tax season

this is what the beginning of tax season looks like at my firm

tix to the band perry!

yes, that WAS my dream last night

so, i’m 0 for 2 on making it to morning yoga this week. yesterday morning i was late because of the road conditions. this morning i was too busy dreaming about growing an extra tooth at the age of 24 (i guess i forgot my 25th birthday had already passed). and apparently an extra tooth meant that i was a flying squirrel, and not a human like i had thought for the past 25 24 years.



speaking of…i had one of these bad boys when stan and i met. her name was gabby. she was the cutest thing ever.

meet pastor jeff

so our pastor sends out these sometimes awesome, but mostly annoying, phone tree messages. here is a partial transcript of the most recent. i could not stop laughing. mostly because he was totally serious.

"hi church, this is jeff. i know weather conditions may not be ideal tomorrow morning, but i’m pretty sure conditions weren’t very favorable when Jesus went to Cavalry’s Cross for you and me. So in order to bless your Lord and your life be blessed as well, be in church tomorrow morning regardless of the weather as we officially kick off the new year. it’s gonna be a great time together. i’ll see you then."

goodbye 2010...

2008 was amazing. 2009 was tough. 2010 was worse.

2008 was full of promises, vows & covenants.

2009 was marked by disappointment and frustration.

2010 was a roller coaster. the Lord provided in ways i never imagined. it was a year marked by anxiety, health issues, heartache, bitterness. God also redeemed and restored areas in my life where i trusted in ways i didn’t know i could.

the major revelation: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:
 a time to be born, and a time to die
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

i think back to 2009 when we were looking for houses. i wanted to a home owner so bad. we were married in 2008 and purchasing a house was the ‘next step’ in this dream life i had envisioned. i remember praying about it a lot, but it was more of the ‘Lord, we really want this to happen so please help us’ rather than us seeking God out and trying to understand His plan for our future. if God hadn’t closed those doors we would have missed out on so much. we would still be living in little elm. i would be commuting an hour to and from work and stan would either be commuting over an hour to and from work or we would have turned down his job at First Hurst, which has blessed me beyond measure.

over the past couple years i’ve let bitterness creep into my heart. after a couple rough ministry experiences i was ready to throw my hands up and say i’m done. my selfish heart wanted to tell my husband it’s fine if he wants to pursue ministry but i just can’t do it with him. i can’t believe i entertained those thoughts in my mind and my heart. bitterness turned into selfishness which led to withdrawal. and then i had a summer that changed my heart. God showed me a small glimpse of what ministry with my husband could look like and i am so grateful for that. it was overwhelming.

the past 3 months i have been sustained by the Lord. He has restored and redeemed. He has made promises and fulfilled them. and i have learned what it means to put my hope in Christ and Christ alone.

in other news, a recap of my goals from 2010…
*1* we ended up hanging one thing in our bedroom. aaaand then we moved. our bedroom walls currently boast my bridal portrait, a jewelry holder i made and a door knob necklace holder i bought in canton a couple years ago. it’s nowhere near done, but i fully blame that on goal number 3.

*2* i have decided how i’m going to hang these beauties, but have not put my plan into action. i have bought the fishing line and picked the perfect spot, but i need some mini eye hook thingies. maybe i will pick them up today. we shall see.



*3* i still have a dresser and two nightstands to refinish. i have the dresser totally stripped and need to finish stripping the nightstands. after that i will refinish my vanity and stool. after THAT, i plan on building my dream bed. but that may be a while.

*4* i think i made out with 3 A’s and 1 B. i’ve never been that successful in school. ever. kudos to me.

*5* i started the CPA review/exams. i barely failed BEC (my first test), i BOMBED FAR (my second), and retook and passed BEC. i have one down and three to go and plan on owning that test this year. i have figured out what works for me and plan on making it happen.

*6* i most definitely did not run 300 miles last year. i don’t even think i ran 25. and i don’t ever plan on making that a goal again.

*7* i did not read the entire ESV study bible last year. i have learned that it just is not realistic for me to do that. it quickly became and hurry up and get the reading over with for the day kind of thing and i was not retaining anything. i have since decided to just make a commitment to read. however much i feel like. but be disciplined about it.

*8* i started a cash budget system and it kinda went by the wayside.

*9* we paid off the CRV in may, which was a glorious feeling. it was amazing, let me tell you.

so that’s it. 2010 in a nutshell.