Crazy Day

Again, I have a lot to say, so bear with me on my random thoughts.

First of all, I just want to say - I HATE WINTER! It has been cold here (in the teens and twenties) all week. We have had some kind of snow every day since Sunday, but none of it is accumulating. It basically is doing what I like to call "flaking." It's not enough snow for a "flurries," but there's a flake here and there. The wind is making it "right to the bone" cold. It's been a while since I've had to live in weather like this. The other factor in all of this is that our apt. is not really built for a cold winter. It is not insulated well, and the heat is a heat pump, which actually blows cool air when the heat kicks on, which makes me colder! I'm ready for some warm weather! (Maybe I should just be thankful that I at least have a roof over my head and heat to begin with! Thank the Lord for THAT!)

Secondly, Chris has now sold 14 cars this month. He has to reach 15 & 1/2 to get the salesman of the month $5,000 bonus money. We are praying that the Lord will help him do that in the next 24 hours or so! (He has until noon on Thursday to finish the deals.) Again, God has given him great success in this job, for which we are VERY THANKFUL (even if he doesn't get the $5,000 bonus!)

Third... yesterday (and this morning) were very crazy days for me. I had to work yesterday, and my little girl had 3 MD appts. scheduled. I agreed to go in early in order to get meds and kids ready in time to leave. Long story short, (I'll save you all the gory details of her struggles with incontinence) we were at doctor's offices ALL day! It's funny how I didn't really DO all that much with her, like I normally would when we're at her house, but by the time I got home, I was exhausted! I don't know how her mom makes it, and she has to deal with this ALL the TIME, plus another little one! Only by the grace of God, I suppose! I ended up working 12 hours, instead of 10. Crazy! Then, this morning I got to work at her house, and shortly after I arrived, one of her other nurses showed up! She had gotten mixed up on the schedule, and was supposed to work tomorrow instead. Since she has about a 45 min. drive to get there, and I only drive about 10 minutes, I offered to let her stay today and I'll work tomorrow. I went ahead and drew up meds for tomorrow, which will save me at least an hour in the morning. (She is on over 30 medications!) I'm thankful for the day to relax and catch up from yesterday and also, I get to go to church tonight. Yeah!

Fourth, Chris surprised me Saturday night when he got home with a "date night." Well, sort of, but I'll take it! He had received some warranty money, so had some extra cash on hand. We bought pizza and he rented a movie for us to watch. We don't really do much during the week other than come home and collapse on the couch and watch TV, but it was nice to watch a movie. Last night, I was surprised again when he came home with another rented movie (which was the one he originally wanted to get on Sat., but it wasn't in.) So - here is my review on the 2 movies we watched:

• World Trade Center - other than the language (about 10 swear words, including Jesus' name used in vain) it was an excellent movie. I cried off and on throughout the whole thing. It just reminded me so much of the emotions I had experienced when watching the news on 09/11/2001... and how much I had forgotten. I don't think it's a bad thing to be reminded of the past now and then.
• The Guardian - again, other than the language (maybe 15 swear words, but no taking of the Lord's name in vain that I can remember) and 3 implied sexual scenes (nothing was actually shown)... the story line was really good. There are also several scenes where they are in bars, drinking. I think it's actually based on a true life story, if I remember correctly. It's about a Coast Guard Senior Chief rescue swimmer who teaches a class of trainees after his crew gets killed in a rescue operation. Again, the story line was excellent, but they could have left out some of the extra curriculars (as usual!)

I have a question for you all. I think most of you are married that read this, and this is a marriage question. Please be patient with me as I step out of my spiritual shell and reveal the wicked and deceitful heart below. I have discovered that whenever my husband and I are forced to be apart from each other a lot (like extended work days, etc.), that I tend to get VERY irritated with him... for no reason! Why is it that when I have such little time to spend, I waste it with a selfish, irritable attitude? Does anyone else experience this? I struggle with the fact that I have to work to begin with (not like I have anything better to do, but it would be nice to just be able to stay at home), but then to try to balance the work outside the home with the work inside the home... I hate it! It irritates me that I have to work all day, then come home and spend time thinking about supper and making it... I could go on and on! On the other hand, it's not like my husband doesn't help at all. For one thing, he is putting in longer hours more days per week, so I don't have to work so much. He also usually helps with laundry on the weekends if I haven't done it on my day off during the week. I guess it's just the selfish flesh in me that thinks, "I work, too! Why do I always have to... ???(fill in the blank!)" I was really convicted about this issue last night... I'm trying to be a good wife, but it's hard when you're so selfish and lazy!

I guess that's it for random thoughts for the day, since I can't think of anything else really pressing to reveal to all who read my blog!

ROLL CALL: Just cuz I'm curious...

A couple of other people have done this on their blogs, and I thought it was really cool. I am just really curious to see who actually READS all of my manic ramblings. Here it is: the Roll Call!

For those of you who don't know what a roll call is (or don't have a blog, so have no idea how to leave a comment), here's an explanation: I am asking everyone that reads this blog to leave a comment letting me know that you read it. All you have to do is click on the "post a comment" button at the end of this post. You can type in your comments there. Even if you don't have a blog (Jennittia, this is for you), you can sign in by clicking the "other" button and sign your name in the box provided.

Just for kicks... please let me know your favorite book (other than the Bible),TV show, and/or movie.

Thanks for visiting my site!

Five things about me...

I have been tagged to write down 5 little known facts about me. This would ordinarily be very difficult for me, as most everyone that knows me well, knows most everthing about me. However, since most of you that read this blog probably don't know me that well, here goes...

1. I still sleep with a Santa teddy bear that I received from my aunt for Christmas when I was 8 years old. I have slept with it just about every night since then, and it long ago lost it's Santa hat and scarf. In spite of my lovely brothers' efforts to destroy it when I got married, I rescued it by taking it with me on the long trip to get Chris' belongings from AL to WI, and left it in our house in WI when we went back to MN for our wedding. I take my teddy bear with me on all trips that we take! (I have back problems and use it as a body pillow!) :-)
2. I have moved over 20 times in my 29 years. I have lived in Minnesota, Indiana, Wyoming, Montana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Florida, South Carolina, and Maryland. I told my husband when we moved here that we should have moved just over the border into Kentucky so that I could add another state to my list... I had already lived in Indiana when I was little.
3. I had over 30 different roommates during my four years at college (including summer school and living in Watertown over the summers.)
4. I have held valid nursing licenses in 7 different states in the just over 8 years that I have been out of nursing school. The most I had current at one time was 5 (that's a lot of money at once!) However, they now have a compact state license, which considerably cuts that amount down. I only have 3 right now! :-)
5. I gave myself whiplash when I was in 8th grade. I was playing tag snow football at recess with the boys (and I was wearing a skirt, no less). I was running after the boy with the ball, and as I reached out to tag him, the momentum knocked us both over. Another boy from his team picked up a big chunk of ice and threw it at me. I was on my knees, bent over, and looked up just in time to see it flying at me. I jerked my head back, and it hit me right above my right eye (giving me whiplash). Later that night, I got a horrible headache that just kept getting worse and worse. By the next afternoon, I couldn't keep my eyes open the light hurt my head so bad. I was hospitalized that night (it was Wednesday, Feb. 13th) for observation. Hardly anyone came to see me b/c everyone was at church. Though the siderails were up, I crawled out of the end of the bed to go to the bathroom. (The nurse was not very happy! - I know that feeling all too well now!) I got tons of cards and valentines, though, and was released the next day after a CT scan in time to make it back to school for the Valentine party. (There are more details, but I think I probably gave you enough. If you want more, you can ask!) :-) I think I've been seeing chiropractors off and on ever since!

Actually, now that I've finished this, even if some of you know me very well... you may not know these stories!

Now, who to tag?: Gretchen, G-Knee, Hindto, JoelandAmanda, & Dawn

Decorations & Cards

These are some pictures that I just took. I finally decided to put some decorations up in our apartment... the walls were looking a little empty after I took the Christmas decorations down. I had these curtains that my friend, Mrs. Carrie and I had made for our house in MD. We did so much work on them, that I really wanted to put them up somewhere here. Since we live in an apartment, I don't have a window in the dining room anymore. I hung the curtains there anyway, then added the coffee plaques. The other "window" with the gingerbread curtains is actually just an opening over the stairway (we live on the 2nd floor.) I'm not really sure why it is there, but it does let in a little extra light... and it's perfect for my curtains.

The cards are just some I had to make for birthdays coming up. I apologize for the pictures. I find myself highly challenged in the area of doing anything straight... (cutting, layering, punching, stamping, etc.)... and apparently it spills over in the area of my photography, too. (At least pictures of cards! I don't know if the cards just weren't laying flat or what.) Anyway, they look better in person, but you get the idea. I got the background paper at a new scrapbooking store we have here called "Rock, Paper, Scissors: The Scrapbooking Store." I thought that was a pretty cool name for it! The "Rock" part comes from a framed Bible verse they have on the counter... but I can't remember what it is. :-{

Anyhow... enjoy my art! :-)

Graci's Birthday

Tomorrow, my little girl that I take care of turns 3 years old! Thank the Lord that she is out of the hospital and doing fairly well. (I only missed one day of work last week, and one this week with her being in the hospital - Praise the Lord.) For the very sick little girl that she is, the fact that she is 3 years old is a miracle! Check out Graci's website here.

What Kind of Marriage Do You Have?

Check out Stacy's post on Marriage... it was very challenging.

Petition on Life, Liberty & Family

I just signed a petition to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid demanding that the new Congress immediately stop its attacks on life, liberty and our families. Please go here for details and to sign: http://www.libertyaction.org/284/petition.asp?PID=12393039&NID=1

Random Thoughts...

I've been thinking about a bunch of things lately, and rather than posting several different times, I'm going to address all of my random thoughts in one post. Be prepared to read a while! :-P

Super Bowl XLI

(If you don't follow football, you can just ignore this whole section!) Living in Indiana, we are forced to watch the Colts play almost every Sunday. With my husband being from Boston/New Hampshire, he is a die-hard Patriots fan. (I have now become a Patriots fan by osmosis, but I still love my Minnesota Vikings...even if they STINK!) Of course, if you follow football, you will know that there is a huge rivalry between the Colts & Pats d/t Peyton Manning losing all of his playoff games to Tom Brady. That is, until this year. Yes, the Colts are a good team, and yes, Peyton Manning is a great quarterback. However, we get really tired of hearing all the accolades of Peyton Manning above all other quarterbacks in the league, especially when he hasn't won the big games up until now. Congratulations to the Colts for FINALLY winning over the Patriots! I'm still hoping the Bears will win the Super Bowl, though, because I hate seeing the Colts win because the referees won't call games fairly for both sides when teams are playing the Colts. I would admire them a lot more if they could win without the help of the referees. OK - that's my soapbox on the Super Bowl teams. By the way, Jennittia, congrats on your BEARS getting to the Super Bowl. Too bad you can't have a "house divided" in rooting for your teams in the Big Game this year! Was Rodney super disappointed? Chris was! One more soapbox here... does anyone else get tired of the emphasis the media puts on the first "African-American" coach to get to the Super Bowl? I think it's great that they have earned the achievement of going to the Super Bowl, but if "minorities" are REALLY striving for EQUALITY, why does the media make such a big deal about it? They don't do that for any other ethnic group. I'm not racist by any stretch, I just get tired of everything turning into racial divisions. If we truly don't see skin color, then why do they make it such a big deal?

TRASH TALKER

I've been reading the book "Reclaiming Surrendered Ground" by Jim Logan. It has been very convicting to me, as well as a huge encouragement to keep fighting against Satan's attacks in my life, and reclaiming the ground that I have surrendered to him by giving in to my temptations. The author reminds us that Christ has already won the victory on the cross, and that Satan is a defeated foe. Satan has NO POWER over a Christian, other than talking. Did you know that Satan is the biggest TRASH TALKER there ever was? Why do we allow Satan to invade our lives? Because we are listening to his TALK... the Father of lies puts thoughts in our heads that tempt us to doubt the goodness of God; to push aside the Bible beliefs that we know to be true. Should it surprise us that the father of lies uses lies to get us to live defeated Christian lives? It reminds me of the passage in Galatians 5:13-26 that we studied in P.O.W.E.R. groups at Northland Camp the summer of 2004. Galatians 5:24-25 states, "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." In verse 24, the verb is in the past tense..."HAVE CRUCIFIED." As Christians, our flesh has been doomed to death. However, it is not dead yet. The picture is of the flesh hanging on the cross, writhing in agony and defeat, using every painful breath to TRASH TALK! THE ONLY POWER OUR FLESH OR SATAN HAS OVER US IS THE POWER WE GIVE IT BY LISTENING TO THE TRASH THAT IS SPEWING OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS!

We CAN live victorious Christian lives through the VICTORY that Christ has already won! I don't know about you, but that was a huge encouragement to me! It was also a huge conviction, as I often find myself listening to Satan's lies.

Bull's Eye Christianity

Dr. Tom Wallace preached at our church on Sunday. His message Sunday night was a huge challenge to me. He started out by giving the illustration of the bull's eye target. His challenge was to move one ring closer to being a "bull's eye Christian."

He started by saying that there is a group on the very outside of the target... those are the "multitudes." (Matthew 9:36) That is the group of people that are lost and on their way to hell. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, you become part of the "multitude." (John 6). That group is then narrowed down to 5,000. (Acts 4:4).

From there, the group is cut to 120 (Acts 1:15), then to 70 (Luke 10:1). Jesus chose 12 disciples (Matthew 10:1-2), but only 3 were in the "inner circle": Peter, James, and John. (Matthew 17:1-2, Mark 14:32-33, Mark 5:21-24, 37). Lastly, out of all of Jesus Christ's followers and disciples, there was only ONE "bull's eye Christian"... the apostle John (John 13:23, 20:2, 21:7,21:20). John is the only disciple/apostle that Jesus SAYS that He LOVED. Did he love the others? Of course, He did! But John was so close, that he was in the middle of the bull's eye.

So the question is asked: Where are you? Are you way out in the multitude? the 120? the 12? the bull's eye? How do you get from being a "multitude" Christian to being a "bull's eye Christian"? It is simple. When you hear a truth from God's Word, accept and apply it to your life. Every time you do that, it draws you closer to the Lord. After continually hearing, accepting, and applying God's truth to your life, you will find yourself taking that next spiritual step, and moving closer one more "circle."

This was a huge conviction in my heart. I'm working toward becoming a "bull's eye Christian."

I OWE MY PARENTS...

I received this as an e-mail forward today, and it made me laugh out loud. The funniest thing about it is that I think I heard every one of these quotes growing up. :-) Just thought I would share with y'all... some of you may need a laugh today!

I OWE MY PARENTS !!

1. My parents taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."
2. My parents taught me RELIGION .
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
3. My parents taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
4. My parents taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."
5. My parents taught me MORE LOGIC .
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."
6. My parents taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."
7. My parents taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."
8. My parents taught me about the science of OSMOSIS .
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."
9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISTS.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck?!"
10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."
11. My parents taught me about WEATHER .
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."
12. My parents taught me about HYPOCRISY .
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"
13. My parents taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE .
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
14. My parents taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION .
"Stop acting like your father!"
15. My parents taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."
16. My parents taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."
17. My parents taught me about RECEIVING .
"You are going to get it when you get home!"
18. My parents taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."
19. My parents taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"
20. My parents taught me HUMOR .
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
21. My parents taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."
22. My parents taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."
23. My parents taught me about my ROOTS .
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"
24. My parents taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."
25. My parents taught me about JUSTICE .
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Bow the Knee

I just wanted to share this with you all... it has truly been an encouragement to me. With the emotional and spiritual struggles I've been having with this move for the past couple months, this song really convicted me about my attitude. Chris and I got Christy Galkin's music CD for Christmas, and this song was on there. I have heard it before, but the Lord really used it to work in my heart. Thanks, Christy, for allowing God to use you to be an encouragement to me and many others.

Bow the Knee

Words & Music: Chris Machen and Mike Harland

There are moments on our journey following the Lord

Where God illumines every step we take.

There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,

As we try to understand each move He makes.

When the path grows dim

And our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Chorus:

Bow the knee; trust the heart of your Father

When the answer goes beyond what you can see.

Bow the knee; lift your eyes toward Heaven

And believe the One who holds eternity.

And when you don't understand the purpose of His plan,

In the presence of the King, bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,

The cold and lonely winds won't cease to blow.

And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel,

We are tempted to believe God does not know.

When the storms arise, don't forget we walk by faith and not by sight.

Chorus:
Bow the knee; trust the heart of your Father
When the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee; lift your eyes toward Heaven
And believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don't understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of the King, bow the knee.

Stamping Party

I went to a stamping party last night (I LOVE STAMPING!!) Above is the card that we made. I'm not much "into" the color pink, but I really liked the combination with the black accent. The first picture was taken with my digital camera, but without flash, so the color of the pink isn't true. The second one I scanned it into the computer, so you're getting a gray haze on the image from the dimensionals I used on the centers of the big flowers, but you get the idea. The funniest thing about this is one of the older ladies there commented that this is a "50's" color scheme. Yes, it is eerily similar to the color scheme that we found in our bathroom in our house in MD when we bought it. (See below.) We remodeled the bathroom before we even moved in... I just couldn't take the colors (and it needed some serious work to be usable anyway!)

The other thing about going to the party is that my husband gave me $20 to buy some stamps... and I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO ASK FOR IT!! I was thrilled to be able to buy stamps, and then got a free set from the Sell-a-bration catalog b/c the demonstrator was very kind and matched my $ amount. That was a wonderful surprise!

Links

Hey - I just figured out how to put links on my blog. YEAH! I don't feel TOTALLY computer illiterate now! :-) (Even though it took me all day because I erased my links about 10 times on accident!) Y'all can now check out the blogs/websites that I frequent.

Please pray with us

Please pray that our house in MD would sell quickly. We have had quite a bit of activity going on lately as far as the house being shown, open houses, etc. (Praise the Lord - activity is encouraging) Our realtor is showing it today to an individual, and then she is having an open house for it tomorrow, as well. We are praying that the Lord will have a buyer for us soon. We have been paying 2 sets of bills for 5 months now, and the financial burden is heavy. We would appreciate you praying with us!

Maryland house - August 2006

Just have to brag... a little

OK - I just HAVE to brag... at least a little...

The Lord has really been (I want to say "blessing", but after reading Donette's blog about that, I'm searching for another word...) giving my husband good success in his job. He has sold 9 cars already this month. Most salesmen average 8 cars per month total. At Cross Chrysler/Jeep, Mr. Cross decided to give his salesmen incentive to sell cars. Every car they sell over 10/month, they get bonuses anyway. Mr. Cross gave them an EXTRA incentive called the "Eagle Award." They have to sell a minimum of 12 cars in that month to qualify for the award, and then on top of that, they have to beat the winning salesman's amount of cars sold the previous month. For example: December's winner sold 15 cars, so January's winner has to sell at least 15&1/2 cars to get the award. If he only sells 15, no one gets it. The award is an EXTRA $5,000 bonus for that month.

The reason that I am telling you all of this is that Chris is officially tied with another salesman, and they are in the lead for winning this award. Also, one of the other salesmen, Bill, is resigning today (he is moving to Ohio). He and Chris started together, and have been working together very well. Bill is giving Chris ALL of his customers and any deals that are in the "pipeline" to finish up. This is a HUGE gift to Chris, as it will help him tremendously just to have a larger customer base. Bill also was in the running for the most cars sold this month. If Chris is able to win this award, it would help TREMENDOUSLY in taking a financial load off our shoulders at this time.

Also, you can pray for my work situation. I don't really understand what the Lord is doing in this area of my life. I have a job that I love, but unfortunately, I work with sick kids. This means that they are always at risk to be hospitalized at any time. Last week, I missed a day of work because my little boy was in the hospital. Today, I am missing work because my little girl was admitted to the hospital Wednesday night after I left work. My little girl, Graci, has a website if you're interested in checking it out. She is so sweet, but she is a very sick little girl. Please keep us in your prayers... I really need the hours right now. However, I am not worried about it, as God is responsible to pay our bills, not me! He is the one that is control of my little babies' health, and so it is up to Him to keep them healthy and out of the hospital.

I also wanted to say I had a great time having lunch with Gretchen yesterday. Since my husband graduated from PCC (twice), he has no reason to keep up with anyone from Maranatha, so I really haven't kept up with many people either. (I basically keep in touch with maybe 5 people on a regular basis... until blogging!) ;-} It was really nice to dredge up those old college memories that have been buried by meeting so many people and moving so many places since then.

Happy Birthday&Happy Anniversary

Happy Birthday to Kevin Hoffman(January 3rd) and Happy 4th Anniversary(on January 11th) to Kevin & Josie Hoffman, very dear friends of ours. I'm a slacker... I forgot both of these! What a great friend!

ABC's

I got tagged on Rachel's blog today, so here it is:

Heather's ABC's

• Available or Single? Neither - I am VERY happily married
• Best Friend? Well, Chris, of course, is my best friend, but my best GIRL friend is Josie Hoffman
• Cake or pie? Does cheeseCAKE count as cake? If so, I guess it's cake!
• Drink of choice? Dr. Pepper "23" (see a prior post about this {in Nov. 2006}), also green tea, water
• Essential item I use every day? soap - as an RN, I wash my hands many many times a day - hence the reason I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings for over 2 months! :-{
• Favorite color? Purple or sage green
• Gummy bears or worms? BOTH
• Hometown? Seeing as I have moved over 20 times in my 29 years, (my dad and my husband were both involved in ministry) I would consider myself homeless! However, up to this point, I have lived the longest time (not concurrently) in Minnesota, and I often get told I have a "Minnesooooota" accent
• Indulgence? eating... anything and everything :-)
• January or February? February - though Valentine's Day is not a big deal for my hubby - so it's not a big day in our house :-( (I'm working on that one)
• Kids and names? We haven't been blessed with any children yet (something that I often struggle with) However, I love the name Karily for a girl, with a middle name of Beth, Joy, or Jo, and Brady Quinn for a boy.
• Life is incomplete without? My relationship with God (which I am really working on), and my husband, Chris
• Marriage Date? July 22, 2000 (it makes it easy to remember how many years!) :-)
• Number of siblings? 4 - check out the post "Chromy Family" for all the details. My older sister, Heidi, my older brother, Steve, me in the middle (no wonder I am the way I am!) and my 2 younger brothers, Greg and Nathan
• Oranges or Apples? Fuji apples by far - but I love fruit of any kind
• Phobias or fears? no phobias here, but many fears... most of which stem from the biggest fear... of man!
• Quote that is my favorite? Only one?!?!? "Faith is stepping into a seeming void to find that God has already made a path there." "When you fall, you learn that you are frail, but God is faithful!"
• Reason to smile? My husband - so many things about him make me smile
• Seasons? Summer
• Tag 3 or 4 people? since I don't really know too many people that check this on a regular basis, I'm gonna leave it up to them to put this on their blogs if they want to!
• Unknown fact about me? I fell out of the back of a truck face first onto a gravel road when I was little. My mom picked all of the gravel out of my face with a toothpick so I wouldn't have rocks under my skin. Thankfully, I was not scarred for life!
• Vegetable you don't like? Definitely LIMA BEANS... I can't stand the taste or the texture!
• Worst Habit? being negative about everything, procrastination (which I'm doing right now!)
• eXtra special pets? we don't like pets
• Your favorite food? again, only one?!?!? Probably pizza is my favorite, but I also like fettuchini alfredo with chicken and broccoli, sweet&sour chicken and crab rangoons, and cheesecake!
• Zodiac? Leo... does it really matter? Maybe it would if I believed in reading my horoscope!

Catching Up...

Rather than responding to comments made on my blog, I wanted to post to respond instead. I just have to say... I AM SO EXCITED! Because of my entrance into the blogging world, I have been able to catch up with many people that I have lost track of over the years. Specifically, many of my MBBC acquaintances/friends. I just think that it is so funny how you knew people then, and they were just acquaintances. However, now when you meet up with them years later, it's like you've found a long lost friend!! How ironic it is to me that God has brought 2 of my MBBC acquaintances to live in Louisville, KY, in the past few months. Seeing as I have been struggling with quite a bit of loneliness over the past month or so... God is so good. I am actually meeting with one of them tomorrow for lunch. (Thanks, Gretchen!) I only hope that I can be an encouragement and friend to her as she struggles with settling in (I am very familiar with the moving thing... much to my dismay!) Anyway, I just found a comment on my blog from someone I knew WAY back when (it seems like forever ago!) I think (my memory fails me) they attended our church in Hinckley, MN, for maybe the first 2 years we lived there. That was over 15 years ago!

Another thing I love about blogging is that it allows you to connect with other believers. I know that many of us are not exactly "on the same page" in the way we live out our beliefs. (And please don't think that I'm judging anyone for that!) Yet despite those differences, we are all Christians, and this forms a bond that non-Christians just cannot know. Praise the Lord for using people to encourage us and strengthen us in our own walk with the Lord. I have been pleasantly surprised by the transparency of other's posts, as well as finding that there are many others out there that go through the same struggles that I do. "Nothing new under the sun..." but that God is the I AM - the ALL-SUFFICIENT ONE!

So - thanks y'all, for leaving comments for me and for the encouragement that you have been through sharing your struggles.

With over 50 blogs that I check on an almost daily basis... no wonder I don't get anything done! My husband asks me every day that I have off, "What did you get done today?" I usually answer, "Nothing." However, I spent hours connecting with people that I know through the blogging world! :-) Thanks also to those of you who have put me on your links... it's been fun to see who has checked out my ramblings!

All that said... I need to get something done today, so I better go! :-) Thanks again, everyone, for commenting!

MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND, CHRIS

I was challenged by a post I saw on some other blogs this week to write 13 reasons why I'm thankful for my husband. (only 13????) First, though, I have to give you a list of 20 things that I prayed for in a husband long before I met Chris. (I wrote this list my senior year in college.) Here they are (EXACTLY as written then):

• Strong Christian leader
• heart for God and others (involved in ministry)
• family-oriented (family before ministry)
• encourages personal, couple, and family devotions
• is a spiritual encouragement to others
• counsels others, and prays with them and for them
• loves children
• shows love in a demonstrative way
• not afraid to say "I love you"
• not afraid to admit mistakes and say "I'm sorry"
• not afraid to show emotion (it's OK to cry once in a while)
• hard-working, but not a work-aholic
• likes dolphins (or at least can tolerate them very well)
• not in debt - doesn't abuse credit cards
• not materialistic
• likes the outdoors - hunting, hiking, fishing, picnics
• likes watching football and playing sports, but is interested in many other things
• at least 2 years older than me
• over 6 feet tall
• hopeless romantic

Well, I didn't do too bad... Chris fits most of these. We weren't in debt until AFTER we got married, Chris doesn't like to fish, but loves the beach and being outside, he's not 6 feet tall (only 5'10&1/2", and he is definitely NOT a romantic, much less a hopeless one. I'm thankful that he is all the rest of these things for me, especially the most important ones. But, these are the things I am thankful for NOW, today. So - here we go:

1. Chris is a born-again, blood-bought, Bible-believing Christian.
2. He loves the Lord, and desires to see others accept Christ as their personal Savior.
3. He loves ME!! and even LIKES me most of the time!! (which I think can be very difficult some days!) He even loves to spend time with me!
4. He is very handsome, and is "hunky," too!
5. He never hesitates to say "I love you"... He tells me that many times a day.
6. He is very quick to admit his wrongs, saying "I'm sorry for... will you please forgive me?"
7. He can talk to ANYONE!
8. He is very outgoing and friendly, and is fun to be around; he makes me laugh.
9. He listens to me, and asks my advice or opinion on decisions that he has to make for our family. (Yeah, I know, some of you have a hard time believing that he actually LISTENS, but he really does!)
10. He doesn't shy away from outward signs of affection... we often get mistaken for being honeymooners, even after 6&1/2+ years of being married. :-)
11. He is extremely disciplined in almost every area of his life, and challenges me to do the same (I am EXTREMELY undisciplined - something I am really trying to work on.)
12. He is my spiritual leader. He consistently confronts me about things when I refuse to act/react in a Christ-like manner. Although I hate it at the time, I really appreciate this attribute of his.
13. He is a great preacher, my best friend, a great husband, and he loves, respects, and appreciates our families and sees the value of family.

There are many other things that I am thankful for in my husband. Most of all, I'm thankful that God knew that I needed Chris to be a completer in my life, and that God answered my prayers when he gave me Chris for a husband.

OK - I'll quit before you get grossed out by my mushy rantings and ravings. :-)

I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES...

...HIS PRAISE SHALL CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH." PSALM 34:1

Last night, I couldn't sleep. I was struggling so much with my emotions and stressing over things that are happening in our lives. Chris has been working 6 days a week, and long hours. Over the holidays, I didn't have regularly scheduled work, so I worked all kinds of crazy shifts, including nights, Saturdays, and even a 16&1/2 hour shift. It has been a little hectic, along with the emotional ramifications of not getting to see family for Christmas, etc. Anyway... I was crying and praying to God, and finally I got up. I was reading my Bible and crying. I KNOW (head knowledge) a lot of things about my God, but sometimes I wonder if I even KNOW (intimate heart knowledge) Him at all. I was reading through the Psalms, and in my flesh, wondering why the traits that the Psalmists write about are not true in my life about God. It was then that I realized how much my sin separates between me and my God. It is not that God is not good, or kind, or loving, or merciful, or in control, etc... but that because I am not TRUSTING Him, I am only focused on my circumstances & emotions, thus leading to a huge case of self-pity. It was then that I picked up the book "Reclaiming Surrendered Ground" by Jim Logan. It deals with spiritual warfare, and how to have victory when Satan attacks you and your family. Through God's Word, and through reading this book, I started to realize that my struggles were a result of me listening to Satan's lies about God, and how God works in my life. So - all that to say... here is my thankful list for blessing the Lord at all times:

1) God is in control of my life, even though I don't always understand. I know that He is doing what is BEST for me... to help me to become more Christ-like, and to glorify His name through me.

2) God is good ALL THE TIME!

3) When my circumstances seem overwelming and threaten to crush me, I can run to Jesus Christ, who is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble!

4) God hears my prayers and my cries, and keeps my tears in a bottle... I matter to God... HE CARES ABOUT ME!

I could go on and on, but I don't really have the time right now. I am thankful that I am a Christian; that I don't have to rely on my own strength to get through the days. I am thankful for a husband that is willing to work hard and keep long hours to provide for our family, so that I don't have to work so long and so hard. I am thankful that God is blessing Chris' new job situation, and is providing money that we need to pay bills.
I am thankful that God loves me, and that Chris loves me. I can be thankful... I have a family, a home, a car, a job, my health, my church... It could be a lot worse!! :-)

Please bear with me on my ramblings... and if you think about it, please pray for me as I attempt to allow the Lord to work in my life and use my circumstances to draw me to Him.

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, BURT!!

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, BURT!! We hope that you have a marvspacular day! May you enjoy many of God's blessings this year, as you seek to serve Him with your life. We love you and miss you!!

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW...

... about our families!! Most of you (if anyone ever reads this besides me) know at least some members of our families. So - here is an update on where everyone is, and what they are doing at the moment. Enjoy!

CHROMY FAMILY

Mom&Dad Chromy

Mom&Dad live in Virginia. Dad works at a lumberyard with his trusty sidekick, a forklift he calls "Ethel." In his spare time, he takes time to do Biblical counseling and new believer's home Bible studies. In the summer, he umpires softball games. Mom works at a public school with 2 twin boys that are special needs. She loves the work, but is maybe looking for something a little more challenging and a little more teaching. She also teaches piano lessons after school. Mom also loves to be a keeper at home, and they are constantly having company over. They are active at their church. Dad teaches an adult training class and devotion time for AWANA Cubbies (3&4 yr. olds.) Mom sings in the choir as well as special music, plays piano & organ, works in the nursery, and does the devotion time for the AWANA Sparks (K-3rd graders.) As you can see, they keep very busy.

Jake, Amanda Kukaru (an "adoptee"), Tyler, Emma, Heidi & Tom Thomann

Heidi&Tom Thomann

Tom, Heidi, and family live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Tom is self-employed in the remodeling business. Heidi works at the Post Office in a small town in Wisconsin. Other than their jobs, they keep very busy keeping up with their 3 kids. They also are very involved in their church.

Tyler, Emma&Jake Thomann

Tyler, at age 12, is now in 7th grade. He enjoys sports and keeps the family hopping attending all the sporting events. He made All-Stars in Little League baseball, then played football in the fall, and is now starting his 7th grade basketball season.

Jake, at age 9, keeps everyone hopping as well. He has earned his green belt in Tae Kwon Do. He also plays baseball and basketball, and enjoys playing piano.

Emma, at age 5, is all girl. She started Kindergarten this year. She loves cheering on her big brothers and is a very giving child. She is recovering from surgery that she had on December 26th to remove her tonsils and adenoids, as well as put tubes in her ears.

Amanda Kukaru is not TECHNICALLY one of the family, but is Tom & Heidi's "adopted" daughter. She is finishing up her senior year at Northland Baptist Bible College after serving over in Kuwait.

Steve&Kathryn Chromy

Steve&Kathryn live in Florida. Steve works as the youth pastor (with many different hats) at West Jacksonville Baptist Church. Kathryn works as Steve's helpmeet. They keep busy with trying to keep up with all of Steve's many jobs... youth pastor, preaching when the senior pastor is gone, social events, the church's new radio station, hospital visits... the list goes on and on. In what little spare time they DO have, they love to go camping, 4-wheeling, go to any kind of sport venues, go to Universal Studios in Orlando, and spend time with their friends, Phil&Carrie.

Chris&Heather Mitchell

I think you can read the rest of this blog if you don't know what's going on with us!!!

Greg, Rachael&Aksana Chromy

Greg&Rachael live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. (They live way up near the tip of the Upper Peninsula.) Greg teaches PE at a public school. He also is the defensive coach for the local high school football team, and coaches along side his brother-in-law. Rachael is a stay-at-home wife and mom. I believe she also does some medical transcription from home.

Aksana Chromy

Aksana is what keeps Rachael busy all day!! At 9 months old, she is already walking! Greg says that she is VERY active and keeps them on their toes. Rachael says she spends most of her day following behind Aksana trying to pick up all the things that Aksana leaves in her wake!

Nathan Chromy & Caroline LaChance

Nathan is a junior at Pensacola Christian College, as is Caroline. They were engaged almost a year ago, and have a wedding date set for June 30, 2007. Nathan is studying business, while Caroline is studying Math Education. Nathan keeps busy with homework, and is doing very well (for someone who hated school in high school.) He tells me that it's a lot different when you have to pay your own money for something! He also works in landscaping while in school, but works construction during the summers. According to his boss, he can do anything he is told to do! Caroline also keeps busy with schoolwork, and I'm sure with wedding plans! She works at a Hallmark store during school breaks. They are planning a honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico, then another year for Caroline at PCC while Nathan works. Then it's Nathan's turn to finish up - most likely back at Maranatha Baptist Bible College.

THE MITCHELL FAMILY

OK - it has taken me a while to get this blog done... the info is coming... I promise!! However, the pictures are here for your viewing pleasure while you wait! They are done in birth order of Chris' siblings, and each sibling's children are right after their pictures. Gotta run... more later!

THE MITCHELL FAMILY (Cont'd)

OK - here it is... the details on the Mitchell family...

Mom&Dad Mitchell live in Nevada. Dad owns and operates his own ServiceMaster franchise, specializing in cleaning up water damages. Mom works as the head teller at Wells Fargo bank. She had some excitement last year when her bank got robbed, and she (personally) was held at gunpoint. They attend Liberty Baptist Church, and are faithful and involved there. Dad serves as a greeter, and Mom sings in the choir, among other things.

Tim&Cristina Mitchell live in Florida. Tim is in his last semester finishing up his second bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from University of South Alabama. The engineering firm he works for has allowed him to work off site while going to school. This degree will allow him to get his Professional Engineering stamp in the state of FL, as they would not accept PCC's degree b/c PCC is not an accredited school. Cristina is a stay-at-home mom of their 3 kids. I believe she does some work for their church, and started her own home business in May 2006. She works under our sister-in-law, Julie, doing Home and Garden Party. Kimberly is almost 6 years old, and started kindergarten this year at Pensacola Christian Academy. She is a bundle of energy. Kailey is 3, and seems to be the princess of the bunch. She made us laugh when she was using cheese sauce for lipstick during Thanksgiving dinner. Nathan is 2 years old. He is such a cutie (as are they all). He loves watching movies, especially the new movie Cars. His favorite character is "Mater."

Chris&Heather Mitchell live in Indiana. You can find all of our info when you read this site! :-)

Burt&Julie Mitchell live in New Hampshire. Burt works in construction for a contractor, as well as running his own construction business on the side (Patriot Builders.) Julie keeps busy as an office manager among other things at her full-time job. She also works with Home and Garden Party, and does an excellent job at that. Burt and Julie told us at Christmas that they are expecting the first addition to their family. Their baby is due in late July.

Tyson&Sandy Rhodes live in Texas. Tyson has a job as some kind of engineer (I don't really understand exactly what he does.) Sandy is in the process of hopefully changing jobs, but right now works as an office manager for a medical research company. Tron is 5 years old, and started kindergarten this year as well. Tyson's mom lives with them, and she is Tron's homeschool teacher. Tynan is 2 years old, and is adorable. He is a bundle of energy as well.

David&Kim Fox live in Nevada. David just got out of the Air Force, and is planning on entering the Police Academy in February. In the meantime, he is working part-time for Dad Mitchell at ServiceMaster. Kim keeps busy being a stay-at-home wife, but babysits 2 boys for work. David and Kim's first child, a little girl they have named Korissa Ann, is due to make her debut into the world February 12th.

Julianne Mitchell lives in Nevada, with Mom&Dad (for now.) Julianne just graduated from Pensacola Christian College with a degree in Office Management. She is looking for a job in her field, and is also hoping to help coach at Liberty's Academy.

Tiffany Mitchell attends Pensacola Theological Seminary in Pensacola, FL. She is in her second semester as a graduate assistant, getting her Master's Degree in Biblical Exposition. She works in the dining hall there. She also attend a church in Alabama on the weekends and plays piano and helps out there.

Jonathan Mitchell is a senior at Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, FL. He will be graduating in May with a Business Degree with a Marketing Minor (I think.) He has a girl "friend," but they are not officially dating as of yet. He keeps busy working in maintenance at the college.

HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY, KATHRYN!!

HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY, KATHRYN!! Hope you have a great day!! May God bless you with many more years as you seek to serve Him! We love you and miss you!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We hope you have a wonderful year, and that you enjoy many of God's blessings in this new year.

Please pray (again) for our house situation. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch..." We found out on Friday that the people who were supposed to rent our house have not signed the paperwork, and their realtor cannot get ahold of them, which means that we have to pay another month's mortgage that we weren't planning on. However, someone called our realtor on Christmas Eve and they are looking at the house to BUY tomorrow (Jan. 2nd). We would love to be able to just sell it and get it off our hands. We'll see what God does!

Chris was able to sell 8 cars this month, and has until noon on Tuesday to finish up the month. He has one guy coming in that morning, so he may be able to get to 9 cars. He would like to get to 10 cars sold, so he can get the bonus... that would be a blessing. The Lord has really blessed him in this business so far. He is doing a great job, and his managers and the owner are very pleased with his work.

I am doing a little job change, too, in the new year. I am still working for the same company, but will be working 2 different cases. Rather than going to school with a little boy (driving about 30 minutes one way), and only having work when he's at school, I will be splitting my time between 2 home care cases. Both clients are within 15 minutes of our house in Indiana, and I will work 38 hours a week. I am working 3 ten hour shifts at one case, and 1 eight hour shift at the other. Unless they are in the hospital, I will have guaranteed work. I am very thankful for that. Also, the company office is moving across the river into Indiana, so I won't have that 30 minute drive to the office every week, either.

Well, that's the new news for this year. Please continue to pray about our house situation... we sure would appreciate it!

A YEAR IN REVIEW 2006

"They" say a picture is worth a thousand words... so here is a picture review of some of our highlights of 2006. Enjoy the year in review!