An-ti-ci-pation

I am getting anxious to get a closing date and get moved in! I have the paint colors picked out (for the most part!)  I hope it turns out excellent!

I also have grown a sweet appreciation for Menards, Lowes, and Home Depot. I was practically raised in those stores growing up. My dad was ALWAYS remodeling or building something and I hated going to the hardware store as a kid. But my, oh my, how times have changed. I actually looked through the Menards ad today. And I mean looked. Not skimmed. Not browsed. But looked.

I'm also loving my new work schedule. I have been able to go yard saleing the last 2 Saturdays and it has been wonderful. I have found some gooood stuff for super cheap! Another perk to being home in the evenings.. I have been able to cook dinner again! I have tried 3 new recipes and all 3 were Dave approved. They were Beef Stroganoff Sandwiches, Chicken Noodle Casserole For Two, and Chicken Enchiladas with Jalapeno Popper Dip.  Oh, and a Strawberry Pie that was completely devoured at small group.

And good news to wrap up this blog... There are 5 little green tomatoes on my plants outside! My mom said they just now are getting yellow flower buds on their plants! Mmmm can't wait! My bell pepper plant and cilantro plant isn't looking too far behind, either! I can't wait to have a massive garden in our new yard!

New Page In Our Book

Good news... I have officially graduated! Woo-Hoo!! I feel like a 40 hour week is a breeze compared to the hours I was doing this past year. Amazing.

And even better news...on our anniversary weekend we found out that the bid we placed on a home was accepted! We go tomorrow to sign the mortgage and have a house inspection done. Hope it all goes smoothly! The house should close no later than June 30 if everything goes as planned. We got an awesome price on it, and it was on our first bid, too....Totally the kindness of God towards us!

Can't wait to move in and get painting...will put pics up as we make progress :)

Our anniversary weekend was so fun! We went to Cincinatti for the weekend and it was great to get away. Saturday we went to a really neat Aquarium at Newport, had dinner at Arnies on the Levee, and watched Thor in 3D. Sunday we went to an Outlet Mall and did some serious shopping...we went through the whole outlet mall! Talk about a workout. We were exhausted by the time we left that afternoon.

I'm really enjoying my new job and I'm still so thankful that God provided a career job before I even had graduated college! Crazy!!!

Moving On!

I did it! I graduated college! Hallelujah! I posted on my facebook that I still remember walking through my Kindergarden school with my mom to find my classroom and my locker that had a Troll nametag (remember the Trolls?!). I remember my schoolbus had the alligator sticker (back when kindergarden buses were labeled by big animal stickers). I STILL have the fern we planted in a little coke bottle in Kindergarden. Now the plant has been split into 2 massive pots; one is here and the other is in my old room at my parents. I remember marble painting, playing house, having to count out 100 Cheerios to bring in for our Halloween Mix Snack, the bear that we each got to keep for 1 week and journal about our adventures with it.

I should write a book.

But anyways...I have started my career as a Social Worker. I am a Social Services Director at a local Nursing Home and I am enjoying it :) Funny things are always happening there.

I am so thankful for Dave's support over the past year helping me to get through and for God's Word constantly convicting my unthankful and discontent heart, for His strength when I was weak, for His endurance when I was worn out. What a great God we serve. Today I read this verse in Zecheriah and I loved it.  “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.  That's how I made it through.

We also were pre-approved for a mortgage!! Finally, all the glitches were cleared up and we are good to go. This week we have spent the evenings with Dave's dad going to houses. I'm so glad his dad is a realtor and knows what to look for--I sure don't! There is one house in particular that we have been really interested in and are thinking about making an offer--but we don't want to rush into anything that we will regret later! There are plenty of houses on the market!

This weekend we will be going to Cincinatti for our 1 year anniversary! I can't believe it has been a year already (on the 15th). What a great year together! We have learned a lot about cherishing time together and growing to be quick forgivers. I also realized a year later that I am not that flawless, perfect, easy to love wife that I seemed to think I was!  Talk about humbling!

....And I wonder what our cake that has been in the freezer for a year will taste like?

You can all pray for Wisdom while we are searching for houses...that God will open the door for the right house that we can serve others in and that we are good stewards of His money.

And ytou can praise God for my new job! For the blessing of an education! For Dave's encouragement continually towards me while I finished up school and for a family that has always been super supportive of me and my decisions.  Praise God for the friendships God has placed in my life down here in Evansville and the work He has been doing. Praise God for a Church that has helped lay a solid foundation for our first year of marriage and has been commited to our spiritual growth. Praise God for a small group full of young married couples in the same season we are in who pray with us and endure with us as we all encounter trials and victories.