Application

Conversation I overheard today:

Student 1 (riding in car- sees billboard that reads, "John 3:16"): "John 3:16. What's that?"
Student 2: "Only the very first verse anyone memorizes- For he so loved....."
Student 1: "Well I don't know it. Jeez."
Student 2: "What exactly do you do in Sunday school?"
Student 1: "Well we don't learn verses and stuff. We talk about stuff that applies to life. We don't talk about the Bible."
Student 2: "And the Bible doesn't apply to your life?"



Thankful for a God (and a pastor and friends) that help me make sense of how the bible does apply to my life.



"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Does it apply to your life?

Copy & Paste

No- not a copy & paste post of the latest song I have stuck in my head (it's "I Gotta Feeling" in case you were wondering. You weren't? Oh. Okay.).

Rather a summary of my week so far:
Sit.
Wait.
(copy & paste)

Pep rally around stressed out student. (May or may not include balloons, candy, nutella, HILARIOUS jokes, great stories, and more candy.)
(copy & paste)
(paste)
(paste)
(paste)
(paste)

Sit.
Wait.
(copy & paste)

It may sound boring to you. But it's a welcomed boring.



And includes a tan free of charge.

Another One

In case you were worried about me having Lisa Loeb stuck in my head all week- you can stop. I now officially have a new song stuck in my head.

(I posted on Rusty's wall, "1/2 way there" as in (almost) halfway through my time away. Not as in 'living on a prayer' 1/2 way there. But that too. A lot of prayers, actually.)
And yes, I'm really 'busy' this week. :)

random ramblings

It's a little pathetic how much I miss my husband right now. You would think he was away at war or something. Thank God he's not. And thank God I get to see him again on Monday. It seems like a long ways away but I'm sure it will be here soon.
But in the meantime. I. miss. him.
And not that this song's lyrics relate (at least 99% of them) but I have it stuck in my head this week.

Hopefully I don't have it stuck in my head all week.
Today I have down time. That makes me sit and think about how much I miss him more. Pathetic? Yes.

But UT has a great campus. And lots of friendly people.

And. I really like sweet tea so I'm pretty much in sweet tea heaven.

And I have to say, a great (free) breakfast and no meetings this morning is a not too shabby trade off. ;)

A lot.

I. Miss. You.

A Perfect Saturday Morning

Some people come for the shopping.

Some come for the atmosphere.

But everyone comes for the food.

“When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.”
-Isaiah 43:2

Get Real Wednesday v.3

I already posted all about crying over cell phones. I really don't have to post even more ugly from this week do I? :)

Sweet Shot Tuesday

More pictures of this sweetie and her buddy on my other blog.

More sweet shots (and sweet bloggers!) over here:

Hey, Sisters!

Back in October I posted about Sister Party.

Then Christmas stuff came up and life got busy. Spring wasn't much better.

But summer.

Summer is coming.

And it's the perfect time to get together with girlfriends!

Girlfriends that have been there for me through a lot. Girlfriends that bring me flowers, pray over me, call me on my way to work (and talk me into going in), wash my dishes, bring me halloween oreos, literally catch my tears in their hand, make my bed, kneel in front of my Lord with me, support me in every crazy venture I do, and just love me. And all my crazy self.

You've been really good to me lately. Always. But especially lately. Even when I don't deserve it, I'm so blessed to have such a strong support system. I appreciate you so much!

So (for real this time), let's have a sister party! Who's in? :)

There's No Crying in Baseball Cell Phone Shopping

The only thing keeping me from not 'losing it' this weekend was my good friend, Ang.

She left Saturday night.

After all the testing God has offered me this week, my phone died (as in it's completely fried). Normally this wouldn't be a big deal. At all. (You know I don't answer it anyway.) But this week I really needed a phone. The thought of leaving the house without one this week puts me into anxiety attack mode. The thought of going halfway across the country without one next week... well... let's not even think about that!

So after church today we stopped by Verizon. The lady told us the best she could do is sell me another phone for $499. I walked out of the store and lost it. (I know you are picturing me in one of those 'pretty' crying scenes from the movies. You would be wrong.)

My problem solving husband said we would go to the 'better' Verizon store (30 minutes away) and add a line. He's so genius. And the lady working was fabulous. Seriously, amazing.

The most public cry I'd ever had was that missed connection flight back from New York in '01.

Until today.

That verizon lady let me cry and was oh so helpful. We were there forever and I learned a lot about her (Molly- she goes to your church and thinks you may be neighbors! ha).

Pastor Mike talked about seeing people today. This lady definitely did that.

And I have a new phone. (And number.)

Good Morning?

I need my sleep.

And when I miss out on my sleep, I tend to lean toward the grouchy spectrum.

When I wake up, way too early, after not getting much sleep to a "good morning" from my husband, I wonder, 'what's so good about it?'

When I get on the computer (when I really should be getting ready for the day) and I see all sorts of unfamiliar websites and forms pulled up that I'm supposed to fill out, 'really, what is so good about this morning?'

But you know God's waiting with an answer to all my questions.

And sometimes He paints it in the sky loud and clear.

Good morning, indeed!

Get Real Wednesday (after a long weekend)

Seriously though. Am I the only one that takes forever to unpack after a long weekend? It would probably be easier to unpack than it is to dig through a bag/suitcase for the rest of the week. So why do I do it?!

Sweet Shot (Mothers Day)

Sticking with a Mothers Day theme, my sweet shot this week is this little guy jumping into his mama's arms. And loving every second of it!

My Cousin is Awesome!

On my 'about me' section of my 'other blog,' I write about my cousin's influence on me.

I tried to condense it to fit it in to the post.

If I had more space and time, I would tell a hundred stories about growing up with sisters and girl cousins (all of whom shared a birthday party). I would post pictures of little girls squeezed in close on grandma's porch swing. I would tell about all the things I followed Amy in doing (Big 12 schooling, teaching, black/white flooring- okay, not the flooring- but I wish!).

You can go back to my very first blog post and see how I copy off of my cousin. (When I started, she was the only blogger I knew in real life!)

So while I try to be cool like Amy, she's actually way cooler (and she somehow managed to escape the Hughes nose). She has an awesome photo blog. And she's so patient in teaching me tons of great stuff!

I was so blessed to get to spend the weekend with her and her family (R too!). I'll be posting (tons) more pics from our weekend soon. But until then, I wanted to say THANKS for the fun weekend, Amy!! I always learn so much from you!

Blog Friends (and real ones, too!)

I just got home from a fun weekend with a great friend! The car ride home, however, was not so fun. There were some unexpected detours and obstacles slowing us down.

Someone .ahem. from our vehicle might have been a little grouchy by the time we got out of the car.

When we got home, I was so excited to see a package in the mailbox.

My blog friend, BP, sent it. Awhile back I had won another book from this series on her blog. This one, the newest one, came out this spring. Our library doesn't have it yet and I hadn't seen it in the stores anywhere. So BP (isn't she sweet!?) sent me her copy.

I was thrilled to find it in our mailbox after a not so fun last 5 hours!

(I'm pretty sure I even said to my husband, "LOOK, I have blog friends!") :)

And it made me think (again) about how great friends are during and after the obstacles and detours. Blog friends, IRL friends, related friends, friends.

Y'all have been soooo sweet to me (always- but especially this week)! I really didn't post that post about being real to make myself look like a basket case. But y'all know me for the basket case I am and are so sweet and kind to me anyway. (And I love ya for it!)

Thanks for the kind words, sweet gifts, and lovely gestures. I'm so blessed!

PS- If you want to read this book, I think BP will be giving it away on her blog soon!

PPS- I CANT WAIT to post about my fun weekend! Let's just say you'll be seeing some different pictures from me in the future! :)

A Sneak Peek

One more day of fun.

But I've had multiple requests for picture posting.

So here's another sneak peek into our long weekend.

Fun.

Love.

And loving that we have another day of fun.

Happy Mothers Day.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Because it's so much cooler to say than, "May the fourth be with you."

But.

Did you know that most people in Mexico do not celebrate Cinco de Mayo? It's mainly celebrated in the state of Puebla and the United States. It is not Mexico's Independence Day. It is the celebration of an unlikely victory over the French army in the Battle of Puebla.

Or.

Just a really good excuse to have guacamole and cerveza mas fina con buenos amigos.

Get Real Wednesday!

Updated: Someone DID post a "Get Real Wednesday" (and even put inspired by me on it). Their blog is private so I cant link to it, but come over and I'll show you. I was so excited!! ; )

_____________________________________________________

So many of you gave me encouragement after yesterday's post via email, facebook, comments, phone calls, etc. that it got me thinking....

...and from that thinking, comes.....

Get Real Wednesday!

It's kinda like a blog hop. (Only not, because I don't have a clue how to set up a Linky and am not interested in finding out how because then I'd have to go set up another blog with a link on it to put on the linky because I wouldn't want the Hickstionary to be lonesome. But if there were a linky and if there were other people joining in, it would totally be like a blog hop. Only it's not.)

Ahem.

Without further ado.

Get Real Wednesday!

No, we're not showing off our homes, our cutest pictures of the week, or our Christmas decorations. We're (or, you know, I'm) showing off our (or you know, my) realness.

This week, I'm showing you my dusty kitchen cabinets (I know... you're disgusted that you eat food I make. Don't worry, these shelves are a long ways from the cookin').

And next week, if I have myself a little bit together for the day, I'll try to post you another "Real Wednesday" picture. Lord knows I've got plenty! :)

Post your own if you want! In the meantime, I'll be dusting my cabinets.... ick.

PS- Amy, this would be why over a year later, Jeff is STILL waiting on kitchen pictures from us!

I Want You To Know

I like to blog.

I like to remember life.

I try to be real.

I, apparently, suck at that last part.

Let me preface this post by saying, I. Love. Life. and I. Love. My. Husband.

Yup. I do. Both are pretty darn good. And better than I deserve.

But let's be real.

Life is hard.

Let me preface the rest of this post by saying, I am in no way, shape, or form, complaining.

I'm just being real.

A friend sent me an email the other day. She reads my blog. She's a sweetheart.

I love real life friends that blog because it makes me feel like I know them so much better. And I feel like I have less 'explaining' to do of myself.

But.

She said something that hit me.

She said,

"You guys look like the cutest happiest most outgoing couple in your pictures."

Uhhh, whhhhaaaat?

Did she not read my post about Marriage being hard. Really, really, hard.

Or how bout the one where I talk about how ugly I really can be? (I know.. you are thinking, which one? Ha.)

I mean, I'm hesitant to post my "ugly," but in an effort to be 'real,' I do.

The truth is- nobody wants to read it. I actually lose "followers" and "hits" when I post about it.

Most people that read my blog would rather read about DIY projects, recipes, funny kid stories, and adorable kid photos.

They don't stick around for the ugly.

But blogging, to me, is not about that.

Blogging our life is about being able to look back and remember all the crazy good times. And to look back and laugh at all the times I thought were so tough. About feeling awesome about just how far we've come.

About remembering life.

All of it.

The good. The bad. And even the ugly.

So. Truth be told, YES, I have an amazing husband and a great life (thanks to my amazing Father above).

But.

We argue about the thermostat, the ceiling fan in the bedroom, and the never ending 'to do' list.

Our house is never clean. (We don't bother to pick up for guests because, I reason, I would just have to clean when they leave anyway. -Sometimes that works in our favor.... one great friend gave us an air purifier to clean the dust out of our house. Ha)

When unexpected bills come, my stomach flips. (Oh, we argue about money too.)

I am completely afraid about my job for next year (and more afraid of change than I care to admit).

Our dog does not come when called. In fact, all he can do is sit and high-five.

We have family members that don't talk to or like us. We pray about it all the time, but it hurts.

We'd love to be parents, but God has other plans for us right now.

I say stupid stuff all. the. time. And I didn't realize how insecure I was about it until Beth Moore went and told me. :)

And if you don't get the point by now, by all means, come hang out for a week and experience the dysfunction.

But.

My husband is good. My God is great.

And our life is wonderful.

I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Dirty dishes piled up in the sink and all.

PS -I hadn't posted this yet because I wanted my husband to give it the okay. But. I just saw the (in)courage post for today, "Her Life is Better Than Mine." I thought it pretty fitting. I've been guilty of reading other people's blogs and thinking they have it all together. (I mean cloth diapering, really?) ;) But the truth is, everyone faces their own battles. And really, who wants to take on someone else's when we all already have our own?

I think the biggest tool for me in getting over the 'feeling sorry for myself syndrome' has been my prayer journal. When I write down my friends and families hurts, needs, and wants, I stop focusing on my own as much.

And suddenly those 'dirty dishes' don't seem so bad at all.

Sweeeet

Sweet because:

a) You can barely see her big brown eyes peeking over the toe of her shoe.

b) This beauty and her brother were so much fun to hang out at the park with!

c) I did NOT get kicked in the face while photographing her mad swing skills (she's got ups).