that the drug route wasn't going to work for me. The solution? Continue on in counseling and walk through the healing that would bring. This isn't always the preferable solution because it takes longer. But in the end, it is complete because you are actually working through the anxieties and dealing with the causes of it.

God has shown me much mercy in this because He led me to a fantastic counselor who was just who I needed to walk with me through this journey. The process has been hard and difficult and continues to be so. But we are working through many layers and roots and dealing with everything, and through this, the anxiety is subsiding. You guys know that I have dealt with heart palpitations for most of the year, as that is how my body reacted to the anxiety. I might have a random palpitation here and there now, but it has been over 6 weeks since I have had a day or a night full of palpitations. That in and of itself is a miracle and is physical evidence of the continued healing God is doing in my life. I am filled with hope and anticipation at what God is up to as He continues deep healing. I am a firm believer that everyone should go to counseling, even if you think you don't need it! :)

At the end of June, Nikki and I arrived in Florida! Let's be honest - we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! :) But we were excited to begin this new journey and see what would happen.

And now, we have lived here for 6 months. That is crazy to me! And to be honest, not much has changed. Neither of us still have permanent full-time jobs. This is a problem that must be rectified immediately if we wish to stay here and be able to eat and pay bills. We haven't found a church home that we truly connect with yet. This is also something that must change immediately. And we also must find a community of people to get plugged into and share life with. Despite all of the unknowns and the things that do need to happen, we have had a blast getting to be roommates, sharing life together, and going to Disney World as often as possible!

2009 brought other changes to our lives as a family. My parents moved to Baltimore full time. One brother got engaged. The other brother is also in a serious relationship. 2010 brings at least one wedding, changing our family forever - but for the good. It will be cool to see what God has in store in this area for all involved!


Ellie continued to be a great cat this year, and I am quite proud of how well she did driving in the car all the way from Massachusetts to Florida. She makes me smile everyday and has been quite the good sport this Christmas!


As 2009 closes, I truly am thankful for what God has brought me through and the work He has done in my life. It's really impossible to imagine what 2010 will hold, but I know He holds it, and that is enough. As I go through these next few weeks, I will pass the day that would have been my 4th wedding anniversary, I will celebrate my 32nd birthday, and I will move past the 3 year mark of when Jeff left. And when I think about who I am now compared to who I was 4 years ago, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God's word is true. He does use all things for our good and His glory, He does bring beauty from ashes, and He is faithful to complete the work He has begun in us all. So despite the unknowns that surround pretty much every area of my life, I know that, and it is because of Jesus that I can look forward to 2010 with great hope, expectation, and joy.

I sincerely wish all of you a very Happy New Year, and it is my hope that 2010 marks a year for us all that we experience continued growth and remain in awe at the miracles that God performs, as we celebrate the gift that each day is!

Because Sometimes You Just Need To Laugh!

A couple of weeks ago, Nikki and I went to the mall when we had an afternoon to kill. We were walking through a department store that shall remain nameless when we came across a display of hats. We started trying them on and started laughing so hard that we decided we needed pictures of the occasion. Apparently the idea was catching because a few other people joined us and did the same thing. Here were a few of our favorites....




After this, we stopped in the juniors department where I saw these red pants. You can't tell from the picture, but the rips in the pants had fishnet material behind them. Of course I had to try them on....don't they look fabulous with that shirt???

Finally, I tortured my cat again with the Santa hat and thought these images were quite funny. I don't think she thought so...



I took the roommate to the airport today so she could spend Christmas in Chicago with her family. Ellie and I are hanging out until Wednesday morning when I will leave to drive to GA to meet the fam for Christmas (driving alone with my cat - hope she behaves!!). More posts to come soon. Have a great week!

The Singing Christmas Trees

Greetings from the Sunshine State! I did enjoy my time living in Gloucester, but I must say that I am thankful to not be in the Great White North for another winter. The high temps are in the 20's there right now, and I am quite excited to still be able to wear short sleeves outside!!

I know I've shared in some previous blog entries about participating in the Singing Christmas Trees at First Baptist Church Orlando, but I wanted to share a few pictures with you guys so you could get a better idea of what it was like to actually be in the Trees. Here are a couple of pictures of the whole trees so you can see how tall they were.


There are several entrances on each tree - the bottom 5 rows enter from one area, and then the rest of the rows climb a ladder and scoot in to the right spot. The whole structure is built on a scaffolding system. They have boxes that you stand on if necessary so that everyone is approximately the same height. I had to stand on a 10 inch box. :) There is barely enough room for me to fit into the tree, which is crazy! Here are a couple of pictures of me and Nikki in our spots.


For the actual performances, we all wear white t-shirts and jeans, and then we wear a sparkly top that only covers the upper part of the body because that is all you see. You are also supposed to wear extra makeup so you show up in the tree and don't look too ghostly. Here we are in our capes!

I really enjoyed my time rehearsing with and performing in the Trees. It was a great experience and something I've never done before. I'm very thankful I had the opportunity to participate. It was cool to be in a choir, since I've always been on the instrumental side of things. I did get to play in the orchestra for two of the shows because one of their percussionists had to be out. It was so nice to get back in an orchestral setting and remember how much I love playing. It's been awhile....and I am grateful I had to chance to play again as well. All in all, it was a great experience and I don't think I'll ever forget what it's like to squish into a tree and be part of the decoration! :)

A week from today I'll be driving up to GA to spend Christmas with the fam. Looking forward to that! Much more to share, so keep checking in for updates. Have a great week! :)

Christmas In Florida

Greetings, family and friends! I am SOOOO sorry it has been forever since I have put up a blog. There are a couple of reasons for that. The first reason is that Nikki and I have been crazy busy with the Singing Christmas Trees. We had four performances last week and have had two so far this weekend. Our last show is tomorrow, and then we'll be done! I have enjoyed the experience though, especially getting to play in the orchestra unexpectedly for two of the shows. The other reason I haven't put up many posts is because my camera bit the dust. I just had time to go see about getting it fixed a couple of days ago, only to discover that it isn't fixable. That was very sad, but I did get a new camera that I am very excited about learning how to use!!! More to come on that soon!

My whole family was here for Thanksgiving, and we had so much fun together! We had yummy food on Thanksgiving, and I even made a homemade banana pudding. It was SOOO good! Here are a couple of pictures of the masterpiece...


We also did a photo shoot with my family - Nikki was kind enough to take pictures for us. Here are a few of my favorite.




Nikki and I decorated our apartment for Christmas before my family arrived so that we could be festive for the holidays. We don't have much space, so we each have a small tree. They are so cute, and it's been awesome to be able to plug them in and enjoy the Christmasy spirit for almost a month now!

Ellie enjoys the trees too. She tries to hide under them. Here she is hanging on the back of the couch...

The weather here has been quite lovely lately, at least for the most part. We went to Disney a few days ago, wearing shorts because it was 85 degrees! Today we were sitting out on our balcony before we had to leave for the show, when we realized an alligator was sunning itself on the grass by the lake. It's hard to tell from this picture, but look for the baby gator!

I will try to write entries more often - hopefully people still read! :) - and keep you updated on what is happening. I am doing well here in Florida. I am learning so much everyday, and God continues His healing in my life. There are many decisions to make, but I am excited to see the doors that open and to be in a place in life to dream a little. Nikki and I are having a great time being roommates, going to Disney when we can, and enjoying the warmth. I will certainly keep you posted! For now, I will close this entry with a picture of my cat that I took with my new camera. Enjoy these last couple of weeks before Christmas!