wrapping up 2011

i can't believe another year has come and gone. this was probably the most stressful year for me. last october stan was hired at first baptist church of hurst and we made the move to north richland hills. i honestly didn't think the 1-1.5 hour drive would be that big of a deal (i still work in richardson), but it really took a toll on me that i wasn't expecting. by may i was burnt out. add on top of that virtually no community--definitely not what we had been used too--and you get one stressed out person. it was a blessing for our marriage though because we spent more time than ever together--just the two of us--and got to figure out what we really wanted for our future. i wouldn't trade that time for anything. i have a deeper love for my husband and an understanding of the amazing amount of patience he has, because Lord knows i complained. all. the. time.

i passed another portion of my CPA exam in march--woo hoo! we took a brief vacation to san francisco, california at the end of may/beginning of june to celebrate 3 wonderful years together. we spent a day in napa and it was glorious. then i failed another portion of my CPA exam--boo. i started co-leading a life connection class (sunday school) for the 11th grade girls and it has been one of the most challenging and rewarding things i've ever done. i am definitely not a teacher, but the Lord has been gracious to equip me with the tools and courage i need to make it through. i took a one month-turned-four month break from all things CPA related--oops. and jumped back on the wagon late november/early december. we finally both felt like we were ready to start a family and found out i was pregnant on the eve of christmas eve and we were over the moon! sadly, we lost our cousin Amber Robbins in a devastating car accident on december 29th. stan started off 2012 by preaching his second funeral in his short 26 years of life and that breaks my heart. we had a very low key celebration to ring in the new year at the evan's house. it was full of pajamas, toddlers and hide-and-go-seek in the dark.

i am thankful to leave 2011 behind me but so thankful for what the Lord has done in my heart--a transformation that has changed the way i perceive things and think about the world and life here on this earth. san francisco has opened my eyes to the reason why i dislike living in dallas. how materialistic everyone is--including me. hypocrisy at it's finest. but the Lord has made me realize i don't have to live that way. i just have to let go of these preconceived notions of the way i should live my life and the "american dream" and things i should accomplish and the order in which they are attained.

i'm excited about 2012 and the challenge a baby will be but i know that stan will make an amazing daddy and i will try to be the best mom i can be. my goal for 2012? we are moving to downtown dallas-and simultaneously-closer to our friends. my goal for 2012 is to take one weekend a month to spend as a family. from friday night to monday morning. starting this weekend. i cannot wait!

2011 resolutions

*love more* that’s it. that’s my only resolution.

ok, that’s a lie.

physically - lose 30 pounds by eating healthier and developing a work out routine that fits my crazy schedule

emotionally - say ‘no’ more often and not feel bad or guilty about it

spiritually - love more. the very first sermon i listened to this year was heavily focused on loving others. the theme for disciple now weekend at first hurst was rEVOLution (tag line: behind every revolution is the LOVE of something and if we want to see a revolution in our generation there needs to be a radical, passionate love of Christ). God has strongly convicted me over the past 2 months of not loving the way Christ calls us to. how will i accomplish this? loving Christ and accepting His love in my life.

Romans 15:5-7 (ESV) may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Romans 12:10 (ESV) love one another with brotherly affection. outdo one another in showing honor.

1 Corinthians 12:25 (ESV) that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

random little goals -
1. pass the CPA exam
2. refinish the furniture we bought almost a year ago
3. make curtains four our living room and dad’s room - preferably before it gets hot, which doesn’t appear to leave me much time
4. make that dog bed that was on my to-do list last year (oops)
5. recover our couch pillows/cushions

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.

...hello 2010

2010…you’ve been good to me so far! i watched the cowboys win their first playoff game since 1996 in a boxed SUITE and i found out i’m graduating with my MS in Accounting this semester! WAHOO!

and even though i perceived 2009 to be an awful year, God is sovereign and He has provided for us through every disappointment. He continues to reveal Himself and why His ways are better than ours to us, and for that we are so blessed!

here are my hopes, small and large, for 2010:

*1* hang things on our walls in our bedroom! it is the only room in our place that is bare!

*2* figure out how to hang this purchase from Z Gallerie!



*3* refurnish our bedroom with some rhoden originals,
(specifically: *buy and refinish an old dresser and set of nightstands*build a bed frame and headboard*refinish my vanity and chair*)
kinda like this one we made for our dining room back in october:



*4* make a ‘B’ or better in my 4 classes throughout the spring and summer semesters (considering i have to if i plan to graduate in may!)

*5* start CPA review/exams

*6* run 300 miles over the course of the year

*7* read the entire ESV Study Bible using this plan from discipleship journal

*8* start Dave Ramsey’s total money makeover. we started a cash budget system and i made these cute envelopes so the envelope system isn’t so boring :)



*9* have the CRV paid off by december—a year early.
i’ll blog every time i accomplish one of these goal and cross it off on this list so you all can see how i’m doing…because let’s face it—you don’t have anything better to do! kidding…

goodbye 2009...

so, i know we’re already half way through january and it’s a little late to talk about my goals for 2010…but i really couldn’t make myself sit down and type out everything that i hope for in 2010 when 2009 was such an awful year for me. to be honest, before the new year i wrote an entire blog post about how horrible 2009 was…and deleted it today. it was REALLY depressing, so i thought i’d spare all 5 of my readers from wanting to stab their eyes out :)

i do want to do a small recap of 2009 before i move on to my hopes for 2010 (in the next blog post), because there was a LOT i didn’t share with you all!

a little history about my families valentine’s day activities: every valentine’s eve my parents and i would dream up a really cute yard display and buy all the materials we needed and do the prep work. around 2 or 3 in the morning, we would drive over to a woman who was like a mother to my dad and we would decorate her yard for valentine’s day, which was also coincidentally, her birthday. she passed away late in 2008, and valentine’s day in 2009 my parents woke up to this: (ignore the large tree stump…my neighbor and my dad had a little miscommunication on what exactly ‘trimming the branches off’ meant!)



her children had come to our house in the middle of the night with heart-shaped balloons. tied to each balloon was a sweet note that said something like, “thanks for all the great memories.” it made a day that would normally have been sad for my dad very special!

we celebrated our ONE year anniversary! i know i blogged about this but it was so super special that it deserves another mention…and picture!



stan and some great friends started another band: the lion and the archer. We starred in a zombie photoshoot and they played their first show!





we played outdoor paintball in the summer heat with my parents and my nephews!



i got my mom and dad good! And my nephew TWICE (neck and back)!

 

we had two super cute additions to our home group! eliana paige nealy anda da kathryn herron! hopefully eliana doesn’t mind I posted a nakey photo!




we saw U2 in concert at jerryworld! And yes, I was close enough to take this photo :)



and I got some new ink!



check back for my hopes and dreams for 2010!