'Tis The Season

My Beautiful niece and her new boots!

    I know it's been a while, but life has been pretty crazy. Since my last post, I have learned a lot of things about myself. I have learned that I can make it through anything God puts in my path, life is very short, and I love my new job. So, let me break it down for you....
    "I can make it through anything...." I have been given many obstacles lately and I did not think that I was strong enough to deal with them. I have always had an easy life, in which I continue to praise God for, but it seems that now that I am older, my troubles are more difficult to overcome. All I did during the past couple of months to overcome these trials was pray. Not for the Lord to make the problems disappear, but for Him to get me through everything, while never doubting His plan. I did and He did. He is my Savior and I have now realized that as an adult, my love for Him has changed. It is overpowering at times, beautiful all the time, and forever lasting for, well, FOREVER!
    "Life is short...." On October 16, 2010, my daddy had a heart attack. For a man who is persistent about checking his blood sugar level, always staying busy to help stay in shape, this was a night my family would never forget.  Him and I went to the TN game in Knoxville. That is our "thing". I love my daddy very much and I cherish our games together. The whole day I knew he was acting different. He was very calm and appeared to be a little "off". On the way home, he was sweating a great deal, but being the strong man that he is, he said he was fine. We got back in town around 12:00am and said our goodbyes as I headed home. I got a phone call around 4:00am from my mom. They were on their way to the hospital-daddy was having a heart attack. It boggles my mind that I was with him the entire day and had no idea. I almost felt, well, responsible.  But in the end, I knew that I could not have prevented this. Daddy had to get 2 stints put in his left artery and now he is better than ever. FYI: heart attacks are a silent killer. We had no clue daddy's artery was blocked and we are very blessed that it wasn't too late.
    "I love my job...." Finally, I enjoy going to work everyday because I love what I am doing. These kids are sweet, love seeing me, and I feel like I'm apart of a team (sort of). In Nashville, I never attended meetings-all I was required to do was therapy and data collection. Parents had no idea who I was because they never got the chance to meet me. Now, I have the opportunity to meeting the parents, explain how and why I'm providing therapy, and the best part....learn how crazy the people can be!! : )  I have really enjoyed continuing to try and change the life of an innocent soul. 
    I know this was lengthy, I'll try to update more often so you don't feel as though your reading a novel!! I'm going to leave some of my favorite pictures from the past 2 months!!

My girls at "Sing it or Wing it"

"May the sun always shine on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; May the hand of a friend always be near you; May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you."

Lola Chanel as a pirate for Halloween

Josh and I on Halloween

Daddy and I at the TN game

Love at first sight!!

    It all began on an early March evening (the 7th to be exact). I decided to visit from Nashville. Recently, I had officially given up men, due to them being immature, hopeless, inconsiderate, and, well, just not "the one".  So, when my brother told me to meet him and some friends at Chilis, I was hesitant. I really just wanted to sit and stew in my pathetic luck at love.  However, I decided that a night out with friends couldn't be too harmful.
    We were sitting outside on the patio and my friend, Mike, said that his buddy was going to stop by. Little did I know that his "buddy" would one day become my future husband. : )  When he showed up, he sat down on the opposite side of the table and the second he looked at me, I felt an automatic connection. At that point, I didn't even know his name, but I felt like I had known him for years. I guess some people call that "love at first sight".  The first part of that night, I never felt like I had to speak louder for him to hear me, or bat my eyes for him to notice me, I just felt like no one else could get to him except me.
    During this time, I had no idea that my life was about to change, in more ways than one. My grandmother had taken a turn for the worst and when I heard that my parents were going over to see her because they didn't know if she would make it through the next couple of hours, I had a hard time enjoying the rest of my night. But, sweet Josh was there to help. We danced and talked and were pretty much inseparable. After only 1 hour of fun, I got the call that grandma had passed. Even though I knew it was going to happen, it was still hard to fathom. I walked outside and cried like a baby. Through this awkward moment, Josh put his hand on my back and just told me that he was sorry. There was no judgement in eyes, nor regret for having to watch this tragic moment unfold. That was the last time I heard from him, well, at least until the following week.
    I got a phone call the following Wednesday and it was the phone call that I had been waiting on my entire life. I did not think that Josh would call me. I told him to get my number from Mike, but with my past luck with men, did not think that a man would go through the trouble to get to know the girl on the street with ruined mascara and a blotchy forehead. We talked for about 3 hours that night and 2 days later when I came home to visit (involuntary) we had our first date. To be followed by the second, third, fourth, etc.
    I have found that God answers your prayers, in his own way. Through the loss of my grandma, I found someone that could fulfill every need in me. I have never been in love and have never experienced a real relationship with a man. Until now. Josh and I understand each other in a way that no one else can. We are best friends and he loves me no matter what I do, say, or how I react. I could not be more blessed to finally have found my one and only, the love of my life. To this day, I thank God for him every night, before bed, after 1 year and 5 months.

    I hope you enjoyed the most memorable night of my life as much as I enjoyed retelling it. Now, I leave you with my favorite quote:

"May the sun always shine on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; May the hand of a friend always be near you; May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you."

First Post!!

    So, I have finally "bit the bullet" and decided to start a blog. I never understood the point of  a journal, if no one will ever read it. But this way, my loved ones can stay up to date with what's going on, so when I see them, we can skip the formal greetings ("How are you", "What's been going on", Where are you working" etc) because no one enjoys that!!  Anyways, through my blog, I will share my endeavors on love, family, friends, and work. I hope these stories are enjoyable and maybe some can be inspirational. : )
    To begin, as I write, I am sitting at home waiting on my company, EBS, to call me for work. I have been waiting for about 2 months now. I was supposed to begin working today, but Hamilton County can't decide where they need my services....in other words, they do not feel that speech therapy is important enough to begin on the first day of school. This theory I am used to since last year I was providing life-changing therapy out of a storage closest with nothing but friendly cockroaches to keep me company. I do love my job, but I am ready to feel appreciated by someone other than the sweet 6 year old autistic child who loves to play with my hair. However, that one statement does make my job worthwhile. : )  So, with prayers and my everlasting faith in the Lord, hopefully I will hear from EBS today with good news.
    Moving on to a more exciting subject, I am enjoying my new life in Chattanooga. I was ready for a change a long time ago when my friends were meeting their significant others and moving on. But God wasn't ready to hand me that. I stayed in Nashville for a year after the realization that change doesn't have to be a bad thing and learned ALOT about myself. God wanted to me to find out who I was without someone else helping me and learn to love myself before anyone else could. And when I finally accomplished that goal, I met the man of my dreams. Someone that loves me inside and out and for the woman that God has helped me to be. Josh. But he is another long and exciting story who deserves his own blog, so stay tuned for that. : )
    Staying up to date with my life doesn't take much. Other than waiting for my company to call and the funny things that Lola (my daughter) does, that is about it. I love my life right now because I feel like it is the calming stream, with a few rocks along the way, before the beautiful and exciting waterfall that always brings a rainbow. I am confident that many big things are about to happen in my life, so as I wait for God's timing, I am going to enjoy the simple life of texting my boyfriend goodnight, eating Lean Pockets for dinner, and watching my favorite shows on TV. So, until then, I give you one of my favorite quotes. God Bless.

"May the sun always shine on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; May the hand of a friend always be near you; May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you."