Sunday, September 24, 2006

On Vacation

As of tonight, around 7:30 PM, we will be on vacation. Jeremy is normally done with his duties by 7:30 and at the rate I am going, it will be hours before I accomplish everything that needs to get done around here. Lots to do, not enough time. I have a meeting at 4:30 that I should be at and then Discipleship class at 5:30 that Jeremy and I lead...I am pretty sure I can get most of my stuff done before then, but I want David to get enough time to rest too. He hasn't felt good the past few days and needs his rest for sure. He had some goopy eyes the past few days, but the Lord answered my prayers overnight and his eyes were clean this AM. I was thrilled and believe absolutely that God took care of him. His nose is still a little runny, but nothing we can't control.
If you have ever seen the Disney commercial where the little boy runs to his big sister's room and they are talking about Disney and the mom walks in. She asks what the two of them are doing and the little boy exclaims, "I'm too excited to sleep" (although it sounds like sweep). They advertise Disney and then you see the mom go back to her bed, lay down next to her husband and the mother says, "Are you sleeping?" and the father opens his eyes and says, "No, I'm too excited to sleep." That commercial is so cute and ever since we have seen it, Jeremy and I have always laughed and said "THAT'S US!" That reality is coming true this week as we embark on Disney World mid-week. We will spend some time with family in the early week and then in the later week. We are so excited and cannot believe the time is finally here.
I have only recently got off the phone with my family and all I can say is the Lord knows it all. He knew exactly when we would be making this trip, He knew exactly the details that would surround my family during this time. So, with that said, please say a prayer for us as we travel. Pray for my family and the circumstances surrounding them right now. Pray we would bring comfort and joy during the midst of these circumstances. Pray most importantly that pain and sickness would subside and that God, in all His wisdom and knowledge, would pour it out on my family.
Talk to you all when I return.
Love in Christ-
Karen

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Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Thursday Thirteen #16

Graphic courtesy of Emily
Thirteen Things I love about the Fall...
  1. Well, if you haven't heard yet, we are going on VACATION! We leave on Monday and so, this year, we are having a fall trip and I am EXCITED! We are headed to see the family and embark on Disney World for a few days. Boo is already thrilled and counting days.
  2. Like my header? Yeah, baseball season comes to an end, and although that's kind of sad, dude, it's the World Series! Mr. October will be crowned and it won't be here in Atlanta. Regardless of who is there, I enjoy it.
  3. It was 55 yesterday AM! That's awesome!!!! It may have been too chilly for the flood pants I was wearing, but I didn't care! Boo Bear liked the chilly wind. No need for a jacket yet, but oh, it's getting close.
  4. The Leaves! They are everywhere. It was much more fun when we lived in a house and you could rake the leaves and then flop down in them.
  5. College Football Game Day. Need I say more? Go JACKETS!
  6. Sunday afternoon Football. Again, need I say more? I cheer for several teams, mainly the Falcons and of course, anyone who plays the Cowboys. Nothing against Texas, just don't care for the Cowboys.
  7. The Festivals. I have already attended my first festival and am anxious to attend more. I love arts and crafts and began my Christmas shopping while at one a few weeks ago.
  8. Consignment Sales. I get into these in the Spring and Summer when they are Hot Hot Hot! I have racked up this fall for David's clothes and am content with my purchases.
  9. Pumpkin Farm. This year we are going to try and get to the Pumpkin Farm to take some pictures of David there. We have a big farm near us, only about an hour away, so hopefully we will venture up there and let David pick out a pumpkin.
  10. Weddings. We are filled with weddings for the month of October. We have three in a row and it was a shame to have to say No to one of them.
  11. One year anniversary. It will be one year next week since I had my gallbladder surgery and in October it will be one year since my recovery.
  12. Christmas shopping and decorating. Before Fall is up, we will start shopping even more and decorate the house with a tree. Yippie!
  13. It's Fall. Love is in the air. Pumpkins are waiting to be carved. Shopping is ready to begin. I am excited about vacation...but I bet you already knew that! :) HA!

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Thoughts

It's Wednesday! FIVE MORE DAYS till vacation!! WOO HOO! I am not excited or anything...can you tell? It being Wednesday also means that I don't have to cook tonight. Yippie!
I hope the weather is changing for all of you as it is here. It was a crisp 55 degrees out this morning. I suppose it's time to pack up the capri/flood pants, although, I am waiting till we return from Florida. My dad said it was still in the 90's there.
Yesterday Boo Bear had his school pictures taken. I won't know for a few weeks how they turned out, but his teacher said he did a great job and the dolphin made him laugh. I guess the photographer had a stuffed animal with him. Hm.
Speaking of photographer...I won a free photo session!!! The photographer's assistant called me the other night and reminded me that I filled out a little card to win the photo session and they drew my name. Yippie! :) I was thinking of just doing Boo Bear, but have changed my mind and would like to do the three of us. We will see what happens...we are set up for October. Nice, crisp weather...it should be grand.
In the past 24 hours, God has absolutely, with out a doubt, wrapped his arms around me and gently nudged me to tell me how IN CONTROL He is. He's not a glory hog. He's not all puffed up. He is God and there is absolutely NO ONE like Him. I stand in awe at His Love and how much He cares about the little things. The most awesome thing about what has been going on with me is the fact that the Lord had surrounded me with such great friends that I hadn't really worried and had been very calm about things. Only the Lord can do that and only He can grant me true friends who take this scripture to a whole new level...
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his
friends." John 15:13


Have a great Wednesday!

Love,
Karen

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Monday, September 18, 2006

A Song in my Heart

I don't go long without the Lord giving me a song for my heart. He did it again yesterday at church! The first praise song my heart lifted up was Hallelujah, Your Love Makes Me Sing, words and music by Brenton Brown and Brian Doerksen. It's a great song and the words just flow from my mouth. It was a joyful moment between me and the Lord and He spoke volumes to me as I stood there. Worshipping. Loving. Accepting His unique plan for us, even though I don't know the next step or all the answers. I trust You, Lord.
The church had the Deacon Ordination Service last night and I gotta tell you it was a moving experience. The only other ordination service I have ever sat in was when Jeremy was ordained and that was a particularly special moment that we celebrated and were able to celebrate with some of our dearest and closest friends, who were also serving at FBA with us. It was a joyful time, but filled with tears. It's humbling watching men of God bow and place their hands over your husband and pray for him. And pray for me. And pray for our marriage. And pray for our ministry. It was an amazing experience and last night I got to share that with one of my dear friends at Duluth. Her husband was ordained as a deacon in our church and they are such an awesome couple. She stood by him as each man came by to bow and pray over them and she would stand up after each one and smile and pat her husband on the back. She was a rock. His best friend, and already ordained deacon, came and knelt and the three of them lost it. She was strong, but her tears were tears of pull joy and elation. These are people who have walked some tough roads together and the Lord has been faithful. They are grown men who care about one another. Who say I love you to each other. It's a precious site.
May the Lord continue to call people to Know Him, Love Him and Serve Him.

In Christ's Love-

Karen

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Thursday, September 14, 2006

10 more days...

In just about a week and a half, we are headed to FLORIDA! WOO HOO! I am so excited. It hasn't been that long since I saw my family...some of them were here in July and my daddy was here in April, but it's been over a year since we last stepped foot in the state. David was a mere 1 year old and if you can believe this, he wasn't even walking yet!!! HA! That makes me laugh. So, it's off to visit the fam. My gut tells me I am going to want to stay, but I always feel that way when I visit my family. We are taking David to Disney, so that will probably the highlight of his year. I am so thrilled!! Can you tell I am excited? NO? Just teasing...I think it's pretty evident.
My friend Michelle is going to have her baby while I am enjoying Disney. I don't mind that her doctor decided it, but it will be weird not going to the hospital to see her! No one knows if it's a boy or a girl. So, I am excited to find that out as well. :) Ahhh, vacation. YIPPIE!!!
I am not doing a TT today, because I just could not think of 13 things to chat about. I have something on my mind too, and until I can get that squared away, I won't be able to fully concentrate. It hasn't consumed my brain yet, but it could, and I am determind to not let it. Maybe that's why I SHOULD do a TT! :) ha.
I hope all is well in your world.

In Love-
Karen

Monday, September 11, 2006

Honoring Michael Montesi


Honoring Michael G. Montesi
Rescue Company 1-Manhattan
World Trade Center North Tower
    They say you never forget where you were....
    5 years ago I was a newlywed. My husband and I had been married for 6 weeks. We were living in Fort Worth, Texas and I was sitting in our small seminary apartment. I had only just accepted a job the day before. Jeremy was in class, but was getting ready to go to chapel. I ran to him..."we had just honeymooned in New York City five weeks ago!!!" We have some of the last pictures of the Trade Center Towers, standing so tall from the Empire State Building. Sadness and shock settled in to our lives and that day our world changed even more.

      Michael Montesi, 39 years old, from Highland Mills, NY, was meant to be a firefighter! He spent 13 years with the Fire Department and was a member of Rescue Company 1 in Manhattan. At age 5, he already owned a fire helmet and waited for years for the call from the Fire Department that sent him to a ladder company in 1988. His sister said "It was in his blood." As a firefighter on duty, he met his wife Nancy, who had stopped by the firehouse to ask for directions. They had three children, Matthew, Ian and Ryan who adored their father. The oldest two were involved in learning to play hockey and Michael was their assistant coach. In fact, he was set to leave work early on Sept 11th...the boys had a game and he promised to be there.

      On the day of Michael's memorial service, they remembered a man who strived for excellence and the way he lifted and energized those around him. Many distant relatives honored Michael on the Legacy site. Their words spoke volumes about the kind of man, husband, father, and firefighter that he was.

      To Michael's family - Oh I pray that you would find that your son, husband, and father has been honored in the most loving way on this day; the five year anniversary. It is only by God's divine way that I was set to honor Michael. I had prayed for a firefighter to honor, since my father-in-law is a retired firefighter. I have prayed and thought much about your family over the past 2 months, ever since receiving his name. I pray that the peace that only God can give settles over you today and every day after. May his legacy live on in the lives of his children. I would have been honored to know such a man as Michael. I won't forget. We MUST never forget. May God Bless You all!

      In Christ-

      Karen

      Wednesday, September 06, 2006

      My Thoughts

      For those who are keeping up...I did really intend to post this evening, but Jeremy needed to tell me some important things going on, so I am late, but none the less, better late than never. hee hee
      FOCUS! FOCUS! no, not you. ME! I have had the worst time focusing lately. My brain is in a hundred places and I must admit, my anxiety is getting the best of me...or should I say the worst of me. Anywho, it's getting me. I guess it doesn't really matter what part it gets of me, it's the fact that it is. I was asked last week to help out in Children's Choir on Wednesday night. Any woman can handle helping and a few 2 year olds for 45 minutes right? Well, not me. Boo is in that class and I would love the time to spend with him, but seriously, after waking up at 5:45 AM, by 6 PM, the last thing on my mind is 2-year old children's choir. I reluctantly told my dear friend Gayle that I would help her...she's so sweet, you can't help but tell her YES. That was on a Sunday night. By Monday (the next day), I was already having anxiety about it...and it wasn't for another 2 days. I called Gayle that night and told her I just couldn't do it. We talked and after that, I didn't feel the pressure anymore.
      Now onto work. Work is sometimes a cuss word for me...although I love the people and the job (most days), the traffic getting here and back home borderlines on nightmarish. The other week I actually cried all the way to work and Jeremy threatened for me to just turn around and drive home. It was horrific. I had never felt so awful in my whole life. I just think it's the most absurd thing to drive over an hour to get to your job...yes, I am one of those idiots. I know. It's partly my fault, since I could have NOT accepted the job, but in my small defense, it was the holidays when I interviewed and I had no idea how bad the drive would be. Plus, the pay was right. The timing was right, so I trusted the Lord that this was His plan. The summer was great, by the way. :) Anyway, the drive sometimes gets me worked up, but I am used to it most days....now, it's the work. We had an instance in which one of my co-workers no longer works here...see this post for a refresher and it took a few weeks for everything to get back to some order, but when it did, holy moses!! That meant a lot more work for me. I think I remember how that happened, but was in a gung-ho, everyone chip in mood, and now I am reeling the affects of it. I literally cannot add another thing to my agenda each day and yet, every day I get asked to do so. It's been tough not to get bitter and I must say, since that point, I was pleasantly pleased with my workload...sometimes it was rough, most times not, and I love a good challenge, so it surprises me that I am not thriving through this...but only gaining more anxiety over it. We recently got a huge project. One that caused me to come in at 6 AM last Friday and work till 4:15 to work on the contract. I find out this week that I will be ordering all the materials. Material that I have never ordered in my life, material from people whom I do not have a relationship with, and material that someone else has done all the legwork on. Wouldn't you think she should order the material? Yeah, that was my thinking too, because my point here is...what if I order it wrong? Who is the boss going to blame? I must say my boss is pretty forgiving. I have messed up a few times and he isn't much of "what were you thinking" kind of guy. It's probably more me than it is him...I tend to be a perfectionist at work. I hate not doing something correctly the first time, and I am my own worst critic. I will beat myself up way more than anyone else could. That's just the kind of worker bee that I am. I am definately an approval worker too. I need to hear "you are doing great", "well done", "that's great" a good portion of the time. I think the major thing is this...most of the time if I have all the information I need, then I can complete something with no issues or problems. For some reason, in which I know the reason, these people don't give you all the pieces to the puzzle when doing something. It comes from the fact everyone has worked here 5 plus years, and sometimes it's hard to recall all the steps you took when completing something. So, I am forced to make them spell it out several times, after the item has either been completed or returned with errors. ugh. It's a vicious cycle sometimes. I am pretty known from all my past employers of organizing things, and I have created Procedure Manuals for all my previous jobs, however, with this, I can't even write a procedure without revising it every month, because we don't have a set way of doing things each time. I must point out that I did know some of that in my interview phase. They told me sometimes they have weird ways of doing things, but they have found that's the system that works for them...unfortunately, it's not a system that works everytime for everything. With this family company, it's great because I feel part of the family and that's a great feeling. The Christian aspect is awesome and for that I am so thankful. With that comes the fact that when things come up, there is sometimes no set person that handles an issue...it's not like a company when one person handles the payroll, hiring, receipts and all related to human resources; then another handles the phone, new project jobs, and supporting the VP, etc. etc. Something comes up and no one can remember who did it last year and what the procedure is. I think for someone like me, who likes things orderly and neat in the office, it's troubling. It pushes me to a point where I can't get anything done and then it gives me the anxiety.
      Whew. Are you okay? If you withstood that, praise the Lord. My thoughts about all of that are only exasperated more when it comes to boo bear. Dropping him off each day at his school...missing his milestones each day...it's enough to make any mommy lose it. :)
      My mom worked when I was little. I went to the church preschool and then to a daycare center later. Let's be clear...I am not worried about the care he receives. I just horribly miss him most days.
      Ahh...that's my soapbox. I will get down now. I have work to do! :) HA!

      "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." I Peter 5:6-7

      In His Love-
      Karen

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      Where Am I?

      I know. I know. I have been distant. It's not you...it's ME! It's always Me. It will forever be Me. Life has spun me around and spit me out the last few days...well, since we had a meeting on Thursday at work. It's been non-stop since then. I would like to tell you I rested this weekend, but not really. :) The meeting Thursday dictated the 1 hour I worked after it and the whole Friday. I left early Thursday for a dentist appointment...bad idea. It was yucky raining and I just knew it was going to take me forever to get the boo-bear. None the less, I perservered and made it to Boo and home in decent time. I had about an hour to spare and then back on the road I went to my friend Michelle's diaper shower. It's her second pregnancy, so we honored her with oodles of diapers and food. :) It rocked. I got to see some girls from the "other" side of Atlanta, and I haven't seen them in like a year! It was so much fun to catch up. Kila and Heather-I miss you!
      So, being the good little worker bee that I am, I said I would be at work at 6 AM. I was so glad I did, because 9.5 hours later is when I finished the huge contract and was able to leave my office. Ugh. It was definately a day for the history books and I might be able to write a contract now with my eyes closed. I have practically memorized every part of it, since I read it a hundred times. The day ended with boo and I eating pizza and watching movies...just the two of us and I was thrilled!
      We did venture to the Biscuit Barn on the weekend, so that was nice and of course, great food! Labor Day was spent with my Jeremy working on my mom's kitchen and boo bear and I coming along for the sheer joy of it. Boo loves Grandma's house and Buzzy, the doggie. It's fun to go there, she has toys, books, and most importantly a TV so he can watch movies all he wants.
      So, that was two days ago, and honestly, I was going to write yesterday and time slipped away. Speaking of time, it's time for lunch.
      I promise to write tonight when I get home from church. My mind is full of things that I have not yet conveyed on my blog. Are you ready? Probably not, but you will be.

      In Him-
      Karen

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